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“The Mand’alor has attacked.”
Rex’s whole world froze. He felt like a carbonite victim, watching everything pass by him while he remained still as a statue.
“What the kriff is Djarin doing attacking the school?” Cody’s voice came through a fog.
Luke’s voice answered over the radio. “It’s not Din. You need to hurry. There’s too much to explain now. We need your help.”
“Got it.” Cody hung up and punched the hyper-speed. The stars dissolved into streaks.
Rex didn’t remember the flight. He lost himself in the haze. They dropped out of hyper-speed above Yavin IV. Cody brought the X-wing down in a tight loop, scanning the atmosphere for possible adversaries. They broke through the cloud bank.
Rex gasped. Black smoke rose up like a beacon. A crater marred the green grass where the kids normally practiced their light saber forms. Rex knew the results of a missile strike when he saw one.
“Kark,” Cody breathed. Rex agreed.
“I don’t see any hostile ships or troops. Maybe they’ve been held off.” Cody suggested hopefully.
“Just get us on the ground.” Rex’s stomach threatened to upturn everything he’d eaten that day. He could only imagine how scared the kiddos felt right now. Oh, kriff, if Yoda’s Little Tyke was hurt Rex would just die.
Rex launched himself up and out of the ship the second the landing gear hit the tarmac. He vaulted for the school’s entrance. The door burst open and Din came storming out with his pulse rifle at the ready. Rex skidded to a halt. Din recognised him and lowered the weapon.
“What the kriff is going on?” Rex shouted.
Din’s shoulders dropped. “It’s a very long story. There’s an idiot trying to make a grab for the Mandalorian throne.”
Rex frowned. As long as he’d known Din, Din had been trying to give away his responsibilities to Mandalore. Why was this newcomer a problem?
“Come inside,” Din gestured. “I’ll explain, but it’s not safe out in the open.”
Rex’s skin crawled. Cody finally joined him, and after spitting a few choice curses at Din, they all tromped into the school.
Din led them to the cafeteria. The kiddos huddled together around Luke and his staff. Luke sat in the center of the circle telling a story with elaborate hand flourishes and voices. It almost sounded like he was talking about training with Master Yoda in a swamp. The Young Yoda himself wiggled in Luke’s lap.
Rex couldn’t express his relief at seeing the Littlest Jedi unhurt.
Din directed Rex and Cody to the far corner of the cafeteria. It didn’t escape Rex’s notice that Din positioned himself in the corner where he could see the door and out the window at the same time. As soon as they were sat Rex chewed into Din.
“Tell us everything. Luke said the Mand’alor attacked the school. Tell me you didn’t lose the Darksaber.”
Din sighed. He reached out and placed the cursed Darksaber on the table. Rex stared down at the ancient saber hilt and then up at Din’s blank visor.
“What the kriff?”
Din leaned his elbows on the table. “I arrived at the Mandalorian court to absolute madness. Someone had spread the rumor that I’d died from my poisoning. One Mandalorian took the opportunity to claim the Darksaber had been lost with me. His name is Vizsla. He wants to elevate himself to Mand’alor. Vizsla called for an election several days before I arrived. Bo Katan says he bought many of the clan leaders’ votes. By rights, he has been chosen as the Mand’alor.”
“And then you arrived,” Rex prompted.
“Yes,” Din drawled. “It was almost funny to see everyone’s faces. They thought I was a ghost.”
“And then?” Cody asked.
“Vizsla refused to recognise me as Mand’alor, despite the Darksaber.” Rex could see the gears spinning in Din’s head. “Vizsla claimed that since no one had ever seen my face, no one could vouch that I was the true Mand’alor.”
“But Bo Katan has seen your face,” Cody argued. “She could confirm for them.”
Din leveled his visor at Cody. “This is not the Way.”
“The Way,” Cody grumbled.
Din continued his story. “Vizsla claims Din Djarin actually did die, and that I’m some scavenger trying to wrestle control from him.”
Rex’s brain needed a full reboot to process that one. “That’s delusional!” He blurted out.
Din shrugged. “It makes enough sense to enough of the council for Vizsla to cause a fracture. The council is divided. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough strong allies to defend my claims. We retreated here. Then Vizsla ordered an air strike.”
“Kriffer,” Cody spat. Rex agreed.
Din nodded. “He held off when Luke hailed him with the children at his side. Vizsla is ruthless, but Mandalorians value the next generation above all else.”
