Author's Note: OK, yeah, gratuitous cameo towards the end of this one because why not. And this is another monster chapter. Also, anything about time of flight or comms is guesswork and/or from my POOMA U (Pulled Out Of My *ss University) degree.
Disclaimer per usual – I do not own Star Wars, The Mandalorian, or any aspect of the SW universe; just a fan with an idea. No profit here, just fun for me.
TW: Assault; abusive relationship; stalking.
Once again, Din wakes up entwined with Lena, but it feels startlingly familiar to him. They'd sat there on his bed and talked for a long time. He's feels pretty sure that he has talked more in the last day than he did in the entirety of the last year, but it's easy with her. He also thinks that he's gotten more rest in the last few weeks than he can ever remember getting in his adult life.
He's shocked by how much he trusts her. He's never been so at ease with another person. Even with the kid, until the Jedi, Skywalker, left with him, Din had maintained his Creed. He'd held fast to his ideals until he just couldn't anymore – but it had been a fully conscious choice, and unlike on Morak, it hadn't been an act of necessity. Now, with Lena, he knows he wants to make that choice again, allow her even closer to him. He's never trusted someone enough to fall asleep with them like this, and he has done that with her twice, not to mention the other things they'd gotten up to.
So, here he is, in the same bed with her again. He's on his back this time, and she's basically draped over one side of him like a blanket. She's still sound asleep, but that's not surprising between the pain medication and the head injury. He'd been exhausted after his injury back on Nevarro, even with the bacta infusion from IG-11. He'd probably be more worried if he didn't have that first-hand knowledge. After she'd started to tire, he'd given her another dose of the pain medication, and he'd gone back down to check the controls again.
When he'd checked, they were on track to get to the Outer Rim on the Nevarro side of the galaxy in about fourteen hours. He'd gone back up and climbed into the bed with her after, and she'd burrowed into his side, shivering in the cool air of the Convor. This ship is nice, but like most small deep space ships, while it can be kept comfortable, it's harder to keep it completely warm.
He can feel that it's at least warm in the bed, and the shivering she'd been doing earlier seems to have stopped. He makes a note to get her some warmer clothes whenever they feel it's safe to set down somewhere. As long as they don't linger, given that it's unlikely that Ilcet knows this ship, they are probably safe to briefly land somewhere if they're careful.
There is one light still on in his bunk, and he peers down at her head where it rests on his shoulder. He'd lain awake for a long time after she'd fallen asleep, thinking about everything that happened in the last day, especially in light of the things that happened as he protected the kid. He knows he is nowhere near becoming like Bo-Katan and the Mandalorians of her clan, going without their helmets regularly. He isn't interested in fully losing the anonymity and tradition of his tribe.
He is realizing, however, that maybe it doesn't have to be one of those extremes. He cannot simply pretend that he never took his helmet off in front of others, and he can't pretend that he didn't subsequently put it back on. What he can do is try to continue to respect his Creed while also recognizing that life isn't as black and white as it used to be, as he once thought it was. He also has to recognize that he isn't who he was before the kid.
Lena shifts a little, turning her head but staying asleep. As he watches her, he sees that the pads and the wrap securing them have loosened as she slept, revealing her eyes. She shifts again, and he knows that if he wants to remain faceless to her, he needs to move and either douse the lights or put on his helmet.
But he doesn't move, he doesn't turn out the light, and he doesn't put on his helmet, the latter easily within arm's reach. He's made his decision. He just watches her sleep become less deep, knowing that she's waking up. A small part of him is terrified, but he ignores that. After she shifts again, the eye wrap comes completely untied and falls to the bed.
Her eyelids flutter, and he is happy to see that her right eye looks to be far less swollen. It's still very bruised, but almost all of the puffiness is gone. As she opens her eyes, she makes a displeased sound at the light in the room, closing them again immediately. He's sympathetic. After he hurt his head, he'd put the helmet back on – the weight wasn't pleasant, but the light filtering was.
"You all right?" He gently puts a hand on her shoulder.
Eyes still closed, her head snaps up, making her wince. "Din, I don't have the eye covers on anymore, and the light is on!" She clearly noticed that his voice is unmodulated and realized that means he must not have his helmet on.
"I know." He runs his hand through her hair. "I know, and it's all right, Lena."
Her eyes stay resolutely shut. "You can't un-ring this bell, Din. I don't want you to regret this." She pulls away from him and sits up, leaning against the wall of the bunk and pulling her knees up, wrapping her arms around her legs. She whispers, "I don't want you to regret me."
He shakes his head and moves closer to her again. Not wanting to startle her, he murmurs, "Kissing you now," before leaning in and brushing his lips across hers. It's feather-light, not wanting to push her.
He needn't have worried about that. She reaches up with one hand as he moves back, catching the back of his head with her palm. She leans up, and as she had before, she bumps his nose with hers and then presses her lips to his. This kiss is the opposite of the one a moment ago; it's deep and possessive, almost as though she's trying to understand what's happening by touch. He's fine with it – he's pretty sure he'll never get tired of this.
They eventually pull back, and, echoing her actions from earlier, he touches his forehead to hers. He opens his eyes to see that hers are still closed, and he says softly, "Lena, unless this is all some incredibly elaborate hoax, unless you're somehow playing me – and I do not think you are – I could never regret you."
"I'm not," she says, "Playing you, that is. I wouldn't do that. I couldn't."
"Open your eyes, please, Lena." When she doesn't, he sighs. "I need to see you, Lena. This isn't something I decided on a whim. I've been struggling with my Creed for weeks. I won't do this with everyone. With you and the kid, yes, but not with others. I've let you in more than I've ever let anyone in. This is just letting you all the way in. Please, trust me."
"I do, Din, I think you know that." She swallows hard. "Promise me that you are certain of this."
