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spc4eva · 4 years ago

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Mandokar: Chapter Three

Summary: Sena must conquer her first battle to fully understand what it is to be Mandalorian and not a princess. The First Trial looms on the horizon, but the galaxy is not a kind place.

Word Count: 15,610

Rating: M (18+) for the end duckies

Trigger Warnings !! : Latter part of the chapter has brief details of sexual assault (not to the main characters) please use caution.

Author Notes: Remember that Jedi and Nobility tend to have 'English' accents. Whereas Outer Rim and regular blue collar people tend to have 'American' accents. Definitely something people would notice.

Crossposted on AO3

"What's going on with you and Aya?" Xivi asked during their routine practice. The girls were hanging upside down on the pullup bars seeing who could last longer. It was always Sena, but Xivi still tried to best her.

A month had passed since Aya began her minor infractions toward Sena. She'd been a lot more careful, especially to make a point not to use her full strength against her in combatives when they were stuck together, but there were times that the girl could've pulled her punches more. Rather than give her any satisfaction, she dealt with each blow and started to humiliate Aya when she had the opportunity to. Want to throw hard punches? Fine, Sena could dance around her like a squirrel beneath a clumsy troll. She could also strike just as hard, despite her size. The first time she'd planted a full on blow on Aya, she thought the girl was going to snitch. However, Aya kept her trap shut, thus Sena did as well.

On top of that, Aya continued to be annoying. Bumping her, tripping her, pulling her plait - anything she could do to get under her skin. Papa's words echoed through her head, words she had never heeded back in Genmaris. Be the bigger person. Never acknowledge those who bother you, in which case you'll hold the power, not them. So, she practiced her patience, each grinding, aggravating fiber of it and realized she did have power over Aya. Satisfaction would be derived from Sena throwing a fit and she had decided she wouldn't give her that luxury.

"Eh, she's still mad at me or something," Sena shrugged, trying to play it off and diminish the twinge of anxiety she felt each day wondering what Aya would try to do.

"Over inviting her to practice with us, still?" Xivi's voice hitched and she shook her head. "You should challenge her to a duel."

Sena snorted. "And lose?"

"Fair point," Xivi grumbled, almost forgetting that Sena would fail miserably at a hand to hand fight with the girl. "Well, if she keeps doing it, I'll fight her."

"Thanks, but it's not that bad."

"We're all vod . You didn't do anything wrong and if you did, she should challenge you for her honor, not skulk around and take her frustrations out on you. What happened to her buir sucks, but it's not like you shoved that in her face. She's being a shabuir because she's jealous of you."

Jealous? Sena blinked a few times. Was it really jealousy? She had just assumed that Aya was just hanging onto a grudge because she was hurting. Turning over a new leaf, Sena had not wanted to alienate her further by bringing this issue to the adults. "What makes you say that?"

"Because you're better at things than her. You're faster, smarter, and the teachers know that. Aya was never going to make a great hunter. Not before you got here and not since you've arrived. Then you show up, fast enough to keep up with Djarin, you have the teachers praising you, and y'know, it's history from there. I think she has a crush on Din, which is probably why she hasn't stopped."

"On that kriffing buckethead?" Sena chortled, watching as her friend swung her legs back down and touched the ground. What was there to like about Din Djarin? He barely talked and any brushes she had with him were curt. "I won again."

"We knew this was going to happen," Xivi grumbled, holding her head. "And why not? He's the top of the class."

Sena leapt down, sporting an elegant flip before sticking the landing like a loth-cat. Maybe there was attraction in mysteriousness, but Sena still thought he was annoying and not a good sport. They could’ve had a better rivalry if he didn’t act like he had a stick up his butt half the time.

"Show off," Xivi poked.

"But why do you say it like that? He barely talks to anyone, let alone me," Sena pointed out.

"Yeah, I know, but obviously Aya doesn't have a lot of brain cells or she would've realized you and Djarin are rivals," Xivi reasoned. "And he does talk to you more than most people."

" Lek , to be rude, not to profess his love for me."

" Vod of few words. Except for youuuu ," Xivi sang, clasping her hands together as she pretended to swoon.

" Ne'johaa ! You know it's not like that!" Sena hissed, cheeks burning beneath her bucket. "What about you and Kedth? You think I'm blind?" She tried to round the conversation on her friend, keenly aware that Xivi had been sitting next to the boy in class and doting on him. Sometimes he joined them for Mando'a studying and practice.

"I do like Kedth, but at least I'll admit it," Xivi snickered, hands planted on her hips as she made a silly, but mocking noise.

"I don't even know him! He's just all broody and quiet," Sena complained, trying to convince Xivi. While she enjoyed her rivalry with Din, because it kept her on her toes, she didn't know much more about him. In fact, she knew less about him than any of her other peers which she'd seen outside of class and trained with - with the exception of Aya.

"The two tops of the class, sitting in a tree, M-U-R-C-Y-"

Sena headbutted Xivi, taking her down to the ground where the girls scrambled in the grass, rolling around like playing pogs. A bit of giggling and squealing ensued as they fought for dominance, which was short-lived when Sena clamped onto her back and attempted to put her into a headlock. Xivi sat up and bashed her into the ground, winding her, before seizing the opportunity to throw her off. Tackling her down, Xivi restrained her, clucking in disappointment.

"You suck at combatives. You'll definitely lose if you fight Aya," Xivi told her as if it were glaringly obvious. "You should get your Ori'vod to teach you better."

"All Paz has to do is poke me and I'll break," Sena laughed.

"More like breathe on you."

"Alright, alright," she squirmed at the insults. Now this was just turning into a roast session. If it had been anyone other than Xivi, she might have taken offense. But from the first day, the two had clicked like a cartridge in a firearm, two bolts to be fired one after another. Finally, she was released and could sit up, frowning at all the grass stuck in her armor. Xivi stood up and wrenched her up to her feet, patting her off. "I'll get you back later. You know that I can sneak up on anyone in the Tribe and they'll never see it coming."

" Jai'galaar ," she brushed the shriek-hawk eyes on Sena's pauldron, painted in white. "Almost like you fly around when you're sneaking."

"One day we'll both fly. Once we get our jetpacks," Sena reminded her. Their Rising Phoenix drills weren't until next year, but everyone was still excited to start them and put all their theories and lessons into practice.

Returning home for the night, she was surprised to find that Paz wasn't lingering around. Instead, it was just her buir , set over the table with a simple dinner. Over the weeks, her tongue had become desensitized toward the spiciness, though nothing had been as hot as the first night where they'd intentionally over done the heat for a laugh. Now, she sort of liked the burn and the way it would clear her sinuses right up.

" Su'cuy buir ," she greeted, pulling her helmet off and going over to the sink to wash her hands. "Where's Ori'vod ?"

"Our for recon this week," Hux replied, waiting patiently for her to sit down with him.

"Oh he must be thrilled," she snickered, aware that Paz wasn't a fan of having to do stealth missions or having to navigate through landscapes and shoot azimuths. "Where did they go? It's not too hard to navigate around here. Unless you're trying to find a load of banthas instead of nerfs."

"Off plant. What are your plans for the weekend?" Hux inquired conversationally.

"Probably train with Xivi." Plans were loose and formed mostly on whim. Prior weekends mingled with a few other peers, but usually it was the same. Hang out, get some work done, talk about their academics, maybe shoot a little banter, but everyone was keen on keeping up with their work and not falling behind. Even young Terri was around often.

"Set in stone?"

" Nayc . Why?"

Hux creased a tempered smile at her, one that set her skin on fire and stood her hair on end. "Well, if you've got a little free time for your buir , I think I might have a few kal'e laying around."

"I'm free. All weekend. Never been freer," Sena informed him, her attempt to not seem hasty thwarted. Xivi wouldn't be upset if she wanted to spend time with her buir . She'd gotten to train with Paz often, trying to get better at her hand to hand combat, but Hux was almost always busy. Often he was gone on hunts to support the Tribe. Since being on the Kote , she hadn't been given another chance to show her buir how far she had come or train with him again. Now he was offering to play with knives with her. They hadn't done much knife combat in class yet, so getting ahead on this would be ideal.

" Jate . 0600 tomorrow morning. How are your classes going?"

The food was surprisingly savory today, mixed with root vegetables and rice. "Academics are easy still. I have learned quite a bit about land nav, which I also like. At least one Vizsla will have a brain cell devoted to reconnaissance."

Hux snorted into his ale, spewing a little. Clearing his throat, he spoke, "Nidak tells me you've been having a little trouble with one of your vod ."

Her spoon froze and she very carefully lifted her head to look at him. Nibak had noticed? How much did she know? Nibak hadn't mentioned anything to her. "We don't get along, but it's alright. When it comes down to the wire, we're still vod ."

"Cut the princess diplomacy out," Hux's voice was hard and stern, drawing her eyes back up. She hadn’t heard this side of him since Anaxes when he had spoken to papa. It was cold, all beskar and blaster fire, and unyielding. "If this vod is insulting you, then you must face her. Ignoring her shows weakness."

" Buir , I can't fight her. She's twice my size. I thought if I was the bigger person she'd stop eventually." But it had been a month. How much longer should she wait before it turned into something that ended up getting her hurt?

"You make Clan Vizsla seem weak by tolerating it. What will you do when you begin hunting and face foes much larger than yourself? You will always be small. Did that stop you when you fought the stormtrooper?"

Her face was heating, eyes glaring down at her food at her buir 's scolding. "But I can't fight her with a knife. If I ask her to duel, then I'll have to do it hand to hand."