Rex let his head fall onto the table with a smack. He didn’t even care about the alarming stickiness of the tabletop. What the kriff was wrong with the universe? Rex had almost had a good day before this. He and Cody had finally visited Cor-3. Rex had allowed himself to feel optimistic about the clone colony. Now everything had turned upside down again.
“Wait,” Cody pointed at Din. “You said ‘we’ came back here. Who’s we?”
Din shoved his chair back and stood. “Come with me.”
Rex scrambled to follow. Din led the way to the med bay. The doors swished open. Rex’s jaw dropped. Bo Katan occupied the med cot in the corner. She looked incredibly worse for wear. Din trundled over to her bedside and fluffed her pillow, to her chagrin. She batted Din away and finally turned to Cody and Rex frozen in the doorway.
“Lothcat got your tongue?” Bo Katan snapped.
Din sniggered. Rex stared as Din retreated into the corner out of Bo Katan’s reach.
Bo Katan leaned back on the cot. Her left leg sat on a mountain of pillows to keep her bandaged foot elevated.
“What the kriff happened?” Rex growled.
Bo Katan looked up at him. Rex held back a gasp. Her eye swelled shut underneath a mottled purple bruise. Her mouth turned down, pulling at her split lip.
Bo Katan sniffed, lifting her chin with her ever-regal air. “I tried to challenge Vizsla for the throne.”
“I take it you’re not the Mand’alor?” Rex quipped.
Bo Katan snarled. “I wasn’t doing it for me. I did it on Djarin’s behalf.”
“And you got your backside handed to you,” Rex finished.
“I think it’s the nicest thing she’s ever done for me,” Din mused.
“As soon as I’m upright, I’m going to skin you alive,” Bo Katan threatened.
Din placed his hand over his heart like he was touched.
“The point,” Bo Katan swiveled to face Rex again. “Is that the Mandalorians are facing civil war. Vizsla has divided us. Some will follow the Darksaber no matter where it goes, but others,” she trailed off. Her hands twisted in the bed sheets. “Some would rather have one of the old families rule again. They think the bloodline makes us stronger.”
“Osik,” Din cursed. Rex resisted the urge to clap his hands over his ears like a shiny. He’d never heard Din cuss in Mando’a before.
“He has a right to challenge,” Bo Katana pointed out.
“He’s aruetii,” Din argued.
“What’s that?” Cody asked.
“A traitor,” Bo Katan translated.
“Hang on,” Rex pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve got whiplash. So you,” Rex pointed at Bo Katan. “Have suddenly decided to play ball for Din, after months of making yourself his worst nightmare. And you’ve made this decision to side against Vizsla, when I distinctly remember you making a deal with Pre Vizsla to overthrow the Mandalorian throne from your sister.”
Bo Katan’s face was pale with anger underneath her bruises. “Old sins,” she said quietly.
Rex turned to Din incredulously. “You’re good with this?”
“Burc'ya vaal burk'yc, burc'ya veman,” Din said.
Bo Katan snorted.
Rex couldn’t puzzle the Mando’a together through Din’s accent. “What does that mean?”
Din’s helmet tipped. “A friend in danger is a true friend.”
“Sounds dark,” Rex commented.
Din shrugged. “It’s true. Bo Katan is desperate. And despite our previous issues, she’s loyal and honourable. She will help us protect this place.”
Bo Katan inclined her head, though she seemed torn about it. “We need to figure out what to do next,” Bo Katan returned to the problem at hand. “Vizsla will not back off just because there are children here. He will simply send ground troops with orders not to harm the children.”
“What are our assets?” Rex asked, sliding into Captain mode.
Bo Katan cut eyes at him. “Our fighting bodies are you, the other clone, Din, Luke, and myself.”
“The other clone?” Cody growled.
At the same time Din argued. “You can’t fight in your condition, Kryze.”
“Who else have we called for help?” Rex asked. “Ahsoka? Kix and Wolffe should be with her.”
Din shook his head. “Can’t find her. She’s not answering comms. Luke tried calling his sister the senator, but nothing is getting through. I’m starting to think Vizsla is blocking our frequencies.”
“Great,” Rex grumbled. He pressed a hand to his jaw, trying to think. Cody paced the length of the room.
Din straightened suddenly. “I have to talk to Vizsla. This has to end.”
