Song: "Finn's Confession" from The Force Awakens OST

Ronderu's memories were like scrambled eggs. Her mother, spitting on her in the afterlife because of what she'd done to dishonor her....Bacta juice being pumped into her wounds....her pages screaming at each other to protect her as a sickening crash broke through....

Faceless individuals holding her limp, aching form, speaking in a language she'd never heard of before.

She drifted in and out of consciousness. Her lower stomach assaulted her with ferocious pain. Numbness pressed a cold edge against her body, and breathing burned her lungs, but she didn't care. She forced herself, every waking minute and second she had, to take in the air around her.

At last she was able to open her eyes groggily and look around the room. Sterile walls greeted her, along with a comforting warmth that she'd only felt during one of Kalee's summer rains. Her mouth was drier than sand.

A droid stood near her, tapping on its computer. Her balled fists were bound tightly to the arms of the grandiose hospital bed she'd been placed in. She whispered in scratchy Kaleesh. "Khaana? Where?"

The droid looked up from its little computer, its bright lights blinking before it spoke. "Rest. You are too weak."

Please, Ronderu begged silently. Numbness spiked up her leg. At least tell me if Qymaen made it out alive.

The droid moved over to her left arm, taking out a needle lodged into the crook of her elbow and pressing a wet cloth to the pinprick. Stinging filled the impact site, and Ronderu blinked once before closing her eyes again, allowing fatigue to envelope her body.

The droid inserted another needle into her arm. "I will call for the nurse. She will help you."

Nurse? Is that another word for a medic?

Where on Kalee am I?

The droid left the room. A homely smell drifted into Ronderu's nose, and she fell back asleep.

✺✺✺

When she woke, the droid was gone, but in its place stood a human female with mousy brown hair and dark blue eyes.

Ronderu coughed, speaking in Kaleesh. "The droid wouldn't tell me where I am."

A blank stare met her. She sighed, forcing herself to remember her Basic. "Your damn droid wouldn't tell me where I am!"

The girl nodded. "It was a wise decision, but you have enough strength to process the news. You are on Mandalore."

Mandalore. "Is that a part of the Republic?"

She nodded. "You traveled here in a ship that came from the Kalee system. Touched down at Mandalore's capital, Keldabe. Your ship....crashed at the docks." She nodded at the bandages that covered Ronderu's hands and body, all the way up to her neck.

"I must go back home," she said, struggling against her bonds. "Qymaen needs me!"

"I don't think that's possible right now," the nurse said with a sad smile. "You must get used to your new adjustments."

Ronderu tilted her head in confusion. The nurse pulled away the comforter just enough so that she could spot what had happened to her leg. From her foot to her hip, black metal snaked downward.

"When the shuttle crashed, your leg had been torn off."

Ronderu moved the ankle of the cybernetic foot, then gazed at the metallic hand that replaced what the Yam'rii stole. The bionics were ugly against her golden scales, but she was infinitely grateful to be alive. "Thank you."

The nurse smiled. "What is your name?"

Ronderu swallowed; saying her real name might get her in trouble with the Yam'rii if they knew she'd survived. So she picked the first name that came to her mind. "Ru san Jinn."

✺✺✺

The nurse, Alma, tapped some buttons on a small computer. "The droid didn't give you any trouble, did it? We had to get rid of the last one, an EV model. It had a malfunction that caused it to perform surgeries without giving anesthetics."

"The droid was fine," Ronderu mumbled, casting her eyes downward. "Did you find my mask on the ship?"

"We don't know. It detonated just after we carried you to safety."

That's just lovely, Ronderu wanted to snap. "May I wear a headscarf?"

"Perhaps once you can walk again," Alma said. "But for now, you must allow your face and head to be open so you can heal." She lowered her gaze. "There's....something else that happened. When you were brought to us, you had a wound that pierced through your uterus. We were able to save you, but it would be unwise to try to get pregnant. You run the very high risk of tearing the stitches we placed there."

Her heart rolled in broken glass. No children? But how?

It's okay. We'll have children a different way. Maybe by adopting a war orphan or eight.

She spoke to ease the uncomfortable silence, though a deadweight may as well have been placed on her chest. "As soon as I am well, I must return to Kalee. How long have I been out?"

"Two weeks, Miss Jinn," Alma said. "And you won't be going back to Kalee once you're well. Your cybernetics were extremely expensive, and you still must pay us."

Her stomach dropped. "I don't have any money. We don't use Republic credits."

"I know. That is why they have judged that you shall serve for a time on Mandalore to atone for your debt."

Ronderu breathed out. She would escape from here illegally once she was well enough to. She was no stranger to crime back home, both as a perpetrator and a victim. Who was to say she couldn't manage it now?

But would Qymaen appreciate that? The law-abiding, rule-following Qymaen? The thought of him approving her escape was hilarious. But she didn't care—he would get over it. For now, she had to play along. "How long will I serve? And whom?"

"You will be assigned to my brother, Arna Gray, once you are well. He is a Jedi that stays here for his duties."

A Jedi? Now her logical side was kicking in. She could not win against a Jedi. If he was able to detect her leaving, she would die, rather than be away from Qymaen. And her death would break him if he knew about it.

She decided that she had to stay on Mandalore. To stay and save her own life, and delay her return to Kalee.

✺✺✺

On her seventh day after waking up, Alma came into Ronderu's room. "Let's try walking down the hall together."

She removed the IVs from Ronderu's arms, rebandaged her elbow, and gently lifted her from the hospital bed. "You're so light."

"We're small. Most of us, anyway," she said, smiling at the thought of Bentilais san Sk'ar's towering form.

She leaned on her left leg, clutching Alma's arm. "Are you in pain?" the nurse asked.

Ronderu nodded dryly, and Alma set her on the bed. "Let me get you a numbing agent. I didn't think it would wear off so soon. Stay here." She ran nimbly down the hall.

After a few minutes, Alma returned, carrying a syringe. She lifted Ronderu's gown up, pressing the trigger. The liquid assuaged the pain, but at the expense of the feeling in her right hip.

She stood again, her legs wobbly, and clutched the nurse's arm. "Where are we going?"

"You'll be released into Arna's custody today. He'll take you to his residence and you can begin your servitude. He'll be annoying if we're late."

"Annoyed?"

"Annoying. Now come. We must prepare."

◈◈◈

Did you know....

● Yes, this is an AU in which Ronderu survived.

● This chapter also takes place right after Qymaen and Shia marry.

Tell me what you think....

● If you didn't already know she survives, what was your reaction?

● What would you do in Ronderu's situation, waking up in a whole new culture and world?

● If you've seen The Clone Wars before, do you prefer the new or old canon when it comes to Mandalore's look?