Disclaimer: I do not own star wars: the clone wars. George Lucas (and I guess now Disney) does.
In the large city of Mos Eisley, on the desert planet of Tatooine, Dengar checked for available bounties in a bar. It was stuffy and roasting hot; a typical day on Tatooine. The bar was also filled to the brim, which made it even warmer. Dengar was a human bounty hunter, who wore rugged, beat-up armor and wrapped his head with a large white cloth, which only made the heat that much more unbearable. He mainly worked with Boba, another young bounty hunter, and his group. This time, however, he wanted all the money for himself. After all, money was his main priority.
Curiously, Dengar searched through the list of bounties. One from Jabba came up, describing a Neimoidian who had been giving the Hutt a rough time. The contract required two bounty hunters for a guaranteed success. That troubled Dengar. He usually worked with other hunters, but that did not mean he enjoyed it.
I guess I could work with someone else. It definitely pays more than enough. . . Alright, I'll take it.
He downloaded the contract on his transmitter and headed towards Jabba's palace.
In different bar on the other side of Mos Eisley, Latts Razzi was doing the same. She was a Theelin, with orange hair, blue eyes and bright purple skin. She wore sleeveless battle armor and had a long, green metal scarf that she used in combat. Latts also frequently worked with Boba, but she needed a job that paid more. The five-way cuts were not supplying her with as much as she would have liked. As she ran down the list she came up on a simple, two-person contract for Jabba.
Well, it's better than splitting the money five ways. . . I could also kill my partner and take all of it anyway.
Unknowingly, she took the same job as Dengar.
Latts grabbed a speeder and headed for Jabba's palace. She parked outside and entered the door to party room. She could not believe who she saw talking with the Hutt; Dengar.
Ugh. I thought I would be rid of idiots on this contract. I never win . . . Well, Dengar isn't too bad, she thought.
Dengar finished his conversation and looked over to see Latts staring at him. He gave her a cocky smile and she looked away. Slowly, he walked up to her.
"Well hello there, darling. Are you my partner on this bounty?" he asked, still smiling.
"Unfortunately," she replied, her tone serious. "What's the deal here?"
"Well, it looks like a simple assassination contract. He's located on a far forest moon. Jabba didn't give me a name, just coordinates." He handed her the details on the holo-computer.
Latts scanned the contract, and then looked back at Dengar. "Okay, let's get this over with."
He's as cocky as ever, but at least he seems to be taking this seriously.
They left the palace, passing multiple Gamorian guards and other scum. Dengar smiled as they got to the landing platform.
"Okay sweetheart, there's the ship. I didn't have too many credits to spend, but it should be big enough for the both of us," he said, pointing at a fairly small spacecraft.
They walked inside. It had a cockpit with two pilot seats, a small bedroom with one bed, and a cramped refresher with a shower, sink, and toilet.
"Wow, you are so cheap," she laughed.
He gave her a small smile and blushed a little. "Well, it's not the biggest, but it'll do. We can take shifts. One sleeps while the other pilots the ship. It should take only a day to get to the target system."
"Alright," she mumbled. "We better get going so we can kill the target before he moves. I can take the first shift if you want."
"Nah, I've got it. You get some rest. Don't break anything, 'cause that's credits out of my pocket," he grumbled.
Latts laughed. "Whatever." She walked into the bedroom and lie down.
Dengar sat in the pilot seat and started the ship. He flew up into space and jumped to light speed. Hours went by of staring into the blue colors of hyperspace.
Latts doesn't seem to be so thrilled about working alone with me. Then again, she's rarely thrilled. I should have thought this one through.
He checked the clock to see it was time to switch shifts. Setting the autopilot, he got up and walked into the bedroom. Latts was calmly asleep, her breathing steady as a metronome.
Since when did Latts look this good? . . . No, no, you're not falling for her.
Dengar was about to wake her up, but then stopped. She was too peaceful; he couldn't ruin that. The bounty hunter carefully pulled the blanket back up to her shoulder. He turned and left for the controls.
Latts, not actually asleep, peeked over her shoulder to watch Dengar leave.
I guess that arrogant fool does have a heart.
She blushed and fell back to sleep.
Dengar silently piloted the ship. He struggled against exhaustion, fighting to keep his eyes for hours. Latts got up, bored of "sleeping". As he heard her coming, he quickly shook away his tired expression.
"So, someone is finally awake," he said, with his usual cocky smile.
She gave him a small half-smile. "Yeah. Now why are you stealing my shift?"
Dengar blushed. "You looked tired. Besides, I didn't want to listen to your nagging."
