𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 - DIN DJARIN

Chapter 11: The Rookie

chapter 11: the rookie •••

You drive yourself crazy waiting for Din to return, constantly pacing around and busying yourself with whatever tedious task you can to distract yourself. Peli, feeling sympathetic for you, lets you shadow her as she works on the Razor Crest, and you both make the necessary work go much faster—since Din had insisted upon no droids assisting her. It manages to give you at least something else to think about and focus on. Yet, when the Tatooine suns are high in the sky once again and there's been no sign of Din, you've started to assume the worst.

The work's done, and now you have nothing else to do but torment yourself with thoughts of Din's job going bad. You sit in one of the chairs of Peli's office with the child resting in your arms, your eyes closed as you attempt to get some rest. She's gone to get some more supplies, and she let you have the office to yourself. You barely slept last night, and while your exhaustion weighs heavily upon you, it's still extremely difficult to try to sleep with the worries that consume you.

You do, however, manage to drift in and out—until you're rudely awoken by the sound of binders clasping shut. Your eyes shoot open, and you look to see the child no longer in your arms. Those same binders enclose your arms together. A cold rush of horror runs through you as you look up to see none other than Toro standing above you, holding your blaster in his one of his hands. The child's secured in his other arm. The absence of Din makes your heart skip a beat.

"Where is he?" you ask, your voice sounding low and threatening. When he doesn't answer, you yell louder. "Where is he?"

"He's probably realizing that the bounty's dead, and he's next," Toro remarks.

You scoff, shaking your head as you do so. "You can't kill him. You'd die trying."

"I'm not going to kill him." Toro's voice is full of arrogance as he looks down at the confused child in his arm. "I'm going to turn him in to the Guild."

You narrow your eyes at him. "You really think you're going to be able to do that?"

Toro smiles menacingly at you. "Yes." He pauses as he puts your blaster on his belt, reaching that hand forward to hold your chin and force you to keep looking up at him. "Thanks to you. You're my bait."

Feeling disgusted by his touch, you spit at him, landing it on his arm. He shakes it away in disgust, turning back to you with a dark look. He grabs you by the collar of your shirt and throws you towards the corner of the office, causing you to grunt in pain when your head and body meet the hard wall viciously. He walks over to grab a piece of fabric from his belt, tying it around your mouth so you're no longer audible.

"You'll regret that later. For now, you can sit tight until the transaction's complete."

You continue to glare at him, intending on standing back up and freeing your way out as soon as he leaves. He, however, thinks one step ahead, giving the droids that still linger a command to make sure you stay inside and Din stays out or else he'll destroy them. They comply, and the three of them keep watch both outside of the office's foggy glass and on you.

You're not sure how long you sit in the corner of that office, waiting for Din to come back to the mess you've gotten into. At one point, you hear Peli return, but Toro whisks her away into wherever he's been hiding himself and the child. During the entirety of that time, you can't stop feeling guilty for letting this rookie bounty hunter manage to take away the child and lock you up so easily. You're a fighter, and a damn good one at that, and you didn't even allow yourself a chance at proving that. You'd fallen right into the trap, and now it was only Din who could get you all out of it.

Suddenly, you hear movement outside of the office again. The droids duck their heads down, and you try to crane your neck to see what's happening. The movements are as quiet and swift as possible, and your heart flutters at the thought of it being Din.