A/N: Another chapter for you guys. You should know I've been singing Bad Company at the top of my lungs for a day now, so my roommate might actually kill me before I get the next update out. Soz.

This last week FFN has been kinda on the fritz, not updating with new chapter and stuff like that, so I just want to say again that I crosspost on AO3 under the same pen name. Just in case FFN suddenly crashes and burns.

Chapter 18 – Bad Company

Sinead sat down in the belly of the Razor Crest, turning the Loovrian emblem over and over, as if she just turned it for long enough, it would somehow give her the answer she needed. She should be angry. She wanted to be angry, but all she felt was a numbness, cold and empty as the void that hurtled past outside the ship.

The quiet of the ship was only broken up by the hum from the engine and the occasional sound from the child who slept in his crib.

The emblem was heating up between her fingers. She ran a thumb across one of the force pikes, gnawing at her lip. A small but insistent thought kept popping up, unbidden: what if that little emblem had stayed hidden on Celvalara and they'd never gone to Loovria. Would the trail have gone cold? Would she have kept searching until finally one day she'd just give up? Hand over the whip to Mando for service rendered and just ... stopped?

Her long train of thought was shattered when someone cleared their throat. Mando stood by the ladder to the cockpit, fiddling with his gauntlet. They hadn't talked since Seavo. Her little outburst made her toes curl in embarrassment.

"I, uh ..." his voice was rougher than usual. "I know someone who might have information on Vekkass."

Sinead slipped the emblem into her pocket and sat up straighter. "Who?"

"He's a former ... associate. Works out of a station in the Tammuz sector."

Associate was a carefully neutral word and could really mean anything. Still, it wasn't like they had anything better to go on.

"It's not Guild," he said, interpreting her silence as reluctance. "And we're running low on credits. Ship's nearly out of fuel."

She hadn't even noticed that, too caught up in her own thoughts. "Sure. Why not," she said and let her eyes wander to the sleeping kid, who made a little gurgling sound at the back of his throat.

Mando stayed there, his head slightly tilted to the side like he wanted to say something. The silence stretched out between them, neither one wanting to break it. At last, Mando nodded once and climbed up the ladder, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

She pulled out the emblem and started turning it.

... ... ... ... ...

The ship dropped out of hyperspace with a lurch and a dull boom. Straight ahead the space station was a small blinking light amidst the stars, easy to miss unless you knew what you were looking for. Sinead breathed out, her stomach already in knots of nerves.

"You should stay in the ship," Mando said, not taking his eyes off the slowly approaching station.

"Why? I thought you knew these people."

He sighed and was quiet for a couple of seconds. "Ran and I used to work together. A long time ago. He always kept an eye on the underworld."

She leaned further into her seat, trying to dispel the still growing feeling of foreboding. "Let's hope he's kept an eye on this one. And what does he want you to do in return?"

"He said he had a job."

"Right. So why do you want me to hide in the ship."

"It's just ... easier to do it this way. I don't want the kid mixed into all of this."

Sinead looked at the child who sat in his little seat, the Mandalorian doll clamped under one arm. That made sense. If it was up to her, none of them would go anywhere near the station.

"Okay. I'll do it if you keep a comlink on you. I want to know what's going on."

"Fine." The word came out as a sigh. He led her down into the hull and told her to crawl onto the bunk. Once she'd folded her legs on the thin mattress, he placed the kid on her lap.

"I'm pretty sure that if someone looks inside, they're gonna see me."

Mando stepped back and touched a small keypad on the side of the bed, and metal panels slid down with a whir, cutting her off from the rest of the ship. It wasn't a bed. It was a safe room. Only faint light found a way through minuscule cracks along the otherwise solid hatch. She pressed a hand against the cold surface.

"It won't be long." Mando's voice was muffled through the thick barrier. She could hear him return to the cockpit.

The kid looked up at her and babbled softly, his eyes unfathomably deep and much wiser than a small child had any business being.

