With the ship now fixed, new cargo loaded, and Rowv settled in with what little belongings she brought aboard, with only a slight hiccup in Thing 2 demanding a fight and Rowv seemingly being all for it that I barely stopped from happening, it was time to bid Togoria goodbye!
Rowv sat and watched from the technical station as the Sleipnir rose up from the docking bay and into space, staring in wonder at her homeworld as we flew away from its gravity well. I made sure we didn't jump to hyperspace right away, giving her this moment to just experience her first time in space ever. After all, it wasn't all that long ago that I had been there too.
"It is beautiful…" she whispered as she stood and looked out the cockpit viewport. "I always knew my world was, but to truly see it at such an angle with my own eyes higher than any mosgoth could go is beyond anything I could have expected."
"Yeah, the first time in space really puts things into perspective, doesn't it?" I asked.
"It looks so… fragile…" she stated, her eyes narrowing. "I will not let it be so."
Well, that's one way to look at it," I commented as Launchpad input the hyperspace coordinates. "Anyway, with my new hyperdrive, we should make it to Ord Mantell relatively soon, just a day or so."
"I have heard of the world," Rowv commented. "Several of the more well-off matriarchs go there for vacation from time to time, sometimes for years."
"Yeah, I'm sure that Worlport and some other places on it may be like that, but Ord Mantell City is much seedier than that. Certainly not a place for more tourists or vacationers."
"Good, it would not do to become a dull blade and lounge around like some others," she nodded.
"Cordinates inputted and ready to jump, Nick!" Launchpad announced. "And I promise, I will improve upon my crashing abilities from here on out."
"Let's just focus on not crashing at all if possible," I grimaced before turning to Rowv and offering her the hyperdrive lever. "Would you like to do the honors?"
"Hmmm, yes, I do believe I would," she nodded before pulling down on the lever, engaging lightspeed and launching us into hyperspace. "Quite the experience… I thank you for the honor, Nick Claws."
"It's Claus, and you know you can just call me Nick," I pointed out.
"Very well, Nick it is," Rowv nodded. "Togorians do not have surnames, so I find referring to you as such easier on my tongue."
"Glad I could make you a bit more comfortable," I said as I got up from my seat and turned to Launchpad. "Keep an eye up here and let us know if anything comes up before we reach our destination."
"Will do, Nick!" Launchpad nodded happily before turning back to monitoring the ship.
"Meanwhile, want me to give you a proper tour of the ship?" I asked Rowv.
"It will be good to know what will serve as our base for the foreseeable future, so I shall appreciate it," Rowv nodded, following me as I showed off the Sleipnir.
I had already shown her the crew quarters when she first climbed aboard to stow away her stuff–and the cockpit, but now I showed off the rest of the ship and introduced her to the otherdroids. Granted, she seemed to show relative disinterest in most of them beyond Thing 2, who I think she was still interested in fighting, and outright growled at Doc when he asked for a physical examination of her to establish a medical baseline. It went without saying that that didn't happen, and I doubted that Rowv would be visiting the medical bay any time soon.
At least she seemed to like seeing the turrets a great deal.
"Annnnd that's about it," I stated as we stopped back in the common area. "Not a whole lot of space, but enough to not go crazy until we touch down somewhere to stretch our legs more."
"It is sufficient, yes," she nodded. "Now, what is there to do?"
"Not… much really," I said while rubbing my neck. "Hyperspace travel takes time like any other travel, even if we are travelling super fast compared to most things. I tend to just do whatever until we reach our destination, but recently I've been working more on combat training and-"
"Combat training? Commendable," she nodded with a pleased look. "It is good to see that my captain is taking steps to become a strong warrior so as to better do battle with the Empire."
"Don't praise me too much, I'm still very much of a beginner to who can count the number of serious fights I've been in on one hand, and most of them involve me running away," I admitted. "Still, it's a dangerous galaxy so I'm trying to take steps to be better prepared for it."
