CHAPTER SIX. 

THE  DAWN

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Tess did not work well with the townsfolk.

If she was being honest, it wasn't entirely her fault. While it was true that Tess hated working with others, and wasn't the most forthcoming, she was genuinely trying to work with them, if only for the sake of killing the dragon. No, the real problem with making the explosives came from the townsfolk themselves. Almost none of them wanted to get close to the girl, standing on the outskirts of the makeshift workshop set inside the bar. The Weequay had been courteous enough to let Tess work in the building, bringing out his own tools to help the girl, as all of hers had perished in the destruction of her shop.

While Tess sifted through the box of supplies, her heart ached more and more as she pulled out each wrench and welder and box of bolts and screws. As her fingers grazed over the metal, cool to the touch and ready to be used, her lip puckered. She once had a box just like this one. It was a mess, a kit of scattered tools thrown together into a perfect chaos that was entirely Tess' own. One time, Jo had watched as Tess sorted through her supplies, peering over her shoulder as she placed the grease-stained rag she'd had since she'd moved to Mos Pelgo over the collection of objects thrown into the metal tool-box. How do you know where to find everything, Jo asked. Tess had merely shrugged and snapped the case shut, clicking the locks and pushing it under her worktable. There it would stay until she had use of it again. I just do, she'd finally replied.

While most of the Weequay's tools were rusted over, and not as well cared for as Tess' own, she supposed it would have to do. Tess finally looked up from where her organization was finished, and almost moved back when she saw the half a dozen pairs of eyes trained on where she sat on the floor in front of the counter. She'd forgotten there were other people in the room. Tess looked at each in turn. Jo and Jynna were there, sitting together right at the front of the room. Jo smiled at Tess when they locked eyes, and Jynna simply gave her a curt nod, graying hair falling over her tempered, wrinkled features. Tess nodded back. The others were the people Tess knew the least. She'd picked them out of the crowd after her slight outburst in front of the whole town, peering at each in turn, trying to find the one who looked the most scared of her. If they were frightened, Tess thought, then they would be more likely to listen. That was something she needed if they were going to get all this done before the raiders arrived.

Then everything would become chaos. She could already tell.

Someone cleared their throat a little to the side of Tess as she stared blankly at the people before her, taking in their mix of glares and terror-filled eyes. They hadn't even begun and it was already getting off to a bad start. Tess looked over to where the voice had come from, and she locked eyes with the Mandalorian, who leaned against the back wall, hands fiddling in front of him. He raised a brow as Tess shot him a warning scowl. Let me do this, her eyes seemed to say, my way. The Mandalorian said nothing more, only continued to watch the scene unfold. Despite wanting to help the girl —he'd been ready to defend her when the townspeople had been outraged— the Mandalorian couldn't deny that the idea of Tess having to work with others made him chuckle. She was an independent soul, he'd come to realize, and watching her struggle to communicate with others was amusing, to say the least.

Tess did not see it that way.

She turned back to the townsfolk, took a deep breath, and finally decided to speak. "We have explosives already." she said, voice ringing out across the room. Everyone sat up straighter. "But we need more firepower." she pointed towards the box of grenades to her right, then to the canisters to her left. "They'll need to be big, so we'll be rerouting all main power to the front of the canisters, as well as installing grenades into the canister to give the explosions more reach." she gestured to the group. "You'll do that. And once you're done, you'll bring them to me. I'll hook them up to the detonator. Once the button is pressed all of the charges should explode at once."

She stopped talking abruptly, throat constricting like a sand snake. It was the most she'd ever spoken to the town (except her outburst earlier, but she was trying to forget that). The most she'd ever spoke to anyone she didn't know. The Mandalorian turned his head to watch the crowd. No one moved. They didn't dare.

Tess frowned. "Any questions?" No one spoke up. Whether it was out of fear she would snap at them or simply that they'd understood her blunt instructions, Tess did not know. All she did find was that it was very difficult not to keep all the canisters for herself as the group got up and began taking them to their separate workstations. She tried not to scream at the villagers who looked at the explosives with confused, harried expressions, or the ones that seemed to always keep her in their line of sight. Instead, she bit the inside of her lip and got up from her spot, taking the detonator and her supplies over to the counter top, spreading them across the marble slabs. She forced herself not to turn around as the sounds of metal against metal began scraping across the room.