"Lena, I am. I am certain," he replies.
"Promise me, Din. I need you to promise me," she insists.
He appreciates her concern for him, but it's not necessary. "I promise you that I am certain, Mealena." She releases a breath, and her eyes flutter. Once again, she winces slightly at the light. She keeps her eyes cast downward. "Give yourself a moment. I know the light is painful at first."
She blinks several more times, and one of her hands comes to gingerly touch around her right eye. "It's better this morning," she says softly, keeping her eyes open but still looking down.
He can see that she's hesitating, but he needs it to be her choice, just like letting her in was his. "Good." He smirks a little. "It's a nice shade of purple. Interesting combination with your hair."
She snorts. "Thanks." She closes her eyes again briefly, and she pulls back slightly, tipping her head up. He keeps his eyes on hers, waiting.
After a moment, she opens them, and he has to draw in a breath at how blue they are. Her eyes widen as she seems to take him in, leaning back a little and bringing her hand up to trace his features. She's silent, but she smiles faintly as she seems to match up touch to what she's seeing, her hand even moving up and pushing through his hair, her smile growing as it flops back in its unruly way.
Finally, her eyes meet his, and he has to force himself not to fidget uncomfortably at the prolonged eye-contact. Notwithstanding Maz's uncanny ability to seem to find his eyes through the helmet, he can't remember the last time he truly looked someone in the eye and had them do the same with him outside of a few passing glances with Mayfeld and Skywalker. She blinks, and he can see tears forming in her eyes.
After a moment, she says, "You have gentle eyes. My father had gentle eyes too." Then, she swallows a sob and surges forward, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his neck.
His arms instinctively go around her, holding her close to him. "So did mine. It's one of the only things I clearly remember about him."
She nods, and then she says, face still hidden in his neck, "Thank you for trusting me with this."
"You don't have to thank me, Lena." He rubs her back with one hand.
She leans away, looking up at him again. "If you hadn't had to break your Creed to save the little one and to say goodbye to him, this wouldn't have happened, would it?" He's silent for a moment, and she adds, "There's no wrong answer. That wasn't a trap – I do not care for that kind of game. The only thing that would surprise me would be if you would have done this anyway, not that you wouldn't have. I was probably going to scold you if you said you would."
He shakes his head. "I don't understand women." She pushes against his shoulder, and he laughs but then grows serious. "Sorry, and you're right. I likely wouldn't have done this if my Creed hadn't already been willfully, consciously broken. Even with Mayfeld, it was out of necessity – but with the kid, that was me. I needed to let him see me."
He sighs. "I was thinking about it while you were sleeping. The kid changed me a lot. I can't be who I was anymore, but I'm not like the other Mandalorians I told you about. But you matter to me. I didn't recognize how much until Ilcet hit you." He loops some hair behind her ear. "I got to where I was disappointed when I opened the ramp and you weren't there for a hike."
She shakes her head, laughing. He gives her a questioning look, and she says, "And I was trying to make myself not go every day. I really liked spending that time with you, but I was afraid I was going to start getting on your nerves." She looks up at him, lifting an eyebrow. "Especially because I had to go on body language alone, and you are so kriffing controlled. Honestly, that hair doesn't match you. It's far too disorderly. It must make you crazy."
He smirks and shrugs. "It's not like it's a problem that often." He tilts his head at her. "I'm surprised that you hadn't really explored around the castle in the three years you were there. You seemed to enjoy it, and the terrain is probably pretty safe to manage alone." It was something that had occurred to him when it had become clear that she hadn't seen much of Takodana beyond the castle.
"I was afraid to go alone. I tried once. I kept feeling like I was being followed, like he was there." He knows she's referring to Ilcet. "Literally being hunted can mess with your head a little. Going with someone felt like something I could manage, and as I said even back then, you make me feel safe."
Her words make him feel a little ill. "You know I was a bounty hunter, Lena. I was the hunter, and part of Guild code is not asking any questions. It's possible, when I need to keep supporting myself, if I couldn't find anything else, that I could go back to that. Can you live with that?"
"Can the code change?" She wraps her arms around herself. "Can you find out who they are first?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Honestly, I'm not sure I can go back to that at all." He runs a hand through his hair. "The kid was when I started breaking the rules and asking questions. It felt wrong. It was wrong. I'll be honest – it had never felt wrong before. I'm not sure what that says about me. I'll never not be ashamed for turning him over the first time."
"Din, you were just surviving. Maybe you've just been surviving since the Mandalorians rescued you." She shrugs a little, and picks at the sleeve of his tunic, the one she still wears. "I know what that's like. It's what I've been doing since my mother died, or even since my father died. Maybe that's why I liked being around you. The survivor in me may have recognized the survivor in you." She takes his hand in hers. "And you went back for him, and then you kept protecting him and going back for him. That's what matters. That's what counts."
He nods. "I know." After a moment, he says, "Is your head better? The swelling is down around your eye."
"Yes, it's a lot better. I'm not sleepy like I was, either. Bacta is impressive." She gives him a rueful smile. "I wish they'd had some on Lothal when my face was cut. The scar might not be so awful."
"The scar is just the mark of a survivor, Lena, like you said you are." He brushes the hair away from the scar. "You're beautiful. You know that, don't you?"
She blushes lightly. "I've never really felt that way."
He can't believe that. He could look at her all day. "Lena, there were nights at the bar, especially in the last week, that I was worried I'd miss something because I was so busy watching you."
Her blush deepens. She doesn't say anything, just leans in and kisses him. Within moments, they are completely entangled, and for the first time, he gently pushes her down to the bed under him with him hovering over her. One of her legs wraps over his hip, and she arches underneath him when he leans down and explores her neck, finding a sensitive place beneath her ear.
