FOR THE SECOND TIME IN HER LIFE, ANDI WAS FACED WITH THE VERY REAL POSSIBILITY THAT SHE WAS GOING TO DIE. ALONE. THE ENCOUNTER ON VERGLAS HADN'T BEEN NEARLY AS PERILOUS AS THIS AND WHILE SHE HAD THOUGHT THEY WERE at least going to be very seriously injured, THIS TIME SHE WAS CERTAIN SHE WAS GOING TO DIE.

BUT THE NORMAL VISIONS THAT CAME TO WARN HER OF IMMINENT DOOM DIDN'T COME. SHE WAS GETTING VISIONS, BUT THEY WERE only helping her figure out her next move. they were allowing her to know when to dodge and weave. or when she would have an opening to land a punch. they helped her hand-to-hand, but that was it. and she knew she didn't stand a chance against the other blonde woman in a fight like this. she obviously had more training and skills.

“you know,” miranda drawled as she wiped blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. “you're putting up more of a fight than I thought you would.” she drew herself up taller before striking at andi again with lightning speed.

dodge left. roll forward. sweep kick.

miranda managed to avoid being struck and kicked out at andi in the same move, continuing the dance.

she was a better fighter now than she had been when that first bounty hunter had come for her. she also had the privilege of knowing what was coming. the first time had been a surprise. she hadn't been anticipating an attack. this time she'd gone looking for trouble. she'd wanted this fight. she'd wanted to look death in the eyes and spit in it's face. it had taken her former crew, it had taken her captain, but it sure as shit wasn't taking her.

this time she had someone more to fight for than just herself.

a boot to the face sent her sprawling across the dirt. she didn't get up immediately. she lay where she'd landed, her eyes closed tightly against the pain in her head.

“get up andi, get up.”

she heard prior's voice in her head. it sounded so real and for half a second she thought he was actually there. she could feel the heat of his skin against hers, like he was right next to her; holding her close, keeping her safe. dipping into her personal memories, she grabbed the one she'd filed away from their time on mahoroba. they sat on the beach next to a fire, laughing at each other and enjoying the night. it was almost like she was back there again. the smell of the wood burning, the heat coming from the fire, the flush in her cheeks from the wine. it was if he was right there with her.

no. he wasn't there. but he was safe and he was waiting for her.

pressing her palms to the dirt, she started to push herself up from where she lay in the ground only to be met with a boot toe to her ribs.

with a yell she collapsed again and rolled onto her back, looking up at miranda. the woman looked above her, studying her carefully. she was bleeding from a cut along her cheek and held the majority of her weight on her right leg. her breathing was deep and laborious. she was wearing down too.

“how does it feel, andi? knowing that you're the reason the crew of the titan didn't make it home from that last job? knowing you're the reason prior was tortured?”

miranda knelt down over andi at that, pressing her knee into the other woman's scapula. andi cried out at the pressure. her collarbone had to have been broken for it to hurt like that but she didn't succumb to the pain. she rolled towards miranda and wrapped her other arm around the woman's thigh before throwing all her strength back the way she'd come, toppling the other blonde.

andi's vision blurred as the pain only increased, but she managed to scramble the other direction from her attacker, gritting her teeth through the pain. she wasn't fast enough though. miranda was back up and on her in seconds, grabbing andi by the back of the head and pulling her up by her hair. reaching behind her, andi grabbed hold of miranda's wrists. this was it.

it didn't take andi long to find what she was looking for in the woman's mind. she wasn't exactly looking for anything specific, just anything that was emotionally charged. and there was a lot. grabbing everything she could, she pulled it all together and shoved it back at miranda. she used a filing cabinet analogy for how she found memories when she went rummaging through people's minds. for this, she was taking the entire cabinet and throwing it back at her.

as soon as andi threw all the memories back at her, miranda relinquished her hold and pressed her hands to her ears, screaming as her senses betrayed her. she saw all of the memories flash across her mind's eye in rapid succession and the soundtracks to all of them blurred together into a loud dissonance.

quickly, before the affects wore off, andi spun around and reached for the small side piece that was holstered on miranda's hip. she'd been eyeing it the entire time, waiting for her chance to snatch it and use it against it's owner. drawing the gun, andi aimed it right for the woman and pulled the trigger without hesitation, landing a shot in the woman's temple as she cowered from the noise reverberating in her mind.

andi froze as the sound of the shot rang out around her and miranda crumbled to the ground before her. after a second, andi's knees gave out and she found herself sitting on the ground staring at the lifeless body. this was the second time in her life she had thought she as going to die and it was the second time she hadn't.