"Alright, bring 'em on down!" Cried the landing bay technician with a wave.
The Mandalorian kept her in place with a grasp on the tethers around her wrists. She really paid it no mind, instead watching the Bothawui port workers guide the two slabs of carbonite with their unfortunate victims inside down the ramp and towards a receiving building. The female Twi'lek, whom Anwyn assumed she'd heard get frozen when up in the rafters, wore an expression of sheer terror, her eyes squeezed shut and mouth wide open in a silent scream. The other held a Dug, snout contorted in a sneer of anger or rage. She wondered what he had done, or where the Mandalorian had captured him.
A stern shove sent her stumbling down the ramp a few feet after the workers. The brunette managed to keep herself upright, maintaining her footing and looking up at the helmeted bounty hunter with a glare. She glanced down to see him holding the tethers that had kept her wrists behind her. Anwyn had been too preoccupied to even notice he'd taken them off. Rubbing at her wrists was more reflex than anything, but after being restrained for so long, it felt like it relieved some of the soreness.
"Get going, thief." He said casually, though the bite she had expected behind the words wasn't there. He stood relaxed, unconcerned.
She'd been compliant with all his safety measures and hadn't caused trouble while aboard, as promised. He'd even almost allowed her to stretch her legs a little after several days of not being allowed to go anywhere. Almost. Maybe he really wasn't mad about giving her a free ride off of Rodia. Huh.
With a little salute and a playful smirk, she winked and turned away. "Thanks for the lift, Mandalorian. Let's hope not to see each other again."
The helmet gave nothing away, as usual. "Let's hope."
Anwyn started towards the exit to the landing bay without a glance backwards, passing the head engineer on her way.
"Watch the kid while I'm gone, and I'll throw in some extra credits." She heard the bounty hunter tell the engineer, and they gave an affirmative. The conversation after that was too distant to hear.
Ah, right. The kid. Her time aboard the bounty hunter's ship hadn't been all bad. Aside from the cold confinement and the sub-par food, having the little green child make surprise visits to her down in the cargo bay had been something to look forward to. Not to mention, seeing the Mandalorian get exacerbated with the repeat escapes from his small companion had provided her no small measure of amusement.
Part of her was really gonna miss him. With his cute little smile and big ears-
No, no. She'd never see the thing again, best to just let it go. Now wasn't the time to feel bad. Now she had to go to work.
With nothing but the clothes on her back and a determination to afford a decent meal after days of bland ration packs, the brunette slipped into the crowd of tourists and travelers.
Where, oh where, could those wealthy sons-of-banthas be hiding?
In comparison to Rodia, Bothawui was much more technologically advanced. Not to say that Rodia was primitive, but by standards of architecture alone, it was egregiously outdated and old. Stone buildings and towers that at one point served as actual defensive positions comprised 90% of it's city scape. Not to mention just how confusing it was to navigate anywhere, as he escape had shown. No doubt constructed centuries ago by ancestors long dead, the Rodian people and culture had simply settled in and never changed anything. And with the environment domes preventing weather from eroding at the construction, they'd never had need to repair or upgrade. The one facet it did boast was it's natural beauty.
Here, buildings were a dazzling white and smooth-faced, rounded when it could structurally afford to be. Sterile, would be a good term for it. Statues of abstract shapes and water features dotted the city plazas, which was teeming with life from all parts of the galaxy. People of all planetary origin mingled among the place. Her initial assumption that Bothawui was a back-water planet had been tremendously incorrect.
Anwyn leaned against the counter of a food shop serving some local specialty, Bok stew. The thief had no idea what a bok was, but it sure tasted delicious served in a steamy broth of vegetables native to the planet. It had cost her pick-pocketing a Muun's small pouch of credits, and was definitely well-worth the fifteen minutes of stalking she'd had to do to snatch it up. Of course, anything tasted better than the dehydrated meat the bounty hunter's ration packs contained. This was fine dining by comparison.
Her green eyes took in those that passed by. Crowd-watching was the best source of targets for a thief, and she'd become very keen on how the wealthy went about their lives. They walked different, held themselves with a great deal of importance and respect that others did not. They tended to give themselves away, though hearing them speak to others was a very large indicator too. Figuring out those same visible and verbal cues on many species was challenging, but for the most part she knew the signs.
