A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for my long absence and lack of responses, life has once again hit a fairly crazy level of madness. In some better news, my sister got married right around New Year's, I have gotten a bit more free time in my days to work on some hobbies (such as writing these chapters), and my wife is in the final stages of getting fully prepared/approved for her surgery.
Anyway, no further updates or life changes at the moment. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter, and I hope the 4-month wait wasn't too terrible (hey, at least it wasn't 6 months this time!) Your feedback, comments, and narrative ideas are always appreciated. The more feedback I get from you all, the more motivation I have to keep writing! I am really excited to hear what you all think about this chapter. It took a LOT of time for me to write this, as it is the longest chapter yet (112 pages)!
Well, without further a due, please enjoy!
Uneasy Alliances
Revan stood on one side of the sizable, circular, holo-table located in the central room of the Ebon Hawk. His grey eyes quickly scanned through several messages that were displayed directly in front of him. The past week had been very busy for the former Jedi Knight, his physical injuries had kept him limited in functionality, but his mind had been extremely hard at work. He and Sterr had been going over several different schematics, blueprints, and designs for the various droids and ships Revan would need in the immediate future. The Ithorian had continued to exceed Revan's expectations and had proven himself to be a remarkably quick study on the subject of droids and weaponry, making his assistance all the more invaluable.
HK, despite his considerable protests, had produced the designs for the HK 51 models, and while Revan had to admit they were cheap imitations of the original assassin droid, overly simplified for the purpose of being mass-produced, they still held to the most important aspects of the HK framework. With occasional input from Sterr, Revan had heavily modified the 51's design to better translate into the current climate of this modern galaxy. He had spent several days looking at various droid designs for inspiration, along with their commonality and how well they could go unnoticed in various environments. Originally, he had considered the classic protocol droid, as it was undoubtedly the most widely used droid across all classes and settings of the galaxy. However, the design was far too rigid and restrictive, better put to use purely as an aesthetic or disguise that could be projected with a personal hologram display. Eventually, Revan had stumbled across the somewhat controversial Personal Assistant Droid (PAD). While there was some corporate slander and political propaganda around these very feminine droids, the upper class, especially administrators, business executives, and even government politicians across the Republic had been fully won over by these advanced machines, which made their design the perfect candidate for Revan's plans. If he ever needed to infiltrate a lower-class sector he would compensate with built-in holographic projectors that would make them appear as standard protocol droids, or if that failed a long-lasting stealth field generator would suffice. Revan swore that if HK could physically blush, he would have upon seeing the final schematics Revan had produced for these specialized infiltration units, which he simply dubbed "Infiltrators." Perhaps not the most original name, but it was practical.
Next, Revan had looked to his military needs. For this project, he had closely examined all available schematics HK had managed to intercept from various droid factories within the CIS as they shared data with one another, with occasional updates and minor design adjustments. Revan had been less than thrilled to see that the entire Separatist army was completely automated, even the commanders and officers had been replaced by tactical droids that had been proven to do terribly the moment their original plan started to go wrong or change in any drastic way; something the clones and Jedi had slowly become masters of over the course of the war. While Revan had temporarily considered creating his own strategic droids, he had quickly thrown away that notion. He had used droids quite heavily during the now titled: "Jedi Civil War", but had only done so to make up for the sheer lack of numbers on his side. Droids were primarily cannon fodder, and would never replace the creativity and adaptability of an organic mind. One droid had stuck out to him, however, and that was the BX-series Commando droid. These droids had originally been deployed for sabotage and infiltration but had slowly been converted more into elite fighting units that could break through enemy lines, or even engage tougher enemies like a Jedi. This sort of application was very appealing to Revan, and after taking a closer look at the HK-51 model, he now had a direct one-to-one use for these designs. While the now dubbed "Infiltrators" used many elements of the HK-47 and HK-51 schematics, Revan had essentially had to work from the ground up to create his new espionage droids and model them to fit the PAD design. With these assault units, Revan simply made a few tweaks to the HK-51 schematics to make them more durable indirect battlefield conflicts. He also made improvements to their speed, personal shielding, hand-to-hand combat, targeting, and even gave each a built-in vibro sword for close combat or to possibly fight Jedi. To make things less confusing for himself and his team, he had named this newish creation, the "KH Dragoon" unit.
Finally, Revan had looked for a solution to his lack of numbers. While he had a solution in place for the officers and generals, they would need simple numbers on their side if they were going to have any chance of fighting in such a large-scale war. After going through several options, Revan had finally settled on the Mark V Assault Droid. These slightly odd-looking droids had been originally designed by the Czerka Corporation and sold as personal protection units. However, during Revan's war on the Republic, he had stolen the designs and heavily modified them to be far more dangerous than the originals ever could be. He had outfitted the design with more powerful weapons, a larger arsenal including rockets and a flame thrower, he had given them a small specialized Rakatan style reactor that was able to support an energy shield similar to the modern Droideka, and finally increased the strength and resistance of their armor, even making them resistant to lightsaber attacks. These droids had been very powerful in Revan's day but were expensive and time-consuming to make, even with the Star Forge's advanced production systems. For this reason, Revan had kept his modified Mark 1's exclusively to guard and protect the Star Forge itself. Taking a look at his old design Revan knew he would need to make these droids more affordable if he was ever going to realistically use them for large-scale war. After mulling over what he could afford to lose, he decided the most expensive element of his original design was the incredibly strong armor and powerful reactors each droid was built with. Replacing the armor with a more cost-effective metal was a simple fix, and after playing with some calculations he was also able to simply the reactor design at the cost of some of its shield power. He would still take a considerable amount of firepower to destroy these droids and they would each carry a small squad's worth of firepower with them. Satisfied with this compromise, Revan took a step back, breathed deeply, and examined the multiple displays before him.
He now had a very important decision in front of him. Unlike his previous weapon of mass destruction, the Foundry was much more limited in its production capabilities. Instead of simply pulling a near-infinite amount of energy from a star and literally creating matter out of that energy to create whatever Revan wanted, the Foundry actually used the asteroid it was surrounded by, along with any materials physically present within the cluster it was hidden by. For all intents and purposes, it was a giant factory floating in space, needing just as much oversight and materials as any other production plant in the galaxy. Granted, it was an extremely advanced factor that was more efficient and powerful than anything the current galaxy could even comprehend, but it was still a physically limited factory, nonetheless. With this limitation in mind, Revan would have to be very careful about choosing what to produce, how much he made of it at once, and in what order it was to be created. His eyes slowly scanned through each of the screens hovering before him, slowly rubbing his chin as he did so. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes, sent up a small prayer, to what he didn't know, and stepped back up to the console, quickly typing two separate messages with detailed instructions as he did so. HK and Sterr were going to have a lot of work to do very quickly over the next couple of days while he was away from the Foundry. He had faith in both individuals, but he still hated being so distant from such a crucial moment in his plans. Everything needed to happen at exactly the correct time for this crazy plot to work correctly.
Just as he finally hit 'send,' the hissing sound of a door opening drew his attention away from the holo-table.
"You're up early," Ahsoka said with a yawn and a stretch as she slowly made her way to the opposite side of the holo-table.
Revan shrugged slightly at this comment before closing his messages and began pulling up a different system on the table. "I do not sleep very long, or well for that matter. Additionally, there is too much work to do to waste the time I am awake."
Ahsoka looked at Revan with slight concern on her face. The former Sith Lord always seemed to be working, never stopping to relax or take time to rest. It was like some invisible need was constantly driving him to work on something or complete some task. She understood a lot of this behavior he probably developed during his time in two different wars, but she was beginning to wonder what happened when he finally ran out of energy and physically couldn't keep moving at this speed. Even though he had taken a physical rest for the past week to recover from his injuries suffered on Dxun, he hadn't taken any actual time off, perhaps even throwing himself even more into what work he could do than previously.
After a moment or two of silence Revan finally looked up at the Padawan, "I can feel your concern." He stated plainly, "But rest assured, I have learned my own limitations very well. I am not arrogant or ignorant enough to think I am invincible, though I can understand why you might not believe me, especially considering your experiences with your Master."
Ahsoka was still getting used to their Force Bond, and still found it frustrating how easily Revan could perceive her thoughts and emotions, but she did admit that he had been very respectful and limited with his invasion of her mental space. Over the past week, Ahsoka and Revan had discussed many topics, including Anakin and her own widely different experiences within the Jedi Order. Revan had been brutally honest with his love-hate relationship with the Jedi, and after hearing his story on Dxun, Ahsoka couldn't fault him for his perspective. However, he had not pressured her into taking his views as her own and had been very clear he was only offering his own limited and biased point of view. Ahsoka had come to enjoy their conversations more and more and had found it so liberating to talk unfiltered about anything from history, to politics, to even the Jedi themselves. While Anakin had always offered a... differing perspective on things and had given her a lot of freedom to speak her mind and ask uncomfortable questions, there were still quite a few subjects he would simply refuse to allow to be discussed. With Revan truly nothing was off the table, and she even had the freedom to get angry and walk away from conversations when she couldn't stand what Revan was saying about the Jedi becoming merely puppets of the fundamentally corrupt Republic political system. He never judged her for their disagreements or fights, and he never shied away from conflict or uncomfortable dialogue. The more Ahsoka came to know and understand Revan, the more she understood why so many Jedi had left with him to fight the Mandalorians, and why all but one had continued to support him, even when turning to the Dark Side.
Shaking her head as her thoughts went back to her master, and the guilt she still felt for having decided to disappear from the Jedi for this long, she looked at the program Revan was pulling up on the table. "I guess it's back to studying." She said with a sarcastic tone. If she was being fully honest, she was looking forward to this. Over the past week, Revan had put her on a tight regiment of two types of training. Half of her days were spent in combat training with HK in a training arena he had designed for himself within the Foundry. HK was brutal in his training and had held nothing back. If it weren't for Revan's very explicit instructions that HK could not bring severe harm to Ahsoka, she's pretty sure she would have lost at least one limb this past week. Later on, Revan had confessed that he had originally built HK specifically to be able to kill Jedi. At first, she had been horrified that he would have her train against such a creation, but she soon remembered how dangerous her encounters in this war had been, and how almost everything the CIS threw at her was also designed to kill her. Eventually, she had appreciated being able to truly advance her combat skills unrestricted by the threat of death, or the oversight of what was allowed in Jedi or Republic training. They certainly didn't use live ammunition at the Temple.
This brutal style of practice had truly forced her to advance her skills further along than she had previously thought possible, and by the end of the week, even HK admitted she had passed his original predictions for her, a high completely indeed from the droid.
The other half of her days were spent with Revan. He had created a kind of large-scale strategic "game," that simulated ground, air, or space combat. The simulation reminded her somewhat of Dejarik, or holochess, as she would control one set of forces, and Revan would control the other side. At first, the simulations were fairly straightforward, laying the foundational format for how to control and order a mass amount of units and resources, something Ahsoka was somewhat familiar with, but on a scale, she had never actually been responsible for in the war. As a commander, she had been responsible for large groups of until, but never an entire army or fleet, and there was far more nuance and strategies she quickly came to appreciate. A part of her thought back to some of her failures as a military leader, and now seeing the even larger scale of a battle or several-days conflict, made her wish she had been less short-sighted and more careful in her younger years.
Revan was a master general, and while he started by going easy on Ahsoka and giving her the clear advantage in either numbers or environment, he quickly ramped up the difficulty and offered less and less advice on how to win each encounter. Ahsoka recognized some of the simulations from actual battles Revan had had to fight during the Mandalorian Crusades, and being placed in his shoes on more than one occasion she couldn't begin to fathom how Revan had won some of those encounters. These exercises had been extended frustrating as the difficulty progressed, and Revan had absolutely wiped the floor with her over and over again. But after each simulation, he had slowly walked her back through the fight and talked with her about what she had done wrong and right, and the two had discussed what other options she might have taken. It had been grueling slow progress for her, especially as she had always preferred being on the front lines with her men, but she slowly grew an appreciation for the stress and responsibility a general carried in battle. Revan had also exemplified what it meant to be a good leader, even if you never saw any action yourself on that day. Just like with the physical training, by the end of the week, Revan had paid her a high compliment for how far she had come, even though she still felt like a total amateur.
Revan finally finished pulling up another simulation, one that Ahsoka had played 10 different times before, but had never managed to win. In the scenario, she was in a space battle against a much larger force. However, the goal was not to defeat the enemy, but simply to stall for time until reinforcements arrived, protecting the planet behind her forces at all costs and not allowing the enemy to launch a ground invasion.
Ahsoka glared at the table in front of her, determination and frustration mixed in her mind as she recounted all the times she had lost this encounter. "You really like seeing me lose this one, don't you."? She asked without taking her eyes off the holo-table.
Revan chuckled slightly before initiating the game, "I suppose I could go easier on you this time..."
Ahsoka looked up at him with a sarcastic glare, "But you won't." She stated back.
"You know me too well it seems. However, while we play, I would like to go over the next steps of the plan again, just to make sure you are still sharp on what comes next for us."
Ahsoka raised a brow curiously as the small holographic ships began to move on the table. "We've been over this talk a few dozen times now, but if you want, I suppose I can multi-task."
Revan simply nodded in response, typing in a few commands for several cruisers to begin their advance towards his opponent's defenses. "As you know, our current objective is to secure Mandalore and the neutral systems that are loyal to her. However, Mandalore is currently entangled in three different, yet connected, crises, what are they?"
Ahsoka squinted slightly at the familiar maneuver Revan always opened with, she thought for a moment before typing her own set of commands into her control panel, sending her more powerful ships to get into a better firing position. "...The three main issues are: Political, Economic, and Military. Politically, the people are divided on their support of Duchess Satine, if HK's listening grid is to be trusted, almost half of Mandalore's population either no longer has confidence in her, or outright blames her for the state the planet is in. The Duchess herself is in an unpopular position with the Republic as well, while she represents a large set of neutral systems and maintains a healthy trade agreement, her extreme pacifist ideology has put her at odds with many political groups that profit off the war, and she is seen as a vulnerable leader or simply too weak to protect her people from internal and external threats." Ahsoka felt bad for the Duchess. She admired her strong convictions but understood why even Master Kenobi was continually frustrated with her. It did seem like Satine was delusional at times, and was sacrificing her people for the sake of her morals.
Feeling Ahsoka's mixed emotions, Revan spoke, "It is an admirable quality, to hold true to one's beliefs so strongly. However, at some point we must all ask if our convictions can realistically exist in the reality we occupy. Perhaps one day the Duchess could see a galaxy where all war stops, but to sit back and believe chance will happen only through words, is an ignorant notion at best."
Part of Ahsoka hated to agree with Revan's cold outlook on life, but even her Jedi training told her that taking action was an inevitable necessity in some circumstances. Pushing the internal debate away, she made a far more aggressive move than she had previously done, charging some of her ships directly at Revan's slowly advancing line. "Regardless, when we replace Satine with a new Mand'alor, the majority of the population will fall in line as things improve, however, the other neutral systems will need to be reassured and probably negotiated with. Additionally, the internal political structure will need to be reexamined to remove any unnecessary bureaucracy. If Mandalore is going to become fully independent, they will need to have an effective government to run in a newly militarized fashion."
Revan was surprised by this move and quickly halted his advance to deal with the incoming attackers more efficiently, maintaining his tight formation to minimize losses. "That is a correct summation of the political issues. Now, what of the economics?"
Ahsoka winced slightly as she saw her charging ships get destroyed with brutal efficiency, only managing to take one carrier down with them. She tightened her defensive line and began to fire whatever long-range weapons she had at Revan's weakest vessels. "The economy of Mandalore is in shatters. Since Satine halted the sale of Beskar in a statement against war, the planet has suffered massive unemployment and can barely offer other mined materials to the Republic in trade. The neutral systems do help subside Mandalore's economy as their main political representative, but even many of those planets are beginning to hit financial hardship as the Republic taxes are becoming larger and larger to meet the demands of the war. The black market has fully cemented itself into Mandalore's culture as it is becoming the only reliable place for citizens to get the supplies they need to survive. This has also drastically increased corruption and poverty throughout the planet, and crime is becoming a large internal issue in all sections of the people's daily lives."
Revan watched as several of his smaller ships were destroyed by long-range torpedoes, but he quickly compensated by moving his largest ships to the front, including his capital ship into a more vulnerable position to take the brunt of the fire and keep his smaller ships safe. "Well remembered. When your own people must turn to crime to survive, your system is broken and cannot be salvaged. We will have to completely restart the planet's economy to keep its people alive, this will also make the transition of power much easier for the population to accept."
Ahsoka couldn't disagree with this evaluation, she hated to see the people suffer like they were, and was glad that at least they were going to objectively help in this way. "And we are still on the same page?" She glanced up at Revan who met her gaze with slight curiosity. "The Duchess will not die." She said with some force behind her. While she had a great deal of mixed emotions about this plan they were walking into, she had found a certain peace with the reasons and motivations she could share with Revan. However, she still did not fully trust him and remained vigilant to any sign of crossing a line she could not follow.
Revan nodded slowly, along their connection to open slightly as a reassurance of his honesty. "As I said before, killing the Duchess would only galvanize her allies against us. Peacefully removing her from power is our only option. Unfortunately, we will have to treat her as a political prisoner, for if she is able to run to the Republic and call for additional aid, we will be in greater trouble."
Ahsoka looked down at the board before her, she hated the idea of locking up someone she had come to respect over the years, and someone who trusted her, but Revan had also made a valuable point that if the Republic and CIS were under Sidious' control, she would not be truly safe in either side's company. It is much easier to control the image of a martyr, rather than an active and outspoken political figure. Shaking her head from these thoughts, she refocused on the game at hand, entering a command to begin launching the small number of fighters she had at her disposal.
