"We're not hiring." The bartender informed me curtly before moving on to the next customer, further deflating the little balloon inside me that kept afloat on the hope that I could get a job in the Upper City with only a reference from Dr. Forn, no background not even a private home address.
I guess I should have expected it by now considering I've already been turned down for: an apartment custodian job, turned down not for one and not two, but several waitress positions, not to mention Kebla Yurt's Equipment Emporium was a bust.
"Thanks for your time anyway." I say to his back trying not to be discouraged. Snap out of it, you'll figure something out. I tell myself making sure to keep my back straight and my face neutral as I leave the crowded bar... Why am I looking for a job, you may ask?
Well once I recovered from my injuries which was much quicker than it would have been with "modern medicine" back home. True to his word, I have been helping Zelka at the Clinic; mostly cleaning, organizing as well as handling waste disposal. In exchange for a cot in the back and sharing meals with him, he can't afford to pay me though, with his miserable nephew Gurney already on the payroll as the Clinic's Receptionist. And I don't expect him to, he's done more than enough by me. Did you know he practically funds the clinic himself with little to no funding from the Tarisian government? The only way he stays afloat is by selling medical equipment and taking the few and far between donations from the meager amount of nobles who consider it "fashionable" to give to charity.
Anyway I can't leave Taris or do anything without credits. So before I can decide on a plan of action I have to be in a position to act. Not shuffling from one place of business to the next begging for a job not even owning the clothes on my back. The deep purple long-sleeved tunic, tan leggings and black boots I have on were given to me from Zelka. Which even he took the time to take me shopping and let me pick it out. I protested but half-heartedly, the only thing I had were my PJs and they utterly destroyed from: trudging through a desert and the grimy Lower districts, getting shot and stuffing myself in a cargo crate. (Not in that order.) Which I'm ashamed to admit was my bed and bathroom, don't look at me that way! You have no idea how many hours I was stuck in their with only a crack to breath from, I wasn't going to risk getting caught in transit for a bathroom run.
Needless to say I was incredibly relieved when I felt the freighter land beneath me. Though I actually considered moving back in once I saw the Lowercity at the bottom of the ramp before the Duros crew member with a blade discovered me; I didn't stop running until my legs gave out. Which wasn't long admittedly since I didn't use them much curled up in that crate with only a bottle of water and a mystery bar I stole from another crate.
Anyway back to the clean and much improved (Thanks to Zelka.) present. I'm just making my way aimlessly through the Cantina not sure where to try next, knowing I need a new game plan; when the woman I was trying to pass grabs my arm. "Where did you get those clothes- a trash compactor from the lower city? And where are those drinks we ordered?!" No fricken' way...
"Sorry, but I'm not a waitress here." I tell her tightly, tentatively trying to free my arm from her grasp. This is the last thing I want to deal with. Forcing down my frustration and a pleasant smile on my face, trying to remind myself like a chant in my head: She'll have you beaten, she'll have you beaten, so keep it in and suck up if you have to. For Pete's sake the skin graft on my chest is still fresh along with the bruises.
"Why is the Help here so incompetent?" She demands ignoring what I just said, just like the game, "One word from daddy and I can have you fired." Actually now that I think about it; I'm pretty sure I'm screwed no matter what I say. It's not enough for her to have everything she wants, she has to prove that she can do anything she wants to anybody.
"Daddy", how old are you?" I ask incredulously with a judging raised eyebrow to match, she has to be at least thirty years old. "And whatever you're wearing must have already passed through the compactor since theirs so little of it left to leave anything to the imagination." Childish I know but her mini-dress was literally just sparkling strips covering the bare minimum held together by also sparkling see - through gossamer. I'm so gonna regret this, aren't I?
"How dare you speak to me like that Daddy is going to hear about this!" Spinning on her ridiculously high heel she storms out of the room her two groupies at her heels... Maybe this bar has a back door I can sneak out of.
Only when I'm sure there's no one in the back alley do I leave the threshold of the emergency exit. Unfortunately it's only when I turn the corner of the back door alley do I see the Rodian loitering at the corner waiting for me, before I can react he swings the pipe gripped in his fist striking my temple. I cry out seeing stars as I crumble tears filling my eyes as I struggle to fight past the pain and try to rise to my feet.
Through blurry vision I see the heels of the spoiled princess and the other Rodian watching the front entrance joining the son of a sith who struck me. "This should teach you to respect your betters." She tells me arrogantly putting her hands on her hips as she looks down her nose at me. In a surge of anger I blindly make a sweeping kick with my leg aiming at their feet. She goes down with a horrified shriek making me grin as blood oozes down my cheek. Unfortunately the Rodians were quicker than their boss and both managed to jump back from my leg.
At least I earned myself enough space to stagger to my feet my attackers glaring me down. A wild look in their black eyes like their on something as the completely ignore their employer who's sobbing as she runs away holding her wrist like she sprained it or something landing on it, serves her right. Now that my vision can focus I see what I thought was a pipe in the first attacker's hand is actually a now fully charged stun baton and his buddy grips a wicked looking blade, crap.