He feels her hands move down, finding their way under his tunic, and he inhales sharply when her nails scratch against his bare skin. He moves back up, kissing her again, it's deep and slow, and he can't stop the thought that this gets better every time they do it. He moves his weight to one arm, the other hand skimming down her body towards the hem of her top, but he pulls up sharply when a monitoring alarm goes off on his vambrace, one he set to prompt him to go check their location.
The moment is broken, and he huffs out a breath and rolls off of her and onto his back, breathing hard. Still slightly wrapped around him, she goes with him and ends up sprawled on top of him. She perches her chin on his chest, looking up at him. Her lips are a little swollen, something that makes him want to dive back in, and her hair is wild (though he doubts that his is much better).
She gets her breathing under control first and says, "Was the alarm for something specific?"
She looks amused, and he rolls his eyes slightly. "It was to wake me up to go check where we are."
"Then I guess you should do that?" Now her eyes have a teasing glint.
"I should." He reluctantly agrees.
With a nod, she slips off of him and out of the bed. He follows, but before she can say anything, he leans down and presses another searing kiss to her mouth. When they pull back, he says, "But just so you know, I really would prefer to stay here."
"I've created a monster with this kissing thing, haven't I?" She lifts an eyebrow at him. It's something he realizes that he also actually does under the helmet a lot. It's odd to think about the fact that he isn't as stoic as others might believe – they just can't see how his expressions change, though he guesses he may have to practice some.
He shrugs sheepishly at her comment, and then he says, "I really should go down to the cockpit."
"And I need the fresher." She nods.
He presses a kiss to her forehead. "Meet me in the galley for food?"
"Sounds good." She reaches up, bracing herself on his shoulders as she comes up on her toes and kisses him quickly. "I like being able to do that when I want to."
"I like it when you do it." He steps back. "If I'm not to the galley yet when you get down, you can come find me up front."
She smiles and nods. "All right."
He leaves her there, seeing her slip into the fresher as he goes down the ladder. He pauses at the kitchen to start the caf, and then he goes up to the front. Sitting in his chair, he starts examining the nav computer and the hyperdrive, checking over all of the systems to be sure they're still good and still a time away from their first stop. He also tries to think about where to go from there.
"Any idea where we are?" Her voice makes him jump, and he huffs out a breath and takes the mug of caf she's holding out to him. He sees that her hair has been tamed back into two braids, making her look younger than she is and with the scar fully on display. It warms him that she doesn't feel she has to hide it in front of him.
"Yes. We're about six hours from dropping out of light speed near the Gordian Reach." He motions to the seat next to his, and she perches there, folding her legs underneath her.
"So, when you said Outer Rim, you really meant it." She takes a drink from her own cup and then puts it down on the shelf next to her. "Will we drop out near Yavin? Or out beyond the edge somewhere like Felucia?"
He nods, oddly pleased that she has some knowledge of the layout of the galaxy. "Yavin. Yavin 4 to be exact. There's a trading outpost there where we can get you some warmer clothes if you don't have any in your things – Yavin is warm, but a lot of travelers pass through – and I can restock food and fuel."
"I can contribute to that, by the way," she replies, "And I'll take care of any clothes I get."
"No need. The reward for Moff Gideon wasn't small, and Maz was paying me a ridiculous amount." He says it absently, not noticing the frown his reply brings.
"Din." The irritated tone of her voice makes him look up at her quickly. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and her brow is furrowed. "I've been working for Maz for three years. She does pay well, and I had nothing to spend it on. I can pull my own weight. As I told you that night early on, how we got here aside, I am not some princess for you to rescue."
"Lena, I –" he begins, but she stops him.
"Ilcet, he made me feel helpless. Wouldn't let me work, wouldn't let me pay for anything. I want to feel safe, Din, not helpless." Her eyes are bright with tears, and he stands up and puts his caf down.
"I'm sorry." He shakes his head, going and kneeling in front of her seat, making them nearly eye-level. "Lena, I wasn't trying to do that, to control you or make you feel helpless. I didn't even think about it. I've just honestly never been as not-worried about credits as I am currently."
She bites her lip, nodding. He opens his arms slightly, and she immediately leans into them, letting him pull her in close. After a moment, she says, "I'm sorry too. I know you're not like him. Just please let me contribute. I need to feel like I'm not a burden or some sort of frail thing to be coddled."
They stay there like that for a while, and he feels her begin to relax in his arms. "I know I keep doing that, being over-protective. I will try to stop. You're going to have to remind me sometimes, though."
She leans back. "I promise to be honest, and I'll be patient. I know it comes from a good place with you." She motions to the controls with her head. "Are you done here?"
He nods, standing and going over to pick up his caf. They head to the kitchen, where they pull out some bread, fruit, and cheese that he'd gotten from Maz's kitchen on Takodana. As they eat, he gets serious. "I am hoping we'll have a message from either Maz or Cara or Karga when we drop out of light speed. After we stop on Yavin 4, I want to figure out what's next. This isn't like with the kid – we're not facing down an Imp with a cruiser, Stormtroopers, and Death Troopers at his disposal. I would really prefer to go on the offensive."
She nods. "That would be a nice change. I'm tired of running."
He looks at her, his eyes assessing her. "You said you can hold your own at hand-to-hand?"
"Yes." She nods. "My mother taught me. I never fought back against him because I was afraid it would make it worse. The one time I finally did, I got this." She points at the scar.
He scowls. "What a worthless piece of bantha fodder."
"No arguments from me," she replies. "I also can use a blaster, a knife, a staff, and a rifle."
He's surprised. "Really?"
"Really." She shrugs. "I told you my mother was a Mandalorian, Din. Just because she and my father didn't want me forced into formal training doesn't mean that they didn't want me to be able to take care of myself, especially with my size and no armor. My hand-to-hand has actually gotten better in the last three years. I'd been sparring with the night guard, Malo, the guy you were filling in for."
