Author's None: Sorry I was gone for a bit, had to scratch a Marvel itch. But, hey, here I am and just in time for that new Ahsoka show too! So what's say we get back on this Clone Wars train and power on ahead. Enjoy!

-Chapter 28: The Enemy of My Enemy-

Location: Raydonia/Myrkr, 8:20:3632 ATC

"Your enemy is destroyed when you are kind to them."

As the Clone Wars continued to spread like wildfire, the inhabitants of the galaxy watched with growing interest at the outcome of the sprawling battlefields stretched across countless planets. The Separatists and the Republic revealed the gains and rewards to be distributed from their victories, planets began to ponder their standings on the galactic stage. Many began to worry for their wellbeing and future as supplies and resources rose in quantity and need. Announcements were made and meetings scheduled as diplomatic representatives from both factions rushed to make agreements that would benefit their situation. One of these worlds was Raydonia.

Situated in the eponymous system of the Outer Rim's Belsmuth Sector, Raydonia was a small, easy to overlook planet covered in forests and jungles. While seemingly insignificant in the grander scope of things, Raydonia was very prominent in the region as it served as an important trade junction between several neutral, Confederate, and Republican worlds. The scarce few inhabitants of the planet, worried about the future, reached out to both sides in the name of holding a diplomatic conference between officials of the concerned neutral worlds, the Confederacy and the Republic to sort out trade agreements for those worlds so that they might still sustain themselves without committing to one side of the Clone Wars.

News began to spread about the upcoming conference, heard in both the public and shadier places around the galaxy.

In one particular corner, in a dark room, someone was quite interested in the recent Galactic Action News broadcast. He sat alone, hands folded, watching as the blonde Crystal Kash reported on breaking events.

"…representatives of the Raydonians are hosting a diplomatic conference to negotiate a trade agreement that would allow them and the surrounding worlds to remain neutral while maintaining trade relations with the Confederate and Republican worlds that also depend on trade in that region to sustain themselves. Nearly all local trade makes use of the space belonging to Raydonia as a stopover on their routes to other planets in the region…"

Footsteps sounded beside him. He didn't need to look. He knew the sound of the Talortai when he heard one. "What do you know of Raydonia?" He asked. The Talortai growled.

"Insignificant. Out of the way. Takes in more than they can give." He answered. "Why?"

"They're concerned about trade in the area. Apparently a lot of spacers use it as a layover, and the war is changing who gets to use what trade routes."

"What are they going to do about it?"

"Host a conference, apparently. Featuring senators. Quite a few in fact." He continued. "Do you have any idea how much the Republic and the Separatists would pay for even one of them to be returned safely?" The Talortai loosed a thoughtful rumble.

"Quite a lot, I imagine."

"I imagine so, too. And I have a pretty good imagination." The human replied with a growing smile. "Get the away team ready, Urai. We're scheduling a trip to Raydonia."

Streaking through hyperspace, a lone Nu-class attack shuttle transported the important diplomatic envoy of the Republic towards Raydonia. Aboard, a small contingent of Clone troopers from the Coruscant Guard sat in escort of the two senators dispatched to discuss trade relations, both of which were engrossed in a very important communication.

"Given it's connection to Botajef and Nag Ubdur, it's very important the Republic maintain good relations with Raydonia." Chancellor Palpatine was describing. "The last thing we need is to lose another trade route to the Separatists, especially when our forces are stretched so thinly across the Outer Rim."

"We promise to do our best, Chancellor. But the Raydonian's value their neutrality and are interested in maintaining it as well as a regular intake of goods and supplies. Negotiations will have to work both ways." Padme Amidala, the senator of Naboo, replied.

"Provided your Separatist counterparts do not dissuade them." Palpatine responded in a grave tone. "But I know you will do well, Senator Amidala. You are one of the bright spots of the senate and will represent the Republic well." He added warmly. Padme responded with the smallest of smiles, her politician's fortitude refusing to allow her guard to drop no matter what the praise. She could act as such if necessary, but she was one woman who would offer nothing to flattering words.

"I cannot take all the praises, Chancellor. Senator Chuchi will make doubly sure Raydonia knows the goodwill of the Republic. Together we will ensure our reputation remains." She stated in turn, knowing her Pantoran ally had an equal share in the burden.

"Spoken like a true patriot." Palpatine mused with a soft, disarming smile. "I wish you ladies luck. I expect an update the moment the conference is concluded." He said, concluding the discussion. With that, the shuttle's holoprojector winked out, leaving Padme and Riyo Chuchi in the silence of the cabin once more.

Riyo, a young Pantoran woman in her early twenties, dressed in a matching jacket and skintight leggings combination, poured over a datapad filled with pertinent information that would prove beneficial to the upcoming negotiations. As the representative of her homeworld, she might be young, but she was raised in a poltical home and had a knack for understanding geo-sociopolitical topics better than most. In many ways, Riyo reminded Padme of herself and her own upbringing on Naboo.

Both of us have been groomed to represent our homeworlds. The fate of countless depend on the words we speak. It's not an easy job and it's not for everyone… provided you take it seriously.

"These Raydonians are barely existing on their own. If not for the trade in the area, this colony would've failed entirely who knows how many years ago." Riyo murmured as she scrolled lower. "No wonder they're scared about the effects of the war; they could lose their sole means of surviving."

"That's why we have to ensure the Raydonians continue to receive their regular shipments without having to commit to either side of the war." Padme said in agreement. "My biggest concern is what the Separatists will have to say on the matter." Riyo looked up.

"You think they would force them into an alliance in order to continue receiving shipments?" She asked.

"The Separatists would like nothing more than to block off our access to the Boatjef shipyards. There's rumors that they've been using the nearby planet of Akiva as a staging ground. They certainly have everything to gain from an alliance. Forced or otherwise." Padme explained. She ran a hand up to where her hair had been tightly pulled back into an elaborate column-like frame, as if feigning brushing a hair from her face. An old habit when she was feeling concerned, especially in private with someone she could trust.

"Then we really have to play to the Raydonians' neutrality. We have to promise things will stay the same and not demand anything in return." Chuchi concluded with a restless sigh as she lowered the datapad.

"Feeling nervous?" Padme inquired, touching her shoulder.

"Only as nervous as I felt attempting to halt a potential war with the Talz." Riyo responded with a wry grin. Padme returned it.

"Senators, we're approaching Raydonia now. Preparing to drop out of hyperspace." One of the troopers with them stated, receiving word from the pilot over his comms. Padme nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, Sergeant Cobalt." She graciously replied.

As the two senators strapped themselves in, the streaks of starlight outside the ship soon gave way to a view of the planet before them. Vaguely crimson in hue, Raydonia presented itself as a foreign yet beckoning celestial object, the kind of world that demanded it be explored from afar without any knowledge of who or wait lay in waiting below.

Their landing was a smooth and uneventful affair, the Republic shuttle making landfall at Raydonia's only settlement: a small colony populated by humans. Upon arrival, the Clone troopers quickly filed out to form a defensive perimeter, fulfilling security standards as diplomatic escorts. Sporting red Coruscant Guard markings across their armor, the troopers seemed to nearly blend in with the scarlet air of Raydonia as they paved the way for Padme and Riyo to depart the shuttle. A dark-skinned human woman was waiting for them a short distance away, obviously keeping her distance and wary of the Clone trooper security detail. It was only when Padme and Riyo approached, smiling and amicable, that her defences were lowered and she took on a more friendly expression, age lines crinkling as she smiled.

"Senator Amidala. Senator Chuchi. Welcome to Raydonia." She greeted. "I am Felani Nadmar. You could say I am the governor of this settlement." Unlike the prim and pampered senators, Felani looked like a woman who had worked her whole life and still had plenty more work to do.

"It's an honor to meet you, Felani." Padme greeted cordially. "I hope we haven't kept you waiting."

"Not at all. As a matter of fact, you and the Separatist Senators are right on schedule." Felani responded. At that moment, a Sheathipede shuttle made landfall from above, Padme frowning slightly at the sight.

Which repulsive sleemo have they sent to counter us this time?

The landing legs deployed as the transport ship eased itself down, coming to a smooth albeit sudden halt as the boarding ramp slid out and the access door opened seconds later. There, looming edge-to-edge in the doorway, was a massive man clad head to toe in armor concealed by a helmet boasting glowing red optics. Padme stiffened as memories of her ordeal aboard the Malevolence came flooding back.

Wraith descended the boarding ramp and moved to the side, standing stiffly at attention as the Separatist Senators representing their faction emerged from the shuttle next, their approach cleared by their apparent security detail. One of them was Voe Atell, an Avto senator representing the Corporate Alliance. The other, to Padme's surprise, was her old friend Mina Bonteri; the senator of Onderon. The Raydonian representative turned to greet them next.

