Chapter 4: The Hospitality

"The planet Earth. Have you heard of it?"

I was still too engrossed in the attempt to process the technology of a life-sized "holoprojector" in Din's home that my brain nearly short-circuited upon glancing up and perceiving a blue-tinted, scan-lined hologram of a female creature before us. She was beautiful and, aside from what appeared to be blue and white appendages of sorts, orange skin, and discrete markings on her slight, angular face, she looked entirely human. What was most intriguing were her bright blue eyes; they were kind, and shone intelligence and a depth of experience. Her cross-armed stance was firm and commanding, yet radiated compassion and understanding.

"No." Her forehead crinkled in contemplation as she gazed at Din. "You've checked all of the holomaps?"

"It's not in our galaxy."

The confusion upon her countenance visibly heightened. "What?"

Din beckoned for me to step forward. I moved to his side with a nod to the female in front of us.

"Ahsoka, this is Captain Aurora Guerrero." He introduced me with a gesture. "Captain Guerrero, this is Ahsoka Tano."

I regarded her with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Ahsoka."

"Likewise, Aurora," she smiled in return and eyed me curiously. "I'm guessing you're not from our galaxy?"

I shook my head solemnly.

Her eyes narrowed in concentration, head lolling to the side through her appraisal. She was looking directly at me, but the stare seemed much deeper than just the surface; as though she was awaiting something to come forth. An odd sensation rippled through me then - similar to what I had felt the first night on Kalevala with Grogu. "I sense something within you," she declared, her focus remaining steady. "Can you wield the Force?"

I winced, shaking my head. "I...I'm not sure what you're asking."

"Powers," Din clarified.

My eyes fell upon him, then Ahsoka. "Oh. Magic powers? No. I don't have any. Not that I'm aware of, anyway."

"There are aspects of the Force that are mysterious. I have seen them myself," Ahsoka mused, her concentration breaking. She faced Din. "I will return to Kalevala soon. Our mission is just proving...difficult." Her eyes fell upon me once more, an empathetic expression appearing on her countenance. "Aurora, I will do what I can to help you and look further into your predicament. I'm sure we will figure this out. But, until then, you're in good hands with Din."

"Thank you," I smiled at her sincerely.

"And you," she looked down affectionately at Grogu, who was sitting contentedly at Din's feet, "have you been practicing like I've asked?"

"Eh?" Grogu didn't seem too sure and even appeared to give a noncommittal shrug. He looked up at her, made a couple of other high-pitched sounds, then waved.

"He's been practicing...somewhat," Din said fondly with a sigh. "But he's still stubborn."

"Maybe he gets it from you," came Ahsoka's smart retort, her smile teasing. "Watch out for this one, Aurora. He might be Mand'alor, but he's still...Din."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence." Din sighed once more with a shake of his head. "Thank you, Ahsoka. Good luck on your mission. We look forward to your safe return."

With a nod, her image disappeared.

Din powered off the holoprojector, then turned to me as he crossed his arms. "Well, seems like you're stuck here for the time being."

The side of my lip twitched. "I guess there are worse places in the galaxy to be stuck in."

He nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Much worse."

"Thank you again for your help."

With a nod, and with little Grogu hot on his tail, he gestured for me to follow. "Come. I'll show you around."

(V)(V)(V)

A few, uneventful - and admittedly lonely - days passed. However, given all of the practice that I'd had moving around and the need to adapt to a new environment rather quickly in the past, what I now considered my temporary home was starting to feel somewhat...normal. The question of whether this was reality disappeared further and further into the depths of my psyche; it wasn't certain whether this was a coping or defence mechanism, or whether I had indeed accepted it all. Nevertheless, my focus now had to shift from fighting what was clearly in front of me to figuring out how the hell I was going to get home. I had renewed hope that Ahsoka could help me; she seemed rather knowledgeable about these strange occurrences. But if she's going to take a while to return, I figured I should probably make myself feel as comfortable as possible in the meantime.

