A/N: READ ME FIRST PLEASE! This is the new chapter 10! My original chapter 10 is now 11. When I began working on my chapters for season two I decided to start with episode 12 since I was not satisfied with what I had come up with for Alés's inclusion in the previous episodes. However, as I was re-watching the season I had a lightbulb moment and found a way I liked to include her. So ... this chapter starts the next part of my story with episode 11 (The Heiress). I'm not sure how reviews will work with me adding this and bumping the other down but if you would like to review and can't on THIS chapter just leave it on chapter 11. :) Thanks so much!

"Razor Crest you are coming in too fast! You'll have to-" Din hit a switch and the flight controller's voice was cut off.

"Thanks for the obvious," Alés muttered as she gripped the edge of her seat.

"Hold on," he warned them.

There were some very distressed squawks coming from Frog Lady but she couldn't pay her too much attention; she was focused on the ship. Din had made his concerns perfectly clear before they'd begun their descent through the atmosphere and she'd offered to help. Never before had she attempted to use the Force for anything so big. She knew she was not strong enough to actually land the ship but she had hoped she would be able to keep it steady and from coming to pieces. Luckily it was holding up so far though the flames leaping up from under it as they barreled towards the surface were becoming more concerning. She could sense the ground rushing up to meet them and held her breath, preparing for a very hard impact. At the last second Din hit the reverse thrusters which stopped the ship abruptly, sending her careening into the back of his chair, then he set the Crest down carefully on the landing pad.

"Nice jo - " She wasn't able to finish the word. An explosion erupted from the right engine sending the ship tipping over into the bay and she gasped as water began pouring into the cockpit. "Din! I can't swim!"

A stream of curses poured from under his helmet as he quickly unbuckled himself and handed the kid to Frog Lady. "Take him. There's a hole in the side of the ship at the bottom of the ladder. Get him to safety." Their passenger agreed wordlessly and dipped into the quickly rising water with the little one. Din reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling her to his side.

"You really can't swim?"

"No. There was no need to learn where we were."

"Hold tight to me. Don't let go. I'm going to count to three and on three close your eyes, take a deep breath, and hold it. This will only take a second." He must have seen the fear in her eyes and he touched her forehead with his helmeted one. "Trust me." She nodded and three heartbeats later water closed over her head.

I am one with the Force and the Force is with me. I am one with the Force and the Force is with me. I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.

She repeated the mantra over and over in her head in an effort to calm herself but it was not working. Panic began wrapping its fingers around her and she tried to thrash her way free as her lungs began to burn. Beskar clad arms gripped her tighter. Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to hold her breath a second longer their heads broke through the surface of the water.

"Alés, stop struggling. You're safe," he said, pressing her head against his shoulder. Clinging to him as he swam towards the dock she took deep breaths in an effort to calm herself. When they bumped up against a ladder she made to reach for it but he kept his arm tight around her. "I've got you."

She was calm enough at that point to marvel at the fact he could climb a ladder one handed while carrying her. Peering at his t-visor she wished she could see his face at that moment. Never had panic and fear gotten to her like it had in the water but he had been there, helped her through it, kept her safe just as he'd said he would.

"Thank you," she whispered, burying her face into the fabric of his cloak on his shoulder.

Frog Lady was waiting for them at the top holding a little one that was chirping with concern. A rather exasperated looking Mon Calamari was by her side, hands on his hips.

"I take it you're the owner of that ship?"

Din ignored him as he placed Alés on her feet though he seemed a bit reluctant to let her go and kept his arm around her waist.

"Are you alright?" She nodded, equally as reluctant for him to release his hold on her. At that moment all she wanted was to curl herself against him and never let go. Knowing that wasn't an option, however, she carefully took a step back and was glad her legs supported her. He observed her silently for a moment before relinquishing his hold on her and turned to the Mon Calamari. "Yes. I need it recovered and repaired."

The other man stared at him in surprise then sighed and began barking out orders to some of the dock workers.

.

They watched as the crane pulled the dripping Razor Crest from the water. As it was lowered onto the landing pad the extent of its damage – both from their crash and unfortunate encounter with those spiders on the ice planet and from the hard landing here – became disturbingly noticeable. Alés had no idea how it could ever fly again but Din was adamant. As he argued with the dock worker he pushed something on his vambrace and a moment later the kid's floating pram emerged from the wreck and made its way to his side.

"Can you fix it?"

"Fix it? No. But I can make it fly." Alés choked back a giggle.

"Do what you can," Din said and she could feel him glaring at her through his helmet.

