So hey guys, I know its been so long and I apologize. It's been one hell of a new year. On top of having writer's block I broke and then lost my flash drive with all of my writing and notes on it. So I've been struggling with how to proceed from there. I've finally decided to just keep going forward. I have a few hard copies of things and it's enough to continue on with both The Knights of Rey and The Neo Order as well as the next two novels, that I hopefully will be able to finish before the new movie. Thank you for being patient and enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the amazing characters!
Chapter 3: Time to Strike Back
After the party celebrating Rey's passage of her last trail where the Force Ghost of Luke Skywalker showed up with missions for both The Knights of Rey, and Kylo and Rey herself, Eshreal and the others began looking into everything about the Darksaber. In the middle of their research Essie came up with the idea that Rey needed to be officially knighted before they all took off to look for the Knights of Ren and she and the others went off to Mandalore. The ceremony was short and simple but when it was over the group was filled with a new sense of purpose and pride.
They were disciples of the Grey Ember Order as well as the Knights of Rey now. It felt good to know that their leaders weren't just resting on their laurels. They had started working on their own order that took the best of the Jedi, Grey Jedi, and Sith to make something even better, something that might be able to keep the darkness at bay and bring balance to the universe.
Rey and Kylo left for Hutt space the day after the knighting ceremony leaving the Knights with nothing to do until Leia gave them the okay to get going. Taliki, Eshreal and Asera began researching the three main branches of Force users. They complied lists of all the most powerful people from each faction, any teachings they felt were relevant to the cause, beliefs that led to the downfall of the Jedi and the Sith and the secrecy of the Grey Order until they had mountains of things for Rey and Kylo to consider as they decided what the Grey Ember Order was going to stand for.
In the meantime, Cade, Zer-o and Gear were coming up with a plan of attack for their mission. The Mandalorian people had given the Dark saber to a new champion after stealing it from the Jedi Temple where it had been stored. Gear and Cade were nervous about attacking the Mand'alor. But Zer-o insisted that she was a woman who was almost 60 years old. He reasoned that the hardest part of the mission would be getting off of the planet with the world's entire population chasing them.
"Essie has to be the one to pilot us out of there. She's the only one who can lose a fleet of ships and get us back to Olara in one piece," Gear reasoned as they looked over the map, they'd found in the Olaran achieves.
"Okay so let's go over this one more time," Zer-o said.
Cade sighed.
"We set the Starfall down here about 10 meters from the city of Sandari. We will already be dressed like the natives but none of us speak Mando'a so I will be using my translator device to be the voice of the group. Once we reached the palace located in the center of the domed city it will be up to Asera and Taliki to distract the guards. Essie will take to the skies as our look out to make sure no one in the palace trips an alarm or calls for back up before we can get the Darksaber from the Mand'alor. It will be up to the three of us to take her out and retrieve the blade. Asera and Taliki will make sure we have a clear path out of the palace. Once we are safely out of the Dome Eshreal will return to the ship and prepare to take off as soon as we are all back on board," Cade said.
Gear and Zer-o nodded when he finished. The plan was a basic one but also the best they could come up with using the limited information they were able to find. The Force would guide them as it had back on Ilum but hopefully this time the Force wouldn't lead Zoroyais to them again.
"We should fill the girls in as soon as possible. I want to be ready when Leia gives us the okay," Zer-o growled out.
He was taking this mission extra seriously as it came directly from Luke Skywalker. It was the first mission they'd been given since Kylo and Zer-o were almost killed on Ilum. Rey and Kylo were away on their own mission and would no doubt be successful; Zer-o couldn't let them upstage him.
"I'll go find them," Gear volunteered.
"I'll gather everything we'll need technology wise and start loading up the Starfall," Cade said.
"Pack some food for Shira. She'll be coming with us as an insurance policy," Zer-o said heading off into the jungle.
"Do you really think this is a good idea," Gear asked Cade as they headed deeper into the base.
