Chapter Text
"Force karking damn it all, why did this have to happen now?" Anakin swore under his breath as he kept running, occasionally dodging the blaster bolts that were being shot at him, the metallic whine of multiple jet packs utterly terrifying to hear. This was so very far from the plan that he'd been told to try to stick to by the Council, when he'd been assigned this mission a week ago. Why he had been picked, the senior padawan had no idea. He wasn't a Shadow, and only had a bit of the training as knights Vos and Tachi were creche-mates of his master... Whom he might never be able to see again, even if he was able to escape the half-dozen mando'ade chasing after him.
If he could get out from the relatively open fields of the small town he'd approached after... Arriving on this world and into the dense forest that was, according to the locals, Very Haunted, Anakin would have a much better chance of actually escaping them, as the bastards would have to land and search through the forest, rather than shooting at him from the air. He was not sure when the Mandalorians arrived on this world, and he sure as kark had no desire to talk to any of them if he could at all help it, and that was before the shooting started. He was worried that they were trying to herd him in a certain direction given the way that they keep shooting at him, but it was not like he had much of a choice.
Anakin had taken apart his saber before the start of this mission, hiding the pieces in various inner pockets of his robes, with his Kyber hanging as a pendant from a simple synth-leather cord around his neck. Besides, even if he had the time to put his saber back together, it was likely that using any saber would put him in even more danger than being actively shot at by Mandos, as he was pretty sure those were stun bolts. Why they seemed intent on capturing him, Anakin hadn't a clue.
It wasn't as if he was dressed like the Jedi native to this version of the Galaxy, after all. With his hair carefully free of any braids and beading that would mark him as a Jedi padawan, Anakin was fairly sure he should have come off as a relatively uninteresting young civilian. Or at least, that had been the intent. He did have a small blaster on his hip, but the idea of out-shooting a dozen Mando'ade by himself with no cover to speak of was laughable at best. Scraping together what mando'a Obi Wan had taught him, Anakin pushed himself to move even faster- risking a bit of subtle Force-use to dodge yet another blaster bolt " "Ba'slanar ni solus!"
"Perhaps, if you stop running from us and talk first." One of the Mandos called out in Basic.
Anakin nearly tripped over a root in surprise. This was the first time any of them had spoken to him, since they'd started shooting at him, the bastards. "Oh, sure. Talk to the people who started chasing and shooting at me for no karking reason. That sounds like an excellent way to not get murdered for no karking reason." Was his sarcastic response, running from tree to tree as the fuckers kept. Chasing. Him. "I'd rather take chances with the spirits in these woods, than you." He'd encountered some of the spirits who existed in these woods. They were nice enough to him, but then again... He was Force sensitive. He was betting that most if not all of the beskar clad bastards chasing him were null.
The Mando in blue and silver laughed at that, whether it was mocking or out of genuine amusement, Anakin couldn't tell between the beskar and the way the vocodor removed a lot of emotion from a being's voice "We have been shooting to stun, and we'd only started because you attempted to flee at the sight of us. We had intended to speak with you. Stop running from us, and we'll stop shooting at you."
Anakin hesitated for a moment, reaching for the Force to guide him. On one hand: Mandalorians. On the other, he was stuck on this planet until either the portal opened up again, or he was able to get the ship parts he needed to repair the vessel that he crashed. He was outnumbered and it was possible that they'd catch him sooner or later. The Force... Did not give him a distinct answer, but the bastards were excellent trackers in this galaxy as well. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Anakin asked, briefly peering around a tree to squint suspiciously at blue-and-silver. Who he was guessing was the leader of the group, given that they were the one talking.
"The locals say that you've got some of the highest quality bacta for trade that anyone's seen in centuries this side of the Outer Rim, and that you're looking to trade for it." Blue-and-Silver responded, definitely sounding amused through the vocoder. Anakin could sense it a bit too. "Whatever it is you're looking for, we are far more likely to have it than they are, and if credits is what you're looking for, we have plenty of those as well."
