Chapter 8 - Redemption
The two Scout Troopers that had picked up on the Bounty Hunters and Ugnaughts link were now on their way back to the city, speeding through the wasteland and they weren't coming back empty handed either, which meant good things for them. They finally came to a stop on the outskirts of the city getting a decent view of it from where they were told to stand by. The one that held the Child sighed before taking out his Comlink and notifying the Operator that they had got to the checkpoint and had the asset too.
"Awaiting confirmation," he was briefly distracted by the small creature that sat in his sack who squealed which apparently the Trooper didn't like. He proceeded to hit the bag and tell Sprout to knock it off before continuing to get his orders. "Waiting for confirmation to continue into town,"
"That's a go to proceed, but I advise you to double-check. The Moff just touched down and already took out a squad of local troopers,"
The second trooper looked to his companion to try and confirm that what he heard was correct. The other merely turned away in disbelief before letting the Operator know he was standing by. There was silence as the leading trooper put his Comlink down as the other carried on staring at him.
"Did he just say that Gideon killed his own men?"
"Oh, who knows? These guys like to lay down the law when they first arrive into town. You know how it is,"
From within his confined space, Sprout gurgled again which wound up with him receiving a fist to the head. The little creature cried out in pain as he heard the man yell at him.
"What is that thing, anyway?" the one on the left questioned again, making his sigh exasperatedly. It seemed he was fed up with the questions and he wanted this guy to shut up as well as the kid.
"Uh, I don't know. Maybe Moff wants to eat it? I don't ask questions," the first trooper shrugged as the other just nodded and looked down, before coming out with yet another question.
"Can I see it?"
"Did you not just hear that Moff Gideon killed a dozen of his own troopers to make a point!" The first trooper snapped his head toward the second and acknowledged him with annoyance and disbelief.
"Okay."
"I get that point. Do you get the point?"
"Yes."
"Okay," the first trooper lifted his hands in surrender after getting the response he wanted and looked back to the city as they waited. Trooper two then decided that to kill his boredom and avoid the awkward environment that had been created, he would get his blaster out to do some target practise on a bit of debris that laid in the dust. Both shots he fired completely missed and also gained the attention of his partner who got his blaster, most likely to bet that he will do a better job, however, he wasn't. The two gave up on that pointless attempt of entertainment rather quickly as they looked at one another stiffly in embarrassment.
"Shouldn't we offer that thing some water?" Trooper two suggested but One replied swiftly with;
"You just want to look at it,"
"So what? You got to see it," Two replied, confirming One's suspicions.
"Barely. I mean I grabbed it up off the ground and I stuffed it in the sack,"
"That's more than I got to see it," Two replied monotonously, tired of One being so antsy about him seeing it. It wouldn't hurt to just look at it, why was he making such a big deal out of it? The only way Gideon would find out is if one of them snitched on the other and that wouldn't happen because it'll be both of them in trouble.
"Look, I'm not taking it out of the bag until I deliver it to the Moff,"
"Fine," Two replied begrudgingly, glaring at One from under his helmet as he swung his right leg over the speeder bike to get more comfortable as they waited.
"Okay. Stop asking," One affirmed as he got off of his own to stretch his legs and speak to the Operator again. "Let me check this thing again. This is crazy," he spoke to himself as he reached for the comlink that was resting on the control panel where he last left it. He brought it to the mouth of the helmet. "Any update yet?"
"That's a negative. Still waiting on confirmation. He just killed an officer for interrupting him so this might take a while," you would think hearing the Operator say that would cause some concern from both the scout troopers however they only sighed irritatedly and let their head drop like sulky children.
"Thank you. Standing by still," One quickly replied before putting the comlink back on the control panel. "Unbelievable," he muttered under his breath as he shook his head.
"Hey, how long has it been since that thing moved?" The query made One roll his eyes from under his helmet. Will this guy ever shut up about it?
"I don't know, like a minute or two? Don't worry," he responded in a dismissive tone. Two slid off his Speeder bike and moved closer to One's, eyeing the sack.
"Uh, it's been way longer than a minute,"
"Oh, my God," One whined at Two's persistence.
"Shouldn't we check and see if it's still alive?" his voice was raised this time, irked by One's stand offish nature towards him. "You hit it pretty hard,"
"You just want to see it,"
"We should check and see if it is hurt. That's the last thing you want is to give Gideon a bag and have him open it to find whatever is dead," The displeased One stood and moved the opening of the sack to reveal the kid, looking up at them.
