A/N: Hello distinguished readers! Do I have an update for you! And we've officially passed 100k words!

Chapter 25 - Family

First they had to get rid of all the bodies before the moon's entire bird population descended on the farm. The ones that hadn't disintegrated got piled onto a hovercart that Jami drove into the forest, where Sinead helped him throw the remains into a hollow and cover it up with mud. The forest was too wet for anything to burn, so a shallow grave became their final resting place.

Now they stood around a makeshift table outside the house, where Jami had drawn a vague outline of the mining station with some charcoal. The sun had reached the apex of the sky and was nearing the treeline. The barn creaked in the wind, sounding like strange echoes from the fight. Elia played in a patch of coarse grass.

"If we go in through the gas giant, we can get close without them noticing," Jami said, drawing a squiggly line under the station.

"The area around the station is filled with sensors. We'll never get close even if we go through the giant." Mando cocked his head to the side and studied the slapdash battle plan.

"Won't be a problem if we time it right; the gas giant overheats and throws out a frequency that scrambles the sensors. They won't see us unless they look out the window. And the best part is, they don't even know about it. I found it when I was snooping through some files left over by the previous occupants."

"Still means we have to get through the hangar. The second we breach the magnetic field, they know we're there," said Mando.

Jami made an X over the column that made up the lower part of the station. "I found an old emergency exit down by the loading bay. The escape pods are long gone, but the magnetic field is still functional. It'll be a tight squeeze but I'm sure your ship can make it."

"You sure he doesn't know about it?"

Jami scratched the side of his face, leaving behind a streak of coal dust. "I was the only one who bothered learning the layout when we first found the place. Doubt anyone's even thought about it since I left."

"Do I want to know what happened to the last owners?" Sinead asked. Her focus kept shifting from the battle plan to the ship where the child slept.

Laar stood between the house and the temporary war council, arms folded tightly across his chest.

"Place was abandoned when we found it." Jami drew a line through the station. "There's an access tunnel that runs all the way through the station. It was originally made for Ugnaughts, so it's too narrow for you-" he looked up at Mando- "but we can get to the control room and activate the blast shields, it'll lock every section of the station. Nothing's getting through those. The gas they extracted from the giant was apparently so unstable they needed it in case of explosions."

Sinead held up a hand. "Question: isn't that the gas giant we have to fly through?"

"From what I gathered, the gas only becomes unstable under very specific circumstances."

"Which are?"

Jami sighed. "The gas reacts to oxygen, so unless you open the ship in the middle of the cloud, we'll be fine."

Mando tapped on the table, drawing their attention to him. "What about when we get inside? Even if we activate the blast doors, we still don't know where Vekkass is or how many pirates there are. I counted eighteen last time."

"Hmm. Back when I left, there were around forty and I doubt he's been downsizing in my absence."

"Well, we killed eight of them." Sinead gestured in the general direction of the shallow grave.

"Eleven," Mando said. "There were three trying to break into the ship."

"Oh, good," Laar broke in, glancing darkly at the table. "So the place is crawling with anywhere between eighteen to forty pirates, you don't know where the one you're specifically looking for is, and the whole plan hinges on you timing your attack with a flare from a gas giant."

"I know where Vekkass is," Jami said. "He always stays in the same rooms close to the control room, place looks like a kriffin' throne room."

"We've been." Sinead tore her eyes away from the ship once again. "I told you Vekkass has something I need. Once I get it, I don't really care what you do with him."

"Good."

"We should leave now," Mando said. "Before Vekkass realizes his men are dead."

Laar stepped up to the table and took Jami's hand in both his own, giving him such an imploring look that Sinead had to avert her eyes.

"I can't go yet." Jami's jaw was set. "I need a couple of hours."

"We don't have time for that; we're gonna lose the element of surprise."

"A couple of hours won't change anything."

"Your family isn't safe here. The faster we finish this, the faster you can come home."

"Give me until nightfall. That's all I'm asking."

It occurred to Sinead that he needed time to say goodbye; there was no guarantee they were coming back despite what Jami said. If she died, all that would be left of her was vague recollections in a few slaves' memories.

"Fine," she said before Mando had a chance to reply. "Just make sure you're ready."

Laar squeezed Jami's hand. "Thank you."

