Kadira leaned over the table her beskar'gam had been laid out on, inspecting the new set with interest. It was a new design for her, something she'd been a bit worried about but Em seemed to have pulled it off without a hitch.

Emika was leaning back against the wall, her stance nonchalant but her sharp gaze making it clear she was watching for Kadira's reaction. Every so often the woman would shift slightly obviously impatient, but Kadira ignored the woman's none-too subtle hints, instead continuing to study the new set of armor. She'd learned a long time ago to check first and speak second when it came to an entirely new suit. Emika might be a friend, but there were times she made her own adjustments to a set that didn't fit the specific purposes Kadira had in mind.

Jett had already taken his own set to the back room to don, apparently too excited to spend too much time inspecting it. Kadira just had to hope he didn't activate some setting by accident that would bring the whole building down on their heads.

Kadira fingered one of the calf plates of her own set of armor, smiling wryly as she took in Emika's addition to the plain green plates Kadira had requested.

"Bloodstripes?" Kadira asked, holding one of the plates up and turning it towards the light. The gold painted stripes along the side stood out against a solid black stripe, a clear symbol to almost the entire galaxy that the wearer had earned the military honor of Corellian bloodstripes. Usually they were attached to a pantleg, so Kadira had never seen them painted on armor before.

Emika shrugged one shoulder.

"Seemed fitting. You earned 'em after all, you may as well wear them. Not to mention it might add to your intimidation factor, they don't give out those things lightly. Though it would have looked better if you hadn't decided to scrap the thigh plates," she said, a faintly accusatory note in her voice. Kadira laughed softly in response, returning the calf plate to its place on the table and picking up the helmet to inspect.

"It was time for a change," Kadira responded. "Besides, I don't see you complaining about me ditching the kama or the jetpack." Kadira looked up with one eyebrow raised pointedly.

Emika made a face, pushing off the wall to come pick up the backplate from the table. "That's because if you had gotten shot anywhere else, your jetpack would have exploded. I understand not wanting that risk. You're not a beroya, so you don't need it as much as the hunters do, and since you won't have a jetpack, you won't need the kama to protect from the backwash. That much makes sense. But going without thigh plates seems a little…. Reckless."

Kadira laughed, looking to the other woman and tapping one finger pointedly against the bloodstripes

"I'm Corellian. It's in my blood, isn't it? Besides, it's high time I shed a bit of armor and traded that extra weight for some added speed. I'm a smuggler, for star's sake, not a beroya. I'll leave the heavy armor to the bounty hunters. It's high time I relied on something other than my beskar'gam to keep me alive."

Emika sighed and set the backplate aside, giving up the argument. It helped that this was the third time going over it, and Kadira was surer than ever that she wanted to be able to move more freely than she'd been able to before. If she'd had that added speed back on Coruscant she may have been able to actually save her target, rather than seeing the girl die a few feet from freedom.

Kadira traced the design on the helmet with one finger, a series of gold interlocking half circles, centered two downward facing arrows, all outlined in black. The breastplate carried a similar design, but was more complete, sporting an extra set of circle and lines that rounded out the design and carried across different pieces of the armor. In all, Emika had done a remarkable job.

"I still say it looks like some sort of bird," Jett spoke over her shoulder, leaning over her to look at the armor while holding his own helmet tucked under his elbow.

Kadira rolled her eyes. "Shut up, di'kut," she said, cocking one eyebrow at him. "It does not."

Emika tilted her head, studying it. "No, no, he's right… I can see it too."

Kadira blew out a breath and waved them both off, ignoring Jett's grin and Emika's smirk. This one was a fight she definitely wouldn't win.

"Can we make your callsign 'bird?" Jett asked hopefully.

"You really wanna ask me that when I'm armed?" Kadira asked, tapping the heavily modified pistol strapped to her side with two fingers. She didn't have to look up to know Emika was smirking as Jett laughed. "Step back a bit, Jett, let me see your set," she added, having to crane her neck to look up at him. She was tall, but Jett had a good few inches on her.

