Chapter 57

Cheers and enjoy.

The coming weeks passed quickly. Torian finished his recovery and was finally deemed fit to return to light but active duty. Raidre caught Zale Darrows, and she introduced the team to a new team member; Skadge.

"Everybody, " Raidre spoke to the intercom of the Mantis. "Front and center."

They all came to the main area in the cockpit, Skadge followed Raidre in.

"Whoa, whoa,whoa… what's that creep doing here?" Mako exclaimed.

Skadge snorted and let his arms out of their crossed position. "What's the matter, girlie? Scared?"

Raidre made notes not to leave Mako or Blizz alone with Skadge, ever. Blizz was giving him looks and had even begun to edge closer to Mako to hide behind her. Raidre looked around.

"Torian's usually punctual." she frowned.

Blizz peeked out from behind Mako. "Maybe Torian in medbay, get holes fixed?"

Gault smiled. "Ah, let the kid have a day off. Better yet, wrap this up so I can get back to mine."

Mako rolled her eyes. "He told me he got a message from an old associate. They were going to meet at the cantina."

Raidre's frown deepened. "Out here? He tell you anything about this 'old associate'?" she pulled out her holo and punched in the numbers to Torian's comm.

Mako frowned as well. "Not really. You know Torian. You think this wasn't a friendly meeting?"

Raidre waited, but Torian never answered his comm. "He won't answer or can't answer; I don't like either."

Mako nodded. "Should we head to the cantina?"

Skadge huffed. "You're startin' to bore me."

Mako's brows shot up. "Who do you think you are?"

"Name's Skadge. Don't forget it." growled the Houk.

Mako rolled her eyes. "Whatever, creep." she said as she looked away from him, both branding him with her nickname and choosing to ignore him. "Can we get back to Torian now?"

Raidre nodded not even bothering to pay Skadge the least bit of attention. "See if you can find that message from Torian's old associate."

And then a holocall interrupted all of their planning.

"You've been a busy girl. Too busy. You should spend more time with your loved ones before they're gone." spoke an unfamiliar face. "I'm extending you an invitation. An opportunity to appreciate what you have, before you lose it. But if your little boyfriend isn't marriage material, we understand. There'll be plenty of other opportunities for us to meet. If you want a chance to say goodbye, come to Hoth. We won't wait long."

The call ended and all eyes went to Raidre who had been quiet and still the entire time. She exhaled after five more seconds of silence.

"Torian! We've got to save him!" Mako exclaimed.

Raidre cracked her neck to the left. "They so much as scuff his boots," she stretched to the right and cracked that side as well. "And they're dead." she spoke with quiet rage.

Mako chuckled with nerves. "If anyone can get him back safe, it's you."

Blizz came over to Raidre. "Boss and Blizz beat up bad people real good!"

Gault sighed and crossed his arms. "Ah, or at least humiliate them to death." he shook his head at the Jawa.

Mako looked back to Raidre. "So what are we going to do?"

Raidre looked to the pilot's chair. "Set a course for Hoth."

Mako smiled and nodded. "Right, let's do this!"

Raidre walked up to the second level where Torian was tied to a chair, the unfamiliar face from her holocall was there as well, Mako followed behind her.

"I was starting to think we'd have to finish without you." he said to the girls.

Raidre was calm, but that calm belied what was going on beneath the surface. "Buddy, you've got no idea what you just got yourself into."

The Ransomer smiled. "You don't say? Why don't you come a little closer and explain it to me?" he said as he leveled a blaster right next to Torian's head.

Raidre stopped fiddling with the clasp of her crush guant and took a few steps closer, jaw tight and eyes cold.

"Ambush, run!" Torian shouted as soon as the blaster moved from him to Raidre.

Four more faces came out from both sides and above, blasters leveled and ready. The Ransomer put his blaster away.

"You aren't saying anything your friend doesn't already know. "He said to Torian. He looked back to Raidre. "You know, Grand Champion, you've got talent. The overseers would have scouted you eventually. We could have helped you make a real mark on the galaxy. Now you'll have to settle for your gaudy title and the price on your head."

Raidre nodded. "And whose 'we'? Who are you working for?"

"We share a name you won't recognize. Geno Haradan. We solve the Republic's problems, remove troublemakers," he quirked a brow at Raidre. "Keep things running smoothly. Bounty hunting isn't a game, whatever the Mandalorians think. It's a serious business, with serious consequences."

Raidre's jaws tightened, which was a feat considering she was already royally pissed off. The Ransomer leveled his blaster back at Raidre. "Consequences you're about to become intimately familiar with."

That's when Raidre had had enough. She lunged before the Ransomer had time to finish his motion to aim his blaster at her. The element of surprise kept everyone from reacting. Her gloved hand closed in on the Ransomer's wrist and she let the gloves do what they were named for.

He cried out in pain as every bone in his wrist snapped. That woke up his companions, but Mako was already under cover. Raidre put herself behind the Ransomer and stood in front of Torian.

"You good Mako?"

"Covered and ready when you are!"

The Ransomer's companions shouted. Raidre looked behind her and Torian was halfway out of his restraints. Raidre looked back at her captive.

"Get them to calm down and put away their blasters, or you're losing all your friends today."

The Ransomer tried to spit at Raidre. Torian was up and put his helmet on. Raidre shoved the Ransomer back in Torian's seat. She shot a missile at the overhead walkway where two of the four other combatants were. The walkway exploded and crumbled to the ground. Raidre shrugged.

