After training the villagers all morning, I finally decided I'd had enough and called a lunch break. My stomach growled loudly and I was getting antsy because the villagers hadn't gotten much better than when they started this morning.
Din marched next to me as we stalked back to the hut. "What the hell?" He snapped, "We don't have time for this."
I casted him a sideways glance. "Din, I'm worn out and starving, and you know how I am when I get hungry." As if on cue, my stomach growled loud enough for both of us to hear.
"Plus," I motioned to the villagers, who were all sweating profusely and catching their breaths, "Look at them, they need a break. They've been working all morning."
He shook his head. "This is nothing compared to-"
"They're not Mandalorians," I said harshly as I turned to face him. "So don't compare them to us."
I heard him exhale sharply, but he didn't say anything else. We walked in silence the rest of the way to our hut. There, the child was attempting to climb up the bedposts onto the mattress.
"Oh no," I muttered as I ran forward, picking the kid up before he could fall and hurt himself. "Next time," I said, placing him safely on the mattress, "Ask for help."
The kid just cooed happily in response.
"I swear," Din said behind me, "That kid is more trouble than he's worth."
"Oh, don't say that," I started. "He's just a kid."
Just then, another village woman I didn't recognize knocked on the doorframe. She balanced a large tray of food on her hip with enough for the three of us to eat and be filled.
Din walked up to her, nodding his head in thanks. She smiled sweetly at him, glancing at me and the kid before walking away.
I removed my helmet, practically salivating at the sight of the bread, cheese, and fruit on the tray. I quickly snatched a cheese cube as soon as Din set it on the table beside the bed and popped it in my mouth. "Mmm," I moaned, letting the cheese melt in my mouth.
I reached for a slice of bread this time, but stopped short when I realized Din hadn't reached for any of it. I arched a brow at him, asking, "Are you not hungry?"
But as soon as the words left my mouth, I realized he had to remove his helmet to eat, which he couldn't do with me and the kid in the room. Before he had the chance to respond, I corrected, "Oh right, I'm sorry. I'll take some for me and the kid and sit out front."
As I grabbed a few slices of bread and some fruit, Din nodded. "Thank you."
Holding a stack of food in my hand, I swooped the kid up with my other arm and swiftly walked out the front door. I set the kid down on the front step and reached up to draw the white sheet closed, removing any temptation of turning back and catching a glimpse of Din's face.
Once the curtain was drawn, I heard a few clinks of beskar behind it, and a familiar thud of his helmet being set on the wooden floor.
I turned back around and looked down at the kid, who was staring expectantly at the stack of food in my hands. I smiled as I sat down next to him. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid."
I passed him a slice of bread. He brought it immediately to his little mouth and began nibbling on it. Goddamnit, if this wasn't the cutest kid in the galaxy...
I laughed softly as I ate my own slice of bread. Without Din to absorb most my my attention, my mind began to wonder. It drifted to the Force, the ghost of it tingling the tips of my fingers. I remembered the feeling to halting the blaster bolt in the woods and an exhilarating rush surged through my body, almost like my body was craving to connect itself with the Force again.
I closed my eyes, exhaling a deep breath. I shouldn't go trying to access the Force. I had no training, no guidance, no nothing. And the Force didn't seem like something you should play around with just because you felt like it.
Well, maybe I could just try to tap into it. Just for a moment. How difficult could it be?
I glanced down at the child, who had nearly finished his bread by now. I poked him gently with my finger. "Wanna see something cool?"
He tilted his head to the side and made a high pitched noise. Sounded like a yes to me.
"Alright, kid. Here we go."
I closed my eyes again, focusing on keeping my mind clear of any distractions. I only searched for the Force and the way it ebbed and flowed around everything in the galaxy. If I could connect myself with it again, maybe I could control it enough to make one of the rocks from across the path float to my hand.
I blocked out everything. The sweltering mid-day heat, the battle tonight, and the nagging dread of forging my saber. I casted it all away, keeping myself only in the present moment and reaching out for the Force.
My fingers began to tingle again, more noticeable now than it was before. I could barely catch glimpses of the current of the Force around me. It flowed through the wooden houses of the village, it weaved between the leaves of the forest, and it raged through the kid sitting next to me. It was like a mini hurricane the way it swirled and crashed around him. The feeling kept my mind off balance, and I wondered why it was so strong around him.
The Force continued to flow around us and I realized it was like a river. The current was weak in some places, begging for someone or something to give it a command. It was asking to be told what to do, and it was a struggle not to give into its wishes. In other places, the current was strong and chaotic, with a mind of its own. It was flowing wild and free, and only someone with immense training or strong power could bend its will and command it.
Luckily, the current around the rocks was light, and weaving myself into it was fairly simple. Once I had wrapped my mind around it, it begged me for a command. And I gave it one.
Come.
I reached my palm out, opening my eyes but still keeping my concentration fiercely on the rocks. The pile began to quiver and shake until the rock on top lifted itself and slowly floated across the path until it rested lightly in my hand. The surface was warm and smooth, collecting heat from the mid-day sun.
I looked over to the child again, who was staring at me intently, it's ears twitching up and down. It was like he was saying cool trick!
I smiled down at him and said, "Yeah I know, it is pretty cool."
