Din woke with a start. A bacta infusion hung above him, and there a warm spot was shoved up into his armpit that was snoring.

Then he heard a louder snore next to him. Paz.

He turned his head and saw Paz still floating in his bacta tank but the facemask he wore was somehow not filtering the roaring snore coming from him.

Then he heard a third snore to his left. Cara.

He lifted his head and saw she had taken the other couch in the room and was covered with a blanket. When he put his head back down he felt the warm spot shift, and looked down to see large sleepy black eyes on him.

"Shhhhh," Din whispered.

Tarre blinked, and then gave him a quiet chirp that he took to mean, Good morning.

Din could not resist running a finger over his forehead wrinkles and Tarre vibrated with a trill almost like a purr.

"We did it Kid," Din whispered. "We are gonna have to talk about you coming on missions though."

Tarre immediately stopped purring and his brow wrinkles came down until his nose crinkled at the bridge.

Din chuckled, "Ok, fine, we'll talk later."

They both looked over when suddenly Cara shifted on her couch.

Din quickly sat up and gasped when he put his one bare foot on the floor. His boot and shin armor were off for the port access to his bacta infusion. The infusion was not done, but he wanted to avoid disturbing Cara and Paz. He turned back to Tarre to put him on the floor but found Tarre was hopping down with no effort, and had already started towards Cara.

"No! Stop!" Din hissed.

Tarre turned back to Din, as Din frantically waved with both hands for Tarre to go out with him. Tarre lifted both ears and a tiny smirk brushed his lips, then he turned back to Cara crouched down and sprang up with a giant hop and landed on Cara's back.

Cara bolted straight up and Din groaned. Tarre laughed uncontrollably at the new trick he had learned while playing with his friends on Mandalore. Cara was disoriented after initially thinking she was under attack but Tarre's laughter disarmed her immediately.

"You little womp rat!" She giggled and flapped his big ears with her fingers. She then looked up at Din who was standing there holding his bacta bag and boot in his hand.

"Um, sorry — I tried to get him to leave quietly," Din said awkwardly.

Cara smirked, "Something tells me that he's calling the shots these days." She looked down at Tarre, "You are, aren't you?"

To her surprise, Tarre just raised his eyebrows and then with a huge hop he covered the distance to the door and then toddled quickly out. They watched him go in stunned silence leaving them to face each other. And Din suspected that was Tarre's intent.

"I'm gonna go — find him some food —" Din said, but then he realized Cara had also spoken.

"I'm gonna go find a ration bar —" but she stopped mid-sentence for the same reason he did. Cara sighed searching for another excuse to leave, but then realized she had some information Din needed to hear.

"Actually, there's something weird I found during my ops that I wanted to run by you before I head back to Nevarro. Greef called twice last night while you and Paz were getting treated. He's anxious for my return."

Din nodded, and followed her out into the hall. She stopped just outside the door to Paz' room in the hospital on Mandalore. The halls were old but clean and well kept.

Cara hesitated. "Remember how I told you during the briefing that I was worried that this was just the beginning? The Admiral whose pen got us into the interrogation chamber, he said something about Gideon that didn't make much sense, but I think you need to hear it."

Din frowned, "What did he say?"

Cara nodded, "Remember how I said Gideon was executed for war crimes? This Admiral actually said that Gideon can't be killed."

Din scoffed and Cara smirked but then stopped him. "There's more. Remember how I told you we were going to speak to the Jawas about cleaning up the town? They told me a story about Gideon's TIE fighter, that a man with a laser sword cut himself out of the shuttle and ran off into the lava fields."

Din took a physical step back, and felt his face go numb.

Cara looked intently at him. "Din, we don't have a body, no proof of termination. The Jawa's scrapped that shuttle long before we contacted them. We all saw that crash and no one could have survived it. But I have a really bad feeling about this."

Din looked away, and pushed down his emotions once again. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep his mind clear when facing these decisions which always seemed to involve the people he cared about.

"I spoke to the Armorer last night. The Tribe has agreed to Karga's terms and they will take up legitimate residence on Nevarro and join your new militia. Paz will stay here for his recovery. Until Clan Vizsla is able to establish communication with my next contact, my mission for Tarre is on hold. He — wants to come and protect you."

