At dawn, Tairek and I suited up. Not in armour, but to civilian disguises. This was to be an intelligence gathering operation – wearing the armour was out of the question. Conall's men gave us clothes, stolen from locals they had attacked in past months. We looked like generic civilians, with pants, shirts, boots, light jackets, ponchos, and caps. In addition, we weren't allowed our usual weapons either. We had to be farmers, so Conall's men also armed us with local weapons – basic blaster pistols, and a long barreled sport rifle. When we were ready, Conall approached us.
"Portable comm. links. Maintain radio silence till you've exited Gardoose. Who knows how much our foe has…they may have listening posts. Use your best judgment. Alright, good luck." Conall said. He shook our hands and we were off. Tairek and I walked down the mountain, and as we did we came up with cover stories.
"Alright lad, here's our story. Your Atin, my son, and I'm Wesford. We came here five years ago from Taris to escape the Mandalorians. We're heading into the city because our home east of the mountains was destroyed by the Mandalorians, who are still at large."
"Right." I replied. I memorized our cover story, as did Tairek. We exited out of the mountains, into the foothills, and walked across the plains of Rori, through some marshes, and eventually within reach of the city. When we finally made our way to Gardoose, it was 0900. We were tired from the walk, but we didn't let our fatigue get to us. We had a mission to do.
Gardoose was a large city…metropolitan, in stark contrast to the rest of the planet. Already, the Republic seemed to be colonizing Rori, beginning with Gardoose. Already duracrete walls were being built, while temporary walls of barbed wire and barricades were set up in those sections where the duracrete hadn't been built yet. There was a main gate to the city, but it was more a checkpoint, with a small guard post and temporary barricades. There was a Republic officer, unarmoured, with a unit of Feeorin-trained militia guarding the gate. The human officer stood in the guard post, while three Gungans, an Iridonian and a Twilek, stopped us. The Iridonian spoke.
"Your papers please?" He asked dryly. He didn't seem to want to be there.
"Papers? For what?" Tairek asked, toning down his Caledonian brogue.
"Anyone entering or leaving Gardoose must have authorization papers."
"We've never had papers. We've never been to Gardoose either." Tairek replied.
"Very well. Speak to the officer in the guard post please." The Iridonian said, morose. Tairek and I walked over. The officer nodded to us.
"Greetings, citizens. Welcome to Gardoose, capital of Rori and the seat of power of the Republic in this sector. I understand you'd like to enter the city?"
"That's correct." Tairek said.
"Well as you're no doubt aware, the Mandalorians are still planet side, so we require all citizens entering and exiting the city to carry with them authorization papers."
"I understand. My son and I would like to enter, so may we fill out the papers then?"
"Of course. Here." The officer said. He handed us papers to fill out, and stared at us as though we were specks of dirt. After giving us minor glares as we filled out the papers, he spoke. "So, been on Rori long? I'd like to hear your situation."
"My son and I came to Rori a few years ago from Taris, when the Mandalorians began their incursions. While we were out hunting yesterday, we came back to our homestead and found it had been ransacked by robbers." Tairek said. For safety's sake, he didn't let on that we knew it was Mandalorians. The officer scoffed.
"Robbers? You must not pay attention, citizen. Those were Mandalorians. They've been here for a year so far. Our forces managed to defeat them, but some of them survived and have been attacking isolated villages and homes for a while."
"Of course. My mistake. Here are our papers." Tairek said. The guard took the papers, glanced over them, processed them into a small computer, then after a few moments produced ID cards for us.
"There are a lot of people from the countryside that have come to live here, so good luck finding a place. Our security forces inside the city may request to see identification, so keep those cards on you at all times. As for weapons, there is another office right inside where you can register them. Good day citizens." The officer said. Two Twilek militiamen, watching guard over the small gate, let it open and we walked inside.
The city was nice at first, humble and quaint, with most of the buildings one or two stories tall. As we walked down the street, we could hear screaming and blasterfire down the way. Chaos wasn't running rampant, but it was occurring in isolated pockets of the city. We spotted the weapon registration office, and went inside. We dealt with the same bullshit, but eventually got registration for our two blasters and one rifle. We continued down the block, eventually reaching what looked like the city plaza. In the middle was a large fountain, where an Iridonian was speaking to a large crowd.
