Chapter 7

7 BBY — En Route to Geonosis

Din sat in the jump seats of the troop carrier and worked to calm his mind. Once again, he failed.

Din was fidgeting with his blaster with an unsettled feeling in his core, his mind a jumbled mess of thoughts and emotions. He was in a larger deep space ship traveling through the outer rim to Geonosis, and that confinement forced a self-evaluation which hadn't really helped his state of mind.

Paz descended the ladder from the command deck and moved among the Warriors, speaking reassuringly and using his calming presence to full effect. Once his scanners found Din brooding in a corner seat he made his way over to his brother.

Paz and Din had easily agreed that they had to act on the intelligence. If Cassian's transport was only three days overdue this was their one chance to try to catch the construction in action — and stop it. So Mandalore had sent their heaviest ship, with the largest contingent of Warriors it could hold, even though they knew they would be outmatched. They knew that this could be a suicide mission. If they were faced with an enormous weapon of unknown payload, their only hope would be that it was not operational. If it was operational, they had to cause as much damage as they could with everything they had. Din was ready to make that sacrifice, if it meant Cassian — and everyone else he loved — would live one more day.

Paz sat heavily next to Din who barely acknowledged him. "We will be arriving soon. Did you sleep at all recently?"

Din did not reply.

Din's mind was causing him to viscerally feel again the moments after he had laid Cassian on the medic table and looked down at Cassian's face. Din believed in that split second that Cassian was already dead — and he almost lost his mind. Din's visual readouts, however, proved to him immediately that Cassian's heart was beating. But the readouts could not tell Din that Cassian's brain was still functioning, or if Cassian would lose his leg — or if Cassian would ever be himself again. Paz had to wrestle him away from the bed so that the medics could do their jobs.

Paz broke into Din's jumbled thoughts again on the ship to Geonosis, "Please — tell me you ate in the last day," he growled.

Din did not reply.

Din's mind was recalling when the medics spoke to Paz in hushed tones about moving Cassian to Sundari, because Concordia did not have a facility that could manage Cassian's injuries. Paz approved the transfer, and assured Din there was a ward that specifically catered to the Warriors, giving treatment both with and without helmets. They were a trusted resource for generations. Paz told Din that he trusted them more than many more reputable medical facilities on other planets, even though the facility was currently on Mandalore. Din trusted Paz, but he never trusted Mandalore.

Din and Paz personally escorted the medic team through the quick hyperspace jump to Mandalore. Then Paz left to confer with leadership, and Din stayed to watch over Cassian the entire time the healers were treating him. By the time Paz returned to collect Din, the healers were able to confidently reassure Din that Cassian would recover from his ordeal. Din forced Paz to wait, and Din watched as they filled the bacta tank. When Cassian was floating in a dreamless sleep beyond his reach, Din finally lowered his hand from the glass and turned to follow Paz back to the ship.

Din's discomfort only worsened as he walked away from Cassian's room at the hospital. Din tried to pick up the routine of prepping for the mission, but he was distracted — and Paz kept an eye on him during the journey.

Paz leaned back in the jump seat and sighed looking over at his brother. Din had lost close friends and people he loved — but this — was different. Paz mentally tried to tally how much time Din had spent working with Cassian in the last three years and he quickly realized that Din might have grown closer to Cassian than anyone in his entire unit. When you are in leadership in the fighting core, as Din was, more time is spent with subordinates than peers. It had just never occurred to Paz until that moment that Din could have had an entire friendship that had grown outside of what Paz had observed. Paz suddenly felt an enormous swell of sympathy for his brother as he realized exactly how traumatic the experience had to have been for Din.

"Listen," Paz softened his tone, "I need to ask you something that has been bothering me, about why Cassian was in our space without us knowing —"

"— I knew he was undercover seeking to follow the phobium, but I had no way to know where and when. I was shut out," Din interrupted angrily.

Paz nodded, "The Rebellion does not trust us?"

Din shrugged, "Me, us, I don't know. I've never met Cassian's superior officers."

