Hi! I'm late to the Mandalorian party and new to the Star Wars fandom! I've decided to jump in headfirst, so here I am.
I will put the usual disclaimer I do on all my fics: I'm really bad at editing! Correct me, ignore, whatever you wanna do! I'm open to constructive criticism.
I hope you enjoy!
Vivace
Chapter 1
With a downbeat, her song began to play. A minuet. She raised an arm, fingers not too curled, but not too straight either. Only a slight bend in the elbow.
One two three. Two two three. One foot forward, toes pointed, arch back. Rotate neck ever so slightly, two three.
At the long table ahead sat the parents. Hers were on the far left. Her mother had an exaggerated smile on her face, mouthing the same words she always did while pointing to her mouth.
Step back, two three. Not too far though, the dress was short and could expose too much. Spin to face the suitors. Bend at the hips, two three.
A glint of silver.
Never had a man, nor alien wore full armor here before. Far more formal wear was required.
Spin again to face the other way, towards the other girls dressed in silk, frowns on their faces. The song was nearly over. There were only a few more girls waiting for their turns. Then it would be over.
With one last step and arch, the song ended.
She turned towards the parents and bowed. Her mother frowned now, whispering something to her father. No one clapped.
Next, she turned to the table of suitors. They sat with one chair spaced between them. Occupying some of them were the girls that already danced.
One of the men stood up, the same one that stood the year before.
She bowed to him, then proceeded to the table. The chairs to either side of him were empty, one beside a blue skinned Mythrol, and one beside the armored man.
She sat between the suitor and the armored man. The suitor that stood two years in a row took her hand and kissed it.
"Allow me to get you a drink," he whispered.
As he excused himself, the next dancer began with her selected song. Unlike most of the other girls, her movement didn't look as forced. She lacked the heaviness that most of them had. Perhaps she looked forward to being chosen.
"Can I ask you a question?" A quiet voice came from her right. It was electronic, like a droid, but had more emotion.
Her eyes slid to the side. The armored man's helmet was facing her. Was he speaking to her? It was hard to tell when his eyes were hidden behind thin black visor.
The helmet tilted forward, ever so slightly.
She leaned towards him while facing ahead. "Are you talking to me?"
"Who does it look like I'm talking to?" The question was rhetorical.
This man, or droid—or whatever he was—didn't know what was going on? And talking to her? He definitely wasn't supposed to be here.
How interesting.
Her eyes flickered across the room before falling back on the man's helmet. "It's a ball. And you didn't stand, and therefore are not supposed to talk to me."
"This is a ball? Not a single person looks happy to be here." He gestured to the dancers specifically.
Happy? There was nothing to be happy about. Even the band lacked the usual enthusiasm characteristic of the planet's music. The music was somber.
"The Canto Silarian Ball isn't about a good time. Like everything else on this planet, it's a business transaction."
"If you're selling skill, you might want to try a different profession," he said.
He truly did know nothing. What was he doing here? How did he even get in?
"It's not our skills that are for sale, it's our bodies."
The man's helmet sharply turned back to her. "This is prostitution?"
She shook her head. "Worse." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Arranged marriage."
The man looked around the room as if reassessing the situation. "Is this normal?" His voice was almost too quiet to hear.
He sounded…alarmed. Perhaps the reaction suited him; foreign in both appearance and response.
Suitors came from across the galaxy in search of an easy wife, happy to take the scraps the men of the planet deemed unworthy of their attention. They boasted about wealth and openly critiqued the girls bodies as they danced. But this man was disturbed by it.
Were there more like him?
"It's an easy way to make money when your daughter comes of age." She looked at the other girls. "The lack of skill is intentional."
"That explains why none of you are smiling."
"It normally works for us." Her eyes wandered to the suitor conversing with another, drinks in hand. "Unfortunately for me," She leaned in closer to the man. "He likes how I frown."
He followed her gaze. "So you have no attachment to him?"
Attachment? These men could be fed to the creatures of the sea for all she cared. The same suitor stood for her the year before, but her parents wouldn't accept his offer.
"No. I don't even remember his name."
The man's helmet faced the dancing girl as he spoke. "Would you be willing to help me out then? I can pay you handsomely."
Of course. It made sense now. The armor, the ignorance to the ball. "You're a bounty hunter," she whispered, also facing the next girl who dipped and twirled listlessly.
He only nodded in reply.
"You're not going to kill him, are you?"
He shook his head.
"I can get him alone after, if that works."
His helmet inclined. "That works."
The suitor placed down her drink and sat down. He smelled of expensive cologne but to such an extent it tasted bitter on her tongue. He was well groomed and dressed in fine robes, probably traditional from where he came. The same place he would take her if not for the armored man's proposition.
