Chapter 27

-The First Next Step-

They lay there like that for a long time, neither really sure of how long, and neither caring, both content to savour the moment, this moment, together. The sun had set long ago and now two moons peered down at them from the sky.

However, Din sprang into action suddenly, rolling over and whipping out his blaster, blocking her with his body.

Then she heard it: a rustle in the bushes. She had long ago guessed that his helmet provided enhanced hearing.

"Something's coming, stay down," he hissed.

True to his words, moments later, a figure emerged, approaching them.

"I take it you two will be spending the night," Maz said, eyeing Din and his blaster, large eyes blinking behind her goggles, hands on her hips.

"Sorry." He lowered the weapon.

"And yes, that would be great. Thanks Maz," said Aula.

"You're welcome, Kiddo."

"We might be staying a little longer than that, while we figure out what to do next," the red-head admitted.

"That's fine by me."

It was nice to crawl into the bed Maz had prepared for them. Their sleeping arrangements on the Crest had been a little awkward. Awkward in the sense that with the ship being small and therefore with little space inside, the sleeping area was small in itself, even smaller, with little other space to sleep (unless you wanted to sleep next to the toilet - no thank you, very much). So they would take turns alternating each night or so, one sleeping on the cot, Leo sleeping above hanging in his hammock Din had fashioned for him, and the other sleeping on the floor in a pile of blankets that had been assembled into a make-shift bed. Not great either way, but at least it was something.

But now, this night, they fell asleep in a soft, warm bed. They fell asleep that night together, with their foreheads pressed together in a Kov'nyn, in a Keldabe kiss.

When Aula awoke the next morning she found Din already up and sitting on the edge of the bed, staring down at the dark saber, his newly-acquired weapon and bestowal of the title as ruler of Mandalore.

Talk about pressure.

"What are you going to do with it?" She spoke gently as not to startle him.

"Good question. That's what I'm trying to decide..." He turned it around in his gloved hand.

"Well I'm with you, whatever you decide," she assured him. "I think - I mean, I'm not really sure what ruling Mandalore encompasses."

He chuckled a little at this. "Neither do I."

"Can I see it?" she asked, nodding to the mysterious dark blade. A blade that clearly held so much power and significance to so many people.

She turned away slightly so she could activate the blade. Even the in dark dimness of the morning, the blade glowed in all its own dark glory. Even in the dark, the dark saber shone, illuminated.

"It would probably be best to keep quiet about this," he said. "Clearly, people are willing to fight and kill for it."

"Yeah, clearly. Good plan. My lips are sealed." As if for emphasis, she deactivated the blade. Then she passed it back to him. "So I guess we should come up with a plan."

"For?"

"For moving forward."

"I don't know, it might be nice to lay low for a while."

"Okay, 'Mr. Go Go Go, what's next? What's the next step?'"

"Maybe some downtime would be good for me."

"Maybe. It's certainly different than you normally want to do."

"He changed me."

She gave a smile, her heart swelling for their little green bean. "Me too."

"And you changed me."

"You've changed me too."

"I think our first course of action should be to find a new ship - without one, we're not going anywhere, or at least not far."

"Okay, sounds good. Makes sense. Then that's the first step of a plan."

"Hey Maz, you don't have any ships for hire, do you?" he asked their host when they entered the cantina to find some breakfast.

"Sure do, Kiddo. What're you looking for?"

True to her title, a true pirate queen, Maz had some real sleek ships, clearly old Imperial ones.

Aula gave an impressed whistle as Maz led them into a huge underground hangar with her collection of stolen ships.

"Take your pick," Maz offered, gesturing to the large collection. "As you can see, I have quite the selection."

"Yes, quite the selection, indeed."

"Would we be able to buy one off you?" Din asked.

"Sure thing."

"Great, thanks."

"Choose wisely."

"We will. So, what do you think?" he asked Aula, hands on his hips, scanning the hangar and its contents.

"Hmmm..." Aula did her own scan of the ships. Walking between them, eyeing them from all angles, one sitting alone in the corner and off to the side caught her eye. "This guy looks lonely, and a little sad."

Din came over to see for himself. "It needs a lot of work."

"We can do it - that means we don't have to rush off anywhere."

"True."

"A little extra space wouldn't hurt either."

"Also true," he agreed.

"I like it - in fact, I think it's quite perfect. What are we going to name it? The Razor Crest II?"

He chuckled at this suggestion. "Perhaps." A pause, then, "Or how about The Leo?"

Her heart instantly swelled. "Oh! Yes, yes, that's perfect!"

"Okay - Leo it is then... I think we've found our new ship. The Razor Crest was mine, but this one, this is ours."

She beamed. "Yes, it's ours."

"Right - then let's get to work."

He was right, the ship - Leo - needed a lot of work. A lot. It was basically falling apart before they rescued it.

"That's the one you chose?" Maz cried when they came to her with their choice. "That old hunk of junk? It's been sitting down there for years, rotting away. It'd be better if you stripped it for its parts."

"It looks like it could use some love," Aula justified. "And besides, using an Imperial ship doesn't really sit well with either of us, even if it was stolen."

"Very well, it's yours. I hope it works well for you. We'll discuss payment."

"Thank you. And of course."

"Ah, see, with some new parts and a fresh paint job, it'll look as good as new!" Aula said, paint splattered - green and grey, after their little womp rat, and the ship's namesake.

The hull was deep, and a spacious sleeping area was top priority - after the ship being able to fly and fend off attacks, of course.

Pretty soon, following a lot of hard work, it was their last night at Maz's. Aula handed Din a glass of spotchka. "Cheers, to our new home."

"Cheers. To Leo."

"To Leo." They touched glasses and each took a drink in their toast.

"I have a good feeling about this," she remarked. "To new adventures." She raised her glass again.

"To new adventures, Cyar'ika."

Ah, finally got that chapter finished! I don't want to rush things, but I also am excited to move things forward for them ;)

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)