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“Let him sleep. I'll test him in the morning.”
When Ahsoka Tano woke up this morning, she never expected that her day would end in the presence of a Mandalorian bounty hunter and an adorable pint-sized Force user of Master Yoda's species. Here they sat, a couple hours after first meeting, under the cover of night, with only a glow lamp illuminating the space around them.
Soft snores came from the child seated to her right as Grogu settled into a much needed rest under the Mandalorian's watchful stare. They were an unlikely duo, to be sure, and through Grogu's thoughts and emotions, she had learned not only about the child's story, she learned how these two had come together, about the adventures they had shared, and how the bounty hunter had risked it all to save him.
Ahsoka turned her stare to the man across from her. It hadn't gone unnoticed that he hadn't removed his helmet thus far, which she thought odd considering Bo-Katan and other Mandalorians did so on a regular basis. Was he disfigured? Was it a personal choice? She was also intrigued as to why a bounty hunter would break guild code to help one of his bounties. The hunters she had known over the years would rarely have considered it. He was an enigma and this was the perfect opportunity to attempt to uncover some of the mystery.
“There's still some food left,” she started. He turned his head to look at her. “I can turn away if you would like to have a bite to eat.”
“That's ... kind of you but I'm good, thanks.” His voice was low and a little raspy and she wondered if it was the helmet's modulator or his natural tone.
“Would you mind if we talked?” Ahsoka asked, rising to her feet. “It's been a while since I've enjoyed a conversation that didn't end with someone making threats.”
He hesitated for a split second. “Sure.”
Ahsoka gestured to a spot a couple feet away from them. “Over here, perhaps, so we don't wake him?”
“Sure,” he replied again as he rose to his feet. He glanced down at Grogu then reached up and removed his cloak. Two steps brought him in front of the sleeping child then he squatted down. Ahsoka watched as he bunched up one end of his cloak then laid Grogu gently back against the makeshift pillow. He draped the rest of the cloak over him like a blanket then gave him a quick pat on the head before he stood up. Ahsoka had the feeling she was watching a scene that had played out many times before.
A few steps later, the Mandalorian settled against a large rock. He stretched his legs out before him, crossing his ankles. She figured he'd appreciate being able to see Grogu at all times so she came around him to sit on his left, and stretched her legs out as well.
“I'm sorry you had to wait long while we conversed,” she began, settling back against the rock. “Grogu had a lot to share.”
“I'm glad someone is able to understand him,” he replied. “I've managed to figure out what some sounds mean but other than that, I'm winging it.” He paused a second then asked, “Who took him from the temple? Was it another Jedi?”
Ahsoka frowned. “I don't know. Grogu has buried those memories deep. He doesn't want to remember.” She recalled something he'd said earlier, and turned to face him. “Do you know why the Empire hunts him?”
“They want his blood.”
A shiver shot down her spine as she gave him a curious look. “Do you know why?”
“Not exactly. Before we came here, we stopped at Nevarro for repairs. We have friends there and they asked for help taking out the last Imp base on the planet. Turns out, it wasn't a base but a lab.” There was no mistaking the layer of contempt in his voice. Ahsoka could feel the anger simmering in him. “We came across a transmission from a doctor saying they needed more of his blood for their experiments.”
“Did you know that when they hired you?”
“No,” the hunter's reply was sharp and she thought she sensed a flicker of guilt pass through him.
She frowned, taking in the information. “How long have you been travelling together?”
The Mandalorian blew out a tired breath. “Five, six months.”
“You've been running from the Empire for six months? You've done well keeping him safe.”
“They've sent many hunters after us. It hasn't been easy at times. I've ... made mistakes ... I haven't always made the best choices.”
“Grogu may not always understand the decisions you've made but he trusts you and he knows what you've sacrificed to protect him.”
He turned his head to her. “He's just a child.”
Ahsoka nodded and grinned. “He knows.”
He was quiet for a moment then said, “Thank you for telling me his name.”
“He was very happy to hear you say it.”
“I can imagine. I get tired of being called 'Mando' all the time. 'Kid' was probably driving him nuts.” He paused a second then asked, “You had mentioned you knew another of his species. Is there anything I should know?”