The voice modulator rustled as Mando breathed out a deep sigh, then stalked over to a small pile of weapons taken off the pirates.

Sinead was about to leave when she noticed the Togruta boy watching from the farmhouse door. "Seems like we got an audience."

Laar and Jami whirled around as the boy jumped down the steps. "You're going after that pirate-"

"Vyll-"

"I can help!"

Laar grabbed the boy by his bony shoulder.

"I heard everything you said! You need me to-"

"I need you to stay here-" Jami began, and Sinead took it as her cue to leave. Watching Jami and Laar's argument had been quite enough embarrassment for one day, and besides, she had seen enough of rebellious kids wanting to prove themselves. She perched on top of the fence surrounding the pasture and focused intently on the sad-looking weathervane on top of the house. A gust of wind swept across the ground, sending a shiver through her.

She was brought back by the sound of a slamming door. Jami and Laar were left standing by the table, and she watched Jami interlace his fingers with Laar, pulling him closer and murmuring something that only he could hear. Sinead looked away, a sudden sharp twinge in her chest.

After a little while, Jami appeared before her and leaned against the fence. "You okay?"

"Yeah. It's just that storming a pirate base based on a couple lines of charcoal is a first for me."

"Don't worry. I know the station inside out."

"Why? Doesn't sound like you did much mining."

He looked at his hands for some time, his lekku twitching. "Force of habit, I guess. Always needed to keep my eyes on the exits."

"Makes sense." She pulled absentmindedly at her jacket sleeve. "How'd you get away? From the Hutts, I mean."

He glanced at her, face carefully neutral but there was something fierce in his purple eyes.

The sky was slowly darkening. If he wanted to say goodbye, he was running out of time. She took a deep breath. "I ... I used to live on Sriluur. In the palace."

Once the words were out in the open it sounded almost unreal. In the span of a day, she had used her real name and told a near-stranger about her past; she hadn't even told Mando back when they first teamed up, instead letting him connect the dots himself. Her last defence mechanism was slipping out of reach.

Over by the pile of weapons, Mando seized moving.

"Oh." Jami was quiet for a long time. "You know Slezza's dead?"

She pressed her lips together to stop a smile from breaking through. "Yeah, I heard. Happened after I escaped." It felt good retreating to the safety of the grey area between truth and lie.

"What's the story with the Mandalorian?" Jami turned to lean against the fence.

"'He's helping me track someone. Feels like we've trawled through half of the Outer Rim."

"Who're you looking for?"

She bit her lower lip and tapped an erratic rhythm against the wooden fence. "My husband."

"I see." The wind picked up again, and Jami crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm sorry, by the way, for taking you hostage."

"And threatening to paralyze me, don't forget about that." Now that they weren't at odds, she quite liked Jami. "Consider us even. We were here to drag you back to Vekkass."

"I'm glad you didn't." A shadow crossed his eyes. "I want to end this, one way or another."

"We will."

Laar's face appeared in one of the grimy windows and waved at Jami to come inside.

Jami pushed off the fence. "I better go inside." He called for Elia, who skipped across the muddy ground and practically launched herself into Jami's arms, making Sinead smile at the sight. The little girl ogled her over Jami's shoulder, and Sinead waved at her before they disappeared into the house.

Then it was just Sinead and Mando left, and she jumped down from the fence and made her way to the pile of weapons. "Find anything good?"

"Nothing worth keeping." Mando tossed a blaster back onto the stack.

"Shame." Sinead crouched down, picking up a vibro-blade and examined it in the golden light. She waited for him to start, but he seemed determined to make her ask. "You gonna tell me what happened back there?"

Mando examined a blaster carbine, running a thumb along the smudged barrel. The pause stretched into an awkward silence.

She clicked her tongue. "I feel like we've been through too much for you not to trust me."

With a start, he looked up. "I do ... trust you. That's not why ..." he stared down at the carbine again. "He's done it before."

"Makes sense. You didn't seem that surprised."

"He saved my life, back when I first found him. I was about to be trampled by a mudhorn."

"A mudhorn?"

"He's strong."

The blade slipped out of her hand as she looked to the ship. How could such a little body hide so much power? "I guess we know why the Empire wants him. But why didn't you tell me before?"

