Chapter: 4 A Deceptive Decision

Vala felt her heart nearly stop at the idea of what Carden was proposing. It shocked her even further to see how willing the others were. Evrus nodded confidently while even Dee agreed. "Excuse me..." began Vala. "Do you really believe that killing Duchess Satine will save Mandalore? We'd be no better than Death Watch!"

Carden huffed at her remark, "Calm yourself."

"Calm myself?" scoffed Vala. "I may not agree with Satine's policies, but she does not have to die."

"On the contrary," jested Carden. "Her death is the only way to ensure Mandalore's security. So long as she lives, the government will remain weak. If we were to propose her ousting from office, the authorities would detain us or at least place us under probation. If we kill the duchess, the people of Mandalore will snap out of their delusions and realize how weak their government is. As a result, their resolves will harden and Mandalore will militarize. All victories demand sacrifice. In order to save our planet, Duchess Satine must die."

"But then what becomes of us if your plan succeeds? We'll be Mandalore's most wanted."

"As you can see, my friends. Vala likes to question everything. To answer your inquiry, I believe that the people of Mandalore will recognize our actions as heroic. However, there is a backup plan should we be considered 'Mandalore's most wanted' as you say. I have been planning this assassination with a contact outside of Mandalore. She has agreed to help get us offworld should things take a turn for the worst." Carden stepped back towards the lounge, "Dee and Evrus. Why don't you show Vala to her room upstairs? We'll meet for a briefing in the den at 1700 hours."

"How are you two unfazed by this plan?" asked Vala.

"Because Carden is right," said Evrus. "The people of Mandalore sleep soundly while the government lies to them. Satine's assassination is just what we need to wake them up." He opened the door to her room, "Here you are."

Vala stepped into the bedroom as Dee said, "You should go for a run. Give us some girl time." Evrus obliged and Dee shut the door behind her. She looked at Vala with a sigh, "I thought it was a crazy idea at first too."

Vala avoided eye contact and continued to fiddle with her bag's strap. "What changed your mind?"

"The alternative," replied Dee. "Vala, we know what will become of Mandalore if the Duchess is left in power. Look at all of the damage she has done already. Mandalore is being torn apart by corruption and terrorism. If we can just strike a crippling blow against the government, it may see the error of its pacifistic ideologies. Sure, it's sad that killing her is the only way to do so, but think of the lives we'll save."

Vala shook her head, "And what if this plan fails? What if killing Satine makes her a martyr and the government preaches peace even further?"

"Satine is the root of all this pacifism," said Dee. "Ending her stops the system. But we will need you to lead us in order to make the plan succeed."

Vala stood from the side of the bed, "I'm sorry. But I cannot go through with this." She grabbed her bag and exited the room.

"Vala!" called Dee. "Wait! Come back!"

Her calls caught the attention of Carden and he quickly emerged from the lounge. "We cannot prevail without you, Vala."

"Forget it, find somebody else."

"Where will you go? To whatever consequences your parents have waiting for you?" Carden jeered.

Vala ignored his remark and replied, "There has to be another way to restore Mandalore."

"There isn't." Carden turned on the nearest datascreen, allowing a reporter's voice to be heard.

"At least twenty-two people have been confirmed dead while dozens more are missing. We are live at the scene where a bomb has gone off in the capital city of Sundari." Vala stopped making for the door and turned to watch the news. "Authorities rushed to the scene once the explosion sounded from a packing warehouse . The bombing was an act of turf violence between rival Moogan smugglers." Multiple camera angles showed a hovertrain station in flames. Body bags were being rested upon civilians while those still alive howled with pain. A small child could be heard crying off camera. Such a sound made Vala's blood boil. Her rage only increased further when the cameras cut to Duchess Satine. "My heart weeps for those who have lost their lives as a result of this gangster violence. We as a people must remain strong against these pressing times, and elect peace over the path of vengeance."

Vala couldn't listen to it anymore. She felt the anger sweeping within her and everyone else could see it. She wished she could wring every Moogan by the neck until the light left their eyes. "These things are just going to keep happening, Vala." grieved Carden. "Nothing is going to get better until we take a stand." Vala shut her eyes and breathed deeply. "Where will you stand?"

Vala opened her eyes and said, "With you."

Vala went down to join the others in the den that evening. She was nearly down the hall when one of the smaller doorways caught her eye. It was sealed with a durasteel locking mechanism. She began to examine it when Carden's voice startled her. "Vala! Get over here. We're about to get started." She focused on her directive and left the locked door to reach the den.

Carden finished closing the blinds while Evrus worked with some sort of metallic sphere. "Psst!" beckoned Dee. She eagerly pat her hand on the empty chair beside her. Vala rolled her eyes and acknowledged. Dee merrily placed an arm around Vala and shook her. "You made the right choice,"

Vala firmly grasped Dee's arm and removed it from her. "Don't touch me."

Dee rolled her eyes. "Killjoy."

Vala ignored her comment while Evrus said, "All set."

"Excellent. Put her through." Carden took a seat and Evrus backed away as the sphere began to spin. Rings of blue light began to spiral from it and produced a hologram of lines. "This is Carden," he said. "Raptor, do you read?"

