CHAPTER XVII: ALLIED
Zakia poured spotchka for herself and Cara in the same tavern they had visited weeks ago.
They had found the shock-trooper amidst a local crowd, brawling with a man much bigger than herself. Pleased wasn't exactly the word Zakia would use to label Cara's face when she saw them, and it set negative undertones for their coming conversation.
"It seems like a straightforward operation."
She set the spotchka flagon in the middle of the table, using one hand to steady the Child as it hauled itself into her lap. Zakia was seated on Mando's left, her knee brushing his so Cara felt she had enough room to be comfortable.
"They're providing the plan and firepower. I'm the snare." Mando explained to Cara.
The dark haired woman shifted her eyes to Zakia, who only shrugged. She couldn't refute Mando's words, though the plan didn't sit well with her either. Taking the Child into enemy territory while using the Mandalorian as bait? It was far from the contentedness Zakia and Din had been searching for since leaving Nevarro the first time.
"With the kid." Cara then turned her words to Zakia. "You're okay with this?"
"That's why I'm coming to you." Din held up a hand, trying in vain to wave off some of Cara's concern.
While it was possible for Din and Zakia to keep up by themselves, having a second team to defend the Child made for better strategy on their part. If they both had to face off with Karga, there had to be a backup plan for escape.
"I don't know. I've been advised to lay low." Cara snarked, tossing Din's words from cycles ago back towards him. "If anybody runs my chain code, I'll rot in a cell the rest of my life."
"I thought you were a shock-trooper." Zakia said, "A veteran."
A large, heavily-muscled man suddenly appeared, slapping a handful of credits onto the table near Zakia. She jumped, bumping none-too-gracefully into Mando's pauldrons when she realized it was the guy Dune had been fighting with upon their arrival. Cara only smiled up at the man.
"Come back soon." Her voice was sweeter than Zakia had ever heard it, but her tone dropped as soon as the man was out of earshot. "I've been a lot of things since. Most of them all carry a life sentence. If I so much as book passage on a ship registered to the New Republic, I'm-"
"We have a ship." Din cut in, leaning one elbow on the table to move closer. "We can bring you there and back."
"With a hell of a payday." Zakia added, readjusting her hold on the Child. It squeaked, and she loosened her grip. "You could live carefree here."
"I'm already carefree. I'm not in the mood to play soldier anymore. Especially fighting some local warlord." Cara finished her glass of spotchka, setting the cup onto the wood surface with a final 'clink'.
"He's not a local warlord." Her words had caught Din's wavering attention. Zakia could see his helmet snap in her direction. "He's Imperial."
Cara looked between the hunters for a moment, brown orbs flicking down to the Child before returning to their faces. Her lips turned up at the edges, and she refilled her glass before lifting it. "I'm in."
They hiked back to the Razor Crest after Cara took time to pack her weapons left on Sorgan. Zakia offered to help while Mando got the ship ready, and passed the kid off to him before following Cara into the woods. The shelter Cara had constructed wasn't shabby, with four solid wood walls and canvas.
"Is this..?" Zakia ran her hand over the canvas.
"Yeah. I stole it from the raiders after you left. I took down the rest of them when they started attacking the villagers who were heading into town. Thought repurposing was worth it." Cara passed a small bag to Zakia. The blonde shouldered it and stepped back into the woods, breathing in the fresh air.
"I'm gonna miss this." Zakia said, stretching in the sun as it peaked through the trees.
"I do have your back. Both of you." Cara assured.
When they returned to the ship, Din was setting a sleeping child into its bassinet. Zakia brushed her hand over his wrist gently as she passed, showing Cara to the bunk they could spare for her. The ex-soldier placed her bags on the ground, examining the inside of the ship.
"Pre-Empire, huh?"
Din closed the lid of the Child's bassinet. "Almost undetectable."
"Good choice." Cara complimented. "Better than the accommodations I had before."
The trio made their way into the cockpit, Zakia using the bassinet's gravitational tether to have it follow. She patched it to the co-pilot's chair, leaning herself against the back of Din's seat. The Mandalorian set a course for Nevarro, tapping away at the Navicomputer. Cara lingered in the back of the cabin, resting against the wall. A solid ten minutes of silence passed before anyone mustered the courage to break it.
"Does your contact need to vet me?" Cara inquired, elbow propping against the backup power component.
"Doesn't know you're coming." Din answered, flipping the final switch for auto-pilot.
"Really? That could be a problem." Cara raised a brow at Zakia, who lifted her shoulders.
