Chapter Text
Dust from the ground blew up and around the cockpit as the Razor Crest lowered steadily. The first step outside provided a view of the sunrise, the many moons of Lira San reflecting the light which seemed to make the sky even brighter.
Looking closer to the horizon Din saw it. A cozy little house, which reminded him much of his own. Small footsteps emanate from behind and by the time he looked down, Din saw his little green son staring back at him. The man pulled up strings of data on his wrist holo. After a few seconds he nodded and closed the holo.
“Let’s move.”
The two made it to the doorway. The blinds of the house were closed tight, not allowing any light in or out. Din pressed the pad next to the door and a low chime dully echoed from behind the door. There was silence for a long moment before he tried again. The same chime played, but still silence. Din reached for the pad, but a voice replied before any more buttons could be pressed.
“Who do you work for?”
“I work for no one,” Din gruffs out.
“Then get ou-”
“I was sent here by Garrazeb Orellios.”
There was silence. Enough time for Din to bring up the data holo.
“How can we see when the dark surrounds us?” The voice finally responds.
Reading aloud, the man repeated the phrase given to him by the Lasat. “By the light of Lothal’s moons.”
The door opened with a hiss.
“Get inside. Now.”
The man moved out of the way to let the travelers in. He looked down as Grogu crossed into the house. The man lifted an eyebrow but kept quiet, turning his attention to the mandalorian. Closing the door, he led the two to some seats. Din picked up the child and placed him in one of the chairs, but he continued standing as the other man opened the blinds slightly. The soft morning glow entered the room and finally the man sat down. Din was quick to follow, sitting in the chair beside his son.
“You’re quite a ways from home,” the blond man stated. He leaned forward in his seat, and lowered his voice. “How did you find this location?”
“Like I said. Garrazeb Orellios sent me. He gave me the coordinates.” Din responded. “He needs someone by the name of… Alexsandr Kallus.”
“Well, you’re in luck,” the blond man states, leaning back into a comfortable position, “That’s me. Now, how urgent is this?”
“As soon as you can.”
Kallus sighed and stood up from his seat. “First, let me get you a caf.”
“There’s no need.”
He looked back at the armored man and over at the other chair. “I insist.”
Din turned to the seat next to him only to find it empty. He immediately stood up and scanned the room. His eyes fell on a corner of the room where a small brown ball of cloth was digging around in a storage chest. Din walked up behind Grogu, kneeling to get a better look at what he was messing with. The chest was full of small trinkets and toys. Grogu pulled out a ball attached to a string, and despite his attempts, was unable to remove the string from the ball. Din took the toy from the child’s hands and placed it back into the toybox. When Din stood up and turned around, Kallus was there holding two cups of caf. He gave one to the mandalorion, sipping on his own.
“I’m ready to leave when you are. But I hope you have an extra seat. I only have inter-planet transport.”
Din looked at the chest full of toys. Grogu had opened it again and was playing with the same ball and string. “Do you have kids?” The mandalorian asked absentmindedly, watching the boy play. Din turned to find the blond man glaring at him over the cup rim. Kallus took a long sip of his caf. “Something like that,” he responded before placing his empty cup down and walking to the door.
The trip through hyperspace was quiet for the most part. Grogu still had the toy, but was slowly losing interest. Kallus was adamant on being in the cockpit in case of an urgent course readjustment. Din sat in the pilot seat although the autopilot was the real one flying. He just couldn’t trust the new man on board alone in the cockpit. Din’s cup of caf was left half-empty next to him.
“So tell me, why was I requested? I presume something happened if they’re pulling me out of vacation.”
Turning to face the man, Din brought up the data holo in full. He allowed Kallus to lean in and scroll through everything that was on the chip. He sighed and fell back into his seat.
“There’s nothing in there,” Kallus announced, the annoyance in his voice evident.
“Then I don’t know.” The mandalorian responded, losing a bit of patience for the other man’s attitude.
The awkward minutes flew by without disruption. Once out of Wild Space, Kallus left the cockpit to look around the ship. The little green being followed him through his tour, playing with the ball and string along the way. The ship was mostly barren with a few tools and weapons scattered about. Kallus ended his look around the ship in the main bay. He slid down to sit on the floor. Grogu copied his actions and plopped down beside him.
“I’ve heard about beings like you, y’know.”
Kallus didn’t look at Grogu, but his words forced the child to look at the man. He babbled a response and shifted closer to Kallus.
“I don’t understand what you're saying,” the man responded. He turned to the child and stared for a moment before continuing.
“I wasn’t told much, except that you’re small and green,” a light smile made its way onto Kallus’ face, “and that the one he talked to was a Jedi.”
Grogu set his full attention on what he was saying. The boy cooed and pushed on the sitting man’s leg. He picked up the child under the arms and lifted him closer.
“Yes, I had a friend tell me all about that Jedi. He’s a bit lost right now, but he can tell you when we find him.”