Thinking about all she knew of Master Yoda, she regrettably didn't have much to offer him. “I don't know much about their species, I'm afraid. They seem to have a strong connection to the Force – Master Yoda was one of the most powerful Jedi I'd ever known. Grogu won't grow much taller, maybe another few feet, and their species seem to have a very long lifespan. Master Yoda was over 800 years old when I knew him.”
He was quiet again and Ahsoka sensed a touch of sadness; as if he were thinking about Grogu existing without him. Her brow raised in thought. She may not be able to tell him much about Grogu's species but she could share something that might be just as important – she could offer him insight.
“You've been on many adventures together,” she began, recalling Grogu's enthusiasm telling her about the things he had seen and done. “He's happy when you take him with you instead of locking him in the ship.”
“There were a few times I should have secured him in the ship. It would have been safer ... but then again, his sense of adventure seems to extend to pressing every button and finding as many places on the Razor Crest to get stuck in.”
Ahsoka chuckled. “That sounds about right. He likes to explore when you're sleeping.”
“When he thinks I'm sleeping,” he amended and she chuckled once more.
“He likes speeder rides,” she continued, “He likes how the wind feels against his ears. He also likes the holobooks the nice lady in the village gave him when you'd left. His favourite is the one about the baby bantha and he says you're a good storyteller and he likes when you make sound effects.” A warmth radiated from the Mandalorian and she imagined he was smiling beneath the helmet. “And, he really liked those eggs.”
He cringed and made a noise that sounded like disgust. “Those eggs weren't food and I had told him twice not to eat them.”
She was genuinely amused. “He's a child and children seem to enjoy testing their boundaries.”
“His appetite nearly got us killed. Then again, I inadvertently got us into that mess.” It was the second time he had admitted his follies. It was refreshing, especially coming from both a bounty hunter and a Mandalorian. “He learned his lesson in the end,” he added. “At least, I think he did.”
She was reminded how the child's eyes lit up with glee when she had prepared a meal for them and no doubt the Mandalorian had his hands full sustaining the little one. The image of him trying to stop a growing child from eating whatever he wanted made her suppress a grin.
A few gems from her conversation with Grogu sprung to mind and she needed clarification because they made no sense. “Children have overactive imaginations, so forgive me but I have to ask ... Did you really fight a flying ship?”
He tilted his head as if in thought. “I used my jetpack, grappled onto a TIE fighter. My arm was sore for days.”
That was a story she'd have to inquire about later. “You stomped on a metal beast?”
The hunter took a little longer to answer that one. “Oh. I climbed onto a fallen Imp walker and tossed a detonator through the busted viewport. I didn't do that by myself, though; it took a lot of people to bring that down.”
“You got eaten by a sand worm?”
“Krayt dragon.”
She just stared for a second then she couldn't help but giggle. “No wonder he likes when you take him with you.” He just shrugged but Ahsoka sensed a brief swell of pride flow through him. “He really loves when you take him flying.”
“Flying? We fly – Oh! Jetpack joyrides.” Before Ahsoka could say anything, he added hastily, “We never fly very high – Okay, a few times we did – but I have a good grip on him and he's fine. He's perfectly fine.” That was the response of someone who had defended that activity more than once.
It was obvious how much Grogu adored the Mandalorian and it was becoming clearer to her that he was equally fond of the child as well. She masked a frown. That could be a problem.
“Is there anything else?”
Ahsoka considered for a moment. There was something that lingered just below the surface of Grogu's thoughts. The child had been seeking an answer which she couldn't give and considering her own curiosity, perhaps now was the time to broach it gently.
“He's a little confused,” she began, slowly, gauging his mood as she went on, “When you met the other Mandalorians and they removed their helmets Grogu didn't understand why that had upset you.”
His posture stiffened ever-so-slightly as he turned his head from her, focusing his helmeted gaze somewhere in front of him. She was expecting him to be annoyed – he's probably been asked about his helmet a thousand times – but instead she sensed ... uncertainty?
“I was a Foundling,” the hunter said, his voice low. “When I came of age, I swore the Creed. If I remove the helmet, I can never put it back on.”
“I've known Bo-Katan and encountered many Mandalorians over the years and they've all removed their helmets.”
