Hyperspace: 19 BBY
"Mythos"
Nakoa Sen

Blurred yet familiar figures hovered in his vision. Instinctively, Nakoa reached towards one of them. The woman grabbed his hand and pulled him close. Her hand brushed against his hair, leaving behind a foreign feeling of affection.

"Quiet gar mind, ner cyar'ika. Ca'nara has olaror par udes. Te moons cuyir laamyc. Nuhoy while ni taylir gar. Nuhoy, par gar cuyir morut'y," she sang softly.

Nakoa hadn't heard the words in a long time, but their meaning came to him quickly. "Quiet your mind, my darling. Time has come for rest. The moons are high. Sleep while I hold you. Sleep, for you are safe."

He looked up at his mother, but her face was blurred, as it always was. Ever since it had happened, he'd never been able to see the faces of his parents.

He lifted a hand to her cheek, but just as he touched her, she faded from view. Nakoa squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, he was trapped beneath the beam once more. The only thing left of his mother was her metal clad hand.

Nakoa jolted awake, cold shivers racing down his spine. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He swung his feet over the edge of his bunk and grabbed his water canteen. Nakoa took a drink and smoothed his damp hair out of his face.

He turned to the small sink that stuck out of a wall. Nakoa let some water drip into the sink and splashed it on his face, waking himself up a bit. He stiffened, seeing his reflection in the water. His mother's eyes, his father's nose...Nakoa shook his head. It was strange. He couldn't remember what they looked like, but he knew which features he had gained from them.

His gaze drifted towards the thin viewports along the top of one wall. They were still in hyperspace. He hadn't slept long. Nakoa turned and eyed his helmet. I should go see if we're nearly there, he thought. Still, he sighed as he slid his helmet on. It was a relief to take it off most of the time and he dreaded having to put it on once more.

Nakoa left his cabin and entered the cockpit. There was no sign of Oni, but Lesia lounged in a seat close by. She perked up, spying him. "Finally. It's boring with no one around to talk to."

Nakoa didn't reply. He took his seat and checked the navicomputer. They'd be arriving soon enough. Lesia moved into a seat behind the co-pilot's. She swiveled it around and watched him.

"Yes?" He asked, finally.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"Really?" Les arched a brow. "I may not know you very well, but I'm good at sensing the emotions of others. You are anything but fine."

"It was just a bad dream," Nakoa said. He pulled out his vibroblade and ran his finger along the smooth metal.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Les pursed her lips and fell silent. She spoke again after a few minutes. "I have nightmares a lot. Sometimes I have them even when I'm awake. The smallest thing can trigger it. A particular blaster firing, someone's voice, a certain smell..."

Nakoa watched her curiously. "What do you have nightmares about?"

"Betrayal, the cause for this," she gestured towards her scarred ankles. "My own failure."

"I don't usually have that problem. It happens every once in a while."

"You're lucky, then."

Nakoa fought the urge to laugh. Footsteps sounded on the metal floor. Oni entered the cockpit and slid into her seat. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Nakoa replied. "We were just talking."

Lesia looked between the two of them and crossed her arms. "Don't you guys ever take off those helmets?"

Oni glanced at Nakoa. He shook his head. "No, at least, not in front of other people."

Lesia furrowed her brows. "I've met a few Mandalorians in my time. None of them did that."

"We're not just any old Mandalorian," Oni retorted. "We follow the ways of Mandalore the Great, before our people lost their way."

Understanding filled Lesia's gaze. "Ah, you're a part of them."

"Them?" Nakoa asked.

"During the Clone Wars, there was a group of Mandalorian terrorists called Death Watch. They wanted to restore Mandalore's old ways, but they were disbanded before they got the chance. However, many Mandalorians followed their example and broke away from Mandalore after the Empire came into power," Les explained. "They follow Mandalore's old code and its creed. I'm assuming you do as well?"

Nakoa and Oni nodded. "Then you're a part of them. You're Children of the Watch," Les finished.

Oni gave a huff of disgust. "I don't think you know what you're talking about. Our Clan has been around longer than that."

Nakoa nodded. "I was there when it was first formed. It was several years before the Clone Wars even began."

Les shrugged and crossed her legs. "Think what you like. I believe that's what you are. Hondo knows everything that's happening in the galaxy."

