Authors Note: Do you guys want an extra chapter? If I can get 1000 power stones a week, I will publish an extra chapter that week!
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The X-wing spaceship needed to go through another jump to reach the Xandar boundary.
"I guess this is goodbye," Jay said to Ryan. He just nods. Jay has never felt like this before. The thought of leaving the ship almost makes her tear up. Part of her wants to go back home. Another part wants to stay.
The Knight in Shining Armor who rescued her had taken her heart in exchange for his reward. Of course, the literal Knight has no idea what is going on with the girls.
Before he could get to the jump point, he saw something from the bridge of the ship. A slightly bigger than his, a cargo ship with a hole at its side. It is just floating there in space, without any signs of life on the ship.
"That's the Xandar Cargo ship. What is it doing here?" Arina cried out. All the girls are staying on the bridge as there is no other space for them to be in other than the messy storage room or the cramped medical room.
Ryan's ship approaches the broken ship. He tries to use the communicator to contact the other ship. "The ship has no power," he hypothesized. He didn't think it was weird at the time that a broken ship is stranded in a major galaxy route to Xandar.
"We can go to Xandar and tell them what we saw. They can come and check." Deet says. It is not that she is selfish or in a hurry to get home, but it is the safest decision to make when encountering a broken ship.
Ryan didn't take Deets' advice. He knows she's just trying to help out, but with no life support on the ship, if there are people there, they will die a painful, suffocating death.
"I will check for a bit." He goes to the airlock. After sealing the door to the bridge, he flies out into space through the door on the hull.
"Is he serious?" Arina is flabbergasted seeing his action. Only a suicidal man will do what Ryan is doing. In the vast darkness of space, a lone armored man is flying with his jetpack to get near the broken ship.
"There is no up and down in space. If I am not focused, I may lose my direction," Ryan is enjoying the unique experience. His Mandalorian armor is modified with a life support system that can allow him to survive for a month in space. Of course, without food and water.
*Tok* He slammed a bit on the outer layer of the ship. It is hard to control his depth perception in space. He tied up a steel cable on the outside of the ship. There is a window on the ship's front. He goes there to check if there is any survivor. He wiped the frost on the window panel and peek inside.
There, he saw two people bleeding while sitting on the command chair. They are still breathing but injured. Other than that, he didn't see any other survivors.
"What is he doing?" Deet is confused by Ryan's action. They can see all of it as they are sitting on the ship's bridge.
Ryan is flying around the ship and scanning the interior. He found out that if he opens the door, then all the life support on the ship will fail, killing the survivors.
"There is only one way. I need to tow them to safety." He decided. He is returning to the ship to hook up some towing cables to the broken ship. When he re-enters, suddenly the ship is attacked!!
"Kyaah," Deet and Arina scream while crouching and holding their heads. The incident of the snake attacking their ship before still traumatized them. Ryan walks calmly to the bridge even when the whole ship is jerking.
'Please, as if this low-level attack can damage my vibranium mixed alloy,' Ryan mocked. He saw two small ships shooting at his ship. It seems that this is a trap by the space pirates.
"It is the pirates! We should leave!' Jay advised. The best choice of action right now is to run away when the ship is still intact. Her palm is sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. She tries to be tough, but her experience still haunts her.
To her dismay, Ryan shakes his head. She almost staggered backward. She thought the ship is broken. Her mind is jolted out of her breakdown state when Ryan said something.
" Lowly pirates crew. I only need two minutes,"
"...What?" Jay is stunned.
"Strap yourself to the chair," Ryan ordered. He is counterattacking! The X-wing he modeled his spaceship to is a fighter ship in the first place. It is built for space battles.
The girls strapped themselves while panicking. "I can't lock it!" Arina said anxiously. However, the ship burst into extreme speed. It flew in a spiral motion to avoid the shot. She had to hold the chair to avoid being thrown.
'Pulse cannon ready!' Ryan shoots the engine of the first ship, making it thruster dead. He makes a side roll and does the same to the next ship. A blast of red plasma attack is raining on the other ship. *Boom!* The other ship didn't have Ryan's mercy. It exploded right away, killing all the pirates on the ship.
Jay is in a strange state. She couldn't pry her eyes away from Ryan. It's like the song she hears Ryan play before is reverberating in her mind.
>Fooled around and fell in love- Elvin Bishop. (GOTG Soundtrack)
♫♩♫♩♫♩
I must've been through about a million girls
I'd love 'em and I'd leave 'em alone
I didn't care how much they cried, no sir
Their tears left me cold as a stone
Ryan is flying toward the first pirate ship. He put his gun on the head of the pirate captain.
"I can bring you in warm, or cold." There is a bounty on the ship captain. He only spares the ship captain. He kills all the other pirates on the ship.
After he bring the captain in, he exploded the second ship. Jay is looking blankly at him. Her pupil is dilated. A warm fuzzy feeling is spreading on her chest. The figure of the Mandalorian with his cape flapping while he is flying back from the explosion is carved in her mind.
