Chapter 10: The Passenger

In a perilous voyage, the Mandalorian is tasked with transporting a passenger along with their valuable contents.

Din Djarin, the Mandalorian, and the Child are speeding across Tatooine's sandy landscape on a Zephyr-J speeder bike. They're on their way back to Mos Eisley after successfully hunting the krayt dragon. A trio of raiders, led by a Kajain'sa'Nikto, set a trap in a gully by stretching a concealed rope across it. As the bike zooms by, the raiders hoist the rope, causing Djarin to be thrown off, with the cargo and the Child sent flying. Djarin uses his jetpack to stabilize himself and starts battling the raiders. An alien aims a rifle at him, but Djarin uses his whipcord to disarm him, incapacitating two of the attackers. The alien then grabs the Child and holds a knife to his throat. Djarin initially threatens him, warning that there's nowhere to hide if he harms the Child. However, he then proposes a deal, offering the valuable cargo from the wreckage, including Boba Fett's armor and a portion of krayt dragon meat. The alien considers the offer, then demands Djarin's jetpack. Djarin agrees, removes the jetpack, and places it on the sand. The alien releases the Child, grabs the jetpack, and attempts to flee. Djarin picks up the Child and uses his wrist gauntlet controls to activate the jetpack, launching the alien high into the air, resulting in his death.

Djarin, now without his speeder bike, walks to Mos Eisley, arriving at night and going to Chalmun's Cantina. Inside, he finds Peli Motto playing sabacc against Doctor Mandible. Motto notices Fett's helmet among Djarin's possessions and questions why he killed a Mandalorian. Djarin clarifies that he wasn't a Mandalorian and that he acquired the armor by killing the krayt dragon. Djarin expresses frustration that Cobb Vanth was his last hope for finding other Mandalorians. Mandible offers to help if Djarin covers his five-hundred-credit wager for the sabacc round. Djarin reluctantly agrees after Motto insists that the insectoid is "on a hot streak," but when he places the bet, Motto reveals she is holding an Idiot's Array, and wins the round. Mandible agrees to send his contact to the hangar, who can reveal the location of other Mandalorians.

At Motto's hangar, her Treadwell droid is using an engine blast to roast the krayt dragon meat. Motto enters the bay after speaking to Mandible's contact, instructing the droid not to overcook the meat, as she prefers it medium rare. She informs Djarin about a Mandalorian covert in the next system, offering the information for free, excluding her finder's fee. However, the contact requires passage to that system. Djarin agrees, but she adds that they must travel without using hyperdrive. Djarin refuses, citing the dangers of sub-light travel. Motto insists on mitigating circumstances and introduces the contact: "Frog Lady," a female Querm Rybet carrying a canister of eggs in liquid. Motto explains that the eggs are the Lady's spawn, which must be fertilized before the equinox to continue her family line—hyperspace travel will kill the eggs. Frog Lady's husband is on the estuary moon of Trask in the Kol Iben system, where he has seen Mandalorians, according to Frog Lady. Djarin accepts the job, and they board the Razor Crest.

Djarin cautions Frog Lady to remain strapped in, warning that sub-light travel can be "dicey." However, he doesn't understand her language, and she doesn't speak Basic or Huttese. In the cargo hold, the Child stares at the eggs and uses the Force to pull them toward him. Djarin enters the hold and finds the bunk empty. He sees the Child reaching into the egg canister and eating one. Djarin scolds him, saying it's not food and to stop. He puts the Child in his hammock and goes to sleep in the bunk.

Djarin is awakened by an alarm and returns to the cabin. Two New Republic X-wings are flanking the Razor Crest. Captain Carson Teva asks why the ship's transponder isn't active. Djarin explains that his ship is pre-Empire surplus and doesn't need a beacon. Carson replies that the sector is now under New Republic jurisdiction, and beacons are required. Djarin agrees to comply, and the pilot wishes him a safe journey. Before leaving, they ask him to send a ping. Djarin claims the system is malfunctioning, but the pilot insists, stating that if they can't confirm he's not Imperial, they'll have to escort him to the Adelphi outpost. Djarin sends the ping, and the pilots discuss privately. Both starfighters set their S-foils to attack position and ask if his ship was near the New Republic Correctional Transport Bothan-5. Djarin remains silent and suddenly steers his ship toward Maldo Kreis. Trapper Wolf announces that he's running, and the X-wings chase the Razor Crest into the planet's atmosphere.

The Razor Crest suffers significant damage while making sharp turns in the planet's clouds and canyons to avoid the X-wings. The ship eventually crash lands, stopping under a rock shelf, hidden from the New Republic pilots, who split up to search. As Djarin prepares to take off, the ice beneath the ship collapses, dropping them into a subterranean cave. Djarin recovers and wakes Frog Lady, who is worried about her eggs. Djarin goes to the cargo hold, searching through the wreckage until he finds the Child under debris, eating another egg.

Concerned about the dropping temperature, Djarin provides blankets and ration packs for Frog Lady and the Child. The Frog Lady croaks insistently, gesturing towards the eggs, but Djarin cannot understand her, and recommends she get some sleep. He and the Child rest in a corner. Frog Lady whimpers and covers her eggs with the blanket, spotting some droid wreckage on a shelf.

Djarin is startled by the voice of mercenary protocol droid Zero saying, "Wake up, Mandalorian!" He draws his blaster but realizes that Frog Lady has bypassed the droid's security protocols to use its vocabulator to communicate. Through the droid, she explains that the egg batch is the last of her life cycle, and failure to deliver it to her husband on Trask will mean the extinction of her family line. Djarin says the deal is off, and they'll be lucky to survive the night. Frog Lady replies that she thought honoring promises was part of the Mandalorian code, but perhaps that was just a story for children. Djarin sighs, complaining that this wasn't part of the deal, and goes outside to begin repairs.

The Child distracts Djarin from his repairs, and he notices that Frog Lady has left the ship. They follow her footprints and find her sitting with her eggs in a pool of hot springs in a cave. They start gathering the eggs, and the Child notices other eggs scattered around the cave. He opens one and eats the baby spider inside. A rumbling sound is heard as the other eggs begin to hatch. Infant knobby white ice spiders emerge and swarm around. Djarin grabs the Child and the canister, and Frog Lady retrieves her clothes. A huge spider appears, and they flee back to the ship, pursued by the swarm. Djarin throws grav charges at the cave walls and roof, causing a collapse and trapping the large spider. They reach the ship, but the hull damage allows the spiders to swarm in. In the cabin, Djarin uses his flamethrower to burn the spiders, and Frog Lady uses a blaster to kill those that get through.

Djarin starts the engines, but the giant spider lands on the ship, forcing it down. As the spider's legs break through the canopy, it is hit by blaster fire from outside. The firing continues, killing many of the smaller spiders. Djarin goes outside and finds the two X-wing pilots shooting the spiders with their blaster rifles.

After the spiders are gone, Carson reveals that the Razor Crest has an arrest warrant for the abduction of prisoner X-Six-Nine-Eleven. However, he also notes that Djarin had apprehended three wanted culprits and risked his life to protect New Republic Lieutenant Lant Davan. Carson says he should be arrested but is willing to let him go in these "trying times." Djarin offers to forego the bounty on Burg, Migs Mayfeld, and Xi'an in exchange for repair assistance, but the pilots tell him to fix his transponder to avoid being vaporized and depart.

Djarin patches the canopy, and they enter the cabin, the only pressurized part of the ship. As the damaged ship heads into space, the Child eats another of Frog Lady's eggs.