A few hours later, Marin woke as a jolt ran through the ship. They'd landed... Selonia from what Jarius had said. Scrubbing her face with her palms, she sat up and blinked. He'd draped a blanket over her... She smiled faintly and scooted off the bed, padding barefoot into the corridor. 'Might as well look for a 'fresher...' she thought to herself. 'Keep myself busy while he finishes the contract.'

Looking around, she peeked into a few of the cabins, until she spotted what she wanted. There were even towels, and some spare clothes, which looked like they might be huge on her, but it would have to do. She slipped inside and pulled off her tattered clothes, rifling through the stack of clean ones til she found one that would ...sort of fit.

It was smoky in the dive when he walked in. His senses were alive as well as the scanners in his helmet, going through the crowd to find the one he was looking for. It took a few moments, but he eventually located him with a few others at the corner.

"You are a difficult person to find when you absolutely want to be," he said as he approached the group. "I can just imagine the amount of credits you had to put out for a scanner that could pick up the tracking device I put on your ship."

[I gave you my offer, Durza,] his target said in Huttese as his friends started to spread out a little. [An extra fifty percent on top of whatever amount whoever put on me.]

"That's not the point," Durza told him, keeping a wary eye on his friends. "The point is the bounty was placed on you because you were the one who was setting the bombs at the shelters in the Jordas system. The other faction wanted no survivors at all and you were happy enough to take the money to make it happen."

With a sigh, Marin rolled up the sleeves and legs of the coverall. It was still quite large, obviously meant for someone a little taller than her. She bundled up her clothes and padded back out into the corridor. It was quiet now. Jarius had gone. Making her way back to the sleeping cabin, she ran her fingers through her damp hair as she sat to put her boots on.

With that done, she went back to the galley, spotting the crumbs and the ration bar from earlier on the deck. Chewing her lip for a moment, she mulled it over for a moment before she shrugged. She didn't see any harm in it, so she peeked into the closet she'd hidden in before, finding a small hand broom. She swept up the crumbs and dumped them in the disposal before putting the broom back and going back to her bunk to rest.

[So I have two options, then...is that it?] his target asked as he stood up. [Leave in your custody to face them or face off with you now? Thinking that a Mandalorian's reputation will make me choose the first?]

"I don't rely on reputation," Durza told them, already seeing where it was going to go and planning his move. "And as far as your options, I will be honest with you. The bounty didn't want you alive."

The first to his left reached to the blaster at his side as well as the one to his right. They were the farthest ones out, on each side of him. He moved to the one on his left and dragged his arm forward as his blaster cleared and aimed it at the one to his right when the trigger was pulled. The shot hit the other dead center and Jarius wasted no time to break the man's wrist and turned to slam his hand up into the man's nose, driving the bone up into his head.

He could sense the others moving to action and drew a dart from its hiding place on his wrist and threw it into the throat of the next person. His target was already running for the door as the last friend drew a vibroblade and charged. Jarius turned and grabbed the friend's weapon hand with his left and moved it to his right. It pulled the man forward and his throat met with Jarius's right hand, split into a V that snapped the man's adam's apple.

His target was almost to the door when he pulled a stun net launcher from its place on his left holster and fired it center into the man's back. It wrapped around him instantly and sent him flying out of the doorway and he landed hard on the permacrete of the sidewalk. Jarius was only shaking his head as he reached down and turned the man onto his back. "Did you really think you would be able to get away from me twice?"

[Just do it already!] he yelled out.

"They wanted something specific," Jarius told him as he pulled a concussion grenade out and stuffed it into the man's mouth and set the timer. He drew the man's attention to a holocam Jarius planted earlier to send the feed of what was going to happen to the people who had offered the contract. That being done, he turned and started to walk back towards the spaceport. He didn't even flinch when the explosion went off after he was a block or two down the street.

Something jolted Marin from sleep. It wasn't a sound... but something she felt. Cautiously, she reached out, much as she did when tracking people who were chasing her. She felt... death. But where was Jarius? She curled up under the thick blanket, drawing her knees to her chest. 'Was he...? Or was he the one that had caused it...?' Those questions whirled in her mind, and she still lay curled up when Jarius found her.

Jarius entered the cockpit of his ship and entered a few commands into the communications panel. "Confirm holo transmission of contract being completed." he said blandly over the channel.

"We have confirmed," a voice on the other responded. "Transfer of the agreed upon amount has been completed. We thank you."

He cut the transmission without another word and began to walk down the corridor, noting when he reached the galley that what little mess that was on the deck was gone. On a guess, he went into the extra sleeping berth and noticed that Marin was still laying on the bunk. He nodded softly and shut the door to head to his own cabin.

Marin had heard his footsteps in the corridor. Quietly, she slid off the bunk and padded after him, tugging at his coverall.

He turned at the tug and looked down at the girl. "Yes?" he asked.

For a moment, Marin chewed her lip. "I felt... someone die..." she said softly, her voice a little timid. "I thought maybe you had..." she shrugged, having a hard time finding the right words.

