**Hi, quick author's note—if you read Chapter 1 before 7/12/20, go back and re-read it before you read this one. I made a few small, but important, edits, specifically toward the end, that could cause confusion with this chapter if you haven't read the updated version. ;)

The Lost Get Found

Chapter 2-The Tribe

"Okay, when we get inside, stay together, and don't touch anything." Cara warned, giving Ry a look. It had taken over a week of negotiating to get them here, and she was not going to let an overeager rookie mess things up.

"Can I take pictures? Of the TIE?"

She sighed, reminding herself of Din with the baby. "Yes—but make sure they're good. We need all the details we can get, and we need clear shots so we can see the details.."

"Are we ready? I really don't want to be here when the Nightwings come out." Kitra spoke up, nervously twisting the curly end of her bright red braid.

"Tyr, do your thing," Cara told the Pantoran man standing in front of the communicator display.

A Jawa appeared on the monitor, and the two conversed briefly before the door opened.

"Whoa," Ry whispered as they entered the expansive cave that served as the Jawas' storage facility. "Look at all this stuff!" he said as they followed the Jawa through a maze of everything from power converters to mangled speeder bikes to what looked like the 'foot' portion of a Walker, before they finally reached the TIE fighter.

"Wow—this really is kind of impressive," Kitra said. "Or, at least it was before half of it got melted."

"Do you know what happened to the body of the man who was flying this thing?" Cara asked their Jawa guide. "There might not have been much left of him, with this kind of damage, but…."

Tyr listened to the Jawa's response, then replied to Cara's question. "He said there was no body. The Imp got out alive, and got picked up by an Imperial Lambda class soon after the Sand Crawler arrived."

Cara shook her head, a knot of panic forming in her stomach. "No, I was there when it crashed. I saw the flames—no one could have survived that!"

The Jawa replied to her words in an adamant tone. "He says he was there—the guy he cut himself out with some sort of black….light sword?" he asked the Jawa, who nodded in confirmation.

"That's not even possible! Black is the absence of light!" Cara argued, lifting her hair from the back of her neck, where she'd started to sweat, despite the cave's cool temperature.

"I dunno," Ry spoke up from the opposite side of the TIE. "It definitely looks like something cut this thing." He was already snapping pictures with his datapad.

Cara huffed a sigh of frustration, and ducked beneath one of the damaged wings to move closer to the young Mirialan. As soon as she saw the opening in the damaged hull, all the fire that had been coursing through her veins turned to ice.

"This is bad. This is really, really bad."

By the time she took her meal break an hour later, the knot in her stomach was so tight she knew she'd never be able to keep anything down. She tried to focus on taking slow, deep breaths, and observing her surroundings, in order to ground herself.

The swish of sand beneath her boots as she walked.

The cool evening wind that ruffled her hair.

The colors of the sunset peeking through the spaces between buildings.

The smell of cooked meat from the bazaar a few blocks away…..okay, maybe that one was a mistake.

Thankfully, she'd reached her front door by that time, and entered the blissful dark of twilight inside her apartment. She quickly grabbed a mild pain reliever for the headache she'd developed, along with some icy cold water from the kitchen, and took several small sips before swallowing the pill.

Her next order of business was to call Din.

"Cara! This is a surprise….a nice one," he said when he answered.

She gave him a sad smile. "Well, it's not going to stay nice for long, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean? Are you all right?"

The concern in his tone warmed her heart, and she swallowed against a sudden lump in her throat.

"I've been better. I found out something today that could…..complicate things for you and the kid. Where is he anyway?" she asked, knowing he was safe, but still needing reassurance.

"Napping on the lower level—fell asleep on his blanket, propped against his stuffed tooka, so I just covered him up and left him on the floor."

"Okay, good," she said, exhaling slowly in an attempt to calm her racing heart.

"Cara, what is it?"

"Moff Gideon is alive."

She watched his relaxed posture instantly tense up. "What?! How is that even possible? We saw…." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"Yeah, that's what I said to the Jawa who told my team about it. He said Gideon got picked up by a ship after cutting himself out of the TIE with some sort of sword with a black light blade—whatever that means."

"The Dark Saber—of course," Din growled.

"You know what it is?" Cara asked, surprised.

