Under the Helmet ~ (The Mandalorian x Male OC)

Chapter 24: Rescue

It had been a week since Din had settled on Sorgan, and so far it was going quite well. During the day, he would wander the woods, hunting and scavenging for food, then at night, he would cook whatever animal he managed to kill earlier. It was a sad life living in the woods, with no one to talk to and no signs of civilization, but it would do. No one had found him yet, and in a few more weeks, the news of his bounty would probably be obsolete. At least he hoped. The last few bounties he had tracked that were worth as much as he was now were pretty high profile, and their pucks went awfully fast. He just hoped that enough hunters tried to find him and failed, so he could return to his normal life. Return to Daedalus.
It was midday, and the heat from the sun was killing him under the helmet. He still left it on, just in case anyone did manage to find him. It was a possibility he didn't want to consider, but knew he had to.
Din crossed through a small forest and entered a large clearing, similar to the one he had brought Daedalus to weeks prior to train. There were little to no trees around, and a small brook could be seen in the far corner. Suddenly, a cruiser flew over the prairie. Din ducked immediately, trying to conceal the shine of his armor the best he could. The ship continued to fly by, they must not have seen him. The news of him being on Sorgan must be out there now; he just needed to lay low. Maybe set up camp somewhere, limit his exposure.

—— ONE DAY LATER ——

Din had managed to find a small, abandoned shanty deep in the woods. Based off of the vegetation growing on the sides of the house, it had been forsaken years ago. He made quick work cleaning the shack out and setting up camp. He had very little belongings with him, so it didn't take long.
Since it was still early in the day, he decided to head out and catch an animal for lunch or dinner. Maybe even set a few traps in case any bounty hunters found him. It was an odd feeling to be the prey for once. He wished he hadn't given Daedalus his sniper rifle or the Darksaber, as both would be advantageous in his current situation.
Grabbing his blaster pistol, he made his way into the woods to find a food source. He knew grinjer lived in the planet, and their bones made a great broth.
After hours of hunting, however, all he came up with  was two frogs. The frogs were large enough to suffice, but lacked any pleasurable taste. Unsure about what else to do, he put the animals in his bag and headed back to his cabin. Upon reaching his encampment, he noticed two bounty hunters poking through his stuff. Thankfully for him, the cabin was set in a small basin, and he had the high ground from all angles. The hunters spoke in a language unfamiliar to Din, and began to head back into the woods. The Mandalorian poked out from his hiding spot and fired on the hunters, killing them. The sound of his shots echoed through the forest, and shouting could be heard in the distance, undoubtedly more aggressors looking to claim the bounty on his head.
Din scampered down to his camp, mindlessly throwing everything of value into his bag. He took off into the woods, and he could hear the hunters trampling through the brush, on his way to him. He used his jetpack to propel himself into a tree, where he concealed himself in the branches. A small hoard of hunters arranged themselves below him, making plans on how to draw him out. One of his assailants, a Thisspiasian, began to sniff at the air, and looked right up at Din. The creature attempted to signal his cohorts that their prey was above them, but the Mandalorian struck first. He began firing down on his pursuers, missing most of his shots. He used his jetpack to above the trees, giving him some cover. The attackers were still firing at him, and their shots were getting more and more accurate as they focus on Din. The Mandalorian flew to the top branch of the tree, where he landed and sent a defensive volley of shots. A single shot weaved through the branches and hit Din's jetpack on a weak spot, rendering it useless. A single jolt went through the tree, and peering down, Din saw that the Thisspiasian was chopping down the tree.
Was this it? Was this where the infamous Mandalorian died?
Right on time, a single ship shot through the clouds, stopping just above Din. The ramp lowered to reveal none other than Cara Dune.
"Get in!", she called.
The Mandalorian leaped ungraciously onto to the ramp, landing on his stomach. Cara helped him to his feet.
"How's you find me?", Din asked, out of breath.
"It wasn't me," Cara confessed, motioning to the front of the ship.
Din couldn't believe it. "Daedalus? How'd you get of Cophrigin V?"
"By myself," the Foundling responsed flatly. "No thanks to you."
Din searched his partner's visor for any suggestion of emotion. "I'm sorry."
"Good," Daedalus retorted, turning to the front of the ship. "Head back to base for briefing, captain."
The Mandalorian turned back to Cara. "What happened?"
The Marshal sighed. "You ditched your boyfriend, and he contacted us using parts he scrapped from Bo Katan's ship you destroyed, and we used the tracker you placed on your ship to find Sara to track you here."
Din nodded. "Thank you."
"Again, it wasn't me. Daedalus led this one."
The Mandalorian looked at his partner. He hoped that whatever they had wasn't ruined by his previous actions. He loved Daedalus, and understood that he would never get why Din had to leave him behind.
The Mandalorian made his way to the front of the ship, to Daedalus. He reached for the Foundling's arm.
"Hey, are we okay?", he asked.
Daedalus turned to face him. "Have you made the decision for me already, or are you actually asking for my input?", he quipped.
The ship fell silent.
"We'll talk later," Din finished, not waiting for a reply from Daedalus.
His partner's ignorance frustrated him. What he did was no different than all the other times one of them had stayed back on a mission like that. If only Daedalus could accept that.
Din wondered if this was the end of their relationship. They had never fought like this. They'd had small tussles in the past, but nothing this large. He didn't want them to be over, but he also understood if this was where they were to draw the line.