The Way of the Maiden

by The Court of Talons

The world of Remnant is notable for warriors such as Huntsmen and Huntresses. It is also notable for the Mandalorians, groups of mysterious and nomadic warriors just as ruthless as the Grimm. This is the story of one particular Mandalorian, and how a chance encounter with a child leads to the adventure of a lifetime.

47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47: The Smuggler

"-and with the current contract with the Atlesian military, that brings our total distribution to roughly... one thousand tons of Dust. When combined with the stocks moved to the rest of the Kingdom, it totals to nearly five thousand tons. This brings our distribution rates down by nearly ninety percent. In other words-"

"We're mining more than we're selling."

"We've held out this long, but the company will face decline by next week."

"Not to mention how our revenues have dropped since this damned embargo started. I've lost track of how many of our shareholders have called us with nothing but complaints and worries."

"Our only hope is to either find some way to increase Dust distribution or lay off the workers in the mines. Of course, the decision is yours, Mrs. Schnee."

"..."

"Mrs. Schnee?"

Willow Schnee looked up from the glass table she was staring at and towards multiple men and women looking at her. "Yes?" she asked politely. "I'm sorry, what was the question?"

"No question, ma'am," said a man in a suit with glasses. "I was just reminding our fellow board members that any course of action needs your approval."

"..."

Willow had been dreading this day ever since General Ironwood announced an embargo on Dust trade. She had been walking a dangerous line, but the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company continued to stay her current course and make every employee work as if nothing changed. But without anyone to distribute Dust to, besides the Kingdom of Atlas, the company's stability was at an all time low. Every kind of percentage either rose or fell in the worst way possible; from excessive production and mining to low sales and distribution, the future of the company looked bleaker by the day.

And yet, Willow refused to change how things were going.

"As I was saying, Mrs. Schnee," the man continued. "We have two options now. Either we distribute more Dust and empty our stockpile or we shut down the mines."

"We've never shut down before," Willow declared.

"Um... I'm aware, ma'am. But these are certainly trying times. We can't even ponder the idea of lowering costs or earning any more Lien until we make the necessary changes to hold out."

"With that being said, all logic points to closing the mines," another man in a purple suit jacket with a black undershirt said firmly. "We also cannot consider the idea of mining until more Dust is distributed."

"Which is why we're all here," Willow reminded the board member. "Our goal, ladies and gentlemen, is not to close anything or lay off anyone. Until we find a way to distribute more Dust-"

"If I may, Mrs. Schnee," the man in purple interrupted as he stood up. "I believe I speak for the board when I ask what the logic behind our current course is." Heads across the table nodded together. "At this rate, we will lose more than just profits."

Despite her spirits being at a point where hardly anything could raise them, Willow spoke up in a confident and declarative tone. "The logic, Mr. Burton, is that we have too many people that rely on all of us to keep their jobs. Not all of our employees are well off like the rest of us. Some of them even need to work triple shifts. And I cannot, in good conscience, shut down and leave said workers to fend for themselves."

"..."

Willow remained firm and unwavering as she watched the board members of the company look at each other. And her altruism for the miners wasn't false. Even before she took charge of everything, Willow made a habit of visiting the Dust mines, the very foundation of the Schnee Dust Company. In that time, Willow had gotten to know a large number of people and see what drove them to work for her. She had done this long enough to know that shutting down, no matter how long, would do nothing but hurt the people who needed their mining jobs more than anything.

Despite the silence from the rest of the board, nobody seemed to be supporting her decision. The first one to deny it was Mr. Burton, who seemed to be backed by over half of the board members.

"Mrs. Schnee, I admit that our large corporation has an abundance of workers in the field," he began. "But we have more than our workforce to consider. Our entire Kingdom, Atlas and Mantle, are in no need of anymore freshly-mined Dust. There is more to the picture than just our workers." Before his manager could reply, the purple-dressed man turned to the the rest of his board members. "Do I hear a second on this?"

"Aye," a vast majority of the table said as they raised their hands.

"And against?"

"...Nay," a minority of the table said with more raised hands. But their voices were not enough to shake the majority.

"The ayes have it, ma'am," Mr. Burton said. "We-"

"Hold on, hold on!"

Everyone turned towards a man with a suit with glasses who had spoken earlier. "Nobody called for a vote!" he said. "Even so, we can't just make a decision without Mrs. Schnee's approval!"

"I'm afraid we can," said Mr. Burton. "It is a rare occurrence, but the SDC board can overturn any decision by the CEO in events of an emergency. And I, for one, cannot think of a larger emergency than the stake of our company." He then looked over to his manager. "Am I mistaken, Mrs. Schnee?"

"..."

Willow dreaded this part of the board's contract today of all days. Of course, she understood the idea when it was on paper. But now that she saw what it looked like in reality, Willow wished the rules were different. Changing them now would only create more chaos, so she decided to admit a temporary defeat.

"You are not, Mr. Burton," she said. "But a overturn vote won't be necessary. I'll let you know whatever decision I make tomorrow."

"But you said you wanted to stay the course," Mr. Burton argued.

"I did, but thanks to your... persuasion, I'd like a little more time to consider the other ramifications."

"There's no time like the present, ma'am."

Willow looked at her watch. "I would agree, but I have a pressing matter to attend to. And I think our meeting has actually overrun its course."

Some of the board members agreed, given that they too had meetings with various people in the company. Despite their main responsibility with the company board, the members had to meet with those who reported to them as well. And so, the meeting was adjourned, which left Willow feeling both relieved and defeated at the same time.

But she wasn't sad enough to give credit where it was due.

"Excuse me, Mr. Bell," she said to the man wearing glasses who spoke earlier.

"Yes, ma'am?" he addressed as he looked back. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. I just wanted to thank you for speaking in my defense."

"Oh." The man was a recent addition to the board of directors, so he wasn't properly used to receiving credit from someone with such power over him. Nonetheless, he chose to be humble in the face of his superior. "It was nothing, ma'am. I was just following the rules."

"I see." Willow approached the man. "But there are times when ethics supersede business. Try to remember that."

"Oh, um... Of course, ma'am." Despite not wanting to overstep his boundaries, Mr. Bell couldn't help but take an opportunity to pursue a certain curiosity. "Is that what you were doing, ma'am? Bending the rules to help our miners?"

"Indeed. Well, trying to do, anyway. But the rest of the board, Burton especially, aren't usually open minded when it comes to savings."

"I don't think that's the problem, ma'am. I overheard a few of them sharing some fears about the future. They're just worried, that's all."

"Hmm... I understand."

Mr. Bell could tell that Willow was also afraid of the future. He was grateful that she of all people took some time to congratulate him on his performance, given that he was recently promoted. And to him, it didn't seem right to leave someone like the CEO of the SDC in a bad mood.

"However, I think Mr. Burton may have been exaggerating a bit," he said.

"Oh?" Willow asked. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, if you truly wish to stay our current course, I think we can hold out until next month if we empty a few of the warehouses."

"Is that so?" Willow was willing to see the statistics to prove this, but she decided to take her board member's word at the moment. "How much would you say?"

"Two, at the very least. And they're all filled with various kinds of Dust, as I'm sure you're aware."

"Of course. Do you think it's possible to have them emptied by next week?"

"Um... I'm not sure, ma'am. I only know inventory. You'll have to talk to Ms. Blu, she deals with shipping information."

"I see." Willow looked at her watch again. "I'm sorry, I have to be going."

"Yes, of course. Good day."

---

Sadly, the rest of Willow's day didn't go as well as her conversation with Mr. Bell. Along with her other responsibilities, which included handling short-term outcomes for the company and signing her name on enough operation documents to make her hand sore, the CEO of the company had a lengthy conversation with the director of Dust distribution. Unfortunately, Ms. Blu declared that moving Dust was impossible at the moment. Every Dust shop the SDC either owned or worked with was full to the brim with Dust. Sales were going as well as could be expected, but new Dust wasn't needed at the time.

Willow was at her wits' end by the time the workday was over. A solution to her problem was so close yet so far away, and the cons of the solution outweigh the pros. While empty warehouses could result in the miners of the company keeping their jobs and earn their pay for a little while longer, the company would still continue to spend money instead of earning it. Willow had already noticed a significant dent in her own amount; not enough to throw her and her family out on the streets, but enough for Willow to understand that things would only get worse before they got better.

The one upside of the situation was that the Kingdom's borders had extended their deadline to close. General Ironwood decided to send representatives and ambassadors from Atlas to speak with the other Kingdoms, to reinforce his decision to close Atlas off from the world. Furthermore, the entire military that was outside the Kingdom at certain bases had been recalled to Atlas. So rather than closing earlier, Ironwood chose to wait a few more days until everything and everyone had been accounted for.

Willow had another meeting with Ironwood after she met Professor Ozpin and Djarin. And despite her continued attempts to make him see that more Dust would be needed to protect others from the Mandalorians' savage war, Willow failed to convince Ironwood to lift the embargo.

But the worst of it was that Winter had chosen to side with Ironwood in the matter. In fact, she started cutting ties with her mother altogether without explaining why.

Since the day was over, Willow decided to leave her office and begin her journey home. The main headquarters of the Schnee Dust Company was extraordinarily large, even bigger than her own house. The first piece of ground she covered was a simple hallway, painted in white and gray and decorated with various pictures on the walls. The pictures were mainly of company events and certain people, something that Willow had seen a hundred times over. But a look at all of these people reminded Willow of the responsibilities she had providing such hardworking men and women with adequate working environments and time.

Willow reached an elevator at the end of the hall, one that was covered with gold-colored walls on the inside. Since she was in no mood to stay longer than she had to, Willow took the elevator to the ground floor. But as she took the first steps and looked at her watch, Willow got a message from Klein, the family butler. It said that he was running a few minutes later today. So, Willow had to wait a little longer for her ride home.

Fortunately, the ground floor was home to the building's cafeteria, which appeared to be still open. Since she had some time to spare, Willow decided to order herself a drink before she left. She wasn't very hungry, and she enjoyed having dinner with her family.

*DING*

"Be right there!"

A few seconds after Willow rang a small bell on the counter top, she was greeted by one of the company's oldest employees; a large black haired man named Dexter, who had been in the food business for a very long time.

"Ah, Mrs. Schnee!" Dexter greeted with a smile. "What can I get you?"

"Hello, Dexter," Willow greeted the man with a smile. "I'll just have an iced tea."

"Sure thing!" Dexter moved behind the counter and towards a drink dispenser. "You taking it to go?"

"I think I'll have it here. I'm not in as much of a hurry as I thought I'd be."

"Sounds good." Dexter came back to the counter with a glass of ice tea for the CEO. As he did, the cook began to wipe a grease spot off the counter. "Rough day, my friend?"

"Nothing but rough days this week," Willow replied after she took a sip of the flavorful beverage. She had known Dexter for a long time, long enough to know that he was quite the conversationalist. Not that she minded; talking with someone like Dexter was a welcome experience, no matter how rare or common it was.

"Ah, I figured as much," said the cook. "I've heard nothing but venting and rambling about how messed up things are here since I opened for the day."

"Oh, I've heard my share as well," said Willow. "And from the board of directors of all people. They're actually trying to make me shut down until the embargo's lifted." The CEO saw an opportunity to ask an employee, regardless of what kind of work they did, about the situation. "You don't think I'm making a mistake by keeping us open, do you, Dexter?"

"A mistake? Who told you that?"

"The board, mostly. But honestly, is this a mistake?"

"I don't think so. I mean, my dream diner still needs the money I'm earning here to make it. If anything, you're doing people like me a favor."

"Oh, right. You said you finally found a place for it?"

"Yep. It's a fixer-upper, but nothing I can't bang out over the weekends. And like I said, the money I'm earning helps with that. So really, ma'am, you and your father have been helping me by keeping the place open. And there's no way everyone else thinks the opposite."

The thing that Willow loved the most about talking with Dexter was how he always found a way to make her feel better. Even when she was feeling fine, a simple talk with the cook brightened her day even more. And he was right; there were still people who she was helping by keeping the company fully operational.

However, there was something else that started to bother her.

"Oh, dear," she began after she took another drink of her iced tea. "If Father saw the show we're trying to run, he'd probably roll over in his grave."

Dexter began to wipe another part of the counter. "Aw, it's not your fault, ma'am," he said sincerely. "All those soldiers and generals breathing down your neck is enough to drive anyone mad. That's what's wrong with this Kingdom; the army always gets their nose in any kind of honest business."

"Well, the Council trusts James. For better or worse." Willow took another sip of her drink. "I suppose Father would've trusted him too if they ever met. Hell, he'd probably made sure none of this ever happened in the first place."

"Well, this wouldn't be the first time we found ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place." Dexter threw the towel on his shoulder. "You remember that Dust shortage we had a while back, right?"

Willow took a second to search her memories. "Oh, that's right." She took another drink. "I must have been six years old when it happened. It had an... effect on him, from what I recall."

"Yep, sounds about right. I heard all kinds of chatter from this side of the counter. Resignations this, and layoffs that. Everyone was scared. Not all that different from today, it looks like."

"...I hadn't thought of that." This was true, but Willow thought of something else. "I think we were using more Dust from other Kingdoms at that point."

"Yep, that's right. Didn't really put us on good terms with the world back then. It even caused almost all of Vacuo's natural resources to disappear."

"So I've heard. Although, that shortage disappeared by luck. When more mines were found across Solitas, things went back to normal." Willow took another drink. "I don't think luck will save us this time, do you?"

"Well, let's just say that some people know how to make their luck. That's what I heard at least."

"..."

Willow was about to take another drink of her iced tea, but stopped herself when she heard what Dexter said. Not just what he said, but how he said it as well. It was almost as if he knew what he was talking about, like it had happened before.

"...Pardon?" she asked. "I'm sorry, what are you talking about?"

Dexter was ready to answer honestly, but the look on Willow's face made him change his mind. The confusion and uncertainty she conveyed told the cook that this was something she shouldn't be hearing.

And he shouldn't be talking about it.

"Um..." he began. "Nothing. I'm sorry, I was just kidding." He then turned to the clock on the wall, though he didn't care what time it was. "I should get going, it's-"

"No, wait," Willow said as she reached over the counter. "What is it?"

"Nah, it's nothing. Just some rambling and-"

"Dexter." Willow looked at the cook dead in the eyes. "Don't make me order you to talk to me."

"..."

When he realized that he had gone too far, Dexter weighed his options. He indeed knew something about the Dust shortage that nearly ruined the Schnee Dust Company, but what he knew was mostly a pack of rumors. Nevertheless, he knew that there was no turning back in this situation, so it would be best to just spit it out.

"Okay, okay," Dexter relented as he moved back to the counter. "But lemme just start off by saying this is what I heard. You know, just rumors and small talk I hear all around." Dexter moved his finger around the immediate area, which was the cafeteria.

Willow was starting to understand that being around countless important people, in any capacity, meant that one could hear a great many things. "Alright," she began. "So what were these rumors and small talk you heard?"

"Well, it all started about a week after the shortage was announced. I heard everyone talking about all sorts of things. Layoffs, revenue loss, I could go on forever."

