Chapter 4 - The Favour
What little sleep Signe managed to gain in the discomfort of her cockpit chair after moving from the sleeping compartment was abruptly interrupted by the Razorcrest's warning signals, that emitted a high pitched alarm sound throughout the gunship. The Viking sat to attention, before turning to her left to ensure that The Child was safe. He sat upright in his seat, looking around the cockpit inquisitively, unaware of the imminent danger that followed them through space.
Signe unbuckled her belt and leaned forward towards Mando, who somehow had not awoken despite the chaos that was happening around him.
"Hey!" Yelled the young woman, who clenched a fist and whacked the bounty hunter on the top of the helmet.
The Mandalorian awoke instantly, with an involuntary jump and turned back to Signe. She could sense the lack of gratitude through his visor, but she didn't care.
"Nice of you to join us… What the hell is going on?"
"I dunno. Someone after the kid, I'm guessing" replied Mando, bluntly - as a blast from a canon hit the left side of the ship.
The Mandalorian looked at his control panel, consulting the rear sensors. A digital image of a low-end light attack craft formed on the screen, causing the bounty hunter to take evasive action against it.
"(Y/n), the kid!" yelled Mando, who accelerated to maximum speed before Signe even had a chance to unstrap and grab The Child properly. She managed to grip onto his robe, yanking him out of the seat and into her lap, tucking him under the belt that fit loosely around her midriff.
The canons continued to fire at the Razorcrest from the rear, as Mando tried his best to lose their pursuers, corkscrewing and barrel rolling through the emptiness of space, whilst their pursuer gained ground on them. It was a frantic few moments for all three of the escapees, who whilst being in Mando's capable hands, were still anxious of what was to come.
"This guy just won't lay off," yelled Signe in frustration and fear, as the Mandalorian continued to throw the ship around, avoiding the majority of the cannon fire. She had no idea how he was keeping his cool, but she was glad he was. The intense movement of the Razorcrest caused Signe's eyes to roll back into her head every so often, as she dipped in and out of semi-consciousness, coming to every time Mando levelled the ship out, or The Child screamed.
"Come on, Mando… Don't make this harder than it needs to be," spoke a voice via the communication relay.
The young mercenary fired a quick barrage towards the escaping bounty hunter, managing to hit the ship's left engine effectively. The impact rocked the ship and reduced the Razorcrest's power instantly.
The bounty hunter continued to evade the mercenary but with a reduced capacity to move as freely as it did before. He licked his lips in anticipation, knowing that he almost had the Beskar-clad warrior and his two companions in his sights. With evident cockiness, he held off firing, in order to deliver one final message to the Mandalorian.
"I can bring you in warm… or I can bring you in cold…" smarmed the mercenary, knowing full well that he had no intention to let the Mandalorian get away with his life.
Anger sparked in Mando, who in an instant, diverted what little power there was in the Razorcrest's engines to the reverse thrusters, jolting the gunship back towards the enemy ship. In an act of instinct, the mercenary pulled on his control stick, only just managing to avoid the oncoming vessel that hurtled towards him at an aggressive pace.
Now comfortably positioned behind the mercenary, Mando looked down at his targeting computer, where the ship was shown to be in a direct path of the Razorcret's fire. With a slight tilt of the head, he placed his fingers on the triggers, before simply saying:
"That's my line."
Two blasts fired from the cannons, hitting the enemy ship directly. Destroying it in an instant.
Mando sat back in silent relief, allowing the ship to float through space aimlessly for a couple of moments. Signe sat completely still, struggling to compute what she had just experienced. It was her first time seeing flying in that manner, and she didn't quite know what to make of it. Her trance was broken when The Child screeched with excitement, throwing his hands up and smiling, before looking up to the shocked Viking.
"Everyone okay?" asked The Mandalorian, knowing full well that Signe had been shocked by the flying.
"That was… Well, that was quite something. Well done for keeping us alive," she murmured, still a little unsettled.
He nodded and turned to look at the control panel, trying to work out how to provide some form of power to the second engine. After a few moments of tampering with various settings, changing frequencies and fuel levels, he managed to provide some form of life to the engine.
"We have power, but it won't carry us to where we need to go. We're gonna need some repairs, and soon,"
Signe affirmed with a small nod, rubbing The Child on the head to make sure he was okay. The Mandalorian stared out into space, noticing a mid-sized desert planet, not far away at all. He sighed and shook his head.
"What…" asked Signe, leaning forward in her seat to get a closer look.
"Tatooine," huffed Mando, in an unamused fashion.
"And the problem with that, is?"
Mando huffed before turning his head ever so slightly to the right, not so much to look at Signe, but to show that he was engaging with her in the most minimal way possible.
"It's an outlaw's paradise. The worst of the worst come here to gamble, drink and cause trouble. It's not ideal, but I'm guessing everyone in the parsec is after the kid now. We can get repairs, quick and easy. Let's just hope we don't have to spend any longer here than we need to,"
A radio signal whirred for a few moments, before a muffled voice from the planet below reached the cockpit.
"This is Mos Eisely tower, we've been tracking you. Head for bay 3-5."
Signe looked at the Mandalorian in excitement, eager to experience another new planet. She wore a beaming smile on her face, which she knew Mando wasn't sharing with her - but she didn't let it ruin her mood. He looked at her before concentrating on the controls again.
"Copy that. Locked in for 3-5," said Mando, as he prepared to bring the ship down to the dusty surface below.
The Razorcrest swung from side to side with a great deal of difficulty, as Mando lowered its damaged, metal hull into the circular landing bay. The weather was clear and dry, which would've usually made for nice flying conditions, had they not blown an engine just fifteen minutes before.
After finally touching down, Signe sighed with relief, knowing full well that the ship was not fit to fly in atmosphere.
"Hey. I told you it would be a bumpy ride," mocked the bounty hunter, as he stood unbuckled from his seat and grabbed The Child, who had fallen asleep from all the excitement. He placed the baby in the sleeping quarters of the lower deck, whilst waiting for Signe to join him down below. Mando flicked a switch and lowered the ramp.
