The bar was vacant except for a few tipsy aliens. Their words slurred together as they spoke and slung their arms around one another. They started to sing some sort of song, but the lyrics were soon lost in the puddle of sounds. It was then nothing more than a hum that drifted in the air.
Honestly, any sound would've been better than this conversation. Every look in that cruel woman's green eyes made me want to spring across the table with my saber. I was sure Din wouldn't complain too much.
"Trask is a black market port," Bo Katan leaned against the table with a determined look in her eyes. There was something lying beneath that stare, something she wanted. "They're staging weapons that have been bought and sold with the plunders of our planet. We're seizing those weapons and using them to retake our home world."
I laughed, choking on my drink as I tried to hold it in. Mandalore? Was she serious? That planet was a wasteland and it was partially her fault. I could feel her cold glare on me before she continued.
"Once we've done that," her voice was darker now, "we'll seat a new Mandalore on the throne."
"That planet is cursed," Din spoke with ease as I struggled to hold back my grin. "Anyone who goes there dies. Once the Empire knew they couldn't control it, they made sure no one else could either."
I shrugged, "with the Empire gone, who knows, but that planet is a wasteland."
Bo Katan's hungry green eyes focused on mine. "And who exactly are you?"
My throat felt dry at her mocking question. She held a slight grin on her face as she tilted her head to the side, batting her eyes as though there were no hints of resentment. I still tried to hold my head high despite the feeling of her staring down at me. "I am Myrah Koor," I said, my stomach dropping slightly as I said it, "adopted daughter of Aaryn Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi. I suspect you remember them, don't you?"
"I do. You don't like me," she rolled her eyes and placed her hands beneath her chin, "why? From what I remember, I helped your family."
"You betrayed my family," I snapped as the overwhelming anger started to swell in my chest. "You're a cheat and a liar and-"
Bo Katan scoffed, "don't believe everything you hear." She shrugged me off and turned back to Din whose momentary focus was on me. I could see how my face flushed red and warm in the reflection of his visor.
"Our enemies want to separate us," her gaze drifted over to me quickly, "but Mandalorians are stronger together"
I struggled to hold in my fury as the heat consumed my body. I swore one more sly comment and she would have wished she wore the helmet all the time. The gentle brush of leather against my hand distracted me, pulling me from my rage-filled thoughts. Din's hand was quick to pull away from mine before the others had questioned it.
As if we weren't already as dramatic as possible on the boat. Surely they weren't that naive.
"That's not part of my plan," Din answered Bo quickly as he turned his gaze to the child who watched the exchange curiously. "I've been quested to return this Child to the Jedi."
Her eyes flickered between me and the child. "And she wasn't good enough?" she hummed, "what do you know of the Jedi?"
"Nothing. I was hoping you would help me by Creed."
Her lips lifted into a small, smug smile as she looked between her other Mandalorian friends, "I can lead you to one of their kind," she spoke quietly, "but first, we need your help on a mission?"
I scoffed, "what sort of mission do we need to help you with? You three seem to be perfectly capable on your own.'
"We usually are," she snapped before taking a deep breath and straightening in her seat, "but this is more intense than what we usually deal with on Trask."
"Let me guess," I leaned forward in my seat with my arms folded on the table, "imperials? I'm shocked you don't feel like betraying the galaxy and go side with them. After all, isn't that what you're good at?"
Koska, her brunette friend, had to hold her back from lunging at me across the table. Even the slight squeeze on my arm told me to settle down. If I went any further, I was sure to have a knife in my chest or her hands wrapped around my neck until I blacked out. I certainly wasn't going to die at her hands.
"Yes," Koska finished for Bo Katan as she and their other friend tried to calm her down, "they're imperial and highly guarded. We will provide more details at sunrise. Should we meet here?"
Din quickly shook his head, "meet at the west docks. We'll rendezvous there in the morning."
"Right, well," she huffed, "you should probably get going."
The hand on my arm lifted me from my seat before I could fit in another snarky remark. I couldn't even shout anything on my way out because we were out in a flash. I almost thought Din forgot the kid with the way he tugged me out of the building.
"What were you thinking?" he snapped once we reached the cool, night air.
I shrugged, "I was thinking that she was a traitor to her family and mine. Listen, she carries a long history with her, one that I'm not too fond of. Let's leave it at that."
"Fine."
The docks were so empty at night. Or was it morning? It felt like we had accompanied Clan Kryze for ages. Each stare was full of threats, maybe even promises, of destruction. Bo Katan knew the weight of her words and how they would carry with Din. She knew that the child was everything to us and if she could use us to her benefit, she would.
It wasn't like it would cause her any grief. She'd done it many times before. To her, people who suffered from strong emotions were simply pawns in her game. As though we deserved to suffer from loving something so much.
The child, I mean.
My family must be under some sort of Kryze-Curse where we are forced to do their bidding. I wish I could break it. I would like to be the last sort-of-Kenobi to suffer by their hands.
The air smelled like fish. Dead fish. It was absolutely horrid yet the child couldn't get enough. He smiled sleepily as he breathed in the air. The moon lit up the dark sky and reflected across the vast ocean. The light rippled across the waves so perfectly, I almost thought it was a dream.
As we journeyed towards the Razor Crest, the wood creaked. Every single step was followed by a small sound of it bending beneath our boots.
Step.
Creak.
Step
Creak.
The monotonous sound was followed by the slight splash of the waves against the wood. It felt like the dock was moving with the water. Honestly, it probably was. Who knew how far down the posts went and the planet was almost entirely ocean. It wasn't such a far-fetched idea.
We no longer had to await the painfully slow door of the Razor Crest thanks to the gaping hole that took its place. In some ways, it was nice. Still, a part of me worried about being robbed in our sleep. That is, if we had any valuables left.
"We could get a motel room if you want," Din's gentle voice floated through the air. He sounded shy, almost ashamed of the state the ship was in.
"No," I gave him a weary smile, "we'll just be careful. There may be more weird aliens out to kill us."
He breathed out a huff of air, a quiet laugh if you could even call it that, and shook his head. "Right. As if you can't handle that."
"If I can't, I know I have you right beside me," I held the child close to my chest as I sat on the edge of the cot. At least one thing was still intact. My eyes drifted to the small hammock above me as the child reached for it. His brown eyes were wide and his lips trembled as he struggled to grab it. I breathed out a soft chuckle and lifted him into it, pulling a small blanket over his body.
He couldn't speak, I knew that. Or, at least he hadn't done so yet, but I felt gratefulness swarm my mind as though he was communicating subconsciously.
"Go ahead and sleep," Din cut through the child and I's silent moment, "I'll keep watch."
Of course, ever the gentleman. Or he still didn't trust me. I assumed it was the latter, but I wouldn't say anything. I didn't need to incite another argument, let alone bring up any questions about what happened today. Sure, he knew my history as a force-user but I didn't need any more questions. As far as he knew, I could move things with my mind, heal people, and had a 'laser sword.' That was enough for now.
"Alright," I agreed with a friendly smile, "but I expect you to wake me up as soon as you're tired-" he started to speak before I started up again, "and you're taking the cot as soon as it's my turn. You can't get out of this one either. I'm not letting you sleep on the floor or in your chair."
Din stood silent for a moment. His brain was undoubtedly searching for some excuse to avoid a somewhat decent night's sleep. Eventually, his head fell down with the chin of his helmet resting against his chest plate. A long, exhausted sigh escaped him, followed by a quiet, reluctant, "fine."
"Wait, really?" My eyes grew wide as his simple agreement. He was never one to easily follow anything unless it was his idea, especially so quickly. I felt a short laugh bubble out of my chest, "have I finally tamed the wild Mandalorian?"
"Stop," he grumbled.
I held back my laughs as I stood up and circled him, "next up, we see a rogue Mandalorian, broken away from his pack. At first, he seems untamable. He's unable to be captured, but then! A Jedi? She's caught him, fed him, shown him all the true joys in life! Now, he has no choice but to become a domesticated Mandalorian, politely obeying every word the Jedi says-"
His hand closed over my mouth, his other arm wrapped around my back to pull me near. "Not another word," he spoke quietly.
"Apparently not as well trained as I thought. Maybe we need to teach him some manners," I winked and pushed his hand away from my mouth. My nose scrunched up in disgust, "and how to clean his clothes. Those smell rotten."
"Well, I did fall in the ocean," he stated simply and pulled his arms back to his side.
I snickered and sat back in the cot, pushing myself towards the back wall, "it's a good thing someone was there to save you, then. Must've been some beautiful, strong woman, right?"
"Yeah," his voice came out breathy, but quickly went back into his regular, stiff tone, "too bad she's annoying."
My jaw fell slightly, leaving my mouth gaping as I stared at him. A joke? A funny one too. I laughed and fell back in the bed. My head hit the thin pillow, bouncing slightly against the mattress. "Whatever," I rolled my eyes with a wide smile on my face, "just make sure you wake me up, okay?"
I could hear a small hum in agreement as I shut my eyes. For the first week in Coruscant I was terrified to fall asleep. New places used to always scare me and I never showed my face before I was alongside Din. Now, I was safe. Everywhere I go, I know there is someone to protect me.
Instead of succumbing to the aching pains of sleep like I used to, I drifted off easily with a smile on my face. I knew, no matter what happened between us, he wouldn't let anything get to me.
Thunder continued to boom outside as the rain fell in heavy sheets. The plants lit up in a light, baby blue, matching the crystals that decorated the cave and surrounded the Force users inside.
Aaryn and Ahsoka were fast asleep, but Obi Wan could not rest. No matter how hard he tried, he worried about Anakin. He knew that he was, at the very least, alive. He would sense otherwise, as would Aaryn. Obi Wan struggled to even imagine Aaryn's reaction to that feeling. It would hurt her, physically, and he never wanted to see her in pain.
He'd seen her at the brink of chaos and something as powerful as Anakin's death would cover the galaxy in a darkness unlike any other. She had the potential to cultivate darkness throughout any and all planets. If anything, Obi Wan knew he had to prevent that from happening.
But Aaryn would never do that, she couldn't. Aaryn was more disciplined than that, Obi Wan thought. She wouldn't succumb to the darkness in such a manner.
A cool breeze blew through the cave, causing Aaryn's arms to wrap tight around her body. It was an eerie space, filled with whispers of winds billowing through. Obi Wan felt like they were constantly being watched, but every time he looked, nothing was there. He brushed off the feeling, blaming it on his nerves that he was trying to suppress.
"Obi Wan," a deep, familiar voice echoed through his ears, "have you done as I asked? Have you trained the boy?"
Obi Wan's head snapped towards the sound, finding the blue, hazy figure of Qui Gon. His long hair and beige Jedi robes were the same as the last time he saw him. His teacher, the man who was at his side for so many years, training him to be the best he could be was now here again. Yet, he didn't feel any comfort at the sight. He was alert, jumping to his feet and drawing his blue blade.
"Master Qui Gon?" he asked, stepping back onto the rocky ledge. "How are you here?"
"I am here because you are here," Qui Gon answered simply.
Obi Wan shook his head, "no, I don't understand. What is this place?"
"Unlike any other," Qui Gon explained, gesturing grandly to their dull surroundings, "a conduit through which the entire Force of the universe flows."
Obi Wan's eyebrows drew closer together as he glanced over his master's shoulder at Aaryn, fast asleep on the ground. Neither she nor Ahsoka seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. "Are we in danger?" he whispered.
"This planet is both an amplifier and a magnet." The fire crackled as Qui Gon walked past with Obi Wan's saber following him, still not sure whether to trust the ghostly figure. "Three are here who seek the Skywalkers. They, like me, believe one of them to be the chosen one."
"You were right," Obi Wan sighed and lowered his saber, "the Force within Anakin is stronger than any known Jedi, aside from his sister. I've trained him as well as I could, but he's still willful and balance eludes him."
Qui Gon seemed to chuckle, "exactly like his sister. If either of them are the Chosen One, they will discover it here."
"And if not?"
His face dropped, "then you must realize with their power, this is a very dangerous place for them to be."
Obi Wan nodded, but the frown on his face remained. Dangerous, that's what they used to say about Aaryn. Could either one of them possibly become something so disastrous simply by being here? Would they truly allow the Force to corrupt them in such ways? He knew they possessed the potential, but could they actually follow through with it? Now at all times as well?
Could anything so intense happen that they would unleash that? Could he prevent it if he tried?
He wanted to ask more, but Qui Gon disappeared just as he had arrived, in the blink of an eye. Obi Wan sighed and lowered himself back to the ground. If Qui Gon appearing as a ghost was their only worry, he could certainly allow himself some sleep. A few hours at the least.
The breeze shifted through again nearly an hour later, stirring Aaryn from her slumber. She pulled herself up to her feet as her eyes darted about, seeing Obi Wan and Ahsoka asleep peacefully and the fire starting to die. She tossed a few more branches in and closed her eyes in focus as the fire grew to its original state.
If Obi Wan were awake, she knew that he would criticize her abusive use of the Force. But hey, she thought, if she weren't supposed to utilize it, then what was it for? It's not like it was anything damaging, she reasoned with herself.
"You are strong, hm?" A voice rumbled through the ground, but only Aaryn seemed to take notice. "For now."
Aaryn spun around, her hand brushing against the silver hilt of her saber as she faced a tall, cloaked being. They were covered in black metal - no, an armor of sorts - and seemed to struggle with their breathing, but it was no robot. Not entirely, at least.
