chapter 67: the capture •••
By the next morning's daybreak, Astra and Din have already been briefed on the new plan. The Armorer is to take the wounded and weakened survivors to the rest of the fleet on the Gauntlet while the rest, most notably their captain, bring the scouting party to the Great Forge. They've just helped the Armorer get the wounded aboard when the captain calls to his brethren.
"Onward, Mandalorians!" he commands. "To the Forge!"
Astra, Din, and Grogu stand alongside Bo-Katan as the glider heads further and further away from where the Gauntlet's now taking off. There's an ache trapped between Astra's chest and the beskar armor that covers it. The ship is getting closer to the fleet, where the rest of the Mandalorians continue to wait for them; Where her daughter waits.
Part of Astra wishes she was on that ship right now, heading back to take Zora in her arms and never let her go.
Then the touch of Din's hand upon her back grounds Astra to reality again, and she doesn't regret a single effort spent helping him and his people. After all, they're her people now, too. Astra turns her head to look up at him and the way his visor tilts at her convinces that everything will be okay. Din touches his helmet to her forehead before he steps away to lead the group back towards the rest of the scouting party.
The four of them are on the upper deck looking out at the Mandalorians gathered below when Grogu comes to Astra's side. She turns her gaze towards him and watches the wrinkles on his tiny forehead multiply. Grogu coos, a question Astra doesn't need to translate to answer.
Astra just smiles the best she can. Grogu closes his eyes and no later does Astra earn a strong sensation of relieving warmth in her chest. It's too overpowering to have been caused by Grogu's energy alone. Astra's smile becomes more genuine when Grogu reopens his eyes and gives her a hopeful glance. She takes one of his little hands in hers and brushes her thumb over it.
"Thank you," Astra whispers to him. She lifts her hand to brush her fingers along his ear. Grogu coos as his big brown eyes light up at her.
Astra's almost surprised by Din taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. She turns her head towards him and finds comfort in the dark void of his visor. Din's voice is low when he speaks to her. "I felt it, too."
Astra smiles before her gaze falls to her feet. She hears Din's armor rustle as he steps even closer to her side and waits patiently for her. Astra tries to piece together what she wants to say in her mind, but each one comes with an apology.
Din's free hand presses underneath Astra's chin to urge her to lift her head once again and face him. He keeps his gloved fingers there, encouraging her to seek refuge in him. Astra's more than grateful to oblige. "It's okay." Din's voice is so soft it crackles through his modulator. He adds a reassuring nod. "I've been worrying about her, too."
Astra sighs and lets her vulnerability show for only just a moment. "Will it always be this way?"
"It will." Din huffs with amusement and gives her hand another squeeze. "Who are we if not worriers over our loved ones?"
Astra laughs with him and closes her eyes, steadying herself with a breath. "You're right." She meets Din's visor again. "She's okay."
"And she'll continue to be." Din nods once more before he lowers his hands from her and stands where he was before.
It's not long before they're pulled aside by Bo-Katan to discuss the Great Forge in more depth, as well as strategy for multiple contingencies. Grogu has since gone to join the other Mandalorians as they watch Paz and Axe play a board game. Astra checks up on him over her shoulder every once in a while, but what grabs everyone's attention isn't from Astra's own observation. It's from the heightened volume of Paz's and Axe's voices.
Din shares a look with their small group before he stands and makes his way over to the railing. Bo-Katan and Astra follow, and Astra's close enough to Din to hear the sigh he lets out at the sight of Paz standing with his vibroblade drawn. Astra's eyes widen as she looks up at Din, who returns her glance with a reassuring tilt of his helmet.
Astra furrows her brow at her husband. "Shouldn't we do something about this?" she whispers to him.
Din sets a hand on her back and gestures with his helmet to the brewing fight. "Let's wait and see."
Astra's attention snaps back to Paz just in time to watch Axe lunge towards him. The two go back-and-forth with pushes that quickly turn to punches. Astra's brought back to the duel she witnessed between Din and Paz, though thankfully, the stakes are much lower for her in this one.
Once the fight has gone on longer than expected, Din exhales and lowers his hand from Astra's back. He swings his helmet towards Bo-Katan. His voice is low when he speaks to her. "Should I step in?"
Bo-Katan shakes her head at him. "Neither side can step in." She raises her brow at the sight in front of them. "It was bound to happen sooner or later."