Rex stared at him. “But if the frequencies are being blocked-.”
“Then Vizsla will see that I’m hailing him. He’ll answer.” Din finished. “I cannot continue to put the children in danger.”
Rex hurried after Din out of the room. He cast a look over his shoulder at Cody. Cody gave him a thumbs up. He would continue thinking of a strategy while Rex helped Din.
Rex chased Din’s swishing cloak through the cafeteria and out of the school to Din’s ship. Din climbed up into the cockpit. If he didn’t want Rex present, he said nothing. Din sat rigid in the pilot’s chair. Din flipped his holo-projector on and sent the hail.
Rex gripped his holsters to keep his hands from wringing with worry.
A flickering image filled the holo-projector. A huge Mandalorian with dark armor stood at attention. Rex recognised the stylized falcon on his pauldron. The mark of both clan Vizsla and the Death Watch. Rex couldn’t read the man’s expression through his sharp visor.
“What do you want?” Vizsla snarled.
Din leaned forward in the pilot’s chair. “This has to end, Vizsla. I’m here. Let’s talk.”
Vizsla reached up and removed the helmet. A long scar dragged from his eyebrow down the left side of his face. His nose had lumps like he’d broken it several times.
“We have nothing to talk about,” Vizsla said. “Give up the Darksaber and surrender. You have no right to wear that armor.”
“You have attacked foundlings,” Din sneered. “Where is the honour in that?”
“You hide behind children,” Vizsla countered. “Prove you are Mandakor and come face me.”
“I already have the Darksaber,” Din taunted. “I am the Mand’alor. Unless you issue a formal challenge, I have no obligation to respond to your threats.”
Rex held his breath. Din had all but goaded Vizsla into challenging Din to a duel. Rex honestly didn’t know if Din could beat the hulking Mandalorian. On the other hand, if Din accepted a challenge, then this whole feud could end with a single confrontation.
Vizsla sneered. “You are not the Mand’alor, and I will not legitimize your claim by challenging.”
Din leaned close to the projection. “I once knew a member of your clan, Paz Vizsla. We also clashed. But he had the honour to do what was right for the whole clan, not just for his selfish purposes. Give up this quest to be Mand’alor. This is not the time to divide Mandalorians.”
“I knew you couldn’t be the real Din Djarin,” Vizsla scowled. “No true Mandalorian would run from a fight.”
Din sighed and shook his head. “I’m trying to save us all.”
“You are dar’manda.” Vizsla growled.
Din’s back went so stiff Rex feared he’d snap his spine. The image of Vizsla suddenly snapped off.
Rex looked down. Din’s gloved hand gripped the disengage button.
“You hung up on him?” Rex asked, incredulous.
“I won’t speak to a clan traitor,” Din growled. His voice wavered with more fury than Rex had ever heard. “He’s decided I’m not Mandalorian. He won’t acknowledge anything else I have to say.”
Din got to his feet. For a second, he just stood there. Shining beskar and Darksaber at his side. The perfect silhouette of a Mand’alor.
Din nodded to himself. “Prepare for a fight,” he said. Din swept his cloak behind him and headed down the ladder.
Rex remained where he stood. He looked out through the cockpit window at the sprawling school grounds. From this angle he couldn’t see the crater, only the smoke billowing up into the bright blue sky. This place had always been safe. It had an innocence Rex had never found elsewhere in the universe. Other planets held the wounds of the past wars. Yavin IV was untouched by all that. Even the jedi kids came here to find peace. And now this place would forever bear the scar of the that crater. A mark of violence amid the usual tranquility.
Fury bubbled in Rex’s gut. How dare Vizsla bring his terror here. How dare he bring that fear to the younglings. Rex vowed to himself he would keep every last child safe.
Rex grabbed his helmet and slammed it over his head. Time to go to war.
Rex stomped back into the cafeteria. The knot of jedi younglings piled on top of Luke waved as Rex passed. Luke’s lips thinned, but he didn’t stop his tale telling. Rex thought he heard something about a duel with a Force ghost. If he wasn’t so focused, Rex might detour and listen to that story over a bowl of pudding.
Rex strode into the med bay. The door slammed against the wall.
Bo Katan lifted an eyebrow. Cody still leaned against the opposite wall, but now he tapped at a data pad.
“What’s our plan?” Rex demanded. He suddenly realised Din was not in the room.
