The Runaway Droid

The Runaway Droid
Date of Scene:	28 March 2024
Location:
Synopsis:	Pike Windu runs into the rogue, bounty-ridden droid Wynn and Zealot are after on Takodana.
Cast of Characters:	195, 323, Pike Windu

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Amarik (195) has posed:
Sunlight dapples the dusty streets of the modest city named Andui as evening begins to fall. Here, life moves at a leisurely pace. Merchants barter their wares in the cobbled marketplace, their voices a comforting hum against the backdrop of chirping birds.

Yet, beneath this idyllic facade, a disquiet hums. Rumors are swirling - whispers of a rogue droid, a mechanical swath of destruction wreaking havoc on the fringes of Andui. And those who were more familiar with the places on the HoloNet where bounties are posted would know that this droid has a bounty on her head.

Consequently, it's no surprise that some less savory types from offworld have arrived in Andui, in search of this droid worth 50,000 credits. One such fellow, clothed in dark leathers and a garish mask that reeks of the Outer Rim, lurks from an alleyway across from a local hospital, hoping to eavesdrop on a conversation happening between two nurses standing outside of it.

He's likely not alone - as his last excursion to Seda had left him stranded in the company of a certain smuggler named Wynn Viasco and his motley crew, one of whom was still in Seda. The Arkanian experiment, Vic, had insisted on staying behind in Seda to do some reconnaissance on the labs of her creators, with the expectation that Wynn would eventually circle back to assist her once her investigation had produced some valuable and actionable intel.

"... yeah, glad our director has connections with the Republic. Sure could use an extra hand, what with all the patients that got admitted last night to due to that.. unfortunate incident," one of the nurses says, shaking her head. "When did they say that one Jedi was due to arrive?"

The other nurse glances at a chronometer attached to her wrist. "Soon. Do you really think he can make any kind of open disappear within minutes, just like the stories say...?"

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
"... what're we doing here again? I thought you said there would be food. Or women. Or was it food and women? I don't know but I'm looking around and I'm not seeing either one. If I've just left one wild mynock chase to be on another wild mynock chase then I'm going to be very, very upset. I'm not going to do anything about it but I'm going to be very upset!"

That's the mouth of Wynn Viasco. Going as much as it always does. He's leaned back against something and not doing anything even remotely helpful to the recon that his companion is doing. It's all kind of boring to him since it doesn't involve easy credits.

"You know what? I'm going to start charging you people for using my ship like this. Do you know I haven't had a chance to actually make any money off any of these trips? You're killing me with these free rides! I'm trying to run a successful business here and I haven't made a cred in weeks!"

Yeah, he's just going to keep whining at this rate.

Pike Windu has posed:
When the call for a healer goes out, it must be answered. So Master Pike Windu found himself on another starship, traveling to another world. During descent, the Jedi Master drew on the Force, preparing mind and body for the demands to come. And here is the hospital. Now he just needs to find someone in charge. Those two women look like they might know.

"Excuse me, are you nurses here?"

Amarik (195) has posed:
The masked marauder motions for Wynn to be quiet. Because if he doesn't stop running his mouth, the nurses are going to notice both of them. "I'll pay you," he says to Wynn. "Later."

The nurses look up when Windu arrives. "Ah, Master Jedi!! Thank the light you're here. We've got over twenty in the trauma unit...Were you briefed on what happened?"

The other nurse is frowning. "... did you hear something?"

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
Wynn is about to start a conversation all over again but then the notion of the Marauder paying him strikes home and he, "... Fair enough. That's all I ask. A little respect-- and a lot of credits." With that said, Wynn crosses his arms over his chest and goes back to leaning, focusing his attention on his datapad now and just swiping through information that he should probably be paying attention to. "Don't forget to allot for hazard pay." Wynn flashes a grin.

Pike Windu has posed:
Windu bows graciously to the nurses. "Fellow healers! An honor."

To the first nurse, he replies, "I have not been briefed. I know only what has been reported on the Nets: a droid malfunction."

The Jedi glances over his shoulder and senses nothing. He shrugs and looks back. "What can you tell me."

Amarik (195) has posed:
Zealot stares at him, and Wynn may get the sense that the marauder would pay any sum of credits if it would shut him up anytime he requested him to. But instead, he just waves dismissively and creeps closer to the Jedi and the two nurses.

One of the nurses gestures for Pike to follow her inside. "Well there isn't much to tell. A rogue droid has been harassing Andui of late. Stripping power plants, stealing back up power generators off of ships..." she says, sighing. "Yesterday, it sabotaged the power grid in the northern outskirts, and a fire caught. Ten houses burned down before we could get the situation under control..."