"It's an ancient Mandalorian artifact, forged by an ancestor of my adoptive family. I don't know all the history behind it—but I saw it wielded, as a means of uniting our often-warring people, about ten years ago. Unfortunately, that unity was short-lived. Within a year, the Imps had taken over—and Gideon had the Dark Saber."

He sighed. "The Armorer needs to be aware of this—and the Tribe needs to make some decisions regarding our future. I hate to ask you to be the bearer of bad news—but she needs to know as soon as possible."

Cara gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Not a problem-I'm on break now, but there's no way I can eat, so I'll pay her a visit as soon as we disconnect."

Din nodded. "Tell her I heard from Ana and Alec today, and they're safe. I also heard from Kade and his family- they've met up with Col and the Rooks. Maybe that will….help soften the blow.

"Ana, Alec, Kade, Col, Rooks—got it," she said, counting them off on her fingers.

"And….if it's not too late for you, could we do a group call tonight, after your shift ends?

"I get off at 22:00—should be home by 22:30. Not sure I have the tech or the skills to do a multi-party call, though—I've only seen it done on military bases a couple times, and I was definitely not the one who set everything up."

"Don't worry about that part—we've got techs in our group that are more than capable of handling it. All you have to do is let the Armorer know, and get her over there. I'll take care of everything else."

"By the way-you don't have to call her 'the Armorer' anymore—she told me her name," Cara smirked.

"Oh—okay, then." He paused. "Did she tell you anything else?"

She thought for a moment. "No—just that her name is Bryn, and she's named after her grandmother. Speaking of which…what do you want me to call you, since Gideon let the tooka out of the bag with your name?"

He chuckled. "It's fine for you to call me 'Din' when it's just us and the kid, or if we happen to be around anyone from the Tribe—but as a bounty hunter, a sense of anonymity definitely worked in my favor." He sighed. "It's …an adjustment, to no longer be responsible for supporting the Tribe."

Cara gave him an encouraging smile. "You know your next step—find out what you can about the baby and his people. You can worry about everything else later."

"That's easier said than done."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Same here."

They sat in silence for a good half minute, each lost in their own thoughts, before Cara reluctantly broke it. "I guess I should head out-can you give me directions on how to get through the tunnels? Dragging your injured self around made the details a little fuzzy on my end," she smirked.

"Sure," he said. "Your best bet is to go through the bazaar—and make sure you take a light with you." He gave her a basic set of instructions, then said, quieter, "Cara?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being an ally. Our people—we've had a lot of fighting among ourselves—but we've also faced a lot of persecution from outsiders—and I don't just mean the Empire. The fact that you're willing to befriend us—to help when you're under no obligation-that means a lot."

"Ugh, stop, you're gonna make me cry," she mumbled, pressing her fingers to the corners of her eyes.

"I miss you. Be careful out there." Din said, barely above a whisper.

She smiled softly. "I miss you, too," she said, ending the call.

She had just finished the nerf and pickled vegetable wrap from the bazaar when the call came in.

"Hey, are you Cara Dune?" The boy inside the ship on her display was tall, and built like a rock wall, but his voice still sounded like a kid. She guessed him to be around twelve or thirteen years old.

"I am."

"Okay, good. I'm Jerem, and I'm gonna connect you to the others—two ships and a house. Once I've got them on my end, I'll need you to tell me if you can see and hear them on yours, okay?"

Cara smiled, feeling herself relax a bit. "Sure."

"All right, I'm gonna put my uncle on first, since you know him."

"Wait, what? Your uncle?"

"Yeah, Din Viz..I mean, Djarin."

"Din is your uncle? How…?"

"My buir—I mean, my dad, is his adopted big brother."

"Wait, hold on, gotta get the door," Cara said, running to the front room.

"Hey Bryn, that you?"

"Yes."

The door slid open. "You've got good timing—call came through maybe two minutes ago, and I'm the first one on. And Din has a nephew—which, I mean, you already knew that, but…..wow."

"Hello Jerem," Bryn said as they entered the bedroom.

"Buir!" the boy exclaimed. I've…..missed you. A lot."

"I've missed you, too, ad'ika. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"I've missed you more," a large man said as he entered the ship's cockpit. His build was very similar to the boy's, and Cara would bet her boots they were father and son.

