FRONT RUNNERS
A simple mission leads to a run-in with a potential threat or a potential ally. Werda Flint is the original character of DuchessKenobi and previously appeared in her story Some Say I Got Devil. Thank you for letting me bring her into the Polaris mix. - LS
...
"A power generator." Ahsoka repeats when Lux pitches the idea. "You want to destroy a power generator."
"Not just any generator, the main one. It feeds substations across the city," Lux explains. "If we take out the central generator, then the whole city goes dark."
"And droids still need to recharge every few days," Ahsoka lights up. "If they don't have a source of power, they'll be brought to a standstill."
Steela's eyes grow huge. "If we did that -."
"Then the droids aren't a problem anymore," Dalla implores. "And if there's no power, then Rash's security system at the palace also goes dark." She almost shakes with anticipation. Carrying out Kason's rescue while the power is out is their best bet. Militiamen and physical locks must only make up a tiny percentage of the system as a whole, and she's faced worse odds. "I say we take this thing out, then go over to the palace while they're off-guard -."
"We're not taking you with us on the point team," Lux interrupts. "There are too many security patrols and holocams to risk it."
"I don't like its proximity to the palace either," Steela admits. "The greater distance we have between you and King Rash, the better."
Too bad. Dalla's hoping to get very close to Sanjay Rash. Face-punching close. "It's our best chance to rescue his prisoners."
"You mean your cousin," Saw says dryly.
She glares at him. "And the king."
"I don't recommend that," Ahsoka speaks up. "At this point you're best suited for small, quick strikes, not for something as large-scale and extended like breaking into the Royal Palace."
Well there goes her other shot. Thanks, Ahsoka.
"You need to strike this facility," the Jedi continues. "And then go straight back to base. Let the people think about it for a while before you attempt something else."
"Doesn't that also give Rash time to think about it?"
Steela doesn't give Ahsoka a chance to answer. "Lux, Saw, and I are going with Ahsoka to carry out the strike on the generator. Hutch, run tech support back here. Maybe mess with their systems so they'll devote more units to the interior?"
Hutch, a young man with a bandanna wrapped around the lower half of his face, cracks his knuckles. "Did you say tech support?"
"Don't get carried away," Saw warns.
"Hero, take three others and circle around the back," Steela says. "Take care of any patrols that look like they're going to get dangerous. We're probably going to need backup."
Hero gives a thumbs-up.
"Dono and Dalla, we need a distraction."
Dalla perks up. "Distraction?"
Steela nods. "You said something about sending a burning boat down the canal. Well, I adapted it a little. Dono, do we still have a speeder?"
"We have the one that works and the one that sounds like a dying fambaa."
"Take the fambaa one and load it with droid poppers and EMP disruptors."
Dalla catches on the same time Dono does. "We're going to load this thing with poppers and send it into the droids?" Dono asks excitedly. Dalla has to admit, that's pretty impressive.
"We are," Steela confirms. "I'll contact you with the time and location, but get the speeder loaded before then." They nod and start out the door. "And Dalla!"
Dalla turns back. "Yes?"
"Put a hat or something on. The last thing we need is Rash getting you on a security feed."
"Aye. I'll find something," she promises and starts thinking of whose hat she can borrow.
"With your fashion track record?" Dono shakes her head. "Better run it by me first."
…
"You know, I can't get over how well that scarf goes with that shirt."
Dalla drops another box of droid poppers into the back of the speeder. "They're both yours. Of course they go well together." She adjusts the scarf around her head again.
"I know that already. Thank gods we have similar skin tone, or that would be a disaster."
Dalla wouldn't care much if the colors clashed with her skin, but if what she has on now makes Dono happy then she'll go with it. "Thanks for letting me borrow it. It's nice and airy." And it is. Dono's scarf is opaque opaque to hide her features, but it's light enough she can still breathe through it without issues. Perfect for the boiling hot southern summer.
"Keep it as long as you need it," Dono shrugs and goes back to loading droid poppers. "I'll take it back when we're done here."
Dalla makes a mental note to wash both the scarf and the shirt before she returns them. "Do you think these are enough poppers?" Both the cargo area and the backseat are filled with boxes.
"I think so," Dono jumps into the driver's seat. "Ready to go?"
