EPILOGUE
(V)(V)(V)
Chapter 24: The Apprentice
"Luna, come in, over!"
Through heavy breaths, I pressed the comlink upon my left vambrace, heart thrashing at my chest at the physical effort of sprinting up a steep, rocky hill in full armour. Though my helmet was as lightweight as it could be without compromising its strength and integrity, its weight certainly increased and it became much more noticeable after long hours of wear. Beads of sweat steadily formed upon my face and neck, soaking through my inner tunic, only contributing to the discomfort. After greedy gulps of air and a slight pause behind a large boulder for cover, I managed, "Alpha Leader, you're loud and clear. SITREP on the combatants, over?"
"They're converging on your spot. Take cover now, over."
My head snapped back towards the lifeforms that trailed me, the t-visor technology clearly indicating a flurry of heat signatures in the distance through the darkness that enveloped us. "Roger, out." I continued to press forward, despite the protest of my lungs and the aching of my legs, carefully zigzagging through the uneven terrain. Another hasty check at my six. The heat signatures remained a cluster as they advanced forward, hot on my trail.
Dank farrik!
Why the hell did I volunteer to be the bait?
I scanned the neverending ascent before me, balance waning at the sight. I'll never get far enough this way, I thought. With a quick twist of my heel, I turned ninety degrees and bolted to my right, making my way down the hill diagonally instead. "Alpha Leader, moving into a right flank towards the advancing combatants, over."
The distress was clear in his voice. "Say again, Luna, over?"
"Right flank! Pincer manoeuvre, over!" I hissed as loudly as I could without giving away my direct position.
A pause.
Some static through the comlink.
"Fire Team Delta, assemble at Luna's position. Fire Team Omega, left flank. Provide supporting fire, over."
A chorus of "Roger that, Alpha Leader" sounded on our channel.
It wasn't a long wait before I perceived several Mandalorians in full armour, weapons drawn and ready, at my side. With a nod of understanding, we pressed forward in an extended line, attacking the other combatants at their right flank in a matter of seconds. A series of blasterfire illuminated the field, a sea of red and blue marking our surroundings. Fire Team Omega then appeared a few meters away, opposite our position, and mirrored our actions. The double-pronged, pincer manoeuvre caught the other combatants by surprise, their confusion visible in their movements, the formation quickly falling apart as they tried to defend themselves on several fronts. Their leader shouted various orders in rapid sequence, attempting to regain some form of control, his booming voice crisp and clear as we continued to advance and gain ground.
"Bravo Leader, it's about time that you give up, don't you think?" Alpha Leader, an older Mandalorian in bright red armour, called out across from me, his voice deep and rumbling.
Bravo Leader grumbled, hesitated, then ordered his team to stand down after a few moments. He removed his green and blue helmet, a small smirk appearing upon his light, weathered face. "Alright. You got us."
A series of whooping cries of celebration erupted from Alpha Team. The two groups of Mandalorians began to exchange armshakes and pleasantries shortly afterwards, marking the official end of the exercise.
I remained where I stood and removed my helmet, beaming with pride. In truth, I had absolutely no idea how I would do during my first live exercise with real Mandalorians; it was a wonder that I was even able to hold my own, given that this exercise was particularly physically demanding, let alone work with a team of them.
"That was impressive."
My heart skipped at the unexpected voice behind me. I swirled around with a smile, placing my right fist upon my heart. "Vor entye, Mandalore."
Din approached with steady steps, holding the smiling child in his left arm. He tenderly placed gloved fingers upon my chin, coaxing me to look up at him. His helmeted head bent slightly, now only a few inches from my face. "I'm proud of you, cyar'ika."
Resisting the urge to pounce on him in public, I replied in the steadiest voice that I could muster, "I appreciate that, Mandalore."
"There's our star!"
