Bounty Hunter Anon

by Sunny Solaire

Old Wounds and New Fears

Once the doctors had finished bandaging you and Sunset up, you both were asked to wait in the detention center. Applejack, Big Mac, and Maud had left to attend to some other task they had to perform, but they told you that they would be back. So you and Sunset were here now, waiting for them to return. Luckily, neither of you were locked up this time.

Now that the tension had died down and you weren’t seen as a Sith anymore, you were curious as to how the Republic tracked you down. The whole thing with the death sticks seems strange, especially now that you know the Republic is conducting their own investigation about it. You just figured it just delivered a stronger buzz while simultaneously destroying your brain in the process, but apparently, there’s a larger game afoot. You’re just not seeing the whole picture yet...

…

Woah, why are you thinking about this? Why should you care?

Whoever is making this stuff has gotten so low that they’ve stooped down to the junkies’ level. Big deal. You’re not here to pick sides, you’re here to do your job, make money, and live a successful life. If the rest of the galaxy decides that they want to kill each other or get high and kill themselves, that’s their own damn fault. It only concerns you if someone is willing to pay you to have someone else killed or brought in. That's your job.

You blame the Jedi. She used her mind powers to try and make you think about things that aren’t important.

You take a deep breath and pace back and forth in the detention center as you wait for Applejack to return. You’re starting to get impatient.

”You okay?” Sunset asks.

You look at her. She’s leaned up against the wall with her arms folded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little frustrated is all.”

She nods and you continue pacing. ”I understand. We were supposed to be on our way to Alderaan right now.”

You sigh. "I'm starting to think that this vacation is never going to happen."

Sunset pauses for a moment. “How do you think they found us?”

”I have absolutely no idea." You shake your head. "We’ve been sticking around the Outer Rim for the past few weeks, except for going to Coruscant and Cato Neimoidia. The Republic shouldn’t even exist out here.”

The door opens and Applejack walks in. You both look at her as she enters before Sunset walks over to you, leaning close to whisper in your ear. ”Hopefully, we’re about to find out.”

You give a slight nod and Applejack stands there in front of you. The door closes behind her. "Howdy, you two.”

“Where’s Mac and the Jedi?” You ask.

"Big Mac had somethin’ to do down in Engineering and Master Maud is off doin' some Jedi thing. I think she’s talkin’ to the other Jedi on Coruscant.” She replies.

You just grunt softly in response.

She clears her throat and rubs the back of her neck before speaking again. ”Look, uh, I just want to apologize again for what happened back there... I should’ve been more civil and calm and I shouldn’t have shot first and asked questions later. I’m sorry. I just… I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with the Sith… Sometimes I let my want for revenge get the better of me. Me and Big Mac both do.”

“You and Big Mac both?” You cock your head at her, a little confused.

”Oh. He’s my older brother.” She clarifies. ”Back when we were kids, we lived on Corellia. Our parents were in charge of a farm and we sold agriculture to folks. It was a pretty small farm, but it was a family business and it worked for us.” Applejack’s expression becomes grim as she continues. ”…But then, one day, we came back home and saw a Sith destroyin’ our farm… Dad tried to fight him off with a blaster for a while, but… the Sith killed him... Ma ran out to try and stop him... He saw us watching and… he killed her too... Killed 'em both… Right there in front of us…” She looks down and her lip quivers some. ”…To this day, I have no idea why he killed them… I was just a little girl when it happened…”

She stays silent for a long time. It’s apparent on her face that she’s trying to fight back tears. Now you understand why she acted the way she did. Hell, that’s probably why she joined the Republic in the first place. She wants justice for her parents’ deaths. Vengeance.

“I’m sorry, Applejack. I really am.” She looks up at you. “That’s not fair what happened to you. He knew you couldn’t fight him at that age, but he did it anyway. It was just cruel.”

She nods again. ”That’s what I want to prevent for others in the future. I don’t want anyone else to go through losin’ a loved one the same way me ‘n’ Big Mac did."

You take a few steps forward and look into her eyes. “Revenge is a dish best served cold, Applejack. You’ve come this far, and waited for so long. If there’s one thing that I hate more than anything in this galaxy, it’s a coward. I’d be more than willing to help you take him down. You deserve this. You’ve waited long enough.”

As you speak, Applejack’s expression slowly switches from sadness to anger.

You continue. “I’m good at finding people. I can help you… For a price of course… But it would be worth it.”

She's doing her best to keep her emotions under control, but you can tell she's fantasized about taking her revenge more than a few times before.

