#the blossom of arkanon

[mybworlds]

Chapter 3

Pairing: Din Djarin x F!Reader (no use of Y/N) Summary: This story sets 15 yrs before The Mandalorian events, Din Djarin is hired by Rebel Alliance forces to protect and escort you, the princess of a dead planet, to your new home. Series warnings: use of you, violence, science fantasy elements, slow burn, angst, fluff, mutual pining, eventual smut (18+ MDNI), trauma. Masterlist

Thanks @idontgetanysleep and @saradika-graphics the dividers. Thanks @vase-of-lilies for the banner.

Taglist: @thegreenkid2, @harriedandharassed if someone else wants to be added let me know.

When you wake up, you discover the doors of your small quarter open and the Mandalorian there intent on staring at you, you wince in fright and at that intrusive gesture, no one had ever allowed himself to stand there and watch you sleep.

“What are you doing?” you ask him as you sit up and look around.

“We arrived at our first destination,” he replies simply as if you are aware of what destination he is talking about or can read his mind.

You let your gaze wander from him to your robot friend not so far from the two of you, “Are you going to tell me more or am I supposed to guess?” you ask him raising an eyebrow.

“All I know is that I have to bring you to a safe place, give you up to someone named Fulcrum and that's it, that's all I know. I don't want to know why, what's so special about you, who's after you and why, I just have to bring you there.” he answers you almost annoyed.

You look him in his eyes or, rather, where you think his eyes are “I'm not asking you to understand, but at least be a little less harsh on me, please.” you find yourself lowering your gaze and remaining silent for a few moments “I don't know if you can understand what I say, but I'm scared, I lost everything. I have nothing left. What I have is the hope of being able to start over somewhere with someone I trust, the hope of being able to fight for something, to believe in something.” you look up at him again "I know I am nothing to you but a useless burden, but you know I have feelings too." you swallow as you look up into his face and bring your knees closer to your chest.

You hear him sigh, “I don't--” he is about to say something, but then he reconsiders, “Hold your breath, in a little while we land and the first impact with this atmosphere can be very uncomfortable.” said that, he walks away going over NK - 841 and disappearing into the narrow corridor.

“NK - 841,” you call to the robot who immediately approaches, “I feel so lonely,”

“You are not alone Princess,” he replies with a metallic voice.

“I do not know what to expect, I do not know what the Mandalorian's intentions are, whether he is willing to sell me to the highest bidder,” you reply with a sigh.

“Princess, the Mandalorian is bound by an oath sacred to him, the agreement made with the man of Arkanon will not be violated.” he replies again with a metallic voice.

You swallow, “I don't know what to believe in,” you sigh, “I'm afraid, so afraid.” you confess, as you are finishing the sentence the ship is shaken by what you imagine is the atmosphere of the Planet the Mandalorian told you about. You do as he told you, hold your breath and hide your head between your legs, the jolting gets louder and louder and your ears begin to hurt, your head gets heavy, as the ship returns to its normal set-up, you find yourself screaming, not even realizing it.

You get out of breath, you gasp. You feel like that room is closing in around you, on you, you feel like you are being crushed, you look at the ceiling trying to regularize your breathing uselessly, “H - h - he - help - help…” you want to say, but only a hoarse whisper comes out from your mouth, you are afraid. You think about your mother and her hugs, about a day when there was stardust in the sky marking the transition from cooler weather to warmer weather, about your father and how he used to make you practice sword dancing, about how uncoordinated you were at first and how funny some of your steps were, about your brothers and how they used to teach you how to read the Arkanian, how they used to tease you when you mispronounced a few words. You feel like you can hear their laughter, their words everything is confused in your mind… when you regain consciousness you're in a significantly larger room, there's light, you're no longer on the Mandalorian spaceship.

You sit down in the middle of the bed, for a moment you feel like you are in your room on Arkanon, for a moment you think that the destruction of your Planet, the death of your family and your civilization, the encounter with that strange guy were a long bad dream, but then you reconnect with reality and focus on the milky walls of the room, on a monitor on the wall, on strange lights flashing on that monitor. You get up, but your head still hurts, you approach that strange monitor when the door of the room opens and you see a young woman with long purple hair and a big smile on her face.

“Good morning, young Princess.” she greets you, you are about to ask her who she is and how she knows you, but she gets ahead of you “I am Elizia, first citizen and chief authority on Planet Ellna,” she observes you “How you feel?”

“Fine, I'm … just a little confused,” you reply, touching your head.