The Mon Calamari gave him a look that plainly said he thought the Mandalorian was crazy but threw his hand up in defeat.

"I'll fuel it up … if it still holds fuel," he said as they walked away.

Din placed the little one into his pram and they followed Frog Lady as she began slowly making her way down the dock. Her head tilted from side to side and she raised up on her toes a few times as she searched for her husband. Giving a happy squeal she dashed ahead of them towards a blue skinned Frog Man that welcomed her with a tight embrace. Alés was glad at least part of their mission had been successful and she hoped they would now be able to get the information they'd been seeking.

Her senses were screaming at her.

She had not trusted these Quarren to begin with and she and Din had had a rather heated argument over whether they should accept the offer of help. Seeing no other options at the time she had let him have his way. However she'd kept her back to the water and her eyes scanning the boat deck since they'd left the dock. Now she tensed, her hand hovering near her concealed lightsaber, and watched as Din and the child peered into the feeding pit. In a flash she saw what was coming and dashed forward but wasn't quick enough. She was grabbed from behind and watched horrified as the Quarren captain kicked the child's pram into the water and it was instantly swallowed by something huge. Din yelled out in anger and dove in after him which seemed to be exactly what the Quarrens wanted. They slammed the grate closed trapping him underneath. She struggled with her captor as he dragged her further down the deck which earned her a hard knock on the head.

"The beskar is ours!" crowed the captain as he began poking a struggling Din with a long spear. "The woman will fetch a fair price, too!" Finally realizing what their intent was Alés knew she had limited time before that creature returned or Din drowned; she could hear him coughing as he struggled to keep his head out of the water. In one motion she jammed her elbow into the creature behind her and brought her heel down hard onto his foot. It surprised him just enough that his grip loosened and she was able to free herself. Spinning to the side she called her saber to hand, thumbing it on when it touched her palm, while with the other she sent a Force push into the Quarren that had grabbed her, knocking him over the railing. Taking up a defensive stance she readied herself for the next attacker. The appearance of her saber seemed to give them momentary pause but they quickly showed they were too stupid to realize the danger facing them.

"Get her!"

She heard Din's roar of outrage as two rushed at her. Easily slicing through the pike the first one swung at her she grabbed his arm and using his forward momentum swung him around to her other side sending him careening into his companion. Another came at her as she tried to make her way back to where the captain was still trying to force Din down further into the water. Breaking into a sprint she leapt over him landing behind the captain and bringing her saber down through his arm at the same time someone else landed beside her with blaster drawn. Alés gaped in surprise at the Mandalorian who seemed to be equally surprised to see her.

"A Jedi?"

"Din! The child! They're in the water!"

Two more Mandalorians landed on the deck and blaster fire erupted as the Quarrens hurried to face these three new attackers. The one that had landed next to her focused on getting Din free while she joined the other two. It didn't take them long to dispatch the remaining sailors and she turned to see her Mando being pulled from the water.

"The child. Help the child," he coughed as he collapsed onto a stack of crates.

"Don't worry brother. We've got this."

One of the other Mandos leapt into the now open feeding pit and disappeared under the water. Alés hurried to Din's side, clutching at his hand. His fear was palpable. There were muffled roars and sounds of blaster fire from under them then geyser of water as the rescuing Mandalorian jetted into the air, the damaged pram in her hands. She gave a sigh of relief as she could feel the little one's Force signature clearly even before the lid was torn off and he was handed gently to Din.

She turned to the Mandalorians that were now lined up behind her.

"Thank you. Your arrival was quite timely."

"You are a Jedi," said the leader with a hint of reverence in her voice as she said the word.

"I would have been if the Order hadn't been destroyed."

"Yet you carry the weapon of one."

"My training was completed in exile and so I was never officially knighted."

Din was still breathing heavily behind her. "Which is why we are here. I've been searching for more of our kind."

"Well, lucky we found you first."

"I've been quested to deliver this child to his own kind and Alés cannot help him in the way he needs. I was hoping - " He froze as the other Mandalorians removed their helmets and even she stared in shock. Could they do that? He struggled to his feet. "Where did you get that armor?" His voice was hard, angry, in a way that reminded her of how he had spoken to Vanth back on Tatooine.

"This armor has been in my family for three generations," the red-headed leader explained calmly.

"You do not cover your face. You are not Mandalorian," he seethed.

"He's one of them," the dark haired male said with a slight roll of his eyes.

"Dank farrik," the leader muttered.

"One of what?" Din asked as he approached.

