Chapter 13: Jacked Up and Good to Go!
-I-
Jason learned a lot about the RPA as he ate breakfast with the others. Both Ellaera and Rumblebee explained the structure of the organization as well as its mission and purpose. The Republic Privateers Association was a very, very loose collective of smugglers who all agreed to assist the Republic in exchange for a few benefits. One of the benefits was that as long as the crime they were committing didn't hurt the Republic, they had a certain level of immunity from persecution. They also had access to Republic military bases and ships should they need to refuel and resupply. The privateers were also given complete flexibility schedule-wise, so long as they agreed to run a mission or two for the Republic every now and then.
"You're telling me that the Republic government doesn't really care what you guys do?" Corso asked.
"More or less," Ellaera confirmed. "Though Rain-Eye is our 'leader,' and organizes the occasional heist in Imperial space, she's a hands-off sort of leader. She has her supporters of course, die-hard Republic loyalists who view her as a hero."
"You don't?" Jason said, noting Ellaera's tone.
"I'm sure Rumblebee feels the same as me, but the Republic isn't the glowing bastion of hope and freedom they make themselves out to be. Their main difference from the Empire is that their hypocrisy is more, how should I say it, veiled?"
"The Republic has its flaws," Rumblebee said. "Just like any government. Ellaera and I signed up with the RPA for different reasons, but neither of them had to do with our admiration for the Republic. Sure it's a better option than the Empire, sometimes. But the Empire also has its upside too."
"The Republic isn't perfect, but it's preferable to anarchy, or the tyranny of the Empire," Neosmugg said in weak protest.
"Ellaera, you signed up to get away from Rogun's people, right?" Jason asked.
"I did."
"Rumblebee, why'd you join the RPA?"
"I wanted to make a difference on a larger scale. The RPA has the resources to let me do that," Rumblebee said pensively. "Though I was running guns to Ord Mantell, that was an RPA mission. Normally I run food and med-supplies to refugee camps and slum areas for those displaced by the wars. I know it's like trying to plug a leaking dam with my fingers, but at least I can provide some relief to those that need it."
"Hey Sallyy," Ellaera waved as their greeter from the previous night made her appearance in the common-room.
"Did ya'll get a good night's rest?" Sallyy asked. She was tossing up and down what looked like a ball of metal shards embedded in a block of clay.
"Yeah, we did. Whatcha working on?" Ellaera pointed to the ball.
"Shrapnel charge," Sallyy answered. "I picked up a new shipment my last time out, but some numbskull made these wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"They attached timers to them," Sallyy said, as if bereaved. She tossed the device in the air again, caught it, and showed the place where the timer had once been.
"Aren't they supposed to have timers?" Rumblebee asked.
"Only if you want to be safe," Sallyy shook her head. "It's an explosive. It's not meant to be safe."
"If it doesn't have a timer, how are you going to set it off?"
"Oh, I added a pressure sensor," Sallyy said conversationally, still tossing the ball of shrapnel and explosives up and down. "I throw it hard enough it should go 'boom'. It'll fit right in with my incendiary grenades and shock charges."
"Wait," a wide-eyed Cloake suddenly stood. "What happens if you drop it?"
"Oh, like this?" Sallyy pretended to let the device go, but caught it right away. In the meantime, everyone else's heart almost stopped. "It'd probably blow up. Good think I took the pressure sensor out of this one to calibrate it. It was a touch too sensitive."
"You'll have to forgive her," Rumblebee said to Jason and Corso, smiling fondly at the smaller woman. "She's about as dedicated to explosives as I am to medicine. She and Bowdaar are the best cybertechs the RPA has to offer. If it has moving parts, they can fix it."
"Or blow it up," Sallyy added.
"Jason, are all the women you know mynock-dung crazy?" Cloake said to Jason.
"Leora's standing behind you."
Cloake nearly staggered backwards over his chair as he turned to get away. Only to see that the only thing behind him was the common-room wall. He glared back at Jason. "Very funny."
Sallyy laughed. "Cloake, right? Rain-Eye wants a word with you. Apparently Rogun just doubled the bounty on your head. She's probably going to try to recruit you into the RPA."
Cloake made a face. "I wouldn't have a bounty on my head if it wasn't for Ellaera."
"She's waiting for you in the conference room," Sallyy jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Of course, you can always turn her down and take your chances with Rogun's people without the resources the RPA has to offer."
"I got the hint," Cloake grabbed a napkin off the table to wipe his mouth and clean his hands. A glanced at Ellaera. "The conference room is still one floor up, second door on the left?"
"Yeah."
"Catch you later," Cloake said to the others. "Akaavi, feel like coming with?"
"I am interested to see what this Rain-Eye woman is like," Akaavi nodded.
The doors closed behind the two and Sallyy turned her attention to the Chiss. Rather bluntly, she stated. "I got the gist of why you're here. Rain-Eye and Senator Riah are not exactly comfortable with someone of your reputation being at HQ."
"Unless someone has a very large bounty on their head, they're in no danger from me."
"Rain-Eye is wanted by the Imperials pretty badly," Ellaera said hesitantly.
Caitlin'snow'mai pulled out a datapad and scrolled through it. Since he was sitting next to her, Jason could see various bounties flash across the screen. "Okay, here she is. Fifteen-mil? Not bad."
Jason couldn't help but clear his throat. The last thing he wanted was for Caitlin'snow'mai to off his new boss. That probably wouldn't leave a good impression on his fellow RPA'ers.
The bounty hunter seemed to catch herself. "I meant, too bad. After that last job, I already have a bunch of credits I haven't spent yet. And I'm just a guest here so it'd be rude of me to kidnap my host."
"As I was saying," Sallyy said, eyebrows raised. "The bosses will feel more comfortable if you find another place to stay after today."
"What if I join the RPA?" Caitlin'snow'mai said.
"Huh?" Sallyy blinked. "Are you serious?"
"The Imps screwed me out of two big contracts. I even spent a good three months preparing for them too. Until I can get enough credits in compensation from them, I won't be taking another Imp contract."
"I'd…have to talk with the bosses first," Sallyy said, flabbergasted.
The others were likewise staring at Caitlin'snow'mai.
"Really?" Ellaera said, eyes round.
Caitlin'snow'mai shrugged. "From what you described, the RPA is barely a guild anyways. Nothing like the Bounty Broker Association or the clans. More like a collective of people who get together on occasion or two at Rain-Eye's behest. I figured by the time I'm required to do one of those missions, I'll be back in Imperial space enjoying my credits."
"Is there anything else?" Rumblebee asked Sallyy.
"A couple things, actually." The brunette Smuggler said. "I had to tell Rain-Eye about your plans for Samovan. She's really against it, because our political backers are really against it. They'll only give you Republic support on several conditions."
"When you say Republic support?"
"You'll have all the resources of the RPA at your disposal," Sallyy clarified. "The politicians are currently afraid that removing Samovan during this time of uncertainty will create unintended consequences. The power-vacuum that he'll leave behind will plunge the Coruscanti underworld into chaos. As you probably know, more than a few senators have their fingers in that underworld and will suffer great losses if that happens."
"So what are these things we have to do?" Jason asked.
"When we remove Samovan, we're supposed to loot his treasury as well. There are several data-discs inside that some politicians would rather not see the light of day."
"Wait, 'we'?" Ellaera said, catching the word.
Sallyy grimaced. "That's another condition. Apparently I'm the responsible one."
"You use explosives."
"Responsibly," Sallyy said, tossing her shrapnel ball up and down again. "Anyways. Before we're allowed to go hunting Samovan, those same politicians want to frame him so they have a good reason to turn their backs on him when we make our move."
