Prologue: A Bounty Gone Wrong

Two souls don't find each other by simple accident

"Just stay right here."

Amreen barely paid any mind to the enhanced voice that was speaking to her. She was too focused on the searing pain that was radiating her left thigh. Bearing herself for the worst, Amreen allowed herself to glance down and saw the torn, bloody flesh. She brought her hand up to her lips, biting down on the knuckle to stifle a scream. God, what did she get herself into? This was supposed to be a simple bounty. A quick in and out. Instead, she encountered a Mandalorian who was trying to collect the same target. Still, he wasn't the problem. The target had a band of members who ambushed them. She should've just left-she was so close to doing so. But the Mandalorian got cornered. She did what most people in her position wouldn't have done… she saved his ass.

Got a nasty injury in the process.

Amreen gritted her teeth, then moved her one hand to press against the injury. The contact caused the pain to flare and travel up her thigh. Her back arched, she barely managed to bite back a scream. She couldn't breathe, her chest ached, her vision was going in and out-black spots decorated her vision. This was the most pain she had ever been.

Hot blood continued to stream down her leg and between her fingers, the pain had now dissolved into an aching throb. This is what she gets the one time she decides to be a decent person. Nothing good ever comes with trying to help. She knew that better than anyone. "Idiot," she hissed at herself. To get her mind off the pain, Amreen focused on leveling her breathing, trying to ride out the waves of pain that started up.

"Let me take a look."

That familiar voice made her grit her teeth together. She rested her head against the wall, scrunching her eyes closed. Suddenly, a gloved hand took hold of the hand that was pressed against her wound. Amreen jerked forward, her other hand was around his wrist in a vice grip. Her eyes stared him down, cold and unwavering.

The Mandalorian merely stared at her, the image of his helmet was the only thing staring back at her. It was almost unsettling. "Let me help." His voice was more stern, but not harsh or demanding.

Amreen held her gaze on him, her hand not loosening its grip, she didn't know who this guy was. She couldn't trust him. Yet again, he brought her onto his ship when he could've easily left her. That's got to count for something. Her thoughts were interrupted when a sharp pain made her leg jolt. She broke her gaze and released her hold on him.

He gently pulled her hand away from the injury, immediately realizing that he couldn't get a clear look at it. He cut away at the fabric impeding his view of the injury. A part of him felt bad, knowing that she had no other clothes to change into. But this was necessary if he was to give her proper treatment. With enough of the fabric cut away, he was able to see the severity of the wound. "I need to stop the bleeding before I can patch you up," he said while reaching over for a clean piece of cloth. "This is probably going to hurt."

A strained groan was the only response he received.

Taking that as his cue, he pressed the cloth to the injury, feeling her body immediately tense from the contact. The cloth became soaked with blood almost instantly. He removed the soaked cloth and picked up a fresh one. Before pressing it to the injury, he took a quick assessment of the gash. The length started from the middle of her thigh and ran down to the top of her knee. The cut only appeared to be a few inches deep which was good. That meant patching it up wouldn't be an issue.

She had been watching him inspect the injury, his silence was unnerving. "Is it bad?" Amreen's tired and agonized voice asked.

"It isn't too bad," he answered and pressed the cloth against the injury, his other hand rested against her calf to keep her from moving. "The bleeding seems to be subsiding." That faster it stops, the quicker he can get her patched up and it would all be over with.

"This is what I get for trying to help someone," she hissed through her teeth. "I'm really too nice for my own good." Amreen belted out a laugh but was quickly silenced when the hunter applied a little too much pressure. "Ow!"

"Keep the pressure on it." He moved her hand to hold the cloth in place before turning back to the medkit he had brought with him.

Amreen did what she was told, usually, she would've argued against it. But with how much pain she was in, there was no room for negotiation. The Mandalorian reached for a tool, she recognized it as a cauterizer when he brought it close enough.

"Now this is definitely going to hurt." He told her offhandedly.

Amreen eyed the familiar tool, knowing exactly what she was about to experience. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Just get it over with."

The Mandalorian readied the tool and wiped away as much of the leftover blood that he could. At least the bleeding had lessened enough. He clicked on the tool, a low hum resonated from it, sending a chill down Amreen's spine. It brought back many memories of her time on a trader's ship and the many injuries she saw and dealt with. "Try not to move," he glanced up to see that she had ripped off the sleeve of her shirt and was now biting down on the fabric. "Here we go."