Cara's brows came together. "How do you know that?"

"He just told me," Din lifted a finger and pointed behind Cara. She turned around and found Tarre sitting on a hall bench munching on a ration bar.

"He got the ration bar for you, but he decided he couldn't wait for us to finish talking. And to be honest — he didn't wait very long," Din sighed.

Tarre squeaked a laugh with a mouth full of ration bar.

Cara turned back to Din with her jaw actually hanging open. "He's communicating with you?"

Din shrugged, "At first, just feelings, impressions. I would hear thoughts, and I assumed they were mine because it was my voice. But before the rescue mission he started sending thoughts that were clearly his. He had a strong opinion, so — I guess he found a way to express it."

Cara still could not wrap her mind around this, "Din, I think I've heard him in my head too. But can he speak?"

Din shrugged again, "Language? I don't know."

Cara stared back and forth between them for a few more seconds before she smirked again and looked at Tarre who continued to look innocent and chew on his ration bar happily.

"As I said, you really are calling the shots, eh?"

Tarre squeaked and lifted the remaining bit of the ration bar towards Cara, inviting her to take it. She walked over to him and could not resist the peace offering. She rubbed his forehead wrinkles.

"Thanks, buddy. You know, you don't have to come to Nevarro to protect me. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

Tarre looked up at her and his expression changed from sad to almost wise, sage-like as his eyes narrowed. Then he reached up with a three-clawed hand and without thinking Cara offered him a finger that he gripped tightly.

We need each other.

Cara gasped, and the shock of the telepathy made her heart beat faster.

"I heard him too," Din said quietly behind her.

Cara frowned but did not look back at Din. She shook off the surprise, and focused on Tarre.

"Buddy, I hear you, but your dad and I don't agree on some pretty important things."

Tarre looked over her shoulder at Din, then back at Cara, smiled and then hopped off his bench and headed back to Paz' room.

Cara sighed. "Looks like he doesn't care about that." She looked back at Din. "But I have a feeling you do."

Din nodded. "I do."

Cara looked back toward Paz' room, and then turned a furrowed brow toward Din. "So what happens to him? He's lost his helmet. It was removed by an enemy. Does Paz retire in dishonor?"

Din looked back at her, "Not dishonor. He will re-train, wear armor again, and return to fight, but not under the Creed."

"And leadership?"

Din sighed, "He will be unable to lead the fighters, but he will lead the Clan."

Cara shook her head, "I don't understand any of this. What is this damn Creed?"

Din looked down, "Cara, I can't quote the entire Creed for you, it's only for the initiated — but I can tell you this: none of this, the Rebuilding of Mandalore, would be happening without the dedication of those who follow the Creed. We would not have survived."

Cara nodded. "The good of the many," Cara shrugged. "It's damn honorable, but how would that sit with you if Tarre's life had to be sacrificed for the good of Mandalore?"

Din had no response.

"Exactly," Cara hissed. "You're both welcome to join us on Nevarro, but the conditions I set still stand."

Din was silent for a few seconds, "OK."

Cara's brow furrowed. "Just, OK? Just like that?"

Din replied, "Just like that."

Cara shook her head, "There's no way."

Din shrugged. "We'll test that theory next time I'm dying and only you can save me." He leaned closer. "I'm not planning on it anytime soon."

Cara frowned, "You are completely laser-brained."

Din nodded, "I — probably am."

He turned and walked back to Paz' room to say his farewell.

Cara stood there stunned for a few more minutes still unable to reconcile the conversation. But she could not deny that she felt what Tarre had expressed. She had a feeling that in the near future they were going to need each other, more than they could possibly know or predict.

Paz opened his eyes as the bacta was drained from his tank. Slowly his feet descended to the floor of the tank and he realized that Din was standing next to the tank with a hand on the glass. He reached out with his own hand to the glass and saw how pale and thin he was. He looked up at Din's helmet until his feet touched the floor and he tested his balance. He was unsteady but significantly improved.

The tank door was opened by the nurse and Din walked around and extended an arm which Paz gratefully took as the nurse wrapped a thick robe over his shoulders.

