THE ARC OF SKYWALKER | a star wars story✔️

3 | the confrontation

—DIN COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING.

The humidity fogged up his visor and blinded him as he trudged through the swampy forest of Dagobah. Mud coated his boots and sticks would get caught up in his cape as he walked. He hated that the other bounty the Client sent him after was located here. It would have been easier if the chain code led him to the same planet another quarry was located on, but no. The bounty had to be here.

From what the client told him, this individual was the rumored surviving Sith Lady, Darth Axcia. She was highly skilled in combat and was the definition of a "death sentence" if one was to go after her or confront her. Bounty hunters had gone after her, according to Greef, but those individuals were never seen again. The Guild was disheartened by trying to retrieve her, but Din was determined to bring this woman in, even if he would possibly die trying.

Bounties for the woman were sent out by the remainders of Imperial intelligence when her chain code was discovered after the Death Star's destruction. The Client seemed set on wanting her back in Imperial hands, no matter the casualties. It was the same for the other bounty. There were multiple pucks out for the two quarries.

Din stopped at a small clearing, his eyes taking in his surroundings. He noticed the boglings burrowing into the ground and chittering to each other as they hopped around. But his blood ran cold when he saw the large wooden stakes spread out to display bloody, scorched helmets of bounty hunters who had gone after the former Imp. The boglings scurried into their burrows as Din walked past, his eyes going back and forth between the helmets, and followed a path through the foliage.

The bounty hunter looked around at the mossy trees and the overhanging vines. Birds screeched to one another and large insects buzzed and zoomed overhead. He glanced at the large orange and yellow beetle which crawled along the vines. He didn't like the way it stopped and looked at him hungrily, its pincers clicking together.

He grabbed his blaster, his gaze still on the beetle as he slowly walked by. The bug screeched a little as it fluttered its wings in a challenging way. Before Din could react, the beetle flew at him, its pincers tightening around his helmet. He gave a shout when his blaster disappeared in the underbrush of the swamp. He tried prying the bug's pincers off of his head, the thing screeching and its mouth foaming with green goo. It was disgusting and it smelled like death.

Rapid footsteps came from behind him and the beetle let out an ear-piercing shriek. It fell limp on top of him and he quickly pushed it off, noticing the spear in the beetle's back. He looked up and came face to face with a woman. She drew a weapon he identify and held it at his throat, the blade emitting hot energy.

"Give me a reason why I should spare you." She demanded, her dark eyes flickering a sickly yellow. Din noticed the scars on her exposed arms and the burn scar going up the left side of her face and stopping above her eyebrow.

"I'm waiting." She growled.

"You're Axcia, right?" Din stood up slowly, his gaze going to his blaster which laid behind her in the brush. The woman looked him over as she moved stray stands of hair from her face, her dark eyes cold. She was almost intimidating. Almost.

Beep beep beep beep! went the puck in his pouch and Din pulled it out, the woman's features seemed to grow darker and he could feel the anger and darkness radiating off of her. It took all of his will to not back away from being startled.