Din woke early to finish tweaking with parts of his ship. Regardless of how much he put in, there was always something to fix on the Razor Crest. The early morning sun illuminated the mist from the dense forest as it created a soft glow that surrounded him. It was a peaceful morning. Wind rocked the trees back and forth and a sort of music formed between the branches, but a strange, unnatural vibration soon disturbed Din. He stepped away from the ship and scanned the woods with his helmet sensors. The noise grew louder and louder and he finally made out what it was. Gravitating towards him and his ship was a slow-moving raft. The vehicle reached the clearing of the trees and he spotted two unarmed men who looked equally surprised to see the Mandalorian, but instead of paying them any attention, Din turned back to his ship. The two men stared at him, as if in awe, and eagerly climbed out. They spoke quickly to one another in low, inaudible voices.
"We come in peace." One shouted while the other remained silent. They slowly approached Din but stopped about 20 yards back.
"I see that." Din replied. He did not need to get a second look to know that the men were harmless.
"You're a Mandalorian, right?" The same man asked. He looked young, no more than 30 years. His companion looked like him, same features, presumably brothers.
"Yes." Din answered short and stiffly. He hated when people asked that question – it usually never led to anything good.
"Can you help us?"
A low sigh came from Din as he turned to give the men his full attention. He looked them up and down before eyeing their vehicle. He wondered what they needed.
"With what?"
"We're farmers, but Klatooinian raiders steal our harvest and ruin our supplies." He paused, nervous to state the main inquiry. "Can you stop them?"
Din held his jaw tight to not immediately shoot down the man's question. This was the last thing he wanted to do. He did not have the time for this nor did he want any more conflict of any kind.
"I can't." He shrugged off their question and turned around to continue his previous work. He ignored the two men behind him, completely aware that they still had not moved.
"I have credits. We can pay you more." The farmer desperately offered once more. He searched through his pockets to peel out a small bag of credits.
"No. It's not enough." Din repeated without a glance to them.
"We can give you whatever you like." The man pleaded again, but Din could hear the whisper of the other man saying to leave, and as they began to walk away Din came up with an idea.
"Where do you live?" He asked while turning back to them.
"Weren't you listening? We're farmers. On a farm."
"Is it isolated? Do you have lodging?"
"Yes." The farmer answered again realizing the Mandalorian's questions may reap some benefit for them.
"Alright. I will help you, but I will need lodging for three people…. and the credits." One man, the younger one, scoffed at his claim for their credits but the elder snapped his head at him and hit his side. He reached into his pocket as he came to stand in front of Din.
"Deal." The man dropped the bag of credits into Din's armored palm. He moved the weight between his fingers before closing his hand in content.
"Give me a few minutes. We will follow you to your village."
Din left the farmers and walked up his hatch anticipating that Diana and the child were still sleeping. Once fully inside, he finally noticed Diana and the child huddled together on the floor in the corner of the ship with a clear view of the outside. Have they been spying? Diana and the child shared the same wide-eyed, almost humorous expression as Din approached them.
"What are you doing?" He asked. Diana picked the child off her lap and stood. She smiled at Din before answering.
"We just wanted to know what the ruckus was. So, we going to help that village?" She placed her hands on her hips as she finished her question. Din observed her positive exterior and wondered why she was in such a good mood.
"Yes. Get your stuff. We're staying with them." He said before leaving her to gather his belongings. Diana peaked her head around the corner of the ship to get a better look at the two men. A random cooing came from her feet as the child moved to almost stand on her toes as he looked at the men too. She smiled down at him as she bent down to sit on her heels.
"Shall we go make friends, bubba?" She asked the child with a hushed whisper and a sly grin.
The young farmers escorted Diana, Din and the child through the lush landscape before they reached the clearing that led to the fishing village. During their short journey, Diana grew to like Sorgan. For the past two years, all she knew was desert landscapes and scorching heat, but now she was in an abundant paradise. The air was crisp. The temperature was cool, and the greenery seemed untouched.
As they entered the village, Diana walked towards one of the many small ponds. She glanced around the community. Humble wooden houses with tall, pointed roofs lined the waterways. The style reminded her of oriental design back on Earth.
"I like it here." Diana said to no one in particular. She deemed that Sorgan was a planet she could live on. She preferred water, mountains, and forests over the vast desert any day.
An echo of giggles erupted from behind her as a group of children ran up to her and her companions. Most swarmed the child as they soon became fascinated by the little green being, but two girls approached Diana with small blue flowers.
"Hello." One girl greeted with a blushing smile. They both had the same tan complexion, dark hair and hazel eyes. Clearly, they were sisters. The girl, who was a few inches taller than the other and looked a few years older, jutted out her hand full of freshly picked flowers. The smaller girl repeated the same action in silence. Diana crouched so she was at their level and gave a wide, warm smile to them.
"Hi there. Are these for me?" She asked as the girls placed the flowers in her open hand. The little one feverishly nodded. Her cheeks were full and round. She could not be more than two years old.
"Wow, they are so pretty." Diana brought the petals to her nose and inhaled. She had not smelled flowers in so long. The blossoming smell filled her senses and Diana sighed in content and relief.
"You're very pretty." The older girl repeated in a broken sentence. Diana gave her a soft, appreciative smile.
"Thank you and so are you both. What are your names?"
"I am Erikia. My sister is Zuria."
"Well, Erikia and Zuria, thank you very much for these flowers. These are very pretty – much like yourselves."
Zuria giggled at her words and suddenly covered her face in a playful manner. Diana glanced to the child and the Mandalorian. The child looked happy as he was surrounded by children of all ages and Din, he looked a bit confused as what to say to a couple of children at his feet.
"Why don't you go meet my friend over there." Diana suggested with a nod to the child. Erikia and Zuria obediently nodded and eagerly moved to meet their next friend. Diana watched them leave her before standing and walking towards Din.
"It's called beskar. Uh…" Din struggled to find words as a very interested boy grabbed his shin armor. He knocked on it a few times and observed the metal as if he knew what it was or what he was doing. Diana crossed her arms as she watched the interaction with humor. Din had not noticed her standing there as he was uncomfortable enough by the child attaching himself to his leg.
"Having trouble?" She asked and Din snapped his head to her. Diana wished she could see his face just then. She would have bet it was a funny expression.
"I- I don't want him on my leg." He said to her before returning his attention to the lingering kid.
"Hey, these don't come off." Din said again in a much sterner voice, but the child paid him no mind.
"Hey," Diana cut in. She walked closer and again crouched next to the child glued to Din. "You like this armor, huh?"
The kid, a boy about 6 years old with cropped black hair and dark eyes spared her a short glance before continuing to tap on the beskar.
"Yes." He answered a long second later.
"Well-"
"Luka!" A random shout made the boy freeze and slowly turn his head to the source. A woman with long dark hair approached them and the boy instantly ran off.
"I'm sorry about him." She immediately apologized. Diana stood tall and took to Din's side. The woman had a warm, honest face as she looked at them both with hope.
"I'm Omera. Thank you both for agreeing to help us. I can show you to your rooms if you'd like to get settled before we eat." Din looked to the child.
"He will be okay there." Omera said again as if she knew what he was thinking. Diana glanced between Omera and Din as she waited for him to make the next step.
"Sure." He answered. Omera smiled and led them through the marsh to two huts next to each other.
Diana left Din and Omera as she took in her own hut. The round, open room was peaceful and tranquil. A wide bed with a long net draped over its edges stood in the center of the far wall. A few other basic pieces of wooden furniture filled the room but otherwise it was rather empty. Diana placed her small bag of belongings – a few changes of clothes, minor toiletries, and a few pieces of jewelry from Earth, onto a round table before falling backwards on the bed. She let her arms lay flat and closed her eyes. She had not laid in a real bed in years.
"Comfortable?"
Diana burst upright at the surprising voice to see Omera at her doorway. The older woman had the same permanent smile on her square face as she took a single step inside. A light laugh came from Diana as she tried to collect herself in front of the stranger.
"Yes, very. I haven't been in a bed in some time."
"Well, good. Thank you for helping us again. Our village is very appreciative. Food will be out in the courtyard in a few minutes."
Diana silently watched Omera leave. Her room filled with silence again except for the faint laughs of the children outside. It was a strange sound. Unfamiliar. Diana glanced down at the bed's tan sheets. She pressed her fingers against the woven threads while taking in her surroundings again. Here she was, on a new planet, with different people. A far different civilization than Tatooine.
Shortly after, Diana joined the village in a large meal. She ate next to the child. She found more comfort next to him than with the other adults of the village. The other adults were nice, but the village population was small, and it seemed they were timid by outsiders. Din had not left his room since they arrived, and Diana and the child took notice.
"He's okay." She whispered to him when she spotted him staring at Din's hut. He glanced to Diana and seemed to understand.
"He can't eat with us." She said again, as if to remind him but really it was to herself. She cleared the scraps off her plate and loaded it with fresh seafood and vegetables from the family style plating on the center table for Din. She figured he was hungry, and she was aware of the limitations of wearing beskar. She stood from her seat and turned towards Din's hut but nearly elbowed Omera in the process.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Diana hurried to say as she grasped Omera's arm. She was fine but she knew her body hit Omera's at a much harder impact.
"It's alright. I was just bringing the Mandalorian food." She said while lifting a tray of covered plates and bowls. Diana scanned over the food and instantly forced a smile.
"Oh, okay." She started, her voice a pitch higher than she would have liked. "I was just about to do the same, but it looks like you have more for him."
Omera returned a humble smile before continuing towards Din's hut. Diana watched her approach the room before resuming her seat next to the child. She grabbed a utensil and picked at the food in front of her. Tossing the random vegetables back and forth across her plate. The child looked at her as if with a knowing stare.
"What?" Diana asked with a bothered glance to him. She looked back to Din's hut for a moment before trying to occupy her mind with the food.