"Who are you?" she hissed, taking a step towards them.
"Someone you will know in time, do not worry," they crossed their arms and gazed down at Aaryn. Though there were no eyes to meet, Aaryn felt connected to the stare, a sense of familiarity with it. "Or perhaps someone you already know."
Aaryn scoffed, "I know of no one with such a horrendous appearance. I think I would remember such an atrocious costume. I'm only going to ask you this one more time," she started, igniting the white saber in her hand, "who are you?"
"Snarky, hm? I sense," they paused and circled her, "conflict, darkness. Do you feel it too?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"A liar, too," they seemed to laugh through their trembling breaths, "I always knew you were tricky, but never a liar. Unless you truly don't know, but that can't be right. Everyone has told you that you're much too conflicted to exist as a Jedi, especially with your power. Isn't that right?"
Aaryn shook her head, hoping this was some ridiculous nightmare that she could escape. "What do you know?" she snapped, "you're a coward behind a mask, a figment of my imagination. You do not know of any power. I could strike you down and make you disappear into nothing because I am more powerful than you could ever wish to be."
"You do not know who I am," they sneered. "Unless you do and don't want to admit it. Do you fear the future, Aaryn?"
She rolled her eyes, "I simply do not care who you are, but I know you don't belong here."
"How dare you," they took a moment to breathe, even the sound was haunting, "how dare you not recognize your own brother-" they ripped the mask off, revealing a scarred, swollen face. If you could even call it that after the trauma it went through.
Aaryn stumbled on her feet, falling back to the rocks as she screamed in horror at the sight. Her eyes squeezed shut, desperately hoping she could forget the memory of that horrid face and the eyes that reminded herself too much of her brothers. The calm, youthful blue was turned into a fierce and tortured yellow, swimming with reds and oranges like pools of lava.
A hand grasped her shoulder, trying to keep her still as she thrashed around, shouting, "no." She tried to smack it away, but instead another hand came down and held her other shoulder in place. "Aaryn," she heard, but tried to fight against it, "Aaryn!" it came again, more stern and worried.
Her eyes shot open, thankfully landing on Obi Wan's cautious face instead of the one engrained in her memory. His blue eyes moved across her face, staring into her red, swollen ones. She struggled to catch her breath while her hands gripped his arms so tightly he thought he might bruise.
"Obi Wan," she breathed, allowing her head to fall against his shoulder, "it's you. Thank the Maker, it's just you."
"Yeah," he sighed and sat across from her, pulling her to his chest, "it's just me." His hand moved across her back comfortingly as she relaxed. Her hands gripped his robes, holding tight to him until she finally felt safe again. She was exhausted, collapsing into Obi Wan as she enjoyed the soft movement of his hand accompanied by the crackling fire.
It reminded her of a better time, an easier time. She smiled at the memory on the forest planet of Bri'n. They would sit outside while Qui Gon rested, trying to conceal their conjoined hands along with their stolen kisses in the night when no one was looking. No intense arguments or accusations, just them and that was all they needed.
Everything was simpler then, she thought, when her only worry was loving too much rather than feeling so little. She didn't realize ten years could do so much to a person, cause so much heartache and pain. Yet here they were and she could see that suffering in Obi Wan's eyes every time she looked.
"Did you see it?" Aaryn whispered, loosening her grip on the fabric of his robes.
Obi Wan shook his head with a sigh, "no, no I didn't. I don't think I did, at least. What was it?"
"A beast of some sort," she shifted, leaning against him but moving so she could gaze up at his face. "It said it was my brother and that it knew me. It knew who I could become. You really didn't see it?"
"I apologize, darling, but I didn't." His fingers raked through her hair, twisting the strands around his fingers. "I saw something though," he mumbled, "I think. It was Master Qui Gon and he warned me about you and Anakin."
Aaryn laughed, "warned? What is there about us that you don't already know?"
Obi Wan sighed, "I'm not entirely sure. He said that this could be a dangerous place for you two. The Force flows through here like no other place and if we don't play our cards correctly, then - well - I don't know. Perhaps you could be corrupted."
"Maker, you sound like Yoda," she scoffed and pulled herself from Obi Wan's embrace.
"No, I didn't mean it like that," he groaned as she shuffled across from him. "You both are dangerously powerful, surely you know that by now. What happens if you are let down and find out that you aren't the chosen one?"
"That already happened to me. Don't you remember? If I could survive that and be fine, I am sure that Anakin can as well," Aaryn snapped, her hands tightening to fists and forcing the fire to flare up towards the ceiling.
Obi Wan stood quickly, "look at what you're already doing, Aaryn. Causing such a fuss over a simple conversation!"
"Simple?" She laughed, "you're saying that I'm going to cause mass destruction just because of something I already know! On top of that, you're saying that my brother might do the same thing? You're mocking my family, General."
His posture stiffened at the sound of his title. He could feel his heart sink as the word left her mouth and suddenly the cause felt worthless. "I didn't mean it like that," he tried to calm her with his soft words.
"Bull shit!" she bit back. "You take every opportunity you can to criticize me. Find your place, Kenobi, because it isn't in my business."
"Watch yourself," he warned and stepped up towards Aaryn, "I recommend that you choose your next words very carefully."
Aaryn's eyes widened, her furious red face paling to a white that resembled her saber. She grumbled a series of nonsense as she stomped away and towards the gaping hole towards the storm. The fire sunk to a gentle simmer as she stood at the entrance to calm down.
Obi Wan wanted to reach out to help her, but it would be no use. This was their life now and maybe it was better that way.
If you’re afraid to leave a review/comment because you think it’ll sound stupid, don’t be. Just leave an incoherent reply in all caps. We love that shit.
Wait really? Because for the past three years or so I was too afraid to leave comments and I still am, but I’ve gotten better at it so when I really like something I just comment < 3 Are fanfic writers really okay with, “OMFG I LOVED EVERYTHING EVERY MOMENT EVERY WORD I LOVE YOU FEEL MY LOVE AND AFFECTION FOR YOUR CREATION YOU BEAUTIFUL DYING MORTAL.”? I need answers.
Listen to me. Fanfic writers love that shit. The idea that someone liked what u created to the point of incoherence is extremely validating. Also, I have literally left (what I thought was) incoherent walls of text & had writers tell me “I was putting off updating this but then I saw your comment and remembered how excited I was to write this”
tldr u don’t have to be coherent to express excitement & all writers want is to know someone out there is excited about their work
The wind blew fiercely on Trask, sweeping up strands of Myrah's hair that soon stuck to her face from the mist that flew up from the ocean. Her face contorted into an angry scowl, her fierceness matching that of the stormy sky as she crossed her arms over her chest, staring out at the vast body of water with Din and the child at her side.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Din spoke smugly as he followed Myrah's gaze out to the ocean.
"Shut up, Tin-Can," she quickly quipped back, "you're lucky I don't push you in. This was your idea. Besides, where are we even going? There's nothing here."
Din sighed, unwilling to admit that maybe he made the wrong decision. He especially wasn't about to tell her that she was right. He could only imagine how much it would inflate her already large ego. "It's just the fog," he shrugged, "makes it difficult to see."
Myrah shook her head and looked back out at the ocean while the Quarren's worked on hitching up a fishing net. "There are better ways to do this, you know? I'm sure I could find another Jedi if you would just give me a chance," she sighed as she looked out at the waves that bumped against the ship.
Din stood a bit straighter, pulling his shoulders back as his eyebrows became knitted together behind his helm. "You can do that?" he asked quietly.
She hummed and looked at Din out of the corner of her eye. His helmet was turned to her, leaning near to provide his full attention. It made her smile though she tried to keep it hidden. She loved the welcoming presence he gave off and the familiar scent of pine that soon returned after a few rinses. "Yes," she shifted on her feet and closed her eyes for a moment, "we can feel each other sometimes. That is, if we focus hard enough. It's hard to find Jedi in these times, just as it is to find Mandalorians."
"If there is so much in common," Din paused, reminding himself of the armorers words many months ago, "then why are they enemies?"
Myrah took a deep breath and lowered her arms, resting her hands against the small bars that wrapped around the deck. "Many battles, fights, whatever you want to call it," she shrugged and opened her eyes again, staring into the Mandalorian's visor, "they got in the way. Not all of them were enemies, though. Some were quite close. Mandalorians have gone through many different beliefs and some just didn't work out. Once they believed in violence while Jedi were peacekeepers. Sometimes it was the other way around."
Din let out a quiet breath, his hand twitching as it inched closer to Myrah's. They weren't all enemies. He certainly thought they got along fairly well. Maybe, he thought, maybe the two of them could be a demonstration of that. The boat started to slow and before he could think of anything to say out loud, the alien they spoke to in the Inn came to their side, holding a spear in his hand as he leaned against the fence.
"You ever see a mamacore eat?" he asked. "Quite a sight. Child might take an interest. You should take a look."
Din glanced at Myrah who gave an exhausted shrug but with a gentle smile, "might as well," she answered simply.
"Come on over here," he brought them over towards a square cut-out of the ship, covered by a rusted gate. The water jumped through the bars as the waves swept by, splashing their boots and covering the metal floor. "Get a good view, let the kid see."
"Alright," Din stopped, holding his arm out in front of Myrah as she stepped towards the edge, "close enough."
The Quarren moved the net of fish toward the center and pulled the gate back from the open water. A rumbling shook the boat as the fish dropped into the sea. The water bubbled up and the alien started to chuckle, "she must be hungry. Oftentimes we'll feed her in the early morning, but we missed that 'cause we were goin' out of port."
His grip tightened on his spear while the two were distracted. With a swift movement, he knocked the child's pod into the grumbling waters. "No!" Din shouted as the child whimpered and quickly shut the pod. The mamacore rose to the surface and enclosed the pod in its mouth, sinking quickly back into the ocean. Without a second thought, Din dove in the water, leaving Myrah on the deck.
The Quarrens swiftly grabbed Myrah's arms as she reached for her hilt that rested on her hip, holding her back as she fought against them. "The beskar is ours!" they shouted.
"You're going to regret that," Myrah snapped and threw her head back, hitting the alien behind her. They loosened their grip, granting her an opportunity to grab the lightsaber on her belt. It lit a gentle orange on both sides with a quick press of a button, driving through one of the alien's chests.
Din struggled to grasp the bars of the gate while the aliens stabbed at him. "Get him!" they bellowed, "there we go! Drown him!" They pushed him beneath the surface again, forcing him to breathe in the water below.
Myrah growled and stomped towards the gate, swinging her saber around and slicing it through the center of their bodies. The sounds of the waves splashing against the boat and Din's struggles almost covered up the hiss that cut through the air as another woman landed beside Myrah.
She was clad head to toe in blue and white Mandalorian armor with a signet painted across the front of her helmet. The woman landed on top of a Quarren, knocking him to the ground before she fired a shot through its head.
The Mandalorian was quickly followed by two others, another female and a male with armor to match the first. Each one took down a few aliens of their own with their blasters and shear strength.
Myrah released a deep sigh of relief as the four worked to take out the rest of the grotesque beings. The lightsaber hummed in her hand, providing a rush of power like no other as she used it to swipe an alien's legs off at their knees. At last, they were all gone.
The first Mandalorian to arrive removed the rusted gate with ease and crouched by the hole. "Take my hand," she offered kindly.
"There's a creature," Din coughed as he was pulled from the water, "it has the child."
"On it!" the other female Mandalorian quickly declared and jumped into the water.
Myrah's eyes grew wide as she saw Din struggling. Her stomach started to churn at the thought of either one of them being injured. Through the blinding rage she had yet to acknowledge the fear of losing them, now it was everywhere. She immediately deactivated her saber and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she helped him onto a pile of rope.
Din continued to cough up water, taking deep, struggled breaths. "The child," he huffed, "help the child."
"Don't worry, brother," the woman assured him, "we've got this."
Din leaned against Myrah, weak and worn out from struggling against the alien's spears. "You have a laser sword?" he barely spoke as he regained his breath, "is that a Jedi thing?"
Myrah shushed him, her hands flying to hold his helmet. "Are you okay?" she whispered as she moved forward to touch her forehead against his. He relaxed in her touch, nearly melting against her as she whispered to him that everything would be alright. With the soft tone and gentle hold on him, he nearly believed it. He wanted nothing more than to fall into her arms and block out the galaxy, at least until the Mandalorian shot from the water and interrupted the dreams he'd built.
She set the dented pod on the ground, ripping off one of its doors to pull the unharmed child from its enclosure. "Here you go, little one," she sighed and placed him in Din's outstretched arms. The two quickly looked over the little green baby, checking for any injuries and relieved to find none.
"Thank you," Din's breath was shaky, "I've been searching for more of our kind."
"Well, lucky we found you first," the first woman spoke, her gaze moving towards Myrah who rolled her eyes in response.
She sat up a bit straighter as she narrowed her glare on the woman. Something about her was familiar and not in the welcoming way she'd hoped. Instead there was a loathing behind the stare and a coldness to the stranger's tone. "I had it handled."
The woman shrugged as Din continued, "I've been quested to deliver this child. I was hoping that-" he was cut-off by the gentle hiss of their helmets being removed, his train of thought quickly interrupted with anger and betrayal. He stood with a sense of urgency as he walked towards the red-haired woman. "Where did you get that armor?" he questioned as his fist clenched.
