The galaxy has been free from the Galactic Empire for over 5 years, the empire broken into pieces by rebellion. But some of those pieces continue to haunt regions of the galaxy as the New Republic attempts to establish itself. Factions and warmongers torment innocents, some attempting to reorganize and continue the Empire's regime, others choosing to use their Imperial resources to follow different goals. With so many Imperial remnants and gangs spread across an outer rim that the newly reformed republic isn't capable of controlling, many have to depend on themselves to keep safe from these warmongers and unkept criminals, and while greatly outnumbered, a few make it their duty to fight against them.
Raza was an outer rim planet, basically unknown to the New Republic. The only records of this planet were more than likely old charts of it, stuffed away in storage few were aware of. The planet was made up mostly of rocky, shrubbery deserts across the continents, with cooler forests closer to the poles, broken into three large continents. The few oceans separating the continents were small, but deep, and filled with sea life.
Being on the outer rim, it was naturally underdeveloped compared to the inner planets, but it did host a handful of larger cities, along with too many towns and villages in the deserts to count. One of these large towns held a secret. Hidden underneath, in catacombs long forgotten by the locals, sat a small cove of Mandalorians. They've been there ever since the Empire glassed Mandalore, coming together from many broken tribes to form their own, looking to survive.
The entrance to these catacombs was hidden in a large junkyard sitting in the middle of the town. Scrapped ships, parts, and droids were strewn about inside its fence line, one side right up against a building. Hidden behind a short maze of scrap lay a short stairwell leading to a door in the building.
A figure suddenly rushed through a broken fence and into the yard, barely avoiding tripping over scrap. On their head was a pure matte white Mandalorian helmet, the helmet's rangefinder broken and swinging up and down as they ran. On the rest of his body, he wore scrambled-together, dirty, plastoid armor. The only weapons on him were a modified blaster pistol in a holster and a vibro-knife sheathed on his left side.
Scurrying through the scrap, the young Mandalorian raced down the hidden stairwell and through the doorway, making sure it shut behind him before rushing down even more stairs. Soon he reached the catacombs, slowing down to take a breath as he watched a pair of Mandalorians stroll past him.
Rubbing his visor clean with the scarf around his neck, the young Mandalorian held the case under his arm with a raised chin and marched through the halls.
After walking through a few halls of Mandalorians scattered about, the young man turned into a forging room. It certainly wasn't anything fancy, but they made do with what they had, and it helped that they had such a skilled forger.
Turning his head, he watched as the bright silver of her beskar armor gleamed from the fire of the forge, her helmeted head buried in her work. For much of his childhood, he remembered his father letting him watch her work. Watching her forge scrap and beskar into armor and weapons was a beautiful experience, one that allowed him to pick up a thing or two about forging armor. While he didn't understand many of the technical things about creating the gauntlet weapons systems, he knew how to construct the armor itself and its internal functions too. So much so the entire clan here has dubbed him her pseudo-apprentice.
He watched her work a bit longer before coughing, watching as her helmet tilted toward him. She immediately paused her work, setting her tools aside and turning to him. Her posture relaxed as she approached him.
Gesturing to a small table, she said, "Set the bounty down, kid. I'm as excited as you are to see if it's the real deal."
Nodding, the young Mandalorian set the case down on the table and sat across from her. Taking a seat, the forger turned the case towards herself and opened it, revealing that it was full of seemingly beskar ingots.
Leaning forward a bit, the young one said, "I know this won't be like the last one. The job was too hard to be a fake."
Chuckling softly, the forger lifted an ingot, inspecting it, and said, "I noticed, your temporary armor is a mess, Ranger. It's a shame you aren't as tall or broad as your father, or you could just have his armor. And I cannot understand your refusal to have it melted down for me to forge yours as your father wished before his death."
Softly sighing, the young Mandalorian leaned back and said, "I already think it's bad enough I took his helmet and weapons, but my father deserved to be buried in the armor he fought and died in. He was a warrior, after all."
Rising from her seat, the armorer nodded as she approached the forge, "Yes, I know. We all do and respect your wishes. And luckily, young Mandalorian, it seems you finally found something real."
Lifting his head, Ranger rose from his seat and stood next to her at the forge, "R-really? Pure beskar?"
The two watched as the ingot melted into a mold over the forge, then the armorer nodded with a chuckle, "Pure as the beskar mined from our homeworld years ago. And before your nineteenth birthday too. Looks like my daughter's friend will finally get his beskar armor."
Ranger shook his head with a chuckle, "She'll hang getting hers first over my head for a long time."
Chuckling, the armorer lifted the cast out of the forge to cool and said, "Indeed. But, more importantly, there is something your father wanted to give to you. Originally it was supposed to be for your eighteenth birthday in the case that he died, but seeing as you chose to let him keep his armor, I changed it to when you finally got your own."
Walking towards her tool storage, she opened its doors and pulled something hidden behind her tools. She turned, holding out a slightly worn, brown poncho. Ranger gazed at it a bit before he realized what it was. It was his father's best poncho. He always wore it over his armor.
Softly taking it, Ranger gazed at it longingly and said, "I thought he was buried with this…"
He lifted a visible claw tear in it with a chuckle, then said, "He never did shut up about how he got this tear while fighting alongside Boba Fett… this one was his favorite."
Nodding, the forger took the rest of the beskar and began her work, "I saw the paint you bought for your soon-to-be armor. The colors will match perfectly."
Chuckling softly, Ranger asked, "Heh… you knew about that stuff?"
The armorer nodded as she worked, "Oh yes, and you and my daughter were able to get that old republic attack shuttle working, you little geniuses. Your secret hideout outside our secret hideout isn't very secret."
Ranger rubbed his neck before returning to his seat, looking down at his father's cloth as the armorer did her work. Before he could react to the footsteps from behind, a hand smacked him in the back of his helmet, making him lurch forward with a yelp.
He rubbed his helmet, turning back to see a young Mandalorian woman standing with her arms crossed, chuckling softly. The armorer's daughter, and his close friend. Her armor was as gleaming silver as her mother's, though it was also painted with red patterns.
She playfully swatted at his broken rangefinder and said, "I'll fix this for you back on our ship. Not like it'll be soon before my mother here is finished with your armor."
Standing up, Ranger nodded, "Sounds good. We'll be back, ma'am."
The forger nodded, simply humming an old tune as she slammed a hammer into heated beskar. Elbowing Ranger, the young girl nodded as she skipped out of the forge. Gripping his father's poncho tight, Ranger followed behind her, the two running through the catacombs back toward the entrance.
The door opened, and the two quickly navigated the scrap yard towards the Republic attack shuttle. They had covered it with thin sheets of scrap metal, in the hopes to keep it out of general sight.
Walking up to its front entrance, Ranger watched as it lowered into a ramp and revealed the gutted interior. When they first discovered it in the scrapyard, it had all the seats lined up on both sides. Since then, they had gutted all but two of those seats to give the interior more space. In the back corner, they had stuffed bedding and storage for equipment and rations, turning it into a mobile home. Slumped against a storage chest in the back was an old, smaller B1 battle droid that had been left in the ship.