"There wasn't any reason to. And you didn't tell me you had the whip the whole time."

She rolled her eyes, but he did have a point. Sort of. "You could have given me a heads up, a little clue so I knew what I was getting into."

"Would it have changed anything?"

"Of course not!" She glanced at him over the pile of weapons. The old carbine shouldn't have been that interesting, but he kept turning it over in his hands, and for a long time the only sound was the creaking barn and wind rustling through the trees.

Mando cleared his throat. "Sinead?"

"Yeah?"

His hand found the rifle's energy pack and pulled it out. "How did you escape the Hutts?" He spoke slowly like every word stuck in his throat.

The question caught her off guard and she chewed on the inside of her cheek. She rarely thought about it. "It's kind of a long story."

"You don't have to-"

"No, it's fine. I trust you, too." The tip of her tongue poked out between her lips as she thought. "Slezza and his coterie met the Empire on a yacht above Dennogra, something about meeting on neutral ground. They took me and a couple other palace slaves with them; you can't expect the eminent Slezza to pour his own drinks, can you." She bared her teeth in a smile. "We weren't told what we were there for, of course. I was there when they demonstrated the nau'orar. Slezza loved collecting all sorts of beautiful things."

While she spoke, Mando grew more and more still, looking down at the rifle in his hands.

"You've seen it in action. I don't think there was a single person in that room not totally entranced. I'm sure Slezza would've given up his seat on the Hutt Council just to get his slimy hands on it."

After the demonstration, Jusgra had ordered her to fetch refreshments from the galley. Instead, her feet had taken her to the room where they kept the whip. She watched, out of sight, as one stormtrooper was called away, leaving only one left. The whip was lying on a pedestal, glittering in the light, and she had reached out to touch it.

"Kyen was already gone. Even if I failed, it wouldn't really matter." She felt Mando's eyes on her and a sudden warmth crept up her neck. "When I touched the whip, it was like … it was the first time in years I had held anything more deadly than a butter knife."

She killed the stormtrooper, strangled him with the whip, and then the clear memories went hazy like a damaged hologram. Colors and sounds melded together until she found herself in an escape pod hurtling towards Dennogra.

"I managed to stow away on a freighter heading away from Hutt space. And that's it." Her words faded into the cold air. Mando didn't say anything. She wished he would. He was the first person she'd told about her great escape, and it surprised her how easy it had come. It felt ... safe.

Before Mando had a chance to speak, the door to the farmhouse opened and spilled warm light across the ground. Laar took a lingering step outside, looked back into the house, then, with a resolute shake of the head, he approached them.

"Jami's making dinner. It's not much, but there should be enough for you if you want it." He crossed his arms over his chest and spoke to the ground.

"Thank you," Mando said.

"That's very kind." Sinead got to her feet, wincing as her legs protested. A sudden twinge in her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten all day, and it was even longer since she'd had a meal consisting of more than expired ration packets or watery soup.

Laar's mouth pinched into a frown. "Quite." It was clear the little offering hadn't been his idea. He kept standing there, gaze firmly locked onto the tips of his worn boots.

Mando stood and threw the blaster carbine back onto the pile; the resulting sound shook Laar out of whatever funk he'd been in. "Jami saved us, you know. He doesn't like me saying it but it's true. We would've died out here if it wasn't for him. Please-" he finally looked up- "keep him safe."

Mando was unwilling or unable to move, so Sinead took a step forward. "We'll do our best, but this isn't a quick trip down the Corellian Run; It's gonna be dangerous."

"I know that," Laar snapped. "Just … watch his back, okay? I'll send Jami out with your food." With that he turned and marched back into the house.

Sinead stared after him. "That was … odd. As if we wouldn't have Jami's back."

"He doesn't trust us."

"Can't really blame him for that."

Mando made a disgruntled noise. "We should've been on our way by now."

"Jami needs to say goodbye. And even if Vekkass knew that his crew had failed, he wouldn't have time to send another one. It's only a couple of hours."

"Hm. I hope you're right." He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I'll go sweep the forest before we leave."

She cast a look around the silent forest. If they had overlooked any pirates hidden in the undergrowth, they would probably have struck by now. "Sure. I'll go check on the kid. Don't get lost."

