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foxgirl95 · 8 months ago

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Back Into the Fray Ch.7: Marshal of the Sands

Chapter Description: Mando and Cobb Vanth strike a deal to kill the Krayt dragon.

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First Chapter

In the aftermath, the town residents slowly crept from their hidey holes and began to rebuild the damage the giant worm-like creature had caused. One of the townspeople had alerted Mando that the speeder they came in on had been buried in the sand. Anai needed a moment to herself, deciding to leave the child to toddle after his father while she dug it out. It needed minor repairs and Cobb Vanth was more than happy to offer the help of a kid who dabbled in mechanics. If anything it would be a learning experience, even if she did begrudgingly agree to it. Anai sat on the raised porch instructing the young person, presumably a teenager, where to solder the wires together and tighten a few bolts. She tuned into the conversation as Mando and Vanth sauntered by “But a krayt dragon is too much for me to take on alone. Help me kill it, I’ll give you the armor.” The Marshal offered which Mando took a moment to consider “Deal. I’ll ride back to the ship, blow it out of the sand from the sky, use the bantha as bait.”

“Not so simple. The ship passes above, it senses the vibrations, stays underground.” The marshal sighed looking off into the distance, they must've tried that one already “But I know where it lives.”

“How far?”

“Not far.”

Mando turns to Anai as she as the townie kept working on the speeder “That about done?” The mechanic waved him off “Hold on, you can’t go rushing near perfection.” He tilted his helmet to the side “Near perfection?” The Mandalorian teased. She turned to him, raising her arms to the expanse of the town “We are in the middle of-!” She looked down seeing the kid at her side moving her hands to cover his big ears before continuing “Butt-Fuck nowhere!” She removed her hands returning to the speeder “You get what you get.” The marshal let out a hearty laugh “I like her.” He smirked.

It didn’t take long to finish repairs and they were off into the sands once again. Anai clung to the back of Mando as he came alongside the marshal’s speeder; which she noted looked like a refurbished pod racer engine. “You don’t understand what it was like.” Vanth started “The town was on its last legs. It started after we got news of the Death Star blowing up. The second one, that is.” He winked through his goggles at Anai “Thanks for that by the way.” The mechanic only nodded at the acknowledgment. He went on to tell them of how the Mining Collective moved in after the Empire and turned the town into a slave camp. Also that the Jawas had given him the armor in exchange for silicax crystals he had taken off into the desert with. He had saved the town and its people from a fate considered worse than death by most. If Anai was honest she was impressed and at the very least she thought Mando’s mind could be put at ease as it seemed he had used the armor honorably. They slowed as they came to the narrow passageway of a canyon when a sudden guttural growl reverberated against the stone walls. Both speeders quickly came to a stop; they all immediately jumped off, taking cover, and aiming their blasters to the rocks ahead. The air was tense as each of them looked for a possible ambush when a small pack of mastiffs melted from the shadows howling towards them in warning. Anai’s eyes went to Mando as she noticed his shoulders relax and he rose to his feet putting a hand to his helmet where his mouth should be letting out his own Tusken howl in response. Setting his blaster back on the speeder he made his way over to the scaly creatures. “What the hell you doin’?” Vanth called as the armored man passed him and the armored man only offered him a calm raise of his hand for them to let him deal with this. Turning back to the four-legged creatures he made a series of soft sounds that made the leader playfully wag its non-existent tail before running up to Mando getting some well-deserved pats and scratches. Anai couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face, his ever-exposed softness always reminding her of the man that lingered under the armor. She stood as a group of Tuskens decided to appear, putting down her blaster as Mando began communicating with them. Where they were calm though the Marshal was completely unnerved, tightly holding his weapon against him “Hey, partner, you want to tell me what’s going on?” The Mandalorian simply turned back stating “They want to kill the krayt dragon, too.”

They were led to the village of the Tuskens, around a fire a few sat with the Mandalorian and his current traveling party. Anai was at his side where the child resided in her lap lazily holding onto her thumb as they watched the negotiations. One Tusken held some sort of fruit in its hands breaking the shell of it and offering it to Vanth who looked at the fruit disgusted “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“You drink it.” Mando simply stated. He sniffed the offending fruit, his nose wrinkling at the smell “It stinks.” The Marshal complained. Anai watched the way Mando’s body started to stiffen, he was getting frustrated “Do you want their help?”

