12.
How did he end up here?
Freezing his ass off on this backwater shithole rock. The rain hadn't stopped for days. A neverending torrential downpour of water from the heavens flooded everything. Trails washed away, rivers of mud obscured footprints, and the chill in the air was almost cold enough to cover heat signatures.
Almost.
If it weren't for the faint but steady thermals, Din would have returned to the Crest days ago to perform another atmospheric bioscan. As it stood now, if he turned back he might as well just forfeit the bounty. Which of course wasn't an option when you took work with the Guild. The son of a bantha double murderer couldn't be far, these were the best thermal hits he had had in days. He readjusted the disintegrator rifle on his back, cursing himself again for bringing the heavy weapon when the bounty puck specifically stipulated 'no disintegrations'. But there was always a chance that the mark wasn't traveling alone and a few disintegrations would put him in a better mood.
It wasn't the cold rain seeping under his helmet and puddling in his boots, or the lack of sleep, or the gnawing hunger in his belly that had him pissed off. It was the fact that this pond scum had somehow eluded him, making him miss his check-in with Zo and the kid. The comlink barely worked this far out but through the bursts of static, he could hear Cricket's happy coos and Zo's reassurances that everything was fine. The calls were quick and to the point: are you ok, how many more bounties, the kid ate a toad the other day- did he think that was some weird form of cannibalism... She sounded tired but then again so did he.
Nevarro's lunar cycle would have ended the day before yesterday and his missed check-in should have happened the day before that. He sighed again under his breath, momentarily losing the heat signals in the rain that was now blowing sideways. The trail ended at a rocky ledge, Din kneeled adjusting his viewscreen from a control on his vambrace as he investigated the craggy gully below.
He knew this was a trap but Maker be damned those were actual footprints down there. Fresh, only half full with rain but quickly eroding in front of his eyes. He jumped down, his heavy armor making him sink into the muck running down the rock walls. His boots squelched as he pulled them free and continued with his hunt.
Lightning cracked overhead and Din had a fleeting moment to wonder how good of a conductor beskar was. The next spark of lightning ricocheted off the canyon wall next to him, the blinding white flash scrambled his visualizer and he stumbled to his knees momentarily disoriented. The thunder that followed blew out his amplifiers deafening him to the sounds of encroaching footsteps.
Three disintegrations and one frozen bounty later Din was feeling marginally better. The ship was prepped and he planned to take off as soon as the thunderstorm passed. His armor and flight suit laid out on the deck dripping rainwater through the grated floor. He would set to work repairing his helmet after a few hours of rest. For now, he lay stretched out in his sleep pod, long legs hanging over the edge enjoying the feeling of nothing but the ship's recirculated warm air on his naked skin. He held the comlink and waited for the atmosphere to clear enough to get a message out.
The salt flats were cool and quiet in the early morning; the hard ground holding onto the night chill until the Nevarro sun was well above the horizon. The long flat planes were punctuated by the occasional boulder or stone arch. The miles of emptiness made a perfect natural training arena.
Meditation had been fine for the first few weeks as Zo attempted to feel her way around the blocks that hampered her connection with the Force. Of course, she knew without facing those self-imposed blockades head-on she would never reach her true potential. Fear held her back just as it held the child back. So she decided she and Cricket would switch gears to physical training. Maybe the addition of physical exertion would put her mind at ease.
The baby strapped to her back squealed in delight as she jumped in the air, flipping them several times before landing on top of a stone arch. She surveyed the harsh landscape in front of them deciding on a path to take. West to the mountains and their treacherous terrain or east to the boulder field. "Which way Cricket?" She asked looking over her shoulder.
The baby laughed again and pointed one clawed hand to the east. The boulder field as usual. He liked the way his screams echoed off the rocks as Zo darted between them. At the end of the session, she would try lifting some of the smaller boulders then run to the ancient petrified forest at the edge of the lava river to practice her lightsaber against the stone trees.
