Chapter 3 – Aliit

Author's Note: Enjoy the ending! Thank you all so much for reading, favoriting, following, and/or reviewing this story! :D

Also, there is... talk about child death in this chapter. It doesn't actually happen, but it's discussed as something that could have.

PS. There is Mando'a in here, and I put all the translations at the end. Let me know if I missed anything! ^-^

~ Amina Gila

His vision is blurry, unclear, and he can't really make sense of what exactly he's seeing. From the equipment, it almost looks like a medical facility of some sort, or maybe even a lab. Din has no idea; he rarely ever goes to med centers, far preferring to tend to his own injuries. Going to a med center could mean having to take off his beskar'gam or weapons or buy'ce and he'll never do that. Well, he did it for Grogu, for his kid, but that's different.

The scene in front of him, Din realizes, is not one he's part of him. He's aware, somehow, that he's dreaming – or having a nightmare, perhaps, because there's a sense of cold foreboding in the air – which is extremely unusual. There are two figures there, far too blurry for him to make out any details, but that's not important, not really, not when there's something wrong.

He hears a cry, faint but still there, and he knows, instinctively, that it's Grogu. That knowledge is enough to send him into a panic, and he struggles to bring himself back to consciousness, to wakefulness, but he's unable to wrestle free from the grips of – of whatever it is that he's seeing. He has to find the kid. His child is in trouble, but there's nothing he can do. The scene in front of him blurs again, becoming mostly indistinct for a moment, before clearing up, and this time, he hears a blood-curdling scream of pain followed by crying. Even if he could move to do something, he knows he would be frozen to the spot. Grogu. What are they doing to his ad?!

Even if this isn't real, Din will never be able to unhear it, will never be able to erase the knowledge that he could have failed his foundling, that he could still fail him, that Grogu might yet face this pain and torture if he can't get to him in time. The scene clears entirely, and it's as if his heart stops, panic choking him. No. Nayc. This can't be happening to him.

Dank ferrik! They are – were – experimenting on his child! He can see, somewhat, the machines and devices which are around the... operating table? There's blood everywhere on it, streaked out and even pooling somewhat in places. Grogu is – he's – he's . Nayc. That's – that's not – not . His ad. They – they kyrayc his adiik. They're . All of them. Who does that to a child?!

Din wants nothing more than to find Grogu, to take him to safety, but he's frozen, unable to move or breathe or anything. He watches in a numb horror as the medical droids begin dissecting his adiik, slicing out organs without so much as pausing and putting them in containers for storage and later study. He thinks he's going to be sick. If he could throw up, he would. When it gets to the point where he simply can't take it anymore, everything begins blurring again. One thing he knows for sure is that he'll have nightmares about this for a long, long time. This is his worst nightmare: failing Grogu, letting him die while he is helpless to do anything.

The fear and horror and adrenaline which surge through his body are enough to drag him back to consciousness with a jolt. He's breathing heavily, and when he tries to instinctively sit up, he's jerked back down by something binding his wrists. Din opens his eyes, looking up at a brightly lit, duracrete ceiling. It looks... familiar in a terrifying way, and he can't help but think about what he saw in his... nightmare. Although, now that he's awake, in a place which has far too much of a resemblance to the place in his nightmares, he isn't so sure. Something inside of him is whispering with urgency, telling him that it wasn't a nightmare, that it was something more. That it was a – a vision.

Which makes no sense because he's never had a vision in the past. But it's real, he knows it is somehow, and he's not going to sit – lay – here doing nothing. So, Din forces all of his chaotic, terrified thoughts to the side and takes stock of his surroundings. The first thing he realizes, other than that he's obviously been captured, is that he has no beskar'gam. At all. Even his buy'ce was taken off, and that fact sends a pang of worryfearguilt though him. He turns his head to see it laying on the other side of the room in a pile, so if he can find a way to free himself from the straps tying down his wrists and ankles, he'll be able to escape.

