Chapter 7 Queen Talia

"Have you asked for his help?" Bastila asked Carth.

"He refuses to have anything to do with Onderon." Carth angrily.

"We'll have to make due without him. You did the right thing accepting this mission on my behalf." Bastila said coolly.

"Don't worry, I wasn't going to let you abandon the galaxy like the rest of the Jedi. As long as I stay with you, I figure I'm still making good on my promise." Carth said. Bastila looked at him for a moment. There was a smirk followed by a polite bow. It seemed she was impressed with him rather than angry, though she had thought she would be. Carth smiled back and brushed aside his relief.

"I figured you would answer a call for help." Carth explained seriously.

"Thank you for believing in me Carth." Bastila answered with as much gravity. There was a mutual pause where it would seem their friendship took a large step up.

"I have just one more thing to take care of here and I'll meet you on the ship." Bastila said as she left towards the Mandalorian outpost. Carth turned back to his shuttle and left the great moon.

"So what did you discover in the tomb?" Canderous asked from behind. Bastila had just finished thanking the Mandalorian technician before he was dismissed by the authority figure behind her.

"Nothing. It was nothing." Bastila said without the irritation Canderous would expect.

"I remember our visit to Korriban with Revan and the others. I remember exploring the ancient tunnels and seeing what changes it brought him. If there's one thing I know for sure it's that there's no way that nothing can happen to a Jedi in such a place. Revan had always left the tombs with a sense of accomplishment as if he had learned something very important from them… and I KNOW he had experienced things there that I could not see or hear. Only a Jedi could perceive the messages these dark places conveyed. I know you learned something from your trip. I can tell in the way you move and talk now." Canderous said.

"I don't want to talk about it. Besides, I know you refused to come with us to Onderon and so I have nothing more to discuss with you." Bastila said, as she was about to leave.

"Now wait one second. I said I would never publicly aid you on this mission, but I have no intention of letting you walk into a trap alone. I've prepared a covert team that will accompany you and I'm happy to say I'll be leading them." Canderous said.

"You would do that?" Bastila was stunned.

"As I thought I had made clear with Carth: as leader of the Mandalorians, I can't be seen fiddling in the affairs of the Onderons but I would be more than happy to provide you with a few mercenaries to protect you without openly involving my clan. No one has to know I'm involved. My camp is more than capable of running things while I'm gone and I expect that I will be around people who have some discretion for such sensitive differences." Mandalore clarified. Bastila smiled and accepted his proposal.

"You wont be disappointed. My team and I have long been observing the activities on Onderon and we have a good idea of how we could lend a hand." Mandalore shot a smile of his own.

"I'll need all the help I can get." Bastila said simply.

"You aren't afraid the Sith might be involved?" Canderous asked carefully.

"Not anymore." Bastila said simply.

"That tomb really did a number on you, Jedi." Canderous observed.

"It did, it did." Bastila agreed.

"We should talk about it sometime. I have some theories about what Revan experienced on Korriban and I've been meaning to discuss it with someone who knew what I was talking about." Mandalore said. Bastila looked into his gray eyes and saw Canderous as she never saw him before.

"You would follow him until the end, wouldn't you?" Bastila asked.

"To the death of all Mandalorians, if it came to it." Mandalore nodded. Finally Bastila understood how much she had in common with this man who was no more than a brute just a year and a half ago.

"You were right about me Canderous. You and I have much to do still." Bastila agreed.

"I thought you might see it my way. Let me take you to our shuttle. My team will be along shortly." Canderous said as he led the Jedi to the big hangar.

Carth was surprised to see the squad of Mandalorians escort Bastila across his hanger floor. He had not believed Bastila when she told him Canderous was accompanying her back onboard the Proxis. Now that he saw him with his own eyes, he could not help but be suspicious again.

"I thought you said you wanted nothing to do with Onderon." Carth said.

"You're wrong. Much is to happen there. There is a reason Revan has left this planet alone during the war and I don't intend to watch it tear itself apart on my watch." Mandalore clarified his position.

"What made you change your mind?" Carth was not convinced.