“Not if I have to drink this.” Thankfully she was wearing her visor so he couldn’t see how she rolled her eyes. Suddenly the Tusken closest to him started grunting and signing rather angrily.

“He says your people steal their water,” Mando translated “And now you insult them by not drinking it.” He continued “They know about Mos Pelgo. They know how many Sand People you killed.”

The more that was said the more offended Vanth became “They raided our village!” He blurted out “I defended the town!”

“Lower your voice.” Mando warned as Anai put a hand over her ear closest to the yelling. The noise was stinging her eardrum.

“I knew this was a bad idea.”

“You’re agitating them.”

“These monsters can’t be reasoned with” Suddenly everyone was on their feet and in each other's faces “Sit back down before I put a hole through ya!” Anai noticeably winced at his voice and the child cooed worriedly at her catching Mando’s attention, alarm bells began ringing in his head. Okay, he’d had enough. With a flick of his wrist the flamethrower activated making it clear he was more than frustrated with all of them. He rose to his feet letting the flame die before sternly signing to the Tuskens. “What are you telling them?” The now seated Marshall all but demanded.

“Same thing I’m telling you.” The sound of Mando’s strained but level voice quickly spoke “If we fight amongst ourselves, the monster will kill us all.” There was a pause as he looked at each of them around the fire “Now, how do we kill it?” Cobb Vanth looked down at the fruit in his hand again turning his nose up at it when Anai poked her head around Mando “Will you just drink it, before I shove it somewhere you don’t want it to be.” She growled while rubbing her ringing ear, and the child in her lap giggled at the prospect of seeing just where that might be. The Marshal gave her an incredulous look before reluctantly gulping it down.

Soon enough into the rest of the conversation, the little one in Anai’s lap yawned, his ears drooping as he rubbed his sleepy eyes. He turned himself into his caretaker’s stomach, nuzzling into the softness he found there. The mechanic smiled as she gently rubbed circles into his back “Someone’s ready for bed.” The Tusken who had been singing to Mando started pointing into their lines of Hutts. His helmet swiveled to her “They said we’re welcome to take shelter with them tonight.” One of the other Tuskens stood waving for her to follow them “Go ahead.” Mando instructed, “We’ll join you when we’re done here.” Anai simply nodded, pulling the child up to her shoulder as she rose to her feet and followed after the masked being to a hut in the center of the village. It wasn’t very big she noted as she ducked through the cloth door but it was a good place to lay your head. She smiled politely to the Tusken as they switched on a lamp that hung from the ceiling, lifting her visor from her eyes and feeling content she bowed her head lightly hoping it conveyed her sincerity “Thank you for your hospitality.” The other only nodded in return before scurrying out the door once again. The child cooed sleepily against her shoulder and Anai sighed “I know Bachsu na, let me get us set up here.” There were a few sleeping pallets on the floor and it seemed someone had been kind enough to bring her backpack inside. Good, she kneeled next to a pallet dragging her pack over to dig through it before producing her blanket. Wrapping the little one up in it she laid down into the softness of the makeshift bed kicking off her boots in the process. She laid the bundle up baby next to her earning a whine as he was jostled around “There we go.” She reached down, undoing her holster belt liberating it from her waist, and setting it nearby just in case. As the mechanic finally settled she put a hand over the little one’s tummy and started rhythmically patting him as she hummed her lullaby from their first night together almost a year ago. Mando and Vanth entered the hut a few hours later, the Marshall still looking unsure about the situation he'd found himself in. Mando ignored the man looking down at the sight before him, Anai and his son were both sound asleep. They looked so cozy and warm…there went his head again. He needed this to stop, the thoughts he was having about his companion were unnecessary and confusing. He was a Mandalorian for maker’s sake, he didn’t do warm and cozy, he didn’t fantasize about some woman he barely knew running her fingers along his skin as she whispered sweet words to him, and he didn’t like the way it brought a warmth to his chest. Except he did and he wanted to punch himself for it, maybe he was getting soft…too soft. “You good partner?” Vanth finally asked, confusingly interrupting Mando’s staring session. The armored man didn’t answer as he frustratingly moved to the pallet at the other end of the hut as far as he could get from them. The marshal only shrugged as he crawled into his place between them, creating the oh-so-needed buffer Mando craved at the moment.

