Ask Plot The Ranger and the Mandalorian

[Song Wren]

A mess of limbs. Mangled bodies wrestling in the rock and dirt. All the while, Song watched from afar, having dragged herself several feet to prop against a stone wedge. Slowly, carefully, she took out a small medpack off her belt and did her best to bandage her wounds.

Burns littered her forearms, down to her lower torso. Her fingers were numb, and when she tried to twitch them, they’d sting painfully. Her legs were fine, unbroken and intact, but she had twisted an ankle, though that was the least of her problems.

In fact, her biggest concern had nothing to do with her, but Kanan.

She turned at the sound of someone screaming bloody murder, followed by a sick wetness. Her heart sank, afraid it was the Ranger, but as she focused in, she could see he on top of Duermo, unleashing wave after wave of punches into the spice dealer’s face. In the fire’s light, she could almost see the blood on his knuckles.

Kanan shuffled back to her side, and as he smiled, so did she. She was weak and slowly fading, but it wasn’t death. She had many encounters with it before. Tonight, and all thanks to the Ranger, she would fight to see tomorrow.

“Good,” she said, her words drifting in and out of mind. “We should… take him back… the ship.”

She tried to rise, but with a groan, settled back down. “You know what… maybe you ought to bring the speeder back around instead. I’m a little… tired of walking right now.”

Song laughed, even if it hurt.

Darkness found her not long after.

@llamallove

 

[Kanan Marek]

For a brief moment Kanan was terrified that the Mandalorian was slipping away when his laughter had ceased and he lie still, but he was merely unconscious. A great relief.​

The speeder was brought around, and both River and Duermo were taken back to the Mandalorian’s ship, the former carried and treated much more carefully than the latter. River was placed on what Kanan assumed was the Mandalorian’s bed. Duermo was placed on the floor of the cargo hold and bound hand and foot.​

The Mandalorian had begun the task of bandaging his own wounds at some point during the fight. Kanan shook his head with a smile. Not surprising, he thought. Couldn’t wait for someone else to do it.​

He picked up where the Mandalorian had left off and cleaned and bandaged what wounds he could between the cracks in the armor. No real care could be given to the wounds until the armor was removed, but Kanan knew that River would kill him if he awoke to find his armor removed. The Mandalorian would rather suffer the physical pain than the shame of having his armor removed.​

So Kanan did the best that he could with that he could find, and then he sat himself down near the Mandalorian’s side and began bandaging his arm, awaiting the Mandalorian’s awakening.​

​

@Feng Mian​

 

[Song Wren]

She dreamt of River. Nothing strange or nightmarish, only him walking away from her. Leisurely strolling out into a snow-capped forest while she stood in a field watching him go. Nothing was said, but she couldn’t move. She was stranded, absolutely helpless as her brother disappeared into the trees.

It was one of the worst feelings she’d ever had.

Song wake up with a start, snapping up from her resting place only to immediately regret moving at all. Her entire body was aching, and she could still feel the burns against her skin. At least now, they were bandaged, and she was no longer in the middle of the desert. She was back in her ship, with Duermo bound on the floor, and Kanan bandaging her arm beside her.

She stared at him a second, her heart skipping a beat.

Her armor. Her wounds. Her face.

It took another second before the Mandalorian realized her helmet was still on, as was the rest of her armor, leaving her disguise intact. Relieved that Kanan had resisted the urge to see who she was under the mask, she sighed and looked back at him.

“Thank you,” she said, plain and clear.

It was the least he deserved.

@llamallove

 

[Kanan Marek]

The Mandalorian awoke with a start. Perhaps he had had a bad dream, perhaps he was scared that Kanan had removed his armor. Perhaps both. Either way, he was safe on both accounts.​

“Thank you“ were two words Kanan never dreamed would come out of the Mandalorian’s mouth when they’d met earlier that day. A lot could certainly change in the span of a few hours.​

“There’s no need to thank me,” he said quietly in return. “You had my back plenty of times today.”​

The Mandalorian’s arm now wrapped sufficiently, Kanan tore the bandaging and tied it in a knot. “How are you feeling?” he asked, standing to bandage his own arm now. “As soon as you feel up to it, you really should go somewhere private and tend to the damage beneath your armor. You don’t want to let that go for very long,” he continued, concern evident in his eyes. ​

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

“I might not need to, but doesn’t mean I don’t want to,” said Song, rising a little off the bed and slumping her back against the wall.

She raised her bandaged arm and examined his makeshift knot. It came to no surprise to her that the Sector Ranger already knew a thing or two about medical care. It was what they did: they fought to protect, not to harm. Or like her, to hunt. Rangers were different. Kanan was different, and she had fostered a deep respect for him because of it.

“I’m fine,” she said with a reassured nod. “I’ll have it handled, but don’t forget about yourself, Ranger.”

She eyed the wound on his shoulder, the charred mark that Duermo’s rifle had left behind. He was lucky the blow hadn’t torn his arm right off, but Song supposed she was even luckier to be alive. Had Kanan not dragged her back to her ship, she might have died out in the heat. A wounded animal rotting in the sun.

The Mandalorian stared at the man for a while, not sure what more there was to say, like she was trying to find the right words to start.

“So,” Song said. “What now?”

