Riggeth didn't get much sleep that night. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but detect the faint sound of voices in the air. He couldn't be for sure that the Stormtroopers had left to let his guard down, but he had eventually passed out on the floor for a couple hours before his comlink buzzed to life. Without thinking, he pulled the little device towards his face and responded in a dreary voice, "Ya here?"

"You better hope I'm not." The voice on the other end of the comlink replied.

"Kriff….you-" He sat up with a jolt, grimacing at the ache in his body for laying on the floor for so long.

"You think I'd let you off that easy?" The angry voice continued.

"Orarsa…eh, listen. Can't we talk about this?" Riggeth asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His other hand grabbed for the blaster on his hip, looking around as if she was going to bust through the door and shoot him where he sat.

"We're past that now, and if I were you, I'd start packing before I find you and kick your-"

"Listen, I'm sorry about setting you up! It wasn't nice of me. I'll find a way to make it up to ya, I promise." Riggeth tried to reason with her, but he knew his efforts would prove useless. Orarsa wasn't the kind of woman who gave second chances to just anyone, and she had every right to be heaping mad at him. He couldn't cool down the fire in her heart that he set there. The fact that they were the same species wouldn't save him at this point.

"You are one selfish womp rat, you know? After seeing what I do for a living, and pulling that stunt!"

"Hey, I know you aren't spending every waking moment trying to find me, why bother sending these messages anyway? You're only helping to warn me before you find me."

"Well I think you'll take it has a steady reminder that we have unfinished business."

His com began to beep with an incoming message over Orarsa's voice. Riggeth sighed in relief. "Regrettably, I'll have to talk to you later." Before she could retort, he shut her up before answering the other message with as much gladness as one could be to evade uncomfortable chats. "Hello?"

"I'm near the coordinates, better be there soon. I'm seeing more imperial activity than normal, and you know how long these pick-up missions take when I start getting ideas-"The familiar voice of his old friend Saw started.

"They are here courtesy of me, thank you very much, and I'll be there in a sec." Riggeth answered with an eager smile before silencing his comlink. Picking up his mask a couple feet away, where he had kicked it absent-mindedly in his sleep, he slung his rifle across his shoulders and hid his blaster rifle on his belt. He looked out the window, and poked his head out when he couldn't see head or toe of that shiny white armor that had chased him all night. The only thing he did see was an elderly Nautolan feeding a small Tooka, completely unaware of him. Carefully, he crawled up the building from the window, and started to trace Saw's communications to his location.

Saw was a couple paces north from where he was, but one thing that immediately caught his eye was the heavy fog, which may be a problem when trying to navigate when the enemy could be anywhere. He'd stick the roofs for now, though the fog may underestimate how big he needed to make his leaps. However, he had a pretty good guess. It was better to overshot than to undershot, in this case at least. He'd have to stop thinking too long about it before Saw eventually made his presence known, which, while he would love to send a goodbye gift to the Empire, he'd rather get started on his new mission right away. "The Ghost Whisperer is in trouble." Riggeth knew exactly who he was talking about. The great pilot, Hera Syndulla.

He saw some of her high-flying action himself, and he was very impressed. It was no wonder she survived so long when she seemed to be in a fire fight with the Empire every so cycle. Of course, he took that information from Imperial controlled channels and rumors among the rebellion. He never actually met the woman. He pictured her as a free spirit, probably flying and working with mechanics for as long as she was able to. Capturing her, a symbol of the rebel's strength, would certainly be a blow to any mural among the Rebellion. Freeing her would be a pretty big priority and send the right kind of message to the Empire, which raised the question why Saw needed his help when there were others obviously more qualified and able to who allied more closely with the Ghost.

Riggeth jumped off the edge of the roof, landing on top of a steeper roof, which leveled out to the next, bigger building, which he climbed up with ease. The lights of the open cantinas began to light up the fog, and he could finally catch the glimpse of moving ships in the air. Before he knew it, in the corner of his eye, he saw the sight of a U-wing hovering off the ground among the other unlicensed ships that managed to slip by freely. By the way it looked prepared to take off, it seemed it already gardened enough unwanted attention for it to fly off at any moment. He reached for his comlink. "Look to the tall building with the light-up sign beside it, south of you."

"Lots of lights, can't make out your shape," replied Saw.

Riggeth groaned and took a closer look at the large advertisement with dismay. "I really don't want to say it."

"For Gods sake Riggeth, just say it." Saw breathed heavily, sounding like he was running off nothing but half his rations, again.

