I'll Do The Same { Din Djarin x OC}

Chapter Seventeen: Perseverence

cw//: small content warning for angst/abuse/mild torture in this chapter... nothing too extreme, just wanted to give a heads up!

. . . .

"Kid!" Thell shouted again, tears starting to burn behind her eyes.

She scrambled backwards out of the air duct best she could with her restrained hands, landing back against the crates in the hallway. It was still empty, to her greatest relief, so she rolled onto her back, heaving herself up so she could peer through the boxes.

"Kid!" She called again, softer this time, terror rising in every vein of her body. Maybe he was hiding, or had wandered further down the hallway.

"Hey!" A loud voice boomed down the corridor.

At first glance, her head spinning, she thought it was Din, gleaming armor in the bright hallway lights and a domineering figure.

"Mando?" She whispered under her breath, her head lolling with exhaustion. Her throat felt oddly dry, like she hadn't drank in days, and it was hitting her like a blaster shot.

Something singed along her arm, burning like fire. Breaking into a yelp, Thell stumbled, gripping her arm as she careened against the crates. Something whirred behind her and she heard an explosion at the other end of the hallway.

Kriff.

Two stormtroopers were firing at her, causing her to dash down the other end of the hallway. Pain shot up her leg from where she had been electrocuted, and she stumbled, gripping the wall to help herself around the corner. Her foot slipped on the smooth flooring, sending her flying forward as her knees collided with the ground. There were only a few spare moments that she could recover, heaving in a gulping breath before someone snagged the hood of her cloak, shoving her back to her feet. Over the blood pounding in her own ears, she could hear laughter and a hand prying at her cloak as she stumbled.

Thell clawed at the hand, wriggling in the grip. "Don't touch me! Let go of me!"

The intruder flipped her around, having her come face to face with the gleaming white helmet of a large stormtrooper. His hand fastened around the collar of her cloak, tugging her close until she had to stand on her tiptoes, and she could feel the cold brush of metal against her legs.

"Maybe I should just keep you to myself, huh?" he sneered, and Thell swore she could hear a smirk in his voice. "You're not too shabby for a lowly girl."

Thell bared her teeth, fighting through the fear that was trying to paralyze her. Her leg stung from the fall and her headache from earlier was returning, threatening to make her pass out.

Instead, to keep herself awake, she dug her fingernails into the material covering his elbow, digging as hard as she could. He flinched, groaning at her and smacking her hand away. His free hand gripped her hair, tugging her skull back and sending pain racing up her scalp. Thell whined, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Feisty, too, huh?" The stormtrooper chuckled darkly. "I think I'll hold onto you. No one would want you anyway."

The comment stung deep, and the Mandalorian's helmet flashed in her mind. She wanted to cry, to hide away like she was used to. That would be the easy route, to give up when she had no way of escaping. But it seemed it wasn't her choice to make.

"Trooper," came a low voice behind them. The hold on her collar loosened just slightly, and Thell jerked away, falling onto her backside on the smooth flooring. Her head was pounding, and she pushed her hands against her eyes even as she heard more footsteps approach them.

"What did the Commander want us to do with her?" She heard one of them say. "The kid isn't here."

Thell wanted to let out a sigh of relief. They hadn't found Grogu, so it seemed he was still safe for the time being.