CHAPTER TEN. 

THE VOYAGER

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Tess watched with uninterested eyes as one of Peli Motto's droids turned the large hunk of dragon meat over a spit. The flames from the engine they were using licked at the soft flesh, burning it to a crisp, blackening the outside skin. Tess gave a disgusted shake of her head, despite her mouth watering at the smell, and turned away. The child was still watching the meat with keen interest, and Tess raised a brow before walking over to stand next to the Mandalorian.

He was also watching the child, hands on his hips. His Beskar armor glinted in the dim light, illuminating the curved and delicate craftsmanship of the metal. It looked golden as he stood, silhouetted against the flames. Tess said nothing, only glanced up at him, crossed her arms over her chest, and turned back to the child.

To the side of them, Peli emerged, as boisterous as ever, and pointed a finger at the droid roasting the meat. "Hey, don't overcook it, Treadwell!" she yelled towards the droid, and Tess winced at how loud she was, this woman always seemed to be screaming, and it was starting to give Tess a headache. "I like it medium rare!"

Tess cocked her head to the side and whispered to the Mandalorian. "Tell me again why we're letting her eat our meat?" The Mandalorian smirked under his helmet and didn't reply, only shrugged his shoulders and looked back to the child. Tess scowled at the Mandalorian's lack of an answer, so she turned her head to survey their surroundings.

They stood in a small port near the edge of Mos Eisley, spare parts and mechanic tools strewn about the floor. About half a dozen pit droids milled about the place, welding together pipes or looking over at the meat. Tess turned her head more to see the Mandalorian's ship, the Razor Crest, he'd told her about earlier. Her nose crinkled at the sight of it as she remembered her and the Mandalorian's conversation before they were attacked.

It works.

Well?

It works. 

Tess shook her head at the sight of the rusty old thing, taking in the many patched up holes and the load of carbon scoring scuffed around the engine. She almost didn't want to know how badly in shape it was on the inside, where Mando had told her she could help fix it.

Something sparked inside her chest at the thought of getting her hands on some tools and fixing the vehicle up a bit. Ideas already began to sprung through her head as Peli continued to yell at her droid.

"I'm not some Rodian, for crying out loud." the woman said before coming up in front of Tess and Mando, hands poised on the loops of her belt.

"So you're a mechanic?" Tess asked her, voice as cold as ice. Peli smirked and nodded her head.

"That's right." she replied. Tess nodded, thinking to herself, and stared back at the woman. Peli did not break her gaze, no matter how much she wanted to. The Mandalorian shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as the two mechanics stared at each other, gazes like fire. He looked between the two, only slightly understanding why they were acting so odd. Mechanics, he thought to himself grimly.

Finally, Tess held out her hand. "Good to meet you." she said, and her words seemed to melt off her tongue. Peli looked at her in surprise, then smiled and shook Tess' hands. The Mandalorian gave Tess a shocked look, surprised the girl had been so formal. Tess Oprin wasn't one for manners.

"All right." Peli nodded in understanding towards Tess, who didn't smile, but had something of a respectful look on her face. Peli turned back to the Mandalorian. "Here's the deal." Tess moved back beside the Mandalorian, listening closely to Peli's next words.

"A Mandalorian covert is close." the woman continued. "It's in this sector, one system trailing."

"Are they the ones that left Nevarro?" the Mandalorian asked. Tess' face squished in confusion. Nevarro? She'd never heard of that planet before, and had no idea what business the Mandalorian had there. Then again, Tess had lived the last five years of her life in the middle of nowhere, with limited resources to the galaxy around them. She realized she probably didn't know a lot of things.

"Don't know." Peli replied. "All I know is that the contact will lead you to them."

"How much will it cost me?" the Mandalorian asked.

"Well, that's the great news." Peli answered. "It's free."

"What?" Tess interjected. From her experience, nothing was ever free. She eyed Peli cautiously, waiting for the catch.

It came. "Aside from a finder's fee, of course."

