CHAPTER VII: RAID

"Why'd you ask about the kid?"

Zakia waited until they were outside of the bazaar and almost to the Crest before she asked. They both carried supplies back towards the ship, large boxes crammed beneath their arms.

"Curious as to why there's so much fuss, that's all." He answered. Zakia watched him tap on his new vambrace, releasing the hydraulics for the hatch.

"I see." She hummed, tottering up the ramp behind him. She waited for it to close before taking a step towards him. "And you've had an eventful day."

Mando glanced down at his body, still not used to the reflective surface now coating each piece of armor. "I visited the covert. My armor was compromised."

Zakia tapped on red nail against the metal, the sound echoing in the Crest's quiet cargo hold. "It looks good."

"How good?" His words were suggestive, but the voice which uttered them was exhausted. Din tipped his helmet down to have a better view of Zakia as she neared him, but his mind was subdued. It was somewhere far away from the present, lingering on his actions that seemed more and more like mistakes as the minutes passed.

"You cut quite the figure." Zakia stood on her toes to press a kiss just underneath the fabric of his cowl. "And our target-" DIn pretended not to notice her hesitance to use the word "-is almost four days away."

He hummed in agreement, one hand resting gently on her hipbone.

Expecting a different reaction from Din, Zakia stepped back. She looked him up and down before pulling her lip in between her teeth. "Sorry. Are you alright?"

Din nodded. "Just ready to get out of here. I'm gonna get us into hyperspace. Why don't you unpack and I'll be down soon?"

He didn't mean to push her away, but turning in the Child and and visiting the covert- more Paz's actions than anything else there- had drained him. Din heard Zakia click their bounty puck open once, observing the target before setting it aside. She was just beginning to move boxes towards the galley when he ascended to the cockpit.

The pilot's chair was warmed from the faint sun and welcoming to his body. Din settled comfortably into the familiar spot and began booting the engines and computer systems. Practiced movements had the sequences completed in less than a minute, and he reached to accelerate. But his gloved fingers failed to pull the lever, and Din glanced towards the stick which protruded from the dash in its place. The sphere that was used as a finger hold was set aside, and Din's hand could only hover. The thought of their infant bounty removing it surfaced violently, and Din was thrown into his own subconscious thoughts.

Foundlings are the Future.

He could hear the two Mandalorians who had taken him in uttering those words. But the Child he found was an enemy. He was a job.

But was he an enemy of theirs?

His boots were already on the ground when his mind caught up. Using one hand to switch off what he'd started, Mando began to make sure his weaponry was fully loaded. He clambered down the ladder and replaced his rifle back onto his shoulders.

"What's going on?" Zakia asked, coming around the corner from the galley with a rag in her hands. She wiped at her fingers, glancing between Din and his rifle.

The truth was always the best option in these situations, Din had learned. He paused near the hatch controls, exhaling softly. He turned to Zakia, who looked more concerned at his hesitation.

"I'm going to get him."

Zakia tilted her head, and Mando knew she didn't understand. He had kept his own personal conflicts to himself due to her own turmoil. And it was still evident she hadn't felt right about turning the Child into the Empire, but she was unable to vocalize it. Hell, Din couldn't put it into words either.

Though he sure as hell could show how he felt.

"Get who?" Zakia watched him carefully, and even though his face was hidden, she seemed to read him like a book. "The Child. You're going to get the Child?

"Zak, I know you didn't want to-"

"I'm coming." Her blasters were already being secured back into their holsters.

"You're… Are you okay?" Was all Mando could manage. He stared at the blonde.

Who, he reminded himself, carried his own child. The same woman who had his back, who healed him, and stayed with him over every hill and trudged through every valley. Who was destroyed when their Child was lost. And now, another Child was on the line. Too soon after their own had been lost, this one was thrown into their arms and then torn away before they realized the consequences.

"No." Zakia pulled her jacket on and reached for the headwrap she used to conceal her face. "But I know how to make it right."

