Glavis Ringworld
Space Station

Kia sat in the cockpit of her X-wing starfighter, thoughts of her night with the Mandalorian fills her mind. It was, by far, the best night she's ever had. She couldn't remember the last time she was held like that. The man definitely wasn't a talker, but he expressed his emotions through action rather than words.

There were some traits to his personality that he would only display to a lover. Like how he would let out a light snicker whenever she said something he found mildly amusing. Or how he would bury his face in her hair, taking in her scent and softness. As well as the occasional low grunt he would make in his sleep.

She knows he has done things in his life that were not only controversial, but heartless and vicious. He lived a violent life as a bounty hunter, and he probably worked for the Empire at one point. Yet passing judgement upon others was never something she enjoyed doing. In spite of this knowledge of him, that man has made an impression on her, and she's not sure if she'll ever fully remove the taste of him from her mouth.

She's been studying the ways of the Force with Luke for years, and therefore hasn't seen another one of her kind in some time. It's one thing to see Din Djarin's face through the mind of the child, it's an entirely different situation to have spent an entire night with him. A flash of shame suddenly hit her consciousness like a blaster shot to the face. Although she doesn't regret anything, yet she couldn't help but feel guilty for giving in so easily.

Luke and her have disagreed over the concepts of attachments ever since they met. It wasn't her intention to develop feelings for this man. After all, she is a Mandalorian. Her clan was very important to her. Luke will not be pleased to hear that she has fallen for the Mand'alore, the man she was supposed to be advising.

There's something she needs to do before she returns to Luke. She needs redemption. She needs to go back home. After punching a few buttons on her comlink, Luke's image appears in front of her on the dashboard.

"Master, I delivered the message to the Mandalorian and offered him my assistance, as promised. We should expect to see him again. However, there is something I must do before I return."

"Would you need any backup?"

"No, master. I must do this alone."

"Very well. Be safe and may the Force be with you."

"And may the Force be with you."

After Luke's imagine disappears, she ignites the engines, punches in the coordinates, then steers the ship out of the docking bay and into hyperspace.

***

1 BBY (Approximate)
Planet Mandalore
The Great Purge of Mandalore
Night of a Thousand Tears

"We must turn back! There's too many of them!" Calls out the leader of Clan Eldar, Oril Taull.

"More TIE-fighters are coming in hot!" Calls out the second-in-command, Dreth Rokort.

"Oh maker! They are going to destroy everything!" Oril tells Dreth. "We need to get out of here!"

"But sir, the planet! Mandalorians never surrender!" Dreth shouts.

"We must live to fight another day, Dreth. You must make sure my daughter lives, captain!" Oril ordered his captain, grabbing the collar of his flight suit.

"Yes, sir!" Dreth saluted.

"Buir..." Kia calls out to her father, Oril. At twenty-seven years old, she is the youngest in the clan. "Don't leave me!"

"I'm right here, ad'ika. Head to the ship! Run and don't stop running! I'm right behind you!" Oril shouts as the bombardment from the Imperial army began to erupt from all around them.

"To the ships! Now!" Oril demanded, shoving Kia through the smoke and fire.

Kia leaps up onto her fighter and looks down at her adoptive father, the man who rescued and raised her, "Buir, you're coming with me, right?"

"I'll be right behind you," Oril says, placing his gloved hand on her cheek. "I love you, daughter. Head back to base, I'll see you soon ad'ika."

Kia nodded and closed the hatch then immediately started the engine. As the ship warmed up, she could now make out a massive cloud of TIE-fighters heading straight for them. She can feel the Force crying out as her comrades fall to their deaths all around her. Once the ship's engines were ready, she throws the controls forward and launches her ship up into the air.

Taking a deep breath, she sees tens of thousands of Imperial starfighters rapidly approaching her location. The ground below is in flames. Nothing is left of their home planet. The preps the hyperdrive system as she makes her way up into the planet's atmosphere.

Once above the clouds she looks around, but she sees no other Mandalorian starfighters in sight. She uses the comlink to contact her father, "Buir, are you ready to jump?"

