Coruscant: 20 BBY
Feton Ralius's Stronghold
Riyo Chuchi
Riyo blinked her eyes open and sat up with a groan. A dull ache coursed through her body and her head was pounding. She checked her hands, but found them shackled together. She was sitting in some sort of cell.
The door hissed open and two Mandalorians entered. One of them grabbed her arm and shoved her out of the cell. "Start walking," he growled.
"Where are you taking me?" Riyo demanded.
"To see the boss."
She faced forward and let them prod her along. If I play along, I'll stay alive. Hopefully Mairin and Fox are on their way. Riyo gritted her teeth in frustration. How could we have been so naive? Fox was right. Still, I did learn some things at least.
They entered another room shortly. Riyo arched an eyebrow at the man seated on a makeshift throne. He straightened as the Mandalorians forced her towards him. The man removed his helmet. Riyo paused momentarily. He was only a young man, in his mid twenties at least, she guessed.
"Senator Chuchi, welcome," he drawled. "It took us a while to persuade you to visit us."
"Your methods of persuasion are unfamiliar to me," Riyo said. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"Straight to the point. Good. I am Feton Ralius. As to what I want, I'm in need of some credits. My men want more food and weapons so I'm getting it for them. I've heard the Separatists will pay a hefty price for your head." A smirk slid onto his face. "Of course, they'll pay even more if you're alive."
"These Separatists wouldn't happen to be members of the Trade Federation, would they?"
"I don't ask questions about my buyers. They pay me and I deliver what they want." Feton waved a hand. "Get her ready for transportation."
Riyo stiffened as the Mandalorians pushed her back towards her cell. Hurry up, Mairin, she groaned inwardly.
Coruscant: 20 BBY
Feton Ralius's Stronghold
Commander Fox
They were waiting a short distance away from the Mandalorian stronghold. A shuttle was inbound, carrying Clay, Archer, and Jairo. Fox had contemplated bringing in a squad of the Coruscant Guard, but had quickly scrapped the idea.
Had he done that, there would've been mountains of reports to file, not to mention his own marked inadequacy at guarding the Senator. Mairin stirred restlessly beside him.
"Do you think she's all right?" She asked.
"They won't kill her. They want to use her for something," Fox replied.
"Well aren't you two smart?" The hostage Mandalorian sneered.
"Quiet," Fox snapped. The whirring of engines drew closer. A shuttle landed close by and his brothers leaped out.
"So what's the plan?" Archer asked as soon as they reached Fox and Mairin.
"First of all, put him in the shuttle." Fox shoved the Mandalorian forward. "He's under arrest for the kidnapping of Senator Chuchi."
"I didn't actually kidnap her. You can't charge me with that!"
"You helped. That makes you an accomplice," Fox replied. Jairo led the Mandalorian onto the shuttle and quickly returned.
"Now, about the plan?" Clay prompted. "We can't just go in there with guns blazing or they might do something drastic."
"They operate like a crime syndicate, right?" Fox's gaze fell on Mairin. "We can use that. Mairin, you'll have to pretend that you're a smuggler on a delivery or pickup. Distract them so that we can sneak in and find the Senator."
Mairin nodded and approached the building. Fox ducked around a corner, with his brothers behind him. Mairin banged on the door hard. A gatekeeper droid stuck its eye out and muttered something.
Fox could just barely make out Mairin's response. "I'm here for a delivery pickup," she said. "It was a last minute thing. My boss contacted me and told me there was spice here that he'd bought and I needed to get it." The droid gave a garbled answer and the door screeched open.
"Come on. Let's find a back entrance," Fox whispered.
They rounded the building until they came upon another door. There were no guards of droids near it. However, a keypad locked the door. Archer shouldered his way forward and set to work. He pulled a small device out of his belt and hooked it into the keypad. Archer began punching in numbers randomly. At last, the keypad lit up and the door swung open.
"We should split up," Clay whispered. "It'll be easier to stay hidden and we'll find her faster."
Fox nodded and the group broke apart. Jairo and Archer headed down one hall, with Clay going the opposite way. Fox quickly ducked out of sight as a group of Mandalorians walked past.
"The money from that Senator will be more than enough to get us what we need," one of them was saying.
Fox tilted his head and began to follow them. "Do you think Feton will really get us involved with the Separatists?"
"If it'll ensure our survival, yes. Haven't you learned by now? He'll do whatever he can for Clan Ralius."
"Not much of a Clan," another Mandalorian scoffed. The former cuffed him over the head.
"Don't let Feton hear you say that. You're lucky that I won't tell him myself. Let's go check on the prisoner and get back to work." They switched directions abruptly.