"Then do it. What is the worst that happens? You fail, but defended your honor?"

These words hung over the dinner table, pressing a heavy weight on her shoulders, going against what her papa had taught her. Fight? Of course she would if it came down to that, but wouldn't it be a dishonor to lose outright? "Ok," she whispered, washing down the lump in her throat with the mulled juice. "I'll challenge her on Monday."

" Jate ," Hux sat back, lightening considerably. "When you do it, make certain that others can see. Throw your glove at her feet and demand a fight. She can do it there or at a later time. The decision is up to the opponent.

"Do not doubt yourself. Paz tells me you are a better fighter than you give yourself credit for. Confidence helps in fights. If you think you are going to lose, you'll lose before the battle has even begun."

That was easier said than done. For all the skill she had, it could be overwhelmed in an instant if she wasn't careful. Aya was much stronger than her and it'd only take one good throw for Sena to be indisposed for too long. If she fought, she'd have to rely on every ounce of her agility to tire the pink buckethead out. She must've been glaring at her food still, because Hux let out a small sigh.

"You are doing well, ad'ika . You have the promise of a great hunter, but the path is not easy and there will be those who think you weak. If you let those people walk all over you, you shall suffer in the long term. Being a hunter is not only a physical skill, but one regarding respect. You cannot let Aya hold her dominance over you and ignore it."

The more she thought about it, the more she realized she'd let it go on for too long. Trying to be the bigger person, thinking herself so smug in the fact that she ignored Aya... Only to be shocked that it was quite the opposite. Aya was making the fool out of her and Sena hadn't even realized it. Maybe that's why Xivi had brought it up, trying to get Sena to pick a fight without outright telling her that she needed to. Xivi was trying to be a good friend and she appreciated her vod's tactful approach, but her buir had laid it out to bear. Fight Aya or disgrace the aliit further. There was only one choice.

Complicated. Why is everything so opposite here? she wondered quietly, enjoying the rest of the evening with her buir , settling on the couch to watch some holovids and relax. He wasn't papa, but Hux filled the shoes as best as he could. Not once had he made her feel unwelcome and since the adoption ceremony, had called and treated her as his daughter. To outsiders, the affection shared between the both of them over the course of such a brief time might seem odd, but Sena didn't think so. He wasn't like papa at all, but he was the only father she had now and Sena wasn't willing to let him go.

She fell asleep against his shoulder, only waking up when she felt herself being set down in bed. "Alarm clock-" she mumbled.

"I'll wake you up tomorrow, cyar'ika . Go to sleep."

‘Wake you up’ in Mandalorian is never a gentle term. Even if your buir tucks you in and gives you a keldable kiss goodnight, not waking up on your own came with risks. Sena woke up to the sound of an alarm blaring in her room, the high pitched squeal resounding from her buir's vambrace. The noise was as wretched and piercing as nails on a chalkboard. She toppled out of bed, hearing his muffled chortling through his modulator as he stepped out of the room and she groaned into the carpet.

" Vaar'tur !"

"Dank farrik-" she rubbed her ears, which were still ringing, cursing Hux's name beneath her breath. Cursing was developing into a rather bad habit for her, but then again everyone cursed here. Over the weeks, she'd learned how to dress swiftly, how to deftly attach her armor, and lace up her boots with a single, good yank. Tucking her ears away, she plaited her hair and threw her helmet on, blaster in its holster, and trotting out, barely having time to react as he threw her a piece of fruit for breakfast.

Eating fast also came with Mandalorian territory and this meant forsaking all her courtesy lessons. Rubbing the juice off her chin, tossed the core in the trash and ran out the door after her buir. "Where are we going?"

He had a duffle bag over his shoulder, striding out behind the house and toward the plains which were blushed with the sunrise. Slanting shades of amber and pink wrapped the hills in a warm, lovely embrace. She saw it every morning, but had always admired the beauty of nature, even if it was opposite of Anaxes. She wished she could smell it, but resolved to filling her diaphragm with air before wooshing out a wistful sigh, chased quickly with a grin.

"Meeting up with Fos," he retorted.

"Fos-" Before she could ask the next question, she saw the unpolished armor of the mando in question, flanked closely by his ad ; Din Djarin. Groaning quietly, she kept close to her buir, leveling a narrowed glare at the boy. Great. Couldn't even have a weekend together, it had to be with them. She didn’t know Fos very well, but it was obvious that her buir respected him from the subtle posture and leveling of his helmet as the two squared off in an acknowledging greeting.

With a thud, he set down the bag and began opening it, unfurling blankets filled with various daggers, knives, and blades. Her eyes grew round like golden suns beneath her helmet, ogling the arsenal as if it had been made in Manda for just her. A few were for practice, hewn of wood and balanced properly to simulate a regular blade. Until this point, there’d been little blade combat, only getting to use practice ones once since her arrival. “Pick the ones you want.”

Unable to resist, she tilted her helmet toward Din. “You heard him, ladies first.”

Din just leered at her silently, stiff and unmoving.

Fos chuckled, “Definitely your ad .”

She took it as a compliment, straightening slightly, but decided to spare Din and also wanted to pick first. Bending down, she swiped up the two largest, which weren’t quite swords, but also were too slender, curved, and angled to be dirks. One was longer than the other, the smallest half the length. “Shoto and tanto,” Hux told her, making her grin widely beneath her helmet. She already had names in mind if she was allowed to keep them. “Take a practice dagger as well.” Obeying, she took one, holding her prizes as she waited for Din to select his weapons.

He contemplated a little longer than her, which made her chew her lip, wondering if she’d been premature and if there was a cooler weapon than the two blades she took. Eventually, he settled with a long vibro-blade which reminded her of Paz’s Bantha-Sticker. Rather than pit the two kids together, the broke off and her buir began to explain the weapons that she had chosen.

“The shoto and tanto are good weapons for kyramud , which you will make one day when you are a hunter. See the curve of the blades and only one side which is sharpened? … These are made for slicing and while they can penetrate the skin in a stab, they are not used in the same manner as a double edged blade. There are variants on grips, which you know the standard, but showed interest in the reverse grip or icepick grip. For these weapons, a reverse grip would be useful as you can deflect blows with the flat of the blade rather than the edge. It is going to take a considerable amount of practice to know both grips, but it’ll suit your abilities quite well as you’ve proven before that you have talent with assassinations. Image what you could do in close combat with these?”

She leaned into every word, clinging like a life raft in an ocean, as Hux continued to teach her about the purpose, applications, pros and cons of the weapons. Since they were blades, she still had to be careful about positions she put herself in. Given her acrobatic abilities, in tight areas, she would win. A blaster was more difficult to maneuver and if she got the jump, her enemies would almost always fall from a swift addition of a second smile. Eventually, they moved on to apply the grips, the standard coming easily as she’d used knives before and the icepick requiring a bit more finesse. Fortunately, only one side was sharpened, so she wasn’t too worried about cutting herself.

Rotating through different forms, strengthening exercises, and strikes the day listed on and they broke for lunch in the grass. For once, Djarin came and sat beside her as she picked at the grass.

“What did your buir mean you have talent with assassinations?”

Ah, so it wasn’t to have a normal conversation, he’d overheard Hux and was curious. Either way, she supposed he wasn’t being a little shit. “When my aliit found me the Empire was attacking my home. My ori’vod got a little lost-” she chuckled lightly, realizing now he didn’t have the more stellar sense of direction. “-and cornered. I snuck up on a stormtrooper and cut his throat, buying Paz enough time to shoot the others. Wasn’t the most graceful thing, but I’d managed to go unnoticed and launch myself at one like a feral loth-cat. Got right in between the helmet and chestplate.” She marked on her own neck where she’d plunged the blade, skin prickling with a twinge of adrenaline at the memory.

“ You managed to sneak up on a stormtrooper?” he was disbelieving, as if her story had been made up to make herself sound cooler than she was.

Beneath her bucket, she frowned and narrowed her eyes at the boy. “ Yes , I did,” she sneered back haughtily. “You asked what my buir was referring to. That’s it. I know how to use a knife somewhat already.”

Returning to his brooding, she rolled her eyes and set her chin on top of her knees as she gazed out amongst the moors, rolling like green ocean waves. “I’ve not killed anyone yet,” Din muttered, gloves plunging into the grass, tearing handfuls out at the admission.

Oh. That’s what it was about? “It’s nothing to boast about,” she shrugged, but knew she was wrong there. Mandalorians prized battle prowess and the ability to neutralize targets. Sena already had her first kill and it hadn’t been with a blaster, it had been up close and personal. “Anyways, who’s keeping count. Unless… you want to, in which case I’m already winning.” Her trademark, dopey grin unfurled beneath her bucket as the boy jolted up and snapped his visor toward her.

“That’s not fair. You had a headstart-”

“ Not fair ? You’ve been training way longer than I have. Should be easy for you to beat me as soon as we’re allowed to hunt,” she countered airly, puffing her chest up and being as indignant as she could to ruffle his feathers. “I’m only ahead by one.” A macabre game, but one that would happen either way. They’d kill people. Her intention wasn’t to be sociopathic and purposely go looking for folks to murder. No, it would lighten the burden of those they did kill, making it easier to cope with the fact that their hands would spill so much blood. And it amused her that she was technically already beating Din.

“You’ll be ahead by one for a while ,” he pointed out, their training still slated for at least a couple more years before the covert would even consider taking them off planet.

