Ask Building Bridges

[Song Wren]

Rain blanketed the cityscape. On the windshields of passing speeders, over neon-lit advertisements plastered on every tower, onto the matted heads of uncaring bystanders. The Mandalorian was one of those bystanders. The only difference was that she had on a real mask, than the kind everyone else wore in the corporate-ruled streets of Cato Neimoidia. A world Song had come to despise.

She wasn’t there for corporate business, however.

The bounty hunter received word of a rising crime lord on one of the largest bridge cities on the planet. A shady arms dealer and former businessman who was expanding his influence, taking root from as low as the city slums to the heights of the planetary government. Although the Guild wasn’t after a crime lord that close to the Core, Song didn’t care. She knew by taking him down, she’d earn herself a rep.

And answers on her brother’s death. About his killer.

Problem was, Song had to find where this growing syndicate even was. She had stalked the streets in the last day searching, asking questions only to get no answers. Her best bet now was the city flea market, or the heart of the planet’s underground dealings. If she could squeeze just enough information from whatever loose-lipped vendor she could find, then she’d be back on track.

Little did she know that there were others looking for the crime lord too. Rival gangs, hopeful thugs, and Sector Rangers too. The Mandalorian was in a heated competition for first and she didn’t even know it.

@WiffWaffs

 

[Aka Kodomo]

Among the crowd of people at the flea market was a rather distinctive Nautolan that sat cross-legged on a nearby bench, a personal computer resting next to her. The keyboard of which sat on her lap, and she typed away furiously at it. A scowl of frustration sat on her face, and she absentmindedly chewed on her bottom lip in concentration. After a moment, the scowl broke, and she laughed as a nearby door sparked and seemingly opened by itself. A thug poked his head out, seeming confused, but the Nautolan didn't seem to pay him any mind. If Song were to notice this man, he might notice that he bore the distinctive patch of the syndicate he was looking for on one of his shoulders.

She had begun to pack up the computer by now, but before she did she plugged in her datapad for a few moments. After a few seconds, she nodded, satisfied, and retracted the pad and put the computer back in suitcase configuration, before slinging it onto her back via some custom leather straps. She stood up, reaching for something on her hip, and whipped out what appeared to be a rather chunky pistol, before firing a round at the thug's leg. He let out a yelp of pain, and she began to advance towards him, an almost too happy smile remaining on her face.

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Her eyes wandered over a sea of faces. A wide-eyed vendor barked deals for spotchka and fried claw-fish. An older gentleman stood expressionless in a stall covered with droid parts, photoreceptors and wires dangling around him. A pickpocket moved between the crowds, careful in choosing the right pocket to slide her fingers into. Song watched them all with little interest, knowing not one of them were likely to have the information she wanted.

Then a door opened. Literally, and a man leaned his head out into the open.

It was like a fish poking its head from the water, and Song was the hunter. Without a second thought, she moved in for him, figuring that where he was had to be one of the syndicate’s safe houses, or that he possessed the information she needed.

However, before she reached him, the Mandalorian watched as a Nautolan female intercepted the man first. She fired a muffled round into his leg, which went almost unnoticed in the bustling crowd of the nearby market. The thug dropped. But in his pain, he brought a hand into his jacket and pulled something out. Not a blaster, but a transmitter. A device that would inevitably alert the rest of the syndicate of an attack.

Song was on him in an instant. With her left foot, she kicked his arm aside. With her right fist, she gave him a hook to the jaw and the thug fell limp to the floor.

At first glance, it might seem that the Mandalorian was helping the Ranger, but Song didn’t know a thing about the Nautolan. She didn’t trust her. Instead, she tilted her armored head over to the woman and rested a hand on her DL-44 blaster. When she was close enough, she’d say smugly, “Sorry, am I interrupting?”

@WiffWaffs

 

[Aka Kodomo]

Aka gave the Mandalorian a wide smile as she saw them in action, and it only widened when they spoke up, "Not at all. I mean, officially yes, but I'm not gonna refuse help from a Mandalorian." As if to prove what she was saying, she reached into a pocket and produced a badge that marked her as a Sector Ranger. "Long as we work together and you don't pull that gun on me, you're fine in my books."

