Mandalore - Outer Rim Territories
Jarik POV...
As it turned out, my father was only about an inch shorter than me, so the dimensions of his armor weren't too far off height-wise; however, more of his height came from his torso rather than lower body. He was also more broad-shouldered and muscular than me according to Raman, which made sense, considering he lived the warrior lifestyle of a Mandalorian. Part of being a Jedi meant keeping our bodies in peak physical condition, but the focus wasn't necessarily being incredibly strong: the Force was more than enough to make up for it.
In any case, while I couldn't fit into all of the armor, there were enough pieces to make it passable; I was able to equip the main chest piece, both shoulder plates and gauntlets, and the boots. Luckily for me Mandalorian armor is built with maximum mobility in mind as well as protectiveness. Over the armor I added my cape, which some of my family raised an eyebrow at but I waved them off dismissively, informing them that it was made of armorweave; and in my opinion it looks cool as well. Even though the general rule is that capes impede a person's ability to fight, the same doesn't hold true for skilled Force-sensitives. Otherwise Vader wouldn't be nearly as terrifying while tripping over his feet every time he engaged in lightsaber combat.
Still, there was one thing I was still a bit unsure of...
"Cousin, you're being ridiculous," Kira says offhandedly.
"Ridiculous?" I ask skeptically.
"Yeah. It's a helmet," she replies.
"I've never fought with a helmet on before," I state.
"And we do it all the time," Shae remarks. "What's so bad about it?"
"There's a very good reason why stormtroopers are generally bad shots," I explain in exasperation. "Their helmets have very bad visibility, which I know for a fact."
The Mando's all glower at me in distaste, and I roll my eyes with a sigh.
"I am going to pretend that you did not just compare our equipment to the likes of stormtroopers," Crassus scowls.
HK-47 laughs in amusement.
"Musing: I can't imagine very much as more insulting than that," he says cheerfully. "And you berate me for being disrespectful?"
"Are you saying that you aren't?" Crassus demands with a raised eyebrow.
"Statement: Of course I am. I just don't deny it," HK replies dismissively.
"Hilarious," Shae deadpans.
"There's is nothing wrong, at all, with our helmets Jetii," Hadrian sighs, responding with firm confidence. "We use only the best, so your vision will not be hindered in the slightest. Least of all with a Hunter-class visor."
I let out a weary sigh and concede his point with a nod, glancing back down at my father's helmet.
"If you say so," I comment.
"Come on Dad, if all else fails you can still just use the Force right?" Mara points out.
"I suppose so," I shrug my shoulders.
"You know something else you need? More instruction on hand-to-hand combat," Kira says also.
"Statement: An excellent analysis!" HK-47 chimes in cheerfully.
"What, am I lacking in that?" I demand with a raised eyebrow.
"Commentary: That is most correct. While your proficiency with a lightsaber is admittedly, quite satisfactory, you are terribly lacking when it comes to your technique in hand-to-hand combat," HK remarks thoughtfully. "Furthermore, I have evaluated your combat prowess, and I must say that you measure up as quite average, if not less so. Even this hectic redhead possesses greater skill than you."
Mara throws me a cheeky grin, blinks for a moment, and then crosses her arms with an irritated scowl. R5 beeps in laughter at both of us, and I narrow my eyes at him before fixing HK with a dry look of exasperation.
"Really?" I deadpan.
"Got to be honest, I actually agree with the psychopath for once," Crassus adds.
There are a murmurs of agreement from Hadrian, Kira, and Shae, much to my exasperation.
"I'm sorry, who won the challenge again?" I ask pointedly.
"I recall pummeling you into the dirt with my bare hands before your usage of the Force and superior swordsmanship gave you victory," he retorts dismissively.
I roll my eyes in acknowledgement of his point.
"Statement: As a creation of my master, I will not allow his descendant to be this pathetic," HK declares. "Combat training will therefore be required."
"Kriff, you're more insufferable than R5," I scoff.
Said astromech beeps in outrage and rolls forward, bumping into my leg. I glance down at him with a raised eyebrow before checking the time.
"Well, if we're all done talking about how my horrendous fighting ability, we should be getting ready for the battle," I inform the group.
Crassus also checks the time with a frown and grunts in acknowledgement.
"Alright, lets go join the others," he says.
Mandalore prison outpost - Mandalore
Since Alrich Wren wasn't at the prison, Ursa and Raman then directed their respective clans to use it as a staging ground to prepare for the next offensive. After locating the prison convoy transporting him, they decided on launching a large assault to act as a diversion, forcing the Imperials to split up; they would have to alter their route down the length of a long canyon, from which then Bo-Katan and Sabine would lead a team to rescue Alrich much more easily without Imperial reinforcements.
To better keep the identities of Mara and I as obscure as possible, she would assist the rescue team; theoretically Kanan and Ezra's presence already would cause for less alarm if another Jedi were added into the mix. As for me? I would be out fighting with the diversion team alongside a portion of Clan Wren and Ordo led by Ursa and Raman. To keep control over the ground we currently possess, they were only committing about thirty warriors per clan to the attack, making sixty of us in total. But for Mandalorian warriors, that's more than enough.
Hadrian was planning to join in the battle with his basilisk war droid, but Raman decided against it as it would be better reserved for protecting the base camp. In the meantime, Mara and I made our way to the higher levels of the prison outpost to regroup with the rebels already here, finding them in conversation with the Wren's.
"So, once we free your father, what next?" Ezra was asking.
"When Saxon's leverage over us is gone, our next plan will be to work on gathering all the clans together to retake our home from the Empire," Sabine says.
"Even with what we have in our possession, it won't be easy," Ursa reminds her.
"Why's that?" Cal asks.
"Because Mandalore hasn't been united ever since the Mandalorian Wars," Tristan explains, frowning. "The closest we've ever gotten since then was with Mandalore the Preserver, but he died a long time ago."
"How long ago was that?" Merrin questions.
"Over three thousand years," Bo-Katan states.
