Author's Note: Well, the new Star Wars trailer that's been revealed pretty much confirms that Darth Sidious was Snoke the entire time… huh. But not in the Shaniverse! (LOL) Gotta admit though, the atmosphere of that scene in the trailer was excellent.
Anyone else ever drawn the connection that Sidious is basically the Star Wars form of Satan? George Lucas said it once, I think.
Progate Temple Catacombs - Geonosis
Boil POV…
"Tell me what I want to know, bug," Saw demands coldly. "What Imperial secret was worth the lives of my team, my friends?"
"Easy, Saw," Ezra says.
"We've all got questions for him," Kanan adds.
"Saw, he's unarmed," Rex points out.
"You know better than anyone, we can't underestimate these things!" Saw argues.
"Saw, listen, he's just by himself. We don't even know if he's working with the Empire: in fact, it's very unlikely he is given what's happened to his people," Lux reasons carefully.
While he's talking, Lux places a hand on Saw's shoulder to try and placate him, but Saw only shoves him back.
"It knows what happened here! It's not innocent in this whole thing Bonteri!" he retorts angrily. "He killed our entire unit!"
"That doesn't mean we should act rashly," Lux replies. "Besides, we have him now. There's no further need for violence."
Saw scowls angrily, glaring at the bug, but eventually concedes by shoving him away. The bug rubs his throat with a quiet moan, anxious and nervous.
"I think he's afraid," Ezra notices.
"Well, how can you tell?" I ask him.
"Let Ezra talk to him," Kanan suggests.
"It's okay. We won't hurt you," Ezra says quickly.
He moves forwards slowly, the geonosian looking up at him cautiously with a quiet hum, still looking a bit skittish.
"I'm Ezra. What's your name?" he asks slowly.
"…Klik-klak, klik-klak!" the bug replies.
I share a bemused look with Rex, who just shrugs his shoulders in response.
"Yeah, I think I'm just gonna call ya Klik-Klak," Ezra says with a grin. "Come on out."
The bug cautiously steps forwards and looks around at all of us nervously, shying away from Saw most of all. Chopper beeps irritably and waves his arms around, but Ezra quiets him down.
"It's okay, Chop," Ezra placates him before turning to the geonosian. "Klik-Klak, can you tell us what the Empire was doing here on Geonosis?"
'Klik-Klak' looks at Ezra as he talks, and I have to wonder if he can understand us, before he crouched down. He sticks his finger in the dirt and draws a circle, then adds a smaller circle inside of it.
"Circle inside of a circle," Rex muses with a thoughtful frown. "That could be the rings around Geonosis."
"But why would that be relevant? Doesn't make any sense," I say, confused.
"I need more than some scratches in the dirt," Saw snaps, irritated.
"Let's just be patient Saw. We don't exactly have an effective way of communicating," Lux reasons.
"Chopper picked up an energy reading in the direction Klik-Klak was going," Ezra informs us. "Down below somewhere."
"Probably a trap. Another den of battle droids," Saw states.
"Or the answers we're looking for," Kanan suggests.
"We came all this way," Rex points out.
We all look to Saw, who frowns uncertainly before nodding in agreement. However he then takes out some binders and starts forcefully shoving them onto 'Klik-Klak's' hands. The bug attempts to fight back with startled screeching, hitting Saw in the chest, and Saw retaliates by grabbing his arms with a scowl and forcing them down.
"What are you doing?" Ezra demands angrily.
I raise a hand out in an attempt to break apart the confrontation, but Saw backs away after getting the binders on the bug's wrists.
"Aw…" Klik-Klak moans, and I raise an eyebrow in bemusement.
"Tracker. I don't want it running off again," Saw states, frowning.
He grabs Klik-Klak's shoulder and shoves him forward, the others walking with them down the tunnel. I move to follow, but stop for a moment upon noticing Ezra isn't moving as well. He crouches down to pick up something from the ground. He accidentally activates it, revealing the hologram of a dark skinned woman with black, braided hair and goggles on top of her head, a pleasant smile on her face. I narrow my eyes, an unpleasant feeling forming as I get a sense of who this may be.
"Who's that?" Ezra asks me.
"I have a feeling…" I say cautiously. "Better give it back to Saw."
Ezra nods in agreement, and we both jog to catch up with the rest of the group, Ezra holding out the hologram.
"Hey, Saw! I think this is yours!" he calls out.
Saw turns around, his eyes widening in surprise and aggravation at the sight of the hologram. Lux turns around and also widens his eyes at it, a look of sadness filling his eyes as he quickly follows after Saw.
"Where'd you get that?" Saw demands angrily. "Give it here!"
He viciously swipes the device out of Ezra's hands with a scowl, which quickly changes into a look of grief and bitter sadness as he looks at the image. Lux comes up behind him, looking down at the hologram with the same amount of sadness and longing. I glance up to see Rex looking over as well, a worried expression on his face.
"Uh, you dropped it back there," Ezra replies uneasily. "Is that your sister?"
"…Steela," he replies softly. "This is all I have left of her."
He shuts off the image and starts to walk away, Lux going with him with his hand on his shoulder, being a comforting presence for Saw as they shared their sorrow.
"Back in the Clone War, Saw's sister was killed by a Separatist gunship," Rex explains, and I let out a sad sigh of realization.
"The Geonosians were Separatists, right?" Ezra asks.
"Yeah, one of their strongest supporters," I tell him grimly. "The bugs created those gunships."
