Concordia 4BBY
Bo-Katan smiled with pride. A foundling's first armor was always the most special. It was a coming-of-age ritual, a sign that they were finally ready to join the Mando'ade, sons and daughters of Mandalore, sworn to protect her and uphold her traditions.
Calia was only thirteen years of age yet had matured slightly beyond that due to her father's genetics. Her newly forged armor had been cast in blue beskar, same as her mother, but Calia had been quick to customize the unmarked plates. The owl eyes that adorned Bo's helmet sat on the chest plate, with three orange stripes branching out across the top of Calia's helmet. Orange chevrons colored her shoulder pads, and a lone orange stripe cut diagonally across her left thigh. The majority of her breastplate and abdominal plate had been painted white, with similar patches of white spreading onto her gauntlets and boots.
Most foundlings were devout disciples of tradition, with many taking years to earn the honor of independence. But Bo-Katan had fostered her daughter's independent spirit; after all, the future Mand'alor would need to be strong if her people were to survive.
The cool air rolled in as the sun began to set. Far away from any known settlement, Bo-Katan and her fellow exiles had set up camp. No one knew how long they would be there, or if they would even survive to live out their days, but whatever came, they would be ready.
Calia wrestled with another foundling her age, Beckand of Clan Rook. Stuck in a lock, Calia slipped, allowing for Beck to toss her over. Calia rolled away from the incoming punch, jumping in time to dodge several more jabs from her peer. Finally, Calia caught Beck's right swing, but he followed up with a gut punch, sending her doubling over. A knee to the face and a roundhouse kick, and Calia had lost the fight.
Composing herself on the ground, Calia accepted Beck's outstretched hand. Once she was back on her feet, she drew him in for a headbutt, before playfully patting him on the back.
Bo-Katan looked on. She was the last of House Kryze, and beside her, only Calia remained. Should anything happen to her heir…
Bo squeezed her eyes shut and forced the thought from her mind.
"Calia!" she called out. The young Mando looked to her mother. Bo nodded her head to usher Calia inside. Calia removed her helmet and followed her mother. Once inside, Bo went to the makeshift kitchen to retrieve their meal. Calia knelt by the fire, warming her hands and basking in the glow.
"Sit, daughter," Bo ordered.
Calia rose from the fireplace, walking over to sit at the small table in the center of the room. Wheat grit and sliced meat served as the royal feast for the evening. Bo sneered at the meager dish, she used to know much better. But Calia hungrily tore into her food, downing the accompanying glass of nectar in one gulp.
"What's wrong, mother?" Calia asked, noticing her mother's solemn demeanor.
"Nothing child," Bo-Katan lied, forcing a smile onto her cheeks. "Your training is coming along well. But your fighting is still sloppy."
"Beck's my friend," Calia reasoned. "I don't want to hurt him."
"Some say experience is the best teacher. They are wrong. Calia, you need to fight like your life depends on it, even when sparring. Beck may not be lethal towards you, but he isn't holding back. You need to show him the same fighting spirit. Mandalore's leader must not be weak."
Calia stared listlessly at her empty dish.
"I know," Bo began, "you're only thirteen. But by then, your father was leading entire armies."
Bo chuckled to herself. It was true, from a certain point of view.
"Father was bred to fight."
"And his blood now runs through you," Bo-Katan assured. "You share his features, you bear his heraldry, and all that's left is his skill. I know you have it in you, Calia. If you'd only apply yourself to your discipline, you could grow up to be a great Mand'alor."
"But mother, I thought you were to take the throne of Mandalore?"
"Mandalore belongs to House Kryze. You are last of that house. I will not always be around to rule Mandalore. When I'm gone, I want to be sure that she stays in safe, and capable, hands."
Bo-Katan laid a hand over that of her daughter's.
"Sour not, daughter. You are still young. And I am proud of you. I foresee greatness in you. All it takes is a little cultivation. And dedication. Now get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us."
Calia nodded, rising from the table and hugging her mother before going off to bed.
Varros 0BBY
The 7th Imperial Army Division had wrestled with the Varrosian Militia for seven and a half months. The dense, misty forests of Varros had initially proved quite challenging, as the imperial grunts found it difficult to navigate on foot. Of course, once they realized the Militia never fought on the ground, but from the trees, the 7th Army rose to the challenge, quite literally.
