Gideon barely has time to activate the Darksaber.
Both my blades lock with his shimmering one and I force him to one knee, my eyes boring into his. Beads of sweat bubble up on his brow and trickle down his temples and despite the struggle, he manages to grunt out a few words.
"Finally, the Mandalorian in you makes an appearance."
We break apart and he tries to come at me on the offensive, though I easily block his strikes. With each move, he tries to push me to the side and away from Din and the child. I stubbornly hold my ground. I don't bother answering his taunt. I'm focused on one thing, and one thing only. Killing Moff Gideon.
I hack away at him with my sabers and it's all I can do to remain in control of my movements. Blind rage wants to consume me more than anything, but I've seen the recklessness that can bring.
The duel goes on for what feels like ages, though I know it can only be a few minutes at most before I finally get Gideon onto his knees. I raise the longer saber in the air for the killing move, but a voice stops me.
"Tara!" I freeze in midair, my saber humming just above my ear as I stare at Gideon. I can hear Din approaching from behind me. "Tara, we need him alive."
As always, his voice brings me back from the darkness dancing at the edges of my vision.
I slump my shoulders, breathing heavily from the fight and all my pent-up emotions, and my eyes start to water. Just as I'm about to lower my saber, Gideon lunges forward.
It all happens so fast, that I barely feel the sting of the Darksaber scraping across my stomach.
I feel warmth blossoming from my middle and when I look down, it's already covered in blood. I frown at it. How did this happen? Why can't I feel it?
Din's scream rings in my ears just before I fall to the ground, holding tightly onto my sliced-open stomach. My eyes drag upward to see Din and Gideon fighting. The Darksaber screeches and whines as it collides with Din's beskar staff over and over. My head falls back to the ground.
The clanging of Mandalorian weapons fills my ears as I lay there staring up at the ceiling. It takes me back home. Not to Concordia, or any other planet we stayed on, but to Mandalore. Sundari City. The place I was told was my home. The only place where everyone was happy, truly happy, even for the briefest of times. We weren't on the run. Pre Viszla was as outwardly happy as he got. My mother was alive, and Bo Katan was my friend. Everything was good then.
I close my eyes, expecting to see Sundari, but instead, my mind takes me back to Morak. I'm sitting in the mess hall across from Din. I can see his face, just as clearly as the first time. This time, he smiles at me.
Something grabs me by the sides of my face and lifts me into a sitting position. I peel my eyes open enough to realize Din is hovering above me, one arm wrapped around me to keep me upright while the other keeps grabbing my chin or tapping my cheek.
"Stop it," I mumble, trying to close my eyes.
"Hey, wake up!" He orders, shaking me again. My head feels too heavy to hold anymore, so I let it drop onto his shoulder. I can hear his frantic voice in my ears, but it's muffled by all the ringing.
Suddenly, heat and pressure fill my stomach. I frown, opening my eyes again to look down at the source. Grogu. His hand presses against my wound and a twinge of guilt surges through my mind at the blood staining his little hand.
Slowly but surely, I feel my mind coming back to me. I leave Sundari, I leave Morak, all of it. I glance up at Din, disappointed to see the helmet still sitting on his head. I lift one hand as my strength starts to return, brushing it against the edge of the helmet.
The child's hand leaves me and I push myself up, startled by the perfectly healed skin now exposed from the slash through my uniform. I quickly grab his little clawed hand and rub away the droplets of blood left on it. "Thank you, Grogu," I whisper, giving him a weak smile.
Din lets out a heavy sigh in relief before standing, pulling me with him. Once I'm steady on my feet, he lets me go and walks back over to Gideon. That's when everything hits me.
Gideon lays on the ground, weaponless and breathless from fighting two Mandalorians in a row. But what gets my attention is that he's weaponless. Din pulls a pair of handcuffs from his belt and snaps them onto Gideon's wrists, and the Moff looks up at him with raised eyebrows.
"You're sparing my life?" He asks, sounding absolutely thrilled. I narrow my eyes on him as Din hauls him to his feet.
"Deactivate the self-destruct code. Now."
Gideon nods, awkwardly bending one wrist to press a series of buttons on his vambrace. The ship's normal humming engines resume, and the red glowing lights flicker back to their normal white shine. My eyes pull over to Din, and more importantly, to the dark Mandalorian hilt in his hand.
