Imperial City, Planetary Orbit, Sector Y-398-29

A winged, saber-shaped gap in space, black on black, hung in orbit over the dirty gray orb of Coruscant. No light emanated from it save for the faint orange glow of powered-down ion drives. It made no outward sound, as most of its systems were currently powered down. The ship just sat in space, a watchful wraith in the void, not moving even as transports three times its size roared past only meters away.

The Imperial forces surrounding the planet had no desire to investigate the ship. Most didn't even know it was there. On a planet like Coruscant, where trillions of ships entered and exited the system daily, there was little the Imperials could do to clamp their iron fist down on a space-faring traveler's passage. Most didn't even try.

For hours the ship hung there, waiting and watching. And its pilot was indeed waiting for something. Something very special.

"Anything yet?" Kalyn Farnmir said to the computer, tapping a button on the flashing green command console with a single gloved hand.

The darkness within the cockpit drew back slightly as an olive-colored holographic loading screen sprang to life before her. The screen was soon replaced by a long list of data and video windows displaying the security cams inside equatorial spaceports.

It was a good bet that her competitor would set down there, as they were the busiest ports on the planet. Bounty hunters were drawn to crowds instinctively — crowds offered anonymity, after all, and gave any merc worth his salt an easy way to evade attention.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't know that Kalyn had hidden computer taps throughout the Imperial security network, and could hack into virtually any security camera across the planet, anywhere and at any time. It hadn't been cheap and it would only last until an attentive Imperial spotted the tap, but for a hunt like this, it was worth every credit.

Yet even with that major advantage, Coruscant was still a big planet. And finding a single ship out of trillions was not easy. She'd been sitting here for the past four hours with no luck. If her target was here, he was sneakier than she gave him credit for.

"Well?" She pressed. "What are your findings?"

"Inconclusive as of yet," the smooth voice of the onboard computer intelligence replied. "But the search is somewhat... broad. There has been no noteworthy contact between underworld forces in the industrial sectors and Mandalorian bounty hunters. It is possible Countess Sekha'haji did not deign to report her meeting with the target."

"Not surprising, considering her track record with bureaucracy." Kalyn leaned forward and rubbed wearily at the bridge of her nose. "What about the ship ID search?"

"Similarly inconclusive," the AI's bland tone seemed to take on a note of sheepishness. "Imperial HoloNet uplinks have been hardened against hacking attempts since your last reported hunt. Such a broad search would undoubtedly draw unwanted attention. With more specific input data I could-"

"Narrow search parameters to ships of Kuati make," Kalyn interrupted, leaning back in the pilot's seat and crossing her legs. "An Abodel prototype stealth model with a black and purple color scheme. See if that narrows it down at all."

"With specified search parameters, I shall compile all relevant data in approximately fifteen galactic standard hours."

"Restrict the search to the last five hours of video feed," Kalyn said. "That outpost on Rhen Var was ransacked yesterday afternoon. And I don't think Vhetin will stay at Bloody Dawn headquarters a second longer than he has to."

"You do not believe that your warning frightened this Mandalorian away?"

She shrugged, her armored pauldrons creaking softly as she did. "Mandos are tough barves, and this is apparently one of the more stubborn ones when it comes to hunting. His dossier didn't paint the picture of a man who faltered under pressure."

"But do you not believe that your warning frightened him away?"

"Look at the evidence: Sekha posts a bounty on Pollamo and days later it's all over the Underworld channels that an Imperial base on Rhen Var has been destroyed and Pollamo has been kidnapped. Only hours after that, this Vhetin character's ship appears on Coruscant making a beeline for Bloody Dawn headquarters."

She shifted in her seat. "My guess is that he went to Sekha for info. She said she'd trade it if he brought Pollamo in, and now he's one step closer to catching up with me. I intend to find him first."

"So you plan to eliminate him?"

"If I have to."

Computer's vocal program paused, as if hesitating. "Security holocams on Rhen Var recorded little more than dark blurs during the siege. How can you be certain it was this Cin Vhetin who attacked the base?"

"I like to know my competition," she said with the hint of a scowl. "And I know Vhetin's style. It was him."

"And you wish to dispose of him before he discovers Kassh's coordinates?"

Kalyn nodded slowly. "That, and I need to give my contacts time to check out Durge's intel. I need to be sure he was telling the truth. He was pretty messed-up when I questioned him."

"Concentrated high-heat flame against organic tissue tends to have that effect on meatbag physiology," Computer observed.

"Yeah. And I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."

There was a long pause from Computer. Then the mechanical intelligence said, "Your sarcasm does not register with my personality coordinators. Please restate."

"Just begin your search, Computer," Kalyn sighed. "And keep an eye on possible exit burns from a ship with the parameters I stated. Don't let anything get past you."

"I will divert more ship power to my systems in accordance with your orders, mistress. I will also inform you if my search discovers anything, or when my search reaches completion."

"Good," she said, rising from her chair. "I need to check up on the prisoner. I'll leave you in charge of things up here for a while."

"Very good, mistress."

Kalyn climbed down the ladder that lead from the cockpit down to the cargo area. The bulkhead walls were a pale gray-blue when light was shone directly on them, but for now the lights had been dimmed considerably to minimize power output and maximize the ship's stealth capabilities. The large room below housed everything from a mini armory to the ship's cages, one of which was currently occupied.

Trapped within one of the cages, his razor-tipped mechanical arms removed and tucked into a storage crate, sat the neurotic Twi'lek that Kassh called his brother. As Kalyn approached, the Twi'lek was chewing on the bars of his cage, obviously unaware that they were built from a special cortosis-durasteel alloy that could hold back a rocket blast. Organic teeth wouldn't get through it in a thousand years. When he saw the bounty hunter approaching, he shrank against the back wall of the cage and growled at her.

