A Life Without Meaning

𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℝ𝕖𝕔𝕜𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 (𝕀𝕍)

When the suns rose the next morning, Ellia blinked furiously as she was met with the harsh light. As the pain subsided, she discovered that in her sleep, her head had fallen to rest against something harsh and cold.

Turning to look over her shoulder she discovered, much to her embarrassment, that it had been none other than the beskar chest plate of the Mandalorian armor.

She was suddenly very awake.

Sitting up straight, her eyes scanned across the camp, watching as the rest of the group began to stir. Cara, specifically, was already wide awake. And when she caught Ellia's eye, the shock trooper smirked, leaving the mechanics face a flushed mess.

Thankfully, their journey towards the town's border continued.

With most of the Blurrgs taken during the nighttime attack, it was decided that Kuiil should ride the last one himself. The rest of them could manage the travel on foot.

Din, Cara, and Ellia walked in close step with each other. In front of them, Greef and his two remaining hunters talked lowly amongst themselves, just enough that the rest of the group couldn't make out what they were saying.

"You think they're having second thoughts?" Cara remarked, only half-sarcastically.

"Could be." Din responded, "I need your eyes."

"We're watching." Cara replied.

As they made their approach towards the gates of town. Ellia's eyes in particular caught sight of a formation that made her uneasy. At some point during their walk, the two hunters had fallen away from Greef's side, leaving him to lead the charge as they brought up the rear instead.

Ellia glanced over at Din out of the corner of her eyes. His helmet shifted ever so slightly, and she knew that he had noticed it too.

The rest of the group came to a stop just behind Greef as he paused on the bank overlooking the town looming in the distance.

"I guess this is it" he noted vaguely.

Ellia heard the sound of footsteps coming up behind them and her entire body stilled. When suddenly, the leader of the guild spun around, firing two shots backwards before any of them could even blink.

Both shots hit their mark, and Ellia watched in surprise as the two remaining bounty hunters slumped to the ground, dead.

The group whirled around on him, blasters raised but eyes widened in equal confusion.

Greef immediately raised his arms in surrender. He slowly walked over, passed them by to kick over the bodies of his former men.

Din kept his blaster trained forward, unwavering.

"There's something you should know." Greef started to explain, "The plan was to kill you and take the kid. But after what happened last night...I couldn't go through with it."

Kuiil disembarked from his Blurrg, joining the tense scene. When no one responded to Greef's story, he threw his hands up into the air exasperatedly.

"Go on, you can gun me down here and now, and it wouldn't violate the Code." he said smartly. "But if you do, this child will never be safe."

"We'll take our chances." Cara said threateningly.

"The Imperial client is obsessed with obtaining this asset." Greef argued, "You tried to run, but where did it get you?"

Ellia looked back and forth between the guild leader and her own group. Cara shook her head.

"This is ridiculous." she muttered.