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Posting earlier than I said I would! So I guess I fulfilled your request after all, Daisey-Waisey. That and I will be rushing around in the morning so posting a few hours early is better than doing so late.

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Chapter 38

~X~

"A respected leader will die by his soldiers' sides. A feared leader dies by their hands."

~Mandalorian Proverb~

"DIN!" Ravana screamed. She was too week to rise, so instead crawled across the floor until she reached his prone form at last. She could feel his ragged breaths, telling her that he was still alive - yet from the way he sounded, it wouldn't be for long if he didn't get immediate help. Ravana's eyes filled with tears and she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces at the sight of the hole that had been burned into his side. Cradling his helmet and upper body against her own, she rocked him back and forth.

"Din…Din, please stay with me," she begged. no longer caring what else was going on around her.

However, Ravana was not the only one who had seen what Gideon had done. There was one other in the room who was just as devastated as she was.

The kid.

From where he'd stood, with Zax protectively in front of him, the small child had watched his foster-father fall - his would-be mother now crying at his side. Letting out a very loud and plaintive cry, he ducked under the zaktan's legs, scrambling forward as his large eyes filled with tears. However, when the kid saw the man responsible for all this pain was still a threat, his eyes narrowed and he focused all his attention on Gideon.

Raising both his hands, he struck out in the only way he could for one his size, his grief and sadness aimed directly at the man holding the Dark Saber. Yet, he apparently didn't know his own strength, for not only did the shockwave that emanate from him cause Gideon to go sailing through the air, but every Storm Trooper in the room was also bowled over. Only Ahsoka remained standing, seemingly unaffected in any way. Ravana and Din were already on the floor to begin with, yet the blast passed right through them as well, leaving them unharmed.

Gideon, however, struck the wall with a sickening thud, the Dark Saber falling from his hands as he went sliding down and hitting the floor in a very painful manner. Ahsoka, though no longer surrounded, remained poised for battle as she eyed the troopers around her for any sign of movement.

The energy it took to perform such a feat apparently exhausted the kid, for instantly his hands dropped to his side and he toppled backwards, ending up in a sitting position on the floor.

Gideon, however, was now attempting to stand, his body badly shaken yet unfortunately not defeated. Once on his feet, though wobbling slightly, he stared at the child, his eyes wide with both fear and respect.

"You…you are far stronger than I anticipated," he muttered, reaching down and picking up his saber. "Yet, now that I am all powerful, it would be in my best interest to get rid of you…and the other children as well. I will share this power with no one!" He then looked over at Ahsoka. "Thus, you will be next, Jedi. Your kind has outlived their usefulness in the galaxy. You are an antique, from a bygone era." And raising his saber, he began to stalk towards the kid.

"NO! Leave him alone!" Ravana screamed attempting to rise and defend the kid. She was horrified that this man was so evil that he would dare attack an innocent child. And yet, had he not just run an unarmed man though with that saber of his, striking Din down when all he'd been trying to do was protect her?

Ahsoka too leapt to the kid's aid, rushing forward to place herself between him and the approaching Gideon. However, all their protests and efforts proved unnecessary…for the moment he came within striking distance, the man in black suddenly froze in his tracks. His face then morphed from one of determination to that of utter confusion as his body began to shake, his eyes grew wide, and he let out a cry of agony.

Both Ravana and Ahsoka turned to look at the kid, assuming that whatever was happening was coming from him, but he hadn't moved. In fact, he sat there looking just as shocked as they were.

By now Gideon had sunk to his knees, his hands at his throat and chest, digging and ripping at his clothes as if he were trying to burrow beneath his own skin. He appeared in genuine pain, it having come on so fast that he was unable to articulate what was happening.

"It's…it's the midi-chlorians!" came a shaky voice from the far left of the room. All heads turned to see that it was Dr. Pershing, still half hidden behind a piece of equipment. "They're rejecting him as a host and fighting to get out of him. They'll kill him in the process. I…I warned him this could happen!"

