“Tell me again why we are circling this God-forsaken planet,” SA-TRN93 asked from the copilot’s seat. The droid casually checked the ship's sensors, which were little more than a blurry display of hissing snow. The shuttle’s scans struggled to penetrate the static coming off the churning thunderstorm around them.
Jinius dipped the shuttle through dense clouds to skim the surface of the water. Crystal blue columns of water leaped from the sea as he flew close. It made more sense to hide a ship among the roaring squalls of the thunderstorm; but, those same violent thunderheads carried the risk of a surprise lightning strike. In other words, it was easier to fly this way. Besides, he’d been invited to the planet personally by Satsi Tameike Arconae, a high ranking Inquisitor and the assistant to a Dark Council member. It wasn’t the type offer Jinius could simply turn down.
“We were invited,” Jinius answered.
“We were invited?” the droid asked puzzled. “That’s the best you can come up with?” The droid threw his arms up in an exaggerated expression. “She’s an assassin! She may not even be a she. It could be some crazy merc trying to kill us.”
“I doubt that.”
Jinius continued his descent. Close range sensors showed a landing platform a few kilometers out. He checked the coordinates. The platform was the agreed upon meeting location.
“You seem oddly cavalier about this,” the droid noted.
It was unusual behavior for Jinius. He often was far more cautious of others.
“I doubt she is a male,” Jinius replied.
“Jin, I know you grew up without parents, but did anyone ever tell you that females on the holonet are males? And, anyone who claims to be a minor is Corellian Security Forces?”
“That’s not what I meant. The message was auth signed by Ms. Arconae herself. The Shadow Academy database confirmed it. As for the merc part, she is more talented and experienced than me. If she wanted me dead: I post my office hours on the holonet; I’d already be dead.”
“Still probably a dude,” the droid muttered turning its attention to the landing controls. They were approaching the platform. Jinius had begun decelerating.
The platform was a large circular structure that stood a few hundred meters off the churning ocean below. White-capped waves crashed into the platform’s support beams sending sprays of water into the air. The constant jets of water combined with the relentless rain, like falling bullets, made the platform treacherous. While landing the shuttle, Jinius noted a thin figure standing at the end of a walkway connecting the landing platform with the larger domed structure. The figure was wrapped tightly in a cloak to buffet the rain. The woman, Jinius assumed, had chosen to stand under an awning. Sideways volleys of rain still found their way around the woman’s defenses.
“That doesn’t seem at all intimidating,” the droid mused. Despite having the hollow inhuman tone of a droid, the machine still sounded sarcastic most of the time. It was a “feature” that truly annoyed Jinius.
Jinius’s skin tingled, quickly turning into gooseflesh as he gazed out the shuttle’s window at the figure. He nodded absently towards the droid, “Something tells me that my initial assessments of this meeting were incorrect.”
“Told you it was a man,” the droid said matter-of-factly.
Jinius glared at the droid. The damned machine was so frustrating at times. “Please, get off of that. Her sex, which is assuredly feminine, is the very least of my concerns right now.”
“What is?” the droid asked.
Before Jinius was able to reply he heard a quiet rattle towards the ship’s rear. Immediately after, the ship’s internal alarms starting blaring, sending the ship into a cacophony of noise. Jinius spun, throwing his attention to a small cylinder that now lingered just inside the ship’s entry ramp. A murky yellow-green gas poured from the cylinder forming a dense haze that lingered in the entryway. The ship’s ramp was on its way up. The door had not been opened very far.
“Droid!” Jinius shouted as he reached for his lightsaber. Instinct, however, stopped him from engaging the blade. He wasn’t sure what the gas was. If it was explosive, the raw power of a lightsaber could ignite the gas. That was a less-than-desirable outcome.
“Right!” the droid exclaimed before wheeling its chair around. The powerful IG-100 droid grabbed Jinius and, with as little effort as it took to toss a suitcase, tossed Jinius towards the back of the ship.
