A/N: Yes, it's been a while. I am sorry. Life happened. Enjoy the chapter and stay safe! Thanks to TimelessFolly and PurelyLoved for beta-ing.
The wind from the Gurney's repulsor engines pushed the foliage as it landed in the clearing. The operatives got to work. T2, Oka, and Vanci set up some equipment in the ship for a listening post. Meku and Elaina levitated the gunship out of the hull while Esio got some ghillie netting out of storage.
"I can throw this on when you're done," Esio suggested.
"We've got it," Elaina said.
"I want to help. Anything I can do?" He asked.
"Did you ask inside?" Elaina responded.
"They won't let me near any of their computer stuff."
"Very well. Hail the rest of the team on the comms, then," she ordered.
"Yes'm." He curtly walked off. Meku bit her tongue to stop herself from objecting to this.
"Coulda grown a beard for all the time it took you to show up," Vanci joked. The rest of the team arrived on three speeder bikes.
"I said to rent one speeder. What's all this malarkey?" Elaina asked.
"We can recon a hell of a lot faster on bikes," Warron said sheepishly.
"So you rented three bikes?!"
"Bought, actually," Warron replied. Elaina groaned and ran a hand through her hair.
"If it helps, ma'am, we're still within budget," Jimny added, knowing better than to piss off a superior.
"Whoa whoa whoa! You bought a Razor?" Esio spoke with excitement.
"Oh for the - what?" Elaina replied.
"This is the Wazihazi Razor 426-H! It's a speed demon! Vanci, wanna race?"
"What do I get when I inevitably beat you? I need a new power converter," Vanci took up his challenge.
"Loser could get flying lessons from the winner," Warron suggested. "Add insult-"
"-We are on a mission of imperative importance. Any chicanery is intolerable and will be expeditiously punished. As treason," Elaina interrupted, wanting to nip this in the bud.
"Yes ma'am," Jimny said, "But, uh, them's some big words."
Elaina growled, wondering why she was surrounded by such idiots. "We will not attract any undue attention. No. Chicanery."
"Understood ma'am. No, uh, sh- shake-canes." Jimny responded. Elaina shook her head and walked away. When she was back on the ship, Jimny whispered to Warron and Meku.
"I ain't no fancy-pants Jedi, but I'm pretty sure chicanery means dishonesty. She didn't ban tomfoolery, hooliganism, or even shenanigans. Technically, y'all might-"
"I can hear you," Elaina yelled from the ship. "Do not undermine my authority, Sergeant!"
"Copy, shutting up now." Jimny snapped into good-boy-soldier mode, a terrified look in his eyes.
"Idiot," Elaina muttered to herself.
The next day, Brax had a stew out for dinner. Warron, Nisotsa, and Jimny had been doing reconnaissance on their speeder bikes almost immediately since landing. Meku, meditating, had sensed them returning long before the ship's scanners did.
"Anything interesting happen while we were gone," Warron asked Oka.
"Interesting things? Happen? In the military? Pff, nope," Oka replied. "Nothing useful from the comms either.
"What have you got for us, sir?" Meku asked.
"We confirmed the factory was here," Warron pointed to a holo-map. "Sector S52B32. We were able to make a rough estimate of enemy numbers and strength."
"How strong?" Meku was eager to tear into them.
"Too strong to take head-on," Jimny replied flatly, "Not even with five Jedi and me."
"Even if we could overpower the ground troops, Basilisks do flyover patrols. They have reinforcements in Gidora City, way too close for comfort," Warron added.
Jimny continued, "So far as we could see, their comms and power generation seem to all be inside the actual factory. So we can't sabotage no off-site facility to give us the advantage. All's they have to do is hold out long enough for their friends to come over and wipe us off the map. Too risky."
Meku could sense Esio's thought; "Or you could quit tucking tail and do it anyway. If I have to die to protect the Republic, I will. Sith's Blood, aren't we supposed to be soldiers?"