He moved slowly over to the couch Din had been sleeping on, and Tarre stood on top of it looking up at his uncle.

Paz looked down at Tarre and then back up at Din and sat down, "You're leaving?"

Din nodded. "It's not over. The Tribe is headed back to Nevarro. Cara believes the Imperials may be returning with more force. The Tribe wants to finish the fight after what they did to us."

Paz nodded. "Din — I swore that if I could talk to you again I would tell you so many things." He looked up and the weight of his years were heavy on his face and eyes. Din knew Paz was only three years older than him, but now Paz looked like the difference was more than ten.

"I know I disapproved of the Guild membership, but I saw you struggle with it and I knew you would recover your moral grounding. Clan Vizsla has not always been rooted in virtue, but father was adamant about learning from the mistakes of his brother. Every man must make his choice."

Paz reached down and picked up Tarre who squealed with delight. "And now, I have a nephew." He chuckled. "You have really grown, brother. You are a man of honor."

Din was silent, mostly because he could not trust that his voice would remain steady.

"And Cara — " Paz said with a nod, "She is a force to be reckoned with."

Din groaned, "Stop."

Paz chuckled and Tarre followed suit. He looked down at Tarre and smiled. "Watch over him for me, little guy."

Tarre nodded solemnly.

Paz' brow came together, "Does he —?"

Din nodded and grumbled, "Yes. More than you realize, so watch what you say."

Din picked up Tarre and put him on the ground, then reached over and pulled Paz into a tight embrace.

"Mirjahaal, vod. Heal, brother. We will return," Din whispered.

Paz' eyes shined with tears, and he knew that Din's were only hidden by his helmet.

Din set Tarre's new hover pram over his usual seat at ops. He had surreptitiously re-wired most of the ops commands to the main console. Tarre now had an entire panel of switches to play with which would not affect the function of the Razor Crest.

Cara walked into the cockpit and set down her weapon behind the secondary ops position.

"There's space in the locker for your weapons. It's safer with him around." Din did not look back at her as he continued his takeoff sequence. "I suggest you lock up your duffel too, unless you want him stealing food — or other things."

Tarre looked up at her and squeaked with a smile.

Cara nodded, "Got it," and she left to secure her bags.

Din chuckled and turned back to Tarre. "Don't take too much. And don't steal anything that means something to her." Then he pressed the local transmission switch, "Tower, this is Razor Crest, requesting permission to embark."

Cara returned to the command deck and sat down for departure.

"Permission granted. Safe journey, Din Djarin and Tarre-Haal of Clan Vizsla. Return to Mandalore, the Foundlings are the Future."

Cara noted the silent sigh in Din's shoulders, and she looked over at Tarre who blinked looking back at her. They both felt the sadness at leaving.

"Acknowledged. We will return." Din held his voice steady and firm. He turned back to Cara and Tarre. "Ready?"

Tarre squealed and Cara laughed, "GO!"

Din and Cara walked through the Jawa fortress hold. There were innumerable Imperial parts within the fortress. She chuckled to herself. They were gonna make a lot of credits off all this stuff. And they were already offering her deals on blasters.

"OK fellas, where's the TIE fighter?" Cara was starting to lose some patience.

"There," Din pointed to a dark corner. Cara headed toward the section of bulkhead.

Din followed and turned on his helmet lamp and then both of them stopped in their tracks — a large square hole in the bulkhead appeared before them.

Cara turned back to the Jawas, "You saw this? You saw a man in a black uniform run into the lava flats?"

The Jawa's affirmation could not be disputed. They had seen it.

Cara looked back at Din, who was inspecting the damage to the bulkhead, running his fingers over the smooth melted metal.

"Din, what did that?"

He was silent for a moment. "Exactly what they told you, a laser sword." He looked back at her, "Like what apparently the Jedi used to carry." That statement was heavy in the air, but Din stood up and appeared to brush it off.

"It could just mean that Gideon captured and killed Jedi during the Imperial Era. But the one thing this does prove, is that we need to be prepared for a real attack from Gideon himself. And we are nowhere near ready to handle a bombardment from a Star Destroyer."

Cara felt her insides clench. They were going to have to leave.

"NO! We are not leaving!" Greef Karga paced around the cantina.

