CHAPTER III: THE COMPOUND
Zakia couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up as she watched her Mandalorian attempt to ride a Blurrg. He was growing frustrated quickly after being thrown to the ground time after time, and the Ugnaught just watched. He insisted that being a lady, Zakia would be spared the lesson as long as Din was able to master it. There was no need for them both to learn the skill if only one was needed to direct the reins.
"Perhaps if you removed your helmet." The Ugnaught called from his position beside Zakia.
She tensed, expecting a snappy remark about Mandalorian culture. Din surprised her, sitting up with hands propped behind him.
"Perhaps he remembers I tried to roast him."
The Ugnaught shook his head, motioning to the Blurrg which paced aimlessly about the corral. "This is a female. The males are all eaten during mating."
Zakia gave a one-shoulder shrug, tightening her headwrap. "Least I'm not alone."
After another failed attempt and Din inquiring about a landspeeder instead of the creatures, the Ugnaught pointed at his chestplate. "You are a Mandalorian. Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur! Surely you can ride this young foal?"
Zakia watched the creature grunt and growl at Mando, but her partner seemed to have a realization at the Ughnaught's words. He approached slower, murmuring to the beast. This time, he was not bucked off, and Zakia smiled brightly in his direction before remembering her face was concealed.
"'Bout time, Mando!"
After a brief lesson in long-distance riding, the Ugnaught helped them saddle and mount the Blurrg. The creatures had a sharp slope to their back which made riding more taxing, but a special saddle lessened the effort. Their shared Blurrg huffed in protest when Zakia neared, but it merely shuffled about. Mando extended a hand from its back, and the blonde took firmly grasped onto him. She pushed off the ground, and Din used his strength to catapult her onto the animal behind him. They settled quickly, and followed their guide into the rocks of Arvala-7. They crossed long stretches of cracked ground and rocky cliffs, the Blurrg toddling about as their riders directed.
It was at a cliff overlooking a circular clearing that the Ugnaught drew to a halt. Zakia peeked out from where she had been using Din's cloak as a barrier between her back and the sun, squinting at the harsh light. She leaned around Mando, trying to catch a glimpse of the hideout.
"That is where you will find your quarry."
Din offered the Ugnaught a small stack of credits, but the creature shook his head. "Please. You deserve this."
"Since these ones arrived, this territory has been an endless stream of mercenaries seeking reward and bringing destruction." Their faithful guide looked out over the hideout, and Zakia used Mando's shoulders as leverage so she could do the same.
"Then why guide us?"
"They do not belong here. Those that live here come to seek peace. There will be no peace until they're gone." The Ugnaught appeared sad as he spoke, and Zakia turned to him while keeping a hand on Mando's hip to steady herself.
"Then why do you help?"
A thoughtful look took over the normally neutral face of the small man. "I have never met a Mandalorian. I have only read the stories. If they are true, you will make quick work of it. Then there will again be peace."
The other Blurrg spun as its ride tugged the reins. "I have spoken."
As the alien moved away, Zakia shifted behind Din. "And I'm chopped liver."
The pair placed themselves on a rocky protrusion, staying low to avoid detection. Zakia withdrew a pair of thermal binoculars and Mando followed suit with a small scope. She lost count while trying to assess the number of enemies.
"There's too many." She muttered, lowering the binoculars.
"Oh no." Din groaned from beside her, and Zakia looked to him.
"What is it?"
Another glance through the scope and he answered: "Bounty droid."
Zakia dropped her forehead against her arms. Bounty droids were, by far, one of the worst inventions. In her opinion. She did not share Mando's severe aversion to droids, but she hated the bounty droids. Mindless machines created to take credits away from hardworking hunters like herself when she used to travel alone. "I hate those things."
She watched the IG unit approach the hideout, its speakers blaring the pre-programmed surrender orders that were the same throughout all models. When one of the enemies- they appeared to be Nikto- lifted a blaster, the unit began firing. It took down several of the Nikto, though many escaped into the fortress of a building.
Din stood, shaking his head. "Droids."
Zakia rolled her eyes at his dramatics but stood, sliding down the rocky slope a few steps behind the Mandalorian. He followed the droid's path in, but hid behind pillars as he did so. Zakia stayed low to the ground, using various barrels and crates for shelter. Both blasters drawn, she had them at the ready on either side.
"IG unit! Stand down!" Din's command was echoed by a blaster shot that ricocheted off his gleaming Beskar pauldron. Zakia scrambled for cover as Mando was tossed in the direction of her hiding place by the force of the droid's shot.
"We're in the Guild, you rusty pile!" Zakia snapped, snatching the tracking fob from Mando's waist as he stood. She waved it around so the droid could see.
"You are Guild members? I thought I was the only one on assignment." The IG until's monotone crackled out of its speakers like it needed an upgrade.
"You thought wrong." Zakia lowered the blasters, allowing Din to shove them both towards cover. The Mandalorian stuck his helmet out to watch the droid.
