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“When I imagined Luke Skywalker, I was picturing someone a little more... stoic.” You crossed the rocky shoreline with your hands in your jacket pockets, the salty ocean breeze whipping the surrounding grasses into a frenzy. Grogu, happily returned to his father’s arms after weeks apart, smiled widely as his oversized ears were caught in the gale.
“If it makes you feel better, I had no idea who he was the first time I saw him.” Din held his son close, having missed the little one dearly. Barely a day after he’d been taken to the academy, you’d had to stop Din from spamming the poor Jedi with holo-messages. That wasn’t to say you didn’t miss the child just as much, you just had a little more decorum about the whole situation.
You couldn’t help but laugh at your partner, his cluelessness of galactic politics always amusing. “I know. You asked him— to his face— if he was a Jedi, Din. I could’ve told you that.”
“You say that like I’ve met a lot of Jedi before.” He tried to defend himself but there was a smile under that helmet of his. If his occasional puzzlement was all it took to make you laugh, then it was worth a little embarrassment.
“You’ve met one. That nice lady, what was her name? Anyway, I think the lightsaber and magic powers should’ve been obvious.”
“Let’s just get to Dagobah and never speak of this again.” He did have a reputation to uphold after all.
-
What had only been meant to be a visit had quickly turned into a mission. You’d barely spent five minutes with Grogu before Skywalker was spouting some mystical nonsense that went clear over both yours and Din’s heads. You wanted to support your little adopted son, however, so you did your best to understand.
Skywalker had instructed you to take Grogu to the planet Dagobah. You’d never heard of it, nor had Din. Supposedly, it was a site of ‘pure Force energy,’ or something like that. He didn’t explicitly state what it was you would be doing there, but it was definitely very important-sounding. He’d given you some vague coordinates where you were supposed to wade through a deadly swamp, completely inaccessible by a ship as large as the Crest, and allow Grogu to meditate in order to connect with the Force. It all sounded awfully whimsical to you. Not that you didn’t believe it was real by any means. You’d seen far too many unexplainable feats from the child to deny that he had powers. You just had a hard time buying into all this... spiritual stuff. But if it would help Grogu control his powers then by all means, you’d do it. Besides, this was all coming from Luke kriffing Skywalker, hero of the New Republic and savior of the galaxy. You weren’t about to argue with him.
You pondered all of this from the comfort of the co-pilot’s seat back on the Crest, Din having just made the jump to hyperspace and Grogu cheerily sitting in his lap, gazing in wonder at the swirling vortex outside. Din hadn’t put him down since you’d picked him up from the academy. In all honesty, you were starting to get a bit jealous.
“Think I could take Grogu for a bit?” You moved to stand by Din’s side, leaning over to waggle a finger at the kid playfully. He giggled and lifted his arms at you, his telltale sign to be picked up. Apparently he’d missed you about as much as his father.
“I was going to feed him.” Din clearly didn’t want to give up the child just yet, though he wouldn’t admit just how much he’d missed the weight of the little one in his arms or the incomprehensible gurgles and coos that brought a much-needed sense of playfulness to the otherwise quiet ship.
“I can do it. Besides, it’s my turn with the kiddo, don’t you think?” You tilted your head just a bit and gave Din that look that he just couldn’t say no to. It always got you what you wanted and he couldn’t even be upset about it.
“I suppose,” he relented. “I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, Din.” You pressed a quick kiss to the top of his helmet, a common gesture outside of the privacy of your shared bunk. You didn’t hesitate to start talking to Grogu once you picked him up, rambling veritable nonsense in that voice reserved solely for infants and exceptionally cute animals. Din insisted that he had no such voice but you begged to differ. While Din’s so-called ‘baby voice’ was not nearly as extreme as yours, there was a notable difference in how he spoke to the child, particularly when offering praise.
You were just about to exit the cockpit before Din stopped you. “Don’t forget we got those cookies for him!” he said, all his usual seriousness now absent.