Oni started speaking again, but Nakoa cut her off. "We don't need to argue about it. All you need to know," he pointed at Lesia, "is that you can't tell anyone where our covert is located, should you gain that knowledge."

"All right."

The navicomputer began beeping. Nakoa turned his focus back to the control panel. He deactivated the hyperdrive and they dropped down in front of a beautiful green and blue planet. No Imperial ships were in sight, even as they headed down through the atmosphere.

"Land somewhere away from the buildings," Oni said. She pointed to several large structures on the ground below. The Imperial insignia was stamped onto all of them. There appeared to be several abandoned villages as well.

Nakoa guided the Mythos away from the civilizations. They landed on a remote windswept plain. Oni locked the ship down and Lesia took the lead.

Zeffo: 19 BBY
Plains
Lesia Mirri

Ancient power rippled from the planet's core. Lesia drew in a deep breath and continued walking. A soft rain was falling and in some areas, snow spotted the ground. Les held up the holodisk just as a red dot began blinking on the map.

She narrowed her eyes, watching the dot. It was moving. "This is a tracking beacon."

"The Empire can track the droid?" Oni asked, her voice filled with disbelief. "Why send us after him if they can find him?"

"I'm not sure." Les examined the beacon a bit closer. "Here." She handed it to Oni.

Oni skimmed over the information. "The Empire caught the droid once but he managed to escape. Before that, they had powered him off and installed a short range tracking beacon in him. The beacon will automatically activate when we're within a certain vicinity of him."

Oni pushed ahead and changed directions, following the beacon. Les rolled her eyes and fell back with Nakoa. A shadow of pain still surrounded his presence. It wasn't as sharp as it had been on the ship.

"Baja Haap gave me a warning about you," Nakoa said quietly.

"What kind of warning?"

"He said you're a traitor to the Empire. Is that true?"

"I've never had any affiliations with the Empire," she said quickly. "Other than our brief encounters when I worked for Hondo."

"I was told you know things the Empire would kill for."

Les forced herself not to appear nervous. Her lightsaber was a leaden weight within her satchel. "I know a lot of things. I probably do know things the Empire wants. I'm no Imperial traitor, though, and I'm definitely not on their Most Wanted list."

Nakoa was watching her. She could feel his gaze. "If they ever found out who you were, would that change?"

"I don't know."

"Well, I didn't tell Oni." Nakoa moved on ahead, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

They walked a good distance. Lesia's ankles were killing by the time they stopped for a break. "It looks like the droid is hiding somewhere up ahead," Oni said. "The excavation site is built into the cliff side. There are control centers inside. I imagine that's where he'll head."

"We'd better catch him before he reaches the site," Nakoa replied. "If we don't, we'll have to explain to the stormtroopers who we are and what we're doing there. We don't have time for that."

"Do you have an actual plan this time?"

Lesia rested her chin in her palm and watched them, faintly amused. "Not exactly," Nakoa admitted.

"Great." Oni leaned against a rock and crossed her arms. "Why do I always have to do everything?"

"You don't."

Les cleared her throat, catching their attention. "If you don't mind, I have an idea. I know droids. If we come at him directly, he'll put up a fight. However, it's difficult to sneak up on one."

"Get to the point," Oni huffed.

Les shot her a glare, but continued. "I think it's better to directly approach him or pretend to stumble upon him. You two obviously can't do it. Everything about you guys screams bounty hunter. I'll have better luck."

Oni shook her head. "Absolutely not. I still think you'll try to steal the droid and the bounty."

"Excuse me, but I believe I was getting to the point." Les heard Nakoa smother a laugh. "I'll take two restraining bolts with me. I'll pretend to find him and act like I think he's an Imperial droid. I'll tell him I'm a cargo pilot and I got lost or something. Hopefully he'll buy it and be distracted. I'll slip the restraining bolts onto him and we'll be good to go."

"Well, Oni?" Nakoa prompted.

"It's better than no plan." Oni tossed the holodisk to Les, along with two restraining bolts.

"Wait here. I'll signal you when I have the droid." She turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, right." Les approached Nakoa and held up her wrist, gesturing to her comlink. "Since I don't have yours, I need a way to contact the two of you."

Nakoa quickly input a frequency and saved it to her comm. Lesia flashed him a smile and started off. She didn't miss the subtle frustration seeping from Oni. Les increased her pace as the blinking of the tracking beacon sped up.