By morning Mando was the first one up and out of the hut before he could allow himself to seek the view of his crew. They all rose not too long after and Cobb Vanth cracked a witty joke about how Anai’s hair must come alive in her sleep with how messy it gets. Mando was almost upset he’d missed seeing a view like he had the morning before but no he shouldn’t be. It was decided during a quick soupy breakfast that they would continue their journey to the dragon’s home this time joined by the Tuskens. They replaced their speeders with Bantha’s who were trained to lay on the ground as they loaded up. Anai watched from a distance as the armored man brought their things to the beast they were to share “I uh…I don’t know about this.” She shuffles her feet in the sand nervously as Mando loads his weapons onto the Bantha the sand people had given them “Are we sure we can’t take the speeders?” He finishes strapping on the kid's designated satchel and sighs “There’s too much of a risk the dragon will know we’re coming.” He grunts as he throws a leg over the creature’s back “C’mon,” The Mandalorian raised a gloved hand as he beckoned her to him, noticing a shift in her stance as she stared at his extended hand “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Anai gave him a look “I’m not afraid, it’s just…I’ve never ridden an animal before they’re unpredictable…” He rolled his eyes behind the helmet “You’ll be fine, now get on.” The mechanic took hesitant steps before reaching to grab his hand and pull herself up “Okay…it’s all good everything’s fine.” She reassured herself as Mando made a clicking noise commanding the Bantha to stand. Anai gasped, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his back, not even caring if his jet pack was digging into her. Suddenly that feeling he had been avoiding all morning came rushing through him, and he internally basked in it. There was no time for it though as he lightly knocked his heel against the beast prompting it to move forward “See you’re fine.” He allowed himself to tease her only earning him a displeased grunt in return. They made short work of reaching where the monster had decided to make its home. Their party set up in the rocks adjacent to a large cave opening as one of the Tuskens started their way down to it with one of the Bantha in tow. Anai sat atop the cliff face with the child next to her as she pulled her visor over her eyes to watch what was going to happen “They say it lives there. They say it sleeps.” She heard Mando tell the Marshall “It lives in an abandoned Sarlacc pit.”

“Lived on Tatooine my whole life.” She could tell he was giving Mando a look from the tone of his voice. “There’s no such thing as an abandoned Sarlacc pit.”

“There is if you eat the Sarlacc.”

‘Well, that’s concerning’ Anai thought, having been on Tatooine several times it was hard to imagine an all-consuming Sarlacc getting eaten itself.

“They’re laying out a bantha to protect the settlement.” Mando continued explaining what exactly they were doing here “They’ve studied its digestion cycle for generations.” Even in this scary moment, his calm voice had a soothing edge to it like a narrator in an old Holo nature doc show the mechanic might have watched years ago “They feed the dragon to make it sleep longer. Watch, the dragon will appear.” The Tusken down below set the Bantha in place before screaming into the rather large opening and then booking it back as fast as they could. As they ran the ground shook, scaring the mount to move forward in fright. The Tusken was being thrown off balance making them trip over their robes several times. They were scared and they had a right to be, the dragon was near. Suddenly there was a break in the sand and the monster reared its ugly head to strike down its prey. The child at Anai’s side quickly toddled over burying his face into her the leather of her jacket and she instinctively placed a hand on his back to protect him from whatever was about to happen. The dragon’s head almost lazily creeped along the sand, its mouth open and drooling, missing the bait entirely and instead chomping down on its handler before taking shelter once again. The other Tuskens jumped back a bit in fear of seeing one of their own eaten by the monster. “They might be open to some fresh ideas.” Mando commented to the Marshall as Anai lifted the visor from her eyes “Yikes…” She whispered before looking down at the kid at her side “It's over now, it’s okay.” He peeked up at her with teary eyes and his hands trembling “Oh…” Anai felt as though her heart was gonna break for the little guy “Don't worry we’re not sticking around here.” She turned to Mando, almost pleading, “We should get out of here before that thing decides whether or not it’s still hungry.” The armored man nodded and in record time they loaded onto their mounts again back to the Tusken village.

