.

.

Bonus Wednesday Chapter!

.

Chapter 17

~X~

"What guides my sword, if not honor?"

~Ancient Mandalorian saying ~

Ravana couldn't believe her ears. Had Mando just said they were married? Well, that wasn't true! She might have even blurted that out, had he not reached out and taken hold of her hand, giving it a warning squeeze for her to keep silent.

"Ahhh, well now we're getting somewhere," Ruben grinned, sitting down as he pulled out an odd-looking scanner. "Just let me check your bonding bracelets, and that will settle things nicely."

Ravana shut her eyes and gave an inward moan. She'd heard that many on the outer rim planets used such things to identify their mates, but it was pretty obvious that neither she nor Mando wore anything like that. And why would they…since they were not actually married!

"We don't have any bonding bracelets," Mando informed him. "We were married in a private ceremony by the traditions of my people."

"Oh…well, do you have any proof of this union?" Ruben pressed. "I won't be able to persuade those men out there without something concrete."

"She wears the emblem of my clan," he stated, gesturing to where the mythosaur pendant hung from her neck. "A Mandalorian would not gift such an item to another lightly."

Ravana reached out, touching the necklace she hadn't taken off, having completely forgotten that she was even wearing it. If this proved enough to convince the man, then thank the stars for the kid and his persistence.

"That may be, but you're going to have to give me more proof than that," the man demanded. "Something that would convince me you two are married?"

"She bares a birthmark of a crescent moon just above her right breast," was Mando's next words, causing Ravana's eyes to grow wide and her mouth to drop open.

How in the world did he know that?

This news caused Ruben to look in her direction, a surprising blush coming to the burly man's cheeks. But his embarrassment was nothing compared to how Ravana was feeling right then!

"Well…I might be willing to believe you," he muttered, rubbing his chin in thought. "But just to be safe, I'd suggest you two get some bonding bracelets right away or things might turn ugly out there." He then swiveled around in his chair and hit a button, a voice on the other end of the com-link crackling through.

While Ruben seemed distracted talking to whomever, Ravana leaned in closer to Mando.

"Why did you tell him we were married?" she hissed, rocking the kid a bit in her arms when he stirred over her harsh tone.

"Would you rather be put up for auction and forced to wed some miner?" he answered back, also keeping his voice low.

"Well, no," she admitted. "But…does this mean…is he going to make us get married?" And while this was much preferred to wedding some stranger who had the most money to buy her, she wasn't sure if it was something Mando wanted.

"Sounds like we only have to acquire some bracelets that shows we're a couple," was his reply. "It'll all be for show."

"I'm so sorry, Mando," Ravana moaned. "Really, I am. I've totally messed things up for you again, haven't I? This isn't fair to you."

"Life generally isn't fair," he said, this time actually turning to look in her direction. "Let's just play their game so we can find this Koda fellow and be gone. All right?"

"All right," she agreed, still feeling rather bad about putting him in such a position. But then she remembered what he'd said earlier, and her brow furrowed together. "And just how do you know about my birthmark? I thought you said you switched your helmet to infrared mode when you undressed me."

He was silent for a moment, then he turned away from her again, his helmet facing forward.

"I lied," was his clipped reply.

Ravana's mouth dropped open in shock, suddenly not sure if she wanted to scream obscenities at him or laugh out loud. Instead, she chose to chance a quick slap to his arm over the offence.

"What did I say about hitting Mandalorians?" he asked in a low voice, though one ripe with amusement.

She was about to come back with some scathing retort, but just then Ruben turned his attention to them once more.

"It's all set, our official who handles marriages will be here any minute with a pair of bonding bracelets," he stated proudly. "Then you'll be all set, and no one will give you trouble while you're here or hinder you from leaving. And, as a wedding gift, I'll even send in a few of my cleaning droids to take care of that mess your zaktan made." Here he stopped and gave a fond chuckle. "Had one of the beasts as a pet myself a long time ago. And man can those things stink up a place when they drop their load."

"I appreciate the offer, but I would prefer that no droids..." Mando began but stopped when Ravana placed a hand on his arm, halting him mid-sentence.

"That's very kind of you," she told Ruben. "We will gladly accept your assistance." She could feel Mando's eyes glaring at her, so she gave him a shy glance. "You've never had to clean up after one. Trust me, the droids will be a big help."

