[MillietheWarrior]

Kadala hit a large button on a panel, and the liquid began to drain from the tank. Spike felt his feet settle on the cold metal of the bottom, giving his hair a good shake and reminded Kadala of a puppy who’d been doused in water; he even had giant puppy-dog eyes when he looked out at the doctor and pulled the breathing apparatus from his face. “No more swimming, doc?” he asked, sounding disappointed. Kadala shook his head; Spike was the only man who actually enjoyed spending time in that infernal tank. “No more swimming,” Kadala confirmed as Spike hauled himself out of the tank.

Kadala watched patiently, assessing his injuries now that he was out of bacta. They’d healed up fairly well, and Spike didn’t seem bothered by them anymore. He patted his brother on the shoulder as Spike came to stand beside him, and handed him a towel. Spike dried the liquid from his hair and began drying off his arms and body. “All better, doc,” He said, holding his arms out to his side and spinning slightly. “No need to worry about me.” Kadala smacked him upside the head, and Spike looked affronted. “Hey!” Kadala growled. “You still haven’t told me how that happened in the first place. And I found this.”

He held up the note Tracyn had wrote and waved it in front of Spike’s face. “Mind explaining who ‘Tracyn’ is?” Spike grabbed for the note, but Kadala easily kept it out of his reach. “It’s a long story,” Spike grumbled, giving up and folding his arms over his chest. “Well,” Kadala rumbled as he led Spike back out into the medical ward. “Seeing as how I’ve no other patients but you…I’ve got plenty of time. Now talk.”

[38/3]

[Kallile]

They were nearing the edge of the deseert; the place where the sand began to get cooler and even mossier under your feet until it transitioned back into grass and trees. Tracyn yanked the wrappings from around her face and in fact, removed most of the extra wrappings used mostly to keep the heat out and the moisture in. She left out a chilled breathe as the cooler forest air hit her skin. Beside her, Drali grumbled and whined as her muscles trembled.

"It won't be long." Tracyn whispered, motioning for her mount to stay put. The beast rumbled again, stomping her feet anxiously as her rider began to stalk off carefully into the forest.

"No, you draw too much attention. We just need to know where they live, for certain, and then we fulfill the contract." There was no humor or even laughing tone in her voice now. All was grim with Tracyn as she carefully programmed a gauntlet on her arm to record her location and travel pattern. She'd picked the most secluded edge of the desert to make an entry--it was the same spot her clients would use later. She'd always revise the map to make a shorter path when it came to that.

"Promise girl, an hour maybe more and we'll be setting up camp and waiting for the hunting party to arrive..."

[52, 33]

[MillietheWarrior]

Spike sat on the edge of one of the unoccupied beds, and Kadala sat across from him, his expression pinched. Spike had relayed the entire story, from start to finish; he’d left absolutely no detail out. Kadala’s face had gone from amused, to confused, to angry, and then to downright stone. Spike had paid very close attention to the subtle shifts in the doctor’s mood, and was ready to bolt over the bed and run out of the ward if he had to. He wasn’t sure what was irking Kadala more; the fact that he’d been kidnapped by a woman, or the fact that he’d spent a whole two days with her, and had some very interesting things happen to him.

Spike never pegged Kadala for someone who would be jealous of something like this, but Kadala said nothing, and instead, ran a hand through his white hair. He looked tired, and Spike realized that he must not have slept the entire time he’d been looking after the commander. He reached forward as if to place a hand on the doctor’s shoulder, when Kadala suddenly stood up. “What were you thinking?” he growled.

“You’re a commander, for shab’s sake! You should have been able to take care of yourself! How could you let some measly little, woman kidnap you, of all things? You put this entire base at risk, including that tribe of wolf people! Do you know how long it’ll take to clean this mess up if word gets out about it? Do you know how much extra security we’ll need to put around the base? And not to mention the reaction of those two wolf-women when we tell them about the threat to their tribe!”

He smacked Spike upside the head, and the commander looked confused, rubbing the sore spot he was gaining from a constant barrage of head smacks. “With all due respect sir, you’re a kriffing idiot!” He turned and marched back to his desk, pressing a button on a communicator to raise Commander Vercopa; maybe at leat one of the commanders on base could do something right.

[39/4]

[Kallile]

((Fast-forward: 2 months))

Tracyn sat atop the beastly looking Rathril, both on a hill overlooking the edge between forest and desert below them. There were tents everywhere--one lavish one belonging to her employers and one dingy one belonging to the three trappers they had brought with them. Tracyn held the credits in her hand bitterly as she watched the latest capture come out of the forest. She couldn't quite make out what they were, but it looked like an adult and two pups. Must be a mother and her family. Tracyn sighed and angrily leapt off Drali's back.

