a/n: Sorry I haven't written an author's note yet, I've been trying to get the flow of ideas out of my head and onto paper… From this chapter on out, perspectives will switch between Dyn and Ter'a with a chunk of space and a dividing line of dashes: -. I forgot to add an a/n at the first chapter to say that I imagined Ter'a to have an English style accent similar to Rey's. I'm trying to make their relationship develop slowly, but it's difficult lol. It's so silly that they are both thinking the exact same things, but they aren't in tune with each other enough to realize it yet haha. Also, I'm intending for this story to be fairly long, but I'm just going with the flow at the moment to see how it develops in my head. I hope you're all really enjoying this, it's my first story. Let me know in the reviews!

Chapter 6 – Hyperspace

Dyn carried the kid down the ladder to the hold and set him down so he could wander around for a while. After a moment, Dyn sat in the mess chair and looked around. He'd never really had a long-term travelling companion before, and the ship showed it. He only had one mess chair, one sleeping mat… He looked at the supplies she'd brought aboard. There was so much. Supplies for two, and a half, he thought. It looked like quite a lot, but he knew this was really only a few days' worth. He looked down at the kid, who was trying to climb onto Dyn's bed, and thought… he hoped that both he and Ter'a had made the right decisions. He'd hate for anything to happen to her on his account, but she was after all, here for the kid… technically. He knew that between Ter'a and himself, the kid would be safe at least.

His mind trailed back to the thought he'd had while climbing the ladder earlier before they'd left Takodana. How had they known he was there? After a moment of weighing the options he decided that they'd either put a tracking device on the ship or someone on Coruscant that knew about the Merenzane job had tipped off Gideon. He got up, he'd start by looking for tracking devices inside and outside the ship.

Just as his search began, Ter'a came down the ladder and turned to face him. He didn't stop to look at her, but he'd have to at some point, because she just stood there watching him. Instead he said without looking at her, "I'm looking for tracking devices." After their… moment in his room, he didn't want to get too close to her again. Not just yet. He hadn't had a chance to think about how that had made him feel and he wasn't sure he wanted or needed that right now. Additionally, he still was undecided about how he felt about starting any sort of… thing with her or anyone else. For the first time, he was trying decide whether or not his helmet was making his life easier or harder.

Ter'a leaned against the wall and looked at him as he looked around for something. Maz's words were ringing painfully in her mind… "Try not to stare so much child. You will make him blush…"

She rolled her eyes. She couldn't help it. He was so easy to stare at.

"I'm looking for tracking devices."

He didn't seem to want to look at her. She felt bad. Had she done something wrong? Was he angry with her? She tried to think if she'd done anything that might have upset him… After their moment in the room…Wait, she thought. obviously… When was the last time he'd been in that situation? She'd not meant to be so tender with him, she barely knew him! Just like she wasn't meaning to stare at him now. Obviously, she was making him uncomfortable and Maz's words rang true. She nodded silently and began to search too, but on the other side of the room to give him space. For about a half an hour they searched in a silence that was broken only by the child's noises of laughter and curiosity as it explored the ship. Eventually however, they met in the middle when their hands brushed against each other and he stiffened and pulled away. She looked up at him, but he still seemed determined not to look at her. She felt slightly morose but didn't let it get to her. She'd promised herself that she'd follow his lead, and that of the Force. Furthermore, they were still practically strangers. She admitted to herself that all she had was a little crush and it would either die away into a friendship or partnership, or grow into something more. Either way, it was far too early to tell.

When Dyn's hand brushed hers, he wanted to linger there, but he still needed time to think about this. This was a dangerous path for him to choose. A path that would lead, ultimately, to the removal of his helmet. He wondered vaguely if he was being too rigid? But, he thought, this was all he knew, nearly all he'd ever known. He began to realize that what he was afraid of was what would happen, how he would feel, if he did take his helmet off. It's not like earlier when she'd seen him without his armor. Sure, he felt a bit bare, but it was nothing he couldn't undo. If he took off his helmet though, that would be it, she'd've see his face and he couldn't make her unsee. He wasn't so sure he'd want her to unsee. Then, when he went to put it back on to face the rest of the galaxy… what then? The Creed stated that a helmet that is removed cannot be put back on… What if it was only between the two of them what he looked like? Sighing, he went to scan the outside of the ship… he didn't know what he should do, but one thing was certain, he was beginning to realize what he was beginning to want…