She picked apart the detonator, rewiring the contraption, somehow bending it to her will with little difficulty. This was good, she decided. If they didn't talk to her, and she didn't talk to them, then Tess would be able to work with the others in the room. They would get this done, so long as no one stepped out of line.

Outside, the bangs and clatter of wood planks and speeder parts wormed their way into the quiet of the workshop. Tess glanced up to see the Marshal speaking in a hurried tone with Tofta, who was pointing near the shop then out into the sands. The Marshal placed a hand on the man's shoulder, trying to calm him down, but Tofta didn't listen and shrugged him off, then whirled around and stomped away. Tess pursed her lips. Whatever it was Tofta had said, it made the Marshal rub between his eyes and push a hand through his hair. Tess turned back to her work.

It was then that she noticed someone had come up beside her. Tess took a step back as she saw Jo slam one of the canisters onto the table, twirling a wrench between her fingers. Tess glanced at the girl and took the canisters from in front of her. Jo smirked.

"What?" Tess asked. She then looked back down to the canister and gave it a once over. Her eyebrows shot up. The reroute was done perfectly, edges welded seamlessly, and the long piece of metal was reworked to near perfection.

"Nothing." Jo replied.

Tess didn't seem to hear her as she glanced back up at the girl. "How did you do this?" she asked. Jo shrugged, her face completely genuine, that sunshine smile ever plastered on her dimpled cheeks. Tess tried not to scowl at how happy she always looked.

"I guess I'm just a quick learner." Jo said. Her words were plain, with no hidden meaning or jest or stab at Tess' skills. Jo was always genuine, Tess had come to realize, and she was always happy. Tess didn't understand.

"Who was your teacher?" Tess asked.

Jo smiled, her eyebrows raising as if to say; do you really not know? Tess did not. She racked her brain hurriedly, yet it seemed her mind was against her because she was drawing a blank. She didn't know. It annoyed her.

Jo laughed lightly. "You, of course." she said. Tess took a step back in surprise, almost dropping the canister onto the table.

"Me?" she said.

Jo nodded. "I guess watching you work helped with my skills." Tess didn't say anything, she was completely dumbfounded, so Jo continued on. "I'm sorry about your shop, I know how much that meant to you." Tess couldn't speak. He tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth, so all she did was nod and turn back to her work, a frown growing on her face. Jo stood for a moment longer then went back to where she was working beside Jynna.

Tess' hands began to tremble as she picked up the canister and set in the right digits on the side, then opened one part and began the rewiring process. The Mandalorian moved from his spot near the wall, walking closer to where Tess stood. He had seen the entire interaction between the mechanic and the girl. His eyebrows raised as he edged closer to Tess, seeing a confused expression gliding across her features.

"Need help?" the Mandalorian asked, coming up beside her. Tess didn't look at him, only continued to work on the canister. Several more people came quietly up and placed their finished canisters next to Tess, then quickly scampered away.

Tess didn't say anything.

"Tess?" the Mandalorian asked again. Tess stopped what she was doing and placed her wrench on the counter, looking straight ahead.

"What?" she asked.

"Do you need help?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Tess paused, then finally looked up at him. "No." she whispered. The Mandalorian was surprised. Tess' eyes strayed back down to her work, grey pupils flashing with something the bounty hunter could not discern. Tess didn't know what was happening either. She picked up her wrench and went to continue working, but immediately a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Tess stopped in surprise.

The Mandalorian lowered her hand to the counter and pulled the wrench from out of her fingers. He then carefully pulled the canister towards him and began to rework the metal wires, Tess standing beside him, face devoid of emotion. It was as if all the color had drained from her face, all the human side of her gone in the blink of an eye. She was a skeleton, a skeleton who found that there was still a heart beating inside her chest. Jo's words rung inside her head like a drum beat that never seemed to end.

Tess was confused, and she struggled to get a hold of herself as the Mandalorian did her work for her, keeping the girl in the corner of his eye. Tess felt as if a weight of something cold and unfamiliar had been placed right between her shoulder blades, a sharp brick of something she could not place. Was it shock? Was it happiness? Was it anger? She did not know, all she knew was that she had never been called a teacher before. She had never been a giver, only ever taking for herself. She had never thought that all those times working with Jo in the room, the girl had actually been watching her movements. Tess had never realized that maybe one of the reasons Jo hung out with her was so that she could learn how to fix machines, so that she could learn from the best mechanic in town. That best mechanic was her. Tess was the person Jo watched. Tess was the person Jo learnt from. It was a strange thought, and it rendered Tess completely and utterly useless.

