Author's Note: Hey, it's been awhile and I'm sorry for not updating sooner... Life's been crazy for me this year and I got stuck in a rut writing wise. Believe it or not I've had the majority of this chapter written since February and had planned to update during my Spring Break, but then COVID happened. Since then, I've had an increasingly difficult time balancing my life and have just now found motivation to write again. (Season 2 of the Mandalorian also gave me the pick-me-up I needed.)
As far as this particular chapter goes, I got stuck on Sorgan and deciding how I wanted to wrap up Kreya, Mando, and the Child's time there. But I finally made up my mind. It's not exactly how I envisioned it, but I think it works well enough. I'm excited to continue this story and will update as often as I am able to.
I also want to thank everyone who has given this story a chance. I appreciate any and all continued support. I hope you continue to enjoy this story as we move forward.
Chapter VII: The Conflict
A humming sound buzzed around Kreya as she moved through the stances of the old Order's lightsaber combat styles. It had been a long time since she'd practiced formally. Even an untrained eye would be able to notice the rustiness and sluggishness of her movements. Wielding a lightsaber was supposed to emulate an elegant dance not the choppy, clumsy shuffle Kreya found herself struggling through.
Frustration creased her dark features as she held the blade before her. Her breathing ragged and mind churning as she, mentally, reprimanded herself for being so bold and so foolish to offer skills it appeared she could no longer provide.
Swinging the weapon through the air in what was meant to be a Form III blaster fire blocking volley, she scoffed at the weakness in her posture. How many times had she executed this particular move in the past? Where was the confidence and structure she'd worked so hard to obtain? She'd worked hard to become as proficient as she could without a master, but all those efforts appeared to be intangible to her at the moment.
Repeating the motion again, her wrists felt stronger, but still not achieving the desired effect that a practitioner of Soresu should be capable of. But she wouldn't give up. Soresu was the most practical form to utilize in this particular scenario as deflecting and redirecting blaster fire was one of it's primary uses. She'd need to be able to use it when defending the village from the Klatoonians.
Kreya continued to go through the paces as the sun began to sink down in the sky until it lingered above the treetops. For most of the day, she'd kept track of what the others were doing and the progress they'd made in readying the village for the upcoming conflict. But they'd called it a day several hours ago seemingly ready to turn in early in preparation for what was going to be a taxing day. Doing so allowed her to retract her senses so that they were more singularly focused which allowed her movements to become more instinctual and precise as her mind was no longer stretched as thinly. This allowed her to shift into a stance that was reminiscent of the primitive Form I. Shii-Cho was the most ancient form of lightsaber combat and it relied on the determination of the it's practitioners for it to be executed properly. While it was rather rudimentary, there were still many benefits to be familiar with it.
On the edge of her senses, a presence approached her, slowly. Caution was evident in their stride as they made their way across the empty field behind the village where Kreya had been practicing that day. Kreya's focus shifted toward the being and the force revealed to her the steady, cool determination she, frequently, associated with Mando.
Once he was within range, she contorted her body into a combative stance. Testing the waters to see how he might react. Up until this point neither party had thought to approach the other about sparring. For Kreya, it was a matter of principle combined with the fact she hadn't intended to out herself while traveling with the Mandalorian. For Mando, it was much the same although he'd never considered Kreya as much of a fighter as her pacifistic nature seemed to dictate everything she did.
The past twenty-four hours had brought many unexpected changes. Mando had watched Kreya off and on as he'd worked with the villagers throughout the day in their makeshift shooting range. Despite Omera's surprising proficiency with a blaster, his eyes and thoughts were drawn to the flashes of yellow light that cut through the soft green hues of the meadow. Even from a distance, he observed a change in the woman's demeanor. Gone was the sincere and unyielding calm he'd come to associate with Kreya. Sheer determination and pinpoint focus had quickly replaced those attributes the moment she'd brandished her weapon.
