"Hey, you should slow down before you bust the inner turbine," I shout, hoping that Mando could hear me over the whistling wind and the thick layer of his beskar helmet. But instead of slowing down, he actually speeds up, making me furrow my brows and hold onto his torso a little tighter. "You're overworking the inner turbine with all this speed and weight. You should really slow the hell down before-"
The heavy speeder bike suddenly tips forward, the nose of the bike getting caught on something while the tail lifts up high into the air. I let out a small yelp as I'm sent flying through the air, my arms flailing slightly as I started to free-fall towards the ground. My side soon slams into the rough sand and I let out a small groan, slowly rolling myself onto my back as my arm and side start to ache.
The large speeder flies right over my body and I carefully watch it crash into the sand not too far away from my body. I let out a small sigh and close my eyes, knowing that we were going to have to trudge through the desert with all of our stuff like we had last time we were on this dry ass planet.
A loud cry echoes out above me and I look up to see a large man holding a knife in the air, getting ready to plunge it into the middle of my chest. My eyes widen and I quickly roll to the side and out of the way, making it back up to a kneeling position before swiping my leg under both of his and sending him straight to the ground.
As I turn back around to face him, he throws a handful of sand in my eyes and I instantly reel away from him, hiding my face slightly as I tightly shut my now burning eyes. Well, it looks like I'm just going to have to fight blind.
"Now that was just playing dirty," I snap, squaring my shoulders out as I kept my eyes closed. The sand seemed to scratch and burn them every time I tried to move them, so I figured it would be better to just keep them closed.
I take a deep breath and focus my mind, trying to listen and sense where he was standing. He starts running at me, the knife ready in his clenched fist. A slight smirk tugs at my lips and just as he gets a little closer, I swipe myself to the side and stick my leg out, easily tripping him. I quickly plant my knee on his stomach and blindly wrestle his hands in hopes of getting the knife before he could stab me with it.
I managed to grab the knife and stab it right into his thigh, forcing him to stop fighting me while his attention instantly snapped down to his now bleeding leg. He lets out a cry of pain and both of his hands reach down to grasp at his leg. I land two good punches on his face before he finally falls limp under me. I slowly rock back and take a seat in the hot sand, letting out a small huff of hot air as I tried to catch my breath.
I rub at my eyes a bit, blinking a few times in hopes of getting my vision back. After a few painful blinks and my eyes adjusting to the blazing sun, I was finally able to see again. It still hurt, but at least I was able to see.
"Alright, the turbine wasn't the cause of that crash, but regardless of the cause, you were going way too fast!" I snap, looking over to Mando just to see that he was standing with his hands out in the air, trying to stop the last guy from cutting up the kid with a small dagger. My eyes widen and my breath hitches slightly, my little quarrel with Mando quickly disappearing.
"If you put one mark on him, there's no place that you will be able to hide from us," Mando says, shaking his head while taking a step towards the small man. I furrow my brows, wondering if threatening the guy with a knife to the kid's throat was the best option in this situation. "We can strike a bargain. There's a lot of value in this wreckage. Take your pick."
The man slowly bends down, picking up a familiar-looking silver hilt. My eyes widen as I feel my heart drop. My hand instantly whips down to my hip, where my lightsaber usually rested, but it wasn't there. I look back up to see that it was indeed what the short man was holding, making my heart almost jump. He then points the knife at Mando's jetpack, nodding his head before swiping the knife back to the kid's neck.
"Okay," Mando says, nodding his head while easily taking his jetpack off without a moment's hesitation. He sets it upright on the ground then takes a small step back, showing the guy that he was giving him the space he needed to safely take it. I furrow my brows and go to stand up, wanting to deal with this guy for even daring to threaten the kid, but Mando olds his hand out to me, telling me to stop. "It's yours. Just take it."
"Mando-" I try, knowing that I could do something to stop this, but he doesn't listen to me.
"Mae," he says in a stern tone, keeping his gaze locked on the child. I keep my mouth shut and nod my head, knowing that it would be best for me to just stay quiet in this situation. Mando doesn't do anything with having a plan of action. If he was willingly giving the guy his pack as well as my saber, then he must have some sort of plan. I just had to trust him on it.
