Danger.
Aleena jolted awake. She didn't know what shook her up, a noise, a smell, or a ripple in the Force; but there was danger lurking about, she was sure of it. She cautiously peeked out.
The sun was still hidden, though its light already spilled over the horizon, dressing the landscape in warm gold. There were scattered noises of waking wildlife: birds chirping, small animals cruising in the underbrush. But that couldn't have been it. Those sounds were familiar enough not to be so alarming. There must be something else.
Then she heard it: the barely audible, but unmistakable rhythm of sentient speech. Someone was nearby.
Careful not to make noise, she crawled out of her nest and looked around. Nothing. The sound was too low to identify even its direction with certainty. Aleena closed her eyes to try and feel the world around her. Blurry shadows of plants, animals and… there they are. Two of them. Downhill.
Blaster in hand, she crawled towards the source. She failed to notice a sourbird in her path; it took off with visceral screaming. Aleena glared at the fleeing animal. It can praise heavens she has bigger problems, or it would be on the menu tonight.
She stayed put for a minute, listening. The interlude didn't break the monotone flow of the distant conversation. Whoever was there wasn't alarmed by the bird. She continued forward.
The voices became clearer. A male, heated and rambling, and a female, morose and tight-lipped. They were really close now, probably right behind the small ridge Aleena was coming upon.
She pushed her face through a bush, and finally saw them. The ridge ended in a drop; the duo was a few meters below her level. They were Twi'leks, not Weequay, sitting on a fallen tree. Next to them on the ground a bucket-sized rotund device, emitting a faint red glow through its fluted sides. A bit further away a couple bags and something that looked like a repulsorlift carriage.
"…still not any closer. If we don't catch a trace today, I'm calling Jok to come pick us up."
"Good luck with that."
"There's absolutely no point in staying, why is this so difficult to grasp? We're walking up and down this blasted forest and nothing happens. We could be making money elsewhere. And we can still come back and finish the job once Paston worked out his goddamn coordinates."
"It's not me you have to convince, why's that so difficult to grasp?"
"But if you'd step up just this once…"
Aleena turned her attention away from the conversation. She learned what she wanted: these were not clan members. Not only their race didn't check out, they were on foot and it sounded like they were lost. She will let them go their merry way and be on hers soon as well… but she wanted to check their luggage first. Maybe there's some stuff they could spare.
She scanned the campsite. An open bag caught her attention, and light brown, round shapes in it. Bread. Not far from it, a blaster rifle laid on the ground.
She considered her chances. She wouldn't need to get much closer than she already is. The bread would be nice. The rifle invaluable. The woman had a blaster. Probably the male, too, though she couldn't see that well. Oh well, no reward comes without risk. With surprise on her side, she could take on both if noticed.
She retreated a few meters to approach the site from a different angle. The duo carried on about a certain Kryze, a Paston and some coordinates that didn't check out. It was mostly the male monologueing, the other one occasionally inserting a terse comment or reply. They didn't notice Aleena sneaking up behind them.
Almost there. The man indeed had a blaster, she could see it clearly now. Just keep flushing your mouth and you won't need to use it. It's better for everyone that way.
She reached into the bag and grabbed a loaf. It crumbled under the pressure of her fingers. Quite fresh. Nice. She tucked it and one more in a pocket. Now the weapon. She stretched out, eyes on the Twi'leks as she felt for the barrel. Got it. She prepared to back away.
A muffled thump. Aleena twitched.
She didn't realize that another bag was precariously balanced against the rifle's stock. It fell over as she removed the support.
The Twi'leks jumped on their feet in unison.
Aleena didn't wait to find out what would be her welcome; a blaster round or some jam to go with the bread. She was furious having been foiled by such a ridiculous detail and was ready to take out her anger on the unsuspecting aliens.
Holding the rifle by its barrel like a club she swung and hit the man hard in the stomach. He doubled over and fell to his knees. She the pushed the woman off-balance with a thrust, sending her to the ground as well. The male tried to pull the blaster. Aleena kicked it out of his hand. He caught his ankle instead and tried to bite it. Twi'leks have nasty teeth, even Aleena knew that. She yanked her leg free and stumbled backwards.
The female got up and lunged at Aleena. She couldn't keep her balance. The alien pinned her to the ground. She dropped the rifle to catch the blaster in the woman's right.
"Stay put! Stay put!" the Twi'lek shrieked. Aleena didn't comply. The fight wasn't going her way and it made her only fiercer. She pulled up her legs and kicked the woman with such force that she went flying. The male charged at her with a knife. Aleena rolled aside to avoid a stab. She sprang to her feet and kicked him in the face.
The woman was launching at her again. They were persistent, she had to give them that. She channeled the Force to reverse her momentum. The Twi'leks head and arms lashed forward violently as her body suddenly changed direction. She let out a painful grunt as her spine came crashing down on the glowing bucket and both fell over. Aleena kicked the male again for good measure and went for the blaster rifle… only to promptly drop, stunned by a hit on the head from behind. Rough hands grabbed her shoulders, spun her around and slammed her into a tree.
She slid to the ground helplessly and looked up into the barrel of a gun.
A fourth person entered the fray without her noticing. Short cape, metal body armor. Round helmet with a T-shaped visor. A Mandalorian. That's bad news. Aleena displayed her empty palms, then slowly lowered them to her thigh. There was no point in fighting on. She was beaten.
"Hoyle, go check if she has any friends nearby" the Mandalorian said. The male Twi'lek, cursing and grunting, recollected his blaster and headed out.
"I'm alone. I have a backpack further uphill" Aleena replied. She decided cooperation was her best bet.
"Look around anyway" he pointed to her waist "Ghiri, get me that. Carefully."
