Even now—as you're en route to an unknown destination with two people you barely know—you still wonder how you got yourself into this mess.

You were broke, for starters, and desperately needed the credits that this job promised as a reward. The plan was to get off-world before things got nasty. With the Empire rapidly spreading like a weed throughout the galaxy, you couldn't afford to stay in one place for long.

Not that your paranoia would allow you to, anyway.

The man to your left has been digging dirt from under his fingernails with a knife for the past ten minutes. To your knowledge, he was just a smuggler in it for the credits—like you were. Something about him seemed off when you first met him. You weren't sure what it was, but your instincts flashed great big warning signs in your brain that said stay the fuck away.

To your right, a Mandalorian had her blaster in her lap, meticulously cleaning each piece before clicking it back into place. She'd been rather quiet up until that point, allowing the smuggler to do most of the talking. You could tell she despised him and his immature sense of humor. While you weren't sure if you could trust her, she was still a better option than the other guy.

"We will be arriving at our destination in approximately five minutes."

The droid pilot's monotone voice drew you from your thoughts. You had almost forgotten that it was the one flying the shuttle and not a living person.

"Could you guys at least tell me your names so I know who I'm working with?" You asked, your gaze shifting between the Mandalorian and the smuggler.

"Well I'm Sucma Dik." The smuggler answered first with a wide grin.

"Your real name, asshole, or I'll slit your throat." The Mandalorian muttered before you could respond.

He rolled his eyes and grumbled a few things under his breath about how much of a bitch she is.

"Fine. Kiago Rask. Your turn."

She pushed the final piece of her blaster into place and holstered it on her hip.

"Saeba Morr." She huffed, glancing over at you expectantly. "And you?"

Saeba. That's a pretty name. Sounds foreign.

You then realized that she was waiting for your answer. Giving her your real name could cause problems later on, especially with her being a bounty hunter, so you decided to give her a fake name instead.

She nodded and rose to her feet. You wondered what expression she was hiding under her helmet.

"Alright." She said. "Everyone understands the plan, right? We can't afford to screw this up."

"Hey, who put you in charge?" Kiago scowled and pointed the tip of his knife at her.

"We have less than five minutes until we land. Do you really want to waste that time arguing?" You asked him, narrowing your eyes.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, dirt-scrubber." He seethed.

"Dirt-scrubber? How about I show you what this dirt-scrubber can do—"

"Enough, both of you." Saeba growled, stopping the conflict before it can escalate further. "As much as I'd love to watch you two tear each other apart, we need to focus."

"Oh look, a voice of reason!" Kiago threw his hands up and laughed. "You know, I never would've thought you'd be such a mediator, considering how 'fearsome' you bucketheads are supposed to be."

You swore you could feel her blood pressure rising.

"That's it." She snarled and descended upon him before he could even blink.

Suddenly the entire shuttle lurched forward, its durasteel skeleton groaning under the stress. Saeba and Kiago were thrown against the wall, while you were lucky enough to have something to grab on to. After a few chaotic moments, the shuttle eventually settled with a quiet hum.

"We have arrived at our destination." The droid's voice echoed from the cockpit.

"Remind me to shoot that droid when we're through with this." Saeba muttered, giving Kiago a kick to the ribs as she got to her feet.

You blew a few strands of hair out of your face and pushed yourself up off the crate you'd been sitting on. Before you did anything else, you quickly made sure your lightsaber was still clipped to your belt underneath your poncho. As you felt along the thin strip of leather, your fingertips brushed against the smooth, familiar surface of the saber's hilt, quelling the sense of anxiety that had sprung up in your chest. You pulled your hand away before either of them noticed.

"We only have a small time window, so we need to move quick." You said. "I can carry the detonators."

"Okay. I'll clear a path." Saeba replied, checking over her weapon loadout. "Rask, you need to watch our backs in case they know we're coming."

"How would they know we're coming?" Kiago scoffed. "We're under the radar. Unless there's a rat or something, no one should know anything."

"Is it really that hard to just say yes and move on?"

"It is when you're the one giving orders, sweetheart."

You rolled your eyes, tuning out their voices as you focused on counting the detonators in your rucksack. According to the intel you were given, you would need three detonators to get through the wall, which left the others to be used during your escape. If things went smoothly, you'd be in and out before the compound owner could scramble a response force.

"We're on the clock, let's go." You said, slipping the rucksack over your shoulder and heading towards the shuttle's exit.

Upon stepping out of the shuttle, your eyes scanned the area for any sort of threat. So far, nothing out of the ordinary.

Saeba came up beside you and did the same before heading towards a chrome-colored building in the distance. You followed behind her and Kiago brought up the rear. You didn't like having him watch your back, but you trusted the Force enough to warn you if he tried something.