Bo Katan crossed her arms over her chest. “I say we evacuate.”
“Can’t,” Cody said curtly.
“Why not?” Bo Katan twisted her neck to look at Cody.
“The jamming frequency blocking our communications is coming from close range. That means there’s a ship out there watching us. But we already knew that. They shot a missile at this place already.” Cody said all this without looking up from his screen. “If we try to fly away, they’ll either capture us, or more likely, shoot us out of the sky.”
Karking great, Rex thought. Nothing like looking down the barrel of a giant gun to keep everyone’s spirits up.
“We’re under siege,” Bo Katan growled.
Cody shrugged. “Basically. We’ve got enough supplies that resources won’t be a problem. Yavin IV is pretty self sufficient. But I doubt Vizsla’s plan is to starve us out.”
“We’re not going to wait around and find out.” Din suddenly appeared in the doorway. How the kark he moved so silently in a metric tonne of armor Rex would never know. But on the upside, Din had freed Luke from his horde of children and deposited the Jedi Master in their midst.
“I can’t fight with you,” Luke announced. “Jedi are peacekeepers.”
Uh huh. And Rex was a bantha.
Cody squinted at Luke. “Didn’t you blow up the Death Star?”
“The what?” Din asked.
Rex held back his scream but just barely. This was who he had pledged himself to. A Jedi with only half of his culture’s teachings, a murderous Mandalorian princess currently bedbound, his own clone brother, and the Mand’alor who had not a single clue of any of the political events of the last fifty years.
A giggling burble sounded from ankle height.
Rex added Master Yoda’s Offspring to his list of allies. Kark, they were all dead.
Rex refocused on the conversation to find Luke and Bo Katan viscously arguing the Jedi Code.
“You are allowed to defend life,” Bo Katan snapped. “What do you think they give you a lightsaber for?”
Luke flushed. “It’s more ceremonial in the ancient texts. All life is connected to the Force and so a Jedi should never take a life in vain.”
“Fine,” Bo Katan tossed up her hands. “You don’t have to kill anyone. Just lightly maim them for us.”
Luke considered this. Apparently, the loophole appeased him because he nodded and settled on the edge of the empty cot opposite Bo Katan.
That scream trying to force its way up Rex’s throat only grew in volume.
“Are we done now?” Din asked. He held Yoda’s Lineage against his chest plate to fully maximize the disappointed dad angle. “Yes? Great. There’s only one thing Vizsla actually wants from us.”
“Your head,” Bo Katan offered.
Din pointed a warning finger at her. “The Darksaber. Vizsla wants his claim to Mandalore to be legitimate.”
“So he’ll have to come down here to take it from you,” Rex concluded.
Din shrugged. “Or he keeps taking pot shots with missiles until we surrender. He’s not willing to risk losing in hand-to-hand combat.”
“Then what’s the play?” Luke asked.
Bo Katan interrupted before Din could answer. “Djarin, if you suggest giving Vizsla that Darksaber, I will kill you with my bare hands, get Skywalker to resurrect you in the Force, and suffocate you again.”
“It’s the only option without bloodshed,” Din reasoned.
“I’m okay with bloodshed,” Bo Katan argued.
“We might not have a choice,” Cody spoke up. He lifted his data pad. “Something just launched in the atmosphere, coming at our location.”
“Another missile?” Rex blanched.
Cody shook his head. “Moving too slow. More like a transport of some kind.”
Kriff. They weren’t ready to face a whole squad of Mandalorians.
Din spun on his heel and marched out of the room. Bo Katan squawked in alarm. “Din, don’t you give him the Darksaber, you di’kut.”
Rex cast Cody a helpless look and scurried after Din.
Master Yoda Reincarnated poked his head over Din’s shoulder and waved at Rex as he gave chase. Rex relaxed just a tiny bit. Din wouldn’t take his son with him to put his head on a block. If Din was walking to his death, he’d have left the Tiny Terror with Luke.
Rex almost caught up to Din when he saw the ship. The bulky transport could easily hold an entire squad. It dropped out of the sky and landed on the other side of the still smoldering crater.
Din walked down the steps. He stopped at the base and planted his feet. The orange fingertips of his gloved hand touched the Darksaber’s hilt on his belt. Rex drew his pistols and set himself up in the school’s doorway as a cover guard. No matter what came off that transport ship, Rex would not let them inside the school.
