CHAPTER SIXTEEN. 

THE WITNESS

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"THIS IS A bad idea." Tess told the Mandalorian as the man knocked on the metal door, beskar rattling against the steel.

They stood in a dimly lit hallway, in an apartment complex on the edge of town. The flickering yellow lights illuminated the Mandalorian's armour and seemed to set fire to the girl's eyes. They stood beside one another, facing the door to the Frog Lady's home. Mando glanced at Tess, who leaned heavily on her flesh leg, biting the bottom of her lip. Every once in a while, her half-mechanicl leg spasmed, the gears trying to turn. When they met the rust that had grown rapidly as a result of the water, they groaned, sending reverberations up her leg.

Once they'd heard Bo-Katan and her troupe out, the other Mandalorians had taken them to the docks again, helping them climb up one of the ships to explain what they needed for the mission. Tess had only been half-listening, exhaustion finding a home in her heart. As Bo and her crew described the job —something to do with a surplus of old Empire weapons— Tess gazed at the water, every so often closing her eyes, thoughts drifting. When this happened, the Mandalorian, who stood behind her, kicked the girl swiftly in the back.

Remembering this, Tess rubbed the sore spot, frowning. A hint of guilt made it's way through the Mandalorian, but he didn't have time to say anything before the door slid open, revealing a quaint tan room. At the end, sitting at a table, holding each other's hands, were Frog Lady and her husband.

They looked up instinctively, and both their eyes lit when they saw who was knocking at their door. The Mandalorian didn't hesitate to walk inside while Tess staggered hesitantly into the space, an awkward look on her features. The Mandalorian beckoned her forward, and Tess gave him a glare before limping to go beside him. She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted from foot to foot. The child in Mando's arms cooed at her, and Tess gave him a small smile before turning back to the conversation at hand.

"Something's come up." The Mandalorian told them, holding out the child to Frog Lady's outstretched arms. "Can I leave them with you for a bit?'' Frog Lady spoke in her language, but nodded for them. Still slightly sore about the Mandalorian feeling he needed to leave Tess int the care of someone, the girl walked over and sat in a chair by the table.

The Mandalorian looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing, turning to the child still in his arms. "You and Tess are gonna stay here. So," he spoke louder for the seething mechanic still looking down at her hands. "I want you to be respectful." At this Tess did turn to him, and her eyes singed holes through the weak points of his armor, but Mando stood his ground. He'd meant every word. "And, mind your manners." Tess bit the inside of her cheek and turned in her chair to face him properly. Mando handed the child to Frog Lady, and now only speaking to the green creature, he pointed a finger at it.

"You know what I'm talking about." he finished. The child only gurgled in the woman's arms. Tess felt a smile tug at her lips as it looked longingly up at the capsule of eggs sitting on the table. The Mandalorian turned around and stopped beside Tess. She craned her neck up to peer at him.

"This is a bad idea." She repeated. The Mandalorian sighed.

"I know." he told her. "But it's our only option if we're going to find the Jedi." Tess closed her mouth, gulping, and looked straight ahead.

"I know." she whispered, but the words did nothing to console her racing heart. The Mandalorian paused for a moment, then awkwardly patted the girl on the shoulder. She nodded at his movements, but said nothing else, and the Mandalorian knew she had no other words to say. Tess didn't speak without a reason, and it seemed she was done for the time being.

Mando faced the husband and wife now coddling the baby. "Thanks." he said. "I'll be back for them." Tess scoffed as the door slid shut behind the Mandalorian, leaving only silence in his wake. Tess sat straighter as the child pulled himself up onto the table and pressed his face against the capsule. Tess rubbed her sore muscles, and suddenly winced as another spasm of pain rolled up her leg. She looked down at it, and swiftly pulled her knee up, her calf coming to rest on her other thigh. She turned her head to inspect the contraption carefully, eyes calculating and holding the look she always got when she could fix something.

Tess groaned as another spasm ran up her leg, and her hands shook as she tried to hold the metal steady while she pried open the panel on the back. Her frown deepened when she saw the rust caked over the usually flawless steel. The wires which ran up the length of her leg had twisted in her many falls and scrapings, the red and blue strips now a jumble of colours balled up at the bottom. She bit her lip as she moved her fingers gracefully through the wires. She'd done this so many times that the movement had become second nature. Her hands were playing the strings of a harp, graceful as a calm sea, as a lithe dancer. She barely held a facial expression as she worked, flinching only once as her thumb grazed a bare wire. But otherwise, Tess fixed her leg with ease.