"Senator Bonteri. Senator Atell. Welcome to Raydonia. I am Felani Nadmar. You could say I am the governor of this settlement." She repeated, smiling in the same friendly way.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Governor Felani." Mina cordially greeted. Her eyes flicked to Padme, her smiling maintained. "Long has it been since we last spoke, Senator Amidala. I'm pleased to see the Republic sent you here to represent."

"Likewise, Senator Bonteri." Padme responded politely. "I must admit, however, your choice of security detail has me concerned as to the Confederacy's intentions." She added in a lower voice, shooting a not-too-nice look in Wraith's direction. Mina chuckled lightly.

"No need to get so worked up, Padme. Wraith was chosen for us and, so far, has been pleasant company. I'm sure his manners will extend to these discussions." The Onderonian responded.

"Hopefully his manners have improved since he held me prisoner aboard a Separatist warship." Padme said dourly. Voe Atell merely smiled at her words, pleased her opponent was unnerved.

For her part, Riyo was rendered speechless by the presence of Wraith. So used to the Republic's Clone troopers and holos of battle droids, seeing the super-soldier in the flesh presented a whole new avenue of surprise. Not only did he appear to dwarf the Clones in terms of width and height, but she had never seen a being clad in as much armor and weaponry as he was. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before Mina's command of things drew her attention again.

"The sooner we finish this, the sooner you can relax." Mina said gently. "Miss Nadmar, if you will lead the way." She asked the Raydonian. Felani ushered them towards a central building in the middle of the settlement. As they began walking, Wraith followed, tailing behind the senators all the way up to the access door. Spotting him over her shoulder, Padme fought back and grimace and thought better of the situation. After all, the Separatists had just given her the freedom to act accordingly.

"Sergeant Cobalt," she called out to the leading Clone trooper, "have two of your men accompany us inside. The rest of you will remain with the shuttle." If the Separatists felt so inclined to allow their military muscle such leeway, surely the Republic could do some flexing of its own.

"Right away, ma'am." Cobalt responded before ordering two of his men, Hatch and Bush, to join the diplomatic party.

There were two doors into the central building, one on either side of what appeared to be a meeting room filled with a long table surrounded by ten chairs, complete with a holoprojector affixed to the middle. Privates Bush and Hatch took up position on either side of the rightmost door while Wraith stood across from them, securing the leftmost door. The three soldiers stood perfectly still as Felani, Mina, Padme, Riyo and Voe sat down to commence negotiations. The two Clones were quick to switch to private internal comms, shared exclusively between their helmets with no way of being heard by anyone else.

"Come on, Bush, show me some life signs."

"Yeah yeah, I'm here Hatch." His comrade responded.

"So, how long you figure we gotta stand here for?"

"Bored already?" Hatch wondered.

"I'd happily take patrol over standing around. At least there's always something new to look at." Bush responded.

"Well, watch for when they all start shaking hands. That's when you know things are wrapping up." Hatch explained. "Not my first time on diplo-duty. You've been to one you've been to them all."

"Weren't you part of that crew who went to Florrum with Kharrus and Binks?" Bush asked.

"Nah, I was passed over for that one. Wish I wasn't. Heard Commander Stone and his boys had to run and gun with some pirates." Hatch said.

"We always get the boring ones, don't we?" Bush grumbled.

"You call this boring? Look who we gotta be on our toes around." Hatch retorted, the barest flick of his head gesturing towards Wraith. Bush stopped and stared at the super-soldier adjacent them, his gaze fixed entirely on the bright red optics that softly glowed… seemingly pulsing like a living creature.

"Damn thing's spooky. Heard High General Windu took a chunk out of him on Ryloth, though." He muttered.

"That's just it. Went toe-to-toe with a Jedi and got over it." Hatch remarked. "If push comes to shove and things get violent, we won't stand a chance against him."

"You sure?" Bush queried. "I've heard all kinds of stories about him getting shot and beat up."

"Your forgetting the part of those stories where he keeps getting back up and moving on to the next battlefield." Hatch said. "I heard only heavy artillery can scratch him. Even that won't slow him down."

"So… what? Pop thermals if we need to?" Bush inquired.

"In a room full of senators? You'd have to be either stupid or crazy to do that." Hatch scoffed. "Any shiny knows better than to deploy a detonator in an enclosed space… especially with collateral around." His idea thoroughly dampened, Bush let the matter rest. His thoughts turned back to Wraith, still silent and unmoving.

"I wonder what he's thinking." The trooper wondered.

The answer to that was simple. Wraith was thinking about the politics of this situation.

He was paying very close attention to the back and forth conversation held between the senators, listening to their words and watching their movements, their expressions and body language.

I wouldn't have what it takes to be a senator. I'd either be bored to tears listening to other people talk or lose my temper so fast that heads roll. No, I'd never make it as a politician. I'm a soldier. I prefer… what's the term… 'aggressive negotiations' to these.

Despite his personal preferences, observing the senators allowed him a window into the politicians keeping the corrupt Republic in power, the organization he was sworn to destroy. The more he learned about his enemy, the better prepared he would be to deal with them in the future.

"…the Republic has strong holdings on both Botajef and Nag Ubdur, by which access is largely possible via Raydonia. We are most interested in total coooperation with the Raydonian people and assisting you however we can." Padme promised Felani.

"You just want your shipyards and your zersium mines." Voe sneered. "Akiva, New Bornalex, and Katraasii are also nearby and are Separatist holdings. They are homes to good, decent people who need supplies and access to the greater galaxy just as much as the Raydonians do. We're not in this for individual gain, we're just trying to help our people." The Avto senator explained to Felani, sending a snide look Padme's way as she did. The Nabooian frowned.

"As are we." Chuchi quickly cut in, coming to Padme's aid. "Pantora has no stake or holdings in this sector and yet we would be more than willing to offer supplies to the Raydonians."

"Your offer is welcome, Senator, but this is not a question of handouts. Raydonia can survive as it is, we just want to remain our neutrality." Felani responded.

"The Republic is more than willing to support your neutrality." Padme said in turn.

"When you're not fleeing the scene with your tails between your legs." Voe sneered. "The Separatist can do a far better job protecting this sector of space."

"When you're not staging a sneak attack. The droid factory on Akiva is far too close to this area of space to put my mind at ease." Padme hurriedly differed.

"Senators, please. This is not about who will look out for Raydonia, but rather who will comply with their neutrality." Mina cut in. Voe rolled her eyes.

"Yes, although it's increasingly clear that our little sector of the galaxy is something of a hotbed when it comes to divisions between Republic and Separatist-aligned worlds." Felani mused to break the silence.

"I will be perfectly clear when I say we are not here to win your hand in any way, Miss Nadmar." Mina interjected. "We have not come with fleets or armies to sway you to either side."

"But can you guarantee things will not come to that? So many neutral worlds across the galaxy are abandoning their former beliefs and are picking sides in this conflict. Raydonia does not have what it takes to support an army… let alone survive a battle of any magnitude." Felani pressed. "We are just simple colonists trying to survive."

"We understand your concerns," Padme began.

"Do you?" Voe cut in. "Or do you simply want to ensure your new ships from Botajef can bombard our people into submission?"

"As much as you want fresh droids from Akiva to kill our soldiers?" Padme retorted.

"The Republic knows nothing of neutrality. They would rather gobble up everything they can and horde the rest. They are only interested in what is good for them and nothing more." The Avto Senator remarked rather cuttingly.

"That is a lie." Padme stated firmly. "We hold true to the precepts of freedom and democracy."

"If that were true, the Confederacy would not exist in the first place." Voe interrupted. "You speak of freedom and democracy, and yet it is the very lack of freedom that sparked this conflict."

"You mean when your council was free to kidnap me and feed me to the wild beasts of Geonosis?"

"I mean when the senate pushed the Trade Federation to the brink of collapse by taxation. The invasion of Naboo was a means to be heard amid your crushing 'freedom' and 'justice'. And what did the Queen of Naboo do in the face of such adversity? She ran. To get a bigger stick." Voe rose from her seat. "Governor Felani, with all respect, you cannot trust the Republic to openly respect your neutrality. The Seprartists will gladly do as such, and we'll double our supply drops in the process." She promised. Padme, fit to be tied, stood as well.

"The Separatists cannot be trusted to hold a single promise either! Too often have the likes of Lot Dod and others been found in the very heart of corruption scandals. You ally with them and they will take more and more from you as time goes on, until Raydonia becomes a Separatist holding unknowingly."