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
Maybe Wynn's version of all this is hiding in plain sight. Or maybe he's just as worried about being stealthy as Zealot. His datapad holoscreen is a dark purple but it works in contrast to the black datapad so it's all good. It functions fairly well on a low-light level to make sure that nothing he's doing visually draws attention to himself and his accidental partner.

If he's eavesdropping on the Nurses and the Jedi, it's hard to tell. He might just be counting the credits he has on the horizon ini his head. A good way to pass the time!

Pike Windu has posed:
The Jedi follows the nurses. He shakes his head at the troubles the errant droid is causing. "Doesn't sound like a malfunction. Perhaps I will investigate." As he says this, his hand brushes his lightsaber. "Now tell me about the casualties."

Amarik (195) has posed:
"... Master Jedi, its dangerous," one of nurses chides. "But if you feel up to the task... We here in Andui would be incredibly grateful." She shows him to the Trauma unit. It's not good, there are a lot of burn victims in here.

Once the Jedi and the two nurses go inside, Zealot tugs on Wynn's sleeve and urges him along as he follows them in, discreetly.

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
Discreetly is not exactly in Wynn's wheelhouse. Although, he does turn his attention toward what's going on. "Why are we skulking around? It's just a couple of nurses and some weirdo." Wynn tries to keep his voice quieted but he's also starting to get a bit annoyed. It's one of those annoyances that comes with being involved in other people's nonsense. "You want me to go back and wait on the ship? I can wait on the ship. Even easier credits."

Pike Windu has posed:
Windu audibly groans at the sight of burn victims. It's not just their suffering that disturbs, but the burns themselves require a great deal of effort. "I wwll do what I can. About the droid and these poor souls. Healing burns can take a great deal of time. But the Force is a cup that never empties."

Amarik (195) has posed:
"He is Jedi," Zealot informs Wynn sharply. "The droid will come. Then you will distract it, while I place a homing device on it. Then..." He rubs his fingers together briefly in a gesture that Wynn is likely all too familiar with - the one that meant they'd get paid.

The nurses nod vigorously. "Thank you so much Master Jedi .." One of them shows him to a young woman whose arms and legs are covered in burns. "She's had it the worst, I'm afraid..."

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
"He's what now? Nevermind, that doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that you think you can just drag me along to be the bait in your trap to catch some psychotic droid of murderous intent. I can't believe you didn't tell me this before I flew you here. You know what? Whatever this dumb droid is worth, I want triple. And I need you to transfer half of it to me right now or I'm not moving a muscle." Wynn stops follow-skulking and swipes his datapad to one of his many accounts to watch the creds roll in.

".... gonna' bring me here and put me in the line of fire just so he can play pin the homing device on the killer droid. Make me sick. Everybody always wanna' risk Wynn's life but nobody wanna' pay to risk Wynn's life. See, this the banthash--" There he goes ranting to himself again.

Pike Windu has posed:
Windu goes to the woman the nurses mention. He is drawn to her. Like many times before, the healer falls to his knees and into a trance. He is still, at peace. Only his lips move. Slowly and then faster. Perhaps a Jedi mighr recognize what he is mouthing.

Amarik (195) has posed:
"You'll get triple and more," Zealot reassures Wynn. "But I can't give it to you right now."

"You'll get more than your due if you're patient," he says, "remember, you wouldn't have a life to risk if I hadn't saved you back on Seda."

He then tugs on Wynn's sleeve, indicating to him that he should follow him as he ducks into a maintenance closet off to the side, as several doctors and nurses are rounding the corner, heading to the trauma unit where Pike is attending to the patients.

However, the marauder nudges the door open a very slight crack once Pike begins to heal the girl covered in burns. He watches, practically mesmerized, as the burns on the girl's right arm begin to vanish slowly, as if they had never been there in the first place. The nurses gasp in awe. "... it's... it's true... the stories are true..."

But Pike unfortunately will not get to finish healing the girl ... at least not before there's suddenly a loud CRUNCH, followed by the sound of the ceiling nearby caving in and the pivoting of mechanical joints.

The droid... it was here.

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
"Do you really want to bring up why I was even on Seda in the first place? Do you really want to go there? HM?!" Wynn just takes a second to close his datapad since, yet again, he's not getting paid and will probably die before he gets paid (which is probably Zealot's plan all along but what else is new?) and just takes this moment to stare at his accomplice for all this nonsense.

THE TRUTH IS KNOWN.

Wynn checks his chrono as he continues to remain hidden with Zealot. This is not exactly his forte. Being quiet and watching things. Which is why he's letting Z handle that part. "You cannot be this thrilled to see a droid. I can get you a whole fleet of droids if you want. I know a slug." He's just saying!

