Chapter 47: Weightless Resolve *Re-Write*

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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Apologies for the short chapter, I promise to have my story-telling skills back up to par

A reader pointed out discrepancies on how the story flowed, upon reviewing his points and back-reading, I've determined that some changes to chapters are needed and this will not affect the latter existing chapter, only fix the stories flow - however this needs five of the chapters to be re-written. I cannot do that in one go so please bear with me if you find that a chapter doesn't make sense compared to a previous one - It more likely is a candidate for a re-write.

Shout out to "Webzayne" for noticing and pointing out where things could be improved.

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Jake's P.O.V. :

While Skew-01 was losing a slugfest with the giant droid, Rina and I huddled with the rest of the crew to explain my idea: follow the IG droids' supposed playbook for handling the giant droid. Rina laid it out, and I filled in the gaps, complete with hand gestures to emphasize the crucial timing. The idea was met with savage grins from everyone—except Arlos, whose wary glance darted between the grins and back to me. He looked genuinely concerned for our mental health.

“So, what happens after we immobilize it with the foam grenades?” Arlos asked, arms crossed. “Do we just throw it back on the pile and hope it doesn’t wake up again?”

He had a point, but now wasn’t the time for overthinking. “One problem at a time,” I replied, focusing on the task at hand. It also struck me that the other giant droids in the pile hadn’t activated, but I shelved the thought for later.

The plan was simple: Rina and Arlos would search for more foam grenades or grav machines. I handed the two grav machines we had to Davik and Kado, walking them through a quick tutorial on deploying them effectively. Mira and I kept the foam grenades, ready to use when Davik or Kado gave the signal. Glancing back at the slugfest, I winced at the sight of Skew-01 taking another hit. Its frame was scorched and dented, and I had just finished repairing it too.

We moved into position, and after contacting Rina and Arlos to hurry, we gave each other nods. Fingers crossed, we started the plan.

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Davik's P.O.V. :

Kado and I split up, flanking the giant droid on either side of its brutal clash with Skew-01. We had agreed I’d deploy my grav machine first, and if it failed, Kado would follow up with his. Less risk of overlapping fields, more chances to pin this monstrosity down.

The moment came when the giant droid backhanded Skew-01, sending the battered droid stumbling. I seized the opportunity, activating the grav machine and sliding it toward the droid’s legs. The machine hummed to life, and I felt a flicker of triumph as its right leg lifted off the ground.

“It’s working!” Mira cheered. But our groans quickly followed when the droid adjusted its balance, taking a stabilizing step back. Before I could curse, Kado activated his grav machine and slid it into place. The combined anti-gravity fields worked wonders, lifting the entire giant droid off the ground. Helpless, it flailed its arms wildly, nearly striking one of the machines.

“Foam it now!” I roared to Mira and Jake. They hurled their grenades in tandem, the sticky foam exploding around the droid’s joints. Its thrashing slowed but didn’t stop entirely, the metallic creaking audible even over the chaos.

“Rina, hurry up!” I bellowed. To my relief, she appeared moments later, sprinting and throwing three foam grenades. The explosions smothered the droid’s optics and further locked its joints, finally immobilizing it. Arlos followed, lugging two more grav machines. He handed one to Jake and, at my signal, activated the last machine to bolster the field.

“Foam won’t hold forever,” I reminded the group. “Maybe a couple of hours if we’re lucky. Worst case? An hour. We need a solution.”

Arlos hesitated. “Are we… putting it back in the pile?”

“No,” I growled. “That doesn’t solve anything. Ideas?”

Jake perked up, turning to Rina. “Didn’t you mention something about the droid earlier?”

Rina nodded, her expression turning serious. “These giant droids are blaster-resistant, equipped with slow but powerful arm cannons, and… they’re resistant to the Force.” She hesitated. “Because they’re powered by Kyber crystals.”

Jake’s eyes lit up. “If we remove the Kyber crystal, it should shut down.”

I rolled my eyes. “As if it’s that simple.”