"Senator Atell, Senator Amidala," Mina tried to intervene only to go unheard. From the sidelines, Bush and Hatch had now given the proceedings their undivided attention.

"What was that about 'you've been to one, you've been to them all'?" Bush wondered.

"Guess I spoke too soon." Hatch murmured.

"The Separatists stand for the commoner whose back is broken by the Republic's taxes and tariffs, their leaders growing fat off the hard fought gains that should rightly belong to the people!" Voe stated.

"While the corporations behind the Separatists take the cut instead, corrupt businesses growing richer and more corrupt every day! The Republic would rather see these possibilities neutered in giving the people the voice they are due, not just the opportunity for jobs!" Padme retorted.

"Which could easily be taken away at the wave of a Chancellor's hand!" Voe sniped.

"Better than to be unemployed than to be employed for so little while the employer gains tenfold!" Padme shot back.

"Please, everyone! This is not about us. This is about the Raydonians." Riyo finally piped up, rising from her seat to be seen and heard. "Yes, all of us have much to lose. But does that not mean the Raydonians have so much more at stake?" She asked them all. "These people depend upon the supplies Republic ships bring en route to Nag Ubdar to simply survive just as much as they depend on supplies brought by Confederate ships travelling to New Bornalex. And Republic ships refuel here just as much as Separatist ships do. We need them and they need us, surely that is grounds for agreement." Padme and Voe backed off their more aggressive stances, letting Riyo's words sink in. "We should put aside thoughts of our gains and losses, and think only about what the people of Raydonia stand to gain… and lose."

Her fellow senators began to slowly nod in agreement, with Felani Nadmar warmed by her words of goodwill. From his standing position, even Wraith was impressed. He had expected the Republic to behave in the way Padme had been; vying for enough goodwill in order to get the best deal possible for themselves. Riyo Chuchi's selfless proposal was… unexpected in his eyes. A shift that defied his understanding of how Republic senators acted.

Either this is some elaborate scheme to win over the Raydonians, or she genuinely wants to help them. How curious. Here I thought all Republic senators want is to help themselves to whatever large portion they can wrap their greedy mitts around. I wonder what your game is Senator Chuchi…

"Thank you for your words, Senator Chuchi. On behalf of Raydonia we appreciate your generous vocal support." Felani proffered.

"Every now and then, cooler heads prevail." Mina agreed. "I agree that we must focus on the interests of the Raydonians… and I have a proposition." She added. "Perhaps we could unanimously agree to uphold your neutrality by enforcing a ceasefire-zone in this system. Should Republic and Separatist ships encounter one another, they are not to open fire so long as they are within the understood territory of the Raydonian system. Anything beyond Raydonia is open, this planet is for conducting settlement business and business only." She explained. Felani nodded, seemingly to take a shine to the proposal.

"This will guarantee our regular supply drops?" She asked.

"Of course. It comes with honouring your sovereignty." Mina affirmed.

"The Corporate Alliance would like such a thing. It will increase the success rate of our freighters. Too many are shot down too regularly." Voe mused in agreement.

"Senator Amidala? Senator Chuchi? Are you willing to accept this proposal?" Mina asked her counterparts.

"Most certainly. Whatever will ensure that the situation of the Raydonians does not change. Only improve." Riyo confirmed.

"I agree with Senator Chuchi. Forgive my earlier overzealousness," Padme apologized, "I too am very interested in the welfare of the Raydonians." Felani nodded in understanding and acceptance.

"Then we shall legitimize this accord by putting it into writing." Mina determined. Before the senators could reach for datapads and styluses, the door guarded by the Clone troopers was thrown open as an older man wearing a long-eared cap stuck his head in. He appeared out of breath.

"Sorry to interrupt, but… Miss Nadmar, we've got a cargo hauler coming in hot. It's engines are in a bad way." He said, speaking directly to Felani. Quirking a brow, the dark-skinned woman turned and rose slowly.

"How bad are we talking?" She asked.

"As in I can see the flames from here." He responded. That seemed to spark an alarm in Felani.

"Gather whatever firefighting equipment we have. If they can make even a controlled landing, that fire needs to be snuffed out." She ordered urgently. She turned back to her diplomatic guests as they messenger left. "Forgive me, senators, but I must tend to this matter at once. The damage caused by an exploding vessel could cause serious damage that cannot wait for the next supply drop."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Mina asked as she and Padme rose from their seats.

"If you'd like to witness life on Raydonia firsthand, now's your chance." Felani remarked before hurrying out the door. The senators rose to watch and bear witness (each of them pondering individually if there was something more to be gleaned from watching something like this… perhaps an affirmation of the plight of the Raydonians living in such an isolated existence), moving out of the room as Wraith, Bush and Hatch followed obediently.

The group remained near the access as several Raydonian ground crews scampered about, preparing firefighting equipment as well as moving anything of value that could possibly be ruined by an exploding starship. High above them, A TZ-15 shuttle, trailing thick black smoke and plumes of fire from its aft, came thundering out of the clouds, its bow pulled sharply back as if the pilot were attempting to slow its descent. It's efforts appeared to be in vain as gthe transport rushed to meet the ground at breakneck speed. The Raydonians prepared for the worst.

"Senator, I must insist we move you back inside." Hatch urged Padme.

"There may not be a need, trooper. Look. The vessel's trajectory is too sharp. It will pass the settlement entirely." The Naboo woman observed. Her statement soon proved correct. The TZ-15 droned overhead, bypassing the settlement by a hair's breadth and causing many of the local buildings to rattle and tremble from the wash of its thrusters before it disappeared behind them and was lost to the thick Raydonian jungle.

The only evidence to confirm its existence was the thunderous boom of a crash landing.

The diplomatic party moved closer to their respective shuttles for a better view, seeing no telltale signs of debris apart from a column of smoke reaching into the scarlet sky. "Sergeant Cobalt, any idea how close the wreckage could be?" Padme wondered. The trooper lowered his rangefinder for a better idea, scanning the immediate area.

"Looks like between one and two klicks, ma'am." He answered shortly.

"There could be survivors." Riyo said as Felani joined them.

"Perhaps. But I'd rather not risk my people. With the way it's aft was ablaze, there's a good chance it could go up in a fireball at any second." Felani explained. Their brief conversation was enough to cement Wraith's opinion on the subject, for more than one reason.

"Senators. As a gesture of good will, permit me to investigate the crash site while you work on the accord with the Raydonians. If there's anything worth reporting back, I'll do as such." He offered to Voe and Mina. Mina nodded in understanding and agreement.

"A splendid idea, soldier." The older woman affirmed. "Miss Nadmar, is this alright with you?" She asked and Felani nodded.

"Perfectly. Thank you for being so willing to undertake such a risk."

"As security detail, I have to think of the well-being of the lives entrusted to my care." Wraith told her. "Explosions rank high on my list of concerns." With that he started moving, believing entirely that the Republic would not make a move against Separatist senators for fear of sparking an intergalactic incident.

As he took his leave, Mina looked to those standing with her. "While we wait for his return, let's set about this new Raydonia Acoord, shall we?"

It was easy to track the crashed ship. If the plume of billowing black smoke wasn't enough of a beacon, then the churned up ground and overturned foliage certainly was.

Tromping through jungle underbrush to reach the wrecked vessel, Wraith set his scanners on maximum range and swept the area, seeking out possible survivors. The intense heat from the flaming aft was screwing with his thermal imaging, forcing him to resort to infrared and biometric scanners to make any progress. The closer he drew, the more intensely the temprature rose until he could feel the heat from the burning engines through his armored duster.

He rounded the perimeter of the ship, stepping over fallen trees and scorched foliage as he noted the impact had broken the transport's back. The ship rest on the ground, the bulk of its engines weighing down the rear while the bow portion dipped into upturned dirt, a chasm of shattered metal and shorn cables highlighting the breakage.

Beyond the current reach of the fire, Wraith drew close enough to climb inside, using the broken frame of an external access panel to wrench open a suitable door. He triggered the electrical scanners in his optics and began scouting out the craft from within, immediately taking note of its configuration as well as the manufacturing design. "MandalMotors…" He murmured under his breath. It wasn't exactly a common design, almost something of an exclusive number to Mandalore and it's surrounding systems. What was a Mandalorian-built craft doing this far out in the Outer Rim?

Tracing power conduits with his optics, Wraith moved towards the central engineering room in order to access the ship's hardwired data tracks. Accessing that information would be able to tell him most of what he needed to know about the vessel. In the super-soldier's mind it seemed oddly coincidental for a shuttle to crash the same day an important diplomatic meeting was held and he wanted to find out more about what was going on.

