Unlikely Alliance

[Emma Lou]

Kori had already been awake for awhile and but she had not felt like getting up or opening her eyes. It had taken her awhile to fall asleep because she was thinking and that was what she was doing again. She was about to tell Saren something that would probably change her life.

When he announced that it was time for her to leave she was a little disappointed but she had a feeling her comments would change his mind. She got off the cot and put her blaster back in its holster. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook it out. It looks quite nice for being bedhead. She walked over to the ladder and climbed it. She got to the top and looked at Saren.

"Well, thank you for the hospitality. I will be going now. It's just a shame that you want me to leave so badly because I gave a lot of thought to changing my routine"

She smiled sweetly and waited for his reply. She would leave if he still wanted her to, of course.

 

[Horizon]

Saren had a look of surprise on his face as he listened to Kori's words slip out of her mouth. He was keen on the idea of actually bringing someone into the family on his own, much like his father had done all those years. Most advances tended to go nowhere, but there was always a few who decided they weren't completely satisfied with their lives and took up the code and armor. Saren was sitting in the pilot's seat with his feet propped up again, carefully spinning his blaster around his index finger before speaking again.

"Well, you've changed my mind having you leave then. It's good that you've thought about it, because you'd make a great Mandalorian, Kori. The greater thing is that I can't just say that about anyone I run across. Anyone can be a warrior, but to be Mandalorian means something entirely different."

Saren sighed as his blaster began to spin slower and slower before swinging back and forth delicately on the end of his finger, placing it back into its holster as he looked out the window of the cockpit. The dual suns had already raised, but they were beginning their morning hours for the day. It was always a marvelous feature to this dreary place full of the nasty things at it were, but they did remind him of his father. One sun always settled before the other at the end of the day and Saren always thought of himself as that lonely sun departing after the other. If he had one place in the galaxy that he'd like to be buried, it would Tattooine. He then looked back to Kori, sizing her up one more time before he came to a final decision within his mind.

"If this is your wish, I will grant it, Kori. You will be leaving your old life behind and embracing a new one. As Mandalorians we aren't heroes, for there is no word for such. Be prepared to die for your family and friends along with what you hold dear. Such is our requirement and expectation."

Saren's attitude and overall personality seemed to change immediately when speaking of the Mandalorian ways. He was no longer joking and making passes at her, instead acting as an equal while giving a choice that would change much of her life in every way. If she chose to accept the offer, Saren would become her teacher and would welcome her into his clan and thus would be under his tutelage.

 

[Emma Lou]

Kori was sure. She had thought about it all night and even some after her few hours of sleep. She really had no life to leave behind. She had left her family behind long ago and she had no friends. She was a smuggler because it made good money not because it was a fun time.

"I accept your offer. I have no friends or family. I have been alone in this Galaxy for many years"

She wanted to do this. Not only because she was tired of her routine and she was still intrigued by Saren and wasn't ready to leave him. He was a curious man to her.

 

[Horizon]

"You will never live alone within this galaxy again. For I welcome you into clan Adenn, vode."

The final word he had spoken which was directed at Kori was the Mandalorian term for sister. She was now apart of his family and clan, placing her on the path to becoming a true Mandalorian. Behind his helmet, Saren was actually smiling and was content with the thought of training her to become a fierce warrior to be feared. They then discussed with one another on how she might be leaving her assets behind, such as her shuttle. It was really the only immediate item that required attention. Saren assured her that he would have ship taken care of and that all he would need was her proper credentials for moving the ship out of storage.

They exchanged the information between one another and soon they were all set. Kori took her place within the co-pilot's seat as Saren finished any extra loading that was left before closing the loading door. The ship's airlock's tightened and forced a few jets of air outside before locking every seal on the ship. Saren climbed back up into the cockpit, sitting down beside Kori and began the prep for lift off. Pressing a button here, punching in a code there and turning one knob above the rest and walaa. The ship began to roar as its engines had primed for long enough, the thrusters spitting fire against the landing pad as it began to lift. They slowly climbed into the air as the ship shook and rumbled, allowing the back of the ship to finally face at an angle at the surface of the planet before giving one final push. They blasted themselves into the atmosphere, leaving behind Tatooine and all of its perverseness. The clouds flew by one by one with every blink, closing in on the starry plains above.

A couple minutes seemed to last a life time as they finally broke from the atmosphere and were left in nothing but the blackened space that was the galaxy with its stars that looked as if they were holes punched in a black sheet with a light shinning behind it. Saren admired the beauty of it all for a moment, but then focused on the matter at hand and punched in the coordinates for where they were headed. To many, it would be a back water planet, but for his clan it was a safe haven. The stars began to pull and bend as it seemed, while a blue haze enveloped the view in front of them.

The ship launched forth as the hyperdrive engaged.

