Taris seemed unusually quiet in the hours that followed the gang's escape from the Sith Military Base with the blockade's departure codes. In the face of the outcomes of their venture into the base, Bastila and Carth had decided that Canderous Ordo could wait for the delivery of the codes for at least another twenty-four hours, as they all needed to process the taxing emotions brought about by Draven's death.
Unable to give him a proper veteran's service while stranded behind enemy lines, Carth did his best, fetching Draven's dog tags and allowing himself and Seth to salute him in silence before high-tailing it out of the base.
Seth sat on the edge of the Upper City platform near the entrance of their apartment complex, leaning his body over the railing as his feet dangled precariously over the thousand-foot plummet to the Undercity below. He held Draven's tags tightly in his clenched fist, the image of his comrade's final encounter with the Sith Governor burned into his mind despite how desperately he tried to blink it away. For a moment, he pictured Draven in his place, holding Seth's dog tags and desperate for peace. The boy shook his head. Part of him felt that it should have been him that was left lifeless inside that base. The other part of him hated himself for being grateful that it indeed hadn't been him.
"We'll give him a proper service once this is all over," Carth said suddenly from behind him.
Seth smiled half-heartedly. "Along with everyone else who went down with the Endar Spire, huh?"
His captain nodded. "Yeah. This operation's taken a lot from us. The least we can do is ensure that no soldier goes forgotten."
The private sighed. "Ever wonder why we were the ones to make it out of this mess, sir?"
Carth sighed heavily, his eyes flashing with the pain that came from a career full of wondering the same thing. He placed a reassuring hand on Seth's shoulder and squeezed tightly. "I've learned to stop asking that over the years, because the only place that question is gonna lead you is to the bottom of a bottle." His hand slid from Seth's shoulder as he gripped the railing next to the private, leaning forward to see his face. "Seth, I was never big on believing in fate, but survive enough impossible odds and you start to think there's a bigger plan out there that the universe has for you. Regardless of what you may think, you and I were meant to survive what we have up to this point. And I'm grateful for that, because if the universe could make something out of a mess of a man like me, then it sure has to have big plans for someone with as much potential as you." He clapped the young man on the back. "Now let's keep moving forward. We owe that much to Draven."
Seth glanced back again at Draven's dog tags in his fist before pulling the chain over his head to let them clink against his own tags beneath his shirt, resolve building. He swung his legs back up over the railing and hopped down, giving Carth a small smile. "Thank you, sir."
The next day, Mission, Zaalbar, Bastila and Seth made the trek back to the cantina to meet Canderous Ordo once again. The Mandalorian was reclined at a table, massive arms relaxed behind his head. He didn't budge as he made eye contact with Seth and the party neared closer. "I knew you were the capable sort," he said easily, cracking a cocky smile at his own knack for recruitment.
"We got what you wanted, now how do we get out of here?" Seth asked, his fear of the mercenary having worn off in the face of watching his squadmate die to get them to this point.
If Canderous was even remotely fazed by Seth's brusque response, he didn't show it as his grey eyes made a quick surveillance of the area before he leaned forward and brought his voice low. "The Ebon Hawk. That's the ship we're going to use."
While the name of the ship meant nothing to Seth, he noticed Mission and Zaalbar's demeanor immediately change at its mention. "[Are you insane?]" Big Z growled.
"The Ebon Hawk?!" Mission repeated incredulously. "You can't be serious."
"What's wrong with the Ebon Hawk?" Seth asked curiously, glancing at Mission sidelong.
"Absolutely nothing," Canderous said quickly. "It's one of the fastest ships in the Outer Rim – completely upgraded arsenal and combat tech and an entirely overhauled hyperdrive. The Ebon Hawk is the best damn ship on the planet, and I know how to get you in the pilot's seat."
"Sounds good," Seth replied, cocking an eyebrow at Mission and Zaalbar.
"And it's Davik's ship," Mission added. "You know, the local crime lord who's all but controlled Taris for the past twenty years?"
"Sounds bad," Seth amended. "We're seriously going to steal a ship from the most dangerous man on Taris?"
Canderous sighed. "I'm the most dangerous man on Taris," he corrected. "Besides, you just broke into a high-grade Sith military installation and you're afraid of a little residential burglary?"
Seth was silent for a moment. "Well… if you put it that way–"
"We'll take it," Bastila cut in. "What do we have to do?"
"Ma'am?" Seth asked, alarmed. He was sure stealing a spaceship had to violate some sort of Jedi Code.
