Mandalorian Revived

Chapter 24

"Well, the ship is as good as new now," the old man announces. I raise my eyebrows, a cautious smile spreading on my face. Grogu squeals happily in my arms as we both gaze up at my ship on the platform.

Mando is standing beside me dressed in full armor. By morning, he'd cooled down substantially. He'd slipped his helmet on at some point before I woke up. I set Grogu in the cot with him while I got the healer woman to come check on him. By now, as the sun tips closer to the evening, he's well enough to walk around. "It doesn't look much different."

I frown up at him. "You could be a little more optimistic."

The blank helmet turns to stare back at me. Grogu giggles at him and he sighs through the modulator.

I turn back to the old man and smile. "It looks great. I can't believe you were able to fix it after everything."

"Anything for the two of you," he says kindly. "It really is the least I can do."

The praise feels more earned than it did when we first arrived, so I accept it with a small nod. "Zeb sent you the credits before he left. Are you sure I can't find a way to get you the rest?"

He shakes his head, slicing a hand through the air. "Out of the question."

This time, it's Mando who nods in gratitude. "Thank you, that's very kind," he says softly.

We fall into a slightly uncomfortable silence and I clear my throat. "Well, there isn't much to keep us here now. I'll take the kid into town for one last supply run and then we can head out." I glance sideways at Mando, but he's stubbornly pretending to examine the ship. Even Grogu frowns up at him. "Would you...want to come with us?"

I just don't think he should leave his home planet without some kind of closure. What that closure would be, I'm not sure. But he won't get it on this landing platform.

He slowly turns to look down at me and Grogu, taking in the pleading looks on our faces. He shakes his head and sighs, and I can imagine his eyes rolling. "Fine."

Grogu squeals and claps his hands together and I grin up at Mando. "See? He's happy you're coming along." I offer the old man a small wave as we go.

As we walk back toward town, Mando looks down at me and his voice softens through the modulator. "And is he the only one?"

I stare straight ahead, though my voice is light. "Of course not. I'm happy too." I can almost feel his spirits lifting through the force and I suppress a grin. "Now I can get you to carry everything we buy."

One quick glance up at him makes me snort out a laugh. Even with the blank helmet covering his face, I can feel the pointed glare he's giving me. He rests one hand on the blaster hilt at his side as we walk. "Wonderful."

The afternoon is actually quite productive. I get a few things—for a bargain, I might add—like food rations and medical supplies from a few of the stalls lining the streets. With my presence in town over the past few days, the admiring stares have lessened. A few people take their chances approaching Mando and commending him for his part in the raider attack, but otherwise, it feels oddly normal. Mando pays for everything, which I would've argued against except that he pointed out rather bluntly that I have no credits at the moment while he does.

That is, until we came across a farmer whose wagon was trapped by a fallen tree on the edge of town. I used my lightsabers to cut the tree and release the wagon and he gave me a hundred credits for the work. I'm very proud of my one hundred credits.

"I think we have enough, you know," Mando grunts as I add a pitcher of bright blue drink to the pile of stuff in his arms. Grogu looks happier than ever to see me stocking up on it.