"This armor has been in my family for three generations," she tilted her head up to look down at him in confusion and with a look of superiority in her green eyes.
"You do not cover your face. You are not Mandalorian," he snarled. Myrah reached for his arm as she rose to her feet, her eyes darting about the three. She didn't like them, but they could be of some use.
The tanned man rolled his eyes, "he's one of them."
The other woman with swooping braids across her forehead swore under her breath as Din cocked his head, "one of what?"
"I am Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze," the red-haired woman stepped towards Din. Myrah's heart dropped to her stomach at the name, her hand twitching for her saber once again. Stories from her childhood flashed before her eyes once again, swarming her brain with whispers of the Kryze sisters. "I was born on Mandalore and fought in the Purge," Bo-Katan continued, unaware of the enraged look across Myrah's face. "I am the last of my line. And you are a Child of the Watch."
"The Watch?" Din asked nervously, shifting the child into one arm as his hand hung over his blaster.
Bo-Katan's eyes narrowed as she peered through his visor, "children of the Watch are a cult of religious zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society. Their goal was to re-establish the ancient way."
"There is only one way," Din growled and wrapped his arm around Myrah's waist, "the way of the Mandalore." He shot off into the sky, holding the child and Myrah tight to his chest and leaving the three with disappointed looks on their faces and a boat of corpses. They helped him, sure, but to him they were nothing more than traitors to his belief.
The wonderful, orange sunset started to glow in the sky as Din landed on the docks. The boat sat alone in the distance, floating about with no true purpose while the three Mandalorians lifted up into the air with white streaks following them. There was a loud boom as the ship split in half, pelting pieces of rubble into the water as it sunk below the calming waves.
"Let's just get out of here," Myrah growled in a quiet voice and turned away from the explosion, "there's nothing for us on this planet."
"And go where?" Din sighed and picked up his pace to catch up with her as she walked through the parting crowd. "We have no leads."
She shrugged, "anywhere but here."
They continued their walk through the docks as the sun drifted from the sky and behind the horizon. The moon awoke with an elegant trail following its ascent, lighting up the dark sky in a bright white haze.
The night was quiet except for the low horns of boats as they left the marina. Many people were already tucked into their beds, ready to drift off into their marvelous dreams. Myrah smiled at the peacefulness, her steps drifting closer to the Mandalorian at her side. There were so many things to say; so many things she wanted to say, but she wouldn't get the chance that night.
"Hey!" a deep voice came from the shadows. "You." an orange Quarren, one similar to the ones killed on the boat, stepped into the light, "you killed my brother."
Several Quarrens followed him, stepping out from the large, wooden containers that once hid them. Each carried their own weapon with a fierce look in their eyes.
"Let me pass," Din spoke calmly as Myrah's fingers wrapped around her saber's hilt.
The Quarren laughed and took a few more steps towards them, "I don't think you understand. You killed my brother and now I'm gonna kill your pet."
A low rumble shook the ground as the trio of Mandalorians landed on the dock. The Quarrens stared at the new group in fear, gripping their weapons tighter and stumbling back on their feet.
"He didn't kill your brother," Bo-Katan stepped up with her blasters readied, "I did."
The squid-headed aliens didn't get the chance to press the trigger before they were all shot down. Even Myrah had her blaster out as she fired at the final creature.
"Can we at least buy you a drink?" Bo-Katan offered as she holstered her weapon.
Myrah scoffed, "funny," she grumbled under her breath and followed as Din trailed after them. He figured it was the least he could do after all they'd done to help. If they were lucky, it could be the lead they were looking for all along.
The Razor Crest drifted through space like a canoe on a river, bouncing every once in a while, but floating across gentle waves to its destination. Everyone inside was fast asleep, happy to finally obtain a few blissful moments of sleep before they arrived on Trask.
Myrah twitched in her sleep, surprisingly not waking the child in her lap. Her foot kicked and her hand clenched into a fist. Her eyes seemed to move in a panic despite them being closed, trying to bring herself out of her slumber to no avail.
A soft beeping woke Din, a warning that their rest was quickly coming to an end. The large, blue, ocean-covered planet faced them. Its clouds swirled and danced about the planet's surface, making it appear more enticing than it truly was.
"Myrah," the Mandalorian whispered and turned to face his restless passenger. The child opened his wide brown eyes and watched as Myrah whimpered and tried to pull her arms up as though they were tied down to the armrests. "Myrah," he tried again, trying to shake her leg, "wake up, we're here."
She continued to struggle against herself, nearly crying out in what Din could only detect as pain until he stood and grabbed her by the shoulders to shake her again. Her eyes shot open, her hands immediately grasping his arms as she struggled to catch her breath.
"What was that?" he whispered and pulled back his arms, letting her hands fall to her sides.
"I-" she started, looking around the small cockpit. Her face morphed into confusion as her eyebrows stitched together and her lips pulled down into a frown. "I don't know. I don't remember."
Din nodded, "looked like a nightmare. You still have those?" Myrah scoffed and tried to turn her head away to hide the sad look that had taken over. "We all get them," he sighed and lowered himself back in his seat.
"Well," he spoke up again as the frog lady started to wake, "looks like we made it. Get ready for landing." His hand landed against the panel as it failed to respond. "Dank ferrik," he snapped, "the landing array isn't responding. Without the guidance system, it'll be a manual re-entry."
"Great," Myrah groaned and tossed her head back in her seat.
Din sighed and readied the ship, "once we get through the atmosphere, there should be enough fuel to slow down. If we don't burn to a crisp," he whispered the last part under his breath.
The Razor Crest started to fall down towards the planet, beginning to catch fire as it neared the atmosphere. Bright red lights filled the cockpit and the alarm that started to blare was quickly silenced with the flick of a switch.
"Myrah, come up here. I need your hands," Din grunted as he struggled to pull back the ship's steering. Myrah quickly jumped from her seat, holding the top of his chair as she maneuvered her way to his side. "This lever needs to stay back. Can you do that?" his gaze remained on her until she gave a small nod.
Myrah grasped the lever and kept it pulled back with some ease thanks to the Force maintaining her balance, but it wasn't easy. Everything in the ship was fighting against them, as though it wanted them to crash into the planet.
"Keep it steady," Din's voice came out strained, "here we go."
The ship continued to free-fall as the landing pad came into view. They were still moving much too fast. The sound of the radio sliced through the tense air with a nervous voice speaking, "Razor Crest, this is Trask flight control. Please reduce your speed to port protocol"
"I'm trying my best here," he bit back, "engage reverse thrusters. Brace!" he shouted as he pushed another lever forward to descend the ship's landing gear.
"Din, be careful," Myrah's voice was timid as she gripped his chair and let go of the lever once it was no longer needed.
He groaned and shook his head,"I'm gonna need you to sit down and keep your mouth shut, Princess. Got it? Now hold on."
Myrah managed to fall back into her seat while holding the child close to her chest. The woman through the radio spoke again, "Razor Crest, do you copy? You have to reduce speed."
Din mumbled to himself, "almost there," repeatedly while the others held on for dear life.
"Razor Crest, you are coming in too fast, you have to re-"
Din switched off the radio, cutting off the lady while the ship slowed, inching closer to the pad. They were home free - almost.
"Here we go," Din's relieved voice spoke, "nice and easy."
As if on queue, the thruster sputtered out and forced the ship on an angle. It tilted, hovering in the air and soon hurling itself into the vast ocean. The three let out a short scream as water leaked into the cockpit. It didn't fill much higher than their ankles before it was pulled up and roughly hauled back onto the platform.
"You have got to be kidding me," Myrah hissed and pulled a small piece of seaweed off her foot. "We could have died!"
Din huffed, "you think I wanted to knock us into the water?" He stood and spun around to face her as she jumped from her seat.
"Maker, you're so reckless!" she shouted and waved her hand in front of the doors, sliding them open with little effort through the Force. "How you're still alive is beyond me."
"Oh, I'm reckless?" Din snapped as he and the frog lady followed Myrah out of the ship. "What about that time where you ran out in the middle of the war zone to play hero?"
"Please," she shook her head, "Sorgan? You're comparing this to that army of idiots and their robot?"
They continued to bicker as they left the ship. The frog lady and the child, floating behind in its pod, followed, watching the two argue until they came to face a purple Mon Calamari in a blue, cable knit sweater.
"So," the alien interrupted the two, "how can I help you?"
Din grumbled and glared at Myrah behind his visor, "this isn't over." He turned his attention back to the dock worker with a slightly apologetic tone, "can you fix it?"
"Fix it?" they laughed, "nah. But I can make it fly."
"Do what you can," he sighed and placed the currency on the small board the worker held.
"I'll fuel it up. If it still holds fuel," they looked anxiously at the ruined ship while they walked away.
The frog lady croaked as she wandered around and searched for her husband. They seemed to explore the entire dock, both Din and Myrah continuing to argue as she looked. She shouted desperately, her eyes sinking as all seemed lost.
At last, another croak floated across the dock, reaching the lady's ears. Her face lit up as she saw her teal counterpart. She ran towards him, squealing with joy. It had been so long since she'd last seen her husband and now they would never have to be apart again.
He pulled her into a tight embrace, squeezing her like he would never let go again. Din and Myrah stopped to watch them and suddenly all the petty arguments were gone. Instead, a smile graced their faces at the sight of the happy couple.
Din's stomach dropped as he looked in awe at the frog pair. "I'm sorry," he spoke in a hushed voice.
Myrah shook her head and swiftly turned to face the Mandalorian, "no, Din, listen. I'm-"
"Will you ever let me finish?" he interrupted. "I'm sorry. I didn't think this trip would end up like this and I'm sorry I've put you through all of it. I'm glad you're here."
Myrah tried not to smile, her teeth pulling back her lip as she struggled to disguise the grin on her face. "I am too. If I'm going to have so many near death experiences, I'm just happy you're there."
Din nodded and glanced back at the frog people. "That's nice, isn't it? What they have?"
"I can think of better situations," Myrah bumped her hip against his and started walking towards the couple as they peered into their bucket of eggs.
He took a sharp breath as he watched her walk away. His hand ached to reach for her, but he held it back. There was no one else quite like Myrah and he didn't want to risk losing her ever again. If that meant he had to hold back for a little bit, then he would do it. He would do anything for her.
The green frog man croaked gratefully and shook Din's hand with a wide smile. "You're welcome," he responded as he was pulled from his thoughts, "I was told you could lead me to others of my kind." The man nodded and pointed towards a worn-down building. "The Inn? Over there?"
Myrah sighed as she took in the sight of the building with its sinking roof. "We've been to worse," she shrugged and followed the frog couple, but something felt off.
Din felt it too; the strange shift in the air. They both turned to scan the area, but whatever it was, it was gone. The pair of eyes that watched them disappeared amongst the crowd of people.
The doors to the Inn slid open to welcome them, allowing them inside the dimly lit room. It was full of all different sorts of people, each minding their own business as they sat with their stew. The frog man croaked and waved at one of the servers then gestured around the area. Din nodded and looked between the pair and spoke a kind, genuine, "thank you."
"Yes," Myrah agreed, "thank you." She followed behind the Mandalorian, placing her hand appreciatively on the frog lady's shoulder before she fully entered the building. "Good luck with your family."
An inviting, red Mon Calamari alien looked at the two and pointed towards one of the few empty tables. "Have a seat over there," he spoke and followed them to their table as they settled into their seats. "What can I get you?"
"Nothing for me," Din looked to Myrah as she shook her head, "a bowl of chowder for my friend."
"These seats are scarce, buddy," the alien spoke sternly, "everyone seated needs to eat."
"I can buy something else," he interrupted and tossed a few Mon Calamari credits on the table, "information."
The alien slid the credits into his palm, staring over them as he tried to decide if it was enough to let them stay. Myrah watched him as he looked over the currency, her eyebrows coming together in equal contemplation.
"We need to find others that look like him," she nodded towards Din and crossed her arms on the table. "You know of any?"
He pulled down a hose that dropped the stew in front of the child's bowl, "others with beskar have been through here," he explained in a low tone.
"Who can take me to them?" Din asked quickly.
"I know someone who might help," the alien hummed before leaving the table.
Myrah leaned towards Din, her eyes never leaving the Mon Calamari as he approached another table. "Do you think we should trust them? Maybe we should just search on our own. Who knows, they may find us instead and we don't even need a third party."
"You're nervous," he whispered with a chuckle.
"I'm not nervous. I just think there are better ways to handle this," she grumbled. "You can't tell me you don't get a bad vibe from this."
The child let out a squeal as a small creature jumped from the bowl and stuck to his face. Din sighed, "don't play with your food," he scolded with a gentle tone and poked the creature's leg with his knife, forcing it to slide back into the bowl.
An orange Quarren sat across from the trio and hummed. His face was downturned and villainous, accompanied by a deep, threatening voice. "You seek others of your kind?" he asked, his facial tentacles moving as he spoke.
Din nodded, "have you seen them?"
"Aye," the squid-like alien assured him, "I can bring you to them."
"Where?" Myrah quickly snapped.
The Quarren shushed her and chuckled mockingly at her question. "Only a three hours' sail. It'll cost you though. Come find me over there when you're ready to leave," he nodded towards his group of friends, soon joining them in a quiet conversation.
"I don't like this," Myrah sighed and rubbed a hand down her face.