“I wouldn’t dare forget them.” You made a face in mock offense that quickly reverted back to a smile as Din tilted his head slightly, a mannerism of his that you just adored. “Not after we scoured the entire parsec looking for them.”
The kid absolutely relished his favorite treat. More of the cookies actually made it into his mouth for once instead of onto the floor. You kept finding blue crumbs in his coat for days last time. Perhaps the Jedi was teaching him table manners as well. You leaned back in your chair, contentedly watching the child. He would occasionally babble something incoherent between bites to which you would respond accordingly, treating it like any normal conversation.
“How’s Jedi school?” You leaned forward, putting your elbow on the table and resting your head in your hand. Grogu gave a short coo, scarcely looking up from his snack. “I bet you’re learning lots,” you replied. Your cup of water was visible out the corner of your eye, sitting close to the edge of the table. You reached for it without really paying attention, your aim suffering for it. The back of your hand pushed the cup towards the edge, only drawing your attention once it was too late. You cursed as the cup plummeted to the floor, reaching out for it in vain. You could already see the mess you’d have to clean up. Barely an inch above the floor, however, the cup froze along with its half-spilled contents. You stared in awe as it slowly righted itself, the water returning to the cup and the whole thing floating back up and onto the table as if nothing happened.
You glanced back at Grogu who barely even looked at you as he reached for the last cookie. “Well look at you! That school must really be paying off, after all.” Normally when you’d seen him use his powers— the Force, you corrected yourself— it seemed to take focus, even for the small things. Yet now he didn’t even acknowledge the cup at all. It must be getting easier for him.
“Did I miss anything?” Din appeared in the doorway just as you were picking up the child, carefully wiping a few crumbs from his face.
“Our little one here just saved me from having to clean up a big mess, isn’t that right?” He didn’t so much as coo in response, but you could tell he was happy and content. “I knocked my water on the floor but he caught it for me like it was nothing.” You put air quotes around ‘caught’ with your free hand.
Din laughed, wholly and freely, that deep chuckle making your heart soar. “That’s great. That Jedi must be teaching him something, then.” He ran his thumb affectionately across Grogu’s ear in praise.
“It makes me wonder what he’s supposed to learn on Dagobah. Did Skywalker give you any more information beforehand?” It worried you a little bit, the fact that you had no idea what to expect.
“No, not a thing. I’m sure it’ll become clear when we get there.”
You could only hope so.
-
Unfortunately, Skywalker wasn’t kidding when he had said swamp.
Dagobah was already unbearable and you’d barely been on foot for 10 minutes. There wasn’t an inch of dry ground to be seen, all of it either submerged in murky water or consisting of several inches of pure mud. You weren’t sure which was harder to walk through. The mud pulled at your feet, emitting an unpleasant suction sound when you finally freed a foot only to have to plummet back into the mire. The only thing keeping you from just wading through the shallow parts of the water instead was the fear of whatever fauna could be lurking beneath.
Din wasn’t having a much better time. The mud had snuck into his boots, clinging to every crevice in the padding on his shins. It would take hours to get it all clean later. On top of that, the heavy fog seemed to interfere with his heads-up-display. He couldn’t get any heat readings, the air apparently too thick and distorted to be read. He’d never had any issues like that before. It didn’t make any sense.
Grogu was plenty curious about his surroundings, his big eyes wandering back and forth across the strange terrain from the comfort of his father’s arms. Every so often, his big ears would perk up, often to one side or the other as if he were tuning in on some particular sound. All you heard, however, was the constant droning of insects and the eerie calls of what you could only assume were birds. Din was in the same boat as you, so to speak, unable to detect whatever was drawing the kid’s attention. You more or less had to rely on Grogu as your compass, wandering vaguely in whatever direction seemed to pique his interest most.
“I don’t like this place,” you grumbled. It wasn’t just the muck or the overwhelming humidity that made you say that, either. This whole place made you feel… off. You couldn’t quite articulate the feeling but there was a weird energy that sort of hung in the air, as if a massive serpent were slowly constricting you, weaving in between itself as it coiled ever tighter. Every nerve in your body was pleading with you to just go back to the ship but you did your best to push it to the back of your mind. You were being paranoid, that was all.