"I never changed my mind. I told you this was a trap and a bad idea but I had to let you make up your own mind. I know my place here and I only meant that my position and that of the rest of the Mandalorians are not quite the same in this matter." Canderous said.

"I'm glad you've taken a personal interest in our affairs but I don't see how this could be separate from the rest of the Mandalorians." Carth said.

"The Mandalore clan is not ready to be publicly involved in reshaping the galaxy. I can't risk widespread panic at the mere mention of our name. They aren't ready to face the fact that we have a future here, even after our failed conquest. The Onderons are even less ready to perceive us as friends and would sooner see us extinct than to acknowledge our help." Canderous explained.

"He's telling the truth Carth. Just trust him." Bastila finally said. Carth just frowned and kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. Queen Talia had asked for Bastila's help by name and if she wished Canderous to go with her, he had as much right to be there as Carth had.

"I want this to go smoothly. No provocation. We go straight to the queen and make ourselves useful." Carth ordered.

"Of course Carth." Mandalore agreed. Bastila bowed and looked at the team of Mandalorians behind her. She recognized the armor of one of them: Otis Ordo, the pilot. She felt safe seeing that he was the pilot that would take them down to the palace. He had proven his skills in the previous battle and his team was exceptionally well receptive to her battle meditation. This mission would prove to be quite interesting.

Everyone sat in the shuttle while waiting for Carth to finalize his plans. He was communicating directly with queen Talia on behalf of Bastila and made all the necessary arrangements for safe passage to the Palace. Something was holding him back. He was still on the bridge of the Proxis, engaged in conversation. Meanwhile, Bastila was stuck in a conversation of her own.

"It had nothing to do with Freedon Nadd?" Canderous appeared surprised.

"Nothing at all." Bastila clarified.

"When Revan explored the tombs of the ancient Sith lords, he always observed things that were significant to them; something that was long forgotten. It surprises me that you didn't experience something of a different time." Mandalore said.

"Oh it was of a different time, Canderous: it was something of the past, but it was not forgotten." Bastila said. She could tell he was eager to hear more but he kept his curiosity from getting the best of him. Bastila smirked inwardly at his child-like enthusiasm and continued her story. She told him almost all that had happened in the tomb of Freedon Nadd.

"You saw Revan there?" Canderous was stunned.

"Darth Revan." Bastila clarified.

"The Sith ruler. He killed you?" Canderous was curious, yet puzzled.

"He murdered me." Bastila confessed.

"Somehow I doubt that's what would happen. Revan had some plans for you, I'm sure of that." Mandalore said.

"Perhaps Darth Revan had no such plan." Bastila explained.

"No. There's no difference. Nothing he did could be more out of place than his murdering you." Mandalore said confidently.

"How could you believe that? Darth Revan was ruled by the dark side, there was no will of his own!" Bastila said.

"You and I both know that isn't true. Everything he did could be connected before and after his so called fall. He was no simplistic warlord bent on galactic domination and war. Everything he did or didn't do echoed a purpose that lasted even when he wasn't there. The fact that we are going to Onderon together to prevent this civil war is proof of that. Just like you, Onderon was left neutral and untouched. Now we are going to make sure it stays that way." Canderous said.

"Just like me?" Bastila asked, irritated.

"Just like the Jedi." Mandalore clarified.

"Our peace, the Jedi's peace and the peace on Onderon didn't last long." Bastila said worriedly.

"There's a connection there, Bastila. Surely you can see that." Mandalore said.

"Yes Canderous, I can admit that. Now that the Jedi are disbanded, trouble will spread quickly throughout all the 'undecided' systems. Now that they feel alone, they may be compelled to claim independence from the republic." Bastila agreed.

"Not if we can help it." Canderous said confidently.

"That strikes me as odd, Mandalore. I don't see you as a sympathizer at this time." Bastila said.

"It's not our intention to see the republic crumble like this. There's no honor is seeing your victor bleed to death while all the glory of the battle dies with him." Mandalore explained. He could still see the confusion in the Jedi's eyes.

