Chapter 15: The Hunters
"Heads up, Jas, we got another ship coming in."
Jas Dar Bynn nodded and quickly made for the stairwell, taking two steps at a time.
"I'm on my way, Burr, keep me posted."
"Copy that, boss, link you back in a few; if I have any updates."
The commlink clicked as Burr went back to his station, he was closer than Jas was, if anything strange was coming in, the enforcer would let him know.
Another ship, Jas thought, but is it Targo though?
He tried to keep both his expectations and frustrations in check.
No point in getting worked up, not yet.
Another ship was coming in…
…they would know more about it soon.
Likely another waste of time, he suspected, as the last four had been, but still…what choice did he have?
If there was even a chance this would be the one, he had to risk it.
Val's life might just depend on it.
For three days now, they had been watching. Ships coming and going with little clue of what was aboard. They had pushed the Gilded Claws engines hard to reach this place, the ship was now in dry dock, undergoing maintenance.
Rior had not been happy about that, but it couldn't be helped, and Jas had promised to reimburse her for any damages her ship might have suffered.
He was not without his own resources, after all, and besides…Val's life was worth it.
He was willing to go to any length to insure her survival and rescue.
Through the skill of Rior, and the tinkering of Shusk; they had arrived right before the deadline, and just been able to set up and watch. The Headquarters of Caetus shipping seemed to be what it claimed to be, a shipping conglomerate, one of many companies that had set up here.
Through the Force, Jas had felt nothing out of the ordinary, he sensed neither Val nor Targo.
He tried not to be disheartened, but he feared that the tec-dealer's warning might have scared off their prey, made him reschedule his delivery, or perhaps cancel it entirely.
Neither would be good…
…It would mean that they were back to square one…again.
Jas stepped through the door, and out onto the roof of the old apartment complex, a squat square building that jutted up amongst the rubble, a building that did not seem to fit in amongst the skyline, and certainly not as impressive as the structures around it, even in their state of disrepair and ruin.
You didn't have to look very hard to identify the structures that were here before the burning, they had the rounded edges of buildings favored by the humans in the core worlds, giving you an idea of what this place was like before.
No, this apartment building was likely built after the fall, probably during one of the many attempts to try and revitalize this place.
Another failed attempt, one of many…
He was not sure if the tenacity of the Republic should be admired or discouraged; sometimes…it was better to let things that had been lost, stay lost, but what did he know…
…he was barely a Jedi anymore.
For almost three hundred years, the Republic had been trying to breathe life back into this place, to bring back a dead world. So far, their attempts had been less than successful.
Taris…was a stubborn world.
Jas took a deep breath, and immediately regretted it, even today you could almost taste the ash on your tongue, what had happened here had been long ago, but still…the particles of everything atomized that day had still not settled, that was how bad the destruction had been…
Taris had suffered greatly, and that suffering had left an echo…
An echo that still continued to reverberate through the Force.
If anyone needed an example of the evils of the dark side of the Force; Taris fit the bill. Three centuries ago, it had been blasted down to its foundations by the Sith Empire of Darth Malak. The Dark Lord had not even waited to move his men off the planet, he had simply commenced bombardment without any provocation, rumor suggests that he had sought to kill several Jedi hiding among the populous, to kill them or flush them out where they could be captured.
The plan hadn't worked, the Jedi had escaped, and this world had suffered greatly for it. It had been an act of cruelty that had left its mark on the Force, even today…you could feel it.
Billions had died, and Taris, which had once been thought of as the Coruscant of the Outer Rimm, had become a graveyard overnight.
It was hard not to feel a sense of shame. Malak had been a Jedi once, trained by the order to protect the Republic…
…this…this is where that training had led.
We created a monster when the order trained Darth Malak, Jas thought to himself.
On some level…we are responsible for what happened here.
The Jedi cannot afford to forget that.
He stood atop the building and looked out over the ruined landscape, most of the city in this area remained broken, no repair crews had tried to restore the structures here. The building where he now stood was on edge of a zone reclaimed years ago, reclaimed, but still not the safest place in the galaxy. In the distance, you could make out one large pyramidal structure, just on the edge of yet another restored zone, a rounded building whose towers blazed with light, and seemed to radiated with a pride all its own.
The headquarters of Caetus shipping, a location they had gained from the coordinates they had taken on Nar Shadda.
Jas reached out with the Force, again, trying to get a sense of what was coming, or perhaps sense the presence of a certain sworn protector.
