"I guess this is it," Greef says, staring at the edge of town.
I could sense the bounty hunters creeping closer and closer to us, but I waited a little longer, trying to figure out whether or not it was just my mind creating an uneasy feeling in my head. Greef suddenly whips around, both of his blasters drawn. My eyes widen and I reach for my lightsaber, but he pulls the trigger before I could actually snatch it off my belt.
The blasts fly right past us and both of the bounty hunters behind us fall to the ground. I look back at their limp bodies for a few seconds before looking back at Greef, who was already surrendering his blasters. Cara and Mando kept their blasters trained on him regardless of his actions to show that he meant no harm.
"Really?" I say, furrowing my brows and tilting my head to the side.
"There's something you should know. The plan was to kill you and take the kid, but after what happened last night, I couldn't go through with it," Greef explains, shaking his head while keeping his hands in the air. I narrow my eyes at him, wishing that I could trust his words. "Go on, you can gun me down here and now it wouldn't violate the Code. But if you do, this child will never be safe."
"We'll take our chances," Cara spits back at him.
"You already tried to run, but where did it get you?"
I take a deep breath, knowing damn well that he was right about what he was saying. Moff Gideon sent bounty hunter after bounty hunter after the kid and me. Regardless of what we do in this situation right now, Gideon won't stop until he gets the kid or until he's fucking dead. Both are very viable options, but the latter is a little harder to accomplish than the former.
"This is ridiculous," Cara scoffs, shaking her head while keeping her blasters trained on the man standing in front of us.
"Perhaps we should let him speak," Kuiil says, trying to keep the peace between Cara and Greef.
"Listen, we both need the client to be eliminated. let me take the child to him and then you all can just move on-"
"No," Mando interrupts, his tone heavy and demanding as his hands clench up into fists. I perk my brows up a bit and subtly look over at him, a little surprised by his stern tone. I hum and nod my head, looking back over to Greef with a content smile on my face.
"Let's just kill him and get out of here," Cara snaps, taking a small step closer to me as if she had to protect me.
Everyone around me starts shouting at each other, arguing like a bunch of children. I hold my breath, trying to hear my own thoughts through their loud quarrels. I probably should've stopped them from going this far into the argument, but I think they might've needed to get all of it out right now before we did anything else.
I snap out of my daze and look directly into Greef's eyes. I quickly lift my hand out to him, keeping my eyes locked on his. Greef instantly holds his head in pain as I search his brain, trying to find exactly what I was looking for. Once I lock onto two different thoughts, my heart flutters. After a few more seconds of searching his mind, I drop my arm back down to my side.
A sense of trust and a silver puck.
"What the hell was that?" Greef shouts at me while everyone starts to shut up.
"He's telling the truth. We can trust him," I say, nodding my head while rolling my sleeves up to my elbows. I roll my shoulders and take a deep breath.
"How do you know he's on our side?" Mando asks, turning his head to look over at me.
"We don't have time to go over all the tricks I have up my sleeve right now," I say, shaking my head while keeping my head facing forward. I pop my neck and then nod my head once. "I want my bounty puck."
"Excuse me?" Greef asks, furrowing his brows while lowering his hand from his head.
"You have a bounty puck?" Mando questions, snapping his head back over to look at me. I ignore his question and hold my left hand out while snatching my silver hilt off of my waist. "How did I not know you had a bounty puck- So you have been holding out on me all these years Greef-"
"I want my bounty puck. If we're going through this shit together, I'm not letting you hold anything over my head. So yeah, I want my bounty puck. Please and thank you," I say, waving my fingers in hopes that he would hurry up. He reaches into his vest and pulls out the old silver gleaming bounty puck. I let out a harsh laugh and shake my head while staring at it. "You've been keeping it on you all this time? I'm fucking honored, Karga."
He holds it up and tosses it over to me. I easily catch it and look it over a few times, admiring the perfect shine. I smile and bite my bottom lip, trying to contain my excitement. It feels good to have this part of me back in my life. I press the button and turn it on, letting the hologram of my face pop up. I take a deep breath and hold it, trying to take the moment in.
"Oh, I have been waiting for years to do this shit," I mutter, quirking my head to the side for a moment before turning to the side. "I'd stay real fucking clear if I were you."
I throw the puck into the air and switch my saber on, gripping onto the silver hilt with both of my hands. I swing my saber like a bat and let the burning purple rod burn right through the silver puck. It splits into two pieces before crashing down onto the floor. I swipe and spin the saber back down so it was resting by my leg. I let out a hearty laugh and nod my head, staring at the two pieces on the floor.
"Fuck yeah!" I shout, smiling wide while running one of my hands through my messy raven hair. A heavy aching weight on my chest seems to lift and disappear into the air. I take a deep breath and nod my head. "I've always hated that fucking picture of me."
"Oh, come on, Dameron. I thought you looked pretty good in that photo. You know how I find crazy hot," Cara jokes, slowly lowering her blaster. I look over at her and let out another laugh, shaking my head at her joke.
