I shifted my wait onto my left leg as I stood behind Boba Fett's pilot chair. Out the window of his ship was a massive scrap yard. There were piles and piles of broken parts of ships and machinery. I could see several large droids that almost looked like AT-AT's though they weren't quite as monstrous in size.
So, this is where Mayfeld ended up after we got him arrested by the New Empire. I couldn't help but think that it was deserved, especially after everything he did to us on that New Republic ship. I was tempted to ask Cara about Xi'an, but I chose to bite my tongue. There was no need to let a little bit of jealousy or anger shine out when it wasn't needed. Even though she has tried to kill me, I was here with Din, and she was locked up somewhere.
"You ready?" Din voice broke me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm ready." I replied over my shoulder. I took one last glance out the window before I turned on my heels and walked with Din over to the ship's hatch.
I walked just behind Din, it looked like the others had already exited the ship. The familiar, annoying voice of Mayfeld drifted through the open hatch.
"You know, for a second, I thought you were this other guy." Mayfeld said with fear in his voice, I suppose that he had met Boba Fett, then.
Din and I walked down the ramp into the open air. The comedic timing of our arrival was not lost on me as Mayfeld's face contorted from a relieved smile into a fearful expression.
Din and I walked straight up to him. I fought the urge to wrinkle my nose at the intense smell of the scrap yard. The overwhelming stench of metal and oil wasn't exactly pleasant, though I suppose it could be worse.
"Mayfeld." Din greeted him.
"Hey, Mando...Celeste." He Said awkwardly, he could hardly bring himself to look up at us. "Long time."
"Hey, sweetheart." I said jokingly. Mayfeld let out a humorless laugh at my subtle jab.
"What, you came here to kill me?" Mayfeld asked as he looked between the two of us and our companions.
"All you need to know is I bent a lot of rules to bring you along." Cara said, having been the one to break him out.
"Why am I so lucky?" Mayfeld asked
"Because you're imperial." Cara stated
"Hey, that was a long time ago, all right?" Mayfeld said defensively.
"You still know your imperial clearances and protocols, don't you?" Din asked him
Mayfeld didn't respond, but his expression alone told us that he did. The group turned around and began to walk back up the ramp to Boba Fett's ship.
I turned on my heels and walked up the ramp that led back inside. I could hear Din's footsteps following after me. Let's just hope that this incredibly reckless plan of ours actually works. Because if it doesn't, I don't think there is another way to get Grogu back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I exhaled softly as I lent back in my chair. I couldn't help but look suspiciously over at Mayfeld, the last time we had worked together it hadn't ended well. Fennec Shand was sitting in the chair next to Mayfeld while Cara was sitting to my left.
The ship began to take off, causing the walls of the ship around us to spin around. I felt mesmerized as I watched the walls move. Din walked over and took a seat beside me, he immediately got down to business with Mayfeld.
"We need coordinates for Moff Gideon's cruiser." Din told him.
The walls finally fell into place and stopped spinning, revealing several large windows. Even though I missed the razor crest with my whole heart, I couldn't help but marvel at Boba Fett's ship.
"Moff Gideon?" Mayfeld scoffed. "Yeah, forget it. Just take me back to the scrapyard. I'm not doing' that."
"They have their kid." Cara sighed. Mayfeld had a shocked expression on his face as he looked between Cara, Din and I. I tried to ignore the feeling that rose in my chest at her words, our kid.
"The little green guy?" Mayfeld asked
"Yeah, the little green guy." Cara said
"So, I help you guys get him back, you guys let me go?" Mayfeld asked. He's changed his tune quite quickly, it seems that the child has that effect on people.
"That's not how this works." Cara said. She wasn't exactly willing to lose her job.
"Well, then what's in it for me?" Mayfeld asked
"You get a better view." Cara said
Mayfeld sighed and ran his hands down his thighs before he relented. "All right, but here's the thing. I can't get those coordinates unless I have access to an internal imperial terminal. I believe there's one on Morak."
"Morak? There's nothing on Morak." Din stated in confusion.
