Jana doesn't know what to do as a the blasters of a random bounty hunter's ship fires at the Razor Crest. Her partner, the Mandalorian, operates the weapons system and pilots the ship, so there really isn't anything for her to do besides hope for the best as he takes evasive action.
They fly through space, narrowly avoiding the blaster-fire that illuminates the interior of the cockpit red for only a second's time as it passes. Jana braces herself, her heart beating rapidly in her chest, as the Mandalorian steers the ship in a barrel role, the enemy bounty hunter still in pursuit.
"Hand over the Girl and the Child, Mando," The bounty hunter demands through the comms, finding the Razor Crest's channel. One of the blasts hits the Crest, making Jana gasp loudly as an alarm starts to go off, "I might let you live."
When they get hit again, Jana grunts, the ship starting to rattle slightly, she looks to the Child, who whimpers from the impact as they increase speed, "Mando-" Jana starts, but he cuts her off, glancing back at her for only a moment.
"We're fine, Jana," Then, a blast hits the engine, the cockpit's alarms only increasing, "Hold on," Mando instructs.
Jana braces herself, tightening her seatbelts and gripping them tightly as he barrel rolls, avoiding fire and making Jana's nerves spike slightly.
"I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold," The bounty hunter chasing them says through the comm.
Then, Jana jerks forward and her heart leaps into her throat as Mando deploys the brake-flaps, slowing them dramatically and sending the enemy ship flying out in front of them, making them start their own pursuit.
"That's my line," Mando cooly says, targeting the bounty hunter and shooting, taking out the ship in a single blast resulting in a thunderous explosion.
Jana's relief doesn't last long, because the alarms sounding are sharp and repetitive, "What can I do?" Jana asks, unbuckling and rushing to Mando. As her eyes scan the control panel, she tries to find the problem as the Mandalorian frantically flicks switches.
"We're losing fuel," Mando mutters, and before they lose power, Jana catches a glimpse of the map, and she knows exactly where in the outer rim they are, "Can you hit the emergency power?"
Peeling her eyes away from the now-blank screen, Jana moves back to her seat, hitting a switch that resides just behind the headrest, making the red-tone emergency lights flick on. Then, where Mando sits, he flicks switches, slowly but surely making each of the screens and lights turn back on.
Then, Jana looks out the window, seeing an all familiar planet getting closer and closer as a radio transmission comes through, "This is Mos Eisley Tower," The voice says, staticy but there, "We are tracking you. Head for bay three-five, over."
"Copy that," The Mandalorian responds, "Locked in for three-five."
As they approach the desert planet, Jana buckles herself back into her seat as they enter the atmosphere. The sight of the twin suns and sandy plains remind her of a different life, one that existed a long time ago.
When they get to the landing bay, the Razor Crest's landing is shaky from the damage done in battle, but nonetheless they land, and Jana is happy to be back on solid ground.
Both the Mandalorian and Jana get themselves ready, Jana secures her cloak over her shoulders to hide her holster, taking extra time to tighten her gauntlets and tuck her pants into her boots, preparing to keep as much sand out of them as she can while the Mandalorian soothes the Child to a sleep before setting him down in the cot and closing the compartment's door.
Then, the ramp to the Razor Crest lowers, and Jana sees three little repair droids heading towards the ship.
Their mistake.
When the Mandalorian's distrust of droids kicks in, he fires a warning shot from his blaster towards them, making the robots let out a high pitched yell before they condense and hide under their helmets.
"Hey!" A voice from inside the landing module yells, "Hey!" Jana's eyes raise to see a shorter woman with big hair storming out of the building, "You damage one of my droids, you'll pay for it!"
"Just keep them away from my ship," Mando says as the Woman gets close to them.
"Yeah?" The Woman mocks, looking up to the smoking engines that had been damaged in the chase, "You think that's a good idea, do you? Let's look at your ship."
The Woman leads them around the Razor Crest, banging on certain parts of it and making Jana raise a brow slightly, "Oof, look at that," She mutters before pulling out some kind of scanner, "You got a lot of carbon scoring building up top. If I didn't know any better I'd think you were in a shootout."
Jana can't help the small chuckle that escapes her, "Do we really seem like the type?" She playfully asks, earning an eye roll from the stranger as she turns back to the ship.
There's a few things the Mechanic mutters that Jana doesn't catch before she turns back to the her and the Mandalorian, "You got a fuel leak. Look at that, this is a mess. How did you even land? That's gonna set you back."
When the Mechanic walks back to them, the Mandalorian tilts his helmet slightly, "I've got five hundred imperial credits," He says while handing her the money.
The Woman takes the money, "That's all you got?" She asks, "Well, what do you guys think?" When the droids seem to chatter back at her, the Mechanic looks up to their ship, "That should at least cover the hanger."
Jana reaches into her pocket, taking out a bit of the money that she's been carrying for what seems like forever, "What about another hundred?"
The Mechanic takes it from her, "A couple of the repairs."
From Jana's side, the Mandalorian lets out a sigh, "We'll get you your money."
