A/N: As usual, sincere apologies for the delay in posting the chapter. I've had a lot of it written for a while but life got in the way as it tends to do. The end of this actually ended up going in a bit of a different direction than I had originally intended ... but that just means there will be at least one more chapter. After that I may wait until there is more info on Season 3 before I start adding to it again. I hope if anyone is still reading you enjoy this little interlude. :) Let me know your thoughts.

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8ball3: Yes but she was stubborn. :)

multy: Thank you so very much!

joey: While this has its AU bits (obviously) I wasn't planning on completely changing what's already out there. I was just enjoying Mando. :)

stefanieasaro: Thank you. I'm glad you've enjoyed it. There will be one more chapter after this ... for now.

Oddity: I love The Mandalorian so much and I'm glad you've enjoyed my story so far. Din is adorable isn't he?

Ada: She was trying to process a lot in just a short space of time and make a spur of the moment decision. I would imagine a lot of people would find their thoughts to be a bit all over the place.

Guest: Thanks!

Love: I hope you like where I take it in this chapter and the next.

sun1995: Thank you!

X: Thank you. I hope you get the notification for the new chapter. And it will be very interesting to see where they take season 3. I have my own idea of what I "think" it will focus on but I'm very eager to see what Filoni does. :)

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Yeah, its all the property of Disney and Lucas and whoever else ... except me. Lol!

There was an odd silence in the hanger bay.

Alés was accustomed to quiet - living in exile for most of your life would do that - but this quietness just didn't seem right. She supposed it was standing in a space that usually would be full of the noise of ships and troopers but was strangely silent that seemed out of place. Footsteps echoed and even whispers seemed loud. This ship had been intended for an ill purpose and that still hovered even though Gideon had been removed. She would be glad when they were finally able to leave. At least they would be able to leave. In a surprising move Bo-Katan supplied Din with a new ship, though she stipulated it was just a loan for now. Axe rendezvoused with them, intending to help pilot Gideon's cruiser, after Fett and Fennec left to ferry Cara back to Nevarro with their prisoner. His ship was what was offered until Din was able to get one of his own. Now they had gathered in the empty hanger bay to say their farewells ... though of course it couldn't be quite that easy. After giving them both some generalized orders presented as suggestions Bo had pulled Din to the side to discuss something privately (or attempt to give more orders, Alés wasn't sure which) and Axe had joined her as she stared out at the passing stars.

"I'm told you're taking our friend here away for a holiday," he said cheerfully.

She smiled, her eyes swinging to take in the man in question. He'd put his helmet back on which she accurately pegged as his way of feeling less vulnerable. "I suppose you could call it that. Anyone who has been through what he's had to deal with lately deserves one."

"And will he return to help us with Mandalore?"

"As long as he has the Darksaber there's no way he can avoid it, wouldn't you say? Bo wants it. Gideon made it clear Din can't just give it to her. That will have to be addressed and worked through … but not right now."

"It's an integral part of retaking our planet and reuniting all the clans."

"Then I suppose she should have taken it when it was offered to her. If she had we wouldn't have this issue to deal with."

"It's not quite that simple."

"Oh? How did she get it in the first place?"

"Things were different then," he replied, his tone and posture conveying his uneasiness with her question. Her curiosity was roused but decided now probably wasn't the time to begin what might become an argument. With nothing more than a raised eyebrow she turned to their left.

"What kind of ship is this? I don't think I've ever seen one like it," she said to change the subject.

"Kom'rk class fighter. It was manufactured on Mandalore before the fall of the Republic."

"Does it handle well?"

"Quite. I wouldn't have it if it didn't."

"Short ranged sensor system I suppose?" He nodded. "What kind of armaments?"

"Four laser cannons, two in the front and two in the rear," he said with a smile. "I never pegged you as one interested in ships."

"If I know what it's capable of I can make sure it's returned to you in one piece."

He started to laugh then stopped abruptly and a much more serious expression filled his face.

"What?"