Her eyes flitted from a motherly Trandoshan walking with a younger child to the lumbering Wookie that seemed to tower over most of the crowd, gesturing animatedly at his human companion. Neither really stood out to her much, so she kept watching, waiting for something to jump out and catch her interest.
A Sullustan pilot walked past the food establishment, head bowed as he read over a data pad. Her eyes caught a snippet of the text, but it was in a foreign language she knew naught about. However, the corner of a thick purse of credits in his back pocket kept her unwavering attention, and she set down her empty bowl, giving the shop owner an appreciative nod.
Looking around the plaza with interest, more so to stave off suspicion of her intentions, she followed in the direction the Sullustan had gone, catching glimpses of him through the crowd as they went. Anwyn slowly gained on him, keeping close enough to avoid losing him completely in the sea of people, but far enough away that it wasn't obvious she was tailing him. He was still completely absorbed in his data pad, oblivious to his impending robber.
Ten minutes of following led her to a tightly-packed cantina, the Sullustan only a person or two ahead now. There wasn't much room to move without bumping or brushing into someone beside you. Her favorite environment. She quickened her pace as much as possible within the crowded building, closing the distance so that she was right behind him now.
Anwyn waited until he had to slide past a group of Arcona to proceed towards the back of the cantina, then snatched at the pouch of credits in his pocket. The Sullustan didn't react, no doubt thinking the feeling had simply been someone passing him by. Nor did anyone in the crowd incite her to stop, or call out 'thief!' with outrage.
Instead of immediately turning tail, she simply took up at the bar nearby, waiting for the bartender to notice and serve her. Entering and then immediately leaving would make her look strange, so she waited it out, knowing it could be risky but preferring not to make an scene or impression on anyone in case someone began asking questions later.
A quick glance at her victim confirmed that he had simply sat at one of the back tables, once again smitten with his data pad. The poor bastard really had set himself up as an easy target. She hoped he didn't start a tab for drinks.
Ordering a small nikta shot paid for by the clueless Sullustan in the corner, she gestured to the human bartender and leaned in close when he approached from the other side of the counter.
"More nikta?" He inquired already reaching for the bottle. She shook her head, laying a handful of credits on the surface between them. Interested, he eyed them and smiled. "Information, then?"
Anwyn nodded. "Never been to Bothawui before. Know where I could find a med clinic?"
He picked one of the credits up, inspected it, then pointed back the way she'd come inside. "Not far. A few minutes walk from here. First right down the main road, then several streets up on the left. Can't miss it, has a first aid sign above the entrance."
"Thanks." She gave him a smile and left the cantina.
She didn't know how much clinic visits on Bothawui cost, but hopefully what she'd procured from the Sullustan would be sufficient. A quick count put her at 15,000 credits. Enough to keep her comfortable for several days, at the least. Maybe even indulge herself on a game of sabbac.
Following the directions the bartender gave her, Anwyn took the time to really appreciate the city. At face value, it looked cleaner and safer than most planets she'd been unfortunate enough to land on. She wasn't hassled by merchants as she walked, and the population was diverse enough that being human didn't make her stick out like a stormtrooper in a cantina.
Maybe it's not so bad here, she supposed.
Her people-watching continued, eyes sweeping over those walking ahead of her. But the sight of long, green ears bobbing along in the arms of a woman caught her attention. She zeroed in on the figure, recognizing the tan clothing that the kid had been wearing during the journey here.
The ship tech, what was she doing? The Mandalorian had instructed her to watch the kid but...where was she taking it? They were a good distance away from the landing bays, and the thief was fairly certain he wouldn't want her leaving the area-
This wasn't her problem. Who cared what happened to the kid? It wasn't hers, and maybe the Mandalorian was actually the one who'd stolen the baby, and the ship tech was just trying to save him? She didn't know a damn thing about what was going on, where they came from, what they were doing together...Anwyn had more important things to do than worry about the Mandalorian's adorable foster baby. He was more than capable of saving him on his own. Of course. Not her concern.