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Rina’s P.O.V. :

I cleared my throat. “Since Jake doesn’t have an actual plan,” I started, “let’s try mine.”

That got their attention. I explained my theory: the circuit panel on the droid’s back could be accessed and removed, giving us deeper access to its inner workings.

Jake looked at me with an expression that could only be described as awe. Or maybe he just had a weird face. Either way, it was flattering.

With a plan in mind, we moved quickly. Jake and I would handle the circuit panel—my idea, his mechanical skills. Kado assigned Arlos to assist Mira in case her injuries flared up, much to her irritation. Davik, ever the pragmatist, went off to hunt for more foam grenades with Kado trailing behind.

Jake and I readied our tools. He strapped his EMP machine to his back, and I raised an eyebrow.

“Just in case,” he said. “Better to have it and not need it than the other way around.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

Taking deep breaths, I sprinted toward the immobilized droid and jumped into the anti-gravity field, grabbing onto a patch of foam to steady myself. Sticking the landing, I allowed myself a small cheer. When I turned to check on Jake, I nearly facepalmed. He launched himself right after me but managed to land face-first before his feet followed. Good thing we were in zero-gravity, or he might’ve broken his nose.

“Nice landing, ace,” I quipped, pulling him upright.

“Not a word,” he muttered, dusting himself off.

We got to work, prying open the circuit panel and examining the complex network inside. The wiring was dense, a labyrinth of circuits and conduits that screamed Old Republic design. It wasn’t going to be simple.

“This isn’t just standard programming,” Jake muttered, pointing at an intricately engraved component. “These runes… they’re linked to the Kyber crystal. Probably safeguards.”

“Can you bypass it?” I asked, already reaching for a precision tool.

“I can try,” he said, his voice steady but his brow furrowed. “Keep an eye on the foam and the anti-grav machines. If they fail, we’re toast.”

The others checked in periodically. Mira confirmed she was fine, Arlos kept a watchful eye on our position, and Davik returned with a small stash of additional grenades. Kado stood guard, scanning the room for any more surprises. The tension in the air was palpable, but we kept working. Every second counted.

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Jake's P.O.V. :

I’m going to die.

That thought’s been stuck on repeat in my head, like some broken holo-reel, ever since that kriffing pulse hit us. I was so out of it I didn’t even notice Rina had kicked me off the floating droid until I was already tumbling back down. She followed a second later, landing hard and scrambling to her feet, but it took me longer to stop shaking—not that the trembling ever really went away. But kark, Rina had it worse. Her eyes were bloodshot, her nose bleeding like someone had taken a vibroblade to it. She looked like she’d just gone ten rounds with a rancor and lost.

I forced myself upright, legs like jelly, and caught a glimpse of the others. They didn’t fare much better. Mira was pale, Arlos looked like he’d aged a decade in the last five minutes, and even Davik—cool, unshakable Davik—had his hand clamped on a crate to steady himself. None of us escaped unscathed from that blast of dread, but Arlos… he seemed worse than Rina and me. And we were at the kriffing epicenter.

We were barely getting our bearings when the droid started moving. The foam it was trapped in—the same foam that had held it like durasteel bonds just minutes ago—was cracking. It wasn’t free yet, but its massive frame was shifting, and every movement made my stomach drop. How in the nine Corellian hells did it get space to move? Was it that kriffing pulse from the crystal? The… red crystal?

Wait. Red.

Doesn’t red mean Sith?

Why didn’t I notice that before? Why didn’t it click the second I saw it? But then again, would knowing earlier have changed anything? Probably not. Kark it, Jake, focus.

I swore under my breath—loudly, repeatedly, every curse I could think of—trying to trick my brain into calming down. It wasn’t working. The whole “not being Force-sensitive” thing gave me this false sense of security when it came to the dark side. I thought I was immune to its influence, that I’d just stroll through this planet and deal with whatever came at me without a second thought. But this planet? It’s steeped in the dark side, thick as a spice addict’s haze. And the dark side? It does exactly this. It makes you complacent. Overconfident. Stupid.

