The Mandalorian

Chapter 11: The Heiress

The Razor Crest was miraculously still on the move. Its engines were barely at any capacity and the doors were close to falling off. Slowly they drifted towards Trask, only just going in a straight line. The four of them were dozing in the cockpit, the excitement of their previous venture had exhausted them all and, thankfully, for them the remainder of their journey had been uneventful.

The Frog lady was hugging her pod of eggs, leaning on the lid while Estella was leaned back in her chair, the child now on her lap with her hands clasped around him. Din was in the pilot seat, his back against his chair but his head tipped forward. A gentle beeping filled the cockpit, accompanied by a flashing red light. Although quiet, it was enough to rouse Din from his slumber. 

His eyes slowly blinked open, his view coming into focus as he stifled a yawn. His neck ached as he lifted his head up and straightened his back. His eyes found the source of the noise, they were nearing their destination and were moments from the descent into its atmosphere.

The little one began stirring, his big eyes heavy as he rubbed them, giving out little cooing noises that now awoke Estella. Stretching her back out,c she looked on at the approaching planet. Bittersweet it was to see it, they were inching closer to finding the little ones people. Their passenger was the last to awaken and Din was the first to speak.

"Looks like we made it." He flicked a few switches before sighing in concern. "Get ready for landing." The Crest groaned in response to Din activating the landing gear. "Dank farrik!" Frustration was clear in his tone and they all knew that the landing was going to be rough. "The landing array isn't responding." Now he was frantically pushing buttons around him in an attempt to lessen the risk of a crash landing. "Without the guidance system, it'll be a manual re-entry. It might get a little choppy." 

Estella sighed, it was obvious that he hadn't done a manual re-entry in quite some time. "Once we're through the atmosphere, there should be enough fuel to slow down... if we don't burn to a crisp." He muttered that last part, but they all still heard it. El scoffed, trying not to laugh at his usual bluntness in the face of such situations. Him being so truthful about things wasn't always a comfort, and yet she always felt safe and comfortable around him.

Din lifted the nose of the Crest up beginning the rapid descent. Din kept the belly of the ship straight as gravity pulled them down. The right engine was sparking uncontrollably and they entered the atmosphere. The silver ship turning red and orange, the metal reaching fatally high temperatures as they plummeted downwards. Any remaining ice melted instantly, the moisture from within the cockpit forming droplets above them, only to drip down as the Crest shook and alarms blared.

"El, I need your hands!" Din called for her, she immediately rose and placed the child on her seat before coming to Din's right side. "I need you to hold this lever back." El wrapped her hand around the lever, her other hand on Din's chair to keep her steady as the ship threatened to throw them around. The lever was fighting to move forward, but her iron grip held it back. "Keep it steady. Here we go." 

The ground was rushing up to meet them, and the hot metal cooled enough for the orange light to fade. A transmission came through from the control tower, but they all ignored it given how well aware they were of their situation.

"Razor Crest, this is Trask flight control. Please reduce your speed to port protocol."

"I'm trying my best here!" Din snapped in response, more to himself than to the woman who urged them to slow down. "Engage reverse thrusters. Brace!" Without hesitating he pushed a lever forward, lowering the legs of the ship. El gripped tightly onto the lever and chair, glancing over at the kid who had his hands wrapped around the straps, trying to keep himself from toppling over. The Frog hugged her eggs close, her grip strong as the eggs sloshed around inside the pod. "Hold on."