Mirana: - NOOOOO! -

The woman screamed in terror, at the same time that a blaster volley fell on the magnaguards.

While Boil fell victim to the relentless fury of the IG droids, the combat outside had come to an end. The mercenaries were no match for a squad of commando droids with enhanced programming, nor against an expert sniper like Kurt. By the time Mirana and the Twi'leks left the building, the battle was almost in its final act.

Once safe, the droids led by Mirana returned in search of the clone, while Kurt tried to hold the young Twi'leks from returning inside that macabre place... but what Mirana herself did not know was that Numa in particular he followed her and the droids very closely.

A fury like she had never before seized the woman when she saw the limp body of the clone on the ground, barely able to move and still with the electrorods discharging her relentless power over what appeared to be a corpse. The ear surfaced on her skin, her cybernetic eye glowing a brighter red than ever, raising her blaster and firing everything she had at the magnaguards, all while Delta and the group of commando droids followed her without even thinking. receive an order.

Several blasters hit the magnaguards as soon as the group entered the corridor, but their strong armor allowed them to resist the impact while they raised their staffs to stop the rain of fire that fell on them. It was too much.

An experienced Jedi would have had trouble withstanding that much firepower, and while the Magnaguards could dispel most of the blasters with the electrified tips of their weapons, the only thing keeping them in one piece was their tough armor as the commando droids fought back. They got closer and closer, with Mirana between them as if her own safety didn't matter.

Delta: - Lieutenant, stand back. -

But Calderón's robotic words fell on deaf ears. As soon as she reached Boil's body and saw the blood coming out of his helmet she went into a rage. She lacking any control of her emotions. She was no longer Mirana, but a beast unable to control her thirst for revenge and death.

Still, behind all the hustle and bustle, Boil's body was lying on the ground, while two commando droids exchanged ideas with each other about what to do... how to help him. But none of them had planned what to do in this situation. When the heartbreaking voice of someone who had just entered the place was heard.

Numa:-No...-she said while she felt the strength escape from her body.

Very different, on the front things were getting more and more dangerous. The commando droids fought frantically against the magnaguardias, to the point that they reached a distance at which using their swords was necessary if they wanted to protect the lieutenant, who emerged among them like an animal trying to be contained in a metal cage.

But in close combat the IG had a certain advantage, and although their long staffs were a little limited by the limited space, they managed to find a way to evade the enemy blades while landing accurate hits against some of the Punitive Guard droids.

Six commando droids fell when their circuits were overloaded by the powerful discharge of the electrorods, but their superior numbers gave them the ultimate victory. One of the IG lost his hands to the constant attacks, and once unprotected he was an easy target for the rest, while the other fell before Delta's own hand. All while Mirana frantically advanced on Takke, aiming her gun right at her face.

Takke looked like... someone without a soul... As if his life was not in danger. Or like he just didn't care, even when Mirana kicked him in the middle of the stomach and he fell on his back from the impact. The Trandoshan looked up, and the only thing he saw was the muzzle of Mirana's blaster pointing between his eyes, and right behind, a look of pure hatred and rage, more typical of a demon than a being. human.

Mirana looked at him with all her anger, but all she saw was a sad look with a forced smile on the reptilian's face. The look of someone who... within all his pain... had accepted his fate. The same look she held until the sound of the blaster burst into silence and Takke's skull cooked from the devastating power of the shot. Then... everything was silence and pain for her.

Delta: - LIEUTENANT MIRANA! -

The droid's voice brought her out of her thoughts. He had called her on several occasions to avoid that outcome, but the woman was so absorbed in her anger that she was not able to hear him. But now that that hatred turned into pain, there was nothing to hold on to.

Delta: - Activating Prometeus protocol. Lieutenant Mirana... She is temporarily relieved of her duties. Under authority 001, Codename Icarus, unit 74681-34, designation, Delta, will assume command of the operation. -

It was a clear example of the state the human was in. So much so that she didn't even say a word to what she heard. But there was no silence, because right behind the group of commando droids waiting for orders, you could hear the heartbreaking cry of Numa, who was doing her best to wake up Boil... As if that were even possible.

Delta: - Command units 1 and 2. Take the commander to the ship. Unit 4. Get the lieutenant and the Twi'leks out of here. Unit 3, 6, 8 and 9, collect the remains. Let's go. -

Mirana couldn't believe it, seeing how four of the commando droids carried the rest of the IG units in her arms, the same ones that left Boil in that state. A fury took over her once again, and under no circumstances would she accept such a thing. But this time it wouldn't be as she thought.

Mirana: - What are you doing!? I will never allow those... monsters to enter the ship! -Her voice was angry, but a droid cannot feel fear.

Delta: - You have been stripped of all authority. Emergency protocol orders us to take advantage of every possibility to ensure victory. IG units can be repaired and reprogrammed. That is the will of the general. And so it will proceed. -

Mirana had no choice but to grit her teeth and obey. The droids had their protocols, and nothing would make them change that. The commandos carried the remains towards the exit, taking Kurt by surprise, who saw the two defeated magnaguards in shock, but his astonishment changed to horror when he saw two other droids carrying Boil's dying body in his arms. .

Kurt: - What the hell happened!? -

Delta: - It's not time for explanations. Board the ship. We must go. -

Kurt: - I don't take orders from a piece of metal... -

The bounty hunter's insult was interrupted by the determination of the commando droid, who did not hesitate for a second to raise his weapon and point it directly at the red-striped helmet. Giving a good scare to Kurt, who hadn't remembered in a long time what death felt like so close to him.

