𝑺𝑨𝑵𝑪𝑻𝑼𝑴 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻 ⤠ 𝔻𝕚𝕟 𝔻𝕛𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕟

⤠ Chapter XXVII

⊱ T H E  P R I S O N E R⊰

⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰

"CARA DUNE, MARSHAL OF THE NEW REPUBLIC," Din said with hidden awe, as he looked upon the badge she had handed to him. He tossed it back to her and she caught it with ease. "I heard rumours you might have gone legit."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"I need your help."

"Name it."

"I need you to locate someone in the prison registry."

Cara swung her feet off the desk she sat at and turned on her monitor. "Let's see what I can do."

"Ex-Imperial sharpshooter, last name Mayfeld. Apprehended near the Dilestri system on a derelict prison ship."

Cara pressed another button and the device stopped beeping."Migs Mayfeld. Serving 50 years in the Karthon Chop fields for springing a prisoner himself. Accessory to the death of a New Republic officer. Sounds like a real piece of work. What do you want with him?"

"I need to spring him to help me locate Moff Gideon's light cruiser."

Cara sat back, surprise on her face. "You know how I feel about the Empire. But these stripes . . . mean there are rules I need to follow."

"They have the kid."

That was enough to sway Cara.

Cara and Din slipped their way through the streets, going back to Boba's ship. But when they got there Ari was gone.

"Where's your girl?" Cara asked Din.

He shook his head. He didn't know.

"She said she was going to go look for someone: Karga I think the name was," said Fett.

The older man and woman walked through the streets. Ari had to find someone to vent to, Greef was the first and best person to do so. He had bought her food from a street cart and exchanged stories and wisdom. Ari loved the small amount of time they had spent. She had to admit, he had become a father figure for her.

"How are you and Mando?"

"He's . . . been opening up," she quipped, blushing. He didn't know how to describe what was happening. She had asked Din what they were and he gave an indirect response. "But with the loss of Grogu . . ."

"Hey, look on the bright side, this is the fastest he's ever trusted someone else. It took years for him and me to even be on a first-name basis. You have done so much for him, he is a better person because of you. We all are. He truly loves you, I can tell."

They stopped at another stall, this one selling scarfs similar to the ones she used to own. She picked one up and studied it, she liked the fabric. "Thank you, Greef. You have been a treasured friend through all of this."

"Anything for Mando's girl." She blushed. He pointed to the item she still held. "Do you like that?"

"Uh, yeah, but I haven't any credits cause of the-"

He turned to the vendor. "How much?"

"Greef-"

Handed the woman a few credits. "You deserve it." He took the scarf and helped her to hide her hair - she almost felt like herself again. He sweeps a curly strand aside, smiling at his surrogate daughter. "There, it looks wonderful on you - you look beautiful, very much your colour."

Ari shook her head and laughed. "You sure are a charmer."

"Ari, there you are!"

The two turned to the voice. Din was walking towards them with Cara in tow. The two women smiled and hugged each other briefly before Din continued, squaring his shoulders and fixing his posture. Ari's smile slipped, he only did that when something bothered him.

"We've tracked down Mayfeld. It's time to go."

"O-okay." She was a bit taken aback by the tone of his voice. "Thank you, Greef, for everything." She hugged him farewell.

"I see the scarf is back," Din said once they were far from Greef.

Ari's brow shot up. "Is that a bad thing? I thought you liked it-"

"I do. How'd you get it? Last I knew, you were short of credits."

"A gift from Greef."

Nodding stiffly, Din faced forward. He knew exactly how she got it, he watched the whole exchange. The way she smiled at Karga, the way he fixed her hair, the way she said his name like it was something she said constantly - it bothered him. He hated that the old man was so close to her, that she could just accept gifts from him. Din sighed, he was jealous, he hadn't felt like this in a long while, not since Mon Calamari. He hated this bitter feeling, but she was his. He just hoped she would stay such. Maybe it was time to show her just how much he loved her.

⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰

LOOKING OUTSIDE THROUGH THE WINDOW of Boba's ship, Ari saw a mass of junk. Metal scrap that was being taken apart by prisoners. It was a wasteland but Ari did not feel all too bad for them - they had served the Empire willingly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." she glanced at Din before gazing back out the window. "It's just, five years ago these were the beings I was fighting again and who killed many friends. But now, they are just that: people. Individuals who have lost their freedom."

Din placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, we're about to give one man his freedom back."

"Temporarily."

"It's better than nothing. Besides, Cara might be able to reduce his sentence."

"What would that do though? This guy's a vigilante, I mean, this guy might have killed people for all we know." She turned to him. "Do you know?"

Din was thankful she could see his face. If she knew the complete truth of how he knew Mayfeld, she would want nothing to do with him. He couldn't fathom the resentment and disappointment she would feel. "Yes. He's killed people. It was his job: to get rid of these . . . 'Vigilantes'."

"Still doesn't make it right."

"No. It does not."

Ari glanced back out the window. "And you worked with him?"

"Yes."

"Did you ever kill, you know, inno-"

"Yes."

She stood slowly and came to stand in front of him. "Thank you for being honest. Thank you for opening up." She placed a hand over his heart. "I know you'd rather forget about it but your past is not your future, love." Kissing the helmet where his cheek would be, she slipped away to join Boba and Fennec.

Din finally breathed. She was too understanding, too kind, to be with him. Yet, here she was, walking away from him with even more love than he thought possible.

⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