"What's the not-great news?" both Tess and the Mandalorian asked at the same time. They glanced at each other, and Tess' eyebrows raised. She frowned and looked down at her feet. Her legs ached after hours of walking out in the sands, and she couldn't wait to lie down and rest, to feel the confines of sleep overtake her, no matter if the nightmares came or not. She knew they weren't real, and therefore, she could beat them.

"Nothing." Peli said. "It's all great." Tess did not believe her. She stared at the woman for a long time, and Peli could feel Tess' gaze burning into her skin, but she paid it no mind. Tess frowned, seeing that she had no effect on the woman.

"Okay." the Mandalorian said, and Tess opened her mouth to whisper something to him, but he held up a hand to her. He turned her to go into the ship, but before that Peli opened her mouth again.

"However," Tess gave a frustrated sigh. "There is one small skank in the scud pie." Tess curled her hands into fists and bit the inside of her cheek. The Mandalorian turned back to Peli, his demeanor showing a small ounce of annoyance. Tess realized that every time he was slightly frustrated, the Mandalorian would tilt his head to the side slightly, and his arms would lay limply at his sides. Tess frowned at the thought. Why would she remember something like that? Something so minuscule and useless? Something that didn't concern her or anything she cared about?

"Why am I not surprised?" Tess stated, trying to forget her observation, and the Mandalorian's head straightened.

"Which is?" he asked Peli, voice monotone and as coarse as gravel.

"The contact wants passage to the system." Tess took a step forward, eyebrows knitting together. What kind of a passenger would want to travel with them? Tess immediately ended the judgement, because she realized that she herself had wanted passage with the Mandalorian, travelling with him to find the so-called "Jedi" that would get rid of her powers. Not for the first time since leaving Mos Pelgo, Tess wondered just what exactly she was doing there.

"Do you vouch for them?" the Mandalorian asked.

"On my life." Peli replied, placing her hands back on her hips. She nodded her head slightly and looked intensely at the Mandalorian. After a moment the Mandalorian sighed, glanced at Tess, who was glaring at the ground as if it had insulted her, then back up to Peli.

"Fine." he said. The Mandalorian turned to Tess, going to speak, before Peli spoke up again.

"And..." Tess and the Mandalorian shared a look, then turned back to the woman. "No hyperdrive." Tess' gaze jerked up from the ground, gasping, and the Mandalorian shook with annoyance. Peli was almost tempted to take a step back from the two of them.

"What?" Tess practically yelled. The Mandalorian agreed with her outrage.

"You want me to travel sublight?" the Mandalorian asked. "Deal's off." Tess nodded in agreement. Peli frowned, holding out her hands, trying to explain.

"It's one sector over." She tried to reason. Tess scoffed. As they'd traveled to the dragon's lair back in Mos Pelgo, when Tess had ridden with the Mandalorian, he'd explained a little bit more about his situation, continuing the conversation the previous night. He'd told Tess a little bit about the hunt for the child and the remainder of the Empire going after him. Mando had promised Tess then that he had yet to deal with them since the shootout on a distant planet, but he was still trying to keep the child safe, and so far, it had been mildly successful.

When Tess had called after the Mandalorian following the defeat of the dragon, when she'd decided to listen to her heart and gone with him instead of staying with the Marshal, Tess had known a little bit about what she was getting herself into. Danger. Danger that while for now had yet to catch up with the Mandalorian, was still lurking around the corner. And yet she'd gone with him. She'd made the decision, never backing down, to get on that now wrecked speeder bike and leave with him into a future unknown. She's gone with him to a life Tess had never once dreamed of having.

And it was only just beginning.

"Moving fast is one of the only things keeping us safe." the Mandalorian told Peli. Tess winced at the words, turning her head to watch the child still staring at the meat. The Mandalorian looked towards her, worry lining his features under the helmet. He could see his words had affected her, and instantly regretted it. He didn't want Tess to be afraid to go with him, and he could tell by her slightly shaking hands that that was exactly what she was thinking.