♫♩♫♩♫♩
~But then I fooled around and fell in love
I fooled around and fell in love
I fooled around and fell in love
Fooled around and fell in love
'How can he be so handsome!!' Jay is staring at the Mandalorian in awe. Deet notices her state and pulled her back to reality.
"Jay. You okay?"
"(Music stopped) …Yea" Jay answered meekly. She couldn't face the Mandalorian. Her pink skin is turning red!
Ryan finally notices her. He thought that her previous trauma is bothering her. He didn't know that at this moment, she is almost cured!
"Go to the MedBay if you're sick," Ryan said to Jay. Another person answered. "Yes. I think I have taken (bluerghh)" Arina puked on the floor. The spinning ship is too much for her.
Ryan: …..
…
After hooking up the cargo ship, Ryan makes the last jump to Xandar. "We're here," He says to the group. He can see some patrol ship guarding the border. He stopped the ship before he crosses the border. He contacted the Xandarian as he floats there.
"You can just go in. They will settle your document there. If you don't have one, you can get it issued there. " Deet explained some of the processes. However, Ryan still didn't cross the border. The girls are confused by this.
The channel is connected.
[You are now on the border of Xandar. Identify yourself.]
A stern-looking Centurion had answered the transmission. Ryan answered the question calmly. He noticed who the guy is. He is the one who screams Rockets name before his ship explodes.
[ "The Mandalorian. Multiple business affairs. Delivering and claiming bounty of multiple criminals. Please send support for the broken cargo ship. There are survivors on the ship."]
["Why are you staying there instead of coming in?"] Centurion Saal asks.
[" Did a bad thing. Will involve you if I go in."]
Centurian Saal becomes alert when he says he does a bad thing. The patrol ship is now surrounding the X-wing.
Jay notices the situation is worsening. She took over and talk to Centurian Saal.
[ Jay. Citizen ID XXXXXX. My family is Denarian Rhomann Dey.] She explained what has happened. Centurian Saal is easing up the sentry.
Ryan wants the patrol ship to guide him in. At least the situation will be in control if they did that. He killed a Kree official less than a day before. If Xandar welcomes him, it could cause Kree to become aggressive. They are now in the peace treaty, he didn't want any dispute caused by him. If he is escorted in, they have an excuse.
Jay's intervention makes it difficult for him to do that. Deet and Arina join in to testify. They are telling what had happened. About Ryan dropping off the kids, healing them, and so on. Ryan couldn't stop them from doing so. What justification will he have for stopping them?
["Why aren't you coming in then?"] The Centurion is a sharp guy. He feels like there is something else about the Mandalorian's action.
[".... Killed a Kree official recently. If Xandar welcomes me, there will be a dispute"]
Ryan finally speaks the truth. Centurian Saal is shocked, but he then knows what to do. 'The guy is good,' he thought. Without telling his name and vague statement, he will be escorted in. It will be a win for both Xandar and the mercenary. If the girls didn't intervene, the process will go much more smoothly.
Jay's sparkling eyes are looking at Ryan like she wants to be complimented. There is no trouble because of them. They managed to help the Mandalorian, right?
["As you are an illegal mercenary without proper document, you will be escorted in by our patrol unit. Any attempt to run will be dealt with lethal measures."]
The girls are shocked by the Centurion's decision. They wants to appeal, but Ryan stopped them. He secretly gives a thumbs up to the Centurion. He didn't mention at all the incident of him killing a Kree in the justification. It managed to salvage the situation.
Only mercenaries from Xandar will have to have documents. He didn't need one, but he still needs to go through a proper channel. He can also smuggle himself in, but he didn't need to do that. It will add to his work instead.
Escorted by two patrol ships, Ryan crossed the border of Xandar. He is led to the docking area for a cargo ship instead of the suspicious individual restraining area. The girls are puzzled by the process the entire time.
Ryan dropped off the broken cargo ship in another hangar and let the Xandarian saves the survivors. He docks his ship near the patrol building of the Nova Corp there.
Outside, two official is waiting for him. Denarian Rhomann Dey, who is Jay's brother-in-law, and a female Centurian with white, short hair. She also has white eyelashes around her piercing blue eyes. She is looking very dashing in her military clothes. With a short skirt and hourglass figure, she is catching people's attention wherever she goes.
The ship door is open. Ryan comes out followed by the girls. Jay runs and hugs her brother-in-law. Xandar has no concept of in-laws, however, Jay considered Dey as her family.
The female Centurion greeted Ryan. " I am Gia. I will be handling the bounty process."
"How about the kids? Who will handle them?" The bounty isn't Ryan's priority. Gia's eyes widened a little bit, but she collects herself.
"I will also be handling the kids. I will make sure they return home." Gia reassured. Ryan nods and goes to the spaceship. He brings out the rest of the kids, leaving only two Skrull kids on the ship.
Gia is recording the identities of the kids there. Some of them are lost on their planet! 'We must tighten our security.' She vows. It might be presumptuous as she is just a Centurion, however, she has another identity. The daughter of the Nova Prime. Her identity is kept secret even from the Nova Corps.