“I know. But we don’t have much of a choice.” Din couldn’t feel what you felt, but he could definitely sense your anxiety. He knew you were trying to suppress it, too. He could recognize the tension in your muscles as if you could snap at any moment and the way your eyes darted around constantly, searching for something you couldn’t find. “At least the place in uninhabited. I’d rather deal with wildlife than people any day.”
It was meant to be something of a joke, but the humor flew right over your head. In truth, you were only half-listening to begin with. You just couldn’t shake the growing sense of nervousness that was making the hair on the back of your neck stand up, goosebumps forming on your skin despite the almost suffocating warmth of the air.
You trudged on silently for some time until the trees seemed to repeat themselves, convincing you that you’d gone in a giant circle. You voiced this concern to the Mandalorian who heavily insisted that that wasn’t possible because your coordinates were different. But his voice lacked its usual confidence and you saw him give a light smack to the side of his helmet, a sign that something was wrong with his heads-up-display.
You headed in a single direction for awhile after that, only stopping when Grogu suddenly started acting up. He cooed loudly, staring off into the distance across the marsh. The fog was even denser that way and just glimpsing that white shroud seemed to agitate you further. If you had been reluctant before, you were downright obstinate now. You subconsciously dug your heels into the ground as a shiver ran down your spine. It didn’t matter, however, as the child was adamant. He reached out towards the fog, babbling nonsense up at Din as if to persuade him.
“It looks like we’re going to have to go through there.” He turned to you as if asking for permission but you knew you didn’t really have a choice. This is for Grogu, you told yourself, repeating the phrase like a mantra until it drowned out the little voice in your head telling you to turn back. You couldn’t understand how the kid was so calm about this whole situation. He didn’t appear to be scared in the slightest. If anything, he was almost eager.
You had to wade into the water, seeing no way around it. It stretched deep into the fog in every direction except where you’d come from and Grogu was insistent that this was the way. Luckily, it only went up to about your thighs. It wasn’t as cold as you’d expected, although it was thick with algae and Maker-knows what else. You’d need at least two showers when all this was said and done. Din wasn’t faring so well, either. Beskar was light thankfully, but he was still weighed down by the rest of his gear. Not to mention his cape, which trailed behind him sadly along the surface of the water, catching loose sticks and debris that failed to sink below the darkened surface. You did your best to remove such items as you followed but eventually gave up, condemning both of you to a slightly slower pace, not that you were really in a hurry.
You froze when you felt the water stir near your ankle, something not quite touching you. “Din,” you whispered, alerting him that something was wrong without drawing excess attention. He turned around to face you but it was too late to do anything. That same thing returned to your leg, this time wrapping tightly around your calf. You didn’t get so much as a chance to yell before your feet left ground, your body plunging into the water. The last thing you heard before going under was Din’s voice yelling your name, unable to reach you in time.
The water was impossibly deep as you felt yourself being pulled further down. You’d been able to stand up in it mere moments ago but know you couldn’t so much as reach for the surface. You tried opening your eyes but everything was pitch black, not even the little bit of light from the surface reaching you. When the sting became too much to bear, you scrunched your eyes shut again, focusing on the grip on your leg. You kicked and flailed to no avail, its grasp never loosening. Your head began to feel light, gravity seeming to no longer have any effect. You couldn’t tell which way was up. The water began to feel cold and your strength was slipping away. Your mind didn’t have the oxygen needed to process what was happening, which was that you were about to die. But just as you felt the world beginning to slip away as your consciousness faded, the hold on your leg let go. Sensing this was your last chance at survival, your instincts kicked back in, every last ounce of your remaining strength forcing you to move. You could only hope the surface was close as you rose, practically clawing your way through the murky water towards air.