3rd person POV…
In orbit above Geonosis, Captain Brunson stood on the bridge of her Imperial light cruiser, a bored look on her face as she stares down at the red planet of Geonosis. She's prefer anything other than to be here but, orders were orders. And you don't disobey the orders of the Empire.
"I'm sure the proximity sensor was triggered by a meteor again. Scan the quarantine zone for intruders and let's be on our way," she states, scoffing in disgust. "I don't want to waste any more time on this desolate rock than I have to."
The Imperial officers sitting in the chairs before her quickly do so, however they soon come up with evidence of life of their scanners.
"Captain, I'm detecting life on the surface," one of them reports.
"Most likely scavengers," she theorizes. "Deploy recon patrol."
From the hanger of her light cruiser, a pair of TIE Bombers fly out and make their way down to the surfaces, following the coordinates of the life signals.
Boil POV…
After some time going through the catacombs, Klik-Klak leads us to a small chamber that is filled with equipment. I look around, spotting droid parts, machinery, computers, supplies… a lot of it. He's got an entire workshop down here.
"This is where you live?" Ezra asks.
Klik-Klak chirps in what seems to be confirmation.
"Some kind of… workshop," Saw states, frowning.
"Quite the operation down here," I remark, looking around and taking off my helmet. "He's like a one man army with all the stuff at his disposal."
"He's been maintaining that shield generator and those droids," Rex realizes.
"Droids he used to ambush us," Saw says angrily.
"Well, all his people were killed, and we came here with weapons," Ezra reasons. "Can you blame him for protecting himself?"
"Ezra's right Saw, it's not as black and white as you're making it out to be. We never even expected to see a bug here, much less fight one," Lux reasons. "Our group is harsher than most rebel groups out there, so he was bound to protect himself."
"What else is it protecting?" Saw questions in response.
He turns around and begins to rummage through the workshop while Lux looks on with an irritated sigh, but doesn't do anything to stop him. I raise an eyebrow, still a bit uncertain about Saw's aggressive behavior, but trust Lux to deal with it properly.
"Huh. Transmitter looks functional," I hear Rex say, and move over towards him. "Maybe we can boost your signal with it."
He's sitting in a chair in front of some sort of computer, with a transmitter device set on top of it. Kanan is standing beside him, leaning forward over the transmitter as Rex analyzes it.
"Clone War era?" I ask him.
"Looks like a Separatist design, but it should work," Rex replies.
"Chop, give me a hand with this," Kanan says.
The sound of things being shifted through, metal banging against each other, has me turning around to look at Saw once more, where he's throwing pieces of junk aside in his investigation.
"Got a lot of stuff here," he remarks.
Klik-Klak squawks in alarm and rushes forwards, tapping on Saw's back in a desperate attempt to get him to stop. He finally gains Saw's attention by pulling his arm back to get him away from the stuff, and then draws the same image as before into the dirt. However that only serves to make Saw more upset.
"No, no, no! That tells me nothing!" he fumes angrily.
Rex and Kanan look over at his shout, the former getting up from his chair while Lux moves up to Saw.
"Saw, look. He can't communicate properly with us, so you can't expect him to give a response you would like," Lux explains, sound a bit frustrated. "In fact, this is probably the only response we'll get from him! There's no need for anymore aggression, alright?"
"It's hiding something!" he snaps in reply, and resumes his search. "What have you got in here? A weapon?"
Klik-Klak cries out in alarm and attempts to stop Saw once more, but is only shoved back violently. Ezra helps him to his feet, an angry glare on his face.
"Stop!" he demands.
"Saw-" Rex starts to say, before stopping in surprise.
Saw holds up a Geonosian sonic blaster in his hand, having found it behind a pile of parts.
"Sonic blaster," I identify the weapon.
"Still think the bug's our friend?" he asks rhetorically, throwing it away. "What else you got in there?"
"Oh come on, that's a bit far-fetched. So what if the bug has a blaster somewhere in all this stuff?" I demand incredulously, shaking his head. "We already know he was repairing battle droids."
"How can you of all people think the bug is trustworthy?" Saw demands, scoffing. "Whatever."
He resumes his intense searching of all of the junk piled around here, and Klik-Klak runs forward once more in a final attempt to stop him. He pushes Saw out of the ay, but instead of fighting him he just digs himself deeper into the junk pile, apparently looking for something. Saw glares at him furiously and grabs Klik-Klak's arm harshly, yanking him out at the same time as Lux grabs Saw's arm to try and pull him back. As Klik-Klak comes out however, we see him carrying an ovoid object in his hands, making everyone halt in surprise.
"That's… That's an egg," I breathe out in surprise.
Just how I remembered them to look like… I give a small shudder at the memory of seeing the Queen bug releasing eggs for her undead Geonosians to extract. A quick glance at Saw shows that even he is a bit sympathetic to Klik-Klak at this new discovery.
"He's just been defending it. That's what this is all about!" Ezra realizes. "That's what he was trying to draw."
"Looks like a queen egg. It's very rare," I deduce, sharing a look with Rex.
"That could be the last Geonosian egg left," Kanan states.
"Spectre-4 to Spectre-1. Can you read me?" Zeb's voice says through the transmitter. "Come in, Spectre-1."
We head over to the transmitter, where Chopper is beeping happily at his success in patching us through to above, and Kanan swiftly answers the call.
"Spectre-4, we read you," Kanan says.
"Kanan? All right! I got ya!" Zeb says happily. "Hold on. Let me patch you through to Hera."
