#mando's jetpack appreciation post

[bylightofdawn]

Dear Star Wars Fans

It's Hot Take time with El.

I am sooooooo fucking sick of seeing these "Weh, Star Wars sucks now posts" or "Disney keeps putting out the bad stuff and is RUINING MY CHILDHOOD" posts.

It's legitimately like I'm being transported back to the '90s/early 2000s forums where endless fanboys were whinging over Lucus ruining Star Wars with the prequels. And BTW, they have not stopped in the past 20 years. They will continue to be pedantic and toxic and generally pessimistic about everything.

So to come to Tumblr and see that same mentality being shoveled about like three pounds of horseshit that cross my dash at least once a day. And well, I'm grumpy enough this afternoon to go off.

Hot Take Point One: Just because YOU don't like a show or a series doesn't mean your opinion is the majority. There is someone out there who loves the season you're proclaiming is the worst thing ever. That character you detest is someone's special blorbo and the ship you despise is someone's OTP. And that is okay; their tastes are entirely valid, and your experience is not universal. You are not a peerless bastion of flawless good taste and the supreme authority on Star Wars. 

How do I know this? Cause you're on this hellsite and you like Star Wars. 

I'm not naive enough to expect people to not bitch about and complain about things they don't like, and honestly, you're allowed to do that. I encourage you to do it. I want people to keep in the back of their minds that it's their opinion and that it's not universal. And their opinion is no better than another person's. Even someone who you think has a shitty opinion or ships something 'problematic'. If you're going to proclaim someone else has dogshit taste, I would encourage you to look into the mirror and realize someone else thinks your tastes are dogshit as well. And fuck right off with canon is the only real and valid opinion. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES DISNEY HAS CHANGED CANON? They can't make up their fucking minds; nothing is set in stone, so just enjoy what you enjoy and let other people enjoy what they want. We're all here because we supposedly love this fandom, right? I feel like people have lost sight of that point. We're supposed to love Star Wars, and it should bring us together as a fandom, not tear us apart. But that's a rant for another day.

Hot Take Point Two: Have a little appreciation and respect for the people working on these shows. Unless you are in the industry or working on said show, you probably don't understand the amount of work, effort, blood, sweat, and tears that goes into making these things. Some of these people grew up dreaming about working on a Star Wars IP. This is probably a dream come true for a lot of people working on these shows, and you're pissing all over those dreams for popularity points on the internet like this is fucking Reddit, and you're farming for upvotes. No, it's not perfect; yes, there are going to be shitty VFX and cringe as fuck dialogue. 

It's not perfect, but they do their best with what they get handed. We had a saying in my old print shop, you can only shine up a turd so much. aka you take the shit you are given and you try and make it as polished and pretty as you can but at the end of the day you're working with the shit you were given. And I'm not saying these series are criticism proof or that you're not allowed to ridicule some of the terrible bad choices made.

I will go to my grave ranting about the ridiculous batshittery of fucking jetpack jousting in Mando S3. 

Hot Take Point Three: I will also argue that there are good elements in every new Star Wars IP released by House of Mouse. Yes, even the one you hate down the cockles of your black heart. I challenge you to shut out the noise from Tumblr, the bandwagon hating on something, and go in trying to find something you enjoy in a season or an episode. Find, say, 5 things you enjoy or a character (even a cringy one) or a set piece you visually find interesting. Maybe a funny joke or even a special effect so ridiculously stupid you can't help but laugh. (I'm looking at you Ahsoka fighting god damn fighters with a lightsaber while on top of the Ghost zooming around at full cruising speed. It's so utterly preposterous I can't help but laugh and shake my head all at the same time.)

You don't have to post about it or speak about it to anyone don't worry your friends don't need to know you might secretly enjoyed something you all 'hated'. Though I would also challenge you to actually speak about it as well because...hear me out here, you might find NEW PEOPLE who enjoyed those same things you might make more friends in the fandom, shocking I know. 

But just trying to FIND a positive thing in a show will give you a slightly more balanced relationship with how you consume it. Honestly, that's just general life advice you should try and take to heart. That's a freebie from your old Auntie El there. 

It's so easy to be a negative, pedantic fan who hates what we claim to love. But by making the conscious choice to find something good in this so-called pile of shit in front of you, maybe your relationship with the IP will be a happier one. If nothing else, you'll perhaps get sparked and remember what made you love Star Wars so much in the first place. 

So yeah, keep in mind your experience is not universal, even if you hate it, respect the time and effort it took to make it and try and find what sparked joy in you in the first place when interacting with the media. 

Oh, one other thing? 20 years from now? You're prolly going to look back on these shows you hate and find yourself nostalgic and maybe even a little apologetic for how much you dogged on this stuff because there will be a whole new cycle of brand new IP people are creating where people are proclaiming THAT is the worst shit ever made and they don't make Star Wars content like they used to. 

Cause that's just the human condition, and as someone who has been in this fandom for thirty years? I've seen that cycle replayed multiple times. We love the Prequels now, but twenty years ago, everyone hated them and thought they were ruining Star Wars. It doesn't get worse, it doesn't get better; we just grow older and learn to have a new perspective and learn to interact with the fandom in different ways. 

I'm just begging you, please stop being negative, toxicly pedantic fans who just sit there tearing down everything and learn to interact with the thing you claim to love with...actual love.

[iwriteforthetincanman]

Mandoctover Day 15: Jetpack

WOAHHHHH WE’RE HALFWAY THERE OHHHHHHH LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER!

(or alt. livin’ on pedro’s Din Hair~)

ALSO GENDER NEUTRAL READER BROUGHT TO YOU BY @kiwi-the-first

@dindjarindiaries @leo-moon

Warnings of physical harm, mild to severe concussion (up to you but Din’s basically drunk on pain meds) Also there is a hetero couple in this that I LOOSELY based off of my high-school music teachers but oh well. 

(I had to use this gif, I know it’s not a Frankie fic but you’ll get it once you’ve read it XD) Somedays you thanked both the Maker and the Armorer for Din’s jetpack. 

Today...wasn’t one of those days, if this morning was any sort of example.

Firstly Din had grabbed you with no warning whatsoever, picked you up like you were a ragdoll, and to top it off, he thought it was okay for him to launch into the air with you completely unaware of the complications of flying.

Y’know...with no armor on to cushion your breakable body.

Maybe he knew this in the back of his mind. But his carelessness towards the situation pissed you off more than you cared to admit. 

That all came crashing down when he shielded your body with his against a crumbling mountainside. 

Tearing recklessly through the rubble you screamed his name until your throat was scratchy. When you could no longer speak let alone shout, tears blurred your vision. Rubble, boulders and stone. You didn’t know how much longer he would be okay for...he didn’t know your true feelings for him, romantic or otherwise. You couldn’t do this alone. 

That’s when you heard him rasp against the stone destruction.

“Cyare-” 

This time you were crying in happiness, hope yet the searing pain was still there as you could only just make out the outline of his visor. It was cracked in some places. You hoped he had suffered any brain damage...thank the gods, at least he recognised you.

“Mando! Din! Are you okay? Can you hear me?” You shouted quietly this time. Not wanting to bring any unwanted attention back to yourselves. You were both running out of time. 

Din was in no shape to use his jetpack...or to fly the Crest.

Which meant only one thing...either you let the baby drive, or you would end up destroying his precious Crest one way or another. 

You knew what he would say if he were half conscious.

“Get out of here, go. I don’t care about the Crest-” The romantic part of your brain effectively cut you off as his hand wrapped around your wrist. 

Nothing was broken thank god but you had no clue about his vital organs, his ribs or, gods forbid, his lungs. 

You had no idea how to treat a punctured lung. Not only was this mission’s time coming to a close alarmingly fast. You also needed to race to the next safest planet just to find the best medical care the both of you could afford.

---

“Y/N Djarin?” 

“...Y/N Djarin?”

Preparing for a fight as you had fallen into an uncomfortable yet fitful sleep next to his bedside, you could only cry with relief as you saw a doctor and a nurse standing in front of you. 

“We have a few mandatory questions for you. Heh, Mandatory questions for the Mandalorian that is.”

Any other day you would’ve found that funny, maybe Din too if it was a good day. 

A babble of laughter erupted from your lap. Ad’ika was wide awake. 

“Thank you...for cheering him up when I couldn’t.”

An exhausted sigh left your mind as you glanced over your beloved Mandalorian...what a mess. 

A beautiful mess to you...but to a doctor. You had no idea how you were going to afford this. 

“I have a few questions too if you don’t mind answering them doctor…” trailing off you hadn’t caught the medical duo’s names

“Dr.Pavan, Dash Pavan. And this is not only my wife but my assistant doctor/nurse Pana Pavan.” Wow, this couple was all about repetition huh. 

“Uh...I’ll call you by your first names if you don’t mind.”

“Oh everybody does dearie don’t worry about it.” The female doctor was built very similarly to you, which scared you in a way because of how put together her life was in comparison to your...well, at least yours right now.

“I...don’t know how I can afford the medical treatment he needs. It’s true that his line of work isn’t good to him but I can’t just let him die either.” Attempting to keep yourself together, you saw pain and sympathy flash through the couples’ eyes. 

“We know exactly what you’re talking about. If we didn’t make nearly as much as we did last year I could’ve died myself...I was expecting y’see and well, we lost our daughter.” Pain rang through your heart as your hands tightened around Ad’ika’s slouched form. He was tired but he refused to sleep, just like his buir.

“I’m so sorry...I can’t imagine what that must be like. I’m scared too.” 

“If the force is on your side dear, you never will, and the husband is always the biggest of help, I love Pav with all my heart and I knew that when we married we'll stick together no matter what. Which is why I married him in the first place. It was tough...it still is sometimes when we face similar cases today....which is why we offer free medical care to those who need it the most.”

You couldn’t help sobbing into your son’s head as they told you this. They were so kind when the rest of the universe had been so cruel to all three of you. It was a race for the little moments...moments like these when all you could do was watch as Din got better more and more every day. Yet you continued to lie just so you were allowed in. 

It wasn’t your fault they mistook you for his wife. You cared about him a great deal, you weren’t afraid to show that now. Not after this accident. You knew when he woke up...you were gonna tell him how you felt. Whether he reciprocated or not. 

It was...one of those moments

---

“Good morning Djarin.”

“Hello Pana. Please, call me Y/N.”

“Oh shucks. Alright Y/N. That’s such a badass name, Y/N Djarin.”

“I guess so.” you chuckled.

“So...how did you two meet?”

Oh no...now you had to lie for real. 

“Well...he saved me. I was all alone with only an Ugnaught named Kuill to guide me, he was like a father to me. Then, late last year, he was killed. Protecting the little one from imperial troops.”

“Oh my!” 

“I know...sounds way more dramatic than it actually was, believe me. Well...in my case anyway, I’m...just a mechanic. I’m nothing special.” 

“Dear listen to me. Everyone is special in this universe. My mum taught me that. When she passed away I was devastated for years. Then I met Pav and...everything just fell into place.”

“...it was like that with me and Din. Although...I’m not afraid to admit it was puppy love. When I walked into Kuill’s hut that night I wasn’t expecting another...bounty hunter to show up. Let alone a Mandalorian. I wanted to ask him so many questions, yet I didn’t want to pry about his culture...his past. There’s still some things to this day I don’t know about him...but I remember when I started falling in love…”

“Aw...You sound like you’ve come straight out of one of my western novels!” 

