#the mandalorian x ofc

[the-mandawhor1an]

The future

Chapter 10 – Guided by the stars, connected by the force

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Chapter summary: Din and his allies infiltrate Gideon’s cruiser to rescue Grogu. When all seems lost and their lives in danger, two ships approach. Is this the reunion Din is hoping for, or just the Jedi Grogu had called out for?  

Warnings: Canon-typical violence; Gideon is a dick as usual; angst angst angst; the helmet comes off; Jedi ex machina;  FUCKING KISS ALREADY!!!!; Bo-Katan hits us with the lore; jealousy; fluff; the return of the bathtub; only one bed; 

Words: 12.2k (I’m sorry I can’t stop yapping)

A/N: Alternating POVs in this chapter, peeps! I’ve ultimately decided against doing one block of just Din and then jumping back in time to show where Maia has been, having POVs change like cameras would in the series makes more sense (also could be my roleplaying background playing a huge part in this). The bathtub scene never happened in the roleplay, if anyone is interested I can yap about this more on Maia mondays. I hate dialogues, y’all. 

With the help of Dr. Pershing’s shuttle, making it onto the cruiser wasn’t too hard. While his allies made it up to the bridge to cause a distraction, Din took a different route towards the brig to save his foundling. There was little intervention by Stormtroopers. The Darktroopers, however, made Djarin worry. As Pershing had just let them know, the newest iteration were no longer humans. It was droids. As if it wasn’t stressful enough to infiltrate an Imperial cruiser with only 5 people, Din would have to face droids. 

On his way towards the holding cell, Din just happened to stumble upon the bay where the Darktroopers were stored. To his luck, it seemed he had just made it around the corner when they had finished charging and made their way towards the hallway. »Osik,« he cursed and practically threw himself against the door controls, shutting the doors before all of them could make it into the hallway. The closest droid to the front had just enough time to react to hold the door ajar and slipped out, leaving all of the other machines locked behind the heavy doors. In an instant, the Mandalorian was on edge. They would break the doors and if he didn’t manage do decommission the one currently opposite of him, he’d be broken too. 

Upon first contact, Din was thrown across the hallway, sliding along the reflective floor like he had weighed nothing. Thank the stars for the padding under his armor which softened the blow at least a little. Pulling the blaster out, he took a few shots at the droid, desperate to find a weak spot, but being unsuccessful. Every shot just ricocheted until his enemy was just opposite of him. It grabbed Din’s arm and twisted it, forcing him to let go of his blaster. The droid’s other hand grabbed the human by the throat and lifted him up, pressed him into the wall behind him. It rammed its fist into the Beskar helmet again and again, right in the center of the visor, slowly denting the metal wall further and further with the force of the impact. The bang of metal on metal was unbearably loud in Din’s ears, the vibrations causing a headache. Perhaps he would come out of this with yet another concussion. 

Despite the noise and lack of oxygen he had to escape the Trooper’s death grip, one way or another. Behind his opponent he saw the other droids working to break the doors in, the small transpari windows already cracking. He had to be quick. He aimed his flame thrower into the droid’s midsection, hoping to melt some key component to destroy it, but to no avail. What came to his rescue, however, was said droid flinging him through the air once more, which allowed Djarin to catch his breath and attempt to open the air lock. Before he could pull the lever, however, he was pulled away again. The Trooper decided it would now use its blaster against Din, who had no choice but to activate the whistling birds. It felt like a waste of this weapon, and it probably was, but he needed the time to whip the spear out from behind him. 

He rammed the Beskar weapon into the droid, just beneath the head, and let out a relieved breath when he saw the glowing read eyes flicker and turn off. Just before the doors’ integrity was too compromised, Din opened the air lock and saw all of the other droids get sucked into space. He took a few steadying breaths before he continued onward. After this confrontation, there was no more playing nice for him. 

This came rather unfortunate for the two Stormtroopers that stood between him and his child. Their deaths were considerably quick, but brutal nonetheless. All Din wanted was to grab Grogu and get out of here. The rescue looked to be over when he reached the controls to open Grogu’s cell door, but when they opened, he found none other than Gideon with Grogu. He was holding a strange blade in his hands, black but at the same time glowing. The closest weapon he could have compared to it was a lightsaber, but then again, it didn’t look like the one he had seen Maia use. Maia… if only she had been here with him now. But then again, would she not be in danger, so close to Imperials? 

»Drop your blaster, slowly,« Gideon ordered, and Din didn’t hesitate to do as he was told. »Kick it over to me.« The blaster hit the wall somewhere behind Gideon. Djarin wanted to make his reasons clear, so he said »give me the kid.« The Moff didn’t budge, waving the blade above the child’s head. »He is fine where he is.« He waved the blade a little more, the low hum the blade made sounded somewhat like a lightsaber. »Mesmerizing, isn’t it? It used to belong to Bo-Katan.« Go figure. So this was the blade she had mentioned back on Trask. The darksaber. 

»I know you’ve been traveling with her. A friendly piece of advice, assume that I know everything. Like the fact that your little wrist launcher fired its only salvo. Or that – to my disappointment – Maia is no longer traveling with you.« Din’s heart sank. It wasn’t so much that Gideon mentioned Maia, it was more that he was disappointed. That only confirmed for Djarin that the Imperial had some kind of plan for her. Maybe the experiments they had witnessed on Nevarro. »Where is this going?« he rather asked the Imperial. 

»I’m guessing that Bo-Katan and her party have arrived at the bridge and are looking for me, or more specifically, this saber. And, in their frustration to not find me, have killed everyone on the bridge, like the murderous savages you are,« he responded. He was probably right. Din didn’t react to it much, he focused on the child. Grogu was surprisingly calm, given the situation, but the child was most likely exhausted. Who could blame him. »And now they’re beginning to panic. All Bo-Katan is here for… is this.« Gideon held up the saber. »Do you know why?« He didn’t even wait for an answer. »Because it brings power. Whoever wields this sword has the right to lay claim to the Mandalorian throne.« Din didn’t care much for power or a throne, but it made sense why Kryze was so adamant about getting it back. »Keep the blade, I just want the kid.« 

And for the first time, Gideon was surprised. Perhaps he had thought he could get Djarin with the outlook of power and a title. He had miscalculated. The pause was long and a little awkward, but ultimately, he deactivated the blade. »Very well. I already have what I want from him. His blood. And because the other donor I had in mind has decided to … not stay with you after her little interjection on Nevarro, there’s no more blood we can study.« Din really tried his hardest to not let any kind of emotion slip. Gideon didn’t need to know that he would absolutely kill him if he ever laid hand on Maia. »This child is extremely gifted and has been blessed with rare properties that have the potential to bring back order into the galaxy.« Sure, like they had tried with the mothers and ultimately failed. Gideon looked over to Grogu, then back to Djarin. »I see your bond with him. Take him, but you will leave my ship immediately and we go our separate ways.« 

Din went to grab Grogu, but of course Gideon had to ambush him. A fight broke out, ending with Gideon on the ground and Djarin deciding he would spare the Imperial’s life. The Moff would get a trial, probably an execution at the hands of the New Republic. 

Gideon’s plan suddenly revealed itself when they had made it up to the bridge. Din had the saber in one hand, Grogu on the other arm, when he guided his captive towards the others. Suddenly it made sense why Gideon was so surprised by him declining the to take the blade. He wanted Kryze to turn against Djarin, who was now the rightful owner of the darksaber anyway. Of course, Din tried to surrender the blade to Kryze straight away, but she snapped at him. She would have to win it in a fight, otherwise her claim to the throne was illegitimate. 

They could and probably would have bickered further, hadn’t it been for the radar to alert them about approaching vehicles. Said vehicles turned out to be the Darktroopers Din had already forgotten about at this point. Of course they would return in the most unfortunate moment: When it looked like they had won. 

Din had struggled immensely fighting one, now they would have to deal with multiple. Neither blasters nor his other weapons had done much harm, only the spear had really helped. And they only had one, maybe two weapons to damage the droids; if the saber could actually cut through anything as Kryze had said. He had to think about something quickly. About 10 were marching towards the bridge, while others spread across the way to the hangar just in case the group made it out the bridge alive. He looked over to Grogu. All of this could’ve been prevented had Maia stayed. But then again, they had mutually agreed to split, as to not risk his creed, which he had broken either way at this point, and for her to gain control over her emotions. As much as he hated himself for the thought, he wished she was here with them, a last line of protection for Grogu. Could she maybe hold out for a little longer than the others would? She hadn’t been scared of the dragon either. Would a lightsaber help with the droids? Probably. 

And with every bang of the droids’ fists against the heavy metal blast doors, with every creak the steel made under the impact, slowly bending until it would ultimately burst, Din’s heart sank a little deeper, until the realization had settled in properly. 

Maia had abandoned him despite her promise to be there for him and Grogu. They would die at the hands of droids. And his foundling might survive, but would have to witness his protector be killed, just like Din had witnessed his parents die. 

If only Din had the same intuition a Jedi had. He would have known that Maia would keep her promise.

»I can sense the tension in your body. You’re nervous,« Luke said over the radio, causing Maia to roll her eyes. »Thanks for mentioning it. Putting attention to it isn’t helping. I can feel Grogu and it’s agitating me. He’s scared.« Ever since Grogu had channeled himself in an old Jedi monument, Luke had been able to sense him and now they were so close, she could too feel what was going on in the child. 

»I can feel it too. It won’t be long until we’re there,« Skywalker tried to soothe her. It wasn’t helping too much. Grogu was one of her concerns, the other she didn’t want to talk about. Din would be there and she wasn’t sure what to expect when they met again. It had been some time since they had separated. While it felt like it had been forever, it was a couple of weeks at most. If even that. The moon she had been on with Luke had shorter days, she imagined, and she had never bothered to count how many sunsets she had witnessed there. How long had it been for Din? Did it feel like less when he was in space most of the time and he had no natural day-night cycle? 

Back on the bridge, the radar alarmed them of approaching vehicles once again. Two spots came closer and Bo-Katan looked at the screen. »Two life forms, an X-Wing and an ARC-170.« Cara Dune sighed »oh great, we’re saved.« »Incoming crafts, identify yourselves,« Bo ordered via the radio, only to be ignored. Din looked to Bo-Katan, then towards the ships they could see fly past the bridge. Could this be their salvation? The helmet turned to Grogu, who was a little more alert now, looking over to his protector and his ears twitching. 

As the ships landed in the hangar, the banging on the doors stopped. It was as if the whole bridge was holding a collective breath before Fennec finally broke the silence. »Why did they stop?« Did it matter? Din looked over to one of the security monitors. All of the Darktroopers had in fact stopped in their movements, not only the ones right behind the blast doors. They all turned at the same time, now all of them facing the hangar. The group closest to the strangers started walking, a different camera showing the cloaked figures exiting their ships and walking towards the main exit. 

The sight of lightsaber blades was familiar to Bo, so it was no wonder she immediately said in disbelief »those are Jedi?« Din’s helmet snapped around towards Kryze, not sure he had actually heard right. Jedi? Was it Maia after all, coming to save him and Grogu in the last second? 

Maia walked next to Luke, one saber in each hand. »We’ll find out if the training was worth it now, huh?« Luke chuckled. »These are droids, I’m a little insulted if you struggle with them after training with me.« She shook her head in amusement despite him being right. A droid shouldn’t be too much trouble, unless one decided to blow up in her face again. »I will look for a terminal,« she announced when they entered the first hallway. »I need to check my file.« 

»Are you sure you need to find out about your past? There will be no gain from it, all it will do is cause pain.« Luke wanted to shoot her a look, but the blaster fire called for their attention. The droids weren’t too much of a problem for them, equipped with sabers that easily cut through these machines and the ability to throw them if they came too close. »Nothing,« Maia responded, throwing the scrap she had turned one of the troopers into through the hallway. »Nothing in my file could be more painful than what the Empire had made me go through.« »I can’t tell you what to do and I won’t try,« Luke reminded her, swinging his saber with an ease that was astounding. »You should focus on the future, your past can’t be changed.« But if she couldn’t change the past either way, why would it change anything about the present to know? »I’ll think about it.«

Din walked over to Bo-Katan, who still had the two Jedi on the monitor. They made fighting these machines so easy, cutting through them like it was nothing. He could neither make out the blade colors, nor any features on the strangers. They were almost the same height, not necessarily tall compared to the Troopers they were fighting. Deep down he wished for one of their hoods to just fall back so he could see if one of them was in fact Maia. He so desperately wanted her to be here. None of the fighting styles looked like what he had seen Maia use. The stranger with one blade used stronger swings. 

One of the two steered away from the path towards the bridge. Why would they separate? Then again, it looked like the Troopers had no chance against them, maybe one was here for a different reason than Grogu. Gideon must’ve realized the droids’ inferiority to the Jedi at the same time. Taking out the blaster he had hidden away underneath his cloak, he took a few shots at Bo-Katan. Of course, her armor deflected the shots and she remained unharmed. As if Din could sense what he would do next, he leapt towards Grogu simultaneously as Gideon aimed at the child. The child was fine. 

Seeing both of his plans fail, Gideon turned the blaster upright underneath his chin, only for Cara to hit not only the blaster out of his hands, she landed another blow to his face to make sure he behaved. He wouldn’t get the easy way out. She sat him down on the steps again. Din’s ribs were pulsating with pain from just throwing himself on the ground, but it was fine as Grogu was okay. The small child had climbed up one of the tables and had his hand on the monitor, showing one of the Jedi coming towards the bridge. Just as the stranger had entered the elevator, they saw the droids in front of the blast doors grab their blasters. 

Maia wanted nothing more than to just run up to the bridge and jump into Din’s strong arms. She wanted to cover the helmet in kisses, but then again, she was nervous. Scared to face him again after he had – quite cruelly – sent her away last time. Perhaps looking for her file was a distraction, a detour she took to have some time to think about this. Luke was likely right about her past, but then again, the three days with Din had impacted her in a way. If there was a family still out there looking for her, she needed to know. She would have to find them. Looking for a terminal wasn’t too hard, and she went to work. 

Up at the bridge, it didn’t take long for all of the Troopers to be turned into expensive scrap. It was a little impressive and intimidating at the same time, seeing someone deal with almost a dozen of these at the same time while Din had struggled with just one. Especially when Din saw them squeeze the last droid into a brick with the force, he was certain that person was a Jedi, a strong one at that. 

Grogu extended his hands towards the door and looked over to Din. The helmet dipped to face the child, and he picked the little one up. There were no words needed, the child’s reaction to the stranger told the Mandalorian enough. »Open the doors,« he ordered, but no one moved. »I said open the doors.« Fennec was the first to regain her voice. »Are you crazy?« With a sigh he sat the child down again, opening the doors himself. 

The mist of escaping hydraulic fluids and dust engulfed the stranger, their light saber coloring the clouds around them bright green. They were not particularly tall, but their presence was imposing, just like Tano’s had been. The blade of the light saber retracted into the hilt and they clipped the metal to their belt. They pulled down their hood to reveal a fairly young looking man with dirty blonde hair and friendly blue eyes. Contrary to what they had just seen him do, he looked harmless. »Are you a Jedi?« Din asked, to which the stranger nodded. »I am.« 

The stranger extended his arm, offering a hand to Grogu, who just shyly looked in between the Jedi and his protector. The child cooed and looked to Din, let his ears drop a bit. »He doesn’t want to go with you,« Din translated. Maybe he didn’t want Grogu to go, either. Letting the child go would mean he’d be all alone again. He’s gotten so used to being around someone, would it be worse now, with both of his Jedi companions gone? 

»He wants your permission,« the man opposite of him explained. »He is strong with the force, but talent without training is nothing. It is dangerous.« »I understand,« he replied. It was the same with Maia, all over again. 

Maia lifted her head from the terminal as if she had heard her name despite being alone in the room. She listened for any sound, her eyes darting around the room. Nothing. It was no use to stay here anyway, the whole database had been wiped and she was not equipped to restore deleted files. Closing her eyes, she felt for Grogu and Din up there. The pain that radiated off of the Mandalorian was intense. 

The green eyes shot back at the screen. Why did it matter? Her past was nothing more than a few 1s and 0s at this point, the family she had 25 years ago most likely dead anyway. Her future might be up there on the bridge, broken-hearted and alone. »Let go,« she reminded herself and she left the room, walking towards the elevator that would lead her to Luke, to Grogu, and hopefully, back to Din. 

»I will give my life to protect the child, but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities,« their savior continued up there, and the Mandalorian had to remind himself once again, that this was necessary. Grogu needed to learn how to handle his abilities, how to deal with his emotions, even if that meant that his protector would feel abandoned. Din picked up the child to speak to him, say farewell. Grogu fussed and kept reaching for the air towards the hallway behind the other man. Not understanding what the child wanted to tell him, Din turned him around so the big, brown eyes looked at him. »I’ll see you again, I promise,« he told the little one, gathering all of his strength to not break down. He had to be strong now. 

Grogu just stared at him, reached his tiny hand forward and touched the helmet. Din would lose him too. First Maia, then his ship and his home, now his son. They would all leave him. He understood what the child was hinting at. He removed the helmet, slowly and carefully as he just had one hand to maneuver the metal off of his head, but it felt right. It didn’t matter now after all, he had already broken his creed back on Morak. 

What harm would it do for the child to see him before they said farewell?

Grogu stared at his protector and extended his hand once more, touching Din’s cheek and then resting his tiny hand on his jaw. Din closed his eyes, trying to memorize the feeling. Whether the child had intended it or not, it was the same spot that Maia had touched when she and Din kissed, and for a moment, it was like she was here with them. 

»Alright pal,« Din finally said, having to tear himself out of this moment before he told the Jedi to get lost and rather take Ahsoka’s advice. »Don’t be afraid,« he said softer, his voice cracking because he heard a little sniffle from Grogu. He sat the helmet and his foundling down, watching as he waddled over to the Jedi and the astromech next to him. The droid seemed awfully delighted to see the small, green child, chirping and wobbling on the spot. It just so happened that at the same time the elevator in the background dinged, but Din was too distracted, exchanging a look with the human, who then leaned over to pick Grogu up. 

And just when he thought he would be alone, he saw a familiar face in the hallway. 

Maia was so focused on Luke picking up Grogu that she didn’t even register the other people on the bridge at first. There was a man opposite of her master with short, dark brown hair and a pained expression on his face. She didn’t recognize him, maybe he was just a companion. The silver armor he was wearing didn’t even register in her mind, all she was focused on was his face and the tell-tale sting she suddenly felt when the brown eyes darted over to her. It was as if electricity shot through her when the dots connected. She froze, her eyes immediately glossing over with tears. »Din?« she asked, fully aware it had to be him, the armor and the sensation in the back of her neck giving her the confirmation she needed. »You took your helmet off,« was all she could say. 

»I did. For him, and for you.« As soon as she saw him take a step towards her, she ran over to him and practically crashed into his chest, wrapping her arms around him. Finding it a little hard with the jetpack and the spear on his back, she rested one hand just below the jetpack, the other on the back of his head. If she had more time she woul have removed her gloves to feel his hair, but this happened so suddenly. 

Din buried his face in the crook of her neck, looking for evidence she was really here and this wasn’t some cruel illusion. Her much shorter hair brushed over his face and he could make out the familiar scent on her, providing enough confirmation that she was back to soothe his broken heart. »You’re here,« he whispered against her skin and pulled her closer, almost lifting her off of the ground. This was a lot to handle at once. 

Sadness, grief, but also the faint shimmer of hope that had kept him going, and love. Din wouldn’t be alone after having grown so used to being around others. It also gave him hope that he would see Grogu again some day, that he would come back to him, just as Maia did. She had her face halfway in his hair as well, her eyes pressed shut otherwise she would start crying. »I told you I’d be there if you needed me,« she reminded him, a single chuckle escaping. 

Their heads separated from each other and moved back just enough so they could look into each others eyes properly. His were red and irritated, glassy and so were hers, welling with tears but none yet rolling down her face. Safe to say they both were happy to see the other, and they didn’t care if anyone saw. Din knew his allies would know to let them have their moment, and Luke was too fascinated by the two interacting, knowing that Maia and the Mandalorian shared a bond only few could relate to. 

It was Skywalker who called for Din’s attention, feeling his job done here. »I’ll keep my promise,« he assured Din, watching as Maia unraveled her arms from the other man to stand to his left. »Grogu will be safe with me.« He nodded towards Din, then turned his attention to the brunette. »Remember what you’ve learned,« he reminded her one last time. Her head tilted to the side, leaning against Din’s pauldron and her eyes sparkled when she replied »I won’t forget it. May the force be with you, and with you, Grogu.« She extended her hand, offering Grogu a finger to hold onto for a moment to say goodbye. She knew the child would be safe with her master. He had cared for her so well, she had no doubts Grogu would do well with him, given the child was willing to learn. 

Grogu practically hung over Luke's shoulder when they walked over to the elevator, waving at his protector and friend. Perhaps he wasn’t waving and rather reaching for them, but both adults knew this was the best way for the child to get adequate care. 

This moment could have been so bittersweet, so wholesome and tragic at the same time; if it hadn’t been for Gideon to ruin it by opening his mouth. »Oh, isn’t it lovely,« he swooned, but his voice dripping with disgust. »One foundling leaves… and another returns.« Maia rolled her eyes and turned to find the Moff on the ground, where he belonged. His bloodied nose told her that this wasn’t his first uncalled for comment. Din took hold of her hand, causing her to wonder if he wanted to stop her of if he just wanted to be close. Their hug could’ve been longer, she agreed. 

»You deleted my file,« she accused the Imperial, confused why he would refer to her as a foundling. Din and her were obviously closer, and she was a little too old to be adopted, right? »I did, with great pleasure, actually,« Gideon replied, returning her intense gaze. »I was a little disappointed you didn’t arrive with your Mandalorian friend here, but as it would turn out, you are as predictable as I had thought and would show up either way. I just wanted to have the opportunity to tell you that you won’t ever find your parents.« 

Suddenly, Din holding her hand was very welcome, because she could squeeze his hand and he could return the gesture, reminding her what was actually important right now. »Then speak,« she ordered, causing the Man opposite of her to grin. »You’ll never find them.« She raised an eyebrow, did he even have information? »Tell me something new.« »Your parents must be dead, either of natural causes or killed, by the Mandalorian we neutralized to get to you.« His words didn’t even register properly before she felt her heart stop. What? 

»Oh, I’m sure it’s tragic to hear,« he continued, reading the confusion in her face with ease. »He died fighting if that is any soothing to you. Who knows how long you had been with him before we found you.« There was only one conclusion for her, Gideon was trying to agitate her, antagonize her until she lost control again. He was lying. Mentioning a tragic death of her parents at the hands of a Mandalorian while three of them were in the room with her made sense. As much as she hated to give it to him, Gideon was a smart man, but she had changed. 

»Maia,« Din softly spoke to her and squeezed her hand, he felt her fingers tremble. She turned to him, her eyes were a little less friendly this time. It was obvious it was affecting her and even if Djarin wasn’t too concerned about her losing control this time, he wanted to ground her. Did Din know? She thought about it for just a second. »He’s not lying, is he?« she asked and he felt his own chest tense. 

Did he want to just tell her? Did she even want to know? »I saw your file. I found it on a terminal in an Imperial base. It got destroyed with my ship, I wish I still had it.« It sounded like a confirmation, even if Din was reluctant to actually say it. It made sense, in a way. Despite having a rather traumatic experience with Fett she felt safe in Din’s presence, but it could’ve been because of their bond. The sound of Mando’a was familiar to her, even if she had little inclination what the words meant. It would explain why she felt all warm and fuzzy when he called her mesh’la. 

“Oh how noble, a Mandalorian willing to risk his life, wasting time in an Imperial base just to find a little intel on his friend. Removing his helmet for a child he will never see again. Does it feel good? Do you feel special?« Gideon practically spit and Maia wondered why he was still allowed to breathe. »Tell me, 414, do you actually believe you’ll have a future with him?« That stung. She thought she did, she knew it. It was easy to guess the soft spot she had for the Mandalorian, given everyone present had seen how they ran into each other’s arms. Worst of all was referring to her by her ID, something Gideon did on purpose. 

»Jedi, Sith, what does it matter. You could have been so powerful thanks to us. What would that Mandalorian have done with your talent? There were no Jedi left after Order 66 that could have taught you. See what we had made you do, turn a whole research complex to nothing more than dust with one wrathful outburst.« Would he ever shut up? »Has he seen what you can do? Does he know how many died because of you when you were still a teenager? How their pleas fell on deaf ears in your blinding rage and no one survived?« Gideon’s lips formed a devilish grin. He wanted the others to be wary of her, scared and avoid her. Part of Maia struggled to keep her composure, the sound of bending and creaking metal roared through the ship, widening Gideon’s grin even more. »I take that as a no, but why would you care, huh? What are a few humans to you?«  

»Don’t listen to him, he wants to provoke you,« Din suspected, still holding onto her hand. Was he scared of her? Gideon scoffed »of course I want to provoke her.« Finally, one of the women offered to silence Gideon, her threat did not deter him from speaking, though. »Do you realize how pathetic you all are? A failed science experiment, a Mandalorian that breaks his codex for a child and a girl,« he looked over to the other women. »Heiress to the throne of a destroyed world, and the only item to strengthen her claim is in the hands of a friend; and her sidekick. An assassin working for the traitor Fett, and don’t even get me started on you, Dune.« It was a lot to take in at once, but the name Fett rang a bell. Boba Fett? 