"But you heard something else..."

"Yeah, that's right." Dexter took a quick look around to make sure nobody else was listening. "The first time I heard something was right over there." Willow followed the cook's finger towards a table to the right. "It was a couple of accountants, who said there were a few discrepancies with some of the Dust that was left. Something about it not all being accounted for. Like it disappeared out of thin air."

Willow was quick to dismiss the idea. "Accounting errors aren't uncommon," she said. "Especially with a company as large as ours."

"That's what I thought too, so I ignored it. But for the past few days, the same accountants were talking about it with a few others. It was all the same thing; they were either lying or just bad at their jobs."

"...Really?" Willow took a moment to think. "Such a case would have to be brought up sometime. Was it?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. I only know the problem was that the Dust supposed to go to the shops around the Kingdom never made it. It wasn't just the shortage, it was making things worse."

"So the Dust was stolen."

"That's what I thought."

"I suppose it's possible. Was there any investigation?"

"Not that I know of. But things were looking bad for the people. Above and below."

Willow took another drink as she contemplated how bad things must have been with little to no Dust. "I can imagine. No heat, no source of energy. Isn't it true the mortality rate rose around that time?"

"Mm-hm. And if that wasn't bad enough, the disappearances started a couple of weeks later."

"Disappearances?"

"It took me a little bit to notice it at first. But some of the employees I used to serve just stopped showing up. I thought they quit at first, but then I heard something else through the grapevine."

"What's that?"

"Apparently, one of the higher ups was going on an expedition. The first one of its kind in a long time."

"And that would be?"

"An attempt to find more mines out in the tundra. Pretty far from the Kingdom."

"How far?"

"Far."

"...Is that so?"

"Yeah, but here's the thing. By the time I got wind of these rumors, the shortage was over. Military and SDC ships were moving from the Kingdom, but they all went to new mines that were found in the tundra. You've seen them before, haven't you?"

"..."

Willow was indeed aware of all the Dust mines the Schnee Dust Company owned. She had them all memorized from the smallest one to the largest, and from the closest one to the farthest one. And Dexter was right; some of those mines were located in the tundra, and they were made to be suitable for miners.

But this fact didn't answer all of Willow's questions.

"Dexter... what exactly are you saying?" she asked.

"Well, between the missing Dust, the missing employees, and the new mines..." Dexter began. "A few theories came to mind among the masses."

"...Give me your favorite."

"Like I said, ma'am, some people know how to make their own luck. Whoever it was seemed to have plenty of resources too."

Willow was beginning to piece everything together. And what she believed wasn't something she liked. "Are you saying my father did all of this? That he used his own Dust and people for such a... such a reckless mission with nothing but hope to rely on?"

"No, I'm not saying that! I'm just saying what I heard, honest!"

"..."

"Besides, it could have been another one of the higher ups! They had just as much access to Dust as your father did."

"..."

Willow began to calm down as she remembered what Dexter had said earlier. But still, such an accusation like that was hard to swallow.

"But where your father is concerned, I do know this," Dexter said. "If there was ever something like this, or if there was someone who made all of this happen... Nick knew everything that happened in his company."

"..."

Willow wouldn't expect anything less from her father, but there was one of two ways that the idea could be taken. The first was that her father eventually found out about this conspiracy. And whoever they were, they were certainly punished.

The second, and more terrifying, was that her father was somehow involved. With the shortage and the people needing more Dust, such desperate times would certainly require desperate measures to be taken.

But Willow knew that he wouldn't consider such a thing.

Would he?

*BUZZ*

*BUZZ*

Willow was broken out of her trance when the sound of her Scroll reached her ears. When she saw that it was another message from Klein, Willow stood up from her seat. "I'm sorry, I have to go," she said.

Dexter looked at the clock behind him. "Yeah, I gotta close up," he said. "Listen, I hope I didn't rattle you or anything with the story. It's all just speculation at this point anyway."

"Oh, no. I was the one who asked. And like you said, it was just rumors and nonsense."

"Yep, nothing but."

Willow reached into her pocket and took out two pieces of Lien. "One's for the iced tea, the rest is for you."

"Well, thank you kindly. Have a good one, now."

"You too, Dexter."

---

Try as she did, Willow couldn't seem to forget everything that she had heard from Dexter. Of course, it wasn't really his business to be saying such things. But then again, he was never one to tell any lies. And with the logic thrown in as well, Willow couldn't help but find the story... plausible.

So as soon as she returned home, Willow confined herself to the study she and her father used for work and conducted her own research into the matter. Because everything that he said was based on rumors, Dexter was right about one thing; Nicholas Schnee knew everything that happened in the company while he was in charge.

And if he found out about it, there was a chance it was documented.

Willow began her research by going back in time, so to speak. She used her computer to examine every file associated with the Dust shortage that happened when she was a child. The most memorable part of that time was the hours her father would spend in the study as he tried to figure everything out. There was no way he wouldn't use his own computer while doing so.

Sure enough, Willow found everything that had transpired at the company during Atlas' Dust shortage. The size of it all was certainly too much to handle in one night, so Willow decided to start small.

"Let's see," she mentally commanded herself. "What was the first thing Dexter told me? Something about missing Dust?" When she realized that was correct, Willow looked into the accounting department to see what exactly was missing.

"Ah, here we go. According to this report, the company was missing about... Oh, my. That's a lot of Dust." Willow needed a second to collect her thoughts after the surprise came. "Okay, a report like this would certainly have to be sent higher. Who made this?"

Reported by: Ophelia Blight

Issue Number: ACC-3320

"Looks like I have to search by the number." Willow made a search in the computer's task bar and found the report in greater detail, as well as who inspected the report.

Report Status: Resolved

Reviewed by: Nicholas Schnee

"...What?"

Willow rubbed her eyes and looked at the screen again to see if she was mistaken. But her father's name was listed as the one who reviewed and resolved the accounting report. But there didn't seem to be any detail as to how it was resolved, only that it was classified as an accounting error. And that it seemed to be resolved after the shortage was declared to be over.

"Father wouldn't take something like this lightly," Willow assured herself. "There has to be something else here."

Willow dug deeper and deeper into the documents that she had unearthed. Each one she saw all shared a similar pattern, that had reviews and signatures by her father. The pattern was shocking and making little sense, but it didn't appear to be coming from a source. Willow was about to give up, since the shock of something like this was hard to swallow.

As she prepared to get her mind sorted out before looking more, Willow found one certain folder in the company's records. The only distinction it had from everything else was the size of it. It was rather large for an ordinary file, but it had a timestamp that corresponded with the Dust shortage.

Willow saw folders like this during her search, all of which entailed that production, revenue, and other business was beginning to rise once again. Nevertheless, Willow decided to take a look at the folder.

"Hmm... sealed," Willow observed as a sign-in page appeared. She had seen sealed documents like this before, so she simply entered her credentials.

Access Denied

"...Strange," Willow confessed as she stared at the screen. "The CEO should be able to open any sealed file." Willow tried to enter her credentials again, but the screen said the same thing. When she tried much slower, believing that she made a mistake while typing, Willow was greeted by the same message.

Access Denied

Despite feeling frustrated at the sight of the continued anomaly, Willow was more determined than ever to see what contents the folder was hiding.

"I'll bring this up with IT tomorrow," Willow decided as she prepared to turn the screen off. "Although... Maybe it will work with Father's credentials." Willow easily remembered the passcode; it was her mother's birthday.

Access Granted

When the folder opened, Willow realized that she had hit the jackpot. The folder was filled to the brim with all sorts of documents, from maps of the uncharted tundra to a list of Dust quantities.

"Is that... the missing Dust?" Willow hypothesized confidently. "But, if Father knew where it was, why would he keep it a-?"

Willow had pieced everything together by now. Everything she heard from Dexter was true; her father saved the company in one of the worst ways imaginable. And if these documents weren't living proof, one file certainly was.

For Willow

"..."

The shaken woman had no idea what was on the file that rested at the bottom of the list, but she certainly knew who it was from. Despite the obvious fact, Willow couldn't bring herself to click into it. The last words she ever heard from its author were more valuable than any amount of money. What if she didn't like what she saw?

What else did Nicholas Schnee have to say?

Despite not wanting to know, Willow clicked into the file to see a note. She knew she had to read it, whatever it said.

"Hello, my darling.

If you're reading this, you've heard whatever rumors or allegations are being thrown around about me. And you've seen the other files in this folder. You have questions, I'm sure, and that's why I wrote this. So, before I explain myself, let me be blunt.

Yes.

The missing Dust, the new mines, the secret expeditions, the employees who went missing. The answer is yes, Willow. It was me.

I'm so sorry you had to find out this way. That Big Nicholas, someone who countless people looked up to, had a dark secret. That he made a decision to lie, steal, and risk lives all to get the company where it is today. I confess, I did it all. I kept the Dust that was supposed to go to the people who needed it, I planned dangerous expeditions across the tundra all in the hopes of finding new sources of Dust, and hired Huntsmen and my own employees to find said mines.

I know I let you down, darling. That I made the company where it is on top of thievery and bodies. But believe me, I hated myself for doing all of it. I've tried to make up for it, so many times. Charities, payments to their families, but I don't think I'll ever wash my hands of all this. Hell, I can't even forgive myself.

But this isn't just a confession. I know you'll hate me for keeping this from you, for taking this secret to my grave. But I don't think I could allow myself to not explain things to you. So, I beg of you not to close this or delete this without finishing it to the end.

The truth is, Willow, the company at the time was more than just a business. It was a service that our Kingdom depended on, that its people depended on. When the shortage hit, the Council and the military believed taking what wasn't ours to begin with was the best course of action rather than finding new mines. I was eventually forced to comply with this request, and I told myself a hundred times that this was for the good of us all.

But then, Vacuo was practically drained. Their shortage was worse than ours, in fact. I didn't know how much more it would take for war to be declared, or how many lives I was ruining because of it. Enough was enough.

So, I made a choice. Either I could keep stealing from the other Kingdoms, or I could steal from our Kingdom instead.

And so, after acquiring the Dust necessary for excavating mines, I carefully planned several expeditions outside the tundra and hired multiple Huntsmen to carry them out. Some of my workers volunteered, saying they knew the risks. So after I rewarded them in advance, the expeditions began.

Needless to say, my plan worked. The Huntsmen reported their findings of new Dust veins to their superiors and new mines were made for the Schnee Dust Company. But sadly, not everyone made it back.

I know I shouldn't hate myself for saving the company, maybe even our entire Kingdom. If I did nothing, there may have been another war. But I hate myself for stealing what should have belonged to the people, and I hate myself even more for knowing I sent my own employees to die.

But there was one person who told me not to feel guilty. He honestly told me that this was what needed to be done. That this was the only way to save the Kingdoms. That the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... or the one.

He was right, of course, though my conscience isn't entirely clear. What I did saved more lives than I initially expected. I know I should be telling you all of this in person, but I don't have the strength. Just like I didn't have the strength to stand up to the Council and the military.

The reason I want to share all of this with you is to ask you one thing: don't do everything I did. Don't feel the need to lie or steal what rightfully belongs to others. And don't risk lives, no matter how they feel about the situation.

But there is one thing I would like you to do, Willow. Despite this crisis being averted, I can't help but feel something like this will happen again. If there is ever a time when the Kingdom, or the world, is in trouble, don't let our Council or the military stop you. If you feel that corners need to be cut to save lives and save the Kingdom for what it should be, do it. If there is ever a shortage or, Gods forbid, someone is making us keep more Dust for ourselves, help the people who need it the most.

But don't take this as permission to do the big things, Willow. All I ask is that you do the right ones, regardless of whatever law stands in your way. This I know, in my heart, to be our main responsibility to the people.

Take care, darling. I love you with everything I have.

Father.

PS, don't show Jacques this message. Something tells me his sense for business wouldn't prevent him from doing what I did, but bigger."

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

Willow shot up from her seat and shut off her screen. "Yes?!" she yelled without thinking.

The door to the study opened to reveal a visibly-shaken Klein. "Mrs. Schnee, are you alright?" he asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you-"

"No, no, I'm fine!" Willow insisted. "I'm sorry I was just..." Willow looked over to her desk. "Reading. Yes, I was reading something... unexpected. I wasn't paying attention." She then looked down and rubbed her forehead. "I'm sorry, Klein, I don't think I can be disturbed right now. Why are you here?"

"Well, I only wished to tell you that Mr. Djarin is here."

"Tell him I'm not-Wait a minute." Willow looked up. "Did you say Djarin?"

"Yes, ma'am. He told me you were expecting him today."

"I was?"

Willow remembered the last conversation she had with Djarin, how he needed help and that he would have to come back at the end of the week.

And the end of the week was today.

"I mean, I was!" Willow said as she returned to her senses. "Yes, tell him I'll be right down."

---

True to Klein's words, Din Djarin was indeed in the Schnee manor. He was currently using his disguise of Magic, the one provided by Ozpin to hide his true identity. Given the strings he had to pull with General Ironwood to land his ship, and the ongoing war going on outside Atlas, the Mandalorian knew hiding his armor was the best thing to do.

Djarin wouldn't be here if his current mission wasn't of the upmost importance. His most recent visit to Atlas didn't work well where Ironwood was concerned, but it proved rather fortuitous with Willow Schnee. After she expressed her sympathies for Cinder's condition, Djarin asked her for a personal favor. He asked if it was possible for her to obtain a special kind of Dust, one that Djarin used to help Cinder during the Fall of Beacon.

The Dust was known as Cobalt Dust, a very rare and powerful substance that could help a person heal from sickness or wounds they obtained. The Mandalorian knew that it helped Cinder once, and he was fairly certain it could help her again.

Willow knew this as well, and the first thing she did was go over her reports of mined Dust to see if there was any sign of Cobalt Dust in the mix. Luckily, a small vein was mined dry and taken back to Atlas. And Willow was currently carrying it in a small case for her friend.

"Hello, Djarin," Willow said as she saw a man in her foyer. This was the second time Willow had seen what she believed to be Djarin without his armor, and she was still getting used to seeing his shaven face with black hair.

Even though this was a false face, Djarin was able to show proper facial expressions; Ozpin's Magic was a rare and powerful sort indeed. "Hello, Willow," the Mandalorian replied. "It's good to see you."

"Believe me, you have no idea how mutual the feeling is." Willow stopped walking for a moment and gestured into a different room with chairs. "Please, let's sit."

Djarin would normally be welcoming of the hospitality, but he wasn't sure how much longer he should overstay his welcome in Atlas. "Um, I don't think-"

"Trust me, I'm in no hurry to wrap this up. Are you?"

"I just don't know how Ironwood will-"

"Oh, I've had my fill of Ironwood and his ideas for one lifetime. I'm in no hurry to do right by him." Willow began to walk into the next room. "Please, sit."

"..."

Djarin believed Willow at the moment, since he was well aware of the impression the General had on people. However, there was something about his hostess' attitude that seemed more... desperate. It was almost as if she was begging him to stay for a little while longer.

Since he didn't want to be rude, and he didn't want to leave without the Cobalt Dust, Djarin complied to the request and sat down. Once he did, he turned towards the small case Willow was carrying.

