Chapter Text
Djarin's POV :
You carry Grogu in your arms, trudging through thorns and sinking mud that reached as far up to your ankles, almost your knees. You could see bugs hovering around you, Grogu was whimpering, head shoved into your chestplate in fear like it would block out the world. You take a quick glance down at him, guilt sits heavy in your chest. He shouldn’t be here. Not like this.
Kriff, this was just disgusting..How did it even come to this? You had run out of supplies. No credits, barley any food, nothing left but desperation. So you took a bounty. Simple job. Capture a target. In and out. It would have taken 30 minutes.
But of course it was a trap. It's always a trap.
For the Maker knows why, the whole galaxy always seemed to turn sharp the moment you tried to stand still. Now you’re running. Twenty hunters on your trail, right behind you
3 HOURS EARLIER:
You head to the kitchen without helmet in your hand, hungry, it felt too quiet. It was late, you don't sleep much. You really need to fix that. You walk forward and open your fridge to see absolutely nothing but fruits and vegetables. Then the second you look down, your eyes widen. You glance around slowly, trying to process what you’re seeing. Where did all the food go.. Cabinets are slightly open. Countertops are scattered with a lot of crumbs. Something sticky has been smeared across the edge of the table. And there; empty wrappers that absolutely were not empty earlier. A slow, tired groan escapes you. "Grogu…”
You turn toward the open doorway. Outside, you spot him immediately. Grogu is sitting near a group of Anzellan mechanics, watching them work like he’s supervising the entire operation. The tiny creatures don’t seem bothered at all. If anything, they look like they’ve accepted him as part of the crew. And all around them? Food. Macarons. Snacks. Crumbs. Evidence of chaos.
You take a slow breath through your helmet. Don't get mad, don't get mad, don't get mad. "I told you,” you say, trying (very unsuccessfully) to sound calm, “not to eat the food without asking me first. Especially not when there are four other people here.” Grogu tilts his head at you, completely unbothered. He calmly puts another macaron in his mouth and keeps staring at you like you’re the one interrupting something important.
The audacity. You sigh. “Grogu. No. Stop. Give me the macaron.” Your voice sounded so tired.
He doesn’t move, he just stares harder. And deeper. And takes another bite. That does it. "Dank ferrik,” you mutter, stepping forward and gently taking it from his hands. "ew.." you mumble, it had saliva all over it.
"Mh--!” he protests immediately, tiny arms reaching for it. Before you can even react, the macaron lifts out of your hand and floats right back into his grasp. You freeze. Your helmet tilts slightly. The child looks just as surprised as you feel… but he doesn’t stop eating. You just stare at him. Are you not feeding him enough? Or does he just really like food... You exhale sharply.
"Yeah. No.” You point at him. "You know what? Since we’re out of food, you’re coming with me on a bounty.” Grogu pauses mid bite. "You’re done playing with your little friends.”
A small, offended chirp leaves him. He immediately tries to waddle away as fast as his tiny legs allow. It’s not fast enough. You scoop him up before he gets three steps. "Nope,” you say, already turning back toward the ship. “You’re coming with me.”
He waves bye to the Anzellan's. "Bye bye baby!" They all say at different times, their voices overlapping. Then Grogu goes limp in your arms. "Grogu I know your not dead, you can't trick me. You did this yesterday." You say, he starts making annoying sounds over and over again. Being a dad is so hard.
You walk over to the city, droids are everywhere, it's hard to trust them. But after a whole you realized that not every droid want's to kill you. But your hand still lingers near your blaster. Just in case. Grogu is in your left hand, playing with his metal ball. You look around for the rebuilt guild hall, it should be right here. But instead you're staring at a house. You stop by someone. "Hey,” you ask, keeping your voice low, “do you know where the new Guild hall is?”
The woman glances at you, you look at her, she has four eyes and brown hair that was braided. Then you see the look that she gave you. Like you were stupid, like the answer was obvious, then points straight ahead without hesitation. “It’s on the other side of the city.”
You blink slowly behind your helmet. Did you hear that correctly.. "It’s what?”
“On the other side,” she repeats, like she’s talking to someone who should’ve already known this. "Of the city. It’s huge. You can’t miss it.” You pause for a second, looking down the long stretch of city ahead. Of course it is.
Buildings, walkways, droids weaving through crowds, speeders passing overhead. It all just keeps going and going until it blurs into the distance. 'Can’t miss it' now feels like a lie people tell when they don’t want to give directions.