But now, there was something very new on the ship. Sitting close to the now-opened entrance sat an old but put-together BARC speeder. Ranger turned his head to his friend and asked, "Lana… is this…"
His friend, Lana, raised a finger over the mouth of her helmet and said, "Mama doesn't know all our secrets, ya know? I found this thing in another scrapyard a few towns over. It didn't take much work to get it to run, so now, it's ours."
Walking along the Republic speeder as the ramp door shut, Ranger ran his hand over its side. The design differences between a republic and imperial vehicles shined through in this speeder as well. He always preferred the republic's mechanized infantry during the Clone Wars over the empire's. Unlike the Empire's vehicles, these were built for war. They were grounded, and tactically sound, while the Empire focused heavily on policing and intimidation, which produced lackluster results when faced with real combat.
He gripped onto one of the speeder's front guns, shaking it a bit to test its stability, before turning to Lana, "You really are a genius."
He watched as she softly chuckled and walked to the back of the ship, opening the storage chest before speaking, "When you are the daughter of the armorer, you tend to pick up a lot of technical skills. While I'm not exactly good at the whole forging part, you know that part far better than me, but fall behind on the technical pieces, like built-in weapons systems."
Ranger nodded with a sigh, walking to the back and taking a seat on the lifted bedding, setting his father's poncho down, "Yeah… I'm pretty confident I can forge armor, but it'd be bare bones."
Nodding with a soft hum, Lana lifted a couple of precise tools and turned to his helmet's rangefinder, "Which is why we make a perfect team. If my mom ever needs a replacement, you and I, together, could probably craft the best suit of Mandalorian armor our people have ever seen."
He watched out the side of his visor as her helmet hovered right next to his, her hands and tools carefully working on the rangefinder. Small sparks flew out as she lowered herself a bit for a better angle.
Tilting her head a bit, she said, "You know, this helmet is a bit old… did your dad tell you how far back his armor originated from?"
Keeping still for her, Ranger said, "Only to his father, my grandfather. Though this armor isn't the only thing being passed on since my grandfather."
Lana nodded as she worked, 'Ah, yeah, that book. A family of Mandalorian historians. Your grandfather started an archive of the truth of all the galaxy's events and Mandalorian ones. Starting before the Mandalorian civil war began. Your dad used to say great secrets that the Empire buried were in that book."
Ranger nodded, "Yes, like the truth behind the purge of the Jedi, and a detailed line of ownership for the dark saber. Though… who knows if it's had a new owner since…"
Giving his now-fixed rangefinder a testing poke, Lana chuckled and said, "Guess we have some work to do to find out, Ranger."
He turned to her with a surprised expression under his helmet, "We? You'll… come with me?"
Softly fiddling with his rangefinder, Lana used it to pull his helmet a little closer and said, "Of course. I did just say we'd make a great team. Plus, I'm Mandalorian. I'm not going to stay cooped up in the cove here. You will chase our people's history, and that will lead us to the most momentous moments in our people's existence."
He gazed at her dark visor, feeling a warmth wash over him at the news. The two stared at each other for a few seconds when their silence was suddenly interrupted by the sound of an explosion. The two immediately whipped their heads to the shuttle door, listening as muffled blaster fire filled the air outside.
The two shot up, Lana gripping her blaster rifle as Ranger pulled his blaster from his holster. They both approached the door, opening the ramp and revealing an extensive trail of bootprints in the sand of the scrapyard leading to the hideout's entrance.
Rushing to the hidden stairwell, Ranger watched as a stormtrooper pushed through the hidden doorway, back turned to him and Lana. Twirling his pistol and aiming it forward, Ranger fired into the trooper's back. As they fell over, they exposed more stormtroopers firing into the hidden cove, unaware of the two young Mandalorians.
Both Ranger and Lana lifted their weapons and fired into the line of troopers, dropping them all in seconds. Leaping down into the halls, they could see the sides were lined with the bodies of dead stormtroopers and Mandalorians.
Ranger came to a stop next to a fallen Mandalorian as blaster fire continued up ahead in the cove. The shot was right in the neck, the only weak spot on most Mandalorians. These stormtroopers were the real deal, this was no gang.
He slowly rose from the body, Lana running behind him and patting his shoulder, "Ranger, my mother, we have to find her."
Ranger nodded, turning around, "Yeah, yeah, she's gotta still be in the forge. It's a good choke point."
Lana nodded and the two ran forward, shooting the back of any straggling stormtroopers they ran into. The further in they went, the more dreadful the situation became as more and more Mandalorian corpses lined the ground. The stormtroopers' numbers were overwhelming the surprised warriors, they weren't able to regroup properly.
It wasn't long before they turned a corner to see a large grouping of stormtroopers taking cover along the walls behind protruding pillars, blasting down the hall at the forge entrance and a few Mandalorians down at the next bend.
Lana quickly raised her wrist and fired a wire around the neck of one stormtrooper, firing into his back and gripping him against her for cover as the two young Mandalorians fired upon the stormtroopers. They spun around and returned fired, Ranger, being forced back around the corner as Lana forced the stormtrooper she held to take the shots.
As soon as they finished off the group of stormtroopers, the Mandalorians down the hall were forced to turn around as stormtroopers began firing at their flanks. Ranger rushed forward to the forge as Lana tossed the stormtrooper to the ground and yanked in her wire. Stepping into the forge, both were baffled to find the forger continuing her work, dipping a plate of armor into the water to cool it off.
Jumping forward, Lana gripped her mother's arm and asked, "Mama, what are you doing?! The cove is under siege, we need to fight or run, not craft this armor."
Quickly turning to her daughter, the forger held her shoulders and softly said, "I have a promise that needs to be fulfilled before I can do anything. But I need to know you two make it out alive. Your ship, the Imperials obviously missed it. Go back to it and leave here, return after three days. Whatever is left will be waiting for you."
Squeezing her mother's arms, Lana pled, "No, mama, it's not important, you can do that later! We need to-"
She was suddenly cut off by an explosion close to the forge's entrance. The three watched as two Mandalorians flung themselves around the entrance and into the forge, blaster fire zipping by.
One of the Mandalorian primed a thermal detonator and yelled to the armorer, "If we're going forward with the plan, best to do it now!"
The forger nodded to him, then turned back to Lana and said, "We have a plan. There is something here they cannot find, we're going to bury it. You two will come back and find it once they've cleared out after the three days."
Lana stared at her mother, the sound of the Mandalorians at the entrance firing back at the stormtroopers ringing out. Moving forward, Ranger grabbed onto Lana's shoulder and said, "We have to listen to her. We need to trust her."
She turned and looked at Ranger, unable to see the pleading expression he had. He already knew the situation, all they could do was listen to their elders and run.
Pulling their head from the entrance to avoid blaster fire, one of the Mandalorians said, "We'll cover you as you run out, but if you're going to go, do it now!"
Lana grunted, turning to her mother to say, "You better make it out!"
With that, Ranger gripped her hand and tugged her along, "We're going! Cover us!"
Nodding, the two Mandalorians leaned out of the entrance and fired down the hall at the stormtroopers, gunning a number down as their bolts struck the beskar armor.