"It's a secret Imperial mining hub, okay? If you can get me in there, I can get you those coordinates." Mayfeld said
The room fell quite as we thought over Mayfeld's plan. It may be dangerous, but if we can get the kid back, then it's worth it.
Din turned to the controls beside him and opened the comlink to the cockpit. "Fett, punch in the coordinates to Morak."
"Copy that." Boba Fett replied. The ship jolted slightly as we took off, flying out of the atmosphere and into space.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cold metal of my vibroblade passed between my fingers. I flipped it around in my hand and passed it in between my fingers, a skill that I had learned from....from someone who was very important to me. The man who saved me from the empire when I was a child.
A firm pressure landed on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Din looking down at me, he tilted his helmet to the side and glanced down at my hands.
"You're making him nervous." Din mused with poorly concealed amusement. I looked up just in time to see Mayfeld look away from me and swallow hard. His expression showed a nervous edge.
I looked down at my vibroblade and smirked slightly. "Oops."
I bent down and placed my blade back in the small holster in my boot. Boba Fett caught my attention as he walked past me and headed towards the control desk that was showing a holograph of a planet.
"I did an initial scan of the planet." Boba Fett said. Din squeezed my shoulder before he let go and walked over to Boba Fett. I pushed myself up from my seat and walked over to them.
"This is what you're talkin' about, right?" Boba Fett asked Mayfeld as He zoomed into a facility.
"Yeah, that's the refinery right there." Mayfeld pointed
"Wonder what they're refining in there." Fennec asked
"Looks like rhydonium. Highly volatile and explosive." Boba Fett replied
"Yeah, kinda like this one, huh." Mayfeld chuckled. Referring to Cara Dune. I glared at him for a moment and when I turned back to the map, I saw Boba Fett turn and give him a deadpan stare. I held in my laugh at the awkward atmosphere that surrounded his poor attempt at a joke.
"They have anti-aircraft cannons protecting it." Boba Fett said, returning back to the map.
"And a platoon of security forces." Fennec added
"So we go in quiet. Let's go get a closer look." Din said
"Alright." Boba Fett nodded, he turned away from us to walk up to the cockpit again.
An awkward silence fell over the ship once Boba Fett had left. And I have a suspicion it might be something to do with Mayfeld. He coughed awkward to clear his throat and looked around the room. Unfortunately, in his attempt to find something to distract himself with, his eyes landed on me.
"So, you and Mando, huh?" Mayfeld asked suddenly
"What?" I asked in confusion
Mayfeld took in a deep breath like he wanted to say something, but then he clearly changed his mind. "Nevermind."
I nodded with a confused look on my face. "Okay." The awkward energy in the air was back, and I hated it.
I exhaled softly as I sat back down in my chair again. I pushed any thoughts about Mayfeld out of my head. I had a more important thing to focus on. Getting Grogu back safely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My hands tightened into fists by my side as I watched the long gray vehicle trundle along the dirt path. I took in a deep breath and unclenched my hands. I needed to keep a level head if I wanted this mission to go well. I thought back to what Ahsoka had told me, about the danger of anger.
My eyes darted away from the dirt road and up to the mountains across from us. It was covered in thick green trees. I focused on calming my heart and taking In deep breaths.
"I'm not gonna need long inside, so once I get the coordinates, you guys gotta get me the hell out of there." Mayfeld said
"You get to the roof. I'll drop in and pull you out." Boba Fett said. I looked over at him and admired the fact that his armor is now the same forest green as the surrounding foliage. He had fixed up his armor and given it a paint job, it looked much better now.
"All right. Mayfeld and I will swap out for the drivers in the tunnel." Cara said
"As much as I'd like to take a road trip with rebel-dropper here, that's not gonna work." Mayfeld stated
"Oh, yeah? Why's that?" Cara asked
"Well, because these remnant bases are set up and run by ex-ISB. If you get scanned and your genetic signature shows up on any New Republic register, You're gonna be detected, and it's guns out." Mayfeld explained
"You sure do know a lot about imperial remnants." Cara said with the heavy implication of suspicion.