"No but if Master Luke Skywalker said we needed the heavily guarded Ark of the Covenant Zer-o and I would be breaking into the Palace of the Gods to retrieve it," Cade answered so truthfully that even he hadn't anticipated the words leaving his mouth.
"Good to know, I guess," Gear said as he headed for the library while Cade headed to the bedrooms.
…
The team got the okay from Leia two days after Rey and Kylo left for Vodran. They'd needed to make sure that the First Order wasn't watching the system for signs of the Resistance. Once the scouts gave the all clear, Eshreal, Asera, Cade, Taliki, Zer-o, Gear and Shira took off for the planet of Mandalore in the Starfall.
It would take them 4 and a half days to get to the Mandalore System from Olara. Not that any of them minded. In fact, it felt good to be off of the planet. It was nice to have a home but that same home could feel like a prison if you are never allowed to leave. Even if it's for your own protection.
Zer-o spent his time training with his nexu. Essie worked on a symbol for the Grey Ember Order. Taliki and Asera tried to come up with a plan for how they would get the guys passed the palace guards. Gear worked on the outfits they would wear to blend in with the Mandalorian natives. And Cade was working on replicating his translator device so that Taliki and Asera would be able to speak to the guards.
…
When the Starfall entered the atmosphere of Mandalore it was as if something important had shifted. Any nervousness the team was feeling disappeared and was replaced by a confidence that was almost prideful. As they descended toward the planet the feeling of surety just grew stronger.
Essie sat the Starfall down 10 meters outside of the city. She watched as the rest of the team changed into their protective gear that would keep them safe from the extreme heat and dangerous sandstorms that could appear out of nowhere. She'd already donned her own desert proof outfit that left her wings bear.
She strapped her lightsaber to her hip and her bow and quiver to her back. Once the other were off the ship and halfway to the city, she would fly far up into the air to keep an eye on them. She felt a little left out at first but quickly realized that she was their best hope at getting off the planet and she could only do that if she was able to get to the Starfall before everyone else.
"Be safe guys. May the Force be with you," she called as they became tiny little specks in the distance.
Eshreal took a deep breath and unfurled her wings to take to the sky to look for First Order ships, sandstorms or anything else that could potentially ruin their escape. Down below her Shira was asleep near the entrance to the ship. She would make sure that no one made it onto the ship while Eshreal was patrolling the air.
"Let's hope this doesn't take all day. We need to get back as soon as possible," Eshreal said to herself as she watched the other's enter the domed city.
…
Asera and Taliki entered the city first. It was fairly easy getting into the city with the documents forged by Leia and the Resistance. Taliki and Asera were here to put on a show for the Mand'alor, the Ruler of Mandalore and the guys were their security. It wasn't hard to see why two beautiful ladies would need such tough looking security.
As they traversed the city streets, they got a few strange looks but nothing that said that they had been made.
"This is not what I was expecting," Cade said staring around as they made their way to the palace.
"What were you expecting? Wide open, majestic cities? The Mandalorians destroyed this planet enough that without the domes that covers the cities, life would not even be able to exist," Gear said with a frown.
"Why would anyone destroy their own planet," Zer-o asked shaking his head.
"Not everyone, in fact most people don't even really think about the planet they live on they way you do," Cade said with a smirk.
"And what's that supposed to mean, fur face," Zer-o asked with a grin.
"That you spend more time meditating and connecting with your home planet than you do friends," Cade said.
"Well we all have our ways of getting stronger and now is not the time for you two to get into a shouting match. The palace is just up a head," Asera said with a nod.
The group turned to look what Asera was staring at.
The city was nothing like what they expected. The buildings and even the roads seemed to sparkle under the thick layer of sand that seemed to cover everything even though the dome was supposed to keep the sand. The palace itself seemed to rise above it all.
The closer they got to the palace the more strange-looks were thrown their way. The streets near the palace were more deserted compared to the rest of the city. The palace had looked majestic and elegant from far away but, the closer they got the more run down the castle looked.
"This is the palace? It looks like its abandoned," Cade said.