I was thankful for Din's continued hospitality and was more than content with the lodging that he provided me with - the room in his massive home that I had stayed in the first night I found myself on Kalevala. With Din occupied with his duties, I was mostly left to my own devices, to deal with the long days by doing absolutely...nothing. Out of the few Mandalorians who I had come across or had been introduced to, some treated me with distanced curiosity, while the majority, a mild neglect. It was as though I was the lost, injured dog that no one wanted to claim; like they cared enough to pay some attention, but not enough to do anything about it. Which was ultimately fine by me. No one needed to know my business. I wasn't here to make friends or contacts, anyway.

I just needed to survive long enough until Ahsoka returned.

Growing tired of loitering through the grounds of Din's home, I resolved one day to venture forward into the main city. Pocketing a few credits that Din had gifted to me, I followed the winding road down a gradual hill, nodding without a word to passers by who merely stared at me. Though I wasn't the only one around who didn't don armour, it was so clear to these people that I wasn't one of them. Perhaps I really did stick out like a sore thumb around here.

As though highlighting that fact, there was a palpable shift in the air as I entered a bustling cantina that afternoon. Raucous laughter died down into whispers, or nothing at all. Stares were affixed upon me as I walked past, coupled with murmured words that I couldn't understand. The only direct greeting that I received was from the silver, droid barkeep, whose yellow lights for eyes flashed in welcome as I approached.

"How may I help you?" The skipping, synthetic voice was cordial enough. It slightly turned to the items for sale and patiently awaited a decision. It was nice to be treated with a genuine, positive attitude; perhaps whoever designed or programmed this thing should be sent a present.

I was unsure in my selection of both food and drink, but luckily, the random amount of credits that I had with me was enough to pay for everything. Taking a lone seat by the corner, it wasn't long until another silver droid - a little shorter and on wheels this time - brought my order.

The whispers and stares continued, particularly as more and more Mandalorians entered the establishment for a late lunch. Though it was manageable to ignore it for the first thirty minutes, the blatant disrespect that was being thrown at me from across the room eventually jabbed me into action. Growing up, I never took kindly to bullies.

And I still didn't.

I slammed my cup upon the table in annoyance, not at all in the mood to deal with this bullshit. Was it too much to ask for a nice, relaxing meal? "If you have something to say, come say it to my face," I growled to no one in particular.

A fully-armoured Mandalorian woman sauntered over to me, thumbs tucked into her belt. The air of arrogance surrounding her was palpable. Another alpha female, eh? She stopped directly in front of me, heels almost clicking together. The revulsion in her tone was clear. "We don't trust you."

"That's nice." I cocked my head to the side, stare remaining on my meal, not willing to dignify her statement with even more attention. I took another quick sip of my drink, then leaned back upon my seat. "Sounds like your problem, not mine."

The way she bristled then seemed like an indication that she wasn't used to being spoken to in such a manner. Her mood changed drastically. "Listen here, sorceress…"

I rightly cackled, head back, slamming my palm on the metal table. "Sorceress?"

She took another step closer, her shadow now looming over me. "I don't know what kind of magic you performed to gain the Mand'alor's favour, but it will not work on us."

What the hell was this woman on about? Did she really think that I did some kind of voodoo spell in an attempt to entrench myself in their society for some insidious purpose? I - one woman - was seeking to do some kind of harm to hundreds of Mandalorians? "Alright." I stood up, the legs of the chair scraping upon the stone floor. I had much bigger problems than this petty behaviour. "You're really starting to piss me off. We're done here."

Surprisingly, she didn't press the matter. Fighting the urge to flip her off, I stalked away from the murmurs, not heeding any of the stares, yet ensured that I was kind enough to the droid barkeep as I exited the establishment.

After walking a few meters from the cantina, a strange feeling jumped in my gut. A slight twist of my head and a quick survey of my rear. There was a flash of yellow that disappeared behind the stone building. Though the odd sensation remained, I trudged forward, making my way back up the hilly path towards Din's home. As I drew closer to my destination, my senses kicked in once more. Within seconds, I lithely zigzagged through incoming crowds, jumped in an empty alleyway, then pressed my back upon a shadowed building.

