Chapter Text
(Y/N) hums softly, “Mos Pelgo? Never heard of it.”
“Does Luke know it?”
She glances to the doorway that leads to the room Luke has been working in, “Not sure. He was closer to Mos Eisley and Anchorhead.”
“I know Eisley.”
“Me too. I have such fond memories of that place,” (Y/N) offers flatly.
Din sighs loudly.
She laughs and reaches out to move one of the rocks.
“What are you doing?”
“Mapping shit.”
“What?”
(Y/N) moves another rock on her sketch of the grounds around Base One, “I’m trying to plot out our set up.”
“For your...Force thing?”
She huffs, “Yeah. Luke won’t let me do any heavy lifting now, so I’m taking a stab at architecture-type stuff.”
“How are you feeling?” Din asks.
“Oh, no,” she laments, “you’ve become infected with the overly-concerned hivemind.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That’s all anyone seems to ask me these days,” (Y/N) supplies, “If I’m feeling alright, if I need anything. You know someone had the nerve to ask me if I shouldn’t be sitting down given my current condition?”
“Well, you are pregnant.”
“What?!” (Y/N) gasps, “I had no idea.”
“I’m hanging up.”
She just laughs, “Come on, I know you’ve got all of that beskar to protect you but that doesn’t mean you have to be so thin-skinned.”
Din doesn’t answer.
“Oh, the silent treatment? Remind me again how old you are?”
Nothing.
(Y/N) groans, “I don’t like you. How’s the little guy?”
“Fine.”
She glances at the door again, faintly hearing footsteps bringing Luke back to the room. There’s a thud of something being placed on the ground and (Y/N) is briefly grateful for the heavy lifting moratorium because that doesn’t sound fun.
“One word? I could offer a novel and mine’s not even born yet.”
Din sighs again, “He’s fine. Very smart, seems to get more curious everyday.”
(Y/N) laughs lightly, knowing from his tone that he really means the kid’s getting into stuff he shouldn’t, “Had any issues? And I don’t mean the rugrat.”
“One. The person that sent me to Tatooine.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing worth noting.”
“Aw, come on. I’m starved for seedy shit. Nothing exciting happens on Yavin Four.”
“(Y/N)!” Luke reprimands.
She winces and calls towards the door, “Sorry!”
“Is that Luke?”
“Yup.”
“What’s wrong?”
“We don’t want the whole galaxy knowing where we are.”
“I wouldn’t tell anyone,” Din says.
“I know,” (Y/N) assures him.
“Why don’t you want people to know?”
“Do you want people to know you’re on Tatooine?”
A beat of silence. And (Y/N) can picture the understanding nod as Din says, “Okay.”
She smiles and offers an actual explanation, “It’s for our own safety as well as everyone else here on…‘Favin Your’-”
Luke bursts out laughing in the other room.
“-that we limit who knows about our Force thing and the other stuff.”
(Y/N) looks over expectantly at the sound of footsteps. Luke walks into the room, still smiling in amusement, and she grins back at him. He reaches up to take a hold of her chin and squeezes it in a joking reprimand as he tries to look stern.
“If you can tell Leia, I can tell him,” she says, leaning up into his touch.
“I know,” and he ducks down to kiss her.
“Is that him?” Din asks.
“Yes,” Luke answers for himself as he pulls away, “Hello, Mandalorian.”
“Skywalker.”
“You can’t be serious,” she scoffs.
She gets two defensive “What?”s in response.
(Y/N) rolls her eyes and proposes, “Why don’t you ask Luke what you asked me?”
There’s a beat of silence and (Y/N) considers smacking the device where it lays on the table. Since she can’t hit the man himself right now, she can at least make some loud feedback sound in Din’s ear as punishment.
“Are you familiar with Mos Pelgo?”
Luke blinks, “You’re on Tatooine?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve never been there, but I know it. There’s a tribe of Tusken Raiders that are centralized not far from the town. Be vigilant if you aren’t flying there directly.”
“I can handle the Tuskens,” Din replies, “it’s the people in the town that concern me more. But thank you for the heads up.”
Luke shakes his head, “The Tusken Raiders aren’t someone you can reason with-”
“I’ve done it before,” Din interjects, “You just have to know their language.”
“You know their language?”
“I meant in a more figurative sense. But, yes. You don’t?”
(Y/N) rests her chin in her palm as she looks at him.
“No,” Luke answers, sending her a look to say he knows she’s making fun of him, “no one on Tatooine does. The Tuskens are savages, we avoid them at all costs.”
