" farewell"
The end of the sewers brought them to sulfur smelling lava river the armorer spoke of. The gurgles of the lava filled the empty sewer walls.
As they walked closer to it, Din examined the boat and the droid that was to take them away. Din noticed that the droid to work the ship was long out of commission.
"It's fried."
"Yeah, but if we push the boat out, we can get it to float downstream. Come on" Karga says optimistically. He goes to begin pushing the boat with his own strength expecting Din to join him. "Looks old. Will it take the heat?"
"Got a better idea?" He strikes back.
"Guess not." He admits. Lana hands the child to IG gently. She makes her way to Din and Karga's side to begin pushing it off the docking. All their pushing and grunting didn't make it even move the slightest. Din pushes himself off angrily kicking the hunk of junk.
"Hey, remember you're still hurt." Lana says to him after his outburst. "I'm sorry. Let's try this." He says grabbing a bar from the side of the dock. Din puts the bar between the boat and the dock attempting at prying it from the side. Lana begins pushing again, but it's still not doing a single thing.
"You guys mind getting out of the way." Cara says from behind them grabbing her gun from her back. Karga, Din and Lana run to be behind Cara. She begins shooting at the place between the dock and the boat. Sparks fly through the air as she shoots creating a cloud of smoke.
Finally, the boat detaches from the docking slowly. "Good job." Karga speaks. The four jumps into the boat finding a place to stand where there isn't a built-up pile of ash. "Watch your feet. It's molten lava." Lana laughs to herself at IG's words.
Din and Lana are at the front end of the boat watching down tunnel at the daylight shining through. Behind them they hear subtle beeps and whirling that were not IG's.
All four of them turn with their blasters toward the tall droid rising from the rocks it was piled under. "Guess it wasn't fried huh."
"I don't suppose anyone hear speaks droid?" Din says keeping the barrel of his blaster aimed.
"I believe he was asking where we would like to go." IG speaks for it.
"Down river. To the lava flat." Karga speaks cautiously.
The droid chirps in response, dropping its paddle into the lava river. The group realizes the droid is harmless and drops their weapons back. The group is given a moment of peace from the chaos for now.
Lana lets out a breath, dropping her head back to look at the black ashy ceiling. She wanted this day to be over. She wanted her, Din and the child to be back on the crest and have their live be back to what their version of normal was.
•·················•·················•
A while later, the droid was still pushing them downstream until they finally were a little way out from the end of the tunnel. Karga notices this and points to the opening. "That's it! We're free."
Din scans the opening for any opposing threats, his gut stood correct as there was multiple Troopers at the exit.
"No. No, we're not. Stormtroopers. They're flanking the mouth of the tunnel. It looks like an entire platoon. They must know we're coming." Din says.
Lana rubs the back of her neck, growing nervous at his words. They escaped them once, how would they do it again. But she trusted Din and her own skills, she knew there could still be a chance.
"Stop the boat." Cara commanded. "Hey droid, I said stop the boat." The droid again doesn't follow her orders.
"Hey! I'm talking to you. I said stop!" She yells running up to it. She pulls her blaster and blasts the droid's stop half of.
"We're still moving." Lana points out.
"Looks like we fight." Cara announces.
Din turns his head slightly to look at Cara. "There are too many."
"Then what do you suggest? 'Cause I can't surrender."
IG-11 speaks up with the child cooing in his metal arms. "They will not be satisfied with anything less than the child. This is unacceptable. I will eliminate the enemy and you will escape."
Din finally turns his body to face the group now. "You don't have that kind of firepower, pal. You wouldn't even get to daylight."
"That is not my objective." Lana understands what the droid is trying to say. This was a suicide mission. "We're getting close. Saddle up." Cara says walking to the front of the boat by Din and Lana.
"I still have security protocols from my manufacturer. If my desires are comprised, I must self-destruct."
"What're you talking about?" Din asks in a disbelief tone. Lana couldn't believe Din hated droids so much, now it was like he cared for this one. "I am not permitted to be captured. I must be destroyed." Din walks closer to the droid and the child. Lana follows, standing slightly behind him.