"Listen to me! The Mandalorians ransacked my home world, and continue their reign of destruction as they press on into the Republic. Even now, they still roam our planet, even after the beating my fellow militiamen dealt to them a year ago! Join the Rori armed militia now! You'll be fighting to protect not only yourselves, but your family and friends!" The Iridonian yelled. The crowd cheered, as Tairek and I watched.
We turned and headed down the block, wary of the strong anti-Mandalorian sentiment that was present. As we turned and headed down the block, we came upon an unexpected foe. It was a Republic soldier, but not a regular; no, he was in white plastoid armour, head to toe, and equipped with a jetpack and special issue blaster rifle. It was ERCS…Elite Republic Commando Squad, here of all places. Tairek and I maintained our game faces as we walked on, and spotted a cantina. We walked over, flipped our ID cards to Gungan militiamen guarding the door, and they let us inside.
Compared to the rowdy crowds outside, the folks in the cantina looked mellow. There was a Bith band, singing tunes nearly 10 years old, while a few dozen patrons sat at the tables, enjoying their drinks, the entertainment, and fellow company. Tairek and I walked up to the bar. The barman, a Twilek, greeted us.
"Ah, newcomers. Welcome to the Vrobal's Snout, in business for 50 years. Best food and drink in town." The barman said, as Tairek and I sat. We kept our caps and jackets on.
"I'm Wesford, this here is my son Atin. This is our first time in town." Tairek said.
"Ah, well happy to have you here. Mandalorian troubles I take it?"
"Yah. How'd you know?" I asked, maintaining the 'newcomer' façade.
"Well, secret or no, a lot of folks in town aren't even city slickers. They came here from the country after the Mandalorians raided their homes. Bad business that is. I don't let those angry mobs in though. If they want to get mad and vent openly, soldiers from the militia usually speak in the town plaza."
"We saw that walking in." Tairek said.
"Yes. What about you two? Pro-Republic or anti-Republic?" The barman asked.
"Anti-Mandalorian. I don't know if that makes us pro-Republic, but if it does, then more power to the Republic." I replied. The barman laughed.
"Tell you the truth, I'd be a little careful bringing in even that angst. I'm not saying who, but I have overheard a few folks in this establishment questioning the Republic. You might even say my saloon here is a secret gathering place of folks who are against the Republic's insurgency." Tairek and I leaned in, curious, but still maintaining our country folk façade.
"Why would anyone on Rori be against the Republic?" Tairek asked.
"Well, see, it's complicated. The Republic came in two years ago, trying to setup the Chommell Sector to be the first of many territories to join the Republic. Some Republic agency, called "Intergalactic Exports" was the big show here, trying to sell a lot of trade goods so the Republic could raise money to fight the Mandalorians. Anyway, they come along, setup their big offices here in Gardoose, and pretty soon after, a lot of people's crops started failing. A little fishy to me. And then after that, the Republic sends in troops, those guys in the white armour, to "keep the peace." That's when it got really bad. Tell you what's really happening, is their soldiers, these "commandos," just terrorize the city's inhabitants."
"Terrorize?" I asked.
"Yah, you know. Pull people out of their homes, beat them, rob their houses, and do a weekly roundup of random citizens, who are then never heard from again. I tell ya, I'm not speaking out against the Republic or anything, I'm just a saloon keeper, but Rori was a whole lot better off before the Republic came." The Twilek barman said.
"And the Mandalorians?" Tairek asked.
"See, I think people have it all wrong. A year ago, when the Mandalorians first arrived, we first heard of them from farmers in the country. What they said is completely the opposite of what all those angry crowds are raving on about. The Mandalorians didn't even attack villages or farms, they seemed to be heading off to open plots of land. They weren't hurting anybody. In fact, one guy came in and said they were just building a fort, out of harms way, out of sight, out of mind. Of course, now, sure, their raiding local villages, but that's only AFTER the militia gave them a whopper of a knockout. Honestly, I really think they've just become desperate, and have to make their attacks to sustain themselves, because they definitely aren't coming anywhere into the city. If they did, then there'd be a real war on our hands, and the Republic's." The Twilek barman said. He was insightful. Tairek and I stayed at the bar for the moment, getting whatever information we could.
"So, what about this militia? When we came here a few years ago from Taris, there wasn't any organized military force." I asked.