"As you should," Bryn said primly—but Cara could hear an undertone of something else there.

"And I take it you're Cara?"

She smiled. "I am—and you are….."

"Paz Vizsla. It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot of good things about you from my brother—and my amazing wife right there."

Cara turned to look at Bryn. "What the…you're married? And have a kid?"

"No—I have eight," Bryn said, trying to sound nonchalant, but Cara could hear a hint of humor in her voice.

"Okay, eight kids-wow! Guess that explains the two big couches and the table with all those chairs in your apartment."

Bryn laughed. "Yes. Though I'm interested to hear your theories as to why a supposedly single woman would inhabit such a spacious living area alone."

"I don't know! You're the Tribe leader—I thought maybe you had meetings there. Or maybe you all lived communally? Also, were you ever planning to tell me about this secret family of yours?"

"Why tell you about them when I could surprise you?" Bryn asked, her tone smug this time.

Cara laughed. "Well, you definitely succee…..."

"Ba'vodu, you there?" Jerem asked.

"Right here," Din said as his image popped up on the display. "I wanted to put the baby down before I answered."

"Awww, I was hoping I'd get to see him," Cara replied, making a sad face. "Did he have a good day?"

"He did—played with his toys, pushed some buttons, ate three servings of noodles for lunch—you know, typical toddler stuff," Din said dryly.

"Sounds like Kyri—except she threw toys, pushed my buttons, and refused to eat anything—but then wanted snacks all day." Paz said, shaking his head. "She's asleep now—maybe tomorrow will be better."

"Okay, I think we've got the others," Jerem said. A moment later, another ship appeared, as well as a room with a group of fifteen or twenty people, who were gathered in front of the display in a semicircle. "Can you all hear me?"

"Good on our end," a man with a richly accented voice said from the third ship, which looked larger and newer than both Din's and Paz's.

"Loud and clear!" a young teen girl spoke up from the center of the large group.

"Jerem, can you go get your sisters? I don't want to call them and wake the little ones," Paz asked.

The boy nodded, and moved to the back of the ship. A few moments later, two teenage girls entered the cockpit, one holding a little girl wrapped in a blanket, who was whimpering, while the other plopped down in the seat behind her father.

"Here he is," the teen cooed as she gave the toddler to Paz. She then took the seat beside him. The big man leaned down to touch his forehead to the little girl's as he wrapped his tree trunk arms around her. She snuggled into his lap, and popped her thumb in her mouth.

"That appears to be everyone twelve and up—let's get started, shall we?" Bryn requested as she entered the code for her datapad.

"First of all, I would like to thank Din for contacting all of you about this meeting, and for Jerem, Jema, and Alys for enabling us to connect in this way. While we all look forward to the day when we can once again meet together in person, just seeing that each of you are safe is…..such a relief." Bryn's voice cracked on the final word, and she cleared her throat before continuing.

"I would also like to like to introduce you to Cara Dune, a former Shock Trooper and a friend of Din's. She fought with him against the Imperials here on Nevarro, and is now working as an Enforcer. She has quickly become a friend of mine as well, and is willing to help us as needed."

"Hi, it's nice to meet all of you," Cara said, waving and giving them a smile that flashed her dimples.

The others replied with a scattered chorus of greetings, and she felt the knot of nerves and tension in her midsection relax a bit more.

Bryn continued. "Unfortunately, there are many who did not survive-so at the conclusion of our discussion, we will rise and recite the Remembrance in their memory.

She took a slow, deep breath. "That being said, we have also had some recent additions to our Tribe that are worth celebrating. Col, would you like to go first?"

A man in a dark gray and gold helmet, and a simple gray shirt, stood from the edge of the semicircle. "This is our Adya—girl number three," he said proudly, holding up a newborn with dark hair that stuck out from the front of her pale yellow swaddling. "She was born the night after we left Nevarro, so she's almost three weeks old. Has the appetite of a Bantha in spring, and sleeps four hours between feedings—which is really good for Sali and I," he chuckled.

"I'm sure she'll grow up to be a strong warrior, as will her older sisters," Bryn said warmly. "Din?"

