Private Dancing Between the Headlights

[Tatiana Ordo]

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Dancing Between the Headlights​

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa​

Spoiler: Gear

Beskar Armor
Various Vibro-Weapons
DE-50 Blaster Pistol
MRX-1b Blaster Rifle
Su'arnr be Tracyn [Dagger of Fire]

​

Taking a moment to herself, Taitanna popped off her helmet, letting the wild winds of Nar Shaddaa's sky traffic whip her hair back. The armored huntress was struggling internally, flashes of Mandalore, memories of her mother and brother, and a deep sharp pain at the back of her mind that just screamed for her to remember something. What that something is, she didn't know, but it was damn annoying. Coming to busy worlds like this often made the sensations worse, but it was her own damn eagerness that had brought her here. She felt at times that she needed to at least try and break whatever condition it was that trapped her, but whatever it truly was, she hadn't a clue.​

​

The pain continued, and as such, she was left to sit on the side of the landing pad, clenching the side of her head, waiting for it to stop. Eventually it did, and as the pan receded, she collected her helmet, and clamped it back on. She wanted a drink, and she was going to go and get it. If nothing else, to help drown out the phantom pains of the past, and get rid of the feth she was feeling inside. Her love for violence only gave her so much, one of the things it couldn't fill for example, was the gash that she felt in her chest.​

​

Clan or not, she was a lone wolf, and lone wolves didn't live for long outside of the pack. No pack seemed to hold her for long however.​

Juno Wren

 

[Juno Wren]

Juno stepped out of the cantina and into the bustling gloom of the smuggler's moon.​

​

She despised Nar Shaddaa. The smuggler's moon was an unsavory place, a vast city of crime where the only rules were that there were no rules. A place where wanted criminals were the norm rather than the exception- a place where a hunter like herself might rake in a number of bounties at once, if she could just stomach the stench. The very air itself stank of greed and cowardice, of corruption and destitution. ​

​

Still, she'd bagged six bounties with contemptuous ease in half as many days, and had the criminals stashed on her ship in her converted cargo hold. After her fight with Sid and the Jedi on Takodana had ruined some poor schlump's cantina, Juno had felt honor bound to fund the repairs, which had taken a significant bite out of her stash. ​

​

Another few days on Nar Shaddaa and she'd have recouped her losses thrice over. She'd go back to the Enclave for a while, maybe upgrade her armor- she'd been thinking about adding a glop sprayer and a modular shoulder mounted blaster cannon. Or perhaps purchase that training droid I've been coveting. ​

​

The sky lanes were dense with traffic. She thought about hailing a transport but decided to fly on her own, but as she activated her jetpack, she noticed another Mando nearing the cantina. ​

Tatiana Ordo

 

[Tatiana Ordo]

.​

Dancing Between the Headlights​

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa​

Spoiler: Gear

Beskar Armor
Various Vibro-Weapons
DE-50 Blaster Pistol
MRX-1b Blaster Rifle
Su'arnr be Tracyn [Dagger of Fire]

'You need to run. Run Tatiana.'​

She winced, the voice of her mother ringing in her ears, though the Mandalorian moved on, metal rustling against metal, much like the blood pumping in her ears. She hadn't noticed another Mandalorian, nor the Gran that hadn't moved out of her way. The collision knocked the poor alien back, and left Tatiana a tad dazed, blinking as she was snapped out of her flash back, and was now gazing at an irritated Gran. The alien squawked at her, muttering in it's strange language, but it was the blaster it produced from it's belt that drew her attention. She wasn't sure what this alien was thinking, but she didn't exactly care either. Taking two blaster shots to the chest, Tatiana drew her blaster, and shot the poor bastard in the head, dropping him instantly.​

​

Ignoring the crowd that began to gather around, she holstered the weapon, and made an effort to push herself into the cantina, voices still tormenting her as she reached the bar, and ordered a flight of Jawa Juice.​

'Tatiana, why....why did you let me die....'​

'You failed us Tatiana, you let them kill us....'​

On the outside, she seemed a calm and composed warrior, but on the inside, she was trembling trying to keep the voices at bay. When her drinks arrived, Tatiana hadn't even moved to touch them, still trying to force the voices down.
Juno Wren