"Is that-?"

*THUD*

Willow placed the case on the table and opened it just as quickly. She and Djarin looked inside to see not one, not two, but three small vials of Cobalt Dust with the SDC logo on each one.

"We got lucky during our excessive mining," said Willow. "One of the teams hit a small vein of Cobalt Dust, and now..." Willow closed the case and pushed it to Djarin. "Now it's yours. I think... I hope it helps you and Cinder."

Djarin reached towards the case and moved it closer to him. "Thank you," he said. "I... I can't tell you how much this means to me."

Before tonight, Willow was pleased at the mere prospect of helping a friend, regardless of how many people thought badly of the Mandalorians. It may have even ruined her reputation, if news of Mandalorian help arresting Major Gideon was never revealed. But now, Willow thought of this gift as more of an exchange, given that what she really needed right now was a friend.

"You're welcome," Willow began. "I meant what I said, Djarin. But... I don't think I can give it to you for free."

Djarin was taken aback by the claim, but his earlier intuition of Willow had told him that she was desperate. If she was desperate for money, he was about to find out.

"I... don't think I have much on me." Djarin stood up and reached into his pocket. "But I can transfer some money if that's alright you-"

"No, no, wait." Willow rubbed her forehead and mentally cursed herself for being stupid. "Djarin, I don't want your money. I just... What I meant was that I'd just like you to stay a little longer. I want to talk to you."

"...Oh." Djarin sat back down. "Um... sure." This behavior only raised more questions than answers for his earlier perception of Willow. "Is something wrong?"

Willow sighed. "Everything's wrong. I'm trapped in the Kingdom I was raised in, I'm hoarding Dust when I should be giving it, and now my own people are turning against me!" Willow took a sharp breath as she tried to relax. "...I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I just-"

"You need to vent. I understand." Djarin wasn't familiar with Willow performing the action, but allowing people to vent was a trait he picked up as a parent. After all, there were times when the stress of being a Maiden and growing up with few friends got to Cinder's head. The Mandalorian was always there for his daughter, and now the new code of honor he made was telling him to be there for someone as generous as Willow. "Tell me everything."

Willow wanted to do so, but there was something else on her mind. "Actually... I was wondering if you could tell me everything," she requested. "Is the war still ongoing?"

"It is. I wish I could say it wasn't."

"And the effort? Has there been any kind of counterattack?"

"In Vale, from what I've heard. But the Mandalorians there are strong, and they grow stronger with every city they conquer. Mistral has the worst of it, but I haven't seen it myself."

"Why not?"

"Ozpin sent me to Vacuo. He needs my help with the Beacon students transferring there."

"I see." Willow soon took a different stance in the conversation when she heard the word "help." She wasn't sure about her plan at the moment, but she had to start somewhere. "What kind of help do Vale and Mistral need? How can they deal with the Mandalorians?"

"Ozpin and Headmaster Kenobi of Haven both told me how thin their forces are spread across Sanus and Anima. The people are caught in the middle, but I think they could hold their own if they had the right supplies."

"Such as Dust."

"That's one of them, yes."

Willow had tried to present this point to Ironwood multiple times, and she was glad to hear that she was right. She knew that he wouldn't change his mind about the embargo, but she also knew that Djarin was right as well. From Huntsmen to mere citizens, having enough Dust for their weapons and energy could potentially make things better; as well as fulfill her responsibility.

She had a plan to do so, but she needed to clear her conscience first.

"Djarin... you're going to hide the Dust, aren't you?" Willow asked. "When you leave?"

"Of course," Djarin replied as he tapped the case. "With this embargo, I expect Ironwood to want every piece of Dust to stay here."

"Indeed. I think I have a way to help with that, but I need you to do two things for me."

"Two things?"

Willow sensed the uncertainty in her friend's voice, but she stayed her course. "Feel free to say no, but the bottom line is... I need your help, Djarin."

"..."

When Djarin met Willow a week earlier, it was he who said those words to her. The tables had turned in a very unexpected way, and Willow's desperation showed itself once again. Djarin had heard the phrase "cabin fever" before, but he had no idea closing a Kingdom's borders could result in a similar situation.

He had no idea how he could help, but that didn't stop him from asking.

"How... can I help?"

Willow took a deep breath as she answered Djarin's question with a question. "Djarin... have you ever broken the law?"

Djarin couldn't help but back away in his chair. "What?"

"Have you ever broken the law? Before we met?"

Djarin began to feel insulted by the question; it seemed that Willow was playing into some kind of stereotype with him. "Wait, is this because I'm a Mandalorian?" he asked angrily.

Willow could already see that her plan had backfired. "No, no, of course not!" she answered.

"..."

It was clear that Djarin was unconvinced by the claim, and it was clear that Willow had to be upfront and honest with him. "Djarin, I swear that's not why I asked! I asked because... because I'm thinking about breaking the law."

"What?" His anger began to subside as he saw the look on Willow's face. She appeared to be vulnerable, discouraged, and more importantly... she was at her wit's end. "What do you mean?"

"I just found out that... someone I respected broke the law for a seemingly noble cause. There were consequences, but their plan worked. I need to know if it's possible.

"If what's possible?"

"That one can break the law for a noble cause. I think I can do the same thing, but only if it's possible." Willow reached for Djarin's hand, which felt somewhat cold and somewhat rubbery. She ignored the feeling and looked at Djarin. "You once told me that you were a bounty hunter, and I merely assumed some lines had to be crossed in a profession like that. I'm not asking to insult you or think differently of you, Djarin. You're the first friend I've seen in a long time, and maybe one of the only people I can trust right now."

"..."

Willow could tell that she had already crossed a line, and Djarin appeared to be unconvinced of her claim. After all, this was the first time she acted in such a manner. So she let go of Djarin's hand and stood up.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm being ridiculous. Please, take the Dust, forget this ever happened."

"..."

Willow turned around fast and prepared to go to bed rather early for tonight. A million ideas as to what to do rang through her head, starting from taking every document her father had of his plan and wiping them off the face of Remnant.

"I remember one time."

Willow stopped walking and turned around once again. She saw that Djarin hadn't left, and that he was walking towards her.

"There were times when I broke the law," Djarin admitted. "And there was a time when I did it for a noble cause. Do you remember the insurrection Major Gideon planned? How he almost killed Ironwood?"

"Of course," Willow replied. "It was all over the news."

"I met him during that time, but it wasn't exactly the first time I heard of him." Djarin stopped walking when he was close to Willow. "Five years ago, I learned that Major Gideon had captured a group of Mandalorians who used to live in this Kingdom. He took them prisoner to a facility in Anima. They escaped... with my help."

Willow couldn't place her finger on it, but something about this story sounded... familiar. Nevertheless, she drew her own conclusions. "So you wanted to help them," she believed.

"Well... not at first," Djarin confessed. "See, this was around the time I took in Cinder. She heard about the Mandalorians too, we actually heard it together. I was skeptical about going after them, since my mind was set on keeping Cinder out of danger. But she was stubborn, and she was starting to learn how to be like my people."

"How do you mean?"

"I was teaching her about the rules my tribe followed, along with how to defend herself. Don't ask me how or why, but Cinder took those rules to heart. And when she heard about the Mandalorians, she felt the same rules applied when it came to rescuing them."

"Really? Why was that?"

"They actually helped us before. They didn't even know who we were at the time, but they still helped us. When Cinder reminded me of that, we snuck in and broke all of them out."

"I see."

"..."

Despite the somewhat neutral response she gave, Willow reminded herself that this was why she liked Djarin in the first place; despite his initial appearance and background, Din Djarin understood honor.

This reminder and Djarin's story actually helped Willow answer her question. It also helped her see that her father was indeed on to something in his letter. In her mind, Willow understood that laws were made to keep order and peace in one place. But now, she was beginning to understand that strict observation of the rules had a habit of preventing noble outcomes.

Now it was time to stop that.

"Thank you, Djarin," Willow said gratefully. "I'm sure that wasn't easy to say."

"Not really," Djarin admitted. "Though it does feel good to get off my chest."

"..."

"Is there... something you'd like to get off yours?"

Willow nodded. "There is. And I need your help."

---

Willow had taken her guest to her study, where she finally revealed her idea of breaking the law for a noble cause. First, she shared the fact that the Schnee Dust Company was mining more Dust than they were selling across the Kingdom. And then she reminded Djarin about giving the Dust to the citizens who needed it most. The last thing Willow said was the same thing Djarin was thinking.

"I want this Dust to be taken far away from Atlas," Willow said. "And be brought directly to Vale and Mistral."

Djarin understood what Willow was saying, and he knew the term she was describing. "You want me to smuggle your Dust out of Atlas," he said.

Despite her assurance her plan could work, Willow didn't like the use of that term. "No, don't think of it as smuggling. Think of it as taking my Dust directly where it needs to go without anyone else knowing that it's gone. And by anyone, I mean Ironwood, or the Council, or the board of-"

"..."

Willow could see that Djarin was unconvinced, so she admitted defeat. "Alright, fine. Yes, I would appreciate it if you... smuggled my Dust out of the Kingdom."

"Heh, heh." Djarin couldn't help but find the situation somewhat comical. "So, while I'm taking it, you can make it disappear?"

"On paper, yes. Someone I know did something similar before, and I'm sure I can replicate it. And since the excess Dust is mine, nobody else will need it at the moment."

"..."

Willow was certain this could work, but she couldn't help but feel the need to clear her conscience of the whole thing. Djarin, however, seemed to have no problem with the idea.

"I'm impressed, Willow," he admitted. "You put a lot of thought into this. You even have some false covers for the Dust crates."

"Not right now," Willow confessed. "But I know where to get some. And you may not even need that many, if you show your ship's guards one of them before you go."

"I think I should still have them all. Just in case."

The statement began to warm Willow's heart. "So... you can do it? You will do it?"

"I will." Djarin allowed a smile to reach his face. "Something tells me Cinder would do this too, if she knew what was going on."

"Believe me, I definitely agree. But really, you think this could work?"

Djarin pointed to one part of the plan Willow had written up. "Actually, there was one thing I wanted to talk to you about." When Willow moved closer to the paper she had written on, the Mandalorian explained himself. "The Razor Crest is a big ship, but I don't have the room to empty two warehouses of these sizes."

Willow knew to expect drawbacks with her plan, but she wasn't quite ready to compromise just yet. "How much can you move?" she asked.

"If I use the cargo hold and the rest of the lower half... maybe a dozen cases. Two dozen at the most."

"Two dozen?" Willow knew her warehouses were large enough to store more Dust than that, and her mind was still set on emptying at least two of them. "Are you sure? Is there anything you can do?"

"I'm sorry, my ship's just not big enough. But at this point, two dozen cases would be a godsend for the Kingdoms."

"That may be so, but I don't think that solves the other half of the problem."

"...Other half?" This was the first time the Mandalorian heard something about another half to Willow's situation. So he moved upright and gave his complete attention to his friend. "Which is?"

"Well, you see, I'm trying to keep the company running during the embargo," Willow confessed. "But the board of directors wants us to stop mining and production completely."

"I... don't understand," said Djarin. "Wouldn't it make more sense to stop?"

"In hindsight, maybe. But do you know how many of the company's employees are Dust miners?"

"..."

Honestly, Djarin had no idea how many people were working in the several Dust mines owned by the SDC. Willow expected this ignorance from just about anyone, so she was willing to explain.

"My house could only fit about half those people," Willow said without any attempt to exaggerate. "Almost ninety percent of them are from Mantle, and Gods know how different Atlas is from Mantle."

"..."

Djarin was well aware of the economic disparity between the two cities, so he didn't interrupt Willow. In fact, he was starting to understand how bad things would be if the board of directors shut down production.

"Thousands would be left on the streets," Djarin concluded.

"Exactly!" Willow said passionately. "I have to make sure that doesn't happen. If I empty two of my warehouses, I can continue production for another six months. Hopefully something changes in that time, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

"And if you don't empty the warehouses?"

Willow rubbed her arm and looked down at the floor. "I don't even want to imagine what'll happen."

Djarin quickly decided that such imagination was better off when it was left alone. However, he was able to use his imagination to realize that there was one other possibility.

"I can't help you move that much Dust, Willow," Djarin confessed. "But I think I know someone who can."

---

"Hold on. You want me to risk my entire reputation in Atlas to help Willow Schnee of all people smuggle almost a million Lien's worth of Dust out of the Kingdom? And under General Ironwood's nose, no less?"

"..."

"I love it!"

The disguised Mandalorian rolled his eyes out of a mixture of annoyance and amusement. The annoyance was due to the fact that the person he was talking to was his best hope for his mission, and the amusement was that he had finally started getting used to his friend's sense of humor.

At the moment, Djarin and Willow Schnee were talking to a man Djarin knew well and worked with in the past. Lando Calrissian was his name, and he always had a keen eye in the business Djarin and Willow were offering. On one hand, Lando was in charge of a joint Dust mining operation between Atlas and Mistral, one that made him rather wealthy. On the other hand, he had smuggled just about every known kind of merchandise throughout each Kingdom. Whether it was goods, people seeking to leave a Kingdom, or weapons, he did it all.

Fortunately, Lando didn't fit in the stereotypical depiction of a smuggler. Not only did he know which jobs to take and which ones were too much to handle, but his only reason for smuggling was simply because it was fun. There was never any malice in his actions, it was simply to see what kind of adventure he would get roped in to. But needless to say, his new job had made smuggling more of a rare occasion like today.

Lando's work made it rare for him to leave Atlas since the operation saw more profits in that Kingdom. So he was trapped when General Ironwood announced the closing of borders. So the job Djarin was offering was a clear opportunity to leave before things got worse. Djarin was glad his friend saw this opportunity and was willing to take it.

"I knew you would," said the Mandalorian. He was currently taking to Lando via a Scroll call, so Djarin was able to put it on speaker phone and send over Willow's plans. "Did you see everything we sent you?"

"Yep, just about," said Lando. "I'll meet you at one of those warehouses you two mentioned. You on your way now?"

"Yeah, we'll be there soon."

"Sounds good. See you in a bit."

*CLICK*

Djarin put away his Scroll and looked over to Willow. They were currently in the Razor Crest, under the ruse that it needed repairs before it could leave the Kingdom. In reality, this was where Djarin would store as much Dust as he could while Lando took the rest. Willow came along so she could see everything go and offer a kind of excuse if security saw her.

"Sounds like he's on board," said Djarin. Willow was in the seat next to him, so talking to her was easy. "Knowing him, moving Dust without anyone knowing should be easy."

"Mm-hm," Winter responded halfheartedly. Truth be told, she was still unsure about her plan. She knew Lando Calrissian by name only, given that someone within the SDC made the decision to hire him. But she had no idea that he was a smuggler as well.

Then again, she had no idea that her own father had secrets of his own either.

The Mandalorian could tell that something was on Willow's mind. "Don't worry," he said. "This will work."

"I'm sure it will," Willow said. "I just can't believe we're actually doing this."

"Are you having second thoughts?"

"I'm surprised I even had a first thought."

