Chapter 5 | Return of the Mandalorian (Part 1)

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Cordelia follows Din through the building, her hands resting on the blades attached to her belt. They enter the last room, both scanning it before approaching the table at the center of the room.

"You look lost." Kaba Baiz says.

"We're here for Kaba Baiz." Din tells him.

"What makes you think he's here?" He asks. Cordelia rolls her eyes and grabs the tracking fob off her belt. She shows it to him before returning it to its place. "What do you want of him?"

"He owes someone important money." He answers.

"Who?" Baiz asks.

"That's not our business. We're here to bring him in." He replies.

"Well, if I see him, I'll let him know." He says.

"I see him right now." Din says, setting the hologram of Baiz on the table.

"That's not me. That doesn't even look like me." He argues. 

"Everyone but Baiz has one chance to leave before things get ugly. This isn't your fight." Cordelia says, looking at the others surrounding the room.

"They're not going anywhere. Looks to me like you're surrounded. But you look like the practical type. Let's discuss our options." He tells them.

"I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold." Din says. Cordelia grins, gripping the handles of her knives. 

Two of the Klatooinians dart forward, one heads for Din as he grabs his blaster, biting his wrist and making him drop it. The other lunges at Cordelia, swinging his fist towards her head. She ducks, slashing his thigh as she moves past him. She sinks the other into his back before moving towards the next one.

Din ignites the Darksaber after taking out another one. He cuts the arm off one before kicking away another moving towards Cordelia, who stabs a third in the neck. Din knocks another to the ground before advancing on the third again. He cuts him through the middle along with a piece of meat hanging from the ceiling.

Cordelia tries to dodge a punch from one of the Klatooinians but she's too slow and his fist connects with the side of her face. She stumbles backwards and hears Din groaning in pain after stabbing the one who had punched her. 

She looks up and spots the last two holding him. She throws one of her knives and it sinks into one of their chests. He lets go of Din and he cuts them both in half. He falls to his knees as Baiz advances on him, firing his blaster. Cordelia slides her last blade across the ground to him. 

Din grabs the knife and moves towards Baiz, stabbing him in the chest before slamming him onto the table. He yells as he raises the Darksaber and cuts him and the table in half. Cordelia joins him and wraps her arm around him, letting him lean on her.

"What happened?" She asks, glancing down at his injured leg. 

"Later." He grunts, turning as a Klatooinian huddling against the wall rushes out of the room. They spot the other workers hovering outside the room. He pulls away to cut off Baiz's head, putting it in the bag Cordelia holds out. He powers off the Darksaber before they approach the door.

Din and Cordelia enter the next room, stopping in front of the large crowd. They each have an arm around the other so he can keep weight off his injured leg. Cordelia carries the bag with their bounties head in her free hand.

"Your boss is dead. We're here to collect on his bounty." Din explains. The group turns their attention to the bag in Cordelia's hand. 

"We have no trouble with you. There's New Republic credits inside. If you let us pass, you can have them." She says. They look around at each other before the first scurries around them. The rest quickly follow, and Cordelia tightens her arm around Din.

The two exit the building and Cordelia looks around for an empty alley. She quickly drags him into the nearest one and sits him down. 

"What are you doing?" Din asks as she sets the bag down and kneels in front of him. 

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm checking your wound." She replies, gently peeling his pants away from the wound. She sighs before standing. "Let's get back as quickly as possible. I'll be able to tend to it when we're done." 

They exit the alley and walk down the street. Din tries to walk as normal as possible, leaning on Cordelia to hide his limp. He keeps his head on a swivel, looking for any possible danger.

They approach the elevator as another person presses the button to open it. They join the person inside, who eyes them as the elevator moves up. When the couple looks back at them, they quickly look away.

The doors open and Din and Cordelia exit, looking around for their employer. Din spots them and leads Cordelia their way.

"That was fast. You're good hunters." They say in Huttese.

"We'd like our reward and the information you promised." Din says as they step forward, Cordelia setting the bag on the table.

"Why are you rushing business Mando?" They ask.

"My business is my own. Where is it?" He replies.

"Sit and enjoy a meal with us." They say.

"Where is the closest access shaft to the substrata?" Din asks.

"Sit and feast with us or I will tell you nothing." They threaten. Cordelia scoffs.

"Keep your reward. There's a bounty on Baiz. If you aren't gonna give us the information, someone else will." She says, grabbing the bag before they turn to leave.

"It's down Kolzoc Alley by the heat vent towers." Their employer says. Cordelia sets the bag back on the table as Din takes their payment. "Please sit. I have another job for you."

"I'd put that on ice if I were you." Din says before turning to the exit, pulling Cordelia with him. She chuckles and pats his chest as they make their way towards the elevator. 

Din's relieved to find the elevator empty when they walk inside, leaning his weight on the railing instead of on Cordelia. He winces as he inspects his wound. Cordelia cups the side of his helmet and tilts his head to look at her.

"Just a little longer, then I can take care of you." She tells him. He nods and pulls her into a quick Keldabe Kiss before the doors open. "You know, it's about time you got injured." She says as they exit.

"What?" He asks.

"You're always taking care of me when I get hurt. Now it's finally my turn." She clarifies. He chuckles.

"You're weird." Din tells her. She smiles up at him.

"Yeah, but you love me." She says. He chuckles, resting his helmet on her head.

"I do." He says.



If there's any confusion about the chapter numbers, I'm keeping them the same as the episodes, so you guys know exactly what's happening and when :)

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