"We don't know what's out there. We've captured Gideon but there's no way of knowing what orders he might have relayed to others concerning Din – orders that I would expect are still floating around since I doubt he took the time to rescind them before Cara knocked him flat. Hopefully we won't have to dodge capture." She shrugged with a smirk. "And he was a bounty hunter, accustomed to having to avoid all kinds of things. I've witnessed him execute some rather impressive maneuvers. Of course, that was in the Crest and he always had to make repairs. There were many times I didn't think the thing would hold together long enough for us to land."

Axe's gaze jumped to his ship. "Maybe I need to reconsider this arrangement," he murmured.

She chuckled and took a little pity on him. "You have nothing to worry about, I promise. Din took remarkably good care of his ship. I doubt it would have remained flight worthy as long as it did without him." He didn't seem entirely convinced but they were joined by Bo and Din so the conversation came to an end.

"We will be looking forward to hearing from you," Bo said as they prepared to board. It wasn't hard to miss the pointed reminder in the comment. Neither of them responded beyond the curt nod Din gave her. With a last look at the two Mandalorians they closed the ramp and situated themselves in the cockpit, Din taking a couple moments to familiarize himself with the new controls. Alés couldn't help but smirk as she caught sight of Axe standing just beyond the nose of the ship, a worried look on his face. She just grinned and gave him a quick wave then focused her attention on what the man at her side was saying.

"So did you have a destination in mind?" Din asked as he finally fired up the engines.

Her slight hesitation had him turning in his seat to look at her fully. "I thought … I would like to go to Naboo."

"Why do you seem unsure about that?"

"After watching what you went through handing Grogu over to Luke it made me start thinking about my parents. They had to have felt the same when I was taken away to the Temple and after the Order collapsed they probably think I was killed. I'd like to assure them I am well and … it would be nice to meet them. That is if you don't mind?"

"Naboo is just as good a place as any I suppose," he replied, guiding the ship through the launching tube. "How old were you when you were taken by the Jedi? I know you said you were very young."

"Maybe a year old at the most." She gave him a small smile. "I know you lost your parents in a horrible way but at least you have some memories of them. I don't even know what mine looked like."

He was quiet a few moments as he imputed the information in the nav computer. Alés watched his smooth motions, finding a surprising bit of comfort in seeing him once again behind the controls of a ship. She knew the loss of the Crest had hit him hard even if he had never mentioned it. For as much as he seemed to have always been on the move it probably had been like his home and anything that he had considered his had been destroyed right along with it. She wondered when the reality of all that he'd lost in just the last few days (was it days? It seemed longer) would hit him and she hoped she would still be with him when it did. No one should be alone in those situations. The familiar pushback into her seat as they jumped to hyperspace pulled her from those thoughts and she began to lose herself in the now somewhat familiar feeling of space travel when he spoke again.

"Do not feel like you need to explain your reasoning to me. There is nothing wrong with you wanting to meet your parents; I have no where to go at the moment anyway." He paused, staring out the front window. "Thank you for giving me a reason to get out of there. This whole business is something I had not expected and … I need some time to decide what I should do about it."

"You're welcome. That was not the moment to be attempting to make such decisions as Bo apparently wanted. This is a lot bigger than collecting bounties. You needed time to … decompress after everything." She glanced over to where the Darksaber hung from his belt and gave him a smirk. "You look a bit like a Jedi with that hanging there."

His helmet jerked a bit in her direction. "I am certainly lacking any skill in how to use the blasted thing."

She tilted her head a bit to the side, considering. "You are quick on your feet with fast reflexes. I think you would be able to wield it quite well."

"I have no desire to learn. If what both of them said is true that thing holds a lot more responsibility than I ever want to have. I will be quite glad to get rid of it."

Alés smiled and rested her head against the back of the seat.

"Guess we'll worry about that another day."