There aren't even any guards in the room – odd, seeing as he's a Mandalorian, and he took out dozens of stormtroopers before they managed to capture him – so he doesn't really understand this. He doesn't know where he is or how long he's been unconscious. He has to act, even if he can still feel the residual traces of drugs coursing through him, even if he's attached to a few machines with an unknown purpose. A med droid comes in the room before he's gotten a chance to start getting out of the straps, and he instantly stills, pretending to still be unconscious. If it notices, it doesn't say anything.

The second it's gone, Din gets to work. He's desperate to get out, to find Grogu, to make sure he's still alive. He doesn't know what he would do if he lost the kid. Grogu is – he's his foundling, his son, and he's come to mean the world to Din in the few months which they've been together. Grogu is – he's is kar'ta, his heart. Din would be entirely lost without him, and he knows exactly how dangerous that could be. If he lost his adiik, he wouldn't stop until he found and killed every last person involved in the kid's death, or until they killed him. It would be a death sentence. He thinks he'd be okay with that though, because if he lost his foundling, if he failed to protect him, he doesn't know if he could move on as if nothing happened.

It takes longer than Din likes to get the straps off his right wrist, and from there, it's easy. He might not have his beskar'gam, but he's still wearing his kute and boots. And the vibroblade which he keeps hidden in his right boot is still there. Di'kut. Whoever took off his beskar'gam and removed his weapons did a very bad job at it. He slices through the straps and slides off the... table, trying not to panic when he realizes how similar it is to the one in his – his nightmare, the one where Grogu –

He cuts off the thought and gives the machines a considering look. If he disconnects his left arm from them, he might set off an alarm, but at the same time, if he doesn't, he's trapped, because his beskar'gam is on the other side of the room. Din glances back and forth, estimating how much time he'll have to get his beskar'gam back on – not to mention the many weapons he carries with him. He can put it on fast, but he doesn't know if it'll be fast enough. Carefully, he first pulls the needle from his arm. Nothing happens, so he tugs off the other two devices.

Something beeps, and in an instant, he flips across the cot, ignoring his many aches as he starts securing his beskar'gam, starting with his buy'ce, of course, because if stormtroopers come in, he doesn't want them to be able to see his face. Din's most of the way through getting his armor on when the door opens, and the med droid comes back in. Din shoots it before it has the chance to react to what he's doing. In retrospect, that might not have been the smartest, but he doesn't have time to worry about it, securing his cape and attaching his jetpack to his back.

Din is in the middle of putting his myriad of weapons back in place when the stormtroopers start coming. He retreats backwards, knowing that in his injured condition, he won't be able to fight the way he was before. Thankfully, he doesn't need to stay here. He doesn't plan on staying here anyways. He guns down the troopers as fast as he can, activating an explosive and tossing it up to the ceiling, somewhat above the approaching stormtroopers. It goes off, chunks of duracrete raining down as flames begin licking at any available fuel in the room. The smoke obscures the view of the troopers, so Din uses that to his advantage, turning on his flamethrower and sending flames around the room. If he can burn this place down, destroy it so it can never be used against Grogu, he will.

The flames catch, and he flies through the hole in the ceiling, landing on the floor of the dusty storage-like room above. He moves to the exit, glancing out to check for the enemy, and he realizes, to his surprise and dismay, that he's still in the abandoned hotel. The Empire must have seized it when they were here and build the secret laboratory in the basement. Din doesn't really want to think about why they would have chosen this location for it. It doesn't really matter. He needs to find the kid, meet up with Cara, and get out of here.

He's injured, and the pain will be slowing him down, even if he's long since grown used to ignoring it. He doesn't know what they did to him when they captured him, and he doesn't want to think about it. He doesn't even know what they wanted with Grogu, and he – he isn't Jetii. Maybe the Imperial remnants are after something other than studying individuals who have magic. He isn't qualified to handle it on his own though, and it makes him feel simultaneously desperate and helpless. All his life, after being taken in as a foundling, Din has been used to fighting, to being a warrior, to handling any enemy who comes his way. This is – this is different. He's not used to something like this.