It was then that the door opened and in came an alien Ravana had never seen before. He was an odd creature that looked as though he walked on his hands and used his feet to carry things, like the metal case he now held. He had an odd snout and was wearing some sort of goggle-like glasses over his eyes.

"Are these the ones in need of being bound?" he questioned, eyeing Mando and Ravana.

"They're already married, they just need the bonding bracelets to look official, Hersh," he explained, waving his hand towards them.

"I can't simply hand out symbols of a union when I have not performed the ceremony," the alien named Hersh stated, sounding aghast at the idea. "I will need to marry them myself. It's not as if a second wedding will harm them any."

"What? No! We don't need to be married again," Ravana protested, suddenly panicked by what the alien had said. When he and Ruben both looked at her curiously, she added. "I mean…our first wedding was sacred. It meant something to me. This would simply be pointless."

"Getting hitched again won't take away from your previous union ceremony, nor will it replace it," Ruben assured her, appearing sympathetic. "Nothing will change."

Ravana wasn't so sure about that, and found herself squeezing Mando's hand, fearing that he might now choose to run…or maybe she should. But he stood there, not moving, thus she did the same.

"Now, I'll need your birth names, starting with you," here Hersh pointed to Ravana.

She had no idea what to do…should she answer? Should she speak up and call a halt to this fiasco? What? Thankfully, Mando chose for her.

"She was born Ravana Searan," he answered.

"Excellent," the alien responded, adjusting his glasses with his feet…

er…hands? "And you?"

Ravana looked up at Mando, suddenly very interested in hearing his next words. What would he say? She'd never even given any thought to him being called anything but Mando…which she now realized was quite ridiculous. Of course, everyone has a name! But what was his? And if she was pretending to be his wife…wouldn't she already know it?

"Din Djarin," came his quiet reply, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as he did.

"Very good," Hersh nodded. He then punched a few things into some machine he'd taken out of his case, before looking at the two of them. "Do you, Din Djarin, pledge your fealty to Ravana Searan, accepting her as your wife by the laws of this planet and the surrounding star systems?"

Here Ravana held her breath. This was it. Do or die time, as her Uncle Rexl had always said. How would Mando answer?

.

.

"Yes," Din heard himself say, shocking even himself with his response. This had not been the plan when they had landed! But what else could he do when their only other option would be putting Ravana at risk? It wasn't as if this was binding, not forever at least. And even less so in his mind since the only way he would ever consider himself truly married was if it was done by Mandalorian customs. Yet, what did she think? Did she see this as a permanent situation? Unfortunately, there was no way to find out now without blowing their whole lie wide open.

"Very good," Hersh said, now looking over at Ravana. "And do you, Ravana Searan, pledge your fealty to Din Djarin, accepting him as your husband by the laws of this planet and the surrounding star systems?"

"I…I do," she stammered, attempting to sound confident but failing miserably. Din could only hope the two men present chalked it up to nerves and not the obvious doubt in her mind over all this.

"Then if you will each extend your left arms, I will secure the bonding bracelets in place," he instructed, holding up the silver cuffs, one for each of them.

Din watched as Ravana balanced the kid in her right arm as the alien slipped the first one around her left wrist. The device gave a slight hum as it automatically adjusted to fit snugly. When it was his turn, he reached out and removed the vambrace from his left arm, allowing his band to also be set in place.

There. It was done.

They were officially married, at least by the laws of this sector of the galaxy.

Hersh then held out his hand, demanding payment for his services, which irked Din just a bit, seeing as how neither one of them had wanted this in the first place. But again, it was a price he'd gladly pay to keep Ravana safe. Once their transaction was complete, and the alien had left, they both turned to look at Ruben.

"Now, about the location of this Koda fellow," he requested.

"Ah, yes," the burly man nodded, gesturing to the kid who was still sleeping comfortably in Ravana's arms. "I can now see what sort of personal matter you wish to speak with him about. Is the child his?"

"We have no idea," Din answered truthfully. "Yet, we're hoping that he can help us discover where it came from."

"I wish you good luck in that, a child should not be separated from its parents," he stated firmly. "If you'll come with me, I'll see that you are guided to where he can be found. I will also notify all concerned that your wife here is not to be bothered again, or they'll have to deal with me!" He actually gave Ravana a comforting smile. "And then we'll see about getting the zaktan excrement cleaned up and your ship restored."