The two young ones bolted away from the hall of stormtroopers, heading back the way they came with their weapons drawn. As they reached the stairwell, another squad of stormtroopers was bustling down them.
Ranger quickly turned his blaster pistol down to his, using a hand to hold down on the hammer at its back. This caused the middle section to start spinning with a red glow, then he squeezed down on the trigger, the weapon becoming a repeating blaster as he fired a volley of lasers at the squad. In only a couple of short seconds, the entire squad was toppling down the stairs.
With their way cleared, the two jumped over the bodies and raced up the stairwell. Sprinting up the stairwells, they finally reached outside the catacombs. Weaving around the short scrap maze, the two began sprinting across the scrapyard toward the ship.
Suddenly, a blaster bolt cracked past Ranger, making him spin to watch as the shot struck Lana in her throat, sending her body tumbling onto the ground. He stared at the body momentarily before falling to a crouch, barely ducking a blaster bolt. As he fell to a crouch, he aimed his blaster pistol up to the roof of the nearby building. On top was a scout trooper with a blaster rifle, aiming at him. Ranger was faster as he squeezed his trigger, firing a bolt right into the scout trooper's face, their body getting flung backward by the force.
Spinning back around, Ranger holstered his blaster and slid to Lana's side, shaking his head as he held her's in his hands. "No, no no no… your mother… we promised!"
He traced the wound on her neck with his fingers, holding back any tears as he held her helmeted head close to his own. His grieving was soon interrupted by storming boots leaving the hidden stairwell.
Hooking his arms under hers, Ranger quickly held her up and dragged her into the ship, slamming the door shut just as stormtroopers appeared from behind the maze of scrap. Carefully setting her body down, Ranger hit a button, the pilot's seat lowering from the cockpit down to the front of the bay. Jumping in, he quickly rose back up to the cockpit and powered the ship on.
The shields kicked in just as the stormtroopers opened fire, deflecting any lucky shots that might've damaged something important. He pulled the controls up, the ship lifting into the air. As soon as the nose was pointed upwards, he pushed the throttle forwards, shooting the ship forward and far into the sky.
Ranger watched as the ground disappeared beneath them, continuing to fly upwards until the sky darkened and became littered with the glowing distant stars. Once he was in space, he pulled back on the throttle and sagged back into his seat, rubbing his helmet with his hands as his mind processed everything that had happened.
He pressed a button, his seat lowering back to the bay once more. As he climbed out of it, he turned to Lana's body, slumped against the wall. Ranger slowly walked in front of her, lowering himself to a kneel.
Lana's helmeted head sagged to the right, her throat blackened by the blaster bolt. He rubbed his hand over the brow of her helmet, stopping and holding it by its cheek as he gazed into the black visor.
His throat was tight as he spoke, "I'm… so sorry. I couldn't save you… or anyone else. Only myself… what kind of Mandalorian am I?"
The hand at his side balled into a fist. With a yell, Ranger stood up and spun around, ramming his fist into the wall. The impact suddenly caused a pipe on the ceiling to disconnect, steam blowing out of it as an alarm started going off.
Ranger rolled his fist, groaning softly before smacking himself in the side of the helmet and grabbing some tools from the storage chest.
He kicked a small crate underneath the disconnected pipe and jumped onto it, moving the pipe back into position. Moving the tools close, he got to work fixing it, busying himself with the work to avoid his pain.
#
The shuttle shook as it flew back down to the surface, Ranger gripping the controls tight. Three days had passed, Ranger having spent that time drifting in the plant's orbit.
He finally broke through the clouds, the town he ran from coming into view far on the ground. The ship slowly approached the scrapyard once again, Ranger eyeing the area around. As Tana's mother said, the Imperials had left the scene by now.
With a sigh, he slowly set the ship down in the scrapyard, lowering his seat to the bay and opening the front ramp. Standing up, Ranger turned towards Lana's body and lifted it, carrying it outside and setting it down against the front of the ship. He softly straightened her body before turning to the stairwell hidden behind the scrap maze and walking through it.
As he stepped down the stairs and through the hidden door, he walks out into the halls of the cave, looking out. All of the bodies of stormtroopers were gone, but the Mandalorians were left to rot. As he slowly walked through the halls, he took note of all the bodies. Some Mandalorian bodies were missing, the Imperials probably simply taking the ones they could carry for the beskar, leaving the rest with little care. In most cases, that would suggest they were in a hurry, especially to be gone in only three days. Did the forger know something he didn't?
He continued forward through the halls before finally coming upon the forge, walking in to see the walls were painted with black, blaster bolt marks. But there were no bodies.
Walking in, he walked around the forge towards the large tool shelf. It was a mess, all the tools thrown across the forge room and missing from the shelf. He rubbed his hand against the surface of the shelf, wondering what she wanted him to even come back for.
He suddenly stopped, staring at the barren shelf for a moment, having seen something in its metal back. There was an outline sketched out in the metal. It was a Mandalorian iron heart.
Turning his head, Ranger looked around the forge, then looked at the forge himself. It had been turned off for a while, a sight he had hoped never to see. A silent forge is a symbol of a dead clan.
Leaning forward and gazing into it, he saw something glimmering at its bottom. Carefully reaching in, he grabbed a hold of the glimmering piece and lifted it. It was just as he suspected, a Mandalorian diamond, or iron heart. Not any iron heart, though. It was a shimmering gold. It was the forger's own, stripped right from her armor.
He knew she would leave some kind of key somewhere, and stormtroopers were not likely to dive their bucket heads into a massive forge to fish for treasures.
Turning back towards the tool shelf, he gripped the iron heart in his hand and stepped forward. Lifting the golden piece, he placed it into the outline on the shelf. It sank into it like a key, then the sound of a heavy click went off. The shelf slowly swung forward, Ranger stepped back to see what was hiding behind it.
A large stash was carved into the wall. Sitting in this stash was a fresh, shining set of Mandalorian armor, and besides that, a gold and wooden capsule of some kind.
He gazed at the armor, moving forward and lifting one of the gauntlets. Unlike all suits of Mandalorian armor, this one was missing the gadgets that were built into the gauntlets. Understandable, given the time restraints forced onto the forger.
Looking down at himself, he gazed at his haphazardly put-together armor of plastoid and hide. It dawned on him how ridiculous he must've looked amongst his clan.
Moreover, he had no idea why she would waste time finishing his armor. Now she was dead, and so was Lana.
Turning to the capsule, he lifted it and gazed at it. He didn't recognize this, but whatever it was, it may have been why she had to stay behind. Placing the capsule on his belt, he picked up the stacked armor and carried it away. Leaving the cove, he boarded his ship and laid the armor out on the bedding. Once he was done, he walked back out and moved to the cove again. He had one last thing to do before he had to move on.
#
Stabbing a shovel into the ground, Ranger turned and gazed out at the dozen graves he had finished. The sky was already deeply darkened, the task taking all day to accomplish.
Stepping forward, Ranger kneeled before the graves and hung his head, muttering regrets under his breath. There were so many things he and Lana were going to do together, so many things she never got to see. She never even got to see the ship they worked on together go into space for the first time.