"That di'kut is going to pay..." She growled as she turned off the recorder on her gauntlet and took off in a sprint to where she knew the base was. The employers would never look for her--they'd assume she was still with the Rathril.

She punched in a few codes as she ran, snapping out an order breathlessly into the comlink that opened.

"Ziris, give me a blanket. I'm going back in."

~*~

She sat on Spike's bed in rather unusual garments. they were bright red, highly decorated and flirtatious. Though that was hardly the reason she was here. The gauntlet on her arm at the ready, she flipped through the stack of credits in her hands. her face was set in stone and her red eyes glowed with an angry fire that had engulfed her soul. That idiot...all he had to do was tell her one thing--one little bit of nonsense--about these wolf-people to have avoided this. Her clients wouldn't take "I'm sorry, I can't do this hunt" for an answer unless there was just cause. They were a greedy people, but they weren't going to harm any ally of the Republic. Oh no--the Republic kept their wallets stuffed beyond bursting.

But he hadn't, so as far as she was concerned they were a useless species--something the men at the base were using for entertainment. With nothing more than that, she had to allow her clients to come and hunt them. They had no proof to deter them.

Now here they were...and it was all Spike's fault.

[53, 34]

[MillietheWarrior]

Kadala sent Spike packing a day or two later, with a literal swift kick in the shebs as he booted him out of his ward. “And I don’t want to see you back here again,” he instructed. Spike had sent him a fruit basket a week later. But now, however, he’d gotten over his ridiculous ordeal (After quite a bit of ribbing from Vercopa about it) and was currently going over troop orders and supply shipments on his data pad. His eyes scanned over the numbers, frowning slightly; their forces were stretched thin all over the galaxy, and he had a base full of soldiers dealing with threats from all sides.

Spike tapped something on the ‘pad, his scowl deepening. Not only were they dealing with the wolf tribe, they were also dealing with a band of rogues and thieves on the outskirts of the desert, the Tusken Tribe somewhere out in the sand, the advancing droids from the east and north, and the very real possibility that someone was specifically targeting the Clones at the base for some sort of experimentation. Spike shuddered slightly, shaking his head. He had too much to deal with right now, and it was giving him a headache. His nose still buried in the data pad, he blindly palmed the lock to his room and stepped inside.

His eyes were glued to the blue screen, which illuminated his face, until they slowly lifted to a strange figure on his bed. Funny, he didn’t remember allowing anyone into his room…His eyes widened with slow realization and he cried out in shock, his data pad flying from his hand and across the room with a loud clatter. He instantly reached for his blasters, pulling both from the holsters at his hip and settling them on Tracyn in the blink of an eye. “What…how…This isn’t…I don‘t…what?” Spike couldn’t settle on something to say, so he decided to just go with the first thing that came to mind. “Get out of my room, you psycho!”

[40/5]

[Kallile]

His shocked reaction came as no surprise; as soon as he shrieked tracyn was on her feet and at the ready. She drew no weapon though she was well aware that two were trained on her. Instead the fire in her eyes erupted and she stalked forward until the blasters were all but pressed into the flesh of either shoulder.

"Don't flatter yourself, Spike." She growled dangerously. "I'm only here to give you what's rightfully yours..."

She took a small step back and tossed the handful of credits at him in defiance. The bits of paper and plastic fluttered all around him as Tracyn folded her arms and punched something into her gauntlet. "Your blood money. This whole mission is a kriffinf mess; I want no more part in it. I don't even want the cash. So, it's all yours. Congratulations on helping to enslave an entire race and have a woman shower you with money--feel like a rockstar yet, Clone boy?"

[54]

[MillietheWarrior]

Spike was, to say the least, extremely confused. One, he hadn’t seen this woman in two months. Two, he hadn’t seen this woman in two months. And three…he hadn’t freaking seen this woman in two months! What was she mad at him for? He hadn’t done anything and…Need he repeat himself? Why was she throwing money at him? And why was she so angry? Spike just stared at her, surprise glittering in his ruby eyes as he stared down at Tracyn. “What? Your insane. I haven’t done any of that.”

He was so confused by her accusations, that he lowered his weapons, though he was ready to run if he had to. He’d learned his lesson the first time. “What are you talking about?” he scoffed, kicking the credit chips back towards her. He didn’t need her insanity cluttering up his base. Come to think of it… “Wait, how did you get in here?” he eyed her angrily, already feeling the familiar bubble of rage rising up in the back of his throat. He really hated this woman.