By chance, however, as Anwyn continued to follow the bartender's directions to the clinic, the ship tech did the same. Despite trying to ignore the woman and the stolen child, she couldn't help but watch as they moved through the crowd. Those green ears kept drawing her attention.524Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhdpsnYSez
They both took a left at the next corner, and the clinic came into view, but instead of heading inside like the thief was want to do, the tech instead took the small alley beside it, disappearing a few seconds later.
Anwyn stopped, torn. She didn't have any obligation to know what was going on. The selfish half of her brain said this was a waste of time, that all of this could be on the up and up. Maybe the kid was sick. Maybe the Mandalorian knew what was going on. Maybe Anwyn was way too invested in a cute kid she'd spent all of a few hours at most with during her confinement on his ship. This could all be her paranoia extending to the kid for absolutely no reason. But then...why bypass the main entrance and go around the back?
Her thoughts battled between minding her own business and following after the woman. Eventually, her moral side won over, and she found herself sneaking down the alleyway where the ship tech had gone.
Before reaching the end of the alley, she could already hear conversation between the ship tech and someone else. She inched the last few feet to the edge of the wall, then peered around the corner with one eye.
The ship tech was speaking to a gray uniform-clad human man, the baby still in her hands. She could see the insignia in silver on the man's shirt, glinting in the sunlight even from this distance.
Imperial. Fuck.
"This is it, right? Green, big ears, that's what you said." The woman asked, showing the kid to the man for a better look. "Only thing I've seen around here that looks like it."
"Yes, it is." He replied, scrutinizing the kid with a critical eye. Like he were inspecting the wear on a ship, not a living baby. "We've been searching for him for quite some time. How fortunate that you've found him for us."
The child was confused, looking back and forth between these two unfamiliar people. Though Anwyn felt even more befuddled than before. Why were Imps after the kid?
"Good, then...about those credits you guys were offering? I'm risking my neck just handing him over to you, with that Mandalorian-ah!" The woman jumped with a yelp, shaking out her hand which the kid bit, glaring down at him and slapping his ears. "Damn brat..."
He cried out sharply from the pain of being struck, and continued to whimper after that. Anwyn let out an outraged breath. Unbelievable...
"Naturally, we understand the risk you undertook to bring him to us." The man continued, looking entirely uninterested in the woman at all. "As promised, payment for delivery."
Anwyn's eyes narrowed, watching as the Imperial pulled a pouch of credits and gave them to the woman, who in turn handed off the baby with a small shove, happy to be rid of the thing. And without a glance or care, she walked away another direction, counting the credits she'd received.
She'd sold the baby. Sold him to the Imps, of all people. The brunette felt her fists clench with barely restrained disbelief, watching the Imperial take the kid through a back door into the clinic, and it shut with a hiss behind him. Had she been confident enough to take him out one-on-one, then she probably would have attempted to take the kid back right then and there. However, seeing as her captor hadn't bothered returning her knife or blaster before sending her on her way, it left her without a means to fight.
Technically, the kid wasn't her problem anymore. The bounty hunter could take care of it. It was his responsibility...
Fuck that, it's a baby! He could be moved or dead by the time the Mandalorian realizes it.
Deciding that it wouldn't sit well with her to abandon the green child, she doubled back to the main street to poach the first blaster she could get her hands on. Somehow, she'd figure out a way to steal the kid back and return him to the bounty hunter.
No one was outside the door by the time she returned.
Anwyn wasn't stupid. She knew the moment she opened that back door, she could be met with a dozen blasters aimed at her chest. The thought didn't sit well at all. But her moral compass just wouldn't allow her to walk away from a kid being sold off like a slave. Obligation or not, it just wasn't acceptable. What the Imps wanted with a little child like that was beyond her. All she knew was it wasn't for any kindhearted reason.
Holding her new blaster down by her leg, she approached the door with caution. Sensing her proximity, it slid open with a quiet hiss and she plastered herself to the wall beside it. Waiting.
No one stormed out demanding to know 'who's there.' So far so good. The inner hallway was lit, and she slipped past the threshold to peer left and right.
This section of the clinic must have been for maintenance and storage, as no patients or doctors were wandering about. Muffled voices and the sounds of activity could be heard through the walls, but here was eerily quiet and still. Anwyn felt cold. Definitely not a place she was supposed to be.
