The Iron Dawn Part 1: Raxus Prime

Hey everyone! Mark here. I’m happy to have my good friend Kate with us. She’s one of the players from my online Star Wars campaign, and she’s gone and taken our posts and turned them into an actual story. I’m grateful for that, because it’s a really time-consuming task. Take it away, Kate.

THE IRON DAWN

Episode II

It has been five years since the Iron Dawn was last in the public spotlight. The crew have spent the last few years wandering the galaxy searching for adventure, dealing with the relative peace that has befallen the galaxy after the turmoil they encountered on Naboo.

Rumors of war have begun to spread across the galaxy. Unrest in the Senate has led to some speculating that a galactic civil war is imminent.

On the distant planet of Raxus Prime, the Iron Dawn, piloted by Kibur Blastblade, has recently set down in search of some sensitive material a few Hutts are willing to pay handsomely for.

But the crew are not the only ones searching for this secret item…

The Iron Dawn slowly settled on a pile of scrap metal, shifting unsteadily before finding a foothold. The hatch hissed with hydraulics and opened, lowering onto a solitary patch of dirt. The junk planet of Raxus Prime awaited.

The planet was covered in mounds upon mounds of junk and refuse. Dozens of planets across dozens of systems used this planet as a dumping ground for all their unwanted items. Old speeders, starships, rusted droids and decaying food numbered among the untold billions of items covering this planet from pole to pole. The stench was unmistakable and strong.

A holographic display had been placed at the base of the ramp of the ship by the Hutts, who had told the crew it would activate once they arrived dirt-side. It lit up.

A Hutt, corpulent and slick, was displayed in a small three dimensional image, flanked by a 3PO translator droid.

“Achuta, murishanis,” the Hutt muttered. *Greetings, travelers,* the droid translated.

“Jee waba chuba ta boska un droi coo sa ree foonta ta je.” *His Excellency, Lord Troba the Hutt, desires that you to find a certain droid he seeks on this planet. It is very important to him.*

“Mikiyuna sa stuta da droi, an da pogwa soong lust sa ree inkabunga.” *Everyone is looking for this droid, and the information he carries is most private in nature.*

“Koose da droi ta je, an chuba vopa moulee-rah.” *Bring the droid to his Excellency on Nal Hutta, and you will be rewarded.*

“Kaa bazza kundee hodrudda.” *Best of luck.*

The hologram went silent.

Kami’atra glanced around to his companions as a slight smile began to curl the corner of his lips. Without a word, he descended the ramp to touch base with this personally new world. As he reached the base of the ramp, Kami’atra took in a slow panoramic view of the desolation that was Raxus Prime. Having never been to this world, yet hearing only rumors of the atrocities that accumulated here on the surface and below, he sighed and looked to his feet.

Kneeling down, Kami’atra retrieved a small scrap of metal that had been half-buried by the Dawn’s landing.  As Kami’atra stood, he tossed the scrap to clitter-clatter among the various remnants of long forgotten machinery and rubble; his smile widened as the sound sent myriad little creatures scurrying throughout the nearby rubbish piles away from the thrower. Though his smile diminished as he took his first deep breath of the thick, foul, stench that was this world’s atmosphere, he took a half-step back to turn toward the crew and nodded in acknowledgement.

“Keep on your toes, friends, but for now it appears safe enough…,” Kami’atra encouraged as he turned to focus his attention on anything that might have been drawn to the landing vessel with less than amiable intentions.

Kibur held a small tracking device aloft, as the small mini-computer cut in and out. The static of the massive collection of metal interfered with the signal. ”We go north,” said Kibur, looking towards a mountain of sheet metal in the distance. “That way, I think…” He began to walk over the piles of trash.

Bax grumbled a bit, throwing his pack over his shoulder, and began to slowly, but deftly move over the rubble. Chattering in binary, “Span” the J-9 Worker droid followed behind his master. Magnetically attached to Span’s back were three bulbous discs with single view-pieces on one end of each of them. Using all four limbs to move, as his lower limbs touched the ground every once and a while, they shimmered with a pulse of energy. “Why do we do this? He never even gave us a price. I hate Hutts.”

Back inside the ship, Irulan closed the leather journal which she had been reading – the last remnant of her master that she owned – and wrapped it in a scarlet cloth. Quickly gathering her other belongings into her satchel, she hooked her saber into her belt and stepped outside, descending the ramp to where Kibur and the others were waiting.

She began to follow them through the debris, in the direction Kibur pointed. ”Are there any kind of life forms that might actually inhabit this god-forsaken place? And what kind of information do you think this droid contains? Surely nothing good . . .”

“From what I’ve heard, Irulan,” said Kami’atra, “this planet is mostly populated by independent droids, immigrated Jawas, and capsulized human industrial colonies. I’m certain we’re bound to run into someone scavenging for parts in this wasteland; it’s not a place I’d choose to stay long… As for the droid, I’d prefer not to delve to deep into the thoughts of a Hutt; I’m with Bax – I don’t trust Troba, but I wouldn’t let you three run this task alone.”