[41]

[Kallile]

Tracyn snarled at him, looking as if she'd much rather slit his throat than be having this conversation. But she calmed herself and finished punching the code into the gauntlet on her wrist. "I'm talking about our little meeting a few months ago that proved very fruitless. And, for that tribe, condemning. So there; there's your blood money. For being such a huge help."

She held her gauntlet out, a small holograph appeared in the air above it and showed the scene she had just witnessed. Several large cages, all with shifting tribal members, but with the newest cage having three even more disturbing occupants.

A brightly orange pelted wolf with two small anthropomorphic boys at her side. The boys couldn't have been any older than seven or eight years of age. They snapped and clawed at the men moving the cage; trying to regain their freedom.

"This is what you little stunt did. You don't give me viable information--well, bad things happen. These particular cages are set for outer-rim auction houses." She said in a soft, sad tone as she closed the video feed and crossed her arms. "And it doesn't matter how I got here--I have my ways and my connections. There's only one thing that I care about right now; what are you going to do about it?"

[55]

[MillietheWarrior]

Spike was ambushed by her hostility; wasn’t he supposed to be the angry one? She had, after all, put him through two days of hell and then snuck back into his room. He hadn’t expected this. He blinked, confused as she typed in a  code on her gauntlet. For a moment, his brain told him he should have reacted faster and had his own vibroblade out; but when the holoimage shimmered to life before his eyes, he could only manage to look surprised and confused. Spike’s gaze shifted form the holoimage, to Tracyn, and he frowned darkly, his eyes slowly narrowing into glittering slits.

“My little stunt? Lets’ review, shall we? First you kidnap me, then you put me through hell for no apparent reason, and then you show up back here, harping on about how this is my fault? Are you daft, lady?! What person in their right mind would ever trust the word of their kidnapper? How was I to know you were being truthful?! You gave me no reason to trust you, and even less to like you. So forgive me for saying so, but this is as much your fault as it is mine!” He shoved past her and moved to retrieve his data pad, tapping the screen in annoyance as if it had stopped working. “What I’m going to do about it? What do you expect me to do about it?”

He sighed heavily, and turned to look at her. “I suppose I can’t just ignore it; those shifters are our allies…” He shook his head. “Our forces are stretched thin as it is…But I suppose…Myself and one of my men can deal with this.” He regarded her with a weary gaze, before unclipping his helmet from his belt and setting it on his head. He blinked and brought up his HUD, singling out a particular comlink channel that belonged to one very well known Clone (Or at least, well known in the base). “Duke,” he said briskly over the line. There was a pause, and then a crisp, clear voice, lightly accented, filled his helmet. “Commander 665. What can I do for you, sir?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Got a job for you, Duke. Get your shebs over to my room; we have a guest that needs our help on a…political call.” Silence. Spike wondered if Duke was making his way to his room, or ignoring him. Then there was a click, and Duke’s voice came back over the line. “Understood sir. I’m on my way. ETA, 2 minutes, sir.” Spike sighed and closed the channel. Duke was too formal for his liking, but he was also quite diplomatic; where Spike might fail in reasoning with these hunters, Duke might succeed. He turned to regard Tracyn through the t-slit visor of his helmet.

“There,” he said, turning on his outward speakers. “We’ve got our backup. Now…tell me what to do, since you obviously know more about this than me.” He folded his arms over his chest, eyes glowing darkly behind his visor; just when he thought he’d gotten rid of her for good…here she was again. “And why are you wearing that ridiculous outfit?”

[42/1]

[Kallile]

"The truth if hard to swallow, isn't it? All you had to do was give me one good reason why they weren't a hutntable race, but no. You were too busy trying to prove that you were some stone-hardened soldier. So yes, this is all your fault and I don't regret having put you through hell. Seems in the end it didn't treat you too badly. You got back here like I promised, didn't you?" She sneered with a dark smirk. The expression was one all to familiar but the dark edge it help was certainly not. It was clear this topic had plagued and eaten away at her in the two months she had managed to leave Spike in peace.

With a growling sigh she slumped back down onto the mattress, glaring up at him. "Back-up isn't going to matter. These are highly paid Republic officials looking for  some 'good sport'. They've had their fun and they're claiming their prizes to profit back what they paid." Her eyes darted down to the chips on the floor and she sniveled up her face in disgust. "Besides...isn't loyalty to your precious Republic what you were bred for? One order and they'll have you sitting and begging like well-trained mongrels."

