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pazvizslaplasmathrower · 4 years

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A Father’s Duty -Chapter 34

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Summary: Din and Cara are gone, leaving you and the baby to fend for yourselves as a new darkness approaches.

A/N: A lot happens here! Hope you all enjoy! As always, I love feedback and knowing how I can improve to give readers a better experience! I'm taking requests as always so please send some! <333 The next part is well on the way!

Having slept exceptionally well during your night at the Douz Outpost, your eyes opened lazily taking in the strong Tatooine sunlight streaming through a window. The entire town having been vastly changed since the end of the Empire, many more inhabitants flocked to it, constructing many buildings and questionable businesses.

Glancing down you could see the little one still sound asleep, his hands clutching the soft cloth of your shirt. Turning to the side, the remaining beds were empty, the fresh linens tucked and folded pristinely, as if Din and Cara hadn’t slept in them at all. Somewhat worried, you sat up, examining the rest of the room, finding only fine furnishings and nothing else. You could hear the general hum of the hectic borough, crowds rushing past one another, ships taking off, and speeders running below.

“Cara?” You whispered anxiously, wrapping the baby harness around your torso. “Pa-Buir?”

With no response, it was hard to not let worry consume your thoughts. Extending your mind, you tried to feel about for them. The connection to Din was stronger but not by much; still too distraught at being left alone with the baby, you found nothing.

Sensing your unease, the little one woke, looking rather unkempt; he obviously needed a bath but with your father and his friend missing and no sign of Greef Karga, now was not the time. Despite his little whines, you strapped him into the carrier with haste, slightly surprised he made no attempt to shove you away.

“Little Brother,” You said sternly. “Do you sense him, either of them?” The baby shook his small head much to your dismay. “Oh Force…”

There were a few options, none of which were all that great. You could stay put and wait until the both of them returned, you could explore the club below to look for Greef Karga or explore the streets for any sign of the Mandalorian. It sounded easy, after all, he was clad in Beskar that shone bright enough to blind someone.

“Search the inside, make sure they aren’t hiding anywhere…But go slow. I hear they’re a runner.”

Ears perking at the foreign voice, you thankfully realized it was from a few yards off and not right behind the door to the outside. There was no need to reach out into the Force, the malintent was suffocating the moment you could hear the low voice. Quietly running to the nearest window, you could see that you were about one story from the ground; any pursuers would no doubt have a difficult time following you out the window and through the crowds down below. Having the last option made your only one, you slipped out the window, bracing your body as you dropped to the ground, leaving your legs somewhat in a state of shock. They weren’t broken but had certainly been strained upon hitting the ground.

Already feeling the heat of the sun beating down, you were tempted to cast aside your cloak. Though it was a gift, and the only thing you had to mask yourself and the baby. After offering a quick plea to the ancestors that listened, you scampered off into the mass of people, praying no harm would come to your father.

The room was in complete disarray, the once neat beds overturned, the fine furniture that Greef probably treasured were cast about without care. While at first Din had panicked upon seeing no sign of the children, though while everything was certainly a mess, there was no sign of a brawl, meaning that Beviin and the baby had left.

“They’re gone…” he signed in relief.

Cara coming up from behind him scanned the room, making sure no one else remained. “We still have no idea who raided the ship last night, metal head. Whoever siphoned your fuel and chased your kids out is still loose.”

“Kriffing hell.” Thinking for a moment, Din chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“If those cloaked assholes were able to get away so fast, I need to sharpen my skills…”

Din’s friend righted as many furnishings as she could with ease when he remembered something of his own making. “I know how we can find them.”

“Oh yeah?” Cara grunted as she flipped over a heavy table.

“I made Beviin an armlet that they’re wearing,” Din said pulling out a small tracker from his belt, “They promised to wear it…There!” And with his creation working smoothly, Din was relieved to see the small red marker moving swiftly, but that moment only lasted so long. For if he remembered this part of Tatooine from the computer navigator correctly, the two of his children were heading right for Douz Outpost’s newest treasure. The promptly infamous combat arena.

You found yourself being squashed between many people, almost all much larger than yourself as you tried to move as far away from your pursuers as possible. After about half an hour of wandering through the Outpost streets, both you and the baby were hopelessly lost, having strayed far from not only those chasing you, but your father and Cara Dune as well.

When it finally seemed like the sea of people would never end, you stumbled out into a queue, all waiting for something quite impatiently. Loud curses in various languages rang out, confused and trying to regain your balance, your tripped directly into someone.

“Kark!”

Picking yourself off of the ground, you thankfully fell of your forearms, leaving your brother unharmed, but certainly annoyed.

“Watch where you’re goin’ kid! Are you a kriffing idiot?!”

The length line kept you from moving, allowing the person you fell upon to grab you by the shoulders. “Watch where you’re goin’ kid! Are you a kriffing idiot?!”