He frowned.
Nothing.
A disgusted sigh hissed from between his lips.
…still…nothing.
His team had the building surrounded, watching the various access points for anything suspicious. Despite their respected image, Caetus shipping had a security system rivaling most banking worlds, a desire for secrecy that bordered on paranoia.
An enigma to be sure, he thought.
He wondered what it was they were hiding? Something that certainly went beyond protecting mere trade secrets.
On the way here, he had contacted Coop, asked him to find out what there was to know about the company. As Vess had mentioned, they did have a presence on Bantoon, but had also managed to build offices on several other worlds, including Taris and Corellia.
Their reputation is clean, Coop had informed him, almost too clean. No workers' complaints, no signs of pay offs, or patronage, not even reports of petty criminal charges for the executives, no drugs or anything else.
Jas had nodded, when he had heard that.
Curious.
"Isn't that nice," he had said tapping his chin thoughtfully, "Almost too perfect."
Coop had given him that sly grin of his.
"My thoughts exactly, buddy. If something looks to good to be true, it usually is."
It was with that in mind that the group had staked out the offices here. They had needed to keep their distance to the extreme, Caetus had a fleet of security drones patrolling the area around their building. According to a local contact, the company was worried about not just competitors, but possible Rakghoul attacks, and used those drones to make sure that none of the diseased monsters got too close.
It made sense, Jas supposed, he had heard of the Rakghouls of Taris, vicious diseased monsters that had survived Darth Malak's attack, and had been able to expand beyond the lower levels of the planet thanks to the destruction.
Those drones also made it impossible to get any closer, not without tripping an alarm. So, Jas had to settle for the next best thing, they had set up observation posts around the building, watching all incoming traffic, and at the same time, looking out for weaknesses that they could exploit if and when the time came.
Jas had hoped to blitz Targo if he showed up, come in hard and fast, and take Val back before anyone could properly respond. It would be a tricky maneuver, but if they were careful and clever, he was sure it could be done.
His post was set up between two large cooling units. He had to crawl between them to reach it. The observation post was small, and he had to lay on his belly to look through the binocs. It was a bit loud in here, but it served a valuable purpose. The units not only hid him from view, but the noise they generated, not to mention the power flowing through them, baffled any curious drones that might turn its scanners on where he was hidden.
It was not the most comfortable of observation posts, but Jas had worked with worse.
He settled in, waiting for the ship Burr had said was coming to arrive. From here he would be able to project a scanning beam on their hull, checking what local computer system had to say about the new arrival, and, at the same time, he would be able to watch the landing with his binocs, see if he could spot anything suspicious.
Again, he felt a sense of doubt creeping into his head, they had been watching for days, and still…nothing.
He was trying not to get disheartened.
"See anything yet?"
"No," Jas muttered over his shoulder, he didn't need to glance up, even over the noise, the Force revealed who it was.
"Where is V'lek, Vess?" he asked the girl, "I thought he had this shift with me."
"He is checking out something with Quire," she responded, having to speak a bit louder so she could be heard over the din.
"Several speeders arrived at the south entrance; they are checking them out now."
Jas nodded.
That made sense, he supposed, still…
He sighed.
Once again; he found himself with Vess, alone…
He wasn't entirely comfortable about that.
She stood behind him, clad in her black combat suit, and the jacket he had given her years ago. A head wrap completed the look, covering her short blonde hair, and leaving only her face visible.
He had seen her before he had left the ship this morning, she had been eager, hoping that today would finally be about more than possibly wasted time.
He hated to admit it, but he hoped so too. A Jedi was trained to be patient, but…
He was growing tired of waiting.
He was eager for some action.
"We got another ship coming in," he informed her.
There was a brief pause.
"Is…is this the one we've been waiting for? Is Val aboard?
"Don't know yet, it should be coming in for a landing in a few moments."
"Ooh," the girl responded excitedly.
"I wanna see."
"Okay," Jas nodded, "Let me just…Vess…what are you…?"
The girl had not waited.
There wasn't a lot of crawl space, but there was enough, Vess managed to slide in next to him; the girl wiggled her way into the very tight space. Jas had needed to move over, he had needed to come up on his side to give her some room, and now…the young queen's body pressed close to his.
Her actions, not to mention the sudden closeness, left him flustered…
Great, he thought.
Here we go again.