"Wow, really?" Ezra asks, surprised. "I don't want to sound insensitive, but why that long? There has to have been others who did something, right?"
"History hasn't been kind to us, Jedi," she replies with a stern gaze, her eyes slightly narrowed.
"Our strength and power today is merely a fraction of what it was in the days of old," Fenn Rau adds in explanation.
"Same could be said of many others," I chime in, announcing our presence.
Ezra jumps in surprise at us suddenly being beside him, and Mara snickers at him while Kanan lets out a sigh, having already been aware of our presence. Cal leans over to him with a teasing grin on his face, but Kanan holds a hand out to ward him off before he could make any teasing remark about his apprentice. Bo-Katan looks at me with a stern gaze, her expression unreadable before glancing at Ursa.
"Excuse me," she murmurs.
She turns away from the group and walks out of the room, and I watch her go with a small frown, sensing her raging emotions. She's definitely a complicated person, that much I can say.
"Why are you so easy to startle?" Mara asks Ezra.
"Why are you always sneaking up on me?" he retorts.
"Grow up," Sabine scoffs.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here Jarik," Kanan comments. "You here to reinforce us?"
"For as long as we can," I respond. "But once we've rescued Alrich, I'd imagine we'll all need to rejoin the Rebellion."
"What for?" he asks in concern. "Did something happen?"
"No, but this rescue op is taking longer than Rebel Command had hoped," I explain with a sigh. "It doesn't help that Sloane and Tarkin have been doing everything they can to hunt us down."
"Not Thrawn and Vader?" Sabine asks.
"No..." I reply, frowning uneasily. "For some reason, there haven't been any reports about them whatsoever for the last two weeks."
"Maybe they got into some trouble and now they're dead," Ezra suggests optimistically.
We all stare dryly at him.
"Yeah, I didn't think so either," he adds bashfully, rubbing the back of his head.
"Now that you've mentioned it Shan, I must add that time is running short," Ursa interjects firmly. "If we're going to rescue my husband before he reaches the capital, then we need to move now."
"We're on it mother," Tristan nods in reply.
With our teams assembled, we swiftly got underway in order to carry out the plan. The rescue team consisted of Sabine, Bo-Katan, and Fenn Rau, being supported by Mara, Kanan, Ezra, Cal, Merrin, and Chopper. The diversion team consisted of Ursa and Tristan Wren with their warriors, and then Raman with Crassus, Kira, Shae, and their friends―Zhianaa, Jag, Krunald, and Phanaa―as well as Kayli Jyn, Phanaa's mother and one of Raman's friends. Aathias was staying behind at the camp with Jovani, Ivanka, and Varlaa Merrc (Zhianaa's mother) so that there would be someone still around to lead their warriors incase something were to happen to us; Ursa had done much the same with her own close confidantes.
In order to reach the Imperial convoy before it reached Sundari, we were flying in on gauntlet transports, while the rescue team took off toward the canyon where they would lie in wait for the prisoner transport. While the younger generation of mando's spoke with each other eagerly about the upcoming battle, I was seated next to Raman and Kayli, the latter having sat down on my other side. Kayli has been somewhat of an enigma to me; I haven't interacted with her much, but ever since I first introduced myself to the clan she's been sparing me the occasional look, a mixture of emotions present in her eyes. Most of which were bitter, and also sad.
"I haven't seen Bo-Katan since the war," I remark, allowing a small scoff. "Nice to see she actually doesn't want to kill me for once."
"Even before she joined Death Watch, I always found her to be... complicated," Raman replies.
I glance at him curiously, learning something interesting with that comment.
"You knew her?" I ask him.
"My mother―your grandmother―Ravella Sohl, was someone that Bo-Katan looked up to as an inspiration, even being somewhat of a mentor to her for a short time," he explains.
"Huh," I say thoughtfully, pondering the implication. "I'm guessing her messy relationship with Satine led her to being with you?"
"Not exactly," he replies with a shake of his head. "Mandalore was in a Civil War at the time, between our allies and Death Watch, which was led by Tor Vizsla. Bo-Katan and Satine's father, Mandalorian Duke Adonai Kryze, was assassinated by mercenaries who Death Watch hired. In order to keep his heir's safe they were separated, with Bo-Katan under our clan's protection while Satine went with the Jedi."
"I remember that story," I recall in recognition. "My master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, was assigned to protect her alongside his master Qui-Gon Jinn."
Raman nods in confirmation, his interest rising a bit at the mention of my indirect connection to the Civil War. Kayli listens quietly, her gaze seemingly unfocused.
"Your father and I fought in the battle that ensured their escape from Mandalore," he tells me. "Of course, once the war ended, Satine took her father's place as ruler and, believing that our warrior ways were the cause of the war, banished every warrior from Mandalore."
He and Kayli both have bitter frowns on their faces as they recall that, and I look on with some sympathy.
"Bo-Katan of course, didn't like that. They had always had different views, but it was respectful," Raman continues, shaking his head. "The banishing of our warriors proved to be the last straw for her. They argued, and Bo-Katan disowned herself as Satine's sister, choosing to join us in exile on Dxun."
I frown in confusion, finding something off about that.
"If she chose to join you, then what happened that led her to join Death Watch instead?" I ask him.
"Marcus happened," Kayli says softly.
Hearing her talk for the first time I glance at her in slight surprise while Raman grimly nods his head in agreement.
"When we learned that Marcus fell in love with Lara Shan, Bo-Katan was lost. She couldn't handle the scorn and humiliation our clan suffered, as well as the loss of..." he falters, letting out a shaky breath before continuing. "...Count Drezden, my mother, and my father, and so she struck out on her own."
I widen my eyes in surprise on hearing this, looking down for a moment in astonishment.
"What caused that?" I ask incredulously.
"Mandalorians have an enemy in the form of a bounty hunter named Durge," he starts to say, and I raise an eyebrow in recognition of the name.