“That's fine,” she says approaching you “let me help you,” she continues, her tone of voice is strange, you wrinkle your forehead “come, follow me. You must be hungry.” she says turning her back to you and inviting you to leave the room.

“Yes,” you say following her, the hallway has similarly white walls, there are windows showing the outside only there. You stop to observe strange creatures running in the trees around you, some eating what looks like fruit, others fighting. You look ahead, Elizia is waiting for you “Those are sacred creatures to us,” she explains “they have been here for more than three thousand years and will continue to be here, they are essential to our survival.”

“Forgive me, but where is my--” yours? “traveling companion?”

“The Mandalorian is resting.” she replies in a quiet tone “Come, let me show you the wonders of our world while we go to breakfast.”

You continue down a corridor surrounded by many stained glass windows, birdsongs can be heard in the distance, and you almost feel like you are back at home in the evenings of the rising sun when stardust made the sky and the clothes of you Arkanians glow, you smile. It seems like something happened more than a thousand moons ago.

The two of you meet other women and men of Ellna, they almost curtsy when they meet Elizia, they all wear long ivory tunics and their white hair - unlike Elizia's - probably the purple hair of the woman next to you indicates her social status.

“All of this will seem very strange to you, maybe my hair, our clothes, even the landscape,” she says again as if sensing your thoughts “this way,” she says pointing to a door that as you approach it immediately opens revealing itself to be an open place overlooking an immense expanse of flowers, streams, it's a breathtaking sight, “Have a seat,” she says, when you turn to her, you find her next to a finely set table, there's lots of good food “help yourself.” she adds as she sits down.

“Thank you.” you say sitting down as well and starting to eat everything in your reach, you realize you are very hungry, you eat a lot, maybe even more than you need and when you look up you meet the woman's amused one “I was hungry.” you justify yourself.

“Don't worry, my young Arkanian. There is no hurry, you can sit here at the table as long as you wish.”

You swallow wiping your lips, “What is this place? I mean, why are you so nice to me?”

“This is a place of great rigor and discipline,” she begins, “We have known your civilization from what you call moons, we have been fascinated by your science, your culture have always been something we have aspired to,” you wrinkle your brow, “we want you to stay here and share with us the secrets of your people.” she adds.

You get up from the table, “Where is my traveling companion?” you ask, making the chair behind you squeak.

She also gets up, “I told you, he rests. You want to see him?” you nod, now understanding her fake kindness, that fake smile. You need to find him now and get away as fast as you can.

You enter the hallway again, this time your step is hurried, your breath short. “He's fine, don't worry,” she says again, but her voice is strange, it's like … distant, ringing in your ears like a distant echo. You walk several yards, then the woman enters a code, and when the doors open, you see a dark place, there are stairs. You hold your breath as you look toward the woman fearfully, “Come.”

You start to go down the stairs, as she passes that place seems to light up, it's frighteningly unbelievable how much you see: she's taking you to what reminds you of prisons. It's so cold down there, it's so … you arrive in front of a jail, yes it's a jail, even though it's dark you recognize the metal bars and then inside there is a machine that makes an annoying metallic noise, you look toward the woman who is watching you.

“That's our mind-absorber.” you swallow intuiting its use “It's a very useful piece of machinery especially when we have uncooperative prisoners, like your friend.” you go back to observe the interior, there's someone, but... “we discovered with this ingenious device that Mandalorians can never take off their helmets since they are bound by their sacred oath except for a few special places or for serious reasons,” you look up at her for a moment then look inward and only then, squinting, you see him lying supine completely helpless. You swallow, your heart pounding.

“What did you do to him? You told me…”

“He's resting,” she interrupts you, “of course not a voluntary sleep, but a necessary one. This place,“ she says pointing to the place - or who knows maybe she's referring to the Planet- ”is absorbing a fantastic millennia-old culture, combined then with yours will help to rise the fortunes of our dying Planet again.” you shake your head shocked and resting your hands against the bars, you shake them "Don't do that, you just make it worse."

“Mandalorian, Mandalorian, Mandalorian, wake up!” you exclaim vigorously you slamming your hands against the bars, you slam those doors so violently that you open 'em. You run close to the man still wearing his helmet, you shake him a couple of times and at that moment that eerie device begins to emit deafening and ever-closer sounds, you see so many pulses recorded on the monitor and it worries you.