Mando's body shifted into a complimentary stance. He wasn't exactly sure how he intended to go up against a sword of light, but he had a feeling he'd figure it out as he went.
"Shoot at me."
That was not what he'd been expecting her to say. Needless to say, he was extremely caught off guard by her sudden demand. All he could manage in response was a startled: "What?"
"Just do it, Mando." Kreya commanded, shifting her lightsaber into the space between her body and his own.
Cautiously, he withdrew a blaster from its holster and leveled it at her head. Wrapping his gloved fingers around the trigger, he tried to the hesitance that whispered at the edges of his mind. No matter what she could do with the force, she was still a blind woman. How could she defend herself from something that she might not be able to sense coming?
Calm returned to the woman's voice, "Trust me."
"Alright." He conceded and pulled the trigger, sending a blast across the clearing directly towards Kreya's chest.
Mando's jaw dropped as he watched the woman bat the blast away with an efficient swoosh of her saber, sending it away from their vicinity with one swift motion. How had she managed to sense it and time her move so perfectly? So many questions and thoughts ran through his mind that he wished to voice. But Kreya beat him to it.
"As younglings, we are taught that our eyes often deceive us and we must place our complete trust in the force and allow it to guide us beyond the physical distractions so that we see only what needs to be seen." She explained before motioning to her murky gray eyes, "Being blind is the same concept. Relying on the force is how I traverse the world around me."
"You trust this 'force' completely?" He inquired, blaster still trained on Kreya's form.
"Entirely." She affirmed and shifted back into her previous stance; saber at the ready.
"Then get ready because I'd like to test this trust." Kreya noted the slight smugness that creeped in at the edge of his tone.
A smirk grew on her lips, "Excellent."
This time Mando gave no warning as he clicked three consecutive rounds her way. With the same ease, she deflected them just as she'd done with the first. So he fired four more, then five more, until he began moving around as he shot at her. Doing so simulated what blaster fire might look like when they staged their attack against the mercenaries only on a much smaller scale. But he needed to know if she was capable of defending herself or if she was going to be a liability.
Kreya, to her credit, kept up with his assault. With each deflection, the dust and rust fell away from her movements. Even if she'd felt the heat of more blasts than she'd liked. It was immensely helpful to have someone else around to put her through the paces. However, her stamina began to fail her as her heart and lungs strained rapidly against her rib cage. It had been just as long since she'd exerted so much effort from her body and now she was paying the price for living a somewhat sedentary lifestyle.
But she pushed through the pain and didn't allow the fact that she was out of shape deter her in any way. If Mando was a true enemy, he would've quickly taken advantage of any sign of weakness she displayed. Thus she soldiered on and began moving closer to the Mandalorian. Her proximity forced the man to change his tactics as he now had to dodge redirected blasts as well. She kept moving closer until the tip of her saber almost caught his pauldron.
"Don't worry," Kreya huffed, continuing to swipe at the man, "Beskar can repel lightsaber strikes."
"How do you-" He began, this time instinctually blocking her strike with his gauntlet, almost expecting the laser-like beam to melt the metal protecting his forearm. But the golden light remained gleaming against the silver of his beskar, "...know?"
Mando didn't have time to contemplate this new development further as Kreya kept coming at him, her blows careful as to not catch any part of him that wasn't protected by his armor. Straightening out his wrist, he ignited his flame thrower which forced the woman to retreat backwards. He half expected her clothes to be singed but a ripple in the air around her deflected the flames.
The pair soon found a comfortable rhythm as they continued to spar. While Mando was much more brutal and concrete in his strikes and movements, Kreya's were much more fluid and graceful. Despite their differences, their styles seemed to compliment one another's well. Where he was steady and rigid, she was more flexible and lithe. What one lacked, the other made up the difference. It was almost like a dance. A dance that Kreya had missed since the Order's fall.