Kalyn had caught the schutta trying to sneak away from the outpost after she'd dealt with Durge. She'd seen him scurrying away, hit him in the back with a stun round, and carted him off to her ship without a second thought. He had a price on his own head ― 5,000 credits for a live capture ― and could provide useful intel as to Kassh's location and his plans.

She'd only had the Twi'lek on her ship for a few hours and already she hated him with all her soul. Killk was rude, barely spoke coherent Basic, and had already stunk up the cages with his excrement. Kalyn had half a mind to shoot him right there and rid the galaxy of yet another pathetic life form.

Of all the decent Twi'leks in the galaxy, she thought as she approached, I had to get stuck with the one that has the brain capacity of a spiced-up Ugnaught.

She squatted in front of him, a disgusted scowl crossing her face. "You'd better hope Durge was telling the truth," she said slowly. "Or you won't live to see another sunrise."

Killik spat at her. "Kassh not need me. Killing me get nothing for you."

"On the contrary," she replied, "I get the satisfaction off ripping your entrails out myself and stringing them around the cockpit like streamers. And since you've refused to talk already..."

Killik gulped and paled to lighter shade of green. But he soon recovered his powers of speech and spat at her again. "Kriff you, lady," he snapped, wrapping the stumps of his arms around himself to the best of his ability. "Kassh come and save me. He not leave me here."

"Get used to that cage, then," Kalyn said, standing fully again and turning back towards the cockpit. "You're going to spend the last hours of your life in there."

She headed for the ladder, making sure to walk slowly and give the bounty plenty of time to reconsider. She had her boot on the bottom rung when Killik cried, "Wait! Wait!"

She turned ever so slowly, hand resting casually on the butt of her pistol. She wanted to project an air of cold, calculating mercilessness, just in case Killik got defiant again. She had to assert her control over her prisoner or she'd never get any information out of him.

She raised a single thin eyebrow. "Well? Ready to talk?"

Killk scowled, glaring around the room, pointedly looking anywhere but at her. That was a good sign; it meant he was giving in. When he finally met her gaze, he muttered, "I not want to die. And Kassh is a kriffer if ever I see one. Never nice to me, own brother!"

She knelt in front of the cage again. "Tell me what I want to know. Where is Kassh? What kind of firepower does he have at his disposal?"

Killk reached into the pocket of his filthy vest with his stump of an arm, and Kalyn instantly had her pistol in hand, aimed squarely between the Twi'lek's eyes. The alien squeaked, his eyes crossing to keep the barrel of the blaster in sight.

"Keep your stumps where I can see them," she growled, tightening her finger on the trigger.

"It... It... It just... datacard," he stammered slowly. He shook his pocket hard, until a tiny, black and blue information chip clattered onto the floor. He gestured to it with one of his stumps. "P-put it in ship drive, and it show where Kassh is. Gave it to me, he did. Said it tell me where to go. Where to meet again."

"How do I know it isn't going to infect my ship's computer with a virus?" she asked, holstering the pistol with slow caution. "Or send out a tracer signal that your Ultraviolet buddies can track to my location?"

"I not need to be in more trouble," Killk whimpered pathetically. "That last thing I need."

Kalyn narrowed her eyes, but relented and reached out to take the chip. But before she could take it, her prisoner suddenly pulled it back.

"Wait," he said, sounding as if he'd just had an epiphany. Or the closest to an epiphany an idiot like him could get. "I have idea," he squeaked. "I give you location if you give me free!"

"You want me to let you go," Kalyn clarified, "In return for the datacard. You want me to let you go free?"

He nodded emphatically. Kalyn cocked her head, fighting back the urge to kill the disgusting Twi'lek where he sat.

She hated negotiating with prisoners. It was time-consuming and frustrating; the prisoner usually never settled for anything less than freedom from both imprisonment and repercussions of whatever trouble they would stir up. It was always the same, no matter how insignificant their bargaining chip. They wanted an excuse to continue with their immoral lifestyles, a clean slate so they could go right back to killing, raping, and stealing from anything they could.

Kalyn was not the kind of person to grant such a wish. So she pulled her pistol and pressed it through the bars, aiming squarely between Killk's eyes.

"I have an idea of my own." She frowned in mock-thoughtfulness. "How about I deactivate the cage, take the card, and then throw you out of the airlock?"

Killk's eyes were almost as large as her ship's round viewports. His mouth dropped open and his lekku twitched in fear. She rested her hands on her thighs and narrowed her eyes at him, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "Do you know what happens when someone's tossed out into the vacuum without a space suit?"

He quickly shook his head. She smiled wider. "The temperature creates nitrogen bubbles in your blood and your body swells up like a balloon. Your eyes implode from the pressure, and your lungs explode. Your skin burns from all the unfiltered radiation. Your brain loses oxygen, you pass out, and you die."

She leaned closer. "And that's all in the first fifteen seconds."

She didn't have to say more. Numb with fear, Killk obediently poked the datacard through the bars. She snatched it away before the Twi'lek could change his mind and holstered her blaster, casually heading back to the ladder.

"Hey!" Killk stammered after her. "Hey, you... you let me go now, right? Right?"

"No," Kalyn said, climbing up the ladder. "Whether your intel is helpful or not, you've still got an acceptable price on your head. That's an opportunity I'm not going to pass up."

"B-but," Killk sputtered, "b-but... but..."

She left the Twi'lek to his sputtering, climbed back up the ladder into the cockpit, and settled into her comfortable pilot's seat once more. The door slid shut behind her, thankfully cutting her off from his inane ramblings. After slotting the datacard into the command console, she leaned back and placed her hands behind her head.

The holographic viewscreen of the command console read that the chip was indeed clean of viruses. With a hum, a set of geographical coordinates zoomed down on a holographic map of a dusty beige planet. When it finished, it showed that Kassh's base was situated exactly where Durge had told her.