She leapt back to her feet, somewhere in the movement her hands found two small daggers hidden in the fiery red cloth draped around her, and she held them in a defensive position. Her light red eyes glittered and her dark smirk returned. "They pay highly...and they like their guides to be a beautiful and dangerous as their prey. It's a living, Clone boy. If I were you, I'd be thankful your jetti didn't expect the same from you for sheer entertainment value."

[56]

[MillietheWarrior]

Spike turned away from Tracyn, holding his hands up in the air and make-believing he was strangling something. “By the Manda!” he snarled, turning back around to her and clenching one fist in the air to keep from actually trying to strangle her.

“Look, you idiot! You need to get this through your thick skull once and for all; if you need information from a so-called ally, and it’s something as important as that, you DO NOT and I repeat, DO NOT kidnap them! What kind of moron are you? If I kidnapped you and demanded information about your allies, would you kriffing give it to me!? Or would you keep your mouth shut?! This is not my fault! One; you never explained it to me in enough detail for me to believe you! Two: You kriffing KIDNAPPED ME! You. Kidnapped. Me! What makes you think that’d make me willingly give up any information, or be willing to help your di’kutla self in the first place?! And Three: I. Don‘t. Like. You. In fact, I hate you! Come to think of it, I hate you more than anything else in the whole kriffing world! Even more than celery!”

He marched forward and grabbed her by the front of her collar, yanking her towards him. One finger jabbed into her chest angrily as he gave her a good shake. He didn’t seem to care that she held two knives aloft. “I may be a kriffing mongrel, but I know my place. You, however, need to learn yours!” He let go, shoving her away from him with enough force to send her tumbling to the floor. He stepped forward, one hand resting on the blaster at his hip, a dark, dangerous anger burning in his eyes, when there was a knock on the door. Spike didn’t move, and instead, took a step closer to Tracyn.. The knock sounded again, and with a frustrated snarl, the commander turned and marched towards it, palming it open almost violently.

A very surprised looking trooper stood at the door, his armor a light, sky blue with purple accents, and his hair a bright, creamy white. His blue eyes darted between Spike, and then to Tracyn, who he seemed confused about, before they fell back to Spike. “Commander…Ah, Theta-007 reporting as ordered?” He sounded as confused as he looked as he stepped back to let Spike storm through the door. “Follow me Duke…And keep an eye on that aruetyc behind you.” Duke nodded slowly before he replaced his helmet, turning to Tracyn. He motioned for her to follow the commander. “Ma’am? After you.” He didn’t ask why she was there; he didn’t need to know. He just knew he needed to follow orders.

[43/2]

[Kallile]

Tracyn watched him with unwavering eyes, but made no move to do anything about it. Her lips stayed pressed firmly together as she listened to him snarl at her about their first encounter, and at it's finish she snorted lightly.

"If it's that or hauled into a holding cell; would you kidnap someone for something they may be helpful with, or let yourself be taken in?" She hissed when his arms came up near her face. The knives remained aloofly at her side, though her muscled tensed visibly. "It wasn't a shining moment for me either, Clone. It's called improvisation; try it sometime."

She flew backward, arms extended to catch the knives in the post of his bed and a spot on the wall. She stayed there in an oddly suspended position inches above the floor, held up by only her knives and sheer will, as she watched the second man. She narrowed her eyes, lips parted in a softly panting snarl. As they talked ad Spike stormed out of view she yanked first one knife then the other out from the places they had found themselves imbedded in and drew herself up to full height.

She paused at Duke, looking the fully armored man aup and down with a critical eye before shaking her head. "At least they bred something good into some of you." She growled as she sauntered out in front of him, seeming to ignore the fact that her current garb was rather dangerous to be wearing in a base filled with men. She carefully slid each blade back into its hiding spot among the folds of the silken material that covered her and punched a button into her gauntlet.

"Unfog them, Ziris. They're well aware I'm here now."

There was a crackle, then a laughing voice. "You sound so thrilled. Not much activity at the base yet--still sounds like they want to get one more specimen...or pelt. Depends on who's talking."

Tracyn growled. "Just keep me posted. Formalities and all that osik, you know."

[57, 1]

[MillietheWarrior]

Spike didn’t reply; he didn’t care to. He didn’t want to. He was afraid of what he might say or do if he turned around now, so he just kept marching forward. She’d called him a ‘mongrel,’ a ‘Clone.’ That was what he was, wasn’t it? He was a military dog, trained to roll over and bark at their feet at his superiors’ command. So why did what Tracyn say bother him so much? He made a disgruntled sound in his helmet, shutting off his outward audio. He could hear everything going on around him, but no one could hear anything he’d say inside his helmet. He entertained the thought of screaming his throat raw and just venting all his pent up anger inside the safety and security of his soundproofed helmet, but he dismissed the idea soon after; as much as he needed that right now, he didn’t think it’d be a good idea.

