Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Whatever it takes

Chapter 1

A quiet place

The coldness crept underneath his skin and invaded every cell of his body. A sudden tightness around his chest made it hard for him to breathe.

"Grogu, Grogu grab my hand! Please, hold on!“ he called as the Mandalorian stretched his arm through the solid metal bars.

His little body was trapped and water filled the cell very quickly. Din heard him screaming, desperately trying to grab his fathers hand as the water sloshed over his green face.

The kid coughed vigorously and struggled to keep his head up. The water level kept increasing and Din was forced to watch his son drown slowly and agonizingly. His big, dark brown eyes helplessly looked for him.

"Grogu…. Buddy. Hold on… hold on….."

Din awoke with a start, his heart painfully throbbing against his ribcage. Trembling from fear and tangled in the blanket, the Mandalorian opened his eyes, instinctively looking for his son.

Suddenly, he heard a worried coo and small arms beginning to hug his right upper arm. Din turned his head to his side and was greeted by a pair of deep brown eyes, the same color as his own.

"Patoo?“ Grogu chirped and reached out to caress his father's face.

"Grogu…." Din whimpered and pulled the kid into a close hug, wrapping his arms around him as close as possible. Still, the little one could feel Din's chest heaving underneath him, along with the intense pounding of his heart.

It took a few minutes for the Mandalorian to calm down again. They were cozily lying in their bed, in their new home, safely hidden on Nevarro, Din eventually realized.

Grogu softly chirped again, tenderly nuzzling his cheek on Din's chest. He tried his best to comfort him, it wasn't the first time Mando was stricken with a nightmare like that. They had started long before Grogu had returned to him. Shortly after Luke had taken him under his wing to complete the Kid's Jedi Training.

Grogu knew exactly what it felt like, back then, he had suffered the same. And regardless of the fact that Skywalker had tried to reassure his Padawan, the Jedi had to figure out a different solution to prevent Grogu's heart from being poisoned by the fear of loss and grief.

Luke at least had succeeded in figuring out about Din's whereabouts just a few months after only to find the Mandalorian being like an empty and exhausted wisp underneath the shiny shell of beskar. So he reunited Father and Son in terms of the mental well-being of Grogu. They agreed that Grogu's gonna continue his training at their new home, which was generously provided by Karga. And since Cara Dune had been promoted to a higher position and needed to leave Nevarro, Din now worked as the unofficial Marshal part time in order to maintain the planet's good reputation. But still, taking care of Grogu was his priority.

And since Luke's plans about traveling through the galaxy would not work with the situation, they agreed on hour based lessons the Jedi provided during his weekly visits. And for the past few months, everything was perfect. But during the nights, Din's fears, which he had managed to contain so seemingly effortlessly, broke through his tough surface.

"Grogu… I'm so sorry. Did I wake you up? Kriffing nightmares…." Mando gasped and looked into the worried face of his little adopted son. The little one shook his head, lowered his head again to snuggle back against Mandos chest and let out some purrs. The weight of his little body, cozily curled up on the Mandalorians chest, kind of anchored the man in regards to his nightly panic attacks. Grogu knew exactly what he was doing, during the time of living an almost domestic life, he had found a way to calm his father after his nightmares.

The Mandalorian raised his hand to cup the back of Grogu's head, tenderly caressing him with his thumb.

"What would I do without you, you brave, little Jedi?“ Din whispered, kissed his son's head and drifted off to sleep again.

The last time Luke came for a visit, he'd left Grogu with a bunch of "homework". Some exercises, where the Jedi master himself hadn't to be present. Din read through the instructions and scratched his head.

"Sounds like pretty advanced Jedi stuff. Let's see if I can help you with that." he said, but sadly, he had to admit that with his lack of force sensitivity, he would not be able to help him.

The Mandalorian sighed and a certain feeling flared up in his heart. Deep in his heart he felt some kind of jealousy. Not not being able to use the force but the fact that Skywalker was to teach his son and not Din himself. Sometimes, he just felt powerless, not to say useless. And in some dark hours, he even considered himself not to be a good father for Grogu.

"Meh?"

A sudden touch by a small three fingered hand ripped him from his thoughts.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night. You probably noticed that…" Mando sighed, remembering that he apparently disturbed the child's sleep only because he had a nightmare.

Grogu cocked his head and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Okay, enough brodering. Let's get started. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be in the living room, going through some of Greef's required paperwork. I wonder if Cara actually did all of this stuff." Din said, put a glass of juice for Grogu on the table and reminded the kid to take breaks to stay hydrated during his self study.

The sun had already set when Grogu was finished. His little head felt mushy and his mind wrung out. The kid rubbed his eyes and folded the paper with the instructions he'd gotten from his master. No actual letters but little sketches since Grogu couldn't read. His eyes flickered over to the glass of juice on the table, it was still full…..

Din kept his eyes closed, burying his face in the palm of his hand. His head was throbbing. Actually, he hardly could remember what happened the past few hours. It felt like his brain had switched into auto mode at some point. He blamed his nightmares for the lack of memory in this case. But when he was completely honest, he had had this before.

"I'm just tired, nothing to worry" he kept telling himself and got up from the couch to look after Grogu. He found the kid still sitting on the table, drinking his glass of juice.

"You alright?" Din asked and the kid blinked wearily at him.

"You're hungry?" the Mandalorian asked and suddenly, the Kid's ears perked up again.

After they had dinner, they spent a lovely evening watching some movies on the holoprojector. But not too long into the first movie, Din noticed some kind of pained expression on the Kid's face. He held his fuzzy head.

"Are you okay? Little headache?" Mando asked and the Child nodded confirmingly. The Mandalorian smiled softly, placed the little one on his lap and started rubbing the Kid's temples gently. Grogu let out a deep sigh and leaned into the touch. After a few minutes Grogu was so tired that he let himself fall back against Din's belly. Tenderly, Din kept rubbing Grogu's head until he was too tired to keep his eyes open.

"What about going to bed? I'm tired too and Luke's coming over tomorrow. You need to be fit for your training, kid" Din said, picked the kid from his lap, switched the Holoprojector off and went to their bedroom.

It was a quiet night this time and Grogu did not wake up, when Din' s nightmares consumed him again. When the Mandalorian woke up the next morning, he at least didn't feel as drained as the day before. Luke met them after breakfast, taking Grogu for a walk. But when Din watched them leaving, this gnawing feeling of failing consumed his heart again.

"You're never gonna be as close to your son as the Jedi. You are not his kind. You can't teach him. Being with you just wastes the Kid's time" a little voice told him from the back of his mind.

Din gritted his teeth and made a step forward, but suddenly he hesitated. He remembered how lovingly Grogu was taking care of him when he suffered from a nightmare.

"No, Grogu chose me to be his father. He'd chosen me over his Jedi training. He came back for me. I-I don't deserve him" Mando thought and swallowed thickly. Something was tightening around his chest. A sudden hand on his shoulder made him almost jump.

Within a split second, he drew his blaster and turned around. Karga raised his hands to calm the situation.

"Easy my friend, it's just me." the older man said and raised his brow.

"Karga, sorry I….." Din stammered and holstered his weapon again.

"You look tired, Mando. Are you alright?" Greef asked with honest concern.

"I'm fine, didn't sleep well last night. You've got some work for me?“ Djarin asked to change the subject quickly.

The older man nodded and put his hand on the Mandalorian's back. Guiding him to his office.

"You've been working hard the past few weeks. You and your boy should take a break. Business is slow at the moment anyway. So why don't you take some time off?“ Greef offered, but Din suspiciously raised his brow.

"I don't need a break, I'm fine…." Din growled and Karga instantly knew that he had hit some nerve.

"Mando, I just suggested that you spend a little more time with your kid. Every time I see him leaving with the Jedi for training, he has this sad look on his face. I think he'd really appreciate some extra time with you." Greef said and looked at his friend.

"Maybe you are right, he was pretty exhausted after his homework yesterday. He actually had a severe headache, I don't know if it's not getting too overwhelming for him. I'm gonna talk to the Jedi when they return." Mando said and joined Karga for a cup of coffee in his office.

Mythrol wasn't too keen on having extra work when Din was going on PTO, but the fright of being frozen in Carbonite again shut his chatty mouth.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Emotional Baggage

Din spent more time than he initially had intended to in Greef’s office. Explaining his tasks and assignments to Mythrol was quite frustrating since he probably purposely had no clue what Mando was telling him to do. Pretty irated and exhausted from all this inconvenience, he left the office after about two hours and returned home, hoping that Grogu and the Jedi would be finished with their training soon.

Luke and Grogu had a lot to catch up on since the last time they had seen each other. The Jedi was pretty impressed by his Padawan’s progress only by checking if he actually completed his homework. But regardless of the kid’s successful training, he noticed that something worried the little one’s mind. He was not as focused and concentrated as usual.

“Hey, little one. Let’s sit down for a minute. Take a break.” Luke instructed and Grogu finished levitating the rocks around him. Suspiciously, he took a seat next to his master.

“You’re doing fantastic, Grogu. I’m so impressed by your progress, you really are a smart cookie. But I noticed some disturbance in your concentration today. Is there anything that bothers you?” the Jedi asked and the kid lowered his ears.

Through his specific way to communicate, he explained that Din was constantly having nightmares and that he was really worried about him. He told him that Din once mentioned that they started first after Luke had taken Grogu under his wing for training.

The Jedi sighed deeply and nodded in acknowledgement.

“I’ve never realized that the separation from you would cause such emotional damage to him. I’ve made a huge mistake back then and I should have handled all this differently, now I know better. And I’m sorry. Should I talk to him? Maybe a conversation would help here.” he said, but Grogu vehemently shook his little head.

“No!” the child’s mind literally yelled at him.

The Jedi gave him a slightly confused look. But then, the kid implied that the Mandalorian would never open up to someone else, except his son, to admit that he had a problem.

“Okay, I understand. To be fair, I’m actually a complete stranger to him. But maybe you can help him a bit, when he’s experiencing these nightmares.” Skywalker explained and Grogu was very keen in learning to ease Din’s mental distress.

They spent the rest of the afternoon practicing this technique.

