Broken Soul | Din Djarin

chapter forty: face to face

Din lets out a soft chuckle as the hyperspace alert beeps in the background.

You glance up to see a beautiful green-and-blue planet replacing the bright lights of hyperspace, its background painted by darkness and dazzling stars. You let out a soft exhale of awe as you take it all in.

I've never seen this place before.

Din watches you as you absorb the planet's view for a few moments, only daring to move and control the ship when the Crest moves close enough to where he needed to. The starlight reflects off of your dark eyes and the glass of Crest's viewport, making the light dance in waves across the room and your face. Din's expression softens as he watches you drink in the sight, his helmet turned ever so slightly so that he can observe you.

You ease yourself off of Din's lap and move to stand behind his seat as he starts to direct the Crest into the planet's atmosphere. Your arm hangs loosely around his neck as you rest your head on his shoulder, captivated by the beautiful world in front of you, and you press a soft kiss against his helmet as a silent thanks.

The Crest cruises through the atmosphere, passing by lands of plentiful green of all shades. You can't get enough of it, slowly moving closer to the window for a better look. Fields of green are surrounded by beautiful waters, clear and vibrantly blue. You can see the shadows of the creatures swimming below. Creatures that looked like whales but smaller, and squids and fish that were accompanied by small reptiles and amphibians.

Din lands the Crest on a stretch of land surrounded by forests and a lake. You're practically giddy with excitement and beaming brightly as the ship settles down and Din shuts off the engines.

By the time he's gotten the child and made his way to the ladder, you'd jumped down from the cockpit to the hull of the Crest, completely disregarding the ladder. You slap the controls for the ramp of the ship to lower to the ground and can hear Din chuckling as he hops off of the ladder and moves to stand by your side. The two of you walk out to stand on the vibrant green grass and you bounce on the balls of your feet in your glee.

It was all so beautiful.

Giant willow trees spread over the land, with oak and maple trees sprinkled through the lot. Bushes and plants with varying colors, shapes, and sizes litter the earth and decorate the green canvas of grasses. You can see some light purple flowers that peek through the willows' weeping branches.

Grasping Din's hand, you pull him forward as your smile fills your expression. Moving closer to the trees, you identify the blossoms as wisteria, and a light breeze shakes the branches to send some of the pastel petals raining down around you. A giant lake is spread out over the land, reflecting the bright blue sky spotted with clouds and the beautiful mixture of green and purple that surrounds you. Reeds and cattails crowd the edges of the water and you can see creatures idly roaming around in the lake. Mountains sprout from the earth in the distance and large boulders, covered in moss and vines, jut out from the ground. The air smelled of faint mint and rain.

And it was beautiful.

"Din," you breathe. "What is this place?"

"Exia." Din's voice is soft with wonder and awe as he looks to the sky. The blue and the clouds reflect in his visor as he takes in the view.

You turn to look at him with wonder and curiosity in your eyes. "I've never heard of this planet before. I never saw it or read about it in the Jedi Archives. I didn't even know it existed."

"Most don't. My parents had mentioned it to me before when I was a child. They had found it when they were young. It's almost like it's a secret from the rest of the galaxy." He looks down at you and tilts his head. "Have your Archives been wrong before?"