Just a quick note for you guys :) - Quite a few of you have commented and messaged me asking if I had a face in mind for Zakia. Honestly, I've always seen her in my head looking something like Julianne Hough if she had curly hair. That's my take, so do with that what you wish.
Anyhow, this chapter is kind of a filler and shorter than I'd like. This episode is giving me more of a hard time than the others to get started, and school is crazy! I'm doing my best but want to thank you all, especially my repeat reviewers, for the kind words and encouragement. I'm glad you all enjoy the characters and their interactions.
CHAPTER VIII: ILLUSION
Sorgan was a quiet place.
They had decided to lay low and let the heat from their shootout on Nevarro blow over, and it seemed this planet was an ideal place to do it. Din was searching the navicomputer when they approached Sorgan, designating it as a place of interest due to its low population density and lack of general hub. Zakia was not acclimated to such silence, and it made her ears ring as they strode out of the Razor Crest and into the woods.
The blonde carried their newest addition close to her chest, while Mando led their strange group through the woods. He switched between tracking with his HUD and keeping an eye on Zakia and the Child, who both seemed to be in love with the lush surroundings.
"It's quiet here." She murmured aloud. Just her soft voice cause birds to lift from trees and animals to scamper about on the forest floor.
"Perfect for us." Mando agreed, slowing in his walk to match hers. "We could stay here for a while."
A smile tugged at Zakia's lips. "Getting old, Din? Didn't know you wanted to retire so soon."
He snorted, the sound electronic and less amused than she. "Shut it."
"Whatever you say, old man." Zakia skipped alongside him, pausing as the baby reached out towards the Mandalorian. "Or should I call you Daddy now?"
Din didn't miss the suggestiveness in her tone, or the gleam in her eyes when she teased him. The scar on her face crinkled as she laughed aloud. Zakia had clearly seen him falter in his step when she spoke. The Mandalorian refused to satisfy her with an answer, and continued forward on his trek for civilization.
They had begun to heal the holes in their hearts after saving the Child, and the teasing was just the start of the process. Zakia had noticed a more relaxed demeanor about her Mandalorian, though he radiated protectiveness when both her and the kid were in his vicinity. Whenever something remotely threatening approached, he was quick to sidle in front of her or the Child and keep them out of sight.
As the small village, if it could be called that, came into view Zakia felt her shoulders droop. It was a collection of small huts with clotheslines hanging in between, all surrounding one large cantina in the middle. It was quiet, and Zakia could easily discern there were no hostiles in the area. The Child squirmed in her hold as it watched others bustle about, and she bent down to place him on the ground. Zakia was aware he didn't understand their words, but pointed regardless.
"You stay by Mando and I, yeah?" Zakia waved her finger in between the Mandalorian and herself.
The Child squeaked happily and wandered about, but always wound up back near his protectors. His little hands gripped Mando's bootstraps, peeking out playfully on either side as if he was playing hide and seek.
"See? Daddy Mando." Zakia teased, pointedly looking down at the Child.
After a brief glance to ensure no one was in their direct vicinity, Din slipped a hand under her cloak. Zakia furrowed her brow, but yelped as he took his revenge for her snark.
"You pinched me!" She squealed, hand coming to rub her ass where he had taken his assault. There was no need to see his face- she could feel the smugness.
"Mmhmm. Now come on."
The cantina was full of people, the proprietors serving noodles and talking happily. It wasn't like the Guild tavern on Nevarro where everyone stopped to glare. No one paid the Mandalorian and his admittedly odd companion any mind as they entered. Zakia kept her eyes on all the patrons out of pure habit, and the hairs on her neck shot up as she turned to her left. There was a broad, dark haired woman sitting at a table in the corner. A glass of water rested in her hand, and her face was angled down with brows drawn. They didn't have to be experienced mercenaries to know she had an eye on them.
Knowing the woman was watching them closely, Zakia pretended to cuddle into Mando's side. She slipped her arm around his waist and set her head on his shoulder once the woman was behind them to speak without being seen.
"You saw?"
"Yes." Mando confirmed. The leather of his gloves gripped her hip. "Keep an eye out."