"Won't be long," Sinead mumbled and closed her eyes.

A shudder and creak went through the ship as it touched down on the station. Once Mando had left the ship, Sinead turned on the comlink and held it up to her ear, closing her eyes as if dimming one sense would strengthen another.

"…ando." A faint voice came through the comlink. "…at you under that bucket?"

"Ran." Mando sounded guarded.

"…know if I'd ever see you..." The voice kept falling out, and Sinead pressed the comlink harder against her ear, screwing her eyes tightly shut. "…surprised when you reached out to me. You know, cause I … I hear things…between you and the Guild aren't working out."

She jumped when Mando's voice exploded out of the comlink.

"I'm not working with the Guild on this one. I need some information."

"Might be able to help…" there was a long silence where she thought Mando might have turned off the commlink. And then, "…after the job."

Sinead's hand clenched into a fist on her thigh. Of course, it would never be that easy. From the snippets heard through the comlink, they were going to need the ship. It was hard following what was happening, but it sounded like Mando was being introduced to the rest of the team. Her heart skipped a beat when one of them turned out to be an ex-Imperial. It wasn't like she had never associated with criminals, and her past wasn't squeaky clean either, but the combination of criminal and ex-Imperial sounded like a recipe for disaster.

The more she listened, the more it dawned on her that she didn't know Mando, not really, even though they had been traveling together for quite some time. She didn't even know his real name. She had never asked him.

"I thought you said you had four," Mando said.

"He does." This voice was new, sounding feminine and husky at the same time.

"Xi'an." Mando sounded guarded.

This Xi'an moved closer, her voice becoming clearer. "Tell me why I shouldn't cut you down where you stand?"

Sinead's hand closed around her blaster until she realized with a sinking feeling that she didn't know how to get out of there. For some reason, she had allowed someone to lock her in a tiny box without a second thought.

"Nice to see you too," Mando said in an even voice, proving that she had not cut him down.

Xi'an spoke again, her voice so loud she must have been standing right on top of Mando. "I missed you," she purred.

Missed Mando?

"This is shiny. You wear it well."

"Do we need to leave the room or something?" Another voice. Maybe Mayfeld?

"Well, Xi'an's been a little heartbroken since Mando left our group," said Ran.

What?

"Aww. You gonna be okay, sweetheart?"

"I'm all business now. Learned from the best."

"All right, lovebirds. Break it up till you get on the ship. Right now, we don't have much time."

Sinead turned the comlink off just in time before someone made their way into the ship. Every step they took clanged through the ship. It was either a droid or someone wearing shoes with metal soles. She pulled out her blaster and laid it out of reach of the kid but close enough that she could grab it in seconds.

"We sure this thing even flies?" A voice said suddenly, close to the safe room.

"S'worse than I remember," Xi'an said. "Never thought about getting an upgrade, Mando?"

There was a grunt of laughter, which cut off abruptly when the ship started up again. Something heavy moved around just outside the safe room.

"Scared of flying, big guy?" Mayfeld said.

A deep voice rumbled out, "shut it." So that was Burg.

"Will you sit. Down," A female voice ground out. Xi'an.

There was a bang when something slammed against the side of the ship, and then the sound of shuffling feet right outside the safe room. Sinead swallowed thickly.

"Hey, hey, hey," Mayfeld said. "I get it. I'm a little particular about my personal space, too, so let's just do this job. We get in, we get out, and you don't have to see our faces anymore."

"Someone tell me why we even need a Mandalorian?"

Mayfeld said, "Well, apparently they're the greatest warriors in the galaxy. So they say."

"Then why are they all dead?"

That triggered a tittering of laughter across the hull. Sinead's grip on her blaster tightened until her knuckles were white.

"Well, you flew with him, Xi'an," Mayfeld continued, oblivious or indifferent to the tension that Sinead could feel all the way through the thick metal plates. "Is he as good as they say?"