The Mandalorian sighed and stopped for a moment, reaching over to grab a second canister and wrench from the counter. He placed them in front of Tess, who was still frozen in place.

"Here." he said softly. Tess looked down at the wrench and took it from his hands, grasping it in her own as if it were a delicate toy that might shatter at the lightest touch. Tess moved the wrench around in her fingers, then grabbed the canister and began to work. Under his helmet, the Mandalorian smiled at her concentrated face; scrunched brows and a wrinkled nose, eyes blazing and nimble hands moving across the metal at lightning speed.

For hours they worked, rewiring canister after canister, connecting them to the one detonator that sat between them unmoving. Everyone was scared to touch it, as if one finger might be enough to set all of the explosives off. They worked side by side, Tess and Mando, the Mechanic and the Mandalorian, concentrated on their work and nothing else. No glances towards each other, no silly small talk, just hardened stares and quick movements.

When Tess finally looked up from her work, only a couple villagers remained, cleaning their hands on rags or talking among themselves. The rest were gone, having bolted from the bar as soon as they'd finished their canisters. Tess didn't blame them. She seemed to scare off everyone she met. Jo had left, having taken Jynna home when the old woman's complaints about hand cramps had grown so bad to the point Tess was ready to throw something at her.

Tess moved back slightly and took in the sight before her. Dozens upon dozens of rewired canisters, weapons of mass destruction were stacked on top of each other. They spanned from the entire counter top down to the floor, stacks of explosives waiting to be used, all controlled by the detonator now held carefully in Tess' hands. She looked around proudly, slightly in awe of the amount of work they'd done in such a short amount of time.

The Mandalorian watched her as she rubbed her hands, the cramp that had been climbing up her fingers easing at her touch. Tess knew he was looking at her, waiting for her to say something about what had happened with Jo, what had happened with the townsfolk earlier that day, but Tess didn't feel like talking, she'd done enough of that already.

Instead, Tess simply handed the wrench she'd used back to the warrior. He looked at it for a second, then took the tool and placed it back in the box slowly. Tess nodded softly, as if she had just decided something for herself, and moved away from the counter, pushing herself towards the door. The moment she took a step forward, however, a spasm made its way up her leg, a horrible cramp that seized the muscles in her knee and calf, squeezing and crushing her bones into ash. Tess gave a loud yelp and started to crumple to the floor. The Mandalorian was quicker, however, and caught her around the middle, placing his arm underneath her own and hoisted her back up. Tess' eyes were scrunched and her face was one of pain.

The cramp did not cease. It dug into her flesh, searing her joints like a fire was blazing across her bones. Tess gritted her teeth as the Mandalorian took her over to one of the chairs. The room was empty now, the last of the villagers having left the moment they could. It was just the mechanic, the Mandalorian, and the small green child in the makeshift shop. The Mandalorian lowered Tess into the chair and moved away. She immediately moved her hands to where the cramp was eating at her leg.

The Mandalorian said nothing, only looked down at her metal leg, now visible from underneath her loose pants, up to where she was cradling her knee. Tess closed her eyes trying to keep herself calm. She'd been standing for too long, in one position for too long that her leg had seized up, the screws and bolts in her leg locking tight with the motion. Now she was paying the price.

The Mandalorian knelt down to be eye level with Tess and looked at her. She looked back. Slowly, the Mandalorian moved his hand and pushed hers away. Tess did not resist. The Mandalorian carefully grabbed a needle nose pliers and pried open the central panel on her leg. He twisted the expertly worked wires so softly that his fingers barely brushed the metal. He did not want to hurt Tess more. He used the pliers to unlock the tight gears, and a loud whirring sound overtook the room. Tess let out a breath, her eyes fluttering open as the pain lessened. The Mandalorian moved away as Tess closed the latch and braced herself on the chair, letting in gulps of air she'd been lacking. Tess looked up at the Mandalorian solemnly.

