Chapter: 11 A Changed World

Vala had almost completely forgotten Ahsoka Tano. The last time she'd sen her, the Togruta Jedi was lecturing her back on Mandalore. Vala knew she shouldn't be surprised with the situation. After all, the Mandalorians had always been at war with the Jedi. Peace hadn't existed between them for thousands of years. Even the Clone Wars could not stop the rising, abhorrent blood feud. Whatever Jedi crusade Ahsoka embarked on now came to a cruel end. Vala watched as Death Watch warriors dragged Ahsoka through the snow. Others booed her from a distance.

Vizsla landed in front of his tent. "Bring her in!" he barked with a swing of his arm.

"With pleasure!" cheered Zal as he and another warrior fired their whipcords to further entangle Ahsoka. "I've always wanted to wrangle myself a Jedi!"

They pulled her into the tent just as Bo-Katan landed. "What's all this about?" Vala asked.

Bo-Katan pointed at a young, brown-haired man. "Seems like our contact wasn't all he made himself out to be. He brought a damn Jedi with him, and now we're going to make her pay." Vala bit her lip and narrowed her brows. "You alright?" asked the lieutenant.

"Yeah," Vala sighed. "It's just that...I know her." Bo-Katan's eyes widened and Vala was quick to defend herself. "But not as a friend. She was a guest speaker back at the academy of leadership."

Bo-Katan sneered. "The lengths Jedi will go to push Satine's pacifist poison. If you ask me, the only good Jedi is a dead one. They claim to be heroes, yet they serve a corrupt government. At least in the days of old, the Jedi acted solely on the council's decree. Now even that respect is tarnished, and the Jedi bend over backwards for anything the Republic desires. While Death Watch has gone through similar struggles with this 'New Mandalorian' initiative, at least we are willing to fight back. This is why, in the end...it will be us who outlive the Jedi. Mark my words."

"So what will become of Ahsoka?" asked Vala.

The lieutenant shot Vala a morbid glare. One far more chilling than the blizzard around them. She turned away and led Vala into Vizlsa's tent. Ahsoka was restrained on her knees in the center of the room. Zal and three other warriors kept a firm grip on their whipcords. Vizsla stood helmetless in front of her. Vala eyed the a worried young man beside him. She wondered where Evrus was.

Vizsla turned to the captive youth. "Now, Lux Bonteri. This does not look good. This does not look good at all. I asked you to join us in good faith, and you bring a Jedi into our camp."

Vala and Bo-Katan stood at Vizsla's side. The boy, Lux, began to speak. "She wasn't meant to be here. Please, let her go!"

Vizsla plucked his darksaber from his jetpack. "I'm afraid that's not an option." Vala eyed the blade's hilt in his malicious grasp. The thought of Dee being impaled by the weapon stung her mind. Only Vizsla's bellowing voice could pry her from her flashback. "The Jedi are no different from Dooku and this one shall pay in part for their crimes against Mandalore." He ignited his blade. "So you see, it's not murder at all." He raised the darksaber and Ahsoka shut her eyes. Vizsla's brows furrowed and he grit his teeth. "It's justice!"

Before he could deliver a killing blow, a blue and white R2 droid came rolling into the tent. It bleeped and chirped while erratically spraying smoke. Vala and Bo-Katan stepped away from the shrouding mist. "Restrain her!" ordered Vizsla. Zal and the other three men closed in on Ahsoka. The R2 unit opened its frontward compartments and delivered two lightsabers to the Jedi.

"Thanks buddy!" she exclaimed before leaping into the air. She ignited her lightsabers, so that the green and yellow blade spiraled as she did. In a swift flash of light, her blades severed every wire attached to her. It wasn't until Vala heard yelps of agony that she realized much more had been severed. Ashoka came to a swift landing just as the four men around her fell dead. Each of their helmeted, still-sizzling heads went rolling off in the process. Vala's heart sank when she saw Zal's helmet coming to a stop. Vala saw so much more in that lifeless visor. She saw a proud elder. One who had helped her forge a helmet and had become a good friend. Now, like Carden and Dee, he too was taken from her. A fit of rage came over her. With it came memories of the fallen, each strung together like a collage of angst in her mind. The same anger Vala once had for Ahsoka in the classroom now quadruplified to insurmountable levels. She furiously readied her wrist-mounted laser and Bo-Katan was quick to join her.

Ahsoka readied herself for battle when Vizsla yelled, "Stop!" He flourished his darksaber. "The Jedi is mine!" Vala watched the vicious duel between two people she hated. Each had taken the life of someone dear to her. Now both their lives hung in the balance between each other's lightsabers. Black clashed with green, then with yellow. Vala's trigger finger tapped the side of her pistol. It took all of her willpower to keep herself from blasting Ahsoka. There were even moments in which she considered shooting Vizsla. He kicked Ahsoka out of the tent, leading the warriors to give chase.

Vala and her comrades found themselves facing an army of foes when they emerged from the tent. The R2 unit had fixed all of the droids in the scrap tent, and they now stood to defend Ahsoka. While Vizsla dueled the Jedi, the rest of his forces battled the incoming droids. Vala jetpacked through the air and then blasted a droid in the chest. An explosion sounded, and Vala turned to see Vizsla tumbling across the snow. Ahsoka, her friend Lux, and the R2 unit escaped in a landspeeder. "After them!" barked Vizsla in his stupor. "Don't let them escape!"

Bo-Katan launched into the sky with two of her Nite Owls. "Finish the droids and protect Vizsla!" she ordered.

Vala rolled her eyes at the latter command and proceeded to blast away at the droids. While the bots were fully operational, their hasty reassembly made them weak and lumbering. Vala was easily able to evade their lackadaisical laser bolts and outflank them. She and the other warriors reclaimed the camp's perimeter, shooting down any droid that strayed outward. Vala holstered her pistol and prepped her wrist blaster. She pressed down on the trigger, sending a powerful yellow laser sizzling through a B2 super battle droid. The burly, heavyset droid was the same one she helped Dee reassemble long ago. Now the once marvelous machine was trying to murder its co-creator. Vala grabbed her blaster and unloaded several bolts into the droid's powerful shield. The unfazed droid returned fire, forcing Vala to take cover behind one of the tents. "Dammit, Dee!" she growled while shooting. "Why'd you have to be so smart?"

The super battle droid marched forward and its lasers burned holes in the tent. Vala stayed down and kept a firm grip on her Westar-35. She closed her eyes and listened deeply, awaiting the sound of the droid's steel feet. She heard the snow crunching closer and closer to her. "Steady," she reminded herself. "Steady." Another cluster of snow crunched beneath the droid's might. "Now!" Vala bolted upwards, screeched like an angry acklay, and rapidly fired at the droid. She kept blasting, hoping that one of her lasers would finally weaken the droid's shield. One of the droid's shots beamed across Vala's shoulder, scorching her armor with a black streak. She staggered back with a blast from her pistol. Luckily, the shot was enough to dissipate the droid's shield. She smirked and took aim. "Gotcha." She pulled the trigger, only to hear a fizzing sound emanate from the gun's muzzle. A trail of smoke snaked out and Vala hissed when the trigger burnt her finger. She dropped her pistol and cooled her hand in the snow. "Overheated? Are you kidding me?!"

Vala looked up as the droid took aim at her. It started to fire when a lone laser blasted its head clean off. The defeated bot collapsed forward revealing Evrus standing behind it. He gripped a smoking blaster carbine with a sniper attachment. "It's alright, Vala." he said. "It's me, Evrus."

"The wampa horns give it away," grumbled Vala.

Evrus caressed the sharp trophies on his helmet. "You're welcome."

"For what?"

Evrus pointed his blaster at the scrapped droid. "For saving your life."

"I had it under control."

"Tell that to your overheated pistol. You know, my rifle would never do that under pressure."

