based on season 2 chapter 14: the tragedy; 3.7k words

[edit by sondercoyfish]

"Grogu."

The baby's big eyes shot right up to Din, his ears perking and head tilting in curiosity. Saying his name quickly became yours and Din's favorite thing to do. He responded to it every time you said it, as if he were so grateful to have the two of you know his name. You knew it made him happy. He smiled every time you spoke it out loud, whether it was to him or about him.

The tiny silver ball rolled in his small hands. You and Din couldn't help but laugh. You leaned out of your seat and you and Din glanced at one another before you said, "Grogu?"

His attention went straight to you. He cooed and babbled.

"Give me the ball," Din said, voice gentle. Grogu put his head down and pulled his hands back. "Grogu, give me the ball. Come on."

"Little one, don't you want to practice your powers?" you asked.

Reluctantly, Grogu obliged. He handed over the ball and frowned. Din held it up. "Practice? The kid's a pro. Watch. Okay, here we go. You can have it, just like before. Come on. Grogu, you can have it."

His eyes squinted shut and his hand opened. You could almost hear the pull as the ball flew out of Din's hand and smacked directly into the center of Grogu's palm. He cooed excitedly and Din slapped his knee. He was so amazed by the Child's powers. And even more so, you thought, by his eagerness to listen to him.

"Dank Ferrik!" Din exclaimed.

The baby, alarmed, dropped the silver ball on his lap. He whined lowly and his ears drooped.

"Hey, no. I'm not mad at you. You did good. I just... when the nice lady said you had training, I just..." he stopped and sighed. He handed Grogu the ball back. "You're very special, kid. We're gonna find that place you belong... and they're gonna take real good care of you."

The sadness settled back over you. It came and it went often now. It seemed as if Din was going back and forth on wanting to give the Child to the Jedi at all. Or maybe he realized that he didn't want to, but he had to. Eventually. Even if Grogu's attachment to him and to you was so strong that it scared Ahsoka. Someone would be willing to train him, if Grogu asked.

"This is Tython. This is where we're gonna try and find you a Jedi," Din continued. "But you have to agree to go with them if they want you to. Understand? Plus, I can't train you. You're too... powerful."

Din sounded so sad. Grogu looked up at you and tilted his head as if to ask why he was so sad. You reached over and stroked his face, your heart warming as he cooed in reply.

"Don't you want to learn more of that Jedi stuff?" Din asked.

Grogu grunted. You were pretty sure that he didn't care about this conversation at all. He just wanted to play.

"I agreed to take you back to your own kind, so that's what I need to do," he said, and you knew that it was mostly to himself. "You understand, right?"

Grogu didn't answer, didn't respond. You stood up out of your seat and held on to the back of Din's. You ducked down and kissed the cold beskar of his helmet, right where his cheek would be. He hummed and turned his head slightly in response. You sank back into your seat and snapped on your restraints as the nose of the Razor Crest dipped towards the surface of Tython.

"Looks like that's the magic rock I'm supposed to take you to down there."

On the top of a dry mountain was a flat, wide circle. The circle was surrounded by tall, leaning stones. At the center was a flat stone. The rocks were dusty and tan, surrounded by the life of dark green bushes and trees that grew in the dry soil.

"Sorry, buddy, I can't land on the top. Too small. Looks like we're gonna have to travel the last stretch with the windows down."

You sighed, knowing what that meant. A few minutes later, as you hooked one arm around his neck and kept the other tightly around the baby, you said, "One of these days you're going to regret flying like this, Din Djarin."

"I always make it work out," he said, and half a second later, your feet were off the dry ground and Grogu was whooping with excitement.

It wasn't even a full minute of flying before you were at the top of the mountain, walking into the center of the leaning stones. You glanced around. Nothing about it felt special. You weren't sure what Jedi places were supposed to feel like, but you'd assumed you would notice something. Wasn't this a religious place?

"Well, I guess this is it." Din looked around. "Does this look Jedi to you?"

Grogu didn't say anything. With a shrug, Din placed him on the center stone. "I guess you sit right here. Okay, here we go."

Other than the breeze of desert air and the clicking of insects in the bushes, everything was silent. Still. You looked around, waiting for something. But nothing happened.

"Are we doing something wrong?" you asked. "Maybe we aren't supposed to be here with him?"

He shrugged. "This is the seeing stone. Are you seeing anything? Or are they supposed to see you? Maybe there's some kind of... control or something."

