NOTE: This one is a bit long, but I wanted to build up the suspense for the next few chapters. Enjoy!

The Glavis Ringworld
A Few Days Later

The space station is settled on the back end of nowhere, and neither Kia nor Din have heard of it until their first run in several months ago. Ultimately, the goal for this journey is for Din to pay a visit to his old tribe, but it is also a chance for him to earn some well-needed credits with the local bounty hunter's guild in the city's center. Their arrival here reiterated a feeling of nostalgia as their gunship slowly approached the docking bay.

Hyperspace is dark and uninviting, but once they set their ship down on the landing platform at the station's starport, the roaring chatter of a thousand passengers rumbled in their ears. After Din paid the port manager for fuel and docking fees, they make their way through the crowded transportation terminals, and onto the busy streets towards the business district of the city. On their approach to the turbolift elevators, steam fogged up their visors as they stroll past traders with stalls and shops, jam-packed together at every available space.

The enormous ringworld station, which encircles a small star, contained a massive industrial metropolis with a sufficient amount of traffic, hotels, shops, and high-rise residential condominiums. Citizens of various species were dashing in all directions, carrying luggages and hailing taxis or airbuses. There was also a great number of overhang bridges above them, which supported the railway system that carried commuters throughout the city.

The generators on the upper deck worked constantly to pump oxygen down into the lower engineering levels of the station. This created a sense of discomfort as the whole place felt alive with constant noise and activity, made worse by the countless number of trains and airspeeders zipping past them, including the continuous surge of travelers meandering throughout the streets.

Although the stars over their heads were beautiful, but the twinkling purple and red bulbs from news bulletins, or storefront advertisements, provided the city with a synthetic night and day cycle. This tainted its occupants with a manufactured replacement for a natural skylight, which gives this place a dreadfully confining impression. To make matters slightly more uncomfortable, the city is bitterly cold on this particular evening.

The artificial climate controlled atmosphere is currently programmed on its yearly winter season for the entire station. Therefore, this is where the benefits of wearing a thick flight suit, and being encased in durasteel and beskar comes into play. Since their armor is designed specifically to be a great insulator for these types of conditions, Mandalorians have an advantage over the other spacers in this urban sprawl.

With her lightsaber and blaster pistol in their respective holsters and her senses on high alert, Din's muffled sighing caught Kia's attention as they get closer to a back alleyway. "It'll be alright cyar'ika (darling), this is a relatively safe place," Kia reassured him.

"I can't believe you convinced me to bring them with us," Din gritted his teeth in protest. His unfiltered frustration boomed in Kia's helmet as they communicated through their secret comlink.

Kia smiles under her helmet in response to his intense, yet sweetly unnecessary, overprotectiveness. She glanced down at the small girl grasping tightly onto her gloved hand. Alina had begged to come along, despite the fact that her mother and father were quite anxious to give their young daughter permission to leave the safety of the covert. But after more desperate pleading from Alina and reassurance from Kia, Mia and Vax eventually gave in.

Wrapped in a black hooded shawl and a pair of thick winter gloves, the girl's heavy woolen clothing is intended for these frigid temperatures. Even though Alina is worried about being away from her parents for the first time, yet Grogu doesn't at all appear fazed by the liveliness of this densely populated city. Chewing on a silver knob from Din's old ship, he's comfortably at home in his floating hover crib, swathed tightly with several layers of thick blankets for warmth.

"Don't worry. It'll be good for them," Kia says as she looks back up at Din, who's too focused on the path ahead as they continued walking down a dimly lit alleyway. "They need to learn how to sense for danger. This can't be learned at home."

Din grumbling again under his breath as they entered a cramped elevator, "When I go inside to see this guild master, I need you to stay with the children," he ordered.

"Ridurr, you know I love how protective you are. But you really need to lighten up a little," Kia's soft voice fills Din's ears as he punches the floor number on the door's control panel.

