Chapter 2 – Parting

Author's Note: Yes, there's a cliffhanger. No, I don't apologize. :)

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


Din moves like a shadow as he glides through the darkness in the city towards his destination. He slips, undetected, past several patrols on the way, but arrives without incident, thankfully. He doesn't pick up anyone in the vicinity when he scans, and he senses that they'll be alright if he makes it quick, but he still decides to check in with Grogu. "Are we good to make the call, kid?"

The toddler tilts his head, considering, and presumably doing whatever weird magic he can do, before nodding with a happy babble. Maybe for anyone else, it would seem stupid to rely on the opinion of a mere child, but Din is well aware that Grogu is no ordinary child. His instincts have helped many times, and Din literally owes the kid his life. Many times over, in fact. Din steps around the corner cautiously, blaster still clasped in his right hand as he approaches the comm center with a long-distance transmitter. Once he sends out the signal, he knows the Imperials will likely catch onto it, so he'll have to be quick.

Hastily he enters Cara's frequency, and thankfully, it connects. He's never felt so relieved to see her before. "Cara," he greets before telling her his exact location on the planet. It's somewhat... embarrassing to ask for help, but this is for Grogu, not for himself. "We're in a situation. A group of Imperial remnants have locked down the city. They're searching for us. I need your help. If I didn't need to protect the kid, it wouldn't be a problem."

Cara's expression is grim. "I'm on my way, Mando," she assures him, breaking the connection.

Din doesn't have a chance to breath out a sigh of relief because he can hear – and sense? Sort of? He doesn't know how to explain it – the approaching stormtroopers. He doesn't back into the darkness fast enough, and the light from a nearby window glints off his beskar'gam, drawing their attention. He shoots them down before breaking into a run, disappearing into the shadows again and losing his pursuers. It's frustrating how he's able to stay hidden so well while being unable to so much as get off the ground and into space.

Grogu coos, pointing to a pile of junk and other odds and ends, and Din takes shelter there, trying to catch his breath while the troopers pass by. "Thanks, ad'ika," he whispers once it's safer. He might have noticed the spot himself if he wasn't so stressed.

He has no idea how long it will take Cara to arrive and if she'll arrive alone or not, but in the meantime, he needs to keep moving. It won't be the first time he's gone without sleep for an extended period, and he's used to it. Thankfully, he got a proper rest after the last job, so he's not tired. Stress and adrenaline will be keeping him awake for a while, even if he could safely sleep. He pulls out another ration bar, passing it to Grogu.

"You must be hungry," he says when the child grabs it eagerly, not even making a face like he often does. An ear flicks in acknowledgement, but the kid is too busy tearing open the wrapping to respond verbally. "We'll be waiting until Cara comes here," he continues, settling back, careful to keep his voice low lest any passersby overhear him. "She can help us scout the area and find the best way out." He takes out another ration bar, pushing up the bottom of his buy'ce enough to eat it. It's not as if he has any idea when he'll be interrupted, much less when he'll have another moment to breathe.

It must have been at least twenty minutes before Din hears the telltale sound of passing stormtroopers. Neither him nor Grogu moves as they walk by. The quiet of the street is interrupted when one of the troopers stops and begins speaking. "New orders have come in," he announces. From his tone and the fact he's talking, Din suspects he must be a higher ranking officer. "The Grand Admiral wants them both. Alive."

Din doesn't even dare to breathe as the stormtroopers continue on their rounds. Who is the "Grand Admiral?" Why do they want him? He's – well, he's not the kid. He doesn't have any... magical abilities or anything like that. Most importantly, why is he wanted alive?

Grogu whines, quietly, miserably, pressing closer to Din. "You heard that, didn't you." It's not a question. Din sighs, stroking the kid's head, when he whimpers in response. "No, I don't know why they want me, but we'll be okay. We have help incoming." Now, if only Cara can get here before it's too late.

**w**

They're nearly caught when the sky begins to lighten at dawn. After a short, brief firefight, Din retreats into the city, trying to lose his pursuers. He shot down nearly a dozen stormtroopers, but there are more coming now that they've located his position. And it's getting lighter out; not really ideal for hiding. Cara should be here anytime, but Din can't simply sit around and wait for her. He has to keep moving. Maybe he should try to steal a speeder, see if he can get out of the city – but no. His instincts scream shrilly at that. Maybe the Imperials have locked down the city already without anyone realizing it.