Once back Anai took the child with her grabbing her backpack and they found themselves a nice shady spot. Anai dug through her pack producing a packet of jerky and dried berries she’d bought on Lothal and decided to save for the little one’s snack times. The mechanic plopped down on the ground, placing the child next to her, breaking off a piece of jerky and grabbing a berry, giving them both over to a pair of grabby green hands. After a while, the rest of the party came to join them in the shade. The Mandalorian made a quick turn in their direction as he silently watched his child take more snacks from his companion “Is he doing alright?” He suddenly asked, causing Anai to turn her gaze up at him “He’s fine now, just got a little scared that’s all.” She gestured to the packet in her hands “Figured this would help.” He nodded in agreement before crouching down next to the little green one and lightly stroking one of those big ears mimicking how his companion so often had “It’s alright to be scared, kid.” The little one stared up at Mando’s visor as he spoke “But as long as I’m around I promise I’ll protect you.” The child cooed his ears moving up and down seemingly understanding. Anai smiled at the interaction, he had changed so much since their first meeting “Fatherhood has done you well Merichetara.” She commented and his visor found her eyes “That so?” He asked, uncertain of her meaning. She nodded “Mmhm, I may not know you as well as your other friends but even I can tell you’ve changed. Still that hard exterior but you’re getting all soft on the inside.”

“You think I’m soft?” He asked, sounding a little offended.

“Not in a bad way!” She quickly explained, “I’m just saying you’re letting your heart show, and it’s…endearing.”

He grunted in response, mulling over her words in that metallic dome of his before speaking again “So, friends…is that what we are?”

Anai let out a chuckle “I sure hope we are! Unless you’re still upset about the other night.”

“I was never upset.” He quickly stated “And is that what we are…friends.” That was an answer that satisfied his compa- no his friend as she gave him a toothy grin “Good, cause I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Mando let out his own huff of amusement before his attention was caught by the Tuskens sitting together around something they were making and Vanth was hovering over them curiously. The armored man got to his feet and joined them in a few strides now standing next to the Marshall. “What are the bones?” He asked as the sand people bickered amongst themselves.

“That’s the krayt dragon.” Mando simply stated.

“And those little rocks?” He asked again, gesturing to the scene.

“That’s us.”

“It’s not to scale.”

“I think it is.” The Mandalorian argued with a nod.

“Can’t be. That’s too big.”

Mando made a few gestures to the closest Tusken and they confirmed his query “It’s to scale.”

Anai appeared next to them holding the child on her hip, having listened to the conversation “Damn, it’s huge…” Vanth nodded in agreement “I’ve only seen its head and neck.” He admitted, “It’s bigger than I guessed.” He leaned a bit closer as the sand people continued their discussion “Might be time to rethink our arrangement.” One of the wrapped beings seemingly asked Mando a question and he answered in kind before another tribe member sprinkled more pebbles onto the ground “That’s more like it.” The Marshal quietly remarked, “Where are they getting the reinforcements?”

Mando shrugged, “I volunteered your village.” Anai spared a glance at the Marshal and it took everything she had not to laugh at his wide-eyed expression. She knew he was probably wishing Mando had just shot him and gotten it over with.

Their little troop ended up staying one more night with the tuskens, the Mandalorian still refusing to sleep anywhere near his new confirmed friend. The next morning they were on speeders again headed back to Mos Pelgo. “They attacked us less than a year ago. Killed half a dozen of us by the mining camp.” Cobb Vanth suddenly spoke as they parked the speeders in front of the cantina and he dismounted “I’d say I took down about twice as many Tuskens.” It was clear he wasn’t exactly confident in this plan of Mando’s.“The town respects you.” The armored man reminded him, “My guess is, they’ll listen to reason.” The marshal only gave him a skeptical frown “I wouldn’t be so sure.” He then walked off to call a town meeting. Anai and Mando shared a questioning gaze for a moment before climbing off their own speeder and following him with the child in tow. When everyone was gathered inside, Cobb Vanth stood against the bar with Mando beside him while Anai and the child sat upon stools beside them, gave his speech to the crowd as honestly and delicately as possible. They were all on board to trade the armor for help with the Krayt Dragon. Then he got to the part about working with the Tusken village and they all erupted into a rage. Mando sighed “Kriff…”