"Okay. Okay, look. Here you go. See? Take a peek. Everything's fine," Sprout squeaked up at them, showing them his tiny teeth as he pulled a scared expression. Finally glad he could see it, Two made sure to take a good inspection of the creature. Poking Sprout's forehead and the bridge of his nose.
"What is that?" he asked rhetorically, however One answered him anyway.
"I don't know, it's like a pet or something,"
"A pet? I thought you- Agh!" Trooper two was cut off by the strange creature biting his finger. He turned around in surprise and anguish as he tried to get rid of the pain before turning back towards the sack and gaining a sudden urge to punch it. He did so, making the Child yelp at the third assault on him.
"Serves you right," One stated smugly, however they didn't notice that a fourth person had joined the party. Or should I say Droid who demanded the Troopers to stop what they were doing. Hearing the sudden voice, the two scout troopers were quick to clumsily take out their blasters and aim them at the intruder.
"Identify yourself!" One ordered and he received a straight response.
"I am IG-11. I am this child's nurse droid and require that you remand him to me immediately,"
"A nurse droid? I thought it was a hunter. Aren't IGs usually hunters and why do you have an axe on you?" Two asked One who nodded.
"Yeah well evidently, this one's a nurse," IG-11 then decided to proceed forward, prioritising what he was wired to do rather than wait around for the carbon based copies to make a move or decision. "I'm sorry, nurse, but you're gonna have to get out of here." The troopers took a few steps forward as One fired a warning shot, most would assume but who knows. Now stood directly in front of them, the droid spoke again.
"It is not mine. Are you refusing my request?"
"No. I'm telling you to get out of here," as it was awaiting that answer, the droid was quick to grab ahold of Trooper One's hand and twisting left and right. It was obvious it had caused serious damage when you could hear the sound of his bones snapping. Two only stared in shock at what he was witnessing and when IG-11 had flipped One to the ground by his broken hand, Two wasn't fast enough to fire directly at the droid and the blaster was instead smacked out of his hand while the droid took ahold of his helmeted face. The trooper screamed in pain as IG-11 smashed his body into the front of the Speeder bike until he was out cold. The IG droid then proceeded to make his way to the sack that lay on the other Speeder bike unscathed. It picked up the sack, moving it in front of itself before taking a seat on the bike and started it up. Hearing the Child coo loudly, it looked down to see him staring right back at it, stretching his little head back.
"That was unpleasant. I'm sorry you had to see that," Sprout grimaced and narrowed his eyes slightly before looking ahead as if acknowledging the droid's apology but not really accepting it yet. The two then sped off in the direction of the city.
Dread continued to weigh down on Signe's shoulders and stomach as time ticked on. She was still coming to terms that Kuiil wasn't answering at that could be a bad thing, a very bad thing but she tried to hold a little bit of hope in her heart. At the moment, she had to focus on herself, Din and the others. They were still pinned and this stranger was still standing as ominous as he could outside with his allies. She could see Greef's and Vito's panicked expressions and there was no doubt that Mando had the same expression under that helmet too.
"Is there another way out?" Vito asked, hopeful for an answer that meant good news. Hearing that, it got Signe thinking. There had to be another way out of here and it wasn't going to be a door, that was for sure, they needed to think outside the box.
"No, that's it," Greef replied.
"Wait, Mandalorian. What about…-"
"The sewers?" he questioned, making Signe's face light up as she nodded.
"Sewers?" Greef frowned in confusion at the suggestion.
"The Mandalorians have a covert down in the sewers. If we can get down there, they can help us escape," The Vicingian noticed how his voice sped up in anticipation, a plan was brewing and he was down for it. It wasn't like they had any other choice anyway.
"Sewer's are good," Vito pointed out and Signe could sense her aura uplift slightly too at the mention of potential escape.
"Checking for access points," Mando mused out loud as he scanned the room using his visor. Meanwhile, Vito was questioning what each one of them was thinking.
What were they waiting for exactly?
Green eyes scoured the limited scene in front of her, hoping to see any signs of movement but they were all so still and deathly quiet. This was all taking way too long. It wasn't until she heard marching footsteps did she calm down a bit. Something was happening, regardless of whether it may be good or bad. She found it alot more relieving to know what was going on than being left in the dark. She watched as a few troopers dispersed as another group of them put something onto the ground and then a very large gun on top. She swallowed dryly as she watched them attach the gun to its stand with weary eyes. She changed her mind, she'd rather be left in the dark. Vito called it an E-Web, whatever that meant but Signe didn't like it, she never liked blasters and guns much, they were too destructive and the big ones were always messy. With melee weapons you have more control.