"I'll stay and help with that," Ravana volunteered sheepishly.

"Good," Din agreed, thinking it was best that she remain out of the public eye as much as possible. For even with their newly acquired bonding bracelets, there could still be trouble if they weren't careful. "Keep the kid with you. I'll see what I can learn from this Koda."

Ruben took them back out into the landing bay, calling over another man in a uniform, and instructing him to show the Mandalorian where he needed to go.

When Din turned to leave, he was stopped by a hand on his arm. Looking down, he saw Ravana staring up at him with pleading eyes, begging for some kind of sign that he wasn't terribly upset with her. And while most of this could have been avoided, if she'd simply stayed on board, he also knew she hadn't done it on purpose.

"We'll talk later," he assured her, giving her a nod of his head, something he hoped came across as a comforting gesture. She returned this with a weak smile, but it was enough, allowing him to leave without feeling too guilty.

.

.

It took nearly half an hour of walking, riding trams, and then hiking to the bottom of a deep mining pit before they got to where he might find Koda.

"This is his claim," the man Ruben had sent as his guide stated, pointing at a cordoned off area full of small round tunnels dug into the side of a sheer rock wall. "If you wait long enough, he's bound to come out of one of those eventually." And then without waiting for a reply, he left, leaving Din there alone.

With a sigh, the Mandalorian found a boulder in the shade and sat down, wondering just how long it might be before the creature he was looking for emerged. Still, he'd wait all day if need be.

He reached over and rubbed his left arm, feeling the weight of the bonding bracelet beneath his vambrace. It still amazed him to think how drastically things had changed for him and Ravana. Granted, he enjoyed her company, and he found her very attractive…but married? Din was not ready for such a step and had often wondered if he would ever be. His lifestyle had never been conducive for such relationships, seeing as how the most people he came into prolonged contact with were wanted criminals. And even though there currently was a price on Ravana's head, it was rather obvious she was innocent.

Not only because he knew who had actually killed Tannor and the other two, but because he knew her. She was kind, thoughtful, and wickedly smart…if not a bit naive at times, but there was no way she could ever bring herself to kill anyone. Well, perhaps in self-defense, either of herself or the kid, but certainly not in cold blood. Din found himself wondering if she would ever be willing to kill in his defense. He knew he would do it for her – in fact he already had - and his reasons were something he would need to analyze carefully.

.

.

Ravana, with the aid of a maintenance droid, soon had the Razor Crest cleaned, fumigated, and back in ship shape. Zax had the decency to look somewhat ashamed of what he'd done, though she'd assured him with kind words and a pat on the head that it wasn't his fault. It had simply been poor timing all around.

Still, as she sat there and watched the kid and her pet playing, Ravana fretted about what to say to Mando when he returned. Or, should she now be calling him Din? It still bothered her that she'd never thought to inquire what his real name was. Though thinking back, she had asked him what she should call him, and Mando was the only name he'd given.

Din Djarin. It was an interesting name, though one that seemed to fit him. It got her wondering if he was named after some family member, or if it was possibly something he'd chosen for himself after being taken in by the Mandalorians. Did this mean that was her new last name as well?

Looking down at the silver bracelet she wore, she considered what this all meant for her. She could hardly imagine she and Mando settling down in some house on a planet, planting a garden and raising the kid together. That seemed too far out of the realm of possibilities.

"I've just married a man who's face I've never even seen!" she gasped, the gravity of the situation finally sinking in. "What have I done?"

The only thing you could do at the time, the voice inside her head reminded her. And that was the only reason that Mando…er…Din, had done so as well. There was no other option. Thus, Ravana was pretty certain that he wanted this no more than she did, and the moment they were far enough away from this planet, she was sure he would insist they get the marriage revoked.

But…was that what she really wanted? True, she had no idea what her husband looked like, and no knowledge of what his plans for the future entailed, past finding the kid's people, but a small part of her relished the idea that she belonged to someone. That it wasn't only her alone in the galaxy anymore. After her Uncle Rexl had died, she'd tried to convince herself that she was fine on her own. That she needed no one, and it was fine that no one needed her. Still, the time she'd spent aboard the Razor Crest had been some of the happiest she could remember, or at least the most exciting.