“Your friend has a great brain, he has great rigor, he's going to be very disappointed when…” you rip all the wires that kept the Mandalorian connected to the machine, those sounds become whistles “NO, NO, STOP! THAT WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING!” you hear her shout behind you as she runs by the mind-absorber whose screen begins to flicker and flash red with the words ‘EMERGENCY CIRCUITS NOT CONNECTED IMMEDIATELY REPLACE THE CONNECTIONS,’ you shake the Mandalorian again as Ellna tries to grab you and block you.

You turn toward her and something incredible happens, you push her away from you, but it is as if that push you gave her was of extraordinary strength because the woman disappears into the darkness with a scream followed by a distant metallic noise. You open wide your eyes in amazement and observe your hands, they are still the same, no peculiarities, nothing that could justify what has just happened before your eyes. You remain interdicted for a moment longer and then turn back to your traveling companion, you shake him again and again and only then the Mandalorian begins to move, he is waking up, you smile fleetingly at him taking one of his glove-covered hands “We have to go, Mandalorian. You have to get up.”

He nods and struggles to get up, you help him to his feet, make him put on the things he had with him, and then help him to his feet, his step is unsteady as you walk up the stairs and back upstairs.

Above your heads echoes an alarm and a red flashing light, “Mandalorian, we must leave.” you whisper to him “Does this Planet have breathable air?” he nods, you hear him breathing heavily “Don't worry, I'm here, I'll help you. “ you tell him as you trudge down the corridor you had previously walked with Ellna, you reach the terrace on which she had earlier made you eat and from there in theory you could have descended, but in practice it is impossible as you cannot jump or climb since it is a suspended place over an overhang.

“What do we do now?” you ask him, but it's as if you're talking to yourself because you really have no idea how to get out of it, you let your gaze wanders left and right in case something had escaped you, but there's no way out. Meanwhile, not too far away from you, you hear voices, you look at your traveling companion with a frightened look, he still looks dazed, the voices are getting louder and louder they are getting closer, you back up until you end up against him, you look up at him, you know he is looking at you, you feel it.

“Here they are!” someone exclaims, opening the door that separated the two of you from the inhabitants of that Planet, only at that moment when ten men appear before your eyes pulling at you what look like weapons, you feel one of the Mandalorian's arms wrap around you completely and make you reverse your position with his, sparks of red and purple light shatter against his armor as you cling to him as much as you can closing your eyes “Hold on.“ you hear him say, you barely make it in time to cling to his armor that you leave that terrace, you feel like a strong suck in your stomach, the cold air almost scratches your face making your hair move uncomfortably, "Don't be afraid," he adds barely holding you to him, it's a gentle grip, you want to say thank you, look at him, but you can't, "You're safe, we're safe now." he tells you again.

You don't know how long you've been flying or what you've been flying on, when you finally touch the ground, your knees give out and before you know you are throwing up, the Mandalorian will probably tease you until he takes you to your next destination, but you don't care at the moment. When you open your eyes, the Mandalorian is kneeling beside you “How you feel?” he simply asks, you look at him in amazement “Good.” you say nodding your head.

“Can you walk?” he asks standing up and holding out his hand to you, you grasp it as you stand up, but you almost stagger against him “No, I would say no.” he replies for you “Okay, never mind,” he adds taking you in his arms, you barely open your lips wide in amazement, but you do not protest rather place one hand against his chest covered by his armor and the other on your lap.

You arrive after a few moments in what has all the appearance of being a forest, there are many trees and lush vegetation populated by many small strange creatures, from there you hear and feel that it is raining, you lay down at the foot of a large tree and then he fiddles with the leaves, “Are you thirsty?” he asks you.

“Yes.” you nod, looking at him in curiosity, “What are you doing?”

“Don't worry,” he reassures you as you see him create a sort of waterfall with the leaves “you can drink.” his voice is gentle and you trust him, for the first time you trust someone who is not an Arkanian. You drink, let out a small moan of pleasure and smile closing your eyes, you think back to the last time you drank your Planet's so pure water and how you didn't appreciate what you had then, today you only have a memory of it, the smile fades and you open your eyes wistfully again.

“What's the matter?” he asks you noticing your different expression from the one of a few moments before and leaving that ingenious little system prepared for you.

“You know, I was remember about my Planet, my home, and I was thinking back to my family,” you shake your head “I don't know if you can understand,” you bite your bottom lip clutching your knees to your chest “I miss everything I had.” you look at him “Don't get me wrong, you're a good company, but uhm, I mean…” he sits under another tree in front of you and looks at you, you know he's looking at you, you don't see his eyes, but you feel his gaze ‘can I ask you something?’ he nods ”is it true what that woman said? Don't you take off your helmet because of an oath? Or did she lie?”