"I am Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze. I was born on Mandalore and fought in the Purge. I am the last of my line." She gave him a small smile. "And you are a Child of the Watch."

Alés felt her eyebrows furrow in confusion. She was not understanding any of this conversation. Weren't they all Mandalorians? Why did they seem to have no problem removing their helmets?

"One of what?" Confusion was clear in his voice now as well as anger.

"Children of the Watch are a cult of religious zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society. Their goal was to re-establish the ancient way."

"There is only one way. The Way of the Mandalore," he spat.

She saw the look of exasperation cross Bo-Katan's face. Apparently his reaction didn't surprise her.

Din reached for her arm. "We're going."

"Just how are we going to accomplish that?" she asked.

"We'll fly back."

She placed her hands on her hips. "You cannot carry both of us at once."

"I'll bring her back to the docks for you," the male Mando offered.

She could tell by his body language and the tilt of his helmet that Din was about to object but she was not about to have him attempt to carry her and the child over the water.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm very ready to go."

Approaching him she looped an arm around his neck, thought she heard a hiss of anger from Din's helmet when the man put an arm around her waist to secure her against his side, and gave him a slightly defiant glare as her feet left the deck. Her frustration immediately fled to be replaced with a rather healthy dose of panic as she watched the water recede beneath them.

"I won't drop you, I promise. I don't think your friend would let me live if I did," he said with a chuckle.

She appreciated his levity. "I'm not the biggest fan of flying."

"This type certainly takes some getting used to."

"Must be very useful though."

"Indeed it is."

"Sorry if he was insulting back there."

"Don't worry about it. Considering where he's from its not surprising he would react in such a way."

"I don't know much about Mandalorians so I'm afraid I didn't really understand his anger."

"Children of the Watch fell out from mainstream Mandalorian society a long time ago because of their overly zealous ways. They tended to isolate themselves as they saw their 'way' as the only way. The few interactions we've had with them has shown how strongly they hold to those old beliefs."

"And any of their foundlings would most likely have no idea that there were other Mandalorians that followed a different … way?"

He smiled at her. "Correct. My guess is this was the first time your friend has ever encountered another Mandalorian not of his tribe. I can understand his confusion."

She thought on that as he brought them down in a gentle landing.

"I suppose you are right. Being faced with something that could alter the way you see … everything would not be a pleasant experience especially if their beliefs are as zealous as you say they are."

"Much like the Jedi."

"Why do you say that?"

"After the Order fell I would think it was a bit difficult to acclimate yourself to a different way of life."

"Yes though I think it was harder for the older survivors as they had lived that life for much longer than I did." She had been witness to Master Barsi's grief and struggles in those first years. "Thank you again for your help. I am grateful – and so is he even if he would never admit it." The sound of another jet pack behind them alerted them to Din's arrival.

"Anytime," he replied with a nod then headed back to the ship without acknowledging her Mando.

"Don't ever do something like that again," he all but growled at her.

"Do what?"

"Go with someone we don't know."

"He is a Mandalorian. Should I not trust him as I trust you?"

"They cannot be Mandalorian as they removed their helmets."

"From what Bo-Katan said there seems to be more than just 'one way' that Mandalorians can live by." Thinking of the man's words she peered at Din curiously. "Is this the first time you've met any that weren't from your covert?"

"Are you alright? Are you hurt at all?" he asked obviously choosing to ignore her question.

"I am fine. How's the little one?"

"He seems to be unfazed."

"Well that's good." She looked up at him again. "We came all this way to find other Mandalorians and when we do you don't want anything to do with them."

He bristled beside her. "I have never heard of other Mandalorians who believe as they do."

"And so that means they don't exist?" she snapped. A distant explosion caught their attention and they looked out across the water to see the ship they'd been on burst into flames as three figures silhouetted against a brilliant sunset flew from it. She turned back to him. "You are going to have to seek them out and see if they can help us. I'm not really in the mood to go seeking more Mandos when there's three of them right here."

He merely turned on his heel and strode off down the dock. In frustration she used the Force to lift a small piece of loose planking and hurled it at his head. The sound of it making contact with his beskar helmet gave her a small amount of satisfaction as did the way he stopped and turned back to look at her.

"Did you do that?"

"I did."

He stomped back to her. "What the hell was that for?" he barked.

"I'm trying to knock some sense into that thick head of yours."

As he struggled to come up with some retort she suddenly sensed they were not alone.