"Me neither," Din looked over at her disgruntled expression, "but we don't have a choice. The sooner we leave, the better."
He stood before Myrah could answer, strutting over towards the alien's table. Myrah groaned and looked over at the child as he ate, seemingly unaware of the goings-on around him.
"Your dad is a mess, kid. He better hope this doesn't end badly."
It felt like I sat there for ages. Din was an excellent hunter, there was no way it took him so long to find this lady. I doubt she purposely ran away, so she wasn't evading him. In fact, she was his easiest target thus far and yet, I still sat waiting for him. I had half a mind to get up and find him if I knew he wouldn't throw a fit over it.
The snow continued to fall in light flurries, decorating the ship in a blanket of white frost. It had been a long time since I'd seen snow, I forgot how magical it could be. Just watching it felt like a dream.
If only it weren't so damn cold.
After spending most of my life in unbearable heat, it was difficult to adjust to the freezing temperatures of wherever we were. I pulled the blanket tighter around me, trying to lock in all the leftover warmth my body was producing. I think the temperature inside the ship was colder than outside.
It would've been warmer with Din here. When he pulled me into his side, it was like sitting next to a fire. Not only was he warm, but he was comforting to be around. Being around him felt natural, like being at home. I didn't want to admit it, especially with him only realistically being gone about an hour, but I missed him. It was lonely sitting in the ship all alone.
Would I ever admit this to him? No. But it was nice to think about, I suppose.
A low rumble shook the ground, quickly followed by the zing of blaster shots from the tunnel. I sighed quietly and slipped my gun from its holster. What kind of beast could they have found on this iced over wasteland? I didn't think anything could survive out here.
More shots were fired, their blasts echoing through the icy halls and then a quiet explosion, if there is such a thing. I stepped out from the ship's hull, patiently awaiting whatever disaster Din was bringing with him.
The frog lady came first, croaking and lunging towards the ship. Then Din emerged, holding the child tightly in his arms while an army of white spiders ranging in all sorts of sizes followed him. He shot at them with little success in depleting their forces, only angering them more.
I sighed and raised my blaster, firing a few shots at the kryknas. "What were you thinking?" I hissed as he came closer to the entrance.
"You think I meant to do this?" He growled and pushed me back into the ship.
"Well, you certainly never seem to avoid these conflicts," I huffed. Din passed along the child and the container of eggs to the lady while we shot at the spiders from the opening. "In fact, you seem to chase right after them! So yeah, I think you meant to do this."
He grabbed a spider as it sprung towards my face, crushing it in his hand and tossing it back to the ground with a grunt. "Get to the cockpit, now."
I rolled my eyes and climbed the ladder as fast as I could while trying to help Din, but our efforts were hopeless. He climbed up after me, pushing his way into the cockpit and blasting the kryknas while we struggled to force the doors shut.
"Well, we haven't done this before," I smiled up at him, receiving a subtle shake of his head and a very quiet chuckle.
Several of the little spiders squeezed past despite our efforts, the frog lady even snagged a blaster and started to fire at them. What a trio, us three against hundreds - if not thousands - of little creepy spiders.
"Watch out," I stepped back and held my hand out to the door. Din must've been looking at me like I was insane. Sometimes I thought I was. Nonetheless, I focused on the door, hearing the hiss of fire before it slammed shut.
"Myrah," Din panted. His hands gripped my shoulders, giving me a slight shake before my eyes shot open. He let out a breath of relief and dropped his hands, breathing out a quiet, "good job."
"Teamwork," I shrugged with a smile. "We're good at that sometimes, you know."
He huffed out a slight laugh and nodded, "yeah, sometimes. Is that part of your - uh - Jedi powers-"Din was cut off by a growing tapping. It sounded like a stampede of very tiny beasts.
We turned towards the windows as the kryknas started to climb up and swarm the ship. I guess I wasn't too far off from my original assumption.
"Strap yourselves in," Din quickly sat down and tapped at the control panel. "This better work," he mumbled to himself.
I would've been more concerned about his doubts if it weren't for the threat of thousands of pests taking over the ship. I pulled my belt over my chest faster than I ever thought possible and held the child tight in my lap.
"I've got limited visibility," he sighed. "It's gonna be a bumpy ride."
He pulled back the engine, which seemed to power up just fine. We were breaking free from the ice and slowly rising into the air. We were going to get away just fine, a little rough, but fine, until a giant krykna landed on top of the Razor Crest.
It stabbed it's daggers through the windows, barely missing the frog lady and I, and sending glass flying through the cockpit. It peered through the window and as much as I wanted to comment on how ugly it was, I couldn't think of anything else but our impending doom.
It's mouth smacked against the glass, displaying it's rows upon rows of teeth as it dragged them across the window. Din's hand flew back and rested on my knee as he leaned back in his seat. My fingers brushed against his hand while I squeezed my eyes shut. If I could focus hard enough, I could destroy it.
I didn't get that chance.
The sound of blasters interrupted my concentration and knocked the beast off the ship. Red flashes shot through the air, firing relentlessly at it. Din stood quickly with his gun drawn and despite his light touches, telling me to stay where I was, I followed him down into the hull.
Webs and spider corpses filled the area. We snuck through, taking care of any leftover kryknas as we left the ship.
A pair of X-Wings sat in the snow, their lights blinding as they finished off the spiders from their ship. They seemed to stop as they noticed us, lowering their guns to their hips. I let out a deep breath of relief and placed my gun back in its holster. Din was still guarded, holding onto his but with a little more ease than before.
"We ran the tabs on the Razor Crest," one of them spoke. His voice was familiar, along with the orange paint that surrounded the X-Wing. Great. The cops again. "You have an arrest warrant," he continued, "for the abduction of prisoner X-Six-Nine-Eleven. However, onboard security records show that you two apprehended three priority culprits from the Wanted Register."
I cringed as he revealed that there was footage of what we'd done. It wasn't the Empire so I wasn't a priority target anymore, but I certainly hoped they skipped over whatever mess I may have caused. I can't even imagine what would happen if someone knew there were more than a few Jedi out in the galaxy.
"Security records also show that you both put your own lives in harm's way to try to protect that of Lieutenant Davan from the New Republic Correctional Corps," the man continued while Din holstered his gun. "Is this true?"
He sighed, "are we under arrest?"
"Technically, you should be," he paused, letting his words dissolve in the air. "But these are trying times.
"What say we forgo the bounties on these three criminals, and you two help me fuse my hull so I can get off this frozen rock?" Din suggested. It didn't sound like too bad of an idea, but I doubt they would willingly help us. Not after our little stunt earlier.
The cop scoffed, "what say you fix that transponder, and we don't vaporize that antique the next time we patrol the Rim?" They both shook their heads and settled back into their seats, firing up their engines and shooting off into the sky.
"New Republic Forces have never been much help," I rolled my eyes and looked back at the mess that was left. "Now what?"
Din sighed, "fix up whatever we can. We can get it done sooner if you care to help," he nudged me slightly with his arm before leaving for the hull again.
I smiled as he left, remembering a similar situation on Arvala-7. It wasn't as bad, I suppose, but we only had two people this time. As long as we got a little bit of work down, we could make it to Trask.
Hopefully.
"Alright," Din started as I stepped into the ship, "We're gonna repair the cockpit enough for us to limp to Trask. There's nothing I can do about the main hull's integrity, so we're gonna have to get cozy in the cockpit. It's the only thing I can pressurize," he sighed, "if you need to use the privy, do it now. It's gonna be a long ride."
We climbed up into the cockpit, both Din and I fixing up whatever we could to get the ship running again. At least enough to get us where we needed to go. Sparks reflected off his armor in brilliant shots of yellow and white. I caught my staring this time, but I didn't make any move to stop it.
"Hand me that," Din pointed to the toolbox he brought up, but continued to look at whatever he was doing.
I hummed, "you gotta say please first."
"Myrah, stop messing around," he grumbled as he patched up the broken windows. He held his hand out, waiting for me to place the tool in his hand. A few seconds passed before his head fell forward with a sigh, "please."
I beamed and placed it in his hand while I leaned against the wall. "You're oh so very welcome, Din dearest."
"I should let you just fly out this window," he finished off the sealing and tossed the tools back in the box, closing it up after several hours of work.
"But you would never let that happen," I watched him pack the box away silently until he sat in his chair. I expected us to lift off, to test our work and see if we could truly get off this icy wasteland, but instead he turned to face me.
"No," he held my chin between his fingers and cocked his head to the side, "I couldn't. I should, but I couldn't." He pulled his hand back and spun around towards the controls again while the frog lady crept into the cockpit, "let's see if we can get this thing going once and for all."
The engine resisted at first, struggling to lift with the dead weight of the krykna on it, but we were eventually up in the air once again and far away from that monstrous planet. The ship sputtered and bumped in the sky, but it was enough to get us where we needed to be. Trask wasn't too far and while it wouldn't be the comfiest journey, it would be a decently quick one.
Din set up the auto pilot and leaned back in his chair, "wake me up if someone shoots at us. Or if that door gets sucked off its rails."
The frog lady croaked in concern while I breathed out a quiet, "Mando."
"I'm kidding," he turned towards the lady enough to address her before resting in his seat. "If that happened, we'd all be dead. Sweet dreams."
I rolled my eyes and lifted the child into my lap, holding him close. His eyes drifted shut, but remained focused on the eggs in the lady's arms.
"No," I whispered and shifted him away from them in my arms, "we can get you something on Trask, okay? Why don't you get some sleep, you little beast." I smiled and gently poked his nose as his eyes finally closed.
I woke up with my teeth chattering from the cold around me. My blood ran cold and I felt frozen in place. It took a few minutes before I regained some heat in my body, at least enough to move from my seat.
The frog lady was knocked unconscious on the floor while Din was out across the control panel. I had no clue and no way of telling how long we were out, but judging by the ice that crystallized on Din's armor, I assumed it had been a while.
I placed my hand on his shoulder and tried to shake him awake. It took a few tries, but eventually he awoke and lifted his head from the controls to face me. He seemed out of it, but I think we all were. The crash hit us pretty hard.
"Good morning, sleepy head," I joked as he tried to power up the ship with no success. "Nothing's working."
"Clearly," he groaned and looked back at the frog lady who was finally waking up. She was shivering and letting out little whimpers at the cold. Din quickly stood and helped her back into her seat, trying to calm her down but to no avail. She croaked and pushed against his shoulders, anxiously looking towards the door. "I'll find your eggs," he nodded, understanding her concern, "don't worry."
"And I'll grab her some blankets," I spoke quickly. Din had a few down in the hull and it sounded like a dream to be bundled up in something warm. I clambered my way down the icy ladder, slipping on the second bar, but I just barely managed to keep my grip.
The ship was a complete wreck. Wires were strewn everywhere with chunks of metal either missing or protruding from the ship in ways they weren't supposed to. The snow blew in through the gaps and made it all that much colder and unbearable. Almost everything had a thin dusting of snow.
Din jumped down the hatch, hitting the ground next to me with a soft thud. His gaze shifted around, analyzing every single chunk or wire out of place with a silent intensity. He managed to convey so much with so little and right now, he radiated annoyance, which was assisted with the irritated sigh that escaped him. "Damn it."
I grabbed a few blankets while Din opened the door to the empty cot, muttering out a quick, "where are you?"
"Where is who?" I questioned, holding the blankets to my chest and peering into the cot. "Din, where is the child?"
"Who else do you think I'm looking for?" He hissed while the frog lady croaked from the cockpit. "Hang on, I'm looking for your eggs!"
"How did you lose the child?" I seethed, trying to keep my voice down to not worry the lady.
Din stomped toward me and poked his finger in my face, "Do you know where he is? If so, why don't you have him?"
I groaned and tossed my head back before pushing him aside and stepping over the boxes. He followed me, not far behind and mumbling inaudibly under his breath. I'm sure we would've kept bickering if it hadn't been for the soft sound of slurping.
Din tossed back a large cover to find the child hovering over the lady's eggs, trying to slip one in his mouth. It was a disgusting sight, I could only be grateful that the frog lady wasn't here to see it.
"No!" He grabbed the tub of eggs while scolding the little green fella. "I told you not to do that." He closed the lid and shouted back up at the lady, "found them!"
Before either one of us could grab the kid, he slurped up the egg in his hand in one chomp all while smiling up at us with big, innocent eyes.
"How many did you eat?" Din asked, receiving a burp in response.
"Shit." I sighed and collected him up in my arms, wiping his mouth with my sleeve. "You can't do that, okay? That's bad. Really, really bad."
Din helped the frog lady down and gathered a few ration packs for us to eat while I wrapped her up in all the blankets I could find. It was tempting to keep a few for myself, but I figured my shawl could keep me warm enough for now.
I offered my rations to the kid since he was clearly much more desperate for food than I was. I wasn't too hungry anyway, they needed it more than I did. Instead, I just sat by the eggs, making sure he didn't manage to sneak another one. Certainly Din was feeding him, why would he go to such lengths to try eating these?
"If you hadn't guessed," Din's voice was frustrated as he fiddled with some of the loose wires, "we're in a tight spot. The main power drive is not responding and the hull has lost its integrity. I suspect the temperature will drop significantly when night falls."
"Gee, any good news?" I scoffed and pulled my knees closer to bundle in the warmth.
Din shook his head and laid out another blanket on the ground. "I'll have a better idea of our prospects at that time."
