Trini bared her small, sharp teeth as the trio of droids approached, pressing herself back against the window as her gaze locked on the seething goblets each one held. Her own mount held up warning hands, palms out toward his advancing fellow mechanicals.
"That is quite far enough!" He stated in a forceful tone, head swiveling between each droid. "The Professor has told you she does not wish to be refreshed at this time! As her assigned valet I am obligated to enforce her wishes to the best of my ability!"
"I don't think they're in a mood to listen, Forteear!" Trini snapped down at her companion. "Are you strong enough to-"
The doors slammed open.
Trini had studied many ancient texts, some more recent than others. One was an account by an Alderaanian scholar of the great petrified mounds that dotted the plains of his home-world; he had studied them, as well as the remains of the long-vanished species that had built them...
"But that... that can't be!"
Trini watched the tall insectoids enter the hall, the overhead lights gleaming off their chitinous exoskeletons. The Amaran's awareness of the Force took them in, felt the energy that radiated from their cool shells... alien and menacing in a way that Trini found hard to classify.
She was brought back to herself as Forteear batted another goblet away from one of the droids. It did not splash back on the machine, and it lunged, crashing into Forteear and trying to pin the loyal mechanical as the other two advanced. Trini cursed, reaching down and seizing the restraining bolt of the attacker. She wrenched it off, and Forteear was able to push it back onto the other two. Trini was surprised when her mount took up a passable boxing stance, but suddenly...
CRUMP
Crystalline transparisteel shattered inward. Trini tucked into a ball around Forteear's head, feeling shards sting her flesh, but miraculously, nothing large hit her. Abruptly, the fire suppression system went off, and within seconds, blaster fire began to sound; Trini's mount stumbled blindly, and both yelped in alarm as they tumbled through a doorway that the Amaran was sure had not been there before.
"OHHH KAAARK!!"
Thankfully for Trini, and unfortunately for the loyal droid, Forteear took the brunt of the fall down the stairway, acting as a kind of toboggan for the Amaran before both of them collapsed in a heap on a landing. Groaning, the Trini clambered to her feet, and yelped as she narrowly dodged someone pounding down the stairs after her; they rounded the corner and went on, ignoring the Amaran, and were quickly followed by others.
Cursing, the petite academic did her best to help the dented Forteear back to his feet. One of the droid's photoreceptors was dark, and a manipulator dangled from a few ribbon cables off one wrist, but he looked around alertly.
"The emergency stairs! Good heavens what's that sound?!"
Trini's broad ears twitched, and she cursed as she recognized the steady sound coming from above, muffled by duracrete.
"Explosions... if I don't miss my guess, someone's pitching turbolaser bolts from orbit!"
Trini tugged the droid's good manipulator, edging into the growing stream of people. Forteear shuffled along behind her, looking as lost as a droid could.
"Turbolasers?! But surely the defense fleet in orbit would stop such a thing! What in the Maker's name is happening?!"
Trini shook her head, her own mind racing.
"Not a clue! All I know is that we need to get out of here, preferably to the nearest spaceport!"
"That is quite far enough!" He stated in a forceful tone, head swiveling between each droid. "The Professor has told you she does not wish to be refreshed at this time! As her assigned valet I am obligated to enforce her wishes to the best of my ability!"
"I don't think they're in a mood to listen, Forteear!" Trini snapped down at her companion. "Are you strong enough to-"
The doors slammed open.
Trini had studied many ancient texts, some more recent than others. One was an account by an Alderaanian scholar of the great petrified mounds that dotted the plains of his home-world; he had studied them, as well as the remains of the long-vanished species that had built them...
"But that... that can't be!"
Trini watched the tall insectoids enter the hall, the overhead lights gleaming off their chitinous exoskeletons. The Amaran's awareness of the Force took them in, felt the energy that radiated from their cool shells... alien and menacing in a way that Trini found hard to classify.
She was brought back to herself as Forteear batted another goblet away from one of the droids. It did not splash back on the machine, and it lunged, crashing into Forteear and trying to pin the loyal mechanical as the other two advanced. Trini cursed, reaching down and seizing the restraining bolt of the attacker. She wrenched it off, and Forteear was able to push it back onto the other two. Trini was surprised when her mount took up a passable boxing stance, but suddenly...
CRUMP
Crystalline transparisteel shattered inward. Trini tucked into a ball around Forteear's head, feeling shards sting her flesh, but miraculously, nothing large hit her. Abruptly, the fire suppression system went off, and within seconds, blaster fire began to sound; Trini's mount stumbled blindly, and both yelped in alarm as they tumbled through a doorway that the Amaran was sure had not been there before.
"OHHH KAAARK!!"
Thankfully for Trini, and unfortunately for the loyal droid, Forteear took the brunt of the fall down the stairway, acting as a kind of toboggan for the Amaran before both of them collapsed in a heap on a landing. Groaning, the Trini clambered to her feet, and yelped as she narrowly dodged someone pounding down the stairs after her; they rounded the corner and went on, ignoring the Amaran, and were quickly followed by others.
Cursing, the petite academic did her best to help the dented Forteear back to his feet. One of the droid's photoreceptors was dark, and a manipulator dangled from a few ribbon cables off one wrist, but he looked around alertly.
"The emergency stairs! Good heavens what's that sound?!"
Trini's broad ears twitched, and she cursed as she recognized the steady sound coming from above, muffled by duracrete.
"Explosions... if I don't miss my guess, someone's pitching turbolaser bolts from orbit!"
Trini tugged the droid's good manipulator, edging into the growing stream of people. Forteear shuffled along behind her, looking as lost as a droid could.
"Turbolasers?! But surely the defense fleet in orbit would stop such a thing! What in the Maker's name is happening?!"
Trini shook her head, her own mind racing.
"Not a clue! All I know is that we need to get out of here, preferably to the nearest spaceport!"