Her teeth were already biting down hard on the fabric. She hoped that this would make the process more tolerable. At least it would muffle her screams to some extent. But she wasn't prepared. Instant white pain radiated her thigh. It felt like a hot poker was being stabbed into her leg, driving down to her bone. A stifled scream cut through the ship and Amreen rested her head against the wall.

"Just hang in there." The Mandalorian continued on down the length of the cut. Her screams only intensified. He spared a glance in her direction, seeing that her face was red and eyes scrunched closed. The sight only made his stomach twist. She was in this predicament because of him, because she chose to help him when she could've easily left him to fend for himself. He wouldn't have blamed her if she did. For all intents and purposes, he felt at fault for her being in this much pain. He swallowed down that guilt and continued to work efficiently on sealing up the wound. When he came to a section of the wound was a little deeper, he felt her entire body jerk. He gently squeezed her calf, signaling to her that she had to sit still.

Amreen got the message. Despite the pain, she managed to still her body but an agonized muffled scream followed after. Delirium settled in. She became light-headed, unable to keep herself focused. Her vision blurred and soon, it was silent. Her entire body relaxed and it caught his attention.

He paused to look at her, seeing that her head was resting against the wall. Eyes closed and all tension in her body gone-she was so still. There's no way she's... he rose from his seat and slowly approached her. He gently shook her by the shoulder, nothing. He went in closer, even removing the article of clothing from her mouth. "Hey," he tried coaxing her awake. Still, nothing. But she was breathing, evident by the faint rise of her chest.

She's still alive, just passed out. "It's for the best, then you won't feel a thing."

Wanting to take advantage of the opportunity, The Mandalorian quickly went back to work. With her unconscious, he didn't have to listen to her agonized screams or worry about her moving too much. He finished within a few minutes, then cleaned up the dried blood as best as he could. As a precaution, he secured a good amount of gauze to keep the wound clean overnight. For a moment, it crossed his mind to move her to one of the spare beds but decided against it. He didn't want to risk waking her up, preferring for her to sleep the rest of the night.

He cleaned up the table, putting away the supplies and placed the medkit back in its place. From his living quarters, he brought out a spare blanket and draped it over her. He lingered in place for a moment, then retreated to the bench across from her, intent on keeping an eye on her through the night. The cauterizer was good at preventing infections. Still, he wanted to be sure. As he settled on the bench, he knew that it was going to be a long night with little sleep on his end.

Awareness returned at a slow and gradual pace.

The first sense that came through was her hearing. It was quiet, aside from the wind outside that was beating against the ship. Her head weighed a ton, with a terrible ache that resonated behind her eyes. Due to that, she was glad that it was quiet.

After finally getting her bearings, Amreen shifted and tried moving her legs, forgetting at the moment that she had a terrible leg injury. The instant burning in her thigh made Amreen pause. She pulled the blanket from her body, taking a few curious seconds to wonder where it had come from, before proceeding to check her wound. There was a thick gauze taped over the injury, she tried peeling it off but gave up shortly into the endeavor. She knew that messing with it would only irritate her injury. For the first time since waking up, Amreen finally allowed herself to take in her surroundings. She was still on the Mandalorian's ship, sitting on the same bench he sat her on. A plate of food and a cup were sitting on the table in front of her. It had been untouched.

It must be for me then.

She gingerly reached forward and picked up a piece of bread. Her stomach growled, reminding her that it had been almost two days since she last ate anything. She took one bite and silently chewed, trying to ignore the throbbing in her leg. Amreen went to take another bite when her stomach churned, she glanced down at the bread in her hand, feeling sick just looking at it. She dropped the bread back onto the plate then went for the cup. The cold liquid felt good going down her throat which felt sore for some reason.

She paused, memories from last night came flooding back. The pain, her screams, the sound of the cauterizer humming as the Mandalorian patched her up. It made a chill go down her spine. She placed the cup down on the table, wondering where the hunter in question was. Amreen realized that she would need to venture on an endeavor to find him and thank him for what he did.

Amreen took in a slow breath, preparing for the pain that was bound to come once she got up on her feet. She slowly secured her hands around her left leg, gently moving it over the side of the bench. Little pain but nothing she couldn't handle. Now came the rough part. Bracing her hands on the bench, Amreen pushed herself up, settling first on her good leg and using the table for balance. Then, slowly, she put pressure down on her left leg. It wasn't until she pressed her heel to the ground did she feel sharp pain travel up her leg. She hesitated, lifting her left leg up and balancing her hands on the table. She tried putting pressure back on her bad leg, going at a little slower this time.

Still painful but manageable.