"Are we gonna keep talking, or get out of here?" Karga says behind them.
"I can no longer carry this for you." IG gestures the jetpack to Din. Din reluctantly takes it from the droids' hands. "Nor can I watch over the child."
"Wait. You can't self-destruct. Your base command is to watch the child. That supersedes your manufacturer's protocol, right? Right?" Din sounded so hurt yet so mad telling the droid to stay with them.
"This is correct." IG agrees.
"Good. Now grab a blaster and help us shoot our way out." Din turns to move the front, but IG's words stop him.
"Victory through combat is impossible. We will be captured. The child will be lost." Lana listened to his words carefully. "Sadly, there is no scenario where the child is saved, in which I survive."
"Listen, you're not going anywhere. We need you. Let's just come up with a..."
Lana places a hand on his back gently. "Please tell me the child will be safe in the two of yours care. If you do so, I can default to my secondary command."
"But you'll be destroyed." Din's voice breaks.
"And you will live, and I will have served my purpose."
"No. We need you." Din tries to convince the droid one last time.
"There's nothing to be sad about. I have never been alive."
"I'm not sad." Both IG and Lana knew the truth.
"Yes, you are. I'm a nurse droid. I've analyzed your voice." Lana rubs circles into his back trying the relieve the pressure he's built up in the minutes of this powerful conversation between the droid.
IG moves to place the cooing child into Din's arms. He takes his robotic hand and gently touches the child's ear. He gives the child a final look, before turning away. "Goodbye IG."
Lana watches in pain as IG steps off the boat and into the Lava river. "IG? What're you doing?" Karga yells.
The sound of IG stepping into the river engraved into Lana's mind. The metal of his steps sizzled stepping into the molten rock. She closed her eyes stilling holding onto Din.
Mando wraps his arm around Lana now, tugging at the fabric on her side watching the droid step closer to the opening where the platoon of Troopers waited. He fiddled with the fabric in his fingers and held the child in the sac close to his side. The child cooed gently.
Right as IG left the opening of the tunnel, the Troopers revealed themselves. IG stepped into the middle of them all. "Manufacturer's protocol dictates I cannot be captured. I must be destroyed."
Lana listens to the droid's final words before seeing a massive explosion come from where he previously stood. Lana felt Din's grip on her side tighten at the sound of it. The flames echoed down the sewer, just missing the boat.
When the smoke finally cleared, the devastating silence now filled the air. As the boat gained closer to the exit, Cara was slow with her blaster aimed in case of any survivors. But there was not a single one, IG was successful in serving his purpose.
The bodies of the Troopers were sprawled out on the flats just outside the exit. Their white armor now dirtied from the blast of ash and lava. Just as they thought they had escaped, a black ship whirled through the sky.
"Moff Gideon!" Cara shouts pointing her heavy blaster to the sky. Karga, Din and Lana follow this aiming theirs as well. It flew sporadic at them, attempting to shoot them down where they sat. Gladly it missed its targets and flew off attempting to go for another round of firing. Cara shot at it as it flew off behind the hills of Navarro.
Lana took a deep breath taking a look at the child who was now resting near Din's feet. "He missed us." She states.
"He won't next time." Din responds.
"Our blasters are useless against him." Cara says leaning against the side of the boat searching the sky for him again.
"Hey. Let's make the baby do the magic hand thing. Come on, baby! Do the magic hand thing." Karga waves at the child but it just waves back.
Lana tilts her head. "Magic hand thing?"
"I'm out of ideas." Karga says turning away from the resting child.
"I'm not." Din says reaching for something on his utility belt. "Here he comes!" Cara shouts standing up with her gun aimed toward the tie fighter.
It zips behind the hills waiting to gain the upper hand. Din steps down for a moment to grab the jetpack the armorer had given him. He grunts throwing it over his head, he was still weak from his wounds.
