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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Warning: Coruscant
Sneaking onto Coruscant is far too easy. Now controlled by the New Republic, Alora would think they would have better security, but it is easy enough to pretend and gain access to the planet.
Though it is under new leadership from the last time she visited, Coruscant looks the same. Buildings tower overhead with vehicles speeding down highways, making it difficult to get a sense of the vast city that she knows stretches far more than one would expect. The whole planet is a city, but down in the slums, it is impossible to tell.
This is the only place a glint of silver beskar won't be noticed under a heavy cloak. She keeps her own cloak and hood covering most of her face, and most people don't give them a second glance. Some see the pieces of armor sticking out and keep an eye on them, but Alora quickly guides them away.
Their priority is getting a vehicle. You can't get anywhere on Coruscant without some mode of transportation. In Imperial times, all vehicles were tagged and marked for easy tracking, even the diplomatic ships that she used to hide in. Now, the tags are still there, but the New Republic has new ways of keeping track of the population.
The underbelly of Coruscant has its own ways of getting around New Republic rule. With the currency she and Din have saved up, it is not hard to rent a ship for the day. It looks like it may break down at any point, but it is small, nondescript, and thankfully not being tracked. Not even the maps are working. Even so, Alora does a once over to make sure before she and Din are on their way along the highways.
To be especially safe, Din takes them all over the planet first before even entering the quarter that used to hold the Jedi Temple. She had caught a glimpse of the still-standing parapets from in between the buildings earlier and made him stop so she could take a few breaths to steady herself. Though she had prepared by not eating breakfast, she could still taste her dinner from the night before coming up her throat.
As they get closer, Alora's skin crawls. To keep her mind occupied, she tells Din the history of the planet and about anything she recognizes: the old Senate building, the quarters once reserved for dignitaries of the Republic, the starport now used as a holding cell for captured Imperial ships. They both go quiet when they recognize Gideon's ship.
As the day drags on, Din keeps looking at her. He does not need to ask if she is ready, because they both know she never will be. Instead, he waits until she is itching to get out of the ship before he directs them toward the place she can barely remember.
She clamps her mouth shut as the towers come into view above the nearby buildings. Her eyes drag down to the body of the building. Though she knows the Imperial symbols have long been destroyed from the Temple, she still feels relief when all she sees is stone. Some of it had been destroyed when the Empire fell—a way to topple what was left of the Imperial Palace. Now, it is a simple reminder.
