Once it's been confirmed that the droid control ship has, in fact, been destroyed, Din turns his attention back to the holoprojector. He taps on the controls for it, splicing in so that they can use a signal tracer to try and determine who Gunray was communicating with. Then, he works to redial the last frequency, not an easy feat when it's clearly a private, encrypted code. But Din has the benefit of knowledge from the future, so he makes it work.
The others stay far away from the transmission field when he finally manages to redial the frequency – no one knows who it belongs to or where it originated from and since there are no recordings of it in the holoprojector, their only solution was to redial the frequency and start up the signal tracing.
There's a pause as it beeps before a connection is finally established, and the hologram of a hooded figure appears in front of Din. "What do – You are not the Trade Federation." There's a dark, sinister note to the voice, and it sends a chill down Din's spine. That voice, he knows that voice. And the way the figure is standing and speaking... and the hood. He knows who it is. But somehow, he needs to push aside his rising panic and horror and keep this conversation going.
"Viceroy Gunray has been defeated," Din informs him casually. "Your plot is at an end."
"... Is that so?" he sounds amused, almost as if he thinks Din is no more than a pesky rodent. Rude. But also, this is the want-to-be Emperor, so who knows what he can do or the extent of his current power and reach?
Din tilts his head. "You tell me." Talking, carrying on conversations... this is not his forte. Panaka gestures to him that the trace is almost complete. It's only necessary as proof now because Din has already figured out everything else. In a moment, he'll ponder how someone could do what Palpatine has done to his own planet.
"I have a proposal for you, Mandalorian," Palpatine says pleasantly.
Something about the way he says it instantly sets Din on edge. "Continue." He's understandably cautious, but he has no reason not to engage in the conversation.
Despite the hood shrouding Palpatine's features, Din thinks he's smiling. Conniving bastard. "Your services in exchange for the lives of the two children who are with you."
Din stills, hands clenching as his anger simmers. "I hardly think you are in a position to negotiate," he snaps. Panaka gestures to him that the trace is complete, and Din reaches out and ends the transmission without waiting for Palpatine to say anything.
"Who is he?" Qui-Gon demands turning on Gunray.
The Viceroy raises his head smugly, but there's fear in his eyes. "You will regret the day you cross him," he gloats.
"It's Palpatine," Din answers, tone even, though he has no doubt that his rage is audible.
His words shock everyone, and most of them turn to him, taken aback. "No, that's impossible," Padme argues, shaking her head. "You're mistaken. Senator Palpatine is a good person. He would never get involved in something like this against his own planet."
"I know Palpatine personally, and you're wrong," Panaka agrees.
"He has nothing to gain from this," Obi-Wan adds.
"It's not Palpatine," Gunray insists, acting as if the mere thought is ludicrous.
And Din... he knows better. He knows the truth because he has seen holograms of the late-Emperor giving speeches. There is no denying that this hologram resembled the ones Din has seen. Perhaps he has to tell them the truth now, about his time travel. Perhaps it's time for him to come out with what he knows and how. But first, he needs answers from Gunray.
He reaches for his blaster, unholstering it and pointing it unwaveringly at the Neimoidian's head. "Who is he?" he challenges. "Tell us."
Gunray seems visibly torn, and Din tightens his finger on the trigger. He won't actually shoot, but he certainly will make the Neimoidian think he will. Around the room, no one moves to stop him, though he imagines they will if they think he's being legitimate in his threat. "He's a Sith," Gunray finally blurts out, twisting around as if he could escape his bonds and move away from the end of the blaster. "His name is Sidious."
Din reholsters his blaster, turning to the Jetii. "What's a Sith?"
"Sith have long been enemies of the Jedi, but they were thought to be gone," Qui-Gon answers.
Din glances at the holoprojector. "Apparently not." Dar'jetii indeed.