Dalla secures the scarf over her mouth and nose, then over the top of her head to hide her hair. "Ready," she agrees and sits in the passenger's.
Dono pulls her helmet down further over her eyes and starts the engine, which admittedly does sound like a dying fambaa.
"What did Steela say the plan was?" Dalla whispers once Dono's situated herself in the traffic flow. There's no way anyone can hear her over the engine.
"Something about bring the speeder over by the power generator, leave it in the middle of the road and set it off when the droids come near it," Dono haphazardly weaves through the lanes of traffic and Dalla grabs her armrests. She smirks. "Do you -?"
"Drive? No."
"Oh," She weaves again, looking suspiciously like she's cutting someone off in traffic. "So, here are my thoughts with this. We set this thing off, we help them take care of whatever patrols come with it, and then we get out of there."
"Agreed," Dalla forces herself to relax into her seat and stop white-knuckling the armrests. "Do we hang around afterward in case they need us?"
"It's going to take us awhile to walk back to base," Dono reasons. "And Steela doesn't like taking risks where you're concerned."
Not when she's holding out for the northern navy. Dalla would rather not show everyone what a poor shot she is anyway. She's not sure how well one can dismantle droids with a knife. "Where are we supposed to meet them?"
"Power generator's about ten minutes away, traffic permitting. Steela told us to meet her two blocks south of it, so we won't be on the road long." She pats the speeder's dashboard. "Come on, dying fambaa speeder. You only have to get us to the power generator."
Neither one of them are entirely sure the speeder's actually going to make it that far, but they cross their fingers. Dalla makes sure the tarp they threw over the droid poppers is still anchored.
"Yeah, don't let that come off!" Dono shouts behind them as she slides through yet another intersection. "That would be bad."
It would be so bad neither of them can verbalize it so Dalla anchors it down with her hand.
Dono turns off the main road and onto a less populated one where she can drive without fear of crashing into someone. "Count the traffic issues over," she says, taking her eyes off the road and winking at Dalla. "See, driving's easier than it -."
"Waste receptacle!"
Dono swerves onto the road just in time to miss a waste receptacle.
That did wonders for my confidence about driving, Dono.
The older girl smiles guiltily. "It's only a few more minutes from here. Mind grabbing a map from the storage box?"
…
"Okay, where exactly do I go from here?"
Dalla looks down at the map one more time. "At the next intersection, veer -."
"I don't know port or starboard from a bantha burger!" Dono shrieks before she can even finish the direction.
She's a little surprised Dono hasn't memorized port and starboard simply from the amount of times Dalla's messed up and said them. Looking at the map has her mentally back on the deck of Maiden's Heel. "Go left," she says and rolls her eyes.
Dono turns left. "Look at the alley on your starboard," she says with a wicked grin. "Is that Steela?"
You little - you do know nautical directions! She bites back the retort and focuses on the alley and a shadowy blob that looks an awful lot like the back of Steela's head. When they get closer she can tell for sure. "It is."
"And just in time, too," Dono mumbles under her breath. "The famabaa's going into its death throes."
As they pull into the middle of the street Dalla rolls the tarp back and throws it on the floor at her feet. Dono parks the speeder but leaves it idling and climbs out of her seat.
"Do you have the detonator?" She really doesn't want to have to go back and get it.
Dono holds it up as proof and they sprint over to the alley across from Steela's. Hero and a few of her friends crouch in the shadows, waiting.
"Aren't you leaving?" she whispers.
Dalla shakes her head. "Not until we're done with the distraction. Why is Steela here for it?"
"This isn't a distraction," Hero says woefully. "We're tank bait."
Dono's eyes bulge out. "What?"
"They didn't tell them?" somebody asks.
"Apparently not," Hero sighs. "They're going to attack a patrol and hope the Separatists call a tank for backup. Then they're going to steal the tank."
Dono shakes her head. "Oh, we are so not going to be around when they do that."
The sound of mechanical footsteps approaches.
"You're gonna be around for the first part," one of the others clicks the safety off his blaster.
Dalla swallows hard and unholsters her pistol. She checks to make sure she remembered to charge it - because that would be bad - and points it to the ground.
The droid patrol rounds the corner and comes upon the idling speeder, moving around both sides of it. Saw gives a signal from across the street.
