"Fortune smiles upon me. Have I got a job for you." Garrick laughed. Before Garrick could truly get sight of the child and bassinet behind Din, he shut the hatch closed and locked the kid in. He didn't know what to expect from Garrick's proposal, but it was best to mitigate the child being seen before anything happened. It had been ten years since Din had last seen Garrick and he only marginally trusted the man back then. Now, with this expensive ship and slaves, Din didn't know what to think of him. It couldn't be good, whatever it was that had gotten Garrick so much wealth. Din said nothing in reply, waiting for Garrick to explain himself.

"Hana, go back to the ship. She's waiting for you." Garrick dismissed the girl with a wave of his hand.

"But, I didn't get -"

"She'll understand. Just go." He said kindly. Hana bowed her head slightly before moving toward the ship. She stopped after a few paces to turn back and smiled at Din.

"Thank you." She said quietly then ran off back to the ship. Garrick watched her board the ship before speaking again.

"She's a good kid."

"A slave." Din pointed out. Garrick kept smiling, but Din could see the muscles in his jaw clench.

"Oh, don't start with that shit." Garrick laughed after a moment. He kept his tone light, but Din knew he had offended his former acquaintance. "First, it's legal here. Second, Hana has one helluva better life now than she ever would have on whatever dusty fucking backwater she lived on before her parents sold her. So, don't come at me with some 'holier-than-thou' attitude when we both know you've done your share of shady shit, Mando."

Din nodded his head once in concession to Garrick's point. Garrick Sha was with Ran's crew off and on around the same time as Din. He even worked a few jobs with Din and Xi'an not too long before Din left. No doubt he had heard from someone about what had happened on Azloc III in the last 10 years.

"You have a job for me?" Din changed the subject to one more palatable to his tastes. He didn't support the slave trade. Despised it, actually. But he'd rather argue over something he could control. Like how much he would get paid for whatever it was Garrick wanted him to do.

"Straight to business after… what's it been? Nine years?"

"Something like that." Din answered. His focus shifted to the massive ship before both of them. It was pristine, almost no wear and tear given that Din figured it to be second-hand. Din didn't know the specific class of ship, he knew it was some kind of personal luxury yacht. At about 50 meters long with two massive exterior engine nacelles, the ship barely fit in the hanger bay causing dockworkers quite an inconvenience just to do their job. "How'd you come to own the ship? Last I knew, you owed a lot of people quite a considerable sum."

"Fortune has been my friend of late. Come." Garrick waved Din forward toward the ship. "Left Ran, fell in with the right crew, made a windfall and came into possession of a squadron of ships. Ended up helping the New Republic by using those ships to hunt down remaining Imp War Lords."

"You worked with the New Republic?" Din was skeptical at best. Garrick just smiled that smarmy smile of his and shrugged. He had always been a charismatic man; could charm a Jawa out of their robe given enough time. But Din had always found him slimy. Manipulative. Din followed his old acquaintance up the ship's ramp and to the left towards the aft of the ship.

There was a large observation deck, the back half of which was entirely made of windows. Overstuffed couches and chairs dotted the room giving the deck a lounge atmosphere that Din suspected Garrick spent most of his time in. Garrick immediately made his way to the bar on the far side of the room and poured himself a drink.

"I'd offer you one, but…" Garrick gestured to his face in imitation of Din's helmet. Drink in hand, he sauntered over to a pair of chairs and sat down. He pointed to the chair opposite himself. An invitation for Din to sit. Din shook his head and remained near the exit. "Suit yourself. About… I dunno, five years ago? I cleaned out an Imp compound on Llanic. Some fucking Moff had set up camp there before the war to try and disturb smuggling routes in the area. It's a smugglers paradise now that I run it."

"You run a smuggling compound?"

"Not just the palace. I'm War Lord for an entire fucking region. Llanic's deep in the Outer Rim, far outside of New Republic territory. They didn't want the hassle of convincing Llanians to join the Republic just to control one outpost in the middle of fuckall nowhere, so I took it for myself. I'm living like a godsdamned king."

"And they just accepted you as their new War Lord?"

"Took some time and convincing, but once the smugglers' credits started pouring in, they seemed content."

"I bet that's pissed any number of people off."

"It has. It has." Garrick nodded. "So much so that threats have been made."

"That's nothing new." Din moved away from the door sensing they were getting to the job negotiation portion of the conversation.

"True. Not for me, they're not. But they've turned their sights on my wife. Which is unacceptable."

"You're married?" Din asked in disbelief, borderline shock. Coming into wealth, stumbling into being a War Lord, Din could believe it even if it was a little hard to swallow. But marriage? The one thing Garrick loved more than gambling was philandering his way across the galaxy with any lithe limbed woman that would have him. Garrick doubled over with laughter at Din's reaction, nearly spilling his drink.