A few seconds passed, and the only thing Grogu did was reach up to grab a blue butterfly. Din sighed tiredly.

"Oh come on, kid. Ahsoka told me that all I had to do was get you here and you would do the rest."

Grogu shrugged and babbled. You crossed your arms. "Well, maybe---"

"Wait," Din said. "Do you hear that? A ship's approaching."

You fell silent, your blood going cold. You looked up and in the clear blue sky you could see it. It whirred as it neared the mountain that you were on. Din ran to the edge of the top first and you followed quickly. The ship disappeared in the trees below.

"Are they after us?" you whispered.

"I can only assume that they are," he said, touching your arm as he turned. "Time's up, kid. We gotta get out of here!"

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the ring of blue surrounding the rock. From it, streaks of the same blue stretched up into the sky. Grogu sat cross legged at the very center of the stone, his eyes shut in concentration.

"We don't have time for this," Din said. He reached for the Child. "We gotta get---"

With a grunt, he was thrown backwards. He hit the ground hard and you reached for him, gasping his name softly. You helped him up, your wide eyes frozen on the Child, who wasn't even phased by what had happened. His focus was on somewhere else. On someone else.

"Are you all right, Din?"

"Fine," he gasped. He stood back up. "Hey! Snap out of it, kid. We gotta get out of here!"

"What do we do?" you asked.

Panicked, Din looked back at the ship. Someone was disembarking. He pulled out his blaster and started down the side of the mountain quickly. "I'll see if I can buy you some time. Can you please hurry up?"

"Din---" you started.

"Stay with the Child! I'll be back, I swear."

You were torn, but you didn't argue. You watched after him, worried for him. What threat was waiting for him at the bottom of the mountain? But if you left the Child... what threat was awaiting him, while he was exposed and vulnerable on this stone?

You looked at the Child, who hadn't budged. "Come on, little one. Hurry."

A few minutes passed, and without any sign of change from the Child, and no sign from Din, you were getting restless. You tried to spot Din at the bottom of the mountain, but you couldn't. You hoped that the gunfire you had heard when he first reached the bottom hadn't ended his life. No, he was much too smart to be taken out that easily.

Much to your surprise, a second ship entered the atmosphere. It flew right over you and you felt even more scared. This was an Imperial ship. You could remember ships like these landing beside your palace, bringing troopers, uniformed men, and sometimes, even Moff Gideon.

"Oh, no," you whispered. You looked at the Child, accepted that he was locked in, and then whirled around to go get Din. Except you ran directly into his chest, feeling his hands grab your arms to catch you. "Din, I---"

"We gotta go," he said fast, breathless from the run uphill. "Time to go, kid!"

"Din, you can't---" you said as he reached for the Child again. Same as the previous attempt, the force of it threw him backwards the second his fingertips brushed the blue. He flew backwards, landing on his stomach. You knelt beside him and tried to pull him up, but he wasn't responding. "Din? Din?!"

You looked back at the Child, who still hadn't moved. You flipped Din over with a grunt, moving your hands over his chest. You leaned over him, blocking the sun from shining over his face.

"Din, wake up! Get up!"

You shook his shoulders and placed a hand on the side of his helmet. A sound above caught your attention. Another Imperial ship. They flew over the mountain just as the one before did, and it landed right next to the Razor Crest. You wondered if Moff Gideon was there, or if he was coming. Stormtroopers poured out of the ships, guns in hand.

"Din! Please get up."

He woke with a jerk. A hand flew up to grab your arm. Panicked breaths were coming out of you in fast bursts and you stood up, pulling him onto his feet as you did. He looked down at the foot of the mountain, taking in the number of stormtroopers running up the side.

"Okay, kid, time's up!" he yelled. "We gotta get out of here."

He approached the Child again, and you grasped on tightly to his hand. "No! Din, you cannot reach him."

He looked at you, breathless. "Okay, then I'm gonna protect you two."

He pulled his hand away from yours and held it up as he walked back to the edge of the mountain. You shook your head, your eyes wide with fear. You could hear gunfire below, and you wondered who was fighting against the stormtroopers. Who had arrived on that first ship?

"Din---"

"You stay there," he said, "and watch him. I'll come back for you both. I promise."

