Mandalorian Revived

Chapter 33

"Don't look at me like that, R5." I frown down at the astromech and he chirps dejectedly. I rest one hand on his domed head. "This is going to work."

The wind is starting to pick up in our hidden canyon. Just outside the mouth of the cave, R5 nudges my hip before rolling up the ramp into our ship. R5 wasn't the biggest fan of my plan, but I trust he'll play his part. We put a few temporary repairs into the ship, enough to get it flying and shooting well enough to last the coming battle, and agreed that one warrior would pilot it with R5's assistance and offer a little air support for the others.

We also decided to let Lira and the Empire believe I'm the pilot for as long as possible, and that puts a giant target on the Mandalorian warrior's back.

"I won't let your ship get blown to bits, for what it's worth," Axe says, coming to stand beside me. I give him a halfhearted grin as he shrugs at me. I wasn't surprised when he volunteered to be the pilot.

"I'm more worried about the droid if you can believe it." I cross my arms over my chest and shoot him a mock glare. "Don't you dare let R5 hear that."

A deep chuckle rumbles in his chest as he starts heading for the ramp. "My lips are sealed." He walks backward a few steps, his gaze turning more serious. "Is everyone ready?"

I nod, sighing heavily. "As ready as they're going to be." I turn around toward the cave to see the others filtering out in groups. "Let's move out," I call. As soon as I do, the filtering turns into a purposeful walk and they're all out of the cave in no time.

We'll all drop onto the base above the Great Forge. I'll enter through the same opening Axe jetted out of during our first battle on this planet. A spectacle like that is sure to draw out Lira.

"How do you know the Inquisitor will still be in the Great Forge?" The Armorer asks, coming to my side as the others load onto the ship.

"The force is a powerful thing," I muse. "If she's there, I'll feel it."

To my surprise, the Armorer nods. "I believe you. But, I think it would be best if you let that woman believe you've still lost your memories. If Din Djarin is alive and she knows you remember him, he will become her leverage."

She's right, but it's something I don't want to think about. I just nod. "We should go," I say softly. "We've waited long enough."

We're the last two on the ship. My U-wing wasn't built to handle this amount of people, so the bumpy take-off is also quite crowded. We have to open the doors to the refresher, my room, and the storage compartments to get everyone to fit on the ship. We don't have a drop hangar, like on Bo Katan's ship, so we'll have to settle for lowering the ramp and launching that way. My stomach churns at the idea, but I shove that down. There are far more important things at stake now. I have to get Grogu and Din back. I have to reclaim our home.

The flight is just as bumpy as the take-off, which makes me nervous for Axe. The ship needs better repairs than we were able to give it with what we have. I just hope it makes it through this battle.

I climb into the cockpit to check our progress, and my heart nearly stops in its chest at the sight below us.

"We're approaching the Great Forge," Axe says, though it's a bit redundant. The ground is nearly white from all the stormtroopers based there. The gaping hole in the ground is heavily guarded. We're...definitely outnumbered.

"They'll pick up our presence in a moment if they haven't already," I say, glancing down at Axe. He sighs, switching to autopilot before standing. I've already wrapped myself in a bulky cloak that hides my figure and strapped a blaster to my hip. He slips off his jetpack, as we discussed, and the harness to keep it, and straps both to my back. Then he gives me his helmet. I look into his pained expression. "You can still say no to this."