"She has a small army of guards armed with A350 blaster rifles, two HK-87 assassin droids, and a hired gunfighter. He reads ex-military to me." Din explains as he, Cordelia, and Ahsoka make their way through the forest. "Combined, not even your laser swords would be able to protect you from all that firepower."
"True. But don't underestimate the Magistrate either." Ahsoka replies.
"Who is she?" He asks. Ahsoka stops and turns around. "She offered us a staff of pure beskar to kill you." She walks closer to the couple, crossing her arms.
"Morgan Elsbeth. During the Clone Wars, her people were massacred. She survived and let her anger fuel an industry which helped build the Imperial Starfleet. She plundered worlds, destroying them in the process." She explains
"Yeah, it looks like she's still in business." He says.
"When you were in the city did you see any prisoners?" She asks. Cordelia clenches her jaw and nods.
"Yeah. There were three of them outside the inner gate." She answers.
"We must find a way to free them." Ahsoka says.
"Two Mandalorians and a Jedi? They'll never see it coming." Din says. Cordelia smiles up at him and he takes her hand, pulling her closer.
***
Standing just outside of the village, Cordelia and Din watch as Ahsoka approaches the gates. They begin firing at her, but she dodges, scaling the wall to join them at the top. She quickly takes the guards out before hopping down onto the other side, into the village.
"Damn. She's a badass." Cordelia says. Din chuckles and they move out into the open.
"Ready?" He asks. She nods and he wraps an arm around her waist, activating his jetpack and launching them into the sky. They both have their blasters ready as they near the village, arriving before the guards can execute the prisoners.
They each shoot one and a village approaches with his hands raised. They holster their blasters and Din nods at him. The three each take a prisoner, helping them down.
"Get inside." Din tells them. Cordelia rolls her eyes at him and lets two of the former prisoners lean on her as she helps them to shelter where the other villagers rush to hide. Din waves for the man and Cordelia to stay with them as the Magistrate's gunfighter approaches. The man shuts the door behind them once everyone's inside.
"Is anybody hurt?" Cordelia calls, standing in front of the group. A few raise their hands and she gathers them away from the others as the man joins them with a medpac. "Thank you." She tells him. He nods and moves back to the others, trying to calm them.
Cordelia assesses each person, tending to their wounds from the most severe to the least severe. Once finished, she joins the man, who stands near the door, pressing his ear against it to hear outside.
"Sounds like you win." Lang says as Cordelia quietly opens the door a sliver to peek outside. He holds his rifle out and lowers down to place it on the ground. As Din moves his hand away from his blaster and Lang stands, he pulls another blaster from behind his back.
Before he can fire, Din has his blaster and shoots him in the chest. Lang falls to the ground dead and he holsters his blaster. Cordelia opens the door and rushes to him, the villagers slowly following behind. Din pulls her into a Keldabe Kiss before turning and nodding at the man.
"Behind you!" The man warns as the last assassin droid emerges from the roof behind them. Din and Cordelia turn, firing two bolts into the droid's head. It falls to the ground and sparks for a few moments. Din keeps his blaster out and ready in case any others survived.
***
Din, Cordelia, and Ahsoka leave the villages outer gate, stopping just outside. Cordelia turns, smiling as she watches the villagers inside, celebrating.
"I believe this was your payment." Ahsoka says, holding out the beskar spear.
"No. We can't accept. We didn't finish the job." Din says. Cordelia wraps her arm around him, focusing back on the conversation.
"No. But this belongs with Mandalorians." She says. Din slowly takes the spear, nodding at Ahsoka. "Where is your little friend?" She asks. Cordelia's heart wrenches at the reminder that Grogu will be leaving them to train with her. Din wraps his arm around her, knowing how she feels.
"Back at the ship." He answers her. "Wait here, we'll go get him." Din starts walking, pulling Cordelia into his side as they walk.
When they enter the ship, Cordelia heads straight for Grogu while Din removes his jetpack. She looks at him sleeping in his hammock and wraps her arms around herself, fighting tears.
"I don't want him to leave us." She whispers when Din joins her, wrapping his arms around her.
"I know." He says, pulling her to his chest as her tears start to fall. He holds her for a few moments before pulling away and cradling her face. "We're gonna be okay." He tells her, wiping her tears away. She nods and takes a steadying breath as they turn towards Grogu. "Wake up, buddy. It's time to say goodbye."
Grogu coos as his eyes open and he spots them both looking at him. He blinks a few times before holding his arms up. Cordelia chuckles before picking him up and rubbing his ear. Din sits on the bed, pulling her so she sits on his lap, Grogu in hers. They sit with him for a while, enjoying all the time they can until it's time to say goodbye.
"It's time to go." Din says, moving Cordelia off his lap so he can stand. She looks down at Grogu in her lap and shakes her head.
"I can't." She whispers. He nods, moving to kneel in front of her. She turns Grogu to get his attention and he coos, placing his hand on her cheek. She smiles at him, blinking back tears. "Goodbye, Grogu." She says. He coos again, placing his other hand on her other cheek. She laughs, leaning forward to kiss his head.
"Come on, kid." Din says, taking him from Cordelia. He cradles him in his arm before turning to his wife. He cups her face and leans down for a Keldabe Kiss. "I'll be back." He says. She nods and watches him leave the room, the door closing behind him.
Cordelia curls up in bed, burrowing under the blanket. She soon falls asleep, emotionally exhausted.
Din walks down the ramp with Grogu, stopping when a voice calls out.
"You're like a father to him." Ahsoka calls out. "And Cordelia like his mother." She adds. He starts walking down the ramp. "I cannot train him."
"You made me a promise, and I held up my end." He says. Ahsoka sighs and walks up to him, taking Grogu's hand.
"There is one possibility. Go to the planet Tython. There you will find the ancient ruins of a temple that has a strong connection to the Force. Place Grogu on the seeing stone at the top of the mountain." She explains.
"Then what?" Din asks.
"Then Grogu may choose his path. If he reaches out through the Force, there's a chance a Jedi may sense his presence and come searching for him. Then again, there aren't many Jedi left." She answers.
"Thank you." He says.
"May the Force be with you." She says.
Din turns and walks back into the ship, heading to the cockpit to set the navigation to Tython. Once he's done, he heads to the bedroom, finding Cordelia asleep. He quietly lays Grogu down with her and he cuddles up to her, quickly joining her in sleep. As soon as he's sure they're both asleep, Din removes his helmet and kisses their foreheads before putting it back on and heading back to the cockpit.
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The Mandalorian's Bounties | Din Djarin
FanfictionCordelia wakes up with no memories. She doesn't know who she is, let alone why she wakes up in a strange building with a Child at her side. The only thing she does know is that she must protect him at all costs. After spending months with her appare...