"I've heard of him. Before I was made a Padawan, Obi-Wan fought and killed him at the Battle of Muunilinst," I recall.
"Did you Jedi toss him into a star?" Kayli asks skeptically.
I give her a baffled look.
"Obi-Wan blew him up from the inside. Literally," I recall the story with a thoughtful look, noticing them to look bewildered for once. "I can't see how someone would survive from that."
However, Raman and Kayli both let out uneasy sighs.
"Unfortunately he can," she states grimly. "Durge is a Gen'Dai, and they can regenerate from any injury. The only way to kill him permanently is by vaporizing every last cell in his body at an atomic level."
I stare at her incredulously for a few short seconds, making a face at the idea of how evolution could even create such a lifeform.
"Huh..." I say dumbly, nodding my head slowly before brushing the thought aside. "So what was his beef with Clan Ordo?"
"He hates every Mandalorian. Over a century ago, Durge killed the leading Mandalore, and we wanted vengeance. Since nobody knew how to kill him, he was put in a state of constant torture until a method was found. Somehow though, he escaped, and I'm sure you can guess how he feels now," Raman tells me, and I nod my head in understanding. "I don't know how he learned about Marcus's secret, but when we brought him back to explain himself, Durge tracked us to Dxun and killed killed countless of our people, including your grandparents, and Count Drezden."
I let out a sad sigh of realization as I get the implication of how the clan would've felt about my father afterwards.
"My father would've received the blame," I murmur with a sigh.
"He did," Raman nods.
Kayli looks away with a hard gaze, and I glance at her with empathy as I finally sense the reason for her feelings.
"You loved him," I say softly.
She's silent for some time, but eventually nods her head in confirmation.
"He never reciprocated it," she mutters.
"But you found someone else," I respond, trying to be optimistic. "Otherwise Phanaa wouldn't be here."
Kayli looks over in the direction of where Phanaa was sitting amongst her friends, her gaze softening, and then nods her head at me with a small smile.
"If not for the cape, then seeing you in that armor... you almost look just like him, except..." she starts to say.
"Except what?" I ask.
"Your eyes are not his," Raman replies.
I look between them both, a flurry of emotions running through my head as I contemplate their words, as well as the scenario I'm finding myself in. For the longest time I had no one to talk to about the mystery of my family except Maul, and he's clearly a terrible option. But now, in the last few months, I learned not just who my parents were, but have connected fully to the rest of my family as well. Not only that, but for once it doesn't feel like I'm the one answering all the questions, or expected to have all the answers. It's a burden I've held in the Rebellion for the longest time now, but amongst my family, it's shared evenly.
Before I could say anything else, Raman's comlink starts to beep insistently, and he answers it. A small blue hologram of Ursa appears, a firm look on her face.
"Yes?" Raman questions.
"We will be within range of the convoy in just over a minute from now, Count," she informs us.
"Understood. We'll be ready," he acknowledges, ending the transmission. "Alright everyone, it's go time! Our priority is to direct the prison transport down the length of the canyon and then keep the Imperials busy for as long as possible!"
"We got it, father!" Crassus replies.
Everyone gets up and starts preparing themselves for battle, maneuvering around the cabin of the gauntlet transport. I check my own armament, consisting of twin blasters, two vibroblades, and my helmet, when Kira bumps into my shoulder with a grin on her face.
"Ready to see how it feels to be a Mandalorian?" she asks cheekily.
"You mean join in on the crazy?" I ask in reply, raising an eyebrow at her. "Sure, I'm ready for that."
She laughs, smacking me on the back with her hand—with a tad bit more force than necessary—and puts on her helmet.
"Jate akaanir bevr!" she says cheerfully.
I roll my eyes in reply and then look down at my father's helmet, holding it in my hands. After a few more moments of contemplating I lift it up and over my head.
3rd person POV...
Mara was crouched down at the edge of a canyon wall alongside Sabine, Ezra, Fenn Rau, and Bo-Katan. She fidgeting uncomfortably with the jetpack she was wearing on her back, drawing the attention of the others.
"First Ezra, now you?" Sabine grumbles.
"Hey," Ezra frowns indignantly.
"Hey, I can use a jetpack just fine. But I hate wearing one," Mara retorts. "It's uncomfortable."
"Not for us," Sabine replies.
"Well good for you," she says, rolling her eyes. "But I can't twist around and maneuver as well in this thing. There's a very good reason why I love my normal suit!"
"Mandalorian jetpacks are made with every aspect of combat in mind," Bo-Katan states irritably. "Given who you are, you'll be fine."
Bo-Katan doesn't turn her head at all while addressing her, and Mara responds to her stern tone by making a face at her. The group then resumes their lookout, waiting for the signal which will make it clear that the diversion has begun. As Cal and Merrin walked up to join them, Ezra's face morphed into a skeptical frown.
"I don't see anything yet," he remarks.
"Just give my mom a chance," Sabine replies. "They'll come through."
"Given who's among them, I have no doubt they will," Rau adds in support.
"Isn't it risky for your father to be joining the battle, Mara?" Merrin asks in concern.
"Not really. He's dressed up like a Mandalorian," she replies with a shrug, glowering momentarily at the jetpack strapped to her back.
"While I'm sure he'll make a mark, that's not who I was referring too," Rau interjects.
"Who?" Cal asks, confused. "Count Raman?"
"Indeed," he nods in confirmation. "Though not as well-versed in combat as his brother, Raman is an exceptional leader, as well as a brilliant strategist."
"There's a reason why the Separatists left them alone during their occupation of Onderon," Bo-Katan adds.
"No kidding," Ezra remarks, recalling some of the battle strategies he's heard from Clan Ordo over the last two weeks.
Further back from the rest of the team, Kanan was communicating with Hera through a hologram projected by Chopper.
"We were hoping you could've freed him by now," Hera was saying. "What's the outlook?"
"The Empire is moving Sabine's father to the Mandalorian capital of Sundari," he explains with a sigh. "Only chance we've got for a rescue, is to ambush the convoy before it gets there."
