Mandalorian Menace

Chapter 2 - Questions and Answers

Author's Note: I just wanted to say that I am blown away by the support I received on the first chapter. Seriously. Y'all are awesome and amazing and thank you all so, so much. I can't even express how grateful and happy I am to see so many people reading, much less enjoying, this fic. :D

PS. There is Mando'a in here, and I put all the translations at the end. Let me know if I missed anything! ^-^

~ Amina Gila

Shmi leaves the main room, going to the small kitchen-area and Anakin comes over, eyes darting between Din and Grogu. Din might be used to talking to and dealing with the kid, but this child is an unknown. He wonders if he ought to say something, to ask who in their right mind would want a child to race for them – unless he's seriously misunderstanding something – but he doesn't really want to overstep any boundaries.

"Have you ever seen a podrace?" Anakin wants to know.

"A couple times," Din replies without elaborating. He's never been interested in, or had time for, things like that, not when he had to work full-time as a bounty hunter to get credits for his covert. Whatever money he didn't need for himself, he kept for them. This is the Way.

"I can race pods," the child reveals, glancing towards where his mother is as if he doesn't want her to hear him talking about it.

Din nearly scoffs. "That's impossible," he declares. "It takes too much experience, and you're too young."

"I have though," Anakin replies defiantly. "I can. I'm really good at it."

He... isn't lying. He's telling the truth, and that, in and of itself, sets of alarm bells. "Why do you race pods?" Din thinks he has a right to be suspicious. And wary.

He shrugs. "Watto makes me do it to win money for him. I've never actually won before, but I haven't been killed either."

"... Who's Watto?" Should he know that name? There are thousands of people in Mos Espa, and it's not as if Din knows them all; he only knows a few, actually, and it's hard to say if this 'Watto' will still be here in a few decades.

Anakin makes a face, suddenly looking very unhappy and seeming far older than he really is. How old is he anyways? 7? 8? He's small. And skinny. And um... A sudden suspicion pops into his head, but he says nothing, waiting for Anakin's response.

"He's... a junk dealer here in Mos Espa," Anakin answers.

Din narrows his eyes. That wasn't really an answer. "Are you a slave?" he asks quietly. He's seen slaves, tried to help them if he could, especially if they were children, for such is the Mandalorian way. He even brought a few children, former slaves, to the covert to be adopted and raised by other Mandalorians. He could have, of course, adopted them himself, but he'd never wanted to. His line of work is always risky, and it's easier if he didn't have someone relying on him so much. Grogu is... different. The kid always has been.

Anakin tenses, instantly coiling up like a spring. "I'm a person," he insists hotly.

That's a yes then, and Din feels his heart clench with sympathy. Would it matter if he killed Watto for endangering a child? Would it matter if he freed Shmi and Anakin? He's on his own now, and he already has Grogu to take care of, but... he doesn't want to leave this bright, young child to such a fate. If he frees them, he'll be duty-bound to care for them until they can care for themselves – or if they, well, Anakin mainly, chooses to join his clan. He wishes he could talk to Goran about this. She would be able to help him. She would give him the answers that he seeks.

"I know," Din answers quietly. He – he isn't really qualified for this. His life was so much easier when he only had to focus on his jobs and providing money to his covert. They took care of everything else. He helped with the foundlings when he had time, but he never had to care for one the way he now is Grogu. None of them were his foundling, and despite the difficulties, Din wouldn't dream of giving up the kid for anything.