You choked on water as you surfaced, your head bobbing back below the water for just a moment as you tried to steady yourself. You drank in Dagobah’s dense, stuffy air greedily as you wiped away the moss and muck from your eyes. You needed a second to regain some strength, hurriedly scanning your surroundings for the closest shoreline. With aching muscles and a sore throat from coughing, you hauled yourself ashore, nearly collapsing in the mud like some sort of frog. You coughed up enough water that is was a surprise you hadn’t drowned, though you’d been extremely close. Once it seemed like your insides had settled, you looked around for Din and Grogu, barely able to support yourself even on your hands and knees. Your arms were shaking and you were sure the only reason you didn’t fall on your face was your hands entrenched in the mud couldn’t move without some effort.
You began to panic when you couldn’t see your little clan anywhere. In fact, you were almost convinced you were in a different location entirely. Was that tree there before? Or over there? The more you looked around, the more lost you felt.
“Din!” You called out, not a care in the world about using his name. Normally you were careful not to let anyone else hear it but right now you were panicked and honestly, a bit afraid. You called out several times, never earning a response. In fact, you heard no noise whatsoever. The chorus of insects and frogs from earlier had ceased completely, leaving only heavy silence in their wake. Your shouts didn’t even echo. It was the most deafening silence you’d ever experienced.
You slowly got to your feet after a few more moments, your legs finally steady enough to support you. The grime covering your body and soaking through your clothes felt heavy, more so than it should. Your clothes clung to you under its weight, impeding your movement further. You tried to wipe some of it off as you walked, pulling algae and twigs from your hair as well. Unfortunately, most of it was well and truly soaked into your clothes.
All sense of direction had been lost when you went under and the unfamiliar surroundings only cemented that fact. So you just picked a direction and stuck with it, figuring you’d run into something eventually. Even after a fair amount of time walking in silence, you were still drenched. The humidity prevented any moisture from leaving your clothes and it was becoming more uncomfortable by the second. Repeated calls for your partner also continued to go unanswered. You couldn’t even reach him on the comms. The only upside was that the further you got from the water, the easier the terrain became. Slowly, your surroundings faded from marshland to a more forested scene, still humid and extremely dense with foliage but at least the ground was firm.
As you were beginning to think you should just stop and look for shelter, a flash of movement up ahead distracted you. Your face lit up in a huge grin, relief washing over you as you assumed it was Din but that feeling quickly sank as you got closer. Peering closely through the trees revealed a humanoid figure, though they were much too small to be the Mandalorian. They were also too big to be Grogu. You dropped to a crouch as you got closer, careful not to make noise, though it was difficult in the otherwise silent forest.
You had to clear your eyes when you figured out what you were looking at, not believing it to be true at first, but you were certain. A child— a little human girl— stood between the trees, still as a statue. She was facing you, her eyes puffy and red as if she’d been crying. She sniffled and you decided she wasn’t a threat. She needed help.
“Hey, kid! Do you need help?” You called to her, keeping as friendly a tone as you could manage under the circumstances, even waving to make sure she saw you. She turned, however, and ran off in the opposite direction. You assumed she was just scared and followed her, continuing to call out. “Wait, it’s okay! I’m trying to help you! Please stop!” You needed her help just as much as she needed yours. At least if she was running, she might lead you back to her village or shelter. How anyone managed to live on this forsaken planet, however, was a mystery to you.
You ran until your chest heaved, breath coming in gasps and searing pain surging through your muscles. You didn’t know how she was still running or how she was so fast. She couldn’t be more than maybe 7 or 8 years old. But the longer you chased her, the more something seemed to prod at the back of your mind. There was a thought there, something half-formed and out of reach but you could tell it was important. The longer you watched the girl run, her light-colored clothing starkly contrasted again the earthen tones of the environment, the more you began to think there was something familiar about her. You just had to reach her.
You began to panic again when she disappeared from your line of sight. Your shouts became more frantic, a desperate plea for her to come back. But something made you go silent. A flash of red light somewhere in the trees ahead was followed closely by blaster fire. At that moment, the only thought in your mind was protect the girl. All hopes of finding shelter or of finding your partner were forgotten.