"Even though he's a crime lord, killed Jedi and security officers, and is all around a bad guy?" Corso said incredulously.
"The politicians want to make it clear to the Black Sun that they have a problem with Samovan not their organization. They also want to reassure the other Vigos so they don't get jumpy about the takedown of one of their own. Especially someone who's second only to the Sector Chief on Coruscant."
"So how does this 'framing' happen?" Caitlin'snow'mai asked.
"We'll be meeting with an underboss of one of Samovan's rivals," Sallyy said. "Samovan's underlings will be making a spice and weapon's exchange down at the spaceport tonight and this underboss said she can get us in as part of that group."
"Who's the exchange going to be with?" Ellaera questioned
"That's where we get into the grey area of our job," Sallyy said. "The trade is a three-way deal. Weapons, for credits, for spice. Samovan's people are the spice connection. The weapons are coming from an Exchange contact. The credits are Pub provided. The good senators are basically writing off a couple of people they view as expendable for this. According to our marching orders, we're to make sure those individuals don't survive the night."
"There's no way the Jedi are going to agree to do that," Rumblebee said.
"Jedi Lost might," Ellaera pointed out.
"There's no way most of the Jedi are going to agree to that," Rumblebee amended.
"Well, tell those Jedi to apprehend those corrupt senators then," Sallyy said dryly. "Otherwise, those senators are going to have Coruscant security on the lookout for a group of 'armed and dangerous' individuals who want to murder innocent members of the Black Sun charity group."
"If we tell Leora to do something about those senators, she might do something permanent, and get in even bigger trouble," Jason said, shaking his head. "When are we supposed to meet with the Jedi anyway?"
"That was another thing I wanted to talk to you guys about," Sallyy said. "The RPA message board has a message for you guys from a Jedi Knight Oseari. Apparently he and a few of his Jedi buddies are currently doing Jedi stuff but will meet you guys at the cantina for lunch."
"We can run the plan by them then," Rumblebee said. "Is there any other way the senators will let us go after Samovan?"
"The power vacuum and the unknown variables have them too jumpy otherwise," Sallyy shook her head.
Caitlin'snow'mai casually raised a hand. "If I have a way to make one of those unknown variables known, would they be happier?"
"What do you mean?"
"Skadge is former Black Sun until he was incarcerated and an underboss usurped his position," the Chiss pointed to her silent partner. "One of the reasons why I agreed to help was to have him take over Samovan's spot."
"I don't think that's the sort of reassurance the senators are looking for," Sallyy replied haltingly as Skadge cracked his knuckles and glared at her.
"Tell 'em that if they have the guts, I'll make a deal with the first two who approach me," Skadge grunted. "Anyone who comes after them can go take a flying leap out an airlock."
"I'll pass the word along." Sallyy said, swallowing nervously. She shifted a bit further away from the Houk. "In the meantime, there's really nothing else for ya'll. So the time is yours."
"Jason and Corso have never been to Coruscant before," Rumblebee said. "We can give them the ten-credit tour before meeting up with the Jedi."
"That sounds great," Corso grinned.
Jason smiled and nodded eagerly. Who wouldn't turn down a tour of Coruscant? From game to reality, the last thing he wanted was to spend his time on Coruscant crammed into an apartment or running for his life. Some normalcy was definitely a good thing. "I'm definitely up for that."
"Finish up breakfast then. I doubt we'll be able to cover a fraction of the cool places in the time we have," Rumblebee said enthusiastically.
-II-
The small fleet of speeders they were in were tricked out purple, blue and red models with gold trim on the rear engines. They were convertible-style speeders, large enough to seat two, and extremely agile. The small size of their speeders allowed them to zip in and out of the traffic lines and maneuver between the towering buildings. It was the perfect vehicle to see this whole new world in.
The small fleet of speeders kept in tight formation as they zigged and zagged across the Coruscanti sky, and then split off into separate directions. Jason was in the passenger seat of one speeder with Rumblebee driving. Ellaera's speeder, with Corso as the passenger, veered away after one last friendly wave from its occupants. Sallyy had ended up with Caitlin'snow'mai, much to the former's incredulity, and at the request of the latter began a tour of the local cantinas and dive-bars. Cloake and Skadge—paired up in another speeder—had the beginnings of a bro-mance as Cloake elaborated on the state of the Coruscanti underworld. Unbeknownst to the others, it was also Akaavi's first time on Coruscant. But she hadn't been as awed because she had been to similar city-planets like Nar Shadda. Sallyy's companion, Bowdaar, was Akaavi's driver and was able to relate to her because he had lived on Nar Shadda and was also a hunter. The two were headed towards the sporting arenas. Neosmugg and Treek—both of whom had already been to Coruscant many times—shared the last speeder. They made for a very unlikely duo, with both agreeing to use the time to visit the regional children's hospital. Apparently, for some reason, Ewoks were excellent de-stressors for sick children.
As the small fleet went their separate ways, the buildings and lines of already busy traffic all gleamed invitingly from the mirror-station-enhanced rays of morning sunlight.
"We're technically still within the Senate Sector," Rumblebee said after an hour and a half of driving in the same direction. Jason's view of the world had been expanded so much. From the unique architecture to the sprawling city-blocks, it was hard to fathom that he had only just seen a tiny fraction of the eucomenopoilis. "The Republic, after all, is made up of tens of thousands of star-systems. There are sector and system representatives for a majority of those, and they all have embassies and living quarters. Then there's the whole industry that relies on them. The restaurants, the shops, the hotels, the sports arenas, the people who work in them, and the shops who serve them."
Jason gulped almost comically. It was hard to imagine all that all the skyscrapers and busy streets whipping by were all dedicated to the running of a government that spanned an entire galaxy. Heck, it was hard to image a government that spanned a galaxy. "What about the Justicar Sector? And the sector the Black Sun operate in?"
"The Justicars aren't really limited to one sector," Rumblebee explained. "Their headquarters is actually in the Senate Sector. They have branches spread throughout the lower levels of the planet and are generally present where the local security forces are the weakest. As for the Black Sun, they control several sectors. Coruscant security forces aren't strong enough to oust them so they tend to leave the Black Sun alone."
"Why?"
"'Why'?"
"Why aren't the security forces strong enough?" Jason asked.
"The senators, the public, take your pick," Rumblebee said with a tired smile. "Many of the senators would prefer Coruscant remain weak. A weaker Coruscant means their system, sector, or whatever, can get away with more. It means they can also line their pockets more too. When Sallyy was talking about the senators taking an interest in Samovan, she didn't just mean one or two. Even I can't ignore the political stuff when I try to run aid missions."
"How many senators are involved then?"
"With the Black Sun? Justicars? Exchange? Dozens, hundreds even. If they feel like we're actually threatening their assets in the underworld, they can even send private armies to assist the Black Sun. Why do you think that after that last failed mission, there were no further attempts to apprehend Bann?"
"If he's that protected, why did you agree to help?" Jason said in disbelief. It was well beyond just good-will and 'looking out for the crew'.
"Samovan Bann preys on the refugees. Refugees who have nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to because of the policies made up by the very senators that support Bann and those like him," Rumblebee said coolly. For the first time since Jason could remember, he actually heard a hint of anger in her voice. "He causes countless hundreds of thousands of people misery every day. You asked earlier why I joined the RPA? I support what the Republic is supposed to stand for. Not what actually happens. Eventually, I want what it stands for and what happens to be in sync. The RPA has the largest voice out of all the privateer organizations, and that's mainly because of Senators Dodanna and Riah. If I can make meaningful change in the Senate through the RPA, then I'll take that chance. And if taking down a crime lord like Samovan can make a meaningful change, I'll take that chance too."