“Fine, if you don’t want to play-”

“I’ll play,” he interrupted tartly.

“Well, as of right now you’re losing,” she announced gleefully.

“You said-”

“Still winning,” she boasted. “Plus, knife kills are way harder. Blaster just takes a trigger pull, does the rest of the job for you. What I did requires finesse, talent, and grace.” Now she was just milking it, seeing how far she could go before Djarin got irritated and just left.

“Considering you can’t use most firearms…” he drew his rebuttal out, making her scoff at him.

“ Hey! One day when I’m bigger I will be able to!”

“Bigger?” he gave her a one over, as if that were out of the question and she’d be as big as a Jawa her entire life.

“ Ne'johaa , Djarin!” she squeaked, giving him a shove that unbalanced him and made him fall over in the grass. “I just have to grow up. I won’t be this tiny all my life.”

Sitting up, he returned the shove, easily sending her flopping to the ground. Quickly, the pushing devolved into an all out brawl, the pair toppling in the grass and scuffling as the adults did nothing but watch on with amusement. “You’ll always be smaller than me!” he grunted between parrying her strikes. There were no rules right now, so anything was fair game. She wasn’t play fighting with Xivi, she wanted to pummel Djarin into the ground.

He flung her off by driving his boot into her belt, jetting his leg up to propel her over his head. Sena adjusted quickly, able to turn in the air to land on her knees. A glove locked around her wrist, but she wasn’t willing to be dragged up so quickly again. She bunched the strength in her knees and headbutted Din’s bucket hard enough that her teeth rattled. Both sprung to their feet, Djarin threw the first open palmed strike, which she ducked beneath. She’d only get a few good chances to land a decent blow and his guard was much better than anyone else she had faced until this point.

Coiled like a serpent, she bided her time, turning blows rather than letting the entire shock of parrying hit her small frame. Paz had taught her that, telling her that parrying would hurt her more than glancing or diverting. Since she was light on her feet, she shouldn’t ever need to parry unless she was injured or cornered. Strike, strike, turn, strike. Then she saw it, the small opening which she could dive through. Jolting for it, she realized in horror that it had been a trick to bring her closer and she didn’t have the time to evade as Din leaned into his feint. Her palm still met his chest, driving a puff of air through his vocoder, but he caught her by the same wrist and threw her right to the ground.

The battle was lost, the impact squeezing every ounce of air from her lungs as she gasped like a fish out of water. Taking the dominant mounting position, he raised his hand in a strike, waiting for her to tap out. She squirmed a few times, but knew she had been beat. “ Fine! ” she relented, glad that he wasn’t putting his full weight on her.

What he did next absolutely surprised her, getting up from the ground and offering her a hand up. She accepted, easily wrenched up to her feet, able to hear the fluttering of her heart in her ears, breathing hard, but elated from the thrill of the battle. Her pride was a little wounded, but it wasn't as if she thought she would win. Din had years of training on her. Despite that, the fact he was top of the class made her want to best him to prove to her buir that she was an asset to Clan Vizsla, not some soft little princess. He was the biggest hurdle to leap, because Paz was way too far off from her capabilities. All her brother had to do was bear hug her and she couldn't lift a finger. Djarin was bigger than her (as were most people) but at least she had the confidence to stand toe to toe with him.

Lunch ended and they picked back up on their lessons for the remainder of the day. She learned quite a bit, but also knew that her skill would require repetition. Nothing could be earned in an instant. Silently, she was debating when she would slot the time after classes to keep her blade training, contemplating doing it after the sun had set and her work with Xivi was finished. After dinner she usually just had her tea, but Paz and Hux wouldn't bother her if she went outside in the back to practice. She could still get plenty of sleep and squeeze in a couple of hours to hone herself. Out of everything she'd done until this point - aside from running and obstacle courses - playing with the knives was her favorite.

"Keep those and maybe one day you'll be able to forge them of beskar," Hux told her, handing her the sheathes for them.

The shoto and tanto were made of durasteel, strong enough to rend some armor, but also requiring sharpening and care. They could be fractured or chipped more easily than beskar. Taking her new toys with her to bed, she took paint to the holsters and wrote their names on them in Mando'a runes; the shoto was Cu'Sith and the tanto Pog-Sticker. The girl was so excited, that she fell asleep with them in her arms, tucked into bed, forgetting to set her alarm again, dreaming about running through the forests of Genmaris.

Shrill screeches thrust her out of bed again, her buir huffing in mild disappointment as she didn't tangle herself in her blankets and fall out of bed. Either way, his icy eyes gave her a hard look before he left the room and she groused underneath her breath. Her disdain was short lived as she dressed up and scampered out of her room, catching the fruit, and scarfing it down before trotting after Hux. She wished every weekend was like this, with the exception of Din Djarin and instead being replaced with her brother. She had found comfortable positions to strap her blades onto her, equipped on her belt, where they would remain permanently. None of the other vod in her class had such amazing kal'e .

By this point, Sena had decided that she wanted to live and breathe everything about knives and blades. Her inability to use a good amount of firearms while she was still so slight led to her predisposition to ask an unrelentless amount of questions. Hux had her work with some throwing knives, the vibro-blades vibrating with power between her fingers as she tried to learn how to toss them, rotating the handle to her pads, and aiming to plunk it into the center of the targets. She wasn't any good at it, which was sort of aggravating, seeing that she wanted to be good at it, but Hux reminded her that perfection took lots and lots of practice.

When school came on Monday, she found herself still so overhyped with her amazing weekend, that the thought that she had to challenge Aya was in the back of her mind. Look at these cool new weapons! No one else had a shoto or tanto! She made certain to show her friends, but was careful not to say the name of her shoto, as it was an animal indigenous to Anaxes. Standing outside at lunch, Kedth, Xivi, Terri, and Oyiin were clustered around her, showing off their own vibro-blades, which all looked like little toothpicks in comparison to her awesome new swords.

"And what are you going to do with those, vaar'ika ?" Aya couldn't contain herself from butting in, drawn in by the comradery of the group - one that she did not share with them. Spiteful and teasing in her tone, the others tilted her helmets up and Sena knew why. By this point, it was no secret that Aya had been picking on her, though Xivi was the only one who had brought it up until the point. The others kept their mouths shut, knowing it wasn't their place to try and tell Sena how to approach the situation.

"Stick pigs," Sena answered darkly, holding her tanto in an icepick grip. "Want to be the first?"

Everyone was astonished by her uncharacteristically menacing words. Sena was typically lighthearted and goofy, mild mannered, and helpful when she could be. She did have a bit of a temper when it came to friendly rivalries with her peers, but she'd always chosen diplomacy over threats until this point. Buir had been right - cut the princess shit out.

Aya was just as taken aback, eventually finding her words as she barked a laugh in an attempt to brush it off. "Got something to say to me, Vizsla?"

" Lek , I do," she shoved her tanto back into its sheath with a loud click, sauntering forward with her shoulders thrown back. Reaching for her right glove, she pulled it off in the slowest, most methodical manner she could - one single finger at a time - before throwing it down at Aya's feet. "I challenge you to a duel for insulting the honor of Clan Vizsla. Name the time and date." Despite the calm voice, her heart was beating erratically and she could have sworn everyone could hear her heavy mouth breathing. She was going to lose, but she couldn't let that show.

Flabbergasted that Sena had finally snapped, Aya's visor just tilted down at the glove. Finally, she laughed again. "Today after class. Out by the obstacle course."

" Koor ," taking her glove, she returned amongst her friends, face billeting with heat beneath her helmet as she tried not to feel absolutely sick. The beat down was coming and even her buir 's words about being more confident didn't change the fact that she was half Aya's size.

Xivi slapped her on the back reassuringly. "Kick her shebs today. Maybe she'll get her head out of there."

"Just tire her out. She might be bigger than you, but she's got no stamina. You could run circles for hours," Kedth added, squeezing her pauldron. "'Bout time. Xivi and I were talking about catching Aya after class one day. Glad you challenged her."

"You were?" Sena blinked a few times, some of her nerves slipping away.

" Lek ! She's been insulting you when you did nothing wrong," Kedth hissed, crossing his arms over his chestplate. "We're all vod . We help each other out. She's been pushing Terri around too."

Terri nodded slowly. "I think she just likes to push those that are a lot smaller than her. Hut'uun. "

She had not been aware of that, but felt her frown deepen beneath her helmet. Beating on Sena was one thing because they were closer in age, but Terri? Terri was 10! All the pity she'd once felt for Aya was gone. Even if there were churning emotions that estranged her from the rest of the group, that didn't give her the right to take it out on the smallest in her class. Empathy could only go so far and the rest of the vod were getting fed up with the behavior. At least, this way, Sena could save Aya the embarrassment of getting her shebs kicked by multiple people.

"If you get the opening, give her a good one right here," Oyiin tilted his head up and pointed to the base of his jaw. "You know how to plant your strikes. That will take her down."

For the remainder of lunch, her friends gave her pointers, which considerably bolstered her confidence. They thought she could win! It was true that Aya was out of shape in comparison to her, so maybe she could just wear her down to the point where one good hit would render the fight. According to the rules of a duel, there was only a loss if one of them was rendered unconscious or forfeited. This meant that bones could be broken and the fight could still continue. Word spread like wildfire, though the mandos in Paz's class were still out on their recon.

