The Mandalorian's Slave

Caben

Without saying anything, the Mandalorian begins loading their run-down speeder with weapons. The men stand there, staring at him blankly.

"I'm Aster," I offer. "I'm the Mandalorian's slave."

"I knew someone as pretty as you wouldn't be traveling with someone as rude as that on their own free-will." The handsome one flashes me a smile. "I'm Caben. This is my brother, Tiban."

"What's the little guy's name?" Tiban asks, watching the Mandalorian warily.

"We don't know. Right now, we just call him kid. We saved the Child, and now we're on the run because of it." I'm careful to not say too much. These men seem honest, but the mention of a bounty might make them turn us in.

"A strange group of travelers," Caben says. "But hopefully, you're what our village needs to be saved from those raiders."

"I hope so too." I watch the Mandalorian do his work. He's silent, with a stony aura around him. And yet, I can see past that. I see the goodness in him. He tries to hide it, but it's there, nearly overflowing.

The Mandalorian places another box of ammo on the nearly full speeder. "I'm gonna need one more thing. Give me those credits."

Caben places the small bag in the Mandalorian's waiting hand. "There's not much room left. Two can fit in the front, two in the back. Your choice, Mandalorian."

"I'll take the front. I need to find someone first, before going to your village. One of you sit with me."

Tiban is hesitant as he sits near the Mandalorian. I can practically feel the nervous energy radiating off of him. There's only a small amount of room left in the back, forcing Caben and I to dangle our legs over the edge of the speeder.

The droid lets out a gurgle, and we take off, slowly creeping through the forest. The darkness is thick and heavy, and the temperature has dropped, causing goosebumps to run up my arms. Caben notices.

"Not from here, are you?" He talks in a friendly, conversational tone that is not usually used on slaves.

"I was born on Jakku. I only left recently, when I became the Mandalorian's slave by accident. I've seen a lot of worlds since then, but nothing quiet like this. It's so beautiful. I wish I could stay here forever." I speak quietly, relishing in the sound of owls hooting, crickets chirping, and moths buzzing.

"Here. This should help." Caben pulls a rough cloak out of his bag. I wrap it around myself gratefully. It smells like woodsmoke and earth. It's strangely comforting.

"Thank you. No one's ever offered me their cloak before." I hope Caben can't see how badly I'm blushing. I'm suddenly for the darkness of the night.

"I'm glad I was the first then. Who do you think he's trying to find?"

"A strange woman. Her name is Cara Dune. If she accepts the credits, I'm sure she'll help."

"What about you? Will you help?"

"I can't shoot. I know nothing about that sort of thing. I'm more of a babysitter." I run my fingers over the Child's head. He's sleeping peacefully in my arms. "Besides that, I'm not quite sure why the Mandalorian keeps me around."

I see a small fire glowing in the distance. I focus on that, not wanting to talk about my strange powers, or that night at Kuiil's, or how I accidentally got my old Master killed. Caben is nice, but I'm a slave. I can't let myself forget that.

The speeder comes to a halt. The Mandalorian tosses the bag of credits onto Cara's lap. Her fingers tighten around her gun as her dark eyes flutter open.

"Ready for round two?" The Mandalorian's words confuse me, but I force myself to not dwell on them.

"What's the job?" Cara eyes the meager sum of money.

"Raiders," the Mandalorian says, as if that one word explains everything.

"So, we're basically running off a band of Raiders for lunch money?" Cara asks incredulously.

"They're quartering us in the middle of nowhere. Last I checked, that's a pretty square deal for somebody in your position." The Mandalorian points at tree she's sleeping against. "Worst case scenario, you tune up your blaster. Best case, we're a deterrent. I can't imagine anything living in these trees that an ex-shock trooper couldn't handle."

Cara smirks. "I'm in. There's nothing I love more than a long ride in a slow speeder with no room." She packs her things quickly, a climbs atop a box of ammo as if she's been waiting for this.

Tiban takes us where we need to go now, through the dark forest. Despite my eagerness to see everything, I'm tired. I let out a quiet yawn.

"You can rest your head on my lap if you'd like," Caben says.

"Are you sure? You must be just as tired as I am."

Caben offers me a smile. "I'm fine. Please, rest. You deserve it. You're the one who got the Mandalorian to help us."

There's just enough room for me to lay on my side and curl up. The Mandalorian takes the Child, who's still snoring away. Caben's lap is warm, and I'm exhausted. The soft bumping of the speeder rocks me to a dreamless sleep.