DEUS EX MACHINA



Part One – A Day in the Life…

The icy plains faced the hooded figure as he trapped through endless snow, a frozen white substance that often had the young man pissed off. This certain encounter with it, was no different other than the position he was in. He turned looking back to his ravaged fighter; the pre-TIE fighter was face down in an icy grave the massive engine cluster still burning white hot. The small settlement ahead of him offered some sort of peace, but not much. As his arms began to shake slightly from the chilly breeze that rolled in from the southern mountains he continued his trek.

“Damn the fools.” He rasped.

A yellow pre-TIE fighter broke off, and burned into the atmosphere of Coruscant; the planetary reflectors shone brightly as if to follow the starfighter. The figure inside looked on in silence, as was his usually demeanor. An empty platform he had acquired within the works area was vastly available; he pulled hard on the throttle and moved in towards the platform. He got out; a hood cast over his face an odd symbol of sorts under his cloak on his uniform. Yes a uniform, bland and entirely black as it was any civilian could tell at a glance. A young Sullustan approached with a datapad in his hand rambling something about credits… or maybe bounties... the figure paid little attention to alien scum.

As he drew near a shift in the cloak brought a blaster from his waist and to the filth’s temple. A breeze of air would have pulled the trigger, so would another word. The Sullustan incompetently as his kind was attempted a run. He didn’t get far. After watching in amusement as the creature scurried away a single blaster shot resonated inside the bay. The Sullustan’s smoking head slammed against the floor; the figure turned and walked the other way.

Journeying down a rounded stairwell, the figure reached a massive tunnel system that lay under the area of Coruscant known as the Works. Several of them lead nowhere, some lead to hidden offices and homes.

One led to a very important building.

500 Republica.

The figure turned his head and looked around as he caught a colored shape in his eye. As he turned one big damn eye sore filled his line of sight. Not ten minutes had he been on that frozen hell hole of a planet had that bounty hunter caught up with him; the same damned one responsible for his ‘imprisonment’ on that same planet. This particular bounty hunter was known as 4-LOM; an accursed droid.

The massive blaster rifle that the figure stood staring down left him with little choice, but to retreat. The droid’s insecticidal eyes were blinking various lights of blue and red. The artificial voice rang through his find as he fiddles with his blaster under his cloak.

“Rook Kravn; come silently and you live. You are worth more alive than dead, but dead or alive you’re coming with me.”

The persistence of this scum. Bounty hunters there all the same. They do what they do for credits. And no matter what they say… honour, the thrill of the hunt… beneath the surface it’s all the same. The blaster shot of course as an exercise in futility, for he would need a much larger weapon to affect this thing. But it would give him enough time to escape, at least he hoped. Swinging his right arm up in the air and whipping his blaster out he fired twice into nearly the exact same spot; the left eye spots.

The blaster rifle fired, but by then the human had taken off on foot and was dashing through the snow; the white powder getting into his boots and pants. Just like the sands of Tatoonie. Annoying. As he ran the figure’s hood came down as his cloak rippled in his step. Grabbing it at each shoulder and unclasping it he let it fly off and watched as it landed in the snow. It revealed his rather young face, a beard of black that extended just past the jaw line and fairly long disheveled hair that came just barely to his shoulders. He turned to see no sign of a droid, but knew not to stop his experience had taught him that much.

The man had reached the end of a long winding tunnel that had gathered on his list of annoyances. He now stared up into a winding conic spire. This was according to reports the sub-basement of 500 Republica. Intelligence suggested he was only eight levels from a certain CEO’s private suite. He turned to his left and found yet another staircase.

Climbing it he came across an opening in the ceiling; pushing it up careful he peered through to see the dangers. Through the corner of his eye he saw two blue guards of the senate station outside the turbolift. Dropping down to his knees on the stairs he pulled his cloak off. Looking around at the floor he saw little to work with, as means of distraction. He pulled his blaster from his side holster and again peered in.

No. Wouldn’t work. He thought.

He grabbed a small cartridge on his belt, one of his only ammo supplies shrugging his shoulders he went over to a paint can of sorts. Dipping it in material he hoped it would stick. Tossing it into one of the auxiliary tunnels it stuck to the ceiling. He smiled inside as he pointed his blaster up at it. Firing from just far enough a small explosion rocked the floor gently. Dust, smoke and chips of wall and ceiling filled the air as the man rushed up the stairwell and peered out to see no one facing him. Sliding uneasily out he made his way to the turbolift and entered.

He drew closer.

Unbeknownst to him the man approached an embankment of snow. Turning to see his fall in advance he tumbled down in the snow, with minimal pain.

Its good for something.He said to himself.

A thermal detonator rolled at his feet and with wide eyes he got to his feet and dove away as it sent dirt, snow and tundra flying into the air and nearly made him go deaf. Getting up with a certain ringing in his ears the man began running again stepping over his own toes as he went; he tripped several times.

Fucking Droids.He thought through the ringing.

This is a Day in the Life of Bishop Drayven… Former Imperial Intelligence… Traitor to the New Order.