Sorry for the delay on this one, I've been dealing with a ton of schoolwork as the year winds down. But we're at chapter 30, which means that we're three-fourths of the way through this story! These last ten chapters are ones that I have already planned out, so I hope you enjoy.

Also, there will be spoilers for "The Mandalorian" in this chapter, at least up until the end of Season 1, so if you haven't gone and watched this amazing show yet, go do so and then come back here!


Episode 30: Mandalorian vs. Cats!

Over on the planet of Batuu in Galaxy's Edge, Gabriel and Jasiri were hanging out in Oga's Cantina, the local hotspot for sharing drinks and trading stories. The two had been having a blast at Black Spire Outpost, buying souvenirs, engaging in totally-in-no-way-illegal smuggling runs for Hondo Ohnaka, and helping the Resistance evade capture from the First Order.

"I can't believe you starting an impromptu dance-off actually worked," Jasiri said, shaking her head as she took a sip of her blue milk.

"Hey, if Star-Lord can save the galaxy by dancing, then why can't I do the same?" Gabriel replied, drinking his own green milk. "Although, I must say that I was surprised by the song that came on once I started dancing."

Jasiri giggled. "Yeah, what was that about? "I'm Han Solo" sounds more like a parody than a real song."

"Well, it is a parody, but in the so-bad-it's-good kind of way," Gabriel admitted, laughing a bit himself. "Did you see the way Kylo Ren reacted I challenged him to a dance-off, though?"

"He looked like he was going to die from embarrassment at the song alone!" the hyena laughed.

"The only thing that would have made in better is if Han Solo himself showed up and started dancing as well," Gabriel said. "If there's one thing that gets kids embarrassed, it's seeing their parents try to dance."

The duo continued to laugh about their absurd experience, before the door to the cantina opened up, getting everyone's attention. From the door walked in a man dressed in shining silver armor, having an air about him that said, "I'm not a person you should try and mess with." He walked into the bar, a floating cradle holding a little green alien (but not the ones from Toy Story) floating in behind him.

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Gabriel said, his voice struggling to stay at a whispering level. "It's him, he's really here!"

"Who's that?" Jasiri asked.

"That is the Mandalorian, THE Mandalorian," Gabriel gushed. "Real name: Din Djarin, he's a bounty hunter that's been tasked by his clan to deliver that child with him back to his kind. He may be more recent Star Wars character, but he's already reached a legendary status among the fans. Take that, Boba Fett!"

The Mandalorian took a look around the room, then turned to the barkeep. "I'm looking for the Dream Keeper and his companion," he said. The barkeep pointed at Gabriel's table, prompting the Mandalorian to turn around and walk over to the duo.

"He's coming this way," Gabriel squeed, getting an eye-roll from Jasiri.

"You're a bit excited to meet this guy, aren't ya?" the hyena said playfully.

The Mandalorian took a seat across from the two, the child's cradle floating up to the table as well. "I was told I'd be able to find the Dream Keeper here."

Gabriel shook his head, taking a deep breath before looking at the Mandalorian. "That's me. Gabriel the Dream Keeper, and this here is my girlfriend, Jasiri."

"Hi there," Jasiri said. She looked over at the alien. "And hello to you too, little guy. Aren't you a cutie. Does he have a name?"

"His name is Baby Yoda," Gabriel said.

"No, it doesn't have a name," Mando corrected. "We just call him 'The Child'."

The Child gave a small wave to Jasiri, the hyena waving back.

"It's an honor to meet you, Mando," Gabriel said. "I'm a big fan of your show."

"I'll admit, being famous around you guests puts me at unease at times," Mando said. "But as long as you don't mess with me or hurt The Child, we should get along just fine."

"So, why were you seeking us out?" Jasiri asked.

"I've taken a job to find two people that went missing here on Batuu," Mando explained. "I was told that if I needed help that the Dream Keeper and his companion would be more than willing to help."

"We'd gladly help you out," Gabriel said. "And you don't have to worry about paying us, either. So, who are we looking for?"

"These are the targets I've been asked to find," Mando said, placing a hologram disk on the table. The two images that appeared were that of cats, one being an Abyssinian cat wearing a crystalline collar, while the other was purple Sphynx cat with a metallic silver collar.