"You...defeated him in combat?" I ask, my voice coming out shaky. Din shrugs, giving me a quick grunt as he pulls Gideon along. My eyes lock with Gideon, the only one in the room who seems to get the significance of what just happened.
I was too consumed by my own anger and fear to worry about Mandalorian traditions when I was fighting Gideon. But now that it's all over, the realization of it all comes crashing in like stormy ocean waves. Din won the Darksaber in combat against Gideon.
He is the rightful ruler of Mandalore.
And he seems to have no idea.
I call my lightsabers back to me with the force and clip them to my Inquisitor belt as Din scoops up Grogu with one arm. With the other, he ignites the Darksaber and gestures for Gideon to start walking. I stare at the weapon in his hand, and Gideon catches my eye with a grin.
"Well, this should be interesting."
The walk to the elevator, the ride up, and the short walk to the bridge are all painfully silent. Only the soft hum of the Darksaber fills the air around us as we walk, Gideon in front of Din and me just behind. As the blast doors open wide and allow us onto the bridge, I immediately scan the room.
I'm met with surprises both pleasant and not.
Cara Dune and Fennec Shand are waiting, both giving us relieved smiles that I know are genuine. Then there's Koska Reeves, the Mandalorian from Trask, who looks too stunned to speak. And, of course, in the middle of the room stands Bo Katan herself.
Her eyes lock onto the weapon in Din's hand.
"What happened?" She asks, a strained calm in her voice.
"He brought him in alive, that's what happened," Cara replies, nodding toward me as her smile widens. "And he brought them back safe."
"That's not what she's talking about," Gideon interjects, a giddy smirk on his face. His eyes travel up to Bo Katan. "Why don't you kill him now and take it?"
I immediately ignite one of the sabers from my belt and Bo's glare turns to me. Din whips around to look at me, but I don't take my eyes off Bo Katan. "If you challenge him, you'll go through me."
Bo Katan lifts her chin, a tiny humorless grin ghosting her lips. "So, now you care about Mandalorian tradition?"
I mirror her look, shrugging one shoulder as she sighs. Din looks between us, confusion dripping off him. "What is this?"
"The Darksaber, it's yours now," Gideon answers again, all too pleased to be witnessing all of this.
Surprisingly, Din turns to look at me. I only nod my head, answering his unasked question as I deactivate my saber and clip it back to my belt. "It belongs to you."
He stares at the weapon in his hand long and hard before he suddenly deactivates it, stepping forward to hold out the hilt for Bo Katan. I want to reach out and snatch it back, yell at him for trying to hand over so much power to her, but I plant my feet on the ground. "Now, it belongs to her," he says, holding it up higher for her to take.
Bo Katan's eyes flick down to the weapon. I can see the conflict in her features even without the force. Gideon lets out a low chuckle, the sound getting a little garbled from the blood on his lips. "She can't take it," he scoffs. "It must be won in battle."
I can practically feel Din rolling his eyes as he shakes the hilt in front of her. "I yield. It's yours."
I let out a long sigh, but Gideon speaks up before I can. "It doesn't work that way. The Darksaber doesn't have power, the story does. Without that blade, she's a pretender to the throne."
All eyes go to Bo Katan as she stares at the weapon so closely within her reach. I can see it in her eyes. She won't take it. She's worked too hard and sacrificed too much for the reunification of Mandalore. I know she won't do it under false pretenses, not even when Din is practically shoving the Darksaber in her face.
"He's right." Her voice comes out small, defeated. It doesn't suit her.
"Come on, just take it," Din almost snaps, his helmet tilted in exasperation at her. She doesn't budge, but I can tell he's making it even harder for her to say no. For once, I feel pity for her.
I step forward, resting my hand on his outstretched arm and gently pushing it back to his side. He looks over at me and I give him a pitiful smile.
We're interrupted when an alarm goes off, ringing through the bridge. I immediately look at Gideon, glaring at him. He raises his cuffed hands in surrender, shrugging innocently.
"The ray shields have been breached," Fennec announces, glancing at a blinking report on one of the monitors. "We're being boarded."
"How many life forms?" I ask quickly, my hands hovering over my sabers.
Fennec looks up, a sobering expression on her face as she shakes her head. "None."
Gideon chuckles, settling down on the ground. "You're about to face off with the Dark Troopers." He glances up at Din. "You had your hands full with one, let's see how you do against a platoon."
