Canderous:

"Have you lost your mind?" Mission hissed.

I spared a glance at the young Twi'lek as I hoisted the unconscious Shen Matale over my shoulder.

"Did you actually intend to prance through this estate filled with war droids just to get a promise from the girl to meet her lover outside?" I asked.

"Yes," Mission growled. "You make it sound like it'd be difficult."

"Not difficult," I replied. "But time consuming and destructive."

"Do you Mandalorians always think with your blasters?" the child demanded. She grazed a hand over her belt and faded into the scenery.

"So you're determined to find the girl, then?" I asked.

"Just head out with Shen," Mission's voice commanded. "Big Z, follow him and make sure he doesn't do anything else stupid."

"That child needs discipline," I told the Wookiee.

The Wookiee bared its teeth at me. I ignored the gesture.

I hadn't hit the boy as hard as I would have liked, so he would only be out for a few minutes. The Twi'lek child argued enough as it was, I didn't want to hear the shrieks of outrage she'd be capable of if I had broken a bone or caused brain damage. That was the irritating part about siding with Jedi, they had no appreciation for a display of sheer power and what it could do to a warm body.

I shifted the dead weight on my shoulder and decided on a brisk pace. The sooner I was done with this pathetic assignment, the sooner I could go back to having a smoke and upgrading the astromech droid. For the price she paid for it, Rian wasn't getting her money's worth. The droid, T3-M4 was a worthwhile companion, also. We had similar outlooks.

The Wookiee grew irritable with my treatment of the Matale child. He snarled and wrenched the boy from my arms as I watched him blandly. The Wookiee muttered something in his native tongue and took the boy into his arms, the way a mother would rock her babe.

"Are you satisfied?" I asked.

The Wookiee growled.

"I take it you're still upset over what happened in the Ebon Hawk," I said.

A blind ferocity glinted behind the alien's eyes.

"I let my curiosity for your people get the better of me," I explained. "If all of your kind fight as you do, then the Wookiees are worthy warriors."

The Wookiee snorted.

"I'll not go after the child again," I said. "You've proved yourself."

Though, I couldn't understand his words, the Wookiee was speaking in the universal language of petulance and fury.

"I have no quarrel with you, Wookiee," I told him. "If you stop behaving as a child, I might begin to call you by your given name."

From the tone in his voice, I decided that the Wookiee preferred the hateful arrangement that already existed. I walked on calmly.

I was careful not to let my feet make a sound on the dry grass outside. It angered me that I couldn't march proudly, freely through the plains. This job required only the skill of a second rate thug. I wouldn't submit to these kinds of chores for a second time.

A soft groan behind me signaled the Matale child was waking. I turned sharply to the Wookiee.

"Make sure he doesn't scream when he comes to," I said.

The Wookiee's nostrils flared, but I saw his furry paw begin to stroke the boy's head. I sincerely hoped that all Wookiees didn't coddle their children in such a manner.

"Rahasia…" Shen murmured.

"Quiet, boy," I ordered. "You'll see her soon enough."

Shen lurched in the Wookiee's arms, but the alien had the boy pinned securely against his chest.

"Rahasia!" Shen's voice was more insistent.

"I said she'll be joining us shortly," I barked. "Now, quiet."

"I certainly hope you'll be gentler with her than you treated me," Shen mumbled as he stroked the bruise on his jaw line.

"If it were my decision, I wouldn't have wasted my time in such a matter," I said. "But the Twi'lek has a softer heart than I do."

"I still don't understand why you needed to hit me," Shen muttered.

"Can you speak Shyriiwook?" I asked.

"A bit," Shen replied. "Why?"

"Talk to the Wookiee then," I said. "I'm not here to entertain you."

"Is he always like this?" Shen asked the Wookiee.

The alien spared a snort.

"I see your point," Shen agreed. "I can walk on my own if you don't mind."

The Wookiee relented and set the boy down. Shen hobbled slowly after the Wookiee, his eyes warily on my back. I walked on.

Mission was waiting for us outdoors, a smug grin on her face, Rahasia at her side.

"Shen! You're safe!" Without a second glance to Mission, Rahasia ran to her lover.

"Rahasia!" Shen dug his fingers into Rahasia's hair and pulled her forehead to his. "Thank goodness you managed to escape."

"It was all thanks to this kind Twi'lek that we managed to get this far at all." A faint blush crossed Rahasia's ebony cheeks. "I thank you, Mission, for all you have done for us."

Mission bounded over to the group effortlessly. "It was no problem."

"No," Shen insisted as he looked up from he and Rahasia's embrace. "We know you must have gone to great personal risk to get us out of the Sandral estate undetected."

