By the time they reached the hut, it was sunset. Another day had come and gone on Alvara-7. The Mandalorian and Kuiil were talking inside while Doc tended to the drowsy blurrgs that had just arrived. She checked their vital signs and made sure they had plenty to eat and drink when they awoke. The way Nala had been pacing around the outside of the hut filled her with unease.
"Maker, Nala, you gotta pace like that all the time?" Doc asked the hound. She was only met with a silent glare and a faint whimper. Doc came up and gave her a small scratch behind the ear, the leftover electricity prickling her skin. "I trust Kuiil. Besides, if the Mandalorian wanted us dead then he would have made his move by now."
Nala sighed into the scratch and laid down once again at the entrance of the hut, eyes ever on the horizon. Doc pulled a battery out from a side pocket and gave it to her to chew on. She reached for the hut's curtain. She hesitated before she entered the hut, curious as to what they were discussing inside. She reached inside and took out another pill, crunching it between her teeth.
"The blurrg? You can keep them both," the modulated voice of the Mandalorian said. It was so close to being human but just ever so slightly. . . off. Doc had always supposed that was the Mandalorian way – to appear as something other than human while you were in the armor. Either way, it was unsettling.
"I don't know how to ride blurrg," he said, uncertainty in his voice. Kuiil was having none of it.
"I have spoken," he demanded. Doc pushed away the cloth at the entrance and ducked into the hut. She could feel the intense stare of beskar on her as she sat down next to Kuiil and picked up a mug of tea he had left out for her. Kuiil gave them both a nod of acknowledgment before mumbling about how he needed to reset one of the vapor rods before nightfall.
They sat in silence for a moment, eyes meeting visor, the other daring the other to break the quiet.
"Thank you again," he began. "For bringing me into your home."
"Not my home," she said, tearing a piece of bread in half and taking a bite. "I'm just a temporary guest. Like you."
More silence. The grinding of Doc's teeth against the outside of the loaf filled the hut. If he was uncomfortable, he did not show any indication.
"So," she said. "What brings a bounty hunter out to this little part of the galaxy?"
"Bounties."
"Ah. You know, you've got pretty lousy conversation skills," Doc said, taking another sip of tea.
"I say what I want to say," he countered, tilting his head slightly as if he were challenging her.
Doc lifted her eyebrow and extended her hand. "People call me Doc."
"Doc," he said with a nod and a shake of her hand. He made no move to introduce himself as one person or another. He was calm, seemingly relaxed. As Doc ate her food, she made small notes of his character. He didn't volunteer much information about himself other than that he was out here to collect a bounty. He cleaned his blaster as she ate, never once looking up to see her eyeing him.
His armor was not completely beskar. She was certain his helmet and shoulder pieces were, but the rest had so many scrapes and chipped paint that it couldn't possibly be the metal she had come to know as virtually indestructible.
Nala came in and rested at Doc's feet as she ate. The Mandalorian looked up from his work, visor eyeing the creature. He didn't even have to ask the question for it to linger in the air.
"She's a dolcher hound," Doc explained, scratching the spot behind Nala's ear she knew she loved. "They're native to my homeworld."
"Which is?"
Doc looked up. "Nowhere you've ever heard of."
The Mandalorian looked up at Doc now, hands paused. "I've heard of a lot of places."
She smirked. "Not this one."
The Mandalorian stared for a moment and then went back to his work cleaning his blaster. Doc finished her tea and bread and moved across the hut, picking up a stray vapor detector Kuiil had asked her to fix earlier. It wasn't a particularly difficult fix, but she knew he had other things on his mind than a fix as simple as this one. She sat on the edge of her cot and began poking around the insides with a screwdriver.
It was a stupid idea to come here. She was out in the middle of the desert with only a handful of credits to her name waiting for some sign to appear. She shot a quick look over to the Mandalorian. It had been a long time since her last run in with those people. Their customs were simple enough, but the warrior spirit was exhausting to keep up with. Always on the move.
This Mandalorian did not fit the usual description. He seemed calmer than most, reserved. Most of the others she had talked to were eager to share their tales of battle and glory. But that wasn't what Doc found most interesting.
He hadn't removed his helmet.
"That windmill is running quieter than ever, Doc," Kuiil said as he re-entered the hut. "I do not know if I could have done it better myself."
"Just takes a bit of elbow grease," she said quietly, still deep in thought. She popped the back of the vapor detector back on and tightened the bolt. She held it out to Kuiil. "Here, this should work now."
Kuiil inspected her work. "Not bad for someone who claims they only do this as a hobby."
"Hey, something's gotta fill the void," Doc said as she got up from her seat. She swatted at the dust on her dark pants and passed glances between the two men.
"Gentlemen, this has been an exciting day," she began picking up a spare blanket and her knapsack, "but I am ready to get some well-deserved sleep. Old man, don't give me that look. I know what you're about to say. For your information, I actually enjoy sleeping outside. There's only two cots in this place and, as much as I enjoy the thought of you two sharing one, I shudder to think of the snoring that will fill the room."
