A/N: Hiya my beautiful readers! Long time no see! I'm sorry this update took so long, but I wanted to finish up the arc before I started posting. The next chapter will be up in two weeks' time.

Chapter 24 – The Searchers

Sinead stood at the bottom of the ramp, hands on her hips. They were back on another forest planet. Or moon rather, and this one seemed more hostile than the last one. The trees were older and darker, covered in thick moss that swallowed the sounds of nature. The trunks were too wide for her to reach around, and the branches intertwined to make a nearly impenetrable canopy that covered the ground in shadows.

The tracking fob had led them here, to this place.

She let out a deep breath.

Inside the Crest, Mando placed the child on top of the bed. "You gotta stay here. It's too dangerous."

The child let out a sad coo and tried to climb down before Mando grabbed him and put him back.

"You can't come. I'm sorry."

Sinead smiled for the first time since they left the mining station. Mando still seemed ... hesitant around the kid sometimes, like something was stopping him from fully committing.

At last, Mando appeared at the top of the ramp. "According to the tracking fob, it's close by."

"Great." The forest swallowed the sound, making her voice sound faint and weedy.

"You can stay with the kid. I can do this myself." Mando pressed a command into the device on his vambrace and the ramp went up.

"You've already done enough heavy lifting, it's time I earn my keep, don't you think?" Plus, she'd rather not do a repeat of what happened on Zessol; somehow, the deep forest felt more dangerous than a city populated by pirates and other miscreants.

He wanted to say something more, she knew it; the way his head tilted slightly to the side made her feel exposed, vulnerable, and she turned away before he had the chance. "Where are we going?"

There was a long pause, and she could feel Mando's eyes on her back.

"This way."

She followed him away from the ship and into the overgrown forest. The ground was spongy, moisture seeping up around her feet when she stepped on the moss that carpeted everything. The way every surface was some shade of green messed with her depth perception. If it hadn't been for Mando, she would've gotten lost minutes after losing sight of the ship.

She took a deep breath of the still air, tasting the decomposing leaves on her tongue.

"You miss it?"

Mando was quiet for a moment. "Miss what?"

"Doing this. Bounty hunting."

Seconds ticked by while he thought. "It's the only thing I've ever known."

That wasn't an answer, but in a way, she was grateful that he didn't elaborate. She wouldn't have believed him if he said no, but she didn't know what to do if he said yes.

The forest grew deeper and darker as they went, fed by their silence. Now and again, a rustle went through the treetops, or one of them would become stuck in the peaty ground and have to pull their foot out with a wet squelch.

"It's kinda ironic, isn't it," Sinead said when the silence became too much. "A former slave now turned bounty hunter."

Mando rounded on her, and she took a step back, nearly tripping over a root hidden under the moss. "This isn't the same. You're only doing this to find Kyen."

That did nothing to quell the tight feeling in her chest, but she managed to force a smile. "Thanks."

They stared at each other, standing in the twilight under the trees. A shiver ran up Sinead's back.

Suddenly, a fast beeping broke the tension like a rock through an icy lake, and Mando pulled out the tracking fob.

"It's close?" Her voice sounded shrill.

"About one klick east."

"Then let's go."

After a small climb, the ground plummeted into an overgrown dell. One wrong step from a careless wanderer and they would tumble down the steep side and disappear into the foliage.

"You see a way down?" Mando silenced the screaming tracking fob.

"Not one that won't result in a broken neck." She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes; she wanted to get rid of this lingering unease that made her skin itch.

Eventually, they found a faint path snaking between the trees, which led through a thicket and into the dell. The forest seemed less dense in there, and for the first time since stepping in between the trees, Sinead got an uninterrupted look at the sky.

At the bottom of the dell, the forest opened into a clearing, with a farmhouse and a dilapidated barn that was only standing due to sheer stubbornness. Behind that, there was an empty pasture. Once upon a time, someone had painted the house white, but now it had faded into a dull grey.