"Spectre-1, do you read?" Hera's voice says.
"Loud and clear. We've found something," he says.
"So did we. The Empire is here!" she replies, much to our surprise and alarm. "We need you back so we can go. You too, Spectre-4."
"On my way!" Zeb replies.
The transmission is cut off, and we all turn toward each other in order to determine our next course of action.
"The tunnel we came in collapsed. We'll have to find another way out," Kanan says.
"Well, what about that giant chasm we crossed?" I suggest.
"Yeah, you're right," Rex says in agreement. "It goes to the surface. Maybe we can find a way up."
With the plan set, we all start moving to the exit in order to make our way back to the chasm, but Saw decides to complicate things a bit more.
"This thing comes with us, for interrogation," he declares.
He grabs Klik-Klak's arm and begins to forcefully pull him along, much to the Geonosian's protest. He can't fight against him as effectively though, still holding the egg and trying to protect it.
"Well, then who will protect the egg? If it is a queen, then it's vital to the survival of his whole race," Ezra points out."
"Whatever that thing knows is vital to our survival," Saw retorts.
"Ezra's right. They don't deserve extinction," Kanan says.
"The mission takes priority!" he shoots back without breaking a sweat.
"Saw, we had this discussion back at command, and Jarik's repeatedly made it clear he doesn't like when you do something rash," Rex states irritably. "Your mission was to find out what happened here."
"And I'm gonna make this bug tell me exactly that!" Saw snaps at him.
"No!" Ezra states fiercely, glaring. "If that egg is the last chance to save his people, then we have to help him protect it."
Apparently fed up, Saw releases his hold on Klik-Klak momentarily and storms up to Ezra, scowling. Lux attempts to stand in between them placatingly while I tighten my grip on my blaster uneasily.
"I know some people in this rebellion don't want to admit it, but we are in a war, and war is loss!" Saw exclaims.
"That doesn't mean it's acceptable to be the cause of unnecessary loss Saw," Lux argues irritably. "And this? This is unnecessary!"
"Alright, enough," Kanan interrupts. "We'll bring Klik-Klak along, but we're taking him and the egg to our base. After we question him, we'll bring him home."
We all turn towards Saw, Lux looking at him pleadingly, as we await his response. He glances at Lux for a second and then back at us, considering, before finally nodding his head.
"Agreed," he says.
3rd person POV…
"That ship is a rebel vessel, Captain," an officer reports. "Imperial records identify it as the Ghost from Phoenix Squadron."
Captain Brunson's eyes light up in surprise at the information, a feeling that quickly turns to greed and eagerness.
"The Ghost! If we destroy that ship, it would mean a promotion for all of us!" she states excitedly.
Jedi Temple Island - Ahch-To
Jarik POV...
I bring the Knight Hawk in for a gentle landing on the rocky platform of the island, shutting the ship down once it's done. Standing up I pat R5's dome, prompting a sarcastic beep from him, and leave him in charge of the ship as I make my way towards the exit ramp. He's always enjoyed doing whatever he pleases with the Knight Hawk, which I've been totally fine with because he would never offer a single circuit in suggestion of messing around with it in a damaging way. Mara soon joins me at the ramp as we disembark, putting us in the familiar air of Ahch-To once more.
"Getting some Viking help for this huh? Great idea," she says with a grin.
"Yeah, not really my idea though, and I don't like it that much," I tell her.
"You know they can handle themselves Dad," she states confidently.
"Obviously. But they'll still be out of their element on a completely different planet," I remind her. "We are dealing with Mandalorians who don't like us."
"I know. But Hiccup can convince anyone to change their mind," she adds.
"For once, Astrid's warrior attitude will be of much more help than Hiccup's words," I scoff in reply, a bit amused and perplexed art the idea of Hiccup attempting to reason with a bunch of seasoned Mandalorians.
With Berk, he at the very least had a relationship with them and knew firsthand how to resolve conflict between Viking and dragon.
"Guess that's true, Mandalorian's respect strength, blah blah blah," Mara remarks, rolling her eyes. "They've got to be a lot more reasonable and diplomatic than Vikings though, right?"
"Depends on the clan," I shrug in response. "Plenty of Mandalorians can easily best Vikings when it comes to their stubbornness and traditions. They've been around a lot longer."
"Fair enough," she says in agreement.
Reaching the top of the hill using the stone steps, we follow the pathway back to the Jedi village where we find the Caretakers going through their usual routine of tending to the ancient Jedi structures. They all greet us with excitable cheers at our appearance, Alcida-Auka among them as she makes her way over to us.
"Mara! Master Shan! So good to see you both again," she greets in her heavy accent.
"You too Alcida," Mara replies, sharing a quick hug with the lanai.
"Things still going just fine here?" I ask her politely.
"Oh, the usual. Mother of course keeps us on track," she says, gesturing to all of them working. "Although one of your Berkian friends has come over for a visit."
"A visit?" Mara asks, confused.
The sound of a night fury roar gets our attention, and we look up at the sky to see Toothless come flying down with Hiccup on his back, landing in the middle of the courtyard. Some of the nearby caretakers look over, a bit startled, but quickly shrug it off and resume their work. Hiccup dismounts Toothless while the dragon in question looks at us with a happy grin on his face.
"Hey guys!" he greets.
"Of course you're the visitor," Mara replies in amusement.
"Am I that predictable?" Hiccup asks, brow furrowed.
"Yeah, kind of," I shrug in response.