He can tell that no one here is happy with their presences, but at the same time, there's little they can do against trained soldiers. Din doesn't really want to put innocent civilians at risk either. He pauses in an alley to check on Grogu. The kid had fallen asleep at some point during the night, but he's awake now – partially, that is – curiously and warily peeking around. "Which way should we go now, ad'ika?" Din queries, ignoring his tiredness. "Do you think the forest is a good idea?" Something seems to be pulling him there, but Din can't tell if that's a good thing.

It seems... dangerous somehow, but he doesn't know why. He would rather stay here, in the city, where Cara can find them more easily – maybe – but the forest could work to distract and lose their pursuers. Of course, if they're tracked there, all the troopers would probably start combing the trees to find them. Not really ideal.

Grogu perks up a bit, turning his head this way and that, before pointing towards the trees. Even he seems wary, and that does little to bolster Din's confidence, but before long, they're creeping their way through the brush, staying behind tree trunks as much as possible so as to remain out of the line-of-sight of anyone in the town. The sun is just peeping over the horizon when Din sees the structure ahead of them. He stops walking to get a closer look at it. Something about it seems wrong somehow, but it looks like an abandoned building, nothing more.

Grogu whines quietly when Din moves closer to investigate further, obviously sensing something off with his Jetii magic. "What is it?" Din asks quietly, stopping in his tracks. The kid burrows down into the satchel with a whimper. "I know you're scared," Din soothes. "You don't want to go there?" The kid shakes his head in response, so Din moves a little further away, finding a spot which is concealed from the city and the abandoned building, while giving him ample opportunity to see if anyone is coming.

He sits on the ground, holding the kid in his lap and waiting. "We won't be able to stay here for long," he says, letting Grogu grab one of his fingers in his tiny hand. "They'll keep searching. Eventually, they'll figure out which way we went." Din's eyes stray to the building again. He'd have to look at it closer, but it almost seemed like an abandoned hotel of sorts. It seems... strange, to say the least, but Din doesn't sense the same danger there that he does here. Or maybe the danger isn't the same...

He frowns, trying to figure out what his instincts are telling him. It's kind of creeping him out, how he's able to sense this well the best and worst options for them. His main priority is, as always, keeping the kid safe. And his instincts are telling him that Grogu will be safer there as opposed to here. He can't say the same about himself. Maybe – maybe the kid senses the same thing he does, and doesn't want to go there because of whatever danger Din may be in.

Of course. It makes sense, and that knowledge sends a pang of – of a deep, unfailing affection for his child through him. Din strokes the back of Grogu's hand with his thumb, squeezing lightly. The kid tightens his own grip in response, burrowing closer to him. "Grogu." Din has found, in the past, that the use of the kid's name always makes him pay closer attention. He looks up at him instantly, as Din had expected, eyes wide and alert. "I need to keep you safe, buddy," Din tells him, "Even if it means going there." He points in the direction of the building.

Grogu makes a distinctly unhappy sound. "I know you don't want to go there," Din continues, "But I have to protect you, ad'ika." There's a certain desperation to his words, and it's something that the kid certainly won't miss. Sometimes, it seems like Grogu isn't really paying attention, but the kid is smart, and Din suspects that he understands far more than many people – maybe even including him – realize. "Let me protect you."

Another whine, this one more accepting, but still unhappy. It's almost funny how, even with Grogu being nonverbal, Din can still understand him. "I know," Din agrees. "I'll be okay." He doesn't know that though. He can't promise that, so he doesn't.

The sun continues to rise, the rays of light dimming from a brilliant orange-gold to yellower in color. That's when his comm beeps. Din pulls it out, knowing that there's only one person who could be comming him. He knows that the Imperials might be able to trace the signal, but if he has Cara to help him, evading them and escaping should be easier than before.

"Cara," he greets her.

"I'm here now," she replies. "There aren't any Imperial ships in orbit. Whatever forces they have are on the ground."

A wave of relief sweeps over him at the words. "We're in the trees bordering the town," Din informs her. "We've been staying on the move."

"I'll meet you down there," she promises, disconnecting the comm.

Din stands, Grogu still in his arms, as he glances around warily again, feeling the prickling of danger even closer. Something is wrong. Something is coming. He turns around in time to see a duo of stormtroopers approaching, blasters raised. He shoots them down without a second thought and sprints through the trees towards the abandoned building. It's – it might be safe enough for the both of them for a short time – already, he can hear the faint roaring of a starship engine – and all that matters is that Grogu will be safe here.