"Ask him about the job on Alzoc III."

Sinead had thought that Mando wouldn't reply, but to her surprise, he said, "I did what I had to."

Images of what he might have 'had to' flashed through her mind.

"Oh, but you liked it. See, I know who you really are."

"He never takes off the helmet?" Mayfeld asked.

Xi'an squeaked out another laugh. "This is the way," her voice was a deep mockery of Mando's. Sinead had to ask him about that later.

"Hmm ... I wonder what you look like under there. Maybe he's a Gungan. Is that why yousa don't wanna show your face? You ever seen his face?"

"A lady ... never tells."

There was a new, malicious quality to Mayfeld's voice. "Aw, come on, Mando. We all gotta trust each other here. You gotta show us something. Come on, just lift the helmet up. Come on. Let's all see your eyes."

Sinead's heart was pounding.

Burg let out a bark of laughter. "I'll do it."

There were sounds of fighting and then—

The safe room opened with a whoosh. Sinead's hand shook as instincts screamed to draw her blaster, and the logical part of her brain screamed that she shouldn't start a firefight with the child on her lap. Logic won out in the end.

A bald human jumped to his feet. "Who the hell are you?" So that was Mayfeld. "Mando, who the hell is she?"

Beside him, a purple-skinned Twi'lek appeared, spinning a throwing knife around her finger and staring intently at the newly revealed Sinead. Two filed canines poked out over her lower lip; it was the first time Sinead had seen a female Twi'lek with filed teeth. "How interesting," she purred. Xi'an. That just left Burg, who turned out to be a huge Devaronian even by Devaronian standards.

Slowly, Sinead got to her feet while holding the child tightly against her chest. Mando had frozen in place, and

"You get lonely up here, buddy?" Mayfeld looked her up and down, and Sinead wanted to crawl back into the safe room and close it up. She barely managed to repress a recoil.

"I hired the Mandalorian to take me to Neth safely. There are so many unsavory types in the Outer Rim." She didn't take her eyes off Mayfeld.

The kid made a small sound.

"What is that?" Mayfeld walked closer to get a better look at the child. "Is it like a pet or something?"

"Yeah. Something like that," Mando said quietly. Hands balled into fists at his side, his helmeted face had been trained on Sinead ever since the safe room had opened.

"My, my," Xi'an said, moving across the floor in a fluid motion to stand in Mando's space, tilting her head to look at him through her lashes. "Pets and damsels in distress. Didn't think you were the type. Has that code of yours made you soft?"

Mando stood silent and still as a statue, the blank helmet an intimidating sight, but Xi'an didn't seem to worry. A smirk spread across her face.

Sinead hadn't noticed Mayfeld before he was too close and reaching out for the child, a sort of cold curiosity in his eyes. She moved back without thinking, hitting the side of the bunk.

"What, don't wanna let me hold it?" He did not try to take the kid again but kept standing uncomfortably close. "You think I'm gonna hurt it or something?"

You wouldn't hesitate.

"How do you know he won't hurt you? He might bite."

Mayfeld bared his teeth in a smile. Suddenly, his hand shot out and nearly grabbed the child. Both Sinead and Mando flinched, and the hull was filled with laughter.

"Relax," Mayfeld said, finally stepping back. "I'm starting to think you might be hiding something."

Sinead forced herself to breathe slowly, meeting his eyes calmly, coldly.

A disembodied metallic voice filled the hull. "Dropping out of hyperspace. Now." The ship shook as it dropped back into the real dimension. Sinead sat down on the bunk, holding tightly on to the kid, who giggled softly in her arms. This was Tatooine all over again.

When it seemed like the ship had evened out, Sinead got to her feet again.

"Commencing final approach. Now. Cloaking signal. Now."

Without further warning, the ship flipped sideways. It felt like the gravity generator had malfunctioned. Sinead was lifted off her feet, weightless for a moment, before she was slammed into the side of the ship with a bruising force, biting her tongue in the process.