Greef was the first to make a negative comment, diminishing some of Signe's hope but she trusted Din to find a way out for them. Her eyes moved the side of his helmet and stared at it intensely as she mentally willed him on.
"I found the sewer vent," a grin spread across her lips once she heard his voice through the modulator.
"Then let's get out of here," with that Vito and Mando moved to the spot where the vent was hidden while Greef and Signe stood guard with the blasters ready, not like they would be much use but you've got to use what you've got.
Signe watched with wide eyes as the troopers finished assembling the 'E-Web' and connected a cable to it before pressing buttons and aiming it right at the building they were in.
"You two better hurry up, it's assembled ," the Vicingian warrior warned. She heard strained grunts as the Mandalorian and Assassin attempted to take off a large metal grate from the wall.
"How long until that thing is cleared?" The frustrated panic was evident in Greef's voice. They were running out of time.
"Blow it," Vito suggested.
"I'm out of charges,"
"Get out of the way!" Vito demanded and began firing at the grate but she wasn't having any luck and was only gaining unwanted attention.
"Stand aside, let me try," Signe then stepped forward, taking out her hatchets and igniting the lasers. She chuckled to herself when she saw an incision in the surface of the metal. Din crouched down beside her to see that they were making a bit of progress. "This may take some time, the blades are too small and the metal is too thick. I need my axe... I might be able to weaken it enough though," she explained to him as she worked.
"Focus on these points, Signe" he whispered, motioning to certain areas of the grate. "Good job, no pressure," he patted her back as a way to comfort her, however he didn't really want to leave her and so he left his hand there, occasionally rubbing her back soothingly.
"Your astute panic suggests that you understand your situation. I would prefer to avoid any further violence, and encourage a moment of consideration. Members of my escort have completed assembly of an E-Web heavy repeating blaster," he emphasised the E-Web reminding Signe that this weapon was very dangerous and she tried to speed up the work at hand, sweat beading on her forehead while her palms became sweating from gripping the hatchets handle's tightly. "If you are unfamiliar with this weapon, I am sure that Republican Assassin Vito Tang of Alderaan will advise you that she has witnessed many of her comrades vaporised mid-descent facing the predecessor of this particular model," Signe frowned deeply as she listened to the man speak. She could feel practically the rage flowing off of Tang as he provoked her as Din stood up beside her to ensure she didn't let her emotions get the best of her. "Or perhaps the decommissioned Mandalorian hunter, Din Djarin-," when she heard his name leave that man's lips she stopped what she was doing and joined the others. How did he know his name? "Has heard of the Siege of Mandalore when gunships outfitted with similar ordnance laid waste to fields of Mandalorian recruits in The Night of a Thousand Tears," The Blonde looked at stared and Din, a wave of unsettling morbidness was swallowing her into darkness. "I advise disgraced Magistrate Greef Karga to search for wisdom in his years and urge you to lay down your arms and come outside," he paused briefly before speaking up again and the Warrior felt a horrendous sickness within her stomach...
"Oh and we can't forget about your little Vicingian friend can we, Din. Who knows, maybe (Y/n) will have her experience one day too with the Galactic Empire. Such a clueless, innocent little rabbit," Signe swallowed hard, feeling a little uneasy about how much information he knew of them.
Busy in her own thoughts, the Viking warrior jumped when she found Din in front of her, gently shaking her shoulders and trying to snap her out of her trance. She blinked in confusion before looking up at the visor.
"Are you okay?" the modulated voice questioned in a soft tone.
"Oh yes, it's just… what he said is a little creepy,"
"I agree with you on that but we need a way out," the Mandalorian hinted, making the blonde's expression deadpan. Well he was right but did he have to be so blunt about it? She gave him a mock offended look before becoming serious and moved back to the grate to ensure they were able to get out. As melted away the metal she could still hear that persistent, manipulative man talking and she wished he would shut up already.
"What do you propose?" She heard Greef call out, making her head tilt to her right to see what was going on.
"Reasonable negotiation," the Guild Leader paused and Signe thought he wasn't going to reply until she heard him scoff.
"What assurance do you offer?" Greef questioned him again.
"If you're asking if you trust me, you cannot. Just as you betrayed our business arrangement, I would gladly break any promise and watch you die at my hand. The assurance I give is this: I will act in my own self interest, which at this time involves your cooperation and benefit," he glanced behind him at the sun before continuing his speech. "I will give you until nightfall, and then I will have the E-Web cannon open fire," Now knowing how long she had now, the Vicingian knuckled down to either cut this grate off or weaken it for them to kick it in. The tediously spoken man then walked away, back to his TIE-fighter accompanied by two Death troopers.
