A/N: Hello my beautiful darlings! I just finished watching Chapter 16, so I figured I would throw you guys a little update. This chapter is kinda short (consistent chapter length? Never heard of her) but I still hope you enjoy :)
Chapter 22 – A Mandalorian Walks Into A Bar
The trepidation that had been clinging to the back of Din's mind ever since they entered the system ballooned into a whole new beast as soon as he stepped out of the ship. The hangar on Alpha was crowded, ships and sentients packed tightly together, recycled air thick with smoke and harsh chemicals. Eyes bored into his armor, and he made sure his blaster was ready and within reach. Two Bothans stood in the shadows between two ships, and one of them nudged the other and nodded not so subtly towards Din.
So it was going to be one of those days.
In front of the nearest access gate, a dead Twi'lek lay on the floor, a blade buried deep in his chest and a pool of blood slowly growing underneath him. The crowd stepped over the body, tracking blood into the station. A Jawa scurried across the floor and dove for his pockets, but it seemed like someone had already grabbed whatever there was to steal.
The gate led down a dimly lit corridor that curved all the way around the station. It was clear it hadn't been built to serve as a haven for pirates; through the murk, he spotted a flickering sign leading to the mess hall.
It had been the right call to leave the kid on Zessol, but Din still had a nagging worry that something was going to happen. He knew Sinead would keep him safe - she had risked her life for him before – but the people hunting the child would never stop. The sooner he got out of there, the better.
He passed a cantina, music blasting through the open doors loud enough to make his teeth rattle. The ground was sticky with drink and other mystery fluids that were spilled on Alpha.
Sinead's face kept popping up in his mind, unbidden, and smoldering anger made his pulse speed up. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the look in her eyes when realization struck back on Seavo. She'd looked broken. And now Kyen was just like those who'd brought her to Sriluur. His hands curled into fists.
The next cantina was darker and less crowded, the air hazy with smoke and grease from an open fire where a Wookiee was roasting a slab of unidentifiable meat. He stepped inside, and what little conversation there was fell into a hush. The bartender put down his tankard when Din approached.
"Looking for someone," he said, putting a hand on the countertop to show he was unarmed.
"Not gunna find 'em here."
A couple of credits landed on the table between them. They disappeared into the bartender's sleeve in the blink of an eye.
"Aye?"
"Kyen Beck. That mean anything to you?"
"Nope."
"What about Red Vekkass?"
The bartender's eyes flickered. "Might know a thing or two. Might not."
More credits landed on the table.
"Some of his crew stops by now and then, you know, to lay off steam. S'long as they don't give me any problems, I don't ask questions."
"Where is he?"
"You're asking the wrong person."
Din's fingers twitched. "Where do I find the right person?"
Had Sinead been there she would have had the bartender wrapped around her little finger by now.
"Dunno."
"That's not good enough." Din stared at the man, clenching his teeth under his helmet.
For a fraction of a second, the bartender's eyes flickered to something behind Din. Stepping back, he grabbed two bottles from behind the bar and hid them under the counter.
"Evenin', fella."
Din didn't take his eyes off the bartender.
A large Nikto leaned against the bar to his right, tapping a rhythm on the worn wood. "Don't see many Mandalorians around these days. Thought you all died, or somethin'."
"Nice armor." A human man appeared on his other side. "Very shiny, isn't it."
"Very shiny, yeah. Say, how much you pay for a thing like that?" The Nikto leaned closer, his breath slightly fogging Din's visor. He could smell the stink of alcohol.
Breathing slowly, Din widened his stance and analyzed the situation. The human seemed clearheaded, but the Nikto was leaning heavily against the bar, his eyes slightly unfocused.
The anger grew from embers into flames.
"Ay." The Nikto grinned, and there was a sliver of grey meat caught between his front teeth. "I'm talking to you." He reached for the helmet.
Stepping back, Din grabbed the Nikto's wrist, twisting it around and slamming his other hand down on his arm until there was a sickening crack. The Nikto crumbled to the ground with a scream.