“It's true. I mean, our people are divided into various clans, we are different from each other.” he explains ‘I'm part of The Tribe clan, we can't take off the helmet, it's our law.’

“And how do you eat?” you ask him curiously.

“That's when I can take it off, but I do it when I'm alone, completely alone,” he replies, emphasizing the last words.

“And how do you know you're really alone? I mean, someone could hide you and see you,” you say looking toward him tilting your head to the side.

“That's why the helmet is also useful, it reveals the presence of others whether they are animals or people.” you nod “Can I ask you something?” it's your turn to nod “Why are you so special? Why did that man tell me to protect you at all costs?”

So, Nanuk said that to the Mandalorian.

Oh, Nanuk!

“I don't know, I'm just an Arkanian, I'm … I was a princess, I had everything, but now I have nothing, so to answer your question, I don't know what's special about me.” you tighten your lips “I just found out a little while ago that I'm … strong, very strong.”

“In what way?” he asks, moving your torso forward.

“When you were unconscious and connected to that machine before, that woman tried to stop me, she wanted you to stay connected to that thing, while I was disconnecting everything instead, she tried to block me as much as she could, but I pushed her away and I thought I was just going to make her back off and instead, um, she… she just kind of flew away, I don't know, I didn't know I was that strong.” you tell him, looking at him ‘Am I weird in your opinion?’ you ask him.

“You are the first Arkanian I've met, I don't know your people despite having traveled far and wide. I don't know, maybe you have a power unknown to you that manifests only on particular occasions.” he replies uncertainly ‘Maybe in dangerous situations.’ he adds.

“Yes…maybe.” you assert scratching your forehead “Your spaceship do you know where it is?” you ask him, you see him fiddling with his armor that makes a series of sounds, you see him stand up and look first to the right and then to the left, he takes a few steps away from you and you follow him with your gaze.

“It's to the west, we could reach it in a short time, but we'd better wait for night. I'm afraid those people are looking for us.” he tells you, you look at him alarmed standing up immediately leaning against the trunk of that tree.

“But we're safe here, aren't we?”

“For now.” he answers you “Wait here.” he adds and then walks away without another word. The Mandalorian said nothing to you so as not to frighten or agitate you, but they are very close, they are looking for you, he sees them, they are on a hill almost in the vicinity of the clearing. He will keep them busy, you must stay hidden and safe, that is his priority, that is his mission.

[mybworlds]

Chapter 2

Pairing: Din Djarin x F!Reader (no use of Y/N) Summary: This story sets 15 yrs before The Mandalorian events, Din Djarin is hired by Rebel Alliance forces to protect and escort you, the princess of a dead planet, to your new home. Series warnings: use of you, violence, science fantasy elements, slow burn, angst, fluff, mutual pining, eventual smut (18+ MDNI), trauma. Masterlist Thanks @idontgetanysleep and @saradika-graphics the dividersThanks @vase-of-lilies for the banner

You look at it. Yes, it's that thing. The android that Nanuk turned to. He probably wanted to ask for help to guide you to a safe place, he definitely wanted to save himself too, that must have been the reason why Nanuk turned to him and what it did? It disappeared only to magically return in midair, pull you up with NK - 841 and walk away from there abandoning the man with whom it made the arrangements.

You lost again, first your family, your friends, your civilization, all the Arkanon, you have nowhere to go, nowhere to return to, nowhere to belong, you have nothing, and now you lost Nanuk too. Anger mounts so strong inside you, you've never been angry, your mother told you that such emotions were not reserved for princesses, but right now you really believe that any princess would be angry at the creature in front of her and in fact you hurl yourself at it, you beat hard against its armor hoping not even you in what, of hurting it certainly not since that armor was hurting you, of impressing it you don't really believe or anyway you can't know since you don't see its face, in short your anger mounts even more when you notice it doesn't stop you and doesn't do anything to calm you down, it doesn't hug you or have words of comfort towards you like Nanuk did.

"What's that thing doing up here?" the creature suddenly asks, turning its gaze toward your only friend.

"It's NK - 841." you answer it in an obvious tone.

"We'll land it at the next Planet," it objects making to turn away, but you are lightning fast this time and even in front of it, you still have that anger inside and are willing to beat it up again if need be.

"It doesn't want to hurt you." you try to calm it down, maybe it's afraid it might attack you, maybe it never saw one and is afraid "It's my friend."