Revan frowned slightly at seeing a familiar move by Ahsoka, it seems the Padawan was running out of ideas. He quickly entered a new set of commands before continuing, "Lastly, what of the military problems?"
"Mandalore has no standing military. It has a small internal security force, but it can barely keep the crime rate in check. If the planet and people are going to be able to defend themselves, they will need a sizable standing army. The other neutral systems can provide raw materials, and a few of them still operate their own defensive military, but we cannot count on any of them to provide sizable help. We will have to create and maintain the military on almost all fronts." Ahsoka watched as more and more of her fighters and ships were begging to be picked apart by Revan's slow, but efficiently moving forces. She estimated she had only destroyed about a tenth of his fleet, while she was sitting at almost forty percent losses. She scowled as it looked like she was going to lose once again, just then, a radical idea entered her mind. Taking a second to do some quick calculations, she began to rapidly enter a large set of commands, almost taking full control of every individual ship.
Revan listened to her explanation before speaking, "It seems you remembered everything quite well. I only hope the solutions we have in place will translate just as well into reality as we hope they will." Revan was about to ask another question, but he stopped himself as he looked with curiosity at the table. Ahsoka had begun to make some fairly radical moves. Instead of keeping a wide and balanced defensive line to keep his forces from having access to the planet, she had now consolidated all her remaining ships into a tight 'spear' formation and was charging directly into the center of his fleet. Revan's eyes narrowed in suspicion and quickly halted his advance, preparing to fire everything he had at Ahsoka's forces.
Despite the obvious obliteration she was about to suffer, Ahsoka continued recklessly, heading straight for the center-most point of Revan's tightly packed fleet.
The losses soon became incredibly heavy for Ahsoka, she simply did not have the ships to put a sizable dent into Revan's forces, and while both sides were taking losses, it was clear who was going to walk away with considerably more ships.
"I must say," Revan began, "This was a daring maneuver, but unfortunately-" his words were cut short as his eyes noticed something. Ahsoka only had 4 ships left, all heavily damaged, but they were her larger cruisers and capital ship. They had barely managed to make it into the center of Revan's formation and were about to be destroyed, but something was wrong. Revan's sensors began to light up with several warning messages as his ships detected a massive energy surge coming from all four remaining enemy vessels. Revan had prioritized destroying the advancing force's shields and weapons so as to minimize his losses and take out Ahsoka's ships faster, but he had neglected to target their engines or hyperdrives since none of her ships had been on a direct collision course.
Glancing up at Ahsoka, he saw a somewhat evil smirk on her face which confirmed his fears. He rapidly began typing new orders and shifted all of his firepower to the engines of the remaining ship, and while he did manage to disable one, it was too late. He quickly tried to disperse his fleet, but they had been so tightly locked together to protect his more vulnerable landing craft that they could barely maneuver away from one another, and the debris left by Ahsoka's destroyed ships. Revan watched as the final warnings sounded off before 3 massive explosions consumed almost the entire space Revan's fleet had occupied.
Once the simulation finally caught up with all of the calculations, it refreshed itself and showed that Revan only had a few ships remaining, all of them critically damaged and unable to move, and there was nothing left of Ahsoka's forces. The pair were ultimately left at a stalemate - If Revan's few ships could repair themselves in time, he could still theoretically land on the surface and accomplish his goal, however, if time ran out and Ahsoka's reinforcements arrived, Revan's remaining fleet would be defenseless and completely obliterated.
After a few seconds of silence, Revan finally spoke. "...That was... a bold move. Overloading your larger ship's engines and hyperdrive was inspired, though now you have left your planet completely open and are gambling on time."
Ahsoka stared at the board a moment longer before answering, "I had already lost by that point, we both know it. So I was left with a guaranteed loss or even the slight chance of getting a win." She looked up at Revan before continuing, "I believe you once said something to your men about the value of sacrifice."
Revan's mind flashed back to dozens of speeches he had made before seemingly impossible battles they had to face during the Crusades. He had always felt guilt afterward, knowing he had just galvanized most of those soldiers and Jedi to their deaths, but they had gladly laid down their lives for the cause they believed in. A part of him always wondered if he had only managed to convince them to believe their sacrifices were worth it, and none of them truly shared the idea in their own reality. Shaking his head from these past questions, he closed the application and looked back at Ahsoka, "Regardless, you did technically succeed in your goal, so well done. Just be mindful," his eyes took on a deeper seriousness and seemed to drill into Ahsoka as he finished his advice, "sacrifice should always be a last resort, never a first. Sometimes even a loss is necessary for the future of those under you. You will have the fate of many lives in your hand, Ahsoka. Never take that responsibility for granted."
His words resonated in Ahsoka's mind, and for a moment she was reminded of similar lessons she had received from Anakin and Obi-Wan. She simply nodded but did not respond.
The two stood in silence for a moment before a new noise echoed through the room. "It would seem we are about to arrive," Revan commented. The two exchanged a knowing look before both made their way into the cockpit of the Hawk.
Asajj Ventress yelled out in anger as she cut through a squadron of clones. Her two red sabers swirled and flashed in a gruesome display of unfiltered rage. Orders were barked out by various soldiers as the squad desperately tried to fight back in some way against the ceaseless aggression of the Sith assassin. One arc trooper managed to get a lucky shot in between her attacks however this small victory proved short-lived as he was suddenly strangled by an invisible hand and slammed against a nearby wall with Force Choke, resulting in a sickening crack before he slumped to the ground dead.
A desperate "retreat" was ordered over the sounds of battle, death, and blaster fire, but as the last remaining clones began to pull back, another cry went up from the Sith. Gripping both of her sabers tightly, she took in a deep breath before throwing both sabers at the retreating units. The red blades flew through the air with deadly precision, cutting down the last of the troopers before they could successfully getaway.
Calling both of the sabers back to her, she gripped the curved hilts tightly and stared down at her handiwork. She had received a few minor wounds for her reckless behavior, but that had only served to increase her ferocity as she fought. She leaned more deeply into the Dark Side and allowed her emotions of anger and pain to flow around her.
The Sith assassin had a deeper reason for this rage than simply battle adrenaline. After her failure on Tatooine with the man known as Revan, Dooku had personally seen to her punishment. After a minimal number of days in a bacta tank to mostly recover from her more serious wounds, her master had sent her to the front lines. Specifically, to a planet that was currently being invaded by the Separatists, but had been met heavy by resistance from the Republic, who had set up considerably well-entrenched defenses.
To make matters worse, Dooku had put her directly under the command of her primary rival, General Grievous, making it very clear to both parties who was in charge of whom. Grievous had taken this rare opportunity to send Ventress into the heaviest locations of fighting, treating her as a kind of blunt instrument to smash through enemy lines. The constant orders to go charge into another heavily defended spot with minimal support was not only humiliating, but was beginning to take a toll on the Sith, and while she would not allow anyone to see her possible weaknesses, she was beginning to wonder how long she could keep this pace up.
At that moment, her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the sound of slow footsteps behind her. Whirling around, she leveled both her still ignited sabers at the unseen threat.
Letting out a fearful noise, a simple B-Series battle droid captain shot both of its arms straight into the air, flinging its standard-issue battle rifle into the air as it did so. The droid was visibly shaking and clearly had tried to cautiously approach the Sith without getting its limbs dismembered. "F-forgive me, Commander Ventress, but you have a call on-" The battle rifle fell back down on the droid's head, "Ouch!" It cried as it rubbed its head.
Ventress seriously consider slicing the droid in half as she glared at the incompetent piece of machinery, but decided against it, at least for now. With a snarl, she deactivated both sabers and spoke harshly, "I will go see to this call. See that your droids secure this area and begin setting up proper defenses. You can also contact the General and tell him the zone has been secured." With that she began to march past the droid, giving it an irritated shove as she did so.
The droid scrambled to try and get out of her way, before giving a proper salute. Once she was several paces removed, he quickly picked up his gun and began ordering the other droids he had under his command the directions he had just been given.
It was a slow walk back to the nearest command post, one of the few their forces had managed to deploy and fully secure on the planet. The invasion resembled more of a grind than a tactical war, and Ventress doubted there would be much progress at all with their current rate of advancement being as slow as it was.
After a few hours of walking through war-torn streets, she finally made her way to the command post/landing zone she and her droids had been dropped off at several hours ago. A slow train of super battle droids, tanks, and even heavy walkers made their way past the Sith as she did her best to not let her weariness show, she did not need Grievous having another advantage over her.
Making her way to the central command hub, which had been set up in a rather large tent to keep the elements out, she glared around the room at the two strategic unit droids and several other admin droids before saying, "Out. Now."
One strategy droid was about to object when she simply responded by lifting it with the Force and throwing it out of the tent. The rest of the droids quickly understood the message and rapidly made their exit.
Making her way over to the primary communications console, she quickly pulled up any calls directed toward her. Her eyes widened slightly in fear as she saw there was a waiting call from her master. Quickly brushing the dirt off of her battle-scarred apparel, and doing her best to cover her various scars and wounds, she sent a call to her master and knelt before the console.
After several tense moments, a hologram of the Count appeared before her, "What is thy bidding, my master?"
"I have seen the reports of your efforts on the battlefield, and if these calculations are to be trusted, it seems you have done rather well over the past few days."
Ventress felt a measure of relief in the tiny amount of praise she had just received, "I live to severe as best as I am able, my lord." She said back with whatever false humility she could muster up.
Dooku scoffed at the obvious ploy to gain additional favor, but he said nothing to outright condemn it. "Regardless, I hope you have learned something valuable about the cost of failure. A lesson I am sure you are well-practiced in by now."
Her master's cruel remarks about her failed missions in the past cut deeper than she would ever show, and the only indication his words bothered her was the subtle clenching of her fists by her sides.
Dooku paid her little mind as he continued, "However, I am calling on you today with a new assignment."
She did her best to contain her excitement at the possibility of getting to leave this lowly position, "What would you ask of me?"
Dooku smirked slightly at her clear desire to leave that place, "It would seem that the scouting fleet that Grievous deployed into Hutt space to hunt for Revan has produced nothing of value. We are no closer to finding out where Revan disappeared to than before."
Ventress smirked slightly at the hearing of Grievous' failure but kept her emotions in check as she waited for her master to continue.
"I am beginning to worry that Revan is planning something, and finding him is becoming more of a priority for us. Therefore, I am sending you to the last available source we had on tracking down Revan, the pirate Hondo Ohnaka."
"Could we not simply contact him and offer to buy any information he has?" Ventress asked out of curiosity.
Dooku shook his head in response, "If he discovers that we truly need hips help, he will do whatever he can to make the deal better for himself than for us. Additionally, he might pass on whatever information he does have to the Republic if we do not give him what he wants."
"I understand, my master. I will ensure he helps us, even if it must convince him by force." Ventress said with a small smile on her face. She was looking forward to being in charge of her own assignments again.
"See to it that he does. And Ventress," Dooku looked down at his apprentice with added seriousness, "be cautious around this pirate, he is an individual not to be underestimated. You would be wise not to disappoint me a second time."
Ventress bowed her head more deeply as she understood the severity of this warning/threat. Any individual that was crafty to capture her master, even for a short time, was a worthy adversary indeed. "It shall be done, my master."
Satisfied with her response, Dooku quickly terminated the call.
Ahsoka and Revan worked in tandem to bring the Ebon Hawk II, as Revan had decided to name her, out of hyperspace. Revan had given the Jedi Padawan a basic crash course on the ship, its systems, and the new modifications including the stealth drive that had been installed by Sterr. Revan had to admit that the new improvements to the ship had been a dream come true. The original Hawk had always been an impressive ship, but these upgrades had put the vessel in a league well and truly of its own. The over-a-day journey the pair had been on had given each of them ample time to familiarize themselves with all this ship could now truly do, and the advanced Rakatan hyperdrive had cut their journey time at least in half. This was an advantage Revan intended to exploit for all of his future ships.
The pair finished their respective responsibilities quickly, and after only a short moment, the blue tunnel of hyperspace quickly flashed away to reveal the large shape of a swamp planet.
Ahsoka quickly double-checked their navigational systems, "It's confirmed, we made it to Zanbar. Glad the fancy new hyperdrive didn't shoot us off in the wrong direction." She said mostly sarcastically, but slightly relieved.
Revan chuckled slightly, "You should have more faith in Sterr's abilities. He has more than proven his capabilities with ship design."
"It's not him that my faith is lacking in..." Ahsoka let her words hang as she simply stared forward at the ever-encroaching planet before them. She was beginning to have second thoughts about coming here. "Are we sure they are even here?"
Revan glanced at Ahsoka with slight concern, he had anticipated that this might be a difficult mission for her, "HK verified it three times over. After they left their base on Carlac, they set up a new establishment here. HK never reports on things he is unsure of."
Ahsoka nodded at this answer. She still felt a mixture of anger and uncertainty, but it would be too late to back out now.
Revan knew he would have to deal with this sooner rather than later. Turning on autopilot and set in a route for the ship to take, he turned to face the Togruta before speaking, "Ahsoka," she met his gaze, "when you brought these individuals up to me, I had already considered the possibility of approaching them, as I told you on Dxun. I know you had suggested that we simply eliminate this group as they would inevitably become hostile to our plans with Mandalore, but that would simply bring us more enemies in the long-run, and make us appear as total outside invaders to the Mandalorian people. Sometimes extreme measures require alliances that we normally would not consider. All I ask is that you trust my lead on this plan, and if you ever feel like things are getting out of hand, you can object, and I promise to listen."
Ahsoka locked eyes with the former Sith Lord looking for some kind of lie or deceit, but after more than a week of being in the man's company, she had begun to get a sense of his character and knew when he was being science, even without the help of their bond.
After waiting a moment for a response, Revan added, "Have I broken my word to you so far?"
It took Ahsoka another pause before she could answer, "...No. Not yet." She added more for herself than for anyone. A reminder that she was still technically a prisoner of some kind, though the line between prisoner and partner was becoming more and more blurry, especially after her commitment to helping Revan on Dxun as long as he remained truthful and did not force her to compromise on any hard line of her beliefs. "I'll follow your lead on this, but I want it known I don't fully support this."
Revan nodded, "I can accept that." He then turned and took hold of the controls once again, steering the ship deeper into the planet's atmosphere.
After a few minutes of flying, the Hawk finally touched down on the mostly swamp planet on the outskirts of a large rocky plateau, just a few clicks from their intended destination.
"Do you think they know we're here?" Ahsoka asked.
"I deliberately did not engage the stealth drive when we came into orbit. If HK's assessment of their equipment is to be believed, they should have spotted us by now." Revan answered before the two made their way to the boarding ramp of the ship.
The ramp of the Hawk slowly lowered, revealing the pair fully equipped. Ahsoka had both hands on her sabers and cautiously glanced around at their surroundings, while Revan did some last-minute checks on his armor and ensured his mask was properly sealed. The two began walking onto the planet side-by-side, both scanning their environment with the practiced air of war veterans.
After only getting a few minutes away from the ship, Revan held up a hand and came to a stop, causing Ahsoka to do the same. She felt the same thing only a moment after he had and gripped her sabers tightly. A few seconds passed before the sound of speeder bikes and jetpacks could be heard just out of view.
Flying around the corner of some larger rock formations were three seeder bikes, the front two were one to two-person Balutar-class swoop bikes, followed closely behind by a larger four-person speeder of similar design. Flaking this cluster of speeders were about eight jet packers, four to each side flying about 15 feet off the ground.
The new group quickly surrounded the pair of Force Users, quickly producing various blaster pistols and rifles aimed directly at them as they did so. The two smaller bikes swung wide allowing the larger bike to stop only a few feet in front of Revan and Ahsoka. Several individuals disembarked from the speeder, and one slowly approached the two before removing their helmet and speaking, "Hello again, Ahsoka. Didn't think you were dumb enough to come find us again."
Ahsoka glared at the red-headed female standing before them, "Trust me, Bo-Katan, I had hoped to never see your ugly mug ever again."
"Cute, as always little Jedi." The Mandalorian said with slight malice before she turned her attention fully to another person in front of her. As she studied the taller and much more intimidating individual, Bo-Katan couldn't help but let some of her obvious confusion, slip out onto her facial expression. "Who's your new friend? He looks a lot different from the last pipsqueak you were taking orders from." This newcomer was truly baffling to the seasoned Mandalorian. His dark and red robes reminded her of something a Sith would wear. Was that ancient armor he was wearing? And that mask. Something about the demonic-looking mask seemed to pull at her deepest memories, along with something more recent she had overheard her soldiers talking about.
Revan took a confident step forward, causing all the guns to shift slightly and target him directly. "I must say, I am disappointed." The slightly synthetic voice caused a brow to raise on Bo-Katan's face, but Revan seemed to ignore her and look around at the small crowd of Mandalorians that had surrounded them. "This is all you brought to bear against your greatest rival?"
This statement caused Bo-Katan's eyes to narrow, "And who are you to claim such a title?"
Revan's dark mask locked eyes with her. He was impressed that he saw no fear in her expression. "Have you forgotten your own history so easily?" Revan spread his arms slightly and raised his voice before speaking again, "I am High General of the Republic. I am the defender against the Mandalorian Crusades. I am the one who defeated Mand'alor the Ultimate. I am the destroyer of Malachor V..." Revan could feel the anger, confusion, and fear that was coming from the warriors around him, and he paused for a brief moment before finishing in perfect Mando'a, "I am Revan."
