Part 1 Chapter 2: Searching for Help

The sun shined through the blinds as the morning came. Sasha groaned as she turned away from the ray of light that was shining in her eyes. Peeling her crusted over eyes open, Sasha found herself laying the wrong way on her bed with Oppie's jacket laying on top of her. Sitting up, Sasha heard the adjoining door knock. A moment later, Viran entered dressed and ready to go for their departure.

"Looks like someone got their beauty rest," Viran joked with a smirk.

Sasha didn't feel refreshed or wide awake. But she did feel like she finally had enough sleep to function for the day. She still grabbed her pillow and tossed it at Viran, who swatted it away.

"Ha ha," Sasha groaned as she sat up from the bed. "Now get out, I need to get ready."

Viran rolled his eyes as he started to close the door. "Don't take too long. I want to be out before the sun gets too high."

"Aye, aye," Sasha said as she started combing out the knots in her hair.

Once Viran was out of the room, Sasha got ready and packed up the rest of her belongings. As she finished packing up her bag, she hesitated when she realized only Oppie's jacket remained. She grabbed it and patted out the wrinkles. A frown tugged at her lips as she started packing it into her bag. As soon as she was done, she met up with Viran. They made their way to the shuttle. Once there, they climbed aboard and took off from Batuu with no trouble. While Viran piloted them out of the atmosphere, Sasha plugged in the coordinates to Artemis. Viran then pulled the lever down and they made the leap into hyperspace.

"Alright, it looks like it's going to be a few hours before we arrive," Viran said as he threw on the autopilot. "I'm going to the back to get some rest."

"Did you ever get to sleep last night?" Sasha asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not for very long," Viran admitted as he stood up from his seat. "Just keep an eye on the ship. Come get me when we arrive."

"I will," Sasha said.

Viran patted her shoulder as he passed by on his way into the back of the ship toward the bunks. Once Viran was in the back, Sasha opened the secret hatch and pulled out Oppie's lightsaber. When they arrived at Batuu, they had decided it would be for the best to keep their sabers hidden on board like Oppie always did on their old ship. Viran's new saber was a sleek hilt that shined with a brilliant blue blade. Viran was just as curious as she was as to who the lightsaber once belonged to before it was taken by Kopesh as a trophy. As for her new saber, it was Oppie's from when she had retrieved it from Cien and used it face off against her. And when Oppie had arrived with two brand new lightsabers, it made her think that this one was almost passed down onto her.

Just looking at his saber made her think about him again. She put the saber away and closed the hatch with a hard slam. She leaned her head against the durasteel wall as she tired to think of anything but Oppie.

Sasha? A voice in her mind called out as if from an unimaginable distance.

A verbal gasp escaped Sasha's lips. She looked around the cockpit trying to figure out where the voice came from. It sounded way too familiar. Rubbing her forehead, Sasha sat down in the pilot's chair and shook her head as if to clear.

"I must be hearing things," Sasha mumbled.

That voice she just heard... It sounded way too much like Oppie's. Maybe it was because she had been thinking of him, but it sounded almost too real to be her remembering how he sounded. Sasha sat back in the chair and had the strange thought of trying to see if she could hear it again. For some reason, something in her gut told her to try and see if she could hear it again. Focusing on what Oppie's voice sounded like, Sasha tried to see if she could hear the voice again. There was nothing, it was silent until…

Sasha please, please be there…

Bringing her head to her hands, Sasha sat there panting slightly as if she just ran. That was his voice… wasn't it? Sasha was practically second guessing herself on if what she heard was real. The Force was telling her to trust the strange voice and continue to reach for it. Her gut told her that Oppie might actually be alive after all. But her heart told her not to listen as it was just her tired mind playing tricks on her and if she listened, her heart would be broken again. Biting her lip, Sasha wasn't going to just ignore what she experienced, but she couldn't trust it either. At least, not until she had more answers as to why she suddenly started hearing voices.

For the remainder of the flight to Artemis, Sasha tried meditating and tried reaching out to the voice, but with no result. She pulled out of the Force with a sigh as the ship beeped at her alerting her that it was time to pull out of hyperspace. Maybe it really was her imagination and her mind playing cruel tricks on her. Frowning, Sasha pulled the ship out of hyperspace before going to wake Viran. When she reached the bunk room, she carefully shook his shoulder.

Waking with a yawn, Viran opened his eyes to see Sasha above him, waking him up. Sitting up with a stretch, Viran looked at her.

"We're here already?" Viran asked, disoriented. "Damn, I really was tired." Viran swung his legs out from the bunk and pulled back on his boots. He then stood up beside Sasha. "Did you pull us out of hyperspace already?"