“I kind of expected that.” Anai spoke up beside him “Looks like you’re up Merichetara.” She gave him a hardy couple of pats on the cloth part of his shoulder “Give ‘em a good old pep talk.” He shook his head, pushing himself up from the bar and stepping closer to the crowd. “I’ve seen the size of that thing, it will swallow your entire town when the fancy hits it.” They had quieted now listening to the silvery Mandalorian intently “You’re lucky Mos Pelgo isn’t a sand field already.” A few of them looked at one another knowing he spoke the truth “I know these people. They are brutal, but so is the Dune Sea. They’ve survived for thousands of years in these sands and they know the krayt dragon better than anyone here. They are raiders, it’s true. But they also keep their word. We have struck a deal.” He paused just a moment to let his words sink in “If we are willing to leave them the carcass and its ichor, they will stand by our side in battle and vow never to raise a blaster against this town until ONE OF YOU breaks the peace.” Mando had now said his piece and stepped back to the bar as Anai leaned forward with a smile “That was impressive.” She whispered as her eyes scanned the room “I think you’ve convinced them.” The child cooed in agreement beaming with pride up at his dad and seeing that the armored man held his head a little higher. The town held a vote and it was unanimously decided they would fight alongside their former enemy to rid themselves of a shared problem. With that they started making plans the first thing obviously was to assess the weapons situation, without the proper firepower there was no way this plan would work. They made their way to a warehouse at the edge of town, opening the armored doors to reveal a mass of explosives they normally used for their mining operations along with an array of blasters and ammunition. Mando and Cobb stood in the door as a few townspeople moved around them “Think it’ll work?” The Marshal asked. The armored man tipped his head to the side as he replied “It better, joining forces is their only hope.” Just as he spoke, familiar figures appeared on the horizon, a long line of sand people on the backs of banthas. Anai stood off to the side placing the child atop a stack of crates, her eyes moving to survey the townies. Needless to say none of them were too outwardly pleased and the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a vibroblade. The little one cooed beside her and Anai only sighed “Strap in kid, this is gonna be a bumpy ride.”

After a few tense moments, Cobb Vanth and Mando greeted the tribe, conveying what jobs they would be allocated to working alongside their former enemies. Anai volunteered herself to help as well much to the shock of both men, she hadn’t been involved in this whole thing and the only answer she could offer was that she was “bored out of her mind”. After she started working though Mando found himself going quiet on the subject. She’d removed her leather jacket, her arms now bare with the tank top she’d chosen to wear, the toned muscles under her skin flexing each time she picked up a crate loaded down with weapons or ammo placing it onto a cart. He hadn’t realized she was physically strong, not that he thought she was weak either though certainly nowhere near the level of the drop trooper Cara Dune or his Mandalorian brother Paz Vizsla but the strength of one who had worked hard their entire life. He wondered about her constantly still oh so curious about her origins and what she had gone through before the rebellion. He’d been able to turn his attention to the situation at hand to keep these people from killing each other but it was only temporary. She was a mystery only letting him see what she wanted him to, it was jarring. Usually, he was the one everyone was curious about, was this what it was like? Wanting to pry into something he didn’t understand but walking on eggshells at times worried he’d accidentally offend her. The Mandalorian’s thoughts halted for a moment when Anai was approached by a Tusken holding out one of their watery fruits to her. She smiled at them dipping her head in thanks as she took it into her gloved hands. Suddenly there was a clattering sound to his right and he turned in time to see an explosive hit the ground. He'd be lying if he said his heart didn’t drop into his stomach for a split second. After it didn’t explode and kill them all, the man who had handed it off to a Tusken lost his cool “Hey! What are you doing?!” He screamed at the top of his lungs in a rightfully panicked manner “That’s an explosive! Are you trying to blow the whole place up?!” The other retaliated with its own uninterrupted screams, luckily Vanth stepped between them “Take it easy. It was an accident, okay?” He got them to separate for the moment and he was again gifted one of the sacred fruits. Mando let out a sigh of relief and turned back to his unsolicited gawking when his dark visor suddenly met those green eyes of hers. Still frozen in place either fruit in one hand and her other clutching the arm of the Tusken beside her and he assessed she was coming down from her panic. They continued their shared gaze a while longer but were interrupted when the being beside her lightly tapped her hand. She jumped turning to them and though he couldn’t hear it he could tell she was apologizing. He wasn’t the best at reading lips but he was almost sure she said something along the lines of “I know we’re friends now cause we just shared a near-death experience.” It may have been a half-joke but it seemed to at the very least be reassuring to them. She took a moment to breathe before downing the water she’d been given. He internally applauded the strength she showed in holding her features appropriately, he knew what that stuff tasted like and it wasn’t good.