From army uniforms to Jumptrooper gear, the 7th Division tore through the enemy, raining death from the skies, and tauntingly engaging them through the trees. And once the star destroyers began incinerating forests, the Varrosian government was all too happy to concede defeat.
Now, as AT-ATs stomped through charred marshland, Jumptroopers flying by their side, the once audible environment was overcome with an eerie silence.
"Just to think," one Jumptrooper chattered, "these forests used to be filled with life."
"Now there's only the Empire," another said. "That's what they chose. It didn't have to be this way."
Inside the command walker, General Leland Armithor Preece of the 7th Division surveyed the area via radar.
"Nothing could've survived out here, sir," Maverick, the Jumptrooper Commander, reported from across the holotable.
"Even if they did," Preece commented, "they'd be of no threat to us."
The communicator on the holotable beeped, and Maverick accepted the call. Preece went rigid as Maverick's blood chilled.
Moff Gideon, the most ruthless of the sector governors, appeared before them. Enshrouded in a black cape and dark armor, he seemed deliberate to invoke the visage of Vader himself.
"General Preece," Gideon began. "I have a little problem."
Mandalore 0BBY
Calia found it hard to keep track of the chaos around her.
Since the death of Gar Saxon, the Mandalorian Imperialists had been waging a losing war against the reinstated Mand'alor, Lady Bo-Katan Kryze. All across Mandalore, the Imperialists and their stormtrooper garrisons had been raided and overrun.
Now, in the capital city of Sundari, a crucial battle was taking place to secure Mandalore for her people, once and for all.
Explosions went off in multiple directions as blaster fire filled the air. Calia took her two Westar-35s in hand, slowing her breath to concentrate. She levelled her aim, tracing an incoming Imperialist.
Two shots. One scream. The trooper's jetpack exploded upon impact with the ground, the shrapnel flying out and catching three nearby stormtroopers.
Two Loyalists landed beside Calia, a male Mando and a Nite Owl, slowly stalking forward and taking potshots at incoming stormtroopers. The Nite Owl cried out as she was shot by a sniper. The other Loyalist jetted off, and Calia followed suit, landing on an upper platform. She flipped down her rangefinder, scanning the nearby skyscrapers for signs of the sniper.
The corner building to her left revealed the assassins, a pair of biker scouts on the thirty-fourth floor.
"Davan," Calia radioed, "Two snipers, thirty-fourth floor of the Adaji skyrise."
"I'm on it."
Calia flipped up her rangefinder, watching the smoke trail behind a jetpack rocket. As the explosion went off, Calia jetted back to the main street. At the front of the battle lines stood Lady Bo-Katan Kryze, Darksaber held tight in her fist. The obsidian blade deftly sliced through traitor and off-worlder alike.
Several Loyalists moved in to surround the Mand'alor in a protective circle, and Calia had no choice but to take her place at her mother's side.
"Onward, brethren. For Mandalore!" Bo shouted. As if on cue, hundreds of Loyalists jetted by overhead, rushing in and razing any opposition in their path.
"Calia," Bo ordered. "I have a mission for you."
"Yes, mother?"
"Tristan Wren reported an intercepted transmission that was sent shortly before our siege began. Tapping into their communications revealed that, not only are they calling for reinforcements but, they're feeding the incoming force our movements and attack patterns. Beckand has isolated the comm's signature and we have a lock on their location. I need you to lead the strike force."
Calia stared at her mother, dumbfounded.
"Mother, I'm not…" Bo cut her off with a hand on the shoulder.
"Going to disappoint." Her tone soft yet firm, Bo-Katan jetted off to continue heading the main assault.
Tristan Wren, Beckand Rook, and Raina Kast landed behind Calia, looking to the young Kryze for orders.
"Tristan, what're we up against?" Calia asked.
"Fully armed compound. Anywhere between twenty-five to fifty stormtroopers. Not to mention the probability of super commando presence. At least three squads."
"We'll have two squads, former Death Watch, as well as Cobalt Flight for air support," Raina supplied.
Calia looked to Tristan pleadingly for suggestions.
"We need to get in and shut down their off-world communications," Tristan said simply.