Using his prodigious strength to crack open the access door to the engineering room, Wraith was greeted by the sight of a softly glowing power core that seemed perfectly intact. The room was dimly lit otherwise, suggesting a lack of power in this area. The crash likely responsible. Wraith made several broad steps into the room, making for the nearby console bank….

All of a sudden, white lights flicked on in the room as a thrum of power filled the isolated room. Wraith had no time to react before a ray shield generator powered up and filled the room wall to wall with an impenetrable energy field.

Stopping short, Wraith looked around as his scanners pinpointed the truth and the danger it presented. "Ray shield." He hissed under his breath and his mind entered overdrive. This was to trap anyone who came searching, thinning the numbers of those left behind. His mind immediately went to the senators and his earlier concerns about such a coincidental crash landing amid diplomatic talks. He jumped to his comms. "Wraith to diplomatic envoy, come in!" Static responded to his hailing. He tried again. "This is special agent Wraith contacting Confederate Diplomatic Envoy, do you copy?" Silence again. The droids manning the Sheathipede would've received his call by now. His comms were jammed, either naturally by the effects of the all-encompassing ray shield or via a very purposeful jammer. That reality left him to face a very disquieting fact.

This isn't a crash… it's a trap.

Unbeknownst to the sudden peril they were facing, the four senators returned to their work of hammering out an accord while Felani darted in and out as she coordinated her people in the aftermath of the near-miss shuttle crash. Amidst all this, the sudden arrival of an Action-VI transport, a Corellian-built long-hauling vessel, took the Raydonians by surprise. It requested to land, citing refueling as its intention, which was not out of the ordinary.

What was out of the ordinary were the two GAT-12 Skipray Blastboat starfighters seeming flying escort. It was odd enough for a random Corellian freighter to appear out of nowhere, but along with two Sienar-made starfighters? Many of the Raydonians began to suspect that something was not right…

The moment armed mercenaries stormed down the Action-VI, their suspicions were abruptly confirmed.

Sergeant Cobalt, sensing trouble, stood up and shouldered his DC-15A rifle while motioning for his men to form up behind him. "This area is off limits. Turn back now." He stated firmly, expecting them to at least stop. What he was not expecting was for three of the mercenaries to open fire with their weapons simultaneously. As Cobalt fell dead with a mess of scorch wounds dotting his chest, the mercenaries kept firing. A third of his brothers fell dead before the others could get their arms up. The surviving Clones only managed to kill two of the mercs before they were also gunned down.

Within the meeting room, Bush and Hatch were quick to react as the senators heard the cries and shots. "What was that? What's going on?" Padme wondered.

"Sergeant? What's going on out there?" Bush questioned over comms, receiving only static in response. Without warning, a blade was shoved through the door and pierced through Bush's neck, killing him with a shower of arterial spray.

"Kriffin' hell!" Hatch cried out as the senators gasped and shrieked in sudden horror. Snapping his DC-15 into action, he primed the charge and waited anxiously for a new target. The blade through the door, pulled back, and a second blade joined it to carve a peephole through the metal. Hatch wasted no time firing through the gap, only to be met by a sudden cluster of fire that struck him in the visor and killed him instantly. His body collapsed beside Bush's, the senators rising and seeking safety further within the room. Sparks from a small, controlled explosion pierced through the cut door, the four women jerking as it was ripped open by the built-in safety controls.

First inside was a Talortai; a scaly avian species carrying a pair of vicious-looking blades. He was followed by multiple armed mercenaries poured into the room, trapping the senators against a far wall with blasters trained on them. They held still, fingers on triggers. The women did not move. Then another man entered, looking vastly different from the other mercenaries. He was burly and broad-shouldered, with long white hair braided into thick dreadlocks. He wore a nerfhide jacket over a simple shirt, his thumbs tucked into a belt boasting a massive skull-shaped buckle. The gleam in his dark eyes could only be described as malignant. No good could ever be associated with this man.

"I demand to know why you have interrupted these diplomatic proceedings!" Mina said sternly. The man stepped forward with a swagger in his step.

"My name is Albedus Zann of the Zann Consortium. And you four are going to make us very rich men." He said with a wicked grin.

The ray shield was a solid wall keeping him trapped entirely within it's sphere of influence. It took some time to think and, after exploring his very limited options, Wraith's only solution was to dig his way out.

Ripping open a floor panel, Wraith primed two thermal detonators and dropped them into the space in the floor. They exploded seconds later, ripping through the thinner internal components of the shuttle while igniting power junctions and ambient fuel lines. Triggering his infrared vision and sealing the vents of his helmet, he snapped open the panel on his right gauntlet and fired a micromissile into the hole he'd created.

The following explosion threw him off his feet and caused the lights in the room to flicker rapidly. Picking himself up, Wraith dove into the hole he'd created and snapped out one of his arm blades, hurrying to hack through the thin remainder of the floor. Whatever this plot was, he had no doubt it involved the senators. Their wellbeing depended on him and no trap would ever stop Wraith when he was driven and focused… hellbent on his mission.

The fact that the shuttle had cracked nearly in half helped, with the composition of the ship destabilized to a fragile degree. His combined strength and sharp cutting instruments was enough to tear his way through the remainder of the shuttle, and Wraith soon crawled into upturned ground strewn with sharp pieces of debris and soaked with vessel fluids. Clambering to his feet, the super-soldier wasted no time bolting back towards the Raydonian settlement, breaking from a run into a dead sprint within seconds. Forest quickly gave way to buildings and, rounding the meeting hall, Wraith's fears were confirmed when he found the door controls sparking wildly and dead Clone troopers on the floor. Felani Nadmar was kneeling beside one of them and looked up at his sudden presence. "They took the senators!" She exclaimed.

The sudden roar of engines drew Wraith's attention to the settlement's primary landing pad, where the Action-IV transport was taking off and he put two and two together. He had only seconds to react.

Making a few adjustments to the launcher stored in his right gauntlet, he stretched out his arm, took aim, and twitched his index finger. A tracer dart erupted from the barrel and struck the port side thruster cowling, securing itself before the vessel lifted into the air. Wraith noted how speedily they ascended into the atmosphere, taking off with haste along with their Skipray blastboat escort. Then he looked to Felani.

"Tell me exactly what happened here." He demanded.

"That transport showed up without warning and about a dozen mercs rolled out, killed your men and held mine at bay while they took the senators and forced them onboard." She explained, rising to face him, coming just short of his chin. "It was over within moments."

"They came prepared. This was their intention." Wraith realized.

"What are we supposed to do now? Those senators were here at Raydonia's behest." Felani queried worriedly. Wraith was already contemplating exactly that and a plan was forming in his mind.

"Contact your respective representatives and let them know what's happened here." He commanded while advancing towards the Sheathipede that brought him here.

"What are you going to do?" Felani questioned. Wraith took his time answering, keying in a command on his gauntlet that prompted a map to appear on his HUD. A singular beacon began reporting back to him, relaying information from the transport he'd tagged. In time he would know exactly where the senators had been taken, which played directly into his answer to Felani Nadmar's question.

"I'm going to rescue the senators." Wraith stated, plainly and decisively.

Some time later…

Located located fairly close to the galaxy's major population centers in the outskirts of the Inner Rim Territories, Myrkr was close to the borders of the Expansion Region within the system of the same name. A heavily forested world, Myrkr's surface possessed a scant number of urban areas like the unobtrusive port town of Hyllyard City; and although it served as the largest urban settlement and the commercial hub of the planet, its inhabitants mostly consisted of smugglers, malcontents and fugitives from other worlds. Since the planet attracted little attention, it was frequently visited by all kinds of outlaws, which were known to build secret bases in the depths of Myrkr's forests.

One such base was Wraith's target.

In orbit above the planet, the Sheathipede shuttle was following his tracking beacon planted on the Action-IV transport and it had led him here. Somewhere, on the planet below, the four senators were languishing in captivity. Luckily Wraith had an approximate location of where they were and had every intention of doing some 'breaking and entering'.

He stood in the cockpit along with the two droid pilots. "Take us down. Close to the beacon." He ordered and the droids did as told. The green of Myrkr loomed larger until it consumed the viewport, a mass of color giving way to individual trees that covered the planet seemingly from hemisphere to hemisphere.

"Uh, sir? Our sensors are acting up." One of the pilots announced, tapping a metallic hand against the forward console. "We're no longer getting an accurate fix on the signal." Wraith grunted in acknowledgment. He'd read about this. Myrkr also possessed unique trees which were known to have a high metal content and systematically interfered with many sensor scan devices.

