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CHAPTER NINETEEN

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DIN landed the Razor Crest in a remote part of Nevarro. Kuiil leaded the three Blurgs out of the ship and they mounted them. Din held his hand out for Artemis and she took it, letting him pull her up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his torso and the Blurgs made their way towards where Greef was standing with three other bounty hunters.

"Sorry for the remote rendezvous, Mando," Greef began, "but things have gotten complicated since you were last here."

Artemis looked over Din's shoulder towards the three bounty hunters.

"It appears that introductions are in order," Greef continued, glancing at Cara. "It seems we've both provided a security detail." He glanced back at his bounty hunters before turning back to them. "I recommend the shock trooper guards the ship. These lava fields are lousy with Jawas."

"She's coming with us," was all Din said.

"But the town is now run by ex-Empire," Greef said. "If a Rebel Dropper is with us, they'll all get their hackles up."

"They are already getting their hackles up upon seeing me," Artemis retorted. "Don't worry about her."

Din nodded in agreement. "She's coming."

"Fine," Greef said, not seeming very pleased about this. "Fine. At least cover your tattoo. No need to flaunt it. Now, where is the little one?"

Kuiil, Cara and Artemis all glanced at Din who was in control of the craddle. He made it fly forwards towards Greef and Artemis used the Force to reach out, ready to intervene if necessary.

The cradle opened, revealing the kid who was looking around in curiousness.

"So, this little bogwing is what all the fuss was about," Greef said, taking a couple of steps closer to the cradle. He reached out to pick it up and Artemis saw Din reaching for his blaster. "What a precious little creature," Greef continued, not noticing or simply ignoring Din's movement. "I can see why you didn't want to harm a hair on its wrinkled little head."

He then put Grogu back into his cradle and Artemis could feel Din relax slightly.

"Well, I'm glad this matter will be put to rest once and for all," Greef said.

Din closed the cradle again and made it fly back towards them.

"The sun drops fast on Nevarro," Greef continued. "We can walk for a spell, camp out at the riverbank, then make our way into town at first light."

They followed Greef and his men across lava fields. Artemis shuffled closer to Din, not particularly liking the tension that hung in the air.

"What's wrong?" Din quietly asked, so that only she could hear it.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Artemis replied quietly.

He placed one hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"We'll be fine as long as we stay together," he said, using the same words she had said to him. "Remember?"

"Yeah," Artemis sighed. "But something is off."

⋆⋆⋆

WHEN the night came, all of them settled themselves around a campfire, grilling a four-legged beast one of the bounty hunters had caught.

"I guess the little bugger's a carnivore," Greef said, as they watched Kuiil feed the kid. "Never seen anything like it. They were ready to pay a king' stands on for that thing. Must be for some kind of highfaluting menagerie," he added, chuckling.

But Artemis wasn't amused, and neither was Din.

"Let's go over the plan again," the latter said.

"We both enter the common house," Greef began. "We show the client the child and the Jedi. We join him at the table. And you kill him."

"Tell me about his reinforcements," Din said.

"They're all ex-Empire," Greef assured him. "As soon as they lose their payback, poof, they'll all scatter."

"And what if they don't?" Din questioned him.

"They will."

Cara and Artemis exchanged a glance.

"That's not good enough," Din told him.

"If, for argument's sake, a few of them don't realize that I'm their best path to alternative employment and they elect to react impulsively, then these three fine Guild Hunters," Greef gestured at his bounty hunters, "along with that battle-hardened shock trooper, will cut down anyone who bucks."

"How many will there be?" Artemis asked.

Greef sighed. "No more than four. He travels with, at most, a Fire Team. Trust me. Nothing can go wrong."

"I wish he hadn't said that," Artemis said, laying down and trying to find a good position to sleep. Normally, she'd use her cloak to lay her head on but she had decided to leave it in the ship since it would only get in the way and she didn't want it to get ruined.

Din laid down next to her. "Can you feel it if something's coming?"

"Yes," Artemis said, nodding. "I'll be sleeping with an eye open tonight."

Din unclasped his cloak and handed it to her. "Here, use it as a pillow."

"You sure you don't want this?" Artemis questioned him.

