Chapter 48
Forming a Plan
Avan took one look at a droid and came to the conclusion that he did not like them. Every passing moment around them only deepened that conviction. First, he hated their voice; it whined in his ears with incessant, pointless words. Second, their lack of intelligence. Avan had only been alive for six months, but even he could think for himself enough to have autonomy. The only thing these droids did was reply "Roger Roger" and pointed black blocky weapons at anything that moved.
They didn't even notice as Avan scurried down the alley right past their clanking feet, or if they did notice, they didn't care. He didn't know why the blue skinned man had been so frightened by them when the droids forced their way in at the theatre. His mother would have had them disassembled without a second thought with that metal arm of hers. Regardless, Avan was on his own now, with neither his mother nor the kind blue man.
Reaching a crossroad, Avan slipped between the bars of a grate. Even if the droids seemed like they weren't going to attack, he wasn't keen on getting anyone's attention. He sniffed the air, his snout twitching. His mother's scent was still evident over the smell of salt and metal, and led into the tunnel across the street. The very same tunnel that was at that moment being walled off by Nautolans in thick black suits of armor. The droids might not have had any interest in a dragon roaming the streets, but those Nautolans surely would.
Avan growled in his throat. His eyes darted around, searching for something, anything he could use to his advantage. The building across from his current hiding spot towered over him with layers of fabric overhangs above the windowsills. One overhang in particular faced the same direction as the tunnel and had just enough height that Avan believed he might be able to glide through.
He'd only just recently begun his flight training with his mother and her friend with wild hair. His wings fluttered at his sides, the confines of the vent too narrow to fully spread them out. It would be risky. As the wild haired man once said: "The odds of Avan managing to fly on his first try had less than a twelve percent chance of working." He didn't know what odds were, or what percent chances meant, but Avan figured it must have been a good thing from the way his mother had laughed in response to the man saying it. Maybe that meant he had a chance.
He stretched his legs, curling his claws, then stiffening them out. With the wise words of what he assumed to be encouragement from his mother's friend, he creeped out of the vent. There was still chaos in the streets from whatever commotion the droids brought on. He weaved between the panicked legs rushing by, taking care to not brush against any of them. Reaching the building, his claws dug into the brick. Tiny rocks and dust fell to the ground as he climbed up the wall.
It was an easy climb and thankfully no one noticed him. The trouble was the fabric overhang. It sagged under his weight. His claws punctured through it, snagging on threads. One of his claws tore an entire swath of cloth away and it stuck there like toilet paper stuck to the bottom of someone's shoe.
He reached the edge of the overhang and was relieved to find it more solid than the rest. Thick wooden beams structured it and they provided a workable perch for Avan as he eyed his hopeful trajectory. His tail swayed side to side. His wings stretched, curling in and out the way he'd been taught. He recalled the drawings his mother showed him in that worn journal of hers. Smudged pencil and blotted ink showed sketches of other dragons — or gwythaints, which was apparently his species, also according to the journal. Each one was much larger and grander than Avan was, at least five times his size. Was that to be the size he eventually grew into?
It wasn't the time to think about such things and the ever convoluting scent of his mother brought him back to the task at hand. His back arched and his weight shifted to his haunches. Then with a forceful push, he leapt from the beam. Air caught the underside of his wings and for a moment, Avan believed he had done it. He hadn't yet noticed his back right claw snagging on the fabric, and didn't until — Rrriiip! The world turned upside down. He dangled from the overhang like a hung pig in a butcher's shop, his claw taking the place of the hook and the thread serving as the rope.
He tried not to cry out when it happened, he really did, but the surprise of it took precedence over his determination to remain hidden. His legs kicked, his wings flapped, yet the thread held on as if it believed it were keeping Avan from falling to an early death.
"What is that thing?!" Someone must have spotted him from below.
You'd think they'd know a dragon when they saw one, Avan thought, but aloud he growled. He whipped his head around, attempting to get a clear look at the crowd below.
Many of them gawked up at him, their shoulders being shoved as others scrambled past, still in the throes of panic. A black uniformed Nautolan — the ones Avan was worrying about — stepped forward and raised one of those strange blocky weapons the droids were carrying. Avan didn't know what the thing did, but he knew he didn't want to find out.
"It's one of the Outsiders!" the Nautolan yelled with a gravelly voice.
Outsiders. The word was spat out with horrid distaste. Even though Avan had no idea what it meant, he didn't like being referred to as one. It made his chest hurt.
Avan swung side to side, gaining momentum. Red plasma scorched the wall where his head had just been. Dust clouded around him and stung his eyes. He could no longer see the people below and his two hearts went just a bit harder in his chest.
Another shot burst into the wall. Avan felt the heat of it graze past his back. He put all of his weight into the swinging. Back and forth, back and forth. His wings batted behind him and on an upwards swing, they carried him the rest of the way to be right side up again. The thread, at last, slipped off of his claw and all at once, Avan was flying.
It was a surreal sensation. He'd glided before — granted that was between two people standing roughly ten feet apart. This was remarkably different. Avan looked down at the streets below. They were much further than ten feet and the height clenched at his stomach. More red blasts whizzed by. Avan jerked to the right, narrowly missing a shot aimed at his wing. He wasn't sure how he did it. The need for survival was a powerful thing.
The tunnel's opening approached. More of the uniformed Nautolans aimed their weapons for him. There was no where to hide. Avan was flying right over the street, giving them an unobstructed view of their target. He could turn back, attempt to scramble back under a grate and hide in the sewers, but he was nearly at the tunnel. He couldn't give up now.
Another one of the sketches in his mother's journal flashed in his mind. A gwythaint with its wings tucked down at its sides. The wild haired man had said something about it helping the creature descend faster. There was no time to think it over, Avan hugged his wings to his side and tipped down his nose. Air whistled in his ears, so loud he barely heard the blasters firing. Most of them missed. One of them nicked the edge of his wing.
He plummeted into the tunnel, past the makeshift barricade the uniformed Nautolans created. Then CRASH! He landed in a pile of baskets filled with old rotting food. It cushioned his fall. A slimy peel of something squelched beneath him. It slid across the ground, carrying him further into the muck toppling on top of him. The stench filled his nose, masking his mother's. But it also hid him from sight.
His eyes squinted open. Everything was dark and moist. Pinpoints of light trickled in and he saw the same Nautolan that referred to him as an Outsider. The man flashed an electric torch around, focusing it on the pile of compost.
"Don't dig through that shit, you kidding me?" another voice from outside the tunnel said. "Leave it alone, it's probably dead anyway."
The man's sunken eyes narrowed and he gruffly scoffed. "Fine," he conceded, rejoining the others.
Avan waited. He listened to the Nautolans talk. They barked out orders at the panicked crowd and reported to a droid over some form of communication.
They must be working with those metal creatures. Avan thought, confirming his suspicions. They smelled different from the other Nautolans, like leather. Though, inside the compost, Avan could no longer smell them.
The stench of the rotting food was so overwhelming, that Avan's senses couldn't focus on anything else — including his clipped wing. He pushed the compost in front of him with his snout. Clumps tumbled down. The mushy pile softened the fall with dull thuds. Avan peeked out his head, inhaling the salty air and welcoming it. The uniformed Nautolans kept their backs turned. They were too preoccupied and didn't notice as Avan climbed the rest of the way out of the compost.