"I say we hear him out," Greef proposed but Vito was quick to reject it.
"The minute we open that door, we're dead,"
"We're dead if we don't. At least out there we've got a shot," As the two argued Din was in his own world briefly, he was watching Signe work as he thought hard for a memory, he knew who that man was and how he might know who they were.
"What about you Mando?" Greef brought him into it causing his attention to lock onto him.
"I know who he is," Now this had gained everyone's attention. They all turned to look at him, and waited for him to continue.
"It's Moff Gideon," it seemed Vito recognised that name as she muttered a 'no' in disbelief.
"Moff Gideon was executed for war crimes," her voice wavered slightly and Signe could sense her fear.
"It's him, he knew my name,"
"And why is that? And what does it prove?" Signe questioned him this time, tilting her head with an expressionless face.
"I haven't heard that name spoken since I was a child," well that answered her question from earlier.
"On Mandalore?"
"I wasn't born on Mandalore."
"But you're a Mandalorian," Greef found, not entirely understanding what Din was getting at.
"Mandalorian isn't a race," Vito informed them.
"It's a Creed,"
Images of his past came back to him, he remembered the crying and the screaming of his people as his mother and father rushed him to somewhere safe. All around them was smoke and dust, they could barely see a thing. Blaster bolts were fired from the sky, burning everything that stood in their way. The young boy watched as people attempted to run and duck for cover or fall to the floor with a burn mark in their chest or back. He couldn't help but flinch whenever a Gunship flew by. His parents made sure to protect him, covering his head and using their own bodies to shield him. Panic wracked through their bodies when a B2 Series Battle Droid now appeared in front of them as well as the ones that followed them from behind. His parents continued to run until they reached a trapped door. The father knelt down to open it while mother held the boy close to her. Once it was open, the trio hugged one another in one last hope of comfort, the parents knowing their chances of seeing their boy again was slim. The father helped his son down into the pit as the mother continuously reminded her little boy how much she loved him. The father hesitantly closed his door, looking in one last time while the boy reached his small hand out to him, as if asking him not to leave and stay with him. But he couldn't.
The father closed the door and not long after, the ground and the door shook from an unknown impact. The sudden noise made the boy jump and stare up with wide eyed fear. The small amount of light that leaked in slowly dissipated as something blocked it, a heavy being as it's feet thudded against the sandy floor. The doors opened to reveal a Super Battle Droid already aiming it's right wrist blaster directly at the tiny terrified boy. He shut his eyes and turned away, knowing that he was about to die there and then until something attacked, first it was a singular bolt and then multiple shot the large brute down. The boy peered up to see who had saved him, the silhouette of a man appeared. He donned some kind of armour along with a helmet and a jetpack. The stranger reached out his hand offering the young Din was hesitant at first, scooting back further into the wall, but the Mandalorian ushered him to come to him. Din eventually got up and took the Mandalorians' gloved hand. Once he was out of the pit, there were more Mandalorians, shooting down droids and helping people. He watched them with admiration as they flew down and blew up anything that was over 6 foot.
One Mandalorian then ordered the boy's saviour to take Din away. The Mandalorian told him to hold tight and he picked him up before taking off. From the height, little Din could see how much sadness and destruction these droids had caused and from that day forward, he got a new found hatred for droids.
"I was a foundling. They raised me in the Fighting Corps. I was treated as one of their own. When I came of age, I was sworn to the Creed. The only record of my family name was in the registers of Mandalore. Moff Gideon was an ISB Officer during the purge. That's how I know it's him," Signe stared at Mando with an unreadable expression as he finished his explanation. She was the first look away.
"That's how he knows who we all are," Vito mused aloud, sighing in exasperation. Well he knew three of them, thankfully Signe's alias had been working and kept her safe. The fact that Moff knew she was Vicingian wasn't a problem, most people knew she was upon recognising her attire and weapons, it was just a matter of whether they believed the legends were real.
"Let's not ponder over the matter too much. We're going to get out of here, whether he likes it or not," Signe tried to change the subject and lighten the mood. She imagined it wasn't the greatest feeling knowing that your enemy knew quite a bit about you. There was brief silence before the Beskar warrior spoke up.
"He says he needs us which means the Child got away safely." That gave Signe some relief. "I was worried when the Ugnaught didn't respond but if they'd captured the kid, we'd already be dead,"
"Hail them again," the blonde stated absentmindedly. Din seemed to have thought that was a good idea because he pulled the Comlink out again.
"Come in Kuiil. Kuiil? Nothing,"
"They might've jammed the link," Vito proposed. Suddenly a beeping noise sounded and cute little coos could be heard over the comms.
