Chapter 20: The Sin
The eerie glow of the saber reflected upon the side of Din's helmet, the dirtied beskar surface now illuminated with steady, pulsing white light. Our surroundings suddenly slowed, the movements around us akin to a blurry dream. My ears did not register anything other than stark silence. It was almost impossible to focus on anything other than the violent thumping of my heart, my head clouded and swirling as my eyes darted from Din, to the figure before us, in panic.
The man before us took a step, and then another, continuing to close the distance between us in steady strides. His blazing eyes were affixed solely on Din, intent and purpose clear.
During my travels with Din, I had seen so many cower at the mere sight of him; even hardened warriors trembled to the ground after mere seconds of attempting to fight him, begging for him to spare their lives. And yet, this man exhibited no sign of fear or hesitation, his posture and poise only exuding unbridled determination. This was a man who had power, who was used to others carrying out his bidding. As he drew closer, his identity became even clearer by the insignia upon his uniform.
Moff Gideon.
It must be him.
Our present situation had become so dire that I had to somehow accept, right then and there, that this could possibly be our final moments - that everything that we had worked so hard to accomplish, that everything that we were fighting for - had all been for nothing. Was this what the Rebels felt before they perished? Or did they proudly stay true to their beliefs, even when the end came near?
Yet, despite all of this, something remained in my heart.
A glimmer of something that was worth holding on to, even when all seemed lost.
Hope.
That was when I heard it. At first, the sound was akin to the distant roaring of thunder, the threat of the storm quickly closing in. Then, it steadily grew louder and began to multiply, bolstered by the sight of bright lights spreading like wildfire throughout the darkened sky above like fireflies. The canopy above us was now alit, as though the stars themselves were advancing towards us. The commotion became even more severe as the moments passed, the low, persistent noise seeping through my chest, its reverberations causing our surroundings to tremble. Perceiving the unexpected commotion at the same moment, Moff Gideon took a slight step back in caution, his dark eyes flashing above him, now focused and alert. Din briefly looked back at me and the child, his posture stiff and hardened, then mirrored the Moff's actions.
One by one, they began to appear from the heavens.
All donning their distinct t-visor helmets.
All prepared for war.
"Luna, get to safety!" Din cried, sharply motioning for us to move. "Now!"
As though on cue, blasterfire erupted above us, the showering beams of crimson light directed at the advancing enemy. Marauder troops and Moff Gideon's Stormtroopers fired back in kind, taking cover where they could, though many falling where they stood. Ducking momentarily for cover, I then took the child and rushed farther into the recesses of the mountainside, seeking some refuge from what had now become the main battleground. Moving opposite our direction, more Mandalorians came in waves, peppering our surroundings, forming a protective wall of blasters and beskar before us as they hit solid ground one by one. Coalition ships appeared shortly thereafter, flanking their approach. They hovered low over the battlefield, dropping combatants simultaneously, with a mission to bolster the Mandalorian front. Though Gideon continued to order his troops to advance, he remained in place in front of Din, unmoving, the expression on his face hardened.
"Need a hand?"
Despite the amiable query, the sudden voice at my side caused me to visibly jump and instinctively crouch down in order to hold on to the child. My eyes widened in bewilderment as a familiar face approached, her shadows dancing as a result of the pulsing light emanated by the firefight. "By the Being, Cara, you almost gave me a heart attack!"
Her infamous smirk appeared on her comely face. She cocked her head cooly to the side as she stopped in front of me. "Was that a yes?"
We shared a firm armshake. I nodded fervently. "I am so glad to see you!"
She nodded curtly in return, blaster readied at her hip, as she took cover beside us. "Likewise. We deployed as quickly as we could. Glad to see that we weren't too late and you're still in one piece." Her eyes then darted to the child now at her feet, her lips pursing in jest. "And you," she bent down quickly to scratch his head, playful admonishment lining her tone, "I can't believe you ran away from me!"
The child looked up at her, waved with one arm, and released a string of giggles.
A pair of Coalition squads passed us, nodding in greeting as they did so.
Cara readied her weapon, then released a breath. "Be right back," she called out, entering the fray with the rest of the combatants.
I followed her form as she advanced, then focused back on Din to my left. The Moff continued to remain in place, unnerved, despite the battle that surrounded him. He barely even flinched when his own troopers fell by his feet, acting as though he were invincible; that no blaster, spear, or any other weapon could penetrate his armour. The menacing frown lingered on his wrinkled, pockmarked face as he continued to stare intently at Din.
Din, equally unphased by the firefight in which they were standing within, merely aimed his weapon at Gideon's direction. In return, Gideon gripped the saber that he held before him even tighter, his stance readied for Din's move. The Moff beckoned for Din to come forward, calling him out of the pandemonium, unafraid of the impending combat between them.
