Rebel Commando

Chapter 12

"And this is why we don't invite civvies to these things," Wad'e complains with the same conversation again. I don't think anyone is actually listening. I notice that the Nautolans and the Kel Dor are lingering behind us. 

We go to the same street where we fought and the warehouse was. The troopers were gone, luckily. 

"Shab," Moji says, "what did you guys do?" For the first time, I notice that the roof was blown off. The warehouse really was just a big pile of burn rubbish now.

I take off my buy'ce and cup my hands around my mouth.

"Hena!" I yell. Someone shots me, but my armor takes it like a punch. The stuff the traditional armor was amazing. I could never understand why some Mandos didn't want it or wear it. I guess the war. 

No, Mandalore wasn't in another civil war. Sorta. For nearly two thousand years, there had been turmoil between new and old. New beskar'gam and old. New mand'o and old. New ideas and old. New fighting skills and old. The list could go on forever. 

"It's us!" I try again.

"Oh," Hena walks out. I pull out my fake smile and put it on to cover my annoyance. 

"Hate to break this up," Shereshoy says sarcastically, "but what about the problem?"

"What do you mean?" A'den asks.

"Well," she jerks a thumb in the direction of the Nautolans and the Kel Dor. "They're a problem. A big one."

He sighs, "Yeah," he mumbles then clears his throat and speaks louder, "Yeah, they are. I'll go fix it up." The Kel Dor shifts and gets up from his seat, seeing the conversation has turned to him. 

"Hey," his voice was surprisingly gentle for a brute of his size. But given his child-like features on his face, I wasn't entirely surprised. "I'm Badal."

"A'den," he replies cooly with a nod.

"Uh...that was a good fight, no?"

"Look, what do you want?"

"Well, that really de-"

A'den gives an irritated sigh, "I'm not going to give you anything, got it?" 

"I understand that..."

"Okay, I'm doing playing games. Why the kriffing hell did you take the boy?" I was curious, too. Of course, I would never say so, but A'den was a lot more threatening. 

"Well, he's a lot younger than I thought..."

"I don't shabla care what you thought." 

"Well, ransom, I guess."

I hear A'den bit his lip, "Okay, now what do you want with us?" I'm not stupid, but if I was A'den, I would invite them to join us, because I'm stupid. 

"Nothing, why would we-" Badal starts.

"Then why are you following us?" A'den snaps. 

Badal sighs, "That was our home, basically." He nods sadly at the ruins.

Wad'e laughs, "That?! We practically burned it to the...oh," he chuckles awkwardly. Moji rubs the back of his neck and Shereshoy looks at her feet. 

"Yeah," Badal says flatly, "I think you guys owe us something."

Moji scoffs, "After what you did to me? Yeah, I don't think so. If anything, you owe us something."

"Oh, really, boy?"