You spend the next several minutes checking building after building. Most of them are shops, restaurants, repair stations, or apartments. None of them are nearly big enough to be the Guild Hall. Just as you're beginning to wonder if you've somehow walked past it, a large alien walks across the street carrying a blaster on his back. He heads straight for a building you haven't checked yet.
You follow him inside. The noise hits you first. Conversations fill the room, dozens of voices blending together with the clink of glasses and distant laughter. A circular bar sits in the center of the building, surrounded by tables occupied by bounty hunters, travelers, merchants, ect.
A few heads turn when you walk in. A Mandalorian in full beskar armor tends to attract attention. Still, nobody says anything. After a moment, the conversations continue as if you were just another customer. You approach the bartender. The alien glances up at you before walking over, polishing a glass with a cloth held in one hand while carrying the drink itself in another.
"Hey," you say. "Do you know where the Guild Hall is?" The bartender stops polishing for a moment.
"This is the Guild Hall."
You pause. Slowly, you look around the room again. That... actually explains a lot. The bartender studies you more closely now, likely realizing exactly who he's talking to.
"Want a drink?" he asks. Before you can answer, his gaze drops to Grogu, who is peeking out from your arms. "Or can you not because of the baby?"
You can't help but stare at him for a second. "I'm okay, thanks." The bartender shrugs and returns to work. You adjust your grip on Grogu as he squirms slightly, making himself more comfortable against your chestplate. Then you make your way toward one of the tables scattered with holopucks. Most of the bounties are small jobs. A purple alien wanted for theft. Five hundred credits. A local smuggler. Seven hundred. A mechanic who skipped town without paying his debts. Three hundred. You keep scrolling through them.
Five hundred. Eight hundred. Six hundred.
Not one is above 1,000. You guess after Nervavo got less dangerous, less dangerous enemys were here. And means, weaker enemys means less money. You let out a quiet sigh and straighten up from the table. Looks like you're leaving empty-handed. Turning toward the exit, you begin making your way back through the crowded hall
"Hey Mando, lookin' for a bounty?" You hear someone say, your head turns to the sound to see a man. He looked old, his hair was greying. You nod and walk over to him. "Well I got one." He slams a holopuck down on the table.. "This guy owes me money, a lot. Can you bring him alive?" He taps it and a holgram shows.
You don't answer his question, you look at the bounty, it's a picture of this alien like creature, he looked strong but beatable. Underneath it, the payout reads: 10,000 credits. You study it for a moment “That’s a lot of credits for a single guy who looks 5 feet tall,” you say quietly. “How much does he actually owe you?
The man gives a thin smile, shifting his collar of his jacket "Let’s keep certain details to ourselves, yeah?” He looks you up and down. "Names Trent, by the way."
“Right,” you reply flatly. “Well 'Trent'.” You lean forward slightly, staring down the holgram for a better look. “You got any other details? Location, security, anything I should know before I walk into this?”
“He’s on the planet Drixmorris,” The man who was now 'Trent', says, sliding the holopuck a little closer across the table as if that alone confirms everything. “Planet’s pretty clean too, so you'll find him fast. No complications. It’ll be easy.”
You sit back just a little. Grogu shifts in your arms, his ears lowering slightly as if he doesn’t like the sound of it either. “I’ve never heard of that,” you say slowly. “Is that even a real planet?”
"It's a big universe, but yes; it's real. Just outside of the outer rim." He says, brushing a hand through his hair.
Grogu shifts in your arms again, making a small sound--quiet, but uneasy. His ears stay flattened, staring at Trent. That alone makes you more cautious. "Do you have coordinates?” you ask, studying the hologram.
Trent hesitates for half a second before tapping the puck again. A set of faint navigation markers appears in the air between you. “Already loaded,” he says. “You just fly straight. No detours.”
You tilt your head slightly. “No detours,” you repeat.
“Simple job,” Trent adds quickly. “In and out. Bring him back alive, you get paid. That’s it.”
You stare at the hologram a moment longer. The target doesn’t look special. Doesn’t look like the kind of job that should feel… off. But something about the way Trent says it doesn’t sit right. You close your hand around the puck, cutting off the hologram. “I’ll take it,” you say at last. Trent relaxes immediately, like he’s been holding his breath.
“Smart choice, Mando.”
You turn slightly, already shifting Grogu higher in your arms. But as you step away from the table, Grogu makes another small, uneasy sound, his gaze still locked in the direction of the man
You get in your ship, setting the coordinates and setting it on autopilot. You head over to Grogu. "The planets a bit far away, so were gonna have to find something to do." Grogu tilts his head
In the hour your ship spends slicing through hyperspace, you keep yourself busy.
