Ask Guns for Hire

[Hatice Altaris]

The House of Glass had grown significantly since Nadya had killed Don Salvara and taken control. Where it had once been a ramshackle gambling hall with creaky floorboards and bad plumbing, now it was an architect’s dream. An extravagant club bathed in neon light, she’d had the floors replaced for fine carpeting, the curtains switched to velvet, and the ceiling lights made into crystal chandeliers. It was twice the size of any other establishment in the lower districts. It was hers.

Only problem was, Nadya had even more enemies than when she had started out. While she’d dealt with several of her competitors, more continued to crop up like weeds, threatening to overtake her newly-founded criminal empire. If she intended to rebuild the Altaris fortune, or even remotely regain administrative power over Axxila, she had to be thorough. She didn’t just need to clip these rivals. She had to rip them out, root and stem.

Which was why she’d hired a Mandalorian to help her do it.

Zaia Krodas was her name, or so according to her file. Nadya had no idea on her age or appearance, and while she looked remarkably young, she was still Mandalorian. And knowing their history and honor, Nadya understood the value of having one aboard her team. She just hoped the young woman had enough experience in the field, else the mission would sooner end in her demise than the start of a successful career. Same with Nadya’s.

Sitting in the same chair where Don Salvara once sat, in an office she’d also redecorated and refurbished, she gestured to one of her guards to open the door and let the Mandalorian in. Once the bounty hunter slid past the threshold and made their way toward her desk, Nadya would look them up and down as if inspecting a slice of cheese for mold. “You must be Zaia,” she said. “Welcome to the House of Glass.”

She slid the girl a glass of brandy across the table. “Thirsty?”

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Ever since that conversation with Casony on Corellia, Zaia had been considering taking up… riskier jobs than what she was used to. She believed herself capable of doing so, and it wasn’t as if she had much of a choice in the matter anyway. The credits she had now were barely enough for her to scrape by, and it was proving to be exceedingly difficult for her to pay for her interplanetary trips. As a Mandalorian, it wouldn’t do for her to stay in one place for too long, and doing what she was doing before was proving to be too costly. And so here she was, on Axxila, about to meet the person in charge of the House of Glass, and her very first employer. For some reason, the thought made her a little nervous, but she shoved the feeling aside. The job hadn’t even begun yet, and she was already overthinking it.

Zaia stepped into the room when the door was opened for her, briefly marveling at how elegant and polished the design was. It was far better than anything she’d seen in the area on her way here, and much more than what she was used to. Though the woman sitting at the desk looking as if she were studying her only made Zaia feel more far from home than before. She was beautiful, but Zaia couldn’t help wondering what was behind the facade. Not just anyone would seek out a Mandalorian for a job.

Sitting down at the chair in front of the desk, Zaia took off her helmet and placed it on her lap. When the woman offered her a glass of brandy, she shook her head.

“No thanks. I don’t drink.” Zaia put an arm over her helmet and looked over at the woman expectantly. “So. What can I do for you?”

@Song

 

[Hatice Altaris]

“Fine, more for me.” Nadya smiled and slid the drink back, swirling it with one hand as she studied the young Mandalorian. Without her helmet on, she could see Zaia was much younger than she let on, and she felt suddenly reminded of the Echani boy she’d fought with in the Taris slums. And while she might have been skeptical of a girl who had yet to reach adulthood, that did not determine her skill as a fighter. The Echani boy had left Nadya with a broken rib and a bruised back that rainy day, and he couldn’t have been more than seventeen.

She restrained a laugh. While she was still young herself, she had to admit, kids these days were forces not to be reckoned with.

“There’s a lot you could do for me, Zaia. Capture a few traitors, cut a few throats—the usual, as I’m sure you already understand for someone in our line of work—but there is something specific I need your help with.” She tapped her nails against the desk and leaned back into her cushioned seat. “I’ve been having trouble with one of my recent competitors in the spice trade. He’s been leading operations of a refinery in one of the districts east, a mill that I have been trying to gain control of in the last month.”