Well, she thought, genuinely surprised, I guess that walking slimeball was telling the truth after all.

She could still hear Killk crying in the cargo hold. She sighed and settled deeper into her chair, cursing inwardly and doing her best to filter out the sound. She was only partially successful.

Almost twenty years of dealing with scumbags and murderers, she thought with an exhausted sigh. All of them with some kind of grudge against bounty hunters in general. Most of them trying to kill me, lock me in prison, or trying to shoot my ship down. And that's not even mentioning the other bounty hunters trying to take me out before I can get at their bounty. Like Cin Vhetin is no doubt trying right now.

Fierfek, she thought, shaking her head and closing her eyes. She felt sleep tug at her senses, lulling her down into slumber. Sometimes I really hate this job.


Outlander Nightclub, many years ago

"So... how exactly are we going to go about this?" Cian Shee said, looking up from the datapad Kalyn was holding out for her. The pad showed the slowly panning cam view of a well-guarded compound that almost looked like a collection of churches.

Kalyn leaned forward on the bar and put her hand under her chin. "I don't exactly know. I'm guessing that we're going to need a couple cubes of K-3 explosive, an armored vehicle of some type... oh, and we're going to have to hire a third man to fill a sniper position."

Shee pondered over this for a few moments, tapping her chin with one finger. Then she smiled wickedly. "I have just the guy."

"Oh? Who?"

"A Weequay named Ypalpo," she said. "He grew up shooting womp rats on Brentaal and eventually became one of the best speed-shooting snipers in the Outer Rim colonies. I've worked with him before."

Kalyn blinked slowly. "Care to run that by me again? Who?"

"Ypalpo," Cian repeated.

"I have no clue how you're able to pronounce that."

"Just call him Scooter," Cian giggled. "Everyone else does."

"I change my mind," Kalyn said, turning back to the datapad and cutting the video feed. "I like Pyalpo or whatever he's called better. How much does he charge?"

"He's a Weequay," Cian said, shrugging and sipping at her dark blue drink. "He charges more than he's worth. But we can afford him, don't worry."

"Are you sure? We can't afford to screw up. Not on this one."

Cian sighed and set down her drink, watching as a handsome, leather-clad Twi'lek waiter passed by their seats at the bar. "Kalyn, how long have we been partners?"

"Five years," the huntress replied instantly. "Ever since I got flushed out of the Kuati Security Force."

"And how many times have I been wrong about anything? Anything at all?"

"Well there was that time on Bespin, when you said there wouldn't be any karking Jedi so far from the Mid-Rim," Kalyn said, counting off on her fingers. "And that time on Malastare when you bought that second-hand podracer that you were absolutely sure wouldn't explode the moment we turned it on. And there was that time-"

"Okay, okay," Cian said, raising her hands in surrender. "So I've made some mistakes. But how many times have I made a pre-meditated mistake?"

"There was that time on-"

Her partner huffed. "Fine. Just... just trust me on this one, okay? Ypalpo will come through. I know he will."

Cian reached across the bar and squeezed Kalyn's hand tightly in her own. Her plea was mirrored in her eyes.

Kalyn stared at her partner for a few moments, then relented. "Fine," she sighed. She didn't let go of Cian's hand. "Is he up to the challenge? The Psusan Zealots have a pretty big operation."

The other woman chuckled. "He's dealt with shadier characters than the Zealots. I heard he used to work for Black Sun back in the day. Collecting payments that their more idiotic clients refused to pay."

"Xizor and his Sun lackeys are a leech on the galactic black market," Kalyn said with a scowl. "Nothing like the schemes the Zealots are involved in."

"You two gonna order anything else?" the human bartender interrupted, walking up to their end of the bar. "Cause it's almost closing time and I've got a life too."

Cian smiled. "One more round, handsome, then we'll be out of your hair. We're just waiting to meet up with someone."

The bartender nodded and passed them both another tall, dark blue Rancor Crusher, though Kalyn still had a full mug sitting on the bar next to her. Cian loved the drink and ordered it whenever and wherever she could. Kalyn was less enthusiastic.

After sitting in silence for a few moments and scanning the cantina around them, Kalyn leaned over to her partner. "Who, exactly, are we looking for here? You said a Nemoidian?"

"Red eyes and all, yeah. He's got no love for the Zealots, and he's been looking for a way out of their jurisdiction for years. He makes the occasional trip to the Outlander to stock up on information and booze. I figure if we can catch him, we can make him talk."

Kalyn nodded toward the entrance to the cantina. "Then I hope you've got your running shoes on, cause here comes Red-Eyes now."

A green-skinned Nemoidian swaddled in ragged nerf-leather clothes had just walked in, heading straight for the bar. He paused when he saw the two bounty hunters, staring at them for a moment with wide scarlet eyes. He saw them starting, saw the blasters holstered on their hips. Then he spun on his heel and dashed away, back outside.

Kalyn patted her silver-plated blaster and looked over at her partner.

"He's probably got a speeder out there," she said. "You up for a high-speed chase?"

Cian shot her a dazzling grin and pushed away from the bar. "Always. Let's go get him, girl."


"Mistress? Mistress, you must awaken."

Computer's soft voice roused Kalyn from her shallow sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, giving them time to adjust to the darkness of the cockpit and the green light thrown by the control panel before her. She looked around the cockpit for a moment, not entirely awake. She could still hear Cian's words, as if her old partner was right in the cockpit with her.

Just trust me, okay? she'd said.

Trust me.

Oh, CianKalyn leaned forward in her seat, burying her face in her hands and letting out a long breath. She squeezed her eyes shut and thought, Trusting you was the worst mistake I've ever made.

"Mistress?" Computer pressed. "I must notify you of present events."

