Chapter 47 – Return to Mandalore part 2
Ever since coming out of his meditation Tarre had seemed very calm and collected. Ezra and Sabine were sitting down, their heads down and fingers intertwined with each other's, while Ahsoka was standing close to Tarre. Balthazar was fiddling with his mould, Zeb cleaning his bo-rifle. Tarre noticed the dried tear tracks on Ahsoka's face. He pulled her in private to ask about what was bothering her, but she said nothing merely looked at him with sad eyes, the same sad eyes when she had first accessed his datapad.
Realization dawned on Tarre's face and he mouthed wordlessly, "Balthazar." Ahsoka nodded at this and gently caressed the bandage on Tarre's neck, who took her hand in his and connected with her. She felt his calm wash over and his reassurance, that he was alright. A moment later, they had walked back into the common area, along with Satine Kryze who had a cup of water in her hand. She noticed the two of them, and formed a conclusion by connecting dots in her mind with Ahsoka's earlier reaction. She even briefly smiled but said nothing, merely acknowledging them. A minute later, Chopper rolled in, beeping "We will reach Mandalore in an hour."
"Can we go over this crazy plan again?", Zeb asked once they were all in the room.
"Chopper will stay in the ship, keeping the Ghost ready in case things go the way they usually do. Tarre will go the palace and keep that thing occupied, while the rest of us will rescue the prisoners, lead them to the Temple-Outpost. Once there Balthazar will use the teleportation spell and get the people of Mandalore off world.", Sabine said after a moment.
"How many would we be able to rescue, before those giants or something worse cut us down to pieces.", Zeb asked, he like others (except Tarre and Balthazar) was unsure of this plan.
"You need to hold out until Thor's reinforcements arrive.", Tarre signed and was interpreted by Balthazar.
"How do we know when they are arriving or if they are arriving?", Zeb asked.
"Garazeb Orrelios, if we keep focusing on such details then we wouldn't be able to do anything. I trust that reinforcements will arrive sooner than expected. You must trust as well.", Satine said with an even tone. Tarre was scratching the bandage on his neck and wincing slightly.
Ezra smiled at this and said, "We liberated Lothal under similar circumstances. We can do this Zeb."
"Yeah, but you called the purrgil for help.", Sabine said frowning.
"Hey that's not a bad idea. Maybe we can do the same again.", Ezra chimed.
"It is a bad idea. The frost giants hunt purrgil for fun. Do not underestimate them. Until reinforcements arrive, we must stick to our plan Ezra.", Balthazar spoke shaking his head. Ezra frowned slightly and looked down. Tarre was looking at all of them.
"Help will arrive. Until then, we have a job to do. Trust yourselves, trust each other and trust the force.", Tarre spoke slowly and hoarsely. They all nodded at this.
As Hera and Kanan entered Fenrir's mind they heard a multitude of voices layered upon each other and saw only white light. Most of it was incomprehensible, but what they could understand were phrases, one in a woman's voice 'YOU BREAK EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH', another 'It's alright I've got you my son', 'KILL ME', 'I can't believe you'.
As the light and the voices faded, they found themselves in an empty dojo. "Hera, Kanan can you hear me?", the two heard Bor's voice and answered "Yes"
"Look for a door, but be careful and mindful. There is something else with you, it may be a memory but I can't be sure.", Bor voice rang through them.
"Thanks for the heads up.", Hera said sarcastically.
Bor laughed, "You really are your father's daughter."
The two only saw only one door and Kanan said, "This feels like the Jedi temple on Lothal."
Hera smiled, shook her head and said sarcastically, "Well dear, our family seems to have a lot to do with Jedi temples." As they both started walking towards the door and opened it, there was another light. After it subsided, they found themselves on an island and in front of them was the single most terrifying creature they had ever laid eyes on. Hera started to scream but Kanan quickly placed his hand on her mouth. After Hera regained her composure, she saw that the creature was shaped like a giant wolf, covered in chains and its eyes were closed. She could hear it breathing and the smell it gave off, was more repugnant than Zeb's clothes on laundry day.
"Keep away from it.", came Bor's silent advice to them. Complying they both looked for another door. Finding one away from the wolf, they set out again with the same process repeating itself, but a completely different room came up.
In this one, they saw a memory of Fenrir on the ground grappling with a beautiful human woman with completely black eyes and a petite figure. There was a knife in his hands.
