I am so sorry, this is taking a lot longer than expected.
“I appreciate the hospitality of your covert but I do have a job I must get back to. Hod knows if Jawas stripped my ship already.”
She nodded but insisted I stay the night as it was becoming dark. I agreed to stay the night and she summoned alor Vizsla to show me to my temporary quarters.
Neither of us talked as we walked the way to my quarters, once we made it I thanked him. He simply nodded and left, I opened the door walking into the undecorated small dormitory.
Locking the door behind me I began to strip my armor off of my body. I saw another door in the small room, opening it there was a small small washroom equipped with a small tub. Stripping my flight suit I turned the water on and slipped in the warm water soothed my aching muscles. Taking my helmet off and setting it beside the tub I began to wash up, soon after I put a clean set of clothes on.
Dimming the lights I sat on the cot, thinking about all that has transpired today I soon felt tired and laid down, falling asleep quickly.
Waking up I felt a familiar dull ache, it did in fact hurt like Mustafar. Pulling on my flight suit and attaching my armor I made sure to tidy the room before leaving. Walking the halls of the caverns I made my way to the forge. Seeing the Armorer already working, I stood by. Soon enough she put her work aside and turned to me.
“I thank you for your hospitality and kindness, but I must get back to work.”
I bowed my head and turned to take my leave.
I paused and turned back to face the Armorer.
“You are a mechanic are you not? We have use for your skills if you will have us. We will compensate you handsomely and you will be treated with utmost respect.”
I took a moment to think, I could stay and be with my kind once again, have my work respected, and finally have a home. However, I would lose the excitement and thrill of traveling to far off planets seeing so many beautiful sights.
“I have made my decision, I will stay and work for the covert under one condition-”
“You will be free to leave the covert on trips for most anything.”
I bowed my head once again and said
“Thank you for accepting me into the covert and for this opportunity.”
“Have you any experience in repairing and cleaning weapons as well?”
“Excellent, your help will certainly take some of the stress off of some of the other mandalorians.”
What I didn’t know was that ‘some of the other mandalorians’ was the one and only alor Vizsla.
Several cycles passed since had decided to stay and work for the covert. You were nearly always covered in grease, grime, and oil. alor Vizsla had begun to warm up to me; acknowledging me when I entered a room, letting me clean some of his grimy weapons when they started to work improperly, and allowing me to call him by his first name; Paz.
After working nearly all day on most of the coverts’ weapons including Paz’s overly large and weighted blaster my back was aching. Crazy enough but sitting hunched over a desk cleaning and maintaining weapons all day really makes your body ache. Rolling my shoulders for what felt like the twelfth time in a row on the way back to my dormitory ,I arrived. Walking into the washroom I drew the bath water and began to strip my armor off; my cuirass, pauldrons, shin guards, and other miscellaneous parts, laying them gently under the vanity. Peeling my sweat drenched flightsuit I made my way into the bubble filled tub. Getting ready to take my helmet off I hear the door to the bathroom open. Snapping my head towards the door I saw alor Paz Vizsla. He didn’t move, quickly realizing what had happened he adverted his gaze. I spoke up.
“I will be out in a minute please close the door.”
He swiftly turned away and left, leaving me alone with my thoughts as I removed my helmet and finished bathing. Quickly throwing on slightly more appropriate attire I stepped out of the washroom with my helmet on my head. He stood in the middle of my dormitory looking at his shoes. He heard the door open and slowly looked back up. Stepping out into the halls, he said
“The Armorer requests your presence.”
I nod to him and he begins to walk alongside me. After a painful silence he says
“Yes, I figured you would have realized rather quickly.”
He said nothing further the rest of the walk, arriving at the forge I walked in
I said, she turned around with a case of whistling birds
“Yes, while overseeing the target range I heard of a few faulty whistling birds, would you mind taking a look at them for me? The foundlings are to start practice with them soon.”
“Oh course, I can take them to the workshop and examine them now if you don’t mind.”