Panaka jolts suddenly, looking up from the datapad in his hands. "The trace has been completed, and I have a location," he reports, voice grim. "It originated on Coruscant in 500 Republica." Din knows little of Coruscant, but he's pretty sure that's the complex where the politicians live.
There's a frozen silence before Padme turns to Din. "What makes you think it's Palpatine?"
And that is the question he's been expecting. "It's a long story," he admits. "I'll share it privately." He pointedly looks around at the many guards milling around. "But first, I need to go find the kids." Ever since the battle officially ended, Din has been anxious to go back to where he'd left his foundlings. It hasn't been all that long, but his instincts tell him that something happened, even if they're alright.
Shmi opts to come with him, and she seems equally ill-at-ease as they walk through the halls of the Palace, making their way down to the hanger. Shmi knows her way around better than Din since she came through this way, though neither of them speaks. The starfighters have returned to the hanger by the time they arrive, and there's a sense of elation, the pilots cheering and celebrating their success. Din cuts through the people milling around, heading towards the fighter in the far corner.
Except it's not where he last saw it. Not exactly, and more than that, the ship has carbon scoring on it. Huh. And the cockpit is closed. Din doesn't stop to consider it as he approaches the fighter. Anakin sees him coming, and the hatch slides open. He stands, holding Grogu, though both of them are radiating an excitement that they really shouldn't be.
Din looks from them to the fighter and then back to them. "What did you do?" he demands, already feeling drained even though he doesn't have any answers and hasn't had to lecture them.
Anakin gives him a sheepish smile. "Uh..."
"I'm waiting."
"He took out the Trade Federation control ship," one of the pilots across the hanger calls. "Flew into the main hanger and hit the reactor."
Din gives Anakin a disbelieving look. "Did you really do that?"
"It was an accident!" Anakin protests. "Really, it was! There were droids coming, so I tried to use the fighter's guns to stop them, and then the autopilot took over so... we kinda ended up there. We're okay though."
Din wants to facepalm. He can't. "That is not what 'staying hidden' means." He has no idea how he manages to sound so calm and reasonable given what his foundlings did. He lets out a sigh, reaching up to take Grogu from Anakin so the boy can climb down.
"You could have been killed." That's from Shmi. Her expression is pinched.
Anakin winces visibly as he hops down to the hanger floor. "I know," he says meekly, "But we're okay, Mom."
Din reigns in his rising anger – and fear – because he knows that there's no use being upset at Anakin or Grogu. Anakin won't react well, and it won't help anything in the end. He cradles Grogu against his beskar'gam, the thought of letting him go after he nearly could have lost him too terrifying. "Don't do that again," he requests finally, reaching out to clasp Anakin's arm. "Either of you. If there's danger, you need to stay safe, first and foremost."
Anakin nods, looking abashed. "'M sorry," he says guiltily.
Din slowly lets out a breath, exchanging a glance with Shmi. "You saved everyone though, and that's not a bad thing," she admits, pulling Anakin into a hug. "Just be more careful in the future please, Ani."
"I will, Mom, Buir, I promise."
"Alright, then come," Din says. "There will be a private meeting with the Queen about a few revelations, and I think you should be there."
"Why me?" Anakin asks, surprised.
"Because there are some truths you must know," Din answers as they begin walking through the Palace, back the way he and Shmi came a few minutes ago. As they walk, he looks down at Grogu, who is snuggled against his chest, staring up at him with residual excitement from his illicit excursion. "Hey buddy," he murmurs softly, stroking a hand over Grogu's hand. "I think it's time we tell everyone the truth about us, don't you?"
Grogu makes a sound of agreement, nodding his head rapidly, and Din chuckles, feeling some of the tension – and fear – beginning to fade away. He could have lost his foundlings. He could have lost them both, but he didn't. They're still here, still alive, and as long as he can ensure that they don't do something like this again... it will be enough.
Yane – at least Din is quite certain it's her – runs into them on their way through the Palace. "The Queen sent me to find you," she informs them. "She requests that you accompany me to her private chambers where we can meet and discuss the situation."
