tritanopia | The Mandalorian

ten

After that, time seemed to move fairly quickly for Fae. But, to be fair, that is how it usually works when you fall asleep for several hours — which was exactly what had happened.

Fae had always had the knack of falling asleep pretty much anywhere, solid floors, chairs...on her back with her legs propped up perpendicularly on a rock. It was a true talent. Even Mando was impressed, a man who had slept in a full set of armour countless times, as he picked her up and took her inside the ship so that they could leave.

Fae had known she wasn't still on the planet that she had grown to hate before she had even opened her eyes; the constant vibrations that seeped into her bones due to the floor she was sat on gave it away. She found herself simply propped up against the wall, hands still cuffed in her lap, and an irritating ache in her neck due to the lack of support. The only light turned on in the belly of the ship was the one above her head, covering every crevice of the room with a menacing red filter.

Despite the small light source, it was still a struggle for Fae to find the first wrung of the ladder since everything she saw was a distorted distance away, but eventually she managed to get up to the top level and into the cockpit.

"Was leaving me down there really necessary?" She asked, rubbing her irritated neck as the door slid shut behind her. The bounty hunter didn't even flinch at her sudden appearance — it was as if he heard literally everything that happened around him. Unfortunately the cockpit was just as dark as the rest of the ship, so Fae had to keep her hands out in front of her to make sure she didn't walk straight into something on the way to her chair.

"Carrying an unconscious person up a ladder is harder than you'd think," He answered in a matter-of-fact tone mixed with boredom. Fae rolled her eyes and prepared to give him a reply as snidely as possible, but was interrupted by something on the console releasing an annoying beep. Mando leaned forwards to click the same thing, which in turn brought up a hologram of a man Fae didn't recognise.

"Mando," The tiny blue man said, "I've received your transmission. Wonderful news. Upon your return, deliver the quarries directly to the client. I have no idea if he wants to eat the little guy or hang it on his wall, even less of a clue about the girl, but he's very antsy. Safe passage! You know where to find me."

Fae had barely been listening to him, instead finding amusement in watching the Child sneak up onto the console and steal a silver ball from the tip of a lever. However, Mando didn't find it at all as entertaining as she did, and promptly snatched the ball away from him, snapping something about how "It'S nOt A tOy." And then proceeded to place the child back into its cot, which floated next to Fae's chair.

"So," Fae began, and saw Mando sigh at just the one word, "your friend encourages the abduction of children? I can see why you both get along." The Child babbled quietly along with her as he played with the rings on her fingers — Fae not knowing whether he understood a word they said. She also wondered the same thing about the Mandalorian sat in front of her, since he seemed to ignore half of it. Maybe he just didn't speak basic very well. After that no one spoke, save for the occasional nonsense that the Child managed to come out with. But it didn't matter anyway, since they soon landed on Nevarro.

Fae didn't know that this was the planet the client was on, waiting for her, but as soon as the Crest touched down on it — she knew. She felt in the marrow of her bones. This was it. And the dread settled in her stomach worse than she ever would have imagined. She didn't even have the energy to snap at Mando when he manhandled her out of the chair and then out of the ship. In fact, she didn't even notice it was happening. She was just walking. For days, she had been distracting herself, making jokes and remarks — as if this wasn't the inevitable end. But it was. And it was truly inevitable. And it wasn't until that moment that Fae realised just how terrified she was.