Chapter One pg 2

"What was that?" Marena asked, losing focus. She picked a piece of bark off of the log she sat on, tossing it into the fire. The embers enveloped the dried piece, the flames eating away at it. She didn't look at Sev as she did this, and proceeded to pick off tiny pieces of wroshyr bark.
Sev sighed, a little annoyed. "It's Sev."

Marena glanced at the Commando curiously, and hundreds of questions raced through her thoughts. She was interested in why a clone soldier- a Commando, no less, was living in the forests of Kashyyyk rather than in duty as a member of the 501st Legion. She stole quick glimpses of him, taking in his worn form. His armor had red paint coloring it, but it was fading due to time. It also had spots of dirt in some areas, and seemed as though it had been through many battles. The vibroblade in his knuckle plate was also worn, and seemed as though it was starting to dull, and although he had only been alive for a few years, he appeared to be in his middle-thirties. His black hair was growing out, his bangs now hanging in his brown eyes. Stubble could be seen on his jaw, along with a fading scar that traced up the left side of his face to his eyebrow. His face seemed tired, dark circles forming under his eyes. He looked at Marena, seeming to finally notice that she was staring at him.
"What?" He asked, seeming a little embarrassed. He tried hiding it underneath a gruff attitude, looking away from her. It had been a long time since he had actually had company, much less talking to someone.
"Nothing," she replied, looking back at the fire. She pondered how to ask him her questions, and was practically dying on the inside to hear war stories from an actual veteran. Lacing her fingers together, she twiddled her thumbs as they sat in silence.

"So who are you?" Sev asked, breaking the awkward tension. Marena jumped, not expecting him to try and be social.
"Friends call me Marena." She grabbed the end of her braid, playing with some strands of hair and checking for split ends. "Marena Vernal."
"What were you doing in the woods? You looked like you were searching for something."
Marena shrugged, looking away from him. "I was just on a job. That was all."
"You a bounty hunter?" Sev asked, seeming to become a little more comfortable. Marena nodded, glancing at him for a moment before looking at the fire again. The veteran leaned forward, elbows on his knees and fingers interlocking. "What exactly were you looking for?"

The female bounty hunter chewed on her lip, but figured that since he was a clone Commando, she could tell him.
"I was looking for some remnants from the Clone Wars. You know, weapons and stuff." She paused, waiting for a reaction from him. When there wasn't any, she decided to change the subject and allow her curiosity to take over. "So what is a clone Commando doing out here on Kashyyyk, instead of being in the 501st Legion?"
"What's the 501st Legion?" Sev asked, looking as though he had no idea what she was talking about. Marena raised an eyebrow, wondering if this Commando was really ignorant of what had happened in the last few years since the end of the Clone Wars. She stared at him for a while, trying to find some sort of sign that he was either joking or lying, testing her in some way or form. His eyes showed no indication of a lie, and held all types of a serious nature. His expression hadn't changed at all since he had asked that question, and it bothered her.

"Come on," she said in disbelief, trying to act nonchalant about her confusion. "You haven't heard of Vader's Fist? A clone Commando like you?"
Sev's eyebrows furrowed, and he looked a little annoyed. "No."
Marena's jaw dropped for a moment, but she covered it up to make it seem as if she were going to say something, and picked up the helmet next to the clone. His fingers twitched, as if he didn't want her to touch it, but he made no move to snatch it back from her. She rolled the helmet in her hands, finding that it had been kept in fairly good shape due to the years of use. A small burnt spot caught her eye, and she noticed that the transmitter had been burnt out by a blaster round. 'So this is why he's in the dark,' she thought, gently placing the helmet in her lap. The veteran glanced from her to the helmet as she stared into the fire once more, thinking hard. Her index finger tapped the top of the helmet thoughtfully, and all was silent except for the crackling of flames.

