He landed the ship with practiced ease. This location was new for the covert, so he took everything in for the first time. As soon as they had established the base, they had sent him a message through channels to inform him of the new location and new protocols. Din felt fairly certain this new location would last a long time.

Another of his people had managed to "borrow" a Chiss cloaking device and rig it to encompass a huge area. They had combined it with a shield to make it practically impenetrable. The fact that the planet was uninhabited and deep into wild space was a solid bonus.

The only downside was that it was so far from anything else.

He landed the ship softly in the field of tall grass, flipping switches quickly and then shimmying down the ladder. He raced to the bunk and slapped his hand on the door switch, praying Cara was still alive. When the door slid open, he reached out quickly to check her pulse.

She was alive but her pulse was weak.

Reaching in, he pulled her body out as gently as possible, jostling her leg blaster burns. She grunted and her eyes fluttered open.

"What…" she trailed off as she looked up at him, starting to cough and gasp for breath. He gathered her into his arms and quickly moved towards the ramp. Kicking the controls to the door, it lowered and bright light flooded the compartment. He noticed a large compliment of Mandalorians waiting for them.

Cara hadn't stopped coughing.

Running down the ramp, he barely spared the people a glance as he laid her on the waiting stretcher. The doctor bent over her, scanning her body with tech built into her helmet.

"All right team, lets get this one in the bacta tank stat. She's critical. Heart rate low, lung severely damaged, heart tissue damaged…

She continued to rattle off her diagnosis in Mando'a. Cara's eyes fluttered as she started to turn blue. The medic shouted something, grabbed Cara in her arms, and then used her jet pack to fly her away, towards the medical house. Din reached down to grab the kid, running after her. Several Mandalorians followed.

When he arrived at the medical house and barreled through the door, he saw Cara just being lowered into a tank of bacta. A bacta IV was already connected to her arm, and she wore several other contraptions he didn't recognize. Everyone seemed to be working quickly and carefully. He felt the child slip a hand into his glove. The motion jolted him out of his staring stupor.

"Hey kid," he said, looking down at the child nestled in his arm. "I'm here."

A medic approached.

"Kaya," Din greeted.

"Djarin," she responded with a nod. "Your friend is in pretty bad shape. We had to medically induce a coma and put her on brain support so we could flush her lungs with bacta. In a moment, we'll remove the bacta and hopefully get her lungs going again. We may have to do it several times. Her heart was also damaged and that's harder to fix than lungs. We may have to go in for surgery, but we can't do that until her lungs are sufficiently healed. The bolts on her legs have minor infections but shouldn't be too difficult to treat."

Din swallowed hard, gritting his teeth. This was all his fault.

"She's in rough shape." She looked at him through her visor. "I'll keep you updated."

He nodded curtly.

"I know you want to stay, but the armorer is asking for you."

Din sighed. He knew she would want to see him shortly after arriving. He had to answer a lot of questions regarding his choice to bring an outsider to the covert. Plus, he still needed to be updated about who was lost on Nevarro. He still didn't know who of his family were left.

"Can I stay?" He asked in Mando'a. "Just until she's free of the battle zone?"

Kaya studied him for a long moment. "It could be a long time."

Taking a beat, he looked at Cara's limp form floating in the tank. "I don't want her to face the afterlife alone."

"She may yet live, Djarin. But I understand. I will send word to the armorer."

"Thank you."

oOoOoOo

Several hours later, he was sitting on a bench in the corner of the medical house, the kid sleeping in his arms, when Kaya approached him. He nodded to her.

"The young one is sleeping?" she asked, looking at the child.

"Yes," he replied. "How is Cara?"

She had been removed from the tank several times, her lungs flushed, her body convulsing. They had almost lost her, all while Din stood watching.

"She's better than she was. She's not out of the battle zone yet, but she's a strong fighter. She's already shown us that."

Din nodded, standing up and trying not to jostle the kid too much. "I should see the armorer and find lodging."

Kaya nodded. "The child can stay with the other foundlings. He is safe here. He might be more comfortable."

Din looked down at his closed eyes, knowing she was right. It was so hard to let him out of his sight, especially knowing how many people wanted him. But if he wasn't safe among the Mandalorians, where would he be safe?

"You're right. I'll drop him off before I see the armorer." He looked up at her. "You'll let me know if she begins to see the afterlife?"

"Of course."

He left the building, still thinking hard about Cara's recovery and wondering if she would get better. The child squinted in the bright light and made a loud noise of protest.

"Hey, it's all right. I forgot it would be bright for you."

The child cocked his head up to look at Din and blinked a few times. "Grawmm?"

"You're wondering about Cara?" Din interpreted his look. "She's still getting better. We'll see her later. Right now, do you want to go play with some other kids?"

His ears drooped.