"Hey! You! You killed my brother," a gravely voice said behind them. Despite his obvious anger at her Din smoothly put himself between her and the group of Quarrens that had gathered. She recognized the one that had spoken to them in the inn hours ago.

"Let us pass."

"I don't think you understand." The man advanced a few steps towards them. "You killed my brother and now I'm going to kill your pet and take your woman."

As she once again palmed her saber there was the roar of jet packs above them and the three Mandalorians landed around them.

"He didn't kill your brother," Bo said in a steely voice. "I did."

The momentary confusion and uncertainty on the Quarren's face slowed his reaction time. By the time he'd decided how to react the three had opened fire on him and his companions – including a few who popped out from their hiding places behind several crates. It was over quicker than it had begun.

They stared at the bodies in silence.

"When I said anytime I wasn't expecting you to take us up on it so soon," the man said with a chuckle in his voice. She couldn't help but smile though she saw Din's helmet jerk in his direction.

"Can we at least buy you a drink?" Bo asked.

.

Sitting in the dimness of the inn again Alés was glad Din had at least agreed to talk with them because honestly if he hadn't she would probably have found something bigger than a piece of planking to hit him with. She was also glad to have learned Axe and Koska's names as well; she had felt rather rude for not asking sooner.

"Trask is a black market port. They're staging weapons that have been bought and sold with the plunders of our planet. We're seizing those weapons and using them to retake our home world. Once we've done that, we'll seat a new Mandalore on the throne," Bo explained.

Din scoffed. "That planet is cursed. Anyone who goes there dies. Once the Empire knew they couldn't control it, they made sure no one else could either."

"Don't believe everything you hear. Our enemies want to separate us but Mandalorians are stronger together."

"That's not part of my plan. I'm supposed to return this child to the Jedi."

Bo's eyes flicked to her. "Why are you unable to help?"

"He needs training and I cannot train him. He needs someone older and wiser than I."

"Can you help us find other Jedi?"

"I can lead you to one but first we need your help on our mission."

"Mission?" Din glanced over at her and she sighed but nodded. If they had to help these Mandalorians in order to get the information they were seeking so be it.

After finishing their small meal they followed the three back out onto the docks.

"You see that Imperial Gozanti freighter? It's being loaded with weapons as we speak. According to the port's manifest, it's scheduled to depart at first light."

"So we stow away?"

Koska shook her head. "We've been hitting them pretty hard. They scan for life forms now before pushing back."

Din considered their words. "If you want to do this with four you're going to need the element of surprise."

Alés spun on him with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean four? There's five of us here."

Bo shot her a glance that clearly conveyed she understood her anger. "The freighter will maintain trawling speed while inside the shipping lanes and then ascend in orbit. We'll jet up when they're cruising in atmosphere. The tower won't allow them to climb until they've left the port's airspace."

Jet up? Alés groaned inwardly and a tiny bit of her simmering annoyance faded.

"Troopers?"

"A squad at most."

Axe grinned. "And they couldn't hit the side of a bantha," he drawled.

"Alright. Give me a few minutes to situate things. I'll meet you back here."

"Good luck," Axe called and Din looked over his shoulder at him. "You're gonna need it."

Not bothering to respond he took her arm and pulled her away.

"Were you going to ask me about any of this?" she demanded in a loud whisper, not eager for any passersby to overhear them.

"I knew what you would say if I did which is why I didn't."

"I still deserved to be asked. You know I could be of use on this."

"Yes, I know, but you are not armored as we are." She tried to wave off his words but he stopped and took her hand. "I've seen what you can do with blaster fire but we really don't know what we'll be facing in there. I'm also worried about leaving the kid virtually unprotected."

She tried to pout but he was unfortunately making sense.

"Please, Alés. I need to know you are safe and if something happens to me I know you'll be able to take care of him."

"Don't talk like that." The rest of her anger evaporated. Even through the voice modulator she could hear the vulnerability in his voice. The thought of something happening to him made her feel sick.

He closed the small bit of space that had been between them. "Knowing you are safe will allow me to focus on what needs to be done."

"Alright," she conceeded.

"Thank you."

They walked a bit further before stopping before a door in the more residential part of the town. She was surprised to see the Frog family when they were admitted.

"Something has come up. Can they stay with you for a bit?"

The couple nodded while saying something in their own language.

"You are going to stay here with Alés," he told the little one as he handed him to her. "I want you to be respectful and mind your manners." The child's ears twitched at Din's very fatherly tone but he just grinned. "You know what I'm talking about."