She hobbled around the table, putting her leg through a test run before trying to walk through this entire ship in search of the Mandalorian. The pain started to numb her leg which meant she could put a bit more pressure on it. And it was her cue to set off to find the other bounty hunter. Amreen fell into a step-hop routine, finding that it lessened the pain in her leg. Almost halfway into her endeavor, she realized that she had no idea the layout of this ship. There wasn't exactly the time for her to familiarize herself with the ship last night. The cockpit was empty when she found it. Turning down a small hallway, she found the ship's main hangar and the ramp door was open. She took that as a promising sign.

Amreen limped down the ramp, giving a small shiver when she finally stepped outside. It was a lot cooler than yesterday. It must have rained during the night given with how wet the grass was. But she could still smell smoke lingering in the air. Amreen grimaced, thinking about the skeletal remains of her ship, destroyed beyond recognition by the asset and his men. That was another predicament that needed her full attention. What the hell was she going to do without a ship? She could join another hunter temporary, most are usually looking for crew members. Though, she knew most of the guild members and they aren't looking to hire new crewmen. For now, she was absolutely screwed.

"You're awake."

Amreen was startled out of her thoughts by that familiar voice. She turned and stood in an awkward stance to avoid putting full pressure on her left leg. She actually felt kind of ridiculous. "Yeah, how long was I out for?"

"Just for the night." The Mandalorian messed with the tool in his hands. But he watched her closely, incase her leg gave out on her. "You feeling any better?"

"Uh, still sore." Amreen made the point by straightening out her leg and taking a step. She limped forward and stopped, "Yep, still sore but doing better. Sorry for passing out like that."

"It was good that you did," he answered. "You weren't in pain then."

"Right," Amreen watched as he went about messing with a tool kit, this made her curious. "What's wrong with your ship?"

"Fuel leak, but nothing too serious."

Amreen gave a single nod, then carefully approached him. "Let me fix it."

He paused to look at her.

She merely shrugged, "What, it's the least I can do after you patched me up last night." She grabbed the tool from his hand, relieved that he didn't put up a fuss to take it back. Plus, it wasn't like she could repair her own ship. Might as well make sure his ship was fine.

"You know, you should probably let yourself rest more." He answered back as she limped over to the ship.

"If you need to know one thing about me, it's that I can't stand sitting around doing nothing." Amreen took a moment to assess the damage. A minor fuel leak, the damage would be easy to repair. He was right. "Besides, if I keep myself busy then I won't pay attention to the throbbing pain in my leg."

"Which is why you should take it easy."

Amreen turned to look at him, "I am taking it easy," she gestured to herself with the tool, showing that she was keeping pressure off her leg. "And trust me, I've had worse injuries and still managed my way."

"I don't doubt it."

Did a Mandalorian just compliment her? Definitely not something she ever expected to happen to her. Then again, she never expected to actually meet a Mandalorian. The only thing she had ever heard about them was from stories and what she's read growing up. After the Great Purge, the entire colony went into hiding, scattered across the galaxy. In her tenure as a bounty hunter, she's only seen one a few times in passing. She never exchanged words with them. Now here she was having a somewhat decent conversation with one. Probably the biggest twist to happen in her life.

Amreen got started on the repair, with the Mandalorian looming not far behind her. He'd offer his help when he saw it fit. If she needed another tool, he would get it for her. If she looked a little winded, he would offer her something to drink or something quick to eat. At one point, she had to press her hand against the hull of the ship, her good leg was starting to cramp with bearing down all the weight. Again, he would tell her that she should rest. Amreen would just brush it off.

One thing that he concluded without trouble was how stubborn she was. Someone who didn't take much care about her own well-being which was something he could understand. He was often the same way. Still, she was under his care at the moment and he wasn't going to let her overwork herself after the strenuous night she had. He kept a close eye on her, taking into account how many times she faltered in her stance, inching a little closer when it looked like she was going to pass out. It was an overstatement to say that he was relieved when she finally finished the repair. She even smiled at herself for accomplishing the task.

Rain started to drizzle not long after, and with thunder rolling above them, he suggested that they retreat inside the Razor Crest. Amreen didn't object to it. She didn't admit it to him but that endeavor drained almost all of her energy. She scowled to herself as he led her up the ramp, there was no way she would vocalize this win to him.

He tried to lead her to the spare room but stopped when she plopped herself back on the bench she had occupied during the night. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly approached her. "I do have a spare room you can use,"

She had already settled herself in: legs propped up on the bench and her head leaning against the wall. "This is fine." She replied, in a rather drowsy tone.

"I'm sure you'll be more comfortable there." He tried again.

Amreen rested her hands on her stomach and exhaled a deep breath, "Hmm, this is fine."

