It was early evening when we returned to the mountains, with the militia and civilians in tow. It was no longer safe for them in the city. They were wanted men and women, renegades from the "the law"- to be brought in dead. Gawain was still slowly bleeding, sending bloody streaks down his armour. He was a tough sonofabitch. Conall let his men and the militia rest, while he went to his tent to set up a comm. line to Jan. Tairek and I entered. Conall had Gawain go fix himself up. A blue holo of Jan appeared.
"Jan, good news. We've taken care of the militia and the Feeorin."
"So I've heard. It's been hell in Gardoose all day. I had to bribe the gate guards just to leave the city. Did you find out who the traitor was?"
"Negative."
"Great. Well I've got bad news – I haven't seen Brog. For a couple days now." Jan replied. Conall turned to look at Tairek and I, then looked back down at Jan. "It's possible he was captured. Did you find him at the mines?"
"Negative, Jan." Conall replied. The answer was staring us straight in the face. Jan didn't see it, or she didn't want to see it.
"I know what you're thinking. I don't believe it though. He wants the Republic out. He hates the Republic."
"We'll see. As long as he's missing, we're all still in danger, you included." Conall replied.
"So what do we do next?"
"We have to act quickly. Our enemy is in 'siege' mode now. They know they're under attack. Martial law is their preferred option."
"That's been their favorite option since they came here, General. What do I do?"
"Watch your back Jan. We'll contact you. Conall out." Conall closed the line, and turned to Tairek and I. "Our civilian friends can't help us any longer. This is a military operation now. Doug, I want you and Gawain to head to Gardoose within the hour."
"What do we do?" I asked. Conall stood up and exited the tent. Tairek nodded to me and headed off to his own quarters. Gawain, stitched up and ready to go, joined us.
"Intelligence gathered from your informants shows that there are two divisions of ERCS operating in Gardoose. The troops you two have seen, engaging in patrols, are the regulars. Skull bashers and thugs is all they are. The second group are more subtle. They hunt down known Mandalorian sympathizers, or even citizens suspected to be Mandalorian. They title themselves Ghosts."
"Egos, eager to prove themselves for reputation." I commented.
"Correct. It seems they share a rivalry with each other, hoping to outshine the other division with more arrests, more brutal captures of citizens."
"Let them at us sir. Fett and I will take care of them." Gawain announced. Gawain certainly was not stupid, but he was a warriour, straight to the core. I grinned behind my helmet.
"I have a job for you two, more subtle than that. I want you to go to Gardoose, and pose as survivors of the battle. Doug, your already known to them as Atin. You can clear Tairek by saying your father, 'Wesford,' was killed in the battle. Gawain, I've already contacted Evenia about setting up a fake profile for you within their system. I want you two to leave as soon as possible. When you get into the city, after they question you, this is what you two are going to do."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
It was past midnight as Gawain and I approached the city's main gate, dressed as civilians. As we came just within range, spotlights targeted us, and a man over a loudspeaker yelled.
"Hold it right there! Knees on the grounds, hands on your head! Bring them in!"
Gawain and I complied, and then were grabbed, rustled about and brought inside, past the gates and into a nearby security office. We were thrown into an interrogation room, the sort with one door and one-way windows. We were being watched from outside the room, as well as from inside by an ERCS guard. Sitting down at a single table, Gawain stared down the soldier with his good eye. We sat waiting for 20 minutes, before our old friend Captain Witter came in.
"Gentlemen, sorry to keep you waiting." Witter began, setting two folders down on the table. He looked through them for a few moments before looking at us.
"Atin, and…Gregory?" Witter asked. 'Gregory' nodded.
"You two look like you've seen some action."
"The Mandalorians attacked, sir." I replied.
"Oh? Where?"
"The mines. To the east."
"They attacked our spice mines, did they? This is news to me." Witter responded, lying. "How did you two get out?"
"We hid. Atin and I were carrying Kassoti up out of the mines when those blasted Mandalorians surrounded the quarry. They left us alive to tell what happened." Gawain replied.
"Oh? How convenient. I suspect that eye patch is from them as well?"