"Lock in on the last known affirmative fix. We'll go by visual scanning." He stated.

"Roger roger." The droid replied, banking down lower. Trailing. the data feed to the nearest possible point, Wraith adjusted his telescopic field and noted a clearing in the trees up ahead, with enough geometric shapes to suggest a base of operations.

"There. Up ahead." He gestured. "Find a clearing and set us down, I don't want to risk getting caught by scanners." The droids took a moment, figuring out where best to maneuver the sizeable length and width of their vessel with so many dense trees below them. A small yet suitable clearing soon appealed to them and they set down, not without a gratuitous amount of scraping from passing branches.

"What now, sir?" One of the droids asked once they had settled.

"Keep the thrusters hot and be ready to leave on my signal." Wraith ordered, making to leave. He drew both pistols, checking the charge. He had already counted up his ammunition reserves as well as his equipment on the flight over. He wanted to be doubly certain he had what it took to accomplish this. Even more important was his cloaking device; a must-have for a mission like this. Time was of the essence and he couldn't waste it on random, needless fights.

He left the shuttle and triggered his cloaker. From his perspective, there was no visible change. But to anyone else his body would have shimmered until a refractive field allowed him to blend in with his surrounding environment, allowing his entire form to disappear from view and remain invisible to the naked eye. Now in such a state, Wraith wasted no time breaking into another dead sprint. The sooner he reached that base the better, and while his sensors remained unreliable when it came to tracking his tracer beacon, the fact the coordinates remained a match was enough proof for him to infiltrate this base.

The senators needed him and he would be there. No matter what.

The base in question had no walls, which was a good thing. But from his vantage point at the edge of the forest, Wraith could see there were a great many buildings, ranging from storehouses to gunnery emplacements and even fortified shield generators. Clearly this was no average band of mercenaries. They were established, well-organized. He was vaguely reminded of the Ohnaka Pirate Gang on Florrum and the super-soldier shuddered in revulsion.

Moreover, many of the buildings bore markings. A singular symbol, each one identical; angular, jagged, pointed at the bottom. The mark of the Zann Consortium, one of the forces of corruption in the galactic underworld that was growing daily.

With this understanding in mind, Wraith hurried to plot his course. To do so, he needed to think like the consortium.

If I'm going to keep a high-priority politician prisoner, I want them in a location I have total control over. He adjusted his optics, zeroing in on the largest building in the centre of the base. Looks like a command centre. Probably has holding cells, if the pirate base on Florrum is anything to go by.

His course decided, he dashed into the base, pausing behind buildings and conserving his speed for quick sprints between cover. The last thing Wraith needed was to be noticed via his footprints or a trail of dust kicked up by his movement. He stole through the base like a seasoned operative, remaining silent and unnoticed, like a ghost among the living. He was grateful for the lack of mercenaries on foot, but counted the possibility that the majority of them could be in this central building.

It was a risk he'd have to take.

Making his way towards one end of the building, he paused near a corner and waited as several human mercs emerged from a rear door, pulling out cigarra to enjoy an afternoon smoke. While the door remained open, Wraith snuck in before it closed behind him. His optics adjusted to the lightless environment, the corridor dimmer than the sun-bathed exterior with roof-fastened glowrods being few and far between. Now… where are the senators? Where are you keeping them…

To answer his question, he needed to start looking for evidence. The cloaked super-soldier began quietly traversing the hall, thanking Sipio for the noise-cancelling pneumatics installed in the tread of his boots. He triggered his thermal vision, seeking out a concentrated cluster of heat signatures that could be verified as four senators huddled together in a holding cell. Time was of the essence, he needed to make this search quick…

Elsewhere in the same building, Albedus Zann was feeling rather pleased with himself. Knowing how much both the Republic and Confederacy would be willing to pay for the safe return of their senators, he was facing a very handsome payday. "You are certain they will respond to our demands?" His second, Urai Fenn, questioned.

"Of course, Urai." Zann stated confidently. "We'll just give them both a little time to learn of their disappearance and panic. When the desperation sets in, they'll be willing to pay any price I set."

"I do not trust them. They have a cunning that comes with age. Wily, unpredictable, say one thing and mean another." Urai growled. "Do not expect things to go as smoothly as you hope, Albedus." The human chuckled.

"You worry too much, Urai. The last time the Republic sent negotiators to barter for someone's release, Florrum happened."

"Even still, that is but one occasion. This is another." Urai pressed.

"Will it put you at ease if I promise to be careful?" Albedus wondered with a grin and a snicker. Urai merely grunted his assent. "If that's all settled, I need you to make a delivery for me."

"What kind?" Urai asked. In response, Albedus held up a data card.

"The sensitive kind." He said knowingly, turning it over to the Talortai. "The usual kind." The glance they shared included many an unspoken word, both of them knowing exactly what was implied. "We'll make the ransom transmission after you've returned. That should give things enough time to stew." Urai plucked the data card from his fingers.

"Very well. I do enjoy a good display." He mused, earning a chuckle from Albedus.

"I know." The human said simply.

His thermal sweep had proven fruitful, albeit to a strange degree. Wraith had come across a room sporting seven thermal signatures, all grouped together in an odd way. He crouched outside the room, hearing muffled noises from a nearby door as he watched one of people within be held firmly between two others. Four others hovered nearby, encroaching slowly upon the one entrapped.

By the time Wraith was standing by the door, the one figure had been thrown to the floor and set upon by the other six. With his mission in mind, very few other possibilities were aroused by the actions he was witnessing. He didn't know if this was one of the senators, but if it was, she needed his help.

His wrist blade shorted the door controls and Wraith flicked off his cloaking device as he bolted into the room. Vaulting a table, he counted six men of varying species, as well as a flash of blue on the floor beneath them. Within a second his mind had already plotted a tactical approach. He needed to make little noise and dispatch of all six as quickly as possible.

He took them by surprise, striking with a clothesline that flipped one merc head over heels, an action that drew the attention of the others. Wraith quickly stopped down on the back of the fall merc's neck, killing the Weequay by snapping his spine under his boot. Then the others were upon him, as anticipated, and Wraith moved to deal with them. Executing a high kick aimed at the Duros nearest the adjacent wall, Wraith's boot-blade popped out of the toe seconds before impact, spearing his cranium and smashing him against the wall with enough to send green blood flying. He retracted his foot just as another human came plowing into him, Wraith hook his arm around his neck to trap him by his side before he wrung his head hard enough to hear the organic crunch of snapping bone.

Tossing his body aside, Wraith spun around and drove an elbow into the next advancing mercenary, crushing the Zabrack's nose with his elbow before he popped his blade and completed his spin while decapitating him. Then another human stormed him, leaping ahead to try and tackle the super-soldier to the ground. He succeeded in pushing Wraith back against the nearby table, before a powerful double-axehandle punch knocking the wind out of him and freed Wraith up to grab his head and snap his neck with a vicious twist.

The final mercenary rushed him and Wraith bent low, positioning himself to scoop the merc off his feet and over his shoulders. Continuing his fluid movement, he threw the merc into the table beside him, splintering it as his body crashed through and to the floor. A crescent kick connected with his face, the heel of Wraith's boot crushing his nose with a wet splatter of blood as he took the merc out of the fight.

With the consortium thugs disposed of, Wraith turned to find the seventh in the room. To his surprise he found Riyo Chuchi on the floor, looking rather pale and very frightened as she lay wide-eyed and panting for air. Her pantsuit was dirty and ruffled from the eager hands of the mercenaries, not to mention her dress pants had been pulled down some, revealing a very round, and very full, pale blue derrière.

Startled by her state while something within him burned at the thought of what these mercenaries would have done had he not intervened, Wraith cleared his throat and fixed his eyes on Riyo's, refusing to look any lower. "Senator Chuchi." He rumbled. "Are you injured?" It took some time before Chuchi was able to find her voice again.

"N-No." She stammered out.

"Can you walk?" Wraith inquired, striding closer.

"Y-Yes, I… I can." He decided. The super-soldier nodded and looked away.

"I'll give you a moment to get decent." Realizing her state of partial undress, her cheeks turning a much darker shade of blue, Riyo hurriedly hiked her pants back up over her rump before she took a turn clearing her throat. "Thank you." She whispered quietly, not knowing what else to say. Wraith turned and helped her up.

"The other senators are here too?" He asked.

"Yes. We were all forced into the same cell… until recently." She explained, fidgeting nervously while looking around the room. Seeing her state, and understanding entirely, Wraith felt moved. An odd feeling given how she represented the enemy, but her plight was a universal one. Regardless of which faction supported in a war, no one should ever be subjected to such an assault. In his eyes, the galaxy was better off with these six in it.

