Author's Note: This story hasn't been completely updated yet, but I hated the messy chapter layout. So it's been re-organized, but not re-written. Hopefully it still reads a little easier. Enjoy!

Keldabe, Mandalore, 0600 hours

Kardai Areur strode down the dirty, misshapen street, picking his way around piles of trash or ducking under laundry lines strung across the street. It was a warm summer's day and Mando'ade all across the city were taking advantage of the weather to get essential work done. He'd heard that MandalMotors was having a special weapon expose within the week and Aramis at the Oyu'baat was having a buy-a-beer-get-a-beer-free deal. Across the city, Mandos were working, talking, laughing, or fighting. But the overall atmosphere was one of calm and contentment.

In fact, it was the calm atmosphere of the city that had brought Kardai. He was in town to pick up new equipment and supplies for his imminent return to his homeworld of Concord Dawn. Normally, Keldabe was a little too... rowdy for his tastes. Between the Imperial garrison, aruetii troublemakers, and frustrated Mandalorians, Kardai usually thought he was better off on his own so he wouldn't get caught up in something he wasn't prepared for. It was a belief that had served him well in the past.

Looking back, Keldabe had changed much since Kardai had first visited the city, so long ago, before the start of the Clone Wars. It was true that the Imperial presence hadn't done much to soothe the consciences of the local Mandos, but there was no denying that the Imp's desire for order had helped the city at least superficially. Now, sprinkled among the haphazardly-built apartment buildings and rickety tapcafs were new, slate-gray buildings that housed ammunition stores, Imperial recruitment offices, and local security checkpoints. Though their presence was an irritation for those who, like Kardai, often found themselves on the wrong side of Imperial law, it was nice to see some semblance of order in the city.

But the order was still only superficial. He'd heard Mand'alor Shysa had run into trouble in the past few months while dealing with Mandalorian violence against Imperial troops. The local HoloNews was rife with such reports; a stormtrooper squad was cornered by a lone Mando gunmen and mowed down, an officer was taken hostage by a group of Mandos planning to ransom him. It was growing more and more common these days. Kardai couldn't honestly say he blamed any of the Mando perpetrators; if the Imperials decided to increase their hold on Concord Dawn, he'd damn sure be mad about it. But even violence against other Mandos wasn't uncommon now. Only the other day, Kardai had seen a HoloNet report detailing an incident where a group of young warriors had ganged up on a Clone Wars veteran and beaten him to death. No provocation to justify the attack, no reason for such violence. The old man had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He shook his head. As bad as things might seem, he was still forced to admit that it was better than the days of his youth. Back during his days as a young man, during the rule of old Mand'alor Mereel, he had seen for himself what most Mandalorians were like: ruthless, petty, violent. Many held true to the honorable beliefs of most modern vode, but others took the combat training of the Mandalorians and used it to better their own lot. And it wasn't as if that was a new development. His kin had been ruthless and barbaric stretching all the way back to the time of Mandalore the First.

Depressing? Of course. But under the guidance of Mand'alor'e Mereel, Fett, and now Shysa, his brethren had set aside their savage history and embraced a path of honor. It was long past due.

He stepped into a fairly well-kept shop, nodding to the gray-haired man sweeping up. He stepped aside to allow the man to sweep dust out the open door, then waited for him to set the broom aside and take his place behind the counter.

"Can I help you, vod?" the storekeeper eventually asked.

Kardai nodded. "I placed an order for five ton of grassgrain seed? We spoke over comms yesterday."

The storekeeper nodded. "I remember. Not much call for grassgrain this time of year. Stretched my stocks, don't you know."

"It may be summer in Keldabe," Kardai replied as the storekeeper pulled up an order manifest on the countertop holoterminal, "but it's planting season on Concord Dawn. I need that seed moved to my ship as soon as possible."

"Easy, vod, easy," the storekeeper chuckled. "You'll get it. I said you stretched my stores, not drained 'em."

The man eyed Kardai's armor, bare pounded metal with no paint scheme other than random splashes of black, like oil stains on dull silver metal. "So... you're an engineer?"

"Foundry worker," Kardai corrected.

"So what's the grassgrain for?"

"Locals gave me a shopping list when they found I was on my way to Keldabe," he explained. "Since it's planting season, there's a lot we need."

"Ah," the storekeeper said. "Happy harvest to you, then. K'oyacyi, vod."

Kardai nodded. "K'oyacyi."

The storekeeper handed him a sheet of flimsiplast. "Turn that over to my delivery agent at the spaceport. He'll authorize the movement of the grassgrain to your ship."

"Vor'e."

The storekeeper inclined his head. "Kih'parjai."