There was also no sign of the Imperial who'd taken the child. What was an Imp doing at the back end of a clinic, anyway? Perhaps an Imperial front, where whatever surviving remnants of the Empire had flocked to? No use wondering, she supposed.
There was crying nearby, but she couldn't immediately distinguish the direction. Anwyn stopped, listening closely, hearing talking above the sound of the baby's cries. Damn, he had a guard. That made the most sense, they wouldn't just leave the kid by himself, but she'd still hoped for some miracle. When the kid's only rescue wasn't used to a frontal assault against multiple enemies, well...she was trying her best here.
Anwyn moved to the right as she pinpointed where the cried were coming from and crept along the hallway. The hallway was brightly lit, but she almost would have preferred a little darkness here. She felt exposed. The moment someone turned a corner, she'd be at a disadvantage. It bothered her that she hadn't encountered anyone yet, finding it suspicious and oddly eerie. If he was such a valuable target, wouldn't they keep a larger security presence?
The talking became louder. She was getting close. Her fingers tightened on her weapon, nerves getting the better of her. Passing by what appeared to be a laundry service room, several rolling carts filled with towels and linens were pushed against the wall. She sidestepped them to proceed, then stopped hearing a door open somewhere nearby.
"...located the bounty hunter's ship." A man said evenly. "Take a team to keep him occupied. I'll move the asset to a secure location."
"Yes, sir."
Ice flooded her veins, hearing people coming from down the hall. Seeing no other option, she swung herself into the cart as silently as she could. The softness helped to dampen the noise, and she covered herself with one of the towels in a rush. The carts were large enough that perhaps they wouldn't notice an odd covered lump if they just so happened to look inside.
The thumping steps of several people passed her by, didn't even hesitate beside the carts, leaving the way she'd come. The back door hissed softly once as they left, then again to close behind them. Soon all that was left was the kid's crying. Anwyn flung the towels off her, scrambling out of the cart with haste. They were moving the child. There wasn't much time.
Anwyn didn't know how many Imperials she'd face when she entered the room, but she drew her blaster and quickened her pace in an abandonment of caution, whirling in front of the door the cries emerged from.
The Imperial man who'd given the ship tech her credits swung to face her, the child in his hands. He frowned and took a step back, startled at her sudden appearance. It took less than a moment for his to recognize that she was not Imperial and mentally label her an enemy. He was quick, reaching to draw his blaster from his side and, but she was already prepared and raised her blaster.
The relief of only finding one enemy inside the room had distracted her a moment, but she squeezed the trigger, shooting a blaster bolt into the man's abdomen. He cried out in pain, dropping the baby and his weapon as he collapsed to the ground in a heap. Blood began staining the carpet, but she shot a second time, making sure he was truly dead. Leaving no witness as to who stole the child from their reach.
The green creature was still crying, especially now that he'd just been dropped to the ground roughly. Anwyn grabbed the Imp's blaster for extra protection. Both weapons were shoved into her holster and waistband, before kneeling to pick the child up, her hands shaking.
"Shhh, shh, shh...I know, I'm sorry. You'll be alright now." She breathed, wrapping the child back up in the swaddle they'd put him in and wiping the speckling of blood that had made it onto his face. She made sure the material covered his ears, as now that she'd killed someone, there was bound to be Imps converging on the location once they realized what had happened.
The child was still crying, but it had reduced to sad whimpers and hiccups. Anwyn brazenly wondered if perhaps he recognized her from her small stint on the ship. As if their handful of hours together had somehow prompted the child to bond with her.
She spared a moment to give him a smile, despite the situation. "I'm gonna get you back to the Mandalorian, alright? You've just gotta stay quiet for a little while. Can you do that for me?"
Not bothering to wait for an answer, Anwyn held him in her arms and exited the room, running back the way she'd come. Any second now an Imp could come back or investigate what the blaster fire had been. Or even just a civilian. Surely the patients and doctors at the front of the building had heard something. Her blaster shots weren't quiet, and the clinic was just a few walls away. She didn't plan on sticking around for the answers.