You blushed at this admission. Not wanting to sound like the starry eyed waif that you were. You fell in love with the man...not the helmet or the blasters and definitely not that infernal jet pack. 

“One night...Ad’ika was fussing and I just snapped. I couldn’t cope, it felt like the stars were imploding on me. I couldn’t sleep, my hormones were going crazy (this isn’t aimed at a specific gender btw) I refused to eat until after I slept so my stomach hurt. I was going through the paces of newfound buirhood it seemed.” You laughed to yourself.

“Buir?”

“It’s Mando’a for parent.” 

“Oh, they are a very gender neutral race aren’t they?” 

“Yes...it was also one of the many reasons I didn’t know if he was gonna love me back. I was scared. To say the least. When he startled me awake I realised I had been close to dropping Ad’ika on his head. It hurt me...that I wasn’t being a good mother. It was so unexpected...I didn’t have any heads up whatsoever.” Laughing to yourself at the memory now, you realised how fond of the both of them you really are. They were your Aliit.

“I love them both so damn much…” Reaching over to Din’s bed side, you grabbed his bandaged hand. Rubbing the newly discovered yet so ardently him, tattoo with a smile on your face. 

“I will always love him...I know that now.”

---

You were standing in line for some caf at the hospital canteen when you ran into Pana again.

Or...more accurately she ran into you. 

“DJARIN! Y/N! I FOUND YOU!”

“Yes Pana you found me.” You were way too grumpy and sleep deprived for this much energy, which is probably why you missed the cheshire cat grin on her face.

“YOUR HUSBAND IS FINALLY AWAKE! DON’T STAND THERE WAITING AROUND FOR SOME CRAPPY CAF!” Yanking the empty plastic cup out of your hand she yeeted it as hard as she could towards the bin. 

“That’s so bad for the enviro-wait...what did you just say?”

---

You had never run so fast in your life, you didn’t think it was possible for your lungs to burn. 

Dashing through the door, your heart warmed at the familiar sight. Ad’ika was babbling up at his father happily once more, his helmet resting in his son’s hands as they talked in hushed tones. Clearing your throat playfully yet with your eyes full of tears.

“Din...you’re awake.” You tried so hard not to cry, you really did. 

You didn’t even notice both the doctors step out of the room to give you both some privacy. 

“Good morning...my love.” 

Then everything froze.

“...Pana told you didn’t she.” 

Deadpan tone returning to your voice...you knew he was never going to let this one go. 

“Actually I kind of like it.” 

“You, you do?”

What the kriff was going on?”

“Yeah, I mean I always hated your last name.” 

“Djarin that’s so unfair how could you say-”

“Only because I’d happily give you mine.”

Was he….proposing?

---

When Pana and Pav next entered the room you didn’t even realise that you had gained a concussion from keldabe kissing him so hard. 

They gave you a pink and blue bandage though…

Besides the modest wedding band on your finger, it was a badge of pride that you were now happily married to Din Djarin. 

Although getting married in a hospital wasn’t unconventional, you adored the fact that Pana and Pav happily agreed to be your best man and woman. Seeing as they brought you two together of course. They easily forgave and forgot the common lie of pretending to be someone’s wife/husband/partner just to see them. 

A couple months later you were buzzing with joy about telling Pana about the daughter you had named after her.

[jreads]

Unexpected Constellations (Part 07)

Rating: Yikes for lots of blood and gore.

Word Count: 5.6K

Warnings: Angst (of course), Canon-level violence, Mentions of blood, Needles, Mention of injury, Foul language, Hurt/comfort, A sprinkle of humour

A/N: What?! She's almost not late?! Unheard of. Anyways sorry guys, I keep extending this slow burn like my life depends on it. But, trust me, we're starting to get somewhere. The love I've been getting on past parts has literally made me so happy; I wish I could explain how all the comments make me feel :) You guys are amazing. Check the masterlist for tags and other parts. If you reblog, I will be more likely to include perhaps a drop of smut in the next part. Please comment on this post or the masterlist to get added to the taglist!

The streets were still quiet when you finally left the artifacts shop. Din went out the door first, angling you behind him. 

You would have appreciated the protective gesture, if not for the steady pounding of anxiety that now collected in your temples. The breeze was whispering to you, and it was telling you to run.

You hissed to him from behind his shoulder. “We need to leave. Quickly.”

A nod was the only confirmation he gave in return. It was then that you noticed the silence had become thick and cloying. It buzzed around your ears like a swamp fly.

The two of you treaded lightly across the cobblestones, seeking cover in a darker backstreet. The planet’s moon was bright; it illuminated too much of the main path. You stuck close to the wall, inching across it, approaching the other end of the lane. Once you turned the corner, you would be out in the open, easily identifiable under the brightness of the moon.

Din paused at the edge, back pressed against the wall. You couldn’t get your heart to slow. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. He reached for your wrist as he went to exit the alley. You wondered if he could feel your pulse hammering through the leather.

You both turned the corner.

And beheld what waited for you in the cold moonlight.

He stood in a wide stance in the middle of the roadway, about 20 metres away, hands positioned at his hips. The scarlet of his eyes almost seemed to glow in the dark. He advanced on you both, drawing twin blasters from the holsters at his side and twirling them effortlessly around his flared, green fingers.

Mando was already stepping backwards. “Go.” He commanded you. “Back the way we came.”

You were already turning. A blaster shot sounded, and you heard the telltale ping of it bouncing off Din’s armour. And then he was behind you, ushering you forward with a hand on your back. Once you re-entered the lane, he turned, drawing his own blaster, taking large strides backwards to keep up with you.

You were almost to the end. That meant that you would come out close to the shop and would have to find another way to get out of town and back to the ship. You silently thanked the maker that you had left Grogu behind.

A gasp caught in your throat. Silhouetted against the cold light of the night, the second hunter covered your escape. His skin was bluer than the other, though his eyes were just as red, and he offered you a lipless, crooked smile. You backed away, just a little, bumping into Din as he travelled the opposite way. He cast a fast look over his shoulder, marking the other man, and drew an arm back across your abdomen, holding you to him. A light on his vambrace was beeping red, over and over and over. Finally, it shone green.

The second hunter drew a menacing scimitar, blade glinting slightly. The sharp edge of it was already bloodied. 

“I’m really wishing you had brought your jetpack right now.” You mumbled to Din. He was quiet. 

The man with the blasters spoke first.

“We hoped we’d cross paths with you, Mandalorian.” His voice was gravelly. His partner’s head tilted in surveyance. Din wasn’t paying attention to the monologue, speaking so softly that only you could hear. 

“We each take one. Duros have natural defense mechanisms across the ribs. Don’t aim there.” You hummed in acknowledgement. Duros. So that’s what they were.

The man was still talking. “You know what they’ll call us in the Guild?” He took a step forward. “They’ll call us Mando killers.” He laughed, a terrible gritty sound. “We’ll be legends.”

The male with the blades joined in. “I’ll keep your helmet on my dashboard as a prize.” 

And just like that the anxiety ebbed, replace with something much more dangerous. 

They were threatening him. 

Your vision seemed more focused all of sudden, breathing even. You tilted your head back at Duros with the blade, mimicking his smile. For the first time, he seemed to really take you in.

“Pity about the amateur you brought with you.” 

Din’s hand finally left your side. You freed the vibroknife from its sheath. His scimitar was much longer than your blade; you’d have to find a way past his defenses, get into his space.

Your mind went calm. You took in his posture, the gaps in his armour, the deep blue column of his neck. You were no amateur.

He advanced towards you, and you strode to meet him. Wasting no time, he brought the blade in an arc, aiming straight for your throat. You crouched low, hearing it whistle over your head, and slashed at his ankles. A move you had practiced on Din countless times.

It was a shallow cut, but enough for him to hiss in pain. 

You could tell Mando had engaged the other bounty hunter. Blaster shots rang out, sharply followed by the ringing sound of his armour. Distantly, you counted the sounds, matched them, making sure none of those shots had landed home.

The hunter in front of you was pissed. His blows were heavy, unforgiving, but they lacked direction. You were able to nimbly sidestep and dodge them, which seemed to only fuel his anger more. 

You lulled him into a pattern, relinquishing a step every time he attempted to strike a blow. Only on the fifth iteration did you finally sidestep his advance and move in closer. The knife slash was only millimetres shy of hitting. He jumped back with a curse.

And then it was a parry of blows, dodging blades, throwing punches, sidestepping. You managed to connect your elbow across his face, a short, sharp strike. He spat green blood onto the cobblestones and growled.

You expected the speed at which he surged at you. What you hadn’t expected was his intention. He didn’t aim for your unarmoured body, instead he went directly for your wrist. Those thin fingers curled around it, and you struggled to maintain a grip on the knife.

But when he swung his blade at you again, and you weren’t able to move aside, there was only one way to react. It was a reflex to reach your free hand out. The sword stopped in midair.

He struggled against your force hold before meeting your eyes again. You saw the recognition in the widening of his own red ones. He knew what you were.

You pushed against the blade and it broke free of his grasp, clattering to the floor. 

He was close to you, still gripping the hand that brandished the vibroknife. The aftermath of shock was still present in his eyes. Now was your chance.

You brought your knee up and connected with his groin. The hunter doubled over, releasing your hand, and you were quick to move into position behind him.

Using your free arm, you hauled him up against you. The edge of your blade pressed against the pulse in his neck, the weak area you had mapped before the battle had even begun.

One swipe was all it would take. And his life would be over.

You put more pressure on the knife, a bead of green blood starting to dribble down. He didn’t dare move.

Part of you was chanting at the carnage. But another, more insistent part reminded you of the way you had felt in that alley back on Tatooine. The shame you had endured from the way you had toyed with that Weequay. When you had told yourself that you would do better, be better.

Could you take this male’s life? Should you?

Yes. He had threated you. Threatened the man you—

As the conflicting sides of your mind warred, you were unaware of the way the hunter’s hands travelled across the rough ground, reaching desperately. By the time his fingers curled around the hilt, it was too late.

He brought the scimitar down behind him, slashing across your thigh. You might have screamed.

It was deep. You could tell from the pain, from the river of blood that now cascaded down your leg.

Your hold on him had loosened, and he was rising, so fast. There was nothing you could do.

And then a blaster bolt left a singeing hole in the side of his bulbous head. 

He dropped like a stone.

You whirled on the source, swimming vision making out a familiar face running up the moonlit street. Castann. 

Now you understood the blinking light on Din’s arm. 

He had been signalling for backup.

Just as he reached you, you stumbled. He was saying something to you, but it was warped, buried under the numbness in your head. You fought through the fog.

“Why didn’t you just kriffing kill him?” He was taking in the wound on your leg, dark skin uncharacteristically grey.

You were too tired to respond to him. Never in your life had the urge been so strong, to simply curl up on the cot in the Razor Crest and go to sleep. You were so tired.

Orange leather gripped your chin, and then he was there. Over his shoulder, you could just barely make out the green hunter, face down on the floor, the wound in his back gaping and burnt. “Look at me.” You could feel the worry rolling off him in waves.

“I’m okay.” You choked out. Well, that was a kriffing lie. 

He didn’t respond, simply turned to Castann. “Can you help me get her to the ship?” 