"Hmm," The Woman hums, placing an unimpressed hand on her hip, "I've heard that before."
"Just remember-" The Mandalorian starts, but the Mechanic cuts him off.
"Yeah, no droids. I heard you. You don't have to say it twice."
With this, Jana nods to the door, and the Mandalorian follows her out of the hanger and into the town.
Mos Eisley of Tatooine.
As they walk, there are many old, dusty stormtrooper helmets on spikes, and Jana is suddenly very aware of the dark, imperial robes that cover her.
Getting an idea, Jana slows their pace, making Mando slow as well, tilting his helmet in question, "Head to the Cantina," She instructs, "Someone there is always looking for a bounty hunter."
"What about you?" The Mandalorian asks.
Jana smirks up at him, "I have a couple of errands to run, I'll be back here in an hour."
"I've heard stories of Mos Eisley before," Mando says, "I don't think you should be alone."
"Would it be better if I followed you into a pit of bounty hunters when I have a massive price on my head?" Jana asks, her tone a bit sarcastic. Hearing the Mandalorian sigh, Jana gives him a reassuring smile and she pats her leg over her cloak where he knows her holster resides, "You know I can handle myself, Mando."
"Half an hour," The Mandalorian says, holding up a finger, "Then you meet me here."
Jana nods, taking a few steps backwards, "Half an hour."
---
Jana Calmiken is no stranger to Mos Eisley. She recalls when the Hutts used to control the planet, it was much more dangerous then. Jana finds the market she's looking for very quickly. The storekeep is different than she remembers, but they help her out nonetheless, and Jana makes sure she releases her hair from its braid so her implant is concealed. In the store, she buys new robes with the few credits she didn't offer to the mechanic.
The new clothes are different from the imperial ones, a bit lighter, shades of light and dark greys woven together. Jana looks normal when she puts them on, immediately throwing out the old ones and securing her cloak over her shoulders yet again before heading back to the square she had come from, immediately spotting the Mandalorian.
When he sets his gaze on her, he says, "New robes?"
"You think I want to take any chances in a town with stormtroopers on spikes?" Jana asks as they fall into step beside one another, heading back to the hanger, "Did you find a job?"
"Young bounty hunter trying to get into the guild in way over his head," Mando states, "Ever heard of Fennec Shand?"
The name sends a chill of familiarity over Jana's spine, "I have. She's a good shot."
The Mandalorian huffs, "Great."
When they make their way back to the hanger, the Razor Crest is in the middle of its repairs, and Jana stays outside while Mando heads in, rebraiding her hair down her back. She would keep her hair down if she had the option, but if she were to extend her scope from her implant, it would get horribly tangled or stuck, so it's easier to keep it out of the way.
Then, as she finishes, the Mandalorian is rushing out of the ship, "The kid's gone," He spits out, making Jana's heart pick up its pace in her chest. She follows his gaze to the building to a window they can see the Mechanic in, "Hey!" The Mandalorian roughly shouts.
"Where is he?!" Jana asks a droid, her voice just as hard as the Mandalorian's.
Then, the Mechanic comes out holding the Child in her arms, "Quiet!" She calls back before cooing to the Child. Bringing her eyes back to the Bounty Hunter and the Assassin, she yells, "You woke it up! Do you have any idea how long it took me to get it to sleep?"
"Give him to me," Jana demands, stepping forward, "Now."
"Not so fast!" The Mechanic hisses, testing Jana's nerves. Under her cloak, Jana sets a hand on her blaster, "You can't just leave a child all alone like that. You know, you two have an awful lot to learn about raising a young one."
Fair point.
Still, Jana holds out her arms, and the Mechanic places the Child in her grasp. Jana holds the little creature close, feeling relieved as she sees he isn't injured. The brunette turns to the Mandalorian, letting him inspect the kid as well.
"Anyway," The Mechanic starts, taking her eyes off the Child in Jana's arms, "I started the repair on the fuel leak," She hits a button on a machine, as the Mandalorian heads back into his ship to grab some equipment, "I had a couple setbacks I want to talk to you about. You know, I didn't use any droids, as requested, so it took me a lot longer than I expected," The Mandalorian returns and the Mechanic looks to him, "But I figured you two were good for the money since you have an extra mouth to feed."
From her arms, Jana can't help but smile slightly as the Child lets out a small coo.
"Thank you," The Mandalorian says, moving to the door.
Jana moves to hand the Child back to the Mechanic, "Would you mind watching him for a while longer?" She asks politely as she follows after her partner.
"Oh," The Mechanic nods, taking the Child, "I guess I was right. You guys got a job, didn't you?" As the partners move, the Mechanic chases after them, "You know it's costing me a lot of money to keep these droids even powered up."
Then, a new voice says, "Hey Mando!" Looking up, Jana sees a familiar face that she can't quite put a name to. She feels like it's at the tip of her tongue when the man nods to a bike identical to the one he's leaning on, "Not too shabby, huh?"
"I asked you for three," The Mandalorian grumbles out, setting his bag on the other bike.
