"Why me?"

Zarah looked up from her study of the flames, not surprised when Caida finally spoke aloud. The other woman had been brooding for hours and Zarah had left her to it, knowing Caida would talk when she was ready.

"…Wanna finish that thought, or do you want me to start guessing? It would certainly pass the time," Zarah replied calmly, looking back to the fire and poking it with a stick.

"Why would Mog target me?" Caida asked, ignoring Zarah's attempt at humor. "I haven't been up against him, and I'm nowhere near Kadira so it wasn't even a convenient shot…"

Zarah frowned, looking up. "You were her partner-"

"But Mog had to travel a long way to get here. It wasn't as if I was with Kadira's crew and he saw an opportunity. It took more planning than that… and Kadira said she hit him at least once on Coruscant, which means he had to have at least been injured-"

"You sure about that? Beskar's pretty heavy stuff you know," Zarah interrupted, lifting one eyebrow. She wasn't being contrary on purpose; she was simply throwing out thoughts as they came to her, trying to help Caida think through her theories in greater detail.

"It's heavy, but even heavy armor doesn't stop bruising. And he was hit at close range. He'd still be in a fairly good amount of pain, so coming all the way to Corellia wouldn't have been just an afterthought. If it were me, I'd have headed to a med center, not Corellia to try another hit."

Zarah tilted her head in acknowledgement of the point. She knew Kadira's weaponry fairly well, as she supplied most of the parts for it. It wasn't a stretch to think it would cause at least some sort of damage, even to someone wearing the Mandalorian beskar'gam.

"Alright, I can believe that. Continue, please," Zarah saw Caida's lifted eyebrow and matched the expression with one of her own. "Well go on, don't leave me hanging. You can't just throw a thought out there and then abandon it."

Caida made a face, but was apparently too distracted by her thoughts to come up with a comeback.

"The point is, why come after me? He could have gone after one of Kadira's Mandalorian buddies, or one of her underworld contacts, but he came after me. Specifically."

Zarah frowned, poking the stick into the fire and watching the coals turn cherry red before they faded back into a dull orange.

"Perhaps… Perhaps we're looking at this wrong," she mused, twirling the stick slowly. Sparks flew from the fire and faded into the darkness of the cave, but she didn't pay them any mind except to brush a stray one off her jacket sleeve.

"What do you mean?" Caida asked, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees.

"We're assuming Mog is picking his own targets… But you have a point. How would he know about you? Kadira left her past behind when she became a Mando. Her name is different, her beliefs are different. All she held onto were the Corellian bloodstripes, and even those are under her armor. Mog would have needed to do a lot of research to discover who she was tied to back when she was still in Corellian SpecOps. There would have been a trail, someone he talked to, someone who would have known Kadira's past well enough to point him at you."

"The only ones with that knowledge would be Iam Sal or Laniff Dreysel," Caida supplied.

"And even they didn't know about you before everything that went down with Jett," Zarah agreed, nodding slowly. "You need to go back further. Someone who knew you back in the day, who could point Mog at you knowing it would hit Kadira personally. We need to look at it from the angle of Mog being just the agent, not the one picking the targets."

Caida was silent for a moment, gazing into the flames absently. Zarah remained silent, letting Caida think through her contacts without interruption. When the other woman let out a long breath, Zarah lifted an eyebrow inquiringly.

"Figure something out?"

"Spike," Caida answered finally, scowling. "He's the only one who fits."

"We'd better get in touch with Kadira," Zarah said, rising to her feet and tossing the stick into the fire. "If we're right, she's going to need all the warning she can get."

Kadira rubbed both hands over her face as she waited for the Vanguard's navicomputer to plot a hyperspace route. She felt like everything was spiraling out of control faster than she could stop it, and being trapped aboard the Vanguard as support instead of being in the field was only making it more difficult.

She was most worried about Laniff. She'd seen him go over the edge before, and now he was dangerously close to doing so again. Kadira sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head against her palms as she waited.

