A/N: This next chapter will be split into two parts, mostly because the episodes they correspond with, episodes 7 and 8, were basically a two parter. The second part will be uploaded soon after though.
Music: "Judge, Jury, and Executioner" from Dredd 2012 OST
Mega City One
Becca continued pacing around the apartment, when she suddenly heard a knocking at the door. Holding out hope that it was her family, Butcher quickly made her way across the small living room, throwing open the door to find Chief Judge McGruder standing there instead.
"Chief Judge." Becca murmured in disappointment. "Where are Joe and my son?"
"That's… what I'm here to talk to you about." McGruder said grimly.
"What do you mean?" Becca furrowed her brow in confusion. "Are they hurt?"
"That's the thing- we don't know." McGruder pinched the bridge of her nose. "We were having Dredd and your son test out an upgraded Project Proteus, but we lost contact."
Becca slowly nodded, deep in thought. She knew what Proteus was; it was how she and the rest of the Boys travelled from New York in the 21st century to Mega City One during the Necropolis.
"Is it still working?" Becca asked, getting an idea.
"Yes. We're trying to determine where exactly they are."
"Good." Butcher grinned. "Send me there."
An hour later, Becca and McGruder arrived at Tek-21, briskly walking inside and making their way toward the Project Proteus lab.
"So far, all we know is that your husband and son are in a universe designated THX-192110731879." McGruder informed.
"No Earth?" Becca raised an eyebrow. McGruder stared at her curiously, and Butcher added, "During my time, a friend of mine mentioned that the multiverse is categorized by different Earths."
"Ah yes, the speedster known as the Flash." McGruder recalled, just as they entered the lab. "The problem is, there is no Earth in that universe."
"Hence why you don't know where they are." Becca realized.
"Exactly." the Chief Judge nodded. "We don't even know if you will arrive on the same planet as Dredd or Ryan."
"I'll take my chances." Becca muttered, walking over to a Tek-Judge named Irons and retrieving one of the Proteus time displacement belts.
"Very well." McGruder murmured, while Becca placed the belt around herself and walked up onto the platform. "Irons, activate the platform."
"Yes Chief Judge." Irons quickly nodded, throwing a switch. "Activating dimensional portal in 3, 2, 1…"
Becca felt herself begin to be engulfed in a familiar blue energy, as she heard McGruder say one last thing:
"Good luck."
Music: "Man of Honor" from Mandalorian Season 1 OST
As the Razor Crest flew through space, Mando fiddled with the navigation controls, while Dredd and Ryan were deep in conversation.
"The droid didn't touch him, did it?" Joseph asked.
"He probably would've tried." Ryan shrugged, eyeing the Child. "But I heard him from the lower level."
Joe calmly nodded. There were many days where he'd forget that Ryan inherited his father's superhearing… among other powers.
Dredd and Ryan suddenly stopped talking, hearing a hologram get activated, and turned their heads toward the Mandalorian. In front of them was a blue tinted image of a bearded man wearing some type of long brown coat.
"My friend, if you are receiving this transmission, that means you are alive. You might be surprised to hear this, but I am alive too. I guess we can call it even." the hologram declared. "A lot has changed since we last saw each other. The man who hired you is still here, and his ranks of ex-Imperial guards have grown. They have exposed despotic rule over my city, which has impeded the livelihood of the Guild.
"We consider him an enemy, but we can't get close enough to take him out. If you would consider one last commission, I will make it worth your while. You have been successful in staving off your hunters, but they won't stop until they have their prize.
"So here is my proposition: return to Navarro. Bring the Child as bait. I will provide loyal Guild members as protection. Once we get near the Client, you kill him, and we both get what we want. If you succeed, you keep the Child, and I will have your name cleared by the Guild. For a man of honor shouldn't be forced to live in exile. I await your arrival with optimism."
The image of the man flickered out, settling the Crest in silence. It was only after several minutes, when Dredd suddenly spoke.
"Who is that?"
"His name is Greef Karga." Mando murmured, turning to stare at the Child. "Leader of the Guild on Navarro."
