+ THE REDEEMER +

(V)(V)(V)

"If I Never Knew You"

by: Jon Secada and Shanice

If I never knew you
If I never felt this love
I would have no inkling of
How precious life can be

And if I never held you
I would never have a clue
How at last I'd find in you
The missing part of me

In this world so full of fear
Full of rage and lies
I can see the truth so clear
In your eyes
So dry your eyes

And I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you

If I never knew you
I'd be safe but half as real
Never knowing I could feel
A love so strong and true

I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you

I thought our love would be so beautiful
Somehow we made the whole world bright
I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong
All they'd leave us were these whispers in the night
But still my heart is singing
We were right

If I never knew you
There's no moment I regret
If I never knew this love
I would have no inkling of
If our time has gone too fast I've lived at last
How precious life can be

I thought our love would be so beautiful
Somehow we'd make the whole world bright
I thought our love would be so beautiful
We'd turn the darkness into light
And still my heart is singing
We were right
We were right

And if I never knew you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Empty as the sky
Never knowing why
Lost forever
If I never knew you

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Rating: T for adult situations, language, and violence. M for later chapters.

Genre: Romance/Adventure/Action.

Summary: Aurora, a modern soldier, finds herself in a strange land. As she attempts to search for home, her path crosses with Din, Grogu, their allies...and their enemies. Drawn from one war to another, will she learn that there is one force, no matter in what galaxy, that conquers all? A story of love, war, family, and destiny. [Din/OC] Post-Season 2. Slightly AU. Rated M for later chapters.

Disclaimer: This story is pure fanfiction. I don't own any of the recognizable characters from Star Wars / Disney.

Author's Note: Welcome to my fifth Mandalorian fanfic! If you haven't checked out my other Mandalorian fics, they're called "The Protector" (Din/OC romance/adventure), "The Captive" (Din/OC romance/adventure), "The Memories of a Father" (Din and Adult Grogu family/hurt/comfort), and "The Sins of the Past" (Young Din family).

For some reason, I've just been having a million ideas for Mandalorian fics. This is one that "stuck to the wall" and I've decided to pursue. It's different from my other fics in terms of concept overall, but I think there's a story here that I'd like to share with you all. The idea wouldn't leave me alone, so might as well give it a shot! It'll be heavy romance, adventure, and action/war, taking Din and Grogu's storyline further than what we've seen in Season 2, moving into Season 3, with a dash of alternate universe/timeline. I'll be pulling from Canon and Legends, delving more into the Mandalorian culture and society, and weaving in some characters and storylines from other Star Wars shows. Just another note - our heroine does not have any idea what Star Wars is (suspend disbelief, I say!)! :D

A huge thank you to everyone who's supported me over the past 18 years on this site. I appreciate all of your feedback and I absolutely love talking to you guys. Looking forward to hearing from all of you! Cheers. xx IFHD

(V)(V)(V)

Chapter 1: The Stranger

"Captain Guerrero! They're converging on your position, over!"

I cursed out loud. With a trembling hand, I pressed upon the push-to-talk button on the handheld radio strapped upon my arid tactical vest. Beads of sweat mercilessly cascaded down my dirtied face, the desert climate and prolonged firefight making the heat almost unbearable. The fog thickened over my sunglasses. "Acknowledged, HQ. Alpha Section heading due north. One klick away from the objective, over."

Sergeant Kearney, a white-haired, Infantry veteran with a keen eye for danger, crouched beside me just as a few rounds buried themselves upon the rocky outcropping above our heads. He merely readjusted his helmet in response, his Irish accent thick as he said, "Ma'am, we need to go west. We'll get overrun if we press forward north."

The statement was veiled as a recommendation; a way to respect my commission and position within the section. It garnered the attention of a handful of soldiers near us, their expressions of fear and alarm boring into me.

My first tour as a Canadian Officer in this godforsaken desert wasn't supposed to end up this way. With our camp bombed to pieces. With me left in the chain of command as a section commander, the de facto leader of the non-commissioned members of the Coalition countries who had survived the slaughter. With me being thrust with a sudden responsibility that I was not expecting. As they awaited a decision, with pieces of the mountainside raining down upon us as the assault continued, it was clear what they were asking me:

How are you going to keep us alive?

"Cap?"

Kearney tapped upon the scope of my rifle, striving to gain my attention once more. Worry flashed in his orbs for a split second at my delayed response. Finally, I sucked in a breath and nodded. "Roger that. We'll move in single file. Keep your heads down." I pushed myself up into a crouch. "Alpha Section, on me!"