"This is where Leia's contact said we were to go. It was pretty easy to get them to believe that we were Force Sensitive dancers. Once she said that the Force was drawing us here, no one seemed to have a problem," Asera said.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Gear said.
"It's going to be fine. We'll just go in there. While the girls dance, we will slip off and find the dark saber. I'll take on Sabine Wren and get the dark saber. You two just keep anyone from interfering in the fight," Zer-o said confidently.
He strode up to the castle where there were the two guards dressed in Mandalorian armor holding swords almost as long as Zer-o's arm.
"Halt," the first guard said sternly in Mando'a.
"State your business here," the second guard commanded.
Zer-o glanced back at Asera and Taliki falling back into the role of body guard. The two women moved forward a bit, making sure to stay just behind Zer-o so that he could protect them if the guards tried anything.
"My name is Jasmine. My apprentice and I are here to dance for Lady Bo-Katan. She was supposed to have been told of our arrival right away," Asera lied easily.
The guards glanced at each other before one stepped back spoke to someone on his comms device. Taliki glanced up at Asera who was staring at the guards impatiently. She was very good at playing the part of the diva.
"She will not be pleased if you make us late," Asera said, her voice was vaguely threatening.
The guard turned back around and looked at his comrade. His expression was tense as if he wasn't happy about letting the group into the palace but he didn't have a choice. Zer-o grinned at the two men in an unsettling manner as he passed them both to walk through the ornate doors and checked the passage way for threats.
Once the others were inside and the doors shut behind them the team began searching the passage way for any clue as to what they were walking into. It was eerily quiet except for the sounds of their footsteps on the stone walk ways. Zer-o had his hand on his blaster and the other guys followed suit. Asera and Taliki walked side by side toward a set of open doors.
"Isn't it a little too quiet. And isn't it weird that here is no one here to greet us besides those guards," Taliki asked in a low voice.
"Maybe everyone is in the ballroom waiting for us," Cade offered.
"Then why is it so quiet," Asera asked. "There should be noise coming from such a party."
Zer-o shrugged and was about to continue on.
"I have a very bad feeling about this, Zer," Taliki cried grabbing his arm.
"It'll be fine Taliki. Master Skywalker wouldn't have sent us into a trap. Besides if there is trouble, I will protect you," Zer-o said glancing over his shoulder at her with his one good eye.
Taliki blushed and Cade couldn't help but wonder if there was something between his brother and the pink skinned woman.
"I hate to say this but I have to agree with Zer-o; Master Skywalker would never knowingly send us into a trap. That being said I'm 89% certain that this is a trap," Gear said, moving around the others toward the open door at the end of the hall. "But there is only one way to find out and that is to go and see Lady Bo-Katan and Sabine Wren."
Without another word the group began moving again. They approached from the side so that whoever was inside the room would not immediately see them coming. Once they were close enough Cade concealed his presence with the Force to check out the interior of the room.
He crossed the door way quickly, getting a good look inside. He frowned back at the others and stepped into the doorway.
"There's no one here but two old ladies," Cade said in a low voice.
The rest of the group joined Cade in the door way.
"Enter Dancers Jasmine and Esmerelda, bring your guards with you. My eyes aren't what they used to be," called the woman with the dark purple hair that had long faded to a pale lilac color.
The woman seated by her side was dressed in Mandalorian armor with the Darksaber displayed proudly on her hip. It was obvious that she was the Mand'alor. Zer-o sized her up right away. Taliki fought the urge to grab for him to keep him from going for her right way.
As the group closer to Sabine and Lady Bo-Katan, soldiers appeared from the shadows with their blasters trained on them, though more seemed to be pointed at Zer-o. Asera and Taliki looked to the two older women. Gear and Cade's hands hovered over their lightsabers.
"What is this, Kryze? We came here to dance for you and speak of the Force. Yet you ambush us with blasters," Asera hissed.
The woman in the full Mandalorian armor spoke in a clear commanding tone, "There was a prophecy told to the Mandalorian people a during the age of the Empire of a Zabrak that would come to try and steal the Darksaber from us in order to defeat the greatest evil to ever threaten this galaxy. We originally thought it was Darth Maul it was referring to but then Sabine saw another Zabrak coming with group of Force users at his back we knew that it was you who would be the real challenger."