"So much for the element of surprise!" He hissed. Zakia shook her head, but kept both blasters primed and drawn.
"Sadly, I must ask for your fob. I have already issued the writ of seizure. The bounty is mine."
Zakia opened her mouth in what was doubtlessly going to be a loud and sarcastic remark, but Din held up a hand and swiveled to face their annoyingly unempathetic counterpart.
"Unless I'm mistaken, your are, as of yet, empty-handed." Mando growled.
Almost childishly, the droid answered: "This is true."
"I have a suggestion." The Mandalorian made sure that Zakia was watching their back as he attempted negotiation with the droid.
"Proceed."
"We split the reward." Din offered. Zakia turned to him in shock. He told her there was a camtono of Beskar waiting. There was no way he would endanger something so precious to Mandalorian culture.
"This is acceptable."
Mando sighed, "Great. Now let's regroup, out of harm's way, and form a plan."
Zakia knocked her head against the stone pillar as the droid began to chatter about merit, but quickly snapped to attention when blaster fire began.
"Oh no. Alert. Alert. Alert."
Din lunged out from his hiding spot to shoot the droid's assailant. Another came out firing from a compound door, and Zakia was quick to drop him in the threshold. They began making their way across the compound, attacks coming from every direction.
"I'll go high. You take out the ones on the ground." Zakia exchanged a nod with Mando, and he yelled to the droid to move. Zakia took out most of the opponents using high ground to their advantage, while Mando and the droid focused on the ground assault. Zakia lowered a blaster once to shoot a Nikto who came careening out a door towards them, dropping him with a bolt hole in the head. They ended up ducking behind a wagon for cover, where Din withdrew his fob and checked the proximity to their target. A large utility door that was slid shut hid most of the compound's insides, and the Mandalorian motioned to it.
"He's in there."
"Affirmative." The droid said.
Both living hunters ran for cover behind more stable items, while the IG until remained in the open. Zakia might have some disdain for bounty droids, but she was impressed purely by the firepower and whirling machinery. Her and Din were separated by almost fifty feet, her behind a stack of thick crates and him with his back pressed into a stone wall. They fired off shots whenever the Nikto's fire slowed, and the creature's numbers seemed to steadily decrease.
Mando was exchanging words with the droid- both of whom were too far for Zakia to hear, while she continued firing upon the Nikto whenever she had the chance. She saw Mando run for the utility door's controls, pulling at the panel whilst the IG unit covered him. Zakia kept up her shooting, helping the droid distract the Nikto's from Din's actions.
It became abundantly clear they were outnumbered. A Nikto dropped off the roof in front of Zakia, and she was quick to grab the dagger Din hid in her boot to slash at the creature's throat. It choked momentarily before dropping, and she staggered back a few steps. She was still at least thirty paces from Din and the IG unit, who were back to back behind a stone wall. Zakia dropped to her knees, pressing her back into a stack of metal storage grates while she primed both blasters and replaced her dagger.
"Shit." She spat, hauling in breaths in an attempt to keep her nerves in check. They were vastly outnumbered, with no reasonable chance of escape.
"We're shooting our way out!"
Din's voice was faint, barely audible over the chaos and blood rushing to her ears. Zakia leaned forward to watch her partner, who nodded in the direction of their enemies. She returned the gesture, swinging out from her post at the same time as Mando.
She froze. "You've got to be kidding me."
A heavy repeating blaster was hovering at the mouth of the compound, one Nikto hanging onto the controls. He began firing at their appearance, and all three hunters found themselves pinned into their hiding spots to dodge the heavy fire. Zakia looked across the open space to the Mandalorian and the droid, watching as Din gestured towards the E-Web. He noticed Zakia's glance and pointed at the droid then in the direction of the repeater.
"Drawing their fire. Got it." Zakia nodded, and watched the IG across a short span of open space. The artilleryman immediately shot at the unit, and Zakia took the opportunity to peek above her crates and fire off two shots. One sent the gunner flying, and another took out the Nikto attempting to replace him. A grappling hook from the Mandaloraian's armor shot out and hooked the blaster, spinning it back onto its owners. Zakia sped from her cover and hopped into the gunner position. Her slight form barely tipped the weapon's hover matrix, but after she pushed the repeater its weight assisted her in spinning it. She aimed for each and every Nikto that was visible, spinning in a hard circle and keeping her finger tight on the trigger the whole time. The noise was almost unbearable and the recoil was enough to send her tumbling but she held on until no one else looked to be moving.
Mando was crouched down behind her and the droid was laid up against a wall near the door Din and been fumbling with. Zakia raised a brow and stepped carefully from the E-Web's base. The circle had cast a bit of dizziness over her senses, but her adrenaline was pumping.
"Whew! Damn, that was crazy." She rested her hands on her knees, pretending not to hear the chuckle that slipped through Mando's voice modulator.
