Odd Bounty

Making Plans

When he entered the ship carrying her poncho the doctor paled, but then he revealed the arm and he wobbled, stumbling forward and taking the arm, clutching it to his chest.

"No, they have her again? My dearest Telana, no! You! You let them take her!"

Din just stood there, knowing that the old man was angry...he needed to let this out. His helmet snapped to the side as Beler's fist connected.

He was holding his hand close and Din could see the blood welling to the surface of his knuckles. The old man didn't pay it any mind though as he spat at him. "Your hatred for droids led to this. Why? Why do you hate her so much? She did nothing to you! She was innocent...had a fragile heart and you destroyed it!"

He shook his head, "I don't claim to be a good man. I never did. And yes I hate droids. You know why?"

Stepping close to Beler until his helmet was an inch from him and his voice shook as he continued.

"Droids came to my village and my mother and father shoved me into a hatch to live, using their own bodies to shield it. When the Deathwatch saved me...all I could see was death...destruction. All I could hear were the screams of the dying or of children that had had their childhood ripped to pieces. My parents had been so happy together. Every day was filled with laughter. My mother used to sing. My father would always brush her cheek with a starlily before tucking it behind her ear and kissing her cheek. Now...now I can barely remember what they look like or the sound of their voices. I know I have my father's eyes. I lost every scrap of happiness I had when the droids swept through that village and I doubt I ever will get it back."

Beler sat down hard, Telana's arm perched on his knees. "I...I am sorry."

Mando sighed, "I made some...horrible mistakes. Said some horrible things that I'm going to try and fix."

He shrugged his shoulders, "I've...got a plan...to get Telana back."

The old man snapped his gaze up to his helmet. "A plan?"

"But I should warn you, this plan is absolutely crazy."

Boba snorted, "When aren't your plans crazy?"

"Fett."

"Alright, what is this plan of yours?"

He held up a blinking light. It was one of the trackers he got off the two goons. "Heryns sent two goons after me to distract me from her. Now, the bounty is still active until she is turned over to the imps and he's paid. So I say we follow them back and find out just who placed this bounty on her."

Fett laughed, "Stopping the bounty at the source? That is crazy, especially with the imps involved."

"So you in?"

"Right up my alley, kid."

Beler stood, "How are you so sure this will work?"

Din shrugged, "I'm not, but don't you think she deserves a chance...any chance?"

"What happened between you and Telana...to change you this much?"

"Look, I said some things I wasn't proud of. I hate droids. I always will. But Telana...I could learn to not hate her."

The doctor looked at him oddly before a soft smile spread across his face. "You care for her."

"Don't read too much into it, old man."

He held up a hand, "Oh, of course not. My apologies."

"And you can stop smiling."

"So where to now, kid?"

"Just how close is the nearest imperial outpost?"

"You even sure this Heryns character would go there?"

"He was sizing me up at the cantina, seeing how much of a threat I was. So more than likely he will want to pass her off as soon as possible, so..."

"He would go for the nearest imperial outpost...smart."

"And greedy."

"Which makes him stupid. You need backup?"

"You're a good shot. I'll need eyes above."

Boba nodded, moving towards the cockpit. "Well, then imperial outpost it is. Strap in. It might get bumpy."

Beler just watched this all silently until Mando passes him and then he grabs his arm, holding out a hand, a small device perched in his palm.

"Here. You are going into the heart of an imperial outpost. You might need this."

"What is this?"

"I used to work in the labs. My codes might still work."

Din nodded, taking the device but stilled when the doctor spoke again. "Bring her back."

"I will. I owe that to her at least."

/ - / - / - /

The outpost loomed in the distance, yet another painful reminder of the past for all three men. Thankfully the outpost was nestled near a port city, so they would hopefully have the element of surprise on their side.

Boba's voice echoed through the cargo hold. "We'll be landing shortly. Gear up."

"I...I also have one last request for you..."

He stopped to face Beler and studied the nervous gesturing of the man and his uneasiness went soaring. "What?"

"If...if it looks like you cannot get her out safely...let her fight. She's strong but her brain cannot be damaged. And her failsafe will not allow her to fight for too long. At the most she will be able to fight for 15 minutes before it kicks in."

"So get out before the 15 is up."

"That is what I am trying to tell you. If you are both still in the thick of it...disable her failsafe."

Din was shocked, and he shook his head. "That could overheat her right?"

Beler nodded, "Yes, but only do this in extreme emergencies. Only if you think you will not be able to get her out as the overheat would fry her remaining cybernetics. It could in theory...kill her."

"No."

"Please...I have been thinking about this for some time. Disabling her failsafe at the point of no return would keep them from recreating many of her parts as they would be heavily damaged from the overheat. It is a difficult choice to make since she is all I have left but I cannot allow what happened to your village to happen again."

It was a kind gesture but Din couldn't allow it. To kill her if he couldn't save her. Oh, he would have jumped at the chance to kill a droid but this...something about this made him sick to his stomach.

He sighed heavily, "How do I disable it?"

Boba laid a heavy hand on his shoulder, "Wait a minute kid...you're not really thinking about doing it, are you?"

"Its a last ditch effort, okay. An end of the road only. That means we've got to get in and get out with no hitches. Flawless."

"Well shit."

Beler nodded, "She has a trigger word. Again, only use this if you think you cannot get out. Tell her that I'm sorry. I should have been a better father to her."

"The word?"

"Auralia."

"Rather specific isn't it?"

"It was her mother's name."