Paz sighed, "Well — if I was Cassian's commander — I would keep top secret mission details from you too."

Din turned sharply to look at Paz.

Paz did not look away, "Din — if I was sending you on a dangerous mission, I would keep that locked down to me, you, Ra and your commander. That is how you keep operatives alive."

Din stared at his brother.

"Now all we can hope is that Cassian recovers quickly enough to make contact with his commander before they declare him missing in action. My Verd'ika will protect and brief Cassian if he wakes before our return," Paz said calmly.

"Stop," Din said gruffly.

"Stop what?" Paz said.

"I'm not one of your men," Din growled.

Paz shrugged, "Fine, you want me to talk like your brother? You did a damn good job. You made impossible decisions involving one of your closest friends in the moment without any hesitation. You got Cassian out alive, and you likely prevented an unfortunate incident between Mandalore and the Rebellion."

Din scoffed, "We haven't spoken to them yet."

Paz was unphased, "So, now — you need to let him forgive you. Because carrying guilt over this will affect your relationship with Cassian. And you will regret it if you don't allow him to forgive us all with honor and move forward — as brothers."

Din felt his anger still pulsing in his temples, but when Paz used the same words as Ra-Velis did after their knife fight as children, some of that anger suddenly ebbed away. Din knew how much Paz cared about having Din's forgiveness for the knife incident, how much closer it brought them, and what Ra had predicted had come true.

Din also knew that Paz was right, the Rebellion had valid reasons for keeping Din outside their decisions. But that did not change the fact that Cassian had suffered because of that decision. And worse, he had suffered at the hands of Mandalorians. The fact that the Mandalorians were also acting within their rights did not help the unsettled feeling in Din's core. But he knew that he was uneasy because this was different — he had been in a position that forced him to hurt Cassian. Even though he had succeeded, Din never wanted to face that situation again. He would die first.

Paz could see Din was still struggling, but he could also see that at least his brother was listening to him.

Din whispered harshly, "This had better be worth it."

The ship dropped out of hyperspace and Din got up to follow Paz to the command deck. The navigator reported to Paz.

"Nothing on long range sensors, Sir. Entering the system now," he said quickly.

Paz nodded and watched the front view window as they neared the planet. Din used the magnification on his own visual display to scan for anything that was unusual, and he worried that the weapon could be cloaked.

Suddenly he saw several orbiting stations that he did not recognize on his visual display.

"What — is that?" Din said quietly.

Paz immediately magnified his own visual scans. "Construction modules, I'm sure of it. Wait — we've been spotted! BATTLE STATIONS!"

Din moved to the Ops station because he was not part of Paz's crew and they had a rhythm for these situations. He would be most useful in trying to gather as much information as he could while Paz and his team were focused on keeping them alive.

In seconds the first shots were exchanged. Din glanced up at the front view and realized that they were going to be overwhelmed very quickly.

Din completed the planetary scan and saw a lot of debris surrounding the construction modules — they had been mostly destroyed, but there was definite Imperial materials and signatures. Yet, there were no significant power sources in orbit, and very few on the planet itself. And there was no indication of a current Imperial presence. So whatever had happened, the Imperials had abandoned the planet.

A crease appeared between Din's brows. So the older officer had given them correct information, but something had changed since their shipment failed to arrive on time...

The Mandalorian ship suddenly lurched as they took a hit from the Geonocians to the starboard engine, and Din was nearly thrown from his chair.

"We are going to have to get out of here!" Paz said loudly.

Din nodded, "Agreed, we have enough scans to know the weapon is not here — but this proves that it was, and the Empire was behind it. Let's go."

Sundari

Din sat quietly in the lower level cafeteria in the hospital. Even utilitarian design on Mandalore still had elegant angles and a bit of glass sculpture to adorn the stark white walls. It was a large open space, but felt like a sterile dungeon because there were no windows and no greenery.

Din observed the way the other Mandalorian citizens steered clear of his table in the corner. Some children stared and pointed. There were few Imperial uniforms walking around, but Din felt their presence. He had not been actively monitored or followed, but every uniformed Imperial noted his location.

