Offices of Fenn Shysa, MandalMotors Complex, Keldabe

Shysa looked up from the paperwork on his desk at the sound of his office door sheathing open. Vhetin felt bad for insisting an audience, but this was too important to leave for another day. Tamai was Fenn's niece and the only father figure the woman had, and he cared more about her well-being than anyone else in Keldabe, save for maybe Vhetin himself. So Vhetin needed to see him, even if it scored him bad-guy points in Tobbi Dala's books.

Dala was following close behind, a scowl on his craggy face. He hadn't been happy to let anyone through – he claimed Shysa was in an important meeting with someone – but Vhetin was a well-respected Protector and had a good history with the Mandalore's offices. The deputy was unhappy, but Vhetin's insistence had won him over.

Now, as they entered the Mandalore's offices, Vhetin saw Dala hadn't been lying. Shysa was indeed in a meeting. Sitting across from his desk was a lanky man dressed in an armored leather trenchcoat. Tangled locks of long brown hair adorned with beads and braids framed a gaunt, angry face while angular tribal tattoos covered muscular arms and neck. The man's narrowed blue eyes carried a steely look that made even Vhetin pause.

Vhetin came to a halt and bowed at the neck and shoulders in a respectful sign of greeting. "Mand'alor Shysa, I greet you in honor."

He looked to the other man. "Clanmaster Benz, it's an honor to see you again."

The tattooed man, Norac Benz, just tipped his head back and smirked. When he spoke, his voice was thick with what sounded like a Coruscanti underworld accent; this man was from the south, near the colony of Gallataea. "Wish I could say likewise."

"I'm sorry, lad," Shysa said, "but you're interruptin' a very important meetin' with Master Benz, here. If you could just wait outside-"

"Tried it already, Boss," Dala growled. "Said I could either escort him in or try and keep him out."

"And that buffaloed you outta security detail?" Shysa's voice carried a smile. "Tobbi, I'm disappointed in you."

"We know Vhetin," Dala growled. "And last time he came to us, it was with information on an attempted political assassination. Seemed stupid to turn him down again."

Shysa sighed, then gestured to a vacant chair next to Benz. "All right then. Pull up a stool, vod."

Vhetin nodded, noting how Dala didn't back out of the room. He stayed near the door, arms folded across his armored chest with his gaze never leaving the back of Vhetin's helmet. Vhetin ignored the Mand'alor's overprotective deputy and took a seat next to Benz. The Berserker Clanmaster smelled of sweat, smoke, and rough leather, so strong it managed to seep through the olfactory cleaners of Vhetin's helmet. As Vhetin settled in, the Berserker leader pulled a rough-rolled smokestick from behind his ear and lit it with an old-fashioned matchstick from somewhere in his pockets.

Shysa grimaced at the resulting puff of smoke. "So what did you need, lad? Must be somethin' important or you woulda just settled for Dala."

"It's about Tamai."

Shysa's face didn't change, but Vhetin noticed a wary look come into the man's blue eyes. Benz just looked between the two with barely-concealed intrigue, that same smirk never leaving his lips. The tattooed man folded his arms across his belt buckle and put his feet up on the edge of Shysa's desk, puffing on the smokestick. Shysa made no move to stop him.

"I heard that Tamai went missing," Vhetin said. "That something attacked her patrol and she hasn't been seen since. Is this true?"

"According to our latest intel from the Rangers," Shysa said, "it's true."

Vhetin let out a long breath he hadn't known he was holding. His entire body felt jittery, like he was amped-up on adrenaline. He clenched his hands into fists and nodded. "All right. What attacked her?"

"Dunno. But our Tamai wouldn't be stopped by some mindless beast. My best guess is bandits."

"Or maybe," Norac Benz growled in his gravely rasp of a voice, "she slipped up like all soldiers eventually do. That far south, in wild country? One small mistake and…" He put to fingers to his head, mimicking a gun. "Pow. End of the line."

