The Mandalorian's Bounties | Din Djarin

Chapter 18 | The Mines of Mandalore (Part 2)

"It looks scary. I know." Din says after Grogu whimpers, looking at the planet as they approach. "But it was once green and beautiful back when the songs were written. It's Mandalore, the homeworld of our people." He explains. 

Grogu turns to look at him, being careful not to wake Pandora, who also sits in Cordelia's lap.

"Every Mandalorian can trace their roots back to this planet, and the beskar mines deep within. And you know what? I've never been there either." He continues. 

Cordelia moves her hand to rest on his leg, finding a place between his armor so she can silently comfort him, sliding her thumb back and forth over his pants. He briefly rests his helmet to the side of her head before focusing back on Grogu, pointing to the moon.

"I grew up there. On that moon. Concordia." Din tells them. Grogu babbles softly as he looks at the moon, reaching back to grab onto Din's shirt between his armor. "And that's Kalevala where we visited Bo-Katan." He adds, making Grogu turn to look at the display. "It's in the same system." Grogu babbles as he points to the planet. "A Mandalorian has to understand maps and know their way around. That way, you'll never be lost."

Cordelia smiles, excited for the future when Din can teach even more lessons to both Grogu and Pandora. She already knows he's the best father, but she can't wait to see him as a parent when their kids are older and can talk.

Din heads towards the planet, entering the clouds. The ship shakes as they move closer to the surface, and the alarms go off as the screens glitch. Cordelia tightens her hold on Pandora and pulls Grogu closer as they can barely see in front of them through the thick clouds.

"Looks like the fusion bombs from the Purge disrupted the magnetic field around the planet. From the surface, we won't be able to communicate with anyone out of atmosphere, so we have to be careful. Down here, we're completely cut off from the rest of the galaxy." He explains as they emerge from the storm and fly above the planet. Grogu coos worriedly and Cordelia rubs his back.

"I know it sounds scary, but we're a family and we take care of each other. We're not going to let anything happen to you or your sister." She assures as Din lands the ship. He coos again and presses into the small space between his parents, trying to hug them with his short arms.

Din chuckles and rubs his back, pulling Cordelia and Pandora closer to him and holding his family close for a moment. After a while, they turn their attention to the planet outside, looking at all the large crystals formed after the Purge.

"R5, you ready? We're gonna need you to scout ahead and analyze the atmosphere." He says. The droid beeps in response. "That wasn't a question." He presses the button to release him, and he beeps frantically outside. "Go over to that split in the rock and take an air sample of the ruins below."

The droid beeps before moving away, warbling nervously as he goes. Grogu whimpers as he watches him roll away.

"The droid will be fine. We just need him to take some readings to make sure it's safe." He explains. R5 stops and turns his head around, beeping at them. "Don't be a baby. Just get the samples we need and hurry up." Cordelia rolls her eyes and lightly hits his arm, disapproving of his tone.

R5 turns and rolls away, disappearing from view. Grogu whimpers again, and Din turns the screen on.

"Here, look. You can watch him on the scope." He says and Grogu stares at the monitor. He turns his attention to Pandora, who fusses as she wakes up. Cordelia turns to sit sideways, moving Pandora closer to her father. "Hello, ad'ika."

Cordelia laughs as Pandora sleepily reaches for Din, resting her cheek and one hand on his chest plate, the other reaching up to rest on his chin under his helmet. She babbles quietly to herself as she runs her fingers over Din's facial hair, self-soothing as she senses her brother's anxiety.

Grogu's gasp gets their attention as R5 disappears from the scope. Pandora whines and pulls away from Din, moving towards her brother. They grab onto each other, moving to sit in Cordelia's lap.

"R5, come in. Do you read me?" Din says, hitting the control panel. Grogu whines loudly, and he pulls himself up to look outside. "It's probably just interference." He tells him. He babbles and Din sighs. "Fine. I'll go get him. Normally, this is droid work. I was hoping to avoid going out there."

"Be careful." Cordelia tells him, cupping his helmet in her hands. He nods and leans in for a Keldabe Kiss.

"I'll pressurize my helmet. Peli left a mask in the kids' pod. Seal them in and put it on." He tells her. She nods and grabs the mask before carefully helping their children inside. "I'll be right back." He says. She nods and puts the mask on, shifting to the side so he can climb out. His helmet hisses before he opens the canopy and leaves the ship. 

Once he's on the ground, Cordelia closes the canopy, waiting for another moment for the cockpit to filter the air before opening the children's pod and removing her mask. They climb into her lap and watch as Din walks away.

"Don't worry. I'll be right back." He tells them, stopping to look back at them before he disappears around the corner. The kids begin to fuss as soon as he's gone and Cordelia rests her hands on their backs, quietly singing the song Han used to sing to her when she was a kid.

"Dada!" Pandora screams later as she sees Din and R5 approaching. Grogu coos excitedly, pressing as close to the glass as possible. Cordelia laughs at their reactions, also relieved that he's back and safe.

"Hang on. Not until I check the toxicity." He says, standing outside the ship. He turns to the droid next to him. "You got an analysis on the atmosphere yet?" He asks. R5 beeps and displays his report. "The charts were wrong. The atmosphere is breathable. Bo-Katan was right. Mandalore is not cursed."

Cordelia grabs the kids and opens the canopy, setting them into their pram. They settle in together and babble quietly to each other. She turns her attention to her husband and smiles, rushing to him and pulling him into a tight hug.

"We're gonna be all right." She says, resting her head on his chest. He nods, resting his helmet on top of her head. One hand strokes up and down her back as the other cradles her head to his chest.

"Everything's gonna be fine." He adds.