Jett grinned and stepped back, tilting one brow at her as he waited for her approval. His set was the traditional full armor, consisting of chest and back plates, thick shoulder pieces, thigh armor, calf plating, boot covers, and the usual heavy gauntlets that hooked up to the flamethrower he had chosen to carry. The helmet he carried under his arm was equipped with the most recent HUD systems and a rangefinder, rounded out by the 360 view most Mandos came to rely on. He wore no jetpack, instead opting for a shoulder cape that Kadira suspected had more to do with hiding the underarm holster he sported than for aesthetics. A cloth belt completed the set, covered by an ammunition belt that held enough for Jett to stage a small siege.

He had chosen to leave the armor mostly unpainted but for the blue, black, and gold stripes across his shoulder plates and set off-center across his helmet. The rest was dark silver, with a simple brushed look that kept the set from appearing too clean. Not that it would be a problem for too long – Jett got into more trouble than Kadira usually managed to find. His armor would have its fair share of scrapes and dents soon enough.

Kadira nodded finally, approving the set. "It fits well?"

"Like a second skin," Jett confirmed, tugging on one of the shoulder plates to demonstrate.

"Just don't light your cape on fire with that flamethrower of yours," Emika advised dryly.

"That's why it's on the opposite gauntlet," Jett replied with a smile.

Kadira smiled and turned back to her own gear, moving to pick up one of the two shoulder plates and turning it over in her hands to inspect it. It was made from thick armorleather, allowing her injured shoulder to hold its weight without trouble. The plates each sported a leather strap that would go underneath the other plates of her armor, and had two additional plates of leather that would cover her upper arms in place of the usual beskar pieces she had worn previously.

"Iam mentioned tooling the design into the shoulderplates as well," Emika spoke up. "But those will wear out faster than the rest of the armor, so I didn't think it would be worth the extra cost just to look pretty."

Kadira nodded, placing the plate back on the table and inspecting the other in the same fashion. "Good call. I'm not worried about pretty so much as functional," she mused, stepping back and putting her hands on her hips to inspect the whole set, nodding slowly. "You said there's a holster?" she asked, looking to Emika. The other woman snapped her fingers, nodding as if she'd forgotten.

"Yeah, it should fit over the armor a bit better..." she explained, crossing the room and ducking behind the high counter that was piled with miscellaneous bits of armor. Kadira could hear the other woman digging around in the back, muttering something about organization, before reappearing holding a leather holster and smiling proudly.

Kadira held out her hand as Emika came closer and the other woman handed over the holster, pointing to the side. "There's a holster for your pistol, obviously, but there's also a sheathe for a blade right behind it. The holster was made to fit the new pistol Zarah got a hold of for you, so you shouldn't have any issues with drawing speed."

Kadira nodded, picking up a back sheathe Emika hadn't explained. It was long enough to hold a vibroblade, but seemed to have multiple thin slits, all lined up with one another. "And this one?"

Emika grinned, reaching beneath the table and producing a slim blade with a smooth handle that seemed to have some sort of trigger. It was as long as Kadira's old vibroblade, but looked entirely different. The blade sported a subtle S-curve, ending in a simple hand with the trigger pad along the bottom.

"This is for your new blade," Emika explained. Kadira waited, fingering the slot Emika had yet to explain. "Jett mentioned you prefer to use a blade with an edge that doesn't vibrate, but most have the issue that the blade will snap or dull in time. This is a piece that should fix that problem."

Emika handed the blade over to Jett, who handled it with a confidence that informed Kadira that this had been based on another of his old weapons, no doubt a prototype that had never gone into mass circulation. He had already given her a rifle that was of the same type and had fast become one of her favorite weapons.

