PURPOSE | The Mandalorian

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"Remember when you said the plan always goes to shit?" I asked as the walker fired again, this time hitting the wall a lot closer to our tower. He jumped into motion, covering me with his body while debris rained down.

I shouted at him, covering my own head, "Well, this-" My words trailed off as an idea flashed into my brain.

Din raised his head from to look me in the face, his own visor mere inches from my own. "What?" He yelled.

"I have an idea!" I shoved him off of me as I jumped over the edge of the tower. It was at least fifteen feet from the top of the tower to the ground, so I had to roll forward once my feet hit the grass to absorb the shock. I landed over the wall, and the AT-ST spotlights immediately snapped to me.

"Cover me!" I screamed back at Din before I launched myself into a run, dodging blaster bolts left and right as I ran straight for the walker. I ignored Din's frantic screams back at me as I kept running, bolts raining down again once more from behind the wall.

From the tower, I was too far away to try and use the Force to pull it forward, so I needed to get to the safest place I could be while being close enough to the walker to force it to step into the trenches. Which just so happened to be directly beneath it.

A few bolts flew by me that were way to close for comfort, one just grazing the unprotected part of my thigh. I sucked it a sharp breath, seething as the singed skin stung and burned, but I kept pushing myself forward. I had to get close enough in order for this to work. I had too.

But I saw the blaster bolt flying straight for my chest too late. I didn't have time to dodge it as it hit me square in the beskar chest plate, knocking me off balance and sending me flying into the last trench, the one that was the closest to the walker. It was filled with water, and it was deep enough that the water soaked my clothes all the way up to my collar bones.

My teeth chattered against the freezing water as I slapped the surface in fiery anger. I was probably close enough to the walker, but I couldn't risk pulling myself out of the trench now. I'd be an easy target for the blaster cannons mounted on the AT-ST, and while I trust my beskar armor to hold up against the cannons, the impact would send me flying across the battlefield, probably breaking all of my limbs in the process.

"C'mon," I whispered to myself as I tried to focus, "You have to do this."

The cold water froze the burn on my leg, and to my surprise, being in the water helped calm my senses. My fingers began tingling way faster this time, and the current of the Force surrounding the battlefield raged like a tornado.

I inhaled a deep breath, reaching out to the current surrounding the AT-ST. It swirled and crashed and I tried to force myself into it but it quickly threw me out.

"No," I hissed in a silent prayer, "Let me in."

I tried again, but to no avail.

"Jeyna!"

I opened my eyes to see silver armor sprinting towards me, dodging blaster bolts with the ease of a mountain cat. But my eyes widened as I heard the cannons on the AT-ST powering up behind me.

I screamed, "Din, no!"

He skidded to a stop, staring right down the barrel of the cannons, but it was too late.

The sound of the cannons firing pierced my ears as I witnessed Din get two huge blaster bolts straight to the chest. The bolts launched him all the way across the field of krill pools, and he hit the ground hard right before he slammed into the wall. He didn't get up.

My breath caught in my lungs as my heart stopped. No no no no no...

I shot forward, placing my hands on the edge of the trench to pull myself out. As I heaved upwards, the dirt edge gave way and I slipped back into the trench, my head fully submerged under the water. I involuntarily sucked in a mouthful of the dirty water, choking and coughing it up once my head broke the surface. Water poured out of my helmet and I was forced to take it off or risk choking on it again.

I launched my helmet away from me, not even caring which direction it went. Once my lungs stopped seizing and I could get my coughs under control, I snapped my head back to where Din was still lying, his body deathly still on the ground in front of the wall.

I couldn't hear anything over the sounds of the blasters being fired, but I could see Cara shouting something at Din's body while she continued to mow down the oncoming raiders.

My mind was frantic, my lungs were burning and sucking down as much air as they could, and my heart shattered into a million pieces at the sight of Din laying lifeless in front of the wall.

I was going to fucking murder this goddamn walker.

Forgoing any attempt to gently insert myself in the current of the Force, my vision went white with anger as I screamed. The sound was guttural, ripping through my vocal chords and shaking my whole body to its core.

I spun, launching myself out of the trench as I stared down the AT-ST. The barrels of its cannons glowed a dark red as they powered up, aiming straight at me.

But I violently shoved both palms out in front of me, forcing my power into the current around the walker and demanding the Force surrounding it to pull it forward, crush it like a tin can, or shred it into a thousand pieces. I didn't care how it died, as long as this walker was dead in the next five seconds.

My power pushed on the AT-ST, surrounding it from every side. It crushed down on the metal walls, on its legs, on every inch of it. The red glow in the cannons slowly dwindled as it groaned in protest. The groaning of the metal grew louder and louder until the entire thing snapped and cracked. It was being crushed in on itself, the metal crinkling and folding until it was as flat as it could possibly be. It's legs were warped and it's body was severely misshaped, and I had never heard a more satisfying sound than the sound of that goddamn AT-ST crashing to the ground.

Everything around me halted as I used the last dregs of my power to pull it to the ground, a loud boom making the earth quake, large plumes of dirt and grass being launched into the air. When the crash of the walker hitting the ground stopped echoing across the battlefield, the air surrounding it fell deathly silent. The low electric buzz of the Force in my ear fizzled to nothing and I forced myself not to collapse of exhaustion.

I glared at the remaining raiders staring at me with terror in their eyes and prayed that I looked like I wasn't about to pass out.

"Get out of my sight," I spat, and they all jumped when I spoke. "And never come back."

The raiders stood frozen for a moment before sprinting back to the trees, retreating forever.

Once the last raiders was gone, cheers erupted from behind the wall and I finally allowed myself to come crashing to the ground. My legs were so weak and my entire body was drained.

Din.

I somehow found the strength to get to my feet again. I needed to reach Din. He has to be alive.

It felt like an eternity had passed by the time I reached him. I collapsed beside his body, tears starting to slip down my cheeks. I placed a shaking hand on his chest and gently shook him.

"Din," I sobbed around the lump in my throat, "Din, please wake up."

He didn't move. The tears fell faster now and I couldn't control the violent sobs the wrecked through my body. I grabbed him with both hands and wept, laying my forehead on his chest plate.

But I snapped my head back up when I realized that his chest was moving up and down. His breathing was weak, but he was alive.

Cara ran and slid up beside me, her hands hovering over Din, like she was unsure of where to place them. "Holy shit," She murmured, her breathing shaky, "Holy shit, holy shit."

I scrambled, moving the neck of his undershirt so I could feel for his pulse. A cosmic release of pressure was released in my chest when I felt the slow but steady beat of his heart.

"He's alive," I breathed hysterically, "Holy fucking shit, he's alive."

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Word count: 2166

Finally, some action!

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Ch 10 published: January 10th, 2021