xxvii

Everyone's nerves are on edge as we travel through open, empty space on our way to Nevarro, so we settle on an arm-wrestling tournament to lighten everyone's spirits before what's likely going to be a dangerous mission. It's me vs. Emil, and Din is wrestling Cara first.

Grunts can be heard throughout the room as we begin. I beat Emil surprisingly fast, considering he's actually pretty strong. We turn to watch Din and Cara struggling against each other, pretty evenly matched.

"C'mon, Cara," I cheer, and Din's focus almost slips as he turns to shoot me what's certainly a playful glare.

"I got you, Mando," she says confidently, though her voice is strained.

He chuckles, though his own tone is also drawn. "Care to double the bet?"

"Ooh, let's do that," I agree.

But then Cara blinks, looking almost pained. Her breath cuts off completely and she gasps, tearing her hand away from Din's to claw at her throat even though there's nothing there. Din, seeming startled, looks around the room, only for his gaze to stop at the child. I turn to see the baby with his arm out and his eyes narrowed, and watch, puzzled, as his tiny hand forms an angry fist. I look at Cara to confirm that, yes, he's somehow choking her?

Din reacts first, though I see it all and realize it only a split-second after him. He rushes to pick up the child, snapping him out of it. "No! No, stop!" Cara collapses onto the table, gulping huge breaths of air. "We're friends, we're friends! Cara is my friend!" he explains to the little one, his tone panicked.

Cara points at the child sternly, still struggling to regain control of her breathing. "That is not okay."

"Hmm, very curious." The Ugnaught notes.

"Curious?" Cara echoes. "It almost killed me!"

But Kuiil ignores her, looking up at Din. "The story you told me of the mudhorn now makes more sense. I don't know what it is. But what it does, this... this I've heard rumors of." I see Emil drop his gaze out of the corner of my eye.

"What? When you worked for the Empire?" Cara snaps, even more on edge.

"When I was sold to the Empire, in indentured servitude." He corrects angrily.

Cara stands, not backing down. "Yet somehow, you walk free."

Kuiil holds his ground. "I bought my freedom through the skill of my hands and the labor of three of your human lifetimes. Do not cast doubt upon that of what I am nor whom I shall serve."

I notice IG-11 enter the room behind Kuiil and recall his earlier words on his home planet: 'it will protect'. Cara glares at it as it approaches, and I know she's thinking of the same thing. Yelling at the Ugnaught while it's in the room might not be a good idea.

The tension in the room is palpable at this point, but as soon as I'm about to try to break it up, Din speaks. "Tell you what. I could really use your craftwork right now." He lifts the child from his pod so that the Ugnaught can see it and requests, "Can you pad this container so the child can sleep better?"

He traces his hand along my poorly crafted container. "I shall fabricate a better one. Then perhaps this Dropper can see how one can win their freedom with the skill of one's hands," he shoots back at Cara. They glare at each other for a moment before I step between them.

"Thank you, Kuiil," I say with a nod. He returns it and goes somewhere to work on the child's new pod, and Cara sits back down.

I want to tell her that she was being unfair, but she's upset and probably startled at the moment, so I don't. Besides, I don't want to sound like anyone's mother.

"Well," I sigh after a moment. "That was intense. You guys up to continue our tournament?"

Cara shoots a dirty look at my kid, causing my protective instinct to rear up. I push it back down; we're all on edge, there's no need to lash out. "No, I don't want to risk getting the life choked out of me again. I'll be upstairs." She huffs and leaves.

I take her seat, suppressing another sigh. Din rests his elbow on the table in front of us, hand up. "Ready to lose some credits?"

I breathe a laugh, gripping his hand firmly with my own elbow on the table. "They're technically our credits; I don't think I'll be losing much of anything." I smirk. "That being said, how about we triple the bet?"

"Deal." We count down, Emil scooting closer to watch, and begin.

For a few minutes, we're stuck upright much like him and Cara had been, both grunting with the effort. I grin across at him, but he takes the opportunity to push my arm slightly backwards.

"Oh, jerk move," I mumble, voice tense with effort. I narrow my eyes and concentrate on creating a small ball of light right in front of his visor. It distracts him just as I'd hoped, and I manage to nudge his arm back just a little.