Soon, her stamina ebbed away to the point she could no longer fight off the exhaustion coiling within her muscles. This exercise had served to further prove just how weak she'd allowed herself to become. Jumping back from Mando's assault, her lungs burned and knees buckled.
"Yield!" She panted, her saber disengaging as she held her hands out in front of her, "I yield."
"Tired already?" Mando inquired, only just beginning to feel the physical effects of their session.
Kreya nodded, still breathing heavily and bending over to rest her hands on her knees, "It's been a while since I've pushed myself this far."
Holstering his blaster, Mando cocked his head to the side, "Sure didn't seem like it."
"Thanks," She acknowledged, wiping the sweat from her brow as she straightened her spine, "The old ways are hard to forget."
A quiet moment passed between them, only the sound of their breathing breaking the silence that settled over the clearing. Mando took the opportunity to take stock of Kreya's skills, which were surprisingly more deadly than he'd anticipated. Then a thought occurred to him,
"Can that thing cut through durasteel?"
"Yes, there are very few materials that can withstand a lightsaber's blade. Beskar being the most notable." She confirmed, straightening to her full height.
"Could you cut down an AT-ST?" He inquired, revealing his true intention.
Kreya shrugged, "Most likely. Depends on how much time I'm given and how strong the alloy is."
"If Cara and I can give you time-" He began, but a rebuking wave of her hand cut him off.
The woman shook her head, "Mando, that's not my place in this… I have never seen true combat. I was never fully initiated when… everything happened."
"Still you might be the only one who can get close enough if our plan fails." He pointed out.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, "This is why- well, part of the reason why I don't use my lightsaber anymore. People get these expectations in their heads that I'm some sort of hero." She gestured with her hand that still clutched her weapon, "But that's not who I am. I'm no Luke Skywalker."
Mando breached the distance between them in several quick strides and grasped Kreya by the shoulders, "Look I don't know who that is and I don't really care either. All I know is that sometimes, you have to do what needs to be done whether you're a hero or not. Whether you like it or not."
The woman mulled over his words with a thoughtful expression on her features before she dipped her head and conceded, "I suppose you're right. Afterall, you must know from experience."
There was something in her tone that disarmed him in a way that made his breath hitch and stomach twist uncomfortably. Not in an unpleasant way; more so because it was unfamiliar.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He inquired once he'd regained his composure only for her to shove him away and float out of his reach.
Kreya offered no response as she collected her robe and set out towards the village. Mando had no choice but to follow her retreating form, shaking his head as he loped after her.
...
Night blanketed the village in darkness when Mando and Cara planned to ambush the mercenaries' camp. Kreya sat in the middle of the barn as Mando sorted through his crates in search of any last minute supplies he might need. The energy in the air had shifted quite heavily to favor an ominous anxiousness that reminded her of the moments before the Temple siege.
It was an unsettling thought and Kreya, quickly, pushed those images out of her stream of consciousness. But the emotions remained present as her thoughts drifted towards the Clone Wars. Although she'd never seen the frontlines, she remembered how the war had gripped the galaxy as well as stories she'd overhear padawans sharing amongst themselves during their brief reprieves in the Temple. The injured Jedi she'd seen shuffling about as they waited for their bodies to mend enough to be sent back out to fight in a battle that wasn't theirs.
"You'll be departing soon." Omera's voice cut through the silence and Kreya's internal musings.
Mando's gruff response followed, "And when we return, we'll be coming in hot."
Kreya shuddered in anticipation, her hand dripped the familiar metal casing of her lightsaber hilt before she rose to her feet, "We'll be ready."
She felt Mando's gaze turn to her. She waited for him to respond, but he chose to regard her in silence. Something warm bloomed within the force. It was an unfamiliar feeling. One she wasn't sure was directed at her. As quickly as the feeling came, cold determination before Mando headed out into the darkness.
...
Kreya stood alongside the villagers behind the barricade as they waited for Mando and Cara to draw the mercenaries their way. She could feel the anxiety and fear leaking into the force from her comrades. Kreya, herself, kept her mind on the mantras the master had taught her; mantras for peace, calm, and focus.