“Unfortunately, the owner has refused to deal with me, and they’ve done enough damage to my business to where I have to take matters in my own hands.” She plucked one of her knives off the desk and began to inspect it in the drowsy light of the room. “I'd rather kill them, but the important part is that I need to seize operations from them as soon as possible. I figured a Mandalorian like you would help make the transition… smoother.”

“We can discuss your rates now or later, but I’d rather like to know first—are you in, or out?” Nadya set the knife down. “Of course, several men and I will accompany you to the refinery, but it’ll be a dangerous mission, one that could very well result in your death. Knowing all that, are you still eager enough to join me?”

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Zaia listened carefully as the woman laid out what exactly she was planning, drumming her fingers on her helmet. Taking over a spice refinery seemed simple enough, and although it most certainly would be more dangerous than the jobs she’d taken before, it was relatively straightforward. If it would earn her credits, there was hardly any reason in saying no. Watching as the woman inspected the knife, Zaia wondered what the woman had in store for the unfortunate owner of the refinery, especially after she mentioned that he’d been messing with her operations for a while. It couldn’t have been pretty, but then again, that was none of her business.

The mission would be dangerous, possibly fatal. Of course it would. Why else would she be hiring a Mandalorian? Even if she hadn’t gone on one before, Zaia was fairly confident that she would be able to handle it. She’d been able to survive this long. But you had your clan to protect you, the voice in her head whispered. Zaia shook her head and mentally kicked the thought away. I’ll be fine. When the woman asked her if she was in, Zaia gave her a brisk nod.

“I’m in.” She flicked off a piece of dust that had settled on the crook of her sleeve. “Don’t worry about me. When do we leave, and what’s the plan? Assuming you have one, of course.”

@Song

 

[Hatice Altaris]

“Good,” said Nadya, tucking her knife up her sleeve and rising from her seat. “We leave now. The sooner we handle this refinery business, the better.” She circled her desk and motioned to where several assassin droids had been standing, frozen in place. At the mere gesture, they snapped and moved from their designated posts, brandishing blasters, detonators, and even swords. They dwarfed the Mandalorian in size and armor, and while Nadya had to wonder why she even bothered to recruit Zaia when she had these droids on standby, it’d been for good reason.

This refinery would take a small army to seize.

As she strode from her office, expecting Zaia to follow, Nadya slid on a long, hooded waistcoat and explained, “The plan is, of course, to kill or capture every guard stationed in the refinery until the owner has nobody left to defend them. There will be workers present, but these droids should help in corralling them together. I don’t intend to hurt any of them. Once our business is finished, I’d rather they continue working—just under new management.”

She stepped outside the gaudy nightclub and onto the street, where a speeder waited. Nadya took the passenger’s seat, leaving Zaia to sit in the back, squeezed between two of the hulking IG-units accompanying them. Soon enough, they were moving, flying through the crooked streets of the Axxila underworld. The air hung thick with the smell of bilge water. When it came to the lower districts, pollution bled from every alley, hole and burrow, bathing the city in grey. It was a far cry from how Nadya used to live, but it was her home now.

And she had to make do with what she got.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Nadya chimed in, “I hope you don’t mind me asking, Mandalorian, but is it true your kind have something against the Force? Or the Jedi?” She picked at her nails. “Just curious.”

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Assassin droids. When the woman powered them on, Zaia narrowed her eyes. Those things were programmed for maximum destruction and carnage, created to kill and to have no sense of mercy for any living thing that got in their way. They disgusted her. Surely they wouldn’t have to come along on the mission— this wasn’t going to be a killing spree, was it? They simply stood there until the woman began to head out the door. She didn’t make any indication of it, but Zaia knew that she was supposed to follow.

She put her helmet back on, glancing behind her to see if the IG units would move. Sure enough, when Zaia left her seat and headed towards the woman at the doorway, the droids followed close behind. Although she was aware that in this case they were on her side, she was still unsure about if they were truly necessary for the mission. The woman had said that there would be several men that would help with the refinery, not droids. But she kept her mouth shut.