"Was that the Sprout?" Signe questioned, keeping her eyes on the grate. The baby squealed again and then a robotic voice could be heard.
"Kuiil has been terminated," Signe face softened into a saddened expression, her friend was dead. That means the Child was still in potential grave danger of being caught by that Moff Gideon fellow.
"What did you do?" Din questioned with an accusing tone.
"I am fulfilling my base function," the droid replied.
"Which is?" It was obvious Mando was anticipating a bad answer but Signe figured all was well considering the little green gremlin was still alive.
"To nurse and protect," the Vicingian turned her head to give Din a pointed look as if to say I told you so. The silly Mandalorian had nothing to worry about.
IG-11 and the Sprout sped down a hill, the city becoming closer and closer. The droid didn't make a move to slow or stop the Speeder bike however, even when the troopers at the arch pulled out their blasters and began firing. 11 didn't waste time in taking them out with the bikes built in blaster, taking them out with ease before setting the bike into temporary acceleration. It then whipped out two blasters and began shooting at any troopers it passed. The Child laughed, seemingly amused by the deaths that were occuring. The droid continued to mow down most of the troopers, speeding and dodging through the streets of Nevarro.
As Vito peered outside, she noticed the troopers in front of them begin to act strangely, their attention seemed to be averted elsewhere. From where she hid, she was just about able to see down one of the streets. She soon realised what they were looking at.
"Look!" she called out, wanting Din and Signe to see what was happening. The two rushed over and squinted at the brightness outside. Their eyes finally adjusted and they soon realised that something was going down when they caught a glance of blaster bolts and dirt flying up into the air. Was this Edasis' doing?
All the troopers' attention was now on the unknown approaching assailant, readying themselves to open fire on him, her, it… them? 11 didn't hesitate in his mission to nurse and protect and charged into the swarm of troopers like a manic bull. It ensured to keep the baby's safety by twisting his body round and then pulling its arms back to the front. Signe's axe came in useful, occasionally deflecting a few bolts and thankfully for her, none of them were hitting the Krystal since 11 had taken the first squad out with the bike and the others were all too busy scrambling out of the way.
"Help me get to my axe," The blonde's green eyes shone with excitement when they landed on her precious weapon and Din nodded as she hastily picked up her hatchets. Finally, they were going to be put to good use.
"I'll cover you," Vito volunteered, hopping onto the counter of the bar for a better view and began firing at the ones she could get. Before his companion could exit the building, he stopped her, gently grasping her bicep.
"I'll go first," the young woman was unsure as to why he wanted to go first but she didn't complain. He approached the door with Signe behind him and Greef beside her as they psyched themselves up before the Mandalorian opened the door. He took out a trooper that was hiding by the door with ease along with the other two surrounding it, giving his companion an opportunity to scan quickly for other enemies. Unfortunately, Signe was at a disadvantage with only having her hatchets at hand but that didn't mean she could defend herself to get closer to her opponents, Din and Greef would be her shield until she was close enough. Greef took out some troopers from the left while Signe made an effort to deflect any bolts from troopers further away that hadn't been taken out and used them to take out the ones closer to them.
Din soon found himself against Death trooper who had managed to get a shot on hi but thanks to his Beskar armour he had nothing to worry about and proceeded to shoot the blaster out of the troopers hands, however he was not going down without and it lunged at him, holding down Din's hand that held his blaster before punching him in the face of the helmet and grabbing him by the throat but a sharp blade made of Vicingian silver didn't hesitate to slice through the arm and setting Din from free from the troopers grasp.
"6' o'clock," Signe muttered as she turned to finish off the first Death trooper. Mando moved to face his assailant however her warning was a little late and the trooper was a little closer than Din expected and was about to swing a punch down onto him. The Beskar warrior was fast and managed to block his attack but the trooper counteracted it and hooked his leg round Din's ankle, throwing him to the floor but Din kicked his leg up into the troopers face, distorting him as a hatchet flew through the air and embedded itself directly into the side of his helmet.