He vanished for a second time and you stood there, helpless and worried. Until, finally, the blue disappeared and the Child opened his eyes. A smile spread across your face in pure relief. He looked at you and yawned, his body drooping onto its side. He laid there and shut his eyes, using the last of his strength to reach a grabby hand out to you.

You knelt in front of the stone and took it, your other hand stroking over his ear. "Oh, little one. I'm so glad you're back with me."

He cooed, opening his eyes only slightly. Gunfire from down below made his ears perk up fast. You picked him up off of the stone and held him to your chest, gazing down at the fight below. The last of the stormtroopers were dropping to the ground. You squinted, trying to see who was fighting alongside Din. A woman --- you could tell by the long braid down her back --- and a Mandalorian. That was a Mandalorian that you were seeing, wasn't it?

As the fight stopped, you walked to the edge of the mountain. You wanted to tell Din that the Child was back, that everything was all right. "Din!"

Your shout was drowned out by a single shot that hit the Razor Crest. Every part of you froze up as it burst into flames. It was destroyed in half a second. By one hit. You saw Din run towards it and you felt your heart break. Your home, you thought.

You held the Child a little tighter. He whimpered and buried his head in the crook of your neck. Looking back to Din, you saw that he was now running back up the side of the mountain, clearly in a panic.

Were more troopers coming?

No, you realized. It was worse. Moff Gideon's ship appeared above you. Flying troopers shot out of the side, and each of them was heading directly towards you.

They were black and huge, with glowing red eyes. Before they even landed, you knew they would tower over you. When they did land, your breath hitched in your throat. They were on all sides of you, each movement in sync. They marched over to you, closed in, and reached for the Child.

"No," you said. They yanked him out of your arms carelessly. He wailed. Your arms shot forward, grabbing for him. "No!"

One of the troopers grabbed your throat. You gasped and gripped its wrist as it raised you off the ground, holding you still for a fraction of a second before it chucked you to the side. You were picked up as if you weighed nothing. You hit the ground and moved to get up, and then you were hit again. A flash of blinding white pain was all you could focus on as the impact hit your side. You were sent tumbling down the side of the mountain, hearing Grogu scream as he was taken up into the air.

You caught yourself on a prickly bush. With a cry, you pulled yourself up. A gutten shout left your lips as you saw them take him up to the ship. You could see Din a few feet away. He reached the top of the mountain and looked up, then around. Looking for you.

You grunted as you tried to stand. "D-Din---" His eyes landed on you and he ran forward, squatting down and pulling you up from underneath your arms. You fell against him. "They have the kid---"

"I know," he choked, and he helped you up to the top of the mountain.

"They have the baby," the female that had helped Din said. You looked at her as she spoke into her comm. "Don't let them get away!"

Looking up, you could see the ship that had landed first chasing after the troopers that took the Child.

"Stop him," Din said. "I don't want the Child hurt."

"I have a lock."

"Abort the pursuit," she said. "Disengage. Do not harm the Child."

"Copy. I'll do a loose follow, see where they're headed." After a few seconds, you heard him on the comms again. "They're back."

"Who?" the woman asked.

"The Empire. They're back."

"That can't be. The Outer Rim is under the jurisdiction of the New Republic."

"This isn't a spice dream. I can see the Imperial cruiser with my own eyes."

Your knees felt weak. You knew that it was Moff Gideon. And now he had the Child.

"Heading down."

Hopeless.

That was how you felt.

Standing at the bottom of the mountain, amongst the charred remains of the Razor Crest, with your arms empty, you felt hopeless. You felt like you could collapse onto the ground and never have the strength to rise again. You stared at the ash that your boots sank into. Din tossed a piece of useless debris onto the ground, shaking his head.

As he walked around in a circle, searching through what was left, a tear slipped down your face. Something shiny caught your eye. You bent forward and pulled it out of the grey dust. It was heavy in your hands. The spear.

"Din," you said, voice weak and shaky.

He turned to look at you. You held the weapon out for him. Slowly, he approached you, the ash crunching beneath his weight like sand. He took the spear and looked at it, then at you, with the tears racing down your cheeks. He placed his hand at the back of your head and pushed you gently against him, so that you could lean against his chest. You let yourself cry there, your arms going around him to grip him tightly against you.

Your home destroyed, the Child gone. Your child --- gone.

"Let's get you out of this smoke," he whispered, voice hoarse.