Our stare down only lasts a few seconds before the baton guy grows impatient and takes another swing at me sparks spitting from his weapon this time. At the last possible second I duck the air crackling above me as he misses. Diving to the side I try to get away from the wall and sprint for the busy street 50 yards ahead but I don't get far before the stun baton rams into my back overloading my body with volts making me choke on my tongue as I fall forward my legs turned to jelly. By sheer will I almost manage to stagger forward but he wraps his arms around my middle tackling me with his full weight.
Landing with jarring force I manage to swivel around underneath him to jab my fingers hard into his cringing eyes while jerking on one of his antennae with my other hand causing him to bleat out in pain. A sharp kick to the side of my ribs from his buddy knocks the wind out of me and allows the one on top of me time to pin my wrists above my head. Trying to buck and worm free from under him with every ounce of strength I have is useless and they know it. In a full blown panic now I can only whimper as the one with the blade crouches over me slowly drawing the weapon closer to my face savoring my fear.
Before I can comprehend what I'm seeing a large hand cups the Rodian's chin at the same time a thick forearm snakes around his throat. The only reaction time the Rodian had was to tense, his expression turning to shock before the hand wrenched his neck to the side killing him instantly.
As his partner's body crumbled beside him the other Rodian jumped to his feet baton at the ready, but Canderous is quicker. Rushing the guy while grabbing hold of the wrist gripping the baton, the Mandalorian forced his opponent back out of my field of vision and slammed him into the wall of the Cantina by the sound of it. Ignoring the pains in my chest I rise to my knees to find Canderous already standing over the Rodian as it's body slowly slides down the wall to crumble at his feet.
The danger past, the adrenaline rush leaves my body like a flushing toilet, making me tremble, or maybe that's the volts I received from the baton. In my stunned state all I can find myself focusing on was the Rodian's body lying beside me his head staring back at me at an awkward angle...
I jump when I feel the gentle pressure of Canderous's hand on my shoulder turning me away from the body. His lips pursed in concern as he inspects the wound on my temple. I know I need to get a hold of myself, it's just that the first time this happened, when I got shot... It happened so fast, that I was already flat on my back and in too much pain to know what happened to those that ambushed Canderous before I blacked out. I'm not completely naïve, I knew that they were dead but this, being conscious for all of it is something different.
"We've got to stop meeting this way." I joke weakly, trying to focus on anything else, they were going to kill me it was you or them. Ignoring my lame comment Canderous grabs my hand pulling me to my feet with a grunt. "Thank you, you saved my life... again."
"Only an idiot throws herself into a fight when she doesn't know how to defend herself." He speaks for the first time since I've met him. Taking a step back from me once I'm able to stand on my own without swaying. He studies me critically like he was trying to figure me out or understand my motives for interfering during the ambush, days ago.
"Hey I didn't pick that fight they did, and that spoiled brat they worked for." I protest maybe more than a little offended that one of my favorite characters thinks I'm an idiot. "Besides I thought Mandalorians were all about leaving the weak to their fate or something. If you truly think I'm an idiot why'd you help?" I spout out occurring to me only after I opened my mouth how ungrateful it was.
"I said you were an idiot not a weak idiot, a weak idiot would have never jumped into the fight in the first place let alone choose my side. Why did you?" He asks with genuine curiosity, I guess it wouldn't make sense to join someone else's fight in a place like Taris.
"I, I don't know, it was an unfair fight I guess. You were outnumbered and at the time I thought you were incapacitated by the blast. I couldn't do nothing and watch them gut you." I partially answer, I doubt adding that I know your a good guy from a video game would go over well. That said I guess I am an idiot for not remembering at the time that Canderous's enhancements would allow him to heal at an unnatural rate and take a blast like he did and as he might when the Leviathan captures the Ebon Hawk.
He's quiet for a while mulling that over while I try not to fidget under his scrutiny. The sounds of flying cars zooming over head and distant pedestrian voice's filling the silence between us. "If you want to survive your next fight, never run from them exposing your back to your enemy." He lectures like it's a foregone conclusion that I'll be in another fight... On second thought it probably is considering where I am. "If your opponent has you pinned to the ground like he did. Don't try to push him off, he's heavier than you and you won't have the strength to buck him off. Instead extend your elbow not your shoulder and force one of his hands down to your side while bringing your other elbow down to your hip, keeping your knees curled in. Use his weight against him and pivot him off before rolling free."
I nod as he tries to demonstrate while standing, though I'm not really sure if I could replicate it. I think he realizes this cause he frowns looking thoughtful, when something occurs to me, "I'm Kylie by the way."
"Canderous Ordo." He nods in greeting then after a tick like he suddenly came to a decision he adds. "I'll clean things up here, you get that Doctor to check you for a concussion and I'll be at the clinic first thing in the morning to begin your training."
A/N: In case anyone was wondering the defense technique Canderous is trying to describe is a real women's self-defense technique you can view on youtube from Enter Tai Chi, Women's self defense ground defense if you want to check it out. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll turn the next chapter with me. It's a work in progress I know and I'm really starting to regret jumping ahead not writing Kylie's struggle to make it from Korriban to here but it is important for my story that Kylie for better or worse be in Taris. Also I will definitely elaborate more as to why Canderous decided to take up training hopeless Kylie in the chapters to come. Thanks for reading.