CHAPTER 8

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THE STIFLED FOREBODING!

*:･ﾟ✧

Gaia pokes her injury gently with a finger, testing the scale of discomfort. Her fingertip just barely meets with her cheek when a twinge of pain jolts through her, disturbing the wound, and it causes her to quickly retract the digit. A grimace lingers on her face. She draws a prolonged breath in to steady herself and gazes at The Child standing atop the control board. He peeks around in a curious manner, settling his focus onto a switch glowing green and deliberately pushing it as he softly coos, tilting his head.

Nothing happens.

The Child waits patiently, and Gaia arches an eyebrow in vague amusement — somewhat interested to see how it will come to play out.

The Child presses the same button once more.

"Stop touching things," Mando asserts, keeping his attention forward and unfazed.

Disregarding the Mandalorian's order, The Child slowly reaches for another button while maintaining eye contact with the bounty hunter's helmet, resuming his childish antics. He pushes it. A grating jerk rumbles throughout the Razor Crest, causing Mando to hastily undo the damage and place The Child in his lap for safekeeping. Gaia releases a breathless laugh, which merely earns her a pointed look from her brilliant companion.

"Stop laughing, Gaia. He could get hurt."

"Come on," Gaia coaxes, "he's a child. He can't help it. When they're small, everything is so fascinating to them or so I've been told."

Mando expels a sigh, regarding the solar system map that's showcased on the foremost screen. "Let's see," he muses. "Sorgan. Looks like there's no star port, no industrial centers, no population density. Real backwater skug hole, which means it's perfectly ideal for us."

Gaia's rapture has faded over time. She worries for their safety and especially The Child's, but perhaps Sorgan will allow them peace for a few weeks and for Gaia's concern to dwindle to a minimum so she'll be able to relax for once. Although, who's to say how poor their pursuers' skills are when it comes to tracking. None of them managed to find The Child on Arvala-7 though — maybe they won't find him here either or even come close to uncovering them. However, this is the Guild. The bounty hunter organisation is chock-full of adept individuals and they would do almost anything if the price is right.

"You ready to lay low and stretch your legs for a couple of months, you little womp rat?" Mando asks, looking down at The Child who softly gurgles. "Nobody's gonna find us here."

Anxiously fidgeting with her hands, Gaia mumbles to herself, "I hope you're right."

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Sorgan is a beautiful planet. When the Razor Crest had entered its orbit, lush verdure and swirling clouds was bestowed across the entire planet;cracks and yawning fractures on its prosperous surface. Calming streams and lakes, thriving forests, and solid ground could be distinctly perceived once closer — starship perched upon the soil in a huge clearing. Tall trees confine them, vivid sunlight filtering through their abundant leaves and pines, wind rustling branches like an eager child.

"Listen-" Mando places The Child in the pilot chair, "I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna look around. It shouldn't take too long. . ."

"Wait. You're not taking me with you?" A flare of disbelief is written across Gaia's face. She would hate to admit it but Sorgan somehow reminds her of her homeworld, with all of the thick foliage and roaring rivers. It's not an exact replica of Cresmira though, possessing a lack of its soil's rough texture, cold weather, and pretty mountains, yet she still wishes to see Sorgan's undivided glory, to disembark and explore it on a nonchalant quest to discover similarities between the two planets. The world beyond this spacecraft is calling out to her, like a homeward aria which effortlessly threads through her whole being.

"No," Mando announces. "I need you to stay here on the ship, watching over the little one."

Mando faces The Child afterwards. "Now, don't touch anything. I'll find us some lodging, then I'll come back for the both of you — I promise. You stay right here. You stay. Don't move. You understand? Great."

Mando walks past Gaia, glancing at her prior to his brisk departure. "You as well. You stay."

