The Mandalorian's Slave

Leaving Sorgan

This chapter will also be in the Mandalorian's POV. If there's anything I can do to make his POV better or more accurate let me know ☺️ also your comments are hilarious and I love them

The sun is setting quickly. The sky is a brilliant shade of orange, bathing the trees below in wondrous shadows. Aster watches it all in a mix of awe and fear. I can't tell if she's scared if more bounty hunters will appear, or if it has to do with Caben, or both.

"I can take the Child for a while," I offer. The Child is dozing quietly on her lap. Aster nods and hands him to me, taking this as an opportunity to stretch her legs.

Aster is wearing a sage green dress today. It's sleeveless, showing off her toned arms. It's a reminder of how hard she's worked in her life. Her life has been just as hard as mine, just in different ways. Her thick curls are tied back in a bun, with a few unruly stands escaping. She's still not used to other planets, and as the sun sets, Aster wraps a blanket around herself.

I find myself wishing I had a cloak to wrap her in, the way Caben wrapped her in his. Then I reprimand myself for feeling that way.

Omera is silent as she leads us down the narrow road toward my ship. I think part of that has to do with the state of her brother. But I don't feel bad. In fact, I'm angry at myself for not beating the piss out of him myself.

I don't want Aster to think I don't care about what Caben did. I want her to know that I would do anything for her. But I can't feel this way, and she can't know this, so it's better that I stay quiet. She's supposed to be an expendable slave after all, and I'm supposed to follow the Code.

Cara has lapsed into a silence too, though hers isn't moody. She watches the shadows of the forest carefully. No doubt, she's expecting the Guild's best bounty hunters after us. But I don't expect the best. There'll be good ones, yes, but also shitty ones expecting to make a quick jackpot.

"You can rest if you'd like. It's going to be a long ride and you've had a long day."

Aster glances up at me. She nods, pulling the blanket tighter around her.

"Here, take another one," I offer.

"Thank you." Aster takes it gratefully and wraps it around her.

I wonder what she thinks of me. Does she know how I feel about her? Or has other things prevented her from seeing it, such as her run-ins with Caben?

I shouldn't care what she thinks. And I don't. That's why I have to forcibly tear my eyes off of her and scan the forest for danger. Because I don't care.

                                      XXXX
The speeder has been incredibly slow for a ship called a speeder. Still, I'm glad we arrived at the Razor Crest safely. It's been a cramped past couple of hours.

The sky is a soft gray as we get out of the speeder. My ship awaits us. The doors open with an eager groan as I begin hauling my weapons back inside. She's ready to leave this place too.

Aster is outside, stretching and yawning. Her hair is a mess and her eyes are blurry from sleep, but she still causes my stomach to turn in a strange way.

The Child waddles around on the soft moss. He and Aster are taking one last look at this place. I let them. The next planet we'll be heading to won't be as pleasant.

It takes me a few trips to get my weapons safely on my ship. I allow myself to take a few minutes longer than I normally do. As I walk back outside, I notice that Aster has the bag with her new clothes slung over her shoulder and the new blankets folded under her arm as well. She knows what comes next.

I walk up to Cara and Omera. I've always struggled with words. Thankfully, Aster knows what to say.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Omera. And thank you Cara for everything. We hate to leave, but we have to." I can hear the sadness in Aster's voice. I hate the way it makes me feel sad.

"Thank you for saving us from the raiders. If you ever need shelter again, we will welcome you with open arms." I have a feeling Caben won't.

"If you ever need someone's ass kicked, you know where to find me," Cara says with a smirk.

I nod. "Thank you. I'm afraid this is goodbye." I turn back to my ship. Aster follows me. I feel strange as I shut the door behind us. The Child summarizes it best with a mournful coo.

"So, where to next?" Aster asks me while following me to the cockpit.

"Well, there's good news and there's bad news." Aster groans.

"Tell me the good news."

"The good news is, the planet we're going to is warmer than this one. At least, during the day."

"Please tell me the bad news is that it's filled with pretty scenery."

I flip the controls, causing the Razor Crest to roar to life. I lift her off the ground, away from potential bounty hunters, away from Caben, and away from a place that once made Aster happy.

"The bad news is, it's a desert planet." I glance over at Aster. She groans again.

"That's actually great news. I love sand so much. The desert is my favorite," she teases sarcastically. "So what's the name of this lovely, beautiful planet?"

"Tatooine."

"Tatooine? Isn't that place like ruled by the Hutts?" Aster asks it casually, but I can tell she's heard stories about the planet. Unpleasant stories.

"It's a lawless place. Perfect for us. I can find a job, get the money, and we can leave." I've been thinking about this for a while, even before Cara spotted the bounty hunter.

"A lawless desert. Perfect for a child!"