Keeping close to the ground, he slunk deeper into the tunnel. Voices bounced off the cylindrical walls. Children cried, mothers shushed and comforted. Many of them noticed Avan scurry by, but they didn't react to him. Avan, in turn, noticed tears caked on their cheeks. They huddled around piles of splintered wood and torn fabric. Pieces of food and clothes were strewn everywhere, soaked with muddy water and footprints.
Reaching a stack of crates, Avan snuck around them to utilize as cover and to take a short break to gather himself. The stench of the rotting food lingered on him. He could both feel and smell it.
What will mother say when she sees me? He wondered. It wouldn't be the first time she discovered him smelling of trash — though, to his credit, he was too young to understand the grotesque nature of trash and why it was not meant for dragons to bathe in.
His wings spread out, moving up and down to discard of any remaining grime. That is when his senses finally caught up with him and a streak of pain shot through his right wing. He swallowed a cry and looked over to see violet blood reflecting in the dim fluorescent lighting. The wing's trailing edge was singed, but the part that sustained the most damage was his finger joint. From an outsider perspective it would have looked as if the skin was rubbed raw, but the reality was that a blaster shot got a little too close for comfort. Avan licked the wound. The copper and iron taste of blood coated his tongue. The wound stung, but was followed by the cool chill of air.
He shook out the rest of his body like a dog freshly out of a bath. It helped, if even only to clear his sinuses. Continuing on, he was mindful of his injury and placed most of his weight on his left side. Progress was slow going, but at least there was progress. More people noticed him now, mostly children. They looked up from their family huddles, watching him with wide teary eyes.
One dared to walk up to him; a little girl with vibrant green eyes and matching skin. Avan scrambled back, tripping over his tail when she knelt down in front of him. She tilted her head, blinking. Avan could see his reflection in her eyes.
A soft voice came out of her, in words Avan didn't understand. It wasn't his mother's language. She held out her green hands and motioned him forward. He tilted his head, matching her movement. The child seemed harmless, kind even. The tiniest smile lit up her freckled face.
Another Nautolan, presumably the girl's mother, joined her side. "He was seen with the Outsiders. Leave him be."
"Out-side-ers," the little girl repeated, taking time to enunciate each syllable. She looked down, her eyes dancing around and figuring out the meaning of what her mother told her. "You… want to find?" She focused back on Avan, her smile growing and showing sharp tiny teeth.
That Avan did understand. He nodded and without second thought, the child scooped him up into her arms. She held him like a teddy bear, her arms wrapped around his middle beneath his wings. Avan let it happen. His wings relaxed on either side of her arms.
The child turned to her mother and spoke again in the language Avan didn't understand. From the inflections though, Avan wondered if she were attempting to convince her mother to let her help the small helpless dragon.
Her mother sighed. She looked around the tunnel, her eyes landing on the pile of splintered sticks and torn fabric she and her daughter had been huddled together at. Avan didn't understand why so many of the Nautolans were so keen to care for their piles of sticks. There was a small part of him that wondered if maybe they weren't always just crumpled piles. He thought back to his home where he hatched. The house was large, but broken. Avan liked to imagine that a huge epic battle took place inside, and the fighters never bothered to clean up after themselves. The tunnel looked a bit like that too.
The mother knelt down in front of Avan and her daughter. Her eyes were a hazel, compared to her daughter's deep green, but her skin was the same dusty green. She cupped her daughter's cheek and replied. Avan couldn't understand the words, but in his hearts he knew she agreed with her daughter. They were going to help him.
Together, the mother and daughter began walking. Many of the Nautolans noticed. They all looked up and watched them pass by. A few even called out with hushed voices. No matter what they said, the mother and daughter continued on. Avan tilted back his head to look at them. The little girl looked back down and giggled.
"The Outsiders spoke this language, Marya," her mother whispered to her. "Try speaking to him with it."
"Your… friends," Marya tried to speak to Avan. "I saw… I think."
Avan tilted his head back and forth, his tail twitching.
"Mama and I… will take you to them," Marya added.
With a little wriggle, Avan loosened Marya's grip and climbed up to her shoulder. She squealed with giggles.
"I think he likes you," her mother said.
Avan licked Marya's cheek, purring. She was taking him back to his family!
His excitement cut itself short when the stench of fire smoke hit his nose in full force. It was an underlying smell before, about as powerful as his mother's. Avan squinted his eyes. The exit of the tunnel was up ahead, shrouded behind a sheet of smoke. The occasional flame licked the edge of the stone exit.
Marya's mother grasped her hand and they continued on, exiting the tunnel. Smoke billowed above their heads, against the translucent barrier that kept them separated from the ocean. Homes laid in disarray. Chunks of walls and clothes were scattered across the cobbled streets. Fires plumed out of buildings and blackened scorch marks marred what remained. Avan hears Marya's heart beat faster. Her free hand went up to him, holding onto his back. Then both of them were jerked to the side, disappearing around a corner.
"The droids are searching for them," Marya's mother told Avan. Her voice trembled between her heavy breaths. "We need to hurry before they reach Janos."
Marya plucked Avan off of her shoulder and held him tight to her chest. She said something in another language and her mother smiled. Avan tilted his head, watching as Marya's mother peeled off her sweater. She pulled it over Marya's head, shrouding Avan completely. He grumbled, and wriggled enough for his head to poke out the neck hole of the shirt. Marya and her mother stifled giggles, then got moving.
Marya's mother led the way. She peeked around corners and pulled Marya along after her. Avan sniffed the air. He could still smell his mother, even through the smoke. He motioned his head in different directions and they listened. Marya only had to push Avan's head back into the sweater to hide himself once when droids passed by.
They neared the edge of the fires and the back end of the neighborhood. Avan's tail twitched. His mother's scent was stronger now. He scrambled out of Marya's sweater and hissed when his finger joint skidded when he landed on the ground. Despite it, he led the way, limping and hopping with giddy excitement. They were almost there.
He went to an old home. The windows were shuttered and the door shut, but Avan could smell his mom. He looked back at Marya and her mother. Marya picked him back up and her mother knocked.
"Janos," she said just loud enough to be heard. "Janos, please if you're there, we need you to answer."
The torn curtains moved from the window. An older Nautolan woman peeked out, then the door creaked open, just enough to show her face.
"What do ya think you're doin?" she snapped at the mother and daughter. "Get back inside before—"
"Were they here?" Marya interrupted, holding up Avan. "We… think he was… with them."
Janos stopped and looked at Avan. She knew something. Avan could see it in her dark eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm tryin to stay quiet. With any luck, the Separatists will know I've got nothing to do with this. And maybe things can go back to normal."
Avan growled, low and quiet. Marya and her mother continued to reason with Janos, but she wasn't having it. Avan wasn't either. He wriggled out of Marya's grip and slunk right past Janos' feet.
They cried after him, the old one especially. Avan didn't care. He sniffed the air. His mother was here, she had to be. His claws stuck into the couch and he clambered up, before a broom smacked him right off. Mayra squealed for Janos to stop. Janos responded by getting the little girl and her mother out of her house and told them to find shelter. Then she shut the door, locking multiple locks.
Avan shook his head and sneezed three times in a row. Janos still held her broom and held it at her side like a blade ready to strike. He hissed, getting up on his haunches and twitching his tail.
"Don't you take that attitude with me young man," Janos snipped. "You're the one that forced your way in, aren't ya?"
With a growl, he accepted her point and sniffed the air again. It led further inside and he followed it.
