Beneath the spiraling towers of upper Taris the halls wound in strange patterns through the expansive underground. Gritting his teeth as he strolled along the winding path back to Davik's estate Canderous grumbled under his breath. So far no one had presented even the smallest bit of a challenge to the Mandalorian and it was beginning to grate on his nerves. The blubbering thugs that acted tough but had no honor to speak of were like gnats. Far beneath his notice but just annoying enough to swat out of his way.
In particular Davik had hired a bounty hunter named Calo Nord recently and the short human male was a mouthy little bastard. He'd tried a couple times now to goad Canderous into fighting him but he wasn't interested. That and Davik had given strict orders that they were not to fight one another. If it weren't for the damn Sith blockade he'd have shot the little womprat and taken off already.
A small explosion nearby made him tense, gripping his weapon tighter in readiness. There were shouts and blaster fire coming from one of the halls off to his left, he turned and sprinted toward the noise.
Turning the last corner he raised his blaster, ready for an attack, but was met with a sight so peculiar he had to stop and take it all in. Standing in the middle of a group of downed Black Vulkars was a small slip of a humanoid with bright pink hair and skin as pale as a ghost. The two blasters in their hands were still steaming as they swayed in place, taking a small step to keep on their feet. They turned to stare at him and he was startled by the bright violet eyes that regarded him critically.
"Are you going to attack me as well?" The voice was higher pitched, musical, and he could tell from the way her armor clung to her slender form that she was physically feminine.
"Not unless you attack me first." He said simply, lowering his weapon. She looked young, somewhere around thirteen or fourteen, and Canderous wasn't in the habit of attacking children.
"Thank the Ka'ra." The girl mumbled as she put her blasters away. Canderous stiffened in recognition. He glanced to the shining metal that clung to her arms from wrist to elbow and a sneaking suspicion crept in.
"Are you alright?" The girl's eyes snapped back to him from examining the bodies on the floor and she contemplated him for a moment before seeming to relax slightly.
"Fine, I'm uninjured." Well, she certainly knew Mando'a. But whether or not she was Mando'ad had yet to be seen.
"I am Canderous of Clan Ordo. Who are you?" The girl smiled at him, pushing her long hair behind an ear.
"Stella of Clan Cin'sara." Canderous recognized the clan as one that was moderately large, although he was surprised they had survived the war, and he let himself relax.
"What are you doing down here?" She paused and an odd look came over her face.
"I don't know…" Her eyes darted around, going wide in confusion. "I don't remember. I just… they suddenly attacked me and… I…" With no warning her eyes suddenly rolled into the back of her head and she fell to the ground in a dead faint.
"Dammit." He growled.
This was a young girl, a Mando'ad no less, and he couldn't just leave her in the middle of the underground. Especially not after she'd taken out a group of Black Vulkars. If someone else found her there was no telling what they would do. Rolling one of the bodies out of his way with his foot he slipped the girl over one shoulder and lifted her easily. She couldn't weigh more than a hundred pounds, if that. His old armor had weighed more he was certain.
Back at Davik's estate he ignored the blatant staring as he headed toward his personal quarters, the girl now tucked against his chest so as not to hurt her unnecessarily.
His plan was to let the girl rest as he did some investigating, see if he couldn't find out where she'd come from. The fact that she had weapons on her meant she probably wasn't an escaped slave. But if that was the case, how had she arrived on Taris during a Sith blockade? Were there other Mando'ade hiding out on the planet? If so he'd never seen hide nor hair of them.
"Canderous, I didn't realize you were into the exotic type. Couldn't find someone conscious who'd agree to sleep with you?" Bristling at the implication he turned to glower at the little shit who couldn't keep his damned mouth shut. Calo Nord stood nearby, a smug grin on his face.
"It's no business of yours, Nord." Turning away he quickened his pace, putting as much distance between himself and the slimy little creep as possible. Otherwise he'd be tempted to answer that insult with a blaster bolt between those gaudy goggles.
Once inside his quarters he locked the door behind him and set the girl down carefully on his bed. She didn't seem to have a fever and her skin wasn't chilled. Her pulse was steady and her breathing wasn't labored so he assumed she wasn't in dire need of a medic. Not that he'd trust any of the ones Davik employed anyway. Unclasping her armor he set it aside, he knew from experience that sleeping in partial armor wasn't the most comfortable. Hitting the clasp of her bracers he frowned at the odd weight of them. Slipping the first one off he saw something clatter to the ground and picked it up to examine it.
It was a lightsaber.
This just brought up more questions than answers. What jetii child wore beskar'gam and spoke Mando'a? What Mando'ad carried lightsabers like a jetii?
Well. There was no point in speculating. Once she woke up he could interrogate her. Until then he'd just have to keep the jetii'kade hidden.
Pulling up the blanket he looked down at the small sleeping child and frowned. No clan, to his knowledge, would let one of their youngsters go running around without proper protection. He shook his head to clear it. He'd get nowhere on his own. Only end up thinking in circles.
Grabbing his maintenance equipment he sat down at the nearby table and set about checking over his weapons and giving them a good cleaning. The girl would wake up soon enough and he'd get his answers then.