Zakia pushed closer to finish the act, kissing the rim of his helmet before breaking away at an empty table. Mando lifted the Child onto one stool and Zakia sat in the middle so they could both have an unobstructed view of the woman.
The Child slapped his hands on the table, and Zakia put her hand on top to muffle the sound. "Are you hungry?"
Only chirps answered her as another woman approached their table, this one much friendlier and open than the other. "Welcome travelers. Can I interest you in anything?"
"Whatever the lady wants." Din said, indicating the blonde across from him.
"Bone broth for the baby, please. And Phattro for me." She smiled.
The woman gave a fond smile in return. "You're in luck. I just took down a Grinjer, so there's plenty of broth." A glance in Mando's direction, "can I interest you in anything?"
The helmet shook minutely. "Just for them"
"Very well." The kind woman turned to retrieve the order, but Din spoke up before she could move
"That one over there. When did she arrive?" The Mandalorian sat with one elbow propped on the table, and their server looked plain confused. She twisted to see who he was speaking of, and it was evident their unwelcome friend had noticed.
"I don't know, I've seen her around here the past week or so."
"What's her business here?" Din continued his impromptu questioning, and Zakia watched the exchange with a raised brow.
"Business? Oh, well, there's not much business in Sorgan, so I can't say. She-" Their informant laughed nervously, and Din reached into his belt before tossing a few credit chips onto the table. "-doesn't strike me as a log runner. Well, thank you, sir."
Zakia rolled her eyes at Din. The people of this planet were so innocent, it didn't seem that the bribe had phased the woman. It was more as if she hadn't seen that type of money thrown about in a long time.
The woman turned to Zakia. "I'll get that Phattro and broth to you as soon as possible, and I will throw in a flagon of spotchka, just for good measure."
She bustled away, and Zakia looked at Din. The Mandalorian was standing from his seat, armor clanking away.
"Wha- oh."
The woman was gone.
Din turned his helmet towards the kid, and Zakia nodded. "I've got him"
Mando rushed out the door, and the blonde sighed. "Guess it's just you and me, sweetheart."
The baby chittered back at her, and a smile pulled at Zakia's lips. While there was a corner of her mind concerned about Mando's activity, Zakia tried to seal it away. They had become so dependent on the others' presence, it was important to be able to function alone. Not to be alone, but to fight solo. A surprise attack in a bazaar or on any planet could catch one of them off-guard and alone.
"How sweet he is." The woman who took their order returned with a small bowl of broth, and a bottle of Phattro for Zakia. "You seem like a nice group."
Zakia nudged the bowl in front of her little green charge. He sniffed suspiciously at the small bowl before picking it up and taking a sip. The blonde took a swig of her drink as well.
"Thanks. Sorry about Mando, he can be a bit overprotective." Zakia looked to the empty seat. If she were that woman, the unexpected interrogation would be a serious sign to stay away from someone.
"No problem at all. If you need anything, just call for me." She told Zakia, moving back to her position behind the circular counter.
"Well, what do you think?" Zakia looked at the baby, hand lifting to push the broth away. "Slow down, you're gonna be sick."
The motherly gesture fought its way out from the lockbox that was her heart, and Zakia stared at her hand for a minute. Her contemplation ended when the Child climbed from its chair.
"Where are you going?" Zakia wondered. She wondered if he could hear something she couldn't, and trailed behind the Child to the cantina's exterior. It toddled out into the glass, stopping to drink out of the cup she didn't realize he still had.
The sound of a scuffle coaxed Zakia further out of the bar. She looked to her left and found two individuals locked in a struggle; Mando was on his back, and the woman on her stomach. They had each other's bracers gripped tightly, their free hands both pointing blasters. Zakia pulled her own and aimed at the woman's head. Her grip on the weapon was unwavering and the unknown foe at least managed to look impressed.
"Move and you're dead." The blonde grit through her teeth.
The woman took in Zakia for a long moment before dropping her head to the ground. Mando's visor reflected her face. "Do you want some soup?"
Zakia furrowed her brows, but followed suit as both parties lowered their blasters. She picked up the Child and his empty bowl of broth, watching the woman warily.
"I don't mean you any harm."