"I know, but this is all I could afford," The Hunter says, watching as the Mandalorian inspects the bike, "What'd you expect? This ain't Corellia," Then, when the man nods to the Mechanic behind Jana, "Ma'am," The brunette comes to a realization. She had met this man before he could even be called a man.
A grin breaks out over her face, "Little Toro Calican?!" Jana asks, making the man turn to her, having the same astonished grin break out on his face.
He makes his way towards her, "Kriff, Jana Calmiken! I don't believe it!" The Mechanic and the Mandalorian watch as the two, who apparently know each other, share a joyful embrace, Toro spinning Jana once before setting her down, "Maker, I haven't seen you since I was a kid, and you were, what, sixteen?"
Jana nods, swallowing nervously at the mention of her age at the time she won her title. The tracking of the Killshot before her had brought her to Toro's home-planet in the mid-rim, and she sought sanctuary with his family for a few weeks before the search led her back to Tatooine, the very planet they stand on now, "That's right. It's good to see you again."
Separating, Toro looks to the Mandalorian before his eyes go back to Jana, "You're this guy's partner?"
"I am," Jana happily nods, "You're the young bounty hunter in over his head?"
"Jana," The Mandalorian says, getting the brunette's attention, "We need to go."
"Right," Jana separates from her old friend, heading to the Mandalorian's speeder.
Toro's smirk only grows, "You could always ride with me, Calmiken."
The Mandalorian gets on the bike, and Jana automatically gets on behind him, "Maybe next time, Calican."
The young bounty hunter seems to huff to himself, pulling a set of goggles up to his eyes and a scarf over the bottom half of his face as the engines start. Jana holds onto the Mandalorian and as soon as Toro sets off, they're following him, Jana's cloak flapping in the wind behind them.
---
Riding across the desert sea is a long, dry, dusty journey. Jana has no doubt the sand is embedded into her cloak, making it much lighter than its original black. However, it doesn't bother the brunette much, she just holds tight to her partner as they fly over the dunes on the speeder bike.
Eventually though, they slow, the Mandalorian holding up a fist to signal to Toro to stop his bike as well.
"What's going on?" The rookie bounty hunter asks.
Mando points in the direction they had been headed, "Look. Up ahead."
Jana resists tapping her implant, not wanting to draw the attention of her old friend. If he wants to be in the guild, he may know of the bounty hanging over Killshot, so far, he seems to have no idea that Jana Calmiken and Killshot are one and the same. So, she just waits, watching as Toro takes a pair of binoculars out and hops off the bike.
"Tusken raiders," Toro announces after a second, "I heard the locals talking about this filth."
Jana can't help the scoff that escapes her, "Tuskens are the locals," She says, earning a snort, "They're going to think we're trespassing."
"Whatever they call themselves, they best keep their distance."
"Yeah?" The Mandalorian remarks, and Jana bites back a smirk, knowing the bounty hunter is mocking the rookie, "Why don't you tell them yourself?"
When Toro puts down his binoculars, he's met with two of the Tuskens standing right before them. Jana and the Mandalorian had watched them approach, not saying anything purely to see the young bounty hunter jump two feet in the air.
Mando gets off the bike, giving Jana a hand as well before walking over, "Relax," He tells Toro before starting to move his hands. Jana raises her brow, a silent display of her surprise of the Mandalorian's knowledge of Tusken-sign.
"What are you doing?" Toro asks.
The Mandalorian doesn't waiver, "Negotiating."
One of the Tuskens starts to sign back in response, and when they're done, the Mandalorian takes his time to respond.
Toro leans in close to Jana, "What's going on?"
"We need passage across their land," Jana explains, watching the Tusken's demand. She knows Tusken -sign as well so when she sees what they want, she almost laughs, "Hand me your binocs," She requests.
"What, why?"
Jana doesn't respond, she just wiggles the fingers of her waiting hand. Toro places the device in her palm, and she hands them over to Mando, who had also been waiting. Toro watches in horror as the Mandalorian tosses the binoculars over to the Tusken raiders as a trade for passage.
"Those were brand new!" Toro complains.
"Yeah?" Mando says, climbing back onto the speeder bike, "They were."
He waits for Jana to climb on behind him, allowing her to get a good grip on him before the engine revs, and they're on their way again.
---
Time passes rather quickly on the back of a speeder bike, and before Jana knows it, Mando his holding his fist up to Toro again, signalling for him to stop. Immediately both Jana and the Mandalorian are hopping off of the bike, the helmeted bounty hunter saying to the rookie, "Get down."
Jana follows her partner, laying beside him as they peer over the top of a dune, Toro coming down on the other side of her, both of the men with their blasters in-hand.
"Alright," Mando says, looking over Jana to Toro, "Tell me what you see."
"Dewback," Toro immediately responds, watching the creature as it grazes a small area of sand, "Looks like the rider is still attached. Is that her? Is that the target?"
