8.

Din heard her down in the hold, talking quietly to the kid while one or both of them rummaged through his things. As usual he didn't hear the kid respond in anything but babbling nonsense. He sounded happy and completely oblivious to how close all of them had come to death.

He clenched his fists in frustration, Crex claimed to have known the location of his people. All he had to do was hand her over and he and the kid would have been on their way to the new Covert.

Instead, he had literally blown up his only lead to locate his people. And for what? A woman that was still trying to kill him. Whether on purpose or not it didn't matter, he was irritated all the same.

The kid laughed, interrupting his sour thoughts. His high pitched giggles echoed off the ship's cold walls and Din smiled under his helmet at the sound.

That's why he didn't take Crex's deal.

She made the kid happy. Whether it was just knowing there was someone else like him or that he was no longer alone with a faceless bounty hunter as his only companion he was happy having her near. Regardless of why, Din wouldn't deprive him of that small comfort.

He wasn't sure when his exhaustion finally overtook him. He drifted off listening to her soft, almost musical murmuring and the hypnotic light of the stars as they blurred past. When he woke up the ship was quiet except for the faint sound of the shower. He looked down at his armor, covered in dirt and bug guts, and realised he desperately needed to clean up also. The shower cut off a few moments later and he waited at the top of the ladder a moment longer before calling out, "Are you dressed?"

"No...almost." He heard her shuffling again somewhere in the corner out of his line of sight. "Yes. " She answered, stepping forward. He saw her bare feet and the simple gray tunic she was wearing to sleep in before wrapping an ugly brown blanket around her shoulders.

"Where's the kid?"

She shrugged, the blanket rose up over her pale knees. "I dunno. He crawled into one of those vents a while ago. Haven't seen him since." She looked around and behind her like she was expecting him to pop out. "The ship's not that big. Eventually he'll find his way out."

"Damn it." Mando cursed under his breath as he slid down the ladder. "Our deal was you watch him!" He said, pointing an angry finger as he pushed past her and knelt next to a vent.

"I was watching him. I watched him the whole time… until he disappeared around a corner."

Mando removed the vent grate and stuck his head in as far as he could with the bulky pauldrons on his shoulders. "Kid! Hey kid, I told you we don't play in the vents!" The sound of his angry voice echoed off the metallic insides of the ship.

Zo bit her lip trying to hide her smile as he sighed in exasperation. "You think you can fit in here?"

"With these hips? No way, Mando."

He growled something under his breath in a language she didn't understand but definitely got the meaninging of. She leaned against the wall and pushed the button to open the hatch on the little sleep pod with her elbow. "Oh, here he is...guess he found his way back."

Mando straightened up looking over his shoulder at the baby sleeping peacefully in his hammock. "That isn't funny." He grumbled, pushing himself off the ground with a pained groan.

"It's a little funny." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. He remained silent. "I would never...will never do anything that puts this child in harm's way. At least never on purpose. If I had known Crex was compromised I never would have suggested we go to him."

"It doesn't matter." Mando retorted. He didn't feel like taking a shower anymore, he wanted to go back to the cockpit and seal himself inside. He strode forwards meaning to do just that when she stepped into his path.

"It does matter." She said, reaching for his arm before he could push past her. He tilted his helmet down looking at where she stubbornly held on to him. "You're angry at me and you have every right to be. But I need you to understand that if I had felt something was wrong, if I knew he had fallen to the dark side I never would have let us get that close."

"The dark side? I don't know what that means."

"I know you don't. And I want to explain it to you, I want to help you understand...but I need you to trust me as much as I trust you." She dropped her hand away.

He sighed, "And how much is that?"

"Completely." She answered, nodding her chin at the sleeping baby, "Because he does." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "That's not an easy thing for me, Mando. To trust a stranger, a kriffing Mandalorian on top of everything else…" Her blue-green eyes opened and stared into his dark visor. "The Mandalorian and Jedi– we have a complicated past."

He stood motionless as she dropped her hand away. "I was told our people were enemies." He replied.

"And yet you love him as your own." She said, tucking a strand of damp hair behind her ear.