"I'll leave the rest to you."

Mako snickered in their comm link. She came up behind the other two and knocked them out with an electric jolt. Torian looked around, took his helmet off and sighed. He looked to Raidre and grinned.

"That's my girl. I owe you. Again." Torian smiled despite himself. "My turn to be bait, I guess."

Raidre snorted as she recalled the last time she had acted as bait. "Well, I always did find you attractive."

Mako sighed. "Whoa, okay. Save it for the ship, you two. One of these creeps is still alive and kicking."

The Ransomer looked at them from his seated position slack jawed and wide eyed. "H-how? This should have been total overkill."

Raidre smiled, but it never reached her eyes. "Buddy, I'll show you overkill."

He shirked away from Raidre with her deceptively calm voice. "It was just a job! The overseer says kill, I kill-you know how it is. I don't get a say."

Raidre rolled her eyes. "So much for Bounty hunting being a serious business with serious consequences." She crossed her arms.

The Ransomer gave her puppy eyes. "I want out. I don't care how good the money is, it's not worth it."

Raidre looked away from him and at Torian. "You're begging the wrong person."

Torian looked at Raidre and then back at the Ransomer. Raidre shrugged as she watched Torian mull it over. "You're call."

Mako stepped forward, her face drawn with concern. "Torian. He's not worth it."

Torian didn't look at either of them, walked up to the Ransomer and swung a right hook without the hydraulic joints. Raidre snorted. "You're letting him off easy."

He shrugged. "Due's paid. Finished?"

Raidre nodded. "I am if you are. Let's grab our gear and head back. "Raidre looked at Mako. "Let's see if we can find ourselves some data on our next target."

Mako nodded. "Got it, be careful you two."

Once back on the ship Mako hailed them from her pilot's chair.

"Glad to see you both made it back okay."

Raidre pulled off her helmet and joined Mako and the rest of the crew. Torian followed behind. Mako sat with her back supported by one arm rest while her feet hung over at the knees off the other armrest. She chewed on something salty and crunchy.

"She taking good care of you?"

Torian smiled and nodded. "Always."

Mako nodded and winked at Torian. He looked at Raidre as she put her helmet and jetpack on one of the other chairs. "We back on the hunt?"

Raidre shook her head and looked at them all. "We'll head out after a little R & R. I think it's deserved."

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you! YES!" Shouted Gault. "I've got so many suggestions!" He said as he more danced than ran off.

Raidre blinked and crossed her arms as she watched him run away. Blizz and Mako high fived with smiles while Skadge continued to lean against his preferred wall.

Torian nodded. "Seconded."

Mako shook her bag of snacks. "One of Tormen's lackeys forwarded a star chart to a system called Voss. The place isn't even on most maps yet." Mako pulled it up on their holo projector. "There's a lot of scuttlbutt about Voss's discovery on the HoloNet, but it's pretty far-fetched stuff even for spacer superstition."

Raidre walked around the projection of the planet and read what little Mako had managed to dig up on it, all the while arms remained crossed and she used her left hand to rub her chin. Mako often wondered if Raidre would grow a beard from all the chin stroking she did.

"The astrogation computer's updated and ready to go when you are." Mako said as she spun the chair round.

Raidre smiled. "Alright. Set a course for Rishi. I hear they have nice beaches."

Mako and Blizz cheered as Gault rushed back. "Look at this!" He slammed his datapad down in the middle of the projector, on his datapad was an article about Rishi.

"Gault!" Mako shouted as she burst out of her seat and shoved him off the projector. She began to check its parts to ascertain Gault hadn't damaged it in his fervor.

Gault let himself be shoved, but pushed the datapad at Raidre. "Can we go to Rishi?"

"Yes." was all she said.

"Come on! The beaches are beautiful, think of the women! Think of the bounties?! The place is a pirate's paradise! Can we pirate?!" Gault went on.

Torian began to chuckle. Raidre looked at everyone to see if she was crazy, but no, everyone was suppressing laughter while Skadge just stared at Gault with a frown.

"Sure, Gault." Raidre said.

Gault frowned. "I didn't want to go there, but imagine it! All the beach sex for you and Torian!"

Raidre and crew burst out laughing. She joined Gault and placed both her hands on his shoulders. "Gault. I've been saying yes. This. Entire. Time."

Gault calmed down. "Oh. Really?"

They all laughed again, even Skadge chuckled. Raidre inhaled and recomposed herself. "Yes, really."

Gault sat down, eyes wide. "My whole world just feels like it's broken. You agreed to a plan of mine."

Raidre looked to Mako. "Quick! Take us to the beaches before Gault has a mental breakdown!"

"Osik!" exclaimed Mako as she spun in her chair and punched in the coordinates. "Hang in there, Gault!"

Gault began to fan himself. " I don't know if I can make it."

Raidre grabbed Gault's shoulders. "No! Don't leave us!"

Torian started laughing out loud. Blizz joined Gault and pulled something out of his cloak, clicked it on, big fans protruded from the device and began to spin, blowing air at Gault.

"Thank you Blizz." Gault said as he stopped fanning himself.

The Mantis came out of Hyperdrive and Rishi came to view. They all paused a moment to stare at the lush tropical planet. Skadge did his creepy little laugh.

"This is goin'to be fun."

Raidre frowned. "Dibs on not babysitting him." she said pointing at Skadge.

Mako shuddered. "Gosh, stop it creeper."

Raidre straightened up. "Alright guys, who needs bathing suits?"