Work Text:
Alec walks out of the ship slowly, with careful steps, and scans the surrounding area. He glances over his shoulder to check that Madzie is still at his heels, still safely behind him. They move further away from the ship in near-silence, the only sound coming from the crunch of leaves beneath their feet. Alec keeps his hand at his belt, resting on his blaster.
The figure appears seemingly out of nowhere, leaping out at him from behind a tree in a swirl of dark cloak. Before Alec can even react, a glowing sword made of energy is pointed at his throat. He’s never seen a lightsaber before, but he knows enough to recognize what it means that there’s one in front of him. He’s found the Jedi he was looking for.
Alec slowly pushes the lightsaber away with his beskar gauntlet. He holds his hands up, palms out. “Are you Magnus Bane?” He takes a slow step back, wary of the lightsaber still humming in the air inches away from his face. “Catarina Loss told me I could find you here.”
The Jedi draws back, hesitating. Then he looks down and past Alec, at the small figure standing behind him. Alec doesn’t take his eyes off the Jedi, but he hears the shifting of Madzie’s movement. The Jedi deactivates his lightsaber and drops his hand. Madzie walks forward until she’s in front of Alec, face to face with the Jedi. Alec fights the immediate urge to pull her back, to put himself between her and the unknown. The Jedi draws back his hood and kneels, his robes folding around him.
“Hello,” he says gently. “My name is Magnus.”
Madzie reaches out, eyes wide. Magnus holds out his hand, and she presses her hand to his open palm. “That’s right,” Magnus says. “I’m just like you.”
Some of the tension leaves Alec’s shoulders. He lets his hand drop from his blaster. Magnus and Madzie remain still, looking into each other’s eyes. There’s some kind of communication between them, a connection that Alec can’t understand.
Madzie goes to Alec and takes him by the hand. Magnus raises an eyebrow. “He helped you find me?” He looks directly at Alec for the first time. Alec holds still under his scrutiny. Alec is covered head to toe in armor, but he’s unprotected from Magnus’s sharp-eyed gaze. “Come with me,” he says finally. “We’ll talk.”
Alec trails behind Magnus and Madzie as they walk deeper into the woods, away from both the city and Alec’s ship. They stop when they reach the clearing where Magnus’s ship is resting. Magnus gestures grandly at the small patch of dry grass.
“I’m afraid I can’t offer you much in the way of hospitality,” Magnus says. “But Aldertree hasn’t found me out here yet.”
Alec turns to him sharply. “So you know that he knows you’re here?”
“I do. And I assume he’s asked you to find me as well.” Magnus waves a hand. “But that’s not important right now. Tell me more about this girl.”
Alec swallows. He glances down at Madzie. She’s crouched on the ground a few feet away from them. He’s struck once again by how small she is. “The Empire hired me to capture her. I’ve been trying to keep her safe.” He doesn’t look away from Madzie while he speaks. “I was hoping you could teach her.”
“I would be delighted to teach her,” Magnus says. “But I have to ask a favor of you first.”
“A favor?” Alec turns to face him, folding his arms. “What does that mean?”
“I want you to help me fight Aldertree.”
“What?” Alec stares at him, shocked. “He’s already looking for you. You should take Madzie and get out of here before he realizes I’m not going to turn you in.”
“I can’t leave. Not while the Empire is controlling this planet.”
“You haven’t done anything already?”
“I’m only one person. I can’t do it alone, but a Jedi and a Mandalorian together?”
“Madzie is in danger,” Alec says. “Don’t you want her to be safe?”
“Of course I want her to be safe.” Magnus stands, his eyes blazing with anger. “She’s one of the only Jedi left alive.”
Magnus sits again, exhaling heavily. “The Empire wants my people dead,” he says in a lower voice. “I can’t leave. Not while they’re controlling this planet.”
The last time Alec saw his sister, she was standing next to a pile of empty helmets. She might be the only person left in the galaxy who knows his name or face. “Fine,” Alec says. “As long as we make sure the kid is somewhere safe.”