A few tears dripped out of his helmet and onto the sand at his knees before he finally rose, shaking his head and turning back to the ship. Walking to the back, he gazed out at the armor laid out on his bed. Turning to the storage chest, he opened it and revealed the paint he had prepared.
Sighing, he picked up the armor and took it outside, setting each piece out on the dirt softly and retrieving his spray paint. Taking a look around the scrap yard and making sure he was all alone, he slid his helmet off his head and placed it down.
Brushing his hand over the top of the helmet, he shortly reminisced about his father. The helmet was a pure, matte white, just like the rest of his father's armor. Underneath that armor, his father wore a brown undersuit and gloves, along with a brown poncho and duel blaster pistols.
Making sure to keep the visor covered, Ranger raised the paint and began spraying, painting the helmet a sand tan. Once the helmet was done, he moved on to the rest of the armor as he waited for it to dry. He painted it all the same sand tan except for the hand armor, taking out the maroon red for those. Once it was all done and dry, the helmet was ready for the final touch.
Taking the maroon, he carefully painted the outline of the T-shaped visor, then the rangefinder. He then moved on to the shin pads, spraying a single maroon stripe down the middle on each one. With that, he was done.
As he waited for the helmet to dry, his attention turned to the ship. He gripped the maroon paint in his hand, gazing at it. This was Lana's ship as much as his.
Moving to the left side of the nose, he pointed to the paint can and slowly painted an image of Lana's helmet onto it, then her name in galactic basic next to it. He took a step back and gazed at the imagery. It would have to do, he certainly wasn't an artist.
He walked himself back into his ship, stripping his armor off his body and tossing it to the side. This stuff was nothing but trash now, not worth keeping.
Taking his belt and holster off, he sat them down and started getting changed. He slipped on his grey flight suit, straightening it on his body before moving on. He slipped on his grey gloves and black boots, patting them to make sure they weren't loose.
Ranger finally walked back outside, ready to put on his dried armor, to be completely Mandalorian. He was a Mandalorian, like his ancestors before him. His armor was his skin, his helmet was his face, his weapons were his life. He was a warrior bound by honor, who was trained from the moment he was born.
All his armor finally fit on his body, Ranger lastly putting the poncho on around his neck. All Ranger had left was his helmet. Lifting it, he gazed at the front of it, gazing at his reflection in the visor. This face had no meaning, it wasn't who he imagined when he thought of himself.
Turning the helmet around, he slipped it onto his head and straightened it, listening as it pressurized. He gazed around for a moment, then took a few steps around to get acquainted with the armor's weight. Beskar was strong, but thanks to his training it wasn't overbearing to wear at all.
Walking back into the shuttle, he put the belt and holster back on, putting the blaster into the holster. He tested his draw a bit, only to find the poncho got in the way a bit. Gripping the poncho, he flipped it over his left shoulder, letting it all drape on his left side alone. Now he had full access to his blaster, and his vibro-blade sheathed on the left side of his belt was as easy to get to as always.
Moving back outside, Ranger gazed out at the graves. Lana's mother sacrificed herself to make this armor. He knew she cared deeply for his late father, and in turn, cared deeply for him, but he wished she didn't feel the need to go so far. There was the capsule, still, which he had placed in the storage chest in his ship. That meant something to her, though he doesn't know what. He wasn't able to open it up, but he was going to find out what it was. He needed to, for Lana and her mother.
Suddenly, a voice called out, "Is that a Mandalorian I see?"
Turning his head, Ranger watched as a human man slowly passed through the broken fencing of the scrap yard. Walking away from his ship, Ranger nodded, "That I am."
He watched as the stranger turned their head towards the dozen mounds in the ground, seemingly catching on to what they were as a frown came over their face. The man put his hands in his pockets with a sigh, then said, "I knew I heard a lotta blaster fire 'round here a couple of days ago, nonetheless after Imperials came marching through. But I had no idea… I didn't even know so many of you were around here."
Ranger looked towards the cove, realizing it was best not to reveal the secret to anyone. It could still come in handy later on, though for what he didn't know.
Looking at the man, he said, "This yard was a common meeting place for us on the planet. We were ambushed by the imperials, it seems only I survived."
Nodding with a shake of his head, the man said, "I'm sorry for your loss. I know that yesterday, those damn imps finally left town with a transport of stuff. They even ransacked a couple of our shops."
Ranger balled his fist in anger. Not only did they kill his clan, but they're also ransacking these innocents too? Raising his head suddenly, realizing something, he turned to the man and asked, "You said they left town, did they go off-world?"
Shaking his head, the man said, "No way. Those imperials took hold of a small mining base far outta town weeks ago. Not very big, nothing more than a glorified warehouse with a fence. But it's too much for our sheriff to take care of…"
The man suddenly looked Ranger up and down, then snapped his fingers and said, "Hey, how about you go talk to the sheriff about it? You're a Mandalorian, with a bit of help you could turn that place upside down with no problem."
Nodding, Ranger said, "Knowing they're still on the planet, I was going to take care of them myself. But yes, a bit of help from your sheriff would be appreciated."
Looking up at the night sky, the man said, "Now is probably a good time, too. The sun only recently went down, you guys can jump them in the dead of night when they aren't expecting it."
Stepping forward, Ranger said, "Take me to your sheriff, if you'd be so kind."
The man chuckled with a nod, "I like your enthusiasm. Right this way, Mandalorian."
"The name is Ranger."
Looking Ranger up and down, the man chuckled and said, "You certainly look like a ranger. Nice to meet you. I'm Donry. Donry Bray. Now let's go get you and the sheriff and your way."
Walking out through the broken fence, Donry led Ranger out into the quiet town and towards a small building in the corner of a large intersection. The building had a rack in front of it with two speeder bikes parked.
The spurs on Ranger's boots clinked as he stepped on the hard sidewalk around the building, garnering Donry's attention. Pointing to them with a chuckle, he asked, "What's the point of those things?"
Ranger leaned his head over to gaze down at them, then said, "They were my fathers. How else would he have controlled the speed of his mythosaur?"
Nodding his head, seemingly believing the blatant lie, Donry said, "Oh yeah, I did hear about how you Mandalorians ride those great beasts. Wizard…"
Holding back a chuckle, Ranger simply turned and walked into the building. The door slid open, revealing a large room with a desk and chair in the back, a man lazing back on it with his eyes shut. The man certainly looked like a sheriff, with a brown vest over black padded undergarments, a hat on the floor behind his head, and dual blasters holstered on his hips. To the right of the room was a hall of cells, all empty except for a deputy napping in one of the cell beds.
Marching forward, Ranger kicked the sheriff's foot and watched the man flail about for a moment with a gasp. After regaining his composure, the sheriff shot up on his face to stand face-to-face with the Mandalorian.
The sheriff gazed into the darkened visor for a few seconds before his eyes widened, "Wait… a… Mandalorian? Here? Why are…"
Looking over Ranger's shoulder, the sheriff spotted Donry, then asked, "Donry, why did you bring a Mandalorian here? Is he a bounty hunter or something?"
