Private Cold As You

[Ven A'ndi]

The Lancer-class pursuit craft Mantis Crow popped out of hyperspace, slowing to a crawl as the ship reverted into realspace. Ahead was a small moon, marbled with dark greys and whites, likely snow-laden and frigid. The Mandalorian at the helm didn’t necessarily care about the climate – this was just a place to lay low for a little while, to refuel and rest. With the various factions of the galaxy all vying for control and snatching up as much territory as they could, the number of truly independent planets was dwindling. One could hardly use a hyperspace lane or a spaceport anymore without paying fees, fines, taxes, and having the right transponder codes.

While he was typically on the side of the law, Ven A’ndi preferred to be as off the radar as possible between jobs. This small moon had come up in conversation in a cantina while in CIS space, and he figured it was as good a place as any to make a stop.

The Crow glided through the cloudy atmosphere, already accumulating moisture on the durasteel hull and transpirasteel windows. He couldn’t find any signals of any spaceports for his destination, so he piloted towards a small field roughly half a click away from the town where he’d be staying. Setting the ship down, he made sure he had every security measure activated before disembarking. This far out, anyone who just finds a ship laying around is bound to try and take it.

A short time later, Ven was walking into the rather quiet town. Light snow was falling, with enough already on the ground to completely cover it, but not encumber those who trudged through it. The structure of the town was pretty basic – no building taller than ten meters, and only a few loosely organized rows where everyone lived, worked, and ate.

It was close to mid-afternoon in this time zone, so Ven expected there to be more people milling about. However, there were only a half dozen sentients outside, all walking in straight lines to their destinations, staring straight at the ground in front of them, as if they were all in a hurry. He looked at an old woman as he passed right by her, but she didn’t even look up, and only seemed to quicken her pace.

Ven eventually made it to what was clearly the cantina, as there was a dim neon sign declaring it to be so – one of the only spots of color for miles around. It was also where one could actually start to hear signs of life, with voices and some light music. A small group was standing outside of the main door, having a rather excited conversation amongst themselves – a Rodian gave out a high-pitched, hearty laugh.

They all stopped for a moment to look at the approaching armored man, faces turning from fraternal enjoyment into ones marred with confusion, apprehension, and perhaps mild frustration. Strangely enough, these people were the only ones who didn’t appear to be in a constant state of fear. Ven didn’t break stride as he walked past them though, but he did turn his head to look at them, letting them know that he acknowledged their presence.

The circular cantina door opened, and a majority of the patrons paused momentarily to look at the man now silhouetted in the doorway, their cape flapping in the breeze. Ven paid them no mind and continued inside, the door closing behind him, and everyone went back to their own business.

He picked a seat in a back corner and sat down, sighing. It was no resort world, but it was the kind of place where no one asked questions. Maybe there was a reason for that. There was a clear divide between those at ease – rough-dressed men and women with blaster pistols strapped to their hips and thighs – and those on edge.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t stay long enough to figure it out.

Jamie Pyne

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A fist slammed down on the console in front of her as the ship broke free of hyperspace. "Stupid. Stupid!" She exclaimed. "R5 can you get us on the ground?" A series of beep-boops acknowledged her emotional request while injecting a bit of binary sass, much to her chagrin. "I know, I know!" She barked back, rolling her eyes as she stared down at the controls. "I should have had Mariya make the repairs last time. I don't need you to remind me, just land us in one piece please."

She looked ahead at the moon that would be her destination. "Hopefully there's someone down there with some know-how, lest this might be a longer trip than we anticipated." A depressed series of beeps affirmed R5's thoughts on the subject. The ship slowly broke through the atmosphere and was pelted by large partially frozen droplets of rain, clanking off the hull throughout the descent until finally the ship dropped below the clouds to reveal the snow-covered surface.

"Great." The word was laced with sarcasm. "Winter." If there was one climate she was not fond of, it was the cold.

A minute or so later R5 brought the ship down with only a few bumps along the way, despite the partially burned out left engine. The smell of smoke poured out. That wasn't going to be a cheap fix. She grit her teeth and made her way to the exit, joining R5 outside while pulling over the small cloak to shield her head from the elements. "Stay with the ship, I'll be back shortly."