Din turned to watch as Cassian approached his table — a little slowly — with a plate that was completely heaped with food. Din's inner turmoil was significantly relieved to see Cassian making such great progress. The healers had commented on how hard Cassian was working on his rehabilitation.

Cassian set down his plate, and sat heavily with a satisfied sigh. Din frowned as he realized Cassian was rubbing his left thigh over the blaster wound Din had given him. Cassian could not see Din's frown because it was hidden behind his helmet. So Cassian was grinning as he looked over at Din, but then his smile faded slightly and he motioned toward the food.

"You don't want — ?"

"Later," Din said quietly.

Cassian nodded, and hesitated awkwardly with a lopsided smile, "I'm starving. I've spent almost the entire time you were gone, since I woke the last four days, in the damn bacta tank —"

"Eat, Cassian — please," Din said encouragingly.

Din watched with satisfaction as Cassian demolished a generous piece of meat dripping with fat, a full cup of vegetables and several helpings of starch.

Cassian had been happy to receive his friend that afternoon, they had not spoken since the prison ship, but now they still had not talked for another fifteen minutes while Cassian plowed through his food. When Cassian finished his drink he wiped his entire face with his napkin and then stroked his trimmed mustache.

"So — when did you grow the 'stache?" Din said, amused.

Cassian looked up at his friend with a slight eye roll, "Got tired of being accused of being twelve."

Din chuckled in response.

Cassian laughed with him, but then his smile faded, "I need to say thank you, Mando. I was in no state to express how much I — I —" Cassian felt his lip tremble slightly and he pressed his lips together, and looked down trying hard to reign in emotions that he had been less able to control after his ordeal.

Din shook his head, "No — no. The Mandalorians, and especially me and my brother, want to express our sincere regret, for what you suffered —"

"You don't have to —" Cassian tried to stop Din, but Din would not listen.

"— You saved my life many times. Now we owe you for what you accomplished with that Imperial," Din lifted his chin toward Cassian

Cassian nodded, still frowning, and cleared his throat, "And what did you find on Geonosis?"

Din paused considering his words, "We have scans that prove the Empire was definitely there, and they were constructing something in orbit. And it was huge, the construction modules were larger than the ones they use to build Star Destroyers. But — we were too late, only the Geonosians were there. There was no Imperial ships, no Imperial personnel — and no weapon."

Cassian's face fell, and he slumped back into his chair. "Did they complete the project?"

Din shook his head, "No. They have not used it. Plus you were bringing materials for construction. It is more likely they moved it. We could not stay long enough to fully investigate. The Geonosians were very displeased we were scanning the construction modules."

Cassian shifted slightly in his chair, "The depot stations that were receiving shipments for the project, like Rampart Station and Desolation Station. Even Tatooine…" Cassian shook his head and stroked his mustache again, "They all surround Geonosis."

"Your people need to get on the ground and look closer," Din said.

Cassian rubbed his eyes, "That may be harder than you realize. If there was a target, General Draven would be all in. But if they've moved the target, he will have no interest in talking to the Geonosians."

Din watched as Cassian's brain worked.

Cassian's eyes were distant, "If I send Draven there, it will be a slaughter," he looked over at Din with tears in his eyes. "I have to come up with another option for him."

Din nodded.

Cassian looked up at the ceiling, "I've worked with men like him before. I'm starting feel the cost of life in this race to save the galaxy."

Din was silent for a few moments before he said quietly, "How long have you been in this race?"

Cassian's frown deepened, "I met Saw when I was six. I joined his child soldiers after my father was killed by a Republic bomb."

Din shifted in his chair, "My parents were killed, by the Separatist droid armies when I was eight."

Cassian regarded Din intently, and then said quietly, "I did not fully understand the droid thing — until now."

Din leaned forward, "I did not understand your feelings about the Republic — the Empire — until now."

They sat in silence for a few moments looking at each other. Children from both sides of the Clone Wars had suffered, and no one had won.

