Bounty Hunter Anon III

by Sunny Solaire

The Best Defense...

You don't have any ion weapons on you. Droids were the last thing you expected to see on this planet.

HK droids are deadly and come in droves. These three can't be the only ones. They need to be dealt with right now before they find your ship and kill your friends. Maybe you could set a trap for them somehow. You have a lightsaber. You could get the drop on them from up here.

You grab your lightsaber in one hand and a nearby tree branch in the other. You need to get their attention without giving away your position.

As you start snapping the branches in half with your hand, the droids stop walking. "Statement: My audio receptors are detecting something up ahead."

"Statement: Charging weapons, just in case."

"That's right, you hunks of junk. Come to mama..." You whisper.

The droids assume a defensive stance and carefully tread into the trees just below you. You grip your lightsaber tighter in anticipation.

They're in a wedge formation. The one with the missile launcher is on the left. Probably best to take that one out last. Close quarters combat is no place for weapons of that caliber. Then again, they are droids. Not living things. Whether they destroy themselves in the process of destroying their target may not matter to them.

No. Don't overthink this, Sunset. You have a plan. Stick to it.

The trio of droids walk beneath you. You grab your blaster in your left hand and get ready. You wait until the lead droid is directly under you before you leap down, using your jetpack to slow your descent some. As you fall, you activate your lightsaber and slice the HK in half. It beeps and sputters as it splits and falls in a pile of scrap.

You land with a grunt and the other droids immediately react to you by raising their weapons. You open your shield toward the one with the missile launcher and rush the other droid, raising your lightsaber. It shoots you in the chest once before you reach it and slice its arm off. It hurts, but your beskar holds up.

The HK's arm falls to the ground and drops its rifle. Its remaining limb reaches toward you. "Statement: Ranged combat compromised. Switching."

Just before the HK grabs you, you fly backwards toward the droid with the missile launcher and slam into it with your shield, knocking it slightly off-balance. You retract your shield and whip around with your saber, slicing the droid's head off. The droid falls to the ground, dropping the missile launcher as it dies. Only one left.

You quickly turn around to face the remaining droid, but it is already a few feet away. It reels back its remaining limb and punches you in the chest, knocking you off your feet and onto your back with a grunt. The droid reaches down to grab you again, but you kick its limb away and fire your blaster at it a few times.

It shields its head as you shoot it a few more times before scrambling to your feet and taking to the sky once again. You don't like the idea of taking that kind of beating from an assassin droid. Anon is the one who can do that. He's tougher than you are, however, you are much faster and more nimble than he is.

You hover a few feet in the air and shoot the droid with your blaster a few more times. It watches you as you float in a circle around it, analyzing your blaster's aim and occasionally dodging a few bolts.

After a few seconds, you turn your jetpack on full-throttle and fly directly toward it. Raising your lightsaber again, you slice the droid in half at the waist. You slam into the ground as you land and turn around. The droid's torso falls off its legs and its head looks at you. With a growl, you plunge your saber between its eyes and it finally dies. The droids are no more.

You pant hard as you look at the pile of scrap metal at your feet. There has to be more out in the jungle somewhere. This can't be all of them. They mentioned they were looking for your ship.

They must've been sent by someone to hunt you and Anon down for the bounty on your heads. A crime lord, or maybe the Sith themselves. Someone. How could they have found you here? You just barely got here. This plan was made less than a day ago.

Unless they were spying on you. But how?

You look around nervously in case you're being watched by anyone or anything else. You need to do what you're supposed to do here, then get the hell out of here as fast as possible.

You deactivate your lightsaber and put it away again before contacting your ship. "Twilight? Big Mac? It's Sunset. Do you copy?"

Big Mac comes on a moment later. "I'm here, Sunset. Did you find who shot us down?"

You sigh and look at the droid's missile launcher on the ground. "Unfortunately, yes. We have assassin droids after us."

There's a pause on the other end of your comms. "Did you get 'em?"

"Just three of them." You reply. "They were HK droids, so there has to be more of them."

"Dang."

There's a bit of commotion on the line as Twilight takes over. "Sunset, it's me. Did you say assassin droids?"

"Yes. I'm coming back to the ship to arm myself better. I need ion weapons."

You are not happy about this.

"Okay, Sunset. Big Mac inspected the damage to the ship and we have some good news. We'll show you when you get back to the ship."

Fantastic.

"I'm on my way back now." You deactivate your comms and take another look at the droids before activating your jetpack and flying back to your ship.

---

"Well, it's fixable, so there's that."

That's good at least.

You are standing at the rear of your ship looking up at Big Mac as he inspects the damaged engines. Twilight and Fluttershy are standing next to you. Fluttershy is holding her bandaged arm, probably for emotional support more than anything. Twilight still has the bandage on her head as well, but doesn't seem bothered by it otherwise.

Your attention is primarily on Big Mac, but you're also on-edge. More droids could be right around the corner.

"What's the bad news?" You ask.

Big Mac grabs something on the ship and it sparks. He quickly pulls his hand back and shakes it a couple times. "Bad news is it will take a while. Maybe a day."

A whole day?

You give a frustrated sigh. You don't have time for this. "Can't Spike help you make it go faster?"

Big Mac shakes his head. "Not without going into your ship, Sunset."

Twilight raises her arm to her chest and Spike appears on her bracelet. "I'd be more than willing to help Big Mac fix the ship, but in order to do that, I'd need to be uploaded. Which, you said 'no' to that."

