29I used to think my destiny was written in the stars. That the bright, burning lights already knew my fate and there was nothing to be done that could change that.
I was kind of wrong.
My destiny began with the sound of gunfire.
"Shush, it'll be okay," I cooed to the bundle in my arms.
I placed the little green creature gently into the floating orb, hurriedly closing the lid and tossing a forgotten net across the top in my attempt to conceal it.
A firework-like display coming from the large double doors alerted me that I was out of time. Tripping over heavy, dirty equipment, I ran to a far corner, crouching behind forgotten objects in the dim room. A high-pitched squeal followed by an even larger bang caused my shaking hands to shoot to my ears. The doors fell to the ground and I blinked against the harsh, dusty sunlight as two dark silhouettes emerged.
My eyes widened as I quickly ducked my head from view. I noticed movement from in my peripherals and watched as one of the last mercenaries was shot, growls of pain filling the air. I held my breath.
"Anyone else?" a resigned voice asked.
I carefully peeked out from my hiding spot to see who had caused so much mayhem.
I caught sight of a droid, its weapons easily visible from where I was crouched. But what I saw next to it caused my breath to catch.
A Mandalorian.
I had heard tales of their kind, but never thought I'd see one. What business would one have here?
A robotic voice interrupted my thoughts. "The tracking fob is still active. My sensors indicate there is one... recalibrating... two life forms present."
"You sure it's not just me?"
I pressed myself closer to the dusty objects in front of me, afraid of being seen. For a few moments, all I could hear was an odd beeping sound. When the sound disappeared and all I could hear was silence, I peeked back around, curious.
My heart leaped into my throat as I took in the scene before me. They had found it.
I watched in frozen terror, my hands clenched tightly around each other as the Mandalorian pushed aside the netting and opened the orb.
My body was so tense I felt it would explode.
As the two figures gazed down inside the opening, the Mandalorian broke the silence.
"Wait," he said, his tone confused. "They said 50 years old." He looked to the droid before tilting his head back down at the baby.
"Species age differently. Perhaps it could live many centuries." The baby cooed, causing me to release a quiet breath as the droid continued. "Sadly, we'll never know."
The droid began to raise its gun before the Mandalorian caught its arm. "No."
The robot turned to the Mandalorian and I watched in horrified fascination as the Mandalorian turned to him as well.
"We'll bring it in alive."
"The commission was quite specific. The asset was to be terminated."
A quiet gasp left me before my hand clasped over my mouth. Asset? Terminated?
The droid lifted its gun to point at the little green creature as I braced myself to stop them. Gathering all my courage, I breathed quickly through my nose, jumping to my feet just as a loud shot rang through the air.
My words died on my lips as I watched the droid fall to the ground, smoke rising from its head.
The Mandalorian stood with his blaster out, pointing to where the droid once stood. He had not yet seen me from where I had revealed myself.
Quietly sheathing this blaster, I watched as he once again tilted his head to look at the child. Slowly lifting his arm, he held out a finger to the little one. A tiny, fragile hand raised out from the orb to meet him.
After a moment, I moved to walk closer. My foot hit something, causing a metallic clink to sound and the Mandalorian whipped his hand away from the little one, blaster pointed at me in a matter of seconds. I quickly raised my shaking hands, stopping my movements.
"I'm not armed," I said quietly.
The Mandalorian lowered his weapon, but only by a fraction. He was still on guard. When he said nothing and continued to focus his blaster at me, I gradually lowered my hands, wringing them together in silent distress.
"I was captured," I began. "I was brought here to be used for my trade. I-I'm a seamstress." I glanced back up at his helmet, my heartbeat racing. "These mercenaries... they saw how I cared for it... the little one." I nodded to the baby and the Mandalorian didn't move. It was almost as if he were a statue.
"I'm glad you saved it," I whispered.
After a few moments, he lowered his weapon and placed it back in its holster. "I didn't come to save it," he said bluntly.
Pressing a button on the orb, he began walking out of the room, the little one floating behind him silently. As they passed the threshold to the outside, I forced myself to follow.
"Wait!" I called. I blinked past the bright sun as I made my way out of the building. "Wait, please!"
I gaped at the many bodies strewn across the ground, the smell of smoke and flesh in the air. The Mandalorian stopped, turning to look at me in silence.