"We're searching for cats?" Jasiri said, confusion in her tone.

"Not just any cats, but extraterrestrial cats," Mando corrected. "These aren't simple Earth cats. They have powers that make them tricky to hold down, much less find in a crowded place like Black Spire."

"They seem familiar to me, but I'm coming up blank at the moment," Gabriel said. "Why don't we start the search and fan out around the city. I'll link my visor to your comlink so we can communicate."

"Sounds like a plan," Mando stated.

As the group left, Gabriel couldn't help but give a little fist pump in the air. "I'm teaming up with The Mandalorian!"

[***]

The team started by scanning for the cat's signatures, but the multiple small mammals in the town made it practically impossible to pin down a good place to start. Jasiri made sure to keep her nose out for any peculiar cat-like smells, while Gabriel and Mando asked the townspeople about any strange cats they may have seen.

"Now that you mention it, I think I saw a strange cat over at the creature stall," one of the residents said.

"We'll check it out, thanks," Gabriel said, waving goodbye.

The two headed over to the creature stall, where upon getting there a panic started. Someone- or rather, something- had released all of the creatures, which now were running out of the shop. The Child giggled as the animals ran past, with Jasiri barking at the animals to try and calm them down.

"Grr… these guys aren't listening to me," Jasiri growled. "I'll try and round these guys up, Gabriel, you find whatever did this."

As Jasiri chased after the freed creatures, Gabriel made his way into the shop, hearing what sounded like laughter coming from inside. Sitting on one of the high shelves was one of their targets, a purple hairless cat that was laughing up a storm at the chaos. It was pretty clear that this cat was the reason for the animal break-out.

"Hey, are you the one responsible for this?" Gabriel asked. When the cat looked down and stuck out its tongue at Gabriel, the raven rolled his eyes and sent out a magic spell, wrapping around the cat and bringing it down to Gabriel. "Alright, that's enough of you. Mando, I caught one of them!"

"Let me see," Mando said. He pulled out a tracker, which beeped as he brought it closer to the hissing cat. "This is one of them. Good job, kid."

Gabriel beamed with pride, but held the cat out as it clawed at him. "Yikes! This guy's claws are like metal. Wait a minute…" He turned the cat around and looked it in the eyes. "Mr. Kat?"

The cat rolled its eyes. "Yes, that's my name, unfortunately."

Gabriel dropped the cat, the alien meowing as it was unceremoniously dropped. "You can talk!? I don't remember you being able to do that."

"If my girlfriend can learn to talk your language, then so can I," Mr. Kat said, his voice being vaguely British.

"You know this cat?" Mando asked.

"Yeah, he was from a show I watched as a kid," Gabriel said. "He's part of a race of alien cats that was looking for a new world to take over, but he was never able to start the invasion due to a kid and his friends."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Mr. Kat sighed. He then turned around and ran off. "See you later, suckers!"

"… and I shouldn't have dropped him," Gabriel said, running after the alien cat with Mando behind him.

"Look after the kid," Mando ordered, passing off The Child to Gabriel as he activated his jetpack to pursue from the air. He pulled out his blaster and fired off some warning shots, but Mr. Kat avoided the blasts, hopping over people and making a ruckus out of it.

"So, I guess we'll just follow him on the ground?" Gabriel said, staring at The Child.

The raven went down the street, following the trail of destruction that Mr. Kat and Mando were leaving behind. It was quickly becoming clear that if they didn't do something about this now, that it would end up with someone getting hurt. The alien cat wasn't making this easy to stop either, whether it be pulling objects out of hammer space to attack the heroes or using its heat vision and metal claws to keep them away. Eventually the chase came to the hanger bay, where security Stormtroopers yelled at the group as they ran inside.

"Got you now," Mando said. He tapped his wrist and sent out his Whistling Birds, tiny missiles that precisely hit some nearby crates, catching Mr. Kat off-guard as the boxes landed on top of him.

"you know, if I didn't already know that wouldn't kill him, I'd scold you for killing at cat, even if he is an alien," Gabriel said, handing The Child back to Mando.

Mr. Kat soon popped out from under the boxes, shaking out his body as stars spun over his head. He soon shook off the confusion, hissing at the heroes as he lunged at them. Instead off attacking them, however, Mr. Kat suddenly froze in place, as if he had been stopped in time and fell to the ground, still frozen in the same pose.

"Was that you, kid?" Mando asked, looking down at The Child.

"Wasn't me," Gabriel replied.

"That would be me," came a new voice. The two turned to see the Abyssinian cat that they had been looking for, alongside Jasiri.

"Hey you two," Jasiri greeted. "While you were chasing this cat around the city, I found the other one while rounding up the escaped animals from that shop."

"Greetings Mandalorian, Dream Keeper," the cat said. Despite not moving his mouth, this new cat was projecting his thoughts into their minds to speak. "I am Zunar-J-5/9 Doric-4-7, though you can call me Jake."

"Was this your doing?" Mando asked.

Jake nodded. "I used my collar to temporary stop his mind, effectively freezing Mr. Kat in place."

Gabriel snapped his fingers and pointed at Jake. "The Cat from Outer Space! That's where you're from! It's one of the few old-school live-action Disney movies I've seen."

"Pleased to meet you as well, Gabriel," Jake replied. "Jasiri had a lot of nice things to say about you." He walked over to Mr. Kat, unfreezing him before swatting him on the head. "Now then, what do you have to say for yourself, mister?"

Mr. Kat sighed, rolling his eyes and saying, "I'm sorry for hijacking the ship and going to another planet without your permission."

"Jake was the one that put up that bounty," Jasiri explained. "Apparently he's part of a group that helps villains reform and become less of a nuisance here in the Magical World."

"Oh, so you're Mr. Kat's parole officer," Gabriel said.

"What about my payment?" Mando asked.

"Here you go," Jake said. He placed down what looked like a stick of gold before focusing his powers on it, changing the matter into that of a regular-sized gold bar. "I take it this will suffice."

Mando leaned down and picked up the gold bar. "I'm sure I can trade this in for some Credits. Thank you for your help, Gabriel and Jasiri."

"Oh, really, it was nothing," Gabriel said bashfully. "It was just cool getting to see you in action."

"Speaking of action, what are you going to do with him?" Jasiri asked Jake, eyeing Mr. Kat.

"I'll make sure he doesn't get away this time," Jake said.

"You know, if your job right now is to reform villains, don't be afraid to call me up," Gabriel offered. "I like a good redemption arc as much as the next guy, so any way I can help some villains be not-so-bad anymore is fine by me- except for mind control, of course."

As the two cats walked away, Mando offered Gabriel and Jasiri a ride back to the Magic Kingdom, which Gabriel enthusiastically agreed to. Sitting in the seat of the Razorcrest with The Child in his lap, the raven let out a cry of joy as they jumped into hyperspace.


Author's Note

I will say it again, but the Mandalorian is so good! If you like Star Wars or Western style shows, go watch it, even if you're not as keen on the more recent Star Wars movies. It's a show with an almost movie-quality budget, and the story is amazing, with Mando being a compelling character despite us almost never seeing his face.

This chapter was also inspired by the fact that Disney has two very different cats that hail from outer space. Mr. Kat is from the cartoon "Kid vs. Kat," which if I were to describe is like a G-rated version of Invader Zim with some Looney Toons slapstick. Technically it's a show from Canadian network YTV, but it aired in America in Disney XD so it counts in my book, much like how Miraculous Ladybug does. Mr. Kat never talked in the show, but since his girlfriend could talk, I figured that he would eventually learn how to himself. His British accent is a reference to how his girlfriend has a Russian accent, him being British is a play on the "evil villain has an accent" trope.

As for Jake, he's from the classic Disney comedy film, "The Cat from Outer Space" which I watched on Disney Plus. I wouldn't say it's a favorite of mine, but it was fun for being a cheesy comedy about a talking alien cat and his escapades on Earth. Fun fact, this movie did the "alien lifts a human on a bike" a few years before E.T. did it!

Next Time: Jasiri visits her family back home in the Animal Kingdom!