Kardai turned and moved to step through the door, but found another Mandalorian standing there. The Mando was wearing red and gold armor and had some kind of bulky neck guard. Kardai nodded to him, standing aside to allow him passage into the shop.

He should have sensed something wrong. There was something off about the Mando that was off, something that made Kardai uncomfortable. So part of him wasn't surprised when the Mando pulled out a blaster pistol and aimed it with a shaky, unsteady aim at the storekeeper.

"Gun!" Kardai shouted and dove toward the weapon. He grabbed the Mando's wrist and tried to wrestle the blaster from the man's grip. He was not as young as he once had been, however, and his opponent was a Mandalorian warrior still in his prime. The Mando quickly and easily brushed Kardai off, knocking him into a display of farming equipment. Kardai shook his head, bright points of light dancing in his vision. He reached up and touched his head, which had knocked hard against the durasteel display case, and felt his fingers come away sticky with blood.

The blaster-toting man took a staggering step into the shop, weapon once again shakily aiming at the storekeeper. The storekeeper raised his hands in a placating gesture as the man took another step toward him.

"Easy, vod," the storekeeper said soothingly. "No reason to do anythin' hasty."

"Y-you... are T-Talon Retur'ce?" the Mando with the gun gasped, sounding as if he was in pain. He doubled over, holding his helmeted head, then straightened. His aim was steadier now. "S-supplier for t-the Protectors?"

"Aye," the storekeeper murmured. "That's me. What's... what's your name?"

"I... can't..." the man groaned, putting one hand to his helmet forehead. "If I don't kill, he'll..."

He then let out a pained yell and arched his back, spasms running through his body. He twitched and staggered, holding his head and screaming through his helmet vocoder. Kardai staggered to his feet and grabbed a rake he had crashed into, holding it like a bat. He was about to bring it down on the Mando's head when the man suddenly stopped screaming, whipped around, and fired at him. A bright green blaster bolt hit him in the leg, just above his shin plate. Kardai shouted in pain and fell, clutching his bleeding and burned leg.

"S-see?" the man cried, spinning back to the storekeeper, Retur'ce. "I-I'm not kidding!"

"Never thought you were, mate," Retur'ce said, still holding his hands up. "Why don't you just put down the gun and tell me what's wrong?"

"I... I c-can't..."

"Why not?"

The man shook his helmeted head. "I... I have to kill you. He said so."

"Who said so?"

Kardai struggled to his feet again as the man staggered and cried. "I can't tell you. He'll hurt me again!"

"Okay, okay," Retur'ce said slowly. "Let's calm down, mate. Can you tell me about yourself? Will he hurt you if you tell me your name?"

"I... Matt," the man gasped. "Mattlo Besuliik."

"All right," Retur'ce said, "Matt. That's a nice name. Now that we're gettin' chummy, why don't you tell me a little more? You got a family, Matt?"

He nodded, putting one hand to his helmet forehead. He twitched once, as if in pain, and gasped, "Wife... and baby daughter..."

"Any blood relatives?"

"A... adopted brother..."

"Okay, good. What about your wife?" Retur'ce said. He caught Kardai's gaze and nodded. Kardai didn't need a translation: the storekeeper would talk the man down, giving Kardai a window to take him out. He grimaced as he fought to rise to his feet again, pain from his blaster wound slowing his progress.

"M-my wife?" Matt said slowly. The words came out slurred, as if he were drunk or half-asleep. "Name... her name is Lia."

"Mando'ad?" Retur'ce inquired.

Matt shook his helmeted head with a groan. "Auretii."

"Mandokarla?"

"Of course."

Retur'ce nodded, as if considering that. Kardai grabbed a nearby digging spade and used it as a sort of cane to haul himself to his feet. His leg was throbbing painfully, but he could stand with some effort. He cursed when he knocked two rakes together, making a loud clattering sound in the process. Fortunately, Matt seemed to be solely focused on Retur'ce. His blaster hand was shaking, but he hadn't lowered the weapon yet.

"And what about your daughter?"

Matt chuckled, then grunted and held a hand to his head again. "She's... she's my pride an' joy. A month old and still don't have a name for her. I wanna name her Ruusan."

Retur'ce nodded, his gaze softening with real sympathy now. "That's an old, hearty Mando name. Good name for a little girl."

"I... I just wanna go home," Matt gasped, staggering slightly. "Please... please let me go home."

"I'll let you go home," Retur'ce said. "Won't even call the cops. Haat, ijaa, haa'it."

Kardai took a step closer, grasping his shovel tight. He limped closer, until he was only a step behind Matt. Retur'ce made a subtle cutting motion with his hand, signaling Kardai to stand down. He obviously thought he could talk the kid down.

