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After Mayfeld disappears down into the Republic prison ship, Xi'an rolls her head to the side, cracking her neck as she gives Zoya a vicious smile that almost looks like a challenge. Not one to back down, Zoya returns the gesture, curling her lip as the Twi'lek vanishes, purple lekku flying down behind her.
Her eyes flick to Din, then to Burg when no one moves. "Who's next?" she says.
Burg merely grunts in response, heaving himself down into the other ship with a loud thump without waiting for either of them to move.
Zero's metallic, grating voice is just barely audible from where they stand as it filters through the comms, echoing from the link Mayfeld holds down in the Republic's ship. "Sublevel three. Disabling onboard surveillance."
"I'll go next," Din says, but he hesitates. "Don't turn your back to them."
"I wouldn't dream if it," she replies. "You're the only one here I trust."
Beneath the helmet, his lips quirk. "I don't suppose you would want to stay up here with the child, so I shouldn't ask."
"No, you shouldn't." Zoya looks back up at him, a knowing twist to her mouth. "You'd be stupid to think I'd let you go down there with them alone."
"Right." He releases a breath.
"No argument?"
He shakes his head lightly. "Not this time."
Without waiting another second, Din steps forward, dropping down through the hatch and landing softly on the seamless, gunmetal floors, boots almost seeming to absorb most of the sound. Zoya shoves her blaster into its holster, crouching down to hold onto the edge of the circular entrance to swing herself down, landing behind Din as he steps forward.
She pulls the weapon back out as Mayfeld says, "All right, we're on the clock. The second we engage those droids, they're gonna be all over us."
"All right, let's go," Mayfeld mutters, walking forward, one of his blasters held up before him in preparation.
Din falls in behind him, but his words ring through Zoya's head, so she hesitates as Xi'an and Burg start moving, eyes locked onto the back of his helmet as he moves down the hallway. Don't turn your back to them. A breath shudders from her lips as her fingers tighten around the handle of her blaster, and trepidation begins a slow crawl down her spine, raising the hairs on the back of her neck and giving her the unnerving feeling of being watched.