Din shifts his weight between his feet and doesn't respond. Astra crosses her arms over her cuirass and moves herself closer to his side. Her gaze watches him rather than the fight, but when she follows where his visor is looking, she discovers the real reason for his strong unease. Right near the heart of the fight is Grogu, who wears an expression of distress within IG-12 as he watches the two Mandalorians fight.
Astra's about to make a move to take Grogu away from the chaos when he takes the initiative of stepping directly towards it. She has to hold back a gasp when he steps between two swinging vibroblades held by the fierce warriors. She's only a moment from activating her jetpack to make her way down to Grogu when IG-12's arms push Paz and Axe away from each other.
Grogu's tiny finger begins to spam the "no" button. "No. No. No. No. No." A worried stitch sits between his enlarged and pleading eyes.
The tension leaves Astra only when Grogu's actions get the two warriors to successfully stand down. The shame is clear on both their faces at the fact a child had to step in between them. Paz and Axe share an almost apologetic look before they walk away from each other once and for all.
With the threat to Grogu now eliminated, Astra lets herself smile in pride of their son. She glances up at Din just as he sets a gloved hand on her shoulder, the tilt of his helmet a hint to the smile that's also shining underneath his beskar.
Her attention is drawn to Bo-Katan when the heiress speaks to them. "You taught your apprentice well."
Din shrugs and gestures to Astra. "He didn't learn that from me."
Astra scoffs and nudges his armored shoulder with her own. "That's simply not true." She nods at Bo-Katan. "He taught Grogu very well."
Din swings his helmet in his shyness. Astra chuckles and watches as he nods in Grogu's direction. She turns her head and sees Grogu nodding back at him.
Astra grins at Grogu and looks up at her husband once again. "He's ready to be an apprentice."
Din tilts his helmet at her. "This adventure's not over yet, rid'ika." He softens when he glances at Grogu again. "But I agree with you."
Astra's about to say more when a whistle stops her from doing so. "There!" one of the survivors calls out from above them. "On the starboard bow!"
All the Mandalorians on the deck below them rise to approach the starboard bow. Concerned chatter makes its way around the ship while Astra rests her hands on the railing in front of them to get a better view. Din sets a careful hand on her back as he steps alongside her to do the same thing.
That's when they all see the rock structures in the distance moving. The jagged rocks reveal themselves to be spikes on the back of what's shaping up to be a massive, and no doubt dangerous, creature.
The Mandalorians prepare for battle and Din wastes no time at Astra's side in making his way down to the lower deck. She follows him closely, her eyes widening in horror as the horizon disappears and crumbles into crashing rock. The creature emerges from it with a roar that makes the entire vessel shake.
Everyone races to take defensive positions while the survivors attempt to steer the ship away from the massive creature. Their efforts are in vain when the creature rocks the ship so hard that the Mandalorians get knocked from their feet. Din grabs Astra's waist just in time to cushion her fall however he can.
"Abandon ship!" the survivors' captain calls out.
Astra and Din make it back onto their feet while the others start to jetpack away, but there's only one thought screaming in her mind. "Grogu!" she cries out in panic.
Din tries to clear a path for both of them through the masses to get to Grogu, but before they can even get close, both Paz and Axe work together to lift Grogu off the ship. Astra doesn't have time for relief. Din takes her by the hand to lead her off the ship with him just before the creature's tail destroys the ship in one blow. Without a helmet, Astra's face gets hit with small pieces of the debris, causing her to lift her free arm to guard herself the best she can.
They follow the others towards the mouth of a cave. Din and Astra land just outside as the others do, but rather than going right inside, Din quickly turns to Astra and holds her face. "Find Grogu!" he urges her, raising his voice above the commotion.
Astra nods and doesn't hesitate to comply. The warmth in her chest at the way he stays to help those behind them is overshadowed by her panic as she hops inside the cave and looks for IG-12's tall figure. Astra doesn't hold back her deep exhale of relief when she sees him flanked by Paz and Axe just a few paces away. She approaches him and takes IG-12 by the shoulders. "Are you okay?" she asks him.
Grogu coos in the affirmative, yet wrinkles his brow as he points at her face. Astra takes a moment to wipe her gloved fingers over a stinging part of her face and finds a small streak of blood left behind.
"I'm all right," Astra assures her son. "It's just from the debris."
It's not long before Din makes it over to them. He sets a hand on each of their shoulders. "You good?" he asks, looking between them. They both nod, but Din's helmet tilts with dismay as he lifts a hand to the side of her head. "Your face is bleeding."
"Just a couple of scratches." Astra sets a hand over his. "I'm fine."
