The group walks down the small ledge, Woves and the other Mandalorians removing their helmets to look around them.
"Where are we?" Din asks.
"This is what's left of the Great Forge. This was once the heart of our civilization. But the fires have been extinguished since the bombings." Woves explains as he and Bo lead the way.
"You lived here?" Paz asks.
"We all did." Reeves replies.
"We never left." The Captain says. "Survived by migrating along the surface until the war ended. Some tried to explore below, but none survived."
"Jetpacks?" Din asks as he hears the sound of them approaching, pulling Cordelia behind him.
"More survivors?" Woves questions.
"Those aren't Mandalorians." Bo says. She puts her helmet back on, the others following her lead.
"Damnit." Cordelia sighs, annoyed that the Empire is here again. They begin firing at the Mandalorians and Din moves backwards, keeping Cordelia shielded behind him as they begin returning fire.
"Take cover." Din tells Grogu, pushing him behind the corner.
"They're wearing beskar armor!" Woves shouts.
"We're pinned down. We need backup." He says.
"I can make a run for the fleet and get us reinforcements." He suggests.
"No, it's too far." Bo protests
"I can make it. It's our only shot at taking the planet back." He replies.
"Woves!" Cordelia yells, getting his attention. She points to the ceiling above them, showing him a crack he can fit through.
"I'll lay down cover." Paz tells him. He fires at the troopers below the crack, knocking them down. Woves flies through the crack and a few Imperials land on the ledge ahead of them.
The Mandalorians continue shooting at the Imperials as they begin to surround them. One tries to land in front of Din and Cordelia, but he knocks him to the ground and shoots him. Another tries and Cordelia ducks under him, slicing his legs with her knife before shooting him.
"They're retreating!" Paz yells.
"Advance!" Bo orders, leading the way.
"For Mandalore!" They shout as they follow her.
"Okay, kid. You've gotta keep up." Din tells him. He nods and they run, following the others. Cordelia keeps her pace the same as Grogu's as Din rushes ahead to join Paz and Bo leading the way.
They continue following the Imperials until they reach their base, and they fly up into the air and disappear.
"What is this place?" Bo asks. The door behind them suddenly closes. Cordelia rushes towards the one in front of them, but it shuts before she can reach Din. She slams her hand against the window, angry at herself for not staying with him.
"It's an ambush." Din says, looking through the window. He places his hand up to hers on the other side of the window. "I love you." He tells her before moving away to join the others.
Imperials land on the ground in front of them and begin firing. Cordelia begins frantically hitting the window, desperate to get through. Paz starts firing at the window, but it's no use.
Bo stops Cordelia as the Imperials take out the other Mandalorians so only Din is left standing. They wrap wires around his neck and one of his wrists. He continues shooting flames at the others until his other wrist is caught too. They cross his arms and kick his legs out from under him, knocking him onto his knees.
"No!" Cordelia screams, pulling her arms from Bo and pounding against the glass as a man in black beskar armor lands, knowing the man has to be Moff Gideon.
"Disarm him." Gideon orders. Din struggles against them, but they do as told, leaving him defenseless. Gideon removes his own helmet and Cordelia glares at him, wishing they had killed him when they had the chance.
"Thank you for gathering the Mandalorians into one place. You were a talented people, but your time has passed. However, as you can see, Mandalore will live on in me. Thanks to your planet's rich resources, I have created the next generation of Dark Trooper suit forged from beskar alloy. And the most impressive improvement is that it has me in it. You see, every society has something to offer. The cloners. The Jedi. And even the Mandalorians. By aggregating the best of each, I will create an army that will bring order to the galaxy. Why don't we take your fleet off the board while we still have the element of surprise. Activate the interceptors and bombers." He announces.
"No!" Bo shouts. The Imperials in the base begin rushing around to follow the order.
"In but a few moments, the Purge of Mandalore will be complete." Gideon says. He gestures to Din. "Take him to the debriefing room."
"No!" Cordelia yells, pounding on the glass as Gideon laughs. Din looks to her and Grogu, then Bo.
"Keep them safe." He tells her. Bo nods as she watches him being dragged away before turning to Gideon.
"I should have killed you when I had the chance." She says.
"Bo-Katan. We have to stop meeting like this." He taunts. He ignores Cordelia as she still pounds desperately on the glass, turning his attention to a more interesting target.
"I'll make sure of it." Bo replies.
"Let's skip the pleasantries, shall we? I believe this is the part where you return the Darksaber to its rightful owner." He tells her. She unclips the weapon from her belt and holds it up. "Now, surrender the Darksaber, and tell these people that this planet is mine." She turns to Paz and nods.
"This is the Way." He says, firing at the door. Two Mandalorians pull Cordelia away from it as the others join. She struggles to get free, screaming at them to let her go and that she won't leave him.
Bo gets to work on cutting a hole in the other door with the Darksaber, finishing after the other door opens and the Imperials fire on the group.
"Fall back! I'll cover the rear!" Paz calls as they begin escaping through the hole.
Cordelia finds Grogu after they both go through. She spots Bo still on the other side and quickly grabs the arm of IG-12, pulling him away from the group before Bo can stop them.
"Come on. We're going to save your dad." She tells him, reaching up to take his small hand.
"Yes." He agrees. She forces a smile to hide her fear and kisses the top of his head, grateful that he's here.
"Let's go." Cordelia says, leading the way.
YOU ARE READING
The Mandalorian's Bounties | Din Djarin
FanfictionCordelia wakes up with no memories. She doesn't know who she is, let alone why she wakes up in a strange building with a Child at her side. The only thing she does know is that she must protect him at all costs. After spending months with her appare...