“You have to be very cautious. This is very advanced and even some experienced Jedi’s aren’t capable of mastering this ability correctly. You can’t look into your father’s dreams, you can just adjust their intensity and block specific fears, which are causing these nightmares. But this only works in the progress, so you have to keep an eye on him and intervene if necessary. But don’t forget to look after yourself, as much as you love your Dad please don’t overdo it.” Luke said and concluded the training for today.

When they returned to Din’s house, they found him half asleep on the couch. But even the nap didn’t erase the dark shadows under his eyes. Grogu quickly waddled towards Din, who swiftly scooped him up and hugged him briefly.

“How was your training today?” he asked and looked proudly at his child, it was that special spark in his eyes that made Luke remember the last time he looked into his own father’s eyes, shortly before he died. Grogu chirped happily and pointed at his Master.

“He was very diligent and his progress is astonishing. He’s gotten very strong, even through this short period of time and remote lessons. You can be really proud of him.” the Jedi said and nodded at his Padawan. Din looked up.

“Thank you. You’re a decent teacher and I’m glad he has you. I could never teach him anything like that. I just….” Din said and stopped suddenly.

“Don’t mention it, Mando. I may be his Master, but you are his father and you are the most important person in his life….” Luke said and stepped a little closer, looking Din straight into the eyes. “I promise, I’ll never even think about taking your place in his heart. Never, you have my word. I know, we had a quite rough start, but I need you to trust me. I’ll never take him away from you ever again. I honestly regret and apologize for what happened before. I never meant to hurt either of you.”

The Mandalorian was quite taken aback and nodded in acknowledgement.

“Thank you. I appreciate your honesty.” he replied, but his attention was drawn to Grogu, who suddenly yawned loudly.

“What about getting you some dinner? You must be starving…. Luke, you wanna join us?” Din asked, but the Jedi humbly declined.

“Thanks for the invitation, but I need to go back to my ship. I’m gonna travel back to Yavin 4 tonight and I need to refuel beforehand. Have a nice dinner, I’ll see you in two weeks” Luke explained, put on his robe and left their house with his cape waving. The Mandalorian closed the door, when he was gone and sighed.

“Did you tell him that I’m jealous?” he mumbled and turned to Grogu, who looked at him with his huge brown eyes. Din knelt down to his child and put both of his hands on his shoulders. Grogu looked at him and shook his head.

“So it was him, who read my mind? Because sometimes I am….” Din confessed and bit his lip.

“I don’t want to have these crazy powers, but I want to be the one, who teaches you, who raises you. And I’m struggling with the fact that there are some things I can’t teach you. I wish I could, but you are too powerful and I can’t protect you from anything and it scares me. Grogu, if Luke hadn’t arrived in time on Gideon’s ship back then, we’d probably all be dead…..” Din stuttered and gritted his teeth.

The little one sniffed and stretched out his arm to caress Din’s cheek the same way he did Gideon’s ship. Mando smiled and placed a kiss on Grogu’s forehead.

“Enough of that now. Let’s get something to eat.” he said and both headed to the kitchen. After they had a nice and luscious dinner, Din announced that he had a few days off work to spend more time with the kid. Grogu was pumped and giggled with joy. Din smiled.

“Alright, let’s get a shower and head to bed then.” he said and picked the kid up.

After they showered and got ready for the night, Din laid in bed and contemplated. The kid cocked his head and crawled on Mando’s belly, sitting down promptly.

“Do you have any things you want to do on our holiday? Any suggestions, wishes?” Din asked and looked at the kid, who just replied with a confused coo.

They kept looking at each other for a while, while Grogu was sitting on Din’s belly, looking a bit clueless at his father’s face.

“Hmm, I guess it’s best if we're gonna postpone our holiday plans to tomorrow. Let’s go to sleep and maybe we’ll find something you want to do. Good night.” Din said and switched off the lights. But instead of Grogu taking his spot on their bed, he just grabbed the blanket, curled up on Din’s chest and covered him and himself with it.

“Hey, is sleeping on my chest more comfortable than your pillow?” the Mandalorian asked, chuckling.

“Uh-huh” Grogu replied promptly, turned to his side and just closed his eyes.

Din smiled softly and put his hand on the kid’s back to steady him while he made himself comfortable.

“You can always sleep there, whenever you want. You never gonna have to ask for cuddles, my little frog” he mumbled, feeling that Grogu snuggled even closer and grabbed a fistful of his shirt.

The Mandalorian took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping that he’d be spared from his nightmares tonight to provide his kid an undisturbed sleep. Little did he know that this was the exact reason why Grogu preferred to sleep on his father’s chest. He wanted to monitor and intervene, like Luke had taught him to do. He felt so bad that Mando was constantly suffering from these nightmares, which were obviously caused by his departure from him a few months ago.

The kid listened closely to Din’s heart and it sounded like a lullaby to him. With his arms wrapped around the child’s little body, the Mandalorian fell asleep. Grogu had dozed off after a few minutes eventually, but when he woke up two hours later, Din was still in peaceful slumber. The kid’s ears perked up when he heard him mumbling something incoherent but it appeared to be not related to any nightmare. Another hour later, the child noticed that Din’s breathing had picked up pace.

With his eyes scrunched shut, the Mandalorian turned his head from side to side, grabbing at the sheets underneath him. The kid was wide awake in a split second. Nimbly, he slid down on his father’s body and crawled to the top of his head. Gently, he put his hands on Din’s temples, focusing on the unsettled mind that was raging within his father. He couldn’t see what Mando was dreaming about, but he was able to feel what he felt in that moment. The fear of loss and desperation griefed his little heart, but he knew that he was able to manipulate Din’s dream to help him go easier through this nightmare. The child focused and tried to transfer these emotions over to himself.

There was fear, fear of loss, loneliness and the old trauma of his childhood. Din had never worked this up. Tears started dripping from Grogu’s eyes, but eventually, Mando was calming down again. The nightly terror was over and the kid briefly snuggled on his father’s temple. Relieved that he had gotten him through this, the kid wanted to crawl back on Mando’s chest, but Din suddenly turned to his side so Grogu snuggled his head under his chin and closed his eyes to sleep. Little did he know that a suspicious menace was observing their house at that moment.

Chapter Text

The night passed quickly and Din woke up quite early the next morning. He felt incredibly warm, because Grogu was still clinging to his neck. With a soft smile, he tried to wiggle out from the Kid’s grasp and gently put him back on his pillow. With a low snore, Grogu turned to his side and continued sleeping tightly. Din stayed for a few minutes to watch his child sleeping, he took the small three fingered hand and gave it a few gentle rubs.

“I don’t know what had happened last night, but the nightmares weren’t as bad.” Din mumbled and got up eventually. He went to the bathroom and after he’d finished his business there, he went to the kitchen to prepare some coffee. It was a quiet morning, usually he’d be stuck head over heels in work at this time, but since he was on vacation, he didn’t really know what to do.

After he had finished his coffee, Din decided to check on Grogu. Usually, the kid wakes up shortly after him, but when he went back into their bedroom, the little one was still sound asleep. Slowly, the Mandalorian became a little suspicious and sat down on the edge of their bed.

Gently, he put his hand on Grogu’s back, rubbing back and forth with his thumb.

“Mweh?” the little one mumbled with his eyes still closed.

“Good morning, kid. Don’t you wanna get up today?” Din asked and smiled as the child turned over and snuggled his face into the palm of Mando’s hand.

“Did you do anything to block out my nightmares?” Din asked promptly and Grogu’s eyes suddenly fluttered open when he was exposed. His reaction made Mando clear that he had been involved.

“Listen, Grogu. I really appreciate your help and I know that I have to do something about it, but please don’t use your own energy to help me with that. I hope you understand. I need to get through this alone. Maybe it’s better you sleep in your room until I have it under control to make sure your sleep is no longer disturbed by my nightly terrors.” Mando said and sighed.

Grogu’s head and ears instantly shot up, vehemently shaking his head. He obviously wanted to stay with Din during the night. He looked at Din with wide puppy eyes. The Mandalorian sighed and scooped him up from the bed.

“Don’t look at me like that, I can’t sleep without cuddling you anyway.” Mando laughed and the kid let out a relieved sigh.

“Breakfast?” he asked and Grogu replied with a happy chirp.

They had a nice, calm breakfast together and gradually, Din started to enjoy their time off. They played a lot the next couple of days, but regardless of their fun daily activity, the nightmares continued to haunt him every night. Grogu tried to help, secretly, but even his efforts were not sufficient enough. He tried so hard, but the Mandalorian quickly noticed what he was doing and told him that he would have to sleep in his room if he wouldn’t stop, for the kid’s health sake.

A few days passed and Din slowly noticed the toll the nightly terrors were taking on him. They went for a walk the other day to visit Karga in his office. Over the years, Din trusted him far enough for advice.

“So, these nightmares are still haunting you?” Greef asked and looked into Din’s exhausted face.

“Yes, every night. I don’t know what to do anymore. Grogu tried to help, but I can’t let him use his powers on me, for my own benefit. I don’t want him to sustain any harm from that” Din replied with a heavy sigh.

“I hear you, well, we do have a decent healer in town. Maybe you should pay him a visit. He had helped many members of the guild.” Greef suggested, Din looked at Grogu.

“Alright then, can you watch him while I head over?” Mando asked and the corners of Greef’s mouth curved upward.

“Sure, I’d love to watch my little badger here. Mythrol can give you the facilities address.” Karga said, got up and put a hand on Din’s shoulder to lead him to his front desk. Mythrol gave him a quite grumpy look because he was drowning in work since Mando had left for vacation.

But he noted down the address and Din left the office. Quite reluctantly, he made his way to the medical facility. It’s been years since he had seen any healer or any medic. He had to admit to himself that he was kind of nervous. When the Mandalorian entered the building, he was quite surprised that it looked like he’d just traveled to Coruscant in comparison to Nevarro. The interior was brand new and the floor was sparkling clean. Mando approached the counter, where a woman had her attention turned to the screen on her desk.

“H-Hello…..” Din stammered, suddenly lacking in words.

“Oh hello there, my apologies I didn’t see you at first. How can I help you?” the woman replied with a friendly smile.

