Dismounting Angel looked to each of the men and gave them a wry smile, "Something tells me I should handle this alone," she said, "If I recall Cathar don't have a pleasant history with either Chiss or Mandalorians." Buck looked distastefully at Ji, but nodded while Ji gave Angel another smile.
"No problem missy," he replied, "I'll hang back with this one, keep him out of trouble." Buck's head turned so fast Ji was surprised the man didn't get whiplash while Angel clasped her hand quickly over her mouth, her eyes crinkling in mirth.
"You'll have your work cut out for you," her voice was strangled with laughter as Buck shot her a quelling look then she raised her hand becoming undetectable, her light giggle a lingering trace of her.
Closing his eyes Ji listened carefully to pinpoint her progress as she moved to the settlement. He'd honed his senses when being taught to hunt and now he used his keen hearing to focus on the rustle of her movement and the almost silent crushing of foliage under her feet. He opened his eyes just slightly, able to visualize her slim form heading to the gate. There was a blurring image just before she became visible at the entrance and made a chirruping noise.
Two Cathar guards descended on her as she stood still, head slightly bowed while they circled her and Ji tensed ready to leap into battle if necessary. He was shocked as they pressed their cheeks to hers warmly, greeting her as if she were one of their own, and chirruped in welcome as they led her into the settlement.
"So the missy knows Cathar?" he asked Buck as the Chiss watched the settlement warily. Buck gave him a stony look, his hostility blatant now that Angel wasn't around.
"What are you doing here Mandalorian?" Buck's red eyes glimmered darkly as he looked menacingly at Ji.
"Same as you, Buck," he replied smartly, shrugging the Chiss off, "Watching out for her." Buck's glare intensified, almost freezing the air between them.
"She calls me Buck," he glowered at Ji, "You may call me 'Cipher'." The title wasn't lost on Ji, having dealt with Imperials before. But it made him even more curious about why the man was helping someone who should have been his enemy.
"Fine by me Cipher, just stop saying Mandalorian like it's something you scraped off those glossy boots of yours. Cadera works fine too, just so you know." Ji gave him a knowing look. "Something tells me you keep a close eye on her." He enjoyed the brief flash of surprise on Buck's face before it settled into cool disdain.
"What makes you say that?" Buck asked and Ji made a show of lazily brushing off his armor before answering.
"I've been tracking long enough to know when someone's picked a target," he winked at Buck, "Guess the question would be, who likes being a target?" He looked admonishingly at the Chiss who had the grace to look embarrassed for a moment. It seemed like Ji had grazed a nerve but it didn't take long before Buck's cold glare came back.
"You're very observant for a Mandalorian," he allowed, and Ji stifled a chuckle as he figured that's was the best he'd get from the Chiss.
"See there, didn't kill you to be polite," he slanted another knowing glance at Buck, "So, she your girl?"
Buck gave him a quick glare and huffed. "We're close," was all he'd say, and Ji could read the subtext underlying Buck's words.
"But not your girl," he drawled, getting another glare from Buck, "So she's fair game?" He grinned at the quick flare in Buck's eyes.
"She has better taste than some cocksure Mando, I can tell you that," Buck muttered.
"Or some Chiss Cipher it sounds like," Ji fired right back, enjoying the surprised look on Buck's face. Shaking his head Buck looked back over at the settlement and Ji realized he could at least respect the Chiss for watching out for her. Buck turned to Ji and seemed to recognize Ji observing with the same level of watchfulness. A hesitant smile quirked his lip as he nodded.
"She's far too independent to tell me what happened," Buck said quietly, "You mentioned 'a hard time'?" A snarl curled Ji's lip at the memory, made more significant now that he was becoming familiar with the woman he'd swooped in to save.
"Not sure what you Imps condone," he growled, "Maybe she could've gotten herself out of it but if she couldn't… let's just say she might be in a lot worse shape if my team and I hadn't been around." Buck jerked and his eyes narrowed.
"Think what you will of us, but we don't condone those actions," he muttered, "She probably could've gotten herself out of it, but I'm glad she didn't have to. For that, I owe you one."
"Didn't do it for you, did it for her," Ji shrugged as he pinned Buck with a hard look, "You going to handle them, or do I have to go back and take care of it?" The cold look he'd seen on Buck's face before was nothing compared to the icy one he wore now.
