Cody, Phee and Shep had kept to their words as they sat with the Batch through their meetings, sharing possible strategies or locations to find allies or the varieties of armour they've encountered and how they can forge it.
Lyana was strangely quiet; she was nearly always out of the house, and would only be seen at dinner. Hunter had a feeling she may be sleeping at her friends' house too.
One day, while they were discussing the possible reasons why Crosshair might be imprisoned, Echo bustled in excitedly.
"Sorry to interrupt, but got some news. Rex just sent me the details."
"What is it, Echo?" Hunter asked, rubbing two fingers over his temple.
"First is about Lama Su."
"Why do we need intelligence about that lollipop stick?" Wrecker growled.
"Listen to me first. I haven't finished." Echo raised an eyebrow. "Lama Su was imprisoned by Doctor Hemlock, and was kept in the same place where Omega might be kept, and even Crosshair. Days before our infiltration on Eriadu, he bargained Omega's whereabouts in exchange of our freedom."
"But how did he exactly know how to find us?" Hunter asked, puzzled.
"He didn't. He told Hemlock that Nala Se will only be convinced with Omega as bait, and Cid completed the deal by ratting us out. This information was vital for Hemlock, who was tired of finding ways and trying to buy Se's allegiance, so he readily gave him freedom."
"Those two-" Wrecker growled, about to swear, when Shep shushed him and said, "Go on, Echo."
Echo waved a hand with a note of urgency in his voice, tinged with annoyance over being interrupted time and time again, "Rex's sources told that while Doctor Hemlock let him free, he had no intention of letting him land alive. He was to be terminated the moment he landed on that surviving platform in Tipoca City, however Gregor led the attack and captured the Venator he was aboard on, and safely extracted Su out of there.
"Lama Su gave no intel at all at first, bleating loyalty to the Empire. However, once Rex proposed they let the Empire know their fugitive lives and they can come to collect him, he came around. He had nothing to tell except that the place where they took him was called Mount Tantiss, on Weyland."
"Where the hell is that?" Hunter asked.
"That's the problem. The travel logs were cleared, and Su didn't even know the neighbouring planets or the system where it belonged. He didn't even have an inkling of which Rim territory it belonged to. The only way was to intercept any vessel coming or going there. But the problem is, how do we know if that's the ship we need to follow? We do not have enough forces to lead many assaults in the search for one ship."
A dead silence followed.
"Next bit is about a man called Darth Vader."
"That Sith Lord?" Shep looked terrified, petrified. Hunter wasn't sure why, and neither were Echo and Wrecker.
"Um, who exactly?" Wrecker grunted.
"When the Republic fell, the Emperor took on a new apprentice, by the name of Darth Vader, and ruthless is an understatement for what he is. He's spread terror in the galaxy. His very suit and cybernetics are terrifying enough, and once you hear his mechanical breathing, you know you're done for." This time, it wasn't Shep but Cody who replied.
"But what makes him so horrible? Why is he more feared than Palpatine himself?" Hunter asked.
"And how come you know so much about him?" Echo chipped in.