She turned to him and as easily as if she could read his mind, simply said, "This sounds like the kind of man who could use a good burglary to set himself straight."
The comment muted Seth entirely, unexpected and uncharacteristic as it was. Canderous took the moment to jump in and explain his plan.
"Davik saw you race in the season opener and was impressed with your bravado both during and after the race. I can make a push for him to give you a tour of his estate tomorrow, during which you and I, and you, Twi'lek girl, are going to grab that ship, pick up your friends, and get the hell off this rock."
"Me?" Mission asked, quirking an eyebrow at Canderous' purposeful inclusion of her on the plan.
"Yeah. Aside from the fact that your Jedi friend here is on enough wanted notices from the Sith that Davik could recognize her on sight, and your Wookiee would instantly become a target for slavery profits, I've seen what you're capable of ever since I first arrived on Taris and walked into Javyar's Cantina. You've got enough wit and street smarts about you to impress Davik, enough to do the talking for both of you. So what do you say?"
Mission was stunned for a moment, for the first time in her life feeling entirely valuable to this group of people that had only continued to impress her since meeting them. "In," she replied quickly once she found her voice. "I'm in."
The night before the trip to Davik's estate was a restless one for the two teens, despite Bastila's harping reminders that they both needed a good night's sleep in order to be presentable for the crime lord in the morning. Mission assumed that in reality, Bastila was coping with her inability to be there during the mission by exerting what little control she could over the smaller details.
"I'm gonna take a walk," the Twi'lek said quickly, ignoring Bastila's frustrated huff as she levered off the bunk she'd been sitting on and strode out the apartment door. She made her way through the curved hallway to the door leading to the back of the complex and out onto a balcony area overlooking the constantly-buzzing traffic of Taris' sky lanes.
She was unsurprised when Seth joined her moments later, his footsteps quiet as he stepped up to the railing next to her. For just a moment, she was reminded of the moment she'd decided to stay with this ragtag team of freedom fighters, and how much of a role he'd played in that decision. She glanced over at him, watching the lights from the speeders zipping back and forth across the night sky before they reflected in his emerald eyes. His demeanor had seemed so much heavier since their venture into the Sith base, but she could still see a glimpse of the lighthearted boy she knew in those eyes.
His trance broke, and he glanced over at her, green eyes meeting brown. "What?" he asked gently, in reference to her staring.
"You doing okay?" she asked. He forced a small smile that did nothing to hide the pain he felt.
"I've been better," he responded honestly.
"I'm sorry about your friend."
"Oh, he wasn't my friend," Seth laughed dryly. "To be honest, he was kind of a jerk." Mission didn't miss the tears he blinked away as he spoke.
"But…" she started for him, sensing there was more he wanted to say.
"But there's nothing worse than wishing you could make things right with someone before this damn war takes their life," he finished, voice cracking. Mission didn't know what to say. She didn't even know if there was anything that could be said. She just wrapped her hand around his arm, sliding her fingertips along the length of his forearm before threading them with his. He glanced down at her again, those electric eyes locking with hers before he dipped his head lower, bringing her lips precariously close to her own.
Mission wasn't sure if there was ever a time in her life that she ever wanted what had been placed in front of her more than she wanted to kiss Seth Avery right then and there. The stain of tears in the corners of his eyes, however, caused her to draw back. The hurt in those eyes caused a heavy pang in her heart immediately after. "Seth…" she started quietly, releasing her hold on his hand. "Force, I want this, more than you know, but you're hurting right now. The last thing I want is to build… whatever this is, whatever we are, on a shaky foundation cemented in your sadness."
His shoulders dropped. "I suppose that's fair. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you some sort of emotional depressant."
She shrugged. "I know you didn't. And once you're good… and you know for sure it's something you want… we can try that again."
He smiled. "I'm looking forward to it. Now, what do you say we get some shut-eye?" He held a hand out to her to lead her back inside, and Mission couldn't resist the feeling of euphoria that accompanied walking the entire way back to the apartment with her fingers locked in his.
Miles above the city, just outside of Taris' atmosphere, Darth Malak stood at the bridge of the Leviathan, an Interdictor-class cruiser spearheading the planetary blockade, staring out at the multitude of ships under his command surrounding the planet. The crew of the warship went about their tasks in solemn silence as the Dark Lord stood, broad frame tall and menacing, with his back to them at the head of the bridge.