"Well done." The mechanical voice whirred up again, sounding even more broken than before. "I will disengage self-destruct initiative."
Zakia raised a brow under her headwrap. "Self-destruct?"
"He was trying to opt out when we got pinned." Din told her, striding to the downed droid and helping pull to its feet. "You know, you're not so bad. For a droid."
"Agreed." The robot replied.
Zakia nodded. Despite their initial spat, the droid had assisted them greatly. His relative invulnerability compared to her and Mando had come in handy. "I also agree. You took a good hit, though, is everything-" She waved a hand from head to toe, "-functional?"
"Running a quick diagnostic."
The IG's cylindrical head spun around once, and the whirring of computer parts echoed in the silent space. "It had missed my central wiring harness."
"Is that good?" Din asked.
Zakia, disregarding their usual job professionalism, stepped forward. "Yes, darling, that is good."
"The lady is correct."
She could sense the eyeroll.
"Well…" The Mandalorian drawled. "Now we just need to get the door open."
Zakia opted not to be the one firing the E-Web as they all debated using it as an impromptu way to bust down the door. Her ears were still ringing from the first go around with the gun, and she had no desire to swing around on it again.
Thankfully in Mando's hands, the door was opened quickly and efficiently. The IG until broke down the smoldering metal after it had been thoroughly shot apart. Zakia could smell the burning steel, wrinkling her nose and stepping in behind Din. She jumped in surprise as the Mandalorian drew his blaster and fired in quick succession, taking out an ambush before she could spot it.
"Anyone else?"
No answer.
They continued into the darkened room. It was full of discarded items and random tech that the Nikto obviously lacked the skills to use. Zakia wandered out on Mando's left side, approaching a pallet of empty camtonos and a strange white container. It was covered partially with netting, and Zakia pushed it away gently.
"Zakia," Mando started, "It's-"
She leapt back as the sides of the white container slid open, revealing a bundle of blankets hidden inside. Her jaw dropped as the contents became apparent.
It was a child.
The tiny form was green in color, with impossibly big eyes and ears. The ears were the length of its head, and the eyes watered nervously as she watched. It cooed softly at the blonde, reaching up tiny hands in her direction. Her heart skipped a beat, and her mouth moved like a fish out of water. She didn't do children anymore.
Not since her own was taken from her.
"Miss! Miss, you have to relax! We'll take care of you."
Zakia's vision was blurred by tears and the red-headed healer stroked her face gently. The pain shooting from her stomach into her legs was near unbearable, and she was sure the blaster bolt tore her to pieces.
"The Mandalorian- w-where is he?" She gasped for breath.
"Mandalorian?" The healer was frantically mixing some herbs together in a bowl, mashing them into a paste. "There was no Mandalorian when we found you. But you're very hurt. Let me help you."
The woman's voice had a soothing quality about it that Zakia couldn't fight against. She went limp against the bed. A sting on her neck and the throbbing, radiating pain in her body began to slow.
"I need to do surgery to remove the debris. This potion will render you unconscious." The healer brushed a hand over Zakia's wild hair, bringing the mixing bowl close to her nose.
She shook her head, trying to get away from it. "You- you can't cut- I'm-"
"What is it?" The healer pulled the bowl away, allowing Zakia a final pure breath.
"I'm p-pregnant."
Her savior froze, and Zakia felt her hands feel her abdomen. She didn't flinch as the woman gently moved her legs, but she did track her as soon as she was back in view. The red-head looked on the brim of tears herself, and bit her lip.
"I'm so sorry."
Zakia's agonizing wail stopped as the potion was forced under her nose.
Zakia shook off the memory and turned back to Din, trying not to betray the emotion on her face. "T-this can't be it. You said it was fifty years old."
"Species age differently. Perhaps it could live for centuries." The droid offered, stepping forward to examine the creature. "Sadly, we'll never know."
"No!" Din stopped the droid, while Zakia sat mute on the floor. Her normal sarcasm had abandoned her, and she knew the Mandalorian knew exactly what was wrong. "We'll bring it in alive."
"The commission was quite specific." The droid said, pulling a blaster and aiming it past Zakia at the tiny bundle. "The asset was to be terminated."
The Mandalorian was unmoving, but Zakia could see the fingers going for his blaster. He was too slow.
A shot was fired, and the child cried out in fright.
The IG dropped into a heap on the ground, smoke pouring from the hole in its head. Zakia dropped the blaster as soon as she'd fired, standing up. Her thoughts were swirling, clawing at one another like caged tigers. This thing was their bounty. It was a job.
But it was a baby.
Mando stepped forward, and Zakia swallowed thickly. She couldn't do more than stare at her blaster as it laid on the floor.
"I couldn't- I couldn't let it-" She stuttered, but Mando spared her the embarrassment. His gloved hand reached out and wrapped around the back of her neck in a strange gesture of comfort.
"I know."