Solivagant-The Mandalorian

17

" assist "

A desolate sand planet is not where Lana was expecting to find the man that Mando had spoken about to watch the child. The planet reminded her of Tatooine, but more rugged and a lot vaster landscape, but overall just a lot of sand.

When they hop off the Crest, they're greeted by a small moisture farm, and a nice man named Kuiil. He was a very kind fellow inviting them into his home.

Everyone was seated in a close circle when Kuiil began speaking. He took a couple of glances at the small child who was in his makeshift seat beside Lana and Mando. "He hasn't grown much."

"I think it might be a Strand-Cast." Mando responds. Lana's head tilts slightly as his words.

Was he saying the child is a clone?

Kuiil shut down his assumptions quickly. "I don't think it was engineered. I've worked int he gene farms. This one looks evolved. Too ugly." Lana frowns slightly at Kuiil's words.

"These two, on the other hand, looks like they were farmed in the Cytocaves of Nora." He gestures to both Lana and Cara. The two grins slightly, Lana may or may not know what he was talking about but she assumed it was a compliment.

"This is Lana, I met her a few a few weeks back. She flies with me as of recently." He turns to his other side where Cara is rested. "As for her, this is Cara Dune. She was a shock trooper."

"Nice to meet you Lana. Anyone crazy enough to run with a Mandalorian is a welcomed person into my home. And Cara, you were a dropper?"

"Did you serve?" She questions.

"On the other side, I'm afraid." Kuiil takes a seat beside them. "But I'm proud to say I paid out my clan's debt, and now I serve no one but myself." Lana finds herself smiling at Kuiil's story, he sounded so proud he was able to break from his cabins. But that's all over too quick when the bounty droid Mando knew too much of walked into the home.

In the blink of an eye Mando stood with his pistol aimed at the droid's head. Lana followed him as he stood up gripping her blaster on her thigh. She didn't know this droid, she just followed Mando, but turns out it was just offering them some tea.

Kuiil looked up to the three of them, "Please lower your blasters. He will not harm you."

Lana released her grasp on her weapon, slowly sitting back in the harsh seat below her. Cara followed, but Mando wasn't convinced, he still stood with his blaster ready to blast the droid at any given moment.

"That thing is programmed to kill the baby." Mando sounded terrifying with his blaster still aimed toward the droid. "Not anymore." Kuiil promises.

Kuiil gestures for them to find their seats again. Lana tugged at Mando's sleeve to get him to sit beside her again. Mando gazed down to her. Her eyes looked like they were begging him to sit, she knew they needed Kuiil if they were going to be successful.

Reluctantly, Mando let his blaster find its way to his holster. Slowing dropping himself next to Lana again. She gives him a warm smile.

Kuiil began to tell the story of how he nursed the droid back to health, and programmed him to not want to kill anymore, but to protect. He told the heroic story of how he retaught this droid everything, and by everything he truly meant it.

By the time Kuiil finished, Mando still wasn't convinced as Lana. "Is he still a hunter?" Lana knew that voice. When Mando got protective his gritty voice would come out, she sorts of liked when he sounded like that.

"No. But it will protect." Kuiil assures them, turning to face the harmless droid.

Mando starred at the droid, still not sure that he could trust this droid. The tension was cut off when IG-11 offered cups of tea to Cara and Lana. They both accepted kindly.

•·················•·················•

A while later, Kuiil was outside the home feeding the giant Blurrg he had corralled.

As Lana and Mando walked up to him Mando looked over to her then back to the beast. "You knew what a Bantha was, now tell me what that thing is." He says expecting her to truly not get this one.

"Easy, it's a Blurrg. You can't fool me Mando. Oh, and did you know the males are eaten by the females during mating season." Mando laughs slightly. "You'd be surprised what I know." He jokes.

When the two reach Kuiil, Mando starts the conversation bluntly again. "We've run into some trouble."

"I figured as much. Why else would you return?" He says feeding the large blurrg. Mando shifts his weight to lean on one leg, putting his hands on his hips.

"We wanna hire your services." Lana speaks up beside Mando. She steps toward the blurrg slowly placing her hand on the top of the blurrg's head.

Kuiil steps back from Lana and the blurrg to face Mando. "I'm retired from service."

"I can pay you handsomely, Ugnaught." Mando did not use the right words in this instance, it set Kuiil off.

"I have a name. It is Kuiil." He fires back.

Lana steps away from the animal to try to fix the situation. stammers trying her best to keep Kuiil's services. "Kuiil, well we uh need someone to protect the little one."

"I'm sorry Lana, I'm not suited for such work. I can reprogram IG-11 for nursing and protocol." Kuiil breaths out.

Before Lana can speak on their behalf, Mando shuts that idea down as quick as he can. "No. I don't want that droid anywhere near him."

"Why're you so distrustful of droids?" Kuiil's question made Lana ponder for herself. It wasn't just this one droid, it was any other one they passed in the galaxy made Mando on edge.

"It tried to kill him." Mando says bluntly.

Lana's eyebrow raised slightly.

He really doesn't like droids huh?

"It was programmed to do so. Droids are not good or bad. They are neutral reflections of those who imprint them." Kuiil battles to convince Mando.

"I've seen otherwise." Mando grunts. Lana sighs at Mando's stubbornness.

"Do you trust me?" Kuiil asks.

"From what I can tell, yes."

"Then you will trust my work. IG-11 will join me. And we do it not for payment, but to protect the child from Imperial slavery. None will be free until the old ways are gone forever." Kuiil preaches.

"We understand. Thank you Kuiil." Lana smiles.

"And the blurrg's will join me as well." He adds.

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Hey guys, I had a really shitty day. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm sorry if its bad I'm just going through a lot right now.