When left to their own devices, the women did what they did best: talk.

They had begun to bond and found they had much in common after starting out on the wrong foot. Athri was distrustful when they first met, thinking the child was stolen by the beta when she woke up and he wasn't there. Alas, the child had gone out on his own while Athri slept and wandered his way into Peli's arms. She couldn't blame her for that. So all day while Peli worked, Athri would chat with her and entertain the baby.

Although Athri hadn't corrected her when she called Din her mate, everything else she shared was the truth. The way she and Din acted, she couldn't blame Peli for the assumption and she wouldn't be able to explain their closeness otherwise. They were close in age, though Athri was technically several years older. They were born fifteen years apart, but she was frozen for twelve of them. They both spoke droid and the language of the ants. They were both more introverted and loved children. They both were underestimated for most of their lives They spent the day swapping stories about their lives growing up.

Athri had majored in foreign languages on a planet that concerned itself mostly with pleasure in its many forms. The surface of Zeltros was covered in brothels, concert halls, spas, et cetera. Her lectures had very few attendees. There was nobody serious about learning languages from her there, so she decided to leave. She left her home to teach in Coruscant, where she thought she could meet other intellectuals and help them see the light. Her boss told her omegas were more suited to early childhood and nurturing positions, so he gave her a kindergarten teaching position. Though irritated, she ended up loving every one of her students, and it made her resolve to be a mother someday. She was still young, though, and hadn't been defiled by the Empire yet.

They sent two agents that picked her up on the way to school one morning. She still remembered the bright blue sky that mocked her with its openness. They cuffed her while her students filed into the building, some stopping to stare. One of them told her she was accused of "spreading revolutionist ideals" and that it was witnessed and reported. They kept her in Coruscant for a time, in what they called a Farm, where they created rare new hybrids for testing and cloning purposes. That's how she fell into the service of the Empire. That was where she stopped.

Peli had been a street rat all her life and started working as soon as people started hiring her. She had been working with droids for as long as she could hold a screwdriver so that went without saying. Then she apprenticed under an Ant technician and learned his language quite quickly. She had worn many different hats over the years. Peli spun tales about her time as a bartender and as a handyman, along with other jobs. Although she was a beta and didn't fear a bite, she mostly kept to herself, preferring the company of her droids.

Once the suns had set, they separated to retire and wait for Din's return. Athri and the child got ready for bed together. She had been finding it easier every day to get around without her eyesight, but that didn't mean she was happy with it. Every day that passed, she would flip the light switches on and off to find out if she could tell the difference. She had heard of people who had much success without the power of sight, but Athri did not want to lose that ability. She knew what it was like to see. She doubled as her school's art teacher for the four years she worked there, and she truly missed the feeling of holding a paintbrush and creating.

It was a relief to get out of her thick dress from Sorgan and into Din's long-sleeved shirt from their first meeting. Feeling drained, she gave a big yawn and heard the child on the counter copy her. She giggled and made funny faces at him, blowing a raspberry as she picked him up and put him on her hip. Heading to the chamber, she made sure she had the box Din had given her. Setting down the child on the blanket, she used both hands to open the box. Feeling around inside, she felt smooth, cool metal. That was so like him, to get her a full metal collar. Her stomach did flips while she secured it around her neck. She locked it, setting aside the key on a hook to give to Din later. An omega in heat would take off their collar in a second. Having the key would defeat the purpose.

Settling into bed, she pulled the blanket over them and allowed her baby to cuddle into her neck. It was much colder without Din's thick bulk radiating heat. She fell asleep cuddling their child and thinking of her alpha.

It felt like a split second before she opened her eyes. In front of the open chamber, she felt a presence and smelled a stranger. Her child whined and his scent said "Run!" He was no longer next to her on the bed. "Give him back."

"I don't think you're in any position to be making demands, omega." He made a point of charging up his blaster. "Move your pretty little behind out of that chamber or you can say bye-bye to your precious pet."

"Okay. Whatever you want." Athri's hands flew up. "Please, just don't hurt him." She shuffled to the front and stood, her eyes glazing over, shivering from both the cold and the terror. Hearing his voice more, she could determine it to be Toro Calican, the man from before who was on a job with Din. He came back and Din wasn't with him. "Where's Mando?"

"I left your traitor alpha in the Sand Wastes. Don't worry, he'll come for you two, that's why I picked you. Nice necklace. Did your boyfriend get that for you? Doesn't have the balls to mark you, then." He got up behind her and pointed the barrel of the gun to the back of her head. "Hear that? Sounds like he's almost here. Let's give him a show. You, in front."

"Okay." It was Peli's voice, and she was being threatened the same as Athri. She didn't hear anything that signaled his arrival, but evidently, Toro saw him.

"Took you long enough, Mando." He pressed the metal harder into her skull, forcing Athri forward.

"Took you long enough, Mando." Toro held his family on the ramp to his ship, blaster to Athri's head. Peli stood in front of them, looking guilty. "Looks like I'm calling the shots now. Huh, partner? Drop your blaster and raise 'em." The Mandalorian had no choice but to follow his orders or see his pack destroyed in front of him. He threw his blaster in the sand and put his hands behind his head, keeping a flash charge hidden in his hand that would disable scopes and blind the user. Then he used the gun to push Peli forward, sending her stumbling down the ramp. "Cuff him." His child was clutched in Toro's free hand and his omega was forced forward.