"That's…a crazy gamble."
"Gambling is the basis for all us privateers," Rumblebee laughed lightly. "I just make my big gambles outside the casino."
Jason saw the sunlight glint off a distant body of water. "Coruscant has an ocean?"
"Huh? Oh, that's the Great Western Sea," Rumblebee said. "It's a man-made reservoir that serves as a tourist trap. We can go there after we solve the Samovan and Skavak problems. The RPA has a clubhouse there."
"Sure."
"Hey…Jason," Rumblebee said after a short silence.
"Yeah?"
"You don't talk much about where you're from. I understand if you don't want to share. But I am slightly curious. D-Four, Jakarro and I did find you buck-naked in an escape pod. You said you're from another galaxy, but what about family?"
"Uh…that," Jason's mind blanked out for a moment. "I have one. Had one. It's complicated. Like, really complicated. I don't meant to keep secrets from you or anything, but I'm not exactly sure how to tell it."
"Hey, no worries," Rumblebee shook her head. "Actions speak louder than words, and I can tell you're definitely a good guy."
"I have…had a brother. Two years older than me," Jason tried speaking as generally as possible. "He is…was a teacher. My mom is, was, one too. My dad programmed computers for a bank."
"And how'd you end up floating in space?"
"That, I don't remember at all. Really," Jason said. He tried to recall what happened between the ICU bed and his waking up in the SWTOR universe, but got nothing. "I wish I could tell you how I ended up there. I want to know myself."
"Okay, then how about your homeworld?"
"It has seven billion or so people on it," Jason said. "Compared to Coruscant, it's…pretty low tech."
"Most worlds, when compared to Coruscant, don't even come close," Rumblebee laughed. "My own homeworld had only a couple million people. When I first came here, I couldn't even believe that the entire population of my planet could fit into a single city on this world."
"Yeah. I can definitely relate to that." Jason smiled and laughed. His holocom device chimed. "Leora?"
"Hey, you free?"
"More or less. What's up?"
"There's been a change of plans on the Jedi side of things. Word got out to the politicians that we're going to help you take down Samovan and Grandmaster Shan has gotten a load of pushback. Meet me at my apartment."
"Where's that?"
"I sliced into your bracelet before we parted ways last night. The location is uploaded into it."
"What…of course you did," Jason sighed wryly. He checked his bracelet and found that a map of the Coruscant Senate Sector had been uploaded. Complete with a blinking light labeled 'Come here when you feel Lost.'"
Jason showed the location to Rumblebee who stifled a giggle and steered their speeder in its general direction. "Do you want to see just Jason, or do you want the rest of us to meet you, Jedi Lost?"
"Either way doesn't matter. I just wanted to talk without anyone eavesdropping."
"I'll contact the others then. Are we still on for lunch?"
"I'm having food brought to my apartment."
Jason was about to end the call, but then thought of something. "Have you told Oseari and the other Jedi we're meeting you at your apartment?"
"Why would I do that?"
Jason chuckled. "Because then they'd be waiting at the cantina for us and we'd be at your place."
"And that's a problem for me, why?"
"Just let them know what's happening."
"You're really too nice sometimes." Leora sighed. "Fine."
"How far away are we?" Jason asked Rumblebee.
"At full speed? About fifteen minutes out," Rumblebee said, finishing up the call to the others speeders.
"We'll be at your place in fifteen minutes."
"I'll have the turbolift unlocked and ready. I'm at the penthouse level. See you in fifteen."
"Of course she's at the penthouse level," Rumblebee puffed her cheeks out.
"Of course," Jason smiled, resigned.
Of course, when they reached the building Leora had designated, their expression became even more nonplussed. Leora wasn't just in the penthouse of any old apartment complex. It was one of the tallest, gated apartment complexes right off of a heavily wooded region.
"Trees and plants?"
"That's the Garden of Justice," Rumblebee said haltingly. "One of the few parks on this planet. There's a forcefield around it to keep all the wildlife inside it. All the apartments around it are exceedingly expensive."
"And a penthouse?"
"Do I even need to say it?" Rumblebee said, parking their speeder in the enclosed lot.
The turbolift ride up in the glass turbolift car gave them a prolonged view of the Garden of Justice. Jason once again had to wonder about how wealthy Leora was. From her two luxury residents on Carrick Station to this penthouse apartment in an expensive region, it went far beyond just pickpocketing Imperials.
"How can she afford this penthouse?" Rumblebee looked to Jason.
Jason just shook his head in answer.
The turbolift doors opened. And Jason immediately had a flashback to the game. The room it led to was exactly like the room of the Coruscant apartment in-game. Leora's decorations surprised Jason. The beach house on Carrick Station hadn't had any personal touches at all. The entry-room of the apartment was the complete opposite. There were holo-images on the wall, display cases containing ancient tablets and artifacts. Old-looking weapons mounted on racks. Ancient banners draping the wall on either side of the door way leading out of the room, a tapestry winding its way over the top. And a depleted datacron cube by the bank of windows.
"This…"
"What do you think?" Leora asked, approaching from the room across the hall. A quick glance over her shoulder showed that the Jedi theme continued into that room as well. A glowing meditation platform, Jedi-themed furniture, and stone statues were all visible from the entrance. "This place originally belonged to my parents."
"Were they nobles or something?" Rumblebee asked, examining a metal shard with ancient writing on it before moving on to an antique pot in a display case.
"Close enough to one I guess," Leora said. "They died when I was a baby. They were part of a Republic expedition exploring Je'daii ruins. The entire expedition disappeared. Fortunately for my brother and me, they were very well-off."
"And the datacron," Jason pointed to the inert cube.
"My brother found that while searching for my parents," Leora smiled faintly. "When we were both at the academy we spent all our free time searching for clues. We signed up for that ill-fated mission because the clues all pointed to the fact that we'd get our answers then. But afterwards…well…I kind of stopped caring. Enough was enough. Anyways, you guys didn't come here for some sob story. Come on, I'll give you a tour while we wait for the others to show up."
The apartment layout wasn't just like the Coruscant apartment of the game, it was the layout of the in-game apartment. The hangar was filled with shiny speeders and vehicles of all types. The room to the immediate right of the entryway was a greenhouse almost overflowing with plants of all sorts. The upstairs 'living room' spared no luxury, with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and expensive loungers resting on fur carpets. The balcony area looked like it had utilized every single deco from Makeb, ignoring hook requirements. The Makeb pergola sat on the outstretched portion of the balcony surrounded by bubbling fountains and abstract, white sculptures.
"Wow."
"If you say so," Leora Lost shrugged. "I'm rarely here. I let the cleaning droids take care of things. If it wasn't for the fact that it's nice to have a place on Coruscant, I'd have sold this penthouse a long time ago."
A chime sounded.
"Looks like some of the others are here. Why don't you two get comfy here? I'll guide the rest up."
An hour later, the entire group, Oseari and other Jedi included, were in the second-floor living room eating food that Leora had had delivered. Amusing Jason was the fact that the Mon Calamari restaurant that she ordered from had delivered food that wasn't unlike standard Japanese cuisine.
He took his first bite of Mon Calamarian shrimp tempura and grinned in approval. Apart from it being the first alien tempura he had tasted, it was definitely the best alien tempura he had tasted.
"Why did you have us come here?" Caitlin'snow'mai asked impatiently.
"I wanted to talk about things off the record," Leora matched Caitlin'snow'mai's brisk tone. "Basically, we Jedi have received orders banning us from helping you apprehend Samovan Bann."