She sat up straighter, checked the control panel for any problems, then snapped back to business mode. Any lingering thoughts of Cian were pushed away, back to that dark part of her mind that only revealed itself in these rare calm moments.

"What is it, Computer?" She ran a low-power diagnostic of the ship's systems.

"You ordered me to inform you if I found the ship you are searching for, or when my search time ended."

"And which is it?"

"The former," Computer said. "A single Abodel Z390 stealth prototype is currently making its way through Imperial City's orbital defenses. Transponder codes and color schemes match those of your previous search parameters."

She locked the pilot's chair into flight position and took manual control. "Show me where."

A holographic map of the space surrounding Coruscant – green like the rest of the controls – sprang to life in front of her. A flashing spearhead shape labeled Void was slowly making its way away from the planet and heading for the hyperspace lanes. Kalyn spun up the ship's drives and blasted toward the ship's coordinates. "Give me the fastest intercept course possible."

"Adjust heading point-fourteen degrees starboard and increase engine speed to one hundred-fifteen percent. You will intercept Cin Vhetin's ship within three minutes."

"That's not fast enough."

"Any faster and the Imperials will be alerted to your presence," Computer pointed out. "I would suggest my course of action if you wish to maintain suitable anonymity."

She scowled and followed Computer's advice, tapping in a sequence of codes to release the safeties on the ship's weapons systems and activating the ion cannon mounted beneath the ship's nose. The engines rocketed up to one hundred thirty percent thrust. She was pressing her advantage, but hopefully not so much that nearby Imperial ships would take notice.

After two minutes of tense piloting, the spearhead shape of Vhetin's stealth ship came into view. The faded black-purple color of the ship was difficult to pick out against the starry background of space, which Kalyn assumed came in handy when being followed.

But not this time. She had him right where she wanted him.

She fell into line behind the ship as it cut behind one of the enormous orbital mirrors that regulated Coruscant's weather and sunlight. She hung back far enough that she wouldn't draw the hunter's attention, biding her time until the ion cannon charged. She waited even as Computer notified her that the cannon was ready to fire. She was waiting for a single moment, that one moment when Vhetin would let his guard down.

After all, when one believes completely that they're in the clear, that there's no way anything can stop them, even the most paranoid being in the galaxy will relax. It was a fact as old as bounty hunting itself.

Void finally came to a halt and began to rotate, lining up with the hyperspace lane that would no doubt take him back to Mandalore. She hesitated at the sight; why was he leaving? Was he giving up? Or was he heading back to his home planet for reinforcements? In the end it didn't really matter; he had to be taken out either way.

Void's engines began to glow blue-white as the hyperdrive came online. Kalyn waited precisely three seconds before saying, "Computer, fire the ion cannon directly when the hyperdrive is engaged. I want your accuracy level set to maximum. Hit him the moment he pushes that lever forward."

"As you wish, mistress. Should I then plot a docking course so you may board his ship?"

"Good guess, Computer." She pushed away from the command console and slid down the ladder to the cockpit, heading straight for her mini-armory. Killk was still begging for her mercy, but she ignored him as usual. It was easier now that she had a new target in her sights.

She double-checked the sights on her trusty silver-plated pistol, which she slid into the holster on the back of her belt. Then came another backup pistol tucked into the holster on the back of her belt. Next a thin vibroblade was sheathed in her boot. She grabbed twice as many ammo clips for her pistol as usual, storing them in the pouch on her belt, and scooped up a small belt of thermal detonators. She still wondered if that was enough. This was a Mandalorian she was dealing with, after all.

Computer informed her that they were almost ready to open fire. It would have to be enough.

Here I come, Vhetin, she thought with a deeper scowl as she headed for the airlock. Ready or not.


Vhetin sat back in the pilot's seat, helmet in his lap, letting the autopilot take control while he cleaned the blood from the inside of his helmet with a dry cloth. The blood wasn't coming out easy. It never did.

He'd probably have to swap out the buy'ce for a clean one. He'd need to be at the top of his game to bring Kassh in. Anything short of that, and the Twi'lek would escape yet again.

He set aside the cloth and inspected the inside of his helmet. It was clean enough for the moment and he didn't have any more time to waste on it; right now, he needed to check on his partner. The internal ship cams had shown her resting quietly in the medbay for the past hour, but a face-to-face checkup never hurt anyone.

His bucket slid back over his head and he left the cockpit, heading back for the small medical facility toward the rear of the ship. When he entered the room, Jay was sitting on the edge of the medical bench with her head head cradled in her hands. She looked up when she heard his heavy boot steps outside.

Vhetin winced inwardly at the sight of his wounded partner. Her face was covered in burns and abrasions, courtesy of Durge's cannon and the shrapnel that accompanied the explosion, and sported a black eye and several deep bites from the kath hounds. She'd heal, of course, and be back to normal in no time – there wouldn't even be any scars – but it was still difficult to look at.

She must be in a lot of pain, he thought.

"How are you feeling?"

The woman grunted and put her head in her hands again. "Like I've been shot out of a cannon with no padding. My head won't stop pounding. How about you?"

"Don't worry about me," he replied, checking the bacta levels in her IV drip. He increased the dosage. Hopefully it would help with the headache. "I'm not the one who almost took an entire turbolaser round in the chest."

She hissed as the bacta hit her system. He knew from experience it was like being injected with ice water. He checked her vitals one more time, then said, "What you did was very brave."

"I—"

"Stupid," he clarified, "and reckless. But very brave."

She let out a weak, watery chuckle, then winced and held her ribs. "Ah, don't make me laugh. I feel like I'm one foot in the grave as it is."

He stepped closer. "Here. Let me see."