"What's the status of the Imperial occupation?" she asks.
"Mandalore's under complete lockdown. Civil war's raging," he informs her.
"I'm sorry, I hate to say it, but even with Jarik and Mara there to assist you it sounds like the planet is lost," she says grimly.
"Sabine's father is important," Kanan presses. "Not just to her, but to her people."
"That's how I persuaded Mon Mothma to let you help, but once that's done I need you to come back," she tells him.
"Huh, having trouble overthrowing the Empire without me?" he asks in amusement.
"Our teams are important assets to the Rebellion?" Hera points out in exasperation. "Three Jedi and a Nightsister? Just one of you is already a huge advantage."
"Assets?" he frowns in reply. "Is that what we are?"
"You know what I mean," she states irritably, propping her fists on her hips.
"Well, you know how I feel," he says.
Hera narrows her eyes at him.
"Are we still talking about the mission?" she asks.
"That depends," he remarks, casually stepping up towards her.
"On what?" she retorts, not intimidated as she takes a step forward in kind.
"You know," he says knowingly.
Chopper lets out a few beeps to express his annoyance and exasperation with the tension between the pair. Hera glances down at him before sighing anxiously, looking back at Kanan with a worried expression.
"Be careful," she says in concern. "See you soon."
Kanan gives her a subtle nod in response, and Hera swiftly vanishes as Chopper ends the transmission.
Jarik POV...
The convoy transporting Alrich Wren was large, made up of at least a dozen troop transports, maybe more, escorted by a large number of speeder bikes, and four 1-M repulsortanks. Even so, there was no fear or hesitation in any of the Mandalorians present as the gauntlet fighters flew into action, firing a swift barrage of yellow lasers. The Imperials had seen us coming and moved to shoot us down, but a repulsortank and two transports were nevertheless blown apart. The pilots of the gauntlets flew us ahead of the convoy before turning around, opening the bay doors.
Seated in one of the chairs being lowered into the air, I joined Clan Ordo in dropping out of the ship and taking flight with my jetpack, flying at the Imperial forces in a head on charge while the gauntlets retreated to avoid being shot down. Normally a head on rush at any sort of force without cover would be near suicide, but flying gave us the advantage of being much harder to shoot down. And as a hail of incoming fire from the Imperial forces came our way, we all did just that. Raman and Ursa led their respective clans into battle, and within moments we were upon the Imperials, forcing the convoy to halt in its tracks.
There was only one word I could use to describe it: chaos. Or at the very least, organized chaos in favor of Mandalorians.
A wall of flying Mandalorians charging directly at you can definitely be a terrifying sight. Despite having greater numbers and firepower, the tanks and gun turrets were too slow to react to the erratic movements and behavior of someone flying on a jetpack, even with over forty targets to choose from. And Mandalorians weren't without their own firepower, as several rockets were shot out from jetpacks to destroy several speeder bikes and another few troop transports.
In ancient days, entire armies of Mandalorian warriors, Jedi, and Sith fought each other in the fields of battle, and even the more regular infantry of the Republic could hold their own against lesser Sith warriors. Battles of that scale therefore were nothing more than chaos, as tactics and battle strategy were of little assistance, and were won based on either greater numbers or greater power. In the midst of the battle I'm finding myself in now, I'm getting only a taste of what it must of felt like to be in the shoes of Satele Shan or Jace Malcom during the Battle of Alderaan.
Once the fighting took to the ground, I landed in the midst of several troop transports. Stormtroopers stationed on the sides quickly turned their attention towards me, but I shot them with my twin blasters. Kira, Crassus, and Shae came down moments later, and we worked alongside each other in swiftly taking out any stormtroopers in our vicinity. However, a nearby repulsortank took interest in us and aimed its cannon in our direction.
"Incoming!" I warn the others.
We all jump out of the way to avoid the explosive shot that blasts a shower of dirt over us, and I duck behind one of the stopped transports. The sound of a jetpack to my right warns me of the next threat, and I roll forward across the ground to avoid red blaster bolts aimed for my head. True to my family's word, my Mandalorian helmet actually doesn't fall off or prove to be cumbersome at my wild motion, much to my positive relief.
I whip up my blasters and fire two shots at my attackers, identifying them as Saxon's Imperial Super Commandos. My shots strike one mandalorian in the chest, making him stumble, and then the weak point of his neck to kill him. The second charges forward at me with a few punches; I evade his swings, but lose my grip on one of my blasters in the process. Then as he attempts to strike me with his rifle I redirect it away before bring my up my free left hand, punching him in the chest: the clang of beskar on beskar vibrates in my ears, and he's thrown down with a yell of pain.
The third commando aims his rifle to shoot me, but before he could pull the trigger another blast bolt soars through the air and into his throat, killing him instantly. I look over to see HK-47 riding a speederbike before promptly dismounting, allowing it to crash against the cockpit of a troop transport, likely killing the pilots inside.
"Statement: You're welcome," he says casually.
"Having fun yet?" I ask sarcastically.
"Statement: Quite so! This is what I've been missing for far too long!" he cheerfully replies, shooting a nearby stormtrooper with his blaster.
"Glad to hear it," I sigh in response.
Mara POV...
The eerie silence of the apocalyptic landscape is suddenly broken by a series of bright flashes on the horizon, followed by the distant sound of explosions. We look over anxiously to investigate, those with helmets lowering their scopes to get a better look.
"Yup, that's my mom," Sabine states.
"Blowing things up definitely runs in your family," Ezra says jokingly.
"It's a Wren specialty," she shrugs in reply.
"Clearly you've forgotten about the twins," I dryly respond.
Ezra makes a face as he remembers, he and Sabine sharing an uneasy glance with each other.
"Who now?" Cal asks curiously.
"I'll explain later," I tell him with a shrug.
Sabine's comlink then beeps, and we all listen in as she answers.
"Sabine we've engaged Tiber Saxon's Imperial dogs. The prisoner convoy has changed course toward the canyon!" Ursa states, abruptly ending the transmission moments later.