Bo-Katan's eyes had slowly widened over the course of this man's speech. Memories of teaching and instruction she had been taught as a child came flooding back to her. Every Mandalorian had been taught about the destruction of their original home on Malachor V, and the shame and near extinction their people had faced. However, to her, and many of her people Revan was more a myth or a legend. Some ancient relic of Republic propaganda had been used to bolster their people into action. She had never truly believed some half-human could have accomplished so much against her people. This man spoke with conviction and certainty that made her doubt these assumptions, but how could he be here, now? 4,000 removed from the history he claimed he was a part of.
As these questions swirled around in the Mandalorian's mind, a voice cried out breaking her thoughts, "Liar! Deceiver!" One of her jet-troopers had called out in clear rage and proceeded to fire several blaster bolts directly at Revan.
In the blink of an eye, the former General had activated a red saber and deflected both bolts directly back at the attacker with deadly precision. The trooper's eyes went wide under his mask as he had no time to react. Both bolts slammed directly into the weak points of his armor causing him to fall to the ground, barely alive.
The rest of the fighters were about to avenge their comrade, but a voice yelled out, "Stop!" All eyes turned to the source, which was Bo-Katan holding up a clenched fist. "Stand down! All of you!" Her eyes quickly jumped between all of her men, staring them down, daring them to disobey her. She was not easily intimated, but the speed and agility this man had just shown gave her pause. If this individual truly was the Revan he claimed to be, then he was right to say this wouldn't be enough men to defeat him. "Check his wounds." She barked out to her nearest soldier who quickly ran over to the fallen member.
Revan looked at the female leader with respect. Mandalorian warriors were notoriously difficult to command and control, but these men clearly respected her, and he could tell it wasn't simply out of fear, but she had proven herself a leader worthy to be followed. An admirable trait indeed.
"So," Bo-Katan began once she was confident another fight wouldn't break out, "if we are to believe you truly are Revan, why are you here? Do you intend to finish wiping us out?"
Revan kept his saber active as a silent warning, "No. I have come here today to present you with an offer."
Bo-Katan's eyes narrowed again, "What kind of offer?"
Before Revan could respond, "He's alive." The soldier called out, after having checked the other's vitals. "But he needs medical attention, fast."
Bo-Katan glanced over at the soldier that had called out and nodded. She looked at Revan, and after debating several things in her mind for a moment, she finally spoke, "Fine. Come back to camp with us. Pre Vizsla will hear whatever this offer you have is." She placed her helmet back on before activating her jetpack and launching herself into the air. Two troopers followed her back as she raced ahead of the group.
Revan turned to Ahsoka who was tightly gripping both of her sabers. The two exchanged a knowing look before nodding and climbing into the back of the four-person speeder.
The journey took the group maybe 12 minutes total to reach the Death Watch camp, but it felt considerably longer with the obvious glares and death wishes the pair could feel in the Force, directed at the two of them.
Once they finally arrived, the two were led into a large tent that contained sparse furniture. Two troopers stood inside the tent with them as they waited.
"It's cute they think this is enough of a guard detail," Ahsoka said with a small smirk as she leaned against the one table in the room. She mostly did it to keep up appearances and seem confident, but internally she was worried about their situation. If things went south, she wasn't sure if Revan could handle nearly 100 highly skilled warriors like the Death Watch.
Revan said nothing in return, choosing instead to meditate on their surroundings and get a sense if they were about to be attacked or not. He felt Ahsoka's uneasiness and used their connection to reassure her that they had gotten this far. He knew he had taken a considerable risk bragging that much about his past exploits against the Mandalorian people, but he was betting it would fully grab their attention, and it seemed for the moment it was working.
After several more tense minutes of waiting, the other side of the tent was flung open, and Bo-Katan reappeared, but this time she was following instead of leading. Stepping into the space with the practiced arrogance of a narcissistic leader, Pre Vizsla looked at both Ahsoka and Revan with contempt. Vizsla and his second were flanked by their two most skilled warriors, a detail that was not lost on Revan.
"So, the little Jedi returns, and she's supposedly brought a legend from history with her," Vizsla said with a slight smirk, but his eyes conveyed more anger and confusion than confidence.
Ahsoka simply glared back but said nothing. She knew one wrong move could set this whole place ablaze.
"You must be the man in charge," Revan commented as he folded his arms and examined the Mandalorian before him. So far, Revan was not impressed.
Vizsla growled slightly before puffing his chest out slightly, "I am Pre Vizsla, of Clan Vizsla. Leader of Death Watch and future leader of Mandalore and her people. You claim to be the Revan of my people's greatest defeat, but how do we know this is not some cheap ploy to get our attention?"
Revan rolled his eyes slightly under his mask as he heard the postering of words. "I have proof."
This statement earned a look of surprise from both Vizsla and Bo-Katan, but Revan simply ignored them and placed a small holoprojector on the table. Activating it, the device began to play a recording that Revan had copied over from his mask's data bank of various recordings. The projection showed the first-person perspective of Revan's duel with Mand'alor the Ultimate, and the subsequent destruction of Malachor V.
The two leaders of Death Watch looked on in confusion and horror as they witnessed ancient footage of their people's greatest defeat. It took several moments of stunned silence before anyone in the room reacted.
Slamming a fist onto the table Vizsla spoke with pure malice in his voice, "Then tell me, Revan, why should I not order my entire army to reign destruction upon you, and wipe you from the face of existence?" He looked up at the masked figure with a mixture of anger, confusion, and fear at what exactly was even standing before him.
Ahsoka glanced nervously between the Mandalorians and Revan, the seconds seeming to painfully drag on as Revan stalled before answering.
"Because," Revan finally began, "I have something you need."
Vizsla's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "And what would that be?"
"A legitimate claim to rule over all Mandalorians."
There was a brief pause of silence before Vizsla began to laugh. "You fool! I already have that claim!" He then produced a silver, angular, hilt from his belt, and with a gleam of pride in his eye, he activated the Darksaber and pointed it directly at Revan's face. "With this blade, I have all the legitimate claim I need, so what could you possibly offer me?"
Revan simply looked back, letting out a deep sigh before answering, "You truly have become a lost people."
Vizsla and Bo-Katan looked confused and angry at this statement, but before either could demand an answer, Revan reached into his robes and pulled out the Helm of Mand'alor before carefully setting it on the table. Both leaders of Death Watch looked like they had just seen a ghost. Even the other troopers in the tent took a step forward to get a better look at the object before them.
"It... it can't be. It has to be some kind of trick." Bo-Katan said in a hushed voice, but the more she looked at the Helm and recognized the ancient inscriptions, even her skepticism slowly melted away.
Vizsla was fully entranced by the object and slowly reached out to grab it, when a gloved hand fell on top of it, blocking him. Snapping himself out of his daze he looked up and saw Revan had stopped him from taking the Helm. New anger flared up inside of him and he took an offensive stance with the saber. "You would dare bring such an artifact into this place and seek to use it to bend us to your will?!"
"No," Revan stated firmly. "I would see the Mandalorians restored to their former glory, and I even see Death Watch in power over Mandalore herself. However, this Helm was last won in single combat by me. This means that I am the last rightful owner of the Helm. I must either choose to give it to a successor, or it must be taken from me in single combat by a challenger. This is the ancient law of your people."
"You are an outsider." Vizsla spat back, "You have no right!"
"Unfortunately, he does." The tent turned to see Bo-Katan had spoken up. Everyone, except for Revan, was surprised by this interjection. "I looked at my old history text on the Crusades to see if I could catch Revan as some kind of impostor, but that's when I remembered something important about his duel with Mand'alor." She looked at Vizsla before finishing, though she was obviously not happy with what she was about to say, "Revan challenged Mand'alor to a Taung blood duel, which he had to accept as Revan was half Mandalorian by birth. Since Revan is still alive, has the Helm, and has not been challenged for it, he is still the rightful owner."
Vizsla stared in disbelief at the words he had just heard. Even Ahsoka was looking at Revan with slight surprise, she had known about the duel but not about his heritage, though it did explain a lot of things about the man.
Once the shock slightly settled, Vizsla glared at his second, who simply looked back with equal frustration as if to say, 'These are our laws.' Shaking his head he slowly turned back to Revan, "So our greatest enemy has taken our most sacred title from us as well..."
He was about to say more when Revan put up a hand, "I know you have an intention to challenge me for the Helm, but let us not be so hasty. I know you seek to control Mandalore and her people, and I know that the Duchess and her support from the Republic and Jedi have continually prevented you from doing so. Thus, I have come up with an offer. I will help you take Mandalore, and will even give you the Helm once the throne is secure. All I ask in return is your people's support in creating a fully independent neutral sector of the galaxy."
Vizsla and Bo-Katan looked surprised and skeptical at this offer, "You would draw the ire of both the Republic and Separatists." Bo-Katan spoke up, "Mandalore does not even possess a military."
"I assure you, with Death Watch's help, not only will you control Mandalore, but you will never be under threat of Republic or Separatist's control ever again." Revan waited for their natural curiosities to settle in.
"Explain," Vizsla demanded skeptically.
A smirk slowly formed under Revan's mask.
Padmé found herself fidgeting in her seat as she scrolled through the datapad in her hands, barely registering what she was reading as her mind refused to even consider being peaceful. The senator was going over some preliminary information on the vote to extend military spending, which would require the securing of additional loans, plunging the struggling Republic economy further into debt. The past week had been a frustrating deluge of meetings, debates, senate hearings, and inevitable back-room negotiations. Padmé and the fellow senators in her camp were obviously against this purposed vote, however, she faced fierce competition, and with recent reports of increasing numbers of Separatist forces, many senate members she could normally count on were beginning to show signs of switching. It seemed that the vote was ultimately going to be very close, maybe a difference as low as single-digits, and this reality had pushed Padmé into an overdrive to try and secure her side's position. Part of her mind blamed Revan's entrance into this whole mess as a critical factor for this situation. The event was being successfully used against her position to show how vulnerable the Republic truly was in this war. Even her own very brief "kidnapping" was being used against her by her political opponents.
Padmé gripped the datapad slightly tighter as she thought back to that day. The still vivid memory brought her back to focus on where she presently was. The politician had been waiting for several minutes just outside of an office at the University of Coruscant. The past week's extremely busy schedule had prevented her from finding an appropriate time to make her way down to the Fobosi District, but this meeting had been poking at the back of her mind whenever she had had a moment to rest and now she was determined to make it happen without further delay.
Her inner reflections were interrupted as an older gentleman carrying a few too many datapads, and carrying bags, came around the corner muttering to himself about getting too old for this sort of work.
Padmé smiled at seeing the figure and quickly put away her datapad before standing up and walking over. "Looks like you could use some help with all that." She stated, before taking a few items off the man's precarious balancing act.
With his face fully revealed the individual was an aging human, with a grey full beard, balding head, and striking blue eyes that shined behind a pair of old-fashioned circular spectacles. The man was surprised at seeing the senator, but his expression was quickly replaced with a large smile as he belted out a response, "Padmé! Oh, it is so good to see you, my dear! It has been far too long, has it not?"
"Indeed it has, Orden." She said back with a small laugh, "And I apologize for my poor manners in not coming to see you more often."
Orden quickly waved her apology off, "Pish-posh, my dear! You have nothing to apologize for! The work of an activist like yourself is never done. Plus, how would my beloved institution still have the budget to hire myself and many of my colleagues if not for your intervention in the Senate? Truly if not for your efforts my salary would have been directed towards another batch of tanks or some other military exploit, no doubt."
Padmé smiled appreciatively at the man's genuine gratitude and praise. "Well thank you for your understanding, friend. I suppose someone has to remind the politicians that we must still invest in our people's future, even when we are at war."
Orden nodded vigorously in agreement, "Yes indeed, or there will be no future after this war. But! Enough of this dreary talk, please. Let's step into my office and give me a moment to set all this junk down somewhere."
The pair made their way inside the medium-sized room. While the office space was sizable, it still felt fairly cramped with piles of datapads, computers, various pieces of equipment, server drives, and even some old-fashioned books with real paper inside. Padmé carefully made her way through the cluttered environment, making sure not to disturb any of the disorganized organization of the room. She also had to fight back the urge to begin cleaning and properly filing everything into an organized system, but her few years in politics had taught her that some people function better in a sea of chaos, rather than in a systematically filed library.
"You can set those down anywhere," Orden said in regard to the few items his friend had helped him carry in. Less graciously than her, he had made his way over to his barely visible desk before unceremoniously pushing shoving his remaining armful onto a shelf that barely had enough room to hold it all. After relieving himself of his bags he finally sat behind his desk with a sign as he rubbed his head.
"Long day?" Padmé asked she finally chose a less-full space to place her items before clearing space to take one of the two "available" chairs across from the man.
Orden laughed to himself before answering, "You could say that. But I'll be fine, I assure you." Glancing around he quickly searched for something before opening a desk drawer and smiling, "Ah, glad I didn't lose this." He disappeared slightly behind the desk before producing a bottle with no label and two glasses, which he set between himself and the senator. "So my dear," he began as he poured a red liquid into the two small ornate glasses, "I take it by your arrival that you received my message."
Padmé nodded before taking her datapad back out and replying, "Yes I did, and I appreciate your discretion in keeping what you had found vague in our conversation."
Orden placed the bottle on his desk before offering one of the glasses to Padmé, who politely declined, earning her a shrug from the man before he quickly downed both glasses with a satisfied sigh. "I believe I know you well enough at this point to have a sense when you're digging around in places you most likely shouldn't be." He finished with a slight smile before pouring himself another glass.
"I don't think I quite know what you mean," Padmé responded with a knowing smirk. "Regardless, you mentioned in your message that you wanted to meet in person to discuss your findings."
Orden nodded before moving things around on his desk as he attempted to find something. "Indeed, and I must say, my dear, this latest treasure hunt you sent me on was one of the most time-consuming and frustrating experiences I have had to deal with in a while, and that's even counting my latest batch of students!" He added a small laugh before triumphantly producing a buried personal computer and quickly typing into it, adjusting his glasses as he did so. "I even ended up canceling a few lectures just to try and sort out this puzzle box, but I finally did it!" He proudly beamed a smile at his friend before handing her the computer and taking another sip of his glass.
Padmé's eyes quickly scanned through the information and said nothing for several moments. "...A Mandalorian clan symbol?" She finally asked in confusion.
Orden nodded enthusiastically before taking another sip. "Yes indeed! You see the difficulty in determining where your symbol on that image you sent me came from was the fact that we had no record of it in our database. I had to brush up on my Mandalorian history and ask another professor to help me with this project. You see, the Mandalorians before they relocated most of their species to the current location of Mandalore, were a tribal society. Every Mandalorian could trace their lineage back to a specific clan, or essentially what we would consider a family name or house. These clans fought each other over generations and eventually the minor or simply less fortunate clans would get wiped out completely. Combine this with the fact that much of Mandalorian culture was orally passed down, and you can begin to appreciate why trying to study their history or culture is extremely difficult."
Padmé simply nodded in understanding as she continued to read the extensive process the professor had taken in reaching this conclusion. His notes and log entries were just as scattered and disorganized as his workspace, but she could follow his train of thought quite well. Part of her wondered what learning from him as a student must be like. She pushed her side thoughts away and focused on the document, but her eyes narrowed in confusion as she came to the end of the report. "You don't mention what clan this symbol is from." She finally looked up at the professor for an answer.
Orden sighed heavily before placing his hands together on the desk, "Unfortunately, my dear, this is where I seem to have failed you. While I was able to determine definitively the origin of that symbol, based on language fonts, cultural symbolic similarities, and design philosophy, I cannot tell you with even remote certainty what clan that symbol belongs to. As I said previously, the clans would often wipe each other out and there would be no one to pass on their story to the next generation."
Padmé looked like the wind had just been knocked out of her. Had she put in so much effort, scrapped, and pulled at every possible thread just to come up short?
Orden frowned slightly as he saw the clear defeat in his friend's expression. "However," he began causing Padmé's eyes to shift in curiosity, "I do have a potential solution to your problem." He reached into a bag near him and produced another datapad, this one contained what looked like a large email chain between several faculty and administration personnel within the University.
Padmé glanced at Orden curiously before quickly reading the datapad. "A formal information-sharing request? From Duchess Satine?"
Orden smiled before explaining further, "It seems you have impeccable timing, as always Padmé. Not two days ago, the University was formally contacted by Duchess Satine, asking for our assistance. It appears she is hoping to open a rather sizable university in her capital city and make it free to all citizens to try and help the population with their advanced learning. She is proposing a sort of, information partnership. Since she gained her title the Duchess has been offering incentives to any Mandalorian with any historical documents or surviving oral traditions to come to Mandalore and have their information formally documented for publication consumption and safeguarding for future generations. Without this initiative, potentially thousands of years of Mandalorian history would be lost to the galaxy. However, due to Mandalore's neutral and almost isolated state from the Republic, this information has been largely unavailable to any institutions that would be interested in obtaining it, including this university."
"So now she is offering this historical data in exchange for information to add to her university's curriculum." Padmé finished for the professor as the full picture dawned on her.
"Precisely, my dear," Orden affirmed her conclusion.
Padmé sat and thought for a moment before speaking, "Do you believe that I might be able to identify this clan symbol by going directly to Mandalore and asking for their assistance in identifying it?"
Orden shrugged in response before finishing his third glass, "It is the best lead I have found, thus far. I can't guarantee you will find what you are looking for, but I believe it is the best chance you currently have."
