Chapter Text
Fennec couldn’t believe her eyes as the ship’s ramp lowered, revealing to her the vast terrain that was Mandalore. The stories weren’t far off. The ground that had once been lush farmland was now mostly acidic dirt where nothing could grow. A few twisted, resilient trees stuck up from the sandy soil, providing a stark contrast against the gray sky. Everything smelled sour and dusty but she’d been reassured that despite the obvious warning signs, the air on Mandalore was non-toxic. The scene before her would have been a bleak one indeed if it weren’t for the sprawling houses and tents that seemed to cover a good five acres of land. Banners and flags announced their owners; these belonged to Mandalorians.
She took in a deep breath and tried to quell the butterflies in her stomach as she followed her pilot towards the camp. It had been nearly a year since she’d last seen Din. That day had been a blur of stress, danger, and emotion. He hadn’t even said goodbye to her, or anyone for that matter. As soon as the Jedi had disappeared with his little green foundling, Din had turned away from the elevator, a mixture of agony and grief on his face. For a moment it seemed like he’d forgotten anyone else was standing on the bridge as tears welled up in his dark brown eyes. Then, as if he was suddenly aware of the five pairs of eyes on him, he quickly scooped up his helmet and jammed it on his head.
“Let’s go,” he’d told Bo-Katan gruffly.
Fennec could tell the warrior did not enjoy being ordered around by someone who she clearly considered inferior but Din now possessed the dark saber and with it came the incredible burden of power. The Mandalorians had left silently, leaving everyone to watch as they reeled from everything that had happened. After that, Fennec had decided to go with Boba and try to wash away whatever she thought she and Din were with spotchka and the violent life of a Huttese crime boss.
And then she received correspondence from him after almost a year of no contact. He wanted her to come to Mandalore for urgent business.
At first, she almost elected to ignore his message, but she reasoned that there were a plethora of reasons he’d been unable to contact her immediately. She was certain that suddenly becoming a ruler was daunting and time-consuming let alone raging a war against the Imperial remnant. Swallowing any doubt, she hired the first available pilot to fly her from Tatooine to Mandalore. And now she was here, being greeted by two Mandalorian scouts who were guarding the perimeter of the sprawling base.
“I’m here to see Din,” Fennec reported to the guard, eyeing the extensive weaponry they carried in addition to the bezoar covering their bodies.
“You must be Fennec Shand,” one bright red armor replied. “May I see some ID?”
Fennec pressed a few buttons on the keypad of her bracer which pulled up a holographic projection of her chain code for the Mandalorian to scan. In a few minutes, the red-clad Mandalorian nodded his approval and motioned for her and her pilot to follow, leaving his companion behind to hold down the perimeter. She couldn’t help but admire the sheer size of the base and never in her life had she seen so many Mandalorians gathered in one place. She saw all shapes, sizes, and genders. There were older warriors clad in armor and young children running around sporting the familiar style helmet. Long gone were the days when one would only see a lone Mandalorian every so often. Now they were once again becoming a unified people and a thriving community.
“He’s just inside there,” the scout said, gesturing to a circular hut before leaving her to return to his post. He was confident she could handle walking the few steps to the entrance.
Fennec entered the hut and took in the sight before her. About seven or eight Mandalorians were sitting around a large conference table. All of them had their helmets off and she recognized Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves sitting among them. Most importantly, she saw Din with his helmet off sitting at the head of the table, and to her surprise, Cara was there too. He looked up and his brown eyes lit up when he saw her.
“Long time no see, Shand,” Din said with a smirk as he got to his feet. His armor was still the same. The same old silver helmet was resting on the table in front of him, but something was different about him. She imagined the last few months of shouldering the responsibilities of being a leader and heading up a war that had started long before he was born would change him.
“Same to you, Mando,” she replied with a smile. She nodded to Bo-Katan and Koska. “Ladies.”
“Get tired of hanging around with that scum lord of a boss?” Bo-Katan said. Her voice was icy.
“That’s enough, Bo-Katan,” Din warned sharply and the female Mandalorian rolled her eyes. Fennec could tell that even after all this time, Bo-Katan was still bitter over losing the darksaber.
“It’s good to see you again, Sharpshooter,” Cara said with a wide grin as she walked up to greet Fennec.
“You too, Marshall.”
“Cara’s been helping us gather intel on Moff Gideon and his forces since she has access to all the databases,” Din explained.
“I heard he escaped. I thought those were just rumors.”
“He wouldn’t have escaped if you’d just let me kill him when we had the chance,” Bo-Katan piped in.
“What’s done is done. All we can focus on now is trying to reclaim what’s ours,” Din said, putting an end to further dissent. Din turned to the Mandalorians seated around the table, awaiting their next instructions. “You are all dismissed. Prepare the feast and we will join you shortly.”