The dry, arid heat of Tatooine's two suns hit them instantly, stunning the young Viking due to just how warm it was. The pair walked down the ramp, which in its unfolding, had alerted the presence of three Pit Droids, who quickly grabbed their tools and approached the ship.
Disgruntled at the sight of the droids, Mando drew his blaster and fired a warning shot towards them, causing them to close into their compact forms, clanking onto the ground.
"Was there any need for that?" sighed Signe.
The Mandalorian kept walking, to which Signe followed, before they were met by an angry woman, dressed in a brown engineer's one-piece, with curly brown hair down to the bottom of her neck, and hazel eyes.
"HEY… HEY! You damage one of my droids… You'll pay for it!," she screamed as she marched towards Signe and Mando.
The Mandalorian looked back at her, unphased by her threats. He pointed down to the three compacted droids whilst Signe stood next to him.
"Just keep them away from my ship,"
"Yeah? You think that's a good idea, do you? Let's take a look at this piece of junk then, shall we?"
The woman walked up to the Razorcrest and whacked it a few times with a clenched fist, before picking up a sensor device to monitor the carbon scoring that the ship had sustained during the pursuit. She continued to work her way around the ship, identifying numerous problems that she had noticed. Signe stood and bit her lip, almost holding back laughter at the fact that his mighty ship wasn't as mighty as he may have thought.
"You've got a fuel leak here… busted landing gear on the left side… Look at this, this is a mess? How did you even land?"
The Mandalorian watched on, unamused by the woman's quimsical nature. He looked at Signe, who instantly drew the smile from her face, although still laughing inside.
"Ughh, yeah - this is going to set you back, alright… What you got?"
"I have five-hundred Imperial Credits."
The woman scrunched her face to highlight her disappointment.
"Five-hundred… Is that it? You know, that'll just about cover the price of the hangar…"
Mando leaned in towards her.
"I'll get you your money,"
The woman looked at Mando and then to Signe, who smiled softly to her, reassuring her that he would indeed get the rest of the money she was after.
"The name's Peli. Peli Motto, and these are clank, screw and locket," she announced, pointing to the three droids who were still in their compact form.
"Nice to meet you." said the Mandalorian.
"(Y/n) and I will find a way to get you your money. Don't worry,"
With that, the pair left Peli and the droids with a gentle nod, turning towards a brown door that sat opposite the front of the Razorcrest. The door opened with a quick swoosh before closing as soon as Signe stepped out the other side. She took a moment to look around at the sand-coloured buildings that populated the low skyline of Mos Eisely. She suddenly felt a small tug on her right thigh, before she looked down to see a Jawa tugging at her blaster.
"HEY!" she yelled, kicking it over with her foot, causing it to scurry away into the noise of the city.
"Welcome to Mos Eisely" joked Mando, to which Signe simply rolled her eyes and sighed as the pair walked down the dusty trail, turning right at the end. What met them was astonishing.
Sticks.. With heads on them. Specifically the heads of Stormtroopers, who she could only assume had been brutally killed on one of the Empire's last expeditions to the desert world, before the war ended. It was a sorry, yet brutal reminder of how the Empire had fallen, but was also a strong indicator of the will of the people, and their fight against it.
The collection of a dozen-or-so heads didn't phase Signe, though. In fact, this kind of grand display was common on her world. She saw it as a little piece of home, hundreds of thousands of lightyears away, amongst the stars. She instead admired the savagery that was on display there, and carried on walking with Mando towards a small cantina.
The pair stopped at the door.
"Listen. These places get rough. They don't like outsiders. Keep quiet, and we might just avoid trouble. Understood?"
Despite knowing that she could very well hold her own in a bar fight, she reluctantly obliged to Mando's instructions, for the sake of getting off the barren wasteland unscathed and with minimal difficulty.
"Let's go," instructed Mando.
The smell of cheap food filled the room as the pair walked into the cantina. It was fairly busy with several travellers sitting enjoying a break from the sun, quenching their parched throats as they did so. A booth of three aliens eyed Signe from afar as she walked through the bar. One of the aliens, a Duros, went to stand up to approach her before being told to sit down by his Quarren friend. She looked back at them with evident disgust, walking up to the bar with the Mandalorian, almost tripping over an R5 unit that slowly made its way around the building.
Two droids were behind the bar, one making drinks and one greeting and serving.
"Hey, droid," said Mando as he leant against the bar.
The droid looked up at him.
"My friend and I are looking for some work. We're hunters."
"I am afraid that your chances of finding work here, are slim"
Mando sighed and looked at Signe, who shrugged back at him. The two bounty hunters prepared to turn and leave, before a young male voice spoke up from a booth behind them.
"Think again, tin can," spoke the young man.
He sat in a dimly-lit booth, with only the light from the two square holes in the wall to illuminate his face. The man sat with both of his feet up on the table in front of him, rolling a coin between the fingers of his right hand.
"You're looking for work? Come and sit down, my friends,"
The man was young, but spoke with a tone way above his age. He had short black hair and brown eyes. He was dressed in a way that an experienced and successful bounty hunter would dress, with a high-end leather jacket and trousers to match, which were tucked into his boots.
Signe and the Mandalorian sat down opposite him, as he removed his feet from the table.
"Name's Toro Calican,"
Mando and the Viking sat opposite him in silence.
The young man pulled out a bounty puck from his pocket and placed it down on the table in front of them. The image of a young woman formed, with the name and bounty written above and below the image, respectively.
"Fennec Shand… The assassin. Heard she's been on the run ever since the New Republic put all her employers in lockdown,"
Mando stared blankly back at him.
"I know the name."
The young man smiled.
"I followed the signal on my tracking fob. It suggests she's headed out beyond the Dune Sea… Should be an easy job," The young Viking looked at Toro and then back to Mando, eager to see his response.
"Well, good luck with that," huffed The Mandalorian, tapping Signe on the shoulder, signalling for her to get up and leave as he did.
"Wait wait wait wait… I thought you needed work?"
"How long have you been with the guild?" asked Mando.
"Long enough." replied Toro with a false sense of confidence.
"Clearly not. Fennec Shand is an elite mercenary. She made her name killing for all the top-brand syndicates… Including the Hutts. If you go after her… You're dead."
Mando once again turned to walk away, with Signe following close behind. The two headed for the exit.