My nerves slowly start to ease as the man sets the kid back down. He snatches the jetpack up, dashing off the second his little fingers wrapped around the metal sides. I watch as he practically throws his knife to the side, completely disregarding its use the moment the shiny blade hits the sand.
"Is he alright?" I ask, my glare turning soft the moment my eyes set on Mando and the kid. He nods his head, letting me take a quick glance at the smiling child. He quickly starts to mess with the control pad on his vambrace, swiping his gloved finger across the top of it.
I furrow my brows, wondering what he was doing, but the sound of a jet bursting answered my curious wonders. I look over to see the guy flying through the air, barely even holding onto the jetpack. I hold in a small laugh, biting my bottom lip while looking away.
"And here I thought you might actually let him get away," I say, smiling up at the tall Mandalorian.
"How could I ever?" he says, looking over to me while quirking his head to the side. I let out another laugh and hold my hand out in the air, waiting for my saber to come back to me. The silver hilt zipped back to my hand and I shove it back onto my belt. I look around a bit to see everything we had been carrying on the speeder, scattered about on the sandy ground.
"Well, this should be fun," I mutter, standing up to my feet and dusting the sand off of my pants.
"You get to carry the kid. I can take everything else on my own," he says, already starting to pick stuff up while cradling the kid in one of his arms.
"Like hell. I can carry the kid and some other stuff too," I say, walking over to the pair of boys. I take the kid from his arms, gently cradling him with one arm, just as Mando had been doing as I held my other hand out to him to grab whatever he might give me.
I keep looking at the kid, smiling and winking at him as he cooed back at me. Something then gets shoved onto my head and I let out a loud yelp, not expecting for most of my vision to go dark. I take a few steps back and then look up at Mando. He lets out a deep chuckle, shaking his head as he laughed.
"So, that's what you would look like as a Mandalorian, huh?" he teases, crossing his arms while continuing to laugh. I peel the helmet off and roll my eyes at him, letting a small sarcastic smile flicker over my lips. I toss it back over to him and hold my hand out, hoping that he would actually pass me something this time around. "A very short Mandalorian."
"Yeah, well, this short Mandalorian is going to kick your ass if you don't give her something else to carry," I say, sending him a mocking smile while waving my fingers in hopes that he would just give me something. He continues to laugh as he hands me his long rifle, letting me sling it over my shoulder as I playfully glared at him. He quickly gets everything packed up and balanced on his shoulders.
"Ready?" he asks, looking back over to me.
"Yup. This really brings back memories, don't you think?" I say, pursing my lips into a small smile before starting to walk. He follows closely, letting out a small snort of a laugh while nodding his head.
"Except last time we didn't have eight million things to carry with us," he mutters. I let out a laugh and continue to walk, practically leading the way in complete contrast to our previous time here.
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We walked for hours upon hours, not daring to stop for anything because we were just that desperate to make it back to the city before nightfall. The sun had already started to set once we spotted the edge of the town and we had eventually made it back just in time for the sky to turn to a dark purple hue.
We strolled into the familiar cantina and I instantly let out a heavy sigh, thankful to be back after the long journey. My shoulder was sore from the strap of the rifle constantly rubbing against it, my feet were aching, and there was sand most definitely in my boots.
"I'm gonna get a drink because we just walked for five hours through the desert and I need something to soothe my sanity," I say, perking my brows before walking over to the bar. The kid gently pats my cheek and I smile down at him before ordering. "Just a cup of spotchka, if you have it."
The droid pours an electric blue liquid into a large cup, sliding it over to me as I placed a few small credits on the table. I nod my head with a quick wink, grabbing my drink while turning over to where Mando was standing. I spot Peli sitting across from an insect looking creature and they looked to be dwelling deep in an intense card game. I smile and take a sip of my drink, walking over and stopping right at Mando's side.
"So, you finally found a Mandalorian and you killed him?" Peli says, perking her brows up while flicking her eyes between her cards and his helmet. I let out a small snort and shift my weight onto my back foot, trying to compensate for the weight of the child and the rifle.
"He wasn't really Mandalorian. We bought this armor off of him, though," Mando answers, sounding tired and annoyed. Hell, I was tired and annoyed too, but you don't see my being snappy.