Signe didn't waste time in snatching it up and charging toward a Stormtrooper, ricocheting any bolts that he sent her way into other troopers. The trooper seized up when he realised she wasn't going to stop and let body slam into him with immense force. The trooper went flying into the wall, unconscious. She took out the last two that surrounded her before finding her next target. She looked to Din to find him staring at something, following his gaze, she saw that IG-11 was beginning to struggle with the amount of troopers when a group of them had decided to attack him from behind. The droid in a last effort to protect the kid, covered him with his arms as he was shot to the ground. However, this also meant that her axe was vulnerable for damage and she couldn't let that happen again. She sprinted past Din, hearing him call out her name in distress as she skidded across the dirt ground and came to a holt directly behind the droid. She swiped the axe long hafted axe from his back and began spinning the weapon in figure 8 in hopes of keeping 11 safe enough to get up. The Mandalorian scanned the area, thinking of a way to get the load of troopers off of the Vicingian. That was when his eyes landed on the E-Web and he grinned under his helmet. He strolled over and lifted the heavy gun off its stand before opening fire on the group. Signe sighed as she let her arms have a small break from swinging the weighted axe around, it wasn't an ideal thing to do but she had no choice.
A blast from behind her gained hers and Dins attention. A squad of Stormtroopers and a Death trooper had blown the door to the Guild open. Vito was in danger, however before Signe could go to help her, a figure caught her eye. It was the man that uttered her name, the man she wanted answers from. Gideon's eyes were set on someone though. There was anger in them as he clenched his jaw. She watched as he lifted his arm, aiming his blaster at her friend. Her eyes widened and she called his name making him turn around but he still received a bolt to the shoulder, however the Beskar helped him yet again but it didn't stop him from stumbling and dropping the E-Web. His cry of pain alerted Vito and she sprung to her feet.
The Mandalorian tried to spin round as quickly as he could with the heavy gun in hand but Gideon was already aiming… directly at the power box beside Din. When Signe realised this her stomach sank and before she knew she tried running to him.
"Move away from the box!" but it was too late, Moff fired the bolt and the box exploded. The force threw back Mando along with Signe while Greef pressed himself against a wall in an effort for cover. The young woman slowly sat up, her face diary and blood ran from her nose and a cut on her temple. Her ears were ringing and her sight was blurry. "Din?" she murmured quietly and forced herself to stand up, fumbling to put her axe away. She staggered to a standing position and let her eyes settle on her counterpart who lay sprawled out and motionless. She was speechless by the sight and began to move toward him a whimper leaving her lips, she fell to her knees calling his name, hoping for a response but nothing.
"(Y/n), drag him here," Vito instructed the distressed blonde as she and Greef gave them covering fire. For the first time in a while the viking felt scared, she hooked her arms under his and around his chest and slowly began dragging him toward the door with what little energy she had left, all the while tears streamed down her face. This wasn't happening again, she'd lost her father and now she could lose Din. She wasn't sure if she could handle losing him too.
"Din! Please wake up!" the young woman cried out as she gently leaned him against a pillar, breathing heavily. Vito tried her best to calm her down. With all of them in and briefly safe for the time being, Greef got work on sorting the grate again.
"This is our only path out. Can you clear it?" Greef questioned the droid as it put the Child that was perched in the sack, down. The Sprout whimpered, disheartened to see one of his protectors in a state of despair while the other was gravely injured and unresponsive. IG-11 gave Greef a warning to which he replied hastily that he wasn't going to touch the kid. "I understand! Can you do anything to move the grate?"
"Yes of course," he said and began using a laser to get through the parts that Signe had started on, except this method was a lot easier and quicker.
"Oh, I love IG units,"
When she saw his dirtied helmet move to look at her, she laughed dryly, happy to see he was awake at least. Her smile dropped though when she heard his words and the pain in his voice.
"I'm not gonna make it. Go," she frowned, shaking her head frantically and tearing up again.
"N-no. I'm not leaving you! I've already lost my father for not being there. I'm not going to lose you too. Especially you," the Viking replied defiantly.
"Please leave me, Signe," he whispered hoarsely to her. Again, she shook her head.
"I don't want to," her voice broke and Din noticed. Why was she so adamant on not leaving him? Upon feeling a wetness from where her hand rested on the back of his head, she gently moved it to look at what it was. Blood. That never meant good news. The woman whimpered and her bottom lip quivered as she stared at it before sucking in air to calm herself. Vito's eyes were wide upon seeing the blood too.
"We need to take this thing off," She said, reaching for the base but he stopped her.
"No, you leave me and if she doesn't go too, you drag her kicking and screaming," he instructed. "You make sure the Child is safe, he's your priority," he said looking at the two women, not that they would know. "Here, when you get to the Mandalorian covert, you show them that," he pulled something from around his neck and revealed a necklace with an ornament shaped like a skull with tusks. "You tell them it's from Din Djarin," the whole time he gave them instructions, Signe was glaring at the floor and shaking her head. "You tell them the foundling was in our protection, and they'll help you,"
"Please. Please stop talking like that," Signe whined as she took a hold of his right hand.
