//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Sorgan // Story: The Mandalorian // by FourShadow //------------------------------// The freighter known as the Sweetie Drop was back out in space, now back on course to Naboo. The ship's engines powered up, and soon they were flying right back into hyperspace again for a much quicker travel. And with the ship set on automatic pilot, this gave the Mandalorian some downtime to do other things; like help patch up her wounded Jedi. She wrapped up some bandages around Lyra's wound, surprised to get her to hold still long enough to do so. "You took some big hits, but I think you'll be alright," the Mandalorian said, this time more softly. "Thanks," Lyra said, graciously. The Mandalorian set the medical supplies down, and then looked over at the baby, who was just sitting on the floor, playing with a rubber ball. It rolled away a few times, but she learned how to use the Force to pull it back to her so she could get it again. "When they hired me to capture that baby, I thought they were crazy. Now I understand why... and at the same time I don't," the Mandalorian said, sitting down on the step with Lyra. "My assumption was that they want to turn the baby to the Dark Side, but that's just my hopeful wishing." And poor Flurry whimpered as the ball rolled away again, except when she focused and pulled it back to her, she babbled and giggled in joy, grabbing it again. "I have a feeling they would have killed her," the armored girl said, observing her. "Although there's one thing I don't understand; How did a Jedi like you end up being in charge of looking after this little powerhouse?" Lyra hissed. "Oh... that. It's... not pretty. You sure you want to know?" "It can't be that bad, can it?" "It can, and it will," Lyra warned. "But okay. Where do I begin? Oh yes..." "I was just doing business, discussing strategies in a war room like any other day. When suddenly we got a transmission, requesting for some help over on a small planet. It turns out that the princess along with the captain of the Royal Guard, her husband, had been dealing with a serious problem. A possibly changeling threat. You see, while Canterlot's a peaceful planet, it's unfortunately also home to another threat; Queen Chrysalis, and her Changeling army." "I've heard about those bugs. Don't they take on the form of people you love and grow from the emotional energy you have for said people?" "They do. And sadly, it had become a recent problem for the princess and her Crystal Empire. So she asked me to watch over the baby for a few days as a little nanny. Admittedly, I was surprised, but I honestly fell in love with the assignment. It was a nice change from battle. But over the course of time, it seemed the paranoia had gotten worse. And so one day..." "Okay little one. You ready?" Flurry nodded, and giggled in delight as Lyra lightly threw her up in the air and caught her gently, zipping around the baby's room with her like she was an airplane. "Here comes the starfighter, nerrrroooooowwww, fire the ion cannons, bam bam!" Flurry giggled in delight, especially after Lyra brought her back down to face her. "You're such a sweetie, yes you are, yes you are," Lyra nuzzled her. "Is Flurry going to be a star pilot when she grows up? Huh? Are ya?" Just then, Cadence and Shining Armor came in the room. "Hey, Lyra, can we talk to you?" "Of course." "Wait... how do know it's you?" Lyra gulped. She knew this was gonna happen, again. A machine from the ceiling propped down, and started flashing a scanning ray up and down on her, checking her entire body. "Okay, it's her," Shining said with relief. "We wanted to discuss something with you, something important." "Um, sure, yeah. What's that?" Lyra asked, sitting down in a chair. "I'm afraid the search for the Changeling intruder has not stopped, and we aren't anywhere near close to stopping it or finding out if there is more coming," Shining Armor said with frustration, setting his helmet down on a table. "Which is why we wanted to talk to you about this," Princess Cadence said, kindly. "But wait, what about Twilight? She's her aunt, doesn't she deserve to know? If you're having problems here, I think she can dispatch some clones and come to help you--" "She has enough responsibilities happening right now, and a war of her own going on. But we will let her know, I promise. But if something happens to us... and Twilight-- "Can we ask you to please take care of Flurry? You're the only one she seems to take a liking to." Little Flurry playfully squirmed in her arms, blissfully unaware of what her mommy and daddy were talking