Partners | The Mandalorian

xiii

The Mandalorian asked Calidora to go below deck and keep an eye on Mayfeld, Burg, and Xi'an while he watched the droid. Knowing they weren't the most polite bunch of people, they didn't want them discovering the child. So Calidora nodded and climbed down the ladder to hear Xi'an and Burg hissing and grunting at each other before they both laughed.

"I don't understand what she's doing here." Xi'an told Mayfeld, pointing her knife towards Calidora, and Calidora didn't appreciate it.

"She's his bodyguard."Mayfeld chuckled and he and Xi'an laughed at Calidora.

It didn't bother her though, as she sat down silently. Xi'an tried to get on her nerves but Calidora didn't care enough to give the response she wanted, something she picked up from Din. But when she asked questions, Calidora did answer.

"I was married, actually." Calidora explained when the topic inevitably came to relationships.

"Aw, what happened, Sweetie?" Mayfeld tried again to get something out of her. "Did he find you incredibly boring?"

Xi'an snickered but Calidora shook her head.

"No, I killed him."

The look on their faces were indescribable, but no one could say anything as Burg managed to open the Mandalorian's weapons cabinet. He laughed.

"I would leave that alone if I were you." Calidora warned, but he grunted at her.

And that's when Din came down from the ladder, noticed Burg and closed the cabinet doors. Burg wasn't happy though, and tried to intimidated the Mandalorian, towering over him but Calidora knew Din wouldn't back down.

"Hey, hey, hey. Okay. Okay. Okay, I get it." Mayfeld interrupted the two and Din walked away from Burg and over to Calidora, standing beside her sitting frame protectively. "I'm a little particular about my personal space, too. So, let's just do this job. We get in, we get out, and you don't have to see our faces anymore."

"Someone tell me why we even need a Mandalorian." Burg finally spoke and Calidora leaned slightly on Din's leg.

"Well, apparently they're the greatest warriors in the galaxy. So they say." Mayfeld said.

"Then why are they all dead?" Everyone laughed and Calidora felt the Mandalorian flinch.

"Well, you flew with him, Xi'an." Mayfeld continued as no one noticed. "Is he as good as they say?"

Xi'an, who was balancing one of her blades on the palm of her hand, smiled and licked her teeth.

"Ask him about the job on Alzoc III."

"I did what I had to." The Mandalorian said.

"Oh, but you liked it." She chuckled and pointed her knife at him. "See, I know who you really are."

"He never takes off the helmet?" Mayfeld asked.

"This is the Way." Xi'an clutched her chest and mocked the Mandalorian saying.

"Huh." Mayfeld studied Din. "I wonder what you look like under there. Maybe he's a Gungan. Is that why yousa don't wanna show your face?"

They all laughed and Calidora couldn't understand for the life of her why they felt the need to. It wasn't funny, and if they wanted to be effortlessly intimidating they should take a page out of the Mandalorian's book.

"You ever seen his face?" Mayfeld nodded his head at Xi'an, who gasped.

"A lady never tells." She licked her teeth again and Mayfeld turned to Calidora.

"What about you, bodyguard?" He nodded. "You ever seen it?"

"A lady never tells." She mimicked Xi'an with a smile and saw her shoot a glare and a snarl in her direction.

Calidora held eye contact with Xi'an, simply seeing how far she would go. The answer was: as long as it took for Burg and the Mandalorian to have a row and knock into the door panel, opening the room with the two cots and the child. That's how far.

"Whoa! What is that?" Mayfeld commented and Calidora and Din snapped their heads towards each other. "You get lonely up here, buddy? Huh?"

Mayfeld bent down in front of the child before turning his head and pointing at Xi'an and the Mandalorian.

"Wait a minute. Did you two make that?"

Xi'an, knowing she definitely didn't make the child, turning to Calidora, but she was the only one.

"Huh? What is it, like a pet or somethin'?"

"Yeah." The Mandalorian spoke before Calidora could say anything. "Something like that."

"Didn't take you for the type. Maybe that code of yours has made you soft." Xi'an walked up to Din and touched his armour once again. Then shot a glare at Calidora. "Or maybe that bodyguard."

Calidora smiled at her.

"Me, I was never really into pets." Mayfeld was in his own world. "Yeah, I didn't have the temperament. Patience, you know? I mean, I tried, but never worked out. But I'm thinkin' maybe I'll try again with this little fella. Huh?"

He picked up the child, and the Mandalorian and Calidora were visibly on edge as Mayfeld watched them. He pretended to drop it and both of them flinched, to which the three stooges laughed at them.

Calidora watched the child as the droid said something she didn't listen to, then the ship violently shook, making Mayfeld drop the kid. Calidora quickly grabbed him, rolling back to the room, placed him down and as the ship calmed down, blew him a kiss and closed the door.

She turned back around to everyone grumbling and on the floor.

"All right, we got a job to do." Mayfeld rolled his shoulder. "Mando, you're up."

The Mandalorian grabbed something Calidora couldn't see, and kneeled down over the opening of the Razor Crest. After a few seconds it beeped and the door to the prison ship opened. As the crew one by one dropped through, Calidora caught Din's arm before he went down.

"Do you want me to stay with the child?" She asked, now that the others have seen it.

The Mandalorian turned towards the now closed door where the child was, like he was contemplating. Then he turned back to Calidora.

"I'm not the boss of you." He said, then dropped through the opening.

Calidora looked at the door like Din did, tempted to watch over the child. Then she thought about the job, and couldn't miss it, not when she was this close. So she dropped through as well.