The creature's roar rocks the cave around them, causing everyone to brace themselves. "We're not far," the captain raises his voice to inform the group. "We need to go further down."
The Mandalorians begin to follow his orders. The captain remains where he is to make sure everyone's made it ahead. Din, Astra, and Grogu stay together as a unit while they follow the others, making their way deeper into the cave. The further they get inside, the more the rumbling subsides, promising safety in a way that makes Astra's chest loosen just a bit more.
The twisting tunnels eventually open up into a massive clearing. The group, propped up on a tall ledge, slows as they look out at the wide-open structures in the rock. Grogu coos with curiosity behind Din and Astra as they continue to keep him shielded. Some of the Mandalorians remove their helmets as they stride ahead and observe the space around them. Astra looks up and her jaw drops open at the complexity of the structures that rise tall above their heads.
Din takes a quick glance at Paz, who's since taken his place alongside them. "Where are we?" Din questions.
Axe becomes the one to answer. "This is what's left of the Great Forge." His voice is tense as he goes on. "This was once the heart of our civilization." He pauses, and Astra exchanges a look with Din. He keeps himself close enough to her side for it to brush against his own. "But the fires have been extinguished since the bombings."
"You lived here?" Paz asks.
"We all did," Koska responds.
"We never left," the captain adds. Astra watches the way he regards the space with such reverence and appreciation. "Survived by migrating along the surface until the war ended. Some tried to explore below, but none survived."
Silence blankets the area for a moment, but it's quickly broken by a distant whooshing. Din takes a step forward as his visor rises. "Jetpacks?"
Every head turns at Din's words. Astra's eyes start to widen as she spots the group of approaching fighters. "More survivors?" Axe suggests.
When they get closer, his question is answered. "Those aren't Mandalorians," Bo-Katan warns, setting her helmet back over her head. The group follows suit and draws their weapons. Astra's blaster is in her hand and firing without a single moment to waste.
The armored fighters fire without hesitation at the Mandalorians, causing both Din and Astra to continue shielding Grogu with their own armor. Once they're closer, their white armor becomes apparent, causing the group to fall upon a horrifying conclusion. "They're Imperials!" Axe says the truth for all of them.
Din turns to Grogu and urges him behind one of the rock structures. "Take cover!" he instructs their son, who obeys without question. Astra and Din continue to remain in front of him as they counter the Imperial attack.
"How did we not run into them our first time here?" Astra asks Din, raising her voice over the firefight.
"We got lucky," Din remarks. "It makes sense that those TIE interceptors found us on Kalevala, though."
Their conversation is interrupted by Axe giving a warning to them all. "They're wearing beskar armor!"
Astra watches Din's demeanor change even more at those words. His body tenses with volatile anger that Astra doesn't dare try to control. Wearing beskar without bathing in the Living Waters or taking the Creed is a violation Din takes very seriously. His first meeting with Cobb Vanth proved that.
But this truth also creates a dangerous problem: These Imperials won't be taken down nearly as easily as the typical stormtrooper.
"We're pinned down," Din calls out. "We need backup."
"I can make a run for the fleet and get us reinforcements," Axe volunteers.
"No, it's too far," Bo-Katan insists.
"I can make it," Axe assures her. "It's our only shot at taking the planet back."
And staying alive, Astra holds her tongue.
"There's a split in the ceiling there," Paz observes. "I'll lay down cover."
Din and Astra provide extra support as Axe makes his run. He successfully flies his way out of the cave, providing Astra with a moment of relief. It turns to thick dread when a realization falls upon her. "How will he communicate with the fleet?" Astra asks Din. "The atmosphere's still cutting us off."
Din tilts his helmet. "Then he'll fly through it."
Astra's brow lifts in disbelief. "Will he make it?"
Din dodges a blaster bolt and reciprocates the blast. "We'll find out."
Astra takes a glance around to see more and more Mandalorians falling at the endless rain of blaster fire. The Imperials still have the high ground and the advantage of moving around more easily. Some of them even start to land on the cliff the Mandalorians are pinned to, overpowering them in a way that makes fear claw at Astra's chest for the first time in too long.
One Imperial tries to fly directly at Din, Astra, and Grogu, but Din doesn't hesitate to approach him first. He uses a single arm to tackle the trooper to the ground before blasting him over and over again. It's only when the trooper's motionless that Din returns to Astra's side.
"This isn't a sustainable position," Astra tells him, her voice strained with worry. "We're way too exposed here. They'll pick us off way before backup arrives."
