Unmasked Love | The Mandalorian

|8|

"I can take over if you want me to. You kind of seem out of it," Mando says, his deep voice snapping me out of the sleepy daze I had been set in for the past hour or so. I quickly shake my head, blinking a few times to wake myself up properly as I ran a few lazy fingers through my messy wavy hair. I really shouldn't be falling asleep while flying, but damn do I want to take a nap right now. 

Working on the ship with Kuiil took a lot out of me for some reason. It had been a long process, of course, but it was still just basic mechanic work that should've been a lot easier for me than it proved to be. 

Then again, it probably could've gone by a lot faster and easier, but Mando decided to prove that he had no knowledge of fixing up a large ship like the Razor Crest. After watching him hold a pair of pliers the wrong way for twenty minutes, I called it. So, Kuiil and I worked our asses off while he went and messed around with the little green child we now had in our care.

A blue hologram suddenly pops up right next to my control system, making me jump and jolt from the quick blue flash of light on top of the dashboard in front of me. Well, that's definitely one way to wake me the fuck up. I look over to the flat part of the dashboard to see a smaller version of Greef Karga standing on top, his usual charismatic smile shining through. 

"Mand! I received your transmission," he starts, smiling wide while nodding his head along. 

"You sent him a transmission?" I question, narrowing my eyes as I tried to think back to when he might've done such a thing. Maybe he sent it while Kuiil and I were working on the ship. He had been spending a lot of time in the cockpit while we were working, so I suppose it made sense. 

"Wonderful news! Upon your return, deliver the quarry directly to the client. I have no idea if he wants to eat it or hang it on his wall, but he's very antsy. Safe passage, my friend. And tell Mae that I owe her a drink this time around," Greef continues. I furrow my brows and shift around in my seat, my mind feeling a little uneasy as I ignored his offer of a free drink. 

The thoughts that were running through my head were more than just a little conflicting. After seeing what happened with the mudhorn, it was obvious that the kid was force-sensitive. I mean, I had felt it before, but I hadn't realized that it was him radiating the immense power that I had felt. 

I was so tempted to just skip right over the delivery point so I could protect him from the life that I was forced to live through under Imperial rule. It broke my heart knowing that might be his fate if we were to actually drop him off with the client, and that wasn't something I would be able to live with. Knowingly sending a child into the same situation I had to go through would just be a monstrous thing for me to do. 

But at the same time, if I tried to protect him, there would be the possibility of Mando figuring out that I was able to use the force too and I didn't know whether or not I was ready for that to happen. I had been hiding my abilities for so long out of fear that he might turn on me or report me to the Empire that still seemed to be working on their underground operations. I hadn't dared to create a sense of trust with Mando in that part of my life just yet. 

 I trusted Mando with my life, I really did, but I don't know if I could trust him with that kind of information just yet. I can barely trust myself with that kind of information. The number of times I've almost slipped up, or almost used my lightsaber instead of my blaster. 

I could barely even trust myself. 

"So, eat it or hang it on the wall," I repeat, continuing to silently sort my thoughts out in my head. I take a deep breath and let it out in one heavy sigh. "That's always a great thing to hear."
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"Hey, easy with that," Mando snaps, looking over to the stormtrooper that had grabbed onto the crib a little too harshly.