She wiped the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead and took a long pull from the waterskin. She was tired, each heartbeat pounded in her temples. The nightmares had been different over the last few nights. She dreamt of Mando, lost and stumbling in the dark, the creeping certainty that he was being led into a trap. Last night was the most vivid; she saw the huge bubble eyes and fluttering neck gills of a group of menacing Mon Calamari looming over the still form of the Beskar covered warrior. She woke screaming and startled the baby awake who also started screaming. It took over an hour and an entire box of cookies to get him back to sleep. Afterward, she paced the small house until the sun rose trying to hail the Mandalorian on the comlink and getting nothing but static in return. So far, she hadn't given in to the fear that something terrible had happened to him. The first few days after Mando disappeared into the galaxy had been rough. Cricket barraged her with mental images of Mando demanding in his infantile ability to communicate to know where his guardian was. How could she tell the kid he might not be coming back?
"Hang on, young one," Zo instructed. She felt him wrap his little claws in the folds of her shirt and she adjusted his minimal weight in the small of her back. The harness was constructed from the skeleton of her backpack to fit the child, cinching him tightly to her body. She used the Force to burst forward, jumping forward and spinning them through the air, her feet barely touching the ground as they ran towards the boulder field. The boulders lay scattered across the long-ago dried seabed like a Titans abandoned game of marbles.
Cricket giggled with delight as they zipped through the rocks. The pair frightened a pack of sunbathing lizards as they rushed back into the open plains of the salt fields. She spun them around, her boots leaving a perfect circle in the packed salt ground. Her hand stretched out, as did her will through the Force as she tried to lift the large boulder in front of her. She wanted to believe it wobbled slightly but after several tense moments and a growing migraine behind her left eye, she gave up and sprinted away. She was frustrated she hadn't been able to lift anything heavier than the kitchen table since their little foray on Kiribi.
The petrified trees rose out of the dead earth like skeletal fingers. Her lightsaber hummed to life and she quickly moved through her forms. When she was done she unbuckled the baby from his carrier and set him in the shade of the largest stone tree. He sat happily munching on the snacks Zo brought along for their morning routine. "Remember, young one, your opponents will not stand still like these trees." She said, kneeling in front of him. "You must reach out with your senses, use the Force to anticipate what their next move will be, otherwise you'll end up with a lightsaber through your belly." She tickled the rolls of baby fat under his robe making him giggle. The comlink in her pocket blared a screechy burst of static disrupting Cricket's laughter.
"Zo-Zo Mara…." More ear-splitting static crackled over the comlink as Zo fumbled for it through her pocket. "Zo Mara, do you read?"
Zo let out a sigh of relief recognizing the Mandalorian's voice over the tinny connection. "Mando! Thank the Force! Where the hell have you been?"
"Ran into some bad weather. Put me behind schedule," He replied. The winds outside ratcheted up causing the Crest to rock slightly. "I should be able to take off in a few hours once the storm breaks…How's the kid?"
Zo handed Cricket the comlink, he eyeballed it for a second like he was considering how it would taste before babbling out a stream of excited nonsense. Din smiled alone in his ship with only the sound of the raging storm outside and a hold full of frozen bounties for company. "That's great bud," he replied to whatever the child was trying to tell him. "You be good for Zo and I'll be back soon."
"Mando," Zo took the comlink back from the baby before he could change his mind and swallow it. "Did you catch him? The Mon Calamari…"
Din sat up on his elbows staring at the communicator in his hand. "How in the hell do you know about him?"
"I had a dream…I tried to reach you last night to warn you. Are you ok?"
"I…told you to stay out of my head." He sighed, laying back down and running his hand through his still-damp hair.
"I wasn't in your head, Bounty Hunter. It was a vision." Zo retorted. "Are you ok? Or are you bleeding out on the dirty floor of that antique of yours and this is your last goodbye?"
"I'm fine." His hand fell to the blaster burn in his side, the shot that had ricocheted off the rocks and hit him in the small area on his flank unprotected by Beskar. "I'm fine." He repeated more to reassure himself. In reality, he wasn't fine. Once he recovered enough to kill the three accomplices and beat the bounty within an inch of his pathetic life he realized how close he had come to death again. It wasn't the thought of dying alone on this forsaken rock that bothered him. It was the realization the kid and Zo would be alone. Why had he left them on Nevarro? Zo was right, they shouldn't be apart. He had no doubt she would protect the kid until her dying breath but after that? What would happen to the big-eared womp rat that they both cared so deeply for?
"We– Cricket misses you, come home..."
Lightning bombarded the ground around the Crest severing the shoddy connection. The comlink hissed, spat static then grew silent in his hand. "I miss you too, " he replied to the empty ship.