“Feast?” Fennec queried as the other Mandalorians followed by Koska and Bo-Katan filed out of the hut.
“We won our first victory against the Empire and have taken back a valuable position to set up a smaller outpost. It’s been months of work and everyone here deserves a break to take their minds off of everything,” Din explained as he allowed her to leave the hut first before following with Cara close behind.
“I’m very impressed,” Fennec replied as Din put his helmet back on and lead her through the camp. “I didn’t think you’d fall into this leadership position as well as you have.”
“If Fett managed to pull it off, I can too.” Fennec raised her eyebrow at him curiously, wondering how he could possibly know any of that.
“As a Marshall of the New Republic, I’ve got tabs on just about every slum lord on Tatooine,” Cara supplied. “But don’t worry. I owe Fett for saving our asses so his life can carry on as normal. We’ve got much bigger problems to worry about anyway.”
“Excellent. Fett has been making progress of his own taking back what the Hutts stole from him. I’m certain he will appreciate as little interference as possible.”
Cara gave her an affirming nod before turning to Din. “I’ll run on ahead and make sure they don’t need my help. I’ll see you both in a minute,” she said before jogging off.
The sun was setting and the strange, barren earth was set ablaze with an eerie glow. Fennec remembered hearing stories of the paradise this world once was, and she supposed that once the wicked were driven out from its barriers its rightful owners would breathe new life back into it.
“Fett wanted me to make sure you were alright after everything that happened,” Fennec said presently as they continued to walk through the base. “Seems he’s got a soft spot for you, Mando.”
“As long as I have a goal to work towards I’m fine. All of this has taken up my time and given me something to keep my mind occupied,” Din replied. Fennec knew he meant to keep his mind off of missing his foundling.
“You seem to be a natural-born leader,” Fennec observed and Din scoffed underneath his helmet.
“I hardly know what I’m doing. I was raised in the fighting core and fought during The Purge but leading is so…different. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Clearly you do. Look at what you’ve helped to build,” Fennec said as she gestured to the base surrounding them. “For years I was told stories of the Mandalorians and the community they built but I never thought I would live to see these stories come true. No one did.”
“Thank you,” Din replied as they arrived at a large hut. It was undoubtedly the largest building In the base. “This is our assembly hall.”
She could hear the twinge of pride in his voice and she smiled as he let her enter the hall first. Music drifted through the air and mingled with the laughter and chatter of Mandalorians young and old. Fennec had never seen so many in one place and her eyes widened at the spectacle. “Wow,” she breathed out in awe.
“I still can’t believe it sometimes,” Din agreed. “My old covert wasn’t even a fourth of this size.”
“Ah, it’s the Mand’alore himself!” A burly man in heavy Mandalorian armor bellowed as he came up and slapped Din on the back. “Have some ale!” He passed Din a large stein brimming with a special brew that was specific to Mandalorians. Fennec knew it would be strong with a stiff bite. The man’s gaze shifted to her. “And who is your friend?”
“This is Fennec Shand,” Din introduced. “Fennec, this is my general, Zura Stours. Finest warrior on Mandalore.”
“He’s exaggerating, Ma’am. We would be nothing without our fearless leader. Now drink up! And be merry!” Stours shouted happily as he moved to find more of his comrades. Din downed the drink before setting the empty stein on a nearby table.
“He’s a bit intoxicated right now but Stours is one of the greatest warriors I’ve ever seen. Now, feast, drink. I’ll come find you in a bit.”
Fennec watched him leave and mingle with his newfound family. She had to admit it was nice to know that he wasn’t alone. She didn’t think he would ever recover after saying goodbye to his little adopted son but he seemed to be adjusting to this new family well. One thing she couldn’t understand was why she was here. It was lovely to see everyone but she hadn’t quite figured a reason for him wanting her there. Perhaps it was to reassure her that he was thriving and doing well. Perhaps she was just the messenger between him and his former mentor. She could only wonder as she partook of the food, ale, and celebration.
About three hours passed before Fennec saw Din again. He’d picked her out of the crowd and walked up to her. “Hey, come with me,” he said, gesturing out of the assembly hall.
Fennec immediately sensed a change in his demeanor and followed him out of the hall. “What’s going on?” She asked as they stepped out into the moonlight.
“Come here. I want to show you the real reason I wanted you to come.” He led her to a modest-sized hut that was set aside from the rest of the base and gestured for her to enter.
“What is this?” She asked, trying to pick out any sign of something spectacular in the simply furnished room. There was a bed off to one side, a couch in the middle, and a kitchen with a small dining table and two chairs taking up the rest of the space.
“This is my home,” Din replied as he stripped off his helmet. “Fennec?”
She heard a huskiness in his voice that she’d heard in his voice only one other time and she turned to face him. “Din?”