Jana shakes her head, "Not a chance," She says, knowing Fennec Shand would never be that sloppy. Before them, the beast seems to ignore its fallen rider as it searches for scents in the sand. In the distance, there's a ridge, a huge rock formation in the middle of the dune sea that makes Jana's heart skip a beat.
Sparing a glance to the brunette, Toro starts to rise from the sand when the Mandalorian's voice stops him, "I'll go. You cover me. Stay down," When he pulls out his blaster, he nods at Jana, "Jana?"
"I'm on it," The woman nods taking out her own blaster, from the corner of her eye she can see Toro eyeing the weaponry. But, he doesn't say anything about her title, so she doesn't comment on it either.
Watching as the Mandalorian runs down to the Dewback, Jana keeps her finger on the trigger. She watches as he approaches the fallen rider, flipping the body over.
"Well, is it her?" Toro calls out, "Is she dead?"
"It's another bounty hunter!" The Mandalorian calls back, kneeling before the dead.
"Hey, I hope you don't plan on keeping all that stuff for yourself!" Toro yells, "Can I at least have that blaster?!"
However, when the Mandalorian slowly rises, a bad feeling settles into the pit of Jana's stomach, "Get down!" He screams out, starting to run back to where his small crew lays beyond a dune.
Then, a blast comes from the ridge in the distance, hitting the Mandalorian and sending him to the sand.
Jana yells out for him, having not choice but to tap her implant, bringing out her scope. Immediately, the red-tinted glass is zoning in on the ridge. There, Jana sees the other assassin behind a sniper rifle. The Mandalorian stands back to his feet, rushing to his partner.
As another blast comes, Jana switches her target, and when she pulls the trigger, her laser blast meets the incoming one, making an explosion of sparks erupt in the sky, blast meeting blast and cancelling each other out, just as the Mandalorian leaps over the lip of the dune, landing beside her.
Toro looks between the set of partners, "What happened?!" He frantically asks, his eyes wide.
Jana keeps her gaze on Fennec through her scope, "Sniper bolt," Jana responds, "I'm looking at an MK-modified rifle. It's the only other blaster that could make that shot."
"The only other blaster?" Toro repeats.
"Besides this one," The brunette deadpans, adjusting her grip on the weapon in her hands, Jana spares a glance to the Mandalorian, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Mando nods, "Hit me in the beskar, and at that range beskar held up."
"Wait," Toro says, slightly panicked, "I don't wear any beskar."
"Nope."
"Well, so what do we do?"
The Mandalorian looks to his partner, "You see where that shot came from?"
"The ridge," Jana immediately says back, "I have eyes on her."
"Okay, good," The Mandalorian nods, "We're gonna wait until dark."
Toro looks confused, "What if she escapes?"
"She won't," Jana assures, "She has the high ground. She'll wait for us to make the first move. She'd be an idiot not to."
The Mandalorian slides down the dune to the bikes, "I'm going to rest, you take the first watch. Stay low."
Looking through her scope, Jana can see Fennec take a hand off of her blaster, adjusting her helmet. When she does so, Jana can't help herself, she lifts her hand and wiggles her fingers to the mercenary in a mocking wave, earning the same action in return, making her chuckle.
Toro looks at her funny, "What? What'd she do?"
"Nothing," Jana responds, "Just letting her know I'm watching."
"You know Fennec Shand?"
Jana can't help the smirk on her lips, "Let's just say we've worked together before."
"Because you're Killshot," Toro nods, making Jana's smirk falter slightly, "Since when are you Killshot?"
Shifting slightly, Jana sighs, "Remember the last time you saw me?"
"Yeah, of course, the day you left our house."
"A couple of weeks after that."
"Really?" Toro remarks, "That long?"
"That long," Jana confirms, tapping her implant and retracting her scope, she points up to the ridge, highlighting a certain area, "Keep watch through your blaster's scope there, she's not going anywhere anytime soon."
"Where are you going?" Toro asks as Jana holsters her blaster.
"To rest," Jana answers, already sliding down the dune, "You're the one on watch."
When Jana reaches the bikes, one of which the Mandalorian is already leaning against, Jana reaches into the Mandalorian's bag for a cloth to clean the weaponry with.
When she sits next to him, the Mandalorian's helmet tilts towards her, "How do you know this kid?" He asks, voice low so Toro doesn't hear from where he's positioned.
"That's a long story," Jana whispers back.
"We have time."
Jana smirks over at her partner, starting to take apart her weapon, "I guess we do," She mutters before letting out a small sigh, "Before I took the title I had to track down the Killshot before me," She starts, keeping her voice low, "This Twi'lek woman took the title from my grandfather and killed my father when he challenged her for it, my oldest brother too."
"You had a brother?"
"I still have two, and an older sister," Jana nods, "I'm the youngest of five. We were supposed to challenge for the title in our birth order. We were raised to want to be Killshot and my sister was next, but after seeing my father and Evan die, I couldn't let her," Jana explains, mindlessly cleaning the gun on her lap while Mando takes in her every word, "So I defied the order and left before she did. I haven't seen any of them since. The Handler hates me so much because she believes I'm not the rightful holder of the title."