In the distance she could make out what appeared to be a small settlement. A number of buildings tucked close to one another with a few townsfolk going about their day. With any luck there would be a place to spend the day and night while finding someone capable of making the repairs on her ship.

As she got closer however something seemed rather off. Most of the people she encountered didn't acknowledge her existence, simply walking around her without so much as a hello, despite her efforts to greet a few. Bizarre. It was incredibly strange to her that nobody spoke a word and seemed intent to keep their nose to the ground and eyes averted.

The only building that seemed to have any sort of life to it was the cantina towards the far end of the road, and that only looked to be the case in part due to the few people standing outside conversing. Jamie passed them by with a nod. Stepping inside revealed a sizeable patronage within. A few looked at her as she made her way to a seat at the bartop. Perhaps the man behind the counter might be able to offer her some advice on repairs and lodging.

Ven A'ndi

 

[Ven A'ndi]

Through the hubbub of the cantina, a bespectacled, wiry man with an apron approached the Mandalorian, holding a datapad. He had to dodge past some inebriated men having a loud conversation, and someone getting handsy with another one of the workers. When he finally got to Ven’s table, he queued up his datapad and asked, “What can I get for you today, sir?”

“Do you have any lodging?” he asked, his only movement to acknowledge the man’s presence being a small head turn.

“Yes – pretty decent, for the sector. Fifty credits a night…” the man paused as Ven slid over some credit ingots – enough for a few night’s stay. “Ah, yes, I see. I’ll put you in a room. Is there anything else-”

“Any big game hunting around here?”

“There are some wooly nerfs that hunters around here like to track and kill – many here survive on selling the meat, wool, hide…”

There was a pause as the Mandalorian surveyed the cantina once more. His curiosity got the best of him. “What’s their business here?” he asked, nodding to the easily distinguishable ruffians that were in a rather loose group on the other side of the cantina. There were a few that were sitting at the bar by themselves or had their own tables, but it was clear they were all part of the same outfit.

“Well, um… I’m not entirely sure what you mean by…” The Mandalorian wordlessly slid some more ingots across the table. The server quickly pocketed the credits and leaned in, dropping their voice. “They came into town around a week ago. They’re the law here now, if you catch my meaning.” Ven gave a slow nod. “I’d advise you steer clear.”

Just as the server was finishing up explaining, the cantina door opened once more, revealing a hooded figure. Ven took notice – from what he could tell, it was a human female, but not much else, due to the hood hiding most of her features. She, like him, looked rather out of place.

“Ever seen her around before?” Ven asked the server before he could leave to get the room key.

“Oh… no, actually…” the server was just as clueless as Ven was. “I suppose she’s a drifter like you.”

Ven gave the server a curt nod to let him know that’d be all before his gaze settled back on the woman who was now at the bar. While he was concerned about the gang that had apparently taken over town, he would make sure to keep an eye on the woman that had just shown up right after he had. She didn’t look like a hunter, and Ven didn’t have any bounties on his head that he could think of, but looks could be deceiving.

Jamie Pyne

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde sat, shaking off the bit of accumulated snow from her clothing, back facing the other patrons while she waited for the server to return from his rounds. Though she left her the hood over her head she cast a slow look around the remainder of the cantina. Most took interest in only their own table, others seemed to aimlessly drift eyes around with no particular purpose. One group was notably loud, likely to the disapproval of the others, though nobody said anything. Everyone knew the kind of response places like this had when folks got out of line, especially on remote locales where the law was the faster shot.

Several minutes later the man returned, offering a smile and the opportunity to order food and drink. She kept it rather basic, "Water and a grilled bantha burger, please." The server keyed in the request to his datapad to be sent to the back. "Anything else?" He looked towards the noisy group, shaking his head. "Well," She kept her voice down if only to not broadcast her situation. "A room would be nice, and I don't suppose you could point me towards anyone handy with a hydrospanner? My ship could use some work." Of course by work she meant completely repair the engine. But that was semantics.

The bar keeper seemed hesitant to answer at first, then shrugged it off. "Can get you a room just fine. It'll run ya 50. As for the mechanic? There's a guy, yeah -- Doran. Trouble is, haven't seen him 'round in days." Jamie nodded, reaching to her pack to retrieve the necessary credits and placing them onto the table. Perhaps she could locate this Doran on her own, once the snow let up a bit. There was something off about the man's response, much like the rest of this town, though she couldn't put her finger on it.

