Abie paced nervously around the bridge of the Insurgent. The stresses of their current situation were finally starting to get to her. Instead of waiting around for Rhodes to return, she requested McCart and Nina to return to the bridge using the ship's intercom system.
Within a few minutes the two officers strolled into the room. "What's the word boss?" Nina said in her usually chipper tone.
"Seal the doors and disable the surveillance cameras," Abie remarked without turning to look at them.
McCart and Nina complied with the order. McCart waltzed over to a computer console and tapped in a few commands, disabling both visual and audio on the cameras. "Oh, it's that kind of meeting."
Abie finally turned toward them and answered McCart's question with a nod.
"What's this all about, Lady Edge," Nina asked with a hint of concern in her voice.
"This is about the mole," Abie admitted in a surprisingly calm voice.
McCart's eyes lit up. "You think it's Twitch don't ya! That's why we are meeting now when he is gone."
Abie rolled her eyes. "No, I was going to ask you what you found since we have some down time. I wasn't planning to make any new moves until Rhodes can transmit his message over the Imperial holonet."
"Well, I have been doing some sniffing around and as of yet have no concrete evidence. I was reviewing outgoing transmission logs from the Insurgent when I came across a pattern of weekly transmissions to an unknown source. After tracing them to Jordavi's room, I snuck in and dug through her personal computer terminal. I didn't find much before she caught me and went crazy. She slapped me in the face, claimed the transmissions were to her brother on Onderon, then gave a me a lecture on invasion of privacy as she calls it."
"Well, were you invading her privacy?" Nina chimed in.
McCart tried to avoid the judgmental gaze of Nina and at this point Abie. "Well, yes, I was. But that's not the point. The point is that she is a suspect."
Abie shook her head and replied, "Unlikely, but keep an eye on her without causing any more trouble. Who else do you have?"
McCart was quick to answer the second part of Abie's statement, not wanting to agree to the first part. "I caught Davant sneaking out one night, but he ended up just smoking some marcan herb in an alley. That was a waste of my night. Then I caught Oster out of the ship one night, but he claimed to be simply going to the cantina. I have a hunch that he meets a contact there, but the bouncer won't let me in. Something about creepin' around in the darkness and scaring the women folk."
Abie was shaking her head while Nina was trying not to laugh. Unable to contain herself, Nina finally blurted out, "So all you did was stalk squad members at night and go through a female squad member's personal belongings."
McCart was growing more and more frustrated. "Well, if you put it that way, I—"
Before he could finish his objection, Abie cut in. "Enough you two. McCart, keep working on your, let's call them, leads. Take Nina with you. I want you two working together on this."
Nina cheered at receiving the special assignment while McCart groaned.
"Squad dismissed," Abie shouted before waving them away.
The two officers gave a salute before heading out of the bridge, making sure to reactivate the surveillance system on the way out. Abie returned to her captain's chair where she anxiously awaited Rhodes' return.
The tension in the room was unyielding with neither side seeming to want to say the next word. The strange woman wore a frown on her face while there was a clear sense of sadness in the eyes of Rhodes.
Lena finally had enough. This wasn't the first time Rhodes just happened to know someone. "Let me guess, you know this woman and you two have some sort of traumatic past that I will learn bit by bit." As Lena was saying this, she was slowly moving toward the entrance. Once she had the door blocked, she continued. "Rhodes, does she know who you are? Who you really are?"
Rhodes frowned and gave her a nod but remained silent.
Lena was annoyed by his silence but accepted the nod. She retrieved their lightsabers from her backpack and tossed Rhodes his. The Jedi caught the saber and hooked it on his belt.
"It is you," The woman muttered upon seeing the weapon.
Rhodes nodded and finally broke his silence. "Lena, this is Kasdeya Kerrim. During the Clone War, she was a senatorial aid to a Separatist senator. At some point in the last year of the war, she defected to the Republic, and I was assigned to protect her. We spent three months together, hiding out on various backwater worlds. She had given all the intel she had but Count Dooku still wanted her dead. We fought off assassins and bounty hunters until they eventually stopped coming. Then I was called back to the battlefield."
Lena didn't believe that was the whole story. Something was different about Rhodes. He seemed more stressed than Lena had ever seen him. Lena had been trying to figure out what Rhodes was always talking about when he said that he could sense emotions. The shift in Rhodes' mood could be felt dramatically through the Force. He also made no attempt to correct her when she called him by his first name, something he adamantly did when they were working with Skye. Lena wanted no more than to ask more questions but figured that it wasn't the time.
Another emotion that she was able to notice was the fear emanating from Lugos. He was somewhat hiding behind the taller frame of Kasdeya as he looked back and forth from Lena to Rhodes. "What kind of officers are you two?" He finally said in a shaky voice.
