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“Open the doors,” Din demanded.
“Are you crazy?” Fennec asked.
“I said, open the doors.” When no one moved to do so Din crossed the room carrying Grogu to the control panel. He pressed a button and his companions trained their weapons on the door, anxiously anticipating the arrival of the great fighter who had single-handedly defeated a platoon of dark troopers.
While the four women were unsure whether their rescuer was friend or foe Din was sure that this was the jedi he’d been looking for. As the blast doors parted, he left the child in the console chair and moved to stand in front of the doorway. Out of habit, his hand hovered over his holstered blaster as the lone figure was revealed.
The figure, cowled and dressed all in black, stepped through the doorway illuminated by their glowing green lightsaber. They turned off the glowing blade and returned the weapon to their belt. The silent tension in the room came to a head as they threw back their hood to reveal the face of a young man. His sandy blonde hair and crystal blue eyes sharply contrasted his dark clothing.
“Who are you? Are you a jedi?” Din asked, his voice unexpectedly catching in this throat.
Weapons were lowered as the jedi began to speak.
“I am a jedi. My name is Luke Skywalker, I’m here because I felt a child,”
“Grogu,” Din supplied.
“I felt Grogu reach out to me through the Force. Though he is strong, I sense fear and anger within him and this can lead to the dark side. With training, I believe that he could master his emotions and become a powerful jedi. I could train him, with your permission.”
Though he had anticipated what the jedi might say, spoken aloud the words hit him like a slug round to the chest. In the aftermath of Luke’s words time seemed to stop for Din. He knew this day would come, in fact, Din had done everything in his power to make sure of it. But now that it was here, he was frozen. His covert had stressed the importance of following through with your word, of finishing the mission, but they were gone now save the Armorer. The Armorer who had declared Din and the child a clan of two. He could not bear the thought of being a clan of one, of losing Grogu.
Throughout their time together, Din had been trying to find a safe place Grogu but would it be so crazy to think that place was with him. At every turn he had protected Grogu. Din saved Grogu from the imperials, from the bounty hunters, from Moff Gideon himself. No matter the odds Din had sacrificed everything for the welfare of the child. He lost his covert, the Razor Crest, he even revealed his face in the imperial base all in the service of Grogu’s safety. He protected the baby before and he would again in a heartbeat.
But could he protect Grogu from his own strength. Din could not train him in the ways of the Force, he could barely get the child to understand basic tasks. Beneath his helmet, Din felt his eyes grow wet with tears. This jedi, Luke, could train him. With his abilities mastered Grogu might finally be safe. It was time.
With leaden feet, Din moved toward the child. Grogu cooed as he held him. Tears streamed down Din’s face as he talked, he tried to hold back a sob but failed. “Well kid, I’ve brought you back to your kind. Luke is going to train you to be a jedi…you…you’ll be safe with him…That’s who you belong with. It’s time to go.”
Din took a shaky breath, shattered by this painful goodbye, and passed Grogu to Luke. He bit his lip to maintain some semblance of control. Grogu made soft noise of discontent in Luke’s arms. The child squirmed, trying to reach out to Din.
“I think there’s been some misunderstanding,” said Luke.
Grogu whined in frustration.
“I’m not here to take Grogu from you, my academy is not like the Jedi Temple of old. I do not separate children from their families. The bond between parent and child is strong, you are Grogu’s father and you must stay together.”
“What?” asked Din.
“If I am to train Grogu, you must come with us.” Luke placed the child back in Din’s hands and frustrated whines turned back to coos.
Din looked down at Grogu and gently pulled him into his chest. He fell to his knees racked with sobs and full of relief.
Din placed Grogu on his lap, “we’re going to Yavin 4 so that you can be trained as a jedi, are you excited?”
Grogu cooed in response and placed his tiny hand on Din’s helmet. Din looked down at his son, a smile spreading beneath his helmet. Din reached up with one hand to grip the underside of his helmet and pulled it off.
“Hello little one,” Din said joyously.
Grogu giggled, putting his hand to Din’s face to lightly stroke his cheek. “Da,” he cooed.