"Dono, please tell me you have the detonator," Hero hisses.
"Why does everyone think I don't have the detonator?" Dono groans, and activates it. The speeder's force-awful noise gives way to the dull ring of an EMP pulse.
Saw gives a second signal and they charge out from the alley, blasters blazing.
Dalla's planning on sticking close to Dono, but Dono doesn't leave that option. She somersaults into the fray while shooting, expertly dodging blaster bolts all the way.
"Holy -."
"Showoff," Hero mutters and blasts one of the droids. Dalla takes care of its compatriot with a few shots.
"Let's go!" Saw yells and dives into a formation of Super Battle Droids, leaving a droid popper in their midst as he slides by. The pulse deactivates them immediately.
Dalla and Hero run over to help him blast the last platoon of battle droids, leaving only one. Steela trains her rifle on it.
"Patrol 11A to Central," it says, motoring away as quickly as its legs can take it. "We've been ambushed by terrorists and need reinforcement!"
Steela shoots it in the head, dead center.
"Nice shot!" If Steela ever gets tired of living in Iziz, she'd have to trouble getting work as a harpoonist.
Ahsoka emerges from the alley's shadows. "Let's hope they send a tank."
"And we are out of here!" Dono announces, grabbing Dalla. "Good luck, Tank Thieves. But Dalla and I will not be with you for -."
"Hear that?" Ahsoka interrupts, holding up a hand to silence Dono. "They've sent destroyers. Move!"
"Get back to base and tell Hutch what's going on!" Steela yells, running for cover along with Ahsoka. "Make him do something over here so they'll send a tank!"
"Aye, Captain!" Dalla yells mostly out of habit and then joins Dono in the alley.
"Thank the lord," Dono pants. "I hate destroyers. If Hutch can find a way to take care of them from a distance, I'm all for it."
"He's still at base?" How long will it take to run back to base if it took almost ten minutes to weave through the traffic to get here? She doesn't like the calculations she comes up with. "Do they have time like that?"
"I don't know." She gets an idea. "We could comm him but I don't know how secure it is and I don't want to tie up his line if someone else needs him."
The sound of blasterfire in the distance ceases after another EMP pulse sound. Both of their blood pressures decrease dramatically.
"At least it's not destroyers." Dono turns down an alleyway. "I don't want to take the main road back. Too many witnesses."
Dalla checks her scarf. Thank the salt gods, it's still in place. "Do you think they got us on the feeds?"
"They had to have. I don't think they got faces, but they'll track the speeder and I don't want to give them any more clues than they -."
"Already have?" A new voice finishes the sentence.
Dono freezes. Dalla freezes.
"Don't say a word," Dono whispers and turns around. Behind them stands a girl roughly Dalla's age, with short red hair and a knowing smirk.
"Hey, Dono."
"Didn't know there was an entrance to the tunnels here," Dono quips.
"There's an entrance to the tunnels everywhere."
"What do you want, Werda?"
Werda ignores her and turns her attention to Dalla. "Who's this?"
"My sister," Dono lies, discreetly elbowing Dalla into silence.
"Your sister's a Flint?"
Dalla gives Dono a sideways look. How in the salt gods' names does Werda know she's a Flint?
"Don't be silly." Dono gestures to Werda. "Sis, meet Werda Flint, resident catacomb rat. She practically lives in the tunnels and pops up into the sunlight wherever she pleases."
Dalla nods. Werda must be from the southern branch of her mother's clan, the one that stayed south with Kira during the Beast Wars. They're stonemasons like the northern Flints and have families of equal size, but this branch doesn't have a drop of loyalty to Blackwell - or, really, to anyone else.
Werda isn't convinced. "How come your sister sailed into the marina with Flint banners?"
"Oh, you were in the marina?" Dono scoffs. "Why? Nothing goes on over there."
"I know it's the one you guys operate out of, so when I saw a boat with Flint banners I was interested." Werda cranes her neck as if changing her angle of view will help her see past Dalla's scarf. "You weren't wearing a scarf when you landed. Are you northern?"
"You're really trying to pump my kid sister for information? What are you going to do with it, Werda? Tell your parents so they can tell their snake overlord?"
