Azura tensed. "Which bounty hunter?"
Eva, not bothering to look at her, replied, "You know which one."
"Alright, so what's the plan? What are we going to do?"
Eva shot her a look. "We aren't going to do anything-"
"What? But-"
"I will do something."
"Wait, you're not letting me go on the mission?"
Eva sighed. "Azura, sometime you can be a bit… impulsive."
"I am not!"
Eva shook her head. "I'm going and you should stay on the ship."
"No! That's not fair."
"Life's not fair, sweetie."
She bristled at the term of endearment.
"How did he disappear?" She asked gingerly.
"I was contacted half an hour ago. He was on a mission in Zygerria. Last we heard, he made contact with the queen."
"The queen? What's he doing there?"
"Just snooping around. They're with the Imperials."
"I guess he's been compromised then?"
"Yeah, that's what I think." Eva locked eyes with Azura. Her bright blue eyes glittered in the light. Some many emotions could be communicate through those eyes. "Look, Azura, I know you want to go… But I've got legitimate reasons to keep you here. Right now, I'm your superior and you are to obey my orders, understood?"
"Yes, ma'm," she muttered.
Eva gave her a small smile. "Why don't you join me?"
Azura brewed herself some hot tea and took her place beside Eva. Azura refused to make eye contact with her. Instead, she watched the brown colors swirl around in her mug, tainting the water around the tea leaves. A tiny ribbon of steam rose up from the warm mug. She drank slowly, savoring the comforting warmth in her stomach. The vacuum of space seemed colder than usual.
"Azura," Eva sighed. "I really don't want to lose you. Ever since… my planet was invaded, I decided I'd never lose anyone close to me again. I can't lose you." Her eyes dimmed when she mentioned the invasion. She didn't talk about it much.
Azura met her gaze. "I know, but I don't want to lose you either."
"You won't. This is just something I want to do alone."
Azura nodded, but she had already made up her mind. She helped Eva pack, making sure her weapons were properly concealed. The ship shuddered as it landed. Eva was preparing to leave, but suddenly whirled around and embraced Azura. Slowly, Azura returned the gesture.
"You're the closest I've had to a sister in a long time. Be safe," Azura whispered.
"So are you. Don't worry. I'll be back with that excuse for a bounty hunter in no time."
Azura chuckled. She waved until the door to the landing bay shut. As soon as she left, Azura ran into the cockpit and watched the ship's cameras until Eva was out of sight. She checked the entrance. Locked. Azura smiled to herself. Too easy. Buttons clicked and clacked as her fingers danced over them with ease. The entrance unlocked. Azura ran into her room, donning a disguise. She wore slave attire underneath her heavy hood. She's not doing this alone, Azura thought determinedly. The outfit was a shimmering pale lavender. She added a gauzy skirt for 'modesty' and a gun underneath her skirt for safety. She quickly braided her hair and pulled her cloak tighter. Azura reasoned it's be easier to pass as a slave rather than a slave owner. Though she didn't want to be mistaken for a slave, it was better than them realizing she was a rebel. She drew the cloak tighter still as she opened the entrance. She shielded her eyes from the blazing sun. Apparently, they were parked in an outdoor landing bay. She squinted her eyes, effectively protecting them from the dry dust that swirled in the air. She nonchalantly strolled into the city, fringed with a tall blue wall. Rich diamond patterns adorned the azure walls. The Zygerrians on top eyed her warily, but they didn't stop her. This IS impressive, she admitted. She was greeted by a small market place. People quarreled over merchandise, ranging from succulent fruit to, of course, slaves. Beggars squabbled over scraps. The air was hazy with dust. The wealthy wore silk and linen robes, adorned with glittering jewels, while the poor, including the slaves, wore rags. A few of the females wore sparkly, immodest outfits. Azura's eyes watered as smoke billowed from a grill behind a food stand with odd objects, supposedly food, dangling from overhead. A few black orbs, with one glaring red eyes, floated around the marketplace. She glanced at a pretty blue twi'lek being bartered off. Her shoulders drooped and her expression was that of utter misery. She was dressed in an understated black outfit, revealing too much midriff and cleavage. I was in a similar position a while ago… Azura shivered. She was glad she hadn't been used for anything like the Twi'lek had been through. She pitied her, but she had a mission. Azura glanced at her one last time before observing the hazy horizon. A palace was planted in the middle of the vast city. Tall blue towers, decorated with accents of gold, rose high above any other structure. Step One: Infiltrate Base. She drew in a breath to steady herself. Azura shuffled through the streets, willing herself to be invisible. A Zygerrian male bumped into her.