"Yeah, we are just sitting in orbit above the planet," Sasha said with a distant nod.

Viran turned his head, confused. She seemed out of it.

"What's up? Did I miss something while I was asleep?" Viran asked as he started toward the cockpit.

Sasha followed after him. It took her a minute to respond. "Vir… I think I heard Oppie's voice."

"Wait, what?" Viran asked as he turned on his heel to face her. "Where?"

"In my head," Sasha said as she rubbed her arm unsure. "It was almost as if he was talking to me through the force."

"But… Oppie's dead," Viran said.

"I know, I know. It's just… it felt so real Vir," Sasha said nervously. "It was almost like how I can communicate with you now through our Force bond, but this one seemed… Ugh. I sound crazy saying this out loud." She threw her arms up and pushed past him toward the co-pilot's chair.

"A little yeah," Viran said watching her walk off. "He's been gone a month, Sash. If he was still alive, I think we would have noticed if he was trying to communicate with us… or well… you." He sat down next to her in his chair and looked at her. "But if you hear that voice again, let me know."

"So you believe me?" Sasha asked, surprised.

"Not exactly, but the Force works in mysterious ways as the Jedi Council would always say," Viran said with a slight smirk. "But I'm also not getting my hopes either and you shouldn't too."

Sasha nodded as she rested back in the chair. Viran frowned. He hated seeing her like this, but how likely was it that Op survived that explosion? Not very likely from the sheer blast radius and the fact that no one else survived or at least that they know of. They didn't exactly stick around to check either. But now was not the time to feel guilty about that. Now was the time to find Kyr. Viran pulled the ship down to the surface of the planet flying over the trees. He landed just outside the city just like before. Once the ship was safely nestled on the ground, Viran shut her down. Sasha went back into the bunk area to gear up for the colder weather. Viran did the same once he was done.

With the heavier jackets on, Viran and Sasha walked down the ramp. They trudged through the snow and the mud until they reached the small outpost. Walking through the town, Viran noticed it was not quite as bustling as it was when they were there a month ago. Viran mentally assumed that maybe it was because it was no longer hunting season or the fact a heavy snow storm might be on it's way based off the dark clouds in the distance. Either way, the fewer people they have to encounter the better.

Viran slowed his pace when he felt Sasha tug at his sleeve. She leaned closer.

"Do you know where we can find this guy?" Sasha asked only loud enough for his ears to hear.

Viran shrugged. "Not exactly. The last time I was here, he found me. So I was just going to check out the local cantina and see if maybe he is there."

"Makes sense," Sasha agreed. "Bounty hunters really only gather in one place in a town like this and that would be the local cantina. Do you know where it is?"

"I think it's just down this way," Viran said, gesturing with his chin toward the lodge at the end of the street.

As they got closer, Viran's hunch turned out to be right. The lodge was the cantina, or alehouse, according to the sign. Viran and Sasha exchanged a quick reassuring glance before entering into the establishment. As the doors slid open, they were both hit by the warmth from the heater and the smell of booze. Unlike Sasha's cantina, this place had a stronger smell to go with it. Viran assumed it might just be the gathering of bodies in a warm space with alcohol or the patrons hadn't seen a refresher in days. Or both. Once inside, Viran started leading Sasha through the alehouse while keeping an eye open for Kyr. It shouldn't be that hard to find a shiny, bronze Mando in this joint, right?

Well Viran was proven wrong. He didn't see Kyr anywhere. He only got the occasional glares from other patrons when he would glance in their direction. Viran huffed as he came to a halt at the end of the bar. He turned to Sasha, who he noticed was keeping her gaze down as that is a sign of not wanting trouble in a place like this.

"I can't find him," Viran said in a whisper.

"Then let's ask the bartender. See if he has seen him," Sasha stated as she met his gaze.

Viran nodded and turned to the bar top. The bartender had his back to them as he appeared to be restocking the shelf on the wall. Viran cleared his throat. The bartender didn't notice. Viran did it again before speaking.

"Excuse me," Viran said to the bartender.

The bartender turned to face him with an annoyed huff. "What can I get for ya? A drink? Some food? A chauffeur to the exit?"

"We are looking for a bounty hunter," Viran started.

"A bounty hunter? Just looked around ya, kid," the bartender said. "Majority of my customers are bounty hunters. Go talk to one of them." He started to turn around again.

"We are looking for a specific bounty hunter. Mandalorian to be exact," Viran continued, stopping the bartender. "Goes by Kyr."

"Oh yeah, I know him," the bartender said with a nod. "But he ain't here."

"Where is he?" Viran asked, getting annoyed with this guy.

