CHAPTER 35

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THE STARRY IMPACT!

*:･ﾟ✧

Stargazing became a weekly occurrence.

Gaia found alleviation in the stars, the small clusters of twinkling gems taking her by the hand and making her a constellation in the sky, merged with the universe as it reminded her of happier times. Mando knew it — he could sense it every time they would lie on the stiff ground after The Child and her had shared dinner, the smell of roasted meat lingering in the air still. They would gaze upwards, to the heavens which were painted black and poured with shimmering dots. It felt magical, almost. Mando had come to like it, to breathe the night air in and allow it to touch him, to not swat the shadows away.

The Child would participate, too. Though none of them could guess what he thought.

"I've missed this," Gaia had reminisced, permitting The Child to settle in the curve of her arm. She smiled, honest and thankful. "It's a lot of fun when you're three about it."

Mando had given her a nod. "The stars are quite visible out here," he noted, afterwards.

"It pays off when a planet's not inhabited."

Gaia swayed her head, eyes brought upon Mando who was beside her. The pace of her heart sped just a bit faster as he mirrored her actions. And there they were, laid so close to each other, heartbeats soaring and singing in their ears. Gaia felt her mind go numb. Mando held her gaze just as much as she did his, her desire to feel his skin beneath her fingertips and lips upon her mouth slurring her thoughts in riveting patterns. She wanted to reach out and gently separate his facade with his identity, though the steel were a barrier of its own. A statement born from faith. She broke the contact between them, finally, and pointed up at the darkened sky.

"Right there. It looks like a Blurrg, don't you think?" Gaia had motioned with her outstretched finger, drawing an image in the humid air and mapping the idle stars out.

Mando realized, then, that his breath had clogged his own throat — a sad apprehension of his armor standing in the way of him kissing her. His focus was now to the sky. "It does," he agreed, tilting his head a bit, "and I know someone who looks exactly like that."

"Who?" Gaia questioned, excited.

"You."

"Ha—!"

Gaia had succumbed to laughter. She immediately caved while knowing he attempted to somewhat joke about, bringing a hand up to her lips in order to muffle the snorts bounding their way out. "I guess I'm just that unusual, huh?" she prompted him.

"Yes," he continued, though stopping once feeling bad about his lame joke. "No. . .you're not even remotely ugly." Becoming embarrassed, he turned his eyes to the sky, trailing off like a record player. "You're. . ."

Gaia looked at him, anticipating him to finish his sentence. "Decent?" she tried, afterward.

"Pretty," he mumbled.

Gaia had suppressed a shy smile and bit down on her bottom lip. She said nothing, only following her partner's example and exhaling as she let the stars swallow her vision in glowing dimensions. It crossed her mind if saying something was necessary, though coming to find the comfortable silence sufficient. Instead, she had allowed her passion to rule her and be subtly known.

It was then that Mando felt a tender pressure around his pinkie. He hadn't dared affirm it in fear of it actually not being true and went on to relish in Gaia tangling a few of her fingers with his, bound to laws of their own.

What Gaia had remembered next was far from observing the stars, but resting on the collapsable cot she called her bed. She felt a lack of warmth underneath her chin and would never come to be aware of The Child dozing off in his hammock. However, the figure some distance away from her — placed outside beyond the lowered ramp of the Razor Crest would remain with her, faintly.

The cot just so happend to be positioned in front of the exit and as the moonlight had poured inside, illuminating the floor in oceans of silver, Gaia weakly perceived Mando watching the stars with his helmet tipped back. It had been just enough for his sight to graze the lovely night sky, hands holding his helmet steady while he'd blink the seconds away. Seeing beauty like that, without a visor in the way, everything had become ten times clearer. Including Gaia.

Mando had lowered his crafted armor in preparation, his face slightly concealed by his arm as he slowly glanced off to the side. His brown eyes finally met her and he sighed.

She's asleep.

Mando had given in to his insecurities right then and there. He placed his helmet fully back on his head, consumed by obscurity and a certain guilt of having looped his way around the rules of his Mandalorian creed. He was afraid, to an extent, because it was precisely in that moment he realized what lengths he would go to for Gaia's affection and love. . .for him to remove his helmet.

Tracing the smooth lines of Argent Steel, Mando recalls it as if it was just yesterday. His shoulders tense with the memory and his fingertips press down hard on Gaia's sword.

