Chapter 29: Turning the Tables

*28. Counterattack*

A car?!

No one could’ve dreamed that this was what awaited them! They couldn’t wrap their heads around why someone would stash a car inside a starship. The 4-meter-long wreckage of the vehicle was hurled out like a toy, catching the mercenaries off guard. They opened fire, but their blaster bolts pinged uselessly off the car’s frame.

CRASH! The wreckage slammed into several mercenaries, skidding across the floor in a shower of sparks.

Some quick-thinking mercenaries snapped out of their shock and unleashed a barrage toward the hatch. Pew pew pew! Red blaster bolts sliced through the mist toward their unseen attackers.

But then…

A sudden, invisible force washed over them. Several mercenaries’ blaster pistols flew from their hands without warning. Before they could scramble to retrieve them, rat-a-tat-tat! A sharp burst of gunfire rang out, and the front line of mercenaries dropped like stones.

A hulking figure stepped into view, clutching an assault rifle in one hand. His aim was deadly precise—a quick sweep of fire took down five or six mercenaries. Blaster bolts struck him, but they only shredded the synthetic skin covering his frame, revealing glints of metal beneath.

“It’s a droid!” one mercenary shouted, spotting the silvery mechanical skeleton under the tattered skin.

Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat! The T-850 didn’t hesitate. After emptying the rifle’s magazine, it tossed the weapon aside and pulled two more assault rifles from its back, continuing the onslaught.

Ventus, Munte, Quinto, and Spade followed close behind, each gripping an assault rifle and spraying wild bursts ahead.

Sure, blasters had their perks, but the mercenaries’ single-shot blaster pistols were no match for the relentless firepower of fully automatic rifles.

Rat-a-tat-tat! Bullets poured like a tidal wave, cutting down four or five more mercenaries. The survivors dove behind cover, reduced to taking potshots.

Ventus focused, zeroing in on a Rodian mercenary hiding behind a crate. With a flick of his wrist, he used the Force to yank the blaster from the Rodian’s hands. The mercenary instinctively reached for it, exposing his head—bang! A bullet shattered his skull, spraying blue blood across the deck.

The T-850 marched fearlessly at the front, soaking up blaster fire. Its synthetic skin peeled away, revealing a skeletal metal frame underneath. Its red electronic eye swiveled, locking onto targets before firing.

A blaster bolt struck its left eye, blowing it out in a shower of sparks, but the droid didn’t flinch. With its remaining eye, it zeroed in and put a bullet between the eyes of the Bothan who’d fired.

When its rifles ran dry again, the T-850 discarded them and drew two pistols from its waist, continuing the assault.

Boom! Another blaster bolt hit its right arm, severing it at the joint. The T-850 swung the stump like a club, smashing the shooter into the bulkhead with a sickening crunch.

“Die, you metal-headed freak!” a mercenary roared, charging from behind with a blaster pistol aimed at the T-850’s head.

Before he could pull the trigger, his weapon flew from his grip.

A split second later, his head exploded like a melon.

At the battle’s outset, the Falleen woman saw the tide turning and scrambled toward the cockpit, shouting, “Seal the docking hatch! Now!”

Her words were cut short by a bang! A bullet grazed her cheek and buried itself in the pilot’s skull.

Brains splattered across the console.

Behind her, Ventus blew the smoke from his revolver’s barrel and said coldly, “If I were you, I’d drop to my knees and put my hands on my head.”

The Falleen woman complied instantly, her face a mask of terror. “Don’t kill me! This wasn’t my idea! Please… it was the Black—”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Ventus snapped, raising the revolver to fire. But as his eyes met hers, he hesitated.

He’d never so much as killed a chicken in his life. And now…

Yet a surge of raw, violent emotion welled up inside him. His gaze hardened, and bang! The Falleen woman crumpled, blood pooling beneath her.

Ventus sighed, tossing the revolver aside. He leaned against the bulkhead, feeling drained.

Meanwhile, the Ascendancy: The other Gozrok 720-class freighter, realizing something was wrong, spun around and accelerated to escape.

“Cut them down at the root! Munte! Get to the cockpit and take out that ship!” Ventus shouted, snapping back to action.

“I’m on it!” Munte called, already kicking the pilot’s corpse aside. But the console was smeared with brain matter, and he struggled to make sense of the controls.

Then, chaos erupted.

A flash of light rippled through space, and a massive warship dropped out of hyperspace right in front of them!

It was a Munificent-class frigate, bearing the emblem of the InterGalactic Banking Clan.

“Kriff! It’s Muunilinst’s hunters! How’d they track us here?!” Ventus stared at the 825-meter-long behemoth, his body going cold. “Munte, can we outrun them?”

“Not a chance,” Munte said with a bitter laugh.

The frigate’s turbolaser turrets swiveled, locking onto the fleeing Gozrok 720. Fire!

The merciless barrage struck the freighter. In the silent vacuum of space, no sound accompanied the attack, but the chain of explosions told of its devastating power.

One shot was all it took. The 38-meter freighter’s deflector shields were useless against such firepower, and the ship was obliterated.

After that single shot, the Munificent-class frigate went still, opening its hangar bay and waiting.

Ventus’s heart skipped a beat. He gazed at the frigate, his eyes narrowing. Through the Force, he sensed something—a deep, boundless darkness lurking within the ship.

Shaking it off, he said, “Alright, we’re safe for now. Quinto, Spade, try to pilot this freighter. Munte, T-850, let’s get back to the Lancer and head into that frigate’s hangar. Time to make the delivery.”

The Lancer and the Oro-class freighter flew into the frigate’s cramped hangar. As they landed, hundreds of fully armed B-1 battle droids surrounded them.

B-1s were cheap, simplistic droids, favored by megacorporations like the InterGalactic Banking Clan and Trade Federation for their low cost and versatility, whether for combat or labor.

Munte led the way, carrying the data drive, while Ventus blended into the group, keeping a low profile.

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*[Bonus Chapter Image: T-800 in Combat]*