Cleaning helps -- scrubbing down surfaces, reorganizing gear, anything to burn off the leftover tension from the last job. Which you regretted, it got you tired fast. Between tasks, you try something a little more difficult, but a little less tiring. Teaching Grogu.
“So,” you say, sitting across from him at the small table, “when I have food... you don't use the...” You pause; What had Ahsoka called it? 'The Force.' But you still weren't entirely convinced that was the best name for it.
“The floaty power thing,” you settle on. “You don't use the floaty power thing. You ask, okay?” Grogu tilts his head. He stares at you for a long moment, ears twitching slightly. Then he lets out a soft babble, the kind that somehow manages to sound both confused and offended at the same time.
Like the very idea is unreasonable. “Yes,” you repeat, slower this time. “Ask.” Grogu blinks. “Ask.” Another blink. You aren't sure if he's listening or just waiting for food to appear. Trying to prove your point, you hold up a macaron between your fingers. “See? If you want this, you ask for it.”
The second the words leave your mouth, the macaron lifts into the air. You watch it float. Grogu watches it float. The macaron drifts smoothly across the table and lands right in his waiting hands. For a moment, neither of you moves.
Then Grogu immediately takes a bite. You close your eyes behind the helmet.
“Grogu...” you sigh. He continues chewing. “No. That's the opposite of asking.” Another bite. “You ask. You don't take.”
Grogu makes a small sound, clutching the macaron tighter against his chest as if you're being completely unreasonable. “I'm serious.” He shakes his head. Actually shakes his head. You stare at him. He stares right back while taking another bite.
"Grogu I know damn well you can understand me-"
Before you can continue, your ship says:
SHIP LANDING SOON — GET TO COCKPIT
You exhale, already giving up. “We’ll learn later.” Grogu makes a small, satisfied sound like he’s won something, and you push yourself up from your seat, heading for the cockpit.
The moment you drop out of hyperspace and the viewport clears, your eyes narrow
Something’s wrong. Trent said clean. Trent said easy. What you see is anything but. The planet below is just swamp and mud, wet terrain broken up by huge trees and dark water. Heavy fog was covering anything that looks remotely like a path.
You let out a long, tired groan. Of course. "C’mon, kid,” you mutter, lifting Grogu into your arms. You land the ship, shut everything down, and step outside once the ramp lowers, sealing it behind you. The air hits you immediately; humid, heavy, and damp enough to cling to your armor. The second you get out you cough. It was disgusting, especially when you were in your helmet.
You take a few cautious steps forward, your boots sinking slightly into the soft ground with every step. Not great. The mud gives way beneath your weight just enough to make walking annoying, but not enough to trap you.
You glance down at Grogu in your arms. “We're gonna look around,” you say quietly, adjusting your grip on him before continuing deeper into the swamp. For a while, it's nothing but mud and trees.
The ground is uneven, forcing you to watch every step. Thick roots twist across the surface like traps waiting to catch your boots, Your boots stay mostly dry, though every step feels like it could change that at any second. Aaaaand then it does. Your foot suddenly sinks ankle-deep into a hidden hole of mud. You stumble and then fall forward into it face first with a yell that was cut off by the ground. Your wrist scraps against a root covered with thorns. You lean back up, groaning to see Grogu in the mud as well.
"Grogu!" You exclaim, getting back up and grabbing him, "I'm so sorry.." You were covered in mud, you look down to see some of the mud stained with your blood. The water got into places your beskar didn't cover, dripping down your legs. You reach under your helmet and wipe some mud off your cheek but instead spreading even more. You stand up, taking off your glove to show the only clean part of your body. You wipe the dirt and mud off of Grogu. When most of it is off his face, you stand up and try to walk again and forget your foot is still in the hole, almost tripping once again.
“Dank ferrik—”
You yank your leg free with a wet schlck, shaking the mud from your boot. Grogu makes a babble, putting his hand on your wrist where a cut laid. The wound slowly disappeared. You continue forward. And forward. And forward. The scenery never changes.
Trees. More trees. Roots. Mud. A different tree. Maybe the same tree. At this point, you're not entirely sure.
Your helmet feels warmer by the minute. Sweat sticks to the back of your neck, yet somehow you're cold too. Every now and then a chill runs through you beneath the beskar, leaving you feeling strangely uncomfortable. You tell yourself it's just the damp air.
