"Mando." He turned to the source of the voice, a shorter and older man that he recognized. "Is that you under that bucket?" He smirked and held out a hand for Din to take.
He shook the proffered hand and greeted him. "Ran." The man was older than he remembered, but so was Din.
"I didn't really know if I'd ever see you in these parts again. Good to see you." Ran put an arm around his shoulder, guiding him up a staircase. He let go and faced Din again. "You know, to be honest, I was a little surprised when you reached out to me. Y'know, 'cause I.. I hear things. Like maybe things between you and the guild aren't working out."
He tries not to let his irritation show. "I'll be fine."
He put his hands up, giving up the fight easily. "Okay, well, you know the policy. No questions. And you, you're welcome back here anytime."
"So what's the job?" He asked as they walked further along the catwalk.
"Yeah, one of our associates ran afoul of some competitors and got himself caught. So, I'm putting together a crew to spring him. It's a five-person job, I got four." They turn around to look at the Mandalorian's ship. "All I need is the ride, and you brought it."
It was becoming more difficult to keep his emotions in check. "The ship wasn't part of the deal." Athri was on the ship with the child and now they're smack-dab in the middle of the danger again.
"Well, the Crest is the only reason I let you back in here." Din shot him a dirty glare through his visor. "What's the look? Is that gratitude? Uh-huh, I think it is." Smiling, Ran walked away.
Putting an end to the disagreement, he introduced Din to his teammates for the mission. Migs Mayfeld, a former Imperial sharpshooter, would be running point while Burg, a Devaronian, would supply the muscle, and Xi'an, a Twi'lek Din used to work with, would act as their rogue. They wanted his ship because it was off-grid, and to add insult to injury, they were having a droid fly it. It was also not just a rescue mission, but a jailbreak mission. Their man was arrested, not caught by a rival. He could hardly believe he used to call these people his friends.
He watched the droid take the pilot's seat, monitoring him until they jumped into hyperspace. His nerves were fraying, though, not being able to watch the chamber Athri was hiding in. She was still in there when they got on the ship. He heard the gun cabinet open, followed by a low chuckle. Someone's rooting through his things and he's going to put an end to it. Dropping down the ladder, he found Burg messing with the cabinet and closed it with his gauntlet controls. The Devaronian slammed on the doors frustratedly before he turned around to face Din. He growled and stepped up, looking down at him from his elevated viewpoint. The Devaronian was immense, but Din thought he could take him if necessary. Mayfeld and Xi'an watch, the Twi'lek balancing a pointed blade on her finger.
The team he was sent in with were all alphas, besides the droid. Din was on edge, watching every move made by the intruders in his home. He blocked the large red alien from touching the release button on his sleeping chamber, instinctively baring his teeth although no one could see it. When Burg growled in an attempt at intimidation, Din matched its ferocity, turning them to place himself in closer to his vulnerable companions. The chamber was air-tight and if it remained closed, these three would never find out about his little family.
"Hey, hey, hey. Okay, okay." The human acted as though to mediate, seeking to avoid trouble until they could finish the job. "I get it. I'm a little particular about my personal space, too. So, let's just do this job. We get in, we get out, and you don't have to see our faces anymore."
Despite the placating words, he didn't act when his teammate stepped further into Din's personal space. "Someone tell me why we even need a Mandalorian," he grunted.
"Well, apparently they're the greatest warriors in the galaxy." Mayfeld shrugged, acting aloof. "So they say."
"Then why are they all dead?" Burg's insensitive joke had the trio guffawing. Din was pointedly silent.
The bald-headed man crossed this ankle over his knee. "Well, you flew with him, Xi'an. Is he as good as they say?"
She smiled, running her tongue over her teeth. "Ask him about the job on Alzoc III."
At the prompting, Din defended himself. "I did what I had to."
"Oh, but you liked it." Her smirk turned cruel and she leaned forward. "See, I know who you really are."
"He never takes off the helmet?"
The alpha Twi shook her head slowly, mockingly saying, "This is the way." She giggled so quietly it was nearly unheard.
"I wonder what you look like under there. Maybe he's a Gungan. Is that why yousa don't wanna show your face?" He put on a mocking Gungan accent. The ex-imperial sharpshooter turned to Xi'an. "You ever seen his face?"
"A lady never tells." She stroked her head tail as though hiding a sensual secret, but he never showed her his face.
"Aw, come on, Mando. We've all got to trust each other here. You've got to show us something." If looks could kill, Din would be passing on from the glare the other human sent him. The Mandalorian gave Mayfeld a withering stare, blatantly refusing the request. "Come on, just lift the helmet up. Come on. Let us all see your eyes." He acted like he was coaxing a scared animal.
He didn't remove his helmet. Mayfeld didn't waver either. The ex-Imperial alpha nods almost imperceptibly to Burg.
"I'll do it." Burg volunteers, reaching for Din's helmet. As if he would just allow them to bare his face according to their whims. He blocks the offending appendage, and then the second one. He ends up pushing the red giant into the vacc tube where he stumbled and caught himself by grabbing the wall. In the process, he opened the door to Athri.