"Uh, sure…..I earned my signet, the Mudhorn, and adopted a Foundling toddler—the one I rescued from the Imps the night you helped me fight the Guild."

"Foundlings are the future—this is The Way," Bryn said.

"This is The Way," the others chorused.

"Bryn also gave me my own clan—Clan Djarin is now part of House Vizsla."

"This is The Way," Bryn repeated.

"This is The Way."

"Next, I must share with you the reason for the urgency of this call. Cara, will you tell them what you told us earlier?"

Cara took a deep breath, then shared what she'd learned about Gideon and the Dark Saber. Her announcement was met with a chorus of exclamations in both Basic and Mando'a—many of which she guessed to be curses. Bryn tried to bring the group back in twice before Cara put her fingers to her lips and let out a loud whistle to get their attention.

"Thank you," Bryn said primly. "Ana, did you have something to say?"

The woman on the third ship stood and said, "As angry as we all are about the Dark Saber, I have a bigger concern with the scenario Cara shared. The fact that another ship was close enough to pick him up so quickly after his crash—I've got a bad feeling about that. Do we have any idea what kind of time frame we're looking at with that?"

Din raised his hand slightly. "I left Nevarro about an hour after the crash, and didn't see anything incoming."

"What about larger crafts—like Star Destroyers?" Paz asked.

"None of those, either—but that doesn't mean they're not out there."

Ana sighed. "We need to know for sure, so we can be prepared for whatever comes along, and make an informed decision about what comes next. Alec and I are already heading in that direction, and don't have our kids with us—we can do some investigating and report back."

"I….am hesitant in following through on that, for a number of reasons—but you are correct in that the two of you are the best candidates for the job. The fact that your husband is our best pilot, hands down, is also reassuring. Thus, you have my blessing. But be very, very careful!"

"Yes, Mother,"

"Thank you, Bryn," Alec nodded. "We may have to go comms silent, but we'll report in as soon as we can."

"Very well. Paz, will you share your findings now?"

"Of course. As you all know, my kids and I left Nevarro a few days after the skirmish with the Guild, in search of possible places to relocate the Tribe. Over the past four months, we've visited a number of planets throughout the galaxy, with varying climates, topographies, and suitability, considering the fact that we have a larger family with children ranging from toddler to teenagers. We've even been able to locate other remnants of our people, outside the Mandalore sector—which we knew Ana and Alec were assessing by their own means.

Long story short, based on all these considerations, we've narrowed it down to five possible locations—two of which are established Mandalorian settlements that were open to the prospect of adding to their numbers. Jerem has compiled our findings into several graphics, and is sending them to you as we speak."

"Thank you, Paz—your willingness to do this, especially with eight children in tight quarters, is commendable."

"You're welcome—can we come home now?" he asked, earning a chorus of chuckles and snarky comments from the group at large.

"Yes, cyar'ika, you may," she replied, and Cara could hear the love in her friend's voice. "Col?"

The man with the baby stood again. "My family plans to stay where we are for a couple of months, if possible. My sister and her husband have connections that have put us up in a safe house, so that Sali can recover fully without having to travel. It's in a forest, and can't be seen by ships, so all of the children and Foundlings we've got here now are having a great time—especially given the fact that some of them have never seen anything outside the Covert before."

"How many children do you have who are not with their own parents?" Bryn asked.

"Twenty-eight," another man said, standing as Col sat down. "The house here is massive, and has been repurposed as lodging for large gatherings. Col's parents have furnished us with food and supplies—and because we have so many unaccompanied children, a safe place where they don't have to live on a ship is ideal—especially in light of the fact that some of them have likely lost their parents." He added, softly, "Nature was a great comfort to me when I lost mine as a child." The woman to his left linked her fingers with his, and gave his hand a squeeze.

Bryn nodded, and her tone was gentle when she spoke. "Some names included in the Remembrance will be familiar to them, unfortunately. But, there are still several members of the Tribe who are unaccounted for—meaning, there was no trace of them left behind—or their armor was simply discarded."

"Will the latter be considered dar'manda now, since they are no longer in compliance with The Way?" a tall woman in purple and yellow armor asked. "If so, what implications will that have if, say, their children got on Kade's ship, but they stayed back to fight—but then left their armor, for whatever reason?