"Stop cheating," he grunts as I expand the ball of light, pushing his arm back slightly more. He swats at the ball with his free hand and now I know I have him, so I take the opportunity to slam his hand against the table with all my strength. "Ha!" I throw my hands up in the air in triumph.

He shakes his head with a laugh. "That's cheating," he insists.

I raise a brow. "Is it? I wasn't aware. C'mon, I believe credits are due."

He crosses his arms stubbornly. "Admit you cheated, and we'll have a rematch."

"I don't cheat, loverboy. And if anything, you cheated first."

"I didn't- wait, what?"

"Exactly, so if you didn't cheat, neither did I." I grin. "So that means I win."

He holds a hand up. "No, hang on. How did I cheat?"

"If you distract the other person, that's cheating," I reason.

He scoffs. "If I distracted you, that's your fault. And if you consider that cheating, then why are you allowed to do what you just did?"

"Because it's not cheating if the other person does it first. How did you do it growing up?"

"Uh, the normal way? Cheating is cheating?"

I cross my arms. "Well, I won."

I can't see it, but I can hear his eye roll. "Yeah, whatever. I'm going to get you back for that."

My brow arches. "Is that a challenge?"

Before he can respond, a beeping noise sounds from the cockpit. Din stands, and I'm not far behind him. Turns out, Cara was already there, so it's just us three. She doesn't look as pissed as earlier.

Din flips a couple of switches as we drop out of hyperspace a few parsecs away, giving us time to gather our nerve. Cara watches over his shoulder. "So, we're going to Nevarro?" she questions, probably just trying to make conversation.

Din nods. "Have you ever been?"

"No. We lost a lot of our forces there," she reminisces quietly, fidgeting with her gun. "The city's dug in pretty deep. No cover when you drop in. It stayed in Empire control 'til the end of the war."

"The warlord we're taking out was an Imperial officer," I remind her.

"What station?" she asks, getting to work on cleaning the weapon.

I look to Din for that, not knowing how to answer. He's the one with the most experience with the warlord, anyway. "Hard to tell," he answers. "No insignia anymore. I took out the safehouse when I snatched Nova and the kid. More Imps have reinforced since."

Cara thinks about that. "There's something more going on."

He tilts his head. "Maybe. We'll find out more when we land."

The door to the cockpit slides open, slightly startling me. I notice Din's helmet tilt toward me in question, making sure I'm okay. I nod wordlessly, turning my attention to IG-11 as it steps in.

"I have prepared second meal. Would you care to be served here or below?" the droid asks in its usual monotone voice. It's an oddly innocent question.

Din turns only halfway in his chair to acknowledge the droid. "I'm not hungry," he says flatly before swiveling back around. Everyone had eaten earlier, so he doesn't ask Cara and I.

I look to Din. "When's the last time you've eaten?"

He shrugs. "It doesn't matter. I'm not taking food from that thing."

I huff. Normally I'd try to convince him to eat, but I know his mind is made up for now. It's better not to argue before a mission like this. Besides, the droid's food is the only option. If he won't eat that, there's nothing else to give him. 

I notice his hands tighten on the ship's controls. "And under no circumstances does that droid leave the ship."

Cara snorts. "You've got a real thing for droids, don't you?"

He turns to face her. "I got a real thing for that droid."

She rolls her eyes. "The Ugnaught said he rewired it."

"That droid was designed to kill things. I don't care how much wiring he replaced. It goes against its nature." He's visibly tense, and I worry for him. His childhood trauma is so deeply rooted that he doesn't even trust the Ugnaught's skill.

"Well, it shouldn't be a long job anyway. We take out the head Imp, the rest will run like rats," she grins, standing and exiting the cockpit.

As soon as she's gone, he exhales, leaning his head back. I glimpse a small tremble in his hands before he tightens them on his controls once more.

"Hey," I stand, going to place my hands on his shoulders. "Relax."

His hand comes up, resting on mine. "It's difficult."

"I know. But you have to trust it, for the sake of the mission. It's not going to hurt the kid."

He sighs. "We don't know that, Nova."

I shake my head, leaning down to hug him. "I know we don't. But we have to be optimistic, at least."

"That's dangerous."

"It's necessary. We're going to be fine, okay?"

