Child of Balance

Split Motives

Author's Note: I'm really sorry that this chapter took so long. I've been busy and truthfully, haven't felt very inspired with this story lately. I feel like the quality of this chapter isn't the greatest, but hopefully my inspiration levels will be back up again soon. Thanks for your patience!

Carbon scoring lined the dilapidated walls. Piles of ash dotted the floor, proof that the battle had carried on inside. A few dead Death Watch warriors lay beside the ashes.

    "Apparently the pirates got a few good hits in," Sabine said, disdain written across her face. She knelt down beside one of the fallen warriors and began to inspect him.

    Ania passed over the bodies and joined Kit and Cyana. R3 and Ezra fanned out across the building, scanning the debris. With a second thought, Ania cast her senses out, finding Ro's presence just outside. Kit pointed towards some writing on the wall.

    "It just says the same thing as the other one outside," Ania groaned.

"That's not helpful. We don't even know what they're talking about," Kit threw his hands up in exasperation.

Ania stepped back, rubbing her forehead. "All right, think," she whispered to herself. "They're after something. They stole these disrupters." She snapped her head up. "Sabine, were there any attacks similar to this one recently?"

Sabine paused where she knelt beside a warrior. "Yeah, there's been a few. The spies reported no survivors and there was always something missing from the scene, although the spies couldn't always figure out what."

"They're planning something bigger," Cy said. "Stealing disrupters and whatever else these pirates have been smuggling is proof of that. They're building up their store."

"Yeah, but what are they planning?" Ezra stood, raising a hand to his chin.

"R3, can you scan the area and see if there's something we missed?" Ania asked, turning to the droid. He chirped and rolled into the center of the room. A blue transparent ray passed over the entire facility for a few moments. At last, the scanner switched off and R3 whistled, rolling back towards the painted words on the wall.

Ania ran her hands over the wall, searching. She could feel the skeptical gazes of the others behind her, but she pressed on. Her fingers bumped over something almost imperceptible. She drew her hand back, tracing the object. Ania pressed down and a tiny ray of light appeared. She stepped back as a hologram projected onto the ground.

An ISB agent appeared. Ania glanced at Ezra, then back at the hologram. "If you're seeing this, I must congratulate you. You don't give up easily. This message is both a warning and an encouragement. I urge you to heed both parts. My name is Gideon. I am an Imperial Security Bureau agent for the Galactic Empire."

The hologram broke off and wavered a small bit, before stabilizing again. "My warning is this. If you stand in the way of our goal, you will be terminated. Our goals are higher than you could comprehend. Our masters are eager to see the new order rise. Death Watch will restore Mandalore once again. My encouragement, seek us out. Join us. Only united can we hope to survive whatever else may come. In the place of the old will emerge the new." The hologram winked off.

    "Cryptic," Cyana scoffed. "So what now?"

    "We should track their next attack," Kit suggested. "The pirate's ship should have a manifest form of some sort. Sabine, you said Bo's spies checked it already?"

"They did." She paused for a moment, before catching on. "We can use the form to see if there are any upcoming shipments."

"If their still looking to build up their stock, they'll probably hit the next one," Ania agreed. "Let's go. R3, scan as much of this as you can and send it to Bo through the Titian Dawn." He whistled his agreement and turned back towards the wall as they headed out.