"Yah, that's a funny thing too. The Republic first started taking recruits, and then started forcing people, into militia levees. In fact, having talked to a few militia soldiers, it's not even the Republic training them, it's some mercenary force. Weird business. The Republic at first seemed cordial, now they've become as…predatory as the Mandalorians were in the Outer Rim. Anyway, they started taking the militia maybe three months or so after arriving on Rori. It's like they had this whole thing planned for a while I suppose. But anyway, I've talked your guy's ears off. Drinks are on me. What would you like? Our house special is the Osskorn Stout."
"Sounds perfect. Two glasses of the stout and potato skins." Tairek said.
"Coming right up!" The barman said. He yelled off into the kitchen for potato skins, while pouring us our drinks. He served two mugs filled with booze, and Tairek and I drank.
Tairek and I definitely were going somewhere with what we've learned so far…on the other hand, the Republic could sometimes be crafty when it wanted to, so having a whole cantina be filled with people that held strong anti-Republic sentiments could have been a massive deception to lure dissenters to their death. Tairek and I would be cautious. We were here to gather intelligence, not to bring attention to ourselves. The Twilek barman came out from the kitchen with some potato skins on a plate, and set them on the bar counter in front of us. We finished eating, thanked the Twilek barman, took our drinks and began to walk casually through the bar. If there truly were folks in here who were against the Republic, then they were probably trying to hide in plain sight as just another patron. We walked through the tables, seated with patrons, finding an empty table against a wall 30 ft from the Bith band. The music was loud enough that Tairek and I could speak normally.
"See anything lad?" Tairek asked in his usual Caledonian brogue. I shook my head. "Neither did I. We'll stay here and watch." Tairek said.
Tairek and I had our backs to the wall, casually enjoying the Bith band, but really discreetly focusing on the other patrons. We couldn't hear over the band, but we were looking for body language. People who were huddling forward to talk, or seeming to mumble, or simple discreetness that would only be noticed if you really looked for it. After a half hour of watching, we hadn't seen anybody acting strange. We had finished our drinks, so the Twilek barman's associate, a young female human, came over.
"Can I get you guys anything else?" She asked.
"The same." Tairek replied. The waitress left, and I turned to Tairek.
"I'm going to take a snoop around." I said. Tairek nodded lightly. I stood up and walked around the tables, but didn't see or hear anything of use. Going past the tables, I headed to the refreshers. I passed the female 'fresher, and walked inside the male 'fresher. A conversation between two patrons, a Toydarian and Gungan, was finishing. I stopped behind a wall leading into the main refresher, and overheard it.
"…The grove. Midnight." A rough voice said. Most likely the Toydarian.
"You'sa sure that's wise? Those'a Republic troops might come looking for us."
"Hey, you have your ID, I have mine, and everybody does as well. Get the word out to our colleagues." The Toydarian said.
"But what about the curfew?" The Gungan asked.
"Leave the city early. Not in droves. The front gate guard is a jerk but he doesn't report anything, unless it looks obviously suspicious."
"Alrights, alrights, I'll go and spread the word. See you'sa there."
I opened the door and closed it again, then walked past the wall to show I hadn't been standing there the whole time. Neither the Gungan or the Toydarian paid me any heed as they walked past. I quickly finished up, washed my hands, and headed back out. The Gungan was heading for the door, but the Toydarian was going to the bar. I walked past and headed back to the table, where Tairek was taking a sip of the next round of Stout. I sat, reached over for the peanut dish, and spoke casually so Tairek could hear me under the sound of the music.
"Toydarian, bar. Mentioned a meeting place. The grove, midnight." I said dryly.
I leaned back and ate some peanuts, as Tairek took a minor glance towards the bar. The Toydarian was sitting at the end, flapping his little wings in lieu of sitting at a stool. Tairek went back to his drink and we watched the entertainment. We watched the Toydarian out of the corner of our eyes, and when he left, we casually stood up, tossed some creds on the table, and walked out of The Vrobal's Snout. Exiting outside, we spotted the Toydarian flapping over to the other side of the street. There was an ERCS patrolman at the end of the street, and the angry crowd from before had dispersed. We trailed the Toydarian across the street, casually glancing behind and to the side of us in case the Toydarian had hidden bodyguards. Nothing. Going into an alley, the Toydarian walked down a flight of stairs below ground level, and went inside his apartment. Tairek and I stopped at the alley entrance, now knowing the location of at least one possible contact.