This planet is miserable. You've been walking for what feels like forever when something finally breaks the endless wall of green and brown. Ahead, through the fog and trees, you can see something big. A building. At first you think your eyes are playing tricks on you, but as the fog shifts, more of it comes into view. Moss covers most of the exterior, thick enough to hide parts of the walls. Vines crawl over the stone and metal alike, and the swamp has nearly swallowed the lower levels whole.
The place looks ancient. Abandoned. And exactly like the kind of place someone would hide. You stare at it for a moment before adjusting Grogu higher in your arms.
“Well,” you mutter, “that's definitely not a tree.” For the first time since landing on Drixmorris, or whatever this planet was called... you finally have somewhere to start.
Your grip tightens slightly around Grogu. Yeah. He’s in there. You start to walk in, hand on your blaster. Grogu grabs part of your cape and covers himself. You let go of your blaster. Okay... In and out, No detours, so you move deeper, you dont hesitate. And that’s when you hear it..A soft click. But not from inside the building. From behind you. Your body reacts before your mind does; already turning, already reaching for your blaster.
Too late...The swamp outside erupts with movement. Voices. Footsteps. Too many. From every direction at once. A second later, blaster fire slices through the fog, hitting the doorway where you just stood. Stone cracks. Water explodes into the air around you as you duck back inside. Grogu lets out a startled sound, pressing closer. You draw your weapon fully now, heart pounding. This wasn’t a bounty. It was bait.
Outside, shapes begin to appear through the fog...at least twenty of them, spreading out through the swamp, cutting off every exit. Trandoshan silhouettes, Nikto armor, scavenged helmets..A hunting party.
You take a slow step back, putting yourself between Grogu and the entrance. Your grip tightens. Trent. He sold you out. That bastard. Then you run, sliding under one of them, using your flamethrower from your wrist and burning them. You scramble up and run out. Grogu grabs the metal ball he always loved from your pocket and fidgeted with it, whimpering.
You thought it would be a easy fight, but you were already tired... and this planet made you feel weird.
PRESENT TIME :
You start to run, they were getting too close. You look ahead, anywhere..anywhere to go hide. Anywhere to rest. They were fast, very fast, You had to use all your energy to get ahead. Then Grogu makes a startled yelp, you look down at him and he was nearly out of your arms, "Woah kid don't fall!" You say quietly but loud enough for him to hear, you move him back into his arms but he was still making noise and yelling, reaching for something. You look behind you while you run to see that he had dropped his metal ball he used to play with.
"Im sorry kid, we can't get it." You say, dank ferrik you felt like a horrible father. You keep looking back, seeing the metal ball sink into the mud. He was crying, he never cried. You don't say anything. As you look back forward you almost trip on a huge rock.
Then you spot a huge tree, the roots twisting in ways you didn't know were possible. You break into a staggered run, nearly slipping in the mud before you reach it.
Pressing your back against the trunk, you steady your breath. The cold bark scrapes against your wrist where the beskar doesn’t reach. You crouch down, exhaustion getting the best of you. Even if it was disgusting and dirty, you felt like if you stood any longer you'd collapse.
You look down at Grogu who was still whimpering and making noise, "Shh, shh... it's okay. You're okay." You murmur, rubbing his back. You hear the men behind you yelling commands in a language you didn't understand. But the intent was clear, you knew they were close. And they did too. You press your back harder, trying to breathe normally. Breathe at all. You weren't scared; you knew you were stronger than them. But you felt woozy, hot and cold at the same time, your legs felt weak though you hadn't been running for a long time. Actually..maybe you were scared...
Grogu looks up at you finally, quiet. You meet his gaze and slowly raise a finger to where your lips would be behind the helmet as if you were saying: 'Stay still. Stay silent.' Then you tilt your head, it pointing through the trees toward the direction of the approaching voices. He seemed to get what you were going at.
You wanted to fight, you had your blaster right on your back. But you were too tired to fight back, Your legs felt weak, plus; Grogu would be put in risk of danger and you couldn't risk that. Not after the way he had started to trust you..slowly, carefully, like he learned that there was someone who didn't want to kill him. Not after the way he had started leaning into you instead of away, like he finally believed you were something safe to hold onto.
And worse-... Not after the way you had started to feel the same. So you stay still. The voices start to fade and you get back up, legs wobbly. But that wont stop you, You've fought a sand dragon thing, you've fought Dark troopers, mudhorns, a jedi ( kind of ). you've fought Moff Gideon and won. You've done so much, you wont let yourself lose to some weak legs. You would only fight if you needed to. You needed to save your energy.
