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 27

PADAWAN

Earlier in the Mantis brig:

"Din?" Ahsoka stands between Din Djarin and the Mandalorians. Cobalt blue eyes scan the man before her as she take a step forward, a calming hand held out towards her soon to be former student. "It's okay." Ahsoka looked over, to the one who laid a hand on her shoulder.

"But he's…there's something around him…like a…a heat signature…a 'flame'?" Aylith checks her visor's display. "You all see it too?" The woman was shocked when all nodded that she's not alone.

"That is the Force." The Mandalorians look at each other, a few steps back. "I'll be fine." Ahsoka took another step until she's by his side. "Din?"

"Ahsoka, who did this?" Din whispers, voice downcast. Bo Katan lies on her side, feet together, hands loosely crossed over her chest, eyes half open.

"I'm also at a loss." Ahsoka gave Din a consoling squeeze on the shoulder when Din sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry, Din."

"Mand'alor…" Everyone tensed when Din swung around, the 'flame' surrounding him blazes out.

"It's okay…" Ahsoka called out to the others, a hand out to calm but placed her other hand on her saber.

"Everyone step out."

"But…." One of the clan leaders began to protest. "I will not leave!"

"Do as the Mand'alor says!" Aylith gestures to the exit.

"You will stay, councilwoman. You and mistress Ahsoka must do an ocular autopsy. Luke Skywalker will question the guards and others who have been here at the time of the death."

"Ocular autopsy?!" The same Mandalorian male spoke up again, getting agitated.

"They will strip her down and look for any noticeable signs of puncture, ligature or blunt force wounds on the body." Din pointed at Bo Katan. "They have to take the opportunity while not many people have trodden on evidence, when not many people have had access to touch and remove items of importance."

Aylith nodded. "I agree. Time is of the essence here. We should do it while her death is not long past."

"Let the councilwoman and mistress Tano do their job." Din told the reluctant Mandalorians slowly and firmly. The leaders back down when the Mand'alor's power flares higher.

"We apologize, Mand'alor."

"Wait. What's your name?"

"Alrich Wren." The man removed his helmet. "Bo Katan is my aliit."

"Your loss is Mandalore's loss." Din was joined by the others, bowing their heads in respect. "We will try to find the perpetrator."

"My lord, house Wren and Kryze apologizes for the incident that happened to your foundling and his teacher." The man solemnly bowed to his new king. "I, her father, was the one who apprehended and disarmed her."

"Then I would task you to discover what her motives were."

The man quickly masked his surprise, bowing respectfully. "You honor my house, Manda'lor."

"The last time Bo Katan and I saw each other I yielded the Dark Saber to her more than once so I do not understand why she would do this."

"Is that so?" Alrich Wren gasped. The man raised a surprised brow again then he had that lost look. The man is trying his hardest to control his grief. "But the Dark Saber could only belong to its rightful owner through combat. You. You have earned the sword and more. Nevertheless, I admire your magnanimity, my lord. But still, this is beyond comprehension."

"Come to me with whatever you find. And one more thing," The Mandalorians stopped filing out. "The Calodan are uneasy with us here. These people are peace-loving. They made me in-charge of their safety. Again, do not scare or intimidate them."

"We comply, Mand'alor." Before he settled the helmet back to his head the man sent his daughter a solemn look and walked out with a stiff back. The rest of the clan representatives followed him.

"And I will take to the task you have entrusted me."

"I hope I did not put you in a spot, Skywalker."

Luke stepped away from the corner and accepted Din's handshake, "Certainly not, my lord, this concerns my padawan therefore I am involved as well."

"I will be up at the bridge if you need me." With a deep sigh Din turned to the two women after Luke left.

The women took bracing deep breaths, nodded to each other after Din slid the door close. "Let's straighten her first…" Aylith whispered. "There are many layers…"

"Yes," Ahsoka nodded as she helps Aylith turn the body in its back. "I'm aware."