Din shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Thanks."

Artemis closed her eyes, laying significantly better, but made sure to keep one part of her on high alert.

She eventually woke up because a feeling was nagging her. She opened her eyes. It was pitch dark, something that told her she'd been asleep for a couple of hours. She sat up, looking around to try and understand what the Force was telling her. Everyone but the bounty hunter who was appointed with guard duty, was asleep.

Artemis closed her eyes as she tried to feel her surroundings. Something was coming.

Artemis bowed over Din, shaking him gently.

"Mando," she whispered. "Get up."

Din's hands found her own. "I'm awake," he said. "What's wrong?"

Artemis didn't reply. Instead she stood up, both hands on her lightsabers. She closed her eyes, knowing she couldn't see anything because of the darkness, and used the Force to tell her what was coming.

Din stood up, too. "What is it?"

"Creatures," Artemis quietly said. "Flying creatures. I don't know the name of them. They're coming."

"How many?"

Artemis frowned, still with her eyes closed. "Five . . . maybe six?"

She then grabbed her lightsabers, waited for a couple of seconds, before jumping up, igniting her sabers in the process and landing on the back of what happened to be some sort of native reptavian.

Blaster shots were heard as she stuck her lightsabers into the creature. It let out a high pitched screech and Artemis jumped off of it before it collided with the ground.

She turned around to see how the others were doing and saw that Din had closed Grogu's cradle.

At least he would be safe.

Everyone had woken up and was now shooting at the creatures. Artemis ran towards them and jumped up, slashing one of the wings off a creature. She landed lightly back onto the ground next to Din.

"Are you all right?" she questioned him.

"Yeah," Din breathed. "What are those?"

"I don't know," Artemis said, tightening the grip on the vest of her sabers.

"No!" Kuiil exclaimed, as a creature took on of the Blurgs. "Let go of her! Drop her now!"

Artemis flashed her arm out and tried to stop it by using the Force. She gritted her teeth as she tried to pull the Burg back.

Both Din and Cara were shooting at the creature and at last, it let go of the Blurg.

Artemis stumbled back into Din, breathing heavily. He wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her.

Artemis looked around. She saw Greef's bounty hunters — there were only two now, where the third one was, she didn't know. Both Cara and Kuiil were okay and so was the kid.

It was Greef that laid on the ground.

Artemis turned her lightsabers off and kneeled down beside him, eying his arm that was badly wounded. She could see teeth markings in it and grimaced.

Both Kuiil and Cara kneeled down next to her.

"He's hurt badly," the Ugnaught said.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Greef said, but Artemis could tell he was in much pain. "I'm fine. I'm fine. Ow!"

"Hold still," Cara ordered. "They got you good," she added, taking some bandages from her medpac.

"How bad?" Din asked from behind them.

"Bad," Cara replied, not looking up. "The poison's spreading fast."

"So this . . . This is how it happens," Greef breathed.

"Don't be so dramatic," Cara said, scoffing. "I need another medpac! Got any other medpacs?"

The two bounty hunters shook their heads and Artemis sighed, giving Cara hers.

"Here."

Cara nodded in thanks before looking back at Greef's arm. "It's still spreading. This isn't working."

Artemis closed her eyes, knowing what to do. She placed her hand on the wound and Greef winced.

"What are you doing?"

"Saving your life."

Artemis focused on the Force around her and guided it towards the wound on his arm. She felt energy leaving her body but she didn't stop. She placed her other hand on the ground, steadying herself, as she continued to heal him. It wasn't until his arm was fully healed, that Artemis removed her hand.

Greef looked at his arm, shock written all over his face, before looking at a very tired Artemis.

"How did you do that?"

Artemis smiled slightly. "The Force works in many ways," was all she said, before falling down in exhaustion.

"Fury!" Din said, kneeling down beside her.

"I'm fine," Artemis assured him. "I'm just going to take a nap. Wake me when we leave."

⋆⋆⋆

DIN woke Artemis up the next morning. Although she couldn't see his face, she could tell he was worried.

"I'm fine," she said, letting him pull her up. "All I needed was a good sleep."

