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Aug 22, 2022

Narudar: Chapter Forty-Four—The Tenacity

SUMMARY: On your way to a hidden Imperial base, yourself, Din, and Mayfeld come across a few problems… Specifically, a band of pestering pirates.

WARNINGS: Canon-typical violence, blood & injuries

WORD COUNT: 4.6k

MASTERLIST >>> MAIN MASTERLIST

"You know," a familiar voice sounded as you stepped down the Slave I's ramp. "For a second, I thought you were this other guy-"

Below were Fett-with his newly refurbished emerald armor-, Shand, Cara, and... Migs Mayfeld. Dealing with the former Imperial again was not something you believed what happen in your life, nor did you want to see him after everything... but the way his face contorted into a look of immense panic was rather amusing, you had to admit. He better fear you and the Mandalorian since the prison ship incident.

This would be worth it anyway, once Grogu was returned to you guys.

"Mayfeld," Din greeted first, halting in front of him.

"Hey... Mando..." He could hardly even make eye-contact with you or Din for more than two seconds. He must've confused Fett for Din. His gaze lifted to meet with yours, shortly, before they lowered again. "Long time."

Maybe you enjoyed the fear you invoked in him now... Maybe.

"What, you came here to kill me?"

"Yes," you replied, easily.

At first, he didn't seem to believe it and nervously laughed the quip off instead. But when your humorless expression didn't budge, his face dropped. "Wait, really-"

"All you need to know is I bent a lot of rules to bring you along," Cara joined in. Earlier, she had been the one to retrieve him from his prison duties and bring him to the ship. Which was why he was still in prisoner's attire.

Immediately, Mayfeld seemed to swap from alarmed to skeptical. "Why am I so lucky?"

"Because you're Imperial," you answered. "Right?"

"Hey, that was a long time ago, alright?" he countered. He simply didn't know that it was exactly what you needed.

"You still know your Imperial clearances and protocols, don't you?" Din questioned.

Mayfeld couldn't seem to find a response to that-simply not knowing what answer would be right or wrong, or whether this were some sort of trap. Afterwards, everyone decided to retreat back into the Slave I, assuming he would follow. Truly, he had no other option. Either he returned to his responsibilities or he joined your team. You ended up being the final one to leave, pausing on the ramp for a moment and observing as he stayed behind, seemingly contemplating whether or not he should tag along.

"Hey," you called. Losing him was something you could not risk. He may be aggravating at times but he was one of the only people that could lead you to Gideon's coordinates. "Come on before we change our minds and find someone else."

Soon afterwards, Migs Mayfeld boarded the Slave I. As Boba Fett launched the ship out of the atmosphere and into hyperspace, the rest of the group settled down in the main cabin, where there were available seats for everyone.

Din started first-"We need coordinates for Moff Gideon's cruiser."

"Moff Gideon?" Mayfeld repeated, adding a scoff. "Yeah, forget it. Just take me back to that scrapyard. I'm not doin' that."

Cara directed an exasperated expression towards him, before sharing a brief glance with you, then to Din. After that, she faced Mayfeld. "They have their kid."

Seemingly surprised by the statement, his eyes darted between you and Din. As if he couldn't believe that someone was actually capable of separating him from his protectors... Which, clearly, it was possible-and it's happened twice already. "The little green guy?"

"Yeah," Cara confirmed. "The little green guy."

"So..." Mayfeld contemplated the idea for a second. Hope seemed to appear in his eyes. "I help you guys get him back, you guys let me go?" He raised a thumbs-up.

The Alderaanian shook her head, "That's not how this works."

"Well, then what's in it for me?"

Shand, although quiet, nearly rolled her eyes at him. You couldn't blame her.

"You get a better view," was Cara's simple answer.

"Alright, but here's the thing: I can't get those coordinates unless I have access to an internal Imperial terminal." As Mayfeld expressed the problem, Din turned to the holoprojector besides him and searched for something that had caught his interest. "I believe there's one on Morak."

"Don't lie to us," you chided, recognizing completely well what that planet accomodated-nothing. Perhaps a couple of small villages, but other than that, nothing. "There's nothing on Morak."