He touched her chin and gently moved her face from side to side, inspecting the severity of her wounds with his helmet scanners. She had some first-degree burns as well as some cuts and bruises. A rib was cracked on her right side and her shoulder had almost been dislocated when she hit the ground. But it was nothing a few hours of bacta treatment and a good night's sleep couldn't fix.

"You should count yourself lucky," he said as he stepped back. He moved to give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, then thought better of it and settled for a nod. "Durge takes personal pride in his marksmanship. A half-foot to the left and you wouldn't have a face left to heal up."

Jay rubbed her eyes and winced as her fingers grazed against her raw skin. Then she lay gingerly back against the med bay cot with a weary sigh and laced her fingers over her stomach. "So where are we?"

"Heading away from Coruscant. I was just checking in before we left."

"Thoughtful of you," she said. She almost smiled at him before an alarmed look invaded her features. "Wait. We're not giving up, are we?"

He shook his head. "No. We just need to get back to Mandalore and find a new place to start our hunt. Restocking on supplies and ammo wouldn't hurt either."

"Why not go back to Sekha? She gave us the information we needed before."

"I'd rather not push our luck with her. She'd probably just make us deal with another of her bounties anyway."

"You… have a point."

"I'm going to do a little research on big MUV movements over the past few weeks. We can maybe pin down Kassh's territories and find out where his gang operates besides Coruscant. That might give us somewhere to start."

"I'll defer to your judgment, I guess." She rested her hands behind her head with a wince. "And I'll try not to get shot next time."

"You did well back there, Jay." He turned away with a small smile, hidden behind the visor of his helmet. "Get some rest and I'll check back with you when we reach the Mandalore system."

He was halfway to the door when her voice drew him back. "Hey Vhetin?"

He turned back to her to find her frowning, staring up at the ceiling. When she met his gaze, there was a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Kalyn Farnmir," she said. "Is it possible she has the information we're looking for?"

"It's possible, I guess." He had reasoned along similar lines not long ago. "It's possible that she attacked Durge before we ever got there."

"And that's why he wasn't in the mood to talk to us when he found us."

He nodded, still thinking. "We should still stop back at Mandalore to restock on weapons and supplies, but going after her is far from a bad idea."

"Well I'm here to help," she replied. She sighed and closed her eyes, no doubt settling in for a well-deserved rest. "Let me know if anyone else tries to kill us."

"Will do. For now, focus on recuperating. I'll be back soon." He nodded to her again and stepped out the door. The medbay sealed behind him, cutting his partner off from view as it locked her securely within, safe from any harmful contagions outside.

Vhetin stared at his boots as they carried him back to the cockpit, frowning thoughtfully. Kalyn Farnmir… strange how things suddenly kept coming back to her. If she really did manage to wring information from Durge, then she knew exactly where Kassh was. At the very least, she would have a fresher lead than any he and Jay had at their disposal.

He settled himself back into the pilot's seat and ran a quick diagnostic of the nav computer. The report said that they were almost ready to jump to hyperspace. It would just take a few moments for the computer to get the ship aligned with the proper hyperspace coordinates.

Maybe Tarron will have some new intel for us too, he thought. And if we're not alone on this hunt any more, maybe it's time to bring in some extra hands. Force knows Brianna would probably want in on the fun.

Either way, their next destination was clear: Mandalore. The navicomputer's completion tone buzzed and he pushed the activation lever forward. The ship lurched and began to accelerate, the hyperdrive letting out a building whine as it began to charge—

Then everything went to hell.

Void's diagnostic had claimed there was nothing out of place. But the moment he pushed the lever forward there was a massive crackling explosion from the rear of the ship. The deck jerked like they'd been hit by an out-of-control asteroid. Vhetin was thrown against the command console and the ship went careening through space, spinning wildly. The space beyond the front viewport whirled in dizzying arcs.

"Damn it!" he shouted, grasping frantically at the flight yoke. The ship's lights flickered, and the control console sparked and went dark. Another explosion sent the ship rocketing in the other direction. He was smashed into the console opposite him now, bounced off the gunner's seat, and slammed hard to the floor. He cursed again and threw himself back into the pilot's seat. The control stick was tense and unresponsive, and he struggled to regain control as a shrill whooping siren rang through the entirety of the ship.

He wrenched the controls and punched in an emergency override sequence. Void trembled violently and began to level out, the siren silenced. He let out a short breath, not letting himself relax just yet.

Sure enough, another explosion tossed him against the front console. The next second, ship-wide power flickered and died. The joystick went slack in his hands and every shipwide system shut down in the blink of an eye. They were left floating aimlessly through space, the stars drifting sluggishly past the front viewport.

Void was disabled. Defenseless.

The door slid open and Jay staggered into the cockpit. Her hair was wildly disheveled and she had a fresh bruise on her forehead; the ship's rocking had obviously thrown her into something. Her voice was harsh and tense as she cried, "What the hell is going on?"

"Ion cannon," he snarled. He frantically hit every emergency function he could remember, but the controls remained dark. Power was out, and only time would restore it. "We're under attack!"

She slid into the gunner's seat with a pained groan and tapped at the controls. There was no response for her either; the console stayed dim. She slapped the side of the monitor and snapped, "Shit. Power's out!"

A nearby readout panel exploded, sending a bright spray of sparks into Vhetin's face. He raised his arm to block his eyes, then punched his fist hard against the ship's flight board. "Yeah, I picked up on that."

"Who's shooting at us?"

Void suddenly ground to a halt, hard enough that it threw the both of them forward in their seats. A loud rumble echoed through the ship and the space outside glowed with an eerie green light.

"Tractor beam," Jay said, staring at the light. Vhetin returned to the captain's seat and tapped at a nearby keypad, furiously trying to reengage the ship's power core.

The green light quickly faded and was replaced by the booming, clanking sound of two ship's docking clamps fastening onto each other. Both he and Jay looked up at the ceiling as the bulkheads shook all around. They heard a few more clanking booms, then everything was still and silent.

