As the group stopped to gather themselves together before continuing onward, Hollister hesitated and switched on his enhanced audio receptors. Of his present companions only Wist and Morta were aware that their Captain had sensory capabilities way beyond the human maximum due to his augmentations.

As he stopped and listened his ultrasonics picked up an unrecognised footstep which stopped a fraction after the rest of the group had come to a halt. They were being followed.

Swinging around and drawing his blaster rifle, he looked into the darkness of the alley behind him but it was too dark to make out anything clearly. Subconsciously his vision shifted through thermotic infrared, unltraviolet, and teleoptic magnifiers until he spotted the figure not far behind them doing an excellent job of staying hidden.

Hollister raised an eyebrow as he realised the figure's stance and movement seemed oddly familiar, but he could place where from. Though Hollister didn't yet know it, his scope was trained on one of his old war troupe, Ethan Zhane...

"Come out of the shadows and state your intent!" The Captain called out, startling both Wist and Morta who, despite facing the same direction as the Captain was pointing did not see (nor could see) anyone in the shadows.

When Zhane understand that he was discover he turn the emergency beacon on that the Star Express understand that he is in trouble.

On Star Express Marek Zhane is sitting guard on the communication center when the emergency message sent to the skip and Marek Zhane order the crew to start the skip.

Same time Ethan activated one of his thermal detonator and slowly waking out of the dark with the detanator in his left arm and a blaster pistol in the right arm.

“Hello Hollister, i dont you don’t remember me, but I served under you on The Harbringer II as a NCO before I was transferd to another skip and then dishonorable discharge after a Court martial"

Phinnesse laughed and looked at her new companion and snorted, "Sounds like a charmer!" And then she turns to their new petitioner.

Mueral interjected, shouting "Put that detonator away or you'll have to be dealt with, we have no time for reasonable doubt."

"Wait...is that thing activated?!?" Phinnesse realized and kicked the soldier, or mercenary or whatever he was, back. And then attempted to shroud the Chancellor from the explosion. But she wasn't completely successful.

A blue sky hung over Iziz it was a tranquil visage that was the polar opposite of the city below, bustling crowds, noise and smoke came from the streets and alleys that pitted the city, the roof tops were bathed in light but cast long shadows leaving the alleys in an almost impenetrable darkness.
Through all the chaos a small spec of green stood out, a rooftop oasis lush with ferns and plants not local to the planet, a fountain sprang up from the garden enticing birds that wouldn’t have been seen so far in to the city to make the journey, they crowded round the fountain drinking and picking the insects off the leaves of the plants.
A shadow passed over them as another bird came into land, they shuffled around to let this new visitor in, the shadow suddenly became unnaturally large and only a few birds managed to escape as Thressk came down to land.

“Furleck!” Thressk roared as he crashed heavily into the fountain smashing it to pieces, the birds scattered traumatised while leaving a parting gift of excrement on Thressk’s face.

Thressk lay there for a second in the rubble looking at the sky…. water spraying on face, he briefly considered forgetting the bounty and pursuing the flying fiends instead, he would surely be able to snipe at least half of them before they got out of range.

He let out a long sigh and stood up, he’d been following the group by their scent but it was too dangerous to follow them directly with a Jedi and so many merc’s within the group, they might also double back or leave a trap for him. He’d also seen a few fools try and take them on only to be dispatched and left it pieces by the Jedi, so instead he’d taken to the rooftops and following them as best he could.

“Droid where are you?” Thressk snapped

“I’m almost at the ship, sir” BI-3 replied over the intercom.

“Good once you get there Thressk wants you find a place to land the skiff, it needs to be within 1 klik of the market near the Palace”

“Yes si….”

“Don’t get too close to the Palace! They’ll have anti-air weaponry so stay low and off their sensors Droid, don’t lose that skiff before they even arrive! ”

“Yes sir”

The birds were circling above him now eager to land, he looked up at them venomously before gathering himself…..the next building was some distance away, he’d have to jump again…..

The Jedi moved with such speed and precision, Hollister could only watch as events unfolded at break-neck speed. One moment she was just behind him, then in front. The next Zhane was hurtling back into the alley from her well-placed kick as the detonator loosed from his grip and fell to the floor. Phinnesse lunged back toward the chancellor to protect him.

The detonator hit the ground and everything went white; Hollister's anti-flash and audio-supression systems saving his senses at such close range by temporarily blinding and deafening him.

