A New Mission

"Speech"

"Radio or calls"

'Thoughts'

Engine Room of the Vagabond

Feldt's force vision was focused as she held up a comm unit, the force flowing through her. Setsuna stood nearby, his eyes closed as he held a few of Feldt's tools in the air, occasionally letting out huffs as he maintained holding up the objects using the force, working on his endurance to maintain his force powers longer.

It has been two months since their first mission, and they were currently on their break period. The flow of missions had been a few smaller operations, then a big one, and they then rest and lay low, to lower the Empire's wariness. They had targeted select imperial outposts and other important infrastructure, damaging essential facilities and attacking convoys, disappearing before they could be fully identified. The ship had to change its colors and identity a few times, but that was expected.

Feldt could sense Setsuna curious at how she was doing, but she ignored that, trying practice an idea she had been suggested to try. Her and Setsuna had been talking about ways to expand their arsenals with the force. Setsuna had mostly focused on improving his speed and battle senses, and he had suggested that Feldt could use her natural ability to connect to people with the force, and her expertise with electronics, to maybe use it to help with repairs.

Feldt had been excited when he suggested it the week previous, so she told him to break a simple device, but not tell her what he did. Holding the comm unit, she let out a breath, the inner web of the device filling her mind. It wasn't exact, but she could sense how the wires worked, how the internal power flowed through it. She focused more intensely, scanning if there were any breaks or things working improperly.

There was definite strain on her mind, and sweat slid down her face. This was the furthest she had gotten, her previous attempts having difficulties even making these details out in the devices he broke. She scanned more and more, feeling like she was getting closer, the internal plan in her mind having a slowly growing red as she hopefully got closer.

Setsuna, his curiosity at wondering what was going on with Feldt overwhelming his focus on the objects he was holding up, lowered the tools the ground, focusing his attention on the Miraluka. Her face was clenched in concentration, and he silently sent support over the force, hoping it would help. He couldn't deny it was impressive, the ability she was doing similar to something rare members of his species could do.

Relief hit Feldt's mind as she finally found that red glow, smiling tiredly as satisfaction filled her. She broke the connection to the device, taking a deep breath and wiping away the sweat on her brow. She met Setsuna's look, slightly nervous at telling him what she thought the answer was, "You disabled the part that allowed it to start calls."

Setsuna smiled, impressed at her skills, "Basically, though I more made sure the power couldn't reach it." He put a hand on her shoulder, "But that's amazing you can do that. You are getting stronger by the day."

Feldt blushed as she instinctively hugged the Kiffar, "So are you." Her blush intensified as he caressed her hair, Feldt not wanting to leave his grasp, happy to be held against his chest. He opened his walls to let her in, and Feldt could sense the pride radiating out of him, her responding with the same sentiment.

Both of the broke the embrace after a few more seconds, laughing nervously. Intimacy had become easier and easier over the last two months, Setsuna's bunk basically becoming their bunk. The path was leading to something both wanted but didn't know how to precede. It was getting harder and harder to deny there was something between them.

Setsuna broke the silence, "Let's get some food. We've been at it for a while." A rumble came from Feldt's stomach, and she laughed, not able to disagree.

Meeting Room of the Vagabond

Allelujah, his rifle set to stun as he uses the room as a makeshift shooting range, gripped his rifle tightly. The last couple months had been able to calm his nerves about his trust in the team, them showing most of them were trustworthy. None of them seemed to have a grudge against the Jedi. And Feldt and Setsuna had been growing in strength, still jedi apprentice level, but he was impressed at their ability to teach themselves. They would be impressive if they could have been taught by the Jedi of his time, but he frowned, knowing they wouldn't be allowed to connect the way that they have been. Marie and him had the same issue.

Marie and him had been best friends ever since they met as younglings, both of them having a burgeoning force bond. But they had always been reminded of the fact they shouldn't have personal bonds or connections. Jedi were meant to serve and protect the galaxy, not let their emotions get the best of them. Both of them tried to fight it, to stay as just friends, but as they grew into their early teens, it became harder and harder, a growing romantic bond neither could fully deny.

Allelujah shook his head, getting that history out of his mind. Marie had been a weight in his mind ever since the possibility she was alive raised its ugly head. That only added to the guilt that he was hiding the fact he was a Jedi from the team. He could sense the other two practicing on the ship and the urge to join them, to teach them what he knew, had only grown. But Hallelujah's words had never left his mind, reminding him of his failures.

He was a failed Jedi. He had let another personality form to protect him from the torture. He hadn't helped anyone in his escape, just blindly rushing to get out. There was nothing he could do now to fix that. All of these sins sat on him, and he didn't want to weigh them down on anyone. Not when they dragged him down enough.

