THE ARC OF SKYWALKER | a star wars story✔️

41 | finale pt.2

–CARA LEANED ASA AGAINST THE WALL TO STOP FOR A BREAK.

The group stood there for moment to breathe and to refill their blasters. The Child had woken from his small nap and cried for Asa to take him from Cara.

"She's too weak to hold you, kid." Cara told him, her toned laced with regret in beating her to a bloody and bruised mess.

"I can take him." Asa spoke, her tone void of emotion. She sounded exhausted and as if she had already given up. She tapped into the Force to heal her internal injuries. From what she sensed, her ribs were cracked from getting kicked and there was a bit of internal bleeding.

"You can't even stand fully." Greef stated obviously, earning a scowl from Asa.

She slid down the wall, her blood smearing against it as she did so. Cara put the Child down so he could go over and see her.

"If it means anything to you, I didn't know he would destroy your planet."

Asa looked at Cara as she picked up the Child let him hug her. She quietly told him not to heal her wounds on her face or the rest of her body. In her mind, she deserved every one of them.

Cara looked at Asa, staying quiet as she continued.

"I was there when it happened. My father threatened to destroy the planet so the Princess would give up the Rebels' base, but her still did it after he got what he wanted. I tried to reason with Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader, but they didn't listen."

Asa stared ahead as she gently put him on her lap and ran her fingers over the kid's head. He reached out to heal her injured face but she lightly pushed his hands down.

"Destroying Alderaan signed away any reconciliation with my sister. All I wanted...All I wanted was to be there for Luke and Leia. I just wanted to be an older sister they could look up to."

Before Cara could reply, Asa stood up quickly while holding the Child to her. She held her lightsaber and hovered her thumb over the activator, her eyes narrowed at the archway. She relaxed immediately when she saw IG-11 and Din come around the corner, the Mandalorian using the droid to keep himself up. Asa handed Cara the child and ran over to Din, hugging him tightly and clutching onto his cape.

"You're not allowed to do stupid shit like me ever again, you hear me?" She muttered to him as she felt him hug her tightly.

In her distracted state, IG-11 treated her wounds with a bacta spray. Asa's face dropped into a scowl as she felt the cool mist of it drench her forehead and her cheeks. Din held her to him to keep her from moving away from it.

"You're getting them treated." He said as she let her arms hang at her sides and allowed the droid to do what he needed.

Once she was treated, the group continued down the sewers. Asa still stumbled from being slightly concussed and from being exhausted, but Din held her upright and Cara helped as well.

They came across a pile of discarded beskar, the armor shining in the white beam of Din's helmet light. Asa stared at it, the pit in her stomach only getting deeper when she realized the covert wasn't here anymore.

"What did you do?" Din demanded as he turned to Greef.

"I didn't do this!"

Before the two men got into a physical fight, the Armorer stepped out from her smithing area and stopped them.

"He's telling the truth. The covert dispersed after what had conspired out in the square. All who are left are gone or they went to seek other manners of pay."

Asa let go of Din as he followed the Armorer to where she had been staying. The others followed but she stayed behind, sensing a disturbance close by. She drew her lightsabers, holding the two in her hands as she slowly walked forward.

"Hey."

She spun around, seeing Din standing at arms length. He reached out his gloved hand and Asa took hold of it. The two embraced for a moment, exhaustion washing over the two and making them sigh heavily. Asa closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder, wincing when she put pressure on her broken nose and bruises. She didn't pull away though. All she wanted right now was sleep and to be close to Din.

"We're almost there, Ace. When we get back to the Crest, you can rest and regain your strength."

"I hate to ruin the moment between you two," Greef interrupted, "but we have company."

Asa stepped away from Din when she sensed the disturbance. Distant footsteps alerted the group that the stormtroopers above had followed them.

Din grabbed Asa's hand and quickly led her over to the others. The group navigated the tunnels to the underground boat that took them out to the lava flats, the sound of blasters echoing behind them.

Din glanced back to Asa, seeing that she was starting to completely shut down. With all that she's done physically and mentally (especially through the Force) and the beatings she got from Cara, he could see her strength and alertness leaving her. Her bruised face was starting to pale as well.

She's going to pass out...

The group finally got to the ferry and got in. They activated the droid on the boat and it started to row down the lava river to the exit ahead. The minute Asa got on, her legs gave out and she almost fell out. Din grabbed her by the waist and yanked her back, the woman groaning as she was laid on the bottom of the boat.

"You did good, Ace. Just sleep." He told her as he looked ahead.

"No...There's...There's troopers ahead...." She breathed out. "They're blocking the way out. I can sense them."

Din looked out to the exit, using his thermal scanners to see two squads standing outside. Cara and Greef looked out too before glancing back to Din and IG-11.

"Skywalker is correct." IG said as he handed Cara the kid. "I shall go and hold them off."

"What? No!" Din objected. "We'll find a different way."

"There is no other option."

"You're not going!"

Asa leaned her head back, her eyes fluttering shut as she fell into a deep sleep. Greef's eyes widened when he saw her pass out and he grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly to wake her back up. Unfortunately, everything he did did not work.

"And we just lost out greatest weapon." He said with a sigh but understood that she needed a moment to rest up a bit.

The ferry neared the exit and the droid rowing didn't stop. Din shot it in hopes of slowing down the approach but it didn't work that much.

IG-11 stepped out of the ferry after putting the child down beside Din.

"IG! Get back in here!" Din shouted but the droid continued forward. "IG!"

The droid walked out into the open, glancing to the stormtroopers around him. Din, Greef, Cara, and the Child looked out to see him stop right in front of the squads of troopers.

Din hated to admit it, but he didn't mind this droid. His hatred for the machines started to ebb off when he watched the bounty droid ahead open up its chest.

"Initiating self-destruct."