“Course, man.” And then you were propped between the two of them, half stumbling, half being dragged out of the back street, through the eerily quiet winding roads, out of the town. 

You blacked out at least five times.

Din left you in the hull, having roughly tied a tourniquet around your upper thigh before going to pilot the ship. As the ship’s ramp closed, you were distantly aware of Castann yelling: “Please don’t get yourselves killed!” You wished you could thank him.

Adrenaline alone propelled you up the ladder into the cockpit.

You were just barely aware of the fact that you were dripping blood on the floor. You used the back of Din’s seat as a support, leaning the bulk of your weight on it. Stars were beginning to swim in your vision, and you could feel the edges of your consciousness blurring out.

He swore quietly but didn’t tell you to get out.

He skipped the entire pre-flight check, blasting the engines on full to heat them, and retracting the landing gear immediately. If any other hunters knew he was on-world, you needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

You only made it 70,000 feet into the sky before a glossy fighter pulled up alongside you.

“Dank farrik.” Mando didn’t turn his head to the side. A transmission request beeped on the dashboard. He didn’t bother to answer it.

“I’m going to try and lose them in the cloud bank.”

Without further warning, Mando took the Crest in an arcing sweep, plummeting down towards Rishi’s lower atmosphere until you were buried in the cotton white. He leveled out sharply, and your knuckles blanched on the back of his chair, straining with the effort of keeping you upright. 

You flew like that for a few moments, gaining speed. Hopefully, you’d come out of the bank far enough away from them that they wouldn’t see the ship making for the hyperspace lane until it was too late.

And then you were shooting up, so fast it whipped the breath from your lungs. Laser fire zipped past the ship on both sides.

“Shit.” Mando cursed. You broke the upper level of the atmosphere.

You groaned. “They’re gaining on us too fast. We won’t make it into hyperspace.”

“Yes, we kriffing will.” He snarled. 

The ship shot forward, out of the atmosphere and into the stars. 

Another barrage of red shot past the left flank and the ship juddered. “We’re hit.” There was still no hint of panic in his voice. But even through the haze of pain, you were logical. The hunters’ craft was faster than the Razor Crest, and maneuvered easier. They would catch up to you… no matter how much fancy flying you tried. The only thing you had on your side was firepower, and you were in no fit state to man the turret. But—

“Din, I have an idea.” The stars in your vision had turned to black dots, and you knew you didn’t have long before you fell. “I need you to get us facing them. I have to see their ship.” He didn’t ask for elaboration, didn’t need it. You were a team, and he trusted you wholeheartedly.

“Okay.” He picked up speed again, and aggressively banked left, cutting the thrusters at the very last moment. The Crest slowed and spun, coming face-to-face with the hunter’s craft, now careening towards you.

You closed your eyes and breathed.

You could feel the speed of it, the energy it spent, hurtling towards you.

Din spoke your name in a low tone. A warning.

“Not yet.” Still, you reached out with the force. 

Their ship was sleek, aerodynamic. But there was one flaw on the exoskeleton, and you could sense the way it dragged through the nothingness of space. 

A fuel tank, the cover just slightly ajar.

He repeated your name, more insistent this time.

Your head angled slightly and, even with your eyes closed, a surge of final confidence rushed through you. 

“Almost.” you breathed.

It was always easier to use your hands. You lifted your left from where it had gripped Din’s chair, flexing it once. 

You tested the cover, tugging lightly with a jerk of your finger. It buckled. 

You didn’t hold back on the final force pull, sighing in relief the moment you felt the cover give way, a stream of fuel floating out.

“Now.”

He knew what you meant. 

You heard the familiar sound of the Crest’s front guns, felt the slight recoil, and opened your eyes just in time to see the beautiful craft burst into flames. The engines ignited again, and you dipped low, narrowly avoiding the debris.

The yellow of the explosion faded to a rich, burnt orange. It was the last thing you saw before you were engulfed by darkness.

He set the coordinates for Tatooine in record time and launched the ship into hyperspace.

Din spun in the pilot’s seat, collapsing onto the ground and cradling you to him. 

Your face was so pale, and you were still as death. No eyelashes fluttering, no fingers twitching, he couldn’t even see the rise and fall of your chest.

His heart skipped a beat. 

No. 

No, you couldn’t be dead. If you were he’d…

He’d go out of his mind. 

He tore the gloves off, reaching for your wrist, desperately trying to find the pulse that beat there. It was so faint, he wondered if he had felt it at all.

You wouldn’t die. He wouldn’t let it happen.

The helmet released with a hiss, and he pulled it off with haste, throwing the damn thing to the side.

Ear to your chest, he listened, while his own heart alternated between beating uncontrollably and stopping completely. 

Yours, although dangerously quiet, kept a steady rhythm.

He nearly wept in relief, allowing himself to slump against you for just a moment. And then, inhaling sharply, he let memory guide him. The process went by in flashes, as if his mind knew he would not like to remember it.

Din was briefly glad for your unconsciousness as he liberally poured disinfectant onto the wound. The tourniquet had helped slow the bleeding a bit, but there was so much that it had caked the leg of your pants. He would have to cut them off.

He did so with painstaking care. His distress was so strong that he barely perceived the bare skin, the parts of your body that he had never seen before.

The slash was too wide for the cauterizer to work; he would have to use stitches.

He was shaking; his entire body trembled, and he knew there was only one thing in his power that could get it to stop.

He did not have gentle hands, and he cursed the roughness of his work as he drew the needle through your skin, again and again and again.

Only when he had tied off the end did he allow himself a moment to breathe. He ran a hand over his head.

There was blood in his hair now, and he would worry about it later.

Your own bleeding had finally stopped, and he wiped the crusted excess off as best he could. 

Finally, rising on weak legs, he moved back into the hull, punching in the code to open the weapons cabinet. To the left was a stash of drip bags, used for blood loss and rehydration. He only hoped you hadn’t lost too much. 

Donning the jetpack, he used it once more to carry you from the cockpit. Once he had lain you on the cot, he went back up for his helmet, begrudgingly sliding it over his head once more.

He carefully disinfected the area of your arm, used the thermal mode on the visor to find a vein, and hooked up the IV bag, placing it atop Grogu’s hammock.

Grogu. Throughout all of this, he had forgotten to check on the kid. 

The lid to the cradle had remained closed, and that was probably a good thing. Din wouldn’t have wanted him to witness what had just happened. But as he pressed the button to release the lock and the cover slid back, he knew the child had felt everything. 

His wide eyes were open and lined with silver. But he didn’t cry, not as he lifted both arms towards his father. Din scooped him up, pressing him to his chest, already feeling the tightness in his limbs start to ease.

“She’s going to be okay, kid.” He squeaked once, seeking purchase on Din’s breastplate to look at you over his shoulder.

He brought the child to you, carefully setting him down and shifting the IV tube so he wouldn’t get tangled in it. He wasted no time curling up under your arm.

Every few moments you would tremble violently, likely from shock and blood loss. Grogu pressed a clawed hand to your stomach and squeezed his eyes shut. Finally, you stilled. 

Din simply stood and watched the two of you for a moment. Something in his chest felt swollen to the point of bursting. He brushed a hand over your forehead. You were clammy but cold. 

He pulled an extra blanket from one of the supply crates, and pulled both up to your chest, coming to rest just underneath Grogu’s chin. And then his work was done.

He was exhausted and shaky but refused to leave your side. With whatever remaining energy he had left, he dragged another crate over to the sleeping nook and collapsed onto it, letting his head hit the wall of the weapons cabinet with a thunk. Within seconds, he was unconscious.

There is no floor beneath you. No ceiling above you. No walls. No light.

Your body feels weightless, as if you are submerged in water. Each slight move is delayed yet repetitive.

There is a ruby glow ahead, so far away. 

It is but a speck in the vast darkness of this dreamscape.

You move towards it, not entirely of your own accord. It pulls you like a magnet.

All the while, it sings to you in a lilting voice.

I call to you because you bleed, like me.

I call to you because you are dark, like me

I call to you because you are corrupted, like me.

You are close enough to see it now.

If you reach out, you could touch it.

Faint fissures spiderweb across its surface and it glows and fades, as if it were breathing.

A tether inside you twitches, and the crystal flares in response.

I call to you. 

Will you listen? 

Will you hear me?

Your words are stuck in your throat. Your tongue is too heavy for your mouth.

Is this who you are?

Is this what you are?

It continues to ask you it’s question. The words start to blend together…

Will you hear me? Will you hear me? Will you hear me? Will you hear me? You will hear me. You will hear me. You will hear me. You will hear me.

You shot up from the bed, drawing gasping breaths into your lungs. A hand presses against your chest and eases you back.

“Steady. Take it slow.” His voice was stable, grounding. Your body responded to it immediately and you fell, rather ungracefully, back into lying position. A stack of pillows broke your descent.

You took inventory of your surroundings. Din, crouched at the edge of your bed. Grogu, in his arms, straining to be let go so he could crawl to your side. A bandage on the inside of your elbow; you prodded at it curiously. 

You were almost scared to look under the blankets. You could wiggle your toes, so that must be positive. But you recalled the trauma of the injury, the sheer quantity of blood that had flown down your leg, the pain of it.

But it had reduced to a dull ache, and the fog in your head had cleared. You felt weary, but alert. 

“How are you feeling?” Maker, he sounded like he had been dragged around behind a Mudhorn again.

“Alive.” Your own voice was croaky. “How about you?”

“Tired.” He admitted. You wondered if he had gotten any sleep while you were unconscious. And you realized you weren’t quite sure how long that had been.

You voiced your concern. “How long have I been out?”

He didn’t answer for a moment, instead putting the kid down and toying around with the edge of his glove. “Din?” you prompted him.

He took a deep breath. “About ten hours.” He didn’t sound nearly as panicked as you felt.

You pushed up from the pillows with haste. “What?”

He rose up, trying to lower you back down again, but you swatted his hand away.

“The Twi’lek said we only had 50 hours until the auction.” You were on the verge of panicking, sliding out of the blankets and to the edge of the bed. “We have to come up with a plan. We—” 

“Hey.” He knelt before you, arms braced on either edge of the alcove, blocking your escape. “I don’t need you passing out on me again. So please, for the love of—” He sighed loudly. “Just take it slow.”

Of course, you obeyed. 

There was crusted blood on the edge of his helmet. Without thinking, you reached out to wipe it away with your thumb. He leaned, almost imperceptibly into your touch, as if he could really feel it.

And then he returned the gesture, brushing his gloved hand over your leg. Over the bandage neatly wrapped around it. Your attention turned to it as well, and you let out a sound of surprise.

“What?” he asked.

You shook your head. “Nothing. You just… You did a really good job.” Your eyes returned to the visor. He was silent, but you could tell he was taking you in, probably using whatever gadgets he had in that helmet to monitor your vitals. 

“Thank you.” You weren’t sure what else to say.

He dropped his other hand from the wall of the cot. “You’re welcome.”

And then he was standing and turning, making his way towards the flight deck. He called behind him: “And don’t worry, I’ve already figured out a plan.”

“Wait, really?” You stood slowly, testing out the strength of your leg. It was surprisingly stable. You followed him, approaching the ladder. That would be a challenge.

It was then that you beheld the light leaking out of the cockpit. Real light, daylight. “Din, where are we?”

He had made it to the upper level when he replied: “Tatooine.”

