Clan of Three

Part Thirty-Two

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Rael groaned as she rolled onto her back. She opened her eyes to find herself in the bed compartment on the Razor Crest. Flashes of what happened on Nevarro danced across her mind as she massaged her temples. "Han is never going to believe me...", She said to herself as she sat up. Rael could hear the familiar humming that told her they were currently in hyperspace, so she tossed the light blanket off and put her feet on the ground.

She looked around and saw her boots sitting by the door and belt with her light sabers and blaster were hanging on a hook. 'He took off my boots?', she wondered with a bit of a smile. Never in a million years would she have thought Din Djarin was capable of tucking someone into bed. Still wearing a smile, Rael laced up her boots and hooked her weapons belt on loosely before heading out of the compartment. But before going up the ladder, she went over to the crate that held their food and pulled out a ration bar.

Din was checking their progress on the holo-map when he heard someone climbing up the ladder. He turned around to see Rael's head pop up with a ration bar clenched between her teeth. "You should be sleeping, Rae.", He sighed as the kid reached out of her. Rael smiled as she scooped the kid up before sitting down in the co-pilot chair. "I feel fine. Really. Barely even aching anymore.", She said as she took another bite of the bar. Din watched as she broke off a piece and handed it to the child.

The Mandalorian felt like he had been caught when she looked up and met his gaze. "So, what happened? Everything's kinda hazy a- after I... ya know...", She asked but trailed off as she mimicked what she done to the fighter. Din tilted his head as he watched the Jedi, who had just done something he would never have believed possible, reenact the events like she was telling the kid a bedtime story. "When you ripped a TIE fighter apart with your mind?", He deadpanned. Rael stopped halfway through doing her best at making a crashing sound. "Yea, that. And not with my mind. With the Force." She corrected him sheepishly.

"Same thing.", He grumbled before continuing, "I took down the last fighter and by the time we got to back, you were out cold. Greef had a medical droid check you out before we left. It said you were suffering from acute exhaustion and needed to sleep it off. So, I gave you a vitamin booster and put you in the cot. Hope that was ok..." He explained but his voice lost confidence towards the end. Rael pulled her arm out of her jacket sleeve to see a small bandage on her upper arm. "Thank you, Din.", She told him with a warm smile as she pulled her jacket back on.

The man grunted in response just as a warning chimed through the ship. We're coming out of hyper-space.", He told her as she finished her ration bar. The steady blur of blue faded away to show an unfamiliar planet. "Corvus, this is the place. I've detected a beacon. I'm gonna start the landing cycle. You better put him in his seat." Din said as he flipped a few switches. "Sorry, kiddo.", She sighed as she placed him in the seat behind her. When she spun back around, she cut her eyes towards Din, deciding how to word what as he wanted to tell him.

"Um, Din, remember when I said that I had met Ashoka before?", Rael asked as she picked at her cuticles. The man hummed a yes as he guided the ship through the planet's atmosphere. "Well. She's not exactly my biggest fan. My grandfather wanted her to help with my training, and eventually Luke's, but she didn't want anything to do with us. She looked me over for less than ten seconds before she made her decision. I'm not so sure my presence won't affect the outcome.", Rael mumbled. Din shut down the ship, before turning to her with his head tilted in confusion. "Why?", he simply questioned as he stood up and headed of the ladder.

"I-I don't know. I was young. I barely remember anything. Only that she's a Torgurta and she and my grandfather had very loud argument outside the hut." The Jedi sighed as Din checked his blaster's charges. "And your grandfather never gave you a reason as to why she refused?". He asked as he swung his Amban rifle over his shoulder. Rael shook her head as she sighted the belt holding her weapons and pulling her cloak from a compartment. "Well. Now you have the chance to ask why.", Din said as he headed down the ramp with the child waddling behind him.