She agreed and thanked me
I took the case in my hands and headed to the workshop. Paz accompanied me to the workshop, making sure I arrived he turned and left to his dormitory not far from the workshop. Observing the weapons for quite some time I couldn’t find anything wrong with it. So, testing it was my next step. Putting the vambrace on, I aimed and fired. As quick as I fired I let out a scream.
The whistling bird wasn’t able to shoot out as it was intended to instead it went the only other way it could go; into my arm. Blood began to seep into the fabric of my shirt. Pulling the vambrace off I could see scorch marks and a hole in the clothing and my arm.
The door slammed open as I stood there holding my arm in pain, Paz Vizsla stood in the doorway, he rushed over to me and took hold, albeit more gently this time, of my arm. Sitting me down on the work table he quickly got gauze, forceps, and bacta-spray from an aid kit. Using the forceps he pulled the painful piece of beskar from my forearm, wincing as he did so he set it aside and whispered to me
“Gar atin’la cyar’ika, gar tayli’bac.”
I recognized most of the words, one I couldn’t quite remember
‘You’re tough —- , you’re okay.’
Pulling the cap off of the bacta-spray he dressed my wound, I clenched my teeth. Once he had finished with my arm he insisted he take over and work on the whistling birds. I tried to protest but he demanded I not work on them any further. I obeyed but refused to leave the workshop, we stayed in the workshop throughout the night and well into the early hours of the morning.
I eventually fell asleep on the counter of the workshop with my helmet still on. Waking up a few hours later I noticed a small bit of extra weight on my back, lifting my head up I noticed it was animal furs. It was rather warm but I didn’t own any animal furs. Looking over I saw Paz still working on the whistling birds. We’re these furs his? He noticed that I was awake and nodded to me.
My face felt suddenly hot, odd. Getting up I stretched and made my way over to Paz I said
“Thank you Paz, you really didn’t have to do this for me.”
He faltered for just a moment and shook his head to me, I assumed he meant ‘no problem’
I figured I may as well bring him food as he helped me out the night before. Warming up a stew in the dorms was harder than you’d think. Walking back to the workshop people started to stir awake, it must have been later in the morning than I realized.
Stepping into the shop I see Paz still working on one of the last whistling birds. Setting the stew down he looked up at me and said
My face went hot for a moment again, what did that word mean again?
He looked back up at me and said
“Look it’s been a while since I’ve seen or been around other mandalorians, I can’t remember some words, I remember the basics, some words have just been lost to time.”
I laughed nervously, soon after I left to go back to my dorm. Trying to collect my thoughts I paced around the room
‘Oh no, this is not good.’
‘I should distance myself until I figure out what is going on.’
For the next few cycles I tried my best to avoid alor Paz. Working during the night instead of the day, staying in my room for most everything other than reporting to the Armorer. I tried everything to dissuade myself from him, but I couldn’t seem convince myself that I wasn’t attracted to him.
I groaned into my cot, getting up I would continue to work during the night. It was almost dawn when I left the workshop to head to my dormitory, when I suddenly had my back pressed to the walls of the cavern. Looking up I saw the familiar blue of Alor Paz’s beskar helmet.
“Why are you avoiding me, Verde?”
He leaned his helmet closer to mine, pressing the front of his helmet to mine trapping me in a keldabe kiss. My face ran hot once again, He pulled back.
“I apologize for that, that was inappropriate of me.”
“Why are you avoiding me cyar’ika?”
There was that word again, I mustered up my courage and said
“I believe I may be attracted to you.”
I realized my words and quickly sputtered out
“ I am sorry I shouldn’t have said that.”
He cleared his throat awkwardly
“Do not worry, that certainly makes things easier.”
Quickly he produced a blue pauldron, the same color as his own armor, from a pocket of sorts.
“I would like to begin courting you, if you’ll allow me to. As a sign of my devotion I offer you a new pauldron with my clan signet.”
I looked at him in shock quietly whispering out
“Yes, I ,, I would appreciate that.”
Heyy, it’s finally done! Look at that I’m so productive! Possibly more to come in the future like the armorer.
alor: leader, boss, basically anyone of higher ‘rank’ than oneself
Gar atin’la cyar’ika, gar tayli’bac: you’re tough darling, you’re okay