Summary:

In which an old acquaintance had contacted the Mandalorian, and requested to meet with him back in Nevarro in order to close a deal. Trust was not something that could be found from the old contact, but it was a risk that you and the armoured man were willing to take. But first, you needed to find some reinforcements.

Word Count: 3135

***

Reality had hit you like a slap in the face when the Razor Crest had finally been fully repaired from its major damages. You didn't want to leave this planet just yet. It was perfect to lay low without any ex-imperials or guild bounty hunters being able to find you. But with the remnants of the empire still being around, you were aware that many others may be harmed in order for the enemy to get to you and the child. You couldn't just have a vacation while innocent lives are being taken. Just because the old ways of the Jedi code have been abolished, you also couldn't abandon your values of being compassionate and selfless as a Jedi.

"You doing alright, (y/n)?" A velvety voice called out from behind you.

You whipped your head to see the Mandalorian almost fully dressed in his armour, with only his helmet missing from him. Sooner than later, he'll have put it on and you'll be staring at not his wonderful and comforting hazel brown eyes, but the black intimidating T shape of his helmet. 

"Right now, not so much," you sheepishly admitted, still staring at the mesmerizing turquoise-shaded ocean. 

"Not ready to leave? Don't worry, neither am I," he replied back with reassurance in his tone. 

"We have to stop the remaining people of the empire. Who knows what lengths they'll go through just to get to me and Grogu." You paused, your face downcast on the soft sand for the last time, "I almost forgot how you looked like with all your armour on."

"I gotta admit, it was pretty nice taking all that off especially with a humid climate like this," the Mandalorian chuckled, "less heavier, and I could move around more. And of course, kiss you easier without my helmet on."

"Wow! Have you been practicing on cheesy pickup lines with Grogu?"

"No... Maybe sometimes," he felt the pigmentation of overwhelm the original shade of his, now suddenly wishing he had his helmet on for this situation. 

"Don't feel bad about it, I think it's adorable Din, you flashed a gentle smile at the rather bashful armoured man.

"One last kiss before I put my helmet on for awhile again?"

You nodded, your gentle smile now stretching your cheeks wide as if it'll rip any moment. You felt his lips make contact with yours for the last time for now. Pulling back from the kiss, you watched as his face hid underneath his helmet, seeing nothing but the motionless black T shape. 

"I have the coordinates for this planet. We'll come back here once things calm down, alright?" His now modulated voice suggested.

"I also forgot how you sounded like underneath your helmet too," you snickered.   

The Mandalorian then gently placed his fingers underneath your chin, "I can't show my face to anyone, (y/n). But I'm willing to break my code for you. When this is all over, we'll come back here and I'll never have to wear my armour for a long time."

You smiled at him, feeling reassured from his words. The last few moments was spent by you gazing at the beautiful beach for the last time. You were most definitely going to miss this unnamed planet. But for now, you had to leave and make sure that no more innocent lives were to be harmed. 

You turned your gaze away from the beach, spotting the Mandalorian and the child now on his floating silver orb waiting for you by the Razor Crest, which really meant that it was time to go. The little green bean sported a saddened expression, knowing clearly that he too didn't want to leave just yet. 

"Don't worry, Grogu. We'll be back here before you know it. I'll miss this place too," you chuckled, holding onto his miniature green hand. 

The three of you boarded inside the ship, with Grogu's silver orb following along not too far behind. You scanned the inside of the ship, there was no sign of any wreckage, it's as if the chase with the x-wings had never even occurred. Thankfulness flooded within you, because Din was such a resourceful handy man. You knew you could fly ships, but repairing them was definitely not your forte. 

You approached into the cockpit, where you sat on the right side of the main pilot's seat of the aircraft. The Mandalorian toggled with the many buttons and switches of the ship, its engines were functioning perfectly. The Razor Crest ascended from the ground, where you spotted the size of the beach shrinking until you reached the very atmosphere of the planet, and ascended into the stars. 

Excited coos emitted from the little green bean, where you spotted him pointing at the sphere part of one of the switches of the ship. Grogu looked at you with his dark large beady eyes, cocking his head to side to gesture you to reach for the item. 

"Try grabbing the sphere like you did with the palm leaves during our training, Grogu," you gently instructed the adorable little green creature. 

Grogu let out a little nervous whimper, letting you know that he wasn't entirely fond of not getting it perfectly done in front of his father, the Mandalorian. 

"It's alright, Grogu. Din has seen you lift up those palm leaves too, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you do something like that again. It'll be alright little one, just take your time."

His large pointy ears motioned up and down, until he closed his eyes tightly, reaching out to the sphere and concentrated on the force. The sphere started to spin, letting out a soft squeaky shriek. In a matter of a fews seconds, the sphere then flung towards Grogu, landing directly onto his palm. 