about. Lyra looked down at Flurry, who was still desiring to play, and then back to Shining and Cadence. She couldn't say no to them, but she had responsibility to the Jedi Order. Well, either way, she wasn't about to break the promises of either or so she simply said-- "If it means that much to you two, I promise to look after Flurry should the day come. Which it won't." The two sighed in relief. "Thank you, Lyra." "It really means a lot to us that someone will be protecting her. We just can't imagine what would happen if something bad happened to her," Cadence said. Lyra looked down at Flurry, a little bit of worry in her voice said, "Yeah... me too." "After our discussion, we all got on a shuttle, and they dropped me and Flurry off on Naboo... because I didn't think about bringing my own ship with me." The two parents stood with Lyra, with some final minute discussion. Reminding Lyra of when would be appropriate times to set the baby to bed, her favorite foods, things to practice with her, and much, much more. The two parents really didn't want to leave, but they had no choice. They wanted their child safe, and they weren't about to keep her on a planet with the chance of her being kidnapped or killed by the Changelings. "G-goodbye, Flurry..." Shining kissed the top of her head softly. "Daddy loves you, all right?" Now Flurry could sense her daddy's sadness, making her frown and whimper. "Just make sure she stays okay," Cadence requested, somberly. "I promise. And don't worry, the Changeling debacle will end soon. You'll be able to get your daughter safely again," Lyra said with pride. "I hope so. I don't want this search to take too long," Shining replied, worriedly. The guard waited some more, and then stepped aside as Shining Armor and Cadence walked back onto the shuttle to depart. Lyra didn't move at all, holding little Flurry in her arms. She waited, and then watched as the shuttle took off, leaving them alone. She sighed momentarily, parking herself on the empty bench. Lyra looked at baby Flurry in her arms, smiling softly. But seconds after, her heart crushed inside, thinking about the idea of Shining and Cadence being gone. Little Flurry could see her sadness, frowning a little. But she slowly pulled herself up to try and stand on her lap, and kissed her on the cheek. The Jedi felt a little warm inside as she looked back at Flurry, smiling some more and picked up the baby holding her in a warm hug, even feeling the baby's hands hugging her back. "What do you say you and I go take a stop to Coruscant. I'll buy you some ice cream, I know Dexter's Diner has some of the best," Lyra asked little Flurry. "... After that, I've been on the run, trying to keep the baby safe. Only a few Jedi know I'm trying to take care of their niece, but Master Sparkle doesn't. That's her aunt." "Doesn't she deserve to know? She's her family," the Mandalorian said. "She does, but... I don't know. I'm just scared it's only going to put more anxiety on her, and she has enough going on right now. But I'm hoping as soon as the Changeling scum has been found, I may return her back to her parents. Poor thing doesn't deserve being stuck out here in war," Lyra said, softly petting Flurry's hair, making her giggle. The Mandalorian was quietly observing the baby, pondering Lyra's story. "I agree strongly. It's bad enough you all have brought this war stretched across the galaxy, but throwing children into this is just... I have no words. That's why I refuse to bring this 'asset' to the Storm Army. Kidnapping children has never been part of my code. Spice, money, jewels, whatever, I'll happily find those. But children? No. That's where I draw the line." Lyra had to admit, she felt rather impressed. "I didn't think bounty hunters had any honor." "Some do. Depends on the bounty hunter," the Mandalorian said. "So tell me. You're a Jedi, aren't you? Don't the Jedi have clone battalions to help? Why don't you have one helping you look after the baby?" "Oh funny you mention that. Actually, I'll tell you why, just one second," Lyra picked up the baby, holding her safely and walked over to the crib, setting her down. "Lyra will be right back, Flurry. You're not ready to deal with my frustrations." She closed the top, and then turned around with a face that screamed 'I am going to kill everyone on board this vessel'. "Why don't have I any clones? I'll tell you why; THEY'RE DEAD! I had a battalion! I had a captain, Captain Concord, I liked him, he was a good guy!" The Mandalorian was not ready to deal with her anger either. "... And where is this, Captain Concord?" "I don't know. Because he's FREAKING