"Good!" Ravana growled. "He deserves no less. Let him die!"

"N-n-no," came the raspy voice of Din, his visor tipping up as he attempted to look into her eyes. "He…he is the only way…you can be cleared of…killing Tannor."

"I don't give a womp-rat's hind end about that!" she sobbed, running her hand down the side of his helmet. "He should pay for what he did to you."

Din must have known that Ravana would not budge on the subject, so instead he turned to Ahsoka.

"Don't let them…kill him," he begged. "For…her sake."

The two women locked eyes, both unsure of what to do. But in the end, Ravana nodded her acceptance of Din's request, watching as the still unknown woman turned her attention to the suffering Gideon. Balling one of her hands into a fist, she stretched the other out before her as she closed her eyes in concentration. For a while, nothing seemed to be happening, other than Gideon still shaking and crying out in pain, while Ahsoka stood motionless. But then…slowly, small lights began to appear, seemingly coming out of the man in black - exiting his ears, his eyes, his mouth, and even his fingertips.

What appeared to be thousands of them filled the room, floating around and circling Ahsoka and the kid, touching them gently as if recognizing a kindred spirit. As more and more emerged from inside Gideon, his body began to relax, his cries became whimpers, and the look of pain on his face began to lessen. When the final midi-chlorian had exited, it joined the others, creating a large glowing ball of light that hovered in the center of the room. And then, as if it had never been there in the first place, it simply faded away, leaving Gideon free to at last collapse to the floor, utterly spent and unable to remain conscious any longer.

Ahsoka too looked exhausted by the effort it took to rid him of the microscopic lifeforms. They had been ready to destroy him from the inside out, something he'd brought upon himself by choosing to undergo such a risky experiment. Gideon had attempted to steal a power that was not his to take, and he'd nearly paid for it with his life.

Ravana, who no longer cared what became of Gideon, turned her attention back to Din, once more holding his helmet and stroking it gently.

"Din…Din, please, speak to me," she pleaded. "Stay with me, my love."

"He needs medical attention immediately," Ahsoka stated, kneeling down beside the Mandalorian. Looking up, she spotted Doctor Pershing still huddled in fear. "Get over here, now!"

The man scrambled to comply, though he too appeared hesitant about how to treat the Mandalorian.

"I…I am unsure what to do for him," Pershing lamented. "I'm a scientist, not a medic. I'm not familiar with the sort of damage a weapon of that nature can inflict on a person. I might do more harm than good."

"You fight with one of those swords," Ravana said, looking up at the woman known as Ahsoka in desperation. "Tell us how to save him."

"Knowing how to wield a weapon does not make me an expert on how to care for someone struck down by it," she confessed, her tone filled with grief and sadness. "I am sorry, Ravana."

Ravana was about to break down in tears once more, feeling helpless over the situation, when Din's raspy and weak voice captured her attention.

"Help…me take…off my helmet," Din begged, reaching up with one shaky hand, but was unable to accomplish the task without assistance. "I…want you to see me…before I…"

"NO! You aren't' going to die, so stop talking like that!" Ravana argued, not willing to accept such an outcome. "You're going to live; do you hear me? You promised that you would marry me for real, and I'm holding you to that!" Suddenly her head whipped around, and her wide eyes caught sight of the little green child, waddling towards them, his arm thrown around Zax's neck as the animal offered assistance to his weakened friend. "Yes! The kid can do it! He healed me…he can heal Din!"

Yet as he approached, all could see that the tiny creature's strength had been greatly depleted from defeating Gideon and the troopers. And yet, his resolve was plain as day, his small hand already reaching for the wound on Din's side.

"Can he do it in the state he's in?' Ahsoka asked, aiding the child into a better position to reach the Mandalorian.

"I don't know…I've never actually seen him heal something this bad before," she admitted. "And when he saved me, I was unconscious…I didn't know it happened until I woke up."