“I, ehm, I need to consult a doctor. I’ve been having trouble sleeping during the night. I hope there’s someone who can help me with that.” Mando explained, desperately trying to keep his composure. The woman smiled again and took a look at her screen.

“Dr. Levi would be available today, he’d be free in a few minutes. Please take a seat in the waiting area. I’ll come and get you when he’s ready. But first, I need some data. What’s your name?” she said.

Din swallowed thickly. Never before he was prompted to share his personal data to a stranger.

“My name is… Din.. Din Djarin.” he stammered and heard her typing on her keyboard.

“Date of birth?” she then asked.

“Ehm. I don’t know the exact day, but I’m 41 years old.” Din replied, slowly realizing how ridiculous he must sound to her. These were just a few simple questions, for medical purposes only, he reminded himself.

“Okay, Mr. Djarin. What’s your blood type, current weight, height and who’s your general practitioner or the last physician who had seen you?” the woman asked and Din raised his brow under his helmet.

“Ehm, I think I’m blood type A negative, I have absolutely no knowledge of my current weight, I’m 5’11 and I haven’t had any regular check up since I was a kid. Only been to medical facilities with severe injuries that couldn't be fixed by myself or the cauterizer.” he replied honestly and the woman’s eyes widened.

“You haven’t had any check ups in like 30 years? Any medical records, records about allergies, chronic illnesses, anything?” she asked but Din just shook his head.

“Nope, neither”

The woman bit her lip.

“Okay, I noted down the few pieces of information in a newly created record file now. The doctor will be running a medical evaluation of your current health status. Please, have a seat in the waiting area.” she said and finished up her file.

Din turned around and walked to the group of chairs on the other side of the reception hall. Preferably, he would have left immediately but he knew he had no choice. He hasn’t been waiting for longer than ten minutes until the woman called his name.

“Mr. Djarin, Room 5 please”

Hesitantly, he got up and entered examination room number 5. He took a seat in front of the desk. Two minutes later, a young male doctor entered the room. He had light brown hair and wore glasses. Keeping his eyes on a tablet, he read Din’s very short file while he was walking towards the Mandalorian. Din got up.

“Good day, Mr. Djarin. What brings you here today? According to your file, you haven’t seen a doctor in decades. How can I help you?” the man said and eventually looked at Mando.

“Well I, I’ve been having nightmares. Every night. It's been months but they are getting worse and worse. Haven’t had a full night of sleep in weeks. I was hoping that you could help me with that.” Din said and the doctor raised his brow.

“I understand. But since we don’t have any medical records of you, I need to evaluate your health status first. Would you mind taking off your armor? I’ll be with you in a minute.” Dr. Levi said and wrote something down on the tablet.

Din gritted his teeth, a few months ago he would never have tolerated such a request. But he knew that he was obliged to maintain his own health in order to care for Grogu. So he did it, for him.

He started with his gloves, vambraces, shoulder pauldrons followed by his flak vest with his beskar chest- and back pieces. The helmet was the last thing that came off. When he was finished, he just stood there with his flight suit.

“Please, if you don’t mind, bare your torso so I can asculate your heart, lungs and take your blood pressure.” the Doctor said and Din grit his teeth. Reluctantly, he opened the zipper and stripped himself down to his waist. The Doctor raised his brow when he saw the numerous scars of former injuries on Din’s bare torso. He instantly recognized that at least two thirds of them would have required medical attention.

“Have a seat please and relax” Dr. Levi said and gestured to the chair beside him.

Din sat down and observed the medic closely. He felt exceptionally uncomfortable to be exposed to someone like this. The only living being who was allowed to be this close to him was Grogu. The kid was the first person who had actual skin to skin contact with him since he was a child. Din flinched when the doctor pressed the cold stethoscope to his bare chest.

The Mandalorian watched him while he checked his heart. After a few times placing and replacing the cold metal to his chest, he continued on his back.

“Now, take some deep breaths for me please” the Doctor said and Din inhaled and exhaled slowly.

After that, the Medic fetched a cuff that went around Din’s arm and he sat perfectly still while the Doc took his blood pressure. After he was finished, Mando allowed himself to release a brief sigh, but Dr. Levi smiled encouragingly.

“Your blood pressure is a little bit too high, probably caused due to the stress of not being able to catch proper rest. But apart from that, your vitals look great. Your lungs sound normal and your heart is working perfectly fine. Nothing to worry about, Mr. Djarin. Now please get on the scale for me and we’re finished for now.” the Doctor said and the Mandalorian felt a bit more comfortable.

“Okay….. your weight is a bit lower than I expected but still in a normal range. You look much heavier with your armor on” Dr. Levi joked and Din rolled his eyes.

After the younger man had finished his notes on Din’s records, the Mandalorian was finally allowed to get dressed again. He couldn’t remember the last time he had put on his armor so quickly.

“Alright, physically you are perfectly healthy. But you said, the issue is your sleep. Have you been exposed to any kind of stress, trauma, or emotional challenges lately?” the doc asked and raised his brow because Din opted to put his helmet back on again.

Mando now thought carefully not to share too much information, especially those regarding Grogu.

“I’ve been having nightmares since…. months. I got separated from my kid and this was when they started. I got him back though a few months ago, but the nightmares still persist. And they are growing in intensity.” he explained, trying to hide his nervousness.

“I understand… And what are the dreams about. Are they always the same? Just to narrow it down a little bit” Dr. Levi continued asking.

“My kid, I always dream of losing him. He’s everything I have….. “ Din mumbled, his last words almost incomprehensible. He had a really hard time speaking about his emotions.

“How old is your child?” the Doctor suddenly asked to change the subject a bit because he noticed that Din was feeling very uncomfortable.

“Fifty” he promptly replied.

The man’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Due to all of my respect, Mr. Djarin that’s physically impossible….”

“He’s not our species, he was my foundling. Until I decided to adopt him as my own. I was a foundling too. The Mandalorians took me in after my parents had been killed by Separatists. They raised me, trained me. But only after I’ve met my son, I realized what it feels like to have a family. I love him, like my own flesh and blood.” Djarin mumbled, blinking away some tears. Now he was very relieved that he had opted to put his helmet back on for this consultation.

The doctor nodded.

“Alright, so you’re obviously suffering from a childhood trauma. You talked about that you got separated from your son before. What happened? A break up? A divorce?”

“Neither, my son is…… sorry, I can’t tell you that. For the safety of my kid, the circumstances of his deptature are classified. We came here to live in peace, I can’t share this information with you, I'm sorry.” Din explained and looked down at his hands, which kept twitching nervously.

The Doctor nodded.

“Well, I think it’s not that important for the diagnosis. But I can definitely point out that you are suffering from a childhood trauma and PTSD, both obviously the main cause of your nightly terror.

“So, what am I supposed to do? Take some pills? Do some exercise?” Din asked, but the Doctor shook his head.

“You’ll get some stress relieving medication on prescription. I’d also recommend taking a few days off. What’s your current occupation?” Dr. Levi asked and pulled out a notebook.

“I’m already on vacation and if you think it’s necessary to take some pills, I'll probably have no choice but to take them.” Mando said and sighed inaudibly. He’s never been a fan of taking something that might intoxicate his mind. He had had his experience with alcohol and spice, but he hated it.

“Don’t worry, we’re starting with the most harmless choice of medication. Two pills a day, one in the morning to keep your nerves calm and make them less susceptible for stress and another pill before you go to sleep, enabling a mostly dreamless night’s rest. It’s best you start with one week, approaching the effect slowly. Those pills are not gonna knock you down if you take them accordingly. I’ll schedule a follow up appointment to see if you have any improvement by the end of the week so we can adjust your dosage. We’ll start a little higher and reduce as much as possible, just to finally get your system to some proper rest.. If you notice any side effects like dizziness, headaches or nausea, that’s completely normal. Your body needs a bit of time to get used to the medication. If you run into some serious complications like shortness of breath, vomiting, high heart rate or fainting, please contact me immediately. I’ll have your prescription ready at the reception. Get well soon, Mr. Djarin” Dr. Levi said and concluded the consultation.

He shook Din’s hand and left the room. The Mandalorian stayed a few minutes lost in his thoughts. Still, he was not convinced of all that. Regardless, he got up eventually, meeting the friendly woman at the reception. With a smile, he reached him two cans filled with white pills.

“The Doctor instructed you how to take them or do you want me to note it down on the label for you?” the lady said, but Din just shook his head.

“I’m fine, thank you” he said and finally left the facility. It had been hours to him, but he was only gone for two. Grogu chirped happily when Din returned to Karga’s office.

“Look who’s back, little one” Greef said and grabbed the ball he used to play with the kid.

“So, how bad is it?” he further asked.

“I’ve got some medication. Not sure about this though. They told me to relax and don’t get involved in any stress” Din explained, which was technically true, he didn’t want to share any more private information about his mental state today anymore.

“That’s fair, if you need to request more time off, I can arrange that for you. I’ll up the security guards around the city to ensure extra protection while you are not available. Currently, Mythrol is taking over most of your assignments, right there?” Karga called, only to receive a grunt from the amphibian alien.

“We will see….” Din mumbled and bent down to scoop Grogu from the ground, ready to leave the office.

“Mando…. get some rest. You are completely safe. You’ve finally found a home here on Nevarro. Maybe you just need a little time to get used to all that. I’ve known you for years now and now it’s your time to finally settle down and get some rest, my friend.” Karga said, Din only nodded in acknowledgement.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 Side Effects

Grogu and Din headed back home, still a ton of worries clouded the Mandalorians’s mind. It was already dinner time when they finally arrived.

“Mweh?” Grogu chirped and patted Din’s leg.

“Huh, Kid? Sorry, I just. I’m a little tired, let's make something to eat.” Din said, bent down and picked Grogu from the ground. He left his helmet and the child sitting on the kitchen counter, while the Mandalorian took off the rest of his armor.

Changed into more comfortable clothes, he started cooking their dinner. Half an hour later, both sat at their dining table and gobbled down their pasta. After all this time, Din’s cooking skills had massively improved. He was used to only eating tasteless ration bars and supplements, potentially nutritious but not quite healthy or tasty. But since he decided to take his helmet off in front of others and especially his child, he really made the effort to cook a warm meal at least once a day.

