I held my breath when the door opened. Oh no, he's back….. Swagger man- I previously learned his name is Toro Calican- made it very clear that the three of us were going to be used as leverage against Mando when he returned. Since Kuiil was the only one good with a blaster between us, Toro tied his hands behind his back. Peli was able to keep her hands free, probably to cuff Mando. And as for me, well…. let's just say he got a little handsy.
Toro forced us all to board our ship, where we waited for Mando to come back. That didn't take too long; he arrived just after nightfall. Now, I knew that Mando suspected something wasn't right. Instead of barging into the place, he took his time, cautiously stepping on the ground with his gun at the ready. He was smart enough not to call out for me or Kuiil; he knew what he was doing. I flinched startled at the ringing of one of the robots running across the yard. All Peli's droids hid safely inside. But when the Mandalorian came into view- that's when things got really scary.
"Took you long enough, Mando," Toro had the gull to shout. Mando held up his blaster as we all emerged from the darkness. Peli was in front of Toro, who was guiding her with the tip of his gun. Kuiil was on the other side and behind was Toro, holding me pressed up against him. His arm coiled around my centre, firmly locking me into place. I think he held me in this exact, intimate position to hurt Mando. "I usually keep my hands off married women, but you I'll make an exception," he said before grabbing me. I sent Mando a pleading yet deeply concerned expression.
"Looks like I'm calling the shots now, huh partner?" Mando nonverbally responded by lifting his gun even more. Ok, he's mad; like really mad. Livid, I'd say. But also, nervous considering the three lives Toro currently held in his hand. "Drop your blaster and raise 'em." The Mandalorian looked at me then did as he was told. "Cuff him," Toro pushed Peli in the back with his blaster barrel. She huffed and went down behind the Mandalorian. While she was doing that, the villain glanced over to me. I frowned up at him furiously. He was threatening Mando now, on top of my friends. That is not ok; not at all.
Toro simply smirked at the look on my face and turned back to the Mandalorian. "You're a guild trailer, Mando. I'm willing to bet….." Before he could finish his sentence, a few strange voices came from the front door. We all turned in equal amounts of surprise and confusion. It couldn't be customers; Peli's shop was closed and it was getting late. I actually gasped once they got close enough to hear what they were saying.
"What's her name again?" "Something pretentious like Salieri? Saoirse?" "Saoirse- that's it!" "Whatever. Just find her; she's close." "Saoirse, where are yoooooou? Come out, come out, wherever you are." It sounded like two men and a woman. I winced my eyes shut in agony. No! Not now; why are they're bounty hunters here now, and they're looking for me! Everyone blinked as they stepped out into the yard; their faces contorting to ones of bewilderment as well upon seeing us.
"Mando!" The strongman gleefully announced. The others also looked pleasantly surprised, albeit puzzled to find the Mandalorian here. They all looked…. weird, to put it gently. The woman looked the strangest; it was clear she wasn't human. The strongman was odd too; his skin was red, and he had horns popping out of his head. The second man seemed to be human, but he wore an awful lot of guns on his person; he was bald and young, maybe thirty-five years old. They all had this instantaneous criminal vibe about them. It didn't help that they were looking for me either.
"Whoa, Mando! How long's it been, man? I don't think we've seen you since the last time we were hired on a gig together," the bald man exclaimed. "What are you doing?" The alien lady asked Peli in an unimpressed tone; Peli was still in the middle of supposedly cuffing Mando's hands together. The five of us acted like we didn't know what to do; luckily none of the newcomers had noticed Toro holding me in place yet. Peli and Kuiil's eyes nervously shifted back to peer at me.
"What are you doin' here? Don't tell me you're searching for the same bounty as us. Man! It seems like half the galaxy is tracking her," horned guy jested. Their playful mood didn't last long though. The alien woman saw me first, followed by her two companions. I'd never seen the look on anyone's faces change so fast…. They all predominately frowned, and the bald man was now pointing one of his chest guns at Toro. "Get your hands off my target!" He screamed.
Toro literally threw me away from him, sending me toppling to the floor of the ship. My head shot up, my hair going everywhere around me. Kuiil glanced down at me terrified. "Run, Saoirse!" He cried. I didn't have to be told twice. Without looking back, I made a beeline for the shop. Gun shots, yelling, and bumping could already be heard all around the yard. Once inside, I hid behind a wall, pressing my back up against it. My breathing was heavy and whole body was sweaty. After a few very deep breaths, I peered round to the side reluctant to move. You could still hear plenty of fighting going on outside. "Don't kill her! Ran wants her alive!" The horned guy barked. Ran? Who's Ran? Oh, who cares; he's likely the one who sent them after me. But they were close enough for me to hear what they were saying clearly. Time to hide better!
I had just turned to my other side when I came face-to-face with Toro. Toro! How the hell did he sneak past all that? He flashed me one of those classic dicky smirks. My eyes widened as he reached down to take hold of my wrist- tightly. He leaned his head in a bit. "You- you're coming with me."