The door opened at Rex’s back. Luke swept out in his billowing black robes. Cody followed, joining Rex on the other side of the door. The determined gaze Rex imagined on Cody’s face was hidden by his freshly painted helmet.
“Get back inside,” Din snapped at Luke. “This is Mandalorian business.”
“This is my school,” Luke answered calmly.
“Vizsla won’t take kindly to Jedi,” Din argued. “You’ll only make it worse.”
Luke’s blue eyes narrowed. Finally, he nodded. “The Force is with you, Din Djarin. But I will be ready to protect my students.”
Din nodded his thanks. Luke swept back into the school. “Cody,” he called as he passed. “I need your help. We need to move Bo Katan somewhere more secure and keep the kids calm.”
Cody cast a long look at Rex. Rex nodded.
Cody saluted sharply. He followed Luke back into the school.
Rex inhaled a shaky breath. This was it. Just Din facing the Mandalorian horde with only Rex’s sharpshooting skills for support. No pressure.
Rex breathed in deep and focused on the incoming threat. He scanned the treeline. Now it made sense why the Mandalorians had landed where they did. The smoke from the crater provided them cover. Rex couldn’t see for kark. Then something moved through the smoke.
A Mandalorian in blue and grey armor stepped onto the grass. Rex recognised the sharp lines of his helmet. Vizsla. Behind him, a line of armored Mandalorians moved forward with their blasters at the ready. Rex started to sweat.
Din activated the Darksaber. Its void black blade crackled with power. He held it at the ready to defend the Jedi school.
“Stand down, Vizsla,” Din called out. “There are innocents here.”
Vizsla waved a hand. His troops paused in formation. Vizsla himself continued forward until the toes of his boots touched the path leading up to the school steps.
“Give up the Darksaber and the beskar and we will depart,” Vizsla shouted across the space.
“I can’t do that,” Din answered.
Vizsla reached up and pulled off his helmet. His scar twisted his mouth into a smirk. “I have no wish to hurt the Jedi younglings. But I am not leaving here without the title of Mand’alor.”
“I have an interesting proposition,” Din started.
Vizsla sneered.
Din continued. “You claim I am not a Mandalorian because I cannot prove my heritage. But by my covert’s religion, you are not Mandalorian for bearing your face. Which of us is to say who has the right to rule our people when neither of us can agree what makes a Mandalorian?”
Vizsla’s face went purple. “I am a Vizsla, descended from Tarre Vizsla himself, whose blade you have no right to carry.”
Din looked down at the Darksaber in his hand. “Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la,” he said.
Rex knew that saying. No one cares who your parent was, only the parent you will become. A rumble of agreement rose for the squad of Mandalorians standing at the ready.
“Enough of this,” Vizsla spat. He lifted his blaster. Din shifted his grip on Master Yoda’s Genetic Carrier. The kid burbled.
“Quit hiding behind children and fight me!” Vizsla roared.
Din cocked his head. “This child? This is my foundling, tasked to me by my clan’s Armourer, who I have sacrificed my Way to save and raise as my own. I follow the Six Tenants of the Resol’nare. Armor, education, self defense, tribe, language, leader. You’ve broken the sixth tenant, Vizsla. The Mand’alor gave you a command and you ignored it. Stand down.”
“Kark you,” Vizsla spat. He shoved his helmet on his head. His whole body tensed into a crouch. Rex saw it happen in slow motion. Vizsla’s legs bunched, his shoulders came up, his shooting hand came up with his blaster and his other arm followed in a practiced block.
Rex squeezed his trigger.
The bolt slammed into the ground at Vizsla’s feet. Gravel shot up over his boots. Vizsla’s visor snapped up to Rex.
Rex heard the clank of the Mandalorian army lifting their blasters. Vizsla waved them down.
“So, you continue to play dirty,” Vizsla taunted Din.
“You’re the one who brought a squad to take on a children’s school,” Din replied. “Challenge me properly as Mand’alor and I’ll tell him to stand down.”
Vizsla laughed. It grated on Rex’s ears. “I have no need to challenge you. My squad outnumbers you ten to one.”
Din nodded. “Yes. But you’ll die first. My sharpshooter will target you until you fall, and then your squad can attempt an attack on these doors and face the wrath of Luke Skywalker.”
A concerned murmur rose up from the Mandalorians. Rex noted the way Vizsla tensed. This kriffer really hadn’t thought his own plan through.