The droid jerked again, more foam cracking, and that pulse hit us a second time. That same karking heart-stopping dread slammed into me like a landspeeder crash, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. It was like the fear itself was alive, clawing at my chest, freezing me in place. I saw it in the others too—the same wide-eyed terror, the same paralyzing grip. It wasn’t just fear; it was something worse. Something primal. Something that crawled into your mind and told you, without words, that there was no hope. That running wouldn’t save you. That fighting was pointless.

I realized I wasn’t breathing. None of us were. The dread was so overwhelming that I hadn’t even noticed my lungs burning until Rina stumbled into me, shaking me back to reality.

“Get it together, genius,” she rasped, her voice hoarse, and I nodded, even though I didn’t trust myself to speak.

The droid roared, a deep, mechanical sound that reverberated through the chamber. It wasn’t words, but it didn’t need to be. That sound carried intent—pure, unbridled malice—and it felt like a slap to the face.

“Jake, the crystal!” Rina shouted, snapping me out of it.

Right. The kriffing crystal. The red, Sith-tied, probably-evil-as-kark crystal. We’d barely gotten a look at it before, but now… I’d seen enough. The droid wasn’t just powered by it; it was controlled by it. And if we didn’t destroy that thing soon, we were all bantha fodder.

I grabbed my toolkit, fumbling with trembling hands, and turned to Rina. “We… we need a plan,” I stammered. “And fast.”

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Arlos P.O.V. :

The giant droid loomed over us, motionless but menacing. Its sheer presence felt like a physical weight pressing down on me. I knew its weapons were disabled, and the foam grenades had it pinned, yet every instinct screamed that this thing—this amalgamation of durasteel and malice—was going to be the end of us all.

I didn't realize I was trembling until I felt a steadying hand on my shoulder. Turning my head, I saw Miss Mira crouched beside me, her gaze steady despite the chaos. "Come on, Arlos," she said, her voice firm but not unkind. "Help me move Kado. We need to get him farther from that thing."

Her words cut through the haze of fear gripping me. A task. Something tangible to hold onto. Focus on the goal, not the dread. I latched onto that lifeline with both hands, nodding sharply. "Yes, ma'am," I murmured, though my voice sounded hollow even to me.

Sir Davik was already half-carrying Sir Kado, his expression grim but resolute. "Arlos, take him to the lift entrance," he said, his voice rough but commanding. "Get him as far from that karking monster as possible."

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat refusing to budge, and nodded again. Words failed me, but my body moved on autopilot as I took hold of Sir Kado's other side. He groaned faintly, his head lolling as we maneuvered him across the room. My grip tightened instinctively, as though holding onto him could anchor me to reality and keep the encroaching panic at bay.

Every step felt like wading through tar, the oppressive energy radiating from the giant droid threatening to drag me down. I couldn't let it. Kado needed me. The crew needed me. Letting go, breaking down—it wasn't an option.

We reached the relative safety of the lift entrance, and I eased Kado down onto the floor, leaning him against the wall. My breath came in shallow gasps, but I forced myself to focus on him, checking for injuries and ensuring he was stable. Anything to keep my mind from circling back to the fear clawing at the edges of my consciousness.

Miss Mira knelt beside me, her brow furrowed as she handed me a canteen. "He'll be okay," she said quietly, her words directed at both Kado and me. I nodded, though I wasn’t entirely convinced.

The room was far from safe, the droid still struggling against its restraints and emitting pulses of dread that threatened to crush what little composure I had left. But as long as I had a task—something to do—I could keep going.

I glanced back toward the others. Sir Jake and Miss Rina were still near the droid, their expressions grim as they worked to assess the situation. Sir Davik stood watch, his blaster at the ready.

The sight of them, battered but determined, lit a small spark of courage within me. I wasn’t alone in this fight. We weren’t alone. And as long as we kept moving, kept fighting, we had a chance.

I turned my attention back to Sir Kado, my hands steady as I adjusted his position for comfort. "You're going to be fine, sir," I murmured, more to myself than him. "We've got this."

The words weren’t much, but they were enough to keep me going. For now, that would have to be enough.