"What brings you to this little slice of space anyway, miss...?" She smiled, "Jamie -- I just needed a place to rest that wasn't a ship bunk. Been on the hyperlane a while." An outright lie, but better a lie than to admit she was stranded. He nodded, curiosity sated before heading back to serve the others, leaving her be for the time being.

Quietly and as discreetly as possible she lifted her transmitter to her face, "R5, keep the ship safe. I have a bad feeling about this place." The return beep-beep-booooooweeep was all that came through before she dropped her hand back to the counter, eyes once again casting around the room.

Ven A'ndi

 

[Ven A'ndi]

One of the benefits of wearing a helmet was that he could let his gaze wander around the room and no one would be the wiser. His eyes didn’t wander, but they were instead intently watching the woman at the bar. She was taller than the average human woman, but there was nothing to suggest she was something near-human or otherwise yet. He caught a better glimpse of her as she surveyed the room – pale face, blue eyes… no scars or tattoos to speak of. She certainly didn’t belong here… so what was she doing?

He didn’t have much time to ponder, as the door to the cantina slid open yet again, only this time, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared for quite some time. The man in the doorway was extremely tall and well-built – Ven estimated over seven feet, with a pronounced brow, long goatee, and long hair tied into a ponytail that was shaved at the sides. Pinned to a furry coat was some sort of silver badge, slightly mangled with flecks of blood, a hint that the original owner had not given it up easily. The group that had been outside earlier were standing behind him. With dark eyes, the man scanned the room before his piercing stare landed on Ven.

“Hey, Mando!” he bellowed in a deep, raspy voice. He slowly walked down the few steps onto the main floor, hulking his way over to Ven. Nearly all gazes had turned to the man, eyes laced with either fear or amusement. Ven didn’t move an inch, only turning his head slightly to face the brute. “I almost didn’t believe it when my men told me, but look here! A bonafide Mandalorian.”

He was now standing across from the small, circular wooden table Ven was sitting at. Leaning forward, the massive man braced his arms on the table, the wood creaking from the weight. “They say Mandalorians are the greatest warriors in the galaxy. Care to test that theory, Mando?”

Ven didn’t say anything – he remained stoic. Either this man would eventually shove off… or he’d have to deal with him.

“Nothing?” the man asked, his meaty fingers curling around the edges of the table. “Are you a coward?” With a heave, he chucked the table into the corner, thankfully not hitting anyone. Now there was nothing between the Mandalorian and the brute. Could Ven have drawn his blaster and hit the man center mass before he even had a chance to blink? Absolutely – especially from his seated position. However, the real question was whether or not he could fight off all of the goons that would be sure to turn on him if he did. Plus, there were innocent people in the bar. He didn’t want to risk hitting any of them.

“Come on, Mando!” the hulk leaned forward, grabbing Ven by the chest plate and heaving him into the air. “Let’s play!”

Moments later, Ven was thrown out of the cantina door, rolling out into the street. He grunted – he’d really hoped this guy would just walk away. As the brute came stomping to the door, one of his posse hit the button next to the door so it would stay open. Now it made sense – this was the way for them to assert their dominance in the town once again, and to wield the power they had in numbers and weapons.

The Mandalorian managed to get to his knees before he was kicked, sending him rolling once more. Laughter filled the air, from the brute, his immediate posse, and the rest of the gang inside. This time, Ven was able to get to his feet and square up. It would be a difficult fight unassisted, but if it came down to it, he had a multitude of options he could use to preserve his own life.

That is, granted he wasn’t gunned down by the rest of the gang by doing so.

Jamie Pyne

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Just as the others, she too turned her head and attention to the man shouting across the room. Apparently he had a penchant for fighting. Explained the burly figure and the bravado that accompanied it. Also, generally speaking, the stupidity. Nothing was less attractive to Jamie than a man that flaunted physicality and brutish behavior as a means to calculate self worth. It was juvenile and more over, simply tiresome to listen to.

Yet here we are.

