Chapter Text
Highway run into the midnight sun
Wheels go 'round and 'round, you're on my mind.
Restless hearts, sleep alone tonight
Sendin' all my love along the wire.
Faithfully -Journey
Hyperspace. Planets, stars, and opportunities zipping by. Going, going, gone.
Most of the time, Din Djarin wasn’t a sentimental man. But tonight, he felt the heaviness of decisions, decisions that had etched his course into the very fiber of the universe. Whether he willed it or not. His fate, it seemed, was written in the stars.
Grogu was asleep on his lap. There was nothing unusual about this night. Or was it day? It was hard to keep track of his own circadian rhythm. But here they were, headed somewhere to do something. Always moving, always adapting.
Lonely, sometimes.
Since when was Din Djarin lonely? Especially with the little green womp rat sleeping in his arms. He should enjoy the peace. But if he were being honest, he missed her.
What was Bo-Katan Kryze doing right now? Did she ever have time to think of him? What was Mandalore like now that Mandalorians once again graced its surface? It had been many rotations since he’d left. Many rotations since he’d talked to anyone from home.
The galaxy was vast, but perhaps it didn’t have to be.
Din tapped the transponder in his console. Tilting his visor into the recording lens, he suddenly felt a peculiar awkwardness. What was he supposed to say? He should have thought of this before he triggered the holo.
“Greetings, Lady Kryze.” He paused, huffing at his own foolishness. “I hope this message finds you….” Finds you…well? What the kriff? This was Bo, not the fucking tribunal. Din chuckled in spite of himself.
“Bo. How have you been? It’s been a while.” A tense silence. As awkward as if Bo-Katan were standing physically before him, giving him that knowing smirk. This was painful. He’d probably have to delete this recording, but at least it was good practice.
He exhaled. “Grogu and I are…doing well. Hyperspace lanes get to you after a while, you know? We were - well, I was - thinking of home. If you ever have a moment to spare, you know how to reach us.”
Kriff, since when was talking to Bo-Katan Kryze so difficult? It probably had to do with the fact that neither of them had reached out to the other in many standard months. On Din’s part, he’d assumed that Bo was far too busy for small talk with an old friend. Perhaps she assumed the same of him.
Anyway. He couldn’t send that holo. He sounded far too unsure and inept. Din sighed. “Alright, kid. I’ll delete that one. Take two.” Grogu, still sound asleep, didn’t so much as twitch.
Din cleared his throat, then restarted the holo recording.
“Greetings, Lady Kryze.”
No. That really didn’t sound right. Ugh. Din stopped the recording. Delete. Reset.
“Hello. Uh, hi. Salutations.” He half-coughed, half-chuckled, thankful no one was there to witness his rehearsing. Force help him; this was ridiculous.
The vibrations of his amusement must have stirred Grogu awake, for the next thing Din knew, a pair of huge, dark eyes was blinking sleepily up at him.
“Sorry, kid. Didn’t mean to wake you. I’m trying to send a holo to Lady Kryze.”
Grogu’s tiny mouth parted in drowsy joy and disbelief. Well, maybe it would be useful to have the kid’s input.
“Okay,” Din continued. “How about this?” He cleared his throat again. “Honorable Mand’alor, it is I, Din Djarin. Which you knew because you can see me. Fuck.”
Grogu chirred, a sound that seemed suspiciously like laughter.
“Ugh. No. That’s not a good word. Don’t ever say that word. Okay. Let’s see…”
They continued on like that for several minutes. After a while, Din finally determined what he was going to say. Except when he reached down to hit the record button, he realized that when he meant to hit reset earlier, he’d actually started a new recording. The entire sequence between him and Grogu was recorded on that holo.
“Dank farrick,” Din lamented. But as he went to delete it, Grogu placed his tiny green hand over Din’s. The child nodded solemnly.
“You… want to send her that ?” Din was incredulous. But Grogu merely nodded again, emphatic.
Terrible idea. Horrible, awful idea. But hell, maybe the kid was right. Maybe it would make Bo laugh, and Force only knew if she had many opportunities for laughter these days.
Din released the breath he’d been holding. And he sent the transmission to Bo-Katan Kryze.