ANH 'verse. Tatooine. A Mission Complete?

[astrotechmech]

He was back on the ship. He must have been. This was not merely something that need a tune-up. It was a victim, and it had all the battle damage to prove it!

"What the heck did you guys do to this thing?!? I can barely tell one part from another!"

His on-board equipment had been fixed from his earlier "scuffle" by now--for which he was glad because this thing need all the help it could get!

Comments

[random_xtras]

Hot Shot cringes under the verbal barrage, starting to doubt whether he really wants to show Random the other generators. This one, was after all, the one that still ran the best....

He really wished they hadn't lost the repair droid in that last big sandstorm. It might not have been very interesting to talk to, but it had never bent his audio receivers like this, either.

"Hey... we're not astrotechs," he says weakly. "We did our best."

[astrotechmech]

Random mutters and curses under his breath as he looks the generator over and starts tweaking it.

He sighs. "I suppose you did . . . It could be worse, I suppose . . ."

[random_xtras]

"You keep talkin' like that and Kia'll pick it up." Hot Shot sheepishly offers a new part, though he's not sure if it's what's needed.

[astrotechmech]

"Why do you think I'm only doing it when she's not in audioshot?"

"Thanks." He takes the new part and sets it down beside him for the moment while he works to get its beaten up counterpart out.

[random_xtras]

"Yeah, but if you're in the habit of using the words they can slip out. I know, that's how I learned 'em from my mentor." Hot Shot grins, then squints into the distance, keeping an eye out for those crazy bantha riding native organics.

[astrotechmech]

"I'm working on it, all right! . . . That's how everyone learns them, but I have no intention of the person she learns it from being me!" Random sorts through the parts they brought with them for the one needs.

[random_xtras]

"Heh... mentors never do. Hey... did she get wiped or something?" Hot Shot turns and frowns in the other direction.

//Hey, Random,// says Wheeljack in his abrupt but not antagonistic way. //Is Kia with you? She's not at the dome.//

[random_xtras]

The globe shaped tracking droide soon reaches them, and Hot Shot tinkers with it a bit. "Okay now... we want you to find... yeah... that's the one.... Hey, Random, will you cover the generator? If we get sand in it we'll really be up the arroyo."

[astrotechmech]

"Wha--? . . . Yeah," Random replies, pulling himself out of his thoughts and moving to reattach the generator's coverings.

[random_xtras]

Hot Shot waits till the generator's safe before letting go of the tracker and transforming to a bright yellow hovercar. "Okay, now, lets see where Kia's gone to."

[astrotechmech]

"Y-Yeah," Random says nervously before transforming into a small shuttle capable of short-ranged space flight. He hovers about a yard or so off the ground and follows Hot Shot and the tracker droid.

[random_xtras]

The droid zips along at a good pace, first back toward the dome, and then off and away on a straight tangent away from it.

"She's made pretty good time," notes Hot Shot as he tears after the droid. "What's her alt?"

[astrotechmech]

Random doesn't have too hard of a time keeping up until the droid's sudden change in direction causes him overshoot in the droid's original direction and to curve back around after it.

"That she has," he agrees. ". . . a small speeder bike thing, if I'm remembering correctly."

[random_xtras]

The sand pounds him, empowered by the wind to become a monstrous wall of living fury. It makes its way forcibly into every opening and crack in his armor and seems to scour away his paint. Intaking air becomes impossible. Sight is forgotten. And all that can be heard is that shriek.

[astrotechmech]

I hate this planet! Why did all of these little particles put together with a storm have to be such a pain? As Random himself was trying to navigate through the sand storm, his thoughts couldn't help but at least briefly wonder what's happened to Kia . . .

[random_xtras]

And then the ground drops out from under him....

[astrotechmech]

Being the type of vehicle he is, he doesn't naturally drop down into the hole. However, it doesn't escape his notice, causing a slight fluctuation in his thrusters and a, "What the--?"

[random_xtras]

Behind him Hot Shot shoots over the canyon lip and gives a shout of surprise as he hurtles helplessly toward the rocks below.

[astrotechmech]

//Hot Shot?!// A hole? Where the heck were they? Random attempts to turn around . . .

[random_xtras]

The beings move closer, still filling the air with their rumblings as that animal bawl sounds again from where a huge hairy beast with curling horns moves restlessly.

Congrats, Random, looks like you're slated for bantha fodder.

[astrotechmech]

Random backs up against the canyon wall, shaking and not looking forward to what looks like will be another failed attempt at saving his own life.

[random_xtras]

And then the Tuskan Raiders freeze as a mighty ululating roar booms through the canyon. They look around quickly, and then they're off, bounding up the canyon walls to vanish into the distance.

[astrotechmech]

The roar causes him to start again, and he has trouble pulling air through his air intakes.

When the Raiders run off, he stares at them, flabbergasted.

[random_xtras]

Something else comes barreling down the canyon, to transform and throw itself at Random, strong small arms wrapping around his middle.

"Are you okay?" asks a sobbing Kia.

[astrotechmech]

The running Raiders have caught his attention, so he jumps again when something grabs him and he tries to get away at first before he doubletakes.

"K-Kia?" He was still having a hard time breathing.