Cloake threw his eating utensils down. "All the more reason not to chase after the man."
"I'm ignoring those orders," Leora said.
"Leora," Oseari started.
"I don't care if it gets me kicked out of the Order. If the Order is an organization that'll let corrupt politicians push it around, it's not an organization I want to be in."
"I wasn't going to say anything like that," Oseari rubbed at his forehead. "Only that after you stormed out of the meeting, Jedi Xalai called Jedi Master Jennasaur and she overrode Master Kaedan. She said the exact same things you just did."
"I was her apprentice after all," Leora said smugly.
"Me too," Xalai arched an eyebrow in challenge. Leora mimicked Xalai's expression mockingly
"I was as well. Most Jedi on Tython attended her lessons at one time or another," Oseari said dryly, as if Leora and Xalai had completely forgotten about him. "Anyway, Jedi Master Jennasaur said that all we had to do was do our duty as a Jedi and to let her and Grandmaster Shan worry about the politicians."
"Have you told them what the politicians are requiring?" Sallyy asked Jason.
"Not yet."
"What do you mean?" Yadira Ban asked.
Sallyy repeated her earlier words. The Jedi all more or less acted like everyone had predicted.
"I've been thinking about that," Jason said as the discussion in the room essentially became the Smugglers arguing for the grey-side plan and the Jedi wholly against it. "What if we only pretend to kill the people we're supposed to be killing?"
"Huh?" The talking in the room died off.
"'Pretend to kill'?"
"The guys who are getting set up Pub-side would probably be pretty pissed that they're getting set up, right?" Jason said. "And Samovan is supposed to have dirt on a bunch of senators too. What if we use that dirt, as well as the guys getting set up, to build a case against those senators?"
"That's crazy," Sallyy immediately objected. "Do you know how powerful some of those senators are? It's almost publicly acknowledged that some of them are corrupt to the core. But to actually expose that…"
"Sounds fun, I'm in," Leora piped up. "Well, I was in even if we had to kill those guys, but I'm still in."
"I feel a lot more comfortable if we do it that way," Xalai breathed out. "Only, where are we going to keep these Pub-side henchmen? We're going to have to go after Samovan as soon as we finish disrupting this deal."
"I…I might be able to help with that, master," Yadira raised her hand. "My friends from my Tython days, Jedi Onsai and Jedi Aleerah, are both on Coruscant right now. Aleerah's master recently fell ill and they've come to Coruscant to look for a cure."
Jason blinked at that. Finally a Consular who was following the standard Consular storyline. "Does Aleerah happen to have a judgy lizard following her around?"
"How'd you know? She complains about Qyzen all the time." Yadira said in amazement.
"Just a lucky guess," Jason said dryly. He was noticing a pattern with the companions who had appeared thus far; Corso, Jorgan, Skadge, Treek, Akaavi, Tanno Vik, 4X, and Bowdaar. Apart from Corso, none of them were really popular companions.
"These two Jedi, are they fresh out of the academy?" Caitlin'snow'mai asked skeptically.
"Well…yes. They're just like me."
"And you expect them to protect these high value targets from deep-pocketed, corrupt senators, and a ton of underworld soldiers?"
"Oh…but they are Jedi," Yadira said.
"So you want to give the footsoldiers experience in killing two neophytes, got it," Caitlin'snow'mai said dismissively. "This Aleerah and O-no-see person."
"Onasi. Her name is Mai'lin Onasi," Yadira objected.
"She'll be dead soon so it doesn't really matter, does it?"
"Stop picking on my apprentice," Xalai cut in. "And Yadira, I have to agree with Caitlin'snow'mai. The underworld doesn't fool around. For the purposes of this mission, I'll go along with Yadira and her friends to keep any potential witnesses secure."
"Do you think Havoc Squad will be willing to help with this?" Corso asked. "Maybe have them reinforce Jedi Xalai and the others?"
"They're definitely still on Coruscant," Sallyy said. "There's a hearing later today about the Star and Esseles."
"Let's give them a reason to miss it," Cloake said with a grin. "Some of those senators grilling them are probably some of the ones who are tied to the Black Sun anyways."
"I wouldn't put it past them," Sallyy shrugged.
"Jason, can you call Khokho or GPrime?" Ellaera asked. "You seemed to be on good terms with both."
"I'm not sure I even have their comm-frequency. I had to give the comlink back to Khokho before I left the cruiser."
"Sallyy?"
"I'll have to run the request through Rain-Eye."
"Okay, in the meantime, let's try to plan for later this evening. There's no telling what we're walking into."
-III-
Knowing that so many things could go wrong, the plan was kept as simple as possible. Jason, Ellaera, Corso, Rumblebee, and Sallyy would be the ones meeting the Black Sun underboss. Everyone else would be on standby. Jason, Rumblebee, Corso, and Ellaera were all armed and armored with their usual gear, ready to go. Sallyy, was no different. She carried only a single blaster and wore the same trenchcoat-like outfit from the previous night. The one difference was that she had several bandoleers full of explosives of various types wrapped around her and had a backpack full of more explosives.
The location of the deal was back at the spaceport in one of the lesser used hangars. Their contact would be waiting for them just outside of the hangar.
"There," Ellaera said in a low voice, pointing at a dark-haired woman lounging casually across several seats. The waiting area was barely lit, only a single light on a wall on, so it was hard to make out any features. "She has to be our contact."
"Oh, you're here early." The voice had a mocking, almost sing-song nature to it.
"You're the Black Sun underboss?" Sallyy asked.
"And you're the soon-to-be-dead do-gooders?" The woman kicked her legs up and swung around to stand. Standing, her face was illuminated by the nearby light.
"Rona?" Corso suddenly exclaimed in disbelief.
"Who…Corso?"
"Wait, you know her?" Ellaera turned to Corso.
"She's my cousin." Corso took several steps forward, eyes wide when he realized she was in Black Sun garb. "Rona? What are you doing in that getup? I thought you were with the Peace Brigade! Helping people!"
"I am helping people my dear baby cousin. As for what I'm doing, I thought that'd be obvious," Rona said, spreading her arms out. "I'm living the high life here. Which is far from that dung-hole farming world we came from by the way."
"Our entire family back on Ord Mantell was killed by the Seps!" Corso said incredulously
"Yeah, well, it was bound to happen eventually," Rona said apathetically.
"Corso," Ellaera said carefully. "I don't mean to interrupt but we don't really have the time for this."
"Right, right," Corso continued to stare at his cousin in disbelief. "We'll talk after this, Rona."
"Sure thing, baby cousin. Anyways, you guys here to blow up the deal going down, right?"
"That's basically right," Sallyy confirmed. "What's the details?"
"Three groups of people. Twenty people each. Samovan's crew is moving fifteen thousand kilos of spice and other synth-drugs," Rona relayed. "We're expecting to get five hundred blaster rifles and other weapons from the Exchange. Our friends in the senate will be there with fifty-million credits. Half of the weapons and drugs go to them. We get half of the credits and weapons. The Exchange gets the other half of the credits and our drugs. It took Samovan's crew the better part of a year to negotiate this and lock down the necessary political stooges to get it done. Your job will be to blast everyone as soon as it's confirmed the weapons and credits are present."
"What if the weapons and credits aren't present?" Sallyy asked. "It'd take a pretty stupid person to come to the meet with everything they have to offer."
"We just need to know the location," Rona shook her head. "Spaceport security knows what's going down so they'll be hands-off even if things start blowing up."
"What about Samovan's crew?"
"They know what to expect," Rona said with a wicked sneer. "Their team-leaders will go along with everything if they want to keep their families alive."
