A Match for the Mandalore

Canderous



There have been very few times in my life I wished I could be better at talking, even less so about dealing with outlander women. I’d known Jennet about a day now, and in that time I’d at least tripled my total in both. I’ve said she talks enough for both of us. Mostly, that works for me; a nod here and there is usually sufficient to get me through. But sometimes I just wish I could say the perfect thing. I think I did okay, this time.



The last few hours I’d said more in one stretch than I usually say in a week. I hadn’t made a complete damned fool of myself, at least. She wasn’t running away, screaming incoherently, and she seemed even to think I’d made sense.



Being my mate…that was big. It was rare enough that I was bemused that I even had one, let alone found her. That she was a Telan/Ondorani half breed with no Mandalorian blood was even more mind blowing. I don’t argue the Force exists; I’ve seen too much to not believe it. My race being short on the Force sensitivity, we just don’t put much stock in it when it comes to our own lives. I do notice though that it has a bitch of a sense of humor.



To distract her, after she had stopped shaking and I’d for once in my life, it seemed, said something exactly right, I asked, “So what did you do to piss off the Exchange and the Hutts?”



She looked at me, completely nonplussed at the abrupt change of subject. “What?”



I repeated myself, adding without speaking that I was trying to give her time to assimilate things. Hell, I was trying to give myself time to assimilate.



She smiled, and I knew she’d gotten the message. I was starting to really appreciate this ability; it saved time and misunderstandings.



Got that right Hunkalicious.



I looked up sharply and saw her innocent look firmly on her face. I scowled menacingly.



Do not, under any circumstances, ever call me that again, even in my head. Especially in my head. Ever.



After all, there’s a limit to what a man can take, even for a mate. I heard her giggle in my head.



Oh this is going to be fun.



Yep, the Force has a bitch of a sense of humor. Jetti must be masochists, the lot.



“Exchange. Hutts. You were going to tell me?”



“Oh. Yeah. Well, it was a misunderstanding, at first.” She looked sheepish.



“I’ll bet.”



“No, really. I had been here a couple of months, and I’d entered the battle ring a few times to earn some credits. I did pretty well.”



I grunted; no point in feeding her ego with the obvious. She grinned.



“I had also brought in a few bounties, and was starting to get a rep. I had been listening close to rumor and such and heard that a slaver was targeting children.”



I glowered grimly. I’ve mentioned I hate slavers in general, those who prey on children particularly. I nodded for her to continue. The conversation was interesting; I was getting as much if not more off her non-verbally as she was saying out loud. I made a mental note that we were going to have to learn how to be more selective in the mental department; it was nice, great even, but there is such a thing as too much information, and everyone needs some privacy, even from their mate.



I agree. Let’s try to tone this down a bit. Her tone was serious, and her mind in mine was warm and caressing.



You’re the one used to this sort of thing. Any ideas?



Well, try imagining a force field between your mind and mine. Make it strong enough to bounce a blaster shot off it.



Okay, I answered doubtfully. I imagined it as she suggested and felt the connection suddenly cut off.



“Good. Now thin it out until you can still feel me, but not my actual thoughts.”



I tried that. I heard her in my head again, too thin, and tried to block her better. We practiced a while, and eventually got to a point where we could feel each other but not necessarily actual words. She smiled, but then looked concerned.



“I’m glad we’re not going to hear each other’s every stray thought. But if this is supposed to strengthen each other, isn’t is counterproductive to have to block all the time? What if I need to let you know something, and you’re blocking and I can’t get through? I mean, is that normal, to block continuously? ”



“How would I know? I told you it was rare. I’m not exactly in the Mandalorian hall of history to be able to research the situation.”



“No need to snap.” She said mildly.



“I’m not snapping. Well okay, maybe I am. Sorry. But we gotten this far, in a very short time. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”



“Let me try something. Trust me?”



“Yes.”



“Sit down with me, here one the floor.”



I did, facing her.



“This is a Jedi technique. Don’t get defensive; it’s all I know and it might help. Just breathe deep, close your eyes, and listen to my voice.” I had jerked a little at the mention of jetti but knew she was right. In this, she was the general and I was a green recruit. I didn’t like that feeling much but I did trust her.



I listened as she talked soothingly, and together, we managed to find a middle ground between total invasion and complete isolation. It wasn’t perfect, but I sensed we were on the right track.



“So, about the Hutts and Exchange?” I asked when we were ready to move on.



“Oh yeah. Well, I tracked the slavers down and managed to raid their holding area and rescue the children. I got them down to the Refugee section, and the leaders there made sure they were hidden.”



“What was the catch?” I asked. With our new level of awareness, I was feeling her emotions as she spoke, rather than having to interpret them by tone. Occasionally, a thought of hers would come through. I was as interested in this sideline as her story. Right now, she was remembering how angry she had been about the kids being stolen, and how scared they had been when she found them. Her rage toward the slavers was magnificent.



“I killed everyone in the complex when I went in there, and made the littler kids close their eyes when we trooped past the bodies, with the older ones holding their hands and guiding them through. What I didn’t know is that one of the men I’d killed was a nephew of one of the higher ups in the Exchange.” Her dismay at this came through. She didn’t regret a bit killing him, and would do it again given the circumstances. But she wasn’t happy at the attention.



“Not good,” I agreed. “Not that you had a choice.”



