While helping Grogu find a Jedi, an accident on Tython turned Din Djarin to a Force sensitive. Caught at a crossroads, he went back to Calodan to become the padawan of Ahsoka Tano but…Din's other life has caught up with him.

~(o.o)~

A/N: I love the story of Din Djarin and Grogu. Also I am writing this because of the force of my inspiration Pedro Pascal and not for monetary gain. I have spoken. This is the way!

1 : Yuno, Din's attendant would look like kid on the side of the road from Season 2 Episode 15-The Believer.

2: On Pinterest see Din Djarin's cute cottage in Calodan under the name Acer Wolfe at Silver Moon Inuyoukai board. You can also see the picture of the Mantis, Din's new vehicle.

Kindly leave a review to bolster my confidence and muse and tell me what you think. Thank you!

CHAPTER 25

PADAWAN

THE GREEN KID

DIN'S COTTAGE~

"Did you get it?" Jem called out from the veranda.

It was already early evening and the air is much cooler now that the sun's down. The forest planet of Corvus has a slower orbit around its star than most so it gets more sunlight. It immensely helps in the growth of the flora but it also means a much hotter environment for the humans living on this world in the outer rim territories.

"No! Not yet!" Yuno walks around looking if there is a twig or a branch long enough to reach across the pond.

"Sorry, your ball is gone." Jem reported the loss to Grogu who is waiting at the table still not done with his dinner.

The three boys were waiting for Din to appear for an early supper but the man hasn't shown up before sundown came so Yuno went ahead to get their meal. Like before. Din's attendant would leave the covered food tray on the dining table near the fireplace. The three kids had their own meal at the porch where it's cooler.

Every now and then Grogu would pick up the shiny metal ball. Yuno and Jem exchanged worried glances; Grogu would sometimes purr or softly whine. For the two boys it sounded oddly sad. Playing some games distracted the little boy until the heavy ball rolled down the floorboard and straight into the pond.

"No, it's not gone! It's just in there!" The water in the ornamental pool is filled with fish and it's a little dark and Yuno couldn't see anything below. "Where did that ball go?" he murmurs all the while as he peers into its depth.

"Yuno, get in. It's not deep!"

"What?! The caretakers are gonna kill us!" Yuno shakes his head. "And uh…uh…I think these fish bite!"

"Huh? What is it?" Jem leaned to the tiny boy. Grogu points, serious now, very intently. "What do you want to say?" The green boy kept grunting and pointing. There! Jem tilts his head, a deep frown on his chubby face. "What? Was that you?" The green boy nodded. Jem got excited and when Jem gets excited he jumps up and down. He points to his shaved head. "Again! Say something again!"

Take! There!

"You wanna go there? The pond?" And with a happy chuckle Grogu jumps into the arms of the surprised Jem.

"Jem! Go back!" Yuno motioned at the two as soon as the pair stepped down from the veranda. "The master said not to let him out!"

"But…but he wants to go to the pond!"

"No!" The older boy held up a finger that he hopes makes him look authoritative; he has two responsibilities now. "I don't wanna get in trouble!"

"Yuno, there are two of us. We can…hey!" Suddenly Grogu jumped down from Jem's arms. "Grogu!" Jem was left open-mouthed, he didn't imagine the green kid could run this fast.

"Stop him!" Yuno yelled. Jem moves but he seemed to be on slow motion. Yuno held out his hands to grab the boy but suddenly he's toppling…falling…Yuno could almost feel and smell the dirt….could most feel the pain if he hits the pebbles…

But he didn't.

By the edge of the pond Grogu stopped. A raised hand kept the shocked boy floating a few meters off of the water. Giggling all the while, he moved and lowered the teenager to dry ground.

With shaking knees Yuno got up from the path, brushing dirt from his clothes. Eyes as wide as one of Corvus's five moons, he patted himself while a worried Jem rushed over to check on his friend. The two kids whipped around at Grogu's chuckle as the metal ball that they were looking for rose slowly from the depth of the pond. The dripping metallic ball lands in his tiny hand with a quick gesture from the strange green boy.