"A good mindset to have, and if you do not mind a great deal I would happily join you," Rowv stated. "It will be a good use of my time between battles as well, helping keep me sharp and ready to strike as needed."
"I… think that what you consider training would be much more intense than what I am currently doing," I admitted with a grimace.
"That will be for me to judge," she stated. "Show me how you train, and if you are open to it, I shall assist you in improving upon it."
"You want to help me train?" I asked curiously.
"A war party is only as strong as its weakest member, and if we are to do battle with the Empire together it is only reasonable that I wish you to become as strong as possible. Therefore, I want to know what we are working with."
"Okay then…" I said a little nervously as I led her to my makeshift training area in the cargo bay, activating the remotes and letting them start orbiting around us in standby mode. "Usually I start off with stretches and some basic exercises-"
"Good, it is important to hone the body," she interrupted with a nod.
"-and after that I start what I call 'shootout practice' with these remotes here," I explained. "The idea is to train myself in how to avoid getting hit and shoot back at the things that are trying to kill me. I use remotes since most of those things are likely going to move around, and I'm already a decent shot with stationary targets… assuming they are not too far away at least."
"A very valid training method, but do keep in mind your foes will tend not to be small flying balls," Rowv commented as she stepped forward and examined the droids. "May I borrow your pistol? I do not own my own, for I prefer blades, but I have trained in their use."
"Uh, sure?" I said as I handed her my pistol, which she looked over and examined with a fine eye as her hands went over every part of it. "I am happy to get you your own too, if you like. They might not be your thing, but having a ranged option is never a bad thing."
"I have my own methods, I merely wished to use your option since few of them are non-lethal and would risk unduly damaging your training equipment," she explained as she faced the remotes. "Please engage the highest difficulty these machines can give and set their weapons to inflict painful stuns, it will not be proper training otherwise."
"Uh, are you sure?" I asked a little nervously as I picked up the remote's nearby signaler.
"Very," was her simple response.
I was worried about her… but at the same time I felt as if that worry would soon prove itself to be unfounded, so I just did what she asked and engaged the remotes at their highest training level.
It was over faster than it took me to process entirely what I just saw.
The second I activated the remotes to begin the training program they moved and fired their stun blasters faster than anything close to what I had been dealing with so far, zipping around the cargo hold at great speed, moving in odd angles, using overlapping fire, working together to focus on their single target, and going off like little machine guns. Basically, I am sure that if I attempted to do the same I would end up a quivering mess on the floor in less than a second as I desperately tried to dodge or block the shots, not even trying to fire back. I'm sure most other beings would be in the same boat.
Rowv… Rowv wasn't like most other beings.
If the remotes were fast, she was faster and moved in a way that was downright acrobatic the way her body bent and moved to avoid the stun blasts, jumping and rolling around the room all while firing her weapon with crazy accuracy. So accurate, in fact, I never once saw miss her target. I watched in less than a few seconds the half dozen remotes were all taken down, four with blaster fire… and the last two from Rowv grabbing one and throwing it quite hard at the last, taking them both out of commission.
The whole thing lasted barely a few moments.
"Apologizes, I think I might have gotten a little carried away," she said with some guilt as she picked up the two bashed remotes and brought them over to me, noticeable dents in both of their round bodies. "But I have to admit, that was an enjoyable, if short, exercise. Reminds me of the time that my brother accidentally stumbled into a dragonwasp nest and we had to fight off the swarm together. Ahhh, the stings we had afterwards…"
I just silently took the two remotes and looked them over, feeling pity for the two droids who did not expect to be bodied so thoroughly by a lion woman today.
"Well… if that is what you consider a normal training session, I got a great deal of work to do to catch up," I grimaced.
"That is the spirit!" Rowv roared before placing her hand upon my shoulder. "And I shall assist you!"