"Aren't you?"
"So far," Jana nods, "When I left to track the Twi'lek, I was led to a small planet in the mid-rim. Toro's planet. I got into a bit of a situation," Jana breathes, pulling down the high-collar of her robes to show the Mandalorian the skin there, which holds a scar from the edge of her left collar bone to the center of the base of her neck. Someone had tried to cut her open. Beneath the helmet, the Mandalorian's eyes run over the fair skin, smooth and soft-looking other than the scar. When Jana pulls her collar back up, the Mandalorian finds himself disappointed, his own thoughts confusing him slightly, "Toro's father found me, took me in and gave me a place to heal in his home. I was with them for a few weeks," Jana can't help but chuckle at the memory, "I was surprised he even remembered me, he was just a kid. When I was strong enough to leave, I tracked the Twi'lek here; to Tatooine. I challenged her and took the title on the same ridge we're making Toro stare at right now."
Mando watches Jana's hand as she carefully starts to put her blaster back together, expertly clicking the pieces into place as he mutters, "Small galaxy."
Finishing reassembling the blaster, Jana looks up to her partner, "You have no idea."
---
Toro looks out to the ridge, he hasn't taken his eyes from the spot Jana told him to for hours. When night falls on Tatooine, the rookie bounty hunter calls out, "Alright, suns are down. Time to ride!" But, when he turns to face his crew, his next words die on his tongue. He hadn't expected to see Jana with her head resting on the Mandalorian's shoulder, her hands wrapped around his arm, holding it as she sleeps, both of them leaning up against a speeder-bike.
"Come on, you guys," Toro says as he stands, dusting off his sandy hands, "Wake up!" When neither of the beings stir, Toro lets out a tut, "Look at you two, asleep on the job." For a second, Toro turns away before whipping back, pulling out his blaster and pointing it at the pair.
Then, after he performs a sloppy blaster turn on his finger, he flinches as Jana suddenly awakens, her scope fully extended and blaster raised. Toro falls backwards from the scare, backing up in the sand and making Jana smirk.
There's nothing more terrifying than looking down the barrel of Killshot's gun.
"You done?" Mando nonchalantly asks.
Toro scrambles back to his feet, dusting himself off, "Yeah. I was just, you know, waking you guys up. Come on."
Jana can't help the chuckle that escapes her, as both she and Mando stand up from the sand, "Sure thing, Calican."
Ignoring Toro as he rolls his eyes, the Mandalorian gestures to the speeders, "Get on your bike," He demands, "Ride as fast as you can towards those rocks."
"That's your plan?" Toro asks, climbing onto his speeder, "She'll snipe us right off the bikes."
When she climbs on the bike behind the Mandalorian, he tosses a small device to Toro, "It's a flash charge," Mando explains, "We alternate shots, it'll blind any scope temporarily. Combine that with our speed and we got a chance."
"A chance?" Toro repeats, his brows raised high, "Shouldn't we keep from blinding scopes, I mean, what about hers?" He asks, words fast and panicked as he gestures to Jana.
The woman only smirks, retracting her scope, "I don't need it," Toro doesn't look any less worried, "You wanted this," She says, seriously, "Get ready."
Then, the Mandalorian revs the engine, and only after Jana gets a good grip on him, they're heading full speed over the sand dune that had concealed them for so long. Jana keeps one arm around the Mandalorian, keeping herself steady, her other hand on her blaster and eyes on the ridge, waiting for the spark of the sniper bolt. If Fennec shoots towards them, Jana's blast would meet it before it hits target, resulting in the same explosion of sparks as before.
The Mandalorian is the first to fire a flash charge, the flare lighting up the sky as they soar over the dune sea.
Then, once it fades, the ridge lets off a spark. Killshot raises her blaster, pulling the trigger as it gets close, the explosion of blast meeting blast igniting between the two speeder bikes, "Now!" The Mandalorian yells to Toro.
The rookie lets off his charges, and Killshot shoots down another incoming blast, the Mandalorian swerving slightly to change up their route as they get closer and closer to the ridge.
However, the flare doesn't head up, it heads down into the sand. Unfortunately, when the Mandalorian steers out of it's way, Jana's grip on him slips slightly, and she curses. But by the time she brings her blaster up after her falter, Fennec has shot again.
The blast meets the front of their speeder bike, sending both the Mandalorian and Killshot flying over its handle bars. They roll through the sand, and all Killshot can think of is the fact that she's out in the open, unprotected. As if he can read her thoughts, the Mandalorian manages to raise his arm, firing his flash charge and allowing Toro to make the final distance to the ridge.
Then, Fennec lets off another shot, and it hits the Mandalorian as he manages to stand, sending him right back to the sand.
Jana holds her breath, waiting for another blast. But, when it doesn't come, Jana extends her scope, looking to the ridge. Once it focuses, Jana can see Toro engaging Fennec. So, Jana gets up, moving to her partner who now has a massive singe mark on his beskar chest plate, smoke coming from his armour.