Din nods wordlessly, and they change directions, following the handmaid. When they arrive in the Queen's private chambers, she is there and waiting, along with her three other handmaids, Captain Panaka, another woman who they are told is Mariek Panaka, and the two Jetii. Din and his aliit settle themselves on the couch opposite Padme before the questions begin coming.
"What evidence do you have that it's Palpatine?" Padme asks. She's speaking the same way she did when they were on Tatooine, before Din knew who she was, so he suspects that she's making an effort to be open, speaking to them as a friend as much as she is a Queen.
Din looks down at Grogu, taking in the way the kid is looking up at him with so much trust and affection, before bolstering himself. His story is so farfetched that it's probably almost unbelievable, so he couldn't fault anyone for mistrusting him. "Grogu and I time travelled," he tells her. "We're from the future."
Padme is visibly taken aback by his words, and nearly everyone is showing disbelief, skepticism, or both. "Time travel is impossible," she refutes.
"You never said anything," Anakin notes, though he doesn't seem doubtful as much as he does surprised.
"I hardly believed it myself, and it didn't seem to matter," Din admits. Anakin doesn't look upset, thankfully, because he would hate to have unintentionally upset his foundling.
"How far into the future?" Qui-Gon asks. He and Obi-Wan are sitting side by side, and the Jetii is now learning forwards with something akin to curiosity on his face.
Din pauses, doing a quick calculation again. "Forty years, I think, or thereabouts," he answers after a much too long pause.
"And what happened?" Qui-Gon inquires. Din doesn't know if the Jetii really believes him, or if he's simply asking to see what Din will say. It doesn't matter, because at least it's giving him the chance to talk about the future and prove that he's speaking the truth, however ludicrous it might seem. No one else in the room seems inclined to ask questions though.
"The Clone Wars started around... ten years from now?" It sounds more like a question, and he glances down at Grogu. "It was ten, right?" The kid only looks at him. "Ad'ika, do you remember the Clone Wars?" he presses. Grogu's ears twitch downwards, a sure sign that he's not happy, and there's a quiet, subdued sound that Din takes to be an affirmative. "Will it be around ten years?"
The kid tilts his head, before making a coo that Din is pretty sure means 'I don't know.' Or maybe it means 'I think so.' It's hard to tell, sometimes.
"The what? Did you say Clone Wars?" Padme's brow is furrowed, though her skepticism is just as obvious as it was a moment ago.
"Yes," he confirms. "It was fought by droid armies, like the one here, and clone armies." He never needed to know the specifics, so he never studied them. He didn't think it mattered.
"... And what kind of war was this?" Padme glances at the others.
"We'll need to know more," Sabe chimes in.
So, Din tries to recall everything he knows about the conflict. "The droids were fighting for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a group that broke away from the Republic. They were also called the Separatists, for that reason. The clones were fighting for the Republic. The war devastated a lot of planets... including my home world. I was rescued by Mandalorians and raised as one of them."
He keeps his tone as level and nonchalant as possible, but he doesn't think he really succeeded. His past is a painful subject – always has been – and the loss of his first family and world has always weighed on him, especially now that he's in the past. He could, if he wanted, probably even find his birth parents, not that he would want to, but it's possible theoretically. He could also search for his buir, a prospect which makes his heart pound a little faster. As if sensing his emotional conflict, Anakin leans against him and Grogu snuggles closer.
He pauses for a moment, recollecting himself. "After the war, the Empire formed. Palpatine was the Emperor. I saw a holo of him once, and I recognized his voice and the hood. It would make sense if he's dar'jetii."
Anakin stiffens next to him, and with a jolt, Din remembers the boy's vision before they left Tatooine. It's beginning to seem more and more likely by the moment that... it could actually come about. Din is not okay with that at all. He doesn't want to leave his foundlings, his aliit, not while they all still need him.
"What else happened?" That's from Captain Panaka this time.