Lena let out a sigh as she put her hand on her forehead. "Lugos, it's obvious that we aren't real officers. Get that through your thick skull."
"She's right, Lugos," Kasdeya muttered in a calm tone. "May I introduce Charles Rhodes, former Jedi padawan and at one point my bodyguard."
She didn't bother to look at Lugos while saying this, instead continuing to stare at Rhodes. "Why are you here, Charles?"
Rhodes shifted uneasily under her stare. He knew he had to stall for as long as he could to give BO-Z a little more time. He was already doing his best to use his body to block the little droid from Kasdeya's sight.
Not sure what else to say, Rhodes came up with a lie. "We are here to gather intel on some new weapon that was deployed here some time ago. It is responsible for killing a dozen prisoners as well as two of my acquaintances."
"So, you are in league with the rebels?"
"Yes, in a way."
"Then out of respect for the feelings that we once shared, I will allow you to leave now without alerting the building to your presence."
Rhodes saw no reason not to take her offer given that their true mission was already complete as evidenced by a few beeps from the probe droid. Rhodes motioned for BO-Z who latched onto Rhodes' back. He walked briskly past Kasdeya and headed for the door. As he got to the door, he had Lena return the lightsabers to the backpack.
Before they could leave, Kasdeya spoke up once again. "Oh, and Charles, the ponytail doesn't suit you."
Rhodes shot her a grin before opening the door and leaving the room.
Once in the hallway, Lena wasted no time in asking more questions. "What's the deal with you two? What happened in those three months?"
Rhodes sighed as he began walking faster. "A story for another time. We just need to get out of here before she changes her mind about letting us go."
Lena let out an annoyed grumble but chose not to push the matter further. The two retraced their steps, successfully avoiding any attention. Their brisk pace was enough to deter any stormtrooper or officer from stopping them.
The supply room was exactly how they left it, the inventory droid still laying against a munitions rack. Rhodes reached into the vent and retrieved their usual clothes.
"Can we keep these outfits?" Lena asked with a grin.
Rhodes shrugged as he took off his cap. "What makes you think you need permission? You already stole something from this very room. Nevertheless, it might be good to have these disguises if we decide to stick around."
Lena grinned and revealed three smoke grenades she had swiped earlier. The two went behind separate racks and changed into their usual outfits, making sure to return their lightsabers to their hiding spots. Lena stashed both Imperial uniforms in the backpack and slung it around her shoulder.
Rhodes was first to pull himself up into the vent system. BO-Z hovered up after him with Lena not far behind.
Twitch had been staring at the vent for what felt to be hours. He was already frustrated that he wasn't in there with the other two. This was yet another example of him being left out of a mission. Granted, this time there wasn't much he could do but it didn't make the wait any more enjoyable.
He would have talked to Hunter, but he still couldn't quite understand binary. It was the very reason he hated working with droids like Hunter and BO-Z. Hunter was sitting next to him, silently watching him. It was making Twitch uncomfortable but then again, there was no real way to tell which direction his photoreceptor was actually focused.
Twitch tried to ignore the droid and instead focus on the vent and helping Rhodes and Lena. Just as he started to think something had gone wrong, the vent slowly popped off and was slid to the side. Twitch let out a sigh of relief as he watched his two partners emerge from the opening.
"Go and drive by those troopers or something," Twitch urged Hunter.
The droid was quick to comply, heading toward the facility. He quickly hopped up on his third wheel after picking up speed. Hunter sped by the opening to the hangar while emitting a high pitched squeal. The action was enough to turn all the guards' heads away from where Rhodes and Lena were jumping down from the hangar door frame. By the time Hunter turned around and headed back, the rest of the team was assembled. The stormtroopers seemed not to care about the whole disturbance and instead went back to their duties.
"How did it go?" Twitch asked once everyone was present.
Rhodes stepped aside to reveal BO-Z who hovered over and landed on Twitch's shoulder. "Well, we got the spike downloaded and we even managed to bug the Governor's office. We should get back to your ship and report to Abie."
Twitch nodded and led the way back to the spaceport. The walk back was just as awkward as their walk to Imperial headquarters. Rhodes could feel the anxiety from both of them and it was becoming concerning. He decided to keep quiet for now, but he was dreading having to speak once more with Lena about her feelings toward Twitch and her emotions in general.
The group eventually arrived back at the Insurgent to a delighted Cloud Squadron. Ever since the prisoner incident there had been no moves by command, leaving everyone a little on edge.
Jordavi was sitting on the entry ramp, talking with Davant and Oster. "The boss is waiting for your report," Jordavi commented as they approached.