"These people may be against the Republic, but it doesn't mean they're on our side either." Tairek said.
"We need to at least see this meeting in 'the grove.' It's a good start as any." I said.
"Aye. Perhaps our barman knows where it is, if he's to be trusted." Tairek said.
He and I looked at each other, nodded, and began to head across the street. However, a squad of ERCS were converging on the cantina. After arming their blasters, they rushed inside, followed by screaming and yelling. They came back out a few moments later, throwing down a few patrons on the ground and shoving their blasters in their faces. Another commando smashed his blaster into the back of a Gungan's skull. It was a violent scene, as the squad of commandos pulled out at least a dozen patrons from the cantina. We watched the scene unfold from across the street, as the Toydarian from before came out of his underground apartment and watched with us. He looked at us.
"Eh, damn Republic. We didn't even invite them to our planet, and they act like they already own the place." The Toydarian grumbled.
"What's this all about?" I asked.
"This is the customary round up of drunks, rabble, and possible dissenters by the Elite Republic Guard. I guess I'll never be seeing those folks again…" The Toydarian said. One of the commandos smashed his elbow into a human's face, then threw him to the ground and barked something at him with a blaster rifle pointed at his face.
"Why would they do this?" I asked, seeking to gain rapport, and more information.
"Fear. It's all a game. Beat the populace into submission, shape us up into loyal Republicans, or…eh, I shouldn't even be talking about this out here. They may overhear me and then I'd ne next."
"We overheard a Gungan speaking to one of the patrons, and he mentioned you. We were curious, and my father and I thought to speak to you." I said, partly lying. Tairek and I maintained a straight face. The Toydarian scratched his chin and looked at us suspiciously.
"What's this all about, huh? Are they sending out plain clothes troops now to get us?" The Toydarian asked, now hostile. The word 'us' caught my ear.
"No. The lad and I just came in from the country, after the Mandalorians attacked our home. We're just trying to get our bearings is all." Tairek said. The Toydarian seemed to loosen up, slowly.
"Fine, fine. They may already be on to me. Chaos spreads quickly when the troops start their raids. Come quick, my apartment is right down the alley." The Toydarian said.
It seemed as though we were in, but appearances could be deceiving. Tairek and I walked ahead with the Toydarian, cautious. Our blasters were hidden in shoulder holsters underneath our jackets, while I had the long rifle slung across my back. We followed the Toydarian down the alley, and he led us down the steps and into his apartment. It was pretty messy, with lots of magazines, clothes, but no notebooks or even datapads. The Toydarian motioned to two armchairs, so Tairek and I sat down.
"Well, welcome to Gardoose. Once plain, simple, and out of the way, now a foothold for the Republic as they squash us under their boots." The Toydarian said, as he flew towards the mini-bar and began to fix some drinks. Tairek and I looked at each other, and nodded. Tairek motioned for himself to take the lead in the questions, and I agreed. The Toydarian came back with our drinks.
"So why would the Republic be doing this?" Tairek asked. We had been through all this with the bartender, but the Toydarian seemed like a radical and a possible ally. Plus, the mention of the word 'us' before led us to believe that he had other friends on his side, who were most likely meeting at the grove at midnight. Tairek and I would dig deeper to get on their good side.
"It's all politics. Our new 'rulers' just want to scare us, intimidate us into joining the Republic or risk getting thrown into the spice mines of Kessel…hey, what did that Gungan say anyway?" The Toydarian asked. I stood up and walked over to the window. We were below ground by four feet, but the window still showed a view of the alley. Not much to look at.
"He said something about 'the grove' at midnight." Tairek replied. The Toydarian continued looking at us grimly and suspiciously, not revealing any hint of surprise.
"Ah, curious. Do you like your drinks?" The Toydarian asked. Tairek and I sipped our drinks and nodded.
"It's quite good. Got a name for it?" I asked.
"Yes." The Toydarian replied, not giving a name. I felt light-headed and drunk, or simply utterly tired. The walk over to the city hadn't taken it out of me completely. Still standing at the window, I looked over at Tairek, who had dazedly fallen back in his chair. I looked at the Toydarian.
"You…drugged us…bastard…" Was all I got out before collapsing to the floor. The Toydarian flew over, staring at each of us. He pulled out a small comlink from his pocket.
"Jan…your going to want to look at this."