“Again?”

“Well, we took bad damage to the ship; it needed fixing.” You gingerly put your injured leg on the first rung of the ladder, using your upper body to heft yourself up. “That, and the plan requires a babysitter.”

By the time you made it to the top, you were out of breath, collapsing into the jump seat to his right. “All right, let’s hear it then.”

“Din Djarin, that is the absolute worst plan I have ever heard.”

He makes a frustrated noise and slaps the datapad down on his lap. “Well do you have any better ideas?”

“Uh, yeah?”

It was absolutely absurd. He had put a lot of weight on the ability to remain unnoticed which was completely understandable. There would be so many people there who might recognize him, and it would be no good to have to fight off every hunter you came across while still trying to acquire the bounty.

His solution? Park illegally on the beach and access the casino through the underground waterways. That meant oxygen mouthpieces, cutting through grates, squeezing into narrow piping systems, and coming out through the fountain in the middle of the casino lobby.

“You do realize we’d be soaking wet, right?” you ask. He groans. “Dripping seawater onto the floor of one of the galaxy’s finest casinos is definitely a way to not get noticed.” There was still the matter of finding the crystal once you made it into the building, though you had a feeling that wouldn’t be the hard part.

You hadn’t told him about your dream, or about what you thought it meant. The fact that the crystal might call to you, that you might be able to sense it, because you were the same. Dark, corrupt, evil.

He throws his hands up in defeat. “Okay, fine. What’s your alternative?” 

You leaned forward in your chair. “The most important part is that we don’t get recognized until it’s time to retrieve the bounty, right?”

“Right.” He sounded hesitant.

“So, you’re the only one of us that’s flashy and easily identifiable. If I went in on my own—”

He was already shaking his head. “No. We stick together.”

“Just hear me out you swamp rat.” He made an exasperated noise but motioned for you to continue.

“We split up here and I take a public transport over. I look like a tourist, no one’s going to recognize me. I’ll take a day to establish a bit of a cover, get prepped and on the night of the auction, I’ll go in as a guest.” He had turned his head up to the sky, arms crossed over his chest.

“You come in on the Crest, land somewhere quiet and stay hidden when you come into town. Stick to the rooftops.” You reached a hand out to him. “Give me the datapad for a second.”

He obliged, and you pulled up the basic blueprints he was referring to earlier.

“Here.” You pointed to the plans, just above the casino’s main room. He angled his helmet down to look. “There’s a skylight. There’ll probably be some sort of security, a guard or a laser grid or something. That’s your job.”

You pulled the datapad back. “You wait there, that way you can still see me, and once I secure the crystal, you can get me out.”

He looked to you and you could have sworn that you could see the dubious expression beneath the helmet. “I’m the extraction plan?”

You nodded. 

“How are you even going to find the crystal.” Ah there he was, asking all the right questions.

“That’s my job, leave it to me. You are simply in charge of the extracting.”

He seemed to be considering it for a moment. You watched him expectantly.

Finally, he spoke. “I’m not going to consider it.” 

He was out of his seat and descending from the cockpit before you could retort. Your mouth hung open in disbelief. No way were you letting this go.

You moved quickly and hopped down from the top rung of the ladder, pursuing him. A blast of pain reverberated through your thigh from the impact, but you barely felt it. He whirled on you.

You took three long strides toward him and jabbed him in the chest with your pointer finger twice for emphasis. “How many times do I have to knock you on your ass before you accept that I can handle myself?” You voice was curt and slightly aggressive.

He looked down sharply, letting out a frustrated “Dank farrik.” You followed his line of sight.

Deep red was blossoming across the bandage at your thigh. You must have strained your stiches when you jumped. But you wouldn’t let him change the subject.

“It’s fine.” You growled. Maker, he vexed you sometimes. 

“No, it’s not fine.” His tone was just as brusque and he pushed firmly on your shoulder, backing you up until your calves hit the edge on the bunk. “Sit.” There was no room for argument. Reluctantly you obeyed, collapsing with a huff. You rolled your eyes.

He went back up to the flight deck to retrieve the medkit and you sat there, lips pressed into a thin line, nails digging into your palm.

You didn’t try to hide the annoyance in your eyes, even as he advanced on you again. But you could never stay upset with him for long, especially not as he placed the kit on the ground and knelt before you, removing his gloves.

Despite the heat of the argument, his hands were gentle as he reached for the corner of the wrap, slowly unwinding it. You stared him down, but he remained diligently fixated on the wound. As he finally uncovered it, a drop of blood trickled down the edge of your inner thigh, leaving a scarlet trail. He swept it up with his finger.

“You need to more careful.” The ire from earlier was gone. He reached into the kit to pull out sanitary wipe and a fresh fold of gauze.

You scoffed. “Says you? How many times have I done this for you?”

He ripped open the package of the wipe, sighing softly. “A lot.”

You wore a very smug expression on your face and tried not to let it falter when he snaked one hand around the underside of your leg, cradling it. “This is going to sting a bit.”

“It’s fine.” He pressed the cloth to the bloodied gash, wiping in slow, steady motions. You bit down on your lip to keep from hissing. 

Through the waves of pain, you voiced a fleeting thought. “You know Grogu could have just healed it, right?” 

“He was sleeping. I didn’t want to wake him.” Din was such a beautiful liar. You chose not to call him on it, instead letting him return to his work.

He cleaned up the excess blood with gentle efficiency, sporadically lifting the helmet to check your expression. You met his stare each time. Only when he pressed the fresh gauze onto the wound did you finally break the silence.

“I can do this, you know. It’ll work.” He sat back onto his heels, pressing a hand to the top of his helmet, as if he wanted to run his fingers through his hair.

“I know you can, I just..” He paused.

“What?” 

He paused for a long moment. And then, very softly, he explained.

“You were right behind me in that alley on Rishi.” Your eyes instantly softened. “Right behind me… and still I wasn’t fast enough to get to you.” He picked up the wrap and toyed around with it.

You bit your lip. “That wasn’t your fault.”

He nodded as if he understood. But you knew he still blamed himself. 

“I can’t… I can’t be so far away and not know if you’re safe, not be able to protect you.” 

You took the wrap from his fidgeting hands. “I won’t be in danger until I get into that casino, and by then… I know you’ll be up there. I know you’ll have my back.” He nodded again.

“I trust you.” You could practically feel the weight of his gaze through the helmet. If only you could read his features, try to make sense of the maelstrom of emotions you kept sensing from him. “But I need you to trust me too.”

He took the wrap back from you, setting the edge along your inner thigh and pulling it down and around your leg, securing the clean gauze in place. I was then that you finally noticed your lack of clothing. You were still in the oversized undershirt you had worn on Rishi, but your pants were gone, leaving you in only a pair of undershorts. The hem of your shirt came to just above the bandage. 

You also noticed how dutifully fixated he was on the task at hand, as if he was trying to keep himself from thinking of the exact same thing. 

The air was thick and quiet as he secured the clasp on the wrap. He let his hands linger a moment too long. You knew there were goosebumps on your legs. You hoped he thought you were just cold.

In an attempt to break the silence, you offered: “After this is over, we can go sip tea on some ridiculously expensive vacation planet… surrounded by piles of credits. Okay?” 

He chuckled. “Okay.”

Truthfully you didn’t care about the credits. Unbeknownst to you, he didn’t give a damn about them either. 

There was something much more valuable right here. 

And you wouldn’t be able to tiptoe around it for much longer.

Taglist: @that-girl-named-alex @aavengingbucky @prismaticpizza @blub-senpai @a-phan-of-youtube @jaguarthecat @lizajane3 @come-hell-or-eldren-fire

[fandom-blackhole]

Mando May 2021 Week 2 + Day 12

AN: Next prompts are done! I had fun writing this bittersweet ficlet, and I hope you all enjoy reading it! Again this wasn't entirely edited and all LIKES and REBLOGS are really appreciated and help with exposure! Love you all!

Prompts:

Ret’uryce mhi- “Maybe we’ll meet again.”

Mandalorian goodbye, their fate not fixed in fact.

Yaim- Home

Pairing: Paz Vizsla x GN!Reader

Words: almost 1.6k

Summary: You’ve been hearing blaster fire for what feels like all afternoon when things go eerily quiet, and then you here a thud outside your door followed by a heavy knock.

Warnings?: gunfire/fighting mentioned, angst, soft Paz

The day had started as any other. You'd woken up, crawled out of bed and into the refresher for a quick shower, and then headed down to the small bakery you owned and lived above. The day wasn't anything special, no holiday or big event planned, it was just supposed to be an average day. 

After heading downstairs to the small bakery that you owned, you grabbed a stale pastry that didn't sell the day before and ate it quickly as you turned all the lights in the store and kitchen and fired up the ovens as you took stock of what you had and needed more of soon. Then you set about measuring and mixing, and once the pie crusts were cut and filled, and the bread doughs were set aside to rise, you went about prepping the small confectionery molds and worked on measuring and melting down sugars and chocolates.

By the time the store opened you counters were filled and there was more baking in the large fire ovens. Admittedly, you had gone overboard with the baking this morning, but it was only because today was the day that your favorite customer would be coming in, a large tower mandalorian in blue armor that you had taken to calling Blue Bird after he had not given you his name and you had noticed the jetpack strapped to his wide back. The mandalorian had also found the nickname funny, chuckling when you had first called him that, saying, "That is a first, no one has given me that name before."

At the time you had smiled, and basked in the fact he had liked the nickname, especially considering it had fueled you're attraction to the man who was softer than he appeared to be. Blue Bird always came in once a month and bought the old baked goods that had not sold and were still editable, as well as completely clearing out your candies with a soft, "The children always like your candies the best." 

You always snuck in fresher goodies, knowing that stale bread was nothing to live off of, and the first time you did this had resulted in Blue Bird to try and pay you extra the next time he came in. In the end it only started a game between the two of you and you eventually found yourself giving only fresh breads, pastries, and sweets that you had made that day, or the day prior, saving the older staler things for yourself and to hand out to those unlucky few you came across sitting and shivering in dark alley ways or on corners with cups and hopeless looks in their eyes. You and the mandalorian grew closer over time, seemingly like a force was drawing you together, and while neither of you had made the move to cross into that uncertain area of relationship territory, the both of you knew clearly that the other was fond of them.

As time went on as well Blue Bird explained some of the mandalorian culture to you, though only very basic things. He told you why he could not show you his face or give you his name freely, and you had accepted that fact with a smile, knowing that even without those two things your heart would always long for him. He made sure you were aware of the importance of his armor, and the wars that had been fought with the precious metal. The large man had even gone as far as taking you out and teaching you how to use blaster, all the while telling you how important weapons were to his religion and culture, then at the end of the night gifting you the weapon he had taught you to use, and the gesture was met by a soft look from you and you knowing exactly the commitment and feelings behind the deeply meaningful gesture. There was absolutely nothing you could do to stop your heart from yearning and falling for the man after he showed you the soft, kind side to his hardened warrior facade.

So each month, on the same day you waited with baited breath, watching the door to your store every second waiting for his hulking figure to walk through the frame. And that was exactly what you were doing today, even as you shared kind smiles and words with your other regular customers, you still distractedly watch the door. You knew he never came until it was close to closing time because he liked not being surrounded by people and he liked the privacy of the late hour. Did that stop your impatience, or excitement to see him again, not in the least. 

