Chapter 13: Ties That Bind

An hour later they were comfortably settled in Sabine's living room again. All of them tired to the bone, but in dire need to fill in Ahsoka on what was going on. When they came to the part describing their findings on Kamino they could see her clear blue eyes narrowing in disgust.

"And we weren't stopping this atrocity," she said softly, almost afraid to meet Rex' eyes.

"How could you? You didn't know. At least I don't think so."

She obviously decided to let the question go for now, and turned her piercing glance towards Mando.

"I've heard your story, but yet I don't understand how you got mixed up in this mess? Bounty hunters rarely pick up stray children where they go."

He sighed. How was he supposed to explain something he didn't understand himself? He had felt the urge to protect and to get the little one away from the Client as quickly as possible and he'd acted upon it, but she was right. It wasn't what a bounty hunter normally would do.

"I don't know. I just…couldn't let them have him. They might have killed him in their search for whatever they're after."

"Why?"

Her question was as straightforward as his answer was airy.

"I don't know. Maybe because I once was a …foundling myself. My parents were killed during a separatist attack and the Mandalorians took care of me. I guess I felt that we were alike somehow."

He knew the explanation was lousy, but it was the best he could do. She seemed to understand because she nodded slowly.

"I see. You felt attached to him?"

"I guess."

Stars end, this was embarrassing. Fortunately she seemed to accept the answer - for now, he added silently to himself.

"And you took this…Armorer's words for granted and you both think he belongs with the Jedi? Why?"

Mando sighed: "The Armorer recognised his abilities when I told her about him. I've seen him do things that no ordinary being would be able to."

"Give me some examples," Ahsoka prodded.

"Well, he was able to lift an attacking mudhorn off the ground by…I don't know…looking at it. And he stopped the flames from a flamethrower from reaching us. I think. I was quite dizzy at that point."

Ahsoka nodded silently: "Yeah, that sounds like a Force sensitive to me. Lifting mudhorns is one thing, stopping flames is on a quite different level. And he's had no training at all? "

"I don't know. I don't think so."

Ahsoka rubbed her eyes, clearly unhappy with the information, and then she summarised: "OK, so we have a small kid, who likely is from Master Yoda's species and probably a clone of him and very strong in the Force. Kid's been tucked away for decades to be kept out of harm's way and now he's grown attached to you - and to finish it off he's been kidnapped for a purpose we don't know for sure, but most likely to provide genetic material for a new atrocity from the Imperial leftovers' side. I'd say we have problems in heaps here."

"That pretty much summarises it," Sabine agreed.

The living room fell silent, each of them filled with somber thoughts of various types.

"Can we get help from Hera and Luke?" Sabine mused.

Ahsoka shook her head. "No, not if we can avoid it. Hera is trying to stay away from dangerous missions because of her son, Jacen, and I suspect this will be a clandestine mission from A to Z and well, Luke is more for the direct approach. But first we have to find the kid and I have an idea for that."

The other three looked at her in surprise. From what they knew the kid had disappeared somewhere in the galaxy's belly, or rather underbelly, and none of them had the faintest idea of how to find him. Ahsoka almost chuckled.

"You will likely be the key," she said, nodding at Mando.

"What? What can I do?" he answered in surprise.

She sighed.

"You will have to do more or less the same as you did with Dume, but this time I will do the channeling. If that is not sufficient we can always call on Dume to enforce my attempts. Or rather - we should possibly get him from the start. If you're attached to the kid he will likely be attached to you as well."

Mando nodded in agreement. He couldn't know for sure but the kid had reacted to him as if it felt a connection between them and he knew how he once had felt bonded with his surrogate father as well. Kindness would make attachments grow. Likely she was right. He hoped she was. What he didn't understand was the dismay. How could it be wrong to feel attached to someone?

She seemed to read his thoughts.

"Jedi and attachments isn't necessarily a good combination," she said. "I've seen it before. But in this case he will likely reach for you through the Force since you're his anchor in this world and by now likely the only one he trusts."

Mando nodded, remembering vividly the little bundle trying to hide from the horrors of Kamino by disappearing into his chest plate.

"I assume you're not Force sensitive yourself?" she asked.

"Me? No, I wouldn't even know what that means," he said.

She just nodded. "Anyways, Dume managed to direct me to you, so maybe something similar can be done with your kid. He is probably trying to reach you in the only way he can and, I don't know, maybe Dume and I somehow can feel him through you? When I was a Jedi I had a training bond with…my Master, and I know he had a strong bond with his Master too. It may fail since you are not Force sensitive and I have no bond whatsoever with your foundling, but I think this is our best shot. Sabine, if you can get Hera on the comm and ask them to perform a search to find out which quadrants of the galaxy an Imperial base possibly could be hidden we may compare that with whatever information Mando and I may get from the kid. And if we aren't able to connect to him we will have to do it the old fashioned way, start with number one on Hera's list and search ourselves. Come on, Mando, let's give this a shot. "

"Go with the Commander," Rex said calmly. "We'll talk to Hera and prepare for a …well equipped departure."

Mando just nodded. He really didn't care much for the Jedi-wolf-mystical-mumbo-jumbo, but if that was what it would take to get the kid back safe and sound, he'd give it a shot.

A short speeder ride later (where had Ahsoka learned to fly - this just couldn't be even close to safe driving?) they were back at the Temple ruins and stepped out of the speeder. The plain lay empty and void in front of them and Mando gave Ahsoka a quizzical glance.

"No wolves."

"He will come," she said confidently. "He understands."

She turned out to be right. This time there was no sound of paws, no whisper in the grass. The huge wolf stepped silently out from the shadows towards them.

"We need your help again," Ahsoka said quietly.

The wolf tilted its head as if it understood every word, a soft growl coming from its throat.

"We need to find his kid," she explained. "You and I may be able to feel him."

The wolf tilted its head and gave her a sceptical glance.

"I know, I know, it hasn't been done before, but hey - there's a first for everything," she said and shrugged.

"What am I supposed to do?" Mando interjected the silent communication.

"Uh…good question. Think of him? Think of happy moments, something fun, something which would make him want to connect with you?"

Yeah, right. Fighting down stormtroopers, crashing walkers and running for our lives from Imperial Moffs is just what would make any kid beam from happiness. It's not like we've been living a happy family life here.

He didn't say it. In fact he didn't know what to say so he just sat down as he'd done previously feeling the light touch of Ahsoka's hand on his shoulder. He began thinking of the kid, recalling the warm feeling he'd felt when it first peeped up from the blanket in the crib and then the moments where the kid had been happily playing with the chrome ball from the gearshift. He could see the intense look of curiosity in the little face and the small hands cradling the globe and something stirred in his mind. The little globe was literally glowing in his mind and the world around him faded.

Warm, it's so warm in here and it's humid and I feel lonely and I want to go home. I don't like those black armoured guys. They disappeared when we arrived here but I don't trust that they won't come don't look like Dad at all…

Wait? What…Dad? For a moment he dropped out of the trance-like state he'd been in. A light pressure from Ahsoka's hand made him realise it and he continued focusing on the imaginary chrome ball.

Dad is kind, those guys are not. And I don't like those who are pinning me with needles either. Wait - Dad? I think I can feel you in my head. Can you come pick me up soon? I don't want to be here. I want to go home.

"Where are you, kid? I'd come get you but I need to know where you are."

"Dad? Green….lot's of leaves. Bet there are frogs there… But I cannot go outside."

"I need more. Anyone mentioned a name?"

Warm, very warm and I saw a dead ship there. Not like home. They call it Minor. They don't like me, and I want to go home. Come get me, Dad. Please."

The connection or whatever it had been broke and Mando almost collapsed to the ground, panting. His head felt on the verge of exploding and his world turned black.

He woke feeling two hands releasing his helmet.

"No! Don't !"

His hands flew up and grabbed Ahsoka's wrists. "I cannot take it off. It's forbidden."

She let go. Concerned blue eyes scrutinised his armoured face. "You need air. You collapsed or something."

"I can breathe very well with the helmet on, thank you very much. What happened?"

His head was pounding now.

"You tell me. In one moment you were sitting there and the next you collapsed in front of us. I felt as I was passing through a strong Force field, or rather the opposite - it passed through me. Nothing else."

"Oh…"

The evening turned silent around them. He hadn't noticed but Dume had somehow disappeared again and he and Ahsoka were the only ones left behind.

"I…I don't know what happened. It could have been only my imagination…"

"Don't count on it. What happened?"

He took a new deep breath and began: "I think I felt him. He's lonely. And he's on a green, humid planet. He saw a 'dead ship' whatever that means. And I got a word : 'Minor'. I have no idea what that could be.

Ahsoka sighed: "It was worth a try. It's not much but if this fits with the intel from Hera we might as well start looking for hot and humid planets."

"But…"

"Don't say it," she interrupted, "it may have been your imagination or Dume and I may have created a link between the two of you - but it's all we got for now so let's go back to the others. You need rest and we need to cross-check with the intel."

Mando just nodded, too tired to say anything, but with a feeling that they at least were on their way to something. The experience of connecting to the kid mentally had been exhausting but also comforting. If he'd only known that some kind of bond really had been created.

As they once again returned to Sabine's tower they saw a rather large pile up of something nearby the door. Said 'something' involved certain amounts of metal covers and wires. Mando looked quizzically at Ahsoka who shrugged: "She likes blowing up things…"

Rex met them on top of the stairs, loaded with new mysterious items that obviously were destined for the pile up.

"Have you heard from Hera?"

"Yep, we have a list of possible worlds. Did you succeed?"

"We're not sure," Ahsoka said," join us after you've unloaded your burden and we'll tell you what happened."

Rex only nodded and disappeared down the stairs.

Their story was quickly reiterated and Sabine wrinkled her brow, obviously in sceptic mode, while Rex had a pensive expression on his face.

"You're a Mandalorian, not a Jedi. This might be just your imagination," was Sabine's straightforward comment.

Mando sighed, he knew that very well himself: "I know. It's not much to go on, but it felt real. I'm sorry we weren't able to get more hard facts…"

And in that moment Rex jumped up, snapping his fingers: "Mando, Commander…you're geniuses. I've got it."

Without further explanation he grabbed the pad closest to him and began scrolling down the listings of potential planets which they had received from Hera."

"Here it is," he said triumphantly, "Lubang Minor, a planet in the Illisurevimurasi sector.. It has to be there. Everything fits. The word 'minor', the dead ship…the jungle."

His three comrades looked at him, puzzled.

Sabine was the first to speak: "It's not that I don't trust you, but what make you so certain?"

"During the Clone Wars one of our brothers, Able - or CT1707- was stranded there for almost 20 years His LAAT/i gunship was shot down over the planet and crashed. Most of his team was killed in the crash and the rest died shortly after. He was eventually saved by Luke Skywalker.

"Can we ask him to come with us," Sabine asked?

"No. He's too old now. Since he was staying there nobody stopped his accelerated ageing but we can ask him to transfer what he remembers about the planet. He might have an idea about where the Imperial base may be located."

"Contact him. Now!" Ahsoka decided.

"Yes, Commander…"