He nodded softly. "You are more attuned to the Force than I thought. Yes, there was a death." He knelt down and looked at her. "It was a contract that I was tasked to complete...and it did involve killing someone."

Marin stared up at him, her eyes huge. "It...hurt... it made me want to cry..." she admitted in a whisper, twisting her small fingers nervously in her coverall.

He took her hand and held it. "Death is just as important as Life," he told her. "You may be too young to understand it now, but you eventually will. Feeling a death in the Force is expected, but it you can tune it out to where it does not affect you so...with the right training."

Her small face creased into a frown. "What kind of training... You said something about Mandalorian training too, is that the same?" She carefully sounded out the long word, looking up into his face. He was the first person who'd even cared about her.

"It will be a combination of things," Jarius told her. "The majority of your training will be in the Mandalorian way, how to fight...with your hands and with different weapons. There are other ways that I am going to teach you, the Cataani way of being able to move silently, swiftly... Then there are some things that I am going to teach you that are of a special way...that of the Jedi."

"I'd like that..." she said quietly, curling her small fingers into his as she studied his face, almost as if searching it for something. After a moment, she seemed satisfied. "So...now what...?"

"As I said before," he told her. "For your training, you're going to need a different attire. We will return to Coronet just long enough to see about some items. Then, we're leaving the system."

She frowned, and tensed briefly at the mention of Coronet. "Do we have to go back there...?" She hated that place, and had hoped never to go back. "What items?" she asked curiously, fidgeting with rolling up the sleeves of her too-large coverall.

"A proper-sized set of clothes for one." He stood up and started to walk towards the cockpit. "And you will need more than one..."

"At least it was clean..." she said and smiled up at him. After a moment's thought, she followed and slid into the empty chair that stood beside his. She couldn't remember having been on a ship, and she looked around wide-eyed, resisting the urge to play with the colorful buttons.

He looked at her expression as he followed her gaze over the different controls. "Yes," he said as he started up the engines. "You will also be learning how to fly and navigate."

"Me...?" She stared at him, wide-eyed. "I can barely reach..."

"Not now...all things will come in time."

Marin just stared. For the first time in her life, here was someone who was allowing her to learn and explore... something she'd never been able to do before. She studied the control board for a moment before she tucked her feet up and turned to watch Jarius, hoping she wasn't staring.

He paid no mind, knowing she was curious about everything, as he brought the ship out of the bay on repulsorlifts before cutting in the sublight drive to take the ship out of the atmosphere. Once the ship was clear, he brought it around to head for Corellia. It wouldn't take long.

Marin watched him in silence, her thoughts filled with the events of the last day. Finally, she decided to ask him. "Jarius... what's so different about the Manadalorians? What's the armor mean and all that?"

Jarius smiled slightly. "Well, the Mandalorians are a warrior people. We live by a code called the Resol'nare - the Six Actions. These are what make one Mandalorian." He thought for a moment and then recited them, translating as he did so.

"Ibic haar Resol'nare (this [is] the Six Actions): Ke'juri beskar'gam (Wear armor). Ke'jorhaa'i Mando'a (Speak Mandalorian). K'ara'novo aliit (Defend the family). Ke'gaa'tayli aliit bralir (Help the clan to succeed). Ke'ba'juri sa Mando'ade (Raise children as Mandalorians). Ke'shekemi haar Mand'alor (Rally to the cause of the Mand'alor)."

"As to the armor - beskar'gam itself? To us, it helps to remind us of our ancestors, the Taungs. They were the original Mandalorians. It's also a tool, and a symbol of one's family..." He pointed to the sigil on his left shoulder plate. "That is the symbol of my clan."Then he grinned. "Not to mention, it gives us a bit of mystique. The aruetiise - non-mandos - are afraid of us because of the armor and the reputation my people have."

Marin gaped at him. "Well, I was certainly scared when I saw you. But, I know better now. Will I get some armor too?"

"In time," he told her. "But it is something you earn. When you have, with my supervision and assistance, you will make it. This way, it is made for yourself and only you. In time, everything you carry is going to be items that play to whatever your strengths will be."

"That... makes sense, I guess. No use having something if it's just.. there. Might as well be useful." She leaned back, and pondered that for a moment. It sounded...complex. When she looked up again, she saw they were approaching a planet, Corellia she assumed.

"We'll be in Coronet City in a few minutes," he told her. "We will not remain long, however."

"Should I go change back into my other clothes? I guess I look a bit silly wearing something this big..." She flushed. At the time, she'd only wanted something clean.

He tapped the side of his helmet. "The helmet is not just for show, the built in scanners recorded everything I needed. And I can move faster on my own for now."

She grinned a little. "That's useful. I guess I'll stay here then. Still tired..." She didn't mention that she was still trying to adjust to being around him, but figured he could probably guess.

He returned a short while later, a duffel over his shoulder that he gently set down on the deck.

"These will work fine," he said as he closed and locked down the boarding ramp. "Its heavy, but you should be able to take it into your cabin."