She felt a bit disoriented when she opened her eyes. Besides the faint hum of the engines everything was quiet. She stretched a bit, trying to work some kinks out of her neck, and wondered how long she'd been asleep. The white lines of hyperspace were still racing past the windows. Leaning forward she glanced at the nav computer and was pleasantly surprised to see how close they now were to Naboo. Making herself comfortable she turned her head to the left and saw Din asleep with his head resting on the back of the seat. Pleased he had removed his helmet again she let her eyes roam over him a bit amazed at how much younger he looked in this relaxed state. It was certainly true that a person's experiences showed on their face. Worry and stress had left lines across his forehead and along the sides of his mouth. There were dark circles under his eyes but she supposed that could have just been the result of the last several days. Despite all that it would probably be quite some time before she grew tired of looking at him. The thought had her stifling a giggle; that sounded like something a young girl might think. Surely she was too old for such mawkishness. Still, it was his character - no matter how much he tried to hide it - which had drawn her to him. That seemingly gruff and stoic front hid honor and kindness well.

"I'm going to get a big head if you keep staring at me."

With a blink of surprise she grinned. "Well, we wouldn't want that to happen. You'd have to figure out a way to get a new helmet."

He frowned and opened his eyes. "I don't know if I have the right to wear it now anyway."

"I don't have an answer to that, I'm afraid." Standing she reached over and placed a hand on his arm. "No need to worry about it right now. After a few days of rest maybe things will be clearer. I'm going to go freshen up and fix us something to eat. Let me know before we get to Naboo."

Din nodded but kept his attention on the white lines in front of them, his mouth set in a firm line.

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They dropped out of hyperspace and Naboo hung before them, a glittering green ball in the dark of space.

Alés was silent and leaned forward in an attempt to see better out the front window. She had no memories of her home planet and found herself rather eager to enter its atmosphere. What she saw once they did had her eyes opening a bit wider and her mouth gaping in surprise. It was beautiful: lush green forests, gloriously sparkling lakes, cascading waterfalls. It was truly unlike anything she could have imagined. Then Theed came into view and she was awed again. The buildings, the canals, the palace were all like a work of art. Everything was clean and full of color and life with graceful flowing lines and shimmering masonry though the closer they got it was clear there had been some kind of battle fought in the city at some point. Based on what construction they could see it wasn't very recent.

"I wonder what happened here?" she mussed. Din could only shake his head. As they navigated their way to the landing pad they'd been assigned she tried to imagine what it would have been like growing up in such a place.

"Rather nice looking," her companion remarked with a touch of humor in his voice.

"Have you never been here?"

"Most bounty hunters don't usually have reasons to visit the nicer planets in the galaxy."

There wasn't anything to say to that so she just enjoyed what was outside the windows until they angled into the docking bay and the city was blocked from her view. Once they'd secured the ship and Din had instructed the workers to keep droids away from it they finally stepped out into the bright sunshine. For a moment she just stood there, soaking in the feeling of the place, taking in the sights and sounds. Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him after her, eager to discover this magnificent new place.

Din humored her as they made their way through the city to where the docking bay worker had said they'd find the archive building. She wanted to stop at almost every business they passed in order to investigate what was being offered and sold. The quality and variety were quite impressive. There were even sellers from off planet. Alés was aware of the looks they were receiving though none of it was hostile; astonishment and curiosity mostly. She supposed it wasn't everyday a beskar clad Mandalorian appeared with someone resembling the Jedi of old. It took longer than she supposed necessary to finally make their way to their destination but she didn't regret the time they'd spent. This could have been her home and her curiosity was boundless.

After a short search in the archives she discovered the record of her birth along with her parents' names and current address. It was strange seeing the information in front of her, especially since it did list her departure for Coruscant all those years prior and that her present location was 'unknown, presumed deceased.'

"Are they still here?" Din asked.

"They are. I'm trying to figure out how to get to this address ..." He glanced over her shoulder and punched a few buttons, bringing up a map of the city. "It doesn't appear to be too far from here. Shouldn't be more than a ten minute walk."

She took a deep breath and headed for the door.

"Are you nervous?" he asked after they'd walked in silence for a bit.

"Of course. They sent me to the Temple a long time ago and a lot happened in those intervening years. You saw that the archives have me listed as 'presumed deceased.' How would you react if your parents, that you have believed dead all these years, found you?"

