2 WEEKS LATER
Mac was startled awake, drenched in a cold sweat. With a yell he sat up and withdrew an ax, his heart and head pounding. But when Mac realized that he was alone in his chambers, his heart rate began to slow back down. He slid himself over and sat on the edge of the bed, both axes in hand. His grip was so hard that his knuckles whitened and the leather wrappings left imprints on the palms of his hands. Mac had had that damn nightmare again. It was the second night in a row in which he dreamt of the nightmare, something which was very unusual as he seldom did. Mac had gotten very little sleep over the past few nights. Whenever he tried to find solace in sleep, the burning trees would blind his eyes, his father's screams would deafen his ears, and the same horrible dread that overwhelmed him on Fornow would clutch his heart while he slept.
Seeing his name on the Bounty Board a couple nights ago had rekindled Mac's paranoia. During his nights off, he would venture down to the lower levels of the city. There, he saw his name on the board right below [member="Lady Kay"] with a reward for 50,000 credits, dead not alive. It confirmed his long standing suspicion that he was being hunted by the First Order and the Zambrano family, a suspicion that was responsible for many sleepless nights.
I've never stayed this long in one place before and now I have paid the price, my past has finally caught up with me.
It had been 4 years since Mac had escaped the invasion of Fornow, and not once did he ever stop moving. This time though, he had made a mistake. He had taken a high profile job, the personal pilot for the Queen of the whole karking planet. He had gone soft and let his guard down. Mac felt that he also revealed too much information to the Queen. He had gotten really relaxed around her over their first few flights together. He had talked about his travels, his adventures, where he has been, and the few friendships that he did have. It felt good to open up a little, but now Mac realized that he had made her a liability. Should the Zambrano's search bring them to Commenor, he did not want to risk Lady Kay's betrayal, especially if she was "interrogated" or held hostage for information. He would not under any circumstances risk being found by the Sith.
No loose ends.
Mac felt sick, his paranoia had him constantly on the edge. After contemplating in a long cold shower, Mac decided that he would finally collect the bounty on Lady Kay. In doing so, he would kill two birds with one stone. He would tie up a loose end and the bounty would be more than enough to allow him to keep moving. He could buy a freighter of his own and be lost in the wind. Mac donned his usual attire and holstered his
axes. He sat on the balcony of his chambers and collected himself, his thumb tracing the engravings of his ax. He waited to be summoned. He knew what he had to do in order to survive. Mac would strike first and not give Lady Kay a chance to hand him over.
I have to act quickly while I still have her trust. They might've already found out my past and my bounty.
It would be rushed, Mac knew. But his hand was forced.