"It is a shame your legs weren't more dainty like hers," he commented, gesturing to the newest dancer.
She nodded, not turning away from the girl. It truly was, wasn't it?
Her drink sat untouched for the remainder of the night. After the last dancer, the girls who weren't chosen left with their parents. The girls who remained at the suitors table stayed put as the parents approached the men to negotiate.
The armored man got up to leave with the rest of the suitors who didn't choose a girl. He gave her the slightest tilt of the head before turning away. Her eyes followed the flow of his cape.
With the distraction gone, there was nothing else to focus on than her father speaking to the suitor. Her mother nodded along, a smile plastered on her face. Things must have been going well, perhaps the suitor was offering a higher price this year. Nothing would make a parent prouder, after all.
She shared glances with the other girls seated at the table. Frowns, pouts, teary eyes. Some held hands, sisters about to be seperated, most likely.
Her father's palm landed on her shoulder. "Good news, child. Sodun has accepted our offer."
"Just in time, darling. Five long years and someone finally sees your true value!" Her mother joined.
She closed her eyes and exhaled. She'd been so close, so close to freedom. Now this man would take her back to wherever he was from. Settle down in a life chosen for her and be controlled by a man who liked the way she frowned.
The armored man better go through with whatever he was going to do. He looked capable enough to take out Sodun, or whatever his name was. But appearances could be deceiving.
"May I be accompanied on a walk this evening?" she asked her father.
He grinned. "Oh, so you do like him. I thought I saw a glimmer in your eye across the table. You may go, if Sodun agrees."
Sodun's face split into a smile "I would be honored."
"Thank you," she said.
They exited the grandiose building onto a busy street. The casino wasn't far ahead. Instead, she directed Sodun in the opposite direction, towards a quieter part of the city.
Hopefully the armored man was following. Her eyes darted between buildings and in and out of the shadows. That's how bounty hunters worked, wasn't it?
Sodun's voice pierced against the quiet streets. The sheer volume and lack of restraint towards commenting on the poor state of the buildings only highlighted his obliviousness to the situation. His common sense was utterly nonexistent.
A glint of silver.
He wasn't in the shadows at all.
Sodun stopped in his tracks. The armored man stood dead ahead of them. His stance was menacing, and his hand hovered just above the holster of his blaster.
"What is this?" Sodun's demeaner completely changed to something akin to a petulant child.
The armored man didn't move an inch. "A setup."
Unlike Sodun, the armored man's voice was quiet. It didn't bounce off the buildings or grate against the breeze. It was stoic, disciplined.
Sodun's head snapped in her direction. "You were in on this?"
He made a move to grab at her, but stopped when a blaster shot rang out. It drew his attention back on the armored man "What I'm doing is totally legal on this planet, you can't do anything about it."
"I'm not an officer. I'm a bounty hunter."
Sodun's demeanor changed yet again. From arrogance, to anger, and now to fear. It only flashed across his face for a moment, then he fled.
He only made it a few steps before something shot out past her. It made contact with him, and with a yank, he was reeled back and onto the ground.
The armored man walked towards Sodun who writhed on he ground, groaning in agony and attempting to clutch his lower back. Once he made it to him, he cuffed him and yanked him off the ground. Without hesitation, he searched Sodun's pant leg and retrieved a pouch. He looked back at her, nodding his head.
She approached. Between the cuffs and the armored man's hold, Sodun wasn't going anywhere. He held out the pouch and dropped it into her hands. It was full of credits.
Was this what he was going to pay for her? Was this the price of her life?
"You can't take that!" Sodan said through gritted teeth.
"No laws against stealing from thieves," the armored man replied as he began to drag him off in the direction of the casino.
Was that it then? It was over as soon as it began. The man did what he said he was going to do, and she was free for one more year.
He stopped and half turned back to regard her. "Thanks for your help." Was all he said before continuing on.
She jogged back home in the darkness.
.
Sitting on her bed, she stared down at the pouch of credits in her hands.
"Sodun changed his mind." She had told her parents.
They only shook their heads.
"There's always next year," her father had replied.
It was wrong. Just because it was tradition, didn't mean it was right. Everyone knew it, yet no one dared speak against it. The only way out was by escaping off planet or avoiding selection for the eight years of eligibility.
Only a few years left until she turned thirty, then she would be deemed unmarriable and therefor granted a relatively normal life, minus the ability to have children. Still a much better option.
She got up and walked out onto her balcony. It hovered just over the grass and had a view half of the small garden, and half of the street. Privacy wasn't a thing in the city, especially this close to the casino.
Even if she made it three more years and gained some semblance of freedom, where was there to go? Cantonica was a desert planet. Other than a few scattered settlements and the city, there was nowhere to go.