"Engaging coupling. Now."

The ship swerved one last time before landing on a solid surface, the resulting boom more felt than heard.

"Coupling confirmed. We are down. And relax."

Sinead unfurled from her awkward fetal position that had saved the kid from being thrown clean across the hull and stood. Her shoulder, the one that got acquainted with the metal wall, throbbed. She looked up to see Mando watching her, giving her a single inconspicuous nod.

"Commence extraction. Now."

Xi'an got to her feet with a snarl. "That useless droid didn't even give us a proper countdown!"

Burg threw two crates across the floor with a grunt. The kid jumped when they crashed to the ground, and she bit her already bleeding tongue hard not to snap at the Devaronian.

"Zee," Mayfeld called up to the cockpit, "you sure they can't see us?"

The voice warbled out again, "the Razor Crest is scrambling our signature, and I'm inside the prison system. It's impressive that this gunship has survived the Empire without being impounded."

They were breaking into a prison? Sinead let out a long breath and stared hard at Mando, who once again was an impregnable statue. Before Sinead could ask, he was called away to hack the hatch to the prison. She hadn't felt the telltale rumble of the ship going through the atmosphere, which meant they were still in space.

Xi'an bounced lightly on the balls of her feet while watching Mando work. Her dark eyes glittered in the sudden light when the hatch opened to a sterile white hallway that seemed blinding in the perpetual dimly lit Crest.

One after one, the temporary crew dropped through the hatch until only Mando was left. He turned towards her. "Keep an eye on the droid." His voice was low and tight. "Don't let it see the kid. This is a New Republic prison transport, be ready to leave in a hurry."

"Be careful." It came out as an awkward croak and she shifted the child to another arm to avoid his eyes.

Mando climbed down the hatch, and Sinead closed her eyes for a second before placing the kid in the safe room. "You'll be safer in there," she whispered to the little guy. His ears lifted, which she took as a sign of understanding and pressed the button to shut the safe room tight.

It was strange seeing a droid in Mando's seat, watching the monitor with the kind of rapt yet detached attention that only a droid could have. She recognized it as a protocol droid, made to translate and serve. It had no inbuilt weapons, which explained the blaster rifle leaning against the chair.

The droid turned when she appeared in the doorway. "You are not supposed to be here."

Sinead didn't bat an eye at the droid's lack of manners; having spent any time in the Outer Rim, it wasn't the first droid with wonky programming she'd met. "And yet here I am."

The droid stared at her for an uncomfortable amount of time before turning wordlessly back to the screen.

She stood behind it, watching the four red dots make their way through the facility. The droid guided them down corridors towards the control room, all the while completely ignoring her presence.

This was the second time in a very short period that Sinead had sat useless in the ship, trying to piece together what was happening from scratchy soundbites and the jumbled screen. It was clear that everything did not go according to plan.

"It seems your presence has been detected. Redirecting security alert away from your position," the droid said as the screen flashed red.

Sinead grabbed the back of the pilot chair so hard the metal cut into her hand.

"Zee, open the door!" came Mayfeld's voice through the commlink.

"I'm detecting an organic signature," the droid said. A fifth red dot had appeared on the screen.

"Yeah, okay, all right. Just open the door!"

A new wave of uselessness wrenched her gut as she stood there listening to Mando trying to talk a lone guard down. It was hard to parse what happened precisely, but the end was all too clear: the guard died, and with that shit hit the fan.

"Idiots," Sinead hissed between her teeth, watching the screen with unblinking eyes as if she could somehow reach in and smack whoever was responsible for bringing down the New Republic on their heads. There was a big difference between a jailbreak and a jailbreak that left a corpse behind.

An alarm blared through the ship, making Sinead jump.

The droid adjusted its scomp link, and the alarm fell silent.

"Zero to Mayfeld. Zero to Mayfeld," it droned. "I detected a New Republic distress signal homing in on your location. You have approximately 20 minutes."