Riggeth swallowed his pride for five agonizing seconds. "For the satisfying experience of sexy swingers call xxx-"

Saw's laugh erupted from the comlink, a static shriek from the boisterous noise pounded into his ear painfully. "Yes! Haha, very funny, now come get me!" Riggeth growled, his dark fur hiding a ridiculously bright blush.

The U-wing lifted up higher into the air, leaving a trail in the fog, wafting behind it. It opened about five seconds before approaching him, Riggeth ready to jump as soon as it was a foot away from the building platform. He was used to jumping in on the run long enough it was almost second nature, and something he looked forward to whenever seeing the rusted steel of Saw's U-wing approach from the distance. The thought about his ship reminded him of the one he lost. He wondered if the Rebellion could offer a spare for his service, or as compensation for saving Hera Syndulla from certain death, which he wasn't sure as to why he felt so confident about the mission now than before.

Saw greeted him with an open smile, which was a sign that he still wasn't over the advertised slogan. Riggeth's lop-sided, unamused frown only made him laugh more. The moment he got on board, he realized Saw hadn't been the only one laughing. There was an unpleasant garbling chuckle accompanying him. Edrio…

"Two-tubes? You here too, ya freak of nature?" Riggeth greeted the pale alien from inside the cockpit, grabbing his hand in a firm handshake. They had met only a couple of times, but even sharing moments in one battlefield could build a comradery faster than a pleasant conversation at the finest cantina in the galaxy. "Remember to give me that number, okay Riggs?" Edrio replied in his native language, Riggeth managing to catch the unique quip of a Tognath tease on his tongue.

"Blast you." Riggeth huffed, albeit feeling better now that he was safe inside the U-wing and Edrio's sub-partial flying that was still better than any Imperial pilot he's seen fly a tie fighter. Saw patted his shoulder roughly with a course and heavy hand. A smaller rebel may have complained about the kind of aggressive affection Saw gave to his friends, but it was just the kind Riggeth could take. It was very similar to a Lasat's strength, though of course, he wasn't that strong. He could flip Saw over on his back, even on a bad day. Saw used to say his Lasat strength was the reason the Empire hunted his kind down. That they were afraid of the kind of power they possessed, with the obsessive need to control it until there was nothing left to control. It was one of the better conversations they had during a time where he felt like he wanted to bury himself in a hole to die.

"How was Nar Shaddaa? Have fun?" Saw asked once he got into the co-pilot seat as they started to fly off. Riggeth waited to hear the incoming pelting of blaster bullets on the underbelly of the ship, but they didn't come. "Um, alright I guess? I didn't do much but stay in a dark room." He replied, feeling his heart lift to see the stars of the galaxy zoom past the ship's windshield once Edrio put the ship in hyperspace. He let himself lean against their seats in a relaxed pose, lingering over the ship controls, that if Edrio wanted to and stop the ship abruptly, would send him flying forward and crashing into the dashboard. Riggeth couldn't yet decide if given the opportunity that Edrio would do that or not. He liked the mystery of it more.

"That's not the kind of experience I was hoping to hear…" Saw said, sounding a bit disappointed. Riggeth may have set up his expectations too high in the past. He had some pretty good and gruesome stories that could turn anyone's appetite. He was threatened not to speak while eating with the rest of Saw's Partisans. It was harder to relate to their queasiness more often after having been so desensitized to his own stories. It seemed like only Saw could actually enjoy what he had to say without coiling in on himself due to discomfort.

"Well, I don't know what you were expecting, me being an escaped convict and all." Riggeth replied, scraping the tips of two of his claws together. They had gotten blunt lately. He'd have to sharpen them soon.

"Sexy swingers." Edrio snorted. The fool couldn't help it. Riggeth also couldn't help the rough slap he gave the alien's perked shoulder. It didn't seem to affect him in the slightest. Saw chuckled with him, Riggeth once again being subjected to their teasing. He'd have to let it slide for now, seeing as they were going to be busy with their next mission soon.

"Anyway, we going to talk about the Ghost or what?" He asked bluntly.

Saw ceased his chuckle and swallowed. "Right, well I'll lay it on thick. Someone on Yavin 4 contacted us about needing our help retrieving Hera Syndulla from capture. They asked if I had any mercenaries willing to do the job, so I naturally thought of you."

'The hell?' Riggeth thought. "Seems like an odd request for just any rebel schmuck to ask. What's the deal? This got something to do with the fact the blue guy has a secret agent now?" He asked skeptically.

"Whatever it is, I can only help so much, plus they weren't so grateful about our last meeting either. I think if you give them a hand, might prove them wrong about us." Saw said.