"Can you lead me to them?" He asked, as gently as he could. "I will not let anyone else harm you." The added promise did good for Chuchi's spirit. She'd seen him in action and (with sufficient evidence before her) now believed his every word.

"You're… You're going to rescue us? Even Senator Amidala and myself?" Chuchi wondered with big eyes. That was a reality Wraith had been battling since he made landfall. Of course, his priority would always be Mina and Voe, and a small part of him wouldn't mind seeing Padme be forced to contend with these mercenaries, so long as it kept her out of galactic limelight for a while. But now seeing the breadth of the danger facing them… if six consortium mercenaries felt free to try their luck with poor Riyo, what wouldn't they try with the others?

Hondo had better manners than this.

"By rule I shouldn't, you know. But the rules have just changed." He rumbled in response. "If this is what they see fit to do with you in the meanwhile, I refuse to let that happen to anyone. Regardless of allegiances." His piece spoken, Chuchi remained silent and simply stared at him for a time afterwards. Wraith could see it in her eyes, a conflict deep down in her soul that went unspoken. "What?"

"It's just… it sounds like a very odd thing to say. For a Separatist soldier." Chuchi meekly replied, slowly finding her vocal confidence. "You're not exactly how the HoloNet paints you."

"And you're not exactly how the Confederate Senate paints Republic senators." Wraith responded in turn. "Now as much as I'm sure you have what it takes to continue this, I'd rather see you continue outside of this place. Can you lead me back to the others?"

"Yes. Of course." Riyo agreed.

They took their leave together, stealing through the halls as Riyo guided him down lefts and rights. Thankfully, she was so petite in build and lacking in any excessive accessories that she was virtually silent in her own right, a fact Wraith was willing to appreciate. Given his encounter with Padme Amidala aboard Malevolence and his knowledge of her other exploits, she would have made plenty more noise than he would have preferred.

He would have to assert himself as the one in charge of this rescue. Riyo would be willing to fall in line (after such a gratuitous rescue) as would Mina and Voe. But Padme? Wraith had his doubts.

Only a small handful of mercenaries stood between them and their goal, each one easily executed by Wraith as his combat knife slit their throats with silent, deadly ease. Riyo did not yet seem repulsed by his actions and he was curious as to what made her so accepting. They soon found the cell and Riyo broke her place behind Wraith to reach the door. "Padme!" She called out in a hushed tone. Her fellow Republican was by the barred door in a heartbeat.

"Riyo! Thank Shiyara." Padme breathed in relief. "How did you escape them?"

"I had some help." Riyo said as Wraith loomed into view. Padme backpedaled as Voe and Mina took their turn to breathe sighs of relief.

"Wraith!" Mina whispered delightedly.

"I knew he wouldn't let us down. Separatist armed forces at their finest." Voe proclaimed.

"Keep your voices down and, above all, stay calm. I will get you out of here." Wraith promised, popping his arm blade and splitting the locking mechanism in two. He pulled the door open and Riyo readily received Padme as Mina and Voe emerged behind her.

"They said they were going to hold us hostage. Force the Republic and the Confederacy to pay ransoms for our return." Mina explained.

"Hm. Shades of Hondo all over again." Wraith muttered. "I have a ship stationed just beyond the perimeter. The four of you will have to do what I say if we're to get out of here before they notice you're gone." Padme was the one to catch on to his use of their description as a group and not just the two Separatist senators.

"Wait… you're actually rescuing us? You're not just leaving us to the whims of these mercenaries?" Padme questioned, somewhere between surprised and suspicious.

"I'm sure you're used to leaving Separatists behind to die, senator. But I operate on a different wavelength." Wraith grunted. "I'm in this to make the galaxy better, Amidala. That includes helping people out of difficult situations placed there by forces beyond their control." The subtle allusion did not go unnoticed by Padme, who frowned slightly. "We need to move. Quietly. There aren't many mercs roaming the halls, which will work in our favour. Follow me and stay close." He ordered.

But before he could take another step, a clamour at the end of the hall jerked his attention to the arrival of a small squad of mercenaries, all of them armed and armored. That was a real wrench in his plans. They had stumbled onto his infiltration long before he hoped they would. "There they are! Don't let him escape with the senators!" One of them shouted. Wraith quickly broadened his stance to shield the senators with his body as he drew his pistol and opened fired, killing two in quick succession as blaster rounds ricocheted off his armor.

"Now what?!" Padme demanded over the din of blasterfire. "Which way do we go?"

"In the opposite direction of them!" Wraith decided. "Go!" The senators ran and Wraith followed, firing off rounds from his pistol as he did. The mercenaries continued to fire, rounds striking off his back as the super-soldier pushed the senators onwards. They came to a crossroads, a choice to go left or right. But an approaching squad of mercenaries from the right forced their hand. Wraith darted between the groups and fired repeatedly, pumping rounds into the cluster of mercenaries. He kept the senators moving, determined to protect them.

Unfortunately, their only path forward led them to the one place Wraith didn't want to be.

Up ahead was a mess hall, in the middle of the building, open, exposed, and full of consortium mercenaries. The five came to a sudden halt as they reached the hall, finding themselves entirely beset by ready mercenaries. On an upper catwalk, Albedus Zann leaned against the railing and sneered down at them. "Well well well, who have we here? Someone trying to ruin my big score?" He wondered aloud as the five were surrounded. "You didn't think this far ahead, did you?" Wraith stayed silent, analyzing the situation from behind his optics. He tried counting up the mercenaries but lost focus when each of the senators was taken by one, held at blasterpoint across from him. "I'm not a big fan of people taking my things, so I'm going to make this short and sweet: put the senators back in their cell… and kill the Sep." Albedus ordered.

"With pleasure, boss." A human on the floor replied, advancing on Wraith with rifle raised. The super-soldier did not move an inch. He observed their overconfidence, their strong belief that they had the upper hand over him. Wraith chose to not cave to the immediate desire to free the senators. Playing this smart was the only way to guarantee victory.

The consortium thug believed Wraith was frozen in place because he had no other option, that they had exposed his weakness in the form of the senators. But they had not. Wraith was just waiting. Biding his time. Waiting for the right moment…

To strike.

Popping his arm blade the moment the barrel of the rife was an inch away from his chest, a clean swing cut the merc's head clean off and he fell dead. Firing from the hip, the super-soldier promptly killed all four of the mercs guarding the senators with headshots. The shrieked in terror but hurriedly huddled together as their captors fell dead. "Hide! HIDE!" Wraith roared, kicking over a table for them to get behind. The women ran as Wraith turned and fired on the squad behind him, cutting down half with rapid-fire pistol rounds as more mercs brought their weapons to bear on him. But the senators were safe now, leaving just him and the Zann Consortium.

Now he could go all out.

He drew his second pistol and fired on those closest, killing them instantly as blaster bolts bored into their faces, churning flesh and bone to liquid goo as they fell dead. More opened fire from behind the counter where food was served and he shot them dead too with clean headshots. There were plenty of them around to make up for their dead comrades, however. Wraith needed crowd control.

Having spent his two thermal detonators escaping from the TZ-15 shuttle, the diplomatic Sheathipede did not have spare thermals on board, forcing him to improvise.

Opening the cartridge slot of his left pistol, a flick of his wrist sent the power cell within streaking towards the cluster of mercenaries. Twisting and firing under arm, a direct hit detonated the energy cell amid the mercenaries, the fiery wave of destruction killing those closest and bowling over those further away. Now with some room to spare, Wraith slotted a fresh cell into his pistol… one marked with a white stripe to indicate a plasma additive.

Turning and firing on the remaining mercs near the entrance, a single shot sent one cartwheeling head over heels as successive explosive rounds blew the men apart, leaving chipped permacrete behind as evidence to his destructive abilities. But as Wraith turned to fire on the rest of the mercenaries, he noted a distant door opening to allow more into the mess hall. Trying to make this a numbers game… like a fefze swarm. He realized as he pulled the trigger and dispersed another group of mercs with a high-powered shot. Gotta thin their ranks now or else blasters won't cut it.

Sliding back the panel on his right gauntlet, Wraith adjusted his launcher settings before taking aim at the new cluster and firing his last micromissile. The projectile detonated within the midst of the mercenary group, sending bits and pieces of sentients flying in every direction as smoke and flame filled the distant end of the mess hall. A stray mercenary capitalized on the chaos to lunge forward and into Wraith, knocking him into a nearby table and sending his pistols tumbling from his hands. Popping both arm blades, one speared the merc in the back while the other was driven into his shoulder, spilling blood and eliciting screams as Wraith used his leverage to throw the man aside.

