Mandalorian Revived

Chapter 3

Some of our month on Naboo was also spent reconfiguring the dock on the underside of my ship to include a secure port between the floor and the top of whatever ship it carries. For us, that meant Din could jump into the N-1 directly from my ship anytime he needed to. It also made it easier for us to load everything up and leave the planet.

Our morning started with silence. The night before, there'd been a lot of silence too. Once Grogu was up, Din volunteered to feed him so I could go to sleep. It was an attempt to make up for dragging me to my home planet, I suppose. Still, it gave me time alone in my room to decide that we needed to leave first thing in the morning. I don't want to drag this out. If we're leaving Naboo, we might as well get it over with.

Din's been quiet all morning, hovering around me and Grogu like a ghost with this look of sheepish guilt in his eyes. I almost wish he'd put the helmet on already so I could stop seeing that expression.

He's not sorry, not really. The Creed comes first. It always will.

I sigh, leaning back into my seat in the cockpit. I still haven't named my ship. I should do that at some point, I suppose. The streaks of blue and white stars fill my view as we hurtle through hyperspace. We're headed for the covert.

Din's been finishing up with the supplies in the back of the ship ever since we took off, while Grogu sits happily in my lap. He prefers it over the copilot's seat, I've noticed. Footsteps sound behind me and I don't bother turning around as Din climbs into the cockpit. He tucks a piece of stray hair behind my ear and, despite my irritation, I lean into his touch.

"We're coming out of hyperspace now," I say, leaning forward to take the controls again. He sits in the seat beside me, his helmet positioned on his head. I look away as we drop out of hyperspace.

I'm silent as I follow the coordinates to the covert, lifting my knees slightly to let Grogu look at the terrain as we fly. He coos up at me, his eyes twinkling with excitement, and I send him a quick wink.

As the covert grows closer, my nerves rise. There's no telling how many of them the Armorer has amassed. My bits of beskar armor suddenly feel tight and heavy. What if they no longer want me to have it? What if they force Din to leave me behind since I won't swear to the Creed? What if—

"Look!" Din says sharply. I blink, following his gaze to see a massive reptile creature emerge from the lake below us. Dozens of tiny figures buzz around it like pests for it to swat. Mandalorians.

"Get the N-1, we'll come at it from above," I say quickly, prepping the blasters on my ship. Din jumps down from the cockpit and I hear him slip through the docking port. My console beeps as the N-1 releases and surges forward past me and Grogu.

I make the first run, lighting up the creature's hard shell with blaster bolts. They bounce off it like pebbles and the strength of its roar rattles my ship and I exchange a look with Grogu—no wonder the Mandalorians are struggling with it down there.

"Din, I'm going to draw its attention away from the others," I say through the comlink on the console. I don't wait for a reply. I send another round of fire at the creature, aiming for its legs under the shell. It turns, snapping its jaws at me and I deliberately pull us closer to its range. It needs to think it has a chance.

Grogu squeals as I pull up and fly over the beast's shell at the last second. It's enough to keep it occupied. A high whistle sounds in the air behind us, loud enough even through the ship, and I turn us around in time to see Din's cannons sink into the creature's side. Its blood and innards spurt everywhere and I grimace, though Grogu looks unsettlingly intrigued.

"I seriously question your eating tastes," I mutter, easing us to the ground on a flat rock surface overlooking the covert. They've settled in a large cave by the lake, it looks like.