Vala rose to her feet. "Well I guess we can't all get fancy toys from Daddy Vizsla now can we?"

Evrus tsked. "Still ungrateful, I see." He eyed Vizsla approaching him and saluted. "Droids disabled, sir."

Much to Evrus' surprise, Vizsla grabbed him by the throat and yanked him close. "Where. Were. You?" he interrogated.

"Sir?" worried Evrus."

He tightened his grip on Evrus' neck. "Where were you when the Jedi escaped? I needed you at my side!"

Vala raised a brow as Evrus stuttered. "Well...I was...I was..."

"Out with it!" barked Vizsla.

"I was hunting!"

Vizsla glared at him. "Hunting?" Evrus hurriedly nodded and Vizsla released him. "Well while you were out hunting game, the real prey got away! And now we're down four men!"

"Make that five," grieved Bo-Katan. She and one of her Nite Owls rocketed back to camp. "The Togruta Jedi was stronger than we anticipated. She got away."

"Jedi filth," sneered Vizsla. He gave Evrus a shove. "This is your fault."

Vala watched as Evrus hung his head and departed for his tent. She then felt Bo-Katan's hand on her shoulder. "Good work dispatching those droids."

"But at what cost?" she asked. "Zal and the others didn't deserve that fate." Vala cringed, vividly recalling the sight of Zal's helmet rolling across the floor.

"The Jedi are a treacherous lot," said Bo-Katan. "I'd give my own life before I allied myself with one of them." She thought on the deaths of her comrades. "We need to make the Jedi pay. All of them. Understood?"

"Wholeheartedly."

Bo-Katan removed her helmet and smirked. "That's why I like you, Vala."

Vala saluted her lieutenant and returned to her tent. She spent the entire night wriggling and tossing across her cot. She imagined herself fighting stopping Ahsoka before Zal's death, or blasting the Jedi temple with explosives. She thought of her favorite scenario, in which she and the rest of Death Watch stormed the palace of Mandalore and overthrew Duchess Satine. Yet amidst all of her thoughts, she was most pensive about Evrus. Even a faulty interrogation droid could prove that he was lying to Vizsla. Vala could only hope the leader could figure it out as well. But if Evrus wasn't hunting during the attack...where was he?

"Where was he?" Vala asked herself. The question plagued at her mind, making her shift profusely in bed. As she switched sides, she eyed her helmet and the range finder attached to it. The sight triggered the answer she so desperately sought. Learning the truth about Evrus would require her to perform some reconnaissance. So Vala waited, yielding a few days to let things around the camp return to normal. When the time was right, Vala emerged from her tent and jetpacked to hill overlooking the camp. She propped herself in a cherry blossom tree and used her range finder to scan Evrus' tent. Hours passed, and Evrus was either in his tent or practicing shooting outside. It was not until sundown that Vala spotted Evrus slipping out of his tent. His head zipped from side to side, assuring himself that no one was watching.

"I've got you now," Vala whispered. She gently slid out of the tree and cautiously tailed Evrus. He ventured far out of camp, trekking northeast until he entered a thick, entangling woodland. Vala kept close to the trees, using them to screen her movements. Not once did she take her eyes off of her target. Evrus took a final, precarious glance behind him and then entered an ice cave. Vala dropped into the snow, laying prone and adjusting the settings on her range finder. She increased focus and altered the lighting to combat the cave's darkness.

Evrus' silhouette lightened, and Vala watched as he removed several stones from his satchel. "What the hell are you doing?" Evrus spaced out each stone until he was encircled by them. He then sat crosslegged, shut his eyes, and breathed deeply. An eerie silence followed, and Vala heard her heart thunder with anticipation. As she painstakingly awaited the result of whatever Evrus was doing, her comlink rang. The bleep was sharp and clamorous. Vala took her eyes off Evrus and rushed to answer the call.

Her finger bashed the button and Bo-Katan's voice came on. "Vala? Where are you?"

"Um...I'm...scouting." Vala hit her head as punishment for such a stupid answer.