"You sure this is the right spot?" Sinead whispered, eyes scanning the area. "It looks abandoned."

"Be on your guard." Mando drew his blaster.

"How do you wanna do this?" Sinead asked.

"Careful. Find out where he is."

Mando reached the steps that led to the front door when a thump sounded from the barn.

"Mando-"

"I heard it. Stay behind me."

He crept towards the barn, placing his feet deliberately on patches of moss that hid his footsteps.

The was another thump, and a shadow moved behind a crack in the small door set into the side. The tall double doors looked like they had been welded together with rust.

Sinead held her breath as Mando reached the door. He looked back at her, holding up three fingers.

One.

Two.

Three.

With a hard kick, the door came apart in an explosion of splinters.

A young human girl tumbled back with a scream.

"Oh, shit!" Mando froze halfway through the door.

Sinead was the first to snap out of it, and she pushed past Mando while shoving her blaster back into its holster. "I'm so sorry! We didn't know you were in here."

The girl scrambled to her feet, wide eyes glued to Mando. Her scruffy overalls were at least three sizes too big, and it looked like someone had taken a dull scissor to her hair, leaving it uneven and frizzled. Still, there was a determined spark glinting under her fear.

Sinead crouched down to her level. "Are you here all alone? Are there any adults around?"

The girl's eyes flickered from Sinead to Mando. Then she took a deep breath.

And screamed.

It was like a siren going off right by Sinead's head. She slapped her hands over her ears, but the explosion of sound was an icepick through her eardrums.

At last, the girl ran out of air and her scream tapered off, leaving a thunderous silence. A hand grabbed Sinead's shoulder and pulled her to her feet.

"What was-"

The door to the farmhouse exploded open, and a human shot out, a raised rifle in his hands.

Sinead didn't have time to react. Mando shoved her behind him and leveled his blaster at the human.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" he screamed, voice shaking.

The little girl darted around Mando and Sinead and ran up the stairs to hide behind the man, wrapping her arms around his leg.

"We're not here for your family," Mando yelled.

"I want you gone. Now!"

"We're looking for someone. A Twi'lek-"

"There's no one here but us! Leave, please!" He had a distinct Core World accent.

A young Togruta boy, clenching a blaster in his hands, appeared in the doorway. His lekku only reached his shoulders, and even though he was as tall as the human, it looked like someone had grabbed him by the feet and montrals and pulled, leaving him lanky and awkward.

The tip of the rifle wavered in the air before the human blinked hard and held it steady. "Take your sister and get back in the house."

"Wh-what's going on? Who are they?" The young Togruta squared his shoulders but his hands shook as he lifted the blaster.

"No questions. Just go!"

Sinead's eyes widened. A cold barrel pressed into the small of her back, and her blaster slipped from her fingers. She slowly raised her hands.

"Put down your blaster," a sharp voice sounded behind her ear. "Or I'll sever her spine."

It seemed like Jami had found them before they found him.

Mando turned with lightning speed, but Jami was quicker, grabbing Sinead by the shoulder and pulling her out of reach.

"Don't try me! I'm serious! And step back!"

Sinead felt her eyes meet Mando's through the helmet and gave an imperceptible nod. Blood rushed in her ears.

Mando's hand tightened around the blaster for a moment before it thudded to the ground, but he didn't step back, didn't try to keep the human in his field of vision.

"Kick it away."

Mando did so, his entire body tensed like a spring ready for release.

"Laar," Jami said, raising his voice, "take the children inside and stay there."

Sinead could see the human - Laar - over Mando's shoulder. He nodded tightly and grabbed the little girl before bodily pushing the Togruta back into the house. Sinead felt a warm exhale on the back of her neck when the door banged shut.

"Vekkass sent you, didn't he?" Jami pressed the blaster harder into her back, and she winced. One shot and no amount of bacta would fuse her spine back together. Best case scenario she would be paralyzed for the rest of her life.