Toro spoke up once again, except with more fear and trepidation in his voice, than the confidence he had shown moments ago.
"This… This is my first job… You two can keep the reward, all of it. I just need this to get into the guild. I can't do it alone."
Mando and Signe looked at each other. She grew a look of pity on her face.
"Great… So we're babysitting, then? I thought this guy was serious", she mocked as Mando turned his head slowly to her, subtly trying to remind her of what he had said to her about speaking up. The viking took no notice.
Mando silently considered the request.
"Meet us at hangar 3-5 in half an hour. Bring speeders and blasters…" instructed the Mandalorian as he slowly looked down at the blaster in Toro's pocket.
Signe's eyes followed, too.
"You're telling me that's all you've got? You couldn't drop a Jawa with that thing. How's he meant to help take out a mercenary?"
The young man looked sheepishly up at Mando before whimpering…
"I don't suppose I could borrow one of yours, huh?"
The Mandalorian stood in silence, before glancing his head towards the door. Toro beamed with excitement, as the three bounty hunters walked towards the exit of the cantina, with Toro being pushed out behind by Din and Signe.
"I thought we were going on a hunt, not accompanying some newbie on his first day in the big wide world?" moaned the Viking as the three entered the hangar, with the pair letting Toro walk between them towards the Razorcrest.
Mando looked down at her.
"The kid's in way over his head… and so are you,"
Signe's face dropped with instant malice. She was visibly stirred by the words she had just heard.
"I'm sorry… What? May I remind you who sliced a Trandoshan's head in half?"
"(Y/n), Fennec Shand is one of the best in the business and has been for years. She could plan a thousand ways to kill you in the time it takes you to think one one. Stay here, with the kid. I don't want him left alone with that woman and her droids,"
Signe frowned deeper.
"And what if you don't come back, eh? What then?"
Mando shrugged and walked towards the Razorcrest, entering the ship.
The young woman stood there, disgruntled and dejected, as shouting from the inside of the ship filled the air.
"HEY! Get out of here… What are you doing?" yelled the Mandalorian, as Peli ran out of the ship and down the ramp, holding the child.
"I was trying to get him off to sleep! What were you doing leaving a child on its own anyway? Do you not know anything about parenting?" scowled Peli as Mando and eventually, Toro walked down the ramp behind her.
Signe finished walking over from the side and stood next to Peli and The Child, whilst Mando and Toro walked past them and stood in front of them.
Toro looked Signe up and down before mocking her;
"Not coming, hot shot? Well… Looks like you'll be doing some baby sitting after all," he chuckled to himself, before The Mandalorian looked down at him, silencing him instantly.
"I'll be back soon. I've got to help the rookie with his quarry," Mando affirmed, as he stood in front of Signe, Peli and The Child.
Signe nodded with subtle frustration from the fact that she wasn't able to accompany her Beskar-donned companion, and reluctantly bit her tongue as The Mandalorian pointed towards The Child and simply said;
"Be good,"
The bounty hunter gave Peli a nod, before exiting the landing bay through the door opposite The Razorcrest's cockpit, with Toro following close behind, with his sense of false confidence once again beaming from his face.
Signe watched on until the door had closed behind him, leaving him completely out of sight. She sighed and looked at the floor, brushing the dust and sand away from the hard surface, her head drooping as she tried to come to terms with the newly-found boredom that she was likely to succumb to. A soft hand placed itself on her left shoulder, and rubbed it gently. The Viking looked to her left to see Peli standing there, clutching The Child tightly in her left arm, whilst she stared back at her. She formed a soft smile on her welcoming face.
"Looks like it's just me, you and the little one, now," Signe stared back at Peli and smiled softly.
"Yup,"
Peli placed The Child down on a disused GNK Power droid, where he sat and looked up in awe at the two women. She placed her hands on her hips and squinted inquisitively at Signe, before looking back at The Child, and then back to her again.
"You know… I've met all sorts of people round these parts, seen all sorts of bizarre folke, but I've never met anyone with a voice like yours… You're not from round here are you, kid?"
Signe huffed slightly at the thought of being called a kid, despite the considerable age difference between the two women. She walked across the front of Peli and perched herself on some empty fuel canisters next to the GNK and placed her hands on her knees. The Child reached across slowly and began to pull lightly on her fine hair, gurgling to himself.
"No. I'm not from round here; you're right. A long way from here, in fact,"
Peli frowned and pouted. She could sense the reluctance in Signe's voice as she sparsely discussed her origins.
"Far hmm… Mustafar?"
The young blonde looked up at her and gave her a look as if to say, 'not even close'.
"Mygeeto? Utapau? Polis Masa?"
Signe shook her head - "You wouldn't have heard of it.. Trust me."
"That far, huh?" quizzed Peli, who knelt down in front of the young Viking and reached into her left sided pocket.
She raised an eyebrow and stuck her tongue out slightly from between her lips, whilst she rummaged around into the pocket that was apparently, never ending. Signe sat puzzled as she watched the woman search for what seemed like an eternity. She turned right to The Child and mouthed "I dunno", causing his ears to spike up quickly and his head to tilt. After ten seconds or so, Peli pulled out a clenched fist and used her other hand to usher both of Signe's hands off of her knees.
The woman opened her clenched left hand slowly, releasing a few rectangular objects into Signe's hands. She looked up, puzzled but with a tint of excitement in her eyes. Peli smiled softly again.
"Credits, and Galactic ones, too. None of that Imperial garbage. Hell, you couldn't buy a Womprat's tail for any less than 200 of those things,"
Signe looked down into her hands, moving the small objects with her thumbs. It felt strange to hold credits that she hadn't earned, but she was grateful all the same.
"Thank you, that's very kind. But…"
"But nothing!" quipped Peli, who closed Signe's hands and stood to her feet before the Viking could finish her sentence and offer to give them back.
"Go and explore, have a bit more of a wander than you did earlier. You barely saw the sights! You'll never see a place like this anywhere else in the Galaxy, I can assure you… Oh, and get yourself something to eat, too! Mogg Swindell does the best Bantha hide sticks you could ever eat! Just look out for The Dowager Queen wreckage and follow the smell, you can't miss it!"
Signe stood to her feet slowly and placed the credits in her pocket. She smiled at Peli, who once again, stood with her hands on her hips, looking back at The Child and the young woman. She walked towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder, similarly to how Peli did to her moments ago.
"It's a lovely gesture, thank you. It'll be nice to explore the other regions of the galaxy for leisure and not business. But what about… him?" Her head tilted down to The Child.
"Oh, what? The baby? Naaa, leave it to me, he'll be fine! Just go and enjoy yourself and make sure you're back before the suns set… You don't wanna leave your tin man waiting now, do you?" teased Peli, as she gave the young girl a wink.
Signe smiled and removed her hand from Peli's shoulder. She knelt down in front of The Child and stroked him on the head, running his ears gently through both of her hands before standing up and looking towards the door that her friend had walked through minutes before. The excitement and apprehension was tangible, Signe could almost taste it. It was not often that she got to explore and enjoy the galaxy for what it was and all that it offered. She had already experienced such a high degree of hospitality from Peli, that she quietly wondered to herself if the people of Mos Eisley were just like her, or if she was a one-off.
"Thank you, again. It really means a lot".
The young woman brushed past Peli and headed for the brown door, which slid open with a swooshing sound, leaving her free to roam the streets of the city. She turned back to look at The Child and Peli one last time, before stepping through the doorway and watching it quickly slide shut again.
The streets of Mos Eisley were exactly as Peli had suggested to Signe moments ago; vibrant, loud and if anything, slightly too manic for her liking. Hordes of civilians from all walks of life, from all corners of the galaxy littered the streets as they went about their daily business. Grans, Bothans, Trandoshans and many more filtered in and out of shops and cantinas, whilst the two suns beamed down relentlessly on the sandy settlement below.
She had never experienced anything quite so chaotic without there being destruction to accompany it, in all her life. Mos Eisley was well and truly, a beacon for the diversity and culture in the galaxy. Sadly, though - the people of the city did not share the same optimistic approach to it as Signe did. In fact, the Viking received glare after glare from passers by, whether it be them speculating where she was from, or just trying to come across as tough, they would all look at her the same. It was a far cry from the glowing welcome she had received from Peli, but she carried on, nevertheless.
Signe's journey down the street led her towards a large opening, where the wreckage of The Dowager Queen stood, dominating the skyline of the desert city. This seemed to be the main junction of Mos Eisley, where speeders whizzed past faster than they should have been, almost hitting passers by as they made their way through. Amongst the rich blend of interesting smells, chaos and near-death experiences, something caught Signe's eye. Against the sandy wall of one of the buildings, sat a line of a dozen Astromech Droids. She had seen Astros on Vicingi before, but had never seen such variety. R2, R4 and R5 units all sat motionless in front of the wall, waiting for a passer by to pick one up and be on their way.
The Viking approached the droids, walking slowly along the line, inspecting them one-by-one. She bent down in front of an R2 unit, dirty from the multiple sandstorms it had likely been exposed to, decolourised from what was once a striking combination of silver and yellow, to a now far rustier complexion. Signe knelt in front of the R2 unit as it sat motionless. Its restraining bolt had rendered it temporarily defunct.
"Hey, lady. Are you gonna make a purchase, or are you just gonna stare at it?" shouted an elderly bald man who was sitting in the shelter of a small market stall a few metres away.
She looked around before answering.
"Oh… Ummm, no - sorry. I was just looking, they made me curious,"
The man got up slowly from his stall and walked past her as she crossed his path to be on her way. The man smiled begrudgingly before stopping and coming to what appeared to be a realisation. He turned to shout to Signe but she had already walked further than his raspy voice could carry. The elderly man reached into his pocket, before pulling out a small device and activating it. A hologram image of The Mandalorian, The Child and Signe formed from the object, before each one was zoomed in on.
Looking around frantically, the man put the device away and removed the restraining bolt from the R2 unit, promptly recording a message in Huttese thereafter. He grinned and turned to look at the Viking who unknowingly walked deeper into the city, towards the danger that awaited her.
The heat of the two suns began to beat down on Signe more than she had anticipated when she first stepped out into the chaotic streets of Mos Eisley. She needed some form of respite from the harsh rays, and opted to enter a small cantina. It was cool and dark inside, with little room for plentiful seating. However, fortunately, it was near enough empty, besides for two Trandoshans who sat having a drink together in the far left corner of the building. Signe shrugged her shoulders and approached the bar, leaning on it whilst waiting to be served.
Moments later, a young Sullustan, dressed in a tattered poncho and green trousers greeted her.
"Hello there, how may I serve you?"
Signe smiled.
"Something to quench the thirst please. No spirits. This is only a quick visit," Signe placed one of the credits on the bar top and looked around the room.
The faint music was relaxing but also, unlike anything she had heard before. She wasn't used to the upbeat, jazzy style that people in the galaxy clearly enjoyed. It certainly wasn't woodwind music, and it confused her.
"Here you go, Madame - one cup of Bantha milk,"
The Sullustan placed the cup in front of her and nodded. Just as he was about to reach for the credits, the relaxing ambience was interrupted by the sound of a DL-44 firing. The red bolt fired towards the bar and impacted into the head Sullustan, killing him instantly.
The two Trandoshans made a run for the door nearest to them, which was the only other way out, whilst Signe drew her rifle and stood in a battle stance, ready to fight whoever was there. Three Weequays filled in from the main entrance, standing with their blasters drawn. Four more entered from the back door. She was surrounded. Signe frowned and maintained her stance.
"Now, now - there's no need for any more violence here. Put the weapon away, smuggler,"
"Smuggler? I think you're looking for the wrong person…"
The main Weequay stepped towards her, DL-44 still drawn, whilst the others all made their way inside, away from the entrances.
"You have become acquainted with someone who is smuggling the guild's prize quarry. Tell us where it is, and we will let you go… With your life,"
Signe sheathed her rifle back into its holster, hoping to ease the aggravation that already filled the room like a bad odour. A strange feeling came over her. Since leaving this morning, it was the first time she had thought of The Mandalorian… and how badly she wanted him there. She could never take on seven enemies in one go, not even with her arsenal of combat skills.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a passer by, no more - no less."