Am I really that obvious? Or is she rifling through my head again? He thought.

"I can't just trust you…I have to protect him." He started. She took in a sharp breath, looking down at her feet as her face flushed. "I want to trust you but you have to earn it."

She nodded. "You could have let me die back there. I was ready to die if it meant you two got to safety." Her hand hesitated in the air between them before she rested it on his metal chestplate. "You saved me. I may not be your friend, yet, but you are mine. " He let out a deep breath feeling some of the anger burning in his chest fade. "You're injured and in pain because of me. I am so sorry Mando. I should have done more to protect you and I failed. I don't blame you for not trusting me."

He would have laughed if she didn't seem so sincere. He'd seen her in more than one fight now, knew she could kill without remorse but he could feel the sorrow in the way her voice broke as she apologized for not protecting him. A Mandalorian, clad head to toe in beskar, a head taller and fifty pounds heavier without the steel on his back needing to be protected by a woman with a laser sword; he would have died of shame if Paz Vizla or any of the others heard this woman begging for forgiveness.

"I would never do anything to bring harm to my friends. I don't know how to heal you like he does but I can stay out of your way so you can rest."

Din relented, "I need a shower and to clean my armor...and a few hours of real sleep."

Zo nodded, "I'm going to bunk down over there, " she pointed to the spot where she dropped her bedroll earlier, "If you need anything-"

"No, " His raspy voice was rougher than he intended and he took a deep breath before continuing, "I need complete privacy to remove my helmet. If the kid wakes up or you see me..." He trailed off.

"You don't have to explain anything to me Mando...I'll take Cricket and we'll go take a nap in the cockpit." The baby whimpered softly as she lifted him out of his cozy little bed.

"Cricket?" Mando asked. She could hear the bemused smile under his helmet.

Zo nodded, rocking the baby gently until he fell back asleep. "He reminds me a bit of the giant grasshoppers we had on Cresta…" She ran her finger around the curve of his little round face,

"He needs a name, something I can call him, at least until he tells me his real name." She looked up into his visor again, "I can think of something else if you don't like it." She cuddled the baby close to her chest, wrapping her blanket around both of them.

"No, I like it. It kind of suits him." If she wasn't mistaken the rough puffs of air echoing out of his vocoder was a chuckle. They lapsed into an almost awkward silence and she wasn't quite sure if he was dismissing her. "I've never been to Cresta." He said when she moved toward the ladder.

Zo turned back towards him, "Most people haven't. It's a tiny little moon stuck in Ryloth's outer orbit." She readjusted the sleeping baby in her arms, "It's where Master Vatari raised us after the fall...there is–was a Jedi temple there." She smiled a sad, far-away smile. "It's all gone now except for the crickets...Jacen, he could connect with animals, " Her smile brightened as she stared at a spot behind Mando like she could see the sandy haired boy from her past, "He was brilliant. He'd round up dozens of those damn bugs and have them do choreographed dances. I loved him...watching him–" Her voice cracked, her smile fell and she shook her head, clearing away the memories and emotions clouding her mind. "We– We should let you rest. Goodnight, Mando."

He nodded once and she smiled again, sad this time before turning once more to the ladder. He waited until she and the child, Cricket for now, stepped into the cockpit and the door hissed shut behind them before finally removing his helmet. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. When the hell did his life get this complicated?

It took several hours to clean his armor until it gleamed once more. Then he stayed under the hot pulsing shower until the water ran cold. The muscles of his back felt like one deep, knotted bruise that went straight through to his spine. He had no doubt all three of them would have died without the protection of his beskar.

And suddenly he was angry again.

But not at her.

Zo hadn't been the one with the brilliant idea to blow up the ancient stone temple with a thermal detonator. No, that had been all him. "Shit…" he muttered into the silence. He rolled onto his side trying to find a position that didn't make his muscles scream. He needed to pick up some bacta and painkillers at their next stop... and stop being such an asshole, he thought as he finally drifted to sleep in the dark solitude of his bed.