A faint beeping caught her attention and she turned, frowning as she answered the comm channel. Zarah's form sprang to life on the holograph viewer and Kadira squinted at the image, trying not to groan. Zarah wouldn't have commed her unless something serious was happening.

"Please don't tell me Mog's contacts found you, Zarah," Kadira said by way of greeting, running one hand through her hair tiredly.

Zarah snorted in reply, crossing her arms over her chest and lifting one dark eyebrow at Kadira.

::Please. I am nowhere near that sloppy, bucket-head,:: the Mirilian replied dismissively, her quick grin softening the insult 'bucket-head' would otherwise have been. ::Besides, I have something much more interesting to tell you. Caida and I have been brainstorming a bit to stave off the darkness of pure and utter boredom, and we have a bit of a theory.::

It was Kadira's turn to lift an eyebrow.

"What sort of theory?"

::One that doesn't bode well. I won't rehash the entire line of thought, but in short we think Spike might be involved in this whole fiasco…::
Zarah fell silent as Kadira slowly closed her eyes, pressing her lips together as she let the information process.

"Go on," Kadira urged finally, keeping her eyes closed. She felt like if she opened them she'd see her world falling apart.

Zarah hesitated a moment before continuing warily, ::No one else would have known to target Caida to get to you. Unless you have a few contacts or buddies within your Mando culture who may have let something slip?::

The last words were almost hopeful, but Kadira shook her head.

"I don't really talk about my time on Corellia. It's called cin vhetin, 'white snow'. Means everyone gets a clean slate when they become Mando, so no one really asks… Shab," Kadira cursed softly, opening her eyes and letting out a slow breath. "We need to dig further back now, back to when Spike first appeared… This makes everything ten times more complicated."

::I'd say twenty. Especially since you now have an Imp Snoop on board your ship, and Spike just so happens to have been a Snoop too.::

Kadira winced. "I hadn't missed that detail, believe me… but she's our only lead to Mog."

::Not saying you should dump her out the airlock,:: Zarah agreed. ::I'm just saying to keep a close eye on her. Nothing's more dangerous than a cornered Nexu.::

Kadira smiled wryly. "A Nexu, huh?"

Zarah shrugged. ::I was going to say house cat, but I decided Nexu was more fitting. Cats at least have some redeeming qualities.::

Kadira couldn't help but smile as she shook her head. "Thanks for the heads-up, Zarah. I appreciate it."

::Anytime. I'll let you know if we think of anything else…. And Kadira?::

"What?"

::Hurry up and get better, would you? It's freaking me out to see you without all that armor.::

Ran sighed and leaned his weight against the small table in the Vanguard's tactical room as he scanned the data before him.

"Jonika? Go through those spaceport records again. Something doesn't feel right."

::You do realize I've been through those three times? And that they're almost as boring as watching paint dry? …Actually, I take it back. I'd rather watch paint dry.::

"Just do it, Jonika," Ran replied, exasperated. "This is starting to feel too easy. For something that was supposed to be a 'covert op', there's an awful lot of intel out there for us to find."

::Mandos aren't exactly subtle, cityboy. They probably don't even have a word for subtle in 'Mando-ese', or whatever they speak.::

"It's called Mando'a," Ran corrected absently, rubbing his chin with one hand. "They're brash, Jonika, not stupid. Besides, they have more military experience in one finger than any other culture as a whole. If anyone could pull off something like this without a trace, it would be them."

::Do you see conspiracies everywhere you look, Scorlo?::

Ran chuckled. "Mostly. Just look over those records, Jonika… It's starting to feel like someone wants us to find all of this."

Jonika was silent for a moment, and when she spoke again her tone was distracted.

::So… You think maybe we're being led on a fancy trail here? Mog would need some serious slicing skills if that were the case. Everything we've found looks completely legit.::

"Mog's resources are proving more expansive than I would have even imagined before. A skilled slicer wouldn't be that much of a stretch," Ran replied.