They had managed to finish preparations by nightfall; the sand people made camp a short distance from town while the locals retreated to their homes. There was no place in Mos Pelgo to rent a room so instead The Marshal offered up a small vacant building to the Mandalorian and his party. Anai handed off the little one’s bedtime duties to his dad this time and made a b-line for the bar. There were a few townies scattered about the inside; they didn’t turn to acknowledge her as she found a booth to slide into. Laying her visor on the table she tapped the side a few times and a series of droid beeps came through her earpiece “Hey Racket, just checking in. Things are getting pretty serious on this end, are you behaving for Peli?” Their conversation went on like this until a bottle of spotchka tapped lightly against the tabletop. The mechanic looked up to find Cobb Vanth standing there with two glasses in his other hand “Mind if I join you?”

“Uh…sure…” She awkwardly agreed before turning back to her visor “I gotta go bud, talk to you tomorrow.” The marshal took a seat across from her filling the glasses with the bright blue drink before sliding it over to her “Sorry to interrupt your call darlin’ but since you're here by your lonesome I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk to you.” She took hold of the glass bringing it up to her lips “No offense, but why?”

“Feels like all I’ve been doing these past few days is hanging around strangers.” He shrugged, “Hell I’m not even sure I know your name darlin’.” She gulped down the first shot easily and sighed “Well if it’ll keep you from calling me darlin’ the name’s Anai, just Anai, no last name. I’m too cool for those.” The man chuckled at her response as he repeated her name to himself “Pretty name, too bad your partner doesn't tend to use it.”

“It’s not like I mind or anything, he can do what he wants.” She shrugged though there was a small part of her that did mind as she filled her glass again “If you’re trying to get something out of me though I’d rather you just say it.” She peered up at him as she set the bottle back down “Flattery will get you very little.”

“Oh, you wound me Anai.” He dramatically placed his hand over his heart, faking a wince “Saw right through me did you?”

“I figured you’d get curious eventually, though I warn you I’ve only known Mando for a short while and there’s not much to tell.”

“Ah see you’re assuming there sweetheart.” He leaned forward, guiding his drink to his lips “I’m actually more interested in you, to be honest.” That made her stop as she stared at him over the rim of her glass “Me?” Anai scoffed, feeling rather perplexed, “Why me?” Vanth shrugged “The Mandalorian I get, he wants the armor because it belongs back with its people. The kid’s just along for the ride but you though…” he pointed at her as he grabbed hold of the bottle to pour another drink “I don’t get you, you helped out today but what are you getting out of this whole deal?”

“Is it so hard to believe someone can just do something and not want anything in return?”

“In this day and age very much so.” He chuckled, setting the bottle back down “Kindness freely given is rare, especially on this planet.” This time Anai nodded in agreement “Don’t I know it.” She lazily swirled the liquid in her cup as she continued “Maybe it’s the rebel in me or some complex sense of justice, cause if doing something means it’s the right thing then I want a hand in it no matter how small. I don’t have to push myself into the middle of it now like I used to, I choose to help and fight when I want and I’m not forced to.” The marshal nodded, taking in her words “I think I’m starting to get what you mean.” His lips curled into a smirk but the look in his eyes suggested his thoughts were somewhere else “I spent a good chunk of my life running from things I thought I’d never be free of, but then I came to this town and it became my sanctuary. I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to it or the people.” Anai couldn’t help the curve of her own lips at his words and lifted her glass towards his “Cobb Vanth, I think you and I just may have been cut from the same cloth.” The marshal only chuckled tapping his glass to hers “I second that thought.”

