Luke released the serpent.

        It shook its head and hissed, wiggling its tongue again.

        “Thank you, Rotta. You saved us.” Mando handed Grogu, shivering, to him and rose to his feet. “What do you say that I teach you how to swim after this, Grogu?”

        A little sound escaped Grogu’s lips. Yes?

        Mando’s attention switched from him to Esther and, eventually, to Luke. “I have an idea to get rid of this snake, Luke.” His head begged him to slow down, but no. Not yet. He wasn’t going to fall asleep when a ninety-foot-tall serpent and an invisible enemy were threatening his allies and the galaxy.

        Mando started his jet pack, saying, “You guys disorient it, and I’m going to get it to lower its head.” If his aim was off, he needed someone to help him destroy the serpent’s eyes, but he first had to make it mad.

        His allies and Grogu gave him a worried look, but Mando said, “Trust me.” He had fought plenty of monsters. What was one more?

        Before the others could argue, Mando redrew his sniper and hurried into the rainy atmosphere.

        Down below, Esther pulled wet hair out of her face and turned the longboat, asking, “Does he always push himself?”

        It took a second, but Luke, Rotta, and Grogu nodded, sighing.

        Mando reached the serpent before it could chomp at the ship again. “Hey! Over here!” he called, pulling his sniper’s trigger.

        The bolt struck the creature’s side, and it cried out, more from anger than pain. It looked for whatever hit it, seeming to sway at the sight of Esther circling it over and over below.

        “Not there,” Mando said, resetting his gun and shooting it a second time.

        Finally, the Migard noticed him, but once it did, it focused solely on Mando.

        Good, now he just needed it to lower its head. However, his vision blurred, and he barely saw the snake chomp at him.

        Mando dodged its fangs at the last second and shook his head, his vision clearing. “Almost there,” he panted. He again dodged when another chomp and a hiss came his way.

        On the longboat, Grogu whimpered and hid behind his hands.

        Rotta instantly picked him up and hugged him to his shoulder. “I know it’s scary,” he said, “but your dad is really good at his job.”

        “He can’t fight for much longer, though. He can’t.” Luke clenched his teeth and activated his lightsaber, hurrying toward the ship’s side.

        Where Mando was, he aimed for the creature’s head but missed. “Just… a… little… more.” Finally, the serpent fell back into the ocean and skimmed along its surface, half its body underwater.

        Esther steered the longboat to it, so now she moved parallel with it.

        This was it.

        “Now, Luke!” Mando yelled.

        At his cue, Luke tossed his saber, and Mando shot his sniper.

        A direct hit! Luke’s saber stabbed the Migard’s right eye, and Mando’s blaster bolt hit its other eye.

        Instantly, Luke Force-grabbed his saber and backed away from the boat’s edge.

        The Migard screeched and shook its head violently. Before Mando knew it, its nose hit him, knocking him right out of the sky into the ocean.

        “Mando!” the others shouted.

        At once, Esther sailed the ship to the sinking creature, into the wake it caused. There was Mando, caught on its tail, lying motionless on his back. “Grab him, Rotta!” Esther ordered.

        “Right!” Rotta handed Grogu to Luke and stretched, grabbing Mando and his sniper with both hands. He dragged him onto the deck, allowing Esther to reset her course and leave the area, right when the Migard’s tail disappeared underwater.

        It was over… for now.

        Luke set Grogu down, and Rotta pulled him away from Mando.

        Luke dropped to his knees beside him, saying, “Come on. Wake up, Din.” He shook him, but Mando didn’t stir, so Luke moved to his head. He tried pulling the helmet off, but it didn’t budge, and he punched the deck.

        Pupils now fully dilated, Grogu wrapped his arms around Rotta’s finger.

        Rotta lifted his other hand and gently patted his back.

        After a few more shakes, Mando stirred and coughed, turning onto his front. He propped himself up onto his elbow, saying, “I think I got a little water in my helmet.”

        Releasing Rotta’s finger, Grogu held up his hands and hurried toward him, cheering.

        Seeing him, Mando sat and reached for him. “Grogu!” He needed a good hug from him after what he had just gone through (just a normal day in their family), but Luke’s next line caused his hair to stand on end.

        “Wait, Grogu and Mando!”

        Without warning, the same dark energy that had shoved Grogu away earlier shoved him back again, chucking him into Rotta.

        Wait, what? Why could Luke touch Mando, but not Grogu? He literally just saved him from drowning! Why couldn’t he hug him? What happened in the short time between that and defeating the Migard?

        “Luke, what happened?” His tone desperate, Mando quickly turned to face him.

        “The helmet,” Luke answered. “I think saving Grogu showed the Mastermind that he’s what matters most to you. So, they’re forcing you apart.”

        There came the lump, but it had grown.

        “But Grogu’s my son,” Mando argued. He could handle not touching him for a bit, but not when the helmet forbade getting near him.

        The heat returned to Mando’s chest. He had never felt so much anger… so much pain. He had never lost his composure, but that moment was a different story—a different Din.

        “No!” Mando snatched the helmet and jerked it as hard as he could. “I want to be near my son!” With each attempt to remove it, the helmet dug into his neck harder, and the shockwave around Mando’s head expanded.

        Rotta lugged Grogu away from him again.

        Esther soon left her post and sprinted to the group. “We need to calm him down,” she said to Luke. “He’ll hurt someone.”

        Luke nodded in agreement. He and Esther each grabbed one of Mando’s arms and lugged him to his feet.

        “No!” he repeated, fighting them. His voice was choked. “I want to be near my son.”

        “You can’t right now, Din,” Luke said.

        “But I literally just saved him.”

        Luke’s eyebrows dropped. “I’m sorry, Din.”

        “Why haven’t you gotten this helmet off me yet?” Mando hollered. “I don’t want it!” His head fell back.

        He, Esther, and Luke soon disappeared below deck, but Esther hurriedly jogged out of it, returning to her post, her eyes full of grief.

        Grogu crawled onto Rotta’s arm over to his chest. He pressed against it and closed his eyes, his little hands clutching at his skin.

        “I’m right here, little guy.” Rotta returned the hug. “I’m right here.”

        But it looked like even he was trying to hold back his emotions.