She left the hut without another word. In all honesty, she was used to sleeping outside. With attentive Nala curled up next to her, she had little fear of anything sneaking up on her in the middle of the night. Doc found a patch of earth not too far from the blurrg pen. She threw down her sleeping mat and kicked it until it rolled flat.
When she gazed up at the sky, a million twinkling lights littered the night sky. She wondered if any of them were places she had been to, but the star charts in this sector were foreign to her.
Nala came around and laid down close to the head of the mat. Doc reached around and pet the fur on her side, small tingles sending themselves down her fingertips.
Around her, she could hear the blurrgs snoring and the sand lizards sliding their way across the terrain. She pulled another capsule from her belt, popped it, and allowed her eyes to close gently, welcoming sleep.
Perhaps tomorrow would be the day she left. She had been here already for a few days, and while Kuiil was good company, she had never stayed in any place for very long. The nature of her job turned into a habit. This little vacation from reality had been nice, but good things would come to an end eventually.
The night was not without its dreams.
There was a dream that had plagued her for many nights leading up to this one, though tonight it seemed particularly vivid.
She could never see who was at the end of the hallway, but she was always chasing after them. It was a presence – a presence that drew her in. The siren was about to capture its prey. Tonight, she could feel the presence as if it were right next to her. If she could just reach out...
Doc's eyes snapped open.
The sun had crested on the horizon, sending streaks of pink across the sky. Her heart raced as she reached into her pocket. She only felt a few more pills as she took one out and downed it dry. Doc sat up, startling Nala by her side. It had been a while since she'd seen a sunrise. She stretched and popped the tight spots out of her neck and back. No matter how many times she did it, sleeping on the ground was never going to be as comfortable as she hoped.
She rolled up her mat and stood up. Nala whined in opposition, not wanting to get up so early. Doc went over to the outside faucet and splashed cool water on her face before pulling out her toothbrush and scrubbing away.
Around the compound, the blurrgs had begun to stir and growl for their morning food. Doc picked up their prepared slip bucket with her free hand and dumped it into their trough, all sorts of critters she didn't recognize trying to crawl away towards safety.
When she turned back around, the Mandalorian was standing there. Doc was unimpressed.
"Can I help you?" she managed with a toothbrush hanging loosely out one side of her mouth. His silence was confirmation to carry on business as usual. She placed the bucket back where she found it and returned to the water spout.
She spat out the paste that had foamed in her mouth and rinsed with the warm water. Man, she would kill for some cold water about now.
She could still feel the gaze of the Mandalorian's visor on her back.
"It's rude to stare."
"You're a mechanic?"
"A doctor by trade," Doc corrected. "Mechanic work has just been a side gig for a while now."
"A doctor named Doc?"
"I didn't say Doc was my name, just what people call me," she countered. She met his visor's gaze with equal intensity. "Not as much use for a surgeon these days when there's no war being fought."
His visor gazed off to the horizon. Doc's eyes followed his, squinting against the cresting sun. Already, she could see the heat waves beginning to distort the earth. Another hot one in paradise.
"What about you? Bounty hunter by day and... what, do you moonlight as a cantina singer?"
His visor shifted back to her direction, cocked to one side. She even thought she heard a chuckle, but perhaps it was the wind playing a trick on her ears.
Kuiil interrupted them, coming out of the hut with clinking tools on his belt.
"It is time," he said to the Mandalorian. They all went over to the bluurg pen, Doc more curious than certain as to what was about to transpire.
The Mandalorian entered the pen, uneasy and cautious of the wild beasts.
"Oh, this ought to be good," Doc said, realizing what was going on.
"Easy," the Mandalorian said to the blurrgs. He held his hands up in a defensive pose. The bluurg, unamused, charged at him. He had to duck out of the way to avoid getting trampled.
This continued on for quite some time. Any attempt would result in the Mandalorian being thrown to the ground, groans of pain erupting from his voice modulator.
"Perhaps if you removed your helmet," Kuiil suggested.
"Perhaps he remembers I tried to roast him," the Mandalorian shot back, annoyed.
"She," Doc corrected.
"This is a female," Kuiil confirmed. "The males are eaten during mating season."
The Mandalorian reluctantly scrambled back up to his feet. Doc crossed her hands over her chest, watching as he tried – and failed – once more to mount the bluurg. He came over to them.
"I don't have time for this," he began. "Do you have a land speeder or speeder bike that I could hire?"
Kuiil was fed up. "You are a Mandalorian. Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young bull." Kuiil gestured to the animal.
"It sees your apprehension – your frustration. Let go of those things," Doc advised. She rested her foot on one of the chains of the fence, putting her body weight into it.
He glanced between both of them before turning around to give it one more try. Doc could see the shift in his demeanor going from one of offense to one of compromise.