Zo pried open her tired eyes. She felt like she had just got the fussy baby to sleep and then passed out herself only a few moments ago. Cricket had been especially difficult to put to bed that night. He was too wound up and excited from their call with Mando. She blinked the remains of gritty sleep away and stared up at unfamiliar slate grey metal. Gone were the crossed wood beams and dusty cobwebs she had grown accustomed to. The soft snoring bundle of robes in the floating pram was also gone. Her mind felt tethered between sleeping and waking, her limbs heavy and disconnected as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. She wasn't even sure what had awoken her.
Perhaps it was the echoes.
Footsteps echoed off the metallic walls. Muffled voices drifted through an air vent, a droid beeped and an alarm blared somewhere. Underneath it all, barely perceptible, was the low thrum of interstellar propulsion.
She sat up, swinging her booted feet off the side of the stiff berth brushing wrinkles out of her black uniform as she surveyed the small, bare room. Utilitarian in its banal functionality. There were no scattered toys or empty boxes of cakes or crumbled cookies. The only furniture was the hard bunk she had woken on and a grey metal desk. She looked over the desk where two items sat: a black helmet with an angular blood-red visor and a lightsaber. She ran her fingers over the black metal hilt and felt a cold burn emanating from the weapon through her gloves. Flashes of red light and death, memories that were not her own flooded her mind as she linked with the lightsaber.
Faceless shadows surrounded her, crying, groveling at her boots. Zo laughed high-pitched and cold as those faceless shadows begged for mercy and were struck down in cold blood. She jerked her hand away from the weapon meaning to sever the connection. The hateful cold continued creeping its way painfully up her arm.
"Where are you?" The voice whispered in her ear. She felt someone else pushing in on her mind and she stumbled away from the lightsaber and the room that wasn't hers. She wanted to go back to sleep and wake up in the other place. The dusty little home that was warm and safe.
The cold barracks disappeared and Zo found herself stumbling into a squad of marching Stormtroopers. They turned their blank helmets towards her. A few grabbed at her, trying to stop her from running. She pushed them, throwing the entire squadron away from her as her stumbling turned into a run. Black mouse droids darted between her feet as she ran down corridor after identical corridor seemingly moving forward but going nowhere. Stormtroopers and grey uniformed officers stared at her as her panic began to rise. "Where am I?" She screamed at the blank staring faces.
The room dissolved around her as she spun around searching for a way out. A dark passageway stretched out in front of her. Smoke rose from the ground in thick curls, her eyes stung and teared from the acrid stench as she stumbled over the broken bodies of droids that blanketed the ground. Zo slowly made her way forward, stepping over the pieces of destroyed droids. There had to be a way out. A bright green light hummed to life and she stumbled forward desperate for a way back to the warm house and the sleeping baby.
A robed figure stepped out of the darkness, their green lightsaber sizzled through the smoke as they quickly closed the distance between them. Zo jumped back, her body instinctively moving into a defensive stance, her breath caught in a surprised gasp as she looked down and was shocked to see the flash of violent red from the end of the black lightsaber. She stared at the red light, feeling the hate that seemed to power the kyber crystal inside. She could strike down this robed intruder, take their life as easily as all the others... The screams of those cut down by the weapon echoed inside her mind and she tossed it aside with disgust. She would rather die unarmed than wield that evil thing. The figure stopped a few paces from her, the hood tilted skeptically, their face still hidden in the deep shadows. They raised one black-gloved hand towards her…
Zo woke with a start, shooting straight up on the soft lumpy bed, heart racing, lungs burning as she gulped for air. Her eyes were wide, wild as she searched the room for the hooded figure. She was alone, save for Cricket sleeping in his hovering crib. She clutched her lightsaber to her chest, its warm metal imbued with her memories. Memories both good and bad but all her own. No kneeling figures begging for mercy. The cold was still there, skeletal fingers running up her spine and pushing their way into her mind. Her blankets lay in a tangled pile on the floor, kicked off sometime during her tumultuous sleep. Her cold-sweat soaked shirt clung to her back as she shuffled out of the room and into the kitchen. She had a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Worried that what she experienced was not just a dream, that her mind had opened to the Force and made an unwelcome connection with someone or something.