Now…here they were, her shoulder pressed up against his chest, while she peered through the binocs looking out for the approaching ship.
Jas frowned.
She…what had…
ARGH!
What had she been thinking?!
He tried to crawl out, give her some space, but they were wedged in tight, too close together.
He tried to move his arm, but in doing so, his right hand drifted over the small of her back, almost touching her behind. He pulled his hand back quickly, as if not to get burned.
A silent curse came to his lips and went unsaid, he…
Uh oh.
The girl shifted slightly, her body rubbing up against his.
He fell silent, trying to back away, but finding no way to do so.
Damn, he thought with a mix of frustration and nervousness.
She was so close, he could smell her hair, and the sweet scent of clean skin.
He shuddered.
She was too close.
He found himself praying that his body didn't do anything to respond to her closeness…he…it…that…
He swallowed hard.
That…would be extremely embarrassing.
Again, Vess seemed oblivious to what she had done, and what she was doing, she only seemed to be focused on finding Val.
Though, she did giggle nervously.
"Well," she said smiling, "This is…a bit cozy, isn't it?"
He swallowed again, trying to deal with his rather dry throat.
"Y…yeah," he answered.
It was the only answer he could manage right now, trying very hard not to think of anything but their mission.
Vess...
He almost sighed.
She was TOO close.
The girl shifted again, trying to get more comfortable perhaps, her body rubbing up against his.
Oh, he thought feeling her every movement. He tried to slow his heart, resist the heat that was trying to fill him up.
Damn, he said with a shuddering breath.
He closed his eyes and focused on the Force.
Everything is fine.
Everything…is fine.
"I don't see the ship, yet," she said, "Are we sure it is coming here?"
"It," he said trying to keep his voice even, to will his now pounding heart to slow, "Is on the approach vector, Burr…he…he confirmed that."
Jas looked away, turning his gaze to the distant building.
"We…we should be seeing something any moment."
The girl nodded.
"Do you feel anything?"
Her comment, so innocent, almost made him burst out laughing.
He was feeling several things at that moment, thanks to her.
He would rather not discuss any of them.
She has to be playing with me, he thought.
No way is she this innocent!
She glanced over at him, her brow furrowing in that cute way that he had come to like.
"I hope this is it," she said, "We need to save Val."
The mention of the protector's name helped, Jas took a deep breath and nodded.
"Yeah," he said, "I agree."
The girl nodded and went back to watching for the approaching ship.
"Once we get Val back, we can finally start focusing on what really matters," she continued, "This…things like this, they are never gonna stop, not as long as my Aunt Adira remains on the throne of Bantoon."
"I can't say for certain that she had a hand in this," Jas reminded her.
"It doesn't matter," the girl replied, "It is all connected. It feels like it is all connected somehow."
He sensed a wave of grim determination from the young queen, a sense of resolve that eclipsed any other desires.
"My mother's throne is mine by right. I can no longer afford to think that it doesn't. The only way that we will be safe is if I reclaim it, if I put a stop to all the schemes swirling around me."
"It won't be that easy," Jas cautioned her.
"No, it won't be, but it must be done."
She sighed heavily.
"Once they no longer have Val's life to hold over me, we're going back. I'm returning to Bantoon and putting an end to all of this."
"I'm sure that both Val and your Aunt Dorma will be happy to hear that."
Vess glanced over, her large blue eyes hopeful, reminding him again of the little girl he had saved all those years ago.
"What about you, Mister Jas, will you stand by me?"
"I gave you my word," he reminded her, "I'll help you anyway that I can."
She smiled warmly, and returned her attention to the binocs.
Jas looked upon the girl fondly.
He couldn't help it, there…she was so much more than most people thought.
He admired her will and courage, the fact that she could get through his defensed at times was a bit shocking, but he was quickly coming to accept it. He…
Her expression turned wistful; he sensed a flash of sadness…
"It has been so long since I've seen Bantoon, so long since I walked its surface…
Her brow furrowed cutely again.
"The waterfalls of Torba, the candy beaches with their pastel-colored sands. There is great beauty on my world, Mister Jas, I want to show it to you. I want you to see what we are trying to save."
"You have something to fight for," he said with a nod, "Do not let go of that, it will keep you focused on what really matters."
She turned to him.
"And what of you?"
"Me?"
The girl nodded.
"Do you have anything to fight for? Why do you do this?"
Jas shrugged.
"It is the will of the Force. I started this when we met. I need to see this through."
