A Roc Cargo Speeder flew through the embattled city. From inside the cargo bay Minerva Fhirdiad fully decked out in her emerald Mandalorian armor but with red Alliance emblems painted, each of the shoulder padurons stood with eleven of her commandos. They could feel the airspeeder shake all around them every several seconds. Most of Talon company had already deployed to help fellow GADF troops with evacuation points throughout the city.
Minerva looked from her left vambrace, getting the latest reports from her comrades and command. She allowed herself a sigh thinking.
I spent weeks in and out of bacta tanks since Kiffu then more weeks in that military hospital on Corellia for physical therapy. That was frustrating to put it mildly.
Looking at Sumi, her Astirsan tech expert and the others rechecking their equipment, she nodded and it was returned glady by them. Despite everything Talon was glad to have its original CO, Mandalorian or not. Anyone who did have a problem was allowed to transfer to different units.
Minerva didn't begrudge those who did so for it was their right. Still she allowed herself a smile to know that most of them accepted her. They were more or less family. Such thoughts were interrupted by a new explosion from a shuttle as it went down into the city in further blast. The Mandalorian readied her weapon in hand.
Suddenly her left vambrace beeps repeatedly. Lifting the arm and she clicked on it and a holographic form of a male Zabark with a netural expression in a colonel's uniform appeared. The latter swiftly said.
"New orders Captain Fhirdiad. I just received a distress call from Senator Du Couteau's staff. They have located their charge who was MIA until now but they can't reach him for the time being due to the escalation in their sector. You are to search and retrieve the senator, following the general coordinates already being downloaded to your team and the pilot. Is that understood?"
"Clear as moon crystals." Minerva replied before shutting off the transmission.
She looked to her team who heard the message. Briefly the armored warrior wondered why there was a senator here of all places. Was he on business legal or otherwise or helping with the evacuation. Whatever the case, orders were orders and she said out loud to the other Talons.
"You all heard our objective but I'll add another. If we find other survivors we rescue them too. Their lives matter just as much. As for these zombies, don't hesitate to use overwhelming firepower. No point in holding back."
Toward Sumi she asked.
"You got the commlink signal corporal?"
The younger solider checked her datapad before beaming and exclaimed.
"Yes I do, Cap. It's coming out of an apartment complex southeast of our position."
As if on cue the gunship made a sharp turn in that direction, forcing the troops to hold on to anything to keep themselves standing. Right hand on a railing Minerva waited for the maneuver to be completed before calling the pilots via comms.
"Once you get us close enough we'll make the jump and you keep on standby."
"Copy that Captain. Good hunting."
It wasn't long before their craft drew closer and Sumi used her datapad to pin-point which apartment exactly it was. The pilot's intercom called out.*
"I see three individuals on the roof, a young girl with two kids!"
The description didn't match the senator's but what mattered was there were lives to save. Minerva hand signaled the team and she and them rushed forward out of the cargo bay. Seventeen Talons dive in before descending on their collective feet via jetpacks onto the roof in front of the trio. While her comrades were already forming a protective perimeter around them, Minerva rushed with the Pantoran team medic, over to Lily and the kids.
"Don't worry we're going to get you all out of here soon. Are any of you injured?"