"Oye!" she called after him. "Don't go around here like you own the place."
Avan ignored her and found himself in the kitchen. There was a table and two chairs. His mother's scent was stronger now and he hopped up onto the first chair. That was where the scent was the strongest… which meant she wasn't here. Not anymore. He sniffed the entire chair, slowly circling until he laid down in a defeated heap. Small, soft cries stumbled out of him.
Janos entered the kitchen, using the broom as a makeshift cane. She sighed when she saw him. "They're not here anymore. They left three hours ago."
Had Avan really been searching for that long? It hadn't seemed like he had. He'd remained hidden for some time after he'd been told to go. It took him a while to pick up on his mother's scent and begin his journey. But three hours? Avan was trapped and they'd left him behind. He buried his face beneath his wing, his chest rising and falling with stuttered breaths.
Janos shook her head, grumbling under her breath. She put the broom away and grabbed an old cane. "Since you're stayin, I might as well start dinner. You better like fish. I don't want to hear any grumblin."
Avan didn't care what she fed him. He just wanted his mom.
That night and the following day were long for Avan. He warmed up enough to Janos, and in turn she grew tolerant of him. Other than meals, the two of them didn't interact much. Janos kept the curtains pulled over the windows. Few rays of light peeked in through the tears in the fabric, but otherwise, the house was dark and dim. Avan heard the clanking feet of droids in the distance, followed by the occasional blast from a weapon and things crashing together, but they left Janos' house alone. He tried peeking out the window once, but was smacked away by a broom and told not to touch anything.
Both nights, she allowed him to stay on the couch for bed. His mother's scent was fading, but he curled up on a spot of the couch where he thinks she sat when she was there. He laid there, deep into the night, wide awake. Alone.
When he was home, he liked being alone. He slept most of the day and created nests beneath couches. Sometimes Ben and Jack could get him out to explore. His mother wasn't always around, but when she was she always took time for him. He loved learning to fly with her and her friend. The wild haired man. He knew his name was Lupe, but always forgot it. Him and his little cat friend were fun. They helped pass the time between his mother's outings. Now Avan wondered if he'd ever get to see them again.
A heavy knock rattled the door. Avan jumped. He peeked over the couch, falling when another knock followed, shaking the house. Janos limped out of her room, wrapped up in an old worn robe.
She pointed at Avan with her cane. "Under the couch. Not a sound. You hear me?"
Avan nodded and did as he was told. From under the couch, he watched Janos unlock the door. It was dark outside, but Avan saw a silhouette of a Nautolan. His nose twitched, the scent was familiar. Leather, sweat, and the slightest hint of berries. Before she even came inside, Avan knew who it was. Officer Zot, the woman that allowed them entry into Dassana on Harris' ship.
Janos let her in and Avan's tail swiped side to side. He didn't like this.
"It's the middle of the night, Zot," Janos whispered, even after she shut the door and locked everything up.
"It's the only time they aren't watching me," Zot replied. She placed her hands on the couch. "Jarith's safe. If you didn't know that already."
"Figured so with that flash of light that made him disappear," Janos said. "What's this about, Zot? Those droids never bothered this part of town before. I'll be lucky if my house is still standin tomorrow and it's been here for generations!" She caught her volume and lowered it back down. "This is all gettin out of hand."
"I know," Zot agreed. "I tried to warn Harris. I…" She exhaled sharply. "He knew it was coming. It was only a matter of time before the Separatists struck back against the rebels."
"Is that what's about to become of Glee Anselm then?" Janos asked. "Keep shooting each other until there's nothing left."
"Until one side gives up," Zot said. She turned to face Janos. "That's why I'm here. I know Jarith was here yesterday."
Janos stiffened.
"I haven't reported it," Zot added.
"You coming here to threaten me then?" Janos asked.
"No!" Zot replied, catching her volume. Shaking her head, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a communication's device. "I'm here because I found this at the theatre. Kosh had been wearing it. I think it was his way to communicate with the others. I need to get a message back to them, but it needs to be from someone they know they can trust."
Avan's head perked up; it was the same device he watched his mother build. He was sure of it. He didn't fully understand the discussion going on between the two women, but he sure as hell didn't like the leathered Nautolan woman having the device that belonged to his mom. A low growl emitted from his throat.
Both the women stopped talking and Zot sighed. "One of them's still here, aren't they? The dragon thing Kosh had on him."
Janos' mouth thinned and she grabbed her broom. With one swoop, she slid the broom under the couch and shoved Avan out the other side. He tumbled over himself and hissed, swatting his claw at the broom. Zot peered down at him from the other side of the couch, then rubbed between her eyes.
"Janos…" she started to say.
"Don't look at me, he snuck in here all on his own," Janos said. "The only reason he's stayin is because throwing him out on the street seems like it'd only cause more trouble."
Avan crawled up the couch, sniffing Zot. He limped when he reached the top, careful to keep his left wing off the ground. She noticed the wound and reached for it, but stopped when Avan snapped his jaw at her.
"He's a smart little fella, that's for sure," Janos said.
"Yes," Zot replied with a sigh. "If the droids find him here though, Janos…"
"I know, I know," Janos said. "Let me worry about that."
Avan batted his left claw towards Zot's hand. She opened her hand for him and he snatched the communication's device, holding it in his mouth.
"Well that solves that question," Zot said. "It belongs to the Outsiders."
"What was the message, Zot?" Janos asked.
Zot stared at Avan, then her gaze drifted away. "The Separatists know… they know where the rebel base is."
"You're going to warn them," Janos surmised and Zot nodded. "And if the Separatists find out? What happens then? You become the next name added to the list of traitors."
A sudden laugh slipped out of Zot and she pointed towards Avan. "You are harboring fugitives! Don't talk to me as if I am unaware of the consequences. You would not be here if it weren't for all the times I covered for you. For Harris. For countless others in Dassana."
Janos looked away. She swallowed and slowly turned around. "I'm going to make some tea."
Zot released a breath as Janos left, her straight ridgid stature slumping. She looked at Avan. "You're trapped here too, huh?"
Avan considered her words for a moment. The way he understood it, she was saying she was also trapped. He nodded and didn't shy away when she reached forward and touched her fingers to the top of his head.
"She's right, you are smart," she said.
"Do you want tea or not?" Janos called from the kitchen.
Zot left Avan and went into the kitchen. Avan didn't follow until Janos set down a saucer filled with tea for him. He'd never tried the substance before, but it smelled interesting. He limped into the kitchen and placed down the ear piece on the tile beside him, before lapping up the tea. It was warm, comforting, bitter. He laid down on his stomach while he drank, idly listening to the women whisper back and forth.
"So you want me to talk to them," Janos said, mixing her tea.
"Jarith trusted you enough to house him when he snuck into Dassana," Zot replied. "I know he'll trust you with this information."
Janos hummed, sipping her tea. She glanced over at Avan. "And what about him? Am I supposed to keep him here till Jarith comes back?"
Zot shook her head. She stirred the spoon in her tea, staring into it absently. "There won't be a next time, Janos. The Separatists are wanting to end this… well, they're calling them rebel scum. That's why they are searching the homes and destroying everything they find that can in any way aid in resistance. Tides are shifting in the Clone Wars, outside Glee Anselm."
With a huff, Janos placed down her mug. It clinked against the table. "It's ridiculous, this whole thing. Rebels, televised shootings, pointless. All of it. None of this had to happen."