"It's a secret Imperial mining hub, okay? If you can get me in there, I can get you the coordinates."

Din opened the commlink that connected to the cockpit in order to speak to Boba Fett. He seemed convinced into at least giving this a try, even if Mayfeld truly turned out to be lying. "Fett, punch in the coordinates to Morak."

"Copy that."

Once the starship landed on Morak, the plan was discussed. Though the process was extended further than you preferred, given that Cara and Mayfeld didn't exactly get along with each other. Nevertheless, the team managed to formulate a scheme. As Mayfeld mentioned earlier, there was indeed a secret Imperial base on the planet, so it was safe to say he was speaking the truth up until now. Apparently, there was a rhydonium refinery there as well-which happened to be highly flammable fuel.

Now, there was decent security there. So it would take effort not to be detected by the Imperials inside. First, Mayfeld recommended that he head into the hub alone, and Fett would drop in with the Slave I to help him escape once he retrieved the coordinates. The problem was absolutely nobody trusted him, and everyone believed he would simply blabber off to the officers about the plan. So your chances of getting Grogu back would basically disappear. That was not something anyone was willing to risk. Which was why Cara volunteered to go with him. Only, Mayfeld brought up the issue of the base being run by ex-ISB, so if her genetic signature was scanned, then she would trip the alarm. There was also Shand, but she also happened to be wanted by the ISB. Last was Fett, though he reckoned they might recognize his face... and, well, he wasn't wrong.

Then, it was Din.

Which was fine. It was just that... Mayfeld wouldn't be able to convince absolutely anyone in the base into allowing a Mandalorian wearing beskar to enter. In order to join the prisoner, he'd have to switch outfits... and disguise himself as one of the pilots that transported rhydonium. Which also meant removing his helmet.

You were almost completely certain he'd reject the idea, but he agreed to it instead. Though he insisted he would not be showing his face.

So you suggested you should be back-up. Since you weren't exactly well-trained to be sniping with Cara and Shand, you felt you would make more use if you joined Din and Mayfeld in case they needed help. Which, if everything went smoothly, they might not even need you. But you'd prefer to be there if anything went awry. As long as you remained hidden within the juggernaut while they leave to retrieve the information, you should be fine. Soon afterwards, one of the conveys that were passing through had been hijacked by you guys. Din and Mayfeld didn't hesitate to swap out the outfits the soldiers attired, and kept it for themselves.

"Oh my God, this guy reeked-" Mayfeld complained, his mouth curving with distaste as he pushed his feet through the pair of boots, seated on the entrance of the stolen transport. "His gloves are still wet. Ugh!"

Then Din stepped in.

He had switched out his armor and stuffed his beskar into a sack that he swung over his shoulder. He definitely seemed... different. The armor was certainly not as shiny and polished as his own. It was also strange gazing into that visor, knowing Din was behind it. The helmet seemed heavier, and there was no T-visor this time... Instead, it was a simple straight line across his eyes. He seemed so distinct to how he usually looked, but at the same time... the way he moved, his body language and mannerisms, made it clear it was him.

"Look at this!" Mayfeld laughed, teasing Din as soon as he caught sight of him. "Oh, the shame... Now, that right there is worth the price of admission."

Din didn't pay much attention to him, and you only shot the man a brief glare before turning back to Din. He approached you and Cara, who stood side-by-side with each other.

"Wish I could say it looked good on you," Cara commented. "But I'd be lying..."

"Just make sure you take out the rooftop gunners," Din replied, completely disregarding all the remarks on his appearance. "Or we're never getting out of here."

"We got you," she assured.

Then, Din handed over the sack containing his armor. "Take care of this. Keep it safe."

"I will." She stepped away momentarily, but before returning to Fett and Shand, she lingered for a second.

"Hey guys," Mayfeld called from the juggernaut, interrupting the conversation. "Still on the clock."

"Wait-" Din called for you lowly before you managed to leave. You inclined yourself closer to listen, and he leaned in. "Can you see behind the visor? It's... slightly clearer than mine."