"Damn right you find it hot," I joke back, hooking my saber back on my hip. "Alright, now that that's over with... Let's do this shit. As long as that Imp lives, he'll send hunters after the kid. We have to go through with all of this right here, right now."
"Alright, see, your crazy's coming back out now and I think it's blocking the logical side of your brain. It's a trap, Mae," Cara snaps, trying to convince me otherwise while keeping the ongoing joke running.
"Well, we already know that it's a trap. That's why Greef is going to bring me in while you guys go back to the ship with the kid and get the hell out of here," I say, shrugging my shoulders," Just as I wanted it to be like the first time around."
"What? I'm bringing you in?" Greef questions, not putting everything together just yet.
"Tell them that you captured me, then get me close enough to kill him," I explain, so he understands.
"There's no way I'm letting you go alone," Mando cuts in, wrapping his fingers around my bicep.
"Yeah, well, you're going to have to let me," I say, gently peeling my arm from his hand. I toss my blaster and hilt over to Greef. "Let's do this."
"This is crazy!" Cara shouts at me, throwing her hands up while furrowing her brows.
"You love crazy," I say, clicking my teeth while winking once at Cara. Mando grabs my arm again and carefully yanks me back towards him.
"We're coming with you," he says, shaking his head while keeping a hold of my arm.
"No, no, no. That would make them suspicious," Greef cuts in, finally putting everything together.
"We don't care. We're coming."
"You know what? Fine. We'll say that Cara brought us back here for the bounty and the reward," I say, nodding my head, "Problem solved and now we all get to go on the fun field trip of death together."
"Not the time," Mando mutters, obviously not amused by my joke.
"Alright, Cara can take the child-"
"No, the kid goes back to the ship."
"But without the child, none of this works," Greef insists, holding his hands out in confusion.
"I have a plan. Kuiil, you'll ride back to the Razor Crest with the child and seal yourself in. When you're inside, engage ground security protocols, and then nothing on this planet will breach those doors," Mando instructs, pointing back towards the direction of the Crest. Kuiil nods and lifts the child from the metal crib he was resting in.
"Here's a commlink. I will keep the child safe," Kuiil says, passing a commlink over to Mando. He then looks at Cara. "Don't forget to cover your stripes."
Mando and I were then handcuffed, but they were kept loose enough to easily slip our hands out of them. Kuiil quickly straddles the blurrg, holding the child in his arms. I let out a sigh and watch them ride off back towards the ship. It would be a long ride, but I could only pray that he would manage to make it quick.
Greef gently grabs onto my arm while Cara holds Mando, leading us towards the city. It was a short walk until we came upon a few stormtroopers near the city's entrance.
"Chain code," the trooper commands, looking up at Greef.
"I have a gift for the boss-"
"Chain code."
Greef sighs and takes his ID card out, passing it over to the pristine white trooper. He scans it before handing it back over, nodding his white helmet towards Mando.
"I'll give you twenty credits for the helmet," the trooper jokes. I narrow my eyes at him and take a subtle step towards the tall man.
"Not a chance. That thing's going on my wall," Greef demands, shaking his head while pointing his thumb at his own chest. I scoff out a laugh and roll my eyes. The stormtrooper snaps his attention over to me and he nods his head once. He walks over to me and hooks his fingers under my chin, tilting my head up so I'm forced to look at him.
"Looks like daddy's little girl finally came crawling back after all these years," he sneers quietly, a hint of humor in his tone. He lifts his thumb and trails it over my bottom lip. I stare into his white visor, right where his eyes would be if I could see them.
My hands slowly squeeze into tight fists, cinching a force choke around his covered throat. He instantly stumbles away from me, whipping his hands up to his neck as he starts to choke. Greef gently knocks my shoulder, trying to make it look like he had actually hit me.
"Stop that," he mutters. I release the force choke from the trooper's closing throat, letting him breathe again. I smirk as the trooper takes a few labored breaths, trying to breathe properly.
"I thought you stormtroopers would've learned not to call me that anymore. It looks like you're all just as dumb as I left you all those years ago," I say, my smirk growing a little more. He lets out a heavy breath before moving out of the way.
"Go ahead and bring that bitch in," he growls at Greef, his gaze still locked on me. I scoff and glare at him.
"I don't need my fucking hands to kill you, asshole," I spit back at him. Greef shoves me forward and we start walking through the town.
There were so many more troopers than Greef said there would be. My heart spikes as the groups of troopers watch us walk by. I could tell that many of them recognized me, but none of them had the guts to actually step up and say something to me. I was hoping that they all watched what happened with the guard at the front gate.
"You said four stormtroopers. There are more than just four stormtroopers," Cara snaps under her breath, her eyes flicking over to Greef.
"Four guarding the client, but many more here in town. Things got heated after those two crashed the safe house," Greef explains.
"My bad," I mutter under my breath while rolling my eyes.
"Slip them their blasters already," Cara says after me, a sense of urgency in her voice.
"Not yet."
We're led into the cantina that we used to sit in together, laughing and sharing stories of our endless stacks of bounties. We're led into the main room and my eyes instantly landed on the client. I clench my jaw, knowing that he was finding a sense of satisfaction from seeing me in cuffs and in the custody of the Empire.
