Chapter Text
A blow to the head, rinse, and repeat.
Poe had grown sick of it, for a lack of a better term.
After getting thrown into his cell after a round of interrogation, he scrambled up to his feet – trying to book it before the electric gates closed, though it ended up electrocuting him, the shock sending him back against the wall. “Damnit, so much for trying.” he groaned softly, wincing at the pain that practically vibrated through his body.
He just hopes Din and the others have better luck than he did.
Ironically, luck wasn’t on Din’s side.
He thinks luck might have some sort of vendetta against him considering how Gideon’s men attacked him, Rey, and Finn on the way to his current base.
“Woah, what was that?” Finn panics as the ship shook from the impact of another blow. “It’s Gideon’s men,” Din answers, checking the source of what attacked the trio through his scanners. “You sound so calm considering we’re getting screwed over!” Finn cries as he clutched onto the armrests of the co-pilot seat. “It’s a living,” Din huffs. “Might be able to avoid them if I-” Din doesn’t even get to finish his sentence, a flash of white clouded his vision.
He doesn't fully realize what exactly happened until he feels a cool metal floor beneath him.
He slowly opened his eyes, the tint of his helmet shielding him from the fiery wreckage of the Razor in front of him behind a vast window of a ship he didn’t recognize. The entire half of his ship was blown off.
“What the hell happened?” Din groans, being helped up by Rey. “We’ve hit a bit of a detour, the Razor could’ve been blown to bits if we hadn’t managed to hijack one of Gideon’s ships in time,” Rey answered with a wince, Din stays quiet, unsure of how to answer.
Rey moves toward the cockpit of the Imperial ship, fiddling with one of the controls in an attempt to set it to lightspeed.
Upon the random press of a button on a hopeful guess, the trio is shot into lightspeed – with the help of Finn smartly punching in their destination for a somewhat easy trip.
“ Guys? Guys, can you hear me?” Leia pressed upon hearing the cut of complete static on Din’s communication. “...Should we get him?” Han asked from behind her as if they had been through this before, he leaned against one of the tables within the command center, arms crossed. “No, we shouldn't ask for Luke’s help yet, I’m sure Din and the others have got it under control, we’ll send backup just in case things go south,” Leia grits in reply.
“Are you sure sending backup is the right call? Couldn't we get Luke now if Din and the others aren’t going to contact us anytime soon?” Commander Holdo voices her concern from where she sat behind the table Han leaned against.
Leia sighs deeply, “We can’t get his help. Not right now. I’m sure Din and the others will be fine.” she frowns, an air of finality in her voice.
“This is not fine,” Finn stressed. “I can’t believe we’re going to get Poe and the baby back by posing as Gideon’s men. What if we’re seen? We should’ve thought this through!” he argued in the corridor in one of the many vast hallways within Gideon’s base. “If you continue to whine, we’ll get caught faster,” Rey points out with a scowl. Finn merely shot her a look in reply as Din slowed his pace, seeing guards file in across from the trio. “Shut up,” he tells the two quietly, waiting until the two guards pass by, so he could knock them out. “Change into their outfits,” Din ordered Rey and Finn, pulling out a device from the gear he had on him. “What about you?” asks Rey as she’s doing what she’s told. “Poe gave me some disguising tech, haven't really had a use for it…until now,” he snorted wryly. “It’ll be easier for me to use this, I'll be fine,” he assured as Rey and Finn shared an uneasy glance.
As they gingerly step out of the threshold once they were all set, they walked down the rest of the hallway. Silence draped over the three as Din breaks it with, “So, can you use your freaky mind powers to find Grogu and Poe?” he glanced behind him to look at Rey, who blinked slowly, still not used to seeing Din in Imperial armor. “Yeah, I can faintly sense them.” she answered carefully, choosing not to correct din on the ‘freaky mind powers’, - “It’s enough to push us in the right direction, but I don’t have a clue as to where they’re actually are unless I get a stronger feel.” Rey’s lips tugged into a frown as Din hummed in reply. “Well, lead the way.” he ushers her into the forefront, letting himself fall into step behind Rey. Finn clears his throat awkwardly, “So, Mando…how’d you meet Poe?” he tried to lighten the mood.
Din relaxed at the question, “We met while I was trying to settle a price on my head at a bar on Bracco , Poe was undercover on a resistance mission and was looking for someone to talk to - to blend in.” Din feels a smile play at his lips under his helmet. “He tried flirting with me, it was awful. He thought I must’ve been too handsome for the helmet .” he fails to hide a laugh at the memory. Rey glanced back at Finn to share a knowing look, “That’s Poe for you,” Finn chuckles.
Rey slowed her pace, “I can feel Poe and Grogu, they’re somewhere close by.” she turns to face the pair behind her, though upon being warned, she whips her head back to see some of Gideon’s men file in across from the trio. She and Finn slip the helmets they had on them. “Hey!” one of the guards calls as he crosses over to them, “what’re you doing just wondering around? Why don’t you try being useful and file some more prisoners?” he spat. The three stood there, unsure of what to do as the man groans. “Jeez, the lights are on but no one’s home, huh? just follow me.” the guard huffed gruffly, leading the three toward a room that was farther away from Grogu and Poe.
Filing prisoners only served to make Din, Rey, and Finn all the antsier. They tried to rush the job that was the only chance they had on not being caught as best they could until Din stiffened, hearing Poe’s faint screams, likely coming from the interrogation room. “Great, there he goes again.” one of Gideon’s men groan, “That pilot means something to Gideon, from what I heard, he’s been put in a special cell than the old one he stayed in for such a stupid reason. You won’t believe it when I tell you, but he’s only important to Gideon just ‘cause he loves that Mandalorian guy and the green baby or whatever,” he explained dismissively.
Rey laid a hand on Din’s back in a soothing manner, “Do you think we could try…interrogating him once we’re done filing more prisoners?” Rey stumbled on her words, her tone unsteady as she heard Poe’s screams soon die down.
“Sure, you could try. You might even get something useful outta him, no one can.” the man snorted in reply, “What are you doing just standing around?” An Imperial general snaps hotly at the group as he passed by them. “Resistance spies have infiltrated,” he spat as Din, Rey, and Finn share a quick glance. “Take care of it, since you’re standing there, or if you can’t, then move the prisoners around, including that dumb baby and pilot in sector 6!” the general huffs.
“We’ll take care of that baby and the pilot, they’re in sector 6, right?” Rey asks the same man from before. “Yeah, sector 6 - down the hall, to your left.” the man answers as the trio rush off toward the sector.
The guard looks on and simply shakes his head.
Leia’s grip on the table within the command center tightens, she still hasn’t gotten any word from Din and the others. Han sighs. “Should we ask Luke for help, now?” he asks one final time.
“Fine,” Leia says wearily.
“...Let’s get Luke,” she declared, sounding more hopeful than she felt.