Bryn sighed. "That…is a very difficult question, with multiple points to consider, even outside The Way as we currently live it. While it's something to think about, I don't believe it's anything with which we should concern ourselves unless an actual incidence arises—especially since it's already so late." she said, stifling a yawn. "Are you and your family also planning to stay, Dara?"

"Yes—for the reasons Kade and Col mentioned, as well as the fact that I'll will need to keep an eye on Sali and the baby. Until we make a decision on whether we'll be returning to Nevarro or not, which I know I'm struggling with from a mental health standpoint, I think that giving all of us a sense of stability is our best bet."

"Thank you. Reza, I know you don't have your own ship—but I'm guessing you feel the same?"

"Yes—this has been rough on my two little ones. All the progress they've made since we lost my brother is gone now—they're back to screaming when I go to the 'fresher, and sleeping almost on top of me at night. Even if I had a ship, I wouldn't leave. They need support….and so do I." Dara wrapped her arm around her petite friend's shoulders.

After the two of them sat down, Bryn stood. "I would like to thank all of you for everything you've done to support each over, including the children of the Tribe, over the past week and a half. I know many tears have been shed, by children and adults alike, and that these events have reopened wounds we had perhaps considered mended. I also know our people are resilient, and that we will endure this trial as we have so many before.

There are still a number of things we need to consider, such as where we will go if we choose to leave, and when and how that will happen. I propose that we consider the information we've been given so far, including that which Jerem has sent to each of you, and convene again in a week's time. Ana, Alec, do you think that will be sufficient to gather the intel you seek?"

"Should be," Alec said, ending in a yawn. "Sorry, I'm an old man—I can't party late like I once did."

"I hear ya," Paz seconded. "I've even got two teenagers asleep, and one who's nodding off—you ready to wrap this up, ner kar'ta?"

"Yes—very much so." She took a deep breath, and said. "Please rise for the Remembrance."

The entire party stood, some nudging those who'd fallen asleep. Cara joined them out of respect, though she was unsure what was about to happen. Thankfully, Bryn took a moment to explain.

"The Remembrance is an opportunity to recognize those who are no longer with us. We will begin by reciting the words which translate as, 'I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal.' I will then read a list of those who perished in the recent attack. Afterward, we will conclude by remaining silent for one additional minute, in which you may silently add the names of others who have departed this world.

She took a deep breath, then led the Tribe in reciting, "Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum."

Cara wasn't sure where to look as Bryn read the names listed on her datapad. Despite the helmets blocking their actual faces, it didn't seem right to look at the others, so she finally ended up studying patterns in the metallic swirls on the desk's surface. Finally, after all thirty-seven names had been read, Bryn put down the datapad, and stood in a position similar to parade rest.

The thought of her Rebellion days made Cara think of her own lost comrades, and then her family and friends from Alderaan. By the time they'd been silent for thirty seconds, the patterns on the desk were blurring, and she was biting her lip to keep her chin from quivering. Wish I had a helmet right about now.

At the end of the minute, Bryn gave a brief nod. A beautiful female voice began singing, and the others joined in, forming a four-part harmony. Cara felt a warmth swell within her chest as the tears finally fell—and judging by how some of the voices wavered, she suspected she wasn't the only one.

When the final note had faded into oblivion, Bryn spoke again, her voice strained. "I encourage all of you to continue reciting the Remembrance daily, and include even your youngest children. It is important that they learn, and live, the traditions of Mandalore, and prepare for the day when they will swear the Creed, and keep the tenets of the Resol'nare. These things will carry all of us through the coming days of uncertainty, as we prepare to take our next steps. This is The Way."

"This is The Way."

Hey, welcome back to my story :D This chapter has a lot of information-and while I somewhat did an "art imitates life" thing with the call (aka Mandalorian Zoom meeting), I also wanted to at least introduce some of the members of the Tribe-who we will be getting to know better as the story progresses.

Next chapter we'll finally get Din's point of view-and one of my favorite characters from the movies will make a cameo!

Also, some of the other "cameos" I anticipated are going to be "characters that actually play a decent-sized role". If you haven't seen the Mandalorian stuff in The Clone Wars and Rebels-do it-for reasons ;)

Reviews are hanging out with friends and family-even if it's virtually :)