Orden's words made sense, and she was very appreciative of his help in finding this next lead for her. However, her mind was now in conflict as she considered the upcoming vote in the senate. No doubt Satine would get her access to that information, but would she be wasting valuable time going on a random scavenger hunt only to end up with nothing to show for it? And even if she did find something on Mandalore, would it even be helpful in tracking down Revan and finding Ahsoka? These questions waged war in her mind as she considered her responsibilities to both the Republic and to her friend.
Finally snapping herself back to the present she looked at Orden, who was staring at her with concern. "Don't try and take on the weight of the world, Padmé. Maybe you should take a break and get some rest. You look tired."
Part of her was angry at the suggestion, but the other was thankful for his sympathy and genuinely wanting to look out for her. Smiling in response she quickly got up from her chair and handed the items back to Orden, "Thank you again, for all your help, Orden. I promise we'll have time to meet where I'm not asking a favor of you."
Orden chuckled slightly before smiling back and saying, "My dear, there's no need to feel obligated to an old man like myself. It is always a pleasure to assist you in whatever way I can. Now try to care of yourself from time to time, hmm?"
"Thank you for the advice, friend. I hope to see you again soon." Padmé shook his hand before quickly making her way out of the office, shutting the door behind her as she did. Once alone, the senator leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths. Her next decision could impact the lives of many, many people, for good or ill. Orden's words about needing rest rang in her mind and she considered going home and taking a nap right there.
Shaking her head she willed herself to keep going. 'There would be time to rest later.' she thought to herself, even if she knew it was a lie. Finally making up her mind, she began quickly walking down the hall, pulling out her datapad as she did so.
A female Weequay sighed heavily as she looked at the large tray of drinks quickly being assembled before her. The kitchen was buzzing with activity and bodies were moving/running through any empty space to try and keep up with the demand for work. Chefs shouted out orders, waitresses were bringing in trays of consumed food and drink, dumping the used dishes into large baths that busboys desperately tried to keep up with the cleaning, and the whole environment had an atmosphere of manic energy.
The Weequay was snaped back to her task as she was barked at to take the now full tray out. With a heavy sigh, she lifted the considerable load and made her way out of the kitchen. As she made her way through the doors and around several corners, the sounds of laughter, partying, and debauchery became increasingly louder. The party was in full swing. Men shouted, cheered, and drank and ate themselves to their heart's content, while women around them served whatever they demanded. This was a typical spectacle on Florrum, and the pirates of the planet certainly liked to enjoy themselves.
At the center of this chaos and commotion sat the guest of honor, and coincidentally the host, pirate lord, and criminal mastermind Hondo Ohnaka. The male Weequay was dressed in his usual striking red coat, which helped to distinguish him from the other pirates around him. Sitting at a large central table, the leader was surrounded by several men and women of various species, but two Twi'leks were draped around either arm. The pirate lord looked very pleased with himself as he was clearly retelling some story that he of course overly dramatized.
As the server got closer to the group, she could begin to hear what Hondo was saying over the noise of the rest of the party.
"So there I was, back against the wall, dead men all around me! So what did I do? I stood up! And faced the man down. I said to him: Mister! If you are going to come in here and kill all my men, you must start with me!" Hondo dramatically acted out his story with wild gestures, different voices, and even stood up, knocking a plate of food as he did so. This earned him a few appreciative gasps and 'oos' from most of his fans, and many eye rolls and scoffs from the individuals that were actually there at the time.
Regardless of what reactions he got, Hondo was determined to continue his retelling. "So the beast turned and looked at me. Fire, smoke, and lighting poured out of that demonic mask, but I stood firm! He approached me and tried to intimate me, but I would not yield. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of tension, the monster relented and I was able to win him over with my superior charm and intellect!"
A small gasp come from one of the Twi'leks, "You talked to this horrible creature?"
Hondo smiled at her before answering, "Indeed I did. But I did not just talk to him... I outsmarted him!"
This earned some curious looks from even the pirates that had witnessed Revan's fight in their base just a week ago.
"He told me he wanted a ship, so I made him think I would hate from him to take my luxury yacht, which was a bit of a sad thing to see let go, I admit, however! I had a plan. I had vowed to get my pound of flesh for the lives of my men he had taken and the damage he had done to my house! For you see, the yacht was a trap! I now knew his every move and gave the information of where he was headed away to anyone who cared to listen!"
The crowd once again seemed impressed with this move, and of course, Hondo's more adoring fans were clapping and cheering for his payback.
"So now, I purpose a toast!" Hondo paused as he stood on the large table and yelled loudly enough to quiet the party and put the attention on himself. "To the pirates of Florrum! No one comes into Hondo Ohnaka's house without paying the price!"
A triumphant cheer went up from the room as everyone present grabbed a glass and raised it in salute to their leader.
Hondo laughed in joy and smiled at the room before him. Just as he was about to take a drink from his glass, something strange happened.
There was a deep rumble that reverberated throughout the room, causing several light fixtures to rattle and a few items to fall off tables. Hondo had to balance himself slightly to not fall.
"What the hell was that?" One pirate yelled out in confusion as the few sober individuals quickly looked around concerned at each other.
Hondo's eyes narrowed in suspicion, he quickly checked his communicator but saw that he had no missed calls or notifications. He always had guards watching the fortress in case any unwanted visitors came knocking, but no alarm of an attack had been raised.
Another, more powerful rumble reverberated through the room, causing a few drunk individuals to fall out of their chairs and onto the floor.
Hondo cursed at this interruption, before throwing his drink on the ground, jumping off the table, and beginning to march towards the main hall's primary exit to the outside. "I swear, if those idiots are messing with my weapon stockpile again, I'll-"
Before the pirate lord could finish his mad threat, a very powerful explosion suddenly destroyed the wall Hondo had been walking towards. The force of the explosion caused him to be flung backwards, slamming his back into one of the room's pillars and causing considerable pain.
Hondo's vision was blurry, and he lifted his hand to try and block out the sunlight that was now streaming into the room. His ears rung, but he heard the sounds of shouting and blaster fire, even seeing a few bright red bolts fly across the room. As his senses slowly came back to him, he was consumed by what looked like droids making their way inside the hall from the destroyed wall. Before he could fully process what he was seeing, a shadow fell over him, and he looked up with genuine fear in his eyes at the figure looming over him.
Anakin took a deep breath to steady himself. All around him was the noise and activity of the busy bridge of a Venator-class Republic Cruiser. The ship was currently heading through hyperspace, on its way to link up with a larger fleet just outside of the Core Worlds. Anakin and the 501st legion had spent the past week fighting off Separatists attacks in the Outer Rim. While the assignment had proven to be essential to holding on to Republic territory in that part of space, the Jedi Knight still felt like he had been sent away as punishment for his outburst at the Council.
Part of Anakin had been thankful for the distraction. The fighting had been intense and consistent, allowing him to throw himself completely into the battles and temporarily forget about his Padawan. His fiercer fighting methods and obvious anger/frustration had been apparent to the troops under his command, and even now the clones on the bridge made sure to give him a wide berth. When word quickly spread about Ahsoka's kidnapping throughout the 501st, the clones had shared Anakin's frustration and disappointment with the Council's decision, but none of them made mention of it to their general, but the loss of this favorite commander was clearly affecting the men.
The fighting had come to a stop for all of them when Obi-Wan had arrived about a day ago with new orders and a replacement fleet to maintain the defenses they had established. While Anakin was thankful to get his troops a well-deserved break, he now was left with little to do, and his mind had begun to spiral again.
Before he could think further on these matters, the main door to the bridge opened, and Master Kenobi stepped onto the bridge, giving the 'at ease' gesture to the clones responding to a general coming onto the deck.
Anakin looked at his former master with a mixture of regret and anger. Their last real conversation at the temple had left the pair on rocky terms, and Anakin knew he hadn't been fully in the right to blame Obi-Wan as he had.
"Everything well here on the bridge?" Kenobi asked as a way to break the tension.
Anakin simply nodded before rubbing his head slightly, "Aside from the general exhaustion of myself and the men? Yeah, things are fine up here."
"I'm glad to hear it." Obi-Wan looked at his former apprentice with sympathy. He knew Anakin well enough to see he was not doing well, and with no news of Ahsoka in over a week, he couldn't imagine the stress his friend was truly under. After a few moments of awkward silence, Obi-Wan began again, "...Anakin, I want to say that-"
The Jedi Master was cut off as Anakin raised a hand and shook his head, "Don't apologize, Master. I am sorry." This earned Anakin a surprised look from his friend, "You were right when I said I wasn't thinking clearly. Being back in a war zone reminded me of the importance of planning, intel, and having the right information to keep people alive. We have no leads, nowhere to begin looking, and Ahsoka missing hasn't stopped this war from continuing. Right now, all I can do is perform my responsibilities and wait for an opportunity to help my apprentice."
Kenobi was slightly stunned by this mature and sincere response. While he also felt guilt for what happened to Ahsoka, he did ultimately agree with the Council's decision and their reasoning. "You care for her, I understand that, and your reaction was completely understandable. However, I am glad to hear that you have had some time to reflect and contemplate this situation." Obi-Wan made his way over to Anakin and placed his hand on the other man's shoulder, "You have a good heart, Anakin."
The two brothers locked eyes with each other, and for the first time in a long while, Anakin could see the pride and care in the older Jedi's eyes for him. "...Thank you, Master." The Knight finally said after fighting back several intense emotions.
Obi-Wan nodded back with a small smile before patting the younger Jedi on the back. "Now you should go get some sleep. I can monitor the bridge while you're gone."
Anakin could feel the exhaustion creep into the back of his eyes, and was about to take the offer, but his attention was grabbed as the bridge doors opened again and a new figure quickly walked in, making their way to the pair. "Rex, what blew up this time?" Anakin said to his favored clone captain in jest.
Captain Rex approached the two Jedi before giving a quick salute, and saying, "Nothing that needs mentioning, sir." Rex said with a subtle smirk. "Good to see you again, General Kenobi."
"Likewise, Rex," Obi-Wan responded.
"I have something to report, Generals," Rex explained as his reasoning for coming to the bridge.
Anakin straightened up fully and looked at the captain curiously, "What is it?"
Rex began typing away at the large holo-table that occupied the central room at the back of the bridge, which the trio stood around. "Just a few minutes ago, I was called down to communications, they wanted me to take a look at something. They had intercepted a stray transmission that wasn't meant for us."
"Was it from a Separatist message?" Obi-Wan asked.
Rex shook his head before continuing, "No, sir. While the sign was faint, we were able to clear it up and determine the nature and source. The transmission was being broadcast on an unencrypted line, but on a lower frequency than normal vessels would be accounting for."
"Pirates." Anakin reasoned.
"Correct, sir." Rex affirmed, "But not just any pirates, this transmission came from..." Rex paused as he finished pulling up the data of the transmission along with the image of a planet onto the table.
"Florrum." Anakin immediately said as soon as the planet came into view. Both he and Obi-Wan stared at the image with mixed feelings due to their previous experience with its inhabitants.
"What did the transmission say?" Obi-Wan finally asked after a brief pause.
"Hard to say, sir." Rex answer. "Due to our distance from the planet and the interference from hyperspace on our communications array, we cannot say for certain. However, our technicians do believe that it is most likely a distress call of some kind."
Obi-Wan and Anakin looked at each other with surprise. "It's not like Hondo to call for help." Kenobi began, "If this truly is a distress call, he must be truly desperate."
Anakin nodded in agreement. Quickly pulling up a map of their current route, the knight changed course to head towards Florrum instead. "We are, kind of, passing near that system. We could make a slight detour."
Obi-Wan glanced at the map and rubbed his chin in thought. "I'm not sure Anakin. This detour would put us severely behind schedule to link up with the rest of the fleet, additionally, this might be some kind of trap or encounter we don't want to be involved in. It would make the logistics of our current assignment more complicated if we suffered any significant damage in a fight with some of Hondo's rivals."
"Master, Hondo has helped us several times in the past, and while I don't care for the pirate it would be a shame to lose a potential ally." He turned to look at the older Jedi, a small level of desperation could be seen in his eyes. "And... he was the last legitimate lead we ever had on Revan. If he has been seen at all, Hondo might have heard about it through his network."
Obi-Wan looked at his friend with genuine sympathy and felt conflicted. He wanted to help in some way, and this might at the very least keep Anakin focused on the rest of the mission.
The Jedi Master was about to speak when Rex spoke up, "I could send a message to the waiting fleet and inform them of our detour and make a request we alter the rendezvous point to compensate for our lost travel time."
Kenobi looked at the normally stoic clone captain and saw a similar level of desperate hope. Sighing heavily the Jedi Master finally relented, "Fine, fine. Rex, send that message to the fleet. Anakin, change our course to Florrum."
Both Rex and Anakin smiled slightly at their instructions. Rex gave a quick salute and departed from the bridge while Anakin began typing in orders to the rest of the bridge crew and ship.
"Why is it never simple with you around?" Kenobi asked half-jokingly, half-serious.
Anakin smirked before finishing his message and replying, "You know your life would be dull without me, master."
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at this response before shaking his head and walking away. 'That boy was going to be the death of him,' he sarcastically thought to himself.
Revan sat in the pilot's seat of the Ebon Hawk. He had a datapad in his hand and was reading a file he had just received.
The door to the cockpit opened as Ahsoka walked into the compartment, "Our companions are wondering how much longer it will be before we arrive."
Revan shifted his attention away from the file, checking the flight controls in front of him for an update. "We are just about to arrive, but do not concern yourself with going back there, they can wait. I would speak with you a moment."
Ahsoka looked at Revan curiously, but took the co-pilot's seat before saying, "Alright then, what happened this time?"
Revan chuckled slightly before answering, "A fair question, given our past dealings. But nothing has happened this time, instead, I wish to prepare you for something that is going to happen. Do you remember one of the things I mentioned on Dxun, about needing to gain control over certain individuals that would not naturally be willing to help us?"
Ahsoka nodded slightly, her eyes narrowing in suspicion, "I do... are you planning on doing something to the killer Mandalorians we have on the ship with us?"
Revan shook his head, "That sort of decision would bring unnecessary conflict, no. Zealots are easy to control if you know what they want. What I mean to say is that there will be certain drastic, but temporary measures that will need to be taken to ensure we are not betrayed. I want you to know that I do not enjoy or encourage these sorts of drastic actions to be taken, nor do I believe in forced cooperation, as it never inspires true loyalty or trust. However, in this case, I am afraid we do not have much of a choice."
Ahsoka studied Revan carefully as he spoke. She did not like the implications Revan was getting at, and she was certain she would not be happy with that the man was about to reveal to her.
"All I ask," Revan continued, "is for your patience and trust. As I stated, temporary solutions will be needed, but they will not stay in place forever. Can you promise to support me in this at least in the short-term, and trust my decision?"
Ahsoka said nothing for several moments. "Fine." She finally spoke. "But what is this decision, exactly?"
Before Revan could answer, he stopped himself and turned to look at the cockpit door. A few seconds later there was a loud banging on the metal. Revan pressed a button to open the door, revealing a helmetless Bo-Katan with a slightly annoyed expression on her face.
"Vizsla requests an update on our progress." She spoke with force behind her voice, finely toeing the line between a command and a threat.
Revan simply turned back to the controls and quickly pulled the ship out of hyperspace. "See for yourself." He offered, gesturing to the view outside the ship.
Bo-Katan and Ahsoka both leaned forward to get a better view, and their eyes went slightly wide in surprise at what they were seeing.
Floating in the middle of an empty portion of space was an Interdictor-class cruiser, which Ahsoka immediately recognized as the same design as Revan's personal flagship, the "Leviathan," which she had seen the schematics before on the Foundry. However, the ship they were looking at was massive. The ship was almost twice the size of a Separatist
Providence-class Dreadnought, and had made use of the added space with additional hangers, turbo lasers, rocket batteries, torpedo bays, and even what looked like industrial sized orbital drop-pods along the underside of the top half of the ship. Flying around the ship were several squads of what looked like a combination of automated and single-manned starfighters, all in similar, yet clearly updated style of the original Sith interceptors that had occupied the original Leviathan cruiser.
Ahsoka felt herself get slightly nervous as she had flashbacks to the brutal effectiveness of Separatist droid fighters.
"If this is a trap-" Bo-Katan began her threat before Revan dismissively waved his hand.
"You know my history better than most, Bo-Katan. I would not make an offer on my honor only to betray you all at the last second. Your other vessels have already been marked as friendly by my forces."
The Mandalorian glanced at Revan before studying the outside activity for several moments. Finally making a mental decision, she activated her communicator on her gauntlet and spoke, "All ships, do not engage. Keep close to the Ebon Hawk and follow us in."
Ahsoka glanced out the side of the viewport to see the three Gauntlet starfighters that had accompanied them from the Death Watch camp form a closer formation around the Hawk.
The four vessels quickly flew towards the main hanger of the dreadnought, located directly in the central "parting" of the two outstretched sections of the ship.
The hanger was massive even by a dreadnought's standards. If Ahsoka had to guess one could easily fill more than half an entire Venator-class' starfighter regiment in this one hanger alone.
The Hawk made a smooth landing in the center of the hanger, while the Death Watch ships all landed nearby.
"Well then," Revan began as he stood up, placing his mask on as he did so, "Shall we?"
Bo-Katan still held suspicion in her eyes at Revan but nodded slightly before walking back into the ship.
The trio met up with the rest of the Mandalorians inside the Hawk, which consisted of a few trusted guards and Pre Vizsla himself, who looked slightly displeased and curious with his current situation. The group made their way down the boarding ramp of the ship which had lowered and were greeted with a small contingent of the newly designed KH Dragoon units.
Standing in front of them with a beaming 'smile' was a familiar Ithorian. "I hope you are pleased with my work, sir."