A bitter glare overtakes Gaia and she pouts childishly. Throwing her head back against her assigned chair, she briefly closes her eyes, eventually blinking them open and gazing in The Child's general direction, only, he's not there. A shuddering panic resonates within Gaia and she hurriedly scouts the cockpit, yet there's not a single sign of him. She vacates the chamber, swiftly grabbing Dawnbringer, and strides all the way to the back of the Razor Crest in her search. She glimpses Mando on the opposite end, muttering something incoherent to The Child who stands next to him before she joins them.

The Mandalorian casually observes Gaia, nodding towards the outside. "Let's go."

She offers him a fleeting smile. "Thank you."

The forest submerging them is expanded for many miles. Venturing deep inside, the trio navigates over fallen branches, pine needles, and twigs, listening to the secluded silence fully immersing them as they advance ahead. Gaia inspires a breath. The smell of mild undergrowth tangles in her nostrils, and it's collectively wonderful and refreshing. Her distant homeworld doesn't seem so far away — so out of reach — when she permits the natural aroma to carry her safely onward, and both it and Sorgan may gladly be found comparable when traversing the wild;where the ways of the planet itself has taken root.

"You seem to enjoy this," Mando notes quietly, earning a somber look from Gaia.

"The forest specifically reminds me of my childhood," she reveals. A sad light fills her eyes. "It's been a long time since I've felt any traces of home. I thought I would never feel this way again, you know, but here we are."

Somewhat hesitant to even put the question out into the open, Mando asks, "How come?"

The idle thoughts calmly stirring within Gaia's mind vanishes at once. A cold shiver ambles down the entire length of her spine, and her heart leaps all the way from her ribcage to her throat in a single jump, strangling the perishing words which were previously balancing upon her tongue. She feels almost scared, fussing about what to say, or debating if opening up a bit would be a consistent idea. Although, just the thought of uttering a sliver of her past to him seems foolish. No-one is forcing her to do it yet she's still able to feel a hint of pressure on her. She's in conflict, and the issue just so happens to be that she desire to share things with him.

A sudden, hideous sting of nausea lingers in the back of Gaia's throat. It swells slowly by the second and is accompanied by a slight tinge of dizziness, loitering within her head.

The feeling and situation is mismatched, however;the cramped sensations do not stem from Mando seeking dangerous answers. The unexpected discomfort feels singular in form, as if it were brought on by something else. Gaia is unaware of what exactly it is that's causing her to feel like this, but it must be nothing important. It'll go away. It has to.

Gaia blinks. ". . .I don't, I don't know."

"You don't know why you feel at home here?" Mando inquires, confused by Gaia's reply.

"No," she stammers. "Nevermind. It—It doesn't matter. Let's just, you know, concern ourselves with finding some shelter for now."

Gaia clears her throat in order to implement a meager pause. She directs her attention forward and the task is hard. A mediocre headache is tearing through her head all of a sudden, preventing her clarity from pulling completely through and causing her senses to be clouded. Her Spectre is unusually quiet.

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As a distraction, Gaia has her eyes following The Child. He glances excitedly around while trotting after Mando and it would normally bring a hidden smile to her lips, but the constant chatter of the people roaming about the enclosed hut rings in her ears the whole time like a sickening tune. She watches in silence as The Child treads onward, nearing a creature unwinding beneath some stools.

"Don't—"

Gaia is too late as the animal shrieks threateningly at The Child. It bares its pearly canines, lurching forward while The Child yelps, helplessly stumbling back in fright until Gaia scoops him up into her embrace without hesitation;holding him close to her chest. She pulls Dawnbringer forth and the steel sings, jerking the tip of the sword's blade very much at the furry animal. A muffled coo from The Child brushes against the skin of her neck.

"I swear on Stagia, come at him with that attitude again and I will surely kill you!"

Gaia eyes the cowering animal with a firm look and then marches away. She withdraws Dawnbringer once more — satisfied — and joins Mando in order to place The Child upon a seat by an empty table. She descends into her own stool afterward, heaving a fatigued sigh. An amiable woman approaches them and a kind smile strikes her face, mirth lining the brim of her wise eyes. Gaia can hear the older woman inquire about their order while she lowers her head in the meantime. She shuts her eyes, barely listening, and only providing a hum when Mando tells her that he'll be back soon. Her headache rages on.

