Partners | The Mandalorian

xiv

The crew had Zero tracking them, redirecting certain droids and telling them where to go. They had one run in where Burg (all brawn and no brain) shot a cleaning droid because it didn't come to him when he called it. Many shots, a useless crew, and the Mandalorian 'showing off' as Mayfeld put it. But Calidora had never seen the Mandalorian fight hand to hand, she loved it. All his gadgets on his Beskar, his quick thinking and problem solving, it was so cool to her.

And then she remembered that he never gave her a weapon, so after raving about how cool what he did was, she asked for a blaster.

The next predicament was a person - whom they were told was not going to be on the ship. A messy negotiation, the threat of a tracking beacon, and a three way stand off later, Xi'an killed the guard nonchalantly. And by the way she looked at Calidora, she guessed it was supposed to be some kind of intimidation, but really it was a stupid move.

The tracking beacon was activated, and Zero warned them that they had about twenty minutes, to which Xi'an - in all her pride and glory - said:

"We only need five."

Even though it took them five minutes to find the cell anyway.

They eventually did, and it was opened by Zero.

Another Twi'lek.

"Qin."

Another one that the Mandalorian knew.

"Funny," the man stood and he was big, his voice raspy. "The man who left me behind is now my savior."

He walked out of the cell and Calidora was about to turn around when she was shoved into the cell. The Mandalorian was too, and Mayfeld fired a shot from his blaster, barely missing.

It all happened so quickly.

The doors shut, the Mandalorian and Calidora thrown to the ground, and the shot from the blaster bouncing off the walls of the cell. Din threw himself over Calidora, knowing his Beskar would protect him and she was too vulnerable. Calidora's breath was knocked out of her at his weight and she heard the ping of the shot hitting the Mandalorian. He grunted and they both stayed there for a second. Completely frozen.

Then they stood up, and what happened finally registered with Calidora.

And in that moment Calidora was suddenly aware of how close they were. She felt the heat radiating off of him, just millimetres away from her, she felt her fingers twitch and brush up against him. A wave of feelings crashing down on her: admiration, gratitude, relief, and attraction. She didn't know why though, she never felt this way with Juna. She never felt the burning electricity of closeness with her, like if they touched it would cause an explosion. With Juna it was clouds passing by on a sunny day, a locked room where inside lay everything they needed, and the chaos outside couldn't touch them. With Din it was the storm, constantly on the run, the chaos surrounding them, but while she was with him she could watch the mayhem and know that she was safe.

He made her safe.

"Shit." The Mandalorian mumbled under his breath. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

He punched the door to the cell in anger, the sound echoing throughout the small room. Calidora wanted to help, but she didn't know what to do, last time she was thrown into a locked room was by Qe'in all those months and months ago.

"The kid." Din turned to Calidora. "We need to get back to the kid."

Calidora nodded. Not knowing what to say. She looked around the door, for a way to get out - a lock, or something. The center had a hexagonal indent that she figured was their way out.

"Here." She pointed and Din looked. He nodded and waited for a droid to pass.

Using his grapple, he roped one in right up to the door, shot it, and twisted it's arm off. He handed it to Calidora, who extended the key and unlocked the door.

"You're incredible." He said as they stepped out and Calidora felt herself blush.

"What do we do about the others?" She asked, following him as they retraced their steps back where they came.

"I'll take care of them." The Mandalorian's voice held a threatening tone.

"Let me help."

"No." He turned to her. "Not when you're shit at hand to hand."

Calidora pouted, knowing he was right. Instead, when they found the control room, Calidora instructed the doors to close, cut off the crew's signal with Zero, and watched in high definition the Mandalorian beat the crap out of the people who left them for dead. She felt giddy and a sense of pride knowing that that was her friend.

When he was done, he came back for her, but Calidora didn't see if he got to the prisoner they came for. She didn't question it anyhow because they soon found themselves by the entrance to the Razor Crest, the Twi'lek about to climb the ladder before he heard the Mandalorian call his name.

"You killed the others."

"They got what they deserved."

And they took Qin, cuffed him, shot the droid (who was about to kill the child. Calidora said she should have stayed on the ship to off the droid in advance, but the Mandalorian said he was glad she came, which made her smile). And flew back to Ran to get paid.

When they touched down in the hangar, Ran had a smile on his face, which quickly melted after talking to the Mandalorian for a couple seconds. Calidora stayed on the ship with the child, sitting comfortably in Din's chair with the child in her lap, watching the exchange. The child cooed at her and she smiled at him proudly.

"You're very brave." She complimented. "People must underestimate you all the time."

He babbled something incomprehensible as the Mandalorian walked into the cockpit and found the two.

"Out of my chair." He said and Calidora got up to move to her own chair. "It didn't pay much."

He flicked a switch and Calidora could tell it bothered him a bit. As he took off and they left Ran's hide out, Calidora saw a few X-Wings come into her line of sight and head for where they just left.

Then she remembered.

"My investments." Calidora said, and Din was confused. "I transferred most of Qe'in fortune off world. I remember where some of it is."

"How much?" The Mandalorian turned to her.

"Don't know." She admitted.

"Where?" The Mandalorian didn't care, credits were credits.

Calidora let out a small chuckle.

"Ever been to Bellassa?"