You continued your pursuit, this time careful not to draw the attention of potential hostiles. Another round of blaster fire rang out, much closer this time. You ducked behind the nearest cover as the familiar pristine white of Stormtrooper armor becomes visible through the trees. You peeked from around your tree as they approached, seemingly hunting for something. There was maybe half a dozen that you could see and probably more further back.
As you debated your next move, you spotted the little girl up ahead, huddled behind a fallen log. She was much closer to the troopers than you were, likely just seconds away from being spotted. You cursed to yourself, knowing full well that the Empire spared no one, not even children. Blaster at the ready, miraculously still functioning after your mishap in the marsh, you leaned out from cover to fire on the trooper closest to the girl. He went down in one shot, crumpling like a ragdoll. Unfortunately, his comrades were none too pleased, every single one of them noticing you immediately. At least their attention was focused on you now.
You took down three more, just barely ducking back into cover as a blaster bolt flew mere inches by your head. You chanced another look toward the girl, still frozen in fear. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, her head down and hands over her ears. She was helpless. One of the stormtroopers noticed your gaze, following it to spot the girl as well. When he turned back, you made eye contact and realized what had happened. Fearing what he was about to do, you didn’t hesitate to take him down, paying no mind to your own safety for the moment.
That would prove to be a mistake as a shot grazed your arm. You let out a cry of pain but quickly retaliated, downing your attacker before he could correct his aim. Fortunately, that was all of the troopers in the immediate vicinity. Unfortunately, now you had a new problem. The wound on your arm could’ve been worse but it still hurt like hell. There was an ugly red mark on your skin that would no doubt scar. You feared what effect the mud and lake water would have on it. An infection was nearly unavoidable.
You could only ignore it for now in favor of more pressing matters. You heard movement not far off and getting closer. You ran over to the girl who refused to look up even as you knelt down to her level. You held onto her arms, gently pulling them away from her ears so she could hear you, noticing her flinch as you did so. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I’ve got you.”
Slowly, as you muttered reassurances to her, the girl finally looked up at you. She was crying and clearly had been for awhile. Her breathing was ragged from sobbing and her whole face was red. There was nothing but fear behind her eyes. More blaster fire sounded in the near distance, signaling for you to get a move on.
“We got to go, kid. You understand?” The girl tried to cover her ears again. Her only defense against the approaching threat was to shut it out and pretend it wasn’t there, such as children do against their foes. But while that may work against the darkness or a bad dream, this situation was very real. You shook her lightly to hold her attention, not letting her look away from you again. “Hey, listen to me. I know you’re scared. I’m scared too. But we’re going to get out of here, okay? I’m gonna get you out of here but I need you to do one thing for me. I need you to be brave, okay?”
The girl nodded frantically and you did your best to give her a reassuring smile. Checking again that the coast was clear, you wrapped an arm around her, hoisting her up so she could throw her arms around your neck. You held her up with one arm as best you could, needing your free hand for your blaster. You got her situated not a moment too soon as more stormtroopers appeared from the trees. You didn’t stop to count them before you booked it in the opposite direction, weaving between the densely packed trees and vines in an attempt to throw them off your trail.
You ran and you ran, the troopers always seeming to be right behind you no matter what you did. Shot after shot rang out, often just missing you. You thanked the stars for the terrible aim of Stormtroopers. The further you went, the more afraid you became until it was all you felt. Your mind felt hazy, your body barely under your control. All you could think was run, run, run.
For a brief moment of lucidity, you realized you’d finally gotten a little distance on them. They were still following you, certainly, but they’d fallen back enough to lose sight of you. You took the opportunity to stop for just a moment, leaning against a tree while you caught your breath. The girl wasn’t particularly heavy but it made a difference in the long run. You held her close, mumbling more reassurances through your ragged gasps.