The stunned Calodan kids went to Grogu and sat before him. "That's really important to you, huh?" Yuno accepted the slightly heavy ball with a small smile.

"Why?" Jem inspected the sphere and clicked his fingers. "Ah! It's from Yuno's master, right? Right?"

"Really?" Yuno weighed the ball, forehead creased.

"Yes! Look! It had the same metal on his body, right Grogu?" Grogu nods. He quietly looks up at the two boys then walked up to them and placed his hands on their arms. "What?" Jem blinks after the last image faded. "You were in that place?"

"Thank you for not letting me fall in the pond." Yuno returned the ball to the boy. "You are not alone now, Grogu. You and the master can stay here as long as you both want." Yuno lifted the boy and sat him on his lap.

"I was a little scared of your master." Jem lisped.

"Yeah, me too." Yuno nodded. "But he's okay."

"Yeah! He was awesome!"

"That's why I don't want to serve any other."

"Oh! So he's now my master too, right?"

"Yeah."

"Cool!"

"When I see the master I will tell him that I want to be a Mandalorian too."

"Really?" Jem gushed. "Can you do that?"

"Yes," Yuno nodded. "The master said that Mandalorians take care of any youngling they find. I want to become one of them."

~(o.o)~

The Mantis~

"May I intrude, Mand'alor?"

Din felt the presence right before she enters the room. He turns around and for a moment got confused only to realize he is staring at Aylith Hyru without her helmet. "Yes. Yes, please."

"My lord," The woman bows her dark head. "I would like to ask permission to transfer Bo Katan's remains to my cruiser."

"Do you have a carbon freezing device there?"

"Carbon freezing? I'm afraid I don't." Councilwoman Hyru's smooth forehead creased into a frown. "I only have cold storage."

Din points up to one of the panels of the Mantis behind him. "This ship has."

Aylith stepped up close to look at the schematics, "Is it really effective?"

"Yeah, been using it for years."

"As a bounty hunter, yes." The woman nodded, "If you think that it would be the best….but…"

"You don't know how to use it."

It was fascinating for Din to see how quickly she hid her surprise, "Yes."

"I'll do it…"

"But…no, you're now…."

"The king? I am who I am." Din smirked behind the helmet, "How do you feel about having a ruler who is a paid hunter?"

Aylith shrugs but what he said did not get past her, "We all have to survive. You utilize your skills as a warrior to take care of your people."

"Bo Katan seemed to find what I do offensive…"

Aylith grunted disdainfully, "She should talk. She turned into a traitor and a terrorist." The woman's voice turned hard, "I have not formally met Bo Katan but I knew her sister. Bo helped overthrow the government and the duchess."

"By her actions a sith killed the former Mand'alor and took the dark saber and the throne." Din crosses his arms, resting his back against the command console of his new spacecraft.

"…which led to her sister's death." Aylith looks away, her armor encased chest rose and fell, a little overcome with emotion. She took a few deep breaths, head turned away. Out of respect Din turned to study the schematics of the Mantis. Anyway, he came here to the command center to familiarize himself with it and at the same time think what the hell is happening. When she faced him again she seemed more controlled. "Have you known her long?"

"No, not long." Din sighed. "The first time I met her I was forced to hijack a Gozanti freighter with her."

"Why?"

"I was on a quest for my foundling,"

"Yes, the Jedi," Aylith looks at Din intently.

"She knew I was desperate."

"Your son, Grogu… he's a Jedi?"

"Not yet, so we had to find a Jedi to train him with his powers."

"Are you now like him? I mean…"

"I have the abilities, yes."

"What are these abilities?" Maybe it's just her imagination but after she said it the temperature in the command center seemed to fall a few degrees.

"I'm not ready to discuss them."

