Chapter Text
Chapter One
No Matter Where I Go, It’s Always Desolate
He knew there were other planets like Tatooine; planets of nothing but sand, the sun and the endless, unforgiving heat. He knew There were other planets much like the sand trap that is Tatooine, and he knew how miserable it was to spend any moment of ones life on the planet - though it always surprised him when people managed to build settlements, despite the harsh environments.
What he knew, yet always forgot, was how many planets there are that are worse than Tatooine. The planet he was on now, Halvarus, was one of them. Rather than gritty sand, the planet was covered in silky smooth grey dust, that clung to everything and made breathing the air difficult without his helmet. The surface of the planet was flat but dotted with odd caves that lead down into the hard stone layer of the landscape, though there was no escape from the dust. Two suns rotated around the planet, making it dry and scorching during the day but as soon as the suns disappeared below the horizon, the temperature would quickly plummet to close to freezing.
There were only a few small settlements on the planet, all looking nearly identical; made of dark grey stone and scrap metal. Each settlement had their own small green houses set up to grow what food they could manage, since the dusty landscape was useless for cultivation. At the first settlement Din had found, he had been welcomed politely but when he asked to trade for a speeder the tradesman was startled by the food the Mandalorian had on hand - basic ration packs for himself, but a few small packs of sweets and fresh fruit for Grogu. A couple of hyrdopacks, a small bag of sweets and a handful of fruit got Din a decent speeder, far better than he expected to find on the dusty wasteland of Halvarus, as well as a promise to radio other settlements and let them know he was ‘one of the good ones’.
He made it to the next settlement, which looked almost identical to the one he had just left, as the suns had begun to disappear. The journey had been uneventful and uninteresting; the only thing he’d seen on the way was a lone man standing by a lone speeder a short ways out of town - the man was facing away from Din. Din hesitated for a moment, thinking about stopping, but he could already feel the air growing cold and didn’t want to risk having Grogu out in any worse weather. He’d been told by the tradesman at the last settlement that this town had a decent enough cantina with beds for hire, so after finding the loud building he parked the Speeder and headed inside with Grogu nestled in the sling Din fashioned from his cape.
The other patrons gave him curious glances as he entered but nobody said anything and the eyes left him quickly as people returned to their own conversations and drinks.
“Evening, you must be the fella that Tom called through about earlier.” The man at the bar said - a short man who looked built of muscle, wearing a white apron that reads THE DUST BOWL in faded writing. “Said you were alright, told me I’d be clever to give you a free drink and feed for the evening.”
“That’s kind of him.” Din said from behind his helmet. “He was a nice man.”
“Tom’s a one of a kind, honest to god - I’d trust him with my kids if it came down to it. So, a hot meal and a drink for yourself then?”
“A room, if you have one spare.” Din said.
“Aye, a room I can do. I’ll have the meal sent up there if ya like. Can get a bit rowdy down here when its late and I imagine you’re due a proper rest after the trip here. I’d offer something sweet for the little ‘un but well, ain’t got much of that sort here.”
“That’s alright, I have some sweets for him already.”
“Tom said you had all sorts of goods, good to know he wasn’t pulling my leg when someone traded him proper food!” The man said with a deep chuckle. “I’m a little disappointed you didn’t stop here first, we’ve got a whole gaggle of little ‘uns at the moment after that slaver convoy left em. Six of em! Just left em all out in the dust as the suns were disappearing, poor things wouldn’t have made it til morning with the rags they were wearing.”
“You have…foundlings?”
“Foundlings?” The man asked with a frown, then nodded. “Ah you mean like orphans?”
Din nodded.
“We’ve got a small school in town, only one room, but the teacher has opened it up for the kids to stay in while we decide what to do. Good enough bunch of kids, quiet of course, and we’ve managed to get some beds set up for em but…there’s only so much we can do for their morale, you know?”
“I know.” Din said, and placed one of the small bags of sweets on the counter. “I have some more, they should get to enjoy them.”
“I- ya sure?” Din nodded. “Well, alright then. That’ll put some pep in their step when I go round in the morning. Very kind of you, they’ll appreciate it. You should head up and get some rest though, I’ll send the food up shortly. Room 8, last door on the left.”
“Thank you.” Din said, and accepted the key and it’s tattered number tag from the man before heading up a flight of stone steps that took him to a thin hallway.
The room was small, made of the same grey stone as the rest of the place and while it was cold, Din knew it was better than being outside. A single bed was in one corner of the room, and a table and single chair was in the opposite corner. It wasn’t long before someone turned up with a bowl of hot stew and a glass of some sort warmed, spiced wine. A smaller bowl contained some sort of sweet porridge, which Din gave to Grogu to enjoy. After dinner, the two of them settled into the rickety bed, and after an hour of laying and staring at the ceiling while Grogu snored beside him, Din fell into a restless sleep.