Suddenly, your heard a sound that practically drove a spike in your chest, your very blood going cold. It was a sound you hadn’t heard for years outside of your nightmares. A sharp static sound being swung through the air, as if an alarm were being forced through blown out speakers. You felt the sound as much you heard it, a low modulated hum that practically vibrated straight into your bones. The flash of red light made sense now.
It was a weapon you recognized. Skywalker carried one, that much you knew, though you hadn’t seen him use it up close. But this was a different lightsaber. This one you remembered.
You had been searching for your family, running through the streets as the town burned around you. The only thing louder than the roar of the flames and gunfire was the cries of innocent civilians, of your friends and neighbors. The town never should’ve let the Alliance set up a base there. The rebels said they could protect the town and all its people, yet you were watching it all go down in flames.
You called out for your family, your friends, for anyone you knew. With each street a different name, none receiving a response. When you reached the square, however, the sight before you left you frozen in place.
You didn’t even see the man wielding it, only the weapon itself. That searing red blade was the only thing brighter than the flames, like a wound on the very air surrounding it. You couldn’t look away as it cut down countless rebels like they were made of paper. It wasn’t until the man himself, masked and cloaked in all black, looked your way did you summon the courage to move.
Although you felt anything but courageous in that moment, turning tail as fast as you could, not looking back to see if he followed. You ran so fast, you nearly smacked into a stormtrooper as you rounded a corner. Without so much as a thought, you acted on your instincts and kicked him in the shin. It didn’t do any real damage but he let out a yelp of pain, buying you a much-needed few seconds to get around him. You just barely avoided his blaster fire, ducking into an alleyway at the last second.
You searched desperately for a hiding place as he called for backup. You tried a door to one of the adjacent buildings but it was barred from the inside by something much too heavy for you to move. The only other things in the alley were some piles of debris, none of which looked like viable hiding spots but you were out of options. You paused, however, just long enough to notice a sound, nearly inaudible through all the chaos. It took a moment but you recognized it as the sound of crying and it was close. You followed it to a a pile of discarded wooden crates, carefully pushing them aside to reveal a hole in the stone wall. Inside was a young girl who panicked when she saw you. At the same time, you heard footsteps headed your way and quite a few sets of them. You quickly reassured the poor child as you climbed into the nook beside her. You did your best to replace the crates so you couldn’t be seen but the girl was still crying. The troopers were dangerously close, their voices audible as they shouted commands between each other.
You did the first thing you could think of, pulling the child into your arms and holding her close, her sobs settling into whimpers as you tried to calm her. She clung to you and buried her face in your shirt just as the footsteps reached your location. You forced yourself to take shallow breaths, hoping the child would keep it together for just a little longer. The troopers passed without notice but there were more out there. You remained hidden, running your hand through the child’s hair in an attempt to keep her calm as chaos reigned outside. It felt like hours you stayed there, holding the lost child until the sounds of blaster fire and the screech of TIE fighters finally ceased.
Now, years later on the planet Dagobah, you were being forced to relive those events. Despite the entirely different location, your mind was trapped in a different time, your reasoning for being here all but forgotten. Logic would tell you that none of this was possible but fear had overtaken any rational thought you had left.
The child you held clung to you tighter as the sound of the lightsaber grew closer. Somewhere else, you could hear more troopers approaching but they were the least of your concerns. A tree fell just to your right, a smoldering scar left behind by the weapon closing in on you. You began to run again but stopped short in your tracks as troopers surrounded you on all sides, seemingly appearing from nowhere. With no other option for escape, you turned to face your attacker.
It was the man in all black, if you could even call him a man. A monster, more like it. And in his hand, that same glowing sword, red as a dying star. You may now recognize it as a lightsaber but this was no Jedi. You made sure the girl was still looking away as you took aim with with your blaster. But with merely a wave of his hand, your gun was ripped from your grasp and tossed aside.