"Very well. Raina, take one of the squads and create a distraction. The other squad will attack from the front of the compound. Tristan, Beckand and I will attempt to infiltrate from above."
Raina, Beckand, and Tristan looked at each other. Turning back to Calia, Tristan nodded.
"Sounds like a plan."
ISD Thunderball En Route to Mandalore
"How can I be of service, Moff Gideon?"
Preece was a weathered man, entering his late fifties. Scruffy auburn hair and a face half-covered in facial hair, he looked more barbarian than the average officer.
Gideon didn't appreciate the general's sloppy appearance. Even still, looks could be deceiving.
"I am in need of your battalion's skills, General."
"And what skills are those?" Preece folded his arms. Gideon sensed a man who valued his time. Impressive.
"My forces are currently on route to Mandalore, to put an end to the chaos started by the terrorist Bo-Katan and her followers."
"Bo-Katan is alive?" Did Gideon catch a hint of shock in the man's voice? He couldn't be sure.
"Indeed she is, General. And quite the unruly exile. I am requesting the assistance of your division to aid in this crisis."
Preece studied the Moff before him. His eyes searched Gideon's for any hint as to the man's true goals, but Gideon gave him a cold, unfeeling stare.
"Will you help me?"
"My forces will depart for Mandalore at once, Moff Gideon."
"Are you sure you're up to the challenge?"
Preece glared tellingly.
"They didn't call us the Sky Corps for nothing."
The tip of his lip tilted upward, it was all the emotion Gideon deemed to show.
Raider Corvette Deliverance, En Route to Mandalore
It had taken Leland Preece a mere hour to ready his forces for their next deployment. Commander Maverick and his Jumptroopers were chomping at the bit, as it were, to take on an enemy uniquely suited for their specialty. They wouldn't reach Mandalore until the planet's nightfall at the earliest, but once the 7th Division had linked up with Gideon's fleet, their counterattack would be swift and fierce.
Returning to Mandalore brought back unpleasant memories for Preece. Back when he was a newly recruited captain in the Imperial Army, he had been part of a task force that had been assigned to ensure Mandalore's compliance with the Emperor's rule. Ultimately, it was a mission that proved rife with betrayal, and he'd ended up in command of an entire corps.
Preece briefly wondered if he would encounter his former superior, but he knew that the chances were quite slim. Even still, the knowledge of Lady Bo-Katan's deposition haunted him, yet bound by his oaths, Preece knew what he had to do.
In war, allegiances shift on a whim, and friends can quickly be deemed enemies. No matter which side is in the wrong, however, a good soldier is loyal to his flag. Regardless of the personal cost. Preece knew these facts all too well, and despite his feelings, the oaths broken, and the friends betrayed, he was determined to be loyal.
He had failed Bo-Katan Kryze while she was the rightful Regent of Mandalore. And now, as she fought to reclaim her throne, he would fail her again, and possibly aid in her death.
She was the enemy, Preece reasoned. A threat to the Empire, and as such, she had to be dealt with.
Maverick entered the bridge, finding Preece huddled over the holotable.
"A credit for your thoughts?" he said. Preece looked up, puzzled.
"Is everything alright?" Maverick asked.
"Yes, quite alright. I was just reviewing potential strategies for the battle."
Maverick approached the table.
"What did it feel like, fighting beside them?"
Preece could barely contain his amusement. Maverick's question held thinly veiled curiosity, and downright adoration.
"It was as if they were robbed of wings. Aerial beings cursed with terrestrial physiology. Masters of the sky."
"You hold a high opinion of them," Maverick noted. Leland's eyes went cold as he turned back to the holomap.
"Making Mandalore an enemy is one of the Empire's greatest mistakes."
"You don't believe we can beat them."
"I don't believe we should. But it doesn't matter what I believe. We were given a job to do, and we will do our best to see the objective through to completion."
Maverick gave a stern nod.
"Our ETA to Mandalore is roughly four standard hours. Moff Gideon's flotilla has already linked up with the defense fleet."
Preece went rigid.
"Then most of our work is already done."
ISD Thunderball, in orbit above Mandalore
Moff Gideon's fleet emerged from hyperspace, joining the three Imperial-class star destroyers already in orbit.