"You're a guild traitor, Mando. And I'm willing to bet that this here is the target you helped escape and that this is the Imperial whore that the guild is looking for." He looked down at her and put the barrel to the child's head. "You're going to do what I tell you to, understand?" She nods abruptly. "Don't resist." She had no choice but to do as he said. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and her eyes were wet with tears. He had to wait for the right moment. He only had one shot at this, or he would be dead and Athri would be captured again. He had to wait until Toro was looking down that scope for just a split second and then he could kill that sick bastard.

Peli got close, seeing the charge he had clutched in his hand. "You're smarter than you look," she whispered, pretending to put the cuffs on him and stepping back.

"Come on, babe. Don't be shy," Toro reminded her while getting a big huff of her scent. Athri choked down a sob, letting him stick his nose behind her ear. "Damn, you smell good. Is that why you have to wear a heavy-duty collar like this?" He kissed her neck, making her flinch, then forced his tongue under the collar to rub her scent gland. She panted her breaths, nearly hyperventilating. Her natural scent was something to covet, but this boy had no business doing it. Because of him, her smell was stained with panic. Din couldn't deny that he wanted to be the one to covet her, but he wouldn't dare hurt her to do it.

"You know, Fennec was right. Bringing you in won't just make me a member of the guild, it'll make me legendary." He returns his mouth to Athri's shoulder and bites, hard enough to break the skin through the cloth. Athri yelped in pain, the tears finally falling. "And I might just sample the goods on the way to turn you in. She is a whore, after all." Then, he looked down the scope momentarily, aiming at Din, so he set off the charge, blinding the blustering young alpha. Din rolled to the side, picking up his blaster on the way. When Toro located him and tried to shoot, he swung his arm wide and without having Athri as a shield, he was wide open. He fired on the hopeful guild member as soon as he had a clear shot. It knocked the other alpha off the platform entirely. In the smoke of the shootout, he couldn't find the two hostages.

"Stay back," he said to the curly-haired mechanic as he went to the other side of the ramp to search for them. He flipped Toro over to make sure he was dead, but Athri and the child weren't there.

"Where are they?" asked Peli as they both looked around.

"Athri?" A gurgle from the child reached his ears and he found her silhouette amongst the barrels of scrap. Her periwinkle orbs glistened in his direction, teardrops just barely held back. He brushed a few hairs behind her ear, finding the child secured in her arms. He gurgles up at Din, his father. He scooped her into his embrace, picking the both of them up to bring them to the sleep chamber. He allowed her to nuzzle into his chest, seeking his scent. He held them soundly, close to his heart.

"Be careful with them," Peli cautioned. Then, after making sure the two aliens weren't injured, Peli changed the subject to her employment. "So, I take it you didn't get paid."

The bounty hunter bent down and pilfered Toro's wallet, emptying it into Peli's hand. "That cover me?"

She kept a poker face, but her voice raised in pitch. "Yeah, that's going to cover you." Din left her to sort out the body's disposal and focused on caring for his little family. He let them sleep, carefully taking them to bed. He tucked them in and initiated takeoff, glad to be back in the skies and on the way to find his next job. He set the autopilot, letting the ship take control so he could check on his pack, and went downstairs.

Athri looked peaceful when she slept. The permanent wrinkle between her brows was smooth and Din could see how long her blue lashes were. The child was awake with him, begging for food until Din found him some rations. He let his thumb trail along her cheek and over her bottom lip before he caught himself. Her scent felt stronger, more alluring and stronger than it was previously.

After eating, the child dragged himself into Athri's arms. Heading back up to the bridge, Din opened the console and checked his mail. He had communicated with an old coworker over the net and finally received a reply. Din had a job secured in a far-off sector so he started the autopilot to bring them nearby. By the time he returned, the child was fast asleep in the Zeltron's arms. He divested himself of his armor and slipped into bed, wearing just his flight suit and his helmet, doing his best not to wake the omega, he snuggled up behind her, peering over her shoulder to see the little beta resting delightedly against her ample bosom.

The first time they slept together, he had woken up with his arms around her. It was so natural that he asked to start falling asleep that way. He didn't mention his morning wood. He felt so peaceful with the both of them under his arm. He could keep them safe if anything happened. He could imagine she felt a similar thrill from an omega's perspective. He almost always woke up with his stiff boner wedged between her buttocks and his nose in her hair. Or it would be if he didn't have the helmet in the way. Luckily, he also woke up first which allowed him to fix his little problem before she did. They had never spoken about their arrangement, but Din wouldn't look this gift horse in the mouth. That she allowed him so close was more than he could ever have hoped for.

"This button opens the door. it also closes the door when it's open," he explained to her, using her hand to touch the button he was talking about. He sat next to her on the bed, close enough to steal a kiss, he thought, licking his lips. "I need you to stay safe. I'm going to be gone for a while, so I want you to wait in here until you're completely sure it's safe to come out. The ship will be parked in an enemy docking bay, so do not come out under any circumstances."

She whispered, "I understand, Din."

He lowered his helmet to nudge her forehead with his own. His free hand stroked up and down her back. "Things may change suddenly so be ready to adapt." She nodded her head, her arms surrounding their child. He can't train her to be like him, but he could prepare her. "These are not good people. It's best if you don't meet them, but be on your guard if you do."

"Please, come back safe." It sounded like she was saying something else when she spoke. It must have been wishful thinking on his part because what he heard was "I love you," hidden between the lines.

So he told her he would and held back from saying he loved her too.