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After we safely escaped the asteroid belt, leaving our pursuers in the dust, I had excused myself. I stumbled down the ladder of the Razor Crest and hurried into the washroom. I barely had time to close the door and lock it before kneeling over the toilet and vomiting.
What little food I had eaten that day went down the toilet. Groaning, I flushed, washed my hands and rinsed the taste of vomit from my mouth, and then exited the bathroom. Nights spent dreaming of space exploration felt silly now. I obviously wasn't built for it.
Mando however seemed unfazed by the fast flying. I pulled back my sleeve and looked at my wrist. The small half moon shaped tattoo stared back at me mockingly. I had considered removing it a dozen times after Mando left my shop that night. If he didn't want me, then I might as well remove all memory of him from my body. But every time I had picked up the laser to do the procedure, something made me put it back down.
I quickly covered the mark and returned to the cockpit. Mando was right where I left him, only Grogu was now sitting on his lap, looking surprisingly comfortable despite all the beskar.
"Are you okay?" Mando asked as I settled back down into my seat.
I probably should've remained downstairs and left him alone. He seemed like a person who enjoyed solitude. But I couldn't resist watching the stars as we passed through hyperspace. it was beautiful.
"I'm fine," I said, forcing a smile.
"Things got a little rough back there. Flying can be hard unless you're used to it," he replied.
I appreciated how understanding he was but that made it even harder for me to dislike him. "How much farther until we reach Nevarro?" I asked.
"Six hours as long as we don't run into trouble," he answered.
I nodded in response. I had six hours left before I would likely never seen him again. I tried to tell myself that it was for the better but a pit formed in my stomach at the very thought.
"You must be tired. You should get some rest," Mando said. "You can use my bed."
While the thought of sleep was tempting, I didn't want to spend my last few hours with my soulmate, sleeping. I shook my head quickly. "No thanks. I'll stay here, if that's okay."
We settled into a comfortable silence. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about telling him. It must've crossed my mind a thousand times during the remainder of our trip. I just couldn't find a good enough way to put it into words, so I didn't. The six hours went by way too fast.
At some point I must've drifted off in my chair because I woke up to Mando hovering over me, shaking my arm slightly to wake me up.
"We're here," he announced.
"Already?"
Grogu was at my feet. He tilted his head and cooed.
"How long was I asleep?" I asked, getting to my feet and following Mando down the ladder and out of the cockpit. I helped Grogu down after me. His little green hands clutched me and I cradled him in my arms.
When I turned around, the mandalorian was looking at us. i couldn't read his expression through the mask but I felt as though he was worried about me holding his kid. He seemed like a protective father.
"Only an hour," he responded. "The kid likes you." He gestured to Grogu before turning and pushing a large button on the wall. The door of the ship creaked opened and ramp slid out, hitting the dusty ground with a thud. He made his way down the ramp without another word and I followed.
I squinted at the sudden light. The bright sun of Nevarro was a drastic change from the darkness of deep space. The town was small like Mando had described. Only a few other ships were docked at the yard. They must have been used to the presence of a mandalorian because no one looked twice as we made our way through the shipyard and into the city.
"My friend, Karga, is the magistrate here," Mando said. "I'll have him set you up with a nyouce place and a job. He could even get you a new identity if you want."
A new identity. I didn't like the idea of being called by a new name but it would probably be the best way to avoid any bounty hunters who might recognize me. I followed him as we weaved our way through the groups of people. There was a small farmers market selling various meats and fruits that I didn't recognize. It all smelled wonderful. A few of the sellers called out to me, trying to sell their goods.
I wanted to stop but Mando was moving fast. I hurried to catch up. We approached a large building in what looked to be the center of the city. It was made of sandstone and marble. Flags blew in the wind with a symbol you didn't recognize upon them.
A droid greeted us as we topped the long flight of stairs. "Welcome back to Nevarro, Mandalorian," the protocol droid said. "And welcome to your companion." The droid nodded in my direction.
"We are here for Karga," Mando said, his voice as gruff and unwelcoming as usual. "Is he here?"
"Yes, right this way." The little gray protocol droid escorted us inside the building.
The place was a mansion, but much different than those on Corellia. This one had many fine things sure, but in most ways it was a lot more simple than the mansions on Corellia. We were led down a corridor and up some stairs, and into a room with a few couches and a holotable in the center.
"Mando!" A tall gray haired man in robes approached from the balcony on the other side of the room. "So good to see you again." His eyes landed on me. "And you've brought a friend."
I waved awkwardly. Grogu started squirming so I set him down. He seemed familiar with the place. He waddled over to a couch and made himself comfortable.
"Yous is Y/N," Mando said.
"Nice to meet you Y/N. My name is Greef Karga." He held out his hand and I shook it. "I am the High Magistrate here on Nevarro."
"Karga, I need a favor," Mando said, getting straight to business.
The magistrate snorted. "I should've known you were here for more than just a social call."
"Y/N is in some trouble. I was hoping you had somewhere they could stay," Mando replied.
Karga looked at me curiously. "What kind of trouble? I want to help, but I can't endanger the city. If this is serious, I need to know."
The mandalorian looked at me. I think. It was hard to tell through the helmet, but it seemed he was waiting for me to respond. I appreciated him not wanting to out my crimes.
"I'm a tattoo artist," I began carefully. I hoped that was enough to get the message across. I didn’t know who else might have been listening.
Greef Karga's eyes widened knowingly. "I see..." He paused. "Well, as I'm sure Mando has already told you, Nevarro is not a member of the New Republic, nor do we plan to be."
He motioned something at the protocol droid and the little machine got to work pouring drinks.
"While we do have our share of bounty hunters that stop by," he continued. "You should be safe here."
"Well I'll leave Y/N with you and I'll be on my way," Mando said quickly.
"Oh no," Karga replyoued. "I'm sorry but you're not flying anywhere tonight. There's a huge sandstorm coming in. It's a few miles out. No one yous flying anywhere."