"Not a chance," Din replied dryly as the elevator compartment pings. Once the doors swing open with a swoosh, they step out onto the penthouse level of a high-class nightclub.

With a sigh, Kia follows Din into a packed cantina of drunk partygoers of diverse species. Some were laughing hysterically with drinks in their hands, while others were standing around high tables and conversing cordially with other patrons. Loud dance music was playing through a radio behind the bar as a short, Ishi Tib man with green skin served drinks to guests at the counter. The entire taproom was enclosed by solid glass-pane windows overlooking the city.

"Stay here," Din demanded darkly in a very stern tone, his gaze fixated on a backdoor of the bar as other guests stop and stare at them. A single Mandalorian is an uncommon sight anywhere in the galaxy, but a family of them is even more unusual. As Din's reflective silvery armor disappears behind the doorway, Kia begins her teachings to the children.

"Extend yourselves in the Force, my young padawans. Breath slowly and listen carefully, but don't go diving in too quickly. Always start on the side of caution," Kia instructed her small students. As the master, she resets her internal balance and unity, establishing her mental focus and breath control to connect to the Force. "Tell me what you hear, Alina," Kia asks after a few minutes of silent concentration.

"Whispers," Alina answered softly, gripping her hand even tighter. "There's so many of them."

"Try to focus on one at a time. Empty your mind. Once your mind is quiet, you can hear the Force inside you. Listen to it. Let it guide you."

"The voices are scary."

"Recognize your fear, but do not allow it to take control over you. The dark side cannot harm you if you don't let it," Kia's advice seemed to have given her students newly restored confidence in their abilities. Both of them were in deep focus and their minds were at ease.

"Some of them are afraid of you."

"Of course they are," Kia blurted out with a soft chuckle at her youthful naiveness. "Mandalorians are rare and we are known to be fiercely protective. We are warriors and must be brave in the face of danger. The side glances are part of what we are. Once you get your own armor, you'll see."

Unlike the exercises Kia has been through in the past, the Jedi tended to avoid any strong emotions. Therefore, this new type of training has not been done before. Although she is a bit worried about the possibility of one of them becoming the next victims of the dark side, as any master would be, Kia is also quite confident that this new method of Force use can prevent her young padawans from falling prey to its lashing winds. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Din to reappear from the back entrance, holding a tracking fob in one hand.

"You got what you came here for?" Kia asked.

"I did. Luckily the target hasn't left the station," Din replied nonchalantly as he walks up to the elevator doors. "You all doing Force stuff?" His gruff questioning resonated in her ears.

"We have," Kia answered with a soft snicker at his dry sarcasm. "They are smart and learn surprisingly fast."

Once back inside the small elevator, Din sighs heavily once again as he presses the button for the ground floor, "Stay with the children. This won't take long."

Although Din was always exceptionally skilled at maintaining his stoic demeanor, this bounty got him nervous. The quarry that was given to him is a rough one, a Quarren thug who has murdered a few people. But the reward will bring in a good payment, and should keep them going for a while. Plus, bringing him in warm means the local guild master will grow his reputation. This also means that Din will get better jobs next time, and each one will get more challenging as well. That's a good thing. He enjoys the hunt. Always have. Diplomacy and political affairs were never his strong points. He never had an interest in those things. Yet this particular quarry is high-risk and dangerous. There's a good chance the target might catch on to the pursuit and target him in response.

He's stalling. A part of him needs this job as a distraction. It's a way for him to regain some of his confidence and sense of purpose in providing for his foundling, his wife, and his new family. What will would happen once he returns to Paz and The Armorer? He's already made his decision. He knows there's no going back now. He has a new clan. One that has accepted him fully and wholly. His flaws, his sins, and his past mistakes has been forgiven. He doesn't truly know why he's here. He no longer needs the approval of The Armorer. If anything, the tribe need him! Reuniting the clans means visiting with all of them, even those who have casted him out like yesterday's garbage. Regardless, he needs to focus.

"I should go alone," Din's low rasp rumbled in the moonlit walkway.