Briefly, you pulled back to see. The tint was not as dark as his Mandalorian helmet, but it wasn't much of a difference. There wasn't anything you could perceive from your perspective. It was as shaded as it should be. You shook your head. "No, I can't see anything. It's not as dark as yours but it's fine."

"What would they say on Mandalore?" Mayfeld mocked, soon as you and Din turned to enter the vehicle. When he didn't receive an answer from Din, he decided to poke at Cara instead, who happened to still linger around to ensure everything was alright. "You know, it's a shame you're not comin' along with us. You've got such a sunny disposition. Can't imagine how much fun you are in one of these."

You can't wait to return him to prison.

Standing, the former Imperial then seated himself on the left seat of the convoy, while Din occupied the right side. You, though, were stuck settling yourself down on the floor, with your back against the wall facing forward. There simply was no other spot for you to fit in. Which wasn't exactly terrible, because when you arrive at the base, you would need to remain hidden from everybody else. Here, seated on the flooring, nobody would be capable of spotting you from the windows. The only issue would be if somebody decided to walk into the juggernaut, but you'd make sure to take care of that in case it were to occur...

Mayfeld muttered to himself, though you weren't paying him much attention. He seemed to be attempting to start the convoy. Then, "Ah, there we go!" The engines whirred to life, vibrating beneath you as the transport was directed forwards. "And we are off."

Passing Cara, the juggernaut continued through the darkness of the tunnel. The light of an opening was visible up ahead, a short distance away. Anxiety welled in your chest at the thought of this mission failing. Infiltrating the Imperial hub was definitely going to be a challenging task, but hopefully the coordinates were found quickly and you guys could escape soon afterwards.

"Hey, how's it feel? Huh?" Mayfeld spoke up again, trying to earn a word from Din, given that he wasn't too willing to chat with him. "I mean c'mon man, you still get to wear a helmet, right?"

...

"Alright, you know what? I'm taking this thing off." The man removed the helmet from his head, setting it away from him and clearing his voice from the distortion. "I can't see anything."

As the juggernaut cleared from the tunnel, the sunlight beamed down between the branches and leaves from the surrounding trees.

"I don't know how you people wear those things-and by you people, I do mean Mandalorians."

"Mayfeld," you called, irritation hinting your tone.

"What?"

"Shut it." Evidently, Din was not in the mood to communicate with him. Plus, nobody wanted to hear him rambling off about random subjects that didn't even matter.

"What? Why?"

"You're just-"

"Juggernaut four, you're running hot." Voices were audible through the communications. Officers and pilots were interacting between each other. "Be sure to watch your cargo heat limits and speed."

"Copy that, three. We've hit a couple bumps. Thanks for the heads-up."

"Don't worry about the rhydonium," Din finally spoke up, much to Mayfeld's surprise. "As long as you drive steady, you'll get us to the refinery."

Thankfully, everyone was silent for a while afterwards. The convoy eventually passed through a scant village, where people-and mainly children-were blocking the pathway that was carved out for the transport. They would not budge from their spots, so Mayfeld found himself sounding the horn in order to spread them around and separate them from the road. Admittedly, it had startled you given that he didn't offer a warning... But you weren't going to initiate another conversation. Much less an argument.

Though he started that himself anyway: "Yeah. Empire, New Republic... It's all the same to these people. Invaders on their land is all we are."

As the juggernaut sauntered through the town, you were able to peek and catch sight of a few faces that didn't seem too content. You didn't blame them. If some noisy vehicle rambled past your home everyday, forcing you to leave your spot... it would be rather aggravating.

"I'm just sayin' somewhere someone in this galaxy is ruling and others are being ruled. I mean, look at your race. Do you think all those people that died in wars fought by Mandalorians actually had a choice? And the Jedi-the amount of lives that were lost, caused by wars the Jedi started. How are they any different from the Empire?" Mayfeld scoffed. You almost countered his criticism, but then he would add more and more. While, yes, the Jedi did commit grave mistakes, he did not recognize the entire story. There wasn't much he could do about it anyway, because it was all in the past. "Look, if you were born on Mandalore, you believe one thing. If you're born on Alderaan, you believe somethin' else. But guess what? Neither one of 'em exist anymore!"