"No. From one of your men, sir." Gawain replied, using his good eye to stare down the ERCS trooper again. Witter grinned, amused. His demeanor was hiding his fear of the fact that their weapon hand had been sliced off, and left to burn in the pools of flaming Kassoti; their other hand was powerful, but had been slowly pulling itself apart.
"Hmm. Let them go, they're harmless." Witter ordered. He stood up and left, while it took a whole ERCS squad to escort us out. We were taken outside, back into the city night. The soldiers left us alone as we trodded off. In the distance was Witter, walking back to his offices. Gawain trailed him, while I trailed some distance behind Gawain to counter any shadows he picked up.
I stuck to the shadows, avoiding the light orange glows cast by the lightpoles. The city was quiet – martial law had been enforced, but it was also past midnight. It was severely past curfew. Anyone caught outside was for all intents and purposes dead. But it didn't mean Gawain and I would lie down and take it. Up ahead, Gawain continued trailing Witter as they reached the main plaza. From one of the side streets came an ERCS patrolman. He had noticed Gawain, and began to follow him. Checking for tails myself, I moved ahead, creeping up on the ERCS. Without the beskar'gam on I was swifter, faster, more agile. Much easier to sneak. As I crept forward, I stepped on something – a rock – which scratched against the pavement. I swore silently to myself, as the ERCS turned around to face me. I was on him before he could bring his rifle up, body slamming into him against the wall of the plaza's nearest corner building. I threw off his helmet, shoving one arm up under his neck and into his jaw. He dropped his rifle, and used his free hand to pull his pistol from his holster. With my other hand I grabbed his weapon hand, smashing it against the wall so he would drop his pistol. He pulled the trigger, firing a bolt into the sky.
Fuck I thought to myself. Now Witter would be running.
The trooper shoved me off him, and brought his pistol up to shoot. I grabbed his wrist, moved and punched his neck. He didn't die immediately, for his neck was slightly armoured by his black bodysuit, which itself was covered with the ERCS classic plastoid armour. Nevertheless he staggered back, dropped his pistol, and I moved in for the kill. Still, he was fast and recovered, and swung at me with his gauntlet's vibro shiv extended. I grabbed his arm with both hands, as we both struggled to control the blade. I had the advantage with both hands on his arm, aiming for the shiv to go into his throat. After a few moments he regained his strength, and began to push back. Out of options, I pulled out an old trick. I looked off behind him to the wall and nodded. A knee jerk reaction, he turned to look, and I made my move. I headbutted him, and in his disorientation, grabbed his shiv hand and brought it up into an unarmoured portion of his front – above the waist, just to the right of his stomach, below his ribcage. He keeled over and slowly died as I nabbed his thigh holster and strapped it on; I also removed his gauntlet shiv. Spotting a nearby dumpster, I opened it, tossed his body in, and gathered his rifle and pistol. Checking to see if I was spotted, I found myself in the clear. I ran ahead to catch up with Gawain. As I ran swiftly through the shadows, Gawain called me as I passed him in an alley.
"Fett! Here!" Gawain called. I stopped and came back, finding Gawain in an alley. He had Witter in his clutches, hands behind his back and down on the ground. "What the hell happened back there?"
"Found a patrolman. Got something for you." I said, tossing him the ERCS standard issue blaster rifle. I kept the pistol in my thigh holster "And something for our friend." I continued, producing the gauntlet shiv. Witter turned his head to look, and tried to scream, but was muffled by Gawain's hand.
"Good. Do it and let's go." Gawain ordered. Gawain held Captain Witter in place, holding his head up for a clear view of his throat. Witter struggled as I equipped the shiv, and began gurgling blood as I sliced from left to right. He died quickly. Gawain dropped him. I tossed the shiv aside, but into plain sight, looked down at Witter's corpse, and then up at Gawain.
"Next."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Gawain and I weren't finished yet. Leaving the scene, we made our way to Jan's apartment, avoiding patrols. We had already killed Witter and one patrolman. Any more than that, and it would look too suspicious come morning. We wanted Witter's death to look like an ERCS trooper had done it, not some muggers. We knocked on her door. A few moments later, Jan opened the door, hair disheveled.
"Guys, it's the middle of the night. What do you want?" Jan asked, having just woken up.
