Arani Jakal was not ready to be stranded on an unfamiliar planet, causing her whole life to change. But in the chaos, a friend or two popped up - seemingly from nowhere - wishing to help. Ari gladly accepted and quickly became part of a small town...
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ARANI AWOKE TO THE VIEW of an unknown planet. Sandy-grey hills and cliffs whizzed by, the occasional river and lake broke up the terrain. It was much like Tatooine but it lacked the heat and scorching suns that threatened to set fire to anything man-made. The landscape took her mind off her nerves for only a moment, however.
The young woman was the most anxious she had been since she could remember. Din's tribe lived on this planet, and from the stories she heard, there was a lot to live up to. For one, she was not Mandalorian in the slightest. But as Ari slipped into her seat, her attention was once again caught - something had appeared on the Defiant's radar.
"The hell is that?" she asked Haro.
The man shrugged. "Don't know." Removing a hand from the steering, he pressed a button, pining Din. "Din, are you seeing this?"
"Yes. Looks big, I'll scout ahead."
"Alright, we'll keep you on in case things get out of hand," Haro replied. The two watched in silence as the Starfighter disappeared behind a jutting cliff. Moments later, distant blaster fire was heard and the screeching of a creature followed. "Din, what happening?" Haro said as the ship quickened its speed, chasing after the noise.
"The covert's being attacked."
"We're right behind you," answered Ari. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Haro stand and leave the cockpit. "What are you doing?"
"Someone's gotta man the guns," he shrugged.
Ari turned back around, hands gripping the steering harder, and grumbled: "Thought that was my job."
"You thought wrong!" Hero shouted up to her in a sing-song tone.
A large crowd of Mandalorians was spotted up ahead. They all rushed about trying to fight off a large reptilian-like creature that had sprung from the waters of a nearby lake. Ari saw the N-1 fly over the beast and then loop back around, coming in dangerously to it. Ari knew by now to expect such things from him but with Grogu in the seat behind him, it was hard to not worry. The ship kept weaving around the creature and Ari understood that Din was posing as a distraction.
"Haro, those guns ready yet?" she shouted.
"Almost!"
But they didn't have a lot of time, so hoping things would go their way, she brought them in close, stopping just about the water. The creature's attention was still on Din but sooner or later it would look her way.