On the bridge, flanked by his death troopers, Gideon watched over the battle schematics. The message icon on the holotable began to blink, and Gideon accepted the call.
"Moff Gideon. I'm grateful that you could assist us here. I'm Captain Graves of the Mandalore Defensive Fleet."
"Do you have any garrison aboard your star destroyers?"
"All my troops are planetside, I'm afraid."
"No matter. We shall begin deploying our forces shortly."
The captain nodded, and the call cut out. Gideon turned on his heel, swiftly exiting the bridge and heading for the lift. As he entered with his entourage, he was met by Eriko Birch, a stormtrooper captain and the head of Gideon's legion.
"Our intelligence has picked up some interesting chatter over their comms," Birch said.
"Well," Gideon remarked, "do share."
Birch took out his holo-projector, bringing up the image of a young Mandalorian warrior clad in Nite Owl armor.
"A new player in our game?"
"Not just any player. I-I has heard rumors of Bo-Katan grooming a potential successor to the throne. And from what we know, Clan Kryze prefers to keep it in-house."
"War is no place for a child," Gideon said with cold amusement. "And even less a place for a princess. This child presents a considerable weakness, and quite the exploitable one."
Birch placed a hand to his helmet's comm, turning aside. Nodding and replying in the affirmative, Birch turned back to Gideon.
"Our relay station reports two Gauntlets inbound to their position."
"Where is Lady Kryze?"
"On the front lines, of course."
"Then this mission will be led by her protégé. Send Krayt Battalion to reinforce the main garrison. You and your men will accompany me to the relay station. Tell them to take no prisoners, except for the one."
"Yes, Moff Gideon."
Imperial Station Epsilon-V
Calia ran her helmet's diagnostics one more time. The air aboard the Gauntlet Sentinel was tense, with the loaded strike team sitting in silence. Eight Mandalorians in total, Calia, Beckand, and six seasoned Loyalists, veterans from Death Watch, made up the ship's passengers. In the sister fighter, Tristan Wren, Raina Kast, and six more Loyalists awaited their drop point.
Calia closed her eyes in meditation. She had accompanied her mother on infiltration missions before, taking lives and watching the lives of her friends be taken. In theory, this was a simple in-and-out job. And with the bolstered support, it would be easier than any of her previous ops.
The red lights came on in the cabin. The seasoned mandos straightened up, stretching out any kinks they had acquired mid-flight. Calia shared a look with Beckand, before doing one last gear check.
"Opening bay doors," the pilot called over the intercom. Calia looked below her as the ventral doors split open, the personnel rack lowering into deployment position.
"Get clear!"
The securements lifted, and all eight Mandalorians dropped, igniting their jetpacks and taking off for the compound. The troops from the second Gauntlet deployed simultaneously, and the strike team was away.
Calia focused keenly on the incoming structure. Despite their relative distance, at least thirty meters out, she could see that the Imperials had already begun scrambling their defenses.
Ten stormtroopers entered onto the roof of the station, taking aim and firing at the Mandalorian strike team. Calia did a barrel roll to avoid being hit, drawing her blasters and firing back. Several members of the strike team broke off, attacking the enemy from various angles.
As the stormtroopers found themselves picked off from behind cover, dozens more scrambled onto the roof, with an E-Web squad moving into position.
"Raina, remember the plan!" Tristan called out. Raina and her squad broke towards the ground level platforms, firing their rockets to bait the station's defenses.
"Calia, Beck, take out that E-Web!"
Beckand and Calia raced towards the rooftop, raising their personal shields against incoming fire. They rolled into two stormtroopers, Beckand raising up and sliding over Calia to clothesline two more. He fired his jetpack rocket, blowing away several more troops from behind cover.
Calia rose, taking aim with her Westars and firing several shots toward the E-Web team. The two troopers holding the main cannon went down, and two stormtroopers stepped up to provide cover fire.
The first shot hit Calia in the armor like a gut punch. She went to a kneel, before realizing that she'd been exposed at all angles. Beckand jetted back to cover her right side, and the two froze.
A squad broke to surround them, but were quickly downed by several small, armor-piercing rounds. Whistling Birds.
Tristan landed on the roof, four loyalists at his side, and he fired his jetpack rocket into the E-Web team.