"If you wanna accuse me of something, then just say it." Mayfeld said
"We don't have time. Fennec will go." Din stepped into the argument
"No, I'm wanted by the ISB. I'll trip the alarm, too." Fennec added
Din turned his head to look at Boba. "Fett?"
"Let's just say they might recognise my face." Boba Fett said. I bit my lip to hold back a laugh at his comment, they would definitely recognise his face.
I then sighed gently when I realised who was left. "Okay, I'll go."
"No." Din said a little too quickly. His voice sounded tense
"What? Why not?" I asked him in confusion as I turned my body to face him.
"I'm not letting you go in there alone with him." Din said firmly
"Hey, I'm not gonna do anything to her." Mayfeld tried to interject.
"You know I can handle myself, right?" I asked him sternly, ignoring Mayfeld.
"I know you can, I know better than anybody. But I can't let you go in there alone. I'll go too." Din said firmly, I knew by his tone that I wouldn't be able to change his mind.
"Hey, buddy, I might be good at fast-talking, but I don't think I can explain away a guy in a Mando suit to Imperial guards. So, unless you're gonna take off that helmet, it's gonna be just me and Celeste." Mayfeld said.
"Or say goodbye to your little green friend." Mayfeld added
"I'm coming with you. But I won't be showing my face." Din stated.
"Din. Can I talk to you, please?" I asked him
"We don't have time." Din tried to say.
I sighed at him, knowing that he didn't want to talk with me about this.
"Mando's right, let's leave the domestics for after the mission." Cara said, she shot me a look of understanding though. She could tell how much this was troubling me.
"So...how are you not going to show your face?" I asked him
"The uniforms the officers wear have helmets. We'll hijack one of the vehicles and steal their uniforms." Din explained.
"Okay. Let's go." I said plainly. I couldn't help the way I felt about all of this. Why did Din feel like he had to come with me? Does he really not think I could hold my own against Mayfeld?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sucked in a sharp breath as the jagged edge of the rock below me dug into my ribs. In the corner of my eye, I saw Din glance over at me, but I kept my eyes trained on the dirt road below us as the gray imperial vehicle trundled towards us.
It began to slow down as it entered the tunnel below us. I pushed myself up with my hands, preparing myself to jump. Mayfeld was the first one to jump over the edge and land on the vehicle.
I angled myself and then pushed off of the rocky cliff. My body fell for a moment before I landed on the top of the vehicle. I crouched down to avoid getting hit on the head by the low tunnel ceiling. Din and Cara landed on the ground beside us not long after.
I stayed on the top of the vehicle as Cara rushed across the roof towards the drivers compartment. I watched her as she retreated away from us until she opened up the hatch and disappeared into the vehicle.
It didn't take Cara very long to take over the vehicle. Less than a minute later we were slowing to a stop inside the tunnel.
Once the vehicle had fully come to a stop, I crawled over to the edge and slid off. I landed on my feet on the dirt road. Ever since I fell from the clutches of the imperial droid, I've been a lot less afraid of jumping from high places.
I began to walk along the road towards the front of the vehicle. I heard Din and Mayfeld land behind me, their footsteps let me know that they were following after me.
"So, how does it feel to be in the dog house?" Mayfeld whispered to Din. Clearly he wasn't good at whispering because I could still hear him.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Din said, trying to play dumb.
"Course you do. Your girl is pissed, you have to make it up to her." Mayfeld said in a very bad hushed voice.
"What are you talking about?" Din asked him. He genuinely sounded confused. I couldn't help but feel angry about their conversation. I'm not pissed at Din, not really.
"Make it up to her. Apologise. You know, like normal people do when they've upset their partner." Mayfeld spelled out for him.
Part of me wanted to hear what else they had to say, but when the bodies of three unconscious imperial officers fell out of the vehicle, I pulled myself together. We have a mission to complete.
"Will this do?" Cara asked as she stuck her head out of the door.
"Yes." Din said from behind me.
"Well, lucky for you Celeste, there was a woman on board. Let's just hope it fits." Cara said as she gestured to one of the unconscious officers.
"Great." I said as I walked over to the woman she had gestured to.