"We can make it," Vito tried urging him up but he kept still.
"I'm not gonna make it and you know it," Signe screamed inwardly.
"No, you're stronger than this and we are not giving up when we have gotten this far. I am not leaving you for the last time!" As soon as she ended her exclamation, a large blaze blew open the door and an overwhelming heat hit them. Signe quickly used her body to cover Dins so he wouldn't endure more damage.
"(Y/n), go and protect the Child. I can hold them back long enough for you to escape,"
"Mmm-mm not happening,"
"Let me have a warrior's death," Signe clenched her jaw, becoming irritated by the man's persistence.
"Din. I am NOT leaving you!" The Vicingian stated slowly and firmly.
"This is the Way." she didn't respond to that, only stared him dead in where she presumed his eyes would be. Her heart shattered at those words. This didn't have to be the Way though. Under the helmet, Din's eyes watched her face hopelessly. She had gone completely quiet and it was as if he had broken her. Her face held no expression and he started to feel bad. Another blaze came through the door, and she didn't even flinch, she didn't even turn her head. The others did though and they braced themselves for the end they were about to meet. However, a little green creature had a different plan and walked in line of where the trooper was aiming and he outstretched his hand in front of him, squinting his big brown eyes in concentration. Vito, who had shielded her face, frowned when she didn't feel flames licking at her skin and instead, found the little creature seemingly holding back the raging inferno. She slapped Signe's shoulder so that she could see. The blonde slowly dragged her eyes to look up at her and then the scene beside them. With her mouth agape, she watched in amazement at the tiny being. He was so small yet so incredibly powerful.
The Sprout then flicked a hand forward, making the fire fly back to the trooper and it was now his turn to feel the flames although he was the one who wasn't going to be surviving them. He screamed in agony and flew out the building when the fire hit the tank on his back, exploding it. The kid sat down, shattered from using so much energy. Signe slowly made her way toward him and scooped the sleepy baby up and cradled him in her arms, moving back to her weakening friend. Din gently stroked Sprout's head as a way of saying goodbye she assumed.
IG-11 had also finally broken the grate down and Greef ushered the others to come.
"Go. Go," Din spoke softly to Signe who only shook her head. "Go!" he said more urgently and Vito took this as his final word. She took hold of Signe's upper arm, but the viking wasn't going making it easy and she tried to pull her arm away as she focused on him with pleading eyes.
"Please Din, don't do this," she called out to him as Vito dragged her away. "Please don't leave me," she sobbed before she pushed into the vent. The Mandalorian watched her all the way and took in every pained word that left her lips. Many would deem her as being selfish but nothing could compare to the overwhelming feeling of despair she was feeling, it was true she had begun to care a lot for the Mandalorian so badly that she didn't want him to die, she was afraid of being alone again. She was afraid of living without him by her side.
Back in the room, before Vito could follow after Greef, she looked back to see IG-11 standing above Din. "I will stay with the Mandalorian," it notified her.
"Promise us… promise (Y/n) that you'll bring him,"
"You have my word," She nodded, glancing at her friend one last time before ducking into the vent. IG-11 crouched down as best he could and 'peered' down at him.
"Do it,"
"Do what?"
"Just get it over with. I'd rather you kill me than some Imp,"
"I told you I am no longer a hunter, I am a nurse droid and besides what about your partner?"
"IGs are all hunters, and she's not my partner,"
"Not this one. I was reprogrammed. I need to remove your helmet if I am to save you. She could be, she cherishes you," Mando was silent for a moment, still processing the droid's last few words. That was until the IG reached for the bottom of his helmet and Din weakly lifted his blaster wielding hand and cocked it.
"Try it and I will kill you. It is forbidden. No living thing has seen me without my helmet since I s-swore the Creed and off course she does, I'm her friend," The dying warrior stuttered out.
"I am not a living thing," 11 replied and proceeded to remove the helmet, revealing the bloodied face of Din. His hair was matted to his forehead and scalp and he wasn't looking so good. "This is a bacta spray. It will heal you in a matter of hours. You have suffered damage to your central processing unit. I believe differently, she was very upset," Mando thought for a moment and reminded himself of how upset the Viking had gotten. It was right. She had gotten extremely distressed. He didn't remember her being that way when Hagen died, she had managed to keep her sadness in and to herself but when she saw Din get hurt, she was a whirlwind of emotions.
"You mean my brain?"
"It was a joke. It is meant to put you at ease," hearing that did indeed make Mando chuckle but more of the poor attempt the droid had made.