“Well, no. I couldn’t have left the kids there. Anyway, I’d covered my tracks pretty well but eventually the Exchange figured out who was behind the raid and the death of the nephew. They were clever; I didn’t hear a breath about it until they set me up. In retaliation, they paid off the Hutt to turn off the energy dampeners at my next fight in the battle ring.”



“Clever.” It was dirty, but I had to admire the tactic. It got rid of her, accidentally enough so everyone would look the other way, but it would be clear that her death was a message to anyone thinking of crossing the Exchange. They obviously gravely underestimated Jennet, but it was a sound plan.



“Yeah. Except it didn’t work, obviously. The Hutt sent two against me that day; claimed I was winning too easily and this would increase the odds. Which was more or less true. Unfortunately, Hutts are pretty much Force dead. I don’t get anything off them, so I didn’t see the trap. I was smart enough to know something was up but I didn’t see what. He was stupid enough to have told the fighters, and I got a flash off them. Not until the fight started, but it was enough, and I killed them. The two best fighters of the battle ring, after me.”



I whistled. Not because she had won; that wasn’t surprising. But to kill off two valuable assets of a Hutt is definitely not a healthy thing to do.



“Exactly. The Hutt accused me of rigging the game, which of course was his way of covering his own ass. That’s when I told him to go fuck himself. I was a bit pissed off at the time. I said a few other stupid things too,” she added ruefully. “Of course, I had to fight my way out of there, and a couple more of the Hutt’s fighters died, along with a few bodyguards. I knew I had to disappear fast, and couldn’t go back to my apartment. Fortunately, I had pretty much everything I owned with me. I had enough credits to at least book passage, or buy a junker ship that could limp to the next space station. That last fight was supposed to pay enough to buy a decent ship.” She grimaced with the memory, and I felt her frustration.



“I went straight to the docks, hoping I got there before the Hutt and the Exchange could regroup, but no luck. Every ship’s captain and port authority had my name and holo, with orders to turn me in on sight, and permission to kill if I resisted. I got out of there, but ended up killing a couple of Exchange security guards doing it. After that, security was even tighter. I had been trying for a week to try to even stow away when I met you. I had made a friend of a merchant near the dock, and he kept me informed of the rumors, and another of a low-end dock worker, who was going to let me know if he heard of any way I could get off planet. He was the one that told me about the captain I was supposed to meet at the cantina. Some friend,” she sighed.



“By that time, I didn’t trust anyone, but I had to take the chance it might be true. I had been moving around, not staying anywhere longer than a day or two. I told you about my apartment blowing up. They had found where I’d moved that morning. Caught me when I was asleep; I woke to glass shattering, and just had enough time to dive out the window before the grenade went off. Killed the bounty hunters in the alley, but had to run before I could relieve them of their weapons – an Exchange patrol heard the noise and were entering the alley. Got out over a wall and hid some more until it was time to go to the cantina. The Refugee sector was no good, the Exchange had them by the throat and I couldn’t risk leading them back to the kids. So I hid in plain view, in the bar with the poison gas, under a full face gas mask I stole from one of the bouncers I tapped on the head.”



“So what was the ‘misunderstanding’, exactly?”



“The Exchange assumed I was working for them; I assumed I could get away with crossing them,” she admitted ruefully. I chuckled.



“I don’t think you’re going to have any more problems now,” I said. “At least not with the Exchange. With the Hutts, probably, but it it’s known you’re with us now, they’ll likely leave you alone.”



She looked at me with surprise. “Oh? Why?”



I explained how we’d raided Go-To’s yacht, and how the Exchange was crippled on Nar Shadaa. “The Hutts are now in charge of the planet. They probably still want you dead, but won’t risk killing you outright if they think we’ll go after them next. I’d bet that that last attack on you in the cantina was more of a last ditch effort.”



She’d caught on to something, though. “Go-To? That’s what that weird droid that didn’t talk or beep is?”



“Yeah. Ladria’s not pleased about it, but doesn’t want to destroy it yet. Sort of an insurance the Exchange will stay off our backs. The last thing we need right now is to be fighting two fronts at the same time.”



“I see. Smart. I don’t have to like it though. Well, the Exchange certainly knows where I am, and no one’s tried to kill me but you.” She grinned.



“Don’t remind me,” I growled.



“I heard a little about you guys, I guess, but not that the Exchange was no longer in power. I wonder why not.”



“Well, according to Go-To, they’ve had a bit of a truce with the Hutts. The Exchange won’t make a bid to take back Nar Shadaa if the Hutts don’t announce that the Exchange is gone for at least a month. The Exchange could do it, and the Hutts know it. But they’ve decided to move on, rather than rebuild. Apparently, they don’t want to weaken their position on other ports by appearing weak. Plus they know we’re here. We tore them up on Telos too,” I said with satisfaction.



“Speaking of Hutts, I had an idea,” I suddenly had a thought. “We need to get you used to sensing my battle ecstasy, and the only way to do that is to be in a controlled fight. An uncontrolled one could get you killed.”



She grimaced. “Good point. What’s your idea?”



“We’re going to need to go shopping, and Mira.”



She looked at me, and I could feel her surprise and amusement. “I have a feeling I’m not going to like this.”



“I think you will. Trust me.” I gave her my best no shit grin.



She scrambled into my lap, and bit my ear, not too gently. “Do we have to comm her right away?”



“No,” I rumbled back.



“Good.”



This time, we didn’t ‘ruin our wardrobes’ getting naked.