Admiral Saul Karath approached his superior, his polished boots clacking against the Leviathan's durasteel flooring. His gait was strong and purposeful, displaying a sense of confidence that only years serving under Malak could bring. Such confidence inspired in his underlings a similar fear of Karath as they had in the Sith Lord standing at the ship's helm. Saul often used such fear to his advantage, commanding Malak's fleet with an iron fist.
Although he knew that his superior was aware of his presence, Saul cleared his throat before speaking. Malak made an almost imperceptible shift in his stance, and the admiral clasped his hands behind his back in respect. "You summoned me, Lord Malak?"
"The search for Bastila is taking too long." The Sith Lord's voice was visceral and mechanized as it filtered through Malak's prosthetic jaw's vocoder. The cool, sleek metal stood in stark contrast to Malak's pale and defined cheekbones, cutting an unnaturally smooth and even line that separated the top half of his face from the nose up. The separation was so smooth, in fact, that it inspired quite a bit of speculative talk in the barracks. Saul had always attempted to pay the theories no mind, but even he wondered if the stories of Malak's now-infamous training duel with his onetime Sith Master, Revan, bore any semblance of truth. There were more than a few Sith officers who held a staunch belief that the permanent disfiguration left by Revan's lightsaber was not an accident, as the official statements proclaimed, but in fact was a physical reminder of a lesson not to be forgotten.
It wasn't long after the incident that Malak led the attack on Revan's flagship that led to the former Dark Lord's death, after all.
Putting his speculation to the side, Saul kept his voice even as he responded to Malak's analysis of the situation on the planet below. "Progress has indeed been slow, my lord, but I assure you, we are doing everything we can to contain the situation."
Malak dismissed Saul's excuses with a wave of his hand, still facing the planet below. "We can't afford the risk of Bastila escaping Taris – she's far too valuable to the Republic war effort. Destroy the entire planet."
Saul's voice caught in his throat, his mind flashing back to the destruction of Telos at the start of his Sith military career. It was no wonder Malak considered him the man for the task that had just been set before him. Still, it didn't sit well with the admiral. "Th… The entire planet, my lord? But there are billions of people on Taris. We'd be slaughtering countless innocents… not to mention our own men still on the surface!"
It was then that the Sith Lord turned on heel to face Karath, and Saul was face-to-face with a man that, on one hand, still bore the remnants of what likely used to be a very handsome man, and on the other hand, had, with one stroke of a lightsaber and years dedicated to the dark art of the Force, been turned into a nightmarish husk of once was. For all his confidence, even Saul Karath was struck with fear as those ominous golden eyes narrowed at him. "Your predecessor's last decision before his… untimely removal from the ranks of my forces was to question my orders. I assume an officer of your caliber, admiral, is not so foolish as to make the same mistake?"
Saul had to scramble to find his words. "O-of course not, Lord Malak. I'll give the order right away, but it will take several hours to position our fleet."
Malak turned back towards the viewport and away from Saul, disinterested in any excuses the admiral was putting forward. "Then I suggest you begin immediately, Admiral Karath."
As he, Mission and Canderous followed Davik Kang through the halls of the crime lord's estate, Seth wondered if he'd ever seen more purple in one place in his life. From plum to lavender, the color adorned nearly every corner of the estate that they'd traveled on Davik's tour of the property. The crime lord himself wore a custom suit of deep violet armor as he swung his arm in grandiose gestures at the different features of his home.
"So, Mr. Fure, I'm excited to hear of your interest in the Exchange, especially at such a young age," Davik prodded conversationally, and Seth's attention snapped over to the older man at the mention of his alias.
"Yeah, uh, I figure the sooner I start, the more time I have to rise up the ranks," Seth rambled, glancing over at Mission for help. The Twi'lek nodded in subtle encouragement, and Seth couldn't help the flush to his cheeks when his eyes flicked back down to her lips. For some reason, he couldn't get their conversation from the previous night out of his head.
"I see," Davik continued, thankfully oblivious to the painfully obvious attraction between the two teens. "Well, you're going to have to start off small. We all do, after all. Even I started just by smuggling spice, and eventually I built this all for myself."
"It's truly inspiring, Mr. Kang," Mission said in fake awe, ignoring the way Seth's gaze still lingered.
"is there any field within our prestigious organization that interests you specifically?" Davik asked. "Somewhere you'd like to start off as a foothold to get your hand in the whole pot? Slavery, spice, smuggling…"
Mission nodded, a sign to Seth to keep his mouth shut and let her street smarts do the talking, as Canderous had suggested. "We're really interested in starship trading, bartering for the vessels that make the smuggling of your goods possible."