"Did that also force you to pull the covers over me?" she asked, laughing.
He started to get nervous.
Damn, she knows.
"Alright Sunshine, it's your turn to drive," he said, quickly changing the subject.
Dengar got up and strolled into the bedroom. Taking off his armored vest, he slowly lay in bed, longing for rest to come.
Latts took over the controls and drove the rest of the way.
Does he actually care for me? Why else would he let me sleep?
They reached the moon after a few hours. Latts landed the ship and got up to wake Dengar. The blanket-covered man was calmly snoring in the bed.
She smiled, almost laughing, at the sight. However, he needed to wake up. Latts grabbed his rifle and threw it at his chest.
"Owwww! What's the big idea?" he groaned.
"We're here, so come on, lazy."
"Fine. Better get up before you throw something else at me," he said, chuckling.
She smiled at him and grabbed her pistol.
They exited the ship and took their first glance of the moon's surface. It was gorgeous; a light blanket of snow covered the mixture of palm trees and bright green conifers. The sunlight glittered off the snow making it shine brilliantly. A strong pine scent filled the cool air, carried by a slow breeze that caused the trees to sway in rhythm.
Latts shivered, but hid it quickly.
Dengar was nice and warm with everything he wore. "Let's get moving. Do you know where the target is?" he asked.
"Yeah, he's in a well-fortified camp about five clicks north," she answered.
Great. I'll freeze to death before I even get to the target.
"Right," he said. They started cautiously towards the coordinates of the separatist base. An hour passed of silence; they needed to hear the things going on around them.
Latts noticed the dozens of peeks Dengar was taking at her. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Nothing, just . . . surveying the area," he answered, winking at her.
Latts rolled her eyes at him. "All men are the same."
Dengar was about to argue when he heard clanking metal. His eyes widened. "Oh no."
Laser shots fired at them as they took cover behind some trees. Dengar aimed around a large pine and shot down two commandos, but more were coming.
Latts whipped her metal scarf around the neck of a droid and threw it against the tree. As she was getting back behind cover, a laser shot hit her right shoulder. She winced in pain, but kept up the fight. She turned and shot down three commandos. Another laser hit her in the right hand. This time she let out a cry and fell to the ground. Dengar heard and could only imagine what happened.
Dammit! Stupid droids.
"Stay down Latts, I'm coming!" he shouted.
Dengar ran to her position, which was surrounded by a few large rocks and palm trees, to protect her. He peered around a tree to see the last four droids coming at them. He ran around and shot two of them down. The remaining two came too close for guns. They simultaneously hit him in the gut and one threw him to the side. Then they started heading for Latts. Dengar looked up and knew where they were going.
The commandos looked down at the injured Latts with their guns aimed at her head. "Terminate her."
Dengar's blood boiled. He quickly jumped up and yelled, "THE HELL YOU WILL!"
Dengar charged one of the droids. He twisted its neck and ripped the head off. However, his victory was short-lived; the other droid ran up behind him and struck him in the back. Before he could react, the droid was shot through the chest by Latts.
"Take that you pile of scrap!" she yelled.
Dengar ran to Latts' side. The shot that hit her hand went straight through and she was bleeding. Her shoulder had only been glanced. Dengar didn't know much about healing, but he did what he could. He ripped off two pieces of cloth from his headdress and wrapped them around her wounds. Latts winced in pain.
"Maybe you should learn how to fight," he said, trying to lighten the mood.
She looked up and saw the parts of his face that had previously been hidden by the cloth. Burn marks and various scars were revealed. The burns seemed excruciating and one scar appeared to have once been a near fatal wound; the old cut was deep, and dark crimson in color. She started to feel sorry for him. The pain he must have endured. . .
Dengar finished up the bandaging and helped her lean against a tree. The sun was setting and Latts was in too much pain to continue.
"You stay here and I'll set up camp," he said, reassuringly.
Latts nodded in response. She was too embarrassed to say anything.
Great. He'll never let me live this down. He seems to be genuinely concerned about me though . . . That's odd.
Noticing how bad Latts was shivering, Dengar went to gather some firewood. When he came back, he sat down near Latts, who was trying to get some sleep. He lit a fire, but it didn't seem to help. Hesitantly, he took off the rest of his headdress off and laid it over her shoulders.
Latts, who was not yet asleep, grabbed his hand and pulled him close. She kissed his cheek.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"No problem, sweetheart," he answered, "I'll watch for tonight. You get some rest, so we can finish the contract by tomorrow." He got up and continued his watch.