"But it has," Zot said. "And it's only going to get worse."
"What are you expecting to happen when I give this warning to them?" Janos asked. "You really think any good can come from it?"
"I don't know…" Zot answered honestly. "It's the only thing I can think of to do."
Sighing heavily, Janos leaned over and placed her open hand by the ground. "Psst, hey, dragon boy, bring it over, will ya?"
Avan looked up from the tea. He wrapped his tail around the earpiece and kept drinking.
"We want to call your friends," Zot said and Avan's head perked up.
Using his wing to wipe his face, he got up and grabbed the ear piece. He placed it into Janos' hand and climbed up the side of her chair to reach the table top.
Janos turned the device in her hand and Avan poked his claw against a button, turning on a red light. He got up on his hind legs and tapped his claw against her ear. She followed and placed it in, clearing her throat before she said: "Hello?"
"Wake up! You gotta wake up!"
It was Chirithy's voice, mixed with the pattering of its paws against the tile. Sam's dreams warbled together. Her eyes blinked open and it took her a moment to remember where she was. Inside Lupe's apartment, in his living room. The movie's title screen was still lit on the television screen, but the sound was muted. She pieced together the night before. The awful movies, remembering Hinata, the rooftop.
Her hand went to her head and she sat up. Lupe was already wide awake, asking Chirithy what was going on. Hinata seemed similar to Sam and was still gathering her bearings.
"It's Janos!" Chirithy announced, holding out Lupe's earpiece. "She's got Avan and Hina's earpiece!"
That woke Sam up. "Avan? Is he alright?" She leaned forward, nearly falling off the couch.
"We'll see them on my computer," Lupe said. He stood up, grabbing the earpiece. "Come on."
"Is everything ok?" Hinata asked mid-yawn.
"We're about to find out," Sam said, helping Hinata up.
They followed Lupe and Chirithy into their bedroom. Lupe's computer was already starting up. It lit up the room with blue until opening a window that showed what Janos was seeing. They saw her kitchen table with cups of tea placed on top. Avan sat in the center, his head tilting back and forth. Officer Zot sat at the other chair, her arms crossed and eyes shifting around nervously.
Lupe put in his earpiece. "Janos? Can you hear me? It's Lupe."
The screen shook. Janos startled. "Y-Yes. I can hear you just fine, young man. Is my son with you?"
"No, not at the moment," Lupe said. He glanced over his shoulder towards the girls. "But I have someone you might want to talk to."
He took out his earpiece and held it out for Sam. She hesitated before taking it and also taking his seat as he got out of it. "U-Um, hi, Grandma."
"Jane!" Janos said her name with a jump. "What are you doing with a boy in the middle of the night?"
Everyone snickered around Sam while her cheeks flushed. "That's the first thing you…? It was just a movie night with some friends, alright?" She let out a harsh breath. "What's this about? Is Avan all right?"
"Avan?" Janos repeated. "Oh, is that this little guy's name? He's a rascal. But a smart one."
"Janos…" Zot murmured her name.
"Right, right, where's your father, Jane?" Janos said. "We have an important message for him. For all of you."
"The sooner the better," Zot added. "Tell them."
"We can hear you too, Zot," Sam said and Janos snickered, telling Zot as much.
Zot's cheeks darkened. "Then get the commander. Now."
"I'll have Ben beam us back to Nakano," Hinata said, giving Sam's shoulder a squeeze before turning to leave the room.
"Alright," Sam said, "we'll call you back when we get to him. Keep the line open, ok Grandma?"
It still felt strange to call her that, but it also rolled off the tongue. Janos agreed and Sam disconnected the call. She took out the earpiece, watching as the screen turned off.
"Thanks," she said, holding up the earpiece to Lupe.
He took it back and placed it in his own ear. "Zot's there. Think we ought to be worried about that?"
Sam took a deep breath. "Probably. But she did try to warn Harris, before it all happened, right? Maybe she's playing both sides."
Lupe sighed. "Playing both sides is risky."
Sam hummed and Lupe pulled back the chair, startling her.
"But hey, at least we know Avan's alright!" he said with his trademark grin. "Little roughed up, but he'll bounce back."
"I'm glad he made his way to Janos!" Chirithy agreed.
"I'm trying to figure out how we're supposed to get him back," Sam said, getting out of the seat. "It's not like we can just drive to Dassana to pick him up."
"Yeah," Lupe replied, ruffling his hair. "I know. We'll talk with your dad about it later. He might know a way to do it."
Hinata came back into the room with Ben in tow. He handed Sam her earpiece and she placed it in her ear.
"I'll be watching from here," Lupe told them, sitting back down in front of his computer.
The bright light flashed around them and they reappeared on the ship. It was quiet. All the mechanics asleep for the night. The entire hangar was empty.
The Ben on the ship greeted them. He stood at the communications hologram in the cockpit. "I've already sent a message to the Commander about your arrival. He'll be waiting for you in the War Room, along with Kosh and Harris."
"You're coming with," Hinata told him, grabbing his arm. "Thanks for sending the message."
"Oh absolutely! This is exciting," Ben replied, following along with the others. He took point to lead them to the appointed War Room. "I can't wait to hear the full message and how Janos managed to get the device. Oh and of course we can't forget Avan. How did that little guy make it all the way to her?"
"Good question," Sam said.
The doors to the outside town slid open. If it weren't for the streetlights, everything would be pitch black. It was still difficult to see, but the glow from Ben's eyes illuminated the way. He led them between different buildings, until coming to what appeared to be a metal bunker. Barred windows lined the sides with a tall electric double door allowing them entry. Ben placed his hand along an interface on the wall. It scanned his hand with a bright green light, then chimed, allowing him entry.
"How did you get approved for something like that?" Sam asked.
"Oh," Ben hummed, scratching his head. "I guess I didn't tell you I spent most of the afternoon hanging out here with the Commander. I told him all about our mission and he told me all about his!"
"Again, Ben?" Hinata asked with an exasperated sigh.
He tried to defend himself as they went inside the long hallway. Soon it opened up into a cylindrical room. Stairs surrounded a large circular metal table in the center of the room. A few rebels, already in uniform, sat along the steps. They were performing overnight duties and looked up with heavy eyes at the group coming in. Glowing holograms floated above the table, showing a bird's eye map of the ocean around them. There were more Gampassas that Sam realized. Nearly a dozen of them swam around the ocean, some of them at much deeper depths without a city strapped to their back.
"Sam," Jarith said her name, coming into the room in a rush.
She tore her eyes away from the holograms and went to her dad, welcoming the hug. They parted and Jarith went to Hinata. Sam watched him, then looked over to see Kosh wheeling Harris in by the handles of a wheelchair. Harris sent a weak wave and Sam awkwardly smiled back.
Jarith grabbed the earpiece from Hinata and jogged down the steps. "Clear out," he ordered, and the rebels stood up and left the room without another word.
Once they were gone he placed the ear piece on top of the table. The holographic maps disappeared and instead a holo of Janos, Avan, and Zot appeared above it. Zot stood up in a rush, her chair scraping. She covered her face and turned to leave.
"Zot," Harris called out, stopping her. "Wait. Whatever Janos has got to say, I know it's from you."
"If the Separatists see this—" she started.
"They won't," Jarith promised. "What's the message?"
