Ok if you're one of my regulars, I know a new story email got sent out, but FFNET shows up like 'story cant be found' or something. I deleted it and reuploaded, so hopefully this makes a difference :)
OMGGG HIII!
Welcome back to the official storyline Mando and Zakia fic! I hope everyone has had a decent year (despite ongoing issues) and that you're excite for the Mandalorian Season II premiere! If you keep up with 'Before You', you know that I was going to wait until a couple episodes were out and then start storylining this fic, but it was just too much work to keep my excitement dow. I'm doing the episodes real slow and staying within canon as much as possible.
And for those of you who don't know, here is the stories in this collection and what they're about.
I. Before You - snippets of Mando and Zakia's life before the Child.
II. Judgement Call- my original Din/OC fic that follows Season 1
III. Broken Halos (That used to shine)- This one follows season 2
AGAIN- SPOILERS FOR SEASON II AHEAD DON'T DO IT. Anyway, i hope you all enjoy, and keep an eye out for my other stories.
CHAPTER I: BENEATH THE MASK
"No, you can't have spotchka with your milk."
A gurgle.
"Your Mom would cut my throat while I sleep."
Another gurgle, followed by a gulping sound that could only mean the Child was enjoying his morning bantha milk.
Zakia stuck her head into the militaristic kitchen area, wringing the ends of her damp hair with a towel. Her feet danced over the familiar floor of the Crest, until a painful collision with metal sent her hopping on a single foot while she clutched the other.
"His Mom is going to shoot you with your own blaster if you don't learn to pick up your armor." Zakia snapped into the galley.
Boots appeared in her hunched field of view, and Zakia straightened up to face her partner. He was helmet-less, as it seemed he was becoming slowly more comfortable with it as the days passed on. There was the hurdle of eating together that they hadn't yet jumped, but it was a huge adjustment. Neither party pushed for it. The routine had become simple- Din and the baby were up early, and would eat breakfast together. Zakia followed whenever she dragged herself out of bed, even though she rarely ate breakfast to begin with.
"Sorry. I had to let it dry."
Zakia's ability to remain angry at Din had faded, as it was much harder to channel negative feelings towards big brown eyes and messy hair. His appearance was almost polar-opposite to what the helmet displayed: an impassive metal mask. From so many years hiding away, Din was almost overtly expressive, with absolutely no poker face to boast. It was easy to hide behind a shield, but keeping emotions in check on a bare face after years of hiding was not boding well for him.
"It's fine." Zakia pouted, more annoyed by her brain's decision to let him get away with it- again.
The Child was wandering near his father's feet, and stumbled back a step when Din tugged Zakia close to him.
"I am sorry." He was almost purring in her ear, and Zakia's head tilted back on its own accord. "What can I do to make it up to you?"
An alarm from the cockpit blared, and Zakia recognized the hyperspace drop warning. She pointed a finger at the ceiling.
"Right now? Put it back on and get the- hmph" She was cut off with warm lips on hers, eyes automatically fluttering shut at the sensation.
Din's hands trailed down her arms and landed at her waist. His long fingers squeezed into the flesh there, and Zakia moaned quietly against his mouth.
"You're… beautiful when… you're upset."
Zakia pulled back from the kiss, able to deduce the playfulness in his eyes. "Cheater."
Another blaring alarm forced them to part, neither willing to get thrown around the hull like popcorn when the ship dropped out of Hyperdrive. Zakia lifted Din's chestplate and magnetized it to his underclothes, attaching it carefully and helping him through the rest of the process in swift movements. The helmet was last, and he allowed Zakia to slip it down over his face.
"Good?"
"Great." His voice filtered back to her with the same electric edge she'd grown used to, almost soothing in its familiarity.
"I'm gonna get acceptable clothes on. Looks like it's gonna be dark here, huh?" Zakia knew they were going to a less-than-hospitable planet, and walking around in the dark sounded like no fun at all.
"Unfortunately."
Din disappeared into the cockpit, and Zakia to their quarters. The Child waddled after her, eventually latching onto her leg so he moved easily with her. Zakia chuckled at the antics, scooping him up. She knew finding his people was necessary for everyone's safety, but the thought of turning him over to anyone besides Din terrified her beyond belief. She squeezed a little tighter as she raided her closet, shutting away her thoughts until they were just distant words.
To say Zakia and the Mandalorian were thankful to have another floating cradle was an understatement. There was no more shuffling from arm to arm, and no more tossing of a toddler back and forth. It warmed Zakia's heart to know it was Kuiil's last build before his death, and she had conditioned herself not to cry after what was probably the tenth time of using it. In the length of time that had passed since the battle on Nevarro, she was still touched by the thought of the Ugnaught and his little moisture farm.
The planet they landed on- unfamiliar to Zakia and barely charted on maps- was barren until the city's edge. Random rock formations jutted up from uneven ground, and the waining moon cast a sickly glow across the landscape. The pair walked silently towards the urban area, one name on the forefront of their minds.
Gor Koresh.