Before I even realized what was happening, I found myself being lifted in a fluid motion, now balancing precariously upon the shoulders of two of my teammates. The sudden movement elicited a panicked yelp and almost made me drop my helmet. Victory cries sounded beneath me as a series of hands supported me in the air. "Drop me, and I'll kill you!" I cried out in jest, earning laughs from those around us.
Din shook his head, pride evident in his expression, even beneath the beskar.
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"Do you trust me?"
My meagre focus shifted to the question; it was a welcome distraction indeed. I gulped, finding that my throat was now desert dry. "With my life, yes," I slowly peered down at the space between our bodies as the solid ground began to move farther and farther away. My head shook in an effort to ward off the looming dizziness, unmistakable nerves wracking through my body. How were people able to do this with a bloody smile on their face? "Not dropping me? I'm not so sure."
Din's unimpressed expression shone through the helmet. It was unbelievable how much patience this man had - especially for me. "Well, in about a few seconds, you'll be the one responsible for keeping yourself from falling." His chin slightly lifted, the teacher within him wholly apparent. "Remember: courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act when it is present."
Though nodding in understanding, I released an apprehensive laugh. "Oh, there's definitely fear!" A groan escaped my lips, my hands' trembling now visible. Why were we going so high, anyway? "I just think you take pleasure in torturing me."
"I do what I must to ensure that you are prepared for the trials, cyar'ika," he replied evenly, regarding me. "Everything that we do has a purpose. You are progressing very well. We wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think that you were ready."
Din once more reminded me of verd'goten, the Mandalorian rite of passage. Children and adults alike wishing to enter Mandalorian society must undergo this ritual, this ultimate test, which included training in all forms of combat, weaponry, and military tactics; learning Mando'a and about the Mandalorian society and customs; and defeating a threat. Only after having passed these trials would I be truly considered a full-fledged Mandalorian, entirely accepted into Mandalorian society, and no longer Din's apprentice.
A neophyte and outsider such as myself required extensive training and education, despite my having previous experience in some aspects of the trials. Din sought to use my experience, though to also improve my skills in many other areas. Under his own tutelage, the grueling training that he has been making me undergo since I had sworn the creed months ago included all aspects of verd'goten - and more. Silent meditation, exhausting tests of will, and strenuous physical exercise were only some of the activities that contributed to fatiguing days and long, sleepless nights. Din always knew just how to push me to my physical limits and taught me to learn from failures and mistakes; I obliged wholeheartedly, following every command, as brutal as they may have been. Verily, I even wanted to do more, seeking to make him happy. To make him proud. As a result, my body was constantly in pain; sometimes excruciating pain. However, it was clear as we progressed that my mind was what truly needed the training.
I pursed my lips, teasingly contemplating his reply. "I don't know," I said in a sing-song like manner. "You do enjoy watching me squirm."
"That I do." Din cocked his head to the side, observing me with a slanted look. His voice became delicate. "In...many ways."
"Din!"
"Focus, Luna."
"You are distracting me!" I cried with a laugh, releasing my grip from his arms, finger by finger. With a quick shake of my head, I pulled my focus back from thinking about his unclothed body, somewhat succeeding at returning to the matter at hand.
Through my vambrace, I controlled the thrusters of my jetpack, adjusting the angle and pitch of the intake and exhaust vanes as we began to slowly separate. Din released me gently as I floated out of arm's length. He kept his hands extended outwards, as though continuing to guide me with an invisible force.
"That's good, Luna," he gave a satisfied nod, continuing to retreat. "Keep it steady."
He made his way back to the ground effortlessly in a matter of seconds, though kept his eyes upon me as I continued to rise.
The months that we had spent reestablishing Kalevala with the other Mandalorian clans were, overall, successful. Kriger's clan had laid out solid foundations already, making peace with the planet's natives; now, with Din's leadership and the help of the other Mandalorian clans who had pledged their allegiance to Din, the planet was steadily becoming a more permanent home for us, a more solid base from which to welcome any other Mandalorians throughout the galaxy. Our unity would be our survival and our strength, and we continued to fight to no longer be exiled across the galaxy - no matter what villainy plagued us.