Now in a tunnel, the four walked slowly to regain their energy, however Signe was walking behind aimlessly in her own world. Holding the Child close to her, in that moment he was her source of comfort and she didn't want to let him go and it seemed Sprout didn't want to leave her side either. Vito had offered to take him and when Signe reluctantly gave her to him, the little creature began to fuss and reach out for his Vicingian protector and so she took him back. The baby nuzzled the blonde's face, he could feel her sadness and he didn't like it.
Suddenly, an explosion sounded when the three jumped in surprise, checking their six. They saw a light and heard mechanical footsteps approaching, tension built up in their chests but relief washed over them to see that it was the Droid and Mando. Vito and Greef smiled upon seeing their friend somewhat safer and stronger and approached him with relieved smiles. But the blonde Vicingian was silent and stayed where she stood, just gawking at the Beskar warrior while he apparently did the same back.
"Come on, we've got to carry on moving. Let me help you," Vito said, taking one arm as Greef took the other. The three took the front while Signe and Sprout had the middle and the droid took the rear. They walked for a while until they entered a part of the sewer that looked to be a main tunnel. Mando, Vito and Greef turned their heads left to right, trying to decide where to go next.
"Do you know which way to go?" Greef asked.
"No, I don't know these tunnels. I've entered from the Bazaar," Din replied but it seemed Vito had decided they were going to go right.
"Well if we get the smell of sulphur and we follow it, it'll lead us up to the plains where the river flows," The Guild Leader suggested, which honestly was better than nothing.
"And then the Imps will catch us before we make it to the ship. We need the Mandalorians to escort us to safety," Din strained, enduring the pain he was experiencing. The group then took a left down one of the many small tunnels that branched off from the big one. Nothing seemed to change though, or give a sign that they might be close to getting out. Vito sighed exasperatedly as she shone her light down other corridors.
"Ugh, this place is a maze,"
"Stop." Mandosuddenly ordered. "I can stand," and he did, the sight filling Signe with some hope.
"The bacta infusion is working," the droid confirmed.
"I'll try to find tracks," he said, looking around until he pointed in a particular direction. "We're close," he said, walking forwards and now leading the way. The others followed close behind with Signe dawdling in the back a bit. Although she was beyond relieved that Din was on his way to recovery, she couldn't help but feel utter embarrassment for her behaviour earlier. She was unusually quiet and everyone took note of it but didn't say anything, due to the fact there were more pressing matters at hand right now. Finally, they came across an area that Signe recognised well and this meant good news but there was also bad news. The place was completely empty, well it seemed that way until they came across a pile of Mandalorian helmets, armour and bracers. Signe moved forward to get a better look at the pile, hoping it wasn't real and that she was seeing things in the dark but it was what she dreaded. She looked at Din who slowly raised his hand to turn off his head torch. A sense of dejection washed over Mando, they couldn't be gone could they. What the hell happened when he and Signe left? He knelt down in front of the pile, his head felt heavy as it hung down in a moment of respect and melancholy. Signe felt her heart swell with grief as she empathised with him mentally. Mando picked up a dirty, damaged helmet and lifted it to his eye level. Signe stepped forward and tried to call out his name but her voice betrayed her and it came out more like a croak and her voice was replaced by Vito's
"We should go," The Assassin tried to urge him but he didn't budge.
"You go. Take the ship. I can't leave it this way. Did you know about this?" The question was directed to Greef and his tone had hardened. "Is this the work of your Bounty Hunters?" Din had a point and Signe cast her gaze her Guardian. She wanted an answer too. Greef frowned when he saw her scrutinising eyes on him and replied promptly with a 'no,'.
"When you left the system and took the prize, the fighting ended and the hunters just melted away. You know how it is. They're mercenaries, not zealots," Din stood up, clearly angered and stood to what he believed and began to approach Greef in a rather threatening manner.
"Did you do this? Did you?" He accused venom in assumption.
"No!" Greef repeated defensively. Signe then decided to situate herself between them before Din got any closer. Her sudden appearance made the Mandalorian step back in surprise.
"Din, he wouldn't do something like this," she said timidly. "I've known him most of my life, this isn't in his natur-,"
"And why should I believe you!?" he yelled cutting her off and it stupefied her into complete silence. He should not have said that, he had every reason to trust in her word. She had never been wrong. Mando watched her expression from one of shock to raging malice. All the embarrassment had now washed away.
"Well what a wasted journey this has all been then," she spoke scarily quiet
as her dark green eyes bore into his visor as she clenched her jaw, urging herself not lash out.
"It was not his fault," a voice could be heard nearby from somewhere in the room and from the shadows appeared the armoured female Mandalorian.