"I believe the child is determined to try," the Togruta woman stated encouragingly. "And anything is better than what little we can do for him." She looked down at the kid, getting his attention. "Healing is not a power I possess, youngling, yet I will offer what assistance I can."

Ravana gently laid Din's head back on the floor, as she and Dr. Pershing scooted back. Seeing how distraught the woman was, the skittish man did his best to offer support, placing his hands on her shoulders and giving it an encouraging squeeze. They both watched, one in fascination and one in desperation, as the kid placed his three fingered hand over the gaping wound in Din's side, shutting his eyes as he drew on the power of the Force.

Ahsoka closed her eyes as well, positioning her palm on the child's back, allowing what little energy she still possessed to flow from her and into him, offering whatever she could to aid the healing.

Seconds passed, then a minute, and still there seemed to be no sign of anything taking place. Ravana wasn't sure what to expect, but there were no glowing lights like when Ahsoka removed the midi-chlorians from Gideon, and there was no sound or outward indication of any healing.

Yet, just when she felt she could stand the suspense no longer, Din took in a gasp of air, his back arching off the floor as if being jolted from a deep sleep. Moments later, the kid once again fell backwards, landing on his backside as he stared at Din, his big eyes blinking as if coming out of a daze. Ahsoka too looked more weary and tired, but she gave a wide smile as she patted the tiny green alien on the back.

"He did it," she announced, gesturing to the now repaired hole in Din's side, the healed flesh now looking as if there had never been a wound to begin with. "The Mandalorian will live."

"Din?" Ravana whispered, her voice unsteady and unsure. "Din…can you hear me? Please, say something."

It took a few moments, but eventually his helmet turned in her direction.

"Get…" he began, pausing as he cleared his throat. "Get your hands off my wife!"

Dr. Pershing pulled back from Ravana as if she'd burned him, holding up his hands in a sign of surrender, not wanting the Mandalorian's first act to be that of murdering him. Ravana however, lunged forward, encircling his neck as she pulled him to her.

"You're all right? You're not going to die on me?" she sobbed, unable to hold back her joy.

"Not unless you choke me to death," Din mumbled, his voice a mixture of humor and lack of air. "I could really use a bit of breathing room."

"Oh! Sorry!" Ravana gasped, pulling back as she helped him into a sitting position.

His first action was to touch her face, running his gloved hand down her cheek as he brushed away her tears. She leaned in, relishing the intimacy of the gesture, and loving it all the more because he seemed to feel comfortable doing so with an audience. Next, he turned to gaze upon the droopy-eyed child, his wide little smile telling Din all he needed to know.

"Thank you, kid," he told him, reaching out to stroke his ears gently. "That's two I owe you. First the Mudhorn…and now this. You really came through for me." With a coo and happy hum, the String-bean crawled up into Din's awaiting arms, snuggling against him as he immediately fell into a deep and satisfied sleep…the adorable little grin still on his face.

"I'd say he came through for all of us," Ahsoka chuckled, gesturing to the floor full of motionless Storm Troopers.

"What happened to Gideon?" Din questioned, eyeing the unconscious man a few feet away.

"I was able to encourage the midi-chlorians to leave his body," Ahsoka told him. "They have now rejoined the cosmic Force…they are at peace. Yet none of this could have been accomplished without the aid of the kid. When he struck Gideon, it weakened him just enough for them to break free of his hold and fight back. The doctor was correct, they were going to kill him for what he'd done to them." She then turned her eyes on the sleeping child in Din's protective arms. "I, for one, am truly grateful that you allowed him to accompany us and did not force him to go with Paz and Cara."

"Me too!" Ravana said with a wide smile. "Wait…Cara and Paz are here? They came? Where are they?"

"Din instructed them to take the children and get them to safety," Ahsoka told her.