He could also sense that they were telling the truth - or at least enough of the truth to not register as a lie. "So you decided to shoot at someone who you wanted to trade with, the moment they decided to leave the area you were in?" He snarked back. He was still a good distance from the downed ship - if he could get them to fuck off before they found it, he might have a chance to do... Something.
"Running from armored Mando'ade the moment you clock them while on a world controlled by the Mandalorian Empire isn't a good look, ad ." One of the others spoke up, amusement in their tone and surrounding them in the force, armor painted in gold and red. They were a bit taller than Blue-and-silver. "That and the Republic Basic is a dead giveaway that you're far from where you're supposed to be. Why are you here?"
"..." Fuck. He hadn't known this system was under Mandalore's control in this galaxy. If he managed to survive long enough to report back to the council, he'd need to tell them that. "I speak a dozen languages, Basic happens to be one of them, e chut a ovv, sleemo *."
"Are you going to continue to insult us, or were you serious about trading bacta for... Whatever it is you are looking for?" Blue-and-Silver responded, the amusement he was exuding fading, as irritation started to rise. "What are you looking to trade for?"
By the nine Corellian hells, this might be the best shot he'd get at acquiring the parts he needed to repair his ship... And he might learn a bit more about how the Mandalorian Empire in this galaxy worked and operated. Master Vos wasn't there, but that was not to say that he wasn't able to do at least a little bit of information gathering while he waited for the portal to open... He really did hope that the portal would open again. "I'm looking for several ship parts. I... Crashed... A week ago, and need several parts in order to repair it into proper working order. I'm willing to trade bacta and korto in order to do so, as that's what I was hauling when I made an unexpected landing on this world."
"Why did you crash? I haven't received any reports of a ship being shot down so close to this world." Blue-and-Silver asked.
"Hyperdrive malfunction. I had to drop out of hyperspace or suffer a catastrophic engine failure." Anakin answered. There were no audible reactions, but as Anakin once again peeked around the tree he was hiding behind, he noticed two things. The first was that the mandos were moving closer to where he was, and the second was that a couple slightly flinched at his response. "Hey! Who says you can get closer?!" He tensed, turning back and preparing himself to start running again. Like kriff was he going to let himself get captured so easily by anyone.
"What ship parts do you need? Depending on what they are, we might have some parts to spare. You seem a bit... Young to be hauling such cargo by yourself..." Blue-and-Silver said, and remarked "We are having a conversation, is it not normal where you come from to speak at a reasonable distance with your conversational partners?"
"Yeah, but I've been told not to allow people who shoot at me for fun so close. Also, that for first meetings, to have proper introductions." Anakin responded, shifting and about to start sprinting away from this group of Mandalorians again. He did not address his question as to whether or not he was alone on this force forsaken world or not. They didn't need to know the answer to that.
"Fair enough. I suppose we have been a tad... Rude. If you come out from behind that tree, perhaps we could all introduce ourselves to one another, like civilized beings?" Blue-and-Silver offered. The amusement was back, and the others were also amused as well.
"... Fine. But if I see any of you so much as starting to point your blasters at me, I'm running and I don't think that you could catch me." Anakin stated. He would use the force if he had to - he'd rather not out himself as a force user to these Mando'ade if he didn't have to - but they were within an hour's dead sprint to this version of this planet's temple ruins, which he could easily hide in where the Mandos wouldn’t be able to find him... Unless one of them was a trained Force-Sensitive. He didn't think so - all of them were in beskar after all. Then again, with how shit his luck has been…
"Agreed - though I request that you do not draw any weapons you have on you, either." Blue-and-silver replied.
