9. The Wreckage

===Qui-Gon===

Qui-Gon reentered the shop after Padmé and began searching for the parts they needed.

"The boy will know where to find what you're looking for. He's quite resourceful," Raxor remarked, glancing from his brother to the Jedi.

Qui-Gon ignored the Astartes' comment and walked over to the boy, whom he had learned was named Anakin.

"Hello, young man. My name is Qui-Gon Jinn. What is yours?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

The boy glanced up at the man before looking nervously at Raxor and Maximus who had Nira energetically bouncing between them as they loomed like two giants in the room.

"Anakin," the boy said quietly.

"Anakin, I'm looking for some parts for a J-type 327 Nubian. Do you know if you might have any?" Qui-Gon asked.

Anakin nodded and motioned for the Jedi to follow him. He led Qui-Gon through the shop and into the scrapyard. As they passed a particular area of wrecked parts, Anakin visibly shuddered. Qui-Gon looked down and saw the cause—a Toydarian's body lay in multiple pieces beneath some discarded scrap. It had clearly been torn apart not long ago.

The boy kept walking, but Qui-Gon stayed behind for a moment, observing the scene before catching up.

"I think these parts will work," Anakin said as he sifted through a pile of scrap. "We have others, but they'll need to be transported to your ship."

Taking the opportunity, Qui-Gon knelt and gently placed his hands on Anakin's shoulders.

"What happened here?" he asked softly, his voice full of concern.

Anakin visibly stiffened, uncomfortable with the question. He glanced around nervously, as if looking for someone, before speaking in a low voice.

"The big metal man—his name is Raxor—he came here with my mother a few days ago. When he saw Watto…" Anakin hesitated, his eyes flicking to the ground. "He just attacked him. He ripped off his wings, stomped on his head, then tore the body away."

Qui-Gon was silent for a moment, considering the boy's words. While he disapproved of Raxor's brutal actions, he couldn't deny the larger injustice of slavery.

"I see," he said quietly. "I'm sorry you had to witness that."

He rose to his feet and followed Anakin back into the shop, his mind heavy with the complexities of what he had just learned.

As the two entered, Maximus and Raxor walked over to the Jedi, who looked up at them.

"It's almost evening. You will stay here until we return tomorrow and protect the Queen, Nira, the woman, and the boy. We have matters to attend to in the meantime." the Ultramarine said before turning away.

"You're leaving?" Qui-Gon asked, unsure of what to do.

"We are. Only until tomorrow morning. Our ship crash-landed on this planet, and we plan to recover what we can from the wreckage," Maximus replied, nodding towards Qui-Gon before ducking out of the shop.

"Did they talk to you about this?" Qui-Gon asked Padmé, who was looking at Anakin.

"I'm sorry?" she replied, turning to the Jedi.

"The Ultramarine. Did he tell you about all this?" he asked again.

"Briefly, but not entirely," she answered cryptically.

In truth, Maximus had told her about their plans, enticing her with promises of war-ending technology and weapons still aboard the wrecked ship. They had suggested she wouldn't need the Senate to free her planet if they found what they were looking for, though she still wished to go through the proper channels before resorting to the two's more brutal methods.

Qui-Gon hummed thoughtfully, stroking his chin as he turned to observed Nira, who had walked over to a shelf full of scrap, and was now fiddling with mechanical parts.

Padmé and Anakin went back to talking, while Qui-Gon approached Nira. She paused what she was doing and looked up at him.

"Nira, could you tell me what you know about the Ultramarine? Do you like him?" he asked, probing what she thought of the Astartes.

"Mr. Droid Man is really nice, though he's really mean to those who are mean to him," she said innocently.

"I see. Does he scare you at all?" Qui-Gon asked.

She shook her head, her big eyes round and clear. "No, he's really nice to me and Mama," she answered.

Qui-Gon hummed again. "Thank you, Nira," he said, standing up and returning to his original position.

"I guess there's no other choice," he muttered quietly to himself.

===Darth Maul===

Maul opened his eyes as his ship touched down on the desert planet of Tatooine. He stood up and made his way to the ramp, descending to the sands below. He raised his electrobinoculars to survey the city ahead.

Finding nothing of interest, he pressed a few buttons on the control panel on his wrist. Moments later, three scouter droids descended from the ship and flew off to begin their search.

Maul inhaled deeply, reflecting on the events that had led him here. His master, Darth Sidious, had ordered him to track down the Queen after learning of her whereabouts. Sidious had been accompanied by a towering metal giant, but as per his master's instructions, Maul had kept his distance.

Now, he would have to wait for one of the droids to find something. He gave the barren landscape one last glance before turning and walking back into his ship, settling into meditation as he waited.

===Maximus===

The trek to the wreckage of the Battle Barge was long, but for the two Astartes, it took no more than a few hours as they sprinted across the barren desert. They didn't speak as they moved, but they killed anything that showed itself, sparing only the planet's wildlife.

"The natives call them Tusken Raiders," Raxor said, glancing down at the body of one such raider.

Maximus had shot it before it could pose any threat, and now, as they examined it, Raxor took the opportunity to explain. "I killed a large group of them—almost a whole tribe. They didn't put up much of a fight."

Maximus simply hummed as he nudged the body with his boot.