From where you sat, you could see Din glance over, possibly shooting him a glare behind the visor. But Mayfeld only shrugged it off, and continued. "Hey, I'm just a realist. I'm a survivor, just like any of you."

"Let's get one thing straight," Din began, already irked by his constant blabbering. "You and I are nothing alike."

"I don't know! Seems to me like your rules start to change when you get desperate. I mean, look at ya. You said you couldn't take your helmet off, and now you got a stormtrooper one on, so what's the rule? Is it that you can't take off your Mando helmet, or you can't show your face. 'Cause there is a difference."

All that was heard was a sigh coming from you.

"Look, I'm just sayin' we're all the same. Everybody's got their lines they don't cross until things get messy. As far as I'm concerned, if you can make it through your day and still sleep at night, you're doin' better than most."

"Mayfeld! Just-"

"Shut up! Shut up, I know. I'll shut up now. My mouth is zipped-"

"Control, this is juggernaut three. We're coming up on some route interference-"

"Control, control! We need a new-"

Immediately, Mayfeld panicked. "What was that?!"

"Please stand by for reroute," came a woman's voice, presumably from control.

A distant explosion caused you to flinch. You found yourself rising up from the floor, setting your palms on the two seats surrounding you, attempting to catch sight of what could've possibly caused that. All you had seen was the smoke that erupted from the detonation, but that was it. Alarm crept into your brain, and you were beginning to feel the weight of the mission push down on you already.

"Juggernaut four has been destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Mayfeld repeated.

Din attempted to assure him that everything was alright, for now. "The rhydonium is still stable."

"Juggernaut five, maintain speed and course. Proceed with caution. Re-routing course, stand by."

"Juggernaut five?" You reiterated. "That's us, right?"

"Yeah- Wait, proceed with caution?" Mayfeld restated nervously. "Is she serious?"

"Control, this is juggernaut three. Requesting- abort! Abort!" Those voices were interrupted, soon followed by screaming... then shooting.

So it sounded like a fight was imminent. The next outburst had been much too near for comfort. Which meant that whatever was attacking them... will soonreach you guys. Mayfeld urged the juggernaut to accelerate and zip past the remains of the previous vehicle that detonated.

"What's happening?" you asked urgently. The fact that you had absolutely no idea what was destroying these convoys panicked you even further-because you did notwant to be next.

A thud echoed through the juggernaut.

"What the hell was that?!" Mayfeld shouted, glancing down to one of the screens on the control panel. The cameras then displayed a band of pirates, boarded on a repulsorlift that was nearing the transport.

"Pirates," Din recognized. "Keep driving."

Great. Your chest heaved with an exasperated sigh. Just what you needed. This was bound to happen-you were backup after all. It's just... did it have to be pirates?

"I'll handle them," you declared, enthusiasm completely absent from your tone. You slipped your scarlet cloak off your shoulders and clambered up the ladder that guided you to a hatch in the ceiling, thrusting it open until it struck the juggernaut's rooftop. Instability battered you when you ascended and stood upright on the vehicle as it slowly accelerated. Ahead were a group of shydopps aboard a repulsorlift craft, hovering closely behind the transport. From the side, Din firing his blaster reached your ears, a flash of his arm catching your attention. He was peeking through the window in an attempt to shoot them down.

Then came the very urgent voice of Mayfeld: "Are you seriously shooting a blaster near RHYDONIUM?!"

A thud directed your gaze back to the pirates. Your eyes landed on the figure of a single shydopp who bounced from their craft to the juggernaut, armed with a detonator in hand-prepared to burst the remaining rhydonium. Adrenaline drowned out whatever Din was shouting about, because here you were: standing on the top of an advancing Imperial transport, protecting highly volatile fuel from pirates that were trying to sabotage the entirety of it...

The things you did for Grogu.