Aylith Hyru released a breath, "I apologize." The councilwoman nodded; the man became quiet and seemed uncomfortable. "I failed to solve who tried to assassinate your son, my lord."

"I have tried to think of her motivation but I fail." Din sighed. "I never knew where I stand with Bo Katan. Ahsoka was right; Bo Katan was power hungry."

"I think she started off as someone who wanted to reclaim Mandalore but she changed."

"I've seen it before. Power can change people."

"Are you having second thoughts about being Mand'alor, my lord?"

Din had to chuckle, "Are you going to challenge me for the darksaber?"

"Tempting, but no." The raven-haired woman shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "Who wants that burden?"

"It's now mine." Din moved away from the console with a sigh, "Would you like me to show you how to operate the device?"

"That would be good to know, thank you, my lord."

"By the way, what happened to your helmet?"

"Apologies. The helmet fan seems to have malfunctioned."

"I do not mind." Indeed, he doesn't. He was quite pleasantly surprised that she is bareheaded but the feeling was like seeing someone partially undressed. Awkward. It was the same feeling he had when he met the Night Owls. "I will see what's wrong with it. I might have damaged it when …" Din gestured to her neck.

"Thank you. I will bring it after we are done with Bo Katan." Aylith almost declined the offer but decided to let him.

"Master! Ba'vodu! Master!"

At the call Din moved like lightning and was at the ramp in seconds. Aylith ran out after him taking the stairs realizing after the fact that the man jumped all the way down from a very tall height.

"Yuno!" Din hurries down the ramp. By the wall he sees Jem dash out with Grogu. "What's wrong?"

"Master!" Yuno waived his hand. "Grogu wants to see you!"

"Why? Is he sick?" Another thing that Din's been dreading is what every parent in every universe is afraid of: infant sickness. Grogu's species is not in any database that he looked into. If the kid gets sick he wouldn't know what kind of medical care he could give him.

"No, we were playing then his ball fell in the pond then…then he lifted it up and me then he got so scared, I think and…and…"

"Scared?" A whimpering Grogu clamped on to Din. "Why?" Din tries to read Grogu but he couldn't. The boy's thoughts were chaotic. He couldn't latch on to any coherent thought. "Yuno, tell me what happened."

"He told us a story…"

"A story?" So far the kid's temperature feels 'normal.' Heck, what is normal for Grogu's species?

"About his life…uh, before you met him? He was sad…but suddenly he started doing that and said he wants to go to you."

"Master…" Jem timidly came closer, still not used to being near the big Mandalorian. "Grogu keeps saying 'not her, not her.'

"What does it mean?" Two shrugs came from both boys. "Relax, kid. No one's going to hurt you." Din wrapped the distressed child in his cape; the temperature on Corvus drops very quickly once the sun lowers on the horizon. The tunic Grogu wears is much too light. "Grogu? Who is 'her'? Ahsoka?" The boy shook his head then pointed up, whimpering. "Yuno, where is mistress Ahsoka?" The boys gave him two shrugs again. "Find her and Master Luke." A pair of nods answered him and the boys almost chased after each other at his order.

"My lord?"

"Council…"

"Call me Aylith. Please." The highest official of Mandalore, second only to Din Djarin took a seat beside him on the ramp. Aylith peered into the cape and gave Grogu a surprised smile when the boy wrapped his tiny fingers around hers when she stroked the back of his hand. "Has he been like this before?"

An exhausted shake of the head is what he gave her. "I really don't know what's happening."

"Where was he before today?"

"I didn't want to know…to keep them both safe."

"That was wise." Aylith looks at Din glad that the man allowed her to sit with her. "It's getting late, my lord. Both of you need some rest."

"Right. Might as well." A deep weary sigh escaped from Din as he got up from the ramp. A pair of hands steadied him as he wavered on his feet. Din moved away from her as quickly as he could. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, my lord. Get some rest."

