Cobb wakes up alone. The ship isn't as cold anymore and he can hear the engine humming and feel it vibrating the steel walls. He throws on his clothing and leaves the bedroom for the hull. Cobb doesn't see Mando anywhere so he assumes the man is in the cockpit. He uses the opportunity to clean himself and clothes up in the fresher.

He does this mechanically as if he knows his way around the room already, but his thoughts linger on his dream--just bits and pieces that Cobb doesn't fully have the answers to yet. He remembers the little green thing with big ears, he remembers the feeling of a man smiling at him that he suspects to be Din, and he remembers a place. Not just any place though, it's a palace somewhere with a massive city surrounding its windows. A city Cobb could never imagine himself living in after suffering the cruel wastes of Tatooine. The skyscrapers reached far above the heavens and down to wherever the bottom of the planet is. He remembers a throne—flashes of silver and gray which is Din, the woman with red hair, and then himself along with more red.

Cobb's head starts to pound. He wishes he could remember more than just that—he wishes it wouldn't take him getting a massive headache as result.

When he leaves the fresher, it's with squinting eyes and fingers rubbing his temple.

"You alright?"

Cobb jumps back so hard he bumps into a crate with a shout. He stumbles but grabs hold to keep himself from falling over.

"By the maker, Mando," Cobb growls.

"Sorry," but based on his tone of voice, Cobb knows he is not sorry.

"You got the ship fixed."

"Yes, we're an hour from Tatooine."

Cobb's stomach drops. He thought maybe after last night that perhaps Mando wouldn't leave him again. Cobb forgave him for being left behind but Mando is still taking Cobb back to Tatooine. He thought it meant Mando would be there when his memories resurfaced. Apparently, that was all wrong.

"I'm not leaving you there." Mando quickly says as if he could read Cobb's thoughts. Maybe he can. Maybe it's written all over Cobb's face.

"Oh," he frowns. "Then why are we goin' back?"

"To see your people," Din says like it's the most obvious thing ever. "Besides, I can find some work while you decide what you would like to do."

"Do?"

Din nods.

It clicks in Cobb's head what he means and he feels silly for not realizing it sooner. Din is a Mandalorian, he travels across the galaxy, and Cobb is living in a small town at the edge of it.

"Oh."

Cobb must make a face because Din comes closer and squeezes his arm. "You don't have to decide right now but I told you I would never leave you again, and I meant it."

Hearing it a second time makes Cobb as breathless as the first time. 

Cobb nods. "Alright."

"Are you finished in there?" Din points to the fresher.

"Yeah, go ahead."

Din disappears behind the door and Cobb heads to the cockpit to watch the stars zoom by. The door slides shut behind him which is new, but he doesn't mind. With a burst of cocky energy, he takes a seat in the pilot's chair and then smiles. So this is what it's like, he thinks with a smug grin. This is his chance to play pretend as a pilot without judgment. Maybe he learned how at one point but he doesn't remember. He wants to have this just for now.

He glides his fingers over the buttons, not really touching in fear of doing something stupid, but he enjoys it just the same. He recognizes the nav panel and sees Tatooine listed as their destination. Just next to it is a directory for other planets. 

Cobb's curiosity gets the better of him and he presses the digital button and up pops a holomap of the galaxy including where they are, where more hyperlanes are located, and all the planets with names and images.

Cobb peers at them in wonder and reads as many as he can—Tattoine being the first, then there's Bogano, Kashyyyk, Mustafar, Jakku, Daghoba, and Mandalore.

The name sets off alarm bells in Cobb's head. It's not just the name that sparks his curiosity, it's the sudden images in his head that come up unbidden from the dream he had. The city he was in—that's where it is.

Cobb selects it, hoping to get more information and he does, more images pop up, and they're exactly as Cobb saw them. His heart begins to race. He knows this place. He has been here much more than once... he... he thinks he's lived there. He would say it feels like something out of a dream, but it feels more like something from a different lifetime. It screams home just as Tatooine does. 

Cobb is still staring at it when Din enters as if staring will bring about all the memories Cobb can't piece together.

"Cobb?" Din says, he is just behind him but Cobb knows he sees what Cobb is looking at. Maybe the hesitancy comes from concern, fear that he might redirect them there, or fear that his memories return.

Or worse, that they still haven't.

"I know this place."

Din doesn't say anything, it's telling enough.

"We're about to drop from hyperspace, I need to pilot."

Cobb turns back to him, but Din is staring at the floor, pointedly away from Cobb and the images on the screen. If Cobb were none the wiser, he wouldn't think anything of the clear avoidance, but Cobb finds he is very good at reading Din.

"Why is it so significant to me?"