"D-do y-you think we'll make it through this?" One of the villagers closeby asked their neighbor.
"Peace, my friend." Kreya replied, making sure her voice was loud enough that everyone could hear it, "Have faith in the force. It will protect us."
"How do you know?" Another voice inquired, it's tone plague with doubt.
Caben was quick to interject, "She's a jedi. How else?"
Murmurs of agreement buzzed around her as more and more villagers seemed to find peace because of her presence. It made Kreya's gut clinch because she didn't want to be that person for them. She wished they had that sort of faith in themselves.
"Quiet, everyone." Omera commanded, not far away.
Kreya dipped her head in the other woman's direction, then turned her focus within the force towards Mando and Cara. The warriors were headed towards the village at breakneck speed. Hostility bared down from the group charging after them. They were less than two kilometers away from the treeline and closing in fast.
"Brace yourselves!" Kreya urged, raising the hilt of her lightsaber, bracing her body and mind for the incoming clash.
Moments later, Mando and Cara burst forth from the trees, racing through the field before climbing over the barrier. They were quick to claim their weapons and waited in silence for the mercenaries to follow suit.
"This is it!" Cara announced, slightly panting, "Once that thing steps into the pond, it's going down."
The creaking sound of trees falling punctuated the ex-shocktrooper's statement. Massive thuds echoed from the woods as the woods; with each step the sound grew louder as the AT-ST drew closer.
"Weapons ready!"
Everyone surrounding Cara readied their weapons, save Kreya. The force told her it was too soon to wield her saber. At this point, she was more likely to injure a comrade and catch the mercenaries' attention. She'd wait for the force to tell her when the time was right to use her weapon.
The thunderous footsteps shook the earth as the colossal mech entered the clearing. It's form was a vague outline within the force. Unlike a living being or even most droids, the AT-ST was primarily used as military transport by the Empire thus there wasn't much of the living force connected to it. The electricity that powered it was about all she could make out of it via the force, but it was enough to comprehend the size of the machine.
"Just a few more steps." Kreya was just able to hear Mando's voiceover the mechanical noise.
But the AT-ST stopped just short of it's intended demise.
"It stopped." Cara gasped.
"Get down. Get down!" Mando urged the villagers.
Kreya followed suit unsure of what was going on. But she could tell things weren't going to plan.
Suddenly, a blast shot through the air as the AT-ST began to open fire on the buildings behind them. One of the huts exploded, sending shrapnel through the air. Thankfully, Kreya surmised that no one was injured from the initial blast.
"Caben, stay there!" Omera shouted over the aftershocks of the explosion.
Cara's voice soon followed, "Hold your positions!"
Just as the former shocktrooper gave out the order, battle cries from the mercenaries rang out as they bull-rushed towards the villagers.
"Open fire!"
All hell broke loose as the villagers, AT-ST, and the mercenaries began firing at one another. At this point, Kreya ignited her lightsaber and began blocking blasts as effectively as she could. In doing so, she stepped out from behind the wooden barrier and exposed herself to their foes. But the woman feared little for herself. She was doing what she had to do in order to protect the innocent. Briefly, the Child flashed through her mind. The thought of him fueled her desire to protect this place.
For Mando and some of the villagers, watching Kreya fight with her saber was slightly mesmerizing. Golden light cut through the darkness in flourishes and strikes that dealt damaging blows to the Klatoonians. In that moment, Mando understood what Kreya meant when she said that people would want her to be a hero. Yet, there she was fueling those expectations all on her own.
Kreya, however, felt no wonder as her mind settled into a place on the edge of calm and fury. It was a place she'd been trained to find in times like these. It was only on the edge of both could she achieve the focus necessary to guide her movements as she fought being and blaster fire alike.
