The initial plan was for them to stop on Hosnian Prime and use the underground to mask their final destination. With Fennec's guidance, Hunter guided the Havoc Marauder to another planetwide city he figured was Hosnian Prime. The travel time between the station and Hosnian Prime was ten days. During the day travel time, Hunter, Fennec and Boba watched the ship. It was a warm night on the Havoc Marauder, and Hunter looked around his craft to see where the others were. Fennec Shand was sitting in the co-pilot seat while Boba was sitting on the chairs in the middle. The sounds of the Havoc Marauder were carried through the craft by the hum of the craft and the navicomputer charting a course for them. The scent of metal filled Hunter's senses as he sat in the solid but supportive seat.
"So, where's your contact, Fennec?" Hunter asked.
"He's in the underground, Fennec replied, "Here are the directions to get in without the Empire potentially detecting you,"
"Alright," Hunter replied, keying the directions into the navicomputer and flying towards the planet.
Hunter noticed that the Hosnian Prime underground was similar to the Coruscant underground as they flew into the cityscape. Thanks to Fennec Shand's guidance, the Havoc Marauder didn't show up on any scanners used by the Empire.
When Hunter brought the Havoc Marauder into a landing, he saw that the colour of the concrete masked it against the above floors. According to the star in the sky, it was mid-afternoon on Hosnian Prime and a warm Autumn day. A mix of stellar and artificial light helped light the landing pad. Craft flying overhead dominated the periodic sounds Hunter heard in the distance, and the scents of concrete and steel floated in the air as he exited the Havoc Marauder and stepped onto the hard, concrete floor.
"Where is your contact?" Boba asked, following Hunter. Fennec, bringing up the rear, replied, "Follow me. He isn't far from here,"
Hunter and Boba followed Fennec from the landing pad and down the artificially lit corridor. As the trio walked, Hunter noticed that the climate steadily cooled.
Eventually, Hunter, Fennec, and Boba reach the Cantina.
"Follow me, and let me speak first. Alright?" Fennec said.
"OK," Hunter replied as Fennec led them in.
It was milder inside the Cantina than outside, and the scents and sounds changed with a dozen beings around the Cantina drinking, gambling, and using Spice. As Hunter, Fennec, and Boba walk to the wooden bar, the scents of alcohol and Spice cloud the sky.
As the trio sat on the chairs around the bar, the barman asked, "What will it be?"
"The Shadow," Fennec replied. Hunter looked to Fennec but guessed she knew what she was doing.
"What's he doing here?" the barman asked, "Only people eighteen or older can drink here,"
"I'm not looking for a drink. I'm just trying to stay free," Boba replied.
"Noted. You know that the Empire will sweep through here later today, and if you're spotted, they'll immediately inform Hemlock, right?" the barman turned to Boba.
"I'm aware," Boba replied. After a few moments, a buff Pantoran entered.
"Well, this is an unusual group you've obtained here," he said as he entered, "I recognise Boba, but who's the Rambo guy?"
"Hunter," Hunter introduced himself.
"Aren't you the leader of that Commando Squad known as Clone Force 99?" the Pantoran asked.
"Was," Hunter sighed, "I left after seemingly an endless run of failed missions. I felt I couldn't lead anymore,"
"Rough," the Pantoran replied before he turned to Fennec.
"Gonna introduce me?" he asked.
"Sure," Fennec replied, "This is Eze Ril,"
"Charmed," Hunter replied.
"You ordered the Shadow," Eze Ril said, "I'll show you to a private room. Whatever you need to discuss with me, we can do it there,"
"Alright," Fennec replied, and Eze led the way towards the back rooms of his Cantina. Fennec, Hunter, and Boba followed.
The back room turned out to be a meeting room. It was milder inside the meeting room than outside. Artificial lighting lit the meeting room. Fennec could hear the gentle hum of an air conditioner, and Fennec noticed the scent of Spice and alcohol was nothing versus outside as she sat on the soft chair. Everyone could see the hologram in the table centre, though Fennec briefly noticed the Empire flying past outside the Cantina.
"So what's the situation?" Eze asked.
"We're looking for two Force-Sensitive Kaminoans. Their names are Kuan Si and Khan So. Additionally, he has hired Cad Bane to help with this," Fennec explained.
"That's rough," Eze replied, "I'm guessing you want to know where Kuan and Khan are?"
"Of course," Fennec replied.
"That will cost you. Also, the Empire is hunting you. You'll need to run a few errands on Hosnian Prime before I give you the big one and the information you'll need to find your Force Sensitives," Eze said.
Eze activated the hologram, and over a dozen different locations showed up.