Zaia was only half-listening when the woman explained what part of the plan each member of the team would be doing. With the rhythmic, metallic clanking of the droids’ feet behind her as they walked through the hall, she found it a little difficult to focus. But she let out a silent sigh of relief when she heard that she wouldn’t have to work with the IGs when dealing with the guards. Against them, they wouldn’t stand a chance. At least Zaia could offer them an alternative, maybe even convince them to switch allegiances. She doubted it would work, but it was worth a try.

Soon the group had gotten onto a speeder with Zaia sandwiched between the two bulky killing machines and the woman sitting in the front. In the beginning part of the ride, she could do little but look straight ahead, trying to ignore the cold metal pressing against her sides. After a few minutes, the woman broke the silence, asking about the relationship between her people, the Force, and the Jedi. It was a welcome distraction from the droids sitting next to her.

“I can’t speak for all of us, but I personally have nothing against the Force. It’s just not something I pay any attention to. It could be real, it might not be. In my experience though, I’m leaning towards the latter. There’s nothing controlling me but me.” Zaia paused to think for a moment about the Jedi. Since she hadn’t met any before, she couldn’t really say if they were the same as what the stories described them to be. “Mandalore doesn’t have a great history with the Jedi. My clan isn’t any different. But I’ve heard mixed stories about them. Some good, others not so much. Generally speaking though, we’re not on great terms.”

After hitting a small bump, the elbow of the droid sitting on her left jabbed at her arm. Zaia pushed it away roughly, nearly knocking it off of the speeder before she pulled it up again. She crossed her arms and sighed. Hopefully this trip would be over soon— she was becoming more uneasy every second she spent with these droids tightly flanking her sides. And in a job like this, she needed to be at the top of her game.

@Song

 

[Hatice Altaris]

“That’s good to hear,” said Nadya, somewhat relieved, “and I think I can agree with you there. I have heard plenty of things about the Force. Strange things.” She looked at the open palms in her lap, then closed them into fists. “But I think it’s silly to believe it is what drives the galaxy forward. Destiny isn’t a path given to us. It’s one we choose for ourselves.” Nadya cast a look over her shoulder and laughed. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to get so philosophical there. I was only curious about what you thought.”

Yes, and she was also curious on how she might react at the revelation that Nadya used the Force. Often. Between fighting Don Lorenzo or the mysterious Echani boy she met on Taris, she’d used its power frequently in enhancing her speed, strength, and reflexes to the point where she could contend with even the most experienced fighters. She had not yet reached a point where she could believably fight a Sith or a Jedi or even a Mandalorian, so she felt comfortable knowing Zaia did not care whether or not she drew on the Force. Whatever helped, right?

Several minutes later, the speeder began to dip back into the closed alleys of the city underworld, slowing until it parked discreetly on a nearby rooftop. Nadya disembarked first and her droids followed suit. She checked her weapons one last time before she turned to the Mandalorian and nodded ahead. “See that ugly smear of black further down the street?” She pointed to a tiered building covered with smokestacks that painted the sky in a sea of grey. “That’s the refinery.”

“I will send my droids to the front to distract and deal with the guards. You and I, on the other hand—we can sneak through by the roof,” she explained, then looked at the Mandalorian and smirked. “You have a jetpack, right? Think it’s enough to carry us both?”

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Zaia shrugged. “It’s alright.” The Force was something she didn’t much care for, aside from the knowledge of how to fight against it, so the woman could say what she wanted. Besides, she would much rather listen to the woman talk about that than sit in an awkward silence between the two droids.

Fortunately, or maybe not so much, the building that looked like the refinery came into view soon enough. The woman’s comment confirmed it, and her description of it being “that ugly smear of black” summarized it perfectly. It truly was a sight to behold, endlessly pumping smoke into the blackened sky. Zaia briefly wondered why anyone would want to work there, or, in the woman’s case, why she wanted to take control of such an unpleasant place. She already knew the answer, though. In the end, it was all for the same reason she was here— credits. Oh, the things we do for money.