Djarin understood, given that this was the first time Willow was breaking the law for the first time in her life. The Mandalorian had seen this kind of person before, someone who was on their first underground job. Whether it was bounty hunting or training Foundlings in the tribe, Djarin sometimes found himself alongside someone who was... innocent, for lack of a better word.

He was usually dismissive of this fact, and would usually resort to teaching on the spot or telling them to stay the course. But given that this was friend of his, Djarin chose to appeal to Willow's emotions.

"We all have to do things we'd rather not," he said. "When there's not really another way."

Willow sighed. "I know," she said. She knew this was the only option to help the company and the people fighting the Mandalorians, but she felt incredibly wrong doing so. "I mean... how am I supposed to truly know if this is the right thing or not?"

"...You don't." Djarin paused for a brief moment before he continued. "Sometimes it's not really about right things or wrong things; it's about the only things you can do."

Once again, Willow knew that this was the only way to help the people she wanted to help. But there was so much she couldn't help but think about. What if someone found out? What if Ironwood found out and had everyone arrested? Or worse... what if her children had to find out like she found out about her father?

What would they think of her then?

*BEEP*

*BEEP*

Djarin looked at the computer screen in front of him, as well as the sight in his window. "Looks like we're here," he said.

"Remember to use my credentials," Willow said. "They should fend off the security."

Djarin pressed a few buttons on his screen as he searched for a spot to land. He found it just behind one of many warehouses. This was the spot where Willow had sent all of her Dust reserves, and where she planned to conduct her work. She didn't have any preference as to which warehouse she emptied, so the one Djarin landed behind would be a good place to start.

"I'm going to wait for Lando here," said Djarin. "Maybe you should scout ahead, see if anyone or anything can see us moving the Dust."

"Very well," Willow said as she got out of her seat. This was a good idea, and she needed some brief time alone.

As she left the Razor Crest, Willow moved inside the warehouse through a side door. Inside, she saw dozens of Dust crates that were all stacked up on one another. As she looked at the sight and made sure she was the only one there, Willow realized that the Razor Crest was indeed too small of a ship to take all this Dust.

It seemed everything was in order. All the Dust was here, there was no sign of any security, and Djarin's assistant would be here any minute. Now all she had to worry about was figuring out if this was really the right call.

Willow still believed in her epiphany about strict observance of the law, but putting her words into action was something else entirely. It may be the only thing she could do to help everyone, but Willow couldn't help but wonder what would happen if she was caught. Obviously, she would be arrested. But that would mean leaving Weiss and Whitely all alone. They had already lost one parent, even though he was the worst father in the world. But still, Weiss and Whitely shouldn't have to see their mother behind bars.

Even worse, Winter would probably want nothing to do with her even more.

Despite all of this being true, Willow couldn't help but wonder something else. "Is this what was going through Father's head?" she asked herself. "Was he worried that someone else would find what I found?"

"..."

The second epiphany Willow had seemed to do nothing but set everything back on track. Nicholas Schnee obviously knew what he was doing, based on the letter he wrote for her. Consequently, he had to know what could have happened to him if he ever got caught. Perhaps he would have to see his daughter grow up on the other side of the glass, and he may have spent a lifetime behind bars.

However, none of that ever stopped him from doing what he did when the Dust shortage got too much to handle. He was brave, unwavering, and willing to see things through to the end. Because Nicholas Schnee truly believed that it was the only way to set things straight.

And if he could do it... so could his only daughter.

*ROAR*

"Aaah!"

Willow had been lost in her own thoughts long enough to forget her surroundings. So when she turned a corner, she was greeted by something that roared at her of all things. The scare she received was enough to make her fall to the floor and scramble to get back up.

As she did, Willow caught sight of what scared her.

A large man, perhaps the tallest man she had ever seen, was also in the warehouse. Not only was he extremely tall, but he was also covered in enormous amounts of hair. From head to toe, the man was completely covered in long brown hair. He was also wearing what looked like some kind of worker uniform, but it hardly fit over his body. Based on the roar and the physical appearance, Willow immediately believed the man was a Faunus; but he was unlike any Faunus she had ever seen.

He also appeared to be angry, as he seemingly moved quickly towards the frightened woman with killer instinct.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Two red blasts hit the floor just between Willow and the Faunus, while the third one hit the man in the foot. He didn't appear to have an Aura, given that the Faunus howled in pain as he grabbed his foot. Willow looked up to see a man in chrome armor fly to the ground and land just in front of her. The armor was very familiar to her, and she was able to guess who was underneath it.

"Djarin?" she asked.

"Run!" the Mandalorian told her as he quickly looked back. "I'll hold him off!" He then raised the small blaster he had and prepared to fire once again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey!"

When they heard a new voice, Djarin and the Faunus turned to see that someone else was in the warehouse as well. It was another man, but he didn't appear to be an employee. He was wearing a simple blue shirt and dress pants, similar to what most people from Atlas wore. He was currently running towards the duo while waving his hands and yelling more.

"Hold it, hold it!" he said. When he finally stopped in front of the Faunus, he began to explain things. "Mando, he's with me!"

Despite the fact that Lando could vouch for the... unique Faunus, Djarin was far from satisfied. "I heard screaming and found your 'friend' about to attack mine," he said angrily while holding his blaster still.

"Sorry, sorry! That's on me." Lando looked back to the injured man he considered an ally. "I told him to scout ahead, he was only trying to give anyone inside a scare."

Willow, who had managed to catch her breath, finally stood up and offered her own concern. "Well, he seemed to be doing a little extra there!" she said in anger.

Obviously, this wasn't how Lando wanted his first meeting with Willow Schnee to go. And yet, all he could think of doing was apologizing once again. "Ma'am, I apologize," he said again. As he looked back to his partner, he had an idea how to show that he meant no harm. "Hey, buddy. Can you walk?"

"..."

The Faunus nodded as he stood up.

"Okay, good. Listen, I can clear things up here. Maybe you should start loading the Dust."

*GROWL*

The Faunus made similar grunting noises while moving his hands a certain way. Willow had no idea what he was doing, but Lando seemed to understand the gestures and grunts. "What do you mean no?" he asked.

The man responded with more grunts and hand waves.

"Look, I know this guy. If he knew who you were, none of this would've happened."

*GROWL*

*GROWL*

"Uh... I mean, I was going to tell him about you. I just thought we'd meet him together."

*ROAR*

"Okay, okay! I screwed up, you got me! So don't be mad at him or Mrs. Schnee, you can be mad at me."

*GROWL*

"No, not mad enough to leave! Remember why you wanted to do this in the first place?"

"..."

"Once we get across that border, we'll be on the straightest path possible back to that island of yours. You still got family there, don't you?"

*GROWL*

"...Okay, true we'll have to unload the Dust. Then we'll be on the straightest path possible."

As Lando continued to negotiate with the Faunus, Djarin looked back to Willow. "You okay?" he asked sincerely.

"Yes, I'm fine," Willow said. "He just scared me, that's all."

The Mandalorian looked back towards the Faunus. "I can see why."

Willow focused less on the man's appearance and more on his method of communication. "Is he really understanding what he's... saying?"

"I doubt it. But I think Lando understands the sign language."

Willow looked closer at the man's hands as he made more noises. The way he was moving them seemed to indicate some sort of pattern; it seemed it really was sign language. "Can you understand it?" Willow asked.

"Yeah," Djarin confirmed. "He's not happy about being shot. Or Lando keeping him from us."

"I think I see that. But was Mr. Calrissian really going to tell us about... him?"

"Hard to say." Djarin saw Lando moving closer to them. "Stay behind me." Willow remained silent as Lando approached her again.

"Mrs. Schnee," Lando said with a bow, attempting to be polite. "I'm very sorry about all this; it's my fault he was here in the first place. Are you alright?"

"She's fine," Djarin answered for Willow. "Just got spooked from your... friend."

Lando awkwardly chuckled. "Yeah, I can imagine. Look, I was gonna introduce you to him personally, but I didn't think you'd be here yet. And I didn't see the harm in scoping this place out."

"That's why I was here," Willow answered for herself. "It seems we were both at the right place, just the wrong time."

"Yeah, that's what I said. Like I said, this is really my fault. Perhaps I can make it up to you by getting straight to work. I mean... we still have a deal, right?"

Between Willow hardly knowing Lando Calrissian and the fact that he had made one mistake already, the CEO's opinion about Lando's ability to accomplish this plan wasn't very high. However, she needed all the help she could get.

"Djarin tells me you've done something like this before," Willow began.

"Uh... I have," Lando awkwardly confirmed. "I hope this won't severely impact the work I've done for your company and Kingdom, ma'am. You see, I-"

"That's not important right now. I'm more... curious as to how you can... help me."

Lando immediately saw an opportunity to get everything back on track. And so, he began to make his way towards the main entrance of the warehouse. "Allow me to show you," he offered as he gestured for Djarin and Willow to follow.

"..."

Djarin led the way towards the main entrance while Willow followed. As he did, the Mandalorian saw an opportunity of his own. "I hope you can forgive the armor," he said. "I heard you screaming and I-"

"Actually, I'm glad to see you with it," Willow admitted. "Not just because you helped me, but I don't think I was ever used to you without it."

Djarin couldn't help but chuckle. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it may have taken you longer to get used to me wearing it."

"..."

Willow remembered the first day she met Din Djarin; after Winter had told her mother everything that happened at Satine Kryze's party, the first thing Willow did when she got home was call the Councilwoman and see who exactly her temporary bodyguard was. When she found out, Willow made it her mission to seek him out personally to thank him for everything he did.

And as Djarin said, she had a hard time getting used to him wearing his armor at all times.

"Well... I like to think it wasn't too long," she said. "Was it?"

"No, it was fine," he said. "Trust me, I'm used to it."

After he turned a corner, Djarin gestured for Willow to go first. As she did, she saw Lando Calrissian waiting for her. The Faunus, on the other hand, was hard at work placing Dust into an airship.

Only it wasn't the kind of airship she expected to see.

In front of Willow was a simple Manta-class airship, one that was used primarily for the Atlas military and something that Djarin himself used to own. And Lando was staring at it with a wide smile.

"So, what do you think?" he asked.

Djarin looked closely at the ship. "Yeah, that's it," he said. "This will definitely work." Just one look at the airship was enough to satisfy the Mandalorian.

Willow, on the other hand, was far from pleased.

"Djarin, you can't be serious," she said. "That thing is smaller than your ship!"

"Huh?" Djarin asked. "What are you talking about? It's the perfect size for-"

"..."

The Mandalorian looked back to Lando as he remembered what Willow had said. "Oh, wait a second," he said. "Okay, Lando. You made your point, go ahead and show her."

The man laughed as he looked back to the ship. "Alright, alright," he said. "How about this?"

Willow was still looking at Djarin at the moment, so she wasn't prepared to see a much larger ship when she turned around. Instead of a simple Manta-class fighter, Willow was now looking at one of her own Schnee Dust Company transport ships. Not only could this one hold a massive amount of Dust, but this one seemed to appear right where the Manta was.

"What the-?" Willow asked in amazement. She looked up and down the path that rested between this warehouse and the next one, but she couldn't see the Manta from earlier. "Where's the Manta?"

"Oh, there was never a Manta, ma'am," Lando explained as he tapped the side of the ship. "See, that's how I can help with this little thing you're doing."

Willow was still confused by what she had just seen, so the Mandalorian decided to explain. "Lando was using his Semblance," he began. "It's how he was such a good smuggler. He can make anyone see exactly what he wants them to see."

"Given the ridiculous amount of security I've seen, it's easy to guess that General Ironwood wants some kind of escort for Mando here," said Lando. "I can make this ship here look like a Manta to whoever looks at it with no trouble at all."

"Really?" Willow asked. As she remembered how real the "Manta" looked earlier, it seemed that Lando Calrissian would be a great addition to this plan of hers. "That's... incredible!"

Lando smiled in satisfaction as he approached closer. "I suppose this means I'm hired?"

"Oh, most certainly." Willow looked over Lando's shoulder to see the Faunus loading more Dust onto the spacious ship of hers. "I imagine you'll need to borrow my ship. And take your... friend."

"Yes on both accounts. All that we have left to discuss is my fee."

"Oh." Willow had to admit that she forgot about the matter of payment. But her father admitted that he had to hire Huntsmen to perform his expeditions, so she would have to make a payment of her own. "How much?"

"Fifty thousand. No less."

"..."

One look on Willow's face told everyone that this wasn't very suitable for her. So before anything else could happen, Djarin moved Willow's shoulder so she could turn around with him. "Just a second, Lando," he said as he took a few steps back. He then began to whisper. "What's the matter?"

"Fifty thousand?" Willow whispered back. "That's a lot of Lien."

"What, you can't afford it?"

"Of course I can. What I mean is that it's noticeable. If I were to write a check for fifty thousand, I'm sure someone will ask questions. The bank has some business with the military, you know."

Djarin mentally sighed. "Of course they do. Okay, how much wouldn't be a big issue?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. Maybe... twenty? Twenty five?"

The Mandalorian had an idea as to what to do next. "Follow my lead." The first thing he did was turn around back to Lando. When Willow followed suit, Djarin spoke clearly and loud enough for everyone to hear. "Thirty thousand," he said. "And you can keep the ship."

"..."

Lando turned back towards the ship just in time to miss Willow staring daggers at Djarin. "I'll cover the extra," he said. "If anyone asks, you sold a faulty ship for parts."

"..."

Willow silently nodded before she turned back to Lando. "Will he really want the airship?" she asked.

"Let's find out," Djarin replied. "I know it's not the Falcon, Lando. But I don't remember you owning a ship this big before."

"You know... I don't either," said the businessman. "Big enough for just about anything. And not just for storage. I know the kind of people who'd like to enjoy themselves with so much space."

"..."

The last part didn't exactly play well with Willow, but she didn't voice this opinion. It was wise to keep her mouth shut, given that Lando turned around with a smile on his face. "This alright with you, ma'am?" he asked.

"I have no objections," Willow said.

"Then what you do have..." Lando stuck out his hand. "Is a deal." He watched Willow shake his hand graciously.

*GROWL*

Everyone looked back to see the Faunus still hard at work, but he was also waving his hand. "We'll be right there to help!" Lando promised. "We're just finishing up here!" The Faunus went back to work.

Despite the deal being finished, both Djarin and Willow were equally curious about the Faunus.

"Mr. Calrissian, you said he's a friend of yours?" Willow asked politely.

"Oh, yeah," Lando replied. "He works for me in Mistral, but I convinced him and a few others to come work in Atlas. Now he's just itching to leave. Again, I'm sorry about what happened."

"That's fine. But may I ask... what kind of Faunus he is?"

"Uh..." Lando looked back to see the Faunus again. "That, I'm afraid I don't really know. All I can tell you is that he's a rare sort."

"Where's he from?" Djarin asked.

"An island off the coast of Mistral. It's filled with more Faunus like him."

"Do they all share his... instincts?" Willow asked.

"You mean the growling and roaring?" Lando asked. "I gotta say, I'm not really sure. I've heard a few of his people doing it before, but that's about it. Besides, that's the only way he can talk after what he's been through."