The smile on Kallus’ face was replaced by a somber look. Sensing the change of emotions in the man, Grogu placed a hand onto him. Kallus felt the little one look through his mind, finding guilt and grief under his hard exterior. Kallus removed the hand before Grogu could fully delve into his mind.
“You’re a Jedi too, aren't you?”
A sudden jolt sent through the ship as it jumped out of hyperspace. Din climbed down the cockpit ladder and landed firmly on the ground.
“We’re almost to the rendezvous point. We’ll be picking up some cargo before heading to the base.”
Din looked at the two sitting on the floor. We walked over and picked up the child off the man. Kallus stood as the mandalorian walked back to the cockpit with his child in hand.
“You have a very special kid.” Kallus called up after the armored man.
“Yeah, I get that a lot,” he responded.
“No, what I mean is– well, do you know about the Jedi?”
Kallus climbed up into the cockpit and sat down in the empty seat as Din situated Grogu into his own chair. At the words, Din hovered a hand over the holster of his belt.
“I’ve met some once or twice. I’m sure that’s not a problem for you, is it…?”
The hand next to the blaster twitched. Kallus backtracked, hoping to de-escilate.
“I have some contacts with Jedi affiliates. I can reach out and–”
“I know what my kid is,” Din cut in, hand no longer tempting the blaster. “He’s a mandalorian. Like his father.” The words were said with finality, blocking any attempts to continue the conversation. Kallus looked over to the child who was smiling and standing proudly.
“Hmm, so be it then…”
The cargo collection went smoothly with minimal hiccups. The New Republic requested a shipment of arms and rations for the Adelphi base. Kallus soon learned that this was the original mission the mandalorian was hired for. Not him. At some point, this man and his kid were trusted enough to come collect him from his home.
“So, how do you know Garazeb?”
Din wiped the crumby remnants of a ration bar off the face of his child. The armored man turned to face Kallus.
“I can ask you the same.”
“I have a storied history with that Lasat. But I want to hear yours first.”
The mandalorian studied the man for a moment.
“He was a contact. A fellow bounty hunter that helped me and him.” Din gestured to Grogu, who cooed in response.
“So you don’t work for the New Republic?” Kallus was slightly surprised that the new government would trust someone with such little credentials to work for them.
“Not officially. We have the same goals so far.”
Grogu babbled and pointed at Kallus with the toy.
“He wants to hear your story,” Din stated.
Kallus looked at Grogu when he started. “Hm, well. First of all, he saved me, then I saved him,” the man smiled. “We fought in the rebellion together and now we’re part of the New Republic.”
“And that’s why you were in Wild Space?” Din asked, the hint of distrust still evident in his voice. Kallus glared at the man.
“Like I said. I was on vacation.” He then turned to the child and gave him a smile before relaxing into his chair. “My fighting days aren’t over, but I’d like them to be.”
Din looked straight ahead, preparing for the jump out of hyperspace. “Vacation, huh,” he flicked a few switches and signaled Grogu to do the same on his side, “sounds nice.”
The ride down to Adelphi base was smooth. In all, the trip went as best as possible, which provided a nice change of pace. The moment the cargo bay opened, Grogu jumped down and set off to find the Lasat. Kallus looked to the mandalorian as the child scurried ahead without them. He didn’t seem worried about the runaway kid. Instead, he pulled up a comm channel and stayed in the ship. Kallus left the ship and followed the trail of dusty footprints left by the kid. It didn’t take long before he was also being trailed by the mandalorian. Kallus knew this base like the back of his hand, so he could tell where the boy went before turning the last corner. He stepped to the side to allow the mando in front. Kallus took the extra time to fix his hair and tidy his beard.
When he finally made his way around the bend, a large furry, purple mass hurried its way to him.
“There he is!” He pulled Kallus into a large, bone-crushing hug, ruffling the hair the man just fixed.
Muffled under the mat of fur, Kallus patted the back of the Lasat. “It’s good to see you too, Garazeb.”
Immediately, Zeb dropped Kallus from his hug, sending a glare his way instead. Kallus returned the glare, but then shifted into a sly smirk. Zeb laughed and hit his back, knocking the wind out of the man.
Din watched the interaction, slightly confused. He cleared his throat to gain their attention.
“We have the supplies that were requested.”
“Oh. We’ll help with that,” Zeb announced, pulling Kallus back to the ship.
“We!?” Kallus retorted.
The heavy crates were from the ship to a secure hanger across the base. Grogu sat in the ship, occasionally helping lift the crates onto the transports. Most of the time, however, he spent playing with the ball and string. When the last shipment was finally loaded, Zeb went to find the child.
“What’s that you got?” He pointed to the string in the boy’s hand.
Grogu covered the toy with his body before rethinking and holding it up for Zeb to see. The familiarity of the object caught in Zeb’s brain. Grogu could see in his eyes the glimmer of recognition.
