Cordelia sits on the ground with the Child in her lap. The Child cooing as he watches the droids cooking the dragon meat. Din stands behind his wife, letting her lean back against his legs. She's tired from their journey through the desert but doesn't want to leave his side while they wait for Peli and the contact.
"Hey, don't overcook it, Treadwell. I like it medium rare! I'm not some Rodian, for crying out loud." Peli says as she joins them. She sighs. "All right, here's the deal. A Mandalorian covert is close. It's in this sector, one system trailing."
"Are they the ones that left Nevarro?" Din asks. Cordelia hopes they are, not only for Din, but for the Armorer as well. She runs her finger over her ring, wondering where the Armorer is now.
"Don't know. All I know is that the contact will lead you to them." She replies.
"How much will it cost us?" He asks.
"Well, that's the great news. It's free. Aside from a finder's fee, of course." Peli says.
"What's the not-great news?" He asks. Cordelia rolls her eyes at his suspicion, pulling the Child back into her lap as he tries to get closer to the cooking meat.
"Nothing. It's all great." She replies.
"Okay." He says, turning back to his family.
"However, there is one small skank in the scud pie." Peli says.
"Which is?" He asks.
"The contact wants passage to the system." She answers.
"Do you vouch for them?" Din asks.
"On my life." She says.
"Fine." He says.
"And...no hyperdrive." Peli adds.
"You want us to travel sublight? Deal's off." He says.
"It's one sector over." She argues.
"Moving fast is the only thing keeping us safe." He replies. Cordelia gets to her feet, preparing to join the discussion.
"These are mitigating circumstances." Peli says.
"What do you mean 'mitigating'?" He asks. Cordelia places a hand on his arm as a frog woman enters the hangar, a container filled with eggs on her back. She approaches and Din leans closer to speak quiet enough that she doesn't hear. "I'm not a taxi service." Cordelia squeezes his arm, silently telling him not to be rude.
"I know, I know, I hear you. But I can vouch for her." Peli says. The woman reaches them and stands next to Peli.
"What's the cargo?" Din asks. Peli speaks with the woman before translating.
"It's her spawn. She needs her eggs fertilized by the equinox or her line will end. If you jump into hyperspace, they'll die. She said her husband has settled on the estuary moon of Trask in the system of the gas giant Kol Iben." She says.
"She said all of that?" Cordelia asks.
"I paraphrased." She replies. Din looks at Cordelia and the Child. He knows that he'd be risking their safety, but also that Cordelia wants to help the woman. He doesn't have to speak with her to know. He understands her enough to recognize the look on her face as she looks at the woman and her eggs.
"Is she sure there are Mandalorians there?" He asks, not willing to put his family at risk until he knows the woman is certain. Peli and the frog lady talk for a few moments.
"She said her husband has seen them." Peli answers. The frog woman heads past them and towards the Crest.
"We'll be inside." Cordelia says, patting Din's chest before following the woman into the ship.
She stops by their bed to grab the Child's blanket before following her into the cockpit. The woman stands, unsure where to sit.
"This is my seat." She says, setting the Child down and wrapping him in the blanket. She moves and places a hand on Din's seat. "This is my husband's. He'll join us in a little bit." She says. She gestures to the last chair. "That's your chair. Make yourself comfortable." She smiles at the woman before sitting in her seat, placing the Child on her lap.
After a few minutes, Din enters the cockpit. He spots the frog lady in one chair, Cordelia half-asleep in hers. He chuckles quietly and moves to his, starting the ship and exiting the hangar.
"Now, I'm gonna ask you to stay strapped in whenever you're seated. Traveling sublight is a bit dicey these days. Whether it's pirates or warlords, someone either ends up with a nice chunk of change or your ship." Din says. The frog lady speaks. "I don't speak whatever language that is. You speak Huttese?" There's no response, so he tries the language. She still doesn't respond so he turns back to the controls with a sigh. "So, I'm gonna hit the rack. I've set the nav for our course. It's gonna take a while. I recommend you get some rest."
Din stands and scoops Cordelia into his arms. She stirs but doesn't wake fully. He chuckles and shifts her so he can climb down the ladder. He opens the door to the bunk, expecting to see the Child, but he's not inside. He gently sets Cordelia inside before turning around. He spots the Child leaning over the edge of the open container of eggs, bringing one towards his mouth.
"No, no, no!" He says, rushing to stop him. The Child slurps the egg into his mouth before Din can reach him, so he closes the lid, grabbing the Child. "That is not food. Don't do that again." He tells him. The Child burps. "Nap time."
Din returns to the bunk, laying the Child in his hammock. He sees Cordelia still sleeping and smiles. He closes the door and turns the light off, climbing into bed. He wishes he could remove his armor and helmet to cuddler her closer but decides not to risk it.
He gets comfortable and pulls Cordelia as close as he's able to with his armor in the way, wrapping his arm around her. She turns in her sleep, resting her cheek on his chest and wrapping her arm around him, too. He smiles, happy that even while sleeping she wants to be as close as possible.
***
Din and Cordelia wake to loud beeping. She groans, covering her eyes with her arm as he gets out of bed.
"I'll be right back." He tells her before climbing the ladder. She watches him go and sighs, laying back down.
She's about to drift back to sleep when the ship starts jostling in all different directions. She grabs onto the first thing she can, trying to stay in place. She grabs on as tight as she can, managing to keep herself from getting injured as the ship moves.
She relaxes as the ship stops and looks around for the Child. She spots him moving towards the frog lady's eggs and rolls her eyes.
"Leave those alone. Those are not a snack." She scolds as she moves towards him. As she lifts him, the ship begins shaking again. With nothing nearby to hold onto, she curls around the Child and hopes for the best. She squeezes her eyes shut as she protects him, the Child being her first priority. She feels a sharp pain at her temple before she loses consciousness.
Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that the first chapter of Cordelia's story will be out later today too :)
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The Mandalorian's Bounties | Din Djarin
FanfictionCordelia wakes up with no memories. She doesn't know who she is, let alone why she wakes up in a strange building with a Child at her side. The only thing she does know is that she must protect him at all costs. After spending months with her appare...