The lines bounced in waves at the sound of a woman's voice. "I hear you, Carden. What news do you have?"

"I have found another youth to aid our cause, Raptor." he said. "I now have everyone I need to carry out my plan."

"You speak of your recruits with such promise," said Raptor. "I do hope they live up to your boasts. The death of Duchess Satine is of the utmost importance. The assassination will turn the people against their government and a reform shall occur. You will strike on the night of the Festival of Restoration. That gives you four weeks to prep your team for the assassination. Keep in touch and be on your guard. The time for true change is now."

The transmission ended and Dee questioned, "The Festival of Restoration?"

Carden nodded, "We will end Satine's life on the day that her pacifist Mandalore was born."

"You certainly know how to send a message," admired Evrus. "What's our plan of attack?"

Carden smirked and activated a holographic projection of Satine's palace. "I have attended the Festival of Restoration for the last five years. My decorative history always secured me an invite. During the festival, Satine will be addressing the masses from her courtyard expansion. I will get myself an audience with the duchess and monitor her whereabouts and transmit them to Dee. She will hack into the palace's mainframe and relay all information to Vala and Evrus. You two will enter the palace from the culinary compound and make your way towards my coordinates. When the three of us are in a position that prohibits all means of escape for the duchess, Dee will trigger the fireworks to fire prematurely. This distraction will be our window to move in and kill Satine. The three of us will then make our way to the lower balcony, where Dee will pick us up in the speeder and get us to an extraction point. Raptor will be awaiting our arrival in order to get us offworld." Carden rubbed his hands together, "We're going to make history for a safe and securer Mandalore. Starting tomorrow morning, we are going to train for and rehearse the assassination tirelessly. By the time of the festival, each of you will have perfected your role in this plot." Vala watched as Carden continued, "There is no turning back from this point forward. In the event that any of you are captured, the rest of us will deny your existence. As a prisoner, you are expected to withhold all information from your captors, even if you are subjected to torture. From this moment onward, our plot is operational. Now get some rest. You will all need it for tomorrow." Vala, Dee and Evrus stood up and departed for their bedrooms.

"FIRE!" yelled Carden.

BZZZ!

Vala shot her pistol and its echo filled the morning air. Her laser struck against the edge of a target several yards away from her. Considering that Vala had never fired a blaster in her life, she was impressed by such a shot. Carden, on the other hand, remained harsh. "Are you blind? Aim down your sights and hit those targets dead center!" Vala took aim again, shut her right eye, and fired several sporadic lasers at the targets. Each yellow blast grazed against the edges until one hit the upper right of a marker. Carden sarcastically applauded, "Congratulations. You shot a target...after missing the first five. Such reckless shooting would cost you your life. Evrus, show her how it's done." Evrus stepped forward, unholstered his pistol, and fired at all six targets. He landed a bullseye on every shot and holstered his blaster as fast as he had withdrawn it. "Good work, boy."

Vala grumbled, "It's not like he was in law enforcement or something."

"You have fingers just as he does," jeered Carden. "Last time I checked, that's all you needed to shoot. If he can do it, so can you. I'm going to check on Dee. Keep up your training, you two."

Vala sneered while watching him leave. "So why isn't Dee out here shooting?"

"She needs to focus on honing her hacking skills," said Evrus. "It's our job to do the shooting. Now take aim." Vala huffed and did as he asked. He properly positioned her body with his hands. "Fully extend your arms and relax your shoulders. Keep both eyes open when you aim. That's it...Fire!"

BZZZ!

Vala's laser missed, prompting her to curse. "How long did it take you to get so good?"

He shrugged, "Shooting always came naturally to me. It surely helped me ace target practice at the police academy. If Carden believes in you, so do I. Now take aim again." Vala fired and her laser skimmed the top of a target. "Shoot with feeling," said Evrus.

"What the hell does that mean?" she asked while turning to him. Her blue eyes locked with his for a brief moment. He gently placed his hand on his chest. "Don't just pull the trigger. Find purpose in every shot. Remember why you are holding a pistol in the first place." Vala took aim again as he continued, "Gather your pain. Embrace your indifference. Think of those who wronged you. Think of those who abandoned you." Vala began to grit her teeth and hastened her breathing. "Think of those suffering because of our pacifistic government. The families...the children...All because of Duchess Satine." Vala twitched. "How many lies she has told...how many injustices she has let happen. Feel that anger?" Vala firmly nodded while aiming at a target. "Let it out."

BZZZZZ!

Four weeks later...

Dee and Evrus proudly applauded at the successful bullseyes against all six targets. Vala stared down the smoking muzzle of her blaster and proudly grinned. "Now THAT is how you handle a WESTAR 35!" admired Carden.

Vala blew the smoke from her pistol and holstered it. "Thank you, sir. I had a good teacher." She smiled at Evrus and the two exchanged grateful nods.

"She's a decent shot now," joked Evrus.

Carden rubbed his worn hands together, "I just spoke with Raptor and the plan is still ago. Pack your bags and board the speeder. Tonight is the Festival of Restoration."

Dee turned to Vala while Evrus walked off. "Are you ready for this, Val?

"Duchess Satine is living in her final hours." Vala stuffed a blaster clip in her pocket and proceeded forward, "Let's go make history."