Disclaimer: I made the Bo-Din fanart but otherwise, I own nothing here.
Take my Hand
AN: Ok, don't nobody freak out, but I am going to temporarily post-pone the follow up chapter to 10. I am more inspired to write about the episode 7 aftermath and I feel like people really need some closure about it right now. I FULLY INTEND to finish the chapter 10 arc, so don't panic. Things will just be jumbled and out of order, which is going to drive my OCD absolutely bananas, but oh well!
Spoiler warning: This takes place after the newest episode, S3-E7, so spoilers!
Commiserate
A distracting breeze whipped at the command center tent fabric, causing the four Mandalorians gathered around the war council holotable to glance around briefly at the mild disturbance; they were all, justifiably twitchy after everything that had happened in the last few hours.
After rallying whatever remaining forces they had over Mandalore and retreating back to Nevarro, the first order of business was to plan their next move. Bo's gaze drifted from the Armorer, to Axe, then Koska; the first was unreadable behind her gold helmet, the other two wore silent, dire expressions.
"I think we should assume Gideon knows where we've retreated," the Armorer said. "We can't stay on Nevarro."
Bo frowned. "If we leave, Nevarro will be completely unprotected."
"Then we evacuate the inhabitants to a safe location until things settle down."
Bo stared hard at the blue holo-projections depicting their own ships and forces and all of Gideon's, or at least, the ones he had brandished. "An evacuation like that will take time." She fought back a frustrated scowl. Time Din didn't have; they were probably torturing him as they spoke.
She tried not to think about how little time they had before they just outright killed him...
"Speak what it is you really mean," the matriarch demanded in that calm, pointed way of hers.
Bo looked up to meet her vizored gaze, suddenly wishing she had her own helmet on to mask her expressions; for they were betraying her of late. She opened her mouth to reply but closed it again and dropped her gaze back to the projections. She knew her true feelings about storming Gideon's garrison on Mandalore with the full force of their fleet would not go over well.
"Commander," Axe spoke up and Bo raised her eyes to see him staring back with a steady determination. "Whatever you have in mind," he paused to share a look and a nod with Koska. "We will follow you. As far as the jaws of death itself, if we must."
Again, Bo felt her mouth open and close at her sense of astonishment. Although her two former allies had split from her for a time and they'd had their disagreements, she felt their unwavering loyalty wrap around her like a warm cloak. It was a welcome comfort; she had been feeling cold with loneliness after Din's capture.
"Speak," the armorer demanded once again, her patience clearly waning.
Steeling her resolve, Bo clenched he jaw and raised her head. "I want to launch a counterattack with everything we have."
A moment of silence met her announcement, until finally, the armorer tipped her head curiously. "Do you have a plan in mind?"
Bo blinked at her for a beat. That was her question? Not: Are you out of your mind? She mentally scoffed. If she was being completely honest, she felt entirely unhinged and unreasonable. She was finding it hard to focus when all she wanted to do was blast her way back into the base and blaze a trail straight to Din.
"Commander," the armorer needled sharply. "Do you have a plan?"
Bo scowled in response and glared down at the hologram depicting Gideon's base. The fury in her veins boiled as the image of Din being tied down and disarmed flashed through her mind. She wanted to blow that base to smithereens, to leave no durasteel plate standing... But to do that, would require a massive explosion, that, or a giant object-
All at once, her mind clicked into gear and she looked up to blink at her three councilors. "I want to ram the base."
They all blinked back, or at least, she guessed the armorer blinked. "You what?"
Bo nodded with new determination. "With the light cruiser."
"Such a reckless tactic," the armorer replied carefully. "Poses much risk."
"Yes," Axe agree with a nod, his sober gaze catching Bo's. "And we don't have any data on where they're keeping prisoners."
Bo was not deaf to their insinuations. "I realize the risk. But we have enough data to aim the ship to crash into the cavity of the forge, avoiding major damage to the base itself." She pointed to various spots of the hologram as she spoke. "The plan is to cause a distraction and get a strike team on the ground unnoticed. If we place the team at the rear of the ship, we can eject upon impact and infiltrate the base unnoticed."
Another beat of silence as the other three absorbed the plan. "What is the main objective then?" The armorer's masked gaze was pointed and Bo felt like she was staring into her very soul.
"To find and kill Gideon, of course." Bo tried not to shift uncomfortably as her three councilors seemed to share a questioning look. She knew what they were all thinking but she couldn't outright admit that she was letting her personal feelings affect the mission. Still, they were expecting her to address the Bantha in the room at least to some extent. "And to liberate any prisoners."
