Takes place on Dxun in KotOR II when the Mandalorian Davrel challenges the Exile to a fight to the death.

Disclaimer: No matter how much a adore Mandalorians, or how much I claim them to be mine, they actually belong to Lucasarts. KotOR/II also belongs to Lucasarts.

To Die With Honor

Davrel looked up at the Jedi woman, and cursed her. In less than a standard day she had stripped him of his honor, wounded more than just his pride, and was moments away from taking his life.

He hated her for that.

Davrel remembered when she was first brought into camp a few days before, as welcome as a Gizka. Mandalore had let her roam the Mandalorian base and the jungle to gain enough honor to prove herself worthy enough to travel to Onderon with him.

Bralor was excited that she was there, hoping he could learn from her. Zuka absolutely adored her after she found all the pieces to the pulse converter and fixed several things for him. Kex thought she should have been shot on site, but then that was Kex. Xarga tolerated her solely for the fact that she found Kumus, who now owed her his life. Kelborn wanted to fight her in the Battle Circle. Tagren thought she was a weakling, being as nasty as he could to her when given the chance.

Generally she was treated like a child, even if she was the Jedi who nearly destroyed their people at Malachor V. That changed after she decided to fight in the battle circle.

After watching the Mandalorians fight in the Battle Circle for several days, she finally told the sergeant that she wanted to fight. Davrel was the one she was to fight first. He was confident that he would win, she looked so afraid.

He'd never been so wrong in his life. He barely had a chance to throw a punch and she had him down with the sergeant calling the victor. Davrel had never been so humiliated. He lost to a Jedi, a weakling Jedi, in front of everyone. He picked himself up and forced himself not to limp.

Kex immediately challenged her, and was defeated just as easily. It was almost like she wasn't even trying. The sergeant told her that Davrel and Kex were not true opponents and she would not be able to hold her own against Tagren. She proved him wrong.

When she fought Kelborn, she almost lost, but defeated him in the end. Everyone in the camp came to watch her challenge Bralor. He let her use her Force magic and her Lightsaber, and even though she used her Force magic sparingly, she still beat him.

Now Kex was sulking in his corner of the camp, Tagren was eating his words, and Davrel was fuming. The only ones who weren't bothered by the Jedi's championship in the Battle Circle were Bralor and Kelborn

Davrel wanted to kill her. Kill her and take back the honor that he had lost fighting her. He left the camp and waited out side with the guards, knowing she would come that way. She did after several hours.

She was surprised to see him, and more surprised to hear his challenge. She refused and told him there had to be another way. He said there wasn't. The only way for him to gain back his honor was to fight her and win, or die trying.

"I don't want to kill you." She said softly, "And I know you know there's a way around this."

Davrel seethed. Not only had she insulted him, but she tried to use her Jedi mind tricks on him. He threatened to find her someday in the future, and kill her then. The bounty hunter Mira told her to just fight him and get it over with. She agreed to fight him on his terms. He said anything was legal, and the fight was done when one of them died.

Now he was lying on the ground wondering why he had bothered to fight her. Was honor really that important? Yes, it was. He felt a surge of pride knowing that he would be honored for just challenging her. To die with honor was better than to live with none.

He looked up at the Jedi and saw her face as she paused before she struck the killing blow. Her face was blank, set like stone. She looked beautiful in a strange way, the glow of her Lightsaber brightening her face. He saw a tear spill out of her eye.

Davrel was confused. What was that tear for? Why hadn't she tried to hide it? He stared at her and forced himself not to flinch when she brought her Lightsaber down to end his wondering. Just before it hit him, Davrel realized what the tear was for.

It was for him. She was crying for him, or because she had to kill him. She felt sorrow for his loss, and would honor him with a memory.

He loved her for that.