Metal glinted in the light, and Din ducked under a blade aimed at his throat. The human grunted in frustration and swung the blade again, which scraped against the beskar. Din dispatched him with a sharp knee to the gut and a punch in the throat.
A flask smashed on the ground. A human halfway out of his seat sat down slowly and averted his eyes.
Din rounded on the bartender, who slunk back, hand inching beneath the counter.
"Don't even think about it," Din barked, and the bartender froze, fearful eyes straying to the patrons, who all looked stiffly into their drinks.
"I'm not gonna ask you again." Din leaned over the counter and grabbed the bartender by the collar. "Where is Red Vekkass?"
"I-I don't know, I really don't! Some of his gang were in here not long ago, you might be able to catch them!"
"Where?"
"Level 25. The big Twi'lek calls the shots, is sweet on one of Madame Jath's girls. I'm sure you'll find him there. It's down in the old morgue."
Din watched the sniveling little man for a second. He could be lying, but Din had to get out of there. It was only a matter of time before whatever fear gripped the rest of the patrons dissipated.
"If you're lying to me, I'll be back."
He left the silent cantina and started pushing his way to the lift that would take him to level 25.
The fight had been too short. His body thrummed with adrenaline; every sound, every change in the air felt like a shock to his system. Starting another fight would be easy; if there was one thing Alpha didn't lack it was hostility. Had he been younger, he probably would have stayed for another brawl, but now he had two people waiting for him on the planet below.
Level 25 was near the bottom of the station, a labyrinth of seedy establishments and darkened apartments where groups of sentients sat around open fires. The harsh air found its way under his helmet, making his eyes sting. Multicolored lights broke through the haze, streaming from open doors that led to spice dens or brothels where tired-looking women of various species called out to possible patrons.
He found the old morgue tucked into a dark corner. A Wookiee leaned against the wall beside the wall. He glared at a Snivvian who dared to cross the threshold. Other than that, the place was quiet.
Finding a spot in view of the door, Din leaned against the wall and waited. A sickly smell of trash filled the air, and he concentrated on breathing through his mouth, trying to push all thoughts of Sinead and the child out of his head.
He was about to go in there himself when a young human man appeared, looking around before stealing into the bordello. He was small and wiry, out of place among the pirates and smugglers. Five minutes of standing in the choking stink and greasy smoke later, the human finally came back out, supporting a Twi'lek that dwarfed him in both height and weight with an almost visible cloud of alcohol. A stumbling Gamorrean with one large tusk broken at the tip made up the rear.
"Get your kriffin' hands off me," the Twi'lek burbled and tried to tug himself free.
"Wait!" The human struggled under the weight. "We need to head back- Vekkass said-"
Din perked up at the name, and he followed as they stumbled through level 25, taking care not to lose them in the crowd.
"You think I give a flyin' kriff wha' he s-says ..." The Twi'lek lost his balance and hit the ground with a crash. The Gamorrean threw up against the wall. "Don't just stand there, boy, help me up!"
At last, they ended up in a hallway void of anyone except a small rodent scurrying across the ground with a piece of moldy bread in its mouth. As sounds of sentients fell away, Din heard the engine humming from somewhere below.
The Gamorrean stopped to dry heave, clinging to an overflowing dumpster, while the other two shambled ahead. Din moved silently, his footsteps concealed by the hum and bangs that came from the station. He lowered his center of gravity, got ready to attack.
The Gamorrean let out a squeal. Din grabbed one flailing hand by the wrist and slammed him into the side of the dumpster with a crash. He was out like a light.
The Twi'lek whirled around, yanking the kid with him. His watery eyes widened, and a strangled gasp escaped his mouth before he pushed the kid towards Mando and started running. He made it two meters where a patch of uneven ground tripped him up, and he fell headfirst into a wall and slumped to the floor.
The kid pulled out a blaster. Din started running, letting one blaster bolt ping off his armor, before reaching out and yanking the weapon away. He pushed the kid to the ground, who crawled until his back hit the wall. "Y-you d-don't know who you're dealing with."
"Red Vekkass," Din snapped. "Where can I find him?"
