Promises are made to be broken. Deals are made to be kept.
[The Mandalorian Season 1-2]
I do not own the Mandalorian or any of the Star Wars Universe characters/settings. I own Alora and her unique story.
Prequel to Promises and Deals --> Truth...
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A young girl runs through the halls. Barely able to run on her own, she slips behind the enormous pillars of the temple, pausing whenever she senses movement. She had been hiding all night with quieted sobs.
The man with the blue lightsaber came and went. He had not sensed her or he had let her live. Her mind is not built enough to comprehend. All she knows is that blue used to be good.
But blue killed them all.
She doesn't know if she's the last one left. Maybe she is, being so young. Speeders fly through the sky in the distance on a planet made of lights, but the girl cannot think of that. The girl is too young to comprehend the slaughter.
A sharp shove wakes Alora from the nightmare. She swings her legs around whoever stands before her, a knife sliding into place as she pins him to the ground, sweat dripping down her face.
Mando's helmet calms her as crazy as it seems. Instead of pressing the blade to his throat, it slips through her fingers, but she remains on top of him, her breath coming out in pants. He does not move beneath her, and she'd like to think he is staring at her.
"We've got a problem. Care to be filled in?" He asks.
Embarrassment floods her body, but she does not show it. Slowly backing off of him, Alora leans back on her knees, taking the knife from the ground and placing it on the bed beside her. She knows she fell asleep on the roof; perhaps, Mando had brought her down.
Sitting up, Mando sighs. "Cara and I found tracks for an AT-ST."
Alora's eyes go wide.
"The farmers won't leave. We're setting a trap and teaching them how to cover us."
Well, that's one way to deal with an AT-ST. The other is to fucking run.
"Thought I'd give you the chance to train some of them." Mando tilts his head. "Starts in two minutes. I'll meet you out there."
Alora stays still as Mando takes his leave. She hears him hesitate before walking out, but what catches her attention is the Child cooing on the opposite bed. Reaching out, she gathers the Child in her arms, bringing her knees up behind him as she holds him close.
She wishes they could run, but they can't. Why run when you can fight?
To stay alive.
An AT-ST...Lots of bad memories with that one.
With a burst of anger, Alora stands, placing the Child on her cot as she rearranges her clothes. If these villagers were going to stand a chance, she'd have to teach them honorably. That meant no distractions, no fears. No guilt over those who could not be saved.
She removes her outer layer, leaving herself in just her shirt and pants, the tattoo on her back visible to those who know where to look. The Child laughs as he reaches out, touching her exposed skin for the first time in wonder.
As she walks out of the barn, the Child at her heels, she leans against the threshold as she finds the Mandalorian and Cara speaking to the villagers by the edge of the farms. It takes her a moment to walk over, motioning for the Child to stay put. Surprisingly, he does.
"...You got two problems here. You got the bandits, and you got the mech," Mando says as Alora steps up to them. She settles next to Cara who purses her lips in greeting. "We'll handle the AT-ST, but you gotta protect us when they come outta the woods. And I don't have to tell you how dangerous they are."
A strangled noise comes out of Cara's lips when her eyes land on the tattoo. Alora knows why; she does not react other than nodding along with Mando's words.
He pauses, glancing at them before he says, "Cara Dune here was a veteran. She was a drop soldier for the Rebellion, and she's gonna lay out a plan for you. So listen. Carefully."
Alora looks at Cara, feeling unease eating at her gut. Will Cara say anything? Will Mando even notice?
After a moment, Cara inhales deeply and turns to the silent villagers. "Now, there's nothing on this planet that can damage the legs on this thing. So we're gonna build a trap. We're gonna need to dig real deep right here." She points to the nearest krill pool. "So that when it steps in, it drops. The two of us will hit their camp, provoke them. That'll bring the fight out of the woods and down here to us."
"I'm gonna need you to cut down trees and build barricades along the edges," Mando says. "I need it high enough so that they can't get over, and strong enough so that it can't break through. Ok, who knows how to shoot?"
The only person who raises their hand is the woman who welcomed them. Alora heard her name is Omera.
Tapping Cara's shoulder, Alora motions to the villagers before she holds up three fingers. "Let's split into three groups," Cara says loudly. "First with me on guns, second with Mando on the barricade, third with..." she trails off. "third with you on spears?"
Alora nods. Mando eyes them, but she does not let him affect her. She has proven herself capable, and he has to trust that. Stepping forward, Alora divides them, offering each a number between one and three. Holding a three above her head, she leads her group to a different krill pond where spears are already lying. Each of the six villagers picks up one.
Lining them up, Alora holds up a finger before showing them the move she wants. Without a voice, it is difficult, but they seem to understand as she shows them the set, thrusting the spear forward, back, and over.
She shows them how to properly hold the spear, balancing it in her hand and then motioning for them to hold the spear. Fixing all of their holds, they try the first move when she holds up a finger.
With a sigh, she corrects them, even having to spin one spear in the right direction. Most of the corrections are thankfully only about leg positions.
Before long, only an hour, most of her group are doing the sets almost perfectly. She snaps with each repetition, smiling with pride as she lets them go, her hands clasped behind her back. As they leave, Cara walks up to her.
"Thank you for your service, General," she says quietly, both eyeing the Mandalorian watching them.
Alora drops the hands to her sides with a sheepish chuckle. Pursing her lips, she nudges Cara's side playfully before looking back at the sunset with a furrowed brow. It's almost time.
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I'm not sure what to say about this chapter. It's sort of filler, but we got a bit more of Alora's backstory...ish...