Alés did as well. "I'll keep him out of trouble." With a sudden burst of boldness she leaned up and planted a kiss on the outside of his helmet where she thought his mouth might be. "Be careful. Come back to us in one piece."

Her action clearly surprised him and he stared at her for a moment.

Leaning down he touched his helmet to her forehead. "I will always come back to you," he whispered. Before she could even process what he'd said he was gone. She stood there in shock for several moments, replaying his words over and over in her head, and feeling her hands shake as the full implication of it came down on her.

The little one's cooing brought her out of her stupor and she turned to see him staring into the Frog Lady's holding canister with fascination as a tiny baby swam out of one of the eggs.

Alés stared out the home's small front window. From there she could just see the harbor and the freighter at the end of it. She was not happy being left behind but she understood that someone needed to stay close to the little one, that mess on the boat was proof of that. Flying through the air while clinging to a jet packed Mandalorian wasn't something she'd wanted to experience again either unless absolutely necessary.

She saw the freighter begin to rise in the air and she sat forward in anticipation. There was no way of knowing what the Mandalorians had in mind but she at least hoped she could keep an eye on things from here. It didn't take long for the ship to shift out of her view and she hurried to the door, telling the family she needed to step outside for some air. They nodded and looked back at the child where he was playing with one of the tadpoles. Keeping her back against the home she slid along its outside wall until she caught sight of the freighter again. She thought she saw the trails of jet packs leading up to it but she couldn't be sure in the morning light. Finding a low stool she tried to make herself comfortable.

For a while there was nothing to see. It kept rising steadily and she began to wonder what exactly Bo-Katan had in mind. She had mentioned getting the weapons that were on board but just how were they going to do that? As she watched the ship suddenly changed direction, shuddering as it began a very fast freefall towards the ocean. Jumping from her seat she dashed to the edge of the dock biting back a cry of distress. There was nothing she could do from here and she momentarily railed at the feeling of helplessness. Din's pleading words came back to her and she clinched her hands. He had said he would come back to her. A few others on the docks had now spotted the freighter plummeting towards the water but there was nothing any of them could do but watch.

At the last second the bow appeared to be wrenched upwards and it quickly climbed back into the sky, leaving a very large wake trail behind it. Alés wasn't able to relax. Who had tried to crash the ship? The Imperials? The Mandalorians? Who now had control of it? She watched its ascent until it disappeared into the clouds. With nothing else to see she trudged back inside. Frog Lady looked up and squawked at her worriedly. All Alés could do was shrug. When she sat down at the small table the other female reached over and patted her hand. She was grateful for the small attempt at comfort being offered.

.

Darkness had begun to fall again and she was beginning to really worry. Surely he should have been back by now? Not knowing the full plan was again irritating her. How was she to know this long delay was part of their plan and not an indication of the four of them having been killed? She really wasn't sure what to do if Din didn't return. There was a knock at the door and she jumped to her feet. Putting herself between the child and door she drew her saber (ignoring the scared croaking from the Frog family) and waited. When Frog Man opened the door and she spotted the familiar shine of beskar she almost dropped her weapon in relief.

He came straight for her and wrapped her in a quick, tight embrace before looking to the small family.

"Thank you for letting them stay with you." Reaching down he swooped the little one into his arms. "Okay, kid. It's time to go." There was some whimpering and the child kept reaching for the tadpole he'd been playing with. "Congratulations," he said before turning to stride out the door.

"No," he said at the continued whining. "I have enough pets."

Alés giggled, thanked the family, and hurried after him. They went straight for the landing pad where the Mon Calamari worker was waiting for them. They stopped and stared up at the ship.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she groaned.

Din looked at the worker. "I gave you a thousand credits and this is the best you can do?"

The Mon Cala simply shrugged and Din signed the datapad that had been shoved in his face. They carefully made their way onboard and to the cockpit. Everything was where it should be except it was all mainly held in place with ropes and who knew what else. He placed the kid in his seat and climbed into the pilot's chair. Alés took her place on the other side and bit back a sigh.

"Mon Calamari," he groaned. "Unbelievable."

The engines fired up which was promising and all the lights in the cockpit came back on. Maybe things weren't as bad as they'd originally appeared.

"I finally know where I'm taking you," he said turning in his chair to grab some crawly thing that had oozed out of one of the panels. "It's going to be a bumpy ride though." After a short hesitation he gave the child the crawly thing and it was slurped down in record time.

"I'm about to make the jump to hyperspace. Let me know if you sense anything about to come apart."

She looked around dubiously. "Do you think it will help?"

He sighed. "Your guess is as good as mine."