“Uh, that’s not yours, is it?” Zeb asked calmly. He gently guided the toy out of the child’s hands and Grogu released it. The Lasat placed the toy into his pocket and turned back to the boy. Grogu was looking at the floor, sulking a little at the loss of his new favorite thing.
“Oh don’t be like that,” Zeb said, walking his way to the ship’s exit. “Let’s find your dad. He’ll get you something better!” The loud footsteps of the Lasat got further away, but they were quickly followed by pitter-patter steps.
Zeb invited both Mando and Kallus for a drink. It was afternoon at the base by now and the cantina was full with pilots and soldiers coming back from their missions. Grogu sat on Din’s lap so he’d be able to reach the tabletop.
“I don’t think you two have been introduced yet,” Zeb pulled Kallus over and put an arm around him. “Alex, this is Mando. Mando, this is Kallus.”
Din saw Kallus’ face cringe at the name slip.The Lasat didn’t seem to notice. Din pretended not to hear and placed out a hand. Kallus returned the gesture and shook it firm. Zeb found a seat beside the mandalorian as Kallus whispered something in his ear. The Lasat pulled back and looked at Din before returning to the man.
“Don’t worry about it. We can trust him, I think.” Zeb stated in a voice that Mando could only assume was trying to be quiet.
Kallus let out a short huff and found a seat next to the Lasat. Din got a kid drink for Grogu while the others got drinks for themselves. Life outside of the underworld is still a new experience that Din hasn’t gotten used to yet. He watched quietly as more people filled the bar, some even noticing Kallus and stopping by to say hi. Din couldn’t help himself from eavesdropping on the conversations next to him.
“By the way Alex, how are the kids?”
“Oh, you know, Zeb. Rowdy as ever.” Kallus responded, taking a sip of his drink. “They’re at their favorite grandma’s house right now.”
The Lasat let out a boisterous laugh. “Chava!? They’re going to come back talking crazy like her, you know.”
“It’s the reason I was able to get here as fast as I did! And say what you will, she can handle kids well.“
“Speaking of which,” Zeb put a paw into his pocket, fishing out the ball and string toy. “ I think this is yours.”
Kallus grabbed the toy and looked it over. He leaned forward over the counter to see the child that was hidden behind the wall of fur. Grogu waved to the man as Kallus squinted at him.
“Didn’t know we had a little thief in our midst. Thank you, Zeb.”
“Of course,” Zeb practically purred.
From behind the helmet Din watched the two from the corner of his eyes. It was certainly a different kind of interaction than typical contacts reuniting. He decided to keep his head straight forward and ordered the kid another drink.
“Zeb, why did you call for me? I’m not supposed to deploy again until next month.”
Zeb halted his drinking, turning the gears in his buzzed head. He finally remembered with a ”Karabast!” and knocked his head. “It’s because Sabine and Ahsoka are finding Ezra!”
Din peaked up at the familiar name as Kallus almost spat his drink across the bar.
“WHAT!? And you’re just telling me NOW”
The rage on the man’s face was palpable. Zeb raised his hands in a measle attempt to calm the man down.
“You know how Wild Space is! This was the fastest way to let you know!”
“Garazeb Orrelios, I swear to you…” Kallus clutched the fabric of Zeb’s jacket, pulling their faces close.
Grogu hopped onto the table as Din stood from his seat. It seemed like a brawl would break out at any moment, and he had to be ready to break it up if it did. Before Din could grab the kid out of harm’s way, Grogu waddled his way beside Kallus on the bar. The child closed his eyes and settled a hand on the man’s shoulder. Kallus paused for a moment and unfurled his fists from Zeb’s clothes. He turned slowly to the kid, pulling a hand up to touch the one on his shoulder. He sighed and Grogu opened his eyes. The boy waddled back to his seat and started sipping from his juice.
Kallus looked back at Zeb with a stern look, but the Lasat’s eyes were full of worry.
“What was that?” Zeb asked.
“I don’t know,” Kallus responded, rotating his shoulder where the kid touched it. “Some jedi spell or something.”
Din sat back in his seat, pulling Grogu closer to him. Kallus paused and looked away from Zeb,
“How long have you known?”
“I found out after they left. The first thing I did was send Mando to find you.” Zeb gestured to the mandalorian. Din turned and nodded at Kallus. A large sigh left the man as he put down his drink.
“I’m going to sleep. We’ll talk about this in the morning.” With that, Kallus left the bar.
“I might as well follow him.” Zeb placed down his drink and told the bartender to add the drinks to his tab. Before leaving, Zeb turned to Din. “Stay on base for the night. We’ll have another job for you tomorrow, we’re coming with.”
The morning after was peaceful. Kallus and Zeb seemed to have made up, but the bruises and bites haphazardly hidden under Kallus’ clothes indicated a tussle between the two. As long as they didn’t start a fight on the ship, Din didn’t care too much.