A Mandalorian on Alderaan

A Mandalorian on Alderaan
Date of Scene:	02 March 2024
Location:
Synopsis:	Caine runs into an unsuspecting Padawan named Len Rydan.
Cast of Characters:	159, 248, 271

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Athena (159) has posed:
It's a lovely afternoon in Aldera a few blocks down from the Jedi research facility native to Alderaan, with the usual hustle and bustle of the town square being the same old, same old. The varying vendors are positioned at their usual spots, selling everything from deep fried nuna leg to purple shimmersilk imported from offworld.

In the far south end of the busy marketplace, a diminutive Aqualish is trying to sell medical supplies to a tall young human male with chestnut curls and a haughty sapphire-eyed gaze. The human male appears to be in need of the medical supplies, but does not have enough of the local currency, which is currently all the vendor can take at the moment. Consequently, the young man is trying to barter with the Aqualish, using items of value instead of currency. He must have been an offworlder...

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Len watches for a moment to ascertain what's going on before walking in the direction of the two. "Excuse me, can I help you?" they ask.

Athena (159) has posed:
The Aqualish looks up at the young Jedi. His brows furrow pensively. "Er...."

The curly haired young man frowns when Len approaches. "I don't think I asked for help," he says sourly, his accent betraying his nobility.

The Aqualish seems to think differently, however. He looks annoyed when the young man tries to tell her off. "I thought you wanted to work something out!" He grumbles. "Look here miss, perhaps you can play mediator. He doesn't have any of the local currency, which is all I can take right now. He has, however, offered me -this-." He hands Len a small gold brooch, encrusted with jewels. "Now it looks valuable, but I ain't got the slightest exactly how much it's worth! Maybe you could help me out?"

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Len looks carefully at the brooch (twice). They can tell it's valuable, twice the value of the medicine he's trying to buy. "Yeah, this is pretty valuable," she says. "Probably twoce that many credits, really"

Athena (159) has posed:
"Ohhh," the Aqualish says, brows raising. "Then there's the matter of change..."

He turns around and heads for the back of his stall, hunting for a change box.

The young man's expression softens, but he refuses to look at Len. He seems too proud to admit that she'd just done him a nice favor...

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Suddenly remembering that looking at people's faces can be helpful in figuring out how they're feeling, Len makes eye contact with the man for the first time. He seems to be upset. "Are you alright?" they ask him, trying to maintain eye contact. This could be important...

Athena (159) has posed:
The eye contact is brief. As soon as she makes eye contact with him, he tears his gaze away, lips pressing into a thin line.

Then he regains his composure and turns back to her, smiling slightly. "Of course," he says thinly.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Len has spent enough time with people struggling with their mental health, including her own, not to just let this go, even if his answer seemed fine. "Are you thinking about ending your life?" She knows it's a very awkward question, but if he was, directly asking would be the only way to help.

Athena (159) has posed:
For some reason, this seems to offend the young man greatly. "Now why would you ask something like that?" he growls, his polite demeanor suddenly vanishing. "I've yet to be bested by a better man in a duel. Obviously," he says haughtily.

By now, the Aqualish has returned with what he believes to be the right amount of change. "Is this enough?" he asks, showing both the young man and Len the currency he's taken out of the change box. It does look to be about the sum of what the young man was trying to buy.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Len is a bit confused by this response. "I'm asking because I've come pretty close to ending my own life in the past, and it sucks, so if that were the case here, I would want to help," Len explained nervously. She had never shared this with a stranger before. "What does... this have to do with dueling? I just want to know if you're okay." Distractedly, she turns to the shop owner. "Yeah, looks about right."

Caine Von'egel (271) has posed:
The young man's expression hardens, and then suddenly softens slightly. "I'm sorry to hear that happened to you," he says. Then he shrugs. "It is how one would end his own life honorably," he replies. He seems uncomfortable when she reiterates that she just wants to know if he's alright. "I'm fine," he says.

The shop owner nods. "Thank you," he says cheerfully as he hands the change to the young man. "It's certainly nice having Jedi around..."

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Len vaguely remembers hearing about a Mandalorian dueling tradition, and they suspect this stranger with his valuable trinket and his need for medical supplies might be from there. Interested, they decide to try to track the man to his ship.

Caine Von'egel (271) has posed:
The young man takes the change and the supplies from the shop keeper rather hastily. He spares Len a brief look, but does not thank her.

Instead, he turns on his heel and starts heading in the opposite direction...

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Len thanks the shop owner and waits until the stranger (the Mandalorian?) has turned a corner before starting to head casually in the same general direction as the way he left

Caine Von'egel (271) has posed:
The young man glances back once, but doesn't notice Len as she hasn't rounded the corner yet.

The young Padawan will notice he's heading out of town, towards the densely wooded area north of Aldera. He isn't supposed to be here, is he?