I knelt down on the ground beside her. My hands hesitated in the air before I sighed and began to take her clothes off. I felt awful doing this, even though she was Imperial.
Din and Mayfeld chose male officers that best fit their physique. I could see them taking parts off of the officers. I pulled the helmet off of her face and looked at her. She had a petite face with dark brown hair, she had smile lines and wrinkles across her forehead that told me that she was older than I am.
Once I had finished taking off her clothes, I straightened up and stood back up again. I looked down uncomfortably at the half-naked woman.
"Will you..." I trailed off to Cara as I looked down at her.
"I got it. You go get ready." Cara said as she walked towards the officer.
"Thanks." I said before I turned around. My eyes scanned the area for a place I could hide to get changed. There was no way I was changing in front of Mayfeld.
"Celeste, can we talk, please." Din's familiar voice asked me. I didn't turn around to face him, instead I started to walk, trusting that he would follow me.
"I thought we didn't have time." I said. I immediately berated myself for my words. Why did I say that? I couldn't have just agreed?
"Cyar'ika. Please." Din pleaded with me. My heart clenched in my chest at his tone, I couldn't say no. Damn him.
"Fine." I stated. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him. I noticed that he also had a uniform piled in his arms. I glanced to the side to make sure that Cara and Mayfeld were far enough away from us.
"I'm sorry." Din said. I looked over at him again with my brows raised slightly.
"For what, Din?" I asked him
Din sighed and looked down towards the ground. After a moment he looked back up at me. "For making you think that I don't believe in you. That you can't handle yourself. I know that you can, I just...I want to keep you safe. I've already lost the kid. I can't lose you too."
I sighed gently, the anger in my chest was slowly dissipating. I looked down for a moment to collect my thoughts before I looked back up again. "That's not the only reason I'm mad, Din."
I could see Din tense up when I admitted to being mad. "Then what is?"
I raised my free hand and gently tapped my index finger on the plastoid armor. Din followed my movement, his visor glancing down at the helmet in his hands.
"You're risking so much here. You're taking off your armor when you don't have to. I can do this myself, you don't have to do this. And...you made me think that you're risking everything because you don't think I can handle myself." I admitted
Din sighed gently. "Cyar'ika, that's not the reason I'm doing this. I only want to be here to watch your back. Like I always do. It's not that I think you're not capable. It's that I don't trust Mayfeld."
I sighed and lowered my head for a moment. "Okay."
" Are...are we okay?" Din asked me hesitantly
"Yeah, of course we are. Apparently I can't stay mad at you for longer than 10 minutes." I joked lightly. Din chuckled at my comment and it made my chest fill with pride. There were very few people in the galaxy that got to hear that sound.
"Let's go then." Din said. I nodded and took a look around me once again. Now all I had to do was find a place to get changed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The leather glove squeaked slightly as I flexed my fingers. They definitely felt like they were new, and the feeling of the gloves on my hands felt foreign. I looked down at my hand as I clenched and unclenched my fingers over and over again, trying to get used to the feeling.
The gray helmet was tucked under my other arm as I walked back over to Cara and Mayfeld. I hate having to wear this uniform, looking down at my own body and seeing the imperial clothing makes me want to shudder. I had to pose as someone who worked for the very organization that had my child, wanted me dead, and killed my parents.
"Well, well, well. Look at you." Mayfeld's voice echoed throughout the tunnel. "You know, you actually pull it off."
I smiled sarcastically and brought my free hand up, raising my middle finger towards the overly cocky man.
"I hate this." I stated in annoyance as I stood beside Cara.
"I don't blame you." Cara said, shooting me a sympathetic smile over her shoulder. She turned back to the tunnel entrance, her blaster aimed in front of her just in case.
"Hey, does your uniform smell." Mayfeld asked me
"No?" I said with furrowed brows
"Well, count yourself lucky. This guy reeked! His gloved are still wet." Mayfeld said.
"Ew." I said in response, my nose was scrunched up in disgust. I couldn't help but feel glad that the female officer had better hygiene.
Footsteps caught my attention, I looked over to my right and saw that Din was heading towards us. Though my brain couldn't even comprehend the fact that it was Din. He was wearing a uniform that was identical to mine and Mayfeld's. He had a large brown bag slung over his shoulder that no doubt had his mandalorian armor in it.
