Armored Passion | The Mandalorian

|32|

"Something's up," I mutter as my eyes meticulously observed the small town we had just stepped into. 

People had been rushing themselves off of the near-empty streets the second they caught sight of us, almost immediately cowering away into their homes as if there were some sort of impending doom lingering right behind Din and me. I furrow my brows, looking around some more as we made our way through the outer edge of town. 

Maker, this place reminded me of all of the planets the Empire had seized control over in their so-called "active" years. Every time they had successfully taken over a planet, they would practically strip the people of their freedom and happiness, taking away anything and everything that made them unique. 

Everything about this place wasn't too far off from what the Empire used to create after they took control of a planet. 

And that put me on edge real quick.

I linger back a bit to keep looking around as Din slowly strolls up to an older woman who looked to be selling an array of local foods. Her head was tilted down, her eyes never daring to peer up high enough to really look at the tall Mandalorian. 

"Pardon me, vendor, have you heard of anyone—" 

But Din doesn't get to finish his sentence because the older woman didn't care enough to keep listening. By the time he had spoken his first few words, she had abandoned her venue and was quickly slinking her way back into the hut that stood behind her. 

"I think you might be right about something being up," he mutters to me through a quiet sigh. 

I wasn't really paying too much attention to what he was saying, though. Instead, my eyes were locked and focused on a pair of children who looked to be completely upset and hurt. There was also a man kneeling in front of them, looking as if he were trying to calm them down and lift their spirits.

The looks of sorrow and pain painted on their faces were looks I knew all too well. The deep creases of their frowns, the blank emptiness in their now dull eyes, and the evident fear in their subtle movements as they avoided any kind of trouble or confrontation. All three of them looked absolutely terrified, but it was evident to me that the older man was trying his best not to show how scared he truly felt in front of the children.

My heart starts to ache in my chest and I let my eyes quickly flick away from the trio as my mind spirals deeper into a pit of fraught memories. 

Vader and Gideon never shied away from showing me what the Empire could really do with the power they held in the galaxy. They practically pushed for me to have first-hand experience with their shameful doings. I had visited planet after planet alongside hundreds of troopers and officers, witnessing all of the horrid things they would do to create their own form of power and order. 

Peaceful planet or not, the Empire always seemed to find a way to instill order when they so pleased. 

In layman's terms, they were good at fucking shit up in places they weren't wanted or needed. 

Fuck, I was almost certain that this place had some sort of Imperial connection, but I didn't have enough to prove it just yet. 

It infuriated me that regardless of the Empire supposedly "falling", I knew that deep down, there were always going to be places like this in the galaxy. Places where the Empire still had control over the place; places where the people weren't going to be able to escape the firm Imperial grasp that had been wrapped around their throats like collars; places where the people never got to see a glimpse of pure freedom.

There were always going to be places like this... unless someone did something to break the chain.

"You there. I need some information," Din says, yanking me out of my solemn thoughts. I snap my attention back over to the tall Mandalorian and I immediately reach my hand out to stop him, but he steps out of my short reach before I could manage to grab onto his arm. "I'm looking for someone."