"So…it is just duty then?" she asked with a frown.
"Is that it?"
He shrugged again.
"Does there have to be more?"
She pursed her lips, she didn't seem to like his answer, though he wasn't entirely sure why.
"I want to show you my world," she repeated, "You will see that there is so much more than mere duty."
He smiled.
"I thought your people didn't want outsiders seeing your world."
"You aren't an outsider," she replied, "You…you are…"
Jas felt something.
Vess had moved her leg over just a bit, the tip of her boot was now rubbing against his ankle, he could barely feel it, but it was there, and through the Force it felt like so much more.
His heart skipped slightly as he stared into her eyes.
"You are special, my knight," she said, "I want you to see my world, to be tempted by its beauty."
She blushed slightly.
"Is there nothing about my world that intrigues you? Is there nothing that you want to see?"
The girl smiled slyly, that dimple that he remembered appeared. He might have been wrong, but thought she might be pressing her chest against his.
"Is there nothing about my world that…tempts you?"
Jas was speechless.
Yeah, she wasn't as innocent as she pretended to be.
He…he…
He took a shuddering breath.
He wanted to answer her, but the question was not merely about a place, he understood that…he…
His commlink beeped.
"She is coming through now, Jas. You got eyes on the target?"
He shook his head, letting his emotions go. Vess' foot stopped moving. Jas looked away and took another deep breath, centering himself. He…he had been distracted for a few moments, but now he was back.
He sighed.
He looked away from Vess, seeing the first signs of the ship coming through the clouds.
"It is time," he told her.
"Let's see what we got."
IOI
They watched as the ship broke through the clouds. Landing lights flashed as the huge cargo ship began its final approach.
Jas pursed his lips at the sight.
A standard Corellian Long-haul series cargo ship. An insectoid-like vehicle holding cargo pods on each side with its eight retractable arms. A common enough ship in the shipping game, and a design that had been used for decades. Jas remembered back to his time with Clan Nuna, they had salvaged several such vessels over the years, and had always made a profit from the cargo that had been left ripe for the plucking.
This was the second time in as many days that they had seen such a vessel. The first one had spent much of yesterday evening docked with the building before setting out again.
Jas reached out with the Force, trying to get an idea of what the ship might be carrying.
Surprisingly enough, he felt nothing.
He could not sense the crew, or get any idea of what the ship might be hauling…
In the Force it was just…empty.
Strange.
He had been about to check in with the others when he saw it, a flash of light from between where two of the cargo pods joined.
Drives kicking on…another ship…it must have been attached to the hull!
Jas gently nudged Vess over. He needed the binocs. He needed a closer look.
"What is it?" she demanded.
"Did you see something?"
Jas raised his commlink to his lips.
"Folks, we got another ship here, it was attached to the cargo pods on that freighter, probably used the ship's signature to get past planetary security.
The other ship remained close to the freighter; Jas wasn't able to get a clear look at it. He tried to raise Miri or the Ko siblings, but no one was answering.
What is this, he had to wonder.
Had they finally caught a break?
"What it is," Vess asked, "I wanna see!"
He moved his head over, so that they could share the binocs.
The two of them lay almost intertwined as they watched the ship emerge from the large vessel's shadow; a small attack craft, Jas suspected it was some type of patrol vessel.
It would have been a perfect for a bounty hunter ship!
Again, he tried to raise the others, to see if they had a better visual, Miri might even recognize it. Hylla should have been closer, he was hoping to get confirmation from her.
The new ship dropped down quickly, coming in for a landing near Caetus shipping's central tower. The view wasn't perfect, but Jas was able to see that people had gathered to wait for its arrival.
Jas cursed under his breath.
He was too far off to get a clear look at who the welcoming party was, Coop had managed to get some images of the higher ups, but…
Vess nudged him out of the way again, he didn't want to do it, almost told her crawl out, they would need to move fast in the next few minutes, and he didn't have time…
"I see something," she almost shouted, "A man…an armored man is on the pad, he is talking to someone!"
"Move kid," Jas ordered, but there was nowhere for her to go, her long right leg wrapped around his hip. The two of them were both looking through the binocs one eye piece each.
Jas tried to bring the damn thing into focus, but there was little he could, but in the end, he didn't need to, Vess had gotten a decent view of the new arrival, the man in armor.
He felt his breath catch in his throat.