"The kids are safe?" Ravana asked, giving a sigh of relief when Din nodded. "Thank the stars for that." Just then, Zax, who'd been sitting off to the side, could stand it no more and wiggled his way around and into Ravana's lap. "I'm happy to see you too," she laughed, hugging the zaktan gently to her. "I was so worried when I didn't know what happened to you after I passed out."

"He was more help to me than you'll ever know," Din informed her, also reaching out and patting the zaktan on the head. "Between him and the kid…I'd say we're pretty well protected against everything the galaxy might throw at us. From Mudhorns and Anoobas, to deep pits and wounds from lightsabers."

"You are indeed very fortunate to have such allies, Mandalorian," Ahsoka agreed.

"And might I ask who you are?" Ravana spoke up, gesturing to the Togruta woman. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to have you on our side, but I seemed to have missed the initial introductions. I'm Ravana Searan…er…I mean, Ravana Djarin." She blushed a little as she looked at Din. "I guess I'm still not used to that either."

"Ahsoka Tano," the woman smiled, holding out her hand in an official greeting. "I came across your Mandalorian and his friends on the way here…for I had felt the cries of the children being held against their will and came to investigate. It is my great pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ravana."

"Mine as well, especially after all your help," she grinned, taking her hand and giving it a welcome shake.

"Then allow me to assist you once more," Ahsoka offered, gesturing to the offensive collar around her neck. It took only a few moments of concentration on the part of the Togruta woman and the object clicked open and slipped off. Ravana was quick to toss the item as far away from her as possible, it striking the wall with a clank. However, that wasn't the only thing they heard…for just then the sound of heavy boots came heading their way, causing Din to jerk, though still too weak and sore to actually rise. Ahsoka, however, was up and ready, her lightsabers in both her hands. Yet when the intruder came skidding to a halt just outside the room, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Paz!" Ravana cried, never happier to see the man in her life.

"Ravana?" he asked, joy in his voice over finding her alive and well. Yet, after looking around the room, and seeing all the bodies lying about, he lowered his blaster cannon in confusion. "I missed all the fun?"

"So it would seem," Din agreed, repositioning his hold on the sleeping child and reaching out for assistance to rise. It took a bit more effort than he would have liked, but at last, with their assistance, he was on his feet once more. "It appears you not only failed to follow my orders, but you came back after the battle is all over."

"Hey!" the large Mandalorian barked. "It took us a while to get out of this place, but when we did, Cara said she could get them to the ship on her own and sent me back to help."

"And we thank you very much for doing so," Ravana assured Paz, rolling her eyes at how the two men always seemed to be nit-picking at one another.

"Now that I think of it…" Din said, gesturing to the knocked-out Gideon. "I suppose you did come back just in time. You can carry him."

Paz turned to look at where Din was pointing and stiffened at the sight of the prone man.

"Is that him? The adat at kyr'amur {person you want to kill} who stole the Dark Saber from our people?" he growled, walking over as he used the toe of his boot to turn Gideon over onto his back. "Can I cut his head off now?"

"I would prefer you didn't," Din said with a regretful sigh. "At the moment, he's the only one who can clear Ravana's name and get that bounty off her head for supposedly killing a man. I agree, however, that he needs to pay for his crimes. Thus he will be turned over to the authorities and held accountable for all the evil he's done, to us, the Mandalorians…and the rest of the galaxy."

"And exactly who do you know who can do that?" Paz scoffed.

"I've recently made a few connections in the New Republic," Din revealed.

"I still think cutting off his head would be the best form of retribution," Paz insisted, reaching down and picking up the ancient weapon created by his ancestor, Tarre Vizsla. He ignited the blade and held it up, admiring the way it hummed and moved in his hand. "I bet one swipe of this would do the trick."

"That it would, but after everything it took to make sure he remained alive, I would rather you didn't," Din stated firmly.

"Fine, but I'm keeping this!" Paz grumbled, powering down the saber and attaching it to his utility belt. "Perhaps it will aid in rallying the remaining Mandalorians together, uniting what few clans there are left under a single house. House Vizsla."