He approached slower, more gently, speaking soothing words to the bluurg. And then she let him place his hand on her forehead.
"He's got it," Doc muttered. Kuiil nodded in approval beside her as the Mandalorian swung on top of the beast.
"Will you be joining us on the journey?" Kuiil asked. Doc shook her head.
"No, I think I will work on a few more things around here. No use in all three of us going," she said.
"Very well, I shall leave the daily tasks to you," said Kuiil, beginning to walk over to the Mandalorian.
Doc set off to work on her own material. The two men saddled up their bluurg and rose away, but not before herself and the Mandalorian shared a final nod of the head towards one another.
Doc set about the list of tasks that needed doing around the vapor farm. She tuned the vapor rods, adjusted electrical circuitry, and even shucked out the bluurg pen so that the old man would not need to do it when he returned.
Kuiil did not return until just before mid-afternoon, when the sun was in its hottest position. With the absence of the Mandalorian, it was a day like many of the others they had shared.
That night, Doc began to wonder whether her instinct had been correct to bring her here. It was doubtful another wayward traveler would bring themselves to this desolate place. Tomorrow would be her last day. There was no point in staying in a place where there was no purpose.
She told Kuiil of her plans to leave. She would depart at dusk the following night, when the sun was well below the horizon. She could see the brief sadness that crossed through his eyes. While she had enjoyed his company, it was time to move on to another place. Whatever call had enticed her to these dunes had long since disappeared.
The day came and went. Throughout, she found herself wondering what had befallen the Mandalorian. By now, he would have captured his bounty and be well on his way to the drop off location. Such was the life of a bounty hunter.
Doc was in the hut packing her few belongings when she heard Kuiil outside.
"He's back," he called in. Doc spun around, uncertain she heard him correctly. She came out of the hut. Purple hues painted the skies as the sun began to set low.
"Back? What do you mean back?"
And then she felt it. The presence. Her head snapped to the side. First, she saw the Mandalorian conversing with Kuiil, and then she saw him.
A small green child by the bluurg pen chasing a hopping frog. It all clicked in her mind at once.
"This is what was causing all the fuss?" Kuiil asked.
Yes, of course he would, Doc thought. The dreams began to make sense. She reached for another pill in her pocket, popping it whenever Kuiil's attention was otherwise occupied.
"I think it's a child," the Mandalorian said, messing with buttons on his wrist.
"Be better to deliver it alive, then," Kuiil said.
The Mandalorian huffed. "My ship has been destroyed. I'm trapped here."
"Stripped, not destroyed," Kuiil corrected. "The Jawas steal, they don't destroy." Kuiil handed him a screwdriver to fix his wrist mechanics.
"Makes no difference to me," the Mandalorian said. "They're protected by the crawling fortress. There's no way to recover the parts."
"Can always trade with them," Doc offered, eyes still watching the child. He tottered around clumsily, tripping over his own gown.
"With the Jawas? Are you out of your mind?" the Mandalorian asked her. She shrugged.
"Best way to get your parts back."
"I will take you to them in the morning," said Kuiil. "I have spoken."
The child had managed to catch the frog. Doc watched as he put the whole thing in his mouth.
"Hey, spit that out!" The Mandalorian ordered. Doc knew he wouldn't as the child swallowed it in one gulp.
Kuiil disappeared elsewhere on the property. Doc exchanged glances between the child amusing himself with the scenery and the Mandalorian struggling with the panel on his arm.
"You aren't connecting the right pathways," she said, eyes peering at his work. "You'll just delay the problem doing that instead of fixing it. Here," she came over to him. He flinched and started backward when she took the screwdriver from his hands, but she pressed on.
"Easy," she said. "It's alright."
She took his wrist into her hand and looked at the circuitry before setting to work. His visor's gaze never left her face while she worked.
"You're not really going to turn him in, are you?" she asked as she worked.
"He's the bounty."
"He's a kid."
No response. She glanced over at the child. He was chasing Nala around, who happily frolicked and played with him. Doc finished up the work quickly and slammed the mechanism shut.
She looked up at him. This close, she could hear his steady breathing through the modulator. The thought of him turning in the child as a bounty made her blood boil.
"What is he?" he asked.
Doc crossed her arms. "I've only heard stories of a few others matching his description. All I know is that they live for an exceedingly long time and –" she hesitated, "that they're... rare to find in the universe."
"Do you think this... rarity is what makes him wanted?"
Doc raised an eyebrow at him. "Not very bounty hunter of you to ask questions."
She broke the stare-off first, going to scoop up her travel bag.
"Going somewhere?" the Mandalorian asked her. She thought for a moment. If she left now, there would be no possibility of helping the child. He would be someone's prized bounty for all the wrong reasons. But if she stayed, who knew if his chances would be any better.
"Just moving stuff around," she said. "With you two here, looks like I'm sleeping outside again."