Atmosphere: This is like a haunted house—the only sign of life on the planet, but incredibly creepy. Weird echoes, ominous clanks. You really feel that something bad is around every corner.

APHRA (narration):

As we descended into the cave, I probably should have been feeling at least the teeniest, tiniest drop of… unease. I mean, as thrillingly daring as my adventures often are, I don’t think I’ve ever blithely walked into a creepy subterranean lair that possibly houses a secret droid factory with a disgraced Sith Lord.

But honestly, the fact that it was a serious level up from anything I’d ever done? That’s what made it so exciting. Despite his threats, I could tell Vader saw my potential: Unlike Sava Toob-Nix, he was all about the unsanctioned, unapproved, totally off-the-grid expedition. And even if he didn’t show it, I knew he was impressed that I’d had the out-of-the-box brainstorm to bring him here. He appreciated my initiative.

Of course, this mission was also totally dangerous—possibly more dangerous than anything I’d attempted before. But hey—that didn’t really bother me. I just kept thinking: If I died right this moment, what would they say about me?

Doctor Aphra: rogue archaeologist who had tons of swashbuckling, death-defying adventures finally slain on a top-secret mission with Darth Vader!

Er. I guess since it was top secret maybe they wouldn’t say that part, but the point is: I’d be fine with that existing as the final word on my life. I’d have no regrets.

Hopefully, though, I’d live long enough to make this extremely intriguing situation work for me.

So I kept following Vader into the winding caverns.

True to their word, Triple-Zero and Beetee forged ahead and made a terrifying discovery: a whole gang of angry battle droids! Gigantic and clanking, these droids’ joints clearly hadn’t been oiled for millennia.

Their metal bits were battle-damaged and riddled with holes—but their piercing eyes glowed vibrant red, even in the dark of the cave.

And they’d clearly been…altered in some ways. They had massive metal wings unfurling from their backs, the clicks and clanks echoing through the dark.

It made them look like monsters from the stories my mother had told me when I was young: soul-stealing goblins who like to eat cute little kids for breakfast.

Triple-Zero greeted them in his usual friendly manner.

TRIPLE-ZERO:

Hello, sirs. I presume you speak Geonosian Hive-Mind? A language I am more than fluent in!

Alas, I have nothing to say. Beetee, if you will…

Beetee unleashes a wall of fiery explosions.

APHRA (narration):

And Beetee… also greeted them in his usual friendly manner!

By the end of his little “hello,” the winged battle droids were lying everywhere in pieces. And most of those pieces were on fire.

TRIPLE-ZERO:

Thank you, Beetee!