Wind blew through the treetops, and Sinead pulled her jacket closer as she watched him disappear into the semi-permanent darkness.

It was about an hour before sunset. Sinead sat cross-legged on the floor of the Crest, the child before her, who was watching her every move with his big, bottomless eyes. Mando hadn't returned yet but he was undoubtedly the most dangerous thing in the forest.

"Okay, pay attention." She held a pebble in her outstretched hand. "I'm gonna let this go, and you're gonna make it float. Got it?"

He blinked up at her.

"That's right. One, two, three!"

The pebble clattered to the floor.

"Okay, that's fine, we'll just try again."

On the fourth try, the pebble bounced away. The kid tilted his head to the side with a small coo.

"That's not gonna work."

She gave a start and looked up at the open entrance where Mando stood watching. How long had he been there? He could move almost silently when he wanted. "How do you know?"

"He's only done it once before with the mudhorn. I don't think he can do ... whatever it is unless there's danger." He stepped into the ship and kicked the pebble down the ramp.

"Huh." Lifting the kid to eye height, she peered at him. "You just keep getting more and more intriguing. We really don't know anything about you."

A pleasant smell spread all through the hull as Mando came into view and placed a steaming plate piled high with roasted meat and freshly baked bread. The kid let out a loud babble, and Sinead struggled to her feet.

"I met Jami on my way back," Mando said as a way of explaining.

"I can't remember the last time I ate a vegetable that hadn't been rehydrated." She watched Mando pull out two chipped bowls. "At least I think it's vegetables. Or maybe Laar is trying to poison us."

"Mhm. If I was trying to kill you, I wouldn't do it with poisoned food."

"Remind me to never accept any food from you."

"I just said I wouldn't poison you."

She let out a snort of laughter, and a moment of comfortable silence passed over them.

"You seem a lot happier."

"There was something about his voice, so deep and calm, which sent a prickle along the back of her neck, and she averted her eyes from what she wasn't entirely sure. Was he smiling underneath the helmet?

"We finally have an actual plan to take down a gang of pirates."

"Barely."

"Not like it's stopped us before. Loovria was rushed at best."

"It was your plan."

Sinead was about to shoot back when her knees went weak as Mando tore the loaf of bread in two, releasing a puff of steam.

The kid made a shrill noise and reached for the food with stubby hands.

"I can take him."

"It's fine. Go eat while it's still hot. I can take it from here." The wriggling kid nearly slipped out of her hold.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

Mando disappeared up the ladder while Sinead sat down with her back against the wall and the kid sitting snugly on her lap. As soon as she placed the food within reach, he grabbed some meat and tore into it with surprising ferocity. She buried her nose in the bread and took a deep breath.

As they ate, Sinead's gaze wandered to the ladder that led to the cockpit. It was strange that Mando was so close and unmasked. He had been before, of course, but now it felt different. How long had it been since he had shared a meal with someone?

The kid cooed around a mouthful of bread.

It had to be very lonely.

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

It was time to leave.

The sun had dipped below the horizon and darkness descended on the forest moon in a flash, turning the trees into pitch black shadows. The farmhouse was an island of light in the middle of a deep void.

Sinead grunted and shifted her grip on the water tank before it slipped. The Crest was running low, and if there was one thing the moon had in abundance it was water. With a final wince, she twisted the canister into its spot on the underbelly of the ship and pushed the covering back into place.

The farmhouse door banged open and Jami came stalking out with Vyll hot on his heels.

"This discussion is over!"

"We haven't discussed anything! You just said no!" Vyll's voice shook with indignation.

"Exactly. You're staying here and that is final."

"You can't keep me here!"

Mando was watching the scene from the bottom of the ramp, the child in his arms. She sidled up next to him. "Hey."

"Hey."

Jami rounded on Vyll and poked him in the chest punctuating every word. "You. Stay. Right. Here." Laar stood in the doorway, lips pinched into an anxious frown, carrying a sleepy Elia who pressed her face against his collar.

Sinead bumped her shoulder against Mando. "Remember to check the ship for stowaways before takeoff," she whispered with a faint smile.

He let out a dry chuckle, and she looked away, her smile growing.