The other Twi'lek walked up to her and removed the lightsaber from her belt. Aleena gritted her teeth. He knows. The Mandalorian, keeping the blaster aimed at Aleena, held out the lightsaber with his other hand. After brief inspection, he flipped the ignition switch. Ghiri flinched as a plasma blade appeared out of thin air. The Mandalorian didn't seem so impressed. He promptly depowered the weapon and tossed it back to Ghiri.
"What the heck is that?" she asked, measuring the saber with suspicion.
"Lightsaber. Looks like we've got ourselves a Jedi."
"Jedi, huh?" Ghiri didn't appear to grasp the significance of the fact "Well, all I know is she tried to palm our stuff."
"What did she try to take?"
"The sniper. Had it swinging 'round like like some flippin' mace, got to check if she bent the barrel."
"Funny a Jedi would want a club when she has a lightsaber already, isn't it?"
Aleena felt addressed.
"It's better for hunting" she shrugged "I got to eat too, and Order doesn't provide anymore."
She tried to keep her cool. She was in a tight spot, but these were neither Imperials, nor clan members. Maybe she can talk her way out, or strike a deal.
Hoyle arrived back with her bag. He threw it on the ground, going out of his way to make sure it landed upside down, then joined the lineup.
"Fair enough" the Mandalorian said dryly "Now the question is, what to do with you?"
"What you say, Hoyle?" Ghiri turned to the returnee "Kryze says we caught a Jedi."
"A Jedi? The crazy cultists from the war?" Hoyle measured Aleena with vicious satisfaction "I think the Empire pays for these maniacs, and quite handsomely at that."
"I'll die before I do anything for the Empire" Kryze declared immediately "And we have a job, in case you forgot."
The Twi'lek blustered, with the same petulance Aleena observed while eavesdropping on them.
"And in case you forgot, we're not making an inch on that job. Let's just quit and cash in on the girl."
"I'm not going to drop a bounty, Hoyle. Stop whining."
"The bounty is gone, whether you drop it or not, can't you understand that?" Hoyle burst out "We don't know where the target is. We don't even know where to look. It's over. Period. Is it really too much for your fragile little ego to admit that you've failed?"
"Unlike you, I have a reputation to protect."
"Watch your mouth, Mando" the Twi'lek grated "I can put uglier things to your resume than bailing a dud job."
"Whoah, whoah, whoah, easy, boys, easy" Ghiri stepped in "Let's deal with this Jedi-cultist-whatever before we kill each other, a'ight?"
Aleena listened carefully. The pieces started to connect. A plan formed in her mind. Funny, getting captured might even work in her favor in the end… provided that her assumptions are correct. And that she survives the first step.
"You've all got it wrong" she cut in, smirking at the squabbling party "The real question is, what do I do with you?
Hoyle didn't take the threat well. He stepped towards Aleena.
"You keep your mouth shut, or…"
The Twi'lek came between Kryze's gun and its target. He immediately recognized the danger and moved to push the alien aside, but for a moment his aim was blocked. Aleena's arm snapped out. The lightsaber flew out of Ghiri's hand. She grabbed it from the air, just in time to power it up and deflect a shot by Kryze up towards the canopy.
She held it for a few more seconds in a demonstration of control that was more displayed than felt, then chuckled and switched it off. The stunt worked great. The Twi'leks were visibly shaken, and even Kryze seemed to clutch his blaster tighter than before. Aleena crossed legs and laid back, casually folding arms in front of her chest.
"So, let's talk. Bounty hunters, right? You're after…" she mimicked concentration "A certain individual from the Jatu clan, am I correct?"
Ghiri swallowed and licked her lips nervously. She started to understand what a Jedi was… or rather, what Aleena wanted her to believe a Jedi is. But the others bought the bluff too. Kryze lowered his blaster.
"What do you know about him?"
"Your man? Nothing. But I know where to find the clan… maybe."
"What do you want? The rifle?"
Aleena chuckled.
"Do you think Jedi are that cheap?"
"So how much do you want?"
"Nothing more than what you earn. Twenty five percent will be fine."
Hoyle's face betrayed that he didn't like where the conversation was headed, but knew better than to oppose a Mandalorian and a psychic wizard at once. Just as intended.
"I'm not paying that much for a guide."
"I can help with the rest, too. The clan has many warriors."
Kryze hesitated.
"Or" Aleena raised the lightsaber "There's the blood money. You can try."
A mind trick would have gone a long way prodding the Mandalorian in the right direction; too bad she didn't get far enough in her studies to learn how to do that. So she had to fall back on simpler methods of convincing: a polite, cool smile meant to communicate that she could absolutely murder the whole squad in ten seconds if she wanted to.
"Fine. You lead us to the target and help with the capture and I'll cut you in for an equal share. But that's not twenty five. We have a pilot on the payroll and we've had other expenses. You get ten."
"Settled" Aleena's smile turned genuine. She rose to her feet.
"You better deliver, Jedi" Hoyle growled, regaining his courage as the weapons dropped "I don't care where my money comes from."
"Relax" Ghiri struck a conciliatory tone, though she seemed wary too "I think our friend understands her situation well. But for now we're on the same team. Let's make introductions. I'm Ghiri, this is Hoyle. The big guy here, Radawell Kryze."
"Corla Chau. Nice to meet you all. So… who are we going to kill exactly?"
Ghiri paused. Maybe that information was deemed sensitive; maybe she expected the mind reading trick to have already revealed it. Kryze replied instead.
"Head of the Jatu clan, Jinjek Monga. But we're not going to kill him. Our task is to capture him alive."
Aleena's lip twitched slightly. That's going to be a problem. But she can deal with it later.