Ter'a sat at the mess chair and watched the child. It was several hours after they'd determined that there were no tracking devices on board and Dyn had gone up to the cockpit to check the systems. Ter'a wondered where she was supposed to sleep? Perhaps the Mandalorian would try to play the gentleman and give her his bed? She wasn't going to let him. She didn't mind sleeping on the floor anyway, it made her feel close to the Force to lie on the ground… but then that was planetside, she reminded herself… we're in space.

It was nearly a two day trip to Coruscant from Takodana and they'd only done the first four or so. Things were beginning to seem awkward between them. Ter'a scolded herself privately about the moment in his room before considering that he seemed to feel the same as she did. At least in that moment. She started to get annoyed with herself now as she kept thinking about the promises she'd made about seeing where things went. It wasn't as though she felt she were trying to rush anything, but she just wanted the awkwardness to go away.

She decided she needed some sleep to clear her mind. She got up and looked around. Where was she supposed to sleep? She didn't see extra blankets that she could put on the floor, only the blanket on his bed. She couldn't take it… what if he wanted to sleep too? She compromised by going back around the corner to where his carbonite freezer was and laid on the floor. Alright, it wasn't really a compromise, but she was on his ship and didn't want to intrude on his space. She curled up as best she could, realizing for the first time how tired she really was and feel asleep almost immediately.

Dyn watched as the tunnel of light that was hyperspace spun past without really seeing it. He had come to the cockpit to check on things but that had long since passed, and now he was trying to think about those thoughts that he'd had earlier. The problem was that he was so lost on what to do, could come to no certain choice, that his mind kept giving up and checking out and then, suddenly, he'd start, realizing that he'd done no thinking at all.

He took a deep breath and pulled off his helmet. If she was going to come up the ladder, he'd hear her and slip the helmet back on before she'd seen. He set it on the console and rubbed his face. His brown eyes gazed at his helmet and he pursed his lips. This was the first time that he'd ever had these crazy thoughts about a woman. Even on Sorgan, when he met the widow Omera, he wanted to stay, but only for the kid… Cara had suggested that he stay and be with Omera, but he couldn't. Sure, she was more than he expected for a farmer, but he hadn't felt like this about her. This is crazy, he said to himself… he'd known Omera longer than he's known Ter'a…

Frustrated, he propped his elbows up on the edge of the console and dropped his chin into his hands, staring out at the stars…

His elbow slipped off the console and he fell forward jerking awake. With a start he realized that he'd fallen asleep at the wheel that when his elbow slipped, his helmet slid off the console and onto the floor making an obnoxious racket.

Gods… hopefully she hadn't come up and seen him sleeping without his helmet and looked at his face? No, he realized with a smile. He didn't know her well, but he knew that even if she had come up the ladder, once she saw the back of his head she would have gone back down and left him be. He let himself think about how she somehow knew a great deal about the Mandalorians and the Creed. Most people didn't know, didn't care, who knows… but she did. He leaned back in the pilot's seat… He really should be less cold to her at least… he felt that maybe he was being too rude. She was very warm and understanding to him and he'd not returned the favor. He wasn't specifically a warm person, but he knew how to be cordial and tender when the moment called for it. As bounty hunter though, he often had to be the opposite. He remembered dusting off those behaviors on Sorgan for Omera… more out of courtesy than anything, but, as he recalled, it had been a long time since he'd been satisfied in a primal sort of way. He thought of Ter'a though and knew she wasn't the type of woman who'd just indulge his needs and be done. Not that she seemed either like an overly lovey sort of woman… In fact, when he considered her, he thought she seemed much like him… aloof, but aware; considerate, but not overly so. He knew that she'd had those primal sort of urges too, she was human after all… but she struck him as a person who controlled them for the most part. Not that he didn't… in fact, he spent much of his life controlling them. There had been no time or energy to devote to such frivolous things.