She jerked a thumb into the stronghold, "...I take it you've got some business? Wouldn't surprise me if these sleemos got a bounty on them and someone came to collect. Been tracking 'em from base for a while. Nasty stuff." By now she had made her way over to the unconscious thug, and she stomped her foot down on the transmitter, a pitiful cracking sound marking its destruction. She checked her blaster one last time, and pressed a button on her datapad. Satisfied, she began to take a step inside, "...You coming?"

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

The Mandalorian raised a brow when the Nautolan responded to her intervention with a grin, and a slight compliment. She half-expected the stranger to react unkindly, much like a bounty hunter would when an unwanted guest stepped into their hunt. Her uncertainty was met with confirmation, however, when the woman flashed a badge. Of course. A Sector Ranger. Song didn’t have to look twice to know what it was.

She had met one or two Rangers before. She should have expected to run into one on a world as close to the Deep Core as Cato Neimoidia. Although she wasn’t sure how to feel about the unlikely alliance, a Ranger made much better, and safer, company than an ordinary bounty hunter. For now, she could trust her.

“Yeah, I’ve got business,” said Song, pulling out her own badge, but from the Guild. “A bounty on whoever’s the one running this joint. If you let me take them in, I’ll gladly lend you a hand clearing this place out.”

While she held the door open, Song watched the Nautolan move rhythmically into the dimly-lit building, gesturing her to follow. It seemed they had a deal, or something of it. A favor for a favor, or a second pair of helping hands. As long as the Nautolan was like Kanan, the Ranger she met on Tatooine, then she knew she’d be in good company. What really mattered for the Mando, though, was her skill.

But she radiated confidence in a way that told Song she was in safe hands.

“Right behind you,” she said, and together they plunged inside.

@WiffWaffs

 

[Aka Kodomo]

Things were going swimmingly. She had an ally, and slicing into the security system of the base beforehand had given them an edge. Not that they'd need it too much, considering who her ally was. He was a Mandalorian, after all. Such warriors had skills fabled all across the Holonet. Almost as fabled as the Jedi.

She made a mental note to make sure she didn't hurt the one that lead the operation. She was supposed to take him in, but... It only seemed fair to compensate the Mandalorian with his bounty. Besides, the Hutts (or whoever else ran the guild) would probably do much worse things to them than the rangers would. No doubt, the leader wouldn't resurface anytime soon.

"Officially, I'm supposed to take them in. But... If the sleemo's not heard from anytime soon, I doubt someone'll come looking. You've got a deal, Bounty Hunter." She gave a little chuckle, and continued down the hallway. After a moment though, her advance was cut short from a sound coming deeper within, "...Hey Mando, you hear that?"

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

“Great,” she said. “It’s a deal.”

Song didn’t bother shaking her hand. She trusted the Ranger, like she trusted Kanan, and knew the other woman would make good on her word. Although not everyone shared the honor and loyalty of a Mandalorian, Song liked to think that the Sector Rangers were the closest force that did. She had yet to meet one who had betrayed her faith, or done something irrevocably wrong. With the Nautolan at her side, she hoped it would stay that way too.

Deeper in the corridor, Song began to hear a strange rhythm. Like the clatter of metal, or running feet. She couldn’t tell which.

The Mandalorian tilted her head towards the sound and murmured, “Yeah, I hear it. I’m not sure what, but it might be…”

Suddenly, out of the darkness, a looming skeleton of a person charged towards her. In fact, it wasn’t a person at all, but an IG-class assassin droid. Its red, beaded eyes was fixed directly on her, and its spindly arms and clawed hands were outstretched. Like an oncoming bulldozer. The Mandalorian didn’t have the time to react before the droid slammed into her, pushing her off her feet and into the floor.

The air rushed out of her chest. She struggled to scramble back to her feet too, unsure of how the Nautolan fared against the unexpected enemy. Damn, she hated droids.

@WiffWaffs

 

[Aka Kodomo]

Aka seemed surprised at the rushing figure, her already large eyes widening as she recognized the iconic cylindrical head of the droid as it came rushing towards them. Thankfully, she had her weapon in hand and she was ready to fire. She shot towards it and missed, which allowed it to knock the Mandalorian down. Frustrated, she leveled another shot at it, tagging its shoulder before it spun around and levelled a kick towards her chest.

