Across the Universe | D. Djarin

Damn pirates

The N-1 starfighter quickly broke through the white clouds to reveal the familiar view of Nevarro. The place had changed once again, I could see more plant life and different buildings from above. It's been almost a year since I was last here so It's no surprise that more changes have been made.

My right hand rested on the armor of Din's thigh. I absentmindedly traced my finger over the cold beskar, I'm not even sure if Din has realised that I put my hand there.

As we got closer to the town, I realised just how much foliage there is now compared to the last time I was here. A woman's voice suddenly spoke over the comms and startled me slightly.

"Welcome to Nevarro, independent trade anchor and Outer Rim Hyperlane port. Please state the purpose of your visit." The woman said

"Here to meet an old friend." Din replied

The ship slowly lowered down towards the landing bay at the entrance to the town. It was always strange to come back here now that we didn't do bounty hunting as often. The amount of times that we have been here with bounties, covered in different scrapes and bruises. A lot of things have changed since those days.

The ship touched down on the landing bay, and it was surprisingly busy. There were people bustling around, chatting happily to each other. That was another stark difference to Nevarro, the people who lived here were happier and safer. They no longer had to live in fear of the bounty hunters that used to rule the streets.

The glass canopy slid open and I pulled myself up. I swung my legs over the side of the ship and jumped down onto the concrete ground. I spun around on my heels and raised my arms up towards Grogu. He happily leapt off of the ship and landed in my arms.

Din came over to stand beside us. He pressed a button on his vambrace and suddenly, the child's pram raised out of the droid pod in the ship. I looked up in surprise as it lowered itself down beside us.

"Since when did it do that?" I asked in surprise as I placed Grogu in the pram.

"Peli and I did a lot of modifications." Din said, I could hear the smile in his voice, he was definitely proud of himself for surprising me.

Din then turned around and placed his hand on my lower back, gently ushering me to walk with him. The pram followed after us as we walked towards the large archway.

As soon as we walked underneath the entrance, a white droid started to greet people. "Greetings. Welcome to the port of Nevarro, gem of the Outer Rim. Our esteemed High Magistrate welcomes you and hopes that your stay will be a prosperous one."

My eyes darted around as I took in the newly furbished town. It looked amazing, so different from the old, run down town I used to know. The streets were cleaner, the floor has been redone to be a light gray that matched the new colour of the buildings. There were potted plants and lively stalls that had a lot to offer.

We walked past the building that was once the cantina, which is now the school. I pushed back the familiar ache in my chest at the sight and continued to look around at the surrounding area. The courtyard where we once fought stormtroopers and Moff Gideon now had a large tree in the center.

"We invite you to visit our shops and markets, enjoy local delicacies, marvel at the black lava canyons, or soak in the geothermal springs." Another white droid said as he walked past.

"A lot has changed around here." Din said

I watched with a small smile as a group of children ran past, laughing with each other as they played in the streets. "It sure has." I said softly.

Music drifted through the air as a band played folk music. I felt a feeling of contentment as I walked through the calm streets. It was a nice contrast from what the place used to be. Din seemed to be making a beeline for a statue in the town center. Well, It's less of a statue and more of the remains of IG-11. He gave his life to save ours, and now, Din wants to bring him back as he once was so he can help us get to Mandalore.