"We've got firepower." The sniper provided a partially-satisfying answer, nudging her partner's shoulder for reassurance.
"It won't. But if it is, that's his problem." Din rose from the pilot's chair, nodding towards the ladder for the cargo hold.
"You're making me dizzy, darling." Zakia teased. She made sure the Child was content in his bassinet before sliding down the ladder. Her boots hit the floor just after Cara was clear.
"He's alright up there alone?"
Zakia tipped her head to the side and scrunched her nose. She mimicked weighing her hands about. "Yeah. Totally."
Mando swept away their conversation as he opened the arms cabinet. Cara's eyes lit up at the sight of their weapons. She reached a hand out to trace over Zakia's new rifle, pulling various blasters and grenades from their place.
"Pick one." Din offered. He placed himself against the wall, giving Cara space to test out the weight of each weapon. Zakia positioned herself beside him, cracking her neck.
"We're gonna be okay." She murmured.
It was an empty reassurance- meant to relax the tense muscles of Din's body. Zakia could see it as he fought to accept another person into the life they had kept so private. Though as things had been going lately, life was changing. It was evolving rapidly, and the duo was forced to accept people and children into their life. A tumultuous past filled with death and anger had not set either up for a warm future. However, it seemed that the world had different plans than they had ever imagined.
"Do you trust the contact?" Cara asked, eyes jumping from the array of blasters to the pair behind her.
"Not particularly." Mando admitted. "We had a run-in last time we were there on some Guild business."
"So then why are we going?" Cara pressed on, and Zakia was surprised she was even on board. For all of her enthusiasm when it came to taking out Imperials, she had a lot of unanswered questions
"We don't have any choice left." Zakia toed at the steel floor, "You were on Sorgan when the hunter showed up. The Imps will keep sending them."
"The kid will never be safe until the Imp is dead."
Zakia's head turned to Mando on its own accord. She knew he felt strongly towards the Child, but it was rare that he vocalized it. Especially in front of someone like Cara.
"And you're both okay with bringing him back there?" Skepticism punctured the soldier's tone after Din's statement.
Zakia chewed on her cheek, using her had to rub at the knotted tissue. "Not really."
"Again, that's why you're here." The Mandalorian's words were tired, and Zakia got the feeling that their short interlude between Mos Eisley and Sorgan hadn't done much for his deteriorating sleep schedule.
Cara acknowledged him with a cheeky nod that told Zakia she could sense exactly what he felt for the tiny green beast.
"I think- what the hell?" Zakia was tossed into Cara as the ship lurched, knocking the blaster from the other woman's hands. "Sorry. "
"What is that?" Cara staggered back to her own feet, and the women both took a moment to steady themselves. The Crest was whirring in a high-pitched fashion, and the ground hummed.
Din was already scaling the ladder to the cockpit, cloak flitting about behind him.
Cara and Zakia followed him closely, both arriving in the cabin as Mando pulled the child off of the console. His little hands had been gripping the steering controls, and proximity alarms were blaring as they neared a small asteroid field. Din gracelessly shoved the Child to Zakia, who held him loosely with both hands. The creature's face stayed neutral despite the fact Zakia had been waiting for tears to start.
"What are you doing, buddy?" Zakia chided, pointing a finger down at him. "You've never tried this before."
Din was reconfiguring their course and turning off unnecessary machinery with rapid hands. The ship slowly began to settle, and he immediately guided them away from the incoming asteroids. When the cockpit quieted and the ride became smooth once again, he rotated in his chair to look at his passengers. Cara was wide-eyed and gripping a nearby handly, while Zakia held the Child carefully with a stern look on her face.
"If we're all going in, we need someone to watch that thing." Cara waved in Zakia's direction. The blonde tightened her jaw, but nodded.
"She's right."
The Mandalorian dropped his head against the chair. "Yeah."
"You got anyone you can trust?" The shock-trooper looked to the pair for answers, and they exchanged a look.
"We might."
Their agreement upon the subject of childcare had the mismatched group landing on Arvala-7 not five hours later. The red planet was sort of on their way to Nevarro, so a side-trip was not difficult to orchestrate. Din and Zakia's options for trusted individuals were limited, and Kuiil was the only one they remotely had a chance with.
The Ugnaught was waiting for them when they disembarked. He stood outside his hut with guarded eyes, a straight back, and a small smile. Zakia dipped her head in greeting, and all of them followed Kuiil into his home. It was small and familiar, and the memories of their last time there flooded Zakia's mind. The Child seemed equally at ease, reaching for the Ugnaught's face when they settled in the small sitting room.