The kid remains quiet, though he's obviously apprehensive as Din rounds the structure, finding a back entrance which he opens before entering. It's dusty in here, in the back. No one has been here for some months, he suspects. A closer look in the halls on the bottom floor reveals that, for one, he was right about it being a hotel, and for two, someone apparently has been here, at least in the front part of the building. He chooses to take the turbolift to the top floor – there are three total – and then moves to the hall where the rooms are, rounding the desk in the open area outside the lift.

He picks a room at random – one which faces towards the forest and town – and enters, walking close enough to the window so that he can see out. His heart plummets down somewhere near his boots, a sharp jolt of fear passing through him. For the first time, Din wonders if this was a trap, if they were trying to lure him here if he made a mistake in following the quite nudging to come here. There are stormtroopers all over outside now, swarming around and setting up a perimeter around the building. They're trapped in here, but Din knows that the hotel is big enough for them to hide for a short time, or for him to hold them off long enough for Cara to come help them out.

Maybe he should have called Boba and Fennec, after all, but it's too late now. He must have been right about them tracing the signal of the commcall.

What Din knows for certain is that he'll go down – or be captured – far too quickly if he continues to keep Grogu with him. As much as he hates it, he can see no other alternative but to hide the kid somewhere here and come back for him. This is exactly what he was hoping to avoid. "This is not looking good, ad'ika," he comments, trying not to sound as worried as he feels – not that it'll matter anyways, he imagines, since Grogu will probably sense it in the way he often does. "We're surrounded, and they'll be coming. I'll hold them off as long as I can. Cara will be coming though."

Grogu perks up a bit at that, and coos what sounds like an encouragement.

Din huffs out a half-laugh, suddenly realizing that there is a chance he may never see his child again. If – if something goes wrong, he could die or be captured by the Imperial remnants. This is not how he'd ever expected things to go. "I'll – I'll leave you here where it's safe," Din adds, and Grogu gives him a grumpy glare followed by a series of nonverbal protestations. "I know you don't want me to leave you here, but I'll come back for you, pal, I promise." He squeezes Grogu a little more tightly, leaning down to press his buy'ce against the kid's forehead; it's the closest he can come to a when Grogu is so small.

"," Din breathes. I love you, son. The phrase he used has the meaning of an eternal, undying love. The literal Basic translation is "I will know you forever." Grogu might not understand the words, but Din knows that he'll understand the emotions behind them, and for now, that's enough. Grogu reaches up, pressing a tiny hand to Din's buy'ce in much the same way he did when they reunited after the kid came back from the Jetii.

They remain like that for a moment, only a moment, before Din raises his head, glancing around the room quickly before opening a cabinet – it's a small one, one which Grogu barely fits in – and placing the kid inside. "Stay there," he commands. "I want you to be safe, so if you have to run, then do it. I'll be fine."

The kid is quiet for a moment before cooing softly in agreement and understanding. He looks so... upset, and Din's heart aches, because he doesn't want to do this. He doesn't want to leave his child, his foundling here all alone. Grogu can use his Jetii powers well enough, and he can jump astounding distances if he tries. The Imperials wanted him alive, and Din is hoping that will remain true. If the stormtroopers aren't shooting to kill, Grogu should be able to escape on his own somewhere.

Din shuts the cabinet door, and he could swear that he hears Grogu cry in protest, but he doesn't look back, casting one glance out the window before leaving the room and locking the door behind him. If Grogu doesn't listen to him, it's better if he can't get out of the room. To keep the kid's location hidden, Din locks all the other doors in the hall as well before moving back to the main entry way and taking up a position behind the desk, drawing his blaster and waiting. It's only a matter of time before the stormtroopers arrive here.

The turbolift dings as the doors slide open – and Din is grateful that it's small enough for no more than six to eight people to fit at a time. Din guns down the first two before they even have a chance to realize he's there. The others step over the dead bodies of their comrades and open fire on him. Live rounds. Despite wanting him alive – supposedly; he's beginning to wonder if that was an intentional statement to lower his guard – they haven't even tried to capture him thus far.

