"Here we are," Hunter announced as the Jawas gestured to a group of speeder bikes. "There's six of us and only four bikes. Wrecker, Crosshair, take a bike. Echo you're with me, Tech take Cass," he ordered and began mounting himself onto the speeder.
Wrecker gently set Cass onto a bike, then got onto one of his own. The others found their way onto the bikes, including Tech, who shuffled over to Cass. He swung one leg over and sat down, quickly turning on the bike and inputting a location to his visor.
"Taa Baa," Cass waved to the Jawas and smiled.
The rest of the Jawas cheered and waved at the group, then watched as they began revving the speeders.
"Lead the way Tech," Hunter nodded and checked over his shoulder to make sure Echo was good to go.
"Coordinates set to the North City," Tech announced, then grabbed a hold of the handlebars and glanced behind him.
"Are you ready?" Tech inquired, looking her over and double checking she had her lightsaber and goggles.
She strapped the goggles on quickly and wrapped her arms around Tech's torso. He tensed under touch for a moment, but when she grinned at him, his shoulders relaxed a bit.
"I'll take that as a yes," he nodded and looked forward, taking off quickly. Cass' grip got tighter as they sped off, so Tech patted her knee once to reassure her she was safe with him. "Don't worry, I have extremely proficient motor skills and the odds of us crashing are five thousand to one."
"Then why are you going so kriffing fast?" she sank her face into his armor to stop the wind and sand from whipping her face.
The rest of the group followed Tech for a couple miles, not affected at all by the sand pelting their armor as they buzzed over the desert. As they neared the city, Cass could sense the fear of the missing clones. The helplessness, and the disappointment they felt in themselves for getting captured.
"They're definitely here," Cass leaned over Tech's shoulder slightly to get a better view of the city. "I know they're here."
The rounded domes and dull color of the homes and markets were key elements of any desert planet, and this one was no different.
"If we are looking for a this Klatooinian gang, how do you suppose we find them?" Hunter looked around, but the question seemed directed at Cass.
"Klatooinians are just as easy to buy information from as the Jawas. They're greedier too, so maybe even more so persuadable. But we need to be quick on our feet is this is gonna work. If they sense any insecurity, they'll disregard anything you say," she leaned back and pulled the goggles off, just as the speeders came to a stop and parked on the outskirts of the market.
"What will we bribe them with?" Tech furrowed his brows as he typed away. "None of us have enough credits to persuade them."
"That's the part I'm not so sure about," she sighed. "I'll have to figure something out."
Tech lended her a hand as she hopped off the bike, gaining her footing and proving to Wrecker she didn't need to be carried.
"Keep your weapons holstered," Cass explained as she led the group into the city and tucked her saber further into her jacket. "They won't hesitate to fight if provoked."
Cass turned around and pointed to Wrecker and Crosshair as she emphasized the last word. Crosshair rolled his eyes and Wrecker groaned, his hope in getting to blow something up rapidly decreased. She began searching for the best spot to find information, and her eyes settled on a bar. She wandered into the dark and gloomy hotspot, one that intensely smelled of musk and dirt and sour Juri juice. Short and gruff Klatooinians lined the bar, all of them with the same downturned brows and toothy underbites. Some of them were bigger than others, but for the most part, the batch were vastly taller in comparison. Cass sat in an open seat between two natives, and looked to the male behind the bar.
Hunter and Cross leaned against the wall, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible and get a feel for the atmosphere. Wrecker stood guard outside, hungrily watching the ronto roaster spin across the isle. Tech sat himself two seats down from Cass, typing away on his data pad in search of any information that could prove useful.
"What'll you have?" the owner wiped the counter and waited impatiently for an answer.
"Information," Cass requested cooley as she slid one gold trugut across the counter and into his hand.
"Tell me what you want to know and I'll tell you how much more it will cost," he grunted and bellowed as he watched her sit in silence.
She began rubbing her palm and looked around the bar, noticing small relics lining the walls of the bar, no doubt trophies of his own capture. Her ears caught the sound of shrill laughter coming from the back of the bar, one that was familiar to her. Three of the clones heard it too and continued to observe silently. Tech, of course, heard the sound and immediately began typing.
"We're looking for the Gammbro gang," Cass put bluntly.