DEAD!" The Mandalorian jumped. "He, along with the rest of my battalion are all dead! They died, trying to help me protect Flurry! I watched those Storm Troopers mount Concord's head on a freaking stick!" She force-grabbed a staff from the side for emphasis. "A stick! Like a bunch of savages!" And she tossed the stick to the side, back to the wall it was on. "This is just like Kit Fisto's incident on Vassek with Nahdar and Commander Fil!" "... I don't know who those two are," the Mandalorian blanked. "Exactly!" Lyra ranted. "I just... agh! Varan won't stop until he has the baby, and I cannot imagine Flurry being held by that monster, or anyone of the Storm Empire." Lyra took a moment to finally calm down, sighing to take a deep breath. Then she looked back at Mandalorian, with a bit of embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I forgot, Jedi aren't supposed to be this passionate or enraged, but honestly that rule doesn't... what?" The Mandalorian's head was leaning over to look past her, not looking at Lyra directly. "... Flurry got out of her crib, didn't she?" Indeed she did. And when Lyra looked over, her anger washed away and she gushed with joy. Flurry was adorably hugging Cheep, who in turn was giving her some soft pats on the back with his little claws. "Your baby really seems to like Cheep." "Chorp chorp chorp chorp chorp," Cheep responded. "I guess she thinks he's probably a plushie," Lyra thought. And little Flurry then looked up at G-G, who just stood there idly, and watched as she started to slowly walk towards him. And very cutely, she hugged him as well, getting a soft pat from the astromech too. "Aww," Lyra squeaked. "Your astromechs are really sweet." "I think your baby is the sweet one here," the Mandalorian admitted. "I can't recall the last time I've been around someone so sweet and innocent." The two of them sat for a moment or two, watching the baby just innocently sit and chill out. Eventually, the Mandalorian got back up on her feet. She walked over to a small workbench, looking at the parts laid about from K2-B4's body. She would reassemble them later, right now she wanted to do some reprogramming of her own so this tactical droid would obey her. "Say, um, Mandalorian... do you have a name?" The Mandalorian put the tactical droid's head down. "I'm sorry?" "Do you have a name? Because I can't just keep calling you 'Mandalorian', it gets really repetitive after a while," Lyra blushed. "... You can call me Mando," the bounty hunter said, a little coldly. Lyra frowned. "Still don't want to share your real name?" The Mandalorian was going to speak-- "If you don't want to, I understand. I should respect your rights to privacy, I shouldn't pry you on that," Lyra finished. "I would be okay with you calling me Mando," the bounty hunter said, sincerely. Lyra smiled a little. "Okay then, Mando." Flurry's nose twitched and her eyes squinted a bit, feeling an urge to sneeze. Her voice started squeaking like she was about to as well. But when Lyra heard those noises-- "Oh crap, hit the deck, Mando, hit the floor!" She grabbed the Mandalorian and slammed into the floor, covering her ears. "Ah... ah..." The Mandalorian didn't understand, but she stayed on the ground, mainly because she didn't know what this Jedi was gonna do if she tried to get back up. "... What are we waiting for?" "Ah... achoo," Flurry cutely sneezed. Lyra lifted her head, looking back at the baby, sighing in relief. "Whew. Thank goodness." "You were scared over a baby sneezing?" "It's not the normal sneezes you should be worried about. The baby is Force-sensitive, but I found out the hard way that she has a little bit more power than she lets on..." The Mandalorian pulled herself back on her feet, helping Lyra back up. "I'm almost afraid to ask." The baby just innocently pulled herself up, patting her tummy as she heard her stomach growling. "You hungry Flurry?" The baby looked up and nodded with a big smile. "How old even is that baby, I wouldn't think she could understand your words so easily," Mando asked. "Just bring her to the table, I'll see if I can make her something." Mando walked over to her kitchen area, about to pull out some food to get working on. But she stopped partway in between. She tilted her head to look at Lyra out the corner of her eye, thinking a little bit. She set some food down on the counter, and spoke. "Do you want something to eat, Lyra?" Lyra heard her name. "I'm sorry?" Mando paused for a second. "I said, do you want something to eat?" "Oh! Um, sure, thanks! That would be appreciated," Lyra blushed. "W-Whatcha gonna make?" "I did by some fresh