"Ah, of course, of course. Alive it is. Well then, let's get going, shall we?"
The bounty hunters dispersed to pack up the camp. Aleena watched without really seeing, preoccupied with her thoughts. She sunk her hands into her pocket to warm up, only to realize the stolen bread was still there. She took a bite without looking. It was good, soft bread, with a distinct taste that felt somehow familiar. She didn't figure out from where; her mind was too busy to spare any attention for the food. The gears were hard at work, processing and sorting all the new information, hatching plans and plotting routes to victory.
Alive. Of course.
A flame rippled, as if in laughter.
Aleena led the group, herself following the guidance of Brigo's navigator. She sensed that using the device instead of some Force-voodoo somewhat decreased her stature in the eyes of her new companions, but there wasn't really a choice. Even she if wasn't an elementary school dropout – a fact she was careful not to reveal – locating objects from afar simply isn't part of a Jedi's toolkit, no matter how well trained.
The two Twi'leks were not very talkative in her presence, but from Kryze, she could learn the details of the mission. Supposedly, Monga possessed the location of a hidden cache of valuables, and the client, a rival to the clan, was seeking to trade that information for his freedom. They had supplied the bounty hunters with a set of coordinates that should have led them to the Jatu's headquarters. But they didn't, hence the party was lost in the wild until Aleena stumbled upon them.
HOME BASE, 0.5km, the display advertised. Aleena informed Kryze that they were drawing close. The Mandalorian navigated the carriage under a bush and powered it down. They continued silently, all with weapons drawn.
If it wasn't for the navigator, none of them would have noticed that they were approaching the base. The environment was no different than the rest of the twenty-something kilometers trek. Only upon clearing the final ridge did the view change. They came upon a sprawling barren area, boxed in by the forest on one side and towering cliffs on the other. Aleena followed with her eyes to where the walls faded into a low cloud. The mountains commanded respect even from a distance, and from up close, they were all the more impressive.
Embedded between the toes of the nearest titan were a set of man-made constructions. Warehouses, sheds, residential buildings: the headquarters of the Jatu clan. Some had machine gun emplacements and spotlights on top, and the whole compound was fenced by a barricade of sorts. A cargo speeder arrived just as they watched; tiny figures gathered around to unload its cargo. Even from the mediocre vantage point, Aleena could count twenty of them right away. No doubt more in the buildings out of sight. It was an impressive operation, more akin to a warlord's lair than a smuggler's, probably counting more than a hundred in its ranks.
More than a hundred bandits, armed and entrenched… yet somehow Aleena was not intimidated. She saw not an army but a herd, and herself: the predator for ready carnage. She quelled a rising urge to charge at the hated enemy, and focused to reach out in the Force instead. She grabbed for the minds of the Weequay, to twist and squeeze them, to torture forth the information she thirsted for.
Where is he? Where is Jinjek Monga?
She would get no answers. The distance was too great, and her mastery of the Force not nearly strong enough to overcome it. Still, she only gave up her silent struggle when Ghiri touched her shoulder.
"Hey, Chau. Time to go."
They caught up with Hoyle and Kryze and together the group withdrew to the carriage to discuss their next move.
"It's a pretty big camp and no good way to sneak up on it from what I saw" started Ghiri "I say we wait till night with the first round of scouting. Maybe I can work out a safe route and then we go back daytime to map it out and find Monga."
"Sounds good to me" Kryze replied "Just you?"
The Twi'lek shrugged.
"Not much point in bringing company… if it comes to shots, we'll have to bail anyhow. But you can tag along if you wanna."
"Nah, I'll sit it out then."
"I'll go. It's about damn time something happened" Hoyle said.
"Speaking of bailing" Kryze continued "Is Jok still around?"
"Yeah, but he's getting itchy feet. Every time I speak to him he rambles longer about cargo runs he could have done while waiting for us."
"They don't pay like we do. Break him the good news then. And work out an orbit that doesn't put him on the other side of the planet while Ghiri's on patrol."
"Gotcha."
"Is that all?"
"Nothing else on my side."
"Me neither."
"Corla?"
Aleena shrugged. Whatever she had in mind was not safe to say in front of the bounty hunters. Except for maybe one thing.
"I'm hungry."
They retreated into a safe distance and set up camp. Not much happened for the rest of the afternoon. They sat around, chatted, Aleena slowly but surely chewed away at the bounty hunters' bread supply. Without a plan, there was nothing to do, and without information, there was nothing to plan.
Dusk came within hours. The passing sun painted the sky red, which then slowly bled out into black and cold silver as Rikoros' celestial companion revealed itself to the night. Hoyle checked in with Jok to ensure the starship was within range for an emergency. After the pilot morosely assured them that he was indeed still stranded in orbit over the planet – for the tenth day, no less! – he and Ghiri departed to scout the Jatu base. Aleena was left alone with the Mandalorian.
They sat opposite of one another, Kryze with his back against a tree, Aleena leaning on the carriage. Halfway between them the rotund machine whirred softly. It turned out to be a mobile heater that the hunters brought along to combat the cold. She inched closer to enjoy more of its warmth. It wasn't all that more powerful than the campfires she made for the night, but there was no smoke, no smell, no need to feed another branch every now and then. Just pure light and heat; the good stuff. A reminder of the comfort of a civilized world, where one does not have to eat worms and lie under the open sky. A world that though she had left behind barely a couple months ago already felt more distant than the faintest star, and its memory was beginning to fade alike.
Kryze had been motionless for quite some time; Aleena suspected him to be asleep. She examined his armor with curiosity. Beskar steel was one of the handful things in the universe that could block a lightsaber blade, a feature the warriors of Mandalore often put to the test during their millennia long rivalry with the Jedi. And sure enough: behind the abrading finish, the metal was yet to show a single scratch.