"Thanks, but you don't-"
"I insist, captain," she stated, her grip on my shoulder tightening enough to prevent me from escaping. "As I said, each war party is only as strong as its weakest member, and I would bring grave dishonor to myself if any member of it was lacking. Therefore, I will take it upon myself to ensure your survival as both duty and my job demands. This is the way."
At those words, I could not help the cold pit that formed in my stomach.
Was this how most anime protags felt when they started their own training arc?
Thankfully, we reached Ord Mantell in about a day, so my own training from hell did not last all that long in relatively… but subjectively? I am pretty sure I was at least a little traumatized at this point.
My only saving grace is that Rowv believed in proper breaks to eat, rest, and have Doc fix me up if at any point I was pushed a little too far, which to Rowv's credit only happened a few times as she aimed to try and push me to limits to see what she was working with.
'Weak as a cub, but potential is there', was what she had said.
Great for my confidence, those words were not.
Still, despite my aching muscles and near broken spirit, I could say with confidence saying that having an actual warrior training me rather than being self-taught was likely to do wonders to improve my ability to defend myself and actually fight in the long-term. Assuming she stuck around, Rowv will likely at least make sure my physical training would give me the kind of body and fighting instincts I could only dream about, even if it was still nothing compared to hers.
Given my long scope plans, I'd likely appreciate a little pain now to avoid a lot of it later.
Anyway, we flew into Ord Mantell City, Rowv weirdly pleased that my words about it not being a vacation site proved true, and parked the ship in a free docking bay so that we could meet up with the Bad Batch crew back at Cid's after messaging them that I was back.
Speaking of the clones, I had made sure to warn Rowv ahead of time about them given her people's understandable dislike of 'White Shells', as they called them, in general due to the war and more recent events. She wasn't happy with my association with them, but the mention that they had broken ranks with the Empire as a whole due to the fact they were among the few to resist the inhibitor chips in their brains, a fact which disgusted her and pitied the clones on a whole new level, opened her up to the idea of 'getting their measure' in person before judging them too harshly beforehand.
It was the best I could hope for, and ideally the whole thing wouldn't end in violence once they actually met.
"This city smells of grime, refuse, and other unpleasant things," Rowv noted with a scratched up nose and we walked through the city's usual dirty streets to Cid's, many sentients giving her a wide-berth due to her naturally intimidating looks and gear. "I know this is not Togoria, but I expected most cities on other worlds to just be bigger versions of Caross. Instead, everything here is dirty and disordered."
"Yeah, sadly that is how it is on most planets in the galaxy," I admitted as I led the way. "There are some really nice places and such, but given my line of work we are unlikely to visit those very often. Just a fair warning."
"Noted," Rowv nodded. "I will be sure to adjust my expectations accordingly, despite believing them to be low to begin with."
"Trust me, Rowv, this galaxy will do its best to surprise you, for good or ill," I stated as we turned into the alley to Cid's place, and saw the Bad Batch not far from us, making me smile at seeing them as I waved an arm and spoke up. "Guys! So glad to see you aren't dead!"
"Hahaha! You too, Nick!" Wrecker laughed as they all turned and saw me, before their eyes naturally turned to my companion, sizing her up as she no doubt did the same. "Who's your friend?"
"A new probationary crewmate I picked up on Togoria, the planet I crashed on after that mess on Bracca," I explained as we closed the distance before introducing her to them. "This is Rowv. Rowv, meet the Bad Batch; Hunter, Tech, Echo, Wrecker, and Omega."
"Hmmm," she hummed as she looked over each of their unhelmeted heads and sniffed the air lightly. "These are the clones?"
"Got a problem with that?" Hunter asked with slightly narrowed eyes.
"I simply find it hard to believe," Rowv admitted. "You have the look and smell of close kin, not of the White Shells my people fought."
"You fought clones before?" Echo asked with a bit of an edge to his tone.
"She is a togorian, a species that rarely leaves their homeworld and which was involved in a battle over a year ago where they defected over to Separatists even after a Republic taskforce was sent to help them fight off the initial invasion," Tech informed the group. "Said task force, along with the Jedi leading it, was nearly totally wiped out by General Grievous himself."