A blast missed a target, hitting the wall with a sizzle. Allelujah swore under his breath, walking up to the wall, but let out a breath, seeing there was no mark from the hit. Allelujah turned on the safety of the blaster. 'Just thinking about this won't help. I need to know if that woman is Marie. Even if it means using the force to figure that out.'

Armory of the Vagabond

Tieria cleaned his Z-6, taking care to get into the crevices. His mind was not at ease, and anything he could do with his hands would help. These breaks between missions were the worst time for him. All of his mistakes, all of the missed opportunities flew through his mind. He knew Lyle was right in that there was never a perfect mission, but they was certain he could do better. He could do better.

He let out a hiss as he cut himself on the blaster, a bit of skin tearing. Blood began to pool under the skin, and he swore under his breath, getting up and walking towards the first aid box that sat in the room. 'Just another stupid mistake.' Wrapping up the small wound, he went back to his gun, wiping away the skin and re-cleaning the area on the gun.

He could only hope the next mission would come soon. They had been entirely too calm for the past week. They needed to do more damage, created more issues for the people who imprisoned him. 'And those who killed Neil.' And a familiar call echoed in the ship, Tieria standing up in an instant. 'Finally.'

Bridge of the Vagabond

Lyle lazily looked over the piloting console, the ship on autopilot as it traveled through space, looking like a standard mercenary ship. Their recent missions had slowed down the imperial infrastructure of the subsector, lowering the reliability of getting and distributing supplies, along with info gathering. Not stopping it, but a small team like theirs could only do so much. He could only hope that more teams would be sent, maybe more standard rebel forces.

Christina was at her station, humming as she went through recent intel, picking out what is useful and what wasn't. The new team had settled into a status quo, Tieria complaining quietly outside the mission and being his usual attitude, everyone else more or less in agreement on chain of command. Allelujah wasn't the most social, so he usually went along with orders unless they seemed too dangerous. And funnily enough, Setsuna was a little more open thanks to Feldt.

He was more involved when the crew gathered together, Feldt chiding Setsuna when he was being rude. It was funny to see, and Christina seemed to smile whenever she saw the two together. Granted he also expected she was imagining what Feldt and Setsuna would look like having sex, so it wasn't a complete win.

A message popped up on his console, showing there was an incoming message from rebel command. 'Our next mission finally shows up.' Speaking through the PA system, he called out to the crew, "Well boys and girls, our next mission has arrived. Gather up in the meeting room."

He stood up from his chair, Christina walking over to him, "We did have a good break."

Lyle shrugged his shoulders, "I finally got to rest from Tieria's complaints." Christina shook her head as the two headed to the meeting room. Everyone was gathered as this was routine, the crew around the table as Christina opened up communications, Sumeragi appearing in holographic form. She flashed Feldt a smile, the Miraluka smiling back, before getting onto business.

"Hello team. We have received a communication from a Twi'lek info broker that is of interest to us." An image of a lavender skinned alien woman with two Lekku, yellow eyes, wearing a shimmering and classy black dress, a slit running down the sides, complete with heels.

The crew took her in, Lyle appreciating the beautiful woman, but could see the eyes of a practiced crime boss behind the beautiful appearance. He had more than enough experience to know a pretty face can hide some scary people. Tieria glared, the concept of having to work with a crime lord offending him to the core. Setsuna, Christina, and Allelujah just sighed, knowing working with criminals always brought trouble.

And Feldt was the first speak, an undercurrent of worry in her voice, "What info does she have?"

Sumeragi nodded at Feldt, "She has informed us that she is in custody of an imperial agent, who apparently is defecting from the empire."

Lyle couldn't fully hide his annoyed tone, "So how much did we have to bribe her? And is the info reliable?"

Sumeragi didn't reply for several seconds, and spoke in a controlled tone, "We have…paid her already. You don't need to worry about it. Rebel command approved it, after they made sure she wasn't lying as best we could. She wants to meet a rebel team to do the hand off. I suspect it won't be as simple as that, so be aware you might have to do something." She pursed her lips, "I can't fully condone working with criminals, but do what you need to do to get this info. This agent could be a goldmine."

Tieria spoke tersely, "Do we know the identity of this agent?"

"Unfortunately, we do not. She has kept the name secret from us." Sumeragi's words caused frustrations in the entire crew. While they all were technically traitors to the empire, criminals of various stripes were a different breed. Tieria could feel the frustration mounting.

Lyle replied evenly, "Alright. Do we have a location?"

Sumeragi's arm pushed something not visual in the hologram, and looked at the team leader, "The coordinates have been sent to your ship. It is a shadowport named Port Athor."

Christina let out a jibe, "Kind of on the nose, isn't it?"

Sumeragi rolled her eyes but grinned a little, "You would be surprised at how lazy names can be." She coughed, getting focused again, "We have a few agents that have gone through there, but the important fact is that it is full of criminals, so be wary."