Zot uncovered her face and placed her hands along the back of the chair. She kept her head down, her fingers drumming against the wood. No one said anything. They each waited for the other to speak first.
Janos eventually sighed and blurted it out, "The Separatists know where ya are. They know where your base is and they're going to come there and burn it down."
Hinata looked to the others, her eyes widened. Jarith, Kosh, and Harris, didn't say anything. They each went ridgid. Their worst fears were being realized.
"How long do we have…?" Jarith asked.
"Three days," Zot forced the words out. "They're already forming the droids and creating the battle plans."
Jarith cursed under his breath, his hand going over his mouth. He looked towards Sam and Hinata, then his eyes drifted away. "Is there anything else you can tell us, Zot?"
"I… no," she admitted. "I'm sorry. I just thought you should know."
Jarith nodded. "We'll keep the channel open." He turned off the call and the hologram blipped away.
"What can we do in three days?" Kosh asked, his voice trembling. "We don't have the men to fight."
We might have had enough people if Harris didn't pull the stunt he did, Sam thought. But aloud, she said: "There has to be something you can do. You've been fighting against these guys for two years."
"Sam," Jarith said her name again, his hand falling down to his side. He walked over to them. "Ben told me about your other mission."
"I heard," Sam said with a sigh. "But what does that—"
"You need to get back to it," Jarith interrupted her. "I've been working with Riz, and we can manage to sneak your freighter through the blockade. It's not fully repaired yet, so it'd have to be on one of our ships, but Riz can get you out. This isn't your fight."
Sam's body froze. Words didn't form. The idea of leaving them behind, knowing what was coming…
"Thank you, sir," Lupe's voice came through Ben.
"I'm sorry we can't do more," Hinata added. She tightened her hands together, a flush in her skin.
Sam knew how hard it was for her to say. How hard it was for both of them to accept the help and admit they couldn't fight for them. She couldn't manage it and backed away from the discussion. Hinata and Ben/Lupe discussed the specifics with Jarith. Kosh planned to go with, hoping to get some help from the Republic, which started a disagreement on its own between Harris and Kosh. Sam barely heard them. She went to the circular table and studied the control tablet next to it. It was simple to understand, at least for her. She pressed a few buttons and brought up an overhead view of the area.
She saw the path to Dassana and the island where the droids made their above ground base. There were other islands scattered across the vast ocean, each one had predominant icons of droids plastered over them. Then she saw the Venator. It was crashed between Nakano and Dassana, angled with half of its massive frame submerged underwater.
"It was meant to be our ticket out of here." Harris had said.
"What about this?" Sam asked, pointing towards the Venator.
The discussion stopped and everyone turned towards her.
"It is a Republic ship," Kosh told her. "I believe we talked about it—
Sam waved her hand to get him to stop. "Harris said this was supposed to be your ticket out of here. What's changed?"
"I know that look in your eye." Jarith joined Sam's side. "I've been looking into the Venator. But—" he turned off the hologram and grabbed Sam's attention, "you need to go before you get too attached to a plan."
She let out a breath. "If you're gonna tell me to leave, at least let me know what you're up against."
He stared, brow raised. Sam looked back, pleading. Jarith blew out a breath and brought the hologram back up. "After the ship crashed it was swarming with droids. It didn't take long for the Clones on board to be overpowered by them. After that, most of the droids went back to the cities and we figured we'd sneak aboard and see what we could find that might help. Weapons, technology, hell even a couple of fighters would've been useful. When we got to the ship, it looked bad, there was massive amounts of damage to the hull. But once we made our way inside we realized it was better than expected. We think the Separatists must have used some sort of Ion weapon to knock it out."
Sam perked up. "Wait, is that what I think it is? They actually have those here?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hinata tilting her head. Sam smirked and explained, "I've heard of energy weapons that can overload a ship's computers temporarily, knock 'em out without doing any real damage."
"Like a stun?" Hinata asked.
"Exactly like a stun," Jarith said with a nod. "We think the bulk of the external damage to the Venator was caused by the two impacts, the first when it belly-flopped into the sea and the second impact when the rear of the ship hit the dune on the sea floor."
"So that thing's still operational then?" Sam asked, a spark of hope in her eyes.
"That's what we'd asked, too," Jarith said with a bittersweet chuckle. "But there was still a catch. We patched into the ship's internal sensor and it looks like the majority of the vital systems should still be intact, including the reactors. The problem is the flooding. There's entire corridors filled up with water that block us from reaching the engineering and reactor sectors. The Nautolans can navigate through the water easy enough, but if we even crack open the doors to the dry sections, we'll flood 'em. We don't have a way to get around that. If we could've gotten to the right sectors fast enough, we might've had a chance to get it back up in the air and maybe even take a stab at the blockade's flagship, but now… well, it's just been too long. The droids have been slowly working on dismantling and harvesting anything they can from the sections that aren't flooded. It's losing value by the day."
Sam ran her hand through her hair with a groan, and glanced over at Hinata out of the corner of her eyes. Her hand was clasped over her locket, body stiff. Even without saying it, they both knew what the other was thinking. They wanted to help.
"There's gotta be a way." Sam turned the Venator hologram around. "Ok, so it can't fight them. The reactors are working, couldn't you just load everyone onboard and use it to evacuate?
"We can't," Jarith said. "It would take a lot of work to get the main engines online again, it's a long shot just to make it into orbit. And even if we could, we'd need an operational hyperdrive to actually get away. That system took heavy damage in the crash and the Droids dismantled the better part of the Venator's navigation systems. We'd be sitting ducks."
Turning her attention back to the blueprints, Sam moved the ship's hologram and zoomed in on the hangar bay inside. "It's got fighters and bombers, doesn't it? This schematic says it's a carrier—"
Jarith laughed. His voice was full, filling the room. He looked towards Harris and Kosh, beaming with a grin. "What did I tell you? She's a natural." He patted his hand on Sam's shoulder. "You won't give up, will you?" He let out a breath, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "If only determination was enough… You're right, though, it does carry smaller fighters, but almost all of them have been disabled by the impact or dismantled by the Droids. There's just not much left of value that we can make use of. Everything still useful is locked off behind the flooding, and with the weapons and hyperdrive out of commission—"
"I get it," Sam groaned, slouching forward on the table. "Maybe we could just ram the damn thing into the bastards."
Jarith looked at the group, a smirk across his face though his eyes were softening. "I appreciate your passion and desire to help, but I'm going to have to ask you to step back. I know that look in your eyes, Sam. I can't let you keep going with this idea. You'll just have to leave this to me.."
"If you know the look, you know there isn't a chance I'll be getting sleep until we figure this out," Sam attempted to tease him back, but it was clear he wasn't kidding. Sighing, she raked her hand through her hair and admitted, "Dad, I think we could make this work. And I can't leave until I know you have a plan to get out."
Jarith pulled Sam into a hug. "We'll get out. I promise."
When Sam pulled back, Harris added, "He's right, you know. We can handle this."
Sam bristled at that and she snipped back, "Sort of like how you handled your show?" The comment came out before she could stop it. She winced, but didn't take it back, even when she heard Lupe stifling a cough through her earpiece.
"Sam…" Jarith stepped between her line of sight of Harris.
"She's not wrong," Kosh admitted, his hands tightening over the handles of Harris' wheelchair. His voice trembled. "I warned you Harris. Zot did, too. And now you can barely stand. Our ranks are half of what they were a week ago. And most of the people here on Nakano are just refugees! How are we supposed to handle any of this?"