"Ah, an excellent industry with increasing demand! I like how you two think," Davik marveled. "And I do have something that will definitely pique your interest if you'll follow me to my hangar."
Canderous turned back towards Mission with a nod of approval at her improvised conversation with the crime lord as Davik reached for an access card on his belt. He slid the card through a scanner next to a nearby door, then entered a lengthy code into the console. Seth released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding as the doors slid open to reveal what may have been the most beautiful ship he'd ever seen. The freighter took up the entire space of the hangar, light glinting off what seemed like a fresh coat of bronze finish painted across the top half of the ship's durasteel hull. Dual heavy quad laser cannons were perched atop each wingtip, and Seth noticed a rotating turbolaser turret sitting upon the dorsal. There was a faint hum from the idling sublight engines, the pitch of the noise indicating that they were not only of the newest make, but also heavily modified. The Ebon Hawk was magnificent.
He could hardly believe that this was soon to be his ship.
"Wow," he breathed.
"The Ebon Hawk exceeds any story or description I've heard," Mission remarked, her awe matching that of her companion.
Davik nodded. "My pride and joy – notice the state-of-the-art security system I've had installed to protect her."
Seth was snapped out of his moment of bliss, his voice cracking just a bit as he turned toward Davik, wide-eyed. "Security system?"
"Yep," Davik replied earnestly. "The hangar shields are completely impregnable. Nobody, and I mean nobody can get through without the codes needed to steal my baby."
The private swallowed hard. "Impregnable?!"
Blast it," Seth grumbled as he paced back and forth in the quarters Davik had requested they stay in while a guest in his estate. "This is bad. This is really, really bad."
"Calm down, kid!" Canderous snapped from his position seated atop one of the bunks in the quarters. "You're giving me a headache."
"Yeah, Seth, it's gonna be alright," Mission reasoned. "This is just a bump in the road. We'll find a way around it. We always do."
"Always?" Seth repeated. "Yeah, well we haven't exactly come across impregnable shields before."
Mission rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to count out all the impossible scenarios we've made it through so far? First-timer human winning one of the biggest swoop races of the season, rescuing a Jedi from captivity, successfully breaking into a high-security military base, and… oh, yeah, killing a freaking rancor!"
"Yeah, well impregnable shields aren't hungry for mine-stuffed Gammoreans," Seth pouted, though Mission could tell by the way his expression softened that he was taking her point to heart.
Canderous, however, stood to tower above the two, making it clear that he'd had enough of Seth's complaining. "I don't know how we started on rancors, but this conversation is over," he growled, enunciating the word 'over' threateningly. "Now, we find Hudrow and convince him to give us the codes and get that hangar door open. And I think I know where he is."
"Who's Hudrow?" Mission asked, curious.
"Davik's pilot. He'd have those code memorized forward and backward, I'll bet."
The Twi'lek folded her arms. "Seems like our guy, but what makes you think he'll just hand those codes over to you?"
"Well, aside from the fact that I can drive a hard bargain, he was caught stealing spice from Davik's lab last week," Canderous said with a shrug. "The boss has likely got him locked up in the torture room."
"Holy crap, Davik's got a torture room in his house?" Seth asked incredulously.
"Wouldn't be much of a crime lord if he didn't, I assume," Mission observed.
"Alright, well that settles the security system," Seth noted, "but I noticed Davik had a keycard just to get the hangar doors open. I doubt Hudrow would still have that on him if he got taken in for crossing his boss."
"Right," Canderous said. "Even I don't have clearance for the hangar since my duties tend to keep me planetside. If anyone's got a hangar clearance keycard, it'll be the guys in the spice lab. They pack up the goods and bring them to the hangar for smuggling constantly."
"So we gotta divide and conquer, I'm assuming?"
Canderous nodded. "Exactly. You two get your hands on one of those keycards. I'll talk to Hudrow. We'll rendezvous at the hangar."
"Sounds simple enough," Mission remarked.
"It is, except Davik's men will shoot on sight if you're seen anywhere outside of these quarters. You both have got to keep on your toes. I've seen the both of you fight in the video footage of that post-race brawl at the season opener, and these goons should be nothing but blaster fodder if you keep your wits about you."
"I get the feeling there's a 'but' coming," Seth replied.
"But," Canderous continued, "If you see Calo Nord, you get the hell out of there and radio me for backup."
"Calo Nord?" the private repeated, tone questioning.