"It hasn't grown much." He observed, surveying the Child and its haphazardly-constructed bassinet.
"I think it might be a Strand-Cast." Din replied, tipping his helmet towards the shorter man.
Him and Zakia had discussed the possibility, but she wasn't convinced. This Child was all too innocent and far too complicated to be an engineered being. While it would explain the abnormalities of aging, it didn't make sense to her. If the Child was a clone, couldn't the Imperials find the original source and make more?
"I don't think it was engineered." Kuiil grunted, examining the monster more closely. "I've worked in the gene farms. This one looked too evolved. Too ugly."
Zakia shifted in her place beside the Mandalorian, and Din's hand brushed over her leg.
"This one, on the other hand, looks like she was farmed in the Cytocaves of Nora." Kuiil motioned to Cara, and Zakia tilted her head. It was not the average compliment.
"This is Cara Dune. She was a shock-trooper." Din introduced.
"You were a dropper?"
The question prompted a suspicious look from Cara. Zakia was not up to date on all the nuances from the war, and it seemed the Mandalorian was in the same boat. They both looked between the Ugnaught and their newest ally.
"Did you serve?" She asked, posture growing defensive. Zakia felt the hair on her neck stand up at the exchange.
"On the other side, I'm afraid." Kuiil admitted. "But I'm proud to say that I paid out my clan's debt, and now I serve no one but myself."
Zakia admired his honesty. Most wouldn't be inclined to admit an allegiance- even a past and involuntary one- to the Imps. She knew Kuiil was hardworking and passive about the solitude he lived in, but she never understood the extent until that moment.
A mechanical clicking sounded from the entryway, and Zakia was the first to turn after breaking away from her thoughts. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the droid folding itself into the hut, but Mando beat her to the punch. He leapt to his feet, pointing his blaster at the IG unit Zakia had shot dead all those weeks ago. Cara was on the offensive instantly as Mando's alertness showed.
"Zak."
"I've got him." She was already reaching for the Child when the droid approached. She pulled him to her chest, and the Child accepted the comfort. He didn't have good memories of the droid either. Din used his free hand to push her behind him, blaster not leaving the droid.
"Would anyone care for some tea?"
IG-11's words undermined the tense air within the house. Kuiil rushed to Din's side, reaching up to put a hand on his blaster.
"Please lower your blasters. He will not harm you." The Ugnaught attempted to assuage the hatred radiating from the Mandalorian.
"That thing is programmed to kill the baby." He spat. Zakia could feel the droid's optical scanning her, and stepped closer to Din to hide the Child from view.
"Not anymore." Kuiil said. The Mandalorian looked to him and slowly lowered his blaster. Refusing to sit lower than the machine, Din remained standing. Zakia was still tucked behind him, and her fingers twisted in his cloak when he lowered the gun.
"It was left behind in the wake of your destruction. I found it laying where it fell. Devoid of all life. I recovered the flotsam and staked it as my own in accordance with the charter of the New Republic." Kuiil shrugged at his reminiscence. "Little remained of its neural harness. Reconstruction was quite difficult… but not impossible. It had to learn everything from scratch.
"This is something that cannot be taught with the twist of a spanner. It required patience and repetition. I spent day after day reinforcing its development. With patience and affirmation. It developed a personality as its experiences grew."
Zakia peeked around the Mandalorian, though his arm kept her secure behind his armored body. "Is it still a bounty hunter?"
"No. But it will protect." Kuiil nodded at the droid, and it began to pour two glasses of tea. One was extended to Zakia, though the Mandalorian didn't waver in his opposition to it coming near her. Kuiil sighed and took the glass, delivering it to Zakia himself.
"You needn't be afraid." The Ugnaught asserted. Zakia caught his eyes and gave a short nod. She had faith in Kuiil, and if he said the droid was reprogrammed, she would take his word for it. There was no way she would trust the droid under any other circumstance, but she could give Kuiil that respect in his own home.
"I have to feed the Bluurg. Make yourselves comfortable, please. Have some tea and relax. I'm sure you all deserve it." Kuiil made to exit the hut, and IG-11 trailed behind him.
Zakia felt tension bleed from her shoulders, and she looked at the Child. He only cooed happily up at her, as if this whole situation didn't bother him. She supposed she was grateful for it, as having a riled up and wailing baby was much worse than a happy one.
