Disclaimer: I drew the cover art but I own nothing else. You can view the art proper on my Deviantart account: ArcanineTales100
Take my Hand
AN: Well here's my contribution to the Bo-Din ship catching like wildfire due to S3E2. (Gosh I love that episode!) My crazy shipping brain went absolutely bananas for these two! So much tension, I just can't deal with it! xD I originally started posting this on Ao3 but decided to add it here too.
Foreword: This story is canon divergent because my ideas materialize after I watch each episode. Basically, each arc will entail what I envision happening next. For this current arc, events unfold right after episode 2, with hardly anything matching up with what happens in episode 3 and after.
SPOILERS: It should be obvious, but don't read this unless you've watched episode 2 of Mando season 3.
Chapter One - Panic
Bo-Katan had always thought she dealt with stress really well throughout her life.
In the heat of combat, when most people felt anxious, she was in her element.
When a Sith monster had nearly choked the life out of her, she had felt uncomfortable and vulnerable, but simply sneered afterward.
When her sister was killed, she had gone numb with the loss, but kept fighting without pause.
Therefore, the sense of dread and panic was mostly a foreign feeling. But when it suddenly threatened to overtake her and steal her breath as water trailed down her armor in rivulets, she yanked her helmet off and tried to steady her breathing, only to feel like the cavern was closing in around her.
"What-?" Din coughed from the ground beside her as he tried to rid his lungs of any water from his partial drowning. "What was that?"
"A myth," Bo-Katan gasped out; her breathing was not stabilizing the way she wanted. Why was the mere sight of the creature making her panic? "Made real..."
Something in her voice must have alerted Din's concern as he turned to regard her. "Are you ok?" he asked with a wheeze while Grogu made whimpering noises behind them.
She didn't answer him but peeled her gaze from the rippling water and scrambled to her feet, frowning down at him. "Get up." The dread and rising urgency in her chest and limbs was almost unbearable. "If the stories are true, that thing has rows of razor sharp teeth and a big appetite when it wakes."
Wordlessly, Din started to move when a steady, low rumbling began to shake the ground and caused the waters to slosh. "Kriff it all!" Bo-Katan swore as she knelt to slap Din's jetpack to his back. "We need to go, now!" Somehow, her voice didn't waver as panic gave way to adrenaline.
Din nodded as he gathered the rest of his gear and staggered to his feet. Bo-Katan watched him for a skeptical moment; he was probably still suffering from the effects of whatever drug that mech monster had injected him with, on top of the blood it had sucked out of him, not to mention having nearly drowned moments ago.
He wavered a bit, but he was at least upright. So long as he could manage his jetpack, she wouldn't need to haul him back to the surface the way she did from that watery abyss. They nodded at each other and she donned her helmet just before an unearthly roar split the cavernous space.
They both froze where they stood and watched as two huge tusks rose from the water's surface, followed by an equally huge, reptilian face. It eyed them carefully for a few bated breaths before loosing another sharp, thunderous roar, brandishing row upon row of dagger-like teeth.
Bo-Katan swallowed thickly. So this was where she died. Not in combat against a Sith, or a Jedi, or even a fellow Mandalorian. But eaten by a Mythosaur. Wonderful. She hoped her armor would at least give it indigestion.
Precious seconds ticked by as the front half of the beast's body emerged, its scaly front limbs dragging along on the stone steps.
They needed a plan. Bo-Katan whipped out her blasters, knowing they would do little more than sting the beast's hide, but nonetheless feeling naked without their reassuring weight in her hands.
"Get the kid to safety," Din huffed out, still catching his breath from his near drowning. "I'll distract it."
"You'll distract it by getting eaten!" Bo-Katan snapped back, incredulous. He was in no shape to be walking about, much less distracting anything.
He had the nerve to shrug. "Been eaten before. It's not so bad."
What in the galaxy had already tried eating him? Bo-Katan shook her head to focus. They had steadily been backing away as the beast pulled its massive body from the living waters, all the while studying its targets and emitting a low grumbling. As soon as one of them made a sudden move, it would lunge.
Bo-Katan scowled and kept her blasters aimed at the beast's eyes. "That's still not a plan. How will you escape?"
"Once the kid's safe, we can tag team it." Din had his own blaster ready, the darksaber still hanging off his belt uselessly. If only he was as proficient with it as a Jedi, then they would at least have a fighting chance.
Bo-Katan bit back the urge to argue; they didn't have time to work up a better plan. She grit her teeth and gave a curt nod. They backed up to the mouth of the narrow, triangular stone passage. If they could just escape to the other side, the huge monster wouldn't be able to fit through to follow.
Unfortunately, it seemed to know that too. Before Din could mount his distraction, the beast lunged with a snarl. Grogu wailed from behind; he had managed to retreat partway into the tunnel at least.
Bo-Katan couldn't even spare the kid a glance. She opened fire the same time as Din, but as expected, the bolts did nothing more than sizzle uselessly against the giant lizard's thick scales. It hissed in annoyance but was undaunted in its assault. It raised one huge forepaw equipped with four vibrosword-sized claws, and pinned Din to the ground as if he were a plaything.
Bo-Katan kept shooting and managed to hit its eye. With an angry hiss, the reptile snapped its predatory gaze from its captive to her. Before she could retreat into the tunnel, the beast lunged and swung a massive tusk into her, knocking her into a wall with a sickening crack. Some furious shouting followed, along with more blaster fire. Then everything went dark.