"Mando," Jana tries as she crouches by his head, turning slightly when she hears blaster fire from up in the rocks, "Kriff. Mando!"
Then, as Jana is about to stand and run up to the ridge to help Toro, the Mandalorian lets out a low groan, sitting up completely, his hands going to his chest plate, feeling for damage just as more blaster-fire emits. Without saying anything, Jana helps her partner to his feet and he follows her up to the rocks.
When they get there, Fennec has Toro in a compromising choke-hold, and Jana raises her blaster.
'Nice distraction," The Mandalorian says, getting the attention of the fighting pair. When Fennec crans her neck, seeing both the Mandalorian and Killshot holding their blasters in her direction, she holds her hands up, releasing Toro from the compromising hold.
Fennec looks to Jana, no doubt recognizing her, "K.S.," The assassin nods as Toro recovers, gasping out something along the lines of, 'Yeah, good work, partners.'
"Shand," Jana returns, keeping steady with her aim, "Nothing personal, just business."
"As usual."
The Mandalorian ignores the exchange between the set of assassins, tossing a set of restraints down to Fennec, "Cuff yourself," He instructs, and Fennec listens as the Mandalorian looks to Toro, grumbling out, "Why don't you go find your blaster?"
Looking up to the bounty hunter as Toro walks to the edge of the ridge, Fennec gives a knowing smirk that gives Jana a bad feeling, "A Mandalorian. It's been a long time since I've seen one of your kind," Fennec stands, "And you're working with Killshot. Ever been to Nevarro?" The bad feeling grows in Jana's stomach, "I hear things didn't go so well there, but it looks like you both got off easy."
"You don't have to worry about getting to Nevarro," Toro says, picking up his fallen blaster and setting it back into his holster, "Or anywhere else, once we turn you in. You know, I really should thank you. You're my ticket into the guild."
"You're welcome," Fennec mutters as the group starts to head back down the ridge.
When they make it down to the sand, they come to a poor realization.
They're left with only one bike.
"Uh-oh," Fennec sarcastically mocks, "Looks like some of us will have to walk."
"Or we could drag you," The Mandalorian deadpans, nudging Fennec to sit in the sand. As Jana passes her, the pair share a look while the brunette follows her partners to the lone speeder-bike.
"Alright," Toro says, looking between Jana and the Mandalorian, "So what is the plan?"
Jana thinks for a second, "The Dewback," She declares after a second.
"Toro," The Mandalorian says, nodding to Jana's idea, "You need to go find it. It couldn't have gotten far."
"And leave you two here with my bounty and my ride?" Toro asks, making Jana roll her eyes at the distrust, "Yeah, I don't think so, Mando."
There's a long pause as the Mandalorian looks to the distance. He looks to them after the moment passes, "Okay," He says, "I'll do it. Watch her, and don't let her get near the bike. She's no good to us dead."
Toro nods, and Mando turns to walk, nodding for Jana to follow him, so she does. Once they're out of earshot the Mandalorian turns to her, "Stay with them, make sure she doesn't get near the bike."
Jana nods, a playful smirk gracing her lips as she looks up to her partner, "Did you want to talk to me in private just to tell me the exact same thing?"
"Don't let your guard down with either of them, Jana," Mando warns, his hand reaching of one of hers, holding it between them, "If she knows about Nevarro, she knows about your bounty."
Jana nods, "Right."
"Be careful," The Mandalorian says, taking a step back.
Jana squeezes his hand once before she releases it, "You too."
---
Jana doesn't say a word as the twin suns of Tatooine start to rise. The three, Toro, Fennec and Jana, hadn't said a word all night, each of them waiting for Mando to return with the dewback.
Without a word spoken between any of them, Jana remembers Mando's warning not to let her guard down. However, since she got to Tatooine she's had a nagging feeling, something she has to do; a Killshot tradition.
She has to return to the sight she won the title.
Getting up from where she leans on the ridge, she walks over to Toro where he sits on the speeder bike, "There's something I have to do," Jana states, her eyes shifting over to Fennec for a moment. Mando's words bounce around in her head, but she reminds herself she would only be gone for a couple of minutes.
"Where are you going?" Toro asks, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"Just up onto the Rocks," Jana shrugs, "I'll be back soon."
"You're going to leave me with her?"
"You've done fine so far," Jana says, taking out her blaster and setting it onto his lap, "Just keep that pointed at her and she'll leave you alone. I'll be right back."
Toro doesn't argue with her as she sets off towards the rocks, and she's sure that as soon as she turns her back he's already freaking over the Killshot blaster being in his grasp.
The thought doesn't bother her as she climbs up the rocks, higher than where they found Fennec and Toro fighting.
She climbs until she reaches the spot, marked by one tree; probably the only tree in the entire dune sea and when she looks at it, Jana feels like she's sixteen again.
She's back at the very place she won her Killshot challenge. The place she avenged her father and her brother. The spot she protected her siblings from marching off to their deaths and became the assassin of legend.
This is the place where Jana Calmiken ended, and Killshot began.