The Weequays laughed amongst themselves as the leader walked towards her with a menacing grin. He looked behind her towards the other members of the group, and nodded. One of the bigger of the four grabbed her from behind, gripping tightly at her wrists which were now locked. The leader inspected her, staring into her eyes, before looking her up and down, admiring the rifle that sat on her back.
"Huh… Is that so?" he questioned, as he pulled out a FOB similar to that of the man by the droids, showing her the same image.
"I'm going to give you one more chance to tell me where the quarry is. I have no need to bring you or your Mandalorian friend in alive, so if you don't tell me - I will kill you,"
The Viking stared at him with anger, and remained silent.
The Weequay shrugged, and hit Signe round the face with the butt of his blaster, drawing blood from her right cheek. He then aimed the barrel at her, running it softly across her face, before stepping back and aiming it right at her forehead. She swallowed and closed her eyes, wishing that her death could have been with honour, rather than just being outnumbered by seven armed thugs. Suddenly, there was a metallic knock on the main door. The group looked puzzled, as if they were imagining it. Seconds later, it happened again.
"Ughh… probably Imps. Abnub, go check it out. Tell them we are after the quarry too,"
With that, one of the two thugs stood behind the leader, turned around and walked towards the door, opening it and closing it behind him. Silence fell once again before a blaster shot could be heard from outside.
The Weequays panicked, and all took their weapons off of safety, bar the one who already had his hands occupied by bounding Signe.
"What the hell was that?" shouted one of the thugs.
"Aghhh, shut up. Just stay alert," ordered the leader.
*BOOM*
The sudden sound of metal being ripped to shreds from a blast discombobulated everyone in the room. The back door had been blown open, and a cloud of smoke and dust filled the doorway, masking whatever had caused it. The faint light from the suns momentarily cast a humanoid silhouette in the doorway, before the figure was shrouded once again. The Weequays cocked their weapons and aimed them at the door.
The leader stepped forward.
"If you are from the guild, I'm sorry, but we got here first. Now back off before we -,"
A single bolt fired from the doorway, straight into the neck of the leader, who dropped in a second. Startled, all of the remaining Weequays, including the one who was previously holding Signe, aimed their blasters at the door, but before they had a chance to shoot, five blaster bolts fired from the doorway, simultaneously, hitting each of the remaining thugs at exactly the same time, with pinpoint precision. The fried bodies of the thugs all slumped to the floor, leaving Signe speechless.
"I don't know who you are, but I warn you… back away. Even if you kill me, you will never have the joy of finding my friend,"
Silence.
There was no more sound or movement from the door, besides a small;
*pffftt*
Signe suddenly felt a sharp, piercing sensation on her neck. She slammed her left hand onto the object, but before she had the chance to react further, a surge of energy coursed through her body, causing it to seize up. She fell to her knees whilst her torso still remained frozen, before blacking out and falling limply onto her stomach. Her body twitched sporadically for a few moments whilst the last of the current was emitted, before laying completely motionless, with one arm above her head and one flat by her side. Her left leg was angled out whilst her right lay pretty much dead straight.
A grappling wire fired towards Signe's frame, before wrapping around the wrist of the hand above her head. Once tightened, the figure in the doorway moved away from the building, dragging Signe's unconscious body out of the cantina, along the dusty floor.
The faint humming of sensors and computers slowly eased Signe out of her unconscious state, as her surroundings slowly started to become clear again. It was dim, from what she could make out, and it was cold, too. She wasn't certain of where she was, but it was a hell of a lot colder than the open air of Mos Eisely. The woman winced a couple of times, as a sharp pain surged through her neck every time she moved it, likely as a result of the dart that had been wedged deep into her neck. To her surprise, she wasn't bound at all, in fact - she was positioned on her side, in a basic sleeping position, with her back against a metal wall.
The flickering red and green lights of a control desk were the only things that she could make out clearly in her groggy state… That was, before the door opened. A hissing noise emitted from the doorframe, as the grey door slowly rose from the ground and up into the wall, making way for the user. She remained on her side, doing her best to look as if she was still unconscious, but keeping her eyes ever so slightly parted so that she could see who it was.
The sound of metal on metal echoed through the small room, as the figure walked slowly towards the control desk and began working.
A droid.
It was not clear to her exactly what kind of droid it was, until she opened her eyes fully once its back was turned. A protocol droid. Completely black, but for a bit of rust around the joints - particularly at the wrists and knees. Arms locked in angled positions, with a wired midriff. A standard protocol droid… Until she looked at its head.
The head of this droid was nothing like the standard image of a protocol droid that those of the galaxy knew. Instead, this droid's head was larger and longer, with insect-like features, most notably it's two large, green eyes that sat on either side of its head. This was a modified droid, for sure.
The droid began to turn around slowly, causing Signe to enter her previous position again. Eyes closed, totally relaxed.
"You are awake," spoke the droid, its voice eloquent, hindered with a slight reverberation.
Signe lay still, without speaking.
"Your heart rate has changed. You are conscious. If you are planning to appear immobile to enhance the element of surprise, it will not work,"
Signe sighed and sat up slowly before running her hands through her hair.
"I disabled you. I am sorry,"
"Yeah, I noticed. Where the hell am I?" huffed Signe as she looked around the room, struggling to make anything out.
The droid turned to her fully.
"You are safe,"
She scoffed to herself and shook her head with an ironic laugh.
"So… I'm in a safe place, but you needed to knock me unconscious to bring me here? Doesn't really add up, does it?"
"I understand the confusion you are feeling. However, my calculations at that moment left me with a verdict that you were 98% likely to fight and not come willingly,"
"Yeah… You think? Groaned Signe, as she tried to get into a more comfortable sitting position.
"Who even are you?" she asked.
The droid turned and approached her.
"My name is 4-LOM… and this is my friend, Zuckuss", said the droid, as he turned his body to Signe's right hand side.
Out of the darkness stepped a figure, smaller than the droid, in a brown robe and boots. Its head was also insect-like, and extremely similar to that of 4-LOM, with the exception that he was indeed organic. His eyes were much smaller and were closer to the front of his face than the sides, and were silver in colour, with hundreds of tiny black dots, giving them a metallic effect. She could not tell whether or not it was wearing a mask, but it unsettled her out either way.
