Mandalorian Lost

Chapter 11

"Uh oh, looks like one of us has to walk," Fennec says in a lilting voice. Mando shoves her down onto the ground hard and her jaw twitches as she rolls her shoulders.

"Or we could drag you," he suggests.

I shoot him a grin. "I didn't think you had it in you to be so ruthless, Mando," I tease. He glances at me from over his shoulder as he pulls Toro a few steps away. Fennec shoots me a mockingly polite smile as I join the other two, crossing my arms as Toro speaks.

"So, what is the plan?" He asks, mostly looking at Mando.

Mando sighs, jerking his head toward the sand dunes behind us. "I need you to go find that dewback we saw."

Toro scoffs, plopping his hands on his hips as he shakes his head. I saw it coming from a mile away. There's no way he'd let us sit here with his bounty and his only hope of a ride. "And leave you here with my bounty and my ride? I don't think so, Mando."

Mando's gaze slides over to me and I shrug. "He's got a point." He sighs again, turning to scan the horizon. An idea brews in my mind as I narrow my eyes at his helmet. "Your helmet visor should detect heat signatures. See the dewback anywhere?"

"I—I know what my helmet does," he replies, sounding a little perturbed. I bite back a smile at his flustered voice. Once he finishes his scan, he nods to himself, seemingly coming to a decision. His gaze falls squarely on Toro. "Okay, I'll do it. Tara stays with you. Watch Fennec, and don't let her get near the bike. She's no good to us dead."

"No way, you're not leaving me here with the assassin and the freaky healing girl!" Toro exclaims, completely ignoring my offended look. My eyebrows raise as I set my hands on my hips. I'm starting to think we should team up with Fennec and leave this guy to the mercy of the desert.

"Look on the bright side, kid. If she shoots you I can heal it," I say, flashing him a brilliant smile. His jaw drops incredulously as he gestures to Mando for help.

"Guess you better stay on her good side," Mando mutters, dipping his head toward me. A grin laces his voice and Fennec lets out a short laugh. The only one not amused by the situation seems to be Toro.

Mando starts to walk off into the vast sand dunes around us, and before I can stop myself I call out, "Be careful!"

He stops, his back going rigid as he glances at me over his shoulder. I freeze too. I don't know what came over me, or why I decided to do something so stupid. I try to send him a kind smile to cover up my embarrassment, but I'm certain it comes out as a cringe. He nods, stiffly, before continuing on his way. His figure retreats into the distance, the gleam from his beskar growing fainter with every second, and I decide to rejoin the others.

Fennec lays out on the rocky ground smirking at Toro as he leans back in the seat of his speeder, his arms crossed as he glares at Fennec. I roll my eyes. "Looks like you two will be alright watching each other. I'm gonna get some rest."

Neither one of them answers as I settle in against the rocks a few feet away. I'm still pretty drained from healing myself earlier. My eyelids droop as I stare off into the distance, my gaze fixed on the direction Mando went in. I'm fairly confident he won't get lost with all the tools in his helmet to aide him, but I'm not completely sure.

My muscles ache as I shift into a more comfortable position. The sound of Fennec and Toro arguing nearby swims into my brain and I groan, trying to shove them out. I'm successful, but in their wake there's an opening for new memories to resurface. Memories I don't want to think about.

Mando's voice echoes in my mind, asking me how I learned to heal with the force. I hadn't told him a lie. It was Darth Vader who instructed me. I could still hear the mechanical breathing as he came into my room on Mustafar, since the Fortress Inquisitorius had just been flooded out from some Jedi attack, his dark cape billowing behind him.