The trip back to Nevarro started quietly. Din and Alora returned to the ship they borrowed from the Mandalorian mercenaries in silence. Though he wanted to say something—anything, really—Din had kept his mouth shut as they snuck their way off the planet and out of the region while Alora kept to herself as she worked on those strange discs.
Din had never seen technology like what they found in the Temple. Those blue crystals must have held some kind of information, but someone had made sure no one would ever be able to access them again. Maybe it was the Empire, but maybe it was the last of the Jedi to keep their survivors safe. To keep Alora and Grogu safe.
The discs Alora had taken with her were also different. They are older than anything Din has seen used, and they look broken beyond use. However, Alora had managed to get one working in a matter of seconds while inside the Temple. He had watched as the disc fused together to play one insignificant video before it tore apart again.
The Force works in mysterious ways.
But the silence was less unnerving and more tiring. Din was exhausted from the days before, unable to sleep with so much to do. He really should have refused when Alora offered to pilot while he got some rest. He shouldn't have fallen for her logic or let his body react the way it did to her offered comfort. Even just her hand on his shoulder was enough to feel the warmth spread through his body, the lull of comfort and safety.
He really should have just stood his ground, because now he is awake, and they have landed. But this is not Nevarro. And Alora is not here.
She had left a tracker in his palm when she snuck away. He is going to make her regret that.
As he tries to balance his panic, anger, and desperation to find her, he makes his way through the facility attached to the landing zone. It is mostly deserted, but cameras line every corner.
Alora's tracker leads him to a storage room. It isn't too large, but it is filled with places to hide in the shadows and boxes. As soon as he closes the door behind him, he sees her rifling through a box with her back to him.
"Really?" He says as he marches up to her. "You can't just—"
"I took a slight detour," she replies without looking up. Pulling out a piece of bent metal, she inspects it in the dim light. "I know I should have woken you up, but you needed the sleep."
"No, I—"
"Don't even try to argue with me. You were falling asleep while still piloting us." She arches a playful brow at him. "Besides, this isn't that far out of the way, and I needed a few materials. To fix the discs." The playfulness drops as she goes back to digging in the box. "It should be around here somewhere. No one ever needs it."
Din stares at her back before he shakes his head. "Alora, you weren't there when I woke up." There's a hollowness that spreads in his chest. "I thought something happened."
Alora looks up at him, her lips parted just enough so that when she inhales, the air whistles. "I'm sorry, Din," she replies softly. "But I told you. I am going to fix these discs, and Nevarro won't have the resources."
She scrambles to her feet, tugging on the sleeves of her robe as she does so. Din just watches her closely, watches the guilt and worry on her face as she waits for his answer. "I just wish you had told me," Din mutters.
"I know. I do too, but you needed to sleep. We have a lot ahead of us, and—" Her eyes dart behind him to the door. "Ok, you have to hide. Hide now." She pushes him behind mobile shelving with boxes on each level. "Stay quiet and please just berate me later, ok? Quiet!"
Din clamps his mouth shut as he readies his blaster. Though he expects Alora to get her lightsabers out, she simply stands in the middle of the storage closet and crosses her arms as the door opens.
A man in an opulent robe Din bets Greef Karga would love steps into the closet and closes the door behind him. Din watches through the boxes as he tentatively approaches Alora, clasping his hands in front of him.
Alora scoffs. "Wimp," she says.
The man begins to laugh as his tense shoulders drop. "You are a temptress, Alora." He leans against the closest wall of boxes with an award-winning smile. "I heard you were traveling the world. What brings you back to Bespin?"
She shrugs as she sits on one of the unopened boxes. "Do I need a reason to come see my old frenemy?"
The man purses his lips. "If you wanted to come see me, I'd throw you a feast worthy of a princess. Instead, you lure me to a closet. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is scandalous. But I do know you better."
"How'd you even know I was here?"
He rolls his eyes. "Besides the fact that you came to this facility and wiped out all my cameras in one go? Maybe the name you used to get clearance to land, Tiri."
"You think you're the only one who knows that alias? Come on." After a moment of silence, Din hears her sigh. "It's good to see you, Lando. Really. It's been rough lately."
The man—Lando— pushes off of the boxes and steps up to Alora, sitting next to her on the box. "Must be really rough for you to come see me."
Alora shrugs. "I'm not really here to see you. I'm here to steal from you. You are so unorganized."
Lando laughs, and it only makes Din's grip on his blaster tighten. "Blame the Empire. They left this facility in shambles."
Alora nods and stands, putting distance between herself and Lando. "Look, I don't have long. I need a few things, and I was hoping you'd give them to me for free since you owe me."
"I've owed you since the moment I met you."
"You've owed me since you sold out Bespin to Vader at the first sign of trouble." Her voice goes cold, and so does Din's blood. "But you helped us end the Empire, so I guess you're halfway to redemption."
Lando remains still as silence fills the room. Din positions himself so that his blaster is aimed at Lando's back through the gap in the boxes. With a heavy sigh, Lando hangs his head. "What exactly do you need?"
Alora begins listing off materials—nothing too rare or expensive. After each request, Lando moves around the room to point out the correct boxes. When she finishes, he stands by the door and places the last box between them.
"Is this enough for my redemption?"
Alora now has her back to him. She shifts her weight, blocking his aim at Lando's heart. "That's not the right question," she replies. "Is it enough for mine?"
Lando chuckles, and Din can see his hair shaking on either side of Alora's silhouette. "Something tells me you don't need redemption. You need closure. Whatever you're trying to fix with all of this—I hope it gives you what you need. And I hope you'll stop holding my mistakes against me."
"It was a pretty big mistake."
"I think hurting you the way I did was the worst of them all."
Din watches as Alora shrinks for a fraction of a second. As if his words caught her off guard. "You're a businessman," she shrugs. "Bad transactions happen. I've had some really shitty ones with the New Republic, so I hope it isn't too much to ask—"
"You were never here."
As he turns to leave, Alora takes a small step forward. "Lando," she calls out. Din now has a better view as Lando glances over his shoulder at the door. "It really is good to see you. To see all of you. I don't know how I didn't see it before."
"See what?"
"Everything."
Lando frowns and hesitates before he leaves the closet. Alora remains staring at the door for a few seconds as Din slowly comes out from his spot, holstering his blaster. She turns to him and purses her lips. "Can you help me get everything he pointed to? I gotta fix up these first." She holds up the charms.
He hadn't seen her take them out.
"Who was that?" Din asks without moving an inch to do as she asks.
"He owns this facility," she explains. "He helped us during the war after learning just how bad deals with the Empire are. He's a good man inside. Atoned for his wrongdoings."
"His wrongdoings against you?"
Alora shakes her head. "It's a long story that's not worth telling. Just like you never told me about your exploits with Xi'an." Without another word, she kneels and begins working on the charms.
Din watches her for a long moment, and it's like he can see the wall between them—can see a barrier separating them. And he just does not have the heart to tear it down. So he starts gathering the items around the room.
By the time he is finished, Alora is fastening her newly made necklace around her neck, the charms dangling at her throat as she runs her fingers over them. Meeting his gaze, she offers to hold one of the bags, and they silently return to the ship.
The moment they get in, Alora curls up with some of the materials and one of the discs and begins to work. Din just focuses on the map and flies them away.
✦✧✦✧✦
Little stop to Bespin! To see our old friend Lando!
Hope you enjoyed!
-L