Zer-o looked from the two women to his friends with an incredulous look on his face.
"So, you mean to tell me I could have just shown up here and challenged this old broad for the Darksaber as soon as the crystal started calling to me after the battle of Ilum," Zer-o asked.
Cage sniggered at Zer-o calling the warrior an old broad. Asera and Taliki shot him an irritated look. This was not the time to be playing games and tossing around insults with 50 or so blasters pointed at them.
"We aren't giving it to you if that's what you are thinking," Sabine said with a frown.
"Oh," Zer-o asked.
"Gods, this couldn't get any worse," Taliki whispered.
"No, it couldn't," Asera agreed.
"Then what is the point of all this," Gear asked.
The two women turned to look at him. Then so did Sabine, Bo-Katan, Cade and Zer-o.
"What was the point of what," Sabine asked.
"What was the point in playing along without little ruse? Why didn't you shoot us out of the sky. Instead you agreed to let us come here, land on your planet and come inside your castle just for you to point blasters at us? That makes no sense," Gear said with a frown as he thought it all over.
"We aren't giving it to you Zer-o of Dathomir but if you can defeat the Mand'alor we will lend you the Darksaber to fight the Neo Order," Sabine said with a wry smile.
She eyed the woman in the armor who's hand was now on the hilt of the Darksaber. Taliki took a step toward Zer-o but he was already moving out of the circle of his friends toward Lady Bo-Katan who had gotten up for her throne and was walking toward the center of the hall.
"I take it that your comrade accepts the challenge," Sabine Wren said watching as the two combatants sized each other up.
"My brother never backs down from a challenge especially one coming from an old woman," Cade said proudly.
Asera and Taliki shot him an annoyed look. The wolfman shrugged before turning back to Lady Bo-Katan and Zer-o, who were circling each other. Lady Bo-Katan already had unsheathed and ignited the Darksaber.
The black blade was skinner than any lightsaber any of them had ever seen before and the beam of energy came to a point unlike any other lightsaber. The handle was rather plain in comparison to the strange black blade that seemed to glow with white light. The handle was made of Mandalorian Iron and was shaped like a rectangle unlike the usual cylinder shaped hilts.
"This isn't going to end well," Asera muttered to herself.
She took her hand away from her lightsaber and relaxed her posture. Taliki followed her lead and looked to the guys who also relaxed. The soldiers stopped pointing their blasters at the Knights once they realized that they were going to attack at the moment.
…
Zer-o ejected his purple lightsaber from his blaster attachment and ignited it.
The two blades hummed on different frequencies creating a high pitched scream when they clashed for the first time as the combatants lazily swung their swords at each other. They were testing each other before the real fight began.
Zer-o wanted to see what the older woman could do. Their blades clashed a few times as they circled each other, only coming close to strike out quickly before leaping away.
"What's the matter Zabrak, afraid to get you ass kicked by an old woman," Lady Bo-Katan said.
Zer-o growled at her and lunged forward holding his blade along his arms. He swung his blade toward her feet and was shocked when she jumped over the blade before landing a punch to his jaw that was hard enough to make him see stars. Zer-o rolled away from her, regained his balance and lunged for her again.
This time when their blades met, Zer-o swept Lady Bo-Katan's legs from under her but before she could hit the ground Zer-o grabbed her by the throat using the Force. He drug her over to him and glared at her.
"Give me the blade. You and I both know that I will win or I will take it by force. Either way the crystal in that saber is calling to me and Luke Skywalker said we need it to defeat Zoroyais and his Neo Order. No one ever said that you wouldn't get it back…eventually," Zer-o said confidently.
The woman laughed.
"Foolish boy. You Jedi are so high and mighty that you think you can just come here and take what rightfully belongs to us," she said and even though her voice was garbled from Zer-o's grip on her throat the outrage was clearly received.
