Under the Helmet ~ (The Mandalorian x Male OC)

Chapter 44: Ambush

Night came and went with no sign of Lyra. Daedalus and Din took turns sleeping so one of them was always awake in case she turned up. Morning brought sunlight shining through the mouth of the cave, illuminating the cave in a spectacular light show. It was bright enough to wake Din from his slumber. He had fallen asleep on Daedalus's shoulder, and as he stirred to consciousness, the Foundling stood and helped him up.
"Good morning," he cooed.
Din smiled and cracked his neck. "Why did we sleep with our helmets on? I thought we knew better."
Daedalus chuckled. "I could give you another massage?"
The Mandalorian removed his helmet. "Go ahead."
Just as they began to settle back in, Gayle's voice rang through their intercoms. "She's here!"
Din threw his helmet back on and the Mandalorians dove behind a boulder. Lyra's ship glided through the waterfall and landed deep in the cave, almost near where they were hiding. The ramp lowered and Lyra could be seen dragged an animal carcass over to the campfire pit. She began to start a fire, but the low rumble of Daedalus's ship disturbed her. The iconic white transport dove through the wall of water and turned to block Lyra's exit.
Din and Daedalus emerged from behind the rock, Darksaber ignited. They ran and blocked off the entrance to her ship. Gayle, Verid, and Wally emerged from their own vessel, weapons drawn and ready to engage.
Lyra was surrounded.
"Where's the princess?", Daedalus boomed, pointing his saber at the villain.
She smirked. "I wish I could tell you, but I can't."
The Foundling walked closer to her, holding the saber at her throat. "Where is she?"
"I sold her back to the Zygerrian's for a great sum," she stated plainly.
"You...what?", Daedalus's voice broke.
Lyra chuckled. "You heard me."
The Foundling lowered the saber and kicked her back into the fire pit. "How could you?", he whimpered.
She shrugged. "Pretty easily."
Daedalus held the Darksaber above his head, preparing to bring it down right into Lyra's chest.
"Wait," Din ordered, drawing his blaster. He switched it to stun and shot Lyra.
The Phoenix was slightly put off that his boyfriend wouldn't let him go through with the execution. "Why did you stop me?"
"Leaving her here to rot on this decaying planet is a fate worse than death."
Daedalus scoffed. "Brutal."
Verid walked to Lyra's ship and ran a hand along its exterior. "So what, we have two ships now?"
"The Razor Crest, too," Daedalus added. "Think we could get that thing back for our raid on Zygerria?"
The crew fell silent.
"Our what?", Gayle pried.
"I mean, I fully plan on saving Rotella, do you guys not want to?", the Foundling questioned. No response. "I'm not stopping until I save the princess. This is my quest, I intend on finishing it."
Verid winced. "Not to be harsh, but I think this is where we draw the line. The princess is going to be highly guarded, and this is just...too risky for me."
Wally wailed in agreement.
Daedalus turned to Gayle. "What do you think?", he asked.
She looked down at her feet. "I think it's a little out of our league."
The Foundling was appalled. "So I'm doing this alone?"
"I'll help," Din offered.
"I know you are, but you guys...are we splitting up?"
Daedalus took off his helmet. Tears were in his eyes.
Wally let out a holler and ran to embrace the Foundling. Verid and Gayle joined in after.
The Mandalorian knew that they were going to split up eventually, but couldn't have guessed it would be this soon.
Gayle placed her hands on Daedalus's shoulders. "As soon as you're in trouble, get out of there. I'm serious." She looked over at Din. "Don't let him get in over his head, got it?"
He nodded.
"Good," she said, turning back to Daedalus. "Good luck."
"Oh, and if you can get me one of those cool Zygerrian whips, I'd be very appreciative," Verid chimed.
Din shrugged. "Maybe if you went with..."
The Sakiyan laughed. "Good one."
The team said there goodbyes and headed back to their ship. The Mandalorian but his arm around Daedalus, holding him tight as they watched the transport disappear through the waterfall.
The Foundling broke down crying at their departure and wrapped his arms around Din. "Am I totally stupid for wanting to do this?"
The Mandalorian was unsure what to say. Half of him wanted to do whatever he needed to do to make his boyfriend happy, but the other half saw the practicality of the mission and just how daring a rescue would be.
"It'll be risky..," he started, "but we can try."
Daedalus pulled back and looked deep into Din's visor. "Are you sure? I don't want to put you at risk."
The Mandalorian removed his helmet and took the Foundling's face in his hands. "We'll do it together."
The two kissed softly before making their way into Lyra's ship.
Daedalus let out a guttural sigh and plopped down into the copilot seat. "I hate this ship, can we go and get the Razor Crest?"
"If it's still there, sure," he affirmed.
He would be surprised if it wasn't gone completely, as it had been two years since he had left it on Sorgan.
"What even happened with the bounty on your head? Is it still active?", Daedalus wondered.
"It's still active, but a lot of people just don't take it because those who have usually don't come back alive."
The Foundling shrugged. "Not your problem you're the most badass bounty hunter in the galaxy."
Din smirked. "I think I got some competition now," he teased, slapping Daedalus's thigh.
The Mandalorian started the ship and plotted a course for Sorgan. "Ready?", he asked, tilting his head back to look at Daedalus.
The Foundling nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Let's go."