Lone Wolf

The Search

Kella burst into the only business open at this time of night: a tavern. Three people still sat at the bar. They were all hunched toward each other, deep in conversation. A Bothan man sat in the center with his head in his hands. One of the others placed a hand on his shoulder. The man behind the counter called out to her, "Sorry, I'm closing up. I was just doing last call." He didn't bother looking in her direction.

Kella blurted, "Have you seen a Mandalorian...a man wearing a helmet and full body armor? I think he was in town earlier today."

The bartender and his remaining customers quickly turned to stare daggers at her. None of them said another word. She stepped toward them. "He would've had a small child with him too." Still no response. Kella's voice grew desperate. "Please, my friends are in danger. They came to town this afternoon looking for a Nautillan woman. I was told they were attacked and captured...or maybe killed." Her voice cracked on the last word. "I only want to know what happened," she pleaded.

The Bothan man jumped to his feet and took a threatening step toward her. "Your armored friend was here," he snarled. "I had a bad feeling as soon as I saw him. I figured him for a bounty hunter from the look of him. He and Peg started talking, then they left together. I tried to talk sense into her, but she wouldn't listen." His glare was intense as he bit out, "Peg is the name of the Nautillan you people were looking for, by the way. Your Mandalorian led her right into a trap. A whole army of men was waiting for them."

Kella was too impatient to worry about angering him further. "What happened to them?" she demanded. "Were they all captured? Did they survive?" She waited while the Bothan made a sour face. The bartender started wiping down the counter. It was too much for her. She screamed at the top of her lungs, "TELL ME!"

The bartender threw down the rag and ordered the other customers out. As they filed past, the Bothan looked her square in the eyes with a cruel smile. "The Mandalorian is dead." Kella started shaking her head, but he kept going, "When those soldiers came through, I followed and saw what happened...from a distance. There were too many for me to do anything." His hands fisted by his sides and he dropped his eyes. Kella thought Peg must have meant a lot to him. The Bothan continued, "Peg and the little green child were captured and taken up to their cruiser. They'll be long gone by now. Who knows where they were taken. Your friend's body landed in the river. It will be far downstream by now, so you'll have nothing to bury." He didn't sound sincere when he added, "My condolences."

"Where—" Kella began with a shaky voice and then tried again, "Where did it happen?"

The Bothan pointed, "The river is couple of kilometres south. You can find the exact location of the attack by looking for the scorched areas." Kella started to thank him, but he cut her off, "You better hurry before the rain starts." His shoulders slumped as he trudged back to finish his drink.

Kella turned and sprinted back to her speeder bike. It had cost her the last of her remaining credits to rent it. Before today, Kella had no idea how to pilot a speeder bike. By some miracle, she'd made the journey in one piece. Navigating unfamiliar terrain after dark had made the going slower than she could bear in her desperate state. Now her knuckles were white and cramped from gripping the steering so tightly. Her bike was parked next to the charred remains of Mando's. Mr. Paravyn's private army was nothing if not thorough. She only hoped they hadn't destroyed the Razor Crest as well. However, she was betting an explosion like that in the middle of Dacara would draw more attention than they wanted. Regardless of how rich Mr. Paravyn was, he didn't have the authority to kidnap people. The men probably had orders to keep a low profile if possible. Hopping back on, she jetted toward the river. Despite being told it was hopeless, she couldn't shake off the sense of urgency. Until she saw the evidence for herself, it was all just hearsay.