Lothal: 19 BBY
"Mythos"
Lesia Mirri

    Lesia watched the grasslands of Lothal through the Mythos' viewport. Lothal was simple, but its presence was intricate. Within the grass, she could sense a variety of creatures. Large stone formations popped up at random.

    She closed her eyes for a moment and let her senses race over the planet. The Force was strong within it. She could feel a few places that were especially unique. Les opened her eyes as they neared Lothal City.

    "How long has the Empire been here?" Les asked. "During the war, neither the Republic, nor the Separatists had any interest in this place. What's so special about it to the Empire?"

    "The Empire moved in a few months ago, right after the war ended," Nakoa replied. "I think they like the location of the planet."

    "The landscape makes it easy for them to manufacture and test new weapons and vehicles too," Oni added.

    Les narrowed her eyes. They flew past a large dome shaped building. Imperial flags lined the walkway that led up to the building. "Have they been strict on the people?"

    Nakoa shook his head and prepared to land. "I don't think so. As long as the citizens do what they're told and stay out of the way, the Empire shouldn't feel the need to crack down on them."

    "Unlike some places," Oni muttered. Les nodded her agreement. The Empire was still so new, and yet, numerous star systems were facing their terrible might. She witnessed some of it while running spice for Hondo.

    The Mythos landed in an open docking bay shortly. Oni grabbed Baja and they disembarked. Les waited behind while Nakoa locked down the ship. He joined her and they followed Oni and Baja.

    "Have you thought of a place you can go yet?" Nakoa asked.

    "Not yet. My options are rather...limited."

    "Limited how?"

    Les bit her lip, before relenting. "I can't go to any of the Core planets. There might be a few places in the Middle Rim that I could go to but my best bet is to stay in the Outer Rim."

    "That should be manageable. There are a lot of remote planets out here."

    "Yes, but there's also a lot of planets bearing scars from the Clone Wars. Didn't you hear about the Outer Rim Sieges?"

    "What's that got to do with anything?"

    Lesia looked down and hoped he didn't notice the nervousness that she couldn't shake away. "I don't want to go to any planet that has been touched by the war."

    Nakoa glanced at her. She found it somewhat unnerving, being unable to see his expression. "How come?"

    Les squared her shoulders and stared straight into the visor of his helmet. "Bad memories." She carried on ahead before he could question her further.

    Stormtroopers stood on guard ahead, blocking their path. Oni pushed Baja in front of her and kept a hand on his shoulder. They reached the gates shortly and a stormtrooper raised his hand.

    "What's your business here?" He demanded.

    Les forced herself to remain calm, even as she recognized a clone's voice beneath the Imperial helmet. It was Oni who replied. "We're here to collect a bounty."

    "Where is the target?" Oni shoved Baja forward. The stormtrooper pulled out a scanning device and waved it over the Shydopp's body. It beeped after a few seconds."Baja Haap, eh? They'll be glad to have him." He jerked his head towards the gates as they began to open.

    Oni tipped her head to the stormtrooper and carried on into the courtyard. The dome building loomed larger now. Lesia glanced over the multitude of Imperial flags. More stormtroopers patrolled the area. She wondered how many of them were clones and if they'd ever served with her.

    "Hey." Nakoa elbowed her.

    "What?" Les kept her gaze trained on the building ahead.

    "You're nervous. They're noticing." He gestured to a few stormtroopers.

    Les didn't have to look. She could feel their gazes following her. "I'm trying but it's not easy to pretend that I'm not nervous."

    "Oni is too."

    "Really?" Lesia eyed the back of Oni's blue armor. "I can't tell."

    "Well, having a helmet does help with that. She's good at masking her body language too, but if you know her, you can tell."

    "Why would she be nervous?"

    "Why would you?"

    Lesia thought carefully before replying. "That stormtrooper who scanned Baja was a clone. I could tell by his voice."

    "And?"

    "I had friends who were killed by clones. It's hard to hear them and not remember that. On my planet, we considered them allies, even friends."

    Nakoa nodded his understanding. "It's probably that way for a lot of people. All the same, keep your chin up and try not to let your nerves show."

    He pulled ahead and Lesia loosed a sigh of relief. I'm going to have to come up with a cover story soon, she thought. I can tell these two are smart and if I don't want them to know about my past, I'm going to have to do a really good job of hiding it. She quieted her thoughts and entered the Imperial headquarters.

Lothal: 19 BBY
Lothal City
Nakoa Sen

    As soon as they entered the building, they were surrounded by a stormtrooper escort. Les seemed to be making an effort not to appear nervous. Nakoa spotted her hands shaking but said nothing.

    Her words had struck him as odd. He had sensed the halfness of them, but had chosen to say nothing. The war had affected many people. He hadn't had much to do with it, personally. Ketei had always kept them clear of war ravaged systems and their search for a safe planet had drawn them further away from the fighting every day.

    "In here." The stormtroopers broke apart and took up positions along the hallway walls. One of them gestured towards a door. Oni and Baja entered. Nakoa followed Lesia inside and the door hissed shut once more.