"Scouting what?" snapped the lieutenant. Vala bit her lip as her mind raced to come up with some farfetched ploy. She was utterly relieved when Bo-Katan said, "Forget it. It doesn't matter. One of our Kom'rk ships has traced a smuggling transport that's orbiting Carlac's atmosphere. You're needed for a supply raid."

"Copy that," replied Vala. Suddenly, Evrus rushed out of the cave, forcing Vala to take cover. "He must've gotten the same order," Vala grumbled to herself. "Oh joy." She rushed back from an alternative route, thinking it best to avoid any link to Evrus. When Vala arrived back at camp, she found Bo-Katn and Vizsla awaiting her. Evrus emerged from his tent, now fully suited in his dark armor. Vala stood at attention and he was quick to join her.

Vizsla stepped forward. "Supplies is crucial to the sustainability of our efforts. The nearby smuggling ship is surely filled with goods we can use. We've lost some good troops, and I can't afford to lose anymore. Evrus, I know you can handle whatever is thrown at you."

"As can Vala," assured Bo-Katan.

Vizsla humored her with a nod. "This is why both of you have been chosen for this raid." Vala was grateful her helmet hid her disgusted face. "A pilot will escort you into orbit. Once he disables the ship, you two will board and retrieve the cargo. I'd like to believe you are Death Watch's finest. Prove me right."

"Just like the good old days," chuckled Evrus.

"Shut up," snapped Vala.

The duo boarded the Kom'rk and strapped in. Vala clenched the arms of her seat while engines rumbled. She didn't expect to feel so nauseous on takeoff, not again. She removed her helmet, giving her sweaty self a chance to really breath. Vala's stomach churned as the Kom'rk spiraled through the planet's atmosphere. She shut her eyes and grit her teeth, hoping the sickening sensations would leave her soon. Instead, yet another repulsive feeling snaked its way to her.

Evrus clenched her hand. "It's alright. We'll level out soon."

Vala angrily retracted. "Spare me your pity."

"I'm just trying to comfort you."

"I don't need anything you have to offer."

Evrus huffed. "What's wrong, Vala? Why do you treat me like this? We used to be so close."

"Are you really so blind?"

"What are you talking about?"

Vala sneered. "Dammit, Evrus. You can't shut off people from your life whenever you damn well please and then recall them when you're lonely."

Evrus shook his head. "Now I have always respected you-"

"No you haven't," intoned Vala. "You've started to because I'm not the weak, clueless mind you once taught how to shoot. The same girl you abandoned in the prison. The one you refused to acknowledge when Vizsla made you his lapdog."

"You feel I abandoned you."

"And Dee," jeered Vala. "You abandoned her too, may she rest in peace." Evrus remained silent as Vala reflected on her deceased friend. She shook her head. "You were the strongest of the three of us, yet you did nothing to keep us safe. Not once did you defend us, nor did you offer assistance. You swept yourself up under another mentor and left us to be shunned. But now...just because I'm trained and armor-clad like you, you think everything's resolved. Who knows what you're conjuring up in that corrupted mind of yours."

"I did what I had to do to survive,"

"So did Dee," growled Vala. She turned to look at Evrus. "Her blood's as much on your hands as it is on mine."

"Look," said Evrus. "I admit what I did was selfish and wrong. Now that we've both gone through some changes in our lives, let's try to rekindle what we had."

"I bet Dee wishes she could do that."

Every mention of Dee was a dagger to Evrus' ego. He slammed the arm of his chair and yelled, "She died because she was weak! Only the strong survive!"

Vala glared at him. "So much for rekindling."

Evrus tried to cover himself. "Like I said, we've changed."

"I don't think you've ever changed, Evrus. You weren't my friend then, and you aren't now."

Evrus huffed. "I have changed, Vala. I'm...different." Vala pursed her lips as he continued. "Something's...happening to me. I-"

"Target sighted!" announced the pilot. "Prepare for boarding. We are clear to engage!"