"I'm going to speak with him about joining us." Din announced when only the trio of fighters remained. He took his blaster from its holster, tucking it in the waistline of Zakia's pants. His hand lingered there for a moment. "Keep an eye out."
Cara watched them carefully, and turned to Zakia when they were the only ones remaining. The Child meandered about, tugging the blankets from his bassinet and rolling up in them tightly. He busied himself while the shock-trooper started speaking.
"So what is the story. The whole story?"
Zakia lifted her head, eyebrows raised. She was in the midst of tying her hair into a tight bun when the question came. "Which one?"
"The whole story. You two and that thing. Why we're here." Cara clarified absolutely nothing, and Zakia sighed.
"You're asking for a long story."
"I think we have time."
Leaning against the wall, Zakia crossed her outstretched legs and faced the soldier. "Alright. Well, Mando and I met years ago. If it surprises you at all, we hated each other the first few times. We were competing in Guild, mostly for recognition. We were tied on money and bounties. I picked up a lot more outside jobs. Some, apparently, that I shouldn't have. But we came to an agreement that working together occasionally was better than competing."
"It usually is." Cara commented.
"Tell me about it. So, every now and then, we'd pick up a bounty and work together. I got my training mostly in long-distance shooting. I did a lot of confidential work. Assassinations and for-hire stuff outside the Guild. Mando was the confrontational one, so our styles kind of complimented each other."
Zaki picked at loose threads on her jack, chuckling at her memories with the Mandalorian.
"We worked a big job and caught a large bounty that was actually hiding on Nevarro, right under everyone's nose. Had figured how to avert the tracking fobs signal, and it took the both of us to figure it out. After that, we split off again. Six or seven cycles later, we both tracked a bounty to some volcanic planet kind of like Mustafar. Which is the stupidest place to hide." Zakia rolled her eyes at the thought.
"I'll say. A literal hell-hole."
"You got it. Somehow- more likely just the result of greedy Guild agents- three tracking fobs had been issued. I got one, Mando got one, and some rogue Wookiee got one. We all ended up there at the same time. I caught the bounty, but the Wookiee was right behind me. You can guess how that fight ended up."
Cara snorted. "The image is making me chuckle."
"It was laughable. Thankfully, Mando showed up when he heard the struggle. Tried to help me out, but not the before the Wookiee did this shit to my face." Zakia motioned to her scar. "It was bad. Deep and all the way through into my mouth. I was in shock and had a severe concussion. The Wookiee had wrecked my cruiser."
Cara winced at the description of her injuries. "I have to be honest, I was wondering what it was from."
"Most do, but I don't mind anymore. It was a long time ago." Zakia waved her off.
"So after that, what? You just traveled together?" Cara pushed on, and a smile tugged at Zakia's lips.
"Curiosity killed the cat, you know." The blonde shot back, one hand stabilizing the Child as it attempted to stand while wrapped in an absurd amount of blankets.
"A lot of other things kill cats." Cara shot back, "And I'd like to have an idea of who I'm dealing with."
Zakia laughed, taking a sip from the still-warm cup of tea. "Alright. We started traveling together permanently. After my injury, it was incredibly difficult to look through a scope or sit still. My nerves were messed up for a long time. It took cycles just to be able to keep my eye all the way open on that side, so sniping was out of the picture for the immediate time frame."
"And now you two are like…?" Cara made a rather inappropriate gesture with her hands, and Zakia snickered.
"So these are the kind of details you were looking for?"
"Not exactly. I'm just messing with you." The soldier chuffed at Zakia's words and settled comfortably against the opposite wall.
"Well, if we're being quite honest, yes. Things get tense when you're trapped in a ship together all the time. But that's beside the point. We worked for years, and eventually got offered a hush-hush job on Nevarro. Which turned out to be... All of this. Everything we're going through is because of that job."
"The kid was the job."
Zakia dipped her head. "Yeah. We picked him off this planet a few cycles ago. About a week before we met you."
The mentioned Child squealed as he fell over, tumbling in his blanket cocoon. Cara smiled at him, and Zakia rolled her eyes. "And that's it. Now we're here."
Cara took a moment to absorb everything Zakia had said, dark eyes scanning the blonde's face for any signs of regret. "You're sure this is the right thing to do?"
"I'm sure. More than I have been about anything."
The shock-trooper grinned. "I know we didn't get much time to develop it on Sorgan, but I think we'll make a hell of a team."
Zakia only smiled, clinking glasses with Cara before the men returned.