"Like I'd tell you," the bartender said with a snort. "What do you need with him anyway?"

"We want to hire him. Serious business," Viran said, staring down the bartender. "Now where is he?"

"Serious business?" The bartender laughed. "What? Gonna hire him to find your mom, kid?" He laughed some more. "I told ya before, I ain't tell ya where he went. He's my most loyal customer. I ain't gonna rat him out to a couple of kids. Now buy something or get lost."

Sasha slammed her hand onto the bar top, startling both Viran and the bartender. She moved her hand to reveal a few credits. "Will this help you talk? We need that information."

The bartender raised his eyebrows as he took the credits into his hands. "You should take lessons from your girlfriend on how to haggle in a bar like this." He put the credits into his pocket. "Alright, he said he got a big job on some planet in the outer rim. I can't remember the name, so hold your credits. All I can remember is that it is some desert planet or something. If you really want to know the name, just go ask Tom at the docks. He knows everyone's business who parks there. He'll tell ya where Kyr is."

"Thanks for your help," Viran said with a simple nod. He turned to Sasha. "Let's go."

Sasha nodded and they started walking back toward the exit. On their way out, a bounty hunter stepped in their way. Sasha and Viran came to a halt, glancing up at the roadblock. The bounty hunter towered over both of them and chuckled.

"I heard you two were looking for that good for nothing Mando, Kyr," the man said. "Whatever your job is, you would have more success with me than that bantha fodder. Besides, he still owes me a couple thousand credits from the last gig I did with him."

Viran and Sasha glared up at the bounty hunter.

"Our business is with Kyr and only him," Viran stated. "Now move."

"Or what? You gonna deal with me yourself?" The man asked, curiously.

"I would move if I were you or you will get hurt," Viran warned.

"Hurt?" The man laughed. "By you? Or your girlfriend?"

"Now you've done it," Viran said with a sigh.

In one swift motion, Sasha grabbed the man's arm, twisted it, and slammed him into the nearest table top. The smack against the table silenced the whole bar. All eyes were on Sasha pinning the man to the bar with just her bare hands and his arm twisted back behind him. With him pinned, Sasha leaned forward.

"You will leave us alone and forget about Kyr," Sasha said very calmly in his ear. "Or your arm will no longer be attached to your shoulder. Also I'm not his girlfriend."

"Hey!" The bartender shouted at them. "No brawling in my joint. Take it outside or knock it off."

Sasha released the man with a simple shove. He stumbled and tried to regain his footing. He looked at her, afraid.

"I'm sorry about that," Sasha said back to the bartender. "We were just leaving."

With that, Sasha started toward the door. Viran looked at the bounty hunter she had just manhandled.

"I warned you, didn't I?" Viran said with a simple shrug before following after her.

Once outside and the doors closed, Viran chuckled.

"Man, you are a completely different person when you are in the bar scene like that," Viran complimented.

Sasha blushed. "Thanks. I think."

"No, I'm serious," Viran said as they started walking to the docks. "There was a reason Op always left you in charge of the cantina. The way you handle yourself in there with those bounty hunters takes a lot of strength, and an extreme level of grit. Plus it was nice to see you back to your usual self in there. I know it's been hard this past month. Also I'm never going to forget the look on that poor bounty hunters face after you freaking owned him like that! Plus It was pretty hot."

Sasha and Viran both turned a deep red after he said the last part. Viran cleared his throat and they kept walking for a moment after that in silence.

"Thanks," Sasha said, breaking the silence.

Viran knew what she was talking about and grinned at her.

They reached the docks a few minutes later. They approached the security booth that had a man in an officer's uniform sitting in a chair, scrolling through a datapad. Sasha and Viran approached the window. Viran placed a knock on the window. The guy looked up at them with a lazy raised eyebrow.

"Yeah?" he asked with a monotone voice.

"Are you Tom?" Viran asked.

"Yeah. Can I help you?" He responded.

"We are looking for Kyr," Viran said. "Do you know where he went?"

"Kyr?" Tom paused for a really long moment. "Yeah, I've seen him. He told me he was headed to Tonalea. He said he would be gone for like a week or something like that."

"When did he leave?" Sasha asked.

"Like three days ago," Tom said.

Sasha and Viran exchanged a nod with each other.

"Thanks for your help," Viran said as he left a tip at the window for the man.

With that information in hand, Sasha and Viran hurried back to their ship. Once on board, Viran hustled into the cockpit to start up the ship. Sasha followed behind him and searched through the navicomputer for Tonalea. Once she found it, Sasha plugged the coordinates in as Viran pulled the ship off the surface and toward the stars. As soon as they were in orbit, Viran pulled the lever and shot them into hyperspace.

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