Taking in Angel's look of surprised delight a wide grin spread over Ji's face. "Not what you expected?" he nudged and she shook her head.
"Not at all, especially from what I'd heard about Mandalorians." Her small moan sent tingles up his spine as he watched her unabashed enjoyment.
"Give us some credit missy," he said, "You can't be trusting everything you hear." Her eyes lit up with pleasure as she looked at him.
"What did you call this again?" she asked as she glanced at the small piece of sticky cake in her hands.
"Uj'alayi or uj cake," he explained, "A camp staple. You're lucky I put some aside. Artus is a regular kath hound when it comes to sniffing this out." .
"I can see why," she chuckled, "It's practically addictive." She shared his smile as she licked remnants of uj'ayl syrup off of her fingers and looked around the inside of his small tent. "I appreciate your hospitality, Ji," she stated but he just shrugged.
"Best guard duty I've ever taken," he teased, "As far as the camp is concerned I'm watching you to make sure you don't go poking around. Since I brought you here, you're my responsibility."
Ji found he was vastly appreciating his 'responsibility'. The tales he'd heard painted Jedi as self-important and serious, Angel was nothing like that. He could see dignity in her eyes but it was a pleasing contrast to her lighthearted giggle. She'd asked questions about him and his clan, showing a genuine interest even though she didn't reveal much about herself. Time had sped by as they'd talked and it seemed too soon before he noticed the rest of the camp was bunking down.
"We should settle in," he said as he unclipped his armor. Looking her over again he pinned her with solid look. "Not sure what brought you out this way missy, but if you need a hand with something let me know." She tilted her head quizzically as she settled into the pallet he'd set up for her.
"What about you?" she frowned, "Wouldn't helping me cause trouble for you or your clan?"
"The way they figure you were never here," he shook his head, "If I helped you they'd consider me on a job and no one would worry unless I didn't check in." The word 'job' seemed to startle her.
"Thank you for offering but I can't pay you," she stated and he shot her a grin.
"See now that's the beauty part missy," he drawled with a wink, "No one's asking how much I get for a job. Anything you toss in my direction will do, even one of those smiles." The words got his desired effect as a grin bloomed on her face even though she shook her head.
"That's very kind of you," she said, "But you make a good point, we should settle in. Good night Ji," he watched as she lay down and pulled her cover up.
"Night Angel," he replied, keeping an eye on her until he saw her breathing deepen then drifted off.
The rustle in his tent was quiet but still jolted Ji awake and he sat up aiming his blaster in the direction of the noise. "Missy, is that you?" he whispered as his eyes adjusted in the darkness. He couldn't see her but it sounded like she had risen and was moving towards the opening of the tent.
"Don't try to stop me Ji," her soft voice emerged from the darkness, "I'm on a mission. My contact is probably wondering where I am and I need to go." He grabbed his armor and quickly fastened it.
"Look, you're still my responsibility," he said, "At least let me go with you until you get back to the base. There's no better tracker on Taris, plus you'll never find your way out of camp on your own without alerting someone," he indicated the interior of his tent, "You couldn't even get out of here without alerting me." Her movements paused and he sensed she was agreeing with him.
"Alright, you can come with me. But we need to go now." Ji finished with his armor and grabbed his blaster as he moved towards her voice. He felt her hand slide around his wrist even though he couldn't see it and a slight tingle spread over his body. He looked back down and realized she'd been invisible and now he was as well.
"How did you…" he felt her hand over his mouth, signaling his silence.
"Force stealth, my specialty," she whispered and he could hear the giggle in her voice, "Told you I could get out of that Imp post. I'll let you lead since this is your camp."
He smiled, tugging his arm to signal her where to head. He was used to working silently too, relying on signals and touches to guide others. They moved through the camp soundlessly reaching the gate where Ji opened it and pushed his speeder out without starting it. After the gate had closed she dropped the stealth and climbed onto the speeder. Understanding that she meant to drive he shook his head.
"Nothing personal missy," he declared, "My speeder, I drive."
She gave him a quick grin and patted the seat. "I promise I won't crash such a nice ride," she said, "You won't be able to follow my homing signal as well as me. My contact and I planted a beacon in case things went awry, that's where I'm heading." Ji nodded as he reluctantly climbed on behind her.
"Always good to have a back-up plan," he assented then grinned as he settled his arms around her waist, "Think I'm glad things went awry though."
"Think I am too Ji," she said with another giggle as she hit the accelerator.
They sped over the terrain while she dodged and weaved as well as Demtrin had earlier. The bright moonlight made navigating less difficult but she still showed faultless speeder skills and Ji found himself impressed again. Moving with ease, she only slowed when they drew close to a derelict building with a clearing close by. Checking the small device in her hand she motioned for Ji hold fast.
"Stay here," she pointed to a thick section of growth, "You'll still be able to watch me but I'd prefer you to not spook my contact." Her teeth flashed in a winning smile, "Promise it'll be alright."
He felt apprehensive as she disappeared but he felt her touch his hand reassuringly. She moved like a ghost, a soft rustle through the brush that could have been a breeze the only indicator of her passage.
"Buck, are you here?" Ji heard her loud whisper before a crackle from several meters away caught his attention.