"Ever since that bastard Saw Gerrera assassinated Cid, serves her right for working for the Empire, there's been an information gap. I need you three to go and deliver some information to these outposts across the underground. Maybe I can show some goodwill in the aftermath of Cid's downfall. And if that happens, we can restart our little information brokering business," Eze explained.
"Cid's downfall at the hands of Saw Gerrera also resulted in the death of Phee Genoa. So you're not going to get any arguments from me about Saw being a bastard," Hunter replied, bitter that he was alive despite his efforts.
"Phee's dead. Hondo Ohnaka won't like that," Boba sighed.
"What are the risks of us clashing with the Empire?" Hunter asked.
"Be prepared. You will clash with the Empire's patrols at some point. There are numerous patrols around the planet, so it's inevitable. Just ensuring you're on guard," Eze replied.
"And what about Mr. Dark, Blue, and Duros," Fennec stated.
"If Cad Bane decides to come here, the other patrons will drive him out. Bane ain't welcome around these parts," Eze replied.
"That's a relief," Boba replied.
"Now get going. The sooner you start, the sooner you can get the information," Eze replied.
"Alright," Hunter replied, and the trio obtained the data card with all the locations on it, then departed for the Havoc Marauder.
The weather had cooled significantly before Hunter, Boba, and Fennec had reached the Havoc Marauder. It was now nighttime, so artificial lights flooded the area. The sounds and scents of the Cantina were identical, except for more people moving around. Hunter checked the Havoc Marauder and found a tracking beacon on it.
"Either Bane or his droid attached that tracking beacon," Fennec stated as she looked at the beacon.
"Agreed," Hunter replied, "Give me a moment, I can remove it,"
"OK," Fennec replied as Hunter entered the craft to look for the required equipment. It didn't take long before he found what he needed and removed the beacon.
"That should ensure Bane doesn't track us further," Hunter replied, "Now, let's get going,"
Fennec nodded, and she, Hunter, and Boba boarded the craft and set off.
The first mission, a dingy old bar with minimal patrons, went off without a hitch. The following two, however, quickly revealed issues between the fighting styles of Hunter, Boba, and Fennec.
"Hunter, Boba, can you two please get some distance between yourself and that guy so I have a clear shot?" Fennec groaned into her communicator.
"We've almost got him," Hutner called back.
'Trust me, it'll be better if I take the shot," Fennec replied. Hunter got a knife into the torso of the beast at that moment, and it fell.
Immediately, another beast leapt at Hunter and Boba, forcing them to duck.
"I warned you," Fennec replied as she shot the other beast.
"Duck," Hunter called, and Fennec saw, almost too late, that someone was aiming directly at her. Ducking, she felt the heat of the blaster bolt sear her helmet. Hunter responded immediately, throwing his vibroblade at the target. It hit but non-fatally wounded the target. The assassin turned to fire on Hunter but was shot in the same shoulder by Fennec, causing him to fall over the baristas and to his death.
Hunter ran over and retrieved his Vibroblade, then said, "Well done,"
"Save it. This fight," Fennec replied before the trio headed inside to confront the person responsible.
Thankfully, a little aggressive negotiations towards the Information Broker from Hunter secured the intended goal, even if Fennec disliked his methods.
The next mission required Boba to sneak in through an air vent to recover a bunch of illegal alcohol stolen from the client by raiders.
During their week-long pursuit of the raiders on the Havoc Marauder, Hunter, Fennec, and Boba found it challenging to catch them. How many weeks were they going to spend on this?
After a day, Hunter, Fennec and Boba trapped the raiders in a room. It was a warm day on Hosnian Prime, and the room the trio were standing outside had artificial lights surrounding it. Hunter could hear rowdy patrons from an establishment nearby, and he could detect the scent of Spice and Alcohol from the other side of the door.
"I know that, if he were here, Wrecker would've suggested blowing the door off its hinges. But since it's us three, what do you suggest?" Hunter asked Fennec.
"We distract the raiders and take them out," Fennec replied. Hunter shrugged, "Works for me,"
Their plan lasted all of fifteen seconds before all hell broke loose. The raiders had waited for them inside, and Hunter, Fennec, and Boba scattered before they could engage the raiders. Hunter retreated behind cover and shot at the raiders.
Fennec shot one of the raiders in the head from long range but had to keep moving because of return fire.
Boba, meanwhile, had to duck between boxes to avoid stuns from three raiders.
"We'll get plenty of credits from Dr Hemlock when we capture you for him," a raider sneered over the sound of blaster fire. Boba saw a bottle of alcohol nearby and got an idea. He grabbed it, then threw it at the raiders.