"My side, my responsibility," he said stonily, "They'll be handled." Taking in the grim look on the Chiss's face Ji knew the men at the Imp post were in for a world of hurt and he nodded approvingly.
"Thought so," he said in satisfaction, then elbowed the Chiss lightly, "Figured you must have some redeeming qualities if Angel's willing to call you a friend. She seems too smart to socialize with an Imp 'less she saw some good in him." Ji's blunt assessment made Buck's lip twitch again.
"I might say the same about you," he admitted reluctantly, before returning to his watchful silence.
Moments stretched on as they stayed focused on the entrance to the settlement until Ji noticed some of the brush close by moving in opposition to the direction of the breeze. Angel's back, he thought and smiled as he edged closer to the movement then lashed out a hand. Aiming low, he thought he was going to snatch her hand or wrist but was surprised that he'd misjudged how close she was. His arm ended up wrapped around her waist so that when he pulled she collided with him. There was a shocked gasp as she blinked into view, her wide silver eyes looking up with surprised delight into his blue.
"How did you..." she echoed his words from earlier then peered at him. It seemed like she was looking for something and was puzzled when she didn't find it. Beaming again he raised his brows at her.
"Like I said," he drawled, "Best tracker on Taris." Her return smiled glowed at him for an instant before a loud clearing of a throat caught both of their attention. Ji looked over at Buck who was glaring at him with his arms folded.
"You can let her go now," the Chiss sneered, causing Ji's arm to fall from the Jedi. There was still a trace of curiosity on her face making Ji think it was rare that someone got the drop on her.
"You're not Force Sensitive are you?" she asked as she still scrutinized him but he shook his head as he raked his hair back.
"Not that I know of," he said, "But you look in high spirits missy, good news?" Her smile blossomed into a grin as she nodded.
"He was here, the Shaman remembers seeing him," her excitement even had Buck smiling as she giggled, "I had to convince him I wasn't some incarnation of their moon goddess Selari, but after that he was able to describe Master Tho along with two other Masters. I knew exactly who he was talking about. It's the most solid lead I've gotten." Her smile was radiant as she looked at each of the men.
"So did you two call truce in my absence?" she teased and Ji noticed Buck was glaring less fiercely but figured the Chiss was easing back on his attitude for Angel's benefit.
"Oh, me and Buck are good friends now," he arched a shrewd smile at the Cipher as he added extra emphasis to his name, "Ain't we Buck?" He could practically hear the Chiss grinding his teeth as his chiseled jaw set firmly then a smug smile appeared on the man's face.
"We certainly are," he said to Ji's surprise, "In fact our Mandalorian friend said he'd be fine with me escorting you back to your post." Buck raised an eyebrow at Ji, daring him to dispute his claim, but Ji gave him a grin in return.
"Then Buck here insisted that I come with," he drawled, "Just to make sure you got your money's worth missy." Ji was sure Angel picked up on the tension between the men and a devious smile flitted across her lips.
"Well Buck, if there's a problem with Ji riding with me," she goaded, "I'm sure he won't mind riding with you." Buck looked aghast for a moment then stalked back to his speeder making Angel clasp her hand over her mouth again. She gave Ji a sly look as they walked to his speeder and they settled into the now familiar seats.
"This has been more fun than I expected," she confided, "Buck's a dear friend but he needs to be reminded not to take himself so seriously." Angel's appraisal of Buck had Ji smirking as she started the speeder and began following him.
"Not a problem missy," he leaned in close to her ear, "Keeping that boy guessing seems fun. Just think of it as one of the services you've paid for." This close he could hear her giggle even with the noise from the speeder.
"And what other services do you provide?" He swore he heard a flirtatious note in her voice even as her eyes stayed focused forward and he felt the urge to banter back.
"There are several others," he stayed close to her ear, "But you might have to give me more than a smile to find out." He heard her gasp and giggle again, but noticed she wasn't shooting him down.
Buck's speed increased and Ji had to tighten his arms but wasn't complaining. Despite his earlier objection he'd warmed up to riding behind her. Something about keeping his arms around her was starting to feel comfortable he thought, more than he liked to admit. But before he could start wondering about that line of thinking Buck and Angel stopped the speeders side by side in a section of broken pipe that formed a tunnel.
"K'pah!" he heard Buck exclaim, and though he didn't know what it meant he reckoned it was unpleasant. Looking over Angel's shoulder he saw the pinpricks of red he'd seen earlier converging in front of them. Rakghouls, he thought, a whole blasted horde and they were blocking the trio's path.