I couldn't help the frown that fell on my face, I wish that he wasn't doing this to himself for me. Mayfeld started to chuckle and I absentmindedly clenched my fist by my side in anger.
"Look at this. Oh, the shame. Now, that right there is worth the price of admission." Mayfeld mocked
"Stop being a dick or I'll knock you out." I stated irritatedly. Mayfeld held his hands up in surrender with a chuckle.
"Wish I could say it looked good on you, but I'd be lying." Cara said sympathetically.
"Just make sure you take out the rooftop gunners, or we're never getting out of here." Din said. His voice sounded different, not the same as when he had his helmet off but not the same as his mandalorian modulator. It was strange.
"We got you." Cara said
Din then stepped forward and handed the bag over to Cara. "Take care of this. Keep it safe."
"I will." Cara said
I raised my hand and placed it on Din's shoulder, his head turned to look down at me. "You don't have to do this." I said gently.
"I know." Din nodded. Making it clear that he wasn't going to change his mind.
"Hey, guys. Still on the clock." Mayfeld interjected, reminded us of our mission.
I dropped my hand from Din's shoulder and looked down at the helmet that was in my hand. I hesitated for a moment before I raised it up and placed it over my head. It felt really weird to be wearing a helmet. I wonder how Din manages to do this all the time, I don't know how I'm going to fight with this on if I have to.
"What would they say on Mandalore?" Mayfeld continued to mock Din.
"I don't know, what's shut up in Mando'a?" I asked sarcastically as I walked up to the entrance of the vehicle
"K'uur." Din Said quietly. My face contorted into one of surprise, I hadn't actually been expecting him to reply.
"You know, it's a shame you're not comin' along with us. You got such a sunny disposition. Can't imagine how much fun you are in one of these." Mayfeld said to Cara as he fully entered the vehicle.
"Wish me luck." I said quietly to Cara as I heaved myself up into the vehicle.
I slid into the seat that was directly behind the one Din was climbing into. The section we were in was quite small and dark, especially because we were in a tunnel.
"What's goin' on here?" Mayfeld asked as Din slid into his seat and closed the door.
"Power coil, motivator...oh, there we...ah, there we go. There we go!" Mayfeld said as he figured out the controls.
"And we are off." He said as he pushed the lever away from him to start the vehicle. We slowly started to trundle along the dark corridor, picking up more speed as we went.
We fell into silence for a moment, until Mayfeld decided to start talking again. "Hey, how's it feel? Huh? I mean, c'mon, man. You still get to wear a helmet, right?"
Din didn't reply, and I didn't blame him. He was much better at ignoring Mayfeld's jabs than I was.
"All right, you know what? I'm takin' this thing off." Mayfeld said. He reached up and took off his helmet with one hand.
"I can't see anything. I don't know how you people wear those things. And by you people, I do mean Mandalorians." Mayfeld continued. Din stared straight ahead and didn't respond.
"I don't know how you're still wearing it." He decided to turn to me since Din wasn't talking to him.
The sun suddenly shone brightly through the window as we exited the tunnel. "It's not that bad." I said, even though I was lying.
"Really? Not that bad, huh? Have you ever tried his helmet on?" Mayfeld asked
"Take a minute to think about what you just asked me." I said, trying to get him to see how stupid it was.
"What? I'm serious." Mayfeld said in defense
I sighed heavily. "No. I haven't."
Mayfeld fell silent again while we drove along the dirt road. It was quite a bumpy journey, but it could be worse.
"Feels better when it's off." Mayfeld said, gesturing to his face.
We drove further down the road in silence, the vehicle occasionally bumped as it hit a hole or some uneven terrain. The longer we sat here, the more tempted I was to take the helmet off. I knew that I should keep it on but it was beginning to feel stuffy. My hands twitched as I contemplated taking it off. I almost raised my hands to take it off when I noticed something at the side of the road.
I looked out the window and saw what seemed to be a destroyed vehicle identical to the one we were in. The vehicle was scattered on either side of the road. Hopefully that doesn't happen to us.