"That ... thing gets to come!" Vyll yelled and gestured wildly at the child in Mando's arms. Beside her, Mando tensed. He did sort of have a point, even though Sinead wanted to disagree just on principle, but the kid would be safer staying at the farm. She didn't think Mando would see it that way.

"That's on them. Your safety is on me." Jami tried to put his hand on Vyll's shoulders, who wrenched out of his grip and stormed back into the house, nearly falling over his own feet. Laar made his way down the steps, and Jami pressed the heel of his hand against his eyes.

"We said sundown. The sun is down," Mando mumbled.

"A few minutes won't make a difference."

Jami pressed a kiss to Elia's forehead, and she was sent back inside the house, staggering with fatigue. Reaching out, he laced his fingers through Laar's.

That was their cue to leave. Mando left the kid on the bunk bed and disappeared into the cockpit, while Sinead started pushing around a couple of boxes to make room for their newest addition. The ship hadn't been built for one person, let alone three, so it was going to be an uncomfortable ride no matter what.

Jami and Laar were visible through the open gate, standing close together. Behind them, the farmhouse spilled warm light out of every window. Her hands stilled as Jami leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Laar's lips, and it suddenly felt like a weight had dropped on her chest.

A soft coo made her tear her eyes away. The kid was watching her from her bunk, ears drooping.

"It's okay," she murmured, picking him up. He nestled into the crook of her arm. "I'm okay."

"I'm ready to go." The voice made her jump. Jami stood in the opening with a pack slung over his shoulder and a resolute look in his eyes but his lekku betrayed him with every twitch of agitation.

"I'll give Mando the go ahead."

The last glimpse before the ramp went up was Laar standing by the fence, hands clutching the railing like he would crumble to the ground without it.

Jami had thrown his pack into a corner and was sitting on a box of ammunition, staring desolately into the air.

"You'll be back with them in no time," Sinead said, sitting on the edge of the bunk. The kid babbled in agreement.

"Yeah."

"What's the story with them? The kids, I mean."

For a long time Jami watched her with an unreadable look in his eyes before they fell to the kid who had crawled onto Sinead's lap. He pulled a loose thread off his jacket and rolled it between his hands. "I met them after leaving Vekkass and his gang. They were running from something too. And don't even bother asking, it's not my story to tell. We agreed it might be safer to stick together. Laar doesn't have a lot of experience with the Outer Rim."

"He did look like he was afraid his rifle might come alive and shoot him instead."

Jami let out a short bark of laughter. "I've tried teaching him but at this point I don't think it'll ever take. It was meant to be temporary but you know how it is." There was a faint smile on his lips.

"Seems like you built quite a home for yourself."

"I did. Well …" his smile grew. "Neither me or Laar are big farmers, really. It's more a necessity than anything else. Maybe when all this is over, we can find a real home."

The hum from the engine filled the silence, and there was a hollow feeling in the pit of Sinead's stomach. A small hand tugged on her sleeve, and she looked down at the kid whose little face was wrinkled in concern. She smoothed a thumb across his forehead.

"Never seen anything like it." Jami had stopped fidgeting with the string. "What is he?"

"I honestly have no idea."

"So he's not yours?"

"You see any resemblance between us?" This felt like safer ground, and she gave him a wry smile.

"Hey, resemblance has nothing to do with it. Neither Vyll or Elia looks like me, but they're still my kids." Jami kicked his legs out and leaned back on his makeshift chair.

"You're right. But no, he isn't mine." She helped the kid down from the bunk and watched as he toddled across the floor, stopping briefly to examine Jami's shoe before moving on.

"So he's the Mandalorian's? Does that mean he's all ..." Jami gestured vaguely to his face.

Sinead let out a snort of laughter, and the child cooed from the other side of the ship. "No, no, he's ... he's not ..."

"You've seen him without the helmet?"

"No. It's, uh- it's a long story."

Jami shrugged and shifted on the box, trying to get comfortable.

"I'm sorry the accommodations are less than stellar. As you can see, this isn't exactly the lap of luxury."

"I've stayed in worse places. It's fine."

The ship shook as it entered hyperspace, and Sinead imagined she could feel the weight of the dimension pressing in all around them. The thought was comforting in a way. For a while she was locked in a tiny metal box plucked out of reality. Once they reached the end of the line, she would have to fight and worry and run and hope, and it might all be for nothing.

She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.