Chapter 7

Anara stretched her legs beneath the tangle of blankets that surrounded her. She felt so comfortable and surprisingly well rested. She turned over on her side to examine her surroundings with fresh eyes. She noticed no personal effects around the living quarters. Din was of the human species but also a Mandalorian. She wondered if he had a mother, father, brothers, sisters, a wife, or even his own children. Anara sighed turning onto her back to face the ceiling. She barely remembered her own parents. She had been so young when they were killed. The things she did remember where brutal. Sometimes images of that fateful day resurfaced in her dreams. It was hard to really know what reality was and what her mind had created.

Pushing the memories aside, Anara shoved back the blankets and walked over to the shower that was positioned in the corner of the room. She turned the knob to start the water flow. She was impressed at the amenities the ship had. It felt like luxury compared to her living arrangements on Takodana. Anara undressed and slipped beneath the warm water. She closed her eyes and fixated on the stream flowing over her body. She needed to clear her mind and work on staying focused at the task ahead.

XXX

Din rolled the tiny silver knob between his fingers. He leaned his head back against the headrest of his pilot's chair, closing his eyes. He missed Grogu. He wished he was able to communicate with him one more time to know he was okay. Their goodbye had been emotional, quick, and painful. This was the reason he never got close to anyone. Being alone was much easier. Once you got close enough, everything always ended in tragedy. The buzz of the call button brought him out of his thoughts. Seeing the flashing red light on the wall, he answered.

"I'm coming up to the bridge." Anara's voice sounded garbled through the intercom.

Din leaned forward to grab his helmet off the control dashboard. With a click and hiss, he prepared for Anara's arrival.

After exiting the lift, Anara continued down the short hallway and stopped at the metal door closing off the bridge. She used her closed fist to notify Din of her presence, knocking upon the cool steel. Stepping back, the door moved to the side allowing entrance. Anara stepped into the small area noting the thousands of blinking buttons, several seats for crew members, and the pilot navigating through hyperspace. Bright lights pulsated through the windshield washing the bridge in white glow. Anara was entranced. She had been in ships before and travelled through space many times but never like this. She could feel her heart beating rapidly and her breathing grew erratic.

Still facing forward, Din barely acknowledged her. "Take a seat," he instructed.

Anara sat in the empty co-pilot's chair to the right of Din. She stayed silent and continued to observe the flashing lights that surrounded them.

"We're heading to Jakku," Din stated.

"Why Jakku?" Anara replied. She knew the planet was a wasteland. She assumed his plan right now was to search closer to Vlemoth Port. He was backtracking.

Din confirmed her thoughts. "I've been searching too far out. Someone trying to hide with little means would most likely choose a planet closer to the one she left. Even if Niya did leave the Outer Rim, there may be traces of her on a planet like Jakku." Din carefully looked over at Anara to gauge her reaction.

"So how am I to be of service?" Anara questioned, looking back at him.

"Many of the local travelers and inhabitants of Jakku will not be willing to talk to me. I am going to use you to gain information from them. I will provide a large reward for information regarding the whereabouts of Niya. You will pose as her sister who is in a desperate search to find her. I need you to put on a show. If no information comes forth, we move on."

Anara had to admit it was a decent plan. Din brought with him an intimidating presence. You could tell he was a Mandalorian bounty hunter a mile away. "Let's hope it works." Anara tilted her head to the side making sure to look directly at him. "Why did you take this job? Why are you getting involved with other Mandalorian clans? You're a bounty hunter not a protector."

Din chose not to respond. He continued to focus on piloting the ship.

Anara could play this game well. He wanted to ask her tough questions, so she would do the same of him. Smiling to herself, she leaned forward resting her elbows on the control dashboard and cast her eyes back toward the windshield.

"We are still quite far from Jakku. I need to rest before we land. The ship is on autopilot. I need you to stay up here for at least a few hours. If something seems amiss, just use the call button." Din stood up and moved toward the bridge door.

"You're really going to leave me in charge of your ship?" Anara looked at him incredulously "You know I know nothing about piloting, right?"

"That's why you use the call button." Din continued out of the bridge leaving Anara in a slight panic. Din smirked beneath his helmet, internally laughing at the discomfort he had left her in as he walked toward the lift.

XXX

The ship rumbled as it entered Jakku's orbit. Anara had decided that Din didn't deserve her company in the bridge and had returned to his living quarters to wait until they had landed. It had been lonely, but Anara was used to it. She kept busy by catching up on sleep, cleaning up the living space and organizing the kitchen. She felt refreshed and ready to ruin Din's mission of finding her. As he had unveiled his plan to use her in the search, Anara had a plan of her own in place. He wouldn't be with her when she was supposed to be making a desperate plea to find her "sister" in the marketplace. She would report back that there was no information brought forth and then they would move on to the next planet. She had never physically been on Jakku so no one would know her anyway. It seemed that Din wasn't given much information about her in the first place from the Clan. All he knew was that Niya was a Mandalorian from Clan Awaud and had gone missing after being wounded in battle. He most likely had her appearance to go by but in a sea of travelers she would be lost.

Anara felt the ship groan under her as it made its descent. She braced herself against the table and heard the buzz of the call button. Din's voice rang through. "We've landed. Meet me down at the cargo bay," he said.

Anara exited the lift and found Din opening the airlock doors and lowering the exit ramp. Din looked up from the control panel to see Anara walking towards him. She looked completely different. She held herself with purpose and confidence. She wore tight tan colored breeches that clung tightly to her hips and a sleeveless tunic which exposed her toned arms. Her leather boots rose to her calves and he knew her knife resided there. This wasn't a woman to be messed with. It was like she had transformed overnight. He recalled the fear and defiantness she had shown on Takodana. The way her nightmares had left her vulnerable that night on the ship. None of it was present now. He realized he was staring at her for longer than intended and turned back toward the panel on the ship's wall. Din could feel her presence coming up behind him.

"I need a picture of Niya's face and the reward amount," she stated. Her voice was void of emotion as she spoke. Din motioned Anara to follow him deeper within the cargo bay. He stopped at a storage locker set into the wall. Opening it he pulled out a brown cloth shoulder bag.

"You need to carry the credits with you and appear desperate to find your sister. I won't be far away. If people find out your carrying that many credits, they won't hesitate to come after you. I can't provide you with weapons right now because it will throw off your identity. I assume you have your knife for any immediate action that needs to be taken."

Anara took the bag, placing the strap over her head and across her chest. Din handed her a small scrap of paper. She took it and opened it to reveal a description of Niya. Long brown straight hair. Brown eyes. Narrow chin. Tall.

"This is what I have to work with?" Anara sighed and shook her head. "They didn't give you a sketch of the woman? This could be anyone. Even if she is Mandalorian and hiding she's not going to be in armor and parading around."

Din slammed the locker door which caused Anara to step back from him. "Don't make this difficult Anara. You accepted this mission with me, and this is the information I have from the clan. If you have a better plan now, then speak up."

Anara was taken aback by his harsh outburst. Turning on her heel, she briskly walked back to the ramp and exited the ship.

Din followed her feeling frustrated and unsettled. Anara didn't need armor to announce her presence. He could imagine her in battle, feral and destructive. She now radiated that power that every Mandalorian held. "This wasn't going to end well", Din thought.