Shysa glared at him. "Are you gonna be this cheerful the whole time?"

Benz shrugged, spreading his arms as he held the smokestick in his teeth. "I am known for my optimism. It's what makes me such a… charming individual."

"Right. Well keep that charming personality of yours under wraps for the moment, all right?"

Benz relented and Shysa looked back to Vhetin with another weary sigh. "All right, lad. Here's the extent of what we know: about a week ago, Tamai went on a midnight patrol with her men and didn't come back. The local Rangers got a partial transmission at the time of disappearance."

He reached over and tapped a button on a holocomm unit embedded in his desk. The unit sputtered and Tamai's voice started playing.

"This is Mandalorian Ranger Tamai Vasser," the panicked voice said, "calling for immediate reinforcements! Coordinates are thirty-two-twenty delta quadrant by six-"

There was a warbling screech, then the transmission cut out. Vhetin's heart was pounding in his chest, but he forced himself to sit still. Shysa switched off the recorder, then folding his arms, staring at Vhetin with a raised eyebrow.

"This is the sixth patrol to go missing in the last two months," Shysa said. "The locals are getting' scared; after all, the Rangers are supposed to be the ones protectin' people, you know. And if somethin's pickin' them off, what are they gonna do to the settlers?"

"Do they know what's been attacking the patrols?"

"Nope. Whatever's been gettin' em, it leaves no bodies, no claw marks, no evidence of what they've been doin'. We think it may be Echo Snakes adopting new hunting patterns to adapt to the Ranger patrols. Those buggers are smart, you know."

"That's not what I heard," Benz growled with a self-assured smile. His eyes were like ice as he regarded the two. He eventually held his hands up in surrender. "Right, right. Cheery attitude under wraps. I heard."

"No, no, lad," Shysa said. "You have somethin' to add. So add it."

Benz shrugged. "I heard that the locals know what's been eating the Rangers up like sweetcakes. Even have a name for them: Kar'ta Epar'e.

"Heart Eaters?" Vhetin said, easily translating the words. "What exactly are they?"

"According to local legend," Benz said, shifting in his seat, "they're the spirits of ancient Mandalorians, guarding the long-lost treasures of the Neo-Crusaders hidden deep in ancient bases in the jungle. Those woods were a stronghold of the Mandalore's people back during the Wars, you know."

"Those bases are empty," Vhetin said. "Treasure hunters have been going down there for generations and no one has found anything. Besides, there's no way a ghost took out Tamai and her team."

"Then tell me," Benz smirked, "why the Rangers have their own codex entry on these Kar'ta Epar'e. If they're just local legend, what interest would the Rangers have in them?"

Vhetin frowned, looking to Shysa for clarification. "Is that true?"

Shysa nodded. "As long as we're speakin' off the record… the Rangers believe that these so-called Heart Eaters are a species of hyper-agile humanoids that live in the deep jungle. Stone-age-level technology, but still very dangerous. It's no secret that they hunt near the old Mando bases, so the Rangers try to steer clear of those areas."

"Officially their position is that it's all osik," Dala growled from behind them. "They don't know what these things are so they don't waste time and manpower trying to find out. As long as they stay out of the no-go zones, the Rangers are fine."

"Obviously things have changed. Why are the rangers being attacked now?"

"De-forestation is bringing the settlers closer and closer to the no-go zones," Shysa said. "So the Rangers are forced to patrol deeper into the jungle to keep the settlers safe."

"And apparently that upset the ghosts," Benz chuckled. "So they're bringing down some supernatural shit on our poor, overwhelmed Rangers."

Vhetin glanced at him. "Our Rangers?"

Shysa nodded, resting his hands on the table. "That's right. The Rangers have been requestin' aid for months, but now things are gettin' too dicey. So I'm sendin' them reinforcements until they can get this under control."

Benz spread his hands again. "Meet the reinforcements."

"You?" Vhetin scoffed. "Shysa's sending the Berserkers to the jungle?"