Din made the first move, releasing a barrage of shots from his blaster. Gideon blocked each of the shots with his saber, the pulses of light ricocheting in all directions, and was even able to advance. Gideon's forward movement was met with more blaster shots, but none were able to penetrate through the saber or Gideon's armour. Din released a low growl, as though cursing the inability of his weapon to do any damage.
Gideon used this moment to counter, maniacally striking Din from above. Din parried the downward swing with his right vambrace, grunting at the effort, though managing to stand his ground. The beskar held, sparks flying at the contact. The Moff momentarily pulled back, then swung at Din from the opposite side; the blow was met with Din's left vambrace.
Utter rage erupted from the Moff then.
Gideon put his weight behind every subsequent swing that he dealt, lacking grace and fluidity, focused only on inflicting the final blow upon his enemy and ending the fight in his favour. As the fight progressed, Din managed to block every swing and landed a few blaster shots upon Gideon's breastplate, knocking the Moff back a few paces. Though Din's beskar continued to withstand the blade, and whatever it was made of, it was clear that what the Moff was wielding was no ordinary weapon.
"The child is the key to bringing order to the galaxy," Gideon declared, pressing the saber down upon Din's crossed arms. "Surrender him to me and I will consider sparing the life of the people of this planet."
"You will never have him," Din spat, keeping his stance firm. His helmet raised, the t-visor directly facing the Moff. "He means more to me than you will ever know."
A hint of familiarity flashed upon Gideon's face, but he ultimately said nothing in return. With a cry, he pulled the saber back and quickly swung from the right, managing to make contact with the side of Din's helmet. Din faltered to the left with a sharp groan, momentarily losing part of his balance.
"Din!" I cried out in panic, trembling as I moved forward. The child at my side released a worried cry, gripping the side of my leg, as though urging me to remain where I was.
"Well, well, well - now what do we have here?"
Adrenaline instantaneously rushed through me.
I swirled back around, quickly recognizing the voice.
I was met with Diabhal's cocky smirk, her hands loosely placed upon her hips. Exuding confidence, she ordered the two marauder troops that flanked her to remain still and cooly made her way towards me and the child, acting as though nothing was amiss. She continued her exhibition of strength as she crouched down, feigning surprise, as her squinted eyes landed on the child. "Why, you must be the little green bundle of joy that Moff Gideon has been looking for!"
I pressed forward with a growl, my hand readied beside my holster. "Not another step, Diabhal!"
Genuine surprise now appeared on her dirtied, oblong face. The scarlet of her garb reflected in her eyes. "I know that voice!" she cried in an almost affectionate manner, a gloved hand moving to her heart. "Why, if it isn't the one and only Luna Láidir!" She assessed me from head to toe, a mocking scoff escaping her lips. "So you think you are a Mandalorian now, do you? Silly girl. Wearing beskar armour doesn't make you a warrior!" She sauntered forward even closer, now only a mere arm's length away. "I don't see why you feel the need to play pretend. You and your people are nothing more than worker banthas!"
Tears pooled upon the sides of my eyes as the rage consumed me. As I reached for my blaster, Diabhal coiled her arm around mine, twisting. Pain immediately shot through my body, and I couldn't help but cry out and drop my weapon. Her right elbow followed, landing upon the side of my neck between the beskar. I stumbled back from the blow, gasping for air.
"On second thought," she purred, looming over me, "even banthas have more fight than this."
The roar that came out of my mouth pierced the air around us as I leapt forward, spearing Diabhal at her midsection. The move had initially caught her unprepared, but as we both landed on the rocky ground, she used the forward momentum to roll me off of her, tossing me above her head. I landed momentarily on my back, but quickly managed to push myself up.
"Take the child!" she snarled to her troops.
"No!" I yelled, sprinting towards the baby. He eyed me with worry. "Get away from him!"
Diabhal shot up and kicked the backs of my legs, sending me tumbling to the ground once more. I was able to place my hands in front of me in time, softening the fall. As she advanced, I kicked at her knees in return, successfully landing a solid hit with a satisfying crack of her bones.
An ear-piercing scream came from her bloodied lips, her hands automatically clasping at her right knee. I jumped upwards, fighting off the pain, and snatched my blaster from the ground. As I ran and pointed the weapon towards the marauder troops, however, I realized that they were no longer moving...at all.
They were frozen, a few feet in the air, crying out in pain.
My eyes shifted towards the child.
His tri-fingered hands were extended in the air, with all of the galaxy's focus and determination concentrated in his large, dark eyes. As he swung his arm to the right, one marauder troop violently flew to the side of the mountain, the harsh impact making his body instantaneously still. The other marauder troop clawed at his neck, as though something invisible were choking him, draining his life force away. With the flick of the child's wrist, the second marauder troop flew back towards the other direction, landing upon the rock outcropping face-first. He remained still thereafter.
The child sat down then, as though drained of energy.
I guess he had that handled!
