The Mando Way
The man fell down on his back, in a desprite attempt to get away from his pursuer, he began to crawl away. A Mandalorian bounty hunter walked annoyed towards him. The dim lighting of the alley street lamps glazed over the Mandalorian's red and black armor, and gave the warrior a sinister appearance.
"I bet your going to beg for your freedom?" she offered, having been through this enough times to know what her prey was going to do before they even had the thought in their head.
"P-please let me go; I have the money, I..." The man tried to explain.
"Should have thought about that before your head had a price on it, and a nice one too," she smiled wickedly behind her T shaped visor.
With a swift kick to the ribs the man was unable to move, and while he was gasping in pain, she put the binders on him, and pulled him to his feet. He wouldn't have to walk far, just to her speeder, one that was being driven by one spunky R2 unit. As the speeder came to the curve of the alley, the bounty hunter threw her prize into the passenger seat. She herself would be in the back, a blaster behind the man's head. When they reached her ship, they had secured the man in a laser cage, she herself was going to the nearby cantina.
"Make for sure he stays," she ordered, getting a high pitched beep from her R2. "And keep Keith fed, wouldn't want him to try and eat my bounty," she teased, getting a horror stricken look from the man.
"Who...who is Keith?" he asked.
"My man eating Strill," she said coldly, then walked out of the ship, back into the speeder and towards the cantina she normally goes to when she has the time, and she was in town.
"James!" the bartender greeted pleasantly.
"Now I haven't heard that name in a long time," She shook her head as she took her seat at the bar.
The man snorted. "What can I do for you James, and don't bother, I know you won't drink milk," he laughed.
James rolled her eyes again, taking off her helmet and placing it at her side. "I'm twenty one now, no need to," she scoffed. "You know what I like Til," she added, running her gloved hand through her tangled black hair.
In an instant her drink was given to her, she smiled, taking in the scent, along with the distant smell of smoke, and other kinds of liquor as well.
"Hey James, have you ever wanted to change something in your past?" one of the local drunks asked.
She looked at him, shook her head, and then downed her drink. "That would imply that I regret something, and let's be honest, I don't regret a damn thing."
Chapter one: a timely meeting.
Ahkei didn't have much; she lived in a small town, in an old house her mother could barely afford. She went to the local school, even though she hated it with a burning passion. She never complained though, her mom had been through so much, she didn't want her to worry about her.
"Momma, I…can I not go today?" she asked.
A tall Togrutan woman turned around, her red orange skin had white stripes coming down from her forehead, the sides of her face, right where her eyebrows were supposed to be, and curved up on her cheeks. She smiled softly at her small daughter. She knew her daughter hated going out, and she wouldn't blame her. Ahkei was something of a rare case, and people didn't like it.
"I'm sorry love, but you know what I said," she said, kneeling down to Ahkei's eye level.
Ahkei shuffled uncomfortably. "That knowledge is power," she said quietly. But everything she was learning was completely different than what her mother taught her, and sometimes it was very confusing, she didn't know who to believe sometimes.
"Why can't I learn how to fight like all the other kids?" she asked. "I'm a mando'ade, I should learn like them," she pouted. "I'm no scholar," she added, folding her small arms across her chest.
"Because, we don't need you attracting the wrong kind of attention," her mother began, and then kissed the little nub on top of her head. She pushed back Ahkei's bangs out of her face, showing both beautiful caramel eyes.
"You're too much like your father," she smiled then pushed her daughter out the door.
Because it was such a small town, Ahkei was expected to go to school on her own. Any help would only cause her to be taunted and picked on, even more then she already was.
The town itself was dirt colored, and bland. The only thing that wasn't was the school, which had a metallic look to it, and by order of the emperor, all human children must attend. Ahkei moved her bag from one shoulder to the next then started walking.
Since she looked mostly human, she was expected to go to the school, but no one would miss her if she didn't.
"Hey look, it's the half breed," snickered a small boy. He wore practice armor, and stank terribly.
Ahkei tried not to gag, to ignore it, but her hand went to her nose and pinched them shut to get rid of the smell. It wasn't her fault that she had such great sense of smell. They looked pissed when Ahkei plugged her nose, and he got up from his spot and walked towards her.
"Oh force please stop," she whispered. The stench of the stinky kid becoming stronger.
"Oh, you think I stink?" the kid hissed, tugging roughly on Ahkei's left head-tail.
She cried out in pain, but didn't move, in fear that it would do more damage than any good.
"Why don't you get on your knees and apologize, I'll forgive you if you do it well enough, being rude to your master and all," he smiled viciously.
"Di'kut, like I would ever be a servant of a hut'uun like you," she sneered back smacking the boy as hard as she could in the face.
Ahkei might as well be hitting a tree, because that was the kind of reaction she got. The boy snickered, his grip on her head-tail tightened. Ahkei cried out in pain again, she refused to shed tears though, that was just what he wanted of her. The boy was satisfied in her cries of pain, but his friend wasn't.
"Hey Leo, I think your slave is being difficult, I think you should punish her more," offered his friend a small chubby boy with brown hair.
"Yeah, I think so too," Leo replied then pulled down on her lekku, taking out a small knife from his side pocket.