"Indeed," the armorer replied with a tip of her head. "Yet, which objective takes priority?"
At that question, Bo felt her breath hitch in her chest; she suddenly found she could not answer that question. She had a responsibility as their leader to deal with Gideon once and for all. And yet, she could not bring herself to place the saving of Din anywhere except at the top her priority list.
She didn't bother to hide her scowl. How frustrating.
"Two teams," Koska spoke up when it seemed the discussion had reached an impasse.
"Yes." Axe nodded in agreement. "Perhaps, upon impact, we split into two teams then. We can accomplish both objectives."
Bo felt a small smile tug at her mouth, grateful for their input. It was short lived though, as the armorer's stare bored into her relentlessly. "Which team will you lead?" Her tone was like that of a knowing parent, attempting to make their child see reason. "You must choose."
"I..." Bo felt her voice crack but she set her jaw and forced the words out with every shred of determination she could muster. "I need to know he's alright." Her gaze drifted back to the base's hologram, unable to look anyone in the eyes (or visor).
"Very good," the armorer replied in a tone that bespoke both amusement and satisfaction; had she simply been fishing for an admission all along? "Then I shall lead the assassination team. I will gather the necessary volunteers. There are many who wish to avenge Vizsla, myself included."
Bo blinked in surprise as her confession was so well received and accepted. Koska and Axe nodded, meeting their leader's gaze earnestly. "In that case, Koska and I will flank you in the rescue team. A small unit will be easier to maneuver covertly."
Silently, slowly, Bo nodded back to each of them, grateful for their support.
"We make preparation then," the armorer announced, nodded, and turned to exit the tent. She sent Bo a sidelong glance as she walked away. "In the hour of your choosing, we depart."
Bo nodded back, her thoughts drifting to Grogu as she wondered what to do with him. She couldn't exactly bring him along, knowing the danger ahead...
"I need to check on the kid," she admitted as Axe and Koska loitered for any further orders.
They both nodded with keen understanding. "It will take some time to off-load supplies and prep the cruiser for..." Axe's voice trailed away, as if he was a bit saddened by the imminent loss of the massive ship. "For it's final mission."
"Don't pout," Koska admonished and slapped at his shoulder playfully. "We'll get you a new one."
"But I'd grown so attached to this one," Axe complained, offered Bo a final nod and turned to walk away with Koska prodding at him. "You know how long it took to paint the Mythosaur symbol... And I finally got our quarters organized just the way I liked..."
Bo smiled to herself as she listened to their argument fade. "Ugh," Koska grumbled dramatically. "You sound like my grandmother blathering on about her tea shop before the purge..."
Turning back to the holoprojector, she stared at the base for another long beat before switching it off. She sighed and closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself to face the kid. It would be the biggest understatement to say he wasn't taking Din's absence well.
Rolling her neck and shoulders to prepare herself, she exited the tent and was quickly met by Greef, who had apparently been waiting outside to speak with her.
"I heard what happened to Man- I mean Din, is it?" He fumbled a bit, clearly uneasy with using the man's name, but feeling the need to do so when speaking to another Mandalorian. "Anyway, I can't imagine the kid is taking it well. So I got him a present." He handed her a small, brown pouch. "But he won't even look at me to receive it... Maybe he'll take them from you?"
Bo looked from the man's earnest face to the pouch, and back again. She offered a kind smile and nodded. "I can't promise anything. But I'll try. Thank you for your condolences."
Greef nodded and frowned as though truly troubled. "Is there... any chance he'll survive?"
Bo hesitated in her answer, but she didn't see any harm in giving him a sliver of hope. "We have a plan in motion. Again, no promises."
The high magistrate nodded gravely and gestured to the pouch in her hand. "Take care of that little one."
Bo felt her mouth pull up into a melancholic smile as he turned to leave. "I will."
The Mandalorian princess took a fortifying breath and crossed over to the N-1, where Grogu had taken to sulking as soon as they arrived back on Nevarro. Bo guessed he found comfort in the small cockpit, having shared the cramped space with his dad so often, it was probably the only place he felt relatively safe without Din around.
She tried to work up a genuine smile, but she could feel the stain of sadness in it, even as she peered over into the cockpit to see the child right where she had left him an hour ago.
"Hey kid, Greef gave me some of those cookies you like," she started tentatively and watched his reaction carefully. His ears twitched but he gave no other indication that he had heard her, instead choosing to continue his listless game of pushing random buttons on the console; thankfully, R5 was plugged in and canceling out any and all directives that the kid was unintentionally activating.
