A/N: Happy holidays, everyone! Figured I would post this chapter before slipping into a well-deserved food coma.
Chapter 2 – The Deal
Five years later
"There we were, cruising over Utapau, waiting for orders from those kriffin' bastards. The boys were gettin' restless, but I say to them, I say, you lads have been beggin' me for a break for months, and now you turn tetchy for a little downtime? I told 'em just kick back 'n relax, n' rake in the creds while the client figured out what to do 'bout us."
Sinead rested her elbows on the bar top, watching the Zabrak slam back the remainder of her mug, slamming it on the table. "And did you?"
"Kiff no. Those rhukis tried to stiff us until we caught 'em, that is. They went on sayin' that on account of 'em not needing us after all, they shouldn't 'ave to pay us."
"Can't imagine that went over well with the boys."
The Zabrak barked out a laugh and slammed her fist on the bar between them hard enough to make the crockery rattle. "The lads don't like it much when clients don't keep their promises. As I see it, we was just getting some justice."
"Balance in the galaxy, and all that," Sinead said, filling up the Zabrak's mug with a frothy green concoction.
"Knew you'd get it." The Zabrak grinned, flashing a row of yellowing teeth filed to a point.
It was late at night, or as late as it could be on a space station that used artificial light all hours of the day. The star it orbited hung almost dead in the vacuum, a white dwarf, gone before the first sentients even started dreaming about space travel. Its cold light did nothing to warm up the planets left circling it.
Sinead had been on the space station for almost a month. Not long after gaining her freedom, she'd discovered that while convictions were all well and good, it wouldn't keep her from starving, and she'd found herself working in one of the two cantinas aboard the station. This one was less frequented, which suited Sinead just fine. Sometimes, when a big starship docked, the place would flood with spacers, but curiously they rarely came back.
"What's next for you and your boys?"
"Eh, some rich fella from the Core wants us to lug his cargo halfway 'cross the galaxy. All perfectly legal, of course."
"Of course. I'm sure all your other stories were perfectly legal too, right?"
"That's right." The Zabrak tapped her nose. "You're a smart one."
Sinead winked at the captain, before cleaning up the bar and discarding the empty bowls in the kitchen.
When she came back, the Zabrak got up and tossed a couple of credits on the table. "Thanks for listening to an old spacer's stories," she said. "Really warms a girl's hearts."
"My pleasure. You're quite the storyteller, you know that?"
The Zabrak barked out a laugh and reached over to slap Sinead on the shoulder. "Always knew I picked the wrong line of work." She grabbed the rifle that leaned against the bar. "See ya around, kid."
The Zabrak left, her long coat swinging behind her, and Sinead was left to her own devices. Two Niktos were the only patrons left in the bar and they sat together at a small table, heads bent low over their meals, and only muttering a few words between bites.
The station was originally a scientific vessel, orbiting the very star it was surveying. Sometimes before the fall of the Empire, the scientists left and not soon after enterprising spacers moved in, turning the station into a decent halfway point between nowhere and nothing.
Once Sinead grew adequately bored staring into thin air, she grabbed a broom from a cupboard and started sweeping. The maintenance droid was down something that happened surprisingly often in a place frequented by mechanics and pilots.
Five years she'd been free. Five years and every clue, every lead on Kyen fizzed out before she had the chance to grab it. The last one in a long line of disappointments ended with her nearly getting caught by a band of privateers, and now it hovered just out of reach.
She wondered if she had made a mistake breaking away from the rebels. Their attack on the Imps saved her life, but fear of retaliation made her split as fast as she could, although a few months later, that wasn't a concern anymore; the Empire shattered, and whatever was left was too preoccupied picking up the pieces. That left the Hutts, but as far as she knew, they thought she was dead, and she wanted to keep it that way. Now she just hovered in place, waiting for a new opportunity to-
The door swished open, and a cold blast of air hit her. She turned around to face the new patron.
His armor glinted in the harsh light.
Bounty hunter.
Mandalorian.
Her body reacted without input from her brain. She swung the broom at his head.
The Mandalorian ducked, and the broom sailed over his head; as it came around again, he grabbed it and wrenched it out of Sinead's hands, and it clattered on the ground.
The Niktos jumped up so quickly that their chairs fell backward, blasters pointed at the Mandalorian, with his own blaster trained at them.
Reason clawed its way through the fog of fear. "Are you a bounty hunter?" Her voice sounded loud in the tense room.
The Mandalorian cocked his head to the side and looked from Sinead to the Niktos. "Not right now." His voice was hoarse and sounded exhausted, but that could just be the voice modulator.