Throughout my career, I'd been trained not only on identifying pattern of life, but also identifying suspicious behaviour. We were bred to develop some sort of sixth sense, to sharpen our instincts in multiple environments; it was a weapon in itself and had been proven to save lives.

This sixth sense was flashing red at the moment.

A Mandalorian in yellow and silver armour traipsed by to my right, annoyance in his tone. "Plikt, I've lost her. Do you have eyes on her?"

Some static, then a somewhat muffled voice sounded through a transmission. "Negative. Head back to the residence. She must be headed there."

Why was this not surprising? Anger surged through me, teeth clenching as I stalked towards the Mandalorian and stood behind him. "Right here, buddy."

The Mandalorian swirled on his heel, almost losing his balance in the process, completely caught by surprise.

I crossed my arms tightly across my chest, right foot tapping in impatience. "Are you fellas following me?"

"Um...no?"

Nothing about his response or demeanour was convincing. I raised a sharp brow. "Try again."

What sounded like a curse came from beneath his helmet. The Mandalorian lowered his head, pressing on a button on his left vambrace. "Plikt, cancel my last. I see her." With a groan, he removed his helmet, revealing a younger boy of about sixteen. Sixteen. I could barely remember what that age felt like. His long, blonde hair was mussed, green eyes exhibiting disappointment. "S-sorry, lady, I'm just following orders."

"Oh yeah?" My lips pursed into a thin line. "From who?"

(V)(V)(V)

I marched through the passageway connected to the entrance of Din's home, steam coming out of my ears. The bubbling anger within energized my steps, each one banging on the metal floors, intent on their destination. My movements through the halls were automatic as a result of my days of solitary reconnaissance. As I reached the wide, front doors of the control room, my flashing eyes fell upon two, immobile guards at the door. "Where is your Mand'alor?"

They didn't budge, remaining defensive in front of me, hands upon their weapons. Only the one clad in blue-grey armour to my right moved his head ever so slightly. His tone was gruff. "You are not permitted to enter."

"Oh, he's busy, is he?" I rolled my eyes, shoving past them and reaching for the control panel at the side of the door.

In a swift movement, the guard in red armour shoved me back without hesitation or a word, making me stumble back a few paces.

Regaining my balance, my anger grew even more. "Touch me again, and I will wreck you," I snarled, index finger jabbing towards his helmeted head.

He didn't reply and barely regarded me further, remaining stiff and steady by the entrance.

The door whooshed open.

"What's going on?" Din appeared through the threshold, concerned, gaze first landing on me, then on the guards alternately.

Behind him, several other Mandalorians - some helmeted, some not - observed the scene in silent curiosity as they sat around a round table.

Figuring I had interrupted some kind of meeting, I took a step back almost apologetically and lowered my voice. "I need to speak with you," I said to Din, with restraint, through clenched teeth. The guards appeared ready to jump at me again, though didn't put their hands on me any further as Din walked to my side. Din nodded after several moments of consideration, then signalled for the guards to remain still. I walked away from him with heated steps, heading down an empty hallway away from prying ears. Din followed, his steps light and relaxed.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

"You're having people follow me." My face contorted in upset as I whirled to face him, tone full of venom. "That is the matter."

His head slanted to the side. "I had no choice."

"Are you friggin' kidding me?" My hands flew into the air. "You are their king, or whatever the equivalent title is! You make the rules around here...don't you?"

He clenched his fists at his sides. "Some do not trust you."

"Yeah, clearly," I snorted, squaring my jaw. "And, apparently, neither do you!"

"Though you do not seem to mean any harm, I do not truly know you," he conceded slowly. "I needed to set their minds at ease."

