Chapter 1
Memories of Fire
The fire of the forge burned brightly, its blue flames dancing to the rhythmic beating of metal hitting metal. Marr's eyes were fixated on them. They reminded her of how her mother's armor shined the day she left them. The heat from the forge reminded her of the sun that scorched her skin for five days while she walked the wastelands of Mandalore with her brother, Tai, strapped to her back. That was eight years ago, but felt like a lifetime ago. If they had not been found by Ore the armorer, they would be only another pair of skeletons laying in the white desert.
Suddenly, her trance was broken by a roaring voice, "Hey! Kid! Bring me the bucket", Ore commanded. Marr ran to get the bucket and back to the armorer. With a pair of tongs, Ore lifted a thin layer of metal and submerged it in the bucket. The fizzing sound of the red hot metal in the oil made Marr smile. Ore noted that "It's nice, isn't it?". Marr looked at him "What?". "The sound. The smell." Marr stayed silent for a bit. She usually did that, as if carefully selecting the next words that came out of her mouth. Ore was used to this. "It's a trait of wise people," he said. But she didn't feel wise. "Yes, I think it's calming", she finally said. "Good" Ore responded, "You will be hearing it a lot if you are to take my place someday". Marr shivered. Just the thought of Ore not being there was horrible enough. He found them wandering in the desert, took them in, fed them, dressed them and gave them shelter. They had become a family and the rest of the world could burn for all they cared as long as they were together.
Ore took the piece out of the bucket "Durasteel. To think that once working with this was considered beneath us mandalorians. But that was before your time, and you will have to learn to work it" Marr, silent as ever, nodded. "Now go get your brother" Ore said, "it's almost time for dinner".
Marr went out of the makeshift armory and looked around. A transparent dome covered two small buildings, a shed and a sort of cabin. That was their small and cherished world. Outside of the dome, the winds roared but you could only tell by the sound of the sand hitting the metal and glass structure. She had become accustomed to that. "Tai!" she yelled. "Tai, dinner time!". Behind the cabin she heard the faint laughter of her brother. She knew what to do. "Oh no, Tai has gone outside, what will we do!" she said, farcically fainting. Tai came out from behind the cabin, rushing to his sister. "No, I'm here! I'm here" as he threw himself over her. "I'm here" he repeated. "Praise be the force" Marr said, keeping up the farce. "My lil' brother is okay and safe". Tai hugged her as tight as he could. "I would never go outside" he murmured "Not without you". Marr smiled, took his hand and walked him to the cabin. "Ore made us some nice, warm food", Marr said. "I know its rations. It's always rations". Marr looked at him for a couple of seconds, and she remembered Tai had never had a proper hot meal. All he knew was rations. Marr's smile faded for a second, as Tai jumped to his seat. As they ate in silence, Ore sprouted "Have I told you the story of the City of Beskar?". Tai eyes widened. He loved stories. "No" the little one blurted. Ore smiled, and as swift as Marr had anyone do anything in their life, he downed his tankard. When Ore told stories, he becomed the narrator one pictures when you imagine a bar, a couple of old warriors, and a bunch of empty tankards. His voice would pitch down, his tone gravely and deep. And so, his voice roared in the small shed. "Let me tell you kids about the City of Beskar. The greatest city that has ever been domed in this forsaken dessert of a planet. Before this were the white plains of Mandalore, a few clans joined. Tired of the constant fighting and bickering between us Mandalorians, they gathered in secret and devised a new way for the Mandalorian people, a peaceful way for Mandalore. 7 clans and many free people, refugees and slaves for 11 years they worked together, avoiding all the other clans wars, and when finally Mandalore the Defiler was about to turn their attention to the 7 clans, he was too late, as they had constructed an impenetrable city made entirely from Beskar. At broad daylight, it shone as it had light of its own. It was a masterpiece of architecture and art, its walls carved with designs that would make a master artisan cry in joy and its structure so strong that it could withstand the siege of ten mythosaurs!" Ore mimicked the huge beast to Tai's amusement. Marr laughed a little at the spectacle of a grown man acting for this small child. "Have you ever been there, Ore?" Marr asked. Ore turned his head from Tai to Marr, his smile fading as he looked at her. "No one's been there in a long time, Marr. No one even knows where it is." Tai pulled on Ore's beard, directing his attention back to him. "What happened?" he whispered. "Mandalore the Defiler wasn't able to defeat them and he left them alone. He came to the gates of the city, removed his helmet and yelled that he would not attack or prosecute anyone as long as they didn't interfere with his new conquest. He had his eyes turned to the stars and the planets between them. No one responded, so he waited. For three days he waited for an answer from the City, and for three days he was greeted by the silent gates. At the end of the third day, he put on his helmet and left. The city remained undisturbed and isolated from the rest of Mandalore for many