He senses – that same instinct is still there, still cautioning him of danger, unchanged by his exhaustion and pain – that the troopers will be coming his way, so he takes the turbolift up to the top floor, shooting down the two guards who are posted outside the door. It's obvious, even with only a quick glance, that they were searching for Grogu. The doors are all open and the rooms are in chaos. Din might find it funny if he wasn't so panicked.

"Grogu," he calls, going to the doorway of the room where he left the kid. The cabinet door is open. Empty. "Kid, are you here?" Silence greets his words. He doesn't know how long it's been, if it's only been hours or... if it's been much, much longer. Maybe Grogu managed to escape. Maybe Cara got him to safety. Din might be willing to hope, but not only does he have no confirmation of that, he also senses that it's not true, that his kid is still in danger.

Where is Cara though? He heard her – he assumes it was her, anyways, because who else would have been fighting with the stormtroopers? – shooting earlier when he was fighting the troopers. She's still okay though. Perhaps she's waiting to see where he is. But Din needs to focus on finding Grogu. The kid will always come first. He activates the infrared sensors in his buy'ce, scanning to see if he can try and track Grogu. It's unlikely, given the stormtroopers who were searching here, but he has to do something.

He can see the infrared glow of where Grogu was in the cabinet, but he can't tell where he went next. The kid can jump if he's trying, so for all Din knows, he could have leapt somewhere when the troopers came in. An unexpected breeze rustles through the room, and Din turns towards the window. The transparisteel is cracked, almost as if something heavy had hit it, or as if a stray blaster bolt had gone through it. Grogu, he knows. His kid has gotten remarkably good at using his Jetii magic, and he easily could have shoved away the stormtroopers which were trying to hurt him. Or their blasters.

It's only a matter of time before the troopers come up here to find him, and Grogu is still nowhere in sight. He glances around the room again, before checking in the 'fresher, just to be certain. Where could the kid have gone? He – he isn't down in the basement, is he? A chill runs through him for a moment, but he brushes it off, trying to keep himself calm. No. If Grogu was there, he thinks his instincts would have told him the kid was in danger.

There's a strange scratching sound, and Din whirls, hand falling to his blaster as he tenses. He relaxes when he hears a quiet, familiar coo and looks around to find the source. And... he doesn't see anything. What? Something prickles at his senses, and he looks up. There's a small grate overhead leading to the ventilation shafts, and through the bars, Din sees a green head peaking down at him. Relief floods him so fast that he nearly staggers from the force of it.

"It's okay, ad'ika," he promises. "You can come down now."

Grogu coos, raising a hand, and the grate slides to the side, leaving a gap big enough for him to fit through. He drops down into Din's waiting arms, and Din cradles him close. He has his child back, so it's now time to make a hasty retreat. This is definitely not a good place to stay in any longer. Din steps back into the bedroom when stormtroopers burst through the door. He spins, shielding Grogu when they start shooting, letting the shots ping off his armor. This time, he doesn't fire back, igniting his flamethrower instead. The stormtroopers stumble back with screams as the flames consume them – and the room.

Then, Din kicks out the window before jumping out, flying up onto the roof. There's no way for anyone to get up here, and until he can scan the perimeter, this is the best place. For a moment. It won't take long for the fire to spread, he knows, but the building is far enough from the trees that they won't need to worry about a forest fire. Hopefully. There are troopers all over around the building, and the sun is directly overhead. Din doesn't see Cara anywhere, but he knows she's nearby. Somewhere.

"Hey, kid, I'm glad you're okay," Din tells Grogu, stroking his head. "You did good. Do you know where Cara is? I don't see her." He glances around again, but there's still nothing. If she's out there, she should be able to see him standing here on the roof.