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The sun had begun to set after another long session of training during the afternoon and evening. Eventually, some of the villagers got good enough with a blaster that Din gave them a satisfactory pat on the back, promoting them to the bigger guns he brought. He told them that they'd be stationed on top of the small towers that the building crew had formed, which means they'd have the higher ground once the raiders broke through the trees. It would make picking them off much easier for someone who was a half decent shot.
I mostly helped Cara teach staff, but once the villagers seemed to have most of the steps down, I moved onto the building crew, helping them build the wall and some of the towers. Digging the rest of the trench was the worst, my back definitely feeling the repercussions of it.
Now Din, Cara, and I were walking around the krill pools. Cara seemed to be inspecting the wall, pushing against some spots where it looked weak, but it held firm. "You did a good job with this wall, Mando," She called back to me as she shoved fairly hard against it.
I rolled my eyes behind my helmet. "You do realize that you call both of us Mando, right? It's kind of confusing."
She glanced from me to Din, then back to me again. "Sorry," She said half heartedly with a shrug. "You never introduced yourselves, so to me, you're both Mando."
"Oh." I cleared my throat as I stepped around the corner of a pool. "Well, my name is Jeyna if that helps."
Cara nodded with a lopsided smirk on her face. "Nice, I like it," She said, turning to Din. "What's yours?"
"Mando works for me," He grunted.
Cara glanced at me as her smile faltered a fraction, but she quickly corrected it. "Alright, then." She gave Din a pointed look as she turned away from him. "Keep your secrets."
I imagined Din rolling his eyes at her as she walked a few steps in front of us. But then he turned to me and asked, "Can we talk?"
"Uh," I said unsurely, "Yeah, sure."
He reached up to scratch the back of his neck. "Cara and I were talking," He began, "And we think it's the best idea to have you stay behind while we go provoke the walker."
"What?!" The exclamation forced its way through my lips before I could stop it. "Absolutely not!" I continued, struggling to keep my temper in check. "You need me out there!"
"For the record, this was all his idea," Cara shouted over her shoulder, "So leave me out of it."
Din glared after her with an intensity that could have set her pants on fire. But then he quickly looked back at me. He started, "Jeyna, this is dangerous-"
"I know that, and that's why I'm coming with you." I folded my arms across my chest, standing in his way. I glared at him beneath my helmet and I prayed he felt the heat of my stare. Because I was fuming.
He stepped up and looked down at my face. He was a good three inches taller than me, but I was not about to let his size intimidate me into submission.
"Jeyna, I don't want-"
I shoved him in the chest plate of his armor, and he stumbled back a step. "You can't just sideline me," I hissed in his face. "I didn't leave Canto Bight to help you and the kid run from the fucking Empire so you could just make me stay back when things get dangerous."
"Hey," He snapped, getting angrier, "Will you just listen to me?"
"No, this isn't a debate," I spat. "I'm coming with you and that's final."
I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my bicep and forced me around to face him again. I shouted, "Hey!—"
"I want you to stay here in case Cara and I don't make it back," He hissed quietly, his grip on my arm tightening as he spoke.
His words made the hot anger in my veins freeze, and I stared blankly up at him. "You're gonna make it back, Din," I whispered flatly, giving him no room to even think about dying out there.
"That's the plan," He continued, "But you know how this works. We make a plan, the plan goes to shit, then we improvise. I can't guarantee anything."
I tried to pry my arm out of his grip, but his hand remained firmly around my bicep. I spat each word fiercely, "You. Are. Not. Dying." Then I added, "Because I'm coming with you."
"No, you're not. Please, just listen to me," He snapped again, louder this time. My mouth snapped shut. "Just in case I don't come back, take the Crest and the kid and don't let the Empire catch you. He can't-" Din's voice broke, or maybe it was his modulator, I couldn't tell, "-go back there. Just, whatever you do, you have to keep him safe."
I paused, frozen by the sudden change of direction in the conversation. I reached out my arm that Din didn't have a grip on and gently placed my hand on his shoulder. "Then don't die," I said softly, "And you can keep him safe yourself."
Din nodded, slowly releasing the death grip he had on my bicep. Then I dropped my hand that was resting on his shoulder. "I'll stay back," I sighed. "But only this once. I'm fighting right beside you from now on."
He laughed quietly, and the sound caught me off guard. Then he said, "Deal."
Din began to look up and down the length of the wall. Then he pointed out the tower that was near the middle of it and said, "I want you up in that tower. You're by far the best shot here, and we're coming through the trees right in front of there. You'll pick off those raiders like it's a carnival game."
I laughed, although I would have to admit, Din's compliment gave me a huge confidence boost. A wicked smile spread across my face. I patted him on the arm and said, "Glad to know you still have blind faith in my shooting abilities, Mando." I winked, cursing myself when I realized he couldn't see my face. "Even after seven years."
Then as I turned around and began to walk ahead, I heard him sigh to himself, "It's been way longer than that since I lost you."
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Word count: 2295
Hey y'all! Chapter 9!! I think I'm gonna start keeping these little authors notes at the bottom to a minimum, just because they're kind of a hassle to write, lmao. Anyway, hope you all are doing good and staying safe!!
Like, comment, and share if ya feel like it!
Ch 9 published: January 8th, 2021