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!
PADAWAN
CHAPTER 28
"What the hell?!" Aylith Hyru wanted to scream in rage but all she could do is look at the three people in front of her and blurt out a controlled expletive. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner, Mand'alor?"
Din leans on the veranda sill. The man made a soft sound, like a smirk. "There was no need."
"NO need?!" Aylith slammed her fist on the table. "NO need?! Mand'alor, you could have been hurt!"
"That was not what she wanted."
"Not what she wanted? What?" The breath she took sounded as if she's about to explode. I can't believe this…!
Din shook his head, "All I can say is that she was in control."
"So," Her hands were shaking a little from an anger that's bubbling up. "Will she do it again?"
"I have no words to assure you." Din's answer to her was a shrug as he reached the other end of the veranda.
"She is that powerful to take you while under the mind meld…" Ahsoka frowns, gesturing. "But you were able to come back…"
"And I don't even know how I got out of it."
"Din, I forgot to tell you that these witches use the dark side of the force to use magic. It's called a mind-trick." Luke Skywalker took something from his robe and placed it on the table.
"Force! They're force users, too?" Aylith blurted. She turned her head away; it was hard not to feel a bite of jealousy when Din leaned on the wall beside the Togruta.
"They could be as well if they want to." Luke shrugged to Aylith's question.
"Well, she was pissed when I thought that she might be a sith."
"Yes, she would…"Luke clicks open a holo puck. "This information is the latest download from my mother's library during my visit about a year ago. The witches had a long and turbulent history. They're usually women…"
"In the coven?" Ahsoka turns for a moment as she busies herself by scanning it quickly.
"On the whole planet. Ruled by them." Luke sweeps his hand over the holographic globe. "There are men too but they're there for a different purpose."
"As slaves? Labor force?"
"Uh…donors, my lord."
Ahsoka frowns, "Huh? Donors?"
"Err…you wouldn't like it."
"For what?" Din's jaw is as hard as beskar when the Jedi from Tatooine felt awkward all of a sudden. It is possible to ransack Luke's thoughts to get a fast answer but he might not like what he'll find there.
"For reproduction." They almost leaned close to Luke. The man could barely say the last word.
"Shit."
"Uh, what?" Good ears or not Ahsoka was shocked. The page scrolled and she was shocked again to read what Luke said.
"This is fucking ridiculous." Din turned around, not caring whether Grogu heard him or not.
Aylith thanked the helmet again for hiding her burning face. "You were lucky you escaped, Mand'alor…"
"That is what she wants from him?" Aghast, Ahsoka straightens up with a deep frown.
"I don't have time for this." He grabs the spear from the wall. "I need to get out of here." Din mutters. His heavy footsteps crunch the pebbles on the path,
Din Djarin seethes in rage and disgust, he doesn't need this ridiculous situation heaped on him on top of other more pressing concerns he is attending to: the killer of Bo Katan has to be brought to justice, the Calodan security force needs training and from what the two Jedi told him a trouble is brewing in the Force. .
He didn't want this leadership. He didn't want the attention, the throne or the title.
He just wants to be here in Calodan, to help train these people, to go back to bounty hunting on the side now that he has a ship.
But most of all….
As the long Beskar spear slid in its holder on his back, the sound reminded him of something; his purpose. He looks at his son: they should be spending time together, doing things together. As his father he should be training him in the Mandalorian arts.
"Grogu!" Din went down on one knee, clapped to get the kid's attention and held his arms out. The boy stopped playing in the sand pit, his new project half way done. Amused, Din thinks it kinda look like the Razor Crest. Grogu slowly stood wondering, a question in his eyes. Din nodded at the quiet inquiry. "Let's go kid!" The boy gasped. Then shrieking in delight, the boy took off running and jumps into his father's arms.
-o-0-o-
"Did I hear it right?" Ahsoka finally turns to Luke, she still couldn't believe it. Din had left them in anger. "Why him of all people?"
"The woman doesn't seem to be an ordinary witch. She might or might not be targeting Din for that purpose."
"Oh? Why do you think so?" The Mandalorian woman sounded relieved.
"If she just wanted Din as a donor...uh...uh...consort then she could've taken him but he said she walked inside his head."
"Walked?" Aylith shook her head, feeling some stiffness at the back of her neck. Ah! Damn it! All of this is hard to take!
"She was looking for something. I think she stumbled upon us during the mind meld…." Luke replaced Din on pacing the veranda. His clothes today are from his home planet fit for this kind of weather better than his all black outfit.
"So she grabbed Din because he was 'weak' in the force that time, is that what you're thinking?"
"Plausible theory." Luke stopped pacing, "the question is-who is she looking for?"
"The two of you…Jedi!" Ahsoka and Luke turned to the bare-headed councilwoman. "Enough of this! The Mand'alor is my responsibility. He is not yours. If something happens to him I will hold both of you responsible. You will answer to all of us. Nothing must happen to him. Understand me?"
"Hm." Luke Skywalker turned to Ahsoka with raised brows. The Mandalorian woman left them n barely controlled anger.
"That escalated quickly since yesterday." The Togruta's narrowed eyes are still focused on where the Mandalorian official stood.
"Because they are in trouble."
-o-0-o-
Aylith Hyru has been feeling a little out of sorts health-wise: She had slept late.
Last night, as soon as she landed on the battleship she went straight to the coms center. The flight suit feels sticky on her skin and the refresher sounds so inviting but…haar'chak! She might be first chair in the council but she answers to the body to report what happened at Calodan. She was ordered, not told, not to delay this report for she was given only a few days to accomplish her mission.