"Now let's get inside and end this."
A shot hit one loyalist in the back, igniting his jetpack and causing it to explode within a few feet. Calia, Tristan and the others turned to see four Super Commandos hovering behind them.
Four more approached from below, and four from below on the other side of the building. The leader, marked with a red stripe across the chest and shoulders, tossed the scorched helmet of a Nite Owl onto the roof. It was Raina's.
"Your leader's getting soft," the captain said. "Sending old men and children, to do a warrior's job."
Tristan stood up but was quickly shot through the throat. He slumped onto his back, his head rolling to the side.
"Now Little Owl," the captain said, gaze fixed on Calia. "You can die on your knees, or you can all fight to the death like true Mando'ade."
Calia looked to her fellow soldiers.
"We have a better chance at survival if we fight," Calia whispered.
"How?" Beckand asked. "We can't possibly take them all."
"We don't have to," Calia assured. "We just need to break for the Gauntlets."
The team nodded in unison.
"On three," Calia said.
At the count of three, the five Mandalorians jetted off, heading upwards in the hopes of outracing the commandos.
"Cute," the captain said dryly, before his Super Commandos took off after them.
"Calia to Sentinel! We have sustained multiple casualties and are requesting immediate evac."
"Copy that, Corporal Kryze. We're heading to your signal now."
Calia and her troops stopped their ascent and prepared to fight. Calia and Beckand fired down in a frenzy, taking out two of the eleven commandos. The three loyalists broke away to engage the commandos in close range combat. Four commandos stayed on Calia and Beckand, and as one was shot down, the captain entered the fray, charging past his men and rushing Calia.
He grabbed the young Mando by her throat, forcing her to drop her pistols. Beckand reached to punch him but was quickly restrained by two commandos.
"Drop him," the captain ordered.
One commando chopped Beckand's jetpack, causing it to short-circuit before they both let go of him.
"Calia!" Beckand reached for her, but a commando kicked him down.
Beckand fell, screaming out Calia's name. As the remaining Super Commandos joined them, the captain taunted,
"You failed, little one."
"Corporal Kryze! We see you! Stand by for…"
The Gauntlets were blown away as two TIE Interceptors entered from above. A Lambda shuttle followed behind closely. Calia could sense herself losing consciousness as the captain kept choking her.
"Yes, little one," she could hear him say.
"It will all be over soon."
Mandalore, two days after the capture of Calia Kryze
Bo-Katan slashed a sentry from behind, quietly taking his place on the rooftop. She looked out into the fallen city. Bright skies now clouded with smoke and ash. The smell of art and life replaced by death and destruction. Mandalorians replaced by the Empire.
Jumptroopers from the 7th Army Division patrolled the skies endlessly, aided by what remained of the Super Commandos. With their arrival, things went from hopeful to downright abysmal. They had struck mercilessly, killing numerous Mandalorians without prejudice. Soldier and civilian. Men, women, and children all the same.
Some of them walked the streets, hunting for survivors. But perhaps of more interest to Bo-Katan, they were hunting for her.
Calia's mission had ended in disaster. But they had let Bo know that her daughter was still alive. And she would stay that way for the foreseeable future.
Bo-Katan knew they were preying on her maternal instincts, attempting to bait her into a trap. And, if she'd had the support, this would've been over a lot sooner. But for now, it was her and two coven recruits, Axe Woves and Koska Reeves. Help would not be arriving in the near future, and the clock was ticking for Calia.
For years Bo-Katan had sought the rule of Mandalore, and now, there was no Mandalore to rule. And at the cost of everything, friends, family, and perhaps even her own offspring, she would end her crusade empty handed, a nomad in search of a new home, a reborn people.
Bo-Katan attempted to steel herself. Axan and Koska were waiting for her at the rendezvous. Once she was with them, they would make a break for it, departing the system in search of sanctuary.
But Bo-Katan was not ready to leave. Not without her.
She walked to the rooftop access door and took a deep breath. It was time.
"Secret" Operations Center of Moff Gideon
Gideon stared at the teenager so callously chained to her cell wall. Calia had been starved over the course of her capture, given no water, and subject to only the bright lights of her cell. She had slipped in and out of consciousness over the past thirty-two hours, and she was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.