Warron sensed it too, saying, "A suicide mission won't do Revan any good. Even if we succeed, we still don't know what to do with the plant, or where they stockpile the weapon once they make it. This calls for more finesse."
"That complicates things." Elaina was deep in thought, brows furrowed as she spoke. "What about the Nightshade itself? Is it possible for us to destroy the plants without touching the factory? We could bypass a battle entirely."
Meku was so preoccupied wondering how to overpower the Mandalorians that she forgot an adage Jimny had taught her: the greatest victory is when you win without fighting.
"I wish," Warron replied. "The plant isn't confined to a small area. It seems to sprout all over this region, especially in the forested area. We'll have to look up any wildlife surveys, but the stuff grew as far as the eye could see, no matter how far out we rode."
Jimny spoke again, "there's a small town near the factory. Couple thousand folks. Slave camp, prolly."
"We could sense their presence as we meditated. They have an aura of subservience," Elaina agreed. "What do you think, young Esio?"
Meku could feel Esio tense up as the pressure was on him. If she wasn't so busy hating him, she would've related to him.
"For one, they'll definitely be patrolling the forests too. They'll be fully expecting attack. All factory guards are going to be at elevated alert, and I bet you the factory's full of nothing but proper Crusaders.
They'll probably have turrets and spiders too. Time's not on our side, we have to be quick and decisive. To a Mandalorian Crusader, one missed patrol check-in is treated as if that patrol was taken out by hostile force until shown otherwise. I'd expect a quick response from the main force in Gidora City if they can get a distress signal out.
Mandalorian discipline isn't just some boogeyman story. On the upside, this makes them pretty regimented. I'd devote some people to learning their patrol and flyover schedules."
"Could you get us into the factory?" Elaina asked.
"Doubtful. I'd need a full suit of Beskar, and an explanation why someone from Clan Kelso is trying to come into a top-secret Clan Fett Base."
"What about the town," Jimny ideated. "They seem to have an in."
"They'll definitely be recruiting for verd'gaan from the slaves." Esio explained the Mando'a word, "Volunteers, that is. Be careful, they'll be watching for spies. But I think that's the safest bet."
"We split the teams, then," Elaina ordered. "Sgt. DeVore, you take your men and infiltrate the slave town. Looks like they're getting a shipment of slaves tonight, so you hopefully won't be the only new faces. My team will recon their patrol patterns and try to find the extent of this plant life. Pilot, droid, stay on the ship with me, I shall coordinate the mission from there. All clear?"
"Who do I go with?" Esio asked.
"You're with DeVore's team. Your knowledge will be invaluable to them. Plus," Elaina smirked, "We only have three bikes. You'll have to wait to ride the Razor until later."
The cool night air made Meku's face blush red as she hiked through the forest.
"How you feelin'?" Jimny asked.
A thousand answers ran through Meku's mind. Nervous, scared, and completely lost. She had significant time in the Navy, but she felt unprepared for this. She was missing the Hearth and it's clink-y metal floors and weak-streamed showers.
"I know, kid." Jimny could tell from her silence. "I've been there."
"You can do it. Just act like a slave. Easy for a Jedi, no? You're used to calling everyone Master, right? Heh heh," Oka quipped.
"Ha, cute," Meku retorted, voice flat.
"Listen, this is gonna feel like you're drinking from a fire hose," Jimny advised. "You're gonna be overwhelmed. Just roll with it. Follow my lead. When I'm not there, feel. Don't think."
She nodded. The team stopped outside the town to bury their weapons, armor, and gear. Their hands and clothes were caked in dirt, and Meku had dirt under her fingernails. The five of them trekked the rest of the way to the camp.
The core was a few cheaply made buildings. The rest of the camp sprawled out from there, mostly built of shanties, tents, hollowed-out vehicles, lean-tos, and cargo containers.
