Clan of Three

Part Twenty-One

~~~~~

Mando stood impatiently outside the ship as Rael hurried to get ready. According to Mando, she had been sleeping so deeply, he thought she was dead. As she pulled on her boots, the girl's mind was racing with the unanswered question from her dream. 'Who was my grandmother...' she questioned and pulled her light cloak on, covering her weapons. She had a feeling that if she told Din the limited information she had gotten from her grandfather, he would be able to fill in some of the blanks.

Rael hurried down the ramp and Mando clicked a button on his vambrace to close the ship up. "Sorry", she said sheepishly but the man only grunted and started heading towards the dimly lit town. The kid cooed at her with a grin as his pram floated behind Mando. The girl jogged to catch up with him, and matched his pace. "What's the deal with this guy. He couldn't meet anywhere else?", she asked surveying the empty streets.

The Mandalorian shrugged and replied, "He made it clear this was the only option." Rael nodded before saying, "So, we're most likely walking into an ambush or a trap?". Din chuckled and said, "Pretty much." The kid cooed excitedly and fidgeted in his pram. Rael smiled at him before something caught her eye. There were pairs of red eyes peering at them from every shadow. "Oh, well, that's not concerning." She mumbled and let her hand ghost over her blaster.

The trio came to a stop and one of the only lit doorways. A male twi'lek stood guard at the entrance. "We're here to see Gor Koresh.", Mando told him. The twi'lek glanced at Rael, whose face was once again shielded by her scarf, and then at the green child. "Enjoy the fights...", He said after a moment and stepped aside.

They were meet with loud music and people shouting and jeering at one another. At the center of the place was a large ring with two Gamorreans fighting each other. "Don't wander off." Din grunted before heading toward the front row. "Wasn't planning on it." She hissed back, but not before glaring at the rodian who bumped into her. Rael followed him to a abyssin male sitting at the front.

Mando sat down and Rael copied his actions with the kid floating in between them. "You know this is no place for children." The male said as he looked at Rael and the child with his one large eye. Mando must have felt Rael tense at his words and cut her off before she could protest. "Wherever I go, they go." Mando replied, looking at the fight. The man chuckled and said, "So I've heard." This didn't help Rael to be any less tense, but wasn't surprised at his comment. It seemed like everyone had heard about the odd group at this point.

Rael zoned out a bit and watched the fight. The Gamorreans' axes were fitted with some kind of vibro-shield, so they didn't cut the flesh, but still did damage. When she listened back into their conversation, she hear Gor Koresh ask, "Do you gamble, Mando?". "Not when it can be avoided." He replied. "Well, I'll bet you the information you seek that this Gamorrean's gonna die within the next minute and a half. And all you have to put up in exchange is your shiny beskar armor." The abyssin said smugly,

The girl scoffed at this as Din said, "I'm prepared to pay you for the information. I'm not leaving my fate up to chance." Gor Koresh studied him for a moment before saying, "Nor am I.". And with that, he pulled a blaster from his robes and shot the Gamorrean in the chest, killing him. Not even a second later, the trio was surrounded by Koresh's men pointing blasters at them. The spectators screamed in fear as they all rushed for the exits.

"Thank you for coming to me. Normally, I have to seek out remnants of you Mandalorians in your hidden hives to harvest your precious shiny shells. Beskar's value continues to rise. I've grown quite fond of it. Give it to me now or I will kill your companions and before I peel it off your corpse." The Koresh said threateningly. Neither Mando or Rael moved a muscle and the kid was silent.