When Din doesn't respond, Cobb stands. "Answer me."

The visor meets Cobb's eyes. "It will only hurt you."

"More so than I already am?"

"Absolutely."

"I don't care."

"Well, I do."

He swerves around Cobb and sits down just as the stars come to a stop and Tatooine comes into view. Din clears out the nav pad and pulls up their destination of Mos Pelgo.

Unbelievable. Cobb slumps in the copilot's chair and scowls. He replays their conversation from last night. Din won't tell him because Cobb wished he didn't remember. He will only let Cobb remember on his own, he didn't say anything about helping Cobb along with the process, just that he will be there when he does.

Cobb isn't sure if that's admirable or bantha shit. 

Certainly takes be careful what you wish for to a whole new level for him.

They're entering the atmosphere but Cobb doesn't really notice. His mind drifts back to that planet that is home and not. He remembers his dream, and the ones before it. His mind lingers on the little green blob, yet another piece that is still disconnected. There was that picture of him and the green thing in his lap. It's important, whatever it is. He's certain he can sort out the deal with that planet, but that thing--

"What's the green thing?" Cobb blurts.

This makes Din stiffen more so than he already is. They're soaring over the dunes of Tatooine now and his hands grip the handles a little tighter.

He's silent so long that Cobb wonders if he will even answer. The hope is still there though, despite all the other questions he hasn't answered. This is the only part he doesn't have any hope to understand.

"Our son," Din says so quietly that Cobb wonders if he imagined it.

Son? He doesn't recall either of them being able to give birth, considering what he felt against his hip last night--

"Our adoptive son," he continues. Mos Pelgo is coming up quickly in the distance. Din circles around and finds the same spot he landed last time, near the cantina and close to his hut. "We-" Din stops mid-sentence. He cuts the engines and jerks to his feet, looking out the window.

"What is it?" Cobb asks and gets up with him. Din rushes back and shoves him back into the seat. 

"Stay down," he growls. 

"What's going on?"

"She found us."

"She who?"

"Come out Mando!" A feminine voice calls from outside the ship. Din curses.

"Who is that?"

Dins T-visor meets his gaze. "Bo-Katan."

The woman with red hair, the one trying to kill him. The one from his dreams. They flash through his mind at the mention of her name and Cobb feels a sense of dread crawl up his spine and nestle into his bloodstream as pure and utter fear.

Cobb has dealt with many things in his life, fear became his middle name in those times, and he thinks he's managed it well. Most people in his life have called him fearless and he feels he's really earned the title, even felt proud of it even though he's anything but. Now though, there is something about this woman that terrifies him to no end and puts all his other conflicts to shame. 

Cobb doesn't realize his hands are shaking until Din takes both of them in his. Cobb gazes into the visor. 

"I won't let her touch you."

Cobb is relieved his voice comes out more steady than he feels. "I thought we proclaimed me dead, why is she here?"

"She probably wanted to see proof," he says darkly.

Proof, Cobb thinks and then gulps. She wants to see his body.

"Mando!" She shouts again. "You have ten seconds."

"Stay on the ship," Din says urgently. "I'll tell her you're dead and I came to bring the news. If she wants to see the ship, you hide. I'll try to give you a warning before we come inside. Understand?"

Cobb nods shakily and Din presses his forehead to his before rushing out of the cockpit and opening the door.

Cobb breathes and breathes some more. If he is lucky, he won't have to hide and he can go about his life without someone trying to kill him.

Cobb huffs. Of course, it won't be that easy.

Where is he meant to hide anyway? He carefully crawls from the cockpit and looks around the hull. There isn't a damn place in this ship where he could hide unless he climbed inside one of the crates and that will take too long to pry open and hope that it doesn't make noise.

If she thinks he's dead...

An idea comes to mind.

What if he just... played dead? He chuckles at the thought, mostly because it's ridiculous, also because it could work.

Well, alright then.

He opens the door with the weapons and snatches several knives. He thinks he knows how to use them. Just, stab? Oh kriff.

Before he closes the door he sees the picture of himself and the green blob again. Our son, his mind echos Din's words. Something tugs at his heart and makes his head throb. He closes the door. He will deal with that later.

Cobb gets himself situated on the bed with the door open, knives hidden, and waits.

It doesn't take long. He isn't sure what Din planned on happening but it's his voice Cobb hears first, very obvious and loud. "Alright fine, search the ship. But I told you, he's gone."

Cobb forces the smile from his lips. He hears several footfalls, and they're all coming toward him.

"See?" Din's voice is strained from the doorway. Someone is standing directly in front of him, kneeling down, right in his face. He struggles to stay still and hold his breath. He had to do a lot of that in the mines. You don't get good at crawling in tight spaces without learning a thing or two about minuscule movement and very little air.