The lady grumbled and pointed to her eggs as the monitor sunk lower. Din shook his head, his voice filled with empathy but there was not much more for us to do, "I'm sorry, lady. I don't understand Frog. Whatever it is, it can wait until morning. I recommend you get some sleep." He leaned back against the wall as the child grabbed a hold of his leg as a pillow. I would almost consider it cute if the likelihood of our demise wasn't so high.
The frog lady wrapped one of the blankets she had around the container and offered another to me, holding it out and croaking something in a somber tone. I shook my head, but smiled the most grateful smile I could. I would be fine. Her eggs, however, deserved more warmth.
"No, thank you. You need it more." I pulled it around her and rubbed her arms, trying to keep her warm, but she resisted and continued to croak and grumble.
Din sighed, "just take the blanket, Myrah."
"She needs it more than I do, I'll be fine," I assured him.
"It's freezing."
"I said, I'll be fine," I snapped.
Din groaned, his head clinking against the metal wall. "Myrah, just come here," he demanded in a harsh voice.
I felt like a child as I shuffled over with my head hung low. He stared up at me for a moment before grabbing my wrist and tugging me down to the ground next to him. My breath escaped me in a huff as I hit the floor. Din only shook his head and crossed his arms again, acting as if he didn't scoot towards me until his body was pressed against mine.
I held in the laugh that threatened to bubble up from my chest and laid my head on his shoulder in silent thanks. Maybe things weren't as bad as I thought. Maybe, just maybe, things could eventually go back to the way they once were. At least something like it.
I awoke with a start at the sound of a robotic voice saying, "wake up Mandalorian," along with Din swiftly pulling his gun from its holster. My head snapped to the right where the frog lady had rewired Zero's controls to translate her words. She croaked into the microphone, allowing it to easily translate her words.
"This cannot wait until morning," came the monotonous voice again. Din's breathing was heavy, I could feel the rise of his chest against my side, and his gun was still trained on the droid. "Do not be alarmed. I bypassed the droid's security protocols and accessed its vocabulator."
I let out a long breath of relief as Din lowered his blaster, "well, at least it didn't try to kill us this time-"
"What the hell are you doing?" He snapped. "That droid is a killer."
"These eggs are the last brood of my life cycle," she croaked into the mic. "My husband has risked his life to carve out an existence for us on the only planet that is hospitable to our species. We fought too hard and suffered too much to resign ourselves to the extinction of our family line. I must demand that you hold true to the deal that you agreed to."
The child whimpered quietly and leaned against Din, looking up at him with a wide, empathetic look. Din sighed, "look, lady, the deal is off. We're lucky if we get off this frozen tomb with our lives."
"I thought honoring one's word was a part of the Mandalorian code," her voice sank as she stared at the ground. "I guess those are just stories for children."
"Din," I whispered and shifted my body to face him. We'd taken this lady on a hell of a roller coaster and all she wanted was to reunite with her husband. She didn't deserve our drama when she had a chance at a normal life. "C'mon. You can fix this, I know you can. I'll help, too, but she deserves this. We made a promise."
"No," he groaned and pushed himself off the ground. "I made a promise. You're going to stay here." He stomped towards the tool box, mumbling under his breath, "this wasn't part of the deal," as he left the hull.
He was grumpy, more than usual. I blamed that on the lack of sleep, but there were likely many other aspects that were currently playing into that. One, unfortunately, was probably me.
"I'm sorry about him," I laughed quietly to the frog lady. "He's not always like this. Sometimes he's actually very sweet, if you can believe that. You should probably get some rest as he fixes this up."
She croaked and stared at her eggs while I leaned back against the wall again. The child crawled in my lap and dozed off to sleep as fast as he could. It seemed like he had the right idea and before I knew it, I was back in my mind once again.
The child woke me up after a few minutes, maybe an hour, I wasn't sure. He kept tugging on my hood and clothing, cooing on with a sense of urgency. Before I could stand, he waddled his way outside into the snow, babbling beside the Razor Crest as flurries fell from the sky. I could hear Din working on the ship, the sparks bouncing off the metal hummed in the empty air.
I pushed myself off the ground with a low groan from the stiffness left in my back from sitting for so long against the harsh floor. The hull was even colder now, if that was possible. There was nothing but a constant flow of freezing air and snow that now covered not only everything around, but me as well.
Somehow, that was all there was; containers. There was no blue containment of eggs, no purple frog lady, just Din's crappy containers of his obscure weapon supply.
"How 'bout you come over here, give me a hand? Make yourself useful," Din's voice echoed through the canyon.
"Din?" I stepped through the hull and pulled my hood over my head. My hands flew to my arms, trying desperately to get the warmth of my palms through the fabric.
"Myrah?" His helmet snapped in my direction. "What are you doing? I told you to stay in the ship." He jumped down from his spot, coming closer until he towered over me.
My teeth started to chatter again as I tried to stumble out a response. "Well, I was until-"
"You're gonna freeze out here," he interrupted. "Go grab a blanket or something."
"I'm not cold," I argued. I was lying, obviously. I was freezing down to my bones, but I wouldn't let him know that. My eyebrows furrowed together in a mix of frustration and confusion. He was treating me like more of a child than - well - the child.
"You're shivering." He stated simply, which I was. He placed his gloved hands on my shoulders, trying to push me back towards the ship's entrance.
"No- Din, I- Damn it, will you listen to me?" I tried to fight against him, but trying to just use my strength against his was useless and within a few seconds, I was back in the ship again. He grabbed a blanket from the back of his cot and wrapped it snuggly around my shoulders. It was thin, but it was warmer than what I was wearing.
"I'm listening," he shrugged and ran his hands up and down my arms, adding to the warmth. "What is it?"
I glanced at his hands, a little smile building on my face no matter how hard I tried to hide it. "The frog lady. She uh- She took off while the kid and I were asleep."
"She what?" He stopped and pulled his arms back to his sides. "When did she go?"
"I don't know. I was asleep!" My voice rose to a near squeak.
He shook his head and swiftly left the hull, scanning the footprints that descended down a dark tunnel. "Stay here," he demanded.
"Why? I can defend myself just fine out there, if not better than you!" I snapped and took another step towards him, jabbing my finger against his chest.
"Because I said so." He pushed my hand away and kept venturing down the tunnel. "Watch the ship!"
I rolled my eyes and stepped back towards the wreckage. I suppose neither of us knew what was out there, one of us had to make sure the ship was at least somewhat safe. Or, as safe as it could be.
All I could do now was just sit and wait. Oh, how the tables had turned.
It was so incredibly green outside of the star fighter, a place like no other. The mountains were high, their tips just reaching the clouds that floated amongst the sky. Then there were smaller stones, still boulders in comparison to the pebbles at our feet, but they levitated in the air. I had a feeling in my gut that they weren't doing that entirely on their own.
A shallow fog circled around us and everything around. It was white and whimsical as though it had a mind of its own. It rolled down the hills in waves and collected at the base of the mountains. The entire scene was like one from a dream.
"Are you the one?" A voice whispered in my ear. It was a gentle, feminine voice that echoed in my head.
"Who was that?" I asked.
"What?" Anakin looked dumbstruck, although I figured I didn't look much different. "Did you hear that?"
Obi Wan shrugged and continued to peer out of the binoculars. "I didn't hear anything."
"I did." I whispered, just loud enough for Anakin to understand me. I didn't want the others to think I was crazy, even though I thought I might be. I'd heard voices in my head in the past, but nothing like the one I was hearing.
"Are you the one?" It repeated.
As if on cue, Anakin and I both turned to face a magical woman. Her hair was a lively green that flowed down her back like silk, contrasting her pale skin that was decorated with a long, golden dress. She shimmered in the light, like a figment of my imagination. If I didn't know any better I would say she was nearly transparent. I swore I could see through her figure.
"Hello." Obi Wan all but purred.
"Who are you?" I demanded. I could feel a growing pain in my head from the pointed look I was giving.
"I am Daughter." She explained as vaguely as possible. "Are you the one?" She asked again. I tried to look in her eyes, but I couldn't tell if she was looking at me or Anakin.
Anakin grumbled under his breath while his hands rose to rest on his hips, "Uh, the one what?"
"I will take you to him."
"Him, who?"
"Did you bring us here?" Obi Wan and Ahsoka both questioned.
The woman appeared to sigh at what I could only assume was our ignorance, "only he can help you," she stated firmly. "There is little time. Follow me. We must have shelter by nightfall."
Anakin scoffed, "and we thought the planet was strange. How about this one?"
"Tell me about it," I rolled my eyes and bumped my shoulder against his, bringing a smile to both of our faces.
"We'll be fine as long as we stay together," Obi Wan reassured us. I knew in my gut it wasn't going to be that simple, but we could hope.
The walk was peaceful as we all remained quiet a majority of the journey. I thought it would be warm since the light was so bright, but nothing appeared to be real here. When we first arrived, there was no bright sun, no greenery to be seen at all, yet it surrounded us now. I certainly couldn't be the only one that was suspicious of this random planet.
"Have you noticed the seasons seem to change with the time of day?" Obi Wan whispered among our group of four.
I nodded, feeling a sudden chill creep up my spine. "Or the fake, rubber feeling of the planets?"
"And there are no animals," Ahsoka added.
Obi leaned towards Anakin and I as we trailed the mysterious woman, "and you two sense it?" he asked.
"Since we saw the planet - or, whatever this is." I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the cold temperatures increase yet the others seemed entirely unaffected. "The Force is incredibly strong here, it's like I feel it flowing through me."
"Excuse me. Who are you taking us to?" Anakin asked the lady. She hadn't so much as glanced at us since we left the ship.
"The Father, of course," she answered simply
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. How very vague of her. "Well, of course. And who are you?" I snapped.
Her gaze shifted around the area, gesturing widely to the plants - or maybe it was the rocks, even the planet. I thought I could see the faintest inkling of a smile on her face when her head turned towards us. "We are the ones who guard the power. We are the middle, the beginning, and the end"
Another breeze rolled through the canyon, sweeping my hair from my shoulders and forcing me to wrap my arms tighter around myself. I could feel a hand rest on my shoulder, it was gentle and comforting, but the sensation was soon replaced with a tight grip as a large boulder came tumbling down the canyon walls. If I hadn't been pulled from it's path, I soon would've become a splat at the bottom of the forest.
I lifted my head from the ground, finding Obi Wan dangling from the ledge. My heart stopped for a moment and before I could process anything, I was hauling him back onto the small path.
"Thank you," he breathed. His blue eyes darted across my face, wiping a small cut that developed on my cheek after hitting the rocks. "Are you two okay?"
"Yeah," I tried not to smile at the sight of his tousled hair, "we're good. What about Anakin?"
The three of us looked to the rock that now blocked our path while Obi Wan quickly turned to his communicator. "Anakin, are you there? Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.
The line was quiet for a moment and if it weren't for Anakin and I's connection, I would've shared Obi Wan's concern.
"Yeah," he scoffed, "but our friend here has run off!" Anakin shouted. "Go back to the ship and try sending another distress call. I'll follow her and find out how to get off this rock."
Obi Wan sighed, "and if this is a trap?"
"Then I'm not gonna wait around to find out."
"Anakin, stop." He demanded. "Wait for us to find another way around and meet you. Anakin?" His chest lifted as a sigh escaped him. "So reckless and impatient. Must be a Skywalker trait." He turned to me with a small grin. I couldn't decide if I wanted to slap it off of him or return it.
"Maybe it is. You would be the one to know," I shrugged. Sounds of thunder rolled through the hills as the sky quickly darkened. The cold grew stronger and a sort of dizziness briefly took over me. "A storm?" My eyebrows stitched together in confusion at the sudden appearance.
Obi Wan's hands wrapped around my shoulders, helping me stand upright. He was just as confused as I was with the familiar creases in his forehead.
"We need to go," he mumbled. His breath was warm against my ear, a momentary ease to the chill I felt.
We traced our steps back to the ship, trying to avoid the rainfall that was destined to come. The darkness slowly encompassed us as it spread across the sky, painting the sky a dark, dreamy blue. The green plants were no longer, replaced by rotten, brown-looking leaves that were deteriorating as the seconds passed.
Our surroundings grew familiar, but there was nothing but an empty landing. There were no remnants, scraps of metal, or even indentions in the ground that signaled that our ship was once there. Everything was like new. Well, dead, but new.
"The ship's gone!" Ahsoka exclaimed.
"Yes," Obi Wan sighed, "I see that."
"It was here," she threw her arm out towards the vast space, "no question."
I felt the dizziness take over again, my hands flying to my head to stop the spinning. "Guys," I groaned, feeling faint like I could drop at any moment, but the two continued talking about our strange surroundings. "Guys," I tried again, nearly stumbling over my feet until a hand bunched up the back of my shirt and pulled me back to my feet.
"Did you lose something?" Another echoey voice came. His piercing red eyes stared into me like a pair of lasers. "You didn't do as you were asked."
"Actually," I pried his hand from my clothing as the sickly feeling soon faded away, "we did exactly as we were told."
He scowled, "my sister said to wait."
"Did she, now?" Obi Wan asked, his fingers brushing my arm as he tried to pull me back. Instead, I reached for the hilt on my hip, igniting the white blade. "Well," he continued, "we were unfortunately separated. We'd like our ship back if you don't mind."
"Not yet," he hissed. "Is it true they are the chosen one?"