It impacted with a dull thud, and the Nautolan landed with a grunt against the floor, still holding her blaster. For all the research she had done she didn't expect these guys to have an assassin droid. Let alone an IG model. Droids weren't really Aka's specialty, but the effectiveness of these models were legendary. There were some that were used to hunt bounties, even.

Still, the Ranger didn't seem like she was ready to give up just yet. Her normally jovial expression curled into a snarl, and she narrowed her eyes at the model and raised her blaster once more, looking for a shot. "Come and get it, you kriffing bucket of bolts."

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Her head was shaky, shifting in and out of focus, but the Mandalorian had been through worse and pulled through all the same. Slowly, she climbed back to her full height, one hand pressed onto the wall as support, and eyed the assassin droid as it faced down the Sector Ranger. It had red eyes on all corners and sides, but she could tell its focus was on the Nautolan, rather than Song.

The IG-unit stared menacingly down at the Ranger. Even if it showed no emotion, its anger was as plain as the steaming bolt in its shoulder. Of course, that wouldn’t slow down the droid one bit. Plucked from the Neimoidian junkyards, it had been through much in its lifetime. Like a flash of lightning, the IG-unit swept its foot around to kick the blaster from the Ranger’s hand.

Meanwhile, its other clawed hand reached back to grab the blaster attached to its back. One easy shot and it would be rid of the Ranger.

However, Song leapt onto its back. She wrapped her legs around its skeletal waist and seized its neck with her hands, desperate to tear off its head, but to no avail. She hoped she might buy the Nautolan time to shoot the exposed assassin droid again, or move away, or do anything worthwhile. It wouldn’t be long before…

The IG-unit grabbed Song by her arm. “Oh shit.”

In a blink, she was thrown over its shoulder, pitched down the hall and into the floor for the second time already. She couldn’t believe her terrible luck.

@WiffWaffs

 

[Aka Kodomo]

The gun flew out of the Ranger's hands as the robotic leg came around, and she let out a short, "Kriff." Of frustration before she looked the droid's gun down the barrel. As if right on cue, the Mandalorian leaped in to save her, jumping on the droid's back and throwing off its aim as the blaster shot went wide.

The Nautolan moved back into action, scurrying over to her gun to pick it up. Things were getting hairy very quickly. She whirled around just in time to see the Mandalorian get slammed into the ground, and she let out a sympathetic hiss. That's gotta hurt. Still, the droid didn't seem to be focused on her, and she leveled two shots at center mass, hoping to at least slow the thing down if it didn't disable it. She wasn't aware of the weak points on these units, but the chest was usually a good shot, right? At the very least, it'd get it off of her partner in justice.

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

The Mandalorian was on her stomach, increasingly agitated with every throw and kick she received from the droid. Her brother’s ceremonial blade was still sheathed on her back, and her DL-44 blaster in its holster. All she had to do was pull out either one of them and she could be finished with this. However, the IG-unit was insistent, and Song was rarely given the chance to do what she needed.

Thankfully, the Ranger proved as useful as she hoped. Two blaster bolts melted into the assassin’s droid chest, pulling its attention away from the bounty hunter and to the Nautolan.

How the IG-unit still continued to function was an inexplicable miracle, but the Mandalorian knew it was going to take a lot to take the droid down. She had heard stories in her childhood, and in the Guild, about them. What they did, what they could do. Despite everything, she shouldn’t have been so surprised to see the droid living up to those stories. Though Song seriously wished they hadn’t been the truth.

The IG-unit spun back around to the Ranger. Rather than using its foot to kick the blaster out of her hand, it leaned in with an unnatural speed to seize the Nautolan by the throat. Even if she fired at its chest, its armor plating would tank it like it meant nothing. The droid wouldn’t stop no matter what.

Or so it thought. Rising back to her feet, Song pulled her sword from its sheath. Before it could even lay a hand on the Ranger, the Mandalorian swept the blade around and leveled its shoulders. The droid’s armored head clattered into the floor.