"The only ones to come here on their own would be either you, or Fishlegs. And I know Fishlegs isn't about to fly off to another island on his own," she points out.
"Yeah, that's a good point," he admits with a deadpan.
One of the caretakers shouts a few words over at us in their language, that caretaker being Alcida's mother. She widens her eyes with a sheepish expression on her face and looks up at us.
"Well, I'll leave you all too it then! Still much work to be done!" Alcida quickly says.
She rushes back over to the rest of the caretakers, her mother seeming to lightly scold her as they move off. Hiccup watches her go, still a bit bemused at the whole idea of the lanai living here, before refocusing on us.
"To be honest, I really came out here because I'm trying to locate new dragon species, and expand our map. Your island is a good place to do all that from," he explains.
"Always the explorer," Mara says knowingly.
Toothless approaches one of the huts, curiously sniffing it and a cart of materials in front of it. The caretaker in charge of the cart quickly shoos him off however.
"So, what're you guys doing back so early?" Hiccup asks.
"Funny you should mention that…" she replies, glancing up at me.
"Would you and Astrid be interested in coming with us to visit a clan of warriors who, until recently, I had no idea we're my distant family?" I ask bluntly.
Hiccup and Mara both look at me in surprise and bemusement, and I shrug my shoulders. That was a bit more blunt than I usually am.
"Yeah, I'm hesitant on the idea too," I add.
Progate Temple Catacombs - Geonosis
Boil POV…
After traveling back to the main shaft through the tunnels, the Ghost came down to get us. Once we all board the ship we find the others all waiting for us in the common room. Saw walks through first, followed by the rest of us.
"Saw, Lux, I'm sure you remember Hera, Sabine and Zeb," Kanan says.
"Yeah, I remember you guys," he replies with a scoff, smiling. "It is an honor Phoenix Leader. Your actions on Coruscant as a part of Jarik's team have not gone unnoticed among the ranks of other rebels."
"Neither have yours," Hera replies cautiously.
Saw shrugs and moves aside while we all file past.
"I've done my best to keep him in check," Lux reassures Hera, throwing him a glance. "It's stressful though."
"Hmph. 'In check,' seriously Bonteri?" Saw asks, scoffing.
"Am I wrong? You're one of the craziest guys I know," he retorts.
"I suppose that's fair," he replies with a shrug.
Klik-Klak then moves up with Ezra, much to the bewilderment of the others.
"You found a local?" Zeb asks.
"It's okay. That's Klik-Klak," he explains.
"Is he the only one?" Hera asks.
"We think so," Ezra says.
"Well, that complicates things," she replies, frowning.
"He's our only clue to what the Imperials did here," Saw states. "I wanna take him with us."
"Okay, what does Klik-Klak want to do?" she questions.
"He wants to stay here," Ezra says, Klik-Klak yanks on his arm urgently, and I withhold a scoff at the action, rolling my eyes. "I think he wants us to take him deeper into the planet."
"That's too bad, because we already have an agreement," Saw states dangerously, glancing back. "Don't we, Jedi?"
Kanan sighs in aggravation, stepping forward.
"We agreed that we would take Klik-Klak back to our base for questioning," he explains.
"Kanan, Lux, can I have a word with you?" Hera asks, frowning suspiciously.
The three of them move into another hallway, closing the door behind them. I shrug my shoulders and turn towards Rex, letting out a tired sigh.
"Well, hopefully this marks the end of our little vacation on this dustball," I remark.
"Yeah. Not a fun place to be. I don't like it," he says in agreement.
"Honestly, I feel like Commander Shan should've come with us. It's only fair for him to share the suffering," I say, scoffing.
"Hah, as if you could pressure him to come," Rex retorts with an amused chuckle. "You'd have to talk to his daughter first, get her to convince him."
"Using Mara to pressure Jarik in coming?" I ask Rex with a raised eyebrow, considering fora moment before nod. "Excellent idea!"
We both share a chuckle over the idea, but Rex's smile quickly fades to surprise and alarm. The sound of Klik-Klak's pained screeches starts to sound, and I whip around to see him getting electrified. Saw is pressing a button on his wrist control, shocking the geonosian.
"What the-?" I sputter in bewilderment.
"Saw!" Lux shouts.
"Leave him alone!" Ezra exclaims.
He shoves Saw away and gets him to stop, but Saw quickly responds by throwing him to the side. The door opens just in time for Hera to catch him.
"Hey, you can't take him!" he protests.
"I said go!" Saw snaps.
He presses the button again, shocking Klik-Klak once more. Zeb growls angrily and steps forward, but Rex holds him back with a grimace on his face.
"Saw, what has gotten into you?!" Lux demands, storming forwards.
"What's gotten into me? What's gotten into you?!" Saw retorts angrily, shoving him away. He presses the shock button again.
"You're hurting him!" Ezra exclaims.
"Gerrera, what are you doing?" Hera demands angrily.
Saw holds off on his shocking for a moment and turns to face Hera, a fierce glare on his face.
"I'm taking your shuttle and the bug," he states.
"You're not taking the Phantom anywhere," Sabine scowls.
"We're not going off Saw. Not with how you're acting right now," Lux states firmly.
"Who said you were coming? You've made it clear already you don't like my methods," Saw retorts.
"You cannot be serious!" he replies incredulously.
"Saw, we had a deal!" Kanan snaps. "We'll question Klik-Klak at Chopper Base."
"Your methods are soft, Jedi. We lost the last war because of you," Saw scowls angrily. "I won't lose this one."