"What will you be doing?" Riggeth asked.

"Edrio and I got a mission of our own, I'll fill you in on the details later. So, I'll be able to drop you off on Yavin, but I may not be able to get you out for a while."

"I've been in riskier situations. Any new toys you got?" Riggeth felt his heart jitter in excitement at the thought of new weapons in his claws. He hadn't been able to clean his own in a while, so the look of polished steel hit a special kind of nerve.

"You've got the best of the best on your back Riggs." Saw said, moving from his seat to walk into the hangar bay. "However, I do have some explosives if you're interested…" with that, he opened up a conspicuous looking chest with the insides of four, very dangerous-looking bombs whose design Riggeth couldn't figure out.

"Dear Gods, where did you find these?" Riggeth asked, peering into the box, not daring to trail a claw across the bodies unless they spontaneously explode.

"Met some folks allied with the Empire, found out what they were selling." Saw said, crossing his arms, recalling the memory of putting the stop to another evil that would have devastated another part of the Rebellion.

"Well I would ask you to compliment them on their design, but by that look on your face I'd say they are already dead." Riggeth smiled at himself for saying such a clever line when he felt Saw's hand turn him around to meet him. "Here's the triggering mechanism, I shouldn't have to tell you to be careful." He said unexpectedly stern, handing him a small device, so small that he found it nearly impossible to accidentally trigger it. Luckily, it came with a small protective covering over the button for just those kinds of mistakes. He hid it in one of his pockets on his belt, beside his mask, for safe keeping.

"These things must pack a punch if it's got you acting like this to me." Riggeth stated, feeling uncomfortable with the sudden change of attitude. He only got this way in very dire situations. He must have seen the kind of damage the bombs could do. He wondered if he should feel honored or not that Saw gave them to him on this mission.

"Just don't want one of my friends blowing themselves up into oblivion." Saw replied, he smile looking borderline apprehensive.

"Don't need to worry about me." Riggeth gruffly assured him, delicately patting his side and closing the seal to the chest. "You wouldn't happen to have those little anti-gravity clasps so I wouldn't have to lug this around would ya?" He said, feeling around the box. This would be one heavy load to carry, even for him. Even harder to hide without the Empire noticing, if he was going to end up using it. "I got your back." Saw said, turning away to retrieve what he had asked.

"What if you can't get me out in time?" Riggeth asked.

"Oh, well that shouldn't be a problem. Our Yavin fellow is going to help get you in and out of there." Saw replied, returning the clasps. Riggeth twitched an ear. "Huh…you sure made it seem like I was going to be out on my own." He helped put the even amount of clasps on either side so that the chest was evenly elevated.

"Well you always liked to work alone!" Saw laughed.

He guessed Saw was right. He was always at his best when there wasn't anybody to bother him, which is why being a mercenary was so ideal for him. He didn't mind playing in their war as long as he wasn't going to be those loyal soldier types on the front lines, ready to die for their leader. Only Saw and his Partisans could understand that, being that some if not most of them were mercenaries too. Saw broke him out of his thoughts with a bag full of credits. "Pay first, as always."

Riggeth caught the look on Saw's face that he hoped it would be enough. On anyone else, no, but he had been hurting for work for some time now, and remembering how much he missed the Partisans, he wasn't going to be a pain in the ass this time around.

"You know me too well. Better watch your back." Riggeth joked, grabbed for the bag of credits and feeling the weight in his hands. He might get a dozen normal meals out of it, if he isn't immediately kicked out at first. Saw looked satisfied and patted his shoulder again, returning to his seat beside Edrio.

"Pack it in, we're heading to Yavin 4." Saw called back to him while Riggeth was still admiring his credits. They made such a pleasing noise against his claws. He often did this to pass the time, when he had just finished with a client. Back then, he looked much fuller. His build was thicker, more threatening. Now, he was a skinny hermit who only lived by the wit of his blaster. Not exactly pretty to look at, but nobody paid him because he looked nice.

Thinking about payment reminded him of what brought him there in the first place. Someone on Yavin 4, with the big dogs, requested a mercenary from none other than Saw Gerrera. It was no secret Saw, and the bigger part of the Rebellion, had disagreements. It was mostly because the Rebellion was run by political figures. Politics couldn't help anyone, and it certainly didn't drag the Empire down. The fact they were trying to control the people fighting back boiled his blood in an instance. So, with that in mind, it was interesting that somebody around people like them would rather go to Saw instead of to the other Rebels closer to home. What kind of funny business was being played here?