She was curious if he planned to come with her to the nearest Guild house to turn Duermo in, or if he trusted her enough to send his share of the bounty his way. Though if she were behind honest, she didn’t mind either.

Strange of her to think it, since she always preferred to strike out alone, but she rather enjoyed his company.

@llamallove

 

[Kanan Marek]

Any concern that was expressed over Kanan’s arm was of course unnecessary, although appreciated. It was not often that anyone other than himself expressed an interest in Kanan’s well-being; sometimes not even himself.​

Oddly, it felt good, almost as if he had forgot the feeling. Between Sector Rangers and the criminals he tangled with on a day-to-day basis, little time was left to form many attachments or bonds. Perhaps the Mandalorian’s concern was only surface level, but Kanan appreciated it, nonetheless. He wondered if River had many friends and family to care for him.​

The Mandalorian verbalized the question already on the Ranger’s mind. What now? He had contemplated that question earlier as the Mandalorian slept. It was strange to admit this, even to himself, but Kanan had grown fond of this Mandalorian in only the span of a day. He found himself not particularly wanting to leave River‘s side. They both had commitments, however. River to the Guild, Kanan to his next assignment, whatever that may be and wherever it may take him.​

“I have to wonder why you are asking me,” he answered, a small smile forming on his lips. “We made a deal regarding Duermo, remember? You’re in charge. You make the call.” He returned River’s stare, his dark eyes wandering every inch of the Mandalorian’s armor.​

Somehow Kanan got the feeling that there was so much more to this Mandalorian than met the eye, and he hoped that the future, wether now or later, would hold more opportunities for them to meet.​

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

“In charge?” She echoed after him, then scoffed. “You captured Duermo. If you hadn’t come along, or if I had gone alone, I’d probably be dead. This bounty is as much as yours as it is mine, if not more.”

Song turned her head away. She already knew he wouldn’t take that for an answer. The Sector Ranger was unlike any bounty hunter: honorable, honest. He seemed to care more about her own health than their mark, a quality rarely found in that corner of the galaxy. For a moment, she wondered if she would have done the same for him.

What was she thinking? She would have without hesitation.

“Alright, I’ll call the shots,” said the Mandalorian. “Which means you’re going to get a share of that reward, whether you want it or not. I told you, I’m only in this for initiation.”

“And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about our original deal. How had you put it? My everlasting gratitude?” She laughed. “It’s already yours, that and more. Whenever you need me, wherever or for whatever reason, I’ll be there. No questions asked.”

Now, the deal was set in stone. They were done now, as much as Song wished they weren’t.

Still, she knew it wouldn’t be the last time their paths crossed again. She owed him big time, and more for her than for the Creed, Song would do whatever she could to repay him.

She rose from her seat, trying to ignore the burns and body aches rippling through her. Then, she extended a hand out to him and said, “Till next time, Ranger.”

@llamallove

 

[Kanan Marek]

The bounty. The reward. That again. Kanan couldn’t help but smile. The Mandalorian was as persistent as ever, but Kanan could also be persistent. He was already getting paid for this job by the Free World’s Alliance. He wasn’t getting paid much, but he was getting paid.​

​

He wasn’t interested in splitting the reward with the Mandalorian. The way Kanan saw the matter, River deserved the reward, not in part but the whole. He had risked life and limb to capture Duermo. Without River they would probably still have been pinned behind that rock. But if the Mandalorian was insistent...​

​

“Alright, if you insist,” Kanan decided, “You can see to it that my share is sent to that mechanic, Tera. She risked more for this mission than I did.” ​

River’s everlasting gratitude. That was something he was willing to accept. He had a feeling the Mandalorian did not give it easily. With that said, Kanan realized it was now time for him to leave. The Mandalorian’s and Ranger’s paths were to diverge for the present but hopefully not forever.​

“Until we meet again,” the Ranger repeated, taking the Mandalorian’s hand and giving him a firm handshake, hoping to relay the respect Kanan had developed for him over the course of a single, unforgettable day. With that, he gave the Mandalorian one last glance before descending the boarding ramp and disappearing into the darkness.​

@Feng Mian​

 

[Song Wren]

Song gave him the mixture of a scoff and a short laugh at his response. He was finally open for payment, but not for him. For Tera, the mechanic back in the scrapyard who led them to Duermo in the first place. She had almost forgotten about the girl, and it brought a smile to her face knowing Kanan hadn’t.

He always had an eye out for everyone. Wore his heart on his sleeve.

It was why the Mandalorian respected him the way she did.

“I’ll see to it she does,” said Song, finally giving in to his stubborn persistence, and rare generosity.

She walked with him to the boarding ramp of her ship, hiding the slight limp from her twisted ankle, and bode him farewell. A faraway look, and with his last words, a smile. He had to be the first and only person she might have enjoyed meeting. Ironic, given their introductions consisted of straight-up trying to murder each other.

How quick things changed, and for the better.

As Kanan walked off into the rising sun, the sky tinged with deep shades of pink and blue, Song closed the ramp. She went back into the cabin, painstakingly dragged the unconscious Duermo into an enclosure she kept in the back, then prepped her ship for launch. Soon, the backwater world and the Ranger would be behind her.

Gone, but not forgotten.

End of Thread. ​