"Sterr! It's good to see you again." Ahsoka said with genuine relief at finally seeing another friendly face.
"It is good to see you too." He said back before shaking hands with the Padawan.
"It seems you have outdone yourself, Sterr," Revan said as he looked around in appreciation, before walking up and carefully looked over one of the Dragoons. The KH units were slightly taller than 47, made of completely black material that seemed to absorb the light around them but still held to the classic HK angular frame and design. Their glowing yellow eyes stood out in harsh contrast to the rest of their appearance adding to their overall indication factor. Each one carried a heavy blaster rifle, along with several obvious small arms on various attachment points, and their arms had rocket and flamethrower capabilities built-in. If 47's design had been a little less than sublet, these models didn't even understand the definition of the word.
The Death Watch members from the other ships slowly allocated together in front of the Hawk. While all but Vizsla and Bo-Katan had their helmets on, their body language communicated they were all on edge as they looked around the alien space.
After quiet communication with his second in command, Vizsla confidentially strode forward and loudly asked, "So you bring us all the way out here to see droids and ships? The Separatists have made the same offer as what I see before me. And who is this alien?" He added with a hint of disgust in his voice.
Revan scowled slightly at the ignorance he was hearing but took a deep breath before turning and walking back over to Vizsla, Ahsoka, and Sterr. "Sterr, I would like you to meet Pre Vizsla, head of the Death Watch."
The mechanic's eyes went slightly wide, and he gulped slightly upon hearing the infamous terrorist group's name. "Pl-pleased to meet you." He offered a shaky greeting, doing his best to keep his fear under control. Being in a ship of his design with several killer droids he had helped create did help his confidence slightly.
Revan smiled slightly at seeing Sterr's growing confidence. "And this is Sterr, my chief engineer, and creator of everything you see around you."
Sterr looked at Revan in surprised shock. He had never been given an official title before and felt honored to be given such full credit, even for things he had not completely done himself, such as the Dragoon units. He bowed in response to this and offered a simple, "Thank you, sir."
Bo-Katan walked up to the group, clear confusion and surprise on her face. "You're telling me that this one, Ithorian, helped you create all this?" Revan simply nodded, causing the Mandalorian to look at the mechanic with deep appreciation and respect.
Vizsla was also surprised, but quickly regained himself and scowled, "You still have not answered my question. The Separatists also have droids and large ships, what makes your offer so different?"
Revan rolled his eyes behind his mask before responding, "Come with me and I will show you." He then quickly turned to walk towards the hangar exit. The Dragoon units immediately responded to his movements, turning and dividing themselves down the middle of their ranks to allow Revan, Sterr, and Ahsoka to walk through. The synchronized action from the large droids caused a loud crash of metal to reverberate through the hanger, making several Death Watch members grip their weapons more tightly.
Vizsla glared at the back of Revan in suspicion, before ordering his men to stay with the ships, choosing only to take Bo-Katan and two other Mandalorians with him.
The group of individuals made their way to the back of the hanger and were greater with a large open speeder with no stealing but simple hand-rails around the edge of the hovering platform, which was being controlled by a Rakatan maintenance droid. Revan explained that the ship was so massive they designed a fleet of "transporters" to take groups, individuals, or even equipment to any part of the ship they needed to reach quickly and that a whole internal series of larger passageways had been designed into the ship to allow these speeders to travel without disrupting normal foot traffic.
The group got on board and were quickly whisked away to a wall panel that slid open for them as they approached. They sped through an internal system of cargo-sized lifts that the speeder could attack, and long stretches of track that allowed the vehicle to reach immense speeds. Through the bare-bones supports and maintenance walkways, the group could see hundreds of other speeders performing similar travels throughout the ship. Only small pauses occasionally interrupted the flow of traffic to allow certain speeders to pass one another, but even then it was almost seamless as the entire system appeared to communicate with itself an impressive speed.
The group finally stepped off the speeder and into a large hallway with a heavy set of doors directly in the middle of the wall. Revan lead the group through into the impressively sized and busy bridge of the ship. The layout still mirrored the original ship's design, but had much more room to station additional consoles, holo-tables, and even had multiple maintenance shafts that allowed the Rakatan droid crew to seamlessly enter and exit the bridge without ever using the main set of doors. Two Dragoon units stood on either side of the interior side of the bridge doors in stationary positions, though their optics and sensors were definitely observing the group that had just entered. Bo-Katan also couldn't help but notice the large ceiling-mounted guns that occupied most of the roof of the bridge. If anyone tried to storm this room, they were in for a nasty surprise. She couldn't help but wonder what other hidden security this monstrous vessel contained.
Once the group was fully inside, Revan turned and spread his arms to the side, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome, to the Leviathan." He had debated on keeping the same name, but with the connotations of a massive monster rising from the dark depths of the sea, he just couldn't resist the poetic justice of the image.
The group looked around with a mixture of awe, fear, and confusion.
Vizsla scowled before speaking up first, "So you have nothing else to show for yourself than one powerful ship?"
Revan glared under his mask before gesturing for the group to gather around a very large holo-table, approximately 15 feet long and wide. Typing onto the console in front of him Revan pulled up an image of the new Leviathan. "This ship is not only the most powerful dreadnought currently in existence, but it is also so much more than that. This vessel is a mobile commander center. From here you could have enough resources to conquer a fortified planet with just this ship alone. It has advanced communications to contact other ships that are too far for normal systems to reach, meaning you could coordinate battles that are happening in an entirely different part of the galaxy. And this ship is not even fully equipped yet. More vessels to act in support are being made as we speak along with armies of droids, weapons, tanks, starfighters, and anything else one might desire for war. This ship is simply the beginning of what is to come, and it is from here that I will explain the rest of my plan for Mandalore and the Duchess."
Vizsla crossed his arms in skepticism, but Revan could not help but notice that Bo-Katan seemed to lean in slightly closer and watch with keen interest.
"Ahsoka, please explain to our guests what we discussed about Mandalore's current state."
Ahsoka was surprised with this command, but quickly regained herself and pulled up an image of Mandalore and the information she and Revan had talked about on their way to meet with Death Watch. She gave a more concise report of the three primary issues facing the planet, those of Military, Economic, and Political nature. Once she was done, she looked at Revan's masked face, and while she could not see his expression, he expressed his thanks and complement through their Force Bond, earning him a small smile from the Padawan.
"And how do you propose we solve these issues?" Bo-Katan finally asked.
Revan pulled up some additional information, "When we take over Mandalore and declare full independence, it is highly likely that the Republic or Separatists will take this opportunity to try and forcibly take over the planet through military intervention. This ship and other weapons I have at my disposal will give us the advantage we need to defend the planet and her allies. However, I understand your hesitation in relying on so many droids, but this is not the end of our forces. Your Death Watch, along with Mandalorians that still have skill in combat and military training will act as captains, commanders, and even generals to direct these droids into battle. You will not risk your untrained population into war, and our primary losses can always be rebuilt while giving us the advantage of organic intuition and decision making."
"This sounds like you are combining the philosophies of the Republic and Separatists into one army... clever," Bo-Katan commented.
Vizsla's earlier disdain for only relying on droids to fight slowly melted away, but he shook his head and responded, "Our people are largely untrained, as you said, how do you hope to militarize a people that have been indoctrinated in weak pacifism for so long?"
Revan looked at him before saying, "I leave that in your capable hands, Vizsla. Surely the leader of the 'true Mandalorians' can train his own people to rise up and fight for their home?"
This obvious challenge earned Revan a glare from the Death Watch leader, but he quickly straightened up and said, "Fine, I will raise our people to greatness once again."
Bo-Katan glanced at Vizsla with a flash of frustration. Revan could sense from her thoughts that she was the one who had trained most of the Death Watch, yet she was being given no credit for that accomplishment here. "What of the other two issues?" Bo-Katan asked as a way to move the conversation forward.
Revan nodded to her before changing the projection once again. "As already stated, the citizens of Mandalore have been relying on the black market to keep themselves alive. While the Duchess has done her best to stamp down on the market's hold on the planet, her efforts have proven to be less than effective. While we cannot allow the current crime rates and other problems that come with the average citizen working with the criminal underworld, we can turn this situation to our advantage. We will control the black market on Mandalore and use it as a new source of trade and commerce to bring funds and supplies into the economy."
"And how do you intend to do that? The gangs and criminal organizations would never deal with an official government directly, and even then they might play us for fools and use their position to gain power over us." Vizsla obviously protested the idea.
"Because," Revan began, "we have an ambassador, one who knows how the entire game is played and will facilitate the best deals and prices for our buying and selling to these groups." He then pressed a few keys on the panel in front of him.
After a few seconds of silence, a side door opened and HK-47 stepped out of it. In either hand, the assassin droid was holding tightly onto two humanoid figures wearing binder cuffs behind their backs. The droid forced both individuals to their knees before taking a small step back from them and equipping his blaster rifle.
Ahsoka's eyes widened in shock as Revan made his way over to the newly entered trio.
"May I present our two newest additions to this little family," Revan started before standing in front of both individuals, "Hondo Ohnaka, and Cad Bane."
Both aliens looked slightly injured but had been tended to by medical droids.
Hondo looked up at Revan and did his best to put on his usually proud smile. "Ah... Revan... good to see you again, my friend. You are looking well, all things considered." The Weequay could not help but let some intimidation and fear slip through his words.
Revan smirked under his mask, "I must say Hondo, I seriously considered killing you after you sent the dogs after me. However, I had more respect for you once I had time to cool off. It seems I did not give you enough credit after our first meeting."
"What can I say? I tend to surprise people. Now, what do you say you and I make a deal, huh? Let old wounds be forgotten and move forward towards something profitable together?"
Revan chuckled slightly before turning to look at Cad Bane. The county hunter was pissed but was wisely choosing to remain quiet. He glanced around the room tactical looking for some way out of this situation. He was surprised to see Death Watch and angry to see the Jedi brat he had fought previously. Glancing up at Revan he managed to not let his slight fear of the man that had almost killed him show on his face. "If you're going to kill us just get it over with already." Bane spat out.
"Not this time, bounty hunter," Revan responded, before pulling out a small holoprojector and activating it. The device displayed an image of what looked like a medical diagram of a humanoid figure, with a few areas around the spine and skull highlighted. "Gentlemen, pay close attention to what I am about to say, your lives depend on it."
Both pirate and bounty hunter glanced at each other before looking up at Revan.
"When my associate," Revan gestured to HK standing behind them, "brought the two of you onboard this ship, no doubt you remember being unconscious at some point, this was no accident. My medical droids have performed a highly difficult surgery to place small cybernetic attachments onto the connection between your brain and spine. These cybernetics not only allow me to see what you see, and know your vitals at all times." To prove his point he changed the display and it showed a live feed of what Hondo was currently looking at, creating a 'mirror effect' as Hondo's vision looped on itself as he looked at the hologram in front of him. "But at any point, I can have the cybernetics detonate, killing you instantly."
This revelation caused everyone in the room to look at Revan in shock. Bo-Katan and Vizsla were surprised that such technology was even possible, Sterr was very disturbed with the implication that Revan could and was willing to do this to someone, and Ahsoka found herself angry and confused why Revan would do something so barbaric, even to scum like Hondo and Bane. Part of her also wondered why Revan had never placed such an implant in her.
Hondo and Bane were both visibly upset by this information, and while one tried to bargain for some way out and the other threatened Revan with a gruesome death, the former Sith Lord used the Force to make both men quiet. "I am not done." Said with power behind his voice. "I will be able to track you at all times, see your movements, and even know every word you say. If you try and remove these implants at any point they will set off an alert and I will not hesitate to detonate them. Any attempt to betray me will result in your immediate termination." Revan paused and lowered himself until he was at eye level with both aliens, "Do I make myself clear?" He let go of his use of Force Stun to allow them to speak.
Hondo nodded and said, "Yes, yes, perfectly clear, as always." He forced a small smile as he spoke.
Bane glared at Revan for several moments before growling out, "Transparently."
Revan nodded in response, stood back up, and waved his hand causing both binder cuffs to fall off the two aliens. "I will make this promise. Work well, and work hard, and once our business is concluded I will see your implants removed and you will both walk away with your lives and a large fortune of credits. This is not a permanent position I will force you to stay in, and you will be rewarded for your cooperation, if you choose to give it." He offered a hand to both aliens to stand up.
Hondo was surprised by this information and hesitated a moment, but eventually grabbed Revan's hand and was helped to his feet. "You should have stared with the part about a fortune of credits."
Bane simply glared at Revan's hand and stood up on his own before adjusting his iconic hat. "So what's the job?"
Revan nodded before walking back to the table. "Hondo will work with his black market contacts and negotiate whatever trade deals we have. Bane will act in a more... political matter." Revan switched the display to show the coalition of neutral planets that were allied to Mandalore. "Through some careful listening and reconnaissance, we have determined that only seven key planets hold the primary political and economic sway to keep the rest of the natural systems in line with Mandalore. As long as these key systems toe the line, Mandalore will have her allies. To ensure this continued cooperation, even after your take over, Bane and HK will pay each of these seven planets a visit, and will ensure that their governments are fully... persuaded to not go running at the first sign of trouble."
This explanation eared Revan an appreciative smirk from Vizsla and a glare from Ahsoka.
"So you're hoping threats will keep these systems in line?" Bo-Katan asked skeptically.
"Not simply threats," Revan began, "but offers of money, power, and blackmail of their darkest secrets. HK-47," he gestured to his personal assassin droid as a quick way of introduction, "has been digging up some useful dirt on these targets. All of these tactics will be used in our favor, and with Cad Bane's infamous reputation, these leaders will understand the severity of our demands. In time, we will seek to gain their loyalty and trust, but drastic actions must often be taken for short-term gains. Loyalty is never earned under the heel of a boot, but sometimes a boot is necessary to keep people temporarily in line."
Bo-Katan slowly nodded in understanding. She was about to speak when Vizsla spoke up again, "So everything is settled then? When can we strike?"
Revan sighed only loud enough for himself to hear. "You are missing one crucial detail. The political problems facing Mandalore also exist on the inside as well as out." Revan zoomed the map in to bring Mandalore back up to focus. "The current government will not be easily devolved and replaced. Your people have grown accustomed to living with bureaucracy, schools, roads, day-to-day laws, and all the administration that the Duchess has successfully integrated into your society. To simply replace this entire structure with something completely different would not only anger your people, but would leave your economy and trade in shambles."
"What do you suggest?" Bo-Katan asked, curiously.
"A replacement," Revan answered simply. "Someone must be put in charge of replacing your entire internal government without removing or changing any of the actual structure too drastically. This will be difficult as almost everyone in your current government is either loyal to Satine or simply corrupt, but there is one candidate I had in mind." The display shifted once again, as now a middle-aged humanoid male stood beside the planet.
"The former Prime Minister, Almec?" Bo-Katan asked in surprise.
"This man betrayed the Duchess and sought to gain his own place of power!" Vizsla protested angrily to this idea, "Why would we ever trust such a slimy politician as him?"
"Slimy or not, Almec possesses some very useful qualities. Firstly, he desires power and has been stripped of all rank and status, currently rotting away in a Mandalorian prison, freeing him would place you in a very favorable light with him. Secondly, he knows your government better than almost anyone, has his own decent experience with the black market, and above all: he has no love or loyalty for the Duchess. He has already revealed his untrustworthy nature once, this makes him far easier to predict, monitor, and ultimately control than a more unknown character. Almec is your best choice for fixing Mandalore's internal problems." Revan finished his explanation and crossed his arms, leaving the floor open to anyone else who wished to speak.
Vizsla's face was a mixture of emotions and conflict. He couldn't deny that Revan had truly thought of everything and found genius solutions to every problem they would encounter, but he was angry at having so little say in this plan or its logistics.
Bo-Katan looked impressed. She was mentally going through all the details she had just heard, and from a simple strategy perspective, she could find no fault with this plan aside from the general risk factors of any strategy possibly going wrong. She looked at Revan's masked face, a deeper level of appreciation for the man that had defeated her ancestors was beginning to form in her mind.
Ahsoka was somewhat conflicted as well. Revan had mentioned on Dxun some of these details, like the idea to recruit Almec, which she was still not exactly thrilled about. However, she had not expected some parts of these plans, like the implants on Hondo and Bane, or threatening several governments into line to ensure no one broke away from the neutral systems. She looked at Revan with frustration, and while she wished to protest, she knew that would not help their plans to even appear to be in conflict in front of Death Watch. She was thankful he had somewhat prepared her by saying she wasn't going to like some of the things she heard during this meeting.
After several moments of silence, Pre Vizsla spoke again, "Very well... your plan is... acceptable. I just have one last question: do we kill the Duchess?"
Revan couldn't help but notice the glare Vizsla received from his second in command, though it was only for an extremely brief moment. His eyes narrowed slightly behind his mask in curiosity. "...No." he finally stated, watching Bo-Katan's expression shift slightly to both surprise and relief. "Killing her costs us too much. Her allies will rally against us, and we would ensure the wrath of the Republic on our heads for killing such a beloved and influential individual. The Duchess must stay alive at all costs if this plan is going to succeed and you to have your prize."
Vizsla looked displeased with this information but quickly saw the wisdom in Revan's words. "Very well. What is to be done now?"
Revan nodded before uncrossing his arms and typing some instructions into the table. "HK," the droid looked expectantly at his master, "go with Bane and begin your mission to the seven planets previously mentioned. Bane, you have the lead on this assignment and, HK will follow your instructions and provide whatever information and resources you require, however you are not allowed to kill anyone, understood?"
