Vhetin's Bastion (Later that night)

"What's this?"

"Triple-weave cortosis-tipped darts," Vhetin explained. "Propelled from the gauntlet launcher, they can rip through durasteel like tissue paper."

Brianna let out a low whistle. "Impressive. And expensive, too. Thinking of using these babies any time soon?"

He grinned. "I'm assuming you heard Oppo Tor is on the loose again? Never know if Xizor is going to want my help on it or not."

Brianna chuckled, looking down and turning his helmet over in her hands. "Looks like this is an upgrade, too."

"Janada outdid herself," Vhetin said, taking the helmet from her. "Durasteel plating, beskar core, padded leather interior with a Bio-COMM Razor Tactical head's-up display. That thing can scan DNA from residual skin flakes in the air. Not to mention the upgraded mesh controls with Void. If need be, I can pilot my ship from my helmet alone."

"Kriff," Brianna said. "You suffering from some kind of inferiority complex? This kit would make Boba Fett jealous."

"I doubt it," Vhetin said, securing his helmet over his head. "Fett's got access to top-of-the-line Imperial manufacturers; a benefit of being Vader's personal akk dog. By comparison, even MandalMotors tech is amateur stuff."

She scoffed. "Don't let Janada hear you say that."

He picked up his new rifle, a custom MandalMotors special, and racked back the charging rod. The status lights on the housing warmed to green and the weapon let out a high-pitched whine. He held it to his shoulder and aimed down the sights, checking their alignment.

"So…" Brianna said. "I heard things didn't work out with Vachiira."

He grimaced and lowered the rifle, powering it down. "It was… awkward. I'm not sure if you know this, but I'm not much for dating."

"Some things never change." She smiled, though she kept her eyes fixed on the table in front of them, laden with weaponry and armor. Vhetin was taking inventory of his new kit, making sure everything was accounted for before anything exciting happened.

"Alix…" Vhetin sighed, setting down the rifle. "She wanted more than I was willing to give at the time. She pushed too hard too fast. I…"

"You don't need to explain to me," Brianna said. "I know you had your reasons. I take it you two parted on good terms at least?"

He nodded. "It was awkward, like the rest of our relationship. But… I don't know."

Brianna was more than happy to let the matter rest. Instead, she picked up a pair of pistols from the tabletop and spun them around her fingers. "Look at these beauties. Where'd you pick them up?"

"Black market deal on Nal Hutta," he said. "Nice auction overseen by Yorra the Hutt. You can have them if you want."

"Thanks," Brianna said, setting down the weapons, "but no thanks. I'm not giving up my normal guns. They may be antiques, but they're my antiques."

"You'll find no judgement from me. You've got good taste in weaponry."

She folded her arms. "So… you preparing for something with all this kit?"

"What do you mean?"

She gestured to the table. "This is a little much for homefront defense. Do you have a new contract set up?"

He started loading ammunition into a bandolier. "Maybe. Is that a problem?"

"It's just… well, that contract on Ord Mantell wasn't exactly textbook. I hope you know what you're doing."

He glanced over at her. "Are you insinuating something?"

"No! No, just… you were hurt pretty badly. I don't want to see you throw yourself back into the fray when…"

"When what? When I'm out of practice? Weak?"

"No! Just…"

She was about to say more when there was a loud knock at the front door. Both looked up sharply, Vhetin's hand dropping to the pistols on the table. But moments later, a voice crackled through the intercom. Jay's voice.

"Cin, it's me. Can I come in?"

He glanced at Brianna, then moved away from the pistol. "Sure. Let me get the door."

He blinked at the flashing light on his HUD, unsealing the front door of his house. Seconds later, he heard the heavy durasteel blast shield rattle open. Moments later, Jay stepped into the central room where the table was set up. She quickly took stock of the situation and noticed how close Vhetin and Brianna were standing, then stopped short, obviously uncomfortable.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all," Vhetin said. He was tired of feeling awkward whenever he was alone with his ex, so he'd decided to simply not let it be awkward. "Brianna was just helping me check over some of my new kit upgrades."

"Ah," she said, stepping closer to the table. "And how are Janada's newest toys working out?"

"See for yourself."

He picked up the rifle and handed it to her to inspect. She shouldered the weapon and tested the sights, then let out a low, appreciative whistle. "Wow. Say what you want about their public relations department, but MandalMotors is at the top of their game when it comes to armaments."

"Yeah, yeah," Brianna smirked. "Cin's always been a sucker for the newest, flashiest toys. But you can't beat the classics, no matter how hard you try."

Jay handed the rifle back. "Well you got ahold of this stuff just in time, Cin. It's almost like you have a sixth sense about this stuff."

"What do you mean? Do you have a contract for us?"

"In a manner of speaking." Jay rested her hands on her hips. "I was out for drinks with Janada and Mia earlier and we stumbled across a patrol of mercs coming back up from the jungle. Apparently they had just gotten back from a tour with the jungle border patrol."

"Rangers?" Vhetin said with a curious frown. "What are they doing so far north?"

Jay eased herself down onto the couch. "They weren't Rangers, but they had just finished working with them. They said there was good money to be made helping out the jungle patrols in something called the Werda Kurs."