"The trigger points are there to release the blade," Jett explained, bringing the blade closer and allowing her to inspect it. He took the sheathe from her and slid the blade into the slot Kadira had asked about. She heard a small click as the blade snapped into place. "The slot is there to hold a number of backup blades, that way if yours is damaged you can just switch it out. The mechanism is fast, so you won't be losing speed. There's also a manual override, in case anything goes wrong. All you do is use the trigger pad to release your old blade, let it drop, and then reach back and snap your hilt into the holster. You'll pull out a new blade and be set. Once you get used to it, you can always start working with different types of blades, depending on your purpose."

Jett handed the blade to Kadira, who took it curiously, smiling at the way it settled in her hand. "You had this one made for me," she observed, noting it way it balanced perfectly to her grip. The curve of the blade was subtle, but she found she liked it better than the usual straight blade. It felt more balanced in her hand.

"I used your old blade as a model. Mine would have been too heavy," Jett explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's perfect," Kadira assured him, offering a nod of thanks. Jett grinned and nodded in response, visibly relaxing.

Kadira turned back to Emika, noting the way the woman fidgeted, obviously impatient for a verdict on the armor.

"You've outdone yourself, vod," Kadira said, nodding and looking back to the set.

Emika shrugged off the praise. "So quit admiring it and put it on already. I'm sick of seeing you in civvie clothes."

Kadira smirked in response and gathered up the armor, heading to the back room to don the set.

Kadira settled her new helmet over her head, taking a deep breath as she heard the distinctive hiss of her suit sealing. She had yet to even see how the armor looked, but she could already feel herself relaxing at the familiar weight of wearing beskar'gam. As her HUD blinked to life Kadira couldn't stop the grin she felt spreading over her face. It felt good to be back in armor again.

She stepped back to look at the armor in the polished metal plate that served as a mirror in Emika's back room, nodding once as she took in the full effect of the armor. The paint job was still mostly green, though unlike her last set the color was much darker, making the new gold designs stand out better against the color. The black outlines had been added as well, setting the patterns sharply against the green background.

Kadira rolled her shoulders, pleased with the amount of freedom the leather gave her, all without putting undue weight on her injured shoulder. It felt slightly strange to be without the thigh plates her last set had boasted, but the new holster wrapped around her thigh with two strips, attaching to her belt with two thick loops that distributed the weight of her pistol and vibroblade evenly. Kadira nodded once more in satisfaction before ducking back into the main hall, taking off her helmet as she did so. Emika handed over the new sheathe, which Kadira easily attached to her back. The new blade was less bulky than her previous one, something Kadira was grateful for as she finished strapping it on. She could hardly tell it was there. Jett was nodding approval even as Emika crossed the room, reaching out to tug on different plates to check the fit of the piece.

"No pinching?" Emika asked, circling around to the back.

"None," Kadira confirmed, lifting her arms at the woman's instructions and lowering them again when directed.

Emika checked a few more pieces, muttering about the lack of thigh plating, before stepping back and nodding her approval. "You're good to go. Anything you need fixed or don't like? If so, now's the time to mention it."

Kadira held out her left arm in front of her, inspecting the gauntlets and nodding. "Looks good to me, Em. Though…"

"Though?" Emika prompted, dragging out the word.

Kadira shrugged. "It's a bit too shiny, if you ask me."

Emika rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I'm sure you'll beat the osik out of it by the end of the week. It'll look less shiny then." Emika tilted her head at Kadira, all signs of humor gone. "If you end up needing anything, let me know. Don't know how much use I'll be, but… Just get our vode back in one piece, Kad."

Kadira nodded, slipping the helmet back over her head. "Will do, vod."

Jett watched as Kadira ran one gloved hand over the hull of the ship Shysa had procured for the mission, no doubt using the sensors embedded in her gloves to filter the information through her HUD system. He could tell she wasn't thrilled with the old model, almost completely lacking all the advanced systems the Vanguard had boasted, but she wasn't outright refusing to fly it.

"Thoughts?" Jett asked when she'd completed a full circle of the ship. Kadira sighed, pulling her helmet off and glancing back over her shoulder at the ship.