He kept one arm around you as he walked you out of the area. He stopped only to bend down and pick up a single spherical object buried in the ash. The ball. You shut your leaking eyes tightly and he gripped the ball tightly, feeling waves of anger, grief, and worry all wash over him. He kept moving.

"This is all that survived," he told the Mandalorian, who was now unmasked. You remembered his armor on Cobb Vanth. That was what he had come here for.

"Beskar," the man replied, nodding. He lifted his arm and touched a part of his armor. "I want you to take a look at something."

A holographic image of writing popped up. You wiped your eyes with dusty fingers to get a look at it. Your tears brought a sympathetic frown out of the woman you didn't know.

"My chain code has been embedded in this armor for twenty-five years," the man said. "You see, this is me. Boba Fett. This is my father, Jango Fett."

"Your father was a foundling," Din said.

"Yes," Boba Fett replied. "He even fought in the Mandalorian civil wars."

"Then that armor belongs to you."

He nodded. "I appreciate its return."

"Then our deal is complete," Din said.

"Not quite," Boba said.

"How so?"

"We agreed in exchange for the return of my armor, we will ensure the safety of the Child."

"The Child is gone," Din said, and your heart shattered at the reality of how easy it was for him to say that. You pulled away from Din and turned, your arms going around your middle. He looked at you. You knew that you made him sad by moving away.

"Until he is returned to you safely, we are in your debt," he said.

"I..." Din nodded. "Thank you."

"We will be waiting on the ship," he said. "And awaiting your commands for where to go next."

"Nevarro," Din said quickly. "I have friends there. Friends that can help me."

Boba Fett nodded. "Very well."

"We will give the two of you time," the woman said. "Come when you are ready."

"Thank you, Fennec." Din's voice was soft. As the two disappeared, he turned. You could feel his stare at the back of your head. "You are upset with me."

"No," you said, throat thick with tears.

"I failed to protect you or the Child," he said. "I have disappointed you."

"You didn't disappoint me, Din," you whispered. You dropped your head as a new wave of tears started to fall. You inhaled deeply, your breath shaking and catching in your throat. You shut your eyes tightly against the wetness. "I am scared for him. He reached for me, and I couldn't grab him. They stole him away from us."

"I know."

"What are they going to do to him?" you whispered. "You said... you told me they wanted his powers. And the doctor... mentioned needed more of his blood. They're going to... they're going to hurt him. And I couldn't stop them."

"I couldn't either," he said quickly. "Neither of us could stop them."

You turned as you cried, your arms still tight around yourself. You shook your head.

He sighed. "Princess," he breathed. He reached for you, his fingers digging gently into your shoulder blades. You could hear him getting choked up inside of his helmet. "Come --- c'mere, my heart. Shhh. It's all right. I'm right here."

You sobbed against his chest. Guilt ate away at you mercilessly. Sickness rocked your stomach. Worry stole your mind. And your arms --- oh, your empty arms. How they ached.

Desperately wishing to fill them, to feel something, you wrapped them around Din. Holding him as he cried with you let you feel a little more whole. You were breaking down and so was he. Together, the two of you could hold on together.

Nevarro felt different today.

Cara sat in front of Din, proudly holding out her new badge. You stayed slightly back, unable to find it in you to congratulate her. The Child filled every thought of yours.

"Cara Dune, Marshal of the New Republic," Din said. He tossed the badge back to her. "I heard rumors you might've gone legit."

"I wouldn't go that far," she said.

"I need your help."

"Name it," she said.

"I need you to locate someone in the prison registry."

"Let's see what I can do." She rolled forward in her chair, fingers working on the clunky machine in front of her.

You knew that Din had the beginnings of a plan, he just hadn't voiced them out loud yet. He didn't want to give you false hope in a successful rescue mission before it was set in place.

"Ex-Imperial sharpshooter. Last name Mayfield. Apprehended near the Dilestri system on a derelict prison ship." 

"Miggs Mayfield," she said, nodding. "Serving fifty years in the Karthon Chop Fields for springing a prisoner himself. Accessory to the death of a New Republic officer... huh. Sounds like a real piece of work. What do you want with him?"

"I need to spring him to help me locate Moff Gideon's light cruiser," Din said.

Cara leaned back in her seat. "You know how I feel about the Empire. But these stripes---" she pointed to her badge, "---mean that there are rules I need to follow."

Din sighed. "They have the kid."

Her eyes shifted from Din, to you, and back to Din. She stood up slowly. "Then what are we waiting for?"