"Let her go." Mando's voice dipped into a growl.

"I just want to be left alone, do you understand? Whatever he thinks I stole, I don't have it." Jami started to back up, dragging Sinead further into the barn and out of sight of the house.

She wet her lips. "Let me go, and we can talk about this."

Jami dug his fingers into her shoulder where the Trandoshan bounty hunter had shot her years ago, and an echo of old pain shot down her arm. "I don't want to talk. I want you to leave."

A crash from the farmhouse made him start, and the pressure on her back disappeared for a second, but it was enough. Sinead brought down her heel on his foot and twisted out of his grasp. The blaster went off, the bolt hitting Mando's armor with a ping.

Mando pounced and ripped the blaster out of the Twi'lek's hand, kicking his legs out from under him. Jami fell back with a yell, and as he tried getting to his feet, Mando kicked him back down.

"Stay."

Sinead snatched the nearest blaster from the ground. The spot on her lower back prickled like the blaster was still there.

Jami stared up at them,red-rimmed eyes burning with anger. His blue skin stood out from his clothes that were all a dull brown or grey, speckled with dirt and dust, his cheeks hollow like he hadn't eaten in a very long time. He didn't particularly look like a pirate. "If you're gonna kill me, do it now. Just don't hurt my family, please. Don't let them see my body." He closed his eyes.

Oh, shit.

Sinead looked at Mando, trying to gauge what he wanted to do, but the helmet remained frustratingly blank, and the seconds ticked by. Usually, she could at least read something from his body language alone, but now he was betraying nothing. The thought of dragging him back to Vekkass hadn't sat well with her before, and now it felt like her body might revolt against itself if she tried.

When nothing happened, Jami opened his eyes.

"Get up," Mando ordered and took a step back, his blaster following the Twi'lek as he scrambled to his feet, lips curled over sharp teeth.

The barn creaked in the stillness. Stalls lined the walls on both sides of the big double doors, but it was clear that they'd been empty for a long time; clumps of grey straw and fossilized dung piled up on the floor. A keedee had made a nest in the rafters and was watching the situation with a disapproving glare.

"So." Jami's tongue darted out to lick his dry lips. "What happens now?"

That was a good question.

Sinead gestured over her shoulder at the house. "Is that why you left?"

Jami pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Okay." She pressed her free hand to her temple. "Where's the loot?"

Silence.

"If you don't talk, I can go-" she took a step back in the direction of the house.

"No!" Fear flashed across his face. "Keep them out of this."

Mando adjusted his grip on the blaster. "Then talk."

Jami took a shuddering breath. "I ... look, there isn't any loot."

"You mean you sold it?" Sinead said.

"I mean, there never was any loot at all."

"Explain."

His mouth moved silently as he thought and a vein popped out near his temple. Then, "Vekkass sent us out to ambush a freighter on the Triellus Trade Route, running spice from Dubrava to Nal Hutta. It would've been a suicide mission even if the Hutts hadn't been involved-" he paused, tensing up until the cords stood out on his neck- "but Vekkass didn't care. Made us go anyway. I couldn't ... I wouldn't go to my death just to please some boc'ara." He spat on the ground between them.

"Vekkass thinks you absconded with the loot."

"Of course he does. Can't fathom anyone doing anything if it's not about the money. They sent me out to die in the name of a couple of creds. How did you find me?"

"Someone saw you on Trillu."

Jami bared a row of sharp teeth. "Frang! I knew it was a bad idea …"

"What's the story with them, then?" She nodded towards the house. The earthy smell of mold and old hay tickled her nose.

"They have nothing to do with this."

"I know."

He sighed. "I met Laar shortly after I left. We ... I wasn't the only one running from something. We decided it would be safer to stay together, at least for a while." His voice softened as he spoke, and his face transformed into something more gentle for a second before morphing back into a venomous mask.