Grogu twists, brow furrowing adorably, before he points towards the trees with a happy gurgle. Din turns on his infrared scanner, and it takes him a moment, but he does make out a humanoid shape, hiding in one of the trees. It's a good hiding spot, especially since he can't even see her without the scanner. The roof trembles beneath him, an unsettling rumble shaking the entire structure, and he belatedly remembers how he'd turned his flamethrower onto the secret lab room down in the basement. Maybe something down there was especially flammable. But he finds that he doesn't really feel too bad about it.

The roof shakes again, and Din decides not to take any further chances, even if it'll mean the stormtroopers will start chasing them again. He flies off the roof, arcing over to the trees and dropping down amidst them, settling himself on a sturdy – very sturdy, because he's wearing armor which has some weight – branch on a tree not far from where Cara is.

Her head turns towards him, and he can see the relief in her eyes. "You're alive," she says, gaze flicking back towards the building which is now beginning to burn visibly and the stormtroopers which have begun to fan out towards the trees to locate them.

"How long has it been? Since you arrived," Din clarifies. It seems like it's been far more than a few hours, and he hasn't seen a chrono yet.

Cara tilts her face up towards the sun for a moment. "Five or six hours," she replies. "I pulled back to the trees when I stopped hearing blasterfire from inside. What happened?"

Din tightens his grip on Grogu, unsure if he should answer. He doesn't want the kid to know, but... He wouldn't be surprised if the kid already knows because of his Jetii magic. He's begun feeling suspiciously less exhausted and achy, and Grogu seems awfully quiet right now. Or maybe he's simply imagining things, because he didn't think the kid could do his magic on injuries without touching them.

"They..." It feels like an admission of defeat to say. "They subdued me for a short time. Whoever is behind this wanted me alive. They want both of us alive."

Cara doesn't ask how he knows; it doesn't really matter to her, Din assumes. And even if she had wanted to ask, she wouldn't have had much time to do so, because that's when the first Imperial spots them and starts shooting. Din tugs Grogu closer with his left hand, keeping his arm braced to shield the kid while he begins shooting down at the stormtroopers. They pick off the enemy as fast as they can, but more keep coming. It makes Din wonder, briefly, how many troopers were even here, because he killed a lot earlier. Their best option would be to run and try escaping into the trees. If Cara wasn't here, Din might even try flying a short distance. Neither are options.

Grogu's ears perk up, and something that very much resembles an adorable scowl crosses the child's face. He lifts a hand, and an invisible force throws the front row of stormtroopers back. They weren't expecting it, of course, so they slam into their comrades behind them, many of them falling or stumbling.

"Go!" Din calls to Cara; he might be injured, but she doesn't have armor to protect her. She doesn't protest, clambering along the branch and swinging to another tree and then another, concealing herself better in the canopy. Din moves to the same tree, taking up a position beneath her in the hopes that his armor will shield her body somewhat from the deadly blaster fire. Somehow, he doesn't think they'll make it out of this. He never should have called her here.

And yet, his sharpened instincts are telling him not to despair, and they haven't led him astray all this time.

Just when it begins to seem entirely hopeless, just when Cara hisses out a breath of pain when she's grazed by a blaster bolt, the air around them seems to change. Blaster bolts slam into the stormtroopers from a different direction entirely, and Din doesn't miss the snap-hiss of lightsabers igniting. Grogu perks up with a delighted coo, twisting around to peer out behind them. Din turns to see the last person he would have expected to see: Ahsoka Tano. She's standing there, white lightsabers ignited, a Mandalorian with colorful armor standing next to her, blasters drawn.

"Come on, kid," Din murmurs, shifting the satchel where Grogu is, pausing to shoot down another few troopers. "Let's get out of here." The kid responds with an adamant squeal of agreement. He waits for Cara to get to safety before following her, letting the Jetii and her Mandalorian companion – he is so grateful to see another Mandalorian alive, given how scarce their kind is now – deal with the last of the troopers.

It isn't long before the forest is quiet again, aside from the crackling flames burning down the remaining ruins of the hotel. Oops? Well, not really. Din doesn't actually feel guilty about it. There's an awkward pause of silence for a moment, before Ahsoka speaks. "You got him back."

