"Can you play the transmission for me?" Seth asked.

He was standing in front of the main entrance to the outpost, checking over his rifle. Kato was doing the same.

"Uh, yeah. Hold on," she murmured, and then pulled a small datapad from her pocket. She tapped at it a few times, then held it up.

"...is Private Kens...zzt...ollowing me! I...zzt...too fast! I need-" It cut off abruptly.

"Really useful," Seth muttered.

"Yeah," Kato replied, deactivating and replacing the datapad.

"Well, you're probably right, it's probably a Republic soldier. This sucks," he growled, and finished checking over his weapon. "Come on. Sooner we get there, sooner we can start a probably pointless search."

Kato just grunted. He set off, moving due north, and realized how bad of a mood he was in. He was pissy. This moon made him pissy. Only no, that wasn't right. He felt like something was wrong, besides the obvious, and after another minute of walking through the light rain and heavy vegetation, he realized what it was: he was sounding a little bitter and apathetic. Crap. Even if he actually felt that way, it was a bad idea to let that slip in front of the troops. Morale was a real thing, and apathy was death.

Although Kato looked pretty solid.

Nonetheless, he didn't really like complaining, least of all from himself.

While he tried to think of some kind of conversation to strike up, Seth studied the environment around them nigh continually. Everything was grim and forbidding. The skies were slate gray, laden with tension and the threat of a much worse storm. The path they had found was surrounded by thick, alien vegetation to either side that he swore was moving when he wasn't looking directly at it. Creatures lurked in the underbrush.

It seemed like they were getting closer.

Finally, he asked, "So, is this a step up from Hoth?"

"I'm not sure yet," Kato replied after a moment. "I need to spend some more time out and about. I mean, so far, yeah...I think. I want to say I prefer this to the cold, but even as I'm saying these words, the longer I stay here, the more I hate this humidity. And I'm positive there are dangerous creatures hanging out. It's only a matter of time before they decide enough is enough and come out for a snack." She sighed. "Then again, I don't know. I mean, the trip was nice. Being here, with you all, it's...very interesting."

"How so?" Seth asked.

"It made me realize...I'm a little bit of an elitist bitch." He looked over at her. That wasn't what he was expecting.

"And that's...nice?"

She laughed. "Okay, maybe nice isn't the right word. Important. I needed to know that. I've spent a long time around Republic soldiers, and eventually, at some point, I apparently slipped into the mindset that everyone else was incompetent. If you had described Seri or Yex or, man, Nova to me, I would have assumed they were incompetent, undisciplined, unprofessional people. And I was clearly wrong. I've just...seen too many people be indecisive, you know? Too many civilians panic or freeze up," she explained.

"We do it, too," Seth replied quietly.

"I know. You're right. That's why it's important. I needed that. I had a nice, long conversation with Yex. He's a really smart guy. Really patient. Yex...you know what he reminds me of?"

"What?"

"What a Jedi should be."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing...what about Maya?"

"Still not sure about her." She smirked suddenly. "Are you sweet on her?"

"What?" he replied, shooting another glance at her. "She's a Jedi."

"So? You really gonna stand there and tell me that if she came onto you for a little fun, a little quiet fun that the other Jedi don't have to know about, you would turn her down?"

"Oh, of course not. I'd hop in bed with her."

"And how would Nova feel about that? Don't think I haven't noticed the way you two are all over each other."

He chuckled. "Well, uh...she'd be okay with it." He wanted to say, 'she'd hop right in that bed, too', but maybe that was too much information.

"Oh really? So that's the kind of relationship you have, huh?"

"We have...what you might call a casual relationship," Seth replied. "What about you? What kind of relationship do you have?"

"Me? None. I haven't had a real relationship for awhile. Haven't even had a casual one for a few months now. Since before Hoth."

"Seriously? That'd be the best way to keep warm on that damned iceball."

"Yeah, I know. I'm a little picky, even for casual stuff, and...guys don't react to me super well, I've noticed."

"What, really?"

"Yeah. I scare them."

"...really?"

"Yeah. What, you don't see it?"

"Can't say that I do."

She glanced at him. "Well, I guess a lot wouldn't intimidate you." She began to say something else, but was cut off as something growled. Something very nearby. They both froze, weapons raised, waiting for the attack that was certainly to come. Things lurked to either side of the rough pathway they had been walking down. Vegetation trembled and with a chorus of curious, almost barking growls, a half dozen stubby, well-built creatures leaped out onto the path.

"Cannoks!" Kato snapped.

Well, at least she'd read the briefing Maya had passed out on the way out there. Cannoks were one of the many things that inhabited this miserable moon. They were short, ugly, four-legged creatures with eyes on short stalks that stuck out of the sides of their big heads, wrinkled yellow-green skin, and enormous mouths.