You walk out to find your ship, but it felt like a maze. Everywhere was trees, roots, knee high water and more trees. There was no place to start looking. No clear path. You didn't leave any trails but your blood that has mixed into the water. You hadn’t exactly..well...planned for this. When the chase started, finding your ship had been the last thing on your mind. You didn't think you'd go this far in. Survival came second, Grogus safety came first. Now, as you push through the dirty water, you realize just how lost you are.
What starts as a slow walk quickly turns into something faster. You push through the water with longer strides, splashing through the mud without caring how much noise you make. Even though you should. You should have found it by now. The ship couldn't be that far away. You didn't go that far, just into a huge cave that was..far. Right.
Then a metallic CLANG! echoes from your right. Your ship. It had to be. You run towards it as fast as you can. Branches whip against your armor as you push through the undergrowth. The moment the trees begin to thin, you spot them; several of the hunters gathered around your ship, pounding on the metal and trying to force their way inside. Adrenaline bursts through you, maybe you had enough energy to fight.
Without thinking, you decide that death for them is probably the best option, Plus that ship wasn't cheap. Grogu in one hand, you use your free hand to grab the blaster from your back, in a swift trick, you spin your blaster around, blasting ones face off of them without looking while fighting another. as you do, in the corner of your eye you can see one right behind you, and before can you can react, Grogu lifts a small hand. The hunter freezes, his feet leave the ground, dropping his gun. His hands go up to his neck, he chokes.
You glance down just long enough to see the concentration on Grogu's face before your attention snaps back to the fight. Using the opening, you sprint past the floating hunter. Another attacker rounds the side of the ship, weapon raised.
You trigger your flamethrower; You spin around, hitting both of them with the flames, one falls to the ground, screaming in pain. Grogu lowers his hand and the one floating falls limp. dead.
You look around you fast to see if there was any more, none. You walk past the blood, your boots getting stained. You finally open your ship, stumbling in. You take one more glance outside and shut the door from inside, locking it. Only then do you let your shoulders sag, leaning against the wall as exhaustion finally crashes over you. For now, at least, you and Grogu are safe.
You bring him over to his little area in the corner, blankets, Really that was all except for some leftover crumbs from the macarons he was eating earlier. You set him down. "I'll be right back, kid," you say, your voice softer than usual. "I really need to get you out of here." You reach out and rub the top of his head. He leans into the touch automatically. "Stay here, alright?"
Grogu gives a small noise in response, he still looked sad from the metal ball being gone. But you didn't know how to fix it. How could you? Ever since you adopted him you couldn't do anything right. Before he was someone you didn't HAVE to take care of, someone you didn't NEED to always care for. But now he's your son. And you're his dad.
Every step feels heavier than the last. Mud still clings to your armor, caked into the joints and crevices from your trek through the swamp. By the time you reach the pilot's seat, you're too tired to care.
You drop into the chair. Immediately, wet mud smears across the seat. You stare at it for a moment. Then let out a groan. That's a problem for later. Much later. Maybe you could get Peli to clean it later...
Ignoring the mess, you lean back and place a hand on the controls. The familiar layout is comforting after everything you've just been through. Your fingers move automatically, muscle memory taking over as you begin the startup sequence. With your left hand resting on the control yoke, your right moves across the panel, flipping switches and pressing buttons. Systems come online one after another. Navigation. Stabilizers. Thrusters.
Outside, the ship begins to tremble...Then it lifts, rising above the muddy ground and trees that almost became your grave. You guide it upward. Once you're clear of the trees, your right hand leaves the console and joins your left on the controls. You punch in the coordinates and set the ship on a course for Mandalore. Maybe it was nostalgia. Maybe it was exhaustion making the decision for you. Either way, it felt right. You hadn't been back in a while. It would be good to see how the planet was doing. To see the people rebuilding their lives among the ruins. To see old friends.
To see home. A strange thought considering there had been a time when Mandalore was nothing more than a story, a place you belonged to but had never truly known. Yet now, when you thought of home, it was the second place that came to mind; (Nervavo being the first ). After all—you're kind of the reason it's back in the first place. You set it on autopilot.
You were gonna go back into the back, to check on Grogu, tucking him in, do what dads do. But you were just so tired. You start to push yourself out of your chair. really, you try. But you were so exhausted, the hours that should've just been 30 minutes if that client hadn't tricked you. You lean back into the chair, and without thinking, you drift off into sleep. You'll feel better in the morning.