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Lluxuvis-8 was a very popular planet to visit. It housed the fourth largest shopping district in the galaxy, and it was a favored world to go to for motorsurfing races and para-sailing tournaments. The planet’s surface was 93% covered in water and inhabitants of the planet usually built their homes and dwellings beneath the water’s surface.
It was a relatively peaceful planet, holding the title of being a Class M Terrestrial planet that is very close to being considered a Paradise planet. The only downside of the world was the superheated rain that occurred once a month on the planet, which was equal to about 2.5 standard months. It happened fairly infrequently, but to protect the tourists and shoppers, the Overseer of the Shopping District invested in the construction of an energy shield. This energy shield domed the only structures above the sea level, which was the shopping district itself. There were clean, white skyscrapers that stood on platforms raised above the salty water, keeping clear of the foamy waves that crashed below.
It really did seem like almost paradise.
It was also not yet under the jurisdiction of the New Republic, but Din had heard that a written contract between Lluxuvis-8 and the New Republic was in the works.
“Razor Crest, you are clear to land in Starship Parking Bay Three-Three-Five-Z!” An overly peppy voice said over the comm.
“Copy.” Din replied, receiving the landing data.
“Thank you for visiting the Lluxuvis Shopping District! We hope you enjoy your stay!” The voice said before cutting out.
The Razor Crest landed in a single painted square in a packed landing platform. All the other ships nearby were of the same size as the Crest.
Din had to hand it to them. They had everything organized very well.
“Ooh!” The child leaned against the window, breath fogging up the clear transparisteel. “Buah!” He turned to Din, ears raised in excitement.
“You ready to go?” Din couldn’t help but ask the little one.
He rapidly nodded his head, making little warbling noises and raising his arms in the universal sign for pick me up!
“Alright, come on.” Din couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice. He lifted the child up and tucked him into the crook of his elbow, making his way out of the ship.
They were officially out of food.
The last of the laokkan fruit finally disappeared the previous night and, Din never thought he'd say this, but he was getting tired of the dry, crumbly ration bars.
They tasted bland compared to the salty cassrian crackers or the sour ugraiti soup. Not only that, but Din was just starting to experiment with the different ingredients and try his own hand at cooking meals. He even took the time to pull his old dusty portable nanowave stove out of the storage of the Crest.
Sure, he scolded himself for wasting food by messing up on a recipe, but when the child looked at him like he just handed him the whole galaxy on a plate…
That was an almost better reward than delicious tasting food.
He descended the ramp of the Crest and the moment his feet touched the pavement, small LED lights lit up in the permacrete, creating a sparkling trail leading to the nearest ramp that took them up to the platform above them.
The child cooed in his arms at the line of blue luminescent lights.
“That is pretty cool.” Din agreed.
He followed the pattern across the landing bay, weaving between other parked starships to a ramp that had a gradual incline and was suspended over the sea.
The railings of the ramp were glass or transparisteel that displayed a lovely view of the vast light blue ocean. Tapping his beskar vambrace against the clear structure confirmed that it was transparisteel.
“Buah!” The child pointed out at the water. Wonder gleamed in his wide brown eyes. “Ooh!” He cooed.
“That’s a lot of water.” Din mused, continuing up the ramp.
It really is a beautiful planet. No wonder it’s popular.
He kept a tight hold of the child.
He’s leaning way too close to the railing.
The ramp brought them up to the edges of the shopping district.
But even at the very edge of the platform, there were crowds of people walking to and fro. Some stepped around Din to descend the ramp and others stayed by the railing lining the shopping district, taking holographs of the view with their imagers.
Several different scents hit Din’s nose at once and it was impossible to differentiate each person from the other.
While he didn’t like not being able to rely on his nose, he grudgingly accepted it as Lluxuvis-8 is considered a safe planet. All species are welcomed in the shopping district and while they don’t confiscate weapons like other tourist planets do, they have plenty of hidden security droids and cameras meant to keep the peace.
No one took any notice of Din or the child. The crowds flowed around him like he was a stone in a river, but they paid him no mind.
This is what it meant to hide in plain sight.
Moving forward, Din came upon a large sign. There was a map and a directory on it.
It was in a different language.
When he stepped closer, a blue light blinked out, scanning him.
The light turned green as it seemed to identify his species.
The characters on the map and the directory changed into the Galactic Basic Standard. Din blinked at the flexibility of a simple holo-sign.
YOU ARE HERE pointed out in large letters next to LEVEL 1 - STARSHIP PARTS & APPLIANCES.
That’s not what they’re here for.
Scanning the other levels, he found what they were looking for.
LEVEL 5 - FOOD COURT & VENDORS.
