Hi, thanks for reading, its been a while. Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or any of its characters. Author Note: Please feel free to grammar correct me or kindly suggest sentence/structure flow, I might just fix my mistakes. I love a good run on sentence, its my Author style, if you will. Please note this story contains adult material that includes but is not limited to: drugs, language, lemons, abuse (physical and mental), suicide, self harm, violence, gun violence, slavery. This story is my own, I often pull from personal experience. If you don't like it, don't read it-super simple.
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The Mandalorian, Din Djarin, drew the eye of every patron in the tavern as he entered. He was used to this kind of a reaction from a crowd. Not many Mandalorians remained after The Night of 1000 Tears. He was reminded of that fact every time a creature gawked at his helmet. With so few Mandalorians left, he couldn't help but think of the woman he came to meet as one of them. Even though she did not follow The Creed, or truly walk 'The Way of the Mandalore,' Din considered Bo Katan to be a Mandalorian as well. Din himself had recently been told he wasn't a Mandalorian any longer by The Armorer and was no longer welcome in The Tribe's covert….and he had walked The Way of The Mandalore since he was a child. That's when he started losing faith in The Creed and it's requirements.
Din quickly located the woman in the furthest back corner of the tavern. As he approached her, he noticed Bo Katan's beskar helmet was on top of the table she sat at, right next to her dinner plate. Din sneered beneath his helmet at the display. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten in front of someone else.
As a bounty hunter, he was very perceptive to the actions of others. He was aware of even the slightest changes in the room. What he wasn't used to seeing was Bo without her female companion, another 'Mandalorian,' Koska Reeves. He knew there must be a reason for that. Bo Katan never did anything without reason.
"What's the bounty?" Din asked Bo, without joining her at the table. No beating around the gimer bush. Bo Katan wasn't the kind of person he would voluntarily choose to hang around with.
Din's forwardness awarded him a smirk from Bo, "Mando, please sit." She gestured to the spot next to her and called him 'Mando,' like everyone else seemed to. Even though he was certain he wasn't the only Mandalorian left. He personally knew of a few still out there… He also knew Bo considered herself to be a Mandalorian, which made his nickname even more irritating coming from her lips. But his real name was information. And information wasn't something you shared in these times. Bo Katan certainly hadn't earned his respect let alone the right to use his real name. So Mando it was.
The Mandalorian sat across from and not next to Bo, despite her wishes. His small indication of indignation did not go unseen by Bo, however, she considered herself to be royalty and she acted as such. She was an heiress to a wreck of a planet but an heiress nonetheless. She folded her hands beneath her chin and leaned across the table. "This particular bounty requires a certain amount of subtlety," Bo began.
"Is that why your 'friend' isn't here?" Din mused. Bo narrowed her eyes, unappreciative of his quizzical tone, but she recovered her decorum quickly.
"Yes, that's right. Koska might not agree with what I had in mind. However, she knows what has to be done for our cause. You see, I plan to rule Mandalore, and there is someone who may threaten my rule." Bo purposefully paused to sip her drink, giving Din the opportunity to say something. When he didn't, she wetted her lips and continued. "I believe this person to be an old Death Watch Sympathizer."
"Death Watch? I didn't know they existed anymore." Din wasn't entirely familiar with all the details of Mandalore's past, but he was certain Bo was hiding something from him. He knew that once upon a time a group of Mandalorians made up the Death Watch.
"Neither did I. But my source is good. When I rally the remaining Mandalorians to the cause," Bo paused, her eyes focused on Din's side where he kept the Darksaber at his waist. Din caught her eye line and leaned into the table, closer to her, obscuring her vision from his rightfully won weapon. Bo's eyes flicked up in annoyance and she began again, "when I rally the Mandalorians, I need every last one working together as a unit. I can't have splinter groups working against me."
"How are you so sure this is Death Watch?" Din pressed her for more information.
"I know what Death Watch looks like," she said firmly, clenching her fists, not wanting to dig into her past, a past in which she was part of Death Watch… part of the splintering of Mandalore. Once and for all, she would be the one who put Mandalore back together and take her place on the throne as it's savior.
"You've seen this person and confirmed it? Confirmed their intentions?" Din wasn't giving in, which irritated Bo Katan beyond measure.
"I thought The Guild didn't ask questions," she grunted through her teeth, throwing the 'Bounty Hunter's Guild' quip in his face.
"This isn't Guild work. This isn't a true bounty I'm hunting. It's more like a favor," Din said, not feeling the least bit sorry over the current plight Bo has found herself in.
She took a deep breath in and exhaled. She wasn't used to disobedience. And whenever she met resistance, she ended that resistance with her blaster. "Look, I can't offer you credits. I need everything I have to win back Mandalore. But, I promise to provide the muscle your 'friend,' Fett needs if you complete this bounty." Bo smirked at her ability to throw Din's questioning tone right back at him. She only wished she could see his face right now. She was certain his eyes were narrowed right back at her. But, alas, her charm was completely lost on that shiny metal helmet. She mused to herself that joking with him just wasn't worth it.
Din waited for her to say something more enticing but she didn't. He did owe Boba Fett a great debt for helping him rescue Grogu. Assisting him in his fight on Tatooine was the least he could do. It was just one more bounty. And he was the best. He always came out successful. "Alright. Where's the puck?" He said, finally convinced this was worth his time.
Bo Katan smiled, "No puck. After all, it's not a true bounty, right? Only a tracking fob and a last seen location- which, conveniently for you, was Tatooine! A place you're no doubt comfortable in by now? Maybe you could get some help from your friends? The bounty might just end up being too much for you." Bo took another sip from her drink.
Din sighed, but held out his hand. Bo removed the fob from her pocket and dropped it into his gloved hand. Din pocketed the fob and stood up.
Bo grabbed his arm before he could turn to leave. "And these, you'll need these too. Trust me." Bo handed him a pair of stun cuffs. Din accepted them.
As he turned around to exit the tavern, Bo called out, "And Mando, bring 'er in hot, will you? And not too banged up. Let me know when you have her and I'll come to you." Din rolled his eyes at her use of his catchphrase. She also unknowingly gave him one more bit of information, the bounty he was looking for was female.
He exited the tavern and walked over to his vintage starfighter, which he had to admit was growing on him. He most certainly would not be roping his friends into this bounty. In fact, he planned on making the addition of Bo Katan and Koska to Fett's growing army a complete surprise. Mostly because he didn't anticipate her keeping her word. He hopped into the small cockpit of his new ride, still missing his Razor Crest, and started the engine. He often regretted taking on current bounties. Usually the regret came a bit later in the game than this. He sighed again and clenched his jaw, eager for this one to be over.
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Back on Tatooine, at Mos Espa spaceport, the Mandalorian chose to start his search somewhere familiar. Pelli Motto had her crew of droids ready to meet him as he landed on the pad in the middle of her Hangar.
"Alright boys! Let's see what we've got this time!" Pelli exclaimed. She carried a wrench the size of her arm and walked around the Naboo starfighter several times before proclaiming, "there's nothing wrong with it?! Not a single blaster hole!"
"No, not this time," Din mumbled. "I just need to store her here for a bit while I walk around the streets." He informed her, taking out his fob.
"Ah you're on a bounty! Well that's going to cost ya." Pelli grinned, raising her eyebrows knowingly at Din. He was a very generous tipper after all.
Din pulled a small pouch out of his pocket and threw it at her, "that enough?"
Pelli pretended to act astonished, "Oh, well, yes of course!" Din smiled under his helmet knowing she wouldn't see it. He had grown to like their meetings.