"Yeah, almost died for it too," I mutter into the opening of my cup as I took another sip.
"What'd that set you back?" she asks, continuing to mess with the longish cards set in her hands.
"We killed the Krayt dragon for him and called it even," he answers, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.
"Oh, is that all?" she asks sarcastically, rolling her eyes to look back at her cards. I let out another snort and stop myself from spitting out my drink.
"He was my last lead on finding other Mandalorians," Mando says, sighing in a disappointed manner. The ant-like creature sitting across from Peli starts chattering loudly, making the older woman nod along.
"Well, you two might be in luck. Dr. Mandible here says he can connect you with someone who can help you if you cover his call this round. That's what he said," Peli says, holding her hands up while giving Mando a knowing look.
"What's the bet?" Mando asks, sounding completely unamused by her games.
"Five hundred," she answers, pursing her lips while looking away from him.
"Hell, why not. I'll bet in and cover him too," I say, setting down six hundred credits down on the table. Mando looks down at me and then nudges my arm, wondering what the hell it was I was trying to play at. "I have the credits to spare."
"Six hundred to spare?" he questions, sounding as if he didn't believe me.
"Actually, I've got a thousand to spare," I say, setting four hundred more credits in the pot. I look up at Peli and subtly wink, praying that she had a good hand or else I would've added the extra credits for nothing.
"Is the pot right?" Peli asks, her eyes flicking up to Dr. Mandible. He chirps, nodding his head. Peli smirks and snaps. "Ha! Idiot's Array! Pay up, thorax!"
"Where the hell did you come across money like that?" Mando asks, looking down at me while setting one of his hands on his hips. I smile and nonchalantly shrug my shoulders.
"Gor Koresh was stupid enough to let me take ninety percent of the cut in our contract, so I raked up some good money pretty fast," I answer, nodding my head along.
"Alright, he said that the contact will rendezvous over at the hangar with you two. They'll tell you where to find some Mandalorians. That's what you two wanted, right?" Peli asks, scraping up the credits and sliding them into her bag.
"Yes-"
"Alright, well, then stop your moping! More importantly, did you bring back any of that dragon meat? Better not have any maggots on it. I don't like maggots," she continues. I finish my dink off and slide it onto the table, quickly following them out of the cantina.
The three of us walk all the way back to the hangar, letting Peli take care of the Krayt dragon meat so we could take the time to get washed up. Mando and I walk into the Razor Crest and I let out a tired sigh, setting the kid in the little makeshift hammock before walking into my own room. Mando had already disappeared into his own room, hidden behind the closed metal door.
I start to carefully unbutton my shirt, trying not to get sand everywhere, but the moment I peeled the thin material of my shirt off of my body, an annoying amount of sand floods out from the cloth, dumping all over the metal floor. I let out a small groan and throw my head back, knowing that this was going to be a bitch to clean up later.
Well, that is going to be a problem for the future me.
I let out another sigh, knowing that this probably would've been better to do in the bathroom. I grab a towel and open my door up, walking over to the bathroom to take a quick shower. The hot air of Tatooine nips at the skin of my torso as I walked over. Someone clears their throat and I look up to see Mando sitting there, rubbing a white rag over the beskar pauldron that he was holding in his gloved hands.
"Sorry. I just need to take a quick shower to get the sand out of... well, everywhere," I joke, smiling while throwing my towel over my shoulder. He hums and nods his head, keeping his gaze on me for a moment longer. I quickly realize that I wasn't wearing a shirt, making my face flush a light pink. I clear my throat and turn back towards the bathroom. "Yeah, I'm gonna take that shower now," I say, quickly sliding into the bathroom.
Once the door shuts behind me, I slump my back against it, setting my hands over my warm face. Maker, I could barely even look at him without my face flushing like I was some love-struck teenager. Then again, I guess the love-struck part was still pretty accurate. I shake my head and throw my towel onto the counter, stripping down and then stepping into the hot shower.
I wash away all the sand and grime that had built up on my olive-brown skin, rinsing out all the grains of sand that had managed to hide in my wavy, raven hair. I groan in annoyance, continuing to scrub at my skin in an attempt to feel fresh and clean again.