Zo stared at the dancing flames, mindless of the whistling kettle and the sounds of the waking child. The chill of the dream still clung to her. The way the figure in the dark robes felt like they were staring right through her, judging every thought and decision she ever made. The way the lightsaber had felt in her hands, like power and death, and for a brief moment, it was intoxicating.
Part of her longed for the days and nights of empty solitude of her old life; when she had been safely sealed away from the influence of the Force. Another part of her wanted to know the source of that other strength, open herself to it, let it burn away all her fear and regret.
Zo did not move as the security panel on the front door beeped or the hatch slid open with a hiss. Mando's beskar reflected the bright light of the rising sun as he stepped into the dark house. His tattered cape whipped behind him as he strode further into the little home. Cricket's shrill morning cries were almost as loud as the shrieking kettle. She didn't move until the warmth of the Nevarro sun baked into his armor was pressing into her back.
"How longs he been crying?" Mando growled into her ear as he moved the kettle off the burner.
"I– I'm not sure… Not long, " She murmured unsure how long she had lost herself in her thoughts. "I must've zoned out or something–"
"Or something? You told me everything was fine...I trusted you to take care of him while I was gone." He shot back angrily over his shoulder stomping towards the bedroom.
"Fucking seriously?" Zo let out an annoyed breath, it's not like she had expected a warm hug or even a 'How've you been?' but the surly, abrasive steel cocooned man was pushing his luck this early in the morning. She clenched her fist and a new dent appeared in the kettle. This was not the welcome back she wanted to share with the Mandalorian. "He's always fussy in the morning. His breakfast will be ready in a minute." She retorted defensively as the baby's fussy cries turned to excited coos.
He reappeared with the tiny green child in his huge armor-clad arms. Cricket was alternating between happy chirps and angry hisses trying in his way to relay his displeasure at Mando's absence. "I know, kid, I know…I'm sorry but I had some business to square up…" He tried and failed to bite back a groan as he sat at the table and placed the kid on his lap.
Zo set Cricket's congee down in front of him. He immediately dunked his face in the bowl and began noisily slurping up his breakfast. "Spoon, young one." She chided, tapping her fingers on the table. The kid stuck his tongue out at her and Zo mirrored the gesture. Even though he was sore, exhausted, and irritated, Din smiled beneath his helmet as Zo momentarily transformed from a grown woman to a bratty little girl. The little girl receded as she tucked strands of her wavy hair behind her ear and stared into his visor. "You're injured." She said quietly. Cricket looked up from his breakfast, ears twitching as he looked between Zo and the Mandalorian.
"It's nothing." Mando brushed the kid's hand away as he reached one clawed hand up towards his armored chest.
Zo hummed under her breath, turning back to the stove. "You want an egg with your congee?"
"I already ate-"
"I'll take that as a yes," Zo muttered fixing his breakfast. She sat his bowl of savory porridge down along with a steaming cup of black caf. He didn't want to admit it but he was ravenous and the bowl of rice porridge, runny egg, and a huge dollop of chili sauce looked amazing. "Go, " she jerked her chin towards his room as she plucked Cricket out of his lap and sat him on the table to finish his breakfast. "Eat, sleep. We'll be at the salt fields for a few hours of practice so the house'll be quiet."
Mando sighed, "I need to see Karga."
"Greef stops by for lunch every day, your bounties can wait until then." She replied, crossing her arms over her chest. She felt something, a nagging feeling in her gut that they needed to leave. She wasn't entirely sure she should share that feeling yet with the bounty hunter. He was already irritable and if he felt she had put the child in danger again, this time due to her inability to keep her mind closed, it wouldn't bode well for her future endeavors with them .
Din really wanted to eat the congee before it got cold. But he felt uneasy about letting the kid go with her. "I'll keep him with me. Maybe you need a break...wouldn't want you zoning out and he takes a dip in the lava river."
Cricket finished his breakfast with a loud, satisfied burp. Zo clenched her jaw and blew out a long angry breath. "Fine…" She said tightly as she lifted the baby off the table and set him on the floor amongst his piles of toys. "Show Mando what we've been working on." Her voice softened as she kneeled in front of him, curling her fingers in a gentle pulling motion. Dozens of brightly colored marbles rolled over the dips and dents in the wood floor from every corner of the house.