"I've become a snob," she said finally, looking back to him with a smile pulling at her mouth. "It's flyable I guess, with plenty of weapons on board in case we have to shoot our way out…"

"But the Vanguard would have been better," Jett finished the thought. To his surprise, she didn't immediately agree.

"Better all-around as a ship, maybe…" Kadira mused slowly. "But for this mission she may have been a bit too… flashy."

"So we get to fly a hunk of junk on a rescue mission. Great," the voice came from behind and Jett turned to take in a man walking towards them. The Mandalorian was dressed in red armor, with slashes of black paint across the helmet and breastplate. He was taller than Kadira by a good few inches and wore a much heavier set of armor than Kadira's. Jett noticed the heavy looking bag the man carried over one shoulder, though the red-black armored Mando didn't even seem to notice the weight. "You sure we can't switch this piece of osik out for a real ship? Mine's fueled and ready to go."

Kadira was already moving forward, clasping the man's arm in greeting as she answered.

"Not likely, though I'm with you on the sentiment Black. I'd much rather take Overkill, but Shysa specifically ordered we use this ship, so we're stuck with it. Jett, this is Corey Black. Black, this is Jett," Kadira stepped back as she made the introductions and Corey nodded at Jett in greeting, reaching out to clasp arms.

"You're the clone I keep hearing about."

"Most likely," Jett responded. "You were the Sergeant for Drexl squad back in the war?"

Black nodded in response, tilting his helmeted head to study Jett for a moment before looking back to Kadira. "So, what's the plan? Xander filled me in a bit, but said you'd assign roles and introduce the team yourself."

Kadira nodded in affirmation, clipping her helmet to her side. "The rest of the team should get here any minute, with the exception of Vhetin, who we'll be meeting on-planet," Kadira explained to Black, earning a nod in response. "We'll be posing as smugglers, so you're going to have to turn off the beroya side of you, leastways 'til we're planet-side. After that, we'll need all the firepower we can get."

"You up for this, vod?" Black asked, tilting his helmeted head at her as he studied her from beneath his faceplate. "I heard you took a pretty bad injury a while back."

Kadira nodded. "I'm back in fighting shape, vod, no worries. Gilamar gave his personal approval for me to get back out in the field."

Black nodded once more, clearly satisfied. "I take it I'll be copiloting this hunk of osik?" he asked. Jett liked the way the man focused on each individual task, not getting sidetracked by the conversation or introductions.

Jett could hear the smile in Kadira's tone as she responded, "Let's hope we can get it in the sky between the two of us."

"And keep it there," Corey added wryly. He lifted a large bag up as if for inspection, his neck still craned to look up at the ship. "Thought I'd bring along some extra equipment."

Kadira was about to respond when Jett saw her stiffen, her arms going straight to her sides as she looked past Black to the entrance. Black turned as well and had much the same reaction, silence falling over the hangar as Jett turned to see what had caused their reaction.

Another Mandalorian sauntered towards them, her armor a mixture of so many different colored plates that it was impossible to tell what the original set may have been made up of. She carried a sniper rifle over her shoulder, as well as a small pistol at her side. There was a deep gash across the right side of her helmet, leaving a dent large enough that Jett wondered why she hadn't just replaced the whole helmet. In all, there was nothing extremely unusual in her appearance, but the reactions of the two Mandalorians next to him warned him to be on his guard. Jett glanced back over to Kadira, noting that her arms were now crossed over her chest, her facial expression and body language unreadable. Never a good sign.

The newcomer was completely silent as she drew closer, one thumb hooked under the strap that held her rifle across her back. The woman completely ignored both Black and Jett, slowing to a halt only when she was a few inches shy of being directly in Kadira's face. Jett felt himself stiffen at the obvious slight to Black and himself, though the other man seemed unperturbed.

"Welcome to the team, Stazia," Kadira spoke finally, but her tone was completely bland, belying the welcome in her words.