You stare at the hologram silently for a moment or two. What other choice do you have? There isn't one, really. Those ysalamiri are too important. Not to mention the legion of assassin droids that could pop out from anywhere.

You sigh again. "Twilight, I'm going to ask you to order him to stay out of things he shouldn't get into. Just focus on helping Big Mac so we can leave."

She nods. "I understand, Twilight."

You look at Spike. "As for you, don't get any ideas. Anon would be absolutely livid if he knew about this."

Spike nods. "Don't worry, Sunset. I won't try anything. You have my word."

Good.

Twilight looks up at Big Mac. "I'll help however I can too. I know I'm not a mechanic, but still."

"We'll see, Twilight." Big Mac says. "No offense, but you might just be in the way, more than anythin'."

She slumps her shoulders a little.

You look around the jungle a little bit one more time, keeping your ears open as you scan the area.

Big Mac sits up a bit. "I also noticed a bit of damage to the landing gear and underbelly. Nothin' too bad yet, but if those hydraulics give out, you might have to cut your way into the ship."

You look back at him. "Let's just focus on getting back in the air, first thing. We'll worry about the landing gear later."

He nods. "Eeyup."

You turn to Fluttershy. "We need those ysalamiri, Fluttershy. You're the zoologist here, so you'll lead the way through the jungle."

She looks a bit surprised. "M-Me? Lead?"

You sigh again. Obviously, she'll lead the way.

You pull out a blaster. "Don't worry. Twilight and I will be right there with you the whole time."

Fluttershy gulps and nods once after a moment. "Okay. I'll do my best."

Excellent.

"Twilight. Catch." You toss her the blaster. "You familiar with this weapon?"

She turns to you and clumsily catches the blaster in her arms before holding it by the grip in her right hand and inspecting it. "Oh. Well, sort of... I've seen a few, or, actually, I've read a few-"

She motions with her hands as she talks, and pulls the trigger on the blaster, shooting the ground right next to your feet and scaring the hell out of you. The three of you all scream and jump backwards at the accidental discharge.

After a second, you clench your fists and glare at her.

Twilight, absolutely terrified, gulps and holds the blaster out in front of her with two fingers, shaking her head. "Um, no. No, no, no. No, I'm not."

You give a little growl and she smiles bashfully.

Suddenly, the bushes to your right start to rustle. It gets your full attention.

"Droids!" You shout.

You stand in front of Twilight and Fluttershy and raise your blaster toward the bushes. Big Mac raises his blaster toward the bushes as well, ready for anything.

As you tense up, you feel something... odd inside you.

Your spine is tingling, your stomach is turning, and you have goosebumps. You aren't chilly though. This planet is hot, humid, and you're wearing layers. There's no way that you are cold. No, this is something else.

There's a feeling inside your gut and it's telling you... something.

You felt this way before... On Dantooine... Just before the bomb went off...

...The Force?

Without thinking, you turn to the right and fire a blaster bolt into the bushes, just as a creature prowls into the open and leaps toward you. The bolt hits the creature in between the eyes and immediately kills it mid-pounce. Its now lifeless body flies toward you.

You take a step backwards as it lands on the ground and lays still at your feet. It's a black canine-type creature with claws on each foot and a whip-like tail. It's about a meter long.

How the hell did you do that? That was pure instinct. You didn't know it was there, but... you did... You killed it, too. In one shot, no less.

Your stunned surprise is cut short as Fluttershy shouts. "Vornskr!"

You turn your attention back to the bushes as you hear another roar. Two more vornskr come prowling out of the foliage, bearing their teeth and glaring at you with their red eyes. You growl a bit in reply and grab your lightsaber, activating it and daring them to make a move as you stare them down.

They take your bait and charge you, roaring and snarling loudly. You charge at them as well, swinging your saber and yelling as you meet them.

One of them leaps into the air as it pounces while the other stays closer to the ground. You activate your jetpack and fly into the air and collide with the vornskr. It opens its mouth and grabs onto your head, but your helmet protects you from its sharp teeth.

You grab it by the tail and take off into the air. The vornskr yelps and releases its grip on your helmet as you hurl it into the air by the tail.

As it flies off, the other vornskr barks violently and jumps up to try and grab your foot in its maw. You raise your legs up in the air as it jumps up and bring the lightsaber down at the same time, beheading the beast. Its yelps are cut short as it's split in two and falls lifeless on the ground.

You land on the ground and watch as the first vornskr falls onto the ground as well in a slump. It whines and whimpers as it stands up shakily before turning its attention to you again, snarling.

You grunt as you prepare to go again, but Big Mac starts shooting at it from his position on the ship. The vornskr yelps and whimpers as its hit by the blaster a few times before falling onto its side, finally dead.

You exhale and deactivate your lightsaber as you look around at the slain beasts at your feet. Hopefully, that's the last of them for a while. Between them, the droids, your ship, and the ysalamiri, you'll have your hands full on this trip.

You holster your weapons and take a step backwards, breathing softly.

"How did you know about the third vornskr?"

You turn around and look at Twilight. Both her and Fluttershy look at you in awe.

"In the bushes... Off to the side... How did you know it was there?" Twilight continues.

Fluttershy speaks up. "They're very smart. They set a trap for us, but you knew about it, Sunset."

You look to the section of foliage where the first vornskr pounced at you.

"I... I didn't know..." You breathe.

You look down at your hand. How did you do that?

Could it really be...

"The Force..?"

Author's Note:

Vornskr

Comments

[Red nova]

I noticed that you added a treasure planet reference with sunset and twilight very clever