EPISODE I - TEN: The Road with the Most Resistance
Morning came far too quickly. There'd been much work to do the evening before Trickster Squadron set off for the First Order mining compound--sorting through necessary tools, provisions, and weapons and loading them into packs that could easily be carried on the journey. Without much information, it was hard to gauge how far their target was located. It was certain that the facility was far enough away to require a transport to take its workers to and from the city and to prevent them from wandering off to cause any trouble.
The weather was pleasant as it had been the day before. The air was humid and the early morning sky was heavy with fog. The fog burned off as the sun rose, but the temperature remained cool with odd patches of wet heat where the sun shone through the leafy canopy above them. ZP-QA managed to navigate the overgrown trail with some difficulty, but still slightly better than a newer spherical BB-unit could, even though the BB-units were equipped with liquid-cable launchers. Occasionally, the droid would activate his jet thrusters to maneuver over fallen trees, but mostly, he was able to roll through the carpet of leaves and occasional ankle-deep grass.
The group was quiet as it made its way along the river valley. Maybe it was the serenity of the forest, the sound of the rushing water or that they didn't know if there was a First Order presence between K'owan and the installment. The barely defined path meandered through the thick forest, sometimes at a distance from the river and at times perilously close to its edge. The towers that suspended the track for the crew transport could be seen above the trees across the river. Dex thought it would be wise to make sure they weren't spotted where the trees broke at the riverbank because there was no telling if troopers were posted at the bases of those support columns.
"Hey... hey," Dex called out to the others. He paused and raised his hand, signaling to the group to be quiet and still. Dex looked around, halting in the direction from which they'd come. Again, he flipped his hand up for everyone to wait. He moved through the thick undergrowth toward the river's edge. The churning river came into view and the sound Dex had zeroed in on became more apparent to him as well as the rest of his squad.
Jaimos nodded almost imperceptibly. "Oh, yeah. You hear that?"
A metallic whoosh mixed with occasional snaps of electricity grew louder. Adria unholstered her blaster and looked down the path behind her. Within a few moments, the sound faded away and Dex emerged from the treeline.
"Remember that sound. That was one of the transport trains." Dex smiled. "We can scratch that one off the 'worry list'."
Adria exhaled and holstered her sidearm as Jai lifted Dom's pack onto his back and got it balanced out. "It's a good thing we have you along to fill the role of the pack animal, Browhar."
Dom threw a playful wink at Adria. ZP-QA buzzed something salacious, which caused Adria to chuckle because she knew what he suggested might in some way be true.
Paloame feigned disinterest in the banter and flatly inserted, "Yeah, yeah we're all so turned on, but we're going to lose daylight if we keep standing around admiring Browhar's backside."
"I'm not admiring his backside," remarked Dex. "I've seen it in the shower a few too many times."
"Me too," Jai casually interjected while dismissively raising his hand, trying not to appear engaged in the conversation.
"Hey... hey," Dex called out to the others. He paused and raised his hand, signaling to the group to be quiet and still. Dex looked around, halting in the direction from which they'd come. Again, he flipped his hand up for everyone to wait. He moved through the thick undergrowth toward the river's edge. The churning river came into view and the sound Dex had zeroed in on became more apparent to him as well as the rest of his squad.
Jaimos nodded almost imperceptibly. "Oh, yeah. You hear that?"
A metallic whoosh mixed with occasional snaps of electricity grew louder. Adria unholstered her blaster and looked down the path behind her. Within a few moments, the sound faded away and Dex emerged from the treeline.
"Remember that sound. That was one of the transport trains." Dex smiled. "We can scratch that one off the 'worry list'."
Adria exhaled and holstered her sidearm as Jai lifted Dom's pack onto his back and got it balanced out. "It's a good thing we have you along to fill the role of the pack animal, Browhar."
Dom threw a playful wink at Adria. ZP-QA buzzed something salacious, which caused Adria to chuckle because she knew what he suggested might in some way be true.
Paloame feigned disinterest in the banter and flatly inserted, "Yeah, yeah we're all so turned on, but we're going to lose daylight if we keep standing around admiring Browhar's backside."