Donry stepped forward and chuckled, "Kinda. You know how the imps had a huge blaster fight around that abandoned scrapyard a couple of cycles ago?"
The sheriff nodded, then Donry gestured to Ranger, "That was the shooting of his family dead. He's here for revenge, and we want those imps gone from our world. I figured with a Mandalorian, you could finish the job easily."
Turning back to the Mandalorian, the sheriff looked him up and down for a moment. Rubbing the long mustache on his face, the sheriff chuckled and said, "I do like the cut of your jib, mando. I'm Sheriff Runa. Bay Runa. My deputy over yonder is Melby Briggs. She's a fine sharpshooter, so she'll give us cover while we take the base the old-fashioned way."
Pulling his blaster out and holding it up, Ranger nodded, "I prefer it that way. The sooner the better, the darkness will give us the advantage."
He watched as the sheriff eyed his blaster. Putting his hand on his hip, Sheriff Runa said, "That's quite the modified blaster. Can't even recognize its original make."
Ranger shifted his head as the deputy silently slithered next to them, not being caught off guard by her stealth. The sheriff, however, wasn't as perceptive, yelping as she spoke up and said, "That's a high-powered DE-10. The scope was removed and an extra mechanism was added over the cylinder… a hammer, strange."
Holding the blaster for her to see as the sheriff calmed himself from the scare, Ranger asked, "Can you figure out what that mechanism is for?"
Rubbing her chin as she gazed at it, she said, "Only weapons I know that need hammers are primitive slug throwers. But… the cylinder is modified too. This thing isn't a repeater, is it?!"
Spinning the blaster on his finger, he slipped it back into his holster with a nod, "Thing's made up of dallorian alloy, keeps it from overheating while going full auto like a normal blaster would."
Melby leaned back with a whistle, "That ain't cheap. And a lot of upgrades were made, cuz firing such powerful bolts fast and accurately isn't easy. How'd you get money like that?"
Ranger shrugged, "I didn't. It was my father's blaster. He had two… but he lost one in a fight."
Tapping both their shoulders, the sheriff said, "Hey, guys, too much chitting and chatting is going on. We have an Imperial base to shoot up."
Pulling her blaster rifle off her back, Melby huffed, "There's a nicely tall hillside to the side of the warehouse, so I can cover you fine. But the only fight you two will be in is one without cover."
Gesturing to Ranger, Sheriff Runa said, "That's why he's perfect. That armor is pure beskar, right, Mando?"
Ranger nodded, then said, "Yes, and the name is Ranger."
Laughing, Sheriff Runa patted his shoulder and said, "Oh, this is perfect! The sheriff, the deputy, and the ranger taking on the scum that has wronged the innocents of this humble town!"
Softly shrugging the sheriff off, Ranger said, "Got it, we need to move now. I'll get my speeder, then we'll head out."
#
Rocks and sand were kicked up as three speeders shot through the open desert. Sheriff Runa and his deputy both gave each other a look before turning to gaze at Ranger riding on his BARC speeder. The thing was rusty and old, in dire need of a new paint job.
Swooping in next to Ranger, the sheriff yelled out and asked, "Don't you Mandalorians usually have jetpacks?!"
Ranger nodded, "Yes… but not me."
"I was hoping for a more in-depth answer, but alright then!"
Shaking his head with a sigh, he yelled back, "Mandalorian jetpacks aren't easy to make or find! And they aren't like normal ones! They connect to our helmets and suits, using secrets only Mandalorian armorers know, and allow us to control them in ways that make them an extension of our body! It takes an immense amount of training to master, and an appropriate suit of Mandalorian armor to connect to!"
Swooping to his other side, Melby shouted, "You know a lot! Sure you should be sharing all this?!"
Ranger simply waved his hand dismissively, "I've barely told you two anything! Besides, what could you two do with what I have told you!?"
Melby shrugged with a chuckle, "Fair enough!"
The three continued to speed before coming to a stop as they reached a rising hill in the desert. Stepping off her speeder, Melby lifted her blaster rifle and said, "Right past this is the front of the warehouse. They don't have anything mechanized, just bucket heads with blasters, so you'll probably be fine if the beskar holds up. So sheriff, stay behind Ranger."
The sheriff nodded with a chuckle, climbing off his speeder and resting his hands on the grips of his holstered blasters, "Don't you worry about me. I already knew to hide behind him."
Jumping off his speeder, Ranger walked around the hill and stood still, gazing out at the fenced-in warehouse sitting 100 yards away. The wind picked up as he gazed upon the base of his clan's murderers, his poncho flowing from his left side. Sheriff Runa gazed at him for a moment, then cleared his throat and approached him.
Gesturing to the warehouse's front gate, he said, "It may be dark, but they're still patrolling at the gate. We should approach now instead of posing dramatically in the distance."
Ranger simply walked forward towards the gate before saying, "They may think of me as another lost ghost in the desert and simply ignore me. Stay behind me."
Nodding, the sheriff gripped the grips of his blasters and followed behind the Mandalorian, whose hand stayed relaxed and away from his holster. The two approached the gate, Melby proning on the hill's top and zooming her sight in, looking on as the two approached the warehouse.
As they walked forward, the sheriff muttered, "We've scouted this place a dozen times… no other ways in… no tools to cut the fence… has to be the gate."
Turning his helmeted head back a bit, Ranger asked, "You seem a bit jumpy for a sheriff."
Taking a deep breath, the sheriff said, "Well, to be fair, I only became sheriff a few weeks ago. The Imperials weren't big fans of the last one, you see…"
Ranger only nodded, understanding the scenario perfectly. If he was so new, he was already ballsy enough to go through with this kind of plan, let alone come up with it himself.
The gate suddenly slowly opened up, and a dozen stormtroopers marched out to meet them. Sheriff Runa's hands gripped the blasters tighter, lifting them a bit from the holsters. Ranger continued, his hands relaxed at his sides.
Shifting his helmet, he watched as the troopers spread out in a line, raising their blasters as they approached. The stormtrooper in the center of the line wore an orange pauldron, clearly signifying his command. After a few more steps, the commander raised his fist, the troopers all halting with their blasters raised.
Ranger paused with them, lowering his helmet a bit as he glared forward at the troopers, hands still relaxed at his side. The sheriff behind him was nervous, the sound of his blasters being gripped audible to him, but he kept his cool.
The commander lowered his blaster and called out, "Mandalorian, state your business here!"
Taking a small step forward, Ranger called out, "I'm from off-world, a bounty hunter. The sheriff here said he had no good jobs, but that you might. While I get my people have a grudge with yours, I'm not one to ignore good work."
The commander stared him down for a moment, then raised his hand and said, "Stand down, but stay on guard."
Ranger gazed out and watched as the troopers all slightly lowered their weapons. He could hear the sheriff behind him let out a sigh of relief. The commander called out again, "I am going to speak to my superiors regarding it. You stay right where you are, is that clear?"
Crossing his arms, Ranger nodded, "Kyber."
Nodding, the commander turned and walked past the gate, heading for the warehouse. Leaning forward a bit, the sheriff asked, "Whatcha planning, Ranger?"