A warrior's cry alerted her and drew her attention directly towards an incoming assailant. The Klatoonian fired several rounds, but Kreya deflected the blasts. She allowed him to charge closer. Apparently, Klatoonians hadn't heard what lightsabers could do. But to be fair, most people probably hadn't thanks to the Empire. But needless to say, she cut through his torso without so much as a second thought.
Before she had a chance to recenter herself, Cara ran past her shouting, "Curly, you're with me!"
Kreya nodded and darted after the former rebel, cutting through the Klatoonians as needed as they ran towards the AT-ST. Once they were close enough, Cara pushed Kreya into the pond before jumping in herself. The cold water and its inhabitants caused Kreya's skin to crawl.
"I'm going to distract it. You use your powers to pull it over the edge." Cara instructed as she fired up at the machine.
The AT-ST fired back, this time dangerously close to their heads. Kreya could feel the heat and the smell of burnt hair filled her nostrils. Mud splattered all over them as it kept firing in their direction. The noise was deafening. Kreya could barely focus on anything, she'd never been in a more overwhelming situation than this. But once Cara managed to snipe one of it's opticals out, Kreya was able to regain control and pull herself together. Reaching out, she used the force to latch onto one of the AT-ST's legs and pull it over the edge into the sinkhole.
As the machine began to sink into the water, Kreya sensed Mando run past them. The clicking noise of one of his hand grenades just registered in her ears before he jumped into the water with them. The following explosion rocked the earth and water around them. Kreya clung to the bank in an attempt not to lose her footing.
With the demise of the AT-ST, the Klatoonians began to retreat as soon they realized they'd lost their advantage. Slipping away into the brush like the cowards they actually were. Relieved, Kreya allowed her limbs to go slack and cheers began to ring out from all around as the Villagers claimed their victory. She smiled, broadly as the sound of their joy filled her ears and rested her head against the muddy embankment.
"Was that the plan?" Mando inquired, hovering near her.
The three of them were panting as the adrenaline began to wear off.
"Something like that." Cara admitted, which caused the trio to chuckle, tiredly.
Kreya felt the force shine brightly as she tilted her back against the solid form of Mando's pauldron. His calm presence was like a balm amongst all the jubilation and triumph surrounding them. Closing her eyes, she realized she'd become exactly what she hadn't wanted to and decided she was alright with others thinking she was some sort of hero.
...
In the following weeks after the clash, peace returned to the village. Kreya could see it in the way the people's spirits lifted, how they laughed more readily, and gave more openly. It brought a serenity that turned her thoughts back towards Arvala-7. In more ways than one she missed that desolate planet, but mostly she missed G-5 and the familiar companionship it offered. Everyone around her had someone or something they were connected to. The Child had Winta, Mando had bonded with Cara and Omera, but Kreya found herself standing apart from the rest.
Part of her cursed her Jedi upbringing as she found it increasingly difficult to form attachments after having spent her early years hearing how it was forbidden and how it led to the darkside. She was jealous how easily and readily other beings seemed to welcome attachments of any kind: platonic, romantic, or otherwise. But such things only seemed to cause warning bells to flare up in mind.
Late one day, Kreya decided she'd had enough and packed her meager possessions. She lingered only momentarily as her senses traced the presences of the Child and Mando. They were both strong. They wouldn't need her. They'd be just fine without her. So without bothering to leave a note or any other sign of a goodbye, she slipped out of the barn in silence.
Moving like a ghost through the village was easy. Especially since most of the villagers had already retired for the evening in their own homes. This ensured the chances of someone witnessing her hasty exit were very slim. It was easier that way. She wouldn't have to explain herself to anyone. And she'd just about achieved her goal, that was until she felt a presence stalking up from behind her.
"Hey Curly, where do you think you're going?" Cara's gruff voice inquired, disrupting the peacefulness of the night time sounds.
Kreya sighed and shuffled to face the other woman, "Home."
"Where's home?" The other woman stepped closer.