"And you were tasked to hunt down the kid for the Imperials?" Ryan asked, staring at the baby as well.
"Yes." Mando nodded, turning back to punch in navigation commands.
"Are you going back?" Dredd inquired. "It could be a trap."
"Yes." Mando agreed, as the navigations were complete. "But we're going to get some help first."
As soon as he finished speaking, the ship turned slightly to the right, before blasting off into hyperspace, towards a certain planet. Towards a certain ally.
Sorgan
The Razor Crest flew low, just skimming over the treeline, before touching down in the middle of the forest. Ryan looked outside the cockpit, wondering if this was the same area he had confronted that Guild bounty hunter weeks ago, while Mando and Dredd got up and began to leave the ship.
"Do you want me to stay here?" Ryan asked his stepfather, trying his best not to let his sarcasm slip. Joseph paused, looking between him and the Child, before shaking his head.
"Come on, Ryan."
Mando picked up the Child, setting him down on the floor, and they all exited the ship, walking towards the village they previously tried to seek refuge in.
After nearly ten minutes of walking, the small group arrived, entering the village's common house to see Cara Dune fighting a pale skinned Zabrak, wrapping some sort of plasma cord around his neck and forcing him to choke. Seconds later, the energy dissipated, and Dune's opponent fell to the ground, knocked out. The only way Ryan knew this is he could hear his heartbeat via his superhearing, and it was still going at a steady rhythm.
"Pay up, mudscuffers!" Cara declared, as everyone around her cheered. Once the other villagers had left, the Mandalorian decided to make his presence known, stepping forward.
"You looking for work?"
Dune turned to look at Mando and his friends, her face breaking out into a grin.
"Good to see you again Mando." Cara smirked. "You too, Dredd. Butcher."
Joseph kept his stony expression, while Ryan smiled back. Dune began walking away, leading them all to a table in the corner, where one of the villagers began to pour them drinks.
"So what's the job?" Cara asked.
"Seems like a straightforward operation. They provide the plan, the firepower… I'm the snare." Mando explained.
"With the kid?" Dune raised an eyebrow.
"That's why I'm coming to you." Mando revealed.
"I dunno, I've been advised to lay low." Cara shrugged. "What, you're new friends aren't enough?"
"We'll need all the help we can get." Dredd told her. "Something I've learned over the years is that there's some things you can't do with just a partner. You need a team."
"Right. A team to fight off some warlord." Cara snorted.
"That's also why I came to you- he's not a warlord." Mando confessed. "He's an Imperial."
Dune blinked in surprise, staring at the Mandalorian in shock, before raising her cup.
"I'm in."
An hour later, Mando, Dredd, the Child, Ryan, and Cara found themselves back on the Razor Crest, flying back to Navarro.
"Does your contact have to vet me?" Dune suddenly asked, leaning against Ryan's chair.
"He doesn't know you're coming." Mando told her, punching in coordinates to their destination.
"Then that could be a problem."
"Then it's his problem." Mando muttered, before getting up and leading both Dredd and Cara down to the armory. Just as they were about to descend the ladder, the warrior turned towards Ryan.
"Do you need a blaster?"
Ryan responded by making his eyes glow red, but toning the energy down to only illuminate his pupils.
"I'll be fine."
"Suit yourself." Mando shrugged, before joining the other two adults down below. "What about you, Dredd?"
"My Lawgiver should suffice." Joseph told him. "But how can we trust Karga?"
"We don't have a choice." Mando grunted, while Cara picked out a plaster pistol from the rack. "You saw what happened at Sorgan."
"And you're planning on bringing the kid back there anyway?" Dune raised an eyebrow.
"I know someone who will look after him." Mando said mysteriously. Both Dredd and Cara frowned, giving each other a confused look, before turning back to the Mandalorian.
"Who?"
Arvala-7
The Razor Crest landed on the desert outskirts of a town, right next to a hovel. The small crew exited the ship, walking toward the home and meeting a small creature outside, wearing workers' clothes and goggles, and seemingly waiting for them. It only took a few seconds for Ryan to register that the thing before them was an Ugnaught. The alien gave them a short nod, leading them all inside, where the humans had to crouch low, or sit on the floor.