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Guessing the man is heading for the woods, Len heads that direction on a parallel street to avoid being noticed.

Athena (159) has posed:
The young man eventually exits the street he's following, as it eventually ends and the forests around Aldera begin.

He pulls his cloak around himself tighter and dons his hood, glancing furtively around, but still doesn't notice Len. Eventually, he'll approach a Kom'rk class troop transport that's settled in a clearing a couple of miles from the outskirts of Aldera.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"Alright, that's definitely a Mandalorian ship," Len thought. They know that's not allowed, but they also don't want an innocent person to suffer because of a rule that doesn't account for them. They know what that's like all too well

Athena (159) has posed:
As Len watches, the gangplank lowers, and the young man goes starts to board his ship.

But just before he goes inside the vessel, he hesitates and turns around, frowning. He doesn't see Len, but his expression is cautious...

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Len wasn't sure whether to reveal themselves or not. They had helped the man, but they knew full well that if things turned ugly, Mandalorians often outmatched Jedi in combat. Still, this person seemed nice... and in trouble. They took a deep breath. "Excuse me?" they called, stepping out of the shadows with both hands visible, not exactly raised. "Do you need help?"

Athena (159) has posed:
The young man immediately reaches for a pistol that had been hidden inside his jacket beneath his cloak.

He pulls it out, but does not shoot, or even aim it at her. Yet, anyway.

"You followed me." He says, his tone bitter and unforgiving. "What do you want? I told you, I don't need help."

Athena (159) has posed:
"I'm not planning to report that you're here or anything, if that's what you're worried about," Len says, taking a smaller step forward. "I assume you have legitimate business on Alderaan, and I have no reason to not want you here. Immigration laws suck universally. If someone here needs medical assistance, I want to try to help, that's all. Jedi aren't just a bunch of military border patrol or anything."

"You're lying," the curly brown haired male replies immediately, and sharply, almost cutting her off. "You're Jedi. You wouldn't help ... a Mandalorian." His brows furrow.

And yet, he does not shoot her, or move to coerce her to leave. "Now, are you going to tell me what you really want?"

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"I'm telling the truth," Len insists gently. "The Jedi Code doesn't say anything about Mandalorians. Only about helping people. And I was curious, but that's really the only additional motive here. I don't see any reason to tell anyone you're here."

Athena (159) has posed:
The tension in his demeanor fades mildly, though his brows furrow even deeper. "Foolish girl," he says softly. "We are sworn enemies and have been for thousands of years."

Then he folds his arms and pivots on his heel to go back inside his ship. "Is your curiosity satisfied now then? I am not in need of assistance."

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"You don't have to say anything, but I'm still curious!" Len calls quickly. "I was just wondering who else is on that ship?"

Athena (159) has posed:
He grumbles slightly. "About what?" he says, "you've seen me, and seen my ship, what else do you want to see? My beskar?"

"No one," He lies, "And I'm about to leave."

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"Okay, cool" Len says, taking a larger step backward. "Safe travels, and tell them" (she nods toward the ship) "I hope they recover soon"

Athena (159) has posed:
He turns around suddenly, brows crashing together angrily. "Keep your Jedi tricks to--"

But then, from somewhere within the ship, there's a loud crash. The young man then looks alarmed, and hurries inside the transport. However, he does not close the airlock behind him, or even withdraw the gangplank.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Not wanting to trespass, Len steps closer to the ship to listen but doesn't climb the gangplank

Athena (159) has posed:
Whatever is going on, is happening not too far from the open airlock.

If Len leans closer, she'll be able to hear what sounds like a struggle of some sort going on in the hallway adjacent to the airlock, inside the ship.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Len leans as close to the Open door as she can without touching the ship

Athena (159) has posed:
There's then a loud clunk - followed by another. It sounds like bodies collapsing to the floor.

Had someone gotten hurt?

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"What happened?" Len calls through the open door, hesitant to actually board a stranger's ship - she wouldn't even enter a friend's room without asking. On the other hand, if they needed help, that was more important."

Athena (159) has posed:
There's no reply for a moment. Then, "...nothing," the young man's voice says through the open airlock, sounding terribly strained.

"... don't you think...surely, your Master would be looking for you...by now?" he says, with a great amount of effort. Len may then notice a very thin stream of blood trickling through the bottom corner of the open airlock.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Not even noticing the insult of being spoken to like a child, Len pushed back. "I tend to assume everyone is telling the truth all the time," they say. "Probably an autism thing. But even from out here, not even able to see you, I can see blood. And you don't sound okay. I'm not going to force my way on board your ship, so I'm just standing here asking for permission, but I'm not going to just walk away from this, either."

Athena (159) has posed:
"..." There's no response, at least not right away. But it might become apparent to Len that the Mandalorian is just too proud to ask for her help, and his silence is permission enough for her to board.

