~*~
They traveled the rest of the day in silence, something she normally hated, and from the knowing looks that Kuiil sent her way, he remembered. Like Greef said, night came fast, and they were all huddled around a campfire in silence as they ate. She wanted desperately for someone to talk, or make polite conversation, she didn't know how much longer she could stand the guard's wary stares on them. It was bad enough she had to drag the conversation with Din, who practically hated talking.
She notices that Din is the only one not eating amongst the group and glances over at him in concern. According to Cara, he'd barely eaten anything. Probably to protect his identity from the group.
"You never told me your name," Greef adresses her, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"Forgive me, if I don't trust you with it," she glares at him.
"Fair enough," he grunts, nodding. "Mine's --"
"Greef," she interrupts him, and at his look of shock, nods at Din, "Mando told me before you shot me."
"Still not going to let that go, huh?"
"Nope," she shrugs.
"I'm guessing you're still mad at me for that too?" Greef turns to Din, who'd been silent during their conversation.
"Yup," Din replies, and continues to watch Kuiil feed the child.
"I guess the little bugger is a carnivore," Greef gestures over to the child that's settled in between Din, and Kuiil. "Never seen anything like it. They were ready to pay a king's ransom for that thing."
"Let's go over the plan again," Din suggests.
"We go to the common house," Greef explains, "we join him at the table, show the client the bait, and you kill him."
"Tell me about the reinforcements."
"They're all ex-Empire," Greef repeats what he said earlier with a heavy sigh, and turns his gaze to the campfire. "As soon as they lose their paycheck, poof, they all scatter."
"And if they don't?"
"They will," Greef's sounds so sure of herself.
She frowns. He makes it sound so easy. There's so much potential for something to go wrong in that plan. She glances over at Cara, who'd been staring at them as she ate with a distrustful expression on her face. Cara nods at her. Maybe she thought the same.
"That's not good enough," maybe Din realizes this too.
"If, for argument's sake," Greef grunts, "a few of them don't realize that I'm their best path to alternative employment, and they elect to act impulsively, then these three fine Guild hunters, along with that battle hardened shock trooper will cut down anyone who bucks."
"How many will there be?"
"No more than four," Greef sighs, and stands, "he travels, at most, with a Fire Team. Trust me. Nothing could go wrong."
At that point, she's completely lost her faith in him, and she doesn't get why Din decided to put his trust in him. She understands it's for the child's safety, but Greef's the sleaziest slimeball she's ever met, and she's met Toro.
A horrible screech fills the air as a creature flies past Greef, startling him. Cara is the first to react quickly, and aims her blaster at the creature and fires, and the others are quick to follow her. One of the flying creatures were trying to go after the blurrgs.
"No, let go of her!" Kuiil shouts, and rushes after the blurrgs.
Dessa shoots frantically at the flying creature trying to take off with the blurrgs. She'd been so focused on the creature that she shouts on surprise as Din shoves her aside, and she lands on her back. He cries out in both alarm, and in pain as the flying creature lands on top of him, and tries to drag him away into the air.
"Cara!" She calls to the veteran in her panic. Cara glances over at her in confusion, before following her gaze towards Din. Cara reacts quickly, and they both fire their weapons at the same time, and Din uses his flamethrower when the winged creature gets close to the ground. The creatures screech, and fly off, tails lit with flame.
She and Cara both help him stand back up.
"You alright?" Dessa gives him a quick one armed hug.
"I'm fine, you?" He asks as he hugs her back.
"Fine, the kid?" She asks. They both turn, and relax slightly when they see the child near Kuiil.
"Looks like Greef's down," Cara sighs. "Come on, you two losers."
She and Din exchange a quiet look before following after her where Greef had fallen. Greef's face is scrunched up in pain, and his arm is limp beside him, completely covered in deep gashes.
"How bad?" Din asks.
"Bad," Cara gasps, "the poison's spreading fast."
"So this is how it happens," Greef groans in pain.
"Don't be so dramatic," Cara scoffs. "I need another Medpac!"
Cara glances around. But no one moves or offers any help. Dessa searches her pouch on her belt for any medical supplies that can help her, but Din beats her to it and hands over some equipment for Cara.
"Get that thing away," Cara demands when the child moves closer to Greef.
"Wait," Kuiil says calmly.
"He's trying to eat me!" Greef panics.
Dessa had half a mind to tell him that he's scared of a little child, but she remembers that he tried to kill Cara with his power so she says nothing.
The child presses his hand against the wound, and to her astonishment, the blood and scratches disappear as if they'd never existed. Her jaw drops slightly as she stares at the kid in awe. Greef is quiet as he flexes his arm that now looks as good as new.
She lags behind with Kuiil who sat on top of the only blurrg left from the fight as morning comes, and watches the others walk ahead with him. She could see Greef talking things over with his guards, but she couldn't hear them from where she stood. Cara and Din stood in the middle, and were also whispering to each other.
"Did you ever tell me you were part of the Empire, Kuiil?" She asks, glancing up at the Ugnaught who appeared deep in thought.
"Long ago when you were a child, but you were busy chasing frogs and nearly got stepped on by the blurrgs," he comments, and she winces. Another memory she'd gladly forget, and actually did forget about until now.
"I'm listening now," she insists.
"You always did have your head in the clouds," Kuiil shakes his head. "and have odd choices in friends."
"You're stalling," she frowns.
"Some other time, perhaps," Kuiil hums. "when we don't have listeners. I have spoken."
She sighs heavily. Once he says his famous "I have spoken" line she could never get him to change his mind. She notices Din lagging away from the group, and her eyes narrow at his limp movements. She glances over at Kuiil who's also noticed this and nods over to him. She awkwardly salutes him as she rushes over to the Mandalorian.
