A TIE Fighter landed outside the cantina, and Sector Governor Gideon arrived on Nevarro. The troopers he led opened fire indiscriminately inside the cantina, killing their own allies. While this demonstrated his authority, it also instilled fear in the stormtroopers originally stationed on Nevarro. Two stormtroopers on speed bikes intercepted Kuiil and captured the target. However, upon their return, they stopped at a checkpoint outside the city, awaiting orders to enter. After all, they dared not venture into the city recklessly, lest they become victims of Gideon's trigger-happy command.
It was this delay that allowed the IG droid to catch up. Reprogrammed by Kuiil, the IG droid was tasked with protecting the small green creature, and it would stop at nothing to fulfill its mission. After swiftly dispatching the two stormtroopers in its way, the droid took the child, mounted one of the speed bikes, and raced away.
Gideon, a former Imperial Security Bureau officer, was well aware of the backgrounds of the three individuals in the cantina. He even knew the Mandalorian's birth name, Din Djarin, which had not been spoken since his childhood. Outside the cantina, stormtroopers had assembled an E-WEB heavy repeating blaster, ready to reduce the cantina to rubble at a single command. If not for Gideon's brutality, he might have already obtained the child. Yet no one dared interrupt the commander's negotiations with the Mandalorian and his allies. Gideon demanded the Mandalorian's cooperation, giving them until nightfall to respond.
The Mandalorian and Cara were well aware of the destructive power of the E-WEB, but they were unwilling to hand the child over to the former Imperial commander. The only escape route the Mandalorian could think of was through the sewers, where his people had established their own covert stronghold. However, the cantina's access point to the underground sewer was sealed shut by a sturdy grate, impossible to open. Clinging to a final sliver of hope, the Mandalorian attempted to contact Kuiil again. This time, he heard the child's voice, followed by the IG droid's response.
The droid was executing the primary directive programmed by Kuiil: protection and nursing. Protection referred to the child, while nursing pertained to the Mandalorian and his allies. Instead of returning to the Razor Crest, the IG droid carried the child all the way into Nevarro, cutting a path of destruction through the Imperial forces. The squad of stormtroopers outside the cantina immediately turned their weapons toward this unexpected threat. Seizing the opportunity, Cara provided cover fire as the Mandalorian and Greef Karga rushed out of the cantina, launching a pincer attack. The Mandalorian even managed to seize control of the E-WEB heavy repeating blaster, sweeping it back and forth to devastating effect.
True to his reputation as a skilled commander, Gideon, amidst the chaos, fired a precise shot that struck the E-WEB's power supply. The resulting explosion sent the Mandalorian flying through the air before he crashed to the ground. In the critical moments that followed, Cara, with support from Greef and the IG droid, dragged the severely injured Mandalorian back into the cantina.
The IG droid's built-in welding torch could cut through the sewer grate, but blood was now flowing from beneath the Mandalorian's helmet. He could no longer protect the child. Entrusting the child to Cara, he prepared to descend into the covert to seek the protection of his people, even if it meant certain death. Just as the Mandalorian resolved to end his life in the manner of a warrior, the IG droid stood by his side. The Mandalorian had sworn an oath never to remove his helmet in the presence of any living being. But the droid was not a living being. It removed his helmet and sprayed bacta mist onto his fractured skull.
Cara and Greef wandered through the labyrinthine sewers for hours, unable to find the Mandalorian covert he had described. Instead, they unexpectedly encountered the IG droid and the Mandalorian. The bacta spray had rapidly healed his wounds, and the Mandalorian was already moving normally. However, when they finally reached the covert, all they found were piles of Mandalorian armor. After their last exposure, Imperial stormtroopers had slaughtered most of the Mandalorians hiding on Nevarro. The few survivors had fled the planet.
Only the Armorer remained. She would not leave until she had reclaimed the Beskar steel. The Armorer witnessed the creature the Mandalorian had sworn to protect. She had heard of this being and the power it possessed. It was recorded in ancient Mandalorian poetry, dating back to the time of Mandalore the Great and his wars against an order of sorcerers known as the Jedi. The Jedi Knights had used this power in combat.
But now, the green child was not an enemy but a foundling. According to the Mandalorian creed, it was the Mandalorian's duty to care for it until it came of age or to return it to its own kind. Contrary to popular belief, Mandalorians are not a race but a creed. Din Djarin, adopted by the Mandalorians, had sworn to uphold this creed. To aid him in this formidable task, the Armorer outfitted his armor with a jetpack.
Guided by the Armorer's directions, the Mandalorian followed a descending tunnel to an underground river of molten lava. The scorching lava river could carry them to the lava flats outside the city. A ferry made of carbon steel floated on the lava, carrying them downstream. Just as they were about to reach the exit, the Mandalorian's sensors detected a platoon of stormtroopers guarding the outside.
Fighting on the narrow ferry would be tantamount to suicide. The IG droid stepped into the lava, wading step by step toward the exit. Although its programming had been altered, it still retained the manufacturer's safety protocols. If faced with the possibility of capture, it would activate its self-destruct sequence. The IG droid's sacrifice eliminated the enemies at the exit. But the danger was not over. Gideon, piloting his TIE Fighter, launched an attack from the air.
The Mandalorian's blaster was useless against the TIE Fighter. Thinking quickly, he activated his jetpack and soared into the sky. He fired his grappling hook, latching onto the fighter's hull, and held on tightly to the wing. No matter how violently Gideon maneuvered the ship, he could not prevent the Mandalorian from attaching an explosive to the wing. The Mandalorian let go, falling back to the ground, and watched as the TIE Fighter trailed smoke and crashed.
With the Imperial presence on Nevarro eliminated, Cara decided to stay and ensure the planet would never again fall under Imperial control. Greef also planned to reopen the bounty hunters' guild and welcomed the Mandalorian to return, offering him first pick of all available missions. However, the Mandalorian declined. He had a more important mission to fulfill, for it was his creed.