Sinead took a step back and sent a look over her shoulder at the Niktos, begging them to stand down. They shared a look, yellow teeth bared but lowered their blasters slowly.
She looked back at the Mandalorian, his blaster aimed directly at her. "I'm sorry about that," she said, giving him a weak smile. "We've had some problems with bounty hunters."
The Mandalorian kept staring at her, or rather, she assumed he kept staring at her, as his helmet gave absolutely no indication. Eventually, he lowered his blaster, but kept it at hand, presumably in case she started swinging the broom again.
He looked like he was about to leave when the bundle tucked safely into the crook of his arm started moving, and a small green hand appeared from between two folds.
Sinead watched in wonder as some fabric was pushed to the side, and two big, dark eyes looked out at the world.
The Mandalorian sighed and finally returned his blaster to its holster. "You got any food?"
Sinead tore her eyes away from the little creature. "Uh, yes. There's yvum soup on the boiler."
"One bowl then." He sat down at the table nearest the door, keeping his back against the wall where he could see the entire room.
The Niktos sat back down, but their food remained untouched as they looked warily at the Mandalorian, whispering among themselves.
Sparing one last look at the little creature, Sinead went into the tiny kitchen attached to the cantina and filled a bowl with yvum soup, a gelatinous substance made from boiling the hell out of whatever meat was available. Thick and brown, it looked like mud and smelled like it too, but the few people brave enough to frequent the cantina weren't the kind to complain.
When Sinead returned to the Mandalorian, he had removed the little creature from its cocoon and placed it on his lap so its little green head could see over the table.
Sinead left the bowl in the middle of the table, and the Mandalorian pulled it toward him. It didn't take long for the child to start slurping down soup.
"Thank you," the Mandalorian grunted and tossed a couple of credits on the table.
That surprised her a bit as most cantina patrons didn't seem to know basic manners if it hit them with a broom.
Sinead was putting the credits away in a strongbox beneath the counter when she heard the kid coo softly. Looking over the rim of the counter, she saw it sit up in the Mandalorian's lap. It looked like nothing she'd ever seen before, so small and soft in the Mandalorian's arms. Its floppy ears lifted curiously whenever the old station made a sound.
Grabbing the broom from the floor, Sinead started sweeping again as an excuse to get a better look at the odd pair. The little one's eyes followed her movements around the room as it slurped the remaining soup. It looked young and old at the same time; its head was covered in fine white hair.
The Niktos left, staring at the Mandalorian as they walked out, and he looked right back, his body shifting slightly, ready to spring into action.
When it became clear that Sinead couldn't continue sweeping a clean floor, she moved to the counter and grabbed the lockbox to count out the credits for her shift.
The kid slowed down eating and was looking around the room with curious eyes. Sinead burned to ask what species it was, but it was clear that its guardian wasn't in a talkative mood.
He said he wasn't a bounty hunter right now. Could he become one again for the right price? She'd met a Mandalorian once, a long time ago, and it was clear they were capable warriors. Plus, she had an ace up her sleeve.
Besides, she was curious about the little green guy.
Sinead's shift ended just as the Mandalorian was about to leave. She watched as he swaddled the child and left the cantina, moving surprisingly quiet for a guy in heavy armor. She waited until he was out of sight before hurrying after him, keeping close to the wall.
The space station was as dead as it was going to get with only a few ships docked. The Niktos were sitting around what looked like an unholy fusion between a Y-wing and a B-73. Sinead's steps sounded loud in the relative quiet.
The Mandalorian disappeared through the door leading to the docking bay.
She slipped through the door and almost collided with the Mandalorian, who stood tall and intimidating, the lighting behind him making him look like a shadow.
"Why are you following me?"
It took Sinead a second to find her voice. "You said you were a bounty hunter, right?"
His voice modulator rustled when he sighed. "I'm not after anyone in the station if that's what you're worried about."
"I'm not," Sinead said. "I want to hire you."
"What?"
"I want to hire you."
The Mandalorian paused, then shook his head and started walking. "Not interested."
Sinead hurried to keep up with him. "I can pay you."
"I'm not with the Guild."
"Wonderful, I'm not asking the Guild, I'm asking you."
"And my answer is no. Stop following me."
They were close to what Sinead assumed was the Mandalorian's ship. She didn't recognize the model, but it looked old. It had definitely seen better days.
Sinead bit her lower lip and jumped in front of the Mandalorian, forcing him to stop.
"Move." The command came out harsh and uncompromising.
She moved, and the Mandalorian passed her, his cloak fluttering behind him. She watched as he neared the ship, and she rubbed her jaw as thoughts fell over themselves to get to the forefront of her mind.