"Why don't you put down the gun," Retur'ce said, "and no one has to get hurt any more. We can get you to the enforcement office. They'll protect you and your family."

"No," the man sighed, almost sadly. "You can't protect me. Not from... him."

He raised the pistol again, his aim this time as steady as a rock. He aimed the weapon squarely at Rerur'ce's head and placed his finger on the firing stud. Kardai knew he would only have a moment. Moving quicker than he had in a long time, he stepped up behind the Mando and prepared to slam his shovel across the armored man's head.

Matt seemed to have regained some of his combat capabilities, however. He whipped around and grabbed the shaft of the descending shovel, holding it tight with an iron grip. He cursed, then drove a knee into Kardai's stomach plate, making him double over and fall to his knees. A follow-up knee to the faceplate floored him.

Shab... he thought, shaking his head. I'm getting too old for this.

"You..." Matt sounded distraught as he spun back to Retur'ce. He looked as if he could barely stand now. "You liar! Y-you were just trying... to get me to let my guard down!"

"What'd you expect?" Retur'ce snapped, still holding his hands up. "You say you're going to kill me. You know what'll happen if you're caught. The Codex is clear: A Mando caught trying to kill another Mando is punished by exile or death. Do you want to be branded Dar'manda?"

Matt shook his head. "The... the Supercommando Codex... I-I don't..."

Retur'ce suddenly lowered his hands and barked, "Put down the damn gun, kid. Put down the gun or you'll never see Lia or Ruusan again! Think of your family!"

"I am!" Matt shouted. "He knows where the are! H-he says he'll... he'll kill them if I don't do this..."

"Tell me where they are," Retur'ce shouted back. "Let me help you, vod! We can call the enforcement office, get them to put your family in protective custody!"

"No!" Matt roared, raising his pistol again. "No, it has to be this way. I'm sorry, vod, but I have to do this. I d-don't have a choice!"

Kardai moved almost without thinking. He reached down to his belt, grabbed his heavy combat knife from its sheath, then plunged it down through Matt's left boot. Blood immediately welled from the wound and Matt screamed, a high-pitched shriek of agony.

Kardai yanked the blade free and staggered to his feet, ready to follow up with a slash to the kid's blaster arm. The distraction proved worthwhile; as soon as Matt's back was turned, Retur'ce grabbed a pistol of his own from behind the counter, flipped the setting over to stun, and fired two shots into the man's back. Matt instantly collapsed, screaming as electrical surges coursed through his system. He twitched and crawled across the floor, hands shaking so badly he dropped his blaster. He broke down in spasms again, writhing on the ground, knocking over nearby displays as his legs kicked out rapidly. He began letting out pained little grunting sounds, fingers scrabbling at the floor. Then he suddenly flipped over and let out another long scream of agony, arching his back and clenching his hands into fists.

"What the hell?" Retur'ce said, stepping out from behind the counter. "He shouldn't be screaming that much. Not from a low-energy stun round."

Matt continued to writhe and scream, clutching at his helmeted head, legs kicking out and knocking over nearby storage containers. He tried to pull himself up on a nearby counter, then slipped and crashed back to the floor. He began twitching sporadically now, no longer crawling away. His head whipped from side to side and he was letting out soft, gurgling sounds.

Kardai knelt next to Matt, ignoring the pain in his wounded leg, and pulled the twitching Mando's helmet off. The young man had a long, gaunt face, brown eyes, and black hair and beard. His eyes were rolled back in his head and he was frothing at the mouth, squirming and twitching erratically. He was muttering something through his frothing lips, but Kardai couldn't pick out individual words, Mando'a or Basic.

"'Ey, vod," Retur'ce said, kneeling on Matt's other side. He slapped the man's face. "Snap out of it. I didn't hit you that bad."

When Matt didn't respond, the storekeeper slapped him harder. "Oi! You listenin' to me?"

Then Matt fell suddenly still, eyes still rolled back in his head. He let out a long sigh and didn't breathe again.

Retur'ce shook him, but Kardai had seen enough battles to know the difference between a man who was sleeping and a man who was dead. This man was definitely the latter. When Retur'ce moved to slap him again, Kardai caught his arm and said, "Give it up, vod. He's not going to be waking up."

Retur'ce cursed and shook his head. "Son of a bitch," he muttered."I thought I could talk him down."

"Not your fault," Kardai said. "Some people just can't be reasoned with."

He sighed and gently closed Matt's eyes, murmuring, "Rest, vod. I don't know who you are or what you were trying, but you were Mando'ad. You will be remembered."

Then he looked over at Retur'ce and said, "What the hell happened to this kid?"