That right there, frustrates me greatly. Yes, the Jedi had issues, but we did not lose the war solely because of them! The Republic lost the moment the war started, all because of the Emperor! I tighten my hands into fists, glaring at Saw angrily as he turns toward Klik-Klak and starts shocking him again.
"Stop!" Ezra cries.
He lunges forward and attempts to tackle Saw, but the older and much stronger man effortlessly throws him off of him and onto the ground.
"That's quite enough Saw!" Lux snaps.
He takes a few steps forward and grabs Saw's arm, shoving it down and attempting to wrestle him back. However even I could tell that Lux wasn't a fighter, not like Saw, and he's easily pushed away and kicked down by Gerrera.
"We may be friends Bonteri, but you're still the same naive politician," he states with angry disappointment.
He turns to Klik-Klak once more, but Rex moves forward and grabs him from behind in an attempt to restrain him.
"Easy, soldier. You're not in command here," Rex reminds him.
After a few moments of struggling however, Saw reaches behind him and grabs Rex, lifting him overhead and throwing him onto the ground. Rex lets out a grunt of pain, winded for a moment.
"That's it!" I growl angrily.
I charge at Saw and bring my fist back, and he turns to look at me just in time for me to slug him in the face. I deliver a few more punches, hitting him in the stomach, side, and head, and swing my arm to deliver a fierce uppercut. However Saw grabs my hand before I could finish the punch and shoves my arm down, quickly following it up by elbowing me in the face.
I let out a grunt of pain, and he punches me in the head once more before kicking me with enough force to make me slam against the wall. I collapse with a groan of pain, not expecting such a vicious retaliation from the man, and look up to see him torture Klik-Klak once more.
"Now move it, bug!" he shouts.
Klik-Klak cries out in pain, losing his grip on the egg and dropping it. The egg rolls across the floor for a bit, getting everyone's attention.
"The egg!" Ezra exclaims.
Sabine and Hera attempt to grab it, but Saw gets to the egg first and holds it at gunpoint, a scowl on his face. Saw threatening to shoot the egg is the only thing that prevents Zeb from charging in himself.
"I don't want to do this, but you leave me no choice," Saw declares, glaring at us. "Let us pass, or I destroy the egg."
"Saw, you don't want to do this!" Kanan says, helping Rex to his feet.
I slowly pull myself to my feet as well, holding my nose and glaring at Saw. Using his elbow he hit my nose straight on, so now it's a bit bloody.
"I know you believe you're doing the right thing, but-" Hera tries to say.
"Our enemy shows no mercy. Neither can we," Saw retorts.
"If you harm that egg, you're helping the Empire wipe out the last of his kind," Ezra pleads. "The last of his family."
Saw looks back at Ezra with a frown on his face, glancing between the egg and Klik-Klak before shaking his head.
"I don't care," he bites out.
"Oh, you most certainly do care Saw. Despite what you say, I know you care!" Lux snaps, glaring at him.
"Oh yeah? And why's that?" he demands.
"Because you know what it's like to lose family," he states, his voice breaking slightly.
Saw hesitates, a look of grief and sadness filling his eyes before his expression hardens, and he narrows his eyes.
"Yeah, I know what it's like. I lost my sister to the Separatists and my planet to the Empire. I'm fighting for you and everyone else not to lose what they've got. And I won't apologize for how I do it," he declares.
"Saw, listen to me. We both went through the same struggles against the Separatists. We both lost the person we cared about. But that doesn't mean you have to become like the Empire," Lux tells him. "My mother was killed because she wanted peace in the war. I lost myself for some time because of that, but with help from a friend I came to realize that what I did in an attempt to avenge her was wrong. And I refused to become a murderer."
Saw's resolve slowly begins to fade as he listens to Lux speak, the blaster shaking slightly in his hand.
"So you can torture and kill all you want. But if you refuse to accept that you're actions are only causing more chaos and harm to others… then you're no better than the Empire," Lux finishes.
Saw is no longer glaring angrily at Lux, but instead looks more depressed and uncertain, slowly switching his gaze from the egg to Lux. The rest of us wait anxiously, praying that Saw will make the right choice.
Ahch-To - Unknown Regions
Jarik POV…
"Just to make sure I'm understanding this properly: your father was one of these 'Mandalorians,' a warrior culture that despises your family because of something your ancestor did, and you're only now learning this?" Hiccup asks us.
All of us were flying across the ocean on our way to Berk, the twin suns starting their descent in the sky. Zenna had showed up quite quickly after Hiccup and Toothless, happily reuniting with Mara. She and I were seated in Zenna's saddle while Hiccup was with Toothless, as always, while we flew to Berk in order to get Astrid, and also explain the idea to Stoick for his approval. Along the way we discussed the idea and situation with Hiccup to help him understand it better.
"The second part I've known about for a long time," I correct him. "But otherwise that's pretty much accurate."
"Wow," Hiccup comments, unsure of how to respond. "That's… wild."
"You said it Hiccup," Mara comments.
"So why would me and Astrid be coming along then?" he asks.
"A Mandalorian named Fenn Rau, who's turned into an ally for us in the rebellion, suggested that Astrid would be a helpful influence in this who situation," I explain, a bit cautious. "Astrid's personality is a lot like that a common Mandalorian would have: she carries a sense of honor, duty, and is a capable warrior, something that Mandalorian's respect."
"Huh, well that's interesting to hear," he remarks thoughtfully, scoffing. "Seems kind of intimidating to imagine an entire clan of Astrid's running around."