"It hasn't grown much." the Ugnaught noted, staring at the Child.
"I think it might be a strandcast." Mando guessed.
"I don't think it was engineered. I've worked in the gene farms." the Ugnaught shook his head. "He looks more evolved, too ugly. But this one-"
The creature pointed to Cara Dune, making her tilt her head in confusion.
"This one looks like she was farmed in the Sydo caves of Nora."
"This is Cara Dune." Mando told him. "She was a shock trooper."
"You were a dropper?"
"Did you serve?" Cara asked.
"On the other side." the Ugnaught grumbled, before looking at Dredd and Ryan. "These two, they were definitely cloned."
"Half right." Dredd mumbled, looking over at Ryan. "I'm a clone, he's not."
"Nonsense. I've worked with the cloners on Kamino." the Ugnaught scoffed, taking a look at Ryan. "Who's template is he based on?"
Ryan narrowed his eyes, trying his best to control his anger, as he clenched his fists.
"I wish I was just a clone." Butcher said in a low voice. "Then I wouldn't have to think about how much of a piece of shit my real father was."
Mando, Cara, and the Ugnaught stared at Ryan in surprise, most likely from the unknown expletive he used. The supe took a deep breath, calming himself down, and began to head outside the hovel. He stopped however, as a gray colored droid with a cylindrical head entered, holding onto a tray with several cups.
"Would any of you care for refreshments?"
Mando and Cara pulled out their blasters, aiming it at the droid, but the Ugnaught held out his hand as a way to tell them to stand down.
"That thing is programmed to kill the Child." Mando announced.
"It was. I reprogrammed it." the Ugnaught admitted. "I found it after your last battle. I rebuilt it, taught it how to walk, to pour a drink…"
"Is it still a hunter?" Mando asked.
"No." the alien shook his head. "But it will protect."
The droid held out his arm, holding onto a cup of tea, which Cara gingerly took. The entire time, Ryan was staring at the droid with curiosity.
"Is that… an IG unit?"
"You have a good eye." the Ugnaught smirked. "This is IG-11."
Mando continued looking at the IG droid, before turning to speak to its master.
"I've run into some trouble."
"I figured. Why else would you be back?"
"I'd like to hire you." Mando offered.
"I've done my service."
"I can pay you handsomely, Ugnaught."
"I have a name." the creature glared at the warrior. "It is Kuiil."
"I need someone to protect the little one, Kuiil." Mando tried again.
"I cannot perform such a task anymore." Kuiil scoffed. "But IG-11-"
"No." Mando snapped. "I don't want that droid near the kid."
"Why do you distrust droids so much?" Kuill asked. The question did not go unnoticed by Dredd, Ryan, or Cara. "Droids are not good or bad, they are neutral reflections of the people who program them."
"I've seen otherwise." Mando growled. "And this one tried to kill the Child."
"It was programmed to." Kuill countered. "Do you trust me?"
The Mandalorian paused for a moment, before uttering, "Yes."
"Then you will trust my work." Kuill told him. "IG-11 will join me in protecting the Child. And so will the blurgs."
"The blurgs?" Mando asked incredulously.
"I have spoken." Kuill murmured, getting up and ushering everybody out of his home.
As the Razor Crest flew towards Navarro, the crew was below decks, having finished securing the blurgs, large reptilian creatures with small appendages, in the hold. Mando and Cara had initiated a friendly arm wrestling match, while Kuill checked on the blurgs, and Dredd, Ryan, and the Child spectated.
"Give up, Mando?" Cara asked playfully. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she let go of Mando's hand, clutching her throat. Almost like she was being strangled. Dredd and Mando looked at her curiously, while Ryan's eyes widened, realizing exactly what was happening. His eyes scanned the ship, landing on the creature that was logically doing this: the Child. The baby's eyes were squinted, almost in anger, with his hand was clenched in a fist.
"No." Butcher murmured out loud, quickly reaching over and picking the baby up. "No, stop!"