"Hey," Din protested. "It will be fun. Besides, you haven't gotten to play with other kids since Sorgan. Remember how fun that was?"

His green ears perked up at the mention of Sorgan and Din smiled under his helmet.

"That's right. You liked Sorgan, and the kids. It will be just like that."

Stopping suddenly, Din realized he didn't know where he was going. He looked around to orient himself and took in the new Covert location.

It was stunning. The settlement had been placed in an alpine meadow. High mountains rose in the distance, tall thickets of grass surrounded the buildings, and dark forest beyond that. It looked like the clearing was natural, and a good size for a group of their number.

The settlement didn't look like it had been built in the past few months. The buildings were fully erected and strong, the camp well planned and well kept. Din suspected the winters would be cold and brutal, but it was so much better than the sewers of Nevarro, he doubted anyone would care.

Spotting the school, he trekked quickly over to it, opening the door.

"Din Djarin?" the mando guarding the door said in surprise. "That's you under that shiny beskar right?"

Din could hear the smile in his voice as they clasped arms tightly.

"Corvin. I'm glad to see you're alive."

"Yes, you haven't been back since Nevarro…"

The smile in his tone slipped away.

"I'm on my way to see the armor, but I want to drop this foundling off. Is there a place he can go?"

"Ah yes, so this is the new one, the one who created your clan of two." The smile was back in his tone. "Hello there little one."

The child reached out a hand to Corvin and he happily accepted the touch.

"I'd be happy to drop him off, if you want to go see the armorer. The sooner the better."

Din nodded, and passed the child off to Corvin.

"You be good," he said sternly to the kid. Then to Corvin he added, "If he starts throwing things, it's probably best to call me."

Corvin laughed. "Trust me brother, I've seen it all. Nothing this young one can do will scare me."

Raising his eyebrows under his helmet, he tilted his head to the side. "You'd be surprised."

"We'll catch up tonight. I want to hear all about this outsider. You're just full of surprises Djarin!"

With that, Corvin left to bring the child to his class. Din walked into the bright sun again, looking around for a likely spot for the armory. Walking to the edge of the settlement, he spotted it right away, in a cleared spot next to the forest. The grasses and brush had been cleared away in a wide circle and the path leading up to it was circuitous.

When he emerged from the tall grass he almost barreled headlong into a forcefield. It was lowered a moment later. The armorer stood waiting for him, her hands clasped behind her back. He approached slowly, thinking of the many reasons he should be dreading this conversation. Pushing those from his mind, he stopped a respectful distance from her.

"Din Djarin, you have returned."

The statement didn't require an answer so he remained silent.

"And you bring an outsider."

"Yes." He responded.

"This must be the same outsider you were with on Nevarro. The woman, Cara Dune?"

"Yes."

She studied him for a long moment. "You've grown close."

"I-

He paused before he said something untruthful. Of course they had grown close. They had been on several missions together. They'd spent a month in a camp on Sorgan. She was the only outsider who he felt he could trust completely.

"Yes." He answered.

"Have you ever removed your helmet in front of her?" Her tone was stern, but soft.

"No," He answered quickly.

She paused, tilting her head to the side. "Your armor?"

He hesitated.

"You have." She said in a surprised tone. "You never cease to amaze me Din Djarin. There were times when I thought you would never become a true Mandalorian and other times when I thought you would never let anyone into your heart. And now you have a foundling AND you have removed your armor with an outsider."

He remained silent, thinking about what she'd said. Saying his childhood and young adult years had been tumultuous was a great understatement. He was sometimes surprised himself how far he'd come.

The birds sang around them. "Do you regret it?" she asked.

"No, never." He said emphatically.

"And it was done of your own free will?"

"Yes."

She armorer nodded. "Then she is as your family. And she will be treated as such. I should like to meet her when she's feeling better."

"I would like that as well," he said.

"We must also speak of what happened on Nevarro." Her tone was grim.

"It was my fault. I should have never-

"You've always been so good at blaming yourself Din," she cut him off. "This has caused many problems for you." She gave him a knowing look. Din always felt that she could see right through his armor.

"It was not your fault," she continued. "Everyone acted of their own free will. The clan defends the clan. The clan dies to protect the clan. This is the way."

"This is the way," he murmured back.

"In truth, we lost many that day. You may want to sit down. What I have to tell you will be difficult."

oOoOoOoOo

After his long conversation with the armorer, Din walked around the settlement. The scenery was beautiful, the birds were colorful and loud, and the sky was a shimmering deep blue. But Din didn't see any of it. His mind was filled with all he had lost, all the clan had lost. Of course, he had known many had died, but it hadn't been real until the armorer listed the names for him. Why did his people always get slaughtered? Why were they cursed in this way?

