Chapter 2:

Morning found Din up early, heading for one of the landing pads at the Temple. He'd left Grogu with one of the staff in charge of the "younglings" as the Jedi tended to call them. Stepping outside, he beheld a CEC YT-1930 that had evidently been through quite a bit. Isslan and a male Zabrak were loading some supply crates onto it, the Jedi using his mind to lift the boxes while the other man did it the old-fashioned way. A'den and M'Raiya were talking to a red-haired human woman who had a red R6 unit at her side. He strode over to the two loading supplies. "Need a hand?"

"Nah, the kid's done most of the work," the Zabrak replied, coming over and extending a hand. "Bor-Mas Darach, Cargo Master of the Risky Venture." Din shook the hand, noting the many short horns that crowned the smooth brown head. "And if you're wondering how good I am in a fight, I try to stay out of them. Besides, our two-and-a-half Jedi more than make up for me and Rino keeping back."

"Two-and-a-half?"

"Yeah, your fellow Mandalorian trains here too, though he doesn't have any flashy abilities like Isslan." This was new. The Armorer had made it seem that his people and the Jedi were polar opposites. For one of them to be able to use the Force...

"You've seen them all fight?"

"A few times. They are a damn scary group when they want to be, even without their medic."

"Medic?" Bor-Mas looked uncomfortable for a moment.

"Fellow Zabrak, but from Dathomir. He had some... Interesting views on things, and his abilities unnerved M'Raiya and Isslan. Primarily he was a healer, but I'd heard them arguing about other things he could do. Never saw it myself, but he could apparently kill from a distance with this green mist that disintegrated his enemies."

"Kriff..."

"Yup, but he went home to his people, so this trip should be less tense."

"Speaking of trip, we should get everyone on board," the woman said as she came over. Isslan and Bor-Mas immediately headed into the ship, and the woman smiled at her new "passenger". "Captain Rino Paz, at your service. There a name or title you prefer to be called?"

"You can just call me Mando." A'den snickered, and M'Raiya immediately turned to Din.

"We are not calling you that. You have a name."

"Which I don't give out to just anybody," he shot back.

"A'den is also Mandalorian, so calling you "Mando" would be like saying you're the same."

"We were taught to hide our identity and our numbers so our enemies couldn't find us." The Miraluka pulled back for a moment, frowning.

"You don't trust us." Din was momentarily taken aback. While it was true that he really didn't trust these strangers, how did she pick up on that so easily? "We aren't Imperials. We would never turn on you." The way she nearly spit the word "imperial" made it seem like something foul. In a whirl of robes, M'Raiya turned and headed for the ship, and Rino immediately went after her.

"I don't know what you were taught," A'den said after a moment. "But I do know that there has to be a certain level of trust on this mission. We don't have to be friends, but we will have your back and follow orders. And we have to know that you don't see us as expendable."

"I still don't understand why Luke needs all of us to go. Bor-Mas said you can also use the Force, so couldn't just the two of us find this creature and deal with it?" A'den sighed and tilted his head, trying to find the words to explain his friends.

"Not every Force user has the same abilities. Mine are focused on keeping me up and fighting longer than should be possible. Isslan has his levitation, plus a way to see a bit into the future to check for danger. M'Raiya's powers aren't combat centered, but she can sense living beings and their thoughts from great distances. Plus, she is deadly with her light-saber."

"Wait, she's a mind-reader?" Din sounded both worried and surprised.

"Yes, though she tries not to intrude on people she trusts."

"And she doesn't trust me now."

"Too early to say," A'den replied with a shrug. "I know she adores Grogu, so she was a little excited to meet the man he spoke highly of."

"I'm not anything special." The other Mandalorian pointed at Din's waist; or more specifically, the hilt of the Darksaber.

"That says otherwise, whether you know it or not."

"You know what this is?"

"It's been a symbol of the Mand'alor for a millennia. Also Clan Vizsla and the Death Watch."

"Bo-Katan Kryze called me a "Child of the Watch". There was a Vizsla in my covert. You're saying that I was raised by this Death Watch?"

"Possibly." There was a hard edge to A'den's voice now.

"Why does everyone seem to hate them?"