"He's the most dangerous bounty hunter in the outer rim, and Davik's new pet. He'll kill you if he gets you two cornered and there won't me much you can say or do about it, so trust me when I tell you to run like hell if you encounter him."
"No pressure," Mission noted with a nervous chuckle.
"C'mon, we should move out," Canderous pressed. "Hudrow ain't getting any younger, and Taris ain't getting any prettier. Let's get the hell off this rock." With that, the massive Mandalorian hoisted his heavy repeating blaster over his shoulder and strode out the room, presumably toward wherever Hudrow was.
Seth turned to Mission and smiled shyly. "So… uh… guess it's just you and me, then."
"Guess so," Mission responded, unholstering her blaster and clicking the safety off. "So, you wanna take point or should I?"
Canderous strode through the halls of Davik's estate as calmly as he did confidently, his swagger influenced by plenty of time spent intimidating every one of the crime lord's goons in his time spent working with the Exchange. The two guards outside the torture chamber simply nodded at him briefly before allowing him access, and the door slid shut behind him with a hiss. Hudrow was just across the room, slumped over and trapped within a force cage.
The single Rodian overseeing the torture chamber's operations barely had time to recognize the Mandalorian warrior before Canderous knocked him over the head with the butt of his rifle. Hudrow's eyes widened as he watched the alien drop to the floor, out cold.
"C-Canderous," he stuttered. "What are you doing here?"
The Mandalorian simply crossed his arms over his chest. "Bartering. So tell me, Hudrow, how much is your life worth to you?"
There was a silent tension in the air as Mission and Seth snuck through the halls of Davik's estate, following a map mission had downloaded to her datapad in order to find the spice labs. Seth passed the quietness off as necessary for the stealthy manner of their task, but even in silence, he'd always been able to feel comfortable with his Twi'lek companion. Today was different.
It was different because he'd tried to kiss her the previous night, and it was different because he had no idea if the moment had been on her mind as often as it had his since then.
Seth felt awkward and embarrassed over the whole ordeal, and Mission seemed intent on acting like it had never happened, but for all he knew she'd been sizing up judgments on him in her head all afternoon. Hence the tension.
He glanced over at her as her deft fingers made short work of a console's security system, and there was a faint click from the doors ahead. She looked back at him expectantly, and he frowned. "What?" he asked.
Mission rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "I said, spice lab is just through those doors, do you want to take point or should I?"
Seth shook his head with the intention of shaking out all the distracting thoughts along with it. "I can take point," he said with a little more forceful confidence than he'd intended. He held his blaster pistol at the ready while Mission took cover next to the door, and nodded to signal her to punch the controls.
The door slid open with a hiss, and the spice lab worker closest to the commotion hardly had time to react before Seth put a blaster bolt through his foot. The Rodian collapsed to the floor, howling in pain, and the private rolled forward to take cover behind a spice crate just inside the door just as three burly guards drew their blasters from across the room.
"Careful!" Mission warned as she peeked out from behind the door to assess the positioning of the guards before taking cover once again just as a barrage of blaster fire whizzed past her. "This lab is full of all sorts of narcotics that we don't want to rustle up with a stray blaster shot. Last thing we need is fumes poisoning the air we're breathing." She popped out of cover once again, having memorized where the guards had been standing, and squeezed off a few blaster shots before ducking back down into cover. The first of the three guards dropped as Mission's aim hit its mark.
Seth took advantage of the guards' distraction as they took a moment to recognize that their companion had fallen, and vaulted over the crate he'd been hiding behind to blast one of the guards right between the eyes. In one fluid movement, he holstered his blaster and drew his sword, making short work of the third and final guard.
Mission joined him shortly, crossing over the spilled containers of refined spice that had been toppled during their brief scuffle with the guards and brushing his shoulder gently with her fingertips. Seth startled at her touch, and the Twi'lek quickly withdrew her hand. "What's with you today?" she asked. "Sheesh."
Seth sheathed his sword carefully, shaking his head. "Nothing, I-" He cut himself off as his attention was caught by the remaining spice lab workers cowering behind stacked crates. "Hey," he called out to them. "We aren't gonna hurt any of you. We just need a hangar clearance card and we'll get out of your hair."
A pained moan from behind them caused Seth and Mission to whirl around, and the private caught sight of the poor lab worker who'd been the victim of his first blaster shot. The Rodian held up a key card and Seth moved forward to take it. "Uh… I'm really sorry about that," Seth mumbled, nodding towards the Rodian's foot. "Didn't know what was coming for me from behind those doors."