Rash loyalists. Dalla's heart beats harder. More than anything she wants to open her mouth and spin lies, but speaking would mean answering Werda's question with a northern accent.
"When am I home to tell my parents anything? I basically live in these catacombs and it's not like they're going to notice I'm gone. Dxun, my name is the Mando'a word for "shadow" because I have so many siblings they ran out of Onderonain names." She goes back to Dalla. "I mean it's really clear you're northern, nobody here would sail alone or sail that kind of ship that well. So what are you doing down here? You have to be one of my cousins, right?"
"Oh, so we're cousins now? That's a new one, Werda," Dono sighs.
"Isn't your sister older than you, Dono?" Werda takes another look at Dalla. "Y'know, if you lowered your scarf you could breathe easier."
"She's not falling for that one."
"It's a nose! I'm not going to recognize a…" she blinks. "Nose. Oh my gods, you're the Blackwell girl! You're going to be the queen!"
"Like hell I am!"
Dalla charges and tackles Werda like a smashball player, knocking both of them to the ground. Werda yanks the scarf away from Dalla's face, though thank goodness it remains on her head.
"It is you!" she sputters and tries to squirm away. "The whole clan got the message from Grandmother up north. People said Lana Flint Blackwell was dead and her daughter was disfigured."
"I'm not disfigured enough to stop Sanjay Rash," Dalla anchors herself on top of Werda. "Did your parents tell you I wanted to be his queen? He's only gotten this far with this quote 'engagement' because he has a hostage." She swallows hard. "He killed my best friend!"
Dono appears over Dalla's shoulder. "Werda, this isn't looking good for you."
"You think I'm going to rat?"
"Yes," both the others say in unison.
"I'm not! I'm just curious."
"Your branch of the clan is loyal to Rash," Dalla snaps.
"My parents are, but they'll go with whoever's in charge." She shakes her head. "I don't want to switch banners every time I turn around. Besides, he killed your friend and he has the princeling hostage so who says he wouldn't do that to me?"
"Who says you're going to live long enough to find out?"
"Dalla, get off her," Dono sighs.
"What?"
"Werda hasn't ratted us out yet, though I'm sure she knows where our bases are. " Dono reasons. "Also, if she tries to leg it we can catch her again. Werda, consider this a test."
Dalla reluctantly slides off Werda. "More like an interrogation. Why were you spying on us?"
"I was bored." Werda works a kink out of her shoulder. "I saw when they brought the princeling into the palace. Is he your brother?"
"This is an interrogation. We ask the questions," Dono raps out.
But Werda just keeps going. "But no he couldn't be your brother because they're saying his mom was married to the sleemo and your mom's a Flint. So you're like...cousins?"
"Sleemo?" Dalla repeats. That's certainly not something she'd call her bannermen.
"Oh I'm sorry, do you actually like him?" Werda asks. "Cause he's like ancient and you're like my age so I just figured … if my parents tried to set me up with a creep like that I'd totally do a princess of Onderon -." If only Werda knew just how close Dalla came to having an appointment with Blackhold's sea steps just like the character in the Bard play - "Of course they'd have to find me first and I can be pretty hard to find when I want to be."
"I don't like him," Dalla confirms. "And neither does my father. As far as we're concerned there is no engagement, but he's not taking no for an answer. Not while he has Kason."
"Well I'd say he's not going to have him for very long, which is kind of weird since he's saying he's his stepson. They're moving the princeling."
Dalla almost chokes on her tongue and grabs Werda's shoulders. "What?"
"Didn't you know? The guards over at the palace eat in this park I like to hang out in, they're saying there's a royal carriage taking the Blackwell to the Rash -."
"When? Where? Tell me now!"
Werda looks at to chronometer on a wall. "Like fifteen minutes from now, near Malagan Market."
Dalla spins on her heels. "Dono, how far is that? We have to go!"
"No!" Dono squeaks. "Remember? We have to contact Hutch about the others and the you-know-what!"
The power generator. Dalla swears under her breath. "Fine. We'll do that first, but then we have to rescue Kason. The weakest point of any operation is during transit, and we might not get another chance."
…
If you'd like to see more of Werda, then check out DuchessKenobi's Some Say I Got Devil. Thank you all for reading and to Starwarshobbitfics for your review!