A Mandalorian welcome

The coordinates take you to the far side of Concordia into the middle of a forested area. From above, you spot a clearance between the woods. Upon flying closer, the shining armour of Mandalorians cannot be unseen, knowing you are at the right place, you transmit a signal for landing clearance and land at the landing platform. A well armed welcoming committee is waiting for you, pointing blasters and rifles at you.

Lana (trying to introduce yourself after a brief silence): Welcome...! I am Lana, from Clan Ordo! I come in peace, I wish only to talk to your leader! **** Watch sent me!

The Mandalorians don't seem to react to your words in any way, keeping you at gunpoint. You try to give it an other shot to avoid any potential ****.

Lana: As I was saying...!

You are interrupted by their blaster shots, they seemed to care little about your words. Dodging the shots by jumping behind some barrels to find cover, you return the fire with your blasters.

Lana (to herself): That escalated quickly! Well, so much for diplomacy! I have always preferred things this way!

You are badly outnumbered, around 15 to 1 and cannot leave your cover as shots are coming from all directions. Even if your armour protects you from their shots for a short time, better not leave the cover you have. Since you have learned from experience, that your armour is weak against electricity, you intend to use the **** instead of your blasters. **** pulling the Mandalorians one by one out of their covers, you send **** lightning at them to incapacitate your opponents without killing them. When you seem to have dealt with all of them and no further shots are coming, you exit the cover and try to find your way into their camp. Just as you stand up though, a Mandalorian with a vibroblade slashes just in front of you and keeps trying to cut you into pieces. Dodging all his attacks you are about to catch him off guard, when an other one charges at you from behind, ruining your chance to strike back.

Lana: Alright boys, that's enough!

Raising your hands and using **** ****, both of them are lifted into the air, gasping for air and dropping their vibroblades. Not wanting to kill anybody, as you came to bring them back to **** Watch and not to alienate them further, you send them against each other in the air, knocking both of them out. Taking a look around for any further surprises, you resume walking towards the camp.

? (a female voice from your left): That was some display of skill, Jedi. {if Lightsber = false}Though, I have never seen a Jedi without a lightsaber before.{endif}

Lana (pulling your blasters out): Who's there?

Leader (coming from behind a tree): I am the leader of the Children of the Watch. What business do you have with us?

Lana: My name is Lana from...

Leader (interrupting you): I know who you are, Lana from Clan Ordo, descendant of the famous Canredous Ordo. I knew your mother, she was a great warrior and an honourable Mandalorian. Had she not been killed, she might have been the next Mandalore, the leader of our peoples. You however, are a shadow of her greatness. So, what business do you have here? Those men were fierce warriors, yet you sent them down without a scratch. I will lend you my ear for a short time as a reward.

Lana (as Mandalorians from the camp begin to come out of their small huts to look at you): I was sent by Pre Vizsla to ask for your reunification with **** Watch.

Leader: Then, your efforts are in vain. We will not be joining them again.

Lana: But why? With your help, he could reclaim Mandalore and restore the old ways or our people. Isn't that what you are after?

Leader: The old ways don't need to be restored, they are already with those who are ready to follow them. They cannot be enforced, traditions enforced are traditions meant to die slowly. The true Mandalorians still follow the Way of the Mandalore. This is the way.

Mandalorians: This is the way.

Lana: I see. Isn't there a way to convince you somehow?

Leader: No, there isn't. Pre comes from an honourable house, but he abandoned the old ways, hence he wasn't worthy of being called Mandalore, despite having the dark saber. My tribe fights honourable duels, hunts worthy preys, but we aren't joining in a civil war against our own kind, without having a sufficient reason.

A young child around 10 runs forth and starts shouting at you.

Paz (as he comes forward from the crowd): Pre Vizsla isn't worth of the dark saber! My clan, Clan Vizsla forged it long ago, but its rightful place will be in my hands!

Leader: That's enough Paz, get back to your hut!

Paz: I will be Mandalore one day and unite the scattered clans! You will see!

Lana (to herself): Just like Pre Vizsla, only in a smaller edition.

An other child, Din Djarin comes and drags Paz back into the crowd of Mandalorians.

Din (to Paz while dragging him): Come on, she said enough, get back away from them! We aren't ready to pick our own fights just yet!

Lana: He reminds me of someone...

Leader: I assume you know who the boy is.

Lana: Possibly.

Leader: Your business here is done Lana from Clan Ordo, you may go now. And do not return. We won't be so kind the next time we see you lurking around our camp.

Lana (trying to taunt them): That's it? You just send me away like that? Where is the famous Mandalorian war spirit of old?! You back away from a little fight to continue to... What are you doing again exactly?

Leader (turning her back to you): We are living our lives according to the creed, your taunts are empty words here. As I said, begone, I won't repeat myself again!

Lana (thinking): If that's the kind of fight you want... I know removing a helmet is capital punishment here, let's see how they react to seeing a face!

Lana (taking her helmet off): You are nothing more but cowards running from a challenge!

The Mandalorians sigh loudly as you take your helmet off. The leader turns back and stares at you for a long time. The air is still, nobody moves, a frustrating silence commences. You wonder if they are going to attack you for breaking their sacred creed in their camp. Your grip on your helmet grows every passing second, having and eye to helmet contest with the leader, readying yourself to grab your weapons the moment they grab theirs. The silence is broken by Din, who dragged Paz back into the crowd of fully armoured people.

Din: W-why is the girl's face nude? Isn't removing our helmet forbidden?

Leader: It is. She just lacks every bit of respect for the Way of the Mandalore. But if she believes herself to be so tough, we might give her a task, only true Mandalorians could pass in the past. If she is up to it...

Lana: And if I refuse?

Leader: We could shoot you to pieces if you prefer.

Lana: I don't have much of a choice now, do I?

Leader: Tell you what. Prove your worth to us all and in return, we will pledge ourselves to **** Watch one final time in the reconquest of Sundari. If Pre becomes Mandalore, we will see his true colours and decide whether to stay under his leadership or break away.

Lana: Seems fair enough. What is your task?

Leader: Our ancestors used to travel to a nearby jungle planet to hunt fro great beasts. No ordinary person can survive the jungle for a whole day. You will have to survive there for one week alone, then, we will pick you up. Or, what's left of you...

Lana: Great. A little hunting would do me good now. It's been a while since I was out there doing sports like that!

Leader: Don't underestimate the jungle on Dxon! Or you are already good as dead!

Lana: Dxon huh? I have heard of the place, but never been to that moon of Onderon before.

Leader (landing you a small bottle): Now you will. Here, drink it. Once you are done, we are taking you to Dxon.

Lana (looking at the bottle): What's in that?

Leader: You don't have to know. This is an ancient elixir taken by every hunter who enters the jungles of Dxon. You will be provided a locator, we will find you with that when the week is over.

Lana (taking the bottle): I've had worse before! Let's get this over with!

You drink the content of the bottle, feeling a strange dizziness right afterwards. Then, all of a sudden, everything goes black.

Leader (over your **** body): She is ready for the initiation trial. Prepare the ship, she will be taken to Dxon! This will decide if she is truly her mother's daughter!