"You sure you're alright?" She stresses, and he jumps slightly at her voice.
"I'm fine," he says. At her pointed look, admits, "I may be regretting my decision not to eat anything earlier."
"You're a stubborn bantha, I hope you realize that," she sighs. Looks like what Cara told her earlier about him refusing the droid's service is true.
"I know, I know," he agrees.
"I had no idea the kid could do that," Dessa says, patting the child's head.
"He tried to do the same thing with you once," Din admits. She glances over at him in shock.
"What? When did he--?" She asks in a rush, but then stops when she realizes what he's referring to. "Oh."
"I had to stop him," he's apologetic, "Remember what happened with the Mudhorn?"
"Yeah," she remembers it clearly still in her mind. "you were worried he'd go comatose again."
"Yeah," he admits. "whatever he did, it tired him out."
They suddenly stop walking and are in the middle of nowhere.
"So this is it," Greef says.
Dessa's eyes narrow at him in suspicion. This is nowhere near the town she remembers. She hears guns click from behind her. Kriff! She knew they couldn't trust him!
Greef whirls around, and kills the two Guild members that were standing behind them. He raises his blasters in the air.
"There's something you should know," Greef says. The two are pointing their own blasters at him still, keeping careful watch of his every move, "the plan was to kill you, and take the kid, but after what happened last night, I couldn't go through with it."
They refuse to move. Greef puts his blasters away, and raises his hands up in surrender.
"Go on, you can gun me and it wouldn't violate the code," he continues, and gestures over to the kid that's sitting in the container besides Din, "but if you do, the child will never be safe."
"We'll take our chances," Cara says.
"The client is obsessed with obtaining the asset," Greef gestures between Dessa and Din, "you two tried to run, but where did that get you?"
She winces. They were overrun, and had bounty hunters following after them wherever they went. He had a point.
"This is riciulous," Cara addresses Din.
"Perhaps you should let him speak," Kuiil suggests.
"Listen, we both need the client eliminated," Greef says hastily, "let me take the child to him, and then you two--"
"No," Din interrupts him firmly.
"Let's just kill him and get out of here," Cara suggests.
Dessa mentally agrees with her, she didn't trust him anywhere near the child. She's worried a huge fight would just break out if they did as he said.
"He's right," Din lowers his blaster, and slides it back into his belt.
"What are you doing?" Cara hisses at him.
"Din," she whispers his name loud enough so that only he can hear, and he turns in her direction. She shakes her head. She does not like where this plan is going. It couldn't be that easy.
"As long as the Imp lives, he'll send hunters after the child," Din says.
"It's a trap!" Cara argues. For once, Dessa agrees with her.
"Bring me," Din suggests.
"Bring you?" Greef repeats with skepticism.
"Tell him you captured me," Din says, "get me close to him, and I'll kill him."
"That's a good idea," Greef agrees, "give me your blaster."
"This is insane!" Cara scoffs.
"It's the only way," Din assures her.
"Dessa and I are coming with you," Cara says, and puts her blaster away.
"That'll make them suspicious," Greef argues, "especially if you bring her along."
"Dessa was with me that night remember?" Din pipes up, and Greef has the decency to at least send her a guilty look. "Just say that she's captured both of us."
"Then they can bring the child," Greef says.
"No," Din shakes his head. "the kid goes back to the ship."
"Without the child, none of this works," Greef scoffs with disbelief.
"I have a plan," Din reassures him, and glances back at the Ugnaught. "Kuiil? Ride back child back to the Razor Crest, and seal yourself in. When you're inside, engage ground security protocols. Nothing on this planet will breach those doors."
"Here's a comlink," Kuiil hands him the small device which Din accepts without hesitation. "I will keep the child safe. Don't forget to cover your stripes."
She reluctantly admits that Greef is right. Theyll just get suspicious if she's brought with them. If she went with them, Kuiil would be guarding the child by himself. The only help he's get would be from IG-11, and the droid's still in the ship.
"I'll go with you, Kuiil," she decides. She steps forward, but Din gently grabs her arm and stops her from moving. She turns to frown at him, wondering why he'd done that but he's silent.
"I need to do this on my own, Dessa," Kuiil shakes his head. "There's only one blurrg, and it can't fit us both."
She doesn't understand why he's lying to her. The blurrg can fit two people. Kuiil saw that happen when she and Din first met.
"But --" she protests.
"Go with them," he interrupts, nodding at the three.
"Kuiil--"
"I have spoken," he says with a stern frown in her and Din's direction, "you better keep your promise, Mandalorian."
"I will," Din nods.
She watches helplessly as Kuiil places the child ontop of the blurrg with him, and rides off. Cara wraps up her tattoo like the Ugnaught told her to do, and Greef cuffs her and Din.
"He'll be alright," Din whispers in her ear.
"I should have gone with him, Din," she whispers his name once Cara and Greef were a bit further away from them. "maybe it would have been the safer option for both of us."
"Kuiil wanted you to stay here," he shakes his head. "just let him do what he needs to do."
"What did Kuiil make you promise?" She asks. He doesn't answer, "Din?"
"You two ready?" Cara interrupts softly as she approaches them.
"Yeah," Din nods his head stiffly.
"Then let's go," Cara says. "Just so you know, I still don't like this plan. Things can go wrong."
"I know," Din replies.
"And if it does go wrong?" Cara asks as they walk together.
"Then we'll just have to be ready when it happens," he replies. And as they walk, she can see the town up ahead, surrounded with nothing but Stormtroopers.
She did not like this one bit. Her mind is still thinking back to the look on the child's face when Kuiil took him away. She hopes that they're still safe.
~*~