Failing to comprehend things properly, Gaia doesn't notice The Child removing himself from the table with his bowl of soup a while later — not until he returns with Mando and a woman on his heels. The stranger's dark brown hair, rich with savage curls, grazes her armor-clad shoulders just barely and is diligently swept back into a high ponytail, numerous beauty marks peppered across her sharp facial features; ardent gaze gleaming with a poised shine. She looks plenty capable — having experienced many battles, bare arms teeming with tempered muscles, her skin carved with a small tattoo underneath her left eye and a second much larger one that's wrapped around her right upper arm.

Gaia can feel the woman's presence nearing her and she instinctively cracks her eyes open to warily examine everything. "Who're you?"

The other woman throws her a relaxed grin, claiming a seat for herself right next to Gaia. She's being extra careful with where her focus lies yet Gaia can easily tell that she's inspecting her blue complexion and acquired wound thereafter. She gestures to Mando. "Someone who just handed this guy his ass."

Gaia frowns, shooting Mando a puzzled look while he assists The Child to his stool. "It was a misunderstanding," he clarifies, "and if we have to be technical then it was a tie at best."

"So, what you're essentially telling me," Gaia drawls, her wicked amusement returning, "is that you two got into a fight and she won?"

"No."

"Yes."

Gaia's attention drifts between Mando and the stranger as they both answer her in unison, only furthering the blithering atmosphere which is lessening her ailing body. In truth, she's not all that interested in who came out victorious but more so in their easygoing disagreement. It gives her a lively display of their varying personalities and she's fairly intrigued so far:she has not felt this much at ease in a long time. Sitting by friendly chatter, in a peaceful environment, she doesn't have to think about the next mission or about who might not return.

Gaia elevates her hand in greeting, a warm smile plastered onto her face. "I'm Gaia."

The stranger accepts. "Cara Dune."

Mando watches their exchange without a word. Gaia and Cara's untroubled meeting is not so shocking to him, they both seem like two corresponding individuals who would get along rather quickly for that exact reason, and he doesn't doubt that it could lead to something incredibly steadfast in the future. The scenario is somewhat aggravating to him, he must admit. This is nothing like when him and Gaia first met. Their early impressions of each other were tentatively horrid back then, and he's now come around to regret it wholly.

Gaia shifts on her stool, attention straying unto Mando who initiates a conversation with Cara, wondering as to why he was looking so intently at her earlier. She then turns rigid albeit it's subtle, breathing sharply in once noticing the Rebel armband tattoo engraved into Cara's skin. She was with the Alliance.

"—Saw most of my action mopping up after Endor. Mostly Ex-Imperial Warlords," Cara elucidates, elbows leaning against the table. "They wanted it fast and quiet. They'd send us in on the drop ships. No support, just us."

An interlude plays out, allowing Cara to gather her thoughts. "Then when the Imps were gone, the politics started. We were peacekeepers, protecting delegates, suppressing riots. Not what I signed up for."

"How'd you end up here?" Mando elaborates.

"Let's just call it an early retirement." Cara's posture begins to slouch suddenly. "Look, I knew you were Guild. I figured you had a fob on me — that's why I came at you so hard."

"Yeah, that's what I figured."

Cara provides a rating glance towards Mando and then Gaia, contemplating her next move or so. "Well," she says after a short moment, "this has been a real treat but unless you wanna go another round, one of us is gonna have to move on — and I was here first. . ."

Cara smiles in passing, planting her assuring gaze onto Gaia as if to kindly say goodbye before taking her leave without another word.

"Well, looks like this planet's taken."

Gaia nods. "So it would seem."

— Author's Note —

Ladies and gentlemen, some serious shit is about to go down in the next chapter.