Under the Beskar

Slave Quarters Row

It was already past noon when Din and Nia arrive on the outskirts of Mos Eisley. They rent a two-seater speeder bike from a local retailer and head out into the barren terrain. The way to Mos Espa would take several hours, so they would have to travel through the desert in order to get there.

Endless seas of sand dunes surrounded them for miles. Nia couldn't see for the majority of the trip, due to the fact that sand kept getting in her eyes. However, the brutal heat was the worse part. Din doesn't appear affected by it, and it's almost as if he doesn't feel any sensations at all underneath all that thick material and armor. She doesn't know how anyone could wear all that heavy clothing in the desert like this. It's been many years since she wore the armor, and now that she's traveling through the Dune Sea, she's glad she doesn't have to.

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As evening approached, they stopped to eat and rest in between the rocky formations of this desolate landscape, but the temperature dropped significantly as the night draws near. Good thing Nia always comes prepared! She takes out her canteen filled with water, as well as two ration bars for themselves for dinner. Din still refuses to remove his helmet, even though Nia reassured him that no one is around. He lifts up his helmet slightly, just enough for him to eat and drink. His dedication can get frustrating at times, but Nia doesn't persist in nagging him.

As they sit by the speeder, Nia takes out the holocron with the memory crystal from Hela Ecrin, and placed it on the sand by her feet. Information on the identification of this girl may be in there. Din watches intently as Nia holds out her hand to summon the Force. She opens the blue spherical device, just as she has done countless times with her own holorcron. The blue orb glows bright for a brief moment as a holoimage appears in front of her.

Using the Force, she scans through hundreds of names of children. Many various species across the galaxy. There are so many of them! This makes her think that it's best if no one knew who they are. She knows Force-sensitives are often targeted for their valuable blood. Yet she continues scanning through the list of names. Finally, she comes across an identification and location of a three year old human female in Mos Espa. This has to be her! The child's name is Nora Maru with dark skin, brown eyes, and black hair.

"This device must never fall into the wrong hands, especially the Imperials. What's the name of your foundling?" Nia asked. "I'm wondering what information it has on him."

"Grogu," he replied softly. As she scans through the device, she eventually finds the child's information. Born on Coruscant, age 50, has green skin, dark brown eyes and pointy ears. She recognizes that he's the same species as Master Yoda and Master Yaddle.

"There he is, is that him?" Nia asked, pointing to the holographic image of digital data.

"Y-yes, it is. Does it say where he currently is located?" He asked, his voice cracked a bit.

"Luckily no it doesn't, just his birth place, name, and species. This is a device only someone with the Force could open, like myself. However, it's important that we keep this device safe and secure," Nia explains as she closes the holocron. She removes the crystal and places it in a zipped up pocket on her pants, then securely packs away the holocron inside her backpack. Separating the two may be a smart idea, just in case. She'd rather give up an empty holocron than the actual memory crystal itself, if it ever comes to that. She made that Jedi a promise to keep it safe and that's what she'll do.

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The two suns were peeking above the sand dunes when they finally reached the first row of houses in Mos Espa. The city looked almost like Mos Eisley, with its yellowish-brown colours and round dome structures. It was silent, barely morning, but many slaves were already out on the streets as traders unloaded their cargo from trucks. The stores are slowly opening up as the vendors lay out their merchandise for sale in their stalls. All of Tatooine was once run by the Hutts, yet today there's a new kingpin in charge. A man in dark green Mandalorian armor named Boba Fett.