i

I gasp, the wind temporarily knocked out of me as I roughly hit a wall. Huffing, I rise and punch the man responsible square in the face, causing him to stumble back. I advance like a stalking predator, kicking him squarely in the chest as he had done to me moments before. He goes down, hitting his head, and this time he doesn't come back up. 

Smirking in satisfaction as I blow a couple loose brown strands of hair out of my face, I bend down and grab my unconscious opponent's ankle and proceed to drag him out of the dim alleyway. That should be the last one for today, I think as I reach my ship and throw him in the huge holding cell on top of three other unconscious bodies. I don't have that fancy carbon-freeze thing that many other bounty hunters have, but it works in my favor as some clients want their bounties 'warm' and pay me more to keep them as such. 

 I shut the door of the cell with a sigh, making my way to the cockpit. It's almost nightfall on this planet, but my days aren't synced with a sun. Hell, I've been up for at least two standard solar days. No, my days revolve around jobs. Every day I complete enough jobs to keep me above water for a little while longer. I constantly have to do more and more in order to afford basic necessities, and ever since the... incident with one of the largest bounty hunting institutions in the galaxy, job availability is dwindling. People would rather turn me in for the growing price on my head than pay me. It is what it is, though, and I did what I had to do. 

 As I enter hyperspace and prop my feet gently on an empty space on the dashboard, I hear a noise behind me, before several shouts and scuffling break my precious silence. I sigh, rising and making my way to the cell before slamming my fist on the door of the holding cell hard enough to startle its occupants. I glare at the four beings through the small barred window. 

"Shut it." I growl, an unspoken threat lingering in my tone. And then, of course, one of them decides to be stupid. 

 "Why don't you come in here and make me, huh? Open this door and we'll settle this, coward." this one's male, and clearly a bit more reckless than the others. The youngest of the bunch shoots him an uncertain look full of fear that he isn't too well at hiding.

 I scoff. "You need me to open the door for you? Why don't I just call your mother?" I mock, still annoyed since they disrupted my peace and quiet. 

"I'd rather you do it. I wouldn't want to risk sending us all into that vacuum." he snaps back, gesturing vaguely. I assume he means to point to the cold void known as space, but the lack of windows is confusing to his tiny brain. 

"Keep talking and that's where you'll end up." I threaten more directly this time, since he's not seeming to pick up the signals of my annoyance, which is quickly turning into impulsive anger. 

"No, you can't do that. You still gotta turn me in." he states cockily. 

"They never specified whether you had to be warm or cold when I brought you in." I shoot back lowly. He finally shuts his mouth after struggling and failing to find words to respond to yet another clear threat. "Anyone else? No? Then be quiet." I make my way back to my pilot's seat, opening my small bag to fish out a small fruit. I bite into it, savoring the flavor as it makes contact with my tongue. 

 As I reach into the bag for another fruit, having finished the first and tossed the remains into a small bin, my fingers brush a hard wooden substance. My heart aches as I pull out a necklace that, when worn, rests just at my collarbone. I remember the day it was made. It was one of the only times in my life where I experienced genuine happiness, before it all came crashing down the next day. That was the day I knew I could never get attached. The day I realized I would never be safe, and neither would anyone who got close to me. 

>>>>><<<<<

After dropping off the last bounty and getting paid in full (which still is barely enough to buy fuel and food for the next week), I climb exhaustedly into my small ship and set it on autopilot. Time to go home.

By the time my ship sets down roughly in the grassy lands of Dantooine, just outside of my tiny isolated hut, I've been fast asleep for a matter of hours. I jolt awake at the rougher-than-normal landing, immediately standing and raising my blaster in defense. When I see no threat, I exhale in relief and make my way into the tiny home awaiting me. I don't even think to change before flopping onto my cot and falling into a light sleep. 

>>>>><<<<<

(Mando's POV)

I walk slowly into the room of the inconspicuous little building on Nevarro, noting the four stormtroopers as I enter. An older man sits at a table, and calls out as the door closes, "Greef Karga said you were coming." 