"Droids are not friends, they are serious threats to all of us." it retorts again making to get past you, but you move out of the way to prevent it.

"Look, I -- I don't know what droids you've met, but this is NK - 841."

"It's a droid," it retorts.

"It's NK - 841." you retort as well, not about to give up.

It snorts, "It's a droid."

"It's my friend, and friends never leave each other behind," you reply again, it puts its hands on its hips, but it doesn't look in your direction, you hear it breathing heavily and then pass you without adding anything else.

You are glad that you can have NK - 841 with you, with it you have in a way the feeling that you still have Nanuk and a little of your Planet with you, you look at it smiling as it makes beep beeps sounds that make you smile even more then you turn your attention toward the spaceship corridor so much smaller than the Arkanian spaceship you left there in Coruscant and toward the android that is probably on its way to the cockpit. You don't know exactly what to do, but one thing is certain you want to make yourself useful. You are a Princess it's true, but you can certainly learn to survive in space with a robot and an android of very few words.

You follow it and when the creature is entering commands, it must realize you are behind it because it turns to you without a word, you open your mouth, but then close it again, not knowing what to say.

"Where are you going?" you ask it, realizing you asked a silly question.

"Cockpit where no Princess is allowed," it replies turning its back to you.

You open your mouth with a shocked expression, "What? What? How dare you? Now they do this to you on other Planets? You dare to disrespect even?" you can't believe that an android, an artificial being created for so many purposes, can now use even offensive language toward you.

"I don't know what you're talking about." it retorts by entering numbers on a display that causes a hatch to open beyond which it enters and which, after passing through, closes immediately afterward.

"A speech doesn't end just like that, do you hear me?" you yell banging on the hatch "Stupid machines!" you add in a whisper.

"I heard you," you hear it retort.

"Good and I hope they remind you who your masters are and that you can't talk like that just because you are a machine!" you exclaim turning toward the hatch. This time no retort comes "Hey, can you hear me?" you yell.

"I hear you, what do you want?"

"Respect," you reply annoyed by its attitude.

"If that man told me about the bad character of the cargo I would have to carry, I would never agreed."

"And I…? What, cargo?" you go back to banging against the hatch again "I am a person and not a thing you pick up and carry like this from one place to another, do you hear me?" you add, continuing to bang.

"Loud and clear." it replies "Unfortunately." it adds in an exhausted tone.

"Rude." you reply, crossing your arms in offense.

"I'll get over it." you hear it retort in a casual tone.

Oh, Nanuk, but couldn't you find someone else to take me-- wherever this creature has to take me? Why did you turn to him specifically?

"Where are we going?" you ask it.

"Toward our first destination. It's not very far, but I suggest you sit down somewhere if you don't want to throw up on that nice little dress you're wearing." it replies.

You look down at your Arkanian dress crafted from the finest fabrics in hyperspace, shake your head and walk away from the hatch and back down the corridor going to the opposite side, there's a small door that on your approach opens, it's a one-seater bed. Oh, it's gonna be fine! You're beat, you really need to….

"That's my room," the android calls back to you, making you jerk and turn toward it.

"But you don't sleep! What nonsense are you talking?" you are puzzled, but what kind of android are you talking to?

"Little Princess, the rules here are very simple. My ship, my rules. This is my room." it retorts.

"And where do I sleep?" you ask in amazement.

"On the ground you are going to sleep well." it retorts, "And if you've never tried it, do it now."

"You androids sleep on a bed and Princesses on the floor, the world is really going upside down!" you exclaim incredulously.

"Android? I am not an android." it clarifies.

You look at it, speechless for a moment. You assumed it was since it always wears this armor from which only its hands peek out, you thought the armor was metal pieces that made it up, and instead…

"And so, w - what are you?" you ask it looking toward the helmet.

"I'm a Mandalorian." he replies, you furrow your brow "Ever heard of the Planet Mandalore?" he asks you, you remain open-mouthed, you've never heard of it, you shake your head "Ours is a Planet located in the Outer Rim Territories." he explains.

"Are you a servant of Planet Arkanon?" you ask him puzzled.

"Servant?" he repeats in a cavernous, puzzled, almost contrite voice "No." he replies in an annoyed tone "We are no one's servant." he adds in the same tone.

"I'm just trying to understand." you reiterate in an offended tone.

"Of course, Prissy." he retorts your royal title in a piqued tone.

You roll your eyes, "I'm sorry if I've offended you, I just want to understand who I'm left with." you see him lower his gaze for a moment and then add, "Are you wearing the helmet because you're having trouble with the atmosphere?"