Lowering herself to her knees, Jana closes her eyes, her hands touching the rough, dry ground beneath her. Hallowed ground grown sacred from the blood that had been shed there. As she prays, Jana can remember it clearly. The Twi'lek had shot first, and the young, determined, Jana narrowly avoided it before releasing a blast of her own, killing the woman and taking the title as hers. She remembers vividly harvesting the scope, a gruesome process that had made her throw up, taking the blaster and returning home so it would be prepared for her. Sanitized and reset.
However, when she returned, her mother was outraged, her siblings betrayed. There, she was labelled a disgrace, an outrage. Nonetheless, Ange Calmiken, Jana's mother, became the Handler, turning herself and her daughter over for slavery within the Empire a few years later.
While the muttered, sacred words leave Jana's lips, she reflects. When she obtained the title, she loved it as she was taught to. The bloodshed fuelled her, and she was ruthless; killing without question. But, the more innocent lives she took, the more she grew to dread the blaster.
When the Empire fell and her life was spared by the same Jedi that defeated the emperor, Jana came to her senses, seeing the title for what it really is;
A burden.
Years would go by, and Jana would still operate by the order of the Handler, as well as the small number of imperials that were still lingering.
Then, however, she was assigned to the Mandalorian; the greatest assignment she had received, because it was the one that brought Jana Calmiken back to life when she was thought to be dead.
Finishing her prayer, Jana lifts her hands, bringing them together in front of her chest and lowering her forehead to the ground in the ceremonial asking of luck and accuracy from Killshots of the past.
When she rises, however, she hears a blaster click. Instinctively, she reaches for her own, only to find her holster empty. She squeezes her eyes closed, raising her hands and expecting to see Fennec when she turns around. Instead, she finds Toro holding her own blaster towards her, finger on the trigger. In his other hand, he holds the very cuffs that were around Fennec's wrists.
"What are you doing, Toro?" Jana asks, "Where's Fennec?"
"Fennec is dead," Toro responds, tossing the cuffs to the dirt in front of Jana, "Cuff yourself."
Jana doesn't move, she keeps her hands raised, "You don't want to do this."
"I want to be a legend," Toro responds, automatically. Her old friend's cold tone makes chills run up Jana's spine, "Two massive bounties and the Mandalorian that shot up Nevarro? That's getting me into the Guild. They'll worship me."
The mention of her partner makes Jana's nerves multiply, "Toro, leave him out-"
"Leave him out of this?" Toro laughs, "Not a chance, Killshot," He tightens his grip on her blaster, "Now cuff yourself."
Slowly, Jana listens, securing the bindings to her own wrists. Toro holsters her blaster, hauling her up by the forearm and dragging her down to the desert sands beneath the rock formation.
When they get to the bike, Toro makes Jana get on first, "Hold onto my belt, and if you try anything I'll leave you like I left Fennec."
Jana's gaze lingers on the other assassin, anger boiling up in her chest at the sight of the dead woman. This happened because Jana let her guard down. Killshot had managed to take another life without intention.
Then, Toro revs up the engine, and takes the bounty away.
---
It's mid-day when the Mandalorian returns on the Dewback, a bad feeling settles over his entire being. In the sand lies Fennec Shand, and no sign of Toro, the speeder-bike, or his partner. In his bones he knows Jana wouldn't betray him, and he also knows there's no way Toro would leave without Fennec.
Unless he found a bigger bounty.
Sighing to himself, the Mandalorian knows what's happened, and he knows what he has to do.
He just has to get there in time.
---
The Mandalorian had pushed the Dewback to go as quickly as possible, but when he makes it back to Mos Eisley night had fallen yet again. He gets back to the hanger, seeing a familiar speeder-bike parked out front.
Pulling out his blaster, the Mandalorian ducks into the building, creeping slowly and carefully.
He heads down a small staircase, gun drawn and senses on edge as he listens for something, anything, that would lead him to the hunter that betrayed him.
With suspense building, the Mandalorian comes to attention when one of the Mechanic's droids skitters across the floor, heading into a room with a large window before ducking down. Almost as if it's hiding from something.
Then, the voice rings out, "Took you long enough, Mando."
Raising his blaster higher, towards the entrance of his own ship, the Mandalorian watches as Toro comes out from the shadows, in one arm he carries the Child. In his other hand, Toro holds what Mando assumes to be a blaster behind the back of the Mechanic, whose hands are free, and hold a gun. Before Mando can do anything else, though, Jana walks out, her wrists shackled. The gun that the Mechanic holds shakes as she holds it at the woman as they slowly walk down the Razor Crest's ramp. She didn't ask for this.
Toro had this whole thing choreographed for when Mando made his entrance.
"Looks like I'm calling the shots now," Toro taunts, "Huh, partner?"
Jana clenches her jaw, not wanting to make eye contact with the Mandalorian through his helmet, ashamed that she had been caught so easily. She had given up her own blaster. Mando, however, can't bring himself to care as he checks both Jana and the Child over for injuries beneath his helmet.
"Drop your blaster and raise 'em," Toro demands.
