Secrecy

𝗖𝗵. 𝗜𝗜𝗜

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦

───────

SHE KNEW THAT SIMPLY STANDING around and watching the fight between the group of mercenaries, some droid, and a Mandalorian wouldn't do anything to help them get out of this situation. She needed to do something. So, without delay, she turned herself back toward the rusted red door that still stood strong behind her, and quickly rushed over to it again before she began to work on opening the bolted metal again.

Sounds of blaster bolts hitting several people echoed from behind her, a sound undoubtedly being caused by the other Mandalorian who seized the day, but she paid it no mind as she quietly continued to work.

Taking a few moments to look over the damage of the wires before her, she discovered that they were all completely done for, with no hope of getting them up and running again... she sighed in defeat as she leaned back onto her folded legs. She stared at the problem before her with an uncertain deminer looming over her, looking at the fried wires as if she could will them back to life, but she knew that wasn't going to do anything about it.

One thing broken is another thing fixed.

Her random thought made her quickly reach her hand back out towards the panel, taking a handful of them into her grasp, and in one small swoop, ripped the entire cluster of cables out from the power box to which they were all connected. A sound of decompression made her chin turn towards the bolted door, finding that somehow, ripping all of its power out had solved the issue and made it open up. She honestly had not expected that to work... not that she was complaining about her newfound sense of luck.

"We need to get the door-" The sound of the Mandalorian cutting himself off caused her to turn around and face him, finding that he and the droid had taken out all of the mercenaries, and were now staring at her in a sense of astonishment. "-open," he finished his sentence as he stared at the door in surprise.

"Well?" she asked as she stood up within the open doorway. "I'm not waiting for you," she announced, turning away from the two of them as she began to walk forward, entering the dimly lit room that lay behind the door... the Mandalorian and IG unit not but two feet behind her.

Stepping inside the tawny-colored building, she was met with a blaster held in the hands of yet another mercenary, ready to shoot her down... he wouldn't be a problem for her, though. She didn't waste a single second before her blaster was raised in front of her visor and the trigger was pulled effortlessly, where she shot him first, and he was the one to fall to the ground limply. Her gaze fell to the floor as she lowered her blaster back down. He would not be getting back up again.

"Nice shot," the voice of the male Mandalorian spoke from behind her.

She sighed as she holstered her blaster, "Thanks," she replied simply.

She turned her head away from him as she took in the room that they now stood within. It was filled with dozens of random crates, tubs, and buckets that were all covered in a layer of sandy dust. Some of the containers were supplied with food rations, while others were full of spirits and spotchka, along with a few boxes that held any needed medical supplies... not that it was needed anymore. The walls were covered in the same sand that coated the crates, its surface beginning to crack, chipping away from the level of heat that soaked this planet. The floors were no different with all of the dust that was covering the tiles and making it slick to walk upon. It had not been well taken care of.

"The tracking fob is still active," the IG unit stated as it stopped and scanned the room. "My sensors indicate that there is a life form present," it quickly informed the two Mandalorians.

She turned her head towards the man who stood beside her. He was still holding the tracking fob in his gloved hand as he slowly turned from side to side, trying to determine where it was leading them, knowing that the person they sought after was inside the room which they stood within. He came to a stop as the beeping held a steady rhythm while aimed at a large egg-shaped compartment, concealed by a net of ropes in an attempt to hide it from prying eyes, only a few feet away from them.

She moved forward in a state of confusion as she looked down at the oval container, slowly reaching out towards it as she pushed the net off of it, revealing its cream-colored surface. Its paint had begun to chip away from its metal exterior and a few dents were embedded onto the top of it. She glanced behind herself as the other two came to stand beside her, unsure how this could possibly be where what—who—they were looking for, was hiding. Turning back toward the container, she reached out and pushed one of the buttons on the bottom of it, and the top sides of it slid open quietly...

Her curiosity quickly faded into a sense of shock and disbelief at what she saw lying inside the small container before her—how could this be possible?

"Wait," the man beside her said in bewilderment. "They said fifty years old," he was right, that had been what the client had told her as well, but this did not look like a fifty-year-old... it was an infant.

The tiny thing was wrapped in brown cloth, which he had begun to pull down to reveal his small wrinkly olive-green face, big ears forced downward in a droop as he looked up at the three beings before him. He was clutching onto his blanket with his three tiny fingers in a state of confusion. Big brown eyes peered up at her with a look of fear and curiosity about what he was staring at, obviously not knowing what was going on around him, not what would inevitably happen to him within the next few moments...

"Speicies age differently," the IG unit informs. "Perhaps it could live many centuries... sadly, we will never know," it announced while lifting the blaster in its metal hand, pointing the barrel of it towards the child before them, having no sense of care for the defenseless being.

"Enough," she said sharply as she laid her hand on the droid's blaster and forcefully lowered it away from the child.

"We'll take it in alive," the other Mandalorian agreed, but the droid did not share their change of heart, nor their compassion for the newfound child...

"The commission was quite specific," the droid reminded them. "The asset was to be terminated," it stated, lifting the blaster back up toward the child, ready to shoot the small thing.

She left her gaze on the droid beside her as she thought, uncertain of what she could do to save the defenseless infant at the unfortunate end of its blaster and yet, not understanding what was going on in front of him. He was harmless, confused, afraid, and abandoned... a child did not deserve to be killed for the sake of another's bounty. What price could you put on a child's life? Perhaps the small thing reminded her of herself when she was a young girl who had been taken away from everything she had ever known, left alone with nothing, defenseless with no one to protect her...

Within a short few seconds, before she was able to bring herself to take any action against the situation, someone else did—the Mandalorian that stood behind her raised his blaster to the droid's head and effortlessly pulled the trigger, sending a single shot out from the barrel, and shooting through its wire-filled head. His action destroyed its wiring systems and made the IG unit stop functioning as it fell to the ground with a clang... sparing the child from his once cruel fate.