The streets and alleys were patrolled by Mandalorians in groups, a handful of infantry escorting a speeder or light tank. The slaves parted for patrols as if they were giant magnets, repulsing everything in their way. They could hear the signature bassy burble of Basilisks flying over. The squad tried to look inconspicuous, looking for a place to sleep.
Meku stretched out to feel the people's auras. They were beaten into a routine, like pack animals. Wake up, work, sleep, repeat. Almost all of them had become complacent with the control the Mandalorians had over their daily lives. The gem of hope that lived in every person, was extinguished here. She could sense it from very few people here. It felt cold, empty. It felt like a body still moving after death. Almost mechanical.
"Credits? A computer spike? Adrenal stim? Where'd you get these?" Meku was shaken out of her thoughts by a patrolman hassling a nearby slave.
"I have no idea how these got on me, sir."
"Do we look stupid to you?"
"I swear, I didn't even know I had these!"
"So you're saying we're stupid, then. You think you can fool us? We know what you're plotting already."
"I'm not plotting anything!"
"A treasonist and a liar. Take him in."
The man started writhing, trying to escape their grasp. "Please let me go, I didn't do anything!"
"Stop resisting!" One guard held down the slave while the others beat and kicked him. "Set for stun!"
Meku wanted to help, but Jimny grabbed her arm, shaking his head no. They needed to keep their heads down. They talked as they walked.
"What's it look like, Esio?" Jimny asked.
"These aren't real Crusaders, they're Volunteers."
"How do you know?"
"Battle is something Crusaders learn from birth. You can just... tell. Warrior societies like Crusaders, Echani, Jedi. When they fight, it's almost a dance. These guys look like drunk Rynorks in comparison."
"Wow, kid," Jimny replied, "Glad we brought you."
"They're wearing plastoid armor too. Not Beskar." Oka observed.
"I'm assuming they're saving the Crusaders to guard the most important part, n'they just sic these thugs on the salves," Jimny continued.
"Probably," Esio agreed. "Crusaders are in short supply nowadays. No offense, Meku."
"It's mutual. Your people have killed plenty of us," she responded.
"I'm sorry," Esio said.
"Don't be sorry. Either help us win this war or bring the Jedi back from the dead. Sorry doesn't help me."
Esio cringed. Relating to her was like trying to squeeze juice out of a stone. He didn't blame her, and he accepted that she owed him nothing. His people did horrible things to hers. He did horrible things to Reps. He just hoped she could know that those days were behind him.
"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Let's feel out this town," Meku continued.
"Nah, let's find a place to sleep. Ain't gonna do the mission any good if we die of exposure," Jimny corrected. They walked by a patrolwoman speaking to a female Mirialan slave. Meku sensed a bond of passion between them and subconsciously filed that away; a guard with sympathy to the slaves could be of use to them. The guard and slave noticed them and hastily separated. Meku pretended not to notice, kept her head down, and kept walking.
A few moments later, a voice called out from behind them.
"You five. Stop, now."
"Don't stop," Jimny whispered, "follow me."
All of them walked faster, hoping to turn a corner and lose the patrolwoman. Running footsteps behind them.
"Stop. I said stop!"
Meku felt a hand on her shoulder. The hand spun her around and she was confronted by the Mandalorian patrolwoman she saw flirting with the slave. The guard was tall, muscular, and athletic. She was alone, her group was still hassling the slave with the computer spike the next street over. Meku weighed her options; she could fight her way out of this, but it might be better to try to bond with this person.
"Why didn't you stop when ordered to?"
"We're so sorry, ma'am, we couldn't hear ya," Jimny stepped in. It's loud in this town, y'know, we still-"
"-I'm not talking to you." She addressed Meku again. "I don't recognize the five of you. When did you come in?"
"You don't recognize us?" Meku tried to stall, hoping something would happen. Esio looked around, trying to find anything he could use as a weapon. "We came in today's shipment, ma'am."
"I think I'd recognize someone with white hair."
"I was wearing this hood, see?" Meku pulled her hood over her hair.
