17.
The location of Moff Seraphine was programmed into the Crest's nav system less than thirty minutes later. A trio of bright orange twin-pods escorted them away from Cloud City before Din sent them into hyperspace. "It's going to take at least 8 hours for the Crest to make the jump." He said, swiveling his captain's chair to face Nevrin.
She cursed under her breath and gave the com panel in front of her an agitated slap. "I love you until my last breath , Din Djarin, but this antique belongs in a junk pile." Din's helmet tilted in surprise at her admission even if it was uttered out of frustration. The sentiment wasn't something he had been waiting for, a part of him figured it was obvious with everything they had discussed. But another part of him realized how much he had yearned to hear those three words. Nev stood suddenly mumbling something about particle converters and combustion wedges, pulling her silver hair into a knot on top of her head and securing it with a leather strap she wore around her wrist. "Maybe if I reroute the energy manifest to the sublight drive…" she rambled to herself while walking towards the hatch.
"Nev, " he called after her as she climbed down the ladder to the lower deck.
Her silver bun reappeared at the top of the ladder. "I'll put everything back where I found it, Din." She sighed expecting his insistence to not touch or change his ship in any way.
"Nevrin, I…"He sighed, long and drawn out. He gripped the armrests, rolled his shoulders back and felt a line of sweat break out along his forehead. "I love you as well."
She cocked her head and smiled, "I know, dikulta Wookiee. Watch the engines and let me know if they get too hot. Wouldn't want to blow us up." She disappeared back down the ladder and soon enough the sounds of banging, buzzing and cursing echoed up from the belly of his ship. Slowly the ship's speed increased, stars flew past the canopy as lightyears disappeared. Din felt the floor under his feet vibrate slightly as the Crest gained a surge in power. The nav updated and suddenly Canto Borealis was less than an hour away. Nev clambered back into the cockpit and leaned over his shoulder checking the locator beacon. "So...I hope you aren't in the mood for a hot shower or food because I had to reroute basically everything that isn't tied to life-support to the hyperdrive."
Din glanced down at the control panel before speaking. "The engines are holding. I didn't know the ship could even go this fast."
Nev shrugged one shoulder, "I was taught by the best. Baz kept that beast of a quad jumper flying for two decades after it was outmoded." They sat in silence for a few minutes, she watched the stars and he watched her. Her knees shook with nervous anticipation, she kept wiping her sweaty palms on her pants.
"Do you want to know what she looks like?" He asked quietly. Nev turned away from the stars to look at him. She nodded once. Din hit a few buttons on the control panel. They were finally back in a scenario he felt comfortable with, hunting a quarry. He had the chain code, the data tracker Solo had given them and now they would have a face for the specter that had haunted Nevrin's life.
A blue and grey digital picture appeared on the small holo-projector. Nev leaned back in her chair, feeling like she had been punched in the chest. A part of her had not believed Seraphine was real, that she was a story made up to keep her always hunting for the next lead. The rotating holo-picture was of a very real woman, ghastly pale skin from too many years in space, thin lips that looked like they had never smiled, and eyes that had seen the profits of countless destroyed lives. The Moff's Imperial accolades were nothing more than a list of heinous war crimes: the capture and execution of rebels, razings of entire populations, endowment of the precious metal Beskar to the Empire.
Nev crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the rotating holo. "I'm going to watch her die. Maker help those New Republic flyboys if they get in my way."
"If they get in our way, " Din replied. She smiled as a renewed feeling of wholeness and gratitude warmed her. She wanted to tell him that she loved him again, that she had always loved him. Instead, she sat quietly knowing how much it had taken for him to say it back to her while wearing his armor. When he knew she could read his carefully curated emotions in the tilt of his helmet or the tension in his shoulders even though his face remained hidden behind the Beskar. That he had told her here in his cockpit that he loved her and not waited until she was blindfolded and strung out on sex was enough. For now.