"I know!" He gave a jovial huff once he composed himself. "I'm damn near decent now." After a moment, his face fell. "But, I've got to take these threats seriously… She's my crown jewel. The people love her. I need… I need to know she's safe. "

"How serious are these threats?" Din asked, finally moving to the chair opposite Garrick. He sat down followed closely behind by the floating pod.

"Most are just idle talk and jealousy. Some… I don't think she's in immediate danger, but best to go on the offensive and put these threats to rest before they become more than chatter."

"I'm not a gun for hire." Din warned.

"No, no. No, nothing like that." Garrick waved his hand to dissuade Din's suggestion. He took a long swig from his glass before adding, "I'm not suggesting you go out and fucking assassinate random people. I've been in the market for a decent bodyguard for her for some time. I need someone I can trust, and I know I can trust you, Mando. Plus, when people find out she has a Mandalorian for a bodyguard? They might think twice about how serious they want these threats to be."

Din sighed internally at the mention of word going around that he would be working for Garrick. He needed to lay low, out of sight and not in some city where smugglers gossiped.

"I have my own responsibilities." He glanced over to the child's bassinet.

"Look, I know some babysitting gig is not nearly as exciting as whatever the fuck it is you've been doing for the last decade. But it's an easy job. It's a cushy job, and I pay well." Din sat quietly, weighing his options. Sensing his apprehension, Garrick added, "Fine. We'll talk about what you actually want to hear. 7,500 credits a day to follow around a woman who barely ever leaves the palace. And you can bring whatever the fuck that thing is on the job." He pointed towards the child's shuttered bassinet.

"10." Din countered.

"85 and a suite in the palace. No charge." Before Din could negotiate, Garrick added, "And, I'll wave all docking and storage fees for your ship while its in my port."

Din mulled the offer over in his head. 8,500 a day with free housing and no docking fees was quite a deal. And it would be a decent stash of credits. Enough that he wouldn't have to take another job for a while if he stayed on for a few weeks until these threats boiled over.

"Look, I've heard rumors of a Mandalorian bounty hunter pissing off the guild and running off with a bounty – I'm not implying anything but… You were always fair with me. Even when I didn't deserve. All I'm saying is this is a quiet job. I don't need an answer right now." Garrick offered. "We're going to be here for another day while some parts get replaced. Think it over and give me an answer by the end of the day, huh?"

"Fine." Din relented. "I'll do it.

"That's a good man." Garrick pulled another swig from his glass. "You'll like her. She's a lot like you."

Din tilted his head in question.

"Comes off as a bit stand-offish, but she means well. Please, you helped Hana. She has a soft spot for the girl, and that will get you on her good side." Grunting as he sat up, Garrick was starting to show his age. He was in his late forties, only a handful of years older than Din. "Sucks getting old." He mumbled to himself. "Come on, let me introduce you to your new Mistress." Garrick chuckled at a joke only he understood. Din stood from his chair and followed his odd acquaintance through to opulent ship to the main deck and living quarters.

"Just so you're aware, her sense of style is… odd, to say the least. I don't see the appeal in half of the things she wears, but you may like it. You people never take your helmets off. Hells, it might be downright homey to you." Din shot Garrick a curious glance as he opened a door to a large bedroom suite. Nothing stood out about the room, save for the eight women standing in a perfect circle at the exact center of the room. The women stood as soon as the door opened, blocking whomever or whatever was at the center of the circle from view. Hana stood in the front, center position. The faintest smile crossed her lips when she saw Din enter the room.

The other seven women wore the same off-white linen dress as Hana, but each had a small embellishment of jewels, embroidery, or cowl that made every dress unique in its uniformity. Strangely, it was "homey" to Din, reminding him of each Tribe member's armor. All of them made to look exactly the same, but all of them unique in how they were painted, how they were battle scarred, how they were upgraded and improved upon by each individual.

"I've come to speak with your Mistress." Garrick bowed slightly to the handmaids.

"On what business?" A melodic alto voice asked from within the circle.

"To introduce you to your new bodyguard, my Jewel." Garrick replied. There was something overly sweet in his tone. As if he was trying to make nice after a fight without having to apologize first.

"I have told you time and again, I do not require a bodyguard, Garrick." The voice sounded bored and slightly annoyed, having said that sentence more times than she could count.

"My Jewel," Garrick took a step forward, spreading his arms placatingly even though neither he nor his wife could see each other. "All that I as is that you meet with him. Give him a moment of your time, and I'm sure you will see the benefit of having him around."

"Fine." She begrudgingly growled. The circle of women shifted to stand in two rows behind the lowered platform they were flanking. The lowered platform was covered in plush cushions and overstuffed pillows. Lounging on the pillows was a woman in a blood-red dress.