Bo released a dismal sigh. The kid had closed himself off after Din was captured, a self-defense mechanism that she immediately recognized and related to on a profound level. It would take a careful approach to reach him without upsetting him even further.
She took another steady breath, tied the pouch of cookies to her belt and leaned against the N-1's hull, her arms crossed flat across the rim of the cockpit. "Hey, we need to talk."
Another ear twitch, though this time she caught a dark brown iris flashing her way for the briefest instance. Bo racked her brain to think of a way to connect with him and realized with a frown that she had never once used his name properly.
"Grogu," she spoke it gently, and watched with keen interest as he instinctively turned but did not meet her gaze, as if his conscience afflicted him from countless years of being taught to respond when spoken to.
"I know you're hurting," she tried again. I am too. She felt her heart begin to ache in her throat as Grogu let out a strangled whine and turned away again.
Bo sighed again. What a pathetic pair they made, unable to comfort each other despite both of them dealing with the same loss. She was about to give up and leave him alone when her gaze caught on the IG unit standing nearby and completely motionless without Grogu to give it life.
An idea occurred to her in that moment; if the child could grasp the concept of yes and no with the droid's buttons, then logically, he could do so without the buttons.
"Grogu," she said again, but more pointedly as she lowered both hands turned fists into the cockpit. "Yes," she said as she shook her right fist, then the left. "No."
The child turned his gaze to her hands, as if bored but unable to ignore her completely. "Do you understand?" Bo held her breath as she waited for his response. He seemed to understand her meaning though, his dark eyes finally looking up to meet hers as he hesitantly touched her right fist.
Bo released the breath in a relieved sigh. "Good." She gave him a soft, sad smile. "I know you miss him." He touched her right hand again, his own tiny green hand lingering this time. "I miss him too."
Grogu pushed against her right hand multiple times and let out a gurgly whimper, his dark orbs narrowing as they glistened with fresh tears.
Bo felt the pain in her throat clench even tighter as the child started to tremble with short, stifled cries, as if he were trying to hold all his grief inside.
Bo knew better than most how damaging that could be. Although she was supposed to be prepping for the mission, she wasn't about to go off and leave the kid in this state. Hoping he wouldn't get even more upset, she took a chance and reached for him, blinking in surprise when he reached back.
She still wasn't used to this baby thing, but the kid needed her, and by the ancestors, she realized she needed him too. Trusting her instincts, she pulled him up to cradle him and touch her cheek to his fuzzy little head and he instantly nestled into her neck, crying softly under her veil of hair.
Grogu made no protest as she climbed into the cockpit (into the very personal space of father and son) and settled into the seat. On the contrary, the child seemed absolutely starved for comfort as he clung to the neck of her flight-suit, staining the dark fabric with his tears.
"I promise you," Bo told him, her voice cracking with emotion as the child's anguish became her own. "We'll get him back."
Grogu made some sort of reply between sobs in his gibberish way, but he made no indication that the promise changed his intention to stay right where he was, snuggled into the crook of her neck.
Bo sighed shakily, an overwhelming sadness swamping her as her own tears threatened to escape. She gave him a few reassuring pats before awkwardly tapping the comm on her vambrace. "Axe?"
A moment later, his voice crackled through. "Copy."
"I'm gonna need a couple hours," she replied, unsure if she had kept her voice steady. "The kid isn't doing well at all."
There was an obvious hesitation before the captain's response. "...Understood. We will be ready."
Bo released a pent up breath as she pushed the control to close the canopy to drown out the hustle and bustle of the camp. She leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes to try and calm her emotions with the hope that it would do the same for Grogu.
The smells of the sealed cockpit settled over her. Grogu's tangy smell (when was the last time the kid had had a proper bath?), the pungent Corellian leather of the seat, a rich, oily odor from onboard maintenance, and finally Din's residual scent, which oddly enough, reminded her of the brown pine trees that once filled the royal forest she often visited as a child.
As her thoughts wandered, Grogu seemed to calm down along with her, his trembling and whimpers fading until he apparently fell asleep, emitting little snoring sounds.
Smiling despite the dull ache in her heart, Bo allowed herself to doze along with him.
Her conquest could wait a little longer.
AN: That's right, I ship Aska (Axe/Koska) on the side. They are so obvious this season, I just can't help it. Also, if we don't get some kind of comforting moment between Bo and Grogu, I'ma be so upset! I have a few more ideas for this arc, so stay tuned! Hoping to get them all posted before Wednesday! Fingers crossed!