The Razor Crest is eerily quiet now, and it's not the same without her and The Child.

One moment they were there and the next they were gone, as if swept away by the wind.

"I'm not going anywhere," he repeats, tasting the erratic words upon his tongue. "You wouldn't lie to me, Gaia. I know that much."

And then it echoes: hope.

Mando lifts his head, counting the beeps resounding from the scanning system implemented within the Razor Crest, alerting him to a shade of life. He nearly jumps to his feet, returning Dawnbringer to the corner as he runs for the ladder. He's entering the cockpit in record time, throwing himself into his seat and gazing outside where it meets his eye: another starship, another presence. . .

Mando wasn't kidding — he knew Gaia to be trustworthy and a friend above all, so it wasn't her he was doubtful of but the circumstances regarding her and The Child's disappearance. As soon as he had registered that they weren't anywhere near the vicinity when he woke up, he explored the forest and came upon a loosened chain at the bottom of a tall tree after some time, noting the sunken footprints in the ground. He could only assume from there that it was linked with Gaia and she'd been abducted, and who else would it be if not the Guild and its hunters?

Mando had made a crucial decision, then.

Following an assumption, he wasted no time and had set a regular course for the desert planet Nevarro, hoping to strike his luck and catch the other bounty hunter on the way.

As fate would have it, he guessed right.

"Come on, come on. . ." Mando grits his teeth, tampering with some switches and buttons in order to turn the Razor Crest's communication systems on so he may deliver a message. His focus is at a breaking point, the intercom complaining with static as he hurries to gain access to the other ship's main radio. Negotiation is a priority in this type of situation, especially when Gaia and The Child are most likely kept prisoner somewhere aboard the ship. Shooting it to pieces or engaging in a dog fight won't solve anything.

That's why, when the noise recedes, the first thing that comes out of Mando's mouth is:

"Whatever Credits you're promised, I'll pay you double the price." He's taken aback by himself and his willingness to bribe, when the connection between the two channels are coupled. His surprise doesn't last long, as he swore he caught a 'damn' on the other end.

"Uh. . .sir, I believe you have the wrong ship."

Mando hesitates for a short while by the female voice filtering through the speakers, although it's quickly pushed aside by him verbally acknowledging the one fact putting this whole charade out for good. "We're beyond the Outer Rim out here, hunter. No-one would've found us by pure chance on a planet teeming with such a flourishing ecosystem." Mando spares no time for a pause, resuming, "I know you have them."

An annoyed sigh fills the cockpit, and the change in tone is nearly enough to give him tarrying whiplash. "Well, aren't you a smart one~" the voice drawls without conflict, sounding amused. "You've even gone so far as to hunt me down — I'm truly honoured. . ."

"Surrender and I won't—"

"Aw, what~? No formal introductions first?" the voice fusses. "Are you really going to be like that, Mandalorian? All impolite? Fine, I'll start off then; my name is Farren Yelfir—"

"I'm only going to ask you this once," Mando interrupts, hardly fazed by the coaxing tone of Gaia's captor as he sternly inquires, "what is your true purpose by doing all of this?. . ."

"Are we really doing this?" The pitch of Farren's voice is gone. "Come on, you know this one already: money, advantage, power."

"But there's more to it than just that, isn't there?" Mando prods. He permits the momentum to settle before he begins to speak again, brazenly stating, "I want to negotiate."

"Oops~!" Farren sings, as if suddenly and overly carefree, "I'm afraid that's out of the question. My boss wouldn't approve of that."

Mando stops up, the suspense strangling him while the air inside the Razor Crest seems thicker and thicker by the minute. He's sweating, desperate to be able to breathe — to hold Gaia and The Child in his arms. His tongue feels swollen. "Who do you work for?"

Farren doesn't answer him back right away. There's silence for some time, either because she refuses to grant him a reply or simply because she doesn't know how to evade the question. But then she finally does respond, and Mando's heartbeat quickens in his chest.

". . .How the hell did you get out?"

— Author's Note —

I really enjoyed writing this chapter! The relationship between Gaia and Mando is honestly so sweet and I can't wait for them to be together as a badass couple. With that said, things are getting intense and a fight scene is coming up in the next chapter!😌 It'll also probably be some of the last "au" parts of this act since I need to wrap this story up!