Jarith looked over his shoulder, him and Harris exchanging a glance. "You aren't seeing the whole picture, Kosh," Jarith said.
"I won't be able to until you tell me," Kosh said, slipping back his hand when Harris reached back to grab his wrist.
Harris pressed his hands into the arm rests of his wheelchair and pushed himself to stand. His entire body shook and Kosh moved to help steady him, but Harris waved him away. He limped towards the table and rested his arms along it. "I guess you all deserve the truth. Not like we need to hide it anymore." A heavy breath moved through his entire chest. "I thought I knew what I was risking on Dassana. Turned out the Seps held a better hand of cards than I did. Not that that excuses anything. I put you all at risk. That wasn't part of the plan."
"What was the plan?" Lupe asked while Ben crossed his arms. "The real plan."
"I was meant to be the distraction," Harris said, his eyes absent. "That's what I always was. It worked wonders the first several times. You wouldn't believe the amount of people we smuggled in and out of Dassana! And the credits I made from the shows funded everything we needed here. Of course, Zot figured it out quick. I managed to charm her for a while, but eventually things started getting tense." He glanced up towards Jarith. "We knew we didn't have many shows left before the Seps took action. We'd managed to get a lot of people out, but leading up to when you guys came, we were lucky if we managed one or two. And every damn time, Jarith would go in and try to find someone to sneak back; always taking the chance on Janos."
"What do you mean, funded everything we needed?" Kosh asked quietly. "Everything we have here… It's because of your shows?"
Jarith's hand went over Kosh's shoulder. "We kept it quiet. Last thing we needed was everyone going to Harris to demand things."
Kosh scoffed, keeping his head down. "I think I can put together the rest. Harris got it in his head that all you needed was one last shot to get Janos, and he left you there so—"
"I hadn't meant to leave Jarith there," Harris cut him off. "We said we did so we wouldn't cause a panic. The Seps were on my case and escorted me back to the ship after my show. Jarith never got the chance to get back on the ship."
"So… you lied," Kosh realized, his voice small. "You lied to everyone."
"We felt it was best," Jarith said. "No one knew the truth except the two of us."
Kosh looked up at Harris, his golden eyes reddened and covered with a sheen. An indigo flush covered his face, then he turned and paced away. Harris called after him but the only reply was a slammed door. The sound bounced around the room and no one spoke until it faded.
"I think I'm starting to understand," Hinata said. "You went back to Dassana early so you could get Jarith back."
Harris looked away from the door and back at Hinata. He nodded. "The longer he was there, the more danger all of us were in. We didn't know the Seps knew he was there. They were just buying time, letting us think we had it under control."
"I didn't see a single droid while I was there," Jarith recalled. "I should have known something was wrong with that picture."
"Once we got there and Zot said what she did, I knew things were shot," Harris said. He scoffed with a laugh, going back to his wheelchair. Jarith helped him sit. "I figured if I could get all of you to leave and find Jarith, I'd stay the distraction and all of you could get out scot free. Obviously, that's not what happened."
"We should have told you before," Jarith admitted.
"If you did, we might have opted to stay on Nakano until Harris got back," Lupe said. "Then we wouldn't have been there to warp you to safety."
A smirk tipped Jarith's mouth. "All's well that ends well, right?"
"It worked out in the end," Hinata agreed. "That's what matters."
"It's good to know I'm not a complete idiot, right?" Harris joked, getting the others to at least smile at his attempt of humor.
"Well, not a complete one anyway," Sam snarked back, gaining a snicker from Harris. "But seriously, what you guys were doing with getting people out of Dassana was pretty amazing." She scratched the side of her face. "I'm… sorry for what I said."
Harris waved his hand dismissively. "It got the truth out. And you know that we can handle things. The three of you got your own things to worry about."
"He's right," Jarith agreed and looked towards Hinata. "I'll have Riz get your ship on the freight tomorrow morning. Then you can head out when you're ready."
"What about the Venator?" Sam asked.
Jarith smirked, though it didn't reach his eyes. He placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "It's not something you need to worry about. I'll reach out once we've made it out of here." His eyes danced over her face. "Even with everything going on, Sam, I…" His brows knitted together and he kissed the top of her head before pulling her into a hug. A lump lodged itself in Sam's throat and she choked out a hitched breath. "Thank you for finding me," he muttered.
She wanted to reply, but the words didn't form. A strained smile was all she could manage when he pulled away. Then he was gone, wheeling Harris' chair out of the room. She watched him go, staring at the door after it shut. Hinata's hand on her shoulder brought her back.
"We should head back," Hinata told her, smiling softly when Sam looked over at her.
She nodded again and Hinata linked her arm with hers, leading the way out. None of them talked while they walked. The streets of Nakano were still dark and empty. The hangar bay was the same. When they reached the bridge of the Highwind, Ben bid them goodnight and beamed them back to the synthetic mansion.
Lupe was there to greet them. His hands were dug in his coat pockets while the three of them stood there in silence. Sam rested her head against Hinata's shoulder and Hinata turned to hug her, pulling Lupe in too. The lump in Sam's throat tightened. A pained sob came up and she desperately tried to swallow it down.
"It's ok, Sam," Hinata whispered and the dam broke.
"I want to stay," Sam cried, tears straining her voice.
"We know," Lupe said. He pulled back from the hug, allowing Hinata to comfort Sam. He cleared his throat, swallowing his own emotion and pushing back his hair. "It's your decision."
Sam sucked in a breath and used the back of her hand to wipe away her tears. "I-I can't explain it. Staying and helping feels right." Clearing her throat, she unstrained her voice. "It's like that saying you told me about." She separated herself from Hinata and looked up at Lupe.
Lupe's expression twisted for a moment. His ears burned red. "You really think so?"
"What saying is that?" Hinata asked.
Lupe put his fist by his mouth, clearing his throat. "May your heart be your guiding key… It's a saying I remembered from where I grew up."
Hinata hummed and she grabbed her locket. Looking at Sam, she asked, "You feel like your heart needs you to stay here?"
Sam took a deep breath, sniffling. "You guys don't have to stay. I know I'm the only reason we're here. I'll work on the tracker tonight and then you guys can leave in the morning."
"We wouldn't do that, Sam," Hinata told her. "I don't want to leave you behind."
"You'd want to be left here by yourself?" Lupe asked, the slightest strain in his voice.
Sam looked up at him, then away. "Want to? No. But, I would understand if that's the call. I'm the one that got us into this mess."
"It's gotten bigger than that, Sam," Hinata whispered.
Lupe kept looking at Sam, his expression difficult to read. He eventually looked back at Hinata. "Then what's your call, Hinata?"
She looked up at him, the hint of a smile teasing her face before it fell. "I don't think you want to hear it."
His brows raised, surprised at her joke. Then he smirked. "Try me."
Hinata huffed a breathy laugh. "I feel like there's something I could do to help with the flooding."
He nodded, shrugging. "I've thought about it too. There's ways all of us could help." His shoulders slumped in defeat and he ran his hand through his hair. "If we do this, that's up to three days the tracker isn't getting worked on. Not to mention this is dangerous." He took in a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth, chuckling. "But, it's your call, Captain. If you say we're staying, then I'll start working on a plan. Because we're going to do this the right way this time if I have anything to say about it."
Sam shook her head. "Which is why it might be the right call to leave me here and I rejoin in three days."