"I know," Din agrees. "But..."
He pauses when a shocking shift starts to turn in the tide of the firefight. The Imperials start to fall back, sprinting away from the Forge and the attacking Mandalorians. "They're retreating!" Paz confirms the sight Astra still can't bring herself to believe.
"Advance!" Bo-Katan commands the group. She leads the way into the tunnel the Imperial troopers have started to escape through.
"For Mandalore!" some of the group starts to call out while they file behind Bo-Katan.
Din turns around to face Grogu. "Okay, kid," he's gentle yet urgent with his words. "You've gotta keep up."
Grogu nods, and the three of them take off without another word. Astra stays at Din's side with Grogu close behind them, following the lead of the rest of the group. The more they go on, the more Astra notices Din preparing to advance to the front. As badly as she wants to join him, she forces herself to listen to her motherly instincts. "Din," she calls for him, earning his attention even as they continue to run. "Go ahead to the front. I'll stay back with Grogu."
Din gives her a quick glance. "Are you sure?"
Astra offers him a nod and the best smile she can manage. "I'm sure. That's where you're needed." She takes his free hand and gives it a quick squeeze. "Be careful."
"You too." Din lifts their entwined hands to his cuirass. "Ni kar'tayl—."
"—Gar darasuum." Astra finishes with a fond nod of her head. Din releases her hand and sprints his way to the front, causing Astra to steady herself with a breath as she glances at Grogu. "You're doing great, ad'ika! Stay with me, okay?"
Grogu nods and keeps IG-12 in stride with her. The tunnel transforms from a cutout in the rock structure to an Imperial-reinforced walkway. The structures alongside them remind Astra all too well of Star Destroyers and light cruisers, like the one she'd once been imprisoned on. She keeps Grogu close at her side and buries her worries in favor of shooting at any of the lingering Imperials. Astra doesn't have much work to do with Din plowing through them at the front, using his body as a shield. She's struck with the conflicting feelings of admiration for his strength and worry.
It's not long before the tunnel at last opens up into an expansive space where the Imperials start to take flight with their jetpacks once again. The group continues to shoot after them, but stops with nowhere left to go. Astra struggles to see from where she stands in the group, but when the group stops shooting in favor of looking around, her stomach drops with dread. All she really needs to see is the collection of TIE fighters docked above their heads to understand what's happening.
"It's a trap," Astra breathes to herself in disbelief.
"What is this place?" Bo-Katan asks aloud.
A hiss from behind them confirms that a blast door's just locked them inside. Astra's body finally catches up to her mind as she starts trying to fight her way to the front. "It's a trap!" she exclaims. Her blood turns to ice when she notices where the threshold of the next blast door is.
And Din's standing on the other side of it.
"Din!" Astra cries out. "It's a trap!"
Din whips his head around to face her, but it's too late. Astra gets to the blast door just as it falls, causing her to run right into it. Her body shakes with a mixture of anger and fear so intense that it consumes her. There's no way for her to get to him. "It's an ambush!" Din says the words that only make Astra's heart fall even more. Now, she's forced to watch as the Imperials descend upon Din and the other three Mandalorians he's trapped with.
They're outnumbered, with no cover and no way for the rest of the group to get to them. "No," Astra chokes the word out, looking away from the sight only to search the walls for a control panel. "Is there a panel?" She's in denial the more she goes on. "There has to be a way."
Astra's attention is drawn from the things around her when the light of the flames from Din's gauntlet light up the small space. He's fighting for his life, and she's being forced to watch in the cruelest way. The other Mandalorians alongside him have already fallen in defeat, leaving just Din with at least eight Imperials advancing on him.
Astra bangs her fist on the transparisteel of the blast door. "Din!" she calls out. She doesn't know what else to do or to say. Her body's in fight or flight and it only intensifies the closer the Imperials get to her husband. The others are still joining Astra in her efforts to take down the blast door somehow, but it's an impossible task.
One of the Imperials catches Din's wrist with a fibercord whip. He tries to shoot them down, but there's too many other troopers to worry about. Astra hits the transparisteel with both her fists, now, the adrenaline masking the ache her desperate actions create. She hits it with all her strength, watching as another fibercord whip catches Din by his neck and pulls him back.
"Din!" Astra's well aware of the fact her calls for him won't do anything, but she can't stop herself. She pulls her fist back to give the transparisteel a full-powered punch, repeating the action over and over again until the skin of her knuckles even underneath her glove goes raw.
