Akili gripped the zaprod harder, her knuckles turning pale as she wielded the weapon, its electrified prongs all that stood between her and a gang of violent escapees. "All of you! Back yo your rooms! Now!" She commanded.

"I don't think so." Kaan defied. "We know about the Mandalorian and the kid."

"W...what's going on here?" Akili stammered, her rock solid poise wavering as her worst fear came true.

"We know about the bounty on them."Kaan's Nikto accomplice rasped. "With those credits we'd all be set."

"What did you do?" Anger quavered in Akili's question.

A brawny female twi'lek circled Akili mockingly. "Every cell is unlocked." She hissed. "Those that want to flee are fleeing right now. The rest of us have devised a strategy."

She ripped the zaprod from Akili's hand and jabbed its prongs into her shoulder. Akili fell to the ground, stunned by the shock. Another thug, a lanky red and white zabrak, grabbed Akili by the collar and dragged her limp form down the long corridor.


The Mandalorian clutched a sleeping Grogu to his chest and held his blaster ready. He sneaked through the suspiciously silent hospital hallways. Footsteps scrambled in the distance, but nothing seemed close, nothing seemed threatening.

Grogu stirred. He stretched his arms and squeaked out a yawn. He blinked up at the beskar facade of his father, a mix of sleepiness and curiosity in his eyes.

"Quiet, buddy." Din hushed.

"What was that?" A rash voice asked from a hallway around a corner.

"Sounded like a kid. And a man." A gruff voice replied.

"Sounds like money." Another enthused. "Let's go!"

Din pressed against the wall. Footsteps pounded just around the corner. A trandoshan, a nikto, and Dovon barreled into the hallway where Din and Grogu hid. The Mandalorian's marksmanship felled the nikto and the trandoshan, but Din's blaster set to stun was no match for the large lasat who simply shook off the numbing effects of the stun blast as he ran.

Din ignited his flamethrower, hoping the hot, bright plume of fire would be enough to deter the deranged lasat. Metal glinted in the midst of the flamethrower's fiery glow. A deadly blade, driven by Dovon's power, sailed towards Grogu. Din wrenched Grogu safely away from the weapon, but stumbled backwards as Dovon's impact hit him. Sudden pain shot through Din's stomach as Dovon ripped the blade from his gut.

The fresh injury fueled Din's rage and his resolve to get Grogu to safety. Din activated the Darksaber, intent on ending the threat to his son, but at the sight of the shimmering saber, the maddened lasat scrambled away in fright.

Din hung the hilt back on his belt. He held his hand to the wound on his stomach. Not much blood stained the yellow fingertips of his gloves, and the searing pain had dulled to a mild throb.

Grogu squirmed, he reached towards Din's wound and cooed in concern.

"Don't worry, buddy." Din wiped the blood on his cape. "M'okay."


"Hey!" A vaguely familiar voice called. Hani stepped into view. She beckoned Din with a silent hand motion.

Hani pulled Din into a utility closet. "I need your help."

"What's happening?" Din asked.

"Everyone's escaped. Akili's been captured."

"Where is she?"

"They locked her in a cell. A couple thugs are guarding her."

Din and Hani kept to the shadows as they crept into the corridor where Akili was guarded. Grogu lowered his ears at the sight of the gang that stalked in front of her cell, sensing the disturbance in the Force that radiated from them.

"Watch him." Din said. He handed the kid to Hani. It troubled him to yet again entrust Grogu to a random resident of an insane asylum.

Din crept closer. He drew his blaster. A stun ring sailed through the air, striking the man that taunted Akili through the bars of the cell. He flopped to the floor.

A zabrak in the thugs' party scowled in the direction from whence the stun ring had come. Angry muscles flexed below his bright red and white skin. He ran headlong at the Mandalorian, the horns adorning his scalp becoming deadly weapons.

A shrill ring echoed through the hallway as Zabrak horns scraped against the Mandalorian's beskar breastplate. Strangled gurgles escaped the zabrak's throat as Din caught the alien in a chokehold.

The twi'lek guarding Akili's cell flexed her fist around the zaprod she'd taken from Akili. She opened the cell door and went inside.

Din dropped the senseless zabrak on the floor and dashed for Akili's cell. As he arrived, the twi'lek jabbed the zaprod into Akili's chest. Din fired at the twi'lek as Akili convulsed from electric shock.

Hani sprinted into the cell, shoved Grogu into Din's arms, and stooped at the side of her fallen friend. "Akili! Wake up!" She patted the medic's face.

Akili's eyes fluttered open. Her dazed gaze honed in on Hani

"Y...you have to get out of here. Bedlam has fallen. You have to flee."

"The Mandalorian is with us." Hani assured as she looked to Din. "He can help us."

Akili pulled herself up onto her elbows. She glanced to the unconscious thugs sprawled on the floor, then to Din. "These are dangerous patients that want to kill you. We've got to get to the woods. That's our only chance."