The Mandalorian didn't know what else to do but reach out to her. He grasped onto her shoulder and pulled her to stand directly in front of him. Zakia lifted a han and braced it against his helmet, wiping a speck of dust from the black 'T' of his visor.

Not able to withstand the urge, Din stepped to her and gently slid his hand over her eyes. "Close." He murmured.

Zakia did so without question, leaving Din with two freed hands to remove his helmet. He tucked the beskar beneath his arm and stepped forwards, hands brushing away Zakia's hair. Din crushed his lips to hers, all too aware of the vulnerability he was showing. He trusted Zakia to keep her eyes closed, and sighed against her mouth when her fingers ran through his hair.

It was a brief kiss, though only a fool could mistake the emotion behind it. Mando replaced his helmet after smoothing his hair down best he could, and watched Zakia blink her eyes open. Din's hand remained on her cheek, and he bumped his helmet against her temple.

"This is the Way."

Zakia did a fairly good job of finding his eyes through the visor. "Then let's go."

In a dumpster, they found the Child's bassinet.

Zakia and Mando exchanged a glance, but it was clear nothing sinister had happened within it. There was no blood, and no sign of a struggle. They kept moving until Mando found a rooftop he deemed suitable, explaining to her that it was near the Imperial hiding place. They both slunk onto their bellies, crawling to the edge of the roof. Mando pulled the Amban rifle from his shoulder and turned on the noise detection, pointing the duel-ended weapon towards the designated building.

"What are they saying?" Zakia whispered. She turned her head only slightly, as they already rested shoulder to shoulder.

"They're talking about working quickly. They can't guarantee their people's safety." Mando answered.

The pair slunk from the rooftop, and Mando stopped a block from the door, leaning against the concrete wall behind them. He pulled his rifle strap until it freed from his armor and held the weapon out to her.

"I'm going in. There are Stormtroopers who have blasters, and you don't have armor." Din nodded toward the building. "You keep watch outside. If someone that's not me comes out, kill them. Just make sure no one is around to see."

Zakia agreed to his plan and motioned for him to lead. He showed her to a dark steel door, a tiny porthole made for a droid to look out on the right of it. Din knocked on the door with a closed fist, and both hunters remained tucked in the alcove of the door to avoid being seen. The orbital unit for the droid appeared shortly after Din knocked, and Zakia sliced it off with Mando's vibroknife.

"Once I'm out, there will be Stormtroopers everywhere." Din said quickly, and Zakia nodded.

"The com unit is still synced to your helmet. Call me if there's a problem."

They parted ways, one taking off in either direction away from the door. Zakia crammed herself into a small space around the building's corner, vibroknife waiting in her right hand and Amban rifle a comforting presence on her back. She heard footsteps moving in her direction, and flattened herself against the wall.

"Clear by the entrance. Taking the corner now."

The crackly modulators used by the Stormtroopers were a blatant giveaway, and Zakia breathed in deeply. She saw the white armor round the corner, and stayed in the shadows until he was far from the street.

Zakia surveyed the armor briefly, deciding there was more vulnerability in the front than on their backs. She clicked her tongue against her teeth, and the trooper spun around into her waiting hands. The blonde was quick to slide the knife between the armor on his neck, effectively silencing him as he dropped dead. She withdrew the weapon just as precisely, wiping the blade clean on the trooper's undershirt.

After she located and terminated the second trooper, Zakia continued her track around the corner. She found a hole blown into the wall- she presumed one of Mando's charges had been responsible for that. There was the faint echo of blaster fire from inside, and Zakia looked around. There was too much plaster dust to make anything out clearly, but she could see two troopers lying on the ground inside. She found a crevice in the wall to tuck herself into, and watched the opening.

"Here's the entrypoint."

Zakia watched a trio of the white-clad soldiers survey the hole from her position in the shadows.

"Thermal indicated two invaders."

She tensed. Since when did run of the mill stormtroopers have thermal detection in their helmets? Zakia briefly entertained the thought that they might share a pair of binocs, but after the reward they had issued Mando for the Child it was clear they weren't ordinary guards.

"It did. Let me switch over."