Magnus grins, sharp and delighted. “Excellent.”
They don’t make their approach to the city a secret. They walk up to its entrance side by side, unhurried. Alec keeps his hand on his blaster as Magnus steps up to one of the guards.
“I want to speak to Aldertree.”
The two guards look at each other, then at Magnus. After a moment, one of them enters through the gates. When they return a few minutes later, Aldertree follows. He glances between Alec and Magnus, and the corner of his mouth curls into a smirk. “Magnus Bane,” he says. “And the Mandalorian. Here to run yourself in?”
“I’m afraid not.” Magnus makes a brief motion. Alec glances at him and finds that he’s unhooked his lightsaber hilt from his belt and is holding it at his side. “I’m here to ask you to leave.”
Aldertree laughs; Magnus doesn’t. “Nice try, Bane,” Aldertree says. He glances at the guards flanking him. “Arrest them both.”
As they reach for their weapons, Magnus activates his lightsaber, and before either of them can shoot, one of them falls. Alec shoots the other one in the next moment. They turn to the city gate only to see the doors slam shut behind Aldertree.
Alec turns to Magnus, but finds him already walking away. He reaches the wall of the city and jumps straight up, higher than should be possible. He lands on top of the wall and gestures for Alec to follow him. Alec sighs, and begins climbing.
Alec has never seen a Jedi in battle before. Now, watching Magnus from his position on top of the wall, he understands every story he’s ever heard about their power. Magnus fights like no one Alec has ever seen, like a whirlwind, like a wildfire. His lightsaber flashes as he spins, cutting down two guards in one swift stroke. Alec shakes himself, focusing, and lifts his blaster again. He glances over at the guards approaching Magnus and shoots them before they can get close. As the fight continues, Alec feels himself relax. Ever since he rescued Madzie from that Imperial remnant, he’s been walking on uneven ground, unsure of his next steps. But he’s a bounty hunter, and the motions of tracking down a target are second nature. When all of the soldiers are gone, he jumps down from the wall, landing with a soft thump. Magnus turns to face him, grinning. “Is anyone else coming?”
“All clear,” Alec reports. The adrenaline of a good fight has him feeling almost giddy. Even though his face is hidden, he grins back.
Magnus nods sharply. “Let’s go.”
They begin running towards the center of the city, side by side.
With the Empire's presence gone, the city becomes much more lively. Magnus is surrounded by a crowd of people, all of them eager to talk to him, to reach out to him and thank him. Madzie is there, too, in the middle of the crowd. This is where she’s supposed to be, Alec thinks. She should be surrounded by people who care about her.
Alec scans the sky for signs of anything approaching. If the Empire finds out what they did here, he wants Madzie to be off the planet before they arrive.
When Madzie and Magnus finally break away from the group, they come up to Alec. “Are you leaving?” he asks.
“We are,” Magnus says. “I know a safe planet nearby.”
“Good.” Alec glances up at the sky again and exhales. “Send me a message when you get there.”
Magnus gives Alec a real smile this time. “Thank you,” he says. “You’re not what I expected, Mandalorian.”
“My name is Alec,” he says, to his own surprise. Magnus’s eyebrows lift, and he reaches out and puts his hand on the side of Alec’s helmet. He doesn’t push, doesn’t try to take it off, but holds his hand there for a moment. Alec can’t remember the last time anyone has touched his bare skin. He can almost imagine what it would feel like.
“Thank you, Alec,” he says.
Madzie runs to Alec and hugs him tightly. He kneels to bring them face-to-face. “Don’t be scared,” he tells her. “You’re going to learn so much.” He leans forward so that she can press her forehead against his helmet. “I’ll see you soon, buddy.” She pulls away and looks at him solemnly. Alec gives her a final squeeze and then stands.
Madzie walks away holding Magnus’s hand. Alec watches them leave. When they’re finally out of sight, he turns to go back to his own ship.