"What happened?" the Mandalorian asked as she shook out her metal leg, the cramp lessening. She didn't look up, only peered at her metal leg with a mix of emotions he couldn't quite place. He was asking what happened for her to get the leg, she knew, but Tess couldn't tell him. It was all too painful.

"An accident." Tess replied plainly, her words edged with something the Mandalorian could not discern. Regret? Anguish? Guilt? He couldn't tell. She wasn't in the mood to talk about it. He understood that perfectly, from the way she wouldn't meet his eyes (not that she could see them) and the way she clenched her fists when he mentioned it. Tess' story was something the Mandalorian would continue to question, and he was beginning to think he'd never truly get to know the young girl of storms and rage and unpredictability. As the fight was drawing near, so was the time for him to leave the planet, to go forth and try to find the Jedi, find the child a home. It pained him, for some strange reason, that he would have to leave the town of Mos Pelgo, that he would need to leave Tatooine. That he would need to leave the mechanic.

A noise jolted him from his thoughts, and he turned around to see the Marshal in the doorway. Both the Mandalorian and Tess looked at him, expectant. Tess showed no sign as to the pain she'd just endured, and for the Mandalorian it was easy for him to hide his emotions.

"Time to start moving these." The Marshal spoke softly. Tess nodded and braced herself to get up. The Mandalorian turned to offer her his help but found that she was already standing, face stoic, and moving towards the Marshal.

"Let's go." she said. The Marshal nodded, and the Mandalorian followed after them.

Tess, the Marshal, and the Mandalorian stood outside the bar as the townsfolk moved the canisters out into the open, preparing them to be transported. Tess had her arms crossed, sweat lining her brow from the heat, but other than the occasional hidden wince, she showed no other sign that her leg still hurt.

"Think it'll work?" the Marshal finally spoke up, watching the people moving the canisters around. Tess raised a brow, watching carefully so as to make sure they didn't handle the explosives too harshly.

"It better." the Mandalorian replied. "Joining forces is their only hope."

Suddenly, a loud noise jolted Tess out of her thoughts, and they all turned to the horizon, where a large line of banthas had now appeared. On them rode the Tusken raiders, clad in cream robes with rifles strapped securely to their backs. Tess' breath hitched as she waited for the townspeople's reaction. Everyone stopped what they were doing, placing hands to their foreheads to shield themselves from the sun as they watched the raiders stride cautiously into town. On several bantha's backs were grappling hooks and wires, rifles and blasters in large netted bags. Tess frowned as they rode closer, glaring as the townsfolk took several steps back.

"This should be fun." she remarked, though there was no hint of amusement in her tone.

Tess watched as the Raiders and townsfolk carefully loaded the explosives onto the banthas, handing them to each other one by one. The town was bustling with action, every person finding some sort of job to do in order to begin the journey out into the sands. Tess leaned against a crate opposite the Mandalorian, watching the procession with her signature frown upon her features. Her leg still ached from the unexpected cramp, and her head still swam with the understanding that she had let the Mandalorian fix it.

The Marshal stood in front of them, overseeing it all with a watchful eye.

Suddenly, the raider in front of them accidentally grabbed the canister a little too harshly, and one side of the explosive fell to the ground with a large clatter. Both the Mandalorian and Tess sprang from their spot, ready to intervene. The Mandalorian to help the raider, and Tess to grab her precious canisters.

The man beside the raider began to yell. "Hey! What are you doin'?" Tess squinted at him, then rolled her eyes. Tofta. "That's an explosive. What are you trying to blow the whole place up?"

"Tofta!" Tess exclaimed while the Marshal stepped forward. The raider carefully handed the fallen canister to his comrade and turned. He shoved Tofta back by the shoulder, a high pitched growling sound coming from the Tusken. Tess and the Mandalorian shared a look.

"What? Is that what you want?" Tofta kept repeating as the Marshal pulled the Tusken back from the shoulder and pushed Tofta back with both hands.

"Take it easy. It was an accident, okay?" Tofta stepped back with some other villagers as Tess and the Mandalorian watched on.

"What do you want to do?" Tofta scoffed.

"It was an accident!" the Marshal yelled. The raiders on one side and villagers on the other went quiet. Tess wrung her hands, watching the proceedings with a concerned eye. Tofta glared but turned and walked away, while the raiders went back to loading up the canisters. The Marshal slowly walked away while Tess watched on.

Her stomach twisted at the adrenaline of the near fight. Her leg hurt and her head felt fuzzy, everything becoming disjointed and unreal. They were really doing this. They were going to fight the dragon. The explosives were made. The banthas were prepared, and the townsfolk and raiders were regretfully working together. It was all coming into place. The real battle was just beginning, and Tess thought she might throw up. She forced herself to stand straighter and look up at the Marshal as he walked back over to them and stood beside Tess.

The Mandalorian watched her for a moment, then turned to the Marshal.

"It's gonna be great." Vanth said, though worry lined each syllable, and the knot under Tess' ribs grew tighter with each passing second.

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Ever since Tess' outburst in front of the townsfolk, the cavern in which the dragon dwelt had been pushed to the furthest corners of her mind. She hadn't recalled how terrifying the gaping pit of the dragon was until she stood before it once again, dismounting the speeder she rode on with the Marshal as the townsfolk and raiders began to prepare the explosives.

She slid off the bike with ease and cut her gaze towards the canisters hung on banthas. The Marshal stood behind her, watching the procession of raiders and townsfolk alike work in unison. Tess moved her eyes towards the large pit of darkness waiting on the other side of the sand field. Her insides froze, organs clenching at the sight of the cavern, heart beating rapidly inside her chest.

The Marshal moved ahead of her as all the supplies were unloaded, the people and raiders going forwards. The Mandalorian came up beside Tess, still on his speeder bike. The whirring of the engine spewed grains of sand to either side. Tess glanced at him, then back towards the cave.

"Are you all right?" the Mandalorian dared to ask. Tess didn't take her eyes off the cavern. She took several steps forwards, and the Mandalorian followed.

"Fine." she answered, and walked ahead, taking long strides towards the Marshal who stood at the front of the growing crowd. The Mandalorian followed after her, jumping off his bike when he got to the front of the crowd and stood beside Tess and the Marshal as the raiders sent out one of their own to survey the sands. Memories of the previous raider that went out resurfaced at the edge of Tess' mind, and she gulped loudly. The Mandalorian glanced at her, but said nothing. She was warring with her emotions, he could tell, and the Mandalorian knew what that was like. He knew that she needed to be left alone for now. She needed a distraction, but the Mandalorian found there were barely any to be found.

The raider moved out to the front of the cave, taking hesitant steps forward. After a moment, he lowered himself to the ground and placed one hand down onto the floor. Tess didn't blink. If she did, she thought, the dragon might come up and attack them swiftly. One blink, and everything could be over before it had even begun.

Tess didn't blink, she couldn't bear to.

After several moments, the raider got back up and turned to them, signing something into the air that Tess couldn't understand.

"What'd he say?" the Marshal asked from Tess' other side.

"He says it's sleeping." the Mandalorian replied. Tess couldn't breathe. She rubbed her hands together out of habit, her umber hair flying in the wind that gripped the canyon they stood upon. Her eyes, as bright as stars and as deadly as black holes watched ever onwards, waiting for something, something terrible, to happen. She always expected the worst. It was easier to live that way.

"If we listen carefully, we can hear it breathing." the Mandalorian continued. This did not reassure Tess. She took a slight step backwards, a movement that did not go unnoticed by the warrior beside her. She was scared, just as she had been before. The Mandalorian didn't know how to comfort her as he looked towards the raider now walking back towards them. One of the raiders stepped up and handed a green orb to the Marshal. Tess frowned at it, remembering the horrible aftertaste the liquid inside had left on her tongue. This time, the Marshal took it and put it up to his lips, hesitating only slightly as he met Tess' eyes, then took a small sip.

Tess almost snorted at the look of disgust in his face, but couldn't find the energy. All of her attention was snagged towards the cave and the monster that dwelt within.

"Let's get to work." the Mandalorian said, turning to the villagers and raiders behind him. Tess looked at him then out to the workers. For a moment no one moved, but Tess glared at them and pointed towards the canisters they'd stacked to one side. Everyone practically ran to follow her lead. The Mandalorian smirked, impressed at how the girl could be so small and look so fragile, yet she needed no words to bend the people to her will.

Again, he thought of the green child still sitting on his speeder bike.

Tess moved away from the Mandalorian and the Marshal, walking towards where a large group of villagers were now digging into the sand, canisters behind them. She crossed her arms as she watched them work. A couple steps away, Jo and another boy Tess did not know the name of walked past with several grenades stacked into their small hands. Jo smiled at Tess while the girl only nodded. She turned back to the group.

"Don't dig too deep." she called out. Everyone stopped for a moment, looking at her, then nodded and continued about their work. Tess felt someone stand beside her, and she didn't need to look up, knowing it was the Mandalorian and the Marshal.

"The Tuskens say the belly is the only weak spot." The Mandalorian said.

"So we hit it from below." Tess finished, the Mandalorian nodded. Tess pursed her lips and moved closer to the edge of the ravine the raiders were now digging. Several townsfolk cringed back as she reached them, but one look into her steel eyes told them to keep working as usual, so they kept placing the canisters into the sands, patting them down slightly. Tess picked up a handful of sand and squashed it between her fingers, watching the proceedings.

"If we dig too close to the caves," she spoke clearly. "The dragon will feel the vibrations of the wires underneath the ground. The explosives are always on, and when we redirected the firepower to only one side, then connected them to one consecutive detonator, it only increased the power."

"So," the Mandalorian told her. "We bury the charges near the opening of the cave."

"Not too close, but not too far." Tess continued.

"Then," he said, showing no hint of annoyance that she continued to interrupt him. "We wake it up." Tess froze. "We have to get it angry enough to charge. Once it's far enough out and the belly is above the explosives..."

"We blow it to high heaven." Tess finished, her voice hoarse and barely a whisper, as if she were trying to convince herself that the words were true. In this case, she was. Tess had always been confident in her abilities as a mechanic, she'd almost never failed at fixing broken things. But again, creating machines was different. It was harder for her, and rewiring the explosives to make them more powerful wasn't as easy as she'd thought. While the Mandalorians assistance back at the bar had been helpful, Tess still felt a prickle of unease worm it's way through her body. Now, as she stood before the dawn of a battle with a monster that seemed impossible to defeat, she began to question her abilities.

"It will work," she whispered to herself, barely loud enough for anyone to hear. "It has to." Tess stood up and turned around, seeing that the Mandalorian and the Marshal had moved farther away, up on the ridge near the speeder bikes. Taking one last look at the group assembling the canisters, Tess made her way to the ridge. As she walked, someone tapped her on the elbow from behind. Tess whirled her head around to find Jo walking carefully beside her, a large device in her hands. Tess' eyes widened as she saw that the girl held the detonator, glowing red —meaning it was armed. Jo held it with both hands, carefully making sure not to touch the safety lock or the pin.

"Hi!" Jo said as they walked up to the ridge.

"Hey." Tess replied.

"Are you ready?" Jo asked. "I know this isn't really what you like to do, fighting and all, but..."

"I'm ready." Tess cut in, though a part of her knew she was lying. She wasn't ready, not even close. Her breathing was ragged and her hands trembled, something aching underneath her flesh. Her eyes flitted from one side to the other, eyebrows more scrunched than usual, her signature frown flattened into a imperceptible line. Jo noticed that Tess was different, but felt it was best not to comment on it. Her intention was never to make Tess angry —well, more angry than usual— and they walked in silence up towards the ridge. When the Marshal and the Mandalorian saw them coming, they took several steps forward. When Tess reached them, she wormed her way between the two men and turned back around.

Jo handed Vanth the detonator, and he took it gratefully. "Careful, Marshal." she said.

"Thank you Jo." The Marshal replied.

Jo smiled and turned to Tess. "Be safe, Tess." she said, and it was as if sunlight had lined her lips, for the bright words seemed to dispel some of the darkness inside Tess' mind. She nodded, unsure of what to say, because a million words wanted to burst through her, yet she couldn't speak. Jo paused for a moment, looking at Tess. Expectation seemed to hint on her face, but Tess couldn't find the words.

"You too." she finally spat out awkwardly. Jo grinned from ear to ear while Tess shuffled on her feet. It was the closest Tess had ever come to saying thank you to the girl, which she greatly deserved. Jo had always been there for Tess, one of the few children in town that had tried to socialize with the wounded girl when she'd first come to town. Jo had brought Tess food when she needed it, gave Tess space when she wanted it, and probably understood better than anyone who Tess was, despite still being afraid of the girl. Tess knew she should say thank you; thank you for everything she'd done, everything she would do in the future, because Jo was the kindest person Tess had ever met, and she thought her friend deserved all the thanks in the world.

But Tess couldn't give it to her. She couldn't say the words.

As Jo walked away, the Marshal reached out and tugged on her arm. "And uh," he glanced to where Tess was staring intently down at her feet. The Mandalorian couldn't help but smile at how awkward she had gotten. "Stay safe, Jo, huh?"

Jo nodded. "Will do, Marshal." and she turned back to run after the boy Tess had seen her with earlier. Tess stared after her when she was sure that Jo couldn't see them anymore. Something pulled at Tess' lungs, a kind of searing ache. Regret, she realized as the Marshal fiddled with the detonator and the Mandalorian watched her. She was feeling regret.

Tess gulped, eyebrows shooting up at the realization. The Marshal and the Mandalorian began to move forward. Tess followed them blindly, her metal leg thumping against the hardened rock, limp becoming more pronounced. The pain had lessened since back in Mos Pelgo, but it hadn't disappeared. They walked along and stopped closer to where the cluster of townsfolk and Tuskens were moving the banthas away from the sight and the large crossbows of roped arrows were ready to fire.

Tess' hands began to shake, her whole body trying to stay calm, to stay frozen, as the raiders and townsfolk took their positions and two tuskens made their way out to the front of the group, walking towards the cave. Her eyes strayed to the group of kids her age off the side, to where Jo, the boy she walked with and several others stood clustered around each other. Some had their arms around others, and were covering their friends eyes. They were comforting each other, telling each other everything was going to be okay.

Tess turned back to the cave. "This is it, isn't it?" she asked no one in particular, voice like the beating of a bird's wings, like feathers landing on ice. The Mandalorian turned slightly to her, taking in the wide eyes and puckering mouth, the shaking hands and balled fists.

He didn't say anything, only reached out a tender hand and gently grasped her wrist. Tess did not move away, nor did she flinch. She knew he was trying to hold her hand, but Tess couldn't bring herself to open up her palm. The light touch was enough. It was confirmation, not reassurance, something Tess was grateful for.

The two Tuskens out in front of the cavern began to screech, their high pitched voices swimming through the air like crashing waves against dry rock. After a moment, the ground began to shake as the raiders yelling grew louder.

The Mandalorian did not move his hand. Tess did not pull away. His touch told her everything she needed to know.

Yes, this was it. This was the dawn of the fight Tess had spent years running away from.

And as she stood beside the Mandalorian and the Marshal, eyes never blinking, ceaselessly watching the cavern with terror coursing through her veins, Tess Oprin found that she wasn't ready.

Not at all. 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE. 

okkaaayyy so I left you on a sort of cliffhanger... sorry? honestly tho this chapter was supposed to have half the battle of the krayt dragon but I just ended up writing so much more with Mando and Tess that it would have been too long, so NEXT CHAPTER we will finally see the battle against the dragon, and I'm honestly so excited some BIG STUFF happens during that fight so please be ready. this was honestly super fun to write (i mean I published this chapter only TWO days after the last one, so I wrote this extremely fast) and I just love everything that happened in this chapter, and I hope you did as well... 

ANYWAYS what did you think of this chapter? what are your thoughts, feedback, opinions, theories, I want to know IT ALL. What did you think of Mando helping Tess with her leg AND holding her wrist at the end? my heart was literally bursting at all of their cute moments I swear they are so cute! Also, what did you think of Tess and Jo? Jo is literally a character we see only once in the episode so I literally created her entire personality but SHE IS JUST TOO PRECIOUS AND SWEET FOR THIS WORLD! I absolutely love those two's dynamic and I actually hope that in season three they go back to the Marshal so Tess can see her again. And finally, what do you think of Tess' major conflict at the end? This chapter I really decided to show her human side, her child side, revealing that in the end Tess is still only a fifteen year old girl, and I hope that came out right on paper because Tess' humanity and loss of childhood is really important for this book... 

As always, feel free to vote and comment your thoughts on this chapter, I always love reading them, and until next chapter (where things go wayyyyy downhill)

Love, Mal