The weight of my armour and gear, combined with the rocky terrain upon which we now trudged through, slowed my movements; but, with my remaining energy, I maintained the ruse, holding my C7 rifle in front of me tightly, praying to God that my fear wasn't visible to these soldiers.

A sharp cry came from one of the soldiers as the showering of bullets around us increased. My eyes flashed through the natural terrain before us, searching for better cover. "There! Head for the cave! Go!"

We switched on our headlamps upon entering the mouth, moving into a double file as we scoured the space in a tactical manner for any hidden threat. The temperature was cool, offering reprieve from the blazing sun outside. With slow movements and silent hand signals, I ordered four of the soldiers behind me forward to conduct reconnaissance farther into the rocky abyss. The space was dark and deep, the ground rough and uneven. Aside from our heavy breathing and light footsteps, there was nothing but silence.

As the section fanned out, I pressed forward, finding it odd that I could no longer hear the gunshots at our rear. Though my steps were slow and calculated, the solid ground suddenly began to crumble beneath me. With a yelp, I fell cleanly through the hole, feeling weightless for a few seconds, then landing hard upon my back with a grunt, arms splayed out at my sides.

"Fuck!" I cried out, the curse echoing as the pain surged throughout my entire body. Wincing, I slowly pushed myself off the ground using my rifle, peering upwards from whence I came.

Only white stalactite formations stared back.

No sign of the hole that I had fallen through.

I hastily pressed upon my radio to call for aid, but was only met with white noise.

"What the hell…?" I breathed out as my headlamp revealed that this cave was made of...ice. I shook my head. Perhaps I had hit it a little too hard; however, as I removed a glove and touched a stalagmite formation at my side, the genuine chill that snaked up my hand made it abundantly clear that I was not hallucinating.

The sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach worsened. I ventured forward with apprehensive strides, keeping my rifle up, entirely alert. Water droplets echoed around me, but nothing else. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, I resolved to follow the natural light, the mouth of the cave only a few meters away.

Snow crunched beneath my feet as I exited the cave, adding to my steadily rising panic. Bitter cold ravaged me, merciless, as the sun gradually rose on the horizon.

I tried the radio once more to no avail.

Standing still, I swallowed the lump in my throat.

Come on, Aurora, think.

What the fuck is going on?

The beating of my heart increased as I attempted to keep my breath steady. Attempted to rationalize the situation. But there was no rationality behind any of it. None of the surroundings looked familiar. It was a sea of snow and ice. A landscape that more resembled my home rather than the country in which I had deployed.

Flashes of light suddenly caught my attention to the north. With looming mountains as their backdrop, what appeared to be a settlement of some sort was nearby, approximately a little under half a klick away. Now desperate to find any other human being to tell me where the hell I was, I sprinted as fast as I could towards civilization.

As I drew closer towards a cluster of low, metal shelters, a chorus of panicked screams echoed in the air. My heart jumped. Drawing my weapon close to my chest and pressing my Kevlar-covered back against a shelter, I peered out slowly, assessing the situation. In the distance, what appeared to be soldiers clad in all-white armour, including a black and white helmet, pointed their rifles threateningly at unarmed civilians clad in simple, brown and black garb.

Was this...a movie set?

With my rational mind grasping at the notion for a brief second, I desperately searched for any signs of camera crews, equipment, or trailers - anything related to the reality that I was hoping for in my head - but eventually found nothing.

More of the white-armoured soldiers seized civilians from their homes by force, shoving them with the barrels of their rifles in order to coax them forward. Coax them forward towards…

...a spaceship?

I craned my head farther out, as much as I could without risking detection. What looked like a grey transport vessel of sorts towered in the background, its steel-plated exterior adorned with cannons on either side. A ramp at the rear of the ship slowly descended, whirring steadily in effort, revealing more white-armoured soldiers within.

The sound of what seemed to be the distant rumbling of concentrated thunder pierced my ears. Growing in intensity and multiplying as the seconds passed, I finally placed the sounds above. They were...thrusters of sorts. Like the sound of jets powering on upon the tarmac.

I staggered back, my comprehension and sanity once more tested. One by one, more armoured and helmeted warriors appeared, some landing easily upon the ground while others upon the various rooftops of the settlement. Their armour, however, were a melange of different colours and designs; a stark contrast to the soldiers who continued to terrorize the civilians. Almost instantly, the new arrivals began to fire at the white-armoured soldiers, the blasts from their hand-held weapons an array of red, blue, and green light. The freed civilians ran for cover in various directions, screaming and crying in their panic. It took a while for the white-armoured soldiers to regroup and retaliate in kind, with some now dropping to the ground…

...dead.