Din's flamethrower stops when his second wrist is caught, leaving him defenseless once and for all. He doesn't stop fighting even as the Imperials cross over each other to pin Din's arms against his chest. Astra can only see red when they start forcing Din to his knees, and she's quick to reach for her vibroblade. She brings her arm back with the intention of hitting the weapon hard enough against the transparisteel to break it, but the motion's stopped by someone's grip behind her. Astra fights it until they start to speak to her.
"No," IG-12's voice pleads with her. Astra turns her head to face their son, whose expression is just as devastated as Astra's own. "No." Grogu lets out a desperate coo, as if he's begging for her to stop.
Astra nods at him, the action as numb as the sheathing of her vibroblade. She turns back to the sight of Din through the door, who's now been fully forced to the ground. Bo-Katan sets a hand on Astra's shoulder, but she can barely sense it. Her attention's been drawn to someone who's just landed a few paces away from Din, dressed head-to-toe in black beskar. Their helmet is decorated with red accents and sparse black spikes.
"Disarm him," their modulated voice demands.
Din struggles against the two Imperials at his sides as they pull whatever weaponry they can away from him. His jetpack and blaster get thrown aside, along with his vibroblade and all of his whistling birds. Astra hasn't felt this helpless since she watched the cyborg do the very same thing to him.
She should've listened to Din's warning about returning to Mandalore.
The figure in black approaches Din in a sinister stride. Astra's gloved hands curl up into fists, with one stinging from all of her desperate punches. Once they stop, they tear their helmet from their head, revealing their identity and making Astra's heart sink into the depths of her being.
Moff Gideon. Moff fucking Gideon.
Astra tries to make another move for the transparisteel, but both Bo-Katan and IG-12 hold her back. Her chest is heaving from anger, desperation, and trauma. She hasn't seen this man ever since he tried to kill both her and Grogu, and now, he's taking her husband. Even the blast door between them doesn't hide Din's own growl as he's forced to look up at Gideon.
"Thank you for gathering the Mandalorians into one place," Gideon begins. Bo-Katan's hand lowers from Astra as she stares him down through her visor. "You were a talented people, but your time has passed. However, as you can see," Gideon lifts his arms to show off his armor, "Mandalore will live on in me."
Astra can't look away from Din, who once again tries to fight the Imperials' group on him. They keep him pinned down.
"Thanks to your planet's rich resources," Gideon goes on, "I have created the next generation Dark Trooper suit forged from beskar alloy."
He walks even closer to Din, until he's standing right in front of him. Astra has to fight her hardest not to try to break through the door once again. Gideon looks at Din as he continues.
"And the most impressive improvement is that it has me in it. You see, every society has something to offer." Gideon looks up at Bo-Katan through the transparisteel. "The cloners. The Jedi." Grogu coos in sadness behind Astra. "And even the Mandalorians."
The group starts to rustle with unrest and volatile anger at Gideon's vile words.
"By aggregating the best of each, I will create an army that will bring order to the galaxy." Astra sees Din trembling with the same fury as herself. "Why don't we take your fleet off the board while we still have the element of surprise?"
Just when Astra thought it couldn't get any worse, her own breath goes sour in her lungs. Zora. Din must fall upon the same realization, because now, he won't stop fighting to free himself.
"Activate the interceptors and bombers," Gideon orders.
"No!" Bo-Katan gasps in panic.
The Imperials are quick in preparing themselves to get to their ships. Gideon smirks in pure delight and victory. "In but a few moments," he states, "the Purge of Mandalore will be complete."
Astra stumbles back a step, her mind now plagued with thoughts she can't begin to process. Zora was supposed to be safe with the fleet. We thought this through so many times. Astra's caught by IG-12, and she turns to look at Grogu again. Despite the horrors at hand, Grogu offers her a reassuring look, as if he's trying to convince her that Zora will be okay. Astra maintains her strength for him and focuses back on Gideon and Din, her anger once again taking precedence.
"It looks like I'm not the only one with new armor," Gideon says, his gaze now meeting Astra's own. "Did they give you that after what happened when we last met, Princess?"
Astra sneers at him. "Fuck you."
Gideon raises his brow, amused. "What a vulgar thing for someone of your rank to say." Gideon's gaze falls to Din. "Is that the mouth you kiss?"
"Proudly," Din doesn't hesitate to answer.
Gideon begins to smirk at him. "Makes sense with how quickly your family's grown."
Din's voice is a growl more hostile than Astra's ever heard him before. "Don't you fucking dare talk about my family."