"Hey, Saw…" Riggeth approached the cockpit, balancing his weight on both the front seats with his hands. "Did whoever call you guys say who they were, or why they didn't ask anyone else to help?"

Saw seemed amused at the question. "Well, I'm hoping you might be able to figure that out, and tell us about it later." He thrummed his fingers together on his lap.

"You know something I don't?" Riggeth asked.

Saw shook his head. "I just find it…comical that Mon Mothma's rebels would come to us for help when in the end, they see our methods as…unbefitting and…well, not in the spirit of the Rebellion." Riggeth could sense the irritation behind the words overcome by satisfaction of having been asked for help by the very rebels that have put them down for years. It was hard to see things equal amongst other people with the same goals. Being fair and balanced, and "better" than the imperials was a nice sentiment, but it didn't change the fact that they were losing the war, and nobody was taking their side, only when it was too late.

"That is pretty funny." Riggeth replied with a smirk, a fang slipping out.

"We're here." Edrio mumbled as they came out of hyperspace, and the beautiful, green moon came into view. Riggeth had never been there before, but it certainly looked unsuspecting for a rebel hideout. Edrio flew them down to a specific spot that caught Riggeth's attention. "Why here?" He asked, looking for any base around the large and quiet trees and wildlife.

"I don't think…most of the Rebellion knows we are here…" Saw trailed off, seeing an old friend beside a tree, easily spotted with his white and war-ridden armor. "Well look at that, it's Rex. Of course it is!" He smiled gladly, hopping off his seat. Riggeth slowly, and cautiously followed him, while Edrio stayed seated.

When Riggeth stepped out of the ship, Saw was already embracing Rex with an uncharacteristically amount of enthusiasm. It was almost like that incident on Geonosis hadn't affected him at all. "I knew it had to be you, but that voice certainly wasn't! How did you pull off that kind of smooth, Coruscanti accent?"

They pulled apart and Rex's eyes shifted from the ground, then quickly back up at Saw. "I was tempted to ask you for your aid, but I may not have done it if it hadn't been for someone else. They actually wanted your contact, thought even if you couldn't help, you'd know somebody who would." He had scratched the back of his head. From the stories Saw told him, Riggeth didn't expect for the clone to give off such an uncomfortable vibe.

"You saying I have a fan within your ranks?" Saw asked with a grin.

"That's a first." Riggeth teased, finally calling the attention of Rex, who blinked at him in visible surprise.

"Ah, this is Riggs, a mercenary I hired from way back. He won't disappoint you." Saw said, beckoning Riggeth to come closer. Rex quickly examined him before reaching for his hand as not to appear unnerved. "Nice to meet you. I'm Rex." Riggeth accepted the friendly gesture before pulling back to cross his arms. "Hey Rex."

"You never said you knew a Lasat." Rex turned to look at Saw.

"Yes, well when you're on a mission, thoughts sort of take significance over others." Saw replied hastily, which took Rex off guard.

"Well, Riggs, I'd like you to meet Captain Kallus from-"Rex motioned to an invisible figure that didn't appear to be there. He looked around, confused. Saw and Riggeth were confused as well. What kind of game was being played here that the person who wanted them here the most would vanish? Riggeth didn't even catch the sight of the person when they landed.

"They shy much?" Riggeth asked as Rex looked further into the bushes. He didn't get an answer, except for Rex huffing and going down a small incline, where they lost sight of him. Riggeth and Saw shared a glance, but neither of them moved to see what the heck was going on. Rex soon came back with another man in toe, who looked exactly like someone who had already retired from the war but came back because his superiors annoyed him enough to do it.

The man wouldn't meet his eyes. It may had been because, like Rex, he didn't want to cast judgement, but it felt different somehow. The man seemed like he didn't notice he was even there at all. Riggeth may had been happy not to be ogled at, but he also didn't like getting no reaction at all. He was a kriffing Lasat! He needed to get to the bottom of this sooner or later.

"Captain Kallus huh? Get lost?" Saw asked, reaching his hand out. The blonde smiled and shook his hand. He had an interestingly stiff posture for a rebel, but this may had been due to some military history in the rebellion, which was less and less fancied over when they began to lose more and more men and women in the fight.

"Dropped my weapon, but I'm here now." He replied calmly.

"Your weapon?" Saw asked, incredulously. "Do all rebel officers carry tiny, handheld stunners?" He began to laugh, hitting Riggeth in the side, making him chuckle. "Oh man, Mon Mothma has you all played for a fool!" He pointed to the pathetic weapon on Kallus' hip. Rex couldn't help a tiny grin.

