𝖜𝖎𝖘𝖍𝖇𝖔𝖓𝖊, 𝔡𝔦𝔫 𝔡𝔧𝔞𝔯𝔦𝔫

𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

THE LIGHTS OF the control panel dazzled as Mando fired up the Razor Crest. Sevara sat in the co-pilot seat, with Kuiil opposite as Mando checked his engines, ensuring they worked. He turned to her and Sevara's smile faltered as it dawned on her that now his ship was repaired, Mando and the child would be leaving. Perhaps she had taken the past few days for granted, not watching as time escaped them, leading the two to their end.

Soon enough, they were stood by the landing deck and it was time to say goodbye. Sevara turned to him, her mind whirring with possibilities and fragments of loosely formed ideas in her head of what the future might hold. Mando offered her a hand, which she gingerly took, wondering how he'll react to her final decision.

"I can't thank you enough," he said, his gaze flicking between her and Kuiil. "Please, allow me to give you a portion of the reward."

"I cannot accept," said Kuiil, "you are my guest and I am therefore in your service."

Mando remained silent as Kuiil began repacking his toolkit, returning his gaze to Sevara. He softly squeezed her hand and said, "I could use a crew member of your ability, and I can pay handsomely."

Sevara's lips parted in an inaudible gasp, her gaze fixed on the T-shaped visor of his helmet. She replied with a smile playing on her lips, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Really?"

"Yeah," said Sevara, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked out from the deck to the sand-strewn, rocky terrain of Arvala-7. "This planet has been my home for the past five years as I've tried to regain at least some stability in my life but... I can't stay here forever. I've had time to heal from the trauma and now it's time to move on. So," she said, straightening her spine, "if it's alright with you, I'd like to come with you."

"Okay," he replied.

"Wait, really?" Sevara asked, giving him a dubious look, "I didn't think it'd be that easy."

Mando huffed a laugh, "I already offered you the position, didn't I?"

"True, true."

From across the ship-deck, Kuiil approached with a solemn expression. "You're leaving?"

Sevara's chest tightened, pulling away from Mando as she crossed over the Kuiil. "I'm sorry, Kuiil. Truly, I am, but— I've been hiding away for too long."

"Don't be sorry," he said, pulling her down into his arms. "Get out there and see the galaxy. You've grown from a broken young girl to such a strong woman in the time I've known you and I could not be prouder, Sevara."

She felt her face grow hot, becoming wet with salty tears as she said, "Thank you, Kuiil. For everything."

It was a bittersweet moment for them both as Kuiil gathered his things. On one hand, Sevara was glad to finally be breaking out of her shell and to stop running scared from the hauntings of her past but... it also meant saying goodbye to the only person that cared about her wellbeing after she fled the Mines, offering her asylum when she needed it most.

Turning to the two of them one last time, Kuiil told Mando, "Thank for bringing peace to my valley. Please ensure Sevara's safety, as well. After all, she's grown to be like a daughter to me."

"I promise," said Mando.

Bidding a final goodbye, Sevara wiped at her face as she watched Kuiil descend the ramp. He hopped atop his blurrg, readying it for travel as he briefly glanced back, saying, "And good luck with the child! May it survive and bring you a handsome reward." With one last nod, Kuiil said, "I have spoken."

Sevara watched as the ramp to the landing deck clamped shut, seeing Kuiil's kind face one last time.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

THEY SEATED THEMSELVES in the cockpit, Mando taking the pilot seat, with Sevara and the child settled beside him. He flipped a switch, illuminating the control panel and starting up the engine. Nerves danced through Sevara as Mando prepared for take off, having not flown in years. Still, she vividly recalled the stomach-dropping sensation that the take off induced, her inkling of nerves soon transforming into ones of excitement as the Razor Crest lifted itself from the ground.

Mando glanced back at her, asking, "Are you strapped in?"

She rolled her eyes fondly, buckling up the seatbelt as she said, "Yes."

He pushed down on the controls, sending the ship soaring far from the rocks. Sevara watched through the window as her home disappeared to a mere spec in the galaxy, soon being surrounded by the bright bursts of starlight dotted throughout the deep blue of the sky. She widened her eyes, leaning forward in her seat as she roved her eyes over the spectacle before her. Although it had been years since Sevara had seen the galaxy up close, the last time being when she fled from Kessel, she still recalled her state of admiration each time she took to the skies.

In her peripheral vision, she noticed Mando looking her way, his gaze fixed on her. As Sevara turned to him, he snapped his head back to the stars before them. Her lips tugged upwards, asking, "Hey, Mando?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you again about... you know, before."

Mando met her gaze, saying, "Of course. Also, I'm sorry I pushed you to talk about your past, it seems you've been through a lot."

"I suppose that's one way of putting it. But don't worry, it's not your fault I get so iffy about that stuff," said Sevara, leaning across to the pod beside her and gazing at the sleeping child. She reached, running a delicate touch over it's baby-soft cheek, asking Mando, "Do you think it's okay?"

"I hope so," he replied, turning around to face them once getting the ship on a steady path. He extended out his hand, rocking the pod back and forth.

As the child remained fast asleep, Mando retracted his hand and began flipping numerous switches, ensuring the Razor Crest was performing well. Sevara leant back in her seat, closing her eyes briefly as she reflected on the dramatic shift in her life she had decided to make a mere half hour ago. She had gone from thinking she would be saying goodbye to Mando and the child, to saying goodbye to Kuiil, instead. Her heart was heavy, but she knew it was for the best.

A soft coo alerted Sevara, snapping her eyes open as the child awakened. Releasing a sigh of relief, she held out her hand for the child who wrapped it's three fingers around her own. It's ears twitched as it gazed around the cockpit, watching Mando as he steered.

Beneath the star speckled sky, all the doubts Sevara had about joining Mando washed away. She felt sure that as long as they were together to tackle whichever problems they faced, she was ready to take the next step in her adventure alongside her new companions.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

so i got this book called 'how not to get eaten by ewoks and other galactic survival skills', and i flipped through it and definitely recommend it for star wars fic writers. it has loads of information about the star wars universe!

as always, thank you for reading and i hope you enjoyed!