After they had finished, Din really craved some quality time in the bathtub, just to relax and calm down. Grogu joined him, excitedly playing with the dense foam. Djarin leaned back and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth which relaxed his muscles and made him very drowsy. The Kid patted his thigh when he noticed that Din was about to fall asleep.

“Okay, let’s get out of here.” Mando mumbled, got up and fished Grogu out of the tub. After they got dressed and ready for the night, Din reminded himself to start with the medication.
He put the small plastic container which was filled up to the lid with white, round-shaped pills on his nightstand. Grogu threw a curious glance at it.

“No, you must not eat them under any circumstances. These are not food, they are medicine and should help me sleep better. I think that’s beneficial for both of us” Mando explained and told Grogu to nod to confirm that he understood. After these more serious tones, Din finally loosened up again and made himself comfortable on the bed. Grogu sat beside him and watched him taking out one of the small pills. He considered it a while before Djarin eventually swallowed it. The Kid’s eyes widened a bit.

“Hmm okay, I don’t feel anything….” Din said but a couple of minutes later, he suddenly started to feel quite light headed.

“Patoo?” the kid chirped and patted his arm in a worried manner.

“Don’t worry, little one. I’m okay. It’s working…. I think. I….” Din mumbled, almost slurred as he abruptly fell asleep.

Panicking, Grogu started patting his cheek, but the Mandalorian was fast asleep. The kid made sure that he was breathing and crawled up to Din’s chest, where he curled into a ball. But soon after, the kid also fell asleep.

The night passed quickly and Grogu yawned loudly as he woke up the next morning. He noticed that Din had covered him with the palm of his hand. The kid smiled when he confirmed that he was okay. So he lowered his head and snuggled back against his father’s chest.

It was close to noon, when the Mandalorian finally woke up. He felt incredibly hungover and needed a moment to access his memory of last night again.

“Dank Farrik…..” he mumbled, while rubbing his eyes.

“Huh?” Grogu’s ears perked up.

“This stuff is strong. It feels like I’ve just returned from a sarlacc pit.” Din mumbled and rubbed his temples to relieve his throbbing head. But he had to admit that he had not been dreaming last night. Everything had passed like a dark and empty void.

The next morning was even worse, Din woke fairly early at least he thought. His mind was awake and conscious but the rest of his body heavy like lead and unable to move. His heart picked up pace as he started to panic. Grogu's ears suddenly perked up when he felt his father's rapid breathing while the kid still lay curled into Din's tummy.

"Patoo?“ he cooed warely and crawled up to Mandos face.

Eventually, Din was able to move, flexing his abdominal muscles hard to sit up, panting.

"Meh?" Grogu asked, while he worriedly rubbed Din's stomach with his tiny claws in a comforting manner.

"It's okay, Grogu. It's okay…. I just….." Mando mumbled, exhaustion suddenly taking over him. And in the mere movement of turning over to his kid, he fell asleep and went slack beside the worried kid.

Grogu's eyes widened, he desperately tried to wake the Mandalorian, but no success. He tried to shake him, patted with his tiny hand vigorously on his chest and nudged his forehead with his own. But the Mandalorian remained asleep.

The kid lowered his ears in defeat, solidarily he curled up against Din's upper arm, hugged it tightly and went also back to sleep.

A few days passed, and Mando was almost completely out of order when he took the pills. The ones he was supposed to take during the day weren’t as strong as the other’s but still, they made him drowsy and almost unable to care for Grogu. The kid became very worried and tried to talk him out of it, in his way.

One afternoon, Din was resting on the couch while Grogu played with his toys in the living room. Frequently, the kid checked on his dad, but he didn't miss to notice that he was looking paler than the days before. His arm was hanging out over the couches edge and when Grogu nudged it he wouldn't move. He tried again, nothing.

Carefully, the kid pressed his hand against the underside of Din's wrist where he at least felt some weak throbs of his heart. The Child felt that something was clearly wrong. He remembered that Din once had shown him how to use the emergency button on his comm link.

Quickly, he waddled to the compartment where Din kept his armor and gear and pulled the small, shiny cylinder out of the utility belt's pocket. He pressed a small red button on it and suddenly, he heard Greef Karga's voice.

"Mando? Mando are you alright?“ the man asked, waiting for a response.

Grogu started babbling, but he didn't know that he's supposed to press another button in order to speak through the comm, so Karga kept asking.

Suddenly, Greef ended the transmission abruptly. Grogu dropped the comm link and groaned in frustration. But 10 minutes later, someone was knocking on their door.

The kid was happy to hear Greefs voice and opened promptly.

"Hey there little guy, I've received an emergency call from your dad. Is he here?"

Grogu nodded gingerly and led the old man to Din, who was still lying on the couch. Karga knew that something was wrong and called a healer before he even took a look at the Mandalorian.

"Hey Mando, wake up!“ Greef called and tried to shake Din. But the lack of response made him even more worried.

"Did he take those pills he got?“ Karga asked and turned to Grogu, who nodded confirmingly. Karga bit his lip, but fortunately a medic arrived a few minutes later. It was the doctor, who gave him those pills.

"Mr. Djarin, can you hear me?" the doctor asked loud, trying to wake him with no success.

Quickly, he pushed his fingers against Mando's neck to check his pulse and after that, he instantly pulled up Din's shirt to bare his chest, where he instantly made use of his asculator.

"What's wrong with him, doc?" Karga asked worriedly.

"His heart rate is too slow, I need to check his blood pressure now." he explained and attached a small monitor to Din's arm.

The readouts on the device were less than encouraging, so the doctor needed to act fast. He opened his suitcase which contained his emergency supplies and prepared a Stim-shot for Din.

Without further ado, he wiped a spot of Mando's chest with an alcohol wipe and administered the medicine directly into Din's heart. A second after, the Mandalorian startled awake, panting and groaning.

"It's okay, Mr. Djarin. Just breathe and calm yourself. You had us scared there a little bit. Have you taken your medication accordingly?" Dr. Levi asked and pushed the palm of his hand against Din's heaving chest to calm him before he proceeded to examine him.

“What… What happened. Did I fall asleep?” Din panted and rubbed the center of his chest, where the Stim-Shot had been administered.

“You don’t know what happened? Grogu tried to contact me, he’d sent me a distress signal. When I came here we found you lying here, unresponsive. I called the doctor then.” Greef explained and sat down next to his friend.

“It looks like the medication I’ve prescribed to you is too strong. It has slowed your heart rate down to a risky level. Have you had any other issues with taking the medicine?” the Doctor asked and Din nodded after he had finally caught his breath.

“Yes, this stuff knocks me out like nothing else. I can sleep, that's a fact, but I can’t do anything else either. '' he explained and patted Grogu’s head, who had climbed up to him on the couch and snuggled onto his side for emotional support.

“Sir, I think it might be reasonable if you come with me to the infirmary to be monitored for 24 hours, just to keep checking on your cardiovascular system, Mr. Djarin. Maybe….” The doctor started, but Din interrupted.

“No, no I’ll stay here. I’ll stop taking those meds though.” he said, throwing a panicked glance over to Grogu.

“It’s not that simple, Mr. Djarin. Once started, you’ll have to reduce the dose slowly to clear your system. Or you’ll risk slipping into some sort of withdrawal” Dr. Levi explained.

“Okay, I’ll reduce the dosage accordingly. But I will not go into a hospital though” Din said sternly.

“I understand. I’d recommend splitting the dose you’re taking right now and split the dosage again and so on. But in any case, if you feel weird or notice any side effects, please give me a call.” Dr. Levi said and returned his asculater and the empty Stim-shot container back into his case.

“I’ll take my leave now. Get well soon” the Healer said, got up and left Mando’s house.

“Mando, why are you so stubborn. You have a kid to take care of for crying out loud.” Greef said and looked at Grogu.

“I will not leave him with anyone, Karga. He’ll be staying with me and I’ll not take him to the hospital with me. We still try to maintain secrecy about our whereabouts.” Din explained and got up from the couch. Swaying on his feet, Greef grabbed his arm to steady him.

“You need to lie down, Mando. If you want, I could take care of Grogu tonight so you can rest…” Karga wasn’t able to finish his sentence until he was interrupted by a loud squeak.

Grogu vehemently shook his head and the older man raised his arms in defeat.

“Fair enough, the offer stands though. Call me when you’re not feeling well, Mando. Promise me!” Karga said sternly.

“Thanks, my friend.” Din replied with a weak smile.

Karga left and Djarin sat back down on the couch, burying this face in the palms of his hands. Grogu came to pat his thigh.

“I’m so sorry, buddy. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’ll get better, I promise. But thank you for your help, I’m very proud of you” Mando said, bent over and placed a kiss on top of the kid’s head.

They went to bed soon after, this time, Din only took half of a pill. As expected, he fell asleep very quickly, but when he woke up the next morning, he didn’t feel as drowsy. The next two days, he was encouraged to say that he was getting better. But Grogu was still very suspicious. He noticed that Din had started to behave differently. He lost his appetite and was apathetic. But he didn’t notice himself.

The next day, Din finally reached his last dose of the pills. When he woke up and took it, Grogu gave him a fairly worried glance.

“I know, Grogu. But this is the last one. I won’t take any more of these, I promise” Din explained to the child after taking the next pill for the day. In the meantime, he didn’t feel the prompt effect anymore, it was a much slower process now. The Mandalorian knew that he’ll probably have to lie down later, but for now, he wanted to get some air. So they decided to go for a walk.

As soon as they left the house and entered the vivid streets of Nevarro, Din started to feel someone’s gaze in the back of his neck. Fortunately, he’d decided to put on his armor in case of being assaulted. They strolled around the streets of the town’s outskirts and Grogu toddled ahead, casing after a red colored bird. Din walked past him, and he was delighted to see his son smiling again.

Deep in his heart, he felt so sorry for all the worry he’d caused for him. They approached the Lava Fields, seemingly alone, but still, Din had this weird feeling in his gut. The sky above them started to darken and a strong wind approached them.

“Don’t run too far, let’s head back before it starts to rain, kid!” he called after the child.