"Here," Mission said, kneeling down next to the injured alien and procuring a medpac from her utility belt. "This should help soothe the pain and speed up the healing process." She stood and turned to the rest of the workers. "As for you all, Davik's gonna have plenty to worry about when we're through here. I suggest taking some of the spilled spice from our skirmish for yourselves. Head down to the Lower City and find the Hidden Beks. Tell them Mission sent you, and you'll fetch a good price for what you bring."
She didn't wait to watch the workers discuss her proposition among themselves as she brushed past Seth and headed for the lab's exit. He stood there for a moment, staring after her before she turned around and gestured for him to follow. Seth willed his feet to move despite the fact that he felt they were rooted to the ground and rushed to catch up to her.
"You're being really weird today," she remarked once he fell into step next to her.
"I am?" he asked hesitantly, straightening his red spacer's jacket as he walked. "I'm not meaning to be."
Mission sighed audibly. "Look, Seth, if this is about what happened last night… Things don't have to be awkward between us."
"I just…" Seth ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "I can't tell what's going on inside your head, Mission. I've been psyching myself out all day wondering what your thoughts are on what happened between us… or almost happened, I guess. I've been wondering if I'm on your mind as much as you're on mine, and I can't tell, and it's driving me up the wall."
She stopped in her tracks. "Seth, I told you last night – I'm interested. Like… definitely interested," she forced away the awkward tone in her voice with a half-hearted laugh. "But I also know that you were hurting and dealing with Draven's death, and the last thing I wanted you to do was to make an emotionally-charged decision and then end up regretting it later once you've cleared your mind. Then things actually would be awkward between us."
"That makes sense," Seth said quietly. "So… you haven't been judging me all day?"
She laughed. "Only for how strangely you've been acting toward me since you woke up." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Seth Avery, you're your own worst enemy. Stop psyching yourself out."
He smiled warmly at her. "I'll try not to."
It was in that moment that Canderous rounded the corner to meet them, repeater slung over his shoulder. The massive Mandalorian frowned at the sight of the two close together, Mission's hand still on Seth's shoulder. "If you've been standing here flirting, you'd better have that access card on you," he glowered.
Seth pulled the card from his back pocket, cheeks flushed red from the nature of Canderous' comment. "Right here," he said. "You got the codes?"
"Of course I do," the Mandalorian said, handing Seth a datapad with the aforementioned data downloaded and flashing on the screen. "Hudrow's a coward, getting that information from him was as easy as gutting a cannok."
"Well, if we've got anything we need we should probably head-" Mission was cut off by the sound of an explosion. A tremor shook the ground below them, sending Seth to the ground while Mission and Canderous grabbed onto a nearby console to keep their balance.
"What the hell was that?" Seth asked as he pushed himself up off the ground. He began to brush himself off when the second blast hit. This time, all three of them gripped the console in order to stay upright.
"I guess the Sith got tired of waiting around for Bastila," Mission said. "Chances are Malak's heard that the codes were stolen from the military base, and he'd rather see her die than risk the chance of letting her escape the planet."
"But I thought he wanted…" The rest of Seth's words were drowned out by another set of explosions.
"We'll have to carry on this conversation later!" Canderous shouted above the noise of the bombs, which were starting to rain down more frequently. "We need to get to the Ebon Hawk and get her out of here now if we want to rescue your friends."
Seth knew an order when he heard one, moving towards the hangar doors with a "Yes, Sir!" He swiped the key card as Mission input the code, and the hangar doors slid open to reveal Davik and a shorter, deadlier man sprinting for the ship from a doorway across the hangar. Seth could only assume that the fearsome human at Davik's side was the infamous Calo Nord. As soon as the two parties caught sight of one another, everyone stopped in their tracks. Weapons were out in an instant, and Seth's heartbeat sped up in terror as he realized that one of Nord's guns was aimed directly at him.
"This is my fight," Canderous growled. "Kids, get to the ship, start the engines up. Both of ya!"
Seth didn't wait for further instruction before he grabbed Mission by the hand and sprinted with her to the ship, zigzagging in erratic patterns in order to keep either of their adversaries from locking onto them. Davik was taken down quickly, his face torn apart by Canderous' heavy repeater. Nord proved much more difficult to defeat, as he and the Mandalorian took turns firing at each other and dodging bullets.
The private stopped in his tracks, however, just meters from the Ebon Hawk's loading ramp, when Calo lifted a small sphere above his head threateningly. He'd seen the object far too often back at the academy on Coruscant, where it was so dangerous that recruits were merely allowed to observe its effects from a distance, and never to use it. What Seth was now looking at was no doubt the most powerful, deadly grenade ever fashioned, and it had him frozen in fear.