Jinius had enough time to suck in a breath before flying through the gas and slamming into the rear door of the ship. A sharp pain radiated up his arm. The accursed machine had not been gentle. Scrambling to his feet, Jinius felt the gas creeping along his skin, stripping his cells of life as it moved. Biting pain exploded from anywhere exposed to the gas. Desperately Jinius slapped his hand against the door controls causing the metal ramp to start falling. The gas burned. The pain was an intense, putrid burn that stung at his nostrils and tore at his flesh. The door slowly fell to the ground. Jinius sensed the lesions growing and consuming him, starting from his exposed arms and face. He had only seconds.
Seconds turned into minutes as the ship’s ramp slowly dropped. Fresh air began to seep in through the door’s opening — it delayed the inevitable. Blood began to drip from the wounds now covering Jinius’s skin as he endured each passing moment. Every second bathed in the caustic storm was becoming a precious last. Jinius was desperate. The opening to the outside was a crack, barely enough to shove an arm through and not nearly enough to give the gray Jedi escape. Jinius saw the tempest of dark clouds raging overhead. Violent winds pushed through the opening churning the gas, causing it to swirl in an angry, caustic maelstrom around Jinius.
Powerful thudding footsteps pounded on the floor as SA-TRN93 charged into the door with a loud boom. The ramp lurched, falling open a few centimeters more. It was enough. Jinius pooled the power of creation, the lifeblood of the galaxy, beneath him. His fingers grabbed at the coursing energy around him seizing it and holding it. The power was real. It was material in his fingers. Jinius threw down a burst of telekinesis, a punishing jet of power. At the same moment, he jumped. The ship’s floor buckled beneath him with a loud crunch from the force being pressed against it. Jinius soared through the ship’s opening. It was hardly an opening, and he felt the ship grab on his clothes as he flew past. He rose into the screaming torment of wind outside. It was a welcomed torment.
Jinius crashed down to the ground with a thud collapsing to his side. His lungs drew in fresh, cool air. With each sucking, restoring breath he smelled the acrid, metallic scent of blood -- his blood. Before, his senses were consumed by the sinister gas. Now, his nostrils drew in the destruction wrought by that sinister spray.
The gray Jedi started to rise. A sudden kick slammed into his ribs. It stole the breath from his lungs, the breath that he had just so profoundly earned. Jinius gasped trying to find the air again and gazed up at the droid that now stood over him. It was not his droid.
“Stop!” a sharp feminine voice ordered from the walkway. The quiet step of her feet grew closer on the metal platform.
It took Jinius a moment to catch his breath and pull himself up. He’d not been prepared for the attack. If he survived this, he hoped only to never face the kind again. The gray Jedi carefully rose from the ground and looked out at the woman standing on the landing platform. Her armorweave cloak danced elegantly around her red jacket. He could see the pistol strapped to her side.
“You survived that,” the woman said. A slight grin peeked at her lips. “I’m a little impressed.”
“I’m happy to indulge your sadism,” Jinius shot back through coughs. He wiped a thick mat of blood from his fingers. His body, especially his hands, felt sluggish and sticky. He’d lost blood. Probably more than he wanted to think about. It was amazing he was still standing. Adrenaline was one hell of a drug.
“It’s supposed to be poisonous, not whatever the frack happened to you.” The woman gestured vaguely at Jinius as she spoke.
“It's not supposed to melt my skin off, you mean?” Jinius asked. “I guess I need to add that stuff to my list of allergies. Care to inform me why you just tried to kill me, Ms. Arconae?” He wanted to skip the whole banter of a hunter and prey. If they were meant to fight, it was best to get right to it.
“You’ve been climbing up the ranks of the Inquisitorious lately. I was instructed to test you.”
“Did I pass?” Jinius asked through a volley of coughs. Blood splattered the ground from his lips. They were raw from the gas’ effect on his skin.
“Consider that a pop quiz,” the woman said with a glint in her eye as she pulled her pistol from its holster. She started firing.