The backstreet alleyways were fairly empty aside from the occasional womp rat or Jawa rooting through the garbage. You kept a tight grip on the rucksack as you followed at Saeba's heels.

Upon reaching an intersection, she raised her fist as a signal to stop and cautiously poked her head around the corner.

"This is taking too long." Kiago muttered.

"Would you rather get ambushed?" You retorted.

"If it means we don't have to sneak around and be quiet, then yes!"

"You're insufferable."

"Quiet!" Saeba hissed softly, pulling her head back behind the wall. "We've got company. There's a patrol."

"A patrol?" You inquired. "How many?"

"Four, and they're all wearing riot armor. Two of them have heavy blaster rifles." She answered.

"Shit." You murmured, frantically wracking your brain for a solution. "We need to take them out quietly. Any ideas?"

"I can sneak around and ambush them from behind." Saeba suggested before Kiago could open his mouth.

You nodded. "Alright. Maybe I'll provide a distraction so they focus on me." You suggested, searching her body language for any hint of agreement.

"Sounds like a plan." She nodded her head, glancing at Kiago. "You need to watch the detonators. Don't move until we give the all clear, got it?"

Kiago scoffed and gave a lazy salute.

Without another word, Saeba shuffled back the way she came and disappeared behind the wall.

You set the rucksack down with care and took a deep breath to calm your nerves. Time to make yourself useful.

The patrol halted the moment you stepped into view. You pretended to appear lost, turning your head this way and that to further cement the idea. Thankfully, it seemed to be working, as one of the soldiers broke formation to approach you.

"What are you doing back here? This area is off limits to civilians." He stated, his voice heavily modified by his helmet's modulator.

"I'm s-sorry." You purposely fumbled over your words as you spoke. "I think I'm lost. I'm supposed to meet my brother-in-law at the marketplace, but I must've taken a wrong turn."

Behind the other soldiers, you spotted Saeba sticking her head out from behind a building. You quickly averted your gaze so you didn't give her away.

"Obviously. The marketplace is back that way." He gestured to the alleyway behind you with his blaster rifle. "Don't let it happen again."

"I won't, sir. I promise." You said, feeling your muscles tighten with anticipation. It had been a while since your last proper fight. "One more thing."

He tilted his head at you. Before you could give him an answer, a loud grunt instantly drew his attention. He whirled around to find that his fellow soldiers were under attack, realizing too late that he was in danger as well.

You drove a hard kick to his back and tried to wrestle the rifle from him as he stumbled. He was bigger and stronger than you, but you were far more agile. Seeing that you wouldn't be able to disarm him that way, you pulled back and resorted to kicking the rifle out of his hands instead. Now you were locked in hand-to-hand combat.

Most of his punches were sloppy and didn't land thanks to his heavy armor weighing him down. Before he could overpower you with his brute strength, you gave a few good punches to his midriff before cracking him across the head with your boot.

As he slumped to the ground, you noticed that Saeba was in a bit of a pinch. She'd taken out one soldier, but was currently getting tag-teamed by the other two despite her best efforts to fight them off.

Guess I should help.

You charged the idle soldier who was too busy watching his partner and swept his legs out from under him, driving your elbow into his sternum. His rifle clattered to the ground and he tried to reach for it, but you pinned his hand under your boot before he could. Instead, you took the rifle and slammed the butt of it down on his helmet.

As you lifted your gaze, you saw Saeba kick the other soldier towards you. You dropped the rifle as he stumbled backwards and wrapped your arm around his throat, squeezing hard. He struggled, first trying to pry your arm off before driving his elbow straight into your gut. Air was painfully driven from your lungs, yet you still held on. You squeezed harder, closing your eyes as you waited for him to go limp.

Come on. Stop fighting it.

Finally, after what felt like ages, the soldier's struggles ceased and he went limp in your arms. You let him fall to the ground, leaning forward on your knees as you catch your breath.

"Nice work." Saeba said as she cracked her knuckles.

"Thanks. You held your own pretty good." You replied once you caught your breath, standing up straight.

"So did you. Give yourself some credit."

"Are you two finished messing around?" Kiago's voice interrupted the conversation before you could say anything more.

"Come on out. Coast's clear." Saeba called to him, shaking her head.

Kiago stepped out into the open with the rucksack hanging over one shoulder. He immediately passed it to you with a slight scowl, which you eagerly returned.

"That's right. This dirt-scrubber can fight." You muttered, turning and heading further down the alleyway.

He rolled his eyes at you before trailing behind. Saeba quickly returned to her previous position, checking over her loadout once more.

So far, so good.