A soft coo made Erin jump and her eyes flew open in alarm. The last thing she remembered was watching Din pilot the Crest from his chair.

"I must've fallen asleep when we jumped into hyperspace..." She mumbled to herself. She brought her hands up to her face and gingerly rubbed her eyes, yawning quietly. Green immediately flooded her vision, part of the lush forest that now surrounded the Crest. "Where are we?"

Something touched her calf and she yelped in surprise. Standing by her leg was a little gremlin-looking thing with wide eyes. "Well now... who are you, little one?" She asked softly as she lifted it into her lap. "I didn't know Din had a baby on board. You're cute." She booped his cute little nose. "Hey, where is that stubborn Mandalorian anyways?"

The baby cooed and raised his arm to point towards the ladder.

"He left? Why that slippery little-" Erin muttered under her breath. She cradled the baby in her arms and quickly stood from the chair. "C'mon kid, let's go find him. He isn't gonna leave us here all alone." She said as she headed for the ladder.

The entrance ramp was still open by the time she reached the cargo hold. In the distance, she could see Din's figure against the bright sky.

She hurried after him as quickly as she could, careful not to jostle the baby around too much. "Hey!" She shouted at him, closing the distance rather quickly. "Thanks for leaving us!"

Din huffed. "You were sleeping, so I decided to look for some lodging." He said, turning his head to look at the baby. "I thought I told you to stay put." He scolded.

The baby cooed softly and clung to Erin's shirt.

"Where'd you get this kid anyways? Is there something you haven't told me?" Erin shot him a skeptical look, wondering if he had ears like the baby under that helmet of his. It probably wasn't likely, but it was fun to imagine.

He definitely rolled his eyes at that. "He was the bounty I went to Arvala-7 for."

"Aren't you supposed to... y'know.. turn bounties in?"

"Yes."

"So... why haven't you turned him in yet? Surely your client isn't happy about it."

He sighed and shook his head. The sound of his footsteps combined with hers occupied the silence for a moment. "The client was Imperial." He said. "Something didn't feel right, so I went back for the kid. They had him hooked up to a machine. Whatever they were doing to him, it wasn't good."

Her gaze softened. "You saved him."

"I wasn't going to let them continue." He glanced at the baby as he walked. "The Empire is supposed to be dead. Yet there they were, hidden in plain sight."

"Why can't they just stay dead..." Erin pursed her lip and stared at the ground. This was bad news for everyone, no matter what planet they were on. If the Empire was trying to come back, the whole galaxy would be in danger yet again. "What do they want with him?"

"I don't know. He has these... special powers."

"Like what?"

Din didn't reply right away, his gaze shifting to the settlement that was just ahead. "I'll explain later. Let's go get the kid something to eat." He said as he took the lead. 

***

The cantina was large and spacious. Tables and booths surrounded the outer edges, while the center was reserved for the bar and the dance floor. In the far corner, a band played some tunes on a small stage.

"Nice place." Erin commented, gently bouncing the baby in her arms.

"Don't get too comfortable." Din said. He kept one hand on his belt, near his holstered blaster.

He led her over to a booth. They had barely taken a seat before someone—presumably a waitress—came over to check on them.

"Welcome, travelers! Can I get you anything?" The waitress asked.

While Din spoke with the woman, Erin's gaze wandered around the cantina. A group of hooded figures caught her attention and her heart practically leapt into her throat.

"Din." She whispered.

Din turned his head after the waitress had left. Erin never called him by name unless she was serious. "Trouble?" He asked.

She nodded. "The people wearing hoods. Furthest table on the right."

"I see them." Din said. "Who are they?"

"Smugglers. But instead of spice, they smuggle people."

"Are they a threat?"

Erin pursed her lip, absentmindedly hugging the child a little closer. "They might be if they see me." She shrunk down in her seat. "Let's just say I nearly ruined their business a couple years back."

Din released an exasperated sigh. "You've always had a knack for pissing off the wrong crowd." He muttered, watching the smugglers out of the corner of his eye. "Just stay calm. If they give us trouble, I'll handle it."

"While I don't doubt your skill and reputation, you're a goner if you take them on. No one crosses them and lives." She said.

"You lived." He retorted.

She rolled her eyes. "I got lucky! You won't."

"I'll take my chances."

"And leave this guy without a protector?"

Din stared at the child, then sighed. "Fine. Try to stay out of their sight until we leave. We can't afford to draw attention to ourselves."

"Too late. That disco ball armor of yours already did that."

She was right. Several pairs of eyes had been following them ever since they set foot in the cantina, and a few patrons were looking to make a move.

"Looks like you're pretty popular." Erin said. She didn't like how quiet the room had gotten, aside from the cantina band still playing tunes as if nothing was wrong. "You think that waitress is coming back?"

"No." Din muttered. His hidden gaze scanned his surroundings, searching for possible escape routes. The front door was their best way out, but that could easily land them in an ambush situation where the odds were not in their favor. The back door was an option, but that meant fighting their way through multiple enemies first. "Any ideas? Preferably one that doesn't include giving ourselves up."

"Hey, being a coward isn't so bad if it means you get to keep living." She huffed in annoyance. Looking down, she spotted a panel on the floor. She gave the handle a tug and it came loose. After she had opened the panel, she peered down into the darkness. "I found a trapdoor, but I'm not sure if there's water or solid ground at the bottom..."

"You better find out quickly," Din narrowed his eyes under his helmet as the waitress reappeared with two burly Devaronians by her side. "because we're running out of time."

Erin knelt under the table and dug through her pockets to see if she could find anything of use. "Of course, the one time I actually clean my pockets..." She muttered under her breath.

The child gave a soft coo, getting her attention.

"What is it?" She asked as she looked at him. Then, she noticed a metal ball clutched in his little hand. "Thanks, kid! You're smarter than you look."

She took the ball from him, ignoring the whine he gave afterwards, and dropped it down the hole. It only took a few seconds before she heard a distant splash.

"Well?" Din hissed urgently.

"It isn't that big of a drop, and there's water at the bottom. Or... what I hope is water." Erin said. "Wait a minute... we're not going to jump down there, are we?"

"Would you rather get blasted to pieces?"

"Good point." She glanced down at the child, who still seemed upset with her for tossing his toy. "I hope you don't mind getting wet."

"Go, I'll buy you some time." Din said. His hand inched closer to his holstered blaster.

"What about you?" Erin asked.

"Don't worry about me. Just get the kid to safety." Din replied.

Erin groaned and shook her head. "This 'heroism' shit is gonna get you killed one of these days, Djarin..." She mumbled as she dangled her legs over the edge. Swallowing her fear, she made sure to hold the child tightly against her chest. "Well, here goes nothing."

And with that, she slid over the edge and plummeted straight towards the darkness below.