He remained still, watching her resting form. The thermal readings in his helmet told him that her core temp was lowering. That combined with the fact that her breathing had leveled out, she was fast asleep. He wasn't sure what to do next, feeling quite awkward with just standing there and watching her. He picked up the spare blanket and, just like the night before, gently placed it over her. Taking a step back, he noticed that the food he had laid out had barely been touched. But the cup was empty, he found out after picking it up for inspection. He did find it rather peculiar with how easily she was able to fall asleep. The fact that she was on an unfamiliar ship with someone she didn't know. Although, he could only surmise that if he were in her position, he wouldn't care that much. Given the fact that she slept through the night and nothing happened to her must have been enough to make her comfortable.

There was nothing for him to do. He didn't plan on taking off until he spoke with her about what she wanted to do. If there was somewhere he could take her. Still, she would be without a ship. He knew that thing was an investment for her. Could he really just drop her off somewhere knowing she had no means of getting around? No way to go out for other bounties. She could possibly join another bounty hunter's crew. But most he knew rather liked the solitude lifestyle or already had enough crewmen to support. This was a conversation best saved for when she woke up. With nothing to do but wait, the Mandalorian sat himself down on the bench across from her, mimicking the same posture from last night. Except for this time, he didn't fall asleep. He merely listened to the rain pounding against the ship.

All her senses came at her full force.

She jolted awake, her body immediately stiffened by her aching joints. But it was also the sight of the Mandalorian lounging on the bench across from her that caught her by surprise as well. Her eyes narrowed at his still form, wondering if he was asleep. Of course, she couldn't tell with him wearing that helmet. She wondered if he ever took the thing off. Obviously, he had to in order to eat. It was a stupid thought on her part. Still, she was curious as to who it was underneath that mask.

"You like what you see," he asked while slowly tilting his head to the side to look at her.

She immediately shrugged and broke her gaze, trying to hide the embarrassment from having been caught staring, "Just wasn't sure if you were sleeping or not." Sitting up, she pressed a hand to her bandaged leg, massaging it in an effort to lessen the soreness. "How long was I out this time?"

"Only a few hours." He stood up from the bench and gestured at the still full plate of food. "You should eat."

"Not that hungry."

"It'll help."

Amreen sent a glare his way, he was standing his ground. And she did find it quite annoying that she couldn't look him directly in the eye. She had no way of knowing what he was thinking and she hated that. He said nothing as he walked off. And not wanting to hear any form of a lecture from him, Amreen started to munch away at the food. She took it slow, not wanting to upset her stomach as she had earlier. The Mandalorian returned, having brought more water for her. She silently watched him place the cup down on the table and then returned to his bench. "Thank you," she finally said.

He merely watched her, not saying anything.

"Thanks for bringing me here and for patching me up," Amreen picked at the bread in her hands, stuffing small pieces into her mouth. "You could've easily left me which is what I expected to happen, so thanks again."

"My recollection, you helped me first and got injured because of it, not to mention your ship got destroyed." He paused upon seeing the looks of dismay that crossed her face. "It was the least I could do. Thank you for helping me."

"Yeah, like I said last night, I'm too nice for my own good." That sounded a lot harsher than she had intended. But she had no damn ship, she had every right to be bitter about it. "Most hunters would have just left, and of course, the time that I choose to help, my leg gets messed up and I lose my ship, guess luck just wasn't in my cards."

"Why did you do it?"

The question threw her off. "I don't know." She continued to break off pieces of the bread as she contemplated her answer. Why did she help him? Amreen had a clear window for her escape. The asset's men were preoccupied with fighting off the Mandalorian. She made the mistake of looking back and seeing that he was cornered. It sparked something within her. Having worked on a trader's ship for a few years, she became used to the idea of helping other crew-members. Especially when their ships were raided. But he wasn't a member of her crew. He was just a lone Mandalorian who offered her a deal to split the bounty if they worked together. It was an impulse choice. But it ensured that both she and the Mandalorian got out of that situation alive. "Guess it was just an impulse." She added. "But you're welcome."

The next few moments were followed by agonizing silence. Amreen tried to busy herself with finishing the food, all while trying not to stare at the hunter across from her. Again, with that helmet, she couldn't get a good read on the guy.

"You need to figure out what you're going to do next."

Her jaw immediately tensed. "Given my situation, I don't really have that many options." She pushed her plate away, having eaten as much as her stomach could tolerate. "I guess you can drop me off at the nearest port and I'll figure my way from there."

He mulled over her words for a moment, thinking of an alternative that might be better for her. "We still have that deal."