In an instant, the Child unclenched his fist, and Cara let go of her throat, making loud, gasping noises.
"What was that?" Mando asked, while Kuill approached them.
"Curious." Kuill tilted his head. "That story you told me of the mud horn makes sense now."
"What is it?" Mando asked.
"What it is, I don't know." Kuill confessed. "But what it did, I've heard stories."
"Stories from when you worked for the Empire?" Cara accused, still rubbing her neck.
"When I was sold to the Empire." Kuill corrected. "Stories were told of beings able to move objects by waving their hands. Rumor was the Emperor's pet, Vader, possessed this power."
"The Force." Ryan realized, causing everyone to look at him. "It's called the Force."
Beneath his helmet, Mando frowned. Of course, he's heard the phrase, "May the Force be with you", but he never thought such a thing existed, much less being used as a weapon.
"How do you know so much about this?" Cara asked. Ryan gulped, thinking for a moment, before shrugging.
"Let's just say I've always been fascinated by old hokey religions." Butcher said nervously. Mando chuckled at Ryan's statement, as he turned back towards Kuill.
"Look, can you repair the kid's crib?"
"No- I'll make a better one." Kuill replied. Mando nodded in thanks, and he and Cara went back up towards the cockpit. While the Ugnaught and the Child stayed down below, Dredd and Ryan followed them, climbing the ladder and sitting in the seats behind the Mandalorian.
"So we're going to Navarro?" Cara asked, as she cleaned her weapon.
"Yes. Ever been?" Mando asked her in response.
"No, a lot of our forces got wiped out there. The city's dug in pretty deep. The Empire stayed in control until the end of the war." Cara said grimly.
"The warlord was an Imp officer." Mando revealed. "But more of them have resurfaced."
"Then something more is going on." Cara guessed. A moment later, the doors opened, and IG-11 walked in.
"Second meal is ready. Would you like to be served here or below?"
"Not hungry." Mando said gruffly, prompting the droid to leave. "Under no circumstances does that droid leave that ship."
"Wow. You really have a thing for droids." Cara laughed.
"I have a thing for that droid." Mando continued. "Doesn't matter how much rewiring it got, it goes against its nature. It was designed to kill the kid."
"That's stomm, and you know it." Dredd interjected. "You have it out for droids in general. You hated the one Ran assigned to fly this ship, remember?"
"And it turned out he was in on betraying us." Mando pointed out.
"What about those pit droids you refused to fix the ship?" Dredd pressed. "It doesn't take a psychic to know you have some prejudice against them."
Despite the helmet, Joseph knew that the Mandalorian was glaring at him, as he let out a frustrated sigh.
"I was a child during the Clone Wars. My village was attacked by the Separatists." Mando explained. "My parents were killed by those mechanical monstrosities. They ordered me to hide, right before a super battle droid shot them down. They nearly killed me, but the Death Watch clan saved me. I became a foundling, before I left the clan and went out on my own."
Dredd and Ryan stared at the Mandalorian in surprise, while Cara's eyes widened in a stunned expression.
"You wanted to know why I hate droids… that's why."
Dredd looked at Mando with an unreadable expression, before opening his mouth to speak.
"I used to be like you." Dredd confessed. "Where I'm from, Mega City One, there are mutants. People that have been affected by radiation. One of them, Anderson, was my partner, and she showed me that they weren't all the same."
"Did those mutants take your family from you?" Mando murmured.
"No…" Dredd's voice trailed off, as he glanced at Ryan. "But I wasn't done."
Ryan stared at Joe, watching him nudge his head towards the Mandalorian, and he took the gesture to mean that he should continue.
"Uncle Joe felt the same way towards supes." Ryan told the armored warrior.
"Isn't that what you are?" Mando asked, remembering how Ryan told them about supes while living on Sorgan.
"Yes. He hated them because of my father." Ryan continued.
"Why's that?" Cara asked. Ryan looked over to the rebel with a sad expression, shuddering from a painful memory.
"When Uncle Joe married my mother, he called himself Billy Butcher." Ryan revealed. "They once met my father, a supe named Homelander, at a party. A few days later, he… he raped her."