"Good." He cocks his head at her. "Was your mother small like you are?" He's never really seen a small Mandalorian, but his tribe was not very large and mostly men.
She shakes her head. "No. My father wasn't either, but his mother was. My mother met her once, and she was about my size. When I was on Naboo for a while, I did notice that the women were often small. I was pretty average there."
"Will you show me the hand-to-hand? And I have staffs in the weapons locker up in my bunk, if you're up to it. I don't want to hurt you, especially your head."
She blinks. "Why?"
He reaches over, cupping the uninjured side of her face with his hand. "I just want to gauge your skill level, figure out the best way to place both of us if there's a faceoff with Ilcet. I also might be able to help you identify weak spots on him, or honestly anyone." He drops his hand. "Think of it this way – if I know how well you can handle yourself, I won't be as worried and overprotective."
She laughs and shakes her head. "Fine. I have some clothes better suited for that up in my things." She stands. "I'll go change and then meet you back down here."
"I need to get the staffs and change, too. I've been wearing this a while." He stands up, and he puts everything away as she goes up. He follows her a few minutes later, going into his bunk.
He can hear her rattling around through the wall, and he thinks that he needs to tell her to unpack anything she wants to. He's not necessarily concerned that they'll be here too long – he wants to handle Ilcet as quickly as possible – but he wants her to know she's welcome here for as long as she wants to stay.
He's changing his tunic when he pauses on that thought. He wants her to stay. Or maybe he just wants to be where she is. He shakes his head and pulls the clean tunic on, but he can't quite distract himself. He knows that he still has things to decide, but he finds himself wondering if Maz might need more permanent help with anything once this is over with Ilcet. It depends, in his mind, to some extent on where the kid and Skywalker are. He doesn't want to be too far from the kid.
He looks around, and he realizes that while he got his armor from her bunk, his boots are still there. He has his new ones, but the other ones are broken in. He grabs two staffs from the weapons locker, and he leans them against the wall between the bunks. Then, he goes and taps on her door. She calls to him to come in, and he does, stopping in his tracks when he gets in there.
She's dressed in the leggings she usually wore on their hikes along with her usual boots with the heel. As a top, though, instead of the long tunic she usually wore, she has on a very fitted long-sleeved pullover shirt. It fits her like a second skin, and he makes himself look away when he realizes he was staring. He's noticed women before, but none have ever distracted him like she does.
He goes over to his boots and pulls them on. He looks up, realizing that she's watching him. He dips his head towards her feet. "You can fight in those?"
She grins. "Better than in flat shoes. I've worn this kind since I was about fifteen. Not all of us can be tall or even just a regular height, Din. These make me almost average."
"Almost." He chuckles. "At least you're taller than Maz."
Narrowing her eyes, she says, "Remember that we're about to do something where I get to hit you with a big stick, and no armor allowed."
He holds up his hands in defeat. "All right." He stands, shaking his head. "You're little, but you're also kind of scary. Did anyone ever tell you that?"
She shoots him a sly grin. "Malo." She leaves then, grabbing the tunic he'd given her when she was cold before, tying it around her waist. He follows her, guessing that he'll never get that tunic back, and he shakes his head, knowing that he's just fine with that.
It's not much later when they're facing off in the open hold of the ship. He figures out quickly that she wasn't overstating things. She's not very strong, but she's fast, precise, and unafraid to fight dirty. The first time she pops a cheap shot to the back of his knee, making him drop, she apologizes immediately.
He just pushes himself back up. "Don't apologize. That's exactly what you should do. Find weak spots. Exploit them." He resets his position. "Again."
As they move, weaving around each other, both getting taps in here and there, he relaxes into the rhythm of it. This is comfortable to him – it reminds him of growing up as a foundling, learning to fight, repetitive practice. He's not fighting anywhere near full-out, but it's giving him the chance to assess her. She is very good with the staff, honestly better than he is. He may let her carry his beskar spear if they face off with Ilcet directly.
He lets his mind wander for a moment, and that's a mistake. She's able to swing the staff around and sweep his feet. He lands unceremoniously on his rear, blinking up at her in surprise. She put her free hand on her hip, giving him a stern look. "You're holding back."
"Yes." She holds out a hand, and he takes it, letting her help him back to his feet. "I am. This is about me gauging you, not me showing you what I can do."
"Stop it." She frowns. "He won't hold back, so you can't either. Show me what you can do, then show me how to beat it."
He nods reluctantly, and he puts his staff aside. She looks confused. He explains, "You're better with the staff, but it just slows me down. I don't need it."
She swallows hard, but she nods and looks determined, reminding of the first time she came to see him at his ship. He resets his position, and she does the same. He hesitates. "Are you sure you want me to really fight back, Lena?"
"Yes. Like I said, he won't hold back. You shouldn't either. Isn't this the only way you can truly assess what I can and cannot handle?" she asks, and he has to acknowledge the point.
"Then let's go." He starts to move, and she echoes his movements.
It's slow at first, but they circle faster and faster. She moves in and hits towards him several times, but she only gets in two glancing blows. A moment later, she drops her shoulder as she moves, and he catches the staff as she moves in on him, gripping it hard and spinning her so that she ends up with her back flush to his front, the staff at her neck. She taps his arm. "Yield." He releases her and is about to say something, but she just pulls the staff from him. "Again."
He frowns, but then he nods. He can see that this is important to her. By the fourth time, it's a little harder for him to subdue her, and he can tell that she knows it. This time as they move, he winces as she gets in a few serious licks with the staff, but in the end, he sees her coming again. He ducks as she swings, dropping down in a spin and catching her ankle.
She tumbles back onto the floor, the staff clattering down next to her. He has her pinned to the floor in seconds, but he releases her quickly, not wanting to scare her. She takes advantage and flips them the moment his grip loosens, and she straddles him, grabbing his hands and pinning them to the floor with her own, though they both know he could easily get free.