 

[Emma Lou]

Kori sat back in the co-pilot seat as the hyperdrive engaged and they set off. She had no idea where they were going, but she trusted Saren. She had to now. She had given up her whole life as she knew it to follow him. It was totally different now. She would no longer be Koriann Amsala, the smuggler, to people. She was now on her way to becoming a Mandalorian.

"Can you tell me more about what I am to become while we travel?"

 

[Horizon]

"Sometimes it's hard to define what we will become as we train ourselves to become true Mandalorians. In your heart, you could be the truest example of Mandalorian with hardly any formal training. Then there are outward expressions such as the armor I wear, declaring I've honored the ways of old and have kept to the past designs. Finally there is combat itself in which words aren't needed like the other expressions, but the combat speaks for you."

Saren knew Kori would have a hard time understanding what he meant. Explaining their culture to outsiders was always difficult. Eventually it would come to Kori to decide what it all meant.

"Fight honorably. Remember those two words and you should be fine for the most part. But to answer your question more directly.. Not as easy as you might think. What I've learned to become might be entirely different from what you'll become. Past brothers and sisters I've met during the Civil War told me I was too extreme in my methods. That I couldn't respect the enemy even if they were worthy adversaries. They were right, I gave them no honor or respect because their beliefs would've only lead us into our graves."

The memories slowly creeped back into his mind about the Civil War. The snow beneath his feet and the blaster fire ringing out across the field. That day Saren became a leader while he brushed aside the insolence of another who would've surely lead them all to their fates. Even after they had surrendered, Saren wanted to line up the survivors that didn't get away against the bunker walls and gun them down where they stood. He was fearsome, violent and unbound in his rage against the Loyalist forces.

 

[Emma Lou]

Kori was not exactly sure how to respond to him. He seemed to have trailed off into his whole memories after he had finished speaking and she stayed quiet. She looked down at her lap in silence. She was starting a new life and it still scared her a little bit.

 

[Horizon]

A small notification beeped on a small screen situated adjacent to the center console, causing Saren to fiddle with a keyboard.

"Looks like we'll be taking a detour when we hit our arrival."

Saren was cold and short with his answer. There was a chance to make new business partners on the route they would take after slowing down.

 

[Horizon]

Saren explained more points along the way in their journey to the mysterious planet that he had not named yet. He wanted to keep it a secret above anything else because it would be dangerous letting the information leak. If the immediate conglomeration of Mandalorians found out the whereabouts of the true Death Watch, it would spell disaster and more importantly the death of his family. The trip nearly lasted three days and Saren was grateful to have arrived soon. The planet itself seemed gray and bleak. Having little life as it were.

"Home sweet home."

Said Saren under his breath. The ship made an eventual path towards the atmosphere, drifting downwards through what seemed miles of clouds. Rain seemed to be a constant feature along with the crackling of lightning that painted itself across their visage at an alarmingly close distance. The ship itself calmly warned Saren and Kori of the dangerous weather, but Saren eventually shut it off before it became an annoyance. They then caught a glimpse of something between the clouds. It looked to be a compound of sorts. As soon as Saren caught a glimpse of it, he picked up a small hand-held radio that fed into the console along with the rest of the ship's controls.

"This is the Returning Son coming in for a landing, over."

For a moment there was silence and static before a voice fed through a nearby speaker sounded off.

"Rodger that, we read you. Your ship is no longer be tracked, Saren. You should really call in ahead of time."

Saren ignored his brother's warning and put away the radio, cutting further contact. Finally they were out from behind the clouds and travelling along the surface at a safe distance. Dead was the only term able to describe the surface of the planet. Much of it being covered in mud and flora that had long passed. Branches seemed to stretch up from the bases of trees, hoping to find the sun in their vain attempt from so long ago. Eventually they reach the compound, landing themselves in a rather dilapidated hangar that had seen far better days.

 

[Emma Lou]

The ride had been pretty silent with some unimportant talking mixed in. Saren's whole attitude had changed since she joined him and she was still getting used to it. He was more quiet than she originally assumed.

She looked out the front window as they came into the hanger. She was expecting more than what was really there. She was not really sure what she expected but it was not this bare and depressing in her mind.

"Are they going to hate me?"

Kori had never felt like she wanted to accepted before but this was her new "family" and she wanted them to like her.

 

[Horizon]

"Hate is irrelevant."

Saren's words were cold. He didn't care for her concerns on whether or not the rest of the clan would take kindly to her. She would be taught to ignore such small, useless feelings that once drove her most of her life. The ship cooled down within a matter of minutes, allowing the lights to shut down one by one until finally a trail of them were lit along the floor which lead to the exiting ramp of the ship. Saren's gear jingled and jangled together as he walked down the hull of the ship with Kori following closely in pursuit. Stepping outside the ship, they were greeted by the warm, muggy air that covered the entire planet. Beyond this simple notion was the small group of individuals dressed like Saren. They wore the same traditional armor with minor variations that mostly dealt with color. One man in particular, whose armor was painted with a dirty yellow, stepped forward from the crowd. His armor was covered in scars from battle, the most visible kind were the gashes from vibroblades and small arms fire that left circular indentions within the surface.