The bounty hunter smirked slightly before nodding with a tip of his hat. "Come on droid," the gravelly voice of Cad spoke up as he turned, "let's go see what other fancy toys you got locked away on this ship."
The pair of killers quickly exited the bridge before Revan continued, "Hondo, a Dragoon with escort you down to the communications array, there you can begin setting up meetings with your various contacts. There will be a full list of everything we require both in order of importance and how quickly we need it."
One of the KH guards walked up and stood beside the pirate lord, who couldn't help but appear fairly intimidating by the metal monster beside him. "As you wish! My captain." Hondo gave a dramatic bow before carefully walking past the Dragoon and making his way to the exit, followed closely behind by the droid.
"Sterr, you know your assignments," Revan stated simply, to which the Ithorian bowed in response before quickly leaving the bridge. "Finally that leaves Death Watch." Revan said as he looked at the four Mandalorians across the table from him. "Go back to your camp, gather everything and everyone. Explain the plan and go over the details I am sending to you now. Ensure your men are ready, and be back here in three days. Once you arrive, we head for Mandalore."
This declaration earned the former general a smirk from the Death Watch leader. "Alright men, let's move!" He shouted out his order as he turned to leave.
The four Mandalorians quickly turned and began making their way out of the bridge, however before they were all fully out of view, Bo-Katan stopped, turning to look at Revan as she did so. She did not know why she hesitated, and the two looked at each other for several moments. She wanted to ask something, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. Before she could linger further, the voice of her leader barked at her to catch up with the group. She clenched her fists in frustration before turning away and quickly leaving the bridge.
Ahsoka watched Bo-Katan go curiously, and once the bridge door had closed she asked, "What was that about?"
"I'm not quite sure..." Revan slowly answered back, "but I think I will have an answer soon." Shaking his head slightly he removed his mask before leaning against the holo-table and looking at the Padawan. "Regardless, I feel that went fairly well, all things considered."
"You can say that again," Ahsoka replied back with a sigh. She looked at Revan and communicated her anger and disappointment clearly through their bond.
Revan put up a hand in defense, "I understand you are upset by some of what was revealed in this meeting, but as I said these are not the long-term solutions I desire. All I ask is your patience and continued trust while we deal with what is immediately required of us, however drastic it may seem."
Ahsoka folded her arms and watched Revan carefully for several moments. After some intense mental deliberation with herself, she finally spoke, "Fine. But there better not be any more surprises like this." She stated forcibly before walking away and off the bridge. She was still slightly angry with Revan, but the more she thought about everything she had heard, she was mostly angry with herself. Part of her was getting too comfortable with things like Death Watch, taking over a free world, and even the implants hadn't been as reclusive to her as she knew they should be. Ahsoka hated it, but she was beginning to realize just how much she was changing.
Anakin and Obi-Wan stood side-by-side as they looked over the smoldering wreckage that had been Hondo Ohnaka's fortress. The stronghold itself was still standing, but large portions of the structure were heavily damaged, giving clear signs of intense and rent fighting. All around the compound were dead or wounded pirates, the more conscious or less injured were quickly running around in controlled panic, either to put out the few remaining fires or to tend to the wounded survivors. Both Jedi shared a wary glance as they made their way towards the compound.
"Captain, fan out with your men and look for survivors," Anakin ordered once the pair of Jedi and the clone detachment they had taken with them to the planet's surface, were close enough to get a sense of what was going on.
Rex responded with, "Right away, sir." Before shouting orders to his men and picking up the pace with his fellow soldiers.
The pirates that were well enough to move tensed up at the sight of the approaching clones, many of them drawing their weapons and taking aim at the Republic troops. After a tense moment of reassurance from Captain Rex that they were here to help, the pirates slowly lowered their weapons and allowed the clones to assist them, most of them quickly realizing they would not win any legitimate fight in the group's current state.
Anakin and Obi-Wan made their way through the courtyard of the fortress, taking in the general wreckage and destruction around them. In all honesty, the pair had expected to see more casualties from such an assault, but from what they could gather most of the pirates were only wounded, and maybe only 1 in 30 or so were actually dead.
"What do you think? A rival gang? Maybe a raiding group looking to make take some credits or spice?" Anakin asked the older Jedi.
Kenobi stroked his beard in thought before answering, "Something tells me not. Don't you find it strange there are no bodies or wounded belonging to the attackers? Surely there would be some evidence of who is responsible?"
"Maybe one of the survivors could give us some answers." Anakin offered, as he spotted a wounded Weequay that was located near a large hole in the main building's exterior.
The two Jedi made their way over to the sitting pirate, who was clutching his side and coughing profusely. "We need a medic over here!" Anakin called out as the pair of force-users knelt on either side of the pirate.
The injured alien spat up some blood before looking at the two Jedi with surprise in his eyes, "I remember you two... Hondo had you both locked up, you're not here to finish us off? Are ya?"
"Not this time," Anakin answered with a small smirk at the man's fearful expression.
Obi-Wan glared at his former Padawan, who simply shrugged in response. He then said, "Those past aggressions have long been forgiven, Jedi do not hold on to grudges."
A clone medic quickly made his way over to the trio, before scanning the pirate with a medical scanner and administering a medpac near the main injury site. "He's received quite a nasty wound, generals." The medic spoke, "Must have been a high-powered rifle, by my best estimates."
The pirate breathed a sigh of relief as the medical drugs began to kick in. "Thanks for the help. Guess we owes ya one, eh?"
"You could start repaying us by telling us who did this." Kenobi offered.
"T'was those damn droids." The pirate said before another coughing fit overtook him.
The two Jedi shared a confused and uneasy look. "You're saying the Separatists were here?" Anakin asked with concern. While Florrum was part of the Outer Rim territories, it was considerably closer to the Core Worlds than any known Separatist force had ever been, and would have worrying implications for the war if the CIS were able to divert a considerable fleet into this sector.
"Don't know about any Separatists." The pirate answered. "Didn't look like any droid I ever seen. Maybe some a couple of techies Hondo keeps around could tell ya more."
Upon hearing this, Obi-Wan looked around with renewed curiosity. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked around the courtyard and the ongoing activity of moving bodies. "...Speaking of our former host," the master began slowly before looking back at the pirate, "where is Hondo currently?"
Anakin also became aware of the charismatic leader's absence once Kenobi pointed it out, and looked at the pirate expectantly.
"Not sure." He answered. "Came outside when I heard some commotion, got shot for my troubles. Last I saw him, he was inside the main hall telling some story." He finished by pointing over his shoulder at the large hole in the building.
The two Jedi glanced at each other with a nod, before both stood up. "Stabilize him, trooper, then go see who else you can help," Anakin ordered before he and Obi-Wan made their way inside.
The pair made their way through the rubble of destruction, passing through a few hallways that had simply been blasted through until they arrived at the main hall. The interior of the building was in similar disarray to the outside. The walls and various pillars were scorched with blaster marks, tables were flipped, banners were torn, and various wounded and dead were scattered through the area, most already being tended to by one of their fellow pirates, who watched the Jedi suspiciously, but focused on tending to their own.
"Must have been quite the party." Kenobi quipped as he took in the scene before him.
Anakin barely registered his friend's joke, as he was entirely focused on scanning the room. Something had alerted his senses in the Force and he was keen to find it. Just then, his eyes caught the briefest glimpse of a hooded figure disappearing further into the base down one of the side halls. He quickly jogged after what he had seen.
Obi-Wan noticed Anakin's silence a few moments after his remark received none of the usual annoyed responses his former apprentice would give him for his 'terrible puns.' He turned to look at the Jedi Knight only to find him quickly jogging towards the back of the base. "Anakin?" The Jedi Master asked, but received no answer. The older Jedi sighed and shook his head before jogging after his more impulsive friend.
Anakin quickly made his way down several corridors further into the base, rounding a few corners to do so, following the feeling in the Force. Eventually, he stopped as he entered a fairly large, darker, rectangular room. Glancing around, his vision was mostly obscured by various boxes and crates, most likely some kind of storage room.
"What's the hurry?" Obi-Wan asked as he finally caught back up with the Jedi Knight.
"Someone's here," Anakin answered as he glanced to his right where the Jedi Master had stepped beside him.
Before either one could comment further, a condescending feminine voice called out from deeper inside the storage room, "Awww, poor Master Kenobi's senses have dulled over the years. So sad to see the effects of age slow a person down."
"Ventress..." Anakin said with a growl in his voice.
The two Jedi shared an understanding look before both took hold of their respective lightsaber and began carefully making their way further into the storage room.
"Why don't we dispense with this little game of cat and mouse, and talk this out, face-to-face," Obi-Wan called out to the room as he carefully observed his surroundings.
"Predictable Kenobi, always wanting to talk your way through every problem." Ventress answered back.
"Then why don't you come out and face me? I don't really care for talking either." Anakin said.
"It's always tempting to play with you, Skywalker, but I'm afraid I don't have any spare time for you today." The Sith assassin responded.
The two Jedi came to a slightly open portion of the storage room and carefully looked around, trying to sense where Dooku's apprentice was hiding.
"While I can appreciate keeping a tight schedule," Obi-Wan began, "I'm afraid we have the fortress fairly secure with our troops, not to mention our ship in orbit. I'm afraid you won't be getting very far this time."
Ventress frowned as she stayed deep within the shadows of the room. She had just been about to leave the fortress when clones started running around the place. She had originally planned to fight her way out, but when she saw the two familiar Jedi, she realized her full predicament and had opted to hide and wait for the Republic forces to leave. At least that had been the plan until the Skywalker brat had sniffed her out. Taking a second to weigh her options, she finally stood up straight, and stepped out into view of the two Jedi, staying well out of reach on a pile of larger crates. "You make an excellent point, Master Jedi. Perhaps we can reach some kind of deal?"
Anakin glared at seeing the assassin come into view and activated his blue lightsaber on instinct. He smirked slightly seeing Ventress tense slightly upon seeing the familiar blade of plasma she had lost to more times than she cared to admit.
Obi-Wan looked curiously at the assassin, and while he still held his lightsaber in his hand, he stepped forward, placing a hand on Anakin's arm as he did so. "I must say that I cannot imagine what you could offer us that would make us consider letting you go. Perhaps you could enlighten us?"
Anakin glanced at his friend in frustration before speaking, "Master, she's probably the one responsible for this attack. What if her troops are nearby and she's just stalling for time?"
Ventress smirked slightly before slowly reaching behind her back and producing a small holoprojector. "While you may not believe me, I actually had nothing to do with this attack. My master sent me here on an assignment and I only arrived slightly before you did. However, while I was digging around the place looking for answers, I found a badly damaged astromech that was barely still functional. I took the liberty of downloading its memory banks and found it had some surviving footage of the attack. Along with a pretty clear image of the attackers themselves."
Both Jedi looked surprised at this information, but remained on guard. "...Tell me, before we go any further with this conversation, what was your mission, exactly?" Obi-Wan asked.
Ventress frowned at this, but after considering the position she was in further, she finally answered, "I was sent to speak with Hondo Ohnaka and buy any additional information he had to the whereabouts of Revan. Unfortunately, I have looked up and down this scum hole and have seen no trace of the alien. There are some answers on this holoprojector, however." She finished with a taunting smirk.
Anakin glared slightly before he asked out loud to his fellow Jedi, "Do you think she's telling the truth?"
Kenobi stroked his beard in thought before answering, "...I can sense no lie from her, and I think she understands she gains nothing but a more difficult time from us if we catch her in a lie now."
Anakin nodded in agreement before speaking to Ventress, "And what's to stop us from just taking the information from you and locking you up regardless?"
Ventress glared at the Jedi Knight, but confidently stretched out her hand which held the device, ensuring to keep a tight grip on it in the Force in case either one tried to Force Pull it away from her. "Because, if you attack me, I will simply destroy the device and the data long with it. I made sure to wipe the astromech's memory, and I have already transmitted a copy of the recording to my master. This is the only surviving evidence of what truly happened here, and I have no further need of it. So if you want it, you'll let me walk out of here without issue."
Anakin scoffed when he heard the offer being presented, "Do you really think we'd fall for something like that? And why are you so confident we let you go even if we made this deal?"
"Because, Skywalker," she began with a malicious smile, "you Jedi are always true to your word. It's why you're so easy to predict and kill."
Anakin growled in anger at this insult and took a step forward. This caused Ventress to visibly tighten her grip on the device, and simultaneously Kenobi put a hand on Anakin's shoulder to stop him. The Knight looked at the Master with anger in his eyes, "You're not seriously considering this, are you?"
Obi-Wan looked at Anakin for a long moment before saying, "...We have no immediate quarrel with Ventress, and if she would have no conflict with us then the Code dictates we should not initiate one ourselves. If this data is the only lead on what happened here and to Hondo, and the Separatists already have it, then we should ensure the Republic acquires it as well."
Anakin stayed tensed for several moments before finally letting out a deep sigh and lowering his saber. "Fine. Give us the data, and get out of here, before I change my mind." Anakin said forcibly without looking back at the Sith assassin.
Ventress smirked before tossing the device to Kenobi, then quickly leaping across the room to the exit. "Always a pleasure to see you two." She called back before confidently walking away from the room.
Anakin glared at her for a few moments before finally turning off his saber and activating his wrist communicator. "Rex. This is Anakin. You have a familiar boogie coming your way. Tell your men to stand down... I'll explain later."
Padmé slowly scrolled a digital display of information on her personal mini-computer. She had spent the past 3 days since her meeting with Orden, rearranging, rescheduling, and creating specific instructions for each of her aids. She knew she was cutting it close with this trip, but as she carefully went back over all the planning she had painstakingly created, she was fairly confident she could make it back in time for the official vote. She had always had trouble delegating important tasks to others, but over the years she had learned the valuable lesson that she couldn't do everything on her own.
Taking a deep breath she finished her third time going over all the logistics. She was sure this little escapade was going to cost her several favors and numerous bottles of Nabooian wine, but she would deal with that when the time came. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the sound of her holocommunicator altered her to an incoming call. Picking the device up, she answered.
A small hologram of Bail Organa appeared in the palm of her hand. "Padmé, I'm glad you picked up. I finally had some time today to sit down and go over the message you sent me yesterday. I must admit, you have me a little worried with this massive reshuffle you're doing right before the Senate meets in two days. Are you sure this trip you're taking can't wait until after the vote? I'm sure Mandalore will still be there in two days."
Padmé smiled at her friend's concern, "You know me Bail when I find something to dig into, I can't stop until I've gotten to the bottom of it. Plus, I think the Duchess could use a friendly face right about now. The latest reports coming from Mandalore don't look very good."
Bail shook his head in agreement. "You could say that again." He took a deep breath before adding, "Alright Padmé, I'll help out with the final meetings and take care of these tasks you've sent me. Just know, you're gonna owe me a pretty big favor after all this work you're dropping on me last minute."
Padmé chuckled and smiled before responding, "I figured as much. A few of my other friends I called in favors with have made their frustrations known to me. I guess I'll be owing quite a few favors when I get back."
Bail smiled back, but his face became rather serious as he looked at his fellow senator. "Just promise me you'll be careful. I know Mandalore is still our ally, but that's a dangerous part of the galaxy right now. I won't tell anyone where you're going, just as you asked me not to, but please call me if you need any kind of help or something happens."
Padmé gave a reassuring smile, "I promise, Bail. And let's be honest, I've gone to much more dangerous places than this."
Bail shook his head again and let out a very brief chuckle, "Yeah... you could say that again. Anyway, I better get on all this work someone left me with. Take care of yourself out there."
"I will. Thanks again, Bail." She gave another smile before ending the call. Leaning back in her chair she let out a heavy sigh, before closing her eyes and rubbing her head. She just needed a moment of silence a peace.
Just then, a door slid open and a very robotic male voice spoke causing Padmé to jump slightly, "Mistress, we are about to arrive. You instructed me to notify you when we were about to exit hyperspace."
Padmé took a deep breath to steady herself before giving a reassuring smile to her personal protocol droid, C-3PO. "Yes, I did. Thank you 3PO, I'll be up in a second."
"Very good, madam." The golden droid responded before making his way back to the cockpit of the H-type Nubian yacht.
Padmé laughed a little at herself before quickly standing up, stretching, and joining her droid in the cockpit.
Revan stood in the main section of the Ebon Hawk on one side of the circular holo-table that occupied a majority of the space. Just behind his right shoulder stood Ahsoka, her arms crossed and her expression very muted. All around the room were several members of Death Watch, including their leader, Pre Vizsla, and his second-in-command, Bo-Katan.
Currently being displayed on the holo-table was a very detailed 3D map containing the schematics of the domed capital city, Sundari. Bo-Katan was laying out a detailed plan of infiltration for how the group was going to enter the city, and what route they were going to take. Her speech was also being transmitted to two Rakatan stealth shuttles that were in the same hyperspace lane as the Ebon Hawk. "Using our ship's stealth systems, we will land at one of the lower docking ports used primarily for large cargo or shipping out hazardous materials. Two of Revan's Infiltrator units are already in position and have given us the all-clear. The main dock worker is a Death Watch sympathizer, and has already been paid to disable all cameras in that area just before our arrival. Once we land, we will split into three teams: Alpha, Delta, and Omega. Alpha will be responsible for the securing of the city's main security center." A specific building was highlighted on the display. "This area control all entrances and exits to the city's exterior dome, as well as its early warning detection system. If we are going to bring in the rest of Death Watch without having a fight on our hands, we'll need to get control of this station. Team Delta will be responsible for the infiltration of the city's main prison complex. They will secure and extract one individual: former Prime Minister Almec."
Ahsoka couldn't help but glare slightly when she heard that name. How many Mandalorians had suffered or died due to his greed and hunger for power, she wondered. She took a deep breath to calm her mind, it was too late to be having second thoughts at this point.