"We aren't Jedi," Zer-o said,
"Sith then? I'm not surprised Skywalker fell to the dark side right along with father and nephew," she spat, suddenly rearing up and kicking Zer-o in the chest.
He lost his grip on her and she dropped to the ground rolling to her feet. With a wave of her wrist Zer-o was knocked off of his feet into the nearest wall but he kept his lightsaber in his hand. He shook his head in disgust.
"We sure as hell aren't Sith otherwise I would have just broke in here and slaughtered you all," Zer-o said climbing to his feet slashing out at her while slowly but surely making his way inside her defenses. "We are Knights of Rey, members of the Grey Ember Order. Our mission is to bring Balance to the Universe," he said, catching her blade behind his back with his inverted grip on the lightsaber he moved toward her and landed an uppercut that lifted her off of her feet and knocked her helmet off which revealed red hair that had long faded to white and pale green eyes.
Bo-Katan landed on her butt and groaned softly. Zer-o heard gasps come from around the room and hesitated. He didn't want to kill the woman, just prove that he was superior to her and that he deserved to be the one to wield the Darksaber to defeat Zoroyais.
He watched dispassionately as Bo-Katan waved off one of the soldiers as they came over to help her up. She struggled to her feet and wiped blood from her lip. She called the Darksaber back to her grip and slashed at Zer-o who dodged it easier than he had before.
The fight was over. She just needed to admit it.
…
"And that's that," Cade growled softly.
"What do you mean," Taliki asked.
"Lady Bo-Katan is old for a human. More fragile. I'm sure when she landed on the ground, she hurt herself but her pride as a warrior won't let her admit that her age has truly slowed her down," Asera whispered glancing to where Sabine Wren was on the edge the steps watching the fight.
"That's dumb. There's no reason to continue with the fight if she's just risking greater injury," Taliki said loudly drawing the unwanted attention of the soldiers who had their blasters still trained on them. "What," she asked shrugging her shoulders.
"Please don't get us shot when we may actually make it out of here unscathed," Gear plead quietly.
"Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut," Taliki said folding her arms over her ample chest.
Asera again glanced over at Sabine, who was watching as Zer-o and the leader of her people exchanged blows. The fight continued at a slower pace. Lady Bo-Katan was on the defensive now with Zer-o moving in and backing her into a corner. Once Zer-o was close enough, he began knocking his purple lightsaber against the strange black blade of the Darksaber.
Sensing that Zer-o was about to get inside of her defenses, she reached out to push him away from her. Before the Force could push him away, he got his blade under hers and with a flick of his wrist and a gripping of his left fist the Darksaber was wrenched from her hand as Zer-o flew across the room. The breath was knocked out of him as he slammed into the wall across from Bo-Katan but he didn't let go of his lightsaber, nor did he loosen his grip on the Darksaber. The blade was almost to him before Lady Bo-Katan regained her composer and began trying to pull it back to her.
Asera and the others exchanged a glance as the Zabrak and the Mandalorian both pulled at the weapon. They all knew what would happen if they kept this up but Asera wondered if Sabine Wren knew. Soon enough the air around them began to vibrate with the power of the Force as the two warriors struggled over the blade. After a few moments Sabine got to her feet.
"Enough," she yelled.
Lady Bo-Katan and Zer-o held on a little while longer, both of them waiting to see who would let go first. In the end it was Lady Bo-Katan who dropped her hand. The Darksaber landed in Zer-o's open palm as he smirked at the older woman.
"I told you this was meant to be mine," he said. He glanced at the others and added, "For now. Once we defeat Zoroyais, I personally swear to make sure it is returned to your people."
Asera sighed in relief. She was glad he didn't totally blow it with these people. She stood a little straighter and began walking closer to Sabine Wren.
"Lady Sabine Wren, thank you for giving Zer-o the chance to prove that he is worthy to wield the blade of you people. We would like the opportunity to tell you all about the Gray Ember Order," Asera said cautiously.
The woman turned to the group with a frown.