He picked up his helmet and set it back on the console. How long had he been sleeping? He checked the time and it'd been nearly six hours… Dyn had thought that he'd gotten plenty of sleep on Takodana, but apparently not. Perhaps he'd exhausted himself thinking about his predicament? Now, he was beginning to wonder where Ter'a and the kid were…

Standing, he yawned and replaced his helmet and put his top foot on the ladder and began to descend. Once he got to the bottom, he realized that the cargo area was empty… surely if she decided to sleep, she'd have used his bed? He thought for a moment about what she'd look like asleep on his bed and he smiled to himself. He shook the thought away and stared around looking but knew neither of them were there. He headed to the back room and looked left towards the head. He shook his head, why would she be by the head unless she was using it, and in that case the door would be closed… he looked right and what he saw stunned him. She was curled up on the floor at the base of his carbon freezer fast asleep with the kid laying across her feet.

As Dyn stared, he realized that she'd not wanted to intrude upon his bed in case he decided that he wanted to sleep. A pang of guilt struck him as he saw her sleeping on the cold, hard, permasteel floor with no blanket. She was here, sleeping on the floor because she didn't feel welcome. At least not completely… Dyn needed to find a way to help Ter'a feel more comfortable on the Crest or life would on the ship would quickly become unbearable for her. He considered for a moment, picking her up and carrying her to the bed, but he didn't want to wake her if she wasn't ready, and what would she say if she awoke in his arms? So he walked back to his bed and pulled off the blanket before returning to where she slept and crouching low over her to carefully cover her and the kid with the blanket. As he pulled it up over her shoulders, she let out a contented sigh in her sleep and he couldn't stop himself from brushing a tendril of hair from her face. He looked at her for only a moment more before standing and returning to the cockpit. He didn't see her open her eyes for a brief moment and smile.

As Dyn returned to the cockpit, he began to make a mental list of items they'd need to pick up once they arrived on Coruscant. They'd need a couple more blankets, and a sleeping pad. They'd also need a foldable chair for the mess so that they could both eat at his small table. Another good idea was probably to pick up a couple more sets of eating utensils, cups, and plates as Dyn only kept one for himself and the kid and Ter'a would need their own. He sat back in his chair again and thought about other things they'd need… he had plenty of weapons, they need a new store of supplies of course, but that was all regular stuff. He thought for a moment… perhaps it might be practical to find a couple of toys or games for the kid? He didn't have anything that he could play with… not really. Not unless he counted the end-cap of one of his controls, or sometimes, the actual controls themselves… he rolled his eyes and smiled. The kid really could be a handful sometimes. Dyn remembered what IG-11 had said to him what seemed like a lifetime ago: "Species age differently…" and he realized with a jolt that he and Ter'a would be long dead of old age before the kid ever even reached maturity. He wasn't sure how he felt about that… then he had the comforting thought that at least the kid would reach maturity because of his efforts, and soon enough Ter'a would do her part to ensure his survival as well.

Dyn checked the console, and their progress to Coruscant…

Ter'a's eyes fluttered open. She felt a little stiff, but surprisingly warm. She remembered as she looked down that she'd woken very briefly and seen the Mandalorian walking away after covering her with his blanket. She'd been too tired at the time to really acknowledge the gesture, but now that she was awake and her brain working properly again, she blushed at it. The gesture had been so small, but it meant a great deal to her. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself and smiled.

