Once we made our way through the jungle, we saw several wretched juggernauts thrown about on the side of the road. We then heard a male's voice over the comlink. "Juggernaut Four, you're running hot. Be sure to watch your cargo heat limits and speed."
Another male voice spoke up. "Copy that, Three. We hit a couple of bumps. Thanks for the heads up."
Upon hearing their words, Mayfeld and I couldn't help but glanced over at the screen that showed the Rhydonium's heat and speed levels. So far we were fine.
"Don't worry about the Rhydonium. As long as you drive steady, you'll get us to the refinery." Din assured him.
We then came across a village with people crossing the road. I looked around, trying to find the horn. Once I found it, I pulled it, blaring the horn. As we passed through the village, we saw several of the villagers staring at us.
"Yeah. Empire, New Republic. It's all the same to these people. Invaders on their land is all we are. I'm just sayin' somewhere someone in this galaxy is ruling and others are being ruled." Mayfeld commented. "I mean, look at your race. Do you think all those people that died in wars fought by Mandalorians actually had a choice? So how are they any different from the Empire?"
I clenched my fists. How dare he compare Din's people, the Mandalorians to the Empire! The Empire has done nothing but terrible things, killing people and spreading fear and killing people as they control planets.
"They're very different from the Empire. Trust me." I retorted.
Mayfeld scoffed. "Hey, no need to get angry with me. If you're born on Mandalore, you believe one thing, if you're born on Alderaan, you believe somethin' else. But guess what? Neither one of 'em exist anymore."
I could feel Din's anger rising. No doubt he was glaring at Mayfeld. Mayfeld merely shrugged. "Hey, I'm just a realist. I'm a survivor, just like the both of you."
Before I could say anything, Din immediately argued against him. "Let's get one thing straight. Delmira and I are nothing like you."
"I don't know. Seems to me like your rules start to change when you get desperate. I mean, look at ya. You said you couldn't take your helmet off, and now you got a stormtrooper one on, so what's the rule?" Mayfeld retorted. "Is it you can't take off your Mando helmet or you can't show your face? 'Cause there's a difference."
Mayfeld then turned to look at me. "And you, you left the Empire the moment the tide began to change. You did what you had to do to survive."
"It's much more complicated than that." I protested.
"Look, I'm just sayin', we're all the same. Everybody's got their lines, they don't cross until things get messy. As far as I'm concerned, if you can make it through the day and still sleep at night, you're doin' better than most." Mayfeld explained.
At that moment, we heard another male voice rang out from the comlink. "Control, this is Juggernaut Three. We're comin' up on some route interference. Control, control! We need a new..."
We then heard screaming before their communications were interrupted. My stomach dropped. That wasn't good. Mayfeld furrowed his brows. "What was that?"
A woman's voice replied. "Please standby for reroute."
At that moment, we saw an explosion not far from us. I grimaced. "I have a bad feeling about this..."
The woman informed us what happened through the comlink. "Juggernaut has been destroyed."
"Destroyed?" Mayfeld repeated, baffled.
"The Rhydonium is still stable." Din mentioned.
"Juggernaut Five, maintain speed and course. Proceed with caution. Re-routing course, stand by." The woman informed us.
Mayfeld raised an eyebrow, growing nervous. "Proceed with caution? Is she serious?"
Another male voice rang out from the comlink. "Control, this is Juggernaut Three. Requesting...Abort! Abort!"
We then heard blaster fire, before he screamed. We then saw an explosion not far ahead from us. Mayfeld swerved the vehicle as we avoided the juggernaut engulfed in flames. All of the sudden, we heard a loud thud coming from the back of our juggernaut.
"What the hell was that?!" Mayfeld exclaimed.
I glanced over at the camera screen to see pirates aboard a repulsorlift craft. One of them had jumped over onto the vehicle. I narrowed my eyes. "Pirates."
"Keep driving." Din advised. "I'll take care of it."
Din rushed over to the top of the vehicle, opening the door before firing his blaster. My eyes widened as I whipped around. "Are you seriously shooting a blaster near Rhydonium?"
