✓ The Mandalorian's Purpose - Book Two

Chapter 13

Episode Fifteen (Part Two) - "The Believer"

Word Count: 4947

Warnings: it's the usual... swearing, blood, more feelings, and the episode

Din was silent as he made his way back to his chair beside Mayfeld. The cheering of all of the troopers were deaf to his ears; he was in no celebratory mood. Not since the only thing he could see was the explosion that separated him from what he considered to be one of the two most important things in his life.

"Never thought you'd be happy to see Stormtroopers," Mayfeld chuckled, slowing the truck down to a crawling speed.

Din wasn't happy to see Stormtroopers. Not in the slightest.

As a matter of fact, he hated them. Just like how he hated the Empire. Just like how he hated the Republic. He hated it all. He hated this entire fucking mess of a galaxy that he lived in.

He could see the grin spread across Mayfeld's face slowly begin to drop the longer he sat there.

Mayfeld glanced behind them once, then looked over at him with concern. "Where's Y/N?"

Din didn't answer. It didn't take long for him to decide that he wasn't going to believe it until he saw it. He couldn't. He couldn't handle the thought of it. He was supposed to protect you and the kid. He's already failed with Grogu. He couldn't do it again with you. He just couldn't.

He gulped. But what if he did?

That explosion was massive. He wasn't even next to it, and he went flying back through the air because of it. You were in it. You were in it.

"Oh, Mando, I..."

"Just keep driving."

Mayfeld nodded. Din was thankful he hadn't addressed the crack in his throat.

The light from outside was quickly darkened as the truck began pulling into the base, where the trees shifted to dark grey walls and the road became smoother. Mayfeld leaned forward to make sure he was heading in the right direction, and as soon as he parked the truck into its place, all of the Stormtroopers and officers in the base began cheering and crowding around the vehicle.

The doors hissed open and Din, with shaky limbs and an aching body, began descending down the ladder. He stuck close to Mayfeld's side and heard him murmur, "Okay, all we gotta do is find a terminal," then nodded and followed him through the crowd.

He ignored the applause and claps on his back.

"It's probably in the officers' mess," Mayfeld muttered back to him.

Din simply nodded again.

There were a few more "Congratulations!" and "Glory of the Empire!"'s thrown around the room, much to his annoyance. Even if he wasn't part of the Empire, this was beginning to feel less and less like a successful mission.

If there was one thing he did know, it was that he couldn't let it go to waste. He was determined to not leave this rotten building until he got the coordinates. That baby was the one thing he had left of you. So even if he couldn't get him for himself, he was going to get him for you.

Mayfeld led him up to what looked like a smaller cafeteria, with about twenty tables set up with various seasonings placed on each of them and around fifteen officers sitting and quietly talking amongst themselves.

"There it is," Mayfeld mumbled as he turned back to him.

Din peeked his head in to see it was sitting in the furthest corner from them.