Cutting her losses, Zakia stepped from her nook and fired three shots. Two landed on their mark, but the third ricocheted off the wall somewhere. She ducked behind a dumpster as the remaining trooper opened fire, swearing at the location. There was no kill shot to be had from her vantage point.

As the trooper approached, Zakia scrambled onto her stomach and extended a hand beneath the corner of the trash receptacle. She was able to fire and knock the blaster away, to which the lackey rushed forward. She was trained well in hand-to-hand combat, but the petite size of her body never failed to betray her when the enemy was of the opposite sex. Men were larger, built for muscle. Women were not.

Zakia managed to get her arms around her assailant's neck as he tackled her at the waist. Her only weapon aside from the blasters and knife- Din's rifle- was too far from her reach. The trooper had withdrawn cuffs, locking one around her wrist tightly and reaching for her other. Zakia was pinned to the ground, but not without determination. She used her arms as leverage, swinging a knee into the trooper's groin. Despite the fact they wore armor, it wasn't always effective. Normally the sensation of getting kicked in the manhood had most flinching out of pure instinct.

"Ha. Gotcha." Zakia mocked as she swung herself around the cringing man's body to climb on his back. She looped her free hand through the unoccupied loop of the cuffs, bringing the middle around his neck. Zakia held it there until he stopped moving. She shook out her cuffed wrist and tugged at the metal, but it was no use. It was a problem for another time.

The com unit attached to her headwrap chimed obnoxiously in her ear, and Mando's voice drifted to her as she climbed back to her feet.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"Din?" She asked, hand pressing against her headwrap to muffle outside sound. "Where are you?"

His next words were quiet, soft enough to avoid his modulator's reach. "Just inside town. They have me surrounded."

"Who?" Zakia demanded, spinning on her heel and snatching the rifle from the ground.

"The Guild. I'm gonna talk quick, pay attention." Din said, "Get the high ground and pick as many of them off as you can. I'll give you a go signal when it's time."

She brushed her fingers along the gun stock. "I'm going up."

Zakia hoisted herself onto the rim of the dumpster and hauled her body to the rooftop above it. Orienting herself in the proper direction, she crossed from building to building until the arch above the bazaar's entrance was within view. She spotted Mando's gleaming armor near an idle speeder, the Child swaddled in blankets and resting in the crook of his arm. He was surrounded by Guild hunters, led at the front by Greef Karga. A pang of anger hit Zakia at the man's actions, but there was nothing she could do to alter it. Bounty hunters weren't loyal. They went for the highest bid and didn't relent until it was theirs.

Zakia crawled on knees and elbows to edge of the building, about a block away from the standoff. She took in her surroundings, and noted an old chimney- now used as the support for a water tankard- standing above her. The blonde scaled it quickly and camouflaged herself between the bars. She pulled the Amban rifle from her back and tucked it into the crook of her shoulder, eyes naturally ducking into the scope.

"I'm in place, Din. Under the water tank, directly behind you."

A click of static answered her, indicating he had heard. Zakia could faintly make out Karga's voice in the distance, and synced the rifle to her com. She turned on the noise detection, but the conversation had faded. Mando's body slowly turned to face the speeder, and his whispered voice rang into ears.

"When I move."

Zakia placed her crosshairs on the bounty hunter nearest Mando. "I've got you."

The firefight had started before any more negotiations could be made. Din dropped the Child as gently as possible into the speeder and swiveled to shoot a nearby hunter. Zakia squeezed the trigger on her target, a satisfied smirk crossing her face as the man disintegrated. The Mandalorian had pulled himself into the speeder, lying on his back so the beskar was face up. Zakia quickly readjusted her aim and moved to the next open target. She watched Mando 'gently' coax the speeder's droid pilot into moving, and the vehicle took off.

Din had shot enemies along his path as well, leaving a trail of bodies behind. Luckily, there was enough chaos that Zakia's shots blended into all the others and they took little notice of the disruptor's power. The blonde turned the rifle sharply to the left, searching for any imminent threats. She took notice of a few reloading, gave them the benefit of the doubt, and continued. It wasn't until she spotted a familiar form between two buildings that she stopped.