Nuna legs," Mando asked. "Then yes, I would love some," the Jedi smiled. Mando got her answer, and her hands got started to cook dinner. Now that dinner was cooked, the two young adults and little infant sat at the table and began eating. Very good food, surprisingly. Deep fried Nuna legs, some Thala-Siren milk, there was some good food here. And it only made the baby happier when she discovered she liked the Nuna legs. Just hope she doesn't find out where they come from, or that'll ruin her innocence forever, Lyra thought. Her eyes looked back at Mando, somehow able to eat even though she kept that helmet on. She just watched her gloved hands slip the food under her mask to eat. "How exactly can you eat with that helmet on?" Lyra asked, flipping her spoon at her. "Very carefully. My code says no one is allowed to see my face. Therefore, I do not take off my helmet." "Doesn't it get kinda sweaty under there?" Lyra asked. "Sometimes," the Mandalorian shrugged. "... You realize that I'm not going to judge you, right?" "Why would you judge me?" "Are you some alien species, is that why you're hiding under there? Or did your hair get badly screwed up by a barber, and you shot him, and he had a Mandalorian helmet so that's why you parade around in that? Or did someone toss you down a bottomless pit, trap you in carbonite, mutilate your limbs, let your body burn to a crisp by molten lava which is why you're hiding your face because it's nothing but melted skin?" "..." "..." "... You. Are weird." Lyra heard some condescension in that tone of voice, frankly feeling a little hurt by her words. "Do you hate me?" Mando nearly coughed up her food, almost spitting into bottom of her mask. But turning around and wiping her mouth (making Lyra pout about not being able to see her face), she finally got herself stable. "I am sorry?" "Do you hate me? Do you hate having to put up with me, are you annoyed--" "No, I don't hate you, Jedi," Mando said. "But I'm not the biggest fan of your kind." Lyra raised a brow. "My kind?" "Just Jedi in general. They all speak about being keepers of the peace, and yet your war cannot bring any semblance of peace anywhere," Mando said with some snark. "And do not tell me or try and defend yourself. I've heard it all." Lyra folded her arms, and the baby let out a small 'eh?' like sound, looking at Mando almost inquisitively. "But that doesn't mean the Storm Army is safe either. I never liked them anyway, everywhere I go, I swear they're almost trying to build doomsday devices. I'll give your great Republic and Galactic Alliance this, at least you aren't trying to kill everyone you meet." The dinner table suddenly got quietly awkward. "Chirp, chup chup chup choop." "Bwoop boop." Mando groaned. "Yes, I probably should have said something else, and yes I just made the conversation incredibly awkward. You're not helping." Cheep and G-G just let out soft curses at her and let their wheels take them away where they weren't going to be insulted. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get political with you," Mando apologized. "No, don't be. You shouldn't be sorry for your opinion, it's all up to you, and if I can't change it, that's fine," Lyra acknowledged. "So... am I the first Jedi you've met?" Mando took a second to finish chewing what she was eating. "I suppose you are." "Annnnnddd?" Lyra said playfully, giving her sparkling innocent eyes. "I'm not that bad, am I?" The Mandalorian was going to respond right away, but she got lost when Lyra gave her that face. Those sweet little eyes that looked into her soul that had nothing but kindness and innocence that she could get lost in. One of the few instances of pure innocence she had seen in such a long time. A surprise, but a welcoming surprise all the same. "Mando?" The bounty hunter finally snapped out of her thoughts. "No, um. No you're not bad. Not at all." "See? We're not all bad," Lyra winked, playfully sticking her tongue out. The Mandalorian didn't laugh, but it certainly made the baby giggle a bit. "I suppose so. Still prefer droids though," she said. "Well, how come you favor the droids more than me? What's wrong with human contact?" "... Droids can't easily betray you if they were programmed to do their job. And they give me more comfort than any human has offered," Mando sneered. Lyra was confused. "I don't understand." The Mandalorian sighed. "I suppose you should probably deserve to know. Have you heard of a terrorist organization called the Death Watch?" "I believe so. I've heard of them existing for a long time, standing for the former warriors of the past that they used to be. Why?" No