"What do you mean?"

"Poor guy was in a big accident in Mistral. He and a few more of my guys got caught in a cave-in. Everyone was spread out and digging their own way out, but he got his legs and arms caught in all kinds of rocks and crystals down there."

Based on the picture Lando had painted for his company, it was clear that one false move would have killed the poor Faunus. "How'd he get out?" Djarin asked.

"Well, that's the crazy part," Lando explained. "His arms and legs were trapped... but his mouth was wide open."

Djarin's eyes widened under his helmet. "Wait, you don't mean-"

"That's right. The big guy chewed his way out of that mess. Went through rocks and Dust to free his limbs, and then he began to dig. We got to him as fast as we could, he's just lucky to be alive."

"But chewing through rocks and Dust?" Willow asked. "That's extremely dangerous."

"And not without consequences. We saved him, but his throat was badly hurt. The doctors and surgeons had to dig a lot out of his throat, including his vocal cords."

Willow softly gasped. "That's awful," she said.

"Must be hard," Djarin included.

"Yeah, well... he's managed to cope with it," Lando explained. "It's kinda funny, actually. When everyone I worked with heard what happened, they treated him like a god for having strength like that."

"Is that right?"

"Yep. They even gave him a nickname he likes: Chewie."

---

With the combined efforts of Djarin, Lando, and Chewie, two warehouses of Dust were successfully emptied and stored on both the Razor Crest and Lando's new ship. Willow had to leave for a moment to withdraw some Lien from the bank, and Djarin fulfilled his promise of using his own personal savings to pay as well.

A half hour after they started, everyone was ready to go their separate ways.

Lando and Chewie chose to take the SDC airship while Djarin took the Razor Crest. Before he left, Willow said goodbye to the Mandalorian personally.

"Djarin, I can't thank you enough," she said sincerely. "This is a lifesaver, this is-"

"My pleasure," the Mandalorian said as he extended his hand. Willow shook it as he continued to talk. "A lot of people need this Dust, Willow."

"Yes, I know. But are you sure you're okay with this? If James finds out what we did tonight, he'll throw the book at us."

"None of this is really new to me or Lando. We're both in good hands, I assure you." Djarin had one more thing to say before he made his way to the Razor Crest. "We won't be able to talk when I leave, but all you can do is stick to your side of the plan."

"Understood. Good luck."

"You too."

Willow and the Mandalorian finally parted ways. While she couldn't travel via the Razor Crest again, Willow knew a restaurant within walking distance of the warehouses. So she would go there and call for Klein there. Djarin, on the other hand, prepared to take flight.

"Wow," said Lando, who was watching the conversation from afar. He couldn't hear everything they said, but he knew one thing. "Never knew they were such good friends."

*WUG*

Lando turned to Chewie, who was moving his hands while making noises again. "No, I didn't know Mrs. Schnee was willing to resort to smuggling either. I mean, who would've thought?"

Chewie and Lando shared a brief laugh before the Faunus made more noises and hand movements again.

"Yeah, you're right. We should get moving." Lando made his way to the cockpit of the ship and got inside. "Looks like there's an extra seat if you want it, pal. Or do you wanna watch the Dust in back?"

"..."

Chewie replied by moving up into the cockpit with him. Lando smiled at the notion and prepared to take flight.

*WHOOSH*

The airship came to life after Lando pressed certain buttons on the console. The engines hummed perfectly and all the lights in the cockpit shined like the stars above. When he saw the Razor Crest overhead take lead, Lando slowly moved a handle close to him to take the airship off the ground. And soon enough, he and Chewie were flying.

When they were high above the warehouses, Lando pressed a button close to a speaker. "Cargo ship to Razor Crest," he said calmly. "You read me, Mando?"

"Loud and clear," the Mandalorian said on the other end. "How's your Aura?"

"Ready to go. Just say the word."

"Got it. I know where Ironwood wants me to go, I just need you to follow for now."

"Lead the way, my friend."

*WUG*

*GROWL*

Lando looked over to Chewie as he started his method of communication with him again. "Uh, no," he said calmly. "No, I don't wanna start tricking the army just yet."

*WUG*

*WUG*

*WUG*

"Yeah, I could make it look like we're not here to anyone looking. But this ship will still pop up on their radar. It's best to make us look legit."

*WUG*

*ROAR*

"Of course we can trust Mando. He needs this as much as we do. And he has some of the Dust too, you know."

*GROWL*

"What? No, he's not gonna do that."

*GROWL*

*ROAR*

"Because I know him! We were in a spot like this before, where we split up our cargo. He didn't rat me out then when he had the chance."

*ROAR*

"He doesn't have nearly as much Dust either. If he wanted to take his portion and run off, he'd have done it already."

*GROWL*

*WUG*

"Why is he doing this? Hmm..." Lando took a moment to think before he snapped his fingers. "I think I have a good idea. Here, lemme show you." Lando turned on the radio again and began to talk into it. "You know, Mando, I was starting to get worried about you."

"Is that so?" Djarin asked on the other end.

"Oh, yeah. Between this war going on and the fact I haven't heard from you in who knows how long, I was thinking something bad happened to you."

"Like joining the warring clans?"

"That or you got killed by them. Also, I was wondering if that job you got at Beacon set you straight."

"I can admit to neither of the first two. As far as Beacon goes... you could say something like that."

"Yeah, but not too straight, am I right? I mean, look at us right now."

"I'm still hunting bounties when I have the time. And as you can see, I'm open to work like this on occasion."

Lando flashed a grin, even though his friend couldn't see it. "That's what I like to hear," he said. "What about that kid of yours? How's she doing?"

"...Not too good, Lando," Djarin replied after a moment of silence. "Cinder's... sick."

The smuggler stopped grinning as he stared at the radio. "What? Oh, no." Lando then slumped in his chair, feeling guilty for brining Cinder up in the first place. "I'm sorry, Mando. I didn't know, really."

"I understand."

The idea of Cinder being sick gave Lando another idea. "Is that why you're doing this job? Is Schnee supposed to do something to help Cinder?"

"In a way, yes. That's why I'm here." Djarin let out a noticeable sigh in his end. "So we have to make sure we do it right."

"Of course. Let me know when I need to use my Semblance."

*CLICK*

Lando rubbed his hands on his face as he let out a pained groan. "Great," he said sarcastically. "Just great."

*WUG*

Lando had forgotten that Chewie was still with him, and that he had just heard everything he and Djarin were saying. Since the cat was out of the bag, Lando didn't have much of a reason to lie or change the subject.

"Yeah," he began. "Mando's got a kid. Her name's Cinder, I've met her before."

*WUG*

*WUG*

"About fifteen, I think. I always meant to drop by and see how she and Mando have been, but I never got around to it."

*WUG*

"What's she like? Um, I guess you could say she's your average teenager. Going on about her hair, clothes, boys, that sort of thing. But she also knows how to fight too."

*WUG*

*WUG*

*WUG*

"Oh, you better believe she means a lot to Mando. He actually adopted her. If that's not love, I don't know what is."

"..."

Chewie had no response for Lando at the moment, given everything he had just heard. So he simply left things as they were and turned his attention towards the control panel.

"Careful with that," Lando warned. "Just about everything here keeps this ship in the air."

*GROWL*

*ROAR*

"Since when did you fly one of these?"

*ROAR*

"What? No way."

*BEEP*

*BEEP*

Lando turned to see a red light flashing near the radio. "Hold that thought," he said as he pressed a button near the radio. "That you, Razor Crest?"

"It's me," the Mandalorian replied. "We're about to reach the city outskirts."

"Here we go."

Lando took a deep breath as he imagined the large cargo ship transforming into a small Manta-class airship. His Semblance activated to make this imagination a reality. He couldn't see the results of his action, but Lando had performed the feat enough times to know that everyone who could see the ship was seeing exactly what he wanted them to see.

Especially the real Manta that had just moved close to the Razor Crest.

The Mandalorian had patched his radio and Lando's together in a way that they both could hear what the Atlesian pilot could say. "Attention Razor Crest," a male voice said. "This is Manta 2-4 of the Atlas air fleet. Come in, Razor Crest."

"This the Razor Crest," said the Mandalorian. "I'm on my way to return to Argus. General Ironwood can confirm my intentions."

"We're aware of the General's orders. But it would seem you're late."

Lando and Chewie turned to each other as they thought the same thing; trouble was already starting for them.

"Um, could you say that again?" Djarin asked calmly.

"According to General Ironwood, you were permitted to stay in Atlas for one hour to conduct personal business," said the Atlesian pilot.

"Yes, that was our arrangement. And I've honored it."

"On the contrary, you arrived in Atlas approximately one hour and ten minutes ago. You're overdue for departure. Care to explain?"

The Mandalorian thought of a lie very quickly. "Sorry," he began. "My ship needed emergency repairs. I had a breach in the hull."

"Say again; your ship needed emergency repairs?"

"That's right. The Manta next to me can confirm this."

Lando quickly hopped on the radio again. "This is Manta... 3-1," he said. "I had orders to find the Razor Crest when it didn't leave on schedule."

Neither Lando or Djarin could see it, but the Atlesian pilot was seeing another Manta close to the ship he was questioning. "...I see," he said. "Atlas is a big city, though. You found the Razor Crest on your own?"

"Well, it is one of a kind," Lando replied.

"I suppose. Razor Crest, what is your cargo and destination?"

"No cargo," Djarin lied again. "But my destination is Argus. Your people should see me there."

"They will. Manta 3-1, did you inspect the ship prior to its departure?"

"I sure did," Lando replied. "It's as clean as a whistle."

"...Alright, you're free to go."

"Thank you," said the Mandalorian. "Have a... nice day."

"You too."

All three of the smugglers felt relieved that their plan had gone perfectly. Given how things were beginning to run very tightly in Atlas after the Fall of Beacon, Djarin and Lando knew security would be very tight. From the Manta expecting detailed results to the multiple larger airships overhead, nobody believed this would be easy.

"Manta 3-1, you're clear to return to base."

"..."

Lando felt a cold shiver go up his spine as he turned to the radio. "Um... say that again?" he asked.

"You're clear to return to base," the pilot repeated. "Nothing more you can do here."

Lando remained close to the Razor Crest as he tried to think of a lie as well. Fortunately, Chewie had a plan. Instead of moving his hands and making noise, the Faunus moved his hands after he got Lando's attention. When he was done, Chewie pointed to the radio.

"Okay," Lando whispered as he understood Chewie's plan. "Thats's a negative. I'm also en route to the Argus base."

"Say again?"

"I'm en route to the Argus airbase."

"For what purpose?"

Lando remembered Chewie's idea vividly. It was a long shot, but practical in this case. "Parts and technical supply," he said. "For fixing the other airships stationed there."

"I didn't hear about anything like this."

"The orders are brand new. Since Man... I mean, since the Razor Crest was being fixed, I received new orders to gather parts and technical supply while I escorted him from the city."

The radio was silent for a few seconds after Lando shared this lie. He wasn't sure if it would work entirely, but it was the best option at the moment. And he was sure that the Mandalorian would say the same.

But the large airship overhead wasn't doing them any favors right now.

"I'll have to confirm these orders," said the pilot. "Razor Crest, you're free to go. Manta 3-1, continue at your current pace." The ship then flew back towards Atlas, back towards the rest of the fleet. Given that all three ships were still flying out into the tundra, the radio signal wasn't strong enough to contact the rest of the fleet.

"Mando, you there?" Lando asked as soon as the pilot turned around.

"I'm here," Djarin replied on the other end. "This isn't going to work. He'll be back and drag both of us with him."

"So what do we do? Make a break for it?"

"Not with those airships above us. I've seen their firepower, they can hit anything out here."

"Well, we don't have a lot of other options."

The radio was silent as Djarin weighed his options. He soon came to the realization that his friend was right. "...Let's pick up the pace," he said. "Not too much, though."

Lando obeyed and made the ship fly at a faster pace. The Razor Crest followed suit, and they were soon flying at the same speed. This new speed covered more ground, and the airships overhead weren't firing on them.

But two Mantas were coming closer a little too fast for comfort.

"Unidentified Manta, stand down," the pilot from before ordered. "Or we will fire."

Lando quickly tried to continue his lie from earlier. "I'm not unidentified!" he quickly argued. "This is Manta 3-1!"

"No," a female voice called out. "This is Manta 3-1."

"..."

Everyone knew that they were exposed, but they knew this was bound to happen. In fact, Lando was even surprised they held out for this long.

"Unidentified Manta and Razor Crest, stand down," the female voice ordered. "Stand down or we will fire immediately."

Lando and Djarin were currently weighing their options. Right now, they knew they could either surrender and face the music, or go down fighting. Both of them were certain that they could take down the Mantas, but the larger airships behind them would destroy them for sure.

Chewie, however, didn't weigh any options. He simply took matters in his own hands.

*WHOOSH*

All of a sudden, the disguised SDC ship veered to the right at an alarming speed. The pilot didn't have enough time to react, and he also lacked the knowledge that this wasn't another Manta.

"What the-?! Hey!"

*SCREECH*

Metal crashed against metal as the ships moved closer to each other. The contact wasn't enough to break the side of the cargo ship, but it was enough to break the tip of the Manta's left wing. When it did, the airship flew out of control towards the ground.

*CRASH*

The other airship took the sign as an obvious act of hostility. "Weapons free!" she said as she flew away from the cargo ship before it could crash into her. As she did, two missiles shot out towards the smugglers.

Chewie, however, was ready for this.

"Chewie, wait!" Lando yelled as he was far from ready. He didn't even know if the Faunus could fly a ship.

But he was about to know from first-hand experience.

Chewie made the ship move to the left this time as he dodged the missiles. The Razor Crest also had to move quickly, since the missles were now heading for him. But they both missed completely.

This left the Atlesian unsatisfied, as she fired more missiles at the ships.

The Mandalorian was always a skilled pilot, so he was able to dodge each projectile with ease. He even had a counter measure when some of them got too close. With the press of a button, the Razor Crest released a series of flares that the missles flew towards instead.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

With each missle that missed or exploded from the flares, the Razor Crest averted destruction for a little while longer.

The SDC ship didn't have any built-in defenses, so the Faunus pilot was left to improvise. With each movement he made, Chewie caused the ship to sway back and forth at an unpredictable manner. All the while, Lando was trying to get back to his seat in one piece.

Needless to say, he wasn't having much luck.

"Dammit, Chewie!" Lando yelled. "If we get out of this in one piece, your share of the Lien's going to my hospital bill!"

Little did he know, the improvised and reckless movements were doing both of them a favor. The pilot couldn't get her missiles to lock on to the ship, which she could see was changing between a Manta and a cargo ship.

"What the hell?" the pilot asked. "What's going on here?" Since nobody could answer her question, she turned to her radio. "I'm gonna need some backup here!"

The air fleet got her message, and they sent help in more ways than one.

*CHOOM*

A red blast of energy emerged from the weapons of one large ship and made its way towards the escaping cargo ship and Razor Crest. It didn't hit the targets, but it served as a good warning shot.