Shit.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek and watched him intently, trying to gauge his sincerity. Fear and anger radiated from him, but he seemed genuine enough. "Why even throw in with Vekkass' crew if you hated it so much? He didn't exactly seem like the deceitful type. What you see is what you get."

"I had no choice."

"We all have a choice." She felt the burn as his eyes met hers.

Jami scoffed. "Vekkass ... If you asked him, he'd say he rescued me from the spice pits on Nimbal."

Sudden cold hit her core as realization struck; she knew of Nimbal, had seen slave transports stop on Sriluur on their way to the planet. "And what would you say?"

Jami bit his tongue and looked away. "I'm not kidding myself. The only reason he kept me around was because I knew my way around a blaster, and the second I stopped being useful, he'd put a bolt through my brain. I did what I had to to survive. I don't expect you to understand."

It felt like a punch to the gut. She had nearly dragged a runaway slave back to his former master. This was all so wrong.

Jami's eyes roved across her face. "Look, I don't … I know I have nothing to bargain with, and you have no reason to help me, but please, I'm begging you ..."

"Go." It took a second before Sinead realized the word had come from her. "Just … go back into the house." She felt Mando's eyes fall on her.

"What do you-" Jami eyed Mando's blaster still aiming directly at him. "You're letting me go?"

Her mouth worked while her brain spun to come up with an answer. "I don't… I don't know."

Slowly, Mando lowered his blaster and nodded once towards the house.

Jami took a step towards the house, pausing for a moment before breaking into a run. The door to the farmhouse banged close behind him, and Sinead closed her eyes. It stung like she had been straining to see for too long.

"What do you want to do?"

She kept her eyes closed. "You're asking me?"

"It's your decision."

She finally turned to look at him; he was watching her intently, head cocked to the side. "We can't drag him back to Vekkass. Hunting a pirate is one thing, but I will not be a slave catcher."

Mando looked at the farmhouse. "He could be lying."

"I don't think he is." She couldn't explain why, but there was something about him that reminded her crushingly about herself. "In any case, I'm sure he's telling the truth about the loot. Look at this place." She spread her arms wide to encompass the barn. "Pure spice from Dubrava will net you more than a rundown farm on some backwater planet. More security, too." She bit her lower lip hard enough to break the skin. "Let's just go back to the ship. I'm sure the kid misses us."

Mando's voice modulator rustled as he sighed. "He'll run."

"Then I guess the decision's been made for us."

Mando shook his head, staring back at the house for a moment as he holstered his blaster. "C'mon, then."

Sinead stopped as they reached the edge of the clearing and looked back. The farmhouse sat cold and dead, a strange grey box amidst the vivid green of the forest. She wondered where they'd go. Then, stepping between the trees, the forest closed around her like a wall.

Mando led the way out of the dell and through the forest. She stared at the fabric of his cloak until her vision filled with grey. With every sodden step, she got further and further away from Kyen, but what was the alternative? How much was she willing to sacrifice to find him?

"What would you have done?"

Mando turned at the sound of her voice, nearly hidden in the perpetual dusk trapped under the canopy. "Does it matter?"

"Just answer the question, please."

His hands flexed in annoyance. "Sinead, I don't ... I don't know. My hunts don't usually end like this. Vekkass is the best lead we have."

Sinead looked down at the water slowly rising around her feet. "We should've just bonked him on the head before he had a chance to talk."

"You wouldn't have wanted that."

Her eyes met his through the helmet, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Suddenly, the forest seemed so quiet. "No. I wouldn't."

A noise echoed through the forest, and Mando drew his blaster, gestured at her to get down.

"Doesn't sound like an animal." Sinead hissed.

"It wasn't."

Mando retook the lead, moving slowly between the trees, keeping low to the ground. Another sound echoed through the forest closer and louder than before. Mando crouched down behind a fallen tree and signaled her to stop. She sidled up next to him and peeked her head over the moss-covered trunk.

