The Hotshot Mandalorian

Chapter 14: Supply Run or Something More?

Chapter 14: Supply Run or Something More?

Tatooine, Outer Rim

Supply Mission

3648 ATC

Hera P.O.V

The next few minutes that we walked together were silent, but it was anything but a good silence. More than anything, I wanted to find a better way to break the ice because Force knows that's needed just about now, but something stopped from doing so immediately.

I was still furious with Zardwyn's sudden and completely unnecessary actions that could easily lead the Empire onto us. We're already wanted enough for the stolen Imperial plans for Lothal, and attracted unwanted attention was bad now, even fatal at times. We simply couldn't afford to keep being obvious, seemingly terrible irony as he carried himself with a reclusive and reluctant manner; could he have a split personality? I don't discount the possibility because if there's one thing that I do know about the galaxy is that the impossible is always expanding and being challenged, not that having multiple personalities is unheard of, just really uncommon is all.

I would voice this, but he doesn't care to hear it. He walks, his posture tense, his hooded head scanning left and right, like he's expecting a threat. Even Kanan doesn't ever display this level of tenseness, and he's probably the most serious of the team. That's bad in a lot of ways. If I had to guess, maybe he's never heard of a break before. I can see that he's just waiting for something to happen or looking for something to do. This makes me just a bit curious and worried, but I keep that in my mind and I scan the streets and the surrounding area. I don't see anything unusual here.

Tense, alert, and very focused, a good combination if it wasn't for the fact that he seemed really unpredictable. How should I know when he's going to let loose and when he's going to hold back? On the outside, he seems like a reserved person, but as I've experienced so many times in the past, the outside of someone can just as easily mask their true selves, but I have a feeling that this calm, collected, and cold side is very important to his character. The brooding sidpart is really unnecessary, but I can't do much about that. It's who he is and I can't judge just from that knowledge alone.

"What is it that we hope to accomplish here," he asked quietly, "I do not care for sitting idle."

I give him another cold stare before speaking. He meets my stare with his own blank stare. It's not so much intimidating as it is annoying. I seriously doubt that he's taken my words to heart. I know it takes more than words to change someone, but better to say them than to say nothing at all. At least he's dedicated or eager to work, and that's something that I can't say that everyone on the Ghost is willing to do, so I can't really complain too much, at least not yet.

"It's nothing too serious," I say finally, "Just another supply run. Our crew isn't exactly living in the most luxurious of circumstances, so everything we do counts."

"I see," he says seriously, "What would you have me do?"

"Well for one," I continue, "This area is covered in Imperial Stormtroopers. We need you as well as the others to cover our backs. They may very well recognize us."

"Stormtroopers are the least of my concerns," he says dismissively.

I don't argue with that. The Empire, for all of its resources, lacks so much in actual people who are really specialized and good at what they do. It's even more pitiful that most of the soldiers and pilots in the Empire are actual people and not clones like during the Clone Wars, but Zardwyn  doesn't seem to dismiss them with obvious disdain like most of us. It's almost like he pities them surprisingly. I wouldn't take him for that kind of person, but who am I to judge. We've only met literally hours ago. He's got his reasons, probably something that he's not going to tell for a while at least, but sooner or later, he'll have to tell us something about himself. We can't trust an unknown on the Ghost.