Bo-Katan continued with her briefing, "Finally, team Omega will be responsible for the securing of the royal palace, along with the capture and deposition of Duchess Satine."
"And Mandalore will finally be back in the rule of the strong." Pre Vizsla interrupted the briefing with a hungry smile on his face.
Bo-Katan glared at her commander slightly, before quickly composing herself and continuing, "You each already have your assigned squads, as well as the predetermined routes you will take within the city. It is paramount that no alarms are raised to alert the Duchess to our presence. Her security team has an evacuation plan in place and her palace contains a secure private hangar which she can use to escape even if the city is locked down. We cannot afford for her to leave the planet and maintain her position as a legitimate ruler over Mandalore. This must be done quickly, precisely, and without mistake. Do I make myself clear?"
The Death Watch around her and the few she could see as holograms on the table simply responded with a powerful salute, hitting their fists against the chest piece of their armor.
Bo-Katan smiled slightly at the response before nodding back in response.
Vizsla took the Darksaber into his hand and began to speak, "Men, prepare yourself, for on this day, we free Mandalore!" A cheer went up from the ranks and the Mandalorians raised their weapons high in response to their leader doing the same with the Darksaber.
At that moment, a Rakatan droid entered the room from the hall beside Revan. "We have just come exited hyperspace." It said plainly in a very robotic voice. Revan simply nodded at the droid and dismissed it back to its duties. "Double-check your equipment, and be ready to move." Revan finally spoke, his mask giving his voice a slightly synthetic quality to it.
The two other ships ended their communication and the Death Watch present slowly exited the room and did as the former general recommend. While none had openly admitted it, several of the Death Watch members had come to respect or at least understand why they were working with a former enemy to their people.
Once the room was finally clear, Pre Vizsla looked at Revan with a serious expression. "I expect to see the Helm when the Duchess is removed from power."
Revan folded his arms and stared back at the Death Watch leader. The black void of his mask's visor seemed to suck in the light of the room. After a short pause, he finally answered, "...On my honor, once the Duchess is deposed, I will relinquish possession of the Helm."
Vizsla continued the staring match a moment longer, his eyes searching in vain for some kind of tell from the former Sith Lord. Finally, he nodded before turning and walking away.
"I could have told him he wasn't going to get anything out of you," Ahsoka spoke with a small smirk as she watched Vizsla leave. The comment earned her a small chuckle from Revan. She sighed before saying, "I better go make sure your droids don't crash the ship." She said before making her way to the cockpit.
Revan only gave the Padawan a brief glance of acknowledgment before turning his gaze to the one person still in the room with him, Bo-Katan. She was intently staring at the display of the city, her eyes scanning through the highlighted locations and buildings that had been marked from her earlier plan.
"...You did well." Revan finally spoke after a few seconds of silence.
The Mandalorian looked over at the masked figure with some confusion at this statement. "What do you mean?" She asked with suspicion in her voice and face.
"Your plan, it was well made, well explained, and you conveyed it with the authority of a true leader. Vizsla is lucky to have you as his second." Revan explained.
Bo-Katan was surprised by the words of encouragement and recognition, something that was seldom expressed in the context of Death Watch. She still watched Revan suspiciously, but finally said, "Thank you. But I am the lucky one. Vizsla took me in when I had nowhere else to go. He helped train me into the warrior I am today, and his vision for our people is what drives this movement."
Revan paused before replying, "I am curious, what is his vision, exactly?"
Bo-Katan blinked in surprise to this question. "The liberation of our people. To go back to our warrior heritage and have the freedom to unshackle ourselves from the oppression we have suffered for too long. Surely you have heard him speak of this? Why else would you seek us out and agree that Mandalorians must be able to fight for their own future once again?"
"Oh, I have heard him speak. It seems to be a favored pastime of his. But surely you can see he lacks perspective?" Revan questioned back. Bo-Katan appeared angry and was about to object, but Revan held up a hand to stop her. "What I mean is this: I do agree that Mandalorians must be able to fight for their future, as any people should have the right to. But what lies behind that? Once your people can choose to be warriors again, what comes next? Will he lead you down another path of war and annihilation like the Crusades of old? Will your people become hated and hunted by the galaxy once more? What happens after your people have their freedom again? And does your leader have these answers?" Revan examined how the questions seemed to eat away at her mind. She had pondered this chain of thinking before and she knew the answers to these questions, but part of her did not want to admit it. "You and I both know what happens when warriors are not given proper direction and leadership." The pair shared a knowing look, one that could only come from leading others into battle, both to victory and slaughter. Finally, Revan turned and looked back at the map between them. "Perhaps that is why he allows a woman to help him lead his men, even though he claims the male sect should be in charge." He glanced at the Mandalorian, seeing the slight twitch in her eye, knowing he had struck a nerve. "Perhaps you give him... perspective."
Bo-Katan studied Revan for several minutes, a flurry of emotions welling up inside her, most of them containing anger or frustration. She wanted to speak but her thoughts were disjointed and seemingly at war with each other.
Just before she was about to speak, Ahsoka entered back into the room and said, "We've just entered the planet's atmosphere, we'll be landing shortly."
"Understood," Revan responded giving Ahsoka a quick nod before turning back to the Mandalorian.
Ahsoka looked between the two individuals before her with a curious and somewhat confused expression.
Bo-Katan glanced at Ahsoka, quickly putting on her most stoic face. She looked back at Revan and simply gave a respectful nod, before putting on her helmet and leaving the room.
Padmé walked down a hallway, being led by two Mandalorian Royal guards. She had decided to leave C-3PO with the ship, in case any messages or long-distance communications needed to be forwarded directly to her communicator. Her mind wandered slightly as she glanced around and appreciated the unique architecture of the royal place. The angular structure of design, along with the large windows with various engravings, gave the building an almost religious sense to it, something Padmé had always felt inspired by during her previous visits here. She thought back to the terrible poisonings of children that she and the Duchess had managed to uncover. She shook her head as the more unpleasant memories of this place slowly came back to her. The senator hoped that this visit would not have such a dramatic turn as the last one.
Padmé's focus was snapped back to reality as the guards in front of her came to a sudden stop. The trio were now waiting outside of a heavy set of doors that lead into the throne room.
One of the guards turned and spoke, "Apologies, senator. It would seem that a council meeting is still on going at the moment. However, we should be able to enter soon."
Padmé nodded in understanding, before glancing around for a bench to sit on. Before she could locate one, however, the doors to the throne room opened and several individuals began making their way out of the room. Some of the council members Padmé recognized, but most were unfamiliar to her. She also couldn't help but notice that many of them were muttering to themselves, clearly frustrated with whatever meeting had just concluded.
Once the group had fully cleared, one of the guards addressed Padmé again, "The Duchess will see you now." To which the former queen nodded again and followed them inside.
Light poured in through the ornate windows all around the room, yet the atmosphere carried a very dreary sense of emotion. Duchess Satine sat on her throne with two guards on either side of her, and while she held the look and posture of a proper ruler, her eyes told a story of exhaustion and stress. Her mood visibly brightened upon seeing Padmé walk into the room. The Duchess quickly got up and made her way over to the senator, "Padmé, my dear friend. It is so very good to see you again."
"Likewise," Padmé replied with a smile, as the two shared a quick hug. "I apologize if my being here interrupts any of your work."
Satine quickly waved a hand at this concern, "I have had my share of work for the time being, and after all the help you have given to me and my people, you will always be welcome here, regardless of circumstance."
"Your generosity is appreciated," Padmé said with a genuine smile, but her expression quickly changed to concern as she noticed the fatigue that was present on the Duchess' face. "You look tired, Satine. Was it that meeting just now?"
Satine's eyes looked down at the floor and she breathed a heavy sigh before making her way over to a small table containing a few bottles of various refreshments. "In truth, Padmé, every meeting is a draining meeting as of late. To put it bluntly, our people are starving. After the imprisonment of Almec and this new campaign to root out the black market, some troubling things have been discovered. So much of our internal infrastructure was slowly being tied into underworld channels, and the more we untangle and remove the criminal element from our planet, the more our people seem to suffer. Our available economics and resources are not enough to fill in all the needs that seem to increase day by day. Some of my council suggest we take out additional loans with the Republic or even the Banking Clan, but I refuse to put my people in further debt. I am staring down a dark path with little light at the end of what to do next." She finished her explanation as she poured two glasses from a container of red liquid.
Padmé watched the Duchess with increasing worry. She had read some of the reports coming out of Mandalore, but clearly, the situation was far worse than what was currently being reported. "Can you not ask for emergency aid from the Republic? Or reach out to your other allies here in the neutral zone?"
Satine shook her head as she offered one of the glasses to her friend. "I am afraid not. All attempts to request emergency aid have been met with conditions about giving the Republic more control over our planet, even allowing military troops to land on Mandalore. I will not have our sovereignty infringed upon. As for our other allies, we have been asking them for help for so many years now, many of them have become bitter and hostile towards us. I am afraid I may have used up all of the goodwill I had left."
Padmé wanted to offer more solutions, provide counterarguments to how the Republic might need to become more involved to help Mandalore. However, as she looked into the tired and almost defeated eyes of her friend, she held her tongue and simply offered a reassuring smile. "If you ever need my help, you know you can always reach out. I am confident you will lead your people through this as you have always done."
Satine's expression seemed to lighten slightly as she took in the encouragement. "Thank you, Padmé. You are as loyal of a friend as anyone could hope for. Now, enough about the troubles of leadership and rule. You mentioned to me in your message that you needed some research information? I must admit I was curious why my historians couldn't simply send you whatever information you were after."
Padmé nodded before setting her glass back down on the table, "Let's just say that this investigation is a little... off the reservation. Plus I wanted to see the information myself and be able to ask questions of your researchers, if you would allow me early access into your university project, that is."
The Duchess smirked slightly before answering, "The hands-on work never stops for people like us, does it? And I can fully appreciate the need for discretion. If there is anything those history buffs at the university can help you find, I will ensure they are at your full disposal."
Padmé gave a short bow before saying, "Thank you, Satine. Your help means a great deal."
"It is my pleasure, my dear. And before you depart, please come and see me again. I know you mentioned you are on a tight schedule, but I would love to at least have dinner and catch up."
"I would like that, very much." The two friends gave a quick farewell before Padmé was escorted out by two guards.
The sound of boots on metal gave a distinct echo as Revan, Ahsoka, and various Death Watch members all descended the ramp of the Ebon Hawk. Revan slowly surveyed his surroundings of one of the mam docking yards around the domed city of Sundari.
Ahsoka rubbed her arm slightly as a small amount of unease began to fill her mind.
Turning to look at her, the dark void of Revan's mask watched her carefully, sensing her emotions in the Force. "Steady yourself." The Padawan's attention instantly snapped to the former Sith Lord as she heard his somewhat familiar voice inside her mind. It was still a sensation she was getting used to. "I know you have some lingering doubt and regret about this decision." Revan continued his mental dialogue. "But there is no turning back now… If it is any comfort, think back to the recordings in my mask. Do you remember the debate I had with myself before I began my invasion of the Republic?"
Ahsoka nodded in response. Revan had spent the better part of an entire day recording himself ranting and debating with his mind about the ethics of going to war with the very people he had sworn to protect only a few years prior. It was one of the more striking recordings his mask had contained, and one of the ones that had helped convince her to at least extend a bit more trust to her kidnapper.
"Sometimes the right path is not the easiest. You have been taught this by the Jedi, and the war you have had to fight in. Now, learn to walk a step further into the truth of this reality, and accept that sometimes we must outcast ourselves to save the innocent."
Ahsoka took a deep breath and steadied herself. She had come to trust Revan's wisdom more easily over their time together. Part of her wondered if she was being tricked in some way, but her instincts told her she wasn't, and she had learned to trust her intuition over the years.
Before they could mentally speak further, an Infiltrator unit de-cloaked itself and approached the group, causing several Death Watch members to become alert and even point their weapons at the droid.
Revan held up a hand to reassure the team and approached one of his newest creations, "Report." He commanded.
The droid bowed slightly, before answering in a feminine voice, "This portion of the docks is secure. security cameras and alarms in the area are being actively jammed with the equipment you provided us. Your passage into the city is also secure, along with transportation for you and the Jedi."
"Well done," Revan replied, before turning and giving an affirmative nod to Bo-Katan's questioning gaze, who was waiting some yards away, with her men.
"All teams, execute your orders and keep your comms open. If anything changes I want to hear about it immediately." The Death Watch commander ordered with force and severity.
The three squads before her gave a traditional salute. All of them then quickly activated their jetpacks and flew towards the city entrance.
Pre Vizsla led the main group, but stopped by Revan and Ahsoka to say, "Keep up, or be left behind!" He then flew towards the city entrance with the others.
Revan's face could not be seen under his mask, but for a rare instance, Ahsoka could feel the emotions coming off of him. He turned back to the Jedi and extend his arm towards the capital, "After you." He said.
Ahsoka nodded in response and the two made their way to a waiting Buirk'alor-class airspeeder, that the Infiltrator droids had commandeered.
Anakin, Obi-Wan, Captain Rex, and Wullf Yularen were gathered around a holo-table on the Jedi Cruiser Resolute's main bridge. All four ranking officers within the Republic had a mixture of confusion and concern on their faces. They were watching the very damaged, but still somewhat watchable footage that Asajj Ventress had secured from the wreckage on Florrum.
The display showed the perspective of an astromech droid making its way around the main hall of the pirates' base, clearly being used as a mobile drink tray when suddenly there was a large explosion that sent the droid flying. The video became very static-filled and looked as though it would end there, but the display barely came back to life. Blaster shots could be seen flying across the room, either wounding or killing many of the very surprised pirates. Hondo himself was barely in view and was lying against a large pillar, clearly wounded and dazed. Just on the edge of the droid's limited receptors, a few large figures could be seen making their way into the room.
The group leaned forward slightly, trying to get a better look at the fuzzy imagery before them, pausing the recording as they did.
"Are those... droids?" Rex asked, breaking the long silence that had fallen over the group.
"They don't look like any droids I've ever seen," Anakin answered.
"And they don't appear to fit Separatist design." Admiral Wullf added.
"This would confirm what Ventress told us about not being involved," Obi-Wan commented.
"Do you believe it was wise to let her go?" Wullf asked, his displeasure with the decision already having been made clear earlier when he had finally been informed about it.
"I guess we're about to find out," Anakin responded.
"There's more footage here," Rex stated, as a way to move the situation forward before playing the recording further.
The display continued, and after a few moments where the fighting had died down, as most blaster fire stopped, a new figure entered into frame. This new individual was much closer to the astromech and was tall enough to obscure Hondo from sight. After a brief moment where this new droid clearly spoke to Hondo, it reached down, injected the pirate with some kind of sleep agent, before picking him up and slugging the Weequay over its shoulder.
As the droid turned and looked at the astromech, Anakin's eyes widened and he paused the footage. "I know that droid." He said.
The other three turned and looked at him, all with questioning expressions.
The Knight dismissed their implied skepticism and continued, "Master, don't you remember the briefing we had at the temple? When we were read into the known data the Archives have on Revan? This is his droid!"
Obi-Wan blinked a few times as he quickly searched his memory from the past week. That meeting felt like a lifetime ago now. "The assassin droid? The one Revan built himself and helped him later when he attacked the Star Forge with the Republic?"
"But, wouldn't that make the droid 4,000 years old?" Rex asked confused. Anakin had filled him in on the whole Revan situation when the two had found some downtime to catch up on what had been going on in their lives as of late. The Jedi and Force stuff had always been a little confusing for Rex, but the thought of a time-traveling man who had saved, then almost destroyed, then saved the Republic again, was almost too much to believe, even for the veteran clone captain.
"Well, it might not be the exact same droid," Anakin admitted. "But if Revan could have found some kind of base of operations or factory, he might have built himself his old droid again. I mean, it's no crazier than him time-traveling 4,000 years into the future, is it?" Part of Anakin understood what it meant to have a droid that you built with your own hands, and he imagined Revan would want to have something familiar to him. The motivation almost made Revan seem more human and relatable, a thought Anakin quickly buried under his hatred for what the terrorist had done to his love, and was potentially doing to his Padawan right now.
Obi-Wan watched the few flashes of ranging emotion on Anakin's face but said nothing to draw attention to the understandable conflict. "It does raise a troubling point though: where did Revan get the resources and materials to build his old droid, and these new ones as well?"
"And how does it benefit him to kidnap a common pirate?" The Admiral also wondered.
"Revenge, obviously. Hondo tried to feed Revan to us, the Separatists, and whatever bounty hunters and lowlifes would go after him." Anakin stated bluntly.
Kenobi shook his head at this comment. "No, I don't think so. Revan has proven himself to be a diligent tactician. Not a single move he has made has been without some longer-term strategy behind it. What he is planning we can't know for sure, but we now have confirmation that he is no longer hiding like he was before. We need to find what he is up to and intercept it before he has a chance to execute whatever his next plan is."
The four nodded in agreement with the experienced Jedi Master.
"Rex, get a squad of engineers down to the planet, see if they can find any metal pieces, weapon fragments, or just any clue that might point us in the direction of where these droids are being made." Anakin began, before turning to Wullf, "Admiral, contact Republic command and inform them of the situation. Perhaps they can give us more time before we rendezvous with the rest of the fleet." Wullf and Rex both nodded in affirmation.
Obi-Wan nodded as well in agreement before saying, "Very good. I will contact the council and inform them as well. Perhaps they can offer some direction with this situation."