"The only thing he's allowed to carry around here." Rex chuckled.

"We'll have to change that if he's going to help Riggs out." Saw replied.

Riggeth raised an eye ridge slightly at Kallus who looked nervous, like Rex had said something that he shouldn't have. Could it be that lingering loyalty to Mon Mothma that made him uncomfortable? Riggeth was about to question him before Saw abruptly cleared his throat. "Alright, we shouldn't waste any more time. I've got a date, and you've got a General to save. Good luck, and take it easy on them Riggs." Saw gave his farewell, Rex nodded and waved him off, leaving Riggeth alone with the old clone and the weird man.

Silence stretched between the three as the sound of the U-wing lifting off became fainter and fainter. Neither looked prepared to say anything, though they figured somebody should. Riggeth didn't do socializing very well, or even bringing up conversation with anyone new, but he decided to save everyone the pain by breaking the ice in the least subtle way possible.

"I like your beard."

"Oh…thanks." Kallus replied, hesitantly reaching a finger to scratch the side of his chin.

"So, Riggs…what's your experience in the Rebellion?" Rex asked, slowly stepping away, hinting that he wanted to talk and walk at the same time. Riggeth followed along with him, and Kallus took this as an opportunity to walk further ahead of them, leaving a several foot difference between them. He caught onto it right away but didn't say anything. Perhaps he was just xenophobic, and nothing more.

"Eh, it's actually Riggeth…and I mostly did special missions to handle groups of imperials concealing secret weaponry or terrorizing specific places. On the side, I take on different targets on imperial officials."

Rex's eyes widen with interest. "How did those usually go?"

"I never missed a shot, if that's what you're asking. What about Kallus huh? What's his experience?"

Rex leaned away, chuckling to himself. "Heh, he used to be ISB, now he's giving us information on tactical missions. Haven't done much ground fighting since he defected."

Riggeth's ear twitched, but his casual smile stayed put, undeterred. Ah, an imperial defect…it made perfect sense. The posture, the averting glance…he should have known. He didn't like imperials, probably more than the next guy, but there was something about defects that was especially irritating to him. It's like an imperial he couldn't touch because he'd get in trouble with his allies for it. Ever so rarely did he meet a defect that didn't hold on to those little imperial tendencies that made them avoid aliens like him. What didn't make sense was that this defect actually asked for his help-well, rather, just help from any mercenary, but it was still odd.

"That so? What made you turn?" This time, Riggeth was addressing Kallus directly. He could tell the man was paying attention to him because his shoulders' tensed, and he slowed his pace. Rex didn't seem to notice the weird energy between them, or he may have and wasn't saying anything. Either way, he didn't try to speak for Kallus this time.

"Well, I started to notice that things were not as the Empire made them seem." Kallus replied simply, without looking back. Riggeth huffed before quickly catching up to him and slinking over to his side, catching the man off guard. Rex quickly jogged over, looking a little annoyed to have to keep up with the two.

"How long did it take ya to notice that?" Riggeth asked, staring at him, close enough to notice the freckles on Kallus' skin.

"Er, well…I was so disillusioned before, I never noticed until…" Kallus trailed off. After apause of silence later, Rex finished for him, figuring it had to do with the man's pride rather than just having the Lasat leering over his side. "Until our pal Zeb broke his leg and made him see it." Rex smiled, nudging Kallus jokingly, but it looked like it just pained him to hear it.

Zeb.

He knew that name. So, he was pal of both of theirs? If that's so, why is Kallus so cautious around him?

"Heh, Zeb sounds like good company." Riggeth smiled, getting the feeling that Zeb was exactly who he thought he was. Rex looked eager to say something, like he was about to a drop a huge surprise on him. "He's a Lasat."

Riggeth humored the man, perking his ears up and smiling widely. "You're kidding! Really?"

Rex nodded, but Kallus carried on forward like he hadn't been a part of their conversation. The more he noticed the man try to step away or avoid him completely as if he wasn't there, the more he wanted to push him further. Before he could bother him again, Kallus finally looked back and said, "We won't have much time smuggling him on to the Ghost if Mon Mothma is looking for us."

Rex seemed to agree as Riggeth suddenly was behind the two of them. He much preferred it this way, so that he could observe Kallus more without looking like he was staring. There was definitely something strange about the man, but while he figured most of it was because he had been ISB, a title that Riggeth had familiarity for many times in the past, there was also something off that he couldn't quite place...yet.