Tyresius Lokai sat, still processing the words he had heard as he stared at the datapad in front of him. His own face stared up at him, the profile mug shot of his file on the bounty data base. The bounty hunter Estar had handed it to him and was no sitting across from him, her arms crossed as she patiently waited for him. She had given it to him so that he could mark himself as 'deceased', eliminating the heavy bounty placed over his head. They had decided it would be most fitting if he marked it himself.
He sighed, still struggling. As soon as he hit that button, Tyresius Lokai would be dead, leaving a free man behind. Well, not entirely free, but enough that he would be able to lay low for at least a few years without being constantly hassled.
Estar stayed silent. She was the gruff and quiet type, he had realized in the short time he'd known her. He had trouble still grasping that she was the same lanky kid who had chased him across Nar Shaddaa. Though she wasn't much taller than before, he could see how she had aged. Her cheeks were sharper, lines marked her eyes. A few small scars were scattered over her face and hands, tiny lines of lighter blue across her skin. Even slouched in her chair, he could see that she was tense, like a panther waiting for its prey to move into killing range. When she was just a kid, he watched her take down a wild Jedi. Just yesterday, he watched her tackle down another hunter despite her injuries from a sonic cannon.
Danger radiated from her like an aura of moonlight.
Shaking his head, he struggled to tear his attention away from her. Tyresius looked back at the datapad. She promised him a new life, one working for her instead of running from angry crime lords. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea that she trusted him. But here he was, holding a new opportunity that she was handing him.
"Take your time," She said, her voice as slow, deep, and rich as honey. He glanced back at her. She leaned back, glowing eyes half closed.
Tyresius took a deep breath. It wasn't figuratively killing himself that was bothering him. A lifetime of deceit poured down the drain, it would be better this way. But could he do better? Would working as a bounty hunter's assistant really change anything? Or would his nature take over, making him leave her in the lurch, holding the bags? Estar wasn't a saint, but he could tell how important honesty was to her. But why was she doing this for him? Why was she giving up a 150 million credit bounty in exchange for another crony? He probably would never figure out this enigma of a woman beside him, but he supposed that he was alright with that.
Tyresius's thumb finally tapped the 'deceased' button.
Lokai was dead.
Heaving a sigh of relief as he felt the millstone of stress lift from his shoulders, he handed back the datapad to her.
"What's it like being dead?" She asked. He was 90 percent sure she was actually teasing. A tiny smirk passed over her lips.
He shrugged, "Well, not too shabby. I get to meet pretty girls,"
Estar's eyes flattened. He was sure that he was probably toying on a dangerous line, but her reaction every time he suggested she was attractive, a mixture of disbelief and exasperation amused him. She probably wasn't used to being complimented on her looks. It was a pity, "Bold words for a dead man to be saying," She retorted, bringing up another page on the datapad, "This is some software I, ahem, borrowed from a previous employee. You can create your own bio from it, complete with a new ID. It will be put into the Holonet, undetectable and completely legitimate. If anyone ever finds you, it will be your fault, not because of this,"
"Have you used it before?" He asked as he took it in his hands. Indeed, the screen looked identical to the ID pages of the Holonet, only it was blank.
"Well…"She shrugged, "Not actually. You're my guinea pig,"
"Are you planning on using it for yourself one day?"
A sad look passed over her face, "I'm too far gone, but Tytus or Mako can use it,"
He stared at her for a moment, trying to read her. Too far gone? How could she be too far gone? Of course, he doesn't actually know her, he reminded himself. Who knows what in the galaxy she'd gotten herself into? Something told him, though, that he'd be finding out soon enough.
He typed in a name, and noticed that Estar was straining herself to casually peer over and see what he'd written, "Gault Rennow," He answered her.
"Ah. That's an interesting name," She replied. She looked a tiny embarrassed that he caught her snooping.
"On Corellia, it's the name of the street corner I grew up on. I always liked it, thought it sounded dashing,"
"Charming," Estar stood up, patting him on the shoulder, "Welcome aboard, Gault Rennow. Betray me and I'll pump you full of blaster bolts,"
Gault Rennow watched her walk away. He knew that despite the grin on her face, she was deadly serious. And for some reason, he wasn't scared.