Grogu stopped suddenly and turned to his father, who was barely able to keep up his pace.

“Patoo!” Grogu chirped and waved at him.

Din clenched his eyes for a second as his vision started to blur. Suddenly, the beskar became heavier to wear and every step he took cost a huge amount of energy. Grogu watched him swaying for a second.

“Patoo?” the little one asked and his eyes widened when he saw, Din was propping himself against the large rock beside him. The dizziness made it almost impossible for him to focus.

“Grogu…. go, go and get Karga.” Din choked and dropped on his knees, panting.

“Patoo!” the kid called and rushed over to him, but Din eventually collapsed and his body hit the dusty soil before Grogu even reached him. Heavy drops of rain now fell on them and bounced off Din’s beskar with a metallic clunk. Desperately, Grogu patted on his visor, but no reaction. Soon the kid was soaked from the rain.

He started crying and reluctantly made his way back into town. He turned around one last time to see his Dad before he felt a dull pain on his head and the world turned black.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5. Gone

Din gradually came to as he started hearing rain clattering down on his helmet. Nevarro usually is a very dry planet, but on some occasions brief and intense showers came down. He groaned and tried to push himself up again. It was almost dark, so he must have been lying there for a couple of hours. He was shivering, his flight suit soaked by the rain.

Instinctively, Din wrapped his arms around his torso, trying to conserve as much warmth to his body as possible. He looked around.

“G-Grogu?” he whispered hoarsely, his eyes scanning his surroundings for his little son. But of course, he was gone.

Trying to get up, he almost slipped on the mud that had formed beneath him. He was shivering so hard.

“Okay, step by step. What happened?” Mando wondered, trying to recall his memory.

He remembered passing out all of the sudden.

“The pills…. but I stopped taking them?”

Then he remembered telling Grogu to go to Karga.

“He’ll be with him… hopefully.” Din muttered and slowly made his way back into town.

The rain intensified and made it hard for Din to see through his visor. Due to the lava fields surrounding the town, a thick mist had been formed, accentuating the gloominess.

When he eventually arrived at Kargas office, he saw the older man just locking the door, but he was alone. Din hesitated approaching him. A weird feeling spread in his stomach, telling him not to ask him about Grogu. His heart started to pound fast as Karga disappeared in the rain’s mist.

Quickly, he made his way back home, but as soon as their house came into view, he noticed that it was dark inside. Din felt another sting in his stomach. The Mandalorian unlocked the door, just to find an empty home.

“Grogu?” he called into the gloomy darkness.

But only silence responded. Din stepped inside and the loud pounding of his heart almost deafened him. When he regained his composure again, he started checking every room, but Grogu was nowhere to be seen. Desperate, he sank down on the couch and pulled his helmet off.

“I need to find him. Where did he go? It told him to go back to Karga.” Din whispered to himself and buried this face in his palms. He knew he had to stay calm now, but panic started flaring up in his chest.

He got up again, determined to look for son, so he left the house and stepped into the pouring rain.

It felt like he'd been searching for hours without any lead. Drenched and freezing to the bone, he almost collapsed when he returned home. But suddenly, he noticed something lying on the threshold of the front door, a small black box.

He picked it up and went back inside. Slumping down on the couch, he took a closer look at the device. It was a small holoprojector. With trembling fingers and a painfully pounding ache in his chest he turned it on. Blueish transparent light emitted, flickering along with some distorted noises.

But suddenly the silhouette of a small person with huge ears formed and Din's heart skipped some beats. It was Grogu, his little fingers wrapped around solid metal bars, desperately trying to break through. He was crying.

“Grogu…. Kid…” Din gasped, but a second later the image of the child vanished and only flickering remained.

Suddenly a very distorted and unknown voice spoke.

“Do you want to find the kid? Let’s play a game. I want to test how far you’d go to rescue him. Follow the coordinates saved on this device for your first task. If you tell anyone, he’ll die. I can see every step you’re doing. I can see you even beneath your metal mask, Djarin. You’ll find more instructions at the first destination, hurry up, the little one’s waiting for you and he’s already running out of time.”

The message ended with a last brief image of the Kid, clinging to the metal bars. Din felt sick suddenly and rushed to the bathroom to throw up. Gasping, he grabbed his raging stomach after he finished. Never before, he’d felt so scared and desperate. But he forced himself to sort his thoughts to clear his mind.

He went back to the living room, looking at the discarded device on the floor. He went to pick it up and suddenly a small screen displayed strange coordinates. Din sighed, but wasted no time and put his helmet back on. He tucked the device into a pouch on his belt and stepped out into the pouring rain.

It took him almost an hour to arrive at his destination which was quite remote from town. It was an old, abandoned water distribution plant. It was nothing more than a large hall with a huge, rusty metal tank on the roof. The windows were shattered and the door hung wide open. Cautiously, Mando stepped inside and looked around.

There were a lot of huge pipes and pools, but all rusted and broken. Suddenly, a voice emitted from the little device he carried in his pocket.

“You’ve arrived, great. Your task will be simple, climb up to the roof and you’ll find a large tank, enter the tank and search for another black holoprojector like this one. This one right here will self-destruct after these instructions. You have 30 minutes to complete your task. If you don’t manage to find the next device in time, it’ll self-destruct too and with it the last chance to save your son. Countdown starts in 3,2,1…..”

From sheer instinct, Din tossed the device away from him before it blew up in the air. Plastic debris was clattering on the concrete floor. Mando gasped, he would have lost his hand if he’d kept holding it.

“Kriffing Bastard, show yourself!” Din yelled, but his voice only echoed from the concrete walls.

Quickly, he looked around and found stairways made of steel leading to a higher level. He sprinted up and finally found the door to enter the building’s rooftop where he was standing right in front of the massive, rusty steel tank.

The Mandalorian circled around to take a closer look but it did not take long until he found a hatch to enter. He climbed up the attached ladder and opened the tank. It was dark, so he switched his helmet light on. The tank was half filled with water, dirty, muddy water that made him unable to spot anything on the ground.

But with the time limit in mind, he slipped through the hatch and landed in the waist-deep water with a splash. There was not much to see except for the exit and a large pipe going into the side of the tank. Din focused on the water again, carefully he tried to feel anything with his feet, hoping he wouldn’t step on the delicate device.

Suddenly, he heard a loud roaring and a clicking noise. A weird feeling spread in his stomach and seconds later, water was streaming from the pipe into the tank. Din’s eyes widened, quickly, he went back to the hatch, but it was locked. He was trapped in there. More and more water filled the tank and the Mandalorian started to panic. In only a matter of minutes, the water level was now up to his neck and he was barely able to keep his head up.

The only benefit was, that he was able to see more clearly through the additional fresh water. The slick from before cleared and dissolved more and more and eventually, Djarin could see to the tank’s ground a bit. He looked around, although panicking, he still kept in mind that he had a task to complete. He was forced to swim now due to the increasing water levels.

“Grogu, hang in there buddy. I’ll save you, no matter what…..” he thought.

Mando took a deep breath and dived to the ground, the tinted visor made it almost impossible for him to see under the water. Almost blind, he felt with his hands for the little device on the ground. But it was nowhere to be found.

His lungs started burning so he dived up again to catch a breath. When he broke through the surface, Din had to realize that the tank was almost completely filled to the top. He actually didn’t have much space to grab some air.

“I have to find it. Now!” he admonished himself and with another deep breath, he dived back down to the ground.

Seconds started to feel like minutes but he was not able to find the little device. His vision began to gray as he was running out of air. His lungs were burning and his heart raced wildly. Deadly terror now took over his body and he pushed himself up to reach the surface again. Unfortunately, there was no space for air left. The tank was now full and Din was locked into it. His brain somehow switched to surviving mode.

Instinctively, he opened his mouth but only water came in. It forced its way down his trachea and into his lungs. Fighting to stay conscious he tried to swim back to hatch. He started hammering against the small metal door with his fists, but it wouldn’t open. Din’s strength started to fade and his vision now almost blacked out. He was no longer able to raise his arms to smash against the hatch. His chest constricted, desperately screaming for oxygen Slowly, he sank down to the ground, his consciousness now fluctuating.

When he felt his back now hit the ground, he moved and accidentally his right hand grabbed onto something. A little square shaped device. Quickly, he closed his fist around it and suddenly, he felt a massive undertow and a loud roar shook the whole tank. Din noticed, the water level was decreasing again, fast, but not fast enough. Apparently, the device was hooked to some sort of switch that activated the drain. But he hadn’t had the strength to push himself up to get air. He could see the ceiling of the tank again. He just needed to get up, he thought to himself. But needless to say, his body had already started shutting down. Images of Grogu flared up in front of his inner eye and brought tears to his eyes. He wouldn’t see him again, he failed to save him. With a last thought of his son and the device in his fist, the world turned completely dark around him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

The clock is ticking

A single ray of sunlight shone through the hatch directly upon his helmeted face. With a low groan, Din eventually came to. His mind still felt fuzzy, but when he first attempted to draw a deeper breath he slid into a massive coughing fit. Still, the remaining water in his lungs needed to force its way outside again. Mando turned to his side and almost vomited from the strong coughing. Gingerly, he lifted his helmet and spit out the last bit of water from his mouth, then darkness almost claimed him again and he rolled on his back again.

But fortunately, he stayed conscious this time. With blurry vision he stared upon the ceiling of the tank. The little ray of daylight almost burned in his eyes. His inner sense of time slowly made him realize that he’d been lying here through the whole night. Half covered with slick and water, his body noticed that its temperature had fallen way beneath its standard and made him shiver so hard that his teeth clattered.

Gradually, his brain regained the ability to pull up the memories from last night and suddenly, he noticed that he still had a tight grip on the little black box in the palm of his hand. His only link to Grogu’s kidnapper. With shaking hands, he inspected the small device and suddenly, transparent bluish light emerged from it.

“Congratulations Din Djarin. You were able to complete the first task. Good job. It’s cold down there isn’t it. Cold and wet. Grogu misses you a great deal. He also feels cold. And alone. He’s waiting for you. But for now, you’ve earned a very deserved break. Go home, get some sleep. You’ll receive further instructions tomorrow.” The strange voice said and for a split second, he saw Grogu, holding on the solid metal bars of his cage.