When I turned my attention back to Diabhal, I was met with another elbow right upon the t-visor of my helmet, violently knocking my head back. Limping forward, Diabhal followed my stumble, the expression on her face ravenous. "I will end you!"
The two blaster shots that I managed to release bounced off of Diabhal's armour, barely slowing her advance. I caught a glimpse of the glint of a vibroblade as she swung madly overhead, aiming to deal the final blow. I crossed my arms above me, catching her arm, stopping the blade mere inches from my face. With all of the might within her, she pushed forward, using my imbalance to press farther down, causing my feet to slip upon the uneven ground. As I looked back, it was only then that I realized that she had pushed me back towards the edge of the escarpment, mere steps away from the drop to the depths of the dark ocean below. With the last ounce of my energy, I slipped to the right. Diabhal's own momentum propelled her forward, and she stumbled towards the edge of the precipice.
As she fell over, she turned, snatching my leg.
I released a grunt as I was forcefully pulled to the ground and dragged several feet. I slid on my stomach, grasping for anything and everything that I could hold on to. My right hand momentarily found a protruding rock, suddenly slowing our descent.
Throughout my panic, Diabhal cackled below me.
"This little uprising of yours, girl, is futile," she sneered, digging her fingers into my calf. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."
My body violently trembled, the pain in my arm unbearable.
One by one, my fingers began to slip.
And we fell.
(V)(V)(V)
I suddenly regained consciousness.
Discomfort wholly invaded my body, my senses; my torso felt as though it were being continuously crushed. My hands automatically reached for my throat and chest as water burst from my mouth. Through uncontrollable, uneven coughs, I greedily gasped for air, chest rising and falling in rapid succession. When I found that I could almost breathe normally once more, I shifted to my side, rolling slowly. Through blurred vision, it was only then that I realized that my helmet was entirely off - as were parts of my armour. Cool sand tickled my cheek as I twisted my head, the slow sunrise blinding above me. My shaky hand hovered above my eyes, instinctively shielding them from the light.
Dazed and confused, it took a while for me to regain full consciousness and attain a sense of exactly where I was.
As the moments passed, I could finally discern a pair of shadows looming over me.
"W-where...where am I?" came my groggy question as my vision slowly came into focus. I could now somewhat perceive the child looking down upon me, green form unmistakable, his delicate little hand placed upon the side of my arm. He cooed lightly, moving closer to get a better look at me.
The other figure was a man - one who I did not recognize. Sincere concern lined his handsome, stubbled face as his short, brown hair tousled in the wind. Brows knitted, he matched the child's movements, kneeling closer to me. His deep-brown eyes surveyed my form, as though he were committing the sight to memory. The simultaneous relief and discomfort that emanated from his being was clear to see. Though his jaw was tense, his eyes softened as he reached out, his gloved hand tracing the side of my face, thumb gently caressing my cheek. "You're safe," he said softly.
That voice.
...That voice.
My breath caught in my throat as I croaked weakly:
"Din?"
He nodded slowly, a twitch of a smile pulling upon his lips.
Tears began to mix with the water upon my face as I felt the weight of what he had done.
Dumbfounded, I forced my body to move, propping myself upon my elbows as I sat up.
It was my turn to trace the side of his face with trembling fingers, lightly brushing away tendrils of his damp hair, reveling in the feeling of his coarse jawline upon my fingertips. He shut his eyes at the contact, swallowing, allowing the connection to engulf him. A shaky breath escaped his lips, as though he were releasing with it all of the worries, fears, and anger within him. I pressed my cheek upon his and claimed his soft lips in a light, delicate kiss. He met the contact of our lips in full.
After a few moments, Din pulled back slightly. He wrapped me in his arms with a sharp intake of breath, then buried his face in the crook of my neck. A rivulet of tears streamed down my cheeks then, my entire being overtaken by emotion. I raked my fingers over his mussed hair, soothing him, planting a series of kisses upon his forehead. Din grasped at my sides, pulling me closer to his chest.
"You weren't breathing," he choked out, rocking me in his arms. "Damn it, Luna, you weren't breathing."
(V)(V)(V)
A/N: Well, my faithful readers, I'm BACK! I'm just in time to give you this chapter as a Christmas present. I know many of you have been waiting patiently for this next installment, so I hope you enjoy it. It took a while for me to get back into the writing groove, but I started writing another Mandalorian fic to beat the writing rust. (Maybe I'll start publishing that one, too...but we'll see!) Hopefully this chapter isn't too bad.
I'm still heartbroken over that Season 2 finale, but I used those emotions to write this chapter. I'm also surprised that what I thought would happen in Season 2 actually did happen, so I think it was a good idea that I waited until the end of Season 2 to continue this story. I had so many ideas floating in my brain - fingers crossed, they will work out well with what's happened in canon. Enjoy this chapter, and happy holidays! xx IFHD