*ROAR*

Chewie began to feel afraid as he saw the red blast barely miss the ship. It was enough to make him stop flying in an unorthodox manner, and it was also enough time for Lando to get back on the radio.

"Mando!" he cried. "Mando, what do we do?!"

"I'm thinking!" Djarin yelled back as he recalled the red blast almost hitting his ship. "Just give me a second!"

*CHOOM*

"Yeah, we don't have a second! Those lasers are looking to make a big explosion and take us with it!"

Djarin normally tuned out people talking out of panic like this, but he knew Lando was right; the Atlesians wouldn't stop shooting until they saw an explosion.

"They want an explosion?" the Mandalorian asked rhetorically. "I say we give them one. Lando, I need you to drop one of the Dust crates. Rig it to blow."

"Do what?!" Lando asked. "Are you nuts?!"

"The explosion will cover our tracks! They'll stop shooting at us, just do it!"

*CHOOM*

*CRASH*

This time, part of the laser hit Lando's new ship. It was enough to make him realize that Djarin's plan was their only option at the moment, so he agreed. "Okay, okay!" he said. "Chewie, see if you can find a way to make a Dust crate blow up! I'll drop it out when we're ready!"

*CHOOM*

The laser was enough to make Chewie play his part in the crazy plan. And so, he moved as fast as lightning to the Dust crates he had previously stored on the ship. When he found one that was close to the hanger door, he opened it to find multiple kinds of Dust. But he simply took one Fire Dust crystal and broke it, causing sparks to form from the shard. He then threw it into the crate and closed the top after he moved it right on top of the door.

He then ran back to the cockpit to avoid a possible premature explosion.

*ROAR*

Lando didn't need to see any sign language to understand the roar. "Mando, we're ready!" he shouted into the radio.

"So are they!" said the Mandalorian. He could see that the large airship in the distance was ready to fire again. "Drop it now!"

Lando obeyed, just as the Manta behind him came closer and the laser fired.

*CHOOM*

Once again, the energy hit the side of his new ship. But it was also close enough to cause the already ignited Dust to become even more agitated.

*BOOM*

The explosion was loud enough for everyone to hear, and close enough for the Manta to be caught in it. The airship plummeted towards the ground and caused another explosion once it crashed on the white tundra.

*BOOM*

Even though the two ships were far away from the air fleet, Lando had the foresight to use what remained of his Aura to cloak himself and the Razor Crest. He also knew the Mantas that would come after them would become a salvage crew instead of backup.

Lando sighed in relief as he also started to laugh. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about being shot at that seemed to make him feel excited afterwards. "Mando, you there?" he asked on the radio.

"I'm here," said the Mandalorian. "How are you holding up?"

"Not bad. Though I gotta say... that was pretty fun." Lando laughed again. "But let's not do that again, okay?"

"Works for me. We should be approaching Anima in about an hour."

"I don't think going to Argus is such a good idea. They may not find what they're looking for from what we left behind."

"Don't worry. I know another place we can go."

---

Years ago

It had been about an hour since Djarin had left Nevarro with Cinder in tow. And instead of Sanus, they had traveled to the coast of Anima. As the Armorer had said, it was now his mission to properly escort the young girl to a man named Ozma. For it was Ozma who could train Cinder with the strange and extraordinary powers she possessed. It would be a hard and long path to take, but the clan of two had faith that they could rely on each other in these uncertain times.

Once again, it was Cinder relying on her fellow Mandalorian. Not just for deciding where to go, but training her with the two swords she had just been gifted. Djarin had no sword of his own, but his Beskar gauntlets granted him protection from each strike.

"Solus."

*CLASH*

"T'ad."

*CLASH*

*CLASH*

"Solus."

*CLASH*

"T'ad."

*CLASH*

*CLASH*

"Ehn."

*CLASH*

*CLASH*

With each command Djarin spoke, Cinder either struck him with one blow or two. "Solus" meant to strike with one sword while "t'ad" meant to strike with both. "Ehn," however, was meant to strike immediately after two strikes for a third.

Cinder was about to strike for the third time, but she was slow this time. Djarin grabbed her wrist and pushed her aside, which made her fall to the ground and drop both of her swords.

"We'll have to work on three," Djarin said as he offered a hand to Cinder. The young girl took it and came off the ground.

"How'd I do with one and two?" she asked as she picked up her swords.

"One is good, but I had enough time to defend myself from two."

Cinder looked down at her swords. "I don't understand," she said. "You told me my punches were fast, but not strong enough. How am I getting slower with my swords?"

"Have you ever used a sword before?"

"Um... no."

"Well, there you go. You just have to be patient, Cinder."

Cinder looked up at her guardian. "But I don't want to be patient, Mando! I want to be good at this! The Armorer gave me these swords, I have to show her I'm good with them!"

"You will, but only if you keep practicing." Djarin put a hand on Cinder's shoulder. "The finest blades in all the land are useless in untrained hands."

"..."

Cinder was starting to understand, but she wasn't very confident in her abilities. Djarin suspected this, but there was something else in her eyes; something that she may have just revealed.

"Did you say you wanted to show the Armorer you can fight with these?" he asked calmly. Cinder looked up to him and nodded. "We might not get a chance like that. We still have to find Ozma."

"I know," Cinder replied. "But if I can fight with these... maybe she'll let me come back. We might not find Ozma, you know."

"..."

The cat was let out of the bag now. And so, Djarin kneeled down to Cinder after she looked down to the ground. "Cinder... I'm sorry things didn't work out in Nevarro. Really, I am."

"..."

Cinder didn't respond, but the teardrops hitting the ground was a good response as any. "I wish things went differently," he said. "But this sounds bigger than just the two of us. Staying at Nevarro with a burden like this goes against the Creed."

Cinder nodded as she dried her eyes. "I know," she repeated. "But... did they have to kick us out?"

This time, Djarin held Cinder by the shoulders. "No. Nobody kicked us out, Cinder. We were given a mission, a purpose. One that we have to accomplish." He then let go of her.

"But what about you? You were from Nevarro before we met. You shouldn't have had to leave."

"This is my mission too, Cinder."

"I know, but..."

"..."

Cinder knew what she wanted to say next, but it was mostly a risk. Given that she hadn't really said something like this before, but she really wanted to say it.

And so she did.

"Mando... I like you," she began. "I really like you, and I'm really glad you did a lot for me already. But all of this, taking me who knows where, it's just... I don't like how I feel."

Djarin was taken aback by what Cinder said first. He couldn't remember the last time someone said they held him in high regard. But he believed he understood how Cinder felt now. "You mean... you're nervous?" he asked.

"...No." Cinder looked down again and rubbed her arm awkwardly. "What I mean is... none of this feels right. It doesn't feel... fair. I mean, fair to you."

Djarin stood up again, but also rubbed Cinder's head. It was meant to be a gesture of how much Djarin appreciated Cinder saying all of that, but he knew he needed to say something.

"Thanks, kid," he began. "I have to admit, I'm starting to like you too. So listen; I don't see you as cargo or anything like that. We're in this together. Loyalty and solidarity are the way we're going to follow."

"..."

"Besides, it's my job to worry about you. Not the other way around. Understand?"

Cinder smiled at the belief, and then offered her own insight. "Yeah," she said. "I guess fathers are supposed to be like that."

"...Fathers?"

"Yeah. The Armorer said that you would be my father now."

Djarin remembered what Armorer said before he and Cinder left the village. While he needed a minute to remember that she said he would be like Cinder's father, the Mandalorian believed in something different.

"I think she was saying I'm supposed to act like one," Djarin said. "She said I would be as a father, that I need to look after you like one."

Cinder's smile slowly vanished. "...Oh," she said as she remembered the exact words the Armorer used. The truth began to rang in, and they guided Cinder's next words and actions. "I mean, that's right. That's what she said." She then looked upwards. "Wow, it's getting late. Maybe we should get back to it."

Djarin noted Cinder's quick way of speaking and reaching for her sword. It seemed like she was trying to forget everything that she said, but Djarin didn't seem to know why. "Cinder, I-"

"You said I need to work on two." Cinder picked up her swords. "So should we do both again, or-?"

*SNAP*

The Mandalorian and Foundling quickly looked at the tree line that bordered their temporary camp. They had previously made sure there were no Grimm inside, so they knew something was wrong. "What was that?" Cinder asked.

Djarin immediately expected to see Grimm emerge, so he moved his hand towards the blaster in his holster. "Stay behind-"

"Help!"

Out of the trees, a man dressed in dirty clothes came out limping on one side. The man was looking at the ground while holding his side as he attempted to walk. He briefly looked up when he saw Cinder and the Mandalorian.

"Please," he said. "Please help!"

"Oh, no," Cinder whispered as she began to move closer. "Are you-?"

Djarin quickly moved his arm in front of the child. Once she stopped moving, the Mandalorian gently pushed Cinder backwards.

"Get back to the ship," he ordered firmly.

Cinder began to walk backwards due to the Mandalorian moving her, but she wasn't ready to go. "Aren't we going to help him?"

"He's not hurt." Djarin quickly removed his blaster and fired close to the man. "Go!"

*BANG*

*BANG*

"Aw, dammit!" the man yelled as he stood up straight and ran for cover. As he did, the stranger removed his own pistol from his shirt pocket and returned fire at the Mandalorian.

*BANG*

*BANG*

When Cinder heard the shots, she finally started running back towards the Manta that formerly belonged to the Atlas military. It served as a temporary home of sorts for the clan of two, and now it was about to be Cinder's sanctuary.

But now, it appeared three more men were after the same thing as her.

"Mando, there are more!" Cinder shouted back as she stopped in her tracks.

Djarin turned around to see the men that Cinder was talking about. When he saw that they were very close to his ship, he knew that he had to beat them.

Fortunately, his Semblance could do that in the blink of an eye.

*WHOOSH*

*WHOOSH*

The Mandalorian used his Semblance twice in one second. The first time was to grab Cinder and the second was to teleport her to the ship. Once he found himself inside the airship, Djarin quickly closed the doors as he jumped into the pilot seat.

"Dammit!"

"Open up!"

"Shoot the windows!"

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Djarin ignored the gunfire and focused more on getting the ship off the ground. Cinder, however, looked to see gunshots hitting the glass. There wasn't much damage, due to the glass being bulletproof. And in less than a minute, the ship was off the ground.

"They're getting away!" one of the bandits yelled as he continued to fire.

"Get the big gun!" another shouted to his companions. "Who's got the big gun?!"

"Here, it's right here!"

Another bandit looked up at the Razor Crest while holding an enormous weapon. It was similar to Cara Dune's Dust Repeater, but this one was twice as lethal. Not only did it fire at twice the rate, but the explosive rounds could bring almost any airship down to the ground.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

Despite their destructive capabilities, the projectiles were unable to hit the airship above. Some of the bullets were close, and they did manage to scratch the hull. But the airship continued to fly, and it was soon far enough to be out of range.

Once Djarin and Cinder realized this, they both heavily sighed in relief.

"You okay?" the Mandalorian asked his companion.

"I'm fine," Cinder said as she collected her thoughts. But there was one thing that was bothering her. "So... they were bandits? All of them?"

"All of them. Something like that happened to me before. Someone begging for help while the others closed in for an ambush."

Cinder sighed once again, but it wasn't out of relief. "Darn it. I should've known."

Djarin recognized the tone of Cinder's voice, and immediately knew what to say. "Now you do. Like I said, something like this happened before. And that ruse is a good one. Use this experience as a teacher, and you'll be ready next time."

Cinder nodded as she understood. "Okay. Let's just hope there isn't a next time."

"There always is. Just remember that-"

*CLANK*

*CLANK*

*CLANK*

*CLANK*

The clan of two immediately heard an unfamiliar noise as they flew above the trees. Cinder didn't know where it was coming from, and neither did Djarin. But he did know one thing.

The sound meant trouble.

After he landed in a clearing that was close to a dirt road, the Mandalorian and Foundling exited the ship to take a closer look. While Djarin focused more on the cause of the noise, Cinder spent her time watching the road.

She also traveled on it for a short distance, but turned back when she felt the time was right.

"How does it look?" Cinder asked the Mandalorian after she returned.

"Not too good," said Djarin. "Looks like these scratches are worse than I thought."

Cinder approached closer and looked where her guardian was looking. "It doesn't look so bad."

Djarin pointed to a certain scratch, one where smaller pieces of metal could be seen. "It's bad. Some of those bullets cut through to the inner workings of the ship. Leaving something like this exposed to nature is a bad idea."

Cinder looked upwards to see a darkening but clear sky. "It doesn't look like it's gonna rain," she said.

"No, but the air and wind aren't good for this either," Djarin explained. "That's why we heard that noise."

Cinder was beginning to understand what Djarin meant by "nature" now; just about anything would negatively impact the ship.

"So... what do we do?" Cinder asked. "Can you fix it?"

"If we were closer to a village or city, I could do it properly," Djarin explained. "But right now, we just need something to cover these spots. I have the tools, but I don't know if I have the metal." The Mandalorian moved inside the ship. "Why don't you come in and lend me a hand?"

"What are you doing?"

"If I can't find spare metal, I'll have to take some from the inside. Most likely the floor."

"Won't that be bad too?"

Djarin looked back to see Cinder standing outside. "It may sound counterintuitive, but we don't have much of a choice. When we fly to the nearest city, I'll fix it properly." Djarin looked back inside. "Come on. You'll make this faster."

"..."

Cinder stayed where she was, and she also looked down the road. She had just traveled up it before, but now she was ready to do it again.

The only thing was that she promised herself she wouldn't go far.

After a few seconds, Djarin finally noticed that Cinder wasn't with him. Instead, she was walking up the dirt road. "Hey!" Djarin called out to make the child stop. "Where are you going?"

Cinder gestured for her guardian to join her. "I have another idea!" she called out. "Follow me!" Cinder continued to walk down the dirt path until she disappeared from view.

*WHOOSH*

Djarin joined her using his Semblance, and he soon saw Cinder's other idea.

At the end of the dirt path, about a hundred feet in front of them, was an old and decaying farm. Or rather, what was left of a farm. A white farmhouse was beginning to have leaves growing on its side along with the red barn close beside it. The nature of these structures, along with the broken pieces of wood and glass on the ground, appeared to be telltale signs that the farm was abandoned.

"There might be something in there," Cinder suggested as she pointed to the farm. "It would be better than taking apart the ship. I... don't think anyone's there."

Djarin used his helmet's sensors to zoom in on the place, where he saw no signs of anyone inside. "I think you're right," he said. "Come on, let's take a look." Djarin began to walk towards the barn.

But once again, Cinder didn't follow.

"Um, that's okay, Mando," she said timidly. "I'll stay and guard the ship."

Djarin turned around. "No, it's okay," he said. "I made sure nobody could steal it after you left. We can go inside."

Cinder stepped back. "I... I can't."

"What?" Djarin moved closer. "Cinder, you have to come with me."

"I... I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"..."

She may not have wanted to talk about it, but Djarin could guess Cinder's reason. One look on her face told the Mandalorian that she was... afraid of going. Which was a rare sight, given everything they had gone through so far.

"Cinder, there's nothing to be scared of," he said. "If there are any Grimm inside, I know we can handle them."