"What about Erso? The one who designed the weapon?" Din said gently.

Cassian nodded, and a crease appeared between his brows, "I've heard that name, Erso... I know I have... it must have been from Saw. But I can't remember," Cassian wiped his face with his hand, and suddenly looked tired.

Din stood up and picked up Cassian's plate, "Come on, vod, I'll take you back to your room, you need some sleep after that meal."

Cassian looked up at Din towering over him and paused for a moment, "Did — you just call me — 'brother'?"

Din turned back to look at Cassian, staring at him for just a moment, panicked that Cassian was offended. But when he saw Cassian was confused rather than angry, Din took a deep breath.

"Cassian, I'm sorry. I should have asked your forgiveness — for what I did to you — before calling you, 'brother.'"

Cassian's lip quivered just slightly, "I forgive you — all of you. You did nothing wrong, vod. And what you did saved my mission — and my life."

Din took another breath and sighed, and suddenly felt the knot in his stomach release. Din looked down at Cassian, "Come on, let's get you back to your room."

Cassian could not suppress a small smile, "Actually I think I'm feeling presentable enough to call the General."

Din cocked his head, "Presentable?"

Cassian hesitated, but then decided there was no harm in revealing what was common knowledge in the Rebellion.

"One of the Rebellion leaders is a personal family friend, she was close to my father, and was like a mother to me. I never knew my mother. She would be — displeased — about my injuries. And if she is very displeased, I could find myself retired. I do not want that to happen. Not yet," Cassian said quietly.

Din nodded, "I know something of what that feels like." Din took Cassian's plate to the bin, and Cassian followed a little slowly. "I'll take you to my ship, and we can send the transmission from there, I'll trust the healers, but I don't trust any of the communication depots here on the planet. There are too many Imperial eyes and ears."

Cassian chuckled, "This is an interesting place, I don't think I've ever seen such an uneasy group of Imperials."

Din nodded, "As they should be."

Cassian chuckled and put a hand on Din's shoulder, as they walked at Cassian's pace to the Razor Crest.

13 BBY — Concordia

Din adjusted his height awkwardly. He knew how to stand at attention at his full height, but he could not find a comfortable posture at ease. He was seventeen and had grown so much since starting the training at fourteen, he still felt he was finding his rhythm in a lot of his skills. He had started the training an entire foot shorter than he was at the end. But apparently Din's awkward best was more than enough, his neck was heavy with every major award from that year. So, unfortunately, every time he fidgeted his medals all jangled.

When Ra-Velis finally turned her helmet toward him, he felt the chastising glance, and gave up and simply stood at full attention. The only problem was that was going to exhaust him eventually.

There was already a lot of standing at attention as each graduate was honored. Usually less than one third of the candidates graduated, and about every other year, there was at least one death, due to poor technique or poor judgement. This year no one had died, but less than a fourth of the candidates completed the Training. So thankfully the Training graduation ceremony would not be terribly long.

The graduation was on Concordia, and took place in the Grand Hall, which was a cathedral of stone, Mandalorian stained glass, and a large fountain that fell silently in a nearly vertical glass channel that emulated a waterfall. The water flowed down the glass from the ceiling to the dais, then ran through the middle, down to the floor, and through the middle of the hall to the entrance and then the water was recycled back along channels at the bottom of the side walls back to the dais and pumped up to the ceiling. The flowing water represented the cycles of time and the flow of the stars of the galaxy, and the strength of nature that can wear down mountains. There was also a message of hope for the future of Mandalore for the planet to recover from the ecosystem destruction resulting from the Mandalorian civil wars.

Din was last, because he was the top graduate. When his name was called, Din moved from his position against the wall to the left of the dais, near his parents, and marched slowly and purposefully to stand in front of the Trainer and the Armorer of the Training. When he stopped and stood at attention, all of the other graduates along the walls snapped to attention as well, and the Trainer and Armorer nodded to him. The Trainer then handed to the Armorer Din's new graduate's chestplate of custom fitted durasteel. Piece by piece, his old armor was removed, and an entirely new cuirass was clipped to his doublet and he felt the weight on his shoulders in more ways than one.