Greef Karga.

He had his blaster aimed at the droid on the speeder which Mando had commandeered. Zakia growled as he slid into the alley a few inches further, preventing her from getting a proper shot. Sliding her tongue over her teeth, she switched the cartridge from a disruptor to a regular slug. Zakia lined up her shot, and pulled the trigger.

She saw Karga's blaster fire just as she did, and she watched the weapon fly from his hand. The droid on Mando's speeder had been destroyed and the whole vehicle stopped, but Karga was hit. He yanked his arm back, doubling over to grasp at the extremity. Zakia huffed a laugh, being sure to keep the rifle still.

"Gotchya, bastard."

Karga looked around desperately, but she was too far for detection. Her mind briefly considered the fact that he would most likely turn her name into the Imperials for consideration after their last conversation, but it would matter not. Mando and her would be wanted for having the Child, and she was fairly sure its value far outweighed hers.

She breathed in and out slowly, searching for another target. Mando was pinned, but Zakia knew she could cause a distraction since the cacophony of blaster fire had ceased. She pointed in the direction of a Kubaz hunter, and exhaled as her finger drew the trigger back. His body burst into ash, and Zakia quickly reloaded and fired two more shots. They had at least figured out the direction she was in, and all took caution to hide themselves

"Shit." They were all behind cover. She turned the noise detection back on to listen for any movement.

"That's one impressive weapon!'" Karga called out. It was tinny and muted through her com, but the words still reached her. "I wonder who's firing?"

Zakia tensed, keeping an eye out to make sure no hunters were coming her way. Karga had concealed himself from view, and she presumed he was scared of her.

"Here's what I'll do." Din's voice was hard, leaving no room for argument. "I'm gonna walk to my ship with the kid and you're gonna let it happen."

"No. How about this? We take the kid and if you try to stop us, we kill you and we strip your body for parts."

Zakia realized as it was happening, that a hunter was sneaking towards Mando from behind the speeder. Just as the figure moved to shoot the Mandalorian, Zakia pulled the trigger and he was ash. Mando reacted to her shot instantaneously, lunging forward to fire at the growing group near his feet. Din eventually resulted to using the flamethrower in his gauntlet, but it was of little good. It was too easy for the lakeys surrounding him to duck out of the way. After he was out of options, Mando flattened himself back down into the speeder.

"Zak, I don't have a way out, " a soft coo from the child followed his words, and Zakia froze with her finger hovering over the trigger. "You're going to run out soon."

"No! Din, you're not allowed to give up now!" Zakia aimed and disintegrated another one of his assailants, voice beginning to shake. Her throat grew thick, and tears bit at her already burning eyes. Aim, shoot, reload, aim.

Click.

As Din had said, she was out of cartridges.

"Zak, get out of here. Take the ship and go." Din's voice was oddly even, and Zakia shook her head.

"Shut up, you moron. We just-" Zakia swallowed, choking on her words. "We just figured us out. I can't leave you here."

His next words broke her heart. "And I can't leave another kid."

Zakia's hand ran down her face, wiping viciously at her tears. "I love you, Djarin."

"And I-"

The whistle of a flying projectile shot over their heads, effectively cutting off the conversation. Zakia scrambled from her post, watching more and more figures streak across the sky. They fired down upon the hunters, and it took more than a few seconds for Zakia to see them clearly.

"The covert." She breathed.

Mandalorians surrounded the bazaar. Some with jetpacks, and others with heavy repeating blasters, but all fighting for Din. The sight of so many sent the hunters screaming, though several remained in a foolish attempt to stand their ground.

"Zak, stay there. Someone is coming for you." Din's voice was incredulous, like he didn't believe what was going on around him.

"I will, just get out of here." Zakia told him, switching off her com and swinging the gun onto her shoulder. She observed the Mandalorians and their incredible power from her position, chest heaving.

