Chapter 25
Aboard the bridge of the Shadow Redeemer, Anhiel hands a data pad to the armored Mandalorian while she speaks with her usual authority “Your target is the Bakura system. We need current intelligence on the invasion and I have suspicions that there are individuals there tangentially involved, at a minimum, if not directly assisting with the invasion. Rend will accompany you. He could do with some intelligence gathering experience.” Despite his curiosity about the Admiral’s source, Mirr simply responds “Yes, High Admiral”. The Mandalorian seats his helmet onto his head before he straightens, bringing his right fist to his chest rapidly in a form of salute. Anhiel inclines her head slightly and Mirr moves with intent towards the hangar bay to return to the planet’s surface.
Rend and Sun are found near the main complex in a small clearing filled with wild grasses and flowers. Rend is meditating with Sekot while Sun is focusing on balancing a few rocks with the Force on their narrow edges. Mirr steps to the General and presents a question, “Young Master Jedi, will you accompany me on a reconnaissance mission for the High Admiral?” Rend slowly opens his eyes and allows them to adjust before responding, “If she assigned it then I must go. What about my Padawan?” Mirr responds in an even tone, “It is to be a quick mission to listen and gather intel, we need to remain a small cohort in order to move quickly and without giving notice to our presence.” Rend gives a slight frown and responds, “Very well then, when do we depart and how long will we be away?” Mirr replies, “We are to depart by end of day. Depending on how things play out, we may be gone for a week.” Mirr extends his arm to hand the data pad that he received from Anhiel to Rend. After he spends a minute reviewing the details on the datapad, Rend looks at his Padawan, “Sun, continue to work with Master Joash while I am away. You are progressing very well.” She willfully nods before a mildly disappointed look on her face begins to form as she stands and returns back towards her quarters in the surface base.
A couple hours later, Rend finds himself standing at the entrance ramp about to step in when he feels a small prick at the edge of his awareness. He slowly scans the area for the source, expanding his own presence somewhat as he does. In the same moment when Rend was turned around looking away from the ship, Mirr steps out and yells “General, are you ready?” Rend, slightly startled, responds, “I am ready, Mr. Styn.” After Rend boards, he closes the ramp, ensuring the seals are in place before he heads to the cockpit to join the Mandalorian. Mirr’s ship ascends from the ground, slowly turning before cruising off the world. “General, can you type in the coordinates for our mission into the navi-computer?” Rend immediately picks up the data pad and transcribes the information. Rend begins to place the data pad down when another prick at the edge of his awareness occurs, causing him to snap his head towards the back of the ship. “Something wrong, General?” Mirr asked. Rend responds as the tiniest grin appears on his face, “No Mr. Styn, all is as it should be.”
The swirl of hyperspace lights up the cockpit of the X-70B casting the shadows of two men as an indicator begins to beep on the control panel. Mirr reaches up and kills the hyperdrive by pulling a lever just off center of his flight controls. Mirr turns slightly to Rend and speaks calmly, “Alright young master Jedi, we are here.” The stars come into focus as the ship snaps out of hyperspace in the Bakura system. Rend replies, “Bakura space port, this should be interesting.” The Mandalorian takes control of the ship and begins his approach to the planet. The shaking of the ship from breaking through the atmosphere is the only noise that can be heard for several minutes as the two sit in silence. Mirr scans the port for an open bay and asks, ”Can you go to the main lounge and wait for me there? We need a few items before we exit the ship.” Rend obliges with a slight head tilt and exits to the back of the ship. Mirr locates a bay further away from the ports center and starts the landing sequence.