Blue eyes watched as the man and his merry band of henchmen she'd passed entering the cantina minutes ago sauntered over to the Mandalorian seated at the table to continue his word vomit. What exactly was this man's agenda? Did he simply walk into places and look to pick a fight with the biggest, meanest looking face in the crowd? Did he have a personal vendetta against Mandalorians? Did he have too much to drink and because he had some friends that raised his confidence?

Once the table hit the wall Jamie knew what was to follow. Things like this always followed the same path. Fists would fly, blasters would draw, some shots might get fired, and if luck was prevelant, everyone would walk away with nothing worse than some bruised bones, egos and perhaps a singed collar. Much to her surprise however the bar keeper made no attempt to stop the fight from happening. While she wouldn't expect patrons to get involved, it was his establishment, and this man just damaged property. Instead he simply looked away as if nothing was happening.

This place is truly backwards.

It wasn't until the Mandalorian was forcibly tossed outside and followed by the group that Jamie stood up from her seat. Several others showed interest in watching the fight, and so blending into the interested spectators list was simple enough. If this were some kind of even match, there was hardly any doubt in her mind who would win. Fools fought Mandalorians in fair fights. Even Jedi knew they weren't to be taken lightly. That was a bit different when you had a group to ensure your fight went the way you wanted.

A dozen or so others poured out into the snowy street to watch now, cheering as if it were some free show to watch. Thus far the armor clad warrior had yet to throw a single fist, nor draw a weapon. Perhaps he knew the odds weren't in his favor yet either. Trouble was if Jamie drew her weapon that would only make things immediately much worse. For now she used the crowd to her advantage. Eyes were focused on the two fighting and not her. He stepped forward to throw another fist -- That's when the blonde acted. With a slight thrust of her hand and fingertips the Force shoved the man forward, forcing him off balance, nearly stumbling into his opponent like an uncoordinated buffoon.

As for his few followers standing beneath the overhang of the cantina? Well they were conveniently beneath a series of icicles that would be used as frozen water rockets, crashing down on their unsuspecting heads if they made so much as a hair step forward to intervene.

Ven A'ndi

 

[Ven A'ndi]

The brute was moving his fists in small circles as he slowly moved around the Mando, a stupid grin plastered to his face. Light chortles came from the crowd – this would perhaps be the best entertainment they’d see all week outside of holovids. Although having the wind knocked out of him a little, Ven was up and ready to fight, his adrenaline pumping but his breath steady.

As always, his helmet conveyed no emotion, no hint of his inner thoughts. Not that his face was much different – just a look of sheer focused determination. He knew that the brute had the upper hand purely because of strength and size alone. Ven didn’t know whether or not the man had any sort of training – if so, he could be rather deadly. Yet, if he was trained, he certainly wouldn’t be out here with a band of criminals, only taking from those who had no defenses.

The Mandalorian got a good idea of what he was working with just by seeing the brute completely telegraph his attack, winding up his right fist and skipping forward somewhat. Ven was ready to use the man’s weight and momentum against him – his hands loose and ready to grapple. Yet, when the brute began to follow through, something unexpected happened. He seemed to trip over his own feet and started to stumble forward.

Perhaps he had slipped on a patch of ice. While Ven was unprepared for this, he was able to quickly take advantage of the man’s apparently blunder. Stepping to the side, he swept with his leg and his arm, catching the brute’s knee with his foot and his neck with his hand. This took the brute completely off of his feet and sent him crashing chin-first into the snow, sliding ever so slightly. The hit would certainly rattle his skull.

Already, Ven was asking himself how far he would let this go. From the small amount of information he had about this place so far, he highly doubted they would let him leave after beating what appeared to be a top member of their gang. Some of them were already hovering their hands over their blasters. There weren’t many scenarios that ended with him not being shot at by the rest of the group. He needed an exit strategy – his flamethrower would provide excellent cover while he slipped into an alleyway.

First, he needed to deal with the brute. Not just because it was a problem… but out of principle. He simply didn’t like the guy.

With a grunt, the gargantuan man picked himself up off the ground, clumps of ice, snow, and dirt mangled in his goatee. Ven was light on his feet, ready to go… ready to end it. The brute came in fast and heavy, swinging haymakers that were all too easy to dodge. Ven ducked, side-stepped, or merely backed up, but his speed and agility were keeping him well out of harm’s way. He was putting in hits of his own, on the brute’s sides, solar plexus, hips, and a few to the face, as well – death by a thousand cuts.

