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.

  MULTI CHAPTER POV

  Rina's P.O.V. :

  I scrambled off the giant droid, the sparks from the exposed system flaring uncomfortably close to my face. That, and the realization that this thing could still blow sky-high, was all the motivation I needed. Mostly, though, I was just...tired. My arms ached, my legs felt like durasteel weights, and my hands trembled from the sustained blaster fire.

  Even as I dropped to the ground, panting, I couldn’t help but cast a glance back at the opened panel. The only thing smoking was the exposed system inside, the rest of its armor looking as pristine as the moment it stepped out of that cursed lift.

  “Unbelievable,” I muttered, shaking my head. “That armor is something else.”

  Still, it was smoking, which had to count for something, right? I dared to hope—maybe we’ve finally beaten this thing. The others crept out from their respective covers, their faces equally drained but cautiously optimistic. Jake was still absent with the EMP machine, but a small, involuntary giggle escaped me at the thought. Guess we didn’t need him to save the day after all.

  And then, as if to challenge my fleeting moment of smugness, Arlos arrived. He came strolling into view with Skew-01 beside him, the battered remains of two IG assassin droids dangling from each hand like trophies. His ever-polite voice cut through the smoky air.

  “Miss Rina,” he began, his tone even but ever-so-slightly tinged with amusement, “I see you’ve been keeping yourselves occupied.”

  I straightened up as best I could, brushing off some debris and plastering a grin on my face. “Well, Arlos, I did save the day,” I said, throwing my arms wide for emphasis. “No need to thank me, but—”

  The collective groan—or maybe they were exasperated eye-rolls—was immediate. Mira muttered something under her breath, and Davik outright snorted as he leaned on a piece of cover, reloading his blaster. Kado just gave me one of those looks.

  Arlos, ever the gentleman, tilted his head politely. “Of course, Miss Rina. I shall be sure to make note of your heroic efforts.”

  Before I could respond, I caught the smallest twitch of movement from Arlos. He raised a hand, gesturing past me, his expression remaining composed but unmistakably pointed.

  “Miss Rina,” he said, “if I may—behind you.”

  Dread pooled in my stomach, but I forced myself to turn.

  My heart sank.

  The giant droid—the same one I had just risked life and limb to disable—was moving.

  The faint wisps of smoke from its exposed panel hadn’t signaled defeat. No, they had been the death throes of my fleeting optimism. The droid’s hulking form was sluggish, jerking as though struggling against itself, but it was unmistakably powering back up.

  “Oh, come on!” I shouted, throwing my hands up in disbelief. “How is this thing still standing?!”

  The others sprang into action immediately. Mira was already scanning the droid for weaknesses, Davik cursed loudly as he checked his remaining equipment, and Kado—Kado didn’t even bother with words, just opened fire with everything he had left.

  Skew-01 shifted beside Arlos, its head tilting slightly as though assessing the situation.

  “Well,” Arlos said, turning to me with his usual calm, “it appears your earlier declaration may have been…premature.”

  I shot him a glare, though it lacked real heat. “Yeah, yeah, I get it,” I grumbled. “Guess we’re not done saving the day yet.”

  Without missing a beat, Arlos inclined his head. “Very good, Miss Rina. Might I suggest we proceed with urgency?”

  “Oh, we’ll proceed,” I said, already reaching for my blaster. “Let’s see if this droid likes being peppered with more firepower than it knows what to do with.”

  The others were already shouting commands and falling into position. Jake’s EMP machine might still be buried, and Nick-02 might be gone, but we weren’t out of the fight yet. This thing might be nearly indestructible, but so was our resolve.

  And besides, I wasn’t about to let some overgrown metal bully ruin my moment of triumph. Not yet.

  The giant droid’s arm cannon began to charge again, the glow from its weapon unmistakable. Then, with a sharp burst of sparks and a high-pitched whine, the weapon sputtered out. For a brief moment, there was only silence, and then I couldn’t help myself—I let out a triumphant shout.

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  “See? Destroying that panel did do something!”

  My voice carried across the battlefield, loud enough for everyone to hear. Even Davik cracked a smile despite the tension. I turned back just in time to see Skew-01 step forward, its gait steady and determined. It was heading straight for the giant droid, ready to engage in melee combat.

  For a moment, I felt a glimmer of hope. Skew-01 was built for situations like this—tough, reliable, and capable of taking a beating. The two droids clashed with a metallic cacophony that echoed through the space, Skew-01’s reinforced arms meeting the giant droid’s bulk.

  Initially, they seemed evenly matched. Skew-01 was quick and precise, darting in to strike at vulnerable joints or shove the larger droid off-balance. But it didn’t take long to see the difference in their capabilities. The giant droid hit harder, its blows reverberating through the air. Its longer reach forced Skew-01 to overextend just to land a hit, and its armor was leagues beyond anything Jake could have welded together in the time we had.

  Each exchange tilted further in the giant droid’s favor. Skew-01 was holding its ground, but barely.

  That’s when I heard a rush of footsteps behind me. Whipping around, I saw Jake emerging from a pile of rubble, dragging the EMP machine behind him. The machine looked battered and worse for wear, but Jake was moving like a man with a mission.

