C1P5

The door opened and I start for a moment. To my eternally grateful fraying sanity, Ventress walked out with an expressionless face. She paused slightly, staring at me before shrugging and walking forwards.

Not knowing what else to do, I follow dutifully.

"Why are you still here?" She asked, glancing at me.

I do not reply, having no answer to her question. Instead, I tilt my head slightly side to side. Mentally, I noted, tilting my head seemed to be the answer to most questions; even if it never satisfied those questioning me.

Ventress didn't seemed satisfied with my lack of response, but went back to ignoring my presence entirely. In truth, I had spent the last half hour accessing the Citadels' network, looking for information about the forces here and any updates. Interestingly enough, I was probably the only B1 in the entire inner wing, there were only heavy combat droids and either BX-series commandos or IG-1000 Magnaguards. Aside from basic information on most of the citadel's layouts, I had grown bored in less then twenty minutes and spent the rest counting the tiles that made up upper section of the ridiculously tall walls.

A few later, there was an update in the network and I found myself reassigned as a part of Ventress' battledroid escort to complement her aboard the missile cruisers assigned to her for her mission to Khorm.

Our trip was quick and soon we were in the shuttle. Or more specifically, Ventress was checking her burn wounds and I was piloting the shuttle. I quickly spotted the missile cruisers assigned to Ventress. Essentially bulky squat bacta tankers from the brief Stark Hyperspace War, these ships no longer ferried bacta, but carried dozens of missile launchers and laser cannons, with a pair of wide hangar bays fixed in the front of the bow. While individually, they were incapable of engaging heavier warships like the Venator, they were very useful against transports and lighter warships like the Acclamator.

With nearly thirty of these ships at our disposal, they could pose a serious threat to the battlegroup the Republic had at Khorm, under the right conditions they could even go so far as cripple a large number of their carriers and support ships.

While I mused over the specifications of possibilities, the shuttle landed in the cruiser's hangar bay. I didn't even need to inform Ventress that we had, she was already walking down the half-lowered ramp and I had to run to keep up.

"My lady, the fleet is ready to move out," said a simpering neimoidian with a tricorn hat, he smiled oily and bowed, constantly remarking on how powerful she must be and her combat prowess.

Ventress' hand was gripping her lightsaber handles increasingly tighter as the stupid captain continued to try to worm into her good graces. I immediately intervened.

"Sir, with all due respect, don't you have better things to do?" I asked, tilting my head.

The neimoidian turned his head so fast that I thought I heard something pop. He stood up straight and stared imperiously at me; which wasn't much, I was a good two feet taller than him.

"How dare you! A mere battledroid giving lip to it's superiors and owner? I'll have you scrapped for parts!" He spluttered. To my amusement, he continued to sputter threats as his skin coloration began to grow increasingly green.

"Sir, you don't look well at all," I continued, ignoring his threats to have me melted down, "Perhaps you should go to the medical bay. I'm sure they'll have the medication for your brown-nosing condition."

Ventress looked on in mild amusement of a simple droid berating it's superior.

The captain looked ready to burst as he tapped something on his wrist. Suddenly the electricity burst from my chest and began to-

"Eeaaaaah-!"

Every crewmember, droid or organic turned as I fell, my body covered in a field of electricity.

Pain! Oh sweet merciful Jedi Jesus, the pain! Arcs of electricity covered my spasming body as I screeched in electronic pain. For one joyful moment, I was happy. And then very very sad when the joyful moment died in electric torture.

"That will be enough," hissed Ventress, her eyes turning upon the captain. The neimoidian looked startled, but he ceased his torture of me. Good thing too, everything was aching.

"Get yourself cleaned up. I want a plan ready in two hours, captain," she said, eying me with interest.

"Yes, of course, at once my lady," said the neimoidian with a salute, puffing up his thin chest.

"I wasn't talking to you, you idiot," murmured the Acolyte, a cruel grin setting itself on her face.

"W-what?"

I stood up and nodded towards my new master. "Yes, ma'am."

"Y-you can't...you can't possibly be serious! A droid captaining this ship! I won't have it! I won't allow it!" blubbered the former captain, pointing at me as I walk away. He turned to the Dark Jedi, spittle flying from his lips as he shouted, "This is my ship! You can't do that! I'll have you-"

Snap-hiss-shunk.

I turned around slightly to see his body fall to the ground, his neck still sizzling from the cut.

"As you were captain," said Ventress, smiling slightly as she observed her fingernails. "Don't disappoint me."

I gave a crisp salute to her and turn away. Despite having lost all feeling to my body once more, a shiver ran down my frame.