The Mandalorian's Slave

Spiders

I'm going to fucking die. I'm going to die because some frog lady wanted to take a bath.

How the fuck does a slave born on Jakku die on some miserable slab of ice by man-eating spiders?

A growl reverberates down the narrow tunnel, sending icicles cascading downward. The sound of skittering and hungry cries fills my ears as I dash down the labyrinth of ice.

The ceiling shudders as the largest spider climbs above us. With an ear-splitting crack, the ice gives away, placing a giant spider leg far too close to myself for my liking.

The frosty air burns my lungs as I inhale, pure adrenaline forcing me forward.

Spiders descend from the ceiling in front of us, trapping us. Without hesitation, the Mandalorian starts firing, each blaster shot true. Keeping one arm wrapped tightly around the Child, I copy him. These spiders may not be as large as the other one, but they're still waist-high and vicious.

Primal instinct takes over as the frog lady begins running on all fours. It's more of a hop really, but I'm too busy running for my life to spend much time watching her.

The Mandalorian tosses three grenades over his shoulder and hits the detonator. There's a large blast and the sound of ice crumbling, but the giant spider simply roars in defiance. Fuck.

The wave of smaller spiders reaches us. The Mandalorian whips around, his flamethrower burning brightly in the darkness of the caverns. And yet, more come.

We finally reach the opening were the ship awaits us. My legs burn and my heart thrums wildly, but somehow I'm still alive. The frog lady and I dash inside, forgetting one problem: the ship is a wreckage of what she once used to be.

A gaping slash in the side of the ship allows perfect access to both us and the spiders. They flood in behind Din, their fangs salivating hungrily.

There's no protection for us here. We dash up the ladder to the cockpit, the metal frosty beneath our hands. The spiders surge forward, threatening the break through the shutting door to the cockpit, but the Mandalorian and I fire back, grinning in grim satisfaction as their bodies thud and splatter. 

With a thud, we manage to get the door shut. For a moment, silence fills the air. But I'm all too familiar with this type of moment. It's the eye of the storm, the false calm.

The spiders begin crawling on the outside of the ship, their legs making pinging noises against the metal.

"Strap yourselves in," the Mandalorian barks. "This better work." He fires up the engines. "I've got limited visibility. It's gonna be a bumpy ride."

The Razor Crest responds, lifting up off the ground with a groan. My heart soars.

And then we're slammed back down.

A half-scream half-sob escapes my mouth as the biggest spider lands on top of the ship. Its screams pierce my skull, sending waves of terror down my body. The glass shatters, sending two legs precariously close to us.

The beast glares at us, beady black eyes filled with anger and malice. It roars, filled with lustful gluttony as it plants it's jaws against the front of the ship.

Small fractures begin to web the glass. The entire ship groans, our last adventure coming to a gruesome end.

Maybe there's words I should say, like 'I love you' or 'thank you.' But my body refuses to move.

Then the blaster fires. Shot after shot, slamming into the giant spider until it slides off of our ship.

Who the hell is this?

I peer out the frost-covered glass to see the two New Republic officers from earlier, firing away. The spiders retreat hastily, their courage gone after the death of their leader.

"We ran the tabs on the Razor Crest," one of the officers calls. "You have an arrest warrant for the abduction of prisoner X-Six-Nine-Eleven. However, onboard security records show that you apprehended three priority culprits from the Wanted Register. Security records also show that you put your own life in harm's way to try to protect that of Lieutenant Davan from the New Republic Correctional Corps. Is this true?"

"Am I under arrest?" Din asks warily.

"Technically, you should be. But these are trying times."

"What say I forego the bounties on these three criminals, and you two help me fuse my hull so I can get off this frozen rock?"

The two officers exchange a look.

"What say you fix that transponder, and we don't vaporize that antique next time we patrol the Rim?"

I watch wordlessly as the pair get back into their ships and take off. We're safe from the spiders, but what about the cold?

"All right," the Mandalorian declares to no one in particular. "I'm gonna repair the cockpit enough for us to limp to Trask. There's nothing I can do about the main hull's integrity, so we're gonna have to get cozy in the cockpit. It's the only thing I can pressurize. If you need to use the privy, do it now. It's gonna be a long ride."

The Mandalorian and I don't talk as we fix the cockpit. My mind is too jumbled for words. It simply feels good to do something with my hands, something that's familiar.

By the time we're done, my fingers are properly numb and my face is flushed from the cold. Snow suddenly seems a lot less beautiful.

"Okay, repair's all done," I announce as we re-enter the cockpit. I try to ignore the way my voice still wobbles.

Will I ever get used to such close calls with death?

"Let's see if we can get this thing going once and for all," Din says grimly.

He powers on the engines. The entire ship shudders violently as we slowly ascend. Every noise makes me jump. My nerves are frayed and I desperately need to relax, but I know that's impossible until we reach Trask.

"Wake me up if someone shoots at us," the Mandalorian says. I stand corrected; it's only impossible for me to relax. "Or if that door gets sucked off its rails," he adds. "I'm kidding. If that happened, we'd all be dead," Din jokes cheerfully. "Sweet dreams," he says, glancing at me.

I curl up in my seat, expecting sleep to avoid me. Instead, I'm sucked into a dream. There's the armored woman again, her orange hair blazing in the sunlight. She's got a cocky smile on her face and I can't shake the strangest feeling that this dream is more than my imagination.