As they got closer, they heard the woman taunting him, "Is that all little godling? Do you really think you can save her this way?" Fenrir's emotions could be sensed by them, comprising of hate and rage. His face was contorted in a fury that didn't match his personality.
"You let her go, you hear me. Let her go.", Fenrir said, his voice almost sounding like a plea.
"Let her go?", the woman asked, "There is only one way this will end." She then grabbed Fenrir's knife arm and plunged the knife deep into her chest, right in her heart. As the knife entered the woman's heart, a malicious laughter echoed through the room, along with Fenrir's scream "NO". Then black smoke came out of the woman's mouth, her black eyes now turning into kind brown eyes, blood spilling out of her wound landing on Fenrir's face. She coughed a bit more of blood and said "Fenrir", in a voice completely opposite to the one they heard before, before collapsing on top of Fenrir going completely limp. Fenrir cradled her and they all saw that the woman had died, with tears now flowing down his blood covered face, Fenrir wailed.
Tarre Viszla stood in front of his statue with a knife ready in his hands and his helmet on the ground. He was prepared to do whatever it took to protect his home world, as a former ruler of Mandalore. He had failed before, but not this time. As he brought the knife upwards, one image went before his eyes – Ahsoka.
The teleportation spell now active, the ground crew was transported by Balthazar to the first prison complex, being guarded by two frost giants in the capital of Sundari.
"Ugh, these guys are uglier in person.", Zeb commented.
"Get to the prisoners. Stay low.", Balthazar said as they started sneaking about. His eyes were darting everywhere, trying to detect the presence of some unknown creature or devil. A few moments later, Ahsoka's eyes momentarily widened in shock and she turned to face Balthazar. "I sense it too.", he said before she could say anything.
"What?", Ezra asked.
"One of those beings who attacked us on Shili.", Ahsoka answered.
"Signal me when you have broken the prisoners out of here. Arm them if you can.", Balthazar started to turn, he then stopped and said, "Oh and you can use the force to enchant their weapons.", he then disappeared.
"Could have told us before.", Zeb grumbled then started to move after Sabine shoved him. The giants suddenly got into fighting stances. One of them started sniffing the air. There was a yellow flash of light in front of them. Once the flash disappeared, they saw a man in yellow armour and Ahsoka recognized him as the one who had very nearly killed Echo on Shili.
"Well, what is it?", the man said so slowly that Sabine asked, "Is he drunk or drugged?"
"Doesn't matter, we need to move.", Satine said. The others nodded to this as they heard one of the giants answer, "I smell angel." They kept moving and reached the prison cells. As Sabine sliced the doors open, the giants were alerted. They then turned towards the rescue group, but before they could do anything, there was a deafening boom and one the giants had a fallen to the ground. In front of the giant was Balthazar, who was taunting it, raising two fingers in a come at me gesture.
In the palace, the man with Manda'lor's mask on sat on his recently acquired throne, in a meditative state. Behind him was Bo Katan suspended in a stasis field. Laufey stood by his side, and Sakazuki – the man with red armour stood at his other side. Sakazuki's commlink beeped, he answered it and heard the man in the yellow armour – Borsalino saying that the prisoners were escaping.
"Do what you will. Those prisoners are unimportant. Let them escape if they can.", the man in the throne chimed. He then turned to Laufey and said, "I have honoured my end of the bargain."
Laufey nodded and said, "Yes, this world will do nicely.", then turned towards Sakazuki and said, "Tell Baldur that his debt has been paid. The frost giants will aid Lucifer now."
The man's head snapped towards the door and he said in a very excited tone, "He is here."
There was a flash of lightning, the boom of thunder in the room and Bo Katan felt her surroundings change. She was no longer in the throne room, but now in the abandoned Temple-Outpost, she quickly recognized. At her feet was a note saying, "Wait for the others. Make your escape with them", in Mando'a. As she read the note, she felt her eyes roll to the top her head and her mind slipping into the unconscious.
Back in the palace, Tarre Vizsla stood in front of his opponents, completely in Mandalorian armour and helmet. "I have waited for this moment for the last 3 centuries and I will relish this so very much.", the masked menace spoke.
"King Laufey, order your soldiers to kill the escaped prisoners.", the man said. As he said that a frost giant came flying in the throne room, landing on its back, with a hole in its chest, dead at the spot.
