36

After weeks on Teth, going back to the Marauder was an adjustment. It felt so small compared to the base. Smelled worse than she remembered. For the first time in a while, being on board felt more like a prison than a home.

Saedii was in a grumpy mood. She tried not to show it as she sat in one of the pilot seats in the cockpit, watching Echo and Tech as they talked quietly at the helm. A stale ration bar sat on a plate in her lap, uneaten.

The guys had been excited for her. They'd all congratulated her when they saw her, but Saedii couldn't help but wonder why they hadn't joined her and the other Clones in the cafeteria. Wrecker was, aside from Omega, the most excited and kept calling her General every few minutes.

Crosshair hadn't said anything. Not even an apology for being a jerk.

Her jaw worked. She so did not want to be here. She wanted to be on Teth with Wolffe.

"Not hungry?" Hunter appeared in the cockpit behind her. He pointed to her rations bar.

"It's stale." To prove her point, she banged it against the tin plate in her hand. The sound was like a rock.

He frowned. "I should have checked. We'll get more on Ord Mantell."

"It's ok."

She didn't exactly sound convincing. Hunter rose a brow at her tone.

Tech and Echo had stopped talking and were watching her, too. Her silence must have tipped them off to her mood, as they'd left her alone most of the trip. Now, they were watching her like a bomb ready to detonate.

Hunter was uneasy, too. Especially as a voice from behind him said, "Our food just isn't good enough for you, is it?"

The look Saedii gave Crosshair could have been enough to set him on fire.

"Cross," Hunter bit.

"You know I'm right, Hunter. She doesn't want to be here anymore." Crosshair's expression was cruel as he leaned against the doorframe. "We're not good enough for her."

Saedii stiffened. "That's not –"

"Leave her alone, Crosshair." Echo was looking at him with heat.

"Just saying." He turned and left then, a smug little sneer on his face.

Saedii had to fight the urge to chuck her stale ration bar at his head. "What's his problem?"

"It's Crosshair. He does not need a reason to be difficult." Tech gave a little shrug. Unconcerned.

"I'll talk to him," Hunter vowed.

But Saedii waved him off. "Just leave him. If he wants to act like a dick, that's his problem."

Echo gave her a look at the rough language, but didn't tell her off. Saedii had the sense that maybe he, too, thought Crosshair was being a dick.

Ord Mantell appeared out of hyperspace then. Brown and ugly. The sight of it was unwelcome after the beautiful greenery of Teth, and the blue beaches of Pabu before that. Saedii made a face.

"I've got to admit. I didn't miss this place," Echo commented as he and Tech guided the Marauder into Ord Mantell's airspace.

At least Saedii wasn't the only one who didn't want to be here. She knew that Echo had been enjoying his time with Rex and Cody and the rest. It had been common to see Echo only a step behind Rex as they walked around the base, visiting with freed troopers.

"Me neither." Hunter's expression was stormy.

Their usual spot at the space port was empty. Tech swung into it before powering off the Marauder. The rest of the guys were already wearing their armor. Wrecker was beaming as the exit ramp slid open, and he exclaimed, "Feels good to be back!"

"Smells just like home," Crosshair quipped as he slipped his helmet on.

Saedii pulled her hood low over her face. An oxygen converter covered the bottom half. It had only been a few weeks since her description had been blasted all over the public channels. She wasn't going to take any chances.

Putrid, humid air met them as they entered the city. In their few weeks away, Saedii had nearly forgotten just how overpowering the stench was – trash and decay and vomit and dead fish. Next to her, Hunter's nose was scrunched as his powerful sense of smell put him at the mercy of Ord Mantell's odor.

Vendors had set up in the city center again. Black market arms and knock off jewels were being sold beside stalls of spare droid parts. Tech's eyes lit up as he spotted an assortment of coolants and spickets.

"Can Wrecker and I get some Mantell Mix?" Omega asked immediately.

"Please!" Wrecker bellowed.

Hunter gave a very defeated sort of sigh. "Go ahead."

Wrecker swung Omega up onto his shoulders and the two set off into the crowd. Omega's blonde head bobbed above the other shoppers as they headed towards the Mantell Mix vendor.

Outside of the Black Hole, a shady Rodian was smoking a drathroot joint, beady eyes roving the wide expanse of the street. As the group neared the front door, he asked, "How much for the arm?"

Those beady eyes of his were on Echo's scomp implant. Echo scowled. "Not for sale."

"Two hundred credits."

Echo shoved past him, muttering "Two hundred measly credits."

The Rodian's hand shot out as Saedii tried to walk by, grabbing her by the arm. "How much for her?"

Crosshair yanked her back and shoved him away in the same move. "Get lost," he hissed.

"Just asking." The Rodian blew a puff of purple smoke, unconcerned.

"I had that covered," Saedii said indignantly.

Crosshair's hand stayed firmly on her shoulder until they were inside. "I believe the words you're looking for are thank you."

"Does this mean you're being nice to me again?"

He rolled his eyes and walked ahead of her.

"I believe that is a no," Tech said matter-of-factly.

Inside, a puddle of vomit near the door made the air very sour. Saedii gagged behind her oxygen converter as a very miffed voice demanded, "Where the hell have you lot been?"

Sitting at the bar, Cid had a drathroot joint of her own between her scaled lips. Her large yellowed eyes were narrowed as she watched the lot of them hedge the puddle of vomit.

"It's been weeks," Cid bemoaned around her drathroot.

"We've been busy." Hunter looked around at the empty bar, gaze lingering on the leftover bottles and glasses from last night.

Cid's eyes slid to Saedii. "Busy is one way to put it. You have fun pissing off the Spice Queen on Talthera?"

"Loads," Saedii deadpanned.