The instant the speeder came to a stop, Zaia hopped off of it before the droids could even make a move. She was finally rid of them, at least for now. Then she gave her attention to the woman, nodding along as she described the plan one more time, with a couple of minor changes. Now, it would be the droids who were dealing with the guards— best of luck to them— and Zaia and the woman sneaking in through the roof. She let out a snort when the woman asked about her jetpack with a smirk on her face. If she wanted to fly just for the sake of it, this was an interesting time to ask.

“Of course it’s enough,” Zaia replied. She glanced at the droids, who were already starting to head for the front entrance, then turned back to the woman. “Alright, let’s go.”

Without waiting for an answer, Zaia slung the woman’s arm around her shoulder and blasted off and up towards the roof, landing with a quiet thump on the metal. Looking around to see what they had to work with, she was pleased to see that there was a hatch right next to one of the pipes. She headed over and pulled lightly on the handle to test it. It didn’t budge.

“You got something I could cut this open with?” she asked as she glanced back at the woman. “I’d blast it, but since we’re trying to sneak in I’d assume that would ruin the point.”

@Song

 

[Hatice Altaris]

Nadya felt the breath leave her as she and Zaia rocketed into the sky, flying through the haze of black smoke as they crossed the next two blocks and landed on top of the refinery. She stumbled from the Mandalorian’s grip and nearly face-planted against the metal rooftop. Fortunately, she kept her life and her dignity intact, regaining her balance as she checked the roof for guards or surveillance cameras. Nothing. She let out a relieved sigh and dusted the soot from her clothes. “Well,” she said. “That was much easier than I thought it’d be.”

She adjusted a loose strand of hair and moved toward the nearby hatch. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a fancy Jedi lightsaber on me, but I do have the next best thing.” Nadya reached over her shoulder and took out the short, ceremonial sword that had once belonged to Don Salvara’s antique collection—before she seized it and killed him, of course. With a flicked switch, she activated the vibroblade and plunged it into the hatch’s metal casing, slowly carving open the lock.

It wasn’t as efficient or quick as a lightsaber, but in this situation, it would make do.

Once she had the handle removed, Nadya quietly flipped the hatch open, leering in to see if anyone might have heard or noticed them coming in. The hallway beneath them looked empty, for the most part. The Force wasn’t screaming at her to turn around either, so she took the chance and jumped in.

The hall was drowsy with artificial light, barren and empty. Viewport windows lined one side, offering an eyeshot of the refinery below, a churning mess of machines, factory presses, and cheap labor. People began to shout and retreat from their stations. She thought they might have noticed her, but then she realized her droids had started their attack. Of course. Even from two floors up Nadya could hear them fighting outside, pushing to break open the entrance doors.

“Sounds like our cue,” she told Zaia. “Now that most of the guards are distracted, we can deal with the refinery owner.”

She looked left and right down the hall. “If only I can remember where we are,” she muttered. Nadya might not know what direction to take, but she followed her gut, striding into the factory’s east wing. Hopefully, she was right.

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

As the woman was busy cutting the hatch handle, Zaia took the time to look around. After all, one never knew if there would be a worker up here who could sound the alarm. Judging from the soot-covered rooftop she was standing on though, she doubted anyone had come up here recently.

Pretty soon the hatch was open, and Zaia followed the woman down into the hallway. The emptiness of the place gave her the creeps, and she drew her blasters. Who knew if there were other guards hiding nearby. The clattering of many frantic footsteps below and the groans of machinery as the refining ground to a halt made her even more vigilant. Panic in the workers would mean chaos, and that could distract from the mission. Right now, the refinery owner was their priority.

“I hope you know where you’re going,” Zaia muttered in response as the woman started to head towards the east part of the refinery. “What do you plan to do when we find him, anyway? Am I supposed to-”

Then she caught sight of movement in the shadows in front of them— someone was running away.

“Don’t move,” she called, pointing her blasters forward. “Or I’ll shoot.” Slowly the figure came to a stop and raised their hands, standing in the middle of the hallway. From the looks of it the runner was a man, though it was too dark to be certain. Zaia headed in their direction, her fingers ready to press the trigger in case the person decided to try anything. When she got closer, she could see that he indeed was a man. She could practically taste the fear radiating off of him. Luckily for him, he didn’t resist when Zaia told him to put his hands behind his head. She gave him a rough push on the shoulder back to where the woman was standing, then pointed one of her blasters at the back of his head before marching him over to where the woman was.