"I'd be lyin' if I said I hadn't considered it..." She takes a deep breath. "What I wouldn't give to find the Sith scum that took my parents from me and just go ballistic on him. I'd absolutely love to find him and kill him for what he did to us. For what they all did to everyone in the galaxy... This place would be a whole lot better if the Sith were destroyed, I tell ya..."

Her lips are closed, but you can tell her teeth are clenched. She wants to kill something.

While she softly huffs to herself, the door opens and the Jedi Maud walks inside. She takes a long look at each one of you before turning her attention to Applejack. ”What’s going on in here, Lieutenant?”

Applejack looks back at you for a moment before turning to her, clearing her throat. ”Uh… Nothin’, Master Jedi.”

The Jedi turns her attention to you. ”It certainly doesn’t feel like nothing.” Her deadpan eyes stare into yours for a moment. You just stare back at her in defiance.

Applejack continues. ”Well… uh…. I was just about to ask him about the-“

”I will take over your responsibilities for asking questions to our… guest, Lieutenant." She looks back at her. "You’ve been relieved from this task, as it is obviously taking a toll on your emotions.”

Applejack looks surprised. ”M-Master Jedi?”

The Jedi turns to Sunset, but continues talking to Applejack. ”Instead, I would like you to take Miss Sunset down to the medical bay. There’s something the doctors wish to-“

The Jedi stops talking mid-sentence and stares off into space. She’s actually showing a little emotion on her face. It’s… worry? Fear? She’s nervous about something. She stays in her daze for a few moments.

Applejack steps toward her with concern. ”Master Jedi? Maud? Are ya alright?”

The Jedi looks up at her and breathes slowly. ”I’ve just felt a… a disturbance in the Force…”

You and Sunset look at each other for a moment before looking back at the Jedi.

”What is it?” Applejack asks.

”I sense…” The Jedi closes her eyes again and concentrates on something in her head. "…Extreme fear… and terror… Twilight and Fluttershy… Something has happened…”

Applejack’s eyes widen in horror. ”Is it the Sith?”

The Jedi shakes her head. ”No, but... there’s certainly something happening right now. Something terrible.”

Applejack bites her lip with worry and tries to think of something to say. ”I’m sure they’ll be fine… Th-They’re with some of the best guys we’ve got... Maybe it’ll all wash over soon.”

”Perhaps…" The Jedi nods her head slowly. "Even so, let us be wary and ready for anything." Applejack nods again and the Jedi clears her throat. ”As I was saying, Applejack... Lieutenant... Take Miss Sunset down to the medical bay. The doctors wish to see her.” She turns her attention to you. ”I will deal with our friend here…”

You give the Jedi a contempt look and Applejack starts to exit. ”Alright, Master Jedi… Sunset?”

Sunset pauses for a moment before she walks toward Applejack. She looks back at you as she exits the room and you nod at her for reassurance. The door closes behind her and Applejack, leaving you and the Jedi alone together.

She stares at you with that deadpan expression and places her arms behind her back. ”Before I get to my questions, Anonymous, there’s something I wish to address to you.”

You glare into the Jedi’s eyes as she stands there. “Alright…” You take a deep breath and place your hands on your hips, ready for anything. “…Shoot.”

---

You watch the door to the detention center shut, leaving Anon inside alone with the Jedi. She’s probably going to chew him out for talking to Applejack the way he did. Jedi aren’t too keen on revenge. It’s against their code of conduct. You’re not too worried about him though. He’s fought both Jedi and Sith before. It’s unlikely, but if something does happen, he should be able to handle himself against her. Even if he is unarmed.

You’d prefer that he didn’t fight her though.

This Master Maud was being very cordial and respectful. She didn’t pick sides, she just doused a fire and resolved a misunderstanding. Still, Anon doesn’t like the Jedi much, and he can be very stubborn. You, personally, do not have any quarrel with the Jedi. They’re good people, even though you don’t agree with everything they preach.

You want to kick yourself for not stopping him when he was talking to Applejack about exacting vengeance. You knew what he was doing. He knows that the Jedi don’t like thoughts like that. He was just trying to get under her skin for the sake of doing it.

However, you also know that Applejack is part of the Republic, and can probably pay good money if you help them track the Sith down. Killing her parents’ murderer would also bring her a good sense of closure. You can see both sides.

That good feeling sweeping over you like that wasn’t nothing though. You noticed an actual change inside when Maud was talking. You felt calm and content; even happy afterwards. It was probably the Force working on you. Maybe the Jedi's connection to it has a secondhand effect on other people around them.