years, centuries even. The city didn't seem to change as Mandalore changed for the worse. As the plains began to white, and the air started to be more toxic, the city remained, shining in the ever increasing heat of the sun. Then we started doming, and for the first time in ages, the City of Beskar started changing. They constructed a dome greater than any of those that remain, they say that there was even a lake under that dome. The last unspoiled piece of land of Mandalore. My father used to say you could see the last drop of light bounce from the city to the sky, making the sunset just a tad longer, a second more beautiful, just for him and my mother. And one day it stopped. For many years my father wondered what happened to the City, and one day a strange man wandered from the white plains. We took him in and we fed him. He stayed with us for a bit, and he would regale us with stories of his adventures. And he told us that he was there the day the City of Beskar disappeared in thin air. He said he came as near as the gates of the city, and as he stood in the same place that Mandalore the Defiler had stood many lifetimes ago, the City disappeared. He didn't understand what happened. He walked towards where the city gates once stood, mighty and tall, and found nothing. He then turned his back and noticed the dome was gone too. He told us that from that day, not one person has seen the City again". Ore took a bit of dirt in his hand, "Imagine that, a whole city. Just gone", he said as he blew the dirt off the palm of his hand. There was a silence for a bit, as Ore preserved the mysteriousness of the story and Tai looked at him, his tiny brown eyes piercing Ore with curiosity and awe. Marr laughed. "How come a whole City just disappears?". Ore shrugged "That's the story, kid. For what I can tell, sometimes, after the wanderer left, I would look to the horizon, and I swear for my honor, that I saw the sunset last a second longer. Just a couple of times. I don't know what it was, but I choose to believe that it was the last drop of light shining off the City". Ore smiled, his eyes full of nostalgia. All you could hear for a while was the crackling of the fire and the wind outside the dome. But those sounds were interrupted by the unmistakable hummering of a ship landing outside the dome. Ore looked at the children. "Hide" he ordered. Marr and Tai knew what to do. It was not the first time, and certainly not the last time they would have to hide from outsiders, Marr thought. Ore went to the furnace and pressed a button. From next to the table, a small trap door opened next to the furnace. Inside a small stair led to an even smaller tunnel, fit for crawling children, single file. Tai and Marr took a look inside and hopped in, silently remembering the escape route if anything went wrong. Ore threw them a bag he had prearranged, with rations, water, a couple of respirators, fire making equipment, temporary shelter and blankets. And a small metallic cube. Ore looked at them as if it was the last time, and closed the hatch, picking up a broom and going to the door. As he opened the door, three tall figures walked towards him. One of them stood apart from the other two. Impeccable black armor, not a single dent or scratch, blue and white details adorned the contours of the armor, and a black and horned helmet. "What you want? There is no inspection till next week, and the shipment is ready a week after that." The one with the horned helmet took it off "We are here on His behalf". Ore looked shocked. "Kort" he whispered. "My apologies", Ore said sheepishly, and invited them in. As the three entered the shed, Ore swallowed hard. They shouldn't be here. They tell him when they are coming. Ore looked at them and blurted "What does he need?". Kort pierced Ore with a look. "He needs an armor. An armor fit for ah, well, Mandalore". Ore looked back, puzzled. "What do you mean, he's already wearing the finest beskar, what could this poor armorer do?". Kort looked at him with contempt. "He wants this one to be special. He is one battle away from conquering the last free clan, and he wants this one to be one for the books. And to leave no doubt about who rules all of Mandalore. Here, wait a second." As Kort said that, he pressed his comms and said "Bring it". A fourth tall mandalorian, dressed in the same armor as his peers, entered the room with a case and walked towards Ore. "Open it", ordered Kort, as he circled the shed, looking at the few Ore possesions that were on display. Ore opened it carefully. Inside a holoproyector ignited and showed the design of an armor, and under the image, a bunch of ingots of pure beskar. There had been a while that Ore didn't see that much beskar together. He inspected them, and counted them quickly. "It's not enough for a full armor, should be able to do it with a couple more ingots". Kort stopped his circling in fort of a mandalorian helmet that adorned one of the walls. He turned to Ore, the helmet in his hand "This should do". Ore felt the rage filling his head, but contained himself. "No, please. Don't make me", the last words coming out pathetically from his mouth, and tears in his eyes. Kort looked at him and held the helmet high next to Ore's face. "Is this the one of your son or your wife? I think is your son's, am I right? Your wife's had a yellow streak across the….left eye?". Ore tightened his fist. "Left eye", he confirmed to himself. Kort snickered at him "I think His armor is more important than a