ix. repent for your sins

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chapter nine - act one
REPENT FOR YOUR SINS

chapter nine - act oneREPENT FOR YOUR SINS

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The burning of intoxicating liquid within the throat of Eden does not offer any comfort to her aching heart, yet she continues downing the horrid-tasting drinks in hopes that, eventually, she'll forget how she'd condemned the life of a child. Even the light haze that'd begun to cloud her mind cannot subdue the memories of the child's tearful eyes, silently begging her to save it from the Empire whilst she merely watched.

Lowering the drinking glass from her lips, she slams it against the surface of the bar, gesturing for the bartender to make her another. The hairs on the back of her neck remain stood at attention, the angered gazes of other bounty hunters never straying from her. She knew nearly all people within the guild had received fobs for the bounty she and Mando had received, and upon hearing someone had beat them to the task, they'd grown jealous.

Thanking the bartender as they slide another drink to her, Eden wraps her hands around the glass, her finger tapping absentmindedly upon it. Before she can raise it to her lips, her movements fall to a stop, her muscles tensing. The all too familiar beeping of active fobs erupts throughout the area, stemming from the ones other bounty hunters had placed upon the countertops; the fobs she knew to lead only to the child.

Rummaging through the contents of her jacket pockets, Eden retrieves the tracking fob which hadn't been active since she'd found the child on Arvala-7. Confusion washes over her upon seeing it, too, is beeping frantically, directing her to wherever the tiny creature may be. The Empire would never willingly set the asset free, which would leave only one option of how it'd escaped; Mando. Yet even now, after she'd grown to have some small sense of respect toward the man beneath the armour, she was doubtful. She couldn't believe it unless she witnesses it with her own eyes.

In hindsight, maybe Eden should've remained within the cantina, to remain blissful toward the events beyond those walls. But, as she watches the other bounty hunters unsheath their weapons and follow the path laid by their tracking fobs, her instincts win out. Whether it be the intoxication or her heart guiding her actions, she knows not, but she follows the crowd of bounty hunters all the same.

Through the sea of criminals that crowd around a specific area, Eden's eyes lock upon the familiar sight of Mando, though his armour appears newer than before. Her heart drops within her chest as she notices the unconscious child held gently in his arms, wrapped tightly in a blanket. Mando stands tense among the group of bounty hunters, the man surrounded by those who seek to kill the very creature he'd saved.

"Welcome back, Mando!" With authority woven deeply within his voice, Greef Karga, the man who held power over all those within the guild, emerges from the crowd. His hand rests lightly upon his hip, where his weapons remain holstered. The stony gaze in which he holds remains set upon the Mandalorian, sizing him up for a fight. "Now put the package down."

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