Chapter 22

                                    

                                          
It took longer than I thought it would to get to Tython. 
Hours, I'm not sure how many, have passed since I practically had a mental breakdown in front of Din and the child. I've spent them sitting on the floor of the main hangar, my legs crossed and tucked in close with my back rigid and palms on my thighs. I've never been very good at meditation, mostly because the Dark Side doesn't lend itself to anything that requires calm or patience, but I figured my mental state couldn't get any worse at this point. 
The beskar pieces are scattered in front of me on the floor of the ship. None of them look like anything sensible, and they're all extremely fragile. They don't resemble any pieces of armor I'm familiar with, but I'm no Armorer, which leaves me stumped as to what I should be doing with them. 
I can't ask Din. 
He's been tucked away in the cockpit with Grogu for an hour at least, probably half piloting and half hiding from me. He put the kid down for a nap and slept in his room for a few hours while I stayed on the floor and didn't say much when he came out and I was still sitting there trying unsuccessfully to meditate. I felt bad in the moment when I felt his hesitance and my mind instantly reminded me of the mysterious talk he so badly wanted to have before Nevarro. But I wasn't in the mood to talk then, and I think he knew it. 
He simply came up behind me, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and took Grogu into the cockpit without a word. It's almost startling how little we need to speak to each other to communicate. 
I peel my eyes open, a sigh carrying my breath up to the ceiling as I stare at the pieces of fragile beskar on the floor around me. Hours of meditation and I still can't figure out what to do with them. My lips press into a thin line as I narrow my gaze on them. Some of them almost look like mechanical parts to something, like pieces of a greater puzzle. 
And that's about as far as I can get.
"Be one with the force," I murmur, exhaling through my nose. The words resonate in my chest, but the comfort and peace they're supposed to bring never reach me. Maybe I'm too far gone for the light side of the force to claim me. 
A harsh, urgent beeping from the cockpit above tears me away from my efforts as I feel the gentle lurch of the ship leaving hyperspace. We must have reached Tython. We're one step closer to saying goodbye to Grogu. 
It occurs to me that beyond that, I don't really know what happens next. I can't imagine Din kicking me off the ship after everything we've said and done, but I'm not sure he's fully thought about life without Grogu either. Just the two of us floating aimlessly through space on his empty ship. Would we become bounty hunters? Would he want to learn more about the other Mandalorians, like Bo Katan? I'd honestly rather hunt quarries the rest of my life than deal with another minute of that woman. 
I push myself to my feet, shooting a halfhearted glare at the beskar on the floor before climbing quietly up the cockpit ladder to join the others. When I reach the top, I can hear Din softly chuckling. I pause at the doorway and listen as he holds up the little silver ball from the ship for Grogu to see. 
"Okay, here we go," he mumbles, excitement lingering in his voice. A smile grows on my face as he stares intently at the child sitting in the copilot seat. "You can have it, just like before." The kid doesn't move, only cooing gently, and Din sighs. "Grogu, come on. You can have it. Come on."
I fold my arms over my chest, leaning just behind the doorframe and out of sight as the two of them stare at each other. After a long stretch of nothing between them, the ball suddenly zips through thin air from Din's fingers into Grogu's lap. My smile widens when Din gasps and smacks his leg in his excitement.