longer hungry, the Mandalorian pushed her plate to the side so she could talk. "I was a little girl. Say around seven years old. My family and I were just out to have a picnic, when several bombings took place in the park. Death Watch attacked, and they killed dozens of the people there; my parents and I only barely escaped. We tried to make our case to the Duchess of Mandalore, but she didn't help. We weren't exactly happy with their stance on Mandalorian culture, but at the same time they refused to support Death Watch." Lyra nodded, while the baby just sucked on her little plastic spoon, completely oblivious. "We found little to no aid from the Duchess, especially when they came after us. The leader he... he killed my mom. So without much choice, my dad and I had to leave Mandalore and leave it behind. We took what we could, and settled to find a home on Tatooine. We eventually found a home and so we started to look for means of business. Outside of my father, the only people I cared for was some astromech droids that I helped maintain for a job. Repairing them, cleaning them, building them. There was a strange sense of comfort I got from working with droids." "Okay. But wait, why do you even wear--" Mando held up her hand, so she could continue speaking. "As time went on, my dad just couldn't keep up the workloads, even when he found a second job just so he could pay rent. It's hard living in a galaxy this big, and he eventually died heartbroken. I thought I was now done, my time was going to be over. But then I saw that he had made a will for me, and with it, a set of coordinates. I paid a taxi driver to take me to it and it led me to a massive storage unit. I looked inside, and I found he had saved up all of his money to make sure I had a means of going anywhere, and a place to live. Which is what you and I are sitting in, right now." Lyra looked around her, not sure what she meant. The Jedi thought more and more, until she started to piece things together. "Wait, this--" "Mmmhmm. This freighter that you're sitting in was the last gift my daddy made me. He also left behind some savings, some food, weapons to defend myself, instructions, and everything I could ever need. He also found this Mandalorian armor, which I painted myself. I didn't want any outsider to know who I once was, so I made a vow to never take this helmet off when I'm around people. And all of those boxes of droid parts, and the commando units that I have made out of junk?" Lyra gave another nod, looking at the commando droids sitting on the little charging docks. "When I fixed them, I gave them reprogramming so they could follow me; someone who wouldn't just forget them and fix them whenever they were banged up. And the same went for Cheep and G-G. After their ships were shot down, I brought them in and gave them a home. They're my family." Cheep and G-G gave positive beeps, confirming her words. "I never bring any company on board because I know how most people will act; they'll pick their noses into places they don't belong, or try to steal from me, or stab my back. I don't trust anybody. Droids can be trusted far more, and I can count on them more than human emotion." Her head turned away from Lyra for a few seconds ago, and then looked back at her. "You need to know who you can or cannot trust, Jedi. Me, I learned a long time ago you cannot rely on people for help. At least the programmable droids can help me when I need it," Mando said. Lyra finished chewing on her piece of food, and then set down her fork. "Do you mind if I say something?" Mando waited for a second. "Go ahead." Lyra pushed her plate to the side, now finished with her dinner. "I'm sorry all of that happened to you. I really am. I can't say I've been through the same, but I've felt betrayed by some people sometimes as well. But you can't just close yourself off from them. If you can't trust anyone, then how are you getting around? And what about that Hondo guy, I saw you talking with him." "He's more of a mutual business partner. He respects me, I respect him, simple as that," Mando replied. "I get his boys some spice, and in return, he and his boys have given me fuel and droid parts." Lyra had a neutral expression on her face, unsure of what to say. All she really could say was, "I see." But little Flurry raised her arms up, begging to be picked up so she could hug her quasi-mother. Lyra saw her, and her mind immediately melted when she saw the cuteness of little Flurry again. She picked up the baby, holding her in a hug, and she gushed hearing Flurry's adorable little happy sounds. Some time later, Lyra and little