Another Way: A Mandalorian Story

Dar'tome

Dar'tome - [dar-TOH-may] - separated, apart (of people)

Summary: After receiving some advice while separated from Din, you decide to make a journey across the desert.

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"Cyar'ika."

Your eyes flash open and you bolt upright in bed.

"Din?"

Silence. Not even a whisper or the slightest of movement.

In your sleepy haze and darkness, you forget where you are. You could easily be on Slave II, hurtling through space, Din somewhere nearby. Wherever you are, you're certain he's there.

Your heart beating rapidly, you scramble to find the switch for the lamp on the beside table. It takes a couple seconds longer than necessary to find it, but the moment you flick it, the room illuminates. As you see the foreign surroundings and the emptiness within, the glimmer of hope burning inside you is stamped out.

You're not on the ship. You're not with Din. You're likely not even within a light year of him. Instead, you're alone in a bedroom of Fett's Palace, the room no more familiar to you than it was when you first arrived.

Truthfully, you've lost count of how many days it's been. You've kept yourself locked within the four stone walls, not wanting to be bothered by or a bother to anyone or anything, leaving only long enough to sneak down to the kitchens for food. The lack of windows means no natural light, and this combined with the fact you sleep off and on day and night leaves you unable to tell the days apart.

Sleeping is the only thing you look forward to. It's the only true escape from your own thoughts. From the moment you get up, your mind starts to work, reminding you of Din and all the horrible things you said. At least there's some happiness in your dreams, and when you don't dream, it's even happier, because you don't wake to the disappointment that none of it was real.

That must've been what you were doing when you heard his voice. Dreaming. Unless the palace was haunted, which was a possibility you didn't want to consider, or you had hallucinated his voice, an option you couldn't entirely rule out on your own but figured is unlikely. No. It was a dream, you tell yourself. It's the only logical answer.

With a sigh, your shoulders slump, and you're disappointed in yourself for getting your hopes up. You rub one eye with your pinky and the other with your index finger before pinching the bridge of your nose.

How could you be so naïve?

Releasing your pinch and opening your eyes, you catch sight of the communicator sitting on the bedside table. Staring down at it, you wonder where Din is, what he's doing. You haven't spoken to him since he left. You haven't tried to contact him, though you've thought about it far too many times. You've gotten close, going so far as switching the device on and preparing to call him before |hesitating and switching the device back off. What would you even say to him? Would he even want to talk?

As far as you know, he hasn't tried to contact you either. You don't blame him for not wanting to talk.

Seeing that you left the comlink on, you pick it up and switch it off. No sense in letting the battery drain unnecessarily.

After tossing it back to its place, you look at the chrono, seeing it's early, hours until daylight still. Even though your body is exhausted, your brain has zero interest in going back to sleep. So, you slip on a pair of shoes and leave your room, figuring you could at least explore the castle before anyone else awakens. If you are going crazy, maybe exercise and fresh air will help.