Din still didn't feel completely rested when the ship's alarm sounded a few hours later. He pushed on his helmet, not bothering to attach the armor to his flight suit before returning to the cockpit.

"I didn't touch anything!" Zo said in a panic when he appeared at the hatch. The alarm blared in the small confines of the cockpit, tinny and loud enough to set his teeth on edge even through his helmet. The bright blinking lights and shrill siren startled the kid awake. He sat in her lap, her ugly brown blanket pooled around them, wailing louder than the alarms. Mando leaned over her chair and flipped a flashing yellow switch on the panel she was still resting her legs on.

The kid quit his bawling once the alarms were silenced. His green ears twitched indignantly. "I'm sorry, Cricket, I guess I hit something while we were sleeping." She kissed away the wrinkles on his forehead and wiped away his tears with her thumb.

"You didn't hit anything. It's the fuel alarm. We must have a leak. Sorry kid, I'll see if I can lower the volume," Mando touched the end of the kid's nose with the tip of one tan finger. Zo noticed he was not wearing gloves before quickly realizing he was not wearing any of his beskar except for the ever-present helmet. He was still broad shouldered but not nearly as bulky without all that armor. "Fuels low but we're almost there."

"And where is that?" She looked up taking in the simple dark gray jumper he wore and the line of bronze skin where the zipper ended at the dip of his neck.

"Nevarro …maybe Karga's got some new leads for us." He felt her eyes boring into him and turned his helmet towards her. "What?"

Her eyes darted down, a pink glow coloring her cheeks as she fussed over the baby and bundled up the blanket. "Aren't you breaking some Mandalorian rule walking around without your armor?"

"Can you see my face?" He asked, tilting his helmet sarcastically.

"No." She replied, handing him the baby as she stood up. "X-ray vision isn't a Jedi skill that I'm aware of."

"Well, that's the only Mandalorian rule about armor." He said leaning against the panel as the kid squirmed in his arms . "Don't Jedi have rules or codes they have to follow?"

She hummed, "Oh yeah. Jedi loved their rules…well maybe not loved because that was forbidden. But yes, there was a certain code we were expected to follow." She turned towards the hatch and slid down the ladder leaving him standing in her void again.

He looked down at the kid, "You remember all those Jedi rules?" The kid cooed a response, whether a positive or negative Din wasn't sure. He sighed to himself then descended into the hold after her.

Zo dug through the bag of belongings she brought with her until she found the clean clothes balled up at the bottom. She shimmied into a pair of dark jeans as Mando and Cricket climbed down the ladder and joined her.

He retrieved the silver gear knob from one of his many pockets and handed it to the kid before setting him down. The baby babbled happily, rolling the ball on the floor then crawling after it. "The Jedi…aren't allowed to love?" Mando asked as he started fastening his armor into place.

"It wasn't so much the love part, " Zo started, "it's the attachment that comes with it. Attachment can make you afraid of losing things. Fear is a path to the dark side." She watched Cricket as he found a stale protein bar forgotten under a box of supplies and shoved it into his mouth."In my culture, every newborn was tested for Jedi potential. Nel and I were identified at birth. Our parents gave us to the Temple Guardians when we were only a few days old. The belief being if we started life free from attachment it would make us stronger. No family, no past, no future...just the present. Nothing to lose, nothing to fear."

"No family?" Mando asked, attaching the pauldron with the sigil for his clan of two to his shoulder. Many found his devotion to the Way odd but at least Mandalorians did not shun emotional connection. "Clan is everything to a Mandalorian. Family…a partner, children, foundlings– it's who we are...it's our legacy."

"Nothing is eternal, Mando, except the Force… Jedi couldn't be afraid to lose family, friends, lovers, their own life. They were peacekeepers, teachers, healers, protectors. Personal needs, wants were set aside to serve the greater good in all things."

"You've never loved anything? Anyone?" He asked.