As you're thinking, Applejack clears her throat a little to get your attention. ”C’mon. Medbay’s this way.”

“Right.” You follow her down the corridor and through the ship on your way to the medical bay. She’s still got that nervous look on her face.

After a few moments of silence, you speak up. “Who are Fluttershy and Twilight?”

She looks at you for a moment before looking forward again. ”They’re, uh, friends of ours. Captain Shining Armor is Twilight’s older brother.”

Lots of family members on this ship. Applejack and Big Mac, and now Captain Shining Armor and this Twilight. It's interesting.

“Shining Armor is the one who contacted us when you found us, right?” You ask.

She nods. ”He’s the commandin' officer of this ship.”

He’s also kind of a dick, but you'll keep that little opinion to yourself.

You pry further. “What were they both doing?”

Applejack clears her throat again. ”They’re both on this team of people helpin’ to clean up the planet Taris and restore it back to its former glory.”

You’ve only heard stories about Taris. It sounded like a fun place. You would’ve loved to have seen it in person before the Sith destroyed it all those centuries ago.

She continues. ”It used to be an independent group, but the Republic decided to partner with ‘em and help out with the restoration. Probably to make a public statement that says ‘the Sith can’t keep us down’ or somethin’ like that. A morale booster.”

You nod, impressed. “That’s pretty cool that they decided to help out.”

”Yeah, it is…” It’s obvious that she’s still nervous about what Maud said about that 'disturbance' in the Force.

“Why don’t you contact them and make sure everything’s okay?” You suggest.

She shakes her head. ”We’re at lightspeed right now. We can’t contact ‘em.”

Lightspeed?

You cock your head. “Where are we going?”

”Kashyyyk." She answers. "We’re doin’ somethin’ there before we do some other stuff someplace else.”

Kashyyyk. Homeworld of the Wookies.

"That was pretty vague." You say. “Is it classified?”

She chuckles and nods. ”Eeyup.” You roll your eyes and sigh, grinning as well. ”Don’t worry. You and Anon will be able to leave to wherever you’re goin’ once we get there.”

“Good.” You reply. You’re ready to get out of here and start your well-deserved vacation.

Another small moment passes as you both proceed down the corridors of the ship. You pass Republic personnel, soldiers and scientists and whatnot. Occasionally, a protocol droid walks past you two as well.

You decide to reassure her. “Well, don’t worry too much, Applejack. I’m sure both this Fluttershy and Twilight are safe. Maybe they just had a little malfunction with something and it’s all resolved now.”

”Maybe…” She clearly doesn’t really have faith in that.
You pass a few more soldiers, officers and droids as you walk toward the medical bay. Some of them give you a double take when they pass, but they all mind their own business when they see who you're with. Applejack clearly has a bit of pull around this ship, as far as authority is concerned.

Finally, you turn another corner and see the medical bay. It’s through an open door on your right. It's a much larger room than the detention center is. Everything is all clean and shiny. It’s a lot brighter compared to the rest of the ship. There are a few large bacta tanks lined along the back wall. One of which contains an extremely injured Republic pilot.

You and Applejack are met by a protocol droid as you enter and it directs you to the back of the room to the left of the bacta tanks. There’s another open door back here that leads to another room of the medical bay. You go through it and enter a small operating room where Nurse Redheart is helping a soldier to his feet off the table. He’s got an eyepatch over his left eye, with a minor burn mark underneath it.

”Now be more careful when working in the engine room." She says. "They have goggles down there for a reason, you know.”

The soldier chuckles and rubs the back of his head nervously. ”Heh… Right… Thanks again, doc.”

She smiles at him as he passes by you toward the exit. ”Sunset Shimmer." She says as she focuses on you. "Just the one I wanted to see.”

You step forward and set your hands on your hips. “What else did you need? Is something wrong?”

Redheart grabs a medical datapad and skims through it. ”Oh, no, nothing is wrong at all. However, while we were patching you up, I scanned both yours and Anon’s blood for infections. You’re both fine, but I also picked up something… interesting that you might like to hear. Especially since you’re a Mandalorian.”

Your eyebrows raise slightly. “Like what?”

”Well…” She looks up at you with a half-grin. ”…Do you know what Midi-chlorians are?”

Author's Note:

Hallways of a Republic cruiser.

A line of bacta tanks in a medical bay.

Comments

[Red nova]

Sunset has the force?