"No." he replies.

"So why don't you take it off?" you ask him without stopping looking at him.

"I can't." he replies again "If you want to get some sleep, you can lean there." he adds pointing to his room, which, however, is no longer the focus of your thoughts, but him - the Mandalorian.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" you ask him gently squeezing your hands.

He looks at you, or you imagine he's looking at you, without saying anything and therefore you interpret this as permission to speak.

"Are you and I similar? I mean, are you a human or otherwise similar to humans?" you ask him looking at where you imagine his eyes are.

"Something like that." he replies "Rest, or I won't get my reward." he adds turning his back to you and making to walk away.

"How did you know Nanuk?" you ask him making to follow him.

He stops with a sigh, "I didn't know him, actually. And now get some sleep." he replies, taking a step to walk away.

"But then why did he turn to you?" you insist "I felt like you knew each other."

You hear him sigh heavily "If I had known the cargo was talking so much, I wouldn't have agreed." he replies.

"Again with that word? I'm a person, Mandalorian. Okay, here's what we're gonna do, I don't disrespect you and you don't disrespect me, deal?" you propose, offering him your hand.

He looks at your hand, "Yeah, okay." he replies then turns his back on you and this time you let him go.

You head for the Mandalorian's room, the crib is small, but suddenly it looks very comfortable, or maybe it's the tiredness, too many emotions, the fact is that as soon as you lie down, you fall deeply asleep.

[mybworlds]

My Main Masterlist

SANSA STARK

The princess in the North and the Hound

JOEL MILLER

The Last of Us: Stay with me

Bittersweet

Sex with a stranger, one shot - part 2

The Ones We Love

Needs and wants

JAVIER PEÑA

Our dirty little secret

DIN DJARIN

The Blossom of Arkanon

OBERYN MARTELL

The Mermaid of the Narrow Sea

TIM ROCKFORD

His pupil

DAVE YORK

You are an obsesión, one-shot

PERO TOVAR

The Outlaws (TBA)

Safe and warm (TBA)

[mybworlds]

Chapter 1

Pairing: Din Djarin x F!Reader (no use of Y/N)

Summary: This story sets 15 yrs before The Mandalorian events, Din Djarin is hired by Rebel Alliance forces to protect and escort you, the princess of a dead planet, to your new home.

Series warnings: use of you, violence, science fantasy elements, slow burn, angst, fluff, mutual pining, eventual smut (18+ MDNI), trauma.

Masterlist

Before to start: here we are with the first chapter of The Blossom of Arkanon story. I won't give many details of the various characters or places, so you could imagine 'em as you want. I don’t know how many chapters the story will have. English is not my first language, so be patient and merciful.

Thank you for following me in my various stories.

Thanks @idontgetanysleep for the divider

Thanks @vase-of-lilies for the banner

Writing about that episode doesn't help you, in fact it only makes you go through a trauma that will probably never pass, you will never heal, you can live with, but never feel better. It'd be like saying that the loss of your whole family, your friends, your Planet is nothing and that's not possible, it's unacceptable.

"NK - 841," you call it.

You close the book Nanuk gave you to write down your thoughts and memories and put it back in the shelf above your bed, get up and look out the porthole: deep space surrounds you, the stars are all around you. You wonder where you are going, you get up and walk to the cockpit where the other member of your meager crew, the robot NK - 841, is in the pilot's seat and is leading you in an unknown direction to you.

"Yes, Princess?" he says in a metallic voice.

"To a safe place." it only tells you, he doesn't add anything else.

"Where are we going?"

You feel bewildered, uneasy, you go back to Nanuk who is consulting the star maps, he has a beleaguered, almost tense expression, "Nanuk?" you call him "Trouble?"

"No, you're there too!" you point out.

He looks up from the star map on the screen "Princess." he greets you "I wish I could say no, but I might as well just be honest." you nod "You're the only Arkanian still alive." he begins.

You lower your gaze.

He smiles sarcastically "I meant the last of the pure and noble blood of Arkanian civilization."

"What do you know about the New Republic?" he asks, turning fully toward you.

You're confused, you've never heard of this, Nanuk continues, "What about the Galactic Empire?" your expression becomes more and more confused and screwy, you don't know what to answer. You have always been raised as a princess, in the comforts, surrounded by your greatest affections, the pampering of your mother's various handmaids who watched you grow up, you know nothing about politics.