Shots flew above my head, shaking me alert once more.

Underlining that this was, in fact, reality…

...as much as my mind attempted to deny it.

Now in full panic, I moved back into the shadows, intent on finding cover.

This wasn't my fight.

I didn't have the authority to engage...

It was then that a child of about seven years old wailed and stumbled a few feet from me, seeming to have been separated from his family in the chaos. His blonde hair was mussed, his clothes muddied and tattered. Ah, shit. Fearing for his life, I released a breath and slung my rifle upon my back. With low, cautious movements, I rushed over to his side, hands up placatingly in order to exhibit that I meant no harm. "Hey." My speech was hurried. "Let's get you out of here, okay?"

"Ni copad ner buir!" he wailed back in return, his tearful, sea-blue eyes looking up at me.

My head shook. "I...I'm sorry, but I don't understand." I crouched down to his eye level and extended my hand to him. "But we need to find cover, alright?"

He stared at me, quieting down. After a few more moments, the child finally took my hand with a sniffle.

As I stood, however, a barrel of a gun was suddenly pointed at my forehead.

I froze.

The man who now threatened me resembled a veritable knight in shining armour. Over brown clothing and boots, he was clad in a silver breastplate with matching pauldrons, vambraces, and shin guards. Yet, the piece of armour that my eyes instantly fell upon was the equally silver helmet adorned with a t-visor. For several moments, he didn't move or squeeze the trigger. Then, his head moved ever so slightly as he regarded my form.

"Hey." I said in a low, careful tone, raising my free hand slowly. "We don't want any trouble."

He continued to stare at me in silence, grip on the weapon unyielding.

"Look, just leave the kid alone." Though my body trembled, I continued in as calm a tone as possible, urging the sobbing child to stand behind me in incremental movements. It was difficult to look directly into the barrel. "He's done nothing wrong."

The man finally lowered the weapon.

I released a prolonged breath.

"Get to safety," he said sharply. He brushed past me, his long cloak flapping in the icy wind.

I looked back at him, my brows knitting.

My gaze followed his imposing form as I gestured for the child to hide behind stacked crates at my rear. The man called out to a handful of panicked civilians in a foreign language, his instructions curt as the firefight behind him continued. Without warning, a series of shots were then concentrated on him, the blasts ricocheting off of his body akin to sparks. He cried out, momentarily brought to his knee, though continued to usher the handful of civilians to safety.

Instinctively, my eyes flickered to the right, noticing a slight movement upon a nearby rooftop. One of the white-armoured soldiers shouldered what appeared to be a rocket-propelled grenade.

Realizing what the soldier was aiming for, I rushed forward in panic, without thought, gesturing with my arms for the man and the civilians to get out of the way. "Hey, watch out!" In a last-ditch effort, I used my entire body to knock the man and an older woman out of the way of the incoming missile.

The projectile connected with the side of a shelter instead, the explosion close enough that it sent me several feet into the air, spinning. I landed harshly on my right side, my ears relentlessly ringing. The pain was indescribable. It hurt to breathe. I cried out and writhed slowly upon the ground, feeling dirt and blood splattered upon my face.

Through blurred vision, I could make out the silver-armoured man kneeling at my side, with two other forms flanking him. He lifted my head slowly and removed my cracked sunglasses. The ringing in my ears persisted, though he appeared to be saying something to me given his head movements.

Then all went black.

(V)(V)(V)

I woke with a start, blinding white light invading my cloudy vision.

Am I dead?

Gradually fighting through disorientation, I remained in supine position for a few more moments, hearing nothing but a mix of my erratic breathing and soft, constant beeping of machinery. My head incessantly pounded, thoughts swimming, albeit incoherent. In slow movements, I pushed myself up from the bed with an elbow, my hazel eyes scanning the foreign environment in hasty appraisal. Stark white walls surrounded the enclosure, the large space appearing to be some form of advanced infirmary. The lighting in the room was dim, focused only on where I had lain. Various metal machines surrounded the area with wide screens above them, displaying information that I couldn't understand.

