Kira couldn't remember how she'd gotten in the small hut, but the smell of something cooking over the fire sent her stomach growling. She rubbed her eyes, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. The last thing she remembered was being knighted before the Jedi Council.
The hut was homely but dimly lit, the only light source was the main fire which held a pot over the top and something fragrant bubbled inside and several candles lit throughout the house.
The night was calm, quiet, the insects were chirping their nightsongs just outside the door.
The Jedi Knight shook her head trying to clear her mind when she heard the sound of a baby cry.
Immediately, Kira's head snapped towards the sound coming from behind the door, down the hall. Then the sound of a woman's voice humming a tune that somehow felt familiar.
Kira, against her better judgment, followed the sound. The baby had been soothed enough to contentedly listen to the humming. As Kira continued down the hall the corner of her eye caught the sight of something reflecting in the closet. She glanced over and sitting on the shelf was a brown and black t-shaped visor of a mandalorian helmet.
"What the-" Kira muttered to herself. Wherever she was, she was no longer on Coruscant.
Then the front door was smashed in with a loud crack, the wood splintering as it hit the wall.
It was only a moment before the mother of the child came barreling out of the room, panicked at the noise. Kira froze, throwing her hands up in submission.
The blonde haired woman's green eyes were wide with surprise but she seemed to look right through Kira, as if she hadn't existed at all. Instead, the woman opened the closet door reaching for the helmet and armor that hid behind and grabbed a blaster rifle from inside.
From the doorway, another mandalorian stood, clad in the blackest of armor. Tattered hides and leathers hung from his waist and a rusted vibroblade lay clenched in one hand and a blaster pistol in the other.
The blonde woman gasped as she saw the mandalorian.
"What are you doing here?" She demanded. "I gave you what you wanted. How dare you show up here and blast my door in."
"The fake you mean?" His voice deep and angry, the mechanical filtering of his helmet made his voice sound menacing. The blonde woman stopped, swallowing hard. "I gave you plenty of chances, Lenore Jusse and you've wasted the last of my patience. Tell me where the data chip is or I'll kill you, your husband, and whatever remains of your pathetic little clan."
Kira's eyebrows knitted together as she stared at the woman, Lenore.
"Mom?" She couldn't stop herself from saying the word. 'How is this possible?' She asked herself in confusion.
Then it clicked, this was either a dream, a vision, or some kind of memory that had been locked away inside her mind that had finally somehow come loose. Likely as a result of the Trial of Spirit, looking that far inward must have jostled other suppressed memories and fears loose.
As the scene before her unfolded she realized exactly what was happening and she could do nothing but watch in horror.
This was the night everything happened.
Lenore backed away but used herself as a shield, not stepping away from the door. "Give me another chance, Voss. I'll make this right. I can get you the real data chip by the weeks' end."
"So you can disappear on me again, Girl?" He asked, his head tilting to the side before slamming his fist down on a dresser as he passed it. Driving the rusted knife into the wood, Lenore jumped, gripping her blaster tighter. "I'm done giving you chances. You give me the data chip now or you find out exactly why no one crosses me."
"Voss," Lenore pleaded. "This is madness. I'm nobody, killing me does nothing."
"It proves a point," the Mandalorian growled. "Don't make deals you can't keep. It would be a shame if your clan knew what you've been up to behind their backs." He advanced on her and swiped the blaster out of her hands, throwing it against the wall.
Lenore yelped as his vibroblade sliced her arm but dodged the next swipe Voss made. "Voss, stop!" She pleaded but the Mandalorian could not be reasoned with. Whatever that datachip held was valuable enough to kill over.
The two mandalorians fought, Lenore fighting desperately to save not only her own life but the life of the child in the room behind her. Voss threw her into a side table to which she tripped and fell over the back of before slamming into the wall.
The loud rumbling startled the small child just behind the wall and she wailed in response. Lenore's panicked eyes stared up at the Mandalorian.
The sound of the baby was of particular interest to Voss. "Now, now Lenore. Don't tell me you went and got pregnant did you?" He asked as he made his way for room.
Lenore became a wild animal then, forgetting whatever pain she had felt in her own body she launched herself at the black armored Mandalorian. "Don't you touch her!" She shouted as she wrapped her arms around the mandalorian's neck locking it between her arms. Her legs wrapped around his midsection, stabilizing her assault.
Voss made a strangulating noise as he struggled against the woman. He stepped back and rammed her into the wall several times before her grip on his neck broke.
As she fell to the ground, he turned and kicked her with all his might.