"Will I see you tomorrow? To show you the carbon freezing device..."

"Yes." She nodded. "Good night, Ma..."

"Din." He activated the ramp control when they cleared it. The Mantis began its lock down procedure.

"Ah yes…" Aylith gave Din a pleased smile; it was quite charming. "Goodnight…Din." The new ruler of Mand'alor gave her a parting nod as he flew up with his foundling. Aylith looked up one more time. Her head tilts as she recalls something before Din Djarin left…did he chuckle?

~(o.o)~

"We're almost there, buddy. I know you're tired too." Din patted Grogu and he felt happy when the boy clutched his arm a little tighter. Father and son landed right at Din's cottage where a group of people were waiting for them.

"Din."

Ahsoka has a look on her face that Din didn't like. "What is it?"

"We need Grogu." She held out her arms to the boy.

"Why? Hey..!" If Din did not grab Grogu the boy would have fallen as he struggled to get out of the cloak and leaped into Ahsoka's waiting arms. "Be careful, kid!"

"Something is happening."

"Tell me."

"It's the Force, my lord." Luke Skywalker removed and folded his cloak before he took a seat on the ground placing it beside him.

"We need to mind meld." With Grogu in her arms Ahsoka sits on the courtyard pavement beside Luke Skywalker.

"Now? Here?" All Din could do was sigh in helplessness.

"Yes, you included." The Togruta impatiently patted the space beside her.

"Why didn't I feel anything?" Din groaned in relief as he sits cross-legged to Ahsoka's left, "Shouldn't I know about this?"

"You are still recovering; your aura has not fully regenerated." Ahsoka sat Grogu on Luke's cloak, completing the circle. "For now I suggest you don't use your abilities, my lord?"

"Great." Grogu seemed relaxed, thought Din, so he totally settled down. "Anyway, I might not have any juice left."

"No need to exert anything." Ahsoka nodded at him. "Let us do the work."

Din followed what Ahsoka taught him about meditation; regulate the breath and clear his thoughts. His body and mind welcomed the rest hoping it could leach away…

But his thoughts went back to what he did at the brig; force choking the guard. It scared the other Mandalorians. Din could almost taste their fear and he never knew that that emotion has a sour taste to it somehow it helped him calm down. He found a little bit of clarity to release the sentry and after the others checked the winded man seemed okay. He sent everyone out but Luke Skywalker and Ahsoka while he was still reeling at the effort to tame the emotion.

The familiar presence of Ahsoka in his psyche comforted Din. He could feel two other presences that he assumed would be Luke and Grogu. Together the four of them were shown a place; it's a planet so dark and uninviting. He sensed there were people there. Their aura is full of malice and evil. Din suddenly wanted to leave the circle, take Grogu away and find a place in the galaxy where no one would locate the little boy.

Steady, Din. You can do this. Ahsoka's firm grip stopped him from bolting out.

The Force took them to the equatorial region of that dark planet, to one of the barren wastelands dotted with volcanic fissures. An entrance to one of the semi-active craters goes deep into a cavern…

Din frowns. What is that? Ahsoka, can you see it? Ahsoka? Din looks around. He stopped moving and he stands on a black igneous path. No one is with him in that cavern. He looks up and around; it is vast and seemed to go on forever going darker the farther it goes. Where is it? Din shook his head. Something is wrong with his ears. The sound seemed to be muted. One click and the helmet amplified the ambient sound. Din turned swiftly around at a scuffling movement, blaster ready.

Cautiously, he approached what seemed to be a lava tube branching to the right. The cavern is riddled with it. He could feel…a presence there… it's not far away. Din tensed at what seemed to be an amused chortle…it bounced around the jagged walls.

The Mandalorian rapidly replaced the blaster with the darksaber. The light from the weapon illuminated a gray surrounding…he turned the edge of the weapon towards…

They say when you gaze long into the abyss…

The abyss opened its red blazing eyes.

~(0.0)~