ACT 1: PROMISES
Arvala-7. After years of searching from Tatooine to Hoth and back, Alora has finally made it to the right place. She can feel it.
The quarry is completely abandoned when she arrives, cries echoing from the depths of the building. Within days, others would come to isolate and, unknowingly, protect what lies within. But Alora simply rushes inside, a promise from years ago repeating like a mantra in her mind.
She finds the remnants of a base—Rebellion or Imperial or something else, she does not know. As she walks inside, twin daggers rest easily in her palms. Following the cries, she finds a floating crib next to a body. The old man must have just died or else no one would be able to feed the child crying in the crib.
Walking up to the cradle, Alora finds herself smiling for the first time in years. The young creature's cries pause as it opens its innocent eyes to watch her. She simply reaches out a hand, far enough that the Child has the choice of whether to touch her or not.
It looks at her hand before it starts to coo, its hand lurching forward to grasp onto her finger.
She wants to tell it what she knows. She wants to tell it that it is safe from harm, that she will protect it. The words fail to form. Instead, she kneels before it, gently taking it into her arms in a soft cradle.
Alora knows others are after the Child. To protect it, she must build a fortress, something only the most skilled hunters might manage to beat. And, if any make it that far, they'll have her to deal with. And no one gets past Alora.
She may have failed in the past, but she can't afford to do so again. This time, she won't fail.
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As the door falls open, Mando is unimpressed, to say the least, of the interior of this fortress. Cargo lies strewn everywhere. He quickly takes care of the leftover Nikto, shouting, "Anyone else?"
The droid beside him, despite its use before, still makes him uneasy. "The tracking fob is still active. My sensors indicate two life forms present."
"Two?" Mando pauses, his own tracking fob beeping quickly as he looks around the room. "I'm instructed to bring in only one." Though, he does remember the mention of a potential guardian to bring in if encountered.
"I as well," the IG-11 unit replies. "Perhaps we have more company to eliminate."
Mando shakes his head softly as he approaches a pile of cargo, his eyes focused on the floating egg structure covered in a net. He takes off the rope, shrugging as the droid approaches.
"This is not my bounty," it says, though he can tell it's curious. The tracking fob in its hand beeps softly but quickens as it turns.
Sighing, Mando presses a button on the floating structure. As it opens, he is shocked to find a small green creature, its ears pressed flat against its head. "Wait, they said fifty years old."
"Species age differently. Perhaps it could live many centuries. Sadly, we'll never know."
The creature grips its blanket tightly, its wide eyes searching Mando's helmet. He knows it's impossible, but it feels like the creature is staring at his soul, through the helmet, beskar, all of it.
The droid begins to pick up its gun, but Mando holds a hand out. "No. We'll bring it in alive."
"My commission was quite specific. Eliminate my target."
"Well, this isn't your target, is it?"
"And eliminate all other life forms sheltering the fugitive." It raises the gun once more but Mando is quicker.
The IG unit falls with a loud thud.
Stepping forward, Mando reaches out slowly, his finger just in reach of the creature. A small smile spreads across his lips when it reaches back with a loud coo.
It does not distract from the fact that Mando feels a chill run down his spine as the air shifts. He turns just in time for a body to lunge at him, pinning him to the ground with a blade at his neck, just below his helmet.
A girl—woman, really—pants angrily above him, her grip tight on the knife. She does not speak as her eyes dart around his helmet, her weight enough to keep him pinned. If he wasn't so distracted by the incessant beeping of the droid's fob, he could find a way out of this situation.
Something in the girl's expression shifts when the creature cries out. Her gaze darts up before she slowly removes the knife, breathing harshly as she leans back on her knees and stands. She watches as he gets to his feet, his own hand now reaching for his blaster.
She offers her hands silently, waiting for a pair of cuffs. I surrender.
His hand slips away from his blaster. She could have killed him easily; why give up now? And why allow Mando to cuff her and take them both back to the Guild?
Nonetheless, he complies, securing a pair of handcuffs around her small wrists. He notices she appears a bit too thin to be healthy, her bones pronounced on her face as the sun shines from behind. "I'm bringing you in alive," he says.
He can't help but fear the small smile that creeps onto her lips as she nods.
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CAST
Lesley-Ann Brandt as Alora Naftiri
Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian
Grogu as the Child
All cameos as their respective characters
All images found and used are found on google images. Credit to the creators.
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HOUSEKEEPING
Warnings: This book contains violence, blood, death, mental illness (not specific but depicted), arguments, mention/implication of sexual content (no actual smut or descriptions). Read at your own discretion.
Prequel: Truth and Lies
Author's recommendation: I wrote this book before I wrote Truth and Lies, but it is up to you which order you read them in or if you read the prequel at all. I would say it's fun to see how Alora turns out and then read how she got there, but it's entirely up to you! I would recommend reading Truth and Lies before reading Act 2 which is coming soon!
This is my first time writing a Star Wars fic, so I do want to ask a few things of those of you who know more than I do, which will probably be most of you--I'm trying my best here. The Star Wars Universe is expansive, and I'm 100% sure I missed something or messed it up. Please be nice if you want to point it out. There may be some inconsistencies, though I tried very hard to avoid them. Hopefully, you guys can forgive my naivety :)
I know I usually give some sort of summary, but I decided to just go with a prologue instead, so I hope you start to enjoy Alora's character as much as I do. Enjoy the book!
I do not own The Mandalorian or its characters. Rights go to the creators. I own Alora and her unique storyline.
Act 1: The Mandalorian Season 1-2
Act 2: Book of Boba Fett Season 1, The Mandalorian Season 3, Ahsoka Season 1