Twitch gave her a thumbs up and led the group into the ship.
Abie was waiting on the bridge, staring at the door. "Was your mission a success?"
"It was," Rhodes started. "We got the spike downloaded and bugged the Governor's office. Your droid should have the frequency." BO-Z hovered off of Twitch's shoulder and reattached himself to Abie's back.
"Very good. You should go and record the message that will play on the holonet."
"You aren't going to tell her?" Lena blurted out, intentionally trying to make Rhodes tell the whole story.
"Tell me what?" Abie asked, her curiosity piqued.
Rhodes shot Lena a look before turning toward Abie. "It was my call to infiltrate the Governor's office instead of the communication wing, so I guess this is my own fault. Governor Kerrim walked in on us and knows we are involved. We have..." Rhodes paused, trying to figure out the best way to say it. "... history. She knows who I am. Who I really am. While she did let us go, I don't trust that our history will make things any easier here."
Abie had a hand on her chin, processing the turn of events. "This is an interesting revelation but for now, irrelevant. Assuming the data spike was downloaded correctly, it won't matter who knows about you. You can record the message in my quarters."
Rhodes nodded and followed her out of the room leaving Twitch and Lena alone.
"So, how goes the Jedi training?" Twitch asked, not wanting to sit in awkward silence.
Lena rolled her eyes and took a seat in one of the pilot's chairs. "Hardly going. We haven't done much since the Teth job. I got a lightsaber and a few lectures but beyond that, Rhodes seems to be more focused on running errands for all his old friends instead of training me."
"That sounds frustrating."
"It's worse than that. Rhodes consults me on our moves, but it feels like he doesn't really care about my opinion. I only said I wanted to come here because it seemed obvious that Rhodes wanted to. It's not that I don't want to help the people of this planet, I just don't like the idea of being hunted by the Empire."
Twitch was trying to sympathize but really did not know what to say. He continued to stare at her, waiting to see if she would continue.
Lena took a deep breath trying to calm herself down. "I know Rhodes means well but he isn't exactly good at the whole teaching thing. I just hope he can make more time for me, especially if we are sticking around here for a while."
"I'm sure he will. I doubt Abie will make any big moves until we get an idea of the public's reaction to Rhodes' message. You two should have plenty of free time."
Lena tried to take comfort in Twitch's words but couldn't help but wonder if things would ever change. "Thanks Twitch," Lena finally replied with a smile.
Before they could say much more, Abie and Rhodes returned to the room.
Rhodes wore a stern expression and Lena couldn't figure out what he was feeling.
Abie on the other hand was easy to read. Her beaming expression was one of hope and excitement. "Alright, assuming the data spike works, Rhodes' message should begin playing over the Imperial holonet all over Serenno beginning in ten minutes. It should repeat until the Empire can figure out how to disable it which will take some time. Twitch, I will need you to assemble the squad immediately. Have them meet here. Everyone should hear this."
Twitch gave a quick salute to his sister and ran out of the room. After a few minutes, members of the squad began to filter into the room.
Once most of the squad was present Abie switched on the Imperial holonet. The officer speaking was detailing plans for a parade through the city center of Carannia in observance of Empire Day as well as other ascension week activities. This was a rather convenient time to broadcast the message since the festivities were mandatory. It was likely that much of the planet, especially the people in Carannia, would be listening.
With two minutes left until the broadcast began, an out of breath Twitch burst into the room followed by the crew of the Iron Stump. The entirety of Cloud Squadron found spots sitting in chairs or standing against the walls. Rhodes, Lena, and Hunter remained by the entrance, trying to avoid the curious gaze of the squad as they arrived.
The room was silent, waiting for something important to be said. The hologram of the Imperial officer soon began to cut in and out before completely fading.
After a few seconds of static, the hologram was replaced with a clear image of Rhodes from the chin down, lightsaber clearly displayed on his belt. A murmur rumbled amongst the members of Cloud Squadron as they recognized the figure in the hologram as the stranger standing by the entrance.
The hologram of Rhodes wasted no time as he started to speak. "Greetings, people of Serenno. My name is Charles Rhodes, formerly of the Jedi Order. While it is true that my order and this planet were once at odds, we now face a common enemy. Across the galaxy, both former Republic and Separatist planets are being oppressed by the unjust leadership of the Galactic Empire. I have come to this planet to aid in your struggle against the Empire. I come before you today to plead for your help, support, and understanding. Allow us the chance to fight for you. A single chance is a galaxy of hope. Through this fight there will be loss, there will be hardship, but I implore you to remain hopeful for a better future. The Empire paints us as criminals and terrorists but that is untrue. We fight for justice. We fight for peace. We fight for you. Stay strong and may the Force be with you."