“S-Sorry, sir!” You stammered, trying to wiggle free.

“Sorry doesn’t…Wait a sec…” The aged human squinted, giving you a good look up and down. “Haven’t I seen you before?”

With much more tenderness, he set you down on the ground, dusting off your cloak, seemingly not noticing the little movement coming from underneath.

“No,” You admitted confusedly.

“Hmph.” His scrutinizing eyes were very much uncomfortable to feel upon you, but there was something unmistakably familiar. “You look a lot like someone I know…”

“Sorry, sir.” Glancing around you looked for a way out. “I’m not of anyone around these parts.”

“Well, if you say so. But ya remind me of this crazy old fool I used to know. Strange, wouldn’t have thought he would have ever had a kid, but what the hell do I know?”

“Well, I don’t really care.” You paused. “Do you know where we are?” The man seemed harmless enough, as he was past his prime and looked quite weary from many years on the desert planet.

“I guess since you’re not from here you wouldn’t know.” Moving a bit out of the way, the man gestured skyward, directing your gaze to the gargantuan building that had eluded your attention. The construction vied to touch the heavens, it seemed, casting an unusual shadow across the Douz Outpost, turning it into perhaps and accidental sundial. Though very strange in design, the familiar icon above the main entrance sent your pulse racing, this was another combat arena.

“GATES ARE OPEN!” A loud voice cried from somewhere ahead.

In that instant, the queue flowed forward in a mad rush, forcing you to dash ahead to avoid being trampled. Your connection very strong, you assured your brother you wouldn’t let go, you would keep him safe until your last breath and then some. Still, you could feel his fear, that tiny heart beating furiously; he was begging for some sort of respite. When the line that swarmed the hallway expanded into the much-needed shade of the arena, you found a small hiding spot from under the first set of seating. Throwing your cloak open, you pulled the baby from his carrier, holding him with both hands, but giving room to move. He only offered quiet cries as he scrambled to move closer to you.

“Oh…” You mumbled in recognition. “I’m sorry. You just wanted to see.” Taking him your arms, you bounced him lightly, humming softly. Of course, being bundled up underneath a heavy fabric in the endless heat would be alarming enough but added was the threat of being chased and lost in a massive crowd.

“I’m scared too, little brother.” You whispered. “But we’re gonna be okay.” Your swaying was not only to ease the baby but you as well. Staring off at nothing in particular, a downpour of memories repressed were falling back.

“Hey!”

Head snapping up, your eyes widened.

“No children allowed in here!” Rather quickly, a rather gruff looking Gand emerged from the main hallway.

Not wanting to be cast out from your hiding spot, away from whoever had been hunting you down, you sprinted past him, running as fast as you could spinning past anyone in your way, looking for anywhere to hunker down for a good while. Refusing to enter the arena, an inconspicuous entryway caught your attention. Not looking too far ahead, you pressed on, slipping past the two tired wards at either side of the opening. If you had just spared one look up, you would have noticed the heavy gate, one designed to keep things inside.

When you could no longer hear any footsteps from behind, you slowed down to a tentative walk until the meager lighting from the torches along the walls led you to a well beaten metal door. Far bigger than twenty men lined head to toe, your heart sank. Fear shaking your core, you dared to reach out into the living Force, coming upon something very much alive far too quickly for your liking. Pressing your back against a wall, you stared hard into the darkness, nearly willing whatever was there to stay put.

“Took you long enough to notice! Nice to see young blood around these parts!”

The vile laugh that followed made your stomach churn. Snatching a torch from the wall, you thrust it forward, revealing the amused grin of a severely beaten Devaronian. Part of you felt a sense of sympathy. Clearly, he had seen many rounds, and he had been lucky enough to survive all of them so far. Seeing your fearful expression, the Devaronian lurched forward in a weak attempt to grab at you and the child but was stopped promptly by a thick chain keeping him almost flush against the opposite wall.

“Did…Did the Master send you in to take over for me?” He wheezed, righting himself.

“No.”

Leaning against the wall, the Devaronian’s lax demeanor eased your tension by a fraction.

“Well! It doesn’t look like you have much of a choice now!”

Everything was happening so fast, so intensely, giving you barely a second to process anything. You had barely been away from the Mandalorian for more than a handful of hours and the whole world seemed to have its own personal vendetta against you. What you needed was just a moment, just more than a few moments to take a breath and calm your mind. But you would have no such luck. To your absolute horror, the massive doors were opened rapidly, armored guards throwing them open with immense strength, barely giving you enough time to hide your brother underneath your cloak once again. For a second, they were baffled at your presence, looking from the Devaronian and then back to you. Afraid fighting would reveal the baby’s appearance, you remained frozen. Deciding that a wide eyed child seemed much for lively and keen on staying alive, both of them seized one of your arms, dragging you into the blinding light of the arena, thunderous cheers hammering at your eardrums.

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