Setsuna frowned deeply, uneasy about being surrounded by criminals. 'And we have to work with one potentially.' None of this was good, but he would have to run with it.

Indistinct audio echoed from the hologram, and their commander gave them an apologetic smile, "It appears I have other business to attend to. I will be available if you want to ask more questions, but we have very little information to give you."

Lyle and Christina nodded, and the hologram cut. Tieria's arms were crossed over his chest, tapping his foot, "Here I was expecting a normal mission, and we have to play babysitter for some imperial defector. And we have to work with…criminals." Everyone but Setsuna was surprised at the venom in the way Tieria said that. Setsuna just silently nodded, not able to disagree on his stance.

Allelujah spoke up, "We aren't going to like every mission we get. And this agent could give us a lot of important intel. Maybe give us more opportunities to strike at the empire."

Tieria grumbled under his breath, but couldn't disagree that it was true. Lyle, seeing Tieria at least only grumpy, spoke in a commanding tone, "I know this mission is one all of us are uneasy about, but orders are orders. Just be cautious, keep your wits about you and you'll be fine." Lyle spoke quickly, "Also never travel alone in shadowports. Forgot to say that. Any questions?"

No one spoke for several seconds, and Lyle clapped his hands, "Alright! Feldt, have H4RO punch in the coordinates. The rest of you, get some rest and prepare for a rather…new environment."

The Bridge of the Star Destroyer Omen

Sounds of footsteps and various conversations filled the bridge of Sergei's Star Destroyer. The daily business of the crew was in the background of both Sergei and Soma's mind as he pulled her into a quiet corner, speaking evenly, "Lieutenant Smirnov, I have your next mission."

She nodded affirmatively, "Understood. What is my assignment?"

"We have found the location of a shadowport named Port Athor. You are in infiltrate it, pretending to be a mercenary. As far as they will know, you are just a criminal or mercenary like the people that live there."

Soma let out a breath, "Do you want me to arrest or kill anyone there?"

Sergei shook his head, "No. I want you to gather intel. Killing people, especially important people, would not help us." Soma looked at him confused, so Sergei smiled lightly, "For one, someone else would just fill the role if you killed someone. Two, it would make the normally paranoid criminals even more jumpy." He shook his head, "No. I want you to find out important names, who has influence, and what sort of wanted criminals gather there. With that info, we can know where people go and try to get some of them on the way out. We can also find out if they have any ties with the rebels."

Soma frowned, "Sir, are you sure? They should be arrested and put on trial for their crimes."

Sergei chuckled, "I would think imperial intelligence would have taught you that sometimes it's better to let the smaller rats go free if you can catch bigger ones. Also, I would rather have the criminals all gathered in one place than have to worry about them scattering. I have enough things to worry about and having to find all the separate crime lords' territory would be months of frustration at the easiest."

Soma let out a sigh, understanding what her adopted father was saying, but her gut still disagreed. But she straightened herself out and replied evenly, "Is there anything that you wish me to focus on in particular? And how did you find out about this place?"

The imperial officer thought for a second, before responding, "Important crime bosses and info brokers are the most important thing I need to know about. Famous and wanted pirates, along with high bounty criminals are secondary. You might be there for a while, so we have an account full of credits for you to use." He looked to the side before looking back at her, lowering his voice, "And I had an old friend give me the location. He's loyal to us, so don't worry about the reliability of it."

Soma nodded and Sergei handed her a slip of paper with a set of coordinates, "There is a battered ship in the hanger you will use, as well as an outfit for you to wear." He chuckled, "Can't have you dressed as an imperial officer."

Soma couldn't help but join him in chuckling, "No sir." A part of her also reveled in the fact she could use her abilities she had been holding back for years. It's not like the criminals would report her to the empire.

Sergei's face fell, a serious look on it, his voice quiet, "Marie, stay safe. I know you are trained, but I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

Soma, being called by her real name, smiled comfortingly at the Rear Admiral, "I know what I am doing." She put a hand on his shoulder, "I'll keep you updated." He nodded at her, and she gave him a smile, "When do I head out?"

Sergei reluctantly went back into business mode, "0600 tomorrow. And unless you have any other questions, you are dismissed."

Marie saluted him, "Understood." She had only around ten hours till launch, so some rest would do her good. She needed to be at her best, surrounded by a nest of criminals. She had a bad feeling about this mission, but this is what she was assigned, so she would make sure her mission would be done properly. Her boots clicked as the eyes of the men on duty followed her confident gait, a few stepping out of her way nervously. 'If I'm lucky, maybe I will find those rebels that have been raiding the subsector.'

She shook her head. 'They probably aren't dumb enough to walk into a den of vipers like I have to.'

Author Note

And we start act 2! A new mission for our team and our new imperial character! Both of them are certainly going to have fun. I want to thank you all for reading, and I'll see you next time!