“I didn't know until I met Bo-Katan that not all Mandalorians weren't like me.” There was a tinge of sadness in his voice and he hesitated before he continued. “It is the Way of the Mandalore. I've followed it since I was a child. I've had no reason to believe that other Mandalorians didn't so it was ... a surprise when Bo-Katan and the Mandalorians with her showed their faces.” She sensed a growing conflict within him and his surprise that he was talking so freely. “Bo-Katan said I was part of a radical group. She said I was a child of the Watch and implied I wasn't a true Mandalorian.”
“The Watch? As in Death Watch?”
His head snapped in her direction. “What's Death Watch?”
Ahsoka hoped she had masked the surprise she was feeling. Had the Mandalorians who'd raised him not educated him on their history? Did they offer a perverted version of the truth? It was puzzling that he had never heard of Death Watch – especially if he was raised by their remnants. It also struck her as pretentious that Bo-Katan would mock him considering her past involvement with them.
She had to tread carefully. “Death Watch was a splinter group of Mandalorians that opposed the government's peaceful way of life. There were many conflicts between the two but eventually they were defeated. That was during the Clone Wars,” she added quickly, “It is very possible that they have changed their ideology to what you are devoted to now.”
Ahsoka could feel that he not only wished that he hadn't said anything but that he was also grateful for what little she shared. She understood that conflict and the ache of examining one's faith. It was a difficult thing to face, and having no one to confide in also made it a lonely path to follow.
She didn't know what she could offer in the form of advice but she felt she had to try. She shifted slightly, half-turning to face him. The hunter's head was facing straight again. “The Jedi have a Code that they follow as well. It's been a part of the Jedi Order for thousands of years. It can also be rigid in its teachings and it doesn't leave much room to consider anything else. There is a Light Side of the Force and a Dark Side. There is no in-between.”
Memories and buried feelings threatened to bubble but she pushed them away. “It's okay to challenge our beliefs. Sometimes it offers us a perspective we hadn't considered before and sometimes it pushes us to a change we didn't think we were ready for.”
“Have you questioned your beliefs?”
“Yes,” her voice was barely above a whisper. “Many times.”
“Do you have any regrets?”
He must have surmised she was drawing on her own experiences. He was incredibly observant if he had picked up on it since she had kept her tone as neutral as possible.
She couldn't seem to find any words; the old wounds still pained from time to time and she wasn't sure she wanted to share that with the hunter ... or anyone, really. He seemed to accept her silence and Ahsoka was moved by the empathy she sensed from him.
They were quiet; both lost in their own thoughts. Ahsoka hadn't expected their chat to take a sombre turn and she wasn't ready for it to end like this. Her initial impression of him was correct – He was different somehow; perhaps it was because he was a Foundling or because not many Mandalorians were bounty hunters. Perhaps his life was a lonely one before Grogu came along and the child's presence revealed his true self.
She could feel him starting to retreat into himself and she mused quickly on how to bring them out of their reverie. Her lips twitched in a grin as a sudden thought came to her. “I wonder when people see you two if they think you look like him.”
He turned his head in a way that conveyed surprise. She held his gaze, her lips twitching in amusement.
The Mandalorian laughed. It was a short, deep laugh which only made her smile stretch more. It was a nice sound.
“I've never thought of that before,” he confessed, his voice still holding humour. “I have been asked if I'm a Gungan, though.”
This time, Ahsoka laughed. “A Gungan bounty hunter? That would be interesting.”
“Would it?”
Ahsoka thought for a second. “Good point. What else?”
He pondered a moment. “I've been asked if I'm a Zabrak.”
She shook her head. “I don't see it.”
“A Zeltron.”
“A waste of armour.”
He choked on a laugh. “A Bothan.”
“Not short enough.”
“A Twi'lek.”
“How would you hide the lekku?”
He shook his head, chuckling, and the more she heard that sound, the more Ahsoka liked it.
“You want to take a shot at it?” he challenged, half-turning his body to face her. His helmeted stare seemed to study her with amusement.
“Hmm,” Ahsoka grinned. “Give me a moment to think.” She held his gaze, moving a little closer as she considered.