So in that moment, that small, minuscule couple of seconds, the Mandalorian made a promise to himself. I will get Tess to the Jedi, I promise. Tess didn't look at him, but she slightly moved her head to the side, head swimming with thoughts.

At that moment, she made a promise to herself. I will go with the Mandalorian to find the Jedi. I will get rid of this, and then I will be me again.

(The two of them did not know that they were making promises they couldn't keep)

Peli sighed and bared her teeth. "These are mitigating circumstances." Tess' frown deepened.

The Mandalorian leaned closer to Peli, his shoulders stiffening, voice louder than before, filled with malice. "What do you mean 'mitigating'?" At that moment, a figure shifted in the doorway behind the woman. Tess and the Mandalorian looked up towards where the shadow grew clearer in the light pouring from within the port. Tess and Mando stepped closer to one another, their heads tilting the exact same way as they watched the new voyager emerge from the depths.

Tess forced her mouth to stay shut as the creature stepped into the light.

The creature was short, only slightly taller then Tess, with pale violet and green skin that glistened as if it had a wet sheen over top. Large orbs protruded from the lady's head on either side of a wide, jutting nose. Her mouth was shaped like a short snout, with a long slit for lips that were permanently curved upwards. The creature Tess had taken to be female made a loud croaking sound, and it reminded Tess of the frog she'd read about in some of the online files still stored in Mos Pelgo. Situated on the creatures back was a strange blue capsule, clear glass encasing pale sapphire water. Suspended in the liquid were tiny orange orbs clumped together.

Tess' eyes widened when she realized what they were. Eggs.

The Mandalorian shifted beside her, placing his hands on his hips and leaning towards Peli, who was already holding up a hand towards his next comment. "I'm not a taxi service." Tess raised an eyebrow, staring at him until he caught the irony. When they locked eyes, the Mandalorian shook his head as if to say; that's different. Tess' eyes widened. Was it?

"I know, I know, I hear you." Peli replied to the Mandalorian, though she took a long look at Tess, who was indeed another passenger with the Mandalorian that hadn't been with him the last time Peli had seen the warrior. "But I can vouch for her."

Tess and Mando stared at the creature in front of them. Tess frowned, watching the alien, trying to figure out how this woman could possibly know where other Mandalorians were. The creature —which Tess was now going to call "Frog Lady"— stared back at Tess, making those croaking noises with her throat, and Tess looked away as her two large orbs watched Tess carefully.

Frog lady stepped up towards them next to Peli, her large capsule jostling with her movements. She seemed to be permanently smiling, making happy chirping noises and watching the Mandalorian and little girl carefully. The child jolted up from where it sat watching the meat, and turned to look at Frog Lady. Tess looked uncertainly at the child as it's eyes seemed to widen at the sight of the eggs in the blue water. Tess walked hastily over and picked it up, pulling the child into her arms, but she stared confusedly down at it as he continued to watch the capsule on the frog lady's back.

"What's the cargo?" the Mandalorian asked, Tess standing slightly in front of him, the hands on his hips brushing the small of her back. She didn't notice. Peli turned to the passenger and opened her mouth. Tess took a step back when croaking noises erupted from the woman's mouth, her hands placed formally together as she spoke. Tess and Mando both raised a brow. Frog lady spoke up in the same throaty, croaking language of her people. Peli nodded after the lady had finished and turned back to the three watching her.

"It's her spawn." Peli told them simply. "She needs her eggs fertilized by the equinox or her line will end." Tess wrinkled her nose at the thought. "If you jump into hyperspace, they'll die." Tess looked up at the Mandalorian, who turned down to her solemnly. "She said her husband has settled on the estuary moon of Trask in the system of the gas giant Kol Iben."

"She said all that?" the Mandalorian asked. Tess snorted.

Peli cocked her head to the side. "I paraphrased." Tess looked down at the child, who was still watching frog lady as the Mandalorian thought to himself. When he turned to Tess, he saw that she was barely paying attention, too enraptured in her own feet to look up. It didn't matter, he already knew that she thought this was a bad idea. Tess didn't care that the lady was the last of her kind, but the Mandalorian did.