"They're headed this way," Bo Katan announces, glaring at the blinking monitors. I unclip the sabers from my belt, lingering by Din's side as we stare at the entrance to the bridge.
Din sighs, setting the child on one of the seats behind us. "Don't worry, kid. We'll get you out of here," he mutters, squeezing him once before coming to stand beside me again. He tucks the Darksaber back into his belt and pulls out a blaster instead, but I don't comment on it.
"Seal the blast doors!" Fennec orders, raising her heavy blaster with Cara beside her.
Koska Reeves hits the controls, sealing us off from the rest of the ship. Bo Katan sighs, settling her helmet on her head. Her gaze finds mine and we both nod, an unspoken agreement passing between us.
"You have an impressive fire team protecting you," Gideon says, glancing around the room as we all prepare for a fight. I can hear the Dark Troopers beating on the door, bending in the metal. It's only a matter of time. "But I think we all know, after a valiant stand, everyone in this room will be dead, but me...and the Child."
I shoot him a glare, but Din catches my gaze before I can respond. I look into his helmet visor, a question in my eyes, and feel one of his gloved hands squeeze mine. I nod, never letting my eyes leave his. If this is where we die, defending Grogu, so be it.
The alarm beeps again through the bridge and Din releases my hand as we both turn to the monitor as Koska reads it. "An X-wing," she says.
Cara scoffs, rolling her eyes. "One X-wing? Great. We're saved."
Koska ignores her, instead opening a comm channel. "Incoming craft, identify yourself."
She gets no response. I watch the monitors as the X-wing slowly lowers into the hangar bay. Something feels...different. I take a step closer to the monitor, mirroring Grogu's expression as we both watch the screen intently.
It can't be.
One figure, looking like a man, hops out of the ship and makes his way through the empty halls. The pounding on our door stops and I suck in a breath. The man on the monitor encounters his first wave of Dark Troopers, and he makes quick work of them with...his lightsaber.
I watch with wide eyes as he uses an expert combination of his saber and the force to cut down any trooper in his path, swiftly making his way to the elevator before stepping inside. A small smile tugs at my lips as I reach out through the force.
There's warmth, immense power, and...light.
"I'm calling for Boba," Fennec announces.
"What is that?" Koska asks, a tremor in her voice.
I step toward the blast doors, closing my eyes a moment to reach the man outside before opening them again. "A Jedi," I breathe out, my smile widening. "Open the doors."
"Are you crazy?" Fennec snaps, hoisting her gun higher on her shoulder. I sigh, but Din beats me to a response.
"She said, open the doors," he orders, pressing the control himself.
I hold my breath as the blast doors slide open, parting to reveal a cloud of steam and sparks from what's left of the dark troopers. Through the fog, a lone man steps into the bridge. A black cloak covers him completely, but it doesn't matter. I can feel the light side of the force singing around him.
He gently lifts his hands, one covered in a black glove, and lowers the hood of his cloak. He's young, younger than me by a few years I think, with dusty blonde hair and a kind face. His bright, blue eyes find my emerald ones and a warm smile spreads on his face.
"I felt your pain through the force. Are you alright?" He asks, his eyes flicking up and down my figure and tattered clothes. It occurs to me that I'm still wearing my Inquisitor uniform and I swallow thickly and nod.
"You're a Jedi?" Din asks from behind me in a tight voice. Part of me wants to shake him for asking such a stupid question, but I'm too dumbfounded to speak. I'm meeting a real Jedi.
"I am," the man replies calmly. If he also thinks the question is stupid, he doesn't show it as he clips his lightsaber hilt to his belt. His eyes focus on something past me as he holds out his flesh hand. "Come, little one."
I turn around to see Grogu sitting on his chair, cooing and twisting his little head back and forth between Din, me, and the Jedi. Din clears his throat as he inches closer to us. "He doesn't want to go with you," he says, almost petulantly.
I can already feel my eyes burning with unshed tears as I stare at the child. I knew this moment would come. We both knew. But it still hurts, so much, to even imagine saying goodbye.
"He wants your permission," the Jedi says, patiently lowering his hand. "He is strong with the force, but talent without training is nothing. I will give my life to protect the child, but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities."
I can only watch as Din slowly walks over to the child, picking him up gently. It feels like their farewell on the Razor Crest when we thought Ahsoka would take him. I look at the two of them, trying to memorize everything about the way they look together. The bond between them.