The armoured man sat up from his seat, proudly clapping his gloved hands from his adopted child's success, "Good job kid! Wow, very good. We knew you could do it." 

"Well done, Grogu! Have faith and patience in yourself. Just remember what I told you the other day, it's okay not being able to get it the first time." 

The adorable green creature babbled excitedly, swirling his long-nailed fingers around as the metallic sphere followed along in its directions. You were glad that even by the simplest of things, Grogu was easily entertained. 

"Yeah, mommy's teaching you well, isn't she?" The Mandalorian complimented, averting his gaze towards you. 

You felt your cheeks heat up from the blush that formed. It was still so surreal to you that Grogu sees you like his mother, and Din was like a father to him. Your entire life was the Jedi Order, but now it consisted of the most feared bounty hunter in the in the outer rim of the galaxy, a creature of the same species as one of your old masters, and a Jedi. You didn't exactly picture your family looking like this, but you wouldn't trade the two of them for anyone else. 

"Mommy and daddy are extremely proud of you, Grogu." You paused, scooping the child up in your arms, "I promise I won't let them touch you, I'll protect you as long as I live." 

Before the Mandalorian can add on to the heartfelt conversation, a beeping noise was heard from his transmitter. As he activated the device, a blue hologram of an older man appeared before your eyes, with his arms crossed in front of his chest. It seemed he had a somewhat important message to deliver.

"My friend, if you are receiving this transmission, that means you are alive. You might be surprised to hear this, but I am alive too. I guess we can call it even. A lot has happened since we last saw each other.  The man who hired you is still here, and his ranks of ex-imperial guards have grown. They have imposed despotic rule over my city, which has impeded the livelihood of the Guild. We consider him an enemy, but we cannot close enough to take him out. If you would consider one last commission, I will very much make it worth your while. You have been successful in staving off their hunters, but they will not stop until they have their prize. So, here is my proposition. Return to Nevarro. Bring the child as bait. I will arrange an exchange, and provide loyal Guild members as protection. Once we get near the client, you kill him, and we both get what we want. If you succeed, you keep the child and I will have your name cleared with the Guild. For a man of honour should not be forced to live in exile. I await your arrival with optimism."

The hologram hissed as the long message had finally ended. Looking at the facial features of that Guild member, you suddenly remembered that a man had fallen off of the Razor Crest before you boarded it; it was this man. The two males had obviously left each other on a bad note, considering that they along with other Guild members, were fighting over the possession of Grogu. 

Throughout the message, you could immediately sense the tenseness radiating from the Mandalorian. You clearly remembered bright as day when the armoured man was running from the entire Guild with Grogu in his arms. These mercenaries don't take lightly on traitors who break their precious Guild code. 

By now, you could sense the conflict and contemplation within him. His body language was filled with tension, with a slight anger mixed into it. It was clear that he wanted to get even with some sort of revenge. After all, these ex-imperials wanted to collect a child. 

Your nose scrunched from hearing that very name of Nevarro. After the events of Order 66, that planet was one of the few other places where you had to endure many of your sufferings, such as being a dishwasher (more like a slave to your former employer) on what felt like an eternity.

"Not a big fan of Nevarro, right?" The Mandalorian interrupted you deep in thought.

You shook your head, both gesturing a no and getting your head back into reality, "Lots of unpleasant memories from that planet. I never thought we actually had to set foot in that junkyard once again. So yes, I'm not entirely fond of coming back."

"Well, let's just hope they don't keep us there for too long. My old friends would hate to see me." the armoured man snickered. 

For awhile, the Mandalorian was silent, clueless on what his next steps were going to be. Suddenly, he set the coordinates to your next destination; Sorgan. It was the planet where Din had discovered that you're a Jedi. At least you weren't going to that wasteland as of right now. 

"I could sense deep conflict within you, Din." You paused, standing beside the perplexed Mandalorian as you gently took a hold of his hand, "You know you can always tell me what's in your mind."

The armoured man let out a modulated sigh, hesitating at first to answer you, "I just don't feel like he should be trusted. Something about this whole thing feels off. I broke the Guild code, and I don't think they're going to let that go any time soon, so they might try to even it out with me and take Grogu."

"If that so happens, then I'll be able to sense it before they even lay a finger on Grogu. I know you took Grogu with you, but how exactly did you break the code?"

"As a Guild member, the number one rule is to never ask questions on what will happen to a specific target. I remembered bringing in a target recently before the kid. I carbon froze him, handed him over to my client, got my pay, and left without asking questions. Grogu here was my biggest bounty as of now, my full amour of beskar just proves it. But something in me snapped, and I asked what they'll do to him as if it was an instinct for me to do so. I did leave him at first, but something just told me to come back for the kid and rescue him from being experimented on from those imps. And of course, you probably know the whole running away from everyone part." 

You smiled gently, pulling his armoured body into an embrace, "It was the will of the force, Din. It wasn't a matter of what the rules were about, but that it was simply the right thing to do," you proudly told him. 