With a sigh Maia finally let go of Din’s hand, walking over to kneel beside Gideon. »Maybe we are a pathetic bunch and you might think you’re superior to us,« she addressed him, placing a hand on his chest armor and pushing down, leaning in to push him into the steps beneath him. Part of her wanted to just off him, but he didn’t deserve to be let go so easily. »At the end of the day, you are the one in cuffs right now. I won’t be your instrument, nor am I the monster you want the others to see in me.« Finally, Dune took Gideon and left with him. The Imperial would be on trial with the New Republic and would get what he deserved. A nice long prison sentence, hopefully. 

The tension left Maia as soon as the elevator doors had closed and she could finally face Din again, who still had his helmet off. As much as she didn’t want to be stuck staring at him, she couldn’t help it, there was so much to take in. »What did my file say?« she asked him. »Do you want to know now?« They could talk about it when they were on their own, but Maia couldn’t wait. And as she would soon find out, she did good to want to hear it now. »They stumbled upon you during a patrol. You were about 4 years old and clearly showed signs of force sensitivity. You were with a Mandalorian at the time, they neutralized him.« »Neutralized. What a nice way to phrase killing yet another father of mine.« »I’m sorry,« Din touched her arm, trying to soothe her, but more gestures from him and she would start crying. »It’s okay. I have closure. We should leave.« She didn’t have to ask him twice, it had been quite a lot for one day for the both of them. Din grabbed his helmet, but before they could walk through the blast doors, the red-haired Mandalorian addressed her. »Maia, is it?« »Yes?« »I might know something about your family,« she explained. »You mean the Mandalorian that found me?« She shook her head. »Does the name Rayssa ring a bell?« Rayssa? The brunette furrowed her brows, it felt familiar, but it was a name. She could’ve heard it anywhere. »It might.« »I figured, you look just like her.« »I don’t understand,« Maia mumbled, and yet she somehow did, judging by how her throat became tight. »I’ve met a Mandalorian once who had lost both husband and daughter. Right around the time the Empire must’ve taken you in.« Now Din also turned around to speak to the other woman. »Are you sure?« he asked. They exchanged a look and she nodded. »I am, the similarity struck me as soon as Maia appeared here. I wouldn’t have mentioned it if it hadn’t been for Gideon.« 

»Wait, I’m Mandalorian?« Maia found it hard to believe, as much sense as it made. »You are and both of your parents were. Your name is Arana Vizsla, you were born on Mandalore to one of the oldest houses our kind has. One of your ancestors, Tarre Vizsla, was both a Jedi and a Mandalorian too. He forged the darksaber.« Eyes shot over to Din with the last sentence and he looked down to the saber hilt. »Then she should have it,« he responded after a moment, motioning to grab the hilt, but Kryze stopped him. »Di’kut! She would have to win it in combat, I’ve told you. Until someone defeats you, the saber is yours.« Maia didn’t understand anything, neither who Tarre Vizsla was, nor why Din suddenly had a weapon that looked and sounded like it was a lightsaber. And was that a Beskar spear on his back? And she was certain that there was another Mando’a word in there, and she would have to ask him what it meant. 

It was a little too much at once and she looked over to him, brows downturned and eyes big. »Can we please leave?« How was he still holding up so well, had they not been through a lot too? All she wanted was some time to process all of what just transpired as well as finally having him all to herself. There was a lot for them to talk about after the realization had finally settled in that they were reunited. »Let’s go,« he nodded towards the elevator. With a nod towards Kryze and Shand, he had said goodbye and walked alongside Maia towards the elevator. This must’ve been a lot for her to deal with, but he was happy she was back with him. It looked like she would stay this time. 

As soon as the elevator doors had closed and the lift set in motion, Maia pressed the e-brake and turned around to fall against Din’s chest again. He pulled one arm around her and pulled her in, buried his face in her hair once more. »I missed you,« he quietly confessed. He wasn’t sure how uncomfortable it was to hug him with the armor on, but she didn’t complain about any pain. She buried her face in his cape and sniffled, making him pull her even closer. »I’m sorry,« she mumbled into the fabric, barely audible if he hadn’t been so close to her. »It’s okay,« he reassured her. »You’re here now, that’s what matters. It’s a lot for you to take in right now, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you about your dad at a better time, when we were on our own.« He felt her head move in a soft shake no. She leaned back to uncover her face to look at him. Her eyes were a little red now, making the green of her irises seem even brighter. Yes, this definitely was his favorite color. 

Maia freed one of her hands from its glove and cupped his cheek, stroking him with her thumb. The stubble of his beard felt rougher than on Tatooine, had he shaved just recently? »I’m exhausted but I’m fine. Aren’t you tired?« There he was and she took him in. He was handsome, more so than she had thought. Not that it mattered much as her feelings had been there before she knew his face. »It’s a little weird to suddenly see a face with the voice. I’m sorry if my staring is a little uncomfortable,« she explained. »Does it feel weird now that there’s no metal between us?«

His eyes were dark, much darker than she could have imagined even if he had told her. They were beautiful, mesmerizing. Like an endless ocean, dark and mysterious. »It is,« he confirmed with a soft nod. »No one has seen my face since I took my creed and suddenly there’s so many. Today, and also back on Morak where I had to remove my helmet in front of a whole room of Imperials. But it was worth it. Grogu is safe.« She felt for him and rose to her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek. He closed his eyes, his head twitching sideways ever so slightly. »If it felt right to take the helmet off, it probably was. Grogu might not understand what you’re sacrificing, and I might not understand fully myself, but it means a lot to me. One could even say you’re quite pretty underneath that bucket,« Maia told him with a soft smile on her lips. He smiled too, but there was still a bit of pain in his eyes. 

»You think I’m ‘pretty’?« »In a masculine way. Your smile is infectious.« They just stayed like this for a few seconds, looking at each other, faces so dangerously close. Maia really wanted to kiss him again, but she felt this wasn’t the right moment. Din was just as overwhelmed as she was, processing Grogu was now gone and possibly grieving. She would stay. They would find another time to kiss if he wanted to. She grazed the skin on his cheek one last time before she took her hand back, letting go of him entirely. »I assume the ARC is yours and you have a spot for me? We could also take one of the lambdas,« Din inquired. It was justified, she thought, Luke’s X-Wing couldn’t accommodate another adult. »It’s not the Razor Crest but I can take a copilot in. Do you have an idea where to go?« She loosened the brake on the elevator and they descended. 

»I lost everything when my ship was destroyed.« Din didn’t have to tell her again, she remembered when he reached out for her. His voice had sounded so broken. »We should get some money, I don’t carry that much with me. Maybe I have to take on some bounties for the time being.« »We might find you another ship, but you’re right, we’ll need money.« Bounty hunting? Would he be able to take her with him, or would she have to stay behind because it was safer? »You can be the pilot for now,« she let him know, stepping out when the elevator reached the level that would take them back to the hangar. »I don’t want to just take over your ship,« he said, but it really was no big deal. »Don’t worry. You know where to go, it just makes sense that you fly there. You’re probably the better pilot anyway. I’m … just okay.«  She walked beside him, taking the opportunity to take his profile in. Din seemed to be in thought, but he felt her eyes on him. »There is a space port I want to travel to next. Some of the Mandalorians, the covert that once was on Nevarro, might be there. The port is called Glavis, it’s a gigantic ring structure.« Maia nodded. Sounded like a good lead, and now that he had mentioned his covert, she had an idea. »Might they know my family?« 

It was possible, she wasn’t the first Vizsla Djarin had met. There was one in the covert, Paz. Perhaps he was related to her. »If anyone knows, it would be the armorer. House Vizsla is big, though.« He didn’t want to put her hopes up. If Kryze knew her mother, he had the suspicion that Rayssa had not been a child of the Watch. »You take the news relatively well,« he added. Maia shrugged »It is weird to suddenly just … be one of them. It explains why it feels so familiar to me, though, and maybe why I was so opposed to the Jedi codex from the beginning. Maybe I remembered my family deep down. It’s hard to accept, don’t get me wrong, I think I just have to let the news settle.« »It will take some time.« »Will you take me on your hunting trips? If it’s safe?« Din hesitated. »It’s hard to say when it’s safe. It can change within a second, sometimes I have to be spontaneous.«

They walked past the Darktroopers, which were nothing more than piles of scrap now. Din had struggled so much with one, he was so lucky Maia and her master had arrived just in the right moment to save them all.  »You mean like you had to be with the dragon?« A sly grin crept up to her lips and he jokingly rolled his eyes. »I doubt there will be dragons.« They finally reached the hangar and it was time for him to put the helmet back on. There he was again, just how she had known him. Still, it was a little sad she could no longer look at his pretty face. »Last chance: Is it okay I’m flying?« His modulated voice was so much rougher than his unfiltered voice was. The tone didn’t change much, but it lost a lot of its warmth. »Unless you steal the ship and abandon me it should be fine.« He chuckled and shook his head. »I won’t, don’t worry.« 

They boarded the ship, Maia struggling to climb up the ship until she ultimately just jumped up there. As soon as the cockpits were closed, she opened up the radio channel so she could talk to the pilot. »How long will it take us to get to Glavis?« Din flipped a bunch of switches, starting up the engine. »A few hours. You can rest if you want to.« »I don’t think I can,« she sighed. »I could really use a shower and something to eat, maybe I can find some rest afterwards.« She really wanted a warm shower. Hot water on her skin and a perfect little occasion to just let all of the tears out she was holding back right now. While Din agreed they needed to rest, they would have to see how far his credits could take them. »One after the other. We’ll get some food and then find somewhere to stay. Deal?« »Deal.« 

It had gotten quiet back there, and Din asked after a few minutes of silence »Maia?« »Mh?« she sounded exhausted. If only he could’ve hugged her again. »Do you want me to let you sleep?« »I don’t think I can. My thoughts keep racing.« »Do you want to talk?« »About my thoughts?« 

He smiled underneath the helmet and leaned back. »About anything you want. I’ve missed your voice.« 

»I can tell you what I’ve been up to ever since we split.« »For example. I take it that the voice you had been talking about ended up being that Jedi?« He almost referred to him as ‘that guy’. He hadn’t put any thought into it earlier, but he was a little anxious knowing Maia had stayed with him for all this time. He must’ve been around her age too, and a Jedi, just like her. 

»Luke felt a disturbance in the force because of me and offered to help. I guess you could say I found the Jedi before you did.« Din chuckled. »You could put it that way.« So, Luke was his name. Not Master, not his last name. Luke. »He took me in and trained me. It was all we did while you and Grogu were out in the galaxy, probably experiencing one adventure after the other.« Oh how right she was, but most of these adventures had been anything but exciting. »Grogu and I have been through a lot,« he confirmed, his voice a little heavy with grief. The little troublemaker was gone. With Luke, who had spent a lot of time with Maia before taking his foundling in. 

Maia bit her lip, sensing she had struck a nerve when mentioning the child. It was a fresh wound, she didn’t want to keep reminding Din. But there were some things she wondered. »How did you even find the seeing stone? We could feel Grogu so clearly and from what I’ve been told, these old monuments aren’t on any map« »I found a Jedi. Ahsoka Tano.« Did the name ring a bell with Maia? »I helped her free a village and in return she told me about the stone.« 

So he had met a Jedi. Of course Maia had no idea who this woman was, but it didn’t matter now. But if she was a Jedi, »why wouldn’t she take him in herself?« Din sighed. Maybe Maia should change the topic. On the other hand, maybe it helped him to talk to her about this. She knew what Grogu would deal with now. If there was anyone that could help Din soothe his guilt, it was her. 

»She refused,« he explained. »It sounded personal. She said his attachment to me was too dangerous. Her recommendation was to just let his abilities fade and train him like I would a foundling. But I felt like that wasn’t right.« There was a bit of silence from the other end. »I didn’t even know we could lose our abilities,« Maia mumbled. »I doubt you could. You are a Jedi now, right?« 

Maia thought about it. Technically she was. »I haven’t thought about it to be honest. I passed the trials, so … that should make me a Jedi? I – If you think Grogu could have stayed with us, he couldn’t. Just as I had to leave, he will need some distance.« She thought Din had ulterior motives. He did, but his thoughts weren’t even with what she had told him just now. He had wondered what this would mean with her attachment. If she was even allowed to have feelings for him. The way she hugged him, even the way she looked at him, made him think there was something. Something he reciprocated.   

He hadn’t expected this kind of reply, but after an awkward pause he said. »I understand.« Maybe he would have to ask more directly next time. But how could he without stumbling over his words? He pressed his lips together, hoping she would just tell him in due time. »So,« he started. »What are the trials?« 

»Six tests to prove you’re ready to become a Jedi. That you have all the qualities needed to become a warden of peace. It’s trials of skill as well as testing the mind and resilience of an apprentice. For example one trial is enduring great physical pain.« She couldn’t even finish her thought before Din interrupted. »He hurt you?« Her heart sank, that’s not what she had wanted Din to think. »No, he didn’t. My injury on Nevarro was my trial. I – sorry. Bad example. It’s just one of the easier trials to explain.« 

Din took a breath, now realizing himself that his demeanour was a little too much. His jealousy got the better of him in this moment and he just wanted a good reason to justify not liking Luke. »So you trained with him all day?« That was a lot of time to spend with a man. She had only taken three days with him to get him to kiss her. »I did. It was a little strange, I have to admit, but we’ve gotten used to being around one another all the time. It’s better than being abandoned.« That stung. Whether she intended or not, it felt a little like she blamed Din for sending her away. And now she had stayed with a guy for the entire time they had been separated. »You must’ve grown close,« he suggested, dreading his words as soon as they had left his lips. He was a little too exhausted to not let the jealousy overtake him. 

Maia picked up on it. »I would say so. I consider Luke a friend.« Was that enough? Maybe she should change the topic. »Who were the two Mandalorians with you?« »Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska. Her sister was the last ruler of Mandalore before the planet got destroyed.« »How did you meet her?« 

So he told her. From picking up the frog lady on Tatooine, to their little stop on Maldo Kreis with all of the cave spiders and the adventure on Trask. At first Maia was quite responsive, asking questions ever so often, but her interruptions turned to more and more silence. By the time he told her about meeting Ahsoka, Maia was unresponsive and had likely fallen asleep. Maybe listening to him offered the distraction her mind needed. Something to focus on while she fell asleep. 

They made it to Glavis some time later, Maia waking up from her nap when she felt the ship touch ground. While it felt good to get some rest, it was nowhere near enough and she was a little disoriented. She almost fell when she jumped out of the ship. »Let’s get you some food, mesh’la.« Din had his helmet on, who would’ve guessed, and called her mesh’la again. She was pretty to him, even if she looked a little sleepy right now. They walked away from the landing platform, finding a little shop where Din could buy something to eat for the both of them. Maia had regained her energy a little while walking, looking at the credits in his hand. »How much do you have left? Is it enough for a bed?... two beds«

»I don’t think so but maybe we can arrange something. Pay part of the cost now and the rest after I have found a bounty contract. Some cheap motels might be willing to make a deal.« Din didn’t need much to be comfortable. He had lived in his ship for the past couple of years, mostly. »Can I make a counter offer?« Maia asked. The thought of a dirty, run down motel room was a little disturbing, even if she didn’t have to worry about her safety too much. »Sure,« Din shrugged, taking the two containers of stew and continuing the way down the street. »I could abuse my power and get us a nice hotel room. And a bathtub.« »Alright.« That easy? Ultimately it was safer to get a nicer room, and Djarin was curious if she actually could just get them a room for free. It might come in handy in the future. 

Fueled by Din’s permission, Maia guided him towards the less shady part of the station. More and more neon lights showed up on the buildings, tinting everything in pink and blue. Every hotel they passed looked ridiculously luxurious and definitely out of their price range and he wondered by which criteria Maia looked for the perfect accommodation. His heart sank a little when she entered one of the giant hotel towers. He couldn’t even stop her before she halfway jumped on top of the reception to wave her hand in front of the front desk personnel, a humanoid woman. 

It was a little scary how her eyes unfocused as soon as Maia had raised her hand. »You’ll give us a key for the best room you have. With a whirlpool. No one will bother us, we don’t have to pay, and you’ve never seen us. As soon as we are in that elevator, you will delete the security footage.« Din’s helmet turned towards Maia, who did this with an alarming ease. Had she done this before? How must it feel to be influenced like this? He looked over to the receptionist, who slid a keycard over. »Suite 1217 is on the 12th floor. Please enjoy your stay.« 

The brunette turned to him, keycard in hand and a wide grin on her face. She and Din walked over to the elevator, his facade breaking as soon as the elevator doors had closed. »That was a little creepy.« »How else would we get a suite?« »A normal room would’ve been fine for me.« He didn’t need it. He was fine with just a mattress if he had to be honest. »I’m sure you’ll think differently when we’re inside.« The elevator dinged and they were on the 12th floor. She opened the door to the suite and it was … big. They had a table, a bed, and a ridiculously large window that showed the neon-tinted city beneath them. 

Din set the two containers down, removed the spear and jetpack and took off his helmet, sitting beside the table to eat before he would walk all over to inspect the suite. Maia sat with him and they ate. The stew was warm, and while it wasn’t the tastiest meal he ever had, it was satiating. They had a small kitchenette in here, so they had plenty of drinking water as well. »How’s the food?« he asked her in between. »It’s okay. Better than the stuff I had in the recent days,« she explained. Nutri-bars were really anything but tasty. They both smiled. 

Din finished his serving first and he leaned back into the chair. »You can have the shower first.« Maia nodded. »Thank you. I hope it has a tub at least, I want to be cooked a little before I go to bed.«  

After the small but satisfying dinner, Din started taking off his armor while Maia entered the bathroom and was greeted with the blinding white light. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust until she could make out everything. A toilet, a shower, even a washer was installed here. The latter’s presence surprised her, but this was a suite after all. Next to the door hung bathrobes of a very soft and fuzzy bright white fabric. 

Behind a semi-transparent wall, there it was, the whirlpool she had specifically asked for. She dimmed the light to be less offensive to the eyes and debated for a second if she should take the opportunity and use the washer. She quickly undressed and chucked her clothes in the machine, delighted it even had the option to tumble dry. She took one of the robes and went behind the privacy screen. There it was, the pool, flush with the ground level, hidden behind transpari steel that probably was mirrored from the outside. The neon lights were also visible from here, but less stark. Maybe the window in here was tinted for more privacy.

It didn’t take long to fill the pool up with water and she entered the warm bath, leaning on the edge to watch the neon lit city outside. Ever so often she’d see a ship fly by in the distance. The port was busy and yet it was so quiet up here. 

After a while there was a knock on the door. »Maia?« »You can come in,« she answered. Din entered and looked around for a second, somewhat relieved that she was behind that matte screen. »Do you mind if I take a shower? Doesn't look like you need it right now… I can’t see you from there either.« »Go ahead. You can put your suit in the wash, I haven’t started the cycle yet. Don’t worry about me, there’s nothing new to see here for you. Still tattooed, and the back is still covered in scars.« She heard the zipper of his vest, thought for a second about him undressing just a few meters away from her. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the arms she had crossed on top of the pool edge. 

Din wasn’t too amused to hear her talk like this. His voice was softer when he replied »scars tell a story. It’s horrible what you went through. The scars are a testament to the horrors you’ve endured. You survived them. Every Mandalorian would tell you that you’re so strong for persevering.«

Maia scoffed. »Strong. All the Empire did was make me weak and unstable.« For a second the rustle of his flight suit halted. »You’re not weak. Don’t say that.« 

»Of course I am. I’m emotional. Spiteful. I can barely contain myself if I feel like crying. Worst of all, I was isolated for so long, I barely knew how the world worked. I still struggle with it sometimes.« 

»You’re loving despite all of the trauma. They couldn’t take that away from you. It’s commendable.« 

»What is it worth to be loving in such a cruel galaxy? I’m a broken person. My body is mangled. Who could love that?« 

»Maia…« he came closer to the privacy screen. She turned around, seeing his silhouette through the semi-transparent material. He didn’t dare to move a muscle when he heard the water swirl around her moving body. He knew she could see him. »Don’t be so hard on yourself. Your body is still worthy of worship.« 

He just stood there, letting his words marinate. She blushed, undoubtedly so, too taken aback by his words to even speak. While she couldn’t see his face through the screen, she saw his shoulders rise and fall with an audible sigh. His head dropped just the slightest bit as he continued. »I think you’re beautiful… if that matters.« He knew it did. She knew too, but she didn’t say it. 

Din showered in silence, his clothes as well as hers in the wash while both of them enjoyed the hot water separately. There was an uncertainty in the air Maia couldn’t deny. Was it because of all that happened on the cruiser? Gideon’s words still lingered, taunting her and effectively ruining what should have been an important moment in her life. She and Din were reunited and yet she wondered if there was a future with him. She had feelings for him, she had known for a while, and it seemed he did too. But it was a lot. He had broken his creed, with the nice side effect that she was now allowed to see his face, but the consequences would find them soon enough. She had suddenly found a part of herself she had lost so long ago. 

What if Gideon was right?

When the washer let them know their clothes were clean and dry, Din exited the shower, dried off and opened the machine to take out their clothes. Maia, halfway asleep in the warm water, listened to the rustle of him putting his clothes back on. It was Din’s voice, now soft and silky, that pulled her out of her half-dazed state. »Are you okay in there?« She slowly blinked and raised her head to watch him through the privacy screen. »I’m just relaxing, don't worry about me. I haven't drowned yet, it's just so cozy in here.« Maia bit her lip before the invitation to join her in the bath could escape. As enticing as the thought was, Din wouldn't do that with her.

Or would he?

»Din?« »I’m still here.« She saw his silhouette behind the screen, watched as his unruly hair moved when he turned his head towards her. »What are we?« she asked. His shoulders tensed visibly, before he took a breath and replied »whatever you want us to be, cyar'ika.« So she wasn’t opposed to attachments despite being a Jedi? Seemingly taken aback by his own response, Din left the bathroom relatively quickly, leaving Maia to marinate in this feeling of breathlessness. At least she avoided inviting him into the water this way. 

Cyar’ika… she was certain she had heard this word before, but where? And why was Din so adamant about using Mando’a when he knew she didn't understand it. It only ever came out of him in kind of emotional moments. 

She closed her eyes and focused on the word. She heard it before, she knew she had. A different voice, still male, echoed deep in her mind. 

‘Cyar’ika where are you?’ the male voice called out, only to have a female voice reply, ‘We’re in the kitchen, cyare.’ She watched as a woman with long red hair appeared in her peripheral, and then a man joined in. There wasn't much to be seen, dark hair and the rest of his features were obscured. It was like looking through water. Were tears in her eyes? ‘How is the little one doing?’ the man asked, promptly lifting Maia from her seat. And there it was, an unfamiliar face that slowly became clearer as it came closer. ‘She’s been crying ever since you left,’ the woman explained, wiping the small child’s cheeks with her fingers. She was beautiful, and she in fact looked a lot like what greeted Maia in her own reflection. A large hand rested on the child’s back when the man pulled her up to his face, practically burying it in the child's belly. ‘I’ve missed you too, my little star.’ ‘Think you can handle two girls being obsessed with you now?’ the woman teased, causing the man to erupt in laughter. ‘Of course I can. I love you, cyar'ika.’ ‘I love you too, cyare.’ 

Maia opened her eyes, confused what she had just experienced. That was, she was certain, a memory of her parents, pulled back to her conscious because of Din. Tears began to well in her eyes, partially from the sighting of her parents, partially because that meant that Din had just used a term of endearment.

It was finally time to leave the tub, her hands had pruned significantly and the sensation in her finger tips was uncomfortable. She put on her panties and her undershirt and tried to regain her composure, to no avail as Din must've felt the heartache radiating through the bathroom door. Another knock came from the door, but instead of answering, Maia opened the door, her eyes glassy and facing the floor. 

With his thumb and index at her chin, he gently pushed her head upright. »What’s wrong?« His voice was a mere whisper, barely loud enough to hear over the single sob that escaped her lungs. »I’m sorry,« she replied, barely able to contain her voice. »It’s just too much.« She knew she worded this wrong when he let go of her. His hand wandered to her upper arm, resting on her skin as a means to comfort her. His hand was warm and surprisingly soft on her skin. »Do you want to talk about it?« was all he asked. Din was certainly as overwhelmed with the situation as she was, not much of a talker himself usually. Before he had met her, actually. 

