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CHAPTER THIRTY
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ARTEMIS couldn't help but to feel sympathy towards the Marshall. He had clearly been through a lot and all he cared for was the well-being of the people of Mos Pelgo.
As the two speeders entered a canyon, they slowed down. Artemis carefully gazed around, not wanting to walk into some kind of trap. You never knew what could be lurking out there.
A growl made them come to a stop. Almost immediately, Din slid off the speeder, took his riffle and pointed it at whatever was out there. Artemis followed swiftly, using the speeder as cover. Her hand was on her blaster. Cobb Vanth copied Din's posture as he grabbed his blaster.
More growling was heard and Artemis could hear the kid whimper from behind her. Both Din and Cobb tightened their grip on their blasters. Artemis, however, did not take her blaster. Instead, she used the Force to locate the animal.
From behind a rock, a Massiff appeared. It snarled towards them. Din lowered his riffle slowly while Cobb tensed up, ready to shoot. The massiff snarled again and more massiffs joined, outnumbering them by a lot.
Artemis reached out her hand, ready to try and calm them through the Force, when Din shouted something in Tusken.
The massiffs stood still and listened to Din's echo. Cobb glanced over his shoulder as Din walked around the speeder, closer to the massiffs. Artemis had the urge to dash after him, but she knew that Din had this covered. At least, she hoped he did.
Cobb didn't seem to share her hopes. "What the hell you doin'?"
Din turned around, gestured for him to stay put, before moving closer to the massiffs. He started speaking Tusken again but Artemis wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. Instead, she analysed the situation, wanting to know whether the massiffs would attack them or not.
One of the massiffs approached Din and he kneeled down to pet it. Cobb and Artemis exchanged a glance. The latter shrugged. The former lowered his blaster.
The massiff growled happily as Din gave him a belly rub. Artemis smiled at the sight, but that quickly faded when she saw a group of Tusken Raiders approaching them. Din stood up again and shared a small conversation with them.
"Hey, partner," Cobb began, as his eyes darted between Din and the Tusken Raiders, "you want to tell me what's going on?"
"They want to kill the Krayt Dragon, too," Din said.
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THE Tusken Raiders brought them to their camp where they all sat around the campfire. Artemis sat in between Din and Cobb. Her bagpack laid on her feet as Grogu sat on her lap. Din was having a conversation with the Tuskens while Artemis translated it for Cobb.
At one point, one of the Tuskens offered Artemis a black melon. Knowing she couldn't decline it, she quickly drank from it before handing it to Cobb who took it reluctantly.
"Am I supposed to drink it as well?" he questioned Artemis.
"Yes," she replied, trying to hide the disgust off her face. It had been horrible.
"It stinks," Cobb stated.
"Do you want their help?" Artemis asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not if I have to drink this," Cobb said.
One of the Tuskens start talking again, apparently noticing Cobb's disgust.
"He says your people steal their water," Din translated, "and now you insult them by not drinking it."
The Tusken continued taking, though Artemis could tell he was getting angrier by the time.
"They know about Mos Pelgo," Din went on. "They know how many Sand People you killed."
"They raided our village," Cobb said, defending himself. His voice was rising as well. "I defended the town."
"Lower your voice," Din warned him.
"I knew this was a bad idea," Cobb said, ignoring Din and throwing the black melon away.
"You're agitating them," Din said, as the Tusken stood up.
"These monsters can't be reasoned with," Cobb snapped, standing up as well. The Tusken starting talking again but Cobb wasn't having it. "Sit back down before I put a hole through ya! I'm not going to say it—"
Din and Artemis moved at the same time. Artemis grabbed Grogu and moved back while Din used his flamethrower to silence the argument.
For a moment there was silence as everyone looked at Din. Then Din started speaking Tusken again.
Cobb leaned towards Din. "What are you telling them?"
"The same thing I'm telling you," Din said. "If we fight amongst ourselves, the monster will kill us all."
Everyone sat down again and Artemis glanced up at Din, who remained the only one standing.
"Now, how do we kill it?"
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"I'VE got to admit, I've never ridden a bantha before," Artemis confessed, as she sat behind Din on their shared bantha. They had spend the night at the Tusken Raider's camp and were now heading towards the krayt dragon to confront it. "Tusken Raiders don't tend to like Jedi or allow them to use their banthas."
"I don't think they let anyone use their banthas," Din said, as he placed on of his hands on hers. "We've got a shared goal now—something we didn't have before."
"I've heard many things about krayt dragons but I've never actually seen one," Artemis said. "Apart from holograms and drawings I mean. I'm not sure how we'll be able to kill it. If we're able to kill it."
"We have to if we want the armor," Din stated. "And I'm not going anywhere without the armor."
Artemis pursed her lips, innerly cursing Din's stubbornness. But she knew that was also one of the reasons why she loved him.
When they arrived at a large cave, Artemis slid off the bantha. She glanced over her shoulder to Grogu who was still doing fine. They watched from a cliff as a lone Tusken Raider and a bantha approach the entrance of the cave. One of the Tuskens started talking, making Din avert his eyes. Artemis, however, did not.
"They say it lives in there," Din told Vanth. "They say it sleeps. It sleeps in an abandoned sarlacc pit."
"Lived on Tatooine my whole life," Vanth replied. "There is no such thing as an abandoned sarlacc pit."
"There is if you eat the sarlacc," Din stated.
Artemis glanced at Vanth and saw him frown worriedly. She was worried, too, but she tried to let go of it. The Force would guide her through it. It always had.
"They're laying out a bantha to protect the settlement," Din continued, as Artemis looked back at the cave. "They've studied its digestion cycle for generations. They feed the dragon to make it sleep longer." By now, the Tusken Raider was tying the bantha to a stake. "Watch, the dragon will appear."