"Is she sure there are Mandalorians there?" he asked. Peli turned and spoke once again to Frog lady. Tess forced her eyes up to watch the exchange, and when she saw the Mandalorian looking at her, she gave him a dark look. The Mandalorian sighed and moved his eyes back down. Frog lady replied, using hand movements to emulate her point.

Peli nodded softly again. "She said her husband has seen them." The child cooed in Tess' arms as the girl shook her head. This was a bad idea. Without another word Frog Lady shifted the capsule on her back and walked towards the base of the ship. Tess turned around, ready to protest, but the Mandalorian held up an arm, stopping her. She scowled and turned back to Peli.

"Do you know the husband?" he asked her. Tess' head perked up.

Peli didn't hesitate. "No." Tess' mouth dropped open. "I met her ten minutes before you walked in." The Mandalorian gripped Tess' forearm to stop her from moving on the woman. A pit droid hurried over and held up a plate of steaming dragon meat. Peli affectionately grabbed one and ripped a chunk with her mouth. It took everything in the Mandalorian to keep Tess at bay. The girl was surprisingly strong when she wanted to be.

"What happened to vouching for her on your life?" Tess asked, her words like daggers stabbing at the heart. Peli showed no sign of a wound.

"What can I say? I'm an excellent judge of character." Peli replied. She took another large bite of the meat, and Tess shook her head. The Mandalorian sighed loudly and turned to the ship, where Frog lady had disappeared into. The child squirmed in Tess' arms and she looked down at it confusedly. It was staring into the ship.

"All right." the Mandalorian said. "Let's go." he pointed to Peli. "And thank you." the woman said nothing, only waved a hand in the air as if to say it was nothing, then turned and began to yell at her pit droids. Tess' face scrunched up, but she said nothing and spun around to face the Mandalorian. He watched her for a moment, then went up and walked into the belly of the ship. Tess followed after him.

Her feet carried her over the sands until she got to the ramp and placed one foot on the rusted metal. Then she stopped entirely.

Tess looked down to where her steel leg was standing on the platform leading to the Mandalorian's ship, and to the other still firmly on the sand. Tess peered up, but saw that the Mandalorian was already climbing the ladder to the cockpit. Tess took a deep breath, trying to force herself onward, but her body refused.

This was it. If she took one more step, Tess would be leaving Tatooine behind. Her home, the place she had lived her entire life. She would be leaving behind the blistering suns and rust-colored grounds, the breathing canyons rich with history. She would be leaving behind the glistening foreheads and rivers of sand trailing into houses. She would be leaving behind everything.

She would be leaving Tatooine. Perhaps not for forever, but long enough.

Tess' breath shuddered, fluttering like a bird's wings inside her lungs. The child cooed as Tess' hands began to shake, her aching legs threatening to give way beneath her. Something smoke-blistered and ash-like filled the inside of her mouth as Tess whirled her head around to watch the evening of Tatooine one last time. The night sky was a colorful array of violet and midnight blue, swirling together under the glowing moon and glistening stars.Those millions of stars and spinning nebulae she'd only ever seen from the ground. Those stars, which she would soon be flying through. The thought made Tess dizzy.

A small, three-fingered hand stuck out from it's wrap and placed tentative fingers on Tess' gloved hand. She looked down in surprise to see the child smiling up at her. The bond with the creature grew inside her chest, like a rope being pulled taut. The child cooed sadly, not wanting to see the angry girl so sad, like she always seemed to be. Tess let out an unsteady breath.

"I'm fine." she felt she needed to tell him. "I'm just saying goodbye." the child seemed to understand her words and let go of her finger. Tess looked back up, the light of Mos Eisley, the light of Tatooine, shimmering along her irises. They glowed in the dim light, filled with an icy fire that the planet had never been big enough to contain.