"Look what I brought you. Just as promised," Greef says, presenting Mando and me. The client walks up to Mando, lifting his hand up to his beskar helmet.
"What exquisite craftsmanship. It is amazing how beautiful beskar can be when forged by its ancestral artisans. Can I offer you a liberation to celebrate the closing of our shared narrative?" the client asks, then turning back over to Greef.
"I would be obliged," Greef says. The client then walks over to me, gently cupping my face with his hands and staring into my brown eyes.
"I didn't expect you to come back here," he says, nodding his head, "I'm sure he will be pleased to have you back with us." I clench my jaw, knowing that it would be better to just keep my mouth shut. "Please, sit."
Greef and Cara force us to sit don in one of the booths and I end up getting sandwiched between Greef and Mando, our shoulders touching each other. More stormtroopers flood into the room and I perk a brow, looking over to Greef subtly.
You've gotta be fucking kidding me.
"It's a shame that your people suffered so. Just as in this situation, it was all avoidable. Why did Mandalore resist our expansion? The Empire improves every system it touches," the client says. I furrow my brows and narrows my eyes at him.
"I'd beg to differ," I spit.
"Judge by any metric. Safety, prosperity, trade, opportunity, peace. Compare Imperial rile to what is happening now. Look outside. Is the world more peaceful since the revolution? I see nothing but death and chaos," he continues.
"There was much more chaos in the world when the Empire was in rule. Anyone and everyone was expendable in their eyes," I say, glaring at him.
"I would like to see the baby," he says, ignoring my comment.
"It's asleep," Greef says quickly, trying to divert the man's attention.
"We will all be quiet, don't worry. Open the pram," the client instructs. A stormtrooper slowly strides over to him and whispers something close to his ear. The client sighs as he slowly stands up. "Don't think me to be rude, but I must take this call."
He walks away and over to the bar of the cantina. Mando and I subtly slip our cuffs off and Greef hands Mando his blaster. I took my saber from him and carefully hid it away.
"You guys have one shot," Greef mutters under his breath.
"Trust me, I've got more than one shot," I mutter back to him, letting out a small snort.
I look back over to the client to see him talking in a hushed whisper. I could hear the faint buzz of a familiar voice and my heart drops, my muscles tensing up. I sense a certain kind of darkness nearby, slowly running through my veins. I snap my eyes towards the thin window that was hanging just above the bar.
"You may want to check again."
The long window above the bar shatters as blasters shot rain through the now open space. One burns right through the client's head, making him fall limp and drop to the floor. Blasts scatter around the room, even taking down the other troopers in their path.
We all dive to the floor, trying to find some cover. Mando slams into the wall of the bar, grabbing onto my hand and pulling me in. I press my back to the wall of the bar, trying to avoid getting hit by anything.
"Four stormtroopers?" Cara shouts at Greef.
"Well, that's definitely a little more than four," I mutter, quirking my head to the side for a moment.
"Kuiil, are you back at the ship yet?" Mando asks, pressing the commlink. I take a few deep breaths, knowing that Moff could sense me already. "Are you there? Do you copy?"
"Yes!" Kuiil finally shouts back.
"Are you back to the ship yet?"
"Not yet."
"Get back to the ship and bail! Get the kid out of here. We're pinned down!" Mando whisper shouts.
"You have something I want," Moff Gideon calls out. I tense up and lean my head back, hitting it against the bar.
"Shit," I mutter aggressively, "That's not good."
"Who the hell is this guy?" Cara asks, looking over at us. I sigh, dipping my head. I was ashamed of what I was about to say, but I had to be honest, I was a little surprised that she hadn't already figured out who it was.
"You may think you have some idea of what you are in possession of, but you do not," Gideon continues.
"That, ladies and gentlemen, would be my father," I say quietly, glaring at the ground beneath me. Mando keeps yelling into the comm, trying to get a hold of Kuiil, but he stops when he hears my quiet words.
"I'm sorry, what?! That's your dad?! Mando exclaims quietly, looking over to me for a few seconds before going back to the commlink in his hands.
"As I said before, he's not my real father, nor will he ever be-" I snap back. I take a deep breath and sneak around the bar, making it to the wall, right under the window. I slowly stand up and glance out of the broken window. And there he was, standing high and proud, his cape whipping in the wind.
Oh, this fucking prick.
Why does the Empire have to make everyone under their command look like absolute assholes?
"In a few moments, it will be mine."
"Kuiil, do you copy?! Kuill-"
"It means more to me than you will ever know."
"Oh, I think I have an idea," I mutter, moving back around the bar and out of sight, "Oh god, I really do have an idea."
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Word count: 3255
Note: Hey guys! I wanted to start this off by saying thank you so much for 44k reads! I really do appreciate all the love and support you guys always give me, it really means a lot to me. Also, I'm already working on the sequel and I'm already working on chapter 8 of the book right now. From what I'm already seeing, the sequel is going to be pretty damn long, so I hope you guys are ready to see more of Mando and Mae! Again, thank you guys for all the love and support and I'll see you all next chapter!