Arani Jakal was not ready to be stranded on an unfamiliar planet, causing her whole life to change. But in the chaos, a friend or two popped up - seemingly from nowhere - wishing to help. Ari gladly accepted and quickly became part of a small town...
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BACK IN A HYPERPOD, the dark city flew by in a blur. In the time the four were at Plazir-15, the afternoon had gone. The neon luminescence created a peaceful hum but down on the streets, Ari knew it was loud and chaotic. Cities as advanced as this one never slept.
Ari curled into Din's side and placed her head on his shoulder, exhausted. His hand rested on her leg, his thumb drawing circles subconsciously, luring her to sleep. But she had questions she wanted answered.
She slipped her hand into his, catching his attention but continued to trace shapes without pause and didn't glance up from the data pad he studied. "How do you know so much - about the Ugnaughts?" Of all the stories he told her, not once had they come up.
"I've spent time with Ugnaughts," Din said, looking away from the device. "There's a particular way to communicate with them. Accusing their work of malfunctioning is an insult."
Ari's content gaze turned to guilt, green eyes wide. "I didn't mean to suggest-"
"It's all right, cyar'ika, you couldn't have known." He turned back to the data pad. "Now, they've indicated that there's a likelihood that the next event will be at the loading docks."
"How sure are they?" asked Bo-Katan.
"Hard to tell. Ugnaughts always seem sure of themselves."
"Well, it's the only lead we've got so we might as well have a look around." The pod slowed with a hiss and the doors sprung open. As Ari guessed, the docks were bustling with Imperial battle droids, loading crates. They marched in a straight formation of two lines: one leading to the ships, the other back to the warehouse.
In the dark, the droids were an eerie sight that caused the cold air to seep through Ari's clothes, sending a chill down her spine. She placed a hand on the blaster that rested against her hip and took a sharp breath as they got closer to the bots.
"I haven't seen battle droids since the Clone Wars," said Bo-Katan.
"I have," said Din, and Ari raised a brow at him, wondering when he encountered them last.
"Any of them look suspicious?" asked Bo.
"They of them look suspicious," Din muttered sarcastically.
A B1 foreman droid turned to face the four when it heard them approach, having been overseeing the others' work. "Halt. This is a restricted area. You are to vacate immediately."
"We have a few questions," Bo-Katan stated.
"Show me your identification please."
"We're here on behalf of The Dutchness to investigate the droid malfunctions," explained Bo, silently refusing the droid's request.