Was that really enough time to get out of there? A million scenarios whirled through her head, adding to the feeling of dread that followed her like a shadow.

Zero suddenly rose from the pilot seat, and Sinead took a step back, giving the bug-eyed droid a guarded look. "What are you-"

It swung its metal arm at her face.

She reacted instinctively, throwing up a hand to catch it. The force knocked her off her feet; she landed on the floor with a loud thud, letting out a sharp cry as her bruised shoulder was wrenched into an unnatural angle.

Sinead let out a feral snarl, trying to get to her feet while pushing Zero away. The droid pushed her down with strength it shouldn't have possessed.

"Do not resist," it said in its calm, metallic voice. A hand came out of nowhere and whacked her on the head.

Ears ringing, head throbbing, she flailed blindly against it.

Zero's vice-like grip closed around her wrists, and she kicked against it, screaming, spitting. Before she could wriggle away, he wrapped a thin binding wire around her wrists and fastened it to a metal bar under the seat.

"Fuck you!" She kicked wildly, trying to trip the droid, do something, but he ignored her, taking her blaster and sitting back in the pilot seat.

The droid ignored her. There was a whirring sound when it turned its scomp link, and a translucent figure appeared above the dashboard. The blue light reflected on Zero's metal body, and Sinead lifted her head to see the recording.

"M-Man-M-Mando-o-o." The projection flickered and skipped, the image stretching in strange contortions. Sinead didn't recognize the human, but something told her he was bad news. "Mando, I received-received your tra-transmission. U-upon your return, deliver-liver the quarry directly to the client."

Cold dread washed over Sinead, wrenching a hollow gasp from her chest.

"Interesting," Zero turned off the transmission.

"No." It took a second for Sinead to realize she had said it out loud. Her voice shook. "If you touch a single hair on his head, I'll-"

Mayfeld's voice filled the cockpit. "Zero, we got Qin. Mando's done."

Done? As in …

"I found some information on the Mandalorian from the Bounty Hunters' Guild," the droid said.

With renewed energy, Sinead tried getting free, but the thin wire held, cutting a red line into her wrist; the pain was dulled by fear and adrenaline. The edges of her vision blurred.

"Yeah yeah, do whatever. Just get us off this ship."

"I have neutralized the human. What shall I do with her?"

"I don't give a shit, Zee! Shoot her in the fucking head, just get rid of her!"

The droid turned and looked at her. "Affirmative. You have 10 minutes remaining."

Zero stood, pulling its blaster rifle with a fluid, mechanical motion. It stepped around the pilot seat and towered above her.

The rifle clicked, loud as a cannon.

Everything faded into shadow, even the sound of blood rushing in her ears.

She closed her eyes.

Nothing happened.

After an eternity, she chanced a peek.

The monitor was trilling a steady stream of beeps. Zero had moved back to the pilot seat.

The world screeched to a halt. She released a shuttering breath.

"Zero to Mayfeld," the droid said. "You have a potential problem. He has escaped."

At first, Sinead didn't believe her own ears. He had escaped? Mando wasn't dead?

A hysterical giggle bubbled to the surface, and she shook with adrenaline. They were so fucked.

Relief soured into cold fear when the child appeared in the doorway, tilting his head with a curious stare. He seemed impossibly small standing alone on the floor.

Go! Sinead mouthed, trying to nudge him back with her foot.

Zero hadn't noticed him. "Zero to Mayfeld. Mayfeld, do you copy?" White noise came from the comm, and the monitor faded into static. "It seems comms are no longer functioning, therefore, you cannot hear me. You are on your own."

Please, go! If she thought it loud enough, maybe the kid would hear it.

He did not. Instead, he smiled toothily at Sinead and cooed softly. Her heart stopped when Zero turned around.

"Curious," it said in its flat voice, turning to grab its rifle that lay across the dashboard.