"Haven't we been through this before? I know Revan didn't intend for the republic to break down like this. If the Jedi had given him more time, we would have seen what he truly desired to accomplish by his war. It's difficult to fight an enemy you don't understand." Canderous said.

"If we had waited any longer, he could have conquered the rest of the galaxy in a matter of weeks." Bastila said.

"Surely it wouldn't have been as wasteful as Malak's dishonorable reign. His cowardice and vindictive ways cost everyone more than Revan ever could have. His methods were precise and premeditated. I'm sure he would have left the republic much as it is now, minus all the senseless loss Malak caused." Canderous said.

"It's useless to consider the consequence of his capture. His transformation into Arman Clash has helped the republic a great deal and that is all that could have been for certain." Bastila defended the Jedi.

"What's taking the Captain so long?" Bastila changed the subject of the conversation.

"Onderon must have been uneasy at the site of the Proxis near its orbit. They could be considering us a threat and matching our forces." Canderous said.

"Surely they would allow a small shuttle to pass through." Bastila said.

"Not if Vaklu knows we're coming." Canderous clarified. The involvement of the Sith was becoming more and more apparent. Bastila could not sense their presence from this distance though, and the anguish that shrouded the planet was difficult to pierce.

"We have a mission, and I intent to accomplish it." Bastila said simply.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He agreed. There was a long silence before the Captain of the Proxis finally boarded Mandalore's unmarked shuttle.

"I've given it some more thought and I think it was your greatest fear you faced in the tomb." Canderous said slyly as Bastila's attention drifted to her Captain and his orders to begin the descent to the planet.

"What?" Bastila turned around and looked at Canderous Ordo.

"It makes sense to me. If you mix what you thought of Darth Revan then with what you hope he is now, you would see that your encounter only served to replace doubt with fear. His having killed you even after all that happened could be your greatest fear of what you think he is now." Canderous said.

"I'm not naïve, I know he isn't a monster." Bastila whispered.

"But you would describe Darth Revan that way and it will always bring you doubt until you turn it all around and assume he was never a monster. Revan always did what he had to. If he believed the ends justified the means, it could not have been any other way." Canderous explained.

"That is a characteristic of evil and has no place with the Jedi. Only the Sith would act in such a selfish manner." Bastila said angrily.

"The Sith were tools. Revan used them and cast them aside. He was beyond them; he was a usurper with many hidden motives. He had little interest in the ways of the Sith. He used his apparently evil ways to control and unite a group of angry Jedi and confused warriors and maintained their structure by demonstrating his power. It was a show. I have seen many Mandalorians fight and die to prove themselves to others but none has ever been so efficient as Revan as a Dark Lord of the Sith. He built an empire quicker than anyone could have thought possible and stuck at the stupefied republic. No one expected that and I believe there's a lesson to be learned from it." Canderous said.

"And what lesson could that be?" Bastila was unconvinced. Canderous had been right; Revan was no ordinary Dark Lord. His methods and his retention of his true name have been unlike any Sith before.

"That's a question only someone in the republic could answer. Carth understood it, I think. He completely changed after he has felt that betrayal. But, in my opinion, the republic itself has yet to understand that lesson." Canderous mused.

"Carth's betrayal couldn't have been more senseless." Bastila said defensively.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Many sides could fight in a war, but first, those people have to be classified as enemies before there is any fighting. Revan had many enemies during the wars. I believe Carth's mentor was one of them." Canderous said.

"Saul Karath? But he served under Revan all along." Bastila said confused.

"But he turned into a Sith commander along with all their characteristics and rituals, just like Malak." Canderous explained.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Bastila asked.

"The Sith can't be trusted by anyone, not even by its own leader. The commanders under Revan's lead had abandoned their common ties with the rest of the galaxy when they chose to become true Sith. They no longer had any perspective on the war they had fought and returned completely blind, fighting a new war they couldn't understand. They chose bloodlust over reason and dismissed the idea that Revan had plans for the galaxy by looking to him as a warlord. They were not his allies. They were tools." Canderous said.

"Revan brought them together and taught them the ways of the Sith, not the other way around." Bastila said.