“They aren’t savages in my experience, they’re just trying to survive the same desert as the rest of you.”
“Well, in my experience-”
“Alright, we get it, you’re both pretty,” (Y/N) mutters as she rolls her eyes.
Luke flicks her temple.
“Hey!”
“What?” Din asks.
“Luke just attacked me,” she informs him, “please come beat him up.”
Luke wraps his arm around her and buries his face into her hair as he says quietly, “Tattle.”
“When I’m done here,” Din assures her, “What sector is ‘Favin Your’ in?”
(Y/N) laughs.
***
(Y/N) knocks on the door and absently glances down the street. Her gaze is quickly redrawn when the door opens and she’s greeted with an excited, “Well, if it isn’t my favorite not-a-Jedi-but-basically-a-Jedi!”
She rolls her eyes, “Aren’t I your only ‘not-a-Jedi-but-basically-a-Jedi’? You should come up with a shorter way to say that, by the way.”
Arui shrugs, “Winning by default is still winning. And that nickname goes beyond just me, so if you want it changed then you’ll have to wait for the next meeting so I can make a proper motion.”
(Y/N) huffs and accepts the one-armed hug from the former rebel, catching the eye of someone watching her from behind the safety of the wall.
“Hello,” she greets.
Arui pulls away and looks over his shoulder, “Jian, this is my friend, (Y/N).”
The young girl, Jian, peeks out a little bit further.
“I was in town,” (Y/N) says lightly, “and I remembered that Arui mentioned that he had family coming to visit. I just wanted to stop by and meet you, your uncle has been so excited for you to arrive.”
Jian steps out from behind the wall completely now, “We got here yesterday...Uncle Arui took us on a tour. I didn’t see you.”
(Y/N) nods, “I don’t live in town,” she points back the way she had come, “I live in the big building on the other side of the creek.”
Jian looks over at where Base One rises above the trees. Her eyes widen in amazement, “You live there?”
“Yes.”
“All by yourself?”
(Y/N) smiles, “No, with my husband.”
“Oh,” but she sounds no less impressed.
“Do you like it here so far?”
Jian nods, “Uncle Arui is taking us to dinner at his restaurant,” and her hand absently touches the dress she’s wearing.
“Are you wearing that to dinner? It’s very pretty.”
Jian smiles bashfully, head bowing briefly.
(Y/N) winks at Arui.
“We’re actually going soon,” he says.
“Of course,” she nods, thinking that Ty and his construction crew should be arriving soon and also not wanting to overwhelm or scare off the girl, “I need to get back anyway. I just wanted to say ‘hello’. Jian, do you mind if I come visit again?”
Jian opens her mouth, looking ready to say ‘yes’, but stops herself. She looks at Arui expectantly.
Arui nods, “I’m always happy to see my friends.”
Jian smiles, “Okay,” and then nods at (Y/N), “Yes.”
(Y/N) smiles in return, “Alright. I look forward to seeing you again, Jian.”
***
The door opens and Luke promptly announces his presence with, “I still can’t believe Mando trusts the Tusken Raiders.”
(Y/N) peeks an eye open at him and briefly admires how his muscles ripple with his movements before asking, “What?”
Luke runs a towel over his wet hair, “I don’t understand how he can trust them.”
“I don’t think he trusts them so much as he understands them.”
He shakes his head, “My grandmother was killed by them. And they attacked me. And-”
“I know, love. I’m not saying you’re wrong to distrust them, just that maybe they’re more complex than you realize. Many things often boil down to point of view. Mando-”
“Point of view? Now you sound like Ben.”
(Y/N) huffs, “Alright, if you’re going to insult me,” and rolls to her side so she can stuff her face into a pillow.
“Insult you?” Luke laughs, “Ben was a great man.”
“I know, I know,” she waves him off, “but based on what you’ve told me, and what I observed, you didn’t often heed his advice.”
“...And?”
She rolls back onto her back so she can see him, “And I have no intention of picking up that torch.”
Luke grins, “What you mean is that you always want me to listen to you.”
“A good general rule of thumb if you ask me.”
He just rolls his eyes.
(Y/N) reaches up to readjust the pillow under her head.
“How was the girl? Jian?”
“She’s definitely Force sensitive, but I don’t know where things stand beyond that. Sort of hard to ask a kid I just met to make rocks float when all she knows is her parents saying she can never do anything of the sort.”
“I know.”
(Y/N) taps her chin in thought, “I think I might get her to do it next time if I promise to bring her here for a tour.”
“You shouldn’t bribe children,” Luke offers as he climbs onto the bed.
Her brow furrows, “Why not? It’s very effective.”
His thumb brushes over the wrinkled skin, encouraging it to relax, “You aren’t funny.”
“Fuck you, yes I am. And I won’t bribe her when it counts. That ‘baby snatcher’ shit isn’t going to be thrown around Base One. And we need to come up with an actual name, by the way,” she waves her hand dismissively at her own changing of the subject, “Regardless of the name, everyone here will have a clear idea of what they’re getting into.”
Luke nods, “And their families.”
“Yup. Now, the name. How about ‘Skywalker Base’?”
His nose wrinkles, “Anything with ‘base’ will sound like a military operation.”
“Oh, good point. No baby snatching and no child soldiers. How about ‘Skywalker Ranch’?”
“I’ve spent enough years on a farm.”
“Alright, you come up with something if you’re going to be so picky.”
“We’re on step…eight right now for setting up a Jedi Order,” Luke replies, “And you’re on step six hundred and eight worrying about the name.”
“Look,” (Y/N) says, “all I’m saying is that we need to think of something sooner rather than later because if something else sticks before we get the ball rolling, it won’t matter what badass name we cook up.”
“Names aren’t that important.”
“Yeah?” she scoffs, “Okay, Wormie.”
Luke makes a noise that’s equally shocked and offended and yanks the pillow out from under her. (Y/N)’s head drops sharply down onto the mattress and she stares up at him in disbelief, jaw dropping at the sheer audacity.
He laughs loudly and lays down, leaning over to kiss her cheek as his arm wraps around her.
“Get off of me, asshole,” she shoves at him.
“Come on, love,” Luke murmurs against her cheek, not sounding even remotely apologetic as he says, “I’m sorry.”
He dips down to kiss her neck.
(Y/N) smiles and leans into the touch as she proposes, “How about the ‘Wormie Academy’?”
And she promptly yelps in surprise when Luke bites her.
***
“Krayt dragon? Oh!” (Y/N) laments, “I miss all the fun! You should have invited me.”
“It wasn’t fun,” Din replies, “And aren’t you having a baby?”
“Uh,” she scoffs, “not right this very minute. I could have watched from the sidelines with the kid at least. How’d you kill it?”
“We worked with the Tuskens to draw it out and then blew it up.”
“You’re such a great storyteller,” (Y/N) lies and then adds, just in case he couldn’t tell, “That was a lie.”
“Thank you.”
(Y/N) smiles at his tone and her heart pangs briefly, longing to see her friend in person. They’ve been doing a better job at keeping in-touch over the coms, something she’s grateful for, but it pales in comparison to actually seeing him.
“But no Mandalorian?”
Din sighs in frustration, “No, but I have a lead on a covert not far from here.”
“Yours?”
“I don’t know. And I won’t know for a while, I can’t travel at lightspeed.”
Her eyebrows rise, “You can’t travel at lightspeed? Something happen to the Crest?”
“No,” he says tiredly, “it’s my passenger.”
“…The kid?”
“No, someone else. She’s the one that knows about the covert and the price for that knowledge is passage to the system.”
(Y/N) shrugs, “Not so bad, aside from the ‘no lightspeed’ thing.”
Din sighs again and then says, “A man on Tatooine, Vanth, told me about Luke.”
The bond lights up with curiosity. Luke had been in her head for most of the day, absently, but now he actually starts to pay attention.
“Oh? What, Luke’s just…a common talking point on Tatooine?”
“I asked, but I think so.”
Why did he ask about me?
I’m learning about this in real time like you.
“Why’d you ask about Luke?”
“Just wanted to get an objective opinion,” Din offers.
(Y/N) sputters, “I can be objective.”
“Oh, really? Tell me something bad about him.”
Now this is going to be interesting. And she can practically picture how Luke is sitting back, arms crossing in anticipation.
(Y/N) glares in the direction that he is as she asks, “Isn’t the ‘hurt her and you’re dead’ chat supposed to come before I get married and knocked up?”
You’re so crude.
Shut it, Wormie.
“Well, I thought everything was on the up and up, and then you told me that you were hiding your Force operation. I was curious.”
(Y/N) rolls her eyes, “You’re unbelievable. And what the hell did this Vanth character have to say about him?”
“Apparently he killed a slaver here, basically freeing the planet. Know anything about that?”
“Technically Leia killed him,” she corrects, “but Luke killed just about everyone else that had been working for the guy.”
“Well, Luke’s the one from there so he’s the one they tell stories about. I think the Tuskens were even familiar with him. He’s sort of a legend.”
(Y/N) smiles fondly, “You have no idea.”
Aw.
Fuck off.
“I still can’t believe you asked about Luke just because I said we were doing things on the downlow for now. I’m an actual criminal,” she reminds him, “same as you, and we did a lot worse, covert things.”
“I’m aware. But it didn’t matter when you were on Coruscant,” Din points out, “Even Greef knew you were there.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
“Well, we weren’t setting up an Order there. It wasn’t as dangerous. It’ll be a delicate situation here for a while as we find our footing. I know you know virtually nothing about all of this Force stuff, but we’re essentially starting from scratch here. Plus there’s a lot of people on Coruscant. Luke’s made a number of enemies, but so has everyone else there. And out of everyone in the capital, he’s not really the first person they’d be targeting if they had the stones to try something.”
She quickly adds, No offense.
None taken.
“Who else is there?”
“Why? Reconning for a job?”
He doesn’t answer.
“You’re no fun whatsoever,” (Y/N) informs him, “It’s just some former rebels.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
She smiles at the com, “No, but thank you. That’s not the sort of help we need.”
“Well, what kind? I’m already looking for Jedi for the kid, maybe I can send them your way.”
(Y/N) laughs, “We certainly wouldn’t turn that away.”
Din is quiet for a moment.
And because (Y/N) knows her friend, she knows it’s not one of his usual silences, “What’s wrong?”
“It won’t be easy finding a Jedi, will it?”
(Y/N) sighs, “Things are changing. Ten years ago I’d say it would be virtually impossible. But now? I don’t know.”
“Would it help if I looked for any Force user?”
“Yes and no. Yes, it would probably make it easier to find someone. No, because they probably wouldn’t be a viable candidate.”
“According to you?”
“According to the kid. I offered to take him and he refused because I’m not a Jedi. Plus the further you get away from ‘Jedi’ typically means the less savory of a character you get. Except for yours truly, of course. But I know you don’t want to hand the kid off to just anyone.”
“Explain it to me again,” Din requests.
(Y/N) huffs, “Jedi and Sith. I’m somewhere in the middle, Jedi-leaning but too much of a Sith-y past to feel right calling myself a ‘Jedi’.”
“But do you?”
“Do I what?”
“Consider yourself a Jedi?”
“I just said-”
“To yourself?” Din clarifies.
(Y/N)’s eyes narrow, “Did Luke put you up to this?”
“I don’t talk to him.”
She sighs, “Alright, you cookie cutter fucker. If I had a blaster to my head, yes, I’m a Jedi. But you and I both know the galaxy isn’t black and white like that with neat little boxes for everyone to fit in.”
“I know. I just wanted to hear you say it.”
“I’m going to beat the shit out of you,” she informs him.
“Motherhood’s changed you, (Y/N),” he says, “It’s really mellowed you out.”
“No way. I’ve got too hard of an outer shell for that. I’m actually kind of like a Mandalorian when it co-hello?”
Silence.
That fucker hung up on me.
More silence.
Oh, you asshole.
***
(Y/N) sets a plate down in front of Luke and plucks the datapad out his hand. He looks up at her, not out of annoyance but out of curiosity.
She ducks down and gives him a quick kiss before offering, “I wish you would tell me what’s bothering you instead of just sitting there in turmoil.”
“I’m not in turmoil,” Luke protests.
(Y/N) waves the datapad, “You haven’t read a word of this since you sat down.”
He smiles self-consciously.
She kisses him again and says, “Just tell me. I promise not to get mad.”
(Y/N) straightens and returns to the kitchen to grab her plate, placing the datapad down on the counter as she goes.
“I think you should have brought the child here.”
She glances over at Luke, “I know you do.”
“I only mean that it would have been safer for everyone,” he adds.
“It would have been,” she concedes, “but he didn’t talk to you. You didn’t see how much he wanted to stay with Mando. Remember that town on Arvala-7? I’m pretty sure that kid has just been passed around from one seedy place like that to another for years. He feels safe with Mando, probably the safest since the Order fell.”
Luke leans back in his chair, a contemplative look on his face.
“I didn’t want to be the one to take away his autonomy, not after all he’s been through and having only just regained it. The child wanted to stay with Mando, I needed to respect that desire.”
“He’s destined to become a Jedi,” Luke says.
“So sure?” (Y/N) asks as she takes her seat beside him.
“If Palpatine hadn’t intervened, he would have continued to grow up and train in the Temple.”
“Yes,” she nods, “I agree with you. I’m not saying that he should be raised as a bounty hunter or anything like that. But I’m not going to force his hand just because of ‘destiny’. How do you think that would have gone over, if I forced him to come here? He would have resented both of us.”
Luke nods in return, conceding her point.
“It would be better that he finds his own way, finds his own Jedi. That’s what he wants. And it will do him good to do something on his own for once, we can’t have the kid developing a complex.”
“Especially since he’ll probably live for another eight hundred years,” he adds.
(Y/N) laughs lightly, “Exactly. The kid will end up being a Jedi, I’m sure of it. This time with Mando will just...be a detour.”
“A detour?”
She shrugs, “Sure. He’ll get back on track eventually,” she gestures with her hand, “after a little detour.”
Luke reaches out to tap her fingers, a small smile on his face, “You believe in destiny now?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
(Y/N) makes a face, “Do you think any part of my life has been ‘destiny’? I’m flying by the seat of my pants most of the time.”
“What if it was all detours?” Luke asks, “And your destiny was this? Maybe we all have a destiny and it just takes longer for some people to reach it?”
She smiles softly, turning her hand to take his, “You think we were destined to be together?”
He shrugs, “I meant more of you being a Jedi, but yes.”
(Y/N) shakes her head fondly, “I’m not a Jedi.”
“You’re creating a new Jedi Order,” Luke reminds her.
“What if I’m still on my journey? How do you know my destiny isn’t to be a singer?”
“I suppose I don’t,” he shrugs, not at all taking her seriously, “Maybe all of this is a detour as well.”
“What if I punched you in the mouth right now? What would that be a detour of?”
“You kissing it,” he replies smoothly.
“You’ve gotten too bold now that I can’t beat you up,” (Y/N) informs him, “We need Han to come and visit so he can humble you.”
Luke laughs in disbelief, “Humble me?”
“Yeah! There’s nothing like Han calling you ‘kid’ and reminding you that he still sees you as a nineteen year old farmboy to knock you down a couple of pegs.”
He pouts at her.
(Y/N) laughs and finally begins her meal.
Unfortunately, the food sits in her stomach like a stone and she quickly accepts the fact that she won’t be at peace until she’s said her piece. She sets down her fork, “Look, it’s not like I’m enjoying this.”
“I’m not saying that you are,” Luke replies immediately, having most likely sensed her continued discomfort and dissatisfaction over the conversation. His blue eyes lack any hint of accusation as he looks at her.
(Y/N) still crosses her arms, feeling that she has to defend herself despite the assurance, “I don’t like putting innocent lives at risk, especially not that of a friend and a child. But I needed to respect the kid’s desire.”
Luke leans over to kiss her temple, “I know.”
“It makes me sick knowing they’re in harm’s way. If anything happens-”
“Don’t do that to yourself, (Y/N),” he cuts her off, “You can’t think that way.”
Her eyes lower.
“Unfortunately, that’s the galaxy we live in. And there’s no way of guaranteeing that he’d be completely safe with us either. The Jedi were massacred in their own temple, we have no way to ensure he or anyone else will be safe once they’re here. We can only try our best,” Luke shrugs, “Being with a Mandalorian is probably one of the safest places for the child.”
(Y/N) smiles softly, “Mando would die before he let something happen to the kid.”
“I know. And it’ll do the kid good to have someone other than the Jedi that eventually trains him. But at some point he will need to learn how to use his abilities if he wants to be safe.”
“You just said he’s safe with Mando,” she points out.
Luke makes a face, conceding the point, “I mean in a more relative sense. He’s safe, but eventually he’ll realize that it would be better to know how to use the Force to deal with things. After going so long without using them, his abilities might have regressed.”
“Or stopped being the instinctive reaction.”
“Exactly. The child can clearly use the Force and quite impressively at that. It seems like that species has a natural inclination to be very powerful, if Master Yoda is anything to go by.”
(Y/N) makes a face but remains silent.
“I’m sure he’s capable of much more,” Luke continues, “but it’s possible he wouldn’t have gone with you even if you were a Jedi. He might not think he needs more than he has, especially since Mando is more than capable of protecting both of them.”
His thumb brushes over her knuckles, “It’ll be alright, love.”
(Y/N) takes a small breath, releasing her worry into the Force the best that she can, and smiles at him.