He growled low for a moment, and then stopped himself. That rage, that feeling deep in his chest, was so familiar. It would be so easy to go back to that, to let himself be controlled by his rage. But he couldn't do that. It's not the kind of life he was interested in living any longer.

Thinking through options, he decided to seek out a sparing partner. He thought of Corvin, but he was busy with the foundlings. Cara was lying on a bed fighting for her life. The thought made the rage come rushing back like a wave-

A heavy hand fell on his shoulder and he quickly whirled, pulling his blaster and coming face to face with Tra'ka. Lowering his blaster, he sighed and re-holstered it.

"Din," his strong voice came through his helmet. "I can see your anger from across the settlement. Your body language is a dead giveaway."

Din sighed. "You always were the sensitive brother, Tra'ka."

"And you the angry one," he fired back.

They stood in silence for a moment, Tra'ka's strong hand gripping his shoulder.

"I'm glad you're alive," Din managed, his voice breaking.

Nodding slightly, Tra'ka pulled him in for a hug, their armor clanking together. Din felt tears burning his eyes. So much had been lost, so many friends, so much family. Cara was barely alive. And all of it was his fault. Everything.

Din suddenly pulled away and started stomping in the opposite direction, through the field.

"Let us fight then!" Tra'ka called after him. "Come on brother, you always were the weakest one in the bunch! Show me what you've learned since we last spared!"

Gritting his teeth, he swallowed hard. It was the Mandalorian way to fight out the rage. But right now, he felt too angry to trust himself in a fight. Looking down, he stopped and closed his eyes, tears dripping down his face. He felt like he had years ago, when the anger was too much and he didn't know how to cope with all he'd lost.

He heard someone approaching and quickly turned around. When he saw who it was he walked back towards Tra'ka, dread gnawing at the pit of his stomach.

"How is she?" he asked as he came up to them.

"She's awake," Pria said simply.

"Is she… how is she?" he asked, hardly daring to hope.

"She's still recovering, but she's doing much better."

"Her heart, her lungs," he prompted.

"I'm not a medic. But I'm sure Kaya can answer your questions when you get to the medical house. Cara's asking for you."

Din nodded curtly and started off quickly towards the building. He felt Tra'ka's heavy footsteps join his.

"Can I join you brother?"

Din nodded. "Sure."

oOoOoOo

Cara groaned as she woke, feeling stabbing pain with every breath. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, and her leg was on fire. Trying hard to open her eyes, she finally saw a sliver of light that looked like daylight. Frowning, trying to remember, she wondered how it could be daylight on the ship.

Forcing her heavy lids up felt like wading through sticky pudding. A Mandalorian face swam into view.

"Are you awake?" Heavily accented Basic filtered through the helmet.

She only answered with a groan. There was a quick command in a melodic, sharp language and then she felt something cold entering her body. Sweet relief flooded her body as the pain faded into a dull background ache.

Finally, she focused on the person in front of her.

"Where… where am I?" she asked, confused.

"At the covert, the covert of Din Djarin, on a secret planet." The woman before her offered.

"Am I… am I better?" She didn't think that amount of pain indicated a full recovery.

"Not yet, but you will be," she reassured her.

Cara looked around the room, seeing other medical beds and several other Mandalorians.

"Mando… I mean, Din he's-

"We will get him for you. He didn't leave until he knew you were… what is the expression… free from death?"

Cara smiled slightly, nodding. "The kid?"

"I'm sure he's being well cared for with the other foundlings. Djarin had some… things to attend to."

She turned and gave a strong command to another woman standing nearby. She left out the door, briefly flooding the room with bright light.

"I'd like to go outside," Cara commented. "It looks beautiful."

"When Djarin arrives we can discuss it," she said, turning away to deal with her own work.

Cara laid there, feeling like her body was sinking right through the bed and into the floor. All her energy was gone, completely spent keeping her alive. Yawning slightly, she tried to imagine Din's thought process in bringing her here. She supposed it was either that or accept her death. Cara only hoped he hadn't made the decision rashly.

A few minutes later, Din entered the medical house followed closely by two other Mandalorians. He started right for her, but was intercepted by the doctor. They talked for a long moment, Din glancing her way periodically. She could hear their melodic speech flowing back and forth between them.

As she watched Din, she could tell something was off. His body language was all wrong, his hands were clenched half the time. Was it her diagnosis that angered him? Or something about the way the covert was accepting her arrival?

Suddenly she realized he probably hadn't been back since the slaughter at Nevarro. Breathing out heavily, she closed her eyes. Countless members of his tribe had been lost, and he was probably just finding out about them now. He had to be distraught. She remembered losing her own planet… hearing about those she'd lost… hoping some had survived…

"Cara," Din's voice came soft near her ear.

Her eyes flew open. Coughing slightly, she blinked rapidly and his beskar face became clear.