Aylith turned to the Togruta in surprise. "Oh? You have experience?"

"Oh yes, with Din."

Aylith's hands froze on lifting off Bo Katan's flack vest, the Togruta gave her a knowing smile, "Oh…I see…"

"Yeah, you know, when you're in a hurry..."

"Uh, in a…in a hurry…?" Inside the helmet Aylith went wide-eyed in shock.

"I didn't get to remove everything just the bottom part, but it did the trick."

"Oh! I…the…the bottom part…" It suddenly felt very warm under Aylith's collar. She pointed when Ahsoka was looking for something. "Uh…the-there's a hidden button at the overlap…"

Ahsoka reached under and found the clasp. "Got it! You okay?"

"Uh…yeah…I'm okay." Aylith lied, the helmet feels hot...or her face, maybe?

Once the flack vest had been detached the tight-fitting jump suit was easy to remove.

"Bo Katan is still warm." Ahsoka looks up in surprise at the Mandalorian female.

"So the crime happened not long ago."

"Yes. Any unusual markings on her?"

Aylith slowly panned her helmet along the body; head to toe, right to left. "Nothing."

"Let's turn her over, okay?" Ahsoka nodded to the body. The Mandalorian woman did the same scanning procedure.

"Easy now." Ahsoka laid a hand on the woman when she shook her head and looked a little unsteady.

"The fan's busted." Aylith frowned. She pulled off her helmet gasping when her head emerged from it. "There's nothing on her. I will go up and report our finding to the Mand'alor." They put Bo Katan in her flight suit again and lifted her up to the low shelf that serves as a bed in the brig. After Ahsoka said a short prayer for her friend she and Aylith parted ways.

-o-0-o-

Ahsoka's Cottage:

Ahsoka smoothed the edge of the blanket and placed two pillows on the made up bed by the fireplace. "Why thanks for helping, Grogu. That's great." She smiled at her new student who pulled the other end of the sheet sparing Ahsoka of fixing that area. "Come on, hop in." She patted one of the pillows. "Long day, huh?" Yawning, the boy let Ahsoka remove his tunic. There was a bittersweet smile on her lips as she folds the boy's clothes, she remembers the Jedi uniform she was issued but refused to wear at the academy. Grogu yawned and lay tummy down on the cushion.

"Hm? Wait." The Togruta raised a brow. "What did you say?" But the boy quickly drifted off to sleep and she couldn't read his thoughts anymore. 'Who, Grogu? Grogu?'What the boy said put a deep crease on Ahsoka's brow. What was that?

Ahsoka lay down beside Grogu, hands folded on her midriff and thought of the woman who used to rule Mandalore. How did she die? Who killed someone who is as skilled a fighter as Bo Katan? Ahsoka laid an arm across her forehead. Bo would have fought her attacker to the death.

With a tired sigh Ahsoka tried to do some meditation as she would always do before bed but her thoughts would come back to what happened in the afternoon. While Aylith climbed up to the bridge to deliver the report to Din and secure his permission to transport Bo Katan's remains to the primary ship, Ahsoka quickly met up with Luke but his talks with the Mandalorians didn't produce any positive results either. No one has seen anything and no one has been near or in that brig since the guards closed that cell door. They were willing to submit the recording from their visors. Besides, the interrogation has not yet begun according to one of the Mandalorians who were part of the investigation and trial panel.

Why did Bo attack the X-wing? Why help Din then betray him later on? It doesn't make sense. Nothing's matching up.

Something is not right. Ahsoka sighed and closed her eyes.

-o-0-o-

Din's Cottage:

Luke Skywalker has nothing to say except shake his head. "Isn't there any other option?"

Din Djarin meets his eyes and gave him a shrug. "You can find me somebody who battled someone like that and won."

"That is a good idea, my lord."

Din snorted softly. "Skywalker, it's not a dare and…" He grunted as he took his feet down from the chair. "Stop calling me that ridiculous title." The chair creaked as he stands. "Let's get some rest. I'm still not one hundred percent healed."