"It might be a good idea to make this planet our base of operations while we wait for the Imperium to arrive, if things fall through with the Queen of Naboo. It would be simple to cleanse the planet of the… less desirable elements," Maximus suggested, his voice steady.

"I agree," Raxor replied. "I know Brother Sebastian would relish the opportunity."

The two continued through the desert, cutting down any foes that crossed their path.

Finally, they reached the wreckage of the Barge, and a wave of fury washed over them as they surveyed the scene below. Dozens of sand crawlers were scattered around the wreck, and hundreds of Jawas scurried about, scavenging scraps of metal.

A loud shot rang out from one section of the ship. The two Astartes turned to see one of the Jawas had shot itself with a bolt pistol, the top half of its body vaporized in an instant.

"Filthy little parasites," Raxor muttered, his eyes narrowing as he looked upon the ship. It was a mess. The Jawas had begun stripping the Barge, but hadn't made much progress—aside from the breaches caused by the earlier attack in the Warp. The exterior of the ship looked as though it had been slowly eaten away by hundreds of the tiny creatures, forming lines to carry away parts for inspection.

"It's good they haven't gotten far into the ship itself," Maximus said, his voice low. "Let's go."

What followed would be remembered as the Great Jawa Extinction, if any had survived to recount the tale.

The two Astartes didn't hesitate. They began with the sand crawlers, obliterating them in explosions. Then they moved on to the Jawas, picking them off one by one.

One of the little creatures shouted something in its strange language, but Raxor silenced it with a swift strike of his knife, cutting the creature's head clean in two before shooting a nearby power coil. The resulting explosion sent waves of fire and promethium roaring through the area, burning the Jawas alive. They screamed as they writhed in agony, but Raxor showed no mercy, leaving them to die in the flames.

Maximus tore through the creatures with brutal efficiency. He stomped, crushed, and tore the Jawas apart with his savage strength. He grabbed one by the neck, lifting it into the air before slamming it into the ground with such force that its skull shattered, scattering brain matter across the sand. He swung his chainsword with deadly precision, bisecting multiple Jawas in a single stroke.

As the rest fled in terror, Maximus found a heavy bolter the beings had dropped and unleashed a storm of fire. Bolts ripped through the Jawas, obliterating them from existence. When the bolter ran dry, he tossed it aside, his armor splattered with blood and viscera.

"I enjoyed that very much," Raxor said, watching Maximus finish his carnage.

Maximus simply nodded. "Let's see what's still intact inside the Barge. Come."

The two Astartes entered the wreckage, stepping over the fallen bodies of their brothers. The halls were littered with the corpses of Astartes, a silent testament to the horrors of the warp that had ripped through the place. Raxor paused, his gaze lingering on the remains.

"I awoke amidst the wreckage," he explained quietly. "I was the only survivor. I searched the ship for any who might have lived, but found only death. It was all I could do to lay them to rest in these halls before I chose to leave."

Maximus placed a hand on Raxor's shoulder, his voice steady with conviction. "We will return once we find Brother Sebastian. Until then, this is enough."

With that, they moved deeper into the Barge, heading for the lift that still functioned by the will of the Emperor. The lift carried them to the control room, and Maximus approached the panel. He pressed a few buttons, and the power flickered back to life.

"Praise the Emperor." The two Astartes said in unison before Maximus began sifting through the data files.

The Barge was still mostly intact—if you ignored the gaping hole where the front half of the ship had once been. The hangar and much of the machinery they had brought to combat the Tyranid threat remained undisturbed. It was one such weapon in particular that Maximus was searching for.

An image flickered to life above the central console, and Raxor's eyes widened in recognition.

"Is that—?" he began, but Maximus cut him off.

"Yes. By His will, it has been preserved." Maximus's gaze remained fixed on the weapon projected before them, his expression unwavering.

"But we have no one who can use it," Raxor said, his voice tinged with concern.

"You are wrong. I can use it," Maximus replied, his tone resolute. "And if wielding it will sway the Queen to our side, it will be a small price to pay."

Raxor fell silent, watching as the image faded from the screen. Without a word, the two turned and walked back toward the lift, their minds already focused on the task ahead.

As they entered the hangar, Maximus grabbed one of the massive crates and began loading it with ammunition, weapons, and anything else that might prove useful for the immediate future.

"Load whatever you wish to take with us for now," he said, his voice calm but commanding. "We'll return once we're with Sebastian."

The two Astartes worked in silence, efficiently resupplying themselves. After a while, they walked from the Barge, the crate carried between them.

As they moved, Raxor's helmet detected something—an unsettling hum. His gaze shifted, and his enhanced optics locked onto a small, black droid observing them from a distance.

Without hesitation, he raised his left arm and fired his plasma pistol. The shot disintegrated the droid in a flash of searing light.

"Some sort of scout," Maximus muttered, his tone neutral.

"We should get back to the Queen," Raxor replied, already shifting his focus back to their mission.

"You head to the Queen," Maximus said, hefting the crate to his left shoulder. "I'll take this and head to the ship. I'll meet you on your way back."

They exchanged a silent nod, each understanding the unspoken task before them. With that, they parted ways, walking in opposite directions, their footsteps heavy with purpose.

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