By the time class ended and Sena was pumping herself up for the fight, all of her classmates had mustered out by the course. But not only just them. Thak, Nibak, Fos, Hux, Bhone, the Armorer, the Smith, and Rhenx were also in attendance along with Lolli and a few of the children, including Zim. In a moment, all the confidence she had shattered into a million pieces as she comprehended how important this fight actually was. Half of her had been expecting that it was just going to be her 10 peers watching, not their teachers and parents.

"Hey, good luck today," Djarin stopped her before she headed down the hill, giving her a hard look. Those were the nicest words she'd heard from him.

"Gonna kriffing need it," she snorted, wringing her hands together before approaching where she was gonna get her shit kicked in.

Her buir motioned for her to come over, her chest tightening as she trotted up to Hux and gazed up with wide, horrified eyes. He crouched down in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "No matter what happens today, you defended the clan's honor," he reminded her, bumping her helmet with his. "You are not a hut'uun ."

He had to have felt her shaking, the palpable fear rolling off of her, thankful for her bucket to hide her paling face and sagging ears. Removing her weapon belt, she handed it off to him and approached Aya who was waiting between the small crowd that was gathered. Towering over her like a mountain to a hill, Sena stepped up to the plate.

"Can still withdraw your offer, naar'ika ," Aya offered smugly.

"Scared?" Sena spat back indignantly.

"I'm not pulling my punches today," she growled.

They both turned around, walked three paces, faced each other and the fight began. The words of encouragement and tactics her friends had given her were running through her mind. She'd taken down a stormtrooper. Aya wasn't as big as that soldier. Anything was fair game. Patience was not her opponent's virtue and it was obvious the pink buckethead wanted to throttle her into the ground. Light and limber on her feet, Sena darted around her, dodging punches and open palmed strikes like a dragonfly in the wind - impossible to catch, illusive, and swift. There were noises around them, cheers, comments, and taunts. But she heard nothing.

Only the calm buzz in her ears, the hyperfocus as she predicted Aya's clumsy moves. Strength might be on her side, but she did not practice. The months leading up until this point were Sena's advantage as well as the wrath which propelled the other girl forward. Seeing only red when there was much more to observe. The minute plants of Sena's toes as she glided on the grass, once rolling out of the way, another time evading a grab as if she were made of mist. Aya was getting slower, expending too much energy in trying to catch a ghost and each movement Sena observed and calculated. They were done in sloppy rotations, harping upon the forms they would use in class. There was no independent thinking or tactful readjustment. Aya was only using what she had learned, rather than fighting with instinct.

The moment came, the desperation creeping into Aya's weary muscles as she charged at Sena. Bunching her muscles, the Anaxian was coiled like a nexu ready to pounce - and she did. Vaulting, she sprung over Aya as she tried to throw herself down to meet Sena's crouching form. Her left boot planted on the pink bucket like it was a swaying tree branch in Genmaris. The impact unbalanced her opponent, causing her to fall; Sena flipping gracefully like she had after dropping from the pull up bars with Xivi on multiple occasions. Sticking the landing like a loth-cat hopping down from its perch, she rounded and drove with breakneck haste. Aya was stumbling to her feet, a hand placed on her knee as she panted. Her helmet tilted up and Sena saw the exact location Oyiin had told her about.

Sena threw her first punch.

Her fist cracked back after connecting with the exposed jaw of Aya. Pain exploded in her knuckles, but she didn't pull back. Swaying, Aya dropped like a stone, thumping onto the ground, groaning and still choking for air. " Ori'jagyc, " Sena declared, turning around, aware that she had won. She had kriffing won. How the hell was that possible? Her eyes went down to Zim as he squealed in delight, pointing and babbling loudly to Lolli. "Zim’ika, wha-" her words were strangled out of her throat as a bicep curled around her from behind. Lifted entirely off the ground, she kicked futilely as her vision began blurring immediately.

Shouting ensued and she was dropped to the ground, her chest heaving as she drank in the air, confused as to what had just happened. Hux was bent over her, snarling in Mando'a and she saw why. Craning her head, Aya had been thrown to the ground again as she sobbed loudly, being reprimanded by Thak who had peeled her off of Sena.

"You have lost! Attacking an opponent from behind in a duel is cowardly!" he was snarling, the rage that Paz once warned her about, bubbling over. It was true. She had never seen her teacher this furious before, his words lancing into the air with vindication enough for all the spirits in Manda to hear "How dare you! You insult the honor of the Tribe and our ways!"

But rather than listen to him continue to berate her, she felt her attention drawn back up to her buir . " Kandosii! Kandosii !" her repeated, just loud enough for her to hear, but with fervor and insistence. The earnesty and depth of his words tethering her back to reality, grounding her. "I'm so proud, cyar'ika. So proud."

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes at his praise, nodding into his helmet as he squeezed her shoulders. Silently, she let them slip down, her heart still beating rapidly, blinded by the water in her eyes as he continued to mutter to her.

"You will make a great hunter, cyar'ika, " he insisted, bringing her up to her feet, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Everyone had remained, much to her chagrin, and she hoped they hadn't heard her sniffling. She hadn't been crying because she was upset or hurt by Aya's last grab, but because she was utterly overwhelmed by her emotions. Between the shock of her win to her buir 's congratulations, she had brought honor to Clan Vizsla and it almost made her heart explode with pride. For the first time in her life, Sena felt as if she truly belonged. Surrounded by all her vod , by her adopted father, and finally having purpose, she was soaking her face with tears beneath her bucket. Sena had never wanted to be a princess and get married and waste her life away in a gilded cage. She had wanted this. Acknowledging that it had cost all of Anaxes for this to happen - hurt.

"We knew it! We knew you could beat her!" Xivi bowled into her, drawing her out of her buir 's grasp and squeezing the life out of her.

"That was Kandosii! " Terri squealed. "The way you flipped over her! And how you were so evasive! I didn't know you were so agile!"

"She can do all sorts of tricks," Xivi gushed. "I think there's a nexu under that bucket, not a Sephi."

"Nice strike!" Oyiin had trotted over, pretending to plant the punch that had won the fight. "Told ya it'd knock her out."

"Thanks. Thanks all of you," Sena told them with her hoarse, choked up voice. "I honestly thought I was going to lose."

"What?! Why would you think that?" Terri squeaked in astonishment.

"Because she was so much bigger than me-" And Sena had been afraid, so afraid that she'd be broken beneath Aya's strength.

"Size isn't everything," Kedth reminded her. "You just proved that. You brought a lot of honor to Clan Vizsla today. Too bad your ori'vod wasn't here to watch that."

Sena wished Paz had been there, but shrugged her shoulders and grinned beneath her helmet. "There will be many more battles in the future he can witness. Maybe next time I'll actually get to use my kal'e ."

"Djarin's got to watch out now. Sena's gonna be vu'traat . Gonna give everyone a run for their credits," Oyiin jested, eliciting a braw bit of laughter.

"She trains like vu'traat ," Xivi admitted grudgingly. "How many hours a day do you train after school?"

"Until bed, but that's because I had a lot of catching up to do and I'm still smaller than everyone," Sena told them sheepishly. Her win had been a fluke in her mind. Any of her friends could easily best her because they were in much better shape than Aya was. Din had proven that just over the weekend and she wasn't bloated headed enough to think that Aya was a huge accomplishment - though she was preening in the fact that she had actually done it.

She lingered with her friends a bit longer before returning home, where Hux taught her how to make uj'alayi . Instead of normal dinner, they had the cake to celebrate, her buir pointing out what she had done correctly during her fight. Still riding the high from the fight, she went out at dusk to practice her kal'e. Moonlight slanted over the moors, casting a long shadow in front of Sena as she went through her forms; slashing, turning her grips, maintaining proper spacing of her legs.

Slicing moonbeams with durasteel, she bathed in the glow, the wind in the grass tickling the calves of her boots. Turning swiftly, she paused when she saw the ethereal starlight glancing down on unpainted beskar. Lowering her shoto and tanto, she stood like a solemn sentinel in the night, wondering why he was there. Rather than get any answer, only the wind sighing through the grass murmured a repy, punctuated by a nerf's moo.

Peace shattered by the cattle, Din took a step toward her and stuck his hand out. "Want to see something?"

She cocked her head at the invitation, staring at his hand, wondering what it meant. Finally, she sheathed her weapons and took it. Pulling her away from the covert, over the soft rolling hills, and far from the protection of their people they ran. Past the crowds of cattle and toward the moon's face they went. Sena should have been more nervous about going so far away, about getting in trouble with her buir for straying. But she was with a vod , nothing could go wrong, could it? He was top of the class.

Cresting a large hill, she glanced down toward a pool that reflected the stars on a mirror smooth surface. Sliding down the steep sides, they approached the edge of the pond, which shimmered a pale milky white as if it were filled with star dust and moonlight. There was a single tree off to the side, shading part of the water, branches spindling out like knobby fingers flecked with verdant leaves. This was the first tree she'd seen in months.

"I come here sometimes," Din told her, letting go of her hand. "You're from Naboo, so I thought you might like to see water again."

While the water was a welcome sight, she was more enthralled with the tree. No words escaped her lips as her breath pelted against the inside of her helmet. She began walking toward it, her feet quickening until she was running. Colliding with the trunk, she pressed her steel cheek against it and shuddered, wishing that she could feel the kiss of the wood on her face. When her chest had stopped heaving, she glanced up and located the nearest branch. Bunching her muscles, she jumped, gripped the branch and swung herself up and over. Landing neatly on top of it, she began to climb higher and higher, reaching for the moon. At the summit, she stood to her full height, grinning widely beneath her helmet.