Din clutched Grogu to his cuirass as he, Hani, and Akili sprinted for their lives across the manicured, open fields surrounding Bedlam Institute. The open plain gave way to the forest's underbrush and a measure of safety. Din kept watch from behind as Akili and Hani ventured ahead into the woods.

The women forged a distance ahead, their focus on survival and stealth, on traversing a forest fraught with asylum escapees, some scared and desperate, some hungry for bounty and blood, but most dangerous. In the moment of solitude, Din put a hand to his stomach. It came away from the wound with only a streak of blood. Grogu growled, making his worry clear, but Din sighed in relief at the slight improvement—an uneasy reassurance.

Ahead, Akili stopped. She waved Din to where she stood. She and Hani tiptoed down an embankment. A lazy stream meandered among the trees.

"Water. We'll need it." Akili directed.

Hani slung a bag off of her shoulder. She pulled out a filter and poured water through it into a canteen. "I thought ahead!"

A branch snapped. It was close. Whatever made the noise sounded heavy.

Din handed Grogu off to Akili and drew his blaster. A blow to his back forced the air from his lungs and threw him face down into the stream. Two strong hands held him under water. Muted blaster fire rang above the surface. Din kicked hard at the shins of the being that yanked at his beskar. The alien fell on top of him, forcing him into the silt in the bed of the stream. Din swam into a deeper pond of water, dragging his attacker beneath the surface. The assailant's grip loosened and Din fought free of the rodian that now flailed back to the creek's edge, fearful of water over his head.

Din fired a few shots at the rodian as he escaped into the thicket, spooking and distracting the attacker. Din paused to compose himself, pain now stabbing from the stitches in his leg and throbbing from the wound on his stomach. He followed the stream and found Hani, Akili, and Grogu sheltering safely in the underbrush.


Dappled dots of midday sun that had danced on the forest floor had turned to the golden rays of afternoon. Grogu faced his father, cuddling against his breastplate, clinging to his cape, the baby's eyes occasionally darting to the stab wound that Din kept guarding with his hand. The baby glanced up at his father's hidden face, his concern growing as he struggled to quell the worry over Din's new wound.

Suddenly, something unseen caught Grogu's attention. Grogu wriggled around to face the forest. He tilted his head toward the treetops, reached up and squeaked.

Din stopped. "What is it, buddy? What do you see?"

A sudden scurry of movement flitted from the canopy above to behind a thick tree trunk. Hani and Akili froze. Din drew his blaster.

"Who is it?" Akili demanded.

Another flash of movement drew Din's aim a few trees closer.

"We don't want to hurt you." Akili announced. "Come down."

Silence befell the forest. Grogu stretched his claw in the direction of the unknown being in the treetops. The head of a Togruta cautiously emerged, her eyes wild with fright, the three lekku that hung from her head quivering in fear.

"Lilla, it's alright, youre safe with us." Akili assured.

The Togruta hesitated. She climbed down the tree trunk and warily approached. Without a word, she passed Hani and Akili and walked to Din. The fear on her face gave way to a guarded smile as Grogu giggled and gripped her finger.

"This is Lilla." Akili explained. "She's drawn to Grogu because she's Force sensitive as well." Akili continued. "She's been through a lot, having to hide from the Empire her whole life, she doesn't say much, but maybe Grogu's friendship will be good for her."


Hani slung her bag off of her shoulder as they trekked on. "We need our strength." She said. "I grabbed some emergency rations."

Akili and Lilla hungrily opened the tins containing their meager meal, Grogu ate his portion in a matter of seconds and toddled to the others, begging for more. Hani offered a tin to Din.

"No thanks." The Mandalorian refused. "I'm going to keep watch."

"You're the only one in our party that knows how to fight." Hani reminded. "You need your strength. You can take your helmet off. We won't look."'

"Im not hungry."

Hani and Akili finished their last bits of their rations. Lilla and Grogu laughed as they shared the meal. Din stood stoic, guarding the group from the dangers that lurked within the forest's lengthening shadows.

"We'd better be going." Akili warned. She stood— and stumbled. She laid a hand to her chest.

The merriment of the meal faded from Hani's face as she looked to her friend. "What's wrong."

Akili pulled her collar away from her neck and peeked at her chest. "Dank farrik!"

"What is it?" Hani pressed.

"My betadrine. It's empty." A hint of worry colored the usually steely medic's voice. She pointed at the overstuffed bag hanging from Hani's shoulder. "You didn't bring a refill?"

"No." Hani answered, knowing and dreading what that meant.

Din crossed the small clearing to Hani and Akili. "What's going on?"

"The implant in my chest that keeps me alive," Akili began, "it's empty."

