See Me, See You: A Mandalorian Story

C H A P T E R T H I R T E E N

"Yeah, yeah. No droids. I heard ya. You don't have to say it twice."

"We really appreciate your help." Reina chimed in, hoping to settle the tension between the exchange. "What's your name? I'm Reina Beckett."

"Peli Motto." The mechanic nodded to her, and then with one last exchange, she watched the two hunters head off to find a way to make the payment.

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REINA'S POV

"Hey," I whispered to Mando as we quietly strolled down the barren road towards the saloon, where any hunter can find a job. "Let's keep my vision a secret, okay?"

"Why?" Mando questioned.

"I have a feeling that being blind is going to come in handy on this planet."

"Okay." My partner didn't argue with me, and we turned a corner to find sharp stakes stabbed into the ground with bloodied, cracked Stormtrooper helmets skewered at the tops. A gruesome scene for the weak-stomached. Eventually, we reached the saloon, which was relatively crowded with distant chatter filling the room. Mando and I approached the main bar that was managed by a service droid.

"Hey, Droid." Mando spoke first. "We are hunters and looking for some work. Got anything for us?"

"Unfortunately," The droid's modulator was static. "The Bounty Guild no longer operates from Tatooine."

"We're not looking for Guild work." Mando specified.

"I'm afraid that does not improve your situation, at least by my calculation." The droid informed, and suddenly I got a sense someone was eavesdropping on us...I nonchalantly glanced over my shoulder to see a young man with curly dark hair and light-trimmed beard smirk in our direction, maneuvering a coin between his fingers in amusement, his feet propped up on the table. "Think again, Tin Can." he called out over the droid, catching not just my attention anymore. "If you're looking for work, have a seat, my friends."

Mando reached over and pulled my arm slightly, indicating that we were playing with my plan to conceal my sight, before we headed over to the stranger's booth. When he laid eyes on me, his smirk grew deeper. "Hello, my lady. Please relax and have a seat at my service to you. The name's Toro. Toro Calican."

"Get on with it." Mando said, causing Toro to raise a brow before removing his boots from the table and straightening himself as he placed a Guild bounty puck on the surface. The hologram illuminated from the puck, revealing the target in question.

"Fennec Shand, an Assassin." Toro announced, giving background on her last whereabouts, and revealing the tracking fob that was secured on his belt. His eyes could not be torn away from me unfortunately, and I kept my head slightly lowered to avoid eye contact. Mando seemed to notice and rose from the booth as quickly as he sat down and pulled me along. "Well, good luck with that."

"Wait, wait, wait, hey!" Toro exclaimed, his brows furrowing. "I thought you two needed a job."

"How long have you been with the Guild?" Mando questioned.

"Long enough."

"Clearly not." I spoke up for the first time, and Toro cocked his side in my direction. "If you go after her, you won't make it past sunrise." Unexpectedly, he grinned at that comment, as if I was teasing him that I was worried for his well-being. Mando and I headed for the exit, but Toro stopped one more time with a more pleading gesture.

"This," he gritted through his teeth. "is my first job. You can keep the money, all of it. I just need this job to get into the Guild." He scoffs at himself. "I can't do it alone..." His tone had changed dramatically from a cocky wannabe to a helpless nobody dying to be somebody. I tugged on Mando's cape, and he got the message.

"Meet us at Hangar Three-Five in half an hour." I said with a nod and a rush of relief washed over Toro. He then winked at me from the side.

"Bring two speeder bikes." Mando added, grabbing back his attention. "And give me the tracking fob." But before Mando could reach out for it, Toro smashed it against the wall, laughing to himself. "Don't worry, I got it memorized." He winked again as if that was impressive.

"Half an hour." Mando repeated, and I followed him out of the saloon, leaving Toro cheering to himself.

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When we arrived back at the hangar, there was no one around. No problem, we were only stopping to gather our supplies and weapons for the hunt on Fennec Shand. Upon entering the ship, Mando headed for the cockpit, only to whip his head at the open compartment where the child was sleeping...only it was missing.

"The kid!" I exclaimed, and we both rushed off the ship to search for him. Mando instantly drew his blaster, threatening the pit droids to spill where the baby was. "Hey! Where is he?!"

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Peli Motto, the mechanic, shouted from her console. I then heard the small cries of the baby. She walked out, holding the child in her arms and groaning. "You woke it up! Do you have any idea how long it took me to get it asleep?!"

"Give him to me." Mando demanded.

"He's very important to us." I almost pleaded.

"Hold on!" Peli exclaimed. "You can't just leave a child by himself in the ship! You know, you two have a lot to learn when taking care of a young one." Both Mando and I fell silent, for she was right...and Peli could tell we understood her point in our silence. The baby cooed in Peli's arms as she nodded in satisfaction. "Anyway," she said, patting the child. "I began the repairs on the fuel leak. It's taking me a lot longer since I'm not using my droids, as requested. I figured you both were good for the money, since you know, you have a tiny mouth to feed." She gave a look at Mando specifically.

"Thank you." Mando nodded, surprising Peli with the grateful gesture. I also thanked her, giving the child in her arms a soft rub on the tip of its long pointed ear. "So I'm guessing you two got a job?"

"Yes," I said, and after gathering our necessities together, Mando and I, Peli trailing behind us, walked outside where Toro was waiting patiently with two speeders, as requested.

"What do you think?" He announced smugly. Mando examined his and nodded. However, when he mounted his speeder, with his disruptor rifle strapped on his back there was no room for me behind him.

"That's fine. You can ride with me." Toro offered, gesturing to his speeder like a gentleman. "Hop on."

With no other option, I climbed on behind him and subtly wrapped my arms around his torso. "Hang on, Love." Toro laughed, and revved up the engine before blasting off with Mando not far behind.