Unexpectedly, Kryze moved and removed his helmet. Aleena suddenly felt awkward for staring, but he didn't seem to mind. He nodded at the heater.
"Nice gadget, huh?"
"Yeah. Kinda missed the warm."
The heater's light cast deep shadows on the Mandalorian's face, pronouncing the rough, barbaric lines of his jaw and cheeks. Silver streaks ran across his hair. He appeared weary, tired, and a lot older than Aleena expected – though whether of age or hardship, it was impossible to tell.
"How did you survive?" he asked quietly.
"Hunting, roots, berries… there's food here if you know where to look."
"No, I mean how did you survive the purge?"
"After the war?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Well…" she paused for a moment "I was away from the Order at the time. Then I simply didn't go back."
"And they didn't look for you?"
"I don't know. Maybe they did, but I don't think I was important enough. Wasn't in on the plot, didn't have any positions, just one of the crowd. I had some run-ins but it never felt like they were after me specifically. I don't think they considered me a threat to be honest."
Kryze chuckled.
"And you should be happy about that, but you're not, because it makes you a nobody."
Aleena grimaced.
"Is it so obvious?"
"It's written on your face. And I know the feeling."
"Well… yeah."
"So how'd you end up here then?"
Aleena wasn't sure how to reply. Not with the truth, that's for sure. She was kicking herself for not preparing a believable cover story. It's not like these questions were unexpected.
"I moved to Rikoros about a year ago. Unimportant place, no Imperials, looked like a good choice. But then I had a scuffle with a gang in Camp Arlette, and I think they may have figured out I'm a Jedi. Actually I'm pretty sure they did since I quite publicly chopped up a few of them with a lightsaber" if she was going to tell a lie anyway, there was no reason it couldn't be one that satisfied her fantasies.
"And you thought they were going to report you for the bounty."
"Yeah. So, you know, better safe than sorry. And it's not like Arlette is such a great place anyway. And you? How come you're a bounty hunter? Isn't that against your honor code?" she tried to shift the conversation away from herself.
The Mandalorian shrugged.
"Not really, but I didn't have a choice anyway. Pretty much the same boots. I'm deemed an enemy of the Empire, I make a living however I can."
"Being a Mandalorian isn't illegal, is it?"
Kryze laughed joylessly.
"Being of the blood? No. Being of the heart? That's not well received on Mandalore these days. Gar Saxon, our so-called governor, sold out our people to the Emperor for power and some fancy titles. Those of us who oppose him are persecuted. Many were killed or chased off-world."
"Oh. I thought you guys were independent."
"We used to be. But the Empire is even greedier than the Republic was. They take over everything they can. Not many independent systems remained."
"And you'd think Mandalore is the one place that could stand up to Palpatine. Your folk had quite a reputation in the Temple at least."
"We fought the Jedi for a long time" Kryze nodded and sighed "But in the end, the Empire got us both, didn't they."
"Yeah."
"I lesson for the future, I guess, if there is one" he paused, briefly staring away into the darkness "But for now, I think I'll call it a day. G'night."
"Goodnight."
Aleena lied down herself, digesting the conversation with the Mandalorian. She had viewed the bounty hunters as a tool of her plan, and, ultimately, an obstacle too – they needed Monga alive and she wanted him dead. One could not succeed without the other failing, and she had thought that alone would carve a trench between them too wide to pass. It didn't bother her before. She came to accept it as the way of the world; prizes are for the strong and cunning to win.
But hating the world was easy with no people around. Now Kryze, his visible respect for her Jedi abilities, the latest heartfelt talk, it started to crack the hard shell Aleena thought she had grown. She felt an unexpected closeness, perhaps even comradeship with the Mandalorian, and suddenly found herself wondering if that trench was truly impassable. Suppressed doubts resurfaced. Can she really pull this off? Must she? Must it be now? Hasn't the most bitter lesson been that she shouldn't throw to the wind for grand goals the first human connection she has had since parting with Karf on Excio?
She closed her eyes and focused on the Force, as if hoping to find answers there.
But it wasn't really the first one, now, was it?
She had thought the same of Prenna. She had trusted Kevens and Zucho to uphold their deal. Hell, she had expected help even from Monga's henchmen. Tricked, betrayed every time. Why would these bounty hunters, these mercenaries be any different? She tried to rob them. They debated serving her up to the Empire. Comradeship with Kryze? She lied to his face. Who's to say he didn't lie to hers?
Emotions continued battling. Hope on one side, cynicism and anger on the other. Aleena fell asleep before the result was set.
Aleena was growing frustrated. Day after day, night after night, the bounty hunters embarked on yet newer 'scouting rounds', usually under the leadership of Ghiri. And Aleena's requests to tag along were repeatedly refused. Because she's 'clumsy', and they can't afford that. One slip and it's game over. Aleena tried remind them, with increasing passion, how she actually managed to sneak up on Ghiri and Hoyle just fine, but it was no use. In fact, she started to suspect that that was precisely why the Twi'leks insisted on leaving her behind; they wanted to see her as a bumbling amateur and not admit that the master assassins they were, they would have been robbed blind if it wasn't for a badly balanced bag. And sadly, on this matter Kryze trusted Ghiri's judgment.
So she just sat around all day. Sometimes alone, sometimes with Kryze, sometimes – most awkwardly – with Hoyle, who clearly hated it as much as she did. For a while she tried to figure out whether the Twi'lek's persistent hostility stemmed from the beating he took – he was still full of purple and dark blue spots days later – or it was just his nature. It wasn't a particularly fruitful endeavor, though, especially as her interest never passed the threshold to actually try and talk to the alien. In the end, she decided to devote her attention to a slightly more entertaining task: the daily refill of the team's water supply. Aleena made the responsibility solely hers, and used it as an excuse to take regular walks to a stream a good forty minutes away – stubbornly ignoring a number of closer sources.