It's obvious who she's talking about, and Din's arms tighten around Grogu. "He chose me," he says, maybe a bit defensively. He is... admittedly wary of the Jetii now, a part of him fearful that they'll come and try to take his child from him. He doesn't actually think they would do that, but he doesn't want to take any chances. The thought of losing Grogu paralyzes him with fear.

She seems... sad, almost. Resigned. "I understand," she murmurs.

In the lull of conversation, the other Mandalorian steps forwards and removes her helmet, revealing short, purple-dyed hair. "I'm Sabine Wren," she introduces herself. "This is Ahsoka Tano." That she removed her helmet makes Din wonder if she's part of Bo-Katan's group of Mandalorians, but he doesn't really want to ask.

Belatedly, Din realizes that they haven't actually been introduced. It's never been a problem for him because he doesn't share his name. People call him Mando, or among his own people, they sometimes use the term beroya.

"Cara Dune."

"What happened here?" Ahsoka wants to know.

"They're after me again," Din explains. "I don't know how they picked up my trail much less who is responsible. Moff Gideon was supposed to be in prison – or executed."

"Mando contacted me and asked for help getting him and the kid off world. The Imps had locked down the city," Cara explains. "There was a lot more resistance here than I was expecting. They're serious about getting the kid."

Grogu whines quietly, and Din shushes him gently. "It's okay, ad'ika," he promises. "They won't touch you." He remembers his nightmare-vision and feels a swell of protectivnessfear. They might have stopped this group of Imperial remnants, but what about others? What about all the other unknown figures who will be coming after them. He looks up at Ahsoka and Sabine. The former seems a bit melancholy again, while the latter is clearly curious though she doesn't ask anything.

"I am grateful you came," Din tells them, "But why are you here?"

"We're tracking down a friend of ours," Sabine answers before Ahsoka can. "He was captured by Grand Admiral Thrawn before he ended up in the Unknown Regions. We've been trying to find him for several years now without success."

Din's blood runs cold at that, as a memory from last night surges up again. "I heard a couple troopers talking last night, saying that the Grand Admiral wants me and the kid alive," he relates. "Do you know why?"

Ahsoka and Sabine exchange looks. "No," Ahsoka answers, "But it's clear that the Imperial remnants who are in on this won't rest until they get Grogu. I am not sure if he's safe." The with you goes unsaid.

Grogu presses himself against Din with a whimper, looking up at him with big eyes, the pleading obvious. And Din – Din simply melts at that look. He can't say no to it, and there's no way the Jetii will be taking the kid from him, not when Grogu is begging to stay. "Ner kar'ta," Din whispers to the child, "If you want to stay with me, you will."

The kid hums slightly at that, grabbing one of Din's fingers in his hand and clinging to it. Cara snickers. "Parenthood suits you, Mando," she teases, and Din gives her a look, that she can feel even though the helmet, to shut up her teasing.

"I won't separate you two," Ahsoka assures him. She looks at Sabine again. "I can't help but notice that something about you seems... different from Corvus."

Din stills. He doesn't want to ask. He doesn't want to know what she means, what she senses.

"I thought I sensed it when you came with the gift, but now, I'm sensing it again." Her brow furrows slightly, almost as if she's... confused. "You're Force sensitive." Exactly what Din didn't want to hear. No. No thanks. No Jetii magic for him. He's perfectly fine as a normal person. "Mildly, only, but something woke up your abilities again. I suspect it was Tython."

Din wants to scream. He doesn't, of course. He also wants to go to sleep and pretend that all of this was nothing more than a nightmare. He can't do that either. "I'm not going to be Jetii," he states flatly.

She smiles slightly, for a moment. "I wasn't going to suggest that," she assures him. "It was simply an observation."

"I have a suggestion," Sabine interjects. "If Thrawn's hunting them, could they come with us? It might give us another lead to him, because clearly, we won't be getting anything here." She pointedly looks at the smoking remains of the building, and Din thinks he should feel guiltier than he does.

