The ride was a bumpy one over cracks in the gorges and dust buildup on the terrain. Kuiil brought his blurrg to a stop, the bounty hunters following soon after.
"That is where you'll find your quarry."
He refused the offer of credits, even despite the Mandalorian's insistence.
"Since these ones arrived, this territory has been an endless stream of mercenaries seeking reward and bringing destruction."
"Then why did you guide us?"
"They do not belong here. Those that live here come to seek peace. There will be no peace until they're gone."
"Then why do you help?"
"I have never met a Mandalorian. I've only read the stories. If they are true, you will make quick work of it. Athena, I have known since she was a youngling. I know her strength, but I also know her heart. The two of you will end this soon. Then there will again be peace. I have spoken."
Athena slid down her blurrg and walked ahead to the ridge, trying to avoid the inevitable questions the Mandalorian might have. Anonymity was necessary in the bounty hunter trade and her past was her past for a reason. She was a former Imperial soldier. That much was true.
She laid down on the ridge and felt the cool Beskar armor of the Mandalorian join her. He used a scope to get a read on the situation below until he lowered it with a disgruntled sigh.
"Oh, no. Bounty droid," he announced.
"I am going to kick Greef Karga's ass the next time I see him," she growled.
They ran down towards the compound, pressing against the walls to avoid being spotted by any remaining guards. The Mandalorian stepped out behind one of the columns, ordering the IG to stand down.
In response, the droid fired a blast into his armor and knocked him onto the ground by Athena's feet. The woman crouched behind the column and readied her rifle, her fingers expertly loading and prepping the weapon.
"I'm in the Guild!" the Mandalorian shouted.
"You are a Guild member? I thought I was the only one on assignment," the droid intoned.
"That makes two of us," Athena scoffed. The droid raised his blaster again but the Mandalorian quickly waved his hand to indicate to lower it.
"She's with me. So much for the element of surprise."
"Sadly, I must ask for your fob. I have already issued the writ of seizure. The bounty is mine."
"Unless I'm mistaken, you are, as of yet, empty-handed."
"This is true."
"I have a suggestion."
"Proceed."
"We split the reward."
"This is acceptable."
"Fantastic. Now can we regroup and form a plan?" Athena growled, readying her rifle across her lap.
"I will of course receive the reputation merits associated with the mission."
"Can we talk about this later?!" the two humans shouted.
"I require an answer if I am to proce-" A blaster shot bounced off its head. "Oh no. Alert. Alert. Alert."
Let the fun begin. Athena stood against the column and raised her rifle to the side, taking out two of the snipers up top. With practiced ease, she cleared the bolt cartridge and fired off another shot, taking out another mercenary. Covering the Mandalorian, she held her rifle in one hand and a blaster in the other, pressing her back to his as she fired back.
He twisted in front of her to let his armor take a hit. Athena grunted as someone grabbed the back of her suit and yanked her back against them. The "retired" bounty hunter quickly dropped her rifle and slammed her fist into the mercenary's face while firing her blaster into his chest.
A hand enclosed around her wrist and she whirled around, raising her blaster to shoot but it was just the Mandalorian yanking her down behind a broken cart for a barricade.
"Good?" he grunted out.
"Yeah. I did not realize how much I missed this," she bit out, taking out two men with a well aimed blaster shot. "Good?"
"Yeah, I'm good." The tracker in his hand was blinking faster.
The IG unit left their hiding space and began to fire off quick rounds, providing cover for them. They hurried behind more columns, darting and weaving in and out to fire off shots into the crowd. Maybe she wasn't entirely lying. It had been a few months since she was last in a gunfight and the exhilaration and adrenaline pumping through her veins was enough to make her miss the taste of battle.
Just a bit.
The shooting died down as the mercenaries reformed their lines, pinning them down. Athena rested her back against the column and looked over at the other bounty hunters.
"It appears that we are trapped," the droid announced. "I will initiate self-destruct sequencing."
"Whoa! You're what?!" the Mandalorian exclaimed.
"Manufacturer's Protocol dictates I cannot be captured. I must self-destruct."
"Do NOT self-destruct!" Athena barked out.
"Cover me!" The Mandalorian shouted. He bolted towards the door panel as the droid and Athena fired off bolts towards the mercenaries. It was pure chaos as blaster fire rained down on them but she felt a sick sort of laughter bubble up in her throat. To hell with the peaceful life, I guess. Looks like I'm going out the way I always thought I would.
"There's too many! They got us pinned."
"I will initiate self-destruct."
"Do not self-destruct! We're shooting our way out."
They appeared from behind the column in time to see a cannon pointed straight at them. In unison, the three bounty hunters immediately fell back behind the column.
"New plan!" the Mandalorian shouted.
Bolts slammed into the wall they were taking cover behind and Athena knew the integrity wouldn't be able to withstand it for much longer.
"Beginning self-destruct countdown."
"Stop it!" she hissed.
"IG, draw their fire. We'll take it out!"
"Acceptable."
"GO!"
The droid ran to the left while they slid out to the right. The Mandalorian used his cord to pull the cannon towards him, knocking the driver off. He swept it across the field, taking out everyone and stopping before he reached Athena.
"Well-done," the droid announced. "I will disengage self-destruct initiative."
Athena went to retrieve her rifle while the Mandalorian helped the droid up. She rejoined them as they faced the closed door before them.
"Behind there?"
"Yep."
The three turned to face the cannon. "You're up, Mandalorian."
They entered shoulder to shoulder finding the room nearly empty. Nearly.
The second a mercenary appeared behind the corner, Athena had her spear buried in his chest. She casually strolled into the room and yanked it back out, sliding it back into its holster.
"Anyone else?" the Mandalorian purred.
"The tracking fob is still active. My sensors indicate that there is a life form present," the droid informed them. The fobs beeped and flashed brightly as they moved closer into the room. Athena rejoined the Mandalorian's side as he approached a large silver pod shaped like an egg. The tracking fob went silent and the two humans looked at each other behind their respective masks before turning back to the pod. He reached forward and pressed a button on the pod, revealing what lay inside.
"Wait. They said fifty years old," he breathed.
"Species age differently," the droid hummed. "Perhaps it could live many centuries."
A bundle of blankets were tucked around a small green creature with large, floppy ears. Its tiny three-fingered paw pushed the blanket aside, revealing large, shiny black eyes.
"Sadly, we'll never know."
"No! We'll bring it in alive."
"The commission was quite specific. The asset was to be terminated."
The droid raised its rifle at the kid and Athena immediately stepped forward, intending on stopping the blast when the Mandalorian fired straight into the droid's head. It dropped like stone and he holstered his blaster before raising his hand towards the child, finger outstretched. Athena felt the breath in her lungs catch as she watched carefully. The child raised its hand out towards them and in that moment, she felt a rush of something flow through her chest.