Peli secured transportation for us, which was really a cart pulled by an old-looking droid. After arriving in the garage with that, she tossed me a blanket and black-cloth facemask. I blinked at her puzzled and she explained while giving our ride a once over. "Cover up. No offence, but you're pretty recognizable on Tatooine. Mando would kill me if anything happened to you before we got to him." This made sense; I don't know who Boba Fett is at war with presently but I would be a great hostage to whoever was on the opposing side. I put this lined-pattern blanket overtop my cloak and covered my face just below the eyes with the mask. I put my long hair back which was a dead give-away. This wasn't going to fool my husband but he'd probably be too busy fighting to get a good look at me anyway.

Peli and I got on the cart and the droid started to move. Where it took us to was a literal battlefield; I knew things were bad but I didn't know they were "this" bad. People were screaming and running everywhere, with us looking like the crazy ones heading towards the action.

It didn't take us long to reach the heart of the scene. These lazar blasts were deafening, though I couldn't see where they were coming from. My heart skipped a beat- several beats actually- when I saw a familiar figure dart from around the corner. The cart slowed as Mando, my beloved spouse, ran into view; he was obviously in a hurry, running away from something. My first impulse was to throw off my disguise and leap into his arms, but I had to refrain. Judging by how panicked Mando was moving, this was not the time for unexpected revelations.

That didn't stop Peli from greeting the Mandalorian affectionately. "Mando, ha! We found you! I gotta a surprise for you!" "Turn around!" Was his immediate and terrified reply. Peli's face dropped a little in confusion; I don't think that was the reaction she was expecting. "What?" "Turn around!" He waved both his arms in the air for emphasis. "I can't hear you!" She responded. Not surprising; the lazar blasts were getting louder. Mando ran forward in front of the cart, and she and I watched as this giant mech made its way around the same corner Mando appeared from. Both of our jaws dropped in horror. It didn't take us long to put the pieces together- this thing was bad news. "Turn around!" Peli commanded the old robot.

Well that did it. The droid went into overdrive and off the cart went in the opposite direction. Mando ran towards us, jumping onto the back of the cart. While he was busy shooting at the mech, which was now following the three of us, I quietly removed my facemask. Not that my husband could see it was me here with Peli now; he was too preoccupied at the moment, and rightly so. "Can this thing go any faster?!" He asked Peli. "Go faster, you bucket of bolts," she proceeded to throw a wrench at the back of its head. It worked; the thing did indeed go faster. She cried out in excitement. Mando was just trying to hang on with one arm while firing with the other.

The droid rolled the cart around another corner where we finally got a few precious moments of reprieve. It was now I guess that Peli thought was a perfect time for a reunion. While my husband was busy glancing behind us, Peli spoke back to him. "Hey, Mando. Look who's here," she pulled back the blanket covering my head.

My husband's reaction was priceless. He had to do a double take. "What?!" His full attention went from the mech catching us straight onto me; it's like he forgot we were in the middle of a war. You'd think that by the way he was gawking at me through that helmet of his. And right from the start I could tell he was NOT happy. I, however, was ecstatic to see him again after almost a week of being apart. While he stared dumbfounded, I merely smiled. "Hi, honey."

That made his mouth start working again. He leaned in closer to where I was on the cart. "Hey! What are you doing here?! I told you I'd be back in a couple of days!" His voice was more panicked than scolding. My eyes lowered onto him with the upmost gentleness. God, just to be back with him again…. I know the location and situation wasn't ideal, but anywhere I was with him was perfect for me. My lips parted a sliver before I started speaking; only for the briefest of seconds, mind you. I know he wanted answers and he wanted them now. "I…. I had to come. I had to see you, to be here…. with you, Mando." He clearly was satisfied with that. "What about Skywalker?" His tone was quieter this time, but still slightly frantic. Staring at him a moment, my head then gave a gentle shake. Our eyes locked again, and my lips parted a second time. "The Force has placed me at the side of one man….. Your side. It's your side I must remain beside. That is the will of the Force: I am to heal….. and to stay with you- always.

My place is by your side, Mando."

The Mandalorian could do nothing but stare wordlessly for a few long seconds. "Saoirse….." He breathed like time had stopped between us. "Mando," I smiled in return. His hand reached over to pull down the front of my shirt slightly, revealing the chain-mail armour he'd left for me. "That's the shirt…. You got the shirt," he honestly sounded on the verge of tears. As for me, I was crying right about now. I couldn't help it, looking at him like this. A tear rolled down my cheek as my mouth quivered. "I wouldn't leave without it…. It's from you, so it's precious to me."

I think Mando was tired of the physical distance between us. Right after I said this, he grabbed my arm and gently lifted me up, pulling me forward. I, in turn, threw my arms around his neck, embracing him tightly. He coiled one arm around my back, pressing me closely into his suit. There we were, at the heart of a raging battle, holding each other. I'm sure any bystanders who witnessed the scene didn't know what to make of it. I ran my hand along the back of his helmet, pressing my cheek against the metal. My eyes closed momentarily as I sighed. "I missed you," I whispered into his ear. He rubbed my back reassuringly. "I missed you too," my husband cooed.

Our pure moment of bliss was quickly interrupted. Peli looked back over her shoulder at us. "You can hug your wife later! We've got a Scorpenek droid chasing us!" Well, that did it; that sent Mando right back into "protective" mode. His arm gave me another squeeze. "She's right; we're in a bit of a bind here right now," he then retracted his arm from around me and eased me back down onto the cart. My husband proceeded to cover me with the lined-pattern blanket again, making sure I wasn't visible to the naked eye. Well, you could still see me, but you wouldn't know it was "me" just by looking at my body. Once he was happy with that, he gave me one last look.

"Be careful. You keep your head down. You stay hidden until the fight's over." God, I love it when he gets all overprotective of me like that. It's been like that since the first day he picked me up on Takodana. Of course his attention was soon directed elsewhere. The ground raddled, shaking the cart. Both he and Peli were shooting at the mech chasing us with me trying to stay out of sight, pressing my back against the seat of the cart.

And that was just the start of a long fight ahead of us.