Din touched her cheek. "Don't ever scare me like that again," he murmured.

Artemis smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not the reckless one out of the two of us."

"That's true," Din said, chuckling.

They packed their things and continued their track to the city, this time minus two Blurgs and a bounty hunter.

Artemis, Din and Cara were following Greef and the bounty hunters and watched them quietly talk to each other.

"You think they're having second thoughts?" Cara asked.

"Could be," Din said. "I need your eyes," he added, looking at Artemis and Cara.

"Don't worry," Artemis said, her eyes not leaving the people in front of her. "We're watching."

Somehow, the two bounty hunters managed to walk behind the three of them, trapping Artemis, Din and Cara between them and Greef.

Artemis walked next to Cara and Din, her hands onto the vests of her lightsabers, ready to draw them if needed.

Greef stopped a little bit in front of them and Artemis tightened the grip on her sabers.

"I guess this is it," Greef said, looking down at the city, but Artemis could tell he was talking about something else. She took her lightsabers off her belt but waited with igniting them.

Artemis could feel the two bounty hunters sneaking up behind them, but before she could do something, Greef had already turned around and shot them down.

Din and Cara pointed their blasters at Greef who shoved his own blasters back into their holsters. Artemis frowned, but still didn't turn on her lightsabers.

"There's something you should know," Greef said, walking towards the two dead bounty hunters and kicking their blasters out of their hands.

"The plan was to kill you and take the kid and Jedi," Greef continued, looking at Din, who had still pointed his blaster at him. "But after what happened last night, I couldn't go through with it."

When no one replied, Greef said, "Go on. You can gun me down here and now and it wouldn't violate the Code. But if you do, this child will never be safe."

"We'll take our chances," Cara said.

"The Imperial client is obsessed with obtaining these assets," Greef said. "You tried to run, but where did it get you?"

"This is ridiculous," Cara told Artemis and Din.

"Perhaps you should let him speak," Kuiil said.

"I agree," Artemis said, nodding. She hung her sabers back onto her belt. "Speak."

"Listen," Greef began, "we both need the client to be eliminated. Let me take the child and Jedi to him and then you two —"

"No," Din said.

"Let's just kill him and get outta here," Cara said.

"No," Din said again, shoving his blaster back into its holster. "He's right."

"What are you doing?" Cara questioned him, not lowering her blaster.

"As long as the Imp lives, he'll send hunters after the child," Artemis told her.

"It's a trap," Cara said.

"Bring me," Din said to Greef.

"Bring you?" Greef repeated, as if it was the worst idea in history.

"Tell him you captured me," Din explained. "Get me close to him and I'll kill him."

"That's a good idea," Greef said, nodding. "Give me your blaster."

Din handed it over, earning a look of disbelief from Cara.

"This is insane!" she exclaimed.

"It's the only way," was all Din said.

"Well, I'm coming with you," Cara said.

"No, no, no," Greef said, shaking his head. "That would make them suspicious."

"I don't care," Cara snapped. "I'm coming."

"Tell them she caught us," Din said.

"Fine," Greef said. "Then she can bring the child."

"No," Artemis said firmly. "The kid goes back in the ship."

"But without the kid, none of this works!" Greef exclaimed.

Din exchanged a glance with Artemis and she nodded.

"We have a plan," Din said. "Kuiil, ride back to the Razor Crest with the child and seal yourself in. When you're inside, engage ground security protocols. Nothing on this planet will breach those doors."

Kuiil handed him a comlink. "Here's a comlink. I will keep the child safe," he promised Din and Artemis. "Don't forget to cover your stripes," he added to Cara.

"Let's go," Din said, giving Greef two pair of handcuffs. Greef put them around Din's wrists before putting the other pair around Artemis' wrists.

Kuiil took Grogu out his cradle and Artemis gently caressed over his green forehead.

"May the Force be with you," she told him quietly. "Don't be afraid, little one, everything will be all right."

Word count: 2374

We're coming closer to the end of season one :). It will have around twenty-one/twenty-two chapters. I'm currently writing chapter twenty-one and let me tell you, I get goosebumps while writing it :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading!

Published: 10.03.2021