A gunship stood in a small clearing, the metal body nearly black with carbon scoring. Seven sentients filed out of the open side. A Duros tested the springy moss with a foot before stepping out on a tussock. "What a hell-hole." He spied into the darkness with narrowed eyes, and Sinead and Mando ducked down behind the tree. "Who in their right mind would willingly live here?"

"Who in their right mind would steal from Vekkass?" Another voice rang out, to an immediate reprimand from the Duros.

"Not so loud, you idiot!"

Sinead closed her eyes and fought the urge to bang her head against a tree. As if the day hadn't been hard enough already.

"What about the others?"

"We'll go on without them," the Duros said. "Heard from Lenk they've found the ship. They'll try to break through, see if the Mando's got any neat toys."

Cold fingers of dread closed around Sinead's throat.

"It's fine. S'not like we need 'em."

"What about the Mandalorian?"

"They don't know we're coming. If they've already killed Jami, then one less energy bolt needed, right. Vekkass said he doesn't care about the woman, but he wants the armor. Was a stroke of brilliance, it was, leaving them to do all the heavy lifting."

Sinead's hand shot out to grab Mando's shoulder a second before he launched himself over the fallen tree; fighting seven pirates would take too long. She stabbed a finger in the direction of the Razor Crest and mouthed for him to go. He looked back towards the pirates and his shoulder tensed under her hand before he nodded once, and she let her hand fall to her side.

Mando disappeared in the direction of the ship while she slunk back the way they came. Once she was out of earshot, she broke into a dead sprint. The forest turned into a green blur as she jumped from rock to tussock to avoid getting caught in the boggy ground. Lungs burned with every breath, and her ears filled with the sound of her own heartbeat.

She bulleted through the thicket that hid the entrance to the dell, ignoring the sting as branches snagged on her clothes and hair. The farmhouse looked small and lifeless. Maybe Jami and his family had already left. She took the steps up to the door in one jump and crashed into the house, the door bouncing off the wall. She found herself in a small kitchen barely big enough to fit a table and four chairs.

Something smashed on the ground.

Jami flew up from a chair, the rifle held in a white-knuckled grip.

"Wait!" She held up her hands. "Don't shoot!"

"What do you want?" Jami's voice shook with every word.

"Vekkass' men ... in the forest ..." a stabbing pain accompanied every word.

"What?"

"I swear they're not with us ..." she rubbed her ribs, making Laar start and reach for a blaster. "They must've followed us from the base. They know you're here." She looked over her shoulder at the wall of green—no sign of them.

"If this is a trick-"

"It's not. Do you have any defenses?"

Laar lifted a shaking hand and pushed his bangs out of his eyes. "N-no. We thought we were safe."

"We were," Jami hissed and pushed his chair away with such force it clattered to the ground. "Until you showed up."

"We don't have time for-" a deep whooshing sound filled the air as something passed overhead. Sinead's heart skipped a beat as she ran out and looked; the Razor Crest made a turn above the barn, the wind from the turbine flattening the grass and made her braid whip around her head, and it landed heavily on in the muddy pasture.

Sinead was climbing over the fence when the ramp came down, revealing Mando with a pronged rifle in his hands, the kid by his side with one little hand wrapped around the frame of the entrance.

A shout cut through the air, "what's going on?"

Sinead whirled around to see the Togruta boy running outside, the little girl attached to his leg.

"Take Elia back inside," Jami yelled, just as a blaster bolt struck the side of the ship, and all hell broke loose. The first pirate burst into the clearing.

Elia screamed as Jami grabbed her and threw her back into the house, the Togruta following close behind. Sinead jumped behind an empty watering trough just as another bolt whizzed over her head.

Shots rained through the air as more pirates appeared between the trees surrounding the farm. Sinead rolled to avoid getting hit, found her feet and ran to the ship. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a human woman take aim.

Mando ran out of the ship, vaulting over the fence in one smooth motion and sliding behind the remains of the barn door. He fired his rifle, the bolt hitting the human in the chest who disappeared in a cloud of smoldering ash; the stench of plasma and burnt flesh filled the air.

