Luke Skywalker.
It had been a while since Mando had seen him (he never had when Grogu trained with him), but like him, he had grown older. He could barely see one small gray hair tucked under the rest of the blonde, and his face looked wiser. But he was still in his early thirties.
"Luke Skywalker!" Mando almost wondered if Rotta's attitude was meant to help Grogu relax a little, to see light in the darkness. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Rotta continued, flustered.
Luke tilted his head and seemed to study him.
“Oh.” Rotta rested his palm on his chest. “I’m Rotta, Jabba the Hutt’s son.”
For a second, there was silence between the Jedi and the alien, and then Luke told Mando, “I saw you guys crash,” ignoring Rotta. “Surely, you can’t be back on Ossus, searching for Arthropleurix and landing gear.”
“We’re not.” The doubts returned to Mando’s mind, and the side of his mouth twitched. “Something attacked us, and here we are.” His eyes rolled over to Grogu. “Something’s also wrong with Grogu. I thought that since he trained with you for a while…”
“You think it’s Force-related?” Luke wondered.
That and something else that Mando didn’t say aloud. It wasn’t time.
Mando noticed Luke narrowing his eyes at Rotta. He half-expected his reaction after learning his origins.
Luke patted his right hand with his left and gestured with his head. “Why don’t we take a walk and look for that landing gear?”
A walk sounded just right. Mando’s head still wasn’t in the right place. He kept his sniper out, just in case. “So, an Arthropleurix?” he inquired while they continued through the forest. If only he were good at small talk.
“It’s not uncommon for creatures to grow a bit larger here,” Luke explained. “After all, this planet has higher oxygen levels.” He remained calm, but still didn’t look at Rotta, who seemed bewildered. Did he not understand Luke’s hesitation?
Ah, heck. Now was not a good time for small talk. “Grogu’s become clingy lately,” Mando belted, looking at Grogu on his shoulder. He hugged his helmet again. “Have you also had any issues with invisible enemies lately?”
“Invisible enemies?” Luke faced him and rested his hand on his lightsaber hilt.
“Something attacked an X-Wing on the New Republic Base on Adelphi this morning,” Mando explained. “But nothing was there. The same thing happened when we came here.” He noticed Luke shifting his saber back and forth—from Rotta and his hip. “Rotta’s a good Hutt,” he finally argued.
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Luke stated, giving Rotta a knowing look. It looked like he was still a little reckless at thirty-one.
Luke left the group and pushed through another plant overgrowth, Rotta close behind.
Meanwhile, Mando watched them and tried to pull Grogu off him. His damaged visor grew darker, so he ended up stumbling after Luke and Rotta, wondering if things would ever return to normal.
***
Who knew that dragging the landing gear from the forest with help from Rotta, Grogu, and Luke, and storing it in the Razor Crest until they returned to Adelphi would wipe out Din Dijarin? He just wanted to be Mando again, but couldn’t when he was failing as a parent, and his head hadn’t stopped pounding since the crash. He needed to find a new bounty—and fast—before he lost his touch with The Way.
Sunset was slowly spreading across Ossus, making everything significantly cooler; yet, the valley still looked like the warmest and safest place in the range. Mando’s ship was a little rough around the edges, though.
Luke and Rotta gathered firewood and started a fire, and Mando helped Grogu find some bugs for him to eat for dinner. Luke still avoided Rotta, even though he kept trying to tell him that he was the good Hutt. It looked like it would take a little more than that to convince Luke. Perhaps he and Mando could have an exchange: he would tell Luke about Rotta, and, hopefully, he would tell him a little about how he got through to his father before he died. Then Mando would be off the planet, on his own to figure out the mystery of the invisible enemy. Yeah, that sounded like a straightforward plan.
If only he could get a bounty somewhere in there, and his damn head stopped hurting.
Mando waited until Grogu finished his meal and the fire was brewing before excusing himself. “I’m going to fix my visor,” he said. And find myself a bounty.
Grogu whimpered, leaving Luke to watch him carefully.
Mando jabbed a finger. “No, Grogu. You stay out here with Rotta and Luke for now.” What was he doing? Grogu wasn’t a pet. “I just need some time to myself, and I’ll come back later,” Mando added, softening his tone.
Luke jumped in. “Grogu, it’s okay.” He thought for a second. “Would you like to play a game?” He picked up a rock and showed it to Grogu, who took it and immediately began teething on it like the ball he liked in the Razor Crest.
“Thank you, Luke,” Mando said, and Luke nodded. He patted Grogu’s head and turned on his heel. As soon as he entered the Razor Crest, though, instead of immediately searching for a new bounty, he went to the berthing compartment and lay down.
I’m so done with this.
***
Wow, that was a lot of doubt from Mando and fear from Grogu for Luke to feel. Did something happen?
“Hey, Luke, maybe I should tell you…” Rotta started to say.
“Not now,” Luke stated, focusing on Grogu. He stayed wary, but cleared his head and crossed his legs. “Clear your head, Grogu. You’re running on a lot of fear right now.” That was how Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side. Luke almost gave in to fear himself when he confronted the Emperor.
“Don’t give in to the darkness,” he gently told Grogu. He wasn’t training to be a Jedi anymore, but he was still Force-sensitive and a gifted child. “Are you worried about losing Mando?” Luke continued. He prodded Grogu’s mind, flinching when his fear tingled through his body.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” Rotta tried again. “I think the little guy has PTSD.”
Was he lying or trying to pull something? Luke wasn’t 100% sure. The last time he was with the Hutt family, they put Han Solo in carbonite and captured him, as well as Luke himself, Lando, and Leia. Granted, Rotta didn’t look like he thought the same way as Jabba, but Luke was still cautious.
For a few minutes, he watched Grogu teething the ball, but he didn’t seem as playful as usual, nor interested in fully embracing his Force abilities. Therefore, Luke tried again. “Are you worried about losing your dad? Din Dijarin?”
That was when The Child reacted. He lowered the ball and looked up, meeting Luke’s eyes.
“Did he get hurt not so long ago?” Luke prompted. A round of quick sobs from Grogu followed, confirming it.
Luke shifted his attention to Rotta before focusing back on Grogu. “Why don’t we see your dad now?” He stood and brushed dirt and dust off his pants. Besides, he was still curious about these “invisible” enemies Mando mentioned.
Rotta stayed at the fire, but Luke and Grogu entered the Razor Crest, where they found Mando in the cockpit, speaking to a hologram on the flight deck.
Luke couldn't see who he was speaking to, but he sounded both stern and friendly. "Come back to Adelphi tomorrow, Mando. We investigated the attack this morning and have found a new bounty for you."
Well, there was the second problem: Mando was still learning to be a father.
ns216.73.216.233da2
and then Add to home screen.