Chapter Seven: Mand’alore
Jango Fett looked down at the survivor of the ship crash, a young girl from what he could tell she seemed younger than ten but older than five. Her face covered by what he could tell were wings. He was impressed by the craftsmanship of them as he knelt down seeing that the girl was holding her head. He observed her for a moment looking for any sign of aggression before reaching past the wings to check on the wound. This caused a strange reaction, the wings flared knocking everyone back as the girl took off to the air.
“After her!” Jango Fett ordered the rest of the True Mandalorians as he took off after the girl. She soared through the air unsteadily but managed to keep ahead of them. Just as they moved into grapple range, she dropped. Jango took the lead flying down at full speed to catch the stranger seeing the rest of the downed ship come into view. He landed when she did, her landing was unsteady and her shoulders were shaking. Jango Fett knew never to fly with a head wound, but something told him that she was at the other half of the ship for a reason. He closed in behind her as she found a way in, only for the hole to be too small for him to fit. He wasn’t going to let that stop him, he was searching another way in as the others landed. He found moveable debris and with the help of the others cleared a spot to get in. They moved carefully into the ship leaving a few outside to keep a lookout.
The smell of sick caught Jango’s attention. Moving around the debris and furniture, the Mandalorians found the girl on the ground holding her head. A veil rested over her face hiding it from view. Jango looked at her for a moment before saying. “Get her back to camp and get that wound treated. I want to know who she is and why she’s here. Keep her restrained at all times. I don’t want her flying off.”
“Yes sir.” one of the Mandalorians replied as the group moved in. Jango Fett decided to investigate the remainder of the ship. From his initial observation he could tell that this wasn’t the ship of a mercenary nor anyone prepared for coming to Mandalore for the war. The holotable was covered up, a broken vase on the floor, near it was a leather pouch. Fett picked it up from the ground and examined it. He opened it and let the contents fall out into his hand. It was a pink crystal of sorts, it had a slight ethereal glow. A voice echoing from it. “As long as the remains of my weapon are here, I will not return to Mandalore.”
Jango Fett glanced at the now bound girl, he was curious as to why she was here and if she was seeking this weapon. He slipped the crystal back into the bag before signalling for the group to move out.
When Fluttershy regained consciousness she knew she was in trouble. Her wrists were bound as were her wings. The veil was left on, which surprised her as most would be curious on what someone was hiding underneath. Her memory was a bit of a blur. She wasn’t surprised, she should have remembered that flying after a head injury was never a good idea. Glancing around Fluttershy could determine that she was on a vessel that wasn’t hers. Which meant that there was someone on Mandalore.
Jango Fett entered the room and looked down at Fluttershy, gazing through his Mandalorian helmet. "I see you're finally awake."
Fluttershy began to stutter wanting to just curl up and hide. “I-I’m sorry!”
"I'm not going to hurt you girl, I just have some questions for you." Jango said as he took off his helmet and laid it on a shelf next to him. His hand was grasping something afterwards but it was hard to make out. Fluttershy glanced at the floor mumbling. “I’m sorry I crashed into your planet. I didn’t mean to crash… oh… what questions?”
"I don't need apologies, just answers. First and foremost, who are you and why were you near Mandalore all by yourself?" Jango asked with a stern look. Fluttershy glanced up at him before looking down saying quietly. “I’m… Fluttershy, I was looking for the other half of a crystal.”
She was trying not to mention that it felt Equestrian in nature. Jango Fett stepped forward as he said. "That makes my next question easier." He opened up his hand revealing the crystal he found in the pouch. "At first I thought nothing of it and placed it back but I feel like there's something you aren't telling me. What is this?"
“I think it’s a crystal from my planet. I’m not sure what’s it doing out this far.” Fluttershy answered keeping it vague enough so she wouldn’t have to explain her species. She was also starting to get worried by saying her actual name.
Jango's hand grasped the crystal once more as he turned around. He looked back over his shoulder saying. "Don't move, I will be back." He left the room leaving Fluttershy alone once more. Fluttershy made a noise before trying to get comfortable. The problem was she was in the center of the room, so she turned herself to look at the helmet.