Din was suddenly completely overwhelmed with emotion. The magnitude of what he had accomplished was all too real — and then came the Creed. He spoke the words, he felt them reverberating through him, with history, and blood, and a true appreciation of the life he had been given after finding himself alone as a child in the galaxy.

The Trainer ended the Creed with these words, "Gett'se. Kot. Verburyc at kyr'am. Mandokar, Clan Viszla." Courage, strength, loyalty to death. Live every moment as a true Mandalorian, Clan Viszla.

Suddenly every Clan Viszla attendee let out a giant roar, that echoed off the smooth walls, the polished floors and all of the armor that was in the building. Din turned around to face them all, and suddenly realized that more than half of the audience were all from the Clan and House Viszla. He kept taking slow and deep breaths to prevent his tears from flowing down his cheeks. Sarin, Ra-Velis and Paz all walked up and raised Din's hands up to another sonorous roar, and that effectively ended the ceremony.

Each graduate stood with their Clans and received the guests and their congratulations. Din went back to feeling awkward in the reception line, but the weight and embrace of his new cuirass did calm him slightly. He fidgeted less but Ra still kept a hand on his arm and squeezed when his medals were jangling too much.

Every Clan from House Viszla was represented, and Sarin's least favorite Clan had also attended. Din knew that the encounter would be awkward, but he had no idea what was to come.

When Gar Saxon approached he took off his helmet revealing his shock of white-blonde hair, his arched brows and a permanent sneer on his lips. He bowed to Sarin with his sneer still in place, and Sarin nodded silently in return. Din frowned. It always unsettled Din when he saw the faces of the people he was supposed to revere as leaders. The Way was so clear to him and his Clan, he found it difficult to see others — especially native born Mandalorians — treat it casually. And in Saxon's case, it turned Din's stomach to see his face at all.

"Clan Saxon honors your impressive graduate, Sarin. He is truly a credit to all Foundlings," Saxon said magnanimously.

Sarin puffed his chest slightly, "The Foundlings are the future."

Saxon chuckled and nodded, "Indeed they are. Which is why I came to personally find out why he has not applied to the Academy. I've been holding a spot there for him. What a credit to the Foundlings he could be there!"

Din did not dare to move from his position at attention. He would not betray any reaction in front of Saxon. Sarin, however, had no problem at all showing his reaction to this invitation.

"Gar Saxon, the invitation was not accepted because none of my children will be attending the Academy. The Academy has been corrupted by the Imperial governors, and has lost its connection to the ancient revered ways. I will be conducting their educations, and Ra-Velis will be conducting their further military training."

Saxon scoffed, "How can you limit your entire Clan's standing by having an entire generation uneducated? How can you limit their universe to the outposts and colonies? What of their careers and their futures, Sarin?"

Din followed the exchange with his eyes, but still held quite still keeping his helmet facing forward at attention.

Saxon gestured to Paz who was standing to Sarin's right, "You've already stunted Paz's career! Why not let your Foundling son represent the pride of Clan Viszla? I will be inheriting the House, obviously, so he could represent you and work with me personally! That would surely maintain the reputation and standing of your Clan when Paz rules!"

People were starting to look toward this powerhouse discussion, and the general conversation in the hall had all but stopped. Din's visual readout suddenly warned him that his heart rate and blood pressure were not maintaining acceptable levels, and Din suspected that Sarin's visual display was showing the same. Din did not realize that his arm had actually started to tremble with rage, until Ra squeezed his arm again, and he pushed down his anger so that his father could handle the usurper.

Sarin took two large steps toward Saxon, who was about three inches shorter. They stood toe to toe and Saxon lifted his bare chin slightly to match the approximate lower edge of Sarin's helmet.

"My children, will never serve the Empire. They serve Mandalore, and our people. Thank you for attending the ceremony, Clan Saxon. I invite you to leave," Sarin's sonorous tones now echoed in a silent hall.