Cara begins shooting as the ship draws closer. She was right, her blaster had no use on him. From Lana's side she saw Din click a button on his wrist starting the pack on his back. As the ship draws closer Lana knows what he's thinking. "Din... are you sure you're ready?"
Before he can answer he shoots up from his position to fly over the ship. Lana watches terrified as he grapples onto Moff Gideon's ship. She watches as he is pulled away from their view now behind the hills again. She can barely hear the tie fighter moving side to side to push Din off.
Lana reaches to grab the child from the ground. She pulls him into her chest waiting for the ship to come back around. Just on cue, the ship comes back into their sights corkscrewing around in the sky. She doesn't see Din being tugged along anymore. She looks closely, seeing a small explosion fall off the ship.
He's still on there.
She sees his body fly off the man's ship falling toward the ground. In front of his falling body, half of Moff Gideon's ship is blown off, sending it spiraling down. Cara, Karga and Lana watch the black smoke rise from the fallen ship. Its crash sending vibrations through the ground they stood on.
She turned her attention back to Din who was falling back down toward them showing no signs of stopping as his body twirled through the air. Finally, just above their heads, Din started his pack and landed somewhat graciously in front of them.
Lana ran up to him as he slowly walked toward them. She threw her empty arm around his neck, placing her head in the bunched-up fabric on his shoulder. "You scare the kriff out of me sometimes." She whispers into his neck. Din pulls away slightly to see her bright face.
They were finally free to live as a family, no more running, just living.
Lana smiled so wide at him, Din realized he could never get used to it, to the way it made him feel such a way. He glanced down to the resting child in her arm. He tilted his head slightly as what was now his child.
"That was impressive, Mando. Very impressive." Karga says walking up the three of them. Lana pulls away to his side, placing the child on the ground next to their feet to let him walk around for a little bit. "It looks like your Guild rates have just gone up."
"Any more Stormtroopers?" Din says overlooking the sunset behind them.
"I think we cleaned up the town. I'm thinking of staying around just to be sure." Cara answers. The child squeals as she speaks.
"You're staying here?" Lana asks.
"Well, why not? Navarro is a very fine planet. And now that the scum and villainy have been wash away, it's very respectable again." Karga gestures to the landscape.
"As a bounty hunter hive?" Din questions.
"Some of my favorite people are bounty hunters. And perhaps, this specimen of solider might consider joining our ranks." Karga places a hand on Cara's shoulder. "Yeah, I've got some clerical concerns regarding my chain code."
Din distances himself from the conversation glancing down at the baby holding onto his leg. It smiled up at him, it was like the child knew he was safe again.
"But you, my friend, you will be welcome back into the Guild with open arms." Karga says to Din. "Even if Lana wants in too, she's welcome. So, go off and enjoy your family. And when you're ready to return, you will have the pick of all quarries." Karga promises.
Din glances back down at the child, picking him up from the ashy black ground. He glances over to Lana who has her hands crossed in front of her smiling at him. "I'm afraid I have more pressing matters at hand."
Cara takes a step forward, petting the child's forehead he gurgles up at her. "You two take care of this little one."
"Or maybe, it'll take care of you."
Din nods at Karga's final words to him. He begins to turn around, Lana stays still looking at them. "Thank you for everything. Stay safe you two." Lana follows Din's steps.
"Oh, and Lana." Cara shouts. "I mean what I said when I said keep him in line."
"Will do." Lana gives her a soft giggle nodding, returning to Din again.
Din places a handout for her to take, she's sort of confused. He pulls her into his chest, holding her body close to him in one hand and the child in another. He starts the pack again lifting them up into the air, flying them toward the Crest.
Lana held herself close to him, not daring to look down. She was excited to be free with Din. She had no idea what they were to do now, but she was excited with wherever their family was going.
•·················•·················•
AHH guys I'm about to be finished with this book! I'm planning on writing a second book when the second season comes out but that's so long from now :( I'm thinking maybe write one or two more chapters to wrap it up, what do you guys think?