"Kriff," Jay muttered. "Someone's trying to board us."

"Bad choice on their part." Vhetin shoved away from the console and moved to the hall outside, motioning for Jay to follow him. She hauled herself out of the chair and limped after him, wincing with every step.

Vhetin headed for the armory, taking a single step into the room and grabbing everything within reach. Two MandalMotors-issue pistols and his lightsabers were transferred to the various holsters on his belts. He tossed Jay a few tibanna cartridges for her own pistol – which she caught carefully – before grabbing a nearby rifle and his saber pike.

"Get back to the med bay," he told her as he armed up. "Seal the door and don't come out until I tell you."

"What?" she said. She shook her head vehemently. "No way am I leaving you alone with this maniac. I'm heading up to the docking bay with you!"

"Not when you're in such a vulnerable state," he replied. "You aren't going to hold up long in a firefight and I'm not going to risk you getting hurt."

"But -"

"Don't argue!" Vhetin snapped as another rumble shook the ship. He slung his rifle over his shoulder. "We don't have much time. Just do it."

She scowled at him, but there was wisdom in his words. She was in no shape to fight and she knew it. She obviously wasn't happy about it, but she nodded and limped off to the medical bay without further protest. The door slid closed and locked behind her.

Vhetin went the opposite direction, further down the hall and into the docking ring airlock. The docking ring protruded from the wall some distance, jutting out like drain pipe into the small room outside. It wasn't hard to squeeze into the small space beside the ring, where he would be almost completely concealed from any boarders. It was a tight fit, but his only chance to take their attacker from behind, where they least expected it.

He just barely pressed into place next to the ring when the docking port irised open with a metallic screech of scraping durasteel. There was silence for a moment. Then he heard slow, cautious bootsteps on the bulkhead. A heartbeat later someone crept into view and he activated his HUD's audio/video pickup to record their attacker.

The boarder was a single human female, of medium height and build with her hair shaved down to stubble. She was wearing form-fitting black body armor, had a single elbow-length black glove adorning her right arm, and carried a silver-plated pistol in her hand. Her appearance was unmistakable.

I guess Kalyn Farnmir wasn't far behind us after all

He would have preferred engaging her on his own terms. He would have preferred time to plan and prepare for an attack. Hell, even five minutes' advanced warning would have been nice. But even denied such an advantage, he still had the element of surprise.

He slowly crept out from his hiding space, putting as little weight as possible on his toes to muffle the sounds of his bootsteps. He was only partially successful; hopefully, the sound of the ship's ion drive would help to cover up the noise. He inched up behind the hostile woman, raising his deactivated saber pike over his shoulder. A quick blow to the head would stun her, maybe knock her unconscious. He'd restrain her without further conflict and then he'd finally be able to get some answers.

Fate, it seemed, preferred he do things the hard way.

She somehow anticipated the attack, spinning and catching the hard staff before the attack could land. Vhetin grunted in surprise as his attack was halted with jarring force. She wrenched the weapon aside, out of the way, and drove an armored elbow into Vhetin's faceplate before he could move to defend himself. The blow hit home with a sharp crack of metal on metal. He was forced back a few steps by the force of the attack. His pike hit the floor and rolled away out of reach.

Farnmir raised her silver-plated pistol and aimed at his unarmored neck, her eyes narrowed dangerously. She was aiming to kill and they both knew it.

Instinct kicked in; he dropped, kicking out with one foot and managing to hook his boot around her ankles. She hit the floor hard with a surprised grunt and her pistol discharged with a snap against the wall, creating a small pop of sparks that danced across the hard grated floor.

He moved forward to press the attack, reaching for his rifle as he did. But his opponent wasn't out of the fight just yet. She drove her boot heel into his gut hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs, even through his armor. As he doubled over she raked her foot upward, catching him in the chin and making his teeth slap together with a jarring clack. He fell back against the opposite wall, disoriented and in pain.

Farnmir nimbly flipped back up to her feet, scooping her weapon back into her hands and swiveling to bring him into view. Vhetin tensed and raised his rifle. They both froze, their weapons trained on each other's head. Neither fired. They just stood there, frozen in place, weapons raised and unmoving. Within seconds, the fight was over.

Silence reigned for an uncomfortably long time. Farnmir broke the silence first.

"You seriously thought," she snarled, breathing hard, "that I wouldn't hear a fully-armored Mandalorian trying to sneak up behind me? What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

He narrowed his eyes and his HUD automatically zoomed in on the woman's scowling face. His targeting reticle centered on her forehead and flashed red to indicate a good shot. All he had to do was squeeze the firing stud a little more...

"Don't even think about it," Farnmir said as if she could read his mind. "You kill me and we both die."

"Small arms fire isn't effective against my armor," he replied, pointedly making sure his helmet was tilted down to protect his unarmored neck from incoming fire. "So unless you're secretly packing a disintegrator..."

"Come on." She shot him a feral grin and raised her left hand. "I'm no newcomer to this business. I did better."

A small, round thermal detonator was clasped in her hand, quietly beeping and flashing a tiny red light; both signs that the grenade was armed and counting down. They would only have a minute at the most before the thing exploded, and even in full beskar'gam there was no way Vhetin could survive such a blast. When he looked closer, he also saw that there was a small ring hooked around her thumb.

A kill switch. If her finger came off the det's trigger and pulled that ring from the grenade, it would instantly explode.

Farnmir flexed her fingers over the retracted activation cap, making the kill switch shake dangerously. She glanced at it, then back to Vhetin with a triumphant smirk. "Unless you want to meet your maker earlier than anticipated," she pressed, "I suggest you lower your weapon."