Jana watches as her partner slowly lowers his weapon before tossing it onto the sandy ground. He takes his time raising his hands behind his head, as if he were buying himself time to think.
"Cuff him," Toro tells the Mechanic, nudging her with his blaster. When the woman moves, Toro redirects the blaster in his hands to aim at Jana, who doesn't move as the Mechanic moves to the Mandalorian, the air thick with tension around them.
It's then that Mando realizes Toro is holding Killshot's blaster, and his muscles tense up even further.
"You're a guild traitor, Mando," Toro says, his voice loud and confident, "And I'm willing to bet that these two," He continues, nudging Jana's temple with the blaster's barrel before moving it over to the Child in his arms, "Are the targets that you helped escape," Jana's almost relieved when the blaster returns to her instead of the kid, "Fennec was right. Bringing you in won't just make me a member of the Guild, it'll make me legendary."
Then, when Toro raises his blaster to aim at the Mandalorian, a flash charge goes off behind the Mandalorian's head. Jana gasps, squeezing her eyes closed at the sudden brightness, Toro randomly firing into the hangar.
Opening her eyes and squinting in the bright light, Jana turns to Toro, using her cuffed, bound, wrists to swing at the hand that holds the blaster, knocking it from his grip and making him yell out. Quickly, Jana grabs it from the ramp, jumping off of it and hiding herself underneath.
From underneath the Razor Crest, Jana sees Mando to the side of the ship, blaster raised. When he shoots, Toro lands on the other side of her, dead.
Jana rushes over to the body as the Mandalorian tells the Mechanic to, "Stay back."
However, the woman doesn't listen, and when Jana kicks Toro's body over, looking for the Child, they find nothing.
"Where is it?" The Mechanic asks.
The three of them look around, and Jana grows more and more panicked by the second as she looks for the kid.
Then, she hears a little babble, and when she turns, sure enough, the Child is peeking out from behind one of the Mechanic's many machines. Jana's relief floods into her bones as the Child holds up one of his little hands to them.
With her wrists still cuffed, Jana watches as the Mechanic crouches down, gently picking up the Child and sweetly mumbling, "There you are. Are you hiding from us, huh?"
While the Mechanic continues cooing to the Child, Jana looks back to the smoking body of who she thought to be an old friend. For a second, Jana considers squeezing her trigger, incinerating him completely, but when the Mechanic mumbles about how loud the blasts must have been for the Child's big ears, Jana resists.
The Mandalorian digs into Toro's belt, taking out the key for the cuffs as well as a small pouch of credits before he faces Jana, "Are you okay?" He asks, unlocking the restraints.
"Yeah," Jana nods, holstering her blaster as soon as her hands are free, "I'm fine. I'm sorry. H-he never should have gotten the jump on-"
"Jana," The Mandalorian says, stoping the brunette's rushed words with a gentleness she isn't used to when she makes a mistake, "You're okay. That's what matters."
Jana can't help the small smile that spreads over her lips at the Mandalorian's words. He turns away from her, heading to where the Mechanic stands with the Child. When he holds his arms out for him, the woman mutters, "Be careful with him," As she places the little green creature with the Mandalorian.
Over his shoulder, Jana watches as the once-scared expression on the kid's face changes into his normal, happy one, signalling that at the sight of Jana and her partner, the Child feels safe again.
"So," The Mechanic says after a moment, "I take it you two didn't get paid."
Wordlessly, the Mandalorian takes out the pouch he had taken from Toro's belt, pouring the contents, many credits, into the Mechanic's hands.
"That cover it?" Mando asks.
"Yeah," The woman nods, "Yes, this is gonna cover you."
When the Mandalorian starts to head up into the ship, Jana hangs behind for a second, "What's your name?" Jana asks the Mechanic.
"I'm Peli Motto," The Mechanic responds, pocketing her credits.
Jana smiles at the name, "Jana Calmiken," She offers, reaching out to shake the woman's hand, "Thank you for looking after the Child."
As Jana heads up the ramp into the Razor Crest, Peli ponders the name for a moment, "Calmiken," She repeats to herself, the familiarity behind it bringing an entire family to mind.
Shaking off the feeling, Peli calls out for the pit droids, and the Ramp to the Razor Crest closes.
---
After they leave Tatooine, once they're deep in space yet again, Jana looks to the Mandalorian, the Child deep asleep in the seat next to her.
Slowly, Jana rises, walking up to her partner's chair.
He doesn't jump, or stir when she places her hand on his shoulder pauldron.
"Thank you," She says, quietly.
The Mandalorian's chair slowly turns, and when Jana's hand falls from his armour, he picks it up in his gloved one, holding it for a moment and giving it the softest of squeezes.
Warm, reassuring, and above all things; a confirmation.
Just like that, with only the two words spoken between them, they seem to understand each other. They don't say much because they don't need to; everything they're thinking and feeling summed up in the one small embrace.
---
A/N:
Thank you for reading!! I hope you liked the little peek into Jana's history.
What did you think & what was your favourite part?:)
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