Din’s stomach twisted painfully and as he tried to get up, he almost slipped. The cold made his limbs feel numb.

“I gotta get out of here” he gasped and clenched his eyes to get adjusted to the light which he was looking into.

Slowly, he climbed up the ladder, instantly noticing how heavy and stiff his body felt. He knew he needed to rest, but his conscience wouldn’t allow him even a second of rest. Finding Grogu was his highest priority and he wouldn’t sleep until he found him.

When Mando finally made it out of the tank a cold breeze made him shiver even more. With his arms and cape wrapped around his torso, he made his way back home. But since it was already morning, he had to be cautious to avoid any interaction or run-ins with people or worse acquaintances. Step by step, his body felt heavier so it’s weight was almost unbearable for his legs to carry. He hardly made it back home. When the door eventually closed, Din leaned against the wall and slipped down on the floor.

Groaning, he pulled the helmet off his head and tossed it away from him. Now that he was in a safe space, his emotional shield weakened and desperation and anxiety flared up in his chest, like a rope squeezing his ribs. The Mandalorian buried his face in his hands and sobbed for a while. He was so tired, so exhausted but there was no way that he could just casually go to sleep now.

But suddenly, he heard a voice calling his name. It took a second to make him realize that it was coming from the holoprojector.

“I see you finally made your way back home. Get some rest, Djarin. You’ll need all of your strength for your next task. But just a little heads up, if you tell anyone, he'll die. If you're looking for help for yourself, he'll also die. I'm watching every step of yours, Djarin. I’ll contact you tomorrow and don’t you dare doing anything stupid"

The light faded and only eerie silence remained. This was even worse than the tasks themselves, to wait. He saw Grogu in his head, pulling on those solid metal bars, scared and crying.

“I won’t let you down. I promise. I’ll do anything, everything to save you.” Din whispered as if the kid would be standing right infront of him.

It took a while until he finally gathered the strength for getting up from the floor. Slowly, he made his way to the bathroom to get rid of his muddy clothes and change into something dry and warm. At this point his body temperature was quite low already. Then he took a shower to warm up again. The water was burning on his skin and an instant feeling of drowning overwhelmed him for a second, like his body was recalling the last time it had contact with water and almost died.

With only a towel wrapped around his hips, he went to their bedroom. Still, the kid’s little pillow lay at the same place as always. He didn’t use it last night since he’d slept on Mando’s chest. He finally sat down on the edge and focused on the pillow. But now, exhaustion claimed him, Din curled up under their blanket and closed his eyes. Like in a reflex, he grabbed the little pillow and hugged it closely to his chest, pretending it would be Grogu. It still had his baby-like scent.

Surprisingly, Din fell asleep pretty fast. But it didn’t last long. With a sudden constricting sensation of drowning he jerked awake, tangled in with the blanket and the towel he had wrapped around his hips before he nodded off. Chills made him shiver as he froze and sweated at the same time. He turned to his other side and suddenly his eyes spotted the small container of pills on the nightstand.

“No…..” he rasped and closed his eyes again.

Again, he fell asleep unusually quickly but the next nightmare already welcomed him with open arms.

He jerked awake after another hour, unintentionally he looked at the small container of pills again.

“Maybe just one….?” he contemplated, but disregarded the urge once more.

But after the next attempt of relieving sleep turned into another episode of torture, he eventually lost fighting the urge and Din took one of the pills.

They knocked him out in a matter of minutes and he slept until the next day.

It was noon when Mando finally woke up, like the last time he felt incredibly hung over, but this time it was so bad that he actually ended up over the toilet, retching and eventually throwing up. Since he hadn’t eaten in a day or longer, it was only bile and stomach acid which burned like hell in his gullet. His eyes watered from the pain but he pulled himself up on the faucet and tried to stand without collapsing again.

The Mandalorian propped himself up and looked into the mirror. What he saw them was nearly a shock. He had seen himself exhausted, beaten bloody but the man looking back at him no longer looked like himself. The shadows under his eyes had almost a purplish tint, contributed by his ghostly pale complexion. His cheeks were hollow and his eyes bloodshot. According to his protruding clavicles and suddenly clearly visible shades of his ribs, he apparently had lost quite some weight in an incredible short period of time. Din felt like a shell of his former self. Even in his presumably darkest times, he had never looked like that.

Suddenly, a noise caught his attention. It came from the holoprojector, which was still laying discarded on the living room’s tiled floor.

“Djarin? Djarin, I almost thought you were dead. Would have broken the kid’s little heart if he learned his father had let him down once more.” the voice mocked and teased.

“I would never let him down. I’d rather…..” Din spat but stopped himself before he nearly lost control over himself.

“You’d rather what? Die? That can be arranged but what about the fun? For the next task, go back to the water distribution plant. You’ve spent the last night there so I assume this place kinda grew on you. This time, check the basement, you’ll have an electrifying experience there, I promise. Tonight, 12 AM, be on time.” the voice instructed and vanished.

Mando took a deep breath, he knew he had to stay focused now. The haze of the pill he’d taken to sleep eventually vanished and he felt a bit better after he’d eaten a dry bread roll. Then he started cleaning his armor and laundering his flight suit, since all of his clothes were still covered in mud and slick.

Then he waited, sitting on his sofa in full armor and stared on the floor. His mind was empty. When night fell, Mando left and made his way back to the place he’d almost drowned the last time.

Again he stood in front of the old building. The echo of water dripping on the floor echoed when he finally entered. It was dark, so he switched his helmet light on. Din looked for stairs or a door that led into the basement as he was told to go.

After a few minutes, he found a heavy steel door with a weathered electrical hazard warning sign on it. The Mandalorian swallowed and entered eventually. The door closed behind him as it shut and a clicking noise made him aware that it was locked. He couldn’t hear anything but his heart throbbing frantically in the pitch black darkness. Din proceeded walking down the stairs into the lower levels. Most of the rooms were empty or abandoned pump rooms. Nothing was to be seen there. The last door he opened led into a larger hall, this time it had the same danger warning sign written on it.

But when he entered, it was still dark. Din looked around, there were only huge power transformers and coils. Suddenly, he noticed a low hum sounding from them and a second after the light was switched on. Now he was finally able to see. There was something like a field of electric coils and cables distributed inside a fenced cage. At the other side, he spotted a small table with another black box.

Din swallowed and suddenly his current holoprojector powered on.

“Your quest is simple, go and get the other holoprojector from the other side of the room. But be careful or the experience will be shocking. Time limit is 10 Minutes. This device will self-destruct in five seconds. Five….Four….”

Instantly, Din tossed it away and it exploded in a loud bang. His heart was pounding. The clock was already ticking and he knew that he had not much time to come up with a solid plan to avoid getting electrocuted. There was no window, no operation panel, nothing, and the door behind him was locked. The Mandalorian knew he had no choice. He opened the fence and closed the door behind him. Another clicking let him know that he was locked so there was no way back.

He heard the humming and the air was loaded with a high voltage, he felt it in every cell of his body. His eyes scanned the surroundings of any metal pin, loose cable or anything he might get in contact with. One wrong step and it could be over. As durable and protective his beskar armor was, it was also a very good electrical conductor, which was very inconvenient in his current situation.

But slowly, he made his way forward and proceeded with baby steps. One time, he’d almost grazed a loose cable, dangling from the cage’s ceiling, but he managed to avoid it at the very last second. Din almost made it halfway through when he spotted an observation camera mounted on the opposite wall.

“Look, who’s watching me….” he mumbled and drew his blaster. He targeted precisely and would have succeeded but he didn’t know that the camera was shielded by an invisible power barrier, which deflected the blaster shot back to him. From sheer instinct he dodged and eventually grazed a loose cable with his left beskar pauldron.

A searing hot pain ran through his body and caused a severe spasm of the muscles in his arm. Hence through the shock, the pauldron heated up in a split second and felt like molten lava on his shoulder, burning through the fabric of his flight suit and skin. Din screamed in pain and dropped on his knees. shaking.

“Dank Farrik….!” he cussed and held his shoulder.

He was so mad at himself that he hadn’t thought of the shot getting deflected.

“Pull yourself together” Mando admonished himself and got up again. His shoulder burned like hell and the fingers of his left hand still twitched from the aftershocks.

Regardless, he proceeded. Only a few feet now separated him from the box, so he was encouraged enough to pick up the pace. For a second, he considered using his grappling line to pull the device to him, but he didn’t know if using his weapon again might cause an even worse disaster, so he disregarded that thought again. But the closer he came, the more cables and coils were surrounding him. And suddenly, a voice echoed from the camera on the wall.

“Ten seconds left. Nine, eight, seven, six….”

Mando’s heart sank, he totally forgot about the time limit. He had no choice but to leap at the box, which was waiting for him at the small table.

“Three, two….”

Din jumped now.

“One……”

His fingers barely closed around the device.

“Zero, Time’s up”

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Light in the Dark

Time stood still, whilst his fist closed around the little box. But at the same time he heard a loud hiss, followed by a hot white charge that hit him right in the chest. His brain needed a split second to process what was happening but when the searing pain kicked in, Din couldn't suppress the scream.

He crashed down on the dusty floor, his muscles spasming vigorously. But Mando persistently cradled the little box to his chest. The smell of burnt flesh crept underneath his helmet. He blacked out for a while.

When he finally came to, he was still lying there on the dusty floor. First, he didn’t feel anything until he moved a bit. Underneath his beskar chest plate, his skin felt like fire. Burning and sticking to the fabric layer. Din gasped loudly, but he gritted his teeth and managed to push himself up. Fortunately, all of the electro coils and cables apparently were out of power. Carefully, the Mandalorian got back on his feet and tucked the little black box into one of his pockets.

His body was exhausted and step by step he forced himself to go home. He almost tripped and fell a few times, because his legs weren’t able to carry his weight anymore and the pain on his chest was constant now. Every move he made felt like a sting from a wasp. It was still night and the bright moonlight illuminated his way back home. He caught himself almost falling asleep while walking and finally, it felt like hours to him, he was standing at the front door of their house.

