Nevarro was a crazy place. Loud too. People rushing here and there around her as she wandered the marketplace. Somewhere far off she could hear a few small children crying which only added to the cacophony of noise. Vendors were showing off their wares and shouting out prices hoping to make a sale.

The alluring scent of spiced meat being seared tickled her nose and her mouth watered.

That was Krayt dragon meat...fresh too.

Her stomach growled viciously, reminding her all too well of her predicament.

But food wasn't why she was here. No.

Well part of the reason.

If you wanted to make a name for yourself...you came here. The little backwater planet was a well-known bounty hunter haunt and she needed a job...a better paying one actually.

She was starving and her ship was in desperate need of repairs both of which required credits. Which she was also in dire need of.

Speaking of which, she pulled her coin bag out and dumping it into her palm, she groaned.

Not even enough for a nibble.

"Bastasi."

Well, she only hoped her ship could stay together long enough for her to finish a few contracts at least.

Her stomach growled again in protest and she sighed.

"Not today, stomach."

'A bounty hunter never complains.'

She made her way through the throng of people, excusing herself as her shoulder bumped someone. When they turned on her angrily, they stilled, their eyes falling on her weapons.

He raised his hands in defeat. "I'm sorry, ma'am."

She smiled, "No need to apologize. I'm the one that bumped into you."

He chuckled nervously, "You're a hunter right? Looking for the cantina?"

"Yes I am."

The man pointed down the way to a white building with a red flag. "Right there and good luck. The new guildmaster is an easy man to work with but a tough man to please."

"What's his name?"

"Greef Karga."

She waved him off in thanks before continuing on, not able to look away as if the flag fluttering in the soft breeze was an alluring siren's song to her eyes.

Reaching the flag seemed such a small step for her but when she had the door right in front of her she froze.

Once she entered that door...that was it. She would be a hunter...bound to the guild and to the code. She was doubting herself again. She had barely scraped by so far running errands here and there but this?

This was the big leagues.

She would be rubbing elbows with the best in the business so she had to act like she was the best too. The code demanded it of her...of every hunter that worked for the guild.

'He who hires my hand, hires my whole self.'

"Come on Kay. You made it this far."

She squared her shoulders and stepped through the door and suddenly she couldn't see as the lights inside the cantina were dimly flickering. Rubbing her eyes she gingerly made her way down the step stopping again when a voice cut through the air.

"Well hello."

Kay internally groaned at the teasing tone and turned towards it...noticing a large Zabrak male leaned against the wall. He was grinning at her, his golden eyes tracing slowly down her lean frame.

She rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore him as she scanned the room. There had to be at least 15 other bounty hunters in the room. There was a Trandoshan seated with a pair of Rodians. She could make out the almost lyrical tone of the Rodian language but detected a slight angriness. They were arguing with the Trandoshan about something.

That made her pause.

She had seen firsthand what a Trandoshan could do when angry enough. Those Rodians were either crazy or they knew the lizard well enough to chance it. Kay mentally noted to stay away from the bickering group.

"Hey, you should know when someone's say hi, you're supposed to say it back?"

She sighed heavily, "I'm not here looking for fun, buddy. I'm here for a job."

He snorted, "You? A hunter?"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm too small? Or too curvy? Or here's the best one yet...too pretty to be a hunter?"

"You've got guts."

"Yeah, just don't ask to see them. I'm kind of attached to them."

He chuckled, smacking her shoulder. "You're a mouthy little thing, aren't you? Good. You'll need it here. Come on, I'll buy you a drink."

She grinned. "A drink sounds great."

The Zabrak motioned to the barkeep, "Two Corellian whiskeys. No ice."

He turned to her, "Name's Voru."

"Kayda. Kay for short."

"So why are you a hunter?"

"You ask every girl that question?"

He winked, "Only the pretty ones."

"Flatterer."

The barkeep placed the drinks down in front of them and he raised his up.

"Well, its nice to meet a new hunter that isn't immediately trying to kill me."

She knocked her glass against his with a smile. "Likewise."

