Mandalorian Revived

Chapter 13

The world is at peace, but I am far from it.

The warm breeze of Nevarro air pushes a few strands of hair from my face. Only the bottom half of the strands are red anymore since I haven't bothered to keep dyeing it. My blonde Vizsla hair will completely take over within a few trims if I don't redo it.

My head is spinning despite the relative calm around me. I'm sitting on top of my ship, watching as the Mandalorians below me start to put together a life on this planet. They'll unpack the ships and settle on the tract of land promised to us, but I don't know for how long.

Not now that the Armorer has tasked Bo and I with finding more Mandalorians.

I close my eyes, releasing a heavy sigh. I care about the covert. I care about the people within it and I respect what they believe. If I didn't, then I wouldn't be with Din. But this...this is a whole different idea.

The Armorer's words rattle around in my head.

Bo Katan and Tara Vizsla walk both worlds. And they can bring all tribes together. It is time to retake Mandalore.

She'd announced that to the entire covert when we returned from the forge. The look on Bo's face told me everything I needed to know. She was ready for this mission. She'd been ready for a very long time.

But am I?

We just got our land here. Nevarro was just within reach as a new home. And I like the idea of being here. Mandalore isn't my home anymore. For me, it's filled with dark memories and death. I barely made it through our first visit. But to live there?

And then there's Din.

I can't imagine he'd ever want to leave his covert and if we find a way for them to live on Mandalore...I don't know where that leaves us.

"I think I know where Axe Woves is keeping the fleet these days. We can leave whenever you're ready," Bo says, making me jump. I never even heard her climb up here. I turn around and nod. One of her eyebrows raises. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"That was the least convincing 'nothing' I've ever heard," she quips, echoing my jab from before the pirate flight.

I roll my eyes at her as she sits beside me. "I'm fine, really. Just thinking."

"About?"

I scoff. "I don't know, Bo. How about the fact that I've been accepted as a Mandalorian again for the first time since I was nine, or that now I'm suddenly supposed to help you find warriors to retake Mandalore? I don't know if I can do that. I don't even know if I'd want to live there."

My tone is a lot sharper than intended, but she doesn't shy away from it. Instead, she hums thoughtfully and looks at the horizon. The view is nothing darkened lava flats and trails of Mandalorians carrying supplies. And the baby foundlings.

"You always do this, you know," she says.

I frown and turn to face her. "Do what?"

"Doubt." An irritating grin stains her lips as she glances at me from the corner of her eye. "You kept your past a secret from Din because you doubted his love for you. You stayed with the Jedi because you doubted your ability to stay away from darkness. Now, you're finally a Mandalorian, and you're doubting that too."

My mouth opens and closes like a fish before I groan. "You talk to Din too much."

She lets out a quiet chuckle and turns to me. "Look, Tara. You are always going to be different from the rest of us. You are strong with the force, I've seen it. But being a Mandalorian doesn't mean we're all the same. It just means we value the same things. Whether you decide to live on Mandalore or not is up to you, but I know you care about it just like the rest of us. All I'm asking is that you help me make it ours again."