His hand was shaking when he pulled the handle. Suddenly, a new wave of pain washed over him and pushed his body to its very limits. Din’s vision blurred as he stumbled inside. He wanted to grab the box but failed. He tried to make it to the living room. He tried…. But then, nothing……

Luke's X-Wing approached the landing field on the outskirts of the town. With a cloud of dust, the ship settled on the ground. Everytime, Luke landed on this planet, the anticipation of teaching his student filled his heart with joy. But this time, something was very different. He was not able to sense Grogu's presence, not a single evidence that the child had ever laid foot on these grounds. Nothing.

R2 made some worried beeps. "It's okay, I'll check what happened here. Wait here…" the young Jedi said as he jumped down from the cockpit. With his cloak waving in the winds, Skywalker made his way into town.

It was nothing more than a ten minute walk to Din and Grogu Djarin’s house. After all this time, Luke would find it with blinds over his eyes. The kid has been the only force sensitive creature on this planet so it was easy to detect his location. But this time, the force that used to surround their home was gone. Skywalker raised his brow and a weird sensation flared up in his stomach.

He stretched his arm to open, but the door was just ajar. There was no evidence of a force sensitive being here, but still he sensed the presence of someone else. Luke proceeded to go inside and when he turned around the corner of the hallway, a prone form was lying right in front of him on the floor.

"Din? Oh Force, Din can you hear me?"

Skywalker’s eyes widened in horror, when he spotted the Mandalorian lying motionless on the ground. Quickly, he turned him on his back and felt his pulse on his neck since Din did not respond to any of his waking attempts. Fast and throbbing, the Jedi felt Mandos heart beating against his fingertips.

“Din? Din, please wake up!” Luke called him persistently, grabbing his shoulders to shake him gently.

Far from his consciousness, the voice reached his mind. First it was only like an echo from afar, words hardly coherent. But after a while it became louder and more comprehensible. Slowly, very slowly Din opened his eyes, concealed by the dark visor, looking up into the worried face of Luke Skywalker.

"Dank Farrik….." Mando thought instantly, because he had literally no idea how to explain this situation to Grogu's Master. His sheer presence put the child into mere danger.

"Din, you're awake. Thank the force. Whatever happened to you must have been a real knockout. Are you okay?" Luke asked and tried his best to fully wake the Mandalorian, trying to help him into a sitting position.

"He doesn't know anything…. He doesn't suspect what ha…." Mando thought until Luke accidentally touched his armor-plated chest to help him sit and elicited an inevitable cry of pain.

"Dank Farrik, Mando. Did I hurt you?“ the Jedi asked, utterly confused.

" 'm fine. I just…. " Din mumbled, but the searing pain wouldn't stop, preferably he would have ripped off any piece of armor and fabric from his chest to relieve his pain, but no one must know that he was actually injured. Din had to keep this secret, for the sake of Grogu's wellbeing. Any acceptance of aid could lead to the Kid’s death.

“Din you’re clearly not alright. Can I take your helmet off?” Luke asked and without actual consent he reached for Din’s mask but the Mandalorian quickly avoided his hands. But not without bothering his wounds even more. He gasped in pain and balled his fingers into a trembling fist.

“No, I’m fine….. The… The creed….” Mando grunted and even while speaking, he knew that was a weak excuse.

As expected, the Jedi raised his brow.

“Din, I’ve seen your face multiple times. Why are you refusing my help? And where’s Grogu? Please tell me what’s going on here so I can help you. Din?.... Din!” Luke yelled as the Mandalorian almost went slack in his arms. Heavily breathing from pain, he still tried to keep his composure. The Jedi”s eyes quickly scanned his body for visible injuries. There were none as far as he was able to evaluate.

But he noticed the Mandalorian’s weird breathing pattern, so the Jedi insisted on helping.

“Din, I’m going to remove your curicass, please hold still. I don’t want to force you, please, you need to trust me.”

But instantly, Din grabbed Skywalker’s arm, preventing him from removing his armor and revealing his injuries. But he had to acknowledge that he was not in shape to prevent Luke from doing anything and deep in his mind, the fight had already left him. So he let his wrist go and no longer refused Luke’s help. Due to the fog in his head, Grogu’s possible loss did not feel as iminent anymore.

“Okay, Din. I’m gonna help you lie down again and then I’ll take a look at you okay?” Luke explained and carefully eased Mando down on his back again. After he was comfortable, the Jedi began to unclasp and detach his armor. Hence, after removing the beskar chest plate, he realized that almost the complete layer of fabric underneath it was burnt black.

“Oh no…..” Luke mumbled and even more carefully, he started peeling back the fabric to reveal that Din’s chest was almost entirely covered in burn marks and blisters. His skin was deep red and swollen and Skywalker knew that these were some serious burn wounds, which required immediate medical attention.

"Din, you are hurt! Severely hurt, what happened to you and why were you trying to hide it?" he asked, with a hint of reproach but undeniable worry.

But the Mandalorian only turned his head to his side in silence. He tried to ignore the pain while Luke was still peeling off the fabric from his skin and fought the urge to cry out, so he bit his lip bloody. Unfortunately, after a while his circulation began to fluctuate by the constant ordeal and the Mandalorian started to feel even more lightheaded.

After Luke had removed the burnt fabric from the wound, he rushed to the restroom, looking for a medkit. He returned after a few minutes with a whole load of medical supplies.

"Alright there, let me clean the wound thoroughly first. This might hurt a bit, is it okay to take off your helmet now? I need to know if you pass out." Luke explained and reached for the helmet again, but this time, Din didn't intervene. He opened the seal with a low hiss and revealed the sickly pale face of Mando, who visibly struggled to stay conscious.

"Dank Farrik, Mando. You look like death itself. Let me try something." Skywalker said and Din just closed his eyes, letting him do what he had to.

Quickly, Luke fetched some pillows to elevate the Mandalorian’s legs in order to support his blood circulation. He also fished a small device from the medpack and attached it to Din's wrist, taking his blood pressure and pulse.

When he looked at the results, the Jedi gasped in shock and disbelief.

"You know. I really should be taking you to a medical facility right now! Your blood pressure is way too low and your heart rate way too high….." but Luke couldn't finish his sentence as Din startled and grabbed his arm.

"No! No doctors, please! No one must know! You're the only one who knows and you need to promise me not to tell anyone. You need to promise me, for Grogu… Help me patch me up and I'll tell you everything" Mando finally broke his silence and Luke nodded in agreement.

First, he started to clean the burns with some iodine but the pain almost drove Din insane. After he was finally finished, the Jedi began applying a bacta gel on Mando's chest. As gently as possible, he rubbed it on the angry reddish skin, feeling the incredible fast throbbing of Din's heart beneath the palm of his hand. Luke knew he had to hurry, according to Din's complexion, he was really close to passing out.

"Ahhhh…!“ Mando suddenly cried out in pain and arched his back. Beads of sweat started forming on his temples.

"Hold on, Din…." Skywalker mumbled, gritting his teeth worriedly, while he applied the last bit of the bacta. Djarin was wheezing under his hand.

"Okay, I'm done. Let's get you on your couch at last. Then I can give you something for the pain." Skywalker said and actually managed to help Din up and get him into the living room. After he'd helped him lying down again, the Jedi grabbed a painkiller syrette and administered it into Mando's bloodstream. It didn't even take a minute until the Mandalorian eventually passed out.

Now Luke finally got a moment to breathe. His initial suspicion was now the bare truth. And although he didn’t know what had happened to his student, he knew that Din obviously had risked his own life to save him. The Jedi kept looking for evidence about Grogu’s whereabouts but too soon, Din caught his attention again.

He slept for merely two hours, but waking up after this short time turned out to be a bad mistake.

"Hey…. Did you get me a heating pad or something? I'm melting…." Din gasped and took some deep, shaky breaths.

Luke, who had been sitting slumped in the couch chair, raised his brow and got up to take a look at the Mandalorian.

"No, I only tucked you in with a light blanket. Mando are you….." Skywalker said and put the back of his hand on Din's forehead. The heat the Mandalorian was radiating was incredibly high. Luke gritted his teeth.

"You're burning up, Din. Looks like you've caught some kind of infection…." Luke concluded and lifted the blanket to check Djarins wound.

The Jedi gritted his teeth when he saw the burns had turned into an even deeper shade of red and the edges were even more swollen and suppurating.

Mando let out a low grunt, when Luke inspected his wounds. The fog in his head combined with the fever gradually broke him emotionally.

"I-I've failed him. I'm just useless. It would have been best if he had just stayed with you. I can't protect him…." Din whimpered suddenly, completely random.

Luke stared at him in disbelief. He knew Din would never just spill his emotions out like this.

"Din, your fever is incredibly high and the medication is not helping. I need to take you to a hospital or call a doctor at least." Luke said and threw a worried glance at the Mandalorian.

"No, they are observing me. Grogu will die, it's even a risk that you know about it." Mando gasped and writhed on the couch as a wave of chills washed over him.

"Din, please. Let me help you…."

“No, no. Get out. No one can help me!” Mando cried and covered his face with the palms of his hands.

“No, I won’t leave you… Or Grogu!”

Luke felt helpless but he had an idea to at least lower his fever. He rushed to the bathroom and started to fill the tub with lukewarm water.

When he returned to the living room, he found the Mandalorian gasping and groaning.

“Are you able to walk a few steps?” Luke asked and Din opened his eyes, wearly. With the Jedi’s help, he was able to sit up, but dizziness prevented him from going any further. Luke took Din’s arm and put it around his neck, pulling the Mandalorian up. He winced at the heat Din’s body was radiating. Carefully, he propped him and slowly guided him to the bathroom. But as soon as they entered, Mando’s feet gave in and he almost fell.

“Din!” Luke yelled and tried to keep him steady. With his last strength he dragged the half unconscious Mandalorian to the tub to submerge him in the water in order to lower the fever. Carefully, Luke helped him to get into the water. Din winced at the contact and started shivering.

“No, I don’t want this. Why are you doing this to me?” Mando mumbled in his delirium, almost incomprehensibly.

