So many moons that we have seen
Stumbling back next to me
Onderon:
Genna Carid jumped at the sound of the outer door opening and spun to face it. "Ret!" she cried in relief, "You're back!"
"Don't get up on my account," he teased as he unsholdered his pack and dropped down on his knees beside her.
"We heard there had been an attack." She looked him over for injury but he waved away her ministrations and stood.
"They sent clones after him. Would you believe it?"
"I thought you said he'd been trained by the clones during the war, he fought beside them."
Ret shrugged, his grin still in place, though it didn't reach his eyes. "They're obviously taking orders from new masters."
"Then is Gerrera…" Genna began, but he laughed.
"He talked to them; made them see sense."
She gaped at him. She had known that her brother practically worshiped the rebel leader, now if what he said was true, she was never likely to hear the end of it. "He talked to them?"
"You should have heard him." Ret quoted, "'The Clone War may have ended, but the civil war is about to begin'."
He'd always been longing for a fight. Genna barely remembered their parents but she knew that the reason they had sent her and her brothers away when the Death Watch came recruiting was because they didn't want their children to be soldiers.
Maybe Ret didn't remember. He was only a little older than she was. He never would have gotten away with joining any sort of rebellion while their older brothers were alive.
She knew what he intended. "Please don't go," she whispered.
She hated being alone in this house. During the day it wasn't so bad when she was busy running their family's fruit stall in Malgan Market but when the crowds cleared away and there was quiet in the streets, other than the occasional marching patrols of Imperial soldiers, her thoughts were too loud in her head.
He dropped to her side again, wiping away a tear she hadn't realized had fallen. "They're just refugees out there in the jungle, Gen, like we were when we were kids." He remembered that at least. "They need protection. And Gerrera's off planet somewhere right now so if anyone comes looking for him we can say in all honesty that we don't know where he is."
Had Saw Gerrera given him this assignment, she wondered? Of course he would do anything the glorious leader asked. "And when this batch of refugees has been seen to safety? What then, Ret?"
She saw his jaw tighten and his blue eyes were like chips of ice. "I won't let them get away with what they did to our brothers or to you!"
Genna shifted in her hoverchair. "The Separatists are gone!" she argued back. If the Separatists could even be blamed for putting her in this thing. The rebels had attempted to draw the droids out into the highlands but the fighting in Iziz had still been severe. Civilians had been hurt and killed.
"But don't you see? They're just the same. If we don't fight back, there will always be someone who will try to keep us enslaved!"
It was that Saw Gerrera who was filling his head with this nonsense and there was nothing she could do about it. It wasn't like she could run after him and stop him from going. She was foolish to hope that he would stay with her and help her run the market stall. Osik! She probably couldn't even get him to stick around long enough to take a look at her kriffing datapad that had been on the fritz for months. He used to be good at that sort of thing.
"Will you at least let me give you a haircut before you go?" Anything to hold on to him for a little longer.
"Why?" He scoffed. "You haven't bothered to do anything with yours since it happened."
He was right. Her naturally blonde hair fell in a sheet over her shoulder almost to her waist. Only the last several centimeters were dark brown as a memory of when she cared enough to dye it so she could fit in better with their Onderonian neighbors.
He sighed in irritation. "If I can't get away, I'll send word that I'm alright."
She nodded and accepted his hurried embrace before he gathered whatever odds and ends he had come to retrieve and then he was back out the door.
…
The word came sooner than she might have expected, a few days later while she was trying to check out a customer on that blasted datapad. And it hadn't mattered that Saw wasn't there or that there were women and children and old beings with the group in the jungle. They were all dead. The Empire had sent the clones back to finish the mission.
" Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la. " The words sprang unbidden to her lips. It was just something she remembered from her childhood even though they were only ethnic Mandalorians not the religious sort.
But now what was she? Not Mandalorian and surely not Ondeonian.
She was a merchant with a job to do. That's what she was. And she didn't have time for tears.
…
Ord Mantell:
Tech stood midway between the counter where Hunter was having a discussion with Cid and the holo screen around which the rest of the squad were congregated with some of the parlor's regulars. He was struggling to monitor both conversations at once.
Echo seemed to be explaining some of the finer points of the sports match they were viewing.
"Didn't know you knew anything about meshgeroya?" Wrecker slapped him on the shoulder affectionately.
Echo rolled his eyes and regained his balance. "The beautiful game, limmie, bolo-ball, call it what you will. The boys in the 501st would occasionally throw a match together."
That subject having been judged to be of less importance, Tech attempted to transfer his attention to the other side of the room.
"Now you said that Omega paid off our debt to you." Hunter was saying. "We shouldn't have to go on any more missions…"
"It's not a mission persay," Cid interrupted him, patting his arm. Not for a client who's paying me for the information or services rendered. This job would be of a more personal nature and I would consider it a huge favor…"
A loud cheer rose up from the viewers of the limmie match, Omega's contribution being just a fraction of a second after the others as she seemed to be watching them for cues as to what was expected of a true fan of the game.
Tech made mental note of the score that appeared on the holo and absently began thumbing the stats into his hand held device. He glanced over at the board where Cid had posted the bets and raised an eyebrow. Loyalty to a franchise must have played much heavier into the wagers than a thorough analysis of the performance of the individual players and teams.
"And what do we get out of this personal favor?" Hunter's voice stole his focus once again.
"First of all it might persuade me to personally forget that I have been privy to the existence and location of five wanted fugitives of the Galactic Empire." Cid had a point, short of silencing the little trandosian permanently they would always be looking over their shoulders if they couldn't come to some understanding.
"And the second?" Hunter's tone revealed that he hadn't ruled out the silencing option.
Tech took a step closer to the conversation which he now judged to be vastly more important than the holovized sporting event. His brothers (and sister he supposed) also must have sensed the shift, so that before Cid had finished her explanation all five of them were surrounding her, listening intently.
Cid sighed, "I've received reports that there is a fledgling operation that provides a similar service to that which I have supplied uniquely until now."
"You're afraid they will be cutting in on your turf so to speak." Echo suggested.
"Then what do you want us to do about it?" Wrecker asked. It didn't sound like the sort of thing that required his skill set.
"Well, if I could be assured that this organization was not going to cut in on my profits I would definitely have more assets to pass on as a thank you to whoever might collect that information," She shrugged. "Or get rid of the competition before it becomes an issue."
"So would I get to blow anything up?"
"Most likely not, Wrecker." Tech answered mollifyingly. "Unless we find ourselves in the need of a distraction to acquire the necessary information." He had already begun running scenarios through his data systems so that they might formulate a plan of action.
But Hunter raised a hand before any of the others could confirm or deny their acceptance. "Where in the galaxy would we be going to complete this information retrieval?"
"My sources tell me," Cid was watching them closely, "that the organization is laying down roots on… Onderon."
"No." Echo was the first to voice the negative but they all expressed similar reactions except for Omega who looked rather excited at the prospect but then she was always up for a new adventure and she hadn't been with them when they had visited that particular planet before.
"Why not?" she asked.
Hunter attempted to explain. "The Empire knows we've been there before and made contact with certain rebellious individuals."
"Well, you won't be anywhere near any rebel bases in the jungles this time around." Cid assured them. "You'd be in the city of Iziz. It's a big place with plenty of opportunities to hide in plain sight."
"Come on. We should do it!" Omega grinned confidently. "For Cid!"