Obi Wan tugged me behind him forcefully despite my saber while he and Ahsoka both readied theirs. His face sunk, illuminated beautifully by the blue light, while his eyebrow rose daringly. "What do you know of such things?"
"What is about to happen shall occur whether you like it or not," his voice boomed. He swiped his hand through the air, shrinking all of our blades back into their hilts.
"You are Sith." Obi Wan quickly pointed towards the man. I finally took notice of his face, looking past the evil eyes. His skin was white with harsh red markings, nothing like his 'sister,' except for the hazy appearance.
"Sith?" He chuckled, quickly meeting my eyes. "Yes...And no. The storms here are quite lethal. If you want to live, I suggest you find shelter." He took off in a sprint before his body morphed into some dark, winged being and taking off into the stormy skies.
I gasped as the rain started to pour down, pelting my face with the harsh drops. I paid no mind to the pain. I was more focused on the coolness of the drops as they hit my skin and soaked my robes and hair.
Lightning struck all around, but seemed to avoid us. "Quick," Obi Wan grabbed my arm, "there's a cave over there."
He ushered us into the dark cave, both of them wearing grim expressions while working on starting a fire. I looked around the dreary space, then back outside where the rain poured down, and I started to laugh.
I couldn't stop laughing, no matter how hard I tried. We were in the most absurd of situations, I swore I had to be part of some large prank or a dream. Obi Wan and Ahsoka looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was.
"Aaryn?" Obi Wan questioned. "What is it?"
"Nothing- Nothing it's just," I huffed and tried to catch my breath. "Actually, no. It's not nothing. My brother is missing and we're on some strange planet or whatever it is! We're surrounded by these weird creatures who, if you haven't noticed, are Force users. Dangerous Force users."
"What, like you? Do you think I don't care that Anakin is gone?" Obi Wan seethed as he inched closer to me. "He may be your brother, but like it or not, he's my family too. Of course I'm worried about him, but he can handle himself just fine. He's not nine anymore, you missed all of that, you missed him growing up because you left."
I groaned and shoved him back before getting into his face, his eyes narrowing into mine. "You're incredibly insensitive, General Kenobi. I envy anyone who's had the pleasure of not meeting you," I snapped.
"You have a sharp tongue, General Skywalker. It's a shame it's not put to better use," he grinned, "you'd make a terrific Senator."
"You despise politicians."
He leaned close to me, a fierce glimmer in his eye, "exactly."
We remained still for a moment, tied in our argument once again until Ahsoka cleared her throat with a smile threatening to spread across her face. I forgot we had extra company.
"As much as I enjoy watching...whatever this is, maybe we should get some rest? That storm isn't going to leave anytime soon, we might as well," she shrugged and gestured towards the large fire she'd set up.
Obi Wan nodded quickly and pulled his shoulders back, always the professional. "Right," he agreed, "rest sounds good."
Rest did sound good, if only for a little bit. The creepy Sith-thing said the storms were deadly, so we didn't have anything to worry about.
I sat down against the cold rocks, curling into the most comfortable position I could find. I would only close my eyes for a few minutes, just a few. All I had to do was remind myself that Anakin was smart and safe, then I could fall asleep.
Rumors spread quickly through the ship after Kamino. Everyone knew of Obi Wan's lecturing and everywhere I went, people huddled together and whispered. Even the troopers began talking about what went down. I suppose they were all exhausted, tired of hearing about these war battles. Sometimes adolescent drama was the only thing that truly spiked their interest.
I couldn't blame them. It certainly added something interesting to my life. Here I was, thinking I was going to become a hardened war general, but instead I was being babysat by the Jedi and told off for trying to help.
Yay.
I kept my head hung low as I passed on my way to the landing deck, blocking out their subtle remarks as I went by. It was like I was a Padawan all over again, being criticized by the Jedi masters in the halls. Well, that was still continuing on top of all the other drama and I wasn't even a Jedi anymore.
The ship was fairly empty at this time of day, at least the hangar was bare. Everyone was debriefing or off on their own missions while I was assigned, yet again, to Anakin and Obi Wan. Although, I heard that Anakin's Padawan was joining us this time. That was the only plus.
With the lack of people around, it was easy to detect the mop of red hair that stood next to the starfighter. Obi Wan was standing peacefully next to Anakin, a crease forming between his eyebrows as he spoke with his former Padawan. It was almost a serene scene if just the sight of him didn't fill me with a burning rage.
It was so easy for him to prance around and act like nothing happened. He hurt me and didn't even bat an eye while doing it. He wasn't the man I once thought he was. Now, he was a model Jedi, exactly what everyone expected. I'm surprised they didn't build a statue when they already kissed the ground he walked on.
Before I knew it, I was stomping over to them. I couldn't stop myself if I wanted to. I couldn't even take a moment to breathe and rethink what I was about to do. Instead, I plastered on a bright, only slightly suspicious smile as I sauntered up to them.
"Hey, Aaryn." Anakin chuckled, his eyes darting over my deranged expression while I kept my focus on Obi Wan. He refused to look at me, instead turning his attention to his holocron bracelet as he reviewed the message. "How you uh- How are you doing? You ready for today?"
"I'm great," I answered quickly and crossed my arms snug against my chest. "So, General Kenobi."
He answered with a gentle, inquisitive hum, but his attention was still elsewhere. There wasn't anything interesting to look at, we had all been debriefed already. The message was vague but it was of high importance. There were no details or strategies, only the instructions to follow the call to the Crelythiumn System.
"You plan on babying me on this mission too?" His blue eyes met mine, hazy and tired. The bags under his eyes were more prominent than before. They were darker and slightly purple in color. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he hadn't slept in days. "Or maybe you could put me on a leash and have me trail behind you, is that your plan? I must say that if you haven't learned by now, you never will. I'm not going to behave for you, you inconsiderate, stuck-up, thick-headed, ass-"
"Enough." He interrupted. His jaw clenched and twitched as the red anger grew across his face. "You need to grow up, stop acting like such a child."
I scoffed. "Maybe you need to stop treating me like one."
"That is a childish response!" He snapped and took a step towards me. Though he wasn't too much taller than me, he seemed to tower over me at this moment. His face crinkled in frustration. What were once smile lines across his face were now turned into an angry frown. "You have the sense of a Padawan- no, a Gungan. It's no wonder you were never approved to become a knight."
An irritated huff of breath escaped me in a borderline laugh while I stood. "Oh, you must've experienced some brain trauma since then because you know that is not the reason. Or should I show you? We both know I'm fully capable of that as well." I hissed and reached for the hilt of my lightsaber at my hip.
He grumbled as he, too, moved for his saber. I would never expect for a Jedi to react so harshly, but it seemed I brought out the worst in him.
Before either of us could react, we were interrupted by a youthful voice. "Master Skywalker! Master Kenobi!" A young Togruta was barreling over with a beaming grin. "Who's this?"
"This," Anakin draped an arm over my shoulders and pulled me into his side, quickly moving me away from Obi Wan's menacing stare, "is my sister, Aaryn. Aaryn, meet my Padawan, Ahsoka."
Ahsoka had a kind smile and bright blue eyes. She couldn't have been much older than fifteen. Her round face and short stature made this clear, but also the little hop in her step. Being a child in a war must be horrible, but I had no doubt that Anakin was keeping everything as interesting as possible.
He was denied a childhood, something that haunted me forever. He knew what it was like to mature at far too young of an age, he wouldn't burden another child with that.
Ahsoka gasped and ran up next to me as we climbed the ramp into the ship. "Anakin has told me so much about you! You're the new General, aren't you? Do I call you General Skywalker? Or are you going to be General Aaryn because of Anakin? Maybe there will be General Skywalker one and General Skywalker two!"
"Enough, Snips." Anakin growled and sat himself next to Obi Wan in the pilot's seat.
"Snips?" I questioned.
"It's just what he calls me." Ahsoka smiled. "I'm so glad you're coming with us! It can get a little boring sometimes when it's just the three of us."
Obi Wan scoffed, "I'd hardly call anything involving you and Anakin boring, Ahsoka."
Anakin shook his head and tried to deny the crazy adventures that Ahsoka soon went into detail about as we took off. They were quite the pair, outgoing and a bit too adventurous for their own good. Reminded me of someone else I once knew.
We quickly arrived at the location - the supposed location, at least. There was nothing around except for distant stars and planets, but there was a certain pull, I suppose. It felt like the Force flowed through all of the space around us, beckoning us to come closer. I was tempted, I hated to say it, to just jump out of the fighter and find out for myself.
"Rex." Anakin activated the comms as we arrived. We were meant to meet a Republic Cruiser, but it was nowhere to be found. "Rex, do you read me? We're at the rendezvous point awaiting your arrival. Where are you?"
"Sir, we are at the rendezvous point," Rex answered with furrowed brows, "and there's no sign of you on our scanners."
"Oh, come on," Anakin scoffed, "that's impossible. Something's wrong. We're at the exact coordinates where the distress signal originated, but there's nothing here. Rex is at the exact same coordinates, and he's not here." Anakin was growing frustrated. His words started to speed up and he began waving his hands around as he spoke.
Obi Wan hummed, his hand raising to run his fingers through his beard. "This is getting interesting," he said calmly.
Rex's hologram began to flicker as it slowly wavered and dissipated. "Unable to find you. Where are you, Sir?"
"Something's blocking the signal." Ahsoka spoke as she investigated the controls.
As if luck wasn't already on our side, as soon as the words left her mouth, the electronics throughout the ship shut down. We were left in the dark abyss of space with only enough light to see the outlines of each other's shadows.
"Not good." Obi Wan mumbled as we all frantically began pressing any buttons we could to get things powered up once again.
"Everything's dead," Ahsoka's voice was grim, "even the life support."
"This is really strange." I heard Anakin whisper right before everything came back on.
"Well," I chuckled, "it seems like everything is back to normal. There's nothing to be concerned about."
Ahsoka's eyes seemed to widen as her hand rose to point at the large, red and black diamond-shaped object that we were nearing. "Then what's that?"
The ship beeped and trembled as we were pulled towards the planet-like-object. It certainly didn't look like a planet, not in the traditional sense. It glowed and was much smaller than any planet or moon that I'd ever seen.
"It's pulling us towards it." Ahsoka looked between us all, gripping the two front seats while the diamond shifted and split, flashing us with a blinding white light.
"It doesn't look too friendly, either." I grimaced and grabbed the back of Obi Wan's seat.
Obi Wan turned back to face the two of us, his voice gentle, collected, and demanding, but his eyes were filled with worry. "Everyone, strap yourselves in." He ushered Ahsoka back to her seat. "Looks as though we're going for a ride."
We all quickly pulled out belts across us as the white light enveloped us. It hurt my eyes and sent a splitting pain through my head. I thought it would go on forever. We just kept getting pulled deeper and deeper into the light. I remembered hearing Ahsoka call for Anakin before my mind went blank. Suddenly the light was gone and all that was left was darkness.
I could see flashes of red, a shout, maybe a plea? Blue lights clashed as splashes of orange shot out around them. It was fierce - angry, even. Then there was a softer light, a gentle yellow cast on dunes of sand, followed by a pair of blue eyes. They were beautiful and familiar, but sad in ways I didn't understand. Finally, a nearing blood-red light. I felt the heat of it on my face, but before it could reach, I woke up.
A gasp escaped me while I frantically tried to grab onto something just to prove I was back to reality. My hand met a gentle cloth and as I looked up, I saw the same blue eyes from my dream. They weren't so sad this time, but they were accompanied by Obi Wan's worried face.
"Are you alright?" His voice was so sincere and rich, full of his accent that no one could quite place.
I tore my hands from his arm and nodded, hardly remembering how to speak until I mumbled out a quiet, "I'm fine."
The light was still bright outside the shuttle, but thankfully not as blinding. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but all around us were tall, green plants. It was a beautiful sight to behold and it took everything in me to not throw myself out the door to see if the grass was as soft as it looked.
"Where are we?" Anakin whispered.
"Some kind of organic mass." Ahsoka spoke as she fidgeted with the controls. "All of our readings indicate that it's bigger than an asteroid. But at least the atmosphere is breathable."
"Well, this is getting more unusual by the minute. I can't even lock down where in the galaxy we are," Obi Wan paused, the creases in his forehead became more prominent with his confusion, "or if we are even in our own galaxy."
"Let me see." I pushed Anakin's hands away from the controls as I stepped up and started poking at the buttons. "The ship is fine, sorta. Nothing's working but there's no damage, either. I say we go explore, hm?"
Obi Wan sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "I have a bad feeling about this."
Debris was crashing into the waters, forcing the buildings to shake. The ground started to tremble with every drop. Everything about the apparent victory appeared much too simple. The Separatists were skillful and thought out every move, they would never become so naive.
The clones worked diligently to try and figure out a plan of attack. Everything in the sky was working, or so it appeared. Perhaps working a bit too well.
"I'm gonna press the attack, Master." Anakin's voice came through Obi Wan's comm link. From his point of view, they already won. The Separatist defenses were weak.
"No, Anakin. Wait." Obi Wan was quick to respond. "It's too easy. Not even Grievous would attack so recklessly."
"Master, the battle's up here in space, not down there."
Obi Wan's brow furrowed, creating a sharp crease between the two. His face held more wrinkles than it used to. He'd aged since Aaryn last saw him, but eleven years could not create such stress lines. No, those were from Anakin's constant rebellious tendencies.
