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Chapter 2:
Legacy of Your Own
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-Italics in this chapter represents the Mando'a Concordian dialect-
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Bex kept her eyes closed as she tried to quell the adrenaline rushing through her veins. The pain that flared in her leg returned; a slow stabbing, ebbing burning into her thigh.
Mando was quick to notice Bex squeezing her upper leg out of the corner of his eye. From the pained expression on her face and the fact her eyes pressed tightly closed, he knew that she was in pain.
"I like your ship."
Mando withheld a frustrated sigh as he rolled his eyes. He had forgotten about the Mythrol.
"She's a classic." He continued. "Razor Crest, right? Pre-Empire?"
Mando didn't like how much he knew about the ship. It was about time for him to take a carbonite nap, before Mando lost his patience.
"I have a lot of credits, you know. That's why I offered to hail a cruiser."
Bex let out a shuttered breath, making Mando look back over to her.
He switched the Crest into autopilot as he stood from his seat. He moved past The Mythrol as he entered the hold. Moving to a chamber, he pressed a few sequence buttons, making the doors slide open. Rummaging around at the bottom of the small cabinet, he withdrew what he was looking for. He closed the chamber before moving back to the cockpit.
He positioned himself so that he was kneeling down in front of Bex. Setting the pressurized syringe down, he began hooking the components of the brace together.
"What are you doing?" She questioned.
"Yeah, what are you doing?" The Mythrol asked as well.
"Stop talking." Mando snapped at the mark as he continued to work at the brace.
As carefully as he could, he let his fingers move across the brackets of the brace, twisting the pieces together carefully as he started applying the brace to Bex's leg
"Right." The Mythrol trailed off. "I think I need to use the vacc tube. I mean, I can do it here, but if you've never seen a fledgling Mythrol evacuate their thorax, you're lucky, trust me...plus it seems that you two are busy."
Mando didn't respond.
The Mythrol clicked his tongue as he stood. "So, uh...I'm gonna look for the vac tube if it's all the same to you."
Bex tracked the man with her eyes as he backed out of the cockpit. Once he was out of sight, Bex looked down to Mando. "You're just going to let him wander around?"
"At this point, I'm hoping he finds the airlock." Mando responded lowly.
Mando secured the last piece, making sure each bracket was tight enough.
"Found it!" The Mythrol called out. "Thanks! It might take me awhile. I'm molting."
Bex shuttered in disgust. "I know he's lying, but that's not something I want to think about."
Mando sighed as he stopped working on the brace. The two bounty hunters sat in silence as they listened for what their mark was doing.
The distinct sound of a chamber opening and closing after a few seconds echoed through the ship. "Oh, this feels a lot better!" He called out, trying to cover up his snooping. "I haven't evacuated since the solstice."
Bex looked to her partner. "You better go deal with that." She nodded toward the door. "You know he's only going to get himself in trouble."
"Yeah, yeah." Mando stood. "I'm going."
Bex adjusted in the seat as she waited for Mando to finish "securing" their mark for transport. She worked at the brace parts that were connected to her upper thigh while she waited.
A few moments passed before Mando walked back into the cockpit; he picked up the pressurized syringe, drawing Bex's attention. "What is that?"
"A local painkiller." He answered. "It will help with the discomfort."
"I'm not in any discomfort."
Mando looked up at her. "Don't lie to me Bexley." He said. "I know you too well. And while you think this injury is totally healed, we both know that you are pushing yourself."
She sighed. "Alright, fine." She nodded at him.
He injected the painkiller into her leg, making sure that the contents were completely emptied out before he withdrew the syringe.
When he met Bex's eyes, she was staring at him with a soft smile on her face.
"What?"
She shook her head. "Nothing." She replied as she adjusted in her seat.
Mando watched as she pulled her hair back, securing it away from her face. What startled him is when she went to stand. He quickly moved to her side, ready to offer support if she needed.
"What do you think you're doing exactly?"
She gave him a confused look. "We've got a decent amount of time before we make it back to see Greef. I'm going to go catch up on some sleep."
"Can you walk?"
She nodded. "Yeah." She adjusted her stance. "I think you forget that I can take care of myself sometimes too."
He seemed unconvinced, but lowered his arms. He knew that she was independent, and he didn't want to get in the way of that independence, but the fact of the matter was that she was still nursing an injury. It had nearly been a year, and she didn't use the brace much anymore but sometimes taking it easy was still needed.
"I don't think I can ever forget that."
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Bex tossed and turned in her sleep.
She was plagued by echoing voices, like someone was whispering in her ear while she was sleeping. But she couldn't really call it sleep as it felt more like she was hanging on the brim of consciousness and unconsciousness, and the whispering was preventing her mind from resting.
They were indistinct, speaking at different pitches and tones; like dozens of people were all trying to tell her a secret. It made her head ache with pain. It wasn't like any other dream that she had before, somehow, this one felt more real. Like these voices were grounded in reality. But there was something rooted deeper that seemed different, almost like there was another presence among the chaos, something reaching out to her. But just as she tried to focus on that presence, it vanished completely, leaving her only with the torment.