"Well, I'm in no position ... to stop you, so ... why waste ... time!"

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"Alright, then, I'm coming in," Len calls, as they nimbly swing up onto the gang plank and stand to enter the door.

Athena (159) has posed:
The sight upon entering the ship will be rather unpleasant to behold. There's a red haired woman lying unconscious on the ground - sporting bandages on her arms, chest, and legs. She looks in terrible shape, and there's a rather fresh looking and ugly red welt on the side of her forehead.

Now, the young man is injured as well. He appears to have been stabbed in the side, and is sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, bleeding out. Len will also notice tears are streaming down his cheeks, his sapphire eyed gaze distant and unfocused...

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"Alright," Len says, turning to the man, "Do you still have those bandage you just bought?" They try to remember their lessons on bandaging a side wound and think of things to ask to keep the man talking, just so she'll know if he loses consciousness as well.

Athena (159) has posed:
He nods hazily and points to a storage compartment set into the bulkhead. If Len opens it, she may have to exercise a bit of self control to not marvel and indulge her curiosity, for there are a great many items made of the legendary beskar inside the drawer. Most are weapons, but some of them look decorative, meant to be worn as medals of honor or to signify clan loyalty.

On the far left side of the drawer is the box of medical supplies the young man had purchased earlier.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Once Len realizes what the man is pointing to, she doesn't have a problem focusing only on the urgent task at hand. She summons the box with the Force and starts wrapping medical gauze around the bleeding wound in the Mandalorian's side

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"What's your name?" they ask, as they work, and then, "and hers?" Eventually, she asks him to lay flat on the floor when she has finished

Athena (159) has posed:
He complies, that distant look remaining.

"Caine," he says softly, staring at the ceiling. He doesn't answer her question about the woman's name, though. He rubs his eyes, seeming terribly embarrassed that Len is seeing him like his.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Len usually doesn't like hearing their own name too often, but they assume there's a reason using people's names a lot is common in these situations. "Hi Caine, I'm Len. Can you tell me what happened?"

Athena (159) has posed:
"We are Mandalorian," he says, sitting up after a moment and shrugging. He winces slightly, then stands up. However, Len will be able to tell he's suffering from a bit of vertigo, though, as he grips the bulkhead to keep himself from losing his balance completely. "Thank you, Len," he says quietly. "You didn't have to do that."

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"Hold on," Len says, "You clearly lost a lot of blood. You shouldn't be standing up yet - I would have recommended calling for help and seeing if the Aldera hospital wants to give you a blood transfusion. Not to mention that your friend is still unconscious. I'm assuming it's from a concussion, which is also really serious. Do you actually have the training and supplies to just... fly away?"

Athena (159) has posed:
Caine sighs. "Yes," he says, sounding weary. "You may not be aware, but this is rather normal for us Mandalorians."

Then, with a significant amount of effort, he scoops up the woman on the floor bridal style and starts to carry her down the hall. He's very unsteady on his feet, though, and Len may realize that if she doesn't supervise him, he might just collapse again.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"It may be normal, but you're still visibly in danger of passing out," Len says toward Caine's back. "Surely, safe vehicle operation at least has some universal rules? Like, not flying while about to collapse from blood loss?"

Athena (159) has posed:
The young man Caine scoffs at Len. "Perhaps in the Republic, you have such rules," he says, "but we Mandalorians are born of beskar. We need not limit ourselves with those kinds of regulations."

But then he stumbles, almost dropping the red haired woman.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"I'm not talking about regulations!" Len snaps, losing their Jedi cool. "Being born of beskar won't save your ship, at the very least. would you gamble over that with so little reward? Not to mention your life and that of your companion? Because that would also be a medical emergency that prevents aby responsible being from flying. Where do you even need to go, anyway? It'd be safer if I flew you there."

Athena (159) has posed:
"Nnn.." Caine grunts, straightening with some effort. He lifts his chin. "Our heritage is everything," he says haughtily. "It is better to die with honor, than to live a disgrace," he says. He then manages to carry the red haired woman into a room with a berth and gently lay her on it. He kisses her forehead softly, then turns to look at Len, his gaze hardening.

"Where I need to go you cannot," he says, "I must return to Mandalore. If they discover a Jedi on my ship, they'll shoot me down, immediately."

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"Sure. I won't try to come to Mandalore. Do you really need to fly there *right now*? Can you wait, say, a few hours? You won't get there if you pass out and crash. There's no point in playing a game of chance with your own life."

Athena (159) has posed:
His expression softens and for a moment he seems to contemplate her words.

"A few hours won't make a difference, I suppose," he concedes.

He exits the room where he'd laid the red haired woman and enters the lounge area directly to the left of it. He sits, finally, looking weary. "Why do you care, anyway?" he asks tiredly. "I am your sworn enemy."