The growing anger of the Mandalorian’s opponent was palpable. The grunts of effort turned into growls of aggression, and he began to scream in anguish at each hit that was landed on him. Eventually, he managed a feint that gave him the slight opening he needed to knock the Mandalorian off his feet again. Reaching for his belt, the brute yanked out a long, curved knife, rage in his eyes. It was all Ven needed to see.

Lethal force authorized.

“Yahngor!” one of the bystanders called out, their hand hovering over their blaster pistol. It wasn’t a cheer, but rather genuine concern for their boss. They had heard the stories of Mandalorians, after all.

As soon as ‘Yahngor’ approached, Mando kicked out at the brute’s knee, a sickening pop sounding. Yahngor went down, and Ven effortlessly went from sprawled on the ground into a kneeling position beside the hulk. Unsheathing the vibroknife from his right boot, he raised it above the man’s body, ready to bring it down into the back of the man’s heart so quickly that his friends wouldn’t be able to react in time.

Jamie Pyne

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The fight was your average bar brawl, at least right up until the one whose name or alias was Yahngor drew a rather nasty looking blade from his side. At that moment it took a much more serious tone. It was clear that for whatever reason he wanted blood, and perhaps the Mandalorian was simply the most prized claim.

From her very limited understanding it seemed a simple case of wrong place, wrong time for the Mando. She knew that feeling well. She had been there many times herself in her past. Having done nothing wrong but existing. Still, it appeared very clear to her that there was no formal law here, that whoever called the shots was the one with the biggest fists, or blaster. At the moment, that was Yahngor, though as the sound of his knee separating in several places rang out, it was rather obvious that was about to no longer be the case.

The man dropped like a lump of duracrete, the blade falling from his hand as he clutched the injury and screamed in agony from the snow covered ground.

She'd have smiled at his misfortune, presuming the fight to have ended there. He was no longer a threat and clearly wouldn't be getting up without some helpful hands. That however, still left his grunts standing at the cantina entrance, and those still inside. How might they respond? Draw blasters in an attempt to kill him? Would they bargain for his life? Flee?

Sapphire eyes shifted from the thugs, to Yahngor, then to the Mandalorian. She caught the reflection of the sun against the steel as he drew his blade. The woman knew what was about to happen and thus was faced with a dilemma. Not intervening would likely mean a further escalation with a possible shootout, with more innocents hurt as they were caught in a crossfire of blaster bolts. However intervening would mean revealing and endangering herself, as well as make it that much more difficult to get her ship repaired.

Allowing him to live would also likely mean he would return and seek revenge.

There was however, a third option.

"Stop!"

She shouted, pushing through the crowd to stand strategically between the Mandalorian and the thugs reaching for their blasters.

"That's enough!"

Jamie looked around at the crowd, to the Mandalorian, then pitifully at Yahngor, shaking her head.

"It's over. Have your men help you up, and leave quietly."

Ven A'ndi

 

[Ven A'ndi]

He was poised, completely ready to end this man’s life… but hesitated, if only for a moment. What would this accomplish? Either way, these goons would try and draw on him, whether he spared Yahngor’s life or not. Perhaps, though, seeing such a cold and brutal display of violence would discourage the rest of them. As was true in most practices, cut the head off of the snake, and the body dies. His arm muscles tensed, ready to provide the torque necessary…

But then a voice came from the crowd.

Mando did in fact stop, but did not lower his weapon. Instead, he looked up to see who had called out, and was surprised to see the woman from the bar. She worked her way through the spectators and approached, positioning herself between him and the rest of the crowd. For some reason, having looked at her more dead-on as she approached, the woman was… familiar, somehow – Ven just couldn’t place it.

Hands still hovered over blasters, but they seemed hesitant to draw. A Nikto fully grasped his weapon, but Ven was quick to discourage it. With a flick of the knife and a fast movement of the arm, he’d positioned the knife under Yahngor’s chin. If anyone even got a shot off, their friend’s neck would have a severed artery within milliseconds.