Din suppressed a sigh at having to find all the ramps that will take them to level 5. Maybe there was a lift-tube?
He stepped away from the holo-sign to allow the next person to use it.
Lluxuvis-8 Shopping District was made up of 10 levels of platforms. Each platform housed a different type of commodity, grouped together by relevance. Ramps and walkways connect each platform to the next, all lined with transparisteel railings. The main 10 platforms were arranged in a circular pattern, edges slightly overlapping. The 10th level is the last platform tourists and shoppers were allowed on. Level 11 holds the tower of the shield generator. Conversely, down below all the platforms, Level 0 sits on the water level and holds the motosurfing tournament sign ups and the likes.
Getting to Level 5 might take a while.
Din’s stomach groans in protest.
The child giggles at him.
He sighs.
Better start moving then.
It’s a tourist trap.
That’s why there are no lift-tubes.
They force people to walk through all of the levels because they know something is going to catch their eye on the way up.
Din is already forced to carry a bag made of recycled kelpweed full of stuffed creatures to replace the ones melted away on Velsese V. They hadn’t even made it past Level 2.
Their bright colors and variety of choices instantly drew the child’s attention to them. He pointed at them in the shop’s window and pleaded to Din with his giant brown eyes and lowered ears and Din…
Well.
They were only 5 credits a piece so why not?
He let the small creature pick out a few of them, spending too much time in the shop. His beskar’gam drew the attention of curious shoppers who watched the armored man crouch on the floor, nodding at the green child who waddled up to him to show him different types of stuffies.
Din tried to leave the store quickly after that as suddenly shoppers went to check out the store looking for the silver tourist.
At the check out, the owner of the shop tried to offer Din a job as his presence attracted a lot of attention.
Embarrassed, Din shook his head and hurriedly paid for the objects, leaving the store by squeezing himself through the crowd.
Apparently he wasn’t as inconspicuous as he originally thought.
He set a brisk pace through Level 2.
It wasn’t enough.
He wasn’t even sure what was sold on Level 2 but something managed to catch his eye.
It was a blanket.
It was white with light green little squares in a diamond pattern.
It wasn’t even important, but it looked… soft.
The blanket was displayed outside the shop on a wooden rack.
Giving into curiosity, Din slipped off a glove to reach out and touch it.
It was soft.
It felt like the pelt of a young hoojib and not coarse like those common synthfur products.
Din has always been particular about how things felt. As a contrast to his tough exterior, he liked soft things.
His buir would always tell him that omegas were drawn to soft objects. It was just the nature of things.
“Brrr?” The child reached out his own hand to caress the blanket.
“What do you think, kid?” Din murmured.
“Wah.” The foundling confirmed.
Din chuckled. “If you say so. We can go find the shopkeeper.”
“Oh, hello, dearie,” A voice said from the door of the shop. Looking over, Din saw a short, elder sullustan woman. “I believe you are looking for me?”
That didn’t take long at all.
“How much is this blanket here?” Din asked her.
“Ah, yes.” The sullustan walked forward, tapping a cane in front of her.
Taking note of this, Din’s gaze flashed to her eyes and he found milky whites staring past him.
She’s blind.
The woman reaches a knobbed hand forward and her fingers brush against the blanket. “This one, correct?”
“Yes.” He responded.
“Oh, of course. This one is 40 credits, usually. I hunted down this creature myself when I was younger, y’know.” She retracted her hand and turned in his general direction. “But for you, sweetie, I’ll make it 20 credits and I’ll throw in a little bag for your pup.”
Din blinked. That was quite a discount and she noticed the child relatively quickly.
“I… can’t ask that of you.” He said, astounded.
Why would she half the price? Not only that, but add something extra?
“Oh, nonsense.” She waved her hand. “We omegas need to look out for each other, y’know.” She winked at him, or… mostly at him.
Oh.
Din quickly slipped his glove back on. He didn’t mean to do that.
“I thought that this pelt would be great nesting material, but everyone’s into that synthfur drivel nowadays. Bah!” The now-revealed omega waved her hand dismissively. “But you, my dear, have a great feel for the right things. I’m sure your little pup there will thank you for such a plush thing to line your nest.”
The Mandalorian was taken aback at the rush of words that came out of the elder omega’s mouth. He wasn’t sure how to respond.
His interactions with omegas have always been kept to a minimum and even then, his intimidating appearance would always scare them away before they even got a whiff of him.
Now here’s an omega who can’t even perceive his appearance and is unbothered by everything but his dynamic. She’s showing him a kindness he wasn’t aware of that came with being an omega.
It was… disconcerting.
“I’m sure you have places to be, dearie,” The sullustan continued, unaware of his internal dilemma. “Now what say you? I just need the 20 credits to reimburse me for the material of the bag. Oh!” She exclaimed, surprised, clapping her hands. “Let me just show you the bag before you decide.”
She shambled back into the shop, remarkably quick on her feet, and returned just moments later with a brown bag in her hands.
It reminded Din of the birikad that the Mando’ade would use to carry around young foundlings.
“ Now what say you?” She asked again with a crooked smile. “I cannot see the size of your pup, but I’m sure he will fit in here.”
“I… that would be nice, yes. I’ll take them.” Din eventually replied, making up his mind. He pulled out the pouch of credits.
He handed her 25 credits.
The elder omega felt the credits in her hand with a frown. “Oh, dearie, you overpaid. Here-”
Din pressed the credits back into her hand. “Take them. I insist.”
“I… well, if you say so.” She pocketed the credits reluctantly. She then held out the birikad to him. “Now why don’t you give this a try?”
Din took the bag from her hand and glanced down at the child.
“Buah?” His head tilted to the side in curiosity.
“This’ll make it easier to carry you around, kid.” Din explained, putting the strap over his head. He transferred the child from his arms into the bag at his hip.
The foundling fit perfectly.
“Pa-too!” The little green creature snuggled down into the bag.
“He likes it.” Din said to the shopkeeper with a smile.
“Oh, that’s wonderful to hear!” She replied, eyes crinkling with delight. “Now, I’m sure you’re a strong young man, but if you still plan on checking out the other levels of the District, I can have my sons deliver your blanket to your ship while you keep shopping.”
“That would be very kind of you. Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it, dearie!”
He gave her the parking bay that his ship is in and the make and model of it.
The sullustan omega sends them on their way with a smile and a wave.
They continue moving through the levels until they finally reach Level 5.
Din could smell the scents long before he stepped onto the platform.
Grocery shops and different styles of cantinas were arranged in rows, all squished close together bordering the smaller paths branching off of the main road. The main road itself was lined with vendor stands with what the locals consider “street food,” as well as market stands selling fresh produce.
Lightboards were displayed overhead, advertising a wide variety of foods and the directions to find the cantina that serves them. The voices and calls of the street vendors echoed over each other as they tried to promote their own cuisine and products.
The smell of smoking meat and diverse spices saturated the air, drowning out any other potential scents in the surrounding area.
Din, a little overwhelmed, looked at the foundling in the new birikad who sniffed the air intensely.
“Where do you want to go first?”
Head swiveling and tiny nostrils flaring, the child tried to pinpoint a scent.
“Bah!” A claw pointed in the direction of a street vendor.
Din chuckled at the child’s obvious enthusiasm. “Alright, we’ll start there.”
The next hour was spent wandering around toward whatever scent the child picked up on, leading Din across the enormous platform in search of small samples for the green creature to taste.
Din himself was starting to grow hungry, but he decided that it would be best to wait until they got back to the ship.
Once the child finished sampling everything he could get his hands on, they migrated to the grocery shops and market stands.
Walking around the shops surrounded by an assortment of produce and foodstuff had Din gaping.
He didn’t know where to start.
Feeling foolish, Din drifted to the aisles that held the products that he recognized. Unless the child asked for something different, he’ll stick to the things he was familiar with.
Moving through the next aisle, something caught his eye.
It was a book.
That’s not something seen commonly in modern stores, not when everything is digitized.
It seemed relatively new, with vibrant colors and titled The Edible Wonders of the Universe with cooking utensils crossed over a background of the cosmos.
A cookbook.
Din hesitated.
He didn’t need that.
It would just end up in storage.
“Bueh?” The child seemed to notice what he was looking at. He reached out a hand towards it, his face wrinkled in concentration.
“What are you doing, kid?”
The book wobbled and tumbled off the shelf.
“Hey–!” Din lunged forward to catch it before it hit the floor. Book safely in hand, he looked down at the child. “Don’t go pulling things off shelves.” He scolded him. The child hasn’t used his weird powers after the incident with the mudhorn.
Uncowed, he shrugged. “Pa-too.”
Din sighed and looked at the book.
It wouldn’t hurt to look at it.
Flipping to a random page, there was a picture of a fruit found on a certain planet as well as other crops that held the same properties as it. The page described popular ways to cook the produce and serve it.
This would be handy to have with how much Din jumped around systems.
Looking down, he saw the child watching him intently.
“I… suppose this would be nice to have.” The Mandalorian admitted.
The creature smiled and cooed.
Din bought the cookbook. Afterall, he had the credits so why shouldn’t he splurge a bit now and then?
The sun began to set on Lluxuvis-8 and its first moon was rising.
The sky was a pleasant purple and the slow moving cumulus clouds made the atmosphere of the bustling shopping district serene.
Din leaned against the transparisteel railing looking out over the darkening sea.
He didn’t mean to spend all day shopping, it just got a bit out of hand.
They were taking a slight rest before heading back down to the Razor Crest. There were a lot of bags to carry.
Normally shoppers would employ the use of a helper droid to ferry around their baggage, but Din refuses to utilize the services of a droid.
He'd rather stay far away from them.
They were on Level 3 and still had a ways to go.
It was impossible to come to Lluxuvis-8’s Shopping District and get through all the levels in one day. Shoppers would usually have to look for places to stay which, ironically, are all on Level 10.
The Overseer of this district certainly has a knack for business and tourism.
Din carefully removed the child from the birikad and held him in his arms, giving him a better view of the sea and sky.
The foundling cooed and wiggled into his beskar, finding a comfortable place to insert himself.
It was a peaceful moment.
The seabreeze lightly ruffled the wispy hairs on the child’s head and tugged at his cape.
Contemplating everything that has happened, Din couldn’t really think of a time that topped this instant.
He wasn’t sure anything could make it better.
He was wrong.
The sun finally disappeared behind the horizon and the second moon revealed itself.
Once the sky grew dark enough, the shopping district lit up behind them.
He turned around to take in the sudden change.
A colorful array of lights sparked in the ground, creating moving patterns. Street lights rose out of the white permacrete through previously unnoticed hatches and illuminated the main paths leading through each level. Advertising lightboards were highlighted by the dark background and the edges of buildings were outlined in more LED lights.
It really took Din’s breath away and, by the sound of it, the child’s as well.
For years, the Mandalorian had traveled all over the Outer Rim, hunting and bringing in bounties, avoiding heavily populated areas and brushing elbows with criminals and suspicious characters. He frequented desert planets and uninhabited planets, lingering by grimy cantinas manned by equally grubby barkeepers.
He forgot that places like these existed.
Where species from all over the universe visited and there was hardly any disagreements. Where shopkeepers were fairly pleasant and helpful and didn’t discriminate based on who you were because he’s sure that they’ve seen stranger beings.
The city itself was built in a wondrous location and in the morning it was beautiful and well-organized.
If the morning hustle and bustle was stunning, then the night was even moreso.
Tourists shuffled out of Level 10 to flood the lower platforms. Trendy music played loudly from somewhere in the upper levels and the atmosphere became electrified with dancing people and laughter. Children jumped and played some game with each other that involved running after and stepping on the moving lights.
Din couldn’t help but be amazed at the complete disparity between where he is and where he usually frequents.
It would be nice to come back here once in a while.
The child yawned in his arms, clearly tired after the long day.
Din finally registered the gnawing hunger in his stomach.
“Yeah, I think it’s time to head back now.”
Tucking the kid back into the birikad, he hefted up all the bags from the floor and started the long walk back to the Razor Crest.
Approaching the Crest, Din saw the blanket he purchased from the sullustan earlier leaning against the ship. The blanket was packaged neatly in plasteel and space tape.
He quickly loaded his haul onto the Razor Crest and placed the now-sleeping child into the sleeping area. Then he went back and transported the blanket into the gunship.
Din closed the ramp to the Crest and paused in the cargo hold.
There was a note on the packaged blanket.
He picked it up.
Thank you for your purchase, dear! It was so nice to meet you and your pup today and I hope to see you around again! XOXO ~ Erda Insuh
Din hummed, smiling slightly to himself.
He’ll have to stop by her store again if he’s ever in the system. She seemed like a kind soul.
He moved into the cockpit to start the launching sequence.
He’ll make himself something to eat once he’s safely in hyperspace.
Launching the Crest, he soared out over the sea, noticing bioluminescent creatures swimming below the surface.
The child probably would’ve liked to see them.
His comm crackled to life.
“Thank you for visiting the Lluxuvis Shopping District! We hope to see you again soon!” A different overly peppy voice said in farewell before cutting off.
The Razor Crest roared up through the planet’s atmosphere, entering open space.
Din felt light from that trip.
They had plenty of food to satisfy the child along with some extra trinkets and they still had some leftover credits to last them for a while.
In addition to that, Din had a new book to experiment with.
It would certainly make things much more convenient in the future.
Jumping into hyperspace, Din descended from the cockpit into the cargo hold. He scooped up the book and began flipping through it.
He should probably try to make something for himself now.
He glanced towards the sleeping area.
Maybe the foundling would like to try something new when he wakes up.