Koresh was rumored to have information on Mandalorian whereabouts, which tied directly to the Child's species. The Armorer on Nevarro had said she knew stories of the Jedi, and they could only hope other coverts would have more tales to aid in connecting the dots. There was no other way to gain information easily- the Child couldn't speak, and when they took him from Arvala-7, it wasn't from his family.
He was alone in the galaxy as far as they knew; if the Imps wanted him this bad, the possibility his species had been destroyed in the war was a big one.
"Stay sharp." Din rumbled the caution to Zakia, a new habit of his since revealing his face to her.
They trod down alleyways and underneath buzzing streetlamps. Zakia tried her best to ignore the tiny red flashes and muted growls from the darkness, and focused on swathes of colorful graffiti littering the city. It featured anti-war sentiments as well as various droids and models of Stormtroopers. The colorful wall stretched for several metres, up to a door guarded by a red-skinned Twi.
"I'm here to see Gor Koresh."
Din's words prompted a curious glance from the Twi to the Child, and back to Zakia. She exchanged the look for a sarcastic smile, and he sighed.
"Enjoy the fights."
Dirt and grime lingered in the air as the door swept open. A raucous bout of cheering and hollering filled their ears, and the energy was palpable. Zakia stayed in step with the Mandalorian, observing the underground fight ring they had walked into. Two Gamorreans were swinging battle axes in the midst of all of it, the crowd's mood changing with each swing.
Zakia allowed Mando's HUD tracking to lead them to Koresh, who was relatively isolated from the rest of the crowd. He wore a blazer that contrasted with the sickly green of his Abyssin skin, and didn't look their way when the trio approached. The Mandalorian sat beside him, while Zakia opted to settle for the row behind her partner. They were small enough bleachers that even her short legs brushed Din's back at rest.
"You know this is no place for a Child." Gor's choice of greeting was odd, though Zakia could honestly say she'd heard worse.
"Wherever I go, he goes." Mando responded in a sharp tone, leaving little room for argument.
"So I've heard." However, the wiggle room that did remain after Mando's statement was found by the slimy businessman before them. "You have a babysitter, no?"
Zakia scoffed. "It sounds like you need one."
Koresh turned to her. "And you're the partner I've heard about. Very skilled."
The statement was not outwardly hostile, but the implied context rubbed her the wrong way. "That's what "I've been told."
"We've been quested to bring this one back to his kind. If I can locate other Mandalorians, they can help guide me." Mando stopped Zakia's interactions before they took a turn. The Child perked up as if it knew they were discussing him. "I'm told you know where to find them."
The Abyssin's lone eyeball scanned Din. "It's uncouth to talk business immediately. Just enjoy the entertainment."
Already keeping a partial eye on the fight, Zakia turned the remainder of her attention to it. One finally seemed to be getting an upper hand, and the end grew nigh.
"Bah! My Gamorrean's not doing well." Koresh complained, joining in the chorus of hoots and hollers. After a swing and a miss by one of the Gamorreans in the ring, Koresh motioned to Din. "Do you gamble, Mando?"
Zakia held back her snort. The idea of the ever-practical Din Djarin gambling was so far from reality she had to pretend to even imagine it.
"Not when it can be avoided."
"Well I'll bet you for the information you seek, that this Gamorrean is gonna die within the next minute and a half-" Koresh motioned to his, "-and all you have to put up in exchange is your shiny beskar armor."
Zakia tensed, recognizing the dread creeping into her belly. She gripped a hand around the butt of her blaster, tapping her finger against the safety switch. The match was drawing close, Gor's beast growing more tired by the second.
"I'm prepared to pay you for the information. I'm not leaving my fate up-"
Zakia leaned down between the men as an idea struck her. Gor liked to gamble- she could rearrange the bet.
"Lucky for you, I don't mind a gamble." Zakia ran her tongue over her teeth, turning her gaze to Koresh. "Make it twenty seconds, and if I'm right, you hand over the info."
Koresh snorted. "A brave one, isn't she? I see why you keep her around."
Rolling her eyes, Zakia performed a practiced quick-draw, firing a single blaster round through the head of Koresh's Gamorrean opponent. The entire building bursted into cacophony, fleeing accompanied by screams and shouts.
Din turned his visor to face her, and the little bit of helmet that Zakia spoke indicated he wasn't angry rather than curious.
"I don't play games anymore, Mr. Koresh." Zakia's blaster was back in its holster already as she waited.
"Nor do I."
A familiar clicking told Zakia that blasters were being primed, and she stilled as men crept into the light with weapons trained on her and Mando.
Gor chuckled. "Thank you for coming to me. Normally I have to seek out remnants of you Mandalorians in your hidden hives to harvest your precious shiny shells." His blaster was trained underneath the chin of Din's helmet, though Zakia could see from her position that it wasn't armed. "Beskar's value continues to rise; I've grown quite fond of it. Give it to me now, or I will peel it off your corpse."
Zakia counted six men including Koresh. Two to six wasn't terrible where they were concerned. Her and Mando had taken on more. Not to mention the fact that since Nevarro, they were both armed to the gills all the time.
"Tell me where the Mandalorians are and I'll walk out of here without killing you." Mando warned.