"They were a group of terrorists who thought that anything and everything was allowed so long as Mandalore was returned to its warrior state. The one where the galaxy feared and hated us because they never knew when Mandalorians would try and conquer them. They bombed civilians, attacked any Clan that didn't side with them, and let a dar'jetii become "Mand'alor" just because he won the Darksaber in combat. You can ask Bo-Katan about that, since she was there." Din was about to respond in surprise to that revelation, when A'den continued "They sided with the Empire after our home was decimated. So if you were raised by them, I hope you aren't still with them." Giving a curt nod, the younger man headed into the ship. Din followed a moment later, shaking his head. Why was everything getting so complicated? He was so preoccupied with the two conversations that he failed to notice the tiny robed figure toddle and leap its way into the cargo hold as the ramp closed and they headed out.

M'Raiya was seated in the cargo area, trying to calm herself down. She'd snapped at Din, and she hadn't meant to. Grandmaster Skywalker had cautioned them that this Mandalorian had a lot of trauma and grief in his past, and probably wasn't a very trusting individual. And Ahsoka had explained what she knew from Bo-Katan, about how Din had apparently been raised by some sort of hyper-strict cult. But having communicated with Grogu, the child painted a much different picture of Din Djarin: A warrior who time and again risked his life to save people. Often times doing it for little or no compensation. For all intents, he seemed just as justice-driven as the Jedi were trying to be, and there was much to admire about that. So why did his refusal to admit his own name bother her so much? A moment later, she felt something touch her knee, but tried not to let it break her inner focus. "Cyn, not now," she admonished, thinking her Loth-cat just wanted attention. But a moment later, she felt questioning emotions flow into her mind, and she knew exactly who it was. "What are you doing here?" Bringing herself out of meditation, her senses focused back on the real world, and to the small child standing in front of her, concern radiating off him.

'Sad?' It was more emotion than words, but she'd learned to discern a bit how Grogu "talked".

"I got mad at your father, and I shouldn't have. I know you two have gone through so much, and he'd endured even more before meeting you. I just don't know if he'll ever trust anyone besides you."

'Friends.' There were a few images of people that he sent to her, and the knowledge that Din had gone through life and death struggles with them.

"I certainly hope it doesn't take him getting that injured to see us as comrades. But we should get you to him."

'Mad.' She laughed as she stood and scooped him into her arms.

"Well yes, because you shouldn't be here. He wants to keep you safe, Grogu." The concept he replied with was that he wanted to do the same for the man. "I know. Your bond is strong." Making her way to the front of the ship, she passed A'den and Isslan sitting at the galley table. Both saw Grogu, and the other Jedi's eyes went wide. Meanwhile, she saw A'den tilt his helmet in a questioning way.

"We have a stowaway?"

"Seems that way," she answered.

"Well, we're in hyperspace, so it's not like we can turn around," Isslan retorted.

"We'll send a message to the Temple so they don't think he's wandered off."

"M'Raiya, he did wander off," A'den reminded her. "I can guess why, but he's not gonna be happy." The Miraluka frowned a bit and sighed.

"Yes well, nothing to be done about it now." At that moment, Rino and Din came from the cockpit, and she turned with the child in her arms.

"Is that a baby Jedi?" the other woman asked, surprise clear in her voice.

"No, he's my Foundling," Din replied, coming over and taking Grogu from M'Raiya. "My Foundling who should not be here." The child burbled at him, and he sighed. "Ad'ika... Fine, but this isn't a normal bounty. You could get hurt."

"He thinks you might as well," M'Raiya told him, voice soft.

"This is The Way." Before she could stop herself, the blonde had peeked into his mind, seeing the myriad amount of times he'd uttered that phrase, and the people who echoed it.

"Well, how about we discuss mission parameters over lunch?" A'den broke in. "It's my turn to cook." He looked over at Din. "Feel up for a taste of home?"

"What?"

"He means are you ready to have your tongue melt from all the spices he uses," M'Raiya teased.

"Not my fault you grew up eating nothing but nutrient porridge. And I can tone your portion down, don't worry."

"I've... I've never had Mandalorian cooking," Din admitted after a moment. "We ate very simply in the covert, and my ship didn't have a kitchen."

