beneath the beskar | the mandalorian

thïrtëën

CHAPTER SIX: THE DANGER

The sky was already pitch black by the time they left the base, but the number of lights shining on the buildings above was enough to look like stars.

Jane was looking upwards, as she often did. The size of the city intimidated her, but she couldn't help but marvel at the surrealness of it all. The skyscrapers boxed them in as they turned throughout the city allowing her to look inside the large glass windows on either side. Some housed extravagant apartments with long silky curtains pushed to the side, while others were bustling nightclubs with lights as bright as suns.

"Careful, kid! You might fall out!" Kial yelled over his shoulder.

Jane blushed at the comment, realizing she had been leaning a little too far over the edge of the speeder. Slowly bringing herself back into her seat, she glanced over to Quin who was sitting contently beside Kial. Her red hair flowed smoothly in the wind, creating an even wavier texture among her curls. She seemed excited to finally have a break from deployment, though Jane could tell she wasn't a particularly hard worker.

Her eyes were focused on Kial, a childish gleam lighting them up from the inside. It was an expression that was unlike anything Jane had seen before. It was full of hope and love, but there was a third element that she couldn't quite place.

The more she thought about it, the more it became obvious that she knew so little about the universe, despite having traveled it her entire life. She had been taught almost nothing about the galaxy and only had mysterious tales to go off. Being with Mando had started to change that; she began to see the good side of the world, the side that had the things showing in Quin's eyes. Things she had never experienced before.

Her eyes started to water before she could stop them and she tilted her head back in defeat. The sound of traffic was quieter now as she began to space out, letting the cloudy vision of the city above take her away. It had only been a short time since she last saw Mando and the child, but she felt the heartache of years weighing her down. She quickly figured out that they would never leave her, even if they were gone. They would always be in the back of her mind, replaying over and over until something made her forget.

"Kid"

Her head jerked up at the sound of Kial's voice coming from her side. It took her a moment to focus on his face, but once she did, she could see the worry across his cheeks. He was outside of the speeder now, standing on a platform that intersected one of the tallest buildings in the city.

"You okay?" he asked, reaching out his hand to help her. She eyed his hand cautiously, only to decide against it and climb out of the speeder herself. Quickly grabbing her bag from the inside as well as the blanket she had come to love so much, she turned to face Kial who still had a puzzled look on his face. She shot him a warm smile, hoping it would be enough to convince him.

Sure enough, he smiled back and retracted his hand, turning on his heel and walking towards the building. Quin had already vanished from their sight, hurrying excitedly inside to the bar where she could begin her vacation. Jane reluctantly followed, stealing one last glance at the night sky before ducking fully under the speeder port. The nightclub was on one of the higher levels of the building but was tucked away out of the view of passers-by, showing its exclusivity.

There were two guards posted outside who looked less than pleased to see them, but Kial walked up to them confidently.

"Hey! How you boys doin' tonight?" he joked, patting one of them on the shoulder as they begrudgingly moved aside to let him in. The small girl sped up to stay close, but kept her distance as Kial sauntered through the entrance. She silently hoped Quin hadn't strayed too far as she trusted her much more than their new companion.