And with that, Tess Oprin, the girl of thunderstorms and lightning strikes, turned away from the planet of fire and warmth, and walked delicately into the belly of the ship.

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The Mandalorian did not turn to Tess when she entered the cockpit, her eyes wide as she looked around at the ship. The controls shone in front of her, and her eyes lit up when she saw the many screws and bolts keeping everything together. Frog lady was already strapped in the first seat, and Tess moved to seat herself in the second chair, the child held firmly in her lap.

Only when he knew that she was carefully seated, that everything was ready, did the Mandalorian turn to face Tess. He saw tears glistening in her eyes. The Mandalorian made a shocked noise, and Tess' head jolted up from where she was staring at the floor.

"What?" she asked.

"Sorry," he answered quickly, stumbling over his words as the girl's eyes bore into his. "Are you okay?" he felt he needed to ask, but knew it was a gamble. Tess didn't speak for a moment, but then she solemnly nodded her head.

"I'm fine." she answered. "It's just my first time in space." the Mandalorian's eyes widened. He'd completely forgotten. "First time leaving Tatooine." the Mandalorian did not take his eyes from Tess for a long time, a battle waging war upon his soul as he tried to figure out what to say. What to do in order to comfort the girl. He remembered the first time he'd ever flown a ship, the first time he'd ever spent hours watching the stars pass by, pressing his little face up to the glass, eyes alight with wonder.

For some reason, the Mandalorian wanted Tess to experience that as well. He wanted her to stare out at the stars, wanted her to move closer to the window if only to see more of space. He wanted her to smile.

"It'll be alright, Tess." the Mandalorian finally spoke up. "I promise." that promise, the hidden promise that had been in their hearts at the attack on the speeder bike, the promise that both vowed to keep in Peli's mechanic port. The Mandalorian dared to speak that promise out loud now, making it known for the entire world to hear.

Tess was shocked. She didn't know what to say. She looked away from the Mandalorian and out to where her small little head only reached halfway up the window. Tess had never felt more like a child as the Mandalorian started the engine and carefully lifted off the ground of Tatooine. She'd never felt more tiny when the ship jostled and Tess braced herself hurriedly on the seat. She'd never felt more exhilarated as the ship took off into the skies, leaving the planet, and flew into the stars.

As the ship climbed higher and higher, Tess leaned closer to the Mandalorian and whispered. "This ship really is a piece of junk." The Mandalorian smirked, barely acknowledging her words with a small nod. He'd known what those words actually meant, the hidden syllables underneath her jest. Thank you. The Mandalorian didn't quite know what Tess was thanking him for, but it made him smile nonetheless. At that point, he thought it was the closest Tess would ever get to being kind, and he was more than willing to let it stay that way.

The Razor Crest exited the atmosphere of Tatooine, with only slight interference that made the ship wobble from side to side, but soon they were clear, and had emerged into the space above. The world of stars and moons and galaxies. An infinite deep vacuum which Tess had only seen from afar. Now she sat before it. Tess shifted in her seat to get a closer look, and the Mandalorian glanced at her. He saw that she had moved to push her back up the chair, still technically in the seat, but high enough so that her whole head could see out the window.

Tess hadn't realized how beautiful the galaxy truly was.

The Mandalorian waited several minutes, letting Tess watch the deep space, then he flicked on several controls and turned to them. "Now, I'm gonna ask you to stay strapped in whenever you're seated." He told them. Tess turned back, frowning slightly, then moved back down into the chair, strapping the belt across her jacket. Her feet barely touched the floor, but Tess let out a long, near silent sigh as she finally got to sit down. Her legs ached, and her metal one throbbed, knee sore from all the walking they'd done.

The Mandalorian tried to be as reassuring as possible when he continued. "Traveling sublight is a bit dicey these days." Tess froze, but quickly regained her composure as the Mandalorian added. "But don't worry."

"What do we have to worry about?" Tess asked.

The Mandalorian turned to her. "Could be pirates or warlords." Tess' eyes widened, so he tried to make it into a joke. "Someone either ends up with a nice chunk of change... or your ship." Tess was not impressed, and she scowled at the Mandalorian, who frowned.

