Chapter 55: Collateral Justice

Disclaimer: Star Wars and all of it's Intellectual Properties is owned by George Lucas and Walt Disney, This fictional work and all of it's original characters are however mine.

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MULTI POV CHAPTER

Mira's P.O.V. :

The Stellar Envoy’s planning room felt charged with tension. We were all gathered around the holo-table, and Kado had just finished explaining his deal with the Twi’lek shopkeeper. Naturally, Rina wasn’t letting it go.

She leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, and repeated for the third time, “You really offered to take care of an entire criminal syndicate for four N5 Sentry droids?” Her tone carried all the disbelief of someone watching a pod-racer with a missing engine trying to cross the finish line.

Before Kado could respond, Jake piped up, grinning like a scoundrel who’d just swiped the last crate of spice from under a Hutt’s nose. “And the astromech droid.”

Rina, without missing a beat, echoed back flatly, “And the astromech droid.”

It was like watching a holodrama comedy duo. I sighed and made a deliberate coughing sound, cutting through their banter. “Are you two done? Some of us are trying to work here.”

Jake raised his hands in mock surrender, and Rina shot me a knowing smirk, but they both quieted down. Good. Now it was my turn.

I tapped a button on the holo-table, bringing up a map of Ryloth’s terrain. “Okay, listen up. I’ve got intel on this syndicate Kado’s volunteered us to deal with.”

That got their attention. Rina leaned forward, curiosity piqued, and Davik tilted his head, the faintest hint of a grin tugging at his lips. Kado folded his arms and waited, and even Jake stopped fiddling with one of his gadgets long enough to pay attention.

“This group’s medium-sized,” I began. “If we’re talking numbers, they’re not much. But firepower? They’re small-time. They’ve only recently started dealing in slaves—testing the waters, so to speak. And thanks to some loose tongues,” I tapped my temple with a smug smile, “I’ve pinpointed their next transaction.”

I brought up a highlighted point on the map—a secluded area northeast of the city, about a 20-minute flight away.

“That’s where they’re meeting a slaver group we’ve already had in our sights. This is two birds with one stone. We hit them, we take down a slaver operation and cripple a syndicate’s little venture into the trade.”

Davik let out a low whistle, leaning back in his chair. “You’ve been busy.”

I gave him a playful wink. “You think I just sit around sharpening my vibroblade? Come on, give me some credit.”

Kado nodded thoughtfully, clearly already considering the logistics. “It’s a good opportunity. Two targets in one strike. Any details on their numbers or layout?”

I shook my head. “Not much on their numbers, but the location is out in the middle of nowhere—no settlements, no backup for them to call. We can take them by surprise, but we need to act fast. No drawn-out engagements.”

Davik, always the tactician in combat, spoke up next. “Alright. Standard roles, then. Mira, you’ll take overwatch—keep an eye on the perimeter and pick off anyone trying to run. Rina, you’ll infiltrate and disable any alarms or communications. Jake, you’re on gadgets—bring your toys, but keep it reasonable.”

Jake rolled his eyes but smirked. “What’s the fun in reasonable?”

Davik ignored him and turned to Kado. “You’re with me on assault. We’ll push through their main defenses. Tarek and Arlos stay on support—covering fire, evac, and securing the perimeter after the initial strike.”

Rina tilted her head, her usual sly grin making an appearance. “So... Jake doesn’t get to test his latest overkill gizmo on these poor sods?”

Jake grinned wider. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll pack light—just a couple of EMP grenades and maybe a gravity gauntlet. You know, the essentials.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. It was ridiculous how often he overprepared, but hey, it worked more often than not.

With the roles set and the plan starting to take shape, Kado clapped his hands together. “Alright, we’ll do a full gear check and head out. Let’s remind these scum why they should’ve stayed out of the slave trade.”