    A man was seated at a desk, with a large window behind him. Two stormtroopers were on guard. He folded his hands and eyed them curiously. "How can I help you?"

    "We're here to collect a bounty on Baja Haap," Nakoa explained.

    "Ah." The man snapped his fingers. "Scan the Shydopp. Make sure it's him."

    One of the stormtroopers pulled out another scanner and quickly obeyed. The scanner beeped and he gave a short nod. "It's him."

    The man stood and approached another door. He quickly entered a few digits into a keypad. The door swung open and he disappeared. When he returned, he held a case of Imperial credits. Nakoa took the case. The two stormtroopers grabbed Baja's arms and pulled him out of the office.

    Nakoa turned to leave, with Oni and Les right behind him. "Before you leave," the man called. Nakoa paused and turned back. "I know of another bounty that may interest you. The bounty on this one is much higher than Baja's and I know you Mandalorians will appreciate such a prize."

    "How much?" Oni asked.

    "The payment isn't in credits."

    Nakoa and Oni glanced at each other. "What is it?" Nakoa prompted.

    "Pure beskar."

    Nakoa's mouth dropped open beneath his helmet. From Oni's stature, he could tell she was having the same reaction. "What's beskar?" Lesia stepped forward.

    "Mandalorian metal. It's ancient and strong, impervious to most weapons. It's very rare," the man replied. "Every Mandalorian I've met has leaped at the chance to earn it."

    Les turned to Nakoa. "Is that what your armor is made of?"

    He nodded and Oni did as well. "Ours isn't pure, though. It's beskar mixed with other metals. It holds up pretty well, but it's nothing compared to pure beskar. It's said that even a..." Nakoa died off, unsure if he could even say the word in front of an Imperial.

    "Even a lightsaber struggles to leave a mark on it," the officer finished for him. Lesia's eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, she looked as though she might speak. When she didn't, Nakoa grabbed Oni's arm and pulled her aside.

    "We can't pass up this opportunity," Oni whispered. "Think of what this could do for the Clan. Weapons, armor for the foundlings, maybe even armor for a few of us wanderers."

    "I know, but we have no idea who they want us to find."

    "Then let's get all the details."

    "What about Lesia? I promised we'd take her wherever she needs to go as soon as we collected Baja's bounty."

    "We can still do that."

    Nakoa nodded, finally. "All right." They returned to the man and Les. "Who do we have to find?"

    The man returned to his desk and pulled up a hologram. An astromech appeared. "This droid. It has been known to steal Imperial information. We don't know where the information has been sent, but that doesn't matter. We want this droid, whether it's dismantled or in one piece. Everything you need to know about it is on this file. Find it and bring it here and the beskar is yours."

    Oni stepped forward and scanned the file, automatically downloading it. Nakoa inclined his head to the man. "We'll be back soon enough."

    "Good hunting." The man took his seat once more.

    Nakoa led the way out of the office. Oni and Les matched pace with him, but neither said a word. Finally, Oni spoke. "Beskar for a droid? The droid must be a real troublemaker."

    "Can I see the bounty file?" Les asked.

    Oni shook her head. "You're leaving. Why would I show you? You might try to steal our bounty for yourself."

    Lesia rolled her eyes. "Please. What would a smuggler like me want with Mandalorian metal? I wouldn't even be able to have it forged into anything. I'd have to sell the beskar itself to have money for that."

    Nakoa arched an eyebrow. "Hondo didn't pay you for smuggling his spice?"

    "Oh he did, but usually he subtracted a fair sum for himself."

    "Why?"

    "The cost of fuel, the use of his ship, any damages that might have happened, fees for his provision of the job, and so on," Les replied. "I'm not a rich person."

    Oni let out a quiet snicker. Nakoa pursed his lips. "Let her see the file."

    "What?" Oni straightened immediately.

    "Until she leaves, she's a part of this team. That means she has to help us with this bounty unless she knows where she's going." Nakoa turned to Les. She shook her head in reply. "She needs to know the details, just like we do."

    "Fine." Oni tossed a holodisk to Les. She caught it and held onto it until they reached the Mythos.

    Nakoa took his seat behind the controls and prepared to take off. "Where are we headed?" He called over his shoulder.

    "It says they think the droid is going to steal information on an Imperial excavation. The droid is going to a planet called Zeffo," Les said.

    "Zeffo?" Oni's voice sounded confused. "I've never heard of that planet."

    "Neither have I," Nakoa agreed. Lesia leaned over the control panel and entered a set of coordinates into the navicomputer.

    "What's the droid's description? You can't tell a lot about a droid from a hologram," Oni said.

    Les skimmed over the file once more. "He's a silver R2 unit. He doesn't have any modifications or special features. Oh, and he calls himself Azie."

    Nakoa smirked a bit. "That's an odd name for a droid. Still, let's find him." They cleared the atmosphere and he activated the hyperdrive. The stars blurred into streaks of blue and Lothal disappeared behind them.