For Your Photoreceptors Only/Chapter 7

For Your Photoreceptors Only

Chapter 7

Back on Kashyyyk, QUAD was carrying Acura in his arms and Gruu on his back. The repulsors in his feet began to die down as they approached the bottom of the shaft. When they touched down, QUAD's shoulder lights were the only source of light.

QUAD said, "On Ord Mantell, Agent Moonreaper and I found a freshly emptied incubator. Be cautious. We don't know what sort of monsters we may find."

Just to be on the safe side, Gruu pulled out his lightsaber, casting a green glow across the room. Acura pulled hers from her belt as well. Also green.

As they moved through the lab, all they came across was a series of computer consoles. None of which were working. The only other rooms they found were sleeping quarters and a restroom. It was as if nothing had been disturbed for years. Everything was covered in dust and grit.

"I'm guessing Noah and his friends probably haven't been here," Acura commented.

Then there was the faintest sound of blaster fire. They ran back to the shaft and looked up. It was coming from above. The Wookiees were firing their bowcasters.

"We-sa haveta get up there," Gruu said, climbing on to QUAD's back.

QUAD grabbed Acura and they took off back up the shaft. As they emerged topside from the hole in the metal, Gruu and Acura leaped off of QUAD and began swinging their lightsabers at a katarn. It was a four-legged beast that had attacked the Wookiees. The katarn was an animal that a Wookiee could ride like a bantha, so it was a much larger creature than a Wookiee. After taking a number of blaster bolts from the Wookiees and a few swipes from lightsabers, the katarn ran off.

"Everyone alright?" Gruu asked.

Within moments, there was a loud roar and a much, much larger creature emerged from the foliage. It was charging toward them on two legs with it's arms outstretched. There were spikes protruding from the back of it's head and tusks around it's mouth. The first thing Gruu and Acura thought was that it was Noah's creation from the incubator QUAD mentioned.

One of the Wookiees roared something. QUAD translated, "That's a terentatek. And it's claws and tusks are venomous."

The Wookiees were blasting it while QUAD stepped in front of the Jedi and opened his arm cannons. He blasted off a few rounds into the monster before it reached them. As it approached, the terentatek swiped at QUAD, slicing claw marks through his metal chest plate. QUAD was thrown to the dirt from the force of the rancor-sized creature. Thank goodness he wasn't a biological being, or the poisonous claws would have killed him.

Together, Gruu and Acura Force-jumped over the terentatek and sliced their lightsabers down it's back. The monster roared in pain. As the monster turned, it took a Wookiee blaster bolt in the eye. Now it was really mad. All it wanted was those Force-sensitives.

The terentatek lunged and grabbed two of the Wookiees. It proceeded to smash their heads together making a nauseating cracking noise as their skulls were broken open. It then threw the Wookiee bodies at the third one, knocking him against the wide trunk of a tree.

As QUAD was getting back to his feet, he heard Gruu giving Acura orders. "Me-sa will keep it distracted. You-sa jump for it's head."

"Okay," Acura acknowledged with a quick nod.

Gruu rushed toward the terentatek and swiped low at it's legs. The creature slammed it's open hand down trying to smash the Gungan, but Gruu leaped out of the way. The terentatek then noticed Acura in mid-air heading right for it's face. The terentatek's large arm came up and smacked Acura with the back of it's hand. Acura went flying into a mound of dirt and moss.

QUAD then started firing his arm cannons again. When the terentatek turned to look at QUAD, Gruu leaped forward and jammed his lightsaber through the monster's chest. Then Acura's lightsaber blade sliced through the neck of the creature. Gruu stepped aside and the terentatek fell face-first into the soggy ground. Acura was on it's back. She hopped off and tried to catch her breath.

"Good teamwork," QUAD said.

"Well, da lab told us not'ing about Noah's current whereabouts." Gruu turned to the pile of Wookiee bodies. "It's unfortunate da Wookiee's had to give their lives for dat." He walked over to them and kneeled down. "Me-sa am very sorry," he said softly, hanging his head.

"You two head back to Coruscant," QUAD said. "And I'll jump to the next mission. I believe Agent Kapanen is next."

As QUAD shimmered away, Acura looked at the three dead bodies. "What are we gonna tell the Wookiees?"

Gruu hesitated. "It's not gonna be easy..."

- - - - - - - - - -

Meanwhile, on Jakku, the Shatterstar sisters led Europa and QUAD to their settlement called Orca. There were about two dozen huts that acted as living quarters. Near those were much large huts that were most likely used for storage rooms for food and resources. For the amount of people milling around, they had to have more huts. There's no way all these people lived in this small area. Maybe there were more huts further out beyond these?

"Noah built his facility right in the middle of a settlement not far from here called Chevron," Melina started. "He agreed to give them money and resources in return. They built up their settlement quite a bit with that money. But when Noah disappeared, the flood of money and resources stopped."

"Probably when MI5 captured Noah. That must have been about eight years ago?" Europa asked.

"Yeah," Melina continued. "And that's when they became scavengers. Grabbing whatever they can. For years they've been trying to steal our resources here."

"Our people are barely surviving as it is," Danica added. "We can't afford to lose anymore. Resources are scarce here on Jakku."

"Pardon me for asking," QUAD said, "but why stay here? Why not relocate to a more prosperous planet?"

"This is our home. Most of us were born and raised in this settlement," the youngest sister Isabella answered. She looked to be maybe in her late teenage years.

Europa suddenly thought about Naboo. Her homeworld. She missed it...and her family and friends. She knew how important "home" was.

"There's no way your getting to the lab without fighting your way into the settlement," Melina said. "If you MI5 folks could help us wipe out those people, our problems here would be solved."

Shaking her head, Europa responded, "Wiping out an entire settlement for the benefit of another settlement isn't what we do."

"Then how about just one guy and his goons," Isabella asked.

Danica said, "There's a man there named Kristatos. An old, rugged, white-haired guy. He's the one leading those people down the wrong path."

Europa looked at QUAD.

Melina added, "If you could at least take him out, we would be grateful. He and his men have actually killed some of our people to get to our resources. He's a bad man."

There was a hesitation while Europa pondered it.

Danica pointed at QUAD. "We can even repair your droid," she said, referring to the twisted metal on his chest plate. "We have enough scrap metal we've salvaged."

"Just this one guy?" Europa asked.

"Yes," Melina said. "All his goons will fall in line if he's gone. You have no idea what kind of pull he has there."

QUAD turned to Europa. "We do have to see that lab."

Europa sighed. "Deal."

"Perfect," Melina said happily. "Let's get to work on a plan."

Chapters: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Epilogue