"Trust me, we'll have plenty of time to talk about them." Gideon nods at the Imperials at Din's sides. "Take him to the debriefing room."
The Imperials close in on Din to lift him from the ground and drag him away. Din doesn't stop fighting even once. Astra wants to do the same, but she also doesn't want to give Gideon the satisfaction. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in a lame attempt to calm the wave of rage that crashes against her over and over again.
"I should have killed you when I had the chance," Bo-Katan speaks up.
Gideon turns from where he's been watching over Din's removal to meet Bo's visor. "Bo-Katan." His voice is light with amusement as he goes on. "We have to stop meeting like this."
Bo-Katan takes a threatening step closer to the blast door. "I'll make sure of it."
Gideon smiles. "Let's stop the pleasantries, shall we?" His smile drops as he starts to approach the door. "I believe this is the part where you return the Darksaber to its rightful owner."
Gideon stops and stares Bo-Katan down. She lifts the Darksaber in her hand as if she's teasing him.
"Now, surrender the Darksaber, and tell these people that this planet is mine."
Bo-Katan looks over at Astra. She nods at their ally, her patience just as worn as the Mandalorian leader's. Bo then nods at Paz, who speaks on their behalf. "This is the Way."
Astra stays at Paz's side when he leads the group in firing their weapons. She extends her blaster and fires while Bo-Katan makes her way to the door behind them and starts to cut a way out with the Darksaber. "Open the blast doors," Gideon orders. "Kill them."
Gideon sets his helmet over his head and flies away just as the blast door opens. Astra watches him and raises her voice loud enough over the firefight for him to hear her. "Coward!" She focuses on protecting Grogu while also making a vicious attack on any Imperial she can reach, using a fluid rotation of her blaster, her vibroblade, and her fibercord whip.
There's a trail of at least three Imperial troopers at Astra's feet by the time Bo-Katan gives her command. "Move out!"
"Move out!" the Mandalorians echo.
"Fall back!" Paz insists. "I'll cover the rear!"
Astra's tempted to keep killing as many Imperials as she can grab, but for Grogu's sake, she takes him by the arm and urges them towards Bo-Katan. "Go, go, go!" the Mandalorians continue to call out. They climb out of the circular hole Bo's carved one-by-one, reentering the tunnel. Astra urges Grogu out before herself.
While they wait for Bo-Katan and Paz, Astra pulls Grogu aside and holds IG-12 by the shoulders. "Grogu, ad'ika," she says, her voice breathless but certain, "your father and your sister need our help. We need to be at our best for them. Okay?"
Grogu nods, cooing to agree with her. He closes his eyes for a moment before he points towards the direction in which they took Din.
"Can you sense where your father is?" Grogu nods once again. Astra sighs in determination and nods. "Good. Very good." She starts to deflate and glances over her shoulder at the thought of her daughter.
Bo-Katan's approach keeps Astra from going on. "Come on," Bo urges the two of them. "We have to go."
Astra wrinkles her brow, but obeys the command. "Where's Paz?"
Bo-Katan's helmet stiffens. "He's not coming."
Astra grabs Bo-Katan by the arm. "What do you mean, he's not coming?"
Bo-Katan holsters one of her blasters to take a gentle grasp on Astra's wrist. "He's sacrificing himself for us. I tried to convince him not to."
Astra's gaze falls to the floor. She swallows hard and can barely speak past the lump in her throat. "So many losses."
"I concur." Bo-Katan and Astra move forward with Grogu at their side. Bo continues to glance over at Astra. "If you two want to go after Din, you should do it now."
Astra wants to fall apart just at the sound of his name, but she keeps herself strong. "But, Zora..." Astra can't make it past her name. The look she gives Bo-Katan is nothing short of desperate.
"We'll take care of the fleet, including your daughter," Bo assures her with a firm hand upon her armored shoulder. "Go get your husband."
Astra takes a deep breath and nods. "Thank you, Bo-Katan."
Bo returns the gesture. "This is the Way."
Astra somehow manages to smile at her. "This is the Way." She wastes no time as she focuses her attention on her son. "Are you ready, Grogu?"
Grogu nods, his brow now etched with pure determination. Astra offers him the smile she'd shown Bo-Katan and lifts her blaster.
"Lead the way."
Grogu closes his eyes and does what she says, his IG-12 suit using an impressive amount of speed as he takes Astra to wherever Din's being held. All she can do is focus on him and pray to the stars that they're not too late. •••