"Hey, go on," Din nearly whispers, jerking his head toward the Jedi. "That's who you belong with. He's one of your kind." A tear runs down my cheek and I quickly swipe it away, catching both their attention. Din moves closer to me, holding Grogu up so he can face us both. "We'll see you again, I promise."
Grogu turns his head, his bulging brown eyes focusing on me, and I try to force a smile out for him. He uses one hand to pat the side of his robe and I reach forward, unfolding the little pocket for him. I suck in a sharp breath when I recognize the beskar shriek-hawk pendant inside. My mother's signet.
"Keep it for me, okay?" I say, tucking it back in his pocket. He lets out a soft coo as a quiet sniff escapes me. "I want you to have it, kid."
He almost nods before swinging his gaze back over to Din. I watch as his tiny clawed hand reaches out, brushing against the side of the helmet. My breath catches as Din tenses just before shifting Grogu into one hand while using the other to pull his helmet off and drop it to the ground.
My gaze flicks back and forth between them, wanting to memorize everything I can about each of them before Grogu leaves and the helmet goes back on. I can feel my heart shattering in my chest as Grogu brushes a few fingers along Din's cheek, earning the tiniest of smiles from him.
The smile falters as he nods at the child. "Alright, pal. It's time to go." Grogu lets out a little whine, his eyes flicking between us. "Don't be afraid," Din whispers, his voice raw and unmodulated. His eyes turn glassy from the tears building behind them and I look away.
He sets Grogu down, letting him waddle his way toward the Jedi. I want to run to him, to snatch him back up, and never let him go. Instead, I feel a gloved hand slip into mine and I latch onto it with both hands and lean into Din's armored shoulder as Grogu seemingly communicates with a little R2 unit as it rolls into the room. The Jedi glances up at us, a little smile on his lips, and Din dips his head in respect.
"May the force be with you," the Jedi says, looking between us. I can't bring myself to reply, and neither can Din. The Jedi seems to understand as he silently scoops Grogu into his arms and walks back to the elevator, his droid just behind. I don't take my eyes off them until the elevator door closes.
I hope more than anything that I see that kid again.
As soon as the door closes, a quiet whimper escapes me and Din turns, wrapping me in a tight embrace. He rests his chin on the top of my head as I bury myself against his armor, not even embarrassed at how much I'm crying in front of the others. They didn't just lose what we did.
With my face pressed against him, I still manage to watch through the window as the X-wing flies away, Grogu with it. I close my eyes, sending Grogu one last wave of reassurance through the force before the ship jumps to lightspeed.
Don't be afraid.
I almost laugh as his message comes back to me. He hasn't been able to communicate real words to me since the moment I met him and he gave me his name. Now, he's throwing Din's words back at me. The Jedi was right. He is talented, and he is special.
"You've wasted his potential," Gideon's annoying voice shatters our moment of quiet. I sniff, wiping the tears from my cheeks as I pull away from Din enough to glare at Gideon. "You who know everything he's capable of becoming."
"Don't talk to her," Din growls out, tightening his hold on me. Gideon only shakes his head, glowering at us both.
"Boba's here," Fennec says, pulling our attention away from the Moff. "That's our cue."
"We take the cruiser," Bo Katan says, speaking up for the first time since the Darksaber incident. She has her helmet tucked in her arm again as she glances at Din. "That was the deal."
"Yes," he replies, nodding up at her. I look up at him, my eyes scanning over his features. I can see the beginnings of a few bruises around his face, but aside from that, he doesn't look any different than before. I'm just surprised he's left the helmet off this long. He looks down at me, his eyes softening. They're still red from his tears. "Let's go." I nod as he stoops down to grab his helmet.
"You're all fools," Gideon growls. I look over at him, ready to let him have it when he suddenly pulls a blaster out from under his cape and starts shooting.
He lands a few hits on Bo Katan's armor before aiming for me. Din jumps out in front of me, taking the hits with his chest armor before Gideon holds the blaster out in his cuffed hands and aims it at me again.
"Drop it!" Cara demands, aiming her blaster at him. He stares at me another moment, his nostrils flaring with rage, before dropping the blaster. It clatters to the ground and I sigh in relief. Then he reaches for his vambrace and presses a rapid series of buttons.
The engines below us erupt into flames.