"They chose to be Sith. Revan simply gave a name to what was already at fault within his army. He simply cast himself apart from the Jedi and left them alone, something a true Sith would never do. Regardless of his obvious disagreements with the rest of the Jedi, he has never considered them his enemies. It's ironic that everyone assumes he's just as responsible for the deterioration of your order as Malak was." Canderous said.

"Darth Revan was no friend of the Jedi, that was very clear to me today." Bastila clarified.

"It's in your nature to hunt down the Sith. Still, he has been abandoned by the order and anything you believed he was could have been misread. You can't cast someone out and expect him to continue carrying your yoke." Canderous said.

"There's a reason why the Jedi code is so explicit and Revan's fall to the dark side is proof of the dangers that follow its abandonment." Bastila said.

"You still believe that there was some kind of fall, as if he had completely abandoned reason? Everything we know of Revan would contradict that." Canderous said.

"His fall may not have been as overpowering and complete as Malak's, but Revan could never have become Darth Revan without some sort of fall. The dark side was always around him and that could not have been masked." Bastila said.

"Dark side, light side, Revan was no slave to anyone or anything. By definition, you can't tell who a masked man really is and Revan's true mask was not what he wore on his face: it was his title, a weapon or a symbol to distract others and make them forget what was beneath. Even Malak couldn't see past his mask and comprehend what Revan intended. Everyone would remain oblivious to the true conviction and purpose of the Sith empire. All because of a simple piece of armor and a neat trick in the force." Canderous said.

"I agree. There are ways to guide the force just as it guides people. Revan was no stranger to that. He could have used the dark side to bend the will of the force, but eventually, the dark side demands something in return." Bastila said.

"Did the dark side ever demand something from you?" Canderous asked.

"I was lucky to escape its grasp, but I had help… his help." Bastila said.

"Has it completely left you? Would it seem any different if you were a Dark-Jedi?" Canderous asked.

"No, I suppose not." Bastila answered.

"Then how difficult would it be to imagine he was as you are now?" Canderous asked.

"I don't know. Canderous, Revan was my hero; I want him to be everything you think he is but he'll never be that unless he comes back and proves that he isn't the enemy." Bastila sighed.

"I'm sure that day will come. He may be done with the Jedi, but he isn't finished with you yet." Canderous smirked.

Mandalore's shuttle adjusted for a steeper descent and increased its speed. Just behind them, an Onderon military contingent gathered near the Proxis. The republic was not welcome. The Proxis was ordered not to interfere and a small ambassadorial shuttle was granted passage to the palace. Suddenly, the ship jerked up and down.

"We're taking fire from a gun-tower Mandalore." Otis Ordo shouted from the open cockpit. There was another jerking move of the shuttle, followed by a twirl and a rough shake.

"Make that two towers." The pilot continued as he continued his evasive flight pattern. The last laser bolt almost impacted the cargo section of the shuttle. Otis had managed to reach a safe altitude and begin leveling the shuttle for a landing.

"There's a firefight below. Ready your weapon." Otis shouted. As the shuttle ramp lowered, Mandalore and his team could see the Onderon military finish off the remaining Royal guards and gather on the landing pad.

"Let's move!" Mandalore shouted before blasting a few runners from across the pad. The Onderons returned fire up the ramp but almost everyone had exited the shuttle by then. Bastila had her yellow blade shield the few that were left on top of the ramp until finally the pilot joined her on the landing pad with his Mandalorian blaster ready. The Onderon military forces pushed forward.

"Move towards the east passage of the palace!" Carth yelled and lead the passengers of the shuttle to the far side of the landing pad. They put the shuttle in between themselves and the Onderons for cover and sprinted to the palace corridors. Bastila was left behind with Otis to cover their escape. Once everyone had started down the corridor, the Mandalorian in the dull gray armor and the Jedi sprinted down towards the rest of the passengers. At the end of the corridor, two royal guards emerged.

"Vaklu's forces have started to penetrate the palace from all sides. We need to get to the queen, follow me." One of the royal guards said as he waved the passengers to follow him.

"It was nice of him to wait until we showed up." Canderous said sarcastically.