The pirate launched for you. Swung his fist for your face. With an arm, you blocked the attack and used your other to lurch him to the ground. He latched onto your leg, flipped you over him, nearly slipping off the vehicle. But you recovered, rising back to your feet along with him. Your fingers slid the gun out of your holster. While he stood, you blasted, once. His body slumped to the ground, and with a shove of your foot, he slid off the juggernaut. Only, a sound alerted you of the explosive still active. Your eyes darted everywhere-the rooftop, the rhydonium, the pirates-and yet everywhere you seemed too look, the beeping followed.

It was on your shoulder.

A gasp escaped your lungs, and you seized it instantly, hurled it towards the shydopps-

The coercion of the detonation jolted you back, but you were able to keep your ground. That band of pirates thankfully disappeared along with the explosion, and it seemed you were in the clear for now.

Din's voice reached your ears as he climbed the ladder to meet with you. "They're trying to destroy the rhydonium-"

"YOU THINK? Ya should've left me in prison!!" Mayfeld yelled at the top of his lungs.

Well... it seemed he wasn't exactly enjoying his time off from being a prisoner.

This wasn't over yet, though. In the distance, a couple more crafts approached the juggernaut from behind. "There's more!"

Din was by your side in a split second. This time, several more shydopps stepped foot on the transport. Simultaneously, you and Din revealed your blasters and fired them down immediately. Multiple were taken down-a bullet sent through their chest or penetrating their skulls-but then Din's ammo depleted rather quickly. He had not checked it previously, it seemed... Out of frustration (and probably not knowing what else he could possibly do), he flung the weapon towards them. It smacked against one of the pirates, but it hadn't done absolutely anything to injure him. Now with you being the sole one shooting them down, it was nearly impossible to ward each of them off. Reinforcements came as soon as one of them died, and they were beginning to outnumber you and Din as they hopped onto the vehicle.

There was no other option than hand-to-hand combat now. Din battled his share of pirates, while you took care of yours-but you lingered close to him, in case he needed any assistance. A howl enraptured your attention. A shydopp lunged for you. Ramming your knee into his stomach, he retaliated quickly. His head swung straightinto yours. The strength behind the blow left a sharp throb in your skull, a pained shout leaving your throat. Without hesitation, you smashed your forehead into his-this time, trying to ignore the worsening twinge that resounded through your brain. Your hands gripped the pirate's clothes tightly, before pushing him off the juggernaut, preventing him from defending himself any further. Your blaster returned to your palm, and you whipped around as two more pirates charged towards you. The gun fired. Once, it struck one. Twice, thrice, a bullet pierced through the second. Just as you turned around, a spear zipped straight past your face, hardly grazing your nose, and you swore you felt the slight breeze that accompanied it. Your eyes snapped to follow it, watching as it impaled one of the pirates that was heading for you.

Your head shifted to look over at Din, eyes wide with shock. That had been close.

Considering there didn't seem to be anymore at the moment, Din gestured for you to follow him to head back down with him. "Come on!"

You hastened towards him, regardless of the unsteadiness that almost caused you to trip. You noticed one of his pauldrons was missing, leaving him with a single grey one on his right shoulder. Looked like he was much too accustomed to fighting with beskar plating his body.

"Are you okay?" you asked, still catching your breath.

"Yes, are you?"

Your mouth opened to answer, but then it closed shut. Because... Din was right. This stormtrooper visor wassignificantly lighter than his Mandalorian helmet. You may have not noticed it in the darkness of the tunnels, but out here in the open-underneath the sunlight-his eyes were... surprisingly visible. Clear. There was his... gentle gaze. He seemed so frustrated-a crease between the space of his eyebrows was evident-, yet his eyes were softened altogether when they were focused on you. Behind the tint, it was difficult to perceive the the true hues of his eyes... but you assumed they were a dark color. They were definitely not light. You just-

"What? Were you hurt?"

You snapped yourself out of that daze. "Oh- Yeah. Yes... No, I mean- No. I wasn't hurt. Not really."

His head tilted to the side with evident confusion. "That's not very convinci-"

"Can we just go?" You drew back from him, shifting slightly so that the sunlight wasn't directed towards his visor from your point-of-view. "I think we're done here."