Cara's jaw dropped, having heard about a crime as heinous as that, but never actually seeing it.
"My God." Dune gasped, shooting Ryan a sympathetic look. "That's why you snapped when Kuill thought you were cloned."
"Exactly." Ryan nodded. "Because I was born from what that bastard did, the company that created him, Vought, had hidden my mother and I away. I was basically in a prison, before Uncle Joe rescued us."
"And how'd he get over his hatred of supes?" Mando asked curiously. "Seeing as how you're still with him?"
"From what I was told, Uncle Joe befriended a supe who hated Homelander as much as he did." Ryan shrugged, seeing Dredd nod out of the corner of his eye. "Her name was Annie."
"She was good." Dredd added. "Helped us rescue Ryan… and she was there when I killed his drokker of a father."
"Where is she now?" Cara asked innocently. Ryan looked at her sadly, before turning towards the cockpit window.
"She's gone." Butcher whispered. The rest of the ship's crew stayed silent, as a light blue planet suddenly appeared in their view.
"Just remember… not all droids are bad." Dredd told the Mandalorian. "Just like not all mutants and supes."
Nevarro
The ship touched down at the designated area Greef and Mando agreed upon, with the ramp lowering to reveal four blurgs, being ridden by the crew. Meanwhile, Ryan walked along the ground, keeping up with the Child's hovering silver ball crib, as Greef and two Guild members approached them.
"Sorry for the remote location, Mando, but things have gotten tense since you were last here." Karga shouted, placing his hands on his hips and looking across the small band. "It appears introductions are in order, as we have both acquired a security detail. But I recommend the shock trooper guard the ship, as these lava fields are rife with jawas."
Mando paused, looking towards Cara Dune, before turning back to Karga.
"She's coming."
"But the city is filled with ex-Imperials." Greef frowned. "If they find out a rebel dropper is here, they'll-"
"She's coming." Mando repeated, as Dune glared at the Guild master. Greef gave Mando a hard look, before throwing up his hands in surrender.
"Fine. At least cover the tattoo." Karga muttered, pointing to Dredd and Ryan. "And those two?"
"We're coming too." Joseph demanded, with his son wearing a determined look. Greef reluctantly nodded, eyeing the hovering ball.
"Where is the little one?"
The Mandalorian pressed a button on his gauntlet, and the crib hovered towards Greef, opening up to reveal the Child.
"So this is the little bogwing that has stirred so much trouble." Greef mumbled, patting the creature on the head.
"Yes." Mando murmured. Greef smiled, before turning around.
"The sun sets fast on Nevarro, so we'd better get moving."
Night fell quicker than anticipated, and the Mandalorian's crew, joined by Greef and the Guild, were forced to set up camp several miles away from the city. As a spit roast was being cooked, Cara tore off two legs and placed them onto a metal plate, handing them to Dredd and Ryan.
"Here." Dune pushed the plate along the ground. "You'll need your strength for the morning."
"Yeah." Joe agreed, as he and Butcher took the food and began to slowly eat.
"Is that… you have chicken here?" Ryan asked, surprised at the flavor.
"I know, it tastes like chicken from Takodana." Cara grinned. "But no, they're not from this planet."
"I'm not complaining." Ryan shrugged. "Where we're from, everything's synthetic. Synthi-caf, synthi-fries…"
"Mega City One, right?" Cara guessed, remembering their conversation from earlier. "You have droids there too?"
"Not like the ones here." Joe shook his head. "They're only used for maintenance. The ones designed to fight, called ABC-Warbots, have been decommissioned for decades."
Cara looked down at the ground, her eyes trailing over to see Greef and Mando discuss the plan, and if the ex-Imps didn't scatter like they were predicting. They all knew the plan, but it was good to have it repeated every once in a while.
"You know, that took some stones to tell Mando that earlier." Cara murmured. "Was that all true?"
"Yeah." Dredd nodded. "When I met Ryan, I was still Butcher. Even when I resumed who I really am, I was afraid the next time I'd look at him, I'd see his father."