They're both a little out of breath, and she entwines their fingers as she stares at him. After a few moments, she says, "How do you know when I'm going to move in?"
He blinks up at her, and he sits up, his breath catching a little as the move makes her grind down on him a little. She appears to be similarly affected, but he tries to stay focused. He frees a hand and taps her right shoulder. "You drop this when you're about to move in."
"Every time?" She sounds surprised, which tells him that she didn't even know she was doing it.
"Every time," he confirms. "You're also thinking about it too much. We need to work on getting you to trust your instincts. You take too long to think about your next move, that creates opportunities for anyone you're fighting."
She is silent, looking irritated with herself, so he cups her cheek with his palm. "Lena, you're very good. Don't mistake what I'm telling you as meaning you aren't. You can improve, but you'll beat a lot of people, most likely including Ilcet. He strikes me as the kind who takes a shot when you're unaware but runs when things get hard. You have a staff, or my beskar spear? You might take him."
She blinks at that. "You'd let me use a beskar spear?" She pauses, furrowing her brow in surprise. "Wait, you have a beskar spear?"
He laughs. "Yes. Got it on Corvus, the place where we met Ahsoka Tano, the woman who told me Grogu's name."
She seems to process that. "And you'd let me use it? That's a Mandalorian weapon."
He hadn't really decided before, but now he's sure. "Yes. I'm not giving it to you, Lena, I can't. I'm loosening my position on some things, but I'm not there. But it could help you against Ilcet if the situation arises. We'll need to let you practice with it first – the balance and feel is different from a staff. We can start now and then continue after we stop at Yavin 4."
He moves slightly, and she seems to realize the position they're still in. Her cheeks color, and she moves to stand. "Sorry."
She extends a hand and pulls him to his feet. "Don't apologize. It was fine." He picks up the staff and hands it to her, and then he picks up his own. "I'm going to show you what you're doing with your shoulder, then we can work on getting you to stop."
Over the next three-and-a-half hours, that's what they do. He goes up and gets the spear halfway through, and within an hour, she's moving it more easily and smoothly than she did the staff. Beskar is a deceptively light metal, especially given how strong it is.
They then take turns in the sonic shower, and he tells her to meet him down in the cockpit when she's dressed. He reminds her that Yavin 4 is warm, and to dress in layers, because she'll probably want to not be as warmly dressed when they land. She'd elbowed him and asked him how he deals with it in the armor, and he'd just shrugged. He's used to it at this point.
It feels a little odd to him to go down the ladder in full armor, though he intends to remove his helmet again when he gets to the cockpit. In another way, though, putting the armor on felt like a return to a level of normalcy that is vaguely comforting. He has worn variations of it all every day for well over twenty years.
He does leave the jetpack behind today, though. It draws attention, and he doesn't believe he should need it on Yavin 4. He's armed, though, with two blasters and strategically hidden knives, and he also has a bag of credits for when they go to the trading post.
He settles in his chair and takes the helmet and gloves off, putting them in an empty space at his feet. He will put them back on before they land, though. He's going to be frustrated if there aren't any messages when they leave light speed. He's itching to go after this guy. Outside of his time spent protecting the kid, he's never really been one for being on the defensive.
He hears a step behind him, and a moment later, she sits down in the seat she sat in earlier. He looks at her, and he nods. She appears to be wearing a similar outfit to the first night he saw her at the bar for work, fitted pants and a sleeveless top, but she has a heavy jacket on over the top right now and a scarf around her neck, as well as a bag that she puts on the floor. Her hair is in its neat bun, but the lock of it covers the scar again. The black eye is still livid, but he can tell that she softened it with a covering makeup of some sort.
"How much longer til we drop out?" she asks, leaning forward, clearly anxious.
"Any time now." He gives her a look that he hopes is reassuring – he's aware that he hasn't had to do much through facial expressions in the past. He appears to succeed, because she gives him a weak smile.
He turns back to the controls as an alarm goes off, and under a minute later, they drop out of light speed. He leans over to the communications panel, and he breathes out a relieved breath. She asks, "There's a message?" At his nod, she says, "I haven't asked, but couldn't we have gotten a holonet comm in hyperspace?"
"We can, but I didn't expect one – subspace can be more secure, harder to trace and slice and less expected." He pulls up the message.
A moment later, he hears Cara's voice. "Mando, Cara here. Message received from our mutual friend, and bounty has been set. After hearing the story, though, I contacted Wedge. I know you didn't ask me to yet, but I had a bad feeling. I'm transmitting a channel code to you – he wants you to contact him, said it's a secure holonet channel. There may be more to the story than expected. Call when you think it's clear to do so. We'll be waiting." There's a pause, and then Cara says, "And can you try to stay out of trouble for more than a few weeks next time, please? Come visit when you can."
He snorts at that. The message ends, and he looks at Lena. She says, "Who is Cara?"
"Cara Dune. She's a friend, Marshal of Nevarro, the former Rebel dropper I told you about." He knows he mentioned Cara when he told Lena the story, but he realizes he didn't say her name.
"Wait, the one you were arm wrestling and the kid tried to strangle her?" Lena laughs when he nods. "She sounds like someone I'll like. And Wedge?"
"You will like her." He turns back to the comms panel. The channel code for Wedge came through. "Wedge is with the New Republic military, and he knows Skywalker too. Wedge Antilles." It'll be a video call, so he puts on his helmet before he enters the code. "He's the one who took custody of Moff Gideon."
Someone who is clearly New Republic military picks up the transmission he puts through, but it's not Wedge. Din asks for Wedge Antilles, saying that Marshal Dune instructed him to call. The young soldier's eyes widen at the sight of Din, and Lena laughs softly as he says, "Sir! Yes. I'll get you transferred to his office."
