The Art of Chaos and Darkness

Chapter One

Valda knew the Mandalorian was here for her. 

So that made these her last few moments of blessed freedom. She monitored his approached through the humming beams of the cell, peering as close as she dared to the blue lasers. Heat seared her face.

The Mandalorian was tall, with broad shoulders and a face hidden behind the helmet that was never to leave his head in the presence of others. His silver beskar armor glinted in the dim light of the storage room, checkered and scratched from battle. Identical blasters were holstered on either side of his hips and a long, wicked-looking rifle was strapped to his back. His cowl was filthy and torn, but twisted to the side to allow easy access to the rifle and jetpack he wore. His helmeted gaze never seemed to falter from Valda's impromptu prison cell or her guard, the Trandoshan, who stood in front of it.

The Mandalorian was not going to kill her; that much she knew. No, she would be delivered alive at all costs. Valda closed her eyes as the Mandalorian came to a stop in front of her cell. Her heart rate kept it's steady, irritating beat. It rarely fluctuated at all these days. Room for fear had long since left her in addition to the lack of nutrients and water. She had little energy to move or speak.

"I'm here for the prisoner."  The Mandalorian's voice was low and rough, filtered through the voice modulator in his helmet. The voice of a man who was no stranger to death and blood.

The Trandoshan hissed, his tongue slithering between his teeth.  "Let me sssee the fob."

The Mandalorian obliged, removing the fob from a satchel on his side with a gloved hand. The fob let out a series of harsh beeps, blinking red as it zeroed in on Valda's presence. Satisfied, the Trandoshan pushed himself to his full towering height. He handed the Mandalorian a data pad.  "Your employersssss asked for ssssspecific instructions regarding her travel and delivery. Would be wisssse not to disobey them."

The Mandalorian did not bother to look at the pad before stowing it away. He gave a sharp nod to the Trandoshan. "Bring her out."

The Trandoshan looked inclined to snap at the beskar-clad warrior but thought better of it. He hissed but obediently turned and tapped the code into the key pad. With a whoosh the blue beams around Valda disappeared. "She has a ssssshock collar on. I would advissssse against removing it at any time." The Trandoshan held up the remote operator to the collar. "One wrong move and"- His slitted eyes moved to Valda and he pressed the button.

She was long since used to the pain but the sudden onslaught of electricity still shocked her system. Her body convulsed and her muscles spasmed. The breath was stolen from her as her knees slammed into the dirt, sending up small plumes of dust into her face. Valda coughed, body shaking. The Trandoshan turned to the Mandalorian. "She's not ssssso difficult to control once you learn the right methodsssss."

The Mandalorian said nothing but Valda could sense his gaze on her though it was impossible to tell through his helmet. The Trandoshan tested the restraints around Valda's wrists. His scaly fingers wrapped around the thing fabric of her shirt, yanking her to her feet. She wobbled on legs too weak to hold her. The world spun with the sudden movement.

"Where issss my money?" The Trandoshan hissed to the Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian withdrew a pouch from his belt and tossed it to the giant lizard, who opened it greedily and thumbed through the credits. Satisfied, he closed it and turned to Valda. He held up the shock collar remote. "Once more for good measssssure?"

Valda spit in his face.

The Trandoshan snarled at her, slamming his finger down on the button. Valda hit the ground, knees barking in protest. If she ever found the Trandoshan again, she would kill him. Slowly.

"That's enough," the Mandalorian's voice vaguely filtered through the static in her head. "She's no use to me brain dead." The Trandoshan growled and tossed the remote to the armored bounty hunter.  He pocketed the device. The giant lizard hissed at Valda. "Good riddance." Then his hulking figure disappeared into the gloom.

"Get up." The Mandalorian prodded her in the ribs. Valda coughed, throat horse. Blood and saliva spilled into the dirt. Wetness leaked from beneath the collar around her neck, staining the front of her shirt.

"For fuck's sake," the Mandalorian muttered. "They want you alive, not coughing up your internal organs." He looked into the shadows where the Trandoshan had disappeared. "Idiot." His hands pulled on the back of Valda's shirt as he hauled her to her feet. Her body screamed it's protest but she took one slow, stumbling step forward.

"Let's go." The Mandalorian moved behind her, hand resting on his blaster. He directed her through the small landing platform to his ship. An old but modified cargo freighter equipped with new guns and armor sat in the fading light. He lowered the ramp, still scanning the area through his helmet. "Walk," he said.

Valda forced her legs to obey, stumbling unsteadily up the ramp and into the dark cargo hold.
In the dim lighting she could vaguely make out old crates stacked atop one another and pushed against the walls. It was a decent sized ship, with a long corridor to the left that led to the sealed cockpit. To her right at the back of the large space were two more doors, one presumably for his quarters and the other to a storage dock or a med bay maybe.

The Mandalorian gave her a push toward the wall in the back corner that sent her stumbling. "Sit."

Valda all but collapsed where he pointed. The durasteel walls and floor were like ice through her thin clothes but she barely registered it. The Mandalorian left the collar around her neck and looped a length of chain from her wrists to the wall. He checked the restraints twice and she sensed his dissatisfaction with them as if he was more used to another way of securing his bounties.  Eventually he stood, walking along the corridor and disappearing through the doors to the cockpit.  The hiss and slam of the durasteel and the feeling of the ship rising off the planet floor were the final indication of Valda's sealed fate. 

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, listening to the hum of the ship. Blood slowly dripped from the raw skin around her neck.

Death couldn't come soon enough.