sad token from your past, don't you agree, Ingot?". Ore breathed loudly "Don't call me that, Kort Zura". Kort started circling back to the door, ignoring Ore. "You know why they call him Ingot, Garr?". One of the others responded "No, sir". Kort smiled. "It's because he is dense as one, altough I don't agree. You see, ore must be refined to become and ingot. And there is nothing refined about this…bantha dropping". Ore face twitched. He could take two of them, maybe even three if he was precise enough. But four of them was a crazy gamble, and he had to think about the children. So he breathed in, and calmed himself. "I can start working now, and if you bring me three more ingots tomrrow, I can have it in three days." Kort looked at the helmet in his possesion "Shame, I was just trying to help you overcome the untimely dead of those traitors", he said mockingly. Ore cleared his trout "Enough" he said, sterningly. "I will make the piece, as I have many times before, and will deliver as I have delivered every time as you have asked. Respect is the only thing I ask in return". Kort stood taller than Ore, but you wouldn't know, for it seemed that he grew two sizes in a mere second. The soldiers looked at them, motionless. Kort wasn't force sensitive, but even him could feel the Ore's anger. He backed up a little, and tried to regain control of the room. "I will bring the rest of them" Kort said, as he threw Ore the helmet, and Ore caught it with both hands. "But you should remember that what we did to your wife and son was their own doing. And I would gladly have done it to you if He didn't appreciate your work as intensely as He does". Ore contained the impulse of lifting his fist as hard as he could. "We'll take our leave now. We'll be back with the rest, and I hope to see some advances". As he turned towards the door, Kort's eyes catched something weird in the table. Three seats, three plates, three glasses of half drunk blue milk. "Are you having guests?" malice seeping from Kort's voice. "No. I haven't had the time to clean, working on the next shipment". Kort went to the table and took a plate of rations, warm. "It's warm, Ore" Kort replied. "Everything is warm near the forge". Kort looked at Ore suspiciously. "You know what would happen if you were to harbor insurgents?" Ore swallowed hard "I know, and I wouldn't. I've learned my lesson". Kort smiled, satisfied. "Oh I know you have. Come on, register everything." As soon as he said it, the black cladded mandalorians started to trash the place, searching almost every nook and cranny of the modest shed. Marr and Tai stayed quiet and motionless under the hatch, wating for Ore's signal. They could hear everything from down there. The footsteps of the guards grew nearer and nearer. In the dark, Tai and Marr hugged, terrified of what could happen. They should start crawling, Marr thought. Ore might be dead as far as they know. They hadn't heard any blaster firing, but mandalorian soldiers were known to be as silent as they were lethal. "Stop!" Ore's roaring voice brought the steps to a halt. Marr sighed with relief. All the soldiers, Kort included, turned to Ore. "Any objections?" said Kort, his voice sharp and cold as a beskar knife. "I already agreed. I'll make the armor. Just leave me alone. Sometimes I put a plate and a glass for my wife and son. It makes me feel like they are still here." Kort signaled the soliders. "We're leaving" said Kort, and walked to Ore, and while he was approaching the armorer, a slight smile started to form on Kort's lips. A small, sadistic smile. Ore looked away. "Who knew an Ingot could be that soft?". Ore averted his eyes further. Kort put on his helmet, and walked to the door. "Tomorrow I would like to see the bracers at least. He will want to check your work." Kort left the door open. Ore sat down inside the shed, everything he owned on the floor. He took the helmet of his son and rested his forehead over the helmet's forehead. He sobbed while the sound of Kort's ship flooded the silent dome. After a few minutes, he went out of the shed and checked the perimeter of the dome. He knew how these people worked. He should find at least one bug or spying device. Maybe even a small fly droid. Nothing. He checked all the way back to the shed. Nothing. He went into the shed and cleaned the disaster, checking everything for a bug. He found 4 in total, almost like droppings. He took them and placed them into a small metallic box. As soon as he was done, he opened the hatch. Tai was still holding Marr as tight as he could. Ore helped them out, and hugged them in relief. Not a word was uttered as they cleaned up the place. As Ore was putting his son's helmet back into its rightful place, Marr approached him. "We…" The words would just not come out of her mouth. Ore stared at her a few seconds, and smiled. "It's nothing, Marr. It's part of my story. And not even the great ones are deprived of sorrow." He gave one last look to the helmet and turned to Marr "Let's go to sleep, tomorrow we'll have an early day". Marr took Tai's hand and they walked to their makeshift bunk bed, next to a small fire pit, it's flames dancing orange and yellow. As Ore snored and Tai lay uncovered on his bed the flames of the fire pit and the shadows it casted danced on the dirt covered walls of the small room. Marr stared at them. They reminded her of the day her mother lit their house on fire. It reminded her of the day her mother left them, alone, to the great white desert of Mandalore.