Chapter 9 | The Marshal (Part 4)

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The next day, they join the Tuskens on the ride to the krayt dragon's lair. Din sits on the bantha behind Cordelia with his arms around her, letting her lean back against his chest. When they reach the lair, the group gets off the banthas.

Din jumps down first, waiting for Cordelia to grab the Child. She turns to him, and he holds his arms out to catch her. She jumps and lands in his arms, leaning in for a Keldabe Kiss before setting her feet on the ground.

They join the group huddled at the edge of the cliff. They watch as a Tusken leads a bantha towards the entrance.

"They say it lives in there. They say it sleeps. It lives in an abandoned sarlacc pit." Din translates.

"Lived on Tatooine my whole life. There's no such thing as an abandoned sarlacc pit." Cobb Vanth says.

"There is if you eat the sarlacc. They're laying out a bantha to protect the settlement. They've studied its digestions cycle for generations. They feed the dragon to make it sleep longer." He explains. "Watch, the dragon will appear."

They watch as the Tusken cups his mouth and shouts. The Child whimpers, and Cordelia pulls him onto her lap as the dragon begins to growl loudly. The Tusken begins running as the ground rumbles. The dragon emerges from the cave, ignoring the bantha and heading straight towards the Tusken. The Child whimpers and buries his face in Cordelia's stomach. She rubs his back as the krayt dragon returns to the sarlacc pit, leaving the bantha unharmed.

"They might be open to some fresh ideas." Din says.

***

Cordelia stands with Din and Cobb as the Tuskens talk around their model of the dragon and its lair.

"What are the bones?" Cobb asks.

"That's the krayt dragon." Din explains.

"And those little rocks?" He asks. Cordelia sighs.

"Us." She says.

"It's not to scale." He says.

"I think it is." Din says. Cordelia nods in agreement.

"Can't be. That's too big." He says. Din speaks with the Tuskens for a moment.

"It's to scale." He says.

"I've only seen its head and neck. It's bigger'n I guessed." Cobb says. "Might be time to rethink our arrangement." 

The Tuskens speak to Din, who responds quickly. The Tuskens add more rocks to represent the group.

"That's more like it. Where are they getting the reinforcements?" Cobb says.

"I volunteered your village." He responds. Cordelia chuckles quietly, not at all surprised.

***

They return to Mos Pelgo and gather the town in the cantina. Cordelia, Din and Cobb stand at the bar while the citizens sit at the tables in front of them.

"This here is a Mandalorian. You know what that means?" Cobb says.

"We've heard the stories." The bartender says from the crowd.

"Then you know how good they are at killing." He says. He notices the crowd now looking at Cordelia. "I'm sure his wife is just as good." He reassures. "Now, this one's got a problem. I got a suit o' salvaged armor and the Mandalorian creed says it's his to take." 

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