Chapter II: The Departure

"So when do we leave?" Kreya asked the Mandalorian seated across from her as her fingers traced absent patterns on the surface of the table as she waited for his response.

The man's helmet tilted towards their porcine companion and shrugged, "I would like to leave as soon as possible…"

Kreya quirked a dark eyebrow at the men, "I'm sensing there's a 'but' coming next."

"-But Jawas stripped my ship for parts. I just reacquired them." Mando finished, his voice sounded strained even through his modulator.

Still his words earned a laugh from the woman. She'd learned how to deal with the hooded scavengers the hard way, "Oh, I see. What did it take to get your parts back? A couple blasters? Maybe some beskar?"

"An egg." Mando supplied, leaning back rather uncomfortably in his chair.

In turn, Kreya propped an elbow on the table top and rested her chin in her palm, "An egg from…?"

A sigh escaped from underneath the man's helmet, he was beginning to feel as if this woman was going to be more trouble than what she was worth. Still he felt compelled to answer her anyway.

"A Mudhorn's egg."

Kreya's brows rose, "Really? You took an egg from a Mudhorn?"

"Well, the Child aided me." He digressed, glancing over his shoulder at the slumbering youngling in the pram.

Her blank stare seemed to follow his, "How so?"

The Mandalorian offered her a vague gesture in an attempt to reenact what the Child had done, but then remembered the woman in question could not see him. Glancing at the Ugnaught, Mando cleared his throat, awkwardly,

"It raised it's hand and somehow levitated the beast."

"So that's what I felt the other day." The woman commented, absently, her attention still glued to the pram.

"You felt it?" Mando repeated, his confusion clearly evident in his voice.

"Yes," Kreya confirmed with a flippant wave, "I sensed it while I was meditating. Such an act is very prominent to anyone who is appropriately attuned."

"Can you levitated objects as well?" The warrior inquired, curiosity somehow getting the better of him in this moment. Although, it was out of character for him to be so interested in another being, the past couple days had weighed down on him and his exhaustion was beginning to take effect.

Kreya smirked, but said nothing. Suddenly, the discarded mugs on the table between them began to float in the air as if they were old-time puppets dangling from clear strings. Mando was thankful once again that his helmet hid the surprise on his face. But when he made eye contact with the woman, it was clear she knew she'd caught him off guard. Then, just as quickly as the mugs had lifted off the table, they floated back down to rest on its surface.

There wasn't an ounce of strain evident on Kreya's face as she reclaimed her mug and sipped from it, calmly. It was clear to Mando she'd received some sort of training to be able to intricately move multiple objects at once. That her display was something that took time and patience to achieve.

"If you think that's impressive, you should see what she can do with a couple blergs!" Kuiil interjected, enthusiastically as he also took hold of his beverage.

Kuiil's praise caused an embarrassed flush to bloom on the woman's face. If Mando were any other man, he might've said the red hue on her cheeks was attractive. But in his mind, it only served to accent the large gash that spread across the upper middle third of her face. It's white, smooth texture told him it was an old wound. One she'd likely sustained long before she'd arrived on Arvala-7. He wasn't sure why this scar stood out so much to him. He'd seen plenty of scars in his time and worse ones thanks to the hazards of his occupation. But the texture of the scar was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. It made him wonder what could have caused such damage, yet left such a smooth blemish in its wake.

Kreya seemed to notice his fixation on her scar and tilted her head to one side as if she were studying him as well. To her, the only image she could see of this man was his living presence in the force. It was clear to her that the Mandalorian was not force sensitive like her or the Child. But still, he was a enough bright presence to study. Upon closer inspection beneath his aloof and rugged surface was a deep sense of honor, steadfastness, and pride that made up the very core of his being. Even deeper still was a raging sea of mournfulness and longing, like something had grieved him long ago.

She offered the man an assuring smile before she spoke once again, "Well, I hate to cut this lovely visit short, but it's getting late. You both have a long journey back to Kuiil's farm and a lot of work to do before we depart."

The man and the Ugnaught glanced over at the window near the entryway and saw that evening was beginning to draw long shadows out as the sun sunk below the hills beyond the horizon. Both men rose from their chairs and stepped away from the table. Off to the side the woman sensed the pram bob along behind the Mandalorian.