I could take doubt and suspicion from the other Mandalorians; but, for some reason - and even though what he had said was true - that coming from Din pissed me off even more. Out of the sentient lifeforms that I'd met on this planet, he was really the only one who I was beginning to trust. Then he pulled something like this? I swirled on my heel, marching back to my room, wholly intent on packing my meagre belongings and going...somewhere. "I'm the fuck out of here. You invited me to stay here with the rationale that you were indebted to me, under the guise of being your guest. Clearly, I'm meant to be more your prisoner."

Din's quick footsteps followed. "That was not my intention."

I stilled.

"My people…" he began slowly, "...they've been through hell and are faced with an enemy that they - we - cannot easily defeat. They worry for their safety and are wary of strangers." He took a couple of steps towards me. "Our clan ties are strong. You do not share our oath. It is understandable that they would question why you are here."

The anger towards him slowly faded. "And you haven't told them why I'm really here?"

He moved to face me entirely. "It's in your best interest that your true circumstances remain known to only a few."

Being forced to move around due to my job had made my life rather nomadic; however, as much as I had tried to normalize it, to cope with it, there was a stark difference between being somewhere in a country on Earth and being in another galaxy.

I didn't know whether it was the stress of the mistreatment, or the fact that I had no idea what the hell was going to happen to me, or a combination of all of the shitty things that had recently happened to me, but something within me broke then. Silent tears began to stream down my face, as much as I attempted to fight them. "I just want to go home." My voice was weak and wavering. "I don't belong here."

"Aurora."

The tender manner in which Din said my name caught my attention. I looked up at him, now somewhat ashamed that I was baring myself to him in such a manner. He took another step forward, closing the gap between us even more. His presence was...calming. I could now hear his light breathing, see the shallow rise and fall of his plated chest, feel the warmth that radiated from his striking form. My body reacted almost instinctively, my open hands resting on his cool chest, searching, reaching, for some semblance of comfort. Without a word, I buried my forehead upon him, between my hands, my sobs now audible.

He stiffened at the contact, arms rigidly extended at his sides, yet remained fixed in place. Perhaps his palpable doubt and discomfort were due to the fact that I was crying, and he had absolutely no idea what to do about it, but it was probably also compounded by the fact that I was pressing myself upon him as though he would disappear. I cursed my current instability; the need for such intimate contact. As I was about to pull away, however, he began to embrace me, his body softening. A hand was placed upon the back of my head while the other, on my lower back.

I couldn't remember the last time that someone had held me this way; a way that shielded all of life's problems, a way that didn't judge me for not being able to "fight through it". Releasing the chains that held me back, I bawled in his arms; I had nothing left. I was always the one who was supposed to be strong. To set an example. To be a leader and help others up when they were down. It left very little time for me to work through my own fears, my own problems. It was fucking exhausting. I never had time to decompress; to deal with the trauma of, for instance, being shot at. Hell, I never even had time to grieve for the loss of my long-term relationship, because the job - the bloody mission - always came first. And now? I had found myself in an impossible situation, one that I had no fucking idea how to get out of.

But, in the end, wasn't I also human?

Didn't I also deserve some compassion?

"I promised that I would get you home," Din's voice was soft as his head tilted down towards me, "and I have every intention of keeping that promise."

(V)(V)(V)

A/N: I gotta say, I am loving the vibe of this story and am really happy with how it's going so far! (It's always great when you're excited about a story you're writing! lol) I'm trying to take Stephen King's advice and just let the characters develop on their own and the story write itself, and it's been an interesting process. For those who've read my other Din x OC fics, Aurora is definitely developing into a very different character compared to Luna or Astrid, so it'll continue being super fun to put her against Din and see how he reacts! I know the story is a bit different from all of the other stories out there, and it's not everyone's cup of tea, but hey...I gotta do me, right?! And, you're still here after 4 chapters, so...I guess I'm doing something right! :D

Also, it's super awesome to know that I have readers who serve and have formerly served. Military service forges a bond unlike any other, so I salute all of you. (And yes, I am Canadian! :D)

Looking forward to hearing from you lovely people! Thank you for all of your reviews, follows, favourites, and messages. Happy reading. xx IFHD