"And who do you see?" Cara asked curiously. Joe looked over at Ryan, feeling the corners of his mouth tugging upward.
"His mother."
Ryan smiled at his stepfather, when he suddenly stood up, looking right towards Greef.
"Uncle Joe- something's coming."
"What?" Joe asked, unholstering his Lawgiver and turning on the thermal imaging in his helmet. A good thing too, as several big, flying creatures were coming right towards them… what the drokk were they?
"Get down!" Ryan shouted, flying up and grappling one of the giant aliens in the air, shooting lasers through its sternum. The creature screamed, but more of its kind descended upon the camp, one of them scratching Greef with its talons and causing Cara to grab the nearby fheavy blaster rifle and begin spraying tibana at the targets.
"Rapid fire." Dredd murmured, hearing the gun electronically hum, and he joined the fray. Out of the corner of his eye, Joseph noticed Mando locked the Child's crib, before he too pulled out his blaster and began firing.
While Dredd, Mando, Cara, and Greef shot down a few of the flying creatures, Ryan still flew around, lasering stragglers in half and keeping them from the camp. After burning a hole through one of their heads, Butcher looked around, realizing they were all gone, before he slowly descended back to the ground.
"Is he alright?" Ryan asked, looking over at Greef to see three deep claw marks along his forearm.
"No." Mando mumbled, while Cara went to get a medkit.
"I could cauterize it." Ryan offered. "Or Uncle Joe could field dress-"
"Wouldn't matter." Dune muttered. "The poison's spreading fast."
"So this is how it ends." Greef murmured. No one noticed the Child had left his crib and walked towards Karga, until he was right next to him.
"Oh kriff, he's trying to eat me!"
"Get him out of here!" Cara snarled, moving to pick up the Child, but was stopped by Ryan placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Wait." Kuill ordered, as the Child placed his hand on Greef's arm. The Baby Yoda closed his eyes, concentrating, and before everyone's eyes, the wound slowly began to heal. Ryan smiled, letting go of Cara, and Dredd approached him.
"Did you know he could do that?" the Judge asked.
"Had a hunch." Ryan grinned. "Seen it before."
Greef's eyes widened, seeing his arm was completely healed. There wasn't even a scar.
"Looks like you're full of surprises, little one." Karga stared at the Child, before looking over to Ryan. "You both are."
The next morning, Greef and the Guild led the Mandalorian's crew across the lava fields, until they reached the outskirts of the city.
"Here we are." Greef murmured, before turning around and pulling out twin blaster pistols, shooting the Guild members dead. Dredd, Mando, and Cara all pulled their guns, while Ryan's eyes glowed crimson.
"What is this?" Mando asked.
"The original plan was to kill you and deliver the Child." Greef explained, raising his hands so his blasters would point to the sky. "But after last night, I couldn't follow through. You can gun me down now, but then the Child will never be safe. The Imperial client is obsessed with obtaining the asset. You've tried to run, but where did it get you?"
Ryan stared grimly at Karga, before allowing the reddish glow to fade from his eyes.
"He's right." Butcher murmured. Mando nodded, lowering his blaster.
"As long as the Imp's still alive, he'll send hunters after the Child." Mando agreed, turning to Greef. "Bring me to him. That way, I can get close, and I can kill him."
"I'm coming with you." Cara declared.
"But that will make them suspicious." Greef frowned.
"I don't care." Dune rolled her eyes, looking over at Dredd and Ryan. "Say that they captured us."
Greef looked between the four of them, then at the Child.
"Very well." the Guild master nodded. "That could work. But someone still has to look after the Child."
"I have a plan." Mando announced, glancing at Kuill. "Take the kid back to the Razor Crest, and seal yourself in. Activate ground defenses, nothing on the planet can get in."
Kuill nodded, handed Mando a comlink, and took the Child out of the crib. Greef handed the Mandalorian and Cara each a pair of handcuffs, which they put on after handing Dredd and Ryan their blasters. As the crib closed up on itself, Mando looked back at Kuill, seeing him carry the Child away, before Dredd, Greef, and Ryan led them into the city.