"Then the diversion worked," Bo-Katan says.
Fenn Rau turns to look down the canyon, pointing a finger out at something. In the distance I notice a smaller Imperial convoy making its way down the length of the canyon as quickly as possible, consisting of speeder bikes and only three transports.
"There. I'm detecting a single passenger, no armor, in the center transport," he reports.
"If we attack the lead vehicle, my father's transport will fall back," Sabine says thoughtfully. "Then someone could sneak up and sabotage its controls forcing it to stop."
"By then the rest of the convoy will be too far ahead to do anything about it," Rau says in agreement. "So, who's going in?"
"Yeah, that sounds like a me plan," Ezra chimes in with a grin.
"Seriously?" I ask skeptically. "From what I've heard you don't exactly know how to use a jetpack yet."
"Hey, I got it," he replies confidently. "Besides, I am a street rat after all. Getting into places I'm not allowed is my specialty."
"If you say so street rat," Sabine sighs, probably rolling her eyes underneath her helmet.
"Just a reminder, don't get too ahead of yourself kid," Cal advises. "I don't want to see you splattered on their cockpit."
"Been there, done that," Ezra shrugs carelessly.
He and Sabine start to head off, and I stand up with an exasperated expression while Chopper beeps his own skepticism in Ezra's ability. Kanan also comes forward to join up with us.
"He can do it Chop. Just get ready to jam their comms," he says.
Chopper does so with a grudging beep of confirmation, his antenna dish popping out and spinning as he carries out the task.
"I think you, Merrin and I should also discuss where we'll come in, seeing as we don't have jetpacks," Cal tells Kanan.
"Can Nightsisters fly?" I ask Merrin. "Like on a broom or something?"
She raises an eyebrow at me bemusement.
"No," she says dryly.
I shrug my shoulders in response.
"Well, we can't start the ambush, otherwise we'll be out of the fight if they pass us," Kanan says thoughtfully, a hand on his chin. "It'll probably be best for us to move further down the canyon and wait for them to come to us."
"Then you better start running, because they'll be here in moments," Bo-Katan warns us.
"I can get us as far as we need," Merrin chimes in.
"You can teleport other people too?" Kanan asks in surprise.
"She's done it before," Cal says with a smile of support.
"Only if we're all in direct contact with each other, otherwise my magick won't work," she explains. "I can't teleport onto moving objects either, so there's that to be aware of."
"You really have all the powers one could get huh?" I say with an amused grin. "From the sound of things, you could solo an army a lot better than even my Dad."
"Magick may have more diverse abilities, but in terms of raw power its potential still lacks in comparison to a Force-sensitive," she tells me.
"The more you know," I murmur to myself with interest.
"They're about the be here Kanan," Sabine calls out to us. "What's your plan?"
"Don't worry, I think you'll get to see it," he responds knowingly.
He, Cal, and Merrin then hold each others hands, the Nightsister closing her eyes. After a few moments a green mist envelopes them, and they promptly disappear on the spot.
"Nightsisters sure are handy," Rau dryly remarks.
I nod my head in agreement and quickly join the others as we split up into our assigned positions, watching as the transport gets closer. I pull my goggles down from where they were resting up on my cowl and place them over my eyes. If I'm going to be flying at high velocity, then I don't fancy the idea of getting dirt and sand in my eyes.
Tiber Saxon's Star Destroyer, Sundari - Mandalore
3rd person POV...
A troubled frown spreads across Tiber Saxon's face as he listens to the report being given by Captain Hark. He did not expect Clan Wren to be so bold as to launch an immediate follow-up attack on Alrich Wren's prison convoy, nor did he think Clan Ordo would also join in on such a reckless assault, given that despite being allies they have no incentive of their own to rescue him. But it matters not, as this provides the perfect opportunity for him to eliminate a large number of their forces instantaneously, seeing as how they're basically inviting him to strike back.
"The traitors are putting up a stronger fight than expected," Saxon remarks. "What's your status captain?"
"We have altered our route to avoid the battle, but remain unscheduled Governor Saxon," Hark reports.
"Good. Continue to Sundari with the prisoner," he nods in satisfaction. "I am ordering the weapon to be readied."
Captain Hark replies with a nod of confirmation, and he ends the transmission. Moments later, the doors to the command center slide open once more to allow Lorka Gedyc and Rook Kast entry, and Tiber conceals a sigh of annoyance at their presence.
"Gedyc, Kast," he greets in a neutral tone. "How can I help you?"
"It's come to our attention that the convoy transporting Alrich Wren has come under attack," Gedyc states.
"Indeed. But not to worry, Wren will arrive as scheduled," Tiber responds casually.
"Nevertheless, with the traitors showing themselves so openly this is a good time for my clan to launch a counteroffensive and wipe out their strike force," he responds firmly.
"I appreciate the enthusiasm, Lorka, but it is hardly necessary," he says dismissively.
"Not necessary?" Rook asks, frowning skeptically.
"I am about to send Clan's Wren and Ordo a firm reminder of why it is unwise to challenge the Empire," Tiber replies with a self-assured smirk.
Rook and Lorka both share a confused and skeptical look at the statement, eyeing Saxon with some suspicion.
Mara POV...
I sat in wait with Rau and Bo-Katan further down the cliff, ready to go out as soon as Sabine gives the signal. While waiting, I decided to take the quick opportunity to ask Bo-Katan about some things on my mind.
"So, Bo-Katan... how'd you get along with my mother?" I ask curiously.
"Your mother?" she asks, confused.
"Mara was adopted by Jarik and Ahsoka Tano," Rau explains.
Bo-Katan stares at me for a moment before returning her gaze to the canyon.
"She was a respectable warrior. I owe Mandalore's freedom of Maul to her," she says simply, not elaborating any more.
I raise an eyebrow at her before shrugging at Rau, just as our comlinks buzz with activity.
"Now!" Sabine shouts.