"Do not lie to me. What are you hiding?" The guard spoke strongly, but Meku could sense her doubting herself.
"Maybe it's been a long day, sometimes you're just off your game, you know? But we ain't hiding nothing, I promise you that," Jimny interjected.
"This is the second time I've told you to shut it. The next will be with my blaster. I am talking to you, white-hair."
"C'mon, Rokkal, stop hassling the newbies. You wouldn't talk this way to verd'gaan, would you?" The Mirialan slave she'd been flirting with sauntered out of the alleyway, speaking in a strong tone, knowing full well her effect on the guard. She was thin and wiry, but almost as tall as the guard. The slave had a prosthetic hand and white-irised prosthetic eyes.
"You do this every time. You're supposed to be guarding Clan Fett, not hazing new slaves. What's Elder Gijan going to think about you shooting his property?"
"Dag blast it, Carrera, he can get more slaves. If you're so concerned about Gijan, why don't you put your money where your mouth is and volunteer for the Clans already?" The guard named Rokkal challenged.
"Then I'd have to stop hanging out with you. That's no fun," the slave named Carrera responded.
"Not when I'm on duty!" Rokkal whispered, gesturing in the direction of her comrades. "Plus, I still don't recognize them. How do I know they're not spies?"
"Your eyes weren't on the slaves coming off the transport this evening. Nor were your hands." She smiled.
Rokkal sighed heavily. This was supposed to be kept a secret. She changed the subject. "I'm a warrior, not a babysitter. I'm leaving, soon as they give me the chance. You should come with me."
"You should stay here," Carrera responded, with an undertone that got her friend riled up.
Rokkal tried to focus and not be distracted. "You're sure they came this evening?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Will you relax?"
"I wouldn't let this attitude fly with anybody else." Rokkal's voice was firm.
"Am I anybody else?" Carrera responded. "It's okay, you can punish me later. I'll be waiting for you." She turned heel and walked off.
The patrolman shook her head clear and addressed her five captives. "You're free to go. You saw nothing here. Any of you open your mouths about this and you'll be shot on the spot. Clear?"
"Clear," Meku responded.
After the patrolwoman walked off, Brax said, "So we're following Carrera, right?"
"No duh," Jimny responded.
Carrera sat in her home, a hollowed-out bus, expecting five new guests. Almost on cue, they entered, led by the white-haired woman and the ugly man.
"Hello there," Carrera said.
"Hey," Meku started. "We just want to say thanks for what you did back there."
"I wasn't helping you, I was just hassling Rokkal. Don't get used to it," Carrera responded.
"Well thank you anyway. You didn't have to," Meku tried to be diplomatic.
"And I don't have to have you in my home either, but here we are. So where are you guys from?"
"All-" Jimny started, but was interrupted by Carrera.
"-I don't care. I can tell already, you look like troublemakers. I don't like troublemakers. They disrupt the status quo. And right now, the status quo is doing me a lot of good." Meku noticed her prosthetic hand and eyes. They looked expensive. "Do what I want, and we'll forget that the five of you weren't on today's transports."
"We been here-" Jimny tried but was again interrupted.
"I'm not as easy to fool as the other morons here. I know every face in town, and I always make sure to know who comes off every transport. I'm sure we can work out something mutually beneficial. But if you even think about letting word get out about Rokkal and I, I promise you'll be dead before you finish your sentence. Dead dead dead. Get me?"
The five guests replied with weak yeahs and yesses.
"And don't expect me to give you a place to sleep."
Carrera had a tough exterior, but Meku could sense a heart deep, deep down in there. Carrera wanted to keep the pecking order in place, but she did care for others. She also sensed something elusive, a secret she was keeping. Meku again filed this away.
"It's cold out," Meku pointed out. "We won't bother you, but is there anyone who can take us in?"
Carrera sighed. "Talk to Ferdi. Unlike me, he's a pushover."
"Thanks again."
"No need, I'll talk to you later about how to pay me back."