It must've run in the Skywalker blood.
Obi Wan was still, in Aaryn's mind, the loveliest person she'd ever laid eyes on. His hair was neatly pushed back away from his face, framed by a reddish beard that was very clearly well-groomed. He was the image of elegance and perfection from every angle.
He presented himself with pride and poise. The confidence seeped from him, filling everyone around him with the same feeling. He was meant to be a leader, he was built for this.
"The debris from the destroyed Separatist ships is the key."
"There's something larger at play here." Aaryn whispered, tearing her eyes from Obi Wan's face to watch the ships fall from the glowing maps around them.
"What are you thinking?" Shaak Ti turned towards him, her eyes wide. She knew his plan, Aaryn did too. But that did not mean they agreed with it.
"I think I'd like to go for a swim." Obi Wan shrugged. "You stay here. Do you understand me, General Skywalker?" He turned towards Aaryn with a stern, darkened look in his eyes.
Aaryn huffed out a quiet scoff and rolled her eyes. "Loud and clear." She delivered a mock salute and directed her attention to the hologram in front of her. She did not like being treated like a child on this mission. Being babysat by the Jedi was not ideal, she knew she was meant for something greater than being watched.
Obi Wan gave her a nod and swiftly left the room. He was a man on a mission, determined and prepared to face anything that came his way.
They continued to work while Obi Wan was off on his own. They hoped he was winning them the battle, but no one could tell. He was difficult to connect to, practically impossible to read.
The rain was pouring down now. It began drumming against the roof like a stampede. The storms on Kamino were dangerous. They were often deadly with the combination of the floods and whipping winds.
Aaryn's brain began to think through all of the worst possible situations with Obi Wan out there. Perhaps even out in the rain. Another foolish decision on his part in her mind. She was left with a choice to make, one that she may regret, but it was something she felt she had to do.
"Excuse me." Aaryn whispered to the Kaminoan. "I just need to use the refresher. Where might that be?"
"Just down the hall we came. Second door to your right."
"Thank you." She smiled and bowed her head as she left, hoping to avoid Shaak Ti's suspicious gaze on her way out. She busied herself with the clones, not concerning herself too much with Aaryn's chaotic decisions.
Aaryn was able to sneak outside into the storm. The rain was rough, pelting her skin with each drop. It was so aggressive that it almost hurt. Her clothes stuck to her body while her hair matted down against her head.
The rain created a haze around her to the point where she couldn't see anything more than five feet in front of her. She searched for Obi Wan, hoping that she might catch sight of a blue blade or a man clad in beige, but there was nothing.
"Damn it." She mumbled, trying to shield her eyes.
Even if Obi Wan was out there, she would never be able to tell.
Another alarm went off from the speakers. It was difficult to see, but Aaryn's eyes caught sight of the flashing lights that alerted everyone of intruders in the building. Her body was growing weary as she stood out in the pouring rain. Certainly any form of exhaustion would not help her in fighting off the battle droids that were crowding the halls.
Inside, the lights beamed a bright red that almost felt blinding when compared to the fog outside. The metal stomps of the droids' feet were loud, masking the sound of the rain that continued to pummel the roof.
Aaryn's footsteps were light as she ran through the hall. All she could think about was finding Obi Wan or Anakin. She could sense their trouble, it clouded her mind to the point she couldn't think of anything else but them. Seeing how the two of them did everything on a whim, it could easily be either one.
"Kenobi, Kamino has fallen." A raspy, strained, and mechanical voice echoed through the hall. Aaryn chased it, finding a tall, robotic man standing over Obi Wan with a pair of lightsabers. "Your clone army is doomed."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Aaryn stepped out from behind the corner into the middle of the hall to reveal herself from her hiding spot. "General Grievous? You're dumber than I expected." She grinned and pulled her lightsaber from its clip, twirling it in her hand before she ignited the white blade.
He looked to Aaryn and Obi Wan before crawling away. Grievous could tell he was outnumbered and would be taken care of far too soon for his liking if he stuck around. They could have let him get away and call off the ridiculous attack, but Aaryn always had something to prove.
She took off down the hall after Grievous, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Obi Wan grunted as he stood, snatching his lightsaber from the ground and chasing after her.
The rain came to a halt outside, leaving a heavy mist in its wake as the wind picked up the ocean waters. Aaryn slid onto the platform, gripping her lightsaber tightly in her hand. Her eyes narrowed while they darted around, looking for the robotic Separatist.
"General Skywalker-" Obi Wan started as he reached the runway, but it was too late. Grievous already jumped up behind her, cornering her on the platform with nowhere to run.
He chuckled and spun his sabers while he approached her, but she kept on her stern expression. Aaryn stared into the sabers' light with a look of determination. She didn't fear death and she most certainly did not fear Grievous.
The two circled each other, waiting for someone to take the first strike. Before either of them could move, a piece of debris landed on the runway, breaking it away from the building.
"Aaryn!" Obi Wan shouted as he dove out of the way.
The pad began to tilt, causing Aaryn to stumble over her feet. Grievous tried to use it to his advantage, but she was still too quick for his strikes. Soon, it tilted too far for her to stand.
Obi Wan struggled his way towards his fellow general, but ended up holding onto the edge alongside her for dear life. Aaryn looked to Obi Wan, whose brows were scrunched together in frustration. He was mad, but saving her life was more important to him right now than his anger.
They clung desperately to the metal until they couldn't any longer and plunged towards the icy waters. Obi Wan's arms wrapped around Aaryn while she braced herself for the impact of the water, but it never came.
The two met the back of an Aiwha, lifting them back into the sky. Aaryn could feel the breath of relief that Obi Wan let out against her neck, bringing a chill throughout her body. He helped her shift behind him on the alien, holding tightly to him as they rose up towards the fallen platform.
"We've got to stop meeting like this, my friend." Obi Wan joked and rubbed the beast's neck, giving it a gentle pat.
"You know this thing?" Aaryn snorted, receiving a harsh glare from the man in front of her.
"I don't think I need to hear anymore jokes from you today, General Skywalker. You've done quite enough."
Aaryn let out a puff of annoyance and turned away from him while they flew back to the base. Obi Wan was silent through the ride, but was kind enough to thank the alien before it dove back into the water. The anger that was building inside him had subsided for a moment, but as soon as they were alone, it grew louder than ever.
The fire burning inside of Obi Wan was strong and while he was always one to push aside those harsh emotions, he couldn't hold it back this time. Aaryn was reckless. He knew this, the council knew this, yet they allowed her back so easily.
Just the sight of Aaryn left Obi Wan in a state of shock and the overwhelming emotions that came with it were too much for the Jedi to handle. He hadn't felt such emotions for years and yet with one look, they all came flooding back.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Obi Wan hissed through his teeth with his back faced to the woman. He stared out at the water, unable to bring himself to look her in the eyes. "I had it handled."
Aaryn snorted. "Really? You were on the ground, no lightsaber, completely defenseless. I saved you. Have you truly grown so proud that you can't accept a little bit of help?"
Obi Wan spun around swiftly on his heel, his finger pointed between her eyes as he seethed. "I didn't need help."
"Eleven years ago, you always needed my help. How was I supposed to know any different?"
"Eleven years ago! You think I haven't changed in eleven years? I have grown since you left. I'm not the same person you abandoned on Coruscant." His eyes held a certain ferocity to them that Aaryn had never seen in Obi Wan's innocent blue eyes. They reminded her of her own gaze, menacing and unforgiving as they pierced into anyone who dare look. "You need to learn your place in all of this. We're not on a silly mission, we're in a war. You came to play your part, do it responsibly."
Aaryn sighed and reached her hand out towards his arm, only for it to be ripped from her grasp. "Obi-" She started.
"It's General Kenobi to you." He snapped and turned his back to her once again. Aaryn's heart sunk as she was left with nothing but the shell of a man she used to know. "Gather your things and get on the ship. We're leaving."
He left, not allowing her to speak another word. Knowing Aaryn, she would have been willing to carry out the fight for hours, days if she could. She was relentless and stubborn, that was something about her that had not changed in eleven years.
Aaryn sighed and stared up at the base. She had no need to gather her things, everything she brought was already with her. Her gaze shifted to Obi Wan, watching his disappearing form as he went to gather their troops.
"So. What've you been up to?" I asked, fiddling with my thumbs from my seat. Din didn't answer me. I didn't really expect him too, but he seemed so friendly just a few minutes ago. I guess that was just to get me on board this crazy plan. "What about you?" I smiled and turned to the child. He cooed, a much more friendly response than someone.
Tatooine was already in sight, which I was incredibly thankful for. This entire flight felt like torture. Din wouldn't say a word except for the quick debriefing and the kid, as adorable as he is, isn't much of a conversationalist. The trip consisted largely of me looking out the window and hoping this would all be over soon. I was expecting a much larger hoorah when we finally met again, but I guess this works too.
I mean, we were friends before everything else happened. I thought we would just fall back into that rhythm again. Boy, was I wrong. There was nothing familiar about this, not even a petty remark or joke. This was the galaxy's worst silent treatment.
Din carefully approached the planet and landed the ship in Peli's hangar. Man, I missed that crazy old woman. He seemed to linger in his seat for a moment and if my ears were correct, I could hear him take a long, deep breath.
"Stay here. It'll only be a second." He finally spoke.
I sighed and leaned back in my seat, picking at the pieces of cracked red leather. "Fine."
Din rushed out of the ship like he couldn't spend another moment in the small cockpit. I don't think I'd ever seen him move so fast. He took his time with everything, walking down the streets as though every planet was his own runway. Yet he jumped at the chance to get away from me.
There was a small poke against my shin, followed by a little babble. I looked down to find the child staring up at me with his enormous brown eyes. His hands were held high in the air, just like any little kid wanting to be picked up.
I scooped him up and cradled him in my arms, unable to keep a frown on my face when he was patting my cheek with his tiny hand. "Din's changed, hasn't he?" I sighed and rubbed his small head. "I figured. I screwed up, I do that sometimes. I'm going to fix it though, I promise."
He giggled and grabbed my nose, squeezing it lightly. I laughed and pulled his hand away from my face, holding it in my own. It was so small in comparison, so helpless despite knowing the feats he can accomplish.
"I missed you. Both of you, but you the most," I whispered. "Don't tell Din, though. It'll hurt his feelings. Not that he'll ever admit that, but I know." I winked and wiggled my fingers, pulling his ears over his eyes through the Force. He seemed to enjoy our little game, laughing and trying to grab his ears to keep them away.
"Okay, uh..." Din's voice echoed through the ship. "Put your egg-things there and climb up the ladder."
I snickered to myself and rocked the child slowly in my arms. A frog lady emerged from the arch, croaking at me in what I assumed was a friendly greeting. I offered her a smile and nod while I shifted the child into my right arm. It was a bit of a struggle climbing down the ladder with one arm, but I've managed with worse.
The ramp squeaked as it rose and clicked in place with the rest of the ship. Din stood, his back facing me while he watched it. His silhouette was powerful, armed and unknown to most. The expanse of his shoulders was broad, which I accredited that to the armor, but who knows. His stance alone could've scared off any quarry, so confident and ready for whatever they could possibly throw at him.
I didn't even realize I was admiring him until it was too late.
"What are you staring at?"
I blinked and found him looking back at me. I swore I never even saw him move. "Nothing," I lied and set the child down on the ground once he started to squirm. "I was just going to see if I could wave to Peli before we lifted off, but I guess it's too late."
"She mentioned you earlier. I think she likes you."
I smiled and watched Din shift on his feet. "Is that so hard to believe?"
"Not at all," he hummed and looked back towards the ladder with a subtle nod. "Are you climbing back up or staying down here?"
I could feel my stomach dip at his words, trying to form an apology or something, but I couldn't speak without making a fool of myself. "I'll head up, yeah." I mumbled and swiftly climbed back into the cockpit with Din not too far behind. It felt so forced to talk to him, I hated it.
Din maneuvered his way into the pilots seat and pulled the ship off the ground. Getting into the sky was the easy part, getting to Trask would be much more difficult with our circumstances.
"Now, I'm gonna ask you to stay strapped in whenever you're seated." Din said as he poked at the control panel. "Traveling sublight is a bit dicey these days. Whether it's pirates or warlords, someone either ends up with a nice chunk of change or your ship."
I scoffed at his pessimism while the frog lady pulled her seat belt on and croaked. I could only assume she agreed with me.
"I don't speak whatever language that is. You speak Huttese?" He asked and rambled on in the language.
"It'll be fine. We can just ask yes or no questions." He sighed and turned away from both of us, staring back out at the sky. "Or we can just stay silent the entire ride, again." Receiving no response, I looked to the frog lady who was busying herself by looking out the window. "So, your husband is on Trask?" She nodded. "That's cool. I've never been there, it's always nice to explore other parts of the Outer Rim."
"So, I'm gonna hit the rack. I've set the nav for our course. It's gonna take a while, I recommend you both get some rest." Din stood in a hurry and descended down the ladder, leaving the frog lady and I alone in the cockpit. I suppose now was as good of a time as any to get some shut eye.
I shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest while leaning back in my seat. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but it would do for a few hours. At least, if no one caught up to us.
My eyes fell shut with ease and I could feel myself lulled into a subconscious state. For a while, there was nothing but darkness, as one usually experiences in sleep, but then there was something else.