Steeling himself - and briefly checking with the Force - which was not discouraging him from facing the Mandalorians - Anakin slowly stepped out from behind the tree he'd been hiding behind since they'd started this conversation, refusing to feel embarrassed. Trying to channel Obi-Wan at his most charming, he attempted to smile at the Mandalorians, giving them a shallow bow and a (very fake) small smile "Good afternoon. My name is Anakin, my pronouns are he/him/his. You are...?"
" Su cuy'gar . My companions are my ori'vod , Arla - she/they, as well as Myles he/ze/zem, and Silas they/them/their or he/him/his. Myles and Silas are both baar’ure , and took a keen interest in the high quality of the bacta you are hauling. I am Jango Fett, he/him/his." Blue-and-Silver revealed, amusement oozing from him in a thick cloud, as was anticipation.
The Mandos were clearly expecting some sort of reaction from him, but as Anakin had only gotten the very broadest of explanations as to what was going on in this version of the galaxy, he just blinked twice at Fett and his companions - the force was thrumming loudly in his ears - this was very important. But Anakin didn't have a clue as to why. "I would say it's a pleasure to meet you -" Fuuuuck, what were the honorifics that Mando'ade tended to use? He really wished he paid more attention to the lessons that his older brother in all but name had given him in mando'a "Mister Fett." They were talking in Basic, so Basic honorifics it was. "What happened to the other three who were also chasing me?" He deliberately did not cross his arms over his chest, despite very much wanting to do so, as it would be a dead giveaway to how defensive he was feeling.
"... I find myself very curious as to where you came from, Anakin." Fett replied, surprise in his voice. The other mandos went still at his reactions. "Which ship parts are you looking for?"
Oh. Oh no. Fett was someone Important in this galaxy, wasn't he? He certainly hoped he was like the local mando militia captain, or if he was really unlucky, the equivalent of minor nobility or local political leader. Anakin took in a deep breath, tucking his hands behind his back so that they couldn't see how his fingers had started to shake a little with his nerves. He was trying to release his feelings into the force but the Mandalorians were incredibly distracting and a huge karking threat. He listed what he was looking for "... How much bacta would those parts cost?" He was good at bargaining and bartering. He had given them the general specs of the ship parts he was looking for as well as the part type. "I'd like to make sure the parts you'd potentially be offering me would actually work with my ship before handing over the bacta - though I'd be willing to part with half before testing the ship parts myself."
"Those ship parts require an experienced mechanic to properly replace." Arla remarked, shifting a little "Would it not be best if you had one do the repairs? Where is your ship? Are you injured?"
Anakin almost laughed in their face. Instead he smirked at the Mandos and replied "I've been fixing mechanical things - including ships - since I was able to hold a spanner in my hands. I've got plenty of experience. I can fix this ship, thank you very much." He was absolutely not going to tell them where his ship was - that sounded like a good way to get robbed and shot dead or captured, which was what he had been trying to avoid, thank you very much. "Why would you care if I was injured or not? We're strangers to one another, and you didn't seem to care about how I was when you were shooting at me less than ten minutes ago."
One of the alleged baar’ure (which Anakin was fairly sure meant doctor or medic in mando'a) spoke up "We were shooting to stun, not kill. And only because you fled from the sight of us, rather than allowing us to approach you and speak like reasonable beings with our offer." Silas, but he wasn't sure. Fett hadn't exactly gestured as to which medic went by which name very well. "And you didn't answer the question about your injuries."
"Again, I don't think it's any of your business, and at best you're potentially trying to distract me, or attempting to extort more of what cargo I'm carrying for potential treatment, at worst it's some sort of trap I'm unable to see." Anakin responds, just barely avoiding glowering at the overly nosy medical person. He was still mostly-convinced that they were going to try to shoot at him the moment they thought they could try.
Fett watched him for a couple of moments before answering “I am curious as to why you are so wary of Mando’ade . You sound as though you’re from the Outer Rim, which is primarily under the protection of the Mandalorian Empire. I will admit that shooting at you was perhaps a bit hasty, but you did decide to flee when we wished to negotiate for the very things you say you’re looking for. Where are you from?”