"Possibly," Ahsoka agrees, though she doesn't sound too happy. "What do you think?"

He thinks that he wants to lay down and spend some time unwinding from this traumatizing event by being with Grogu. He thinks that he wants to find somewhere where the Imperial remnants won't find them, so the kid can be happy for a while without either of them having to worry. There was Sorgan, but he doesn't want to go back there. That isn't the kind of life for him. "Perhaps," he says finally, looking down at the kid, who seems to be completely ignoring everyone. Din knows better though. It's something he and Grogu will have to discuss together.

"Might I suggest we all leave before some other unfriendlies show up?" Cara proposes.

"That's probably a good idea," Sabine agrees, stepping forwards. "Here. I'll give you my comm frequency, so you can contact me if you want to help us."

Din accepts it without giving any promises and bids a temporary goodbye to Cara – he's going to Nevarro for a stopover – before flying back to his modified N-1 starfighter. This time, Grogu stays in his lap for the flight, even if it makes it a bit more cramped. Din doesn't care. Right now, he doesn't think he could stand to let the kid out of his sight for even a short time. And Grogu seems to understand that, and even feel the same way, because he happily accepts that, playing with his shiny metal ball without trying to push any of the many buttons on the control panel.

"What do you think, ad'ika?" Din asks once they're in hyperspace. "Do you think we should join Sabine and the Jetii or do you think we should stay away?" He doesn't need to explain the dangers of joining them; Grogu already knows.

The kid looks up at him, eyes bright, head tilted consideringly before he babbles something that, to most, would sound completely nonsensical. Din feels himself smiling, almost against his will. "You want to help them, huh?" It was his first instinct too; he always wants to help what is left of his people. That's why he offered to help Boba and why he refused to leave even though he thought, at the time, that he would probably die there.

Din strokes the kid's head gently when he nods. "Okay," he concedes, even though he isn't sure how good of an idea this will be. "Okay, we'll tell her that we'll help." He might regret it; he doesn't want to put Grogu in danger and this most assuredly will, but he can feel the strange, foreign humming deep inside of him still, and it's telling him that he should help her. He doesn't believe in the Force the way the Jetii seem to, but he does trust in the Ka'ra, and if they're meant to help their fellow Mandalorian, then he'll go along with it.

And maybe, just maybe, it will mean putting an end to all those who are hunting down his child, those who wish him harm. If it'll make Grogu safe in the end, Din thinks that the risks are more than worth it.

In the end, only time can tell what the future will bring for both of them, but right here, right now, they're together, and Din will always treasure quiet, peaceful moments like this: the two of them, together. Father and son.

"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum," Din promises, and Grogu stops chewing on the ball long enough to look up at him with an excited squeal. It's not a real language, but Din thinks it's a me too. Maybe he does know what it means. The kid surprises him sometimes. He's momentarily overcome by a wave of emotion, of affection, for his child, and he lays a hand on Grogu's head, cuddling him closer.

"We can do anything together," Din finds himself saying, and Grogu babbles a happy agreement.

They can. They have. They will.

Mando'a Translations:

aliit - family, clan

beskar'gam - armor

buy'ce - helmet

ad - son, daughter

nayc - no (negative answer)

kyrayc - killed, dead

adiik - child aged 3 to 13

ret'yc - possible

hut'uun - coward (worst possible insult)

demagolka - someone who commits atrocities, a real-life monster, a war criminal (from the notorious Mandalorian scientist of the Old Republic, Demagol, known for his experiments on children, and a figure of hate and dread in the Mando psyche)

kar'ta - heart

kute - underwear, bodysuit, something worn under armor

di'kut - idiot, useless individual, waste of space (lit. someone who forgets to put their pants on)

Jetii - Jedi

ad'ika - little one

beroya - bounty hunter

ner - my, mine

Ka'ra - stars (ancient Mandalorian myth - ruling council of fallen kings)

Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum - "I love you."; literally: "I will know you forever."

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