The Mandalorian's Slave

The Rescue

My stomach churns restlessly. I should have gone with the Mandalorian. I may not know how to fight, but an extra person is always better. I know he's a well-trained warrior, but still. There's a reason the price for the Child was so high. His buyers will not give him up easily.

I sit in the back of the ship, peering out the small window on the door. My fingers hover over the button that opens it. I just want the Mandalorian and the Child back here, safe.

Most slaves would wish their Master dead. If I was smart, I would too. But then again, if I was smart, I would do a lot of things differently. I would keep my mouth shut. I wouldn't care so much about a small green creature. The slaves that live the longest are the selfish ones. And yet, I care for my Master and the Child. It's a stupid sentiment really.

It's getting dark out. I don't know much about Navarro, but this city doesn't strike me as safe at night. Standing on my tiptoes, I see dark forms converge in the street. My heart sinks as I realize what they're doing. I recognize the trackers in their hands. The Mandalorian may have the child, but those bounty hunters will not let him off the planet.

I should do something. But what? I don't know how to use a gun, and I don't know how to aim. I could try to distract them, but I'm just a slave. They'd kill me without any remorse.

I recognize an armored figure approaching. It's my Master, with a small bundle tucked underneath his arm. The bounty hunters circle around him, slowly raising their weapons.

While their eyes are on the Mandalorian, I open the Razor Crest's door. Is this is going to work, he's going to need to get on board, fast. But I don't like our chances. More and more bounty hunters keep creeping out of the shadows.

"Welcome back Mando!" Their leader steps forward. He's tall, with dark skin and dark hair. He holds himself with casual composure and walks with the slow purposefulness of a cat. "Now put the package down."

The Mandalorian's voice is muffled, but I still hear his response. "Step aside. I'm going to my ship."

"You put the bounty down and perhaps I'll let you pass." The playfulness has been drained from the bounty hunter's voice.

"The kid's coming with me," the Mandalorian growls.

"If you truly care about the kid then you'll put him on the speeder. And we'll discuss terms."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

My heart sinks. After everything, the Mandalorian is going to give the child up. But there's no way he's getting out of there alive with the child.

"Because I'm your only hope," the head bounty hunter says simply.

The Mandalorian slowly approached the speeder. He stares down at the bundle in his arms. I sense it before I see it. He grabs his pistol and shoots a bounty hunter, leaping over the speeder in the split second of confusion.

My heart thumps wildly. He's fighting back.

The other bounty hunters begin firing, but the speeder gives him good protection. The Mandalorian shoots back, hitting the bounty hunters with deadly precision.

"Drive!" The Mandalorian orders the droid piloting the speeder. The droid swivels its head indignantly. The Mandalorian points his pistol at it. "Drive!"

The speeder takes off, pulling the Mandalorian and the Child in the back off it. Occasionally the Mandalorian pops up, picking off the other bounty hunters.

I feel stupid, crouching here in the doorway of the ship while my Master risks his life. But what can I do?

Someone hits the droid and they come to a stop, so close to the ship yet too far. Smoke and sparks fly off the droid. The bounty hunters creep closer to the speeder. I need to do something.

I see the tip of the Mandalorian's disintegration rifle as he shoots a bounty hunter standing on the roof, and then another one in the street. He can kill a lot, but he can't kill this many. I watch as a third bounty hunter is reduced to dust.

"That's one impressive weapon," the head bounty hunter calls.

"Here's what I'm gonna do: I'm gonna walk to my ship with the kid, and you're gonna let it happen."

But my Master doesn't see the bounty hunters creeping towards him. I want to shout but I'm scared.  

"No. How about this? WE take the kid. And if you try to stop us, we kill you, and we strip your body for parts." 

One of the bounty hunters lunges toward the Child. The Mandalorian kicks, hitting him in the face. I watch as my Master electrocutes the unfortunate bounty hunter with the end of his rifle.

Shots are being fired now, too fast to make sense of. All I know is it's not good. I need to something, and I need to do it fast.

The Mandalorian lets out a jet of red-hot flames, driving the bounty hunters backward. He can't keep that up for long though. I watch as the flames sputter and die, too paralyzed by fear to do anything.

Shots fly around the speeder. It's only a matter of time before one hits its target.

I jump as out of now where a rocket approaches, hitting a bounty hunter perched on a rooftop. My jaw drops as I watch Mandalorians approach, all using jet packs.

They fly blaster wildly, all as good of a shot as my Master. The one-way battle is quickly turning. The remaining bounty hunters scuttle around in fear, fleeing for their lives.

"Get out of here," one of the Mandalorians demands. "We'll hold them off."

"You're going to have to relocate the covert," my Master protests.

"This is the way." The other Mandalorian says firmly, shooting off stray bounty hunters.

"This is the way." The Mandalorian scoops up the child and runs toward the Crest. I run inside, with the Mandalorian closely following.

"Hold it Mando!" We've got a follower. The head bounty hunter dashes inside before I can close the door. He points a pistol at us.

The Mandalorian turns around to face him.

"I didn't want it to come to this." Up close I can see the age spots on the bounty hunter's face. He's got a gut too. He's not as young as the Mandalorian. At least, I assume. Hopefully not as good of a shot. "But then you broke the code."  

The Mandalorian slashes a tube on the wall, causing steam to fill the room. He grabs my arm and pulls me toward the cockpit as the room fills with mist. The bounty hunter fires a few shots, but the steam obscures his view. My Master shoves around a corner and fires one shot back, hitting his target squarely in the chest. The bounty hunter flies back, landing on the ground outside the ship.

"Close the door. We're taking off."

I run and slam the button, willing the door to shut as quickly as possible. I feel the ship lurch as we take off, leaving a battle in the streets. A battle caused by me. Because I couldn't let one lousy child die.

The room is still filled with steam as I approach the cockpit. We can worry about it later, once we leave this planet. As I lower myself into my seat, I notice a Mandalorian flying beside us. He salutes my Master before turning around.

"I've got to get one of those." Even though I can't see his face, I can the smile in the Mandalorian's voice.

I pick up the Child, watching as he squirms slightly in my arms. "Thank you for saving him.  I'm glad he's ok."

"I did what I had to."

"The other room is filling up with steam. I'll go fix that." I carefully lower the Child onto the seat.

"You know how to fix that?" The Mandalorian is surprisingly calm for someone who nearly died.

I flash him a smile. "Maybe your head got fried, but I vaguely recall practically rebuilding this whole thing."

I can almost feel the Mandalorian rolling his eyes. "Go fix it. And next time I'm nearly dying, maybe try firing back." He says it lightly, but my heart sinks.

I'm thankful for the work. It distracts me from my thoughts. This life I'm living is unlike anything I ever imagined. And it all happen because of one little mistake: I opened the door to the wrong person.