I released a long breath and took another look at the view through my t-visor, resolving to focus on what was in front of me instead of what was beneath me. I was now several meters above the deep-brown ground of Kalevala, the sunrise in the distant horizon beginning to illuminate the vast grasslands before us. Admittedly, there was an extraordinary solace to be found in the low, constant sound of the thrusters as one was being embraced by the sky.
The following sigh that came from me was one of relief as the nerves finally began to settle. So far, everything was going to plan.
After all of the studying, the endless nights, the dry runs...I was getting it.
By the Being, I was actually getting it!
...At least, that was what I thought until the thrusters began to sputter.
"Din?" I called out to him using the vambrace comlink. Billowing grey-black smoke began to surround me then, clouding my view. "Um...is this supposed to happen?"
Din, now only appearing to be a couple of inches below, ran forward and snapped his head up. He seemed to be using the technology in his visor to scan my form. "Did you do the pre-flight check that I had asked you to do?"
"Krif," I muttered to myself, instantly lowering my head. It truly made sense that the first few words that you learned in another language were curse words; they were usually the ones of most use. The jetpack momentarily faltered again, making me unbalanced and twist violently to my right side. A flock of convors flying by in the opposite direction even eyed me in question, utterly confused at what was happening. I pressed the comlink once more, concurrently attempting to right myself onto the prone position, akin to a torpedo. "Sorta...kinda...not really?"
"Luna…" Din's tone was a mixture of disappointment and exasperation.
Not too bad of a reaction from him this morning, I guess. I've elicited worse…
"I needed sleep, okay?" I grumbled. When was the last time that I've received proper rest? Better yet...what day was it? It also didn't help that Din had asked me to do that task after yet another pleasurable night with him. Did he really think that I had enough energy after that? My tone was accusatory. "Things have been kind of hectic thanks to you, master!"
He groaned himself and was now probably running a hand down his helmet. "Okay, hit the blue button if your -" static momentarily filled our comms, cutting off his voice mid-sentence.
My brows furrowed as I listened intently for the rest of the message. Complete radio silence. "Wait, what was that? Say again, over? Din, do you copy?"
A few moments later, Din didn't acknowledge my transmission and continued without missing a beat, "- but if so, you'll need to switch the red button to make sure that the -"
More buzzing and white noise.
Damn it.
The nearby tower must be inadvertently interfering with our signal.
"Blue button, then red button?" I repeated, tapping on the vambrace with a pair of fingers. My immediate action seemed to have made the static worse. "Red button and blue button?"
"...but be careful. You can turn off the thrusters if you press the red button without -"
"Argh!" I cried out, without sending another transmission, and closed my eyes. This was precisely why I had chosen the specialty of hand-to-hand combat, especially the type of combat that occurred on solid ground. Not only was I good at it, but you never had to think about falling from the damned sky! Flying with a jetpack was definitely not my forte, and it was definitely not ideal for someone who became nervous when it came to heights. However, as Din constantly reminded me, a jetpack was essential to Mandalorians. Personal preferences aside, I had to learn it at some point.
I closed my eyes.
Ok. Think back to your training, Luna.
Figure out the problem.
I hastily inputted the sequence that came to mind upon the vambrace. The code beeped within my helmet, the visor flashing red Mando'a script. Systems normal. I twisted my head back to survey the situation, finding that the engines seemed to have stabilized after the staccato beeping had abruptly stopped. Smoke no longer surrounded me as I continued through the planned flight path. Punching in another code, I began to lose altitude in a somewhat controlled manner, circling back towards our original landing zone.
"Luna, you're landing way too fast!" Din's panicked voice was now clear on the comlink. "Slow down!"
"I'm trying," I yelled down at him, not even bothering to use the comlink anymore. "I'm trying!"