Rend finds himself standing in the lounge a few moments before the Mandalorian steps through the door. Rend states plainly, “There is nothing here.” Mirr places his helmet on the scared table and turns before replying, “There is always more than meets the eye, General.” Mirr slides his hand under the loose tile and presses the button releasing the section of panels hiding his weapons rack. Mirr grabs the panel and places it in the corner just as before throwing a smirk at the young Jedi. A swift tug on the rack allows it to glide into the room fully adorned in weapons. Rend’s eyes swell before he addresses the Mandalorian, “That has been there this entire time? It looks like you are prepared for every type of situation.” Mirr grabs a blaster in its holster and hands it to Rend before replying flatly, “Here, take this. If you go into a spaceport without a blaster people will only think one of two things. Either you are a fool who is unarmed or you are a Jedi, especially if they see your saber. We do not wish to be noticed in any manner.” Rend takes the blaster and straps it to his hip and slides his saber to the small of his back so that it will be completely hidden by his robes. Rend addresses his armorer, “We will need something else as well.” Mirr, puzzled by the Jedi’s statement, waits for Rend to continue. Rend steps towards HK-40 and stands beside it placing his hand on its head. Mirr, now more confused than before, replies, “General, that droid is not repaired yet.” Rend grabs the head of the droid and with a swift snatch reveals Sun’s braided hair and dark green eyes. Mirr instinctively grabs his blaster and points it at Sun. Rend interjects, “Easy Mirr, it's just Sun who has somehow found a way to mimic an assassin droid.” Sun stands up and pulls the arm of her robe up exposing a single bracelet with several tiny buttons along the band. She presses one of the keys and her robes return to their normal menacing look. Beneath her mask, Sun smiles timidly as she explains, “Master, I apologize for startling you both. I have been doing some modifications to my suit and have found a way to nearly camouflage myself into the surroundings. The High Admiral felt I should test out the efficacy by joining the mission without your knowledge.” Rend stops her there and retorts, “This is the second time you have disobeyed an order, but…” He trails off as her words begin to set in. “Admiral Anhiel instructed you to stow away?” Sun nods earnestly, which elicits a slight groan from Rend. “Then I apologize for saying you disobeyed orders. However, I knew you were here nearly the entire time. You are getting stronger in the Force and can suppress your presence well, but you still struggle in maintaining the suppression for a long period of time.”
Mirr, still mildly shocked by the young woman’s sudden appearance, starts equipping himself with a few different explosives and tracking darts, while Rend catches Sun up to the current status of the mission. The Mandalorian looks at the two young Jedi and says, “I have two communication droids left in the storage compartment, we will calibrate their antenna and release them into the port. After a few passes around the area we will leave and set a repeating satellite once we are in line with our base. Then it's back to base.” Rend unholsters his blaster pistol and checks it before responding, “Alright, lead the way.” He turns his head slightly in the direction of Sun and instructs, “Can you shift your suit to a more subtle look and stay close?” Sun acknowledges and with a few keystrokes on her bracelet her suit became a soft coral color with a light green undervest. After the transformation is complete, Sun adds “I can disappear from sight if necessary as well.”
The small cohort calmly stroll down the ramp and immediately receive greetings from the local repair droids. Mirr lifts his right hand signaling for them to stop, then waves them away indicating he did not need any services. The lead droid sparks and beeps almost irritatedly. Mirr and Rend step to the belly of his ship where the Mandalorian reaches up with his left hand and turns a retaining lock. He taps Rend on the chest with his right hand and points at the other retaining lock about three meters further down. Rend acknowledges the interaction and unlocks the second retaining lock. Mirr then shows Rend the disengagement handles and they both pull them releasing a portion of the ship's belly. Two communication droids begin to appear, nested in their containers, as the belly descends from the ship. Mirr presses a micro switch on his right arm gauntlet and the mute gray orbs show signs of life. After some noticeable beeps and clicks the orbs begin to hover. They are dark in color with only a few indicator lights that can be seen from their exterior. The small, round droids have a three stage antenna array mounted on their tops with a dozen sensors mounted in specific locations all around their bodies. Both orbs slowly cleared the belly of the ship, increasing their speed, in different directions, until they could no longer be seen from the hangar bay. Rend and Mirr send the belly container back into the ship and set the ramp up before leaving for the local scene.
About a half hour later or so, the group is approaching a local food vendor. Mirr approaches the vendor and says, “Where might my friends and I find the finest food and refreshment shop on Bakura?” The individual responds in their native tongue which was indecipherable by Rend and Sun who are scanning the surrounding vendors from underneath their hoods. Mirr responds to the shop staff in basic again, “Thank you my friend.” Mirr waves the other two in his party over to himself and addresses them,
“Alright, the shopkeep said the best place to grab a meal is at the end of this street.” Sun responded abruptly, “You understood that language?” Mirr responded by tapping his helmet, insinuating that the helmet did the translation. The three make their way through the crowded venue towards the target located at the end of the street. Mirr instructs the others, “This is going to be our first mark.” Sun again quizzes the Mandalorian, “Mark?” Mirr responded in a less patient tone, “Yes, we are going to place several tracking darts in the most popular places while we scout the surrounding areas for any delinquent establishments that may be of use to us. Can we continue on?” Sun nods and sinks back into her hood to hide the slight embarrassment in her eyes.
Moments later the cohort arrives at Kelta’s, the finest establishment in Bakura, according to the first vendor. Mirr arrives at the entrance and addresses the hostess, “Hello, I am told your establishment is the finest in all of Bakura, is that right?” The hostess replied, “Well we don’t advertise it that way but yes, we have the best cuisine, refreshments and views in the Bakura system.” Rend and Sun look at one another and nod, playing the role of an intrigued couple. Mirr quizzed the host again, “Really? What would you say is your most popular view for evening group events?” The hostess, giving into the wonderful line of questions, replies, “That would be Kelta’s Sky View Villa.” Mirr, leaning in towards the host and almost whispering, asks, ”Is there any possibility that we may see it right now?” The hostess, seemingly aroused by the current interaction, responds, “Follow me please.” Mirr continues to pour on the complements of the hostess and the establishment as they follow her to the lift, and up four floors.