Flurry had gone to bed hours ago, leaving Mando some time to try and focus on piloting and driving back. For a brief moment, she climbed down the ladder from the main pilot controls to go clean up the dinner table, having not taken care of it before. The first thing her eyes set upon was Lyra trying to sleep on the bed she folded out, visibly stirring a bit. The Mandalorian thought about the conversation she had with Lyra during that dinner. She still held onto her beliefs about the war, but she did feel a bit guilty about how she acted to the Jedi. Sure, she was a Jedi, but she wasn't showing any signs of those behaviors she had believed or expected from the Jedi Order. This girl was sweet and kind, the complete opposite of how she imagined the Jedi to be, just from all the stories. And on top of that, this Jedi's only main interest of focus was to protect the baby, something that she completely understood. Maybe she wasn't that bad a person at all... Recognizing that she was shivering, she reached over into a compartment, pulling out a warm and fuzzy blanket. This was something that had been completely stitched together, something that her mother had made when she was a little girl. To this day, she still held onto it, never wanting to forget it. She hadn't used it in a while, but it was still clean, Maybe her guest could use it. Slowly, she set the blanket down on the Jedi's body, making sure she was completely covered up and warm. And Lyra's quivering lips softly turned into a warm smile, no longer feeling the discomfort. And under that helmet; the Mandalorian couldn't fight her lips curling into a smile. The very next day, the Sweetie Drop came out of hyperspace, now outside of a pale and sand green planet. Lyra, along with Mando sat in the main pilot seats of the ship as they started to make their approach. "Here we are; Sorgan. We can pick up some fuel and supplies, there's a village we can stop at," Mando pointed, flipping the switches. "Fine by me." The ship flew through the atmosphere, punching through the clouds until they finally making it to the ground level. As far as the eye could see, the planet was another forest looking planet, like Endor, Ajan Kloss, Felucia, and many, many others. In a small clearing, they found a spot to land, and so the engines began to wind down as the landing gear unfolded. A soft landing had been made, and now they could get off the ship. Mando climbed down the ladder from the cockpit down to the main open floor, ready to purchase some merchants. And luckily she still had some credits that did her good. "I'm taking Flurry with me. Even if your droids are capable, it wouldn't be best to keep a Force-sensitive baby alone on your vessel," Lyra said, letting Flurry's little hovering crib come to her. The baby just sat inside it, enjoying the little ride. "Good point." "Thanks. I know she may not be just as safe outside here, but I think she'll be safer near me than by her own. Especially for someone just learning how to use the Force," Lyra pointed. "Fair enough. G-G, activate one of the commandos. We're going to buy some things, might need some defense if someone gets hasty," the Mandalorian ordered. "Bwoop boop." G-G moved to a wall, accessing one of the panels. A commando that was set on a dock activated, and stomped from its stand, with the cables and cords pulling off from the back, no longer needing it. This unit had almost all of his limbs intact, except for one arm which was a piece from a common B1 battle droid unit, and a leg of a Geonosian B1 battle droid. "Awaiting orders, commander," the commando droid said, standing straight. "At ease soldier. We're just going out to do some shopping, no need to be locked and loaded. Just put the gun away, we want to show these people that we mean no harm," Mando advised. "Roger roger." The group walked down the hatch, finally reaching the actual land of Sorgan. Their feet stood on a patch of dirt, thankfully dry not wet. And right behind them was G-G and the single commando unit, ready to depart. "Well alright, let's go." The group left the ship and followed a direct path leading out of the woods, hoping to find more open areas. -- Their walk was about fifteen minutes from where they parked the ship, and around the bend they could see some people nearby. People close to a hovering wagon with various goods and supplies. When they were further in view, they discovered a small cabin near them. And next to it was another small cabin. And reaching far beyond it and with several more log cabins and houses and shops. They had just found a small community, a village no less! Hiking up their