Mara snorts in laughter.
"You'd be dead in seconds," she teases him.
Hiccup rolls his eyes while I shake my head in amusement.
"Anyways, that was his suggestion, and if I were to agree then I wouldn't bring her alone. You, for obvious reasons, and maybe one dragon at the limit, but that would be it," I continue to say. "Stoick would be a reasonable choice too, but I'd imagine he's far too busy for a trip like this."
"Yeah, he's caught up with a lot of work right now," Hiccup agrees. "Y'know, I feel like I could help reason with these guys too. Help them understand that holding grudges over generations isn't really the best thing to do. I'd know first hand after all."
"As much as I admire your skills of persuasion and reasoning, that probably wouldn't work as well in this case," I tell him apologetically.
"If there's anyone more stubborn and traditionally set in their ways than you Vikings, it's definitely going to be a clan of Mandalorians," Mara scoffs.
"Seriously? More than us?" he asks doubtfully.
I let out an exasperated sigh.
"These guys have hated my bloodline longer than your people have existed as a society," I tell him. "Trust me, they're more stubborn than you guys."
Hiccup stares at us, bewildered, before shaking his head in bemusement.
"Yeah, that's pretty insane," he comments.
Isle of Berk - Ahch-To
Toothless and Zenna both come in for a landing in the village, not far from Hiccup's house, and we all dismount the two dragons. It doesn't take long for Astrid to come rushing over with Stormfly on her heels, the deadly ladder moving to interact with her daughter and Toothless.
"There you are Hiccup! I've been looking all over for you!" she exclaims, before noticing us. "Oh, hey! …you're back already?"
"Miss us?" Mara asks.
Astrid glances back down the village before turning towards Mara.
"Honestly, you have no idea how annoying it is not having a proper girl to talk to around here," she scoffs. "Ruffnut is…"
She and Mara both share an unpleasant shudder at the thought of the twin while I shake my head with a small smile on my face, amused. I can partially understand the feeling, living in a family where I'm the only male figure. And back when I was a youngling? Kurkran and Weron were like the discount Thorston twins, just without the stupidity and impatience. Actually, their only similarities are that both pairs enjoyed playing tricks on the rest.
"So, you here just to get away from the Empire or something?" Astrid asks us.
"About that, it's a bit different," Hiccup says, making her frown in confusion. "It's hard to simplify the problem, but basically… Jarik's traveling to meet with a clan of Mandalorians that he recently learned are where his father came from, and he's asking if we want to go with them for that."
Astrid blinks, looking between me and Hiccup for a moment as she takes it all in.
"Seriously?" she asks, looking at Mara and I. "You're asking if I want to go meet some honorable space warriors?"
"I suppose," I shrug.
"Well of course I do!" Astrid exclaims excitedly. "Sabine's Mandalorian, right? I'd love to meet some more people like her!"
"Well that's the thing… they really hate Jarik," Hiccup informs her.
"My dad is like the bane of their existence," Mara scoffs.
Astrid raises an eyebrow, baffled.
"Why?" she asks. "What'd you do to them?"
"It's not what I did… it's what my distant ancestor did," I correct her. "My ancestor, a Jedi named Revan, essentially tore apart and scattered all of Mandalore in order to end a war thousands of years ago. Mandalorians are principled warriors, bound by honor, and Revan's actions disgraced them."
Astrid frowns thoughtfully before widening her eyes, nodding her head.
"I think I understand what you're saying," she remarks. "Yeah, that would be an issue."
"That's all you need to know to understand it?" Hiccup asks, bewildered.
"Of course! Warrior's honor is a very serious thing for me," Astrid tells him, narrowing her eyes. "You're surprised by that?"
"Well… I… just didn't expect it. It's all very complicated for me," Hiccup admits sheepishly.
"Well, put it this way. I hated you for doing so well in the dragon arena, remember?" she reminds him. "You were basically tarnishing my reputation, my honor, and my status. From what it sounds like, this Revan guy did the same thing to the Mandalorians."
I raise an eyebrow, crossing my arms as I look at Astrid with a newfound sense of admiration. I glance down at Mara to see she's also surprised, but she looks up at me and grins with a shrug of her shoulders. No wonder Fenn Ray suggested the idea of bringing Astrid along: she relates to the whole situation perfectly! On a much smaller scale of course, but still.
"How about that…" I murmur quietly.
"That… actually makes a lot of sense now, when you put it that way," Hiccup replies thoughtfully, nodding in agreement.
"Well, that decides it," I say, gaining their attention. "If Stoick agrees, then you're more than welcome to join us on our trip."
"Wait, really?" Astrid asks.
"I thought you were still very hesitant on the idea," Hiccup recalls, surprised.
"Astrid basically summarized and related to the entire feud between my family and Mandalore after only hearing the most generic description of what Revan did," I point out. "I can perfectly see now why Fenn Rau suggested this idea in the first place."
"Oh, well thanks," Astrid replies, a bit sheepish now.
"Alright. Time to see my Dad then," Hiccup shrugs.
Progate Temple Catacombs - Geonosis
Boil POV…
"We can't stay down here forever," Saw states, pacing around.
I let out a sigh of annoyance at his pacing, holding a cloth to my nose to stem the bleeding. The Ghost continues its slow descent down the hole at the behest of Klik-Klak.
"Yeah? Well I don't like Geonosis anymore than you, so shut it," I scoff, and he rolls his eyes with an annoyed scowl.
