beneath the beskar | the mandalorian

twëlvë

The air blew cold against the Mandalorian's cape, small flecks of snow securing themselves to his chest plate.

He glanced down to the child in his arms who was poking his head out of the blanket covering him. Little coos of excitement were carried away by the wind, only barely reaching Mando's modulator and making him smile.

"We're here, pal. I'm gonna start bringing us down" his gruff voice informed, causing two big eyes to look up into his visor.

Sure enough, Echo Base was directly below them, its walls clearly marking the entrance to the launch pad. Mando would have flown right it if it weren't for the harsh security measures; he certainly didn't need any other trouble with the Republic.

Turning the thrusters on low, he prepared himself to land while holding tightly onto his small companion. It didn't take long to descend, and his boots were hitting the freshly fallen snow within moments.

He watched as the two guards in front of the main gate stood in attention, looking him over for any signs of hostility. Slowly, he walked forward, not bothering to hide the child who was adjusting his giant ears to the growing noise.

"State your business," one guard said, staring strangely at the alien creature.

"My ship is on your launchpad. I've already been cleared by security" he informed, failing to hide the annoyance in his voice.

There were very few circumstances where a Mandalorian would come walking up to a Republic base, especially on a planet with a population rate smaller than Sorgan. Clearly, they had picked the weakest links to watch the gate today.

"Our apologizes, sir," the other said, showing a bit more fear than the first at Mando's appearance.

He nodded, sighing to himself as he walked past the threshold. The base looked emptier than usual and the Razor Crest was easily visible from where he stood.

A smile crossed his face as he saw the open ramp. He figured Jane would be off exploring the base while he was gone, he only hoped she hadn't gotten too worried while he was away.

It was obvious now that the lead had never been anything but an attempt to get his armor. Beskar had always been valuable, but as the Mandalorian culture went underground, its worth had tripled. A lot of people would die to get their hands on a full set, and they quickly found out that the only way to do that was to peel it off a corpse.

Greef had been tricked, which he didn't blame him for. He had taken the risk of the mission, knowing that the best-case scenario would outway the worst if he could find a covert. It was a low chance, but it was one he had to take for the child; for himself.

As the Crest's ramp approached them, he could see the interior of the ship flecked with small snowflakes. The sight only confirmed what he had previously suspected about Jane. She had never liked space travel, so it made sense why she would keep the hatch open.

"Here you go, kid" he groaned, bending over to set the small boy on the ground. He squealed happily, running forward into the ship as he readjusted to his home.

"Jane?" Mando called, removing his pulse rifle as he sauntered inside. He knew she couldn't answer, so he gave her a minute, figuring she would come climbing down the cockpit with a grin on her face.

Instead, he was greeted with nothing.

The child made his way to the cot, trying to peek inside as if to look for his missing friend. He called out for her, his little voice rising to full capacity.

"Patoo!"

Now, Mando could feel the nerves in his hands start to twitch. He could feel that horrible twist in his stomach, churning over itself to the point of nausea.