The Sweetest Taste

Chapter 22 - Not anymore

Everything was quiet and still, the sun long since departed, and the stars now visible overhead.

In the middle of the expansive desert sat a small cabin. Neat and tidy amongst the scrub land of the lava flats that surrounded it. A orange light poured from the windows, warm and inviting, along with a small plume of smoke which rose from a slim metal chimney.

Beside the cabin was a ship. An N-1 Naboo Starfighter. Sat there. Engine off. As still as it's surroundings.

To anyone who passed by now, it would have looked like someone was home, sat in their cabin enjoying the peace and quiet of late evening.

And that was indeed the presumption of the small group of men on speeder bikes that appeared at the top of the ridge overlooking the cabin, a kilometre or so away.

"That it?" said one of the men in a gruff voice, balaclava pulled up over his face.

Crix Val'shif, who was sat on a borrowed scuffed-up green speeder in the centre of the group, gave a nod, eyes black with malice. "Mmhmm," he said with a nod of his head. "That's the one."

He gave a sniff, grimacing as he did so, readjusting the blaster and the large three pronged hammer at his side.

"We all know the plan. Get in there, get the job done and get back to the bar for last orders. Someone'll find the bodies in a couple of days and that way we'll have a squeaky clean alibi. Got it?"

The men around Crix all nodded in unison, as the thug in question revved his engine aggressively.

He was the first to head down over the crest of the hill as the others followed in his wake. All of them picking up speed as they went.

In a matter of seconds they had reached the flat ground, following the curve of the hillside that led towards the cabin.

That cabin- so still, so inviting. Their eyes fixed to it now...

...not even noticing a seventh speeder bike tucked around a large flat rock at the base of the hill....

...waiting for them.

The sound came first, the low rumble catching them off guard as most of the men twisted their heads to see who was behind them.

Then the sight of beskar armour reflecting the moonlight came into view, as the speeder bike rounded the corner from its hiding place...

...gaining on them at a speed.

Hunting them.

There was a yell from one of the men at the front, as they all hurriedly fumbled for their blasters.

But Din Djarin was faster, taking out one one of the gang with a single shot to the skull, sending his bike veering off course and into another of the men who was thrown over the handlebars of his speeder.

Four to go.

............................

From her secluded position up on the smallest ridge overlooking the cabin, Lysa watched from her battered old landspeeder as Din hunted the group down one by one.

She was alone, still trembling as she watched the scene before her unfold.

The sound of gunfire could be heard below, and Lysa could feel her breaths ragged in her throat as her heart thudded inside her ribcage.

She was scared. Terrified even.

Din had insisted on taking Grogu with him on the speeder bike, and Lysa couldn't help but be worried about what would happen if Crix or one of his gang got an accurate shot in. Killing either Din, or his son.

But the Mandalorian had reassured her that they would be ok, despite Lysa's protestations.

But there were six of them against one. It surely wasn't a fair fight.

But Din had seemed unperturbed by this.

Lysa was aware that Din was a bounty hunter, but even so, Crix, and the thuggish men he aligned himself with, were surely the bigger threat.

But as Lysa watched, she couldn't help but notice the upper hand Din had. His shots were accurate. Precise. Relentless.

Pursuing them on his speeder bike, like an animal hunting down its prey.

Lysa had done what Din had asked and taken him to the Jawas. The three of them packed into the back of Lysa's landspeeder. She had been wholly confused by the request, but Din knew what he was doing.

He had flown past the Jawas recently on a return from a job, only to see them with a speeder-bike, likely looted of course. The closest one to Din's cabin available.

The Jawas recognised Lysa at once, agreeing to lend Din the bike on the promise that Lysa would give them their next delivery for free.

It had all happened so fast, but now here he was, speeder bike between his legs, with Grogu in a pack on the back. Looking like he was at home here, with a blaster in one hand, zig-zagging between the bikes as he shot at them.

Lysa flinched as another of Din's shots hit its target, sending another of the men crashing into the rock face near to them, meeting a fiery end.

She searched the ground, counting now.

One, two bikes, and Din's as well.

It was hard to see in the darkness, the bright stars above the only thing shedding any light on the ground far below.

Where was Crix? Even with another fallen man, there should have been four altogether.

Lysa gave a swallow, eyes flicking this way and that, looking for the man she had foolishly called her lover for so many years.

She knew what Crix was capable of... the bruises that still scattered her ribs, a tell-tale sign of this.

She hadn't seen him fall. So was he hiding? Ready to jump out at Din and attack?

But Lysa wasn't so certain. Despite Crix's hot headed personality, he was smart and calculated. And not one to underestimate.

Her eyes scanned the flat ground that stretched out before her for any sign of movement aside from Din and the two bikes he was chasing.

Nothing near the hillside, nor near the rock face at the base.

But it was then that she saw a flash of something, in the distance...near to Din's cabin.

Lysa turned her head and squinted her eyes in desperation...suddenly spotting the outline of a speeder bike with its lights shut off parked behind a tree near to Din and Grogu's home...

...and a shadowy figure ducking inside the small building.

Lysa's heart thudded, but without even questioning what she was doing she grasped up her visor and pulled it down over her head...

...making up her mind, as furious tears pricked at her eyes.

There was no way she was going to let Crix get away with hurting anyone. Not this time. Not anymore.

She was done with the control he had kept over her all these years.

Done with his cruel words and his violence.

Completely done with the man she had once convinced herself she loved.

And so turning the key in the ignition with shaking hands, Lysa fired up the engine, hearing her battered old landspeeder chugging instantly to life and headed down the hill.

Ready to stop Crix...

...by any means necessary.

.....