"Were you injured? From what?" Din told Luke an abbreviated version of the fight with Sumal and what he did to break his fall. Luke stands and looks on as the Mandalorian begins to shed his armor, arranging them neatly on the table. The Jedi notes that Din kept his blaster. "How long have you had your abilities, Din?"

"About more than one standard month."

"Wow." The Jedi could only blink. "You have come so far. That is quite impressive."

"Oh, Ahsoka doesn't think so. She just scolds me like a foundling." The two men exchanged a short chuckle.

"I will be here tomorrow in the morning, sir."

"Get some rest, Skywalker." The Mandalorian walks around the table, hand held out. "And thank you for bringing back my son."

-o-0-o-

Madalorian Cruiser:

When Din Djarin left with his son Aylith Hyru stayed for a moment by the Mantis deep in thought.

Mandalore has a new king.

The council woman took a deep breath out of relief. This, at least, is a piece of good news that she could take back and report to the anxious council. She's still upset at them at trying to use a weak excuse to make Din Djarin take the oath. What were they thinking? Aylith shook her head. Her plan was better but if the armorer had not intervened she'd have been a smoking carcass on this alien soil.

Aylith shivered and increased the temperature of her suit as her breath had fogged out. That reminds her; her helmet's malfunction. The Mand'alor said he'd try to fix it but her smile quickly faded. Better fix it yourself. The man seemed to have an ongoing relationship. Too bad, she liked the way his deep husky voice makes her feel inside, she sighed. Why were the strong ones always taken already?

Aylith stepped away from the Mantis to the clan leaders waiting for her outside her cruiser. "I am ready to leave. What is it?" The leaders look at each other.

-o-0-o-

The evening finally descended on half of the hemisphere of the planet Corvus. The temperature dropped five degrees lower to the regional city of Calodan so the guards manning the wall began their shift wearing their new uniform. The evening shift guards had on their new and warmer clothing for tactical and weather protection. And, the guards feel more confident patrolling the wall with their new weapons thanks to the extra supply brought by Sumal and his mercenaries.

The team leader is busy observing the new guests. The Mandalorians, the people of their commander in chief, as they were called seemed to be gathering by the other big ship. They all look serious now that they have taken off their helmets. The Calodan was expecting that they look alien but they all look like them. Human.

By the by they all trooped in the cruiser and the ship left the clearing and up into orbit. The team leader noted it all down. He would deliver the report tomorrow to their C-I-F.

"Lock the fort." The team leader of the first shift ordered his men.

-o-0-o-

Steaming blood slowly flow on the blackened ground as the herbivore ceased its struggle as it gave the last of its breath. Its heavy head fell on the ground with a small tremor. Blood from the tips of razor sharp teeth pattered on its dark hide. Its tongue swept clean the blood from its mouth.

"Don't eat it in one go, Muk." The creature halted from taking a big bite on the fallen plant-eater. "You don't want to overstay our welcome, you hear me?" The hulking creature grunted. Its sound didn't please the woman standing on a massive boulder. "I told you to hunt before we began our trip but you chose to sleep it off. Save some for later, understood?" Moonshine coming from biggest moon of whatever backward planet this is called turns her alabaster skin aglow, the curls and whorls of silvery ink tattooed on her arms stands out in the dark, gleaming. "We won't stay long. I'll just get what I came here for." The woman swept aside the veil on her face and turned her attention back in the distance; to the city sitting on a slight rise in the wide valley. From this height she could see some ships parked outside the city. As one of them takes off she follows it with her eyes until the craft was but a pinpoint in the sky. "Hm, interesting, Muk." The woman crossed her arms, pale hair flowing in the breeze. She closed her eyes, head tilted up. When she opened them a wry smile curved on her lips. "Oh, a mystery…." She drawled, almost crooning.

-o-0-o-