"So she is a traitor then," Echo growled, which near Rowv an unimpressed look.
"My people had already aligned with the CIS beforehand, and the battle that followed was an ambush to draw in Republic forces to destroy them, that is all," she stated without shame. "If you wish to blame anyone for your defeat on my homeworld, blame your scouts for not giving you proper information, or your warriors for being too weak to achieve victory."
"What did you say?" Echo growled as he stepped forward, only for Hunter to hold him back.
"We don't want any trouble," Hunter told her.
"And there will be none if you do not seek it, for your Republic is dead and you have abandoned the Empire, who are now my enemy," she pointed out. "You have nothing to fear from me unless you become my foe, which given our mutual dislike of the Empire I hope is not the case. I would much prefer not to kill any potential allies."
"Oh, you sure you could take us all out?" Wrecker asked dangerously.
"Only a fool believes victory is certain in every battle, but I most certainly have confidence in my abilities," Rowv stated evenly. "Do you have the same in yours?"
"Wanna find out?" Wrecker asked as she stapped forward and punched his fist into his palm with a grin.
Okay, I think I better stop it here before someone decides to bring out anything sharp.
"Hey hey hey, we are all friends here, no need to get violent," I said while stepping between the two groups. "Rowv, you promised not to antagonize them or anything like that, remember?"
"I apologize, I did not know that speaking the truth was considered antagonistic," Rowv stated sarcastically before huffing. "Still, my behavior was unbecoming of a warrior. If I have an issue with you all, I should say it outright and demand a duel over it, not throw around barbed words like a toothless matriarch. This is especially true when my anger should be directed towards my actual enemy rather than those who no longer serve them. I give you my apologies."
The sudden admission of guilt and apology seemed to take the Bad Batch aback a little, calming the brewing tension.
"Alright… apology accepted," Hunter stated.
"I still don't like it…" Echo muttered, all the while Omega stepped up with a box of Mantell mix in hand and stared up at Rowv, who looked down at the little girl.
"Hi, I'm Omega," she said with a smile and a wave. "I've never seen a species like yours before."
"I would be surprised if you did, child, for few humans visit my homeworld," she stated as she bent down and looked her directly in the eye, idly noticing the energy bow on her back. "That is an interesting weapon you carry, combining an ancient tool with modern technology to make a deadly weapon in skilled hands. I approve of it."
"Thanks! I took it off a Zygerrianslaver," Omega admitted with a smile.
"Ah! Then you have also earned my respect, little warrior," Rowv honestly smiled. "For every foul bringer of chains that is slain makes this universe a brighter place, and the fact that you now use your spoils as a means to fight against the dishonorable further insults them. Truly, your warrior spirit shines through despite your age. You will bring much fear into the hearts of others as you grow."
"Ah, well, I don't know about that. I still have lots of training to do," Omega rubbed the back of her head and blushed a little at the praise. "But that is why I have my squad! I gotta be sure to be strong enough to back them up."
"That you recognize that there is always room to improve and aim to do so as to better support your battle brothers merely shows you are wiser than many thrice your age already," Rowv nodded. "It is an honor to meet you, Omega."
"It's nice to meet you too, Rowv! I think we are gonna be good friends," Omega smiled as she took out a handful of her mix and offered her some. "Want some?"
"It would be dishonorable if I did not accept the offer from one so worthy of respect," Rowv said as she took the offered handful, gave it a sniff, and then consumed it all in a single bite. I watched as she chewed and her eyes widened, eventually swallowing the food and speaking again. "I dare say I now owe you a great boon, Omega, for introducing me to such a wonderful new food I have never tasted before."
"I'll hold you to it," Omega smiled, earning a small laugh and smile from Rowv.
Wow… not even a few minutes and Omega had already tamed the deadly cat warrior woman. I had a few days with her already and I hadn't yet earned a chuckle!