»I’m trying. Trying so hard to be good, to not let my emotions rule over me again and ever since I've been back, all I feel like is crying. I was fine with forgetting about my past to focus on the future. Now I know a bit about my past and all it does it haunt me. My parents are most likely dead anyway, like Raymond.« Another sob shook her, tears running down her cheeks. »You just gave Grogu away and have your own grief to deal with, and now you're stuck with me, alternating between crying and a lovesick teenager.« 

There it was. A little confession of feelings, wrapped in between self-pity and justified sadness. 

Finally she found the courage to look at him, his beautiful features tinted in blue, pink and purple. Din looked down at her, his breathtakingly dark eyes staring into her soul. There was a softness and empathy in his down turned eyebrows. »Can I –« he began but sighed and pulled her into his arms, caging her in an embrace. His forehead rested gently against hers. She wrapped her arms around his back and leaned in. Din's chest was so warm and welcoming, only his shirt and hers separating them in this moment. It felt good to be caught in a hug, feeling his heart pound against his chest and hers as well. »Mesh’la,« he began after a moment of silence, pulling her even closer when he felt her lean in. »There’s nothing that could feel better than having you with me right now.« 

She hugged him a little tighter as one of his hand caressed over her back. »I'm sorry about your parents. I'm sure you had a lot of questions and it's unfortunate that they're not here any more. I will help you where I can, I promise.« His head moved away from hers, allowing him to look into her eyes again. »I know that Grogu is in safe hands and that he might return one day, just like you did.« 

She watched as his eyes wandered downwards to her lips for a second. There was a traitorous sparkle in his eyes before he leaned forward and stole a kiss from her. Before she could reposition her hands, however, Din pulled back. His cheeks had turned colors, now a nice shade of red, presumably. It was hard to tell when the whole room was tinted purple. »I’m sorry, was that okay for me to do?« 

She took both hands from his back, cupping his face in them. »Never apologize for kissing me,« she hushed and leaned in for another kiss, more passionately this time. His hand landed on the back of her neck and pulled her in closer. It felt like time was running in slow-motion when their lips connected, sparks flying and her heart rate quickening. She leaned back to allow herself to take a breath. When her eyes opened she saw Din lick his lips before smiling at her. »I’ll remember. I could get used to this.« Did he know what he did to her with just these few words? It seemed he wasn’t done whispering sweet nothings, either. »You’ve turned my world upside down, cyar’ika. Are you aware of that?« 

Maia stroked his cheekbones, trying to find the right words to respond. Because frankly, all she wanted was to kiss him over and over again. »We’ve both sacrificed a lot for this, cyare.« Her hands wandered down his chest, feeling his heart pound underneath his ribs. His heart was racing, as was hers. »You’ve said we are what I want us to be,« she began, trying to find any change in his expression. All she could find was affection. 

His stance was clear. »If you want me, you can have me. If you don’t, we should stop this; I’m sure you can guess which I would prefer.« His hand was still on her neck, his thumb tracing over her skin. »I want to be upfront, I don’t know what my future will look like, but I’d be happy if you were part of it.«

As much as her impulse told her to reply with an ‘I want you’ or say no for a joke, she chose her words more carefully. »Guess that means ‘you and I against the rest of the galaxy’, huh?« He chuckled and nodded. »This is the way.« Her head tilted to the side when she repeated »the way?« Instead of explaining it, Din leaned forward and kissed her forehead. »We should go to bed, it was a long day and we can’t stay here for long in the morning.« He was right, but Maia dreaded having this moment end. 

»No fighting about the bed this time around?« she asked and let go, slowly walking out of his embrace. »Unless you’re not willing to share,« he replied. The bed was definitely big enough for two adults to comfortably sleep in. Something told her a smaller bed would’ve done fine as well, as she would probably take the opportunity to be as close to him as she could. He allowed her to crawl into bed first, and the first reaction she had was to practically melt into the mattress. »Oh kriff I should go back downstairs and get us this room for an entire week,« she whined into one of the numerous pillows, not properly registering when Din also snuck under the cover. Judging by the groan he let out, his back must’ve not had the pleasure of such a soft bed in a while. If ever. »Would you? Stars, I don’t think I’ve ever slept in a bed as soft as this.« Din looked over to her, didn’t have to say much. He was on the side, all it took was for him to raise his arm and she scooted in, snuggled right into his chest. It was a pity that neither him nor her smelled much like anything besides the hotel soap. Still, Maia had her face buried in his shirt and his face was in her hair. »Good night, cyar’ika,« he whispered into her hair, to which she replied »good night, cyare.« 

Notes underneath the chapter whaaaaat 

I don’t really want to add any more of my blubbering, the chapter is long enough as is (and actually I had to split it, there was SO MUCH MORE supposed to happen but I realized this would be a 20k+ chapter. no one needs that) 

I want to take this little break down here to show something that is awfully fitting with the setting in this chapter. My dear friend Rocket (whos also obsessed with Pedro and the color purple) posted a Din piece some time ago and I just… I gasped. 

Do you see the vision? Neon lights (aka Bi lighting) and Din without the armor???

HELLO??? THAT IS DIN IN THE SUITE OKAY 

Props to Maia for not undressing on the spot because gurl I would 

Give Rocket some love:

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

Once Upon a Time on the Razor Crest

AO3 Link Main Master List

THE RAZOR CREST RANCH SEVEN

Chapter 01 | Chapter 02 | Chapter 03 | Chapter 04 |

Chapter 05 | Chapter 06 | Chapter 07 | Chapter 08 |

Chapter 09 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11

THE CRESTWORLD

Chapter 01 | Chapter 02 | Chapter 03 | Chapter 04 |

Chapter 05 | Chapter 06 | Chapter 07 | Chapter 08 |

Chapter 09 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 |

Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15

ON TEMPORARY HIATUS

[dindjarindiaries]

Security - Chapter 67: The Capture

summary: Conflict arises on Mandalore as Astra, Din, and the rest of the scouting party find themselves running into their worst nightmare.

warnings: canon-typical violence, injuries (incl. blood), references to trauma, angst, strong language

rating: T

word count: 5.546k

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chapter 67: the capture

By the next morning’s daybreak, Astra and Din have already been briefed on the new plan. The Armorer is to take the wounded and weakened survivors to the rest of the fleet on the Gauntlet while the rest, most notably their captain, bring the scouting party to the Great Forge. They’ve just helped the Armorer get the wounded aboard when the captain calls to his brethren.

“Onward, Mandalorians!” he commands. “To the Forge!”

Astra, Din, and Grogu stand alongside Bo-Katan as the glider heads further and further away from where the Gauntlet’s now taking off. There’s an ache trapped between Astra’s chest and the beskar armor that covers it. The ship is getting closer to the fleet, where the rest of the Mandalorians continue to wait for them; Where her daughter waits.

Part of Astra wishes she was on that ship right now, heading back to take Zora in her arms and never let her go.

Then the touch of Din’s hand upon her back grounds Astra to reality again, and she doesn’t regret a single effort spent helping him and his people. After all, they’re her people now, too. Astra turns her head to look up at him and the way his visor tilts at her convinces that everything will be okay. Din touches his helmet to her forehead before he steps away to lead the group back towards the rest of the scouting party.

The four of them are on the upper deck looking out at the Mandalorians gathered below when Grogu comes to Astra’s side. She turns her gaze towards him and watches the wrinkles on his tiny forehead multiply. Grogu coos, a question Astra doesn’t need to translate to answer.

Astra just smiles the best she can. Grogu closes his eyes and no later does Astra earn a strong sensation of relieving warmth in her chest. It’s too overpowering to have been caused by Grogu’s energy alone. Astra’s smile becomes more genuine when Grogu reopens his eyes and gives her a hopeful glance. She takes one of his little hands in hers and brushes her thumb over it.

“Thank you,” Astra whispers to him. She lifts her hand to brush her fingers along his ear. Grogu coos as his big brown eyes light up at her.

Astra’s almost surprised by Din taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. She turns her head towards him and finds comfort in the dark void of his visor. Din’s voice is low when he speaks to her. “I felt it, too.”

Astra smiles before her gaze falls to her feet. She hears Din’s armor rustle as he steps even closer to her side and waits patiently for her. Astra tries to piece together what she wants to say in her mind, but each one comes with an apology.

Din’s free hand presses underneath Astra’s chin to urge her to lift her head once again and face him. He keeps his gloved fingers there, encouraging her to seek refuge in him. Astra’s more than grateful to oblige. “It’s okay.” Din’s voice is so soft it crackles through his modulator. He adds a reassuring nod. “I’ve been worrying about her, too.”

Astra sighs and lets her vulnerability show for only just a moment. “Will it always be this way?”

“It will.” Din huffs with amusement and gives her hand another squeeze. “Who are we if not worriers over our loved ones?”

Astra laughs with him and closes her eyes, steadying herself with a breath. “You’re right.” She meets Din’s visor again. “She’s okay.”

“And she’ll continue to be.” Din nods once more before he lowers his hands from her and stands where he was before.

It’s not long before they’re pulled aside by Bo-Katan to discuss the Great Forge in more depth, as well as strategy for multiple contingencies. Grogu has since gone to join the other Mandalorians as they watch Paz and Axe play a board game. Astra checks up on him over her shoulder every once in a while, but what grabs everyone’s attention isn’t from Astra’s own observation. It’s from the heightened volume of Paz’s and Axe’s voices.

Din shares a look with their small group before he stands and makes his way over to the railing. Bo-Katan and Astra follow, and Astra’s close enough to Din to hear the sigh he lets out at the sight of Paz standing with his vibroblade drawn. Astra’s eyes widen as she looks up at Din, who returns her glance with a reassuring tilt of his helmet.

Astra furrows her brow at her husband. “Shouldn’t we do something about this?” she whispers to him.

Din sets a hand on her back and gestures with his helmet to the brewing fight. “Let’s wait and see.”

Astra’s attention snaps back to Paz just in time to watch Axe lunge towards him. The two go back-and-forth with pushes that quickly turn to punches. Astra’s brought back to the duel she witnessed between Din and Paz, though thankfully, the stakes are much lower for her in this one.

Once the fight has gone on longer than expected, Din exhales and lowers his hand from Astra’s back. He swings his helmet towards Bo-Katan. His voice is low when he speaks to her. “Should I step in?”

Bo-Katan shakes her head at him. “Neither side can step in.” She raises her brow at the sight in front of them. “It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

Din shifts his weight between his feet and doesn’t respond. Astra crosses her arms over her cuirass and moves herself closer to his side. Her gaze watches him rather than the fight, but when she follows where his visor is looking, she discovers the real reason for his strong unease. Right near the heart of the fight is Grogu, who wears an expression of distress within IG-12 as he watches the two Mandalorians fight.

Astra’s about to make a move to take Grogu away from the chaos when he takes the initiative of stepping directly towards it. She has to hold back a gasp when he steps between two swinging vibroblades held by the fierce warriors. She’s only a moment from activating her jetpack to make her way down to Grogu when IG-12’s arms push Paz and Axe away from each other.

Grogu’s tiny finger begins to spam the “no” button. “No. No. No. No. No.” A worried stitch sits between his enlarged and pleading eyes.

The tension leaves Astra only when Grogu’s actions get the two warriors to successfully stand down. The shame is clear on both their faces at the fact a child had to step in between them. Paz and Axe share an almost apologetic look before they walk away from each other once and for all.

With the threat to Grogu now eliminated, Astra lets herself smile in pride of their son. She glances up at Din just as he sets a gloved hand on her shoulder, the tilt of his helmet a hint to the smile that’s also shining underneath his beskar.

Her attention is drawn to Bo-Katan when the heiress speaks to them. “You taught your apprentice well.”

Din shrugs and gestures to Astra. “He didn’t learn that from me.”

Astra scoffs and nudges his armored shoulder with her own. “That’s simply not true.” She nods at Bo-Katan. “He taught Grogu very well.”

Din swings his helmet in his shyness. Astra chuckles and watches as he nods in Grogu’s direction. She turns her head and sees Grogu nodding back at him.

Astra grins at Grogu and looks up at her husband once again. “He’s ready to be an apprentice.”

Din tilts his helmet at her. “This adventure’s not over yet, rid’ika.” He softens when he glances at Grogu again. “But I agree with you.”

Astra’s about to say more when a whistle stops her from doing so. “There!” one of the survivors calls out from above them. “On the starboard bow!”

All the Mandalorians on the deck below them rise to approach the starboard bow. Concerned chatter makes its way around the ship while Astra rests her hands on the railing in front of them to get a better view. Din sets a careful hand on her back as he steps alongside her to do the same thing.

That’s when they all see the rock structures in the distance moving. The jagged rocks reveal themselves to be spikes on the back of what’s shaping up to be a massive, and no doubt dangerous, creature.

The Mandalorians prepare for battle and Din wastes no time at Astra’s side in making his way down to the lower deck. She follows him closely, her eyes widening in horror as the horizon disappears and crumbles into crashing rock. The creature emerges from it with a roar that makes the entire vessel shake.

Everyone races to take defensive positions while the survivors attempt to steer the ship away from the massive creature. Their efforts are in vain when the creature rocks the ship so hard that the Mandalorians get knocked from their feet. Din grabs Astra’s waist just in time to cushion her fall however he can.

“Abandon ship!” the survivors’ captain calls out.

Astra and Din make it back onto their feet while the others start to jetpack away, but there’s only one thought screaming in her mind. “Grogu!” she cries out in panic.

Din tries to clear a path for both of them through the masses to get to Grogu, but before they can even get close, both Paz and Axe work together to lift Grogu off the ship. Astra doesn’t have time for relief. Din takes her by the hand to lead her off the ship with him just before the creature’s tail destroys the ship in one blow. Without a helmet, Astra’s face gets hit with small pieces of the debris, causing her to lift her free arm to guard herself the best she can.

They follow the others towards the mouth of a cave. Din and Astra land just outside as the others do, but rather than going right inside, Din quickly turns to Astra and holds her face. “Find Grogu!” he urges her, raising his voice above the commotion.

Astra nods and doesn’t hesitate to comply. The warmth in her chest at the way he stays to help those behind them is overshadowed by her panic as she hops inside the cave and looks for IG-12’s tall figure. Astra doesn’t hold back her deep exhale of relief when she sees him flanked by Paz and Axe just a few paces away. She approaches him and takes IG-12 by the shoulders. “Are you okay?” she asks him.

Grogu coos in the affirmative, yet wrinkles his brow as he points at her face. Astra takes a moment to wipe her gloved fingers over a stinging part of her face and finds a small streak of blood left behind.

“I’m all right,” Astra assures her son. “It’s just from the debris.”

It’s not long before Din makes it over to them. He sets a hand on each of their shoulders. “You good?” he asks, looking between them. They both nod, but Din’s helmet tilts with dismay as he lifts a hand to the side of her head. “Your face is bleeding.”

“Just a couple of scratches.” Astra sets a hand over his. “I’m fine.”

The creature’s roar rocks the cave around them, causing everyone to brace themselves. “We’re not far,” the captain raises his voice to inform the group. “We need to go further down.”

The Mandalorians begin to follow his orders. The captain remains where he is to make sure everyone’s made it ahead. Din, Astra, and Grogu stay together as a unit while they follow the others, making their way deeper into the cave. The further they get inside, the more the rumbling subsides, promising safety in a way that makes Astra’s chest loosen just a bit more.

The twisting tunnels eventually open up into a massive clearing. The group, propped up on a tall ledge, slows as they look out at the wide-open structures in the rock. Grogu coos with curiosity behind Din and Astra as they continue to keep him shielded. Some of the Mandalorians remove their helmets as they stride ahead and observe the space around them. Astra looks up and her jaw drops open at the complexity of the structures that rise tall above their heads.

Din takes a quick glance at Paz, who’s since taken his place alongside them. “Where are we?” Din questions.

Axe becomes the one to answer. “This is what’s left of the Great Forge.” His voice is tense as he goes on. “This was once the heart of our civilization.” He pauses, and Astra exchanges a look with Din. He keeps himself close enough to her side for it to brush against his own. “But the fires have been extinguished since the bombings.”

“You lived here?” Paz asks.

“We all did,” Koska responds.

“We never left,” the captain adds. Astra watches the way he regards the space with such reverence and appreciation. “Survived by migrating along the surface until the war ended. Some tried to explore below, but none survived.”

Silence blankets the area for a moment, but it’s quickly broken by a distant whooshing. Din takes a step forward as his visor rises. “Jetpacks?”

Every head turns at Din’s words. Astra’s eyes start to widen as she spots the group of approaching fighters. “More survivors?” Axe suggests.

When they get closer, his question is answered. “Those aren’t Mandalorians,” Bo-Katan warns, setting her helmet back over her head. The group follows suit and draws their weapons. Astra’s blaster is in her hand and firing without a single moment to waste.

The armored fighters fire without hesitation at the Mandalorians, causing both Din and Astra to continue shielding Grogu with their own armor. Once they’re closer, their white armor becomes apparent, causing the group to fall upon a horrifying conclusion. “They’re Imperials!” Axe says the truth for all of them.

Din turns to Grogu and urges him behind one of the rock structures. “Take cover!” he instructs their son, who obeys without question. Astra and Din continue to remain in front of him as they counter the Imperial attack.

“How did we not run into them our first time here?” Astra asks Din, raising her voice over the firefight.

“We got lucky,” Din remarks. “It makes sense that those TIE interceptors found us on Kalevala, though.”

Their conversation is interrupted by Axe giving a warning to them all. “They’re wearing beskar armor!”

Astra watches Din’s demeanor change even more at those words. His body tenses with volatile anger that Astra doesn’t dare try to control. Wearing beskar without bathing in the Living Waters or taking the Creed is a violation Din takes very seriously. His first meeting with Cobb Vanth proved that.

But this truth also creates a dangerous problem: These Imperials won’t be taken down nearly as easily as the typical stormtrooper.

“We’re pinned down,” Din calls out. “We need backup.”

“I can make a run for the fleet and get us reinforcements,” Axe volunteers.

“No, it’s too far,” Bo-Katan insists.

“I can make it,” Axe assures her. “It’s our only shot at taking the planet back.”

And staying alive, Astra holds her tongue.

“There’s a split in the ceiling there,” Paz observes. “I’ll lay down cover.”

Din and Astra provide extra support as Axe makes his run. He successfully flies his way out of the cave, providing Astra with a moment of relief. It turns to thick dread when a realization falls upon her. “How will he communicate with the fleet?” Astra asks Din. “The atmosphere’s still cutting us off.”

Din tilts his helmet. “Then he’ll fly through it.”

Astra’s brow lifts in disbelief. “Will he make it?”

Din dodges a blaster bolt and reciprocates the blast. “We’ll find out.”

Astra takes a glance around to see more and more Mandalorians falling at the endless rain of blaster fire. The Imperials still have the high ground and the advantage of moving around more easily. Some of them even start to land on the cliff the Mandalorians are pinned to, overpowering them in a way that makes fear claw at Astra’s chest for the first time in too long.

One Imperial tries to fly directly at Din, Astra, and Grogu, but Din doesn’t hesitate to approach him first. He uses a single arm to tackle the trooper to the ground before blasting him over and over again. It’s only when the trooper’s motionless that Din returns to Astra’s side.

“This isn’t a sustainable position,” Astra tells him, her voice strained with worry. “We’re way too exposed here. They’ll pick us off way before backup arrives.”

“I know,” Din agrees. “But…”

He pauses when a shocking shift starts to turn in the tide of the firefight. The Imperials start to fall back, sprinting away from the Forge and the attacking Mandalorians. “They’re retreating!” Paz confirms the sight Astra still can’t bring herself to believe.

“Advance!” Bo-Katan commands the group. She leads the way into the tunnel the Imperial troopers have started to escape through.

“For Mandalore!” some of the group starts to call out while they file behind Bo-Katan.

Din turns around to face Grogu. “Okay, kid,” he’s gentle yet urgent with his words. “You’ve gotta keep up.”

Grogu nods, and the three of them take off without another word. Astra stays at Din’s side with Grogu close behind them, following the lead of the rest of the group. The more they go on, the more Astra notices Din preparing to advance to the front. As badly as she wants to join him, she forces herself to listen to her motherly instincts. “Din,” she calls for him, earning his attention even as they continue to run. “Go ahead to the front. I’ll stay back with Grogu.”

Din gives her a quick glance. “Are you sure?”

Astra offers him a nod and the best smile she can manage. “I’m sure. That’s where you’re needed.” She takes his free hand and gives it a quick squeeze. “Be careful.”

“You too.” Din lifts their entwined hands to his cuirass. “Ni kar’tayl—.”

“—Gar darasuum.” Astra finishes with a fond nod of her head. Din releases her hand and sprints his way to the front, causing Astra to steady herself with a breath as she glances at Grogu. “You’re doing great, ad’ika! Stay with me, okay?”

Grogu nods and keeps IG-12 in stride with her. The tunnel transforms from a cutout in the rock structure to an Imperial-reinforced walkway. The structures alongside them remind Astra all too well of Star Destroyers and light cruisers, like the one she’d once been imprisoned on. She keeps Grogu close at her side and buries her worries in favor of shooting at any of the lingering Imperials. Astra doesn’t have much work to do with Din plowing through them at the front, using his body as a shield. She’s struck with the conflicting feelings of admiration for his strength and worry.

It’s not long before the tunnel at last opens up into an expansive space where the Imperials start to take flight with their jetpacks once again. The group continues to shoot after them, but stops with nowhere left to go. Astra struggles to see from where she stands in the group, but when the group stops shooting in favor of looking around, her stomach drops with dread. All she really needs to see is the collection of TIE fighters docked above their heads to understand what’s happening.

“It’s a trap,” Astra breathes to herself in disbelief.

“What is this place?” Bo-Katan asks aloud.

A hiss from behind them confirms that a blast door’s just locked them inside. Astra’s body finally catches up to her mind as she starts trying to fight her way to the front. “It’s a trap!” she exclaims. Her blood turns to ice when she notices where the threshold of the next blast door is.

And Din’s standing on the other side of it.

“Din!” Astra cries out. “It’s a trap!”

Din whips his head around to face her, but it’s too late. Astra gets to the blast door just as it falls, causing her to run right into it. Her body shakes with a mixture of anger and fear so intense that it consumes her. There’s no way for her to get to him. “It’s an ambush!” Din says the words that only make Astra’s heart fall even more. Now, she’s forced to watch as the Imperials descend upon Din and the other three Mandalorians he’s trapped with.

They’re outnumbered, with no cover and no way for the rest of the group to get to them. “No,” Astra chokes the word out, looking away from the sight only to search the walls for a control panel. “Is there a panel?” She’s in denial the more she goes on. “There has to be a way.”

Astra’s attention is drawn from the things around her when the light of the flames from Din’s gauntlet light up the small space. He’s fighting for his life, and she’s being forced to watch in the cruelest way. The other Mandalorians alongside him have already fallen in defeat, leaving just Din with at least eight Imperials advancing on him.

Astra bangs her fist on the transparisteel of the blast door. “Din!” she calls out. She doesn’t know what else to do or to say. Her body’s in fight or flight and it only intensifies the closer the Imperials get to her husband. The others are still joining Astra in her efforts to take down the blast door somehow, but it’s an impossible task.

One of the Imperials catches Din’s wrist with a fibercord whip. He tries to shoot them down, but there’s too many other troopers to worry about. Astra hits the transparisteel with both her fists, now, the adrenaline masking the ache her desperate actions create. She hits it with all her strength, watching as another fibercord whip catches Din by his neck and pulls him back.

“Din!” Astra’s well aware of the fact her calls for him won’t do anything, but she can’t stop herself. She pulls her fist back to give the transparisteel a full-powered punch, repeating the action over and over again until the skin of her knuckles even underneath her glove goes raw.

Din’s flamethrower stops when his second wrist is caught, leaving him defenseless once and for all. He doesn’t stop fighting even as the Imperials cross over each other to pin Din’s arms against his chest. Astra can only see red when they start forcing Din to his knees, and she’s quick to reach for her vibroblade. She brings her arm back with the intention of hitting the weapon hard enough against the transparisteel to break it, but the motion’s stopped by someone’s grip behind her. Astra fights it until they start to speak to her.

“No,” IG-12’s voice pleads with her. Astra turns her head to face their son, whose expression is just as devastated as Astra’s own. “No.” Grogu lets out a desperate coo, as if he’s begging for her to stop.

Astra nods at him, the action as numb as the sheathing of her vibroblade. She turns back to the sight of Din through the door, who’s now been fully forced to the ground. Bo-Katan sets a hand on Astra’s shoulder, but she can barely sense it. Her attention’s been drawn to someone who’s just landed a few paces away from Din, dressed head-to-toe in black beskar. Their helmet is decorated with red accents and sparse black spikes.

