Think fast
“So much, so much time has passed, Lord of the Dead”
Ammit growled under her breath as she approached the avatar of Osiris.
Judgment day had arrived.
The day that both the goddess and her avatar had waited for.
Arthur Harrow watched with a smile between his lips, as the human, in whom the god's presence had been imprisoned by the designs of his goddess, recoiled in fear before the jaws of the deity.
Osiris, like all rulers, had at some point lost control of his ambition and had believed that his power was so superior that he shouldn’t fear any danger.
His realm had been so rigid that the most passionate and, Arthur was sorry to say, but it was true, most creative gods, like Khonshu, had left Osiris. Only the submissive, the incapable or… who were family had remained by his side.
A low laugh escaped the avatar of the goddess as he saw how she sank her teeth into that human flesh for the first time.
Just like Horus before, the soul eater Ammit had consumed the avatar and the imprisoned god, who hadn't stopped screaming for a minute about Layla. The beautiful Egyptian who had dared to escape.
The son of the God of the Dead had died with that name on his lips and the energy of his god had been consumed forever by the goddess of Justice, his beautiful Ammit.
It didn’t matter.
Soon the Egyptian would meet her end.
How Osiris was getting to know it.
Soon Harrow and his followers, led by her mistress, would build the world humanity deserved.
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The ushabti in the Ennead's chamber swayed powerfully as Osiris's soul finished being consumed.
Several of them even fell from their places, rushing to the floor.
However, not all of them were destroyed against the polished stone.
Some of the fallen, as well as others who didn’t fall, were sustained, or saved, by a new energy. One that didn’t belong to Earth or the Overvoid.
The Force, released for the first time in this new world, when her main representatives entered it, sang before the freedom that the desert sands brought it.
And, from among the imprisoned gods, she chose her champions.
Those who would accompany their favorite sons and their grandfather.
The noble Anubis.
The only one who had known how to understand her.
The only one who had fought to keep her breathing in a Galaxy where she had almost given in to madness and destruction.
Anubis.
That now sang with the boy who could hear her.
The last of his Jedi.
The first of many to come.
They asked for the freedom of a god.
For help.
For the world that now had her on its land, since it was in danger.
And the Force, as always, chose to do exercise her will.
She joined her own prayers to the chant, as a thousand tiny cracks began to appear, both in the ushabti of Khonshu and that of the trapped gods.
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“Rise”
The Princess told Steven and he got up quickly.
There was no doubt, from the woman's tone and panache, that she was no neophyte in command other people.
“Ma'am, excuse me for asking, but…” the former souvenir seller questioned her, gently inclining his head “have you come to help us?”
“Yes” answered for the Princess the young man with light hair and clear eyes who seemed to have a relationship with the knight in silver armor “If what Din says is true and you are the "avatar" or warrior of an ally of Anubis, we are here to help you”
“Din… Djarin. Mandalorian” Steven murmured remembering what they had talked “But… also something else, right? Manda…? Manda'lor? What does it mean?”
“King” the woman replied smiling “The gentleman here present, is by right of conquest, king of his own”
“Ah! Hence the saber!” Steven reasoned pointing to the weapons that three of those present had on their waists “Is it a way of designating royalty where you come from?”
"Fantastic. Steven, not that I want to interrupt your outer space nerd moment, but…”
“I know, I know” Steven laugh low listening to Marc “But it's too incredible, a Princess, a Prince, a King, a General, Gods…”
“And a couple of crazy lunatics” Marc acknowledged pointing at them “Layla, Steven. We need to save Layla."
“You're right” recognized the ex-seller turning his face to see the reflection of his alter “And if they are here to help us, I think it's your turn”
“Thank you, Steven. I promise to do whatever it takes."
The former mercenary whispered, taking control of the body, as around him the ceremonial suit of the temple of Khonshu came to life.
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Din groaned inwardly as in his head he slammed his helmet against the nearest wall.
The Jedi was a bloody Prince and the descendant of a God.
The Mandalorian couldn’t believe it.
Of course, he had read about it in the terminals. About how the Jedi’s mother had once been a Queen and then a Senator and that his sister was a Princess, but it had never crossed his mind that the boy was also part of that select group of leaders in the Galaxy.
And here he was, like a true idiot, chatting with the Jedi via his droid as if the blond were someone ordinary. Leaving the hooded warrior recorded messages when he couldn't talk directly. Asking him about his child, but also asking if the Jedi was protecting himself properly, if he didn't need anything, if Din could help him in some way. Treating him as if he were a friend... or something more, even.