"I'm not admiring his backside," remarked Dex. "I've seen it in the shower a few too many times."
"Me too," Jai casually interjected while dismissively raising his hand, trying not to appear engaged in the conversation.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Time felt like it was stretching into forever a few hours into Trickster Squadron's trek to their destination. The delicious scenery became an interminable wall of greenery that stayed just a few steps ahead of them at all times. None of them felt like talking--Palome's random observations were shut down early on and only an occasional gripe about the journey would squeak through, unchallenged by anyone.
It wasn't a difficult journey, only tedious. A break in the tedium came in the form of a crack caused by something stepping on a fallen stick off in the distance. Dex got vibes from a number of quieter sounds he'd heard along the path, but he'd dismissed the feeling as a case of nerves. This one was different.
The group stopped and drew their blasters, facing off in all directions. They scanned their periphery for additional signs of movement. Dex directed them to keep still before moving forward a few steps.
He craned his neck to see if he could spot anything out of the ordinary among the trees. Nothing! "Hey... who's out there?" His query was met with silence, which was soon followed by a few quiet footfalls in the leaves ahead of him. He called out again. "Hey!"
No reaction.
"You guys are terrible at this," called out a disembodied voice from within the scrub.
Dex tried to make something... anything out within the breaks of foliage. "Don't move! We've got you covered."
"Mmmmm... I disagree. I've got the advantage because I can see all five of you... and the droid. You could take a shot, but I could take out three of you before you could get a bead on my location."
Dex pulled the trigger on his Glie-43 Optum and fired a shot in the general direction of the voice.
"Dammit!" the voice shouted. "You could've taken out my kriffing leg!"
"Could've, but didn't." He motioned to the rest of the group to stand down. "You mind stepping out? I'm not gonna shoot you."
"You said I shouldn't move."
"Yeah, but that was before I got a vibe about you." Dex moved forward and tucked the pistol back into its holster. Emerging from the small thicket of bushes and vines came a young, black-haired woman with side braids and dressed in a drab green and tan fatigues. "So we're bad at this?"
The woman's lithe figure confidently and slowly sashayed to the now confused group. She laughed. "I didn't say bad... I said terrible. You're terrible at this."
Okay, the girl's got sass. Balagon thought to himself. He had a pretty good idea of who their backwoods stalker was. He reached out his hand. "I'm Deklin Balagon. You are...?"
She paused. "How do you know you can trust me?"
"I told you I got--"
"Yeah, a vibe about you. I got that." She locked eyes with Dex, cocked her head. "I don't even know what that means, but I'm Silara Narvo and I knew who you were."
Dex screwed up his face. "Silara... General Organa's eyes on Aporoth."
"I am." Her acknowledgment was delivered with a trace of cockiness. "It's good finally catching up with you."
Adria strode forward.
"Adria Almeida. Yeah." Silara shook Adria's hand and then went on to identify each member of Trickster Squadron. Upon finishing, she tucked her thumbs into her pockets and continued, "I've been following you since town--just a little ways behind you guys. Except for that stretch where you were listening for the transport. I'd dashed up ahead and had some lunch, but I could still see you."
"She's right. We're terrible at this," sighed Dom.
Paloame wasn't having any of it and retorted, "She stepped on a stick!"
Silara silently dismissed Paloame's defensive remark. "You're not terrible at this. I just said that because you kinda stick out like flaming banthas--you know. With your garb and all."
"What's wrong with what we're wearing?" Paloame demanded.
"You're dressed like civilians... tourists. Everyone knows tourists are discouraged from heading up the river valley."
Jai snapped back. "So, you knew we were us because of the way we were dressed?"
Silara giggled at how upset Jaimos was getting. "Well, it wasn't just that. I mean, General Organa gave me a pretty extensive dossier on Trickster Squad. I had to leave Aporoth to make my report to her, so I headed up to Brudall Station and scouted it out before returning here. Fee..." Dex moved to cut her off but to no avail. "Your guys, Feege and Barg, will be fine up there in case you need them, but you'll have to go back up if you need to send them anything. Are we good?"