Stazia rocked forward ever so slightly, bringing herself further into Kadira's space and nearly smacking her as the rifle shifted across her shoulder. Neither woman moved to block it and the weapon stopped centimeters from Kadira's face, the taunt evident to all of them. But Kadira remained perfectly still, apparently unwilling to take the bait.

"Good to be here, Sal," Stazia said finally. Her words were smooth, but there was an underlying sarcasm that immediately made Jett bristle. Kadira lifted one eyebrow slowly, holding the other woman's helmeted gaze without flinching. Neither of them moved, the silence so thick Jett almost thought he could feel it.

Finally Black muttered something indistinguishable under his breath. The noise seemed to break whatever standoff had been taking place and Stazia moved off without a word or even a glance at Jett and Corey, striding up the ramp of the ship and disappearing inside. Kadira let out an explosive breath once the other woman was out of sight, rubbing the back of her neck with one gloved hand.

"I could shoot that woman in a heartbeat," Black growled, no trace of the good humor he had shown before in his tone.

"Not gonna happen, vod," Kadira replied dryly. "I've got dibs."

Black snorted. "I'll start the line, then."

"Who are we shooting?"

Kadira turned at Xander's voice, offering the man a grim smile. He looked tired, as if he'd barely gotten any sleep, but there was at least less strain in his posture. Having a team ready to go had obviously helped ease his mind somewhat.

"Stazia. Who else?" she replied with a raised eybrow, tilting her head towards the ship. "She's as charming as ever."

"She's a shabuir, nobody's arguing that point. Just try to put up with her, we need her contacts and her expertise," Xander replied evenly, swinging his own bag down from his shoulder. "Just don't let her bait you into a fight. She'd like nothing better."

Kadira nodded. "Just don't expect me to trust her to watch my back. Not after last time."

Xander's smile was sharp and lacking any sense of humor. "Oh I don't. If she tries a stunt like that again I'll be the first to shoot her."

"Third," Corey put in.

"Third?" Xander asked.

"Third to shoot her," Corey explained calmly "There's a line now, vod, take a number. Though technically Jett was here first, so you might be relegated to fourth."

Jett choked on a laugh, trying too late to turn it into a cough. Kadira had to hide her own smile, sensing Xander wasn't in the mood for banter. Not that he ever was. Laniff had gotten a solid punch to the jaw more than once when he'd pushed Xander too far, and Kadira preferred to avoid such a situation on this job.

Xander simply let out a breath before continuing, "I take it we'll be assigning roles on the ship, then?"

Kadira shrugged, turning to look up the ramp. "I'm not doing anything too formal." She turned back to see Xander's lifted eyebrow and she offered a shrug in response. "You're the one who recruited a smuggler to lead this thing. If you wanted strict military discipline, you maybe should have snagged a soldier instead."

Xander grunted in reply, scanning the ship behind her before looking back. "So?"

"Black's my co-pilot. He's a good pilot and we need as many of those as we can get in the cockpit. Jett has the most extensive medical training of the crew, so he'll be our med tech. Stazia is the one who has contacts, and since she's doubtless unwilling to share them, that's her job. You'll be acting as our advisor, since you know the situation best," Kadira rattled off the roles quickly. "Vhetin will be our main manpower, as he's probably got some of the strongest combat skills."

"Advisor or not, I better not get stuck on the ship for this whole thing," Xander warned. "Especially that ship. I feel like it might explode if someone kicks it."

"You won't be," Kadira assured him. "This is going to be all hands on deck. We don't have the manpower to let anyone just stay on standby mode. Besides, your partner is one of the ones we're rescuing. I'm not about to try to keep you out of the action on that."

Xander nodded grimly. "Sounds good. I'll get in touch with Vhetin, let him know we're on our way."

"Tell him to try to find a place we can work from. It'd be nice to have something already scouted out by the time we get there, and Vhetin knows what to be looking for."