"I wonder how deep this goes," Ezra asks curiously.
"According to Chopper, not much further down," Sabine reports. "And he's picking up something on his scanner."
"I say we check it out," he says.
"Every second we spend down here seals our fate," Saw says in disagreement.
"We've come this far," Rex comments.
"Rex is right Saw. Besides, this could lead us to figuring out what happened here. We're already very close," Lux reasons.
Saw sighs, but reluctantly nods his head in agreement.
"If Klik-Klak thinks this is the way to go, I want to see why," Hera says.
Like Sabine said, it doesn't take us much longer before we reach the bottom of the deep hole. Once the ship lands we step outside and into the dark chasm. Looking up above I can see a tiny pinprick of light of the hole's surface, and grimace uncomfortably. This is the furthest down I've been on Geonosis, and I can't imagine what sort of creepy crawlies live down here. We look around, activating our flashlights to provide better visibility.
"Over here," Saw calls out.
We follow him over to the side of the chasm, and come to a stop upon seeing a few Imperial canisters.
"Those canisters. Imperial weapons division," Sabine recognizes.
"They're for poison gas," Saw states with a scowl.
"There," Rex points out. "Just like his drawing, the circle in the circle."
I look at the center of the canister to see the Imperial logo, and analyze the thing for a moment before humming in agreement.
"Huh, guess that was relevant," I remark.
"Now we know what happened to his people," Sabine says.
Ezra pats Klik-Klak on the shoulder to offer him some comfort. Saw slowly turns around and faces him, causing Lux to tense up anxiously. However Saw doesn't move with any hostile intent, approaching the bug.
"Ezra's right. The Geonosian belongs here," he says, freeing Klik-Klak from his hinders, much to our surprise. "Those canisters are all we need to prove that the Empire wiped out its people. Everyone loses family in war, even the enemy. The Geonosians deserve the same chance to rebuild that we do."
Klik-Klak chirps happily, and Lux walks up beside Saw with a smile on his face. Saw glances back at him before rolling his eyes, grumbling to himself.
"Go on, Klik-Klak. You're free," Ezra says with a smile.
Klik-Klak looks at us all happily and then starts walking over to a pile of rocks.
"Where is he going?" Ezra asks.
Setting the egg down gently, Klik-Klak starts removing a few rocks in order to reveal a small tunnel underneath.
"I don't think this is the bottom," Kanan suggests.
"Maybe there are other survivors," Ezra suggests.
Picking the egg up again, Klik-Klak lowers himself into the hole and looks at us one final time before sealing the tunnel with another rock on top.
"Huh. They sure are a resourceful species," Rex comments.
"Yeah. Resourceful species," I mutter, shaking my head. "They better not have anymore of those worms."
"Worms?" Sabine asks me.
"You don't want to know," I reply warningly.
"I hope he finds a safe place to hatch the egg," Ezra says anxiously.
"He's kept it safe this long. They'll be okay," Kanan reassures him.
"Sorry about your nose," Saw tells me in apology.
"Eh, I've had worse," I shrug in reply, narrowing my eyes at him. "Don't expect it to happen again though."
Saw chuckles with a good-natured grin before moving off.
"Okay, let's load some of these canisters as proof for the Senate," Hera states.
3rd person POV…
"We are in position over the opening, but there's no sign of the enemy ship," the officer states.
"They must have descended deeper into the planet," Captain Brunson deduces, scowling. "Bury the rebels alive!"
Boil POV…
A deep rumble echoes around the chasm while the ground begins shaking, and I look up in alarm to see dust and several boulders start to fall down towards us from the top of the hole.
"Oh, kriff that," I scowl anxiously.
"The tunnel's collapsing! Go!" Hera falls out to us across the com channel.
We waste no time in rushing inside the Ghost, and I narrowly avoid a rock as it crashes onto the ground beside me. The Ghost quickly lifts off into the air. I rush over and get into one of the gun turrets on the ship, shooting down several boulders that are falling directly toward the Ghost.
"They're trying to seal us in!" Ezra calls out.
"We're not getting buried down here," Hera states determinedly.
We quickly move closer and closer to the surface of the hole, and through the glaring sun I can see an Imperial light cruiser hovering over it.
"The cruiser is directly over our exit. It's blocking our escape!" Sabine exclaims.
"Their captain is showing their inexperience," she replies firmly. "Sabine, fire proton torpedoes."
Moments later a pair of proton torpedoes are shot out towards the cruiser, and I add to the fire with the help of whoever was in the other gunners position by blasting away at the hull. Our combined fire and the power of the proton torpedoes impacts against the light cruiser with devastating effect, crippling it in moments. Hera flies us out of the hole and through the pointed bow of the cruiser, but accidentally hits a bit of debris that falls off.
"We've lost the canisters!" Sabine exclaims.
"Well isn't that just perfect," I grumble irritably.
Despite the loss of the poison gas canisters, we continue on our way up into orbit and away from the planet's surface, soon jumping into hyperspace. I let out a sigh of relief and lean back into the chair with a sigh.
"Alright, now it's official. I'm never returning to this dustball again," I declare firmly.
Isle of Berk - Ahch-To
Jarik POV...
Stoick the Vast strokes his beard with a scowl on his face as he listens, the orange flames in the fire pit glinting in his eyes. The scowl to be honest is more of a permanent expression for him, so I don't take it as him being annoyed.
"Well that certainly seems like a heavy burden you carry," he tells me. "You sure you need Astrid and Hiccup to go with you?"
