Marquikise's POV
Other than the discomfort of sharing a single seat with a bounty hunter, the rest of the flight into the Republic cruiser's hanger goes smoothly. Despite this hunter's armor and wrestling prowess, they are surprisingly light. Such a trait could be attributed to either being of small stature or female in the Mandalorian culture. Most of their male fighters tend to have broad shoulders for melee combat. Female Mandalorians, while almost on par with their male counterparts, tend to rely on their strategies and innate reflexes in battle. There have been legends of Mandalorian heroes both male and female. As of recently legends of the Mandalorian culture are diplomatic leaders. Some rebel clans wanting to reclaim the old Mandalorian way have emerged but only a few have ventured out to do bounty hunting work. As of recently, only the bounty hunter Jango Fett, Rogue Knight, and Dalka have worn the traditional Mandalorian armor. It is strange to know two of them have valued my life, and have spared me of death.
Our ship closes in on the hanger and lands smoothly on the floor. Stationed clones and hanger floor mechanics rush forward to help us out and lock the ship down to prevent it from sliding. The Rogue Knight exits the ship as do I. We are met with small squad of clones, one showing a ranking mark above the others.
"Jedi, we were instructed to meet you." The clone obviously spends more of his time studying the Mandalorian next to me. "Are we to detain this one?"
"No, there is no need." I quickly interject. "They saved my life on that droid ship."
The Mandalorian nods in conformation but avoids speaking. In the clear light of the Republic hanger and with the stress of battle behind me, I can finally take a close look at the Rogue Knight. The familiar features that I noticed on the droid ship are multiplied now. Suddenly it hits me, the armor marks and scratches match another.
"Dalka?"
They freeze, as if suddenly stunned by a blaster. Our clones obviously have no idea who I am talking about.
"Remove your mask!" My voice loaded with forbidden emotion.
The helmet is lifted off to reveal the familiar face with the jet black hair pulled in a short ponytail. She looks up, disappoint in her eyes. She starts her defense.
"Look I didn't know that I would be hired to kill you." She tries.
"How could you betray the Republic?" I start. "Was it for the credits?"
"Yes, I'm in debt. No one pays me higher for jobs."
I shake my head in disgust. Unable to look at her, I storm off leaving the clones to deal with Dalka.
Unable to truly concentrate on a single thought, I duck into the nearest, empty room. To fight an enemy is one thing, to fight someone that I know feels different. Sparing at the Jedi Temple never held emotions like this. The storm swelling up inside felt like anger, then suddenly grief then on to the next emotion.
"There is no emotion, their is peace." I try to remind myself. Speaking the Jedi code brings some of my internal storm of emotions back in balance. Realizing that this is working, I repeat the words. This time, I let them soak in. Without stoping, I sit down to meditate, repeating the Jedi code aloud.
What seems like hours pass by before I allow myself to open up my mind to dwell on the recent battle. I may have not contributed to the battle but the Republic emerged victorious. In the next battle, I vow to make a difference. A knock comes from outside the room.
"Come in." I answer, opening my eyes.
My master appears behind the blast door. He strides in and joins me in my meditative seated position. No words are spoken between us for several minutes. Trying to follow along, I watch and wait for him to speak.
"It is refreshing to meditate after a battle." He starts, his eyes still closed.
"Yes Master."
"Tell me of your adventure." He states before opening his eyes to look upon me.
I quickly relay my tale of jumping into the space fight and almost immediate loss of control and crash. Describing the small fight in the droid ship's hanger and my trip to the bridge. The fight with Dalka and the man commanding the enemy fleet. Our final desperate attempt to find an escape route and our ride back. My master only listened to my tale, nodding or looking away to think for a second during key moments. Only after I finished did he move to speak.
"While did not succeed in the battle, neither did you fail." He pauses to carefully watch my reaction. Not sure how to respond, he continues. "You know what to do in a battle but lack the skill to employ strategies and influence those under your command. The squad that I assigned you doesn't exist in our fleet here today. You had free roam to do whatever you like. Working on your piloting skills is something we need to focus on. I think you need a companion, like your droid who was able to guide you during your space battle and the idea of going to the bridge."
He stops to study me again. While I can admit that my droid was a great help, I couldn't think of why my master would suggest such a thing.
"Could I accompany you?" I ask.
"There is nothing that I could do to teach you." He passes one of his hands through his hair. "You need to join another Jedi, or another competent warrior."
A warrior, his words almost spoke of a member of the Mandalorian clans. They are the best warriors in the galaxy, other than the Jedi and Sith from the ancient histories in the Jedi Archives.
"Is there an available Jedi?"
"Not at the moment." He smiles. "It seems as though you have made a powerful ally during your short time as my apprentice."
"Surly you don't mean her?"
"And why do you say that?" He asks. Not giving me time to answer, he adds. "Everyone should be given the chance to start over. It seems that your friend, in a desperate attempt to pay off those she is indebted to, has committed the crimes she did to escape. Perhaps in offering her a position in our ranks, you will help her and yourself."
He stands and offers me a hand up. I take his offer and stand.
"I'll see you on the bridge to give an official mission debrief." He gives me a smile. "Now go recruit her."
Despite my feelings, I follow his instructions. Finding Dalka in the hanger, still waiting with the clone troopers. They nod in confirmation of my return. Dalka, still unmasked, wears a slightly annoyed expression. Upon seeing my return, she carefully studies me.
"We waited for your return per your master's instructions." The commanding officer informs.
"Thank you, you are dismissed." I tell him, wanting to conduct my business in private. Due to the sensitive nature of being unable to hire a person into the Republic military, I will need to hire her as a personal assistant. Jedi through the order are able to hire individuals to help them. Some hire contacts across the galaxy to monitor people or assets, others hire pilots or sometimes body guards. Body guards are highly rare to be used by Jedi but it is not unheard of. When the clones were out of earshot, I direct my attention to Dalka. Swallowing my pride, I start. "I am in need of your services."
Her inquisitive look gives nothing away about her feelings on this. She nods without a word, pulls a data pad from her belt. Tapping it a few time, she turns the data pad so I can see. Displayed on the screen are her rates.
"500 credits per day on standard galactic time for bounties, 400 for protection, 300 for smuggling, and additional charges may apply." I read. "Look, this might be different than your usual job."
"What's involved?"
Remembering my master's words, I form a response. "I suppose it's a bounty job. You will be aiding me in Jedi Order missions."
She crosses her arms, not allowing any emotion to be revealed. "And how long will I be protecting you?"
"I said bounty!" I exclaim. She smirks and dropping her more guarded stance for a relaxed one. Realizing my mistake, I try to calm myself. "Let's start with one week, with an option to extend the job."
"Deal." She extends her hand to shake on our contract. I extend my hand and we shake briefly. "When should I start?"
"We're needed at the bridge." She only hesitates to place her helmet back on her head.
"I'm ready." She states before we march to the bridge.
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