"Good thing blaster skills are a service I've already paid for," Angel said quietly, patting his leg as she slid from the speeder's seat.
Facing down the horde Ji was amazed to see so many rakghouls at once. He'd seen them in smaller packs but for so many to congregate floored him. Must have stirred them up on their last pass though, he thought. A few of the misshapen heads turned towards them, but they hadn't drawn the attention of the horde. Ji knew once that happened it'd swarm on them like fire gnats, fast and furious. He heard a soft click and looked over to Angel and Buck, they'd pulled their weapons, her light saber and his blaster.
"Never seen so many at once," Ji confessed as the three of them moved closer together and he readied his blaster. Each of his senses went on alert preparing for the fight, details seeming sharper. A mixed blessing right now since it made the eerie grunts and chittering seem louder. He suddenly remembered that both Angel and Buck had gone invisible before and wondered if that could help.
"Can either one of you use those fancy skill to get us through?" he asked and they exchanged a look shaking their heads.
"Mine might work," Angel explained, "But I can't cover the three of us and these creatures they would scent through Buck's stealth." Looking more regretful she sighed, "Looks like we'll have to fight through."
"Any problems with that Cadera?" Buck's voice was dry and cool as he checked his weapon, but Ji nodded at the Chiss's use of his name.
"Just more to kill, Cipher," he lobbed back his own peace offering. Petty differences didn't matter in the heat of battle and he wanted to let Buck know they stood on decent terms if they had to have each other's backs.
After one more armor check and chastising himself for leaving his helmet back at camp Ji looked to Angel and Buck, nodding firmly to signal his readiness. He thought Buck would have taken point but instead it was Angel who signaled for both men to stay put. "Be ready for my signal," she said, then there was a shimmer in the air before she disappeared completely.
He closed his eyes, tracking her by sound again but it was more difficult here with the echoing acoustics of the tunnel and the gibbering rakghouls. It seemed like she was moving towards them and Ji shifted forward defensively. Glancing at Buck his saw the tall Chiss shake his head.
"Hold fast Mand… Cadera," he said, "She's stronger than you'd think." Anticipation ate at him as he tried keeping silent, not drawing any more of the rakghouls' attention. More heads popped up, gazing at where he and Buck stood and he heard hisses from several as they started moving towards the men. He felt Buck tense alongside him and murmur something in what might have been his native language.
"Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur" he muttered to himself, the Mando'a adage 'Today was a good day for someone else to die'. The chittering grew louder as the rakghouls crawled closer, possibly wondering why the men didn't move. Teeth gleamed in the dim light, and Ji thought he could smell the rotted breath of the monstrosities. Then he saw it, the glow of a double-sided white blade edged in purple flashing bright, just before it swooped down and severed the heads of several creatures. The wave of rakghouls froze, realizing the true danger wasn't the men in front but the woman who appeared behind them.
They scattered in all directions, some running towards him and Buck while others ran Angel, and Ji watched in amazement as Angel swung her saber gracefully as if the blade was her partner in a deadly dance. She spun, twisting into a low crouch then rose with her blade flowing from her arm. Rakghouls fell, split in two by the glowing blade. He lifted his blaster and picked off several, but the majority fell to the spinning saber she wielded. What was truly impressive was how calm she looked while doing it, even as the saber spun free from her fingertips for a moment, then returned.
Ji ran to the side of the tunnel, making sure his back protected while keeping an eye on the fierce Jedi in case she needed back-up. Her smooth movements did nothing but impress him though and creature after creature dropped. He also caught Buck's motions from the corner of his eye. Relying on his blaster, his technique wasn't appealing as Angel's but deadly accurate. He crouched low, shooting any that ran towards him but also staying aware of any that tried to sneak up behind Angel. It looked like they'd battled together before, and Ji wondered what they'd been through. When they'd downed the horde, Ji finally took a deep breath.
"What's my count?" he heard Buck ask, and Angel gave a short giggle.
"It's beneath Jedi to keep track of such things," she proclaimed in a mock-haughty voice that made Ji laugh.
"It's not beneath Mando," Ji chuckled, "Don't know about other battles there Buck, but this time she's got you beat." Another giggle escaped Angel and even Buck's lip twitched through his look of shock, like he was resisting the urge to smile at Ji's bantering. But the moment of levity was short lived as a rakghoul jumped from the shadows, pouncing on Angel.