"Arvala-7." Kreya replied, re-hitching her satchel.
Cara began to prowl around her, "How come?"
"Because." That was more childish than she'd intended for it to be.
Cara tutted and pressed further, "Because why?"
"Because I can't stay here anymore. I can't do it. I don't know how to-"
"To be a person?" Cara offered.
"Yes," Kreya agreed, not really wanting to go into too much detail because she knew Cara had her own issues to deal with.
"Well, you could've fooled me." Cara remarked, her voice almost smug, "You sure can act the part."
"Acting the part doesn't mean anything when you want what you were told you could never have." Kreya nearly spat, anger simmering deep in the pit of her stomach. It'd grown from the frustration and jealousy she'd combated for the past few weeks.
Cara seemed taken aback, "What can't you have?"
"Attachment. A family. True friends. Anything meaningful. It was all forbidden by the Jedi Order. I can't take it watching you all live so freely. My heart aches for it. But lingering here will only cause my thoughts to fester and I risk falling to the darkside the longer I stay."
"You speak from experience." Cara deduced.
Kreya simply nodded, not wanting to think about the home she used to have. The friends she used to cherish. The belonging she felt being a part of the Jedi Order. All she'd been for many years was a drifter and since leaving Arvala-7, she began to ache for it once more.
"Why don't you come sit with me? I've got a fire. You'll travel faster by daylight." The vetran offered.
Kreya shrugged and allowed Cara to lead her over to where she'd set up a small camp. Cara urged her to sit and began rummaging around for something. Soon after a bottle popped open and the sound of liquid filled a glass.
"Here." The other woman offered, holding out a glass of spotchka.
"Thanks, but I don't drink." Kreya waves the glass away.
"More for me then." Cara shrugged and downed the glowing blue beverage in a single go.
Kreya said nothing as she sat down on the log and set her satchel in the grass in front of her. The fire warmed her skin, licking away the cool, dampness of the night time air.
"So spill." Cara prompted from the otherside of the fire.
A frown pulled at Kreya's lips, "Spill what? My life story. Thanks but I've got too many skeletons in my closet for that."
"Don't we all?" Cara agreed, "But that doesn't mean you have to go it alone."
"I'll keep that in mind." Kreya knew Cara was only trying to help. But Cara wasn't exactly the kind of person she wanted to spill her guts out to. At the moment, she wasn't sure who that person could be. But it definitely wasn't the former shocktrooper in front of her. Cara was still too much a stranger. But Kuiil had been a stranger at one point as well...
"Well, Curly, I'm gonna hit the hay. Stay as long as you like." Cara informed her before she plopped down onto her bedroll.
Kreya nodded, "Sleep well."
Left alone with only the sound of the crackling fire popping in her ears, Kreya sighed and folded herself into a meditation pose. Settling herself in for the night as well although she had no intentions of falling asleep.
...
Heavy footsteps and bubbling frustration roused Kreya from her night-long mediation as the attached presence stormed towards her. A wave of shame broke over her serene state of mind. She wouldn't allow Mando the satisfaction of knowing she felt guilty for her desire to run.
"You tried to leave last night." His modulated voice pierced her ears.
Kreya stretched her arms over her head and stifled a yawn before addressing him, "Cara told you?"
His voice was steady as he lowered his frame down onto the log next to her, "Your things were gone when I woke up this morning."
"True." Kreya bowed her head slightly, her mountain of curls shielding her face from view.
"Why?"
The word held the weight of a planet as it settled between them. It caused guilt to churn in Kreya's gut. She hadn't planned on explaining herself to Mando. She wasn't used to explaining herself to anyone.
Kreya sighed, weighing her options before deciding on a half-truth, "Because I'm not necessary here."
"'Not necessary.' That's ridiculous." Mando snorted, "Are you hearing yourself right now?"
"I'm blind, not deaf." Kreya snipped.