It was still barely functioning by the time she moved her hands away, having done the best she could. Her other leg had become numb from the weight of the heavy metal on her thigh. Her fingertips lightly ached, and the muscles which ran up her knuckles felt as if they had been pulled thin. She leaned back carefully, placing the panel in it's proper place before letting her limb thunk back down onto the floor. Tess cracked her neck and finally looked up.

Across the table, the child was still watching the capsule of eggs with keen interest. A tiny tadpole swam through the water, it's small little tail wiggling back and forth. Tess watched as Frog Lady and her husband held onto the child as he pressed his face up against the side of glass, cooing and gurgling as several more eggs began to crack open, giving birth to new life. Tess pushed a strand of dry hair behind her ear and took a deep breath.

Her conversation with the Mandalorian came swimming through her mind. I want to stay with you. Tess bit her lip. I want to stay with you. Tess fiddled with her hands as time wore on, her mind focused on the Mandalorian, on what he could have been doing in that moment. She cursed herself for not paying more attention to his mission, not knowing exactly what they had gotten themselves into.

He'd been gone for a half hour before Tess had bitten her lip hard enough that blood sprouted along the flesh. She cursed and raised her sleeve up, fingers pulling away to reveal the ruby liquid staining her skin. She wiped the blood onto her dark pants and peered about the room.

Frog Lady croaked and smiled as the child moved about the table. Tess crossed her arms, fidgeting in her seat. The day's excitement seemed to finally catch up with her, exhaustion weighing her down. Her chest rose and fell, fully healed with barely a bruise to commemorate their time on the ice planet. Her hands shook slightly as she struggled to keep herself awake, waiting for the Mandalorian to return.

But what if he doesn't? The thought was so sudden and abrupt that it made Tess jerk upright, her back hitting the chair with a painful crunch. Frog Lady and her husband glanced at her, but Tess was too focused on keeping her breathing steady, and she said nothing. She shut her eyes tight, trying to will the thoughts away, but they were relentless. The two had gotten into so much danger since leaving Tatooine, and Tess knew the Mandalorian had already been accustomed to it long before she came into the picture. They'd been attacked by bounty hunters going after the child. They'd been caught by the New Republic, then got stranded on an ice planet with a broken ship and large spider-like creatures bent on destroying them. When they'd come to Trask, Tess had almost just drowned, and now the Mandalorian was helping a group of his kind which he barely trusted to help destroy the remnants of the Empire.

Each time, they'd barely escaped, getting out of danger by the skin of their teeth, and not without consequences. Who was to say this would be the same? Who was to say that the Mandalorian would once again escape and come back to them, taking the two now in his care to planet after planet, hoping to find the Jedi.

Tess was starting to question their reasoning for taking so many unnecessary risks.

The thought brought a round of nausea rolling through her, as if her stomach were swerving to get out of a line of fire. It made her body seize, and she gripped the bottom of her chair, trying to keep herself steady as images of what could be pierced her mind. Her healing lungs seemed to fill with water again, burning crimson and black as she tried to keep herself calm.

He's going to be fine, he's going to be fine, he's going to be fine, Tess repeated the words over and over again in her head, trying to assure herself. Trying to make her believe them. It didn't work. Instead, it made everything much, much worse. Tess let out a soft groan and sat up again, swiveling her head around to survey her surroundings once more.

The door on the other end seemed to glow, inviting her to it, and Tess suddenly found herself unable to breathe. She quickly stood up, looking down at her shoes, eyes wide and anxious. Frog Lady looked up, a question in her eyes, but Tess was already stumbling towards the door. She turned around when the metal slab slid open quietly.

"I need..." she said, voice hoarse." I need air." and she walked out. When the door had shut behind her, Tess leaned against the back wall, her breath leaving her in short gasps as emotion, unbidden and gushing, found homes in the crevices of her heart. Her hands trembled, and for the first time since escaping the giant spiders, the energy under her skin crackled and flickered to life. Immediately her fingertips ached, splintering down the middle. She gulped, tucking her hand close, tightening it into a fist.

Tess stumbled towards the back exit, her body heaving as she tried to calm down, to keep her power from taking over. She was well practiced in pushing unwanted feelings away. It was what she had done her entire life, what she'd done to forget her parent's death, her frozen heart, and everything else. But things had changed since then. Tess had changed. She wasn't frozen, a girl of frowns and thunder. She was no longer heartless, not since the dragon destroyed her mechanic shop. Not since the Marshal carried her into the bar. Not since she met the Mandalorian.