boots and metal feet, the group walked into the village, watching and looking around at the various people around them. Some various locals hanging around, chatting, talking to one another. Some children visibly walking around and laughing as they played, even getting Flurry's attention as she was now waddling with her, well, mommy. Once again she had climbed out of the crib, but Lyra didn't try and fight her to get her back in; Flurry was walking just fine for now it seemed. Some of the more colorful looking locals glared at the group with unfriendly eyes. They didn't even do anything but just walk into town, what could they have done to make these few individuals so upset? Lyra could only imagine what these people were saying. Yeah you see them, you see they keep walking, just freaking walking. I don't like them, they're terrorists! They wear their underwear backwards! They eat Gungan eyeballs! At least that's what her slightly crude mind imagined them saying. She hadn't been exposed to many locals, and could only picture what they would say in her head. But even if this collective looked suspicious, they didn't say a word, or do anything to antagonize the group. "Hello." The group halted in their tracks, seeing two individuals standing before them. A girl with magenta hair and dark pink skin with freckles on her face, and a boy with light brown skin with wild green hair. "Um, hi." "My name's Gloriosa Daisy, and this is my brother, Timber Spruce." "You can think of me as that fun guy who should always be invited to fun things," he said with a smirk, making Gloriosa roll her eyes. "Welcome to Sorgan! What are your names?" Lyra and Mando looked at each other, and back to the locals. "My name's Lyra. This is Mando, G-G, and... um--" "C1-327." "... Right," Lyra said, unsure of how to reply. "We came here to purchase some supplies. Is there any store that sells fuel of any kind?" "There is. Just go down to the market stands over there, you should find plenty of things to purchase. And if not, there is a fuel and parts store on the left," Gloriosa asked. "Thanks. Come on, Mando. Let's go see about finding us some fuel," Lyra said, casually with a smirk. Sometime later, Lyra and Mando walked around with the crew, looking around the various stands. They had plenty of fuel to buy, which they picked up right away. But they still had time on their hands, and no signs of any bounty hunters in the vicinity, so they decided to go walk around and look at the stuff from the shops. Thankfully the shop owners started to open up to the strangers and were less hostile than how they acted before, and so it gave them a chance to look for something just for fun. Little Flurry waddled on her own two feet, thankfully still able to catch up with the adults, what with G-G staying with her as they walked. "Food stands, perfect. Hmm, maybe I can pick up a juice box for Flurry, she really likes those," Lyra thought. Luckily she had found a stand, and paid a few credits to the owner, picking up a case of juice boxes for the little girl. And to make sure she didn't go thirsty, she pulled one out and squatted down to give it to Flurry, who happily accepted it and started sipping on the delicious taste of fruity liquid. "Good thing you brought credits, I was starting to wonder if you had any," Mando said. "I always have some," Lyra pouted. "Republic credits don't work in the far reaches of the Outer Rim. You're lucky these people accept that currency," the Mandalorian said, paying an owner for some frozen Nuna legs. "Because out here, you need to pay smart. This isn't like some fun mall you can just pick up whatever you desire. Out here, you need to be the smartest you can, and that means paying smart, paying only what you need to survive." “And just how do you even survive just living on a freighter and just buying from merchants?” Lyra asked, raising a brow. "Yes, I understand playing smart, but specifically, what do you mean?" “You follow these simple rules, Jedi. Don’t play a hero, shoot anything that can’t shoot back; like Porgs, circus people, peasants, tourists, dust, Banthas, and Womp rats.” The Jedi gave her a disturbed look. “Uhhh…” Lyra wasn’t sure if she should have been confused, or to be disgusted. She was however surprised to hear the Mandalorian actually start snickering and laughing at how she expressed her shock. “I’m kidding, Jedi. Look, it’s a tough universe out here, but the way I see things; you stick to your guns, do not trust anyone, only accept small jobs, and fry any sleemo that tries to pull any micro-transactions on whatever he tries sells you without giving you the full