"Not a bad plan, right?" Benz grinned. "We're the most skilled jungle-lovers this side of the equator. My men know how to survive in rough terrain. The Werda Kurs is no different. Trees, streams, rocks, monsters…"

"I think the Werda Kurs is a little different than your average forest, Benz. Wouldn't need Rangers otherwise."

"A jungle's a jungle," Benz growled. "Doesn't matter if it's a beast from up here or down there: hack away at something hard enough, it dies. Doesn't matter if it's a Kalo Wolf, a Gundark, or one of these spooky Heart Eaters. If it's alive, it can also die."

"Give me the rundown," Vhetin said. "I want to sign up."

Shysa nodded. "Got a feelin' you'd say that. If you really wanna be part of this, then who am I to stop a willing volunteer?"

The Mandalore looked up to Dala and gave him a short nod. Dala folded his arms across his chest. "We're assembling a reinforcement team led by freelancer Vhonte Tervho of Clan Bralor. Norac Benz and his Berserkers—"

Benz cleared his throat. "We prefer the term Mountain Clan."

Dala rolled his eyes. "All right, then. Benz and the Mountain Clan will be the main force of this team and will be under the direct supervision and command of freelancer Tervho. Tervho has full control of this operation until such time that the reinforcement team arrives at the equator."

"Really?" Vhetin said, turning a raised eyebrow in Benz's direction. "I thought the Berserkers submitted to no authority but yours, Norac."

Benz sniffed noncommittally. "Tervho and I go way back. Served in the Protectors together, back in the day. She's all right by me."

"Once the reinforcement team reaches the Ranger outpost along the borders of the Werda Kurs," Shysa continued, "they'll set up scoutin' parties to help the locals find the missing troops. They'll meet up with…" he consulted a datapad on his desk, "Ranger-Commander Che'daje. She's in charge of finding the missing Rangers."

Norac let out a low whistle. "Controversial figure, that one. Ain't she the aruetii one?"

"That's correct."

Norac snorted. "Good luck gettin' my boys to follow her orders. I barely tolerate listening to you, Shysa. Do you think they'll listen to a foreigner?"

"That's why Tervho is going along," Shysa said. "She'll be your liason and will relay Che'daje's orders to you. And you'll follow Tervho's orders. Because you two go way back, remember?"

Norac narrowed his ice-blue eyes, but fell silent.

"What about Tamai?" Vhetin said.

Shysa sighed, folding his hands on the desk in front of him. "I won't lie to you, lad. It doesn't look good. She's been missing for over a week and there's been no sign of her since then."

That wasn't good. After two days, the chances of finding a missing person plummeted, even if that person was as resilient and resourceful as Tamai Vasser. "The Rangers have someone out there looking for her, right?"

"Everyone who can spare the time is on search duty."

"That fills me with confidence, Mand'alor."

"That's why we're sending reinforcements," Dala said, speaking as if to a small child. "Then, the Rangers have more people to spare."

Shysa shot a warning glare at his deputy. "Not exactly tactful, but Tobbi's right. With the extra support, the Rangers'll be able to spare more people to help search for the missin' men. If you can round up some like-minded friends of your own, well… the more the merrier."

Vhetin nodded. "My partner's already onboard. When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow night," Shysa said. "Keldabe spaceport, docking bay fifteen. I can maneuver it so that it's registered as a specialized Protector mission. That way, you and Miss Moqena can be paid for your services."

Norac chuckled, chewing on his smokestick as a haze of smoke wafted around his head. "And I'm sure the hefty bounty on whatever's killing the Rangers is just extra incentive."

"There's a bounty on the Kar'ta Epar'e?"

Benz chuckled again. "How did you think they managed to rope Tervho into this? She may be a patriot, but she doesn't work for free."

Author's Note: It may just be me, but this chapter felt longer when I was writing it. Odd...

As always, comments, reviews, favorites, etc, are very much appreciated!