Tech brought the Marauder over the top of a heavily forested area on the edge of the city, which was either going through its own version of autumn or the native trees' leaves were naturally colored a mix of reds, yellows, and browns.
The ship quickly landed at the provided coordinates, a natural clearing where the surrounding trees were taller than the ship and thus should keep it relatively out of sight.
"Alright, arm up and get ready for anything," Hunter informed us all as the Bad Batch and even Rowv donned their helmets, though in fairness the latter was more like a facemask that was designed to cover her snout and eyes more than her whole head.
"Why is it that you are so distrustful about our client after the codes got us through secure airspace?" Tech asked Echo as we all geared up. "If this were a trap, it would have been much easier to just get us shot down rather than have us land."
"Why are you so hung up on this?" Echo snapped in an annoyed tone as we finished gearing up and Hunter opened up the ship's main door.
The Marauder's entry ramp opened up and we made our way outside, weapons drawn and on full alert.
"I'm simply stating that the codes did, in fact, work," Tech said to Echo as he worked his datapad. "The client being a Separatist is not relevant."
"It is to me," Echo stated with clear anger in his voice, even through his helmet.
"Forget politics," Hunter stated, finally having enough of their arguing. "We are here to do a job."
"I'm very pleased to hear you say that," an electronic feminine voice spoke up, making all of us raise our weapons at the speaker as they stepped out from behind a nearby tree and started to walk up to us.
Said speaker was a droid, specifically a RA-7 protocol droidwith a female programming apparently, which tended to be rather uncommon.
"Who are you?" Tech asked the obvious question.
"I am your client," she stated simply.
"We're working for a droid?" Wrecker asked in shock.
"That is correct," she nodded. "My Master, Senator Singh, was arrested for for speaking out against the unjust occupation-"
"We don't care," Echo rudely interrupted, his pistol still on the droid.
"Just take us to where the senator is being held," Hunter stated.
"Right to it. I like you," she stated as she turned around and waved for her to follow. "Very well, follow me."
"One moment," Hunter told her, making her stop short as he turned to Rowv and I. "Alright, we'll handle extracting the senator, but it's up to you two to divert attention away from us doing so. Give us the signal when you're ready."
"Will do, and don't forget to use the disguise matrix to scan some other clone troopers when you can. It should help getting past others when you need to," I reminded him in turn. "We'll also put the net over the ship so it's less likely to be detected."
"The senator should be being held near the city center, where the former Separatist Senate Building is located," Tech helpfully informed us. "Therefore, it would be best if you targeted one of the former CIS military bases, that has since been taken by the Empire, on the edge of the city away from our planned extraction route back to the ship."
"Right," I nodded. "We'll go around the edge of the city and hopefully get there before you guys reach your own destination through the city."
"Contact us if anything changes, and stay out of sight as much as you can," Hunter ordered before turning to the rest of his team. "Let's move out."
I watched as the Bad Batch quickly followed the senator's protocol droid towards the city proper, while I turned to Rowv and quickly pulled the camouflage net–worth 2k credits–out of my backpack.
"Alright, let's do this fast," I said as we quickly went about unfolding and draping the ship with the net, helped by my suit's repulsorlift engine allowing me to drag it over its tallest parts without issue.
"Hmm, I find it worrying that the senator's only ally that could call for help on his behalf is a metal man," Rowv commented as she helped spread the net. "Was there no one else that could assist him?"
"I imagine most others have been arrested at this point… or worse," I suggested.
"Ah, an act of desperation then," Rowv nodded. "Then it is a good thing we have arrived and can be trusted to see to his rescue, since it is proven that the CIS's forces are unreliable."
"True, but to be fair, despite not being a battle droid she was able to call for help in the first place and is now risking herself to aid her master," I pointed out. "That is pretty loyal, right?"
"Programmed loyalty is no replacement for true commitment," Rowv argued. "At best, it is a tool to keep machines in line, and at worst, slavery. The clones and their chips have proven that."
"I can't argue with that logic," I admitted as we finished covering up the Marauder.
Once the Marauder was fully covered I activated the net and watched as its surface rippled and changed to quickly match its surroundings, which while not granting it true invisibility did alter its pattern to better blend in with the surrounding terrain and keep causal eyes from noticing it unless they got close.
"Alright, let's get moving," I told Rowv. "We'll skirt around the edge of the city to avoid most of the patrols. My suit's flight system should mean I can make it to the other side relatively quickly, but can you keep up?"
"Watch me," Rowv said in a confident tone as she shot off through the forest like a professional sprinter, making me quickly follow after her with my suit.
As it turned out, togorians could easily maintain a top running speed for quite a bit, easily matching and at some points even outrunning my own suit's engine! And this thing could easily push 25 mph!
Big cat people are crazy.
It took a little time, but between the two of us we easily reached the near opposite side of the city while avoiding most military patrols since they were focused more on policing the inside of the city rather than its relatively untamed edges.
We slowed and took it more carefully as we reached the military base Tech told us about, its simple construction and recent alterations showing it was once a CIS one that the Empire merely took over and made their own, watching it from a distance from a nearby hill and hidden among some trees. It was crawling with Imperials and lots of armored vehicles of various types, with there even being an air field not too far away with lots of parked fighters and shuttles.
"Hmm, it will be a true challenge to assault this place, even with the support of a full war party," Rowv admitted as she looked over the base with some macrobinoculars, making note of various patrol routes.
"Good thing we aren't here to take it, just make a bunch of noise," I stated as I looked for something that would make a prime target, and quickly found it near the edge of the base. "And I think those fuel pods should make more than enough with the right encouragement."
"I like how you think," Rowv approved. "You have another one of those belts of yours that allow light to bend around you?"
"Thought you'd never ask," I smirked as I pulled another unit out of my backpack and handed it to her. "Just be careful, the field will fail if you move too quickly the wrong way or stress it in some other way, like if you get into a fight. If that happens, it will take a bit to recharge and reapply the field. Oh, and while it does make you nearly invisible it still gives off a visual distortion that others can notice if they are sharp enough, so watch out for that."
"I am no stranger in the art of how not to be seen," Rowv assured me confidently. "This device will merely make the act a little bit easier, I assure you."
"I have no doubt," I admitted, imagining the scary image of togorians hiding in tall grass as they stalked prey before pouncing. "I'll head for the fuel pods, meanwhile you should see doing the same for their armory."
"Very well, but how?" Rowv asked curiously, to which I could only smirk as I pulled open my backpack and dumped out a large number of proton grenades. Rowv picked one up and looked it over. "Ah, I see. Yes, these should do nicely."
"I've linked them to a single detonator, so when we are ready we'll really make this base rock, Take as many as you can carry, place them in as many places that the clones won't notice and will do the most damage, and let me know when you are finished so we can meet up somewhere near the airfield, in case we need to jack a ride for a quick escape. Are you ready?"
"More than ready," Rowv growled as she picked up as many of the grenades as possible. "It is finally my time to strike out against this so-called Empire."
"Then let's make the first hit count," I nodded. "Let's move."
With that, Rowv nodded and activated her stealth field generator, quickly disappearing from sight and, based on what I could see of her distortion if I focused on it, moving away much faster than I could without disrupting the field. And wasn't that a scary sight?
Meanwhile, I cheated by activating my repulsorlift engine and slowly started flying over the base with the stealth field engaged, careful not to not move so fast that I disrupted the field or set off any sensors that might detect said engine.
Of course, with Rowv now out of sight I wasn't gonna limit myself to just grenades to cause chaos.
I had more than a few other tricks up my sleeves.