I hesitate, scanning the room. Taking a few steps forward, I reply, "What else did he say?"

 "He said you were the best in the parsec." I see the troopers tense as I near the table, which immediately puts me on guard. A door to the right of the room opens and my instincts kick in. I grab my rifle, as well as my blaster from its holster and train my weapons on both the entering man and the stormtroopers. 

Shouts of "Freeze!" and "Drop your weapons!" ring out from the white-clad men, and the new male tries his best to shield himself with his arms as he lets out a frightened, "No!"

 The new man continues, "N-no, no, no. Pardon. Uh, Sorry. I... didn't mean to alarm." Clearly, from his frightened actions and his nervous stuttering, this man is no fighter. Nevertheless, I keep both weapons up, refusing to let my guard down. 

The old man stands, beginning to walk around the table. "This is Dr. Pershing." he explains as he holds a hand up. "Please excuse his lack of decorum. His enthusiasm outweighs his discretion." I don't acknowledge the client, keeping my focus on the troopers. "Please lower your blaster." the man asks. 

 "Have them lower theirs first." I counter.

"We have you four to one." a stormtrooper practically sneers. 

I let a small smirk onto my face even though they can't see it. "I like those odds." Not only would I be able to take them, but they're stormtroopers. I doubt they would be able to hit me if I stood right in front of them. Being as it is, with them surrounding me from a couple feet away, I'm not too worried. 

The client gestures and the troopers finally lower their weapons, mine following soon after. I sit at the table and the client discusses the bounty with me, although it's much more... secretive than I'm used to. There's no puck, and he said he could only give me the last four digits of the chain code- their age- and their last known location. He told me it was preferred that I bring the bounty in alive but, seeing as "bounty hunting is a complicated profession", he said he would allow proof of termination for a lower fee. The Doctor objected to this.

I was starting to become unsure if I even wanted this job, with all of the secrecy and disagreement between the Doctor and the client. But when he offered a bar of Beskar steel as a down payment, promising more to come, I couldn't say no. This would be good not only for me, but for all of the Mandalorians down in the Covert. 

The client then revealed that if I would take it, there was another job. Same deal, proof of termination would be acceptable but the bounty should be brought in alive if possible. Except with this job I would be allowed a name along with the age and last known location. As an incentive, the old man added another bar of Beskar on the table as a down payment, once again reassuring me that I would get much more upon delivery.

 After a pause, I inquire, "What do I need to know?"

 "The first asset is fifty years old, and its last known position is Arvala-7. This is the fob." He gestures to the other man, who reveals a black box with a wire and a red light. Doctor Pershing and hands the fob to me from across the table. "The second is 29. She is very active, moving around the galaxy, but her last known and most often location is Dantooine. You may have heard of her. Her name is Nova." At this, I blink.

"What?" I ask, making sure I heard him right.

"The second asset's name is Nova, the ex-Guild member." The man confirms. 

That Nova? She's an extremely dangerous freelance bounty hunter who built a damn good reputation for herself over the years. A while ago she turned on the Guild, killing the old Guild leader and helping a target escape, and allowing Karga to rise to his current position. Since then, the Guild has rejected her, refusing to give her any jobs and threatening to kill her should she show her face in Nevarro again. Of course, I'm sure I can handle her, but... she's definitely going to prove a challenge to bring in. 

"Is there a problem?" The client asks after sitting in silence for a minute. 

 "Not at all." I reply calmly, snapping out of my thoughts.

 "Good. Here is the fob." I nod and accept it, gathering my materials and leaving before the old man can utter another word. 

{word count: 1,631}

A/N: Hi, guys! Thank you so much for trying out this story, it's my first Star Wars fanfic so it's probably not going to be that good considering I'm not that much of an expert but I'll certainly try my best! Sorry for the short chapter, the others will definitely be longer. Thanks again for reading and enjoy, loves <3

p.s. here's some extra info:

nova's outfit (minus the lightsaber)

her hairstyle (only it's brown not blonde)

the necklace