"I-I don't know-"
"Don't try me. I know you work for him. Where is he?"
The Twi'lek groaned.
The human took a deep breath, ready to yell when Din grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him to his feet.
"He's not gonna help you. Tell me now!"
"He'll kill me for this."
"I'll kill you. Where?"
"H-he's in the Dalchon sector. A mining station above Dilo."
Dalchon sector. They were close enough.
Din looked down at the pale face with a mop of unruly dark hair and blue eyes bright with fear. He looked too young to be mixed up with all of this, even though Din had been younger the first time he had picked up a blaster. This kid, though, didn't look like he was cut out for the pirate life.
A sudden, uncomfortable knot formed in the pit of Din's stomach.
"You from Seavo?"
The kid swallowed. "How do you know that?"
Of course.
Din gritted his teeth. He released the kid and gave him a hard shove down the hallway. "Go home," his voice was deep with threats. "Don't come back to Alpha. Don't go anywhere near Dalchon. Find the first ship out of here and go. Home."
"But what-"
Din took a step forward and sent the kid skittering through the doors without looking back. Giving him a moment's head start, Din started back towards the hangar, grateful that he didn't have to spend any more time in the suffocating, smoke-filled station. He left the Gamorrean bleeding and the Twi'lek trying to pick himself off the floor. Killing them wasn't worth the plasma.
When the ramp to the Crest closed behind him, he allowed himself to breathe out deeply, relax his shoulders and close his eyes for just a moment. The stink of Alpha clung to his armor like sludge.
Finally, after waiting for the swarm of starships to let up, he had permission to land back on Zessol. Through the window, he saw a minuscule Sinead stand by the landing pad with a bundle in her arms.He paused in his tracks when the ramp came down; Sinead was spattered with mud and grime, her braid partly undone, the loose strands hung limply down her face. The kid sat in her arms, chewing happily on a piece of candy. His face and hands were covered with sugar.
"What happened to you?"
She let out a slow sigh. "You know what? Don't worry about it."
As she came closer, a stab of sewage met Din's nostrils. She handed him the child. "He needs a proper name."
"... okay?" Din turned and watched her disappear into the ship. The kid left a sticky handprint on his vambrace.
Inside, he found her carefully peeling off her jacket on throwing it on the floor. There was a small gash on her arm that she carefully examined.
"Uh, Mando? Can you ..." she gestured to the ladder. "I need a shower …"
A small jolt went through him, and he cleared his throat. "Uh, right."
Once the door to the cockpit shut, Din looked down at the child, who was happily chewing on the candy. "What've you two been up to?"
He placed the kid in his chair and booted the navicomputer to calculate the route to the Dalchon system. He tried not thinking about Sinead. The sound of running water was audible beneath the noise of Zessol.
One last trip, and it would all be over. They would both get what they wanted; Sinead would get answers, and he would get the nau'orar. He could go back to dodging bounty hunters and keeping a low profile. Without Sinead, his life would become marginally easier; at least, the amounts of life-threatening situations would decrease.
He flexed his hand that had been damaged by the nexu, a tremor of pain prickling across his skin.
Finally, the navicomputer beeped, and the ship rose from the platform, jumping into hyperspace as soon as it was out of Zessol's orbit.
The door opened, and the scent of soap announced Sinead's arrival.
"You okay?" He gave her a quick glance; her cheeks were tinged with pink, her long hair left wet trails on her shirt.
"Yeah. It looked worse than it was." She leaned forwards and peered at the navicomputer. "You find out where we're going?"
"They're holed up somewhere in the Dalchon sector."
She released a slow, shaking breath. "Alright."
He wanted to say something, but his mind was drawing a blank and all the words burned in his throat. The anger was back, intense, and insistent. He wanted to punch something. Preferably Kyen. He chanced another glance at Sinead, who was staring into the whirling mist of hyperspace, the pulsing blue light simmering in her eyes.
A/N: I just wanna say shout out to LittleLuna0304 on AO3 who called the pirates in the Dalchon sector were important to the story all the way back in chapter 3.