  He looked...well, like he’d been rolling around in the aftermath of a mining collapse. Dust clung to his clothes, his face streaked with dirt and grime. His hair was a mess, and his usual half-smile was replaced with an expression of sheer determination.

  But I couldn’t help it. “Jake,” I called, smirking despite myself, “you look like you’ve been auditioning for a holo about asteroid miners.”

  He gave me a look, somewhere between exasperation and amusement. “You’re welcome, Rina,” he shot back, hauling the EMP machine closer. “I take it you’re not just standing there for fun?”

  I didn’t have time to answer. Jake arrived just in time to witness Skew-01 struggling against the giant droid. The blows it was landing weren’t enough to make a dent in the heavily armored frame, and every hit it took in return left visible damage. I bit my lip, watching as Skew-01 was forced to backpedal under the onslaught.

  “Jake,” I said, my voice sharp, “help me with those IG assassin droids Arlos brought back.”

  He blinked at me, clearly confused but already moving to where the mangled droids lay. “What for?”

  The others were just as curious. Mira paused mid-shot, glancing over. “Rina, what are you planning?”

  I grinned, though the expression felt tight. “Prison guards usually carry tools or systems to keep prisoners in line. And IG droids are built for efficiency—they’ll have something we can use for a quick takedown or immobilization. We just need to find it.”

  Kado snorted from his position. “You’re betting on scavenging tricks from broken droids while we’ve got a giant death machine bearing down on us?”

  “Got a better idea?” I shot back.

  He muttered something under his breath but didn’t argue further. Jake and I crouched over the assassin droids, prying open panels and sifting through their innards with hurried precision. Skew-01 continued its duel, buying us precious seconds, though it was clear the fight couldn’t last much longer.

  “Come on,” I muttered, yanking out wires and small components, “these things are bound to have something. A shock module, restraining bolts, anything!”

  Beside me, Jake frowned as he tinkered with a severed limb. “If they’ve got an EMP disruptor or immobilizer, we might just stand a chance.”

  The battle raged on around us, but for the first time, I felt a flicker of hope. If we could find the right tool, maybe—just maybe—we could finish this.

  Jake's P.O.V. :

  We were each tearing into a downed IG droid, working fast under the weight of every second Skew-01 had to hold its own against the giant death machine. Rina’s logic about prison guards made sense—they would’ve been equipped with tools tailored to restrain prisoners or contain a breakout. My bet was on finding something compact but devastatingly effective.

  “There!” I muttered, spotting a small, cylindrical device tucked into the IG droid’s chassis. It looked deployable—some sort of gadget designed to be used in the field. Excitement flared, but when I tried to fiddle with it, the thing refused to cooperate.

  Frustration bubbled up. “Rina!” I called, waving her down. “Does the one you’re tearing into have anything like this?”

  Before I even finished, she was already digging into a similar compartment on her IG droid. Typical Rina—already ahead of the curve.

  “Yeah, I think it does!” she shouted back, examining a matching device.

  “Great!” I grinned, diving back into mine.

  The device in my hands gave me trouble until, finally, I must’ve pressed the right sequence or trigger. A low hum emanated from it, followed by a sudden burst of energy. I dropped it instinctively, and the little gadget activated as soon as it hit the ground.

  A bubble-like field expanded outward, encapsulating the IG droid I’d been working on. The droid’s body began to rise, its limbs going slack as it floated in the air like a marionette. I took a step back, not wanting to get caught in whatever force was holding it up.

  “Hey, Rina!” I called, pointing to the floating IG droid with a triumphant grin.

  She looked up from her work, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of the levitating droid. “Well, that’s something,” she said with a smirk.

  Before I could reply, something rolled out from the IG droid as it was suspended in the field. It didn’t float like the droid itself but instead tumbled across the ground until it came to a stop.

  Curiosity piqued, I crouched down to examine it. It looked like...a grenade? Not the high-tech variety you’d expect in this kind of setting, though—it was primitive by comparison. Foam-based, if I had to guess.

  “Seriously?” I muttered, turning it over in my hands. “A foam grenade? Bit low-tech for what we’re dealing with here.”

  Still, it didn’t take long for the pieces to click together in my head. The IG droids must’ve been using these tools in tandem. The grav machine—yeah, that’s what I’ll call it, makes me sound professional—would immobilize their targets by suspending them in the air. Then, they’d deploy the foam grenades to restrain and incapacitate whatever they were dealing with.

  And considering the cloaking tech those IG droids had, it all made perfect sense. The giant droids would have trouble locking onto them. The IG units could deploy the grav machine to lock the giant droid in place and then use the foam grenade to lock them down physically. A clever, efficient system for reining in rogue prisoners—or escaped war machines.

  I stood up, holding the foam grenade and looking at the floating IG droid. “Rina,” I said, my grin widening, “looks like we’re borrowing the IG droids’ playbook. Grav machine plus foam grenade equals one big, immobile target.”

  She looked at the tools in her hands, then at the battlefield, where Skew-01 was still trading blows with the giant droid, and nodded. “Let’s make it happen, Jake. But we’re going to need timing—and some serious luck.”

  Luck, huh? With the way things had been going today, I figured we were due for a little.

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