Aylith had sat in many tense council and clan meetings listening and participating in debates and arguments for hours until she grew tired of the insults. Violence would regularly break out right in the council hall and in various coverts and clans. People have either died or injured and each clan would launch retaliation to each other.
Things were getting dangerously complicated at the home world. They need to desperately find and secure the leadership and the creed. The council had to act fast before events go out of hand.
Mandalore cannot fall again.
But how?
Then like a miracle someone came forth bearing unbelievable news.
They have a king.
-o-0-o-
The irritating meeting with the council took more than two hours thanks to one member who insists on getting every detail. Ah! It's exasperating! Had he tagged along then he wouldn't be in need of detail!
Aylith was almost dragging her feet when she finally got back to her own stateroom. For now each clan had agreed to a ceasefire but they need solid proof or else…
She forgot about the time difference between Mandalore and Corvus, she berated herself as she hands her armor and helmet for repair to a droid. After a quick shower she fell in bed from sheer exhaustion but she had a small smile on her lips as she dozed off.
She almost blasted the message console when it beeped. Eyes half-shut and puffy from sleep she surfaced from under her blanket and blinked at the words on the machine.
It's from Din Djarin!
She reads: Come quickly. Don't tell anyone. She looked at the words for a few more moments, her lips forming a slow smile. An uncharacteristic sound of half gasp and squeal came from her as she hurried and grabbed a new flight suit and under clothes. Using the illumination from various tiny pilot lights from the chamber she got suited up in the semi-dark.
She quickly took to the skies instead of firing up her personal craft thanking the gods that she didn't bump into anyone in the hallways. There's a small smile on her lips when she landed at the front of the Mand'alor's cottage. She was baffled and was very much confused to find Din wasn't alone. For the first time the woman in her felt a bite of jealousy when the Togruta came out of the cottage.
He's taken. He's taken, don't forget that. That's against Mandalorian moral precept.
-o-0-o-
Gritting her teeth, the councilwoman looked around and left the two jedi. She felt out of her depth in their discussion, anyway. Instead she followed Din Djarin's footsteps. It looks like he's on his way to the…there he is! Far off, Aylith spotted Din's helmet moving to the gate and she hurried to catch up. Ah! He's goddamn fast!
"Mand'alor…"
"Councilwoman."
"Where…where are you going?"
"Attention!"
When he saw the Mandalorian the governor has a big smile on his face. "Commander! Good morning! Look, the teams are ready for inspection. Bow! Bow!" The older man gestures. The security team joined the governor in the traditional Mando'an bow.
"Good that you're all here. Governor, there'll be some changes."
"Changes?" Gov. Wing looks at Din and the Mandalorian woman. "What do you mean, Commander?"
"This is sudden. I have assigned someone to teach you today." Din smirks as he points behind the group. Instantly the team got a little agitated, excited murmurs rose up when they saw who is coming.
"Are they all here?" The armorer stepped beside Din. "You should go, Mand'alor. Your ship is ready. I will take care of things for now."
"Go? Wait! Where do you go, Mand'alor?" Aylith removed her helmet. The effing helmet's on the blink again!
"To my ship." Din stops to look at Aylith. The woman's fear and anxiety is back stronger than before. Although they never told him the Mandalorians are one step away from an internecine war, again…and not even the council has the power to stop it. Why? Their own clans were involved in the hostilities as well. They never would have come after him with the ten clan leaders if not to impress and show a fake united front.
They are quite desperate.
Din smirked. Ah…it now makes sense why Bo Katan stolidly refused the saber. Din remembers the way she looked at the weapon, the way she was lusting to get her hands on it. Oh yes, she wanted it badly but she's smarter than that. She had learned her lesson. Bo Katan knew even she could stop the clan fighting. She lost the Dark Saber twice, her sister died, an outsider killed the previous Mand'alor and took the saber.
"B-but…."
"One moment councilwoman," Din turned to the security people. "I present to you our clan leader. She is also our armor and weapons forger. She is the best among us and our fiercest fighter."
"Master…master Djarin, will you be back?"
Din chuckled then nodded. "Of course governor, as I said yesterday I will not renege on my word but the needs of my son come first."
"The boy is clan." The armorer nodded to Grogu. "He is one of us."
"But he is Jedi."
The armorer turned to Aylith. "He began his life with the Jedi, yes, but he did not hesitate to save the life of Din Djarin. Therefore he is a Mandalorian."
"Governor, Councilwoman." Din bowed to the two leaders. "My son has come back. This is the first time we have seen each other in almost a month. My child deserves my attention. I have followed my clan leader to send him to the Jedi but the Force brought us back together. I would like to spend some time with him before I take on the burden of leadership on Calodan and Mandalore."
"What the Mand'alor said is true." Aylith took a deep breath. "Mandalorian children's needs supersede anything else."
The governor nods in understanding, his eyes on the tall woman in the golden helmet. "I'm happy to know that our cultures are the same. We also cherish and prioritize the needs of our children." He smiled at Din and nodded. "I'm pretty sure that we'll be in good hands. Thank you for finding us an excellent substitute."
"Thank you, governor. I am forever in your debt."
The leader beamed at Din. "You have saved us more than once. We are more than in debt to you, master Djarin."
"Mand'alor, where do you go?"
"My son and I will be going to…"
"Din Djarin…" the playful voice turned everyone's head. "why are you leaving without me?"
Din's blood turned cold.
-o-0-o-