"Its not safe for you or your people anymore. We have to get you out of the city." I replied.
"What? Come in." Jan said, annoyed. Gawain and I followed in after her, closing the door behind us.
"There's going to be chaos in the city tomorrow." Gawain said, standing next to me as Jan sat down in her couch.
"Why?"
"Captain Witter is dead. We made it to look like an ERCS trooper did it." Gawain replied. Jan's jaw dropped a smidge, and she held her forehead in her hands.
"Great. Ok, ok. I'll contact everyone, Evenia first. You two stay here and just…don't touch anything."
"Yes ma'am." I replied.
For the next 20 minutes, Jan went about calling the rest of her people of her 'revolution.' Evenia, Jaina, and several dozen other civilians. Brog, not surprisingly, did not pick up. It worried me. Hopefully, Witter's murder would distract the principal from sending out ERCS to attack the HQ. After a while, Jan's people showed up at her apartment. Jan did a quick explanation of our plan, albeit with some disgust at our methods.
Civilians I thought to myself. No stomach for these sorts of jobs. Killing Witter was risky, but with the principal already on its toes due to the loss of the militia and the Feeorin, and the ERCS on edge, hopefully, somebody would snap. It was our goal to have the two separate, rival groups of ERCS pick a fight with each other – one would start pointing fingers, blaming the other for Witter's death.
"So what now?" A female Zabrak asked. Jan's people had crowded into her apartment, and were now getting antsy.
"We get all of you out of here. When Witter's body is found, this city is going to erupt. We need to go immediately."
"But where?"
"Doesn't matter. Fett and I are leaving now. If you wish to stay and take your chances with the ERCS, be my guest." Gawain announced. He turned and headed for the door, and I with him. After a few moments, the crowd stood up and followed us out. "Fett, take point, I'll cover the rear." Gawain said. He equipped the ERCS rifle, nodded to me, and I moved ahead.
Sneaking through the shadows, I led Jan and her coalition from her apartment towards the city gates, avoiding ERCS patrols. We had a few close ones, but we moved fast enough. Having reached the gates, I halted the large group behind me. Gawain moved up next to me.
"How are we going to get past the gate guards?" Evenia asked. I turned to Gawain, nodded, then looked at the crowd of Jan's people.
"Stay here." I replied dryly. I unholstered the ERCS pistol, and held it behind my back as Gawain and I approached the gate house. We counted three unarmoured night watchmen, militia really, two security cameras, and the nearby guard house where Gawain and I were detained earlier. Gawain and I looked at each other, and nodded. Weapons hidden, we walked forward. One of the night watchmen, an Iridonian, looked up at us. His two comrades, a Gungan and a Twilek, armed themselves.
"Hey, its past curfew!" He yelled at us. Gawain revealed his rifle, aimed and fired at the three guards before they could shoot at us. At the same time, I shot the cameras with my pistol, then turned and shot the guard house door controls. Gawain moved forward, stomped his boot into one man's neck to finish him off, then waved Jan's people forward.
"Lets go lets go lets go!" I yelled. They ran like scared peasants. Gawain and I followed behind them to keep the coast clear, then moved ahead. All of us ran south for a good while before stopping.
"Why are we stopping?" Jan asked hoarsely.
"We are, you're not." I replied. The whirring sound of speeder engines neared, as four transport speeders drove up to us from the south. Allied militia parked the speeders, and appeared.
"Everyone inside." It was Arku, a familiar face for Jan and her people. Now their fears were allayed. From one of the speeders appeared Tairek in full armour, hauling several large duffle bags.
"You lads mind giving me a hand here?" He asked. I grinned. Gawain and I went over to help him carry the duffle bags out of the speeder. As Jan's people loaded in, Arku approached us.
"See you guys tomorrow?"
"Aye, you will boyo." Tairek replied. Arku shook his hand, turned and went into his speeder. They drove off back to our HQ. But for Gawain, Tairek and myself, we weren't finished yet. The three of us opened the duffle bags. Gawain's beskar'gam and mine were inside. After we suited up from our civilian disguises, we removed the rest of the bag's contents. Ordnance packs, courtesy of our militia friends. Tairek picked up one of the charges and looked at us.
"Ready lads?"
"Let's do it."