1 YEAR AGO
Your POV
The sunrise is quite pleasant on Jedha. A purple sky is melting into a brilliant pinkish gold as the sun creeps over the horizon. Crisp morning air tickles your exposed skin and a gentle breeze fills your nose with the scent of moon dust. Your moment of solitude prompts you to reach out to the Force and you allow the natural energy to course through your veins, filling you with raw power. Despite the Empire's desecration of the temple, the Force is still strong here. You can only hope the connection is strong enough for you to successfully cleanse your kyber crystal.
"Are you alright?" A deep modulated voice jolts you back to reality.
"Yes. We should leave soon, I noticed Crimson Dawn guards watching me last night when I went to the cantina. They'll report us to the Empire if they recognize us."
"Crimson Dawn operates on Jedha?"
"They use the new port for coaxium and spice trades. Empire cut a deal with them a few years back. Crime lords keep Imp remnants afloat on NaJedha and Crimson Dawn gets protection from the New Republic."
"You sure know a lot about crime syndicates."
"Let's just go."
You can sense Mando's skepticism as the two of you pick through the rubble. There isn't much left of the ancient building and you are obviously lost in where to begin your task. A few chunks of stone etched with faded hieroglyphics remain intact, but you can't seem to place why the symbols feel familiar to you.
"I'm not sure how a bunch of rocks are going to help you purge your laser sword," he mumbles under his breath.
You kneel down next to him with a sigh and hold out the piece you are studying, "You know Mandalorian, now that you own one you could try calling it by the proper name; lightsaber."
He huffs in response and reaches for the stone you are offering him. The second his leather glove makes contact with your hand the ground shifts violently beneath your feet, sending you both tumbling towards the ground.
Din Djarin's POV
Din rolls onto his side with a groan. What was once rough moon sand is now replaced with smooth black lava rock. Sudden rain drops slide down his silver armor as he turns his head to search for where you should be. Instead, his eyes discover a blue and white armored Mandalorian lying on the ground next to him. A red lightsaber crackles in the hand of a girl as she stands over the dead warrior. The gaping hole in the man's throat fills the air with the stench of burnt flesh. She abruptly turns to charge four more approaching Mandalorians and one by one she swiftly slices through each of them with her deadly saber. A ship's engines start to hum from behind the girl as she crouches to remove a helmet from one of the victims. Two red armored Mandalorians stand at the threshold of the ship's hatch and nod approvingly as she holds up the helmet towards them.
The world unexpectedly plunges into darkness and Din has to strain his eyes to adjust to the lowlight. As soon as he is able to focus, he spots a hooded figure making their way through a tunnel. It is a woman, he discerns after a moment, cleaning blood off a blade as she carefully steps over a large mass. The lights on the walls flicker to illuminate a graphic display of tens of Mandalorian bodies littering the blood soaked floor of what appears to be a former covert.
"This is the Way." The woman mutters to herself as she sheaths her knife.
The scene dissolves into a lush jungle. Din notices two women battling each other in a clearing up ahead. One of the women, a Togruta, smashes two white lightsabers into her opponent's red lightsaber relentlessly. The woman on defense stumbles backwards, barely holding off the attack. The hand not gripping the red saber is pressed into her side, trying to slow the gush of blood from a fresh wound. She screams ferociously and lifts her bloodied hand towards her attacker. An invisible force sends the Togruta flying backwards into a tree and she drops her white blades as she slumps against the bark.
Din hears a twig snap behind him and turns to look towards the sound. His movement sends the world spinning into a new location once again. He is now on a pink sand beach with a woman trudging towards the water. She bends at the waist to skim her fingers along the foamy waves. As she stands to face Din, she wipes the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"It's all I have left," she says as she holds out a pure beskar knife.
Din feels himself begin to sink into the wet sand as he tries to ask the woman what she means, but all his senses slowly fade into a new inky blackness...
Your POV
Mando sits up on the desert floor with a sudden gasp. You stare at him with wide eyes as you process the consequences of what he had just experienced. Before any words can form on your tongue, Mando is jumping to his feet and igniting the Darksaber. Your quick reflexes save you as you block his sudden blow and immediately fall into survival mode. Sparks fly as your two blades connect again and again in a fight for the upper hand. His attack is sloppy and unpracticed, but his strength has the potential to overwhelm you quickly, so you decide to disable him before you tire out. With a quick stab to the unprotected part of his arm, your red blade singes the tunic and skin above his inner elbow. He roars in pain and swings the Darksaber at you with incredible power. Prepared for his reaction, you duck the swing and go to knock his legs out from under him. Instead, he kicks your stomach and swipes the saber in a surprise attack. You fumble backwards as you feel the heat of his blazing sword gash across your shoulder and collarbone. The cut is instantly cauterized by the blade, but the pain is horribly intense. He was going for a flesh wound, otherwise he could have easily killed you just now. Using the Force, you shove him with all the strength you can muster and he goes sprawling into the sand with a thud.
