Broken Soul | Din Djarin

chapter eight: the imperials

(TW: there is a scene in this chapter that suggests sexual assault and there is descriptions of violence and blood. reader discretion is advised.)

You sit by the hangar doors as Mando lands the ship, knee bouncing with nervousness as you empty your weapons into a box in the hangar. The Imperials will just take them for themselves, so you might as well leave them here. You turn your blaster over in your hands as you wait for Mando to meet you in the hangar. It's going to be fine... It's gonna be fine... Letting out a shaky breath, you look up to see the bounty hunter descending from the cockpit ladder, the Child's pod in tow behind him. Tossing the blaster in the box, you wipe your hands on the fabric of your trousers and stand to greet him.

The Mandalorian takes a pair of cuffs from his belt and holds them in his hand, staring at them blankly. Walking over to him, you hold out your wrists in surrender, and Mando looks up, your gazes locking. Somehow, you've never needed to see his eyes to find them behind that visor. You hold his gaze for a few moments, determination burning in your eyes. You won't go down without a fight and you want him to understand this. He slowly starts to attach the cuffs to your wrists as you hold them out, his gaze never leaving yours. The cuffs lock with a small click and he holds your hands in his. Your palms are laid flat over his as he supports the weight of the cuffs in his hands, sadness and regret swirling in his head. You adjust your hands to hold his wrists, softly stroking the skin under his sleeves with your thumb.

"It's alright." He looks down at your hands and stares at the intimate touch.

"I truly am sorry," Mando whispers through his visor.

"I know."

Exiting the ship, you recognize the terrain of Nevarro as you walk alongside the Child's pod with your hand bound in front of you. The ashen terrain that lays out in front of you adds weight to your chest. Of course, the Imperials would hide out on a volcanic planet. They always seek out and bring destruction where they set foot, so it only makes sense that Nevarro would be a base of operations. 

The Child coos beside you, and a giant smile spreads across his small face as the wind blows back his ears. He obviously doesn't understand what's happening around him. It's probably for the best. Even a dark molten planet could be beautiful in his eyes. You give him a sad smile as the Child turns his head excitedly towards you, eagerly hoping that you're seeing the planet as he is. The Mandalorian is silent and stoic as you enter a town and walk past the buildings carved from gray rock. You're desperately trying to remain calm and keep a poker face as you walk, trying to appear unbothered by your fate being just around the corner. You do find solace in the fact that your weapons are out of the way and are being kept safe by the Mandalorian. While bringing it would have helped in an escape, it wasn't worth losing it to the Imperials if you'd failed.

Mando turns down an alleyway and you follow behind him as he weaves through alleys until he enters one void of citizens and dealers. He approaches a door and punches a control panel, alerting a gatekeeper droid to poke out and scan the tracking fob in the bounty hunter's hand. The door unlocks and you take a deep breath.

It's gonna be fine.

Two stormtroopers appear at the door, first observing you and then turning to the Child. A grimace crosses your lips at the sight of them; their kind has caused so much pain and torture in the galaxy and you find yourself fighting back the urge to kill them where they stand. The troopers turn back and enter the building without saying a word and Mando motions for you to follow them. You're struggling to fight back the panic and anger in your chest as you step after them with Mando behind you, clenching your fists to try to hide the way they're shaking. The Child's pod hovers in front of you as you follow them down a dark hallway and you jolt forward when one of the troopers grabs the lip of the pod, pulling it along behind him roughly.