"Yeah, I guess maybe the force had something to do with this too," he chuckled, "I just had get the kid out of there."

"I'm glad you made the right decision. Now, Grogu's safe here with us."

"We just need to keep a good eye out on him," the Mandalorian toggled with the ships switches, now transitioning into hyperspace.

"So, we're also gonna recruit Cara Dune as well?"

"Yes. We need all the help and muscle we can get if we're going to meet up with my old acquaintance, Greef Karga." 

"Greef Karga, so that was the name of the man who was pushed off of the ship," you chuckled from the memory that you remembered. 

"Is that how you remembered him?" The Mandalorian asked, fighting the urge to laugh alongside with you. 

"Yeah, I saw him fall flat onto the ground before I snuck aboard the Razor Crest." 

Finally transitioning out of hyperspace, the planet Sorgan had appeared right before you. In just a few minutes, you arrived in its atmosphere, spotting the familiar greenery and bodies of water that surrounded this planet. The Razor Crest landed smoothly in the middle of a forested area. 

The rays of the sunlight penetrated onto your eyes as the ramp door of the ship opened. It blinded you at first, but it was so good to see the sun and breathe fresh air once again. 

"Let's go find our friend, Cara," the Mandalorian stated, walking a few steps ahead.

"Grogu and I are right behind you, boss," you saluted him in a teasing manner. 

When the three of you arrived at the outdoor canteen, you spotted right away the built woman having a friendly sparring competition with a larger Zabrak. A ray of light that resembled a rope emitted from their belts, most likely to prevent them from flying onto the audience. 

Punches and grunts were exchanged from the two competitors, as the cheers from the people roared louder and louder with whoever got hit the most. The Zabrak even threw Cara onto the bar counter, resulting her to land hard on her back. But despite the impact of that force, the ex-shock trooper brushed it off with a mere snicker. 

For a second, the Zabrak seemed to have the upper hand when he was pulling the rope in which pulled Cara along with it as well. But to his surprise, the built woman landed quick punches and kicks onto his bulky body, pinning him onto the ground between her legs as she wrapped the rope around his neck. The horned tattooed creature groaned in pain, causing him to shut off the beam of light, signalling his defeat. 

The built woman raised both of her arms up in the air, sporting a tired, but genuine smile from her win. 

"Pay up, mudscruffers!" She stretched her arms out for her payment, in which people came up and paid her well deserved reward. "Come on. That's mine, thank you. All right, thank you."

Amongst the crowd, you and the Mandalorian appeared before her. 

"Looking for some work?" The armoured man asked. 

The ex-shock trooper let out an exhausted laugh, leading the three of you onto an empty table. You whipped your head behind, spotting Grogu waddling adorably behind you. You all sat on the empty area as the Mandalorian explained the game plan to Cara.

"It seems like a straightforward operation. They're providing the plan and firepower. I'm the snare."

"With the kid?' She asked.

"That's why we're coming to you."

"I don't know, I've been advised to lay low. If anybody runs my chain code, I'll rot in a cell for the rest of my life."

"I thought you were a veteran."

"I've been a lot things since. Most of them carry a life sentence. If I so much as book a passage on a ship registered to the New Republic, I'm-"

"I have a ship. I can bring you there and back with a handsome reward. You can live free of worry." The Mandalorian suddenly cut her off.

"I'm already free of worry, and I'm not in the mood to play soldier anymore. Especially fighting some local warlord."

"He's not a local warlord. He's Imperial."

Cara was silent for a moment. But then, her lips twitched into a slight smile, nodding her head in agreement, "I'm in."

"A Mandalorian, an ex-shock trooper, and a Jedi. We might just be unstoppable," you teased, now focusing your gaze onto the built woman, "I'm no Luke Skywalker, but I hope I can be half the Jedi he is." 

"Trust me, with what we're doing right now, being with any Jedi would make our job a whole lot easier," she snickered, chugging down her drink. "Plus, with what I saw you do with that AT-ST walker from that night, those lousy imps would be scattering like rats." 

You let out a bashful chuckle, feeling flattered from her compliments. You then suddenly got your sights on a brown hooded cloak on a chair that seemingly got left behind. Your hands instinctively grabbed onto the piece of clothing, letting nostalgia wash over you. It's been years since you've worn one of these, the last time being during the clone wars. The individual was no Jedi, you sensed it. But despite that, you took it, since no one else seems to claim it at this time.

You stood before the Mandalorian and ex-shock trooper, both of them looking quite amazed from your appearance as you wore the hooded cloak. Grogu's expression perked up, knowing clearly that he's seen that during his time at the Jedi temple in Coruscaunt.

"Now that's a look I've missed seeing," the built woman happily pointed out.

"If I want to scare those imps, then I need to start looking like a Jedi again."