Mirana: - Tiffany! Good to see you! -

Mirana screamed with excitement when she saw the Rodian. Apparently she knew her before, but instead of responding to her greeting in a friendly manner, she turned to her with annoyed eyes and ordered her to shut up. Or rather to lower his voice.

Tiffany: - Shhh. Can't you see they're trying to rest? -

Mirana: - Oh, I'm sorry. The excitement of dominoes. How have you been? -

Tifany: - As you can see. The situation here is almost... -

Boil: - You! - The demanding voice of the clone caught the attention of everyone, who watched the situation in amazement and how Boil pointed his finger towards the one in the clone armor with red stripes. - Where did you get that armor!? -

There was no doubt. The clone had no intention of calming down despite Mirana's attempts to make him see reason. But... How could he calm down? Every clone recognizes Commander Thorn's armor. A hero among heroes. And a symbol to the clones of their former glory.

?????: - Hey hey friend. Calm down. -

The voice asking to calm things down was heard coming from the armor with red details. From his voice it was clear that he was not a clone, which made Boil even angrier.

Boil: - Who the hell are you!? And where did you get that armor!? -

At this point Mirana had to hold Boil down so that he wouldn't make a mistake, because although the helmet he was wearing did not reveal his identity or his facial expression, you could tell that he was not very happy. Although the rest of those present couldn't understand why.

?????: - Let's calm down for a moment. Want? -

Boil: - What I want is an explanation. -

Then, the mysterious individual wearing Commander Thorn's armor revealed his identity, revealing that he was none other than a boy of only about twenty or thirty years old. Although he had several marks on his face that expressed part of his past.

Tifany: - Please, Mirana. Calm down your friend. If they discover us we will be lost. -

Mirana: - You heard Boil. You want to calm down for a moment and say what the hell is wrong with you. -

Boy: - That's a good question. Maybe you have a problem with this armor. -

Boil: - Yes. I have it. -

His voice was hard and cold as rock, as he removed his helmet revealing his identity. When everyone saw that the enraged madman was a clone, they were amazed, although it seems that they were able to relate the issue of the armor with his anger.

Boil: - That armor belonged to Commander Thorn. One of the greatest heroes of the Republic. -

Boy: - A dead hero who doesn't need her. And a Republic that no longer exists. I found this armor in the Vulpter dumps, and nothing stopped me from claiming it. -

Boil: - Blasfemia. -

Tifany: - It's the truth, soldier. And I will ask him to calm down or I will have to expel him from the place. -

Boil looked at the Rodian in a rather threatening manner, but she didn't even flinch, completely sure of herself. The clone was able to calm his unjustified anger for a second, at which point he realized that he was the center of everyone's attention. Even Numa was looking at him a little worried about the way he reacted. Therefore, the best thing he could think of was to turn around and walk away from everyone, to a dark corner where no one would bother him for a while.

Boy: - Can we know what's wrong with him? -

Tifany: - It's a clone, Kurt. - He addressed the boy in Commander Thorn's armor.

Kurt: - I see that. And what does that have to do with your attitude? -

Mirana: - If you knew everything the clones suffered, maybe you could understand them. Those like him have very few memories and heroes left from those days. -

Kurt: - Whatever you say. But as I said before, I have no interest in that whatsoever. -

Mirana could only look at him disapprovingly. It was clear that she was much younger than the lieutenant. About twenty or a little older, although the marks on his face showed that he had already been through a lot for his age.

Mirana: - Changing the subject. We haven't introduced ourselves yet. My name is Mirana, ex-cazarecompenzas. -

Kurt: - You already heard my name. Kurt. Hunter begins. -

Tifany: - Kurt is helping us collect and protect those most in need. Your services are needed here. -

Kurt: - For a fair price. Of course. -

Mirana: - I can already see that. - He said disapprovingly.

Tifany: - It's a necessary evil. But it has been very helpful. -

While those present began to plan how to carry out the extraction operations, Numa and Lubo felt somewhat out of place, although listening to the plans was interesting, and when they began to talk about numbers and smaller details the topic became somewhat strange. tedious, so they decided to explore the place a little.

All the refugees looked horrible. Many seemed to have anorexia, in addition to the many marks from whips and wounds that they could hardly cover with bandages and fabrics from their clothing, but there were so many that apparently Tifany did not have the necessary means to help them all. The Hutt control was horrible without a doubt.

When the hearts of the two young Twi'leks seemed to not bear to see more suffering, they found a small escape sitting in a corner away from the light of the place. Boil looked pretty bad morally, more out of regret for his own attitude than out of the anger he felt for the young man with whom he argued a while ago. And it was no wonder, because... What commander would behave that way? If Mirana had not been present, who could think how everything would have ended. He acted like a fool.

Numa: - Boil. Are you OK? -

The clone stopped rubbing his face when he heard his voice. He looked up and saw the two young men in front of him and did his best to give them a smile, but it was clear that that would not be enough.

Numa: - Why does it bother you so much that Kurt wears a clone's armor? -

Boil: - Kurt? That's his name? - The young people nodded their heads. - That is a good question. I guess... I guess it's because I still can't get rid of the past. We clones... don't have much... to remember with pride. I guess that's why I was bothered by the fact that the armor of one of my bravest brothers is worn by someone who is not a clone. But that young man is right... "A dead hero who doesn't need her. And a Republic that no longer exists." -

Lubo: - And who was Commander Thorn? Was he a great hero? -

Boil: - Do you want to hear his story?