deal. I hate people who basically con you into buying things that you never really own.” Lyra still wasn’t sure what to say. “I am trying really hard to understand that last sentence… but I really can’t.” “You’ll learn eventually,” the Mandalorian shrugged off. “Come on, we better get back to the ship.” Their plan for turning around was interrupted when they saw a man get tossed across the ground in front of him, feet away from the little shop that he had came from. And an unfriendly sight in the form of a bandit with a loaded gun came whipping around from the store, with a bag of presumed stolen goods in his possession. Lyra wanted to march forward but Mando stopped her, shaking her head. "But I--" "--That's not our business." "A man was tossed out of that shop, we have to help him," Lyra insisted, putting her hand down. "My job is to protect the peace, and he just got thrown in an unpeaceful way. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to help him," Lyra set her foot down, walking over to the man who had just been mugged. "Sir, are you okay?" "No, I'm not okay!" The man shouted. But he realized how he was sounding to the stranger who just asked him a simple question. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. I've been on edge lately, along with everyone else around here." "That explains all the nasty looks we got since we got here," Mando said, looking at some more of the villagers. "What's wrong?" "Bandits. Highly armed bandits who attack our village, steal from our families, our businesses," the man said, crossing his arms with an angry face. "We like our village. But we do not like those who steal from us. Especially from people who come here with weapons and war machines." Mando looked at her pistols, and over to her commando droid who just stood there, keeping his gun by his side and not in his arms. "Sir, we didn't come here to attack or steal, we only come here as customers, to buy," she said. "And I sincerely appreciate that. But we do not want any trouble brought here, we're in enough as it is," the man said. "What's your name, sir?" Lyra asked. "Wix," he said. "Okay, Wix. I have another question, do you have any warriors or security teams of any kind?" "You think we'd hire bounty hunters to protect us? That would cost us more money," Wix said. Lyra scratched her chin. She then looked at her Mandalorian friend, and the two of them exchanged a small nod. "By any chance, do you have a place where we could gather all the villagers for a town meeting?" Lyra asked. "We do... why?" "I think I have an idea," Lyra grinned. "And if it works, you won't have to worry about any bandits ever--where's the baby!?" "Whoa, Lyra, calm down," Mando said, gripping her shoulders. "G-G's watching the baby, and Flurry is just over there," she pointed. Lyra looked to where she pointed and she felt a sliver of relief. Flurry was safe, thank goodness. And G-G was watching her as Mando said, and she was trying to chase after some fluffy creatures who were prancing near some playing children. She couldn't help but smile as the little girl tried to run after them, so cute. But Lyra's defensive instincts kicked in when she saw an older little girl approach her, looking around 7 or 8 years old. "Hi there," a little girl said. Flurry looked up, curiously smiling. She waddled towards her, and she squatted down to get up a little closer to greet her. Lyra was about to move up in defense, until the Mandalorian stopped her. "Relax. It's just a little girl, she's okay," the bounty hunter reassured. "Sorry. I've seen all the little ones, they can be savages," Lyra sneered, defensively. The Mandalorian looked at her, admittedly disturbed under the helmet. "I think you've spent too much time in the battlefield. You're really on edge." Lyra sighed. "Sorry. I don't want anything bad to happen to her." "I understand," Mando said, lightly patting her shoulder, but then quickly withdrawing her arm. But as she looked at Flurry, her mind then wandered back to the man who had been robbed. Her hand rubbed her chin, thinking hard. What could they do to help these poor people? There had to have been something they could do, something they could do that would be of help. And yeah, she had an assignment to protect the baby, but this wasn't a problem that she could ignore. Her eyes locked onto the commando droid who was awaiting orders, and then back at Mando. "Mando, out of curiousity, how accurate is your commando droid's aim?" "Better than the B1's, I can tell you that," Mando replied. "Why?" Lyra had a small grin. "I think I have an idea. But I am going to need your help as well."