"I'm trying to deal with the pirates! Do you have a better idea?!" Din asked.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a better idea. Din was gonna have to blast them down. As Din continued to take them down, he spoke up. "They've got thermal detonators."
I groaned. "Great...just great."
"Keep it steady." Din advised.
Din then continued to fire his blaster. I glanced down at the camera to see him picking off the pirates. Mayfeld shouted out. "Get these guys off of us! Get 'em off!"
An explosion broke out behind us, causing the vehicle to violently move about. An alarm went off and I noticed the Rhydonium's levels were spiking high into the red zone. Mayfeld swerved the juggernaut, and fortunately, he regained control of the vehicle. We both watched as the Rhydonium levels lowered, remaining stable.
"They're trying to blow up the Rhydonium." Din announced.
"You think?" Mayfeld retorted. "You should've left me in prison!"
Din was about to close the door, when I saw three more repulsorlift crafts, containing more pirates. I let out a sigh. "Suffering Sullorians..."
I watched as Din climbed up onto the top of the vehicle, fighting the pirates. As he took down the pirates, we felt some "speed bumps" along the way. The second and third repulsorlift craft were making its way closer towards us.
"Mayfeld! Pick it up. Drive faster!" Din exclaimed.
At Din's words, Mayfeld picked up the pace, however as soon as Mayfeld drove faster, an alarm went off and the levels of Rhydonium quickly spiked. My heart beat rising, prepared to jump out of my chest.
"I don't think faster's a good idea!" Mayfeld mentioned.
"What choice do we have? We have to lose those pirates." I protested.
"We won't have to worry about the pirates if we're dead." Mayfeld shot back.
With that, he stepped on brakes, slowing the vehicle. Immediately, the Rhydonium's levels decreased, returning to the green zone. Mayfeld let out a sigh of relief.
"What are you doing?!" Din asked.
I glanced over at the camera screen to see Din fighting off the pirates. I then noticed he was struggling as more surrounded him. I then saw two pirates pin Din to the ground, trying to take his helmet off. Not on my watch. I climbed up from my chair, getting Mayfeld's attention.
"Hey, where are you going?" He inquired.
"To help Mando out." I retorted.
I climbed up to the top of the juggernaut, where Din and the pirates were. Before I could reach Din, three pirates lunged towards me with spears. I took out my blaster, quickly firing at the three pirates. I then rushed over towards Din, pulling one of the pirates off of him, while Din kicked the other off the vehicle. The pirate that I grabbed spun around to fight me. He swung his arm, but I dodged in time. I turned around to face the pirate. He raised his arm, but I blocked it before grabbing his arm, pulling it back.
He let out a yell as he struggled to get out of my grasp. I then pushed him back, causing him to stumble back. I then extended out my hand, using the Force to push him off the vehicle. Once the pirate was off the juggernaut, I turned to see Din, taking the detonator from the Rhydonium and throwing it back towards the pirates. As soon as the detonator hit the second repulsorlift craft filled with pirates, Din and I were thrown back near the front of the juggernaut. We then watched as the explosion engulfed the third repulsorlift craft, killing the rest of the pirates. I let out a groan as I looked over at Din that lied beside me. His helmet immediately turned towards me, placing a hand on my cheek.
"Are you all right?" He asked.
"Yeah, how about you?" I questioned.
"I'm fine, cyar'ika." Din assured me.
At that moment, Mayfeld's voice reached us. "Uh, Mando, Delmira, I gotta stop. I can't cross at this speed."
As he slowed down, we saw five repulsorlift crafts filled with pirates emerge from the smoke of the explosion. I sighed. "Dank farrik..."
We watched as each one of the pirates held a detonator, prepared to throw them at us. Din and I exchanged a look before climbing up onto our feet. I narrowed my eyes at the pirates, prepared to take them all on with Din by my side.