“Disarm him,” their modulated voice demands.

Din struggles against the two Imperials at his sides as they pull whatever weaponry they can away from him. His jetpack and blaster get thrown aside, along with his vibroblade and all of his whistling birds. Astra hasn’t felt this helpless since she watched the cyborg do the very same thing to him.

She should’ve listened to Din’s warning about returning to Mandalore.

The figure in black approaches Din in a sinister stride. Astra’s gloved hands curl up into fists, with one stinging from all of her desperate punches. Once they stop, they tear their helmet from their head, revealing their identity and making Astra’s heart sink into the depths of her being.

Moff Gideon. Moff fucking Gideon.

Astra tries to make another move for the transparisteel, but both Bo-Katan and IG-12 hold her back. Her chest is heaving from anger, desperation, and trauma. She hasn’t seen this man ever since he tried to kill both her and Grogu, and now, he’s taking her husband. Even the blast door between them doesn’t hide Din’s own growl as he’s forced to look up at Gideon.

“Thank you for gathering the Mandalorians into one place,” Gideon begins. Bo-Katan’s hand lowers from Astra as she stares him down through her visor. “You were a talented people, but your time has passed. However, as you can see,” Gideon lifts his arms to show off his armor, “Mandalore will live on in me.”

Astra can’t look away from Din, who once again tries to fight the Imperials’ group on him. They keep him pinned down.

“Thanks to your planet’s rich resources,” Gideon goes on, “I have created the next generation Dark Trooper suit forged from beskar alloy.”

He walks even closer to Din, until he’s standing right in front of him. Astra has to fight her hardest not to try to break through the door once again. Gideon looks at Din as he continues. 

“And the most impressive improvement is that it has me in it. You see, every society has something to offer.” Gideon looks up at Bo-Katan through the transparisteel. “The cloners. The Jedi.” Grogu coos in sadness behind Astra. “And even the Mandalorians.”

The group starts to rustle with unrest and volatile anger at Gideon’s vile words.

“By aggregating the best of each, I will create an army that will bring order to the galaxy.” Astra sees Din trembling with the same fury as herself. “Why don’t we take your fleet off the board while we still have the element of surprise?”

Just when Astra thought it couldn’t get any worse, her own breath goes sour in her lungs. Zora. Din must fall upon the same realization, because now, he won’t stop fighting to free himself.

“Activate the interceptors and bombers,” Gideon orders.

“No!” Bo-Katan gasps in panic.

The Imperials are quick in preparing themselves to get to their ships. Gideon smirks in pure delight and victory. “In but a few moments,” he states, “the Purge of Mandalore will be complete.”

Astra stumbles back a step, her mind now plagued with thoughts she can’t begin to process. Zora was supposed to be safe with the fleet. We thought this through so many times. Astra’s caught by IG-12, and she turns to look at Grogu again. Despite the horrors at hand, Grogu offers her a reassuring look, as if he’s trying to convince her that Zora will be okay. Astra maintains her strength for him and focuses back on Gideon and Din, her anger once again taking precedence.

“It looks like I’m not the only one with new armor,” Gideon says, his gaze now meeting Astra’s own. “Did they give you that after what happened when we last met, Princess?”

Astra sneers at him. “Fuck you.”

Gideon raises his brow, amused. “What a vulgar thing for someone of your rank to say.” Gideon’s gaze falls to Din. “Is that the mouth you kiss?”

“Proudly,” Din doesn’t hesitate to answer.

Gideon begins to smirk at him. “Makes sense with how quickly your family’s grown.”

Din’s voice is a growl more hostile than Astra’s ever heard him before. “Don’t you fucking dare talk about my family.”

“Trust me, we’ll have plenty of time to talk about them.” Gideon nods at the Imperials at Din’s sides. “Take him to the debriefing room.”

The Imperials close in on Din to lift him from the ground and drag him away. Din doesn’t stop fighting even once. Astra wants to do the same, but she also doesn’t want to give Gideon the satisfaction. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in a lame attempt to calm the wave of rage that crashes against her over and over again.

“I should have killed you when I had the chance,” Bo-Katan speaks up.

Gideon turns from where he’s been watching over Din’s removal to meet Bo’s visor. “Bo-Katan.” His voice is light with amusement as he goes on. “We have to stop meeting like this.”

Bo-Katan takes a threatening step closer to the blast door. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Gideon smiles. “Let’s stop the pleasantries, shall we?” His smile drops as he starts to approach the door. “I believe this is the part where you return the Darksaber to its rightful owner.”

Gideon stops and stares Bo-Katan down. She lifts the Darksaber in her hand as if she’s teasing him.

“Now, surrender the Darksaber, and tell these people that this planet is mine.”

Bo-Katan looks over at Astra. She nods at their ally, her patience just as worn as the Mandalorian leader’s. Bo then nods at Paz, who speaks on their behalf. “This is the Way.”

Astra stays at Paz’s side when he leads the group in firing their weapons. She extends her blaster and fires while Bo-Katan makes her way to the door behind them and starts to cut a way out with the Darksaber. “Open the blast doors,” Gideon orders. “Kill them.”

Gideon sets his helmet over his head and flies away just as the blast door opens. Astra watches him and raises her voice loud enough over the firefight for him to hear her. “Coward!” She focuses on protecting Grogu while also making a vicious attack on any Imperial she can reach, using a fluid rotation of her blaster, her vibroblade, and her fibercord whip.

There’s a trail of at least three Imperial troopers at Astra’s feet by the time Bo-Katan gives her command. “Move out!”

“Move out!” the Mandalorians echo.

“Fall back!” Paz insists. “I’ll cover the rear!”

Astra’s tempted to keep killing as many Imperials as she can grab, but for Grogu’s sake, she takes him by the arm and urges them towards Bo-Katan. “Go, go, go!” the Mandalorians continue to call out. They climb out of the circular hole Bo’s carved one-by-one, reentering the tunnel. Astra urges Grogu out before herself.

While they wait for Bo-Katan and Paz, Astra pulls Grogu aside and holds IG-12 by the shoulders. “Grogu, ad’ika,” she says, her voice breathless but certain, “your father and your sister need our help. We need to be at our best for them. Okay?”

Grogu nods, cooing to agree with her. He closes his eyes for a moment before he points towards the direction in which they took Din.

“Can you sense where your father is?” Grogu nods once again. Astra sighs in determination and nods. “Good. Very good.” She starts to deflate and glances over her shoulder at the thought of her daughter.

Bo-Katan’s approach keeps Astra from going on. “Come on,” Bo urges the two of them. “We have to go.”

Astra wrinkles her brow, but obeys the command. “Where’s Paz?”

Bo-Katan’s helmet stiffens. “He’s not coming.”

Astra grabs Bo-Katan by the arm. “What do you mean, he’s not coming?”

Bo-Katan holsters one of her blasters to take a gentle grasp on Astra’s wrist. “He’s sacrificing himself for us. I tried to convince him not to.”

Astra’s gaze falls to the floor. She swallows hard and can barely speak past the lump in her throat. “So many losses.”

“I concur.” Bo-Katan and Astra move forward with Grogu at their side. Bo continues to glance over at Astra. “If you two want to go after Din, you should do it now.”

Astra wants to fall apart just at the sound of his name, but she keeps herself strong. “But, Zora…” Astra can’t make it past her name. The look she gives Bo-Katan is nothing short of desperate.

“We’ll take care of the fleet, including your daughter,” Bo assures her with a firm hand upon her armored shoulder. “Go get your husband.”

Astra takes a deep breath and nods. “Thank you, Bo-Katan.”

Bo returns the gesture. “This is the Way.”

Astra somehow manages to smile at her. “This is the Way.” She wastes no time as she focuses her attention on her son. “Are you ready, Grogu?”

Grogu nods, his brow now etched with pure determination. Astra offers him the smile she’d shown Bo-Katan and lifts her blaster.

“Lead the way.”

Grogu closes his eyes and does what she says, his IG-12 suit using an impressive amount of speed as he takes Astra to wherever Din’s being held. All she can do is focus on him and pray to the stars that they’re not too late.

previous ⟸ masterlist ⟹ next

[celartzee]

Happy Valentines Days, folks!💖

📍Naboo

(those are millaflowers)

[amiedala]

SOMETHING HOLY MASTERLIST

— MAIN MASTERLIST | AO3

SUMMARY: “Mine,” Din is saying like a prayer, “you’re mine.”

There’s a desperation to it, an undercurrent, and Nova unhinges her mouth as Din watches, hard and desperate pressed against her, so desperate that it burns through their clothes. A hymnal, he’s singing, with nothing but the same syllables. It’s desperate, pleading. More than piety. Like a zealot, for her, only for her. Like Novalise is something holy.

— Mandalorians. Jedi. Rebels. The conclusion to the epic love story across the stars—with desecration and divinity in equal measure.

Something Holy is in-progress. Updates release on Saturdays (as frequently as possible) at 7:30 pm EST.

CHAPTER 1: Start at the Beginning

CHAPTER 2: Fault Line

CHAPTER 3: Dangerous Things

CHAPTER 4: Wreckage

CHAPTER 5: The Ghost

CHAPTER 6: Pulse

CHAPTER 7: No Mercy

[hunnythebee]

Stow Away

Chapter 3: Hiding in Plain Sight

A tense day on Nevarro followed by an evening with a different kind of tension. Is she crossing a line or is he?

Warnings: NSFW, NSFT, mentions of trauma, PTSD, crying, cursing, voyeurism, masturbation

Chapter 2 | Chapter 4 | Masterlist

A/N: So I changed up a few things in this chapter. First, it explores third person omniscient territory, giving us a glimpse into our Mando's thoughts as well as the MC. From here on out I intend to include more glimpses into his mind and emotions as well.

Second, finally diving into some smut. I'm excited for that, but I am also a complete plot-whore so it's definitely going to be plot with porn.

And last but not least, I have officially given the MC a name. I hadn't intended on naming her, but I couldn't help it, it just kind of happened.

Hope you enjoy and I look for to seeing you all next week for chapter 4!

It had been awhile since he left. He took the kid with him so she has the whole ship to herself. She searched around for a good hiding spot, which there really weren’t any. Then she had a brilliant idea. She rooted around in her sack and pulled out her hooded cowl and engineer goggles.

Perfect.

She removed a panel on the outside of the Crest and began to do idle busy work. She tucked her hair completely into the hood and pulled the mask up, with the goggles covering the remaining exposed portion of her face no distinguishable features were left visible. She was deep in the panel when two bounty hunters approached the ship.

“What’re you doing here?” The taller one asked, resting a hand on his blaster.

“Workin',” she kept her words short. “You?”

He laughed gruffly, “Workin’”

The two men boarded the Crest. Her hand was violently shaking, but she hid it by throwing them back into work. The two reappeared a minute later, with the carbonite slabs floating gracefully between them. 

“Enjoy your 'work' little lady,” the other said, his voice making her skin crawl.

She swallowed hard and nodded to them. The nod made a small strand of hair peek out from the hood. Her hair was truly her most recognizable feature, it was colored to look like a nabooian sunset, a gradient from purple to orange. The small strand was a blaring siren, begging to be noticed, but lucky for her they’re backs were already turned to her. She quickly tucked the strand back in and shoved her head into the ship compartment. Once their gravelly footsteps receded, she hustled back onto the ship and closed the ramp behind her. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she crumpled to the cold floor, allowing her emotions to pour out. A sob echoed through the quiet hull. She let her tears flow. Mando didn’t remind her of him. But those men, those hunters did. After the tears slowed she took a few deep breaths. Just in time too, because the gangplank lowered, and the Mandalorian boarded the ship. She wiped away at her eyes, hoping her breakdown wasn’t too apparent on her face.

It was.

Mando noticed immediately. Her nose was pink, her eyes were swollen and red. Her cheeks still had faint tear stains on them. He felt a protectiveness come over him. He wanted to ask who had done this to her. He wanted to make them pay. More than anything he wanted to pull her in and make her feel okay. All of this ran through his head as he simply stood there, staring at her.

She can never know. He warned himself.

“H–How’d it go?” She asked, wanting to break the silence.

“The usual.” His voice sounded so distant. Realistically, he was just lost in thought.

“The…usual?” she questioned.

“Got my payment. Got more bounties.”

“Ah. The usual. Got it.” She began to walk towards her cot, but he stopped her in her tracks with his next words.

“I brought food.”

“You… brought food?” She echoed.

He silently held up a satchel, burstin with assorted produce and meats.

“You brought food.” She said once more, feeling a sense of safety nudge at her heart.

He handed her the satchel, and she examined it closely.

“Hmm… I know exactly what to make from this,” and she left for the galley. He remained cemented to the spot. Silently swearing to himself to learn why she had been crying and to never let it happen again.

A few hours later, they were in orbit of Nevarro and she was putting the finishing touches on a roast. They hadn’t spoken since he had given her the food, she had plunged herself into cooking. It was mostly an attempt to recover from the flashbacks of earlier, and it mostly worked. 

She shouted out of the galley up at the cockpit, “Food’s ready! Come get it while it’s hot!” 

She fixed the three of them plates, and set one plate down at the spot he usually sat in. She and Grogu took the seat that they had been in before, their backs to the seat he would take. Grogu was already finished by the time she heard Mando’s boots hit the floor. She had, unwittingly, waited for him to start eating. She heard his helmet depressurize and she started to eat her meal with him. She nearly choked when she heard a sound from where the Mandalorian sat. He had taken a bite and moaned. He kriffing moaned, and it made her freeze completely. She couldn’t see it, but he had frozen too. Shocked by his own involuntary noise. He knew she had heard it, because he heard her gag on her food. Heat crossed his face and he was never more thankful for the Creed than in that moment.

They ate the remainder of the food in complete silence. He collected the plates when they were finished, and she put the now sleeping child to bed. She was closing the crib when he reappeared. His visor was fixed on her and it sent a shiver through her body.

“I liked it.” He spoke abruptly.

“Hmm?” She asked as she slumped back down into her seat.

“The food. I liked it.”

“I bet.” The tease slipped out before she could process what she was saying. Her whole body tensed.

“What was that?” He asked, taking a step toward her.

She stood and moved backward, “N–nothing. I’m glad you liked it.” The nerves caused her voice to quiver slightly.

He stalked closer. “That’s not what you said.”

She tried to turn, wanting to hide in the 'fresher, but his hand snatched her wrist and pulled her to the wall. Pinning her between him and the cool durasteel. Her heart was thundering in her ears. She should have felt scared but this was different. Less threatening. Probably because he wasn’t holding a blaster to her this time.

“What. Did. You. Say.” He was impossibly close now. He smelled like her blanket.

No… she thought, the blanket smells like him.

She steadied herself for a moment and committed to the teasing.

“I said, ‘I bet.’ As in I bet you liked my cooking. At least it sure sounded like you were enjoying it.”

He hovered for a moment. He was contemplating something. She assumed he was debating whether to smack her for taunting him or not. In reality he was contemplating her. Her body. Her face. How good she would feel when he– 

Stop!

His internal voice screamed. And he finally released her, quickly leaving for his bunk. The door hissed shut behind him before she even had a chance to move. She slid to the floor. She was dazed and confused by the bizarre interaction that had just occured between her and the Mandalorian. He didn't seem angry. In fact he had seemed... Excited. A heat settled low in her body, which she elected to ignore.

That's absurd. No way was that what had been happening.

She shook the thoughts out of her head and finally stood up from the floor. She still wanted to shower before bed. The scent of ash and smoke was clinging to her hair and she craved the scent of the soap. She didn't take long, focusing mainly on her hair. She stepped out into the hull and the quiet was deafening. All she could hear was the soft breathing of the child on the other side and... She froze.

She heard a moan. Before tonight she wouldn't have been able to place it but now she knew exactly what she was hearing. She was planted to the spot. Not moving. Not breathing.

Another moan ripped through the quiet.

Her eyes found his door, lit dimly by the light of the refresher. The warmth she had felt earlier returned, this time it was less bearable. Her body moved without her willing it to, and she found herself in front of his door. She wasn't sure what she was doing there. This was a private moment. An intimate moment she wasn't supposed to bear witness to, yet she couldn't keep herself from listening. She chewed her lip for a moment and wrestled with herself internally.

After a moment of contemplation, she pressed her ear to the door. She wanted to hear more. His moans were hot and it had been so long since she had been a part of anyone's pleasure, so she indulged.

The moaning was expected, as were the whispered curses. What she hadn't expected was what he groaned out as his orgasm slammed into him.

"Jomira..."

She stumbled back. That was her name. He was moaning her name. Her heart raced as she rushed back to her cot and quickly climbed under the covers. His voice echoed in her mind.

Impossible. I just imagined it. That's all. Still...

She pressed her thighs together. Her arousal had reached a fever pitch and it was becoming a problem. She reached over and shut the child's crib. Then she slipped her hand below her waist band. She was soaked. Her pussy. Her thighs. Imagined or not, he had an effect on her that she could not deny.

She pressed her middle finger to her swollen bundle, working it in slow, precise circles. She whimpered quietly and covered her mouth quickly with her free hand. She continued working herself closer to release. She could feel it, she was on the precipice. Just as it poured over her the door to the Mandalorian's bunk slid open. She jumped, throwing the hand that had been covering her mouth over her eyes, burying her face in her elbow. The hand that had been working so desperately for her release was trapped between her legs. Her orgasm made her throb against her fingers, the ruined release causing her cunt to clench and spasm.

Neither she nor Mando moved. She took a deep, slow breath, feigning sleep. She prayed to the Maker that he hadn't seen her, that he would just assume she was asleep and leave. After another beat, she heard his boots move. They ascended the ladder, followed by the cockpit door hissing open and then shut.

She let out a sigh and removed her arm from her eyes and her hand from her pants. Her heart rate slowed finally, and her eyes began to feel heavy. Sleep fell heavy onto her body and she knocked out quickly. She dreamt of him that night.

Chapter 2 | Chapter 4 | Masterlist

[wild-karrde]

Hi! I saw your fandom rec post and wanted to submit a thing. This is a self rec, by the way! So it's on Ao3, under the pseud Star Princess, and it's a 7 part fanfic series for The Mandalorian. It does feature my own oc as a main character and inserts her into the main plot of the show (plus includes my own plotline in the seventh part). The link isn't working, so the series is called The Mandalorian and the Alkavarian (I'll DM the link to you).

I wrote this series into existence for over a year, and it made me really happy. It also inspired me to watch other Star Wars shows (Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch) and now I'm planning fics for those shows too! The Mandalorian and this fic series essentially made me into a big old Star Wars nerd, and I really want to share the story with other people. If it's easier, I have a masterpost pinned on my blog page!

It's not NSFW but does include mentions of more mature themes (a glance at the tags will probably give you an idea?)

Anyway, I think this is a really cool thing you're doing, and I'm excited to see the other recs you get.

Heck yeah! I love everything about this! We don't always get a lot of Mando fics on FF, so I am HYPED that you've sent your series in! Vasara's past seems so heartbreaking, but I love the thought of seeing how she fits in with Din and Grogu. And I'm so glad that you got inspired to watch other shows (I say this as someone that writes for a LOT of TCW/TBB characters). Thanks so much for sending this in!

Link

Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)

[totallywizard]

Lucky Stars (2)

Here's the second chapter of this story (because I've found new motivation to keep writing it).

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what direction this is going in story-wise, I mainly just have a lot of ideas that I need to pick and choose from in a way that makes sense. I guess we'll see where this road leads!

This chapter takes place sometime during early season two (except for a brief part at the end, after the page break).

Warnings: Nothing to worry about (I think).

CHAPTER II: Crossed Paths

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Believe it or not, Canto Bight had a library.

And why in the galaxy would a city like Canto Bight, a playground for the wealthy, have something as tame and mediocre as a library?

Well, not all of the city’s buildings could be casinos, ractracks, cantinas, clubs, resorts, and hotels.

Nova, understandably, was shocked to learn such a thing. In fact, she’d refused to believe that this library actually existed until she was standing right outside its ornate glass doors. It was there, alright---and just like everything else in that chaotic city, it was way too extravagant.

It was without a doubt the fanciest library she’d ever seen. The place was so lavish that it didn’t even look like a library from the outside. She’d of course prefer this place’s extensive archives to some one-room, run-down old shop, but still…the whole thing was ridiculous. She was surprised that there wasn’t a sabacc table to be seen in the whole building.

She’d decided to revisit a different approach to her “finding my brother” problem. Instead of finding a solution through the Force and other means, which hadn’t been working so far, perhaps there was a solution to be found in lore and scientific facts? If she learned all she could about purrgil and hyperspace travel, then maybe she’d get closer to figuring out where he could be. At the very least she might figure out, conceivably, how far into space it was possible to go in those very specific conditions.

A part of her was afraid of what she would find. But she had to look.

And why a library on Catonica, of all places? Well…it had been the closest system at the time. She wasn’t sure she had the patience to go all the way to Coruscant for this, and even if she did, she’d already been to more archives there than she could count.

At the moment, Nova was walking through a wide, busy street in search of an inn. After spending nearly all day in Canto Bight’s library staring at datapads and monitors, she was more than ready for a good night’s rest. She’d actually remained here longer than she’d originally intended, hence the need to find suitable lodging for the night—something cheap, but still with a decent bunk to collapse into.

Even in a heavily crowded city such as this, Nova wasn’t too concerned with there being no available rooms---at least, not at the small inns. The majority of beings that came here were elite and wealthy in at least some capacity, and so would flock to the fancy hotels and resorts that were on every street corner. That left the smaller, not-so-grand inns more accessible to those with fewer credits (like her).

But since there were so many expensive hotels around, local inns were a bit few and far between. The problem wasn't a lack of places to stay, but in actually finding a cheap one.

Nova was trying to navigate through the mess of neon signs that littered every wall and building. She read each one, trying to find a place labeling itself as anything resembling an inn. Staring at such bright lights after staring at screens and holos all day practically guaranteed that she’d get a headache later, but what choice did she have?

The signs seemed to go on forever, and the same words were repeated too many times to count. Shop… Shop… Club… Fortune teller… Club… Br--- Yikes, that was definitely not a family-friendly place… Another shop… Speeder vendor…

“Outta the way!”

The outcry was loud enough to be clearly heard over the buzz of chatter filling the busy street, and therefore drew most of the attention. Nova stopped walking and turned toward where it had emanated (and was honestly glad for any reason to stop staring at those stupid neon signs). She was mildly surprised to see a blue-ish Rodian shoving his way through the people in the street, clearly running from something. He didn’t look completely terrified of whatever he was running from, but he did have a sort of cocky demeanor about him. Seeing others being shoved out of his way, people began to move from his path.

“Too quick for you, bounty hunter!” he shouted behind him as he ran.

Yeah, definitely cocky.

A bounty being chased through the streets of Canto Bight was nothing new. As Nova understood it, it actually happened quite often. Bounties probably thought they could get lost in a city like this, making it really hard for their enemies to find them.

The bounty hunter the Rodian had been jeering at was quick to appear around the same corner he’d come from. When Nova caught sight of him, she immediately did a double-take.

It was that shiny Mandalorian! The one from Alun.

Well, it was possible it was someone else---but what other Mandalorian had she ever met with beskar armor that shiny and new? His presence felt familiar, too.

Nova found herself glad to see him. If he was here, then his little green Yoda-child couldn’t be far behind, right? The possibility of seeing the child again made her lips quirk upward.

The Mandalorian, taller and bigger than the scrawny Rodian he chased, was quickly closing in on his quarry. Nova found herself intently watching it unfold, on the edge of her imaginary seat. Once the crowds had cleared enough and the space between them was clear, the Mandalorian threw out his arm. A whipcord shot out of his vambrace, heading right for the Rodian’s legs.

Nova thought the Rodian was done for, but apparently he was ready for it. Just as the whipcord was about to wrap around his legs, the Rodian pushed a button on his wrist cuff. Immediately, small boosters activated on his boots--rocket boots, apparently--and he was launched up into the air. The whipcord wrapped around open air, and the Rodian laughed from where he was hovering several feet off the ground.

“Hah!” he laughed. “Missed me!”

What Nova ended up doing next was purely an act of instinct. With a subtle wave of her hand at her side, she used the pull of the Force to grab hold of one of the boosters of the Rodian’s rocket boots. A small flick of her wrist, and the thing was crushed.

The booster immediately died, and the mechanism began sparking. With only one boot working now, it was more of a hindrance than an asset, and the Rodian was quickly thrown off balance. He went lurching to the left, crying out as the one booster propelled him sideways in the air. He made to land as soon as he could, although it was difficult with the one working boot constantly tripping him up.

