Chapter 8 The Incident
Cara left the hospital building feeling better than she had since they arrived. Now she could finally start pulling her weight. Starting to walk towards the edge of the settlement, she sighed and her breath became a huge cloud in front of her. The air was chillier this morning. It made Cara wonder how long they really had before winter.
Scanning the tree-line, she again spotted Maytra'k directing activities. A small group of Mando's moved around her, some skinning newly killed prey, some cleaning weapons, some drinking water under their helmets. As she approached, many of them turned to look at her.
"Maytra'k," she said in greeting as she stopped next to the woman.
"Cara."
Cara could hear the smile in her tone.
"I'd like to join the next hunt if you can use me," Cara commented, looking around at the bustle of activity.
"You have experience hunting?" Maytra'k asked.
Cara shrugged. "I can hit almost anything that moves. I've had to hunt for survival at various times over the years. My father took me hunting on occasion."
"On Alderaan?" she asked, sounding surprised.
"Yeah," Cara replied. "He was allowed to use the king's hunting grounds. When I was old enough, I joined him."
"I'm sure you're a fine hunter Cara," she replied. "And we can use all the help we can get."
Cara nodded curtly.
"Shall we walk?" the Mandalorian asked lightly, motioning away from the eavesdropping Mandalorians.
Once they were a few steps out of earshot, Maytra'k said, "Yesterday, I flew back into range of the Holonet and sent a message to the spice cartel, letting them know I'd found you and asking for a meeting."
Cara looked at her curiously. "Was that a good idea? I mean, I have history with these guys. Once they know you found me, they're not going to let up."
Maytra'k inclined her head. "Maybe. However, I know the Boss requires my services for the next job he has planned. And, he's been asking me for more contacts for other Mandalorians. I believe if I get Din to work on this job with me, the Boss may be amenable to canceling your bounty."
Cara was silent for a long moment. "First of all, I'm not comfortable asking Din to do a job for me. I'd rather do it myself."
"Well," she said in a measured tone, "you cannot do it yourself. They may be open to negotiating, but if you show up at their door, I can't guarantee their reaction."
They were both silent for a long moment.
"Also, in case you are blind to this fact, I will tell you that Din would do practically anything for you. He won't mind doing a job to free you from a bounty."
Cara's head whipped around to look at Maytra'k. She turned her head slowly towards Cara and they paused in their walk.
Cara had known that Din trusted her and valued her as a partner, and she knew that he trusted her enough to bring her to his people. But had she realized he would do anything for her? Her eyes fell to the long green ground cover at her feet and noticed a beautiful purple wildflower.
Din was always so quiet and reserved. He was hard to read because of his armor. And he liked to keep his emotions to himself most of the time. Would he really do anything for her?
Shaking herself out of her revere, she looked up. "Even if the boss is willing to negotiate, Trax will never go for it."
Maytra'k nodded. "Yes, your former lover… Din mentioned him." She laughed lightly. "I don't think Din would mind taking him out."
Cara had to snort in response. "Well, I wouldn't mind it either."
"Trax has no real power in the organization. He's useful to the Boss right now, but when it comes down to it, Boss will never choose Trax over a business arrangement that makes sense. And even though Trax may come after you on his own, he'll be a lot easier to deal with than the whole spice cartel."
Nodding, Cara raised her eyebrows. "True enough. All right, we should talk to Din I guess."
"We will, but for now we must focus on getting ready for winter. And you wish to join our hunt, yes?"
Cara nodded eagerly.
"I will be curious how Mandalorian hunts compare to Alderaanian ones."
Cara laughed. "Well, I'm sure hunting with several Mandalorian's will be quite different than a teenager hunting with her father."
Maytra'k laughed also. "This is true."
oOoOoOoOo
"Cara," Maytra'k began, motioning around at the several other Mandalorian's who were going to be hunting with them. "This is Tiaka, Rapoa, and Tia. Tia and I were close classmates."
Cara nodded to them in turn. Tiaka turned away when Cara acknowledged her.
"Rapoa will be leading. She's the best tracker in our group, although I've heard you are also quite respectable Cara," Maytra'k commented.
Cara shook her head. "Thanks, but my tracking skills are nothing compared to Din's."
Maytra'k nodded.
Tia said," Well, no one's tracking skills are as good as Din's. But if you're hanging around him, you must be pretty good. He doesn't put up with incompetence."
Raising her eyebrows in agreement, Cara nodded. "True enough."
Rapoa said something curt and slightly angry in Mando'a and Cara looked to Maytra'k for a translation. Maytra'k responded equally curtly and then Rapoa turned, entering the woods a moment later.
"Let's go," Maytra'k said, motioning her to follow. Cara shrugged, following the Mandalorian into the woods.