"Rona!" Corso objected.
"You should really try it, Corso. Blackmail and extortion really pays. I've earned more in one week than I could have in a year of slaving away at the Peace Brigade or 'legitimate' organization."
"What…"
"Where do we fit in?" Sallyy cut Corso off.
"There are five of you," Rona noted. "So you'll be taking the places of five of the crew."
"How?"
"Simple," Rona chirped. She gestured for them to follow her.
They did so cautiously. She brought them into the hangar control room where the Black Sun crew was lounging about ahead of the meeting.
"Underboss," one of the tough-looking Black Sun members said, a note of fear in his voice.
"Would you relax?" Rona said with a predatory smile. The sight would have been comical if it wasn't so serious. Rona barely came up to the muscular man's chest and was almost a third of his width, yet he took a step back as if she was death itself. "Which five people in your crew can you do without?"
"Huh?"
"I can always choose for myself," Rona drew a blaster and promptly shot one of the Black Sun thugs. The other Black Sun members all raised their weapons in alarm.
"Wait, weapons down!" Another tough-looking Black Sun thug said frantically.
"Four more people," Rona said casually.
"Flash, Spike, Claw, Nails, get out of here!" The first leader blurted.
The four headed for the door.
"Wait," Rona said, stopping them in their tracks. They turned to look at her. And she promptly blasted them in quick succession. "Okay. There. The rest of you saw that. The Exchange shot them when the deal went bad, right?"
Eyes darted towards the other Black Sun leaders, who all nodded fervently.
"Right," one of them said.
Rona turned back to Jason, Ellaera, Corso, Sallyy, and Rumblebee and pointed to the dead Black Sun members. "You're taking their spots. Meeting's in ten minutes. How you blow it up is up to you. I'll see you after everything goes down. Remember boys, they're in charge. If they say anything bad about you…bang."
Rona then whistled cheerfully as she left the room, deliberately stepping on each of the corpses she had made in the process. The remaining fifteen Black Sun members all stared at the newcomers, who smiled back weakly in response.
"Ooookay," Sallyy said, clapping her hands. "Let's go do this."
"What the lady said," the Black Sun leader pointed to the door.
The Black Sun crew filed out of the room.
"Stick close," Rumblebee said to Jason as they followed.
Jason nodded. Despite knowing that there was a team of Jedi on standby, as well as the rest of their friends waiting in the wings, the situation was the complete opposite of relaxing. He hadn't expected Rona to just straight up execute fellow members of the Black Sun. From Corso's disturbed expression, it was clear the innocent farmboy hadn't expected that either. Jason vaguely remembered Corso's 'personal mission' from the game, where Rona cons the main character into smuggling spice. The mission ended in one of three ways, two of which meant Rona remained a Black Sun underboss. He couldn't remember Rona being so into the life of crime, but then again, the personal mission only allowed a small snapshot into her personality. Stepping out of the control room and into the hangar, Jason's thought processes switched to what was about to happen.
Never had he ever even imagined that he'd be part of a weapons-drug-credit deal. It didn't matter that the goal was to disrupt it. That actually only made him more nervous.
"Rumblebee, Jason, Corso," Sallyy said. "Take overwatch position on the catwalks. "Only start shooting if I give the signal."
Ellaera then followed Sallyy down to the hangar floor along with most of the other Black Sun members. Two of those members had joined Rumblebee, Jason, and Corso on the catwalks. The hangar doors began making noises as they slid open.
"It's the Exchange," the Black Sun leader said, looking jumpy.
"Easy breaths, captain," Sallyy said in a low voice. "We do this right, and everyone walks away. Well, all of us. They won't."
The freighter that entered the hangar wasn't anything impressive. It wasn't like there was a sign on it that said 'this is an Exchange weapon smuggler's ship'. It could probably have blended in perfectly with all the speeder traffic coursing through Coruscant. When the ramp lowered and the Exchange crew emerged, eyebrows were raised all around and the Black Sun leader got even more jumpy. The leading two of the twenty that had emerged had lightsabers.
Another ship entered the hangar a few minutes later. This one had all the bearings of a diplomatic shuttle, from its red and white paint job to the Republic emblem on its side. The people that emerged even wore the uniforms of the Senate Guard or the flowing robes of senatorial aides.
"Let's make this quick," one of the robed aides said with a touch of arrogance. His voice travelled far in the silent, empty hangar. "You have what we asked for?"
"You have our credits?" The Exchange leader, one of the two with a lightsaber said patiently.
"You'll get them when we see the goods."
The Exchange leader gestured to some of his men. They disappeared back into the freighter and then came out holding a heavy crate between them. The crate thunked loudly on the ground. A hand-wave from the Exchange leader, and the crate's top flipped open to reveal row after row of gleaming blaster rifles.
The Black Sun leader thumbed a control box that activated a cargo-claw, and the claw deposited a heavy cargo-container behind them. His men opened the container and pulled out several packs of spice. "We have to goods."
The three sides squared off for a moment.
"One person from each to check on the goods?" The Exchange leader said.
"Agreed," the Black Sun leader nodded.
"Agreed," the senatorial aide said.
Each group sent out a person to the other. As the goods were examined, the Exchange leader looked at the Black Sun leader. "You're nervous."
"I'm sitting on fifteen thousand keys of spice and narco-stims," the Black Sun leader replied. "Unlike you two, I can't exactly say I was transporting it for a legitimate reason."
The Exchange leader grunted, but his eyes began roving over the Black Sun guards. "You wouldn't have snitched on us, would you?"
"He didn't," the senatorial aide said. "The man I work for knows about all the security operations in this area. There have been no alerts."
"You obviously are lacking in intelligence," the Exchange Leader said darkly. He tapped his head. "I know things. The Black Sun stooge there sold us out."
"What? You're crazy," the Black Sun leader said, not exactly sounding convincing.
"This is almost too funny," Jason heard Leora through his earpiece.
"What do you mean?" He murmured.
"That Exchange guy, he's no Jedi. He's not even Force-sensitive. The lightsaber is just for show."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. There's a motion-activated sensor on the crate. You could shoot an arrow at him right now and he'd never react in time. It's more like he's an expert at reading people's expressions and body language."
"Both of them?" Jason started to relax again.
"Oh, no. The other guy with a lightsaber is a straight up Sith," Leora said casually.
Jason nearly fell off the catwalk in exasperation. "That's the sort of news you should lead with."
"Don't worry. He's most likely a Korriban washout. Either that or he really sucks at reading minds. The Black Sun guy is practically broadcasting 'I'm a snitch' and the guy isn't even picking up on it."
Meanwhile the situation on the floor of the hangar had grown tense, all three sides drawing their weapons at the Exchange leader's words.
"Don't listen to him," the Black Sun leader said in exasperation. "Why would I sell you guys out? I lose just as much as you all if I did."
The Black Sun leader glared for a few moments, before smiling, relaxing, and laughing heartily. "Just had to make sure. Hey, do their goods check out?"
The Exchange expert examining the drugs nodded. "Genuine thing. Almost eighty-percent pure too. Good stuff."
"Their weapons?" the aide asked his own person, similarly relaxing.
"They're what we're looking for."
"What about the credits?" The Exchange leader asked.
The aide motioned to his men and they removed several large containers from the shuttle. "All here."
As the leaders began to finalize the deal, Jason saw Ellaera slip Sallyy her cloaking device. He blinked as Sallyy subtly stepped back into the shadows and vanished. Knowing that things were about to get really real, Jason unslung his bow from his back. Corso saw the motion and shouldered his blaster rifle.
