The Sterling Kestrel is your dream ship. Her engines hum mellifluously and she flourishes a class 0.7 hyperdrive. You would be able to lightspeed skip with her. You just know it. Not that her owner will ever let you try, seeing as he is barely able to stand allowing you inside the cockpit with him.
Mando waits behind you, keeping the doors closed with his wrist vambrace as you push the button on the panel over and over again in a vain attempt to open the entryway. When you finally give up and turn around, you realize he is just standing there, watching you struggle silently. He unlocks the doors for himself, brushes past you, and takes a seat in the pilot's chair to begin take off. He tries to shut the doors behind him, but you are faster than he expects and you're able to slide stubbornly into the copilot seat. Even though he has made his message to you crystal clear, you choose to ignore his wishes and begin pressing buttons on the console to help prep for hyper. He responds to your insolence by tacitly refusing to punch in the coordinates for the jump and once again, gives you the iconic Mandalorian death stare. By this point, you are so fed up with his rude behavior that you forgo all ethical standards and give in to your spite. As an act of punishment, you do the one thing you know he despises most. You mind probe him. Images of you flying into the window of the cockpit as Mando purposefully jerks the ship to side are transferred into your head. Ouch. Guess he remembers how to reveal his thoughts to you like you taught him. You take the hint this time and remove your hands from the control panel as you pull out of his mind. He might actually throw you out into the vacuum of space if you push him too far.
You leave your seat after a few minutes of being in hyperspace. There are better places to meditate on the ship and you are in dire need of some refocusing. The crew quarters are nice enough to sleep in, but you don't want to feel like you have to hide away from Mando the entire journey, so you opt to stay in the main cabin while you recenter. You slide into a rounded dining booth and cross your legs underneath you. Eyes closing, you begin to focus your mind through the Force. Control washes over every inch of your body and you slowly fall into a deep trance.
Mando gets up to check on you after two hours pass of utter quiet. You feel him coming towards you, but you don't break your state of tranquility yet. This is an excellent opportunity to practice staying calm around him and you are going to capitalize on the moment. Unbeknownst to you, wispy white lights are faintly glowing around your body as the Force manifests itself physically for Mando to see. The effect is mesmerizing and usually marks the occasion of a highly spiritual connection being made with the Force. The phenomenon is becoming less rare, but you only ever realize it's happening when you open your eyes and catch a glimpse of the lights as they begin to fade.
"You are glowing," Mando rasps after watching you for a minute.
"Why thank you, Mandalorian."
"No-I mean-you are literally glowing."
"I know what you meant."
You open your eyes and take a peek at the lights before they dissipate into the air. Slowly, you stretch out your legs and slide to one side of the booth. You're unsure of how to proceed with the conversation so you reach forward and grab a jogan out of the bowl on the table.
"Why Tython?" He asks as you peel the fruit with a knife.
"It's safe there. I figured a Jedi would find it all one day if I died and that they probably would return it to Mandalore."
"Thank you."
The galaxy must have collapsed in on itself. The Mandalorian had just thanked you. Maybe, you had ingested some spice in Boba's palace or maybe you were shot in the head and this was the afterlife. His gratitude should please you, but it doesn't. In fact, his two words have the opposite effect he intends and you suddenly feel incredibly bitter. Your internal frustration threatens to erupt out of you. How does this man do this to you? Thirty seconds ago you were completely at peace with yourself! Now, all you want to do is punch him in the throat. Hard.
"I didn't do it for you," you bite back.
Instead of staying to argue with him, you slam the jogan on the table and stand up from the booth. You stomp towards the crew quarters and mutter expletives under your breath to feel better. Apparently, a year of seeking "balance within" was not enough to cure you of whatever sickness Mando has infected you with. All it takes is a minuscule conversation with the man to send you spiraling back to the Darkside.
Three days go by where you and Mando neglect to speak to each other. He spends most of his time in the cockpit and you spend most of your time in the hull. You make yourself food, you do your breathing exercises, you sleep, and you study the holocron in your cabin. You're three-quarters of the way finished absorbing everything the prism has to offer. Nothing is to be found yet about petulant Mandalorians, but you keep looking anyway. You might have to locate a Sith holocron containing secrets pertaining to bloody murder to really help you with this problem. The thought makes you snort.
Mando isn't the only Mandalorian you don't get along with, but he had been a friend at one point and the way you two treated each other now is pretty disappointing. You know the other side of him. You know the other side of several Mandalorians and there is a lot to like about them. They are all loyal, brave, smart, reliable, and confident. Mando's cynical humor and quick wit never fail to disappoint and his endless knowledge from years of experiences always astounds you. The problem with so many Mandalorians is their pride. A seemingly universal ability to lose their tempers is also an issue. If you cross the warriors they will be ruthless. Every time. The two fatal flaws piss you off easily and you know it's because pride and volatility are own worst shortcomings as well. You are too similar to Mandalorians.
After another day goes by and you decide it is time to talk to Mando. You are halfway to Tython and the awkward tension in the ship is beginning to get to you. You steel yourself and prepare your ego for the possible bruising you are about to take. He is in the pilot's chair burnishing his beskar spear when you waltz into the cockpit. You lean against the wall and offer him a gentle smile when he glances up at you.
"Hello," you say quietly.
"Hey." He sets down the cleaning cloth and props the weapon against the console.
"Do you want to talk?"
A minute passes before Mando nods 'yes' in response.
"I'm sorry for what happened on Jedha. And I'm sorry I lied about my past." You sit down in the copilot seat and lean forward to rest your elbows on your knees.
"I'm sorry I left you."
"What happened afterward? Where did you go with the other Mandalorians?"
"How did you escape? Why did you hunt down so much beskar?" He evades your questions but seems earnest in his own inquiries.
"Someone I knew working for Crimson Dawn found me and hid me. Once the Imps left, I stole a ship and got off the planet."
"I thought you died. When Fett told me one of his associates saw you in a cantina on Florrum... I just..." his voice trails off.
"I'm a survivor."
You want to press him for information on what had happened with the other Mandalorians, but you can sense the friction growing again. The two of you won't be able to fix everything in one day and it is better to take things slow.
You lean back in the chair and swivel it away from Mando, "I'm going to get some rest. I'll see you later."
"Okay."
You lie in bed and fiddle with your knife. Your conversation with Mando replays in your head. It wasn't a long discussion, but the underlining understanding between the two of you is apparent. Each of you has broken the fragile trust you built together and neither of you are ready to forgive each other for Jedha. The truth is, apologizing is easy, forgiving is much harder. Forgiveness requires vulnerability and vulnerability requires a restoration of faith in the other person. Even though both of you are remorseful, you know the two of you won't be able to move forward without some sort of explanation for the past. If you do dive more into your past, you're not sure Mando will ever be able to trust you again.
