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NATALIA AVOIDED the lava jumping up at her as she stepped into the boat. She just wanted this mission to be over. She wanted to finally be able to just go home and see her dad one last time before he passes, she wants to hug her nephew tightly in her arms, and she just wans to see Han, Chewie, Leia, and Luke. She knew where to bring the child, she knew that Luke would accept it with open arms and train it in the ways of the force.
"Watch your feet. It's molten lava." The IG droid commented as he climbed into the boat.
"No kidding." Cara scoffed as she climbed in after it.
A humming sounded behind Natalia and she turned her head to see a small droid, one that looked much like R2-D2 only this one was red and white instead of blue and white. The lights to the droid turned on, signaling it was coming alive. Din, Cara, and Greef all instantly pulled out blasters and aimed them at the droid, but Natalia was not scared of it.
Natalia watched as the droid stood up from the dirt and rocks that had been placed around it to reveal the droid, unlike R2, had both arms and legs. The droid lifted a paddle of sorts off the ground as it reached it's full height. The thing practically towered over all of them as it let out a string of beeps.
"I don't suppose anybody here speaks droid?" Din asked.
"Down river, to the lava flat." Natalia answered the droid's question.
"You speak droid?" Greef asked as he looked from the droid to Natalia.
"You don't?" Natalia asked as the droid began to steer them down the lava.
"Where'd you learn to speak droid?" Din asked as he put his blaster away.
"I learned many languages growing up." Natalia stated as she sat down on one of the seats. "Do none of you speak droid?"
"No." Cara answered as she sat down beside Natalia.
"You don't know any of the language?" Natalia questioned as she looked to each of them.
"Most of them speak our language." Greef argued.
"I don't like droids." Din stated.
"I'm aware." Natalia said as she looked over to Din.
For fifteen minutes the group had floated down the lava stream. For the most part it was silent. Cara and Din talked for a little bit while Natalia kept the child entertained. Looking ahead of them now, Natalia guessed they were less than five minutes out.
"That's it. We're free." Greef said as he pointed to the opening in the tunnel that marked the lava flats.
"No." Din stated. "No, we're not."
"What do you mean we're not?" Natalia questioned as she looked up from the child to Din.
"Storm troopers. They're flanking the mouth of the tunnel. It lookes like an entire platoon. They must know we're coming." Din explained.
"Stop the boat." Cara ordered, but the boat never stopped.
"Hey, droid, I said stop the boat!" The Mandalorian yelled to the droid that continued to padel. "Nat, tell it to stop."
"Hey he's talking to you." Cara marched over to the droid. "Stop" She sternly ordered as she pressed her gun to the droids head. Only the droid's head had sparked off.
Natalia's eyes widened as she stared at the now headless R2 unit. That must have been some very old droid. But regardless the ship was still moving with the lava. There was no way to stop it. "We're still moving." Greef stated the obvious.
"Looks like we fight." Cara said.
"No, there's too many of them. They'll kill us before we can even gun one of them down." Din said with a shake of his head.
"Then what do you suggest? Because I can't surrender." Cara demanded.
"They will not be satisfied with anything less than Natalia and the child. This is unacceptable. I will eliminate the enemy and you will escape." The IG droid stated.
"You don't have that kind of firepower, pal. You wouldn't even get to daylight." Din informed the droid.
"That's not my objective." The droid stated.
"We're getting close. Saddle up." Cara said as she walked to the front of the boat.
"I still have the security protocols from my manufacturer. If my designs are compromised, I must self destruct." The IG unit said.
"What're you talking about?" Din asked as he walked over to the droid.
"I am not permitted to be captured. I must be destroyed." The IG said.
"Are we gonna keep talking or get out of here?" Greef asked.
"I can no longer carry this for you." The droid said as he handed the Din his jet pack. "Nor can I watch over the child."
"Wait. You can't self destruct. Your base command is to watch the child. That supersedes your manufacturer's protocol, right?" Din protested. "Right?" Confusion began to rack Natalia as she stared at the droid and Din. It was becoming clear to her that Din was fond of the droid.
"This is correct." The droid said.
"Good. Now grab a blaster and help us shoot our way out." The Mandalorian said.
"No, the droid is right." Natalia said, causing the Mandalorian to look to her. "I hate it too, believe me I'm sick of watching things die. But the IG is our only hope on making it out alive."
"Listen, you're not going anywhere." Din stated as he looked back to the droid. "We need you. Let's just come up with a..."
"Please tell me the child and Natalia will be safe in your care. If you do so, I can default to my secondary command." The IG droid explained.
"But you'll be destroyed." Din argued.
"And you will live, and I will have served my purpose."
"No. We need you."
"There's nothing to be sad about. I have never been alive." The droid said.
"I'm not...sad." Din defended.
"Yes you are. I'm a nurse droid. I've analyzed your voice." The IG droid said as it reached it's hand out to the child in Natalia's arms and ran it's finger down it's ear. The child cooed and a small frown began to form on Natalia's face as the droid began to walk to the edge of the boat.
"IG?" Greef asked but there was no stopping the droid, it already had it's foot in the lava. "What are you doing?!"
Natalia could only watch as the droid walked through the lava and out of the tunnel where the stormtooper's stood. Natalia quickly covered the child's eyes with her hand as the explosion rang through the air.
Shortly after the explosion, the boat arose from the smoke and outside to the lava flats. Cara and Din held their blasters ready in case there were any survivors but they were all dead, every last one of them. They were free, the mission was finally over, or so Natalia thought.