Din watched him from his seat at their customary table. "Karga, the militia is only good for a ground attack. The only way to force a ground assault is an infallible planetary shield. You don't even have a shield that can cover the city."

Greef shook his head. "You don't KNOW that he will come back."

Din stood up. "I have a very good reason to know that he will come back."

Karga knew that Din was referring to Tarre who was sitting on the table and sucking on his Mythosaur pendant watching the argument.

Greef still shook his head. "But if you leave — then he will have no reason to attack us."

Din did not respond, and he watched as Karga immediately regretted it.

"You know that won't stop Gideon from taking revenge on you for beating him. Besides, the Kid won't leave."

Karga chuckled. "I know. He told me."

Cara and Din looked back at Tarre who looked back at them innocently and just sucked on his Mythosaur. Cara and Din looked back at Karga.

"What? When you guys first arrived he said, 'Hi!' You two don't just say, 'Hi!' So I knew it had to be him inside my head!" Karga said awkwardly.

Cara looked at Din and chuckled at Karga's discomfort.

"So our choices are, evacuate, or find a shield that can at least hold the city." Cara looked at Karga knowingly.

Karga sighed. "I've been working on it since we first discussed it, Dune. The best leads I've got are with some pirates I've had dealings with over the years."

Din looked at Cara, "You've already discussed this?"

Cara lifted a brow at Din and rolled her eyes. "This is not my first bombardment by a Star Destroyer. And really, Karga? Pirates? What innocent planet did they steal it from and leave defenseless?"

Karga groaned and pulled out a holodisplay that showed the model in question. "It's stolen Imperial tech. We just need to rewrite all of the command protocol so they can't hijack the controls."

Cara leaned forward, "That's perfect." She looked back up at Karga, "What is it going to cost us?"

Karga shrugged, "I'll negotiate," he grinned.

Tarre giggled and blew a raspberry.

Din picked up Tarre and put him on his shoulder. "I'll go confer with the Tribe."

Cara saluted Din and Tarre then returned to studying the shield model and planning the reprogramming strategy.

The Armorer was finished conducting training drills with the Tribe for the day and retreated to her personal gym. She stretched aching muscles and sighed. The former prisoners were recovering their skills well, but they were disoriented when removing their helmets. They were all having problems understanding their new roles. The Armorer was also having trouble leading them in the Way when they were no longer fully bound by the Creed. The dynamic was difficult.

She had noticed, however, that the bonds between warriors were stronger. Without helmets, their relationships were deepening. She worried about maintaining professionalism in the face of battle with the personal ties changing. But she also noted the improved morale. The Tribe morale had been declining in recent years, and now it was progressing. They felt purpose. They knew why they were all on Nevarro and what they were fighting for. They were no longer idle in the sewers. They were above ground and standing tall.

Even Din Djarin was changing. His renewed relationship with his brother and Clan, and his new Foundling were grounding him and causing him to develop character that was only barely visible before. She considered again the possibility that he might take on her leadership role if she was to perish in the fight, now that Paz was able to secure the future of Clan Vizsla. But she knew that Din must complete his mission with Tarre-Haal first. Until then, she could not ask him to stay.

The door chime rang and the Armorer stood up, "Come."

Din opened the door and stood in the doorway with Tarre on his shoulder. "May I enter?"

"Of course, Din Djarin," the Armorer replied.

She led him to a pair of benches in the corner of the gym, and they sat down and Tarre hopped down off Din's shoulder.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your successful recovery of the surviving Tribe members, as well as many others taken in the Purge," the Armorer said placidly.

Din nodded, "It was my duty."

The Amorer bowed her head slightly, "Zaral has informed me that one of the Purge prisoners was Kor-Kayan of House Kryze."

Din was speechless for a moment. "Clan Kryze lives?"

The Armorer nodded, "News of his survival has brought back others of his Clan. Bo-Katan's nephew will ensure her legacy."

"That — is a great news for Mandalore." Din envisioned the ramifications of this development. He could barely comprehend how this would change the stagnant politics on Mandalore. So he decided to shift back to the the immediate concerns of Nevarro.

"Karga has made a deal to purchase the shield."

"Excellent. So it seems we won't have to evacuate after all."