Apparently, they ate just about anything.

Seth took aim at the nearest one as they all bolted towards the pair. Well, it was about to eat blaster bolts. He squeezed the trigger and hosed the nasty little bastard down with a spray of blaster rifle. The bolts of energy pretty much ripped it to cauterized ribbons and sprayed the others, which only seemed to send them into an even more frantic frenzy. Kato opened up as well, her blaster rifle joining his, and they began cutting the things down.

Their bodies fell to pieces, becoming scattered across the trail, but that only drew more of the hideous things.

It was like the dinner bell had been sounded.

A dozen more cannoks spilled out onto the path, barking and growling and snapping their big jaws together as they raced towards the fresh meat. Seth cursed and laid down a fresh line of suppressing fire while backing up.

He glanced behind him. "Damn!" he snapped, seeing even more had appeared back the way they'd come.

"Now what?!" Kato snapped as she ejected a drained energy clip, slapped a fresh one in, and resumed fire on the encroaching group.

"Simple! Follow the number one rule of the jungle!" Seth replied.

"And what's that!?"

"Show 'em we're number one!"

He primed and tossed a grenade ahead of them, then did the same behind them, then pretty much tackled her into the treeline to get out of the way of the blasts. Twin thunderclaps sounded and shoved them violently deeper into the underbrush. Seth scrambled back to a sitting position, rifle in hand, trying to get his hearing back, as he waited for the surviving cannoks to mount an assault. Only that didn't happen.

Evidently it had worked.

"You know, Seth, there are easier ways to get me on my back," Kato said.

He looked at her, at first uncertain if he'd actually heard that right. She was sitting up, looking at him with a little bit of a smirk. "Uh...sorry," he replied after a moment.

She laughed, got to her feet, and dusted herself off. "It's fine. It worked, obviously. Beats being cannok food. You...take a lot of risks, don't you?"

"Did you pay attention to anything I did back on Hoth?" he asked as he got up.

"Fair point. Guess that already feels like last month. Shifting between worlds through outer space, especially with this much contrast between the two...it really screws with your perception."

"Oh yeah, tell me about it," he muttered.

"How long have you been at it?" she asked.

"Twelve years."

She let out a long, low whistle as they headed back out onto the path. "That's a long time. I mean, man, that's a long time. That means you've been through the Mandalorian Wars too."

"Yep."

"Damn. No wonder they tagged you for this mission."

"More luck than anything else."

"Pretty sure they'd say something like, 'there is no luck, there's just the Force'."

"Yeah, I think they might've actually said that to me. Well, come on, let's get a move on. I really don't want to be here when whatever eats cannok guts shows up."

She made a face, looking around at all the corpses. "Point."

They hurried off up the path.

* * *

Seth raised a fist, becoming as still as a statue, and Kato froze as he did. "We've got a casualty."

The pathway finally opened into a clearing. To the right side was a large rock sheer that was covered in vegetation. The silver armored soldier sitting against it stuck out like a sore thumb. Seth scanned the area for signs of hostile activity, but he saw and heard nothing. Just the omnipresent whisper of the rain and minute but continual shifting of the jungle around them.

"Cover me," he whispered.

"Affirmative," Kato replied tightly.

He made his way quickly across the clearing. The Republic soldier didn't seem to be moving at all, not even breathing. His hands were clutched over his gut and Seth could already see some blood. As he drew closer, he suddenly got slammed with that feeling again: being watched. Not just watched, but scrutinized intensely. He still had no idea how he knew that, or even if he was right. But he was positive someone, or something, was watching him right now.

"What's wrong?" Kato whispered.

"Being watched," he replied.

She grunted and scanned the area again. He was just going to have to trust her to watch his back. Not that he didn't, but even the best wasn't perfect. He reached the soldier and dropped into a crouch. Reaching out, he pressed the tips of his first two fingers to the man's neck. No pulse. He was definitely dead. Seth carefully pulled his hands away from the wound, then winced.

"Holy crap," he whispered.

Something had blown a hole clean through his gut: armor, uniform, and all. There was a good amount of blood. And it wasn't cauterized. Well then how had it happened? Seth felt a shock of cold as he checked the wound more closely. It looked like...blunt force. Had someone punched a hole through him!? There were strength enhancers out there, and if you were already pretty big and strong...yeah, it was definitely doable.

There were aliens that could do this, but if it had been a gamorrean or a wookie, this would be a hole the size of a dinner plate.

He checked the nameplate embedded in the soldier's chest armor, remembering the transmission. It read PVT. KENSINGTON, P.

Yep, that matched. Well, that was one mystery solved.

Sort of.

Seth stood up and turned around, fervently hunting the surrounding area again. Kato stood tensely back at the entrance of the clearing, doing the same.