As we broke to get ready, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement. It wasn’t every day you got to dismantle two groups of scum in one go. Ryloth might’ve been a cesspit of crime, but today, we were about to clean up a little corner of it.

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Jake's P.O.V. :

Rina thinks I won’t be able to test my latest overkill gizmo on this mission. Well, jokes on her, because it’s not me who’ll be testing them—it’s my droids. Mwahahaha! My evil scientist laugh echoed in my head, only to be interrupted by a real laugh.

I turned, startled, and there was Anakin, giggling like he’d just seen a Dug trip over its own feet. Standing behind him was Shmi, fully geared up in the combat armor I’d designed for her. She looked like she could take on a bounty hunter squad without breaking a sweat.

The olive-green ensemble I’d put together for her wasn’t just stylish; it was a walking arsenal of tech and protection. From wrist-mounted energy shields to the grav-mod belt that allowed assisted jumps and slowed falls, she was kitted out to handle just about anything. Add in the highly versatile scanners for tactical awareness and the dual blasters I’d fine-tuned for both power and reliability, and Shmi Skywalker was a force to be reckoned with.

Shmi smiled softly and said, “Davik assigned me to ship defense for this run. I’ll be working with Nick-03 and the new N5 Sentry droids.”

“Solid choice,” I replied, nodding. The N5s weren’t my most exciting acquisition, but they were functional. I hadn’t had much time to work on them, but I’d managed to install forward-facing energy shields and upgrade their blaster rifles for enhanced accuracy and firepower. Their targeting systems, though? That’s where I’d outdone myself. They rivaled the precision of my Nick droids now, which made them a significant threat to any would-be attackers.

Shmi’s calm gaze shifted to the corner of the workshop, where I unveiled my latest addition: a trio of deployable lightweight auto-turrets. I couldn’t help but beam with pride as I introduced her to the beauties.

“These bad boys are equipped with the same energy shields I’ve been tinkering with lately,” I explained. “They’re fast to deploy, deadly accurate, and easy to repack for redeployment. I’ve even streamlined the interface so you can control them remotely. Let me show you how it works.”

Over the next few minutes, I gave Shmi the rundown, walking her through setup, operation, and maintenance. She picked it up quickly—no surprise there. Shmi was sharp, and she had a knack for learning anything tech-related, even if she didn’t always get as excited about it as I did.

When I finished, I turned my attention to the Skew and Nick droids, my personal masterpieces. They stood like a squad of soldiers ready to march into the Core Worlds themselves.

The Skews had been through several upgrades recently. Their blaster-resistant armor plating gleamed under the workshop lights, a testament to the countless hours I’d poured into reinforcing their frames. Their targeting systems were nothing short of elite, and their highly versatile scanners ensured they could adapt to any situation. Their arsenal? High-powered blasters for lethality, stun rifles for crowd control, and foam grenades for non-lethal takedowns. Add in the grav-mod systems for insane mobility and improved camouflage tech, and yeah, maybe they were a bit overkill.

The Nicks, too, were kitted out similarly, though their lighter frames made them slightly less tanky than the Skews.

Rina’s voice echoed in my head, her mockery impossible to ignore even when she wasn’t around: “Overkill, Jake. It’s always overkill with you.”

I snorted, looking at my creations with a mix of pride and amusement. “Okay, fine, maybe they’re a little overkill,” I muttered under my breath, the corner of my mouth twitching into a grin.

Then my eyes wandered to the IG droids lined up in the corner of the workshop. They were still in disrepair, waiting for their upgrades. When I finally get around to working on them, they’ll be as fearsome as anything I’ve made yet.

I chuckled to myself, shaking my head. “Nah,” I said aloud, mostly to myself, “Rina’s just being over-dramatic.”

Anakin, still sitting nearby, giggled again, as if he somehow understood the absurdity of the moment.

“Alright, kid,” I said, ruffling his hair. “Let’s see if Aunt Shmi and the droids can keep this bucket of bolts safe while we’re off being heroes.”

