Against the Odds

Chapter 16: The Crew

I am so sorry i keep saying im gonna post and then i DONT im a liar and a heathen im so sorry

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Mando landed the Razor Crest and flipped levers, turning the accelerator off and powering the ship down. He spun slowly in his seat and looked at the kid who had his clawed hands on the rims of his hover-pram. The lights of the ship reflected in his huge dark eyes as his mouth opened and out came a soft squeak.

Din thought that maybe somehow he could tell what was about to happen. The woman was about to leave them. Well, actually he was kicking her out. But it was for the best and he knew it. She'd squandered their-his trust. Subconsciously he was aware it was only an excuse, though he wouldn't admit it. He knew she meant them no harm and somewhere deep inside him, he knew parting with the Child would be more difficult than he'd previously expected. But he'd been charged to be the father to this child until he found another of his kind, so he was charged with finding someone worthy. And now he knew that wasn't Vella.

Her eyes fluttered open, her back feeling stiff from sitting for so long and her crossed legs were numb. She'd taken to meditating and had lost herself for most of the trip. But the moment they landed, there was a knot in her stomach, anxiety bubbling its way into her chest as she stood up and walked towards the Razor Crest's ramp.

Lara only watched her quietly. She'd been able to sleep restlessly for a wink or two but she didn't feel rested. The Mandalorian helmet seemed to haunt her dreams, not this Mandalorian, the one she had called father. Perhaps there was more she had yet to work through. But he wasn't the parent she had to be worried about at this moment.

Vella was drawing closer to the exit hesitantly, as if she knew something was awaiting her on the other side.

Her daughter often wondered what it felt like to have the Force, to be connected to all living things. When she was a child she'd wished to share the talents her mother had, if even for that little piece of extra connection. But thanks to her father, she'd found that without the Force she could be powerful too.

Din's boots hit the ground with a thud, his visor scanning the bay. He met Lara's eye briefly before she turned and he followed her gaze to see Vella warily staring at the exit. Her body was rigid and her shoulders were squared, hands clenched together. He watched her eyes slowly close. "What are you doing," he demanded. Din would admit, only to himself, he was a little less angry after the kid comforted him. But he was still angry and still didn't trust her, especially around the kid, so he'd left him upstairs locked in his pram.

Vella ignored him and delved into her mind, willing the Force to guide her to what it was she was feeling. It was hesitant, or was she hesitant? In any case, the answer wasn't coming to her immediately, but she didn't stop looking.

"Something's not right," she told them quietly, slowly extending her hand out in front of her. Her mind explored the planet, searching for where this feeling was coming from. Vella's shoulders shook as a shudder rolled through her. Yes, something was very wrong.

Lara hadn't seen this reaction from her mother many times, but usually when she did, what followed was never good.

"I feel... terrible fear..." Vella muttered, gulping but finding her mouth dry. Her hand clenched over her chest as she winced. "And pain."

Din only stood there, head tilted slightly as he stared at her in confusion. He didn't know what was happening, the Child had never reacted like that to anything before. "What are you talking about."

Vella finally found it, zeroing in on who she was sensing. Her brown eyes popped open, her lips parting, and her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach as the realization dawned on her. "Nahla..." she whispered.