"You never said you had the body."

The face moves away. 

"Why would I? I fail to see how that is your business. He deserves a proper send-off."

"I'm surprised you aren't keeping to Mandalorian traditions."

"This is his home after you cast us out."

Silence.

"Well then, I suppose there is nothing more to discuss." Cobb hears the telltale signs of a weapon being drawn.

Cobb only peaks his eyes open to confirm, there is the red-haired woman with her back to him, pointing her blaster at Din, two others stand in the hull behind him with their weapons in similar positions.

Well, that just won't do.

Cobb is up silently and swiftly, quick enough that Bo-Katan's companions would miss him if they blink, and he wraps his arm around the red-heads neck and holds his knife to her throat. She tenses up but doesn't even bother to look surprised.

"Drop it," he growls in her ear. She does. "The others too."

She shares a look with the other two and gives a small head nod with the limited space Cobb has given her head to move. They drop their weapons. 

"I had it handled." Din directs at him and then picks up the others' weapons.

"You have a funny way of showin' it, partner."

"Playing dead? Really?"

Cobb shrugs. "Not very many places to hide on this ship."

He could almost feel Din roll his eyes before pointing the guns at the other two Mandalorians and telling them to move. Cobb shoves Bo-Katan to follow them.

They're outside and have drawn a crowd. He hears someone say, see? I told you he wasn't dead! But he doesn't take the opportunity to see who.

They're at the center of the street, the people are hiding at the entrances of their homes or behind their windows peaking outside to see what all the fuss is about. Cobb is glad they're staying back. They don't need to be in the crossfire. 

"Now, how about we discuss this civilly," Cobb says, and then snatches the spare blaster from Bo-Katan's back and shoves her forward to stand by the other two. He points it at her as she turns around. Din is still pointing blasters at the other two, and he notices Jo is on top of the nearest building with her rifle. He knew he made a good choice making her deputy.

Bo-Katan looks murderous.

"With a gun pointed to my head?" She wonders.

"Oh," Cobb grimaces. "I'm sorry, have my lack of manners offended you, miss assassin?"

If looks could kill.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to know why you want to kill me."

This at least pulls a different expression from her face, however brief. Confusion. She looks over to Din and he can see from his peripherals as he shifts from foot to foot. "You didn't tell him?"

"Don't," Din growls. She barks out a laugh.

"Oh, but it's just got interesting." She smiles at him as if this little bit of information has gained her the upper hand. "Your love will be your downfall, Djarin."

"Your arrogance will be yours."

"Arrogance? And what would you call this?" She points at Cobb. "You really think you can play God by pretending like nothing's happened? Like he didn't steal the throne from me? As if he knows a damn thing about Mandalore or its people, our culture. And you were right there by his side, acting as if it was natural--"

"Are you angry because it wasn't you?" Din snaps. "Because they actually followed him? They believed in him, and that it had nothing to do with his heritage? He is simply a better King than you could ever be."

King? Mandalore? What are they talking about?

He doesn't get the chance to hear more because Bo-Katan lashes out. She draws a silver hilt-looking thing from her belt--Cobb didn't know what it was but he didn't think it would be a weapon--and out of it comes a glowing black blade. He doesn't have time to react because she jumps in the air, kicking the blaster from Cobb's hand and then twisting in the air to kick him in the chest, effectively knocking him to the sand-covered ground. 

She turns to Din, her counterparts have scattered as blasters go off and suddenly Cobb can't see.

He's suddenly on Mandalore. Cobb is standing at the base of the throne wearing Beskar and a red billowing cape that touches his ankles. The same blade Bo-Katan wields is glowing in his hand, he is looking down at his people taking a knee in the throne room. Din is there looking much the same, standing in front of him at the bottom step in front of all the others, helmet and all. His partner in crime. Cobb watches as he looks Cobb in the eye (he's pretty sure anyway) and takes a knee as well. 

Bo-Katan wasn't there, he isn't sure why, but he thinks it might be obvious now.

He remembers how he got the blade, complete accident. Moff Gideon took the kid. The green blob! He and Din went after him, Din got knocked down and Cobb came in for a surprise attack and got the best of the Moff. Cobb stood above him with Din's Beskar staff at his throat. 

They went back to the bridge ship and learned that the blade belongs to him, as does the throne.

Bo-Katan growled but she sucked it up for a time. Cobb and Din, and--Grogu? Yes, that sounds right. Went to Mandalore and restored it. It took time, and even more so to get the people to follow a non-Mandalorian. But it worked with Din at his side, and Bo-Katan was there for a time too. Neither of them knew she was plotting against them.