What was going on here? What had happened in this-

Seth caught the barest ripple of movement that, although it was extremely slight and barely noticeable, it immediately had internal warning alarms going off on red alert. He recognized it for what it was in an instant.

A stealth field.

It was high up and he raised his rifle.

"Contact!" he screamed, and opened fire.

The same second he did, something shot back at him and he barely managed to sidestep out of the way. Whatever it was, it sliced through the air right next to his face. Twin sprays of bright white blaster fire converged on the location of the mystery person as Kato joined him, and Seth saw the figure leap to another branch. He kept firing, hoping to hit it at least once. It wasn't that difficult to disrupt a stealth field, but this one had to be good, because typically if you moved too fast you'd disrupt it yourself.

You couldn't run and use a stealth field generator under normal circumstances.

The blaster fire cut through the vegetation, detaching branches and blowing off chunks of bark, lighting little fires that immediately guttered and died in the wet environment. Several more things shot out and Seth suddenly felt an explosion of pain in his gut. He shouted a curse and dropped on his ass, from the impact, the surprise, and the slippery-ass mud beneath his feet. He grit his teeth and kept on firing.

He could just barely make out the figure, which was still moving. He heard Kato shout in pain. The figure leaped and hit the ground in a splash of water and mud. Seth rolled as a trio of what he finally recognized as those damned darts came at him. He just managed to avoid them but heard a loud whining noise.

Bombs!

He snagged and primed a fragmentation grenade as he scrambled to his feet, and as he started lumbering away, running at full tilt towards the nearest treeline, he threw the grenade in the rough direction of the cloaked figure.

The clearing exploded and the force of the blast physically picked him up and flung him forward. Seth screamed in panic and pain as he sailed through the air and then slammed into a big tree. The breath was driven from his lungs as he smashed to the ground, and he gasped, wheezing painfully as he struggled to regain his feet.

Come on, he thought furiously as he tried to look through the haze of dirt and debris, ignore the pain, you've had worse. Get over it and get your ass up!

He got to his feet, but no more darts flew at him out of the fog.

"Kato!?" he shouted, then groaned. His gut was in agony now.

"Here!" she yelled back, coughing.

"You see anything?! You hit!?"

"No, nothing! I'm fine!" She didn't sound fine.

Seth snatched back up his rifle and waited for the dust to clear. They both remained silent and still, prepared to leap back into action. His guts burned and ached like crazy. Finally, the debris settled and they were alone in the clearing.

"I still don't see anything," Kato said finally.

"Neither do I." He groaned. "Damn."

"What-you're hit. You're bleeding. A lot."

"I noticed," he muttered, looking down.

Kato jogged over and crouched before him, pulling open a medical kit. "Keep watch," she said quietly as she got to work.

"Yep," he replied tightly, looking around. One of those darts was sticking out of him. The place they were in was a dead-end, and he didn't see any sign of their attacker. He could be wrong, but he didn't feel like he was being watched anymore. Which meant-

"This is gonna hurt," Kato said, and instantly he felt a blinding explosion of pain.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled through gritted teeth. He wanted to yell a whole lot more at her, but he knew the drill. You didn't give people time to get ready when you had to hurt them, it just let them build up the suspense even more, and then suddenly it was, 'Wait, I'm not ready!...just give me a minute...' Which became two minutes, which became three. No, you had to just do it. So he kept his mouth shut and kept watch as she cleaned out the wound to the best of her ability, given the fact that she was working through his armor.

Really, she just did a patch job, which was going to have to work.

"Now what?" she asked as she got back to her feet.

"Now I talk to the others and you search that body for clues," Seth replied.

"On it." She walked away.

He activated his radio. "Seth to Maya, come back. Over."

A pause. "Maya here, Seth. Are you okay? You sound like you're in pain. Over."

"Got shot by one of those darts and thrown around pretty good. Ran into a hostile. It looks like a cloaked sentient. And they've got one damned good stealth generator. They're fast and capable. So you keep an eye out. Over," Seth replied.

"Understood." She paused. "Did you find anything else? Over."

"One dead soldier. Very dead. And a dead-end. Kato's searching the body now. Anything on your end? Over."

"No. The supply cache is cleaned out. Looks like an old Mandalorian job. A very simple setup in a cave with a heavy lock on it. But the lock's been broken open. There's nothing here. What do you want to do? Over."

"Return to base. We'll have to figure something else out. Over."

"Understood. We'll get going. Over."

"Good. Out."

Seth saw Kato returning. She had a patch over her right shoulder. "Nothing on him."

"You were hit," he said, nodding to her shoulder.

"Yeah. Slapped a patch over it. Grazed by one of those darts. Whatever they are, they're tough...what was that thing?"

"I think I know. But let's regroup with the others."