With our Druyza mounts, we rode off towards the border, in the western Doaba badlands. Riding single file, Palscho was in the lead, then me, Suuvarsh, Gorman, Irkchik, then Terran and Munshaan in the rear. The minutes wore on, until we were riding for an hour. The sun continued rising, the morning heat rose as well. Water stores were slowly depleting as well. Once noon reached, we-

"Alright, no, stop! Just stop!" Terran was shouting. We turned to look at him.

Gorman rode back. "What's the problem?"

"This is ridiculous! We don't know where we're going, we don't even know where we are!"

Munshaan piped up with his buddy. "And we won't have enough water to get back! Do we even know if Cassus is here?!"

Irkchik rode back to calm the situation. "Listen it's hot, we're tired, we-"

"Shut up Irkchik, you know this whole venture is stupid! If it wasn't for Fett we would have called this off and told Rajja to stuff it!"

Suuvarsh, in her Ubese language, grumbled something.

"We're a unit?! A unit, really Suuvarsh? Suck my unit!" Terran shouted back.

"Before Fett came along, we only took jobs worth doing! You think we would go after a madman into the desert! This is a joke!" Munshaan threw in.

As they continued arguing, I sat back and watched from afar. Nothing I could say would convince those two idiots to keep going. This was internal. As a bounty hunting group, they had been working together for years. I was an outsider. Whatever. Still…we had come all this way for Cassus. We had to get him. He needed to be brought down. These idiots needed to get on board with the program, if we were-

We? Do you mean I?

I shook my head. This wasn't personal. No, it was not personal. This was a job. This was about becoming a bounty hunter. This was about having a career, moving my life forward from the doldrums of yesteryear, and-

A blaster bolt rang off, crashing into Gorman's mount. The Druyza, spooked, rode off towards a rock formation. Gorman could barely control it and kept riding. Terran and Munshaan hadn't shot their weapons, so who-

"The Asilyr are here!" Irkchik yelled, before turning and riding off in pursuit of Gorman. If that was true, our best defense would be taking up position in that rock formation. Several dozen Asilyr tribesmen, popping up out of the black sands wearing desert camouflaged gear, had ambushed us. As blaster bolts fired in our direction, we rode fast for the rock formation. Except for Terran and Munshaan. Taking advantage of the confusion, those two pulled their weapons and started firing on us.

"Fierfek, take cover!" I yelled to the other hunters, who rode off with me. We ditched our mounts, jumping to cover behind large boulders. Gorman, Suuvarsh, Irkchik, Palscho and I returned fire at several advancing Asilyr warriors, who were taken down immediately. We ducked down as more stepped up their fire at us.

Irkchik readied a flashbang and said "I can't believe they turned against us!"

Now I can finally take those idiots down I thought. "Just keep shooting, they're swarming us!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Cassus, armed and armored atop his mount, watched from afar as the Asilyr raiders swarmed Fett and the other hunters. Except for two…a Human and a Stereb. They had turned coat. Interesting…Cassus, flanked by his elites, rode off to intercept the two.

While another wave charged the hunter's position, Cassus rode towards the Human and Stereb hunters. They were attacking the rock formation from another flank, keeping Fett and the rest of them pinned down. No matter. His mounted elites charged into the two, sending them flying into the black desert sand. His warriors dismounted, capturing the two hunters. They were wounded, but not dead. Manhandled by the Asilyr, the two hunters slowly looked up at Cassus, mounted on a Druyza and eclipsing the sun in the sky above.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here. Bounty hunters, fighting their own kind. Not all is well in paradise, I take it?"

"Go to hell, Mandalorian scum." Munshaan retorted.

"You first. So tell me, what would make bounty hunters turn against their fellows?"

"Your fool brother!" The Human shouted.

Cassus raised his brow. Had Fett the Younger caused disagreement in that group of bounty hunters that was pursuing him this whole time? Curious, most curious. No matter.

"Interesting. Well then, I think you two still have your uses. Bound them up and let's go!"