The doors slid shut with a whoosh, and Grogu, Luke Skywalker, and the droid disappeared. Cara Dune watched the breath leave Din's body. He hadn't turned around, but his shoulders rose and fell with a weight that hadn't been there before. She trained her blaster rifle on the man in black curled up in a fetal position at her feet. Moff Gideon lifted the corner of his mouth and did his best to look innocent, though he'd been moving around in the corner of her eye. She shook her head down at him, and he froze. Nice try, mudscuffer. She'd been on enough desert planets to know a Sarlacc when she saw one.
"Well, that's that." Cara turned her face to the cold tone of Bo-Katan. A fierce fighter, but there was something off about her Cara couldn't trust or name. "You gave me your word, Djarin. You'll come with us to Mandalore and-"
"-Not so fast." Cara yanked Moff Gideon up by the crook of his elbow, and held him in front of her like a shield as she clamped stun cuffs on him.
"Don't pull any punches, do you, ma'am?"
"Nope." The cuffs locked into place, and she secured her rifle over her shoulder.
"My kind of woman."
She ignored Gideon's taunts, and glared at Bo-Katan. "He has business to attend to first. We have to take Moff Gideon in and collect the bounty. It's rightfully Din's. He also needs a new ship. C'mon, he just lost his kid and everything he owns. He has nothing."
"He has the dark saber," Bo-Katan sneered.
"Have a heart. What if it was your kid? Give him time to get back on his feet." Din's armor clinked as he turned around behind her and stopped short behind her left shoulder.
"I'll keep my word, and join you after I've collected the bounty." His smooth voice came in crisper without the obstruction of a helmet. "You have my word as a Mandalorian."
Cara side-eyed Din. She'd caught a glimpse of him earlier, the edge of a rugged stubble, mop of unruly brown hair, strong jaw. Up close, his handsome face had a sweet vulnerability she hadn't quite expected, soulful brown eyes brimming with emotion so full it seemed they might spill out. Her heart leaped, and her lips parted a little as she let out a little breath. Kriff. No wonder he'd hid behind the helmet. His emotions were on naked, raw display. He met her glance, and then, as if he could read her thoughts, his expression hardened when he addressed Bo-Katan.
The older woman pursed her lips. "If you don't appear at the Mandalore council in three days' time at sundown to battle me for the dark saber," she seethed, "I'll hunt you down myself."
Din sighed. "I understand. I wish you'd just take the damn saber. I have no interest in it or fighting you."
Moff Gideon looked over his shoulder. "For one so noble, Mandalorian, you're remarkably foolish. You have no idea what kind of power you now wield. You can have anything you want. Money, power," his eyes flitted to Cara. "Women."
"Shut up," She grunted, tightening her hold. "Just do the universe a favor and stop talking."
Bo-Katan replaced her helmet. "This is where we part ways, Din Djarin. When next we meet, it will be on the battlefield. You'll have to find your own way back to Nevarro. As agreed, the Slave I is now my ship. I'll see you in three days' time. Let's go, Koska." Her younger companion frowned at them as they marched past and exited the bridge.
Din seized Moff Gideon's other arm. "We better go."
She scooped up Din's helmet on their way out. He might need it later. They parted ways with Bobba Fett and Fennec, who stole a tie fighter, and Cara spotted a shuttle delivery cruiser they could use to get back to Nevarro. Bodies of storm troopers and broken metal appendages from the clones littered the corridors. They didn't waste time. She strapped Moff Gideon into a passenger seat behind the helm. He remained wisely silent, but his dark oil-well eyes took in everything. Cara gave him a warning look, and she dropped into the co-pilot's seat as Din's fingers flew over the console. She buckled in, then held up the helmet. "I grabbed this before we left."
He paused, his brows lowering. "Thanks, but I'm not puttin' it back on."
"No odds to me. I prefer seeing your face. But you may change your mind. Who knows."
"Not gonna happen." He shook his head. "Like I told you a while back, once it's off, it's off. Hang on." The shuttle lurched as he took them out into space. As soon as they hit hyperdrive, she helped set the coordinates for Nevarro.
"You had no way of knowing this," she said, "but if you were going to leave Grogu with anyone else, he couldn't be in safer hands than Luke Skywalker."