Voru leaned close to her, lowering his voice. "A word of caution, Kay...don't get too friendly with people. Not everyone's going to react like I did. Everyone is here for a job and they are all out to make credits no matter what. Remember the code...no friends, no enemies."

"Only allies and adversaries."

He gave a sharp nod in approval. "Good. You already know it. Trust it. Its kept me alive this long and it'll keep you alive."

"Well, Voru, making nice with the locals?"

"Karga."

She stilled at the name and turned to face him. Karga was a tall man with a kind face but sharp eyes as his gaze swept over her body, noting the blaster on one hip and the sword on the other one. Her hands itched as he studied her silently, lingering on the knives she had strapped around her left thigh.

He smiled wide. "You've come to join the guild."

"Yes sir."

"Name?"

"Kayda Vane."

"What do you think, Voru?"

He shrugged, throwing the rest of his drink back. "She's mouthy...quick to snap back so she's no shrinking violet. Haven't seen her fight yet but a small bounty could clear that up quick."

She lifted a finger up, turning to Voru. "This was all a test, wasn't it? You work for Karga."

"Quick thinker. Not many can figure it out that fast."

"Thanks. So this small bounty?"

Karga chuckled, "Voru will go with you but he won't help you in any way. He'll only be there to assess your skills...see if your a good fit for the guild."

"And if I am?"

"Then you'll be able to get pucks for the bigger bounties."

She drained the last of her whiskey. "When do I start?"

Voru patted her shoulder. "Tomorrow. There's a bounty on a thief here in Nevarro. Perfect to cut your teeth on. Go eat and get some sleep."

Her stomach growled violently and she looked at them sheepishly.

"About that...I uhh, don't have any food. Or the credits to buy said food."

Voru snorted, "Alright, since it wouldn't be fair to test you on an empty stomach...I'll buy you something to eat and you'll pay me back with half the payout from this bounty, okay?"

"That, sir, is a deal."

/ - / - / - /

She rubbed her stomach happily crawling into her bunk, pulling the threadbare blanket over her ear. Her droid chirped at her from the shelf and she grumbled at it sleepily.

"Initiate lockdown procedure, Beet and set an alarm for dawn. I've got a job."

The little bot whistled pulling a snort from her. "Any job would be better than that one. G'night."

Beet beeped softly before powering down for the night.

/ - / - / - /

The alarm blaring around her startled her awake and she grabbed her sword instinctively before a sharp whistle and a series of beeps stopped her. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and groaned.

"Its too early for this."

A warble answered her and she flicked the bot on the head.

"Hey, I know I asked you to but no need for the sass okay?" She slid off her bunk, reaching for her holster. She pulled her blaster free and checked over it, making sure the safety was still on. It still had a full charge. Good.

"What time is it?"

A series of beeps and she smiled, reaching over to pull a box from the shelf above her bed. She exited the small bunk, plopping down onto the cargo hold floor.

There was just enough time to tend to her sword as she set out a cloth and a small bottle of oil to the side.

The sword was important...a strange weapon for a bounty hunter but it was her secret weapon. It was a rare weapon and she found that that frightened people much more than a blaster at times. With a blaster, you were either considered a good shot, a great shot or absolutely terrible but you pull a sword out they get real quiet, suddenly and silently assessing a skill they didn't think to expect from you.

Imagination is a warrior's most important weapon.

She poured the oil onto the cloth, setting it aside before slowly pulling the curved beskar blade free, placing the scabbard down gently. The cloth moved almost reverently across the blade as she cleaned it, humming under her breath.

She made an silent amendment to the code.

A hunter is more than their weapons. They are a weapon. Tend to your weapons. Tend to yourself.

This was her most prized possession...and if anyone wanted to claim it for themselves, they would have to kill her first.

/ - / - / - /

Voru jerked his head towards her hip. "So what's with the sword?"

"You can never just rely on a blaster, Voru. Too much can go wrong with tech. I like to have a back-up plan."

She had put thought into this and he chuckled.

"That's...actually pretty smart."

Kay shrugged, "That was the first thing my father taught me but not the only thing."

Voru was taken back by the shakiness in her voice and he gently grabbed her arm, "Hey, you okay?"