Zuckuss looked down at the woman, before walking past her to stand next to 4-LOM, making hissing and chirping noises.
"Please excuse his lack of dacorum, he is a Gand, and does not often use your tongue,"
She stared at the pair, trying to suss them out. They both stood next to the desk, looking back at her… Or at least she thought they were.
"You are a bounty hunter, correct?" quizzed 4-LOM.
Signe nodded.
The droid looked at her, a small whirring sound came from inside his head. His eyes changed slightly, to more of a blue colour, suggesting that he was zooming in on her to get a closer look.
"You are from Vicingi,"
Signe sat up instantly, in sheer disbelief.
"Wait… how do you know that?"
The droid once again zoomed in on her.
"Your ear jewellery confirms my suspicion. This is artwork of a Vicingian clan. I have seen it before, in the Ensom System,"
She once again looked puzzled.
"The Ensom System is on the edge of wild space. Nobody from this galaxy has been there, I refuse to believe it,"
Zuckuss shook his head as if to pity such a bold claim, whilst the droid opened a map file on the computer, which projected into the open space between the three of them. He emitted a small light from the side of his head and highlighted the system on the map.
"We were sent to the Ensom System 4 years ago, to hunt a smuggler who was seeking refuge on one of the moons of the gas giant, Urju. We explored the system and have visited some of your own moons. Jiiopp, to be precise,"
Her eyes lit up. They had the coordinates for her world. It was astounding to her that someone else should have not only heard of Vicingi, but seen it with their own eyes… Or sensors. Signe finally stood up, as the overwhelming shock and excitement woke her completely.
"So what is your name, clansman?" asked the droid.
"Sig…(Y/n). My name is (Y/n),"
"Noted," affirmed 4-LOM.
She walked through the middle of the map, causing it to disappear as the file closed. The room went back to a dim light again. She circled the two of them slowly, inspecting their figures.
"So… You're bounty hunters. From the guild I assume?"
4-LOM concurred with the Viking.
"So I guess you are after the quarry too, right?"
"Correct. I have been a member of the guild for many years. Ever since I managed to override my programming, I have been a hunter. Zuckuss found me and replaced my head, allowing me to be more effective in combat. We are not after the quarry. The quarry is of no importance to us. We are after the Mandalorian, and heard that you were travelling with him. You had every bounty hunter, including guild members after you. You can thank us for not terminating you.
Signe rolled her eyes, giving a clear signal that she was not about to thank the pair for kidnapping her.
"So what do you want with him, anyway? Why are you after him?" she questioned, with evident suspicion in her voice.
A hissing sound from the door opening suddenly broke the conversation. The light from the corridor on the other side of the doorway poured into the room, giving everything a slightly orange tint. Yet another figure entered the room, this time, they were cloaked, with a large hood covering their face entirely. They were tall, around six feet and two inches, and were clearly armed due to the blaster holsters on either thigh.
"They are after him, because of me," spoke the figure as he entered the room and activated a light switch by scanning his hand on a sensor.
The figure became more imposing with every step and towered over the two bounty hunters, who were not much taller than Signe herself. He approached her and pulled back his hood, revealing himself. A Rodian. With a pale tanned complexion on his face that bled down to a faint red colour on his neck and mouth.. His huge black eyes stared back at her, as his two outer ears twitched. It was unclear what he was wearing underneath the robe, but when peeling back his hood, Signe caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a metal arm and hand on his left side.
For a species as innocent looking as Rodians, this one was intimidating to say the least. His bumpy face was covered with several scars, and one of his ears had a small chunk bitten out of it. He stepped back one step from Signe to join the other two.
"My name is Eelbus… and I need your help,"
Signe looked the Rodian up and down, surprised at the fact that she had been kidnapped in order to help someone, rather than to be held for ransom.
"So. You're the one who orchestrated this kidnapping then?"
"Sadly, yes. I'm sorry that your initial encounter with my counterparts was such an abrupt meeting, but we didn't want to take any chances. Some people are handy with blasters, you know,"
"Yeah, well, you're looking at one of them right now,"
Eelbus nodded softly, accepting that she was indeed a cunning warrior. He turned to 4-LOM and jilted his head towards the door. The droid swiftly left the room and returned moments later with a drink and a small bowl of soup for the Viking, who hadn't eaten since leaving the Razorcrest that morning. She gladly took them off of the droid and sat cross-legged on the ground, preparing to listen.
"Your Mandalorian friend is an old companion of ours. We served together on joint quarries, , hunting our way through the galaxy together, as friends,"
Signe looked up at him.
"Then what happened?" she enquired.
"There was a quarry back in the Galactic Civil War, where every guild in the galaxy was called into action, in an effort to find one man. A smuggler-turned Rebellion general named Han Solo. General Solo murdered my brother, Greedo, not long before. The price on Solo's head was enormous, so the four of us had planned to split the reward… But your friend double-crossed us and went for the quarry himself. Thankfully, a bounty hunter named Boba Fett, who has long since died, managed to get to Solo first, meaning he would never get the satisfaction of stealing the entire reward. We never heard from him again,"
Signe couldn't quite believe The Mandalorian's actions. For a man of honour, it was a very uncharacteristic move.
"So what do you want from him, then? Revenge?"
"He has something I need. A few weeks before the bounty was put on Solo's head, the four of us embarked on a mission to murder a Rebellion architect and steal his data files, which held the coordinates for a Rebellion hideout somewhere in the Outer Rim. We were meant to obtain the files and give them to the Empire, but when the bounty was set for Solo, The Mando left us, taking the data files with him. It has been rumoured that Solo resides at this outpost now that the war has ended… For me, there is no quarry, no monetary reward. I just want him dead, and I want it done by my hand. Your friend won't be happy to see us, but I need that data… If the bucket head still has it,"
Signe sat and thought deeply about what Eelbus had told her. She was sceptical about bringing three bounty hunters to Mando , especially when they had bad blood with him… but she also thought of a way to strike a deal.