With her call supported by the sound of speeders and blaster fire nearby, the three of us take to the air on our jetpacks and fly out from the cover of the canyon, spotting the convoy speeding directly at us. Rau and Bo-Katan fire their twin blasters as we swoop down at the Imperials, taking out a speeder bike in the process. I take aim with my own blaster and fire at a few stormtroopers standing on the sides of the transports, shooting two of them before dropping on top of the leading transport.
While Sabine, Rau and Bo-Katan fight off the Imperials from the air, I put my blaster away into the holster strapped to my leg in favor of whipping out my lightsaber, its blue blade humming fiercely. An Imperial Mandalorian flying next to me pulls back in surprise, but I swing my lightsaber out to cut through his rifle before blowing him out of the air with the Force, watching as he tumbled to the ground and was swiftly left behind. I then swing my blade around to deflect the next round of fire directed at me, but the pressure is quickly eased as the offending Mandalorians are shot down by Rau and Bo-Katan.
Just then, help arrives in the form of Kanan and Cal jumping onto the transport on either side of me. Although I could sense they were intimidated, two Imperial Mandalorians nevertheless followed their pride and opened fire with their blaster rifles, which the three of us deflected their shots using our lightsabers. Kanan thrusts his hand forward and uses the Force to slam one against the cockpit of the transport covered in purple paint.
Panicking, the other switches tactics and fires a missile from his jetpack, but before it could reach us green magick surrounded it mid-flight, throwing it back at its releaser. He drops out of air to avoid being blown up, but ends up hitting the painted transport and falls to the ground underneath it. Merrin then walks up right beside Cal, her hands glowing with green magick.
"Nice one," Cal compliments.
"Thanks," she replies.
"They'd be stupid to try and challenge all of us now," I state confidently, twirling my lightsaber in hand as I gazed at the remaining Imperials.
"Don't get cocky yet, we've still got Sabine's father to rescue," Kanan reminds me.
"Still, it's fair to call ourselves idiots if we somehow don't pull this off," Cal shrugs.
Bo-Katan then flies up beside us, kicking a stormtrooper off the transport as he tries to come outside of the door.
"Less chatting, more blasting!" she scolds us, flying up again.
"I don't think any of us four are doing much blasting to begin with," Merrin muses.
I shrug my shoulders in agreement, and the four of us swiftly resume the battle. I leap over to another transport and twirl around to kick a stormtrooper clear off of the roof, before deflecting the blaster fire of others. They're quickly taken care by a few magick blasts from Merrin, though I don't have time to thank her before a commando comes charging at me. Sensing it beforehand, I backflip over him and swipe my lightsaber through his jetpack, sending him hurtling out of the sky with a panick cry, and swiftly plant my feet back down on the roof.
"Hah! Still got it!" I say smugly.
I'm suddenly thrown off of my feet as the painted transport slams into the back of the two that we're standing on top of, knocking everyone down. I temporarily lose my grip on my lightsaber with a groan, shaking my head to see the painted transport speed on past us, with Ezra clinging onto the back of it. On the other transport, Cal stands back up and throws me an exasperated look.
"Got that too?" he asks.
"Shut up," I grumble in annoyance.
A pair of stormtroopers climbing onto the roof rush at me, and I launch myself up to kick one in the face, throwing him off. The other trooper aims a punch my way, but I grab his arm and twist it around behind his back, pausing for a moment to grin at him.
"Maybe next time dude!" I say cheekily, throwing him off the roof as well.
"Do you always throw quips in a fight?" Merrin asks me.
"Sometimes. They're not as dumb and cringy as Ezra's!" I respond, raising my voice so that he could definitely hear.
"Who are you calling cringy?!" he demands in reply.
Merrin uses her magick to throw one of the speeder bikes up into the air, where it smacks one of the flying commandos as well before tumbling across the ground. Cal and Kanan were both in a short contest of hand-to-hand against a few stormtroopers before reclaiming their own lightsabers, and I grab my own as well, blocking a few shots fired at me by two commandos. They're shot out of the air by Rau and Bo-Katan, and I direct my focus towards another speeder bike. Grinning to myself, I drop off the edge of the roof and land on front of the bike, startling the trooper.
"Hey speedster," I greet pleasantly.
He fumbles with the blaster pistol in his holster, but I cut through the bike's steering vanes before jumping back onto the transport, allowing the bike to crash wildly against the ground. I then notice a bunch of stormtroopers flying out of the door of one of the transports rather comically, and after a few moments Kanan jumps out himself and onto the ground at a run, slowing himself down.
"Time to go kid!" Cal tells me.
"Don't call me kid. Only Dad and Boil get to call me kid," I retort.
"Yeah, sure thing," he replies dismissively.
He tosses his lightsaber through the air, hitting an Imperial commando out of the sky, and catches it once more. Sweeping Merrin up into a bridal carry he then jumps off himself, much to the Nightsister's clear bewilderment at the lack of warning. I roll my eyes and then jump off myself. I easily land on the rocky ground, rolling to stabilize myself before popping back up to my feet, joining up with the rest of the group.
"Is that everybody?" I ask, doing a quick head count.
"No," Kanan replies irritably.
I don't even need to finish my head count to know what he means by that.
"Oh boy," I sigh.
"Ezra, get out of there!" Sabine shouts into her comlink.
I look in the direction of the three transports, which are still hurtling toward the cliff ledge at high speeds. When there's no answer from Ezra, Sabine takes off on her jetpack and I quickly follow after her with my own. We're still too far away however as the transports go flying off the edge and out of sight; I'm overtaken by worry and alarm for a second, but then an unarmored man comes flying up on a jetpack. I sense joy from Sabine at the sight of him, however she still continues past him towards the cliff, and so I do the same.
We drop down onto the ground, hearing the sound of Ezra shouting in alarm, and quickly rush over to the edge. Seeing him scrabbling futilely onto the cliff wall, we lunge forward onto our stomachs and stretch our arms out just in time to grab both of his arms before he slipped completely. He hangs there in our grasp for a second, glancing down at what would've surely been a fall to his death before looking up at us.