I took in his discolored armor, years of fighting clearly visible in the forms of dents and scrapes. He held himself in a strong manner and suddenly I felt intimidated.
"Where are you taking it?" I breathed. Still, he said nothing. "It's just... I've grown kind of attached to the little one and I want to distance myself from this place." I glanced down at the little one, a small smile forming on my lips. I had a feeling leaving the green baby in the armored hands of this man would be problematic. "I could help care for it."
The Mandalorian's helmet continued to look in my direction before he gave a single, curt nod. I breathed a sigh of relief, following him soundlessly.
As we walked, I chose to stay close to the orb containing the little green creature. My hand was held out, allowing him to close his three fingers around two of mine. I kept my gaze on the back of the Mandalorian, my thoughts confused.
Why was he here? Why had he gone through so much trouble back there if not to help the little one? Another thought that worried me the most was what the droid had said. The asset was to be terminated.
As the walk stretched on for what felt like miles on the brown, dirt planet, I was relieved to find ourselves approaching a tight valley between tall rocks. I couldn't fathom what it was like underneath all that armor with the strength of the sun beating down on him, but if I was getting exhausted, then I could only imagine.
Sloshy mud squelched beneath my boots as we entered the shade. The Mandalorian's stride was brisk and precise, his head turning as he gaged our surroundings constantly. Little squeaks caused me to look down at the little one in question, but realized it was not the cause. Following its big eyes, I spotted numerous little lizard-like creatures following us.
"What are those?" I murmured to myself. If our guide had heard me, he didn't reply.
Eyeing the large weapon resting across his back, I stopped once I realized he had slowed.
"What is it?" I whispered. I noticed our little followers had dispersed too. A rustling noise to my right had me gripping the hand of the tiny creature more firmly, my eyes darting across the rocky ledges above us. The Mandalorian, too, was turning slowly, his attention focused.
"Mandalorian," I whispered as he grasped his blaster.
A screech signaled the arrival of an intruder. The Mandalorian was quick, striking down his opponent as the rival fell from above. The Mandalorian hurried to push me and the orb out of the way before engaging back into his fight. My butt hit the dirt hard and I quickly checked on the baby. Stunned from my place on the ground, I watched as our savior fought three others at once. The huge weapon that had once been slung across his back was now sliding effortlessly between his hands as he fought.
He jabbed one, sending sparks of an electric current throughout its body. A creature whose skin was the color of the red dirt suddenly ran towards us, its axe raised to slice. Placing myself in front of the kid, I folded myself around it, my back left to face my end.
A shot blasted and I opened my eyes just in time to see sparks of ash falling to the ground around us. The baby cooed at me, its huge eyes looking curiously up into mine. I felt as though I could see my whole life in those eyes. Slowly, I turned around.
The Mandalorian lowered his huge weapon as he looked at us.
"Thank you." My voice came out shaky. He nodded once before looking towards something on the ground.
A device with a flashing red light was left in the mud, a familiar beeping noise coming from it.
"What is that?" I asked.
"A tracker."
He strode over to it, crushing it with his boot. I look down at the baby, my heart pounding from the left-over adrenaline.
"They're after it?"
The Mandalorian says nothing, but it's in his silence that I get my answer. I remembered hearing that same beeping noise from when he had first arrived with the droid. Swallowing hard, I look back at his helmeted face. "It's special." My voice is no more than a whisper on the wind. "I don't know why, but I heard them talking about it... The mercenaries."
He looks to me and I so wish to know what he's thinking.
"What is your name?" he asks.
I brush the blond hair out of my eyes, and hold a hand out. "Kala. My name is Kala."
He nods once and places his weapon on his back once more.
"What's yours?" I ask.
He turns to me, his head tilted slightly. "Others refer to me as Mando." His voice is so soft, despite his appearance.
I smile as warmly as I can at him. "Nice to officially meet you, Mando."
A tiny squeak has me looking down again at the child. Its eyes have to be the biggest pair I have ever seen, its two equally large ears perking up. It's then I have a strange feeling its trying to tell me something, almost as if it's eyes hold all the answers.
Looking back, it is at this moment I realize I was wrong about my destiny. I look back up to the Mandalorian.
My answers were never in the stars.