"Here Angel," a deep male voice responded. Ji saw a tall male Chiss materialize, a shadow from the shadows, and bristled as he saw the man was wearing an Imperial uniform. Angel emerged as well and the Chiss stepped forward to pull her into a firm embrace.
"There you are little Jedi," he said, "I was worried when I didn't find you at the outpost." Relief spread over his face as they shared a hug then he pulled back and looked sternly at her. "What happened, why weren't you there?"
"Just ran into a little trouble," Angel responded lightly, "A friend helped me out." Ji smiled quickly at her referring to him as a friend but her contact didn't seem impressed.
"K'pah Angel!" he blurted, "Do you know how long I've been waiting out here? I knew that crazy scheme of yours wouldn't work. Letting yourself get captured to get into that base. Now you've got us in the middle of nowhere..."
Ji's temper flashed bright. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on but after what'd happened at the Imp post he didn't think Angel deserved the man's bluster. "Now see here," he muttered as he rushed towards the pair but paused when the tall Chiss drew his blaster and aimed it at him.
"Who in blazes are you?" he muttered in his aristocratic accent and Angel put her hand on his arm, pushing down to lower it.
"Easy Buck," she said, "Ji's a friend." Despite her words the Chiss narrowed his red eyes at Ji who had no problem returning the look.
"You've got some nerve scolding her," Ji fumed, "I wouldn't have had to butt in if those 'men' at the outpost had any idea how to treat a lady." He gestured at the Chiss's uniform. "Glory help you if you're one of them, 'cause I'd feel obligated to give you the lesson I didn't have time to teach the others for giving her a hard time." The Chiss returned Ji's glare for a moment before looking questioningly at Angel and she waved her hands dismissively.
"Don't start Buck, I could have managed. But I'm still grateful for Ji's help," she gave Ji another smile that he returned before turning to the Chiss, "Were you able to find the coordinates of the Cathar settlement?"
"Yes, but I still don't know what that's going to accomplish," the Chiss sighed in frustration, "What makes you think they might know something about Master Tho?" A pang of darkness dimmed Angel's clear eyes and she closed them.
"This is close to where I found his body," she stated, "I'm hoping they may have heard something." Her sorrow filled the clearing and Ji was surprised to see the Chiss, Buck she'd called him, lay a hand on her shoulder.
"You sure you're ready to face this?" he asked looking concerned again. Her eyes opened, shining with unshed tears before she nodded.
"Trust in the Force," she said, then motioned back where Ji's speeder was, "Ji, it might be best if you head back to your camp. Thank you again." Still concerned for her Ji shook his head firmly.
"You ain't back at your post yet missy," he stated, "Can't just let you go off without me, especially in the company of such a questionable character." He winked at Angel and her smile reemerged as Buck's eyes flashed in indignation.
"Look here Mandalorian," Buck emphasized each syllable like it left a bad taste in his mouth, "We don't need your type of help." The taller man eased an arm around Angel as if to pull her away but she stood firm, tilting her head at Ji then looking back at Buck. Ji gave her another grin, getting the feeling he was being sized up.
A devious light appeared in her eyes and she walked over to Ji. "You really the best tracker on Taris?" she asked her eyes still glowing impishly.
"Missy I can find a Wampa in a blizzard given the chance," he replied, "Could even shoot the icicles from its whiskers faster than a taun could head-butt it."
"I highly doubt that," Buck grumbled. He rubbed his midsection and Ji felt like the Chiss had some personal experience with tauns. But looking at Angel she just nodded slyly.
"Good, then I want what I paid for," she said then turned to the Chiss, "I hired him Buck, we could use the extra eyes." She looked immensely pleased at the shock on his face, then motioned back to Ji's speeder, "You can lead and Ji can ride with me." Buck's eyes narrowed again as he glared at Ji.
"Are you sure about this?" he groused, looking like he regretted not shooting the Mando when he had the chance, "Mandalorians are mercenaries, I'd wager he'd cut and run if I offered to pay him double whatever you'd promised." His words tempted Ji to laugh as he remembered the unconventional bargain he'd struck with the Jedi. Glancing over, he saw she was pressing her lips together and knew she was remembering their deal as well.
"That'd be something worth seeing," she giggled, "What do you say Ji, is he right?" Amused at the thought of getting a smile from the stern looking Chiss, Ji just shook his head.
"One job at a time," he said, "But we're burning moonlight. If we want to get you back before daybreak we should hit it." Buck still looked grim as he nodded. He backed away into the trees then Ji heard a speeder start just before Buck steered his sleek black ride into the clearing. Angel had composed herself but Ji could still see the mischievous light in her eyes. They climbed onto his speeder, her still in front but before they left Ji tapped her leg.
"I get the feeling you like keeping that boy on his toes missy," he said as she faced him.
Her eyes flickered as she gave him a wink. "Someone has to," she said conspiratorially, making him grin as she turned back around and began following Buck, gliding smoothly behind him.
The further they followed the Chiss the more worried Ji became. He led them deep into rakghoul territory, swerving through partially collapsed pipes and past stagnant pools. Glowing red pinpricks in the dark reminded him that they were being watched, but they kept at a steady clip managing to avoid any ambushes. Still it wasn't until the grass beneath them became green and the trees looked healthy that he started to relax. Buck slowed as the gate to a fenced-in perimeter came into view, then stopped, holding back far enough that they wouldn't be noticed.