That was why Ahsoka had given the Mandalorian this talk about feelings and the Jedi.
He hadn't been able to understand it then, but now it was all clear.
She hadn't just been telling Din about Grogu.
She had also told him about Skywalker.
Called to be much more than what Din was.
The Mandalorian turned once the white guy's transformation had taken place and began walking towards the chamber where Anubis and the rest of the avatars were in, while speaking to the others.
“Follow me”
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Marc Spector raised an eyebrow upon hearing the change in the tone of the Mandalorian's voice, observing how the boy named Luke turned his eyes towards the so called Djarin with a strange look, while everyone began to follow the warrior.
Please.
Steve was right.
In the midst of all that craziness, that they were going through that side story was… unbelievable.
"Poor guy" Steven said shaking his head "It may sound pathetic, but I can understand what he's going through"
“Me too, mate” Marc recognized crossing his arms “Me too”
"Do you think that we can…?"
“Steven…” the former mercenary whispered before the reflection on the polished walls of his alter “We don't have time for this”
“Marc, that we don't have time? What do you think Layla would do? Layla? Remember?"
Khonshu's avatar sighed, resisting the urge to hit his forehead with his own hand.
In truth, he had no chance to throw the first stone on these things. Steve was right. Time or no time, right place or wrong place, he had also lived his own love story and had even had a lot of help to support it, despite having continually screwed up.
“Very well, but for the record I want to repeat that… we don't have time, so I don't want complaints about how we approach this matter”
Steven smiled at him amused raising his hands in defeat, to which the white hooded man extended his arms separating the young man with light hair from his sister and brother-in-law, who at first looked at him strangely, but then nodded smiling.
“Hey, Mandalorian!” exclaimed Khonshu’s avatar, causing the one in silver armor to turn around “Think fast!”
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Luke's eyes widened as he was grabbed by the cloaked white warrior's arm, only to be thrown moments later into Din's arms.
The Mandalorian, by pure instinct, wrapped his arms around the Jedi's body as he caught him.
The Force warrior stumbled over his words, flushed with embarrassment.
What the hell would Din think of his ability to react to the man's daring action?
“What are you doing?!” Luke felt that Grogu's father exclaim without releasing him “You could have hurt him!”
“With what?” the voice of the white warrior questioned the Mandalorian “With your arms? You're not made of stone either, man. And, from what you can see, he wouldn't be having such a bad time there, because he wouldn't be letting go”
Luke hastily raised his face from Din's chest to find Din's visor watching him intently.
His own eyes searched those of the darksaber's owner.
Din watched him curiously, but also apprehensively.
As if something…as if something wasn't right.
“My lady, what is your brother's title?”
He heard the avatar of Khonshu question Leia.
“Luke? Luke is a Jedi Master. He has no title.”
“Isn't he a Prince like you?”
“Our Mother was a Queen, it is true, but no. I am a Princess because my adoptive parents inherited that designation from me, but even my title is debatable”
Luke turned his face slightly to look at these two.
What were they talking about? What that have to do with…?
Oh sure.
Han smiled biting his lip and raising his head as he barely pointed at the Mandalorian.
Din was the one who was having dou...
“My uncles raised me” the Jedi explained to the one in the Beskar armor” As a farmer. On Tatooine. You… you know that, right?
The Mandalorian cleared his throat, then nodded.
“Din” continued the Jedi, this time beginning to smile, because he finally understood what was going through the head of the man who was holding him “I am as an ordinary a person as anyone. I only have a couple of skills that are different from yours, which I want to clarify are quite a few, and with a somewhat complicated family history, which wouldn’t work in favor of mi reputation when thinking about what I would have to offer to you, really”
“You are a mighty warrior, Jedi”
“You too…”
“You lead a thousand-year-old Order…”
“And you are the new King of yours…
“If it wasn't for your grandfather, Jedi, I wouldn't have survived too long with the dark saber in my possession, he gave me the knowledge to handle it...”
“Then I have a lot to thank Anubis for, because for me and for Grogu is very important that you stay alive”
“This isn’t a good idea” Din whispered, shaking his head.
“Considering the history of my family” laugh low Luke holding the other's helmet to gently attract his forehead to his “I don't think any Skywalker has ever let that stop them"