"Stop! I don't want to hurt you!" You shout through the discomfort of your injury.
He sputters as he sits up to face you, "Wha..what was that! I saw you!"
"The Force. It showed you my past."
"You.. you killed so many Mandalorians." The crack in his voice is like a stab to your heart.
Your confrontation is cut short by four metal suits dropping from the sky to surround you. Mando immediately unholsters his blaster as he scrambles to his feet. You reignite the saber in your hand and give it a twirl.
"I never expected to see you in such good company again."
You lower your saber at the sound of the woman's voice. "What are you doing here?" You ask as you turn around to face a familiar red beskar helmet.
"I could ask you the same thing, Jetti."
Mando still has his blaster aimed at one of the Mandalorians, so you gently reach your arm out and signal for him to stand down. If they wanted you dead they would have already done the deed.
"We've been tracking you." The red helmet admits as she holds up a fob that beeps faster when pointed at you.
"Why?"
"Bo-Katan is fighting a war on Mandalore she can't win."
"So?" You ask the woman as you scrutinize the other three Mandalorians in the group. Two of the men you recognize after a moment, but the other woman is unfamiliar to you.
"In the past you would never turn down an opportunity to go after the Night Owls."
"Lika, Mandalore is not my planet. Bo-Katan can retake whatever she wants."
"We are told the attacks are failing."
"So you think it's a good time to step in, take out the Night Owls, and get in bed with Imperial warlords to reinstate the ancient Way?"
Lika tilts her helmet at you before turning towards Mando, "Has she told you of her beroya?"
Mando shifts his entire body to face you. He is radiating tension and the grip on his blaster tightens slightly before he speaks, "How do you know them?"
"They are from the Tribe I told you I would take you to," your voice is hoarse as you choke back tears threatening to spill at the mention of your old friend.
He turns away from you and addresses Lika, "Your Tribe follows the Way of the Mandalore?"
"Yes."
Mando shifts his weight between his feet, "Mandalore isn't important to me either. I only want to find remnants of my covert that was attacked on Nevarro. I know some escaped off world."
An answer you never expected to hear comes from the woman, "The remnants of your covert found us. They have joined our Tribe. Our numbers have been steadily growing for years underneath Takodana. Vod, we are asking for you to stand with us on Mandalore."
You let out a small sigh. You hadn't visited the Tribe in over six years. Only seeing one Mandalorian at a time on jobs or trades made you forget how many Foundlings the Tribe would actually take in. They would welcome worthy adults too, if they were willing to swear the Creed and contribute to the Tribe. It is entirely possible they are formidable in numbers by now.
Lika gestures between you and Mando, "You two can help us bring peace to Mandalore. Bo-Katan isn't capable of leading."
You agreed with her low opinion of Bo-Katan. After all, you were the one to denounce her former leadership on Gideon's cruiser which lead to her shooting you, but you never planned on doing anything about her plot to retake Mandalore.
"I can't help you. You are starting another clan war that will only lead to bloodshed." The sharpness in your voice hides the pain you feel inside. All the memories surfacing at once are making you feel extremely overwhelmed.
Mando looks between you and the other Mandalorians. You know he is going to go with them. It is the Way. The Tribe will always come first; no matter the cost, no matter who it is comprised of, strangers or siblings, and no matter what they are asking a member to do. You nod at the group of helmets and begin to shuffle towards your speeder bike. A pause in your step is involuntary when Mando barks out your name, but you continue on rapidly to create the distance you desperately need. Crying in front of them is too embarrassing and you prefer to run away than show your weakness. You leave the five Mandalorians behind in a cloud of dust as you speed away towards your ship.
You pace the hull of your quadjumper as anxiety slithers it's way into your chest to crush your lungs from the inside out. You will have to wait until sunrise to try and purge your saber again. Every second you stay on Jedha is a second closer to being caught by the Empire. A disturbance in the Force ripples through the ship. Kriff. You try to suck in air, but you feel like you are breathing through a broken straw. A knock on the side of ship makes you jump.