"We believe he intends to capture or kill queen Talia. We need all our forces there. Have you brought the Jedi?" The royal guard asked as everyone followed at a fast pace.

"She's at the back." Mandalore pointed at the very end of corridor. The guard nodded and stopped at a sealed door along the wall. There was a security console on the side. He began typing in codes and allowing a digital print to be taken.

"This is the biggest of three inner corridors that lead to the queen's reception hall. We'll need to divide our forces and cover all of them. My men are inside with the queen, that's were she wants the Jedi." He said as the security console finally accepted his prints and opened the bulky door. The corridor was wide and well decorated. There was velvet carpeting along the floors and royal ornaments decorated stone pedestals all along the walls. One of the royal guards ran passed them while the other waited behind to close the door. The corridor was long. At the end of it, a large red curtain covered the view of the queen's reception hall. The guard held up one end of the curtain by pulling on a golden rope. Carth, Bastila and a few Mandalorians entered the hall while all the republican officers waited on the other side to cover them. Mandalore stood idly at the curtain and waited until everyone who wanted to cross to the other side went through. After that, he tore the curtain down and kicked it out of the way.

"I want a clear view of all corridors." He said harshly before running towards Bastila. Carth and the rest of his squad gathered in front of the queen.

"Bastila Shan, I'm so glad you are here. I have been waiting a long time for the traitor Vaklu to make an aggressive move against me. As I have mentioned in my message, I have too few forces to defend my own palace against him." Queen Talia said in concern.

"I will stay with you and protect you as well as I can." Bastila said.

"As will I, your highness." Carth said.

"Team, split up. Cover the east and west halls." Mandalore ordered.

"I will cover the west hall, alone." Otis said only loud enough for Canderous and Bastila to hear.

"Very well. I will remain here with the queen. The rest of you get to the east hall." Canderous said. Right away, the reception hall echoed the loud stomps of the Mandalorian battle boots. On the west side, only the sound of Otis Ordo's boots could be heard. Fortunately, he was met with two other royal guards. Of all the corridors that were being defended, only one still had the red curtain covering it. Canderous had ordered the royal guards to tear them all down, but he figured Otis must have ordered this one to be left alone. Canderous was confident whatever happened in the east wing would stay in the east wing and so he didn't give it any more thought. The main passage was the south passage; the one they all came through. The battle at the end of that hallway already started. Carth's team stood at its end, firing down both directions of its perpendicular hall at the forces that made their way towards the door. The military officers that had sliced in the security console to open the large blast door were cut down by republican blaster fire within an instance. After a few more seconds, however, it became too dangerous for Carth's men to cover both sides of the hall. They stepped back down the south hallway and prepared themselves for the infiltrators to appear. There was a long pause. Anxiety filled the air. The queen and her escorts looked down the south passage and looked and the republican troops crouch perfectly still, waiting for the enemy to show. A small dark cylinder could be seen peering around the corner and begin to fire blind shots in every direction down the south corridor. No one was hit, but it caused much confusion and useless retaliatory fire. Onderon's forces used that distraction to storm into the hallway from both sides. There was much fire and counter-fire. The republican troops tried their best to remain still, but they were soon overrun and killed. Many blaster bolts cut down the ones that tried to back down the hallway, as they were easy prey. When all the friendly troops were killed, the enemy moved in and down the hallway towards the large reception hall. Mandalore, Carth and the many royal guards were in position, waiting for the enemy to approach the end of the hall. A few well-aimed shots sprung out of the queen's defense within an instant and the closest Onderon troopers were killed. There was return fire from the officers that were just behind them. Bastila stepped down, ignited her yellow blade and deflected the stray bolts that could have been dangerous to the people behind her. People died on each side of the bottleneck of the south hallway. Mandalore, Carth and three royal guards were left standing when quiet broke out. The south hallway was left steaming and littered with corpses. Soon after, a battle broke down in the east hallway. The Mandalorians skillfully stopped the enemy forces in their track. Suddenly, more enemies entered the south passage. They walked slowly at the very end. There were four of them. Two of them were not Onderons.