 

[Juno Wren]

Juno watched it all happen in what seemed like slow motion. The Mando bumped into a stocky Gran. Three-eyes narrowed in anger and indignation, the Gran started mouthing off in what sounded like Bocce, drew a blaster, and shot the Mando twice. The Mando returned fire once, dropping the Gran where he stood. ​

​

Juno arched a fine brow beneath her helmet. Why would she even let him get a shot off? ​

​

The Mando, a woman, by the cut of her armor, pushed her way through the gathering crowd, passing right by Juno as she entered the cantina. The young hunter was certain she had seen the woman before- not in person, but perhaps in a holorecording. Her armor was vaguely familiar. ​

​

If she was a True Mandalorian, she was either a Karjr or a Yh'ivra out on mission. If she was clanless, then there was no telling her business on a place like Nar Shaddaa. ​

​

I should mind my own business, Juno told herself. And yet followed the Mando into the cantina to linger near the doorway, and watched her order a drink. Jawa juice, from the look of it. ​

​

She never took a sip. ​

​

Curious, Juno stalked over, careful not to startle the woman- she wouldn't want to have to put her down over a misunderstanding. ​

​

"Chaavla tuur?" she called out.​

Tatiana Ordo

chaavla tuur- rough day​

 

[Tatiana Ordo]

.​

Dancing Between the Headlights​

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa​

Spoiler: Gear

Beskar Armor
Various Vibro-Weapons
DE-50 Blaster Pistol
MRX-1b Blaster Rifle
Su'arnr be Tracyn [Dagger of Fire]

She was caught in her own reflection before another presense stirred her. Snapping to, she caught the Mando'a and looked her fellow warrior in the visor. It was after a moment of confusion she realized where she was, and the response soon followed. "Majyceae bib ibac. Me'vaar ti gar?" Having spotted the drinks she forgot she ordered, she took one shot, and opened up the emergency induction port, and poured the substance in. As per usual, 95% of the drink made it into her mouth, the rest of the lip smacked against her lips and filled the inside of her helmet with the scent of booze. Thankfully, she was almost entirely sure the newcomer missed that; but she wasn't about to bet on it. She kept an arm on the bartop, eying her fellow warrior as she did.

Her encounter with Mandalorians was all over the place. Taking her hand, and extended her thumb, prodding herself in the chestplate. "Mirjahaal." Taking the other shot she had, and placing it to her side. She wasn't in the best mood to have another rough encounter with her people right now.
Juno Wren

 

[Juno Wren]

"..."

Juno studied the woman silently, head tilted, one sculpted brow arched beneath her bucket. Curious by nature, she wondered what sort of trauma the woman had gone through to be so...downtrodden. It wasn't something she could see with her eyes- to look at her, you would think the woman was the picture of competence- but she could feel it. She had been raised on Kestri, in Resa among the Mandokarla- she had known broken warriors- shuk'la verda, for her village had been a village of healers and warriors alike. The shuk'la verda had come to the shamans and pathfinders to heal their minds and exercise their souls.

But his woman was not quite broken, Juno thought. She drank sloppily, perhaps, but there was strength in her voice still, and she had jut shot someone.

But there was still that niggling sense of familiarity. Perhaps introductions were in order.

"Ner gai Juno Wren be aliit Wren...bal ni jahaala." She waited a beat, and then, "Tion gar gai?

Tatiana Ordo

shuk'la verda- broken warriors
Ner gai Juno Wren- My name is Juno Wren
be aliit Wren- of Clan Wren
bal ni jahaala- and I am well
Tion gar gai- What's your name?​

 

[Tatiana Ordo]

.​

Dancing Between the Headlights​

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa​

Spoiler: Gear

Beskar Armor
Various Vibro-Weapons
DE-50 Blaster Pistol
MRX-1b Blaster Rifle
Su'arnr be Tracyn [Dagger of Fire]

Her fellow warrior seemed to take her drink as a means to begin conversation, and Tatiana had to ponder if this talk might devolve into a fight soon enough. In truth, Tatiana wasn't a broken warrior, no more than one that was on the verge of becoming one. The memories came back stronger on some nights, reality and nightmares felt as if they were blending together more often than ever, and she had to wonder how long it would be before she could no longer distinguish between the two. "Ner gai Tatiana Ordo, be aliit Ordo." She said as one, keeping her gaze locked on this 'Juno', as this talk would demand much of her focus.