"I was wondering where you were!" he says jokingly.
"Do you enjoy being dramatic?" I scoff, and the two of us pull him up to solid ground.
Tiber Saxon's Star Destroyer, Sundari - Mandalore
3rd person POV...
As time went on, Tiber Saxon observed his holomap with a troubled frown, reviewing some incoming reports. With Rook and Lorka still in the bridge close by, he contacted Captain Hark to get a clear understanding of the issue.
"Captain Hark, is there a problem with the prisoner?" he questions firmly.
"The renegades and their Jedi allies attacked my convoy, and were able to liberate Alrich Wren," Hark reports.
Lorka narrows his eyes accusingly at Tiber with an irritated scowl while Rook looked on with her own gaze of contempt, crossing her arms with a sigh. Tiber gave no thought to their reactions, merely accepting the report with a nod before responding.
"They planned well," he remarks calmly. "Withdraw all remaining forces; I am going to deploy the weapon. Before the end, they will all kneel before the Duchess!"
"Of course, Governor," Hark acknowledges, ending the transmission.
"You said there was no need to worry, Governor," Lorka immediately starts off in anger. "Clearly that is not the case."
"The loss of Alrich Wren is unfortunate..." Tiber admits with a sigh. "But in the end, it is of little concern."
"You've said as much already. Why should we believe you now, when all your other claims have proven to be false?" Rook snaps irritably.
"Because any hope the traitors hold will soon fade in the face of imminent destruction, without or without Sabine Wren's spirit being broken," he replies confidently.
"What sort of weapon could you possibly have to accomplish this?" Lorka demands doubtfully.
A smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes forms on Tiber's face as he turns to address them fully.
"Tell me, would your spirit break if the instrument of your defeat in battle was your own armor?" he asks.
Lorka and Rook both share a confused, wary glance of uncertainty at the question.
Jarik POV...
I fired a few blaster shots at some stormtroopers before rushing at a group of Imperial Super Commandos close by, putting my blasters away. Once I'm close enough I whip out my vibroblades, the sharp edges crackling with red electricity, and jump into the midst of them.
Taken by surprise, they try attacking me with their fists, but I swiftly evade their punches and retaliate with swipes of my vibroblades. They let out cries of pain as I cut through the weak points of their armor, falling to the ground or stumbling backwards. One leans back to avoid a swipe of my blade, kicking his leg out at me, but I grab it and then thrust the blade into the back of his knee, incapacitating him with a scream of pain. The last commando takes to the air with his jetpack to gain some distance, firing at me with his rifle, and I roll out of the way to avoid his shots.
Jumping back to my feet, I decide to test out one of Hadrian's 'features' that he added to my prosthetic. Raising my hand, a small section of the forearm lifts up into position and, taking aim at the commando, I shoot out a small grappling hook. Grabbing his wrist with the hook, I turn around for extra momentum and yank hard, pulling him out of the air. He lets out a startled cry as he's yanked my direction, and I follow up with a swift punch of my metal fist against his helmet, knocking him flat on his back with a resounding clang of vibranium.
"Well that's useful," I murmur to myself.
"Kriff, I could feel that!" Kira exclaims.
"Tell your boyfriend I said thanks," I respond.
I could imagine her rolling her eyes underneath her helmet before she jumps back into battle, moving to assist the rest of her friends. I follow her example myself and take to the air with my jetpack, 'stumbling' slightly before regaining control of myself, and fly towards a repulsortank. I drop down to a landing beside Raman and Kayli, who were hanging on to the side of the tank, grenades in their hands.
"Need a hand?" I ask them.
"You're a great fighter, but you're still my nephew," Raman grunts in reply, declining my help.
He and Kayli both toss their grenades into the hatches they opened on the tank, and the three of us jump off of it, landing just in time to watch as it exploded in a large fireball.
"Hey, I fought in a galaxy-wide war as a teenager, thank you very much," I pointedly remind him.
"Well, you ever killed a zakkeg before?" he retorts.
"I feel like I'm back thirty years ago listening to you and Marcus bantering," Kayli tells Raman with a sigh.
"Yeah, you're an old man now," I add teasingly.
Before Raman could respond with his own retort he's interrupted by HK-47. We all look over to see him standing a few feet away from us, holding a battered stormtrooper by his side. While talking, HK punches the stormtrooper in the face, making him shout in pain, before casually throwing him aside.
"Commentary: Oh please. I surpass the combined age of every meatbag on this battlefield, and I am still superior in every known form of kicking your―"
The final word in his sentence is deafened by the sound of three troop transports all around him blowing up, sending Imperial commandos and stormtroopers flying through the air with cries of pain, before hitting the ground and lying motionless. HK is unfazed by the explosion, tossing a mine in one hand while gesturing at the carnage with the other.
"Statement: I believe that proves my case," he declares smugly.
Raman and Kayli both scoff in annoyance while I shake my head in exasperation, before continuing on into the battle. Wren and Ordo warriors battle against Imperial commandos and jumptroopers in the air above us, though the Imperials are on the path to being overwhelmed. Nearby I could see Ursa and Tristan Wren both working together to blow up a troop transport, while Crassus and Shae finished off a group of jumptroopers that tried to surround them. Before long, the Empire's forces began retreating as their numbers proved too few.
"They're falling back!" I hear Tristan exclaim.
"Where ya going hut'uuns?" Phanaa laughs mockingly.
"Probably to cry," Krunald jokes.
Defeating one final stormtrooper with a kick to the head, I turn and watch the retreating Imperials with some relief, standing near Raman, Ursa, Tristan, Crassus, Shae, and Kira; Kayli followed after Phanaa, Krunald, Jag, and Zhianaa and the rest of the Mandalorians in driving off the Imperial forces. HK-47 of course, was eagerly a part of the group as he happily took out any Imperial within his sights that moved.