"What are you two doing?" The two other Black Sun individuals in the catwalks hissed at them.
"Shhhhh," Rumblebee fired two tranq darts that hit their targets and knocked the duo out.
The Exchange member that Leora had singled as a real Sith seemed to sense something was amiss and took a step away from the others, hand on his lightsaber. The Sith began circling the perimeter, his eyes darting every which way.
The minutes ticked by with nerve-wracking slowness.
Jason swung his bow around to target the Sith. Not that he had any hopes of actually hitting the man. Jason needn't have bothered, however. Mid way though the Sith's loop around the group, an invisible force grabbed the dark Jedi and yanked him into the shadows of the hangar.
"That was almost too easy," Leora said cheerfully.
"There's been a change of plans," Ellaera suddenly voiced, interrupting the leaders of the three groups. Her blaster was raised at the trio, and her action had the other Black Sun members reflexively mimic her.
"Huh?"
"I knew you were a double-crossing nerf herder!" The Exchange leader yelled at the Black Sun leader.
"What…I…"
"Both your groups will leave your credits and your weapons right where they are and get on your knees," Ellaera barked. "If you want to be stupid, be my guest."
"You're making a huge mistake! Do you know who I represent!" The aide barked.
"There are twice as many of us as there are of you," the Exchange leader sneered. "Maybe you're the ones who should throw down your weapons."
"Sallyy? You all set?"
Sallyy reappeared behind the Black Sun lines, a detonator in her hands. "All set."
"What's that?" the Exchange boss frowned.
"I'll make it simple. I push, you all go boom."
"You're bluffing."
"She never bluffs when explosives are involved," Ellaera shook her head.
"Kill them," the Exchange leader barked.
Sallyy pulled on her second pair of goggles over the first and pressed the button. "Boom."
The Exchange henchmen all heard an ominous beeping noise from very close by. Had a moment to process that the noise was coming from some part on the back of their armor. And then they were engulfed in a crackling storm of electricity as the charges Sallyy had stealthily applied to each of them activated. The shock-charges fried nervous systems and promptly dropped all eighteen Exchange henchmen in their tracks. The only one not affected, because he had been standing away from his men, was the Exchange boss.
Seeing all his men go down, his face grew ugly and he drew his own blaster.
"Here, catch." Like a professional baseball pitcher, Sallyy hurled a softball-sized object at the Exchange leader.
The leader reflexively swung at it as if to bat it aside. The moment his blaster made contact with the ball, the ball erupted into a spray of shrapnel that blew apart his hand and decimated his heavy metal armor. The Exchange boss went down, very much in need of medical attention.
Just like that Sallyy had taken out most of the twenty-man team of Exchange thugs.
The Republic delegation all looked to their boss, but at the same time also looked frantically around them for any explosive devices.
"Don't worry," Ellaera addressed them. "You, we'll let live."
"That wasn't part of the plan," the Black Sun leader immediately said, eyes widening.
"It is now," Lieutenant GPrime of Havoc Squad's Logistics Division entered the hangar through another door. With him were Khokho, M1-4X, and Vik, all armed with repeater cannons. The Black Sun members froze, unsure what to do. "Weapons down. Last warning."
Recognizing the insignia on the troopers' armor, the members of Black Sun, as well as the Republic delegation, did as directed.
"You're making a serious mistake," the aide blustered. "Your Havoc squad is already in it deep after that last…"
A stun-bolt nearly hit the man as it parted his hair. The ionic charge of the bolt caused said hair to stand on end as if he had just been shocked
"Sorry," Ellaera said. "My finger slipped."
"You don't seem to understand the situation," Sallyy took over. She pointed to the Black Sun captain. "What the man said is right. Our original orders, coming straight from your boss, is to kill you and everyone in your group."
"You're lying."
"Why would I do that? I mean, if you prefer that plan, we can carry it out."
The aide's mouth snapped shut and then glumly headed in the direction Vik and Khokho were gesturing.
"We've apprehended your contact as well," GPrime said to Sallyy. "Until you take out Samovan, we can't risk her letting the others know what's happened."
"She currently has knowledge about the whereabouts of the families of some of the Black Sun people here," Sallyy said. "It might help if you get a Jedi to get that information out of her before anything happens."
"I'll let Jedi Lost know."
"Wait! Wait a minute," Corso fast-roped down from the catwalk. "I know my cousin hasn't exactly left a good impression on you. But I don't think it's serious enough to let Jedi Lost do anything to her brain."
"People's lives are at stake," Sallyy said pragmatically. "Your cousin doesn't look like the type to suddenly repent for everything she's done. At least not in time to save those lives."
"Give me a chance to talk with her," Corso pleaded. Rumblebee, Jason, and Ellaera all arrived around him. "I know we're supposed to be chasing after a bad guy. But she's the only family I've got left. She's just…confused, a little lost right now. I can get through to her, I know I can. At the very least, I'd rather not have her mind fried."
"It's your call," GPrime said to Sallyy.
Sallyy, in turn, looked to Ellaera. Receiving a nod from the other woman, Sallyy nodded back to GPrime. "Give Corso a shot. He can join Akaavi, Bowdaar, Treek, and Cloake in the support team when we need the backup."
"Okay," GPrime confirmed. "Havoc Squad Logistics Division and the team of Jedi will keep the rest of the people on ice until your mission is complete. Good luck."
-IV-
One simply didn't waltz into Black Sun territory. One didn't even approach Black Sun territory because the Black Sun had their own air-traffic controllers and regulated the comings and goings of everyone. Of course, these air-traffic controllers weren't 'officially' Black Sun members and belong to the civilian aviation authorities. But by the time any speeder or ship landed in Black Sun territory, the local bosses would already know about it. Coruscant security had a lone base of operations by the only transit hub under their full control.
"How large is the Black Sun sector?" Jason asked Sallyy as the number of buildings bearing Black Sun logos seemed to stretch out to the horizon.
"Not nearly as large as the Senate sector," Sallyy answered back. "Probably eighty square kilometers wide, ten kilometers in height?"
"That sounds about right." Rumblebee nodded, eyeing the towering stacks of buildings interconnected by a maze of walkways. "The tricky part is that they have full control over most that territory."
As their shuttle began its final descent towards the Coruscant Security base, Jason could see a gunfight unfolding. Just like in the game, Black Sun members were approaching the base, their numbers and firepower easily overwhelming the defending security officers. The defenders would have long succumbed to the aggressive push if it wasn't for an orange-red-haired Jedi dual-wielding white lightsabers. This lone Jedi was dashing back and forth across the battle-line, deflecting blaster bolts and neutralizing Black Sun attackers left and right. The fight was especially striking because of the dim lighting in the area. Streaks of blaster bolts flew the darkness in one direction, two white sabers sliced through that darkness in another.
"Who's she?" Caitlin'snow'mai asked as the Jedi in the shuttle.
"I don't know."
"Aren't you a Jedi?"
"There are thousands of us. We don't know everyone," Oseari said dryly.
"Cloake would probably flip out if he were here," Ellaera laughed. "He'd take one look at her and assume she's another 'crazy Jedi'."
At Ellaera's words, however, the group watched as the white-lightsaber-wielding woman dashed madly towards a large contingent of Black Sun henchmen. She didn't seem to care at all that they were all turning their weapons on to her. Made even crazier was the fact that she wasn't wearing any armor. Her Jori Daragon's top, purple pants, and knee-high yellow boots made it seem like she had been dressed for a night on the town, not a pitched battle. Yet, her speed seemed to transcend normal barriers as he twin white blades left solid after-images in their wake. She carried her momentum into her attack, the white after-images leaping forward in a clashing blast of Force and physical energies. A half-dozen Black Sun members were sent flying, while even more were staggered. Her blades rushed out in rapid precision, lancing through the bulk of the Black Sun forces with efficient strikes. She finished her barrage of blade and Force-attacks by actually hurling her lightsabers at another formation of Black Sun individuals.
