Mando and I wandered through the harbour town by ourselves. It was dark out; night had fallen. We walked, hand-in-hand, in the bleak silence of the place. His head kept spinning from side-to-side alert until a voice caught our attention. "Hey! You," another octopus stepped out of the shadows from behind a bend. He effectively blocked out path forward.
Mando stopped, as did I; more of these goons surrounded us. Their leader- whom I assumed was their leader- approached us with malicious intent. He brandished a weapon in his hand. "You killed my brother," he stated without emotion. I felt Mando's hand give mine a concerned squeeze. "Let me pass," was all he responded. New octopus guy chuckled sinisterly, inching his way ever closer. I noticed some of the creeps behind us holding guns. At the sound of them powering up, Mando wrapped one arm around my waist as I clung onto his side. "I don't think you understand. You killed my brother. Now, I'm going to kill your woman."
Neither of us had any time to react. We witnessed those three false-Mandalorians zoom down to join us where we stood. Bo Katan eyed him dangerously. "He didn't kill your brother- I did." You can guess what happened next. I shielded my eyes in Mando's shoulder armour as the four made quick work of the octopus gang. It was over before it began. And when it was, we all glanced at each other ponderingly. Bo Katan looked at Mando specifically. "Can we at least buy you a drink?" She asked him.
With some reservation, we agreed to go drink with them at the tavern. Well, they drank; Mando of course didn't have anything, and I didn't either in a show of solidarity with my husband. I'm sure the others caught onto that. Still, Bo Katan went on to explain her situation to us.
"Trask is a black market port. They're staging weapons that have been bought and sold with the plunders of our planet. We're seizing those weapons and using them to retake our home world." Her companions nodded in agreement; she carried on. "Once we've done that, we'll seat a new Mandalore on the throne." Who? I inquired quietly to myself. Mando wasn't moved by her speech. "That planet is cursed. Anyone who goes there dies. Once the Empire knew they couldn't control it, they made sure no one else could either." "Don't believe everything you hear. Our enemies want to separate us, but Mandalorians are stronger together," Bo Katan rebuffed.
"Speaking of which, what are you doing with her?" The guy motioned to me with his fork. Everyone paused to look at me, or rather stare- the three of them. They eyed with such suspicion; almost distrust I'd say. Not that I wouldn't blame them for not trusting me; I wasn't keen on any of them either. Mando saw the way they stared, and he didn't like it.
"She's my wife," he proclaimed as if his words held significant weight. The other girl snorted while Bo Katan shook her head. "No, she's not," she replied so dismissively. Mando's head moved in such a fashion. "Yes, she is." "Mandalorians don't marry… her kind," she couldn't have said the last two words with more venom. "I didn't know her kind could marry," her friend added, slurping on a tentacle.
Having enough of this nonsense, I decided to jump in. Enough of people talking about me like I'm not here. "I'm a healer; I can get married. I'm not a Jedi," I told them, only to earn a sharp look from Mando which said "shut up". Bo Katan set her arms onto the table, leaning in my way. "I know what you are. I've seen your kind before, and you have no business being together with him- a brother of Mandalore. Your marriage is not recognized." "It is- she and I have taken the sacred pledge," Mando cut in, clearly upset and offended. Bo Katan, along with her friends, were surprised by this as shown by how wide their eyes grew. She looked at Mando, leaning back in her seat a moment later. Her hands folded together out in front of her.
"Why did you marry her? One of "them"?" "That's none of your business," I shot back at her- quite viciously, I might add. Her eyes wandered over to me, then back to Mando. This sneaky smirk rolled across the corner of one side of her mouth. "If you're married, why have you been quested to deliver her anywhere?" I guess this was her "gottcha" moment. But Mando was having none of it. "I've been quested with returning Saoirse to the Jedi, but no one said anything about leaving her alone with them. Where I go, she goes." Mando…. My heart began to flutter all over again. I reached out to place my hand overtop his. Grinning, my head shot in Bo Katan's direction. "And where I go, he goes," that felt so insanely good to say out loud.
That annoying smirk on her lips began to fade. She didn't like what we just said, although it was entirely true. "What do you know of the Jedi?" She hissed at my husband. "Nothing. I was hoping you'd help me by creed," Mando said back.
Bo Katan paused for a moment, glancing at the man and then the woman. Eventually she looked back at Mando, noticeably avoiding my gaze from there on out. "I can lead you to one of their "kind"," she then let brief lull come over the conversation. "But first we need your help on our mission." "Mission?" Mando repeated. Bo Katan smiled, her eyebrow lifting up.