He chuckles. "Right. Maybe if you say it enough, it'll come true."

"Oh, shut up. I'm serious, Din. We both need to worry a little less."

He nods. Before he can say anything, I see the planet ahead of us and hear a little beep from the controls.

"Well," I sigh. "I guess it's time. I'll go get the others. Meet us down there, yeah?"

I find Emil and Cara below, and they tell me that Kuill knows his part of the plan already and is preparing in another part of the ship. I find him and tell him a quick farewell, bidding him luck, before regrouping with the other two. I clear my throat, nerves bunching up in my stomach. The wait, the suspense and anticipation, it always gets to me.

"Cara, thank you-"

The woman cuts me off, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Don't mention it. And stop worrying, we'll be fine."

I grin. "I'm glad to fight by your side again."

She mirrors my expression. "Wouldn't wanna be anywhere else. I'm gonna go get my things ready." And with that, she leaves.

I turn to Emil. taking a breath. "I swear to the Maker, if you don't stay safe out there, Emil, I'm going to kill you. Please do not get yourself hurt."

I can tell he's afraid of what's to come, and I don't blame him. I'm terrified, too. But despite that, he pulls his lips into a smile. "I know, and I won't. You won't have to worry about me out there."

I exhale. "Good. Because you know Ma would kill me-"

"Nova, we're all going to be fine. It's like Cara said. So really, stop letting it get to you. We have a plan, and we have you and Mando, two of the most skilled hunters in the galaxy. If you can't protect us, no one can."

I pull him into a hug. "Thank you," I whisper. He nods.

We break apart when I feel the ship touching down. It's time.

"Everyone knows the plan, right?" Din asks. I can tell just how nervous he is for this, and I'd be lying if I said I've never been more anxious for a job in my life.

Words of agreement fill the room, and I let out a shaky breath. I care about all of the people here. I don't know how I'd react if anything happened, but I know it wouldn't be well.

We mount our blurrg as the ramp lowers, and they pad down to the dirt. Since we could only fit four, I'm sharing one with Din. I sit in front of him as he holds the reins tight in his hands. I feel him taking deep breaths behind me, and lightly brush my hand against his in an attempt to comfort him.

My gaze lands on Greef Karga and three others with helmets that I can't identify. My whole body shudders unintentionally when I see him. That man still terrifies me, but I can't show it. I clench my jaw hard, wiping my face of all emotion. He will scare me no longer. I chant it in my head like a mantra, using it as a wall to block out the resurfacing memories.

The quartet walk toward us. "Sorry for the remote rendezvous, Mando, but things have gotten complicated since you were last here." We stay quiet, our blurrg lined up side by side. Miraculously, they're silent for once, too. "It appears that introductions are in order," Greef suggests.

Cara crosses her leg in front of her saddle, doing her best to look relaxed. It works for her. I'm not sure I could pull that off at the moment. Emil, on the other hand, glances at me nervously. I can tell by the look on his face that he's sensed something wrong with Greef.

"It seems we've both provided a security detail," Karga continues, glancing back at his own men. They intimidate me far less than Karga himself. Again, nobody answers, our group remaining stone-faced. He points at Cara. "I recommend the shock trooper guards the ship. These lava fields are lousy with Jawas." At this, I see Cara clench her own jaw, and feel Din tense even more behind me, if at all possible.

"She's coming with me," he insists.

Greef shifts. "But the town is now run by ex-Empire. If a Rebel Dropper is with us, they'll all get their hackles up."

"She's coming," Din states, leaving no room for argument.

Karga exhales. "Fine. Fine, at least cover your tattoo." he points at Cara's arm. "No need to flaunt it." She looks down at it and then back at him, raising a brow.

Greef then spreads his arms wide. "Now, where is the little one?"

Cara and Kuill both glance at Din, who raises his arm in front of me. I take it upon myself to tap the controls, hesitating with each button I press to bring the pod out. It looks almost exactly like his old one. I maneuver it in front of Greef, and am reminded of the old days when he looked into that pod. It was under much different circumstances; we'd just been taken hostage by Greef. Maker, I still can't believe I'm working alongside him now.

The pod opens on my command, revealing the tiny child. He's completely at the mercy of Karga. It makes me terribly anxious.