The raiders saw the thrown bottle and attempted to duck for cover. However, Boba was too fast. He shot the bottle, which exploded and covered the raiders. Worse, the alcohol ignited.
"You'll have to try harder than that if you want to deliver me to Hemlock," Boba snarled as he headed towards Hunter and Fennec.
Fennec, meanwhile, had managed to escape her attackers by navigating a bunch of scaffolding that held the back third of the building together. Not only did this scaffolding make it difficult for the Stormtroopers to blast her. (Shooting the scaffolding wouldn't work as it supported one-third of the building, and destroying it would only bring the building down on top of them. Fennec, by contrast, was able to fire at the Stormtroopers pursuing her.
"Hunter, what's your situation?" Fennec called through her communicator.
"I've managed to get out of the building and into a defensive position," Hunter replied, "If you and Boba could come up behind the Stormtroopers and strike them down, that would be great,"
"Understood," Fennec replied, and she aimed with her sniper rifle at the side entrance where four Stormtroopers were exchanging fire with Hunter.
The first shot from Fennec's rifle struck the first Stormtrooper, and they dropped dead immediately. Fennec took a second shot, but the second Stormtrooper had turned to face her. Although he hadn't taken a shot, a blast to the shoulder quickly knocked the Stormtrooper down.
Two blaster shots from the final two Stormtroopers forced Fennec to pull back. Meanwhile, without knowing the situation involving Hunter and Fennec, Boba ambushed the other two Stormtroopers from behind. Firing four times, Boba downed the remaining two Stormtroopers before they knew what hit them.
"Thanks for the save," Hunter said as he re-entered the room. The weather on Hosnian Prime was warm and cloudy for an Autumn night. The building was only partially lit by artificial lights, sending creepy shadows across the room. Hunter could hear the revellers starting to depart the nearby establishment, and the scent of the battle and alcohol was rough on Hunter's senses.
"A moment of, kinda teamwork, even if that wasn't anyone's intention," Boba replied.
"I guess," Hunter replied, "At least we managed to secure the alcohol,"
"We'd better get it onto the ship and back to the client. He's been waiting for several days now," Fennec pointed out.
"Understood," Hunter replied as the trio started carrying liquor boxes out of the building and towards the Havoc Marauder.
It took an hour to load the alcohol up and another two before they returned to the backside of the bar. When Hunter, Fennec, and Boba returned, the bar was almost empty, with only the barman and the boss left. It was milder inside versus outside, and the last song on the jukebox echoed through the bar. The scents of alcohol and Spice wafted through, but not as intense as earlier as Hunter sat on the bouncy seats.
"Those raiders gave you trouble?" the barman asked.
"They proved evasive," Hunter admitted, "But we beat them in the end and got your alcohol back,"
"Good," the boss replied, "Now unload it into the storage room. The Empire will probably come searching, but I'll keep it hidden,"
It took another hour before everything was unloaded and stored in the secret room.
"Now then," the boss stated, "Eze wants to re-establish communication with me,"
"That's his intention," Fennec replied.
The boss thought momentarily, "Afraid I can't. The Empire's breathing down my neck, I can't risk it," before he turned to Boba.
"Afraid I have to tell any Stormtroopers that raid my place tomorrow that you were here last night, and where you're heading is important information. I recommend you three get as far away from here as possible. If you switch between major arterial flying zones on your way out, you can mask the scent," the boss replied.
"You sound like Cid," Hunter said menacingly.
"I know," the boss replied, "But unlike that Imperial saboteur, I'm giving you guys a head start. I recommend you take it,"
"That we will," Hunter replied.
"I'll be sure to tell Eze about the Empire and you," Fennec replied.
"Maybe he knows how to get them to stop harassing me. I'll rejoin his network if he does that," the boss replied.
"Maybe," Fennec stated before she guided Hunter and Boba back towards the Havoc Marauder.
The Havoc Marauder was warm for an Autumn day. The lights on the roof lit the area, and the hum of the engines dominated the ambience. Hunter took in the scent of the ship's metal as he sat on the supportive seat.
"So he's scared of the Empire," Eze said, "Did you get the Imperials who ambushed you guys?"
("We took care of them," Hunter replied, "Though individually. We didn't work as a team then,")
"We haven't been working consistently well together since after the first couple of clashes with Bane," Fennec replied.
"Still, we're somehow managing to complete our objectives despite that," Hunter replied.
"That is true," Boba replied.