Mando gave Zakia a reassuring nod, and gestured for all of them to return to the table. The woman, who introduced herself as Cara Dune, was a fairly hospitable woman whom Zakia found herself enjoying the presence of. She was a former shock-trooper who had helped clean up after the war. She told Mando and Zakia stories of dropping onto Endor to take care of Imperial warlords, and then her breaking away after politics took over her job.
Zakia listened with interest, the Child propped on her lap.
"How'd you end up here?" She asked Cara, icy eyes flicking from the shock-trooper to Din.
"Let's just call it an early retirement." Cara answered, sipping from her bowl of broth. "Look, I knew you were Guild. I figured you had a fob on me. That's why I came at you so hard."
"Yeah, that's what we figured." Mando told her, arm propped on the tabletop.
"Not as helpless as you looked when you came in." Cara said to Zakia. So her act of clinging to Mando had worked.
"I get that a lot. It's helped more times than I'd care to admit."
Cara chuckled and turned her dark eyes back to Mando. "Well. This has been a real treat, but unless you wanna go another round, one of us has to go and I was here first."
She sauntered out of the building, and Zakia rotated to face her Mandalorian. "Get your workout in today?"
"Hush." Mando snapped playfully. He looked between her and the Child. "Though, It does look like this planet's taken."
When dusk was upon them, the trio settled into the ship for the night with intent to leave in the morning. Mando was cleaning up beneath his armor, and Zakia strolled around outside the Crest. The Child was tucked in her arm and fighting sleep. Zakia, however, was fighting the urge to place a hand over its mouth to muffle the noise. The sound of the sonic shower disturbed the Child, who obviously could hear things that his human caretaker couldn't.
"Come on, sleep. It's alright." Zakia paced down the ramp until her feet touched grass. She propper her back end against the bottom of the ramp and placed her feet on the soft vegetation. The Child sniffled, unhappy with her lack of movement. She placed him down on the grass beside her feet, and his attitude changed immediately. The baby giggled happily, pulling strands from the dirt and tossing them in the air.
"Yeah, tire yourself out. Please." Zakia's head dropped to her knees, and she rubbed at her eyes.
POP.
Zakia jerked to her feet, and the Child gasped at her sudden movement. There was an old-fashioned speeder entering the clearing, with one light dangling above the two occupants. The engine sputtered again, and the Child squealed unhappily. Zakia dangled one hand over her blaster, watching the men approach. She stood in front of the kid, who grabbed tightly onto her boots. It must have sensed her change in mood, and a soft cry escaped its mouth. Though they were intruding upon the trio's makeshift space for the night, the two men looked harmless enough. They were both dressed in torn blue-tinted robes, and were searching the clearing for any other sign of danger.
"Excuse the intrusion, ma'am." One started.
The sound of steel clinking and heavy boots indicated the Mandalorian had heard them. The men grew more nervous as Din strolled down the ramp behind Zakia.
"There something I can help you with?" The Mandalorian nudged his way past Zakia, one hand lingering for a brief moment on the small of her back.
"Uh, yeah." The lead man started, "Raiders."
"We have money!" The second chimed in.
Zakia raised an eyebrow, kneeling to lift the child. It watched the Mandalorian with its dark eyes as if it were analyzing everything he did.
"So you think we're mercenaries of some sort?" Din pressed, making his way to the landing gear and picking at a few loose wires.
"You are a Mandalorian, right?" That was the leader speaking again.
"Or at least wearing Mandalorian armor. That is Mandalorian armor, right?" The second.
Zakia rocked the Child softly, silently cheering as its eyelids drifted together.
"It is."
In all her honesty, Zakia was shocked that Mando even answered their question. She forced down a giggle as the two men followed Din closely. The Mandalorian was finding every excuse to remain outside the ship until the strangers left. His paranoia exceeded even Zakia's lately, and she didn't mind the security.
"See?" The smaller man looked to his friend, exasperated, "I told him. Sir, I've read a lot about your people..ahm.. Tribe. If half of what I read is true-"
"We have money!" The offer was thrown out again, and Zaki made sure the baby was dozing comfortably before she spoke.
"Yeah? How much?"
Both men turned to her, cheeks flushed red in the dim lantern light. "Everything we have, ma'am."