"Let me in," Mando's gruff voice commands.
You open the hatch begrudgingly. He strides in and sits on one of the med crates off to the side. You close the ramp, cross your arms and lean against the frame of the door. It's not like you have anything to say to him, so you wait for him to break the silence.
"I wasn't planning on abandoning you."
"Abandon? Mandalorian, I don't need you to stay here with me. I'm one of the most powerful Force wielders in the galaxy. You're not abandoning me." You are lying, you feel abandoned already.
He lowers his gaze to stare at his feet, "There is a lot you are not telling me. And those... visions. You...Lika says she needs you."
He must have been talking to the Mandalorians all these hours, where else would he have been? You wonder how much they told him about your past.
"Listen, Luke is right about me. I'm dangerous. I've been involved in Mandalorian affairs. I can't be involved again. My path out of the Darkside has just begun. I can't go backwards now."
"My Tribe on Nevarro sacrificed themselves for my Foundling. I can't turn down their plea for help now."
You can't avoid the shrillness in your voice, "You broke the Creed. If they find out they won't let you back in, even if you fight for them."
"This is the Way," he lifts his head to look at you.
You glare at his helmet, "You're willing to kill other Mandalorians for a Tribe that will exile you after they take over Mandalore?"
Mando stands angrily, "You would know about killing Mandalorians. You use your powers to murder my people like it's a game."
"YOU know nothing of my past!"
"Because you lied! Because you killed my people and you lie about it even now!"
Every emotion you have been keeping at bay comes flooding towards the surface as the Darkside consumes your mind. You feel out of control as white hot rage boils in your blood and overheats your brain. You uncross your arms and stalk towards Mando's looming frame. Outrage oozes out of him and your two wild energies crash into each other through the Force, making the Darkside pulse through you more powerfully than you've ever experienced. Mando catches your fingers twitching uncontrollably and he reads the movement as a threat. His hand reaches for the Darksaber and you slide out of his way as he ignites the ebony blade. The betrayal of the weapon being raised on you a second time pushes you over the edge. Without thinking, you lift both hands towards him and unleash all the pain trapped inside of you. For the first time in your life, Force lightning shoots out of your fingertips into the air. The electricity connects with his Darksaber, bounces off the blade, and explodes all around the ship. A fire erupts beside you and starts spreading rapidly towards the right engine. Mando forces the hatch open and you instinctively jump out of the ship. He follows to land on top of you with all his weight. At first, you resist his immense size crushing you, but you realize quickly his beskar is the only shield protecting you from the explosion happening all around you. Using the Force, you help protect both of you from the flames licking your bodies as best as you can. The amount of effort required to hold back the fire slowly drains your energy and you feel yourself start to black out as you lie underneath Mando's metal form.
Din Djarin's POV
Din knows he kriffed up. Watching Jedha shrink as the Kom'rk takes off into space, Din knows he kriffed up badly. Two TIE fighters and an Imperial transport prison ship flew overhead as the Mandalorians pulled him towards the ship. He wasn't sure why he let Lika drag him up the ramp without you. He felt numb when he saw the other Mandalorians carry you to safety and prop you against the cantina's outside wall. His head was ringing from the blast, but he was coherent enough to protest leaving you behind. Except he was livid. His anger towards you was enough to make him not care if the Imps got you. You could just blow up the ship and escape, apparently. The only time he ever experienced this much fury was when the Empire had stolen the kid from him. The things he somehow saw you do in your past made him feel something akin to hatred, but then you nearly killing him on the ship made him feel afraid. Afraid of you. If the magic lightning had hit him and not his blade, he would have died instantly. So maybe leaving you to the Imps was justified, if it meant protecting his vod. You lied to him anyway. Beyond saying you knew a Tribe on Takodana through a Mandalorian you met working as a mercenary, you never told him much about your past. The seemingly personal animosity between you and Bo-Katan never was explained, even when he asked several times about your history with her. When she shot you over your harsh words about her not deserving to rule Mandalore, Din chalked it up to a short temper and her accumulative frustration with losing the Darksaber. Maybe he was wrong to dismiss the incident so casually. You cut off any questions he ever brought up about your knowledge of Mandalorian history by saying a Tribe member told you. Now he doesn't know what to believe. He can't think anymore right now though. His brain hurts and the amount of E-bacta in his system is enough to knock out a rathtar. He barely makes it back into his bunk before passing out into a deep sleep.