::Alright… It's a nice theory, but there's a gaping hole in it... Mog attacked Dain to keep you lot from finding out his whereabouts, and yet suddenly we think he may have hired a top-notch slicer to plant documents leading us to his master plan? It would've been easier for him to just let you take Dain without a fight, let you think it hadn't occurred to him. This is too much smoke-and-mirrors. He's Death Watch, not an Imp.::

Ran frowned at the last sentence, a nagging doubt he'd been ignoring rising to the surface once more. It wasn't the type of thing Mog might do… But Spike had been off their radar for an awfully long time, and he was the type to play the long game. Ran knew for a fact the man was capable of manipulation, after all Ran had been the one to teach him exactly how to do it… But why use Mog? All that had done was lead them to Dain, someone Spike would most likely be trying to protect, not place in harm's way.

::Ran?:: this time the voice coming over the comm was Kadira's, jarring Ran out of his thoughts.

"What?" Ran replied, sharper than he'd intended to.

::Retract the claws, vod. I've got some intel for you from Caida. I'm coming down to tell you in person.::

"You can't tell me over the comm?" Ran asked, curious now.

::I'd rather you heard the recording in full. Besides, you've been hiding out in that room by yourself for long enough. You need actual company, if only for a few minutes.::

Ran chuckled. "Fine, but make it quick. I've got a lot of intel to sort through here, including what little Iam is giving me on Moore."

Kadira must have caught the irritation in his voice, for her own was amused.

::He's just protecting his vod, cityboy. He'll tell you what you need to know, you'll just have to work within those confines. Think of it as a challenge.::

Ran snorted. "Right. Get down here already, I've got work to do."

Shaen let out a string of curses as his contact fell silent on the other end of the comm, apparently unwilling to risk raising Shaen's ire further.

"You're sure?" Shaen snapped. "Absolutely certain?"

::Positive, alor. They're on your trail and headed to find Moore. They must have been tipped off somehow, but there's no trace in our records of who might be feeding them intel.::

Shaen's laugh was bitter. "Oh I know exactly who is tipping them off. Spike never could pass up the idea of playing a game with a long-term goal, the shabuir."

Mog sighed, tipping his helmeted head back and going over what he knew in his head. Spike had a personal grudge against Kadira Sal, so why back out on a deal that struck at her? Shaen frowned. Except... Kadira was already out of the game, maybe even permanently, depending on her wound and the treatment she was able to get. Continuing down this road would probably only anger her further, make her look past her injury and her target's death in order to lash out at the person who had caused it. It's exactly what Mog would have done, and he had a hunch Kadira would be the same way. Different as they were, they had that much in common.

Shaen suddenly opened his eyes, his body going rigid as realization dawned. He was asking the wrong question. Spike had already landed his blow against Kadira, first with the togruta's death and then with Kadira's injury. The better question was why was Spike still keeping up the façade of helping? There was no reason for it… Unless there was something Spike wanted more than Kadira.

"Start looking into Kadira's crew. Look deep, not just on the surface. I want to know everything about them. Spike's not looking to go after Kadira," Shaen smiled.

Spike had tipped his hand by using the exact same method he'd advised Mog to use. Make it look like something personal was the target, when in fact the reason was much, much more complex.

"How did you discover the leak?" he asked his contact.

::One of our slicers stumbled onto it about an hour ago. He noticed something in the code that seemed off, and he found the leak.::

"Then Spike wanted us to know about it, wanted us to trace it back to him… He wants out of this now. His game is set, and he's about to fade into the shadows to watch from a safe distance," Shaen mused.

::What's our next move?:: his contact asked finally.

"We give Spike what he wants for now. Let him think we're fooled by his little game. I'll comm him and fire him, that way he can watch from a distance."

::He won't leave any loose ends, alor,:: his contact warned.

"Not if he knows those loose ends are there. Spike thinks Mandos and Death Watch can't plan just as well as he can. But we're about to prove him wrong… I want you to get a hold of the others. It's time we started putting our long-term plans into effect."

His contact signed off and Shaen leaned against the table, tapping his fingers against the wood speculatively. Slowly, he began to smile again, tracing a plan in his mind that even Spike wouldn't see coming.

He had warned Spike not to play with him, and now he was about to carry out the sentence that went with crossing him.