“Stupid droid.”

Though sore from the close-quarters fight, Song leaned in and extended a hand out to the Ranger. “You good?” she asked her.

@WiffWaffs

 

[Aka Kodomo]

The Nautolan's eyes widened further as the droid continued to shrug off the blows it was dealt, the burning blaster bolt not seeming to slow the thing down too much as it whirled around to face her once more. Kriff, these things were persistent! then it started to reach for her, and she instinctively tried to raise her hands up to protect herself.

Of course, after a moment, she heard the sound of heavy metal clanging to the ground, and nothing touched her. Huh. She opened her eyes to see the Mandalorian standing over her, offering her a hand. She happily took it, regaining her cool after just a moment and replying, "I am, thanks to you. Felt like I was about to get killed. Didn't think these guys could afford an IG droid; they must be better equipped than intel had me to believe."

She paused, getting her breath after a moment and holstering her pistol once more, "...It's a good thing you're here. I think I'm gonna duck into one of these rooms and try to hack into their security cams. That way we don't get anymore major surprises."

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Song nodded. Though she didn’t show it, the Mandalorian was grateful for the Ranger too. Had it not been for her shots, her intervention in the mission, she likely would have been meshed into a wall by the IG-unit. She hadn’t expected the crime syndicate to have an assassin droid, either. The Guild told her the organization was on the rise, but she had a feeling it went much further than that. Deeper than the surface level.

As the Nautolan holstered her blaster, Song sheathed her blade. “Sounds good. I’ll take point.”

Together, they slunk down the hall, fixed to the walls like shadows. It was a minute, and several rooms of searching later, that they came into a small room lit up with screens and computer servers. The surveillance room. Seated before the screens was a single man, who spun around in his swivel chair at the sound of the door opening. His eyes widened at seeing the Ranger and the Mandalorian.

“You’re not supposed to be…” he said, but Song cut in first.

She closed the space between them in a blink, then seized the man by the head and slammed his face into the desk. Out cold, Song pushed him off his seat. As he slumped to the floor, she gestured the slicer to the array of surveillance screens before them. Everything was clear to go for her.

“Work your magic, Ranger,” she said, more as a compliment than a demand. She respected the Nautolan, even if their careers tended to be at odds with one another. Not this time, though.

@WiffWaffs

 

[Aka Kodomo]

The Ranger appreciated Song taking point, considering they were much better armored than she was and if something jumped out at them, it'd be better to have them on the front lines. They even had a sword! Not that they needed to use it, considering when they found a surveillance room they quickly dispatched the guard with their bare hands. "Ouch." She quipped, giving a slight laugh before sliding the man's chair out of the way and getting to work.

They already had camera access, which was nice, but anything else and they'd likely have to slice in. Luckily for the duo, that's where the Nautolan's expertise came in handy. She quickly flipped through the camera feeds, scouting out rooms ahead and noting their contents. Contrary to what she had told the Mandalorian earlier, she was also looking for things that could be used for intelligence down the road.

Recreation room, empty. Meeting room, empty, perhaps something of note within, but hard to tell. Barracks, empty, several beds left unfilled. Judging by the number, there might be a good few people left in opposition by the time they got further in. Hallway cameras, featuring a broken down IG droid and not much else. Entryway camera, featuring a knocked out man with a nasty blaster shot in his leg. Security room, featuring two lovely people and a knocked out one, and finally... The boss's room. This one was where all the marbles seemed to be.

A good three or four thugs stood in the room, already alerted by the gunfire or by the guard's radio. They were busy fortifying the room, flipping tables over, putting a makeshift barricade up to the door, and so on. Aka frowned, "...Looks like we've got some resistance in this room over here, but that'll be all we have. They're dug in, which makes our job harder. However..." She tapped a few fingers on the keyboard, something in the room catching her eye, "...Looks like they've got a droid hooked up to a charging port here, which is connected to the city power. I can slice up a bypass onto my datapad and overload the inhibitor to cause an explosion. It probably won't take out more than a couple of them at best, but it'll be a nice distraction." She paused, pulling out her datapad and plugging it in, as well as a dataspike which she likewise plugged in and let it begin its work, "You got any explosives to blow the door with? Also, any of these guys look like your target?"