She kicked the man in the knees so that he fell down kneeling in front of her employer. “This him?”

@Song

 

[Hatice Altaris]

Nadya clutched her concealed blaster as Zaia caught a stray—a man unfamiliar to her, wearing a black uniform and a messy mop of hair. The hairs on the back of her neck stood. She couldn’t be sure if they were a guard, a refinery worker, or the owner, not in the faded light of the corridor. It was not until the Mandalorian brought him out of the shadows and kicked him to the floor that she got a closer inspection of him. He looked scared out of his mind. Ignoring his pleas, Nadya knelt down and plucked the identification card pinned to his uniform. She raised it to the light.

Her face went flat, then she looked at Zaia and laughed. “It’s the janitor, but good guess.” Her emerald gaze cut back to the man, who continued to beg and mutter loud prayers in hopes they might let him go. She snapped a finger in front of his face. “Hey. Listen to me, I’m going to ask you this only once. Where is your employer?”

“Their room’s down the hall right—first door!” the man rasped, much faster than she’d expected. Fear was a powerful thing. Nadya had the Mandalorian to thank for that. The janitor looked about dumbstruck with terror at the sight of her beskar’gam.

“Thank you,” Nadya told the man, then she rose from the ground and swept out her leg, kicking him square in the temple. His begging stopped, falling silent, unconscious. She couldn’t risk having him running around freely now that he knew someone had infiltrated the upper levels looking for the owner. Could she have simply choked him out instead? Probably, but she was short on time and patience.

Nadya strode down the corridor, casting a long look over to Zaia. “As much as I’d love to throw whoever runs this refinery into a trash chute and call it a day, they are my enemy,” she said in response to her earlier question. “An example has to be made. Because if they live, nobody here will take me seriously.” She thought briefly of Don Salvara. She’d killed him by her own hand, but that was different. He’d stolen her away, forced her into indentureship, and made her a servant and a slave in his little club. Did this random refinery owner she’d never met deserve the same fate?

Nadya shook off the thought. “When we find them, I’ll handle it.”

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Zaia looked expectantly at the woman as she lifted the identity card to the light. If this was the owner, it would have been far too easy. When she saw the change in her expression, she knew that this man was not the one they were looking for. She felt a little bad for how she’d treated him now that she knew his actual identity, but it was probably too late to change his mind about how he felt about her. Fortunately, he did provide a valuable clue as to where the real owner was once prompted. Zaia couldn’t help but wince inwardly when she heard the thump of the man collapsing to the floor after being kicked in the head.

When the woman explained her intentions with the real owner, Zaia nodded. “I understand.” It also made sense for her employer to deal with the owner herself, if she wanted to make an example. She wouldn’t always have Zaia with her after all, and others would have to learn to fear her and not the Mandalorian beside her if she wanted to keep the standing she had.

Zaia followed the man’s directions to the first door on the right. It was quite clean for one in a factory, she mused. Maybe this was the right one. The only problem was that it was locked, but it was one that could be solved quickly.

“Give me a minute,” she said to the woman as she put her blaster away. Then, she pried open the hatch that led to the wiring for the door. After switching a couple of them around and cutting a few, the door slid open, revealing a dimly lit room inside. She couldn’t see if there was anyone in there, but there was no harm in checking it out.

“After you,” she said, giving the woman a nod.

@Song

 

[Hatice Altaris]

A locked door versus an armed Mandalorian. Nadya already had an inkling of an idea on how that would end. She stepped away, expecting Zaia to arm a thermal detonator and blow the door right off its frame, but to her surprise, the young woman instead peeled open the nearby hatch and tampered with the wiring inside. A slicer too, she thought amusedly. Marketable skills. And here she had thought the Mandalorian was only good for her armor. Perhaps the two could work again someday in the future, who knew?

“Very nice,” Nadya remarked as the door slid open. She unholstered her blaster and, at Zaia’s mark, she plunged into the dark room, sweeping it for threats.