The woman ordered Yahngor to have his friends come pick him up. Growling, the man yelled out, “Pick me up, you bastards!” The smaller group from before slowly approached, hands out to convey they weren’t going to draw their weapons. Slowly, Ven removed the knife and paced backwards, allowing the others to approach. Two managed to heave the hulking mass of muscle up so Yahngor could lean on them under each shoulder.

One of the remaining members of the gang started to slowly reach for their weapon. Ven drew his blaster so fast that hardly anyone saw it. He had it pointed directly at the Zabrak’s chest, and he froze. Ven didn’t fire – he was making a point. Now everyone knew who the quickest draw in town was.

With a grunt, Yahngor said, “Don’t think this is over, Mandalorian. We’re gonna be coming back for you… and your pretty little friend, too!” He regarded the woman with the same fiery stare he did Ven, and then slowly started to limp off with the assistance of his crew. “Let’s go!” he shouted out, and nearly two-thirds of the crowd peeled off and began to follow in a herd of gangsters and criminals, leaving only the citizens of the town and the two newcomers.

Standing next to the mysterious intervening woman, Mando holstered his weapon.

“We should leave,” he said lowly. Sticking around would only cause more trouble.

Jamie Pyne

 

[Jamie Pyne]

One would think being the saving grace for their life would be sufficient enough to show some semblance of grace and gratuity towards said person. This man, despite his busted knee, clearly thought otherwise. Jamie stared after him as he was dragged off by his gang of thugs with an almost dumbfounded expression on her face.

Without fuss she adjusted her hood to once more cover her head from the elements before turning to the Mandalorian who now stood at her side.

Leaving was the trouble. Her ship wasn't quite able...That was the whole reason she was stuck in this mess of a place anyway.

The blonde raised her hand towards her face, pinching the bridge of her nose with index and thumb. "There's no law here. They just come in and do as they wish to these people. It's not right." She sighed, dropping her hand back to her side and looking towards the cantina. The patrons had begun to funnel back indoors and out of the cold now that the spectacle was over.

"If we leave they will just continue to tyrannize these people. I also haven't anywhere to go."

The gang would also very likely attempt to track the duo down. And with the snow, tracks would be easy enough to follow if they happened back sooner than later. Jamie had no illusion that any of these folk would risk their life lying for the two of them if it meant the difference between living their life under the thumb of a gang or dying for strangers.

"Let's at least get out of the cold for now."

Ven A'ndi

 

[Ven A'ndi]

The rest of the crowd began to thin, knowing that the show was likely over, and that being near the two people that dared to stand up to the gang was not a good idea. Soon, it was just the two of them, with only the sound of the wind and the snow billowing through the street.

The woman didn’t seem keen on leaving due to a sense of altruism. He had to admit, a part of him wanted to stay and get rid of the gang here as well. However, he had to be more of a realist – could he have gunned down every single gang member in town? He didn’t even know how many there were. It was possible he could conduct a much longer campaign – hiding out in his ship and collecting as much information as he could before operative clandestinely. Granted, he wasn’t sure if he had the time or resources for that.

She seemed determined, however – perhaps she knew of a way to rid the town of their pest problem. While still unsure of her profession or abilities, the Mandalorian figured one like her didn’t go around the galaxy sticking herself into such situations unless she was prepared to handle them.

Sighing, Ven started to head back towards the cantina. “We’ll need a plan,” he said, and just like that, he’d taken on a new mission.

He stepped back inside once more, and noticed that the cantina was pretty much empty – looks like everyone had gone home for the day. The server, whom Mando had talked to earlier, was at the counter, and looked up in surprise and discomfort to see the armored man re-enter the establishment. He nervously tapped his fingers on the bar next to a small keycard.

“Oh, sir, um… here’s the keycard for that room you paid for… are you sure that…?”

“Yes,” the Mandalorian answered simply, sliding the keycard to himself. He stepped over to the still over-turned table where had sat and made it upright, pulling up two chairs and sitting at one of them.

Jamie Pyne

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde nodded an affirmation with respect to needing a plan. There were certainly a lot more gang members than she had anticipated there being. They were merely two. Jamie slowly followed the Mandalorian back into the now mostly deserted cantina, casting one more gaze out towards the group as they disappeared through the glistening snow flurries. The gravity of their situation hit her in that moment. There were even more gang members than townsfolk. It was no wonder none dared stand up to them, instead simply accepting their reign.