The voices seemed to grow louder as every few minutes passed until they became almost unbearable. They shifted from whispers to screams: screams of anger, fear, and pain. Bex could feel the emotions deep in her bones, almost like they vibrated her very core. Soon, the screaming and yelling crescendoed, ripping Bex from her sleep.
She shot up into a sitting position as her eyes scanned the small room, looking for any evidence that someone had been there. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized that the room was silent, minus the gentle humming of the Crest as she moved through space.
Bex felt feverish and warm, but at the same time a chill ran down her spine. A thin coat of sweat made her skin stick to the sheets of the bed, almost like the terror of the voices was clinging to her. It had been a long time since Bex had felt this amount of fear; a fear that felt like it was ready to burst down from beneath her skin. Even though her hands were shaking and her heart was pounding against her ribcage, she felt like the fear was misplaced. Like it didn't belong in her body.
There was no doubt that she had anger, rage and fear most of all. She had those feelings on a daily basis, but she knew what her emotions felt like and what they did to her body. She knew what her body felt like at any given point when she was feeling any sort of emotion; but this was different. She felt like a glass of water that had been poured in excess, overflowing the contents beyond what the glass could hold. It felt like the emotions that she was feeling were foreign and they were being pushed through her and into the real world.
She took a deep breath as she buried her face in her hands. She tried to steady her hands and calm her pounding heart; struggling to control the anger and rage that was rising in her.
But there was something else there.
Some small little light in the middle of the red.
Bex couldn't place what she felt. It was like there was a small, tiny light of warmth trying to reach out to her. Calling to her. The feeling was strange, unlike anything she had ever felt before. She tried to focus on that little light, trying to ignore all the rage and pain. But it was too far away.
The door to her left slid open as Mando entered. "Bex, we'll be landing in a few-"
He stopped talking when she realized she was awake. She pulled her head from her hands and nodded at him. "Thanks, I'll be out there in a minute."
"Everything okay?" He asked.
The last thing Bex wanted to do was worry Mando. She knew from personal experience that he didn't do well when it came to comforting those around him; the life of a lone wolf would do that to anyone. But she knew that if she did tell him that she was okay, he would just silently worry about it until she caved and talked to him. It was just his way of doing things...and at times it annoyed the hell out of her.
She nodded once more. "Fine. Just a headache."
She didn't need to see his facial expression to know that he didn't believe her. "We're a few minutes out. We need to see Greef as soon as we land."
Bex pushed the blanket back as she swung her legs around the side of the bed. "Actually, I'm going to go see our friend first."
"You don't want to talk to Greef with me?"
She leaned over and began slipping her feet into her boots, lacing them up. "Well, first of all, I'm not a member of this weird guild you're a part of so I see no reason to talk to him." She laced her left boot. "Second, he essentially does what I do for the Tribe, so forgive me if I don't want to meet my competition." She laced up her right boot and looked back toward Mando. "And I don't trust anyone whose name is one letter off from 'greed'."
"Is there anyone you trust?"
"Only one person."
She picked herself off the bed, walking toward him while trying to stretch out her leg. As she reached the doorway, she patted him on the shoulder. "I trust you." She said as she made her way to the cockpit, leaving Mando staring over his shoulder at her as she walked.
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Bex had only been to see the Tribe armorer a few times before, each time to relay orders or collect a commission for other members of the Tribe. So, while still difficult to relocate without a holomap or fob, she still found it after some time of walking.
She rapped her gloved fist against the door, just loud enough for someone on the other side to hear. After a few seconds, the door opened and Bex couldn't help but smile at the armorer on the other side of the door.
"Dear friend." The woman greeted Bex in their native language as Bex approached. "It's good to see you once more."
Bex smiled at the woman. "It's good to see you too."
"Come." The armorer stepped aside to allow Bex to enter. "You're just in time."
Bex gave her a look as she stepped in. "In time for what?"
"I have something for you." The armorer motioned Bex deeper into her forge.
Bex followed after the woman, noting the new and ever changing weapons that were always displayed on her walls. Judging by the new makes of armor and weapons, she had been busy since Bex had last seen her.
"Your father's brothers called me not too long ago. Said that the last that they had heard of you, you were coming back to help us once more." The armorer said, moving some spare parts aside to get to a box that was tucked away.
"I didn't realize that they still talked to you."
"Of course they still talk to me, young one. It wasn't too long ago that they were doing the same as you, helping out our Tribe. They might not come from the same background as other Mandalorians, but they are still mandos all the same. And my personal history with them goes way back to before you were born."
Bex remained silent as the Armorer pulled out a box. She knew that the Armorer had known her father and her brothers for years, but something about the statement felt different than before.
"They told me they were going through some of your father's things. A jaunt down memory land on the anniversary of his death, and they found something they wanted you to have. Of course I had to modify it, but I think you'll like it."