Saxon's mouth turned up slightly at the corner, but he did not reply. Instead he looked toward Din, smirked again, and then put his helmet back on and turned to leave with his entourage.

Din suddenly realized that Ra's hand was gripping his bicep tightly, but he had been so engrossed in the scene he had not even noticed her fingers were digging in enough to bruise him. He gently slid his own hand under hers and once she felt him move two fingers, she let her hand release, but then she took his hand in hers.

"Your control has improved, my boy. You've grown so much," her voice was heavy with emotion.

Din knew there were many layers to what she was feeling, and both of them continued to watch the procession of Warriors leaving the grand hall. Din couldn't help but wonder if they had just witnessed the beginning of the next great Mandalorian civil war. Din felt that while he was Saxon's primary target, Saxon likely had exacted pledges of support from many of his classmates. He suddenly began to look at each of them in turn as a potential battlefield rival, and it disturbed him greatly.

"I'm not so sure of that, Buir," Din whispered for only her ears. Ra squeezed his hand again and then she led him out of the hall.

7 BBY — Sundari

"I haven't heard you say a damn thing that would encourage me to trust this Mandalorian!" General Draven was not having any of this conversation.

Cassian sighed, "General, as soon as I revealed myself, the Mandalorian's stopped their interrogation. They were acting within their own space, and against the Imperials. They had no reason to believe that I was anything other than as I presented myself — because we did not tell them of the operation. Once their commander realized I was Rebellion, they called my friend, who they know has a Rebellion contact, and he immediately brought the situation to a close. And — we got the intelligence from the Imperial. Mando is the reason my mission was successful."

Draven growled, "I wanted a bloody target! All you got me was a name!"

Cassian nodded, "The target was likely moved once the shipment missed the rendezvous at the intermediate check station. And I have to assume that all of the sniffing around those stations Saw has been doing did not help. They probably felt that we were close. But the name — Erso. I know that name is familiar, I just can't —"

"Your brain is concussed Cassian. You know that name from Saw. He has a contact named Erso, and he is an Imperial Engineer. I'll look into it. You will stay on Mandalore until we can arrange to pick you up. You are not flying anything in your condition. And you bloody well better be walking normally when you do return or I'll be knocked down to your level again. And trust me, you don't want to work side-by-side with me, Andor."

Cassian chuckled, "I'll check in again in two days, Sir."

"Right," Draven nodded, and ended communication.

Cassian sat back in the command chair and sighed with relief. That had gone much better than he anticipated. He could tell that Draven was pleased he was safe. Even if the optimal outcome — destruction of the weapon — had not occurred, their years of work and sacrifice were well justified. They would not have any problems continuing to convince command of the vital importance of their mission.

Cassian stood up and opened the door to the command deck and called down.

"All clear," Cassian said, then moved back to the Ops station and sat down again.

Din came up the ladder and walked into the command center and checked the communication logs for any tampering or tracking.

"Yep, all clear," Din turned off the system, then turned back to Cassian.

"Saw Gerrera, he knows Erso. I can't quite put this all together, because when I heard Saw mention Erso I thought — Erso was a woman." Cassian leaned forward onto his knees, "The way he spoke of her, with pride, it seemed like she was one of his child soldiers… Well, it doesn't matter right now, I can't call Saw for a few more days. He restricts our contact because otherwise he doesn't trust that it is me. He's starting to get really paranoid." Cassian wiped his face again and rubbed his left thigh because it was starting to ache.

Din stood up, "Let's go, you need to get some rest."

Cassian opened his mouth to protest, but could feel Din's discomfort so he complied. Cassian started to feel better as they walked and talked, every time he moved he felt better, which was partially why he worked so hard at his rehab.

When they returned to his room, the Verd'ika saluted Din and Cassian. Din walked Cassian all the way to his bed, and once Cassian took a seat on the edge, Din seemed satisfied and turned to leave.

"I need to call Draven in two days," Cassian called out after Din.

Din turned back, "I'll see you tomorrow, vod."