"The Dark Forest," Vhetin said, folding his arms. "Nasty place. Full of creatures that can eat up and spit out even the most seasoned Mandalorian. What's going on down there that the Rangers need extra hands?"

"Apparently patrols are going missing in the jungles. Except the patrols going missing are some of the best down there. The mercs seemed especially surprised by some Ranger called Vasser. Apparently she was the last to go missing."

Vhetin stiffened. What did she just say? He hadn't heard that name in years. He glanced over at Brianna, who seemed similarly surprised. Her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Vasser, huh?" she said. "Well isn't that a surprise."

"You know this woman?"

"Yeah," Vhetin said, rubbing at the back of his neck. Tamai was a sensitive subject, even though it had been years since they'd last seen each other. "We, uh… we go way back. And you're sure she went missing?"

"That's what the guy said. About a week or so ago."

Vhetin nodded, a frown hardening his face. "All right. I'm assuming you want to head down to the jungle for the contract?"

"Wait, wait," Brianna said, holding her hands up. "Wait a second. You aren't seriously thinking about going down there, are you?"

"If there's money in it, why not?" Jay said. "Besides, if the Rangers need help, Vhetin is probably more than happy to give them some assistance."

Brianna ignored her. "Cin, you know that whatever Tamai's gotten herself into she can handle it herself. You don't need to get dragged into it too."

"You can't know that," Vhetin replied. "What if she's hurt? What if she's-"

"Do I need to remind you that the last time you two saw each other, she almost killed you? Not to mention the fact that she said she never wanted to see you again?"

He grimaced. It was true they hadn't parted on the best of terms. But if she was lost and wounded now, how could he just turn his back? He needed to find out what had happened to her; he owed her that much.

He turned to Jay again. "What do you know about what's going on in the jungle? Did these mercs give you any specifics?"

Jay nodded while Brianna scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I did some research and found out that the Mandalore is sending a detachment of soldiers to reinforce the Rangers and find out what's going on. Apparently some big-shot bounty hunter named Tervho is leading the reinforcement team."

"Vhonte Tervho?" Vhetin laughed. "Whatever beasts are picking off the Rangers won't know what hit them if she's heading down there. It would be an honor to fight alongside her."

"Ooh," Jay said with a grin. "Sounds like Cin's going all fanboy on us. Who is this Tervho?"

"His great-aunt," Brianna said. "More or less. Cin is part of Clan Bralor because of his relationship with Janada. And Tervho is the Bralor Clanmaster's sister."

"Tervho is the quintessential Mandalorian," Vhetin said. "She was recruited in the Cuy'val Dar when she was eighteen and served in the Grand Army of the Republic throughout the Clone Wars. After that, she returned to Mandalore to help organize the Protector army. Now she's a freelance bounty hunter who's worked with the best in the business."

"And now she's going to the jungle to find the missing patrols," Brianna said. "And with her on top of things, they probably don't even need-"

"Don't," Vhetin interrupted her. "I've made up my mind, Brianna. Don't try and change it now. Tamai needs help and I'm going to help her."

"Fine," the huntress said, crossing her arms defiantly. "But don't be surprised when you find Tamai alive and well and probably with a gun in your face. You'll be able to sense my I-told-you-so speech even down there in the jungle."

"So we're going to do this?" Jay asked. "We're heading to the jungle?"

"I think you'd be hard-pressed to change his mind now," Brianna said, watching Vhetin as he began gathering up his arms and armor. "You might as well get a speeder ticket now."

"I'm going to see Shysa," Vhetin said. "See if there's any truth to these rumors. Jay, get prepped for a trip to the tropics and get the heaviest armor you can find."

Jay nodded and moved to leave. Before she could make it too far, Vhetin called her back. "Before you go, you may want to take this."

He tossed her a razor-edged beskad sword, which she caught with a flourish. "What's this for?"

"Between the Echo Snakes, Kalo Wolves, and packs of nexu," Brianna said, "that blade could very well be more effective than your blaster."

"Right. Suddenly I'm not so confident about this."

"It'll be fine. Just get Void and Vengeance prepped," Vhetin said. "I'll meet you there after I'm through meeting with te Mand'alor."

"All right. Good luck, Cin. Hopefully Shysa has the answers you're looking for."

He nodded. "See you soon."

Jay left the central room, leaving Vhetin and Brianna alone once again. The huntress watched Vhetin work on getting his gear together, then folded her arms with a frown. "Okay, I'm going to say what we're both thinking. Tamai is a bad influence on you and finding her again is only going to lead you back to a bad place."

He snorted. "Tamai isn't a bad influence. She's just a friend."

"Uh-huh. You remember that she was the one that got you involved in the Tyretian Crisis? And the Durenian Expedition? And the-"

"So she has a knack for getting caught up in dangerous stuff. Am I so different?"

"But Tamai is a Mandalorian just like you," Brianna said. "She doesn't have any aruetii caution to hold you back."

"Doesn't matter. I'm not abandoning her down in the jungle. Whatever's going on with the Rangers, she's going to need backup."

"And if it turns out she's perfectly fine? What if this is all old information?"

"Then Jay and I will spend a few weeks along the equator doing gruntwork for the Rangers and come back with a fat paycheck. Simple."

Brianna sighed, then stepped forward and began helping him gather his equipment together. "All right, but don't say I didn't warn you."