Sucking in a deep breath, she let out a howl into the air, like those ones that Cu'Sith would make in the woods. Djarin froze beneath the shadow of the tree, having observed her weave her way up.

His petite vod was baying like some kind of wild animal, the moonlight turning her long dark braid nearly white as it basked her. She had conquered the tree, just as she had defeated Aya. In the way she had fought and the way she had slipped up the tree with feral grace and dexterity unlike any human he'd watched. Din didn't know what a Sephi was other than the fact that they had pointed ears. He'd heard of Naboo, because Gungans lived there and people liked to joke about them. Whatever the Sephi were, they did not move like humans - Senaar did not move like a human.

She howled again, making him flinch. This was his hideaway. His place to calm down and practice if he couldn't sleep. After watching her fight Aya, without so much as being touched, he'd decided he would show her. Now, he was glad that he had, her joy palpable even from where he stood down below. After the third cry, she began to maneuver down and made his heart jump up into his throat when she hung from a high branch, swung back, and then launched herself. The height was enough to break a man's knees upon impact. Senaar listed downward, before colliding with the ground. There was no grunt of pain, nor cracking of bone. Palm against the grass, her legs absorbed the shock of the impact and she remained for a brief moment before standing; unharmed.

"Thank you," she told him, still breathless and his readers picking up on the pure bliss in her modulated voice. "You don't know what this meant to me. To see a tree again, after-" her tone cracked and she glanced back, staring at it.

After whatever that had happened to her had brought her here amongst the Tribe. Din knew the answer, because he'd noticed it in her. The other children in their class had been raised Mandalorian. After hearing her tell the story about killing a stormtrooper, he knew that they were more alike than he cared to admit. War had taken their homes from him and so he had wanted to share this little space away from the rest of the covert.

"You earned it today, vod ," he shrugged, trying not to seem as if he cared too much. The last thing he needed was his rival to think there was more to this than a casual favor between kindred souls.

"We should head back. It's late," Sena pointed out, visor still tilted in the direction of the tree as if she were afraid it would get up and walk away. She offered her hand to him, just as he had done upon entreating her to trust him.

Din's heart fluttered a little before he took it.

10BBY

"Pack up your arsenal," Paz ordered his vod'ika , shining his helmet and the new beskar cuirass that he had set on the table in front of him. They had to look damn good today. It was an important day for her and as her mentor, it would also be pertinent that he looked just as stellar. His eyes trailed fondly toward Senaar, a smile creasing the corners of his lips as she went through her blades. The kriffing brat had so many now. Mostly because their buir kept giving her more, arming her to the teeth. Even if she'd been too small to use rifles and shotguns a few years ago, she'd grown into her skin and hiked up a few inches. Naturally, as an Anaxian, she was light boned and slender, but she was of a more average human height, growing like a weed overnight.

She had repainted her helmet, taking the same dark sherwood green as their buir , framing her visor with shimmering gold paint. Marked upon the crown were golden teardrops, reminiscent of her people's Goddess Marks. Now, her vambraces were also of beskar, inky green and gold, adorned with a hidden blade on the inside of her forearms. Buttons for the Kote , a whipcord launcher, and poison darts. A pistol on her bandolier, framed by her shoto and tanto. Leather had since been replaced with durasteel, painted like her helmet and embroidered with more tears. Her pauldrons had golden Jai'gaalar eyes, which winked at Paz.

His vod'ika was growing up. The young man could've shed a tear for how far she had come and how impressive he thought she was now. All fangs and claws, with kriffing knives tucked in nearly every crany imaginable. She was obsessed , giving each one a stupid name, mostly ending in '-Sticker'. Around her thigh was a band of throwing knives and a ragged, slightly fringed cloak of pine green. While similar to their buir' s, she had told him her inspiration was Anaxes and the forest surrounding Genmaris - an homage to a planet and people that no longer existed.

"Think I've got it all," she told him, her voice not half as squeaky as it had been when they’d met outside the palace gardens.

"Check again. I'm not coming back here because you forgot some kriffing tiny kal ," Paz snorted, loading his heavy blaster and standing up to begin strapping on his armor. " Buir has given us the Kote to do this. I've got the fobs for your hunt."

"That knife wasn't tiny last time! I literally forgot Pog-Sticker," she snarked, crooking a finger in his direction, patting the tanto fondly.

"I don't know how you forgot that one, it's basically your left arm," Paz retorted, bickering with the 16 year old.

"Well if someone didn't insist I take my belt off for hand to hand combat practice-" she returned with just as much bite as him, causing him to roll his eyes at her.

It was all in good nature. Neither of them were often authentically pissy with each other. Sibling banter. To them it was endearing, even if it just seemed like a bunch of hissing. "Will you two shut up? Get out of the house. I need some peace and quiet from you!" Hux poked his head out of his room to grouse at the both of them.

"Why? Have a lady friend coming over?" Sena went right for the kill, Paz trying to hide his chortling behind his hand.

" GET OUT !" Hux thundered, closing his door before his children devolved into malice filled laughter in the karyai .

They both picked up their travel packs, saddling them over their shoulders before heading for the door. Sunlight was quickly filtered by their visors, the village humming with activity as various students in Sena's class were preparing to go out for their First Trial. Each was shadowed by an older mando, be that their buir or an ori'vod like Paz. Fortunately for them, they didn't have to share a ship since Hux owned the Kote . On their way to the landing area, they passed Din and Fos. Paz chuckled as Sena flipped off her friend, which caused Djarin to just stare forlornly, wondering what in Caraya's Soul he had done to deserve that. Sena was just a brat and now had a terrible habit of flipping off all her friends, to include Paz as well.

"So when are the two of you exchanging riduurok ?" he teased, aware that she was sensitive about any subject that encouraged romance.

Sena sputtered underneath her helmet at the suggestion. "Zim’ika will have a heart attack if I marry anyone other than him. Y'know, I promised," she answered, deflecting entirely. The kid loved her to death, the moment he’d set eyes on her bucket, deciding that Sena would forever be the female of his dreams. Paz thought it was amusing, because while it was cute now, Sena had no idea what trouble she was in for when he was actually an adult.

"Come now!" Paz bellowed, hooking an arm around his sister's shoulders and drawing her in as they walked. "You're getting to that age now. The birds and bees-"

She groaned loudly, trying to worm out of his grasp, but he was much too strong and had mastered the ability to keep her from slipping his hold like an eel. "Stooooop. I already hear it enough from Xivi. Not you too!"

"Xivi is clever, that's why. You must've given a few of your brain cells to her over the years," Paz rumbled, pressing his vambrace to lower the dock to the Kote .

"I'm a Vizsla. Everyone knows we each only have one," she retorted glibly, her stupid smile audible in her voice.

"And to think you were so bright-eyed and bushy tailed when you got here," he feigned wist, shaking his head as he clucked.

"You corrupted me, ori'vod . It's all your fault," she blamed as they started up the platform.

"Vizsla!"

Dropping his arm from around Sena's shoulders, the both of them turning to see who'd called their names. At the base of the gangplank stood Hyvhast, one of Paz's peers, in muddy brown armor highlighted by stripes of moss green. " Oya! " he bid with a wave, wishing them a triumphant hunt. Paz was aware that there were ulterior motives, his vod having expressed interest in his little sister. Growling quietly under his breath, he slammed the door shut in his friend’s face.

Humming to herself, Sena trotted off to toss her bag onto a bunk in the crew quarters. Paz used the captain's quarters since he was in charge in their buir 's stead. He was a full hunter now, having passed his Second Trial. Keeping a close eye on his vod'ika , he'd watched her improvement and growing into her own skin. Every Mandalorian was different, which had been hard for her to accept in the beginning. Smaller than her peers, weaker strength wise, to the point where she wasn't allowed to shoot anything more than a pistol on the range - he'd known it had been difficult to swallow at first. Still light boned like a shriek-hawk, she'd passed the most worrying bit of her training.

Understanding where her talents laid, Senaar had dug her heels in and became the unofficial blades specialist of the Tribe. Her love of kal'e the subject of loving teasing amongst the Tribe. Jokes included that any child she had would be born holding daggers. Even if she was disinterested, she was coming of age and becoming the fixation of many available bachelors. Once she passed her First Trial, she would be open for hunting - or as non-Mandalorians considered it - courting. Ironically, none of them knew the exotic creature beneath the helmet, aside from the fact that she was 'Sephi'. She was precious and Paz was keen on protecting her from any unwarranted advances or overinsistent suitors. Most were his age, which made him even more disdainful over the fact that they were interested in at 16 year old like that. But aside from Djarin, she was top of her class and favored by Elder Rhenx the Alor .

He might've teased her about her relationship with her rival and peer, but Paz decided he liked the quiet Djarin better than half the hunters that were asking for his blessing when they returned from the Trial. The other teen was hyper focused and talented and absolutely atrocious at expressing how he felt. Paz had long suspected that Din might like his sister, but the idiot hadn't done anything aside from ask Paz for some hand to hand combat lessons, trying to glean Vizsla life a little better. He knew that Djarin wasn't expecting the copious amount of yelling that occurred in their karyai or the verbal assault he faced from the grouchy head of the clan or from Sena, whose favorite thing to do, was complain about everything . Apparently, she was much more mild mannered in class.