Over the next few weeks, Hunter, Boba, and Fennec trekked all over Hosnian Prime to reconnect the information services broken by Cid's demise. Hunter was even angrier at the traitor Trandoshan because his progress towards getting Omega back was hampered by her death, resulting from deciding to work for the Empire. Eventually, they reached the last of the contacts. His Cantina didn't look that dissimilar from Cid's Parlour, mixed between gambling machines and jukeboxes. There are several dejarik tables scattered throughout the Parlour. Near the back of the Parlour was a drinks bar with several drinks shining prominently behind the bar. It was mild inside, and artificial lighting lit the Parlour. The sounds of jukeboxes playing and the scent of alcohol and the Spice wafted through the Parlour.
"Remember, we've been told that if Shamto doesn't cooperate or tries to sell us out like Cid did, we kill him, no hesitation, alright?" Hunter reminded Fennec and Boba.
"Let me handle the business with this guy. I'll start, alright?" Boba asked.
"Go ahead," Hunter replied.
Boba walked up to one of the Dejarik tables where a Weequay was sitting and challenged him to a game.
"Head to the bar. We should be able to attract Shamto's interest," Boba replied. Hunter and Fennec nodded and headed for the bar.
After a few minutes, a dark human figure approached the bar.
"What brings you two here?" the figure asked as he threw a few drinks at the patrons.
"Eze wanted to know if you wanted to rejoin his communication network," Fennec said.
"Oh, is that what he's looking for?"Shamto was surprised, "I thought it'd be worse than that, but not yet,"
"The Empire?" Hunter asked.
"Prety much," Shamto sighed, "Ever since Cid started working for the Empire, they've been actively pursuing her connections, looking for others to join them. It's been rough, but I must ensure the Empire isn't listening to my conversations. I know that won't be acceptable for Eze. I need a little more time. Is that acceptable?"
"If we could help get the Empire off your back, would that work?" Hunter asked.
"It could work," Shamto replied. He got a message, then said, "Excuse me, I've got a message to respond to," before departing.
Suddenly, Boba ran towards them.
"We've got trouble. Shamto sold us out to the Empire, according to the guy I just played Dejarik with," Boba stated. After a moment, the patrons started running, making for the door.
"Fennec, you cover the door. Boba, go and kill Shamto. Alright?" Hunter stated.
"Alright," Boba replied as he leapt over the bar and ran after Shamto.
"We'd better find some cover so we don't get shot when the Empire enters," Hunter told Fennec, who nodded. Hunter and Fennec overturned a few Dejarik tables. The duo hid behind the tables and waited for the Stormtroopers to attack.
A flashbang was the first warning that the Stormtroopers were attacking, and Hunter and Fennec shielded their eyes to avoid the blinding light. Then the Stormtroopers charged in, laying down suppressive fire.
"Hunter, cross the floor while using the table as cover. Get to the alcohol and start throwing them at the Stormtroopers," Fennec stated.
"Isn't that what Boba did against the Stormtroopers the last time we fought them?" Hunter asked.
"That he did," Fennec replied. Understanding what Fennec intended, Hunter started carefully rolling the table towards the bar, returning fire as best he could while avoiding the return fire from the Stormtroopers. Hunter managed to force through the bar and grab a bottle, which he threw at the Stormtroopers. Fennec responded by shooting the bottle, which caused the alcohol to catch fire and spread across the Parlour.
It worked. The Stormtroopers started falling back towards the entrance.
The fire from the combusted alcohol bottle sent the Stormtroopers into disarray, which worsened as Hunter threw more bottles for Fennec to shoot. Several Stormtroopers were doused in flaming alcohol and had to retreat in pain. The remaining Stormtroopers, who didn't manage to withdraw from the Parlour immediately, attempted to fight Hunter and Fennec, but Boba's timely return allowed the trio to clean up.
"Let's get out of here. I've found another way out. I've also killed Shamto," Boba said.
"Snake," Hunter replied.
"Agreed," Fennec stated, "Give me a moment. I'll set something up to render this Cantina useless,"
"Sounds good," Hunter replied. Hunter and Boba escaped through the back door while Fennec started shooting the place up, destroying the Dejarik tables, the gambling machines, and the jukebox, and soon the entire place was on fire.
"Yeah, he did. Just like Cid did," Hunter snapped, rage still coursing through his veins.
"I assume one of you killed him?" Eze asked.
"I did," Boba replied.
"Good. I can't have anyone actively working for the Empire in my network. Too risky, especially with my contacts," Eze replied, "I'm going to give you all the information you need to meet up with them, plus plenty of extra credits to make up for that,"
Hunter took a deep breath, then nodded.