Jango walked back into the room and stood between Fluttershy and the helmet. He opened up his hand, this time revealing a crystal alongside the one from before. "I found this one, I assume that it's the half you're missing." His hand grasped the crystals once more as he folded his arms. The crystals glowed brightly when they were brought together. Fluttershy stared at it before nodding her head saying. “Um… yes, they’re… glowing.”
She was getting quieter and quieter as she spoke. Jango took notice of the glow, placing the crystals next to his helmet and watched them. "Does it seem more familiar now girl?"
Fluttershy tried to make herself smaller once again saying. “It’s just a feeling, familiar, like returning home after being gone for a long time.”
The crystals reflected the light from each other producing a map of the galaxy. Fluttershy felt like crying, feeling rather stressed out, something she knew could be dangerous. She took deep breaths trying to calm herself down as she looked back at Jango Fett.
Jango eyed the map and looked over his shoulder at Fluttershy. He grabbed the crystals from the shelf and laid them on the ground in front of her. He stepped back, looking down. "Take them. I have no need for them or you."
“Did you need help with something?” Fluttershy asked, looking down at the crystals before looking up at Jango Fett. “I mean, I’m not good with fighting but I have gotten good with healing. Finding medicinal plants and turning them into salves for burns and wounds.”
Jango stared silently at Fluttershy. He placed a hand on his chin, pondering what to do with her. "And why exactly do you want to help us?"
“Where I’m from it’s always good to help those who need it.” Fluttershy answered her tail starting to move against the ground as she thought about her home. “Even if we don’t get anything in return. I take care of animals and make sure they’re healthy, or I help my friends in any way I can. It’s not much, but anything helps.”
A short chuckle came from Jango Fett as he turned around to grab his helmet. He placed it on his head and moved to the door. "I'll think about it. There's some refreshments on the shelf next to you." He said as he left, closing the door behind him. Fluttershy looked around before spotting them, she climbed to her feet. She frowned a bit before looking at her hands, her wrists were still bound but she didn’t know how they would react to her Force training. So she did the one thing any Pegasi child would do when they hurt their wing. She began to climb the shelf. It was difficult but if there was one thing Mir’grok taught her, it was how to turn a bad situation into a good one. Not that he bound her hands and forced her to climb a cliff, Sans would have killed him. She struggled her way up to the shelf that she had seen them on before pausing. She didn’t have a way to hold them and was now stuck on the shelf. Fluttershy let out a squeak before remembering why it was always a bad idea to do this.
“Help.” Fluttershy whispered trying to flex her wings but whatever was binding them wouldn’t budge. She had to choose between trying to get down without slipping or getting the food down and risk falling.
The door opened up as Jango Fett walked back into the room. He moved toward Fluttershy and set her back on the ground and laid the food next to her. "You're not exactly helping your case in wanting to stick around and help if you can't help yourself."
“Well, if you insist on keeping my wrists and wings bound I can’t exactly help anyone.” Fluttershy answered back. “Thank you for helping me down though, I don’t think I would have been much help to anyone if I got hurt again."
Jango Fett shook his head as he knelt down to unbind her. "If you try to escape by yourself and something happens to you, you're on your own." He said as he got back up and headed towards the door. Fluttershy nodded her head before eating some of the food. She hummed under her breath as she stretched her wings, but stayed in place before glancing at the crystals. She wondered if she should tell him about her teachers. She didn’t know how Mandalorians would react to her being taught by either a ghost of a Jedi, Sith, or even both. Yet the first thing she knew about friendship was being kind, honest, loyal, generous, friendly, and just wanting to see others smile. Nodding her head she spoke. “Ummm, I’m sorry I didn’t get your name, but I do have something I want to tell you. If you’re even listening, I… I was looking for the crystals to help complete my training. I don’t know if you have heard of Master Satele Shan or Darth Marr, but they have been guiding my training through the Force. They knew it was going to be dangerous sending me out here to find the crystals but I decided to do this on my own. I didn’t want to put anyone else in danger… though I put myself in danger. I’m not a good fighter….”
Jango Fett stopped suddenly and remained silent for a moment. Instead of saying something in regards to the revelation he just heard, he simply said "Jango Fett." and walked out the door, closing it behind him. Fluttershy smiled as she whispered. “Thank you, Mister Fett.”