A moment later, Wedge pops up, laughing. "Mando, did you have to scare Private Leneen?"
Under the helmet, Din blinks. Then he realizes the man is kidding. "It's not my fault the kid is jumpy."
He feels a shove to his shoulder, and Lena joins him on the viewer. Wedge turns immediately serious, obviously noticing Lena's eye and cheek. "Did that kriffing Ilcet guy do that to your face, ma'am?"
Din looks at Lena, who colors slightly. "Yes. Not the first time or even the worst time, unfortunately."
Wedge's brow furrows on the screen. "That's not the worst?"
Din watches as Lena shifts the hair from her scar, and then he looks at the screen. If Wedge looked serious before, he looks thunderous now. Din just says, "I get first shot at killing him, Antilles."
Wedge's eyes track back and forth between them, and then he nods. "Understood. But we'd like him alive if possible."
Lena speaks up. "We, sir?"
"Yes, and it's just Wedge, ma'am." The man nods respectfully.
"Lena." She smiles a little, and then she puts a hand on Din's shoulder. Even through his clothes and armor, he can tell that her hand is trembling slightly.
He reaches up and covers her hand with his. "Why do you need him alive, Antilles?"
"It turns out that Ilcet is a less than lawful guy in a lot of ways, Mando. He wasn't just an Imperial collaborator; he was still working for the remnants of them when last seen. He has killed more than a few people for them, many of them very recently." Lena draws in a sharp breath at that, and Din squeezes her hand. Wedge goes on, "We want him alive because we're still flushing out the remnants. That base you and the late Mr. Mayfeld," Wedge lifts an eyebrow and smirks as he says that, telling Din that he knows Mayfeld isn't dead, "Took out on Morak was one of many."
Din nods. "You think he can give you intel."
"Yes." His eyes stray to Lena again. "But if it comes down to dead or escaped?"
"I will bring him in cold if I can't bring him in warm." Din smirks under the helmet.
"Exactly. Honestly, it won't break my heart if it ends up cold." Din is surprised. The man seems fairly kind and by the book, but Din realizes that his sense of right and wrong is outraged by the idea of a man abusing a woman as well as continuing to support the Imperials. On both, they are aligned.
"Noted." Din nods again. "I want to go on the offensive, Antilles. I want to go on the hunt. Lena shouldn't have to keep looking over her shoulder."
"I thought you might. I'm sending you some information. I think he had a track on Maz Kanata's holonet connection. He is heading, as far as we can tell, towards Nevarro. Marshal Dune has an eye out, but he hasn't gotten there yet. Maz thinks that he didn't leave Takodana until a few hours ago, but she caught a transmission that mentioned Nevarro. Wherever you are, you have a big head start. I'd send people, but we are occupied pretty far from Nevarro, and we can't spare the fighters right now. And honestly, a bunch of X-wings might spook him."
"Understood." Din thinks about where they are and how far it is, then he nods again. "We are going to make a short stop for supplies, then head to Nevarro. We can be there faster than he can unless he has an advanced hyperdrive."
"Pretty sure he doesn't. Maz's scouts said it looked old." Wedge looks at Lena. "Do you know if he had a ship of his own?"
She blinks. "Yes. He did." Din looks at her, and she bites her lip as she appears to think about it. "It was an Imperial shuttle, a heavy Z-class. He said he'd gotten it cheap after the end of the war. I was only on it once. It's a piece of junk, and it wasn't fast." She rolls her eyes. "He wasn't much of a mechanic."
"Good." Wedge looks back to Din. "Once this is done, you should know I got a message from Luke. He knows what's happening here, but he said to come see him when you're done. I'll get you the location after Ilcet is managed." He glances at Lena. "He asked that you be sure you can trust anyone you bring with you, but I already ran a check on you, Lena." Din tenses, but Lena squeezes his hand as Wedge goes on, "I'm sorry, it was intrusive but necessary. I did it quietly, had my best slicer handle it. Ilcet won't know. I'm sorry about your mother and everything else, Lena."
She nods. "Thank you, and it's fine. I understand why you had to check."
Din is silent for a moment, and then he says, "Thank you, Antilles. We'll inform you when we make some progress with Ilcet."
"Happy hunting, Mando." There is a glint in the man's eye that makes Din respect him even more. "Antilles out."
Din turns off the comms system, and he punches in a route for Yavin 4. Then he pulls his helmet back off and turns to Lena. "I'm sorry he checked your past without asking first."
She comes over and stands between his legs, and he watches her as she smooths his hair down after being in the helmet. "It really is fine. He seems like a good man. I never got too involved in the war, you know? I was on the edges of things. Bartending, traveling, I'd serve anyone a drink. I never asked whose side they were on."
He nods. "Same. Until the Imps put a bounty on a baby, I stayed out of it, too. Moff Gideon and his people changed my position."
She frowns and wraps her arms around her waist. "I can't believe he was Imperial, that he was a killer for them. How did I not see that? It's not even about judging it – but how was I so blind? I was an idiot, and I was so weak and cowardly. How did he turn me into that?"
He stands up and pulls her in close to him, and she tucks her face into his neck. "Don't be so hard on yourself, ad'ika." She huffs out a surprised breath, and she leans back to look up at him. He shrugs. "Little one. It means little one, at least as I'm using it."
She closes her eyes for a moment. "I know." She then gives him a watery smile. "My mother called me that – she was nearly as tall as you, so I was her little one. Her ad'ika."
He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, it just slipped out –"
She pushes up on her toes and kisses him, effectively cutting him off. When she pulls back, she says, "I like it. I know that might sound weird, but I like it."