Vehicle speeding up, you lurched forward-but Din grabbed your upper arm to keep you steady with him. Once again, another band of pirates advanced towards the juggernaut.

A groan left your lips. "Okay, maybe not..."

"I don't think faster's a good idea!" Mayfeld shouted, slowing the transport's velocity down.

"What are you doing?!" Din yelled back.

With the pace decelerating, the pirates were capable of mounting the juggernaut without problem. Reluctantly, you and Din resumed the fight. Between all the shooting, shoving, and swinging fists, somehow Din ended up pinned down to the floor by numerous shydopps and you, on the opposite side of him, were much too focused on the ones swarming around you to consider helping him. Something rigid swung at your back, harshly and ruthlessly, forcing you to bend over with pain spreading through your entire spine. You grunted loudly, whipping around and snatching the spear from the pirate that attacked you. Forcefully, you bashed the stick against his face, sending him tumbling off the vehicle. A couple more approached you from both sides. Without delay, you blunt end of the spear up one pirate's jaw, while the other end-the sharper one-penetrated through the second shydopp's stomach. Then, you spun and knocked the final one out with the spear.

Without you noticing at that moment, a shydopp snuck a detonator into the rhydonium, before quickly returning to their repulsorlift. You hesitated-though you probably should not have-and contemplated between either helping Din or saving the fuel... He seemed to be struggling, and they were even attempting to remove his helmet and you weren't sure if-

"Get the rhydonium!" he shouted, still wrestling against the relentless pirates.

For a split second, you observed as he finally managed to break free from them. Briskly, you plucked the active explosive from the rhydonium, once again tossing it back to the shydopps in the nick of time...

Only, given that they were actually holding several bombs in their hands, the force of the eruption had been exceedingly stronger. This time, you-along with Din-had been hurled back, your back clashing with the painfully stiff roof of the juggernaut. "Argh, damn it!" you yelled, remaining still for a moment until the ache somewhatsubsided. You were definitely going to feel this even worse the following day.

"I gotta stop!" Mayfeld's voice reached your ears. "I can't cross at this speed!"

You weren't even sure what he was trying to cross, but the transport was beginning to slow down even further. Din came into your view, and first he grabbed your hand and assisted you into standing back up, even with your back still throbbing with each movement. He sighed heavily, "It's not over yet."

Your eyes followed where his visor was concentrated. Assuredly, there were even more pirate reinforcements. Equipped with weapons-detonators, spears-and they were all laughing. Taunting you guys. You squeezed Din's hand to prevent frustration from getting the best of you. He squeezed back, equally as worn-out as you were.

Couldn't you skip to the part where you rescued Grogu? You're just... tired. Very tired.

But then there were TIE-fighters.

TIE-fighters and stormtroopers and they were all helping. All blasting down the remaining pirates, decreasing their numbers until they no longer existed. Until nobody was attempting to hijack juggernaut five. You never thought you'd be so relieved to see the Imperials, but here you were...

"Go!" Din urged you to head back inside. "Get inside before they see you."

Kriff, he was right. You were so distracted realizing you no longer had to fight against those pestering pirates that you completely neglected the fact that you were literally in plain sight. If they spotted you, then... they probably wouldn't consider assisting you guys anymore. You rushed back down the ladder and settled down on the floor again, hoping that when Mayfeld guided the transport inside, nobody could see you from here.

Din descended the ladder a moment later, just as the troopers were beginning to salut him and Mayfeld for bringing back the rhydonium safely. "Never thought you'd be happy to see stormtroopers," Mayfeld commented, while saluting them back once.

You sighed as the brightness of the sunlight disappeared, and you were soon being driven straight into the Imperial base. From your perspective, you were not capable of seeing anyone passing by-which was good, because that meant they couldn't see you either. Apprehension stirred in your belly, and a million worst-case scenarios played through your mind. This was it. You were entering a hub crowded with stormtroopers and officers that worked for the Empire. There was no going back. Either you come out with the coordinates to Gideon's cruiser, or you don't come out at all-because you weren't leaving until you found the only link you could possibly obtain to Grogu.

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