Before anyone could respond to the Jedi, the gunship he'd arrived in touched down behind him, and four clone troopers wearing distinctive armor stepped out.
"Sir, that was showing off, you know," said a clone commando with orange markings on his armor as he disembarked with the rest of his squad.
"Ah, Boss, you see, this is one of the perks of having the Force on your side," Quinlan said with a grin.
"Yeah? More like showing off, if you ask me," replied another commando whose armor was covered in distinct red markings that resembled splattered blood.
Vos just smiled and turned back to the others.
"Everyone, meet Clone Commando Delta Squad," Vos introduced with obvious pride. "They were assigned to me at the start of the war, and the five of us have been carrying out suicide missions ever since."
The commandos then faced Cap and Sam, snapping to attention with quick salutes.
"Delta Squad, reporting for duty," the lead commando said firmly.
Steve and Sam returned the salutes respectfully.
"Captain Rogers."
"Lieutenant Wilson."
"Pleasure to work with you both, gentlemen. I'm Boss, squad leader of Delta."
"Well, that's one way to keep the names straight," Sam said with amusement.
"This is Fixer," Boss indicated the commando with green markings. "He's our tech specialist."
"And I'm Scorch," added the one with red markings. "Demolitions expert."
"The fourth member is Sev," Boss continued, gesturing to the commando with yellow markings. "Our sniper."
"Alright, enough pleasantries," Obi-Wan interrupted the introductions. "We have a mission to complete, and time is of the essence."
Everyone began boarding the Eta-class Jedi starfighter that would serve as their transport for this operation.
Before Cap could enter the ship, he felt a gentle hand touch his arm. He turned to see Aayla standing beside him.
"Steve, if you don't mind, could you spare a moment?" Aayla asked quietly.
He glanced back at the ship and saw members of Delta Squad getting acquainted with Sam, which gave him some time.
Nodding, the two stepped a bit further away from the vessel for a private conversation.
Aayla sighed softly. "Steve, I understand your concerns and reservations about how the Jedi Order recruits individuals into our ranks. It's not something many would consider ethical by conventional standards."
"There are much stronger words people would use to describe that recruitment method," Steve said with a sharp edge to his voice.
"I understand, Steve, believe me, I do," Aayla said earnestly, "but I need to ask you to try to understand why we must do this to preserve our Order. There are very good reasons for it. I want to explain this to you personally because I feel it's my responsibility."
In an unusually bold move for the typically reserved Jedi, Aayla reached out and gently took Steve's hand in her own.
"Please, Steve, give me and the other Knights a chance to explain," Aayla asked, her eyes meeting his directly. There was a moment of silent communication between them.
Steve, seeing no deception or manipulation in her earnest gaze, softened his stance and gently squeezed her hand in response.
"Alright," Steve said. "I'll listen to what you have to say."
Aayla gave the veteran a warm smile, then suddenly realized she was still holding his hand. Blushing slightly, she let go and cleared her throat, patting his arm instead. "Good luck on your mission, Steve."
"Thank you."
"Try not to get caught up in my Master's crazy schemes."
"Is he really that unpredictable?" Steve asked with amusement.
Aayla laughed. "Master Vos and Kenobi practically grew up together as youngling, and I can honestly say the two know exactly how to push each other's buttons."
"Oh, this should be interesting then."
"It will be. Until we meet again, Steve."
Aayla walked away, and Cap watched her leave until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"What was that all about?" Sam asked with a knowing smirk.
"Nothing, just... extending an olive branch, so to speak."
"Olive branch?" Sam snorted. "Looked like there was a bit more to it than that. You're lucky Natasha isn't here to see this."
"Speaking of which, did she tell you where she and Hope disappeared to?"
"Helping Senator Amidala with some diplomatic mission."
"Ah, politics."
"Yeah, should be right up Natasha's alley."
The two boarded the Eta-class fighter, and Obi-Wan saw that the entire team had assembled.
"Let's get down to business," Obi-Wan began. "Ziro the Hutt was broken out during the hostage situation."
"Yeah, I heard about that clusterfuck," Vos commented casually.
Obi-Wan shot Vos a sharp look, and the unconventional Jedi shrugged apologetically.
"I suspect Jabba the Hutt was behind the rescue. Probably still furious about Ziro kidnapping his son."
Vos nodded, then added, "My intelligence suggests there's more to it than family drama."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"Ziro has compromising evidence against the Hutt crime families," Vos revealed. "My sources indicate he's currently hiding on Nal Hutta, the Hutt homeworld."
"Then we need to find Ziro and that evidence and bring both back for trial," Cap said, and Obi-Wan nodded in agreement.
"I trust we can all focus on this common objective, yes, Vos?" Obi-Wan asked the dreadlocked Jedi.
"No problem," Vos said with a grin. "I'll pilot the fighter and you can be my co-pilot."
Immediately, Obi-Wan rubbed his temples. "I was afraid you'd say that."
"What's wrong with his piloting?" Sam asked with concern.
"Vos actually encouraged Anakin's more... creative flying techniques during his Padawan days rather than sticking to standard Republic protocols."
"Oh... so is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
Obi-Wan gave Sam a look that said everything he needed to know.
The wings of the Eta-class fighter quickly folded into their flight configuration, and the ship headed toward Hutt-controlled space.
Destination: Nal Hutta.