"At least let me stay close by — in case you need back up — " Kia pleads once again as her husband hailed a taxi.

Din sighed heavily once again and gritted his teeth in objection, "Get in — hurry up!" He murmured, trying to avoid an argument. They get in and the driver speeds away towards the Quarren territory in the northwestern part of town.

The streets of this district were nearly empty as nighttime was quickly approaching. Alina, bundled up in her heavy clothing, was looked up at the tops of the massive buildings that arched over them like some kind of mythical creature. Mesmerized by the towering skyscrapers, blanketed by endless stars and black skies, the young girl was mystified by the vastness of this immense city floating in space.

The target wasn't far away, only a 20-minute ride by taxi. They stop to park the speeder by a small, dingy cantina. Then Din's tracking fob begins to blink rapidly, "He's close," he says stoically as they all step off the speeder. There was a pawn shop next door and a brothel across the street, indicating that they are no longer in an upscale neighborhood.

"Stay out here," Din ordered as he quickly sped away and vanishes into the dark and noisy tavern. Kia lost the patience to argue with him, so she takes the children further down the walkway and towards a slightly busier area.

"There are always dangers lurking in the dark. You must constantly be alert. The Force can guide you, but it can also trick you. You must use your senses and trust your instincts. If you are not prepared, it may cost you your lives or your freedom," Kia explains as they arrive at a fork in the road. On one side there's a filthy motel, and on the other side is a low-income housing complex for the most impoverished residents of the city. The whole place felt gloomy.

But something didn't feel right...

"Master, I'm scared," Alina trembles as they walk under a street lamp.

Something felt cold. Colder than the normal temperatures of the station. Kia's hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Her body felt numb and a cold sweat dripped down her brow. She recognized this feeling.

The dark side...

"Come young ones, it's time for us to go," Kia says as they spin around to head back towards the cantina. But as they take a few steps, Kia feels an icy chill travel up her spine and a tinkling in the back of her mind. Suddenly, a piecing ringing in her ears started to block out all sounds. She felt a faint whisper calling to her, a desperate plea through the cosmic energy. As the Force was crying out to her, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her feet frozen in place as her senses were on high alert.

"What's going on?" Alina muttered low, tugging at Kia's arm. Now Grogu began to groan softly, his large ears lowering in fright. A dark shadow began to creep its way into each of their minds. Kia knew these signs. A disturbance in the Force. It's loud and unpleasant. Then, unexpectedly and without warning, the unsettling feelings faded away like dust in the wind.

"Hurry children, we've lingered here long enough," Kia says, but as she was about to take a step away from the brightness of the street light, a familiar dark presence is felt through the Force. Someone is here. Someone she hasn't seen in many years. It could be a trap, but there is another presence in the Force that she doesn't recognize. One that is not evil or menacing, but panicked and frightened.

"Stay close to me and do exactly what I say, do you understand?" Kia commanded firmly as she looked down at her two padawans. Once Alina nods forcefully, Kia leads them towards the source of the strong energy. After walking down two blocks, they round a corner and come face to face with a tall, slender Zabrak woman.

"Still trying to save the galaxy, my padawan?" It was Amina. Cowering next to her on the ground is a young Twi'lek boy with blue skin, probably around nine or ten years old. He was very skinny and covered in dirt and grease. He wore tattered, brown overalls and black shoes with holes in them. Kia could sense something strong coming from this boy. He is Force-sensitive.

"So, master — hunting children now, are we?" Kia sneered in disgust. Shoving Alina and Grogu's hovercrib safely behind a trash compactor, Kia prepares for the worst as she strengthens her connection to the Force.

"Always so self-righteous," Amina curled her lip in return.

"Let the child go. It doesn't have to be like this," Kia warned her.

"There are greater forces in place. The plans are already in motion. Even your precious Jedi Order can't stop it."

"What have you done? Who are you working for? Tell me!" Kia gritted out in anger. "You know I have my way of finding the truth."