Zo shook her head slowly, "I've never been a very good Jedi. I loved someone and I lost them. It devastated me, I cut myself off from the Force, from my teachings, my beliefs... Jedi's emotions can be intense, especially for someone like me. I feel what others feel, I sometimes hear their thoughts." She paused again, "I was taught to control my emotions so they don't control me… fear, anger, passion, lust. I've seen what that can do to a Jedi. It destroys everything they are, consumes them…leaves nothing behind but darkness." She turned away from him, pulling her tunic off. "I nearly killed you out of anger. I opened myself up to the dark side…I used parts of the Force that I knew were forbidden. I can't ever let that happen again."

He saw the evidence of his own anger in the large finger shaped bruises on her arms. She slipped a black bandeau over her head, slid it into place then put on a fresh shirt before turning towards him with a small, half-smile. "Despite all that, I care very much for that child, Mando. I will do what is necessary to protect him. I'll teach him, try to teach him, to control his abilities...until we find someone more suited."

"And you'll watch him so he doesn't crawl into the vents?"

She laughed, "Yes, Mando, I'll watch him. That was our deal."

The Razor Crest landed, notifying Din once again he was almost out of fuel. He tapped a command into the com on his vambrace and the alarm ended. "Come on, kid– Cricket, let's see if we can convince Terfan to add some more fuel to our tab." He said picking the kid up.

The ramp descended with a squeal and Din added that to his already long list of the maintenance he needed to work on. He knew the Crest was older than most ships in the sky but he loved her anyway. It was the only other place he ever considered home besides the now abandoned tunnels under the streets of Nevarro. He would keep her flying as long as he could.

"Mando, " Zo called after him. He paused at the top of the ramp looking at her. She held her lightsaber in one hand. "You told Crex there were Imperial remnants here… are we safe?"

"As safe as we are anywhere else." He answered. "We have friends here, " he jostled the kid, implying them not her, "They'll help us if there are any Imps left."

Zo nodded, clipping her lightsaber onto her belt and pulling her shirt over it. She followed him down the ramp into the late afternoon heat of Nevarro. Mando walked in a circle around his ship, muttering angrily as he inspected the damage. She followed behind him noting Arachnoid webs still clinging to the hull and a series of long deep scratches in the metal where the spiders had tried to force their way inside. A thick frayed hose flapped from the bottom of the ship dripping a steady stream of harsh smelling liquid onto the dirt. That must be the source of the fuel leak, she thought.

"Terfan," she heard Mando greet someone. A tall thin man wearing oil stained coveralls and filthy goggles appeared from the shadows of a garage. Mando strode towards the mechanic leaving her in the shade of the ship.

An icy feeling of apprehension tickled its way up her spine. She looked around the desolate shipyard sensing nothing threatening yet the feeling didn't leave. She remembered the shriek of metal from the top of the ship and jumped up to inspect the damage. Using the Force was becoming easier, more natural now that she didn't try to hide or ignore it. Even a few months ago she wouldn't have attempted a jump of twenty feet and now she felt like she could have done double that. She still felt a barrier though between her and her ability to wield the Force. She knew it was fear holding her back. The fear of giving herself over completely to the will of the Force. Knowing she would eventually have to face what was on the other side of that fear.

"Shit, " she mumbled, bending down to check the damage. This was definitely going to sour the Mandalorian's mood even more. She didn't know much about ships but even she could tell the mess of shredded steel and frayed cables poking out of the deep hole gouged into the hull wasn't good. The evasive apprehension settled itself in the base of her neck. She wanted to believe it was her own anxiety about the damage to his ship. She had no way to repay him unless she found a wealthy mark and persuaded them to give away all their credits. "He's gonna shoot me," she muttered, kicking a thick brown cable out of her way.

The cable twitched then stretched and Zo's apprehension went to full blown dread as two more legs appeared from the dark hole. The arachnoid sprang forward, mandibles snapping and no amount of Jedi training would have stopped the high pitched scream that escaped her lungs.

"I can't pay for the fuel right now but I will…after my next job." Mando hooked his free thumb into his gunbelt and readjusted the squirming kid in his other arm. So much for Zo watching him. She had disappeared somewhere leaving him to mind the kid and barter with the mechanic.