Cassian nodded, with a small smile and watched his brother leave. Having him around just made Cassian feel more at ease. Cassian leaned back against the pillows on the bed and felt for the first time in a long time that things were finally going in the right direction.

When Cassian woke in the bacta tank he was so disoriented that he panicked and the healers had to pull him out to keep him from drowning. His kind caretakers and the patient Verd'ika waiting to brief him were the only ones that could calm him down.

Over the next few days Cassian worked through his guilt about Dawes' death. He knew that if the Mandalorians had not killed Dawes, the Imperials would have killed him on his return. Cassian was actually glad it was his brother, and that it was quick.

Finally, his brother had returned unscathed from what could have been a suicide mission, and he made it clear that their friendship would only be stronger after this ordeal. Cassian could feel that they were getting closer to the truth about the weapon, and he realized that he had some hope again. That thought and his full stomach, was like a lullaby, and without intending to Cassian drifted off to sleep.

Cassian woke mid-afternoon. The light filtering through Sundari's windows was changing to orange tones, and Cassian felt the need to get up and move around to stretch his muscles, and hopefully work up an appetite for the evening meal.

Cassian grabbed his jacket, and then advised the Verd'ika that he would be going out, but the Verd'ika would not let him leave unescorted. Cassian relented and so they set off to one of the larger plazas because Cassian wanted to go for a distance.

Cassian chose a long elevated walkway that led to a building adjacent to the hospital. It was quite a walk, and there was a small tram that ran along the walkway to quickly move people back and forth when they did not have time to stroll. The shafts of light streaming into Sundari from the windows above were turning pink by the time Cassian reached the other end of the walkway, and he suddenly realized that he had walked to the Imperial Academy of Mandalore.

Cassian blinked and stared up at the imposing sign for a moment. Cassian was observant, and he knew how much the Empire could make its presence known if they desired to, but Mandalore was quite an exception. Cassian had meant what he said about the Imperials keeping a low profile for fear of the Mandalorians. Yet this sign was the most solid proof that he had seen the planet was, in fact, occupied. Cassian's curiosity overtook his reason.

Cassian turned back to the Verd'ika, "Stay out here, please. I will just walk through and come right back."

The Verd'ika hesitated, "Sir, you're limping. I can see you're beyond your limit. Let's go back."

Cassian could tell that his friend had likely warned this Verd'ika he was responsible for Cassian, but he could not contain his curiosity.

"Just a few minutes, and then we'll go," Cassian waved.

Cassian entered the building, and noted the use of metal in the design, strong beams holding up enormous panes of stained glass at impressive angles, but also the age. Stone steps seemed worn, metal statues had a patina, and a lot of the professors wearing Imperial uniforms were also aged.

"You don't belong in here," a voice said in Mando'a from behind him.

Cassian turned and was surprised to see a strikingly beautiful woman with mocha skin, angled features, and long, cascading, curly hair wearing an Imperial Academy uniform.

Cassian raised his eyebrows and replied in basic, "And that hairstyle is definitely not Imperial regulation."

That was not the blubbering-excuses type of response she had expected. She lifted a brow and looked Cassian over again, noting his fatigued posture, lean frame, and slight limp, and softened her approach.

"You look spent. Let me guess, you wandered off from the hospital? Someone will be looking for you, it's almost time for the evening meal. Where are you from? You're clearly not Mandalorian."

Cassian offered a partial smile, "A long way from here. Care to join me for the evening meal?"

The woman now narrowed her eyes at him, but her mouth was turning up at the corners.

"My instincts tell me this will be a challenge — I accept. Shall we eat in the cafeteria here or back at the hospital? And will your guard be joining us?"

Cassian smiled, "I suspect my brother would be displeased if I did not let him come along."

The woman nodded with her eyes narrowed and her smile in place, he could tell she was still evaluating his mystery.

"In that case, let's go back to the hospital. He will be less conspicuous there," then she gestured toward the door.

Cassian offered his arm to her, and she laughed as she took it and they walked out of the Academy.