Delta: - It's an order. -

Kurt didn't answer a word. He looked for Mirana, but she was in a state similar to shock, and her eyes seemed to be empty as they watched Boil's dying body being taken into the ship. Once inside, the droids rushed over and supported the clone on a stretcher on the medical deck, where Tifany had just arrived wearing her doctor's coat after receiving the news.

Tifany: - What happened? -

Delta: - Electrovaras. Constant downloads. - He answered only what was necessary.

Tiffany: Damn. I need the scan. Bring electrodes. And we have to take off his armor. -

Delta: - Units 1, 2 and 3. Help the doctor. Unit 7. Let's get out of here. -

Kurt: - I will transmit the message to the rest of the ships. We are all ready to take off. -

And so, four ships left the mainland following the Fantasma, the Aurore-class freighter they used for this raid. Three of them carried thousands of refugees, and the fourth the traffickers' duped rhydonium. It could be considered a victory, if it weren't for...

Tifany: - Shit. I need more morphine. His lungs aren't working properly...and his heart can barely be heard. - The doctor fought against death itself to keep the voice clone alive, but that seemed impossible.

Now that the droids had removed the clone's armor, the sight was even more terrifying. Thank goodness neither Mirana nor Numa allowed them to be present, or they wouldn't be able to get over it.

The skin on Boil's back was charred...burned with huge indentations right where the magnaguards embedded his electrostaffs. The marks went up his back, covered his neck and took root to part of his face, eventually affecting his left eye. Ironically, the blood coming out of his mouth was the least of their problems. An internal injury due to the blow he received in the abdomen. What really worried Tifany and the imminent failure of his internal organs.

Tifany: - No... There is nothing I can do for him. It's only a matter of time before his heart fails. "She" She said defeated while she injected him with the last dose of morphine she had on hand.

A resounding silence fell over the medical station. The only ones present, Tifany, Kurt, Delta and the commando droids were not able to say anything. But amid the acceptance of the commander's imminent death, a voice of hope rose among those present.

Kurt: - Yes there is. -His sudden response attracted everyone's attention. - Modifications. We must implant a battery... or a power source that will keep his body alive. -

Tifany: - Cybernetic implants are unpredictable, and even if what you say is true. We don't have the equipment to do that. -

Delta: - Yes we have it. - The sudden comment caught the attention of everyone present. About What was this droid talking about?

Delta: - Use my energy core. -

Kurt: - It won't be enough. The core your model uses is not strong enough. -

Delta: - No core is not standard. Commander Wag Too himself made modifications. Maximum capacity. 3000 Amperes... 5000 Volt. -

Kurt: - That... That could work. But it still won't be enough. We need other parts. -He said astonished.

Delta: - You don't have to be permanent. Just enough to get you to our medical center. There the Banta tanks will do the rest. -

Tifany and Kurt looked at each other for a second. What the droid was saying made sense, and although minimal, it was a risk worth taking. As soon as she could Tifany took the surgical utensils out of him. The operation would be carried out right there, without anesthesia, without cleaning equipment, much less in a place with the required level of sterilization, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Delta: - Unit 2. Activate highest priority protocols. Getting to Gwori is his only mission. -

Commando droid: - Roger. Roger. -

Delta: - Kurt... - The young man looked at him strangely. The fact that he called him by his name was not common... much less coming from a combat droid. - We are counting on you to protect them all. -

Kurt could only laugh at the comment. For a second he remembered the conversation he had with himself, about the weight he felt carrying the armor he wore. Apparently, destiny would not tire of testing him again and again.

Kurt: - Take it for granted. -

Once everything was ready, Delta shut down his metal systems and disconnected the power from his metal body, allowing Kurt to deflate his core after removing countless pieces of armor, many of which had to be destroyed in the process with the help of the rest of the droids. command since they did not have the necessary tools.

Delta's body now lay on another stretcher, with a hole in the back of his chest that seemed made by a tank shot rather than by human and droid hands. But at least they were able to remove the core from it without damaging it. Now came the most difficult step.

In a mix of ingenuity, anatomy, and mechanics, Tifany and Kurt had to work together to try to save the clone. Tifany had never installed a prosthetic before, and Kurt had never seen a human body opened like that. The implants that he had seen, and that he had had to do himself, did not involve small incisions in the abdomen. But still... he remained firm, helping and debating endlessly with the doctor on how to proceed.

Hours passed while the doors of the medical post were closed. The trip seemed to have no end, much less for Mirana and Numa, who remained sitting on the floor next to the door, leaning against each other, desperately waiting for news. Still... inside the operating room, time seemed to have stopped completely.

The desperation for news did not go unnoticed when the door to the medical cabin opened, but the only thing they saw was a Kurt almost in a state of shock, exhausted and with blood stains on his armor that complemented the already original red pattern of this .

The bounty hunter walked past everyone without saying a word, with a countenance that would worry the most detached. He was clearly affected by the experience he had gone through, and all he could think about was getting to the kitchen and drinking something, even if it was water. Thanks to the force that a bottle of liquor was able to calm his emotional state a little. But the one who wasn't lucky enough to run away was Tifsny.

Mirana: - Tifany... How...? -

Numa: - How is Boil? -She interrupted, upset.

Tifany: - We did what we could. -The pause he made to catch his breath scared the rest. - But at least we will arrive at our destination alive. The rest... depends of the Force. -