Music: "The Standoff" from Mandalorian Season 1 OST
The group arrived in the city ten minutes later, and the first thing Ryan noticed was the area was packed with stormtroopers. Scout troopers, to be more precise.
"Chain code?" one of the troopers asked, stepping off a speeder bike.
"I have gifts for the boss." Greef shrugged, pointing to Mando. "The traitor Mandalorian, and a former rebel shock trooper."
"Chain code!" the trooper demanded, using a harsher tone this time. Greef sighed, reaching into his coat and pulling out a small card, giving it to the trooper. The scout snatched the card, scanning it, while eyeing Mando.
"I'll give you twenty credits for the helmet."
Ryan snorted. Even though he was a fan when he was younger, he still wasn't sure how much credits were worth. But he sure as Hell knew that a Mandalorian's helmet was worth way more than twenty.
"Ha. Not a chance." Greef laughed nervously. "That's going on my wall."
"On your wall?" Mando asked, raising an eyebrow beneath his helmet.
"Just go with it." Greef whispered, as the scout trooper gave him his card back.
"Go ahead."
The group moved along, walking down the street, as at least a dozen troopers marched past them.
"Just how many are there?" Cara asked in a whisper.
"Four guarding the client." Greef muttered. "Many more here in town."
"I've faced worse." Dredd said in a low voice.
"Slip us our blasters." Cara whispered to Ryan. Butcher slightly shook his head, whispering back, "Not yet."
"In here." Greef announced, leading them all to a small small cantina, and a door slid open, ushering them inside. Mando had to duck his head to not hit the ceiling, as four stormtroopers stared at them.
"See? Four." Karga murmured, as an old man with balding white hair stood up, wearing a long black coat. Around his neck was a gold medal, which Ryan realized was shaped to depict the symbol of the Galactic Empire.
"Look what I brought you- as promised."
The old man looked at Greef for a moment, before turning to the Mandalorian.
"What exquisite craftsmanship." the Imp murmured, running his hand along the armor. "It is amazing how beautiful beskar is when forged by its ancestral artisans."
The client turned towards Cara, muttering "Rebel scum", before glancing at Dredd and Ryan.
"These were the ones who caught them?"
"Yes." Greef quickly said. "New hunters in the Guild. Hungry for work, too."
The old man turned back to Greef, casting a wicked smile.
"Can I offer you a drink to celebrate the conclusion of our shared narrative?"
"I would be obliged." Greef nodded.
"Sit." the old man ordered, and everyone did so, while the stormtroopers locked the doors. The client was the last to sit down, glaring at Mando. "It is a shame, how much your people suffered, as just as this situation, it could have been avoidable. Tell me, why did Mandalore resist our expansion?
"The Empire improves every system it touches. Judgement is symmetric. Safety, prosperity. Trade opportunity, peace… compare Imperial rule to what is happening now. Look outside; is the world more peaceful, since the revolution? Because I see nothing, but death and chaos."
Ryan had to bite his tongue, so as to not call bullshit. This was the same Empire that destroyed multiple planets, peaceful planets, in the past.
"I would like to see the baby." the client demanded, reaching over to the silver crib.
"Oh, it's asleep." Greef weakly protested.
"Then we'll be quiet." the old man countered. "Open it."
The entire crew stared at the client, unsure of what to do, when a stormtrooper approached him. Using his super hearing, Ryan listened in on what the trooper was saying.
"Priority Three, visual alert."
The client scowled, standing up from the table.
"Don't think me to be rude, but I must take this call."
The old man left to walk towards the bar on the other side of the room, while Mando and Cara slipped out of their cuffs.
"Give us our blasters." the armored warrior whispered. Joseph nodded, handing them their weapons, as Ryan glanced over to see a stormtrooper open up what looked like a briefcase, and a small blue hologram flickered. Unfortunately, Ryan couldn't make out what the man looked like, even while squinting, but he could still hear the conversation…
"Yes, Moff Gideon?" the client whispered.
"Have they brought the Child?" the man, named Moff Gideon, asked. Ryan frowned. That voice… why did it sound familiar?