"The 501st Legion," she began, and Sev stiffened. He leaned forward slightly, interested. "Is a combination of clone trooper units that was formed after the Clone Wars, and Order 66. It's led by Vader, and he's one of Palpatine's dogs. That's the most I know of it."
"Wait, what's Order 66?" Sev asked, curious. It was the most information he had heard about his brothers since he was left in Kashyyyk.
"Well," Marena started, not knowing much more on the subject. "I don't know much, but to put it in a nutshell, the Empire stated that Jedi were rebelling against the Republic... Something like that. They exterminated all of them though."

Another pause filled the room, and Sev stared at the dying flames. He looked down at his thumbs, fidgeting a little as the news processed through his mind. He glanced at Marena, then back at his hands.
"Can you take me?"

"What?" The bounty hunter asked, mid-yawn. "Take you where?"
"To this 501st Legion."
Marena stared at Sev, a hand covering her mouth. Her eyes grew cold, as blank as her face was. She entwined her fingers together, stretching her arms upward as she straightened her posture, stretching her back muscles and spine. "Nope."
Sev glared at her in disbelief. "Why not?"
"Because," she said, standing up. She rolled her shoulders, sighing in relief as she cracked her arms. "It's late. I don't know about you, but I'm going to get some shut-eye." She turned on her heel, ignoring the confused stare of the soldier, and reentered the cave room where she was originally imprisoned, picking up a large straw mat and smoothing it out underneath her, laying down on the material, she rolled over onto her side so that she faced the cave wall, and closed her eyes. Sev followed her into the room, pointing his DC-17m at her back.

"Don't even try it," Marena said, not looking at him. "Without me, you won't have much of a chance in finding your squad."
The Commando's finger twitched on the trigger, unsure of how she knew what his intentions were. He took a few steps towards her, gently pressing the barrel of his blaster against the space between her shoulder blades. "It's not like you're going to help, anyway." He pressed a hand on her arm, gripping it tightly, and leaned in close to her ear. "What could you possibly offer that could help me? I can find them on my own."
Marena's eye opened, and she gave him an icy glare. "Simple," she said, looking back at the wall. "You could go out there, most likely get killed, or spend days, maybe even years, trying to find your brethren." She sat up, looking at him. He took two steps back, pointing the blaster directly at her left eye. "Or," she continued, reaching out with her right hand and grabbing the gun. She pulled it forward, pressing it into her forehead. "You could take my ship, and we could probably find them in less than half the time it would take if you went out on your own."

Sev glared at the woman with an angry gaze, ever so tempted to just pull the trigger and end her life right then and there. He waited for a moment, his breathing deep and even as his heart raced. Marena's eyes displayed no emotion as he kept the gun to her forehead, and her blue eyes never left his brown ones. His heart thundered as the seconds ticked by, and he breathed out a sigh. Taking the blaster away from her, he left the room, a droplet of sweat beading on his brow.
"We leave first thing tomorrow." He said, taking another step out of the room until Marena's voice stopped him.
"Who said I'm taking you?"

"Wha-"
Marena shrugged, a clever smirk on her face. "I merely stated possibilities if you didn't kill me. I never said I would help you."
"You little-" Sev started, angry now.
"Hey, I'm a bounty hunter, remember?" She interrupted, standing up. She walked towards him, smiling slyly. "I don't just do favors out of goodwill, only if you pay me with the right stuff."

Sev narrowed his eyes, turning his face a little in distrust. "And what kind of 'stuff' do I have to pay you with?"
The thief circled him menacingly, her hands folded behind her back. "You know... A little this, a little that. Tell me the right things and maybe, just maybe, I'll take you off this rock and bring you to your family."
The Commando balled his hands into fists, his right hand gripping the blaster rifle tightly. The girl that earlier seemed to pose no threat at all, and made it out to seem that she wasn't too bright, was now quite threatening. She smiled as her innocent facade slipped away, and he glared at her in fury. She continued to pace, wary of the rage emanating from him. She watched him with interest, and walked back into her room.

"I think I'll retire for the night. If you can figure out how to pay me, then we're out of here first thing."