But who was she kidding? Mando didn't marry her of his own free will, he did it to save her neck…again! He would want out of this as quickly as possible and Ravana wouldn't fight him on it. This was a temporary situation at best, but she intended to enjoy it for as long as it lasted.

.

.

Din had sat there for a good hour, watching as the orange sun made its way across the sky and waiting for any sign of life to come creeping out of the tunnels. Just when he began to consider leaving and coming back later, there came a scuffling sound to his left, causing him to rise and peer down one of the holes.

"Be moving your face, you will," came a gruff voice from the darkness, making Din take a step back.

He then watched in amazement as a short, green alien with long ears and three fingers on his hands came crawling out, easing his way onto the ground. He wore a leather hat tied snuggly around his head with a little light in front to guide him, and a brown leather patch covering his left eye. He was dressed in a dirt-covered pair of overalls, but wore no shoes on his short, stubby feet. All in all…he was an exact replica of the kid, only quite a bit older.

"Are you Koda?" Din questioned, though he had no doubt in his mind that this was whom he was addressing.

"Who be doing the asking, I would be wanting to know first?" was his strange reply. It was clear that this species conversed in an unusual manner…or perhaps it was only him.

"Name's Mando," he answered.

"Mando be your creed, your name it is not," Koda protested, taking a step closer to him as he stared up into his visor. "What be your name, or give you mine I will not."

Din gave a sigh, this would be the second time in one day he'd revealed his true name, and he wasn't very happy about it. Still, he could hardly refuse if he wanted this creature to help him.

"Din," he stated. "Din Djarin."

"Ahh, believe that, I do," the green alien nodded smugly. "Then Koda you have found. Looking to buy gems, might you be?"

"No, I was hoping you could aid me in finding your home planet," he responded, getting right to the point. He'd already wasted enough time this day, and he wanted to get this all over and done with.

"My home world you seek?" Koda questioned, his large ears lowering suspiciously. "Your reason, I would know."

"One of your kind has come into my care," Din attempted to explain. "He's only a child, and I've been assigned with the task of finding his home. So far, you're the only one of his species I've ever heard of, thus any information about how to reunite him with his family would be appreciated."

"A youngling you have found?" this news had Koda perking right up, his ears rising in excitement. "A rarity are they these days, very precious. Very precious indeed." He then turned his head this way and that. "Hiding him, you are?"

"He's back at my ship at the docking bay, being watched over by my companion," Din assured him.

"See him I must, before I trust you with any information," Koda harrumphed. "But first, more digging I have to do. More gems to find this day. To the docking bay I will come tonight." And with a wave of his wrinkled hand, he scrambled up into another of his tunnels and disappeared from view.

"Well, that could have gone better," Din grumbled, turning around and beginning to walk away. Yet he was stopped by the sound of Koda's voice echoing behind him.

"Gone worse, it could have," Din heard, followed by an odd little laugh.…and then silence.

Ta-dah! You've now met Koda! What do you think of him? By the way...writing "Yoda-speak" is HARD!

And so, Din and Ravana are very conflicted over this whole wedding thing. On one hand, they know it was done to save Ravana from being auctioned off...but on the other, I think they both kind of like the idea. What will happen next?

Now Din has to go back and tell Ravana that Koda is coming to dinner! I hope they stocked up on live frogs. ha ha.

Thanks again for all the kind reviews! I love each and every one of them!

See you on Friday.

Guest Reviews:

Phantom Guest: Yep, after all it WAS their goal to find the kid's home world, wasn't it? It's just unfortunate that they fell in love with the little String-bean in the meantime. And oh yes, I do love me a good 'fake marriage' ...oh wait...this one is real! They have the bonding bracelets to prove it now. What will they do? ha ha. Thanks so much, and more fun to come on Friday.

Guest1711: Yep, I'm a twisty kind of writer, got to keep you all guessing what's going to happen next. ha ha. Yeah, I know where you're coming from. And while I've had to read around some very explicate scenes in order to find out what happend in a story I've invested time in, one thing that I just can't work around is foul language. That just kind of hops up and slaps you in the face when you see it...and there's no way to read around it either. I've had to stop reading stories because of that. So no worries...or at least I do hope you won't have to worry. We all have different levels of 'clean', but like I said, I always fade to black before anything important happens. Thanks again and see you on Friday! T.O.W.G.