"Thank you for bringing them back. Now, about the criminals." Ryan nods. He brings out 20 Snarks and the pirate ship Captain.
"The total of 500,000 units in bounty. Will you like it to be transferred or by coins?" The largest is 100,000 unit value in one coin. It is made from rare metals.
Ryan said something unexpected. " I only need the bounty for the pirate captain. The rest will be given to the victims."
The pirate captain is only valued at 50,000 units. The Centurion is surprised by his decision. 'A mercenary who took care of others?' It almost overturned her worldview. But then, she hypothesizes that he might have gotten orders to do it, or he already has something more valuable.
She takes another look at the man in the armor before she goes to settle the bounty process.
"Is there anything else you need?" Denarian Dey took over in talking to Ryan. They had settled all the matters they need to do. Ryan thinks for a while.
"I still have a Skrull kid to be delivered. But I don't know where the Skrull lives." He knows there are some on his planet, but how can he contact them? Just catch a random man on the street and says 'I have your kids'? He wonders if the Xandarian has a method to contact the Skrull.
"The Zn'rx will be handed to the Skrull. We already contacted them. They will come in two days. You can wait here if you want to meet them." Denarian Dey said. If the Mandalorians stay, they can document him and his race.
"Or I can just leave the Skrull kids with you. You're meeting them right?" Ryan asks. He wants to go home quickly.
"Why don't you wait with us. I can show you around Xandar. " Jay interrupted. The time has come for them to part. She is reluctant for him to go. Ryan shook his head.
"I still have work to do."
The moment he turn back, Jay hugged him from behind. "Thank you for what you did. I will never forget you."
She hugged him tightly like she don't want to let go. After a while, Denarian Dey let out a fake cough.
*Ehem* "He is going to bring out the other kids." It wasn't time for goodbye yet.
…
The X-wing spaceship is flying out of the Xandar atmosphere. Ryan finally finishes his job delivering the kids. He doesn't want to care about what will happen next. His bounty is used up by him. He buys some knowledge from Xandar and a universal spaceship repair tool. It was sold in another part of the galaxy, so Xandar doesn't have a problem selling that to him even when they don't know his identity.
"Urgh. This is the last time I become the Mandalorian. It drives me crazy not talking as much as I used to." Ryan leaned back on the chair and let RQ take the helm. He is now without the helmet. It is very stuffy for him in there. The journey back home is lonely without a companion.
In Xandar, Jay, Arina, and Deet are still looking at the sky. No one knows what they are thinking. Maybe they are wishing for him to come back.
Centurion Gia is briefing the girls. "You will receive 75,000 units each from the Zn'rx bounty. It will be credited directly to your account."
"What?" Jay is puzzled. Arina and Deet too.
"I…don't know how that would confuse you…" Gia said. There is a reason she is stationed at the cargo area. Her EQ is pretty low.
"I meant. Why are you giving that to us?" Jay collected herself and asks accurately this time.
"He asks to give it to you and the other victims. I calculated your distress and gives the fair compensation."
Jay is angry and grabbed at Gia's shoulder. "The bounty is supposed to go to him!! Not us!! Can you contact him back!!"
They feel like he has done too much for them. It is too much to take his bounty. Also, she wants his contact information.
After getting shaken, Gia blurted out something she was not supposed to say as it is breaking protocol for visitors on the planet. "He didn't give us his information. We can't call him back."
Jay starts to choke on her emotion. Tears dropped from her eyes. Gia is stunned. Denarian Rhomann Dey quickly pries Jay away from the Centurion.
Deet and Arina are hugging Jay to calm her down. The Centurion is talking with her subordinate Rhomann Dey.
"It must be a traumatic experience for them. You should arrange for them to be monitored by a professional. "
"Yeah. However, I don't think they are crying because of being held a slave." Rhomann can guess what Jay is crying about. He notices the way Jay is looking at the bounty hunter.
"Then what are they crying about?" Gia is puzzled.
Rhomann looks at Gia's face. "(Sigh) That's why you never have a boyfriend."
Gia is stunned. 'Where did that come from?'
In Space. Ryan is now 2 jump points away from Xandar. He thought this will be an easy journey home, but he meet some obstacles on his way.
There are 3 large 150 meters long Kree battleships blocking the way. The Kree is camping there solely to block a certain murderer of a Kree Official.
He got a transmission from the Kree ships.
[ We are searching for a wanted criminal named the Mandalorian. Please follow the patrol ship and disembark or you will be dealt with lethal measures]
Ryan gives a reply nonchalantly.
[ "You don't need to search any longer. I am the Mandalorian.]
He cuts the calls. He readies himself and wears his armor again. He said to his A.I.
" RQ. Evasive maneuver."
"Roger that boss. Do you want to fight back?"
"Of course. Why do you even ask?"
Hundreds of small fighter necrocraft disembark from the large Kree ship. It is facing a lone X-wing spaceship.