"Just fine. Where's this thief Karga talked about?"

She could see his sharp canines when he smiled lopsidedly, "Well that's another good point for you. You can focus on the mission at hand...not letting your emotions get the better of you."

"The job?"

"Alright, alright. You're an eager little thing too. Good. We're looking for a man named Corr Randon. He broke into a few homes around her and stole some rather valuable items. We are to locate him and capture him. We are also to locate the items he had taken as well. A simple capture and return."

"Where was he last seen?"

"Source last saw him lingering around the junkyard near the ash fields. I'll lead you there."

"Good."

She followed him to a set of 74-Y speeder bikes, "So we stop a few klicks out and walk the rest of the way. Just so they don't hear us coming. He may be a thief but even thieves have friends."

Hiking a leg over the seat Kay settled in, flipping the power on and as she lifted into the air, she checked the levels, pulling a set of goggles from her belt. She slid them down over her eyes and made sure her sword and blaster were secure.

She directed a curt nod at Voru indicating she was ready. He returned the nod and flared the engines before racing away. she leaned down, pushing forward on the handlebars at the same time pressing her feet forward entering into a short boost to follow close behind him.

Time to hunt.

/ - / - / - /

Voru slowed to a slow crawl, lowering to the ground behind the remains of a small trawler. She did the same, powering down and hopping off. She pulled a holo-projector out and studied the map it held.

"So, he was last seen in the heart of the junkyard, near a torn apart freight hauler. Which from the looks of the map there are only a few haulers here near that location."

She pointed to the map, "Like this one right here."

"What are you going to do now?"

Kay grinned, "I'm going to survey the area quickly. I love my back-up plans."

He gave her a confused look, "Then what?"

She winked, "You'll see."

He watched her pull some items from her speeder's saddlebags but she tucked them into her belt before he could really see them.

"You've got your macros, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then just sit tight and watch the show."

Voru snorted, "You seem rather sure of yourself."

"Buddy, you have no idea."

She waved at him as she slunk away into the wreckage, plans whirling through her mind a mile a minute.

If Kayda was going to be a part of the guild, she was damn sure going to leave a lasting impression.

The area was large, too many spots for this Corr to easily slip away so she had to make sure he couldn't. She patted her belt with a smile...oh he definitely wouldn't.

It was another hour before she returned to Voru and he was ansty, clearly wanting this to be done and over with.

"Where have you been? I couldn't see you on the macros at all."

Kay shrugged, "Oh, I was around."

She walked off towards the loud noise and he stopped her with a heated whisper, "Where are you going now?"

"I'm going to go introduce myself."

"Now you decide to go in?"

"I'm patient, Voru. I was just waiting for the right time."

"You are a strange woman."

"Its one of my many endearing personality traits."

He chuckled, "Alright, alright. Enough. Get the job done."

"You got it."

As she approached the fallen hauler she started whistling a low tune as she unbuckled her holster. You never knew when things would go south even in a simple mission like this.

Three sets of eyes whirled on her...all of them steadily trained blasters on her body and she raised her hands up.

One human...and two Rodians...the two she saw arguing with the Trandoshan, great.

She threw her hands up in mock surrrender. "Hey now, no need for hostility, my friends."

A tall man with brown hair shook his head angrily, "We're not your friends. Who are you and what do you want?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Are you by any chance Corr Randon?"

The way his blaster dropped a second was all the confimation she needed. She smiled softly.

"You know, you could always return what you took. No need to make this messy."

One of the Rodians brandished their blaster at her, speaking harshly in their native tongue. The tone sent a shiver up her spine, sending her internal alarms going off. That wasn't a good sign.

That's when she realized that this was more than a mere burglary.

This was going to go bad.

Corr shook his head violently, "Hey, no. We didn't agree on that."

A blaster went off, making her flinch as Corr dropped to the ground, a steaming hole in his chest.

She quickly flung herself behind a piece of torn plating that was next to her as the two began firing at her.

"Bastasi."

She pulled her blaster free as well as a knife.

"Hey, you didn't have to shoot him! I doubt I'll get the bounty for him now!"

"No bounty. You die hunter."