It was late, the three moons were high in the night sky and the Mandalorian was getting antsy. Anai hadn’t come back to their temporary housing yet and even though the bar was just down the way he wondered if she had drunk herself silly and gotten lost in the dark. Anything could’ve happened to her, that Krayt dragon wasn’t the only dangerous creature on this planet after all. No, if something like that happened he definitely would’ve heard her screams and she had night blindness. Right, even if she was drunk she’d never walk into a dark abyss that she couldn’t navigate. She wasn’t that stupid, at least he hoped that was the case….Then again the only reference he had for how Anai and alcohol mixed was the events on Nowhere. ‘Damn it.’ He rose to his feet, unable to take any more of his thoughts. Luckily the kid had passed out a long time ago so he quickly tucked a blanket around his little body and headed out the door. The armored man marched his way down the path to the cantina catching the attention of the Weequay barkeep “Your girl’s over there.” He nodded to a far wall across the room already knowing who he was seeking. His visor snapped in that direction just in time to see Anai down another shot of spotchka “She just emptied the bottle” The man continued “Kept our marshal good company.” That’s when Mando noticed Cobb Vanth passed out across from her, his arms crossed on the table and his head resting against them. He let out a sigh of relief he didn’t know he had been holding and made his way over. Almost immediately her eyes found him drinking in his appearance like she had the alcohol “Don’t tell me you came all the way here for me Merichetara…” She called to him her eyes half-lidded with what he first thought was drunkenness but as he got closer he realized it was only tiredness. He put his arm against the wall of the booth now looming over her.

“Oh wow…” the words slipped from her mouth before she could stop them and there was a noticeable heat that spread through her. The way the light hit his armor and just the way he stood there was enough to make anyone weak in the knees. Mando had barely caught what she said but the way she looked up at him, the way her tongue darted out wetting her bottom lip. It was like he was a meal she was ready to devour and oh would he let her have him. Stop it! No, he had to fight back against these thoughts. The woman’s probably drunk out of her mind for maker’s sake! She couldn’t be conscious of what she was doing to him. But the idea of being the prey to her predator sounded oh so good. He quickly cleared his throat and stepped back putting both hands on his belt. “It’s late and we have an early start tomorrow, you should be in bed by now.” He did his best to sound normal but the way Anai quirked her eyebrow and smirked told him otherwise “Ah…So you’ve come to collect me then?” She stood pulling her visor across the tabletop as she did “Well…” She pressed a thumb to the bottom of his helmet forcing him to meet her eyes “How valiant of you Merichetara, maybe I should reward you.” He was putty in her hands, no one had come so close to his helmet since Sorgan, and the first time the movement wasn’t to remove it “I-It’s fine…” The Mandalorian stuttered before clearing his throat “There’s no need for that.” Anai only dropped her hand and shrugged “Whatever you say.” She moved past him towards the door patting his shoulder as she did. He watched her for a moment admiring the swing of her hips then he caught sight of the barkeep watching as well. The armored man audibly growled and the barkeep turned to him with a smirk “If I was you I’d keep an eye on that one.” Was all the man said before turning back to whatever task he’d resided himself to. Mando didn’t waste time stomping off after Anai, catching sight of her form walking along the raised path, one hand trailing against the building’s as she moved her visor still loosely hanging from her fingers in the other. “Hey.” He caught up with her grabbing a hold of her arm. “You shouldn’t walk blindly out here, you’ll get lost.” She merely chuckled “I think I can walk a few yards without losing my way. Besides, I made sure to count the steps back when the suns were out.” Mando was amazed not entirely by her ingenuity but by how well she was still with it as someone who had downed a whole bottle of spotchka. When they reached the door of their shared sleeping space he finally asked “There’s no way you're not intoxicated beyond your comprehension, right?” She paused for a moment, her eyes staring off into the cast darkness ahead of her, then simply answered “If you think I am, then I must be.” He didn’t get a chance to ask more as she slipped inside their quarters leaving him to stand and ponder just who or what she could be.