"Juggernaut four, you're running a bit hot. Be sure to watch your cargo heat limits and speed." A voice came over the comms.
"Copy that, Three. We hit a couple of bumps. Thanks for the heads up." An officer replied
"Don't worry about the rhydonium. As Long as you drive steady, you'll get us to the refinery." Din said to Mayfeld.
Up ahead, there seemed to be people standing on and around the road. It looked like there were houses on either side. Mayfeld reached up and blared the vehicle's horn. He slowed us down as we crossed through their small town to make sure no one would get hurt or killed. My heart squeezed in my chest for them, they didn't deserve to have their village be ruined by the Empire.
"Yeah. Empire, New republic. It's all the same to these people. Invaders on their land is all we are." Mayfeld said as we passed through the town and sped up again.
"I'm just sayin', somewhere someone in this galaxy is ruining and others are being ruled. I mean, look at your race. Do you think all those people that died in wars fought by Mandalorians actually had a choice? So how are they any different than the Empire? Look, If you were born on Mandalore, you believe one thing, if you're born on Alderaan, you believe somethin' else. But guess what? Neither one of 'em exist anymore." Mayfeld rambled.
"And whose fault is that?" I asked him quietly.
"Hey, I'm just a realist. I'm a survivor, just like you." Mayfeld said, trying to defend himself.
"Let's get one thing straight. You and I are nothing alike." Din stated
"I don't know. Seems to me like your rules start to change when you get desperate. I mean, look at ya. You said you couldn't take your helmet off, and how you got a stormtrooper one on, so what's the rule? Is it that you can't take off your Mando helmet, or you can't show your face? Cause there is a difference." Mayfeld rambled again.
Din didn't reply, he just silently stared out the window. I wanted to reach forward and smack Mayfeld over the head. And I would if he wasn't driving.
"Look, I'm just sayin', we're all the same. Everybody's got their lines they don't cross until things get messy. As far as I'm concerned, If you can make it through your day and still sleep at night, you're doin' better than most." Mayfeld said
"Control, this is Juggernaut Three. We might be comin' up on some route interference. Control, control! We need a new..." the officer cut himself off with a pained scream. I immediately sat up in my seat.
"What was that?" Mayfeld asked worriedly
"Please stand by for reroute." A woman's voice said over the comm.
Just as she spoke, a massive explosion erupted in the distance. Bright orange fire fired out from just ahead of us. I tensed up and clenched my fists.
"Juggernaut Four has been destroyed." The woman said
"Destroyed?" Mayfeld asked with fear in his voice.
"The rhydonium is still stable." Din stated
"Juggernaut Five, maintain speed and course. Proceed with caution. Re-routing course, stand by." The woman said
"Proceed with caution? Is she serious?" Mayfeld asked angrily.
"Control this is Juggernaut Three. Requesting...abort! Abort!" A scream erupted over the comms as another explosion went off just ahead of us.
Mayfeld had to pull harshly on the controls to avoid running into part of an exploded vehicle. Only a moment later, there was a loud thud on the side of the vehicle. I flinched and reached for the blaster on my hip.
"What the hell was that?" Mayfeld asked
"Pirates. Keep driving. I'll take care of it." Din stated as he checked the security cameras.
I reached up and grabbed onto the edge of the clunky helmet. I pulled it off my head and exhaled. There was no way I'd be able to fight with the helmet on, I don't have the same experience as Din.
I watched as Din opened up the door beside him and stuck his body out the door. He sat on the edge of it and began to fire his blaster out the door at the pirates.
"Are you seriously shooting a blaster near rhydonium?" Mayfeld asked exasperatedly.
Din suddenly ducted back into the vehicle. "They've thermal detonators." He climbed back inside and swung his legs over the side of his chair.
"Terrific." Mayfeld said sarcastically.
"Just keep it steady." Din said as he walked past me towards the ladder that ran up to a hatch.
I turned in my chair and watched as Din climbed up the ladder. Hopefully Din can deal with them without it turning into a fight. And hopefully we can avoid any unnecessary explosions.