"I've… I've had a thought. I was hoping to head back to my homeworld. A weapon that was gifted to me by my father has been damaged by Jawas and only the people of my world can repair it, or Odin forbid, craft me a new one. 4-LOM mentioned that he and Zuckuss have been to the Ensom System before… perhaps they could navigate? I can't fly and the Razorcrest hasn't ventured that far… If you assist us on our passage, I'm sure he will help,"
The Rodian, the Droid and the Gand all looked at each other, muttering amongst themselves, speculating on the Viking's plan.
4-LOM turned back towards the young woman.
"We believe this to be a fair bargain, providing the Mandalorian holds the end of the deal that you claim he will,"
The other two nodded.
"However, if what you say is true, about all this bad blood, then he won't meet with you willingly. We will need to surprise him," suggested Signe, as she stood up after polishing off her small, but greatly needed meal.
"He isn't going to like this, you know," moaned Signe, as 4-LOM tampered with the controls inside the Razorcrest's cockpit.
"Affirmative," nodded the droid, as he looked around the hull of the ship.
Zuckuss and Eelbus made themselves scarce, too - hiding in the shadows of two service areas in the hangar, opposite to each other. Peli and the Child sat in the hull of the ship, away from the potential gunslinging match that was likely to happen.
Signe left the ship and sat at the bottom of the ramp, cross legged. She took a deep breath. Moments later, the entrance door to the hangar swooshed open, the same way it did when Mando left the day before. The Mandalorian entered the hangar and instantly spotted Signe sitting in front of the ship.
"(Y/n)! Where's the woman? Where's the kid?"shouted the bounty hunter as he paced towards the ship with vigor. Signe sat and watched him approach her, before the sound of metal footsteps made their way down the ramp, shocking the Mandalorian. He stopped dead in his tracks and drew a blaster, instantly recognising the sound of a droid's footsteps. Signe stood up slowly and moved to the left, making way for 4-LOM, who made his way down the ramp and into The Mandalorians view, DLT-19 equipped. The droid finally came into sight.
"Good day, Mandalorian," spoke the droid calmly, as Mando stood and stared in disbelief. Had it not been for the young woman being within four feet of the droid, he surely would've dropped him.
"LOM? What the hell are you doing here? What have you done with the child?"
The droid continued past Signe and towards the bounty hunter with menace.
"The quarry is safe, as is the woman who you placed in charge of caring for it,"
The Mandalorian primed his Whistling Birds, before giving a stern warning to the oncoming protocol droid.
"Take one more step, and I'm frying your circuits, clanker."
4-LOM stopped, just as the bounty hunter had asked him to. He maintained a secure stance, with his rifle aimed down at the ground.
"I am impressed, Mandalorian. Not only did you manage to betray the only close friends you have had, but you have now also murdered multiple bounty hunters, stolen a quarry, alienated the entire guild and betrayed Greef Karga's trust - all at the same time. I was wrong in my initial assessment of humans. You can indeed, multitask,"
"I haven't come here to banter, LOM. Now tell me what you want, before I shut you down for good"
Whistling Birds primed, The Mandalorian prepared to fire, with both the blaster and his left wrist pointed at the droid, before his focus was shifted to his left, where the small frame of the Gand huntsman emerged from service area 2. Mando hung his head and shook it, before turning his Whistling Birds towards the other bounty hunter.
"Zuckuss… Why didn't I guess? Still got this scrap heap around to grab things for you that you can't reach?
Zuckuss kicked the ground in anger at being mocked about his height. Chirping and hissing noises emitted from the Gand, as he positioned himself the same distance from Mando as 4-LOM was, with one of his three stubby fingers on the trigger of his GRS-1 Snare rifle, despite aiming it at the ground.
"Yeah, I don't understand whatever language you are speaking, bug. Now can one of you tell me what is going on, or do I have to kill you both?"
Before the two bounty hunters had a chance to respond, Eelbus emerged from the shadows of the opposite service area, hood down.
"Din Djarin…" the Rodian shouted, as he walked towards the Mandalorian with open arms.
"Ughh," Mando groaned quietly, before diverting his aim from 4-LOM to the Rodian, firing a shot that Eelbus dodged with ease.
Signe flinched, as the shootout she feared would happen, looked as if it was going to begin. After dodging, Eelbus slid two DT-12's down his sleeves, dual wielding them in a split second. Zuckuss assumed a battle position, cocking the rifle and aiming it at the Mandalorian. 4-LOM's eyes turned red as kill mode was activated, causing his back compartment to open up, which allowed four thin robotic arms, with miniature blasters attached to each, to emerge and aim at Mando instantly.
"You're getting sloppy, Mando," mocked Eelbus, as he nonchalantly approached the bounty hunter.
"At ease, gentlemen. There's no need for any more hostilities now, is there? We have come for a chat, that's all. Lower your blasters,"
"Them first," demanded Mando, as he remained poised to attack, changing his focus of aim frequently between the three bounty hunters.
Eelbus looked at Zuckuss and LOM, before nodding and placing his blasters in their holsters. Zuckuss lowered his rifle, whilst the droid disengaged kill mode and returned to his normal stance. Mando sighed and also holstered his blaster, whilst deactivating his Whistling Birds.
"This has been a long time coming, Din. Try a decade, perhaps. You know, I always knew you were a fantastic gunslinger and a strong companion, but I never had you down as a conniving back stabber"
"Well, takes one to know one, I guess," huffed Mando.
"That mission on Bespin does not count, Bucket Head."
The Mandalorian shrugged his shoulders. "Look, none of us ever got the Solo bounty. Yes, I wanted it for myself, but the Empire is gone. The Imps don't care anymore, so what is there that's left to say?"
Eelbus huffed and walked towards Din, until they were literally, face to face.
"Solo killed my brother. You know this. I want that scumbag dead far more than the Empire ever did," frowned Eelbus.
"You'll never find him, the war is over. You just have to move on," quipped the Mandalorian, as he tried to walk past the Rodian, before being shoulder barged by him.
"Well that's where you're wrong, my shiny friend. There's rumours that he is hiding out in a rebel outpost, deep within the Outer Rim. You remember that quarry on Dantooine? With the Rebel architect? It's said that he is hiding out at the base that they planned to build years ago. The one that we stole the data for. Funny how someone forgot to hand it over to the Imps once they obtained it, huh?"