Laniff didn't look up when Kadira entered the darkened room but she saw him stiffen ever so slightly. All she could see of him was his silhouette, though it hardly mattered. His helmet was still on, so she couldn't have read his expression anyway as she settled into a chair behind him. Leaving the lights off, she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, ignoring the twinge in her back as she did so. Her injury was behaving exactly as Gilamar had predicted, and she was determined to learn to live with the long-term effects. She'd have to if she ever wanted to go out into the field again.

"What, Kad?" Laniff asked finally, his tone brusque.

"We'll be touching down planet-side in a couple of hours… "Kadira replied softly, her rasping voice barely audible. When he didn't answer, she sighed. "You've been holed up in here for hours, vod."

Laniff's laugh was bitter and Kadira winced. This side of him was so unlike the Laniff she knew.

"I just found out we're being hunted by the man who led my buir to his death, Kadira. Forgive me if I'm not feeling all that sociable. Now is there something you needed?" his words were harsh and Kadira didn't answer, choosing instead to stare at the back of his helmeted head silently. She knew he could see her with his HUD's wraparound and night vision, and she was determined not to leave him alone in his rage and grief.

When he shifted uncomfortably, Kadira finally spoke.

"...I'm afraid, Laniff. Not for me. Not of Mog, or Dain, or even Spike... I'm afraid of what this is doing to you. I haven't seen you like this since I first came to Mandalore and you disappeared for a year on your hunt…" she waited to see if he would respond. When he stayed silent, she continued. "When you came back it was like you were a different person. I didn't even know if I should still call you my vod, because it was like I didn't even know who you were anymore."

The words, simple as they were, had a profound effect on him. He went utterly still, his only movement the rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathed.

"I just don't want to see you drown in this, vod'ika. That's why you have family, why you have us... This isn't just your battle, you know. It never has been. It's mine too. And Iam's."

"You never even knew him," Laniff spoke finally, his voice raw.

"But I know his son, and that is a man I would do anything for. He's my ori'vod. My big brother."

Kadira rose and crossed the room, placing one hand on Laniff's shoulder. He still didn't turn, but she could tell he was listening at last.

"I need you for this, vod, and you need me. If you're not ready for this, if you don't think you can handle it yet, then we grab Moore and we haul jets. I don't even care if we get Mog. I just want my vod and my team safe."

"He won't stop going after Iam," Laniff pointed out.

"So we hand over everything we have on Mog to Mand'alor Shysa. Even if we back off this case, Mog will still be brought in eventually. He can't keep running forever," Kadira replied.

"I thought you wanted to take him down yourself."

Kadira sighed. "I do. I want to make sure he doesn't walk away from what he did to Kahlse on Coruscant… but it's not worth the lives of my team. If I have to choose between losing my vod and letting Mog go for now, then I will back down. We can grab Moore and be gone before Mog even has time to show up. Jonika can dig deeper to find any intel Mog might have on your buir's death, and we can go after it as a team."

Laniff let out a slow breath. "…What does Iam think?"

"He agrees," Kadira responded. "We're willing to be behind you on this. We can put a hold on everything else, focus all our resources on finding your buir's killer once we've gotten Moore to safety. Mog is always the one yanking us around, maybe it's time we stopped him in his tracks and pulled a good old baslan shev'la trick."

"And Ran?"

"Ran can stick his head up the exhaust pipe if he has a problem with it. Last I checked the Vanguard is still my ship."

Laniff chuckled slightly, nodding. "…I need to find the one who actually killed my buir, Kad'ika," he said finally. "Not get drawn into Mog's games."

Kadira nodded, ignoring the sinking feeling in her chest. She had a very bad feeling about letting Mog go, but she meant every word she'd told Laniff. Her vod were more important, and Shysa could easily set multiple teams of Mandos on Mog's trail.

"Then we'll go after the shabuir just as soon as we get Moore out of here in one piece,."

A/N: Phew! Sorry for the super-long delay on this one. School is back and demanding most of my time and attention, and Writer's Block has been hounding me for the past month or so.

As always, I'd love to hear thoughts/opinions!