Pike Windu has posed:
The Jedi healer is jolted out of his trance. He rises to his feet, lightsaber in hand, though unignited. He glances at his patient before turning to stand between her and whatever danger may present itself.

"Get behind me! Get behind me!"

Amarik (195) has posed:
"I hate that guy," Zealot mutters when Wynn says he knows a slug who can get them a whole fleet. "Besides. You may have to do nothing. The Jedi may serve as a sufficient distraction for the droid." He creeps out of the closet, and inches nearer to the trauma unit, where Pike is attempting to protect the hospital staff from the approaching droid.

The droid storms into the room, kicking the door wide open. She trains her blaster on the Jedi. "My name is Colonel X," she booms. "And you can do this my way, or the hard way." Then she points at Pike's lightsaber. "Give that to me. Now."

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
"Do nothing. Now you're speaking my language."

RWynn plasters a big smile on his face and leans back against the wal-- wait, he reaches for the closet door to make sure its pulled up since Z is gone to handle some business. There's no sense in both of them having to deal with this apparently super special droid. Especially when it sounds like it has a severe attitude problem. As in the blaster that it's holding. "You got this, bud." is whispered with a small raise of his fist and -then- he leans back into the darkness of the closet. Safety first.

Pike Windu has posed:
"I will do what you say. Only if it will save lives. Leave this place with me and the saber is yours." Windu holds up the hilt, as a sign he's willing, and ready to activate the weapon if need be.

Amarik (195) has posed:
The droid narrows its optics at him. She seems highly skeptical of Windu telling the truth. "Give it to me first," she says, her scarlet optics glittering. She then extends a demanding palm towards the Jedi, glowering.

Meanwhile, Zealot creeps towards Colonel X, the homing beacon in his right hand, hoping to get within throwing distance without alerting the droid.

Meanwhile, Wynn will be hanging out in the closet doing nothing, when one of the janitors opens it suddenly and finds the Zeltron man in there. "What the kriff...?"

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
Wynn looks up at the janitor and winks at him. There's also a moment where he raises his hand and waves it in front of the janitor's face. "This is not the closet you left your supplies in." Of course, while he's mocking the legends of the Jedi, he's also making sure to wave some pheromones in the janitor's face so that they can feel the calm enough to fall for that uh... hm... Zeltron Heart Trick?

Pike Windu has posed:
"I will not disarm before I'm certain you can't slaughter these beings. I give you my word as a Jedi Knight, my lightsaber is yours when we are away from here." Pike nods at the droid, urging her to accept.

Amarik (195) has posed:
The janitor squints at Wynn, looking slightly confused when Wynn imitates the motion the Jedi use for mind tricks. "...Um. Okay. Well, you shouldn't be in here, so..." he jerks a thumb in the direction of the hallway.

"..." The droid's optics flicker. "Fine," she says, "Go then. I'm right behind you," she says, gesturing with her blaster.

One of the nurses whispers to Pike. "Master Jedi, are you sure this is a good idea? The droid could go elsewhere and use your saber for ill..."

Meanwhile, Zealot slips into the trauma unit, moving behind a shelf. He then wedges himself slightly out from behind the shelf and tosses the homing device -- hopefully it lands on the droid.

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
Wynn waves a hand dismissively at the janitor. "In a moment. I'm on a very important call." Wynn holds up his comlink and there's a female's voice coming from it. It sounds all sultry and what not. Wynn pleads with the janitor with some big eyes and a waggle of his eyebrows. "/Very/ important." He's hoping the janitor is getting this drift. If he has to sprinkle some more pheromones for this guy to stay at ease with this story then he'll do it.

Pike Windu has posed:
The Jedi looks at the nurse and nods. "It'll be okay." Turning back to the droid, he says, "good, I'm glad to see you are a being of reason. Let's go." Windu strides past the droid,

Amarik (195) has posed:
The homing beacon lands on the droid successfully without her noticing. So in the middle of Wynn's charade, Zealot will ping his commlink, interrupting the female voice coming from it. "Time to go," he says. Unfortunately, the janitor hears it, and his suspicion suddenly rockets. "Wait a minute, you... you wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that... droid just dropping in here, would you?!"

Colonel X escorts Pike out of the hospital. Once they're outside, she points the blaster at Pike once more and extends a palm. "Now, let's see you be a person of -your- word," she says.

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
"Not that you know of! Bye!" Wynn pretty much explodes pheromones out of his body as he pushes past the janitor so that he can get the heck out of dodge. "Triple? Did I say triple?! I meant quadruple!" Wynn is immediately using his normal voice now that the danger is outside of the hospital. "I almost had to make out with a janitor for you! I swear, if this is not worth it..."