Waving his hand down by his waist, Ranger said, "Just follow my lead."
#
Gazing out the glass on the warehouse's second-story command center, a man in scout trooper armor watched as a dozen stormtroopers moved out to greet the oncoming visitors. Fortunately, this was none of his business. It was ridiculous enough that he was stuck out here this long.
A door behind the man slid open, prompting him to turn around and watch an Imperial officer walk in and approach the holo table at the room's center.
Gesturing to the officer, the man stepped into the holo table's light, which revealed the black trimming and stripes across his white scout armor, the man asked, "I assume you're here because the beskar has all been smelted down, yes?"
Looking up, the officer nodded, "Indeed, which means your payment is on its way."
Letting out a small sigh, the man said, "Thank goodness, that took forever. You have no idea how hard it was to turn random hoodlums and street scum into skilled stormtroopers! All that training, all those headaches, I really do think I deserve a higher payment… but I'm not going to push my luck."
Chuckling, the officer said, "You shouldn't be frustrated, but proud. They took out an entire clan of Mandalorians! Leaving us with their beskar, worth twenty fortunes! Our operations will stay well funded."
Bobbing his head left and right, the man took an electro-baton from the left side of his belt and pointed it at the officer, letting the electricity crackle to life. Slowly walking around the table towards him, the man asked, "You didn't take it all, though. You're planning on moving out soon, hm? Or was all this beskar truly the main goal?"
The officer appeared unfazed by the scout trooper's baton, simply turning with a sigh, "It is true we have a greater goal, but we did not find what we were looking for. We will be evacuating soon with what we do have, though. In a week, a cruiser will show up and ferry us away. I've had enough of investigating this rock. And with all the Mandalorians dealt with, we won't have to worry about our goal being obstructed."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then the armored man laughed as he hooked the baton back to his belt and said, "Not all of them, if you paid any attention. But now, where's my payment?"
Tilting his head, the officer asked, "Wait, what do you mean?"
Leaning forward as he put a hand on his holstered DC-17, the man's helmet only inches from the officer's, he repeated, "Where's my payment?"
The door suddenly slid open again, a stormtrooper moving forward with a camtono in his hands. Moving away with a chuckle, the man took the camtono right from the trooper and walked out with a wave, "I did my job and now I'm gone, don't expect me to help with your armored visitor."
Before the officer could ask more, a commander walked past the man into the room and said, "Sir, we have a Mandalorian at the front gate."
His eyes widened, and the officer asked, "What?"
"He claims to be an off-world bounty hunter looking for work. What are your orders?"
Storming forward, the officer yelled, "He's lying! He's here for our heads! Order your men to gun him down!"
#
Ranger lifted his head, watching an old armored Y-wing lift off from behind the warehouse and shoot away. All the stormtroopers lifted their gazes to watch the ship, giving Ranger an opening.
Ripping his blaster pistol out, he held down the hammer and fired from his hip, gunning down the line of stormtroopers before they knew they were under fire. As their bodies dropped, Ranger twirled the blaster and gestured forward, "Come on, sheriff, we got some imps to kill."
Drawing both his blaster out, the sheriff nodded, and the two ran forward at the open gate. Melby watched them storm in, moving her scope over the fence into the base. She watched as another squad suddenly charged out the warehouse's side entrance, the commander from before leading them.
Aiming at the commander, she pulled her trigger, a blaster bolt streaking through the air and striking the commander in the helmet. Their body was flung against the warehouse and dropped to the floor, the rest of the troopers quickly turning to try and find the one who fired. Melby was too far away to see though, and served as a perfect distraction as Ranger and Sheriff Runa turned the corner and opened fire on the squad.
The squad quickly turned and returned fire, the sheriff squeezing behind Ranger as a shot whizzed past, one striking his chestpiece. Ranger kept his gaze and helmet tilted downward, minimizing any chance of them hitting his throat. Melby fired as well, their combined fire making quick work of the squad.
Holding his blaster pistol up, Ranger jogged forward towards the side entrance and said, "The inside will be filled, but most will probably be a bit drowsy, so we have a chance. Keep your cool and stay behind me."
Keeping on the Mandalorian's back, Runa nodded, "Yeah, got it. These bucket heads don't stand a chance."
Passing through the entrance, Ranger was met with a wide hall, another squad of troopers running towards him. They all quickly stopped and opened fire, forcing Ranger to jump out of the entrance and stand next to it, red blaster bolts racing past them.
The sheriff leaned his head in for a peak, then pulled away with a chuckle. Holstering one of his blasters, he moved his hand behind his waist and retrieved a thermal detonator, then tossed it to Ranger,
Ranger caught the detonator, then Runa said, "You're safe if you get hit while leaning in. Chuck it, Mandalorian."
Nodding, Ranger activated the detonator and jumped in front of the door with his arm drawn back. With a grunt, he threw the detonator right down the hall, striking one of the stormtroopers right in the helmet. He watched the trooper stumble with a grunt, then the explosive went off at their feet. The hall was suddenly consumed by smoke as the explosive went off.
Once it finally cleared, Ranger jumped in and ran down the hall, the sheriff in tow. Melby watched the two enter, then watched as more troopers came around the warehouse and approached the entrance, planning on flanking them.
Readying her aim, Melby held her breath and started firing. Her first two shots struck two troopers in the necks, their bodies slumping over immediately. The rest jumped and began firing in the general direction of her shots, though she was far out of range. With a grin on her lips, she continued firing, taking the troopers down one by one to cover the entrance.
Ranger and the sheriff slowly moved out of the hall and into the belly of the warehouse. It was a massive smelting warehouse, designed to melt down and process metals and ores. These Imperials moved into this place for a reason, they were planning to strike his clan from the very beginning.
He squeezed his blaster's grip tighter, pointing forward at a stairwell at the far end of the warehouse. Gazing up, Ranger patted the sheriff and said, "Cover the second floor, whoever is left will probably want to shoot down at us."
Runa nodded, lifting both his blasters as they quickly moved for the staircase. Once in the open warehouse, as Ranger suspected, stormtroopers began opening fire from the second-floor scaffolding.
The sheriff opened fire as well, getting behind Ranger, who began firing as well. Two stormtroopers were struck immediately, their bodies falling over the railings and into the smelting furnaces. Ranger looked down for a moment, a bolt striking him right in the lower cheek of his helmet, making him stumble back a bit. Despite looking away, he pointed and fired his blaster, striking his assailant in the chest.
They did have good aim, that would've been his end if he hadn't adjusted his helmet over his neck. Brushing off the thoughts for now, he quickened his pace as he fired more, the troopers' shots either whizzing right past the two or striking and bouncing off his armor.
There were only about half a dozen troopers left when the sheriff grabbed another detonator and chucked it overhead. Raising his gaze, Ranger watched its arc and immediately knew it would miss the troopers. Quickly spinning his blaster away from his original target and aiming it, he fired a bolt right at the detonator as it soared over the stormtroopers.
He struck it dead on, the explosive blowing up right over the troopers and sending them spiraling off, charred from the blast. The second floor over the warehouse's smelting room was now clear, leaving the two to slow down their pace and walk up the stairs. As they walked towards the door on the far end leading to the control room, Ranger took notice of a couple of groaning, still-alive stormtroopers. Without a second thought, he quickly shot them both in the back, then twirled and holstered his blaster, continuing to the control room.