"Well, then are you in for a treat! Isslan, could you give me a hand?" Though his helmet hid it, everyone could hear the smile in A'den's voice.

"Sure thing." A few utensils and a cutting board floated up and over to a prep counter, and the small fridge opened up as ingredients came sailing out.

"I'll go send a message to Grandmaster Skywalker about Grogu. Hopefully they haven't turned over half of Coruscant by now." M'Raiya headed off, and Rino waved as she made for her bunk and some rest. Din sat at the table, watching the other men start working. Grogu amused himself by playing catch with his little steel ball.

"Did you grow up on Mandalore?"

"Yes, but my Clan has a compound on the planet Ordo. My mother took my siblings and I off Mandalore when she saw the writing on the wall about the Empire attacking."

"How old were you when... When we lost everything?" There was a sadness to Din's voice, and A'den understood some of it. Grief and anger at the loss of so many, and a kind of survivor's guilt.

"Ten. My older brother became a Mandalorian Protector, and he threw himself against every enemy. Until one proved too much for him." Again, there was a hard edge to the other man's voice.

"Is that enemy now dead?"

"He will be when I find him." Isslan saw the conversation was going somewhere he didn't need to listen to, and quickly left the room. Din was quiet as he continued to watch A'den cook. Finally, curiosity got the better of him.

"Was it someone from that Death Watch group?"

"Yes. Only that "someone" was our own father."

"Is that why you hate them?" A'den laughed, but it was a cold, sharp sound.

"I despise Death Watch because they were terrorists with their heads so far up their own asses that they couldn't see what the Empire was doing to our world before it was too late. After Mandalore was bombed, they were broken up and hunted down. The fact that my father was one of them no longer matters. I intend to kill him and take his armor back to the Clan to be re-purposed. We suffer no dar'manda to live."

"This is The Way." A'den turned, and if Din could see his face, it would've been confused.

"That an oath in your covert? Same with being Creed-bound to keep your helmet on?" Din paused for a moment, still not entirely sure how he felt about the situation with his covert.

"...Yes. You must think it's strange as well."

"Look, every Clan has their own Creed. Mine follows the Supercommando Codex, but that was opposed when it was first attempted. By both "New Mandalorian" pacifists, and the Death Watch."

"There are pacifist Mandalorians? That goes against everything we are!" A'den shrugged, not entirely sure how to keep explaining what should have been common knowledge.

"I don't think too many of them survived Mandalore's bombing. It's mostly the various Clans trying to regroup and solidify their holdings. But they'll squabble and bicker among themselves just like they always have. We need a Mand'alor to unify our people."

"Instead, I'm the one with the Darksaber." Din sounded defeated as he said it.

"Did you win it in one-on-one combat?"

"Yes, against Moff Gideon." A'den gave a low whistle.

"Heard about that bastard. He dead, or captured?"

"I turned him over to the Republic for questioning. My covert thinks I should have killed him."

"You still bested him. And that means that by all our laws and customs, the Darksaber is yours. Until someone can successfully challenge you for it."

"Are you going to?" Again, A'den laughed.

"I have absolutely no desire to be seen as Mand'alor, thank you. My life is dedicated to my Clan, and my friends. Not to browbeat a bunch of Clan leaders into doing what is right."

"I would technically be one of those leaders, so they'd have no reason to listen to me."

"You have your own Clan?" Din pointed to the Mudhorn symbol on his shoulder.

"It's only me and the kid, but yes."

"So then you could adopt your own version of the Creed and Codex. If you wanted to." Grogu felt confusion flow off Din, but there was another emotion under it that he couldn't quite place. "Look, I'm not expecting you to change the views you've held your whole life. Just letting you know that you have options with your position."

"Thank you. I will consider your words."

"Good. Now that the food's almost ready, did you want to eat elsewhere so you have privacy to remove your helmet?

"That would be appreciated." A'den scooped some food onto two plates, handing them both to Din. "I take it you remove yours in front of the others?"

"Only because I trust them. They may not be Mandalorians, but everyone on this ship would have my back if I asked. And they know I would do the same."

"Thank you, A'den of Clan Ordo." The younger man watched as the two members of Clan Mudhorn headed to their room to eat.

"This trip is going to be interesting..." Then he called for the rest of the group to get the food while it was still hot.