𝑩𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑻𝒀 𝑯𝑼𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑹 - The Mandalorian

nineteen

19|KUIIL

"Does your contact need to vet me?" Cara broke the silence that had consumed the control room.

"Doesn't know you're coming." Mando replied, playing around with the switches as they flew through space.

"Really? That could be a problem." She chuckled, looking at Asra strangely as the blonde was lost in her thoughts, not paying attention to either of the two.

"It won't." The Mandalorian stated as he turned around in his chair to go down the stairs, also noticing the healer sat on the ground beside the child. "But if it is, that's his problem."

"We are so similar." Asra finally spoke when it was only her and the child left. "I need help. I feel torn between the light and the dark."

The child only cooed, reaching out and grabbing her hair lightly. She chuckled to herself and placed a kiss on its forehead as she stood up.

"Asra?" She heard his voice call from below causing her to stretch and climb down the stairs. Her foot slipped on the last step and her body went back. Mando caught her in time before she hit the ground and laughed lightly. "I swear I'm always having to catch you."

"Nice catch." Cara laughed, folding her arms over her chest as she watched the pair interact.

"Thank you." Asra breathed, standing back up and smiling at the bounty hunter. "I've been lost in my thoughts so much lately I never notice small things anymore."

"I've noticed. Are you okay?" He questioned, his gloved fingers moving her head up and to look at her.

"I'll be fine." The two were broken away by Cara coughing awkwardly. "Sorry, what did I miss?"

"Weapons and what we are doing with the child." Cara answered but was cut off as the ship began to violently sway. Asra held tightly on to the wall as Mando and Cars climbed their way up to the control room. "We need someone to watch that thing."

"I know the perfect person." Asra smiled as she joined them and sent the Mandalorian a knowing look.

~•~

Asra Blen gently pushed passed the two fighters and rushed into Kuiils open arms, crying tears of joy into his shoulder. "I've missed you."

"It's good to see you, dear." He patted her back and began to lead the three and The Child into the hut. "It hasn't grown much." Kuiil observed the child as Asra sat down in her usual spot and her foster father had been caring for her herbs.

"I think it might be a Strand-Cast." The Mandalorian voiced his thoughts.

"I don't think it was engineered." Kuiil stated, still looking at it. "I've worked in the gene farms. This one looks evolved. Too ugly." He said before gesturing to Cara who was casually sat beside Asra. "This one, on the other hand, looks like she was farmed in the Cytocaves of Nora."

"This is Cara Dune. She was a shock trooper." Mando introduced the quiet woman.

"You were a dropper?" The Ugnaught asked while pointing to her tattoo.

"Did you serve?" She questioned back, looking down at her markings. Asra bit her lip to stop herself from swearing loudly as she remembered what Kuiil use to do.

"On the other side, I'm afraid." Kuiil sighed and sat in front of the three beside the child. "But I'm proud to say that I paid out my clan's debt, and now I serve no one but myself."

"Oh shit." Asra's eyes widened as the bounty droid walked into the hut with a tray of tea. The Mandalorian and Ex-shock Trooper both raised their blasters at the incoming threat while Kuiil spun around to see what the fuss was.

"Would anyone care for some tea?" IG-11 continued to walk towards everyone.

"Please, lower your blasters. He will not harm you." Kuiil raised his hands to try and calm the two fighters.

"That thing is programmed to kill the baby." Mando snapped back, refusing to lower his weapon.

"Not anymore." He answered calmly. "It was left behind in the wake of your destruction. I found it laying where it fell. Devoid of all life. I recovered the flotsam and staked it as my own in accordance with the Charter of the New Republic. Little remained of its neural harness. Reconstruction was quite difficult but not impossible. It had to learn everything from scratch. This is something that cannot be taught with the twist of a spanner. Luckily I had already raised a child so I knew it required patience and repetition. I spent day after day reinforcing its development with patience and affirmation. It developed a personality as its experiences grew."

"I'm impressed." Asra smiled proudly at him as she accepted the tea the droid offered.

"Is it still a hunter?" Mando asked the more serious question.

"No. But it will protect." The hut went quiet as the Mandalorian contemplated taking the droid with them.