The child looks around, not knowing what's happening. Greef steps forward, murmuring words I can't catch. The blood rushing in my ears, the adrenaline in my veins, it drowns everything out. I watch as he picks up my child, saying something I don't hear. I feel my eyes flash white in warning, and watch Greef's hunters ready their weapons. I'm prepared to create a knife at a moment's notice. They will not harm my child.

Then he places the child back in his pod, and I feel like I can breathe again. Din's hand comes to rest on the reins in front of me again. I hadn't even noticed he'd been reaching for his blaster; I was too focused on the child.

Everyone calms themselves again as soon as the child touches his pod. I reach for Din's arm, closing the pod and returning it to our side. When I focus on Greef again, he's halfway through a sentence. I shake my head. I'd been blocking out his voice on accident.

"-then make our way into town at first light," Greef is saying. Din nods slightly, and the four in front of us turn around and begin walking. Our blurrg trail behind them. I lean back onto Din's chest. Despite the armor, it's quite comfortable.

"What's the plan?" I whisper.

"You didn't hear?" he asks, sounding worried.

I shake my head. "No, I didn't. I was... I was focused on the kid. Accidentally tuned him out. Sometimes I do that; it's an old habit. Anyway, what are we doing?"

"Walking for a bit, then camping for the night at the riverbank. What do you mean, habit?"

"It was something we'd all gotten used to, back in the slave camps. They'd scream at us for hours on end," I clear my throat, suddenly not wanting to talk about it any longer. "I'm going to try and get some rest now, and then I'll take the first watch. You good with that?"

I feel him nod. "Yeah."

With that, I settle myself further into his arms, feeling oddly safe considering the circumstances. It takes me a while, but soon the quiet and the steady steps of the blurrg lull me into a light doze. 

>>>>><<<<<

I jolt awake as soon as the blurrg stops walking. Looking around, I see that we're at the riverbank, and dusk is nearly over. I can already see a few stars.

Greef's men are already working to start a fire. They're quick, I've gotta give them that.

Din helps me down, and I take some of my things down from the blurrg's back. I then turn to check on the child, opening his pod for just a moment and giving him a quick kiss. It comforts me to know that he's okay.

Greef sends two of his men out to find food. Cara sets up the spit, and Kuill rounds up the blurrg. We take our spots around the fire when there's nothing more to do.

"You can open the child's pod now," Greef suggests. I shoot him a cold glare, which he receives with a shrug. "We aren't going to hurt him. This plan relies on him. Would you just trust me?"

"You lost my trust years ago, Greef Karga," I growl. He raises his hands in surrender.

I bring the child's pod closer to me. And against all of my instincts, I open his pod. I don't trust Greef or his men, no. But he's outnumbered in people and skill, and I trust my companions. Besides, the child needs to get out eventually, right?

I lift him into my lap, and for once, he stays there. Din takes a seat beside me, and I lean into him. I really don't care if Greef knows about our relationship; I need Din at my side.

Emil comes and sits on my other side. "Nova," he whispers, warning in his voice. "I need to talk to you."

I turn my attention to him, already guessing what he's going to reveal. "It's a trap, isn't it?"

He nods. "They're intentions are the darkest I've felt since... well, I'm not even sure. It's worse than Medeia's."

"Oh." I sigh. "That's not good. Well, we knew going into this that it would probably be a trap. But he can't know that we've figured it out, alright? Just act normal, and stick to the original plan." I reach out, grasping his arm. "We'll be fine."

He nods, and moves to talk to Cara. He'll tell her for us, I presume. I sigh, tilting my head down to gaze at the child I so fiercely need to protect. Looks like it's going to be a long night.

Din's arm tightens around my waist as Greef's hunters return, putting a dead animal I don't recognize on the spit. It's completely silent while it cooks, and when it's done we eat in dead silence, too. I hate it. I hate how thick the air is with tension. I'm more uneasy than I've been all day.

When I'm done eating, I lay on my back to look at the stars. Perhaps they'll provide me with some sort of distraction from this hell.

But of course, that's when Greef decides to speak. "So, Nova, I see you still have it."