Having no idea as to how long I had been unconscious, I stood from the bed, raking through my torso and legs for anything that was amiss. I have all my limbs. That's always a good sign. I was now clad in only my combat pants and shirt. Seeing my reflection on a metal panel, my olive face was entirely clean of blood, sweat, and dirt; my long, brown hair was out of a bun, now falling freely down my mid-back. Oddly, there were no marks or bruising upon my limbs; after having been that close to a grenade blast, one would at least suspect a scratch or two. Feeling exposed without my gear, my eyes darted around the space for the rest of my belongings. All except my rifle were laid out neatly upon a metal table at the side of the bed.

Footsteps echoed from somewhere outside of the room, quickly approaching closer.

With pumping adrenaline, I rushed towards my dagger, gripping it tightly in my right hand.

A metal door behind me suddenly whooshed open, making my heart skip in alarm. A pair of fully-armoured, helmeted men sauntered into the room, entirely engrossed in their lighthearted conversation. Is a full helmet a staple here or what? They immediately stopped in their tracks and ceased their speech as they saw me.

"Stay back!" I warned, wielding the dagger menacingly. "Where the fuck am I?"

Have I been captured? Am I a prisoner of war?

But why was I...in a hospital?

The last thing that I remembered was...an explosion. Flying through the air. Writhing on the ground in unbearable pain.

Yet, now, I felt no pain at all.

The taller man in the red helmet cooly lifted his left arm, using his right hand to press on a small, circular button on his weathered vambrace. A baritone voice came from beneath the helmet. "Mand'alor. She's awake."

Though they stayed in place, I remained in a defensive position, ready if either decided to strike. The two men kept silent through the tense moments, standing side by side, merely observing me with their gloved hands clasped loosely in front of them. They didn't even look phased by my threat.

The silver-armoured man who I recognized from the settlement walked in through the still-open door, his strides long and purposeful. Seeing my distressed state, he immediately extended his arms at his sides, stopping a few meters in front of my form. The presence he exuded was vastly different from that of the other two men. He seemed like...royalty. "We mean you no harm."

His appeasing words only marginally reduced my worry. Though I had seen that this man and his allies had meant to save the civilians instead of harm them, it still wasn't clear what they wanted with me. What they wanted to do to me.

Just because they weren't my enemy, that doesn't mean they're necessarily my friend.

"Where am I?" I directed to Silver, jaw tight.

His low voice was calm and even as he replied, "The planet of Kalevala."

I sucked in a breath, confusion plastered upon my countenance. "Come again?"

"Kalevala," he repeated, a little slower this time.

"N-no. You said…" A quick shake of my head, feeling my thoughts spinning. "...What do you mean...planet?"

The two men behind him shared a look.

Silver turned to the blue-armoured man to his right. His tone was entirely serious. "Have you checked for brain damage?"

"Hey," I snarled through gritted teeth, adjusting the grip on the dagger. "My brain is perfectly fine!"

...I think.

Before my disorientation and upset heightened even more, an almost indiscernible movement near the floor garnered my attention. What appeared to be some sort of green animal appeared from behind Silver's leg, its brown, almond-shaped eyes fixated upon me in curiosity. The size of a small child, its large, wide ears twitched and flapped throughout its assessment. It didn't appear to mean any harm. "Meh?" It called out, tilting its head to the side in further appraisal. My confusion grew as it waddled forward on two feet, the fabric of its loose robe of sorts dragging on the metal floor. "A-atoo."

I momentarily lowered my guard, intrigued.

What is this thing?

Seizing the moment, Silver took a few, confident steps forward. "Perhaps if we could just talk and -"

My head snapped up. Once more defensive, I shoved the dagger towards him as he advanced. "Not an inch closer!"

That particular act effectively provoked the other two men. In swift movements, they drew their guns, aiming directly for my head. They didn't look like they would hesitate to squeeze the triggers.

"Stand down," Silver commanded immediately, raising a gloved hand up to signal them.

Though the weapons were promptly lowered and holstered almost as quickly as they had been drawn, my uneasiness remained. Slowly backing towards what appeared to be the exit, with my mind thick and reeling, I did what no decent soldier should do in the face of the enemy.

I ran.

(V)(V)(V)

- Ni copad ner buir (Mando'a) - I want my mother

(V)(V)(V)

A/N: Well, that was certainly fun to write! What did you guys think about that? Do you want me to continue?! :D As usual, it's always so good to get ideas out of my head - and I have so many ideas for this story already! SO much more to come!

I appreciate the reviews, follows, favourites and messages. Looking forward to hearing from you! xx IFHD