"It doesn't sound weird." He hugs her close again. "I wish I had memories like that of my parents. I don't remember much, and I don't know why – I was old enough to have memories. It's like it all faded away. Any time I try to think about them, all I can remember is their last moments. Their eyes so full of fear." He pauses for a moment. "The first nonviolent memory I've had of either one of them in a long time is when I mentioned my father's eyes earlier."
She leans away and reaches up to touch his face, running her thumbs under his eyes. "I love seeing your face, but it's your eyes that draw my focus. I love your eyes."
He turns his head and presses a kiss to her palm, and then the controls beep. He pulls away from her, and he looks down. "We're coming up on Yavin 4. Strap in."
She complies, and he reaches down and pulls on his helmet and gloves. As they break the atmosphere of the moon, he sets course for where he knows the best trading area is, a place where he used to restock the Crest now and then. After receiving a comm from a small port, he's able to set down.
Once they're settled, they get up and head off of the ship, shucking her jacket and slipping her bag over her head. Before he opens the ramp, he turns to her and hands her a portable communicator that she tucks into her bag. He asks, "Are you armed?"
She hesitates, and then she nods. "Knife in my boot, small blaster in my bag."
"Good." He hits the ramp open control. "This place is pretty quiet, but I want to be on the safe side. "Please call me if anything makes you even slightly uneasy."
Normally, she'd bristle at that kind of instruction, but there's something in his voice that makes her certain that he just wants her to be safe, and the fact that he added the please helped more than she can say – I tells her it was actually a request, not an order. "I will."
She follows him as they head off of the ship, and he talks to the workers there, telling them that the ship is fine, that they only need fuel. He locks it down with the control on his vambrace, and they walk towards the trading area. As they walk, he tells her how she can open and close the ship with or without his vambrace.
At the edge of the trading area, he says, "As far as I remember, clothes vendors are that way." He points to their left. "I'm going to go get food. Any requests?"
She shrugs. "As long as there's caf and maybe some kind of fruit, fresh or even dried, I'm good. I'll come find you if I finish quickly, or we meet back here in maybe a standard hour?"
He nods. "All right. Comm me if you can't find me. I'll tell you where I am."
She reaches out and quickly squeezes his hand. "See you later."
He watches her go, and he realizes that he actually feels anxiety at their separation. He knows this place is safe, though, so he swallows it back and goes looking for food and a few other things he has in mind. He has half of what he needs in a bag over one shoulder when she comms him. It's only been about half of an hour, but she says that she's done. He gives her a few locations to guide her to him, and then he goes back to looking at some small weapons he was considering for her.
He settles on a few things and puts them in his bag, and then he turns to go look for her. He needs to finish stocking up the food for them both, and the directions he gave her will lead her to the fruit vendors. He goes to meet her there, but when he's halfway there, he stops in his tracks. He sees her, large bag slung across her back, and she's bent over talking to someone. She's relaxed, so it doesn't worry him.
He starts walking again, and he realizes that the person she's talking to is a boy, no more than seven, holding a tray of some kind of melon. She's talking to him, and he is grinning at her in a way that makes him think that the kid may have developed an instant crush on Lena. As Din watches them, the boy looks around. His eyes widen when they land on Din, and the boy freezes. Lena must notice, because she looks towards him. When she sees him, she smiles and beckons him over.
She then leans down and tells the boy something. The boy relaxes, and Din approaches them. When he gets there, the boy looks up at him, eyes wide. "Are you really a Mandalorian?"
Under his helmet, he grins. The boy is small but has a compact solidness to him. He has huge brown eyes and dark, curly hair that's messy like Din's after he's had his helmet on for hours. He crouches down. "I am. You can call me Mando. What's your name, and what are you selling there?"
"I'm Poe! Poe Dameron. I'm seven. And this is koyo melon. Lena likes it. Her hair is awesome. We grow them on our farm. My mom and dad, I mean. But I like to fly more than farm. I want to be a pilot. My mom's a pilot. She was in the Rebellion, and so was my dad! He wasn't a pilot, though." The boy is all energy, and Din has to blink under the helmet at the rapid-fire delivery.
He glances up at Lena, who is watching them with a soft, amused look on her face. He looks back at the boy. "It's nice to meet you, Poe Dameron, and since Lena likes the melon, can you show us your booth? I'm sure we'd love to buy some." He stands back up. "And her hair is definitely awesome."
"Yes sir!" The boy turns, but then he pauses and looks back up at Din, almost having to tilt his head entirely back. "I like your armor and your helmet. It's scary from far away, but I think you're nice. This way!"
Lena laughs at that as the boy moves away. She takes Din's hand as they follow. "I'm trying to imagine your reaction to that under the helmet. But for what it's worth," she squeezes his hand, "I think you're nice, too."
He huffs out a laugh and squeezes her hand back. "Just don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold."
They follow the boy to a small farm stand that has several melons of varying size on display. The boy runs up to it. "Dad! We have customers! A pretty lady and a nice Mandalorian!"
Din snorts, and he looks down at Lena. She actually blushes a little. "Don't say a word, Nice Mandalorian."
A man steps out, and he is clearly the boy's father. While the boy's frame, hair and eyes must come from his mother, the rest of his face looks to be a lot like this man. He tenses at the sight of Din and Lena, and after his eyes track to the bruise on Lena's face, his hand moves slightly towards the blaster in a thigh holster. Lena must notice, because she looks up at Din. "Stand down. I'll handle this."
He lets go of her hand, and she approaches the man. "Before you guess incorrectly, sir, he didn't do this. He's protecting me from the man who did. I promise. I'm Lena, and your son is delightful."
The man still looks suspicious, but he holds out a hand to Lena. "Kes. Kes Dameron." His eyes soften, landing on Poe. "And he has his moments."
"It's nice to meet you, Kes." She nods.