If Balagon was embarrassed in the least, Silara was unable to detect it. He massaged the back of his neck and nervously laughed. "Yeah, we're good. So... welcome to the team?"
"Thanks." Silara put her hand above her eyes to shield them from the sun. She looked toward the eastern sky and sighed, "We really need to get going. Like you said, we're burning daylight here and I hate to tell you this, but we've still got about 30 klicks between us and our target, so let's move out."
Silara was already a few meters ahead of them, but all eyes were on their commander as if they required an official order to move.
"What? You heard the lady-- let's go!"
No reaction.
"You guys are terrible at this," called out a disembodied voice from within the scrub.
Dex tried to make something... anything out within the breaks of foliage. "Don't move! We've got you covered."
"Mmmmm... I disagree. I've got the advantage because I can see all five of you... and the droid. You could take a shot, but I could take out three of you before you could get a bead on my location."
Dex pulled the trigger on his Glie-43 Optum and fired a shot in the general direction of the voice.
"Dammit!" the voice shouted. "You could've taken out my kriffing leg!"
"Could've, but didn't." He motioned to the rest of the group to stand down. "You mind stepping out? I'm not gonna shoot you."
"You said I shouldn't move."
"Yeah, but that was before I got a vibe about you." Dex moved forward and tucked the pistol back into its holster. Emerging from the small thicket of bushes and vines came a young, black-haired woman with side braids and dressed in a drab green and tan fatigues. "So we're bad at this?"
The woman's lithe figure confidently and slowly sashayed to the now confused group. She laughed. "I didn't say bad... I said terrible. You're terrible at this."
Okay, the girl's got sass. Balagon thought to himself. He had a pretty good idea of who their backwoods stalker was. He reached out his hand. "I'm Deklin Balagon. You are...?"
She paused. "How do you know you can trust me?"
"I told you I got--"
"Yeah, a vibe about you. I got that." She locked eyes with Dex, cocked her head. "I don't even know what that means, but I'm Silara Narvo and I knew who you were."
Dex screwed up his face. "Silara... General Organa's eyes on Aporoth."
"I am." Her acknowledgment was delivered with a trace of cockiness. "It's good finally catching up with you."
Adria strode forward.
"Adria Almeida. Yeah." Silara shook Adria's hand and then went on to identify each member of Trickster Squadron. Upon finishing, she tucked her thumbs into her pockets and continued, "I've been following you since town--just a little ways behind you guys. Except for that stretch where you were listening for the transport. I'd dashed up ahead and had some lunch, but I could still see you."
"She's right. We're terrible at this," sighed Dom.
Paloame wasn't having any of it and retorted, "She stepped on a stick!"
Silara silently dismissed Paloame's defensive remark. "You're not terrible at this. I just said that because you kinda stick out like flaming banthas--you know. With your garb and all."
"What's wrong with what we're wearing?" Paloame demanded.
"You're dressed like civilians... tourists. Everyone knows tourists are discouraged from heading up the river valley."
Jai snapped back. "So, you knew we were us because of the way we were dressed?"
Silara giggled at how upset Jaimos was getting. "Well, it wasn't just that. I mean, General Organa gave me a pretty extensive dossier on Trickster Squad. I had to leave Aporoth to make my report to her, so I headed up to Brudall Station and scouted it out before returning here. Fee..." Dex moved to cut her off but to no avail. "Your guys, Feege and Barg, will be fine up there in case you need them, but you'll have to go back up if you need to send them anything. Are we good?"
If Balagon was embarrassed in the least, Silara was unable to detect it. He massaged the back of his neck and nervously laughed. "Yeah, we're good. So... welcome to the team?"
"Thanks." Silara put her hand above her eyes to shield them from the sun. She looked toward the eastern sky and sighed, "We really need to get going. Like you said, we're burning daylight here and I hate to tell you this, but we've still got about 30 klicks between us and our target, so let's move out."
Silara was already a few meters ahead of them, but all eyes were on their commander as if they required an official order to move.
"What? You heard the lady-- let's go!"