Cricket's ears drooped and he cooed despondently, eyes narrowed at the marbles. He much preferred their runs across the salt flats and the sight of Zo's bright purple lightsaber as it sliced through the stone trees than practicing colors. "Be good. I'll be back in a few hours." She tapped her finger gently on his little nose then stood. "Enjoy your breakfast, Mando." She muttered stepping around the table towards the door raising her right hand as she called for her lightsaber. It flew off the counter next to the sink, narrowly missing the side of his helmet, and into her waiting hand.
'He doesn't trust you.'
'Never will.'
'You're a failure and he's a fool for leaving that child in your care.'
The words echoed in her mind. A voice, not entirely her own chipping away at the defensive wall she had built around her insecurities. Things were easier when all she had to do was coerce someone into a business deal then retreat to her sad little self-imposed isolation.
Since reconnecting with the Force she felt pulled in different directions. Towards the light where she wanted to be, where she thought she wanted to be, to serve and protect others like Master Vatari had done. To prove herself worthy of the title Jedi Knight even if there were no others to bestow that title on her. To help kindle the child's gifts before the cold, unforgiving universe could snuff them out.
But she felt the pull towards the darkness also, the path clouded with anger and resentment for her Master, for everything that had been taken from her. If Vatari had been stronger she could have protected them, saved them...if Zo were stronger she could face her visions, her memories, she could let go of her fear and embrace the anger. She could have true power, strong enough to face anything and conquer everything without remorse.
Zo opened her eyes, unsure of when or even how long they had been closed, and found herself in the middle of the boulder field. She held her arms stretched out in front of her. The giant boulders hovered several feet above the ground. Not one or two of the smallest rocks, but all of them floated in a lazy revolution around her. She felt dazed again, stuck in a semi-dreaming state. Her mind felt like a disheveled pack of playing cards as if someone had hastily shuffled through her thoughts before stuffing them haphazardly back into her head.
How had she gotten here so quickly? The last thing she remembered was leaving Mando with the child and the irreverent humor she found in almost slapping him and his stupid helmet with the hilt of her lightsaber. Why was he such an asshole? He didn't have to leave them for so long, maybe she should have tried to persuade him to stay or take them with him...Maybe he had wanted to get away, to leave them alone and vulnerable...She shivered in the cold shadow of the largest boulder as it rotated slowly over her blocking out the sun. There was that voice again, not entirely her own; angry and resentful and afraid. She was suddenly exhausted, her limbs felt weary like she had been holding them in front of her for hours.
'Join me. Or they will die like that old fool.'
The voice came from nowhere and everywhere. Echoing down from the empty sky, across the flat dead ground, and into her head. She looked up as the sun was once more blotted out, this time however it was not a boulder but a gigantic Imperial Star Destroyer. "No!" The scream erupted out of her throat, the Force resonating through her like an earthquake sending the flying boulders exploding away from her. Her lightsaber flew into her hand like that alone could stand against the warship.
But the sun was back, its bright orange light blazing down on her and reflecting off something impossibly bright as it sailed closer to her. She stepped back warily, free hand trying to shield her eyes from the blinding light. But the light got closer and as it did so did the fiery roar of a jetpack.
Mando landed lightly a few paces from her, his jetpack cut off and Cricket squealed happily from the safety of his carrier. He turned slowly, his visor scanning the boulders that hadn't moved in the eons since they were coughed up by the planet. "Is this what you've been doing the last month? Teaching him colors and fighting rocks?" He asked.
Zo released the trigger on her lightsaber and placed it back on her belt. "I've been fighting those trees over there too." She pointed her chin to the copse of fossilized trees.
Mando tilted his head with a sigh. "You've been gone for hours. Karga was disappointed I didn't have any lunch for him."
She looked up at the sky and realized how far west the sun had drifted. "You get all your credits?" He nodded once. "And?" Maybe it was the stiffness in his shoulders or the stillness in his body but she sensed he was holding back.
"And he gave me another job." He murmured, scuffing his boots on the hard ground.
Zo let out a relieved breath, "Good. Because we should leave as soon as possible."
"Do you...sense something?" He said the words with a resigned sigh.
She started to nod, then shrugged her shoulders. "No...yes...I don't know anymore but I know that we're safer if we start moving again...we can't be here when they come back."
"Who?" Mando took a step closer to her, his hand settled protectively in front of the child nestled in the bag on his hip.
She looked up expecting to see a Star Destroyer drop out of hyperspace above them. "The Empire."