Just as his blades disappeared back into his gauntlets, another human merc rushed him, knife raised and poised to plunge. Wraith promptly grabbed his sides and lifted him into the air, turning and slamming him down upon a tabletop. His neck hit the far end, bent over backwards and then snapped on impact. Another mercenary, a Nikto, sought to try his luck in a melee bout, only to have Wraith lift him up off his feet, turn him over and drive his head clean through the edge of the same table, breaking a chunk off as the merc's head hit the ground, neck bending at an awkward angle before the organic crunch of breaking bone resounded from his overextended joint.

As he turned to tackle more mercenaries, Riyo Chuchi couldn't help but poke her head out from behind the table she and the senators cowered behind. Since bearing witness to his mighty battle prowess in saving her, something about the Separatist super-soldier intrigued the Pantoran. She'd always had a great deal of respect and admiration for men in uniform; seeing men who spend their life training to fight in defence of others, moulded to endure and survive the most extreme circumstances, someone capable of dominating adverse situations… and Wraith was proving to be unlike any soldier she'd ever encountered before. Watching him break a chair over a human's head and then promptly ram the shattered legs into the necks of a Duros and Weequay should have been repulsive. But Chuchi found herself entranced watching him fight, endure, dominate. The way he moved and fought with driven determination, like a force of nature cloaked in metal and sinew… it was almost awe-inspiring.

More mercenaries arrived at the command of Albedus Zann as Wraith holstered his collected pistols. Quickly analyzing the reinforcements, Wraith targeted the leading one first. Suddenly flicking his wrist, a pair of throwing knives speared a Mon Cala in his bulbous eyes. The mercenary screamed in agony as his vision was stolen from him, replaced with crimson darkness and pain. Quickly drawing his pistols, Wraith delivered a kill shot right between the eyes with two simultaneous shots. Mon Cala were aquatic, blubbery, their skin membranous and capable of absorbing water. Water boiled under intense heat (like the heat generated by blasterfire) but it could also absorb. As the Mon Cala fell to his knees, Wraith fired again. He had to make sure.

The merc nearest him snapped up a pair of holdout pistols and fired point-blank. The rounds bounced off armor like nothing, serving only to scratch the Separatist instead of wound him. Wraith turned and fired, killing him instantly.

There were plenty more to deal with.

A mercenary pounced on him from behind, trying to stab a blade into him with an overreaching hand. Sparks erupted as metal met metal, the thug succeeding in merely knocking Wraith's weapons from his hands. Triggering an arm blade, Wraith reached back and grasped the merc with his other hand, throwing the human over his head to the floor, where he thrust his blade clean through his chin, blade driving deep into his head. The human twitched, blood spilling from his chin and down his chest. The super-soldier pulled his blade free and lashed out with a pair of hook kicks that caused two rushing mercs to stumble. An overhead swing of his blade split the head of one in two, while he drew a slugthrower from behind and blew out the others' brains with an ear-splitting CRACK.

Surely that's got to be it. He thought as their bodies fell dead.

Turned out he was wrong.

The doors to the mess hall blew open as the Zann Consortium's finest hired guns, the Defiliers, burst onto the scene with weapons raised. "Hold it right there!" One bellowed. Wraith turned slowly towards them, his optics analyzing the heavier nature of their equipment. Clearly these were a higher caliber of reinforcements, more fodder that Zann wanted to use to wear the super-soldier down in order to claim the senators once and for all.

They drew closer as Wraith tensed, watching as one of them flicked the power gauge to maximum on his two-handed rifle. A burst of crimson fire belched from the barrel and Wraith raised his arm to ward off the round aimed for his face. Now the bolts came hard and fast, slamming into his armor and leaving scorch marks in their wake as Wraith felt the concussive impact of much heartier rounds. Distilled tibanna. More concentrated shots. Their equipment is above grade. He realized, actually wincing when two rounds struck the same place one after another. He shifted his body, narrowing his profile, drawing their attention to his gauntlet as they drew closer. Wraith withered the storm, catching a glimpse of the merc closest to him, and planned his next move. "Roast him alive!" One bellow as they poured on the heat. Wraith stood his ground, weathering the hail of blasterfire.

The instant the merc was within touching distance, close enough Wraith could distinguish his bright blue eyes from the dark of his skin, Wraith grabbed his knife and slit his throat before driving his blade clean through his skull on the back swing and slammed him into the nearest table. The blur of motion was enough to startle the other mercenaries, but only for a moment. "Kill him!" Another human shouted and the other nine mercenaries immediately attacked, lighting up Wraith with a renewed volley of unrelenting blaster fire. Pulling his blade from the mercs head, Wraith bolted ahead and crossed an arm before his face while sheathing his knife, seeking to draw the fire away from his body. His gauntlets could withstand the repetitive fire, as proven in many previous battles. He lunged forward and crossed the distance with a single push off the floor, crossing his other arm before his face while popping both of his arm blades. Wraith drove them into the mercenary in front of him, blood soaking his weapons and staining cloth as the mercenary cried out in pain. Wraith used his momentum to pin the human to the ground before he tore open his chest by wrenching his blades free.

Two down, eight to go.

Sheathing a blade, Wraith drew his left pistol and opened fire on the nearest mercenary. Plasma-infused rounds ripped right through the Quarren's armored torso, splattering blood and bits of innards across the ground. A gaping whole remained where his back used to be as the Quarren fell over, dead before he hit the ground. Shifting targets, Wraith sprang to his feet and spun around, beheading another human before he trained his fire on a husky Nikto, well-aimed blaster rounds striking one of the thermal detonators hanging from his belt. The Nikto merc had no time to even scream in terror before it exploded and consumed his body in a mighty fireball, the ensuing explosion blowing a couple mercs beside him off their feet as flames licked at their bodies. The detonation shattered a table in process, fragments striking Wraith and prompting two mercenaries to spring themselves upon him. He had seconds to shove his pistol into its holster before they were upon him with knives drawn. He fended them off with deft blocks and swings, parrying their blades with his own while kicking them down, their blades leaving grooves across his armor while failing to penetrate. Then the super-soldier spun around and decapitated both humans in a singular clean slice, splattering his armor with arterial spray.

Three more dead. Only five left.

Rounds pinged off his back as Wraith turned on the next mercenary: a Weequay with a blaster rifle. The consortium merc roared and opened fire, unloading a steady stream of blasterfire into Wraith. Moving quickly, Wraith vaulted over a table while drawing his other pistol, firing quickly to shoot the weapon out of his hands. Crossing the distance in a hurry, Wraith launched himself ahead and drove his knee into the Weequay's face, shattering his nose with a wet squelch. As the merc fell flat on the ground, Wraith took aim and killed him with a shot to the face at point-blank range.

The sound of a door opening drew his attention to more consortium mercenaries pouring into the room, more than he was willing to deal with one after another. Popping open the surface panel of his left gauntlet, he lifted his arm and twitched his index finger, firing off one of his needle canisters. The cylindrical device exploded in midair, showering the reinforcements with razor-sharp monofilament needles that immediately injected their payload of neurotoxic to attack the mercs' pain receptors. A dozen of them fell to the ground, screaming in agony as fire consumed their nerves, driving them mad with unrelenting pain.

That'll keep their numbers down. It's enough to juggle the safety of four senators.

Drawing his other pistol, Wraith turned on the other mercenaries and opened fire, a plasma infused round striking the middle consortium merc and killing him with an explosion of unstable tibanna gas, killing him outright as the concussive force knocked the other two to their knees. Sheathing the weapon in his right hand, Wraith drew his slugthrower and cut them both down with shots between the eyes, killing them both instantly.

"That's enough!" A commanding voice bellowed. Wraith whirled, slugthrower in hand and aimed at the owner… only to freeze in his place as a new situation was revealed.

A some point, Albedus Zann had entered the fray and was smart enough to drag the senators out from behind the table. Now he had Mina, Voe and Padme cowering in front of him, perfect meat shields, while Riyo was pulled close with a blaster against her cranium. "Drop your weapon if you don't want to see her brains fried." Albedus threatened. Wraith stayed stone-still, his pistol still aimed downrange. A single shot could kill Albedus, but he dared not risk him pulling his trigger first. The Republic spin doctors would have a field day if Riyo was killed during his rescue mission.

I made her a promise. No harm will come to her. And I am a man of my word.

"Drop it." Albedus insisted. Wraith did not, analyzing the situation. He looked at the weapon in his hand; a thinner blaster with a noticeably-long barrel.