"I got waylaid." groaned Mando.
"I need that data file, Din. For the honour of my family and to put this quarrel to rest. We have struck a deal with your friend over there. She mentioned your voyage to the Ensom System, which you cannot complete without coordinates. 4-LOM and Zuckuss have been there, they can guide you. If they help you, I will be eternally grateful if you could exchange their assistance for the data,"
Din looked over to Signe. She tilted her head and shrugged softly, silently confirming that what Eelbus was saying was true. With tangible frustration, Mando sighed and looked to the ground before pointing at Zuckuss and LOM.
"Ughh, fine. But LOM and the bug stay here. I don't need any more passengers, and certainly not a droid. I spent enough time on quarries with those two to know that I never want to do it again."
4-LOM stepped forward and interjected.
"Sadly, this will not be possible. I must be present throughout the entire navigation process."
Din looked at the droid and tilted his head slightly to the right, before squaring up to him.
"Oh yeah? And how did you work that one out?"
"I inspected your ship before you returned. I attempted to patch in the coordinates pre flight, however the Razorcrest's navicomputer is too outdated to perform such a journey without constant input. I will need to be plugged in manually to the data bank in order to effectively plot a route through hyperspace,``
Mando looked at the ground in distaste, angry at the thought of a droid tampering with his ship, without him knowing.
"The Ensom System is remote, uncharted territory. There are moons the size of planets and planets thrice the size of Yavin Prime. Any miscalculations could end in certain death, which I am sure we can all agree, is something we would like to avoid," Informed LOM.
The four bounty hunters looked at each other, in a moment of silent consideration.
The Mandalorian sighed.
"I gave the warrior my word. You will guide us to Vicingi. But when we get there, we fix her weapon and we leave - and when we are back, it's never spoken of again. Right?"
Eelbus nodded, whilst 4-LOM and Zuckuss' silence confirmed their agreement.
"Thank you, Din," said the Rodian, as he looked at him before walking off towards the exit.
"We leave in ten minutes," commanded Mando, before walking past the three bounty hunters and towards Signe.
She approached the Mandalorian in a hurry, eager to learn about his adventure the day before.
"How was the quarry?" she asked.
"Fine. It was a waste of time. Rookie didn't make it."
The Viking stepped in front of him and looked him up and down, examining his body language as he gave her what appeared to be the cold shoulder, frowning as she did so.
"What?" she scoffed.
"You let a droid on my ship, (Y/n). You know how I feel about droids. He could've killed The Kid and he could've killed you. How did you even run into them?"
Signe's frown grew with vigour.
"They were after the two of us. I ran into them, got myself darted and kidnapped, and now here we are… I struck a deal with them. It was YOU who promised to take me back to Vicingi in the first place, and you didn't exactly have any bright ideas. The opportunity was too good to pass. They could've just as easily turned us in, but they're willing to help,"
He looked back at her blankly, before moving off to walk up the ramp. He was stopped when the sound of small footsteps running down the ramp caught his attention. The Child sped towards Mando, who bent down and picked him up with ease. The little alien gurgled and moved his ears with glee, as the Mandalorian held him close. Moments later, Peli appeared from inside the Razorcrest.
"Well you sure took your time. Where the hell was this bounty? Dagobah?" yelled Peli as the Mandalorian walked up towards her. He didn't respond. Instead, he simply reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out the credits for the repairs, plus a little extra.
"How was he?" he asked.
"Oh, the kid? He was fine, however he did eat almost everything in my pantry…"
"This payment will be more than enough to cover the food. I'm sorry he emptied you out."
Mando turned around and ushered Signe to enter the ship, by jolting his head towards the hull. The young Viking walked up the ramp, brushing past The Mandalorian and staring at him blankly, before placing a hand on Peli's left shoulder and giving her a soft smile. She disappeared into the ship moments later.
Peli walked past Mando, down the ramp and onto the sandy surface.
"Take good care of the little one now, you big sulky rust bucket,"
Din nodded.
"Thank you for taking care of him,"
Peli smiled softly and put her hands on her hips in her typical fashion.
"And make sure to come back soon," she shouted, as Mando walked slowly up the ramp. He stopped and turned his head to look back at her.
"I wouldn't bank on it. If I knew I'd run into as much trouble here as I have today, I wouldn't have come in the first place. Thank you, again."
Peli waved to him and stuck her tongue out mockingly as he turned away and disappeared into the ship. Moments later, 4-LOM and Zuckuss walked past her and entered the Razorcrest too, with the ramp elevating and sealing the ship, before it took off slowly and blasted into the Tatooine sky.
Zuckuss made himself at home, unlocking different compartments to admire The Mandalorian's vast array of weapons, whilst 4-LOM made his way up to the cockpit, where Signe, The Child and Mando sat in silence, as the group floated through space, away from the dusty world below.
"You will be pleased to hear that I have located another input module for the navicomputer, which will allow me to stay below deck for the journey. Please allow me a few moments before making the jump to hyperspace," Instructed LOM as he exited the cockpit and returned to the lower deck.
Signe smiled at him, whilst Mando sat staring out into space, without even acknowledging the droid.
"He isn't so bad, you know. He's doing us a huge favour,"
Din still sat in silence, checking the controls every so often. Moments later, an orange light flashed on the panel, signalling that the coordinates were planned and the jump could be made. Signe held tight to The Child who sat firmly on her lap, as the ship entered light speed. The magnificent colour of hyperspace cast a dark blue tint on the cockpit, which relaxed The Child so much, that he fell asleep within a matter of minutes.
The Mandalorian too sat back in his seat and got comfortable for the lengthy journey ahead, without uttering a word to Signe, who sat wide awake, watching the aura of hyperspace pass them by.
The silence was deafening.
She looked around the cockpit awkwardly, admiring the many different controls and switches. It was much more complex than her vessel, though when she thought about it, hers could have been twice as complicated as The Razorcrest and it would've been fine, what with a droid flying it for her. The Viking twiddled her thumbs in anticipation after having somewhat calmed down, before clearing her throat softly.
"So… your name is Din?"