She began to think. They were going to Coruscant. She hadn't been there since… since her master told her that he'd felt it was no longer safe and he'd taken her away from the Jedi Templre to Takodana, to Maz, for protection, until the danger had either passed or came to be. She thought sadly, that as she'd said goodbye to her master, the master she'd only known for a few months, that it wouldn't be the last time she'd see him. She thought at the time that the Jedi Order had been infallible and that they'd conquer the danger of the Sith and move on, stronger than before… but she had been wrong. The Clone Wars ended, her master had been destroyed along with thousands, perhaps millions of other Jedi across the galaxy… And so she remained on Takodana. Maz had cared for her as her own and taught her what she knew of the Force, though it wasn't nearly as much as the Jedi would have taught her. She didn't resent Maz for it though. In fact, the old alien had essentially been her mother all these years. Now in her thirties, Ter'a was grateful for all Maz had taught her. About life, about the Force, about love, about people. She felt a pang. She thought again about the Mandalorian. She wondered if he ever felt the urges she was feeling now. She wasn't even sure how to handle how she felt? Did he? He was raised in nearly as forbidding of an environment as she… but the Mandalorians weren't nearly as rigid on matters of love, relationships, and sex as the Jedi. For them it all came down to the helmet. The ultimate barrier between them and the wider galaxy. She felt so confused… Maz had taught her these things where the Jedi would not. She had told her once, long ago when she was about thirteen and beginning to develop and mature… "Now child, you are beginning to grow into a woman's body. Men will begin to stare," she'd said. "You must guard yourself, mind, body, and heart. Most of these men will not have good intentions. The key… is to find the one that does. Until that time, do not give yourself to any man. You will regret it for a lifetime…" Ter'a had gone on from there are ask questions of a logical nature, and Maz obliged her. Telling her all she knew on matters of the physical and how the mechanics all worked. Since then, Ter'a been on guard. She saw how right Maz was… Men stared… and stared. And she'd remained defiant. Ter'a was determined not to be taken unceremoniously by anyone. She'd even had to fight her way out of couple situations in Maz's cantina. Maz hated it when people fought there, but she'd always been there to make sure that Ter'a was unharmed before kicking out the offender and bidding them never to return on penalty of death. The consequence… or blessing… of it all, was that at thirty-three, Ter'a was still completely inexperienced. She doubted highly that the Mandalorian was too. Not that it matters! She scolded herself… You promised that you'd do nothing… The problem was that, for the first time, she'd felt a soul that had good intentions, despite the fact that he'd been a little cold to her… more out of defense and being unpracticed at genial conversation, she knew.

She got up. The child was still sleeping soundly at her feet. She wrapped the blanket tightly around him and carried him to the Mandalorian's bed and laid him there. Where he lay, quite content, on his pillow. She watched the child for a moment to make sure he was going to stay asleep before heading to the cockpit.

Dyn heard her coming up the ladder from the moment she placed her foot on the bottom rung. He tensed for a moment before remembering his promise to himself to try and be more friendly and amicable to her. Once she reached the top and straightened up she came up right behind his chair and placed her hands on the back of it and gazed out the viewport at the whirling of hyperspace around them. He watched her reflection in the viewport glass before turning his head and saying, "Did you sleep alright? I'm not sure why you didn't sleep in the bed." He regretted the last part as soon as it came out of his mouth, it had come out rather harsher sounding than he'd intended, and he didn't want to give her the impression that he thought she was stupid.

"I wasn't sure if you were planning to sleep as well, and I didn't want to take you bed."

She didn't sound upset…

"Besides, I felt bad for waking you early on Takodana."

"I got plenty of sleep…", he paused. "I wanted to thank you for that by the way. And all your preparations for the ship…"

"Of course. I figured that it had been quite some time since you've had any meaningful time to yourself."

He let out an ironic laugh. "Yeah, quite a while. The kid needs near constant attention when he's not asleep, otherwise he gets into everything."

He saw her reflection look down at him and smile widely. He felt a jolt as she put her right hand on his shoulder at the base of his neck and squeeze lightly before releasing him and sitting in the copilot's seat. He turned his chair to face her and she looked serenely back at him. She looked much more well rested then when he'd seen her earlier and he felt better. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Hm…a little, actually."

Dyn turned around to do a quick check on the systems before spinning back around and standing. He gestured her to follow him to the galley and they made their way down the ladder. "Have a seat, I'll bring you something."

"Oh, you don't have to do that…"

"It's alright, I'm familiar with where everything is."