The Mandalorian armor the pilot wore was known to him, he had seen it many times growing up. The pilot's face was uncovered, but that was to be expected of a Mandalorian purist, a purist that had lost his helmet in a duel of honor.
Targo Sei!
Finally.
Part of Jas had not expected for the man to show up, he had been a ghost for so many months, and now…here he was, a few days late perhaps, but…
"I have eyes on the target" Jas murmured into the commlink, "Does anyone copy?"
Jas couldn't see the man that Targo was talking to, the leader of the group that had emerged from Caetus shipping, but he didn't need to, all he needed was verification that the stasis pod carrying Val was here.
She is what mattered.
Everybody get ready," he whispered in the link, "We come in hard and fast! We grab the pod, and we get out quick!"
He would deal with Targo later…once Vess was safe.
His commlink crackled, finally someone was responding.
It was about time.
"Nobody move, not yet," he ordered, "We need verification…"
"The girl ain't here, Runt." A new voice said over the comm.
"You came here for nothing."
Jas felt the bile rise in his throat.
He knew that voice!
Targo Sei's cruel laughter filled his ears, sending a chill down his spine. It may have been over a commlink, but that was enough.
He knows, Jas realized.
He knows!
"Who…who is that?" Vess asked, her blue eyes widening.
"You surprised me, kid," Targo continued, "And that don't happen very often. I figured a straight arrow like you would play my game to the very end. Yet, you tried to break the rules, killed that fool Bobb, and even managed to take away one of my ladies…
Targo chuckled over the link; Jas could almost see his cold smirking face in his mind's eye.
"I'm proud of ya.'"
"Where is she, Targo," Jas hissed back, "What have you done to her?"
"Not your worry anymore," his old enemy replied, "The guy who approached me. He is the one who set all this up. Hates you probably as much as I do, kid, and as much as I hate to admit it, is a lot smarter than me. He wanted that Valenthyne femm, and now that you have brought my other little lady back to me, my client is now more than pleased."
Jas felt a shudder run down Vess' spine; she knew what Targo meant.
Damn it, Jas thought.
He was hoping that Vess would stay with us. Either Targo, or his mysterious employer.
Jas looked at Vess, the Force was humming in his ears, and the tune whispered of danger.
"We're leaving," he said.
She said nothing as she untangled herself from him, as she began to shimmy out of the crawl space.
As she cleared it, Jas risked another look through the binocs. His gaze focused entirely on Targo Sei.
The bounty hunter stood in clear view on the landing pad, he was looking directly at Jas' hiding place.
The Mandalorian was smiling, and then…he waved.
DAMN!
They had to get outta here!
"Don't worry, runt," Targo voices continued to come through the commlink clipped to his jacket.
"You will live through this, I promise, we ain't done yet, you and me. All my friends are gonna do is kill off all of your friends. They're coming for them now, and then they are going to collect the Istillo girl from you."
"FAT CHANCE!" Jas growled into the link.
Targo laughed again.
"You think you have a chance here, the people I'm working with now are smart, Jas. They know how things are going to turn out. They've spent years getting ready for what is coming, and are willing to pay handsomely to those that help them. I'm gonna win this one, kid, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Everything you stole from me, I'm taking it back, not just Nuna but all the clans as well. I'll have all of Mandalore before too long, and you will be just a bad memory; a memory that no one will dare speak about, not if they want to keep their teeth in their heads."
Jas could hear the cruel satisfaction in his old enemy's voice. All it did was make him that more angry.
"Your friends are dead," the bounty hunter continued, "and I'm gonna be having a party with little Vessaria in an hour or so. I'll even make a holo of it for you, so you can see, and hear, everything. I'll teach that little girl a few tricks, and you will get to see it, I want you to see it; every tear, moan, whimper, and begging moment…and all for you!"
Jas yanked himself out from between the machines. He was on his feet in seconds; he grabbed Vess' arm and pulled her away. It was in that moment the ground shook he risked a glance over his shoulder and saw fire blooming up in the distance.
He felt the Force shift painfully. He heard someone cry out into the Force, cry and fall silent.
Jas shuddered.
One of his crew had just died, maybe more than one!
"See you soon, kid," Targo said in his ear.
Blasterfire lit up night from the surrounding buildings. Jas couldn't see the shooters; he couldn't see anything.
All he could hear was Targo Sei's cruel laugh in his ears.
"Hope you are ready kid," the Bounty Hutner growled.
"Let the games begin!"