Sena's blatant disinterest in suitors pleased him and Paz might've had something to do with that, telling her she had ages to get married and settle down. She wanted to be a hunter. Her head wasn't filled with romance, it was filled with blood lust. Again, he might've... uhm, helped with that, but he was her ori'vod . To him, no one was worthy of the princess beneath the beskar'gam . Plus, he doubted most of the Tribe could actually handle living with her and were just attracted to her prowess.

"Paaaaaaazzzzz," she shouted for him in the cockpit, her voice echoing throughout the ship.

Leaving the captain's quarters behind, he climbed into the cockpit to see her sitting in the pilot's seat. Her helmet was cocked on the edge of the dash, dark lashes framing vibrant eyes on copper tan skin.

"Where's the Guild we're going to? Planet?"

Ah, right. He'd forgotten that he had stowed the inactive fobs. They would need to check in with the Guild before officially being sent off. To keep from too many members of the Tribe showing up at the same Guild, they had coordinated who would get which planet. "Dadrus."

"Solid," she muttered, starting up the ship, flipping a few switches, before her gloves settled on the controls and they squeaked from the tightening of her fingers. Taking the Kote off the ground, she began moving to get them out of atmo. "Any idea what these bounties are?"

He shook his head. "They're handed out randomly as not to show favoritism toward a specific group," he informed her, plopping down in the co-pilot seat. His job was to step in if needed, but Sena had to fly the ship, navigate them to the right planet, pick up the job, do the job, hand it in, and then return back to the covert with her reward. "Depending on the bounties, they pay more if you bring them in alive. Sometimes they don't care, but we'll throw them into carbonite either way."

Bounties were quite popular right now amidst the war for the galaxy. None of that was their business, but plenty of others had bets levied and people they needed to find. They wouldn't be bothered by the Empire as long as they flashed their fobs and mentioned being on Guild business. Paz hated encountering them, his blood rushing at the thought of what they had done to Anaxes. There was no doubt that Sena felt the same way and wouldn't be opposed to gifting more stormtroopers with second smiles on their gorgets. Such a beautiful planet and culture, erased, because they wouldn't submit to the Empire's will. Were there any other survivors aside from Sena?

Leaving the grassy moors of Vorp'ya, they broke atmo and Sena began plugging in coordinates. She listed through the hyperlanes, mapping the correct coordinates to start for the other Outer Rim planet, frowning at the calculations coming back. It would take them four days to reach Dadrus at the quickest the Kote could move. She attempted to find a swiffer route, to map between lanes, but couldn't pull any quicker numbers.

"Fuck," she grumbled.

"It'll be four days then," he shrugged, wondering why she was so bitter about it. Dadrus wasn't right next to them and it wasn't uncommon that hyperspace might take a few days.

"I made a bet," she continued grumpily.

"With whom?"

Sparing a glance back from her molten gold eyes, he knew. Her rival: Djarin.

"What did you bet?" Paz was actually impressed, but that quickly faded.

"Nothing more than bragging rights," she groaned as if that were the worst thing in the galaxy. Out of all the kriffing things they could have bet, it was just that? Maybe Din thought it was worth it, because Sena had such a huge amount of pride that losing would get under her skin for months - maybe even years.

Idiot, Paz complained silently. "Who knows how long of a trip he's got to make it his destination. Four days isn't that long."

"In addition to wherever we have to go to collect the bounty and then return it to Dadrus. Then we've got four days to return to Vorp'ya," she reminded him astutely. "At the very least, I expect we're going to be out 10 days."

"Then we'll just have to keep ourselves busy, won't we, vod'ika ?"

Punching the hyperdrive with the petulance of a Foundling on the brink of a tantrum, she muttered to herself.

"What, spending some bonding time with your ori'vod that grim of a prospect?" Paz pouted.

The angsty look she threw at him made him laugh. "It might be depending on what the hell you're going to tease me about."

"I'll lay off about Djarin," he promised, but crossed his fingers behind his back. "Come back down to the karyai . I've got a surprise."

Highly suspicious, his little sister followed him out of the cockpit as the ship chugged onward using auto-pilot. Plopping down cross legged onto a pillowed seat at the table, she folded her arms and waited expectantly. Cracking open the cooler, he pulled out growlers of ne'tra gal. She arched a dark brow at him. "Before the mission?"

"We've got four days," Paz pointed out, placing them on the table and retrieving a set of cups. "Let's play a game."

"Of course there's a catch," she narrowed her eyes at him, drawing the offered cup over toward her. "So, what's this game?" Taking a dagger out, she used the hilt to pop the cap off of the growler in front of her, the ale hissed slightly, frothing but not touching the rim of the container.

"Truth or dare," he challenged, opening his growler. " Ni dinu. "

"I've already opened it!"

"Looks like you're playing," Paz shrugged nonchalantly.

" Shebs ," she muttered, pouring herself a cup. "What are the rules then?"

"Truth, you ask a question. If you refuse to answer it, then you have to finish your cup. Dare, you have to do the dare. Again, if you refuse it then you have to finish your cup."

"Then why wouldn't I just do dare everytime?" Sena pointed out.

Paz laughed, but did not elaborate. "Start then."

"Dare."

"I dare you to open the dock."

Sena just leered at him, her bright eyes blinking slowly. "WHAT THE KRIFF! How am I supposed to do that?!" she roared, seizing her cup as she began to chug it.

"You said dare," Paz chortled in his minor victory.

"You're the worst."

"I pick... truth."

"So what's going on with you and Voomri?" she piped, her voice becoming sickly sweet as she inquired about a female mando that Paz, most certainly, did not like. Not that this mattered, because Voomri would spare every moment she had doting on him, all but hanging on him in an attempt to start the hunting cycle with him.

Paz growled, picking up his cup and draining it. "Your turn."

"Dare."

"You know where this is going, vod'ika ."

"DARE."

"I dare you to go for a swim in hyperspace."

The game continued like this, the both of them too stubborn to answer questions or relent in their impossible dares. Smacking his sister much sooner than him, she sagged over the table, a hand on her brow as she propped up her face, eying the other half of her ale dubiously. "Truth," she groaned.

Squirming delightedly in his seat, he placed his elbows on the table, leaning forward to grin at her. "Do you like Djarin?"

She gave him a venomous glare, picking up her drink, considering it for another moment. "Like how? Can I ask questions?"

"Enough to date."

"Why are you going to pummel him if I say yes?" she retorted snidely.

"Answer the question."

"I don't like anyone that way. I'm not interested in relationships like that currently," Sena answered honestly. "He's my friend, so yes, I like him. Not to the extent you're worried about. Although, I give you full permission to kick his shebs because it would be funny."

"Dare," he decided, pleased with the answer he had gotten.

The absolutely malicious glint in her eyes, lighting them like fire, made his stomach twist disconcertingly. "I dare you to run laps around the Kote . 3 of them, in full beskar'gam ."

This was the first dare that either of them could actually participate in and if Paz opted for a drink, he'd be labeled the loser. Curling his lip, he pushed himself up to his feet, swaying slightly, before considering his ale again. He did not want to run at this moment. No, his stomach complained at the idea. Hissing a few expletives beneath his breath he began his laps, the carbonation in the ale making him burp a few times, bile rising in the back of his throat. He finished the laps, the ship wasn't too big, but it still unsettled his insides.

Offering him the prettiest and smuggest smile she could manage, she said, "Truth," again.

"Do you think Djarin likes you? In the aforementioned manner," Paz hissed, holding his rebelling stomach.

Her brows pushed together and she frowned deeply. "How the kriff would I know? He's the quietest person in my class."

"But if you had to guess?"

"Maybe? I really can't say for certain. I've never really thought about it."

"You haven't thought about it?" Paz's voice hitched.

" Lek , I'm not hormone riddled. You humans age differently than Anaxians," she snorted, picking up her ale and taking a few mild swigs.

"What do you mean?"

"Anaxians don't reach maturity until their second decade of life. If you... ahem, catch my drift," she blushed slightly at admitting such a thing to her brother.

Paz's gums flapped and he felt incredibly uncomfortable in that moment. "Didn't need to know that... Really didn't need to know that-" he muttered loud enough for her to hear. Now he couldn't get the images out of his mind, standing up abruptly, picking up his growler and stomping away. He locked himself in the captain's quarters, bringing the ale to his lips as he felt even more disgusted with himself. It had all been in good fun until he realized even he had been sizing up his sister, considering the expansion of their clan. Running his hand over his face, he flopped back onto the bed and groaned.

---

Dadrus was an unimpressive, dustball planet. One of the first she'd been to since becoming Mandalorian and not at all her type of place, which would've been green, blanketed in trees, and with mild weather. Instead, the air was arid, made her skin parched even beneath her helmet, and the suns glared at her as if she had slapped its girl's ass in the cantina and got away with it. It was a small livable area on the gas giant and an even smaller outpost village that sat nestled between the amber and gold canyons. The Guild establishment was settled in a nook in the center of the town, the only thing worth traveling to on Dadrus. Otherwise, the planet might've been empty save for a few souls who were looking not to get captured for some sort of war crime. Place like this, the Empire would never bother with.

The bell on the cantina door tinkled pitifully as the Mandalorians entered. One dark green, shadowed by an impassive and impossibly large dark blue figure. All activity guttered to a halt, heads turning anxiously to look at the pair that were marked with the same Jai'galaar eyes on their pauldrons. Didn't get visitors often, let alone two Mandalorians. Usually they traveled alone, not in pairs. None of them knew that the two were just teenagers, because it was in the way they walked; tall, erect as if they were about to snap to attention, and with feral prowess indicating their years of training. From the visors, eyes then followed to the weapons. The female had an arsenal of knives and blades, whereas the male saddled himself with a heavy blaster and a few other smaller firearms.