Din ejected the holodisk and uploaded the information to his wrist-com. The data was immediately transferred to his biometric scanner so he could quickly scan a crowd of people to identify Seraphine if she tried to hide. "We'll be entering the atmosphere soon. I'll hail Green leader once we make our descent."
"I need to get a few things from below." Nev told him before climbing down the ladder again. She knew where most of his weapons and supplies were stashed and made quick work of loading up her gunbelt and backpack. She slung blasters on her hips, strapped thermal detonators to her belt and tucked a pair of vibroblades in her shiny new boots. If she had some armor she would have almost felt like a Mandalorian again. She bowed her head, closed her eyes and recited her creed for the first time since her honor was taken from her, "Strength is life, honor is life, loyalty is life, death is life."
"This is the Way." Din finished the oath.
Nev hadn't heard him descend the ladder and her eyes sprang open in surprise. "This is the Way." She repeated.
"We've started our descent. I've hailed the Republic ships but it sounds like the fight has already started." Din said. "The Moff's yacht appears heavily fortified.".
The ship dropped through the atmosphere of Cantonica. Unlike its sister city of Canto Bight which was built on the coast of the galaxy's largest artificial ocean, Canto Borealis was a roving city of mega casino yachts and luxurious racing barges that rode the desert planet's sand dunes . One of those luxurious ships was under fire from a squadron of Republic Y-Wings.
"That's not a kriffing yacht, " Nev cursed, pulling the laser cannon sight to her eyes. "That thing is a Repellent class cruiser."
"Is that bad?" Din asked as they flew closer.
"It's not good. It's got enough firepower to blow us all out of the sky."
The Imperial ship broke away from a large cluster of brightly lit pleasure ships and raced over sand dunes as high as mountains. From their view in the Crest's cockpit it didn't seem like the air-strike was interfering with the parties taking place on the other ships. Groups of well dressed individuals danced on the deck of one ship while on another an arena had been set up and was filled to capacity with high stakes gamblers watching fathier racing.
Din piloted the Crest down, following the Y-Wings as they chased Seraphine's ship. He continued to hail the Republic ships as they joined the fray. Repulsor cannons fired from the Repellent hitting a Y-Wing sending it spinning wildly into a sand dune. "Razor Crest, what in the hell do you think you're doing?" An irate voice buzzed over the com system. "This is New Republic business not a kriffing sightseeing tour."
"I'm with the Bounty Hunter Guild. I have clearance from General Solo to apprehend a bounty onboard that ship by any means necessary." Din replied. "I'm transmitting the authorization now."
A chorus of irritated replies filtered over the com all containing some variant of curses and the words 'Bounty Hunter' as Din barrel-rolled the ship out of the way of a barrage of cannon fire. Nev swore loudly, targeting the cannon that had fired on them. The lasers imploded on the larger ship's invisible shield. "Dank farrik. The fucking shields are still up." She swore again. "This antique got any thermal missiles?"
"Yes." He responded while rolling the ship again. "Why?"
Nev scowled down at the targeting system and began flipping switches and toggles as Din kept them clear of damage. She leaned forward reaching for the com-system. "Green Leader, you wanna keep chasin' this bitch's exhaust port or you wanna board it?"
"What in the hell do you think we're trying to do?" Replied the same irate voice as before.
"Well, if you hot shots want to get serious then anybody with thermal missiles needs to drop them on that pointy tower in the center of the ship. The shields are built to repel energy weapons not good old fashioned solid munitions. That'll drop the shields, then we aim for the aft repulsor and send her nose first into the sand." Nev shot back. Several long seconds of static filled silence stretched on punctuated only by more laser fire. They watched as the Y-Wings regrouped into an attack formation, each ship falling into place like a well practiced dance.
"Razer Crest, this is Green leader, your clearance has been received." The less irate voice crackled over the com, "Fall into formation, we're attacking the central shield generator tower with thermal missiles then we can disable the aft repulsor engine."
