Thank you all for reading! This chapter is sort of a filler, but the next update will be very soon! xx
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A day's walk had led us to Mando's 'someone'.
A small farm, stationed within the vast expanse of the planet, stuck out sorely on the red dirt. A moving form was visible atop a tall windmill, seemingly focused on a task. When I noticed the Mandalorian's pace beginning to slow, I glanced sideways at him, easing mine to match.
He had not spoken much since leaving his vandalized ship.
I was beginning to worry I would never gain access to his thoughts, no matter how long our journey became.
As we came to a stop beneath the windmill, I observed our surroundings in awe.
There were many curious contraptions and structures, most with lights that flickered dimly through the dusk. Strange creatures walking on two hind legs blinked at us through a fenced enclosure. Oddly, I was reminded of fish.
The sudden stop after walking all day left my legs a little wobbly and I had to catch myself from swaying into the Mandalorian.
"I thought you were dead."
The raspy voice came from above and I watched with Mando as the short individual turned to look down at us. He began his descent from the high structure. A pair of flight goggles rested on his head and I found myself fighting a smile as he finally jumped down to meet us, the top of his head barely four feet tall.
Pinkish skin covered his body and his nose had an upwards curve. The white hair decorating his face was almost invisible. I had encountered his kind once before, although it now felt like a lifetime ago. We were in the presence of an Ugnaught.
He looked me up and down grimly before turning to Mando.
"She is what was causing all the fuss?"
I blinked, trying to process his words for a moment.
"No." Mando's reply was swift and smooth. Moving to the side, he allowed the view of the child from behind him. It had somehow escaped its floating orb and was shuffling around, chasing a frog. The smile I was trying to fight broke free at its poor attempt to catch the fast critter. Mando looked to the other male, saw his confused look, and explained. "I think it's a child."
The child looked up at the Ugnaught's face before continuing its pursuit. Nodding to himself, the pink Ugnaught spoke.
"It is better to bring it in alive then."
This caught my attention. Alarmed, I felt my elatedness turn sour. I turned to Mando with wide eyes. Had he been planning to kill the little one?
He was facing away from me, engaging with the armor on one of his forearms. Flashes of electricity scanned up his arm and it made me wonder if it was still broken. The Ugnaught observed me curiously before walking in the direction of a work bench, situated beneath a bright light.
"My ship has been destroyed. I'm trapped here."
Mando's blunt words didn't hide the obvious dismissal of what the Ugnaught had mentioned.
"Stripped. Not destroyed." The Ugnaught grabbed something from the bench and made his way back towards Mando. His wise eyes looked up at the Mandalorian as he handed him a tool. "The Jawas steal. They don't destroy."
The Mandalorian grabbed the tool from the pink man as I listened intently to their conversation from afar.
"Stolen or destroyed, makes no difference to me," Mando replied, a bitter ring to his words. He began using the device to zap at his armor as he had around the lantern the night before.
Sighing, he stopped to glance down and watch the kid. I followed his helmet's gaze and felt my lips twitch softly of their own accord. The green creature's relentless hunt of the critter was admirable.
Mando and the Ugnaught continued their talk as I crouched down to the child's level. Holding my hand towards the creature, I giggled when it gripped my fingers and tried to pull me along in trying to catch the frog.
Smiling, I shook my head. "I'm not nearly as fast as you." It gave me a grunt before letting go of my hand, continuing it's chase.
Mando's voice hummed over the coos of the kid. "They're protected by their crawling fortress. There's no way to recover the parts."
Suddenly, the little one jumped, attacking the frog and cooing happily as it gripped it in its hands.
"Oh!" I gasped quietly. My noise of surprise fell on deaf ears.
"You can trade," the Ugnaught urged Mando.
"With Jawas? Are you out of your mind?" Mando asked.
Grabbing the little one's hands, I gently tried to pry them open, hoping it would drop the amphibian. It just seemed to grip the poor thing tighter. "Hey, you," I whispered. "You have to let that thing go." When it became apparent the little one was not loosening its grip, I abruptly held my hands out, waiting for it to hand the frog to me. This tactic was a mistake.
"I will take you to them," I heard the Ugnaught say. "I have spoken."
Without warning, the child shoved the frog in its mouth and I inhaled sharply. "Hey!"
Both Mando and the Ugnaught turned in my direction just as the child swallowed half the frog.
"Hey!" Mando's sharp voice pierced through the cool night air. "Spit that out," he warned sternly.
Whether the child chose to ignore his words or simply didn't understand, it proceeded to swallow the frog whole, the long back legs the last to disappear.
The child laughed happily up at us, burping loudly.
Shaking his head, the Mandalorian addressed me. "Aren't you supposed to be watching it?"
I felt my face heat up without warning. "I was," I stammered. I looked at him from the dirt, trying to explain myself. "I couldn't get it to let go, and-"
"And it just ate a frog."
I felt my cheeks get hotter as I stood back up to stare into his visor. "I suppose it was hungry."
The silence between us felt thick. I noted how he seemed to pour all his tension into his shoulders while his hands hung loosely at his sides.
Sighing, he motioned for me to follow him and the Ugnaught.
I hesitated a moment. Stooping to retrieve the little one, I briskly fell into stride with the armored man.
"Do you guys have a plan?" I asked.