Though he didn't say anything right away she could sense his frown. "I don't think I have an answer to that though I'm sure disbelief might be one of the first things I would feel."

"I would think my parents would be the same, shock and disbelief. I just hope my sudden appearance doesn't … harm them in some way."

No further conversation was attempted between them as they closed in on the address they'd found. The home the Shanns lived in was on a nice street of well kept, somewhat large houses a few blocks from the city center. There was much less evidence here of whatever battle had damaged other parts of Theed. The three story building they stopped in front of was made of a creamy colored stone that glowed in the afternoon sun. Wide stairs, lined with pretty pink flowers in matching pots, lead up to the main entrance. Large windows dominated the top floor. After a slight hesitation she climbed the steps and found the chime for the door. Din placed a hand at the small of her back and his touch was a bit calming. Footsteps could be heard approaching and she took a deep breath as the door opened.

"Is this the home of Janis and Laré Shann?"

"It is," the gray haired man said with a kind but curious smile. "How can I -"

"I heard the chime. Who is it?" He was cut off when a woman came to his side. Before she could respond the older woman gave a gasp and clutched at her husband's shirt, her eyes huge.

"Stars! I never thought … After learning of what happened at the Jedi Temple I had given up hope … it's been so long. I never thought, never expected ... Alés? Is it really you?"

She nodded and a strangled cry escaped Laré Shann's lips. Janis put an arm around his wife when she moved to take a step out the door, a mixture of doubt and hope mixing in his eyes.

"How can you be sure it's really her?"

Her mother – and Alés had noticed the resemblance they shared immediately – shot an incredulous look at her husband.

"I would know my own child no matter what condition she appeared to me in. That is not something a mother can forget." Shrugging off his hand Laré enfolded her in a tight embrace and for a moment she felt rather awkward, patting her mother on the back. The other woman's emotions filled her senses: wonder and amazement, relief, utter joy. When she finally pulled back she put her hands on both sides of Alés's face, her eyes roaming over her frantically.

"Even when we heard about what happened to the Jedi I never gave up on the hope that you had some how survived even though you would've been so young.

Janis watched the reunion silently even though Alés could sense his amazement as well … along with his concern over the presence of a Mandalorian on his doorstep.

"Come in, come in! Please make yourselves comfortable. There is … so much to talk about," Laré urged. With another slight hesitation she walked through the door, Din's hand still comfortably on her lower back. When they were settled inside an awkward silence fell over them. Alés was seated on a chair opposite her parents while Din remained several steps behind her, preferring to remain against the back wall. Just as she had tried to step back so as not to intrude on his goodbye with Grogu he was now trying to give her the same space.

"Why exactly is there a Mandalorian by your side?" her father finally asked. There was a bit of concern - or was it fear - in his tone. Perhaps whatever had happened in Theed had made them leery of anyone in armor.

"I helped him find another Jedi that could train his foundling."

"Could you not have done that yourself?"

She swore she heard what sounded like a snort of amusement from the man behind her. "My own training was completed in such a way that I knew I lacked what he needed. I did not want to run the risk of having a misstep that could potentially lead him down the wrong path."

Her mother glanced between them. "And did you find another Jedi?"

"We did. Two actually."

"There are others? There were other survivors?" Laré's eyes widened slightly.

"One of the two was a survivor, yes, however the other is far too young to have even been a Padawan at the Temple before the Order's destruction."

"We never believed what the Emperor said about the Jedi. None of us here on Naboo did. Even with Imperial officers in control we never gave any credit to the propaganda they tried to spread. The Jedi had helped us so much in the past that we knew what they were accused of couldn't be true." Her mother was very emphatic in her statement and it brought a small smile to her lips.

That seemed to catch Din's attention. "How did the Jedi help you?"

"They were here during the Battle of Naboo. Guess that would've been, oh, almost forty years ago now. The Trade Federation was trying to take over the planet and the Jedi not only helped Queen Amidala escape they helped her claim victory when they all returned. From all that we heard in the years after that the Queen – then Senator – and the Jedi were very close."

"The damage we could see in the city couldn't be from that," she said.