Vhetin didn't move. He wasn't about to fall for the ploy. If he lowered his weapons she would shoot him there and deactivate the bomb. It was a lesson even the most rookie hunter knew well: never grant control of a standoff to your enemy. So he gave her a single terse shake of his head. "No deal."

"Fine, you want a sign of good faith?" She suddenly holstered her silver-plated pistol, then raised her free hand in surrender. "I'll lower mine first. But if you shoot me and my finger comes off this trigger, the det goes of instantly. Even if you aren't killed outright, the explosion will still vaporize this room and send us both flying off into the void."

Vhetin stared at her for a long moment, seriously considering shooting her anyway. But reason, as always, won out over bravado. He cursed quietly and lowered his gun. "What do you want? I doubt you came here to wish me luck on my hunt."

Farnmir carefully extricated her thumb from the kill switch and retracted the detonator's activation cap, safely deactivating the explosive. Once the det was defused, she clipped it back to its place on her belt.

"I warned you to stay away from Kassh," she said as she worked. "I warned you of the consequences if you continued to interfere."

"I don't take kindly to death threats. If I ran away and hid every time someone threatened to kill me, I wouldn't be able to leave Mandalore."

She nodded, looking reluctantly impressed. "All right, I'll give you that one. But I'm not going to let you take Kassh in. I happen to-"

"I know all about your history with Kassh," Vhetin interrupted. "And quite frankly, I don't care. I got first word of the bounty, I risked life and limb to gather information on him, and I'm the one who had to kick Durge's ass to investigate his base."

She scoffed. "A base where I had already eliminated the perimeter defenses, lured away Kassh's guards, and dealt with Durge first. Even with your big, bad Mandalorian attitude, I get the points for that one."

"So why are you attacking us?" Vhetin snapped, folding his arms across his chest. "If you've already taken Kassh in, why-"

"You really think I have Kassh? You think that I was any more successful dealing with Durge than you were?" Farnmir scoffed. "Have you met that guy?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Kassh wasn't at the base when I got there," she snapped. She rested her hands on her hips and cocked her head to one side, raising a sharp eyebrow in challenge. "He'd left hours before I even arrived in-system."

Vhetin absorbed the new information quickly and without response. Kassh was still on the loose? If so, he and Jay still had a chance to salvage something from this. If they could just track down where he went...

His gaze slowly traveled back to Farnmir, glaring at her through his helmet's tinted T-visor. "So what happens now?"

She shrugged. "My original plan was to sneak aboard, kill you before you had the chance to defend yourself, then head off on my own free of any more competition. Maybe steal some of your equipment along the way. But you've karked up that plan, haven't you?"

"You know where Kassh is?"

"I managed to wring it out of Durge when I brought him down."

He didn't back down just yet, his gaze lingering on her holstered pistol. A tiny weapon like that wouldn't be near enough firepower to even make the Gen'dai flinch. His tone was cold and skeptical as he said, "You took Durge down? How?"

She grinned again with that same hard, wild expression as before. "I exploited the biggest physical weakness that almost every male in this galaxy possesses. And I used a concussion grenade and a flamethrower to get the job done. You really want me to go into further detail?"

Vhetin, despite himself, chuckled. "Wow. No wonder he wasn't in the mood to talk."

Things were slowly starting to fall together. Kalyn obviously wasn't lying to him, despite her less-than-friendly introduction. And if there was a chance he could manage to salvage something from this…

"Look," he eventually said, leaning against the wall and folding his arms. "I don't want to kill you. I've got a wounded partner, a dead-end hunt, and now a disabled ship. I've got more important things to do than engage in a duel to the death with a fellow bounty hunter."

"Wise choice."

"And I'm sure you don't want to waste the time and ammunition it would take to kill me," he continued. "We both have bigger aiwhas to fry here, so it doesn't make sense to turn on each other."

She thought over this, then eventually nodded again. "It would be smarter for me to set out right now. I've already wasted enough time tracking you down. But I warned you-"

"Kriff what you warned me," he interrupted. "Even split three ways, Kassh's bounty is more than adequate."

She paused, staring at him with a newfound frown. She folded her arms and snorted in disbelief. "You're suggesting we work together? Thanks, but no thanks. I've had more than my fair share of backstabbing for one lifetime."

"We've each got something the other needs," Vhetin pointed out. "You have Kassh's location and my partner and I will just be that much more firepower on your side."

"I can handle myself. Kassh won't stand a chance against me."

"Then you're a fool," he snapped. "Kassh isn't going to fall back to the middle of nowhere. Now that he knows we're after him, he's going to head back to familiar territory. Well-defended, fortified territory. The fact that he didn't take Durge with him only proves it."

He pushed off the wall and took a step toward her. Her hand instinctively traveled to the butt of her pistol.

"Kassh knows we're after him," he repeated. "He knows that we both have the means and motivation to cause him quite a bit of grief. The odds are in our favor, not his."

She scowled at him, but he continued, "So he's going to fall back to a place where he's strong and set himself up for the endgame, with his back against the wall. That means more guns, more guards, and more chances for you to kriff it all up. We stand a better chance of bringing him down if we work together."

Her jaw tightened and her brows knitted furiously. She obviously didn't like what he had to say, but there was no denying the truth in his words. It was clear she was no rookie to this business, and she had to know a good idea when she heard one.

"I… see your point," she eventually admitted. "But you're an idiot of you think I'm going to trust you just because you have bigger guns than me."

"I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm suggesting that we work together so we can provide each other fire support. Make sure Kassh is brought to justice, once and for all."

"And if I refuse?"

Vhetin didn't shift from his position leaning against the wall, but his tone grew positively icy. "Then you might as well get that detonator back out."

She scowled, if possible, even deeper. She glared at him, then turned her back and ran a hand over the stubble on her head, no doubt weighing the options before her. After a few tense moments she sighed explosively, turned back to him, and threw her hands up in defeat.