With no more weapons and no way of escaping, you dropped to your knees, pulling the child close as if you could protect her with just your body. You scrunched your eyes closed and buried your face in her hair as you braced yourself for pain and darkness. As the lightsaber was raised over your head, you instinctively put up a hand in a futile attempt to defend yourself. At that moment, however, a massive wave of force rippled through the air away from you. You looked up just in time to see all the troopers thrown flat on their backs simultaneously. The masked man, however, barely staggered, simply staring you down. You looked to your trembling hand before glancing behind you, the rest of the troopers having disappeared entirely. When you turned back, the man, too, was gone. You were alone.
Your mind raced at light speed, unable to comprehend exactly what just happened. You didn’t hear the voice calling your name until a hand grabbed your shoulder, sending you straight back into fight-or-flight mode. You reached out to shove your assailant away but your hand never made contact. You caught a flash of silver as the figure was sent sprawling backwards several feet into the grass.
You were still out of it when he called your name again, holding up a hand in self-defense as he got to his feet. “It’s me, it’s me! Snap out of it!”
Your mind was in far orbit, only distantly watching the scene unfold until it came crashing back to the ground. It hit you all at once where you were, when you were, and what you had just done.
“Din...?” Your voice trembled as much as your hands. You feared you may shatter as easily as glass.
He approached cautiously, only reaching for you when you said his name again. Your eyes were wide with fear, fixed on him but not really seeing. His hands were on you in an instant, brushing over your face, your shoulders, your waist, all in search of any injuries before finally settling on your arms. “What the hell happened? Where did you go?”
You didn’t answer his question, not directly anyway. Scanning your surroundings once more, you couldn’t find an enemy in sight. “The— the Stormtroopers. A—and the man... with the lightsaber... They were right here.”
Din looked around as well, though he was certain he would’ve noticed if there were Stormtroopers around. “There’s no one here but me and the kid. It’s just been us this whole time.”
You looked down at the empty space where the girl had been mere moments ago. It felt cold. “There was a little girl... Wait— I hurt you! How did—?” You snapped back to the moment at hand, your concern shifting to Din. You mimicked his previous action, checking him over for any injuries.
“I’m fine,” he insisted. “But what was that? What— what did you do?” He nodded towards your hands.
“I— I don’t know.” You flexed your hands experimentally, not really sure what to expect. Nothing happened of course, which you were thankful for.
Grogu, who had been waiting patiently off to the side, decided it was his time to get involved. He let out a whine, drawing your attention as he approached. He looked up at you with his head tilted, making another sound you couldn’t understand. He slowly raised a hand and at first you thought he just wanted picked up but then he looked to your hand and cooed again.
Thinking you knew what he wanted but not entirely sure, you tentatively raised your palm to his much smaller one. He smiles, toothy and wide as his ears perk up in excitement. You didn’t share his delight, however, turning back to Din with a worried look. “We can’t tell Skywalker about this.”
“What? We don’t even know what this is.” He gently took your hands in his, clasping them together. “If you have... abilities— if you’re like Grogu—“
You snatched your hands away, wringing them together nervously. “That what, exactly? I have to become a Jedi? No way, not happening.”
Din sighed but reassured you nonetheless. “You don’t have to become a Jedi, no matter what Skywalker says. But we should at least talk to him.”
You wanted to fight, to argue your point but you just couldn’t. You were soaked, caked in mud, and exhausted beyond belief. What you really wanted was for Din to wrap you in his arms where you knew you were safe, far away from this damned planet. You just wanted to rest. So you relented, letting him help you to you your feet. There was still a decent walk ahead of you, though you were just thankful Din knew where the Crest even was. It would give you time to explain what you saw.
You couldn’t explain all of it, however. Whatever you’d done, whatever... powers you had, they scared you. In hindsight, you supposed you should’ve known. You thought back to some of the times you had assumed Grogu was using his powers, completely ignoring any evidence to the contrary. Earlier today was probably an example. He hadn’t even been paying attention when that cup fell, how would he have stopped it? That must’ve been you. The problem was, you didn’t ask for any of this, didn’t want it. And you didn’t know what it would mean for your future.