Chapter 8

159 4 0
                                    


-The Trap-

-The Trap-

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.


Karga raised both hands that were still holding his blasters in surrender while Cara and Mando pointed their own blasters at him, and Aula both gauntlets.

"The plan was to kill you and take the kid-"

"I knew it was a trap!" cried Aula.

"-But after what happened last night I couldn't go through with it. Look, I know we've had some disagreements in the past, but we need to keep that child safe.  That I think we can all agree on."

Well, at least they could agree on that: the most important thing was to protect the child. And so they decided the most important thing right now was getting rid of the client who would clearly stop at nothing to get his hands on sweet Leo. They formed a plan: Karga would bring in Mando and Aula as though Cara had caught them, and bring them to the client. Then, and only then, would they kill him. Kuiil would take Leo to safety back at the Crest while they would take the empty pram.

"You said four Troopers," Cara mumbled to Karga as they approached the city gate where they could see definitely more than just four Stormtroopers.

"I have a gift for the boss," Karga told the guard at the gate.

"How much for the helmet?" the Trooper asked, nodding to Lore.

"Oh no, that's going on my wall," said Karga.

"'On your wall'?" repeated Lore  softly.

"Just go with it," Karga hissed back.

The Trooper let them pass and they made their way to the cantina. When they arrived, Karga led them inside.

An elderly man, who everyone guessed was the client, rose from a booth. The rest of the space was empty, save for a few Troopers - still more than only four.

"Look what I brought you, as promised," said Karga proudly.

"What exquisite craftsmanship," the client said, eyeing Lore, but more specifically his armour. "It is amazing how beautiful beskar can be when forged by its ancestral artisans."

"Ha, 'ancestral artisans' - try saying that five times fast!" Aula couldn't help herself.

"Quiet!" Cara backhanded her across the face, playing along, and not lightly either.

The client turned back to Karga. "Can I offer you a libation to celebrate the closing of our shared narrative?"

"I would be obliged." They moved to sit in the booth the client had been sitting in before.

"It is a shame that your people suffered so. Just as in this situation, it was all avoidable-" The client spoke as the cantina filled with more Stormtroopers. "Why did Mandalore resist our expansion? The Empire improves every system it touches. Judge by any metric. Safety, prosperity, trade, opportunity, peace. Compare Imperial rule to what is happening now."

The Space Between Us - The MandalorianWhere stories live. Discover now