All of the sudden, two TIE fighters approached us, firing at the pirates, killing them in a matter of seconds. I let out a relieved sigh. As we made our way into refinery, many stormtroopers took care of the pirates running towards us. I never thought I'd be relieved to see stormtroopers. Din and I made our way back inside the juggernaut. As we pulled into the refinery, we watched as the stormtroopers saluted us and waved at us.
"Never thought you'd be happy to see stormtroopers." Mayfeld commented.
Mayfeld then saluted them. Once we were inside, we climbed out of the juggernaut to be met with a large group of troopers and other Imperial guards, cheering for us. Some of them, patted our backs, while others raised their blasters.
"Okay. All we gotta do is find a terminal." Mayfeld stated.
With that, we made our way through the throng of Imperials. They continued their cheers as we passed them. My stomach churned. I didn't like this one bit...it reminded me too much of my time under the Empire. I couldn't wait until we were out of here.
"Bringing glory to the Empire!" A shoretrooper exclaimed.
"It's probably in the officers' mess." Mayfeld whispered to us.
Mayfeld saluted a couple stormtroopers. To blend in, I reluctantly saluted a few officers and troopers, and in response, they saluted. Once we reached the mess hall, we saw a couple of officers sitting at the tables. At the edge of the room stood the terminal that we needed.
"There it is." Mayfeld commented.
"Good luck." Din said.
Mayfeld walked in, but not long after he walked in, he turned back around returning to us. I furrowed my brows. "What happened?"
"I can't go in there." Mayfeld informed us.
"Why not?" Din inquired.
"That's Valin Hess." Mayfeld replied as he glanced over at an officer that sat in the hall.
My stomach dropped. I knew Hess as well. If he saw me, there was a chance that he'd know who I am. Many people in the galaxy knew of Lady Noxia, but only those working within the Empire knew how I looked. And being part of the Imperial High Command didn't help me out one bit.
"Who?" Din asked, sounding baffled.
"It's Valin Hess. I used to serve under him." Mayfeld explained.
I mentally groaned. This wasn't good. We came so close, we can't give up now. Not when Grogu and Kaytia are depending on us. Din and I can't leave them in the hands of Imps, especially Gideon. Force knows what he's done to them.
"Will he recognize you?" I questioned.
Mayfeld hesitated. "I don't know. I was just a field operative, but I'm not takin' the chance. It's over."
No, we can't just walk out like this. Mayfeld was about to walk off, when Din stopped him, placing a hand on his chest.
"Let's just do this quick and we can get out of here." Din argued.
Mayfeld shook his head. "I can't do it, okay? We have to abort. I'm sorry."
"No, we can't." I protested.
"If we don't get those coordinates, we'll lose the kid forever." Din added. "Give Delmira the data stick."
"It's not gonna work. In order to access the network, the terminal has to scan your face." Mayfeld informed us.
My heart dropped at his words. Mayfeld turned to look at me. "If they see your face, Delmira, there's a chance they may realize who you are. Let's go."
"Give it to me." Din ordered, sounding determined.
Din grabbed the data stick before making his way over to the terminal, while Mayfeld and I stood outside the mess hall. As we waited, I glanced over to see Din's helmet off. I knew I should've looked away, but I couldn't. I was drawn to him. I wanted to know how the man I love looked like. All I could make out though were dark brown curls. I then saw the officer, Hess, make his way over towards Din. I watched in horror as Hess approached him. And reluctantly, Din turned to face the officer.
"Pay attention when a superior addresses you. What's your designation?" Hess inquired.
"Transport crew." Din answered.
Hess raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"My designation is transport co-pilot." Din explained.
Hess shook his head. "No, son. What's your TK number?"
"My TK number?" Din asked, repeating the question.
Hess nodded. "Uh-huh."
"My TK number...it's is..." Din trailed off, struggling to come up with something.
"We gotta go in there." Mayfeld urged.
"Mando's got his helmet off. We can't go in." I retorted.
"Your boyfriend's about to get us in trouble." Mayfeld shot back. "You wanna save our asses?"
