SEE ME, SEE YOU: Series Two

C H A P T E R E I G H T

REINA'S POV

A blaring, rapid beeping erupted both me and Din from our sleep. My partner wasted no time jumping out of our compartment and hiking up the ladder to the cockpit. On the other hand, I took my time to stretch my arms and back and check on the child. "I wonder who could that possibly be?" I laughed softly as I tucked in his blanket underneath his chin. Then, I made my way up. Just as I entered, I heard Din respond with, "Yes, I will get right onto that."

"Thank you. Safe travels." a male voiced on the intercom. I looked to my left and saw a New Republic X-wing gliding next to us. There was another one flanking our right.

"Um, may the Force be with you." Din stammered. I knocked him in the arm with a Really? look and walked right back out. "Going back to bed."

As I stepped down into the cargo hold, I mindlessly tidied up a few things and then crawled back into the compartment, where the child was still snoozing. I curled up and had just closed my eyes when the Razor Crest abruptly dipped sharply. My head smacked against the wall and I yelped. The child squealed awake. "I hear you!" I shouted, picking him up. "He better not be doing what I think he's doing. What the hell is he thinking?"

The ship then dove, causing my body to briefly go weightless. My feet touched back down at an angle and I faceplanted the crated floor, dropping the baby. Din wasn't stopping there with the fancy manuevers...Sharp cutting turn after another, with very heavy turbulence. I couldn't find my bearings, so I clung to the netting on the wall. Tilly's wailing to be heard from the cockpit. Out of nowhere, it seemed like the Razor Crest stopped mid-flight and began free-falling. My legs were dangling above my head and body, literally levitating from the nonexistent G-force. When the engines were activated again, my body hit the floor again and I felt the ship dive again.

"Din! Stop!" I cried, but I knew it was useless. I had no idea where he was flying into, but it only became apparent when the hull of the ship began bumping and grinding against a hard surface outside. The Razor Crest skidded and bounced until finally coming to a complete halt. I coughed and sputtered, heaving in deep breaths as I used the same netting to wrench myself to my wobbly legs. "Din!" I called again and took two steps towards the ladder. "What the—AHHH!"

The ground underneath the Razor Creat shifted and crumbled, swallowing the ship and dropping it, crashing at the bottom with a heavy thud. I had fallen to my hands and knees. Sucking in deep breaths again, I glanced over to my right and saw the child rolling on his back, trying to get back on his tiny feet, crying out little wails. "H-hang on, buddy." I patted the air between us. "I need to have a word with Din first, if you don't mind."

Once again, I rose to my feet. The air around me was rapidly growing cold and, glancing to my left, I see a massive hole in the hull and several other abrasions where freezing winds seeped through. Snow flurried in and began sticking and freezing to every metal surface. Knowing there was nothing I could do about it, I shivered violently as I finally made it to the ladder. Forcing myself up the rungs and through the sliding door, I gasped at the sight.

"Din! Tilly!"

The wintery air had made its way into the cockpit as well, ice began to cyrstallize along the metal surfaces. That included Din's armor. I had to step over the amphibian woman to reach the Mandalorian. Grasping onto his shoulders, I shook him lightly. "Are you okay? Din? Can you hear me?"

"Hmm...Reina?" Din moaned, slowly raising his head. Once he responded, I turned my attention to Tilly, who had been knocked to the floor. "Come on, Tilly. Give me your arm." I helped her to her feet, her entire body shivering. She began croaking in a desperate, worried tone. "Yes, I know. I will. Stay here. I will find them. Mando," I looked back at my partner, who was currently checking the ship's vitals, pressing buttons all over the console. He only paused when I called him. "There's heavy damage in the hull."

"Okay." Din got to his feet, attempting to hide his wobbliness, and pushed passed me. I told Tilly to wait in the cockpit and followed him back down the ladder. When I got down there, Din was carrying the child underneath his tiny arms and plopping him in his hammock. Din's body language seemed a little on the aggressive side. The Mandalorian noticed my Do I want to know? look, and he shook his head. "Don't ask."

"Right..."

About 30 minutes later, Din and I patched up the giant hole in the Razor Crest with a tarp and a ton of adhesive tape and activated two heat generators. Tilly joined us in the cargo hold and I wrapped two thick blankets around her shoulders and lap while she rocked back and forth near the artificial heat. Her capsule of eggs were safely at her side. The child ate his dinner on the other side of the capsule on top of a crate, also enjoying the heat.

Long story short: we were in trouble in terms of getting off this wintery planet. Nothing in the ship's system was responding and with the gaping hole in the ship...Well, that speaks for itself. To make matters worse, nightfall was upon us, which meant the already cold temperatures were going to get worse. Din handed me the last blanket, in which I offered it to Tilly.

"That was for you." Din stated.

"She needs it more than I do." I said back, but my shivering body said otherwise. My chattering teeth betrayed me, and Din responded by removing his cape and voluntarily wrapping it around my shoulders. With our close proximity, I suddenly didn't feel so cold anymore. Especially in my face, ears, and chest. "Take the compartment." Din breathed, looking down on me while I craned my neck up. My silvery reflection shimmered in his helmet. His hands still gripped firmly on the blanket, as if to hold me imprisoned. "Get some sleep."

"I'm staying out here with Tilly." I decided. "You can take it and get some sleep."

Before we could further our little banter, Tilly began croaking, with whimpers and squeaks mixed in. She was frantic for sure. I slipped out from Din's hold and cape and knelt to her side. "Deep breaths, Tilly. Slow down. Now what is it?"

"What is she saying?" Din sighed, like he knew he was in for a lecture.

I translated for him. "She says we need to keep going. There isn't much time left before her eggs could die and therefore her family line."

"Well, in case she hasn't notice, we aren't going anywhere until we can fix the ship. Night is coming so it'll have to wait til morning. There's nothing we can do now."

Croak. Whimper. Squeak...

"Tilly, I understand your urgency, truly." I didn't bother to translate for Din. "But Mando is right to a degree. It's dangerous to work outside with these temperatures..." My eyes fell upon the capsule full of the bobbing orange orbs. My hand subconsciously reached out and touched the warm surface. The energy I had felt before was weaker, like the eggs' lives were fading...I realized Tilly was also right. If we didn't hurry, then her eggs would die.

Croak. Creeck...Whimper.

"Tilly, we—" I decided then to stop making excuses. Instead, I grabbed the toolbox, tore up one side of the tarp, and slipped through before Din could react.