Jamie offered the barkeep a cautious smile, one that was telling of understanding their discomfort while attempting to reassure them that everything would be okay. Whether that translated the way she had hoped it would was another story altogether. Regardless, she pulled a chair across and sat down in it while her new friend stood the table upright before seating himself once more.

"So." She said, pulling back her hood. Blonde hair fell forward, shining blue eyes looking ahead across the table, and fair complexion radiating beneath the small light above and to the side of the table. "I don't believe this was how either one of us intended to spend our day."

Ven A'ndi

 

[Ven A'ndi]

Ven was stoic as the woman pulled her hood down and he finally got a good look at her face. It finally clicked for him – Oh. An outside observer might have caught that he took a moment longer than usual to respond. Perhaps he was merely admiring her beauty, sticking out like a sore thumb in such a dreary place as this, or maybe it was something else.

“Not exactly,” he finally said, casually laying his arm on the table. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he was starting to feel the effects of the fight. His chest and arms were sure to be bruised after all of this – he might need to get some medical supplies if he was going to be well enough to fight an entire gang. “I’m sure we’ve both had worse, though.”

Looking over to the server and discreetly waving him over, the Mandalorian asked, “Who did I just fight?”

“That was Yahngor… he helps run the gang here.”

“Helps?”

“He runs the enforcers and keeps them and us in line. His brother, Rafahn, is the real brains of everything. He tells his brother what to do, and Yahngor makes sure it gets done.”

“How many are there?”

“Three dozen, maybe? They’re housed in the old sheriff’s building, at the end of town. You really should get a move on… if they know you stayed in here, they’re going to come back for you… the both of you.”

“Thanks,” Ven said, and the server went back to the bar. He moved his head to face the blonde again. “Got any ideas?”

Jamie Pyne

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie listened intently as the Mandalorian and barkeep exchanged words. Three dozen was no small fare, that was for sure. The blonde looked around the cantina for a few moments, considering any possible plan that might give them a much needed advantage. She didn't want to suggest using one of the buildings as a hold out namely because she wasn't quite certain the locals would look favorably upon such a thing.

"Well," She said finally, drawing her sight back to the man across from her.

"We can either take the fight to them, or we can use my astromech droid that I have waiting for me back on my ship to lure them to it, and ambush them from the ridge overlooking where I landed." Neither ideas were tactically impressive, but she hadn't much else to offer. "But if you have something better, I'm open to suggestions."

The server returned for a brief moment, setting down the glass of water and food in front of Jamie she had asked for right as all of the commotion had started before smiling and leaving them once more. She sipped from the glass and cleared her throat quietly before continuing. "Please forgive me, in all the turmoil I never introduced myself. My name's Jamie."

Ven A'ndi

 

[Ven A'ndi]

When she finally said her name, he nodded slightly. “Ven,” he offered his own name. Now introductions were out of the way, and his theory was confirmed.

“An ambush would the best option of those two,” he said, his voice low enough so that only she could hear. “If we could draw them to a place where we can set traps and obstacles, we’d have the advantage. Three dozen is a lot, though… even for a Mandalorian and a Jedi.” He kept the tone casual, but a small head tilt was all he needed to convey his point – he knew who she really was, but it wasn’t too big of a deal for him. If anything, it instilled him with some confidence.

“Plus, they wouldn’t all come at once – they’d maybe send a scouting party of around six men at first. That’d help thin the herd, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to hunker down at their base of operations once they figured out how serious we were.”

He sighed, drumming the wooden table with gloved fingers. “If we’re trying not to simply kill all of them, we need to create a scenario where it’s no longer safe or profitable for them to be here anymore – even after we’re gone.” He highly doubted she had long-term plans of becoming the new sheriff in town, and Ven certainly wasn’t interested. “Generally, that involves taking out the head guy. Once you do that, the rest usually scatter like rats.”

Jamie Pyne

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The reason she kept her appearance typically obscured from full view was so that it made identifying her difficult. Being who she was, her face having been plastered all over holonet news for years and freely accessible to anyone with a datapad, it made her presence rather loud. The fact that she was more than just a former queen, the whole Jedi business, made her that much more recognizable, and more targeted. Now that Jamie hadn't the backing of the Naboo, or the safety of her homeworld, well, collecting a bounty was tempting.