Fox slowed down until they were out of hearing before following. The group traveled down a set of stone stairs and into a dimly lit hallway. Several cells lined either side of it. Fox activated his wrist comm.
"Clay, I'm close to the Senator's location," he whispered. "Have Jairo or Archer go find Mairin and get her out of here. I'll get the Senator and meet up with you," he said.
"Copy that," Clay replied. The comm blinked off again.
Fox risked a glance back down the hallway. The Mandalorians had moved on to another staircase. There were still two guards outside of the Senator's cell, though. Fox slid a blaster into his grip and inched forward. He took aim and blasted the first Mando. He collapsed, temporarily stunned. The second barely managed a startled cry before Fox stunned him as well.
He darted into the hallway and pulled a keycard off one of their belts. He slid it through the door lock. The door hissed open and Senator Chuchi glanced up through narrowed eyes. Her face lit up at the sight of him.
"Commander! I was hoping you'd find a way here soon," she said.
Fox waved her out the door. "Let's go."
"What's your plan for getting out of here?" She stuck close to him, thankfully.
"There's a shuttle close by that brought Clay, Archer, and Jairo here. We'll take it. I'm afraid your personal speeder was probably stolen by now," he replied. "I'd like to arrest whoever is in charge here but we don't have time or the numbers."
"Why didn't you bring anyone else?" She raised an eyebrow.
Fox pushed her back against a wall as a group of Mandalorians walked past. They carried on as soon as the group was out of sight.
"I couldn't bring anyone else. One, they wouldn't have gotten here on time. Two, that requires a lot of reports afterwards. Three, they probably would have reassigned someone else to guard you."
"Oh, I see." She fell silent as his comm lit up.
Fox accepted the transmission. "Archer, Jairo, and Mairin are at the shuttle waiting," Clay reported. "I'm waiting for you outside of the building."
"We're coming through the back entrance. Meet us there," Fox replied.
"On my way."
Fox switched directions again. They dodged in and out of sight as groups of Mandalorians went past. Luckily, no alarms were set off. At last, they reached one of the back entrances and dashed outside. Clay was waiting where he said he'd be. They fell in step with him and ran towards the shuttle.
"What will you do about them?" Senator Chuchi asked as they drew farther away from the building.
"Report them for illegal black market activity," Clay replied. Fox nodded his agreement. The Senator gave no reply when they boarded the shuttle and headed back towards the Upper City.
Coruscant: 20 BBY
Senate Apartments
Riyo Chuchi
Commander Fox and the other clones left her and Mairin back at the apartments unceremoniously. Mairin ushered Riyo into her apartments and soon had a bath drawn. "Hurry. Your session is starting soon." Mairin ushered her into the refresher and ran back towards her closet to prepare an outfit.
Riyo leaned back in the warm water for a bit, letting it sooth her still aching muscles. At last, Mairin returned with an outfit. "Where did the clones go?" Riyo asked as she dried off and slipped into her outfit.
"To send someone after Feton Ralius." Mairin began to brush out Riyo's hair and twist it up. "I suppose you're grateful for Commander Fox's presence now?"
Riyo shrugged. "I suppose so. I still don't like being followed everywhere, though."
Mairin chuckled. "Admit it. He's growing on you."
"He's growing to be a pain," Riyo rolled her eyes.
Mairin gave a sarcastic humph in reply. "I'm intrigued by Jairo. I asked Clay why he's silent, but he didn't answer me. I can't decide if he doesn't know or if he just didn't want to tell me." She finished up with Riyo's hair and slid a few gold pieces in as an embellishment. "There. You'd better get going now. I'll join you when I can."
Riyo dipped her head in reply and dashed out into the hallway. She spotted Padmé not far away and quickly caught up to her. "Riyo," Padmé greeted her warmly. "I wondered if you'd catch up."
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. It's...been a long day," Riyo replied.
Padmé gave her a concerned look. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I'll tell you about it later. We need to get to the Session." Padmé nodded and the two of them boarded a shuttle.
Coruscant: 20 BBY
Coruscant Guard Headquarters
Commander Fox
The compound was bustling with activity when they arrived. Troopers marched to and fro. Some carried datapads, others, supply crates. It only took a few minutes for Fox to file a report on Feton Ralius. He only hoped someone would take the time to investigate.
"Senator Chuchi should be at the Senate session by now," Clay said. "Are you going back?"
Fox nodded. "I'll see you at the apartments tonight. I want a few extra guards positioned by all entrances, in case Feton sends people after her."
"Yes, Commander. I'll get it done," Clay replied. He headed back out of the compound with Archer and Jairo behind him.
Fox watched them go before boarding a shuttle and heading towards the Senate building. He let out a sigh. The day had been long enough already. It was only going to get longer.