Marin raised an eyebrow but nodded and hefted it. It was heavy, but once she got her balance, she took a cautious step. With a nod, and a quiet "Thank you..." she hauled it into her cabin, dropping it on the floor next to her bunk with a sigh. Sinking down to a cross-legged posture on the deck, she unzipped the duffel. It was almost as big as she was.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she began pulling items from it, and laying them on the bunk, and the deck around her. There were several sets of clothes, including a few coveralls, two pairs of boots, some small knives, that looked like they could be hidden easily, and several other items, some of which she wasn't sure what they were for. Grabbing a pair of boots and one of the sets of clothes, she changed quickly before she put the rest back. Then she made her way back out into the corridor, looking for Jarius.

"Now you look presentable," he said from the cockpit as he started to warm the engines up once again to prepare to leave Corellia. "Have a seat in the copilot's chair. How much do you know about things outside of Coronet?"

Silently, Marin slid into the empty seat, chewing her lip, and drawing up her knees. "Not much really. Coronet's all I can remember..." She shrugged apologetically and ran her fingers through her dark hair.

He nodded as he thought about how to start her education as well as her training. "I suppose we can begin with the basics. Out of all of the powers in the galaxy, there are only a few that are the most important. Are you aware of these?"

She frowned, thinking. She didn't really know much, except wjat for she heard in the occasional news broadcast or from people in the market. "I... don't know a lot about it, but I've heard the Republic mentioned a lot... not much else..."

"Yes, the New Republic is the largest influence...second would probably be teh Imperial Remnant..."

"I don't know much about them, really. I've heard more about the Republic, with occasional references to the Jedi..."

He nodded as he piloted the ship out of the system, entering in coordinates for their first jump. After a few moments, he pulled the lever and watched the lines start to form as they entered hyperspace.

"So... where are we going now...?" She brushed her hair out of her face, and watched the starlines for a moment as she turned one of the small knives over in her fingers.

"Home," he said as he looked over all the systems, then glanced at her. "Be careful, Marin. They are not as sharp as we will make them, but they are still sharp enough to do damage."

She nodded, and looked up at him. "I know... I taught myself how to use a knife when I was 4... I had to." She turned her left hand palm up and showed him a faint scar across her palm. "Had to learn the hard way..." She shrugged.

He looked at the scar. "You'll learn more," was all he said.

Marin flushed slightly before pulling her hand gently from his grip. She still felt that Jarius was perhaps being a little distant. But something told her that perhaps that was how most Mandalorians were with people they didn't know well. "You said home... is that Mandalore, or Cataan?" she asked after a moment, looking back out at the stars.

"One of Cataan's colony systems," he said as he pulled a holomap of the galaxy, highlighting the area labeled as Cataani space. "The outermost planet. It is forested and habitable, but not used. Most of the colony's commerce and activity are on the inner planets. We'll be safe there."

Her eyes widened. "So... it's just going to be... us?"

He nodded. "There are times when we need to do business with some of the inner planets, but we will remain on the outer planet. Other than that, there will be times when I will be called upon for a contract somewhere in the galaxy. Depending on what is involved and how your training progresses, you may come with me or continue practice on your own."

"That's... a lot of space..." she said finally and then grinned. "I always liked exploring. Just didn't get a chance to much before now." She frowned. "What kind of contracts... are they always bounties?"

"You'll be able to explore...in fact, it will be part of your training. And, no, they are not always bounties. There are calls for temporary protection, training...and there are some for assassination, but those are few and I do not accept many of them when they come."

"So why the Selonia one?" she asked softly, looking at her hands. For her six-year old mind, it was hard to reconcile the fact that he was gentle and caring, yet capable of such things.

He sighed just a little. "That one was a special case," he told her. "There had been a case of civil war on a planet in the extreme edge of the Outer Rim. One of the factions hired the man I was after to plant explosives in the shelters that were taking in refugees from the other side. The other side, when it was revealed about what really happened, quietly placed a bounty on him and personally requested that I be the one to take it."

He nodded once more. "That would be the Force talking to you..."

"But how could I be sensitive to it? I don't even know who my parents were, or if they were Jedi..." She sighed, and drew her knees up, resting her chin on them.

"One does not have Jedi as parents...or even have Jedi in the family...for them to feel and touch the Force," he told her. "It chooses who it wills to be able to be sensitive to it. Not all who have the ability are Jedi."

"I suppose that makes sense..." she said softly, still looking out the forward viewport. She was silent a moment. "So... what kind if stuff will I be learning first...?"

"A little bit of everything," he told her. "Not just things related to the way."

She smiled and then looked thoughtful for a moment. "Don't know if I have anything else I need to do before we get there..."

"There is a holopad in the galley with basic materials already loaded," he told her. "The ship can handle itself while we're in hyperspace and it will take an hour to reach our first waypoint. We won't be home for several hours."

"Well, I guess I better start reading then..." she told him with a smile as she rose, and surprised herself by slipping her small hand into his. There was something about him that told her she could trust him.