When his vision returned, he saw more of his surroundings intact than he expected - especially considering how accutely exprienced he was with explosions.
Wist was to his left, Phinnesse and the Chancellor behind him, injured but alive. That's when it occured to him: Wist and he shouldnt be alive, they were too close to the blast. They had no cover to protect them from the explosion....and where was Morta?

Calling up the last 30 seconds of play-back footage in his cybernetic eye he watched in horrid detail as his suspicions were confirmed. They had survived because his lifelong friend, 2IC and trusted brother-in-arms had saved them all. Morta, his Trandoshan companion had lept on the detonator and activated his shield belt, absorbing the vast majority of the blast.

He had died instantly.

Wist looked around in disbelief as Hollister got to his feet, small parts of masonry and dust falling away as he pulled his Blaster Rifle from his back-holster and charged it for combat....

After the detonator was thrown Ethan open fire and will he was trying to get cover, but i was shot in the back, but he have time to use the last detonator to remove much off remaining body parts and other object that will identify him.

On the Star Express the crew start the engine and shot down local security crew and some major containers holding liquid fuel that explode and blocked the entrance to the spaceport and the ship enters hyperspace after shooting down some security ships, but the ship was hit and damage and don't got to the target.

The only object left on Ethan that people have possibility to identify was his special modified SFOR Carbine Rifle.

Palu was in his element. The lounge bar was packed to capacity with residents of Iziz and visitors floating on the waves of loud conversation.

Smilingly pushing his way to the bar he decided to spoil himself and ordered a Corellian brandy. Taking his drink he moved through the crowd looking for a spare seat, in vain it turned out. Sipping the brandy he turned his attention to a large viewscreen, one of three suspended in a cluster from the centre of the ceiling. A news reporter was giving her assessment of some happening as headlines in galactic basic scrolled across screen beneath her. Which was fortunate as the noise in the bar drowned out whatever report she was making.

The man next to him made a low whistle upon reading the last headline and turned to Palu...

Zhafall starred into the Onderon Sky, After a long and confound journey (For a wookiee) he stretched his hands higher than ever.

Zhafall set off into Iziz, After wondering around for a while and nearly getting into a fight with a information terminal he finally came to a catina styled building, Hearing many voices from inside Zha decided to go in.

He approched the doorway, With a trademark Shoosh the doors opened. bowing his head slightly he entered. The noise died down and most eyes were fixed on this wookiee, Zha thought nothing of it, and made his way through the crowd and towards the bar.

After pushing through the crowds Zha stood at the bar, Looking out of place, he ordered.

"Huwaa muaa mumwa"

As the realisation of what had happened struck Wist a few seconds later, he too charged up his blaster carbine and moved toward the smoke-filled alley, prepared to take on - and take down - whoever was responsible for the demise of Morta who, despite all their cantankerous arguments had been like a brother to him and saved his skin on more than one occasion.

Seeing Wist move with vengeful intent rather than practised professionalism, plus being unable to use his optics to penetrate the smoke left from the blast, Hollister knew there may still be hostiles and decided to intervene:

“Wist, stand down.” he said, calmly but with ordered directness.

Wist turned to him then, a confused and angry look in his eyes. He was out for blood.

“Morta's dead, Cap! The punk responsible might still be alive, we gotta get in there, give that son of a..”

“I said STAND DOWN!” Hollister bellowed, making even the Jedi at his side look at him with some concern. He sounded almost like a contained force of nature. “That's an order, Soldier.”

Wist stood back but lowered his head and shook it defiantly, saying nothing.

“That was a Class-A thermal detonator, With an effective blast radius of almost twenty meters, we should all be dead by now. Morta absorbed much of the blast but trust me, the grenadier wouldn't have survived at that range either.”

It was then that he remembered what the man had said to him right before the explosion:

'Hello Hollister, I know you don’t remember me, but I served under you on The Harbringer II as a NCO before I was transferred to another skip and then dishonourable discharge after a Court martial..' The voice.. it seemed so oddly familiar to him, as did the face. He made a mental note to check through the records on The Argo if they made it through this mess..

For now though, they were far too exposed and out in the open.

“O.K. This attack was likely only the first of several, we need to be prepared and alert. Wist, you're on point. Puge, I want your men to create a 360-vision shield around the Chancellor and Phinnesse, give our Jedi friend here a chance to do her job.”

Slinging his Blaster Rifle back over his shoulder, Hollister's face took on a decidedly steely look.

“Lets move people, we'll mourn the dead when we stop.”