I throw my hands out, containing the blast with the force. The flames bubble up under us, threatening to spill out onto the floors and consume the entire bridge in a matter of seconds. We'll never make it out before the fire burns us alive. A sinking feeling hits me in the gut and I swallow hard, concentrating even more on holding the fire back.
"All of you, go! Get to Boba's ship and get out of here!" I order, my voice sharp and giving away all the effort it's taking me to hold the explosion back. The others stand there in stunned silence and I groan. "Go!"
"Tara, no!" Din shouts back, stomping over to me. I look at him and my bottom lip instantly starts to quiver. I can't cry now. He'll never listen to me if I do. His eyes are wide and tainted with panic as he shakes his head, looking all around me and the flames. "We're all leaving together."
"Someone has to keep the fire down while you all escape. I'm the only one who can," I try to reason with him, but he's already trying to grab my arm. I pull away, and even that distraction makes the fires surge upward before I'm able to shove them down again. "Din, you have to go," I say, a strangled sob interrupting my words despite my best efforts not to cry. "It's going to be okay, I promise."
"We have to move, the ship is going down!" Koska shouts, reading one of the only monitors still functioning after the explosion. Cara grabs Gideon, knocking him unconscious with her blaster before hoisting him over her shoulder. She backs toward the blast doors with Fennec at her side. Koska inches toward them, though Bo Katan lingers behind Din.
My eyes find hers, and I'm surprised to see some sadness there. "I know we're not exactly friends, Bo Katan, but I need you to help me one last time."
Her gaze fills with understanding as my eyes flick over to Din for a second. She nods, but before she can move, Din shoots forward and grabs my face in his hands, letting his helmet clatter to the ground. I wish I could lower my arms and wrap them around him. "Come on, cyar'ika, we have to go." His words slam together, and he barely breathes between them. "Come on!"
"I wish we had more time," I whisper. He growls, his eyes brimming over with tears, and I force myself to continue. "You've done so much for me, Din Djarin. I love you, okay?"
"Just stop it," he snaps. His anger isn't really toward me. I wonder if this is what IG-11 felt like. "We're all getting out of here together. All of us!"
"You're going to be fine, Din," I say, a few tears streaming down my cheeks under his hands.
I keep my focus on him but watch in the corner of my eye as Bo Katan silently picks up his helmet and heads for the blast doors. When she reaches the opening, she sends me a somber nod. She understands.
I lean forward, pressing a firm kiss to his lips as I try to prolong the inevitable. He tightens his hold on me as if I were the very air he needed to breathe. As if I were his only chance at survival. I reach one hand slowly up to his chest, pressing it flat against the armor. Too soon, I pull away from the kiss and stare into his eyes one more moment.
"You're going to be fine."
With one last burst of effort, I use the force to shove him backward, sending him flying through the blast doors. Just as he lands sprawling on the ground, I return to holding back the flames as Bo Katan slams the doors shut from their side. The last thing I hear is the most horrified, hopeless scream from Din.
Suddenly I'm alone.
I let the tears fall shamelessly down my cheeks, the salty water spilling into my mouth and down my neck. I wonder if everyone becomes this out of control when they know they're in their final moments of life. A Jedi probably doesn't. When Grogu's time comes, years and years from now, he'll be at peace. One with the force, as the Jedi taught him.
I wish I could be like that.
Instead, my mind plagues me with Din's scream and his panicked face instead of the smiling one I want to hold on to. I can still feel his fear, cold as ice, and the anguish in his force signature. I can feel it even as I watch Boba Fett's ship, the infamous Slave I, careen into space. They're safe.
I close my eyes, letting out a long breath. I don't know if I can communicate with a non-force user like Din, but I can try. I reach out, letting my mind reach Din and Grogu. I know Grogu will feel it.
I send them everything I've ever felt for either of them, everything I couldn't put into words the way I wish I could have. I don't know if Din will ever feel all of it, but I can already sense Grogu's mind returning to mine through the force. Once again, he manages to send a few words back to me.
Don't be afraid.
I open my eyes, a gentle smile tugging on my lips as I back toward the large window of the bridge. The fire bursts up around me, itching to swallow me whole. My arms are growing heavy.
A new voice, though not unfamiliar, rings in my ears. The man from Ilum.
The force is with you.
I take a deep breath, pressing my back against the glass window behind me with the flames closing in.
And I let go.
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Chapter 29 will come out next Tuesday.
As always, until then...