The clear doors of the lift open, allowing the group to step off and take in the scenery. Mirr took a deep bow and asked a final question, “Would you mind if we look around this beautiful area to find the perfect spot for our special event?” The hostess replied excitedly, “Of course, take your time. I will be at my station when you are ready to book your event.” The hostess turned back and left the group to wander around. “What was all that back there?” Rend teased Mirr. The Mandalorian responded, “Oh, that? When you are in the business of gathering information you have to develop some charm.” Rend chuckles a little and moves towards the edge of the rooftop. Many large tables are placed throughout the area with a corner bar opposite the room of the lift. To the right of the lift seemed to be a set of manual doors. Mirr points out towards the room, “This is the room we are looking for. If any major information is going to be passed along, it will come from very important but private people. Let's check it out.” The three approach the room and open the doors. Inside this room is one large table adorned with a large floral centerpiece. There are about twenty seats around the table and at the back of the room is a cabinet used by the wait staff to store various utensils and place settings. Mirr removes five tracking darts from his utility belt pouch and places them in different, hard to find, locations around the room. Once the darts are placed, he presses another key on his right gauntlet and checks the link. He makes a few adjustments in order to reduce static and feedback before addressing the other two members, “General, we are reading five by five on all channels. Let's move on to the next location.” Rend nods and leads the way out of the establishment.
Mirr quietly spoke to the team, “Now that we have that place on the network, we should move towards some less pleasant places.” Rend and Sun move into a single file walking pattern in order to follow Mirr. The group travels away from the epicenter of the port and begins to scout some alleyways and back streets stopping only to observe who is visiting which establishments.
After several hours the natural light is beginning to fade only to be replaced by the bright luminary signs of the different vendors and businesses. Mirr swiftly turns to Rend and Sun and whispers, “I think we have found a good place to inspect. Do you see the cantina approximately 20 meters on your right?” Rend responds in a similar tone, “Yes we see it, but why that establishment?” Mirr glancing over his shoulder replies, “People who are entering need a passcode of some sort, everyone who has entered pauses at the door for a moment before the door is opened from the inside.” Sun raising her brow and quizzing the Mandalorian, “Do you have the passcode?” Mirr turns and stares at both Jedi grinning behind his helmet while he speaks, “Do either of you know that mind trick thing? You know… the one where you make people do what you want?” Rend placing his face into his hand and replies in a muffled manner, “That's not exactly how it works, Mirr, it only works on the weak minded or people who are easily influenced. It's not a guaranteed thing.” Mirr’s grin is erased at the statements he just heard, but asks anyway, “Can you at least give it a shot? We need to get in there.” With that, Rend steps around Mirr and gives a slight wave calling the other two.
The trio step to the door and Rend gives it a single knock. A small slide opens and a scratchy voice whispers, “Passcode?” Rend replies while waving his hand slightly from under his robes, “We are allowed to enter.” The person on the other side repeats the statement and opens the door. Rend looks back at the others and shrugs his shoulders before entering the building.
Just inside the entryway is a narrow alleyway that leads to a massive first floor bar that lines the three walls opposite of the entrance. There is a variety of people scattered throughout the area enjoying the music and refreshments in the dimly lit setting. Once the cohort were standing shoulder to shoulder Mirr reaches into his utility belt again and hands one tracking dart to the other two members. “Take this dart and place it under the bar table lip, once you have done that, turn around and lean against the bar and wait for my signal then we will leave one at a time and meet around back.” The two Jedi nod and hold their hands out to receive the darts. They each walk to their respective ends of the bar and attach the darts as instructed. Rend is first to turn and lean as he pretends to be looking for someone to join him, next Sun can be seen leaning and finally after making some adjustments on his right gauntlet, Mirr turns and leans as well. Rend makes the first move to the exit, followed next by Mirr but when Sun attempts to leave she is met with a familiar feeling. She stops and scans her surroundings slightly allowing her presence to expand and intertwine with the Force. Her gaze is adjusted onto a staircase at the end of her section of the bar. Sun slowly moves to the staircase while lightly scanning her surroundings as she slips into the shadows. Sun keys her bracelet in order to shift her suit's appearance to its original color rendering her almost completely camouflaged. Sun continues up the stairs until she comes to another open area filled with supplies and broken items scattered throughout the room. She continues to follow the pull she feels throughout the room around a large crate, where she finds a partially damaged CZ-4X assault droid. The green in her eyes brightened like kyber crystals just before ignition. She rushes the droid and whips out a few small tools from her utility pouch that has been resting on her hip for such occasions. She removes the main panel in seconds paying close attention to the amount of commotion she is making. Next she reaches in and disconnects the main power supply and disengages several other connections before revealing the component that was calling to her. She also removes a set of wiring harnesses and stows the components and tools back into her pouch.