"Well, that didn't take as long as I expected," I remark.
"You didn't too bad for your first fight with us, cousin," Kira teases.
"Now it's just a matter of waiting to know whether or not this distraction served its purpose," Raman reminds us.
"Honestly, Count? I don't see how they could've failed to rescue my father," Tristan comments optimistically.
Ursa's comlink then starts to go off, and we all look her way to await the verdict.
"Well, guess we get our answer," Shae says.
"Countess Wren, we've rescued your husband. Alrich is free," Fenn Rau's voice says.
"Then we have two victories today," Ursa declares triumphantly. "Saxon's forces are in retreat."
We all glance at each other in content, but Crassus chimes in with an observation.
"Hold on, not all of them are running," he informs us.
"They're not?" I ask uneasily, starting to feel a sense of dread.
"It looks like they're bringing in an Imperial transport," he explains.
We look in the direction that Crassus was pointing, taking notice of the lone gozanti-cruiser on approach. A single scout walker was attached to its underside, though it looked unlike any other model I've seen before. As the Imperial forces continue on past it, the gozanti releases the scout walker. It drops to the ground with a thud, and begins marching our way: the sensation of dread began pushing to the forefront of my mind.
"Reinforcements to cover their retreat?" Sabine asks through the comlink.
"They're deploying a single scout walker, with no other support," Tristan explains. "It's moving into attack position."
"A laughable move," Ursa scoffs, nodding to her warriors. "Destroy it."
"No," I intervene, shaking my head firmly. "This doesn't make any sense. The Empire wouldn't send a single scout walker if they didn't think it could-"
All of a sudden, the front of the scout walker starts to glow a bright blue as it begins generating massive amounts of electrical energy. Farther away from us, I see HK-47 instantly come to a halt at the display, shouting to the others around him before retreating with newfound urgency: something that is completely unlike him. If he's detecting something from the weapon that even he wants to avoid, then it can't be good.
"Guys, get out of there! NOW!" Sabine screams fearfully.
I recall something she said earlier with that same tone of horror; something she said when training with the Darksaber.
'Mandalore! Fear of weapons I helped create!'
Ursa and Raman pull their helmets off their heads, the former's eyes widening in a mixture of shock, surprise, and a growing sense of fearful realization.
"What the..." Raman murmurs incredulously.
The electrical generator of the scout walker reaches a climax, and fires out large bolts of electricity. The Mandalorians closest to it are suddenly struck by the weapon's ray and, after a bloodcurdling scream of agony, fall to the ground in a pile of ash. I widen my eyes in shock, ripping my helmet off in a display of horrified realization.
"FALL BACK YOU IMBECILES!" HK-47 yells, his voice amplified.
"Go, run!" I shout at the rest of them as well.
"The others... we have to help them!" Kira exclaims, flying off in their direction.
"Wait, stop!" Crassus shouts.
"Kira no!" Raman yells.
"What are you doing?!" Shae shouts incredulously.
"No!" Ursa cries, grabbing hold of them to prevent them from charging after her. "It'll kill us all!"
"Dad, what's happening?!" I hear Mara's voice ask fearfully.
"I'll get her, go!" I say, shoving Raman back.
More agonizing screams permeate the air as fleeing Mandalorians are caught in the scout walker's deadly ray, before they too fall into dust.
"Jarik, wait!" Tristan exclaims.
I pay no heed to the protesting as I take off running after Kira, ripping my father's armor off of me at the same time. Everything else around me is a blur as I focus on Kira's figure flying in the air towards her friends; the scout walker is moving our way really fast, its electrical energy current spreading out in a wide radius as it stretches out for any Mandalorian in its radius... while stormtroopers are left unharmed. Kayli and HK-47's group I see are fleeing as fast as possible while Kira is trying to reach them, but I see that they won't make it in time.
I skid to a halt and reach out with my arms, calling on the Force to aid me. I yank my arms back with a shout, pulling Kira, HK, Kayli, and everyone else I could see through the air as hard as I could manage: but the arc generator is still getting closer.
Kira cries out in surprise as she's yanked backwards through the air, the others also yelling in surprise as well, while I pull my cape off my shoulders. The loud whirring of the scout walker's generator is extremely loud up close, and the moment Kira hits the ground I throw myself on top of her―out of my peripheral vision I could see someone shoving another person to the safety of a destroyed troop transport before getting struck by a bolt themselves, while HK tackles another down into a trench. I spread my cape out over top of us for as much protection as possible against the scout walker's deadly ray; just as I was pulling my left hand under, a bolt found it.
It was as if the lava rivers of Mustafar were being poured over my body, starting first at my shoulder. I scream in agony, vaguely hearing Kira do the same before my hand is finally makes its way underneath the cape: the smell of burning flesh his my nose while the whirring of the arc pulse generator continued on around. Overcome by that split-second of searing agony, I soon don't perceive anything else as the blissful sensation of nothingness takes me.
Mara POV...
The electrical whirring and faint sound of screaming stops as static replaces any sound from Fenn Rau's comlink. But instead of the normal silence from the ruined landscape, a continuous rumble of thunder permeated the air from a distance, and a bright blue glow at the edge of my vision caught my attention.
"What is that?" Ezra murmurs anxiously.
We turn our heads to look far down the canyon, the direction that we came from: a bright blue flash lit up the sky ominously, flickering like strikes of lightning. The thunder falls into silence while the blue glow fades, and through the Force I felt a terrible sensation of death, and I let out a quiet gasp of fear... I could almost hear the screaming in my mind. My worry only increases as Sabine walks forward with a shake in her step, the expression of horror filling her gaze.
"No..." she says with a shaky voice.
I glance nervously at the others as she takes flight, unable to shake off the feeling that something terrible has happened... I know something terrible has happened: I could feel it! I've nearly lost my Dad several times now... please don't let it be real this time.
MANDO'A TRANSLATION:
Jetii - Jedi
Jate akaanir bevr! - Good fight cousin!
Hut'uuns - Cowards