The kid safely tucked into her chest, Anwyn sincerely hoped that she could at least use the crowd to make it to the landing bay. She didn't stand a chance if they caught her between here and there. Neither of them had any armor, and unless the child was hiding some intense combat training, they would be overpowered by even just a few Imperials.
This is Rodia all over again, she thought, huffing out a laugh and grinning despite herself.
With a hiss, the clinic door opened and she took a sharp right towards the alley. No Imps waiting just outside to kill her on site, surprisingly. Just some confused people at the entrance of the clinic as she burst forth and sprinted past them towards the main street. So far so good.
The kid squirmed from within his swaddle, giving a muffled cry. It probably wasn't very comfortable or fun to be squished to her chest and bouncing around as she ran at such high speed, but there was nothing she could do for him right now. Her hand patted the cloth where his head would be to try calming him down.
"I know you don't like it." She said breathlessly, eyeing her route ahead with a critical eye. "Just a little longer, then you'll be safe."
An angry voice came from in front of her somewhere, calling to scour the area for any sign of the target. Pausing mid-step, Anwyn turned the other direction and switched to walking at a normal speed. Running now would single her out among the crowd. But even so, holding the child in her arms would probably still give her away. Somehow, she needed to hide him.
Frantically searching the shop-fronts, the thief found one selling tech and other parts manned by a Kubaz tending to a few customers. What drew her attention, however, was a box on top of the counter, just big enough to fit the kid in. Seeing nothing better, she made a beeline for the merchant.
The customers the merchant was working with backed up a few steps as she flew up to the counter. The thief grabbed the entire pouch of credits and slapped it down on the counter, already in the process of emptying the contents from the box onto the counter. The Kubaz made a series of outraged clicks and hand gestures, none of which Anwyn could understand, but she held out a hand as he went to assumably stop her, setting the box on the ground.
"I just need the box!" She cried, hoisting the child inside of it, then pushed the pouch of credits closer towards him. She snapped the lid shut, ignoring the way the Kubaz kept clicking and whistling at her in distaste, but by the time he was around the counter to stop her, she was already heading down an alley to find a side street. It was a small detour to take, not quite going the direction on the landing bays, but at least it would shake the heat off of her for the moment.
She slowed to a walk as she turned down another main walkway, schooling her face into an uninterested expression. Her breathing came through in sharp puffs through her nose, but soon enough it would slow to normal. Thankfully, she'd there'd been no one to spot her actually taking the child back at the clinic, so they probably didn't have a description on who the kidnapper looked like. Her only fear now was that some street passerby would tip-off the Imps. Nothing to prevent that now, however.
The child was shifting around inside the box, but thankfully he'd quieted his cries down. It would have been a tough time explaining why her box of 'tech parts' was whimpering. Perhaps he realized that she was trying to help him. She really didn't know what, if any, parts of this whole thing he actually understood.
Anwyn reached the main street, now heading in the exact direction of the Mandalorian's ship. Her eyes still flitted around the crowds of people, occasionally spotting the subtle gray uniforms of the Imperials, but none really paid her too much mind. Even passing by a group of gray-uniformed people, their eyes skirted right by her, so focused on finding a child within the crowd. Even still, it made her skin crawl just being so close to any Imp with the child in tow.
"Almost there." She whispered to the box.
Up ahead, she could hear blaster fire, distant and numerous. Anwyn cursed herself, wondering how she could have forgotten that they'd sent a team to keep the Mandalorian busy. So preoccupied to get the kid out of the clinic, it had slipped her mind. Getting to the landing bay meant walking straight into a fire fight. Hopefully by the time she arrived, he would have taken care of them.
Dodging past passersby who were sensibly getting out of the area, she spotted the door to the landing bay housing the Mandalorian's ship. Shaking her head because this was, perhaps, the stupidest thing she might have ever decided to do, Anwyn ducked inside towards the sound of the blasters firing.
It was absolute chaos; stray bolts shot towards the Mandalorian, who was ducked down below some of the crates in his ship's cargo hold, from the team of 7 troopers that had taken cover behind the various diagnostic and repair tools that dotted bay's outer edge. Several more dead troopers lay nearby. Anwyn could tell the bouny hunter was pinned, unable to find another bit of cover or move to close the ramp and protect himself. From her position behind the line of Imps, she could certainly tell as much, and they probably knew it too. However, since they couldn't exactly flank him, they hadn't moved yet.