By the time he’d managed to touch the ground again--collapsing more than landing--the Mandalorian was waiting for him. He quickly grabbed and detained the Rodian, successfully capturing his bounty. Some enthusiastic onlookers even applauded him.

It all happened so fast. Nova had reacted before her mind could catch up with what she was doing. She’d just…felt this overwhelming instinct to help, and the Force took over. It certainly wasn’t the first time it had happened, and would no-doubt not be the last.

Still, Nova didn’t wish to draw any attention. As much as a part of her wanted to speak to the shiny Mandalorian again–as visiting with him might mean she’d get to see the little green guy–she knew it would be safest if she just left unseen. Nobody had noticed her use of the Force, or any connection between her and the Rodian’s sudden bad luck. She wanted to keep it that way. The Empire’s remnants were on her scent. In a heavily populated world such as this, who knew how many informants they might have? You never knew where they could be nowadays. Plus, according to her intel, there was that new organization that’d recently formed that put up the front of being a science research group but in reality had been commissioned by a Moff and didn’t want anybody to know it so that the Empire could secretly operate through them---

Yeah, time to go.

So as the Mandalorian handled his quarry–he seemed to be handing him off to the local authorities, perhaps they’d offered a reward to hunt the Rodian down–Nova turned and quietly slipped away before she could be noticed.

Or, well…she tried to.

Nova only made it a few steps toward the next bright neon sign when she heard a very familiar coo. Even though the ambient crowded-street noise was slowly returning, she could still make out that little sound. Turning, she looked down and saw none other than the green wrinkly Yoda-child waddling over to her as fast as his little feet could carry him. She sensed recognition and excitement from him, and it did well to warm her heart. Despite being noticed before she could slip away, she had to smile as she saw the child again.

Oh well, she thought, conceding. “Hey, green bean!” she enthusiastically greeted him. 

As soon as she knelt down to his level, he came barreling into her outstretched hands. He was all too happy to be swept up into her arms again, cooing and giggling as she dramatically hoisted him upward when she stood. She could clearly feel the joy coming off of him in waves.

“Have to admit, I hoped I’d get to see you again,” she admitted to the child.

The green child let out a small cry, as if agreeing with her.

Nova chuckled. “You ran off from your Mandalorian again, bug,” she told him, stating a fact rather than scolding. “You know you’re not supposed to do that.”

Just like the first time, the Yoda-esque child seemed pretty unbothered by it. As she finished speaking, Nova looked up to find the Mandalorian in question. She spotted him and his shiny armor just in time to see him frantically swinging his helmeted head around, searching for his missing kid. Nova had to hold back an amused snort at the funny sight. She stayed put, and he quickly found them where she stood on the side of the street. Immediately, he made a beeline toward them.

“Oh look, here he comes,” Nova announced to the green child staring up at her. “Somebody’s in trouble, and I know it’s not me.”

The child merely blinked, tilting his head. Still very unconcerned.

She was struck with deja vu as the Mandalorian purposefully strode over to her, though it wasn’t quite the angry stomping it had been during their first encounter. The colorful lights from the neon signs hanging around reflected off of his incredibly shiny beskar, making him look like some sort of deadly disco ball. A floating pram hovered closely behind him, which Nova could only guess belonged to the green child in her arms.

Nova offered the Mandalorian a friendly smile as he halted in front of her, even though she was already reluctant to let go of the wrinkly child she’d just picked up. “Hi,” she greeted him. “You probably don’t remember me—”

“I do,” the Mandalorian interrupted, nodding his head once.

Nova blinked. She was pleasantly surprised that he recognized her, despite only meeting each other once before. She didn’t consider herself to be all that memorable—unless of course, she had her lightsaber out. That usually stuck in people’s memories pretty well.

“Your little one must have remembered me, too,” she stated, smiling down at the wide-eyed child in her arms. “Ran right up to me just like the first time.”

He sensed me is more like it, she thought to herself.

“He climbed out of his pram,” the Mandalorian guessed, sounding only a little annoyed. Nova guessed that he’d probably already gotten onto the child for doing so multiple times. “He knows he’s not supposed to do that.”

She chuckled. “Kids will listen only until their priorities change.”

The child let out an absentminded coo, staring up at Nova with those incredibly innocent eyes of his. It was definitely a face you couldn’t stay mad at for long, no matter what crime he’d committed.

“Well,” Nova conceded, turning her gaze back to the Mandalorian, “you’re probably busy, so I’ll just let you two be on your way.” As much as she wanted to keep holding the green Yoda-child forever, she knew that he belonged with his guardian.

Nova began to hand him over, but it seemed the child had other ideas. Immediately, he latched his tiny claws onto her arm and started to make little indignant noises of protest. It seemed as though she wasn’t the only one reluctant to part again.

“Come on, green bean,” Nova chided. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

The pointy-eared child still fussed, refusing to let go. The Mandalorian reached out to try and pry him from her arms, but that only made it worse. The child latched on harder, and his protestful noises turned into sobs.

“Dank farrik,” the Mandalorian cursed. “He’s never fussed this much.”

Nova was just as confused as he was. Well, maybe she had a little more information. The child and her had both connected through the Force the first time they met, and that connection felt even stronger now that they were reunited. But she was still unclear as to why the child didn’t want to leave her arms so badly. Did he just want to be near a kindred spirit? Did he sense something in her?

“I have no idea why,” was what Nova said. She struggled to pry the green child off her arm so the Mandalorian could take him, but the kid was just too clingy and slippery.

As the child continued to loudly fuss, more and more random passersby stopped to stare at them. Eventually, the Mandalorian grew tired of it all and let go of the child, taking a step back. “Alright, alright.”

When the Mandalorian gave up trying to grab his child and Nova stopped trying to hand him over, he immediately calmed down. He smiled up at Nova and happily cooed, abruptly shifting from upset to content. He still gripped onto her arms.

“You’re a stubborn one,” Nova stated, smiling despite herself. She met the Mandalorian’s helmeted gaze, feeling guilty for unintentionally causing this problem. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he liked me that much.”

The Mandalorian sighed. “Not your fault.” His dark visor was pointed at his little green charge. Nova couldn’t see his face, but she was almost sure he was glaring.

“Maybe you can lure him away with food,” Nova suggested, only half joking. She studied herself, looking down at her belt and its pockets. “I think I have a ration bar stowed away somewhere…”

Nova had already shifted the child into one arm and had begun rifling through her pockets before the Mandalorian spoke again. “I was going to take him to get some dinner. He won’t be letting me take him from you anytime soon, so…” He paused. He seemed hesitant, almost. Shy? No, Mandalorians weren’t shy. “You could…come with us?”

Nova was surprised by his offer—but pleasantly so. Getting to hang out with a Mandalorian and his adorable, green, wrinkly child? Nova had been on her own for so long now that secretly she was itching for companionship. After all, she’d never really been alone her whole life. Technically she never was really alone, but traveling by herself for a year now made her realize that this was the longest she’d ever been on her own.

Her first instinct was to say yes, but of course her polite side urged her to make sure it was really okay. “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose---”

“You’re not.” The Mandalorian was quick in his reply. Perhaps too quick? He seemed to make himself backtrack a little. “I mean…the cantina’s right over there…and the womp rat really does need to eat soon or he’ll get crankier than he already is…”

Nova looked down to meet the green child’s gaze as he spoke. He gazed up at her with those giant, dark eyes, seemingly pleading and just way too darn adorable for her to refuse.

“Okay,” she agreed, trying to keep her voice level but struggling to contain her excitement. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

The Mandalorian nodded. He paused for a moment then stepped back, wordlessly turned, and began walking off. Nova took the cue and immediately followed him, the little one still safely tucked in her arms. He had this big close-mouthed grin on his face, happy that he was getting his way. He cooed up at her, and she shook her head, more amused than anything.

This certainly wasn’t what she’d been expecting to happen tonight. Just minutes earlier, all she’d wanted was to find a quiet room to herself and a bunk to collapse into. Now the fatigue previously creeping into her bones had been forgotten, replaced with excited anticipation for a dinner with…

What exactly could she call the Mandalorian and his little green ward? Her acquaintances? Peers? …Friends? No.

Well, good company at any rate.

The Mandalorian seemed to know his way around the bustling Canto Bight streets far better than Nova did (which only made sense—she’d never been here before). She was happy to be able to turn off her mental navigation for a while and allow him to lead her to wherever they were going. Eventually, they turned down a quieter street and he stopped in front of a rather friendly-looking establishment. Friendly for Canto Bight, anyway.

Before Nova knew it, the Mandalorian had led her inside and was making their way to a booth in the back corner, where there was a little more privacy. Nova soon understood why: as they entered, tons of eyes had turned toward the shiny, intimidating, armored figure entering the cantina. The poor guy probably had people staring at him wherever he went. No wonder he wanted a secluded spot to sit.

He seemed otherwise unbothered by it. It was hard to tell with the helmet on.

This whole thing sounded like the beginning of a funny joke. A Mandalorian and a Jedi walk into a cantina… Nova bit back a smile at the thought.

Nova sat down at the table her newfound acquaintance had chosen, the child still tucked in her arms. The Mandalorian sat down across from them, and the empty pram remained floating at his side. Almost immediately after sitting down, a droid wheeled up to them.

“Welcome!” it cheerfully greeted. “What may I get you this evening?”

Nova hadn’t had any time to do more than glance at the rather expansive menu hanging above the bar nearby. Before she could politely ask the droid for some time to peruse her options, the Mandalorian spoke up first.

“Two bone broths,” he stated.

“Right away.” The droid wheeled away, as quickly as it had arrived.

The Mandalorian turned his attention back to her, his helmet tilting. “I, uh…hope that’s okay,” he said in a much less sure tone.

Nova smiled to ease his doubts, shaking her head. “That’ll be just fine.” Honestly, she was a little relieved he’d ordered for her. The cantina’s menu was huge, chock-full of things she’d never heard of, and she was only just realizing how hungry she was. Certainly too hungry to waste several minutes trying to decide what she wanted to eat.

A thought struck her, and she frowned. “Wait, you only ordered two,” she pointed out.

He nodded to confirm. “One for the kid, one for you.”

“You’re not eating?” Nova couldn’t understand. Why would he invite her to dine with them, but then order nothing for himself? “Come on, you must be starving after chasing down that Rodian for Maker-knows-how-long.” It wasn’t fair if he wouldn’t even get to eat.

“It’s okay,” the Mandalorian assured her. He seemed very okay with the prospect of not eating dinner. As if he were…used to it? “I’m not hungry.”

Nova sensed that was a lie, but let it be. “If you’re sure,” she replied. If he didn’t want to partake in a meal for reasons of his own, then it was no business of hers. Even though it bugged her.

So, he…wouldn’t be taking his helmet off, then. Strangely, Nova found herself just the slightest bit disappointed. She’d been mildly curious about what this mysterious lone Mandalorian looked like beneath his shiny beskar helm. Then again, if he didn’t want to expose his face in a heavily crowded cantina in a seedy city like Canto Bight, then she couldn’t blame him one bit.

She was just too used to Mandalorians removing their helmets all the time, apparently.

Nova and the Mandalorian found themselves in the midst of a slightly awkward silence then. It would take time for their food to arrive. Nova figured she could occupy herself by making faces at the green child in her arms, but at the same time she didn’t want to just sit in silence until the food arrived. So, as she listened to the child’s cooing and pretended to understand what he was saying, she also wracked her brain for a conversation starter. Mostly because the Mandalorian sitting in front of her didn’t seem like the type to initiate conversation. At all.

“You’re a funny little boy,” Nova told the child as he motioned around with his hands. “I hope you’re not always this mischievous for your Mandalorian.” She half-directed the comment at said Mandalorian in the hopes that it would get him to speak.

After a brief moment, she found that her efforts were successful. “He behaves, from time to time,” the Mandalorian admitted. “When he feels like it.”

Nova smiled. “Not when I’m around, apparently.”

The conversation could’ve naturally ended there, short and sweet. She was happy she’d even got the Mandalorian to respond at all. Just because they were dining together didn’t mean that she expected him to chat with her the whole time. But he didn’t seem to mind…and she had to admit, she was curious about more than a few things.

She decided to try and press her luck a little. She turned her head to better face the Mandalorian, her hands still occupying the child as she did. “So…how did you two end up together, anyway?”

The Mandalorian didn’t answer right away. The longer the silence stretched on, the more Nova began to worry that she’d overstepped. He deserved his privacy, she didn’t want to pry…

Eventually, he replied, “It’s complicated.”

“I guessed as much,” she said. Quickly, she added, “You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.” She felt a little bad for putting him on the spot, so she elected to go back to playing with the little green child. If he wanted to answer her, that was his decision. If not, then Nova would just have to ignore her curiosity.

She estimated that it was a full three minutes before the Mandalorian chose to speak again. When he did, she turned her attention back to him, attempting to mask her pleasant surprise.

“He was a bounty,” the Mandalorian revealed. His words made Nova immediately stop what she was doing. “I…rescued him.”

Nova’s mouth gaped open a little bit, and she shut it as soon as she was aware. Glancing back down at the child, she was met with his large, dark, innocent eyes and gap-toothed grin. This child was a bounty?

She scowled. “What slimy piece of worm-ridden filth would put a bounty on a sweet child like this?”

The unspoken question: Why?

The Mandalorian folded his arms over his chest. “He’s…special.”

That made Nova freeze a little. Did… Did he know? Did he know about the child’s…abilities? She’d assumed that since he was Mandalorian (and a very traditional one, from what she knew of him thus far), there was no way he’d allow a Force-sensitive child to travel with him. But…then again, she knew quite a few Mandalorians who didn’t hate Jedi. In fact, her best friend was a Mandalorian. Could this Mandalorian know that the child was Force-sensitive and…be perfectly okay with it?

It was possible. That certainly was what Nova hoped was the case. But…if somehow he didn’t know, then she didn’t want to be the one to reveal it to him. As before, she had no intention of ruining the good thing this child had going for him.

Nova changed the subject before the silence became awkward. She asked another question that came to mind. “Is he your foundling?”

“...Yes.” The Mandalorian seemed a little caught off guard. “You…know about foundlings?”

She grinned at him. “Believe it or not, I actually know quite a bit about Mandalorian culture.”

The Mandalorian seemed to accept this. “My creed says that until I can return him to his own kind, I am…his father.”

Nova could hear the emotion accompanying his voice. She could tell he felt a little daunted by the role, but…definitely not opposed. His visor tilted downward toward his little green charge. The child seemed to sense the eyes on him, and met the Mandalorian’s gaze. He cooed at him, and Nova thought she heard a faint chuckle emerge from the helmeted head. 

The sight warmed her heart. “He seems to like you very much,” she observed, sending a warm smile the Mandalorian’s way. “I think you’re doing a good job.”

The dark visor settled on her again. Without seeing his eyes, it was hard to tell what he was thinking at the moment. Unable to maintain contact with his helmet’s gaze, she turned her attention back to the child. He was still looking at his Mandalorian, so maybe while he was occupied she could…

She ever so slowly tried setting him down on the table so that the Mandalorian might be able to pick him up. But alas, as soon as he realized what she was doing he let out an indignant coo, latching back onto her arm and fussing until she stopped.

“Nope, okay, still don’t want to be put down.” Nova sighed. It’d been worth a shot, right? The child stared up at her with those…infuriatingly innocent eyes of his. “Maybe when your food gets here,” she mused. She was still supportive of her theory that only food would get him to move at this point.

As the child settled back into her arms, Nova glanced around the crowded cantina. It was busy here tonight. No wonder their food was taking so long. 

The Mandalorian sat silently across from her, stoic as ever. She mentally debated with herself. Should she try to talk with him more, or just leave him be?

Her want for socialization eventually won out. “Well,” she began, “since I interrogated you, feel free to ask me something. If you want.”

She mentally facepalmed. Eloquent, as always. Why was she acting so awkward? She was usually much more put-together. Maybe the apparent strong Force connection to the child was throwing her off.

“What, uh…”

Nova was startled by the sudden speech from the Mandalorian, having not really expected him to actually find something to ask her. As soon as she focused her attention on him again, he found the words to speak.

“What...brings you to a planet like this?” was the question he came up with.

For some reason, it made Nova chuckle. Embarrassed, she cleared her throat. “I definitely don’t seem like the type, right?” she confirmed. “I’m not. Honestly, I considered buying some fancier clothes for myself just so that I wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb.” She chuckled again, a bit more composed this time. Then she paused, contemplating. He’d been honest with her so far (she could sense that) so the least she could do was be honest with him. Even if bringing up the subject would only make her unhappy again… “I came to visit their holo library. I…” Come on. Spit it out. Remember not to mention his name. “I’m searching for my brother.”

She didn’t have to be Force-sensitive to see that those words had grabbed the Mandalorian’s attention more effectively than anything else she’d said to him that night. “Your brother?” he pressed.

“Mm-hmm,” Nova said with a brief nod. Keep the story simple, girl. “My older brother. He…disappeared…years ago. I have no idea where he went or if he’s even still there, but…” She sighed. “I do know that I’ll never stop looking until I find him.”

The Mandalorian didn’t respond at first. Nova was glad. It gave her a chance to shove her creeping sadness away and focus on the present. She’d grown a whole lot better at that over the many years since her brother had vanished.

And then, the Mandalorian responded. “How do you know that he’s—?”

“I know.” She cut him off before he had a chance to finish.

Nova hadn’t meant to be snappy, but she couldn’t help it. She was so tired of being met with any sort of doubt and opposition about her brother still being alive after all these years. They couldn’t understand it, but she knew. She could feel it. The Force hadn’t lied to her thus far, and she had no reason to believe that it was lying to her about this. Anytime somebody tried to question it, she wouldn’t hear it.

She still felt bad about the way she’d responded. It’d created an awkward silence between her and the Mandalorian, worse than when they’d first sat down. Ashamed, she looked away from the face of his helmet, wishing for a way to dispel the suddenly tense atmosphere.

Luckily, the Force decided to grant her wish as the droid waiter from before zoomed up to them. It set down two steaming bowls of bone broth in the center of the table, not spilling a drop.

“Here you go!” the droid cheerfully announced. “Enjoy!”

As the waiter droid left them alone again, Nova swiftly took the opportunity to change the subject. She held up the child in her arm, tugging one of the bowls toward him with her free hand. “Hey look, bug! Food’s here.”

The sight and smell of hot food was what finally did it. The wrinkly green child eagerly clambered out of her arms and onto the table, all but attacking the bowl of bone broth.

“Aha!” Nova exclaimed in triumph, watching the child eat with a grin. “I knew food would do the trick.”

The child spared a brief moment to let out a happy coo before diving back into the depths of the bowl. It made Nova laugh.

Inevitably, the Mandalorian spoke up again. “Hey, I didn’t mean to…upset you,” he uttered. It wasn’t an insensitive comment by any means; it merely sounded like he was having trouble finding the right words.

Nova sighed, giving him a small smile she hoped was reassuring. “It’s okay,” she urged. “You didn’t upset me. You were just curious.” She shrugged in spite of herself. “Trust me, I’ve had plenty of doubts and plenty of time to sulk and think about it. I can’t explain it, I’m just…really, really sure.”

The Mandalorian nodded at her reply, and they left it at that. He gently nudged the remaining bowl of broth in her direction, reminding her it was there. She’d honestly forgotten all about it until now. She shot him a thankful grin, tugging the bowl to her. One sniff of its contents and her stomach let her know how hungry she actually was.

Nova didn’t eat her bone broth quite as fast as the child, but she still felt like she was downing it pretty quickly. As with the fried gorg from their first meeting, the child was practically inhaling his meal. She had to pause every once in a while to let a smile break loose at the sight of it.

She let out a relieved sigh once her bowl was empty, feeling satisfied. “I think I needed that,” she softly admitted.

The child sat back on his haunches, his bowl practically licked clean. He let out a small belch that frankly was more cute than repulsive.

“I think he did, too,” the Mandalorian added, amusement in his tone.

Nova grinned at the unexpected comment.

Their rather attentive droid waiter chose that moment to come wheeling back to their table, this time with the check. As it read off the total, Nova immediately went digging in her pack that sat on the floor next to her.

“I’ve got it,” she announced.

But as she moved to pay, the Mandalorian was moving, too. “No, you don’t need to do that,” he insisted, reaching into his belt. “I’ll—”

Nova shook her head. “Really, it’s no big deal—”

“Let me—”

“I can—”

They both stopped, realizing that they were now talking over each other. Nova saw how ridiculous their bickering was, and chuckled at how things had escalated. She couldn’t be sure, but as she was laughing she thought she saw the Mandalorian’s shoulders briefly shake, as if he were laughing, too.

Finally, Nova proposed, “We’ll split it.”

The Mandalorian nodded his assent.

Both Nova and the Mandalorian handed the droid equal amounts of credits. As it wheeled away for the third time, the Mandalorian took the chance to swiftly pluck his foundling off the table and bring him into his arms, lest the whole issue that started it all happen again. Thankfully now that he’d eaten, the child was growing sleepy. His blinks were getting slower and his long ears were drooping, so this time he didn’t put up a fight as the Mandalorian grabbed him and set him down in his pram.

Before Nova knew it, they were leaving the cantina and walking back out into the glowing neon night. She turned to face the Mandalorian, lingering for a moment as she thought of something to say.

“Well…” she began. “Thank you. I’ve been on my own for a while now, and…” She trailed off, knowing he’d probably be uninterested. “That was nice.”

The Mandalorian nodded. “Thanks for…putting up with him,” he replied, gesturing down to his drowsy foundling.

Nova smiled down at the wrinkly green child, who was very desperately trying to keep his eyes open. “He’s just too kriffing cute. I can’t resist.”

There was a beat in the conversation. Nova tried to decide whether to let it end or find something else to say.

“It was…good to see you again,” came out of her mouth, mildly surprising herself.

The Mandalorian was quiet for a moment, then responded with a nod. “You too.”

Short response. Nova took the hint, knowing that he probably wanted to get off this crazy planet. She did, too—as soon as she finally got some sleep.

“You probably want to get going,” she said with a smile. “You two take care. Perhaps I’ll run into you again sometime?”

The Mandalorian’s reply, again, was brief. “Perhaps.”

Nova cleared her throat. Don’t overstay your welcome, she mentally scolded herself. “Alright, well…” Being very eloquent once again. “Have a good night. May the Force be with you.”

And before she could blabber out any more fluff or nonsense, she spun on her heel and, with one last friendly wave back at the unlikely duo, walked off in the direction she’d been heading before.