Din was so busy watching Lena, that he doesn't notice that Poe has come back to him. She is more distracting than he wants to admit. The boy says, "Mr. Mando?" Din looks down at him in surprise, and he's even more surprised when the boy takes his hand, pulling him towards the stand. "You should buy melons for Miss Lena. She likes them a lot. My dad can tell you how to cut them and cook them, but they're the best fresh, I think."
He lets the boy drag him to the fruit, and he notices that the man, Kes, is watching with a shocked expression on his face. Lena just laughs. He hears her say, "Get a few of them," and he nods and waves at her.
A few minutes later, Poe has three of the large melons on the counter of the stand, and then he grabs Lena's hand to show her a breadmaker's stand, leaving Din alone with the boy's father, Kes. As Din pays for the melons, Kes says, "She said you didn't do that to her. Is that the truth?"
Din wants to be angry at the question, but he actually appreciates the fact that the man is suspicious on Lena's behalf. "Yes, it is. She had been hiding at a place where I was working, hiding from her former partner. He found her and did that before I even knew what was happening. I got her out of there with the help of a doctor there and the woman we were both working for."
"Are you going to get the guy?" Kes gives him a hard look.
"Yes. We were stopping to resupply, then I'm going hunting. She can handle herself, too, he just got the jump on her." He assesses the man for a moment. "Your son said you were with the Rebellion."
Kes nods, then says, "Pathfinder. Ground troops. My wife Shara, who is back at home, was a pilot."
"Do you know of Wedge Antilles?" Din takes a chance. He's curious to see if his positive opinion of Antilles is warranted.
Kes smiles slightly. "Yes. Good man, good pilot, good leader. You know him?"
"Yes. He's helping us. The man I'm hunting was a collaborator," Din replies. "Taking him down will help the New Republic, too."
"Some of you Mandalorians didn't take sides," Kes challenges.
"It varied widely by clan, though I never was on a particular side. Something happened to me recently that made it an easy choice for me, though. I'm not saying anything more than that." Din accepts a bag from the man, the melons now inside of it.
"Fair enough." Kes looks up, and they see Lena and Poe returning, Lena with some fresh bread in a bag. She's holding Poe's hand and grinning as he talks. "I think my boy is half in love with your girl there."
"She's a woman, sir, and she doesn't belong to anyone, least of all me." Din's response is immediate.
"Good answer." Kes gives him a wry look. "Though if the way she looks at you is any indication, my son doesn't have a chance, age difference notwithstanding." He turns serious. "I hope you get the guy. I'm a soldier, a lot of hand-to-hand fighting, and I know you have to hit someone really hard to cause a bruise like that. Is her eye all right?"
"Yes. She was lucky. The worst part was the head injury she sustained. The doctor had to use bacta on it to save her." Din shakes his head.
"You need to stop talking, my friend. You're making me want to drop Poe at home and go with you to take that son of a bantha down." Din looks at Kes, and the man is scowling. It occurs to Din that he never has really met or known non-Mandalorians, and the sudden influx of them in his life is having an effect on him that he at least thinks is good.
Din holds out his hand, and Kes takes it. "Thanks, Dameron. If there's ever anything I can do for you, call Antilles. He'll probably know where to find me."
"Same to you, Mando." Kes nods. Another customer comes up, and Kes steps away.
Din joins Lena and Poe. He watches as Lena gets on her knees and hugs Poe. "You take care, Poe Dameron. I hope we see you again."
"I hope so too, Miss Lena." Poe steps back, and he comes over to Din, shocking him by hugging him around his waist. "Bye, Mr. Mando."
Din shakes his head, and then he puts a gentle hand on the boy's hair. "Bye, Poe. Take care of your mom and dad, all right?"
"Yes sir!" Poe releases him, and with a wave, he runs to the farm stand.
Lena comes up next to him, taking his hand again. "I don't usually like kids," she says, "But I like that kid."
Din nods, but he laughs. "It's kids who don't usually like me. Between Grogu and Poe, I'm not entirely sure what's going on."
They watch the Damerons for another moment before Lena says softly, "We need to go, Din. I don't want to risk these people, this place. I know it has history in the war, but it's a peaceful place now. I don't want to draw Ilcet or his Imperial masters here."
"Agreed." He starts back towards the ship, hand holding hers firmly. "Did you get what you needed?"
"Yes. You?"
He nods. "I did. We should be set for a while. There should be a small delivery of staples at the ship, and yes, that includes the caf."
She laughs, pulling closer to him and entwining their fingers. "My hero."
Once they're back to the ship, they quickly store the food and other things they bought. Within minutes, they're back in their seats in the cockpit. Din keeps his helmet on until he gets the hyperdrive engaged. Once they're at light speed, he removes the helmet and gloves, and turns to look at her. "Next stop, Nevarro. It'll take a while, so I'm going to go get the armor stowed."
She follows him as he heads for the ladder, but she stops in the kitchen. "Good." He gives her a funny look, and she just shrugs. "I can't get close enough to you when you have that stuff on. I like being close to you."
He comes back over to her, and he leans down and kisses her gently. "I like being close to you too, ad'ika." He steps back. "I'll be right back. We can make dinner and start planning what we're going to do when we get to Nevarro."
"If we're able to get him, can we go back to Yavin sometimes? I liked it a lot." She smiles up at him.
He gives her what he hopes is a soft smile and loops some hair behind her ear. "I liked it too, and I think that's a good idea. Maybe to Naboo too, so you can see your father's home without looking over your shoulder for Ilcet."
She reaches up and runs a hand through his hair. "You know, Poe was right. You really are a nice Mandalorian. I do promise not to tell anyone, though – but if you keep being this way, you're not going to be able to hide it much longer, you know."
AN: Yeah, yeah, I know – but I am a Poe Dameron fan, and Oscar Isaac and Pedro Pascal's friendship appears to be quite charming, so here we are. And writing Little Poe amused me.