Still though, glad to see the earlier tension between the two groups seemed to have entirely disappeared as Rowv and Omega bonded.
"Well, glad to see we are getting along alright now," I smiled before addressing Hunter. "Considering what we all been through recently, I have to say I'm honestly happy we are all together at Cid's again. Speaking of which, I need to chat with the lady about finding buyers for the cargo I got for trading the salvaged stuff from Bracca–that ought to earn us a healthy amount of credits, which we will split evenly as promised."
"Ahhhh, does that mean you got rid of all the proton torpedoes already?" Wrecker asked in a disappointed tone.
Aww… How can such a large and intimidating clone act so cute sometimes?
"Not all of them, and assuming what I got sells as well as I think it will, I can promise you that I can get you access to plenty more where those came from later," I assured him.
"Really?" Wrecker asked in a hopeful tone. "Hahaha! You better!"
"The odds of us meeting an explosive end has just gone up by a not insignificant amount," Tech stated in an even tone.
"Best head inside and see what she has to offer then," Hunter said as all of us made our way into the parlor, Rowv and Omega still chatting animatedly all the way.
We walked into the parlor with Cid herself hanging out near the bar with a datapad in hand, turning and making note of us at our entrance.
"Finally, you're back. I hope you enjoyed your vacation, cause right now there is work to be done and credits to earn," she stated in an annoyed tone as we took up positions at her bar, stopping short a moment when she took a good look at Rowv. "Oh great, which one of you brought the stray cat into my place?"
"Speak to me… rather than of me, lizard," Rowv growled, baring her teeth at Cid as if daring the trandoshan to give her an excuse to strike.
Not sure if that is because she found Cid rude, or just due to the normal reputation trandoshans had, especially being located so close to Rowv's homeworld–maybe a togorian warrior was worth a large amount of Jagannath points or something?
"Alright, who the heck are you and why are you here?" Cid said with no fear, or at least hid it well. "Cause I got business to discuss, so if you aren't planning on buying anything you know where the door is."
"Rowv, here, is actually my new crewmate," I stepped in before Rowv could skin Cid alive. "Picked her up on togoria, and actually I have a whole crate of hand-crafted, high quality swords that I'm sure that someone as well-connected as you can sell off to various interested and wealthy buyers who would love to hang them on their walls."
"Sc'raths? No kidding?" Cid asked, honestly looking quite interested, even more so than with the past gear I showed off to her before. "I'll need to take a close look at them to be sure… but yeah, I know more than a few rich folk who would love to make those a centerpiece for their collections. That's for later though, I got a mission for you boys," she said, addressing the Bad Batch directly. "A simple extraction on Raxus."
I idly noticed how Rowv's ears flicked at the name.
"Raxus?" Tech questioned. "That is the former center of the Separatist government. It has since become an Imperial outpost-"
"I'm not interested in a history lesson, Goggles. You're being hired to locate and free Senator Avi Singhfrom his confinement," Cid interrupted him before bringing up a hologram of a man in a well-made suit on her datapad before taking out a datacard. "My client will meet you at the given coordinates to brief you. Details are on this. Now get going."
She tosses it towards Tech, who reaches out to grab it, but Hunter intercepts it.
"Help a Separatist? Not gonna happen," he states as he tosses the disc back towards Cid's way, only for Rowv to intercept it in turn with her very fast hands..
"If the clones do not want this mission, know that honor demands that I do," Rowv stated to Cid.
"Say what now?" I asked in shock.
"This senator was once a member of the CIS, of which my people were allied with, and is now being held by honorless Imperials," Rowv growled as she turned my way. "I would be no better if I gave up on the chance to not only save him, but strike at the Imperials in such a way they can not ignore, on the world that was once the heart of their enemy. Therefore, regardless of what you wish to do, captain, I must go. However, I would greatly appreciate it if you came with me… especially since I lack a ship to go myself."
Oh, come on! How was I supposed to feel good about saying no to that?