"It's up to Hinata," Lupe said.
Hinata's eyes drifted around the lab. Her thumb traced her locket. "I'm not making this decision lightly," she told them, starting to pace around the room. "I know we have Keres to find. And that this isn't technically our fight. But the thought of leaving them behind… I know it's the wrong choice." She stopped and faced them. "We can't leave. I'm sorry."
Lupe looked between Sam and Hinata, before looking away and snorting. "It's alright. Part of me wanted to stay, too. Even if I think it's risky."
"But…" Sam started, looking between them. She swallowed. "Are you sure?"
Hinata nodded, a soft yet bright smile spreading across her face. "It's where our hearts are guiding us."
Sam stared at her, then stifled a sudden laugh. "Are you back on the cheesy lines now?"
The smile on Hinata's face was replaced with a twisted frown and eye roll. "It's literally a play on the saying. I don't think it's that cheesy."
"I liked it." Lupe shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'm glad that saying spoke so much to you."
The three of them chuckled together, appreciating the lift in tension.
"So what's the plan now?" Sam asked. "We storm the war room and tell them we're staying?"
"I don't think that'd do us any good," Lupe said. "We shouldn't go back until we have a solid plan in mind to help. Plus, pretty sure they're sleeping."
"Then let's work on a plan," Sam said with a shrug.
With a laugh, Lupe said, "I have some ideas, but I'm going to need some time to iron them out. You two should try to get some sleep. If we're going with the Venator, it's going to be a ton of work. All I do is sit here, so between the three of us, I'll take one for the team and stay up."
Sam stared at him, wanting to argue. But the idea of sleep did entice her, as did the opportunity of calling Jim and telling him about everything. She conceded, "Wake me up when you've got something."
"Promise!" Lupe waved as she turned to leave.
"I don't mind staying up," Hinata offered.
"This is the part I'm good at, Hina," Lupe told her, his hand going over his chest. "Trust me. I'll be fine."
Hinata studied his face for any sign of him lying or being over exhausted. With a sigh, she agreed and headed out alongside Sam. Once the door slid shut behind them, Lupe turned on his earpiece.
"Hey Ben? Can you get me everything Jarith has on the Venator?"
Ben loved walking through the streets of Nakano, mostly because it gave him the chance to get out of the cockpit for a bit. He walked with his head tilted back and eyes looking straight out into the ocean outside the translucent barrier. The moon shimmered above the water, though barely visible to the untrained and un-robotic eye. Sealife of all shapes and colors swam by. He'd caught the gaze of a whale at least three times now.
Even under orders from Lupe, he still took the time to gaze up at the ocean while he walked.
"You know," Lupe said in Ben's head, "I've been wondering if it's ridiculously humid there. Can you tell that sort of thing?"
"Well my scanner doesn't work super well down here under the water," Ben said, then laughed, "as you know. But I have been noticing rust on my joints that wasn't there last time I checked! So I'm gonna go on the whim and say, it is ridiculously humid down here."
Lupe laughed. "You're great, Ben."
Ben laughed too. "Aw well thanks, Lupe. It is nice to be appreciated now and then."
He reached the metal building and scanned his hand. The doors slid open and he went inside. The lights were still on and the color of a hologram danced across the walls. Ben went down the hallway until he reached the war room. Jarith looked up from the circular hologram table, the Venator's form floating in front of him.
"He's still here," Lupe realized. "Here's hoping he'll accept us sticking around."
"Commander!" Ben greeted, jogging down the steps to reach him. "We thought you'd be asleep."
Jarith half smiled. "I assumed the same thing about you and your friends."
"Well Lupe and I don't really need sleep," Ben explained with pride. "Which works out since we can share a mind sometimes." His voice was mixed with a laugh on the last word. "Crazy how that works. Anywho, I'm here on a mission for everything you have on the Venator. You see—"
"They're wanting to stay?" Jarith's smile grew into a smirk and he muttered under his breath, "Looks like Harris owes me fifteen credits."
Lupe coughed. "Wait… he expected us to stay?"
"What about your mission?" Jarith asked. "Your team's alright with putting it on hold?"
"Well, you see…" Ben started to explain.
"Ben, would you mind if I talked to him?" Lupe cut in.
"Oh! Lupe wants to talk with you!" Ben told Jarith. "Hold on a sec."
Ben blinked, the color shifting from yellow to blue and then back to yellow. He stood up straighter. "I know, Commander," Lupe's voice came out. "We decided this was too important to leave behind."
Jarith's smirk softened and he nodded. "Alright then. Welcome to the team, son."
Ben's eyes brightened and Lupe replied right away, "Thank you, sir."
"Since you're in here trying to get the Venator layout, I assume you have a plan lined up?" Jarith asked. "Or at least in the making."
"I do, actually," Lupe said. "But I could use some help. I don't know how the ships out here work."
Jarith motioned his head towards the hologram. "Then it's a good thing I'm here. Show me what you've got."
Hinata was just starting to wake up when she got the call from Lupe. She picked up her tablet and tried to hold back her yawn when she answered.
Lupe's face appeared on the screen. His hair was loosely tied back and wild. He chuckled. "I've got something good put together. Grab Sam and come down to the lab. Ben and Chirithy already have breakfast waiting for you."
She smiled, a jitter of adrenaline and nerves rising through her. "Be right there."
Within five minutes, Hinata and Sam were in the lab. As promised, a table filled with muffins and a steaming pot of coffee awaited them.
"Good morning!" Ben greeted with a song in his voice. "You guys are gonna love this plan!"
"Don't oversell it Ben," Lupe laughed, rubbing the robot's head.
"Ok," Hinata chuckled, grabbing a muffin and a cup of coffee. "Let's start from the top. We're ready to hear it."
Lupe smirked and looked over at Sam. "Basically, we're going to ram the damn thing into those bastards."
Sam blinked, then shook her head. "Wait, really?" She chuckled awkwardly. "I didn't think that'd actually work."
"Yeah, well, it's not a bad idea," Lupe said, his smirk growing into a grin. "The ship's damaged, sure, but it has more than enough mass to plow past the blockade's fighters and it should have enough to crush through the flagship's shields. All we really have to do is get the engines back online."
"But Jarith said it's too flooded to get down there," Hinata said.
"We'll get to that," Lupe said, then he pointed towards Sam, getting excited. "All we really need is to get the engines repaired and back online, and then get to the engineering sectors so we can make sure the reactors are ready for the job. There's a lot of repairs to do, both inside and out, but all we really need working is the engines themselves and the engineering control center. The thrusters are what took the most damage from the crash. They'll be what needs the most work, which thankfully Jarith already worked out."
"My dad?" Sam asked. "You've already talked with him?"
"I mean," Ben said, tapping his chin, "technically we ran into Jarith when we went to get the scans of the Venator. And once he saw us, he wanted us to work together on the plan. So it's not like we went looking for him to talk to him behind your back or anything."
"Didn't say you did, Ben," Sam said with a sigh.
"What's Jarith's plan for the thrusters?" Hinata asked.
"The Nautolans can handle them from the outside." Lupe explained. "They can breathe underwater and already have the right tools. And they will help with the next part of the plan too, which will be where you two come in."
"And me!" Ben jumped, his hands together like an excited school girl. "I'm so SO excited for my part."
"Ben!" Lupe scolded with a laugh.
"Sorry! Sorry." Ben covered his mouth with his hands.
