"WHERE'S THE BRAIN!?" Var shouted.

Fesk gripped the balcony railing, his roar from only a few seconds before replaced by his breath catching. He had just condemned someone to death and watched the five-second execution before his victim slammed into the sidewalk several stories down. His trance was broken by the iron jaw of the bounty hunter screaming at him.

"WHERE IS IT?!"

He raised his hands reflexively, flinching at Var, still processing the panic, the rage swelling through his veins, and then the cold.

"I-" Fesk started, "I didn't see him carrying it-! I-I just-"

"Threw him off the doshing balcony! Help me find it, pal, or there's a Coruscant police van with your name on it."

The threat was enough to shut up the Trandoshan. More than enough. He took a moment to nod, to compose himself. His efforts failed, and he turned around, shaking, and began to wave away the smoke billowing out of the repair shop. As he entered, he resigned himself of dignity and dropped to the ground, pawing a clawed hand through the piles of discarded droid parts.

Koegr was throwing droid parts furiously across the shop, heedless of where they landed or of the mess he made in the already filthy shop. A torso went flying through the air, nearly hitting Fesk. He growled in frustration as he searched.

The clattering droid body caused Fesk to flinch, and he was about to rasp a "watch it" to the bounty hunter until he realized where the loosely bound bundle of parts landed. Next to a turned over table, hidden by a chair cast to its side, was the dome. Not a scratch, aside from the gaping hole next to the memory access port. He gasped and scrambled over to the part, clutching it, examining it, and through a coughing fit in the smoke, called over the bounty hunter whose name still escaped him.

"Sir! Sir, I found it!"

He got up, shakily, holding the component as if it were a newborn since it essentially held more value than one. Especially if it meant his life could be spared rotting in a Coruscanti jail cell.

Var jerked up, eyes flashing with excitement. They landed on the droid machinery and lit up. "Alright! Now we can get out of here!"

The wail of sirens could be heard in the distance, coming steadily closer. The pair scampered out of the ruined shop, fleeing for the higher levels with the mutual goal of Fesk's shop.

The door of Fesk's shop slid open once again, an electronic chime ringing out that ordinarily would mean business for him. Now, it felt like the final nail. Having walked inside in front of the Bounty Hunter, he saw his livelihood in ruins. The transparisteel glass in shards on the ground and the counter, the exterior access panel to the workshop behind his vending station still smoldering six hours later. The body of a Hutt droid still rendered scrap on a cart.

Var tapped his shoulder.

"The brain."

Fesk turned around. His glance up and down the cyborg became a stare, and he found himself gazing into the eyes of the man who had turned his only source of stability into a hellhole. He did not feel animosity toward the man. If he did, he would be shot, or thrown off the balcony like what he had done to Pledge. He instead felt that for once in his life, he held a card. Still far from a winning hand, but he had a card. And he wanted to play one last game.

"Sir… My life here is over."

"My job here is over. Give me the brain."

Fesk clutched the component closer to his chest. The Hunter raised an eyebrow, evaluating whether or not the Trandoshan was challenging him.

"Take me with you. I'm… I'm a wanted man, now. If the Coruscant Police don't get their hands on me, the Neversky will."

Var looked him over, gauging him. "How well can you work on assassin droids?" he asked.

"IG series? I've heard of them. Well enough."

"How about ships?"

He paused for a second. "Hmm. I can only promise I'll do my best work."

Koegr shrugged. "Close enough. I'll give you a trial run as I deliver this brain. If you prove that your competence outweighs your dead weight, then consider yourself crew. If not, you get a free trip to Tatooine."

Fesk tensed, before he exhaled, and nodded. "Deal."

The Mandalorian threw an arm around the skinny Trandoshan's shoulders, leading him outside. "Good. The first thing I want you to do is install two extra arms on my butler droid. He has a terrible time pouring my scotch with his vibroblade hand, and…"