Darasuum // Din Djarin Mandalorian ♠️

Chapter Nine - The Child

"Oh no," I breathed, backing myself up against a wall.

We had ridden to the encampment on the Blurgg and I had to admit, it was not the most comfortable mode of transport.

"What?" Mando asked me, taking a post at the wall beside me.

"Bounty Droid."

Mando shook his head, tilting his head around the corner. Watching the centre of the area, I could see the droid shooting at other men and women.

"Are they other Bounty Hunters or are they protecting the bounty?" I asked my partner.

"Does it matter?" he asked.

"This Bounty was placed by Imperial men," I reminded him. "For all we know, it could be a New Republic asset."

"I don't care for politics."

"Well I do. If this is someone important, I don't think I can hand then over to the Empire."

"We'll worry about that when it comes to it. If it comes to it."

I took a deep breath. "Alright."

The droid had now stopped shooting, scanning its surroundings. "Move now," Mando spoke and we rushed around the other side of the wall, making for a covered position closer to the hunter.

Before I could moved myself behind cover, a shot rang out, pain searing through my side.

"Haar'chak!" I cursed, leaning against the wall, hand on my side.

"Solo," Mando breathed, approaching me quickly. He looked at the wound. "Are you alright?"

"I just got shot, how do you think I feel mir'sheb!" (Smartass) I asked.

"I thought Jedi were supposed to be quick on their feet," he commented.

I only sent him a glare. "Ni cuy'at nynir gar." (I'm going to hit you.)

Shots rang out again, hitting the stone behind me. "IG Unit!" Mando screamed. "Stand down!"

More shot were fired. "We're in the fucking Guild!" I screamed.

The Droid stopped shooting. "You are Guild members?" it asked. "I thought I was the only one on assignment."

"That makes two of us," the Mandalorian told him, moving away from cover and out into the open.

Looking down at my wound, I found that it was bleeding. Heavily.

Channelling out pain. It was something Maul had taught me. As a Sith, pain is something you experienced daily and so, often, you had to learn how to control it. 

Pressing my head back against the cold wall, I took a deep breath. "It's not there," I told myself. "It doesn't hurt. The pain isn't there."

The mind was a powerful thing and one that was sensitive to the Force was even more powerful. If you told it that you weren't something or you didn't feel something, it didn't exist.

I let out a sigh when the pain in my side reduced to almost nothing and I slowly took my hand away, turning to corner and approaching the droid and Mando.

"This is acceptable," the droid spoke.

"What is?" I questioned, standing at the Mandalorian's side.

"Your partner here has proposed that we split the reward."

I turned my head to Mando. "Did you now... partner?"

"Would you rather he shoot us?" he asked, voice a low whisper.

"Point taken."

"Alert. Alert. Alert!" the Droid warned.

Taking a small moment, I came to sense people coming. "Shit, Mando, there's more hunters coming."

"Get to cover," he told me quickly, taking his gun from his belt and rushed to find cover himself.

I made forward towards the main building, ducking behind the edge of the entrance. Gun already out of my holster, I looked to find a few hunters on the rooves of the buildings. Clever, but so incredibly stupid.

I aimed, shooting one down. Then another. And another. It was like shooting bottles on the side of a wall.

My senses suddenly grew, and I turned to the door I stood in front of. There was someone in there. A Jedi, or Sith. I could feel their life force moving through mine. It was strong. So incredibly strong.

I aimed my blaster towards the panel beside me, the shutter flying upwards and letting me inside.

Gun poised in front of me, I watched for hunters. There seemed to be no one there.

In front of me, a small, circular object floated in the air. It seemed to be big enough to fit a baby, but it wasn't a child.

Tapping the side of it, the cover opened, revealing the being inside. It was green, with pointy ears and wide eyes, but it looked like it had barely began its life in this world.

Despite that, it was strong. I could feel it. The power emitting off the creature was stronger than I had ever felt before.

It tilted its head at me, black, beading eyes watching me so carefully that its feelings passed to me. Calm. It wasn't scared. It certainly wasn't concerned with what was happening outside. It was simply calm. Sitting there without a care in the world.

"Gah!" I gasped, wincing as the pain returned to my side.

I dropped my gun, hands moving to put pressure against the wound. It had started bleeding again.

I stumbled to the side, leaning against the wall beside me. Trying to push it away, I closed my eyes again. "It isn't there," I tried. "It isn't..." my voice began to trail off as my vision blurred. "It is..."

My legs buckled underneath me as I fell to the ground, my eyes shutting and mind falling into unconsciousness. Everything faded.