Kira could only watch in horror as the scene unfolded. Unable to help. Unable to move.
Lenore cried out as blood sputtered from her lips. Voss sneered at her before continuing his way to the bedroom. The door creaked open as the baby's cries became more high pitched and terrified.
He leaned over the crib, handmade by Jense himself, and looked down and what was hidden inside.
A black haired girl with the most piercing blue eyes stared up at him through reddened, tear soaked eyes. Her hands clutching to her own chest.
"What do we have here?" He asked, as he reached over to pick up the girl, Lenore coughed and gasped, still unable to get up.
"Please, Voss, leave her alone." Lenore pleaded, unable to stop the tears. She was helpless to do anything. Her farm was too remote to any clan mates to hear the commotion and being unable to get to her feet left her powerless to get to the comm from the armor set in the closet. "She is innocent."
"Is she?" He asked as he reached down and pulled out a thin leather necklace from around the baby's neck. A pendent with the sigil of the mythosaur on the front and her name, written in mando'a on the back. "Kiratta." He said aloud. "Such a pretty name." He mused as Lenore fought to get to her feet. She shook with pain as she tried reaching for a comm or blaster in the closet.
Voss turned around and tilted his head. He stalked towards her, the clanking of his boots on the wood floors echoed with each step. "Oh, no, Lenore." He said before kicking the door to the closet shut as Lenore fought to sit up. He squatted down and grabbed her jaw in his gloved hand. She breathed heavily as her body still shook uncontrollably. "No calling for help."
"Please…" Lenore begged.
Voss stared at her, seeming to eye her like a predator to prey. "You could have made it easy, Lenore. You could have just given me the datachip and this wouldn't be happening now." Then he chuckled to himself. "At least it might have prolonged it, this was inevitable, you realize. Just because you sold out your Mand'alor doesn't mean we wouldn't have come eventually to wipe out your True Mandalorian ass."
"You gave me no choice," Lenore hissed, "I never wanted any of this, I didn't want to betray Jaster."
"But you did all the same." He taunted, running a finger across her cheek. "You think I wouldn't have noticed the chip had nothing on it? Sweet Girl, do you think me stupid?"
Lenore had a devilish gleam in her eye to which, Voss caught onto fueling him into a rage. He released her face and slapped her with a force that echoed around the room.
Lenore cried out in pain, her ears ringing loudly. "I told you I will tell you where the datachip is." She rasped. "Let us go."
"Where is it?" He demanded.
Lenore felt sick to her stomach. "It's on its way to Sunduri. My messenger, Tav Galis has it. Find him and you'll find the chip." She rasped out
"Who is it going to in Sunduri?" He asked, "You're not giving it to those kriffing True Mandalorian clan officials are you?"
Lenore gritted her teeth. "I am."
Voss slammed her head against the back wall. "Now, why would you do such a thing?"
Lenore glared at him, a familiar defiance slowing through her. "Death to Tor Vizsla." She growled. "Death to Death Watch."
Voss watched her for a moment before he slowly released Lenore, her green eyes glared up at him through thick lashes.
Before she could register what happened, Voss drove his vibroblade into Lenore's gut. The infant cried as Lenore cried out. Blood sputtered from her mouth as her hands wrapped around Voss's hand before her head fell back against the wall.
"Boo," The infant girl whined as she flailed her hands in frustration trying to get her mother's attention.
Voss pulled the vibroblade from Lenore as her eyes began to dim. "Death to Jaster Mereel, death to the True Mandalorians, death to you." He corrected her as life left her eyes. He caressed her face before raising from his squatting position and turned towards the child who kept repeating 'Boo' incessantly
As he came towards her she whimpered uncomfortably as he neared her. Her large ice eyes stared at him through thick, dark lashes.
Voss offered his finger to her, to which she stared at but did not take. Voss chuckled to himself.
"Don't worry, Kiratta." He said. "I won't hurt you but you will be coming with me. You will be raised as my daughter and trained as a Death Watch soldier. You'll forget all about this unfortunate night."
He reached down and picked her up, immediately she started crying.
As Kira, the real version of her, or at least whatever form of herself that was living through this nightmare had oceans of tears streaming down her face as Lenore laid against the wall, her eyes vacant of the soul that, moments ago, lived within.
Boss emerged from the bedroom, stepping over the body as if she were nothing but trash and made his way towards the door. He turned back long enough to extend his arm before an eruption of flames poured from his gauntlet.
Within moments the house was engulfed in flames as Voss made his way towards his ship.