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NATALIA HAD no idea where they were going. The Mandalorian never told Natalia of where they could possibly be going even though she'd asked about twenty times. They'd been walking all day and through some of the night. But when they finally reached a small hut next to what she believed to be a power line the exhaustion she'd kept at bay was beginning to take over. The Mandalorian's grip on Natalia's arm lightened as they reached a man on one of the poles tinkering with something.
"I thought you were dead." The man spoke, not bothering to turn and face the three.
The Mandalorian said nothing and the man finally turned to face them. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before the ugnaught climbed down. Natalia watched as the child stared at a blue frog hopping around them from it's pod. The child licked his lips and Natalia smirked slightly as she helped the child out of the pod before setting it down. The child let out a tiny coo before beginning it's chase with the frog.
"This is what was causing all the fuss?" The man asked, gesturing towards the child and Natalia.
"I think it's a child." The Mandalorian looked up from the child and to Natalia. "As for her, she's a Rebel."
"It is better to deliver them alive then." The ugnaught said as he approached them. Natalia held back the urge to scowl at the man. She'd prefer it if she wasn't delivered at all.
"My ship has been destroyed. I'm trapped here." The Mandalorian stated the reason why they had arrived.
"Stripped, not destroyed." The "Stripped, not destroyed." The ugnaught corrected. "The Jawas steal. They don't destroy."
"Stolen or destroyed, makes no difference to me." The Mandalorian argued. "They're protected by their crawling fortress. There's no way to recover the parts."
"You can trade." The ugnaught suggested.
"With Jawas?" Disgust was clear in his modulated voice. "Are you out of your mind?"
"I will take you to them." The ugnaught said with a stern nod. "I have spoken."
A smug smirk formed on Natalia's face as she looked to the Mandalorian. "Not fun being told what to do is it?" She taunted.
An excited sound of sorts came from behind Natalia, cutting off any angry reply the Mandalorian had on the edge of his tongue. Natalia turned around to see the child with half of the frog in it's mouth.
"Hey! Spit that out." The Mandalorian scolded.
The words seemed to fly past the child's head seeing as he tilted his head back and swallowed the frog whole. The child smirked at them with a small laugh before it burped.
"Let's go." The Mandalorian said grabbing Natalia's arm and roughly dragging her towards the trailer.
_oOo_
The chill of the air blew against Natalia's rain soaked skin, causing shivers to run down her spine. For a sandy planet it was unbelievably freezing. Her black shirt did little to cover her arms and her damp hair only added to the cold water against her skin. The blood soaked cloth from the Mandalorian's cape was still wrapped tightly around her left arm with blood trailing down her arm with the rain.
The trailer they sat in jostled and jumped with almost every step of the Blurg pulling them. It was nearly impossible to get any rest in this condition and Natalia knew she would get none. The Mandalorian was lucky and most likely warm. The only spots of him exposed to the harsh rain is the majority of his legs and some of his arms.
Nobody had said a word since their journey began. The Mandalorian just sat still, his rifle placed in his lap. Natalia would have guessed him to be asleep if it weren't for the slight tilt of his helmet. The weather was nothing compared the harsh winters she had faced on Hoth but still Natalia found herself shivering in the cold rain.
"You're cold." The Mandalorian stated, breaking the silence in the air.
Natalia turned her head to look at him. She didn't know whether it was a question or a statement but it was a completely stupid one either way. "What gave it away?" Natalia asked with a small glare.
The Mandalorian gave no reply. Natalia let out a small sigh before resting her chin on her knees, trying to warm herself as much as possible. Though it appeared nothing would stop the cool air from poking her skin. She heard a rusting in front of her but chose to ignore it and instead looked down to her hands.
Her wrists were still bound, a reminder that she was still a prisoner. Disgust took over her features as she stared at the handcuffs around her wrists. This was almost worst than being held hostage by the Empire themselves. At least there she still had a voice, she could escape. But this...there was no escaping a Mandalorian. She was being brought to the Empire on a silver platter like a lamb being sent to the slaughter.
Natalia's thoughts were suddenly interrupted once she felt something soft wrap around her shoulders. She lifted her head off her knees and looked up to see the Mandalorian standing over her, gently placing his cape around her. The cape was nowhere near dry but it still held some warmth to it, warmth Natalia desperately needed.
"You're cold." The Mandalorian repeated as if justifying his actions.
Natalia pulled the cape closer to her body as the Mandalorian sat back down, looking to the closed pod the child was currently sleeping in. "Thanks, I guess."