"Oh, no you don't!" Calo growled. "If I'm going down, you're all going down with me. Shoot me and this thermal detonator will blow us all to bits."
Seth gulped, stepping slightly in front of Mission in an unconscious effort to shield her from the upcoming blast. She squeezed the hand he was holding onto gently, letting him know that in his fear he was crushing her fingers with his death grip. For a long time, nobody stirred, they just waited for someone else to make the first move. After some time, during which the Sith continued with their bombardment of the planet, Nord lifted his blaster and pointed it directly at Canderous' chest. At the same time, the Mandalorian lifted his heavy repeater and aimed it at Calo. Before either could pull the trigger, however, a Sith bomb directly hit the estate, destroying half the hangar and sending rafters down on top of the infamous bounty hangar. The last thing Seth could hear was a scream from the man as he disappeared from sight, the heavy metal crushing him.
A tug on his hand brought him back to the hangar and the bombardment. He felt a pang in his heart as his entire being realized the weight of the situation, the Tarisians suffering as their homes, their families, their lives were destroyed. Mission shouted Seth's name, halfway dragging him up the ramp before he shook himself out of his trance. Once fully alert, he sprinted toward the front of the ship and found the cockpit, taking a seat in the pilot's chair.
"Get us out of here, kid!" Canderous shouted from the back of the ship as he boarded. "Keep the ramp extended! We need to get your friends out, now!"
"All systems are go," Mission told him in a tone he could tell she was fighting to keep even.
"Activate repulsors, bring thrusters to max power," Seth responded, keeping his eyes focused forward as his hands flew across the control board. Piloting training from his days at the academy flooded back to his memory as he pulled up on the steering yoke and brought the ship out of the hangar.
The ship was heavier and clunkier than a Republic starfighter, and his control of the ship was a bit erratic at first as he accustomed himself to the ship's features. Seth swerved left and right as he piloted, avoiding the Sith's line of fire and hoping that he could get to the others in time. As the apartment building came in sight, his heart sank. The building was already almost completely burned down. "Dammit!" he cursed, banging his fist on the console before him.
"Wait," Mission said, pointing out the front of the viewport. Seth took a second glance and saw them, waving at the Ebon Hawk madly while standing in front of the escape pod that had brought Carth and Seth to the surface of Taris. The very escape pod that had changed Seth's life.
He brought the ship down as closely as he could to the metal walkway that had been severely damaged by the Sith. Mission reached for the loading ramp controls and extended it as far as it would go. Bastila leaped up easily, then helped Carth and Zaalbar, as well as T3 up onto the ramp with the assistance of the Force. Carth punched the secondary controls for the loading ramp as he sprinted by, and Seth fired up the engines again. They were out of the atmosphere in minutes, with no one daring to look back at the burning city behind them.
As soon as Carth made it up to the cockpit, Seth slid out of the pilot's seat, the captain wordlessly taking his place. Bastila held her breath. "Now we find out if those codes were worth the trouble."
"They'd better be, princess, or this'll be a trip cut short!" Canderous growled.
"No, they're working," Carth murmured. "But there are a few fighters on our tail. I'll see if I can shake them."
As if on cue, the Ebon Hawk rocked as it was peppered with blaster fire, and Seth had to grip the back of the Carth's seat to keep his footing. "Is this what you call 'shaking them,' Republic?" Canderous sneered, the old rivalry of the Mandalorian Wars revived within just minutes of the two meeting one another for the first time.
"If you have a problem with my flying, you can take a jump out the airlock!" Carth snapped at his offender. "Seth! Get in those gun turrets, take them down!"
"Yes, Sir!" Seth shouted, once again a private. He turned and ran for the turrets.
"I'm not having a kid watching my six," Canderous muttered.
Carth spared a moment to toss a glare over his shoulder. "Seth's better than you give him credit for."
"Whatever, I'm taking the other turret."
Seth passed by Mission and Zaalbar in the main hold while on his way to the turrets, the Twi'lek being held by the Wookiee in a strong hug. He felt a pang in his heart as he watched the exchange, realizing that his friend had just lost everything she'd ever known. Seth made a mental note to check in on her later as he reached the ladder leading up into the turret on the ship's hull.
Almost as soon as he took his seat at the guns and placed his headset on, he saw Canderous climbing into the gun below him. "Alright kid," the Mandalorian said through the headset. "I don't know how well you handle one of these things, but you'd better not get us killed."
