The Mandalorian's Slave

The Egg

The inside of the Jawa's ship is tiny and cramped. The Jawas huddle around the Mandalorian, Kuiil, the child, and I, making sure we don't touch anything. We try asking questions, but the Jawas ignore us. Occasionally they break out chanting again.

The Jawas cackle when we slam our heads against the low roof, which is quiet common for the Mandalorian. We move slowly across the rocky planet as the Jawas murmur in anticipation.

"The egg!" The ship stops lurching forward and the door slowly drops down. Hot air and clouds of dust greet us. I follow the Mandalorian and the Jawas warily, clutching onto the child.

The lead Jawa turns to us. "The Egg is protected by its mother. In the den. Follow me."

Like some sort of grim parade, we follow him. The Jawa walks in front, with the Mandalorian closely following, then me with the cradle floating behind me. We walk a short distance until we reach a valley bathed in shadows.

"There." The Jawa points to a hole in the cliff side. He turns and retreats quickly, back to the safety of his home.

"Hide behind that rock. Stay here. Understood?" The Mandalorian reaches down to load a bullet into his rifle. I nod silently, worry building up inside my chest.

I duck behind a large bolder and hold the child close to me as the Mandalorian slowly approaches the opening of the cave. Time to seems to drag on forever. I watch the shadows swallow my Master, and then nothing happens. I sit and try to stay calm as time seems to slow down to a crawl.

The sound of a gun firing startles me, followed by an angry roar. This can't be good. The Mandalorian flies through the air and lands in the mud with a sickening sound. I resist the urge to get up and run to his side. I tell myself he knows what he's doing. He's a Mandalorian, after all.

A horned creature steps into the entrance of the cave. It lets out a low growl that causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. The Mandalorian sits up slowly, reaching for his rifle. He aims at the creature'a chest and pulls the trigger. There's a soft clicking sound. Fuck. The gun in jammed.

The beast charges forward, ramming the Mandalorian with a single, deadly horn. He flies through the air, landing in a pool of thick mud. The child lets out a soft whimper. I clamp my hand over its mouth. The last we need is to be discovered.

The horned creature lets out a cry before charging forward. The Mandalorian rolls, narrowly missing getting trampled. The monster whirls around, stomping toward the Mandalorian. He sits up defensively, loading his flamethrower. For a brief moment, the flames deter the beast. The Mandalorian shoots out his grappling hook in a moment of sheer panic and it wraps tightly around the beast's horn.

The creature takes off, dragging my Master through the filth. He fumbles for a foothold, but it's futile. The monster whips around, its horn clanking against the Mandalorian's armor as he's launched in the air.

He lays there, too still for my liking. Every inch of him is covered in a thick layer of mud. His armor is crooked and electricity sparks down one of his sides. He gets to his knees slowly, each movement pained. The beast paws at the ground, preparing to charge again. The Mandalorian draws a small blade. It's nothing more than a pocket knife really.

I realize what he's doing. It's suicide, to hope that tiny blade will do anything against the beast. Even if it does, he'll be too injured to do anything. Or worse.

The creature charges and time seems to slow down. I reach out my hand, fingers splayed, deep in concentration.

My heart rate slows down as the beast's feet thunder against the surface of the dusty earth. I feel a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach as the noise stops suddenly. The creature lets out an angry roar and I slowly open my eyes. It's suspended just a few inches above the ground, dangerously close to my Master.

The Mandalorian gets up on shaky legs and stares at the monster and slowly turning toward me. I can't see his face, but I can feel his disbelief. My body is shaky from the effort, and I think he realizes that because in one fluid motion he slits the beast's throat.

I collapse to the muddy ground, exhaustion taking over. I'm aware of the child cooing I'm concern, and the Jawas cheering in the distance. I can hear the Mandalorian walk over to me, the mud squishing beneath his boots. My eyelids feel so heavy, but I force myself to look him.

"Thank you. Wait here while I grab the egg."

I'm too tired to do anything else, so I close my eyes and wait. I must have fallen asleep, because when I open my eyes again, I'm being carried in his muddy arms. The Mandalorian doesn't look down at me, or even acknowledge that I'm awake. I close my eyes again. My whole body feels shaky and weak.

When I open my eyes again I'm in the back of Kuiil's cart. There's parts all around me, stacked haphazardly. The Mandalorian is nearby, watching the horizon. I sit up slowly, my body sore and aching.

"You're awake. We're almost to my ship, which I'll need to rebuild." The Mandalorian doesn't sound thankful or concerned or anything. As if what I just did was natural.

I'm terrified. I have a strange new power living inside of me. My Master is a bounty hunter who would no doubt sell me to the highest bidder if he wanted to. And worst of all, I don't know how to control myself. I could hurt someone.

I avoid conversation by focusing on the child. He's so small, so unlike any creature I have ever seen.

I know we have a lot of work ahead. Repairing the ship will be no easy feat. But at least the work will keep us busy. And it will keep us from mentioning the night that never happened, the things that weren't supposed to happen.