My eyes grew wide when I realized what Din was planning on doing. As I neared him, he took a solid stance, poised and ready to catch me. His form grew larger and larger as I maintained my course, the speed only decreasing slightly despite my inputted codes. As a last resort, I attempted to fly upwards, pointing the thrusters vertically, in order to lessen the impact. With a wince, I braced myself as his arms wrapped around me. His grip became tighter around my torso as we tumbled roughly to the ground, our bodies kicking up dust in the process.
As my jetpack powered off, we finally stopped rolling, with Din pinning me down.
"You know, master," I rested my hands upon his plated chest, peering up at him, "I've just learned that a Mandalorian with a jetpack truly is a weapon!"
Din let out a groan, dropping his head.
To our left, the child repeatedly coughed through the billowing dust. As it slowly settled upon his little body, he then clapped and squealed in glee.
"Well," Din began, placing a gloved hand upon the side of my helmet, "at least you listened to me."
"Actually, our comms were weak and I could barely hear what you were saying." My chin lifted proudly. "I figured it all out by myself!"
"You remembered what I taught you?"
I ignored the incredulity in his voice. "Because I'm a good student," came my playful challenge, "not because you're a good teacher!"
"You know," he said in a low tone, leaning forward, "insulting me is punishable."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him closely. "That's a filthy lie."
His helmet was now right beside my ear. "How about we put the child to bed," his hand trailed up my waist to highlight his point, "and I'll show you just how punishable it is?"
I couldn't help but bite my bottom lip at the suggestion.
"Pardon me, Mandalore, but could I please have a word?"
Din and I both looked up simultaneously, the trance broken. To my dismay, we broke apart as quickly as we could, being once more bound by decorum in public. Din nodded as he stood, then gingerly helped me up.
"Of course, Kriger. What did you need?" He stepped closer to his fellow Mandalorian, almost conspiratorially. "Come on, brother. Remember, if we're in private, please call me Din."
Kriger's bright, emerald eyes shone with mirth as he nodded in understanding. "I cannot help it, Din. You know that I am a slave to propriety." He regarded me and the child, bowing his head in greeting. "Good morning, Luna. Little one."
"Hey, Kriger!" I returned his greeting with a smile and nod.
The child happily waved.
"Well...duty calls." Din placed a hand on my cheek, then looked down at the child. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He appeared apologetic as he walked away but, as was required of him, continued his conversation with Kriger in confidence.
As he retreated from my sight, the child began to tap at my leg. With a curious expression, I crouched down, meeting his eyes. "What is it, baby?"
"Meh?" He waddled closer to my side and settled a tri-fingered hand upon my arm. His large, brown eyes blinked, looking at our contact, then back up to meet my stare.
Though somewhat peculiar, I reasoned that he was just concerned. I smiled, squeezing his little green hand. How did he grow up to be so caring? "Don't worry, sweet child! I'm not hurt, I promise." In a swift movement, I scooped him up and tucked him securely upon my arm. "Come on. Let's go get you something to eat."
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- Vor entye - Thank you
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A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! Just as an update (on Feb 18, 2021) - I've decided to move on from writing this story and onto another couple of projects! Chapter 24 has essentially become an "Epilogue" of sorts. Lots of ideas have been floating around in my head, and I really wanted to pursue some of them. Perhaps, sometime in the future, I will continue Din x Luna's journey, but for now, I will be writing two other Mandalorian Din x OC romance fics titled "The Protector" and "The Redeemer", both published now!
My other two Mandalorian fics are called "The Memories of a Father", a Din and Grogu OneShot, and "The Sins of the Father", a short series about Young Din. :)
Also, thank you to those who've commented that they like my writing! As an aside, I vary my style of prose depending on the fandom. As The Mandalorian is a TV show, I thus decided to adapt a more action/thriller style with a lot of descriptions, just so you can picture what is going on, and it feels like you're "watching" the scene unfold. It doesn't leave too much to the imagination, but I think it works.
As always, thank you for your reviews, favourites, and follows! Your support means a lot. xx IFHD