I sit up to see him gesturing at the brand on my hip, the one his men had given to me all those years ago. My shirt had ridden up to expose it. "Where'd you think it would go?" I sneer. I notice his men reach for their weapons simply at my tone.

Greef shrugs. "I'm simply trying to make conversation."

"Then you chose a great topic for it." I roll my eyes, not in the mood for his games.

"That was the last time I saw you and the child alone, you know. But now, you're with so many more people. Even as a criminal, your ability to draw people to your side is... astounding."

"Your ability to talk an unnecessary amount is more astounding to me, Greef." He opens his mouth to say more, but I cut him off. "Especially when your commentary isn't wanted."

One of his men stands up, blaster pointed right at me. At once, Cara, Emil, and Din are all on their feet, weapons out in my defense. Greef's other men are just as quick to respond. Only Greef and I remain seated. Kuill isn't a part of the standoff, but in his defense he's feeding the blurrg.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. It's not that big of a deal, put your blasters away." I keep my gaze on the hunter who started this whole thing, staring directly into the barrel of his weapon. He makes no move to lower his gun, and neither does anyone else. I get to my feet, making an effort to keep my stance relaxed. "What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? Because I'm not. You've got no right to be pointing that blaster at me right now, so I'll say it again: Put. It. Down." With each word, I take a step closer to him, and I can see his nerve crumbling.

But before I reach him, he shoots a warning shot at the ground in front of my feet. I stop, raising a brow. "You really don't need to be shooting at me because I said some mean words to Karga. I assure you, he's said worse and done worse to a lot of people. But if you don't lower that blaster right now, I'm going to have to-"

"Alright, that's enough. Do as she says, we don't need any conflict here." Greef finally speaks up. His men listen to him right away, of course. I turn, and gesture for my group to lower theirs as well. Din's blaster is the last one to be put away, and he does so cautiously.

When I turn around, Greef is smirking at me. "You're still so quick-witted, aren't you?"

"Don't speak to me like that," I spit. "And control your men next time. I was under the impression that we were at least going to try to be civil with each other."

I turn, making my way back to my spot with a huff. I'm not excited for the rest of this.

>>>>><<<<<

As soon as Greef had started his useless rambling again, I'd gotten up and left our little campfire circle. I'm now seated with the blurrg a little bit away from the camp. They're all lying down. Apparently they lie on their stomachs, which looks a little odd, kind of like they're faceplanting. I hadn't known they slept like that.

Idly, I draw in the dirt with my fingertips. A little house, an old ship, even older practice targets. That was my house on Dantooine. Maker, I feel like I barely remember it anymore. I've been gone for months, and I don't know if I'm ever going back. Maybe, after this mission, I can take Din and the child there. Just for some peace, for once. I think we're all going to need a rest after tomorrow.

I can faintly hear their conversation. They speak about the plan for tomorrow, and Din asks a few questions. I hear his tone harden, and decide it's time to head back over there.

"Trust me," Greef says as I approach, getting himself more food. "Nothing can go wrong."

Just as the words reach my ears, I hear a screech and see a huge shadow swoop down from above. I duck, and when I stand back up I glimpse wings and enormous claws. I'm not sure what the creature is, but clearly, it's dangerous.

I've always hated when people are arrogant to say things like 'nothing can go wrong'; it always ends horribly.

Everyone is on their feet in a flash. Din and Cara are the first to react, Cara shooting at it with a huge machine blaster she'd brought, Din with his pistol. I hurry over to the child, hearing its cries and whimpers. I make quick work of closing his pod and standing guard, a blaster in one hand and a knife in the other, ready to take anything that should try to snatch my child.

We all stand for a moment, looking to the sky, before the next wave begins. This time, I notice three of the foul creatures. I try to throw an orb of light up so we can see, but it's quickly extinguished. These creatures aren't stupid.

I shoot upwards, feeling blind. Kuill calls out behind me, and I whirl to see one trying to fly off with one of our blurrg. The others hear it too, and we all turn to it, firing. I shoot it multiple times in the head, and it collapses. The Ugnaught rushes over to his blurrg, but I've already turned around to fend off the others.

The air goes quiet again, and we all brace for another attack. I hear a scream, and see the bounty hunter who nearly shot me earlier being carried off. The creature flies too fast for any of us to bring it down.