"Your Zabrak has already beaten Lady Bo-Katan, there is no need to pander to me about your little cult. In fact, I want all of you out of my sight and off of my planet as soon as possible," she said going over to Lady Bo-Katan.
Asera moved to argue but Cade grabbed her and said, "Thank you Lady Wren. We will bring the Darksaber back."
He jerked his head at Zer-o. The male stuck the Darksaber in his holster and ran to catch up with the group who was being escorted out by the soldiers who once again had their blasters pointed at them. Lady Bo-Katan shot the group a disdainful look as they left the ballroom and a group of healers began looking her over.
Zer-o was downright giddy as the armed guards escorted the Knights out of the palace. Cade and Gear
Asera was worried that leading the men back to their ship would lead to them being attacked but as soon as the palace was out of sight the men dropped away heading back to protect their leaders. Asera stopped the group when they were a few miles out and sent Cade to back track and make sure they weren't being followed. Once they had the all clear they continued to the ship.
"You could try not to look so pleased with yourself. All you did was beat up an old lady," Gear grumbled as they trudged through the sand. "It's not like you really need another weapon, it won't make up for the brains you lack."
Zer-o kept walking but threw a glance over his shoulder at Gear and said, "Not even you could ruin this for me."
He ignited the blade and twirled it as he walked. Asera and Cade exchanged a look. Cade had never seen the male so giddy without having stolen something really valuable from some really bad guys or making a big payday but returning some rich guy's kid or lover.
"Besides this blade is something we need to defeat Zoroyais. I was meant to wield this blade against him. If I'd had it and Kylo had used his new lightsabers the first time maybe I wouldn't have lost an eye," Zer-o said. "Maybe Ren wouldn't have almost died," he said almost under his breath.
"Well either way we have a long way to go still. We all need to tighten up on our fighting," Cade said.
"Some more than others," Gear grumbled.
"We all need to strengthen our connections to the Force. I feel like since the battle on Ilum, we've all been so focused on figuring out how to fight someone who can toss our strongest fighter around like a rag doll that we forgot who we were and what we can do. We need to gather around our leaders and found the balance within ourselves, both individually and as a whole," Cade continued as though Gear hadn't even spoken.
"I agree. We need to be ready for the next battle regardless if it's the First Order, the Neo Order or Zoroyais himself," Asera said.
The rest of the group nodded in agreement and continued on their way back to the ship.
"How disappointed is the Captain going to be when she learns that she missed the only excitement we are sure to see on this journey," Taliki asked as she spotted Eshreal floating up in the sky over the ship.
…
"What do you mean they just made you fight their leader one on one for the blade," Eshreal asked as the rest of the group approached the ship.
She was furious that she had missed all of the action and no one even thought to radio her and let her know what was going on. Before anyone could answer her question, she turned and marched up the short ramp onto the ship. The others scrambled onto the ship after her but she went straight to the cockpit and started the engines.
V5 followed after her beeping in concern.
"Oh, don't mind me, my friends just left me sitting in this hot ass desert while they got to watch a cool fight," she grumbled to the droid. "I coulda been home with my plants."
"Ah, don't be like that Cap. The fight wasn't even that exciting. It was no fun beating up on an old lady," Zer-o said taking the seat behind her. He tossed the hilt of the Darksaber up and caught it, "I, for one am glad that we don't have to flee from this planet. I'd like to come back and train here one day."
"Look at it this way Essie, think about how pleased Master Skywalker will be to learn that we were able to do this without making a new enemy," Asera said before disappearing off to her room.
"Yeah, it could have been a disaster like our usual missions. Just think about how we met Sera," Taliki said with a smile, stripping her protective gear off as she headed for her room.
"And we couldn't just radio to you while all their men had blasters pointed in our faces," Gear said heading off for the kitchen.
As her friends spoke her anger leaked away. They were right. This mission had gone so much better than the group could have ever imagined. Being mad at them was just petty.
"Fine. I guess I can't be mad at that. Let's just hope we can get home without running into any trouble," she said as she they jumped to lightspeed.