"You could always leave the Child here with me. I can watch over it until you're finished reassembling your ship." Kreya offered, kindly.

Mando shook his head, resolutely as he shifted his armored body in front of the pram, "The Child stays with me."

Kreya could feel the cold, calculated glare she'd earned from the man slice through her like a laser. She suppressed the involuntary shiver that attempted to run down her spine. She knew Mando was still deciding whether or not she was a threat to him. She could feel his indecision in the force, so she held up her hands in a peaceful gesture.

"Very well. May the force be with you both."

Kuiil dipped his head to her in gratitude and thanked her for her hospitality. Mando offered no parting words and strode, silently, out of her home with the pram in tow. The woman took their exit as an opportunity to rise from her own seat and trail after them. Stepping outside, she felt the cool evening breeze caress her face as she leaned back against the wall next to the door. There she waited until she sensed the men mount their respective blergs and ride away from her property.

Kreya offered them a farewell wave before slipping back into her hovel, smiling to herself as she did so. What an interesting turn of events the day had brought her. There was no way her meditations could have predicted this outcome, but that only left room for further uncertainty.

"I must prepare." She muttered aloud to herself as she slunk off into her private quarters and disappeared behind the door.

Several days later, Kreya stood outside Kuiil's home with a large pack slung across her shoulders and a somber look on her face. True to his word, the Mandalorian would not allow G-5 to board his ship no matter how much she bartered with him.

With a heavy breath, the woman turned to face her dearest companion. She did her best to fight back the tears that welled up in her eyes as the realization that they were parting finally set in.

"G-5, from this day on you are in Kuiil's care. Serve him as well as you served me." Her words were shaky and her hands balled into fists at her sides.

The droid stared back at its former mistress, vacantly, and bowed, "You do not have to worry, my lady. I will continue to serve you by serving Master Kuiil."

Kreya reached out for the bot and wrapped her thin arms around its metal frame, "Goodbye, old friend."

G-5 offered the woman a comforting gesture before stepping out of her arms, "Farewell, my lady. Perhaps we will meet again one day."

"And when we do, I'll be able to actually see you." Kreya replied, unable to stop the watery smile from spreading across her lips.

Off in the distance twin turbines rumbled to life, signaling to Kreya to take her leave. In a flash, she hugged Kuiil and thanked him for his kindness over the years before glancing around at the farm one last time. Once her senses imprinted the image in her mind, then she began hiking off towards the hills where the Mandalorian's ship was located.

The trek across the valley on foot allowed Kreya time to set her mind fully on the task ahead. Gathering all the facts that had been presented to her, she realized she had to set her own personal feelings and desires aside. She could not allow herself to become attached to the youngling. No matter how much she wished to. The Mandalorian was a bounty hunter after all, which meant this Child was his target. Mando had mentioned that he had a client on Nevarro waiting for the Child.

The thought caused a chill to roll down her spine. Surely, the client knew exactly what the Child was and had the resources necessary to do whatever they wished to it. This was made clear by the number of bounty hunters they'd sent to acquire it. She hoped her own presence on the planet wouldn't draw the client's attention. She had no doubt that if they were to find out about her, they would take just as much interest in her as the Child. During the reign of the Empire, force users had been hunted, mercilessly and now, years after it's fall she was certain those hunters still lurked in the shadows behind the shining beacon that was the New Republic.

Kreya pushed her negative thoughts aside and shifted her focus on the gunship ahead. Reaching out through the force, she found the Child was still sleeping and the Mandalorian was bustling about the store room taking care of some last minute tasks before take off.

When she was close enough, she puckered her lips and let out a whistle as not to alarm the warrior within the belly of the ship. She waited until she could feel the man's attention shift in her direction before she climbed up the ramp and into the cargo hold.

"This is a pre-Empire gunship, isn't it?" She inquired, loudly so her voice could be heard over the roar of the engines.

