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‘Papa?’ is the first thought that pops into Grogu’s head when he wakes up, as it usually is.
His mind is still groggy from his nap and as he opens his eyes, a frown grows on his face. He doesn’t recognize where he is. The room around him has tall metal walls that don’t resemble the Razor Crest at all.
All of the sudden, his memory clears and he remembers that Papa is gone. The bad people took him again and now he is all alone. He hasn’t been alone since Papa saved him.
Without being able to control himself, he lets out a sad whimper. The whimper quickly grows into cries and then he tucks himself into a ball, wishing this nightmare would end already. Whenever he would cry, Papa would always hold him tight and softly rub his back until the crying stopped. Sometimes if he was lucky, Papa would even sing him a lullaby.
He misses Papa. He misses the sling they would share during nap time. He misses his blue blanket that the pretty lady had given him on Sorgan. He misses his little silver ball that Papa was using to teach him how to use the Force.
Why did people always want to keep him and Papa apart from each other? He loved Papa, and he was pretty sure that Papa loved him too.
His wails and cries continue until he doesn’t have the strength left and is only able to lie on the cold, metal bench with tear stains across his face. His heart aches, a deep pain that feels like it can never go away. That’s how he used to feel all the time at the Jedi Temple and when he was in the darkness. His heart had been searching for someone to love and then Papa had shown up to make everything bad go away.
‘Papa, where are you?’ he thinks to himself. ‘I’m scared. I want to be with you.’
“Scared do not be, little one,” a gentle voice echoes through the room. It is a voice he recognizes from long ago.
Wiping the tears from his face, his eyes settle on the apparition in front of him.
“Hello, Grogu. Long time it has been.”
Master Yoda! He hasn’t seen him in such a long time, since before the time when the darkness filled his memory. Master Yoda was his favorite teacher at the Jedi Temple. He had always managed to make the lessons fun and bring happiness to his students, a true luxury to the younglings.
Grogu coos and reaches toward the apparition. He is desperate for comfort at this point.
“Not really here I am. Connects us the Force does.”
A soft whine leaves his throat as once again the realization that he is alone sets in.
Master Yoda took a few steps closer to him, “Alone you are not. Never alone you are.”
Confused, Grogu looked at him strangely. There was nobody else here with him and who knew where Papa could possibly be.
Master Yoda chuckled lightly at him, “Hard to understand that it is. Miss your father, do you?”
Grogu nods back at him, “boo-eh!”*
“Made your choice you have. Stay with your father you will. For you the Jedi way is not.” Master Yoda says. His face is caught between two emotions that Grogu cannot name, but before he can figure it out the expression is gone.
“Worry not, young one. With you your father is. Even when see him you cannot,” he spoke. “After all, have a piece of him with you always you do.”
He extends one of his green fingers towards Grogu’s neck. If it were not for the cuffs shackling his wrists, he would have proudly pulled out the Mythosaur pendant that Papa had let him keep. He didn’t have much in the world besides Papa, but this was his favorite of all the things Papa had given to him.
“Be strong, Grogu. Over soon this all will be. See him again you will.”
Grogu hoped he would see Papa again soon. He hoped that Papa would save him from all the bad people again and then they could go find somewhere safe to stay forever and ever.
Master Yoda smiled at him before stepping backwards, “May the force be with you, young one.”
Grogu cannot help but attempt to reach out more to his old ally, but all the same the apparition disappears. Master Yoda had once told him that sometimes the Force worked in strange ways.
His heart miraculously felt lighter than it had a few minutes ago. Papa would come get him soon, just like last time. And then nobody was going to separate them ever again.