"You couldn't tell me all of this before I stepped onto this rusty old waste bucket?" Tess asked.

"Hey!" the Mandalorian exclaimed. Tess smirked when she saw that her cutting words had dug deep. The Mandalorian sighed. He probably deserved it. Having not told Tess about any of the dangers of flight, he figured he'd just guaranteed himself a very long trip.

Frog Lady spoke up beside Tess, but she frowned as she couldn't understand it. A couple years back Tess had tried to create a translator she could install into her ear, but it hadn't ended up working. The thing had short circuited two days in, leaving a nasty burn on Tess' ear. Now it was a small pink scar, slightly raised and cresting from her earlobe a little bit down her neck. It had been a mistake from the beginning, as the thing only translated a select few languages she was able to get her hands on. Even if she did have the thing now, she still wouldn't be able to understand the woman.

The Mandalorian turned to Frog Lady. "I don't speak whatever language that is." The Mandalorian told the woman, then turned to Tess." do you?" Tess shook her head, shrugging her shoulders, then went back to staring out the window.

"You speak Huttese?" The Mandalorian asked Frog Lady, but the woman just stared at him blankly. He then went on to speak a little bit of Huttese to the woman, but Frog Lady did not answer. Tess wanted to laugh at the staring contest between the two, but didn't. The Mandalorian finally sighed and turned back to flying the ship.

"Do you have a translator?" Tess asked him. 

"No." He replied. Tess nodded and looked back to the window.

"Do you have any idea what language she's speaking?" The Mandalorian turned around in his chair towards Tess, who had a playful look on her face.

"I don't even know her species." The Mandalorian replied.

"You're a bounty hunter—" Tess began, but the Mandalorian interrupted.

"Was a bounty hunter." he clarified. Tess rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Was a bounty hunter." the Mandalorian nodded his appreciation. "And you have never seen her species before?"

"Peli said she was the last of her kind." The Mandalorian argued.

Tess held her hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying. Her species looks pretty recognizable, and you've been to a lot of planets. I just assumed you might have known what she was."

"I don't." He didn't mean the words in a rude way, and Tess understood that his blunt answer was just the honest truth, so she didn't scowl.

"Okay." She finished. The Mandalorian gave another annoyed sigh and turned back around, but a hint of a smile played on his face. It was then that Tess felt the lightness in her hands. When she looked down, her eyes widened worriedly as she looked all around the base of the cockpit, but the little green child was nowhere to be found. Tess looked back up to the Mandalorian.

"The child." she said. The Mandalorian quickly spun around. "I think he went down." the Mandalorian looked to the ladder leading to the base of ship. He turned back to Tess.

The Mandalorian went to undo his seat belt, but Tess frowned and held up a hand. "No." she said. "I'll get him. I'm pretty tired anyway." That was a lie. Tess was exhausted. Her eyelids drooped, feeling as if they were caked on with cement. Her legs throbbed and every time she moved, her bones ached. The Mandalorian watched her for a moment, then nodded. Tess undid her strap and stood up, wobbling only slightly as the ship floated through space, then turned and quickly climbed down the ladder.

Her metal leg banged against the steel rungs, and she stopped for a moment, hissing with pain. The Mandalorian turned around again, eyes narrowing. There was no other sound, and soon he heard Tess jump down onto the platform.

When Tess straightened, she looked around the space. First towards the open medbay where the Mandalorian slept, the child above him. He wasn't there. She looked around the vacc tube and then finally towards the ramp. It was there that she found the child, clinging onto the capsule, standing atop the open rim, pulling one of the orange eggs from the water.

Tess gasped. "Hey!" The child shot up, almost falling off the rim of the capsule, and quickly plopped the egg into his mouth. Tess' lips parted and she quickly sprinted over to the child, dropping hastily to one knee, slamming the lid of the capsule down. The child cooed innocently as Tess scooped him up into her arms, frowning at it. It tugged on her jacket and Tess scowled.