"I... I don't know," Cinder replied after she took one more look at the farm. "I don't-"

Djarin put a hand on Cinder's shoulder. "Here, look."

*WHOOSH*

All of a sudden, Cinder found herself right in front of the barn. As she did, she couldn't help but push Djarin's arm off of her and back away. The Mandalorian was planning on showing her there wasn't anything to be afraid of, but Cinder's actions had taken him off guard.

But he didn't have any time to waste.

"Fine," he said impatiently. "Just stay here. I'll be back."

"..."

Djarin walked away from Cinder, but not without looking back to her once or twice. The direction he walked in was towards what appeared to be a tool shed, one where a rusted tractor was located. The tractor was completely incapable of operating normally, but the hood cover would be perfect to cover the scratches on the hull.

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

Djarin was moving the hood up and down a few times, but it finally broke off. Once it did, the Mandalorian carried it back to the entrance of the farm.

But Cinder wasn't there.

"Just great," Djarin said to himself. First Cinder didn't want to go to the place she found, and now she left without saying anything. He was going to have a talk with her once he got to the ship.

*WHOOSH*

The Mandalorian found himself back at the Razor Crest with the metal hood, but Cinder wasn't there.

"Cinder!" Djarin called out.

"..."

"Cinder!"

"..."

The Mandalorian sighed as he dropped the hood. Once again, he used his Semblance to go back to the farm. When he found himself at the decaying barn, the Mandalorian looked around for any sign of Cinder.

"Please be here, please be here."

The Mandalorian's helmet picked up a small whisper coming from inside the barn. Once he recognized the voice as Cinder's, Djarin walked inside and looked around. There was a dirty hallway and a small furnace inside, and there were a few rooms as well. One room at the end had an open door, and the sound of something moving caught his attention.

Djarin walked over to the room and found the one person he expected to see. But what he didn't expect to see was Cinder moving plywood off the floor and digging inside.

"Yes!" Cinder whispered as she took her hand out. "It's still here!" She quickly hugged something against her chest as she formed a large smile on her face.

*CREAK*

The child quickly looked up to see the Mandalorian looking at her. "Cinder?" he asked as he looked at the plywood. "What are you doing?"

"Uh... nothing!" Cinder said as she stumbled to move the wood back in its proper spots. As she did, she was forced to drop the thing she was previously holding.

"Is that a book?"

Cinder stopped moving as she realized her secret was out. "...Yeah." She then leaned over to pick up the book. "Yeah, it's just a book."

Djarin moved into the room once he heard this confirmation. "How'd you know that was there?"

"..."

"Cinder, I heard you looking for it. You knew it would be there."

"..."

The look on her face was just like the one Cinder had when she said she didn't want to go into the barn. When Djarin put two and two together, he kneeled down to look at her.

"Cinder... do you know this place?"

Cinder let out a heavy sigh as she trusted Djarin once again. "...Okay," she began. "Okay, yes. Yes, I've been to this farm before." Cinder moved off her knees and sat down more comfortably. "That's how I knew it was here."

"But if you knew it was here... why didn't you want to come inside?"

"Because... I never liked being here."

"..."

Djarin remained silent and hoped that Cinder knew that he was willing to listen. Cinder knew he was listening, but she believed that the Mandalorian wasn't satisfied with the answer. And so, with reluctance, she told him more.

"This farm is an orphanage," she continued. "I mean, was. I didn't know it would be abandoned."

"So... you lived here?" Djarin asked. "You were raised here?"

"I lived here. But it was just another Glass Unicorn." Cinder leaned over and picked up a bucket with a brush in it. "Do you know what I mean?"

"..."

Cinder threw the bucket away after she relived her experiences with it. Djarin watched the bucket fall to the floor and understood why she didn't want to come here.

But there was something he didn't understand.

"Cinder, why didn't you tell me so?" Djarin asked. "I would've understood."

"I did tell you," Cinder insisted. "I mean, I tried to tell you. I'm sorry, I just... wasn't ready to talk about it, I guess."

Djarin sighed. "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to ignore you or anything, I was just thinking about the Razor Crest."

"I know you were. Did you... find what you were looking for?"

"I found a good piece of metal, and I have the tools to put it on the hull."

"So we're ready to go?"

"Just about." Djarin pointed to the book. "You can take that if you want."

Cinder looked down for a brief moment before she looked back to her guardian. "Really?" Djarin nodded. "Thank you." She quickly picked up the book and opened it. "This was something I found and read when I was sad. Do you know what kind it is?"

"No."

"I'll show you." Cinder looked at the first page. "What is the leading cause of divorce in long-term marriages?"

"...Huh?"

"A stalemate! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Djarin didn't join in the laughter, but he understood what kind of book it was. "Oh. It's a joke book."

"Yeah!" Cinder looked back at the book. "I heard a joke about amnesia. But I forget how it goes!" She then laughed some more.

Djarin rolled his eyes under his helmet. "I've heard that one before."

"Okay." Cinder looked back at the book. "When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds." She let out a small giggle while Djarin simply looked at her.

"Oh, I get it," he said. "Right, for and four."

"Uh-huh!" Cinder looked back in her book. "A moon rock tastes better than an earthly rock because it's meteor."

Djarin once again understood the joke. "Right, meatier."

Cinder noticed that her caretaker wasn't laughing at the jokes. Whether he didn't like them or he was still upset about the ship, Cinder wasn't sure. But she was determined to lighten the mood, so she looked down the page for a good joke.

"I was addicted to soap," she said. "But then I got clean!"

A small and brief chuckle escaped the Mandalorian's throat. "Okay, I never heard that one," he confessed.

Cinder took her victory of laughter, no matter how small, with pride as she decided to keep her streak going. "Do you wanna hear a joke about pizza?" she asked.

"What is it?" Djarin asked.

"No, wait. Never mind."

"What, it doesn't say in the book?"

"No." Cinder smiled again. "The joke was too cheesy!"

"...Of course it was."

Cinder laughed more at the reaction rather than the joke, but she was still enjoying herself. So she decided to read another one. "What's a pirate's favorite letter?"

"Oh, wait. I know this one." Djarin felt this joke was child's play to him. "Arrr?"

"No!" Cinder said with a smile.

"What?" Djarin asked in surprise. It wasn't every day when a children's book of all things made him confused. "Really?"

"No, 'tis the C!"

"Ohhh." Djarin let out a small laugh as the logic of the pun became clear."Yeah, I get it now."

"Yeah, like the sea!" Cinder said as she laughed some more.

Djarin chucked again. "I think that's the best one in there."

"Okay, how about this one?" Cinder looked at the book again. "It's not that the guy didn't know how to juggle. He just didn't have... the balls to do it?"

Djarin quickly looked back to the book. "Okay, that's enough," he said as he took the book. "I'll look at it with you later."

"I don't get it."

"It's not for children your age."

"Oh, okay." Cinder looked back inside. "I think there were a few others in there."

"Let's see." Djarin reached his hand inside the small space and felt a book that was much thicker than the joke book. When he pulled it out, he saw that it had a brown cover with no title.

"That's weird," said Cinder. "I don't remember a book like that."

"Well, let's see," Djarin said as he opened the book. Once he did, he saw that it was full of maps. Now it was his turn to be satisfied with what he found. "Oh, it's an atlas."

"Atlas? Like the Kingdom?"

"Not exactly. This is a map book, something pilots used to chart their course. Let's read this."

"But that's not fun. Can't we go back to jokes?"

"You could learn a lot from something like this. Here, I'll teach you how to read it."

"Do we have to?" Cinder was willing to do anything to get out of reading a book of maps. So she stood up and moved her arms up. "Maybe you can teach me some more fighting moves. Like how a Mandalorian should learn."

Djarin remained sitting. "Being a Mandalorian's not just learning about how to fight, Cinder," he said calmly. "You also have to know how to navigate the globe."

Cinder lowered her arms and moved closer again. "What for?"

"The Children of the Watch always had to move from place to place. And I always had to find my way back when I left. How do you think I knew where to go when we left Atlas?"

"..."

Cinder slowly sat back down. The Mandalorian sensed that he was getting through to Cinder, but he had one more thing to say.

"Our journey won't be easy, Cinder. Should anything... happen to one of us, we'll have to find our way back together again."

"..."

Cinder moved back close to Djarin again. "So... studying this will help?" she asked hopefully.

Djarin nodded. "That way... you'll never be lost."

---

Present day

"Hey, not bad. Kind of a fixer-upper, but this'll do."

True to his word, Djarin knew the perfect place to hide out after the Dust smuggling inevitably hit a bump in the road. He remembered the run down farm ever since Cinder showed it to him, even though he never returned after that day. But since it was so isolated and relatively close to the coastline, coming here was the best option. And given that even more grass had grown on the barn, it provided the best kind of camouflage.

"We'll be safe here," said the Mandalorian. "And when we're sure we weren't followed, I'll lead the way to the city."

"Sounds like a plan," said Lando. "Though we might wanna keep our distance. Word might travel fast about our... escapade."

"Fair point." Djarin took his weapon out of his holster. "I'll scout ahead, just to make sure no ships caught our trail."

"I'll watch the Dust, then."

With that, the smugglers went their separate ways. Djarin used his jetpack to move high into the trees to see if any ships were nearby while Lando went to go check on the remaining Dust.

"How's it looking, Chewie?" Lando asked the Faunus.

*GROWL*

Lando studied the hand movements while paying attention to the carefully made noises his friend was making. "Good," he said with a smile. "I was worried that some of the gunfire hit the cases."

*GROWL*

*WUG*

"Yeah, no doubt we got lucky. But I gotta say, you make a good copilot."

*WUG*

*GROWL*

"Oh, yeah? I guess the controls aren't too different from the ships I used for Dust."

*WUG*

*WUG*

"You found a difference?"

Chewie led Lando into the airship, where they could see all the Dust was accounted for. Along with that, Chewie had spotted a wall of handheld machines. They appeared to be special mining tools rather than simple drills and pickaxes. The large Faunus had his eyes on a tool that looked like a crossbow.

"Oh, nice Line Gun you got there," Lando commented. "I've been meaning to order some of those for the Mistral team."

*WUG*

*GROWL*

*ROAR*

Lando saw more hand movements when the noises came. "You wanna use it against anyone who comes after us?" he asked. "Yeah, that could work. Though it may be hard to use a weapon." Lando suddenly got an idea. "You know, Mando knows a thing or two about weapons. He actually has a special kind of ammo, maybe he can-"

*ROAR*

Lando immediately moved backwards. "Okay, okay!" he said as the shock of Chewie's roar began to die down. "You don't have to ask him! I was just giving a suggestion."

"..."

Despite being somewhat scared of the roar, Lando was also beginning to grow impatient with his friend. "Look, Chewie, you gotta cut Mando some slack here."

"..."

"I mean, he stuck with us since we met in Atlas, he helped us with those other airships, and now he led us to the best hiding spot I've seen!"

"..."

Lando began to calm down when he saw that he was getting through to Chewie. However, he was still unsure about why the Faunus was against the Mandalorian. "Really, though. What's your deal with him?"

*WUG*

*WUG*

Lando studied the hand movements and noises. "Join the club, Chewie," he said. "I wouldn't like to get shot either."

*GROWL*

*ROAR*

"No, Mando doesn't have anything against Faunus. Is that why you think he shot you?"

"..."

"Chewie, listen to me. What happened in the warehouse was my fault. If I knew Mando and Mrs. Schnee were in that warehouse, I would've met them with you instead of sending you in by yourself. Because of me, it was a case of wrong place and wrong time. Know what I mean?"

"..."

The large Faunus nodded slowly. Just as he did, Lando noticed that Djarin had returned from his scouting mission. "Here, I'll show you there are no hard feelings," he said as he walked closer to the Mandalorian. "How's it look so far?"

"Not bad," said Djarin. "Just some small Grimm, but no Atlesians from Argus. Any trouble while I was gone?"

"Not really. But we could use your opinion on something." Lando turned to Chewie and gestured for him to come over. When he did, the Faunus knew what Lando expected him to do. So he showed the Mandalorian the Line Gun he was holding.

"Is that a mining tool?" Djarin asked.

"It's called a Line Gun," Lando confirmed. "Just in case the Atlesians come, Chewie wants to defend himself."

*WUG*

*GROWL*

Lando was about to answer for his friend, but Djarin was also looking at Chewie's hand movements. "I think it could make a good weapon," he said. "What does it do?"

"..."

Chewie was surprised by the Mandalorian's answer, since he wasn't aware that Djarin knew sign language. But after Lando gestured for him to show what the tool did, Chewie raised the large device and pointed it towards a tree.

*BANG*

A large, horizontal line of energy escaped from the end of the gun and moved towards the tree. Once it made contact, the energy dissipated as the tree fell over.

*CRASH*

Lando and Djarin examined the act of destruction the Line Gun had left behind. "Impressive," the Mandalorian said.

"Wow," said Lando. "I knew they worked pretty good for cave excavation, but I never saw it out in the field."

"Definitely powerful." Djarin looked back to the Faunus. "How does it feel?"

Chewie put down the gun and used his method of communication to describe how the gun felt. As he moved his hands and growled, Chewie described that the gun was heavy and cumbersome when used outdoors. In the mines, it was usually pressed against a rock or cart to support the weight.

"I see," Djarin noted. "Were you aiming for that tree?"

*WUG*

*ROAR*

"So you can shoot fine." Djarin noted how the Faunus' large size must contribute to his strength. "What about carrying it around?"

Chewie looked at the gun and shook his head. Despite his ability to point and shoot, this tool wasn't very practical to carry around.

"That's what I thought," said the Mandalorian.

"I was thinking you knew weapons pretty good," said Lando. "I mean, they're a part of-"

"A part of my religion, yes." Djarin approached the tool and looked at it again. "Are there any parts of the metal you don't need?" Chewie pointed his fingers towards specific parts of the gun, ones that were mainly used for support. "Okay. If you were to trim these down..." Djarin pointed to the two sides of the bar at the front of the gun. "Maybe that could lose some weight."

*WUG*

*GROWL*

Djarin studied the Faunus' hand movements. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Working on something like this by yourself might be dangerous."

"Chewie's pretty good with mechanics," said Lando. "I've seen him take apart tools like these before."

"Alright." The Mandalorian pointed to one piece that was sticking out. "What's this?"

*ROAR*

"Oh, that's what you load it with. Can I see it?" Chewie took off the magazine and handed it to his acquaintance. "Too bad. This thing's pretty heavy. Without it, the gun could weigh less."

*WUG*

*WUG*

The Mandalorian looked to see Chewie was pointing at his blaster. He didn't see the sign language, so he wasn't exactly sure what he was saying.

"He's wondering if regular bullets would work," said Lando. "I was actually telling him about those special bullets you have. You think those could work instead of that thing?"

Djarin took out his small blaster and unloaded one of his modified Dust rounds. "Only one way to find out," he said as he handed Chewie the bullet. Chewie took it and carefully loaded the bullet into the weapon. Fortunately, part of the barrel was just the right size for a bullet instead of the original ammo he had. So once again, he stood up and pointed the gun at another tree.