Din was pensive, "Does the Tribe feel competent for this fight?"

The Armorer looked at him intently, "Do not question their resolve. Their physical acumen returns with every day that passes. Their bodies remember the training."

"No, I did not mean to question their training. I have a new concern, one they may not be ready for."

The Armorer stared at him waiting for details.

"Cara and I have found evidence that Gideon survived the TIE crash, and that he has a laser sword weapon. I've been thinking about what he could want with Tarre-Haal. I wonder if he could have a connection to the Jedi or other enemies with their technology."

The Armorer cocked her head slightly, "Zaral seemed certain that the Empire hunted the Jedi to extinction."

"But what about the Jedi's enemies, the Sith?" Din said urgently.

Suddenly Tarre started making a sound that Din had never heard before, it was almost a growl.

Din and the Armorer looked at Tarre and Din reached out a finger. "Ad'ika, have you seen the Sith that Zaral told us about?"

Tarre reached for Din's finger, but he did not speak, he just gave Din an overwhelming sense of sadness. Din had to take some deep breaths to recover from the overwhelming emotions. He picked up Tarre, and held him next to his chest plate.

"He didn't say, but the Sith have obviously affected him somehow in the past."

The Armorer looked back at Din, "This child has seen more in his fifty years than we could ever comprehend.

Din slowly rubbed a circle on Tarre's back and he started to calm.

"We will discuss these revelations with the Tribe tomorrow."

The news of Gideon's likely survival was not received well, and morale took a significant hit, even with the arrival of the city shield.

Cara and several of the tech engineers from the Tribe worked day and night to reprogram the unit, and were met with failure over and over. Finally, after conferring with city engineers they had a successful test of the shield and it covered the city and the outskirts.

Din found Cara in the firing range one evening absolutely demolishing a target. She suddenly dropped her blaster then picked up a different one and started shooting at the second target. When that target was demolished she dropped that blaster, and picked up a third. The third weapon was one of Din's and he appreciated her skill with a Mandalorian rifle. It wasn't as difficult to use as the pulse rifle he carried, but it was also unwieldy and required skill to aim properly.

"Stop lurking, Mando. Just leave me alone," Cara growled.

Din shifted, "Just checking in on you, as agreed," he quoted her message from weeks before.

Cara stopped reloading her blaster, and started laughing. "You don't trust that I'm taking care of myself either. What a pair we make."

Cara finished reloading, locked and then shot off the entire cartridge.

Din still did not comment.

Cara stopped for a minute to drink some water and looked at Din. She finished the entire bottle before she crossed her arms and spoke.

"You two still happy you stayed?"

Din did not reply.

"You still so confident you won't be dying in the near future?" Cara laughed.

Din did not reply.

Cara sat down next to the pile of weapons and started cleaning them. Din walked over and picked up the Mandalorian rifle she had borrowed and broke it down so it could be cleaned. Cara watched his technique and used it to break down the next weapon.

They sat in silence, cleaning, both feeling that the battle was coming.

The next morning Din sat upright in bed. It was still dark outside, and he scanned the room with his night-vision, but he was alone.

"Tarre! TARRE!"

Din could feel he was near but Tarre did not return when Din called.

He threw aside the blanket and walked out into the main room. He found Tarre standing on the windowsill looking up at the sky. Tarre looked over at Din standing in the bedroom door and made a small whimpering sound.

"They're here," Din whispered.

The Star Destroyer started the bombardment an hour later, just as the sun was coming up. It lasted almost ten hours until dusk, but the shield held true. The Tribe set up perimeters in the three sections of town most likely to be attacked by ground assault and then they waited.

Din, Tarre and Cara set up at the old city gate, betting that based on the terrain at that side of the city, walkers would have the easiest approach and they were certain that even if multiple areas were hit at once the bulk of the artillery had to come that way.

By the time the stars began blinking across the sky the familiar echoing steps of multiple walkers appeared in the darkness.

Tarre squeaked from his hoverpram, which was now reinforced with beskar panels. Din had controls to close the pram if danger neared, and he was proximity tethered to Din as well so they could not be separated.

"Command, this is the Gate, we have made contact. Three AT-STs visible, multiple troop carriers," Din relayed his evaluation as he scanned the area.