After a while, they hunkered down in a few hidden locations with Cara squished in a hole with Rapoa. Even through her armor, Cara got the distinct feeling she'd rather be somewhere else.
The hooved creatures were grazing nearby and they wandered closer to their hiding place. Rapoa took aim with her precision rifle. Cara did the same. Rapoa whispered something in Mando'a into her helmet, coordinating with the others. A moment and a huge bang later, they had dropped five of the animals. The rest ran off quickly.
Cara climbed out of the hole quickly, standing and offering Rapoa a hand up. She stared at it for a moment, and then pushed herself up without taking the help.
"Din may be comfortable cavorting with outsiders, but I do not need to accept help from the likes of you." Her voice was dripping with disdain.
The ex-shock trooper's eyebrows shot up. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked quickly.
Rapoa whirled on her. "Yes, you came to the covert. You are not Mandalorian. You share a clan and a bed with a Mandalorian, and yet you are not one."
Frowning, Cara almost rushed to defend herself but didn't quite know what to say. She hadn't known it was an issue for a Mandalorian to share a bed with someone who was an outsider. If it was, then what had Din been playing at yesterday? She had asked him if there were any rules forbidding him from being with an outsider. What had he said? "Not in the creed." What had that meant?
"We don't share a bed," she said quickly.
Rapoa laughed unkindly. "Even if that's true, which I doubt, it makes little difference. You're still here, you're still obviously connected to Din. You're obviously part of his clan, his family." She spat the word, like it was a curse.
Maytra'k appeared next to Rapoa and placed a stilling hand on her arm. "That's enough."
Rapoa yanked her arm away from Maytra'k. "You're no better, for supporting them."
"Din and Cara have done nothing wrong," Maytra'k responded firmly.
She shook her head. "That's not what most clan's think. Many believe Din violated our rules bringing her here. Most would have been able to overlook that until it became clear how intimate they are. They DISGUST me."
Cara stood silent next to Maytra'k, at a loss for words. The other three Mandalorians had wandered over and were observing the argument stoically from the sidelines. Cara wondered what they made out of all this.
"Rapoa," Maytra'k began, "You're out of line."
Rapoa cut her off with a hotly uttered phrase in Mandalorian. They had a quick and heated exchange, during which Cara wished she could speak Mando'a. They both grew angrier until Rapoa said something that even caused the three observing Mandalorian's to respond.
In a moment, Maytra'k had the larger woman on the ground and they had a brief tussle. No one intervened, so Cara stood back to watch. It became apparent that Maytra'k, though smaller, had the advantage in speed and agility. Soon she had Rapoa in a tight head lock.
"Yield," she spat.
Rapoa said nothing, and Cara realized she was going to pass out shortly. A moment later, her form slumped and Maytra'k let her go, laying her on the ground. She walked a few steps away, turning her back to them, and Cara could see her breathing deeply.
A moment later, Rapoa woke and sat up, looking around. Maytra'k turned back towards them and Tia approached Rapoa, offering her a hand up.
"We should get the kill back to camp," Maytra'k said as she approached them. Everyone seemed to nod, and without a word, Rapoa turned to help.
oOoOoOoOo
The trek back to camp was not too far, but felt unbelievably long. Maytra'k led the way, and she had commanded Cara to follow close behind. They all dragged their kills by the hooves and Cara had a renewed sense of respect for the strength of the Mandalorians.
Once back at camp, no one said a word and Maytra'k suggested Cara return to Din's house. Cara didn't feel that arguing would be appropriate, so she went without comment.
As she walked back to Din's house, she somehow felt under more scrutiny than before. People doing tasks would stop to look at her. No one waved or said hello. All she could see were stoic, cold, deadly beskar faces. It made her feel as though everyone wanted her dead, or at least gone.
Cursing the fact that she didn't have a ship, and couldn't very well take Din's, she pushed open the door to his house, closing it roughly behind her. How had this gone to hell so quickly?
It hadn't, she had just become aware of how most of the tribe felt about her.
Sighing deeply, she looked around, locating her tiny number of things and stuffing them into a bag. A moment later, she left his house, headed for the ship. She would sleep there for now, at least until Din could spare a moment to drop her off so she could catch a shuttle back to Nevarro.
Kriff… she remembered. The spice cartel.
Sighing deeply, she continued towards his ship, still planning to sleep there. Maybe it would help if the others knew she wasn't really part of his clan. But she couldn't leave. She needed help sorting out the whole mess with the cartel, even though she was pretty sure she'd take the Cartel over angry Mandalorians any day.
Clomping up the ramp to the ship, she laid her pack down and sat heavily on a bench along the bulkhead. If she had known her presence at the covert would cause this much trouble, she would never have come.