Then, one afternoon Ghiri returned and shook up the idle routine with two words: "target confirmed". She had located Monga's quarters.
That night the party armed up: armor, blasters, rifles. In an impulse of goodwill, Aleena shared her scavenged thermal grenades too. Learning that she had a whole bunch of them all along caused a bit of a distraught among the bounty hunters – apparently, these weapons were a lot more dangerous than she had assumed. Nonetheless, she took the opportunity to dismiss their concerns with a shrug of Jedi superiority. The role started to really grow on her. The rest of their luggage was to be left behind – including Aleena's, Kryze sternly told. They couldn't risk anything to slow them down.
They set out shortly before midnight, for their most important and final journey. And for one of the group, also the first that allowed her anywhere near the Jatu camp. They turned left upon reaching the field and approached the mountain with a detour, keeping a steady distance from the compound and its guards. Once there, they continued on a covert trail snaking between bushes and boulders until running into a rocky scarp.
Ghiri headed up the slope with careful but confident steps. The way was well-tread by all except Aleena, who fell to the back of the group behind Kryze and Hoyle. She noticed a malicious glance from the Twi'lek. He probably hoped to see her fall on the treacherous path. Well, he wouldn't be treated to that sight. Even in the dark, the climb was a lot easier than the walls she scaled just for the fun of it back on Excio. In fact, she was more worried that Hoyle would slip and sweep her down with him. She returned a hostile stare to make him focus forward.
They arrived at the top a few minutes later. Aleena's expectation was to turn right and circumvent the mass towering between them and the Jatu base, but Ghiri picked a less obvious track: following her, the group squeezed into a fissure in the stone, so narrow that even Aleena, the smallest of the four had to turn sideways to fit in.
They continued in complete darkness, accompanied only by the rhythmic squeaking of Kryze's armor scraping on the rocks. Stuck between millions of tons of granite, Aleena was struck with gut-wrenching admiration for the dormant powers that raised the mountains and molded its material into shape. With every breath her chest pressed against the wall and she was forced to realize its unrelenting might. The slightest stir in the mountain's dream, an afterthought of the earth would be enough to crush them all like measly bugs.
But the forces of nature remained merciful, and the group was allowed to pass unharmed.
After some ten minutes, light crept into the crack. Not the silvery glow of the moon they bid farewell to on the other end, but a warmer, yellow shade of an artificial source. The fissure led them to a ledge above the base. Finally Aleena could survey it herself. She would have thought it a town if she didn't know better; a great number of buildings large and small, arranged into a neat grid at the mouth of the valley, but dissolving into a chaotic mesh of snaking avenues and randomly placed structures closer to them. The streets were well-lit and deserted. The clan was fast asleep, unaware of the intruders closing in on their home.
Ghiri gestured them to come closer. They cautiously approached the edge.
"There, see that building? The big blocky one, kinda by itself. That's where Monga lives. And it has a nice open field in front of it, too, where Jok can land."
"It's across the settlement, though" Kryze noted.
"Yeah, I couldn't find a way on that side, unfortunately, so we'll have to get through somehow."
"Maybe cut off the power?" Hoyle suggested.
"Generator's way over there at the entrance, would be a big detour."
"A blackout would just warn them that something's up anyway" Kryze added "And it looks pretty empty, I don't think we'll have trouble crossing. Is Jok ready?"
"He's hovering at six thousand. He can pick us up on a three minute notice."
"Good. Tell him to watch out for anti-air. They have quite the arsenal from what I saw."
Hoyle relayed the message through a handheld radio and was awarded a muffled, grumpy buzz in return.
"Alright, let's go. Blasters ready."
They reached ground level via a series of drops and short slopes. Kryze, wearing by far the best armor of the four, took the front position. The Twi'leks had only durasteel vests, maybe good to stop a few rounds from a healthy distance. Aleena herself was restricted to the lightsaber and her own skill for defense, a combination she wasn't sure would hold up in a real firefight. A couple bolts from one direction, sure. Continuous crossfire… better try to avoid that.
She felt her heart in her throat. They were heading into immense danger, only four against an army of bandits. But it was not only that. Even now, on the final approach to Monga's lair, she had no plan. She didn't know how she would kill the gangster, or even if she wanted to. Her inner conflict was as far from resolution as days ago. The fire demanded vengeance; rationality pleaded restraint. Paralyzed by indecision, Aleena had little choice but to just go along and follow. Instead of the puppet master she wanted to be, she became the puppet, dragged along by the very people she planned to manipulate towards an uncertain end.
A door hissed nearby. They were sneaking forward in a dark alley, coming up on a wider, better lit street. Kryze signaled the group to retreat to the shadow. Voices came from around the corner. Drunk, loud conversation in a foreign language. The party stayed and waited. Minutes passed. Aleena started to feel that it'd be better for them to back away and find a different path, but Kryze clearly had a different opinion, listening intently. Maybe he can understand them?
One voice said a short word and the other repeated it back. A goodbye, Aleena realized. They are parting ways, which means, in all likelihood, that one of them is coming their way. She found the trigger with her index.
Footsteps approached. There's still a chance that he passes the alley and continues straight ahead.
A figure appeared at the end of the alley and turned straight at them. Coming from the light he did not notice the four in the dark right away, which bought them all the time Kryze needed. He charged the Weequay, silent but quick, and got a hand on his mouth before he could cry. With experienced motion, he grabbed his head and with a single tug brought it nearly all the way around. The alien collapsed with a broken neck.