"Great," Eze replied, "I'll see you soon,"
"See you soon," Fennec replied before the communication ended.
When Hunter looks back on the five weeks it took him, Fennec, and Boba to get across Hosnian Prime to all of the contacts, Hunter doesn't understand why they took the mission in the first place. At least they got valuable intelligence about Kuan and Khan, but the effort it took to get it was incredible. And yet, despite all the missions they went on, Hunter, Fennec, and Boba still struggled to work together. He and Fennec appeared to work better together, but even if Boba slowed them down, he and Fennec couldn't abandon him to be captured by the Empire. What Hunter knew, however, was that they needed to get to Teth and link with Kuan and Khan. And if he was honest, he needed to learn more about their bond with Omega. And find out some stuff from Omega once they get her back.
Eze's Parlour was cold and lit artificially when Hunter, Fennec and Boba re-entered. Eze looked grave as they approached him.
"I had a bad feeling Shamto would pull a Cid," Eze growled, "Thanks for taking care of him,"
"It was our pleasure," Hunter replied.
"I have one more thing I'd like for you three to do before you head to Teth to meet with the Force-Sensitive Kaminoans," Eze replied.
"What is it?" Fennec asked.
"I need you to head to Ord Mantell. Cid's Parlour specifically," Eze replied before he gave Fennec a tracker.
"Stick this in the office in that Parlour. That should slow Bane down enough to allow you to meet them safely on Teth. And if you are wondering why they're travelling to Teth, ask Kuan and Khan when you arrive. I don't know what they're doing," Eze replied.
"Alright," Hunter replied suspiciously.
"Oh, and if any Spice survived, send it back to me," Eze replied.
"I will," Boba replied before the trio exited the Parlour and returned to the Havoc Marauder. Before long, they were in Hyperspace on the way to Ord Mantell.
Meanwhile, Cad Bane
Cad Bane was sitting in the Justifier, watching the tracking beacon he had attached to the Havoc Marauder. It was warm onboard the Justifier as he turned to his droid, Todo. Artificial lights lit the craft. The hum of the Justifier dominated the ambience. The scent of metal and electricity wafted through the craft as Cad Bane sat on his soft and supportive seat.
"Do you know where specifically the craft was?" Bane asked the droid.
"Hosnian Prime Underground, Master Bane," Toto replied.
"Good. The Empire is patrolling the area, so we should have a confirmation soon," Bane replied.
Suddenly, he got a message from Imperial agents planetside.
"What's up?" Bane sneered as a Stormtrooper commando materialised.
"I have good and bad news, Bane," the Commando said.
"What is it?" Bane sneered.
"The bad news is that Hunter found your tracking beacon and has removed it," the Commando said.
"That's unfortunate. Are Hunter, Fennec, and Boba still on Hosnian Prime?" Bane enquired.
"They'll be departing before you arrive," the Commando replied, "The good news is that we know where they're going to travel to,"
"Where?" Bane asked.
"They're going back to where Dr Hemlock captured Omega. Ord Mantell," the Commando replied.
"Good," Bane replied before silencing the transmission.
Cad Bane then activated another transmission, and Dr Hemlock materialised.
"What news do you bring?" Dr Hemlock asked.
"Hunter, Fennec, and Boba are all headed for Ord Mantell to recover the Spice that Cid left behind when she died," Bane replied.
"Fascinating. Assuming there's a secret stash of Spice somewhere in her office? The Partisans ruined her Cantina, after all," Dr Hemlock replied.
"You'll have to be fast. Travel time between both places is about the same despite the Havoc Marauder coming from Hosnian Prime while you're coming from Wayland," Bane replied.
"I'm aware," Dr Hemlock replied, "Which is why I'll be departing tomorrow. Well done, Bane. Now, continue to investigate where the Force-Sensitive Kaminoan father-and-son duo are,"
"I will," Bane replied, and the communication ended. Bane sat back in his chair and contemplated. After a moment, he stated, "Toto, set us a path to Teth,"
"Teth?" Toto asked.
"Teth," Bane replied, "It's just a hunch, but I've fought Jedi there before. I have a suspicion that's where the Kaminoans Dr Hemlock is hunting might go,"
"OK, master Bane," Toto replied and programmed the navicomputer. Before long, the Justifier leapt into Hyperspace.
Meanwhile, on Teth
A two-person starfighter jumped out of Hyperspace near the Teth system.
"He will be here," the younger Kaminoan said from the ear of the ship.
"Agreed. We need to expect everyone to come after us, though," the older Kaminoan replied, who looked like his father.
"Understood," the younger Kaminoan replied as they flew towards the planet.