Chapter 34 - Betrayal .2

"Fayra."

She heard the faint whisper of her name being called. She groaned and squirmed not wanting to wake up just yet.

"Fayra."

She felt a leather gloved hand on her cheek. She blinked several times as Mando came into focus sitting next to her. He was fully armed from head to to. Her thoughts went to last night's events. Had she dreamed it, she wondered. Perhaps she did.

"It's time." He said, standing. She sat up, letting the covers fall from her. "I want you to stay in this room, you don't come out. Do you understand?" Three bangs came from the other side of the door. "Let's go Mando!" Xi'an called out.

She nodded. As he turned to leave she jumped up. "Wait!" She wrapped her arms around him, he hesitated at first but embraced her, bunching her hair up in his hands, taking in the scent it released.

"Promise if something goes wrong, you'll do whatever it takes to get back to this ship."

Keeping his hands at either side of her head, he distanced himself to get a better look of her eyes. "So help me Fayra, if you don't stay in this room, I'll hog tie you to the bed. I won't care how much you scream, beg or flicker the lights."

So, it wasn't a dream, she thought. Her heart pounded a few beats when she remembered he had his helmet off, it was actually off. She felt his face, his hair. She was beginning to think the thing was screwed to his skull.

Mando sighed, "I can't do my job effectively if I'm worried about you."

Fayra wasn't sure what hog tying was, it sounded terrible, but she nodded and he released her.

"Then you have my word as well. It shouldn't take long. We'll be in and out."

"Mando!" Xi'an yelled again. He opened the door and stepped out. He punched a code on his keypad and the door closed between them.

He made his way to the galley. Xi'an stood eyeing him with a smirk splattered across her face.

"I heard screaming last night, thought I told you to be gentle." She said.

Mando ignored her and made his way to the cargo bay. He heard her snickering behind him.

Mayfield and Burg were waiting.

"I think it's time you get yourself a new ship, Mando." Mayfield said. "You got some serious electrical issues."

Burg huffed a laugh.

Mando ignored them as he worked to get the hatch open on the prison transport ship.

Fayra took a turn around his room to try and pass the time. She ran her fingers across his knick knacks then remembered that platform on his desk. His desk was lit up with several displays. One caught her eye. It was a ship with many corridors lined with compartments on either side. She figured it must be the prison ship he was now on. He must have been up all night studying its layout.

The platform drew her attention, it set in the corner. She pressed the small button on its front. An image of three people came to life. The image was old and glitched, but Fayra could still make it out. Two adults sat side by side wearing dark red cloaks and had dark eyes with matching hair, sitting in front of the couple was a young boy, perhaps of ten years or so. His cloak, hair and eyes matched the couple. The threesome were smiling.

Fayra stared at the image. It had to be him, she concluded. Perhaps, she wondered, the older man was Mando, and that was his family he'd lost at some point. She dismissed that thought. The image was older and worn out. He must be the young boy in the hologram, and those were his parents. She was looking at his face as a young boy. Her smile faded as a pang of guilt hit her stomach. She clicked the image off, but she continued to stare at the vacant platform.

A tapping from the other side of the door brought Fayra out of her thoughts. She went to the door to listen. Another round of taps, then she heard Blue beeping.

"Blue!"

He whistled.

"Where have you been?" She scolded through the door.

He sent several long frantic beeps, whistles, and sirens at her. Fayra's heart dropped. Something was wrong. Blue wanted her to come with him.

"I can't." She explained. "Manny told me not to leave this room… I promised."

He scolded her again.

This time she understood what he was telling her. The droid flying Mando's ship was closing up the hatch. He was leaving them behind. More importantly Manny was not aboard yet. She hit the knob and the door opened. Blue rolled back a few inches. Was she really about to break her promise, again? But, if he wasn't on this ship when it took off what would it matter? She stepped from the room, she decided that she'd rather be hog tied to that bed than be on this ship without him.

She made her way past the galley with Blue on her heels. On the flight deck the tall black droid sat in Mando's chair. As he clicked and punched buttons the shipped roared. Fayra descended the ladder. She glanced around but didn't see any hatch. The droid already closed it.

"Blue, where's the hatch?" She whispered. The small droid rolled to a spot in the center of the room. "Can you get it back open?" He beeped quietly. "Good do it!"

