Establishing Base

Taris

Taris disgusted Bel'anna from the moment her boot sank into the swampy earth. It reminded her too much of Hutta, with its sickly moisture and heat, its relentlessly wild vegetation. Even the Mandalorian base camp that Bloodworthy had directed her to was overrun with weeds and covered in muck.

She and Gault approached the man inside the plasteel structure. He wore battle armor despite the heat; even Bel'anna had opted for lighter-weight cloth armor to suit the environment. He was bald, and tensed before she set foot in the structure. He whirled around from his workstation to stare her down. She was surprised to find his face riddled with hardware, including one of his eyes replaced with a cybernetic implant. Scars mutilated half of his face.

He relaxed in recognition, then nodded his head in respect. "Su'cuyogare, vod. What brings me the honor of having Mandalore's chosen in my camp?"

Still unfamiliar with the language, she risked returning the greeting. "Su'cuyogare vod. I'm hunting Jicoln Cadera. You know anything that can help me find him? Even records of the previous Champions' work would help."

"The traitor? No, no sightings. But then, we don't pay attention to ghosts. Jicoln's a lingering shade best forgotten. You believe he's still alive?"

"It would be hard to kill a dead man," Bel'anna said. "And that's what I'm here to do."

The Mandalorian Captain snorted. "You could encounter some competition. I've got at least a thousand men who'd like to claim that honor. Better keep this to ourselves; I want my troops following orders, not chasing rumors. If the traitor's alive, it would make some sense. His son was with us until recently. Disappeared."

Yes—Jicoln's son. Bel'anna had followed up on her intent to search for Jicoln's history, and Mako had made the connection from the name Cadera. I don't believe in coincidences. "His son happen to be named Torian?" Bel'anna asked.

"Done your homework, then," the Commander said. "Yeah, Torian. Showed a lot of promise in spite of his heritage. It was a shame to lose him so soon."

"Doesn't surprise me, considering how the other Mandalorians treated him on Drommund Kaas." She frowned. "He's not a member of your clan, is he?"

"No," the Commander sliced his hand through the air. "After the traitors were crushed, the remnants of their clans were brought back into the fold. Children mostly. Torian was one so fortunate. He returned just a short while ago from a successful hunt on Drommund Kaas, then went missing in action while scouting a nearby Republic colony. Torian was assumed killed or captured by the enemy, though I can't discount the possibility that the traitor was involved."

"Republic colony, huh?" Bel'anna said. "Sounds like a solid lead. Got coordinates?"

"Sure." The Captain crossed his arms. "A search of the area couldn't hurt. If nothing else, wiping out the colony could earn you a tidy sum. The Imperials want a slaughter, and they're offering credits for Tarisian bodies."

Bel'anna's face instinctively twitched in disgust. "I'm not accustomed to slaughtering unarmed civilians, Commander."

He shrugged. "They're not settlers, if that's what you think. Republic military is setting up operations for future settlement. Anyway, it's your choice if you want the credits. I'll have them waiting if you earn them."

Another Mandalorian came in and saluted the commander. "Reports on the Cathar, sir." Bel'anna took that as her cue to exit, and the commander nodded her out.

When Bel'anna and Gault reached the coordinates given to her by the Mandalorian commander, she found a small cave. It was guarded by two Republic troopers, but some well-aimed rail shots took them out before they saw her. She stepped past their bodies and used her helmet's targeting computer to identify other guards before her own eyes would have picked them out. One by one, they fell to her arsenal without even pulling out the big guns.

When the initially narrow tunnel opened up, she finally saw the settlement she'd been expecting: computer terminals, a makeshift platform of operations, and more Republic military.

"Okay Gault," she said through the robotic voice of her helmet. "The time for stealth is over. I take the main base; you get the perimeter guard."

"Eh, wasn't planning on living forever anyway."

Bel'anna didn't wait before jet-packing straight into the person who looked like the commanding officer. He'd barely turned around when she bouldered into him and smashed him into the nearest computer console. The monitor fractured and he yowled. Unsure if she'd need him alive, she pulled out her blaster and shot him in the knee. He screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor.

In the meantime, the first blaster shots had hit her armor. She pulled out her other pistol and aimed at the two nearest targets, knocking their blasters out of their hands before they got off another shot. She counted five soldiers and disarmed them all, injuring all of them in the shoulder, arm, or leg so they wouldn't be tempted to search for their weapons again.

Gault was hollering incoherently as her ran around the perimeter of the room, and he killed the four soldiers that came in on him.

Bel'anna's helmet popped up four more targets and she whirled her blasters around only to pull up short. They were unarmed, in civilian clothing. She kept her blasters out, but the cave fell silent as the shooting stopped.

Gault rushed up beside her. "What are you waiting for, cash up front?"

The woman leading the civilian charge held up her hands and came straight toward Bel'anna. "Please don't kill us! We aren't armed!"

Bel'anna glanced around the room. She turned her blasters on the soldiers she'd left alive, waving for them to gather in front of her. They hobbled next to their captain, who was on his side with his shattered knee. With everyone gathered in front of her, Bel'anna holstered her left blaster and lowered her right. "I'm looking for a Mandalorian named Torian Cadera."

"I—I don't—" the civilian blubbered and looked to her comrades. "Anyone know what she's talking about?"

The captain said, "They don't have what you want. They've been hiding in here since the Imperial transports hit the ground. Let them go and I'll tell you what you want to know."

Bel'anna nodded at the colonists. "I have no problem with you. Get out." They scrambled together and ran for the cave entrance.

The captain sighed, half with relief and half with pain. "We haven't made contact with any Mandalorian troops, but we have been dealing with sniper attacks the last few weeks. I'm certain the sniper's been taking shelter in an old excavation site nearby. Everyone I've sent to investigate has turned up dead." He winced, then held up his hand. "That's all I know about it. Will you let us live?"

Bel'anna narrowed her eyes behind her helmet, but finally holstered her other blaster. "Fine. Give me the coordinates of the site, and I'll go."