The day absolutely dragged on, to the point that you had only had two customers by the time midday had come and gone and you were starting to wonder if you were going to be counting losses for the day. That's when you heard the muffled blaster fire and your stomach started turning. Blaster fire wasn't exactly uncommon here on Nevarro, but to this extent it was. You were too scared to venture out and look to see what was happening yourself, but it sounded as if every being in town with a blaster had turned up and started shooting. The loud shots echoed off the walls of the buildings, and you thanked every deity that it sounded like the fire fight was slowly traveling away from your small bakery and not towards it.

It felt like the fight dragged on for days, and the shouts and blasters refused to stop as you curled up behind the counter with Blue Bird's blaster clutched in your hands bringing you some comfort. But, after hours of shaking in fear and waiting, the loud noises slowly came to a stop and everything seemed eerily quiet. You still refused to move, not trusting whatever was happening to be over yet, and you took deep breaths to try and calm yourself down. Only after a few minutes of silence you jumped out of your skin as you heard a loud thud right outside your doorway and then a heavy knocking thud. Slowly you peaked your head above the counter to see the top of a familiar blue helmet through the small window that framed the top of you door. You will admit readily that never before had you run so fast to the door and opened it, let alone eagerly pulled in a dirty, post fight warrior before locking the door, but in that second you did just that.

Once he was inside, you finally let your fears engulf you and let tears fall freely down your face. Through blurry vision you saw Blue Bird reach out to you and cup your face tenderly wiping away the tears. 

You weren't sure when you closed your eyes, but they shot open when you felt the slightly cooled touch of rounded metal on your forehead and found yourself looking eye to eye with Blue Bird's visor, as he slowly stroked your cheek, and you finally registered the soothing words he was speaking to you. Once the tears had stopped, the mandalorian's low soft and steady voice spoke, "I am leaving, mesh'la. The imperials have found our small covert, and we are also being hunted by the parsec's guild, so we must all leave and scatter ourselves…"

"But- Leaving? You...you'll visit still right?"

"Mesh'la, I don't think I will be able too, at least not for a long while."

You felt you heart cracking at the mandalorian's small admission and you clutched onto the hand that was still on your cheek as you frantically darted your eyes along his visor and breathed out, "Then...then I'll come with you...Just..just give me a second to grab a small bag." 

Immediately after saying that you tried to turn out of his arms and rush upstairs but you found yourself mandalorian's arms wrapped around you waist holding you in place and his helmet pressing slightly firmer into you forehead.

"I cannot take you with me, cyare. I will not put you in more danger by you just traveling with me."

"Bu-"

"Please...please don't make this harder than it already is…."

You were crying again by this point, with chest rattling sobs, trying to choke out pleas to convince the mandalorian holding you, but only managing soft wailing noises. Then the scuffle of footsteps sounded outside and you heard him sigh before whispering, "Mesh'la, my darling starlight, you will always be my yaim, my home, the holder of my heart, and I will try everything to come back to you, but I must go now to keep you safe."

You couldn't find it in yourself to do anything but listen as the man you loved said goodbye for what could be the last time, and you felt like your chest was caving in on itself.

"Blue Bird…"

"P-paz, my name is Paz Vizsla, mesh'la."

Feeling another sob make its way up your throat you forced it down so you could brokenly say his name as he squeezed you close on last time before pulling away. You watched unable to move as he took steps towards the doorway to your shop, and after he unlocked the door he turned to you and said in a language you didn't recognize, "Ret’uryce mhi," then you watched himnstep out of your shop, and disappear upwards into the sky, leaving you to sob alone on the floor of your shop.

(Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate it sooo much, and if you would please LIKE and REBLOG it helps me out a bunch. Love you guys!!)

Taglist: @ollovaemisc @ace-kit-kat-witch @goblinsimp @kikiinden @shellyc9 @cappchen

[captainkappa]

Fanfic:: In Other Hands

When Din and Cobb go to take care of some slavers, Cobb is disarmed and has to improvise with the weapons that have fallen off Din’s utility belt.

Din/cobb, post-season 2, canon-typical violence

Shout out to coffeequill for betaing!

Link to AO3

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

As Cobb picks off another slaver running in fear of his life, he realizes how regular this is becoming. And it has all started with a meeting with the new self-proclaimed ‘King of Tatooine.’

He has invited all kinds of authority to Jabba’s old palace, now his. Even though Mos Peglo isn’t on the map anymore, Cobb wakes up to a stern-faced woman at his front door all the same. The conversation on the ride over hasn’t been great, but it does confirm the rumor that floated around Tatooine in the past few weeks.

The new king is the Boba Fett.

He has heard stories about Boba Fett, who hadn’t? Late enough in a cantina in Mos Eisley, it wouldn’t take long before someone started talking about their buddy who had family who had a friend who got taken in by the famed bounty hunter, never to return.

So yeah, Cobb is man enough to admit that, as he’s led through the dark, old palace, he is a little on edge. At the door, no one even asks for his blaster, which is a clear enough message as he’d ever heard.

His heart damn near plummets when he faces the man himself though.

Because if he is the rightful owner of the suit of armor Cobb had, he is properly fucked.

And damn did he ever look better in it, all polished and properly painted. He could see the glint of what might be his old armor behind him, on proud display.

Cobb tries to shake himself out of his fear and take in the rest of the room. The woman who led him there takes position on the other side of Fett. There are other people in the chamber, clearly all from Tatooine, looking just as scrappy as he. He tries his best to look his most mayoral as Fett starts talking about his plans for the planet. It is… far more humanitarian than he expected, with plans laid out for wiping out the slavers who take more than they give.

Cobb instantly likes Fett way more.

Then he is asking they introduce themselves and when the line gets to Cobb, he couldn’t help himself.

“I’m Cobb Vanth, marshal of Mos Pelgo. And I hoped Mando mentioned that I wasn’t the one to destroy the jetpack.”

Boba looks at him for a moment before letting out a laugh that echoed in the chamber. He turns around to face the suit of armor.

But then it moves.

He can’t help the words coming out of his mouth, interrupting the new king.

“Mando, is that you?”

And with that, the entire meeting is thrown into disarray. Cobb barely pays attention to the others as he meets Mando halfway up the steps to clasp his hand in both of his, making sure he’s real. Questions are flying out of his mouth a mile a minute; where’s the kid? When did he get back? How the hell do he and Boba know each other?

Mando and Boba share a look and with a shrug, the king dismisses them, the other authority figures looking confused as Mando leads him back into the palace, where they can catch up in peace.

Cobb tries not to think about how Mando’s hand doesn’t leave his until they’ve arrived at the room.

It’s been a couple of months since they first met, but Mando keeps making his way in Cobb’s memories. He tries to play it off as simple appreciation, he can appreciate the pure physicality of everything Mando had done, that was normal. But the longer he thinks about how Mando handled his son, the affection that could be stored in shoulders and head tilts, he has to admit that he’s harboring something else fiercely in his heart.

But those thoughts leave temporarily as Mando describes everything that happened since he left and Maker, if it doesn’t bring a tear to his eye seeing the restraint to which he described being separated from his son. Cobb can tell he’s not telling him everything that happened that day, but he doesn’t mind. Thankfully, Mando has managed to get contact of the Jedi since then, so he can see him and visit occasionally, but it’s just not the same.

Cobb is considering putting his hand on top of Mando’s when there’s a knock at the door and Boba, helmetless, lets himself in. He’s just as intimidating a figure with or without it, scars telling enough of a story as to the character of the man who proclaimed himself king.

Conversation flits between business and pleasure, stories about Boba, Mando, and Fennec on Tatooine. It’s clear the three of them have been planet side for a couple of weeks, if the body language between them is anything to go by. Cobb lets himself feel a little offended before letting it go. Mando clearly had some shit to parse through and Boba and Fennec had been there for him.

Any anxiety Cobb had about meeting the king has left. He leaves the palace with a scheduled date to take out some slavers near Mos Pelgo.

-=-

And now here Cobb is, a couple missions in, ducked behind some crates, picking off slavers one by one as they run out of the cave where Mando has since been let loose. He’s almost sad to miss seeing how Mando fights, especially if the terrified looks of those who thought they’d escaped are anything to do by.

It’s just them on this mission. He takes small pride when Mando vouched for his skill in front of Fett, letting him know they didn’t need any more help. It’s nice to know he’s earned Mando’s trust.

Ducking behind the crate, he’s swapping out power cells when Mando gets thrown out of the cave, rolling with a low grunt. He’s quickly followed by three of the biggest guy’s Cobb has ever seen, human all of them.

“Mando!”

He gets a hand waved at him for his trouble as Mando staggers to his feet, pulling out the spear on his back. At one point, Cobb had wondered if it was just decorative, but seeing Mando fight with it, as it sings in the air, the impact it makes on arms and heads, reveals it to be anything but.

But his fancy fighting with the goons isn’t helping him in a three on one match, especially with how long they’ve been at it already.

He takes another solid hit and goes flying farther away from Cobb, items from his belt going spinning into the sand.

Cobb shoves the battery pack in the blaster and tries to take a couple shots at the slavers before the trigger clicks.

Jammed.

“Dank farrik,” he yells, slapping the side of the blaster. All that gets him is a stinging palm.

He glances up to see all three goons going for Mando. Thinking quick, he fishes the knife he keeps stored in his boot and chucks it at the closest guy, only it goes lower than expected and pings off the armor.

Shit.

Cobb quickly scans for any weapon available as he hears Mando continue to get his ass handed to him. There’s a knife, but Cobb doesn’t trust his aim a second time, but it’s the thing beside it that catches his eye. It looks like a hilt, with what must be a spring-loaded blade inside, even if the size seems wrong for such a weapon.

As if he can tell what he’s thinking, Mando yells from across the way, “Don’t touch it!”

Well, with an invitation like that.

Cobb knows he’ll only have one shot at this. He vaults over the crate and scoops up the hilt. He gets a brief glance at it, figures the best place to hold it without hurting himself before charging in.

He takes a running leap before latching himself around the closest guy. He pulls his arm back for a swing.

He pushes the button and instead of a vibro-blade, a jet-black beam of light cuts through the man’s head as smooth as bantha butter.

“Fuck!” Cobb yells, falling off the man as his other arm screams in pain. He scrambles off the man’s back as he falls forward, dead as a doornail.

The blade stays there, letting out a faint humming as it lies in the sand, partially buried from where the man fell. The sand bubbles around the blade, heating up impossibly fast as it sits there, looking like a hole to the middle of the planet against the glare of the sand.

Before he can comprehend the power of the sword, a noise in front of him told him Mando still had trouble on his hands.

Cobb struggles to his feet, trying to pull out the blade as cleanly as possible before walking forward.

“Hey!” he yells, throat going dry as he catches a glance at the state of Mando, shoulders heaving and armor not looking terribly pretty.

That at least gets one of the goon’s attention, who looks at the blade in his hand and at his dead buddy.

“Leave ‘im alone.”

The guy doesn’t appreciate that and gets out his own blade, long and curved like a machete, before charging.

Cobb has never been a swordfighter, so he tries to go with motion that felt natural, a two-handed grip as he raises the sword to block the incoming attack.

He’s not expecting the blade to cut through the knife like it’s nothing. His balance thrown off, he tries to use the momentum to shove into the other man, forcing him to stumble back.