More barrel than body. One shot could disable it, or miss the vitals entirely and leave it optimal. Can't risk it, I have to aim for the head. Be patient and wait… he'll give me an opening.

"Nothing to say?" Albedus wondered. "Guess that makes sense. You Seps wouldn't give a damn if a Republic senator died. Maybe you should just let me. I'd be doing you a favor." Again, silence in response and not an inch of movement from the super-soldier. "Choice is yours. Does she live or die?" Albedus demanded, hoping to get something out of Wraith. But all he earned was more silence… a silence that was becoming very unnerving. His gaze settled on his enemy, a man as big as he was if not taller, covered in scorched armor like he'd been through the most hellish battlefield. Yet he remained standing and capable of fighting. "I don't have all day, force-dammit! You give me your answer right now or else I'm gonna do something nasty with all of these schuttas and you'll just have to watch!" He threatened, tightening his grip on Chuchi. The Pantoran grunted in pain.

"You animal!" She rasped, kicking him in the shin. Albedus growled and turned his attention to her, pressing his weapon harder against her skull.

"Oh you don't think I will? I'll kill you! Believe me, I'll do it!" He bellowed…

His voice was drowned out by a familiar ear-splitting CRACK. His head rocked back and forth as blood dripped down his face, a scarlet river on either side of his nose. Loosing a gasp, Riyo untangled herself from his arm and scrambled to Padme's side as Albedus Zann fell over dead, a hole bored through his forehead as his brains painted the floor of the hall behind him for nearly two feet in length.

"I believe you." Wraith rumbled, lowering his smoking pistol.

Much later…

The Sheathipede shuttle touched down on Raydonia again, this time before a crowd of anxious onlookers including more than just Felani Nadmar and her people. In response to her urgent communique to the Republic concerning the brazen kidnapping of their diplomatic envoy, Aayla Secura and her 327th Star Corps had rendezvoused with Jedi Consular Maregar Klinger and her apprentice, Padawan Raagnarr Klaw, and made haste to Raydonia to get eyes on the situation.

It was this mixed crowd that was waiting at the foot of the boarding ramp. The senators descended first, Padme and Riyo followed by Voe and Mina, the four women looking slightly fraught and disheveled but otherwise alive and in one piece, prompting sighs of relief from the Jedi. "Senator Amida, Senator Chuchi! Thank the Force you're alive." Maregar exclaimed as she greeted them. The dirty-blonde Jedi was a mature older woman with much experience in dealing with the people and situations of the Outer Rim. "We did not know where you had been taken or who was responsible."

"Mercenaries, Master Jedi." Padme answered. "They had planned to hold us for ransom."

"How did you manage to escape?" Aayla inquired.

"We had help," Riyo began, "from an unexpected ally." At that moment, Wraith emerged from the shuttle and descended the boarding ramp. He stood head and shoulders above many of them, prompting a good look at his armor now stained with black scorch marks and flecks of blood. In return he surveyed the crowd, noting the way the yellow-striped 327th troopers tensed at his appearance, gripping their weapons tightly, as the Jedi seemed to also tense warily. He had not seen Maregar or her Barabel apprentice before, but he had heard of Aayla Secura.

He had never encoutered the Twi'lek Jedi before, having only ever heard of her from the HoloNet. Rumors abounded that she had some very explicit holos circulating the net, while the Republic claimed they were made by the Separatist propaganda department to cause controversy and smear the Jedi's name. He could certainly see why they'd make a fuss about her, her choice of attire not exactly helping things. The way her crop top revealed the smooth unblemished azure skin of her abdomen as well as exemplified a not-insignificant amount of cleavage-

The super-soldier gave his head a shake. First Riyo's bottom, now Secura's front. What the hell's wrong with me? Get it together, ASAP!

"Pardon my disbelief, Senators, but I find it hard to believe this Separatist saved your lives." Maregar commented.

"Then you'd better start believing, Jedi, because that's exactly what happened." Voe stated proudly.

"Yes. He saved me from a most horrendous fate at the hand of those brutes." Riyo added in affirmation. "We owe him our lives." To hear such words from a Republic senator was rather shocking. The Jedi quickly chocked Riyo's words up to youthful naivety. She did not know the monster he really was as they did.

"Well. It would appear today has been a day for strange happenings." Aayla mused.

"Quite right." Maregar agreed. "At least you are both safe. Come, we have medics ready to look you over." Without another word, the Jedi quickly guided their senators into the safety of their Clone troopers. But Riyo was having second thoughts about being whisked away so suddenly.

"Senator Amidala…." She whispered. "Doesn't Wraith deserve some sort of recognition for his efforts? Had it not been for him, I would've been assaulted by the consortium mercenaries!"

"Riyo… the Republic would never show recognition to a Separatist." Padme responded. "I understand how grateful you are, I would be too, but by publically accepting the aid of our enemy we weaken ourselves on the galactic stage."

"But…"

"I'm sorry. But, please, leave it be." Padme insisted. Riyo fell quiet, her gaze downcast as she was led onwards.

The Separatists, meanwhile, were far more vocal in their praise for their security detail. "If not for you, Wraith, I can't imagine what would become of us." Voe remarked aloud. "I'll see to it the Corporate Alliance gets you whatever you need, soldier." She promised him.

"I did not do it for a reward, Senator Atell." The super-soldier replied. "It is my job to ensure your protection. I would stake my life on my ability to perform."

"For which we are both eternally grateful." Mina concurred. "But, there is still work to be done. Voe, we have an accord with Raydonia to sign." The Avto senator agreed and walked away with Felani to find their datapads in order to complete their mission here. But Mina held back, hoping for a private word with Wraith. "I will be sure to send commendations to Count Dooku concerning your actions, soldier. Word of your actions will spread across the galaxy, and you deserve to be painted in the best light possible." She told him and Wraith nodded in acceptance.

"I will continue to fight in the fields, Senator. I'll leave the political arena to wordsmiths like you." He said.

"And yet if actions spoke louder than words, your efforts today would surely put me out of a job." Mina mused with a wry grin. "I'll have to tell my son all about this." Wraith cocked his head, earning Mina's attention again. "He is quite fascinated by you. Saves copies of all the headlines he can find from the HoloNet. It's been good for him to have a… role model to look up to. Ever since his father died." Her gaze took on a distant look as if suddenly plagued by memories of a former life.

"If I may… what became of him?" Wraith respectfully inquired. He was fully expecting Mina to tell him to mind his own business but he couldn't help but wonder about the lives of those he served and protected. To his surprise, she was willing to answer him.

"He was an officer in the Confederate navy, deployed to Aargonar to help with the establishment of a base there early in the war. The Republic attacked… and he was killed in action." She said simply. "It hit my son hard, so I was grateful when he found something… found you, to take his mind off the grief." Feeling rather touched by the impact his efforts had, Wraith nodded slowly.

"My condolences." He politely offered, clearing his throat as a sudden plan formed in his mind. "I'm… rather busy, but if I can find the time to visit Onderon, perhaps I could meet your son in person." He suggested and Mina looked to him with a twinkle in her eye.

"He would be elated to meet you." She said with a smile. "And after today, believe me when I say you are more than welcome at our home anytime, soldier." She stated, patting his arm.

Elsewhere in the galaxy…

Urai Fenn closed his holocom with a growl. The Talortai did not like received bad news, especially pertaining to something so important as his job and livelihood. But this left him in a rather intriguing position. A transition was at hand and he would be front and centre. He moved back into the room where a young man sat waiting, looking very much like his father with long white hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Your father is dead." Urai announced. Silence followed for a moment, his charge massaging his chin as the news sank in.

"What was the cause?" He asked.

"He bit off more than he can chew." Urai answered simply. There would be more time for the specifics later. "You are the heir to the Consortium. Your father's entire organization is yours to control." He said.

"Yes… it is mine now, isn't it?" The human chuckled. "It's ironic. I was nothing more than a nuisance to dear old dad. He shipped me off so I wouldn't get in his way. But here I am, running my own smuggling operation right here on Carida, proving I'm just as good as him." He mused, waving his hands at the luxury afforded from his ill-gotten gains.

"It would be wise to return now, put another Zann at the head of the consortium before any infighting begins." Urai suggested.

"Another Zann." The younger muttered, standing up to fix the Talortai with dark eyes. "I am not my father, Urai. You and the men on my payroll will have to learn that." He stated. "Right now they're very used to the way Albedus Zann ran things… one day they'll have to get used to the way Tyber Zann runs things."

AN: Hope y'all enjoyed the references. Forces of Corruption is a great game, is it not?