"No!" The scream ripped from Sinead's mouth. The edge of her vision blackened until there was only the droid.

Zero stood and froze. Sinead craned her neck back to see that the child had disappeared back into the ship, and she let out a shuddering breath. Zero stepped over her and jumped down the hatch, leaving her alone in the cockpit.

Frantically, she started pulling with all her might, the wire biting farther into her skin.

She looked around, blinking sweat out of her eyes, searching for something, anything, that could help, when her eyes fell on a small black instrument lying on the console—a fusing pen.

A dull thud rose from the hull and spurred her into action; rolling onto her shoulder with a grunt, she contorted her body in ways it wasn't meant to do. Tears welled up in her eyes as her muscles spasmed. It felt like she was being torn in two.

Her flailing foot caught the instrument, and it clattered to the ground. Rolling onto her side, she pushed it closer until she could grab it from the floor with her mouth, finally dropping it into her waiting hand.

The pen came to life, and she nearly dropped it as it burned through the wire, leaving circular burns on her wrist.

The binding wire fell away and with it every last coherent thought in Sinead's brain. She scrambled to her feet and stumbled out of the cockpit, shoulders heaving with every pant. Numbly, she grabbed a warped length of pipe forgotten on the floor and dropped into the hull.

The safe room opened just as her feet hit the ground. Time slowed.

She swung the pipe with both hands, and the droid's bulbous eyes exploded in a shower of glass, knocking it to the ground.

It raised its hand. "Do not-"

She brought the pipe down, again and again. A strangled scream tore from her chest as she smashed through the metal shell, exposing wires and circuitry. Foul-smelling oil leaked onto the floor.

A burst of sparks crawled up the droid's broken body, and with that, its lights went out.

The pipe slid out of her hands and landed on the floor with a dull thud.

Mando was watching her silently, standing by the open hatch. After a long moment, he took a deep breath.

The floor spun. With every breath Sinead's shoulders heaved like she had run a marathon.

A slight babble broke the silence. The kid watched her, head tilted to the side, ears lifted in earnest curiosity.

"It's okay." She picked him up with hands that still shook. "It's over." It was more for her benefit than his.

Someone hoisted themselves into the ship from the hatch and stood, a Twi'lek male with the same purple skin. He was built like a tank, his barrel-like chest seeming larger under a dirty tank top. "Can't say I missed this hunk of junk." His voice was like sandpaper, and when his eyes fell on Sinead and the broken husk of Zero, he flashed a pointy-toothed smile.

"Where's the others?" Her voice was surprisingly even, considering her entire body still strummed with adrenaline.

"Later," Mando ground out. He lifted the child out of her arms, never turning his back on the Twi'lek, whose, Sinead realized, hands were bound with thick durasteel manacles. She touched her wrist where the binding wire had cut deep into the soft skin.

"Keep an eye on him," Mando said in a low voice. "Do not trust him."

She nodded once, feeling the aftereffects of the adrenaline start to kick in. Her legs felt weak, and every sound was dulled but somehow still echoed in her head.

Mando and the child disappeared up the ladder, and the ship broke off from the transport. Sinead picked up Zero's blaster rifle and propped it against her leg.

"So you hate droids just as much as old Mando up there?" He said, looking pointedly at the jagged metal remains of Zero.

She stared at him.

He narrowed his eyes. "What was that little green thing? Didn't look like nothing I've seen before."

"Pet."

"You're almost as talkative as Mando." He leaned his head back against the fall, still not taking his eyes off her. "Wanna know how I ended up rotting on a prison transport."

"Guess you're gonna tell me either way."

The Twi'lek bared his pointed teeth in a grin. "Mando up there-" he pointed upwards with his bound hands- "left me behind to get picked up by those kriffin' New Republic bastards. Threw me in a cage without even a proper trial. Now he's left my only sister to the same fate. That ain't right." He didn't seem too torn up about it. "That's what Mando does. He leaves people behind."