She swore under her breath. "Why me? Why does everything have to go wrong for me?"

"Look, just give me what he took and we can go our separate ways, okay?"

"No. You seen too much. You die." He trailed off in Rodian.

Kay knew what they were going to do...one was going to flank her on the left while the other came up on her right. They were going to pin her and execute her. She laid her blaster in her lap and waited.

Voru lowered his macros in surprise. Why wasn't she moving? She looked like she was waiting patiently. For what?

He lifted them back up...he was intrigued now. This woman was either highly skilled or bluffing big time.

When both Rodians stepped around the plating she smiled up at them.

"Now, you can just step away, you know right? You don't have to kill me."

The darker green Rodian snarled at her, "You are stupid hunter. Staying put...you die."

She lifted a small device in her hands, parting her vest jacket and revealing a blinking red light on her chest.

"Oh I don't think I'm dying today."

The lighter green Rodian lowered his weapon and took a step back.

Kay grinned, "So you know what this is? Good. Shoot me, you die too. This is connected to a sensor that measures my heartrate. As long as my heart continues to beat...we're all safe but the very second my heart stops that's it. Night Night."

Voru was laughing under his breath.

This woman was crazy.

He liked her.

The dark green Rodian lowered his weapon, "What do you want?"

"I want the items Corr stole. All of them. And his body. I won't mention you two at all. You have my word. My bounty was just for him."

The Rodian on her right spoke rapidly which caused the one on her left to sigh and he holstered his blaster.

"My brother and I agree to this deal. No need to die today."

He offered his hand and she took it, standing up.

"I think that's a great idea."

"My name is Horda Neetu and this is my brother Hurlo. What is your name, hunter?"

"Name's Kayda Vane."

"You are crazy human. Kill yourself to kill opponents...crazy."

"Thanks. I'm been working at it for some time."

Horlo shook his head, his saucer-like antennae bouncing softly. "Odd human."

She holstered her blaster, "So where are the items?"

"Over here. Take it but next time...we won't let riches go."

Next time they'll be prepared...she finished mentally.

Oh but so would she...patterns are traps. Vary your routine.

She nodded her head, "Thank you kindly. Now you'll want to leave immediately. I never saw you two in my life."

Hordo shook her shoulder, "We part ways peacefully, human hunter."

They walked off leaving her staring down at the lifeless corpse of Corr Randon and the bag of stolen items.

"Crime never pays. And you paid the ultimate price, buddy. Sorry."

"Hey! Kay! What the hell are you doing?"

She turned to Voru and shook her head. "The bounty was just for Corr, right?"

"But when they realize that you let his murderer go?"

Kayda laughed, "Oh, you really think I was going to let them go?"

An explosion sounded in the background and she sighed heavily. "Some people never learn."

"What?"

"Watch out for things that go too well."

When they returned to the town two hours later, both speeders were weighed down. Hers holding a surprisingly still alive Hordo and Voru's holding both the bodies of Corr and Hurlo.

Hordo was thrashing against his bindings, spitting rather colorful curses her way.

"I will kill you, hunter filth!"

She patted his head, "Yeah, yeah, get in line, Hordo. You're not the first to make that claim...and you won't be the last."

When he stepped out of the Cantina, Karga's eyes widened in shock, "What happened?"

She shrugged, pointing our the two Rodians. "The brothers Hordo and Hurlo Neetu set up the robberies and when Corr decided that he didn't like their plans anymore, Hordo here shot him."

"How did you capture the Neetu brothers too?"

By that time they had already gained a small audience...most of whom were other hunters.

Good.

Kayda grinned, "Oh easy. I scouted out the area and placed charges at spots I thought they could use to slip away. They tripped one of those charges when I 'let' them go. Hurlo unfortunately got the brunt of the explosion and died."

Greef laughed loudly, slapping her back. "Well I'll be a slimey slug. You're in."

"Wait...what, really?"

Voru wrapped an arm around her shoulders, shaking her gently. "I'll second that. Welcome to the guild, Kayda Vane."

She smiled coyly, "So I get a bigger payout for the Neetu brothers right?"

Karga laughed again, "You're going to do great here, kid."