Kryze gestured and they moved on. Stepping past the Weequay, Aleena looked at his face and stalled for a split second. Not that she cared for the bandit, but still she felt uneasy about the way he had been dispatched. Unceremoniously, pointlessly, just for wandering to the wrong street at the wrong time. A pawn fallen in a game of greater men. Aleena imagined herself in his place and shivered.
She realized the bounty hunters were already past the corner. She paced to catch up.
They moved quickly in the light and slowed down only when they could get back into the shadows two blocks later. Aleena heard humming ahead and a wobbly, uneven rhythm of crackling snow under footsteps. They caught up to the second Weequay. A door opened and closed and he was gone. Kryze peeked around the corner and continued forward.
Finally they cleared the settlement and were coming up on Monga's solitary residence near the hillside. Or rather, fortress. The walls grew to an impressive height as they approached, stretching nearly as high as the pine trees at its northern side. Out of the three stories, the first had no windows at all, and upper levels too only sported a few slits. Light filtered out of some. On top, a figure moved behind a parapet.
Kryze stopped the party. He fiddled with some buttons on his helmet.
"Two guards on the roof. We'll get a little closer, then take them out. Hopefully buys us a minute. We run to the entrance. If it doesn't open, Corla cuts through. You can do that, right?"
"Sure."
"Good. Once we're inside, switch to stun. No killing unless you're absolutely sure it's not the target. Clear?"
"Yes."
"Clear."
"Clear."
"Tell Jok we'll need a pickup in about fifteen minutes."
Hoyle forwarded the message.
"Alright, here it goes. Watch your heads, everyone."
They moved forward carefully, the two Twi'leks and Kryze forming a line with rifles raised and eyes focused on the building's top. Aleena awkwardly lagged behind, switching her blaster for the lightsaber.
"Ghiri, Hoyle, you're on the left guard. I've got the right one."
The two shadows started to take shape. One seemed to turn, and…
"They spotted us. Fire."
Three short blasts, three crimson bolts racing through the night. One guard fell backwards and disappeared, the other slouched on the parapet.
"Alright, go, go, go."
The party broke into a sprint. Aleena pulled the Force into her muscles and quickly got ahead. She reached the circle of light around the building, then the gate. The others were quite a few steps behind.
She hit the open button, but didn't even wait if it would have an effect; she powered up the lightsaber almost the same instant. By the time the controls beeped a denial, the blade was already drawing a blazing contour in the door. Just short of closing the line, she pulled back and kicked it in. The metal creaked painfully as the last stump keeping it upright bent and broke. Then it fell inside with a loud clang.
Indoors was blindingly bright, and something brighter still flashed at Aleena. She jerked the lightsaber up to send the bolt back at the shooter. He went down with scream. A second figure popped out from behind a shelf. Aleena lunged at him.
"Corla, stop!"
She deflected another bolt. The blade was left hanging, poised for an upward cut. Aleena jumped a half step forward and struck. This one didn't shout; the lightsaber lacerated his lungs before he could make a sound.
The Weequay fell on the ground dead. A charred line and blood smeared the wall behind. Aleena got some on her coat as well.
The bounty hunters rushed into the building.
"You idiot!" Hoyle yelled. He grabbed Aleena's arm violently. She yanked herself free and raised the lightsaber with an expression that made the Twi'lek quickly retreat out of reach, though still hissing through his bare teeth.
Ghiri stepped to the body and rolled it over with the casualness of a coroner.
"Relax, it's not Monga."
Hoyle didn't relax.
"I want this cultist maniac out of here, or…"
"Hoyle, shut up" Kryze was firmer "Corla, stop chopping up people. We need him alive. Now, where's our guy?"
Aleena finally got a good look around. They were in a canteen of sorts. A couch by the opposite wall, next to a door. A bar counter a bit further away to the left, behind it shelves with an obligatory collection of booze. Four tables in the room. One littered with sabacc cards and beer bottles. Ghiri pointed at the latter.
"That's more than two people's worth. Could be Monga. Goons hold the line, boss gets out. You see anyone making the run for it, Corla?"
"No, I…" she didn't finish; the Force demanded her attention. Three figures behind the door… "Watch out!"
The door opened and a grenade flew through. Aleena dived behind the counter, with a spare sliver of her focus trying to push the grenade back to where it came from. There was a bang and the clatter of shrapnel spraying the walls and furniture.
Someone screamed.
Blood-red plasma bolts saturated the room. Kryze crouched behind a tipped over table, Ghiri lied next to him, bleeding. Hoyle retreated all the way outside the front door and was firing circular blue stun rounds back at the Weequay. He didn't have much chance of hitting them; their cover was too good.
Aleena had her back to the metal of the bar counter.
"Can I kill these?" she shouted.
"Stay put!" Kryze yelled back "Watch my back!"
He aimed an arm at the gangsters and unleashed a tide of fire from a wrist mounted flamethrower. It barely even touched the wall the Weequay were hiding behind, but that was not the point. As they flinched at the flames coming at them, the Mandalorian jumped over the table and charged forward. One, two bolts bounced off his armor and then he was already at the door.
Aleena sprang to her feet and, with saber in hand, rushed to help. It wasn't needed. By the time she reached the party, two Weequay were down, and the third stared into the barrel of Kryze's gun disarmed.
The Mandalorian was playing with the stun switch with his thumb.
"This can be on or off when I pull the trigger, you decide" he said "Where's Monga?"
"Panic room…" the alien stuttered "Downstairs… left…"
"Thank you" Kryze flipped the switch and fired. A blue flash illuminated the room. The stun shot jolted the Weequay's muscles into violent spasm before he collapsed unconscious.
