May The Way Be With You

Passing Time

Hyperspace really is mesmerizing. Just the light of the stars swirling with the different blues of space. I'm sitting in the left hand seat, staring out at hyperspace whizzing by. Mando is doing something on a holopad, the only noise the hum of the ship. The only things left to fix inside the ship are organizing the wires and fixing the door to his sleeping alcove.

Mando let me keep what I got for the scrap, so hopefully the next planet we land on sells bed foam and blankets. I'm still sleeping in his alcove, which leaves him sleeping in the cockpit. I feel bad about it. Even if I try to sleep on the floor, he just places me in his bed and goes to the cockpit. "Hey Mando? Why do you insist I sleep in your area?" I ask. He barely turns his head to me, and doesn't answer.

I sigh, trying to understand it. It can't be comfortable sleeping in a chair, so why does he do it? "Before now, when was the last time you slept in a bed?" Mando suddenly asks. I look at him and tilt my head. "Before I hired you. When was the last time you slept in a real bed?" He reiterates. I look down as I think.

"When I worked at the strip club a while ago. They had living quarters for the dancers. I only worked there for a month. Got tired of having to give the boss a blow job to get my pay every week." I sigh, looking back out the window. He spins so fast in his chair it squeaks loudly, making me jump.

"You what?" He demands, sounding angry.

"Yeah, at the strip club, the girls had to suck the boss's dick to get their pay. Whomever was best got an extra hundred credits as a bonus. It was gross every time, I swear he purposefully got as dirty and sweaty as he could beforehand." I shudder, remembering the smell. I can feel Mando's anger, and I look over to him.

His shoulders are tense, and his chest moves faster than it should, like he's trying to take breaths to calm down. I look at him, confused. Why would he be upset about that? After a few moments, he asks, "What in the name of the Maker did you go through on that planet?" I freeze, his anger reminding me of Madame Grizel when I fucked up a job. "Thief... Tell me." He demands.

I whimper and shrink down in my seat, getting ready to be hit. "I... I don't wanna talk about it. Not yet. I've barely known you two months. Last time I talked about it, I was hurt really badly." I mumble, hugging my knees to my chest.

"Are you afraid I'll hurt you?" He asks, voice neutral, but I can feel he's hurt by the thought.

"Honestly? A little. I don't know you enough to know if you would hurt me or not. You are a bounty hunter after all. I know if I ever get a hit put on me, it doesn't matter how well I work, you'll turn me in for the reward. Which is understandable, it's your job. Your livelihood. I wouldn't take it personally." I tell him, practically hiding in my knees.

I can feel the swirl of emotions he's feeling. Offended, understanding, hurt, and perhaps a bit of stubbornness. "Then allow me to prove myself. Prove to your standards that I will never intentionally harm you. And should there ever be a bounty on your head, no matter how high the reward is, I will never turn you in for it. If anyone tried to hunt you for it, I'll protect you. This is the Way." He vows.

I peek out, unsure of how much I trust his word. "And to answer your earlier question, I insist on you sleeping on my bed because I assumed you'd been sleeping on the streets for quite some time. No employee of mine will sleep on the floor or the ground like a charhound." He says, swinging back around to his holopad.

I stare at him, his helmet reflecting the lights of hyperspace. No one has ever been kind to me, let alone offer to prove themselves first. "Why? You've barely known me for just as long. Shouldn't I be proving myself to you?" I ask.

"You already have. For the last two months, you've done exactly as you said. You've been fixing my ship, remarkably well for such a small fee. Not a single thing has gone missing without a reasonable explanation. You've proven to me you're a woman of your word." He says nonchalantly.