The Bittersweet Mission

Stakeout

     Lux paced back in front of the small house he had been assigned to, and his nerves were setting him on edge.

     He and Duchess Satine had both been asked days ago, while the group had been in the marketplace, to remain in contact with the Master Jedi, and the two of them had agreed to return to the planet if need be. 

     So, though each one of them had left to follow schedule and for appearance's sake, they had stuck around the system to be ready in case they were needed for the pickup, with the exception of Korkie, who boarded a separate ship to return to Mandalore to meet with a few acquaintances.

     Then, this morning, both Lux and Satine received messages from the group to be prepared to help, as the events of the last few days had heightened suspicions that something would go wrong at the pickup. They both returned to the planet upon hearing this.

     Shortly afterwards, each received a message from Ahsoka to inform them that their help was needed, and that they would be receiving coordinates soon, which they were sent less than twenty minutes later.

     Thus, Lux was now outside a little house, loitering in the street in front of the property that supposedly belonged to Alyndall, waiting to see if anyone showed up.

     Somewhere nearby, the Duchess was secretly watching her own assigned location: an apartment building, yet she hadn't encountered anyone either. Though, the Jedi had asked her not to engage Doll or their contact. Lux, on the other hand, had volunteered to help if he was needed.

     "Still nothing," Lux muttered. "There's hardly anyone in the area."

     "Well, it's still likely that they'll show up at one of the locations soon," Ahsoka responded back from her place inside the ship.

     Obi-Wan was headed alone to Doll's main apartment first, but it was vital to keep an eye on each of her nearby properties, as any location was a possible meetup point for her, Adder, and their contact.

     Anakin was using the tracker to follow the baby, and as Ahsoka and Padmé kept an eye on everyone's locations through the ship, they focused to see which of Doll's places, if any, the contact was headed for.

     Their troops were circling just beyond the atmosphere in case their tracker signaled that the baby was being taking offworld. They were the ones that had been able to do the research on Doll so quickly to find their most likely hideouts.

     So far, the tracker showed that the contact and the baby were about equidistant from each of Doll's properties. Anakin had obtained a speeder, but he was still a few minutes behind them and had yet to spot them.

     At the moment, they were also concerned about Doll and Adder.

     As Obi-Wan showed up to her main apartment, he could sense that someone was still there and was feeling quite frantic, which he took as a good sign.

     Using the Force, he unlocked the door mechanism and ignited his lightsaber that he had retrieved from R2-D2 in preparation.

      Stepping inside, he noticed that a coat rack had been tipped over and that a bag was opened on the couch, and he quickly sensed someone exiting another room.

     Though he had been expecting Doll, it was Adder who appeared in front of him and looked at him in shock, but as he looked around, it seemed that there were no other exits.

*****

     "Okay," Ahsoka announced. "Everyone, it looks as though the target is headed towards Lux. Be aware, we have no news on Alyndall's location, so if she shows up there before our target, it's probably the right place."

     "We did just receive a notification from Obi-Wan though, and he has Adder," Padmé added. 

     "Alright," Lux replied. 

     "Should I stay in place for now?" Satine asked.

     "Yes, maintain your position a bit longer. It's still possible that the target is just trying to cover up their tracks and mask their destination."

     "Got it."

     Padmé looked over at Ahsoka with a bit of pride. 

     "You continue to impress me. Though Obi-Wan suggested the tracker, you made a big difference by having the clones find out information on Doll. I'm very proud to see how much you've learned since we first met."

      Ahsoka's lekku darkened a bit and she looked at Padmé appreciatively. "I'm just lucky to have had so many mentors, including you. I couldn't have asked for anyone better."

      Placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder, Padmé smiled. "And I suppose I'm lucky you became Anakin's padawan, or else we might not have met."

     Ahsoka nodded, thinking over her words. "That's true. It's a good thing the two of you are so close."

     Blinking, Padmé seemed to realize the direction the conversation was headed and searched for a way to change the subject, but Lux fortunately interrupted.

     "Uh, someone's approaching in a speeder. I assume it's Alyndall."

     "Okay, Lux, stay out of sight for now, but keep telling us what's happening. If that's where the target is planning to go, we can't let them leave," Ahsoka responded.

      "Anakin," Padmé called for him. "We believe they're meeting at Lux's location."

     "Alright," he answered. "Give it another few seconds to make sure and then allow the Duchess to leave. Is Obi-Wan back yet?"

     "Not yet, but he should be here at any moment. He already should have met with Captain Rex to take Adder away, and once he arrives, we'll be taking off."

     "Just be careful. Hopefully we will all make it in time without scaring them off."

*****

     It was a few minutes later when Anakin caught his first glimpse of the contact, who he now saw as a Trandoshan, who was still carrying the baby. 

     Alas, he only saw them just as they approached the house under Lux's supervision.

     Speaking of Lux, he caught sight of the young man beside some greenery at the next house over. 

     Deciding to follow suit, Anakin made his way over to him.

     "Target sighted," he reported. "Bonteri and I have eyes on them right now. They seem to be entering a side door of the house. We need to make our move as soon as possible or else they're going to get away."

     Lux glanced over at him.

     "What if they don't make it here in time?"

     "Then, you and I can make our move," he replied simply.

     "Right," Lux sighed, causing Anakin to chuckle.

     "We'll be fine."

     "We've just landed," Obi-Wan spoke. "The Duchess is headed for the atmosphere with her entourage and will be waiting with the troops until we notify them again. We'll convene on your location momentarily."

     "It would be best if you can go in from another side. We can cover the front entrance and left side from where we are, but we need someone to go in from the back and the right. So far, we only know of three ways in or out, but that didn't exactly stop them from breaking through transparisteel a little while ago and taking off with a jetpack."

     "Copy that."