Clan of Three

Part Thirty-Seven

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"This is Moff Gideon's Imperial light cruiser. In the old days, it would carry a crew of several hundred. Now it operates with a tiny fraction of that." Bo-katan informed the group gathered in her ship, as they studied a digram of the cruiser. "Your assessment is misleading.", Dr. Pershing, who they had recently captured, spoke up from his seat. Cara Dune scoffed and said, "Oh, great. An objective opinion." The doctor sighed as he shook his head, saying, "This isn't subterfuge. I assure you." Bo-katan held out her hand, silencing the ex-shock trooper. The older woman wanted to hear any piece of information that would help them get to the dark saber, and of course, her niece.

"Let him speak.", Bo-katan demanded. "There's a garrison of dark troopers on board. From what you have told me, they are the ones who abducted the child and Rael Kenobi." Din stepped forward and asked, "How many troopers do they have armed in those suits?". Pershing sighed before saying, "These are third-generation. They are no longer suits. The human inside was the final weakness to be solved. They're droids."

Din's grip tightened around the lightsaber he was holding at the doctor's words. 'Droids...', he thought as he looked down at Rael's joined sabers. She had dropped it after the dark troopers had stunned her. The Mandalorian hadn't let it out of his sight since they were taken. "Where are they bivouacked?", Fennec Shand asked, snapping Din from his spiraling mind. Dr. Pershing stood up and pressed a few keys on the hologram system.

The diagram zoomed in to show a new area of the cruiser. "They're held in cold storage in this cargo bay. They draw too much power to be kept at the ready." Pershing explained as the others gathered closer to look. "How long to power up?", the assassin pushed. "A few minutes perhaps." Din huffed as he hooked the saber to his belt and asked, "Where are Rael and the child being held?". Pershing pressed a few more keys and the image shifted again. "This is the brig. They're either being held here under armed guard... or...", the doctor said as he changed the image again. "Or?", Din demanded.

Pershing hesitated before saying, "Or they could be in the lab. There's science officers on the cruiser that could begin my work without me if Moff Gideon ordered it." Din tried to keep his breathing even as he asked, "Will they be kept together?". Pershing tried to avoid looking directly at the Mandalorian's visor as he said, "Yes. Moff Gideon planned to keep them together. He thought that it would be easier to control Kenobi if the child's well-being was determined by her cooperation."

"Very well. We split into two parties-", Bo-katan began to say, but Din cut her off, "No. I go alone." Bo-katan hesitated as she sent the man a glare, but accepted and said, "Fine. Phase one, Lamba shuttle issues a distress call. Two, we emergency land at the mouth of the fighter launch tube, cutting off any potential interceptors. Koska, Fennec, Dune, and myself disembark with maximum initiative. Once we've neutralized the launch bay, we make our way through these tandem decks in a penetration maneuver."

"And me?", Din asked as he crossed his arms. "We'll be misdirection. Once we draw a crowd, you slip through the shadows, get the kid and get my niece." Bo-katan said firmly. "Those dark troopers are gonna be a real skank in the scud pie.", Cara said from her spot on top of a stacked crates. "Their bay is on the way to the brig. Can you make it there before they deploy?", they redhead asked Din.

"It's possible, if I check the brig before the lab.", he replied. "Here. Take this code cylinder and seal off their holding bay. Anyone else, we can handle." Fennec said as she shoved the device into the man's hands. "We'll meet at the bridge." Din told them, before he turned and walked out of the cockpit as they continue to plan.

He headed down into the cargo bay and went into the refresher. Din locked the door behind him, before bracing his hands against the counter. The Mandalorian sucked in a few deep breaths as he tried to get his racing mind under control. Not feeling like he was getting enough air through his helmet's circulation system, Din pulled it off.