The other man looks just as surprised as Cobb feels, but he has a slightly better grip on the strange weapon. He takes the slavers hesitation to lunge with a swipe to the chest. The man goes down quick, a visible molten line through his armor.

It’s at that instant the smell of burn hair and flesh hits him. He falls to his knees, blade slipping through his fingers. He hears it sizzle and pop against the sand, but he can’t bring himself to right it.

He doesn’t know how long he stares at what lay before him.

“Cobb?” His head snaps up as he sees Mando blocking one of the suns. His armor is littered with blaster residue and a pauldron is hanging to his arm by a thread.

He should ask if he’s okay, if he’s handled the other guy.

“What the fuck is that?” he asks instead, pointing to the black blade.

Mando’s shoulder’s drop in a way that makes him expect a lecture, but then the Mandalorian stiffens, rushing to his side with a speed he wouldn’t have expected after that fight.

“You’re hurt!” And Cobb looks down at where he is looking before quickly looking away.

His left vambrace has been cut in two. Cobb only gets a glance at the wound before he has to look away, gut clenching. There is a huge gash on his arm that already looks cauterized.

“Easy, easy,” Mando says quietly, head suddenly right by his shoulder. “C’mon.”

“I can still walk,” Cobb says. He can tell he’s not convinced as steadier hands help him to his feet.

He swears he can hear Mando laugh as the wind kicks up and he feels his scarf be pulled up over his nose.

The last thing he hears before he passes out is Mando’s low voice saying, “We’ll be back at Boba’s soon.”

-=-

When Cobb wakes up, his head feels like it weighs as much as a bantha.

He puts two and two together when his head lolls around and he glimpses at the dim room around him, at white bandages around his arm. With no room looking nearly this nice at Mos Pelgo, he must be in Boba’s palace and he must be pumped full of drugs after the fight.

There’s movement close to his arm and he looks up and Mando is right there, beside him, fidgeting with something.

“Hey,” Cobb says, hoping the feeling of cotton in his mouth will pass.

Mando sits up straighter, visor turning to face him. “Hey, how do you feel?”

“Like my arm has been trampled to death, but it’s attached, so I can’t be too mad. You alright?”

He gets a head tilt at that. “I’m not the one in the medical wing.”

Cobb waves him away with his good arm. “Yeah, yeah, but you still took a beating from those guys.”

The helmet ducks down, and Cobb bites his lip to avoid blabbing about how cute the gesture is. “I’m fine.”

Cobb clicks his tongue. “Now don’t you go looking like that.”

Another head tilt, but Cobb continues, “If you feel bad about what happened back there, don’t. I won’t hear of it. You told me not to touch the laser sword and I still did. And I’d do it again if it meant saving your hide.”

He blanches, having wanted to keep that last part to his chest.

Mando, to his credit, doesn’t comment on it. He reaches down and unclips the hilt from his side and ignites it. Cobb can’t help but flinch back into the bed as it comes to life, humming in that eerie way as it did in the desert. It’s somehow more striking here, the glowing outline more obvious in the dim light of the room.

“It’s called a darksaber, Mando begins, “I won it on Moff Gideon’s ship by accident. It… it’s a symbol of authority and power for Mandalorians.”

“Oh, is that all?”

That gets him a huff of a laugh from Mando as he extinguishes the blade and slips it back on. A quiet descends into the room. Now, Cobb can handle silence and he can handle being still. He just can’t handle both at the same time.

“I hope Boba doesn’t charge me for room and board.”

“He was impressed, said you could stay here as long as needed.”

Oh. The knot of worry that had appeared out of nowhere unravels in Cobb’s chest. He’d been at least expecting a debt of some kind, hackles still raised even if he liked the man, the distrust of authority running deep.

“We’ll probably get called for more jobs after you’re healed, though.”

“That sounds like the opposite of a problem,” Cobb says with a smirk.

A sudden tiredness floats over him like a blanket and he closes his eyes for what feels like a second but could be any amount of time.

There’s a moment where he thinks Mando has left the room, before he registers the feeling of soft fingers on his hand. He cracks open an eye and sees Mando still sitting where he was, his gloves off as he runs his thumb over his knuckles, catching in scars and pocket marks Cobb had collected throughout the years.

Cobb shifts and Mando’s hand stills. Acting on instinct and ignoring the feeling that floods through him, he holds Mando’s hand as tightly as he dare with the bandage.

“You’re supposed to be asleep,” Mando says, voice quiet.

“I just woke up.”

Mando lets out a huff that might be considered a laugh. “You were only asleep for half an hour.”

“Alright, then you gotta go to bed too.”

“Cobb…”

“Mando…”

“It’s Din.”

He swallows down his feelings once more, not trusting himself in this drugged up state to say more. “Alright, Din, go to bed. You got roughed up too.”

“Alright,” his voice trails off but then he’s clearing his throat and saying, “Thank you. I- I haven’t had the chance to say that yet.”

This time, Cobb is able to keep the words close to his chest as he drifts back to sleep.

Anytime, partner.

[raiseyourcups]

Cabur

Chapter Twenty-Three

Pairing: Din Djarin x OFC (Aili Verdella) Warnings: droid death, explosions, mention of graves, mention of blood Word Count: 4.4k Also on AO3

Masterlist//Main Masterlist

Summary:  They make it down to the lava river but of course things can't just go their way, not with their luck. Can they make it through what Moff Gideon throws their way this time or is this the end of the line for Mando, Aili, Little Green, and the friends they've dragged into their mess?

(Note: this is almost the end, the penultimate chapter aside from the Interlude in place of an epilogue. I do still have an announcement for this series but I will put that on the final chapter when it’s posted. For now, please enjoy the almost end.)

They made it down to the underground river as quickly as they could and there was no mistaking when they got close to it. The air was getting hotter with every step they took towards the river until it became stifling. Maker, Aili really hated that Nevarro was somehow considered habitable despite being surrounded by lava everywhere. 

“This is the lava river,” Karga pointed out like it wasn’t obvious to all of them. There was a ferry that would thankfully have enough room for all of them there. Aili was mostly just glad that there was still a ferry boat. It wasn’t the prettiest but it would get the job done. 

“The ferry droid is fried,” Mando stated, stepping forward to get a closer look at the droid. He hoped he was wrong in his assessment but with one scan he knew he wasn’t. He barely stopped himself from cursing out loud. Could one thing go their way right now?

“Well, that’s just great,” Aili replied. 

“If we push the boat out, we can get it to float downstream,” Karga said as he stepped forward to do just that. “Come on.” 

“Looks old, will it take the heat?” Mando asked, sounding skeptical as he looked over the boat more. He couldn’t even begin to guess how long the boat had been down there at this point but he had a feeling it had been a while. 

“You got a better idea?” Karga questioned, looking back at Mando with a raised brow. 

Mando looked from Karga to the boat once more before he let out a sigh. “Guess not.”

Mando and Karga tried to push the boat away from where it was only for it to not even move an inch away. Mando let out an angry sigh before backing away and kicking at the boat. Aili opened her mouth to say something but she decided against it for once.

“Let’s try this,” Mando said, grabbing a pole that was leaning against a wall. He tried to leverage it under the boat to get it to budge but it wasn’t moving. Cara suddenly let out an annoyed sound, pulling her rifle from around her shoulders.

“You guys mind getting out of the way?” Was all the warning she gave them before she pointed the blaster at the bottom of the boat where it was stuck. Mando and Karga scrambled away from the boat, Mando putting himself between the boat and Aili. 

Cara shot along the side of the boat, blasting away the built up lava rock in order to free the boat. It worked like a charm of course. 

“Good job,” Karga said as he climbed onto the boat. Cara followed quickly after and then Mando. 

“Watch your feet. It’s molten lava,” IG-11 stated the obvious in a way that only a droid could. 

“Yes, thank you for that IG,” Aili said as she handed Little Green over to Mando so she could climb onto the boat without tripping. It wasn’t exactly the easiest task with her legs being shorter than everyone else’s but no one was dumb enough to comment on it. Once she was on the boat, she took Little Green back from Mando.

The boat started to float down the river and then there was suddenly beeping and whirring coming from behind them. Everyone turned, blasters ready, as the supposed fried droid woke up. It slowly stood up, the built up rocks that had seemingly crushed it being brushed off. The droid chirped at them, picking up a ferry stick as it did. 

“I don’t suppose anyone here speaks droid?” Mando asked slowly.

Aili turned her head to look up at Mando like he was an idiot. “You do know that IG is literally a droid, right?”

“I believe he is asking where we would like to go,” IG-11 said before Mando could reply to Aili.

“Down river. To the lava flat,” Karga sharply ordered the ferry droid.

The ferry droid chirped happily, beginning to push them down the river. Aili couldn’t help but let a small smile cross her face when she caught the way it was continuing to chirp in a rhythm like it was chirping along to a song. Some droids were just so cute.

“That’s it! We’re free!” Karga exclaimed pointing at the large opening ahead of them.

Mando wished that he could agree with Karga but as he turned on his heat signature readings, he didn’t know what to do next. “No. No we’re not.”

“What is it now?" Aili asked with a deep sigh. She had known this was going too easily for them. 

“Stormtroopers,” Mando said, turning his helmet a little to look down at Aili. “They’re flanking the mouth of the tunnel. It looks like an entire platoon so they must know we’re coming."

“Stop the boat.” Cara said shortly, turning around when the ferry droid didn’t stop pushing them along the river. “Hey, droid, I said stop the boat.”

“Cara, calm down and let it--or you could just do that.” Aili let out a sigh as Cara shot the droid’s head off. It didn’t do anything other than leave them without a ferry droid as the boat kept floating along the river. 

“We’re still moving. Looks like we fight," Cara said, her tone speaking volumes to how angry she was getting now.

“There are too many,” Mando said without stating the obvious that they were still in a boat above a lava river. There wasn’t much room for error and the Stormtroopers would have the advantage since they were on solid ground. 

“Then what do you suggest ‘cause I can’t surrender,” Cara stated

“Yes, we get it, you were part of the rebellion,” Aili said shortly. “But let’s think about this for a moment, who do you think they’ll care more about? You or the kid? You or Mando? You or the person who betrayed the Empire?”

Aili didn’t mean to make it sound like she didn’t think Moff Gideon would take Cara prisoner but of the people on the ferry boat at the moment Cara and Karga would be low on his priority list. He had all but threatened to take her back into the Program when he was flaunting their names around. And it was obvious how much he wanted Little Green back in his clutches. Mando had pissed him off so he was wanted as well. 

“You really think--”

“Yes.” Aili interrupted, staring down Cara with a steely look in her eyes. “And I know you’re pissed and scared but you know I’m right.”

Cara stared back at Aili for a moment before she squared her shoulders and moved over to the front of the boat. She may not have had anything to say back but Aili took note of the way the Shock Trooper had placed herself in front of her. She wasn’t going to mention it out loud though nor did she think Cara would appreciate it if she did so. 

“They will not be satisfied with anything less than the child and it’s protectors. This is unacceptable. I will eliminate the enemy and you will escape,” IG-11 stated as if he wouldn’t be a single droid against an entire platoon. 

Mando shook his head at the droid’s barely there plan. “You don’t have that kind of firepower, pal. You wouldn’t even get to daylight.”

“That is not my objective.”