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"I suppose it's because I'm sworn to help people. Everyone, really. I never swore any oath against Mandalorians"

Athena (159) has posed:
At this, the Mandalorian chuckles softly. "Oh really? I'd assumed its a rite of passage for all younglings," he says.

"Well, I suppose you've forced me to play host. Would you like something to drink?"

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"I suppose so," Len replies, "why not?" They look around a bit awkwardly.

Athena (159) has posed:
He flashes her a charming smile and waves for her to sit down, then presses a button on the small panel on his gauntlet.

A moment later, a protocol droid appears. "Yes, Master...??" But then the droid sees Len and does a double take. "A... Jedi?!"

"Yes," Caine says nonchalantly, "Will you bring us the merlot from Sundari? Our guest is... thirsty."

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"Hi, I'm Len," she says to the droid. "And you?"

Athena (159) has posed:
"Ah," the droid chatters uncomfortably. "Most call me KayTee-oh... it's ah, it's nice, to meet you." Then she hurries away to do her master's bidding.

When she returns with a couple glasses and a bottle of wine, Caine says, "You haven't had wine from Sundari, have you?"

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"You're right, I haven't," Len responds. "Thank you, KayTee." she hopes this isn't awkward for the droid

Athena (159) has posed:
Caine smirks a little. "I suppose you religious monks aren't too conservative for a drink, then?" he says. He leans over and pours Len a full glass of wine.

The droid nods, but doesn't further respond. She simply watches, looking anxious.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"Not at all," Len responds, still looking at the protocol droid. She waits for Caine to pour himself a glass.

Athena (159) has posed:
"Shocking," he says a bit sarcastically.

He does so, but only pours himself half a glass. Then he raises the glass, beckoning a toast. "To health, and honor?"

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"To health, and honor," Len echoes, raising her own glass, "and to life!" Adding a phrase she know of from a culture she once studied

Athena (159) has posed:
"How patriotic of you," he says dryly, "Isn't that the mantra of the Republic?" he says, "'for light, and life?'"

He toasts her glass lightly, then takes a sip of the wine. If Len does likewise, she'll discover it's very strong, with undertones of honey.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"Light as well, yes." Len takes a small sip - she is often sensitive to alcohol and doesn't want to get a headache. "This is wonderful, thank you"

Athena (159) has posed:
He smirks again, amused. It will be clear to Len that he does not think very highly of the Republic, but for the sake of being polite, has decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Of course it is," he says, "it's from Sundari." He watches her, his expression unreadable. "Well I certainly hope you don't plan to waste it," he says. "The bottle cost me the equivalent of five thousand credits."

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"Of course not, and thank you for your hospitality, that is very generous," Len says quickly. "I'm very sorry if I offended you at all with my comments"

Athena (159) has posed:
"Not at all," he says softly, and pours himself another half glass of wine.

"Loyalty is an admirable thing, even if we have allied ourselves to opposing entities," he continues, quickly finishing that half glass and pouring himself another.

After finishing that glass, he stands, but a bit shakily, as he's wounded and the effects of the wine are starting to get the best of him.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Len has been sipping slowly but is not close to finishing her glass. Now more than ever, flying this ship seems like a bad idea for this man, but she isn't sure she can say anything else to help. She agreed with the sentiment about loyalty out loud

Athena (159) has posed:
And he's keen for another half glass, apparently. But his judgement is clearly impaired, and he ends up pouring three quarters of a glass instead. Some of the strong drink sloshes out of the cup.

"I'm going to check on Reeve," he says, taking a gulp from the glass before heading back out into the hallway, stumbling slightly.

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
"Ah, that's her name? Nice," Len says, hurrying behind him. Of course they should have checked on the woman a long time ago...

Athena (159) has posed:
Caine doesn't respond. It's possible that he isn't even aware that Len has followed him, and by the time Len has reached him, he's already finished the glass he'd been drinking a moment ago.

He stumbles to the room where the red haired woman is, slumping against the doorframe, barely able to stand. The red haired woman is as she had been a while ago, still unconscious, but her condition hasn't worsened. However, the other young Mandalorian seems to be the one Len may need to be more concerned about. He has that faraway look in his eyes again, as if he's completely disassociated...

Len Reydan (248) has posed:
Len tries to move into a position where she could protect the man's head if he were to fall without warning. "Can you sit down?" she saks

Athena (159) has posed:
When Len starts talking to him, he suddenly snaps back to reality, his gaze focusing sharply on the Jedi Padawan.

"Why are you still here?" he says, angrily. He then suddenly reaches for the drawers opposite him, and yanking it open, pulls out a beskar dagger and points it in a menacing fashion at Len, his breaths shallow and quick.

However, he doesn't threaten her for very long, not even a few seconds later, he bowls over and vomits into the nearest garbage receptacle. Afterwards, he collapses to the floor, unconscious.