And There Was Another✔️

Chapter 35: Threat Unknown

"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?"