𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑 𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄 » 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗋𝗂𝖺𝗇

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

MOST OF THE WAY TO NEVARRO, Faeyth slept. Mando had put her in the bed, placing a few blankets over her, just in case she got cold. Her sleep was dreamless, thankfully, but she did wake up to Cara yelling at everyone after almost being choked to death by and angry Grogu.

"Curious? It almost killed me!" she shouted, which made her start to shift awake, stirring with a sigh.

Mando tried to signal to her to lower her voice, well aware that Faeyth was sleeping only two metres away from them. But she didn't pay any attention to it, too caught up in a mixture of fear and anger to care.

"The story you told me of the Mudhorn now makes more sense," Kuiil looked up at him.

He asked, "What is it?"

"What it is, I don't know. But what it does, this...this is what I've heard rumours of."

Cara was still trying to get over the fact that she almost died, "What? When you worked for the Empire?"

Kuiil turned to her, "When I was sold to the Empire, in indentured servitude."

She rose to stand, challenging him, "Yet somehow, you walk free."

At this point, she had fully woken up, sitting up and shifting the blanket around her, her legs dangling off the edge of the bed, watching them argue.

"I bought my freedom through the skill of my hands and the labour of three of your human lifetimes," he replied, the angriest Faeyth had ever heard him speak, "Do not cast doubt upon that of what I am nor whom I shall serve."

The girl, who didn't want to see her friends argue, chimed in, all of them turning to face her, "He has the Force."

Kuiil relaxed from his strained stature, and nodded gravely, "The Empire are fond of people with the Force. I knew of a girl, who was trained while I served. She possessed the abilities of the child. She was kept locked up in one of their labs. Many rumours spread through our clan about her powers but we never saw them in full. They would experiment on her, as if—"

Faeyth didn't want to be reminded of her time as a lab rat, she didn't even want to think about the torture she was subjected to at a young age. She didn't want to relive the horrific memories just before she was going to come face to face with an Imp.

Her body had frozen; tensed, staring straight at the Ugnaught, who did not know that the girl he was talking about was in the room.

"Don't," she whispered shakily, her lip trembling, wishing that she could just disappear, "Please."

In those two words, Faeyth felt more vulnerable than she had been since Yoda, she felt like she had betrayed them all in some way, betrayed their trust.

Her hands shook as Cara watched her distrustfully. Mando knew that she didn't like the sudden attention, so took the attention off her, "Tell you what. I could really use your craftwork right now. Could you pad this container so the child can sleep better?"

He nodded, "I shall fabricate a better one. Then perhaps this Dropper can see how one can win their freedom with the skill of one's hands."

Slowly, everyone dispersed, Kuiil, Grogu and Faeyth stayed in the while the other two went up to the cockpit. She cradled the child, and took a seat beside the Ugnaught, watching him pad the container with interest. IG-11 was preparing something of some sort, she wasn't really sure, but left him to do that.

"Kuiil," she caught his attention.

He looked at her, "Yes?"

"Are we going to be okay?"