"It's okay, princess." the man continues "Sit next to me." he tells you by making a seat appear next to his on which you sit "Many galactic years ago, the Galactic Empire, an ancient military and political power best known for its dictatorship, sowed death and destruction in every corner of space, to stop their vicious rule, a resistance known as the Rebel Alliance was formed to militarily oppose the Empire and to preserve the ideals of the Galactic Republic. " he explains to you "After the Battle of Endor, the New Republic was formed whose capital is never on the same Planet."

"And why?" you ask puzzled.

"Well, they wanted to prevent one Planet from feeling more powerful than the other," he replies.

"And so... I don't understand what this has to do with me, the Republic, the Empire...I'm a little confused." you admit, clutching the armrests of the chair.

"Relax, child." he says smiling at you "Your father recently left the Planet, you know that, right?" you nod "Do you know why?"

"I heard him telling my mother to trade part of our gems for metals and whatnot," you reply.

"And who was that?" you ask him.

Nanuk smiles, "That's not quite right. I was there and yes there was this barter, but your father met with some of the Rebel Alliance military command, including the head of covert operations."

"Well, I don't know, I know he goes by the name Fulcrum, but that's all I know," he tells you in a sigh "Anyway, your father joined the Alliance and-"

"I don't understand." you interrupt him "We are a peaceful Planet, we didn't need alliances or covert operations." you say starting to gesture.

"The covert operation is called the Arkanan Blossom." he says looking you straight in the eyes making your heart flutter "And that operation involves the arrival of the Blossom on Planet Ajan Kloss where the planet's representative in the Imperial Senate and Superior is located. That's all I know."

"And we are going there?" you ask him feeling very nervous.

"I can't do it alone. I need someone who knows the Galaxy, who knows how to protect you, and I-"

"But you saved me! Who better than you...!" you're about to say.

He smiles, "I have no weapons. This ship has no weapons on board, it's a ship made for the purpose of protecting you Princess, but nothing else." he explains.

"So where are we going? And who are we going to ask for help?"

"We're going to Coruscant and there we're going to ask for a person." he answers you vaguely, going back to looking at the star map on the screen.

Your traveling companion - NK - 841 - keeps you a lot of company at the end it has become almost a friend, or a sort of. Nanuk and the robot are the only ones you trust. Without them you wouldn't know what to do or where to go.

You have never made interplanetary travel, you are not used to it and in fact you are sick. You are constantly throwing up. According to Nanuk it also depends on the change in gravitational pressure from one Planet to another. You travel for what it feels like months, years. Actually yours is an eight-week journey. During these weeks you search the computers for everything you can find about the New Republic, the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. Your head is bursting. This is another effect of the different gravitational pressure according to the man but, you think, depends on the considerable amount of information you're trying to make your own in a short time.

You wouldn’t trust anyone else.

"Are you sure it's the right place?" you ask him hesitantly.

Coruscant is a very different planet from yours. In fact, when the spacecraft lands, an immense city presents itself to your eyes, which has been building and renewing itself for thousands and thousands of years, according to Nanuk. There is no green area, there are no animals or plants. You look towards Nanuk looking for security in his eyes, it arrives immediately thanks to his reassuring look and his warm smile, then you hear him ask permission to land, permission which is immediately agreed upon. The runway almost seems to collapse on your approach and the spacecraft appears to be almost sucked into a dark gorge. You find yourself nervously shaking Nanuk's hand looking at you tenderly, "It's okay, Princess." he repeats to you over and over until you relax next to him.

Before opening, the man checks that the air is breathable for you too and after having ascertained this, he opens the hatch and, as soon as you set foot on the platform, three spaceships suspended in mid-air immediately surround you from which sapphire-blue beings emerge asking you what business brings you there. Nanuk speaks, while two of these strange creatures watch you and your companion. When the creatures calm down about your presence, they move away from you by boarding the ships and disappear at the speed of light.

"Yes. He's always around here. We are looking for a place where travelers can drink or eat after long journeys, someone will have seen it or maybe he will be the one to show up." he replies encouragingly.

"Can NK – 841 also come with us?" you ask him by turning slightly and noticing that the robot had followed you some distance away.

Nanuk turns, "All right, come NK – 841." then the robot reaches you and immediately stands by your side, you smile even if you know it can't smile back or rejoice.

All three of you climb onto a huge disk surrounded by sheets of ice which then, once inside, close and then climb. You observe in amazement the many buildings that present themselves to your eyes, the multitude of creatures that live and work around you. It's a completely different world than yours.