She took a chance.
"Does the Nau'orar mean anything to you?"
He stopped in his tracks, his shoulders tensing as the seconds passed by.
"How do you know about that?" He turned to look at her.
"Maybe we should take this somewhere more private."
... ... ... ... ...
Since there were no proper seats in the ship, except for the bunk, which seemed like a bad choice for prefect strangers, Sinead was left standing awkwardly near the bay door.
The Mandalorian stood by a small cot that looked so out of place on the ship. He'd put the child down to sleep, but the little guy evidently knew something was happening because he stayed wide awake, looking from one human to the other.
"Speak."
Sinead resisted running a hand through her hair. The Mandalorian stood unmoving, watching her.
"I need you to find a man who-"
"How do you know about the Nau'orar?"
Straight to the point, then.
Sinead paused and gave the Mandalorian a searching look. Maybe this was a huge mistake.
With a sigh, she produced a small holoprojector from her pocket and threw it to him.
He caught it and turned it on. A blurred hologram of the whip appeared above it, turning slowly on its axis. Even with a cheap holoprojector, the whip looked beautiful.
"I acquired it some years ago-"
"How did you get it?"
Sinead's jaw clenched, and it took everything in her not to snap at him. Still, she figured that the truth might speed things along. The Mandalorians and the Empire were hardly friends.
"I stole it from the Empire five years ago. The details aren't important, what is, is that I have it in my possession, in a safe place. It's yours if you help me find someone."
"It belongs to the Mandalorians."
Sinead shrugged. "Look, I agree with you, and I would've given it back to its rightful owners if it didn't happen to be an excellent bargaining chip." She gave him a small smile, hoping that he wasn't about to throw her off the ship.
On the bunk, the kid cooed softly, and Sinead smiled at it.
The Mandalorian looked at the hologram for a long moment, his hands clenching and releasing. At last, he sighed deeply. "Who do I need to find?"
"His name is Kyen Beck. He was a slave on Sriluur until they moved him off-world, possibly to a facility on Siskeen."
The Mandalorian cocked his head to the side. "It's a long way to go for a maybe."
Sinead ignored him. "This isn't a Guild job. I have no puck or fob, or whatever it is they use, but if you do this, the whip is yours."
The Mandalorian still didn't seem convinced. "He's a runaway slave?"
For one dizzying moment, Sinead's chest felt too tight to breathe.
"He's my husband."
The Mandalorian stiffened and looked away, down at the child who watched their conversation in fascinated silence. He sighed deeply. "I'll look for him, but I can't make any promises."
Sinead let out a deep breath, her knees going weak with relief. Finally, she was doing something.
"Where was his last known location?"
Sinead wet her lips and swallowed. "I talked with someone who escaped from Sriluur two years ago, told me that he'd been shipped to Siskeen with some other slaves, but she doesn't know exactly what happened."
"And you trust this information?"
"More or less."
The Mandalorian fell silent for some time. "You said she escaped two years ago. Why didn't you just go by yourself?"
"I'm not exactly welcome in Hutt space at the moment." She smiled bitterly. "I tried other bounty hunters, but they didn't really ... work out."¨
He was going to ask her if she used to be a slave. Would he take her back to the Hutt's instead, taking the easy payment? While her bounty was void, she was sure whoever inherited Slezza's throne would be glad to see her.
The Mandalorian, to Sinead's surprise, nodded curtly and moved to the side, effectively ending the conversation. Sinead wasn't done, though.
"When do we leave?"
The Mandalorian froze. "When do we-"
"We leave? I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not. I work alone." He crossed his arms across his chest.
"Not this time. He's my husband."
"You can't-"
"I can read star charts, I can fly, I know how to fight-"
"A broom doesn't count."
Sinead huffed and narrowed her eyes. "There isn't much to go on. I know my husband, I know what he'd do, I know how he looks. Sooner or later, you're going to need me."
"No. Deal's off."
Shaking her head, Sinead took a deep breath and grit her teeth. "Fine." She started toward the door. "You're making a mistake. The Nau'orar does belong with the Mandalorians, but I can't force you."
The kid made a whining sound as the door opened, and its big floppy ears drooped down.
She had made it down the ramp when the Mandalorian appeared in the doorway.
"The ship leaves at 0700." He sounded unsure even as he said it.
Warmth radiated through Sinead's body and she felt weak in the knees. "0700. I'll be there."
The Mandalorian nodded curtly and started to raise the ramp.
"My name is Sinead, by the way," she yelled, just as the ramp closed.
Finally, after 5 years, she was doing something. She had a good feeling about this.