You never expected to be here. Out of all the places in the kriffing galaxy, you never expected to be here. You'd been hearing whispers during your escapades across the cosmos. Bartenders had filled your ears with rumors of the infamous Boba Fett rising from the ashes and killing Fortuna in the greatest coup d'etat of the decade. At first, when you heard these stories, you were a little offended. You had been traveling with Fett and his comrades for months aboard Slave II; not once did these carefully crafted plans come up in a conversation.
Between witnessing the reunion of bounty hunter and armor, tracking down Moff Gideon, returning Grogu to the Jedi, being (almost) fatally shot in the side by Bo-Katan, and scouring the mid rim in search of a new ship (while you healed from said blaster wound), there had been plenty of time for the pilot to inform you of his imminent Tatooine takeover. Of course, you were also quite relieved to discover you had been left out of the illegal scheming. Murder and crime syndicate acquisitions weren't exactly conducive to your path towards the Lightside. It really was better for you to avoid being mixed up in shady operations with bounty hunters and assassins. After all, an entire year has passed since you disembarked Slave II and so much has changed for you over the many moon cycles. Any apprehension you felt towards meeting your old shipmate has been set aside out of respect for the fact that you know he wouldn't contact you unless it was necessary. A Dark Jedi doesn't act on fear, even if she wants to. So here you are now. On Tatooine. Again. Kriffing hell.
Boba Fett's new stronghold is bustling with just about every alien species you can imagine. You don't know the extent of Fett's newly acquired power, but he is clearly pushing a lucrative business. The busy ship hangar means plenty of credits are expected to made here. Unfortunately for you, the crowds also mean plenty of blasters are in trigger happy hands. Not great news for someone in your position. The enormous Imperial bounty on your head will inspire anyone with half a brain to turn you in. Far too many eyes linger on you as you make your way to the entrance of the palace. It wouldn't be the first time a bounty hunter left you to Imperial scum. If your ship wasn't in such terrible shape, you would be hightailing it off this hellhole of a planet and promising to never return. Kriff Boba Fett and his kriffing Cartel.
You heave a great sigh and begin your descent down the sandy steps. Fett's throne room is much quieter than you would have expected. Unscrupulous characters are scattered around in groups of threes and fours to conduct business in hushed voices. The band isn't playing at the moment and the spot where slaves used to live chained to the throne is empty. You spy Fett reclining on his royal seat as he lazily converses with a Weequay. Lowering your hood, you step out of the shadows of the room and loudly clear your throat.
"I require an audience with your royal highness." You laugh through your words.
"It's a good thing I have a job for you, otherwise I would have to kill you for your brazenness." Fett's voice booms in your ears, but you don't miss the sprinkle of humor in it.
You cross your arms and raise an eyebrow, "A job? My days working for criminals are long over, bounty hunter. I thought you knew that."
"It's not exactly optional, Princess."
"What's to stop me from walking out of this room right now?"
"I'll put a bounty on you so high you'll never be able to step foot on a populated planet again. Managing two of them will be quite the challenge, seeing as just about every hunter in the sector has a puck on you right now." His words have lost all the playfulness from earlier. The shift in mood is palpable and several of the room's occupants look up from their side conversations.
"Friends don't typically threaten each other with bounties, Fett."
"Friends?"
You roll your eyes at his nasty attitude. He is clearly angry about something and the only way to quell the situation is to cooperate. You did owe him a favor for the free ship he gave you- the one you accidentally blew up. Plus, pissing off the man seemed more trouble than it was worth. You know he isn't bluffing about the bounty.
"Fine. But I need a ship. The Imps have been using mine for target practice and it'll need at least a week for repairs."
"You weren't going to be flying anyway."
He doesn't give you a chance to question his cryptic response. Quicker than a loth cat, he jumps out of his chair and stalks towards you. You grumble in protest as he grabs your elbow and tugs you up the stairs. Once outside, he yanks you in the opposite direction of your ship and practically drags you behind him as makes his way through the crowd. For every step he takes, you are forced to take two. You know he is manhandling you on purpose, parading you around like a bounty and drawing attention to your presence. The Imperial price on you is being used to his advantage right now. Every krilhead on the premises notices you in his hands and now any attempt to escape would be futile. There are too many skilled hunters in close proximity, all well aware of your value to Boba Fett. A dirty trick, even for him.
He stops in front of a dynamic class freighter appropriately named Sterling Kestrel. The ship is in pristine condition; the outside is polished beautifully and the obvious modifications to the hyperdrive and weapon's system are incredibly impressive. You can tell she's fast. Very, very fast. The idea of traveling in her makes you giddy.
"Maker, Fett! How much for her?!" You exclaim.
"She's not for sale." A new modulated voice cuts into your joy like a hot knife.
Your face flushes with blood as your legs turn to jelly. You know that voice. Slowly turning away from the ship, you shake off the hand still gripping your elbow. Your eyes trail towards the man who has spoken from behind you and you freeze when you meet a familiar black T-visor. Mando. His beskar is practically blinding in the sunlight and you squint your eyes in response to the glare. You take a minute to notice the changes to his appearance; his new cloak is a shiny silver on the inside, a Mythosaur signet is stamped onto the left breastplate of his chest, and the Darksaber hangs boldly on his belt. He isn't afraid for the world to see the weapon anymore. He cocks his head at you while you study him. When he steps forward into your personal space, you instinctively backup, causing his shoulders to deflate slightly. A shiver runs down your spine as you recall the last time you had seen this Mandalorian. You had lost control on Jedha and nearly killed you both in an explosion of fury. He left you to the Imps after your literal outburst and the betrayal nearly cost you your life.
"Mando... Come to turn me in? Wouldn't be the first time you handed over someone with valuable blood." Your caustic words slip out before you can filter them.
"Now now, I am sure we can all be amicable. Let's not cause a fiery scene for everyone, little one." Fett says with a humorless laugh. The insinuation is not lost on you. Mando has obviously told Fett about the events on Jedha.
"I don't even know where I'm going yet or what this job entails," you interject impatiently.
"We are going to retrieve the beskar you've been stealing for the past year." Mando speaks lowly as he shifts his weight and rests a hand on his belt.
"Liberating. You mean liberating. I didn't see any Mandalorians on my quest to rescue your precious metal from the clutches of warlords and slimey collectors."
"Since when did collecting beskar become the path of the Jedi? Isn't that too 'involved' for you?"
Fett places a hand up between the two of you. "Enough. You can work out your relationship problems on the Kestrel, but if you kill each other before I get my cut, I'll hunt you both down in the afterlife."
You glare at the two helmeted men in front of you. There isn't an escape out of this one, you can sense it. The Force has led you here for a reason and you are determined to find out why. You are a sentinel of serenity, a peacekeeper of passion. If anyone will be a challenge to your new way of life, it will be Mando. Dark Jedi don't lose focus over their emotions. You can do this job with him, you will do this job with him.