And now all she could think of was the fact that he might not be coming back. It tugged at her insides, twisting her organs until it took everything in her not to sink to her knees. The door leading to the back of the building was barely open before Tess barreled through it, stumbling out to the back streets of the port town. She looked around, moving to lean against the wall of the apartment, gaining control of her breaths. The fresh air of quickly changing night made Tess look up in surprise. Dawn was already seeping through the clouds, blues and bright oranges among the sky. Now she knew why she felt so tired; she hadn't slept in more than 20 hours.

Tess let herself close her eyes, sighing deeply, before turning to see the docks which the Mandalorian had gone to with Bo. From the long distance in the pale light of morning, Tess could see the faint outline of a grey ship entering airspace, but it was too far away for her to perceive anything further. The lamps glowed distinctly, shimmering in the dawn. Tess was reminded of the sunsets on Tatooine, the ones she would watch on the ridge near the edge of town, when she would walk up the mountains and sit, forgetting about the world. Black spots would erupt in her vision as she stared, unblinkingly, into the burnt orange sky. She would sit like that for hours on end, before either Jo and the Marshal had to help her walk back down.

Tess did the same now, letting herself breathe deeply, trying desperately hard not to think of the future, of what she'd do once they met the Jedi. If they truly could get rid of her powers, Tess wondered what would happen after. Would she go back to Tatooine? Back to the Marshal and to Jo and the sands of her home? Or would she stay with Mando, go with him and the child to the next stop after the next stop? Her heart was pulling her in two different directions, and Tess didn't know how much longer she could go without being ripped in half.

However, she didn't have to think about it for long.

"Hey! girl!" Tess jolted upright as the gruff voice called out from the shadows. She whirled around, stepping off from the wall to see two men emerging from the darkness of the alley. They were rough, with unshaven beards and blasters holstered at their hips. They stood out in the pale light, two humans on a planet of mostly alien creatures. Tess sniffed and took a step back, her chest seizing as they stepped closer. The man who'd spoken smirked as the girl backed away. The other one eyed her cautiously.

"What do you want?!" Tess demanded, but her voice shook. The men took another step towards her, which made Tess stagger back. Her leg ached and creaked as she eyed the two wearily. The man with the smirk held out his hands, as if to show her he meant no harm. They both knew he was lying.

Tess curled her hands into fists, heart hammering in her chest. The other man who watched her suspiciously moved his arm to his sides, fingers landing right above the holster of his blaster. His gruff face watched her own carefully, eyes alight with caution, while his partner wandered aimlessly towards her.

"What do you want?" Tess asked again, forcing down the bile rising up her throat.

"Relax, sweetheart," the man said, which did nothing to calm her stomach from twisting violently. Quickly, Tess glanced over her shoulder, hoping to see someone walking by, noticing the confrontation, but the streets were silent. It was the early morning, and barely any light reached the three figures in the alleyway, much less the rest of town. Everyone was still either sleeping or already at work. No one was coming to help her.

Instead, Tess tried calculating whether or not she could escape these two if she ran out of the alley. Unfortunately, at that moment, her leg gave another violent spasm, and she winced, limping back. The realization that she could not outrun these men almost made Tess drop, her heart stopping, ice lining her veins, making it almost impossible to think properly. All she could hear were the rapid beats of her heart roaring in her ears. Her fingertips ached, the power she held pushing up against her flesh, asking her to let them free. Tess pushed it all down, her thoughts focused on one thing and one thing only; escape.

Only she didn't know how she would.

"Now, you just calm down there," the man spoke again. "And we can get this over with real quick." The glint in his eyes made Tess want to scream, but she bit down on her tongue, willing the tears away. Whatever these men wanted, they didn't care about the consequences.

"Fine." Tess said, her voice barely a whisper. "What do you want?" the man smirked again, and his comrade edged closer to him, hand never leaving his side.

Finally, the cautious one spoke up. "You traveled here with a Mandalorian." he spoke in a harsh, accented voice.

Tess made sure to keep her head up high. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't try lying," the laughing one said. "We saw you. You and that Mandalorian at the inn." In a split second, before Tess had time to react, the man was right in front of her, and a silver blur passed across her eyes before he slammed her against the wall, and something hard pressed up against her throat. The cautious man startled, and his eyes widened. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but shut it again.