With that, I headed off to load the Skews and Nicks onto the speeder. It was time to show Rina just how much fun overkill could be.

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Davik's P.O.V. :

Rina and I were seated in the common area, going over her objectives for the upcoming op. Her primary goal? Securing the slaves’ explosive controllers. A routine task for her at this point, though I couldn’t help being meticulous about the details. Call me a perfectionist if you want, but I liked having contingencies. This wasn’t the first time Rina had handled these controllers, but every mission came with its own curveballs.

This time, her secondary objectives were to plant remote-controlled EMP bombs and physical explosives at key points in the camp. The EMP bombs would fry any electronics the slavers had, while the conventional explosives would cause chaos and confusion. The plan was tight, the timing even tighter.

Just as I was about to review the timeline again, Jake strolled into the room, trailed by his overkill entourage of custom droids. The Nick and Skew droids, now upgraded to Jaketopian standards of excess, were a sight to behold. Honestly, they were scarier than the Sentinel droid we’d gone toe-to-toe with on Malachor V. Their reinforced armor plating, advanced targeting systems, and sheer versatility in combat made them walking nightmares for anyone stupid enough to cross them.

I gave a low whistle, more out of amusement than admiration. “You really went all out, didn’t you?”

Jake just grinned, clearly proud of his creations. “Why settle for good when you can have perfect?”

I shook my head, turning my focus back to the mission briefing. “Tarek will bring the Stellar Envoy closer to the designated area,” I began, ensuring everyone was paying attention. “But we’ll still stay far enough out to avoid notice. Jake’s been busy,” I added, nodding toward him. “He added a stealth mod to the ship. It uses the shield emitter to scramble scanners. Makes us nearly invisible to their scopes. It’s not full camo—won’t hide us visually—but it’ll do the job.”

Jake chimed in, clearly eager to explain. “It’s not the same as the camo tech I use on the droids. That system’s too bulky for the Stellar Envoy. This scrambler, though? It’s efficient and runs off existing systems. We won’t be a blip on their radar.”

Satisfied, I continued. “Our approach will be stealthy. Mira, you’ll find a high vantage point to pick off stragglers and cover us. The droids will be the frontline, drawing fire and creating openings. Kado, Jake, Tarek, Arlos, and I will follow up, supplementing the droids where needed. Rina, you’ll secure the explosives controllers and plant the bombs. Shmi, you’ll stay back with Skew-03 and the N5 Sentry droids to guard the ship and handle the slaves we’re liberating.”

Shmi nodded, her expression calm but resolute.

“When we extract the slaves, they’ll be your responsibility,” I added. “Get them aboard and keep them safe.”

Jake’s grin returned. “With Skew-03 and those sentries backing her up, they’d need a karking battalion to even scratch the hull.”

That got a chuckle out of a few of us, though I noticed Rina still had her skeptical look. She glanced at the droids, then at Jake.

“You sure they won’t blow up half the camp just by walking through it?” she asked dryly.

Jake feigned offense. “Hey, my droids are precise instruments of justice, not blunt hammers. Well... most of the time.”

Rina rolled her eyes but didn’t push it further.

Once I was sure everyone was clear on their roles, I signaled Tarek. He gave a quick salute and made his way to the cockpit. A moment later, the hum of the engines shifted as the Stellar Envoy lifted off.

The tension in the room was palpable, but it wasn’t the nervous kind. This crew was solid. Everyone knew their part and trusted each other to get the job done. As the ship streaked through Ryloth’s twilight skies, I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of pride.

“Alright,” I said, my voice steady. “Let’s show these slavers why they picked the wrong planet to do business on.”

Jake’s droids clanked into formation, their glowing optics eerily synchronized. Mira was already checking her rifle, and Rina was fine-tuning her gear with that sharp focus she always had before a job. Kado was inspecting his blaster, calm and methodical.

This was it. Showtime.