"Watch where you're going." He scrutinized her.
Azura nodded mutely and attempted passing. He stepped in front of her path.
"Ah, wait. Not so fast. Remove your hood."
"I am under no obligation to listen to you," she snapped.
He ripped the cloak off.
"Ah, a runaway slave. Where's your master?" he purred.
Blast it. I KNEW this was a bad idea. Icy fear snaked through her core.
"I am on an errand for him."
He smiled smugly, revealing his pristine canines. "Well, I hope he will not mind a… delay."
He placed a hand on her hip. She hissed as she drew back, like she'd been burned.
"Actually-"
"No, he won't. For I am the queen's commander. What I say is law."
He made another attempt to grab for her, but she ducked and rolled past him.
"Stop that filthy, little slut!" he growled.
Azura turned sharply and ran into an alley. She zig-zagged, as she had been taught to by Eva, until she was sure she'd lost them. She stopped and bent over, hands on her knees, trying to catch a breath of fresh air. The dry dust quickly parched her mouth. She ignored the urge and made a bee-line for the palace. The structure towered high above her. She craned her neck back to gaze at its peak. The entrance consisted of large, golden double doors, carefully guarded by warriors. Infiltrate base, easier said than done. She sighed as she observed her options. No doubt, breaking into a palace wouldn't be easy. She casually strolled around the perimeter. There was a back entrance, but that was also guarded. Blast it, blast it, blast it. She had an idea.
Azura sashayed up to one of the guards, her hips swaying elegantly. She put on her cutest flirtatious face.
"I just had to see you for myself. I heard Zygerrian guards are the…" Cutest? Strongest? Buffest? She sidled up to the guard. "Well, let's just say words don't do them justice."
She splayed her palm on his chest and winked. He smirked back, like the cat that got its cream.
"So, too busy to show me around?" She asked, smooth as oil, sweet as honey.
"Ehm, Atair, work double duty for a while, will ya?"
"No! You've snuck off with enough girls in the past week."
"Oh, if ya wanna play it like that. You don't recall what you did yesterday?"
"Fine," the other guard seethed.
The guard Azura had managed to charm boldly encircled a hand around her waist. Azura grit her teeth and plastered a semi-pleasant smile to her face. She would have liked nothing more than to pummel him into the ground. See? Who says I'm impulsive? The guard led her down a hallway, to the servants' quarters.
"Wow, this is impressive. Takes a real man to guard something like this. So, where is the queen's throne room?" She batted her eyebrows. Sooooo gullible.
"Down that way, but we're taking a detour." He smiled knowingly at her.
He opened the door to a small room. He closed and locked the door once she had entered. He faced her. The way his eyes glinted made her sick to her stomach. The way his canines flashed in a smile made her skin crawl. Wait… Timing is imperative. She remained frozen until he approached her. With a heavy punch to the side of his head, he was out. Azura unlocked the door and walked into the hallway, trying to appear as natural as possible. She ascended the grand staircase the guard had gestured to. As she got closer to the throne room, guards became more frequent. This is going to be a problem… A piece of metal on the wall caught her attention. Ah, good, old vents. She waited until there was a break in the flow of guards before popping it open and crawling in. She went in feet first, since she had to put the vent back, which was rather tricky. She shoved herself backwards through the vents, suppressing feelings of claustrophobia. With her feet, she felt she had reached an intersection. She pushed her feet down one way, so that she was facing forward again. Using her elbows, she propelled herself forward. The abrasive metal panels were making her elbows sore. Just a little further. Suddenly, she had an irrational fear that it could possibly drop down and result in a dead end. She shuddered. Finally, she heard voices, echoing through the vents. A shaft of light appeared down the tunnel. With renewed energy, she scooted forward until she was at the vent opening. Through the slits, she couldn't see anything, but the other side of the room. She heard the queen's voice. Azura burst through the vent, jumping onto the floor. She whipped out her gun and aimed it at the queen.
"Where's-" She stopped short when she spotted the bounty hunter… flirting with the queen.