"To be honest I was heavily against the idea at first but, I will admit it could prove helpful. Astrid carries herself with a similar code as a Mandalorian, and she can relate to their frustration," I explain.
"Hmm. And Hiccup?" he asks.
"I could try and reason with them too. I did change your mind about dragons after all," he says sheepishly.
"If Mandalorians are anything like I've been hearing, then I'm not sure they'd take you seriously," Stoick points out with a frown. "You're still skinny."
"Thanks..." Hiccup replies dryly.
"Don't get me wrong, it doesn't bother me anymore... mostly," he adds as an afterthought. "But these Mandalorians likely won't see it that way. They respect a warrior's strength."
"He does have a point Hiccup," Astrid points out.
"Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it," he replies with a sigh.
"Eh, you're fine," Mara comments.
"Hiccup would mainly be there because I'm not comfortable with bringing Astrid alone. And one dragon can accompany us," I say.
"Zenna?" Mara asks hopefully.
"No, Toothless," I respond. "He can't fly without Hiccup, and keeping them together makes them more effective anyways."
"Ok, fair enough," she admits reluctantly.
"Anyone else?" Stoick asks, raising a bushy eyebrow.
"No, that would be it," I confirm.
"You do realize that I would be entrusting the safety of my son, his dragon, and Berk's finest warrior of the next generation, all to you, and that you will bring them all back in one piece?" he points out, frowning heavily.
I let out a sigh, nodding my head.
"I know. It's a lot to ask, but I wouldn't ask it if I though they weren't capable. And the Empire won't be involved in any way during this, so we won't have to worry about Vader or the Emperor," I tell him.
Stoick is silent for a long while, considering it, before finally nodding his head.
"You've given me no reason to distrust your word Jarik. I'll allow Hiccup and Astrid to accompany you on establishing a relationship your people," he states roughly. "But by Odin's beard, please bring them all back safely."
"You don't have to tell me twice. That's higher on my list than making peace with Clan Ordo," I reassure him.
"Good," he nods in satisfaction. "Now you better get going then."
"Thanks Dad," Hiccup replies gratefully.
The Ghost - Outer Rim Territories
3rd person POV…
Hera, Kanan, Ezra, Lux, and Saw, are all gathered around the holographic table in the common room aboard the Ghost, speaking to rebel command. Among the leaders present were Senator Organa, Commander Sato, and Jarik, each in holographic form. The Ghost Crew was reporting on their mission.
"Unfortunately, all we were able to recover were images of the poison canisters used by the Empire against the Geonosians," Hera finishes up.
"The images are frightening but will not be enough to convince the Senate of the Empire's atrocities," Bail admits, much to everyone's disappointment. "They may, however, help us recruit more systems to our cause."
"Even more than my stunt on Coruscant?" Jarik jokes, drawing a small chuckle from Saw, while Bail shakes his head in exasperation.
"Your intel concerning these matters, acquisition of a shield core and the rescue of Saw Gerrera and Lux Bonteri makes the mission a profound success. Well done," Sato declares.
"Sounds good," Saw comments.
"I've made some headway in what you sent me Saw," Jarik says, getting everyone's attention. "It isn't very much though."
"Anything is better than nothing," Saw urges.
"I talked to some of the wookiee slaves I recently helped rescue with Cham, and found out that the majority of their population had been transported over the years," Jarik explains grimly. "To build something."
"It must be the Empire's weapon," he states fiercely.
"Do you know what it is?" Hera asks.
Jarik frowns, shaking his head.
"No. But what concerns me the most is what they've been gathering: kyber crystals," he reveals.
Ezra widens his eyes and looks over at Kanan, who is just as surprised.
"Kyber crystals?" Kanan says, alarmed.
"Like the one that we took from the Inquisitors a few years ago?" Ezra asks.
Jarik nods his head grimly.
"What would cyber crystals be used for?" Bail asks in concern.
Jarik and Kanan remain mostly silent, although the latter looks toward the more experienced Jedi for an answer.
"Something that would please a Lord of the Sith," he finally says.
"Then it must be a weapon of some kind," Saw declares.
"Maybe," Jarik replies, cautious. "I know you'll be set on figuring his out Saw, so just try to not be so harsh with anyone that you... question, for answers. Please."
Saw falters, prompting Lux to move forward.
"I'll make sure of that Jarik," he reassured him, glancing at Saw. "I'm sure we will make some headway though."
"Then that is all we can ask for. A job well done on your mission, Ghost team," Bail says with a nod.
The holograms of Senator Organa and Commander Sato disappear and, after one last look, Jarik disappears as well.
"We also gave Klik-Klak and his race a fighting chance for survival," Ezra remarks, smiling.
"We still don't have a clear picture of what the Empire was building on Geonosis," Saw points out, frowning.
"Maybe not, but they can't keep it hidden forever," Kanan points out. "We'll deal with it."
"I just hope it won't be too late," he replies.
Saw turns and makes his way out of the common room, and Lux watches him go before glancing at the others apologetically. After a few more seconds he follows suit.
"You're welcome," Ezra mutters bitterly.
"Ezra, you're gonna find not all of our allies share the same values or even fight the Empire for the same reason we do," Kanan tells him.
"I've also got my issues with Saw, Ezra. But in the end, he proved he's not the Empire," Hera admits. "And for now, that will have to do."
Well my faithful readers, this is it! Things have been set into motion for what's to come next!
The time has come. Execute order [Mandalorian Arc]!