Tess' eyes filled with tears as she choked, the air in her lungs growing faint. The man holding her tightened his grip on her wrist, pinning her to the wall. She gasped, pain flashing across her body as her metal leg groaned against the concrete, her hands shaking. It felt as if she were being drowned all over again, only this time, fear had set in, as cold and hard as stone. As if she were being battered in with a hammer, her skull shattering under her flesh, bones breaking just from the weight of her terror.

"Did you know there's a bounty out for a certain Mandalorian?" the man asked, spitting onto Tess' face. She tried to look away, but the knife digging into the soft of her neck made her stop. The pressure was a slab of ice pushing into her skin, a shard of snow ready to stop the blood pumping in her body, making her go limp and cold. She didn't dare move, and was forced to look into the mercenary's bloodshot eyes. Her breaths were shaky as they left her trembling body. This made the vile man smile, and it was a grin that made her lungs implode.

The cautious one spoke up, his words slow and precise, nothing like his partner's. "The details say the Mandalorian is carrying a valuable asset. There was a third creature travelling with you." Tess had enough energy to glare at him, and both men couldn't hold her gaze of steel. "They also said that a little girl was with him." Tess froze, her eyes widening. "You're that little girl." the man finished, but he didn't smirk. His face was placid, numb, like Tess had looked for so many years of her life.

Tess dumbly choked out. "I don't know..." the man pressed the knife harder onto her throat. "What you're talking about." the hesitant man gritted his teeth, jaw clenching.

"That's too bad." the other man seethed, his mouth close to her ear. "You're gonna come with us, bring the Mandalorian," Tess whimpered as he loosened his grip on the knife, but didn't move away. "And we'll strip that armour off his dead body." The man behind him gasped, and his eyes went from his partner to the girl held in his arms.

"That wasn't what we agreed on." he said, and Tess could hear worry lining his words.

The man holding her frowned. "It is now." Tess tried not to break, her body pulling her apart, her mind about to snap. Her fingers ached uncontrollably, shaking as the power threatened to slip through. Her mind, still wandering to thoughts of the Mandalorian and his mission, was now swathed in darkness, in sticky black fear which hung from the caverns of her mind like icicles. The man loosened his grip, mind distracted with thoughts of his partner. Tess gasped for air, eyes darting between the two. She turned to look at the exit, thoughts whirring.

She could do it. Just run, Tess thought, Just do it! Tess took a step away, shuffling along the wall, but the man saw her.

She screamed as he grabbed her again and threw her to the ground, kneeling beside her, placing his hands on top of hers, trying to get a hold of her thrashing form. She cried out for help, her legs convulsing against the floor. She tried to pull the man's hands away from her, trying to move, to distract herself from the pain blossoming along her skull, energy simmering beneath her skin.

"Let go of me!" she screamed, but the man was barely listening. The cautious one knelt down as well.

"Just comply, and this will be over soon." he said, then immediately looked away when Tess' eyes met his. Her gaze was a storm, a whirlwind of wind and lightning and fire, all mixed together into one look that could topple empires.

"Come on, sweetheart." the man holding her cooed. "Calm down."

That was it. Tess shrieked, and the world seemed to explode. It was as if a harsh light had overtaken the two men's senses, and both screamed as they were thrown back, the invisible force propelling them to either side of the alley. They screamed, bodies hitting the walls with enough momentum to almost knock them out cold. The men groaned as they landed on the floor with a hard crunch. Tess sat up, her arms outstretched, eyes blazing. Divine light shone across her pupils, ethereal with a fire untamed. She hastily got up from her spot, exhaustion overtaking her as she limped forward, eyes wide at what she had just done.

The men were still lying on the ground, turning onto their elbows to look up at her in horror. At some point, the smirking mercenary's blaster had loosened from it's unlocked holster, and it slid across the ground towards Tess. She looked down, then hesitantly picked it up, her pained and powerful eyes turning back to the assailants once more.

Their eyes gleamed in the dim light as she raised the blaster towards them.

Never had Tess Oprin been more powerful, standing before her two attackers, their lives held precariously in her small hands.

Her whole body shook as the two men looked up at her with regretful eyes. That same fear was reflected across her own pupils as Tess pointed the blaster at the two on the ground. Both slowly raised their hands, heads rolling to side in pain. The force of her powers had almost knocked them unconscious. Blood seeped from the smirking man's forehead, and the other looked at her guiltily. However, no remorse ran through Tess' blood as she stood above them, heaving, sleek black gun in her palms.