Din shoots down three more of the six when the door to the side staircase opens and more troopers spill into the room. They, unlike him, don't really have much cover, but he's only one person. There's a limit to how many directions he can shoot in at once, and they're slowly beginning to close in. He activates the whistling birds in his vambrace when the number of troopers climbs to a dozen. The missiles fly out into the larger room, taking down most of his opponents. A blaster bolt strikes his shoulder pauldron, and he barely even flinches, drawing the Darksaber and flipping over the desk to cut down the rest of the enemy.

They keep on coming though, uncaring as to the fact that he's killed so many of them. Din doesn't like killing, but he will do it if necessary. And now... well, there's nothing he wouldn't do to keep the kid safe. He won't fail Grogu. He won't. He doesn't have time to wonder where Cara is or how his child is doing. All he can do is focus on the battle, on ducking blaster bolts or letting them ping harmlessly off his beskar, on shooting the enemy or cutting them down with the Darksaber.

When Goran was teaching him how to use the Darksaber – and even before then, on different bounty hunting jobs – Din had struggled to get it to respond to him. Goran had warned him that he was fighting against the blade, that he could not control it with strength, that he was too distracted to properly learn to use it.

He had denied being distracted, even though he knew he was. Then, his heart had been filled with a constant ache, missing Grogu more than he'd ever thought possible. But after getting the kid back, Din has noticed that it's been easier. He hasn't been fighting the Darksaber as much as his opponents, and they seem to be more in sync. It's a strange thing to say about any kind of weapon, but it's the complete, honest truth. Perhaps a part of it is because of his enhanced instincts – but no. Din doesn't think so. It was because he was no longer fighting with himself, with the feelings that begged him to go back to Grogu, to his child, to claim him and keep him safe from everyone who would want to hurt him. Oh, Din had known and accepted that Skywalker would do a far better job of that, but he'd still wanted to be with the kid.

There's a shift around him, a humming of danger and Din twists to the side in time to avoid... a stun bolt? A stun bolt won't be dissipated in the same way a regular blaster bolt is if it hits his beskar'gam, and Din really would rather not find out how it might affect him. If they knock him out, he won't be able to protect Grogu. Except then he registers the sound of blaster fire outside. Cara is here. But any relief is short-lived because another stun bolt catches him in the right arm. Much of it is absorbed by the beskar, but a shiver of electricity spreads through his arm, making it feel weirdly numb and tingly.

He nearly drops the Darksaber but manages to hold on through sheer willpower. A second stun bolt hits him a moment later, and then, a third. They don't really affect him that much, but they are slowing him down, making his muscles less willing to respond to him. Din refuses to give in to unconsciousness, even if the electrical impulses occasionally hitting his body are nearly overwhelming his ability to remain conscious. When another bolt hits him, he stumbles slightly, and that's enough for one of the stormtroopers to shove him off balance.

He hits the floor, twisting up into a crouch despite the exhaustion screaming in every single one of his muscles. He's sore in places he didn't know could be sore from excessive fighting, but that might be a result of the stun bolts shocking him more than the actual fighting itself. Because he has fought many extensive battles – the one on Tatooine where he aided Boba not too long ago was only one of many – and he's been a bounty hunter for years.

Din raises his right arm, igniting his flamethrower to push back the approaching troopers. It seems to work, until he senses danger a fraction of a second too late. A boot connects with his side, in a gap between his beskar'gam, and pain blossoms as he falls to the floor again with a muffled groan. Yet another stun bolt hits him in the chest as a stormtrooper kicks him in the head, and even though he fights as hard as he can to remain conscious, he spirals into darkness.

Mando'a Translations:

beskar'gam - armor

ad'ika - little one

buy'ce - helmet

Jetii - Jedi

kov'nyn - Keldabe kiss; "Over time, a gentle headbutt consisting of a tapping of helmets together at the forehead, came to be a stand-in gesture for a kiss among Mandalorians adorned in full armor."

Goran - armorer

Final Notes: If you want to join our Discord to receive updates or just hang out, here's the invite link, and please delete the spaces! :) discord . gg / nqSxuz2

You can find us on tumblr at fanfictasia (which is our more serious blog which does have controversial posts on it; I won't be offended if you choose to block it, promise), and disastertriowriting (which is our fun blog with crack posts or incorrect SW quotes; we also advertise our SW gift exchanges on there)

And! We have a YT channel for tributes! Please delete the spaces in the link. :D youtube channel / UC_g1M5rSCxJUzQCRS29B6pA

Finally, if you're interested, you can submit a SW gift fic request via the following form (delete the spaces): forms . gle / rmXWtRomMMaULuPa6