"Pilot, fly over the combat area and open the ramp," Leora directed suddenly.
"Leora," Oseari groaned.
"Read the Force, Ose," Leora chided. The pilot did as directed, and the moment the ramp was lowered, Leora hurled herself out of the shuttle.
With one hand she sliced her lightsaber through the air, and with her other she sent out a burst of Force-energy. The two Black Sun snipers that had taken advantage of the white-lightsabered Jedi's disarmed state had their attacks nullified. Leora gestured, yanking one of the snipers from his perch and impaling him on her lightsaber. The other sniper got up and tied to run for it, but the white-lightsabered Jedi had caught her sabers once more, leaped through the air, and finished the man off.
While this was happening, the shuttle lowered so those not capable of Force-protected landings could hop out. Seeing these reinforcements, the Black Sun underboss in charge of the attack whistled sharply, and the attackers all pulled back.
"Thanks," the orange-red-haired woman said. "Jedi Knight Josslyn."
"Leora." Leora inclined her head.
"Are you the reinforcements we're expecting?"
"Sorry, no," Oseari said. "Why were the Black Sun attacking?"
"They were angry that I destroyed a med-clinc that they controlled. Before you say anything, that clinic was giving make-overs to high-ranking members of the Black Sun, allowing them to change their faces at will. I saw a request from Coruscant Security and was in the neighborhood. I must have touched a nerve. This was the third day of attacks and we were running out of blaster packs and people. I'd rather not be positioned down here on a permanent basis, but if I leave, these Coruscant Security people are going to be wiped out."
Josslyn jerked a finger at the exhausted Coruscant Security personnel.
"If you're not the reinforcements, why are you down here?"
"Going after Samovan." Leora said lightly.
Josslyn's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline. "The politicians are finally letting the Jedi Order go after him again? I've been trying to get them to let me take a team to go after him for years now."
"More or less. Only Ose and I are the Jedi. Everyone else are a bunch of do-gooders, or were bored stiff."
"I see," Josslyn eyed the group. "You got room for one more? The guys attacking us are Samovan's underlings."
"Are you sure?" Oseari asked. "You know the reputation Samovan has."
"I'm sure. My master was in the group that went after Samovan last time. I was too young to participate then. Ever since my master died, I've spent most my time mapping the Black Sun's territory, learning about their infrastructure. Trying to help those trapped in the territory when I can."
"So you can be our guide then," Leora perked up.
"Yeah," Josslyn's head bobbed. "And the one thing you have to know is that you need a special IFF transponder if you want to get into Samovan's base. Otherwise the automated defenses will rip you to pieces."
"You know where we can get one of those?"
"Black Sun machine-shop and hangar," Josslyn pointed to a distant building. "It's the main vehicle hub for the Black Sun in this region. It's also one of the most heavily guarded."
"What's the quickest way to get there?" Sallyy asked.
"For us? By foot, unfortunately. All Black Sun authorized vehicles have their own IFFs. We might as well put flashing lights on our heads and charge through the front door if we try to approach that building without one."
"Can't we just take that vehicle?" Jason pointed to one of the speeders left behind by the attackers. It was too small to accommodate all of them, but those who had arrived in it no longer needed it.
"All Black Sun vehicles also have a small explosive rigged into them," Josslyn shook her head. "If the Black Sun learn we're not who we say we are, boom."
"Sallyy's good with stuff like that," Jason said. He turned to the brunette Smuggler "You can tinker with that and make it so it doesn't blow up under us."
But before Sallyy could even agree with Jason, the Black Sun speeder erupted into a ball of flame. Another speeder overhead zoomed away at the same time.
"Or not," Jason said wryly. "Walking it is."
"If we blast our way to the hangar, won't Samovan know we're coming for him?" Rumblebee said as they started down the walkway.
"His people will have already reported that I received Jedi reinforcements. Look at all the buildings around us. Most of them are run by the Black Sun," Josslyn said. "And if that isn't enough. That speeder belonged to a Vigo allied to Samovan. Trust me, he already knows we're here. As for whether he knows if we're going after him, he'll be smart enough to figure that out the moment we make our move."
The group walked down the streets of the Black Sun sector in relative quiet. It was still very late at night, or very early in the morning depending on one's point of view, and there was no one else out. Jason took the time to glance about the area, still stunned by the height of skyscrapers that were easily twice the height and width of the ones back on his homeworld. Peering over the edge of the walkway, Jason could see dozens of others just like it, stretching from building to building, or connecting to each other in a web-like fashion. Looking above revealed even more walkways.
"The Black Sun control this entire area?" Jason whispered in amazement. Trying to imagine a city twice the size of San Francisco completely under the control of gangsters blew his mind. Rumblebee and the others had obviously not been kidding about the level of corruption on the world.
"All the important parts of it anyway," Josslyn piped up. "That over there is the central bank of the region. The leader of that bank is a Black Sun underboss. And I'm not sure you can see the power generator station from here, but the streets around it are all under Black Sun control. The Black Sun aren't wholly bad. While some of the politicians line their pockets with resources that might have helped the people here, the Black Sun step in on occasion. The last thing they want is to rule a ghost town."
Jason nodded to show he was listening, but at the same time noticed that several shadowy figures were keeping pace with them on nearby walkways. "Those guys?"
"Scouts," Josslyn said, not sounding concerned. "See their gear? They're mostly street-kids being paid for any information. We'll only have to start worrying when the ones following us look better equipped."
The walk through the streets was tension-filled enough, and such a new experience for Jason, that he didn't feel tired even as the night gave way to morning. They had been walking for several hours straight, taking a few minutes break at every hour. But as the sunlight began illuminating their surroundings, the group realized that the ragtag scouts that had been following them had been replaced by small, blaster-toting gangs in body-armor.
"Should we start worrying now?" Caitlin'snow'mai asked wryly, flicking the flap of her holster and placing a hand on the butt of her blaster pistol.
"Ninth Sector Crew," Josslyn called out, motioning for the others to stay calm. "You know who I am. Unless you want your butts whooped again, I suggest you back off and let us go about our business."
"Not happening this time, Jedi," a voice echoed off the surrounding buildings. "We're getting paid big money to stop you all."
More motion, and figured appeared on the balconies of the surrounding buildings and from out behind parked speeders.
"Ninth Sector Crew is a Black Sun feeder gang," Josslyn introduced in a low voice. "They're generally small-time."
"They don't look small time," Ellaera said, glancing at the weaponry wielded by some of the ones on the balconies.
"That's the Fifth Level Levelers," Josslyn corrected. "They're another feeder gang. But they recently took down a Coruscant Security checkpoint."
"And the guys in the ugly armor?" Neosmugg questioned, making a face as if the poor dress choice was causing him considerable pain.
"West Side Elites. Another feeder gang," Josslyn sighed. "Are you sure you guys have Senate approval for this? Normally these three…sorry, there are five, groups won't give each other the time of day."
As she spoke, more armed individuals began to come out of the shadows until there was a small army of gangsters surrounding their small group.
"O~se," Leora said in a singsong as she stepped behind the hulking Jedi.
Oseari very calmly turned around, gripped Leora by her shoulders, lifted her off the ground as if she was a child, and planted her in front of him.
"Meanie," Leora pouted.