Duke trailed along behind Tracyn, watching her curiously through his visor. He didn’t seem intrigued by her costume, or the fact that she was seemingly very close to Spike; he just seemed intrigued by the fact that she was a female, and completely different from himself. He stared hard at the back of her head, as if willing himself to understand who she was and why she was here by looking into her mind. “Ma’am? May I ask?” he said quietly, stepping up to walk to the left and just behind her; walking right beside her would be inappropriate. “Who is Ziris?”

Spike glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing slightly as he saw Duke striding along beside Tracyn. “Oi, you,” he said, switching his outward audio back on with a blink. He turned the upper part of his body to snap his fingers at her a few times to get her attention. Some part of him deep down didn’t like Duke being that close. Tracyn was, in all aspects, still a female, and he and Duke were still males. Spike’s rational side said of Tracyn: ‘enemy.’ But the more male side of him said ‘pursue,’ and it frightened him. “Get up here, psycho. You’re the one who needs to show me where this is all going down. So haul your shebs up here and play like a good little guide…and try not to get anyone killed or maimed in the process.”

[43/3]

[Kallile]

As she closed down the open comlink on her gauntlet Tracyn became aware of a closeness that hadn't been there before. Giving a small turn of her head and a quizzical look over her shoulder she was mildly surprised to find that the other clone had stepped up his pace enough to walk nearly right on her heels. Interesting.

"My eyes and ear, for the lack of a better introduction."

The link on her gauntlet crackled again. "Don't forget sense of humor, Tryc."

The red-eyed woman rolled her eyes and muted the link for a moment. "We worked together as part of our own squad years ago. She's a close friend who tends to help me deal with situations like this in my line of work...."

Her eyes snapped forward to Spike with a small glare. She stayed at a constant pace; just flirting with even-ness with Duke as she tried to judge the tone to his voice. She smirked and reached back to pat Duke on the shoulder. "You'll meet her eventually, Clone boy. In her own special "Ziris" way." She murmured before picking up her sauntered walk to walk beside Spike. Her eyes drifted up to his emotionless helmet with a mischevious glimmer.

"Jealous that someone else is having a civil conversation?" She said softly, focusing on the path ahead. She didn't let the idea linger much longer before they were back on topic. There was, after all, much more at stake here.

"I make no such guarentees on these sorts of jobs. Too high of a disappointment rating." She jeered at him before raising an arm to direct him down a side hall. "The only place they won't be looking for us at is where your old friend Drali is holding. West-southwest of the base. Our base boarders the forest and the desert so we have to go about this delicately to keep everything in one spot and not have to go chasing down cages. Think you can do that?"

[58, 2]

[MillietheWarrior]

Duke didn’t rightly understand what she was talking about. About the only thing he knew about females was from what he’d seen on the old films starring a very over the top man named ‘John Wayne.’ Those females were always swooning and falling for some big, tough man, and they always wore dresses, and they certainly never carried knives or guns. Duke was perplexed by Tracyn; she didn’t fit the female stereotype at all. She was nothing like the light haired, pale skinned women in the old westerns he secretly loved to watch.

He frowned behind his helmet when she patted his shoulder, and slowed his pace. “How odd,” he said to himself, cutting off his outbound audio. “I don’t get it…” He decided he’d let the subject lie, and go on studying this strange new creature that had entered the base; maybe he’d come to understand her after he’d spent a little bit more time with her. The commander certainly seemed to know how to handle her.

Spike frowned behind his helmet, rolling his eyes. “Hardly,” he snorted, turning down the corner she’d indicated. He could see the doors to the base up ahead, and as they neared, he reached out to push them open, holding them so Tracyn and Duke could pass ahead of him. The blue armored clone nodded respectfully, still lost in his own musings as he stepped out into the looming twilight. Spike groaned under his breath as he heard mention of the annoying creature that was just as bad as it’s owner.

“If that things goes after me like it did last time, I’ll shoot it,” he warned, a low growl forming in his throat. Duke looked confused, his helmet moving from Spike to Tracyn; last time? What was the commander talking about? Spike nudged past Duke and Tracyn. “I can handle it; now take me to them,” he instructed, sounding less and less annoyed as time went on. Maybe he was beginning to soften to the idea of Tracyn being around; or maybe he was just tired from a long day’s work.

[44/4]