Nev slapped the arm rests of her chair in irritation. "Didn't I just suggest that? Fucking New Republic-"
"K'uur, " Hush. Din chided over his shoulder before replying to the Republic ships. "Understood, my gunner's ready." The Crest fell into formation as the ships circled down towards the shield generator. The Y-Wings dropped their payloads of thermal missiles one after the other with Crest swooping in last. Nev couldn't help but smile as the missiles hit their target. The Repellant's forcefield became visible for a moment crackling apart in flashes of deadly blue electricity as the tower exploded in a brilliant red and orange fireball.
The pilots had no time to waste as the Repellant's cannons renewed their barrage of laser fire. The Y-Wing Din was tailing was hit with a barrage of red laser shots and exploded causing the Crest to shudder as they blasted through the fiery wreckage. "Maker be damned, come on old girl…" Din murmured to his ship as they circled behind and below the larger vessel readying to attack the repulsor engine. "You think they got any TIE fighters on this thing?" he yelled over the explosive percussion of Nev returning fire and obliterating a turret gun that was training it's cannons on Green leader.
"I sure as shit hope not." She yelled back. "Hey, we got life pods popping off the port side." Nev hollered into the com as half a dozen cylindrical escape pods flew off the ship and crashed into the sand below.
"They won't get far. Backup is incoming, we just gotta get this ship down-" One of the New Republic pilots replied.
"Pilots stay frosty, we're making the final descent." Green Leader's tinny voice broke through the static and laser fire.
Nev leaned forward, gripping the cannon triggers. "Maker, please let this work."
Din risked a glance over his shoulder to yell at her, "You don't know if this is going to work?"
"No, Din, this is the first time I've tried to take down a mini-star destroyer...I'm pretty sure it'll work...it's gonna work." She decided nodding to herself. She repeated the sentiment as the ships aligned themselves to fire as one at the repulsor engine.
"Chu...fic...chim...fire!" The remaining Y-Wings and the Razor Crest bombarded the engine coupling with laser fire until the whole thing erupted in a purple fireball that sent the small squadron spinning dangerously close to one another. More alarms rang in the cockpit of the Crest as Din fought to regain control and avoid crashing into the other ships. The Repellent limped along for almost a full minute listing at an ever growing off-kilter tilt until finally crashing into a sand embankment. The remaining engine fired feebly for a few more seconds only acting to drive the ship further into the sand before either someone in charge cut it off or the sand suffocated the repulsors. Only then did the Y-Wing pilots and Nevrin let out a celebratory shout over the radio-com. Even Din smiled beneath his helmet.
A fleet of New Republic ships dropped out of hyperspace in the sky above. A dozen X-Wings immediately circled the disoriented passengers that were stumbling away from their crashed escape pods. "Advance party prepare to board the Imperial ship, " Green Leader announced. "Bounty Hunter, we don't shoot to kill unless necessary, understand?"
"Understood, Green Leader." Din replied. Nev unclasped her restraint and stood. He turned in his seat and attempted to do the same before she pushed him back down and climbed onto his lap. "Cyar'ika-" he started knowing they absolutely did not have time for this.
"Have I told you lately what a good pilot you are?" She cut him off, reaching her hands towards his helmet.
Din caught her wrists before she could hook her thumbs under the edge of his helmet. "No." He replied and she cocked one silver eyebrow unsure if he met 'no' to the question or also at her attempt to touch him. She closed her eyes and he let go of her wrists. Her fingers found the edge of his helmet and she lifted it up, a hiss of air escaping as well as a groan when she rolled her hips against him. Her lips found his and she kissed him hard, like he was the air she needed to survive and this was her last breath. She licked into his mouth, tongue sliding against his. He dug his hands into her hips making her mimic the movement that would only further frustrate him. Then she pulled away just as quickly letting his helmet slide back down.
"You're an amazing fucking pilot," She said opening her bright stormy grey eyes. "But you should quit wasting time, Mando, and help me find that bitch." She shimmied off his lap and turned towards the hatch. Din let out a deep, irritated sigh adjusting his codpiece as Nev slid down the ladder to the main bay. He set the autopilot and the Crest descended towards the crashed Imperial cruiser before he followed her down the ladder.
