Armored Passion | The Mandalorian

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"Just so you know, I don't think this is going to end well for any of us," I mutter under my breath.

Unsettled nerves start to rise in my throat as we come to a stop right in front of the main bridge doors. I square my shoulders out while taking in a deep breath, silently hoping that I'll be able to shake the anxious feeling that's been filling my lungs alongside the freezing recycled air that circulates the ship. My eyes glance over to Din for a few short moments, my gaze subtly analyzing his steady stance. 

The Darksaber is perfectly balanced in his dominant hand while Grogu is safely cradled in his free arm, making his tall stature flawlessly intimidating. A small sigh escapes me as I shake my head. Forcibly tearing my gaze away from my domineering husband, I look back towards the bridge doors and reluctantly tap a large button on the small control panel to open them up. The large metal doors slide open, and multiple sets of eyes land on us. 

So, this is the little boarding party that Gideon had been talking about earlier. 

Cara, Fennec, Bo-Katan, and Koska are staring back at us, their eyes locking onto the sight standing tall and (somewhat) proud in front of them. Bo-Katan's eyes widen as if they were meant to replicate the size of Geonosis's outer rings, quickly flicking between Din, Moff Gideon, and me. I swallow hard, knowing that she isn't going to take very kindly to this whole ordeal. 

"What happened?" she asks, taking a few quick strides towards us as we slowly make our way to the middle of the room. I take a subtle step closer to Din's side, not caring the burning heat that's radiating from the buzzing Darksaber set between us. 

"He brought him in alive. That's what happened," Cara says, a proud smile spreading over her face as she walks over to where we're all standing. 

Maker, it feels like we're standing in a room full of starving bogwings that are just waiting for their prey to topple over and die so they can swoop down and seize what they claim to be theirs. 

It's driving me absolutely insane. 

"And now the New Republic is going to have to double the payment," she continues, sounding as if the double payment didn't bother her all that much. Then again, I'm going to have to assume that the payment isn't coming out of the monthly credit transfer she receives from the New Republic for her sector services. 

"That's now what she's talking about," Gideon says, taking a careful step towards the middle of the little circle we were slowly forming. 

"I hate to say it, but he's right," I say, letting a defeated sigh trail my struggled admittance. Gideon slyly smirks at me before looking back over to Bo-Katan, his confidence growing as the anxious feeling in my throat begins to rise even more. I swallow hard, forcing anything and everything back down. 

"Why don't you just kill him now and take it?" he asks, tilting his head to the side. 

I want to snap at him to tell him that Bo-Katan won't get a chance to land a single strike on Din as long as I have a say in it, but Cara takes action before I can even start talking. She grabs onto his arm and shoves him down to the ground in one swift motion, forcing him to sprawl out on the low-set stairs sitting in front of us. Regardless of the rough manhandling that he had just endured, he smiles and chuckles lightly, his eyes meeting Din's blank gaze. 

"Just as Mae said earlier, it's yours now," he continues. 

"What is? This thing?" Din asks, his helmeted head tilting to the side as he raises the heavy hilt in his hand. The black glowing blade of the saber hums loudly as it cuts through the cold air of the bridge, presenting itself to the entire room.