"I don't know much else. The history never mattered to me. Nor did the politics," he admits, "But the Empire committed countless atrocities over the many years of its existence. It was responsible for the destruction of Alderaan." He can't help but remember that. Cara talked to him about it once, told him how devastating it was for her to lose her planet, her people, her family like that. He misses her. He misses all the people he had grown closer to and had called friends, but if he has Grogu, it will be okay.
"Why would they bomb a Core World?" Obi-Wan demands, horrified.
"They didn't bomb it," Din corrects. "They destroyed it. There's nothing left of it. I – I had a friend who was from there. She told me about it. She lost everything that day."
There's a horrified silence in the wake of his proclamation, and Grogu whimpers softly, pressing his face against Din's beskar'gam. Din soothes the kid, gently stroking a hand over his head and cradling him close.
"What happened to the Jedi?" Qui-Gon wants to know. "They would never have permitted such a thing. They would have fought back."
"There were no Jetii." Din shakes his head. "I always thought they were a mere legend until I found Grogu and realized that he has Jetii magic. In my search to reunite him with his own kind, I only found two. I don't think there are any others."
"Who?" Padme queries.
He hesitates, unsure if he should answer. "One was an Ahsoka Tano. The other..." Ka'ra, does it matter? Does it matter if he tells them everything, if he reveals things even about Anakin's once-future? "The other was Luke Skywalker," he continues. "I met him only briefly, but Grogu told me a few things about him." His eyes flick to his foundling for a moment before he looks up, glancing around the room again.
"Grogu told me that Luke was... Anakin's son," he discloses. "He said that... Anakin became a Jetii, that he was famous in the Clone Wars." Even as he says it, he knows something isn't adding up quite right. "Grog'ika, if that's true, then why don't you want Anakin to be a Jetii?"
Grogu makes a quiet, sad sound, head turning towards Anakin for a moment, before babbling something incoherent and pointing at Din. He doesn't understand what that means any more than he did earlier. Across the room, Obi-Wan jolts. "He... said that the last time he felt Anakin, he was hurting badly. I think he doesn't want it to happen again." Din decides not to question why Grogu chose to confide that to Obi-Wan over Qui-Gon. It's not like it matters anyways.
Anakin presses closer to Din, reaching out to trail a finger over one of Grogu's ears. He doesn't verbally express his gratitude, but it's obvious.
"What are we going to do now, Your Highness?" Mariek questions, turning to Padme.
"You are certain that Senator Palpatine became Emperor Palpatine?" Padme clarifies.
"As certain I can be," Din answers. "Kid? Are you following this?" Grogu whimpers, clinging to Din even more than he was before. "Yeah, I don't think he likes the Senator very much." Grogu shakes his head, not looking up.
Din sighs lightly. "We need to stop him before he tries to form an Empire." No one argues that, so he presses on. "Do you want me to take him out?"
"No," Qui-Gon interrupts firmly. "You can't. If we're right about him being a Sith, the Sith Master, then that is something the Jedi will have to deal with. Your Highness, this is up to you. Whatever we do next will depend on you."
"I need time to think about it, but you should appraise the Jedi Council of the developments," Padme decides. "We cannot allow Palpatine's actions to continue or go unchecked. We must take action." She stands, and that's the cue for everyone who is sitting to do likewise. "Let me know what the Council recommends. Eirtae, please escort our guests to a room."
With one hand on Anakin's shoulder and the other holding Grogu, Din follows Eirtae from the Queen's chambers, Shmi right behind him. Now, he suspects that they need to have a private talk as well. He imagines there are questions which Shmi or Anakin have, which they didn't want to ask in front of everyone.
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Mando'a Translations:
Jetii - Jedi
dar'jetii - Sith (literally: not Jedi)
beskar'gam - armor
buir - father, mother
aliit - family, clan
ad'ika - little one
Ka'ra - stars (ancient Mandalorian myth - ruling council of fallen kings)