Gideon turned towards the door. Lining the walls were six death troopers, all in specialist gear, waiting for the inevitable showdown. The door opened, and Leland Preece stepped in, followed by Maverick and Captain Birch.
"What have you done, Gideon?" Preece asked.
"Temper yourself, general," Gideon raised a hand.
"Temper myself? What you're doing is inhumane!"
Preece gestured towards Calia.
"Has she eaten? Has she been given any fluids? Has she gotten any sleep!?"
"You ask too many questions."
The sounds of a scuffle outside abated their argument.
"Step aside, General Preece. The show is about to begin."
A stormtrooper hit the door, falling as it slid open. Bo-Katan stepped inside, removing her cloak and igniting her Darksaber.
"Where is she?" she growled.
"Your obsidian blade is quite impressive," Gideon mused. "I assume that is the legendary Darksaber you Mandalorians value so highly."
"Where is she?" Bo-Katan repeated, her tone equal to before.
"Your spawn is right behind me, but that saber…"
Bo-Katan stepped towards him, but Maverick and Birch blocked her path.
"Do you value your lives so low as to step between a mother and her child? Stand aside." Bo-Katan ordered.
"Bo-Katan," Gideon chuckled dryly. "You may have once been the Regent of Mandalore, but you rule over no one now. And definitely not anyone present in this room."
Bo-Katan stared darkly from behind her helmet, her fist clenching the Darksaber even tighter.
"I must say, you're cutting it awfully close with the rescue. The human body can only go three days without water. Poor Calia must be awfully thirsty."
"You're a savage," Bo-Katan ground out, voice twinged with pain.
"In any case, you're here to fight me, correct? To rescue your spawn and save the day? First you'll have to go through my two commanding officers."
Bo-Katan lashed out in response, striking Birch across the chest with the Darksaber. The captain fell to the floor, gasping from the pain in his chest. Preece rushed to his side, examining the injury to find it relatively minor.
Preece dragged Birch aside, as Gideon simply shook his head.
"Let's make it a fair fight, shall we? No blasters, no Darksaber."
Maverick tossed aside his pistol and removed his helmet. Bo-Katan stared dumbstruck at his familiar features. The caramel skin, the hazel eyes, and the black, wavy hair.
"Commander Maverick here was one of the last clones to be deployed out of Kamino. He wasn't born until the Clone Wars were over, but he and his class still live up to expectations. He might not be quite youthful, but then again," Gideon mocked, "neither are you."
Maverick cracked his knuckles.
"If I'm going to hit a lady, I might as well see her pretty face."
Bo retracted the Darksaber's blade, tossing it to the ground. Then, she unholstered her Westar pistols and cast them aside. Finally, she removed her helmet, her ginger locks swaying freely.
The two gave a pause, gaging who would strike first. Maverick moved to punch, but it was a fake, using Bo's reaction to strike her with a kick instead. Bo rolled into recovery, charging Maverick and pushing him into the line of Death Troopers. The Death Troopers stepped aside, and Maverick hit the wall, merging his fists and cracking them against Bo-Katan's back. He pushed her to the side, before attempting to stomp her on the floor. Bo rolled out of the way, swinging her legs to trip him. Maverick fell backwards, landing hard on the floor.
Bo-Katan jumped on him instantly, striking him with repeated punches. When she noticed that he was out, she climbed off of him, and walked back towards her gear.
Gideon halted her.
"Only the Darksaber."
Bo-Katan grabbed the hilt and gripped it with a dark grin.
"I must confess," Gideon began, "it was never my intention to kill you. Killing you might inspire other radicals to continue your cause. Rather, I must break you. Defeat you so utterly, that you will never find the strength to resist the Emperor ever again. And I think that saber will get the point across well."
Bo-Katan silently walked towards Gideon.
"One can win the sword in a trial by combat, correct?"
Gideon took an electrostaff, handed him by one of the Death Troopers. Igniting the charged ends, he began twirling it.
"Shall we begin?"
"You talk too much."
Bo-Katan rushed towards Gideon, lifting the Darksaber in an underhand strike. Gideon brought up to block, shifting the staff to gain a control over Bo's blade. They parried into a lock, before Bo took a swift slice at Gideon's hands. The Moff reacted quickly, lifting the staff to swing her saber out of the way. The momentum exposed Bo-Katan's back, and Gideon acted quickly, tasing her in the back of both knees. Finally, Gideon shocked her shoulder, causing her hand to drop the Darksaber.