"What deal?"

"Capture the bounty, split the reward." Amreen huffed out a laugh, but he continued. "Odds are they probably think we're dead. I still have the fob tracking on the asset. I know where they are. We can go get them, hand them over for the reward."

Something about this was very odd to her. The biggest thing she learned about being a bounty hunter was to always look out for herself, to take the route that gave her the best outcome. She fully expected him to agree with dropping her off at a nearby planet and go on to collect his bounty. But this was different. "You're definitely not what I expected a Mandalorian to be."

His back straightened at hearing these words, "How did you expect me to be then?"

She bit her lip and gave a small shrug, understanding how her words could come off as insulting. "I've never actually met one. I've come across one a couple of times in the past, never spoken to them. The only thing I know about your culture and your people is from what I've read. Stories that have been passed down to me. It's all just preconceived ideas."

"What are they?"

He really is going to make her say it. Amreen leaned back until she was resting against the wall. "I always thought of Mandalorians as cunning, brash, they were said to be the greatest warriors in the galaxy. Strong ethics, extremely loyal to their own. Questionable morals, perhaps?" Her eyes narrowed in curiosity at him. "But you don't seem brash, you saved my life when you could've easily just left. And you're still willing to hold up a deal that we agreed on moments after meeting. You could collect the entire reward by just dropping me off somewhere, why not just do that?"

"You saved my life too," he replied with great ease. "I've also been in difficult situations like this before."

"Oh," she nodded and then smirked. "So you have a soft spot." She laughed upon seeing him hesitate. It's gotten easy to decipher his body language, given that's all she has to go on. "It's okay I won't tell anyone."

"I could change the deal."

Now that's what she was waiting for. For him to drop everything and pull the rug out from under her. Honestly, she couldn't even be upset about it. It's what she would have done as well. She motioned for him to tell her.

"You come with me to get the asset, we turn them over, get the reward and you can take up a place here."

"Here," she repeated and then slowly glanced around the ship. "On your ship?" She saw him nod at her question but that didn't lessen the disbelief she was experiencing. "Like what, just a crewman?"

"We'll take on bounties."

"If you feel like you owe me still, you don't." She snapped, not wanting pity from him. "You have already done enough for me." She motioned at her leg.

He understood where she was coming from but that didn't sway him from continuing. "You can stay on for as long as you want. If you manage to save up enough, then you're welcome to leave, you're not obligated to stay."

"A temporary arrangement."

"Yes."

It was a very generous offer. A little too generous. A part of her thought there might be some form of catch to his offer. But she couldn't think of any. She ran a hand down her face, trying to fully take in all everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours. Amreen thought she was going in for a simple bounty. It ended with her ship destroyed, personal belongings burnt to nothing and a nasty leg wound. But now she was being offered a chance to turn it all around. She was being given a place on a hunter's ship, a share of payment for herself and no strings attached. She could leave whenever she saw fit.

It's only a temporary arrangement, she reminded herself. Besides, this Mandalorian didn't seem to be all that bad. Not the most talkative individual. But he knew how to fight, from what she saw during the altercation, which made sense. He's a Mandalorian after all. And she wouldn't admit it to him, but they acted as a pretty good team back there. This could work, she cast a glance over at his direction. He had been very quiet and incredibly patient waiting for her answer. What better choice did she have? "Traversing the galaxy with a Mandalorian should be interesting."

He tilted his head, curious about how that was her way of answering him. "I guess that means you're taking up my offer."

"Well, if you want to be all formal about it… yeah."

"Alright." He stood up from the bench and approached her. "I never got your name."

"Amreen Carr." She then folded her arms across her chest, expectantly. "Am I supposed to call you something specific? Or should I just call you Mandalorian?"

"Most call me Mando."

She hummed to herself, accepting the alias. "You do have a name though, right?"

"Yes."

Amreen didn't know much about the Mandalorian's culture. She knew that their armor was sacred, and they were known for not taking their helmets off. Their anonymity was in itself a weapon that they utilized to the fullest extent. This was a boundary she needed to respect if she wanted this to work out. "Okay, good. I won't ask for it, so I'll just call you Mando."

He nodded. Then extended his hand out towards her. She eyed it, thinking whether this is what she wanted. It didn't matter whether she wanted it, it was all about what would make this situation better for her. And she was looking at him right now. She leaned forward and took hold of his hand in a firm shake.

Only a temporary arrangement.

A/N: I already had this prologue posted up on AO3 and I'm steadily working away on the next chapter, so hopefully it won't be too long until the next update! Let me know what you think!