The Mandalorian

Chapter 14: The Tragedy

Once again the three of them sat in the cockpit, the child had the ball and was intently turning it over in his little hands. They had just exited hyperdrive, heading towards the planet that would allow Grogu to reach out through the Force and be reunited with the Jedi. Din was watching him, the look fatherly admiration hidden beneath his helm. 

"Grogu." The child gave a little squeak of questioning as his eyes were pulled from the shiny ball and towards the shiny Mandalorian. Din simply chuckled, still elated to now know his name and have him respond to it. Estella smiled fondly at the scene before her. He had been testing Grogu's name for most of the journey. Grogu squeaked again before turning his attention back to the ball. Estella could hear the grin on Din's voice. "Grogu?" Once again the child looked up at him, awaiting to hear what he was being called upon for but he was met with another chuckle from the Mandalorian.

Din hesitated for a moment, before outstretching his palm. "Give me the ball." Grogu moved his hands away, keeping the ball just out of Din's reach. "Grogu, give me the ball." His little ears drooped as the ball was held tightly in his fingers, close to his chest. "Come on." Din gently encouraged him, Grogu looked up at him with defiance but slowly gave in. Handing the ball over rather reluctantly. 

Din rolled the ball in his hand, resting it between his thumb and forefinger and holding it up. "Okay, here we go. You can have it, just like before." Grogu tilted his head to the side before anxiously lifting his hands up. His large eyes glanced towards Estella, she held a reassuring and warm smile, leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees as she watched the exchange. "Grogu, come on. You can have it." The child held both hands up, his ears drooped and his eyes squinting in concentration, seconds passed by with no movement but Din could feel the tug of the ball breaking free from his gentle grasp. In the blink of an eye the ball shot from his finger and thumb, flying through the cockpit and landing in Grogu's hands. He cooed triumphantly but it was drowned out by the sudden celebration from Din. "Dank Farrik!" Din slapped his own leg with excitement, proud of the little one for doing so well. 

"Oh! You scared him. It's okay little one." Grogu dropped the ball, concerned he had done something to anger Din. 

"Hey, no. I'm not mad at you. You did good." Din did his best to reassure the child that his outburst wasn't one of anger. "I just... when the nice lady said you had training, I just..." Instead of stumbling over the words to find the right ones he simply sighed. Estella reached out, plucking the ball that had clattered to the floor in Grogu's alarm, and handed it back to the child. "You're very special, kid." He cooed happily, no longer afraid that he had done something bad. "We're gonna find that place you belong and they're gonna take real good care of you." His voice almost wavered, so subtle a change in tone that it was easily missed, but Estella caught it as he turned his chair back to the controls.

It was becoming dauntingly clear that their time with Grogu was swiftly coming to an end, the harsh reality was catching up to them both and neither was sure how they were going to handle it when the time came. Estella worried that it wouldn't just be goodbye for them and the little one, but feared it would be the end of her and Din. They had bonded over taking care of Grogu, this portion of their lives dedicated to helping each other help the little one, what other changes would take place once Grogu was taken care of? She didn't care for the thought, telling herself it was a wave of anxiety and there was no indication for them parting once their task was complete. 

"This is Tython." His voice pulled her mind from her anxieties. Her eyes focused on the planet before them, green and lush looking, as well as largely abandoned of all civilisation by the looks of things. "That's where we're gonna try and find you a Jedi." Grogu gave a slight grunt, he was listening but he was also having doubts of leaving the two that had protected him thus far. "But you have to agree to go with them if they want you to. Understand?" Estella knew what Din was doing, he was trying to make the transition of giving the child away easier, less painful and less drawn out. A long and painful goodbye was not something either of them wanted, despite the reluctance they shared on giving the child up. "Plus we can't train you. You're too powerful. Don't you wanna learn more of that Jedi stuff?" Now he was talking the child into leaving, a way of convincing and reminding himself that it is for the best. Estella finally rose from her chair, coming to stand behind Din and resting her hand on his shoulder. He leaned into the comforting touch, despite the layers of clothing and armour reducing the comforting squeeze she gave him.