“We’re getting close. Saddle up.” Cara said, readying her blaster rifle for the incoming fight. She wasn’t sure how much of a shot they really had but she wasn’t about to go down without a fight. Not when they had already made it through the shitstorm up in the cantina, nearly losing Mando, and making it down the lava river. 

“I still have the security protocols from my manufacturer. If my designs are compromised, I must self-destruct,” IG-11 stated bluntly.

Aili turned to look at the droid with wide eyes. "Excuse me?" She did not want to be anywhere near a droid as it self-destructed nor did she want Little Green nearby. 

“What are you talking about?” Mando questioned, he thought Kuiil had completely rewired the droid. He shouldn’t even be able to initiate a self-destruct. 

“I’m not permitted to be captured. I must be destroyed.” IG-11 kept talking like it was the most obvious plan meanwhile Aili and Mando stared at him in stunned silence. 

“Are we gonna keep talking or are we going to get outta here?” Karga asked, eyeing how close they were getting to the mouth of the tunnel. They didn’t have much longer to come up with a plan. 

“I can no longer carry this for you,” IG-11 said, placing the jetpack down between him and Mando. “Nor can I help watch over the child.”

“Wait, you can’t self-destruct. Your base command is to watch the child, that supersedes your manufacturer's protocol, right? Right?” Mando questioned again, getting more desperate to stop the droid from initiating self-destruct. He wasn’t even sure why he was fighting against the droid destroying itself so much but he didn’t have time to think about it at the moment. 

“This is correct,” IG-11 said after a short pause to go through his programming. 

“Good. Now grab a blaster and help us shoot our way out.” Mando didn’t leave any more room for the droid to argue with him

“Mando, think about this for a second. You said it was a whole platoon and they have the advantage of--”

“Not if we’re all shooting at them,” Mando interrupted Aili before she could finish her sentence. 

Aili let out a deep sigh before moving behind Mando, placing her arms through the loops of the bag Little Green was in so she could use more than one blaster while keeping him safe on her back. If Mando wanted them to do this, she was going to at least do as much damage as she possibly could. Little Green let out a coo from behind her and she tried to pretend that it wasn’t one of his more scared coos. Thinking about that wouldn’t make it easy to keep her focus on the task at hand. 

“Victory through combat is impossible. We will be captured and the child will be lost,” IG-11 stated, his programming still making him attempt to get the Mandalorian to see reason despite his earlier compliance. “Sadly, there is no scenario where the child is saved in which I survive. No scenario in which any of you are not captured.”

IG-11 slightly turned his head so his vision receptors were focused on Aili and the child. He knew that would make it clear to Mando that Moff Gideon had not only set his sights on reclaiming the child but now would not stop until he also had Aili. He could see that the Mandalorian clearly cared for both the child and the woman who had designated herself the small alien’s main protector. 

“Listen, you’re not going anywhere. We need you, let’s just come up with a--”

“Please tell me the child will be safe in your care. If you do so, I can default to my secondary command.” IG-11 interrupted Mando. He knew what needed to be done but he could not do anything without knowing that the child would be safe with the Mandalorian and his companions. 

“But you’ll be destroyed,” Mando stated, knowing that it was a weak argument because it would keep everyone else alive. 

“And you will live, and I will have fulfilled my purpose.”

“No. We need you.”

“There’s nothing to be sad about. I have never been alive,” IG-11 said bluntly. He had made that point earlier as he removed Mando’s helmet in order to administer bacta spray. He was a droid, no matter how much programming Kuiil had given him. 

“I’m not...sad,” Mando said stiltedly. 

“Yes, you are. I’m a nurse droid, I’ve analyzed your voice.”

From behind Mando, Aili let out a sound like an almost laugh. It was quieter than her usual laughs at Mando’s expense knowing that IG-11 was speaking the truth. She wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of losing the droid either even if she had threatened to shoot him not even an hour ago. IG-11 stepped forward in order to reach over Mando and run a metallic finger over the child’s ear, listening as he let out a sad coo. 

“IG! What are you doing?” Karga exclaimed as the droid stepped out of the boat and into the lava river. All anyone could do was watch as he walked alongside the boat at first before passing them up and heading for the mouth of the tunnel. Mando walked up to the front of the boat, Aili standing behind him and Cara while Little Green peeked over her shoulder as best as he could. 

IG-11 stopped outside of the tunnel where the Stormtroopers must have been waiting for them and after a few more seconds, there was a loud explosion. Aili winced at the sight and wished that she could do something about the sad coos coming from Little Green more now. But they didn’t know how many troopers had escaped the blast yet. 

They exited the tunnel, seeing nothing but small fires and dead troopers lying scattered around the mouth of the tunnel. The boat hadn’t even come to a stop yet when the sound of a TIE fighter engine, the one Moff GIdeon had arrived in, came from over their heads. He flew in close and started shooting at them, not directly at the boat because they still had the child he so desperately wanted. 

Aili and Mando ducked down while Cara started shooting over their heads in an attempt to take down the TIE fighter. He soon flew away from them, over the mountains before them and out of their range. 

“He missed!” Karga said, his voice incredulous. 

“On purpose,” Aili stated knowing that Moff Gideon had the means to land a direct hit if he had really wanted to. 

“He won’t miss next time,” Mando added. 

“Our blasters are useless against him,” Cara said, not even her blaster rifle had come close to landing a decent hit on the TIE. 

“Let’s make the baby do the magic hand thing.”

“He can’t do it on command,” Aili said, rolling her eyes at Karga’s suggestion. She slipped the bag off of her shoulders, putting Little Green down on the floor of the boat. She hoped it’d be a little easier to protect him if he wasn’t on her back now. She’d be able to throw herself over him now if she needed to, like she had done for Mando back in the cantina. 

“How do you know? Come on, baby, do the magic hand thing!” Karga directed towards Little Green, waving three fingers like that would do anything. Little Green stared at Karga with his wide brown eyes, reaching out with one hand and waving it like he was saying hello. Aili barely resisted the urge to tell Karga that she told him so. 

“I’m out of ideas,” Karga said, putting his hand down and turning back to the horizon. 

“I’m not,” Mando suddenly said, holstering his blaster. 

“What are you doing?” Aili questioned, brow furrowed as she watched Mando do so. 

“Here he comes!” Cara shouted, picking her rifle up again and getting ready to shoot at the TIE fighter even if it was mostly pointless. 

“Mando, what are you doing?” Aili hissed out again as she watched the Mandalorian lift up the jetpack and struggle to place it on his back. She let out an annoyed huff and moved over to help him place the jetpack where it should be. She was muttering something under her breath that Mando couldn’t quite hear over the sound of Cara’s blaster fire. She moved away from him and Mando pressed a button on his vambrace to turn on the jetpack but he stayed on the ferry boat. 

Moff Gideon’s TIE fighter rounded the mountain and started coming their way dead on. It seemed he had decided to cut his losses and just kill them all. He hadn’t shot at them yet and Mando seemed to be waiting for him to get closer, staring down the TIE fighter as it got closer. Moff Gideon started to shoot down the path, coming their way with weapons hot when Mando was suddenly in the air above him. 

“I’m gonna kill him,” Aili stated as she watched Mando use his whipcord launcher to hitch a ride on the TIE fighter. They climbed out of the ferry boat now that Moff Gideon’s attention was solely on Mando. “Cara, remind me, if he actually manages to get his feet back on the ground…”

“Remind you to sleep with him again?” Cara questioned with a smile on her face, voice low enough for only Aili to hear. The smaller woman whipped her head around to glare at the Shock Trooper who laughed for a moment. They both brought their attention back up to the sky to make sure Mando was okay. They couldn’t see much from the ground though which was doing nothing for Aili’s nerves especially since she wouldn’t be able to do anything to help him. 

The TIE fighter spun a few times and Aili tensed up, barely relaxing when she didn’t see Mando go flying off the ship. There was an explosion mid-air, small enough that it must have been one of Mando’s thermal charges. Another twist from the TIE fighter and Mando was now off of the ship but Aili hoped it was on purpose because he wasn’t falling towards the ground in a controlled manner at all. 

There was an explosion from the TIE and they all watched as it spun out of control, flying over their heads and crash landing behind a small mountain of rocks. Aili couldn’t even be pleased at the thought of Moff Gideon being dead and out of their hair as she watched Mando struggle to get control of his fall. He eventually managed to turn himself feet first, the jetpack finally igniting to soften his landing in front of them. 

“That was impressive, Mando, very impressive,” Karga said as they met up in the middle of the lava flats. 

“I think you mean stupid and reckless,” Aili muttered from behind Karga. She was glaring at Mando and hoped he could feel how annoyed she was with him. The relief of him surviving was nothing compared to how angry she was with him being so stupid sometimes. She was definitely going to make sure he knew that the next time he decided to have a dumb idea like that, she was going to take the Crest and strand him on whatever planet they were on. Even if it was somewhere like Tatooine or Jakku. 

“It looks like your Guild rates have just gone up,” Karga continued like he hadn’t heard Aili’s comment. 

“Any more Stormtroopers?” Mando asked, keeping his gaze on Karga for now in order to avoid the glare he was getting from Aili. He did not look forward to whatever argument she had in store for him. 

“I think we cleaned up the town. I’m thinking of staying around just to be sure,” Cara said, giving Mando a smile. She had other reasons for staying, number one being that she absolutely did not want to be on the Razor Crest with Mando and Aili when they left the planet. Even if Aili was acting like she was only angry at Mando, Cara could tell what that anger would lead to. 

“You’re staying here?”

“Well, why not? Nevarro is a very fine planet,” Karga stated, gesturing out towards the lava flats surrounding them.

“Uh, no offense, but I think the lava fumes have finally gotten to you,” Aili commented. Nevarro was, once again, barely fit to be called livable. She shook her head and placed Little Green down on the ground, her arms beginning to hurt from carrying him for so long in one position. Besides they were safe now so she didn’t feel the need to do so. 

“Now that the scum and villainy have been washed away, it’s very respectable again.”

“As a bounty hunter hive?” Mando questioned, his tone speaking volumes to just how he felt about Karga’s statement. Even before the Stormtroopers had taken over, Nevarro had been anything but respectable. He doubted it would be considered so now. 

“Some of my favorite people are bounty hunters,” Karga said, giving Mando a small tap on the shoulder before nodding his head in Aili’s direction as well. He turned to place a hand on Cara’s shoulder, “And perhaps this specimen of soldier might consider joining our ranks.”

“Yeah...I got some clerical concerns regarding my chain code,” Cara said awkwardly knowing that her chain code was anything but pretty. Probably looked more like a bounty hunter’s quarry than a bounty hunters chain code. Mando looked down when he felt Little Green’s hands on his boot. 

“And if you were to agree to become my enforcer, clerical concerns would be the least of your worries,” Karga said easily before turning to look at Mando and then Aili. “But you, my friends, will be welcomed back into the Guild with open arms. So, go off, enjoy yourselves and when you two are ready to return, you will have the pick of all quarries.”

Mando bent down to pick up Little Green who let out a happy gurgle. He looked down at the child before chancing a glance over at Aili who looked a little less annoyed with him. Maybe he’d just carry Little Green at all times, she never looked over at him angrily when he was doing so. “I’m afraid I have more pressing matters at hand.”

Cara let a small smile cross her face before she reached out to run her hand down one of the kid’s ears before she backed away. “Take care of this little one.”