Kryze turned back towards the canteen.
"Ghiri, you still alive?"
"Kinda" the woman groaned "But not gonna be jumping around for a while, got shrapnel in my leg."
"Hang in there. Hoyle, sort her out. You two guard the exit. Corla, you're with me. We'll go grab Monga."
Not waiting for answers or even acknowledgment, he rushed through the door. Aleena followed closely. They turned a corner and ran into a stairwell; one flight up, one down. They took the latter.
The basement was dark and smelled of mold and dust. It was noticeably colder here than upstairs. Kryze lit up a light on his helmet to illuminate a narrow corridor. A pile of boxes at the end under a high, small window. Some metal parts and garbage on the floor. To their left, an oddly out of place wall carpet; to their right, a metal door.
Kryze gestured at it.
"Get that open."
Aleena stepped up and prepared to pierce the lightsaber into the frame, but then lowered the blade.
"Wait…"
"What?"
"He's not in there… it's empty" she said with a hint of uncertainty, searching the Force for lifesigns.
"Did he trick us? Are you sure?"
"No, no…" Aleena turned around and stared at the opposite wall. Then, with a quick strike, she sliced through the wall carpet. It fell down drawing a trail of sparks. Behind, another door was revealed. Heavier, more robust than the one across.
Kryze nodded.
"Nice work."
"What a paranoiac" Aleena snorted.
"Well, not that it was not justified… come on, let's finish this."
Aleena pushed the lightsaber into the door. Click, click, click. The pins sealing the entrance popped as the blade traced the edge. When it came full circle, the plate swayed and fell out of its frame.
She saw the muzzle flash of a weapon, but Kryze was already in front of her. The shot bounced off his armor. He wasn't letting Aleena go first this time, likely more to protect Monga from her than the other way around.
"Drop the weapon!" the Mandalorian bellowed "Drop it or I will fire! On your knees!"
Aleena heard a metal object hit the floor. She took a breath and peeked past Kryze's shoulders. Her heart skipped a beat.
There he was, hands in the air, an unreadable expression on his face. Jinjek Monga.
The Weequay lowered to his knees, sight fixed on Kryze, more curiosity than fear in his eyes.
"Who sent you? Kalalar? The Pyke?"
"You'll know soon enough."
"You won't make it out. I'm impressed that you got in at all, but there's no sneaking out of here, I have a hundred fighters headed for us right now. Let's talk."
"We're ready to impress you one more time. Corla, search him."
Aleena stepped forward, but then suddenly Kryze's commlink came alive. There was a muffled voice, accompanied by not so muffled sounds of weapon fire upstairs.
Monga maintained a neutral face.
"See? You're trapped. I'm your only leverage. We can negotiate."
Kryze ignored him.
"Watch him, Corla. I'll be right back."
Once again, the Mandalorian turned and hurried away before Aleena could even open her mouth.
Not as if she would have found any words to say. She stepped into the room, carefully deliberating every move, tantalized by the sudden twist of events. Plan or no plan, she got her hands Monga. It felt equally like a dream and a nightmare. Alone, a lightsaber in her hand, with the gangster she'd hated for years, and whose fate was up to her judgment now – but with her own as well hanging in the balance.
She was not prepared to make the decision.
Emotions rose, so far suppressed in the rush of the battle, anger, hate, fear. The fire that carried her through the cold of the winter and loneliness demanded the tribute it was promised; her tired soul pleaded her not to break her word to Kryze, not to squander this last opportunity to get away from Rikoros.
But is there really a way out?
An explosion shook the building. What if Monga is right? What if they really are surrounded? She tried to keep her mind steady, not to act, not to even think. If she can push it off long enough, maybe, maybe, something would force an outcome, and she wouldn't have to decide.
Her grip on the saber tightened. Her pulse drummed in her ears.
"I know this face."
"What…" Aleena snapped to attention. Monga hadn't moved an inch, but his lips now stretched to a cunning smile.
"You want something for yourself. I can see it in your eyes. You've put more into this than you're getting out, haven't you? I can make it worth your while."
"Shut your mouth."
"Oh, did I hit a nerve there, my friend? Why do you work for them? Honor, friendship, gratitude? Forget those things. They'll forget it too, when it suits them. Get the most out of this for yourself."
"Shut up or…"
"Or what? You cut my head off? No payday then. Don't be…"
"Not one more word."
"Easy, easy. We're just talking. Hear me out. I offer you a hundred thousand and…"
"You think I'm in it for the money?" Aleena hissed "You think I'm just a spineless thug like you? Don't you know who I am?"
Monga raised an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid not."
Aleena couldn't take the tension anymore. The truth was spilling out.
"Oh, I guess you don't remember Excio either? What you did there? What you did to Fafa Sakkar? You murdered her. You murdered my mother. And others. And now I'm back to take revenge."
For a moment, Monga's mask dropped as contempt flashed through his face. But he quickly straightened it out.
"I'm sorry. I was a different man back then, I made mistakes. But I'm ready to make amends. Generous ones. It'll give you closure."
"Closure? Closure?!"
"Yes, closure. You need to move on. I know we did horrible things, and believe me, I am sorry. But look at yourself. Twenty years on, still festering in misery, obsessing over an old man in a hole in the ground instead of making something of yourself. Isn't this pathetic? Do you think this is what mommy would…"
The Weequay's even voice abruptly turned into a scream. Aleena's arms snapped up, as if on their own, and struck at Monga. The blade ran into his shoulder, nearly severing his arm.
Aleena stumbled back, frightened of what she'd just done. But when blood shot out of the Weequay's wound and he fell on the ground wailing, she realized that it was over.