"You can't do that!" she told it. "Those aren't yours."

"What aren't his?" Tess whirled around to find the Mandalorian sitting by the ladder. He stepped forward when he saw Tess holding the child, a worried expression on her face. "What happened?"

Tess sighed. "Your kid..." she didn't know how to explain.

"What?" The Mandalorian asked.

"He's eating the eggs." she finally finished. Under his helmet, the Mandalorian's eyes widened as he looked to the child smiling in her arms. Quickly he sprinted over and took the child from Tess, holding him up to be eye level with the Mandalorian.

"That." he said firmly, pointing to the eggs. "Is not food, understand? Don't do that again." The child didn't react, and the Mandalorian took it towards the medbay. "Nap time." Tess watched, an amused look on her face. She pursed her lips as the Mandalorian tucked the child into the little hammock above his bed. She crossed her arms and looked around. Once the child was already fast asleep in his bed, the Mandalorian turned back to the girl standing awkwardly in the center of the ship.

They watched each other in silence for a moment, then accidentally both spoke at the same time. "Do you have extra blankets?" Tess asked, at the same time the Mandalorian said. "You can sleep below the child." Tess' eyes widened and she looked towards the hammock and small cot.

"That's your bed." she said plainly. The Mandalorian nodded, but gestured for her to go to it.

"I'll sleep out here." he told her. Tess frowned, confusion running along her veins. She eyed the closed cot warily, then back up to the Mandalorian, debating whether or not to take up his offer. The Mandalorian waited patiently. He'd been completely genuine. He didn't care where he slept, as long as Tess was comfortable.

Eventually, her exhaustion overruled everything else, and Tess walked carefully towards the cot. She hesitantly climbed into the small little room and turned back. The cushioned bed was like a warm hug, and Tess closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the relaxation. The Mandalorian smiled, then turned to find his own spot on the floor.

As he grabbed a blanket from the drawers below the weapons gallery, he shot back up when Tess spoke again.

"Thank you." she said slowly. The Mandalorian looked to her in surprise, but she was already laying her head down against the raised pillow. After a couple of seconds, the sweet confines of sleep overtook her, and Tess was sent into a world of dreams and darkness.

The Mandalorian walked over to the cot, watching the sleeping girl for a second, he whispered. "Goodnight, Tess."

The girl never heard him, but as the Mandalorian closed the door on a sleeping Tess, she found herself not thrown into another nightmare, but into a blissful and uninterrupted sleep.

The first she had had in a very long time. 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE. 

That's it... that's the entire show. I'm sorry but I had to include it in because every time I write "Mando sighed" it reminds me of this. 

Well folks, there it is! chapter ten of short circuit. First and foremost, WE MET FROG LADY. the queen herself has arrived, and I'm soooo excited. Secondly, Tess left Tatooine, a huge step for her which will definitely come into play later on. Thirdly, aren't Tess and Mando just the cutest little beans ever? Like omg I love them so much. Not a lot happened this chapter, as it was really just set up for later ones, but I still loved it. 

ANYWAYS, what did you guys think of this chapter? Give me your thoughts, predictions, theories, feedback! I WANT TO KNOW IT ALL. What did you think of tess and Peli? I love them because they are both just hardheaded mechanics but I needed them to get along because, you know... I love Peli sm. What did you think of Mando and Tess' banter at the end? that was honestly so fun to write. What did you think of Tess saying THANK YOU? It's a big step for her, and we'll just continually see her opening up a bit more as the story progresses. Finally (and this is ways away but...) what do you think the ending of this book will be? I'm dying to see if any of you will be correct in predicting what the end of Short Circuit will be like. Will Tess stay with Mando, or will she go with Luke? what do you think is gonna happen to them? 

As always, don't be afraid to comment or vote on anything you like, I LOVE reading your comments they make me so happy. Until next time (where everything takes a turn for the worst for our dear travelers). 

Love, Mal