𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 - DIN DJARIN

Chapter 20: Salvation

"I hope so," the Armorer answers, continuing to go about her business. "Some may have escaped off-world."

Din remains silent yet again, looking down at his feet as if he's gaining the faith to say something. You all stare at him, awaiting his words. He speaks them with sheer hope. "Come with us," he asks her.

"No," the Armorer insists, her tone revealing her unwavering opinion on the matter. "I will not abandon this place until I have salvaged what remains."

You all watch as the Armorer takes her hovercart back into the forgery, unsure of what to do. Din suddenly starts to follow after her, and so you all follow suit, you trailing close behind Din. Almost numbly you see him reach for your hand, and you secure it in your grasp, entwining your fingers with his and giving it a squeeze of comfort. You all gather around as you watch the Armorer set a cuirass into the heater, her visor never leaving her task as she speaks again.

"Show me the one whose safety deemed such destruction," she instructs, finally looking to Din afterwards.

Din gestures to where the child now rests in IG-11's arms. "This is the one," he tells her, and you note the way he's continued speaking with an evident amount of respect in his tone. You realize that the Armorer must be one of the only parental figures he's had in his life ever since he was a child. You give his hand another squeeze at the thought.

The Armorer observes the child carefully, her helmet tilted in curiosity. "This is the one that you hunted, then saved?" she questions. The child's ears droop in a shy manner.

"Yes," Din confirms with a soft breath. "The one that saved me as well."

The Armorer looks over at Din, keeping the tilt to her helmet. "From the mudhorn?" she clarifies.

"Yes," Din answers yet again.

The Armorer looks back to the child, and her sympathy for the foundling becomes evident. "It looks helpless," she insists, and the child coos nervously in response. Your heart softens as you suddenly yearn to hold him affectionately and make him feel at ease.

"It's injured, but it is not helpless," Din assures her, and you wince a bit at the thought of the child being hurt. Din gives your hand a squeeze upon hearing you. "Its species can move objects with its mind."

The Armorer heads back to her work, giving Din a quick glance before she speaks again. "I know of such things," she informs him. Din tilts his helmet curiously at her as she elaborates. "The songs of eons past tell of battles between Mandalore The Great and an order of sorcerers called Jedi that fought with such powers."

Din draws in a breath, and you look up at him to see his helmet stiff with disbelief. "It is an enemy?" he reflects in an empty voice.

"No," the Armorer says thoughtfully. "Its kind were enemies, but this individual is not."

Din watches as the Armorer crosses the room, heading towards more tools. "What is it?" he asks her.

"It is a foundling," the Armorer answers simply. She opens a chest of tools, looking through it as she continues. "By Creed, it is in your care."

The child looks at Din and coos upon hearing that, and you feel your heart warm as you also look up at Din. You can tell he retains mixed feelings of happiness upon gaining official custody over the child, but also fear at his ability to sustain a child under his care. You give his hand a squeeze, reminding him that he won't be alone in it. "You... wish me to train this thing?" Din questions, and you can now tell that his worries don't lie in the simple caretaking process—but in the thought of having to train a child with powers he doesn't wield himself.