After a reluctant look at the Wookiee, Mission shook her head. "No reward is necessary," she sulked.

"But surely we can—" Shen protested.

"Shen, what happened to your face?" Rahasia cut in.

She ran her fingers over Shen's jaw and he winced. I snorted.

"We had a slight mishap during the rescue." Mission smiled brightly, but her eyes would have rended my flesh if it were possible.

"There was a war droid and I thought I could help," Shen offered. "I ended up getting in the way."

Mission's head tails moved furiously but she remained silent.

Rahasia shook her head as she caressed Shen's cheek. "You should know better than that," she chided.

"There you are, Shen!"

The muscles along Rahasia's neck stiffened at the sound of Ahlan Matale's voice. The older man came marching forward followed by an entourage of war droids.

"Father!" Shen reached for Rahasia's arm and pulled her behind him.

"Mr. Matale!" Panic was setting into Rahasia.

"Rahasia!"

Rahasia spun around and pressed her back against Shen's as Nurik Sandral burst out of the estate. Several war droids loomed over his shoulder to mimic Matale. A protocol droid must have tipped him off.

"Father!" The girl sounded on the brink of tears.

"Mr. Sandral!" Shen squeezed Rahasia's hand.

The old men were too engrossed in each other to notice.

"Nurik!" Matale bellowed.

"Ahlan!" Sandral sneered.

I fingered the settings of my blaster.

"I knew this was all your doing!" Matale accused. "I knew you had captured my son!"

Their children huddled closer to each other for support. Mission was sharing panicked looks with the Wookiee.

"You had taken my Cassus from me long before that!" Sandral declared. "You started it!"

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses!" Matale cut his arm through the air melodramatically. "Now, I will get revenge for your transgression!"

The children were rigid with fear. The Wookiee had transformed into a blubbering matriarch, he shot the hapless couple heart wrenching glances between baring his fangs at their fathers'. Mission's face was slowly turning purple. She looked ready to slug Matale and Sandral both. I wouldn't be surprised if she proved capable of incapacitating both of the bickering idiots.

"You two just need to calm down," Mission growled.

Wide eyed, Shen nodded his head furiously. "Please listen to her, Father!"

"Why should I listen to some two-bit alien slave girl?" Matale demanded. "All you want is to remain with that Sandral harlot."

"My daughter is not a harlot, Matale dog!" Sandral snarled.

I chuckled. The dueling fools had finally worn away at Mission's patience. She stalked towards Ahlan Matale, her hands balled into fists. I waited for the girl to slug him.

Instead, her hands flourished a blaster each and pumped a blast into every one of Matale's droids' sensor circuits in rapid succession. Nurik Sandral began to laugh triumphantly until Mission turned her guns on his droids. I smiled and the Wookiee gave a disparaging moan.

"I've got everything under control, Zaalbar," Mission insisted. "Now, let's try to sort this out together, shall we? Or do I have to sic the Wookiee on you?"

The Wookiee barked out what sounded like a protest. Mission scowled.

"Don't give me none of that, Big Z!"

Sandral swallowed hard as he glanced at the smoke rising from his worthless droid. "We are trying to be reasonable here, of course," he said. "We are sensible people after all. But our children are so stubborn."

Matale nodded. "If Shen would just understand that he has to do what I want, this would all be solved easily."

Mission rolled her eyes. "Shen's capable of making decisions on his own. Aren't you, Shen?"

The boy cleared his throat before nodding. "Yes."

"But he's my son," Matale protested. He turned his eyes towards the ground and muttered, "I don't want to lose him."

"And I won't let my daughter go with him!" Sandral declared.

Mission groaned and tugged on her lekku. "I've been on my own since I was twelve. Children grow up. They leave."

"Rahasia," Sandral pleaded.

"Father," the girl murmured. She turned to her lover's arm instead of returning to her father. Shen drew Rahasia's head to his chest protectively.

Sandral exhaled a ragged sigh and began to shut down his malfunctioning droids. "I don't know why we fight like this. We got along in the beginning, didn't we, Ahlan?"

The Wookiee was still apprehensive, but Mission seemed to be relaxing. I pulled out my cigarra case.

"I don't know how you can think of that when we have our children trying to go away together," Matale grumbled. Pride kept him from deactivating his own sizzling droids.

"Well, it wouldn't be so bad would it?" Sandral asked. "Shen seems to genuinely care for my Rahasia."

"So they stay together," Mission decided.

I turned away from the group and walked away. Mission had things under control, so I was taking up space. Rian and the other two would still be at the ruins given her intoxication coupled with the pilot's barrage of questions and the Jedi's tight-lipped answers. Aboard the Ebon Hawk it would be dark and quiet, something I hadn't enjoyed in a long time.