"Heads up," said Lando as he pointed towards the forest. A single Beowolf emerged from the tree line and set its red eyes on the trio.

*BANG*

*BOOM*

A red laser fired from the Line Gun and hit the Beowolf right in the chest. An explosion followed suit, one that turned the grass black and the Grimm into nothing but Dust.

"..."

All three men looked at the weapon in amazement as they witnessed the act of destruction. It seemed when combined with Djarin's modified Dust rounds, the Line Gun was capable of a feat that was equal to its original ammo.

"Now that's a gun," Lando said with a laugh.

Chewie turned to Djarin and made more noises and hand movements; he was asking how the Mandalorian was able to modify Dust rounds. It was obvious that he was interested in using this gun as a means of self-defense, once the right modifications were made.

"It's a long process," Djarin explained. "I actually showed some of my students at Beacon." He then tapped a screen on his gauntlet. "I think I have a recording on here." Djarin found it a few seconds later and showed the large Faunus. "I could send it to your Scroll if you want."

*WUG*

Djarin looked over to Lando. "Can I share it with you instead?"

"Go ahead," he said. "Chewie, I'll show the video to you when you get your own Scroll."

"..."

All of a sudden, Chewie took off and moved back to the SDC ship. Both Lando and Djarin were wondering what he was doing, but his intentions were revealed when Chewie returned with another gun. He then laid the gun down at the Mandalorian's feet.

"You want me to look at this too?" Djarin asked.

*WUG*

*GROWL*

*WUG*

The noises and hand movements gave a different story.

"This is for me?" Djarin translated. "You want to trade for the bullets and advice?"

Chewie nodded slowly. Then, the Mandalorian moved to pick up the new tool that the Faunus believed to be a future weapon. It appeared to be long and lightweight, similar to a rifle. It didn't look much of a gun, given the strange design of the barrel and the multiple pieces of curved metal at the end.

"Oh, wow," Lando said with curiosity. "Would you look at that?"

"What?" Djarin asked. "You know what this is?"

"Yeah, I ordered a lotta these for my team here in Mistral." Lando examined the device closer as he took in every detail of its chrome features. "They're called Rivet Guns, they're mainly used to hold the supports in the mines."

"Could it be a weapon?"

Lando looked back to the tree line again. "Why don't you let it speak for itself?" He then pointed at another lone Grimm. When the Mandalorian saw it, he raised the tool and aimed it as best as he could; there wasn't really much of a scope on it.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Multiple small pieces of metal shot out from the device, all of which were heading straight for the Beowolf. Some of the metal hit the bushes and trees, given the lack of a scope. But the majority of the projectiles were direct hits against the Grimm's skull, arm, and torso.

One shot even stuck the Creature of Grimm against the tree itself. It was trapped with no place to go. Along the metal in its head and chest, the Grimm did nothing but turn to Dust.

"So that's what it does," the Mandalorian said as he examined the gun.

"That's right," said Lando. "What do you think?"

"Promising." Djarin removed a piece of the gun that he knew was the place where ammo was stored. In this case, there was nothing but small pieces of metal as well. "It doesn't seem to rely on Dust to fire. We could use more weapons like this."

"What can I say, Mando? It's the little things that count."

Djarin did nothing but hold the rifle at his side. When he found the time, he planned to attach a rope on the bottom so he could place it on his back. Of course, it needed other modifications as well; including a scope.

But as of right now, it was a suitable addition to Djarin's arsenal.

"I'll take it," Djarin said as he extended a hand towards the Faunus. "Thank you, friend."

"..."

Chewie didn't shake the Mandalorian's hand. Instead, he let out a triumphant roar and scooped Djarin into his arms.

The Mandalorian was caught completely off guard by the bear hug, but Chewie didn't seem to mind. Before today, like any Faunus, he was thought of a lesser being and something monstrous. Ever since Djarin shot him, Chewie believed that this out of malice as well. But the offer of friendship had warmed the man's heart so much that he let go of any grudge he had and was willing to hug the man tightly.

Lando didn't seem to mind either, given that he was laughing uncontrollably.

"Aw, he likes you, Mando!" Lando said as Chewie finally let Djarin go. The Mandalorian fell to the ground, which only made Lando laugh even harder. Chewie even began to chuckle.

Djarin found it hard to breathe while he was caught in the hug, so he was breathing heavily. "You... didn't say... he was a hugger," he said as he stood up.

"This is how he shows love! Can't hold anything against that."

Djarin began to wipe brown hair off his armor. "A little warning would have been nice." As his friend laughed a little more, Djarin looked around the immediate area. "You know... we made a lotta noise out here."

Lando stopped laughing after a few seconds. "How's that?" he asked.

"Between the Line Gun and Rivet Gun, anyone would know where we are." Djarin briefly spread his arms. "But all we have to show for it are a couple of Grimm."

Lando began to understand what the Mandalorian was saying. "Yeah, that's true. You don't think any Atlesians are coming?"

"I don't think anyone's coming. I could have heard them from a mile away."

Lando knew from experience that Djarin's helmet contributed to enchanted sight and hearing, so it was easy to take his friend's word on the matter. "So we're good to go, then?"

"I would say so." Djarin began to walk back to the Razor Crest as he made up his mind.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to split up from here," Lando said as he made his way to the cargo airship.

"That's what I had in mind," the Mandalorian confirmed. "I'm taking my Dust to Vale. Mistral needs your Dust more."

"Are you sure? Didn't the Fall of Beacon do a number on the Kingdom?"

"Yes, but I heard Huntsmen and Huntresses here are spread thin. They'll need more supplies."

"Yeah, I guess that's fair. But where should I take stolen Dust to?"

"Probably right on the city's doorstep, I'd say. Unpack it and give them a signal as you fly away."

"Yeah, alright."

*WUG*

*ROAR*

Djarin and Lando looked to see Chewie moving his hands once again. "Good to hear," said Djarin. "You see that, Lando? He'll make sure you get to Mistral."

"I'm still going, don't worry," Lando replied. "I got some business to check up on. And Chewie's itching to get home."

"Better not keep him waiting." Djarin began to move away from Lando and the cargo ship. "It was good to see you again, Lando."

"Always a pleasure, my friend. Next time you're in Mistral, don't be a stranger."

"I won't."

With that, Djarin entered the Razor Crest and flew off into the calm blue sky. Lando and Chewie were ready to go too, after they rechecked the remaining Dust.

"I gotta say, Chewie, you did pretty good for your first time smuggling," said the businessman. "I'm impressed."

*GROWL*

*ROAR*

"Trust me, I'm not pulling leg. I mean, that flying was off the rails. And we got the majority of the loot safe and sound. You actually remind me of another friend I have in Mistral."

*WUG*

*WUG*

*WUG*

"You want my advice? Don't stop while you're on a roll." Lando pointed to another box that was close to them; instead of Dust, this one was full of Lien. "Especially when there's Lien to be made."

*WUG*

*GROWL*

"Um... not that I know of. No, I don't really have any other jobs lined up. Unless you wanna go back to the mines again."

*ROAR*

*GROWL*

"I thought so. Sorry, pal. But listen; any time I got something lined up, you'll be my backup."

"..."

As Lando prepared to take the ship off the ground, he paused when he remembered the words he just said. He said them once before, to someone else he knew to be a good smuggler. "Although... you're not in a big rush to get home, are you?" he asked Chewie.

*GROWL*

"I'm just saying, I think I know a good way to put your talents to good use. It might even help me out too."

"..."

Chewie decided to remain silent as Lando continued to talk. While he wanted nothing more than to drop off the Dust and go home, the offer of more money was too good to pass up at the moment.

"Remember how I said you remind me of someone I know in Mistral? See, he's got an eye for smuggling too. Not to mention quality airships." Lando mentally sighed as his thoughts turned to a particular airship. "It will be mine again, I promise."

*WUG*

"Ah, sorry! Just thinking out loud. As I was saying, he's a smuggler too. A good one. But he'd be better if he wasn't so cocky. And having a copilot like you wouldn't hurt either."

With each word Lando said, which Chewie certainly believed to be true, the Faunus' interests grew.

*WUG*

*GROWL*

"Well, he usually flies solo. It's gotten him in trouble before. Like I said, having a partner would make his life easier. He just doesn't know it yet. So what do you say? Want me to introduce you to him?"

*GROWL*

"Yes, properly. It won't be like Atlas. I've learned my lesson, believe me. Interested?"

*ROAR*

"Perfect! Let's meet the man!"

---

Things didn't go exactly as planned for Djarin and Lando. But Willow found herself to be quite lucky in the matter of Dust smuggling.

Her side of the plan went off without a hitch. As soon as both ships left, Willow used her access to change certain records of the Dust stored there. With careful precision, Willow made her own Dust seem like it was never there to begin with; in other words, "mistakes" were made with the paperwork.

The board of directors accepted these findings, as well as proof that the Dust was never in the two warehouses to begin with. However, they were still adamant about stopping the continuation of mining Dust, not when they weren't selling as much as they had hoped.

Willow expected this, and she knew that a vote could overrule her decision to stay the current course. So instead of fighting tooth and nail with the board, the CEO offered a compromise to the situation. Work in the mines and the office would continue, but only part-time. The average workday at the SDC would be cut in half until the embargo was lifted. The employees wouldn't be receiving their full pay, but they would not be left empty-handed either. At this current pace, the company could hold out for even longer than predicted. But should this time run out, Willow planned to deal with that when the situation arose.

A new vote was held on the matter, and the majority of the board was in favor with the decision. All of the employees were still worried about the future, but they knew this decision was better than completely shutting down or losing their jobs. Lien would have to be saved carefully, but it wasn't the end of the world.

The one who seemed to like this decision the most was Willow herself. Not just because she brought order back to the company, but because her first half day left her with time to make a special visit.

After she purchased a bouquet of flowers and gave Klein a new route for the ride home, Willow found herself in a graveyard. She walked along the tombstones alone until she found herself standing in front of two special stones on top of a hill. The hill was a peaceful place, one where a field with a small pond was visible. Willow liked this place, and she knew her mother and father would enjoy seeing it as well.

This was, of course, where they chose to be buried.

"Hello, Mother," Willow began. "Hello, Father." She then put down the flowers and talked some more. "I know, I should be at work, shouldn't I?" Willow hummed and smiled at the joke she made before she talked again. "You see, I'm not exactly sure if you can tell, but the company is... Well, it's in some trouble."

"..."

Willow wasn't really expecting a response, so she continued to talk. "You see, the Council... Well, mainly one of its members, made the decision to place an embargo on Dust shipping and close the Kingdom's borders. They're not closed yet, but it won't be much longer until they do. Father, I'm sure you've heard stories about the Mandalorians. They actually started a war with with all the Kingdoms. And rather than fight them, General Ironwood thinks it's best to shut ourselves in. From what I've heard, Vale and Mistral are in trouble."

"..."

"A friend of mine told me about it yesterday. When I heard everything, I made a decision. A decision to..."

"..."

Willow took a breath as she kneeled down. "Mother, I'm not sure how much you know, but I have to talk about this with Father."

"..."

The silence was strangely welcoming for Willow, so she spoke her mind again. "Father, I found out how you stopped the Dust shortage that happened when I was young," she confessed. "And I found your note too."

"..."

Willow stood upright and looked around once more to see that she was alone. "Needless to say, I was... shocked, when I found out about it. I was a little angry too, but mostly shocked. To be honest, I thought it meant that everything you did and stood for went straight out the window." Willow sighed as she recalled her own emotions. "But I was wrong."

"..."

"I was so wrong about you, Father. I did some research and truly saw how bad the Dust shortage was for Atlas and the other Kingdoms. And I saw how what you did was the only way to stop it. And I'd like to apologize for doubting you."

"..."

Willow would have liked it if she knew for a fact that her father would be willing to forgive her, but she knew that was impossible. So she continued to talk. "Truth be told, I actually did the same thing with the help of a friend. All in order to get our Kingdom's Dust where it needs to go. I just hope it got there in one piece."

"..."

Willow looked to the other tombstone. "Once again, I'm not sure how much you knew about this, Mother. But I think it would be a mistake to be mad at Father. He did the right thing."

"..."

Willow let out a heavy sigh. "I hope I did the right thing too. But I have to say, I'm at my wit's end right now. I hardly have anyone on my side, I have a prison for a home, and now I have no friends."

"..."

Willow had to admit, save for her loyal butler and youngest children, life had become quite lonely in Atlas. The only people who helped her today were either acquaintances or employees who weren't ready to lose their jobs. And General Ironwood, who was once a friend of the family, had done nothing but undermine her.

Not only that, but he had apparently stolen her eldest daughter, who refused to come home or even visit.

As she reflected on her loneliness at the tombstones, Willow couldn't help but think back on the time when both her parents were alive. The companionship, support, and love the two of them offered meant the world to her.

Not only that, but Willow had friends while she was growing up. Not just children of her father's business partners, or people from "suitable families," but actual friends.

One of which... was still living in the Kingdom.

"Wait..." Willow said as she went through her memories once again. "That's... not true."

"..."

Willow began to smile as she looked back to the waiting limousine. It seemed this visit had paid off in more ways than one. "I'm sorry," she said as she looked back to the gravestones. "I have to go. I have a call to make... to an old friend."

With that, Willow kissed the palm of her hand and gently tapped it on both of the stones. As she turned to leave, she had one more thing to say.

"Thank you for listening. Talking with you always seems to help."

---

Author's notes: hey everyone, hope you all liked the chapter. And I especially hope you liked Chewie's introduction here. He was someone I've been waiting to introduce for a long time. I think I explained just about everything about him here, but I have one thing to say about him right here.

As you saw, Chewie here speaks with his growls and roars like he does in Star Wars. However, he also communicates via sign language while he growls. My idea for this is something that's gonna evolve with the people closest to him. People like Lando will listen to him more while he makes his signature noises and start to notice how the sign language matches with certain sounds and letters. And after some time, they'll be able to understand his roars without the use of sign language. That's the idea I have behind this.

Like I said, I hope you liked his introduction here. You'll see some more Star Wars characters later, I promise. And if you're wondering anything else about Chewie, feel free to drop your questions in the comments.

To The Avenging Titan, glad you liked everything about last chapter. Yes, Gretchen's situation with Hazel was very sad. But I knew things would be similar regardless of whether she was alive or dead, so I agree with your headcanon. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

To Servos New Head, Qrow is not Eren Yeager, lol. Glad you liked the last chapter, especially Dream Summer and Hazel. You're right on both accounts, as well as Clans Tenau and Vizsla. There will be more to come, I assure you. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

To GojiraRWBYSW18, glad you liked a chapter around Qrow. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

To CT7567Rules, thanks for all your ideas. The weapons and video games you mentioned all inspired me to give Djarin a new gun, one that I think he'll put to good use. I know it's not exactly what you had in mind, but I hope you like it. You're the reason I decided to give Djarin a new gun, after all. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

That's all I have for now. Once again, thank you all for reading. If you like the story so far or have any other feedback, please leave a comment. I would really appreciate it.

The Court of Talons is adjourned. See you next time!