Faced with the Twi'lek's enthusiasm to hear his story, Boil could not resist telling them. The clone remembered many of the deceased commander's exploits in great detail, even though he had never met him in person. Thorn, Cody, Rex, Doom, Bacara, Appo, Grey, Bly, Wolffe, Jet, Odd Ball, among others, were names that the clones would remember during their short lives even if no one else remembered them. But to them, to them it was much more than tools of war. They were his brothers after all.

The minutes passed as Boil told of Thorn's many exploits before becoming a shock trooper in the Coruscant Guard, and the more he told, the more and more refugees joined in to listen, since there really wasn't much to do around there, and a good story was always welcome. The minutes passed, and even Mirana, Tifany and Kurt had finished with the planning, but when they saw so many eagerly listening to the story of the clone they could not interrupt it, and in the end they ended up hearing the story.

When Boil told how Thorn died bravely fighting against a horde of droids before a separatist invasion of the planet Scipio, everyone was paying close attention, somewhat excited to hear how, still surrounded by droids and with death in front of his face, Throrn continued firing his Z cannon. -6, until a blaster pierced his chest, then another, and another.

Many of those present couldn't help but feel better about such a story, which greatly brightened the spirits of the gloomy place. When Boil realized that Mirana and the rest were waiting for him, he took a deep breath and approached them, letting out a "Sorry" as he passed Kurt, before continuing on his way.

Young Kurt could only nod his head before thinking for a moment about the story he had heard. He looked around and saw all those refugees who were counting on them, he could even see some who were looking at him with sad eyes but with some hope, and he couldn't stop a thought from passing through his mind. Although he was a bounty hunter and did this only for money, now he partly understood why Boil was so upset when he saw him in that armor. "No doubt the armor he wore was going to be difficult to fill." Would the credits be enough?

Once everyone regained some composure they decided to catch up. The plan was simple in steps, but complex in execution. The Pons Ora department stores were guarded 56 hours a day on Abafar's planetary day, and had no blind spot. Only one transport ship arrived each week to collect the extracted rhydonium, and it had a heavy escort and heavy weaponry. Attacking her was not an option, but still, there was a small gap they could exploit.

A name. Takke. The name of a Trandochan who was none other than the one who controlled all the operations of the Hutt clan on the planet. He was vile, ruthless, and extremely cruel. Still, he was intelligent and had Jabba's own approval to do whatever he wanted on the planet as long as he maintained rhydonium production. But his greatest passion was having slaves.

The tales of those who were once close to Takke's offices were not exactly pleasant. It was said that he enjoyed mistreating his slaves to death, and the mere thought of standing up to him made all the refugees take a step back. Even Tifany was against facing him, but she didn't have much choice. Mirana and her group needed that fuel, and they needed to get the refugees out on their ship. The worst of all was that they couldn't come up with any ideas that weren't dangerous.

Boil: - Never! Not in a million years! - Boil shouted, somewhat upset. - I'm not going to let them enter that place alone, much less after everything we've heard. -

Mirana: - And do you have any better ideas? -

The clone could only hit the table and grit his teeth in helplessness. The plan that Mirana proposed was too risky.

Tifany: - Do you really think that entering Takke's compound is a good idea? It's not going to be a pleasant experience. -

Mirana: - I have no problems. I know how to defend myself and I'm not going to screw up. But I don't agree with the two of them going. - He said pointing to Numa and Lubo.

Numa: - Of course we should go. You said it yourself... Our species is very tempting for those slavers. We are the best bait. -

Lubo: - We can do it... I think. -

Boil: - No. No. No. Not even in my dreams. I can't let two kids in that place. It doesn't matter if Mirana goes with you. They will be surrounded by enemies if something bad happens. -

Kurt: - As strange as it may seem, I agree. I have known Takke for years. And not just him, many of his group are not the type of people you want to run into in a dangerous situation. -

Numa: - Well... If you have a better plan... I'm all ears. - The silence and the dazed faces could not be more hopeless. - I thought so. -

Tifany: - As much as she wants to deny it, Numa is right. Time is running out, and we only have thirty hours until the cargo ship arrives. If that happens you will have to wait another week, and believe me. The weeks in Abafar are longer than they think. -

Mirana: - There must be a better plan. Boil? -

The clone had his gaze focused on the floor. His mind was a chaos of thoughts against the clock that did not seem to find a solution to said problem. Letting Numa go to that place was something that left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. But... What other options did I have? He didn't have time to do a complete reconnaissance of the place and plan something better, much less the information necessary to devise a better route of action. If only Icarus were there...

NO. The general trusted him to carry out this mission. It was something I had to do. And so I would do it. He raised his head, showing a mixture of disapproval and concern on his face, but his mind was made up.

Boil: - Very good. We will do that. We will rely on Numa and Lubo for this mission. -

Mirana: - What? -

Kurt: - Are you sure about that? -

Boil: - No. -

The clone looked towards Numa, who more than fear seemed to give off a certain glimmer of confidence in his abilities. But trust can be a dangerous double-edged sword if it is exceeded.

Boil: - Numa, Lubo. We count on you? -

Numa: - Yes, commander. -

Lubo: - Yes... Yes sir. - He responded somewhat nervously.

Boil: - Very good. Let's start with the operation. We count on all of you. -

The clone looked at each one present. Everyone had a role to play and their role was crucial. Boil was under the impression that the plan would be flawless, and that everything would work out. But if he learned anything from being under Icarus, it was that he was never too prepared.

Boil: - Delta Unit. Do you receive me? - I'm calling on your communicator.

Delta: - Loud and clear, commander. -

Boil: - Go with the Punitive Guard to the coordinates I sent you. Take high positions and stay hidden. If things get out of control... Shoot to kill. -

Delta:- Rose. Roger.