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Song watched as the Ranger sifted through the building’s surveillance. Recreation and conference rooms, barracks and hallways. None of it important enough to grab her attention, until the boss’ chamber. There were at least six men inside, armed to the teeth, with their weapons fixed to the only door in and out of the room. Tables and shelves were flipped over as cover, and the man she was looking for stood behind them all.

Valentine Silver, a slick but sleazy-looking gangster, with eyes like that of a viper’s and a blaster pistol in his right hand. She didn’t have to look at her bounty puck to know it was him, even through the computer screen.

“That’s him alright,” said Song, nodding. “I got the firepower to blow the door open too, but if you could cause a scene with that droid, you’d be saving me a lot of trouble.”

She felt for her blaster, pulling it from the holster and checking its clip. Still full, and set to stun. Last thing she wanted was to leave behind a bloody mess for the authorities, and in front of the Sector Ranger. Song wasn’t exactly in the Outer-Rim anymore, and if she wanted to take Valentine in, she had to do it right.

“I’ll head there now.” She moved for the door, but paused and glanced over her shoulder back to the Nautolan. “Let’s hope this works. I’m trusting you on this, Ranger.”

Song wasn’t sure if she would join her to fight the thugs after overloading the droid, but it didn’t matter. The Mandalorian could handle herself. She had been dealt worse odds before and still emerged in one piece. Most of the time, at least.

Without a second thought, she moved for the end of the hall. Once she reached the door, Song planted one of her thermal detonators against the plating. One was all it would take. All she needed to do now was wait for the signal. For the Ranger to make her move.

@WiffWaffs

 

[Aka Kodomo]

The ranger nodded to the Mandalorian, giving them a thumbs up as they turned to leave, "You're in good hands. After I blow the droid, I'll meet you in there." As Song left the room, the ranger pulled out her pistol and rested it on the desk before her, making sure to set it to stun. That was part of the deal, after all, and as far as she was concerned her partner had earned their keep. Her gaze shifted back to the monitors, and she watched as the Mandalorian approached and got into position. Things were ready. Now was the time for action.

Her gaze shifted to the datapad, which had finally gotten control of the part in question, and her finger hovered above the button to let the dam crumble and the floodgates fall. She took a deep breath, before nodding to herself and pressing the display on her datapad. All at once, the Mandalorian would hear the muffled sounds of panic and an electrical explosion, pieces of metal flying about the room.

Aka watched the display on the screen, letting out a childish giggle as she saw one of the inhabitants get smacked in the face with the remains of a robotic arm and fall limp. He was probably fine, just unconscious. What was more amusing was the guy who had been closest to the droid, who got sent flying into a nearby wall and once more fell limp. Again, probably unconscious. At least, that's what she thought. Seeing as her part was done, she quickly scooped up her gun and rushed her way to the Mandalorian's side of things. There wasn't much else she could do here, and if she could help out her friend, she would.

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

When the Ranger made her move, so did the Mandalorian.

At the sound of a muffled explosion, droid shrapnel hitting the walls like rain, Song took a few steps back and detonated her thermal charge. In a flash of fiery light, the door flew out of its frame and into the room. She followed shortly after, her DL-44 set to stun in her left hand, and wielding River’s blade in the other. She moved through the smoke of the room like a ghost. Not a single hitch in her step.

A Mandalorian on the hunt.

She spotted her first man, who was stumbling blindly amid the confusion, and shot a stun bolt into his chest. He collapsed in the floor. Her second man, however, noticed the attack and spun around to face the assailant. His blaster aimed towards them, but what he’d see was the glint of a sword, and the barrel to his gun sliding off like the cork of a bottle. Unarmed and no longer a thread, Song planted another stun bolt into him too.

She spotted two more men on the ground, unconscious from the droid’s explosion, as well as another man knocked out by the charge through the door. Which meant one man was left. One man and Valentine.

A blaster bolt arced through the air. Suddenly, Song felt a terrible, burning sensation in the back of her shoulder. On instinct, she turned around and fired into the sixth man. Limply, he fell, but she found no relief. Turning back around, she was met face to face with Valentine, and a blaster pointed to her face.