He nudged her, motioning toward the back of the room where Jace nearly spat out his spotchka. They were going toward him. Well, he was the official leader for the Guild on Dadrus, so he shouldn't have been too surprised that they'd be bounty hunters looking for pucks. Draining the rest of his cup in his anxiety, he motioned for the bartending droid to bring a double - stat. Interlacing his fingers on the table to keep them from shaking, he listened to the dull metallic ring of each boot's footfall before the Mandalorians were standing at the end of his table.

The female reached into a pouch, all but slamming the unactivated fobs in front of him. "We're here for work," he wasn't expecting the accent. It was crisp, clear, and definitely not from round these parts. Outer Rim folks all had a certain accent, hers was cultured and smooth like velvet, despite the shift in it from the modulator. Jace leaned forward, earning an aggressive leer from the bigger mando. Was nice to hear such a pretty accent, but he wasn't looking to get throttled by the blue guy.

Swiping the fobs, Jace flipped through them and nodded his thanks at the droid who brought over his second spotchka. "These are all claimed," he muttered. "Where did you get these?"

The female glanced over at the male, her head tilted, maybe confused?

"Do you have any other work?" the male's voice was deep like rolling thunder.

"I have a few," Jace sat back and considered them. A pair like this could really be used for anything, not just a small fry job. "Tell you what, mandos, I'm in a gracious mood today. I've got one puck if you're willing to take it, but it's on Tatooine and deals with the Hutts."

"What does it pay?" the female inquired, his heart clenching at the sound of her voice again.

"Well. As long as you bring the bounty in warm. Leaking? That'll be fine. But alive," Jace picked up his spotchka and took a deep swig, eying the green mando while he did so. He saw an obsidian braid swaying and wondered what might be underneath that helmet.

"We'll take it," she didn't deliberate with her partner, holding out a black glove expectantly.

Jace found the puck in his stash and activated it, taking the three fobs they'd had that were no longer any good. Those were pitiful bounties anyways for a set of Mandalorians. They'd be better suited for walking amongst the Hutts and not being bothered. Jabba would probably entertain them, since he liked Mandalorians. Plopping it in her hand, Jace smiled fondly, "Happy hunting."

---

"Why are all these kriffing planets hot as fuck?" Sena complained loudly to her brother as they stepped off the dock into the hangar of Mos Espa. Visor adjusting rapidly to the light to cut the difference from the darkness of the Kote , she glared at anything and everything around her. She liked warm planets, not scalding ones. Despite there being a habitable zone in Tatooine, it was hotter than the devil's armpit and wearing full armor was not comfortable. Dadrus had also been slightly unpleasant, but now she was beginning to think that it was absolute paradise when held next to Tatooine. Plus, the Guild Master had been kind of cute. Ugh, she'd literally just told her brother she wasn't interested in anyone that way and now some random human had garnered her interest?

"The Outer Rim isn't known for being the most favorable place to live," Paz reminded her, but also groused quietly at how hot it was. Tatooine left much to be desired aside from the climate, to include the absolute rabble that littered the planet. They were Mandalorian and wouldn't be bothered, but he disliked the atmosphere here, the casual slavery, and the disdain toward life as if it were something to be taken for granted. This wasn't exactly the place he'd wanted Sena to go for her first hunt, but she'd snatched the puck up before he could stop her and he wasn't going to argue with her in the cantina on Dadrus. Not in front of other people. Any gripes could be taken behind closed doors unless they were life threatening.

"Should be easy. Pick up the quarry, shove him into cryo, then double back," she reasoned, spotting the mechanic who governed the bay they had landed in. "Hey!"

The old man froze beneath the shadow of the Mandalorians, dropping the wrench in his hand and paling. Bending down, Sena picked it up and offered it back to him, the small bit of courtesy confusing him. "W-welcome to Mos Espa," he greeted, taking the wrench and rubbing the accumulated sand off on his coveralls. "What can I help you with today?"

"We're just docking for the day. How much will that cost us?" Sena asked, gesturing back to the Kote.

"If you leave before morning, won't cost you more than 200 credits. "

That seemed like a lot, but then again Sena hadn't really bought anything off planet before. Their allowance was 1,000 for fuel, food, docking and other miscellaneous necessities. If this bounty went without a hitch, then they would be getting a lot more for the scum bag in Hutt palace. Hearing the word palace again was odd, but this place was nothing like her old home.

"Here's half now," she fished the credits out and put them into the mechanic's hand before locking up the Kote with a few buttons on her vambrace. Thinking that it was hot from within the shelter of the hangar, she was immediately dismayed the moment she walked into the sandy streets and felt the sunlight billeting off her dark armor. Sweat pooled beneath her flight suit, against the back of her neck, and rolled down into unpleasant crannies. Holding the fob in her hand, she followed the quiet pinging while her head remained on a swivel.

Everything was earth toned. Despite being a miserable planet, there was actually quite a bit of activity. Folks of multiple races meandered the streets in robed attire, a wave of gritty activity as they plucked along on daily activity. Her eyes noticed the people with collars, eyes cast down, going about their business though they were considerably more demure than most other locals. Slaves. Her lips curled beneath her helmet in disdain, recalling what papa had once told her about those who used slaves rather than paying people for honest work. They were despicable. No one, not even pilfering Jawas, deserved to be treated like a disposable object.

Paz had mentioned that Tatooine was a shitty planet and with each step, she continued to wade into the trash and find things she didn't like about it. From the old durasteel domes that were stained from whipping sandstorms, marred by scars of the sunlight stripping it of its dignity. Everything here was for purpose, not appearance. With water a high commodity, people would typically resort to sonic showers to clean things, which was sort of gross in her opinion. At least, Vorp'ya had its rainy seasons and was never truly parched like Tatooine. Grass had to grow in for the nerfs to graze on, their population growing ever larger.

They cut their way through the crowd like butter, folks shuffling out of their way as if so much as touching the Mandalorians would burn them. Sena wasn't taken aback by this, people were terrified of Mandalorians and eyed the arsenal of weapons each of them were decorated with. Did it make her feel lonely? No, she had the whole Tribe back on Vorp'ya, her friends, her vod, her best friends. There was nothing to be desired and she had a job to do to prove her worth to the Tribe. She wouldn't let her aliit or the Elders down.

The Hutt palace wasn't exactly what she'd call a castle. A big, cylindrical dome with a few black rings toward the top which were windows set inward, strong enough to withstand the storms. While it was quite large, she thought it had a phallic shape to it and was unimpressive and nondescript. No, compared to Genmaris Castle it was a lewd joke, more akin to a run down outpost in the forest than a place where important people should dwell. Through her academics, Sena knew that the Hutt Clan was not a force to be reckoned with lightly. They were slavers and crime lords, with no qualms in dispatching anyone they disliked. Fortunately, they were fond of Mandalorians and their success in retrieving bounties, so Sena was hopeful that they wouldn't run into too many issues.

Beep... Beep... Beep...

Inside the palace. Well, she'd been expecting it, eying the pair of Niktos by the door who gave the two of them brief glares before jerking their heads in approval and letting them through. Smoke buffeted their helmets upon entrance, the haze a swirling combination of whatever the patrons were dragging between lips and a machine near the jazz playing band. Lively music filled the air, but did not disperse the blatant profligacy that filled the cantina chamber to the brim. Slaves were everywhere, identifiable from the metal shock collars around their throats. Servers ferried drinks between tables, some playing sabacc, others engaged in deep conversations, and eyes immediately distinguishing the mandos through the murk, almost as if they weren't truly there, and their eyes were playing tricks on them.

Upon a stone plinth was the ugliest creature that Sena ever had the luxury of laying eyes on. Once that title had belonged to Rathas, but now she'd decided that Jabba the Hutt was a much more suitable champion. A big, lumpy mass of molted green, brown, and tan with piercing orange eyes, slitted pupils blown as he picked up a tiny, live, and miserable creature which squealed for dear life before disappearing into the sticky maw of the Hutt. A shiver lanced down her back, a pair of scantily clad slaves tethered to him by chains. They looked absolutely petrified, as if they might be the next thing to disappear into his gullet.

There were dancing platforms where various female slaves swayed to the music and gripping poles. Clearly, they weren't doing it for pleasure, their collars a little smaller as not to impede them from their work. Lecherous eyes trailed them, some of the customers and guests muttering about what they wanted to do to them and if maybe Jabba would let them if they paid. The absolute filth being translated through her helmet made her want to vomit.

Paz brushed her arm, reminding her to keep moving, and not get distracted. Steadying herself, she placed her palm on Cu'Sith's pommel and felt her heartbeat ease back down to normal. While she wanted to murder everyone in this room, aside from the slaves, and paint a beautifully macabre mosiac with crimson (and whatever other colors of blood there might be) - she knew they couldn't. Not only were they vastly outnumbered, but killing anyone in here without permission would mean turning the Hutt Clan against them and the Tribe. Too much of a risk to free a few slaves. They weren't there to be heroes.

Approaching Jabba, he turned his repugnant eyes toward them, his impressively wide mouth curving up in what could only be described as a slimy smile. A protocol droid stood beside him as he spoke, translating the Huttense, "Welcome Mandalorians. Jabba is most pleased to see you amongst his ranks today. He asks what he can help you with today? Are you looking for work?"