"While the Nautolans work on the thrusters outside," Lupe continued, "we'll also need to repair some of the leaks in the hull so we can access the areas and systems we need. Like Jarith said, there's a lot of damage on the outside, but the hull is thick and strong. He doesn't think there'll be too many places where it's been punctured all the way through. We'll have teams working both inside and outside the ship to find and patch the cracks."
Sam's eyes widened. "That ship is freaking huge, Lupe. How are we expected to find all the cracks?"
"The Nautolans outside the ship will be putting different dyes into damaged sections of the outer hull," Lupe explained, motioning the water's movement with his hands as he talked. "Anywhere there's a breach to the interior, those dyes in the water with make their way inside the ship. We can use the dyes to figure out which sections of the hull are broken all the way through and focus our efforts there."
Hinata leaned forward, getting hyped into the excitement. "What do I do?"
Lupe grinned. "Ok, so you know how you can hold water in place?" He put out his hands and situated his feet to mimic how Hinata handled water. "The door to a corridor is going to open and you're gonna go, Woosh! And hold it back! Then a Nautolan is going to dive in and find the colored water and seal the hole from the inside, while the team outside finds it on the outer hull. Once that's done, you're going to start draining the water inside the corridor." He brought up a three-dimensional scan of the inside of the Venator. "For the first one, you're going to drain it to these other rooms on the side that are empty. We'll get back to the water, so don't forget about it. But there are a lot of corridors you'll have to do this with, Hina. So you're going to need an entire case of ether potions. At least two dozen."
"I can do that!" Hinata agreed readily.
"Great! I know you will." Lupe gave her a thumbs up, and looked over. "Then Sam. You're next up alongside your dad. Hina's going to be working on creating the path to the reactors. There's the two subreactors and the main one in the middle. All three chambers are thankfully sealed with no water, but the way to them is flooded. Once you get there, you, Jarith, and a small team will be working on getting the reactors working. According to your dad, the hyper matter fuel inside them still works like a charm. He said something about how a Venator can be in space without stopping for over a year. Most of the interior damage should be to power distribution systems and subsystems, but the brunt of the damage is in the exterior thrusters." He picked up a journal from the desk and read off a scribbled note, "Those are Ion Engines, which use magnetically accelerated particles for thrust, and a lot of the magnetic ionization rails are damaged or gunked up in silt." He tossed down his journal and added, "The Nautolans are going to need to clean those out, and they'll need parts to repair the rails and other systems."
"And that's where I can help!" Ben exclaimed, waving his arms. "I'm going to be in my droid disguise and I'll be waaaay up here. He slid his finger up along a full scan of the Venator to the very center. "This is the hangar bay and there's lots of ships already there and filled to the brim with parts! So I'm going to be taking them apart, throwing them out through these magnetic fields." He pointed towards shimmering translucent barriers that reminded Hinata of the hangar bay on Cad Bane's ship. "The Nautolan team outside will grab the parts I throw out there and will swim it back to Sam and her team."
"There's also going to be something called an astromech on board that will be connected with the ship," Lupe explained. "Those Separatist droids are going to be using the same sensors we need to keep track of what's going on onboard the ship, so we can't disable them. For the Nautolans outside, we don't have to worry — the sensors don't work great underwater and the Nautolans won't be distinguishable from any of the rest of the sea-life out there. Inside the ship, though, the droids would easily be able to see the sections of the ship as we repair and un-flood them. The sensors would also be able to track the components Ben and the Nautolans are moving through the water. According to Jarith, the astromech should be able to plug into the Venator's systems and falsify the sensor readings, only letting the true data make it to you guys down in the engineering sector. Any computers in the rest of the ship will display the false data, and it'll look like nothing's changed."
"Damn," Sam said, impressed. "You actually sound like you know what you're talking about."
Lupe chuckled, grinning. "I made sure to do my homework."
"Well alright," Sam started piecing it together, crossing her arms. "So my dad and I fix up the reactor connections. Then I'm guessing we use the engineering room's direct controls to start up the ship once everything's ready."
"Yup!" Lupe pointed at her with both hands.
"Can't the droids on the bridge turn the ship back off?" Hinata asked.
"Not if we cut off their connection," Sam said with a smirk. "They basically only have remote control over the reactor. We'll have the main control down there."
"Once we turn on the engines, there's no hiding it that you're there," Lupe continued, his excitement turning serious. "It's important at that point that everyone else is off the ship. You guys will stay together in the reactor until you're sure the ship has taken off properly, then Ben will beam you back here. So make sure you are together at this part."
"We will be!" Ben assured him. "Right girls?"
"I'll make sure we are," Hinata said. She shook her head, laughing. "This is amazing, Lupe. You weren't kidding. You are good at this."
Lupe ruffled his hair. "Thanks, but I have Jarith to thank for a lot of it."
"Don't sell yourself short. You did a lot of this," Sam said. "But last question, how are we getting there?"
"Ah, yeah, that will be Harris' ship," Lupe answered. "He'll drive us in and can bring in food and supplies as we need them. He'll also be getting Janos and Avan if he can manage it before the Venator goes flying."
"This could actually work," Sam laughed, staring at the scans. "Holy shit."
"Jarith's having his own meeting with his team right now," Lupe said. "The other part of Ben is there right now."
"It's going perfectly!" Ben reported. "Everyone seems to be on board."
"Then I guess we're really doing this," Hinata said with a nervous laugh.
"How are you feeling about it?" Lupe asked, leaving his presentation behind to talk with them. His hands went into his pockets.
"Excited, I think?" Hinata replied with a soft laugh. "And nervous. It's a big thing. But I think the plan is solid."
"I think we can pull it off," Sam said.
Lupe looked between them both, his expression softening the longer he watched them. "Just be careful. If the plan works you shouldn't have to even fight a droid, but… don't let your guard down."
"We won't," Hinata promised.
"What do you think our chances are?" Sam asked.
He hummed, thinking about it. "I'd say seventy-five percent chance of going off without a hitch."
Sam huffed out a laugh. "At least it's better than the ten percent you gave Avan for flying."
Lupe chuckled along with her. "Yeah and he still surprised us."
"Yeah he did," Sam agreed, her smile softening.
"Are you going to be alright here?" Hinata asked.
Lupe looked at her, his head tilting slightly.
"You mentioned it's hard watching us in dangerous situations," she clarified.
"I'll try to keep things safe and boring for you," Sam teased and Lupe huffed with a laugh.
"Yeah I'll be fine," he assured them, though Hinata didn't quite believe him. "Just take care of each other. I like having you guys around."
"You're not half-bad either," Sam replied.
"We like having you around too," Hinata echoed the sentiment. "We make a good team. And we'll make an even better one once Velcia wakes up."
"Yeah I'm hugging you now," Lupe said, pulling both of them into a hug. He then reached out and grabbed Ben, tugging him into the group hug.
After a moment, Lupe reluctantly released them. As he pulled away, he hooked a finger under Sam's hair band and tugged it out of her hair.
"Hey!" she laughed, reaching for it back but he lifted it out of reach, laughing as well.
"Come back in one piece and maybe you can have it back," Lupe told her. He stuck out his tongue, pulling the hairband to hang around his wrist.
"Whatever." Sam rolled her eyes, giving him a playful shove before she grabbed another hairband from her pocket.
Lupe stumbled back, laughing. All of them shared in the laughter before they disappeared in a flash of light.