The owner of the bar guffawed and rested his elbows against the metal tabletop.
"You can't afford that information, sweetheart," he laughed and turned away to continue serving guests.
Tech kept his eyes down, but took his finger and began tapping on the counter just loud enough for Cass to notice. Cass listened closely, and her hands calmed as she translated his message. She held back a smile and reminded herself to thank Tech later for his fast thinking.
"Did you hear that sound earlier?" Cass cleared her throat and lifted her head more, attempting to peer into the back where the shrill laugh originated. The owner was quick to slide in front of her and block the view.
"I didn't hear anything. You publiko kung [Republic scum] are always acting crazy," he shook his head nervously.
"I don't know, that kinda sounded like a Kowakian monkey-lizard," she cooley leaned back and lifted her brows. "Hey, but I'm no expert," she raised her hands defeatedly.
The man became irritated and leaned over the bar once more, coming dangerously close to Cass' face. She smelt the alcohol and filth emanating from his mouth, which caused her stomach to churn, but she remained still.
"So what if I have one? The republic doesn't have any jurisdiction out here," he angrily pointed at the clones, who seemed to have heard and sat up straighter. They all slowly closed in, taking closer positions near Cass, causing the Klatooinian to look around nervously.
"You're right, they don't," she pursed her lips and faked a sigh, pausing for a moment. "But the Hutts do."
The owners eyes went wide and he slowly began reaching for something under the bar. Tech and Hunter laid their hands on their holstered weapons and watched carefully, while Echo and Crosshair remained observant of anyone else watching.
Cassiopeia spoke softly and smirked, her voice never wavering. "An jee heard Jabba sa missing wanga like da." [And I heard Jabba is missing one just like that]
The native frantically attempted to grab a blaster from beneath the counter, but Hunter and Tech were too quick to aim their weapons.
"Eniki!" [Okay!] he raised his arms quickly and breathed heavily. "Don't shoot! I'll tell you what you want to know just-just don't tell Jabba."
"Where can we find the Gammbro gang?" Hunter articulated with his knife close to the creature's neck.
"They hide out underneath the droid repair store! There's stairs that lead you down there!" the owner squeezed his eyes shut in hopes that Hunter's blade didn't make contact.
Cass stood up and nodded at Tech and Hunter, who then lowered their weapons.
"Thank you," she exhaled in relief, "for your cooperation."
She turned on her heels and the boys followed closely behind.
"You speak Huttese?" Tech questioned incredulously.
"You don't?" Cass looked at him and laughed at how his eyes widened.
Hunter chuckled and looked over at the two, almost able to smell the nervousness on Tech.
"Jee do speak Huttese!" [I do speak Huttese!] Tech raised a finger, almost offended at the accusation.
"She's just messing with you Tech," Hunter patted his back as they walked through the exit. Tech looked at Cass, who was already smirking at him.
"Sorry che ta na yoka," [Sorry for the joke] she playfully bumped his arm with her shoulder. "I don't doubt your abilities. We all know you're amazingly smart and talented."
"It's alright," he looked to the ground with a blush growing under his helmet. "My brothers have made it known to me that I process things too literally sometimes."
"That's not a bad thing Tech, it makes you who you are," Cass grinned at him and he welcomed it. "And finding the bounty Jabba listed was really quick thinking, thanks for having my back."
"Of course," he met her eyes for a moment, "I'll always have your back. We all will," he gestured to his brothers ahead of him.
"I'm glad," she confessed quietly.
Wrecker ran up beside the two and held his hands out. "Look! They have ronto wraps! You guys want any?"
Cass shook her head politely while Tech scrunched his nose and turned away. Wrecker offered some to the others, but only Echo accepted.
"Let's not waste anymore time and head to the droid repair store. We find the store, we find our boys," Hunter rallied the group together and started walking through the crowds.
Cass found herself watching Hunter a little more closely in this crowd, as he was constantly craning his neck and shaking his head. She sped up slightly to catch his attention and check in on him.
"You okay?" she could sense his unease, which was uncommon for how cool he normally seemed.
"Uh, yeah," his eyes darted around before he finally took a deep breath and looked to the ground. "It's just a lot for me."