According to them, they farmed krill in a small village a night's worth of speeder travel away. Zakia's interest piqued when they mentioned the spotchka they brewed, but she kept quiet as possible for the Child's sake. The village they hailed from was struggling with Klatoonian raiders, and needed something to act as a deterrent.
"You don't even know what the job is!"
After placing the Child in his pram, Zakia navigated to the open door near the hatch and watched Mando converse with the two village people.
"I know it's not enough. Good luck." Mando paused at the ramp, gazing between Zakia and the tribesmen.
"It's everything we have! We-We'll give you more after the next harvest."
Din elected not to answer, and Zakia's lips turned into a thin line from where she stood leaning against the doorframe. He approached her, cloak thrown all the way over one shoulder from the wind. The men began to succeed, grumbling about their speeder ride back to the village.
"Have to ride back… middle of nowhere with no protection."
Din paused in his motion to shut the ramp. Zakia looked into his visor, eyes confused.
"Where do you live?" Mando demanded of the men.
"On a farm." The leader answered, turning back towards the Crest. "Weren't you listening? We're farmers."
Zakia stepped forward, looping her arm around Din's where it sat on his waist. "In the middle of nowhere."
The middle of nowhere was good. The middle of nowhere was away from the Empire.
"Yes."
Zakia shook off her daydream, and the Mandalorian looked from her to the ship quickly. "You have lodging?"
It was far from difficult, once the lodging was mentioned, to persuade the Mandalorian and his group to come and help. The armored man commanded them to stop along their way back to the village, and slunk off the speeder and into the trees. He had murmured something to the blonde woman who accompanied him, receiving a nod in response.
Caben and Stoke sat nervously in the front of the speeder, eyes darting about the woods. They felt awkward and inept around the woman who reclined in the back, small green child sitting beside her. The strange being swatted at fireflies as they buzzed by, and it seemed largely unbothered by the blasters strapped to the woman's legs and the vibroknife in her boot.
"I'm Zakia, by the way."
Caben and Stoke turned to the woman, who was giving a half-smile. The right side of her face was scarred into a gnarled sneer, giving her a wicked appearance in the low light.
"I'm Stoke. He's Caben." Stoke motioned to himself, and then to his fellow villager. "And we really appreciate you two coming along."
Zakia looked down at the Child beside her, icy eyes softening. "We need this. Peace, I mean."
"Are you a Mandalorian too? Or- ex? Obviously you don't wear a helmet." Stoke spoke up, but his face quickly flooded with heat, "Or, you don't have to share. Sorry."
Zakia waved him off, steadying the Child as it wobbled dangerously close to the edge of the speeder. "I'm not a Mandalorian. But I've been traveling with this one for years, bounty hunting and working all the jobs nobody wanted to."
"You're a bounty hunter too?" Caben inquired, rotating his body so they could have a proper conversation.
"A mean one, so I'd watch yourself."
Both men jumped, but the blonde rolled her eyes and shifted so she could see the Mandalorian enter their small circle of light. Another woman trailed behind him, this one dark-haired and tall with a no-nonsense look that could make the strongest men fear for their lives.
"You're such a sweetheart." Zakia snapped back at him.
No more words were spoken as everyone was loaded onto the speeder. As expected, the journey back to the village was one that took all night, and they entered the clearing just after dawn broke. The speeder was slowing when Caben chanced a look back to their new friends. The Mandalorian was leaned against one side with both arms spread across the railings. Zakia was curled in a ball, her back against the Mandalorian's cuirass and head resting on the juncture of his shoulder and arm. The other woman, introduced to them as Cara Dune, rested against her own side and was seemingly the first one to wake. A soft chirp had both men looking backwards, and the Child peeked its head out from the far side of the Mandalorian.
"We made it." Caben nudged his friend, and they stopped the speeder just as the rear occupants began to stir.
The rest of the village gathered as their armed deterrents unloaded. The children all gushed over the creature traveling with the Mandalorian, while the man dragged boxes from the speeder. They all helped move them into the huts designated for their guests, and the village was humming with happiness. Another emotion found its way in, and many of them hadn't felt it in a very long time. It was warm, and ran through everyone's veins like sunshine on a clear day.
They were hopeful.