“Or,” Din finished. “You can challenge me fairly. And we can duel once and for all for the throne of Mandalore.” Din’s shoulders sagged slightly. “If you were anyone else, I’d gladly give you the Darksaber, Vizsla. But you are not right for our people. You will tear us apart.”
Vizsla growled. Rex heard it from across the distance.
Vizsla ground out between his teeth, “Din Djarin, I challenge you by my right as a Mandalorian for the throne of Mandalore.”
The army of Mandalorians beat their chest plates with their gauntlets. Rex jumped. The ring of beskar was deafening.
Din carefully bent and deposited Yoda the Youngster on the ground. The kid gripped his father’s ankle until Din shooed him away. The Newfangled Master Yoda wobbled over to the steps of the school and hid behind the bottom stair.
Din straightened up. “Vizsla, as Mand’alor I accept your challenge.”
The words had barely left Din’s mouth before Vizsla attacked. His blaster bolt clanged off Din’s right pauldron, spinning him around. The surrounding Mandalorians gasped. Din grunted. He’d exposed his vulnerable flank.
Rex’s heart leaped into his throat.
Vizsla shot again. Din moved with surprising grace, deflecting the bolt off his gauntlet. The crackling void of the Darksaber came up and slashed at Vizsla. He wasn’t prepared. The blade cut smooth through his blaster. Vizsla tossed aside the useless half in his hand. Din didn’t let him adjust. He activated his flamethrower. The fire raced over Vizsla’s visor, blinding him. Din struck out with his leg and swept Vizsla’s knees. Vizsla toppled to the ground.
Rex almost cheered. But Vizsla lashed out, his beskar covered elbow driving into Din’s ankle. Din yelped and jumped back. It gave Vizsla enough room to roll to his feet. The two circled each other, waiting for an opening.
Din used the extra space between them to unstrap his beskar spear from his back and twirl it between himself and Vizsla. Before the duel started, Rex assumed a fight for the Darksaber would outlaw weapons. But of course, Mandalorians had a culture deep love affair with unnecessary violence. Din now held the spear and the Darksaber against whatever weapons Vizsla had secreted on his person.
Vizsla suddenly whipped both hands forward. From one fist flew a knife that Din easily batted aside. The other was a whip cord that snagged around Din’s wrist. Vizsla yanked hard on the cord. The Darksaber went flying from Din’s grip. The hilt bounced across the dirt; the blade extinguished.
Din rolled forward, not letting Vizsla tighten the cord to control his arm. Din slashed and stabbed at Vizsla with his spear. Vizsla had to cut the cord to launch himself out of Din’s reach. Din pressed forward. They stabbed and slashed at each other in a wild flurry of movement. Din ducked inside Vizsla’s guard. He leveled the spear’s point at Vizsla’s throat.
“Yield,” Din demanded.
Vizsla responded with a roar. He knocked the spear aside and crashed full body into Din. They went down into the dirt. Mentally, Rex bit his nails down to the nubs watching.
Vizsla had twice the weight on Din, but Din twisted like a Geonosian brain worm and hooked his thighs around Vizsla’s shoulders. He flipped them with ease, pinning Vizsla’s helm in the dirt.
“Yield,” Din panted.
Vizsla writhed like a fish out of water. He flopped underneath Din and went still. Rex could hear both of them gasping for breath. Din dug his wrist guard into Vizsla’s neck. Rex heard the distinct sound of whistling birds activating. Vizsla went rigid.
“I surrender,” Vizsla ground out between his teeth.
The cheers that went up from the Mandalorian army startled Rex so bad he almost dropped his weapon.
“All hail the Mand’alor!”
These kriffers didn’t really care about Vizsla at all, did they? They just wanted to see a fight. Mandalore was a whole crazy planet full of maniacs and Rex washed his hands of them. Stupid kriffers. No wonder they liked Din so much.
Din planted his spear in the ground and faced his people. His cape billowed in the breeze. “This planet and its inhabitants are under the protection of the Mand’alor,” Din shouted.
The Mandalorians shouted their assent. They clanged their gauntlets against their chest plates.
“Leave this place in peace,” Din commanded.
“What about Vizsla?” Someone yelled.
Din looked down at the vanquished Mandalorian. Vizsla knelt in the dirt, his back bent in defeat.