"We can't afford to get into a prolonged fight here," Josslyn said with some tension.
"The Black Sun can probably reinforce them if we take too long," Sallyy agreed.
"No, we literally can't afford to. All the buildings around us are residential. Tens of thousands of civilians and refugees make their homes here. And two levels below us is a refueling station."
"What do you suggest?"
"We run."
"Why do I keep signing up for these things?" Caitlin'snow'mai groaned. She then shook a finger at Jason. "This is all your fault."
"I'm uploading a map of the region into your devices," Josslyn's fingers danced across a datapad. "If you get separated from us, head to the designated location. That's where we'll be going."
"What's there?"
"Elite Black Sun territory," Josslyn said. "These street-gangs don't have the right to go there."
"That's where the hangar is," Skadge frowned, glancing up in the direction and comparing it to the map on his overly large wristband.
"I did say it was well-guarded."
"Last warning. Throw down your weapons or we open fire!"
"On three," Oseari said, taking in a breath.
"One," Leora said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Two," Josslyn nodded.
"Three." The Jedi activated their lightsabers in unison as the non-Jedi members of the group began sprinting along the designated path. The gang-members who had been in their way were mowed down by a barrage of blaster fire. At the same time, the Jedi were warding off barrages from the gangsters.
After walking for several hours, the last thing Jason felt like doing was running. It was amazing how motivating hundreds of blaster bolts and flechette shards were. The sound of all the weapons going off at once was almost deafening. The sound of rounds blazing by his head terrifying. All in all, Jason found that he could use less of this type of aerobic exercise in the future.
Josslyn leaped over the group to take point as both Leora and Oseari covered the rear. All of them continued to run amid the hail of projectiles zipping all around them. Fortunately, the walkways were covered with all sorts of debris and parked vehicles, and provided more than enough cover. Unfortunately, unlike the game, the cover was perishable and didn't last long against dozens of blaster bolts striking them.
More gangsters joined the pursuit, their wild shots managing to clip Ellaera and send Sallyy tumbling. Both Neosmugg and Rumblebee each took on a patient, though the added weight slowed the entire group down.
"How much further?" Caitlin'snow'mai called out, a blaster-bolt pinging off her shoulder plate. At the same time, Skadge grabbed a gangster and head-butted the man into the next month.
"We're close," Jason said.
"Two more blocks," Josslyn answered at the same time. Then she looked over her shoulder at Jason. "How did you know?"
Jason pointed up into the air.
The group looked up.
In the air were a dozen speeders and cargo-skiffs, all loaded with a bunch of armed Black Sun members. The gang-members saw this and promptly began and organized retreat.
"This is as far as you go, Jedi," a Black Sun Vigo called out cockily.
"Why do the bad guys always insist on saying things like that?" Ellaera grumbled, holding a kolto-pack to the graze on her face.
"Didn't want to use one of our trump cards so early," Sallyy agreed, leaning on Neosmugg to take the weight of the leg that had been hit. She pulled out a comlink. "Contingency One is a go."
The group didn't have to wait long for a response. A Defender-class light corvette cut through the sky, its dual laser cannons pulsing. The Black Sun speeders were all blown out of the sky one after another, most with all hands lost. Some of the Black Sun members managed to leap off their speeders in time, only to land painfully on the walkway below. The corvette made one more pass, and then hovered over the walkway. Its ramp lowered and three familiar figures jumped out. The corvette then zoomed back into the sky and out of sight.
"Jennson," Jason greeted the man with a smile. Then remembered the man wasn't a toon but an actual person. "Sorry, Captain Jennson."
"It's okay, you're non-military," Jennson waved off the salute. "You remember First Lieutenant Jorgan."
The Cathar officer nodded in greeting. "Good to see you again."
"You too," Jason clasped the man's offered arm. "Congratulations on the promotion."
"Thank you."
"And we picked up a new member of Havoc Squad on Taris," Jennson stepped back to reveal the third member of the team. Another Trooper companion.
"Sergeant Elara Dorne. Under most other circumstances, I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you all," the blonde-haired Republic officer said with a polite nod.
"Glad you were able to get back to Coruscant in time," Jason said.
"You really pasted those Black Sun idiots," Skadge said with a rumbling laugh. "But you guys are Havoc Squad too?"
"Just call us Havoc Squash," Jennson relayed in a friendly manner. "Wouldn't want you guys to confuse us with Lieutenant GPrime and his people. Between you and me, they're a bit more uptight then we are."
"Right," Skadge's beady eyes blinked as Jennson's statement used up much of his brain capacity.
"Anyways, you guys called for backup?"
"The opposition is every bit as resistant as we had expected," Oseari said professionally. "We need to get to that structure and commandeer a vehicle with IFF codes for Samovan's base."
"We'll be on hand to assist, then," Captain Jennson said seriously.
"Don't worry," Josslyn spoke up. "The force you just took out was their heavy-hitters. They'll need some time to get reinforcements to the area."
"Then let's double-time it," Lieutenant Jorgan noted.
After the breather, Jason had to roll his eyes as he once again found himself jogging. He definitely didn't have to worry about gaining weight if this was going to be his life from now on. The ironic thing for him, he thought, was that it didn't seem to matter what universe he was in, he still had to worry about losing too much weight. Whether it was running into life-threatening illnesses, or running from life-threatening blaster bolts, both were just too conducive to weight-loss.
On the bright side, with the added firepower, the group made it to the hangar leaving a trail of Black Sun gangsters in their wake. But once again, the Black Sun seemed to have anticipated their moves and had detonated the explosives in all the vehicles in the hangar. All except one vehicle, which had been in taken apart for maintenance, were in ruins.
"What do we do now?"
"I can probably fix that," Sallyy squinted at the disassembled speeder.
"I know a fair bit of mechanics myself," Elara Dorne added.
"Me too," Caitlin'snow'mai said.
"Great, you two can help me. I can't do much with my leg numb," Sallyy motioned to the bacta wrap around her shot-up leg. "One of you Jedi, mind levitating that onto the hydraulic lift over there?"
Josslyn reached out her hand and did as requested.
Sallyy activated the device, and it hummed to life.
"Are you sure you can put it back together?" Lieutenant Jorgan asked.
"The question is whether one of us can find a functioning BBIFF or not by the time they're done," Leora said.
Elara's face scrunched up in confusion. "A BBIFF? I've studied all the Republic acronyms, but I'm not familiar with that one."
"Don't encourage her," Oseari said to Elara.
"Boss-Base IFF," Leora said proudly. "BBIFF."
"Yes, you're a genius," Jason clapped Leora on her shoulder and guided her away from the would-be productive people. "Maybe you can help me find the BBIFF somewhere in the control room."
"Thank you," Oseari mouthed to Jason. He then looked to the three female mechanics. "How long do you think you'll need?"
"An hour at most?" The three visually polled each other.
"Right," Sallyy patted the raised speeder chassis. "An hour. We have everything we need right here. If we don't have something, well, I'm a star at crafting things from spare parts. And with the help of you Jedi, this speeder is jacked up and good to go!"
-Chapter End-
A\N: Thanks for reading all. Yup, the theme of this planet's chapters will be Starcraft! It's one of the first RTS games that my brother and I played together and of course he got way better at it than me. He took to multiplayer like a fish to water, joined a clan, and left me in the dust. When SC2 came out, same story on repeat. It seemed like no matter what game he played in multiplayer mode, RTS, RPG, or FPS, from Starcraft to Counter Strike, to Mass Effect 3 (he got every single multiplayer achievement, including soloing the hardest skill-level on the max waves), to Overwatch and SWTOR, he just dominated.