Tiny pinpricks of blue light on Din's bracer alerted Zakia to the whistling bird's priming mechanism, and she smirked. The Child took note as well, ducking back into his cradle and locking the lid closed.
"I thought you said you weren't a gambler?"
Zakia's smiled stretched further.
"I'm not."
The whistling birds fired all together, and Zakia ducked her head towards Din's shoulders to avoid any fallout. After the coast cleared, she leapt down the bleachers, intercepted by one of the remaining men and the same time the surviving Gamorrean jumped Din.
Zakia faced off with the skinny man in front of her. "Come on, it's been a long time since I've had a good fight."
The man lunged, and Zakia side-stepped him easily, rolling her eyes and thrusting her vibroblade through the back of his neck before he could turn around. She watched the man fall, retrieving her blade. Din was squared up with two others, while Koresh tried to flee out the back door.
"Mando?" Zakia called, already following the Abyssin to the door.
"I see." He replied.
Zakia dashed after the short man, breathing in grimy city air as she emerged onto the street. The stocky figure of Gor Koresh was toddling- you could barely call it running- down the street, and Zakia sprinted after. She snatched a blaster, firing a single shot into his calf. Koresh fell to his knees, immediately yielding when she pressed a blade to his throat. She heard the Mandalorian's steady footsteps behind her, and tossed a look over her shoulder.
"Took you long enough." Zakia tucked her blade up under Koresh's chink, most likely drawing blood.
"I got caught up." Din kept up her ruse until Gor spoke up.
"Alright, stop, stop! I'll tell you where he is." A finger pointed up as Mando circled to Koresh's front "But you have to give me your word that you won't kill me."
"I promise you will not die by my hand. Now, where is the Mandalorian you know of?" Mando grabbed Koresh's chin, jerking it dangerously close to Zakia's knife.
"Tatooine." Koresh said, groaning in pain.
"What?" Zakia hissed. "We were just there."
"The Mando I know of is on Tatooine." Koresh assured. Zakia kept the knife on him.
"We've spent much time on Tatooine. I never saw a Mandalorian there." Din told him, kneeling down to eye level.
"My information is good, I tell you. The city of Mos Pelgo. I swear it by the Gotra." Gor let out another sound of anguish as Zakia pulled the knife away and stood back to the Mandalorian's side.
"Tatooine?" She wondered aloud, tipping her head to Din.
"Tatooine."
Smiling at her companion, the pair turned from Gor Koresh and walked out of the city the same way they'd come in. The baby's pram floated near Zakia's side, still closed away from the world.
"Wait! You can't leave me like this! I can't walk!" Koresh called. "Help me up!"
Din's visor paused on Zakia before he rotated all the way around. Now that she could picture his face, she imagined the mischief in his brown eyes as he left Koresh there. For all of the terrible things he'd recounted about hunting Mandalorians, Zakia felt it was deserved.
"That wasn't part of the deal."
Going even further to surprise Zakia, Din pulled his blaster and fired a single, left-handed shot into the single lamp that lit the street. As soon as darkness prevailed, red eyes crept from the shadows towards where they'd left the little man lay.
"Wait, wait, what are you doing? I can pay!" Gor yelled. "Mando! Mando!"
His screams were drowned out by the growl of hungry animals. The pair of bounty-hunters-turned-makeshift-parents continued on, not the slightest bit rueful for their actions.
"I hope you have your summer clothes ready to go." Zakia quipped as they neared the Crest. The hatch lowered with her braced control.
"I was thinking about pulling out the boardshorts…" Din muttered as they boarded, drawing a laugh from Zakia. She opened the floating pram and withdrew the Child. He was happy as pie to be back on board, and wiggled from her grip almost instantly.
Seeking out his new favorite toy, a stuffed Tauntaun Zakia had been gifted from a merchant at one of their field stops, the Child happily climbed into his sleeping space. Din ran a gloved finger across the top of one ear, scaling the ladder to the cockpit to get them back into orbit and on a path to Tatooine as soon as possible.
Zakia hopped into the bunk with the Child, allowing him to curl against her chest. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking over the idea of returning to the hot hellscape of Tatooine. Their last stop there had been a nightmare at every turn, and she was not entirely fond of the idea they were returning so soon. Regardless, she was vested in finding another Covert to help guide them.
A brush of something over Zakia's ankle roused her from the light sleep she'd fallen into, and she watched the Mandalorian as he gripped her joint. It was a reassuring gesture, as if he'd sensed her apprehension from far away.
"We're on course. It's gonna be a little while."
Zakia ganashed her jaw sleepily, reaching a hand down to touch his arm. This new form of gentle communication was entirely new since Nevarro. It had been a long while since Din had been shy from touch, but after his near-death experience and helmet removal it was as if a whole other side of his personality was available. He communicated more than usual, giving Zakia a heads up or leaving a note on the HoloPad whenever he went somewhere without her. There was a much-needed separation that was no longer terrifying, the codependency lessening as the trust between them grew. It was easier to admit worry and speak freely without the only response being a beskar stare.
After a length of time that was quickly nearing on a decade, Zakia felt like she finally knew the man beneath the mask.