She thought of her first impression when they had met to the last few hours in each other's company. She pondered his body language, how he walked, how he spoke with a calm confidence and an even softer tone when addressing the child. She recalled how tender he was wrapping Grogu in his cloak. She considered his patience as he encouraged the little one to eat when he didn't want to munch on vegetables. She considered everything she had learned and came up with a very simple response.
“I think,” she started, her hand instinctively resting on his arm, “that there's a man in there who is quite unlike other Mandalorians or bounty hunters I have met. I think most who meet him never see all of him. If only there were more time to get to know him.”
They remained locked in a stare and Ahsoka was vaguely aware of the muscle tensing beneath her fingers but he didn't pull away. The Force whispered, stirring an unfamiliar energy between them. Taunting and tempting, it prompted her to wonder about the colour of his skin, if his hands were smooth or calloused under the leather of his gloves. She wondered if his hair was long or short, straight or curly, what colour it was. She wondered about his jawline, if he was clean-shaven and as she could feel the intensity of his stare through the helmet, she wondered about the colour of his eyes.
A soft whimper brought them out of the moment.
He was on his feet in a heartbeat. “It's okay,” he was saying, “I'm right here.”
Ahsoka caught her breath, a little frazzled by what just happened. She had never felt that sensation before – she didn't even know how to describe it. She cleared her throat, pushed it aside, and turning her attention to Grogu, she watched as the sleepy child rubbed his eyes with one hand while he dragged the cloak behind him with the other.
“Sorry if we woke up you, buddy,” he offered as he scooped Grogu and his cloak in his arms. When he returned to where they'd been sitting, he didn't sit next to her but instead settled in front of a hollowed-out tree stump across from her.
Grogu gave a hearty yawn as the hunter settled him in the crook of his left arm. The child had a different idea and instead he scooched over to lay against the breastplate, his head resting where the Mandalorian's heart would be.
“I know you've had a long day, Grogu.” The child's head craned upward and he happily cooed around another yawn. The cloak came across them, covering the little one to his shoulders while partially covering the hunter's torso and waist. “Go back to sleep. I've got you.”
Grogu blinked blearily as another soft murmur escaped him. A little arm popped out from under the cloak and instantly a gloved hand came over to meet it. Grogu greedily grabbed a finger and clutched it tight and only then did he closed his eyes and settle back to sleep.
The Mandalorian stared down, seemingly to make sure the child was comfortable then brought his head up to look over at her. “It's Din Djarin, by the way, and thank you. You've given me a lot to think about.”
Ahsoka grinned, giving him a slight nod. “Sleep well, Din Djarin.”
He returned the gesture then leaned back against the stump, a long tired sigh leaving him.
Ahsoka watched as they settled into slumber together in a way she imagined they had done many times before. Drawing her cloak around her, she laid down on the ground, her gaze settling on the starry sky above.
Although their conversation had been brief, it had provided a few revelations – from the Mandalorian's humility in admitting he'd made mistakes to brief bouts of genuine amusement. She had been expecting their talk to be stilted; she hadn't expected him to share as much as he did. Ahsoka found herself drawn to him in a way that surprised her; a way that she had never experienced before. Perhaps it was because they were similar in some ways or because she simply enjoyed the company that she'd had missed for so long. She liked a good mystery and there was still much to learn about the hunter.
Or, perhaps it was something more. The sensation she had felt when they had shared that moment – it had left her breathless, warm, and wanting. She had never felt such a yearning for someone and she didn't know why she felt that with him.
Ahsoka shifted her thoughts away from that. She decided it was simply because she had been on her own for so long and his company was welcomed more than she realized. Her thoughts drifted back to the purpose of his presence here.
She turned her head and studied the duo across from her. The hunter's breathing was slow and measured as sleep took over and in his arms, still nestled against his chest was the child, his soft snores barely above a whisper. He was still holding the Mandalorian's finger and he was wrapped an embrace that was strong and secure.
The day had been filled with revelations and curiosities but there was a single truth that was irrefutable: There was an unbreakable bond between Grogu and Din Djarin – a strong connection only shared between a parent and a child.
Ahsoka closed her eyes, a long sigh slipping from her lips as sleep began to creep in. Yes, she had a lot to think about too.