Suddenly, light blinded her vision. She squinted to see who was responsible, and once her sight adjusted, she found herself staring at a wrinkled, Twi’lek man. His eyes were yellow, as if jaundiced, but there was something else about them. A feeling that made her skin crawl.

“Dona Nadya,” said the man. “Welcome to the Playhouse. The name’s Akar, but I’m sure you already knew that. I have to say, I’ve been expecting you for quite sometime.” His gaze flicked over to Zaia. “Although I see you’ve brought company. A Mandalorian, by the looks of it. I ought to be quivering in my boots, but this would not be the first I’ve dealt with your ilk. I suppose offering to buy you off from your dear employer wouldn’t work, would it?” His lips split into a smile. “Whatever it is she’s paying you, I’ll double it.”

Nadya turned to Zaia, a shadow crossing her face. While they’d clearly been ambushed, there was still hope they could deal with the refinery owner themselves—but if the Mandalorian turned on her, then she’d be alone. Everything she’d planned would have been for nothing. A tiny part of her prayed Zaia possessed a sense of honor for their deal, but if she was like most mercenaries, then Nadya’s chances were slim to none.

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

It turned out that room was dark and empty… or so she thought before the lights suddenly turned on. By the time her eyes were adjusted, Zaia had already pulled out her blasters and pointed them in the direction of where the sound of the switch flipping came from. Shee saw that the person behind it was a twi-lek, and from the looks of it, the factory owner they were looking for. The woman had said that she’d want to deal with him herself, but Zaia didn’t lower her blasters just yet. When he began to talk, she kept them trained on him in case he tried anything.

Nadya. So that was the woman’s name. She narrowed her eyes as Akar revealed that he’d been expecting them. If he were genuinely worried, it wouldn’t have been so easy to get in. Maybe he underestimated Nadya. Or could it be that he was simply bluffing, and really was an all-out fool? That one didn’t seem as likely. Then again, she’d had little experience with sickly spice refinery owners and she was glad that she wouldn’t have to deal with him again after this. Hopefully.

Then he turned to her and offered double of what Nadya was paying, and after a moment, Zaia lowered her blasters, putting one of them back inside its holster. Nadya was looking at her, a hint of a worried expression on her face. Zaia tilted her head slightly and looked straight at the twi-lek. Even through her visor, he would know that he now had her full attention.

“You’re asking me to break a deal,” she said, keeping her tone neutral as if she were considering the offer. She briefly glanced back at Nadya before turning back to Akar, shaking her head just a little bit.

“No thanks.” She fired a warning shot from her remaining blaster, watching as the bolt missed the twi-lek’s formerly smug face by just a few centimeters.

“I’d advise you to stop playing games, Akar, and listen to what Dona Nadya has to offer. Maybe she’ll be merciful. I know I won’t be.” A bit of a bluff, but she wasn’t above giving him a non-lethal shot in the shoulder or thigh if he didn't cooperate.

@Song

 

[Hatice Altaris]

Relief poured through her like a fresh dose of spice. She was grateful the Mandalorian would honor their deal regardless of how many credits Akar offered. It was proof of her loyalty, and she felt a swell of confidence at knowing they could be trusted no matter what. As long as she stayed faithful, then Nadya would have her chance at taking over the refinery and along with it, much of the spice business that dominated Axxila. She could become the most powerful woman in the planet’s underworld in a single night.

Akar expressed obvious disappointment. “That is a shame,” he said. “A Mandalorian would have made a nice addition to my ranks, but I suppose it changes nothing. I expected this outcome.”

Nadya cocked an eyebrow. “You expected a lot of things, Akar, and yet you came to greet us with only two guards at your side?” She gestured to the two lightly armed men posted in the room. “Bad move. You know this won’t end well for you. However, I can be merciful when I want to be. I’m going to make this offer to you once and only once—take what you can and leave Axxila. Never return, and you can keep your miserable life.”

She never really intended to keep that promise, but it didn’t matter. By the smug look on his face, even after Zaia’s refusal to join him, Akar would have ignored her offer anyway. He had clearly made up his mind. “Oh, Dona Nadya,” he cooed. “You sorely underestimate me. I think my guards and I can handle two little girls.”