"Now listen here freak, say you're sorry, and I won't hurt you, continue to misbehave and I'll be forced to cut off your head tail bit by bit," He said calmly, his knife sliding threatening over the soft flesh of her lekku, making Ahkei shiver.
Just say it and move on, she thought.
"And when she's done make her clean our boots, stuff slaves do," the chubby one smiled.
That was the last straw; they could only hurt her pride for so long. Something in Ahkei told her that this was unacceptable, that she shouldn't just stand here and take their beatings.
"I am a mando'ade, not some slave girl!" she hissed knocking the knife out of Leo's hand and punching him with all her might, as well with some help with the force, sending him back.
Leo stumbled back a bit, smiled then held out his hand. "Give me your vibroblade vod," he ordered.
"Right, teach her a lesson," the other boy laughed as he handed Leo the vibroblade.
Even before he activated the blade, Ahkei ran away from them, running as fast as she could. She knew it wouldn't be long until Leo caught up with her. She wouldn't stop though; she will continue to run until she couldn't anymore.
Fight them, she thought, but pushed it aside. It would be foolish for her to stop and fight. Not only did she not know how to properly fight, but Leo had a vibroblade and years of training behind him.
Ahkei continued weaving though alleys and walkways, trying to make herself hidden, but in such a small town that was impossible. Suddenly she felt something coming, her Togrutan senses coming in handy. She side rolled out of the way. She didn't know what it was, but she knew better then to turn around now.
I don't need to know, I need to get to safety, she thought pushing herself to get up and run.
She sensed that another attack was coming towards her, but she was to tired to move out of the way. Not fast enough to escape the trap. Wire, or rope wrapped around her legs, metal balls smacking against the back of her leg. Ahkei fell down with a solid thud. She braced herself from what she knew would be intense pain.
Leo pulled her up by her third head-tail, the one at the base of her skull. Ahkei cried biting her lower lip as she was forced onto her knees.
"Come on freak; say something before I make you bleed."
She continued to bit her lip for a moment, but slowly her lips slid into a smug smirk. "Of course I do hut'uun, I'll remember this, so don't do anything you'll regret." She didn't know what compelled her to say what she did, but it was too late now to regret it.
Leo pulled in her head-tail again, wanting to hear her whimper in pain. When she didn't react the way he wanted he turned on the vibroblade and chuckled.
"You'll pay."
"If you don't let go of her right now, I'll show you how a warrior is punished," came in a deep threatening voice.
Leo turned around, the vibroblade still in his hands.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
Without another word the man had punched Leo in the stomach not hard enough to kill him, but just enough to make the small boy pass out.
"You're a disgrace to your family," he said coldly then carefully laid the boy down. He stared at his friend, "Take him home, and never bug this girl again," he ordered.
"y-yes sir!" the chubby one replied swiftly, then hefted his friend up and started back home.
When they were out of sight, the man reached out to touch Ahkei's head. She shrank down, away from his touch.
"Don't worry asiik, I'm not here to hurt you," he said softly.
Ahkei didn't know if she could trust him, but he did just save her. She turned around to meet the black reflective T shaped visor. His armor was mainly blue, with certain parts painted black.
"That's better, they sure did a number on your lekku," he said then picked Ahkei up and carried her away.
Though she was only eight, she had the height of a five in a half year old, and probably weighed less. She allowed the Mandalorian to carry her all the way to a small black smith shop. He walked all the way to the back, and opened the door leading to the living area. Once inside he sat Ahkei down on the sofa and went looking for medical supplies.
Ahkei didn't say anything. She took in the surroundings, and wondered why she was here.
The man came back with bacta spray and some gauze.
"It might sting, but this is to help you," he explained as he slid his open palm underneath her left lekku, and then pushed her hair back. His fingers barely touching the now swollen lekku. He sprayed the bacta all over the swollen part, then began wrapping it up. This caused Ahkei to cringe in pain, her head-tails were very sensitive and after so much abuse, it was worse now.
"I'm sorry little one, I'll try and be gentler," the man said soothingly, finishing up with the first lekku.
He didn't need to tell Ahkei to turn around; she did it on her own, even pulled her wavy hair back so that he could get to the third lekku easily.
"Why didn't you fight back?" he asked.
Ahkei stayed silent for a moment. "I don't know how to fight; he has been training since he was five," Ahkei said softly. "It would be stupid to attack."
"Why didn't your father teach you?"
"I don't have a father, and my mom isn't a mando'ade, like me," she replied.
"No one to teach you to be strong…" the man sounded like he was taking pity on her.
"I'll teach you how to fight," he said briefly as he gently lay her head-tail back down against the back of her neck.
"You feel bad for me," she said flatly.
"No, I feel like I hate your father, no man should leave his child," he countered. "Feeling any better?" he asked.
She nodded her head. "You're not disgusted by me?" she asked, she still wasn't looking the man in the eyes.
"Why would I be?" he asked. "Just because your half Togrutan?"
"No one likes aliens," she whispered.
"Not everyone ad'ika," he smiled patting her head softly.
"What's your name mister?" she asked her face lighting up.
"Lance and yours?"
"Ahkei Jamey," she beamed. "I don't have a last name, mom said when I'm old enough she'll tell me," she pouted.
"She probably has a good reason to, come on little one, I'll take you home," Lance smiled warmly helping the little girl off the sofa and towards the door.