She took a deep breath and pointed it at them, rolling her shoulders back. The men flinched, looking at her as if she were some sort of mythic creature, dangerous and legend. Maybe she was. Tess didn't know what to think anymore. Her mind had been torn apart, ripped at the seams to let the emotions, the pain and anger, slip through the cracks. And now the slowly healing girl was a mess, a puddle of conflict that she couldn't hope to wade through.

But as Tess stood there, death on the edge of pulling her into darkness, something crossed her mind that made her stop. It made her freeze, her movements stiff as a memory, as clear as kyber crystals ran through her head and stabbed at her mind until she bled blue.

A searing pain numbs the back of her leg, heat and fire digging into her flesh. Tess closed her eyes for a second, gasping. A silent scream on her lips as the laser bolts dig their way through her muscle and bone. She staggered back, the blaster now hanging limp in her hands. She can't feel her leg. She can't feel her leg. She can't feel her leg.

Tess realized she couldn't feel her leg. And then she remembered the reason.

A blaster, black and glistening in the fading night. A weapon of destruction, of torment and death, blasting two ruby red bolts into a little girl's leg, changing her life forever. She'd lost her leg because of a gun, just like the one now held in her hands, and she was pointing it at two humans, ready to comply once more. Tess' eyes widened and she dropped the gun to the ground, stumbling back. Both men, still terrified of the girl and her strange powers, didn't move. Tess looked down for a moment, trying to catch her breath, before looking up again.

And her eyes were filled with fire.

Tess walked slowly towards the men, her hands outstretched to either side. They didn't move as she slammed her metal leg against their heads, knocking both unconsious. When she was done, Tess didn't look back, and instead walked towards the door, hurriedly going inside, leaving the destruction in her wake. She walked hastily towards the apartment, trying to forget everything.

Silently, the figure who had been watching from the shadows slipped away, unnoticed, as always. He tugged his hood over his shoulders, the information he had needed now in his grasp. The spy quickly disappeared.

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Tess was sitting back in the Frog Lady's home, in her seat, fiddling with her hands when the Mandalorian arrived back at the apartment. She didn't bother to look up, exhaustion filling up within her like a glass of spotchka. Her thoughts of the Mandalorian coming back had been pushed to the furthest corners of her mind in the wake of the skirmish with the two men.

The feeling of the blaster in her hands still left an unwanted imprint on her mind.

The Mandalorian entered without hesitation, his mind filled with new knowledge on where they would need to go next. He stopped short when he saw the half asleep Tess sitting in the chair. He walked over swiftly, and she looked up at him through half glazed eyes. They were brimmed with tears.

The Mandalorian frowned. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern lining his words. Tess nodded softly.

"I'm just glad you're back." she answered. The Mandalorian looked at her in surprise, but could find no more tears or a glint of pain. She smirked and slowly got up from her spot. The Mandalorian didn't question her more, but he could tell something was wrong. Quickly, the Mandalorian went over and picked the child up into his arms, turning back to where Tess walked up to his side.

She didn't say anything as they left Frog Lady and her husband to their new babies, saying goodbye to the two lovers with earnest thanks.

She didn't say anything as they entered the repaired ship, still a mess, held together by ropes and seaweed.

She didn't say anything as the Mandalorian placed a blanket over her shivering shoulders and led them off into airspace, heading towards their next unknown destination.

The Mechanic and the Mandalorian, a strange pair, but one that seemed to fit. A duo brought together by faint, welded by storms and circumstance. The girl, slowly cracking, her cool facade breaking. The man, once thought soulless, having the depths of his mind and spirit be reforged. Now, together, the two were starting to believe they could take on anything.

But how were they to know that the galaxy would continue to tear them apart, one layer at a time, until all that was left was ashes. 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE.

yikes, I hate those men. And also the strange "spy" at the end...

.... okay but seriously that's all I really have to say. I'm very tired right now and honestly so drained from writing this chapter (it's a good thing, don't worry).  I hope you enjoyed act one, because it has now come to an end! On to act two (where Tess and Mando go to a whole new level of cuteness and they meet several icons along the way)!

In honor of the closing of act two, here a bunch of gifs and pictures to commemorate the first part of Tess' story: 

Tess' two dads...

Our little space fam with all my uwus

AND FINALLY... this horribly done manip of Tess and Din...

Love, Mal