"The Sith are coming." Mandalore said as he recognized the two center figures. They were two Dark-Jedi carrying their lightsabers. Two Onderon officers escorted them. They staggered down the south passage with malign.

"Take cover. Wait until they are out of the corridor." Bastila shouted. Canderous and Carth stepped back from the opening and retreated towards the Jedi. The three royal guards soon followed. Bastila stood in the center, between Carth and Canderous. Behind them, the three royal guards formed a wall in front of queen Talia. The two Dark-Jedi activated their blades and provided cover for the two gunmen next to them. Bastila attempted the same. Once Carth and Canderous found their weapons to be ineffective against the two twirling blades, they stepped closer behind Bastila. The Jedi summoned the force and attempted to push away the intruders in a wave of her hand. The two Dark-Jedi countered the gesture and paused in their steps. The room was suddenly silent.

"Give yourself to us Jedi, and no harm will come to the queen." One of the Dark-Jedi proposed.

"But General Vaklu wants…" One of the Onderon military officers began.

"Be quiet!" The other Dark-Jedi spat. Mandalore and Carth attempted to use the distraction to send a few more laser bolts at the two gunmen but they were deflected once again by the two crimson swords.

"I will never surrender to the Sith." Bastila said confidently.

"Reconsider! You are surrounded on all sides. There are more of us. We will take what we want!" The Dark-Jedi yelled. Bastila tried to sense the presence of more Sith in the palace the moment she had encountered the two that walked the south hallway. There was much confusion but it was possible that there were more of them waiting to gain entrance. She had made a stand earlier and would not falter even if what the Sith said was not a bluff.

"I will sooner die than surrender to you!" Bastila shouted as she launched herself on the two Dark-Jedi. As they were both busy defending against Bastila's blade, Canderous Ordo and Carth Onasi didn't hesitate to attack the two Onderon soldiers. They did not expect the Jedi to rush into battle. They were caught by surprise and both of them suffered lethal wounds from Bastila's escorts.

"Let's give them some space." Carth said to his Mandalorian friend.

"Just like old times, right Carth?" Canderous said as he stepped aside from the lightsaber battle. Bastila was aggressive. She had learned so much from her encounter with the apparition of the Dark Lord. Revan had displayed grace and cunning even in a simple duel. A pair of Dark-Jedi would not have her. They taunted her and tried to intimidate her with crude methods. She hated them, in the past. Now she only pitied them. They had no leader, no hope for the future. Bastila had everything, including more discipline with her blade. She breathed fast and deep while keeping her face expressionless.

"Give yourself to the dark…" One of the two Dark-Jedi started before feeling the burning pain of a lightsaber blade pierce through his lung. Bastila had been waiting for this moment. The Dark-Jedi that pursued her had always showed interest in conversation. They also all seemed to gather their strength and focus to speak instead use them for battle. It was as though they attempted to use the force to reinforce their words. Bastila knew that had no effect on her. She owed it to the force bond she shared with Revan. In the last duel she had with them, she had merely observed their action. This time she knew how to take advantage of them. As one of the two Dark-Jedi took a moment to collect his power and focus in the force to allow himself to be heard, Bastila shuffled to his side without making a disturbance and lunged at him the moment he started to speak. She pulled out her blade as swiftly as she had inserted it and stepped back to defend against the other Dark-Jedi. Filled with confidence and energy, Bastila made quick work of the last Dark-Jedi. She attacked quickly as she had against Kavar and his dual lightsabers. The Dark-Jedi was cut to pieces, severed arms and pierced belly. He dropped lifeless to the floor. The first Dark-Jedi she attacked was still alive, struggling to breath. Bastila quickly hovered to him.

"Who sent you here?" Bastila asked as she threatened him with her blade. The Dark-Jedi was not able to respond, his face was turning blue and his struggles were subsiding.

"Tell me!" She thrust her blade even closer to his neck. The Dark-Jedi stared at her humming blade blankly. He said nothing. He simply held off until his mind shut down.

"He's dead Bastila." Carth said as he looked at Bastila hold her blade close the corpse.