She could only hope that a cheap inn still had a vacancy.

~~~~~

Din halted in the doorway of the magistrate’s office, releasing a deep sigh.

This wasn’t where he was supposed to be. He was supposed to be hurtling through hyperspace to a planet called Tython, not back here on Nevarro.

After finally locating and meeting a Jedi, a woman called Ahsoka Tano, Din had finally been on the right track to getting the kid--Grogu, he reminded himself with an upward twitch of his lips--back to his own kind. She could not train Grogu herself, but she’d been able to point them in the right direction. On a planet called Tython, Grogu would be able to--apparently--get in contact with other Jedi. Somehow.

Din didn’t quite fully understand it all, but he knew all that he needed to know. He knew where to bring Grogu, knew the right path to take. Which is why he should be landing on Tython right now.

Unfortunately, with all the traveling and planet-hopping they’d been doing lately, credits were running dangerously low. Din needed money for fuel, rations---essentials that made travel impossible if you didn’t have them. He’d done the math, and he was loath to admit that they wouldn’t be getting very far at all if he didn’t get some more credits. He really didn’t want to take the time for it, but it was probably the smart thing to do. Who knows where his journey to find Grogu’s people would take them next after Tython?

And so, he was here on Nevarro. Begrudgingly.

“Mando!”

The joyful voice of Greef Karga greeted Din as he stepped inside the office. He strode out from the back room, his arms spread wide in a welcoming manner.

“I didn’t expect you back so soon,” Karga remarked with a grin.

“I’m in need of a quick bounty,” Din curtly informed him.

Karga moved his hands to rest on his hips, giving Din a knowing look. “Low on funds, huh?” He paused to give Din a chance to respond, but seemed unsurprised when it didn’t happen. “No problem! I’ve got plenty of bounties on the board, and you’ve got your pick of them.”

He began to lead Din further into the office, but then halted as he seemed to remember something. He turned back to him, holding up a finger.

“Actually,” Karga interjected, “I have something special. A high-profile bounty popped up a couple weeks ago, and it’s quickly reached the top of every guild’s list. I’ve been saving it just for you.” He began to head for his desk again. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Din held in another sigh as he followed him. “I said I needed something quick.” He really didn’t have the time to spend a long week tracking down a dangerous, highly elusive bounty. He only wanted to spare a day or two, maybe three, catching an easy quarry with a decent enough reward.

“Ah, I think you’ll change your mind once I show you the price tag,” Karga assured him.

Din knew that he wasn’t going to deter Karga from wasting time showing him this supposed “special bounty,” so he decided that it was best to just humor the man and get it over with. Perhaps if Din wasn’t currently in the process of trying to reunite Grogu with the Jedi, then he’d be more interested.

The two sat across from each other at Karga’s desk. Karga opened the top drawer on his side and pulled out a bounty puck. He held it up for Din to see before setting it down on the table. After a dramatic pause, he tapped the face of the puck. The blue bounty hologram sprang to life, featuring a name, a reward amount, and a face.

A familiar face.

Din froze, going rigid in his seat. The face of the bounty stared at him, and the sight of it overcame him with mild shock. It was a face he’d only seen a couple times, but it was one he couldn’t forget if he tried, thanks in no small part to his foundling. Despite not really knowing the person the face belonged to all that well, it was someone he’d never imagined would appear on a bounty puck.

So what in Maker's name was she doing on a bounty puck?

Karga was completely oblivious to Din’s grim reaction, smirking like he was presenting the Mandalorian with a generous gift.

“Her name is Nova,” he introduced. “Nova Bridger.”

[singsenochian]

The Jedi & The Mandalorian

Oh snap, so I started working on this for freaking ever ago, back when Season 3 had yet to come out and we were a year or so away from it. And I realised today that I had a 39th chapter sitting on my hard drive. So, surprise to my readers!

And if you're a new reader, welcome to my special hell that lives rent free in my skull. Have a safe and happy trip!

[djarins-cyare]

I’m really enjoying this fic! Well-written with a likeable OC, a compelling plot, and an innovative spin on Canon events that references plenty of wider SWU lore. If you don’t already have an AO3 account, it’s worth applying for one just to read this!

My Mandalorian romance fic 🪐Beyond Beskar🪐 is ready to be read! I'm so excited to share it now, I hope you like it, I've put my heart into it 🥹 I will release a new chapter each Saturday, the fic is locked, so you can only read it when you’re logged into AO3!

[the-mandawhor1an]

Revelations pt. II

Chapter 9 – Guided by the stars, connected by the force

Masterlist

⇐ Previous chapter | Next chapter ⇒

Chapter summary: Din leaves Tatooine to return to his search for other Mandalorians and a Jedi. Prospects look positive with Peli’s contact. Little does he know what events would unfold on his quest to find a master for Grogu 

Warnings: Canon-typical violence; Yearning; Angst; Din is down bad; Cameos! 

Words: 11.5k 

A/N: And now the other side of the yearning. Basically the season 2 storyline stays the same, there are just a few adjustments due to the yearning and also the fact that technically Din has met a Jedi already (cue Maia screaming she isn’t a Jedi). I was not anticipating this getting so long. Oops.

I'll be fine I'll be waiting patiently 'Til you see the signs And come running to my open arms When will you realize? Do we have to wait 'til our worlds collide? Open up your eyes You can't turn back the tide - It's no Good, Depeche Mode

Din watched as Maia turned her back and left, paralyzed. He knew this was the right thing for the both of them, but stars, why did it feel so wrong to let her go? »What did you do now?« Peli accused him quite loudly when she saw Maia storm past her. The mechanic rested her hands on her hips, drumming one foot in the sand. »She had to leave,« he replied, certain the mechanic wouldn’t buy it. She didn’t. »You sent her away didn’t you? It’s the middle of the night, how could you just let her leave? The city is full of criminals, they’ll have her for breakfast!« Well, how could he? »She can take care of herself.« Din gritted his teeth. Having to justify something Maia and he had agreed on to a third party annoyed him, especially so because he couldn’t tell the woman before him exactly why he couldn’t have the pretty brunette close to him. 

Peli sighed. »No getting through to this metal-covered idiot,« she shook her head in disbelief and sighed. Din felt bad, deep inside, but Maia was gone now. He’d rather focus on the task at hand. Luckily, Peli delivered delightful news. »There is a covert in this sector. One system over.« Hope was in his voice when he asked »were they the ones that were on Nevarro?« At least they knew him then and could perhaps help with his search for a Jedi. The armorer had first made him aware of the Jedi, after all. 

»Don’t know. The contact says she knows where to find them.« Peli’s gaze wandered over to the dragon’s meat that looked like it was close to ready. She nodded at one of her droids to start cutting the outermost layers of meat. She was hungry. 

»How much will this cost?« Din feared it would be expensive, given his desperation and people tending to take advantage of that. »How much does she want.« »That’s the good news. It’s free,« the woman replied with a shrug. The Mandalorian sighed, wanting to ask what the bad news were, but she continued »buuuut… she wants passage.« It was his best lead, so he didn’t think about it for too long. Besides, he wanted to get off of this planet and leave these emotions behind him. »Fine.« »Aaaaaalso,« Peli’s nonexistent eyebrows rose and she rolled her eyes, evading his gaze. »What?« »No hyperspace jumps.« »Sublight?« Was she serious? Din crossed his arms and scoffed. »No, deal’s over.«

»Come on, it’s one sector!« she retorted and rolled her eyes again, more pronounced this time. »Moving fast is the only thing that keeps me safe,« he retorted. »Oh, like moving on from poor Maia?« Ouch. Thank the stars for the helmet that covered how his brows had twitched as he felt the sting in his chest.

Peli’s contact, a frog-like alien, entered the hangar and allowed Din to swallow down the lump in his throat. It was necessary, why didn’t Peli understand? Maybe because he didn’t explain it. He didn’t want to, she would only discuss this with him until he regretted leaving Maia behind. Part of him already did. 

»I’m not a taxi service,« the helmet dipped towards the mechanic who just shrugged. »I’m aware. She knows of Mandalorians on her home world, I figured that might be enough to convince you. She and her eggs need to be there by the equinox, hyperdrive would kill her eggs.« Mando sighed and rested both hands on his belt. »And she is sure there are Mandalorians?« One very awkward exchange of the women later, Peli nodded. »Her husband has seen them.«

Reluctantly, Din agreed to take her with him. It was, like Peli said, his only lead towards finding Mandalorians. As the Razor Crest slowly ascended, he looked over to the city beneath him. Where was Maia now, he wondered. All he hoped for was that she was safe and that they maybe would one day meet again. As futile as this wish was, he wanted to carry it with him in his heart. 

His passenger didn’t talk much, or more specifically – didn’t talk any language he could understand, so he switched autopilot on and left her in the cockpit to get some rest. With heavy steps he climbed down the ladder to get to his bed. The anxiety about Grogu’s well-being still weighed on him after the altercation in the desert. Seeing that alien holding a knife to the child had done something to him. Before he opened the door to his cot, he took a deep breath. He had gotten so used to being around Maia, she would’ve been able to talk to him, to easy his nerves. It really didn’t matter what she would talk about either. Her dreams, the stars, her favorite color, what she thought his favorite color might be. All he wanted was to be able to look at her, the way her eyes would sparkle when she smiled and the dimples that formed on her cheeks. Maybe his favorite color was the green of her eyes. The same green eyes that glossed over when he practically told her to leave him alone. 

It was necessary. If he told himself that often enough, maybe he would start to believe it. His creed meant everything to him, and as much as he had enjoyed that kiss, he couldn’t risk breaking an oath he had taken so many years ago. That and he needed to get Grogu to a Jedi to make sure the child received the training he needed. 

He opened the cot to find … nothing. What? 

He didn’t have to look for long, as the sound of slurping erupted from further down the cargo hold. With the egg container open, Grogu had one of the orange spheres in his hand and subsequently shoved it into his mouth with another slurping noise and a gulp. Din shot up and rushed over to his foundling »Hey, stop that!« he gently pulled Grogu from the container and closed the lid. »That’s not food, Grogu.« 

Grogu got lifted in the air, his chin had a drip of the water of the container running down the faintly green skin. »Tasty?« The child let out a little burp and Din sighed, assessing how many eggs the foundling might have eaten before he found him, »alright, nap time, troublemaker.« As he carried the child over to the cot, he noticed Grogu holding onto an item of clothing which was now dragging over the floor. Din gathered the dirty and stained piece of cloth and carried him over to his makeshift hammock. When he wanted to pull the dirty fabric from the child, he was met with a rather large amount of resistance, so he inspected the fabric further. It was gray, stained. The stains were brown, perhaps rust-colored. 

Din felt around further until his fingers found the hole where the stain was spreading from. When did he last use his blade on a quarry, and since when did he leave their clothes just lying around in his ship? He raised his head to see Grogu peacefully snuggled into the shirt, snoring ever so softly. Suddenly, it hit him why the little one was so attached to this. 

This must’ve been Maia’s shirt, the one she had on when she was injured on Nevarro. It must’ve still smelled like her if Grogu was glued to it. The little one possibly didn’t understand why she was suddenly gone, Din hadn’t seen her say goodbye to him. 

Carefully, he placed the shirt over the sleeping child, as if it was a blanket. Something deep inside of him thought about just smelling it. Just once. 

Get it together, Djarin. 

He himself crawled into his cot and nudged himself into a somewhat comfortable position so he could get some rest. The last time someone had slept in here was when he allowed Maia to take the small private space for herself. What if his makeshift bed smelled like her right now? If only he could take the helmet off, just for a second. »Dank farrik,« he cursed under his breath. 

Din couldn’t tell how long he has slept, all he knew was being awoken from a proximity alert some time later. As restful as his sleep might have been, being ripped from it and suddenly on edge again made it feel like he had just closed his eyes. He swung himself out the cot and up the ladder to find he was contacted by some New Republic scouters. 

First he tried to pretend his tech on board wasn’t working, but the Captain and his companion were a little too adamant about Din transmitting. Sensing no other way, he steered the Razor Crest down into the atmosphere of the nearest planet, Maldo Kreis. 

While he avoided capture by the New Republic, his ship had taken some damage when it crashed and dragged across are large ice field.The fact that it broke through the ice and fell a few meters down into an ice cave, didn’t help the hulls integrity either.

Din must’ve lost consciousness upon impact, as he awoke with his armor covered in little ice crystals and his passenger shivering in the cold air. Promising her to get some blankets, he went downstairs to see the damage his ship had taken. The hull was in fact damaged, a large tear in the side of the ship allowed the cold to enter and render all means of insulation worthless. »Osik,« he cursed yet again. 

Grogu, whom Din had been looking for as well as wanting to check the hull for damages, had found himself at the egg container yet again and wanted to have a little snack. »Hey, I told you not to do that,« Din scolded the child, who not only stuck to the container, but also still had Maia’s shirt in one of his paws. 

Night approached quickly and with the hull broken, they would have to deal with severe cold soon. While Din had patched up the main tear with some fabric, the passenger, Grogu and him had to sit around a small heater to keep warm. As the child cuddled up to Din’s leg pauldron, they napped, but just shortly.

With the help of a disassembled droid and its voice module, the frog lady urged the Mandalorian to keep his word. She needed to get these eggs to her husband, as this was her last chance to have children. 

Din, still a bit shaken from being woken up by one of the scrap piles that used to be a droid suddenly talking to him, made it outside to do some repairs to get his ship back into shape. As shapely as the Razor Crest needed to be to make it off of this frozen prison. He didn’t want this to turn into a grave too.

Some time later, after a coolant leak and smaller tears had been patched up, Grogu came outside to him, but not to help his protector with the repairs. The child was very adamant to show him something. Foot steps. The passenger had left the ship with her egg container, and Din had to make sure she was safe out there. Who knows what lurked in these ice caves. With the child on his arm, he followed the imprints in the heavy snow and the thermal tracks once inside a larger cave system. 

It didn’t take long for the two to reach a larger cavern that housed two pools of water, hot water, as Din assumed, judging by the steam emitting from the surface and also by the lady and her eggs bathing quite happily in there. Being cold-blooded surely was unfortunate on a planet like this. He tried not to blame her, but reminded her he couldn’t guarantee for her safety if she went off without him. For just a second the sight of Maia flashed before his eyes, with her back turned towards him in Peli’s tub. He had risked a glance when she turned to him without much hesitation, wondering how soft her pale skin would feel underneath his finger tips. Stop that!

Grogu was sulking, not allowed to snack on more, now even heated eggs and wandered off while the adults collected the eggs to put them back into their container. He found a completely different kind of egg, white, with a stronger shell, oblong and upright in the snow. Insatiable as the little one was, he opened the shell of one of the eggs to munch on what he found inside. A small, white spider-like creature was hidden underneath the soft shell. A creature that gave a satisfying crunch when bitten into. 

Well, safe to say the disturbance and untimely death of one of the spiderlings awoke their siblings, and shortly thereafter, their mother. 

Din took Grogu and the tank with the eggs, they’d have to make it back to the Crest, this was their only chance. The few weapons he had at his expense right now could only do so much. A few blaster shots, thermal detonators and finally his flame thrower attachment. All of that just so they could run back to his ship and barricade themselves in the cockpit. It was the only spot left that he could seal. They had to get off of the planet. 

Just as the Crest lifted off of the snowy ground, the mother spider crashed down onto the ship, trying to break the transparisteel with its teeth. This would have been their end, ending up eaten or frozen to death, if it hadn’t been for the X-wings to return and the New Republic pilots open to fire on the spider. After a short exchange with the captain, they let Din run despite a warrant for his arrest. Sometimes people acknowledged that Din wasn’t a brainless, ruthless killer. Despite his offer to waive the bounties on his former mates, the pilots refused to help him repair the Crest. Guess letting him go without an arrest was the most they could do for him at the moment. 

Din didn’t press for it. He could seal the cockpit so they could at least make it to Trask, albeit uncomfortably and taking a lot longer than it should have. There he could stay for a little and get the necessary repairs on his ship, gather his energy and also work on a plan to find a Jedi, assuming he wouldn’t stumble upon one right after finding the other Mandalorians. He was certain his journey was far from over. 

The travel to Trask was bumpy to say the least, multiple timed he had feared the ship would break in half, especially breaking into the atmosphere was particularly shaky. The landing system was broken so Din needed his passenger’s help to manually land the Crest. They almost made it onto the dock safely, the thrusters giving out in the last second which resulted in the ship toppling over and falling into the water. After they had grabbed the Crest out of the water, it was covered in algae and looked like a pile of scrap, at best. He paid a mechanic 1000 credits to do his best, expecting his ship to be at least in working condition again soon. 

Din turned just in the right moment to witness his passenger finding her husband in the crowd, them hugging so tightly. He couldn’t deny it was a sight that warmed his heart a little. He wondered if Maia would hug him as tightly when they reunited. No ‘if’, but ‘when’. She had promised they’d meet again, when the time was right. 

Grogu called for his attention, the ever hungry little gremlin in his hovering pram, covered with the gray shirt Maia had left behind. He and the shirt were practically inseparable. The husband of his passenger approached them and thanked Din for bringing his wife to him safely. »I was told you had seen other Mandalorians,« he inquired, being pointed to the inn. He would get information there. Perhaps he could also get some food for his little companion. 

They entered the inn and sat at a table. Din took Grogu out of his pram and sat him down, ordering chowder for the fussing child. He either had an issue with being hungry, or he was fussing because he didn’t hold the shirt. That damn shirt. »I’ve heard there’s other Mandalorians. Do you know where they are?« he asked the waiter. It didn’t even take ten seconds of his attention away from Grogu for the child to have a small octopus stuck to his face. »Stop playing with your food,« he said softly and took out his vibro blade, stinging the octopus which subsequently fell back into the bowl of chowder. 

A Quarren approached the table. »I know where the Mandalorians are. I can take you to them,« he offered. »Where?« Din asked, pleasantly surprised that his lead was going in the right direction. »It’s just a few hours sail. We’re about to leave.« 

Shortly after Grogu had finished the chowder and was satiated, they made their way over to the ship to set sail. Most time of their travel Din looked out into the vast nothingness of the ocean, allowing himself to think about Maia, wondering where she was right now. Was she okay? Did she end up finding the voice? 

»Have you ever seen a Mamacore being fed?« The captain asked him. »The kid might be interested to see.« As Din and the child inched closer to the pool in the middle of the ship, the captain continued talking. The bars closing off the pool retracted into the ship. While he was talking, the Quarren suddenly hit Grogu’s pram, causing it to go under water. The lid had shut but the beast hidden underneath the water wouldn’t have too much trouble to break the small metal capsule. Din didn’t hesitate and jumped after Grogu, the bars closing as soon as he went under. 

Din was on edge. On one hand there was Grogu, somewhere under the surface, a monster that was hungry for him and his foundling, and on the surface were bandits, waiting for him to drown to get his Beskar. Every time he surfaced, they shocked him, poking at him with metal to get him under water again. Panic set in. This was his end. Dank farrik. 

That’s when he saw three Mandalorians land on the ship, take on the attackers and help him out of the water. One of the women offered her hand to pull him up, allowing him to catch his breath. This must’ve been the Mandalorians the husband had mentioned earlier, coming just in time to save his and Grogu’s life. »My foundling,« he gasped, the other woman pulling her knife and jumping into the water. »Catch your breath, brother,« the first woman calmed him down. Her voice was soft and reassuring underneath the blue and white helmet. A moment later, her companion resurfaced with Grogu’s dented pram, ripping it open to reveal a shaken, but otherwise unharmed Grogu. 

The green child was practically tangled in the gray shirt, quietly sobbing. Din took him into his arms, soothingly rubbing over Grogu’s back. His heart rate was still elevated, catching his breath while the three Mandalorians before him suddenly took their helmets off. 

Despite the adrenalin rush, frustration kicked in, this was another dead lead, more people having gotten their armor from somewhere while not following the way. They outnumbered him and he was shaken, also busy making sure Grogu didn’t start to properly cry. »Where did you get the armor from?« he asked the leader of the group, a woman with short red hair. She seemed a little offended when she replied »it’s been in my family for three generations.« Obviously, Din couldn’t believe what he heard. »You do not cover your faces. You’re not Mandalorian.« This made the man behind her scoff and roll his eyes. »Oh, he’s one of them,« he practically spit out. The distaste in his voice was obvious, but to Din this didn’t make sense, he was the one supposed to be offended. 

»One of what?« The visor turned back to face the leader. »I am Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze, I was born on Mandalore and survived the great purge, I’m the last of my line and this is my armor. And you are a child of the Watch,« she introduced herself and explained what her friend had hinted at. »The watch?« Din repeated, clearly this was news to him. »A fanatic splinter group of Mandalorians. Cultists, trying to re-establish the ancient way of the Mand’alor.« 

Offended, Din got up to his feet again, Grogu still on his arm and cuddled into his chest, drowning in the gray fabric. The sobbing had stopped, every now and then he sniffled a little. »There is only one way,« he stated and took off with his jetpack. 

He still held onto Grogu when he stood on the dock, watching how the three blew up the ship in the distance. The sun was setting, the colors in the sky reminding him of when he showed Maia the sunset on Tatooine. How many near-death experiences had she gone through by now? Why was he struggling with his task so much?

Walking along the dock, it was dark by now, he was approached by a Quarren, the same Quarren that had approached him back at the inn. »You killed my brother,« he said with a smirk, more of his men crowding the area. He was too exhausted to fight more, but then the familiar hiss of jetpacks surprised them, the same Mandalorians that helped him on the ship jumping in to support him once again. »He didn’t kill your brother. I did,« Bo-Katan told the Quarren, and a fight broke out. Admittedly, a short fight, as the fishermen and part-time criminals were no match to a Mandalorian, let alone four of them. 

»Can we buy you a drink, at least?« she offered after the fight, Din reluctantly accepting. He wouldn’t drink in public, obviously, but it sounded like she had something to offer. Also, he needed to know if they could help him find a Jedi. 

They sat down in the same inn, the three taking off their helmets again, drinking. Din tried to not be bothered by their behavior. Grogu had since fallen asleep in his little carrier bag. Also the shirt had been halfway discarded, now lying on the bottom of the bag for a little extra padding. 

Kryze explained that Trask was riddled with black market weapon trade. Their plan was to seize said weapons to retake Mandalore, claim rule of the planet and for her to become the new Mand’alor. Din refused to believe such a plan was possible, as they had been told the planet was cursed. Besides, he was busy. »I don’t want to help you. I can’t. I have to take this child to a Jedi,« he explained, gently patting Grogu’s head, who cooed in response, but still asleep. 

»How much do you know of the Jedi?« the red-haired Mandalorian inquired, and he thought about all the things he only knew from Maia or the armorer. »Not much. They are an order of wizards, they can move things without touching them. They wield swords made of light.« and they’re not allowed to have feeling for you. It stung a little to be reminded of his conflicting feelings towards her. »I was hoping,« he continued, »that you’d help me by the Creed. This child needs a Jedi.« Kryze sighed, she needed his help and he needed hers. »I can lead you to one, but first you have to help us with our mission.« 

Reluctantly, Din agreed to help Bo-Katan to take over an Imperial cruiser to seize the weapons before it could leave the planet soon. This was way too dangerous for a foundling, so he brought Grogu to stay with the frog lady and her husband, who had become parents by now. It sounded like a quick mission, and it seemed to be going smoothly at first. That was until Kryze suddenly decided to change the plan, to take the whole cruiser, while they were already on it, leaving Din with no choice but to help. They managed to claim the ship, Kryze held her end of the deal now that she had what she wanted. Din hoped he would not have to team up with her again, still unhappy with how she had handled the situation, practically forcing him to stay and help. 

In the end, he had what he wanted. A name and a place. Bo-Katan told him of a Jedi by the name of Ahsoka Tano, who he should be able to find on Corvus. He picked up Grogu and returned to his ship which would hopefully be good as new again. 

The Crest was … repaired, but in no way fully functional. It could fly and the landing system was running again, but it was patched up with netting and overall still looked like it was a pile of scrap rather than a ship. Just now a pile of scrap that had been salvaged from the bottom of an ocean.

Some of the wiring needed to be rearranged, something he had hoped his little companion could help with. Grogu could crawl into the machine’s hull to take out the wires Din told him to pull, to attach the ones as he was ordered. Well … it’s what the Mandalorian had hoped for, quickly learning that the child would not properly listen to him. Maybe he was colorblind and couldn’t tell apart the red from the blue wire. But then again, he let the wires touch, causing him to get a little shock. »Alright, come back out,« he said with a sigh, bringing the child to his little hammock after making sure the child was okay. 

This left Din alone in the cockpit, once again. He tidied up his ship, closing the entrance hatch Grogu had crawled through, packing away the tools that laid around on the ground. He realized the child had abandoned the shirt for once, it laying crumpled up beneath one of the passenger seats. With a sigh he sat on the pilot seat, bunching up the fabric in between his fingers. He was out in space, no other ship anywhere in the vicinity. So, he removed the helmet, eyeing the rough cloth in his hands closely. The stain on the fabric reminded him how him and Maia had met. Critically injured, taking advantage of him, in a way, but she never had him regret his choice to help her. Apart from this short moment when he had feared for the child’s safety, and for his vow to conceal his face. 

Where was she right now? Was she safe? Had she run into a trap, just as he had, and did not survive? What if she had called out for him in her last moments? Ever since she appeared on Nevarro, the Empire had her back on their radar, possibly. If not for Gideon, who had met his well-deserved end, maybe one of the surviving Troopers had notified others about her. Were they still on the lookout? Were they on the lookout again, now that they knew she was still alive?

