The last chapter! It's a short one, but it felt right for it to be its own chapter. I'm still thinking about the sequel, but I haven't started writing it yet, so it may take a bit...

Thanks for reading!

One Year Later

Tatooine's two suns were blazing as Din made the trek back to docking bay 3-5. His quarry apprehended and frozen in carbonite, he'd decided to take the time to stock up on supplies, and was now only marginally regretting that decision. On this particular day, Tatooine seemed even hotter than usual. At least there weren't any Imps anymore, or not many. Any who dared to make an appearance were fairly rapidly dispatched by an embittered population. Since the war had ended, it had become much easier to move about the galaxy freely, although there were plenty of other groups ready to make trouble. At least in the Outer Rim.

He couldn't help but think of the last time he'd been in Mos Eisley. Kid in tow, an unfortunate run-in with Fennec Shand. He hadn't seen either one in many months, not since leaving Takodana and dropping the kid on D'Qar. He tried not to think about it too much.

He came through the door to the hangar, his senses immediately on alert at the sight of the hooded figure by his ship. The mechanic and her droids were nowhere in sight. His hand automatically landed on his blaster as he assessed the level of threat. Slight build, no visible weapon, seated cross-legged on one of the crates by the Crest. Seated cross-legged? Well, that was odd.

The figure looked up as he approached and pushed back its hood.

Din stopped dead in his tracks.

"Winta."

She grinned, hopping to her feet. "You know, I think that's the first time you've ever called me something other than "kid"?"

"How did you find me?" He wondered, crossing the distance to where she stood. She'd grown, a bit, but was still tiny next to him. She was dressed similarly to when he'd last seen her - leggings and a long, hooded tunic - but in lighter colors. There was a weapon - a lightsaber, his mind supplied - clipped to her belt, partially obscured by the clothing. "Are you alright? Why aren't you with the New Republic. Or the Jedi?" A million horrible possibilities flooded his mind.

She raised an eyebrow. "Worried much? I'm fine. Maz helped me track you down. You're not easy to find, you know."

Kanata. Din had kept in contact with the pirate queen, correctly surmising that she was not a bad ally to have in the galaxy. She'd sent some work his way from time to time. And now, the kid. Winta.

"Of course she did," he muttered, but even he knew he sounded more fond than anything else.

Winta laughed. There was something carefree about her that hadn't been there before. Maybe it was just the war being over. He knew from Kanata that she'd survived the war unscathed, and that she'd used her abilities to assist in a decisive space battle towards the end of the fighting. Something near Hosnian Prime. He had no idea where she'd been since then, although presumably training with this other Jedi.

"To answer your other question," she said. "I'm not with the New Republic because I wanted to see you." For the first time, she looked a little uncertain. "Is that okay?"

Din smiled, although she couldn't see it. "It's okay," he affirmed. "It's good to see you, kid."

She wrinkled her nose at the moniker, but ruined the effect by smiling.

"How'd you get here?"

"A New Republic ship was coming this way, so I caught a ride as far as they were going and then bartered for transport." She looked very proud of that fact, but Din was entirely horrified by the thought of this diminutive girl catching a ride with any number of beings in the Outer Rim, lightsaber or not.

"Peli let me in," she tacked on.

"Who?"

Winta looked at him like he had three heads. "The mechanic?" She said disbelievingly, jerking a thumb over her shoulder at the office to the side of the hangar.

"Oh. You got her name?" Din wondered.

"You didn't?"

He shrugged.

"Well, anyway, I was kind of hoping I could stay with you for a bit?"

Din tipped his head, considering. "You don't want to go back?"

"Oh, I do," she said enthusiastically. "I'm still in training, and it's great. You won't believe what I can do with the Force now." Din thought that was probably true. "But I asked for some time away, so I could come find you."

Din had to wonder how that conversation had gone. He'd learned a bit about the Jedi in the intervening months and knew they had historically been an enemy of Mandalorians. He could only imagine how the remaining Jedi, or the New Republic for that matter, felt about their young charge taking off to visit her Mandalorian… what exactly was he to her, anyway? He was oddly touched that she had wanted to come see him at all. It had never occurred to him as a possibility.

"If it's too much trouble, I have enough credits to arrange transport back," she added, and Din realized he'd been too slow in replying.

"It's not too much trouble," he assured her, lowering the ramp and ushering her inside. "And there is absolutely no chance in the galaxy that I'm letting you barter for passage on your own in Mos Eisley, of all places."

Winta rolled her eyes, but she was still laughing when they'd made it to the cockpit. And as he pulled up the chart to plot their next route, and Winta settled into her usual seat amidst a stream of enthusiastic chatter, Din felt more optimistic than he'd been in a long, long time.