Mandalorian Lost

Chapter 22

Two stormtroopers watch us like hawks as we approach the town's entrance. I can see countless white uniforms milling the streets behind them and I inwardly groan. So much for only four troopers to take care of.

"Chain code?" One of the troopers prompts as we stop in front of him. I keep my head down, avoiding direct eye contact with any of the Imperials.

"I have a gift for the boss," Greef announces proudly, gesturing to Mando and me. Even with a helmet covering his face, the trooper manages to look unimpressed.

"Chain code?" He asks again, completely unmoved by Greef's confidence. The older man sighs and hands over his chain code to be scanned. As he works, the trooper glances up at me and Mando through his dark helmet visor. He lingers on me a little too long, so I tense and jump forward as if I'm about to attack him. He flinches, squealing once as he shies away from me. I can't stop the snort that escapes my lips as I stand beside Mando, who sighs tiredly above me.

"Really?" He mutters, tilting his helmet down at me. I shrug, shooting him a shameless grin.

The trooper clears his throat as if nothing happened, and his gaze settles on Mando. "I'll give you 20 credits for the helmet."

"Not a chance!" Greef laughs, pressing his palm against his gut. "That's going on my wall!"

Mando tilts his helmet to look at him while the trooper finishes up his scan. "On your wall?" He echoes, sounding incredibly miserable because of this entire plan. I nudge his shoulder with mine and shoot him a sympathetic smile.

"Go with it," Greef hisses through his teeth. He barely manages a pleasant smile when the trooper hands back his chain code.

"Go ahead," he instructs, jerking his head toward the town. Greef nods graciously and drags us forward. We march through the center of the street, drawing far more attention than necessary. I can't help but notice how the place is crawling with troopers.

"You said four," Cara snaps from my side. She glares at Greef as she walks. "There are more than four troopers."

"Four guarding the client," Greef says. "Many more here in town. Things got really heated once these two crashed the safehouse."

"You didn't think that would be worth mentioning before?" I mumble, still scanning the buildings around us as we walk. The amount of troopers surrounding us makes me uneasy, and I look over at Greef when I can't take it any longer. "Slip him his blaster," I order, gesturing to Mando. I can handle myself as a sitting duck if things get messy, but I'd do better if I knew Mando had a way to take care of himself.

Greef shakes his head, squashing my hopes of taking at least a fraction of control over the situation. "Not yet." He pauses when we reach the entrance to a familiar-looking cantina. I know I should remember it as the place I met Greef and learned about the Imperial stronghold on Nevarro. But, of course, my mind insists on remembering it as the place I first saw Mando. "Here we are," Greef says quietly, pulling us through the doorway into the cantina. The place is empty aside from the client and his four troopers. I shoot Greef a pointed look and he grins proudly. At least he got one detail right.

The client slides out of his booth and stalks closer to us. His eyes are wide with curiosity as he peers at us. Aside from his fine Imperial clothes, he looks weathered with age and stress. His wispy, gray hair thinly folds over his scalp, exposing every worry line he has.

"Look what I brought you," Greef calls to him as he comes closer. "As promised. The Mandalorian, the asset, and the girl."

The client allows a breathy smile to spread across his thin lips as he reaches forward to brush his fingers against the beskar on Mando's chest. "What exquisite craftsmanship," he marvels, tracing his finger along the curve of Mando's helmet. It makes my blood boil, the way he regards him like an exhibit instead of a man. "It is amazing how beautiful beskar can be when forged by its ancestral artisans. Can I offer you a libation to celebrate the closing of our shared narrative?"