Cass remembered Tech explaining how Hunter's senses were heightened much more than a normal clone, and she realized how overwhelming this was for him. Every person that passed by had a heartbeat, a breath, a smell, a voice. And there were plenty of people.
"It must be sensory overload for you going to places like this," she sympathized with him, causing her to feel a slight change in his energy.
"Yeah well," he brought his eyes back up and began scanning once again, "let's just say you'll never find me roaming Coruscant for fun."
She wanted to ask if there was anything she could do to help, but in doing so would probably add more to the problem.
"I'll be fine, kid," he spoke in a way that she thought he surely could read her mind. "Let's just get this over with and get out of here."
"Make a left," Tech read from his maps, and continued giving directions until they stood outside the shop. The building was domed and tiny, much smaller than most of the other buildings.
"There's no way this is a repair store, you can barely fit two gonk droids in there," Crosshair observed.
"I'm sensing more energy underground," Hunter said as he bent down to touch the sandy terrain. "They've got to be down there."
"I'll find a high point and make sure no one slips out," Crosshair affirmed, and ran off to find a better position.
"Wrecker and I will pull up the front and stun anyone with a blaster. You three try to find the troopers," Hunter assigned positions and assembled inside the small building.
He stayed attuned to his senses, and followed the energy trail until they reached a set of narrow stairs in the back. As they approached, wild grunting and laughing could be heard. Bottles were being broken and Klatooinians were drunkenly wandering about.
"Hey there ugly, where are our friends?" Wrecker pulled out his blaster and aimed it at the gang members. Immediately, all members in the room lifted their blasters and began firing.
"Finally some action! Yeah!" Wrecker cheered and began stunning those around him. Hunter pulled out his DC-17 and backed up to Wrecker, clearing a path for the others to search for the missing clones. More bottles were crashing against the wall in an adjacent room, and Cass sensed someone in pain.
"Slice the panel," Echo looked to Tech, who was seemingly already on it. He rapidly clicked a few buttons and was quickly able to open the simple code lock.
When they rushed into the room, Cass' heart sank. There behind bars sat the two clones they were seeking, their necks and wrists restricted by the shock braces Hunter was sensing. The bottles were being thrown at them, and were shocked any time they moved. They were covered in glass and alcohol, even a few deep cuts along their faces and hands were visible.
At the sound of the door opening, all the creatures turned and began drawing their blasters and throwing more broken bottles. As quickly as Tech and Echo could draw their blasters, Cass had reached out and grabbed all their weapons at once, throwing the blasters and bottles against the opposite wall. Tech and Echo took their opportunity to stun them all and rush over to the clones. Tech instantly went to the control panel while Cass and Echo kneeled down in front of the clones.
"Are you boys alright?" Cass furrowed her brows and tried to read the clones' expressions. She sensed a wave of relief come over them as they looked at their rescuers.
"Yes, we're alright," the one said breathily. "We've seen worse."
"What are your names?" Echo asked.
"CT-32-" the one began.
"No, I mean your name," Echo corrected them.
"I'm Midnight," he said more sternly, then pointed to his brother. "And this is Jako."
"You two look like a couple of shinies," Echo teased.
"Yeah don't remind me. Getting captured by a bunch of small pig men is exactly how I wanted my third mission to go," Jako groaned.
"But you did retrieve information about General Grievous on your third mission, that's extremely commendable," Tech added while continuing to splice the holding cell control panel.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You boys did a great job and will be looked upon highly by the Republic," Cass reassured them. "You almost done, Tech?"
"Just about...finished," he nodded as the bars rose into the ceiling and the restraints clicked offline.
Cass and Echo lent hands to the troopers and patted their backs reassuringly. Hunter and Wrecker heard the commotion and entered cautiously into the room. At the sight of the newly freed clones, they exhaled. Hunter pulled out his holoprojector and contacted Rex.
"Any success?" Rex's voice spoke from the blue hologram.
"We got our boys," he reassured. "They're a little battered but they're alright."
"Glad to hear this was a simple mission. I'll have the nearest cruiser pick them up and bring them back to Coruscant."
"Yes Captain," Hunter nodded and closed the projector. "You heard Rex. Let's get you cleaned up at the ship and wait for the cruiser."
. . . . . .
wrecker finally getting to shoot some stuff: