Din and Kasari walk quietly through the shadowy town. The child floats between them in his pram as they head towards their destination. They remain cautious as creatures with red eyes growl at them from the shadows, watching them. The child looks around curiously at the graffiti covering the sides of buildings. The child whimpers as they move.
They finally come up to a Twi'lek guarding a door, "We're here to see Gor Koresh." Din says.
The Twi eyes the child and Kasari before stepping aside, "Enjoy the fights." He says.
They walk inside, Din leading the way with Kasari in the back behind the child. The room is filled with spectators cheering for a fight occurring in the ring. Two Gamorreans battle each other with axes as the audience cheers and boos at them.
The child watches them curiously as one Gamorrean is knocked to the ground. Din and Kasari keep moving, ignoring the fight. They make it to their contact, an Abyssinian and Din sits next to him as Kasari and the kid remain standing.
"You know this is no place for a child." Gor Koresh says to him.
"Wherever I go, they go." Din says, referring to both the child and Kas.
The Abyssinian chuckles, "So I've heard."
"We've been quested to bring him to his kind." Din explains, "If I can locate other Mandalorians, they can help guide me. I'm told you know where to find them."
"It's uncouth to talk business immediately." Gor says. "Just enjoy the entertainment."
Din and Kasari turn their attention to the fight for a moment as the Gammorreans knock each other around.
"Bah! My Gamorrean's not doing well," Gor complains, "Kill him! Finish him!"
The Gammorrean aims for the other's head with his axe, but the other rolls out of the way.
"Do you gamble, Mando?" Gor asks.
"Not when it can be avoided." Din responds.
Gor chuckles, "Well, I'll bet you the information you seek that this Gamorrean's going to die within the next minute and a half." He says confidently, "And all you have to put up in exchange is your shiny beskar armor."
Din looks at him, "I'm prepared to pay you for the information. I'm not leaving my fate up to chance." He says.
"Nor am I." Gor states as he shoots the Gamorrean dead and his men stand to aim their weapons at Din and Kasari.
The crowd panics and disperses as Gor chuckles, "Thank you for coming to me. Normally, I have to seek out remnants of you Mandalorians in your hidden hives to harvest your precious shiny shells." He says, "Beskar's value continues to rise. I've grown quite fond of it. Give it to me now or I will peel it off your corpse."
"Tell me where the Mandalorians are and I'll walk outta here without killing you." Din responds.
"I thought you said you weren't a gambler" Gor comments and the kid closes his own pram.
"I'm not." Din says, releasing his whistling birds, ensuring they avoid Kasari, tagging her as a friendly with his visor.
They easily do their job, taking out the majority of the men as Din stands, kicks the child's pram away from the fight and dodging the Gamorrean jumping out of the ring at him. He's grabbed from behind but smiles as Kasari jumps on the goon holding him and stabs the goon in the neck with the knife Din gifted her, the training they did together being used, as Din kicks and punches out at the other goons attacking them.
He finally pulls out his knife, stabbing one before throwing it at the goon about to attack Kasari. She breathes heavily from the fight, but smiles at him as she catches her breath.
"You did good." Din says as they hurry to change after Gor Koresh.
"Thank you." Kasari chuckles.
As they follow Gor, Din uses his grapple line to catch the Abyssinian and pull him back. Din tosses the line over a lamp post and pulls the man up, causing him to hang upside down from the post.
Gor groans, "All right, stop, stop! I'll tell you where he is." He grunts, spinning around, "But you must promise that you two won't kill me."
Kasari crosses her arms as Din responds, "I promise that you will not die by our hands." He declares, "Now, where is the Mandalorian you know of?"
Gor groans, "Tatooine."
"What?" Din asks.
"The Mando I know of is on Tatooine." Gor says.
"I've spent much time on Tatooine. I have never seen a Mandalorian there." Din states.
"My information is good, I tell you." Gor assure, "The city of Mos Pelgo. I swear it by the Gotra."
Din looks at Kasari and sighs, "Tatooine it is, then." And they walk away. Leaving the man hanging.
"Wait, Mando! You can't leave me like this." He calls to them, "Cut me down!"
"That wasn't part of the deal." Din says as he shoots out the lamp posts light.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Gor panics, "Mando! I can pay! Mando! Mando!"
Kasari winces as she hears the creature behind her, heading to the man.
"Just keep walking." Din tells her.
Kasari nods, following his lead as the man screams behind them. They continue walking until the make it to the Razor Crest safely, checking on the kid sleeping in his pram and settling down in the cockpit.
"Well, that was fun." Kasari says sarcastically.
Din hums, "At least it gave you some practice, and we have the potential whereabouts of another Mandalorian."
"Do you really think there's one on Tatooine?" Kasari asks.
Din sighs, "I haven't been to Mos Pelgo before, so it's possible." He turns to look at her after getting the ship situated towards Tatooine, "Are you sure you don't know where any of these sorcerers may be?" He asks for not the first time.
Kasari sighs, "I told you before, they weren't known to announce their presence. The Empire hunted them down and anyone that knew about them." She gives him a look, "And they're not called sorcerers, they're Jedi."
Din looks towards the kid for a moment, "And you trust these Jedi?"
Kasari shrugs, "They're usually the good guys." She sighs, "I don't know the history of the Jedi and your people, but I know what I studied from the force. Typically, a force user is either on the light side, the Jedi, or the dark side, the Sith. Both use the same source, but in different ways. I'm not sure of the specifics, but the Jedi believed in controlling one's emotions and the Sith believed in using their emotions to channel the force in different ways. I wish I could tell you more, but I really only studied the scientific aspect of it all, and I never cared too much for the politics of the force, just the existence of it."
Din hums, "It's enough. Thank you."
Kasari smiles, "You don't have to thank me, Din. I'm just sharing what I should have shared when we first met. Like the Armorer said, you are like his father. You deserve to know more about his abilities. About him."
Din nods at her and smiles behind his helmet, "And you are as his mother."
Kasari's smile grows, "I've always wanted to be a mom."
Din pauses for a moment before changing the subject, "When we get to Tatooine, I want you to stay close to me. The sands can be harsh."
She chuckles, "So you're not leaving me behind with Peli this time?"
Din shakes his head, "There are no more hunters after you, you have been practicing your fighting and shooting with me, and I've learned that it's better to stay together than separate. Every time we do, something almost happens to you or the kid."
Kasari sighs, "We'll stay close to you."
Din nods, "Good," and he turns back to the ship controls.
They eventually make it to Tatooine and at Peli's place. Din grabs a sack, places it around him, and then carefully puts the kid inside.
Kasari smiles at them, "He's extra cute in there." She says.
Din chuckles, "It should help to keep him close." He says as they exit the ship.
They find Peli and her droids outside, "Sorry gang. Come on. You know he doesn't like droids." Peli says to the droids as they chitter at her.
"May as well let them have at it." Din says, "The Crest needs a good once-over."
"Oh! So he likes droids now." Peli says. "Well, you heard him. Give it a once-over." She chuckles then turns to Kasari, "It's good to see you again. You look like a bounty hunter now with all those weapons strapped to you."
Kasari chuckles, "Not quite, but I should be able to hold my own while I follow him around." She points at Din.
"I guess a lot has changed since you two were last in Mos…" She awes at the kid as Din pulls the sack in front of him, showing the child to her, "Oh! Thank the Force! This little thing has had me worried sick." She says as she carefully takes him from Din's sack. "Come here, you little wimp rat." The child coos at her, "Looks like it remembers me." She smiles, "How much do you want for it? Just kidding. But not really." She jokes, "You know, if this thing ever divides or buds, I will gladly pay for the offspring."
They turn as they here a crash from the Razor Crest, "Hey!" Peli calls, "Oh, jeez" She says as the droids struggle, "Watch what you're doing up there. He barely truss your kind. You want to give all droids a bad name? Thank you!" She calls to them.
Kasari chuckles at their antics as Din speaks, on task as always, "We're here on business. We need your help."
"Oh, then, business, you shall have." Peli responds, "Care for me to watch this wrinkled critter while you two seek out adventure?"
"We've been quested to bring this one back to its kind." Din explains.
Peli blows out a breath, "Oh, wow." She chuckles, "I can't help you there. I've never seen any thing like it. And trust me, I've seen all shapes and sizes in this town."
"A Mandalorian Armorer set us on this path. If we can locate another of my kind, I can chart a path through the network of coverts." Din explains.
"You've been the only Mando here for years from what I can tell." Peli says.
"Do you know where Mos Pelgo is?" Kasari asks, "We were told there's one there."
"Oh. Boy, I haven't heard that name in a while." Peli says.
"It's not on any of the maps." Din says.
"That's because it was wiped out by bandits." Peli explains, "Once the Empire fell, it was a free-for-all. I didn't dare leave the city walls. Still don't."
"Can you tell us where it used to be?" Kasari asks.
"Depends who's asking. You want to see it?" She turns, "R-five! Bring the map of Tatooine." The droid beeps at her and slowly moves to them, "No, take your time. Seriously. You just can't get good help anymore. I don't even know who to complain to." The droid reaches them, "Let's go, let's go. Waiting." She sighs as the map pops up, "Okay. This is a map of Tatooine before the war." She begins to point out locations, "You got Mos Eisley, Mos Espa, and up around this region, Mos Pelgo."
"I don't see anything." Din says.
"Well, it's there. Or at least, it used to be." Peli says. "Not much to speak of. It's an old mining settlement. They're going to see that big hunk o' metal long before you land."
Din sighs and turns to her, "You still have that speeder bike?"
"Sure do. It's a little rusty, but I got it." Peli says as she leads them to it.
She uncovers it and gestures to it.
Kasari smiles, "Can I drive?"
"No" Din says.
Kasari pouts, "You always get to have all the fun."
Din sighs, "It's better if you're behind me. I have better armor."
Kasari rolls her eyes, "Alright, you win, as always."
Din nods, removes his pouch and collects the child from Peli, securing him in a pouch connected to the speeder.
"Are you sure you don't need me to watch him?" Peli asks.
Kasari shakes her head, "We appreciate the offer, but it's better if the kid stays close to us."
"Alright. You guys be careful out there." She says as Din climbs onto the speeder bike.
"We will be." Kasari responds as she climbs behind Din and wraps her arms around him, careful of his jetpack. Unfortunately, it's not very comfortable.
Din wastes no time taking off. They're quiet on the ride and Din eventually stops to communicate with Tuskens and asking for safe passage through the sands. They end up sharing a camp with them for the night.
"Is there anything you don't know how to do?" Kasari asks him as they lay on their bedrolls.
"Plenty." Din says.
Kasari chuckles, "I didn't expect you to be so fluent in the Tusken's language. They seem to like you."
"If you respect that this is their lands, they can be quite helpful." Din responds.
Kasari smiles and they both go to sleep.
The next morning they take off on the speeder once again, arriving in Mos Pelgo by midday. Din eases them into the town as the towns people eye them wearily. They stop in front of a bar and Din heads inside, Kasari places the kid in the pouch Din used earlier, hiding him inside, and follows Din.
"Can I help you?" A Weequay says from behind the bar.
"We're looking for a Mandalorian." Din says.
"Well, we don't get many visitors in these parts." The bartender says, "Can you describe him?"
"Someone who looks like me." Din says.
"Mmm… You mean the Marshal?" The Weequay asks.
"Your Marshal wears Mandalorian armor?" Din confirms.
The bartender grunts, "See for yourself," he gestures to the door where a man in worn down Mandalorian armor stands.
He walks inside, "What brings you here, strangers."
"We've been searching for you for many parsecs." Din says.
"Well, now, you found me." The man says, "Weequay, three snorts of spotchka." The bartender takes out the drink and places it and the cups on the table. "Why don't you join me for a drink?" He says as he moves to a table to sit.
Din and Kasari watch wearily. Something doesn't feel quite right. Their suspicions are confirmed when the man removes his helmet. They stand in place.
"I've never met a real Mandalorian." The man chuckles, "Heard stories. I know you're good at killing. And probably none too happy to see me wearing this hardware." He pours the spotchka into the cups, "So, I figure only one of us walking out of here." He points at Kasari and the kid peeking over the pouch, "But then I see the little guy… and I think, maybe I pegged you wrong." He places the drink in front of them.
"Who are you?" Din asks.
"I'm Cobb Vanth, Marshal of Mos Pelgo." He introduces.
"Where did you get the armor?" Din asks.
"Bought it off some Jawas." He takes a large drink.
"Hand it over." Din says.
"Look, pal, I'm sure you call the shots where you come from, but 'round here, I'm the one that tells folks what to do." Cobb Vanth says.
"Take it off." Din says.
"Wait." Kasari says, stopping him.
Din ignores her, "Or I will."
"Just let the man speak. You don't have to threaten him." Kasari says.
"You should listen to her, or are we gonna do this in front o' the kid?" Cobb asks.
"He's seen worse." Din says.
Kasari sighs, crossing her arms.
"Right here, then?" Cobb asks.
"Right here." Din agrees.
Cobb sighs, standing and placing his hand near his blaster. Kasari groans as she sits down with the child, watching as the men start each other down. Her eyes widen as the ground begins to rumble. Cobb asks Din for a moment before walking to the door to look outside. Din and Kasari follow as the bartender takes a different exit behind the bar. They watch as the townsfolk hid in their homes and a giant thing moves through the center of town and eats a bantha.
"Holy Kriff!" Kasari exclaims. "What is that?!"
Cobb sighs, "Maybe we can work something out." He tells Din.
Din agrees and they follow Cobb as they walk around town, the people already fixing whatever broke.
"That creature's been terrorizing these parts since long before Mos Pelgo was established." Cobb Vanth explains, "Thanks to this armor, I'm able to protect this town from bandits and Sand People. They look to me to protect 'em." He sighs, "But a krayt dragon is too much for me to take on alone." He stops and turns to look at them. "Help me kill it, I'll give you the armor."
Din pauses a moment before answering, "Deal. I'll ride back to the ship, blow it out of the sand from the sky, use the bantha as bait."
"Not so simple." Cobb says.
"It's never simple." Kasari murmurs.
Cobb smiles at her, "The ship passes above, it senses the vibrations, stays underground." He explains, "But I know where it lives."
"How far?" Din asks.
"Not far." He answers.
They take off not long after, Kasari and Din sharing a speeder while Cobb uses his own.
"You don't understand what is was like. The town was on its last legs." Cobb says as they ride. "It started after we got news of the Death Star blowing up. The second one, that is." He explains, "The Empire was pullin' outta Tatooine. There was blaster fire over Mos Eisley. The occupation was over." He pauses, "We didn't even have time to celebrate. That very night, the Mining Collective moved in. Power hates a vacuum and Mos Pelgo became a slave camp overnight."
"That's horrible." Kasari says.
"I lit out. Took what I could from the invaders. Grabbed a camtono." He pauses, "I had no idea it was full of silicax crystals. I guess every once in a while, both suns shine on a wimp rat's tail."
"What happened next?" Kasari asks, engrossed in his story.
Cobb smiles at her, "I wandered for days. No food, no water. And then…" he pauses, "I was saved. The Jawas wanted the crystals. They offered their finest in exchange. And my treasure bought me more than a full waterskin. It bought my freedom." He finishes.
Kasari lightly smacks Din on the back, "And you were going to kill him for it."
Din shakes his head as they continue speeding across the lands, eventually riding through a valley. They hear a loud roar nearby, so they quietly stop, climb off their speeders, and pulls out their rifles, using the speeders for slight cover.
The growling continues as the kid ducks down to hide in his pouch. The growling echoes as many Massiffs come out behind the rocks. Din lowers his rifle and shouts out in Tusken. The Massiffs stop growling.
Cobb looks at him confused, "What the hell are you doin'"
Din waves him off as he moves towards the Massiffs.
Kasari chuckles, "Don't worry, he can handle this." She tells Cobb.
Din speaks to the Massiffs in Tusken and one Massiff trots to him happily. Din lowers to one knee and pets the creature. It growls happily.
"Told you." Kasari says as she joins Din in playing with the Massiff.
Din stands back up as Tuscan's walk out from the rocks. He explains things to them in Tusken as Kasari and Cobb watch.
"Hey, partner, you want to tell me what's going on?" Cobb asks.
"They want to kill the krayt dragon, too." Din translates.
He communicates some more with the Tuskens before they follow them to their camp for the night. They sit around their fire as Din continues to speak with them. The kid sits in Kasari's lap, watching the nearby Massiff. One of the Tuskens breaks open a black melon and hands it to Cobb Vanth.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" He asks.
"You drink it." Din responds.
"It stinks." He complains.
"Do you want their help?" Din asks.
"Not if I have to drink this." Cobb says.
The Tusken starts yelling at him.
"He says your people steal their water and now you insult them by not drinking it." Din translates. "They know about Mos Pelgo. They know how many Sand People you killed."
"They raided our village. I defended the town." Cobb says angrily.
"Lower your voice." Din says.
"Just drink it. You're upsetting them." Kasari says.
Cobb tosses away the melon, "I knew this was a bad idea." The tusked stands, "These monsters can't be reasoned with." He stands too, "Sit back down before I put a hole through ya! I'm not going to say it…"
They're interrupted by Din's flamethrower going off beside them. The child coos at the flats as Kasari sighs. Din speaks to the Tusken first.
"What are you telling them?" Cobb asks.
"The same thing I'm telling you." Din answers, "If we fight amongst ourselves, the monster will kill us all." The Tusken and Cobb finally sit back down, "Now, how do we kill it?" Din asks.
They begin discussing different options before they finally lay down for the night.
Kasari lays down with the child and turns to Din beside her, "Mando the peacekeeper." She teases.
Din chuckles, "We didn't need them killing each other."
Kasari chuckles too and they both go to sleep.
The next morning has them riding banthas to the krayt dragon's home. Din removes his jet pack to allow Kasari to hold onto him better and he smiles at her presence behind him. Once at the dragon's home, the Tusken's begin to explain more about it as one of their own brings a bantha to the entrance.
"They say it lives in there. They say it sleeps." Din translates, using the binoculars to look at the entrance to the home better, "It lives in an abandoned sarlacc pit."
"Lived on Tatooine my whole life." Cobb says. "There's no such thing as an abandoned sarlacc pit."
"There is if you eat the sarlacc." Din says dryly.
"And we're going to kill this thing?" Kasari asks skeptically.
Din nods to her, handing her the binoculars so she can see too, "They're laying out a bantha to protect the settlement." He explains, "They've studied its digestion cycle for generations. They feed the dragon to make it sleep longer. Watch, the Drago will appear."
Kasari gives the binoculars back to the Tusken and they all watch the bantha and the Tusken below. The Tusken yells into the entrance, calling the dragon out. The child whimpers from his spot on the ground as he watches.
The dragon growls and they watch as the Tusken runs as fast as possible before getting eaten instead of the bantha. The child hides behind the rocks as the Tuskens gasp out. The dragon returns home.
"They might be open to some fresh ideas." Din says.
They all sigh as they move together to begin mapping out a plan. The tuskers layout a model with bones on the floor, showing the dragon and small pebbles for the them.
"What are the bones?" Cobb asks.
"That's the krayt dragon." Din supplies.
"And those little rocks?" Cobb adds.
"That's us." Din says.
"It's not to scale." Cobb remarks.
"I think it is." Din corrects.
"Can't be. That's too big." Cobb denies.
"Did you not witness the same thing as us?" Kasari asks, "That thing is huge."
Din sighs as he speaks with the Tuskens, "It's to scale." Din confirms.
"I've only seen its head and neck. It's a whole lot bigger'n I guessed." Cobb admits, "Might be time to rethink our arrangement."
The Tuskens continue speaking and Din responds to them in turn. They add more rocks to the model.
"That's more like it." Cobb says. "Where are they getting the reinforcements?"
"I volunteered your village." Din says.
With the plan set, they head back to Mos Pelgo on the speeders.
Cobb speaks once they arrive in town, "They attacked us less than a year ago. Killed half a dozen of us by the mining camp." They stop the speeders, "I'd say I took down about twice as many Tuskens."
"The town respects you." Din says, "My guess is, they'll listen to reason."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Cobb responds, hopping off his speeder and heading inside. They follow after him.
Once inside they call the townsfolk to gather and Cobb speaks to them.
"This here is a Mandalorian." He says, gesturing to Din, "You know what that means?"
"We've heard the stories." The bartender says.
"Then you know how good they are at killing." Cobb responds, "Now, this one's got a problem. I got a suit o' salvaged armor and the Mandalorian creed says it's his to take." The people murmur in disagreement, "But I've got a problem, too. A krayt dragon has been peeling off our pack animals, and sometimes, taking out mining haul with it. It's just a matter of time before it grows tired of banthas and goes after a couple of you townsfolk, or even, so help us, the school." The people begin to chatter, "As much as I've grown fond of the armor, I'm even more fond of this town. The Mandalorian is willing to help us slay the leviathan in exchange for returning the armor to its ancestral owners."
"Well, that settles it." The bartender says.
"There's more." Cobb adds, "We can't take on the krayt alone." He takes a breath, "And the Sand People are willing to help."
The crowd begins to clamor, "They raid our mines!"
"They're monsters!" The bartender yells.
"I've seen the size of that thing," Din begins, "it will swallow your entire town when the fancy hits it. You're lucky Mos Pelgo isn't a sand field already." He pauses, "I know these people. They are brutal. But so is the Dune Sea." He continues, "They've survived for thousands of years in these sands and they know the krayt dragon better than anyone here. They are raiders, it's true. But they also keep their word." He pauses, "We have struck a deal. If we are willing to leave them the carcass and its ichor, they will stand by our side in battle and vow never to raise a blaster against this town until one of you breaks the peace."
The towns people look at them a moment before wearily agreeing. Cobb explains the plan to them while Din speaks to Kasari.
"I don't want you to get too close to this thing," He says, "Stay back with the kid. Cobb Vanth and I will lead the others and take care of the krayt."
"We can leave the kid in his pouch and I can help you." Kasari suggests.
Din shakes his head, "No, this isn't going to be easy, Kas. I want you to stay with the kid and keep him safe. Okay?"
Kasari sighs, "You're going to have to allow me to help you sometime, Din. You can't expect me to sit out of every fight just because it's dangerous."
Din sighs, "This isn't like my bounties or when we deal with people, this thing is huge, it would swallow you whole and I wouldn't be able to save you from that." He places his forehead on hers, "Cobb and I have jetpacks, we can fly away fast if it tries to get us, you however, wouldn't be able to run fast enough. I'm not keeping you on the sidelines because I don't think you're capable of helping. I'm keeping you to the side because I know you will protect the kid."
Kasari sighs, wrapping her arms around him, the child coos at them, and she speaks, "Don't get yourself eaten, Din."
He chuckles, wrapping his arms around her, "I won't."
She nods, pulling back, "Then let's get ready."
They find Cobb as the townsfolk grab the materials they need.
"Think it'll work?" Cobb asks them as they approach.
"It better." Din responds. "Joining forces is their only hope."
They move outside and watch as the Tuskens appear with their banthas and supplies. They remain on guard, but unhostile as the townsfolk and the Tuskens work together to load the banthas with explosive. As they work, a Tusken drops one.
"Hey! What are you doin'? That's an explosive." A man yells at the Tusken, "What, are you trying to blow the whole place up?" The Tusken gets in his face, "What? Is that what you want?"
Cobb Vanth intervenes, "Take it easy. It was an accident, okay?"
"What do you want to do?" The man argues.
"It was an accident." Cobb stresses to him. He walks back to Din and Kasari, "It's gonna be great." He says sarcastically and they get back to work.
Thankfully, no more issues arise and they begin traveling to the dragons home on banthas and speeders.
Once they arrive, they walk together, stopping a ways away, as one Tusken walks to the entrance. The Tusken carefully feels the ground and they watch as it signs to them.
"What's he say?" Cobb asks.
"He says it's sleeping." Din responds, "If we listen carefully, we can hear it breathing."
A tusken hands a black melon to Cobb, he drinks it with a grimace.
"Let's get to work." Din says
They all work together digging a trench for the bombs and placing them carefully.
"The Tuskens say the belly is the only weak spot." Din explains to Kasari and Cobb. "So we have to hit it from below. First, we bury the charges at the opening of the cave. Then, we wake it up." He continues, "We have to get it angry enough to charge." They watch as the Tuskens prepare harpoons. He nods to Cobb, "Once it's far enough out and the belly is above the explosives, you hit the detonator."
As he finishes, a woman comes to hand the detonator to Cobb, "Careful, Marshal."
"Thank you, Jo. And you stay safe, huh." He tells her. She nods in response.
Din turns to Kasari, "Stay with the kid, move if it turns your way."
Kasari nods, "We'll be okay. You be careful."
He places his forehead to hers in a Keldabe kiss. He sighs before stepping away and meeting Cobb Vanth.
Once far enough away from Kasari, Cobb speaks to Din, "What are you two to each other?" He asks.
"What do you mean?" Din responds.
Cobb draws his eyebrows together, "Like, are you two together… or?" He trails off as Din stays silent, "No?" He asks.
Din sighs, "She and I care for the kid together."
"So you aren't romantically involved?" Cobb asks.
Din remains quiet.
"You want to be." Cobb concludes, looking back at Kasari, "Why don't you go for it? She seems to care for you."
"She cares for the kid." Din corrects.
Cobb sighs before letting it go. They watch as the Tuskens begin the process to wake the dragon.
The Tuskens yell into the entrance together. The dragon roars back and they begin to run. The others shoot the harpoons at it, but one Tusken gets eaten by the krayt.
Din uses his scope to see the scene better, "Dank ferrik," he curses, "it's going back it."
The Tuskens try to pull at it with the ropes attached to the harpoons. Instead, the dragon pulls the Tuskens with it. The Tuskens and towns people begin shooting.
"It's retreating." Din says.
"I'm going to hit it." Cobb declares.
"No, wait." Din stops him, "We only have one shot. We've gotta get it out."
The townsfolk and Tuskens continue to shoot and hit the dragon. It roars at them and tries to eat them.
"Now?" Cobb asks.
"Not yet. It's gotta come out further." Din replies.
They try the harpoons again and begin pulling it forward. It roars at them, lifting them in the air and spraying them with acid.
"Almost. Almost." Din says, "Now!"
Cobb hits the detonator and it explodes beneath the dragon. They wait with baited breath to see if it worked as the dust settles.
"I don't think it's dead." Cobb observes.
"Me either." Din states.
They're proven right when the dragon appears from the top of the nearby hill. It shoots more acid at the Tuskens below. They scream as they try to avoid it.
"It's picking us off like romp rats." Cobb says angrily, "Let's get after it!" He grabs his rifle.
Din follows his lead and grabs his own rifle. They use their jet packs and fly to the kryt dragon. They find close cover and begin shooting at it.
"This ain't doing a thing." Cobb says.
"Just keep shooting." Din orders.
The dragon turns to them and tries to eat them, but they fly away before it can, landing on the ground near the entrance to its home. They keep their weapons trained on where it was, but it disappears from view once again. They watch wearily for it and spin around as they hear it come from behind them.
"There he is." Din says. He watches as it eats another Tusken, then looks around and spots a bantha covered in explosives, "I've got an idea. Get its attention." He tells Cobb.
Cobb uses his rocket to shoot at the dragon. It roars in pain as it turns to them.
"I got its attention! No what?" Cobb yells.
"You still have that detonator?" Din asks.
Cobb hands it to him, "Take it! What's the plan?"
"You're gonna take care of Kasari and the child." Din says.
"What are you gonna do?" He asks.
"I don't know, but wish me luck." Din responds before hitting Cobb's jetpack and sending him flying.
He hits the detonator, activating the explosives on the bantha, and waits. But the bantha pulls away and starts to escape.
"No! No, no, no!" Din yells as he chases it, grabbing the rope and holding it tight, "Hold on. Whoa, whoa, whoa."
He stays there as the krayt dragon moves towards him and swallows him and the bantha whole. It takes some time, but Din manages to shock the dragon, causing it to open its mouth as he flies out, covered in gunk, and presses the detonator. The dragon roars and the explosives go off and Din lands safely on the ground.
He pants as he stares at the dead krayt dragon. The townspeople begin and the Tuskens cheer.
"Din!" He hears Kasari yell.
He smiles as he watches her run down to him with the child in her embrace. He moves towards her and they stop once they make it to one another.
Kasari gives him a frustrated look, "You are so lucky you're covered in gunk because otherwise, I'd be hitting you for the stunt you just pulled."
Din chuckles, "It killed the dragon."
Kasari groans, "I told you not to get yourself eaten, Din."
He smiles at her from behind his helmet and reaches a hand out to her and the kid.
She avoids his touch, "Nuh-uh. No way. You need to clean up a bit before you even think of touching me or the kid."
Din barks a laugh, but respects her wishes. They move together and watch as the Tuskens chop their way through the corpse. At some point, he retrieves a cloth and wipes down his armor to get as much of the dragon off him as possible.
The tuskens offer them a chunk of the meat and the gracefully accept it. Din loads it onto the speeder while the kid watches and Cobb comes to deliver his armor.
"Sorry." Din says to him, "I didn't have time to explain."
"No need," Cobb says, giving him the armor, "This was well-earned."
"It was my pleasure," Din says, shaking his hand.
"I hope our paths cross again." Cobb says.
"As do I." Din states.
"Oh, and you tell your people that I wasn't the one that broke that." He points to the jetpack before turning to speak with Kasari, "And you, if you ever get tired of following around this Mandalorian, Mos Pelgo would welcome you with open arms."
Kasari smiles at him, "Thank you Cobb, but I'm pretty attached to this Mandalorian." She chuckles.
Cobb smiles back at her, before waving goodbye and walking away. Kasari turns to Din, as the Tuskens cheer, finding a pearl in the corpse. Din sighs, looking at the amount of stuff he has on the speeder. There's no way they can fit with him driving.
"You're going to have to drive." He tells her.
Kasari's smile grows, "You're letting me drive?"
Din nods, "It'll be a tight fit, but we'll fit better with you driving."
She practically beams at him, "Don't worry, Din. I'm excellent with a speeder!"
Din groans, but he doesn't say anything as they settle onto the speeder. Kasari practically sits in his lap and he wraps his arms carefully around her waist.
"Hold on." She says as she starts the speeder and spins them around before speeding off.
"Is now a bad time to mention that I have no idea how to get back to Peli's from hers?" She says over her shoulder.
"You're going the right way," Din responds, "I'll give you directions as you need them." He points, "Just aim for those peaks there for now."
"Gotcha!" She responds, focusing on the peaks ahead of them.
Din tightens his hold on her as they drive, keeping her secure in his arms, only slightly concerned about her making them crash. It's going to be a long ride.