She gave him that dangerous, half-feral smile as he strode towards her. Her eyes were bright, skin flushed with excitement as she hit the controls to open the bay door. "You gonna get the ship any closer? I don't have my blaster boots anymore, Din." She said looking down at the Repellent twenty feet below, a trio of New Republic soldiers were already engaged in a shootout with Stormtroopers guarding the entrance to the once flying casino. An errant laser blasted into the bay's axel just a foot from her smiling face. She pulled one of her guns out of its holster and returned fire, hitting both Stormtroopers in the chest with two well placed shots. "We should probably get down there before those idiots get themselves killed." She mused giving the Republic soldiers a cheery wave.
"Look at me, Nevrin." Din said. The serious tone of his voice made her smile falter as she gazed into his visor. "You don't have any Beskar to protect you."
"Obviously." She replied.
"You'll stay behind me, let me draw any fire."
She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes, "No. I'll stand beside you like I always have."
He clenched his fists and tilted his head back squeezing his eyes shut behind his helmet. "Why are you always so difficult?" He sighed.
"Because you like it when I'm difficult," Nev replied draping her arms around his neck, "And you're definitely going to like it when I fuck you in that chair when we get back."
He looked down at her, helmet tilting suggestively, "Then I guess I should stop wasting time and get you down there before those idiots get themselves killed." She tightened her grip around his shoulders as he lifted her up hooking her legs around his hips. "Hold on." He warned before taking two quick strides and jumping through the open hatch. Nev let out a startled yelp burrowing her face in his neck as they plummeted down. She heard the 'thwhipp' of his whipcord then the sudden jerk upwards as he hit his target and sailed them to a clean landing a few feet in front of the Republic pilots. Nev uncrossed her legs from around his hips and he placed her back on her own two feet.
"Show off," she muttered low enough for only him to hear. He shrugged his shoulders as she made a show of straightening her clothes and turning to smile brightly at the New Republic soldiers. "That door giving you trouble?"
"They've sealed it from the inside." One of them answered.
Nev made an unimpressed hum under her breath walking towards the large sealed doors. She plucked a detonator off her belt and stuck it to the door then motioned with her head for the others to step out of the way. "Cover your ears," she instructed once Din and the pilots were out of the blast danger.
The detonator went off a breath later sending curled metallic shrapnel flying into the air. The pilots pushed forward only to be pulled back by Nevrin and the Mandalorian. Blaster fire erupted from the smoke as more Stormtroopers ran out shooting blindly only to die just as quickly. "Anybody else?" Din yelled. A few frightened cries rang back but no more blaster fire. He and Nevrin shared a silent look before stepping into the casino.
The lights overhead flickered, some slot machines still twinkled brightly while others spit out piles of credit disks. People of various species rushed about the casino floor scooping up those spilled gold and platinum credit disks. Their fancy clothes and diamond accessories sparkled among the chaos. A grey uniformed Imperial officer rushed out between a row of Sabacc tables with a blaster raised. Din shot him once in the chest and his blaster skittered across the tile floor. "Is she here?" Nev asked as they stepped over the body.
"She's close." He replied. Nev nodded grimly as they pushed further into the ruined ship. They heard the New Republic reinforcements arrive and the angry shouts as the wealthy Imperial loyalists were forced to drop their poached credits.
They exited the casino and passed into a huge chamber full of enclosed glass display cases. Nev paused to read the exhibit card on a large case that stretched almost to the ceiling full of hundreds of cylindrical metallic weapons. "What the hell's a lightsaber?" she muttered. Din shrugged as they moved on to the next case. Each display grew increasingly macabre like a museum of the Empires most hideous crimes: Geonosian armor with wings and spindly appendages still inside, a handful of pebbles from the remnants of Alderann, an entire stuffed Wookiee family, a small garden full of crystal lilies from Crann-Bethadh. Nev stopped for several long moments besides the garden.