She then pondered the Gran she had just shot outside, and had to wonder how long it would be before someone got the idea to place a bounty out for that. It had been in self defense, but it wouldn't be the first time someone tried to get after her just for her armor. "Me'copaani?"

Nergai Tatiana Ordo- My name is tatiana Ordo
Be aliit Ordo- of Clan Ordo
Me'copaani?- What do you want/need?​

Juno Wren

 

[Juno Wren]

​

Tatiana Ordo? The Jedi hunter?​

​

Juno scowled beneath her mask. While the Enclave was allied with the Jedi, it wasn’t exactly against the law to hunt them. A criminal was a criminal, and a bounty was a bounty. Juno had even hunted one herself, though she’d been lied to by the client as to the extent of the Jedi’s crimes. She’d only hunted Sith and rogue Force users since when she wasn’t hunting the usual chaff, in between the missions and campaigns she carried out for the Mandokarla and the Enclave. ​

​

If Juno had not been raised among the Mandokarla, if she had not been the daughter of a long line of Y’ivra, she might not have known anything about Tatiana Ordo, but her order bred and trained Force hunters, and kept watch on any being- especially Mandos not allied with the Enclave- who might have the right skills and talents to join the Mandokarla. ​

​

But Juno was not a recruiter, and the information on Tatiana Ordo, as she recalled, was suspiciously sparse. What had driven her, Juno wondered, to hunt Jedi so relentlessly? ​

​

“Naas… gal’gala.”​

​

One thing she was certain of- there was definitely a bounty on this woman. Even Juno had picked up a few- criminal syndicates were petty like that.​

​

The question was, did she want to claim it? Would it be worth it? ​

​

She flexed her fingers. ​

​

To draw, or not to draw?​

​

Tatiana Ordo ​

Naas... gal'gala- Nothing... let me buy you a drink.​

 

[Tatiana Ordo]

.​

Dancing Between the Headlights​

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa​

Spoiler: Gear

Beskar Armor
Various Vibro-Weapons
DE-50 Blaster Pistol
MRX-1b Blaster Rifle
Su'arnr be Tracyn [Dagger of Fire]

Tatiana shifted her head, her hand tightening into a fist, which she used to grab at the bar top in a not so subtle fashion. There was a hesitation to the woman’s voice, one that suggested suspicion; neither of which Tatiana liked to know about. She had a mark against her from what she knew, mostly by other Mandalorians; which was why she was starting to dread this chat the longer it went on. She already had drinks, the woman could see the clearly, so why was she playing coy like this?

“Naas.” She said flatly, hoping that would be enough to show she didn’t need anything; trouble included. Nodding her head, she motioned to an empty spot beside her. “Udesii.” She advised, preparing to launch off this bar and tackle the woman if she dared to clear leather here and now.

She was not in the mood for this. Especially when she just bought a flight of drinks, but as time ticked in it seemed more and more likely they’d have to throw down.

Naas: I’m fine
Udesii: Sit down, relax
Juno Wren

 

[Juno Wren]

Tatiana's fist clenched against the bar top. There was a tense moment where Juno balanced on the knife edge of decision. Did she shoot, or not? Tatiana was wanted by her people... but not in shackles.

Hmph. It's not worth it.

She relaxed her hand against her side. No bounty would be worth betraying her principles, no matter how fun the hunt might be. The Way was clear; Mando didn't hunt Mando, even those who had lost their Way. Not without prior provocation, at least, and Tatiana had done nothing to her but be polite.

Better to bring them back into the fold, so that they might rekindle their faith in the Resol'nare. She wasn't going to waste her time trying to recruit Tatiana, however, but maybe a nudge might do.

"Nayc, a'vor entye. I have bounties to collect. Perhaps another time? Or... you could finish those drinks and come with me. There are a couple of high-risk/high-value marks on my list that might require back up."

Tatiana Ordo

Nayc, a'vor entye- No, but thank you.​