We met our host at the enclosed fence containing the fish-like creatures from earlier. Unlocking the gate, he walked inside first, leaving Mando and I at the entrance. As I witnessed the Ugnaught prepare a saddle, my questions increased.
"Wait," I said, mostly to Mando. He turned to me, his head titled in its signature way. I could feel the child in my arms keeping my front warm as its clawed hands gripped my arms.
"We're not planning on riding those things, are we?"
He stared my way a moment more before turning to the Ugnaught. "We'll need something to help transport the parts back," he said, ignoring my question and addressing our host.
I shivered, the dark having completely settled over us now. Were all Mandalorians this way? His dismissive behavior was beginning to wear at my resolve. The fact that I still had no idea about his true intentions with the kid made the inside of my stomach sour.
He had battled his way through dozens of trained soldiers and mercenaries, blew the head off a droid to spare the child's life, fought off hunters in the canyon, and all for what? To just kill it in the end, as the pink alien had indicated?
I observed the two as they prepared for our ride, my thoughts in a disarray. The Ugnaught had harnessed one of the alien creatures to what appeared to be an old metal carrier. I assumed this was what they had in mind to use for the weapon transport. Mando's movements were strong and confident as he helped the Ugnaught and when he lifted a metal chest onto the transporter, I took a deep breath.
Steeling myself, I moved over to him.
"Mandalorian," I called.
The Ugnaught had been preoccupied at his bench beneath the light, giving us a small moment of privacy.
He turned to me, halting his movements. The little one had fallen asleep in my arms long before and I held it tighter to me as I spoke my next words.
"Why did you come for it?"
There was no need to elaborate. I knew he was fully aware of who I was referring to. He turned away, grabbing his long weapon. "I was hired."
"By who?"
He turned back to me, but again said nothing. A short, humorless laugh escaped me without my permission. I beheld the stars twinkling on his helmet from above before peeking back over at the Ugnaught. He was making all sorts of noises beneath his light, paying us no mind.
Sighing, I lowered my voice. "Can the child trust you?" I whispered. My eyes raked his helmet and shoulders, noticing his tense posture. I bit my lip, my voice coming out impossibly quieter. "Can I?"
Hauling his weapon up onto the chest, he once again turned away from me, breaking our invisible connection.
"Depends what you're expecting."
Scowling, I bit back a retort. He had all but said what I needed to know without saying a thing. He was sort of good at that.
I wasn't sure I could fully trust him, but he had saved us more than enough times. The possibility of all of it being in his own interest and not the little one's was devastating.
"We will be leaving soon."
His quiet voice broke through my thoughts. I nodded, refusing to look at him. I was afraid of what he would see swimming in my eyes if I did. He seemed to hesitate before walking to meet the Ugnaught. Soft thunder from overhead caused the precious cargo in my arms to stir.
"It's okay," I cooed. I looked up in search of clouds but saw only stars. I smiled down at the kid's wrinkled head, my chin brushing against one of its huge ears. Its eyes held the night sky. "So many stars in your eyes," I cooed. "Maybe I'll start calling you my little star." The little one squeaked back at me and I took it as a form of approval.
"A storm is approaching," the pink man called from afar. Glancing in their direction, I saw them both looking my way. "We must hurry if we want to beat the rain."
Reluctantly, I made my way over to the metal carrier. The Mandalorian came up beside me.
"I'll hold the child while you get on," he offered.
I nodded. "Thank you."
I tried to suppress a shiver as Mando took the child from me, my warmth quickly gone.
Reaching for the ledge, I pulled myself up onto the cold metal. Sitting with my legs still dangling over the side, he gently handed my little star back to me. I gave him a small smile before sliding back.
The Ugnaught climbed up onto the back of his fish-like creature in the front and waited while Mando followed my lead. He pulled himself up swiftly, immediately moving to open the metal chest he had placed up here earlier. He rummaged around for only a moment before pulling out a large piece of cloth.
Moving over towards me, he held it at arm's length. "This may help a little."
Reaching out, I grabbed the soft material between my frozen fingers. "What is this?"
It looked suspiciously like the material he had hanging from the back of his shoulders.
He was still for a moment before gesturing to his himself. "It's my only spare."
Suddenly warmer, I gave him a shy smile, trying to express how grateful I was. He was very private, but I was beginning to see bits and pieces of his character peek through. When he wasn't avoiding things, that is.
"Thank you."
Nodding once, he left to sit in front of me atop his metal box, weapon now in hand. The Ugnaught motioned for his creature to move and together, we were pulled away from the farm and back into the open vastness. I pulled his cape over me, tucking it snuggly around the child I was holding.
Eventually, the stars died out and the rain started.
Thunder rumbled throughout the night sky, breaking apart any dreams the little one was having. I pulled it closer to me, soothing it with gentle pats.
Mando's cloak truly did help to keep the rain and chill out and I knew I would have to thank him again. He sat tall and stiff on his metal container, long weapon at the ready. I could barely see the pink man as he steered his creature into the unknown.
High gusts of wind forced me to take shelter behind the heavy metal the Mandalorian was sitting on. Leaning my back against the chilly material, I pulled my legs up and the cloak completely over, shielding my face.
I had created a little bubble for me and the child and I shushed it gently when the thunder shook us.
"Don't worry," I murmured. "We're safe."
Words the Ugnaught had mentioned to the Mandalorian back at the farm abruptly crossed my mind. It is better to bring it in alive then. I held the child a little tighter.
"At least for now," I whispered.