"Well, it certainly seems that way." Mando remarked, "Why don't you tell me why you really want to leave?"
"I-I-" She began but she couldn't find the right words that wouldn't make her sound foolish.
"You what?" Mando supplied.
Kreya could feel his impatience and irritation seeping into the force so she decided to speak from the heart, "Lingering here is painful. Watching- Feeling the bonds between everyone… It reminds me of my life before the Empire. Of the people I lost. I'm not necessary because I'm too damaged to live in a place so free to feel."
Once the words began to tumble out, it was like a dam burst within her soul. Sure, she'd said something similar to Cara, but there was more significance in sharing her thoughts and feelings with Mando. She'd known him longer. He knew more of the pieces of her story. He shared a similar pain.
"Sounds pretty selfish to me." Mando's voice rumbled, beskar armor scraping as he shifted next to her.
"I may be selfish, but it's the only way I can avoid falling to the darkside." She admitted, folding her hands out in front of her.
"Can you come back once you've fallen?" His inquiry was an honest one. Not many people understood the balance Jedi had to constantly try to achieve within themselves.
Kreya nodded, "Yes, but you're never the same."
"Is that why you're willing to leave the Child behind?" He asked.
"Exposing him to the darkside this young would greatly alter his relationship with the force." She told him honestly.
But Mando was quick to point out: "He's been exposed to plenty of evil for as long as we've known him."
"That's true." She almost chuckled as she briefly thought back on their time together, "He definitely isn't your average youngling."
"Would you really leave him? What about your eyes?" He asked, gesturing behind him in the vague direction of the Child.
"Mando, at this point I can survive without sight. That much is fairly obvious. It was merely a silly bargain I was compelled to make on a whim… But the Child, I would regret leaving him behind every day for the rest of my life."
"What if I can't care for him on my own?" He pushed, self-doubt of his own creeping into his voice and the force.
Kreya shook her head, "You'd manage."
Mando sighed and reached out to turn her face towards him, "That might've been true before but now-""
BANG
Alarm exploded throughout the force after the jarring noise faded to echoes in their ears. Kreya and Mando jolted from the log. His words forgotten as concern for the Child overshadowed everything else.
"Go find the kid." Mando ordered as he raced off in the direction the blast came from.
Kreya allowed the force to guide her to where the Child was huddled with Winta. He reached up as soon as she approached them and she, in turn, scooped him up into her arms. The Child tangled his talons into her ebony curls as he hid himself within her mass of hair.
"What happened?"Omera inquired through gritted teeth as she moved in to calm her own child. Beneath the older woman's exterior calm, her presence in the force was unraveling.
Kreya raised her free hand and placed it on Omera's shoulder, pushing as much calm into her spirit as she could, "Blaster fire. Fortunately, I don't sense anyone's hurt except for whoever came here with malicious intent."
The women waited for Mando and Cara to emerge from the trees. A grim feeling building as they drew closer. There was also an inkling of finality weaved into the air as an uneasy stillness settled over the village.
"We're leaving." Mando informed Kreya as soon as he was close enough to speak at his normal volume, "Guild hunters tracked us here. It's no longer safe for us to shelter the Child on Sorgan."
...
By late afternoon, the trio had finished packing their belongings onto the back of the transport. Confusion radiated from the Child as he wobbled along after them. Kreya's heart ached over the fact that he was being ripped away from the safety and friends this planet had briefly provided him. How many times had his life been disrupted in this way? How many more times would it happen before they finally found a place of permanent safety for him?
Regardless of her own internal musings, life continued to move onward.
Cara and the villagers come along to see them off. Cara approached them with the confident swagger Kreya had grown accustomed to. Kreya admired the other woman's confidence and hoped someday she might emulate that as well. Cara shared words with Mando first before turning her attention to Kreya,
"Hey, Curly? Keep your chin up, okay?"
A small smile quirked at the corners of Kreya's lips as she dipped her head, "May the force be with you."