"Yes ad'ika. Engage the hyperdrive, now!" Her father's voice boomed into the microphone.

Punching the red button on her starfighter, the familiar blue streaks of hyperspace immediately flashes past her cockpit window. She takes a deep breath. She made it! But that seemed too easy...

Switching on the comlink once again, she speaks for anyone who may be listening.

"Clan Eldar, report."

Silence.

"Buir, Dreth, Mia, anyone?" She speaks through the comlink.

More silence. The Force cried out, louder this time. This was the second event in her life where the Empire destroyed her home and slaughtered her family.

She is alone again.

***

Planet Dantooine
Present Day

"R6, stay by the ship," Kia tells her astromech droid as she exits her X-wing. As the little droid beeps in response, Kia begins her journey through the tall grass.

Since she's the last surviving member of her clan, it's been a very, very long time since she's last been to the covert. The planet was always so peaceful with its lush plains and a majestic mountain range in the distance. It always felt like a fantasy. It was never too hot or too humid, especially during this time of the year. It's now a comfortable 73 degrees with a slight breeze rustling through the golden pastures, as birds and insects are heard chirping nearby.

Normally, strolling through the meadows would make her feel relaxed. In the past she always had enjoyed experiencing the planet's beauty. Yet today it's a gloomy feeling. Up ahead she sees her old, abandoned settlement with several rundown houses with broken windows. Weeds, grass, and shrubbery have grown taller than the surrounding stone structures. Prior to the purge, her clan had relocated here once the Empire took control of Mandalore.

She stops dead in her tracks and takes a deep breath. This was once her home. It was once packed with her Mandalorian clan, mostly adults who were older than her. At the time she was the youngest, and there weren't many young children while she was growing up. Mia was the second youngest, but she was six years older than she was. Kia made her way into the base, the wilderness and the thick vegetation took back the stone buildings.

Immediately following the purge on Mandalore, Kia remained here at the base for weeks. Waiting and hoping that some members of her clan might have survived. After a month of living alone on the settlement, she realized she was the only one left. She knew her father had sacrificed himself to make sure she lived. She cried for weeks. A feeling of revenge filled her senses with rage and hatred of the Empire, but she knew it was not going to fulfill her loneliness. She knew it would only make things worse. Her father was gone. Her clan was dead. No amount of anger would change that.

After hearing a transmission asking for volunteer pilots for the rebel fleet, Kia wasted no time to sign up immediately and without hesitation. After deciding to leave behind her Mandalorian starfighter, she got picked up by a Rebel officer where he took her to basic training with the Alliance. It turned out to be the best decision she ever made, until she met Leia Organa who eventually introduced her to her twin brother.

***

Kia continues walking through her old covert, more overgrown plants and tall grass had covered most of the remaining structures. Her clan had rushed out in a hurry to join Bo-Katan Kryze and her resistance against the Empire. This left the settlement in disrepair and abandoned ever since.

Behind a row of houses meant for private residents, it is here where the armory and blacksmith forge were located. She's hoping everything is still operational. Her father had taught her how to make weapons and armor, a skill passed down by his parent. Kia was hoping to one day teach this to foundlings, but it seems she may not get the chance to.

Once inside the armory, nothing was left except the large circular force in the center. It was covered in dirt and debris, but otherwise still intact. Kia cleans off the dust and turns on the generators, which also switches on the communications system. There was a moment where she was hoping to get a signal from a long lost clan member. But after several minutes of hearing static, she turned off the radio and began working to cleanup her old home.

After several minutes, Kia exits the armory and heads up the path north to see if her old ship was still there. To her surprise, it was right where she left it. Covered in dirt, her old Kom'rk-class starfighter rested underneath a hanger behind the center of the base, where the mechanic's shop used to be. It almost felt therapeutic to see her old ship again.

There was nothing left, at least nothing salvageable. Most of the provisions, weapons and armor were taken away by the clan for the war efforts. Still, this would be a good secret base of operations for the Manda'lore and his foundling, if he chooses. But there's a lot of work to be done here.