“Is that so?” she said. Nadya didn’t bother waiting for his reply. She aimed her blaster and fired it at his face, hoping to end the fight before it ever began. With him dead, his guards would probably concede and the refinery would transition smoothly to her ownership. It’d be easy. Or so she thought.

Akar deflected the blaster bolt in a glaring flash of light. Surprise struck her like a bolt of lightning. Oh, fuck, Nadya thought, as the Twi’lek man brandished a crimson red lightsaber. That explained the yellow eyes. Akar was not just sickly. He was a Sith.

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Zaia bristled at Akar’s choice of words. Shabuir. At that point she’d have loved to pull the trigger of her blaster herself, but Nadya had already beaten her to it. The woman’s blaster went off, the bolt flying at Akar’s face, and Zaia expected that this would all be over and done with. Then she saw the red blade that the man had used to deflect the shot, and froze momentarily. She’d heard the stories of the warriors wielding crimson red swords, learned to hate them with a passion. She’d also learned how to fight them… but even after many years of training, she’d never tested it on a real Sith.

Zaia stepped forward with her own blaster, intending to fire a series of shots at the guards standing behind Akar so that they would be out of the way for when she and Nadya would deal with the twi-lek. However, when her finger moved to press the trigger, she found that she couldn’t move her hand. She tried again, but her finger refused to budge. It was as if there was something wedged in between, preventing her from moving. Then she started to feel pressure building up around her neck, and her other hand reached up instinctively. Her blaster dropped to the carpeted floor. What the-

The air was being squeezed out of her.

“Nadya,” she managed to breathe out before she dropped to a knee. Her throat felt like it was being crushed, but however much she tried to pull off whatever it was that was choking her, her hands only felt air. Looking up with her eyes, she saw that Akar had a faint smile playing across his lips. Then, the pressure was suddenly gone, leaving Zaia gasping for air on the ground.

“As I was saying. I think I can handle the two of you,” he said with an amused look at Nadya. “Your move, Dona.”

@Song

 

[Hatice Altaris]

Nadya swallowed her fears and kept her chin high. She refused to let Akar get under his skin. “Handle us?” she repeated back to him, after checking to make sure Zaia was alright. “I don’t care if you’re Sith, or if you know how to use that shiny lightsaber. You’re in my way. Either you can move, or you can be moved.”

“Girl’s got spine,” Akar chuckled. “Isn’t that adorable.”

Nadya rose and pulled out her vibroblade, its metal edge glinting in the artificial light. She had taken it from Don Salvara’s hoard of antiques and valuables. According to what information she’d gleaned about it, the sword had been used in one of Mandalore’s many crusades. It had to be thousands of years old. While she did not have a name for the blade, it didn’t matter. She would use it to kill this Sith anyway. “If that lightsaber isn’t only for display,” she told them, “then use it and fight me already.”

Akar threw back his head and laughed. “You are in way over your head, little Dona, but I will indulge you this time. Just don’t expect to last very long. I doubt you’ll still have a head on your shoulders by the next minute.”

“We’ll see about that,” she said and flourished her blade. Akar did the same. “Kill the Mandalorian,” he told his guards, who revealed a pair of piked clubs before they descended on Zaia like starved vultures. Nadya hoped she’d be okay. More importantly, she hoped both of them would survive to see tomorrow. She wasn’t sure if she could contend with a Sith, but she’d learned enough swordplay from her childhood instructors to know how to duel. Maybe she’d be lucky. Maybe not.

She drew in a deep breath, then the sparks started flying.

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

As she got to her feet again, Zaia had to admit that Nadya had guts. Not just anyone could stand their ground when it came to a Sith. After a brief exchange of words, the woman pulled out her vibroblade, and Akar raised his lightsaber. But not after ordering his guards to attack Zaia.