He surged forward and his lips met her lips in a sweet kiss. She was stunned for a moment but then leaned into his kiss as she cupped his face in her hands. She was left breathless and she was instantly transported to that night they had first kiss, when he’d taken off his helmet and bared his soul to her. He pulled back and she was overwhelmed by how beautiful his brown eyes were.
“I have not stopped thinking about you since that night,” he said in a low voice.
“Me either,” Fennec breathed before she was kissing him again. “I missed you,” she murmured.
“I missed you too.”
***************
“What’s that?” She asked, reaching over and gently picking up a little silver ball on a chain that was looped around his neck and resting against his chest. She was sitting beside him in one of two comfortable chairs situated in front of a cozy fireplace.
A deep sigh escaped his lungs. “The kid, it belonged on the end of one of the controls on the Razorcrest. The kid loved to play with it. I meant to give it back to him when we rescued him but…everything happened so fast and it didn’t have time. I figured I’d hold onto it until-“ he stopped and Fennec heard him swallow thickly like he was trying to gather the courage to say anything else.
“You will see him again, Din,” she said softly as she stroked his cheek. “He’s your boy. Anyone could see that. But I have faith that you will be reunited someday when it’s time.”
“I hope so,” he replied as he wrapped his arm around her.
****************
The vomiting started in the middle of the night. Fennec hadn’t thought much about it when Din had gotten out of bed and padded to the refresher but then the sounds of violent retching had grabbed her attention and jerked her out of sleep. Rubbing her eyes she sat on the edge of the bedroll Din had laid out for her, growing more concerned bit by bit.
“Din? Are you alright?” She called. He didn’t answer and she heard a pained groan followed by more vomiting. Something was definitely wrong with him and she got up and walked to the refresher. “Din?”
She opened the door and found him hunched over the vac tube, gripping it so hard his knuckles were turning white. Sweat had already started to form on his skin and she watched his muscles spasm as he started heaving again. She couldn’t imagine what had upset his stomach so badly but she could tell it was painful if the soft groans in between heaves were any indicator.
“It’s alright, Din. It’s alright,” she soothed as she rubbed his back and after a few more minutes he slumped away from the vac tube. She flushed it and squatted next to him. “Hey, you alright?”
“Freezing,” he murmured and she felt his forehead, frowning when she felt some heat there. It wasn’t high enough to be a cause of concern yet, but the fever definitely ruled out food poisoning as a possibility.
“I think you must have caught a bug or something. Let’s get you back into bed so you can rest,” she urged and he nodded.
Carefully she helped him to his feet, catching him as he swayed a bit and encoring him to lean on her. It was a slow trek back to the bed but at last, they made it and she helped him lay down. He was shaking and sweating as his eyes slipped closed. Whatever he caught, it was hitting him hard and fast. Quickly she moved to the kitchen and fetched a glass of water before returning to his bedside.
“Hey, Mando,” she urged and he opened his eyes a sliver. “Drink a little of this and then you can rest,” she urged as she guided the cup into his trembling hand and watched as he raised it to his lips. He took a few sips before handing it back to her and slumping back down on the pillow.
“Stay,” he murmured.
“Of course,” she replied as she sat on bed beside him once more, hoping that he would sleep through the night.
He didn’t.
Din ended up vomiting roughly every half hour. After the fifth time, it made more sense for Fennec to grab a large bowl from the kitchen to hold under his chin when the retching started up. He was sweaty and weak and honestly, a trip to the refresher would have been too difficult for him in this state. Fennec chewed her lip nervously as she watched him hunch over the bowl once more. He’d thrown up everything in his stomach and if it wasn’t for the water he was getting in between bouts. This seemed a lot more serious than any bug she’d ever seen. Perhaps he’d picked up some kind of strange virus that thrived in this planet’s hostile environment and that was why it was hitting him so hard.
“F-Fennec,” Din moaned as he started heaving again. His stomach was cramping painfully as it tried to turn itself inside out.
“I know, Din. I know. It’s alright. Just get it all up and you can rest,” she soothed as she carded her fingers through his hair, trying to get him to relax. He gagged and started coughing up fluid again. This time was different. She could hear genuine pain coming from him as he gripped the bowl and spasmed again and again. It had been a long, long night and she bet money that his body was sore from the torture he’d been forced to put it through.
He sighed as he finished and nearly pitched backward. His body was too weak to hold itself up. Quickly, she grabbed him and eased him back to the mattress before taking the bowl from him and going to wash it out. She looked down and suddenly her eyes went wide. There was blood in the bowl.
“Din, where’s a healer or a medic, or whatever you guys have here?”
“South side of the base,” he rasped in a voice that was raw and grating. “Why?”
“I just want him to look you over. Just relax and I’ll be right back. Here, I’m leaving the bowl on the nightstand,” she said, placing the bowl on the small table before bolting out of his hut to the South side of the base.
Something was very wrong.