"What happens now?" Din questioned

"I start to get tired. Dizzy." Akili explained. "Everything will feel heavy. It will be hard to think, hard to breathe. It will get worse as my heart and my brain are starved for oxygen. Eventually one of them will give out."

"So…" Din hesitated. "You're dying?"

"If I don't get more betadrine in the next few hours," Akili admitted "yes."

"What's the plan?" Hani asked.

Akili hardened her resolve in the woodland twilight. "We keep going. Old building shouldn't be far."

A shrill scream pierced the evening as Lilla hit the ground. A wild Wookiee rose over her, wielding a branch as a makeshift cudgel. Din fired on the crazed creature, saving Lilla, but more marauding escapees shouted from the trees. A gang greedy for beskar and thirsty for blood encroached from all directions. Blaster bolts and arrows sang through the twilight.

"Get down!" Din shouted to his unarmed allies. Akili and Hani huddled behind a rock. Hani rummaged in her bag.

"You up to helping?" Hani asked.

"Yeah."

"Grabbed this before we left." Hani handed Akili her zaprod. She reached into the bag again and pulled out a case of syringes.

"Drowsers?" Akili marveled. She rolled her eyes. "Literally everything but the betadrine."

"I warned you the escape would happen someday." Hani reminded. "I prepared. Let's go."

Lilla and Grogu hid in a bush. Lilla whimpered in fright at the war that raged around her. A warm, three-fingered claw came to rest on her side. Grogu projected calming thoughts into the togruta's mind.

Din shot another murderous thug. Pain pulsed through his middle as he vaulted over a log. His foot caught the falllen tree and sent him slamming face down into the dirt. A choked grunt slipped from beneath his helmet as the pain in his stomach took his breath away.

This stab wound is taking its' toll. Din thought to himself.

Grogu watched, worried as his father fought. Mando had tripped. He stood up, but too slow. A bad man swung down from the trees on a vine and kicked him— hard. Mando flew through the air, crashed into a tree, and crumpled to the ground. He wasn't moving. The bad man came closer. He lifted a spear above his head and aimed it at Mando!

Grogu pushed out his hands towards the bad man. Force energy sent the assailant sailing into the gloom of twilight. For a second the forest fell silent, onlookers gaped, shocked at the supernatural display they'd witnessed. Footsteps pounded away as spooked criminals retreated into the darkness of the woods.

Din sat up with a grunt as Lilla and Grogu approached.

"Y… your son w… wants to know if you're okay." Lilla stuttered.

"M'fine." Din said, still trying to catch his breath from the beating he'd just endured.

Hani ran into the clearing. "Mando! Akili needs your help!"

Din gripped the tree trunk he'd been kicked into to pull himself to his feet.

"Hurry!" Hani urged.

A distance away, Akili lay on the ground, unmoving.

"What happened?" Din asked.

"She fought with three or four of them. It was too much for her. I can't wake her up." Hani explained "The old building we're going to might have some left over betadrine. She needs it within an hour or she'll die."

"Can we make it there in an hour?" Din asked.

"If we hurry." Hani urged.

Din handed Grogu to Lilla and hefted Akili over his shoulder. He paused, fighting through waves of pain and nausea.

Grogu had taken well to his new Togruta friend. She carried him as the group journeyed on. He looked to Din, lowered his ears, then looked to her with big, sad eyes.

"I… I know." Lilla sympathized with the baby, understanding more through the Force than anyone else could.

The forest broke into a billowing field. In the middle of the field, crowned by the last rays of sunset, stood a dark, derelict mansion.

"There it is." Hani announced.


Inside the abandoned building's grand lobby, Din lowered Akili to the floor.

"I'm going to go look for that betadrine." Hani said. She hurried off.

Din hunched forward. He held his stomach. A pained groan escaped his beskar resolve.

Grogu squeaked, alarmed. He hopped from Lilla's arms and ran to Din.

"It-it's ok buddy." Din panted. "I just need a bacta patch and some rest."

The baby glared at the Mandalorian in disbelief. He cuddled close to his father. He placed a claw on Din's stomach, closed his eyes, and focused. The warm tingle of the Force grew.

"Hey, kid." Din picked Grogu up, breaking his concentration. The kid rubbed his head like he had been with the headaches he'd been getting since the crash. "You m-made yourself get a headache. D-don't use your powers on me."

Floorboards creaked and footsteps echoed down the old building's grand staircase as Hani hurried back to the lobby. "Found it!" She said as she knelt at Akili's side. "It's expired, but she'll die without it." Hani discarded the empty cartridge from the implant in Akili's chest, and installed the new one.

After a few long moments, Akili opened her eyes. "We made it." She sat up. Pale moonlight from the mansion's tall windows shone on her face. "But we can't stay here. Too many windows. If the others come this way, they'll find us."

"Where do you suggest we go?" Din asked, exhaustion and pain evident in his voice.

"Basement." Akili answered. "The morgue."