And he's back in rant mode.

Pike Windu has posed:
Windu grunts. He is indeed caught in an unpleasant situation. "I lied. But you're a menace, I'm not giving you my weapon, so what can I do. Disarm and submit. I won't tell you again."

To emphasize his words, the Jedi ignites his saber and brings the green blade into a defensive position.

Amarik (195) has posed:
Zealot quickly slides out from behind the shelf he'd been hiding behind and pivoting on his heel, finds Wynn striding out of the closet, ranting about quadruple payment and making out with a janitor. "Your behavior is immodest," he says to the smuggler. "But we have more pressing issues." He grabs his arm and starts running out of the hospital towards where Pike and the droid are now facing off, duel style. "You will not get paid if the Jedi destroys the homing beacon on the droid..."

"I knew it...!" the droid rages, and immediately opens fire on the Jedi!

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
Okay, since the last pose got deleted before enter could be hit...

Wynn is (once again) yanked along with just a bit of protest. "Immodest? I'm fully dressed!"

Once outside, Wynn makes sure to break away from Zealot so that he can come at this from a different direction. And to try something a bit different than violence. Which is why he has his hands up and a scared look on his face. "Uh! Hey! I'm sorry to interrupt what I'm sure would be a really cool battle to the death but uh..." Wynn nods at the nearest building. "Hospital?" He's hoping they both get what he's putting down. "Any chance we could settle this in a way that doesn't put the rest of us in the crossfire?" Wynn turns on his pleading half-smile to both the Droid and the Jedi.

Pike Windu has posed:
The Jedi is able yo deflect some of the droid's fire, but he still catches a bolt, searing cloth and flesh. Windu starts to close with Colonel X when Wynn draws the Jedi's attention. Stopping in his tracks, he sighs and looks at the droid.

"He's right. We should meet again and continue this between ourselves, without interlopers!"

Amarik (195) has posed:
Zealot watches Wynn with incredulity. One moment he was hiding in a closet, complaining about being forced to risk his life, the next he was trying to get between a deadly droid and a Jedi dueling.

The droid turns slowly to face Wynn, now training her blasters on the smuggler, scarlet optics glittering maliciously. She doesn't shoot, though. Yet, anyway. "Oh? And what would you suggest, then?" she says.

Zealot puts an arm in front of Wynn. "On Jedha, there are mines full of kyber crystals."

Pike might find it curious that this masked marauder would know that. The Temple of the Kyber was a sacred place, not one where criminals or derelicts were found lingering...

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
Wynn flashes a smug grin in the droid's direction. "But what /I/ would suggest is that you forget about this man and his whole..." Wynn motions towards the Jedi, almost dismissively. "Thing." And then he's focused on the droid again but even going so far as to try and stand himself up a bit straighter as if to show how much more important he is than said Jedi. "And you come with us. I've got a beautiful ship that's been missing something since the moment I finished putting her back together..."

Wynn takes a step towards the droid but keeps his hands where they can be seen. His movements are slow and cautious too. He can't be too careful. "And that's you."

Is this smuggler /flirting/ with a droid?! What the--?!

Pike Windu has posed:
Windu keeps his focus on the droid and starts to back away. There is no shame in living to fight another day, And he must report what he has heard here. As the two fringers try to convince the droid to join their crew, the Jedi turns tail and runs back into the hospital.

Amarik (195) has posed:
Zealot's incredulity increases, when Wynn suggests that the droid actually -come- with them. He stares at the smuggler in disbelief. "This is a death wish. She will kill you," he says, "or the bounty hunters will when they come for her."

The droid stares at Wynn. "Are you... attracted to me??" she says. There's a pause. "You disgust me, fluid sack" Colonel X says disdainfully. "But I am going to need a ride to Jedha, so I will be getting one from you there."

Wynn Viasco (323) has posed:
"It'll be fine. Besides, don't you have a couple more steps before we can get paid? Wouldn't it be easier if she was sitting next to us?" is muttered at Zealot as if he had this planned the entire time.

Leaving Zealot to deal with the plot twist, Wynn wanders towards the droid. "Well, alright! The Destiny's down at the spaceport. If you'll put those blasters away, I walk you there myself. Right now." Wynn flashes another grin and even waits until he's close enough to offer the droid a wink.

"Now about these deep and intense feelings of attraction you have for me..."

Amarik (195) has posed:
Zealot just shakes his head, still in disbelief.

The droid huffs, and puts away her blasters. "Do you need to be talking to show me where the ship is?" she snaps. "Now let's go, before I change my mind and turn you into a pile of ash."