"Fine! Fine," she snapped. "I don't like it, but you're right. We'll have to work together for now. It's the best way to guarantee we get this done. It's total bullshit, but it's true."

"I'm not exactly thrilled about it myself," Vhetin pointed out. "But it's infinitely preferable to the alternative. I have your word you won't shoot us in the back the first chance you get?"

She heaved a sigh. "Do you need to spoil all my fun?"

"Swear it."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. I promise I won't shoot you in the back when all this is done. I swear it on the almighty hunt gods or whatever you Mandos believe in."

He grunted, satisfied. "Fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an injured partner I need to check up on."

She turned back to the docking ring and her own ship, looking all too eager to put distance between them. "I'll transmit the coordinates to your ship when you have power again. And I have your word that you won't take the coordinates and shoot off to get Kassh on your own?"

"Like I said, I've got bigger problems right now. And I'm usually a pretty straightforward guy. Scheming and plotting just makes my head hurt."

"Honesty…" Farnmir paused. "I admire that in man. I like it even more in a fellow bounty hunter."

He didn't reply. He just left the room and sealed the door behind him, just in case she got any funny ideas. He may have agreed to work with her for a time, but that didn't mean he trusted her. In fact, it was just the opposite; she had already proved herself to be cunning, volatile, and more than ready to fight. Those were all qualities that made Vhetin nervous.

There was a loud rumble as Farnmir's ship began to lift away from Void, swiftly followed by a loud clank as the docking clamp released. Vhetin felt the ship slowly begin to drift through space once more. The power core was still offline, then.

He knocked on the door the med bay. Three sharp raps, then two more after a short pause; it was an all-clear signal he'd taught Jay early on in her training. Anyone trying to impersonate him wouldn't know the signal and would therefore reveal himself.

The door instantly sheathed open and Jay stuck her head out. She glanced up and down the hall, her pistol clutched tightly in her hand.

"Is she dead yet?" she asked.

"Worse," Vhetin replied, stepping back to allow his partner to limp out of the room. She was already walking better and most of the burns on her face and hands were healing up nicely. "We're going to be working together."

Jay's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

She followed him to the armory. As he returned his weapons to their assigned locations, he explained the situation. "She has Kassh's location. His real location. She's agreed to work with us as long as she gets a cut of the reward."

"I don't believe it," his partner said. "After she went through all the trouble to keep us away? It sounds suspicious."

"I didn't believe her either," he admitted, resting his pike back onto its designated grav-hooks on the wall. "But it's not like we have any other choice. We're dead in the water without her."

She frowned and replaced her borrowed pistol. "How did you get her to agree to work with us?"

"Let's call it…" he hesitated. "Let's call it aggressive negotiations."

She snorted. "I'll bet. What did you do, hit her over the head then tell her that you just want to be friends?"

"I tried," he admitted. "But it didn't quite work out that way. She seemed content to hold up her end of the bargain as long as we don't try and knock her out of the picture. I'm going to uphold my end and not try and kill her again."

"You did exclude me from that arrangement, right?" Jay said with a scowl. She gestured at the burns on her arms and face. They were fading quickly, but still visible. "It's her fault that I was hurt. She had already pissed Durge off badly enough that he had to take it out on somebody. And don't even get me started on the damn kath hounds."

They both headed back to the cockpit. Just outside, they could see Farnmir's thin, angular ship darting forward through space. Its engines glowed bright emerald green as it headed for the hyperspace exit.

Vhetin settled into the pilot's seat. The lights flickered and warmed around them as the effects of Farnmir's ion barrage finally wore off and power was restored. He sighed in relief and took the joystick, guiding his ship after Farnmir's. Her saber-shaped ship sliced through space ahead of them, heading for the nearest hyperspace exit zone.

"Because of her," he said, "we didn't have to sneak past the patrols, guards, and turrets as well as Durge and the kath hounds. You should be thankful."

"What do you think would be appropriate thanks? Five blocks of lit baradium charges?"

He was about to retort when the comm sputtered.

"Come in Void," Farnmir said over the transmission channel. "Prepare to receive mission-critical coordinates. Transmitting now."

"Copy that, uh..." Vhetin paused, then said, "What exactly is your ship's name, Farnmir? Your transponder reads-"

"The transponder's spot on, Vhetin," she interrupted. "The ship's name is Tough Luck."

"Okay," Jay grudgingly muttered from the copilot's seat, "I have to admit I like that."

"Follow me, and don't fall behind. I'm not stopping, and I'm not waiting for you rookies."

"'Rookies?'" Jay and Vhetin said simultaneously, frowning at each other.

Then the Tough Luck shot forward and jumped away to hyperspace. Jay let out a breath as Vhetin synced up the navicomputer. "I can see that this is going to be a wonderful partnership," she muttered. "Where do the coordinates lead, anyway?"

"Uh, it looks like the outskirts of Anchorhead, Tatooine," Vhetin replied as he consulted the navicomputer. He sighed and sat back in his seat with a grunted curse. "Of course. I should have known he'd end up there sooner or later."

"Tatooine? Never heard of it."

"It's a backwater desert world on the edge of the Outer Rim. A haven for pirates, smugglers, and other scum." he sighed. "That's going to make things a little more difficult."

"Why?"

He was glad his helmet masked the pained look on his face. "Let's just say I caused some problems the last time I was there. Don't expect a warm welcome."

"No problem." Jay rolled her eyes. "Between being shot at, mauled, and nearly blown up, I'm starting to expect everyone wants to kill me on sight."

Vhetin said nothing more as he pushed forward the activation lever. The stars blurred to streaks, and this time there was no explosion or ion barrage. With a high-pitched whine, the hyperdrive activated and Void erupted into hyperspace, following their former enemy's ship into the unknown.