Artemis held her breath and she watched the Tusken Raider call out to the krayt dragon. The kid whimpered and she lightly touched his head, indicating she was with him. The ground beneath her feet rumbled as the growl of the dragon was heard. The Tusken Raider started running away—back to them.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Artemis said, to no one in particular.
The ground tumbled again and from the darkness of the cave, the krayt dragon emerged, passing the bantha and devouring the Tusken Raider instead. Grogu whimpered agin and hid behind a rock. The other Tusken Raiders react in horror as the krayt dragon pulled itself back, ignoring the bantha.
Din turned to Vanth. "They might be open to some fresh ideas."
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"WE'LL never be able to kill the dragon with only the Tusken Raiders and you know it," Artemis quietly told Din as they moved closer to the others to start forming a plan. "We need more people."
"I know," Din said, as he looked down to see the bones and rocks that resembled the dragon and the Tusken Raiders. As Artemis studied the model, she realised the sheer enormity of the dragon.
"What are the bones?" Vanth asked Din, looking down as well.
"That's the krayt dragon."
"And those little rocks?"
"That's us."
"That's not to scale," Vanth pointed out.
"I think it is," Din said.
"It is," Artemis confirmed.
Vanth's eyes widened slightly as he took it all in. "Can't be. That's too big."
Din checked with the Tuskens before turning back to Vanth. "It's to scale."
"I've only seen its head and neck," the Marshall said. "It's a whole lot bigger, I guess. Might be time to rethink our arrangement."
Din spoke with the Tuskens and they added more little stones to the model.
"That's more like it," Vanth said, rather pleased. "Where are they getting the reinforcements?"
Artemis glanced at him, already knowing he wouldn't like the answer.
"I volunteered your village," Din stated.
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THE ride back to Mos Pelgo was quiet. Though Artemis could tell Vanth knew this was the only option, he didn't seem too pleased about it. She knew he was preparing himself for what to say to his people. Finally, when they came to a halt, he spoke up.
"They attacked us less than a year ago. Killed half a dozen of us by the mining camp. I'd say I took down about twice as many Tuskens." He stepped off his speeder, looking almost defeated that he had to ask this to his people.
"The town repeats you," Din told him, gently but firmly. "My guess is, they'll listen to reason."
Vanth sighed. "I wouldn't be so sure."
Din and Artemis waited together as Vanth went to get everyone inside the cantina.
"If he doesn't convince them, we'll never be able to kill the krayt dragon," he told her.
"I know," Artemis said, crossing her arms and leaning back onto the speeder. "I had certainly not expected to kill a krayt dragon on my next visit on Tatooine, though. It seems that wherever we go, fighting follows."
"You don't have to go with us," Din said quickly. "You should go and take the kid to your house. I'll come when it's finished."
"And leave you hear alone to deal with the krayt dragon all by yourself? Yeah no," Artemis said, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving you, Din. I think I made that point fairly clear."
He chuckled. "That you did."
Vanth popped his head out from the cantina. "We're ready."
Artemis pushed herself off the speeder. "Let's do it."
The two of them headed inside and took their placed behind Vanth. People started to murmur when they entered.
"This here is a Mandalorian," Vanth said, nodding at Din. "You know what that means?"
"We've heard the stories," the Weequay bartender said.
"Then you know how good they are at killing," Vanth said. "Now, this one's got a problem." He pointed at Din. "I've got a suit of salvaged armor and the Mandalorian creed says it's his to take."
The people started to murmur again.
"But, I've got a problem, too," Vanth continued. "A krayt dragon has been peeling off our pack animals, and sometimes taking our 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."
People chattered again, all shaking their heads. Artemis' eyes glided over the crowd.
"As much as I've grown fond of the armor, I'm even more fond of this town," Vanth said. "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 said, as if it were that easy. If only it were.
"There's more," Vanth said, looking grimly. "We can't take on the krayt alone." He took a deep breath, knowing that whatever he would say next, would not be likeable by the people. "And the Sand People are willing to help."
They all started clamoring.
"They raid our mines!" one of the men exclaimed, punching his fist on the table.
"They're monsters!" the bartender yelled.
"I've seen the size of that thing," Din said, taking a couple of steps forwards, "it will swallow your entire town when the fancy hits it. You're lucky Mos Pelgo isn't a sand field already. I know these people. They are brutal. But so is the Dune Sea. 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. 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."
⋆⋆⋆
ARTEMIS let a sigh escape her lips as she fell down onto the bed. Vanth had provided them with a room and she couldn't thank the Marshall enough for his great timing. The red head couldn't recall the last time she slept.
The bed cracked when Din laid down next to her, the kid laying on his chest. "This feels good," he admitted.
"Yeah," Artemis said, kicking her boots off and removing her belt before getting more comfortable. "We can use all the rest we can get. It won't be easy."
"I know," Din said, as he took her hand and brought it to his chest, giving it a small squeeze. Artemis squeezed back. Grogu cooed and placed his little hand on top of Din's. Artemis smiled at this.
"You won't have to fight, little one," she told him. "That's for the grown-ups to do."
Grogu lifted his head off Din's chest to look at her. He cooed and Artemis smiled.
"Everything will be all right, little one. We won't let anything happen to you."
Word count: 2306
I apologize for the long wait. Life has been hectic with exams and school but I'm back again and I promise to update more regularly from now on since I have lots of plots and twists planned for this book! :)
Also I want to make a booktrailer for this book but that will take some time so don't expect it to be out with the next chapter ;)
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! & thanks in advance for the 100k reads! (We're so close!)
Published: 26.02.2022