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Feeling the blazing sun of Arvala-7 piercing through Mando's, Cara's and Hebe's backs was enough to make them sweat under their layers of clothing. The floating cot of the child's hovering into Kuiil's tiny hut in front of them, each ducking down to travel through the 5-foot high entrance. "It hasn't grown much," Kuiil observed.
"We think it might be a strand-cast," Mando announced," gesturing to Hebe beside him with an open arm. She absentmindedly played with the ring necklace around her neck, occasionally pulling faces and crossing her eyes at their child when he fussed. "I don't think it was engineered. I've worked in the gene farms. This one looks evolved. Too ugly." Hebe scrunched up her nose.
"This one, on the other hand, looks like she was farmed in the Cytocaves of Nora."
"This is Cara Dune. Ex shock trooper," Hebe plopped down beside said person, whose face remained impassive.
"You were a dropper?"
"Did you serve?"
"On the other side, I'm afraid. But I'm proud to say I paid out my clan's debt. And now I serve no one but myself." Hebe's short-lived attention was brought to a slight whirring sound and then as if the day couldn't get any worse. It did. She shot out of her chair, immediately followed by the Mandalorian and Cara as a familiar-looking bounty dropped through the doorway holding a tray looking oddly domestic. Their hands whipping out blasters and aiming ferociously on their target.
"Would anyone care for some tea?" Came its horrid monotone voice.
"Please lower your blasters. He will not harm you," Kuiil threw his hands up. Hebe's head and hands grew hot with orange heat and stepped in front of the child. Of course, no one took notice of her orange glowing fingertips.
"That thing was programmed to kill the baby," Mando said through gritted teeth.
"Not anymore," the droid lowered and placed the tray down calmly. Kuiil began to inform the small group of how he rescued, restored and conformed the once bounty droid to a helpful non-violent one. Hebe's fingertips were itching. A twist grew in their stomachs. "Is it still a hunter?"
"No. But it will protect." They all stared at each other for a long, tense moment.
"Tea?" The droid piped up, Mando sighed.
It wasn't long before the group found themselves back on the razor crest and was leaving the upper atmosphere, drifting at an easy pace through the swirling, milky blackness that was space. With the ship on autopilot, Mando and Cara busied themselves with an arm wrestle, one they were evenly matched in. "Come on, Cara, you could throw him with your pinky finger," Hebe leaned back into her chair, earning a strained chuckle from both contestants.
"We all know that's true, I got you mando," Cara agreed.
"Care to double the bet?" They continued to struggle, Hebe fixated on their clasped hands. Her face twisting in confusion at feeling a wave of a familiar presence from beside her. The next thing she knew, Cara was clutching her throat gasping for air. Body coursing in shock, she knew it couldn't be anyone else. The kid arm up, little fist clenched. Hebe's hand waved in front of the child's face just as Mando shouted in panic. The child wavered as Hebe snatched away his consciousness with the force.