Her eyes widened as he said, “Not so tough now, are you, Mando?”

His index finger felt for the trigger.

@WiffWaffs

 

[Aka Kodomo]

Aka made her way to the room where the action was taking place, hurrying so that her friend wasn't going to be left in the dark without her. She could hear the sounds of fighting from the hallway, which made her pick up her pace. The Nautolan couldn't be entirely sure which shots were coming from the enemy or her ally, not knowing the sound of their weapon too well. By the time they got there, the Mandalorian was face to face with his target, and said target was feeling for his trigger with his finger.

It wouldn't find its target, the Ranger coming out of nowhere to jump into the air and deliver a drop kick to the man's chest, her powerful legs sending him to the ground. Just as she broke her own fall with her forearms, she rolled over on the ground and reached for her blaster. The setting still on stun, she fired a round towards the man that had been threatening her friend just moments before.

Whatever happened with the man, she called out to the mandalorian, "You alright there, bud? Just barely caught that shot on your shoulder. You got some kolto shots on you or anything? Gonna wanna get something to deal with that blaster hit sooner rather than later." Frankly, she sounded a bit upset. She wanted to make sure that her new friend was going to be okay.

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Song was about to react, to violently whip to the side in a vain effort to avoid the point blank shot, when the Nautolan burst out of thin air and kicked the man into the wall. With a single, clean stun bolt, the Ranger had him taken care of. If she hadn’t come the way she did, Song would have tanked a headshot, a blow she seriously doubted she’d have survived. Seemed she owed her life to another Ranger. Funny that.

“I’m good,” said the Mandalorian, rising from the floor. “It’s just a scratch. I’ll have it handled.”

Truthfully, the shot in the back of her shoulder burned like hell. She’d be fine though. Song had suffered worse and managed to recover within a few days. Same applied here, except it was bound to leave a scar. Not that it mattered. Another mark on her armor was like a new tattoo, or an insignia to bear. A sign of her worth and experience as a Mandalorian.

“Thanks for coming when you did.”

Though Song rarely ever shared her gratitude, the Nautolan deserved it. Had the Mando stormed the compound on her own, her chances of survival would have been much more slim. Their partnership was well worth it.

Moving across the room, she took Valentine, limp as a bag of potatoes, by the collar. Like she and the Ranger agreed, Song would be taking him in for the Guild. However, there was just one thing she had to do.

“By the way, the name’s not bud. It’s River.” The Mandalorian gave a short look over to the Nautolan, and though they couldn’t see it, she smiled. “You?”

Introductions. Song rarely shared her name too, but she had a feeling her relationship with the Ranger was only just getting started.

@WiffWaffs

 

[Aka Kodomo]

Aka let out a sigh of relief as the Mandalorian seemed okay with their wound, knowing that if they weren't panicking or otherwise worried that it was likely nothing that couldn't be fixed. For now, the pressing matter was being friendly and bolstering relations with her impromptu partner. "Glad you're not worried about it, but just be sure to get it fixed up. Things like that can get kinda nasty if they're not tended to."

With her responsible ranger shtick out of the way, the Nautolan offered a wide smile to the Mandalorian as they offered their thanks, "Hey, you helped me too. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. I'll be sure to leave you out of the report... The less paperwork we both have to do, the better." Truth be told, the Nautolan was just happy that she hadn't sustained any major wounds. Without the assistance of the armor clad warrior, she doubted that would've been the case.

Whipping out her Datapad, she began to file a report for a pickup on their current location, knowing that this many perps was going to be a pain in the ass alone. That, and she didn't really want to trouble her new friend with them, "I'm Aka. Aka Kodomo. Nice to meet you, River. It was a pleasure working with you." With that, she offered a friendly smile, before slyly adding, "Now get outta here. My friends are going to be here soon to pick up these guys and I don't want to have to explain why the leader of this place is walking away in your arms." Despite her words, her tone was joking, and she clearly didn't care too much about what happened to their mutual friend. As far as she was concerned, the matter was settled.

@Feng Mian
//End Thread