The thief set the box containing the child on the ground, drawing her blasters and bracing by the edge of the entryway. Her body vibrated a bit, nervous that she was about to insert herself directly into the danger. This was so far out of her comfort zone that she nearly turned and ran, but having gone through all the trouble of rescuing the baby and making it here, Anwyn didn't want to have that all go to waste. Nor when it looked like the Mandalorian was outnumbered.
Huffing out a breath, she leaned out the door and began shooting as accurately as she could at the troopers. At first, they didn't seem to notice. Then one fell, and they became aware of a second enemy now on their six. Most turned and spotted her in the doorway. Anwyn was forced to duck back into her cover, watching nearly a dozen bolts scorch the wall across from her. Any one of them could have killed her, had she been too slow.
Yes. This was by far the worst idea she'd ever had.
The brunette cautiously peaked out again, shooting a few more shots when she thought she could get away with it, and noticed that two other troopers besides the one she'd killed had fallen, no doubt because of the bounty hunter. The troopers had been forced to move from their chosen covers, no longer safe from her direction of fire. It had given the bounty hunter the opportunity to take an upper hand and pick a few off. Only 4 left to deal with now.
"We're gonna need some back up at the landing bay!" She heard one of the troopers shout in his communicator, but a well-aimed shot from the Mandalorian ensured it was the last thing he'd ever say, sending him crumbling to the dirt. But it was too late now. They'd soon be surrounded and over run by more troopers if things didn't end quickly. And the brunette was the first person they'd see. Fuck.
Anwyn fired again, aiming at the three that were now huddled together behind a large mechanism and hoping to hold out until their extra troopers arrived. With their focus too invested in him, she was able to shoot one more in his helmet, sending him tumbling with a cry of pain.
The remaining two realized their mistake, turning to kill her, but the Mandalorian saw and moved to end the fight, standing and picking off each trooper with his large rifle. The landing bay was empty, save for the dozen or so bodies littering the place and the two of them. It was eerily quiet after all the blasting and shouting, and she felt like there was supposed to be something more, but it was just over. All in an instant.
She let out a breath she hadn't remembered holding, then shakily holstered her weapons, grabbing the box beside her and jogging into the bay to meet the Mandalorian at the bottom of the ramp.
"I know you said we wouldn't ever-"
"The child is missing. The tech must have been working for the Imperials." He cut in with unbridled panic. Anwyn had at least expected him to be upset that she had shown her face again, but perhaps the safety of the kid trumped even his distrust or dislike of her. And maybe she was the one person who may somewhat understand what had happened.
Anwyn smiled, setting the box down. "Don't worry, I-"
But he was already walking away towards the landing bay exit. "I don't know why you're here, but if you wanna be helpful, stay with the ship and make sure no one gets-"
"Would you shut up for a second and look before running off?" She interrupted harshly, snapping open the lid. With a roll of her eye, the thief lifted the green baby from inside for him to see. He'd managed to wiggle his way out of the swaddle somehow. "The kid's right here. I saw the tech give him to the Imps and knew something was wrong. I just...couldn't stand by and watch him be sold off like that. Figured he was probably safer back with you."
The Mandalorian had frozen in disbelief, then hurried forward to take him from her grasp gently. He stared at the child, then fingered at the specks of blood that had gotten on the tan robe he wore. Anwyn assumed he was questioning its presence.
"Had to kill the guy guarding him, it's not his blood. He's fine."
"...Thank you. For keeping him safe." Was his reply, head dipping down ever so slightly. The sincerity of the sentiment caught her totally off guard.
"Oh. Uh, don't mention it, I just happened to-"
"In here! Bay 14!"
Anwyn and the bounty hunter swung their gaze to the entrance of the landing bay, realizing that they were about to be surrounded. The trooper's back-up had just arrived.
He grabbed her arm and pushed the child into her chest, urging her up the ramp. "Get inside. Now."
Not bothering to question him, she retreated to safety inside the ship with the child, scaling up the ladder to the upper level. By then, an alarming number of blaster shots had already started firing outside. Anwyn wondered if he would actually be alright out there, but only a moment after the sound of the ramp being lifted followed.