Another goes for a second blurrg, but this one is taken down by Cara. While we're distracted, a bold creature takes the opportunity to fly at Din, knocking him down. It drags him along the ground, trying to get a good enough hold to fly away with him. Everyone begins shooting at it, but I yell and run at it, slicing one of its legs clean off. It screeches and lets go, angered. Instead of grabbing him, it now attacks him. He uses his flamethrower on it, successfully driving it away, and the others follow.

Cara, Din, and I all rush over to the baby's pod, surrounding it should they attack again. But the air looks to be clear now. Din opens the pod to see the child safe and sound. It coos up at all of us.

I exhale, managing a smile as I stroke the child's ear. But then a groan reaches my ear. I look around frantically, but none of my company are injured. It's Greef.

"He's hurt badly," Kuill announces. Greef insists that he's fine, only to interrupt himself with another groan. I look over to see huge, black claw marks across the length of his forearm. The creature was venomous.

I hear Cara yell for him to hold still as she injects something into his bloodstream, but it likely won't be enough to save him. I turn to the child, remembering when he healed my wound on Arvala-7. I know he's capable of it. And we need Greef for this mission, as much as I hate his guts.

"You think you can help him, bubba?" I ask, lifting him from his pod. He looks to Greef, concern in his big brown eyes. He reaches out to him and begins to squirm, and I know he's trying to go to him. He can help. I set him on the ground and let him walk.

I take my place next to Din, a hand on his shoulder as I watch. Cara is beginning to sound hopeless. She catches the child wandering over, and mutters, "Get this thing outta here."

"Cara, no," I deny. "Let him help."

"What's a kid going to do-"

"Just watch," I motion to the child. He already has his eyes closed as his tiny hand rests on Greef's arm.

Greef groans, "He's trying to eat me!"

I contain a snort, watching with everyone else as the wound closes up and disappears into no more than a scar. Everyone looks at each other, astounded.

I grin, picking up the child, who had fallen back with the strain. I carry him back to his pod, murmuring to him about how good a job he did. He truly never ceases to amaze me. He's asleep before his pod fully closes.

The group disperses, one of Greef's hunters helping him up. Cara puts the used medpack away, and Kuill goes to check on his blurrg. One of them was fatally wounded, and will probably be dead by morning. One is slightly injured, and the other two look to be fine. Emil opens the childs pod again, staring at it in wonder, no doubt thinking of their similar abilities. Din prepares his spot to sleep, and I wander over to him.

"Did you know he could do that?" he asks once he's done setting up and has lowered himself onto the ground.

"Mm-hm," I hum in confirmation as I set up my own things. "He healed me back on Arvala-7. You were unconscious. But it drains him, you can tell. So I didn't ask it of him again."

"It's... extraordinary."

I nod. "He's a special little one. Maybe one of the most powerful beings I've ever met."

"He's going to have people after him his whole life for it." He wraps an arm around my shoulders as I lean into his side.

"We'll protect him as much as we can, then. Get some sleep."

He grunts. "Not likely. I'll take watch with you."

"Din. Please, at least try. We've got a long day ahead of us."

He grumbles, but eventually lays down. His breathing evens out, and he falls asleep with his hand on his blaster. I lean up against a large rock, my gaze switching between my friends and the stars.

Emil comes over and sits beside me, putting his head on my shoulder. I grin down at him.

"I wanted to talk to you," he says quietly.

"What is it?"

"Karga. Normally I can't read minds, but there was conflict enough in his mind for me to sense it across camp."

I tilt my head. "About what?"

"The trap. He owes us a life debt now. He's unsure if he should go through with it. I don't think he will. But anyway, I just thought you should know. He's been debating it all night."

I glance over at Greef. He looks to be asleep, but I can't be sure. That's definitely interesting, though. I never knew him as the sort of man to hesitate on a plan. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

"Thanks, Emil." I ruffle the boy's hair lovingly. "Go back to sleep, 'kay?"

He snuggles into my shoulder. "I'm staying here."

I laugh. "Alright."

A few hours later, Cara comes over to tell me she'll take watch until morning. I yawn, offer my thanks, and fall asleep soon after with my head resting on Emil's.

{word count: 4,378}

a/n: guyss i finished writing out season one omg