"You came with reinforcements?", the man asked Tarre incredulously. Tarre gave no answer to this. The man then laughed and asked, "How did it feel when Samhain took you to the chopping block?"
As the prisoners were being led by the rescue group, they were flanked by 5 giants. "Great rescue Sabine", Tristan Wren grumbled, being one of the prisoners, also supporting the barely conscious Fenn Rau. He was then smacked on top of his head by Ursa Wren, his mother.
"Okay people, scatter. You know our destination, get there in one piece.", Sabine yelled. Before anybody could move, Ezra gasped and said, "What in the force?", looking at the tall statue behind the giants. The others gasped as well. "It is the statue of Tarre Viszla.", Ursa spoke clearly shocked. The statue then plunged its sword in the chest of one of the frost giants, picked it up and threw it in the air, towards the palace. It then swung its sword in a wide arc, chopping off the heads of the other 4 giants.
"Well Ezra, this sure beats Purrgil.", Zeb said. Ezra gave a weak laugh. The group then started moving, and they saw a flash of red lightning hit the palace, causing a deafening boom.
Back in the palace, fighting had started. Tarre had his hands full with the masked menace and Sakazuki, so much so that he didn't realize when the masked menace had called forth red (cosmic) lightning down on him. He barely dodged and started his counterattack. He was suddenly frozen in place by King Laufey, who then force pushed him outside the palace. It happened so fast that Tarre crash landed in front of the group heading towards the Temple-Outpost, with the crash slightly opening his neck wound. He sensed that the statue was active. Mjolnir was a few feet away from.
He then got up, turned towards the statue and said, "Escort them to the Temple.", in a hoarse voice, forcing himself to speak in a normal speed instead of speaking slowly. He noticed the shocked and scared expressions on the faces of the others and through the force, he reached out to Ahsoka, "Go. I will keep them occupied.", he conveyed though the force.
Before anyone could move, they were suddenly surrounded by even more frost giants, with one of them pushing Tarre to the ground with its foot.
"Very valiant of you. Now surrender or watch them both die", King Laufey spoke gesturing towards Tarre and raising the limp and bloodied body of Balthazar in his hand. The Mandalorians and the rescue group put their weapons down reluctantly and got on their knees. "A wise choice, wouldn't you say Lord Nihilus.", Laufey commented to the masked man – Nihilus.
Ezra and Sabine gasped at this. Tarre was barely conscious, while Nihilus paid no attention to this. He was standing before Mjolnir, kneeling down he grasped the handle of the hammer with one hand. He was unable to pick it up so he tried to hands, still nothing. He then put his weight on his feet, grabbed the handle with both arms and grunted, still to no avail. He then screamed, "Yield to your new master. I will have your power." The hammer then lifted off the ground and flew straight into Tarre's hand. As it reached his hand, he used it to unleash a lightning blast at the giant with the foot on him. The statue followed his lead and started attacking the Frost Giants, and so did the group that had just surrendered. Raising the hammer above his head, Tarre called forth lightning from the sky and sent it hurtling at the frost giants, Nihilus and Sakazuki, forcing them back. Tarre signalled his statue to get the rescued group out of here, and it complied. The lightning blast was enough to jolt Balthazar to consciousness and he joined his friend as they both engaged the enemy.
As the rescue group, being forced by Tarre's statue headed towards the Temple-Outpost, they suddenly saw a bright flash of light appear before them and launched several energy blasts at them. The blasts didn't seem to affect the statue. Ahsoka yelled at them to get out of there as she and Ezra used their lightsabres to deflect the energy blasts back at the source. The flash of light then transformed into a big wall of energy obstructing their path, with the yellow armoured man now standing before them. As he was about to say something, his head snapped upwards and the expression on his face could be described as pure fear. Soon they all followed his gaze as they heard an ethereal sound coming from above and a bright light nearing the planet. "Get clear of it", Ahsoka yelled. As the group started running in the opposite direction, the bright light impacted the planet's surface, the shockwave caused threw them all to the ground, even the statue. As they looked at the bright light, they realized it to be a rainbow, and once it completely disappeared, they saw that there was another army on the planet, being led by a tall dark-haired man. "Apologies for the delay.", he said in a casual manner. He was being flanked by another dark-haired man, who was a bit shorter than him.