The guards sprang at her like a pair of wolves, their clubs prepared to smash down on her head, but Zaia was able to spring out of the way before they could do it. Even with it being made of beskar, she wasn’t sure that she’d be able to sustain blunt force like that. The table that the pikes came into contact with splintered into a thousand wooden pieces, and the guards turned to her once again. In the background, she could hear the successive clashing of blades, but she couldn’t tell who was winning. She would have to worry about that later though, since the two guards had picked up their clubs once more and one of them was charging straight at her.

This time, Zaia ducked when the club swung over her head, stepping behind the guard. The force of his own swing caused him to lurch forward and Zaia used the momentum to give him a hard kick on the back. As he staggered back, the other guard lunged for her, but before he was able to get a hit in she quickly pulled out her blaster and shot him in the chest.

The remaining guard had recovered and had dropped the club in favor of using his fists. He aimed a punch at her temple, but Zaia caught his arm and flipped him over her back. As his neck came by her wrist, she flicked her hand just a bit to activate her hidden knife and cut his throat. By the time he hit the ground, he was dead.

Hopefully Akar would face the same fate.

@Song

 

[Hatice Altaris]

Nadya was losing the second their blades met.

The Sith outmatched her in almost way: strength, speed, experience. She could barely keep up with him as he swiped his lightsaber high, then low and across her side, threatening to open her stomach like a wet balloon. She felt herself backpedal from the room and down the corridor, completely thrown onto the defensive. The only reason she hadn’t yet lost her head was perhaps by sheer, dumb luck. Memory served her well, however, and she used what she could remember from her instructors to withstand Akar’s attacks.

But how long would that last? Another minute?

“You’re better than I expected, girl,” said Akar, scowling. “And here I thought you were a spoiled prostitute who’d slept her way up into becoming a crime boss.”

Rage surged in Nadya like a tidal wave. “Shut up,” she snarled, but almost immediately felt the bite of Akar’s lightsaber around her thigh. Pain lanced up her leg and it took everything not to fall onto her knee right then and there. Soon enough, her head would be next.

“You can’t beat me, Nadya. I am a Sith, and you are a measly sewer rat. Your skill is insignificant compared to the power of the Force.” Nadya’s heart jumped in her chest. The Force. How could she have forgotten? That was the key here. Her salvation. As she locked swords with Akar again, she closed her eyes. She only needed a few seconds to draw on the anger that had been building inside her, to channel it into something strong enough to stop him.

“Zaia!” she cried, praying the Mandalorian had managed to survive the guards, hoping she would arrive in time to distract Akar and give her an opening to strike.

@Sicadorito

 

[Zaia Krodas]

Zaia was about to put her blaster back into the holster when she heard a cry from outside the room. Nadya! She could hear the blades screeching against each other in the corridor.

After stepping out the door, Zaia saw that Nadya didn’t look to be doing great, her blade locked with Akar’s. It looked like she had taken a nasty hit on the leg too. If she didn’t do something fast, it could be over for both of them. What they needed was a distraction. Her gaze shifted up, and she found it.

Zaia jumped up and activated her jetpack, flying over to and shooting a couple of bolts at the chains that held up the giant light above the dueling pair below. Nothing happened at first, but it did cause Akar to look up for a moment. If she was able to get Nadya out of there, even for a few seconds, it could possibly give her a moment’s rest and give them some time to regroup. And sometimes, that made all the difference.

Zaia let out a quiet breath of relief when the chains broke with a final clang. The light plummeted down towards Nadya and Akar, and as the twi-lek looked up, he took one hand off his lightsaber to stop it from crushing him. Zaia took the chance to dive down and pull Nadya out of her deadlock, landing a few feet away on the opposite side.

“You alright?” she asked, glancing down at the woman’s leg. But before she could hear Nadya’s answer, she heard a woosh and the clanking of chains as the light flew straight at the pair, courtesy of Akar.

“Get back!” she yelled, though she wasn’t sure if Nadya was in any condition to move. In a split-second decision, Zaia turned on her jetpack again and met the light head-on, pushing back with all the strength she could muster in an attempt to stop it from crushing them. She could feel Akar pushing back with the Force, but neither of them were moving.

“Any ideas?” Zaia called through gritted teeth, not daring to look back at Nadya.

@Song