She had to stop that droid. She entered the room. The driod heard her approach and turned. She didn't like the way this one looked, with it's large eyes and oblong head.

"Ah, you must be the girl." He said. "Can I see your wrists?"

Fayra's entire body seized. He knew, she thought. Then anger surged as he grabbed for his weapon.

"I will acquire you, your bounty will be pleasing." he raised his weapon.

"I don't think so." She replied raising her own weapon.

Fayra focused on the buzzing electrical circuits all around them, she felt the power growing within. Manifesting itself outward as her hair stood on end. The lights flickered and sparked as she drew their power to her.

The room went black, then Fayra lit up as the streams of electrical currents flowed around her body, then up to her outstretched arm. She allowed it to gather, growing stronger, at her fingertips. As the droid put pressure on his blaster's trigger. She pushed, surging the flow toward him. The droid tensed causing his weapon to fire. It hit Fayra's side.

She buckled from the pain. But the droid was not yet dead, so she pushed harder and harder at him. The smell of melted metal and burnt wires stung her nose. She couldn't hold it much longer.

She gave one final push. Simultaneously she and the droid fell to the ground. She pushed herself back and away from him as he sparked. The lights, gears and switches on Mando's ship returned to life. Her back hit the wall, nowhere else to go. Breathing hard and shaking she propped herself against the panel.

As she watched smoke rise up from the droids melted and mangled parts, her thoughts turned to Blue. Had he gotten the hatch open? Then she heard someone on the ladder, by the sounds of it, it definitely wasn't Blue.

She looked around for a weapon, too weak to use her powers again. She pressed herself hard against the wall, hoping whoever it was wouldn't see her right away. A blaster came through the doorway first, then the familiar glint of his armor.

"Manny." She called. He looked to his left and down at her. Mando holstered his blaster and kneeled in front of her. He quickly examined her and saw the scorch mark on his tunic. He lifted it.

"It's a small burn below your ribs." He said.

"I know I wasn't…" She began.

"We don't have time for that now." He said, cutting her off.

He lifted her to the seat and strapped her in. She winced at the pain on her side, clutching it.

Mando moved to his chair, side stepping the burned droid. He worked quickly unhooking the ship from the other and sending them into hyperspace.

He turned back to Fayra, lifting her once more. He carried her to her room and laid her down. He cut away the fabric of his tunic to get a better look at her burn.

"It isn't bad." He said, reaching for Omera's ointment.

"He knew… about the bounty." She explained. "He was leaving you. I had to do something. He already had the hatch closed… "

"I know." Mando interrupted, applying the medicine. Fayra jerked at the sudden coldness at her side.

She groaned.

"You're lucky." He said.

"So how's this hog tying thing gonna work?" She joked, giving a weak laugh.

Mando huffed a laugh. She imagined his smile under that helmet.

"Manny!" She gasped and her eyes widened as an unfamiliar figure appeared in the doorway. He smirked, leaning on the door frame.

"It's alright." Mando said quietly.

The two men stepped into the corridor and the door closed, leaving Fayra alone.

"I told you to stay below." Mando said walking passed Qin.

"I got lonely." He replied, smirking. Following Mando. "She's a looker. How much for a night?"

Mando turned on his heel punching Qin in the face. His head reared back as blood gushed from his nose, causing Qin to lose his balance. Unfortunately there was no floor when he stepped back, only the hole leading to the cargo bay. Qin fell hitting the floor below.

"Have a heart, Mando! I haven't been with a female since I got arrested!"

Mando ignored him as the ship leaped out of hyperdrive. They had made it back to the location of Ran's ship. He had to hurry, if he wanted to be out of there in time.

Mando heard footsteps behind him as he flew the Razor Crest away from the x-wings.

"Hold on." He said as the ship entered hyperdrive. Once they were secure he turned to her. Fayra was looking at the droid still on the ground. She lifted her eyes to his visor. Blue appeared from behind her.

"I told you that was a bad idea." He said.

She took a deep breath. "You said he was an acquaintance, nothing about being psychotic."

"I broke my promise." She said.

"And if it weren't for you, I would have broken mine." He responded.

"It was Blue, actually. He told me and he reopened the hatch. I couldn't have done that. Didn't know how." She shrugged.

Mando looked at the little droid behind her and nodded. Fayra smiled at the satisfaction that she was right about the little droid all along. He growled, and turned back to his controls. Her footsteps faded as she left the flight deck.