"Mando," she said, but that suddenly felt far too unfamiliar. "Din?"

He nodded curtly. "When I'm among my people, I am known as Din Djarin. You can call me Din while we are here or alone."

She studied him. "You okay?" She realized they weren't exactly alone, there were three other Mandalorian's in close proximity, but she had to ask.

"I should be asking you that," he deflected.

She shrugged. "I've been better."

"The doc's expect a full recovery," he commented, leaning back in the chair positioned next to her bed.

"Great. I can't wait to get out of this infirmary. When will that be?" She looked at him expectantly.

Letting out a soft laugh, he shook his head. "You, Cara Dune, need to rest. Or you'll never leave this infirmary."

She groaned. "I know. Okay."

They were silent for a beat, just looking at each other and then Din stirred. He motioned to the male Mandalorian who was standing near the bed, but far enough away to give them privacy.

"This is Tra'ka," he said, waving him over. "He's my brother."

She looked at Din quickly and then back at Tra'ka.

"I'm… glad to meet you," she said.

Tra'ka nodded. "And I you. When you're feeling better, you'll have to tell us brothers stories about your travels with Din. We see so little of him now, we don't get to hear much about his life except the short snippets we get from his mouth. And… his words are so few."

The smile in his tone was clear and as he looked at Din, he seemed to be teasing him.

"You have more brothers?" Cara asked, until she realized what a stupid question that was.

"Uh…" Din started and then trailed off. "We have… we had… there were-

"What he means," Tra'ka pushed in, placing a hand on Din's shoulder, "is that, before the slaughter on Nevarro there were five brothers and two sisters. Now we are only three."

Cara's face fell as she swallowed hard. There was nothing to say, nothing to do. She didn't even feel she could touch him, since she didn't know the rules about touch among his people. If they had been on the Razor Crest, she would have touched him. But sitting in a Mandalorian infirmary with many eyes watching, she didn't dare.

To her surprise, Din reached for her hand with his gloved one and squeezed it tight. She gripped it back, looking through his visor to the face she imagined was there. A moment later he pulled his hand away.

"You'll meet Corvin at the evening gathering," Din managed. Cara could hear him fighting through the emotion.

She wanted to ask more, to find out about the rest of his family, but she didn't want to cause him more pain or push him to share when he didn't want to. Tra'ka must have felt he was intruding, because he suddenly removed his hand from Din's shoulder.

"I will see you at evening gathering brother. I'll expect to see Cara there too, even if she has to be pushed out!"

Din nodded at him and he took his leave.

"He seems interesting," Cara said truthfully. "I can't wait to tell him stories about you." She smiled at him.

He nodded, but seemed to sigh behind his helmet. Again, she wanted to touch him but this time fear of changing their relationship held her back. She didn't know what he wanted from her. He was the best partner, mission team member, and friend a person could have. She'd been double crossed by her partner turned lover before. Plus, she didn't even know what his people's rule were about intimacy, especially intimacy with outsiders.

He must have been able to read some of her conflict in her face, because he once again reached out for her hand. Gripping it, he leaned forward.

"Cara, I'm glad you're going to be all right. And I'm glad to have you experience the covert and see who I really am. I don't regret this."

The sincerity in his voice washed over her.

"So your people don't want to kill me?" Cara asked wryly.

"Not yet," he said. He released her hand again and pulled his arm back.

"So this evening gathering, do your people eat together?" she asked curiously.

He guffawed. "You can see why that would be a problem. We do eat together, if we're eating soup or having drinks. But other food must be eaten alone. It's just a different way of doing social gatherings. For us, a social gathering involves drink, sparing, and sharing stores but not food."

Nodding, Cara thought about that. "It makes sense that your culture would have evolved in that way, with food not being the center of anything. It is different than most other cultures, where food is central."

"That's true."

"So if I want to eat, I should…?" She trailed off, looking at him expectantly.

"Well, we're a communal culture. We all pitch in to help gather and kill food, as well as give money to buy supplies. Then they're split between the different clans. Every clan makes their own food. While you're here," he paused for a moment. "While you're here, you are part of my clan which means I'm responsible for feeding you."

Looking at him, she realized just how intimate it was that he brought her here. She was part of his clan, part of his family, whether he liked it or not. That's how his people did things. It's how they understood the world. You were either an outsider, or family. She briefly wondered when she'd crossed that line in Din's mind.

Clearing her throat, she said, "Well, I'm not much of a cook but as soon as I'm out of here I'll pitch in."

Din was about the reply when the medic came over. She spoke to him in that melodic, sharp language again and they had an exchange back and forth. A moment later, she turned to Cara.

"You must rest if you are going to evening gathering."

"Sure," Cara nodded.

Din stood. "I told her you'll want some food before that. She'll take care of it."

Cara smiled. "Thanks."