"We could simply tell the barkeep to inform them when they return of where we went. I'm certain they'll be keen on stopping us 'before we escape' if for nothing else than to prove a point and take revenge for brutalizing one of theirs publicly in the street. When they show up, however many they send, we can deal with them first and then decide our next course of action."

Ven had a point. Jamie was aware that just injuring them all and making them promise not to come back was an unlikely resolution to the problem. "Perhaps the best course of action is to strip them of their weapons, give them to the people here to protect themselves, and then hand over both Yahngor and Rafahn to face whatever judgement is decided upon?"

That would at least satisfy Jamie's own moral dilemma, even if it weren't likely that both of them could take down all three dozen without any blood.

Ven A'ndi

 

[Ven A'ndi]

Her plan wasn’t a bad one at all – disarming the gang and giving that power to the people would be a longer term solution. Granted, giving a man a blaster and making sure they knew how to use it were two separate things. That being said, it would allow the town to protect themselves – they could train after the rest of the gang left.

“Taking out a smaller scouting party and collecting their weapons would be a good start. Then, we’ll have to figure out how to draw the rest of the gang from their hideout.” The Mandalorian seemed to think about it for a moment as he became eerily quiet. “If I know outlaws like this, they’ll all jump at the chance to take down a Mandalorian and a Jedi independent of what their leaders tell them – me for the beskar and the bragging rights, and you for the bounty.” Any one of them stood to gain a fortune by taking them out.

“Now, I won’t out you if you don’t want your identity out there… but it would certainly send a lot of them our way,” he said, turning to her. “One thing at a time, though. You said you have a droid and a ship, right? We should probably get moving before they come back and catch us off-guard.”

Jamie Pyne

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Ven A'ndi

Jamie had spent time bouncing from planet to planet in search of one suitable for maintaining her obscurity. She had found several suitable worlds, however each time she had managed to out herself, either by aiding someone in need or preventing a fight of some kind, or bringing others to justice in the face of crimes.

Here though? She hadn't intended to come here. Nor did she much intend to return. She just needed her ship fixed.

"Lets ring their dinner bell." She nodded. "Like you said, if they know what they have, they'll come like ravenous womp rats."

Most criminals like these Jamie had encountered all shared similar personalities. Cruelty and greed. Abuse who you could, take what you wanted, and shoot what you couldn't. The temptation behind a Mandalorian and Jedi? Too much to resist for most, considering they had the numbers in their favor. And numbers bolstered arrogance.

"My ship isn't far out, I left my R5 unit to look after it. We can head there."

 

[Ven A'ndi]

The former queen seemed okay with letting her identity be known – he nodded in agreement. It would be easy enough to let the gang members know who they were and where they were going. Bracing against the table, the Mandalorian stood, stepping over to the bar. He tossed a credit ingot at the server, the man tucking his hand close to his body to catch the generous tip.

“Let Yahngor and his brother know that the Mandalorian and the former queen of Naboo are heading back to their ship to contact the Galactic Alliance,” Ven said. “Tell them which way we went.”

The server blinked at the Mandalorian as the armor-clad man turned towards the exit. “Are… are you sure? They weren’t kidding earlier. They’re going to come for the both of you, and they’ll bring out the big guns.”

The Mandalorian only momentarily paused in his stride, looking over his shoulder. “Yeah? Good.” He continued towards the circular door. While he might have been the first outside, he was going to let Jamie take the lead – he had no idea where her ship was.

Jamie Pyne

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Ven A'ndi

Jamie caught the expression of the man as the two headed for the doors, it was one of sheer disbelief. Was that because of the brazen nature the Mandalorian had just called for? Or the realization that somehow a former monarch was now involved in the whole thing? Jamie simply offered the man a smile as she departed the establishment, turning back to Ven as they stepped into the cold once more.

"This way." She said, directing her finger to the south. "It's not far, though I should let you know..." There was a brief pause as she led the way. "My ship, that's the whole reason I'm here, actually. You see, it's damaged. Had to make an emergency landing. So we won't exactly be able to leave on it in its current state."

Better to get that out of the way before it potentially became an issue.

"I was hoping someone here might be able to fix it, but then..." She shrugged, "This all happened."