Across the Universe | D. Djarin

The cursed planet

Din groaned loudly again and I tried to move my head to get a look at him, but the cage was prohibiting me from moving. I could only just see over his shoulder and the strange creature that was staring straight at us. It had one human eye but the rest of it looked robotic.

"Din!" I called out more desperately. Hearing him quietly groaning in pain.

"He's...taking my blood." Din murmured so quietly that I almost didn't hear him.

"Kriff!" I exclaimed, the panic I was feeling only raised. I tried to look for where the tube or needle was but I couldn't see anything. My heart started to hammer aggressively in my chest as I looked for it. My mind was so panicked I didn't even try to use the force at first, everything but Din had left my mind.

Suddenly, the sound of a blaster bolt echoed throughout the cave that we were being held in. After the first shot, blaster bolts were fired repeatedly towards the thing that had been keeping us. I tried to peek over Din's shoulder to see who was there but I still couldn't see much.

I heard the sound of electricity crackling as it made contact with something. I heard a woman groan in pain and I had a feeling that it was Bo-Katan. She was hit with the electricity again and again, groaning at every hit.

My anxiety started to spike again as Don's breathing started to slow. My eyes filled with tears as I helplessly looked around for the object that was causing this. I briefly heard the noise of a saber igniting, but I was too focused on the way Din was groaning quieter and quieter. He was losing strength and consciousness. My mind briefly flickered back to that day on Nevarro, to the pain that I had felt when I thought I was going to lose him.

I could hear the noise of Bo-Katan fighting against the creature with a saber. After a moment, a loud thud came from outside of the cage.

"Bo?" I called out, wanting to make sure that she wasn't the one to fall.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out of here." Bo-Katan replied. I relaxed ever so slightly but my anxiety was still at an all time high.

"Din, are you okay?" She directed the question to my Mandalorian since he hadn't spoken. Silence followed her question. I looked up and I could just see her over Din's head.

"Can you hear me?" Bo-Katan prompted again. There was complete silence for a moment and then Din mumbled incoherently. I felt the smallest amount of relief at the fact that he was still conscious.

"Din. I can't hear you. Are you trying to say something?" Bo-Katan asked him.

"Behind you." Din muttered weakly. Just as Din spoke, I heard a crashing sound from where Bo-Katan stood. I flinched slightly at the loud noise. Din's breathing was continuing to slow down and a few tears escaped my eyes as I started to fear the worst. I have to get him out of here now.

The noise of Bo-Katan fighting slowly drifted into the distance as a strange feeling overwhelmed me. I could tell it was the force, but it was unlike any part of the force I've ever felt. All I could feel was fear and rage building within me, the fear was the strongest as I listened to Din groan quietly in pain. It took me a moment to recognise what was happening. That the dark side of the force was trying to creep up on me.

It's then that I realised how easy it would be for me to fall into it, to let the feeling overtake me. Ahsoka and Master Skywalker were right, fear and attachment is the path to the dark side. I took in a deep breath and tried to focus on the love I felt for him, to push away my fear and focus on what I can do to help him. I can't let myself fall to the dark side.

I shuffled so my right arm was free and I moved so it was just above Din. I focused on the feeling of the force and took in a deep breath. I strained slightly as I pushed against the cage door. It didn't take long for the cage door to pop open, it swung down with a loud bang as it hit against the ground.