Sena drew out her tracking fob. "We have a quarry that has led us here," she informed him curtly, keeping voice under control and thankful for the modulator to cut the edge off of her bitterness in having to deal with this monster. Pressing the identification button, the silhouette of their charge sputtered in a crystalline holographic view; a Twi'lek male in his early 30s.

Jabba considered it and then wobbled the top of his slug-ness. He didn't really have a neck which could discern what was his head and what was his body, but she supposed it was as much of a nod as she would get. "Jabba says that your quarry is here in one of the back rooms. You are permitted to collect him as long as no one is disturbed."

Sena put the fob back into her pouch and gave a discreet nod, unwilling to thank the creature. Turning away, she trotted along through the back halls and toward the rows of chamber doors. This area was akin to a hotel, where bounty hunters could stay whilst in Jabba's care. Lighting was subpar, yellow like piss, and casting a sickly glow against the rusted walls. Down the hall, she stopped where the fob indicated, glancing to see if there was anyone nearby. A few scampering slaves, who ducked away and ignored them, a passing Nikto, but no one who had any interest in bothering them.

From her pocket, she removed a lock pick, giving Paz the signal to let her handle this on her own. Sena could use her stealth to her advantage, but Paz wasn't gifted in the same talents. He'd trundle right in and give her away. He would post outside whilst she took care of business inside. Didn't take long for her to find the right combination. She'd practiced on Paz's door just to annoy him by putting random bugs in his bed. He hated bugs.

Slipping in like a shadow, she pinned herself to a wall and slowly removed her kal'e from her belt. The lights were off except for one on the nightstand, allowing for her to drink in the surroundings before deciding what she would do. Her head cocked, a strange slapping and wet noise garnering her attention. Creeping forward, her feet rolled heel to toe to prevent any noise. Her light weight allowed for an even more soundless approach as she cut the corner slightly and her stomach dropped into her feet.

Caged in the corner was a young woman who was barely clinging to life as her captor gripped her by her slave collar. Head bent back at an uncomfortable angle, Sena could only watch on in horror as he pummeled into her, each wet slap punctuated by a terrible whimper from the woman’s mouth. The animalistic grunts, the absolute disregard for the slave’s deteriorating health, her skin marked by bruises and lesions, slicked with sweat and blood.

Finally finding her feet, she stepped forward, each rolling of her heel to toes silent. Not that the bastard would have even heard her, fixated in his conquering. She raised the pommel and collided with the back of his head.

The Guild Master had said leaking was fine. Her lip was peeled back in a wolfish snarl that the quarry couldn't see, groaning as blood trickled down the back of his head. A hiss escaped the door for a second time and Paz stomped in to see what the commotion was. Immediately, he went rigid, observing the barely breathing form of the slave as Sena bent over her, chewing her lip as she tried to decide what to do. Maker, she was bleeding everywhere.

"She's not going to make it," he told her.

"Why? Why would anyone do this? What sort of sick pleasure do they get from this?" her voice was hoarse, but crackled with unbridled fury. "Can you hear me? Hello?"

The slave girl's eyes fluttered open for just the briefest of moments, unfocused, pupils blown as she let out the faintest cry of shock. Of course. Two Mandalorians were hunched over her while she was bleeding to death. Gritting her teeth, Sena placed her arms under the slave and lifted her, taking her over to the bed instead of the damp corner she'd been bludgeoned in. Setting her down, dismayed by how much the human weighed, she pulled the blankets up and tenderly wiped away the spittle and other fluids from her face. Continuing to clean up what she could, she sat in the chair beside the female and waited, observing each rattled breath until the slave opened her eyes again.

"What... are you doing?" she asked weakly.

"I'll stay here with you," Sena promised, clutching her knees to keep her hands from shaking as the scenes replayed in her head over and over again. Primal, animalistic, and disgusting.

"P-p-please. Can you finish it? It hurts... so bad... it hurts..."

" Vod , I'll do it-" Paz stepped up.

The slave whimpered at the sight of him and Sena snapped her head up. "Take him out of here. I'll help her. She's afraid of you."

Paz's shoulders sagged slightly, gripping the quarry by the cuffs and dragging his limp body out of the room. When the door snapped shut again, Sena turned back to the young woman and let out a shuddering breath. "Is there... anyone you want me to tell about you? Family? A friend?"

"I've always been a slave. N-n-no one," she answered quietly, closing her eyes against and shuddering. "Be-before you do... Can I see your face? S-so I know?" Know who saved her and put her out of her misery. That was her request.

The question shocked her, shaken to her core by the question to see her face. Aside from her aliit , no one had seen her since she left Genmaris. No living thing could see it or she'd have to kill them. Drawing her blade, she knew what she had to do. Sena was discreet, hiding it on the outside of her thigh as she reached up with a trembling hand and disengaged the seal of her helmet. Setting it down, her eyes rapidly adjusted to the dim room, glowing faintly in the reflection of the lamp.

Eyes widening, the slave sputtered slightly at what she saw, the tanned countenance of a young female. Then she softened, resigned to her death, a faint smile creasing her frothing lips. A secret she would take with her to the grave and the only luxury and honor she'd been spared in her entire life. "Th-thank yo-you," the slave muttered as Sena bent down, almost in the way a mother would crane to her child to kiss their brow before bed time.

Smoothing the mess of hair from the female's face, Sena's eyes burned as she maneuvered the blade carefully, out of sight and mind. "Go to a better place. You will be safe there and no one will harm you, mesh'la ," she promised, sliding the blade up into the girl's ribcage. Her lids snapped back, before a long winded sigh parted her mouth and she eased down into an eternal slumber. Dragging the pads of her fingers down, Sena closed the slave's eyes and withdrew her tanto, wiping the blood off on her pants. Taking her helmet, she placed it back on and cleared her throat, finding it constricting on her as she stared at the girl - who might've been sleeping peacefully if not for the dark scarlet stain in the fabric where her heart had been pierced.

I will remember you, Sena promised, spinning on her heel and storming out of the room to find Paz waiting. The quarry was coming to, eyes still rolling into the back of his head. She'd probably given him a concussion.

" Vod ?" Paz was even toned, entreating her to see how she was faring.

"Let's return to the ship."

The silence between them was thick enough to cut and Paz was worried. While talking outside the privacy of the Kote or their covert was not necessary, he saw the stiffness in her shoulders and the fists she balled her gloves into. He'd only caught what had happened at the end, but had been able to see quite clearly that she had found the quarry torturing the slave. Kriffing Tatooine. Absolute hellhole of a place. This was why he had been worried about coming here. It was no place for a 16 year old and now she'd seen too much.

Sena paid the mechanic in the hangar, following Paz closely as he dragged the charge who was starting to become more lucid. He was about to thrust the bastard into cryo when his sister caught his arm. "No. I'm not done with him," she informed him, preventing him from sealing the Twi'lek in carbonite. Any normal person might've been sickened by the suggestion, the idea that she was going to torture him as he'd tortured the slave. But Mandalorians often abided by the rules of an eye for an eye. The quarry needed to be alive, but they'd never said he couldn't be scarred.

He left her, heading up to the cockpit just as she secured the trembling Twi'lek to a chair and pulled out one of her knives. Just as he closed the door to the cockpit, he heard the first guttural scream, silenced quickly by some article being stuffed into his mouth. The creature deserved it. He deserved every lasting mark that Sena would place on him. Being a master of blades had always encroached on this territory - Paz just wondered how long it would be before she actually wielded them in this manner. He'd been hoping she would be older, but he couldn't change fate. No, he just worried about what his vod'ika had seen.

Translations

Shabuir - motherfucker Buir - parent Vod - comrade/brother/sister Lek - Yeah Ne'johaa! - shut up! Shebs - ass Murcyur - kiss Ori'vod - big sibling Su'cuy - Hi Kal - blade Kal'e - blades (i made the plural up) Nayc - No Jate - Good Ad'ika - daughter/son (affectionate) Aliit - Clan Cyar'ika - darling, sweetheart Vaar'tur! - Morning! Ad - son/daughter Kyramud - assassin Vaar'ika - pipsqueak Koor - Deal Hut'uun - coward (a very heavy weighted insult in Mandalorian) Ori'jagyc - bully; one who picks on someone smaller than themselves Kandosii! - Well done Vu'traat - special forces Riduurok - marriage vows Oya - Stay alive ! Cheers ! Ni dinu - Take it or leave it

---

End Author Note: Dear Readers, absolutely all my resolve has vanished and I am now hopelessly writing a romance fic. Heck.

My original intention was to really drag out growing up, but I like the vein I've traveled down more. The biggest point to take away from this is that Din is very inexperienced (and he's reserved) whereas Sena is very outgoing and popular (with the addition that she's not in an Anaxian's adolescent form yet, so relationships of a sexual nature are still weird to her).

We've got that awkward in between phase in tandem with Sena's distaste for what happened on Tatooine. Our poor little bird isn't gonna be ready for an intimate relationship for a while and Din is hopeless anyways since he doesn't talk.Anyways, I'm really excited to publish the next chapter in a week. There will be a lot of timeskips before getting to present time of Season 1.

Additionally, Paz will eventually also have a love interest in a few chapters. I couldn't forget him completely when Din and Sena's ship sails.

Tags will change once those chapters are published.Publishing day will be Sunday - no specific timeframe.

#big brother paz vizsla #paz vizsla & oc character #the mandalorian fanfic #the mandalorian fanfiction #oc mandalorian #growing up mandalorian #din djarin x oc

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