A bright streak of light came towards her, and Zakia took a step back as the hulking figure it was attached to landed on her rooftop. The Mandalorian was broad and tall, with heavy artillery guns melded into his armor. He surveyed Zakia for a brief moment before tipping his head.

"So you're the one who's stuck with Djarin."

His voice was deep and intimidating, though Zakia sensed humor beneath the mask.

"He's more stuck with me, I think." She said, tilting her head to observe the battle. "But nonetheless, I can't express my gratitude. Your covert has saved us."

The Mandalorian only dipped his head. "This is the Way."

Zakia gripped the rifle strap as it laid over her chest. "You're here to save the damsel in distress, yeah?"

"Djarin asked me to bring you to safety. He is getting the Razor Crest off the ground, and We'll meet him in the air." The Mandalorian tipped his head in her direction, motioning up and down. "You don't look much like a damsel, though."

"Thanks. Do I at least get a name?" Zakia chewed on her lip, stepping towards the hulking figure. "If not, I get it."

"Vizsla. Paz Vizsla. I ran with Djarin in the Fighting Corps." An explosion rang out behind them, and they watched the hunters get pushed back in their direction. "But I must insist we get moving. I fear I will be stuck with Djarin the rest of my life if you are damaged."

The sound of the Crest's engines powering up was audible above all of the shooting.

"I'd have to agree. Thank you."

Paz only nodded. "Keep your head down."

Zakia braced herself as Paz pulled her into his massive chest, wrapping one heavily-armored arm around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his midsection, fingers twisting into his cloak and gripping onto his cuirass.

"Is there a countdown, or-" Zakia's own screech interrupted the sentence as Paz pushed off the ground. The jetpack's heat radiated down her legs, and Zakia instinctively squirmed in the Mandalorian's hold until her legs were wrapped around his. It was a rather intimate position for someone she had only just met, but the fighting of gravity and fear of falling kept her latched on.

"First time?" Paz called over the roar.

Zakia lifted her head just enough to glare at him through the visor and elicit a chuckle from the man. They flew for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes until they caught up with the Razor Crest where it was speeding through the atmosphere. The hatch slid open, forgoing the normal ramp and Paz shot forward, propelling them into the ship. He landed rather gracefully, and Zakia lifted her head from his shoulder.

"That was terrifying." She managed.

The Mandalorian- her Mandalorian- took that moment to clamber down the ladder. Paz locked visors with Din, and the larger stepped back towards the door.

"Ret'urcye mhi, vod."

Din returned the sentiment, and the door slid shut behind Paz as he rocketed out of the ship. Zakia moved to turn back towards Din, but his arms were pulling her to him before she could make the choice. She went willingly, tears burning her eyes.

"I didn't think I was getting out." Din said in her ear.

"Don't ever tell me to leave again, you hear me?" Zakia shook him, and Mando only chuckled. They broke apart, and she set her hands on his shoulders.

"Do you want to see it now?" Mando asked.

The Child. In all the commotion, Zakia didn't realize the green being was still aboard.

"Yeah. " Zakia's heart thumped against her ribs, but a warm feeling curled itself into her stomach. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

They both climbed into the cabin above, Din switching the ship off auto-pilot and taking a seat in the pilot's chair. Zakia looked around, and spotted the Child on the floor near the chair. He was straining towards the dash, and both adults looked down. Zakia remembered the beast reaching for the knob on the acceleration level before, and it was evident he remembered it.

Unbeknownst to Din, tears leaked from Zakia's eyes as she watched him free the silver ball and drop it into the Child's waiting had. The gesture was simple, but it switched something on inside her that had been long dormant. She took a small step forward, one hand coming to rest on Mando's knee as she bent near the baby. It looked at her and tilted its head.

"You're sweet, but you caused a lot of trouble."

Big brown eyes blinked at her. The Child looked from the Mandalorian to her before offering up the toy he had just received. A small smile spread across his tiny face, and Zakia's heart fluttered. She reached out her hand, lightly stroking a finger across its forehead.

"I think we're gonna get along real well."

TRANSLATIONS:

Ret'urcye mhi, vod - Goodbye, brother.