"Any specific instructions?" Xander asked, but Kadira was already shaking her head.

"I trust his judgment. He's been planetside and knowing Vhetin, he's been watching. He may even have something already picked out."

"I'll let him know," Xander confirmed.

Kadira nodded, gesturing to the ship. "Gentlemen, your carriage awaits," she said wryly, unclipping her helmet from her side and sliding it over her head.

"More like a coffin than a carriage," Xander retorted, starting up the ramp and grimacing when it shifted and groaned under his weight.

Kadira looked over at Black. "Next time, I vote we don't let Shysa choose the ship."

Black chuckled and headed up the ramp of the ship, leaving Kadira to look over at Jett wryly.

"You sure you're up for this?" the clone asked, jerking his chin towards the ship and tilting one eyebrow at her.

Kadira turned, studying the slightly battered ship, taking in its lines and apparent age, but also the sturdy construction. Sure, the paint was a bit chipped and it looked like it had barely survived a crash landing…

"Shysa wouldn't put us in a death trap," Kadira said finally, glancing over to Jett and seeing his grimace. He looked about as convinced as she felt, and it made her smile.

Jett studied the ship for a few seconds more before he sighed.

"Fine. I'll trust you on this count," he said, settling his own helmet over his head.

"Vor'e, vod," Kadira replied, starting up the ramp and ignoring its groan of protest. "But if this whole thing blows up, I was against the idea from the start. Got it?"

Jett just laughed in response, following her on board the ship and sealing the door behind them.

Laniff Dreysel stood at the entrance to his ship, staring at the control panel grimly. One touch and he'd be walking down onto the world he'd spent almost his whole life trying to find. He'd be that much closer to the man who had killed his buir, that much closer to finally avenging the deaths that had weighed on him for so long. And yet for some reason he was hesitating. Maybe it was because he wasn't ready for another failure. He wasn't sure he could go back to Manda'yaim knowing he'd failed. Again. Iam and Kadira would welcome him back but they'd be worried about him, as they were after every one of his hunts that went wrong. And to see it all come crashing down again after so much work wasn't something he was sure he could handle again.

Laniff let out a pained breath, rubbing the back of his neck. He had a feeling that it was also guilt that was stopping him from going forward. Iam ought to be here. The man had been in this hunt since the beginning, long before Laniff had gained the experience he needed to hunt down the shabuir who had killed his family. Iam had been the one to start the hunt in order to avenge the friend he'd lost when Laniff's father had died. In fact, it had been Iam who took Laniff in, treated him like a son and taught the angry little boy how to live, in spite of the loss.

And Laniff had ditched him at the last refueling station. Not exactly the best way to show gratitude, but Laniff hadn't been able to stop himself. Iam had already done enough. The man had dedicated years to hunting down the older Dreysel's killer and so far had naught to show for it. Laniff figured it was time for the hunt to rest on his shoulders now. Guilt or no.

Laniff sighed and punched the button to lower the ramp, ignoring the small, insistent voice in the back of his mind that was telling him to call Iam, let the man in on the hunt again. Stars knew Laniff could probably use the backup, he was going up against Death Watch, after all. But he knew he wouldn't do it. Iam and Kadira would be furious, but Laniff was determined to finish this himself. And if Iam was there…

Laniff watched as the ramp lowered, settling down on the duracrete floor of the spaceport with a dull thud. It was time he started living up to his father's legacy. Time he finally settled the score for his father's death… and Melly's.

Laniff straightened and strode down the ramp, memories echoing in his mind as the ship closed behind him. He would finish this hunt for himself. Iam would understand, in time. And Kadira would forgive him for it as well. After all, they were family. Kadira was as much a sister to him now as Melly had been. The only difference was blood, and to a Mando that didn't matter anyway. He knew she'd come around, because he had a feeling she would do the same thing if she was in his place.

