Fear

part one

I walked into the cantina on Tatooine, scanning through the filthy crowd of criminals for any sign of the bounty I was after "...damn" I curse to myself, when I was suddenly cut off my a cold, modulated voice behind me.

"Can I be of assistance" asks a man in full beskar armor.

"I don't think so..." I respond, moving to get out of his way.

"Are you sure?" He asked. He had obviously heard you cursing to yourself.

I rolled my eyes, "fine. Have you seen this man", I asked holding up a hologram with the face of a the crime lord I was after.

The man's helmeted gaze never left the hologram... he was genuinely trying to analyze it. I was taken aback by the fact that he was actually trying to help me.

"Yes", the man responded flatly.

"Yes... what?" I asked, looking for a bit more context to his answer.

"Yes. I have seen this man." The armored man said, his helmeted face now directly facing mine. I couldn't help the chill it sent down my spine.

"If you aid me in finding him... I'll split the bounty with you... I assume you're a bounty hunter as well" I said in a serious tone, indicating I would stay true to my word.

"Deal... but if you double cross me I will not hesitate to bring you in as bounty too...."

My breath hitched. Was he making a vague threat or did he actually know who I was? I decided to let it go... not eager to hear either possibility.

As we walked out of the cantina the armor clad man let out a chuckle "I've never met any man so unafraid of working with a mandalorian..."

I stopped in my tracks, removing the helmet I wore in order to hide my identity when following a bounty... "I am no man." I say flatly, letting my hair fall around my shoulders.

If it weren't for his helmet I would've sworn a look of shock crossed his face. He took a small step back as if to examine me better... "impressive".

I rolled my eyes... "I better be impressive for my skilled combat rather than the fact that I'm a woman"

A low, modulated, chuckle came from the mandalorian's mask, "of course".

We walked to the ship the mandalorian insisted we take... a razor crest

"Damn... I haven't seen one of these bad boys in a long time" I say in an impressed tone, giving the ship a small love tap before walking inside.

the ship was neat and smelled of blaster fire and a clean, musky soap

"So...", I speak up, unable to shake the feeling that the eyes behind the man's mask followed even my slightest of movements.

He ignored my attempt to start conversation, but I was persistent and refused to let him ignore me.

"C'mon handsome, you're stuck with me now" I said with a smirk.

The mandalorian stiffened in the pilots seat, "don't call me that." He said flatly, and continued charting your course.

"What... handsome?" I asked in a mocking tone, only to be ignored once again.

A few hours pass as we sit in complete silence, an awkward tension hanging in the air

"We're here", the Mandalorian said.

"So... he speaks" I teased... ignored again

I follow the large man out onto the planet he brought me to...

"Wow... it's great" I added sarcastically as I scanned the frozen wastelands of Hoth. This earned a chuckle from my stoic partner.

"We will have to start a two hour trek.... You prepared for that" He said with a slight mockery.

I simply started walking ahead of him.

"Wrong way, princess"

Dank farrik I curse under my breath, trailing behind him.

we continued our silent trek and the few times that I tripped in the snow, the Mandalorian instinctively reached out and grabbed me... I could get used to that

"So, if we are going to work together, what should I call you," I asked in earnest.

"Mando is fine"

"No, I was asking for your name"

"... Mando is fine"

I was confused, but then I remembered how secretive his people could be... I let it slide.

His voice broke into my line of thought, "What should I call you"

"Y/N" I answered, "*nickname*, if you'd like. Though to get my last name you'll have to torture it out of me first" I ended with a quick chuckle. I hadn't given anyone my last name for as long as I could remember, I was...too traceable.

"Y/N"

"Mando"

"It's settled then", he replied in a way that signaled the conversation was over.

////////////////

I looked down at the woman trudging next to me, trying my best not to kick snow up onto her as she was already sinking waist deep into it.

I wanted to say something... anything, but there was something about her that made me nervous. Maybe it was the fact that she was too trusting, or because she was another bounty hunter littered with battle scars... or maybe it was the fact that she wasn't afraid to flirt with me, even in jest.

It was moments like this that I was grateful to the creed and my loyalty to it... the helmet was nice when you act like a touch starved school boy at any slightly flirtatious comment from a pretty girl.