Once you arrive, the ice sheets open, allowing you to enter an immense corridor with blue and white colours, on the sides there are dozens of doors from which as many dozens of strange-looking and colored creatures enter and exit. All this makes you press against Nanuk almost scared.

"It's okay, child. Nobody wants to hurt you, they're all engaged in trade, see?" the man tells you by pointing to the various funny characters from one side of the corridor to the other, exchanging small or large wooden, metal and other objects crates.

Finally, you arrive in a room with a vaulted ceiling made up of many topaz-colored glass that makes the place of yellow and ocher colors shine. Inside there are some diners, none have a vaguely human appearance. There's only one that reminds you of a human being, or almost. Or maybe you're wrong, I mean, you can't see his face, he's from behind, what's clear is that he's wearing a helmet and a cloak.

"Wait here, sit down." Nanuk tells you "NK – 841 stay with her." he adds and then walks away towards the creature, who knows maybe it's a droid!

You sit and watch the man talk to the thing, you can't hear what they say to each other. You just look worriedly at your robot friend "I hope everything is fine." you whisper, the robot turns towards you, but the only answer it gives you are beep beep sounds and you smile if you think the only company is this robot, Nanuk and probably another robot that now is watching you, it has already done it at least three times and it's making you nervous. Is this a good sign? Why did Nanuk say we need him? For weapons? Do you have one?

You find yourself swallowing.

The android turns back to Nanuk who is talking, you see him. You have no idea what they are saying to each other, could it be that this android is also a trader? If so, what kind of negotiation does Nanuk want to do? Nanuk hasn't told you exactly why you need him, but you are getting impatient and are about to walk toward them, when it's Nanuk who walks back toward you and the android turns his back on you again.

"What's going on?" you ask him worriedly making your gaze linger on the mysterious being.

"It's all right, we'll go with him," he replies.

"Um, wait what about our spacecraft? Why? Who is it?" you are increasingly confused.

"Princess, our spacecraft can't travel for much longer in hyperspace, but his" alludes to the android's spaceship "can," he answers your first question.

"And why should it help us? Who is it to us? Is it one of our allies -- someone who owes a debt to my father…?" you ask still puzzled.

"He…" he's about to answer you, but suddenly a commotion is heard that makes all the diners raise their heads, dust begins to fall from the ceiling "They're already here," Nanuk says "quick," he adds grabbing your hand abruptly and pulling you away.

The diners escape by disappearing behind various doors, you two - followed by your robot friend - enter the same door you entered through, you and Nanuk run, but you don't head for your spacecraft but, once you enter the corridor, you take the first door to the left, you find yourself on an airstrip/takeoff, you seek Nanuk's gaze, who instead pulls out what looks like a weapon "What's that?" you ask frightened "But who are we running from? What's going on, Nanuk?"

Suddenly strange white-armored creatures start firing at you, "Run!" shouts Nanuk as he resumes running and from time to time turns to fire toward those mysterious beings, "Don't stop, run!" he exclaims as he stops.

"NANUK!" you call to him, "What are you doing?"

"Princess, it has been an honor to serve you and your family," he says looking fleetingly into your eyes "I saw you being born and would have liked to have seen you arrive at your destination, NK - 841 from now on you answer only to her." you look at him frightened "Now run, I will hold them off as long as I can. The spaceship is up ahead. Go,"

"But--" you are about to say.

"Go!" he shouts and then turns to face those creatures that are incessantly firing at you, you see nothing else because you turn your head and run, you see green laser beams hitting the earth a short distance from you, dust rising, you run, but you don't know where since you see nothing. The spaceship Nanuk was talking about is not there.

"It won't stop," replies a cavernous voice.

You are almost at the end of your strength when a spaceship appears from above, you stop, breathless. The spaceship with a puff opens the hatch to allow you to enter which you immediately do. You don't know if it's the right one, you don't know if you've done it right, but you get in, indeed both you and NK - 841 get in. When you are inside, the hatch closes and the spaceship leaves, you watch the earth move farther and farther away from you, you see Nanuk over there.

You see him fighting again and again, he's always been a fighter, but now he's alone. Alone against dozens of those white beings, you lean your hands on the porthole and watch, that's all you can do. You almost scream when you see one of those laser beams pierce him, "No, no, no, NANUK!" you scream clapping your hands against the porthole, "How do you stop this thing?" you almost scream looking around and looking for levers or switches, but there is nothing.

When you turn around, you realize you are on the right spaceship with the strange thing on board.