His thoughts raced and his heart rate picked up, his mind taking him to dark places. He knew she could look after herself, she had survived up until Nevarro after all, but he worried about her so much. With his head falling forward, his face fell right into the fabric, his hands breaking the fall. He exhaled loudly, closed his eyes and tried to steady his breath. All he wanted was to know she was safe, but he didn’t know how to contact her. There was one thing he could hold onto: The hope that she’d come back, that their paths would actually cross again, as she had promised him in her very own, cryptic way. There was a sparkle in her beautiful eyes when she said it, bright enough to shine through the veil of pain. 

Pain he had caused her by telling her to leave.

At first he just remained in this position because he hated when his eyes started burning like this, glossing over when he felt he had lost someone close to him. But then, a few steadying breaths later, he registered her scent, subtle but hidden in every fiber of the gray fabric. It was comforting, in a way, being able to smell her and imagining she was here with him. 

Deciding his ship needed proper repairs before he could make the travel to Corvus, he stopped on Nevarro. At least he knew the mechanics here would be able to patch his ship up better than this. »Mando!« Karga greeted him as soon as the Crest had touched ground, the hatch only opening up halfway, causing Din to have to jump the rest of the way with Grogu on his arm. Dune stood beside the Magistrate. »It looks like someone needs repairs,« the man concluded, getting his men to work on the ship right away. His face lit up when he saw the child still with Mando, reaching his arms out. »Come here, little one,« he said and taking Grogu from Din, his brows furrowing. »What of the girl that was with you last time? I thought she was a Jedi?« 

And there was the sting in his chest again. He shook his head, eternally grateful for the helmet concealing his face in moments like these. »She couldn’t take the child, she had other plans. We split up.« I sent her away. They walked along the city streets, showing no sign of the fight that had taken place here not too long ago. »It looks like you two have been busy,« Din commented. Nevarro was so much livelier than he remembered. »All thanks to Marshal Dune,« Karga replied with a nod. »I’m busy with clerical work.« »Your ship looks a mess. Well… more than usual,« the Marshal finally joined the conversation. »I had a run-in with the New Republic. Long story.«

They reached the same building where Din had removed his helmet for the first time. The bar that served as the guild’s headquarter. To his surprise, the building now housed a class of children. »A school?« »Things changed around here,« Cara replied with a shrug. She glanced over to Karga, who was about to set Grogu down, announcing »we’ll leave the little one here so we can talk.« Din, still a bit worked up from all that happened on his way here, instantly interrupted »no. He stays with me.« 

»Mando,« Karga pleaded, »Where we’re going, no child should go. Trust me.« Dune, aware Mando was struggling with letting the foundling out of eyesight, promised him Grogu would be fine here. They left Grogu in the school, walking further to where they could talk more privately. 

»So, let’s talk business,« Cara said as she sat down in her chair. Din again explained, »I’m here for repairs, no business.« »The repairs will take some time, so you should have some to spend. We could really use it,« Karga tried to persuade him. Unfortunately, Din was extremely bad in declining a plea for help. 

Just in the outermost corner of the safe zone there was an old Imperial base, one that had been a nuisance to the city for long enough. It was where Gideon’s troops had come from, so it was in the city’s best interest to just have the base shut down. The plan was simple enough: Empty the cooling tanks, overheat the geothermic reactor and the thing will blow up on its own. 

Finding a way in, reaching the reactor and killing the cooling system wasn’t too big of a deal for the small group. On their way out, they had taken a slightly different route to avoid a run-in with some guards, only to stumble upon a room, occupied by two scientific officers. Upon further inspection, they found clone tanks on the wall. The Myrthol checked the documentation, as a holo-projection of Dr. Pershing started playing. The doctor reported to Gideon about blood samples, a donor being too weak to give more blood without the specimen being killed… He was talking about Grogu. 

»Perhaps, there is a way to obtain another donor. I heard you had encountered 414 recently, her blood would surely work better, being a human, and all.« Din’s heart sank. »This recording has to be old, Gideon is dead!« Karga said in confusion. »The recording is 3 days old,« the alien responded. »Quick, copy the data base,« Din ordered as Stormtroopers found them. Making sure to avoid damage to the terminal until the data had been duplicated, the four fought. 

More trouble would wait for them outside, so they split up. Din used his jetpack to get of the base and fly to get his ship, while the others fought their way back the way they had entered. 

Din’s thoughts were racing. Gideon was alive, and the Empire knew about Maia. He quickly started the Razor Crest to fly back to the Imperial base, just in time to see the TIE-Fighters that were coming after Dune, Karga and the alien. With a few well-aimed shots, his friends were free and he could continue his travel to Corvus. 

The Crest was now back and running, fully operational. Things seemed to be going well for Din for once. If it hadn’t been for the tracker that had been installed in his ship while getting repaired, the one which he currently wasn’t aware of. 

The flight to Corvus was long, but with the ship back in working condition, at least Din and Grogu reaped the benefits of a somewhat comfortable resting place. The autopilot steered the ship through the emptiness of space while Din could lay in his little cot. He listened to Grogu’s soft snores and sleep babbles until he drifted off to sleep himself. His dreams were somewhat pleasant, hearing a familiar voice in the distance. Maia was softly humming a melody, a lullaby his mother had sung to him when he was a child. His lips formed a smile in his sleep, still hidden underneath the helmet.

Landing the Crest was easy, given the landing system was running. Din and Grogu exited the ship, the child played with a silver ball, the end cap of one of the levers up in the cockpit. »I told you that has to stay inside the ship,« Din grumbled and took the metal sphere from Grogu, putting it into one of his belt pouches. Grogu walked more now, but he was still slower than Din by a lot, so he picked the green child up and placed him in the carrier bag. Grogu complained, reaching back to the ship with his hands. The shirt was missing, still in his hammock back in the safety of the ship. »Not today, kid. It'll wait in the Crest, otherwise it just gets dirty.«

Corvus was dirty. 

They reached a gate after some time of walking, the sway of the carrier bag lulling Grogu to sleep for a bit. Din stood before a large wall, watched by a few men standing atop the gate. »State your business,« one of the men ordered. The helmet moved to look up there. Well, what should he say? »I’ve been tracking for a few days. I’m just looking for a layover,« he explained. It was probably for the best if no one knew about him looking for a Jedi. »That’s a nice armor you got there,« the guard commented, Din almost expecting them to attack him just for the Beskar. It had happened too often. »I take it you are a hunter, then.« He rolled his eyes underneath the helmet. If that’s the first thing they wondered, this probably meant another side quest. »I am,« he simply stated, the gate opening for him a few seconds later.  

He entered the town, greeted by a rather unwelcoming sight. The forest outside the city looked dead, a green mist laid over the dead trees that also had crept into the streets. It was mostly empty, barely any life outside the small houses. The first person he had seen instantly left when Din tried to address them. Generally, it felt like a cloud of dread laid over the streets. He wondered for a second if Maia would’ve commented on the mood in here. Maybe she could have talked to someone without scaring them away. He was a bounty hunter after all, people feared them. 

In an alleyway further into the city, he found a father and two small children. They looked dishevelled, dirty and generally not in the best state. »You there,« he addressed the adult, »I need some information. I’m looking for someone.« Before replying, the man sent the children away. His eyes were sunken and he looked malnourished. What was going on here? »Please, don’t talk to any of us,« he pleaded. Din was about to respond »I just need–« when he was interrupted by the same guard that had let him into the city. »Please come with us, the magistrate would like to see you.« 

The entrance to the hold the magistrate resided in was decorated with residents of the city in torture cages. If they moved too much, they were electrocuted. It was unpleasant to see, even for Din. Not my business, he reminded himself, despite feeling the overwhelming urge to do something about it. Their pleas were quiet, weak. How long had they been on display like this? The magistrate had a contract for him, one that by sheer luck would lead him to the Jedi he had been looking for anyway. His task was simple: Find Ahsoka Tano, kill her, and be rewarded with a spear made of pure Beskar. An offer a Mandalorian couldn’t resist, and the magistrate was aware of it. 

One thing the woman said stuck in Din’s mind on his way out of the city. 

Jedi are the ancient enemy of Mandalore. 

Maybe that was why Maia was so adamant about not being a Jedi. But then again, her persistence had begun before they had even developed any kind of relationship. The pretty brunette wasn’t his enemy, she never was. She was a friend, maybe more than that. 

Outside of the city, the dead forest greeted him again as he tracked Tano, climbing over thick roots and ducking underneath fallen trees. Grogu had awoken during the travel through the forest, gently cooing every now and then when Din had to jump over yet another obstacle. When he reached the coordinates he had been given, he looked down to the child. »This should be it. Let me have a look, stay right here.« He took Grogu out of the carrier and set him down onto a rock, clearly in sight for him. 

He looked around, making sure Grogu stayed within sight. There was nothing according to see. »Dank farrik,« he mumbled. »False alarm.« But just as he wanted to go back to Grogu, two white light sabers were swung his way, luckily stopped by his Beskar. He blocked two further swings until he could activate the tripwire in his vambrace, tying up the woman for just long enough to think of what to do. Or rather, what to say. »Ahsoka Tano!« he called her name, raising both hands to chest height to symbolize he didn’t mean to attack her. »Bo-Katan sent me,« he explained, having to block another swing until she paused. »Please, we need to talk,« he begged, her head turning to Grogu who was surprisingly calm when watching them fight. »I hope this is about him,« she said, a soft smile forming on the orange lips. The saber blades retracted. 

The sun was slowly setting while Ahsoka sat with Grogu, the two force-sensitive individuals occupied with an intense staring contest. Din knew they were communicating, just as Maia and Grogu had been doing when she still was with them. This gave Din more time to think about the words the magistrate had used as an argument for him to accept the contract. Maia wasn’t his enemy. Ahsoka didn’t seem to be, either. Was Tano perhaps also not a Jedi and rather just force-sensitive and trained in using her talents? 

He took the time to inspect the Togruta that had just ambushed him. She seemed older than Maia, although it was hard to tell how old she could be. Her skin was of a deep orange, white markings decorated her face. She was tall for a woman, the growths on her head making her easily taller than Din himself. 

The Togruta broke eye contact with Grogu once to look at the Mandalorian, possibly having felt his gaze linger on her. She turned back to Grogu a moment later. Feeling safe to approach them, Din came closer to them. Ahsoka’s presence was so different from Maia’s. It was more like being confronted with yet another armorer, a powerful woman, aware of her aura and presence instead of someone purposely making herself smaller. She took the child and came towards Din, setting Grogu down on yet another rock before she herself sat down. 

»You can communicate, right?« he asked. He had seen it before. »In a way. We can feel each other’s thoughts,« Tano replied. Din pondered whether he should tell her that he knew something, but Tano continued. »He was raised at the Jedi temple on Coruscant. About thirty years ago, during Order 66, when all Jedi were deemed enemies to the Empire and subsequently killed, he was hidden away.« »They killed all Jedi?« Ahsoka sighed and averted her face for a moment. »Not even the children were safe.« 

Maia had to be around 30, maybe a little younger. Was she only now alive because she was born a little too late? Why did the Empire kill all the Jedi but then started capturing the remaining female force-sensitive individuals to turn them into … whatever? Din sat down with Grogu and Ahsoka, the helmet stayed turned toward Tano. »His memories turn dark after that. He’s lost and alone.« She reached over and offered her finger for Grogu to hold onto. »Can he still wield the force?« she asked, not breaking eye contact with the child. Din tried to find the right words. »I’ve seen him do things I can’t otherwise explain. Heal wounds, move things with his mind.« His voice turned quiet, Ahsoka not breaking the silence. »My task was to bring him to a Jedi,« Din finally said, freeing his tongue from the knot it had formed. »Well… what about Maia?« Finally, Tano’s head turned back to him, at the same time he felt his heart sink into his pants. 

»How do you –« »Grogu told me about her,« she explained, not even allowing Din to finish his question. Of course, he was a child. He didn’t understand why Maia was suddenly gone, all he could see was that … well, Din and her had behaved oddly around each other, and now she was gone. Din swallowed hard. »She’s not a Jedi. She said she can’t do what Grogu would need.« He sent her away. She was warming up to him and also the child, and he sent her away, because all he wanted was to rip this damn helmet off of his head to kiss her again. »Where did you even find her?« Ahsoka asked, leaning back as Grogu had stopped holding onto her finger.

Din closed his eyes, thinking back to when he had first encountered her on Nevarro. »I didn’t find her. She found us, wanting to make sure Grogu was safe from the Empire.« She would have died for the little one, and Din had almost let it happen. »Such a noble task. Do you know more about her? Did she ever mention a master?« Ahsoka inquired. »I’m just asking because… force-sensitives are rare these days and the name doesn’t ring a bell. She seems young from Grogu’s memories.« 

The Mandalorian found himself in a sticky situation. He was aware that Maia had hid away for years, keeping her identity a secret to keep herself safe. Because of him, or because of Grogu, she had interfered with an Imperial remnant, and now she was back on their radar. Besides: would she appreciate an actual Jedi knowing about her, when she didn’t talk about the order in the most positive way? But then again, Tano could have killed him straight away. And how had Maia explained it? Grogu felt their intentions, and the little one was very relaxed in the Togruta’s presence. 

»She had no master. Saving Grogu was a personal matter for her, she was part of the mother-project back then,« he explained. He dreaded his decision to tell the woman as soon as the words had left his lips, but he couldn’t take them back now. »I see,« she said first, turning more towards him and leaning forward. »I’ve heard rumors, but I thought none had survived. I can see why she wouldn’t deem herself capable to train a traumatized child, she was one herself, once. It’s terrible what they did to these children and women.« 

What was he supposed to say? This was nothing he could reply much to. Maia might have cared about the empathy Tano sent her way. »We really need your help. Or… he does,« Din changed topic, nodding over to Grogu who had fallen asleep on the moss-covered rock. »Let him rest. I’ll evaluate him tomorrow.« Relief washed over him when Ahsoka said this. It wasn’t a yes, yet, but a maybe. He could work with a maybe. 

»Can I ask you something?« he hesitantly asked. Now that he had the chance, he didn’t want it to go to waste. »You just did,« she smirked. »Go ahead.« »Is it true that Jedi have to live by strict rules?« He felt his heart rate pick up. Maia had mentioned a few things about why she didn’t want to be part of the order, had it still existed. »What rules are you referring to specifically?« He took a deep breath. »No attachments, neither possessions nor relationships are allowed. As a Mandalorian, I fail to see how loyalty to someone can be seen as bad.« 

Tano leaned back and inspected the armor, trying to read his body language. »Answer me this: Would you kill for love?« There wasn’t too long of a pause before he replied »of course.« »It is the fear to lose that can be a Jedi’s downfall. Desperation brings out the worst in people, especially if paired with grief and anger. Jedi are powerful beings, and this power comes with responsibilities. Collateral damage is a lot more severe if a Jedi loses themselves.« He had seen it, how Maia had mangled that one body after she got tased. 

»I understand,« he sighed in defeat. It was right to send her away after all, but why did he struggle with his choice? Maia was missing here.

The next morning came quickly, and Ahsoka held her side of the bargain. »Let’s see what knowledge the little one possesses,« she said as Din sat him down on yet another rock covered in moss. Ahsoka found a small pebble on the ground, rolling it around in her hand for a bit before she presented it to Grogu, who was a few meters away from her. With a soft movement of the hand, she made the pebble float across the air towards Grogu, who stared in awe. Din sat off to the side. 

»Now return it to me,« she instructed the child and presented the palm of her hand. »He doesn’t understand,« Din interrupted, but Ahsoka was sure »he does.« The two force-sensitive individuals shared an intense look before Grogu let the pebble fall in defeat. With soft steps she approached him, placing her hand on Grogu’s forehead. »There’s so much fear in you.« She sighed and turned to Din, an apologetic look on her face. He dreaded having to hear that she was yet again someone who wouldn’t help him. It came differently, though, as she asked him to come over. 

»Maybe Grogu listens to you,« she guessed and handed the stone to him. And just like Ahsoka had done at first, he held the stone loosely in between index and thumb and looked over to his foundling. »Alright buddy, lift the stone.« He waited for a few seconds, but Grogu just sat there and cooed as if he didn’t understand. »See, he is stubborn,« Din huffed, causing the woman to smirk yet again. »Try to connect with him.« 

Connect, how should he? He was no Jedi. 

That’s when he remembered the little metal sphere Grogu had practically stolen from the Crest. This must’ve been the connection Tano meant, as Grogu pulled the ball out of Din’s fingers without any hesitation. Din was ecstatic, praising the child relentlessly when he went over and took the metal ball from him again. 

The euphoria ebbed when he saw the expression on Tano’s face. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest, when she said »his attachment to you is strong.« She sighed deeply and shook her head. »I can’t train him.« Din, almost offended, asked. »What, why not?« »His attachment to you makes him vulnerable for his fears. It’s exactly what we talked about yesterday. I have seen what anger does to a fully trained Jedi knight. I will not start a child down the same path.« Her explanation made sense. He had seen it first hand himself, despite Maia regaining control in the last moment. »Let his abilities fade,« Ahsoka recommended. »Train him like you would a foundling, in the ways of the Mandalorians. I have to return to the village, I have unfinished business.« 

»The magistrate sent me to kill you,« Din finally confessed when Tano was on the leave, causing her to stop and turn back to him. He continued, »I didn’t agree to anything. I needed your help and I still do. I’m willing to offer my help if you help with my problem.« His wording was a little unfortunate, as the child scoffed. »If you help him get trained, or find a master.« 

Ahsoka agreed and they went back to the village, but not before Din had tucked Grogu away in the Crest, finally reunited with Maia’s shirt which he had instantly snuggled into.

The fight took all night, ending in victory as both Ahsoka and Din stood before the city gate. She handed the Beskar spear over to him, it was for the best if it was in the right hands. »I guess I should get Grogu then,« he said, the pain audible in his voice. While he had anticipated the moment, having to let go got harder, the longer it took. The way back to the Crest felt endless, his heart heavy with anticipation of having to say farewell. Grogu was peacefully sleeping in his hammock, drooling into Maia’s shirt. »Wake up buddy,« he softly awoke the child. »It’s time to say goodbye.« 

Din held Grogu for a while, feeling the shallow, tiny breaths underneath his fingers, listening to all the coos and babbles. He would miss the little one. As much as he was annoying to look after, it felt good to be there for someone. Din had really warmed up to the foundling and was now struggling to let go. Would Grogu understand why he had to give him away? Or would the child wonder why he had abandoned him. If Grogu would even remember him. 

Not wanting to postpone the inevitable further, Din exited the Crest with Grogu on his arms. To his surprise, Ahsoka waited for him just outside the ship. »He’s attached to you. I can not train him,« she stated. Din stopped in his tracks, just looked at her, and let the silence mariante for a second. »You promised. I held up my end of the agreement and helped you free the village.« Tano approached them and offered a finger for Grogu to hold onto. »There is a way,« she addressed the visor before her. »Fly to Tython. There you will find an ancient temple with a strong connection to the force. In the middle sits a stone where you can place Grogu.« »And then what?« »Then, he may choose his path. He can reach out through the force. A jedi may sense him and come searching for him. Perhaps they are willing to take him in.« 

Tython. Yet another stop in this sheer endless quest to get Grogu to safety. And yet another almost-farewell for Din. He knew it would just get worse the longer him and Grogu were together. 

Why? Why could Grogu not stay with him? Why was the child a danger to everyone if his feelings weren’t in check? Why did anyone Din had warmed up to have to leave him? 

The end of their journey was approaching. Din’s legs felt heavy when he carried Grogu back inside the Crest, sat down on the pilot’s seat and punched in the next coordinates. 

His glove brushed over the data stick Myrthol had given him after their adventure on Nevarro. He hadn’t found the time to check it yet, but the travel to Tython would take a while. What he wanted to find on there, he wasn’t sure himself. Maybe he wanted to know how much they knew about Maia. The Empire was aware of her, and possibly of him. 

Finding the data about her wasn’t too hard, considering her file had been changed fairly recently. Din hesitated. Did he want to snoop around? Maia was gone, nothing he could find on here could change the fact. But then again, if the data said the Empire had captured her, he would have to do something about it. She said the voice could have been a trap after all. 

»Grogu?« Din turned his helmet back to the child. »If we find a Jedi… you have to agree to come with them, okay? I… wish I could train you but I can’t. You’re too powerful. Don’t you want to learn that Jedi stuff?« he sighed. »You could be like Maia. Maybe you could see her again.« Did Grogu understand Din had no choice? It was like having to let Maia go. It was necessary for them all. Although, looking at the information he had found on her file, he massively regretted sending her away so cruelly. He had known something was special about her, and there he found the reason.

They arrived on Tython some time later, Din feeling the dread deep in his stomach. He found the mountain with the seeing stone, but having no other option than to land in a nearby valley. The last part of the way they flew with the jetpack, Din holding onto Grogu a little tighter than usual.  

The rock formation looked odd, spiky rocks arranged in a circle with a dome-shaped stone in the center. He couldn’t decipher the carvings on the seeing stone, but it surely looked odd. »I guess this is it. Does it look Jedi to you?« They exchanged a look. What did he expect? Of course Grogu wouldn’t reply. He sat the child down on the rock and shrugged. »And now… focus, I guess. Find a Jedi, as Ahsoka said.« 

He stared at Grogu for a bit before he heard the engine of another ship. He watched as it landed a little away from the temple. »Okay, change of plans, we have to get away from here.« When he turned back to get Grogu, the child was surrounded by a force field that he couldn't get through. The child had his eyes closed, the carvings on the stone glowed blue. Perhaps this meant he was reaching out to someone, just at the wrong time. It was getting dangerous. »I’m serious, Grogu. We better get out of here.« He looked over to the ship, watching someone exit. »Osik,« he cursed. »I’ll buy you some time.« Din walked down the mountain to seek out who was following them. His heart was pounding, fearing another bounty hunter or Imperial. 

Shots forced him to hide behind a boulder, allowing the cloaked stranger to approach him. »I’ve been tracking you for a while now, Mandalorian,« the stranger addressed him. His hood was up, his face hidden in the shadow of the dark fabric. »Are you a Jedi? Are you after the child?« Din asked. He didn’t care much any more. He wanted Grogu to finally be safe. The stranger removed his hood to reveal a middle-aged man with a scarred face. »I’m here for the armor,« he announced. »Over my dead body,« Din growled and aimed his blaster. He knew Beskar was highly sought after, but he would not give it away without a fight. »I’m not talking about your armor,« the man corrected. »I meant mine, the one you took from Cobb Vanth back on Tatooine.« 

Wait. Din knew who this armor belonged to. Boba Fett, Maia had told him. »Are you Mandalorian?« Din asked. »I’m a simple man making his way through the galaxy, like my father before me.« He was evading the question, great. »Did you take the Creed?« »My allegiance belongs to no one.« Din rolled his eyes underneath the helmet. »and this armor belongs to Mandalorians. This armor was looted in the purge.« »This armor belonged to my father, and now it is mine.« 

»Who’s going to stop me from just shooting you?« Din asked. »The sharpshooter on the hill over there,« Fett smugly replied. »Will pull the trigger before my lifeless body has even hit the ground.« Din scoffed, »I’m wearing Beskar, why would I care?« »I never said you were the target.« The Mandalorian’s heart sank when he realized he meant Grogu. From a hill the line to the child would be undisturbed. 

A familiar voice came from the larger rock formation next to him. »And if you remember, I never miss.« »Fennec?« Din asked and his helmet turned to the elevated spot where the sniper sat. »You have good ears, Mando.« 

After some back and forth, they agreed to lower their weapons and approach this a little more well-mannered. Having thought Shand dead, Din asked how she was able to stand here before him. The assassin explained that she had been left for dead, but Fett had saved her life, so she owed him. This was the confirmation, this was indeed Boba Fett. 

Just as yet another ship approached, Fett had offered his support in taking care of the child in exchange for the armor. There was no time to disagree with Fett any further, as the transporter that had landed next to the Crest was Imperial. Practically stumbling up the mountain, Din got to Grogu as fast as he could, but still the force field was up. The glow was brighter now and it felt like the force field had become stronger. »Grogu we need to go!« Din urged the child, who was too focused to even hear him. He tried yet again to get through the force field, ending in him being thrown back and losing consciousness for a bit. 

When the second transporter landed, Din came to and decided he needed to get down there. »Stay here, I will protect you. I’ll be back soon.« Shand and Fett had fended off the Stormtroopers while Djarin was unconscious. The bounty hunter had put on his armor, and Din could see how a teenage Maia would have been intimidated by Fett. Seeing him fight in the armor was definitely a sight to behold. 

Realizing they were no match to the three, the remaining Stormtroopers boarded the transporters to flee, only to be shot from the sky with one single jetpack rocket. Victory tasted so sweet, but the celebration was cut short when a shot from orbit suddenly hit the Crest, tearing the ship to shreds. 

All was gone in the blink of an eye. 

His weapons, his gear, the little trinkets he had collected on his missions. His home was in ruins. The tech in his helmet scanned the sky and showed a large ship in orbit, causing Djarin to run back to the temple. 

On his way back to the child, 4 Darktroopers deployed from the ship and surrounded Grogu, who at this point had fallen unconscious, causing the force field to drop. Just as Din and Fennec reached the mountain top, the droids left with Grogu. Fett followed them with his ship, offering to shoot them down, but Din vehemently declined. It would hurt Grogu, so they let the Troopers reach the ship. 

»They’re back,« Fett said in disbelief. »Who is?« Fennec asked him. »The Empire. I can see their cruiser up there. I’m coming back to you.« And while Fett landed his ship, Din stood in the wreckage of his beloved Crest. Everything was gone, destroyed, burnt, nonfunctional. The only two items he could salvage were the Beskar spear and the little metal ball Grogu had fallen in love with.