He considered her. "You know him?"
"I know of him. Everyone from Alderaan does. He's a legend. He can keep Grogu safe, at least until he's able to return to you. However painful it was, however hard, you did the right thing." Cara covered his fingers with hers, and gave them a soft squeeze. "I realize it was nothing you planned, but all the same, it's nice being able to see your face."
His eyes glittered, reflecting the lights in the cockpit. There was a longing in them, something she might mistake for attraction if he hadn't just lost everything. "It is?"
"Yeah." She'd stopped being soft a long time ago, but lately, she'd been letting her guard down more and more with Din. She moved her forefinger over his knuckles. "It's a nice face."
"Oh, come on. You are both abysmally bad at flirting," Moff Gideon murmured.
They both looked back at him and barked, "Shut up."
"The bounty'll have to wait till morning, Marshal. The bondsman's not back till tomorrow." Cara leaned against the counter. Young Officer Grier had her hands full while she was away, and she'd have a huge load to work through when she returned to work in a few days.
"Well, ring my quarters the moment he comes in. Din Djarin will have his reward, and make sure you tell him I said double the bounty. Moff Gideon is intact and alive, and that's worth a fair sight."
Din stood beside her, holding Moff Gideon's arms. "Where do you want him?" A young Noghri officer next to Grier chittered, and waved the Mandalorian forward. "This way." Cara stayed at the counter and watched them go. She'd convinced Din to put his helmet back on when they'd landed. Sure, she and seven other mercenaries knew what he looked like, but that didn't mean the whole universe had to. She drummed her fingers along the counter once Din disappeared with the Noghri. "Grier, I want you to do something for me."
"Yes, Marshal. What's that?"
"Look into the impound lot for ships that are set to be scrapped. I want to find the ship in the best condition, and salvage it. Talk to Jay Shuma in engineering and having him repair it, get it up to code. Spare no expense, full fuel, repaint, engine, the works. I want it stocked with food and supplies."
Grier typed into her module furiously. "Yes, ma'am. Anything else?"
"Yeah. See if you can get a hygiene kit together. Extra socks, razor, clothes, whatever you can find."
"We have some extra prisoner packs in the back that have all of that."
Cara nodded. "Good. Get on it, and get back to me in the morning. You know where to reach me."
When Din returned without Moff Gideon, he fell in step beside her, not saying a word. "You can stay with me until we get you squared away. My place is just around the corner." He nodded, and his pain was almost palpable, even behind the mask. Kriff, what else had he hidden from her? She had her secrets too, big ones, but knowing what he looked like under there, the sensitive face, the expressive eyes of a boy who'd been thrown into manhood, left her feeling strangely protective of him.
They walked to her home in the twilight. The New Republic had given her a fairly adequate home, roomy for one person with a bedroom, fresher, kitchen, and living space. She placed her palm in the groove of the biometrics scanner, and the front door slid open. "Home sweet home. Come in, get comfortable. I'll see what I can rustle up to eat."
"Thank you, Cara." She touched his shoulder as she passed into the kitchen, sliding her fingers along the fabric beneath his armor. Something told her to just give him time, so she did. There was still fresh fruit and eggs left from the last time she'd been to the outdoor market, and a bit of bread mixture. She poured water from the sink into wooden cups and cooked the last of the eggs. The instant bread finished rising, warm and freshly baked. She slid the food onto a tray, and found Din sitting on the couch, his helmet on the floor.
She set the tray on a side table, and noticed him looking at something in his hand. A metal ball. "I forgot to give it to him." His voice cracked with emotion, and Cara caught her breath. She stood in front of him, but he didn't look up. "I meant to give it to him. He kept stealing it every time I'd…"
She touched the side of his face, her hand shaking. She was as messed up and starved for human touch as he was, but she couldn't not touch him. His cheek warmed her palm as he pressed the weight of his face against her hand. He expelled a choked cry, and she drew closer. Words failed her. How could she comfort him after he'd lost everything? What did one say? How did one even start? But then she didn't have to. He placed his palms on her hips, and buried his face into her stomach.
Cara wrapped her arms around him, and didn't let go for a very long time.