"We'll come back for them." Din promised gently taking her hand and leading her through the maze of death and misery. The Museum gallery ended with one final gruesome display that made them both stop and stare in disbelief. Row after row from floor to ceiling of familiar T-shaped Mandalorian helmets stared back at them. Too many to count let alone ever take with them. They knew of the Great Purge, the traitorous Empire's slaughter and attempted genocide of the Mandalorian people. The reason Din and Nevrin had been raised in a dark, underground maze of tunnels hidden from the rest of the galaxy until they were of age and had completed their training.
Their shocked anger and grief for their adopted people distracted them from the sound of footsteps rushing towards them. A hollow buzz echoed off the glass cases as a laser ricocheted off Din's helmet sending him staggering to his knees. Nev screamed and she shot back blindly. The Imperial officer clutched his chest leaving a bloody smear on the glass case as he slid down. "Din!" she screamed trying to pull him back to his feet.
"I'm ok, cyar'ika, I'm ok…" he mumbled. His Beskar covered bell had been rung, he was dizzy from the impact and his ears were buzzing but he was ok. She got his legs under him and hefted him back to his feet. Nev ignored his assurances he was fine as she fussed over him. She checked the scorch mark on his helmet and made sure he wasn't seeing double. Her grey eyes went from worried to murderous once she was confident he could stand on his own .
She stepped around Din and approached the still breathing man. He looked up at her defiantly exclaiming, "Long live the Empire."
"Munit oyacyir Mandalore." Long live Mandalore. Nev replied shooting him in the chest again.
"Are you sure you're ok? You'd be dead without your buy'ce." Helmet. Nev asked him again as she punched the controls on the gravlift a few moments later. The lights in the lift flickered and it took the doors three attempts before they sealed. Then they shuddered and lurched upwards towards the top level where the Moff was concealed in her private command room.
"I'm fine."
"He shot you. In. The. Head." She tapped the scorch mark on the side of his helmet. "You should at least let a medic droid check you out."
"No." He replied firmly. Nev let out an irritated sigh. "Seraphine is at the end of this corridor…" Din said as the doors creaked open. This part of the ship was in a bad state, the shield generator tower they had blown up had taken a large part of the top level with it. Cantonica's bright sun shone through the ragged hole in the ceiling. At the far end a voice drifted through a half open hatch.
"No! You listen to me, do you know who I am? How much money I've made for the Empire! I demand an emergency evacuation and a full battalion response to eradicate these rebels!"
Nevrin laughed quietly, "Guess she didn't get the memo the Rebels are in charge now." They walked silently forward, stepping over dead Stormtroopers that had been unlucky enough to be in the corridor when the shield generator above was blown up. They sidled up to the broken hatch listening while the woman inside continued to shout commands to her incapacitated troops. "Is that her?" Nev whispered. Din nodded. "Is she alone?" Another nod. "Is she armed?" He glanced through the door again and darted back as another barrage of lasers shot towards his head. "I'll take that as a yes." She mused looking up at Din.
"Listen to me, rebel scum, you step one foot in this office-"
"No, Moff Seraphine, you listen to me. You aren't getting off this cruiser alive." Nevrin yelled back. Another round of laser shots blasted through the door.
Din took her hand as she stepped towards the door. "Koperar pirusti, Nevrin." Aim true. He rubbed a little circle on the top of her hand with his gloved thumb. "Yaim cuyir ogir par mhi." Home is waiting for us.
"Gar cuyir ner yaim." You are my home. He tilted his head in acknowledgement, his visor impenetrable as always as he dropped her hand.
The Moff stood at her control console trying to get the Repellent's engines back online. Her cold eyes darted between dozens of security screens. "Captain Heller! Why is my casino in shambles? Governor Kei'Li and her wife are stealing credits right off the floor!"