The Armor opened the box and presented it Bex.
Inside the box was a familiar set of armor. The paint had been sanded down and replaced with a black finished, but Bex could still see the faded blue line of paint peeking out from the dark. It was Sona's armor from the Clone Wars.
"I know you don't wear full armor and I had to adjust the size, I also modified certain pieces with Electrum. Jedi used to use it in their lightsaber construction because it was able to withstand the heat of an ignited kyber crystal. So it will withstand a lot of strain and I think it will be useful for you ventures."
Bex reached down and brushed her fingers against the armor. She thought of how much history the armor must have seen, how much blood must have been spilt on it. Her father never lied to her about the fact that he was a clone trooper, but he also didn't talk about it.
"I don't think I can wear this." Bex said, reverting to Basic.
"They said you would say that." The Armorer followed Bex's lead and switched languages. "And their words of encouragement were a lot kinder than the ones I am about to tell you."
Bex met the woman's gaze.
"You are your father's daughter, Bex. I know you believe yourself guilty for his death, but the truth is your father was running from ghosts long before you were born. This right here is his legacy. You are his legacy. Your father didn't choose to wear this armor all those years ago, but he kept it because this was the only thing that reminded him of the only family he ever had before he had you. And I believe he would want you to wear it."
Bex knew that she was right.
His brothers was the only thing that Sona shared with her when it came to the years during the war. He would talk about Kix, Jesse, Rex, Hardcase, Echo and Fives. There were dozens of names that Bex knew, dozens of men that she felt like she had met with how much her father talked about them. The armor in front of her was just as much their history as it was her fathers. A history that she owed to all of them to carry on, but this time to carry it in a way that resembled freedom. Not enslavement.
"Okay."
The Armorer gave her a small nod as she started to remove the pieces. Bex watched as she laid the pieces out, noting the age of the pieces. She knew that they would gather a nice amount of credits if they were sold and she wondered why her father never thought to sell them. Why he was content with the small farm in the middle of nowhere.
The Armorer helped Bex put on a few of the modified pieces. The woman had been right when she said that Bex didn't like wearing the full armor, she preferred have select pieces over a complete set. As she slid on the gauntlets, she could see the scratches of war through the black paint. She could see the echoes of blue paint, representing the 501st. A brotherhood. She didn't like that it was covered up. She made a mental to note to try to get rid of some of the black paint.
"There we go." The Armorer took a set back to admire her work. "You are the mirror image of your father."
The Armorer didn't exactly have a mirror that she could see for herself, but she believed her old friend. And, in the moment, it was a comfort to know that she looked at Sona. That she resembled him in some way. When people looked at her, they saw him. Perhaps the next time she looked in the mirror, she could study her features a little more closely. See if she could see him in herself.
"Something is troubling you."
Bex looked up. "I was just thinking about my dad-"
"No, there's something else."
Bex had forgotten how easily the Armorer was able to read her. No matter how much she tried to conceal her feelings, she might as well be an open book when it came to the older woman.
"Something happened on our way here."
"Something like what?"
"I heard voices. In my sleep. But I don't think it was a dream, it felt like something more. I think it was a vision... well not so much a vision since I didn't see anything."
"What makes you think that?"
"Because their rage. Their pain, it felt so real. Almost as if it were my own. It was jarring. And there was this presence that was different. It was calming and warmth and it was like it was reaching out to me."
"Reaching out from where?"
"I don't know. I don't know what to make of any of it."
"Has this ever happened before?"
Bex shook her head. "No this is the first time."
Even though the Armorer's face was concealed, she could still see the change in her stance. This news troubled her. Bex tried to read her, but she wasn't sure what to think. Why was she seemingly more troubled by this than Bex was?
"Do you know something about this?"
The Armorer looked toward Bex once more. "I wouldn't say I know something about your specific situation, but I do know that visions is something that more Force adept Jedi were capable of."
Jedi was a word that Bex hadn't heard of or thought about in a very long time. The last time a Jedi was mentioned in her presence was when her father was talking about the Jedi General and Padawan that was in charge of his company. She couldn't remember the names even if she tried.
"A Jedi?" She let out a small laugh. "That's ridiculous. I'm no Jedi. Nowhere near it, in fact."
"You're right. What was I thinking?"
The Armorer turned back to the box, adjusting the rest of the pieces of armor. "I'll repackage the rest of this so that you can take it with you."
Bex was off put by the sudden brush off the topic. There was something more to the story. Bex had seen enough liars in her line of work to know when someone was lying, and in that moment, she knew that the Armorer was lying to her. She knew something. But before she could open her mouth, they were interrupted by someone entering the room.
Mando made an appearance in the entry way of the room. A piece of beskar steel tucked under his arm. "The armor looks good." He said, looking Bex up and down.
"Thank you." Bex narrowed her eyes at the steel. "Did you commit a robbery and forget to tell me? What's that from."
"Our new client."
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