"Join me and I will tell you everything. Your children will be powerful soldiers of the Force," Amina says then chuckled darkly.

"Mandalorians stick together. We are a clan. We will never be like you!"

"It's too bad you didn't complete your training. You would have made a great Dark Force Adapt."

"I have learned so much from you. I really don't want to fight you. Please, don't harm the children. This is your last warning," Kia pleaded as she unsheathes her lightsaber and ignites the purple blade with a hum.

"If you won't join me, then you're my enemy," the Dark Jedi jeered as she ignites her crimson blade.

"I have beaten you before," Kia informed her former master as she steps closer towards her. "I can do it again, if I must."

"That may be, but you are older now. Have more to lose. I can sense that you're in love, aren't you?" Amina taunted.

"I'm still faster than you," Kia returned the jab, ignoring her provoking threats.

At this moment, a lightsaber battle immediately erupted in the middle of a back alleyway. With a sidestep to the left, then right, Kia ducked an attack before bouncing back two paces. Rage building and sweat soaking through her flight suit. Kia swung her head back as the tip of Amina's red saber passed by her chin. The terrifying voices of the children resonated in her mind, but Kia maintains her focus on her enemy.

Heaving a breath, Kia made to dodge again but missed her timing. She blocked a strike with her beskar vambrace, a tool used for this exact purpose. A knee came up to aim for her gut, which she managed to avoid. Amina was quick to counterattack. As their blades clashed together, Kia lunged backwards and swung her lightsaber at her old master. Kia's purple blade came hurtling down towards Amina's arm, slicing off her free hand as she cried out in agonizing pain.

"I told you — it didn't have to be this way," Kia retorted as Amina fell to her knees, grasping the gaping wound on her wrist as her severed hand falls to the ground.

"This isn't the end. You will be hunted down like the rest of you Jedi scum!"

"Go back to your swamp. We're done here," Kia pants as she disengaged her saber. She watches as the defeated Zebrak dashes away, her blood trailing behind her. Looking down at the severed hand, Kia removes a glove to place her bare hand onto it as a Force Echo emerges from the inanimate body part.

"The Empire," Kia whispers to herself as she heaves out a breath of exhaustion. She puts back he glove and stands up. Looking over her shoulder, she addresses the children, "It's alright young ones, you may come out now. It's safe."

As Alina and Grogu's hovercrib reemerge from behind the dumpster, Kia turns her attention to the young boy cowering on the ground against the wall of the building. "What is your name, child?"

"Leno," the boy sobbed, tears pouring down his cheeks.

"Leno, do you have parents?"

"She — " the boy began to speak but was overwhelmed with sorrow and began to cry. "She killed them."

Kia slowly crept up closer towards the young boy, extending her gloved hand out to him, "You are safe now. If you come with me, I'll show you the Ways of the Mandalore — and the Force."

Leno's eyes moved up to look into the visor of his savor, his gazed moved past Kia and onto the two other children behind her. His eyes return to her as he reaches out to grab Kia's hand and nods.

Kia lifts the boy up onto his feet, "Very well, ad'ika. From now on, you are a Mandalorian," Kia says as she takes a knee and removes her helmet. "My name is Kia, but you can call me buir, which means parent," Kia says, using the same words her father used when they first met. Leno simply stares back at her, still in shock after his ordeal.

"When was the last time you've eaten anything?"

"Two days ago," he responded softly as he rubs his eyes that are still red and puffy from crying.

"Well, we should do something about that," Kia's warm smiles seemed to have calm the boy down. "This is your new brother, Grogu," Kia introduced the tiny green baby in the hovercrib. "And this is Alina. She's one of the children in our clan. I hope you all become good friends," Kia says as she puts her helmet back on and stands up. "Now, let's go get you something to eat, ad'ika."

"Patu!" Grogu cooed.

"Yes, but of course you're hungry," Kia laughed as they exit the alleyway and into the busier part of the street.

Now comes another challenging part, how to tell her stoic bounty hunter husband about caring for another foundling...