"All quiet on fronts two and three. We will send reinforcements."

"Copy that, Command," Din replied. But then as he zoomed in on the walkers to assess the weapons payload he saw something he had never seen before. "What is that?" He gasped.

Cara looked over at him, "What? What is what?" She grabbed a pair of binocs and scanned the line until she saw what he was looking at.

"That AT-ST has been modified. It looks like some kind of power source," Cara said.

"Could it be a shield generator?" Din asked urgently.

Cara shook her head, "Not like any I've ever seen."

"Then we have to assume it's a new weapon," Din picked up his communicator, "Command, this is the Gate, we are picking up a new weapon that is on a modified AT-ST. Request data evaluation." He sent his visual readouts to Command.

Before they could respond, however the line of walkers stopped several hundred yards away. And the modified AT-ST opened it's top hatch. It was too dark to see from their line who jumped up on top of the AT-ST, but Din could see with his telescopic vision, and his voice became a low growl.

"Command, we have confirmation. Moff Gideon is alive. And, he's raising his hand, he's holding something…"

Suddenly the shining black blade sprang out of the hilt that Gideon held and the entire company of the Tribe suddenly gasped.

"The Dark Saber…" The Armorer whispered.

Din looked back at her, unable to process what was happening.

The Armorer turned to face him, "You now have the answers you sought. The Imperial who conducted the Purge, and killed our leader, has stolen the symbol of the rule of Mandalore. The weapon created by the namesake of your Foundling."

Din looked down at Tarre and felt a burning in his chest. He felt anger that he had not allowed to surface since the day he rescued Paz from the prison ship. The heat of it radiated off of him.

"That weapon will be returned to Mandalore," he spat out.

"Indeed. This is the Way." The Armorer replied.

"MANDALORIANS!" Moff Gideon's voice was suddenly amplified across the gap between the militia and his forces. "You may recognize this weapon! But I'm sure you do not recognize the weapon I am standing on! You may not realize that at one time during the occupation of Mandalore, many of your youth were educated by the Imperial system! And many of your leaders collaborated with the Empire! Including Clan Saxon, which is part of your House Vizsla, Din Djarin! And what is most poetic about this betrayal is that it goes even deeper! Saxon worked with Admiral Thrawn to create this weapon! One that was powerful enough to use beskar armor against your own people!"

Suddenly the T-shaped protrusion on the top of the AT-ST powered up.

Din heard Tarre squeaking uncontrollably in fear, RUN! RUN!

Din turned to the Mandalorians of the Tribe and screamed, "EVERYONE TAKE COVER! MOVE! MOVE!"

The high pitched whine of an arc generator was the last thing Din heard before he saw a white energy discharge from the generator strike and render helpless four Tribe members for several seconds and then they completely disintegrated before his eyes.

Din immediately closed Tarre's pram and shoved him out of the line of fire as three more Tribe members disintegrated. Cara was right next to him screaming for him to run when the next discharge shot right past her and straight through Din and the Armorer.

He felt as if he was being electrocuted from the inside while being cooked from the outside. And then he remembered that he had just shielded Tarre's pram with beskar…

NOOOOO!

The cry inside his head got louder, and as it did, he realized that the burning of his skin was lessening and the nerve endings that were being electrocuted were suddenly feeling relief.

He could not see her but he heard Cara was screaming, "Destroy it Tarre! NOW!"

The tiny green boy was holding at bay the entire discharge of the weapon, and on Cara's command he pushed the discharge directly back into the weapon causing Gideon to jump from the exploding AT-ST.

Tarre immediately collapsed back onto his blankets in the pram, and Cara pressed the button to re-close the doors.

"FALL BACK! ALL MANDALORIANS FALL BACK!"

The militia reinforcements had arrived and several Tribe members picked up the Armorer and Din by the arms and heaved them forward and out of the battle zone.

Din was barely conscious, but he could see that the closed pram was hovering just in front of him following the tether program, and the Armorer was still alive and struggling to walk next to him as she was also half carried by Tribe members that had not been hit.

The person he could not see was Cara, and it was because she was standing on the front line using his rifle to pick off Gideon's men.