"It's rightfully yours," Din agreed. "Do with it as you please."

"Now come, we best leave this place," Ahsoka spoke up. "More Storm Troopers could be on their way right now."

"Not likely…when I came back in, there wasn't a live one in sight," Paz informed them, reaching down and hauling Gideon up none too gently, before tossing him over his shoulder. "They're all dead. What happened?"

"The kid," Din answered, looking down at the sleeping child in his arms. "He managed to wipe them all out in one blow."

"Dang! I feel fortunate to be alive then," Paz muttered, unconsciously reaching up to touch his neck, recalling the way he'd once been a victim of the child's powers as well.

"Wait!" came the voice of Dr. Pershing. "We can't just leave and allow this place to remain intact. It must be destroyed. All the files containing my research on the extraction of the midi-chlorians is stored here, along with any surviving information the Jedi's had as well."

The remaining four adults each eyed one another, all coming to a similar conclusion. Din then turned to Paz.

"How many explosives do you have on you?" he asked.

"Not enough to blow something this size," Paz confessed, pulling out a few of the thermal detonators he had strapped to his utility belt.

"You won't need much…I know where the main reactor for the facility is. If you destroy that, it should annihilate the entire building," Pershing informed them. "I can show you where to find it."

"I'll go with him," Ahsoka said, holding out her hand to Paz. "You get them out of here and we will follow."

Paz nodded, passing off the detonators, and watching as the two of them disappeared out the doors. He then repositioned Gideon on his shoulder and lead the way towards the exit.

"Here, let me take the String-bean," Ravana offered, reaching for the sleeping child. "You're still recovering."

"No, I've got him," Din replied. "After what he did for me, I'd pack this little fellow clear across the galaxy and back."

"He would do anything for you as well," Ravana smiled, taking hold of his free arm and steadying him as they followed Paz. "As would I."

"Oh, you say that, but when I ask you do to a simple thing like help me remove my helmet, you balk." He said this with a touch of humor, yet there was an underlying seriousness there as well.

"Din…I was not ready to give up! The last thing I wanted was to gain the privilege of seeing your face only moments before you died." Ravana almost looked as if she were about to tear up again over such talk. "I once said I would wait forever if that's what it took, and I meant it. However, I will see your face, Din Djarin…when we are good and married!"

"A day that can't come soon enough for me," he told her, removing his arm from her grip and placing it around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. "Now, let's get out of this place and off this planet. For the sooner we do…the sooner we can return to Anoah, where I can officially make you my wife."

"I'm all for that," she grinned, laughing a bit when Zax yipped at her side. "Apparently he agrees as well."

"And I've learned never to disregard that zaktan's advice," Din chuckled. "Come on…let's get out of here."

Yipeee, they're all alive and well! Happy now? And look, no cliffies!

So, how many of you knew the kid was going to heal Din? It was a given, right?

Sorry to all who wanted Gideon dead, but really, I can't kill off a character who might need to come back for a sequel IF season 2 inspires me to write more about these guys. ha ha. You can't go wasting good villains, you know.

And look, there were cuddles and hugs...no kisses though since that stupid helmet is still in place. But later when they are alone I think we might be able to sneak a few in. hee hee.

Paz showed up just in time...to do the heavy lifting. ha ha. And he has his Dark Saber now, so all is good there - even if he didn't get to cut Gideon's head off. Too bad.

Now...off to see how we can wrap all this up. I still have nine chapters to post, so it ain't over yet, folks! Plenty of loose ends to tie up...and a Mandalorian wedding!

Guest Reviews:

Phantom Guest: Yep, Din's in trouble...well, not any more. But he was when you sent in your review. See, you knew I wouldn't let him die! I'm not THAT mean. ha ha. Hope you like how I solved this pesky little 'stabbed by a lightsaber' problem. Thanks. T.O.W.G.