For some reason, he remembers the day she came is about a week after someone came for Grogu. He doesn't remember the full story, but he knows that the kid is no longer in the picture at this point. He remembers hearing, he's with his kind now, in Din's voice. Whatever that means.

She ambushed them in the throne room. Din was walking with him, they were discussing something-- he isn't sure--but she came in with a group of her followers, they knocked Din over the head and he passed out, Cobb was quick to draw his blade but she was faster. She trained him for a time so she knows all of his openings. She disarmed him fast. He attacked with his blaster, it bounced off the Beskar and into his own armor, he stumbled back. She kicked the weapon from his grip--much like she did just now--and then swung at his head with her personal staff. The steel hit the side of his head. He remembers feeling it vibrate his skull and the staff ringing in his ear. He was unconscious before he hit the ground. The last thing he remembers is Bo-Katan smiling as he fell and Din jumping up and rushing towards him with a shout.

Cobb comes to on his hands and knees in the sand. He hears fighting around him. He looks up and finds both of Bo-Katan's minions dead in the sand with blaster wounds, courtesy of Jo most likely, and hears Bo-Katan and Din fighting. 

He became the heir of Mandalore because he beat Moff Gideon. He inherited the Dark Saber, put back together Mandalore with Din, and was crowned the ruling King. 

Bo-Katan betrayed them. Once a friend, now an enemy. She attacked when they let their guards down. When their backs were turned and grieving for the loss of their adopted child. Not dead, simply gone, and she struck.

What a real dick move, Cobb thinks.

Her back is to him now, and he decides he isn't above doing the same. 

Cobb runs at her and tackles her to the ground. She elbows him and rolls so he is on his back and she is on top.

It's the perfect moment.

Cobb may not be able to stab her back, but Din sure can. His Beskar spear pierces through her torso and stops inches from Cobb's face. Cobb goes cross-eyed staring at the bloodied tip, trying very hard to ignore the warm blood that has splattered his face. Din yanks the spear out and Cobb struggles trying to get the woman off of him as soon as possible. Din throws her off with such ease that it makes Cobb a little jealous.

"Cobb," Din breathes and drops to the ground beside him. 

"Did you just gain back Mandalore?" He immediately asks.

Dins head tilts slightly looking at the dead Bo-Katan and then back down. "I--"

Cobb tries to sit up and then cringes. His hand shoots to his abdomen just below his ribs and realizes there is a knife sticking out of him.

"Oh."

"Marshal!" He hears Jo cry from behind and rushing towards them, Weequay not far behind. A small group of people that dare step out of their homes have wandered over and formed a small cluster looking down at Cobb.

Din is simply staring at him. If Cobb could see his face he would assume the expression is akin to fear.

"You remembered."

"No thanks to you, partner."

Din turns away like he is ashamed and Cobb focuses back on the knife coming out of his stomach. He grips it and yanks, letting out a groan, and drops it at his side. Luckily it was a short knife, maybe a couple of centimeters long. He falls back to the sand and puts pressure over the wound. 

"Ow."

"We need to move him," Jo says instantly. "Weequay, get the medkit. We will set him up at his old place."

"I will meet you there," Weequay says and scurries off.

"Hey, bucket head," Jo smacks Dins head. Cobb would laugh if it weren't for the pain in his stomach and the sudden throbbing of his head. "Snap out of it. I need you to lift him." 

Din looks down at Cobb as if he just remembered he is there. What's going on with him?

Din simply nods and scoops his arms under Cobb's back and knees. Cobb wraps his free arm around his neck and grunts in pain as the wound is jostled along with his body.

"I'm so sorry," Din whispers. He isn't sure if he is meant to hear it or not but Cobb shakes his head.

"You're already forgiven," he says and tries to put more pressure on the wound with his now blood-covered hand.

Cobb doesn't quite remember the walk to his old dome of a house, one moment he is blinking and squinting at the suns, the next he feels the coolness of shade and the softness of his old mattress at his back. 

When he opens his eyes again, Jo is there injecting something into his arm. 

"It's for the pain," she tells him.

He mumbles Din's name and he feels the cool touch of Beskar at his side and a gloved hand brushing over his forehead. "I'm here," he says and it's shaky.

Cobb's vision is fading. The events with Bo-Katan, his memories, getting stabbed, the pain. It's all too much.

Cobb tries to speak but he can't, he is losing consciousness, and it's too difficult to stay awake right now but he has to know, he has to--"Don't leave," he mumbles.

Din breathes loud, maybe it's a gasp, Cobb isn't sure, but the last thing he hears before darkness takes him is, "I'm never leaving you again."