So she sat in the mess chair as he pulled out a Corellian apple apiece, some taun taun jerky, and some spice beans, out of some packaging in the cooler. She stood up and came behind him. He turned and she was very close to him in the cramped mess. She held out her hands for the food and said, "I'll lay this out while you pour us drinks…" Her hands brushed against his as she took the food out of his hands and took a step to the table and began to set out his place. He turned and grabbed his plate and the empty packaging of the jerky and handed them to her. "Sorry, I only have one plate," he shrugged. She laughed and took the plate and packaging as he handed them to her. "It's no problem at all." He smiled and pulled out two cups… Thanks Gods there are two of these at least…

When he turned back to her after pouring the drinks, he saw that she'd pulled two crates into the back corner near his bed, one to sit on and another, a little taller, to eat on. She'd arranged them so that she'd face away from him while they ate so that he could take off his helmet and they could still eat together. She looked up at him. He looked around her to the table and noticed that she had given him the plate and had arranged the food for herself on the empty jerky packaging on the taller crate. He pursed his lips and felt guilty again… he definitely had to get her a chair and a plate… She smiled up at him as she took a glass of milk from his hand and turned away to sit down. He watched her sit and waited for moment to see if she was going to turn around before taking his helmet off. But she picked up some jerky and began to eat. So he took off his helmet and set it with a soft clunk on the table and sat down. She had greatly endeared herself to him in the last few minutes… he picked up the apple, following her lead and began to eat.

They sat quietly chewing on their food and drinking their bantha milk. Dyn kept glancing her back. He felt nervous that she'd turn around suddenly, but he also knew that she wouldn't do anything without warning him. Dyn took a sip of his milk and made a small face. He didn't particularly like bantha milk, but it was cheap and kept for a long time. After a while, she looked up at the wall and said, "You know, I'm surprised you haven't asked me about the Force yet." He looked up surprised. Looking at the back of her head he said, "I figured that you'd tell me when the time came…" He sounded strange without his helmet… She let a breath of a laugh though and said, "That's exactly what I was beginning to feel you were thinking." She cocked her head to the side and said, "Are you nearly finished? I'd like to tell you about it face to face…"

"Give me a moment…" he was just finishing up anyway and slid his helmet back on while chewing his last bit of spice bean. "…alright."

She turned slightly to make sure his helmet was back in place before turning to face him fully and she walked over and sat on the bed. They faced each other now, about six feet apart. Suddenly, her posture changed and she looked, he thought, quite wistful. He narrowed his eyes curiously, wondering what was coming. When she finally looked up at him she looked very sad. But before she had the chance to open her mouth, a small cooing from the back corner made them both look up. The kid had finally woken up and came waddling into the room. She smiled sadly at him and picked him up. Dyn got up and grabbed some spice beans for him to gnaw on and handed them to him. Ter'a set him on the bed while he ate and looked back at Dyn.

"It starts, I suppose, with a little history… Do you know anything about the Jedi? Or the Sith?"

"Very little. When I was a child they told me that they were some kind of religious zealots that channeled the Force and bent it to their will."

She smiled at him. He looked back at her as she launched into a brief history of the Jedi and the Sith and their different uses, abilities, and applications of the Force, then she told him her history regarding the Jedi/Sith struggle, and how she ended up on Takodana, and how Maz had, in essence, raised her. After she finished, she sighed and said, "Well, I suppose that's it….Do you have any questions?"

"A few… how did you kill the stormtroopers in the forest?"

"With the Force… I strangled them."

He looked at her. "How?"

She looked uneasy. "It's hard to explain…I can you show you… but I won't hurt you."

"Okay."

She held up a hand and suddenly he felt his throat constrict slightly. He reached up to his neck but suddenly, the pressure was gone, and she'd lowered her hand. He was shocked to see how easily she could kill someone using only her mind.

"That's how… only with the force to crush their windpipes. It is… regretful to Jedi to have to kill. They kill as a last resort. But I am not a Jedi. I am a Grey Jedi. This means that I use both the light and dark sides of the force in balance. It can be difficult and it takes a great deal of willpower." After a moment she said, "What are your other questions?"

"I noticed that you don't carry a blaster. Is the Force your only weapon?"

"No." She stood. "I also carry a lightsaber."

He'd heard of these but didn't know that they really existed. He wondered why she stood but his question was soon answered. She took hold of the metal cylinder on her belt that he'd seen when they first met, and pulled it off. Without warning she ignited it and filled the hold with a glowing blue light. Dyn leaned back, amazed. With the plasma blade in her hand and the blue light of it reflecting off her irises, she looked powerful and unstoppable… otherworldly. She looked amazing.