Seth just smiled and shook his head, locking onto and destroying the first fighter as an answer. "Don't worry," he said hotly. "I won't."
"Now you're getting cocky," Canderous remarked. "That'll make you lose your shot. Just focus on shooting." As he spoke, he took out two fighters with one shot. "By the way, I'm winning by one."
Seth smirked as he noticed five flyers flying straight toward him in formation. He spun his turret, spraying them with blaster fire, and watched as five brilliant explosions colored the space in front of him. "You were saying?" he asked innocently through his headset.
"Now you know you couldn't have done that with allies around, that would be risking friendly fire." Canderous took out three. "And I don't know how your Republic does it, but for a Mando, the sentence for friendly fire is death."
"Except," Seth began, pausing to take fire at a fighter. He narrowly missed only for Canderous to destroy it as is arced beneath the Ebon Hawk. "Hey! That guy was mine!" he whined. "Anyways, there aren't any allies around, so your point is moot."
"Kid, you're going to drive me crazy," Canderous snarled. He locked onto the last two fighters and destroyed them, the explosion sending brilliant shades of orange and gold across the starscape before them. "We're all clear, Republic, make the jump!" he told Carth via the headset. Almost instantly, the stars streaked past and they were in hyperspace.
Seth climbed down the ladder and back into the halls of the Ebon Hawk, meeting Canderous back in the middle. "By the way, kid," the Mandalorian started, "I beat you eight to six. Better start practicing."
Mission stared out at the blueness of hyperspace whizzing by the cargo hold viewport, perched atop a plasteel container and hugging her knees to her chest. In that moment, she felt just like the vulnerable and terrified little girl she'd been while packed inside a cargo crate with her brother during their escape from Ryloth.
She hardly noticed when Seth leaned in against the frame of the cargo hold door, staring at her empathetically. "Hey," he said gently.
She glanced back at him, eyes bloodshot from crying earlier. "Hey," she whispered.
His boots thudded quietly against the Ebon Hawk's durasteel flooring as he crossed the hold to pull up a crate next to hers and take a seat. "How, uh… How you holding up?" he asked.
"I'm alright," she replied softly, then looked up into his eyes. "Actually, no. No, I'm not." Her voice broke slightly as she looked back down. "But I wish I was."
"Mission," he started, voice firm but gentle. "You just lost your planet, and a whole lot of your friends, and most of your childhood. It's okay to not be okay for once."
"Seth, don't, you're gonna make me lose it, and I just stopped crying," she stonewalled. She tried to crack a smile but failed miserably.
"Mish, who are you trying to be strong for?" he asked seriously.
"I don't know!" she replied, burying her face in her hands. "For Big Z, for Carth, for you, for myself… I don't know!"
He reached his hand up to touch her chin gently. "That's a lot of weight to carry all by yourself," he told her. "You don't have to be strong all the time. That's why we're a team. We shoulder each others' weight and bear each others' burdens because none of us can be that strong all the time." He paused, and Mission nearly lost herself in his emerald eyes and the way he looked at her. "Not even Mission Vao, the strongest girl I know," he added with a smile.
Before she could help herself, she was leaning in, longing to close the distance between their lips. He drew back slightly, reaching up to cup her cheek in his palm with a breathy laugh. "I thought you wanted to wait on this. I mean… I'm still hurting."
"Yeah," Mission said. "But now I'm hurting, too, and I realized that it didn't affect how much I wanted it at all. Just how much I needed it."
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, because I've wanted this since the moment we met in that Force-forsaken cantina and I didn't know how much longer I could-"
"Seth?"
"Yeah?"
She laughed despite herself. "Just shut up and kiss me."
He complied without complaint, taking her face in his hands and leaning forward to press his lips earnestly and fervently to hers. She hummed against his mouth, threading her fingers through his hair and marveling at the way their lips fit together as if the Force itself had intended for them to be a match. For all her imagining and dreaming about this moment, Mission couldn't have imagined the sensation that overtook her as she kissed Seth Avery in the cargo hold of the Ebon Hawk for the first time.
The ache was still there in her heart for everyone she'd lost on Taris, but she felt him take that brokenness in that simple exchange between their lips, and in one moment he was sharing in her pain and she was sharing in his, and together they comforted one another in the solace that was them.
He pulled away gently, pressing another short kiss to the corner of her mouth before drawing back. "Wow," he breathed. "Um… was that okay?"
Her only answer was to giggle softly and pull him back in once again.