This planet had nothing for those who cared about things other than money and gambling, and neither seemed particularly glamourous. Dressing up, dancing, even the music here, it was all fake. An illusion cast over the city to appeal to off worlders. Everything on the planet was fake, even the sea. Even her.
A glint of silver.
It was him again. Probably returning from the casino where Sodun had stole the credits from. The back of his helmet reflected the golden lights of the city. His cape swished with each step. He walked in the direction of the Canto Bight Docking Bay.
Was it a sign? Maybe he was the ticket off this planet. He was a bounty hunter, probably escorted criminals all over the galaxy, how would transporting her be any different?
She grabbed a pebble and threw it. A ding rang out as it made contact with the back of his helmet. In a flash he spun around, blaster aimed at her.
She threw her hands up, but the man holstered his blaster a moment later.
His shoulers dropped slightly. "Didn't your parents teach you not to throw rocks at people?"
"I didn't know how else to get your attention," she replied, leaning on the railing.T
"You have a voice."
This man definitely wasn't from around her.
"My parents might hear if I shouted."
Instead of answering, he stood there.
She waited.
He was silent.
Wasn't he going to ask what she wanted?
"Well?"
She took a breath before speaking. "I was wondering if you could take me off planet."
"I'm not a babysitter." His response was instant.
"Please?"
He began to turn away.
"I can pay you handsomely!"
That caught his attention. He paused, his helmet once again turning to face her.
"All right," he said.
He walked over, off the path and onto the grass. She ran inside and filled a bag with some clothing and necessities. When she came back out to the balcony, he was still waiting. He reached for her bag. She passed it to him then climbed over the railing. He held his hand out again, this time for her. She grasped it, jumping the short distance down.
He led her back out onto the street. Her sandals clicked against the cobblestone. Her long nightgown didn't stand out amongst the dresses other females wore, plus everyone was too busy glancing at and away from the armored man.
The air was warm and humid as it always was. Would other planets feel different? Look different? Hopefully he wouldn't drop her off on another desert planet. Or one that spoke a different language. Or one that was too cold.
He didn't speak the entire way to the docking bay. It was refreshing actually, the silence. Especially after Sodun's one sided conversation.
"This is it," he said when they reached…some sort of old ship.
It looked like something discarded at a wrecking yard that was quickly fixed up. The complete opposite of the man's impeccable armor.
"Eh Mando, you finally getting that unsightly thing outta here?" The alien caretaker called, waddling over on three legs.
So, his name was Mando.
"Did you fix the generators?"
"I did, probably should get them replaced, or better yet, get a new ship."
Mando tossed some credits to the alien without a response. Satisfied, it waddled away again.
He fiddled with the controls on his vambrace for a full minute before giving up and banging the door of the ship. It shifted and finally opened with a bang as it hit the ground.
Was this thing safe to fly?
He climbed aboard, and gestured her in with his helmet. If he trusted the ship, then it had to work.
Despite the thick coating of dust and obvious ware and tare, it looked relatively unlived in.
It was all one level. On one side, a narrow opening led to the cockpit, the rest was a cargo area. Behind an open door was a small refresher. Then on the far wall was a bench and a set of bunk beds. Not even the slightest semblance of privacy existed here.
"You can have the bottom bunk," he said before heading into the cockpit.
She put her bag down on the foot of the small bed. It had sheets on it already, but like everything else untouched in the ship, it was covered in dust.
The engines fired up and the ramp shuddered and closed with a click. Everything rattled. Was it going to take off or fall apart?
She rushed into the cockpit and sat in one of the seats behind Mando.
The shaking only got worse as the engines powered up. While Mando calmly flipped switches and turned dials, she bucked herself into the seat and tightened the harness until it cut into her legs and chest.
"First time?" he asked.
She nodded vigorously, eyes darting from his reflection in the glass to the ground getting farther and farther away.
Finally. Finally, she was leaving. No longer the victim of an outdated tradition. Her fate was her own now. She could get a job, make her own decisions, have a life of her own.
The ship rose above the dark clouds and into the endless starry space above. Billions and billions of white specks all around. Each with its own planets and people.
Never would she have to dance again. Never would she have to listen to a man's rambling if she didn't want to.
Here, in the stars, she was weightless. Nothing to hold her. No tethers, no rules, no traditions.
"So you do smile."
She looked away from the galaxy towards the blurred reflection of the armored man. She blinked, regaining some clarity from the tears, but more came.
Was this it? Here in space with this stranger, in this ship.
Was this happiness?
.
.
Please feel free to tell me what you thought! I'm totally new to the fandom so I'm curious! Thanks so much!