The sheriff watched on in surprise, then said, "Hey! You can't just… shoot unarmed…"
Spinning back around, Ranger glared Runa down and said, "They murdered the person… the people, I loved. The only people I loved. They deserved worse… it's easier this way. Just stay focused… and steel yourself."
Ranger turned back around and burst into the headquarters, blaster aimed forward. It was immediately knocked out of his hand by an electro-baton, a scout trooper slamming into it. Ranger headbutt the scout trooper, forcing them to stagger backward so he could unsheathe his vibro-blade and plunge it into their chest.
Another scout trooper jumped from behind him and stabbed their electro-baton into Ranger's back, making him yell as the electricity stunned him. Suddenly, the scout trooper was blasted multiple times as Runa walked into the room. The two scout troopers fell over, Ranger rolling his neck and shoulders with a grunt.
Turning to Runa, Ranger sheathed his blade and said, "Thank you. We have one last Imperial to deal with."
They then turned to the holo table in the room's center, watching as an Imperial officer slowly rose from behind it, hands in the air. Crouching down, Ranger picked up his blaster and aimed it at the officer, slowly walking forwards. Runa, however, holstered his as he walked alongside Ranger.
Softly putting his hand on Ranger's arm, Runa said, "Please, don't kill him. He is unarmed."
Nodding, Ranger kept his blaster trained and said, "I know. He was the one who planned all this. He is the one who gave the order for my family to be murdered. That's why he deserves something worse than death."
Backing away, the officer asked, "W-what are you going to do to me?"
Walking forward and gripping his collar, Ranger holstered his blaster and said, "Nothing. Sheriff Runa here is going to turn you over to the New Republic."
The officer's fear seemed to simmer, Runa was equally confused as he walked forward and asked, "That doesn't seem so bad… is there a catch?"
Ranger nodded, tossing the officer at Runa to cuff, then said, "As an Imperial, he'll be put into a rehabilitation program. My father, being the historian he was, did a fair bit of research on the New Republic and such programs. Let's just say, no government will ever truly be good."
He watched the fear slowly return to the officer's face as Runa tightened the cuffs. Pulling out his com unit, Runa said, "Warehouse is clear, Melby. Mind heading over to help out?"
After a few seconds, the reply came, "On my way. You know, you're lucky I was here. Took out two whole squads that tried to flank you, so I expect a bonus in my next paycheck."
Gripping the officer by the wrists, Runa bobbed his head, "Yeah, yeah, just hurry."
Putting the com unit away, Runa gestured out of the headquarters and said, "You might want to check those smelters. If they killed Mandalorians, they would have made away with a lot of beskar."
Ranger walked past them with a nod, left the headquarters, and moved back downstairs. He gazed at the smelting line, following the conveyor belt to its end. Mechanical arms sat at the end, each picking up a cooled ingot and placing it in a large, open cargo container. Gazing into the hovering container, it was half full of pure beskar.
He gripped the crate's edge, staring at once was the armor of his clan. He picked an ingot up and examined it, his grip on it tightening with rage and remorse. He slowly calmed himself, putting the ingot back and letting the arms finish loading the last of them. His mission here was done, his clan was avenged. It didn't make him feel better, but at least the chain to this place was gone. Ranger had work to get started with, he had the work of his father and grandfather to continue.
Footsteps approached from behind, prompting Ranger to turn and watch Melby enter the warehouse. As she did, Sheriff Runa walked down the stairs with the officer ahead of him. Melby grabbed a hold of the officer, dragging him out of the warehouse and to the speeders.
Walking next to Ranger, Runa said, "My speeders got a mag-lock on the back. Once you're ready, I can transport this back with us so you can keep it."
Ranger slowly nodded, stepping back from the crate and shutting it. He pressed a button on the crate, making it hover off the ground. Gripping it, Ranger turned to Runa and said, "As payment for me helping you with your Imperial problem, burn this place. It would be an insult to my clan to let it stay standing."
The sheriff looked around at the warehouse for a moment before nodding his head, "I'll make it happen. I and my friends would be more than glad to burn a place owned by imps."
With that, the pair finally left the warehouse, returning to the speeders to see Melby actively harassing the Imperial officer laid over on her speeder. Walking behind her, Runa smacked her upside the head to stop her. Ranger listened as the two started bickering, attaching the hovering crate to Runa's speeder.
Climbing onto his speeder, the young Mandalorian watched as the sheriff and deputy continued to bicker, the Imperial officer squirming on Melby's speeder. He slowly slouched, waiting for them to finally stop. It seemed to come to a close with Melby laughing in Runa's face, as he turned to his speeder, red as a beet.
Tilting his helmeted head, Ranger asked, "You two done flirting yet?"
Climbing on his speeder, Runa muttered, "Shuddup…". He then rode off back to town without another word. Looking over at Melby, she mounted her speeder with a laugh, shrugging at Ranger before following the sheriff.
The young Mandalorian shook his head and followed them back to town. The ride through the desert was quiet, giving Ranger plenty of time to think. His whole clan was gone, and all he had left of theirs was their beskar and that strange cylinder. He had his familial duties to tend to, continuing with the book of Mandalorian history. He had to seek out more of his kind without knowing where to start.
The desert landscape he raced past drew his gaze as he reminisced over his past. For most of his childhood, he and his clan lived in a covert in a far away, different town. But the desert landscape stayed the same, even there.
Back then, his father acted as the face of his clan. To the townspeople, he was the only Mandalorian around. He was close friends with the local marshal and had an honorary role as their ranger. It's the inspiration behind Ranger's name. His father sped around that region of the planet, going town from town protecting innocents and wrangling up criminals, while once in a while disappearing off-world to work on the book of Mandalorian history.
Those were the best years of Ranger's life. Not only was his father so skilled, but he was also an amazing teacher. Thanks to him, Ranger was sure he had an even faster draw than the legendary bounty hunter Cad Bane, though such an old man couldn't be much of a challenge these days.
Turning ahead, Ranger began slowing down as he entered the town again. The sun had begun to rise, and some of the early life had sprung up. A few people roamed the desert streets, giving Ranger glances and glares, obviously off-put by his armor. It had been a while since one of his kind so openly showed themself outside.
After some more riding, Ranger slowly came to a stop next to Melby and Runa. He watched as they returned to bickering as Melby carried the imperial into the sheriff's office. Dismounting his speeder, Ranger slowly followed them in, watching as Melby carelessly tossed the imperial into a cell before locking it.
Turning back to Ranger with a sigh, Runa said, "You know, Ranger, I'd give you a reward for helping us with our Imperial problem if we could, but we don't have one prepared…"
Elbowing Runa softly, Melby snickered and joked, "There's more than one way you can reward someone…"
Runa calmly elbowed Melby in the side, making her curl up and wheeze as he spoke up, "So, we'll leave it to we owe you a favor, whenever."
