Lone Wolf

The Theft

Taking on the role of a common thief wasn't usual for a Mandalorian or a bounty hunter, so it felt strange for Mando as he began step three of his planned heist. Step one was easy: he had no trouble landing on the planet undetected and concealing his ship, the Razor Crest. Paraluxe was a sparsely populated world, and the only security to deal with was in the compound that held the artifact. Bypassing the advanced security system was step two. Whoever owned this place had to be loaded, because everything was state of the art. Thing was, the fancier the tech, the more room for glitches. A former colleague hooked him up with a handy device to force the system into diagnostic mode, taking the cameras and motion detectors offline. Getting his hands on the plunder had been...well, not exactly easy. There was no shortage of armed guards to avoid, but he'd expected that. What he had not expected was to be cumbered with a metre-and-a-half tall, forty kilo vase. If it had been up to him, he would have stolen one of the other, much smaller, items of value that were on display. However, it wasn't up to him, and his instructions had been specific. If he wanted to know the whereabouts of a Jedi, he needed this particular treasure to trade.

Under normal circumstances, Mando wouldn't have accepted this job. Unfortunately, nothing had been normal since he'd traded in his bounty hunting gig to become a full time nanny/Jedi hunter. It would all be worth it once he located a home for the little foundling child whose welfare was his mission now. Tracking down Jedi had proven to be more difficult than he imagined, even for someone with his skill level. His search had led him to a smuggler named Grox who offered him a deal. In exchange for this priceless artifact, Mando could have the name and address of a Jedi. In the description, Grox had failed to mention the size and weight of said artifact.

Stealth was going to be impossible while lugging this thing around. Besides that, the vase was extremely fragile. When tucking it under his arm, he heard a distinct chinking sound like it would shatter under the slightest pressure. Mando used two hands to carry it now, leaving only three fingers free for his weapon. He moved as quickly as possible through the network of plushly carpeted hallways toward the exit. It was some distance, and the going was slow especially under his burden. The odds of running into an armed patrol were growing larger by the second. They must have added extra on-duty personnel after the cameras went out. He turned a corner and ran right into someone. He nearly fumbled the vase and his gun and flinched to hear a cracking sound. The other person was knocked to the ground by his impact. She was alone and dressed in the same dark blue uniform all the non-security personnel seemed to wear. In the time it took Mando to regain his grip, she collected herself and stood back up gaping at him and his awkward load. One scream from her would mean the end of the road for him. Both of them stood frozen staring at each other. Behind his helmet, sweat dripped down his forehead and stung his eyes. All he could do was wait; he was entirely at her mercy.

Footsteps sounded behind him...lots of them. Without seeming to think about it, she gulped and slammed her palm against the control panel on the wall by his shoulder. He expected an alarm to go off. Instead, the bracelet on her wrist lit up and beeped once. A well-concealed door slid open revealing a small, dark room, likely some kind of closet. He glanced back at her in shock. Was she offering him a hiding place? Exasperated, she hissed, "Move it, you idiot!" He didn't need any more prompting. The door shut behind him just after he ducked inside. With an ear to the wall, he heard her voice say "Good morning," to the guards as she passed them. They greeted her back as if nothing were amiss. He hoped that meant the vase's empty display case hadn't been noticed yet, which also meant the security system hadn't finished booting up. The stomping feet marched past without incident, and it grew silent outside the closet. He didn't have much space to move around, but he set the vase on the floor without banging it against any shelves. Freed of the weight, he let out a deep sigh and finally caught his breath. He switched on his helmet light to get a look at the surroundings. Besides the various boxes and linens, the room was empty. He and the vase barely fit. The door had no panel on the inside and didn't budge when he pushed it. It looked like his only options were to blast his way through the door or sit tight and hope that girl would return to let him out...preferably before the security system came back online. He leaned as comfortably as possible against the wall and prepared to wait.