Mando seemed taken aback by her observation, but he said nothing as he watched Kreya set her pack down on the metal floor. The woman, then, stretched her arms above her head, stretching the tension out of her shoulders. Once she was back in a normal standing position, her head tilted as if to look past him. Mando, of course, knew she was looking at the pram. He was aware of the curiosity she felt towards the Child. But he didn't figure her to be bold enough to move past him as she began walking straight for the Child.

In a flash, Mando reached out catching her arm in his iron-like grasp. He, half-expected, a shocked gasp to escape her mouth, but the woman made no sound. Instead, she turned her head to face him and brought her own hand to lay atop his. There was a calmness about her that set him off, but when she opened her mouth he allowed her to speak.

"I only wish to check on the Child's health. Using the force in such a large way can be extremely draining on one so young." She informed the Mandalorian in a very matter-of-fact way then added, "I'm sure your client would be greatly disappointed if it were brought to them unwell considering all the trouble they've gone through to acquire it."

Unconsciously, Mando's grip tightened on her wrist, "How would you know this?"

The woman wished she could roll her eyes, but settled for shaking her head at the overly blunt man, "Because I've sensed more than just your ship enter Arvala-7's atmosphere."

"How many?" The man stepped closer to her to the point Kreya could almost hear him breathing.

The woman held her ground and shrugged, "A couple dozen, maybe. My droid could tell you for sure. Oh, that's right you wouldn't let it come."

"I don't like droids." He, nearly, growled down at her.

"So I've noticed." Kreya refused to back down, her blank stare somehow found his eyes through the tinting of his visor.

An uneasy feeling clinched at the man's gut when he noticed her haunting eyes on his. The smirk that played at the corners of Kreya's lips told him she knew the effect her eyes had on him. But Mando wouldn't allow her the satisfaction of outwardly reacting. Instead, he dropped her hand so that he could gain access to the control panel on his vambrace and typed in the code that closed the loading ramp. He, then, stepped away from her and stalked over towards the ladder that lead up to the cabin. He paused there, briefly, and turned his head back to Kreya, who remained in place, almost statue-like where she stood.

"You can check on the Child." He conceded, his logic dictating that Kreya would be able to sense if there was anything wrong with the Child in a way he could not begin to fathom.

The woman nodded and waited until the man had ascended out of view before she made her way over to the Child. She placed her hand upon its chest just as she'd done several days prior and reached out with the force. Unconsciously, the Child cooed in response to her presence, earning a soft smile from the woman as a tiny three-fingered hand gripped at her fingers.

"You are so strong for someone so small. You remind me of someone I knew long ago. No doubt you could achieve great things if the circumstances…" She trailed off, not wanting to think about what sort of nefarious plans the Client had in store for the Child but eventually concluded with a sigh, "were different."

A sudden jolt from the ship forced Kreya to retract her hand from the Child in an attempt to steady herself. The ship was lifting off the ground the force informed her. An overwhelming feeling crushed her lungs as the realization of her departure set in. There was no turning back now.

With a composing breath, she turned her attention outward as she felt the ship ascend through Arvala-7's atmosphere. For someone that was blind, flying felt a bit like free falling. The only thing grounding her was the strong thurm of the ship's engines.

In her mind's eye, she could picture what it might look like to climb through the clouds away from the orange planet and into the darkness of space above. There had always been something about space travel that had thrilled her. Ever since she was a young girl, it amazed her. It had many years since she'd flown freely without the impending feeling of being hunted. She looked forward to flying without cause for worry.

"Engaging hyperdrive." The Mandalorian called out over the ship's com system.

Kreya was thankful for the warning and braced herself for the jump to hyperspace. As if on cue, the ship lurched forward and in the blink of an eye, she was being whisked away through the stars faster than the speed of light. She allowed herself to get caught up in the rush of the moment, but in the back of her mind caution rang out.

This wasn't a joyride. They weren't going to be gallivanting across the galaxy like she'd day-dreamed about since settling on Arvala-7. No, they were inbound for Nevarro, where a nest of bounty hunters was waiting for them. She was sure they'd be less than welcoming towards Mando considering how much of a prize this Child was and how many had failed to retrieve him. She prayed to the force that they wouldn't get caught up in some less-than-friendly fire along the way.