There he stood, with nothing left to his name apart from his armor, the spear, and a massively broken heart. Din had lost it all. His child, his home and therefore all means to get said child back. But there was a shimmer of hope: Despite the differences in the beginning, Fett swore to help Djarin get Grogu back, whatever it took. Their deal had been the safety of the child for the armor. Djarin had kept his end of the deal, Fett could keep his father's armor. 

Din was sure he would need help to get Grogu back from this cruiser, which no doubt belonged to Gideon. 

While on Fett’s ship and on the way off of Tython, Din retreated from the cockpit. He needed some time to himself, to process what had just happened. With the metal ball in his hand, he sat there, wondering how he could have failed so drastically. Of all things, he wondered if he could have prevented this from happening. Perhaps things would have ended up differently, had Maia stayed. 

If you realize that you need me, I won’t be far away, I promise. As long as my heart beats, you and Grogu won’t be alone in this galaxy. 

Din closed his eyes underneath the helmet and focused. Focused on Maia, in the desperate hope she could somehow hear him. He rolled the metal ball in his hand, trying to feel for anything changing, any sign she was with him. »Maia?« his voice was shaky, but he felt something. A warmth in his chest and an undeniable presence beside him. »I failed. I lost him,« he confessed and closed his fist around the ball until he felt his muscles strain. Admitting defeat stung, and his breathing betrayed him. 

It was as if he felt a weight being placed on his shoulder, like a hand that tried to reassure him. His shoulder twitched, feeling the weight more clearly for a moment. She was here, somehow. »We found and old stone that was supposed to guide a Jedi to us,« he explained in the seemingly empty room, »but the Empire found us before that. Now Gideon has him. I couldn’t keep him safe.« He felt the burn in his eyes, certain a tear would soon run down his face. His breathing became labored, as if something was crushing his chest. He exhaled sharply, legging his helmet fall forward into his hands. The metal ball clinked against the Beskar. 

»I hope you’re more successful than I am, that you found who was looking for you, because right now it feels like I have lost everything. Grogu, my ship, you. I –« He hesitated. The regret he felt for sending her away only grew with every passing day, and now he blamed himself for letting all of this happen. Had she stayed with him, things might have looked a little better. »I miss you.« A sob shook his whole body and he felt the weight on his shoulder vanish, as if she had let go. He missed her, admitting it felt good, especially now that he was sure she had heard it… somehow.

»Part of me wants to ask you to come back, but I fear I will ultimately cause you harm. The Empire is too close, and they are aware you are alive because of me. Despite that, part of me wants you back here.« Feeling this weak felt awful, but he knew Maia would never judge him for it. Maybe she was the only person who could understand him. »I found out something about you,« he said more softly. The feeling of her presence had left, however. His helmet raised once again and he looked around. Din was alone, as expected, and the warmth had left. Maybe he had imagined her after all. 

Their first stop to gather supplies and help to get Grogu back was Nevarro. Although Marshal Dune was now part of the New Republic and first refused to help Din get Mayfeld, 4 words were enough to change her mind. 

»I lost the child.«

Why Mayfeld exactly? Well. He was Imperial once and knew the in’s and out’s. As he would tell them upon his liberation, he needed access to  an internal terminal, meaning they had to infiltrate yet another base. There just happened to be one on Morak, an old refinery. 

The plan sounded so simple. Get in, find a terminal, locate Gideon’s cruiser and out they were. Mayfeld and Din had to do this alone, as any other of his allies were either wanted or familiars to the Empire. Never had Din anticipated having to change out of his armor into a different set of armor. In general, the involuntary road trip with Mayfeld to the base, him blabbering on and on about breaking rules when things got messy, had Din think about a few things. 

Things he had to think about later, as pirates tried to blow up their vehicle. Having to fight without his armor was a new experience for Din, and surprisingly, he was a lot stronger with less weight on him. Getting hit hurt more, but he was faster like this.

They made it in and just before Mayfeld reached the terminal, someone of his past was in the way, an old superior Mayfeld had served under, who might recognize the human. They were out of options, the ex-Imperial said. If Din wanted to operate the terminal, he’d have to have his face scanned. With some hesitation, the Mandalorian decided this was his breaking point. 

‘Thanks to the sacrifice of someone who loved me. I don’t want to believe that love is wrong when it saved my life.’ 

She might have talked about something entirely different back then, but Maia’s words echoed in his mind when he removed the helmet. Grogu was worth breaking the rules. He was a foundling, after all; His foundling. What Mandalorian would blame him for doing anything ensure the safety of a child? 

After gaining the location, Din looked for allies to join on his quest. Even Bo-Katan and Koska were in it, albeit for Gideon’s cruiser and also a mysterious weapon he allegedly had. To gain entrance, they kidnapped Dr. Pershing, whom Din had a personal issue with for all that he had done to Grogu. While he was glad to hear the foundling was still alive, it only fueled his drive to make it to Gideon as soon as possible.

They made it onto the ship, but as it would turn out, this was where the fun only began.  

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

Once Upon a Time on the Razor Crest

Summary: First steps to friendship

A/N: Hello lovelies,

I hope everyone had a good week. I just want to put this out there as someone who works in the medical field, please be kind to doctors, nurses, technicians, receptions, and cleaning crews.

Just be kind in general. I had a rough week with a very rude patient. It might not seem like much but after a while it takes a toll. So to everyone and anyone who needs to hear this, thank you for all the hard work you do.

Love oo

Due to the past history of the OC there will be discussions alluding to past domestic abuse, please note that as it could be a trigger for some.

Warnings: discussions of lunch, trying to avoid isolation, mentions of past trauma (blink and you'll miss it), discussions of being dirty (physically), possible mud (use your imagination). If I miss any warnings, please let me know.

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THE CRESTWORLD

CHAPTER NINE

As we watched Taika and Misty munching away, it made me remember we needed to eat too, “Din, what do you want for lunch? There’s some leftovers from last night’s dinner or I could make us a sandwich and salad …”

“You know…” he cut her off, realizing he needed to make more of an effort with her. 

Sure she was his employee, but he was also the only person she knew out here. Cobb and Fennec were always busy in town and the surrounding areas,  and Fennec had even less time than Cobb, being Boba’s right hand. Then there was Grogu, and as fun and enjoyable he was for a little kid, it wasn’t the same as having someone around her own age to hang out with. 

He nodded to himself, resolving he needed to do better, “You did a really good job today, Ann. Looking after Bessie, milking her, noticing there was something off about her. You could’ve easily brushed it off, or not even bothered to tell me about it. But you did, and because you did, I can tell you there will be a new addition to the ranch. Nerfs have a faster gestation than most quadrupeds. We should have a new addition in a month or two depending on if it’s a bull or calf. Not to mention you fed the nunas and collected the eggs, even though I know it freaks you out a little. I even noticed that you stamped the eggs with the date, and put them away. Cleaned out the pens as best you could … before I got here.” He smirked.

I tilted my head to look at him, resting my head on my arms that were propped on the railing of the corral. I didn’t say much, simply looking at him as I narrowed my eyes at Din, “I can’t tell if you’re making fun of me, or if you’re being genuine”

He chuckled, as he glanced over to her, shaking his head. “Genuine, I’m being genuine,” he turned back to look at Taika and Misty, “plus, I owe you for this morning.” 

I smirked, focusing back on the horses, “So … does this mean, I’ll get a pay bump?”

“Ha! No.” He stood stretching, “However, I do believe, your good work today, and for my …”

“Assery?”

“That’s not even a word.”

“Words aren’t words, until you start using them more often”

Din shook his head laughing, “Anyway, I do believe this entitles you to lunch on me. How about we go into town for lunch? I know a good restaurant.”

“Oh, um … yeah, I guess…”

He hadn’t expected that reaction, “Do you not want to?” Din glanced over to her.

A thousand scenarios ran through my mind, my biggest concern was bringing danger to this small town, but … Fennec went through a lot to cover my tracks so I could make it here. I couldn’t keep hiding on the ranch like I was. I needed to stop letting my ex dictate terms. I needed to start living again. 

I closed my eyes, and reminded myself, I wasn’t that same weak girl, he initially married.

 “No. No.” I focused on the landscape before, taking in the beautiful mountains, the crisp air. I was far away from him. “I’m up for going into town. After all, I need to see more of this area, get to know the town and people. As beautiful as this ranch is, I can’t exactly be holed up here forever.”

“No. You can’t” he smiled.

 I smirked, as my eyes glanced down, looking over my dirty outfit, “Maybe I should change? Take a shower at least?” My hand subconsciously went to my forehead and hair, wiping away some of the sweat and dirt.

Din shrugged, “You can if you want to but there’s no need, we’re going to a diner, not some fancy five-star high-end Coruscant restaurant. Plus this is a farming town, we’re all used to being a little dirty.”

“Hmmm … Well, I guess, if you’re going like that” I motioned to his shirt, “then I guess I can go like this” I motioned to my less than stellar outfit.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” He looked down, sure there was dirt, hay, dust, some grass strains, and something … he hoped but wasn’t entirely sure was mud. The more he thought about it, the more he changed his opinion, “You know, now that you mention it, maybe a change of shirt wouldn’t be the worst thing.”

I chuckled, nodding in agreement, as he tried to flick a nondescript dark matter off his shirt towards me. I squealed, flinching away from him, increasing the distance between us. “Hey …” I held up my finger as I moved further away, “I’ll have you know, I have enough of my own questionable dark matter on me, I don’t need to take on yours, too.” I shouted over to him, when I was far enough away and headed back into the house.  

Din watched as she headed back to the house, slipping off her boots before she went in. 

He stood in the open glancing over to the pens, the horses grazing, and Bessie chewing away as she stood there looking at him, and he couldn’t remember a time he felt this content from cleaning the pens and grooming Taika and Misty. He shook his head, pushing his thoughts aside as he headed into the house to change.

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[puchosdementa]

[kirsteng42]

1 of my favourite Din series. I would recommend it to all PP fans, it’s great story telling.

Cyare series**

Pairing: Mand’alor!Din Djarin x Mandalorian!f!reader with name

summary: on his journey to become the Mand’alor, Din encounters someone who will turn his world upside down and change it forever. 

SERIES WARNINGS: plenty of sexual acts, angst, death, mentions of guns, friends to lovers, soulmate!AU.

Below is the completed story, along with its subsequent one shots. SOME CHAPTERS CONTAIN SMUT SO IF YOU ARE NOT 18+, SCROLL AWAY!

header: @katronautt​ ​

Keep reading

[ledgersmountain]

And that's why i don't like reading fanfics or imagines with real life people, especially smut or stuff like that, not anymore bc it's just... weird

I don't see a problem with fictional characters because, obviously, they don't exist, but writing a scenario where a real person, who has a family, a job, relationships, etc, fucking you or doing whatever, is already absurd to me (my opinion)

It seems that people see these public figures as an object and not as a REAL person that should be respected.

Edit: if pedro already feels uncomfortable with some thirsty tweets about his person imagine the fanfics

[hunnythebee]

Stow Away

Chapter 6: Collision

Things between Mando and Jo have reached a fever pitch. They're on a collision course, finally at a breaking point. This night is the night they give up and give in.

Chapter 5 | Chapter 7 | Masterlist

Happy Valentines Day

NSFW--MINORS DNI--NSFW

Warnings: injury, mention of blood, medical stitches, SMUT, this shit rated P0RN, oral m!receiving, oral f!receiving, fingering, PIV, cum eating, dom!Mando (if you squint) if you find more please let me know

Jo wished they could have stayed on Takodana longer, but she knew that his work came first. She was just thankful for the short break. After they left it was straight back to work. She would take care of the kid and the ship, and he would collect the bounties. They had a routine blossoming and it was nice having something stable. All was going smoothly until a bounty on Lothal put up too much of a fight. Mando limped aboard the Crest, clutching the bounty’s head wrapped in a sack, but that didn’t really phase her. What concerned Jo was the large gash in Mando’s thigh.

“It got…hairy.” He chuckled dryly as he slumped into his spot.

“I can see that. What did he hit you with?”

“Vibroblade…” his voice was strained.

She examined the cut as best she could through the tear in his suit, but all she could really make of it was that it was jagged and still bleeding. She sighed and sat back on her knees.

“Hey Mando?”

“Hmm?”

"I need to get to the cut.”

“It’s right there.”

“Poor visibility. I need to clean it and sew the bacta mesh on. With the suit on, I might stitch it onto you with the mesh.”

Words failed him. She was asking to remove his pants. Restraint was already difficult enough with clothes on. But she was going to be touching his skin, so close to where he wanted her. Even worse she was on her knees. The image would forever live in his memory. But could he really let her do this, wouldn't he be breaking his oath?

She’s trying to save your life. Surely the covert would understand that. And it's not like you're taking off your helmet. He reasoned.

He nodded to her in consent.

“How would you like me to do this?” She asked, keeping his boundaries in mind.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… you could take them off or I can, whatever you're more comfortable with."

Secretly, she wanted to be the one to do it, but she also knew now was not the time to seduce the Mandalorian. He was injured, and she was here to treat him, that was all.

"I can do it." He began to move, undoing his belt. "Could you take off the plates? It will be faster if you help."

He huffed, beginning to feel the blood loss. She removed his beskar, carefully setting it beside her. Even though he hadn't asked, she moved on to his boots, unlacing and sliding them off. She was keenly aware at how close this was to what she had been imagining for weeks. She leaned back to give him space to stand, not realizing aww ¹ng he wouldn't be able to right now.

Instead he did a maneuver that was infinitely more seductive. He bucked his hips up, still sitting mostly, and pushed the pants down over his hips till the waist was resting just below his knees. She helped pull them down the rest of the way, discarding them next to her. He leaned back and his knees dropped open.

Jo was entranced by the image that sat before her. He was fully dressed from the waist up, but his lower half only wore a pair of boxer briefs. Briefs that did nothing to hide the heat he was packing. She licked her lips, not even attempting to hide where she was looking. Her gaze trailed over his growing bulge, down his thigh, and ended on the weeping gash in his leg.

Shit.

She was flung back into the urgency of the present situation. She dug around in the med-kit she had grabbed. Jo pulled out the bacta-mesh and suture kit, as well as bacta injection to fend off any infection. She used the injection on the uninjured part of his thigh and went to work.

His heart was racing. He’d been with women before, but none had ever really seen him. Jo was the first. She began to clean and dress his wound, and he didn’t flinch at all. His gaze was fixed on her, mesmerized by her focus as she diligently patched up his leg. It was one of her most attractive traits, her devotion to everything she did.

She finished the stitching and sprayed the area with bacta for good measure. She sat back to analyze her work, the threat gone. She absentmindedly traced her fingers along his skin. Her heart was pounding. Feeling his body for the first time. Her hand had been lingering while she was lost in thought, her gaze fixed on his thigh.

He was fixed on her. Her face. Her hand. It all felt so good. Too good. He felt himself growing, but he was so enamored with her he didn't even think to try to hide it. His erection bulged against the fabric of his underwear. The outline of it was so prominent that there was no way she wouldn’t notice.

He was right. She absolutely noticed, her pupils were blown out with lust, and her stare was bordering on feral.

“Careful Mando, or I might get the wrong idea,” she disguised her flirtation as a warning, though it was a thinly veiled flirtation. His cock strained against the fabric, and he stood from his seat, her eyes now level with his arousal.

“Mmm would that be so bad,” his voice a thick growl through the modulator of his helmet.

He brushed a hand through her hair and entered the refresher, likely to wash off the rest of the blood. Jo remained completely still, her mind racing.

What in kriffing hell was THAT?! I didn't just imagine that, right?

She had teased and flirted with him mercilessly since Maz's, but he had been unyielding toward her advances. Jo was beginning to think that the chemistry that she had felt that morning must have been whatever trace amounts of alcohol remained in her system. However this encounter, the response to her quip, his obvious state of arousal and what he had said as he left...

The sound of the shower in the fresher and the child crying out pulled her from her daze. She finally stood, despite her knees attempting to give up entirely, and approached Grogu’s crib. He looked worried, his little brow wrinkling at the center.

“Hey little guy, what’s going on? Need food?”

He shook his head ‘no’.

“Okay… you want to come out of the crib?”

Again, ‘no’.

“Hmm… What do you need, little one?”

He looked down at the floor, where her necklace was lying.

“Ohh, did you drop this?” She held up the necklace, and his eyes sparkled.

“Here ya go,” she handed the necklace to him and he lay back down with it firmly in his grasp. She closed the lid again, knowing it was time for him to sleep.

She settled down on her cot, deep in thought once again. Or more like deep in fantasy. She sat there and fantasized about opening that kriffing refresher door and climbing into the shower with Mando. She fantasized about leaving marks on his skin, skin only she gets to see. She imagined how good it would feel to have his mouth on hers. She imagined what his face would be like, the color of his eyes, whether he had facial hair or not. All the things she’d been thinking about since Takodana, since their near kiss. Jo was so lost in thought that when the fresher door hissed open she launched out of her thoughts and off her cot.

Mando leaned against the doorway, steam pouring out around him. He looked ethereal standing there in the backlit steam. Jo's gaze was fixed on him, and she felt every muscle in her body itching to move towards him. Jo's heart hammered in her chest as the tension pulled tighter and tighter. She let her eyes wander down from his helmet. She couldn't make out any distinguishing features, but from his silhouette she could tell he was shirtless, and only a towel hung around his waist. Jo locked eyes with his visor once more and she bit her lower lip slightly.

It snapped. As if the two had been pulling at a band and it finally gave out. He stepped forward towards her, quick long strides. She moved towards him as well, practically sprinting through the hull. The door of the refresher hissed shut and she was plunged into pitch black darkness. Jo let out a giggle when she heard a metallic thud, assuming he had stumbled into a crate.

No, he hadn't tripped. The sound that she had heard was deliberate, not accidental. His body finally made contact with hers in the dark. Mando's scent surrounded her, and his arms held her tight to his warm chest. He was still slightly damp from his shower. Jo inhaled deeply, absorbing the moment she was having with him.

"Are you sure about this, Mando?" She whispered.

He pulled away. His silent answers were never an issue for Jo, when she could kriffing see. Now she was alone in the void and worried she just talked her way out of this. Before she could spiral into her thoughts, a rough hand found the back of her neck and an arm cradled her back.

He crashed his lips against hers, in a kiss that was like he was starving. Jo melted into him, her mind blank. For someone who always wore a helmet his kissing was some of the best she had ever had. He licked gently at her bottom lip, and she moaned.

Her noises encouraged him. He left her lips, peppering kisses along her jaw to her ear. He spoke softly, but his voice was heavy with lust.

"Jomira…" her name left his mouth in the form of his own moan. "I need to hear you make more of that kriffing sound. Sexiest thing I've ever heard."

She nodded enthusiastically. He smiled, burying his face in her neck. Jo let out another loud moan when he began sucking and biting her neck. Mando was determined to cover her in marks. He wouldn't be able to put his mouth on her often, so he figured he could leave her reminders of where his mouth had been.

With his mouth still working purple and red marks onto her skin, he pressed her back into the wall. She tangled her fingers into his hair and tugged lightly, forcing him to release her skin and return to her mouth. Jo experimentally grinded her hips into his. The action was welcomed by a hardness pressing into her abdomen. Mando moaned into her mouth. She broke away, her breath heavy.

"Take me… I need you… Mando… please fuck me."

He growled and crashed into her lips once more and grasped her shirt in his hands. She thought he was going to simply lift it off her, like a normal human being. She forgot that he wasn't just any human, he was Mandalorian. He ripped her shirt in half, exposing her chest. Mando's hands grazed over her tender nipples, not stopping however, as he slid down to her pants. He didn't rip these, but instead he knelt down in front of her. He worked them off her legs, kissing every exposed inch. He threw them into the void, leaving her completely exposed. His hands wandered her body, learning every curve and dip.

“Mando…" she whispered, pressing a palm to his bare chest.

“Jo…” his hand dipped between her thighs, teasing her dripping pussy.

"Please."

Her moans warranted a dark chuckle from the Mandalorian, he doesn't oblige her pleas however. Continuing to gently rub at her as she grew even wetter. Her arousal was coating her thighs and her pussy ached from the emptiness. She was growing more needy with every passing moment, then a surge of energy rocketed through her.

Mando was completely caught off-guard, having been preoccupied with touching her. She had managed to spin them around. Now his back was to the wall, and he was at her mercy. This was a dynamic he was not used to, but that wasn't to say he didn't like it. Jo kissed him, working her way from his mouth down his neck and his chest. She knelt down in front of him and tugged gently at the towel that was hanging on his waist. It fell heavily to the ground and he groaned when the cool air hit his erection.

She wrapped a hand around the base of his cock and licked the swollen tip teasingly. Mando's head fell back against the durasteel wall with a heavy thud. Jo took this as a good sign, sucking his tip into her mouth. He moaned, and his hand found the back of her head. His fingers grasped at her hair as she slowly swallowed the rest of the length. She hadn't intended to swallow his entire erection into her mouth and throat. He had a different plan. Her mouth was already filled, his tip resting comfortably on the back of her tongue, but his hand kept gently coaxing her further.

"That's my good girl. I know you can handle it. Swallow me. Show me how much you can take, sweet girl."

His praises urged her on, despite the fact that she was choking and gagging. Her nose met his pelvis. Her eyes were watering and the noises that they were both making were obscene. He pulled her back up his cock, allowing her to breathe, and then shoved himself back down her throat. He repeated this action and Jo was loving it. She slid a finger along her slick pussy, playing at her clit. She moaned as he thrusted down her throat, which caused him to freeze. His breathing was rapid and shallow, and his cock was twitching in her throat.

She realized he was desperately trying not to cum. He wanted to fuck her. He pulled his cock from her mouth. Jo's jaw was sore and her lip was slightly split from keeping it open for so long. Mando pulled her up from her knees and she stumbled into him, realizing how weak she was from kneeling in front of him. He caught her and threw her over his shoulder with no effort. She wasn't sure where he was going to carry her, but right now she didn't really care. She heard a door hiss open and a light flooded the hull. Jo looked down at the slightly illuminated backside of the man carrying her.

Fuck, he's even hot from behind.

They entered the room, and he hit the lights. The room went dark. He placed her down on his bunk, and she was expecting him to appear on top of her. She yelped when that was not the case. Mando dragged her ass to the edge and spread her legs apart. He dragged a thick digit along her center and she whimpered. Then she felt his tongue against her and it was as if he had lit a fire in her veins.

"Oh Gods. Fuck… feels so good." She tangled her fingers into his hair and grinded into his tongue as he licked at her wetness. He lightly nipped at her clit and she saw stars. She whimpered out "need to cum…please…"

He didn't answer verbally, but instead sunk a finger inside of her and began to pump as he continued to work her tender bundle with his tongue.

Jo's orgasm crashed into her. He slowed down, working her through it, and then he completely stopped. He kissed her inner thigh, then her stomach. He worked his way up to her mouth. Jo threw her arms around his shoulders and held him in a deep kiss.

"Mando… please… I want you inside of me. Need you inside me."

He nodded against her. She slid back up the bed, with him in tow. He knelt down between her legs, fisting himself gently. Then he leaned down over her, hitching her legs up onto his hips. Mando leaned in close to her, his breath was hot as he spoke.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded in response and he slid his cock inside her. He moaned as he filled her up, and she dug her fingers into his back. He kissed her again as he started to move. The sensation was addictive. She held onto him as he buried himself in her over and over, his cock rocking against her sweet spot.

Their bodies were melting together. A mixture of sweat and arousal filled the air. He moved her legs so that one rested on his shoulder, the new angle made her eyes roll back. Jo moans quickened with the pace of his thrusts, they were both close. Mando started planting sloppy kisses on the leg that rested on his shoulder.

His hand drifted between their bodies and found her swollen clit. He rubbed her in gentle circles and that was all the push she needed. Heat rushed through her, all her muscles tightened and a string of curses poured from her mouth as she came on his cock. A few more thrusts and he was falling over the edge with her, he pulled out of her and coated her pelvis and abdomen in cum. She felt empty, but satisfied. His body collapsed next to her, huffing and tired.

Jo dragged her fingers through the release on her stomach, collecting a small amount and bringing it to her mouth. He tasted so good, it was sweet with a bit of a bite. She hummed happily as she sucked on her fingers, which caught his attention.

"If I had known you wanted to taste it," his tired voice gruff in her ear, "I would have come in your mouth."

"Your loss." She teased.

He laughed, raw and genuine. Mando reached over her and grabbed a towel from beside the bed. He wiped down her stomach, cleaning up the mess he had made.

"Thank you. I appreciate that, but I think what I really need is a shower." She laughed.

"Hmm… fine… but on one condition."

Her eyebrow quirked up, "My showers are conditional now?"

"This one is yes."

"Fine, what is your condition then?"

He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You come back here when you're done."

Her mind went blank, she didn't respond vocally but instead kissed him in response as she stood up. The door hissed open and she paused.

"Of course I'll come back to you."

A/N

We have FINALLY arrived at the smut. Thank you all for sticking with me thus far. I've still got a lot planned for these two so stick around if you want more of their dynamic. I've already written (and rewritten) so many chapters of this. I think I'm up to somewhere around 13 I think. I know I don't want to go over 20 per story arc. After I finish this fic I may take a break to write on another storyline I've had brewing. I've also been tossing around some Bad Batch. Like y'all should see my Google Docs rn 🫣

Anyways! See you guys next week!

May the force be with you

Chapter 5 | Chapter 7 | Masterlist