Hestia walked alongside Mando and Cara, searching through the forest to try and find more information about the raiders. Mando had insisted she stayed behind due to her injured leg, but she went anyway, not wanting to be left behind. 

"About twenty of them came through on foot", Mando said, using some technology on his helmet to determine information. "And something large sheared off those branches."

"What could've done that?" Hestia asked. "From what I know, there's nothing large enough here to do that."

Neither of her companions answered as they continued to walk around and inspect the ground. Soon, they came across a large indentation, one very familiar to all of them.

"An imperial walker", Cara mutters. "An AT-ST by the looks of it."

"There's no way any of us can take that on", Mando added, to which Hestia nervously coughed.

"Actually..." she started. "I could. With a little distraction, and a well placed slice with my lightsaber, I could take out its legs."

Mando almost immediately protested. "It's too dangerous."

"Everything about our mission is dangerous, Mando", Hestia instantly shot back. "And I've been in more danger before."

"But you're injured", he added. The twi'lek huffed.

"So? I've faced a lot worse with injuries worse than this. But you guys aren't going to be able to to take out the raiders by yourselves. We're gonna need the villagers help."

Hestia's two companions weighed over what she said, before both sighed and agreed. Hestia grinned, and started leading the way back to the village. They quickly gathered all the villagers in front of the barn, where Mando led the discussion.

"We have a plan to fight these raiders off", he said. "But we will need your help."

There was quiet murmuring, to which Cara spoke up. "You owe it to us for not telling us about the AT-ST."

"The what?" a villager spoke out in confusion. Hestia answered the question.

"The walker with two giant guns", she said. "We can't take that on without your help."

After a few moments of discussion, Omera spoke for her entire village. "How can we help?"

Mando took over the conversation, while Hestia studied the village. They were all anxious for their village to be safe once more. She made a promise to herself that she would do whatever it took to help them, even if it meant giving her life. 

"Hestia will need the attack", Mando said, jolting the twi'lek out of her thoughts. She hesitated before stepping forward.

"Technically, you and Cara will be leading the attack, Mando. I will be taking on the walker", she said loudly, looking over at her beskar clad companion. She could hear many surprised exclamations from the crowd in front of her and she smiled softly.

"You can't take on that thing alone!" a villager cried out. "It'll kill  you before you can even do anything."

Hestia smirked. "That's why we need your help. You guys will need to distract the raiders long enough for me to cut through the legs of the walker."

"That will take too long!" the same villager as before cried out. Hestia, still smirking, looked across the crowd, reaching for her lightsaber from where it rested on her hip. She ignited the purple blade, letting it shine in the sunlight.

"Not with this, it won't", she said, focusing her gaze on her lightsaber. She could hear the gasps throughout the crowd, and she let the lightsaber turn off, tucking it back onto her belt. She could feel Cara's gaze on her, as well as the woman's curiosity. She turned away from the crowd, and walked into the barn, letting out a soft breath. 

"So, you're a Jedi", Cara said. Hestia glanced back at her. The woman was leaning against the rim of the doorway. Hestia chuckled drily.

"Technically, I'm not. I carry the weapon of the Jedi, and I share the same powers as them, but the Jedi Order died out long ago", Hestia said, getting quieter towards the end. Cara stayed quiet for a moment.

"You've seen a lot of action, haven't you?" Cara asked. Hestia scoffed.

"I wish I had seen less", she whispered. "But no matter what I wish, there's nothing I can change about my past."

She turned towards Cara, aiming to go outside. Just as she got past the dropper, Cara spoke. "You don't trust anyone, do you?"

Hestia glanced at her, her gaze hardening. "The last time I trusted someone, someone that wasn't family, I saw my fellow younglings killed."

With that, she walked away from Cara, taking a deep breath outside, before walking towards the outskirts of the village, where they were preparing for battle.

~~~~~

Hestia glanced behind her at the village. She couldn't make out much in the darkness, but she could hear the faint movements of the villagers as they prepared to fight. She turned back ahead, following Mando and Cara. Once they reached the raiders camp, she deviated from the course Mando and Cara were following. She was to find the AT-ST before they could power it up. She kept searching, but couldn't see anything. An explosion went off nearby, and she heard lots of yelling. One voice in particular stood out.

"Hestia, let's go! They're powering up the walker!" she heard Mando call out. In an instant, she was running toward the village, before leaping up into the trees, and using them to help her get to the village faster. She hid in the tree, waiting for the walker to make an appearance. She could hear Mando and Cara yelling as they neared the village. She saw their vague shapes as they ducked between the barrier, and into the trench below. She saw the AT-ST's eyes before she saw it herself. When it finally became visible, she launched herself on top, and activated her lightsaber, the blade behind her. In one swift motion, she cut through the metal at the top, before dropping down and cutting through one of the legs. She ran towards the barriers, yelling at the top of her lungs.

"GET DOWN!" she yelled, leaping behind the barrier into the trench, landing on top of someone. In a blur, she found herself underneath the person instead of on top, just as the walker exploded nearby. In the light of the explosion, she found herself underneath the mandalorian, who was protecting her from flying debris.

"Thanks", she whispered. Mando merely nodded, before moving away from her, and watched as the raiders ran away, now that their main form of defense had disappeared. Hestia got to her feet, almost stumbling as her injured leg gave a sharp protest.

"Ow..." she whimpered, leaning against the side of the trench. "Maybe that wasn't such a great idea."

Mando glanced at her, sighing softly. "I told you."

"Hey, it's been a few weeks! I thought it would be okay." she said, leaning down to rub the wound. It was sore, but it was nearly healed.

"Apparently not", the man said drily. Hestia chuckled, before standing up straight, tentatively putting weight on her leg. She could hear the cheers of the villagers as they realized that they had won, and that their village was free.

"Now we get to relax, right?" she asked. This gained a short chuckle, causing Hestia to grin. She climbed out of the trench, and started limping to the barn where all the children waited for them. When she got their, she noticed that they were all staring wide-eyed. 

"It's safe now", she said. A cooing came from in front of her as something gripped her pant leg. She smiled when she saw the child.

"Hey, kid", she murmured as she picked him up. "Glad to see you're okay."

The kid giggled, before reaching past her toward one of her lekku. She sighed softly, and pulled him away from it. A soft chuckle from behind her caused her to turn. She smiled when she saw Mando.

"Why does he like your head-tails so much?" he asked as he took the kid from her. She watched as the other kids slowly trickled out, giving them back their space. When they were finally alone, she turned to the man that stood next to her.

"He probably thinks they're a toy, even though they're not", she said, rolling her brown eyes. "They're also super sensitive, so it's more annoying when someone messes with them."

"Is that why you cried out when that stormtrooper yanked on one", Mando asked. Hestia flinched at the memory, remembering how much it hurt when the stormtrooper did that. She nodded. 

"It actually really hurt when he did that. It's almost like someone yanking on your hair, though I'm not sure you'd have ever experienced that", Hestia teased. "That's if you even have hair."

Mando tilted his head at her, and she gazed at his visor, trying to find his eyes behind the helmet. After a few moments, he spoke.

"I have brown hair", he said. Hestia froze, staring at him in shock. She was surprised that he had told her. The amount of trust he had given her to know that information surprised her.

"Thank you for telling me", she whispered, looking away from him. "But you shouldn't place your trust so easily."

"I haven't", he replied. He walked over to her and gently rested his gloved hand on her cheek. Not even realizing that she leaned into his touch, she stared at him, her eyes wide. And in that moment, she realized that she trusted him too.

"I know."