Around the back of the building, approximately 15 minutes has passed causing Mirr and Rend to argue about where Sun is and why Mirr left her in the complex when Sun steps out of the shadows along the building across the alley. “Will you two stop arguing, you are going to cause a scene!” she exclaims. The two stop and turn before Mirr breaks the silence with their question, “How long have you been there?” Sun smiles behind her masked face and replies, “Long enough. Where to next? Oh and I picked up some parts for HK while you two were wasting time.” Taken aback, Rend and Mirr straighten themselves up and make their way towards the hangar bay.
The team is about half way back to Mirr’s ship when Mirr stops the group and taps his helmet where his eyes would be and points to another building completely covered in illuminated signs. The music can be heard pouring out the door every time the guards open the doors to let people inside. Mirr addresses Rend, “Do you think you can get us into that location?” Rend and the group walk to the guards but before he could speak one of the guards gruffed, “Who exposes the wind in the desert?” The question takes the group by surprise as this was an extremely unusual question. Rend, scrambling for words at the oddity, hears a familiar voice ring out, “The Funnel Flower.” Sun replies. The guard steps back and swings the doors open and the three enter the dance club. The music is deafening and the lights are blinding inside the main room where a multitude of species are dancing with each other. Mirr grabs the two Jedi and leads them to an open table where they take their seats. Rend immediately quizzes the youngest member of their team, “Where did that come from?” Sun, barely able to make out the question, shrugs her shoulders in a carefree manner to insinuate that it was a simple question. The Mandalorain interrupts the interaction to address them, “There has to be a quiet room somewhere around here.” He reaches up with his right hand and presses a button near his orange visor. He continues to switch views from standard to infrared, landing on ultrasonic. He begins to scan the room looking for dead spots that sound does not reverberate from. He speaks in a barely understandable tone, “There!” Sun and Rend both look where he is looking barely able to make out a doorway along the wall. The only giveaway to the room is a single bouncer standing to one side. Rend responds negatively, “We will never get past that guard.” Switching his visor back to standard view, Mirr suggests, “Didn’t your trainee mention she can disappear?” Sun, slightly moving her body to the music, caught the tail end of Mirr’s words, when she turned her head to see both men staring at her. She responds under the pressure of their gaze, “Yes, it's not perfect, but in this lighting I should be nearly invisible.” Mirr leans back in his seat and readjusts before speaking, “That will have to do.” He reaches into his belt and gets two darts and hands them to Sun before continuing, “Alright, Rend and myself will create a distraction near the guard to give you enough time to slip into the room and place the darts. Be quick this time, no side quests. Got it?” Sun replies with a nervous voice, “Got it!” The two men stand up and begin walking towards the guard as Sun slips from her chair and skirts the interior walls holding her bracelet, switching her suit to adaptive camouflage the moment she steps into a shadow. Rend is now directly in front of the guard when he experiences a huge shove from behind, slamming him into the guard. Rend spins around and returns a shove to Mirr. The bouncer, after gathering himself, responds by shoving both men to the floor. Mirr and Rend continue to put on a display, slipping a few jabs into the face of the guard.
During the orchestrated spat, Sun, now completely invisible, slips behind the once guarded door. Just inside the door, several people are standing around a square table, blasters drawn pointing at the door. Sun freezes in position until the last individual holsters their blaster and returns to their seat. Sun moves slowly, employing the sound suppression technique she recently learned, about the room without casting a single sound. She makes her way to the head of the table, where the leader of this meeting is speaking about a new business venture, to place one dart.
The front door flies open, vomiting both Rend and Mirr into the street. The guard looks at his counterpart and makes arrangements for them to be banished from the club.
Sun continues to make her way back to the entrance placing the second dart behind a decorative plant sitting in the corner of the room. A knock is heard at the door less than a meter from her current location. The bouncer steps into the room and addresses the leader, “Many apologies boss, there was a minor altercation at the door, it has been taken care of.” The Rodian nods and fans his hand, sending the bouncer out of the room. Sun, using the opportunity, slips out behind the guard and ultimately the club where she reaches Rend before uncloaking.
Mirr raises his gauntlet and makes some tuning adjustments before addressing the other members, “Alright, let's get back to the ship”.
Mirrs ship rises through the atmosphere rapidly only pausing for a brief moment to eject the repeating satellite and checking its status. Moments later the ship jumps out of sight