Nodding, Ranger leaned on the wall next to the entrance and said, "Works for me. I was going to gut those Imperials either way. And I got my clan's beskar, so all in all, I feel content."
Runa walked over and sat in his seat with a sigh, sinking into it before asking, "Where exactly will you go?"
Crossing his arms, Ranger bobbed his head and said, "I'm not exactly sure. I have to find more of my kind, where they are I don't know."
Melby returned with a tilted head and asked, "Wouldn't they be on Mandalore or something?"
"Maybe, maybe not. Mandalore was lost long ago and is probably not even habitable anymore after the Empire glassed it. Some even say Mandalore is cursed. I could try the moon, Concordia… at least it's habitable. But before then I do have a couple of old contacts of my father's I want to try. Running right to Mandalore or Concordia could get me roped into some Imperials or worse, I want to see if anyone knows what's going on there before I go."
Melby took a seat at her desk with a shrug, then said, "So you're playing it safe."
Ranger nodded with a sigh, "I don't have a choice anymore. Without a clan to fall back on for support, everything I do has to be carefully thought out. Plus, last time Mandalorians united, the leadership was… questionable."
Leaning forward in her chair, Melby chuckled, "Mandalorian drama? I wanna hear this! What do you mean?"
Pushing off the wall, Ranger explained, "During the Empire's reign, they controlled Mandalore. After the dark saber was recovered from the hands of Maul, it was used to unite the clans against the Empire and retake Mandalore. The leader who wielded the saber was Bo-Katan Kryze. My family and clan know her well, and history doesn't forget."
The sheriff leaned forward, mildly curious as well. Rolling her hand, Melby said, "Go on, go on…"
Rolling his head, Ranger continued, "Before the Empire, she was part of Death Watch, an extremist group of Mandalorians trying to reinvigorate the old ways of Mandalore. But to my family and clan, Mandalorians have to follow a code to be Mandalorian. A part of that code is honor, and honorable warriors don't enslave and murder defenseless village folk. Such deeds Bo-Katan happily took part in, deeds that almost all have forgotten. She has no honor, and though she cares about her people, it barely hides her lust for power. Not to mention she came into possession of the dark saber wrongly, without winning it in a fight as one must."
Stroking his helmet's chin, Ranger rambled on, still having the two's attention, "The actual lineage of the dark saber gets murky before the Clone Wars. It's questionable if Death Watch's original leader, Pre-Visla, acquired the dark saber appropriately. Being the lineage of the saber's creator means nothing. You must earn it in combat, or be lineage of the last Mandalore rightful to wield it. The only reason Bo-Katan's evil deeds and misappropriate character were brushed aside and forgotten was that a greater evil took control over her sad excuse of a clan. So it's no surprise that when she took the dark saber without winning it and tried to lead our kind against the Empire, the Empire turned our planet to glass and killed the populace."
Leaning back in her chair, Melby nodded and said, "So… you're afraid of finding your kind, only to find this Bo-Katan Kryze back in charge."
Turning to the deputy, the young Mandalorian nodded, "History repeats itself if we do not learn from it. My clan and family hated Bo-Katan for her misdeeds that by our standards make her no Mandalorian by code, and for her inability to act as a leader for our people. She is the sole reason we lost our homeworld, and if my people forgot that… they will be reminded. I will remind them."
Runa shrugged his shoulders as he spoke up, "I just hope you're ready to face opposition. Politics are always needlessly complicated."
Turning to the door out, Ranger said, "I'll fight it, but I know I won't win if they've already decided. In the end, I simply want to spread the truth, and let them know our history. It's my purpose, the only purpose I have left."
Nodding, Runa said, "Yes, well, once you've fulfilled that purpose, if you ever feel like you don't have a place, we could always use a ranger like you around here."
The young Mandalorian looked back at the two for a moment, then turned to the doorway and said, "I'll think about it. For now, farewell. And try to get over those nerves of yours, sheriff.", then walked out of the office and onto the dirt street.
With the crate of beskar disconnected from the sheriff's speeder, Ranger mounted his speeder and held the crate with one hand. Pushing forward on the handle, Ranger slowly pulled the hovering crate along toward the scrapyard.
Stopping in front of his ship, he dismounted his speeder and walked the crate in front of the graves. Taking a knee in front of them, Ranger lowered his head for a moment. He avenged his clan, killed their killers, and recovered their lost beskar. He didn't feel better, he still lost everything near and dear to him, but at least his actions would have made them proud. They would have made his father proud.
Lifting his head and standing up, Ranger turned and opened the front ramp into his ship. Pushing the crate into the ship, he pushed it into the back corner next to his bedding before lowering it onto the ground. Taking the battle droid, the moved it away from his bedding and leaned it on the crate, fiddling around with its head for a moment before moving for his speeder.
Once the speeder was moved inside the ship, Ranger pressed the button inside the ship and watched as the front ramp slowly closed shut, the outside light disappearing. Pressing another button, one of the two pilots' seats lowered in front of him. Climbing atop it, he raised it back up into the cockpit, pressing a few buttons and activating the ship.
Slowly rising from the scrapyard, Ranger flew the ship up and into the sky, heading for orbit. Pressing a few buttons on the console, Ranger entered the code for his father's old friend's communicator. He suspected it might not work anymore, and he was right as the console came up empty. Fortunately, he knew where he lived. The deserts of Tatooine, in the city of Mos Espa.
With a destination set, Ranger drifted into open space and shot off into hyperspace. He was still new to using ships, so this process took him some time. Thinking about it, Ranger lowered his seat and climbed off of it, turning and looking at the deactivated battle droid. It would be a good co-pilot for him, and if all else fails, a working droid can bring in a good amount of credits.
Lowering himself next to the droid, he turned it around and opened up one of its panels on its back, looking for what could seem wrong. He was no technical expert like Lana, but he knew enough to know nothing looked wrong. The droid was just old, which more than likely meant it simply had no power, and that its current power core was probably corroded.
Taking the power core out, he found that he was correct. If he was going to get the droid up and running, he'd need to find a replacement in Mos Espa, which sounded easy enough, especially with the corroded one for reference.
Leaning the droid back on the crate, he placed the corroded power core on top of the crate and sat down on his bedding. The trip through hyperspace would take some time, which meant he had time for a rest.
His hands clasped around his helmet, slipping it off his head and setting it next to his bedding. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Ranger laid back in his bedding and relaxed his body. The moment the tension disappeared in his muscles, Ranger felt himself slip to sleep. Coming to the realization he barely slept while in space for the past three days, then came down to fight off an entire warehouse of imperials. Of course, he'd be exhausted, and he only now registered it.
As he slept in his bedding, the ship continued through hyperspace, heading for the desert planet Tatooine. A new journey and life awaited the young Mandalorian, one with a turbulent galaxy ready to test his will and skills at every turn.
Hello, people. I have arrived, with a thing. Soon enough I will be posting another thing too. Then another thing. I have a few things planned. But, I hope you liked this story. I'm posting it more to gauge whether I should continue it or not, though I do have a lot planned for this if I continue it. The same can be said for the next thing I'll be posting soon. So, please, if you have any feedback, feel free to leave it. Thank you for reading, and have a good day or night!