Jett watched from the doorway as Kadira leaned over the comm table, her helmet tucked under her arm and her hair pulled back from her face as she spoke with Iam. The man had gotten in touch with them just before Kadira was about to send the ship into hyperspace, delaying the trip by a few minutes as he updated Kadira on the search for Laniff.

"But why would he just disappear, buir?" Kadira asked with a sigh, frowning. The others had cleared the room, leaving Kadira in relative privacy for the conversation. Xander and Jett remained behind at Kadira's signal. Clearly she wanted them there so she wouldn't need to repeat the intel to them later.

"This is his hunt, ad'ika. Looks like he wants to finish it for himself," Iam replied. "You need to realize that this goes deeper than you know."

Jett saw Kadira's eyes narrow.

"Meaning?"

Iam sighed. "Lan'ika doesn't talk about it, but…" Iam trailed off, apparently reluctant to part with a secret that wasn't his.

"Laniff had a sister," Xander put in bluntly, shrugging when Iam gave him a sharp look.

Jett expected Kadira to react. Instead, she went very still, not even turning to look over her shoulder at Xander.

"…buir?" she asked finally, clearly looking for confirmation.

"Her name was Melkara," Iam confirmed with a sigh. Kadira glanced over at Jett briefly and he was sure the surprise on her face was mirrored by his own. "She was six when she died."

Kadira flinched.

"How? Surely even Death Watch isn't screwed up enough to shoot a kid," Kadira said finally, her voice far calmer than Jett was sure his own would be.

"You'd be surprised. I don't know exactly what happened – Laniff was there but… well, he wasn't in much shape to talk about what he'd seen at the time, and he clammed up later. As far as we could tell, Melkara was hit by a stray shot. She was already almost crippled from a fall when she was younger, so it makes sense she wouldn't be able to leave the bastion without help. I doubt the shabuir even knew she was there. Laniff pulled her out of there himself, his buir was already dead by that time. She held on for about two weeks before she died."

Kadira let out a slow breath, dropping her head forward and running her hand through her hair with her free hand.

"I had no idea, buir…" she said at last, looking back up. "… losing a father is hard enough. But watching your kid sister die?"

"She idolized him," Xander put it. "He never really got over the fact that he wasn't able to save her."

Kadira sighed and nodded. "Think he'll be ok, buir?" she asked, straightening up. Jett could tell she was setting aside her thoughts for later, focusing on the mission instead of on Laniff. Not an easy thing to do, he was sure, but she was undoubtedly aware that the people on this ship were counting on her. And she couldn't help Laniff if she didn't know where he was.

It was probably the reason Shysa had chosen her to lead this op. That and her experience smuggling people away from the Empire.

Iam nodded. "He'll let us know if he needs us. In the meantime, focus on your job."

Kadira nodded confirmation and the hologram of Iam nodded once in return, then shimmered and died.

"You still up to leading this thing? Last thing we need is a distracted leader," Xander put in, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Kadira.

Kadira was silent a moment, assessing the situation before answering. Finally she looked up, raising one eyebrow. "As soon as he's back, I'm going to kick his shebs. But Iam's right, this is Laniff's hunt. If he needs me, he'll let me know. Until then, I'll just have to trust that he knows what he's doing. He's a Mando. He can take care of himself," Kadira replied. "I'm good to lead."

With that, Kadira pulled her helmet over her head and strode from the room towards the cockpit.

"Black!" Kadira called, the vocoder in her helmet allowing her to raise her voice above the usual whispery quality it possessed, though it failed to hide the damage to her vocal chords. "Let's get this hunk of junk moving. Otherwise Vhetin will likely try some dangerous rescue plan without us."

She emphasized the point by pounding one armored fist against the hull, causing the ship to make a dull clang that made Jett wince. He was starting to expect the piece of scrap they were flying in to fall apart at the slightest provocation.

"You honestly think we could stop him if we were there?" Black called back coolly.

"Not a chance. I just don't want to miss out on being part of it," Kadira replied, and Jett could practically hear the grin in her voice.