Boots on metal flooring tramped closer, until she saw him emerge from the lower level and rush towards the cockpit, his cloak flowing behind him. She followed closely, sitting in the back seats while he began the launch sequence, flicking almost inhumanly fast at the switches and buttons. And while she knew how to pilot a ship, he made it look so...professional.
The engines rumbled around them, soon drowning out the sound of blasters being fired at the exterior of the ship. In her lap, the child nibbled gently at her fingers, but she barely paid it any mind. Worst case scenario would be that they breach the ship before they could take off.
Anwyn didn't breathe a sigh of relief until they'd finally began lifting from the ground, rising slowly higher until the ship picked up some decent speed, and until the port had to be a tiny speck beneath them. Her heart finally began to settle. She'd made it through an actual fire fight with her live intact. And she'd accomplished her goal of bringing the kid back to the Mandalorian. Win-win scenario all around.
Bothawui's cloudy sky soared past them at high speed, eventually morphing into the darkness of space, and it was several minutes until they'd reached a high enough altitude to leave orbit. The whole time was spent in a silence, Anwyn not sure what to say now that they circumstantially found themselves together once more.
Ten hours after parting way and they'd somehow ended up right back where they started. The first time had been an accident. Now it was simply out of necessity of not getting killed. But that might not matter to the Mandalorian. He hadn't been happy about her presence on his ship after Rodia. It was hard to tell what was on his mind now.
Satisfied that they were out of harm's way, the bounty hunter leaned back in his seat and turned to face the two of them. Without being told, she handed the child over to its rightful guardian. He took the little creature and looked down at him, saying nothing. Feeling awkward, Anwyn let out a huff in nervous laughter and stood from her seat.
"I'm glad the kid is safe and all. But I know you probably still don't like having me aboard. So, should I...escort myself to the cargo bay?" Came her hesitant question, then held up her hands in a placating gesture. "Same promise as before. No trouble from me."
His helmet lifted. The lack of facial feedback was really leaving her hanging, and she shifted in place.
"No." He eventually responded.
Anwyn smiled, relieved she didn't face another few days of being bound to a railing with no bed. Seemed that her good deeds had earned some respect in the Mandalorian's eyes. She re-took her seat at the back of the cockpit and leaned her head back to relax while she could. "Then I'll be right here catching some shut-eye. You can just drop me off wherever you happen to land."
Silence was his reply for a long time. The child cooed gently for a few moments, until the bounty hunter cleared his throat, making her look at him again.
"Given everything that's happened," he started slowly, "it's become obvious I can't properly protect this child on my own. There will be times that I need to leave him in the care of someone else. Someone I can trust not to put him in danger or betray me."
Anwyn arched a brow, getting an idea for what he was saying but unable to fathom that he would actually ask such a thing of her. His helmet looked to her squarely.
"Would you consider traveling with me, to help keep him safe?" Came the inevitable question. "You'd be paid, of course."
She shook her head in bewilderment. "You only met me a few days ago. You know I'm a thief. How could you trust me so much?"
"You could have left him with the Imperials, but you didn't. You risked your own life just to bring him back to me." He explained, and she looked away at the implied compliments. "You being a thief doesn't matter to me. It's your character I'm concerned with. And from what I've seen of yours, you seem like someone I can trust."
The brunette bit her bottom lip, chewing it with thought. The arrangement he proposed really wouldn't be any different than the one she'd taken herself. A bounty hunter was always mobile, on the move, traveling from system to system in search of quarries. Just what she wanted. And instead of having to sneak aboard a new pilot's ship each planet, it would guarantee safe passage, food, water, and supplies she may need along the way. Not to mention, some security if needed.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that the two of them had what the other one needed. Watching a kid in exchange for safe travel and a steady means of living? That was a no brainer. Meeting his visor with her eyes, she smiled, then held out her hand.
"You've got yourself a deal, Mandalorian." They clasped hands and shook on it, and her chest swelled with a strange sense of excitement for what may come next. The prospect of a companion was...new. "Where should I put my things?"
"You brought nothing with you." He pointed out, and she paused.
"...right."
ns 15.158.61.48da2