"Good to see that the galaxy didn't swallow you whole, Saren."

The man's voice was filtered through a com system within his helmet.

"I would've expected the runts to have torn you apart by now."


Both Saren and Braelor exchanged some light hearted laughs closing the distance between one another. The shook hands and pulled themselves in for a bump between their shoulders before returning to speaking.

"I've brought someone to join our fold. Her life isn't much in the ways of exciting and she lacks direction, I figured this would be the best place to do it."


"Good that you did. Our home is her home now, but I didn't have to tell you that. You should pay a visit to.."

Saren interrupted Braelor mid-sentence with his first sentence sounding off to nearly everyone in the hanger. While the rest his tone simmered down to the point where only Braelor could hear his whispers.

"I'm not going to. Not like she deserves the time of day after acting like a harlot."

Braelor took a moment to sigh at Saren's curt response, but honestly didn't think he would've said any different.

"I understand. However, it would do your father proud to at least go see your mother sometime."

Saren merely nodded at Braelor suggestion as he waved to the crowd that had anticipated greeting him more fervently. They shouted and roared in mando'a, leaving Kori at an ultimate loss if she were to attempt to discern what they were saying. Soon enough the crowd dispersed along with Braelor, leaving Saren and Korri to traverse the compound. The compound itself looked to have been a military installation of some kind. Who it belonged to was anyone's guess, but the towers topped with anti-aircraft guns were a constant reminder of where they were.

 

[Emma Lou]

Kori had been silent since they had landed. She would've spoke during the initial greetings between Saren and the other man but there was no chance or reason to. As the group dispersed and she and Saren walked off she looked at him with a quizzical look.

"Who did he want you to go visit?"

She had a feeling he wouldn't answer her, but it was at least worth a try.

 

[Horizon]

"Someone I had feelings for, but that was a long time ago."

Saren's mood clearly indicated his distaste with the subject. Their walk lead them to a small hut that was further within the compound. It sat upon a small plot of land that was clear of any concrete and steel. The hut itself was created from the local flora and bore the symbol of Death Watch above the door. Saren removed his helmet before entering and grimaced at the sight of his mother. She was stricken with age and it was taking its toll. Her body had become increasingly weaker the past few years and it pained him to see the life flowing out of her. Saren sat down by her bed, carefully reaching over to brush away the grey locks of hair that partially covered her heart shaped face.

The stirring of activity caused her to wake and Saren immediately went to apologize, but his mother quickly hushed him.

"Now, now. I can't always be sleeping like this, even if I can't move from this bed. It's so good to see you, Saren."

Her voice was also worn with age and it was clear she struggled even to push the words from her lips. Saren made no comment against her joke, but he did have important news.

"It's good to see you too, mother. I've brought us honor as father expected of me. The Mandalorians beyond our world slew one another in a war against themselves. I am proud to say that the weak no longer thrive within Mandalore's ranks and we are free to return."

"This is good news to us all, Saren. Your father looks down upon you with pride as do we all. It is good that you will lead us back into the herd for us to follow one who deserves true warriors."

The conversation between Saren and his mother went on for a time until they finally parted ways, kissing her on the forehead before he left the hut with Kori. Saren would have to gather the entire clan soon to lead them back to Mandalorian space where he would have to convene with Mandalore himself. He personally served in Mandalore's service, so the chances of him denying his request was unlikely.

The duo continued their walk until settling in the mess hall. Tonight a feast was served in honor of Saren's victory over orchestrating the eventual destruction of the Loyalist movement. Taking his rightful place at the head of the large table that stretched across the entire room, Saren sat with Kori at his side as he watched his brothers and sisters devour their meals while carrying banter between one another.

"Won't be long now and we'll gather every ship we have under our command and return to Mandalorian space. That's where you'll learn to thrive."

 

[Emma Lou]

Kori stood silently while Saren talked to his mother. She was also silent as they walked. She had nothing to say. It was a special moment that she didn't want to ruin with questions. They then went to the mess hall and there she continued her silence.

 

[Horizon]

Saren more or less didn't pay Kori much mind for the following weeks. He indulged her every now and then with answers to her questions and sometimes genuine conversations. Much of the time he was just too busy handling the clan's movements. It wasn't the glorious start he had promised her, but the victory he had won over the Loyalist demanded that he move his clan from this backwater space of the galaxy. Eventually the entire compound would be emptied, leaving it as they found it as their ships took off from the planet, heading back into Mandalorian space.