The vibrant color of her dress against the soft whites and muted greens in the room around her made the woman burn like the sun. The dress itself was a simple red silk, its full length sleeves and trumpeted skirt covered nearly every inch of her skin. But the modesty of the silk was offset by the diamond and pearl chest piece that clung to her torso. The strings of pearls and jewels accentuated and exaggerated every curve of her chest and torso. The strange chest piece reminded Din of ancient chain armor. Like her body, the woman's head was completely covered by a matching blood-red veil. Atop the veil, the woman wore a large spikey halo crown of bronze, pearl, and diamonds. From a distance, the intricacies of the bronze work were subtle, but up close the filagree were in intricate plaits that crossed across the crown and back weaving itself into a series of complex knots and ridges. The crown oddly reminded Din of the sandstone crags in the desert of Tatooine. The veil itself was a simple, sheer fabric the color of which was just dark enough to obscure her facial features. Except for the faint outline of her nose or the curve of her darkly painted lips her face was a blur of blood-red.

Din could see why Garrick had called her clothing choices odd. Only Core World royalty and extremely wealthy tended to dress in such opulence. He'd only been to the inner core worlds a few times. Mostly to Corelia on hunts. He'd been to Naboo once during the coronation of one of its queens. She was dressed only slightly more lavishly as the woman before him now with the strange head-dress and rich colors that seemed to contrast everyone else's dimly muted clothing.

Immediately upon seeing Din, the woman's entire body stiffened.

"This, my Jewel, is just the man we need." Either Garrick didn't notice her flinch at the sight of the armored man or he didn't care.

"No." She growled immediately. She sat up straighter, pulling her shoulders back just enough to puff out her chest. It was an intimidation practice Din was well versed in.

"My Jewel -"

"The Mandalorians reputations always precede them. The mercenary types even more so."

"I know this Mandalorian." Garrick replied, again in his overly sweet tone. The woman's head tilted a miniscule amount. It was almost imperceivable to those around her. But to Din? When the people that raised him couldn't rely on facial expressions to convey their emotions, the Tribe easily adapted to reading each other's body language. Some members of the Tribe were overly expressive and easy to read. But most kept their movements subtle and miniscule. Not to repress whatever emotion they felt, but out of a sense of self-preservation. The less a person could read from their body language, the easier it was to keep up the guise of the fearless, dauntless Mandalorian the galaxy expected to see outside of their covert. The slight tilt of her head told him that she did not approve of the tone Garrick was taking with her.

"He and I used to work together. I know him to be… a decent sort."

"Was this before or after Garrick Sha became an honorable name?" Her tone was biting and Garrick took a step back and signed. Though he was still smiling, he was readying himself for a fight.

"Mistress, if I may?" A small voice asked from behind the woman before Garrick could speak. Hana took two steps forward out of line. The woman waved her hand nonchalantly, giving her the permission she sought. "This is the Mandalorian I was telling you about."

"I gathered." Her tone was brisk but oddly soft.

"There was nothing in it for him, but he helped me anyway… If that means anything." Another wave of the woman's hand and Hana was dismissed back to her place in line.

"You have my gratitude for helping Hana." The woman turned her gaze back toward Din. She was a strange sight. Every piece an outsider to Mandalorian culture, but she felt so Mandalorian in her presentation. She reminded Din of The Armorer in a way; a woman who commanded respect in her authority. Din bowed his head in acknowledgement of her gratitude.

"So," She sighed, finally relaxing back into her cushions, "the question becomes why?"

"She asked." Din answered. The veiled woman's head shifted, noticeably this time, trying to size Din up.

"And if she hadn't? Would you have walked away?"

Din stood silently for a moment, genuinely contemplating his answer. Part of him, the part of him that he's tried to change over the last 10 years, knew the answer would have been no. It hadn't been his business and as Hana said, he stood to gain nothing from helping her. The part of him that he's tried to cultivate and encourage since Cora's trial would have protected the child in the bassinet above all else. But, Hana was also a child. That was ultimately the deciding factor. Yes, the answer was yes. He would have still helped even if she hadn't asked.

"She's a child." He stated. While he felt the answer was weak, Din had the sense that the woman before him would understand.

"She's 16. Practically an adult. " There was something in her voice that told Din the statement was a trap.

"Practically an adult is still a child." Din swore he heard the faintest of chuckles from beneath her veil.

"You didn't answer my question. Would you still have helped?"

"You say you know a Mandalorian's reputation precedes them. Then you know we treat children."

"Hmm…" She sighed. Din could feel her gaze creep around his body, taking in the sight of him. She weighed her options as her eyes wandered over his armor. "That beskar. How did you come to afford a full cuirass?"

"The beskar was payment for a bounty." He answered honestly, eyes skirting to the sealed bassinet floating to his left.

"Hmm." She sighed again. With a wave of her hand and click of her tongue she dismissed Din and Garrick.

"Thank you, My Jewel." Garrick bowed to her before turning and escorting Din through the door. "That went better than expected." He laughed as soon as the doors were closed.

"That went well?" He had been in fights with bounties that were friendlier than his conversation with her.

"Extremely well." Garrick turned to Din, that smarmy smile still plastered on his face. " I told you she is standoffish. And stubborn. But that was practically an offer of friendship." After a short pause he extended his hand to Din. "Welcome aboard, Mando. I'm excited to work with you again."