“Ot maybe, it’ll take care of you,” Karga said, reaching out to mirror Cara’s gesture. Mando gave a silent nod before he turned back towards Aili who looked back at him with a single raised eyebrow. 

“Can we go now? Mando?” Aili asked, taking a step away when Mando took a step towards her without speaking. That wasn’t the way to the ship.

“We need to get back to the ship,” he said simply, holding Little Green out for her to take. She gave him a suspicious look before taking the kid into her arms. She figured he was still in pain from being tossed around in the air after almost dying back at the cantina. Of course once her guard was down, Mando made his move, sweeping her legs out from under her and lifting her up in his arms. 

“What the kriff, Mando?!” Aili exclaimed, not able to do much with her arms full holding Little Green. 

Cara started laughing loudly, watching this all go down from beside Karga who was watching them in confusion. This was not something he had expected but he really shouldn’t have been surprised at this point. He had seen the way Aili had reacted to Mando bleeding out in the cantina and Mando’s own demand that she stay close to the cantina to give cover fire. Still, the sight of one of his best bounty hunters picking up his other best hunter was a shock to see.

"You are still hurt, put me down!" Aili shouted once again, trying to get Mando to put her down. She wasn’t the one that had been wounded during the day or the one who could barely reach around to attach a jetpack. 

"This will be quicker than walking,’ Mando said, like it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy. 

"Excuse me?" Aili didn’t get the chance to ask any other questions before they were up in the air and heading towards the Razor Crest. “If you drop me, I swear…”

“I’m not going to drop you two,” Mando said and Aili turned her head slightly to narrow her eyes at him. She knew she hadn’t just heard him laugh at her. She kept her mouth shut after that though since there wasn’t anything else she could really say. They were already up in the air and Mando was determined to fly all the way to the ship.  

Mando finally landed, feet a little unsteady on the landing since he wasn’t used to the jetpack just yet. He made a note to do as the Armorer had said and do his drills again, maybe when they made it to the planet she had said to go to. Oshriya, where Aili’s girls hopefully still were. 

“Oh,” Aili let out a quiet sound when they landed. She wasn’t sure what she had been hoping for when she should have known better. As soon as Mando couldn’t hail Kuiil on the comlink she had known something had happened, but she had still held a little hope for the Ugnaught who had spent years working under the Empire to earn his freedom. Only for them to drag him into their mess. He had gotten so close to the ship too. 

She held Little Green and watched as Mando made as good a grave he could for Kuiil, stacking rocks up with a bigger one at the front as a marker. He placed Kuiil’s hat and goggles on the bigger rock before he kneeled beside the grave for a short moment. If Aili really believed in anything, for all she cursed to the Maker at times, she would have said a prayer but it wouldn’t bring her any comfort. 

They walked to the Crest in silence after that, getting onto the ship without any words exchanged between them. Neither of them really knew what to say or where to even start. 

“I’m gonna,” Aili paused for a second, trying to gather her thoughts and failing for the most part. She felt disgusting, covered in soot and her hands still dry with blood that wasn’t hers. “I’m going to go wash up unless you want to go first?”

Mando shook his head, reaching out to take Little Green from Aili so he could watch him. “No, you go. I’ll get us out of Nevarro’s atmo and then we can switch.”

“Sounds good,” Aili said, still standing where she was until Mando finally went up to the cockpit. She stood there for another moment before shaking herself out of her thoughts and she headed for the ‘fresher where she could try to clean away the events of one of the worst days of her life.

[in-retrospeck]

Messy Thoughts on Zero Hour

spoilers and a long post, you’ve been warned 

Part I

love that opening shot of the twin moons. a pretty obvious callback to the previous episode, which is nice 

a heavy rendition of thrawn’s theme, which prepares us for what’s to come 

of all the brilliant plans, who ever thought of hijacking a mouse droid?? well done kallus, you’re a true spy 

wow thrawn must truly love grandeur if he’s putting in so much effort into “hiding��� from a rebel spy he knows is listening 

did he tell konstantine about kallus?? konstantine sounds so confused, and why would thrawn withhold that information from him? he knows he’s not the spy... maybe thrawn just likes toying with konstantine 

that look of shock and concern on kallus’s face... he’s come so far and he’s a true rebel now 

oh my goodness things seemed so peaceful on atollon but that changed so quickly

i love that spacedad-spaceson talk oh my goodness 

it’s been so long since they had a conversation like that, i missed it so much

look at all those ships soon to be gunned down 

kriff someone should tell general dodonnna never to speak wishful thinking aloud 

wow thrawn is a true drama queen, second only to darth vader 

OUCH okay those were quite a few solid blows 

what the... what did thrawn do to kallus in that small skip? when did his hair get all mussed up? and the bruise around his eye?? the cut on his lip?? that couldn’t have all been from that fight thrawn what did you do to my son 

what the kriff thrawn had a slideshow prepared and everything 

maybe kallus tried looking for the base himself too, that’s why he thinks there’s no base 

ohhh kriffff the pain on kallus’s face when he realised he was the one who revealed the rebels’ location and that it was ultimately his fault 

thrawn kept true to his word... he did use fulcrum against the rebellion 

there’s the promo clip 

WHAT HAPPENED TO RYDER 

so i guess they’re delaying the attack on lothal 

ohh the gravity wells from stealth strike 

i don’t know much about thrawn’s history, but what makes him want the rebels to feel defeat so much? 

hera is a true military tactician, did anyone else see how quickly she figured a way to turn the tables?? 

did kanan not tell hera about the bendu?? wow so much for the trust of a spacemarried couple 

love that rex-zeb dynamic! two veteran leaders just bantering... 

thrawn knows wayyyy too much about his enemies 

you can feel the immediate tension between konstantine and thrawn wow 

thrawn sounds so lofty here, as if he can’t be bothered to deal with ambitious underlings like konstantine 

kriff they’re taking heavy fire everywhere 

i love the way they animated bendu’s eyes in this scene. they only reflect one speck of white light each, and beyond his dialogue, tone and gestures, you can tell he’s mad 

same kanan, i’m just as done 

fpj, bless you and your voice acting skills. your performance is amazing here. they beautifully convey kanan’s frustration towards the bendu 

man you can tell kanan’s striking a nerve 

oh kriff the screams of the unnamed pilot who blew up... that’s a somber reminder that real people are dying 

sato no sato no sato n o n o n o 

kriff he’s gonna do it 

i’m crying over those two unnamed brave souls who decided to stay with sato 

i can’t watch this 

good job konstantine you’re falling for sato’s trick 

but beyond that konstantine showed his fatal weakness here: his desire for glory 

it’s been hinted at since the beginning of season 3, when thrawn came into command 

you can tell he’s grown tired of thrawn being in charge and want to snatch the glory for himself 

wow twenty episodes later and konstantine’s still salty that thrawn’s a grand admiral 

rip sato, his two loyal staff, and konstantine, thank you for your service 

don’t worry sato i’m sure filoni will make your nephew mart step up 

kallus’s shock oh my goodness 

was he shocked at the violence or that sato sacrificed so much? he shouldn’t be so shocked tbh, he’s the one who risked everything as fulcrum 

“petty battles” that’s nice bendu 

weather-conjuring powers? 

glowing eyes?? 

vanishing??? 

bendu what even are you how powerful can you get 

YES BEAN’S COMING BACK 

kriff that was an emotional rollercoaster if anything 

Part II

“sabine’s baby” did i ever mention how much i love her 

hera’s so worried about kanan aaaaaa

go faster kanan please 

i love how they used the shield generator from ghosts of geonosis. it helped so much 

thrawn’s theme as he fires upon the base is intimidating and absolutely terrifying 

he’s making kallus watch as he destroys everything he’s tried to build up 

the look of relief on hera’s face when she hears kanan again 

“i have the feeling thrawn’s actually trying to kill us this time” you got that right, kanan 

first time i’ve heard hera’s nervous laughter and i empathise 

can’t leave the mask of course 

WE’RE GONNA SEE SABINE 

HEY LOOK THE LAKE IS MELTING LIKE I PREDICTED 

wow i didn’t think i’d be so glad to see all the mandos again 

now that he’s a rebel kallus now deserves the honour of snark and laughingly taunting his colleagues 

the civil war’s happeningggg just not in this season 

ezra’s so done with people not being willing or able to help 

did... sabine paint one of tristan’s shoulder guards? 

DID SABINE PAINT ONE OF TRISTAN’S SHOULDER GUARDS??? 

OH YES SHE DID 

IT’S A CAT 

i guess she couldn’t go so long without painting something 

nice shot zeb 

dang it thrawn always surpasses my expectations he’s so kriffing smart 

what the... it can be entered?? that is one huge design flaw 

HI WEDGE 

also never underestimate the space dad 

woah okay thrawn’s ground assault plan was so successful

it only began to fail when a cosmic entity fought him 

for someone who appreciates art, thrawn could afford to begin the jedi mythology 

woahhh bendu pulling all the stops i see 

he also needs to chill 

wait so do they have random space suits laying around now? 

well i think those thrusters are the closest thing you’re gonna get to a jetpack, ezra 

better listen to the bendu, everyone 

ap-5′s frantic walk though, i don’t think his model was built to run 

hoho bendu’s mad 

what a nice love tap 

oops you made hera mad too 

kanan you know she’s the one person you shouldn’t anger look what happened to josh gad 

thrawn just get away from atollon 

wait firing on the bendu worked?? he could’ve just deflected the blasters with lighting or something 

well done ezra and sabine!! i missed seeing them work together and blow stuff up 

be careful of what emotion can make you do, pryce 

oh too late 

throw him out of the airlock? couldn’t you just shoot him? 

that smirk hehe 

smirk no. 2 hoho get rekt stormtroopers 

ezra you make your mom proud 

HAH good job kallus now just don’t die 

escape pod, good okay he’s almost there 

come on come on come on rescue himmm

zeb save your friend HURRY UP 

don’t die kallus don’t die don’t die d o n t d i e 

ALMOST THERE 

SHE GOT HIM 

HE’S GONNA BE OKAY 

KALLUS LIVES 

I’M ACTUALLY CRYING AND SCREAMING SO HARD 

I WAS SO SCARED HE WAS GOING TO DIE 

AND NOW HE’S JOINED THE REBELLION PROPERLY 

I’M SO HAPPY 

oh boy pryce helplessly watching the rebel ships sail past her 

she knows it’s not gonna turn out well for her 

i hope we see more of her development 

aahhh the ‘seeing’ aspect brought in again 

did i... detect fear in thrawn’s voice? 

okay good luck thrawn that’s definitely foreshadowing 

did bendu straight up vanish? like just... poof? 

okay between thrawn and bendu i don’t know who’s creepier 

that silent pat of acknowledgement kanan gave zeb... you can tell he’s glad that he’s alive too 

YES GET INVOLVED IN THE CIVIL WAR 

please

the hesitation on kallus’s face breaks my heart. he doesn’t know if he’s going to be accepted in the rebellion 

at least he knows he has kanan’s acceptance, alongside zeb’s 

that genuine smile ohh my son 

that contemplative shot of the silent rebels just tells you that they’re feeling the heavy losses, and it’s not easy 

ezra sure does love that spot 

love that final conversation between father and son 

there’s still hope for the future of the rebellion 

now that was an amazing episode, i can’t wait for season 4