I'm sorry, Din. I hope you'll forgive me. Reluctantly, I gave Mayfeld a nod. Together, we walked into the mess hall to save Din. Once we approached them, I dared to look over at Din. The minute I looked at him, I was taken back. I always imagined what he looked like, but it was nothing like the real thing.
Din was truly handsome. He had tan skin, short dark brown messy curls, a small mustache with some stubble around his jaw, and warm chocolate brown eyes. As I stared at him, he took my breath away. Din was baffled upon seeing Mayfeld and me, not expecting us. My heart fluttered as Din's eyes rested on my helmet, where my eyes were. I could feel myself falling deeper in love with him. But I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. I wasn't suppose to look at him like this...I hoped he'd forgive me for this.
"This is my commanding officer, TK-593, sir. I'm Imperial Combat Assault Transport Lieutenant TK-111, sir. And this is my other commanding officer, TK-618." Mayfeld said, introducing me. He then glanced over at Din. "I'm afraid you'll have to speak up to him a little bit, since he lost his vessel in Taanab."
"What's your name, officer?" Hess inquired, speaking louder.
Din looked at him, raising an eyebrow, but remaining silent. Realizing that Din didn't give his name away to anyone, I blurted out. "Well, we just call him Brown Eyes, sir."
"Yeah, isn't that right, officer?" Mayfeld asked, chiming in.
Din turned over to look at me. I could see the grateful look on his face. Din then gave us a nod, confirming our words to be true. Hess looked towards me. "What's your name?"
I knew I couldn't say my real name nor could I say Noxia or Helia. All those names would give me away, so I quickly thought of the first thing that came to my mind.
"Kohira...Djarin, sir." I responded.
I immediately noticed that Din looked over at me, completely taken back. I felt my face heat up. For once, I was glad that I was the one with a helmet on. Fortunately, Mayfeld changed the subject. "Come on. Let's go fill out those TPS reports, so we can go go recharge the power coils."
As we walked off, Hess immediately spoke up. "You're not dismissed."
Reluctantly, we stopped at his words. Din, Mayfeld, and I exchanged a look before turning around to face Hess, who had a stern look on his face, making my blood freeze.
"You the tank troopers that delivered the shipment of Rhydonium?" Hess inquired.
"Yes, sir." Mayfeld confirmed.
"Yes...sir." Din added.
I gave him a nod in response. Hess then walked over towards us, standing just inches away from us. A smile appeared on his face, sending chills down my spine. "Well, you three managed to be the only transport to deliver their shipment. Come with me. Let's get a drink."
Hess then glanced over at Din, letting out a chuckle. "Brown eyes."
Without saying another word, Hess walked over towards an empty table. Mayfeld, Din, and I looked at each other. And with no choice left, we followed Hess to the table. This was definitely not part of the plan...
I sat next to Din and Mayfeld, while Hess sat across from us. He handed us three cups before pouring a bottle into our cups. Hess noticed that I still had my helmet on as he raised a hand, pointing to my helmet.
"Aren't you gonna take that off?" Hess inquired.
I tensed up at his words. I tried to think of something to say in response, but Mayfeld was quicker, changing the subject. "Shouldn't we make a toast?"
"What shall we toast to, troopers? I can blather on about 'to health' or 'to success,' but I'd like I'd like to do somethin' a little less rote." Hess mentioned. He then looked over at Din. "Where you from, brown eyes?"
Din merely stared at Hess, not saying a word. But after a few moments, he opened his mouth, prepared to say something. However, Mayfeld spoke up. "How about we make a toast to Operation Cinder?"
Hess's eyes lit up. "Now there's a man who knows his history."
"No, I don't just know it. I lived it." Mayfeld corrected. "I was in Burnin Konn."
"Burnin Konn?" Hess repeated.
Mayfeld nodded. Hess then glanced over at Din and me. "That was a hard day. I had to make many unpleasant decisions."
"Yes, you did. Entire city gone in moments, along with everybody in it. We lost our entire division that day. Man, that was like five to ten thousand people." Mayfeld mentioned.
I grimaced. I looked over at Din, who grew nervous upon hearing Mayfeld's words. This wasn't good at all.