As if a dam broke, she was flooded rage. She jumped at the dying gangster and unleashed a flurry of strikes. Pieces of flesh and bone flew about. Monga twitched and screamed as his body came undone by the saber. Blood and flesh fueled the flames enveloping Aleena's consciousness in a delirium of euphoria and rage.
She stopped seeing and hearing. She forgot about the outside world, the hundred armed gangsters upstairs, the bounty hunters who were just as much her enemies now. All that mattered was revenge, and the pride of exacting it. She ended up somewhere out of time and space, in some fiery pocket of hell in her own mind with only her, the blade and screaming demons of the past in it… and she was finally winning. Fear, grief, humiliation – she slaughtered them with joy.
But it was over before the work could be finished. Still boiling with rage, she was back in the dark panic room, sweating and panting over a bloody pile of meat. She kicked it in anger. No way he's dead. He just passed out from the shock. He can't die, not yet. Twenty five years can't be paid for in a minute.
But Monga didn't react. When a sound came, it was from behind. A pop and a whiz; a launching wire. The next moment, it wrapped around her, running down from her shoulders to the knee. The lightsaber in her constricted hands touched her thigh. The pain prompted her to drop it.
A violent tug came and she crashed onto the floor.
Kryze stood in the door, holding his blaster in one hand, the end of the cable binding Aleena in the other. The damn Mandalorian sneaked up on her again.
He stared at the bloody scene, shock and disbelief apparent even behind his helmet.
"What the hell, Corla?"
"Let me go!"
"Why the hell…?"
"I… I…"
Aleena stared into weapon's barrel, and a drop of regret seeped through her anger. She messed up. She messed up again, and this time she's going to die for it.
But by the Force, she will not die begging.
"He murdered my mother" she hissed "I never cared about your money, I wanted him dead. Let me go!"
Kryze had no reason to spare her. He already did once and she repaid with betrayal. Aleena knew this and waited for that final flash of light that heralds eternal darkness. Hoped for it. Rather that than Imperial prison.
Whatever went through the Mandalorian's mind was hidden.
Then, slowly, like he was unsure of himself. He brought over his right to the control panel on his left wrist and hit a button.
The cable loosened. As soon as she felt the pressure ease, Aleena snaked out of it and fumbled for the lightsaber. She shook off the rope and sprang to her feet, lifting the blade to meet the blaster now pointed at her again.
They stood for a second.
"There's a window at the end of the hallway. You should fit" Kryze said finally "I'll tell the others that Monga killed you and escaped. Go."
Aleena refused to move. This got to be a trick. Some stupid rule in his honor code is forbidding him to kill her while bound; he's going to shoot her in the back instead.
Kryze gestured towards the door with his left.
"You fight for your family. I respect that. Go."
He backed out of the room to give Aleena space. Cautiously, she followed, keeping the saber high. Kryze didn't trust her either. He retreated towards the stairway keeping his blaster aimed at Aleena. But then he turned, ran up, and exited out of sight. Aleena, expecting an attack till the last moment stood for a while, half out of caution, half out of surprise. But as neither Kryze nor any other assailant returned, she too turned around and hurried towards the end of the corridor.
The window was too high. She grabbed a couple boxes and hastily assembled a makeshift stand to reach it. The window was only for light, no way to open, but that was easy to fix. She thrust the saber through and started cutting. The glass melted, the middle started to crack, and then – she was just in time to close her eyes as the window exploded from uneven heating. Shards scraped her face. Some ended up in her mouth, to be spat in the corner after she regained her balance. She felt the taste of blood.
The frame was tight but she could force herself through. Shouting and weapon fire outside. Aleena heard the distinctive whirring of a repulsorlift from above; a starship descended upon the building, releasing barrage after barrage from its lasercannon.
A nice distraction, but it only bought her a few dozen meters.
"Another one there! Catch him!"
Aleena plunged between two buildings, pulled out the blaster, and fired a few shots towards the sound. Shouting and blaster bolts came in return. There was five of them, maybe more.
She ran past the building and continued on the other side. The terrain was uneven and the space tight between the wall and the boulders on her right. The stone bruised her shoulder. She didn't care.
Out in the open again, she found herself at the foot of a slope. To her left, the last building of the settlement, a storage shed. The door was open. She could vaguely see the contours of a few of barrels inside. A fuel depot? Not important. She focused forward. The trees were not much further.
The Weequay were still on her heels. A blaster round landed uncomfortably close. Aleena ran up the hill, bending down to make herself smaller. If she can get to the forest she might be able to shake them. Or… an idea struck her out of nowhere. A better one, perhaps. Worth the risk.
She stopped and reached into her pocket. The shadowy figures in pursuit were getting closer. But not close enough yet. Timing is important. She fiddled with the switch on the metal orb in her palm. Just a bit more… now! She armed the thermal grenade and threw it on the shed.
The grenade landed almost the exact same time the Weequay party reached the slope. A blinding white flash. Then, almost instantly, another, yellow and red shooting up to the sky. The blast lit up the valley and its echo reverberated through its walls.
Stick figures moved in the fire, twitching, wailing before getting consumed by the flames completely. Aleena watched as if hypnotized by the view. A wave of heat reached her. Not burning, but pleasant, almost caressing warmth. She put out her palms and enjoyed it for a minute.
The starship in the distance lifted and headed for the sky. Aleena followed it, the last chance back to a semblance normalcy, as it shrunk and became just another distant star.
She stood there, at the top of the hill, a fire below and a fire inside, mirroring one another. Burning without constraint, destroying all in its path. Monga was dead, but there was still much work to be done. Then, with slow, measured steps, Aleena turned towards the forest. The forest that, she knew now, would be her home forever.
And like the good farmer she was, she would keep it free of pests.