"Yes they have. Currently it is sleeping."
"You may want to check again."
"This isn't good." Ryan murmured to Dredd. No sooner when he said that, a blaster bolt tore through the client's body, barely missing Greef. A moment later, a torrent of lasers rained into the bar, peppering the stormtroopers with shots and forcing Dredd, Cara, Greef, and Mando to dive under a table for cover. As for Ryan, he did his best to act as a human shield, but before long, the blaster bolts crashed into his body, and he began to feel bruises begin to form.
"Ryan, get down!" Joseph yelled, reaching up and tugging on his stepson's shoulder. Butcher quickly dropped to the floor, just as the firing ended, leaving the area smoking from heat. Cara was the first to get back up, quickly going over to the shattered window to see a squad of black armored stormtroopers. At least ten of them.
The rest of the crew followed shortly after, and Ryan's eyes widened, seeing what was waiting for them out there.
"Oh shit, it's death troopers." the supe murmured. A transport suddenly appeared, opening up to reveal dozens of stormtroopers, lining up behind the elite guards clad in black.
"This is bad." Cara grumbled.
"You're telling me." Ryan agreed. Normally, he wouldn't break a sweat, but he wasn't in Mega City One. Right now, he was in a world were a gun- blaster- could actually hurt him. Not to the point of killing him right away, but he imagined if it hit him enough times…
"Kuill, are you back on the ship?" Mando asked, activating his comlink. "Kuill, do you copy?"
"Yes! But I'm not back yet!"
Music: "The Arrival" from Mandalorian Season 1 OST
"Then get back to the ship and bail! Get the kid out of here, we're pinned down!" Mando ordered, just as a tie fighter flew down into the city. The aerial vehicle slowly landed, its black wings folding on themselves, as the cockpit opened up. A dark skinned man in all black armor and a cape exited the tie, walking briskly through the sea of stormtroopers, standing in front of the death troopers to address the ragtag crew. Dredd looked out the window, sneaking a glance at the man, and that's when his eyes widened behind his helmet.
"Uncle Joe." Ryan murmured, looking over to his father figure. "Your heart rate, it's spiking."
"It can't be…" Joseph blinked in surprise.
"What?" Ryan asked, peeking from behind cover to see the man dressed in black armor. "Who does he look like? Who's he familiar with?"
Dredd's mind was still trying to register what he just saw. It shouldn't be hard, when he's gone toe to toe with Homelander and the Dark Judges. So why did this one surprise him so much?
Eventually, after what felt like forever, Joe answered Ryan's question.
"Stan Edgar."
Now it was Ryan's turn to look at the man in mortification. He'd never actually met Edgar, but he knew enough about him. How he was the President of Vought, and was ultimately responsible for hiding himself and his mother from his father. Once he turned sixteen, his parents revealed the truth about him and Vought; that Stan Edgar wanted to use him as a deterrent should Homelander go wrong. He wanted to use Ryan as a weapon. Well, Edgar got half of what he wanted in the end. Homelander was taken out, but it wasn't Ryan that ended him. No, that honor went to Dredd himself, as well as his team The Boys. The team that became his family… their family.
Ryan shook himself from those thoughts, as he heard the black armored man begin to speak.
"You have something I want."
Ryan's eyes widened further, realizing this was the man the client was talking to.
"Who's this guy?" Cara asked curiously.
"His name is Moff Gideon." Ryan told them.
"That's impossible." Cara denied, as the man kept speaking.
"You may think you have some idea of what you're in possession of, but you do not." Moff Gideon declared condescendingly.
"Kuill, are you back to the ship yet?" Mando asked, activating his comms again. "They're onto us. Kuill, come in!"
"In a few moments, it will be mine!" Gideon announced.
"Kuill, do you copy?" Mando said desperately. "Kuill!"
"Kuill, are you there?" Mando said desperately. "Kuill, come in! Are you there! Kuill!"
"He's gone." Ryan realized, just as Moff Gideon finished speaking.
"It means more to me... than you will ever know."
To Be Continued...