“Vizsla,” Din said loud enough for everyone to hear. “You are Mandakor. You are strong. Will you lead your clan in the Way of the Mandalore?”
Vizsla lifted his face. He got to his feet. He stood visor to visor with Din. Rex’s grip on his blasters tightened.
“All hail the Mand’alor,” Vizsla clanked his fist on his chest plate.
“All hail the Mand’alor!” The cry went up again. And then the Mandalorian army turned as one and headed back to their ship. Vizsla followed. He cast one last look over his shoulder at Din. Rex could have sworn some kind of understanding passed between them. After all, Din had spared Vizsla’s life. It was his right as the victor to slay Vizsla for challenging him.
Din bent down and retrieved the Darksaber. He wiped some dirt off the hilt.
Rex came down the steps to meet him. A warbling coo caught Rex’s attention. Rex looked down. Yoda the Lowly toddled towards his father. Rex reached down and scooped the kid up, jogging over to Din.
“So,” Rex knocked his gauntlet against Din’s shoulder. “You still haven’t managed to get rid of that cursed thing.”
Din stared down at the Darksaber. “It’s not as heavy any more,” he said.
Rex hummed. “You know Bo Katan would have killed Vizsla.”
Din shrugged. “There’s too few of us left.”
Rex nodded. Teeny Weeny Yoda yawned wide in Rex’s arms, revealing his tiny spiky teeth.
“Nap time.” Din took the tyke from Rex. He groaned as he stretched a muscle. “Maybe I’ll join you for that nap, kid.”
Rex walked beside Din into the school. The empty hallways echoed their footsteps back at them. Suddenly a whir Rex recognised all too well came at them from behind.
“Down!” Rex shoved Din. Din rolled, tucking the Diminutive Yoda to his chest.
Rex’s back hit the wall as a blade of green light slashed through the air where he had been.
“Luke!” Rex shouted. “It’s us!”
The lightsaber extinguished with a swish.
Luke dropped out of his fighting stance. He pulled back his black hood. “Oh, good. Nobody died.”
“What the kriff?” Rex snapped.
“I didn’t recognise you,” Luke said easily.
“You almost took our heads off,” Rex argued.
Luke shrugged. “I thought you were coming for the kids.”
On cue, a bevy of youngsters bolted under Luke’s arms and made a break for it. “Stay inside the building!” Luke yelled. He took off after them, his cape whipping behind.
Din stood, bushing off his pants. “That Jedi is a lunatic.”
“Says the man from a cult,” Rex mumbled.
They moved on, dodging children running and screaming in delight to have their freedom back. Din shoved open the med bay door.
Cody sat exactly where he had been earlier. He looked up from his data pad and waved.
Bo Katan bolted upright in the cot, practically vibrating off the sheets. She snatched up her pillow and threw it at Din’s face. It bounced harmlessly off his visor.
“Did I do something wrong?” He asked sardonically.
“You kriffing maniac!” Bo Katan yelled. “You let Vizsla go.”
Din shrugged. “He’s not a threat. He’s been humiliated.”
“Which means he’ll come back with a chip on his shoulder,” Bo Katan argued.
“Not everyone has your sense of vengeance,” Din answered. “I take it you saw the challenge?”
“I watched from the window.” She studied Din up and down. “I may need to train a little harder before I try taking you on, Djarin.”
“Or you could just take it,” Din held out the Darksaber in his weary hand.
Bo Katan bared her teeth. “Stop waving it under my nose like a cookie. I’ll challenge you for it when the time is right.”
“When’s that?” Din snapped. “After we’re both old and grey and we have to beat each other with our canes?”
“Don’t be stupid,” Bo Katan scoffed. “Neither of us will live that long.”
“Speak for yourself,” Din shot back. “I’ve decided I just won’t die. I promised Grogu I’d live to see his graduation several hundred years from now.”
Holy kriffing Force, Rex needed a drink to listen to these two bickering. He glanced at Cody. Cody just rolled his eyes.
“Why don’t you go with the Mandalorians?” Din sniped at Bo Katan. “You won’t have to endure looking at us any more.”
“That is the best idea you’ve ever had,” Bo Katan smiled. “Pass me the comm link.”
“Get it yourself,” Din spun on his heel. “If anybody needs me, I’ll be sleeping for a decade.”
The door slammed behind him.
“There goes the Mand’alor,” Cody wiped at his eyes. “An inspiration to us all.”