The Death Troopers closed in, with one grabbing Bo-Katan by the arms. Moff Gideon grabbed the Darksaber's hilt, weighing it in his hand.
"You're not a very good swordsman."
Gideon walked towards the glass of Calia's cell, Bo being turned to look. Moff Gideon ignited the Darksaber and swung it deftly, striking the glass and stepping into the cell. Calia looked up at the noise, barely registering her mother.
"Mom?" Calia uttered weakly. Gideon made his way behind the girl, grabbing her by the hair and lifting her head.
Bo-Katan attempted to stay calm, to appear unmoved. But inside, her stomach was churning. For the first time in decades, she was nervous. She was scared.
"You know why I wanted you to come here. But I imagine it was difficult for you to truly foresee my plan. To watch your daughter die, not only by my hands, but by your very own blade. A poetic illustration of your utter failure as a leader, as a mother. As a Mandalorian."
Gideon swung back to blade to strike.
"Stop!" Bo yelled. "Please. Take me in. Imprison me, torture me, kill me. Just let her go. She's only a child."
"No, she's your child. If I set her free, she will only exist to further your goals."
"Not if I persuade her not to. I'm her mother, she'll listen to me."
"Touching," Gideon mocked, "but unconvincing."
What were mere seconds seemed like an eternity. The life leaving Calia's eyes played like a haunting memory in Bo-Katan's mind. As Gideon withdrew the Darksaber, he turned to her, one final taunt on his lips.
"Nibral."
Failure.
Bo ignited the boosters in her jetpack, blasting away from her detainer and filling the room with a cloud of smoke. As the chaos subsided, the Death Troopers regained their composure and swept the room. Moff Gideon looked to where Bo-Katan had shed her gear, only to find it empty.
"She's gone. Make sure she doesn't get far."
The Death Troopers hurried out of the room after a quarry that was most likely long gone. Gideon looked to Preece, who was still in the corner protecting Birch.
"Do you have anything to say, general?"
"Nothing," Preece said.
But deep down, they both knew. Gideon looked at the Darksaber and realized his mistake. In his hubris, he had done the opposite of what he'd intended. Far from stopping her, he had reinspired her. Bo-Katan would regroup, and she would return. To avenge her world. To avenge her people. To avenge her daughter.
And she would reclaim her sword.
Bo-Katan's Gauntlet Fighter, Hyperspace
"What's wrong with her?" Koska asked.
"No telling. She won't say," Axe replied.
Bo-Katan sat isolated in the crew cabin, holding her helmet in her hands. They would seek refuge amongst the stars, and perhaps one day, they would rendezvous with the other survivors.
Axe was a good pilot but was still new to the intricacies of infantry combat. Now, Bo-Katan would have to add espionage to his duties. And Koska was young, about the same age as Ursa's daughter, Sabine. Only a few years older than her own daughter.
Bo closed her eyes, and bent her head, touching foreheads with her helmet. There would be time to grieve later. There was work to be done. Bo-Katan got up and entered the cockpit area.
"What's the sitrep?" she asked.
"We're headed to Nar Shaddaa," Axe said.
"The Smuggler's Moon…"
"Figured we'd be able to blend in with the local wildlife."
Axe turned towards Bo-Katan.
"And I have a buddy who owes me a favor. He'll help us lay low for a while."
Bo-Katan nodded and retreated to the crew cabin.
Bo-Katan had tried to train a successor for what had ultimately fallen to her. Mandalore had fallen, and it would be a long and arduous task to rebuild. But it had to be done. And once it was complete, Mandalore would need someone to lead her people.
And who better to rule than Bo-Katan, daughter of House Kryze. The last of her line.
A/N: This fanfic came about as a result of The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 3. It's been in on and off development since that episode first released. This acts as a sequel to my in-progress work The Marshal and the Manda'lor, and references things that will come to pass in that fic. Which, if you're following that, don't worry, chapter 2 is on its way. Hope you enjoyed this and feel free to leave a review. May the Force be with you, always.