“I don’t plan on answering any more personal questions, Mister Fett. I am willing to trade bacta for the ship parts, if you’re willing to trade with me.” Anakin responds “The ship parts will be brought at the edge of this forest, near where you chased me into here, as a matter of fact. I’ll take the parts and leave the bacta for you or your group to pick up.”
“I am curious as to where you got the bacta. It’s higher quality than I’ve seen in a long time.” Silas? Miles? Asked. “I’ve worked in hospitals that have had poorer quality bacta in their tanks than the sample you gave in a bacta patch.”
Anakin blinked, genuinely surprised by this. He’d been told by the council that this galaxy had been war-torn for centuries, if not millennia, potentially with brief periods of tense armistice between the three largest governments in the galaxy, so it would make sense that things like bacta, korto and blaster ammo would have long been carefully rationed. “Why should I tell you that?”
“Because we’d trade quite favorably with those who have regular access to such high quality bacta.” Fett - who was definitely some sort of leader from the way he kept taking control of the conversation and Force was his everything making Anakin nervous.
He was having more difficulties keeping up the cocky bravado he’d been showing them. But he had to keep up a strong front, as he suspected that if he crumbled even a little, they’d push until he’d got nothing left to give. “... The place where I got the bacta from is very far from here." Anakin responded. This happened to be true from a certain point of view. "If you're lucky, a new shipment could come by once every few months, but I wouldn't be able to promise anything beyond what is currently on my ship right now." He had no idea if he could go back to his home universe, much less able to come back there again. Not that he was even remotely close to beginning to explain any of that to these Mandalorians. They'd likely think he was high on spice if not completely karked in the head if he did so. "And I'd have to talk to the others, for potential continued shipments."
"Fair enough." Fett agreed. "Would you be willing to allow Silas and Myles to do quality assurance checks on the bacta and korto you intend on trading to us for your ship parts, while you check to make sure that the ship parts brought to fix your vessel work as intended?"
Anakin wasn't the least bit insulted that the mandos were wary about whether or not all of the bacta was of the same quality or not. It was only reasonable to check such things in his opinion. "Fine, but I'll only bring half of the amount that we end up agreeing to while I take the parts to my ship - and no I do not want any of you following me back to the ship." He didn't trust them to not shoot him and take the bacta and the largely intact ship - even if it was on the smaller side - for themselves.
"Half the parts for half the bacta? And how much bacta and korto are you carrying in your ship's cargo hold?" Fett inquired.
Anakin bit the inside of one of his cheeks to prevent himself from actually bursting out into laughter. Bartering 101 - never let the other person know how much of something you have in trade, especially if you both have something the other needs and is unable to easily acquire through other means. "A case of 50 bacta patches for each of the six ship parts I need, and four twenty-use count bottles of Korto suspension spray." He was low-balling them, but it never hurt to try to start at an advantageous position.
Fett tilted his helmeted head before shaking it "Ten cases of bacta patches per the three large ship parts along with five containers of liquid bacta - one of the locals mentioned that you did have liquid bacta on hand for sample purposes so you must have some - and 15 twenty-use count bottles of Korto spray." Fett responds "And half that for each of the four smaller ship parts you've requested."
Anakin's eyes widened as he spluttered in indignation "Oh sure, and are you going to ask for everything in my pockets at blaster point, too?! That's a completely ridiculous amount of bacta to ask for, given the rationing going on here." He did have more than enough in the cargo hold to arrange for that - but it would be about half of the amount of liquid bacta the council stocked the ship with, and he'd really avoid giving so much at one point. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be stuck in this galaxy - and if this had ended up being a one way ship, he was going to have to make every last item he had count.
"Hmm, does that mean that you don't have that much bacta on hand, or are you unwilling to part with so much? You do realize that this world is controlled by the Mandalorian Empire. We can search this world and will eventually find your crashed ship." Fett replied, taking a couple of steps towards Anakin, moving with the silent grace of a predator.