She stood relaxed but holding it up so he could see it. As though he could miss it… The blue glow was strong and the saber gave of a humming sound that betrayed the power it contained. Then, just as suddenly as she turned it on, she switched it off again and hung it back on her belt.

"A Jedi's… or Sith's… lightsaber is their life. Lightsabers are created using the Force through meditation and can take many days", she explained. "In essence, it takes a part of yourself to make it and so it is connected to you when you use it, as though it were a connection of your body."

Dyn was mesmerized by its light and power, all the more with her standing at the end of it… He came back to himself. He still had one more question.

"So if the Jedi and the Sith are gone… for the most part," he gestured at Ter'a and the kid, "then is that why Gideon wants him? To experiment on Force-sensitives?

"I can't answer that," she sighed. She looked at the kid before turning back to him, "All I know, is that it's wrong to hurt or use younglings in the name of science and research. They don't understand why they'd be inflicting pain and suffering on them… it's just not right."

Dyn got up so suddenly that it surprised her. He felt a sudden urge to be closer to her. He walked slowly around the table to where she sat and sat next to her left side, close, on the small bed. She looked up at him with the same wistful look in her eyes, and suddenly he wasn't sure if it was her tale about the Jedi and the future that had been ripped away from her, or something else that caused the look… she looked away from his visor to his chest and her eyes lost focus. He watched while she pulled her legs up on the bed and sat back against the wall, hugging her legs to her chest.

"I haven't thought so much about my past in… quite a long time," her voice broke slightly as she put her head on her knees and closed her eyes. "I'd forgotten how… how sad… it still makes me." A single tear fell from her closed eyes and ran down the side of her face and past her chin and she buried her face in her arms. Dyn watched her, horrified. He felt, for the first time, an immense need to find a way to comfort someone. He'd never seen a woman so strong and powerful look so vulnerable. It also gave him more reason to hate Gideon and the Empire's remnants even more. The pain that they'd inflicted on her and the other Jedi at the end of the Clone Wars and after, seeing it on her face… his anger flared and he wanted to kill Gideon even more now.

He put his hand on her back and heard her sniff before turning her head and resting the right side of her face on her hands so her head faced him. She looked up at him with wet eyes and said softly, "I stayed on Takodana too long. I was afraid to leave, afraid to see what I'd find out here. Now, we're going to Coruscant. I haven't been there since my master took me from the Jedi Temple to Takodana. To hide. You… this chance… to help the child… it's all given my life new meaning. I'm very grateful." She smiled sadly but resolutely. Dyn moved his hand from her back and brushed some hair out of her face just as he'd done while she was asleep. She closed her eyes and seemed to lean into his touch as his hand came to rest for a moment on her cheek.

Seeing her look so content at his touch… Dyn craved more. Nothing physical… no, more like…he craved tenderness. Dyn turned and shifted the pillow into the corner and pushed himself back and maneuvered into it before leaning forward to guide Ter'a to lay on his chest. She moved to him willingly when she realized what he was trying to do. Once they situated themselves, he crossed his ankles and they sighed contentedly together. This felt amazing. It was as though he felt truly comfortable for the first time. He lay with his back against the wall, resting his head against it and his legs stretched out in front of him. Ter'a was lying against him with her back against his chest and the top of her head under his chin so that, if he wanted to, he could set his chin on her crown. Her behind was next to his on the bed and to his right while her left leg rested comfortably on top of his right. Her left arm lay across his body and her left hand rested on its side on his left thigh while her right hand covered his own with which he had laid loosely across her abdomen to hold her there.

They sat like this for what seemed like eternity. But as he recalled later, the most pleasant eternity that he'd ever felt. They didn't talk. They just listened. Listened to each other's breathing, to sounds of the ship... Eventually, the kid finished his spice beans and crawled up to lay near their right hands and fell asleep again. Eventually, Dyn heard Ter'a's soft breathing and realized she'd fallen asleep too. He let the weight of his comfort carry him off to sleep as well.