Once I was all washed up, I grabbed my towel and dried off, quietly cursing myself that I hadn't brought any of my clothes along with me. A small knock at the door catches my attention and I open it up, making sure the towel was snuggly tucked around my body. I look up to see Mando standing there with a small stack of clothes, holding it out to me as if it were normal.
"You didn't walk in with any clothes so I figured I might as well bring you some," he mutters, looking away as he held the neat pile out to me. I smile and hold the towel closer to my skin, a light pink dusting falling over my cheeks.
"Thank you," I say, taking the stack of clothes from his hands. He nods his head and clears his throat, closing the door as he stepped away. I stare at the metal door for a few seconds, trying to process what had just happened. I smile and turn away, quickly getting dressed as I thought about Mando picking out my clothes for me.
"Oh yeah! That was really smooth, metalhead. What are you going to try next? Maybe ask her to marry you?" Peli teases from her spot outside the ship, but she was still loud enough for me to hear. A small smile creeps over my face while a silent laugh racked my lungs. I listen to Mando's footsteps lead away from the bathroom door and out the ship, not sounding too amused by what the mechanic had to say.
After getting dressed, I walked out of the bathroom, running a towel through my hair in hopes that it would dry quickly. As I tugged my boots on, I hear low and quiet talking coming from outside, making me perk a curious brow and walk out.
"What do you mean we can't travel with the hyperdrive?" Mando asks, sounding irritated.
"Wait, we're going to be traveling sublight?" I ask, walking down the ramp while continuing to dry my hair off with my soft black towel. "What for?"
"Moving fast is the only way we're staying safe right now," Mando says, shaking his head.
"Well, these are mitigating circumstances," Peli says, furrowing her brows to challenge the Mandalorian towering over her.
"What are mitigating circumstances?" I ask wondering what the hell they were talking about, but no one was giving me any answers. Someone near the entrance of the hangar steps out and it looks to be a female frog with a large glass container on her back.
"I'm not a taxi service," Mando growls, placing his hands on his hips while learning closer to the shorter woman.
"You know, I don't mind being a taxi service if it's for a good cause," I say, smiling while nodding towards the frog. Mando snaps his head down to look at me with an intense gaze. I hold my hands up in faux surrender, shrugging my shoulders.
"I can vouch for her," Peli reassures the tall Mandalorian, holding her hands in the air as if that were going to convince him any more than her words.
"What's the cargo?" he questions, keeping his hands on his hips while his shoulders squared out. Peli turns towards the frog and starts speaking her language, to which she gets a terse response.
"It's her spawn. She needs her eggs fertilized by the equinox, or her line will end. If you jump into hyperspace, they'll die. She said that her husband has settled on the estuary moon of Trask in the system of the gas giant Kol Iben," she explains, turning back to face us as she spoke.
"She said all that?" I question, kind of amazed about how transverse the language seemed o be. I drape the towel across the back of my neck, keeping my wet hair off of my neck as we spoke.
"I paraphrased," she answers, shrugging her shoulders.
"Is she sure there are Mandalorians there?" Mando says, sounding absolutely tired and annoyed. Even though he sounded tired and annoyed, I already knew that he was going to help the frog lady. That's just the kind of person he is. Peli speaks to the frog once more before nodding.
"She said her husband has seen them."
"Alright, I guess it sounds like a plan then. We'll take her and make sure her spawn stays safe," I say, smiling while stepping out of the way. The frog climbs up the ramp and I send her a small smile as she passes me.
"Do you know the husband?" Mando asks, tearing his eyes away from the frog that was entering our ship.
"No. I just met her ten minutes before you walked in," Peli says, shrugging her shoulders.
"I thought you said you vouched for her on your life?" he snaps, craning his neck forward as if he hadn't heard her correctly.
"What can I say? I'm an excellent judge of character," she replies, grabbing a piece of the dragon meat and taking a rough bite. I let out a small laugh and nod my head.
"And I don't doubt that for a minute," I say, winking at her. She hums and pulls me into a loose hug, pulling back with a small smile. "Thanks again for all the help."
"Thank me later when you find the other Mandalorians," she says, rolling her eyes.
"We will."
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Word count: 3795
Note: Hey guys! How's everyone doing today? I hope all is well and I'll see you all next chapter ;)