"You saved the queen and averted the trap, congratulations, but we should go before everyone knows you're here. After all, it's you they want." Mandalore told the Jedi.

"What about Vaklu? We still haven't reversed the situation here." Bastila said as she left the corpse on the floor and turned to the queen and her remaining escorts.

"Vaklu failed his assault on the Palace, for now, that should buy the Onderons more time to doubt his capabilities. I'm sure this will play in favor of the queen." Canderous said while looking at queen Talia, who left her guards and approached her rescuers.

"That is true. Vaklu made a fool of himself this day and his treasury will be known to all." The queen agreed.

"As much as I would appreciate continued Jedi support, I'm afraid that will draw more unwanted attention from the Sith." Talia clarified after a brief pause.

"Why do they want to capture you anyway?" Talia asked Bastila with surprise.

"They believe I'm the only one left who can lead them, other than Revan. At the very least, they believe I can lead them to him." Bastila said.

"Revan? I thought he had been killed by Malak." The queen was puzzled.

"It's a long story, your highness. However, you might know him by the name of Arman Clash." Carth explained.

"Yes, the Jedi who has destroyed the Sith factory and Malak with it." Talia said.

"That was Revan: He killed his old apprentice and destroyed the starforge… and rescued Bastila." Canderous specified as he looked at the quiet Jedi with the yellow lightsaber.

"I'm not of any use to you here, your highness. I have to roam the galaxy in shadow to avoid the Sith assassins. Perhaps another Jedi who is not so easily tracked could be of more assistance." Bastila said regrettably.

"I did not mean to put you in danger and I will not repeat this mistake. I did not know this was your situation." Talia apologized.

"You would have been killed. You made the right choice, but perhaps next time, it would be best to deal directly with the republic." Bastila said as she finally disengaged her yellow blade. She caught the sight of the Mandalorians approaching from both sides. On the west side, Otis Ordo walked back alone, blaster in hand, looking mighty tough.

"Did everything go well?" Canderous asked him as he approached.

"Nothing I couldn't handle, Mandalore." Otis replied coolly.

"Mandalore? I've heard you were bringing mercenaries with you but Mandalore…" Queen Talia turned to Carth in puzzlement.

"We would all prefer if you could keep that to yourself your highness. The Mandalorians have vowed not to interfere in Onderon's affairs after the war and we plan on doing just that." Canderous explained.

"Very well, no one will know you were here. I just don't understand how we are all here together now." Talia said.

"That's also a long story. For now you could say we are all trying very hard to work together and make things better for us all." Mandalore explained.

"I appreciate that. It takes great initiative to set aside your differences and collaborate as you do. I couldn't be more proud of the republic. If only I could share this confidence with my people." Queen Talia said worriedly.

"It's not too late your highness. The republic will continue to provide you with whatever support you need to see this through." Carth said.

"Thank you Captain. Thank you all. I will not forget this day." Talia said graciously and bowed.

"We should go now. Vaklu will continue to have support from the Sith for as long as you stay here. If we leave now, he will be on his own and the queen will have a much better chance at striking back." Mandalore said to the Jedi. Bastila nodded in agreement. Canderous gathered his remaining forces and walked towards the south passage. Carth soon followed.

"I suppose I will not be seeing you at Master Kavar's funeral?" Queen Talia asked her young Jedi savior.

"I'm afraid not." Bastila shook her head in regret.

"Perhaps another time then. I am looking forward to knowing how this alliance of yours will play out." Talia said.

"My alliance?" Bastila asked without thinking.

"Was it not you who brought the Mandalorians and the Republic together?" Talia asked.

"No. That was Carth." Bastila confessed.

"They seem to look to you, both of them. It would not surprise me if you were the only reason they are together." Talia observed. Bastila was surprise she had missed it. Carth had intended to hire Mandalorians as aid to keep her safe. The fact the it was Canderous that he asked seemed to be all that made it possible, but given her recent conversations with the Mandalorian, she wasn't sure if it was Carth he wanted to aid or if it was her.

"Perhaps you're right. I must leave now, queen." Bastila said before she bowed, turned around and left.