A very firm shake of the head was Cid's answer. She puffed on her drathroot. "For someone who's trying to stay off the Empire's radar, you're not doing a very good job. Don't you know what lay low means?"

Tech was quick to provide, "Lay low is a common colloquialism for avoiding detection –"

"It was rhetorical, Goggles. Lighten up."

A little furrow appeared between Tech's brows. He shut his mouth.

"You said you had a job," Hunter began pointedly. Trying to get Cid back on track.

Outside, a vendor shouted out prices for their wares. Trying to entice in new shoppers. Saedii took a spot in one of the empty booths and grimaced as her hand touched a sticky spot.

"What do you fellas know about ipsium?" Cid asked. Then, immediately added, "Goggles, that's not an invitation."

Tech's frown deepened.

"Ipsium was a favorite of the Techno Union, so I'm pretty familiar," Echo murmured. His good hand ran along the edge of his scomp.

"Then you know how valuable it is."

"I'm aware."

Smoke bellowed from Cid's mouth as she gave a low chuckle. "I've decided to expand my enterprise a bit, so I've purchased an ipsium mine. You fellas are going to mine it for me."

Saedii scoffed. This was Cid's mission? She'd left Wolffe and the others to mine ipsium?

"What? Too good for mining, Shortstack?"

"Didn't you hear? She's been promoted to a Knight," Crosshair drawled. "Most things seem to be beneath her now."

"Hilarious, Cross," Saedii retorted.

Cid sneered. "My heartfelt congratulations. You can celebrate by mining my ipsium."

Saedii rolled her eyes.

"So? You fellas in or out? This is bound to be a big payout," Cid pressed, shoving her drathroot back between her lips.

Hunter and Echo exchanged a look.

Suddenly, as if he couldn't hold it in any longer, Tech blurted, "My research shows the mines of Ipsidon were mined extensively by the Techno Guild during the Clone Wars before passing to the Empire. The chances that your mine yields an output of moderate or high profits are less than two percent, not taking into effect –"

"Look, I don't care much for odds and ratios. The mine's purchased already, so are you in or out?"

"I don't know," Hunter said slowly.

Cid ground out the end of her joint. "If you're not interested, I have another group lined up."

"Replace us already?" Crosshair pulled a toothpick from his belt and jammed it between his back teeth.

"Just business, Grumpy."

"We'll do it." Hunter didn't look too happy about it. His gaze swept briefly in Saedii's direction.

"Smart choice." Cid got to her feet, lumbering towards the back room. "I've already got a drill for you."

As soon as she was out of hearing range, Saedii demanded, "Hunter, you can't be serious. Mining ipsium? That's the best she can do?"

"Ipsium is highly valuable," Tech explained. "The potential for a high payout is there."

"You said it was only two percent."

"Yes. That is not zero."

She shot Hunter a weighted look.

Crosshair's toothpick jerked in his mouth as he quipped, "Let me guess. Jedi Knights don't mine, do they?"

"Crosshair, I swear –"

"I get it. You're too good for running errands."

That was exactly how Wolffe had phrased it last night. Saedii's eyes narrowed. He must have overheard.

Hunter ignored him. "Tech's right. If there's ipsium, this could be the easiest job we've run yet. We can be there and back in less than twenty-four hours."

"And you can run back to your precious Wolffe," Crosshair muttered, low under his breath.

A loud clank of metal announced Cid's return. An old rusty lantern-looking device was hanging from her hand, along with a massive pack.

"Your drill." She shoved the lantern-like device into Tech's waiting arms before tossing the pack at Crosshair, who grunted as it hit him in the chest. "And your pack."

"And our pay?" Hunter asked.

"Goggles, what's the going rate on ipsium nowadays?"

"Ten thousand credits per ounce," Tech answered immediately.

A very oily smile spread across Cid's face. "I'm feeling generous, Bandana. You lot bring back a good chunk of ipsium, I'll cut you in for fifteen percent. But only if I can get more than twenty million credits out of it."

Fifteen percent was more than she'd offered before. And if they got more than twenty million worth, they could be looking at a cut of several million or more. It was a lot of credits.

Maybe even enough to keep them on Teth for a while.

If they could earn enough from this job to cover the new troopers, Rex wouldn't be so desperate for credits. Which meant they wouldn't need to take on jobs for a while. Saedii would get to spend more time with Wolffe and the 104th.

"Twenty percent," Saedii said suddenly.

Hunter looked up in surprise as Cid demanded, "Twenty? That's theft!"

"Tech," Saedii said pointedly, "how dangerous is mining ipsium?"

Tech was only too happy to answer, "Ispium is highly combustible, like a primed thermal detonator. Its unstable nature makes it highly dangerous to mine and transport. The smallest amount of heat could set it off."

Saedii inclined her head. "Twenty percent. Think of it as a high-risk bonus."

"There's no such thing as a high-risk bonus!"

"I'm with Saedii." Echo crossed his arms. "If you want us to lug back a couple of kilos worth of highly combustible ipsium, we deserve a higher rate."

Outraged, Cid looked to Hunter for backup. But Hunter was nodding, too.

"Fine." She blew out a breath. "Seventeen percent."

"Twenty."

"Nineteen."

"Twenty-five," Saedii countered.

Echo's lips twitched but he remained quiet. Letting Saedii try her hand at negotiating.

Cid grunted. "Alright! Twenty percent. But only if you make it back in less than twenty-four hours. Any time after that and you only get fifteen."

"Done." Hunter spoke this time. Discretely, he gave a very pleased nod in Saedii's direction before he turned to Cid and said, "We'll meet you back here same time tomorrow morning."

"Looking forward to it, Bandana." By Cid's tone, she wasn't thrilled with how their business arrangement had turned out.

But Saedii was though. If this mission turned out well, then she'd get more time with Wolffe. More time to catch up. That was all she really wanted.