“It’s okay, it’ll help lower your fever. I know it’s cold. I'm sorry.” Skywalker said and held him steady because Din no longer was able to sit up by himself. After he’d settled and stabilized him, Luke scooped up some water with his hand and spread it over Din's feverish flushed chest. Fortunately, the cool water actually soothed the pain from the burns and Din closed his eyes for a while.

"Are you feeling a bit better?“ the Jedi asked, worried. He knew that Din was in a very vulnerable state and probably not able to save Grogu on his own. Hence, the worry for his only student became a constant stinging in his stomach.

Din took a deep breath and turned his head to Luke, who greeted him with a soft smile.
His head didn’t feel as lightheaded as before, but continuously worse.

"A bit…. Yes. Thank you. If I don't make it, you need to take care of Grogu. Tell him, tell him that I love him. And tell him that I'm sorry…." Mando gasped and stopped mid sentence to recover, but he didn't have the strength to continue speaking. His vision started to become blurry again.

"No, no, no you tell him yourself. You'll live. I won't let you die. Keep on fighting and I promise you'll feel better soon." Luke said trying to sound confident although he felt that Din was about to lose this fight. Mando closed his eyes.

"Hey Din, stay with me. You need to keep fighting, for Grogu ...." Luke whispered, putting his arm around Mandos shoulders to stabilize him, while he fought to stay conscious.

“I’m with you Din. I’m with you.” Skywalker said and rested his temple against Din’s.

"He-he should have stayed with you. I can't protect him. I failed, I don't deserve him. You're better for him….They just kidnapped him right from my sight" Din whispered before he passed out.

“Din. Hey Din, wake up!” Luke said and patted his cheek nervously. As he did not respond, he checked the Mandalorian’s pulse again.

It still felt way too rapid, but there was nothing he was able to do about this now. He scooped him up and wrapped him into towels before he eased him back on the couch.

After he’d made sure that Mando was sleeping, the Jedi started looking for traces of Grogu. But he was not able to find anything, so Din was the only way to find his student. Sighing deeply, Skywalker slumped back on the chair. Unfortunately, he nodded off after a while.

Din came to shortly after. He still felt like burning alive, but his mind was no longer as cloudy as before. His eyes wandered around and spotted the Jedi sleeping. Suddenly, the thought of Grogu hit him like a flash and every fiber in his body suddenly remembered what had happened before Luke intervened. With a loud gasp, he reached inside his pocket and pulled out the small, black box.

Bluish light suddenly emitted and a voice started speaking. Without hesitation, the Mandalorian pulled the blanket over his head to prevent the Jedi from listening.

“You broke the rules of this game, Mando. I told you not to tell or involve anyone. You know who’s receiving the punishment for your mistake….”

“No, no. Don’t hurt him. I’m begging you…..” Din whimpered, but was interrupted by the voice again.

“I don’t think you take this seriously enough….”

A sudden squeal echoed somewhere from the background. It sounded painfully familiar. Din felt sick instantly.

“Don’t hurt him. I’ll do anything you want” Mando said, trying to force the person to negotiate reasonably.

“Anything you say? Prove it. I’ll give you these coordinates. If I see someone following you, the kid will die. You’ve got 15 Minutes. The clock is ticking.”

The transmission ended and Din removed the blanket from his head. Carefully, his glance fell on Luke, who was still sleeping.

An inaudible sigh of relief escaped his lips.

Carefully, he pushed himself up but his body still felt weak like a newborn baby. But since his mind was clear again, he just forced himself to get up. Grogu had his highest priority again, so he kept pushing himself. Mando knew he had to be quiet so he couldn’t risk putting on his armor. Trying not to wake the Jedi, he just fetched a jacket and snuck out of the door.

“I’m coming, son. I’m coming to save you.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Sacrifice

This time, Din did not go back to the power plant. In fact, the path he was following felt familiar. Soon, he reached the canyon they passed through back then when they went to destroy the allegedly abandoned imperial base.

Still, evidence of the damage was visible on the rock walls. Mando gradually got out of breath. Almost stumbling from exhaustion weakness, he stoically progressed regardless. He didn't have time to subdue his physical boundaries now. Grogu was everything that mattered now. He eventually would recover when his boy finally was back in his arms.

A sudden piercing pain in his chest brought him to his knees. Panting, Din clenched his eyes to get rid of his double vision that had occurred a few minutes ago. He grabbed at the fabric which was covering his burned chest, he still felt incredibly feverish. Suddenly, he heard a noise from behind but when he turned around to check, he realized he was alone.

With a groan, he pushed himself up from the dusty soil again, raising his head to face the pale moonlight. He proceeded and eventually arrived at the former imperial base. It looked destroyed, impossible to be entered. The door that they had used the last time was completely buried under cold lava, unaccessible. He grabbed the little box from his pocket and held it in the palm of his hand. Blue light emitted and projected a 3d model of the base, with a red marked way into it.

Din followed the path and eventually found a secret access to enter. The hallways were littered with debris and burn marks. Some of them were not able to pass at all. But Din felt he was close. His heart was pounding so fast that he was sure to hear it echoing from the walls. Mando followed the hallway deeper into the base. These were parts he hadn't seen the last time.

Suddenly a voice sounded from his pocket.

"Hurry Djarin. Grogu is not feeling that well."

It felt like a punch in the gut so Din eventually started running. He came closer, tiny noises echoed from the hallways.

"Grogu!" he cried and tears mixed with the sweat that was running down his face.

But only seconds away he ended up in a room that appeared to be a former prison wing of the base. Most of the cells were opened with the doors hanging in their frames. But there was one cell with an intact metal bar door. And it was closed.

"Grogu?" Din stammered and prepared himself for what was behind that door. First, he heard only whimpering, like someone was in pain.

Mando dropped on his knees when he found his kid lying on the floor. His hands tied with those shackles he had back on Gideon's cruiser. Now Din knew that they were blocking his powers, so this was the reason why Luke probably was not able to sense Grogu. Skywalker…. Din just hoped the Jedi wouldn't find them here. For a brief moment Din was happy that he was the one to save Grogu and he didn't require the Jedi's help to protect his child. But almost in the same second he hated himself for that thought. He knew that Luke was just trying to help, without any intention to replace Mando as Grogu's father. Eventually, he trusted the Jedi, he had let him treat his wounds and probably saved his life by not giving up on him.

"Patoo…." Din heard that weak chirp from behind the bars and was finally ripped from his thoughts.

Tears now freely flowed down Din's face when he saw Grogu approaching him from the dark. The Child seemed to have lost a third of his weight and his usual sage green complexion was a solid gray now.

"My boy…." Din sobbed and tried reaching through the metal bars to touch his son.

Cold and fragile claws wrapped around his finger, with only a minimum strength in their grip. Mando stroked them ever so gently.

"I'm so sorry buddy ….." Din wept and lowered his face to Grogu's level.

The Kid's glance was empty, defeated and worn out. Like he'd lost all of his will to live. Din just wanted to hug him and never let go of him.

The kid looked at him, eyes started to fill with tears. He also acknowledged the rough shape of his father. Grogu just wanted to be held by him, curling into the warmth of his chest and just feeling safe again.

Suddenly a beeping echoed from the box.

"You've made it Djarin, but this is not the end of the game. There's still a pending task for you. Which leads me to ask you a serious question. How far would you go to save him? You once mentioned that you would die for him…. And now it's your time to prove it…."

The door behind them suddenly slammed shut and locked itself with an audible click.

"Now, turn around. I'll give you the choice of how you are going to end your life."

Din turned around, there was a very small and fragile table standing on the opposite wall. Shaking, he got on his feet and approached it.

There was a simple blaster and a knife prepared on the table. Mando swallowed.

"If you want to avoid pain, you can take the blaster. A clean shot and your life will come to an end in a blink of an eye. Or take the knife, there are multiple ways to end your life with that and maybe you'll have the chance to spend some more minutes with your son. The door will open as soon as your first drop of blood is leaving your body and Grogu's shackles will come off after your heart stops beating. Grogu will be free, you have my word"

Din's fingers were trembling when he stretched his arm for one of the weapons. He already had made a decision. The knife's freshly sharpened blade was glistening in the limited sources of light inside the room. He heard Grogu squeaking with the bit of voice he had left when the door of his cell finally sprung open.

Mando breathed shallowly. Time seemed to pass slower now. His body started to feel numb as he turned to Grogu. He walked over to the child, who stood there, hands still tied in shackles and crying his eyes out.

Silent, Din sat down on the floor and grabbed the kid. Pulling him into the closest hug he'd ever given.

"Don't worry, kid. You'll be alright, I'll always be watching you from.. from heaven." Din whispered, his voice broke at the last words.

He felt Grogu's hands on his face, petting him gently.

"One more minute until the Kid is going to receive a painful electric charge. Hurry up." the voice sounded from the box.

Mando took it and just tossed it across the room. Gently, he scooped Grogu higher on his chest, pressing soft kisses on his head.

"You were the best son I ever could have hoped for. You need to be strong for me now, okay? It'll be over and you can stay with Luke. He's probably already searching for us." Din whispered while still snuggling onto the kid.

Grogu felt him trembling, but he knew, without his powers there was nothing he could do to help. He was weakened and tired, so tired. And the imminent grief would take the rest of him. Suddenly, he felt Din's right hand shifting. A very ugly gut-wrenching noise and a loud grunt of his father made him aware that Din just stabbed himself right below his sternum.

"I love you, Grogu. I'll always will." Din mumbled with a weak smile on his face.

Blood was streaming down on his stomach and the hilt of the knife, which he removed a second later. With a clank it fell to the ground along with his limp right arm. Now the blood was flowing freely and Grogu felt its sticky warmth.

"It's okay, Kid. It's okay…."

Din was hardly able to keep his eyes open. The world slowly started greying around the edges of his vision. Grogu whimpered desperately, vigorously patting his father's chest to keep him awake and at the same time trying to staunch the bleeding. He failed in both of his efforts. The kid felt Din's heart beat becoming weaker so he pulled himself up to his face, grabbing his neck as much as his shackles allowed him to and spread kisses over Mandos cheek.

Suddenly, there was a noise outside, but Grogu completely blocked it out. Crying, he tried to hug Din and eventually, the shackles fell off and the child knew that Mando just died in his little arms.