"No. That would be from the Empire's attempt to wipe us out after the Emperor's death," Laré said with a smirk. "Once again Naboo came out on top though we did suffer through some horrible atmospheric disturbances and a hard battle right in Theed's streets."

"Why would they want to do that?"

"Probably because they knew that despite outward appearances the majority of the citizens here never supported the Emperor or believed the lies he spread about the Jedi and the Republic," her father said. "Naboo may have fared better during Imperial reign because it was Palpatine's home planet but that didn't help us afterwards. We heard rumors about some secret operation the Emperor had put in place in case of his death, Cinder or something like that, but nothing was ever really said about it after the battle."

Alés felt Din stiffen behind her and wondered what in her father's words had startled him.

Her mother looked at her again. "How did you escape when … when everything happened?"

"Master Brasi managed to sneak us out of the Temple that night and found us transport on a cargo ship headed to the Inner Rim. I don't remember now what planet we ended up on first but we bounced around quite a bit those first few years. We finally settled in the Outer Rim, on the edges of the Unknown Regions, and were able to avoid notice. I'd probably still be there if Din hadn't arrived. He gave me a purpose and I will be forever grateful to him for that."

"And your Master? Did he stay on that planet?" Laré asked.

"He died about ten years ago."

"Were you alone all those years?" Her mother looked horrified at the thought.

"I was but it was no hardship. We had established a comfortable place and there was a village near enough that I was never without supplies."

Laré seemed at a loss for words and Janis filled the gap in conversation.

"What brings you back to Naboo after all these years?"

"I – I wanted to meet you and Din needed somewhere to rest for a bit. He's been through a lot recently."

"You have been through just as much." The voice modulator on his helmet couldn't completely hide the emotion in his words.

Her father finally focused on him. "What do you mean? Has something happened to Alés?"

"It's nothing - "

Din cut her off. "Stopping blaster fire from a squad of Stormtroopers on Jedah along with removing one of Gideon's hands, trying to stop those giant ice spiders, being pulled from my flooded ship, defending the kid on Tython, then being kidnapped and probably tortured by Gideon …" He had taken a few steps forward and she could feel him directly behind her chair. "Your daughter is in need of a rest as much as anyone."

Her parents looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you alright? Do you need medical care?" her mother asked anxiously.

"I am fine, truly."

They fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence for a few moments. Alés really wasn't sure what else she should say. She had come, met her parents, and revealed that she was still alive. They could leave now she supposed but that seemed rather rude.

"You have arrived at just the right time," Laré told them with a smile. "We were leaving tomorrow for our house in the Lake Country and we would like to ask you both to join us. It is very quiet and isolated; a very good spot to recoup."

The offer took Alés by surprise. An offer to join them on holiday had not factored in to any of the scenarios she'd envisioned during this reunion. While there was a certain appeal to it she knew it was not a decision she could make alone.

"Could you excuse us for a few moments to discuss it?"

"Of course. We'll go start dinner while the two of you talk," her mother said, coming to her feet and pulling her father along with her. They quickly exited the room and she stood to face Din.

"Do you really need to discuss this?" he asked.

"I'm not going to accept any offer without getting your thoughts first. You agreed to come here but I didn't want to presume you'd be fine staying with my parents for a few days."

"Are you fine with it?"

She thought a moment. "Yes, I think I am. I would like to get to know them and it is very easy to sense their desire to get to know me better also – well, my mother anyway. I can tell my father is still a bit unsure what to think."

"That probably has more to do with my presence than any doubts he has about the truth in your claim to be his daughter," he replied with a touch of humor in his voice.

Alés had to agree that there was truth in that. "Does that bother you?"

"No."

"Then you would be alright with us staying on Naboo for a few days?"

"I thought that was the plan all along."

She gave a small shrug. "Honestly, I don't think I had much of a plan to begin with."

He laughed. "Why does that not surprise me?"

With a roll of her eyes she went in search of her parents to tell them that they would accept their offer. It seemed she would get the opportunity to get to know her parents after all ... and she didn't have to say good bye to Din yet.