"Heller wouldn't happen to be a blonde guy, green eyes?" Nev asked stepping into the room. The severe, thin lipped woman from the holo-disk met her eyes. "I left him bleeding out in that fucked up museum of yours." The Moff's hand went for the blaster on the console but Nev was faster. She pulled the trigger on instinct, not taking the time to think about it or even aim. The force from the shot knocked Seraphine into the console with a pained scream, her own blaster going off one final time hitting the controls she had been standing at. Her hands clawed at the hole in her stomach as she sank to the floor. The ruined console hissed and spit electric sparks and the door Nevrin had entered through sealed shut.
Nevrin stepped around the console, ducking under and around broken lights and wires dangling from the ceiling. Moff Seraphine lay slumped on the floor, her tight Imperial standard bun askew, face puckered in pain. Her thin lips curled in a cruel smile, "I am Moff Jin Seraphine of the Galactic Empire. According to the charter of the New Republic I am entitled to a free and fair trial."
Nev kicked her blaster away and knelt down in front of her returning the cruel smile, "I don't work for the New Republic. And you are nothing more than a murderer and a chakaar." Grave robber. She could distantly hear Din pounding his fists on the door and calling her name.
Seraphine drew a shaky breath starring into Nev's stormy eyes. "Your people were from Crann-Bethadh. But you speak Mando'a. My, my you are a rare one." She tilted her head studying the young woman in front of her. "I was there...at the destruction of both worlds."
Nevrin pulled one of the vibroblades from her boot, the metal shimmered with white-hot heat and vibrated slightly in her hand once she ignited it. "What did you do with the armor? You wanted complete sets but all you've got out there are buy'ce, helmets."
"My most prized possessions are in my private collection." Seraphine reached one pale, shaking hand into the neck of her uniform and pulled out a necklace with a small black charm. She pressed her thumb into the charm. Somewhere behind them Nevrin heard the hiss of another door sliding open. She glanced up trying to see over the edge of the console half expecting to be surrounded by a platoon of pissed off, blaster happy Stormtroopers. "You would have looked so lovely behind glass." The Moff murmured, reaching her hand out to touch a strand of Nev's silver hair. Nev recoiled from the touch and plunged her blade into the Moff's chest. The woman's eyes bulged in shock, bright red blood bubbled over her lips and down her chin.
Nev left her blade in the woman's chest and watched as the life left her eyes. She didn't feel any lighter or less burdened when the Moff drew her last breath. Instead she felt hollow. Her entire existence for the last ten long years, every decision, every death at her hands had led to this moment. And now the moment was gone and already growing cold.
"Nevrin! Damn it answer me or I'm going to blow this fucking door open!" Din's voice boomed through the door stirring her out of her fugue.
She sniffed and wiped away tears she had not felt before answering him. "Udesii! Calm down. The control panel is blown to shit give me a minute to figure it out." She yelled back.
"Calm down? Calm down…" He muttered, kicking the door one more time for good measure.
Nevrin stood up sparing one last look at the dead woman before gazing around the room for another way out. Her eyes were immediately drawn to an open hatch that had definitely not been there when she entered the room. "I think there's another corridor in here, I'll meet you outside."
She headed towards the dark passageway with her blaster in her hand. The room illuminated when the motion detectors sensed her enter. Her breath caught in surprise at the sight before her.
Din paced in the corridor. He should have given her a comlink. He shouldn't have let her go in alone. She has been gone too long, there had been three shots - what if she was injured again and hiding it from him? He nearly jumped out of his Beskar when an ear-splitting metallic screech echoed off the walls behind him. "A little help, Mando!" Nev's face appeared through a tiny opening in the hatch as she tried to wrench the broken door open. Din shoved his hands into the opening and shouldered the door the rest of the way open.
"I thought you found another way out." He said. She looked up at him silently, her pale face drawn tight. "What's wrong?" He brushed strands of her silver hair out of her eyes. He had already scanned her and knew she was uninjured.
She licked her dry lips and looked over her shoulder. "Shekemir ni, " she murmured taking his hand.