Partners | The Mandalorian

xviii

Calidora didn't talk to him as they touched down on Sorgan once again. She thought of Omera as she exited the ship, not far from where they were, and she wondered if she did propose to the Mandalorian like Cara had teased. And she wondered if Calidora was the reason he said no.

And then she realized that was stupid and followed Din and the child to the Cantina where Cara and a large man were fighting.

She only smiled at Cara or the child, completely ignoring the Mandalorian as he asked Cara to come with them. At first she said no, she was already free of worry, but when she found out the client was ex-imperial she was on board. And the four of them went back to the Crest to head for Nevarro.

Cara and Din went below deck, leaving Calidora and the child in the cockpit. She could hear them talking.

"Pick one." The Mandalorian said and Calidora fumed silently.

"He alright up there alone?" Cara's voice floated through the ship.

"Calidora's with him."

The child sat in Din's chair and Calidora watched him as she listened to their conversation.

"You trust the contact?" Cara asked.

"Not particularly."

"So then why are we going?"

"You saw what happened on Sorgan, they'll keep sending hunters. The kid will never be safe until the Imp is dead." The Mandalorian was right.

"And you're okay with bringing him back there?"

There was a moment of silence, so Calidora moved to where the ladder was, thinking she just couldn't hear them.

"There's no one I trust more than Calidora-" Din said seriously.

And Calidora, angry, swung her legs down and climbed the ladder, purposely interrupting the two. She didn't want to hear him praise her. Not now.

"Need something to eat." She muttered without looking at either and making her way to the rations. She wasn't actually hungry but she needed an excuse.

Then the ship started shaking, throwing all three of them aside and the alarms started blaring. Calidora fell to the floor and Cara grabbed onto anything she could find. Din managed to make it up the ladder and the ship stabilized. Calidora rushes up the ladder to find the Mandalorian holding the child. She shouldn't have left the cockpit.

"It was the kid." He said and she moved to go back below deck but he spoke again.

"Stop ignoring me."

"No." She said in the doorway.

"Why?"

"How dare you say that?" She finally looked at him, that mean look still on her face.

"Say what?" The Mandalorian sounded confused as he placed the child in its pram.

"That you might be falling for me!" Calidora took a breath and lowered her voice. "How dare you say it when I'm angry? Like it's just an excuse to get me to calm down when you lied to me."

The Mandalorian walked towards her.

"You know I didn't mean it like that," but Calidora wasn't impressed. "I'll say it again when you're not angry and mean it."

"I don't think that'll be for a while." She crossed her arms so he wouldn't get any closer to her.

"What can I do to make it up, then?" He asked, sounding a little bit desperate. "What about that kiss?"

Calidora's face didn't change like he hoped it would. She still glared at him, and despite both of them admitting their feelings for one another, neither of them wanted to actually make any sort of progress right now. Not when they were about to go kill the man so Hell bent on capturing the child.

"Just give me some time," Calidora finally softened her look, "right now let's just focus on the kid."

The Mandalorian nodded and Calidora turned to go below deck but Din stopped her one last time.

"Calidora." She turned around. "We're partners."

She nodded and a ghost of a smile graced her lips.

"Partners."

And she went down to see Cara.