Anakin's eyes narrowed and he refused to let this bastard intimidate him "Yeah? You'd have to first find the ship, and I'd know by then that you or your goons would be after me. And you'd have to find it first." He'd bury the crates, or drag the ship and everything in it to the ruins of the temple before he'd let all of that fall into these bastards' hands for nothing. Not that he was going to hint at that to these kriffers. He also refused to give into the temptation to back away as Fett stalked towards him. "Three cases of bacta patches and three bottles of korto spray per ship part, and seven bottles of liquid bacta total. I can and will find ship parts through other methods. I don't have to trade with you. Mandalorian controlled space or not." Anakin was quite certain that he'd be able to find what he needed without having to go through this bastard... As long as he could actually evade this fucker long enough to do so.
Irritation spiked within the Mandalorians - including Fett - but one of the medics stepped between the two of them "Depending on the quality of the bacta, that sounds reasonable to me. Is there anything else you're interested in trading bacta or korto for, Anakin?"
Anakin closed his eyes for a couple of moments, doing his best to try to reach some sort of semblance of calm, before replying "No. I have plenty of rations and water. Ship parts are the only thing I need. I can fix the ship on my own. How much time do you need to get the ship parts to the edge of this forest?"
"We can have the ship parts you requested here by the end of the day - although perhaps it would be better to meet at either the site where your ship crashed, or at the edge of the city?" Fett asked, his tone seeming to suggest that what he was offering were the more reasonable options. "However, if the quality of the bacta is not as fine as the initial patches are, we will be requiring more, as is only fair.
Hah. As if. "Not on your life . Not when it could potentially cost mine, or the entire contents of my ship." The senior padawan retorted, doing his best not to openly glare at the bastard. He might actually be close to what it was he actually needed to get off this miserable rock. And seeing how these mandos interacted during a trade deal was telling him something about how at least this group of mandos worked. He was aware of the fact that he wasn't being very polite or charming, but he wasn’t trying to be. "I can get half of the agreed upon amount to the edge of the forest by nightfall as well - but I'm not in any particular rush. Are you?" Bacta and Korto in the galaxy he was from had been quality checked numerous times before being sold, and he knew that the Order checked everything before allowing it onto the small, unmarked ship Anakin had been unable to prevent from crashing entirely due to circumstances beyond his control. "If you are in a hurry, I suppose we can meet at nightfall - but wouldn't mid-morning tomorrow be better? It's already past midday now. You've been chasing me for hours ."
"See you, the Korto and Bacta tomorrow, say at 0900 local time at the edge of the forest?" Fett answered after a moment or two of silence - maybe the mandos were talking over internal comms?
Anakin wouldn't be surprised if they were. "See you then." He attempted his best casual saunter away from the mandos, leaning against a nearby tree, crossing his arms loosely as he waited for them to fuck off. He wasn't going to be taking any chances of them possibly following him back to his downed ship. Most of the systems - including shields - still worked, but he didn't trust these bastards the distance he might be able to throw them.
After a staring contest with someone wearing a visor he couldn't see through that he refused to lose for a period of time he refuses to feel awkward about, the Mandos finally, finally fucked off. Anakin waited until he couldn’t sense the voids in the force that the beskar they wore made them sense like. He checked and double checked for any trackers that they might have somehow left on him or in the immediate vicinity. Finding none, the senior padawan took a circuitous route back to the ship, closing the doors and turning on the ray shields. He ate a cold meal of rations, set an alarm for three hours before the agreed upon meeting time before collapsing face-down. onto one of the bunks, a low groan leaving him. He sighed as the voice in his head that sounded a lot like his Master reminded him that he should at least attempt to meditate before going to sleep, before sitting upright and attempting to settle into meditation. The exhaustion of the day caught up with him, and Anakin fell asleep instead.