Fixing Our Broken Pieces || The Bad Batch

Chapter 20: Infested

"Very good goggles," Cid applauded which earned a small smirk from Tech over to Wrecker, the strange nickname was obviously starting to grow on him

"When the Pykes come to collect, Roland won't be able to pay and he'll be their problem," Cid finished.

"Hopefully this plan is as simple as you're making it sound like," Orla said.

Cid leads them to a darker area that the sun can't reach and pulls open a manhole door down to Ord Mantell's mining tunnels. The shape was the same as the hole Orla had stumbled around that led to abandoned tunnels; this one must still be somewhat operational.

"Start climbing tough guys," Cid directed. Orla looked down and could see it wasn't a far jump for a Jedi but Cid was here. She resisted the childish urge to take the quickest path down, Obi-Wan shared with her that it can be more important to be thoughtful than to be quick.

They climbed the ladder down underneath the city, Hunter lent her a flashlight since a lightsaber would be worthless with Cid close behind her.

"This is Ord Mantell's old mining tunnels, it's how we're sneaking into my parlour to steal the spice," said Cid.

"Why can't we just go in there and take it, we can handle those guards," Wrecker said with confidence but Cid advised that no one has to know they were involved, the Pykes were a whole other kind of enemy.

"This is a stealth mission, you boys are good at that right?"

The group looked at each other with uncertainty but Cid carried on

"Tiny, Goggles, you're with me," Omega and Cid piloted one of the carts with its levers while the others followed in two more. The carts creak and rattle on their tracks which don't put Orla's mind at ease about how safe this is. They made their way through until they reached a gate.

"Listen up, when we pass through those doors, not a peep out of anyone, we don't want to wake the hive."

"The what?" Echo raises concern, and Cid says the caverns have a slight infestation problem.

"We're not afraid of a few bugs," Wrecker laughs it off, Orla wishes she had that much assurance.

"It won't be if everyone keeps their traps shut, big guy gets the door."

Wrecker unlocks and hauls the door open and they continue their way on guard. The section is infested with giant cobwebs and below Orla hears faint screeching. Above, sunlight is peeking through a large gap in the cave which makes her wonder why these invasive bugs haven't made their way up to the cracks where there's sunlight. Something must have triggered Wrecker as Orla heard him mumble "what was that" but sees a flashlight fall to the depths. It bounces off the walls echoing large sounds and eventually disappears to the bottom.

"What did I say?" Cid hissed bitterly, Wrecker scoffs and mumbles it was an accident. Orla felt bad, sometimes being the strongest also meant being the clumsiest.

"It's ok, I don't think it was that loud," she immediately regretted that the screeches from the bottom of the cave grow louder and angrier. No one moved, hoping the noise would die and they could continue. To Orla's surprise, it was a close call so they moved on.

The screeching didn't stop but they finally made it to the end. Cid didn't waste any more time, ordering someone to climb up.

"Without eyes on the office, how do we know Roland is not inside?" Echo addressed.

"I've got that covered," she taps her comlink which starts flashing and the rest wait for Cid to approve the coast was clear. Once they hear Bolo's voice through the comlink, Orla pushes open the door and lets the rest up. To Echo's disgust, they discover Cid's office infested with rodents scavenging for food that's scattered across the floor.