Calamity || The Mandalorian

twenty-nine

"Doesn't seem that way," Fennec laughed sardonically. "I mean, it seems like they're calling all the shots," she goaded Toro.

"Shows what you know," Toro waved a gun, his voice defensive as he spoke. "I hired them, this is my job." Kasia gave a small nod of agreement, hoping she seemed sincere as she did so. "Bringin' you in will make me a full member of the Bounty Hunters Guild," he smirked.

"You already have something the Guild values far more than me. You just don't see it," Shand responded, her voice smug as she did so.

At the words, Kasia stilled. Shit, I was right, she thought as her eyes widened and she remembered Fennec's earlier insinuating reference to Nevarro. She knows.

"What?" Toro inquired dryly, his arms crossed in a cavalier manner.

"The Mandalorian."

Kasia shot to her feet, ankle and ribs roaring in defiance and pain as she did so. "That's enough," Kasia hissed to Fennec, trying to coat her panic with a level of annoyance which she doubted did little to convince Toro.

Shand ignored Kasia as she went on, "His armor alone is worth more than my bounty."

"I already told you, I don't care about the money," was Toro's flippant response, although Kasia didn't think she was imagining the undernote of uncertainty in his voice. That alone made her clench one of the heavy pistol blasters at her side.

She didn't know what to do; she couldn't attack Shand because that would tip Toro off that there was something amiss about her and Mando. And she obviously couldn't get Shand to shut up through words alone. She was stuck, and the only option she had left was to hope and pray that Toro wouldn't give into this cunning woman's twisted truths.

"Then think what it would do for your reputation," Fennec countered, the words spoken like a promise between friends. Toro made no response, and emboldened by his silence, Fennec went on. "A Mandalorian and woman shot up the Guild on Nevarro, took some high value target, and went rogue."

Kasia made a concerted effort not to look phased as Fennec landed what might as well have been the killing blow. She forced her body to remain relaxed as she rolled her eyes and turned to Toro who sat next to her on the remaining speeder.

"Don't listen to her Calican," she patted the wannabe bounty hunter casually on the shoulder, a fake, wry smile on her lips. "She's just weaving some bullshit tale to try and get us to turn on one another."

Toro stared at her for a moment, eyes calculating before he turned back to stare at Fennec. Kasia cursed herself for having exerted her gift for so long at the wrong moment. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that she couldn't tell what he was thinking, it appeared it was most definitely a mistake.

"That Mandalorian?" Toro asked quietly, uncertainty creeping into his voice. At the tone, Kasia's gaze snapped to the frowning bounty hunter, panic clogging her throat.

Mando, where the hell are you?

"Like I said, you don't see many," Fennec responded with a shrug and a knowing half-smile. "You bring the Guild that traitor, and they'll welcome you with open arms. Your name will be legendary."

Kasia gritted her teeth at the woman, opening her mouth to tell her to shut the hell up, when suddenly movement exploded behind her. She had just enough time to whirl and raise her blaster before Toro slammed the handle of his own blaster into her forehead. Pain erupted in Kasia's head as she fell to the ground, and the world became black.

*.*.*

Finding the dewback had taken Din too damn long. The sun was already high in the sky as he made his way back to where Kasia, Toro, and Shand would be waiting for him. As the dewback slowly made its way, Din found his thoughts on a continual loop, somehow always rotating between the plan after they got off this planet and worry over Kasia. She had tried to wave off her injuries, but Din knew her, and he knew that they were much worse than she had let on.

Finally, he saw the clearing where the trio should have been waiting. But, at the sight of two figures lying on the sandy ground and the missing speeder bike, his breath caught in his throat.

Panic flooded Din's body, and he urged the dewback to run faster. Silently he called out to Kasia. There was no answer.

When he finally got what he deemed close enough, Din jumped from the dewback and rushed over to the two bodies lying face down in the sand. His heart seemed to stop as he recognized Kasia as one of the bodies.

"Kas?" he asked loudly, panic clear in his voice. He disregarded Shand's body, not caring what Toro had done to it or why. Grabbing Kasia's body, he quickly flipped her over, bringing her body into his lap as he tried to check for any signs of life.

Din heaved a sigh of relief as he realized that Kasia was indeed breathing. A large gash on the side of her forehead indicated that she had likely been knocked out by a blow to her head.

I'm going to kill Toro the next time I see him, Din promised himself before his thoughts returned to the girl in front of him.

"Kas, wake up," he urged her, the words somehow tender despite his mask's modulator. He shook her gently, and a moment later she groaned, blinking frantically against the glare of the sun.

"Din?" Kasia murmured in a questioning voice, obviously still pretty out of it.

From beneath his helmet, Din's eyes widened in shock. It was the first time she had called aloud him by his given name—the first time anyone had called him by his true name in years. Honestly, he had concluded that she hadn't heard him the night he confessed it to her, likely having fallen asleep beforehand.

Still, Din couldn't help but think that he liked the sound of his names on her lips, the word tumbling almost unconsciously from her as though it were as insubstantial and natural an action as any. As though her calling him that, using that name were normal.

Suddenly, Kasia bolted upright in Din's lap, obviously having gained some awareness of the situation. She yelped momentarily at the pain in her side before she turned to him with wide eyes. "Toro! He and Fennec—" Kasia's eyes caught on the body behind Din and she gaped at it for a moment before she rushed to continue. "Fennec told him who we are. I don't know how, but she knew. She convinced him that he'd be better served turning us over to the Guild than herself. Obviously, that didn't end well for her but—" Kasia halted rambling, a thought occurring to her. "Wait, if he didn't come get you then—"

"He's going after the child," Din finished for her, panic once again surging in his chest. He ran an inspecting eye over Kasia. "Are you good to ride?" he asked cautiously.

Kasia only nodded and he sighed. He didn't like having her ride so soon after her injury, but they didn't seem to have much choice. Toro was after the kid, and they needed to protect him at any cost.

*.*.*

Me finding motivation to write and not just rely on my prewritten chapters haha: