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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

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ARTEMIS landed lightly into the prisoner ship next to Din. She gazed around, her body tense, but when Din touched her hand slightly, she relaxed.

"Zero," Mayfeld said through the comlink. "Get us to the control room."

"Sub level three. Disabling onboard surveillance."

"All right, we're on the clock," Mayfeld told the others. "When we engage those droids, they're gonna be all over us."

"We know the drill," Din said, gesturing at himself and Artemis.

"Bio trackers activated," Zero's voice came. "I've got eyes."

"All right, let's go," Mayfeld said, leading the way.

As they passed the cells, Artemis made sure her face was always hidden from view. It wouldn't surprise her if there were prisoners here that she'd caught back during the war.

"I don't like this," Din said, when they emerged deeper into the ship.

"You always were paranoid," Xi'an replied.

"Is that true, Mando?" Mayfeld questioned tauntingly. "Were you always paranoid?"

An alien prisoner grunted, making him jump up. Artemis had to suppress a smile at this.

"Approaching control room," Zero said. "Make a left at the next juncture."

Artemis stayed close behind Din, once in a while touching his back to tell him she was still there.

Everything went rather well until a MSE-6 series repair droid appeared, making the group halt in their steps.

"What?" Burg questioned. "It's just a little mousey."

He grabbed his blaster and hid it behind his back before calling out to the repair droid.

"Come here, little mousey."

"Burg," Mayfeld warned him.

"Mousey, come here. Come here."

"Burg," Mayfeld said once again, more tensely.

When the repair droid rushed away, Burg shot it down. Artemis sighed.

"No!" Mayfeld exclaimed. "Burg, what are you doing?"

"What?" Burg said.

And then four humanoid New Republic security droids appeared and opened fire.

Din pulled Artemis behind him towards the edges of the corridor. She pulled out her blaster and shot back — much to her dismay. Although the war was over and she no longer technically was a general anymore, it still felt wrong.

"We're too exposed here," Xi'an said.

"If they get a signal out, it's not gonna matter," Mayfeld replied.

Artemis and Din fired off shots to the droids but that didn't stop them.

Din turned to Artemis. "I've got a plan."

She nodded, trusting him with her life, and he disappeared around the corner.

"Mando, let's go!" Mayfeld exclaimed. "You're supposed to be something special."

They all turned around to see that Din had gone.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Mayfeld yelled.

At that moment, Din appeared from behind the droids and ambushed them from behind. He toppled one by slicing its foot and shot another. One of the droids grabbed him and hurled him against a cell door. Artemis dashed forwards took the Din's knife that laid onto the floor and sliced through the droid that was holding Din. She then turned around and threw it right in the chest of another droid.

Din, meanwhile, had used his grappling cable to pull down another droid before ripping off its head.

Artemis looked around, but all the droids were dealt with. Din stood up as Mayfeld and the others approached them. Mayfeld threw Artemis an impressive look before looking back at Din.

"Make sure you clean up your mess."

Artemis sighed and exchanged a glance with Din, before the two of them followed the others towards the control room.

"It seems your presence has been detected," Zero said. "Redirecting security alert away from your position."

"Z, open the door!" Mayfeld ordered once the control room door came into view.

"But I'm detecting an organic signature."

"Yeah, okay. All right. Just open the door!"

Artemis tensed as she felt another presence. Din touched her lower back.

"What is it?"

Before she could reply, the door slid open and they were met with an New Republic soldier. Din froze beside her.

"Stop!" the soldier exclaimed, pointing a blaster as them. "Just s-stop right t-there!"

Artemis didn't need the Force to tell her he was terrified.

"You put down the blasters right now!"

Mayfeld grinned as they entered the control room. "Nice shoes," he commented.

Artemis did not take her blaster and she watched the New Republic soldier stumble back as they approached him.

"Put down your blasters," the soldier repeated.

"Matches his belt," Mayfeld laughed.

"There were only supposed to be droids on this ship," Din said from next to Artemis. The soldier turned around to face him and Artemis pulled her hood up even more.

"Hang on, hang on," Mayfeld said. "Let's see here. Uh . . . Cell two-two-one. All right, now for our well-dressed friend," he continued, turning around to look at him.

Artemis watched the soldier pull out a tracking beacon, making Mayfeld jump back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey. Easy. Easy, egghead." He then pointed at the beacon. "Put that down. Put that down. Come on."

The solder turned back to Din.

"Easy," the Mandalorian said.

"Put it down now!" Mayfeld ordered, pointing his blaster at the soldier.

"Easy," Din said. "Nobody has to get hurt here. Just calm down."

"What's that thing?" Burg asked, referring to the tracking beacon in the soldier's hand.

"It's a tracking beacon," Din told him.

Artemis watched the scene in silence. She didn't want anything to happen to the soldier.

"He pressed that thing, we're al done," Mayfeld continued. "A New Republic attack team will hone in on the signal and blow us all to hell. Put it down!"

"Are you serious?" Xi'an exclaimed.

"Yes, I am serious," Mayfeld said.

"You didn't think we needed to know that tiny little detail?" Xi'an hissed.

"I didn't think we'd get to this point," Mayfeld said tensely.

"Yet here we are," Xi'an said.

"Are you questioning my managerial style, Xi'an?" Mayfeld questioned the Twi'lek, turning away from the soldier.

Xi'an chucked. "No, sir," she mocked, saluting him.

"Hey," Din said to the soldier. "Listen to me." The soldier turned around to look at him. Fear was all written over his face. "Hey, hey, hey. Listen to me, okay? Look," he continued, putting his blaster away and showing him his now empty hands. "Hey, put it down," he told Mayfeld.

"Are you crazy?" the man flashed back.

"Put it down," Din repeated before looking back at the soldier. "What's your name?"

"It's Davan," the soldier stammered.

"Davan," Din repeated. "We're not here for you. We're here for a prisoner. If you let us go about our job, you can walk away with your life."

"No, he won't," Mayfeld said, pointing his blaster once more at the soldier.

"Hey!" Din said pointing his blaster at Mayfeld, who pointing one at him, too.

Artemis put her hand on her blaster, ready to interfere.

"You realize what you're gonna bring down on us?" Din questioned him. 

"You think I care about that?" Mayfeld flashed back.

"We're not killing anybody," Din said firmly.

"Get that blaster out of my face, Mando," was all Mayfeld said.

"I can't do that."

Tension was filling the room and Artemis felt the Force shift around her. Her eyes darted to Xi'an but before she could do something, the Twi'lek had already hurled a knife into the chest of the soldier.

Artemis closed her eyes, anger boiling up inside of her.

This is not the way of the Jedi, she reminded herself, banishing the thought of her killing Xi'an.

"Would you both just shut up," Xi'an said.

"Crazy Twi," Mayfeld muttered, placing his blaster back in its holster. "I had it under control."

"Yeah. Looked like it," Xi'an said, chuckling, as she retrieved her knife and wiped it off onto the soldier's jacket.

Artemis gritted her teeth.

"Was that thing blinking before?" Mayfeld questioned, his voice raising by a couple of octaves as he watched the beacon. "Was it?"

"Zero to Mayfeld. Zero to Mayfeld."

"What?" 

"I've detected a New Republic distress signal homing in on your location. You have approximately twenty minutes."

"We only need five," Xi'an said.

"Let's go, let's go!" Mayfeld exclaimed. "Move, move, move!"

Artemis kneeled down beside the soldier and closed his eyes.

"May the Force be with you," she said quietly, bowing her head. "I'm sorry."

Din kneeled next to her. "This isn't your fault," he quietly told her.

"It is," Artemis said. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for not listening to you," he said. "I should have but I didn't, I'm sorry."

"You can make it up to me when we finish this job," Artemis said, standing up. "Let's go."

They followed the others through the halls of the prisoner ship and rounded a corner just to come face to face with a black hover security droid.

Burg hurled the droid to the floor with brute force, knocking it out. A second hover security droid appeared, but Burg hurled the fallen first droid at it, knocking it out. The two droids explode into flames.

Mayfeld gave him an impressed nod before the group continued. Upon arrival at the right cell, Mayfeld took care of the lock while Artemis stood at the back, observing their surroundings.

"Z, open it up," Mayfeld said through the comlink.

"You have fifteen minutes remaining."

"Come on, come on. Open it up!"

The door slid open and Artemis saw a male Twi'lek looking up at them.

"Qin," Din said tensely from beside Burg.

"Funny," Qin began, standing up and walking out of the cell, "the man who left me behind is now my savior. Mando."

Burg growled before pushing Din into the cell. Mayfeld quickly shut the door.

"Brother!" Xi'an exclaimed, hugging Qin.

"Sister," he greeted her, chuckling.

"Bold of you to assume Mando is the dangerous one out of the two of us," Artemis growled, taking her cloak off and letting it fall on the ground.

Mayfeld's eyes widened as he saw her face and a flash of fear appeared in his eyes before it disappeared again.

"Are we suppose to know you?" Xi'an said, not impressed at all.

Artemis smiled. "Why don't you come and find out?"

Xi'an hurled a knife towards her but Artemis stopped it midair. She then grabbed it out of the air and observed it.

"So uncivilized," she said, throwing the knife away. "Sure you can do better, Xi'an?"

Xi'an hissed, showing the red haired her fangs before charging towards her, swinging her fists.

"Xi'an, no!" Mayfeld said, knowing there was nothing the Twi'lek could do to stop the Jedi.

Artemis grabbed her fist and turned her arm around her back — a movement Cody had thought her. The Twi'lek hissed and got out of Artemis grip. She tried to headbang the red head, but Artemis moved swiftly away.

Burg, who had been watching them fight, was now creeping up from behind her.

"Watch out!" Din exclaimed, but Artemis didn't need his help. She had felt and in a second, she had ignited both of her lightsabers, filling the hall with the familiar buzzing.

"Surrender or face the consequences," she steadily said.

Burg grunted and charged at her. Artemis stepped aside and slashed his arm off with her lightsaber. Burg fell onto the floor and didn't get up.

Artemis eyed, Mayfeld, Xi'an and Qin.

"Anyone else?"

Xi'an let out a yell before throwing three knives her way.

Artemis knocked two away with her sabers and leaped aside to miss the third one. However, she wasn't quick enough and it made a scratch in her arm. She hissed and glared at the Twi'lek who was looking rather pleased at her.

Stay calm. Stay focused.

Artemis took a breath and cleared her mind, focusing herself on her surroundings.

"Surrender or face the consequences," she said once more, her lightsabers buzzing by her side.

"You know we can't do that, Rogue," Mayfeld said, pointing his blasters at her, but Artemis could detect the regret in it.

"Then you will face the consequences," she simply said.

He began firing at her and she skillfully deflected them all. She forcefully shoved him into the wall and he fell onto the ground, unconscious.

Artemis then turned to face the Twi'lek siblings. Qin had taken Burg's blaster and was shooting at her. Artemis sighed, a bit disappointed in their lack of improvisation, and used the Force to knock him out cold.

Xi'an hissed, obviously angry at Artemis for treathening her brother like that.

"You will pay for that," the purple Twi'lek spat.

Artemis didn't reply, instead, she took a fighting position and awaited her move.

"You whore!" Xi'an exclaimed.

Artemis raised her eyebrows. That certainly was a first.

The Twi'lek then leaped towards Artemis, but she was blinded by anger and easy to take down. Seconds, later, she laid unconscious next to her brother on the ground.

"You okay?" Din called over to Artemis.

"Yeah," she said, looking around at the bodies around her and turning off her lightsabers before hanging them back on her belt. "Never better."

A New Republic droid rounded the corner and Artemis used the Force to let it fly towards them. She quickly shot it in the head before taking one of its arms to open the cell.

"That was impressive," Din said, looking around. "I found a new nickname for you, by the way."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Do enlighten me."

"Fury," Din said, touching her arm gently. "My little Fury."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "I'm not little."

"You're shorter than I am."

"So?"

Burg groaned from where he was laying on the ground. "Ran was right, you do sound like a married couple."

"Shut up."

Word count: 2273

So I might have changed this episode a bit since it wouldn't have been Artemis-like to just let her get caught in the cell with Din. She's a Jedi Master after all so I kind of gave her a Badass moment. I'm not regretting anything hahahaha.

In the next chapter, there will be more Din and Artemis time! :)

Published: 06.03.2021