"Everyone has their reasons."

The Twi'lek's eyes darkened. "He has his code, always do the job. Load of shit."

The ship exited hyperspace, and Sinead breathed a sigh of relief. Nauseating pain radiated through her head, and she wanted this stranger off the ship.

The Crest landed, and Mando jumped down the ladder without the child. Sinead watched with mistrustful eyes as Mando freed the Twi'lek, who made a show of rubbing his wrists once the bindings fell away.

The ramp came down and revealed a human man with unruly grey hair and beard. His beady eyes narrowed when he spotted Sinead leaning against the opening.

When the Twi'lek saw Ran, he let out a gruff laugh and sauntered down the ramp. Mando followed behind him, walking stiffly like he was a spring ready to be released, and Sinead imagined him scanning the hangar for danger.

"Where are the others?" Asked Ran, scanning the ship as if he expected the rest of the crew to come running down the ramp.

"No questions asked. That's the policy, right?"

Ran bared his teeth, more sneer than smirk. "Yeah. That is the policy."

"I did the job."

"Yeah, you did," Ran said, pulling out a pouch with deliberate slowness and throwing it to Mando, who caught it easily.

"And the information you promised me?"

"What's he talking about?" The Twi'lek said.

Ran's eyes flickered to Sinead. "Since you got Qin and left the team behind, I figure it's fair you only get half the reward."

The Twi'lek sniggered.

"Ran ..." Mando's stance shifted slightly, hand inching towards his blaster. Sinead pushed off the wall, leaning back to eye the blaster rifle propped up against the bed.

"Mando." Ran's voice was even. They stared at each other for a moment, neither moving a muscle.

Mando's hand's curled into fists, and for a moment, it looked like he was about to deck Ran. Instead, he turned and stalked up the ramp.

Anger flashed through Sinead's system. They'd all nearly been killed and it had all for nothing.

"Mando!"

He stopped and slowly turned.

"The fella you're looking for. Dunno where he is, but I heard some of his crew hangs around Alpha on Zessol. Might wanna check it out."

Mando was silent for a moment before giving him a curt nod, still moving backwards into the ship. When he was inside, Sinead pressed the button to close the ramp.

"Zessol, huh?" Sinead had heard stories about Alpha, an old space station hovering above the planet, but she had never been there herself. Complicated emotions swirled in her chest. "You ever been there?"

But Mando had disappeared. As soon as the ramp closed, he had hurried up the ladder and was already starting the ship when Sinead entered the cockpit. It wobbled as it rose and floated towards the exit.

Sinead sat down in the same chair she'd been bound to what felt like ages ago and drummed her hands on her thighs. "You think they'll try something?"

"Yep," Mando said, activating the thrusters while the ship was still a bit too close to the station.

"And what are you gonna do about it?"

"Left a tracking beacon on Qin."

Three fighters dropped out of hyperspace in front of the Crest. Sinead's stomach flipped as the ship dove to avoid a collision. She smiled for the first time in what felt like an eternity. "Wanna stay and watch the show?"

Mando replied by jumpstarting the ship into hyperspace, the sheer force making the metal creak. "Zessol is on the other side of the galaxy. It'll take days to get there."

"I guess." Sinead reached over and grabbed the child's hand, pulling his attention from the swirling mist right outside the window. "Would've been nice to see, though."

Mando hummed in response.

The child nearly fell from his seat as he tried to climb across Sinead's arm. She pulled him onto her lap, letting him play with the end of her frazzled braid.

"What did you do to the others?"

"Left them in a cell. Let the New Republic deal with it."

"Because they're so good at that." She thought back to the slave ring on Loovria, operating right under the New Republic's nose.

Mando grunted, and they both fell silent. The navicomputer calculating the fastest route. 83 standard hours before they would arrive at Zessol. 83 hours until she got some answers. A hard ball of nauseating fear formed deep in her stomach. 83 hours.