Her scent fills the chamber.
"Whoa! What is this?" He gapes at her, his aftershave and jet fuel scent flaring up at the presence of an omega. He continues as though everything is friendly. "You get lonely up here, buddy? Wait a minute, did you make that thing with her? Huh? What is it like a pet or something?" Din takes note of the way Burg tightened his fists and flared his nostrils. Xi'an stopped balancing her dagger to stare at Athri.
"Yeah." Din is just buying time, thinking of a plan of attack if things go south. "Something like that."
"Didn't take you for the type to settle down with an omega, of all things." She gets close, enough to almost touch his visor. Her eyes are blown wide, making her appear drunk. "Maybe that code of yours has made you soft."
Din huffed at the cruel wording."She's not a thing."
"Case. In. Point." She pokes him in the beskar with the tip of her blade for each word. "She's just an omega." Neither one backs down.
"Me, I was never into pets. I didn't have the temperament, you know. Patience." His attention was taken when the green-eyed alpha leaned into the chamber, reaching out with one arm while the other rested on his blaster. "I mean, I tried but it never worked out. But I'm thinkin'... I'll try again with this little fellow." Though she put up a fight, she felt the cold of the blaster on her thigh and let the child go. She hissed at the unwanted guest, retracting from him, but followed him off the bed since he still had her baby. He held him, then pretended like he was going to drop him, but it was a gesture lost on the blind Zeltron.
"Dropping out of hyperspace now." Zero the droid's voice comes from the ship's speakers. Everyone braced themselves and leaned against the momentum. "Commencing final approach now." Athri was the first to go down, an airborne crate sweeping her legs from beneath her and sending her in whatever way the ship wanted.
"Cloaking signal, now." The ship jolted and threw them all around.
Din braced himself over the child and pulled the Zeltron under him as well. The debris hit his back instead of harming his family, which was a win in his book. The ship bounces again when it docks. Din picked up the omega in one arm and the child in the other. He set them both gently on the bed, nuzzling them both quickly with the front of his helmet. Unexpectedly, Athri put her hand atop his head and pulled him down, laying a kiss on the cheek of his beskar. "Stay in here. There's a droid on the upper level."
"Useless droid didn't even give us a proper countdown!" snarled the leather-clad Twi'lek, pushing him to be faster. Din gave his goodbyes and closed the door. It was time to leave and try to make it back to her alive.
Athri was left with the lingering touch of his cool helmet pressed into her cheek and lips before he was gone and the door was closed. She gathered the child into her arms, hugging tight as she was afraid she'd almost lost him.
She spent so long focusing on being quiet that she didn't realize she was nodding off. She may not have fully fallen asleep, but she zoned out enough for the child to escape without her noticing. She opened the door after searching and not finding him there, only to have him land in her lap before she could move. The door was shutting and she hadn't pressed the panel. He must have been paying attention when Din showed her.
"Where have you been?" She couldn't stay angry long. He was trembling in her arms, his small limbs stretched out as though to protect her. That's when she heard it, the stirring of an unknown on the ship, likely the droid Din had warned her about. She grabbed the dagger Din gave her and flicked on the vibranium switch. "Come and get me, Tin Bin," she dared under her breath, doing her best to stay confident.
Athri gasped at the opening of the door. She felt the child raising his hand toward the enemy. He focused hard, his hand shaking, and... nothing. But the droid flew to pieces, the electricity showering them in sparks. She winced from the brief heat of the embers before the thunk of metal made her do it again. The Mandalorian comes from behind it, a hand coming up to cup her jaw. He grabbed her arms, making sure she was intact and nudged her nose with his. "You're alright?"
"I'm fine," She waved off his concern. Her hands rested on his chest and helmet, feeling for injuries. "Din, are you safe?"
"Yes." They needed to move. The tracking beacon was ticking closer to zero. "Let's get out of-" A dark chortle cut him off from behind.
"So this has what got you all softened up?" The male Twi'lek grinned, scenting the air. He was cuffed but that didn't mean he couldn't make trouble. "Nice-smelling slave you got there."
"She is not a slave." He helped Athri stand and led her to the ladder. "Ignore him. We'll transport him, then be rid of him," he told her, covering her body from view with his own.
"You haven't mated her yet, I can smell it, so it's only fair I get to shoot my shot." Qin made grabbing motions in Athri's direction, his smile thinning.
"You'd have to go through me first." The Mandalorian hoisted her up and she grasped the ladder. "Athri, go on up."
"Athri? What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. You fancy having dinner sometime?" He shouted up the ladder as she disappeared. Qin angled closer to hopefully peek up her skirt but was thwarted by Din's growling presence. He could not wait to be rid of this prisoner and the beacon he planted on him. The scum's big smile melts into a sly smirk. "Oh, Mando, you telegraph your weaknesses too much. The way you treated her, it was clear what I needed to do to get on your nerves. Let's go. Take me home and I'll get you your money."
And he did. He took the Twi'lek, with the tracking beacon, right where he wanted to be, and smiled under the helmet while he drove off, passing two Repulic fighters.