It was rare for someone to get the drop on the famed Mandalorian bounty hunter but somehow he didn't even realize Athena had appeared at the Razor Crest until she was tossing her bag down next to his armory.
The former Imperial assassin shifted her shoulders back and straightened up, crossing her gauntlet clad wrists across her chest as she turned to face the Mandalorian. She had changed out of her undercover uniform and into the clothes he was more familiar with. Over her tunic and pants, she wore an assortment of Imperial armor and a few Rebel pieces from the Civil War. A rifle was slung over her left shoulder while the infamous spear, which had garnered fearful whispers from those who faced her on the battlefield, was strapped across her back. Her beige head wrap covered the bottom half of her face and fit snugly around her hair, hiding it from view, while excess fabric wrapped around the top and buffered the wind and sand off of her skin. Sepia lenses stared back at his helmet from her sand goggles that concealed her eyes.
The Arkashan leaned against the metal wall of the Razor Crest and tilted her head to the side as if she was studying him. "So, Mandalorian, as to where are you taking me?"
"Arvala-7," he replied coolly.
"A little dry for my tastes but nonetheless, I'll live."
"I thought Imperials enjoyed any planet they could terrorize the people."
"And Mandalorians are peaceful, innocent beings," she purred, a dark edge lining the silver tongue trapped beneath her gritted teeth.
He slammed the compartment of the wires he was fixing shut and closed the loading hatch, effectively ending their conversation. Athena pushed off the wall and made her way to the ladder, easily climbing up the rungs until she found herself in the cockpit. The Arkashan made herself at home in the co-pilot seat, ignoring the exasperated look he shot her way as she curled up like a loth-cat.
"Get your feet off the seat," he bit out.
"That a threat?"
He didn't dignify her with a response and instead sat down in the pilot's seat to prepare them for liftoff. Athena set her rifle down next to the chair but didn't move her feet from the chair as he requested. Instead, she took her spear off of her back and yanked a cloth out of her belt to clean the speared blade at the tip.
Spears were uncommon to see on the battlefield but common to see in Arkash hunting and fishing. Her ease around the weapon was proof of her years of working on her home planet. How she transferred that into weaponry and her killer actions on the battlefield, he had no clue. He once heard a rumor in the cantina of one of the Outer Rim planets that she and a group of stormtroopers took out an entire village and the few survivors that somehow lived, children of all things, reported that the cloaked woman killed their parents with that spear.
Innocent children watched their parents die by her hand.
Anger simmered in his chest at the thought but he pushed it down. The sooner he had the Asset secured, the sooner he could hand it and Athena over to the Client.
/
She was right about it being dry.
The tracker let out a slow and steady beep as they walked along the sandy path. The light picked up a little when directed to the east and the Mandalorian pocketed the tracker, raising his Amban rifle so he could check the landscape.
"Anything?" she hummed boredly.
Before he could answer, a giant creature bounded up from the hill and launched itself directly at them. Athena dropped to her knee and rolled to the side just as the Mandalorian shot flames at the beast. It clamped down on his arm and threw the Mandalorian down, turning its back on Athena. She planted her knee down to stop her roll and bolted to her feet, her hand grabbing the shaft of her spear from her back. Before she could even think, another creature launched her three feet in the air before she slammed down next to the Mandalorian. Lifting her spear in defence, Athena readied herself for the beast to come at her but it slowed its approach. It stumbled and landed on the ground before her, teeth inches from her boots. It would have landed on her legs if the Mandalorian hadn't grabbed her collar and yanked her back to lay next to him.
"Tranquilizers," she gasped out, propping herself up on her elbows so she could see the beasts. An Ugnaught approached riding on top of the beast, a disapproving look on his face. At the sight of him, Athena let her shoulders fall and started to pick herself up. She slid her spear back into place once she stood, extending a hand to the Mandalorian.
"Thank you," he said to the Ugnaught.
"You are bounty hunters," the Ugnaught greeted.
"Yes." He took her hand and stood on his feet, adjusting his damaged gauntlet.
"I will help you. I have spoken."
The Mandalorian looked to Athena but she was already following the Ugnaught. He sighed but picked up his pace to catch up with her.
The Ugnaught's farm wasn't far from where they left the ship and Athena seemingly made herself right at home. She sat on one of the stools and leaned her rifle and spear up against the wall, relaxing next to the fire.
"Tea?" he asked the bounty hunters.
"You know my answer," Athena said, a teasing lilt dancing along her words. "Yet you always ask."
He smiled at her and nodded, turning to the Mandalorian. "Many have passed through. They seek the same one as you."
"Did you help them?"
"Yes. They died."
"Well, then I don't know if I want your help."
"You do. I can show you to the encampment." The Ugnaught walked past the woman and casually passed her a cup of tea. She smiled under her wrap and rolled her eyes.
"What's your cut?" the Mandalorian asked.
"Half."
"Half the bounty to guide? Seems steep."
"No. Half of the blurrg you helped capture. Athena, take that outside and drink. I have spoken."
"Yes sir," she drawled. The retired bounty hunter crossed the field to the blurrg pen and lowered her mask, taking in a deep breath of the air around her. One of the blurrgs growled and approached her but she simply held out her hand to let it sniff while she raised the tea to her lips with the other hand.
Glancing around the farm, Athena felt a sense of jealousy bubbling in her chest. She wished she could have a life like this. A life of peace and serenity but it kept looking as if that would never come. Some people like Kuiil were able to escape from the war.
Athena kept falling back in it.
The sound of footsteps behind her let her know that it was time to pull her mask back up and she turned her head at the sound of the approaching men. Kuiil joined her side as the Mandalorian entered the pen.
"Looks like you have already befriended this one," Kuiil noticed as she stroked the blurrgs snout.
"I was always a charming and persuasive one," she hummed. "It's good to see you again. Did not expect to see you ever again, nevertheless on this planet of all places."
"It has been a long while since I last saw you. When were you able to leave?"
"Twenty. The Guild gave me employment."
"And now?"
"The Mandalorian is my ticket out. This is my last job. Get the Asset, turn it in, I get to go anywhere I want and leave it all behind."
The man in question hit the ground with a dull thud as the blurrg threw him off for his attempt to mount it. He grunted as he picked himself up and Athena stifled her laugh behind her fist.
"Perhaps if you removed your helmet," Kuiil called.
"Perhaps he remembers I tried to roast him."
"This is a female. The males are all eaten during mating."
"You go girl," Athena whispered conspiratorially to the blurrg she was petting.
They watched as he tried to ride the blurrg again, soon getting launched off once more. He was quick to his feet and stalked back towards the two standing at the fence.
"We don't have time for this. Do you have a Landspeeder or Speeder bike that we could hire?"
"You are a Mandalorian! Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young foal."
He hesitated but turned to approach the blurrg once more. Athena inclined her head towards Kuiil and let out a soft hum. "That was a bit of a low blow, no?"
"It worked, did it not?"
In the same manner that Athena calmed the other blurrg, the Mandalorian gained the trust of the other foal and mounted her effectively. Athena nodded and stepped away from her blurrg. "Let me go grab my things and then I'll be ready."
A/N: will this story be a romance? I don't know...stay and find out ;)