Kami’atra scrambled up to the peak of the nearest of the junk mounds and scanned the near horizon for anything in motion, especially in the direction Kibur had indicated.  As the crew moved forward, he continued this pattern of climb and seek, occasionally throwing a small piece of scrap over the next hill watching for movement among the debris.

Irulan paused thoughtfully, brushing her auburn hair away from her face. “I’m glad you’re with us, Kami’atra. But we were told that there are numerous people seeking this droid besides us. I guess what I’m afraid of is that the information this droid contains will prove deadly to someone – perhaps someone innocent. Why else would so many people want it?”

“A worthy question,” a voice responded. Stepping over a pile of rubble stood an alien, its race strange and unfamiliar. “I suppose you’re the ones Troba sent?” He held a cylinder of metal up, igniting it. The lightsaber flashed with light.

“A Jedi? What an honor.” Irulan drew her lightsaber in a flash of dazzling blue, inwardly praying the others have her back in case this bounty hunter was stronger than she predicted. She was not ready to die just yet – so much unfinished business to attend to.

“Jedi?!” the alien scoffed. “Jedi?! I took this blade off the monster who slew my father.” He drew a blaster pistol from its holster. “The droid is mine. Shall we?”

Bax pulled out his own metal cylinder and ignited it, taking a puff. The fumes from the aluminum tab stick made him smile. With the tube between his teeth he pulled his ion rifle off his shoulder and leveled it at the enemy. “Well, if I don’t recognize what it is, maybe it won’t know what I’m carrying.” Span stood next to him chattering aimlessly in Binary.

Kami’atra glared down at the assailant from his perch atop a nearby scrapheap.  His gauntlets sparked to energetic life as he drew blade from sheath and observed the attacker from above, watching for a point of weakness.

“It was unwise of you to be so brash, hunter,” Kami’atra called to the attacker. “What is your name that we may dispatch you honorably, and send word to whom it be appropriate?” he continued, in hopes of drawing the assailant’s attention.

Kibur drew his blaster, ducking behind the empty hull of a Z-95 Headhunter. He could feel the sticky warmth of the air clinging to him as he took a deep breath, popped up from behind the scrap and fired. The shot hit the bounty hunter in the shoulder, momentarily causing him to stumble backwards.

“You killed a Jedi, huh?” While Tel recovered from Kibur’s shot, Irulan closed her eyes, trying to control her anger. There is no emotion, there is peace. But the image that rose in her mind, unbidden, was her last sight of her master. Green eyes snapping open, she sprang forward and swung at him with her lightsaber, but he swiftly ducked and avoided the blow. As he moved forward in retaliation, she rolled beneath a rusty, overturned airspeeder.

Bax rushed forward and dove behind a Generator closer to the alien, shooting his ion gun around the hunter’s feet to provide cover fire for the others.

Kami’atra lowered his blade to his right and behind him as the planet’s noxious winds begin to swirl around him.  Extending his left arm out toward the hunter, he began to mouth ancient words in his native tongue under his breath.  The wind descended into the junkyard beneath him with a resounding clatter and emerged in the surrounding proximity of their assailant. As the whirlwind rose from the enemy’s feet, the winds intensified and began assaulting him with myriad scraps of metal and earthen material; the furious flurry of shards continued to accumulate until the crew’s attacker could hardly be seen through the tempest that consumed nearly four meters around the hunter. Kami’atra internalized a deep breath before taking a few small steps to take cover behind the heavy arm of a long forgotten ore lifting crane.

The whirlwind pummeled the bounty hunter, whipping around him. His lightsaber had gone out when the whirlwind first began, but now a snap-hiss was heard and a blue glow shone through the cloud of debris. He fired a shot in the dark, wildly missing any of the crew.

“JEDI!!!” he shouted.

“You called?” Irulan’s eyes narrowed fiercely as, rolling to her feet, she aimed another furious slash at the bounty hunter. This time, he slid swiftly out of the way. The voice of her master sounded clearly in her head in sharp rebuke. Focus, Irulan! What is wrong with you? He’s not worth this.

Kibur, seeing the glow, came up over the Headhunter and fired again. The red flash and shout as the bounty hunter was hit gave him a grim satisfaction. He dropped back down below the ship, and shouted in the general direction of the others. “We need to keep moving! If he’s here, there are bound to be others looking for that droid!” He pulled out a datapad and began typing across its surface.

Bax slowly moved forward step by step as the ion rifle burst upon the ground around the enemy. “We need to move or fight, what are we gonna do?!” he shouted over the din.

“We have to take care of him, Bax, or he’ll only be a threat to us!” Irulan shouted out.

To be continued…