A large Twi'lek rounded the corner of the farmhouse directly behind Jami, who was crouched behind a water-barrel, doing his best to keep the pirates away from the front door. Without stopping, Sinead took aim and fired.

Suddenly, the wind was knocked out of her and she hit the ground with a dull thud. The Duros stood over her; a broad-brimmed hat cast a deep shadow across his face. Her eyes focused on the blaster trained directly at her head.

Sounds of the battle faded out as she stared into the hollow point of the blaster.

The Duros' face froze in a grin, the blaster tumbled from his hand that stayed outstretched in an awkward position. He made a weak gurgling sound, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Sinead blindly grasped around for her dropped blaster, hands sinking into the soft earth.

Sinead's ears popped as the Duros was lifted into the air by an invisible string. Whatever force had frozen him in place disappeared, and he thrashed, clawed at her as she got to her feet and looked around.

The child stood at the top of the ramp, tiny hands lifted into the air, wrinkled face contorted in concentration. His body shook like every muscle was tensed, and there was a slight pull on the world she had never felt before.

A bolt shot past her, hitting the pirate in the chest and his body collapsing into ash with a whoomph of sudden vacuum.

The kid slumped to the ground.

She got up on shaky legs. The sound of fighting faded into nothing.

A blaster bolt struck the ramp just below the child, and a current of electricity shocked her into motion; she sprinted towards the ship and scooped the kid into her arms just as another bolt grazed her leg, leaving a burnt strip of flesh across her calf. Then, they were safe inside the ship.

The kid felt weightless in her arms. He stared up at her with heavy-lidded eyes and curled a small hand around a strand of hair which had come loose from her braid.

"Sinead?" Mando stood in the opening, the strange pronged rifle clutched in one hand. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Mando left the rifle leaning against the wall and pulled the kid out of her arms.

"Wh-what was that?" Her tongue felt thick and unwieldy.

Raised voices cut through his reply, and Sinead moved numbly to the opening; Jami and Laar were in the middle of an argument, heading towards the ship. When they stopped at the bottom of ramp, Laar pointedly didn't meet her eyes.

"Well, thanks to you, I guess Vekkass knows we're here," Jami said between clenched teeth.

"He would've found you eventually." Mando reached inside a pouch on his belt and produced the tracking fob that went into a wild staccato beeping. "He has your chain-code. He was about to send someone else when we got there."

"And you decided to take the job."

Sinead swallowed. "He has something I need.

"And what is that?"

"I'm ... I'm looking for someone. Vekkass knew him."

Jami's eyebrows shot up. "From his crew?"

"No. This was before." She didn't know why she couldn't just tell him the truth; if anyone understood it, it would probably be him.

"What are you gonna do now? I doubt he'll welcome you back with open arms."

"You can't stay here. It's only a matter of time before he sends other bounty hunters after you," Mando said.

It dawned on Sinead what he was trying to do. "And they won't be as forgiving as us."

She watched a lot of complicated emotions flicker across Jami's face. "I know." He gave Laar a pointed look. "Unless we take the fight to Vekkass, he'll never leave us alone."

It was like Laar suddenly came back to the moment; he threw his hands into the air with a yell. "Going after him is suicide!"

"Staying here isn't any better! You want to just keep your head down, hope that he forgets about us?" Jami swung round to face Laar, his lekku twitching with agitation.

"I want us to run!"

"I'm done with running."

Sinead looked away as an embarrassed flush crawled across her cheeks. She wished they would've had their argument in private.

Mando cleared his throat, and both men stopped mid yell; Laar looked like he had forgotten that they were even there.

Jami stepped back and pressed a hand to his temple. "You need Vekkass alive. I need him dead. If you help me with this, then I'll do whatever I can to help you find who you're looking for."

The sun glinted on Mando's armor as he leaned on one leg and shifted the kid further up his arm. "You know how we can get inside the station?"

"I've got a plan."