Another Way: A Mandalorian Story

Yaim'ol

yaim'ol - [yai-MOHL] - return, homecoming

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"Maker. This kid loves to eat, huh?" you question. "Where do you think it all goes?"

You're no stranger to kids, having many friends and acquaintances who bore aptly-named "victory kids," the countless children conceived after the death of Jabba the Hutt and the fall of the Empire.

But the baby in your arms... He's unlike any child you've ever seen before. Small. Green. Eyes with large brown irises that appear black because of the sheer size of the pupils. A wrinkly head with massive point ears. And an appetite unlike any other, consuming endless amounts of gorgs – small amphibians native to Tatooine – until he finally cuddled up in your arms and passed out.

"Kid's probably got a lot of growing to do," Peli quietly remarks, mindful of the sleeping child. She stands near you, hovering over your shoulder as you sit in her office, keeping the baby cool and shaded from the harsh suns outside. "Mando's got a cot in the ship if you want to put him down."

You consider it for a moment, thinking of the things you could and should be doing before his father returns. But as you look down at that sweet little face, you weight if any of it is of any importance.

"Nah," you respond, smiling down at the snoring child. "I think I'll hold him a little longer."

"Enjoy him before you get tired of him."

You titter. "I could never tire of him."

"Hm. We'll see about that." She's silent for a second before she adds, "You're a natural, girlie. Mando will be lucky to have you."

The smile on your face fades, your hesitancy showing as you think about what you're about to do.

"You sure it's a good idea, P?" you question, looking up at her.

"What do you mean? It's what you want, isn't it?" she asks, placing her hands on her hips. "A one-way ticket off Tatooine? Venture through the galaxy?"

"I do. It's just..." You sigh. "I never envisioned myself doing it with a complete stranger."

You chuckle at how crazy it sounds. You'd fallen in love with the Child ever since you first met him, when he and his father were last on Tatooine, but you've yet to meet this mysterious "Mando." Peli hadn't told you much about him beyond the fact he's a bounty hunter who needs help raising his kid. But you know the type of people Mos Eisley attracts.

"What if he's some kidnapping, woman-snatching, psychopathic killer?"

"Hey, you know that I'm an excellent judge of character. So if I say he's good, he's good," Peli insists. "I vouch for him."

You nod, knowing Peli has been extra cautious since the Empire's fall. She seems to trust the man, and you have no reason to believe she would set you out on something if she caught the slightest whiff of something being off.

"Alright," you concede. "I trust you with my life. Obviously."

You hear a loud clank from outside and look up, watching through the window as the pit droids mess around with some scrap metal.

Peli scrambles out of the office. "Hey!" she shouts. "Quiet! There's a sleeping baby, for kriff's sake!"

You shake your head and laugh, then look back down at the kid, whose name you didn't even know. Were you crazy? Agreeing through a third party to take a job with some individual you've never even met? And not just any job – one that would be done on his ship, on foreign planets Maker knows how many lightyears ago.