Terfan took his filthy goggles off and rubbed them on his greasy coveralls. "Look, I get that Mando. I do...but I need to see some credits as...as an act of good faith before-" A shrill scream rang out across the empty airfield disrupting Terfan's haggling.

"Shit, " Mando hissed, turning back towards his ship. He heard the sizzling hiss he had come to associate with Zo's lightsaber from the top of his ship along with the sounds of a scuffle. She screamed again, not in pain or terror this time, but a deeper, more feral sound. "Zo! Zo! Damn it what the heIl are you–" A dark shape appeared at the edge of the ship, distorted through his visor from the flash of her lightsaber and the dimming sunlight.

"Heads up!" she called out as the shape tumbled down. Mando dove to the side, still clutching the kid safely in his arms as the body of a massive Arachnoid landed where he had just been standing. Its body bounced twice on the hard ground. Its six and half remaining legs twitched wildly, it's heavy carapace rocked back and forth as it tried to right itself. Zo jumped from the top of the ship a breath later, landing softly on her feet next to the struggling bug. "I hope you starve, Crex." She hissed before driving her lightsaber through the Arachnoids head. The twitching stopped immediately.

"What...what the hell was that thing?" Terfan shrieked. This was definitely going to put a wrinkle in the haggling.

Zo sighed and waved her hand at the man, "Swamp rat..."

"That's a big 'un, " Terfan nodded, already forgetting why a swamp rat had frightened him so badly and turned his attention back to the deal he was trying to strike with the Mandalorian. "Listen here Mando, like I said I wanna help you but-"

Mando stomped past him towards the woman wiping the sticky bug blood off her shirt. "Are there any more of those things stowing away on my ship?" He demanded.

Zo closed her eyes, tilting her head as she reached out with her senses. The apprehension that had settled at the base of her neck was gone. "No...I don't think so...how 'bout you Cricket, you feel anything?" The kid's big pointy ears twitched and he babbled excitedly, holding out the little ball. "He says no." Zo answered for him.

Mando growled, "That thing could'a killed us while we slept."

"Pretty sure I would've sensed it before that happened." Zo countered. He couldn't even muster a sigh he was so frustrated. Instead he clutched his fist and stomped back to Terfan. "Yeah I'm ok! Thanks for asking!" She muttered to his angry silver back.

"Fuel, Terfan. I'll pay my tab and any late fees. You know I'm good for it." He continued their conversation like the previous interruption hadn't happened.

"Ya still owe me for last time Mando."

Mando sighed, handing the baby to Zo without a word as she came to stand next to him. "I can't pay you if I don't have credits, I can't get credits if I can't catch bounties, I can't catch bounties if I don't have fuel...do you see my dilemma?" Zo raised her eyebrows, she was surprised he wasn't exhausted from speaking more than five words in a single go.

Terfan crossed his arms nodding like yes he did understand the bounty hunters dilemma but still wanted his credits. "Look, Mando I don't mean to make this difficult for you especially in front of your lady and your boy but-"

"You're going to refuel his ship " Zo said, waving her hand at the mechanic again.

Terfan nodded calmly, "I'll refuel your ship for you Mando, just because you're a good customer…"

Mando looked between Zo and the mechanic. He briefly considered telling her to stay out of his business dealings but remembered the pathetic amount of credits in his back pocket. "I need carbonite also." He said instead.

Zo nodded, "Top off the carbonite while you're at it."

"I'll top off the carbonite while I'm at it. Can't transport yer bounties without it, I imagine." The mechanic said like the thought had nobly appeared in his head. The two men shook hands to seal the deal.

"Will he change his mind?" Mando asked as Terfan ambled back into his garage to start the refueling process.

Zo shook her head, "No. He's stubborn but nowhere near as stubborn as you…" She cradled the baby on her left hip, "I'll get you credits for the repairs. Is there any gambling here? A Sabac den? I'm good at turning the games."

"You mean you're good at cheating."

She shrugged, "I would've starved to death long before I met Gor Koresh if I didn't cheat." She looked down to the baby braced against her hip, "Speaking of starving, he's getting hungry. Is there a cantina or something in town where we can get something to eat?"

"There used to be." He answered.