I saw a flash of silver metal hitting an orange blade, one a bit too similar to my own. In the metal was a reflection of something red, mixed with orange and yellow tones to create something terrifying. It was a combination of all the worst things I'd ever seen, but in a way, it was beautiful. There was something powerful about the scene displayed before me and I wanted to know more.
I tried to reach for it, whatever it might have been. It was strong, enticing, and maybe just what Aaryn and Obi Wan were telling me to search for. How could something so magnificent possibly be bad?
Before I could reach any further, an alarm blared through the cockpit and awoke me from whatever vision I was seeing. Din slid in the room with the doors hissing behind him as he sat down, tapping at the incoming radio message. So much for getting some rest.
"Razor Crest, M-One Eleven. Come in, Razor Crest. Do you copy?" The static voice emitted from the transmitter.
"This is Razor Crest." Din spoke calmly, "is there a problem?"
I snickered from my seat, "you got caught by the cops." I said as they responded.
"Yes, I'm pre-Empire surplus." Din answered while casting me a subtle look, his silent way of telling me to be quiet. "I'm not required to run a beacon."
"That was before." I think I could hear the roll of their eyes in their voice. "This sector is under New Republic jurisdiction. All craft are required to run a beacon."
Din sighed, "thank you for letting me know. I'll get right on it."
"Not a problem. Safe travels."
"Uh," he paused, "may the Force be with you."
I mouthed the words with a teasing smile as the X-Wing pilot spoke the phrase, "and also with you." Maker, it sounded like a cultish response. "Just one more thing." They continued.
"Yes?" Din's tone was gradually growing more frustrated.
The two continued on about transmitters as Din hopelessly failed at avoiding it. Honestly, I thought we would've gotten away just fine, but then the two pilots switched channels and soon expanded the wings of their ships.
"Was your craft in the proximity of New Republic Correctional Transport, Bothan-Five?"
Din continued to stare out the window, his grip on the controls tightening with their words. "Hang on." He mumbled under his breath before lurching the ship forward towards the closest planet, bringing a scream out of the frog lady's chest.
I grasped the arms of my chair as tightly as I could, regretting that I hadn't buckled-in earlier. We moved quickly through the clouds as the pilots urged us to "stand down," but we kept flying chaotically through the sky.
"Hey, uh.. Mando?" I shouted as I struggled to keep my hold on the seat. "Are you open to suggestions right now? Because maybe-"
He thrusted the ship downwards again while I frantically pulled my seatbelt over me to keep me at least somewhat in place. I was able to snap it shut just before we went hurling towards the ground.
The frog lady started to scream, which didn't seem like a bad idea, but I had a better one. Instead, I yelled several swears and many things I would be ashamed for my parents to hear as we sped towards the icy surface. Before we could hit the terrain, Din shot the ship back into the sky and through a frozen canyon.
The walls surrounded us, slowly closing in and threatening to turn us into a kabob with its icicles. We were inching closer to the walls, practically suffocating in them as they nearly smashed the engines of our ship.
I grabbed onto the back of his chair and leaned towards his seat as much as I could, keeping my voice low as I grumbled, "Din..."
He sighed and glanced over at me with a slight turn of his head. "Hold on," he grunted as the ship slid along the ice. I was tossed back into my seat while we came to a screeching halt. Din started to switch the controls, but I was finally granted a moment to catch my breath
"Thank the Maker," I huffed. Apparently I'd spoken too soon.
I heard a crunch, followed by another. It seems the others heard it as well, because we all started looking around for the source of the sound. Then there was a large crash and the ship crashed beneath the ice. The frog lady screamed and Din was in a silent panic, as usual, then nothing.
It all went dark and there was nothing else this time. Not a dream, not a nightmare - or, visions, as I was told when I was younger. There was nothing but cold and darkness and that's the closest thing to a nightmare I've ever had.
The two stood out on the balcony that connected to Myrah's room. The same one where they once shared many months ago. Looking around the room, Din remembered the way she looked so peaceful as she slept, unlike the slight frustrated look she wore now. She hid it well, but he knew her better than to trust the faulty smile on her face.
The sun began to set, leaving a gentle wave of orange and pink. Myrah took a deep breath as the breeze blew past and billowed in the curtains. She admired the way the sun kissed the planet goodnight, watching it fall nearly every day since she arrived. Once the sun was gone, the planet truly came alive.
"You smell," she whispered in the harsh silence that had taken over since Din's arrival. Her nose wrinkled, forming a crease between her eyebrows. It was an awful mixture of bile and fuel, a horrid combination compared to his usual scent of pine.
He scoffed, "thanks." His hands circled the black metal fence that surrounded the balcony as he stared down at the city that began to glow.
"No, really." She grinned. "Did you bathe in bantha shit before you came here?"
He groaned as he remembered his narrow escape from the Krayt dragon, now smelling the wretched scent that was following him. "I haven't had time-"
"You haven't had time to scrub down?" She joked and leaned back against the railing
A faint sigh came from Din's helmet as his shoulders rolled forward while his hands dropped from the railing. He braced himself against the bar with his forearms as he slumped over it. It took everything Myrah had to not hold him and tell him that it would be okay. She hated seeing him so defeated.
"I need your help," he mumbled.
"I figured. Why else would you come back?" She chuckled and looked over his distressed figure once more before placing a hand between his shoulders. "What's going on?"
"I'm trying to find other Mandalorians. They might know something about the kids' kind, but no luck."
Myrah snorted. "The Jedi? No one knows of the Jedi. They were erased from history."
The Mandalorian shook his head and continued to stare down at the people that walked beneath them. Perhaps Myrah was right, he thought. After all, she was the closest to a Jedi that he'd ever heard of, besides the child of course. Maybe his chase was pointless.
"Din," she whispered, catching his attention once more by rubbing soft circles against his back. "Don't listen to me, I'm being cynical. It's only been a few weeks. You've never been so quick to give up."
His helmet shifted over to her, his chin tilted down as he met her gaze. She could feel it. It was just as it used to be: warm and piercing despite being hidden. Myrah could have stared at him forever if granted the opportunity.
"That's why I'm coming to you," he nodded. "I wouldn't unless it was absolutely necessary, you know that."
"Oh." Her heart sank at his words. It was her idea that he didn't come back, she knew that, but it still hurt to hear it out loud.
"I need you, Myrah." His gloved hand reached for hers and gave it a tight squeeze. "And I need an answer soon."
"What?" Her eyebrows became stitched together in confusion. "Why?"
He stumbled and stuttered as he tried to come up with the best way to say it. "I uh- I sort of have another passenger waiting," he spoke nervously. "On Tatooine."
"On Tatooine?!" She shouted, but spoke her next words just above a whisper. "Din, why do you have someone waiting on Tatooine? You know what-" She held up her hands before he could utter another word, "give me a few minutes to think about it. Go wait with Ana and I'll let you know."
Din nodded his head stiffly before he left Myrah alone on the balcony, following the familiar path to the living room. Myrah's head fell, her hair gathering in front of her face as all the thoughts flew through her head.
Leave with Din, she thought. That's what she wanted, of course, but she would have to give up all the training she did so far. Along with all the teachings she was providing to Shira, Ana's little, talented girl. She had a future with the Force, an important one. Myrah could feel that already.
Granted, not all of her teachings ended up well. Her actual teacher was better than Myrah, she admitted that weeks ago. If only she could contact them, perhaps they could take the little green baby under their wing.
"One last chance." She grumbled and stomped into her room, closing the balcony doors and drawing the curtains shut. "You get one last chance to show yourself, got it?"
Myrah crawled on her bed, the plush, white mattress sank beneath as she moved towards the center. "Please. Talk to me," she whispered while she sat criss-cross on the bed. She reached out as far as she could in the Force, trying to grasp onto anything - or anyone. "I need your help."
There was nothing but an eerie silence in her mind. No hints, no help. It was so quiet that she could hear her own delicate breathing that began to quicken. Her face grew red and soon her brown eyes shot open, wide and full of anger.
"Damn you!" She grabbed the pillow behind her, tossing it across the room. It hit the wall with a quiet thunk, thankfully missing the mirror to its left.
"Woah." A gentle voice spoke with a chuckle. "We never really got to refining your patience, did we?"
Myrah's eyes quickly darted up to the voice. A blue haze of a man stood at the end of her bed, old and worn down by life, yet he still wore a smile. His hair was white and brushed across his head, accompanied by a short, equally white beard. He was cloaked in earthy robes, a signature of the Jedi, but Myrah was sure to recognize him regardless.
She'd known him from years past, way before he even had the wrinkles that decorated his skin. She knew him from when he was at his best, when he could take down hundreds of droids within minutes. Well, perhaps a few years after that, but she heard all the stories.
"Papa." A grateful smile snuck up on her face before it turned into a foul scowl. "Where have you been?" She stood up in a hurry. "I've been calling to you for months and nothing, but now? Now you decide to answer. Why am I here? Why did you and mom force me away-"
"We have plenty of time to answer your questions, just sat down and we can talk about it. Hm?" He hummed and sat at the edge of the bed, calmly patting the spot next to him.
Myrah scoffed. "Plenty of time? I need to have a decision in a few minutes! I don't have all the time in the galaxy. Unlike some people."
The old man nodded along as she spoke, seeming to understand all that she was saying. "But you already know your answer, don't you?"
"Oh, please." Another voice called. Myrah's eyes snapped to the new, also blue and translucent figure. Her brown hair was pulled back in several, intricate braids and her eyes seemed as youthful as ever. She was dressed similarly to the man, in beige and red robes, but not as layered. "Give her a break, won't you, Obi Wan? You're starting to sound like Yoda."
"Aaryn, darling, she's called on us."
Myrah grumbled to herself and crossed her arms over her chest. "I have been for a while, but thanks for checking in."
The woman, Aaryn, moved closer to Myrah, cupping her face in her ghostly hands to pull her gaze up. "We've heard you, I promise. As I see you've heard us as well. There's a reason for all of this." Her hands cascaded through Myrah's hair and brushed against her face. A whimper escaped Myrah as she leaned into the touch. "I need you to remember."
Aaryn's hand rose to Myrah's forehead and before she could stop it, she was thrown back into another world, another time. She was surrounded by an area so vaguely familiar yet foreign at the same time.
"You're not going to meet up with us." A young girl, only nineteen, whispered knowingly. She had brown hair that was pulled back into a low bun and sad brown eyes that were slowly filling with tears. A smaller girl stood next to her, gripping her hand for dear life as they both stared up at the woman before them.
The woman, Aaryn, nodded. The golden light of Coruscant hid her gray hairs, and restored her youthful glow.
"You two need to get out of here. Go to the temple. Tell them Aaryn Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi sent you. You'll be safe there, they'll find you a place to stay."
"I-" The girl started to plead.
"Don't fight me on this, Myrah." Aaryn demanded. "Go."
Myrah nodded tearfully and took off, dragging her auburn-haired friend behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, watching as the woman she grew to know as a mother sit on the ground, awaiting her death.
"The temple." Myrah breathed, grasping her arms while her body shook from the quiet sobs that escaped her. "Why now?"
"We hoped you would bring the child with you to train." Obi Wan stood and wrapped an arm around Myrah, soothing her as she calmed down. "Seeing as that's not an option, we have another idea."
Myrah sniffled and wiped at her nose, "which is?"
"Well," Aaryn shifted slightly, "we can't exactly say, but we know you will lead the child in the right direction." She smiled at Myrah and placed a gentle kiss against her forehead. It sent a chill through her body. "You have never steered us wrong."
"Right, except for every single thing I've ever done." Myrah was answered with nothing but silence. Her gaze lifted around the room, finding herself once again, alone. "Figures." She muttered and tried to regain her breath.
A knock sounded on the door, followed by a loving voice, one not too different from Aaryn's. "Myrah? Are you alright? It sounded like you were crying?" The door creaked open as Ana peered in, finding Myrah sitting at the edge of the bed, folded over with her hands hiding her face.
"Are you leaving?" She kept her voice low as she lowered herself next to her sister. "If you ask me, I think it's for the best." Myrah remained quiet, avoided Ana's words and all that came with them. "It'll be good for you," she continued, "he seems good for you, hm? It may not be the life we used to dream of, but isn't it better? He cares about you and trust me, it's not as easy as I make it seem."
Myrah sniffled and chuckled as Ana nudged her. She wanted to tell her what she'd seen, that she'd just spoken to their parents, but looking in her eyes, it almost seemed like she already knew.
"C'mon." Ana stood and pulled Myrah up from the bed. "You look a mess. We can't have you going out to see Mando like that. Or is it Din?" She teasingly raised an eyebrow and dabbed at Myrah's eyes with a soft cloth. "I know he's probably seen you at your worst, but it wouldn't kill you to look just a little bit more presentable."
Ana quickly helped pack up what little belongings Myrah had and tied a silky blue ribbon in her hair before ushering her out of the room. Din was sitting casually and surprisingly relaxed in the living room, chatting away with Kodo while Shira and Grogu played with the Force at their feet.
"I'll go with you." Myrah stood in front of the couch, gripping the small bag in her hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Din broke away from his conversation, meeting Myrah's determined eyes. "What?"
"I said," she smiled and stood up just a bit straighter with a newfound confidence, "I'll go with you." Her hand rose to the necklace that hung from her neck, fidgeting with the Mandalorian pendant. "We're in this together, aren't we?"
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