Three of the four moved away from the table, but Anakin remained, looking at the display. Something didn't feel right to the Jedi Knight. He thought about Ahsoka, and how this might help him finally track down and free his Padawan. His fist clenched in anger as he thought about Revan taking her, just as he had used Padmé as a human shield in the Chancellor's office. Upon thinking about that memory his eyes blinked in realization. He had been hoping to get leave to stop on Coruscant and see Padmé for a bit before this next assignment fully kicked in. Now worried about the timing of his original plan, he quickly turned and ran over to the bridge entrance. "Hey, Rex! Hold on one second."
The captain turned, and looked at the Knight expectantly, "Yes, sir?"
Anakin glanced around carefully before lowering his voice slightly, "I need you to send another private communication for me."
Rex smirked slightly, before answering back in a matching lowered tone, "Of course, sir. Absolute discretion when it comes to matters of Republic security and all."
Anakin smiled slightly before patting Rex on the back and saying, "I'll leave the info in your room, just like last time. And thank you, again."
The clone simply nodded before heading into the lift.
Revan and Ahsoka were flying through a lower part of the Mandalorian capital, on their airspeeder, while Pre Vizsla, Bo-Katan, and several Death Watch commandos flew around them in a fairly synchronized pattern. The light of the city was slowly fading into evening, though it was difficult to tell as the group had to weave between buildings and maintenance sections that were devoid of any population. This route was fairly long to get to their intended destination, but it almost ensured there would be no civilian or security witnesses to complicate things.
There had been one or two instances where a stray guard or maintenance worker had walked into the path of the oncoming group, but one of the commandos had responded in a flash, diving down and knocking the individual unconscious before they could react.
Ahsoka's hands both held a lightsaber, and she was reflexively rolling two cylinders over and over in her palms, trying whatever she could to keep herself grounded. She would occasionally glance over to Revan who simply stared ahead as he carefully, but quickly navigated the airspeeder through some tight passages.
The complete lack of communication was suddenly broken when a communication suddenly came through, causing each Death Watch member to place two fingers on the side of their helmets. Revan and Ahsoka also received the combination, courtesy of Revan ensuring they would be added to Death Watch's main frequency during the mission.
"Alpha team here. We've secured the control center."
"Any problems?" Bo-Katan asked.
"Just a few guards that took a minute to put down. No shots were fired. We're still undetected. All alarms in the city are currently being ignored."
"Good. Initiate lockdown." Pre Vizsla commanded over the comms.
The group could barely hear a few automated alarms going off throughout the perimeter of the city, warning any individuals to stay clear of blast doors as the domed capital was slowly sealed from all exits.
The group quickly rounded a few more corners before the lower section of the Royal Palace came into view. The flyers changed course at the last moment, barely avoiding a crash, and hugging the foundation of the structure as they flew upwards. Ahsoka had to grip the sides of the speeder to fully keep herself within the seat.
The first few commands appeared over the edge of a side platform that connect to the palace and were greeted by several royal guards who were caught unawares by the intruders. The commandos quickly clashed with them and engaged in melee combat so as not to produce blaster sounds. The fighting was fierce, as the defenders put up a valiant resistance, but as the rest of the Death Watch squad quickly arrived, the fight turned just as fast as the protector became overrun.
One guard towards the back attempted to flee into the palace to raise an alarm. Upon seeing this, Pre Vizsla flew after him, igniting the Darksaber as he did so. The guard turned a moment too late, as black plasma cut straight through his chest and out his back. Pre Vizsla let the body fall to the ground and turned to look at his men.
Revan's speeder landed a moment later, and the two quickly disembarked. Ahsoka looked with anger at the bodies of the guards around them on the platform but took a deep breath to steady herself. She glanced at Revan and was somewhat reassured at feeling his disapproval in the Force.
Bo-Katan glanced at the two of them before activating her communicator once again. "Team Delta, do you read me? We have arrived at the Palace. What's your status, over?"
There was a brief pause of static, and she was about to radio again when the sounds of blaster fire came over the comms. "This is Delta Team. We've hit some heavy resistance at the prison. We have a few wounded, but we've almost secured the area."
"Is the target secure?" Revan pressed the side of his mask and spoke into his own communicator, earning him several looks from the Death Watch members around him.
Several more seconds of silence followed. Pre Vizsla walked over to the group and spoke with clear aggravation, "What does it matter if they get Almec? We are about to secure our people's future, and you hold us back for the sake of some bureaucrat!"
Revan turned slightly to match Vizsla's gaze. "I do not move, nor does the Helm, until I have confirmation."
The tension between the two leaders seemed to draw everything in around them. The other commandos and Bo-Katan slowly tightened their grips on their weapons, and even Ahsoka began to raise her sabers just slightly.
The Darksaber's hum seemed to grow in intensity, and its blade slowly shifted as Vizsla's hand subtly began to move. His helmet stated intensely into Revan's mask.
Despite all the threatening energy around him, Revan did not move an inch.
The situation looked like it was about to explode, when the faint static of an open line suddenly crackled to life, cutting the deadly moment short. "This is Delta. We came under heavy fire. The asset is secure. We're finishing up with the last guards now."
Revan simply nodded before walking past Vizsla, "Are you coming?" He asked.
Ahsoka tensed slightly as she saw Vizsla visibly raise the saber slightly, but slowly lowered it and turned it off, his body language commuting deep anger.
The Death Watch leader barked out, "Let's move!" Causing the rest of the group to quickly match towards the Palace side entrance.
Padmé walked into a large archive room, being led by a fairly stoic and somewhat unfriendly Mandalorian professor. While most of the staff at the currently in-progress university were cordial enough, the head archivist was clearly annoyed with Padmé's interruption of her work.
The Mandalorian scholar, who had briefly introduced themselves as Rhal, was currently leading the Republic senator through the academy's nearly complete archives, explaining the basic functions of some of the terminals, which sections contained what information, and what areas were currently unusable. While the information was detailed and helpful, the archivist's tone was dismissive and uninterested in elaborating on anything further than was minimally necessary.
Once the basic information was passed on, the scholar turned and looked at Padmé before saying, "The Duchess sent us instructions that we are to be at your complete service during your time here, however, I will be quite frank with you, senator: The work to get this institution up and running does not stop simply stop because an important member of the Republic barges in and demands our attention. So, is there anything else you require, or can I get back to my work?"
Padmé practiced her most charming smile, containing her slight annoyance with Rhal as she did so. The senator understood the appearance of her being there, and that relations with the Mandalorians and the Republic were still somewhat tense, so she did her best to not take too much offense at the scholar's hostile tone. "Actually, there is one thing I was hoping you could assist me with." Rhal sighed heavily at this, but Padmé simply ignored it and produced a datapad from her carrier bag, before handing it over to the archivist. "I have a friend at the University of Coruscant who said I should come see you about this symbol I recently found."
Rhal's expression slowly changed from annoyance to curiosity as she examined the image on the datapad, along with the various notes and written out deductions that Orden had gone through to conclude the basic origin of the symbol. After a few moments of thoughtful examination and reading, she finally spoke, "I'm impressed, your friend is obviously well-studied. I'm surprised someone at your University would put in this much effort to glean this much information about our past."
"One thing you can definitely say about Orden is that he's passionate about his work."
Rhal simply nodded without looking up from the screen. After a few more moments of reading, she spoke again. "This is going to take me a while to dig through our records. Wait here." She didn't wait for a response and simply turned and walked off deeper into the archives.
Padmé looked around for a spot to sit and settled down for the unknown amount of wait time. The senator was left to her own devices for what felt like close to an hour. Only the distant sounds of construction, conversations, and occasional passersby interrupted her waiting. Finally, a closer set of footsteps drew her attention away from one of the many windows that looked out into the city.
Rhal was carrying several stacks of datapads and seemed to have a renewed energy about them. She gently set all she was carrying on a nearby table and began to slowly lay each device out in a deliberate manner.
Padmé quickly approached the table, waited a moment for Rhal to finish, and then asked, "What did you find?"
"More than I truly bargained for." The scholar turned and looked at Padmé with a questioning look, "Where did you find this clan symbol?"
Padmé kept her expression neutral, a skill she had many years of practice with during her time in the political game, "It was kind of by accident, to tell you the truth."
Rhal's brow raised slightly in skepticism, but she did not press further. "Well, you stumbled on quite an interesting piece of history. Your professor friend was right in thinking this was a clan symbol, and he was also correct in guessing that the clan was wiped out, but that's not what makes this discovery so interesting."
"And what does?" Padmé asked curiously as she looked over the screens laid out before the pair.
"This symbol belonged to clan Demar. They were a smaller house within the Mandalorian lineage, rarely mentioned in any stories or oral traditions. However, they do have one moment of historical significance. When Mand'alor the Ultimate created the Neo-Crusaders and rallied the clans to go to war with the galaxy, the clan Demar stood opposed to this call and were subsequently destroyed for their opposition. We barely have any records of them now, as their existence was almost erased from what few records our ancestors kept, only briefly being mentioned as a cautionary tale to warn others from disobeying the will of Mand'alor."
Padmé looked slightly confused and curious over the other files. "If there is so little information about them, why did you bring out so many documents?"
"Because of him." Rhal moved one datapad to the center of the table, and Padmé's breath stopped for a brief moment. An artistic depiction of Revan stared back at her, engaged in what looked like a gruesome fight. "Our people's greatest adversary, the Jedi named Revan, was reported by many sources as having the clan's symbol etched onto one of his gauntlets. It was one of the many symbols he took of our people, including his mask belonging to a Mandalorian Neo-Crusader that tried to stop a massacre on Cathar. At least, that is what your Republic sources claim."
Padmé's eyes widened in surprise as she received all this information. She had barely received any information about Revan during this past week. She had tried to convince Anakin to give her whatever information the Jedi had on the man that had briefly taken her hostage, but the conversation had quickly turned hostile, and she decided to let the matter go. Her own digging into Revan's name on public sources had produced very little, only making brief mentions of a Republic tactician that had helped in some key battles during the Mandalorian Crusades. "Would you mind if I went through this information myself? I've never gotten the chance to properly study this part of history before."
Rhal looked slightly skeptical at Padmé, but eventually shrugged and answered, "Suit yourself. If you have any questions you can find me near the construction zone of the archives, we're installing new data cases today." The archivist took one last look at the senator and the information laid out on the table. "I can't understand your interest in all this, but I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for." They finished before departing.
Padmé wondered exactly what she was looking for, but she knew she was close to something important.
Chancellor Palpatine sat behind his desk in his office on Coruscant. The room was populated with several aids, dignitaries, and politicians from various races and affiliations. The meeting was a general discussion of the upcoming vote for the production of additional clone troopers for the war effort. While this vote was a very important affair and had produced several heated debates and arguments, it truly was all just a formality at this point. Palpatine had to put in some effort to not appear bored with the ongoing discussion around him. He already knew the vote would pass, and while some groups like those belonging to the almost insufferable Padmé Amidala, did truly believe they could put in enough effort to block this vote, the Chancellor knew otherwise. In truth, Palpatine was thankful for Padmé's dedication and outspoken opposition to this bill and others like it. It always helped to have a firm and unwavering opposition, so at the very least the Senate still appeared to have more than one voice, and that the people of the Republic truly did still have a say in what went on in the wider galaxy, but this of course was all but an illusion at this point. The war was coming to its final few chapters, and Palpatine had already won in gaining full control over the Republic. Everything was going according to the plan he had foreseen.
However, a small thought slowly made its way into the back of his mind. As he sat there and surveyed the room around him, he couldn't help but tense slightly as he remembered the now completely removed scorch marks from Revan's explosive entrance into this time. That moment had perfectly encapsulated the small, but very real possibility of Palpatine being discovered before it was time, a disastrous notion the Sith Lord had taken painstaking steps to mitigate as much as possible.
His mood was slowly soured as he thought of Revan. He was an anomaly that should not exist, something that represented a very real danger to all of his planning and work up to this point. How could Palpatine not have foreseen his arrival? This thought raised a deeper concern, one that had been plaguing the Dark Lord for some time now. When Revan had first appeared, the Force screamed out in a terrible wound. Palpatine had deducted that this was due to Revan moving through time, something that had not appeared possible before just a week ago.
However, as the Force had slowly settled into a steadier state once again, Palpatine had realized that his ability to see into the future was different. He could still see and sense things in an immediate sense, but the few times he had tried to perceive the next day or even few hours, his visions had become erratic, even incomprehensible. Any attempts to look years or longer into the future had resulted in pain and no vision at all. Whatever Revan had done to the time-line was still effecting the Force, and Palpatine had begun to worry that his foresight may be compromised for quite a while. This was a prospect that had angered him greatly, only being added to by the fact that all attempts to locate Revan since his escape from Tatooine had returned void.
Palpatine could feel his rage begin to boil over and had to force himself to maintain his composure. After taking a deep breath, he reminded himself of his power, his accomplishments, and his almost perfect control of the galaxy. Revan was an anomaly, yes, but one that would be dealt with like all the rest.
The Chancellor realized he had been asked a question during his internal thought process and was about to respond when something grabbed at his attention. The Force was shifting again, not as dramatic as before, but something monumental was about to happen. The Dark Lord could feel slight fear and anticipation begin to creep at the back of his mind.
Duchess Satine looked out of a large window from her throne room. She had heard the fait, yet distinct sirens of multiple city gates closing, but she had not been notified of any kind of alert. Sensing that something was amiss, she ordered one of her guards to contact the security center and determine if anything was wrong. She rubbed her hands slightly as tension began to build in her stomach the longer she waited.
Finally, the guard came jogging back to her, giving a quick salute before speaking, "My lady, all attempts to reach the security center have been unsuccessful. In fact, all communication lines are being actively jammed. We cannot reach any other station or even broadcast outside the city itself. We believe the city may be under attack."
Satine's eyes widened in slight fear and surprise, but she quickly composed herself. This was not the first time she had been forced to put up a defense of her people. "We shall stand and face whatever comes, peacefully. Just as we always have. Gather the rest of the protectors and prepare to head into the city."
The guard saluted and was about to turn when both their attentions were pulled to the sound of blaster fire just outside the throne room. The two other protectors in the room quickly joined the third, and they formed a protective wall in front of the Duchess, readying their weapons as they did so.
The sounds of fighting became louder and more vicious as the attackers carved their way through the rest of the Palace's defenders.
"My lady, there is still time to leave." One of the guards offered.
Satine shook her head, "I will not abandon my people."
The four individuals braced themselves as the sounds escalated before finally stopping with an ominous silence. Several tense seconds past before a small beeping noise was heard, followed by a much louder explosion that literally blasted the large throne room doors open.
Smoke bellowed into the room, causing the Duchess to shield her face and eyes, but still coughed heavily. The smoke slowly dissipated, and Satine's narrowed as she tried to perceive who was entering the room.
Stepping out of the grey cloud was the fully armored Pre Vizsla, ignited Darksaber in hand. Just behind his right shoulder was Bo-Katan. The two stopped several yards away from their opposing group.
"Death Watch." Satine spat, "I should have known you would make such a foolish move."
"It's nice to see you again too, Duchess." Vizsla sarcastically quipped back before removing his helmet and confidently smirking. "But I'm afraid we haven't come here to chat all day." He waved his hand forward and several Death Watch commandos flew into the room, quickly surrounded the Duchess on all sides and aiming their weapons at her guards.
"What do you possibly hope to accomplish with this act of unprovoked aggression? The people will never accept you, and even if you manage to subdue them, the Republic will see this as a terrorist attack and be on our door step in a matter of days. You cannot hope to take Mandalore like this." The Duchess reasoned very accurately.
"The people will fall in line once we fix all the mistakes and burdens you have laid upon them, your highness." Vizsla spat back. "As for the Republic, they will have no just cause to impede on Mandalore's sovereignty, for you will be formally abdicating your position as ruler of Mandalore."
Satine's eyes narrowed in frustration, and she crossed her arms before asking, "And in what fantasy world would I willingly do such a thing? Kill me or lie about my abdication will only buy you temporary time until the truth is revealed."
"It will be no lie, your highness." A new voice spoke into the room, one with a slightly synthetic and dark tone to it. "Nor does it require your death."
The Duchess looked puzzled, and her gaze searched behind Vizsla for the origin of this new voice. Her expression carried slight fear as a new, barely recognized individual stepped out from the hallway and into brighter throne room. "...You. You're that terrorist that attacked Senator Padmé."
Revan stood several paces to the left of Vizsla, almost against one wall of the room. His dark mask locked gaze with the Duchess, causing a small sense of dread to come over her. "I assure you that story was... greatly exaggerated. But allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Revan."
Once again, the Duchess' mind reeled in surprise. A very old history lesson slowly came up from the recesses of her childhood memories.
Revan smirked slightly under his mask as he saw the slow realization, but immediate doubt on Satine's features. "Yes, that Revan. I wish we had more time to go into the details of how this meeting is even possible, but I am afraid we have more pressing matters to deal with, at the moment." He paused slightly to reach into his robes and slowly produce a singular item. "Do you recognize this?"
Satine's shock continued as she gazed upon perhaps the most infamous and well known artifact that ever belonged to her people. The Helm of Mand'alor was the physical represent of everything that the Duchess had spent her entire life trying to bring her people away from, and now it was staring her in the face. "That... that can't be. This must be a trick, or a replica of some kind."
Before she could protest further, she surprise was escalated even further as a familiar and trusted Jedi Padawan stepped into the room and stood beside Revan. "It's the real Helm, Duchess."
"Wha-... Ahsoka? Why would you side with these people? What have they done to you?"
"Nothing." Ahsoka stated firmly, finally forcing herself to lock eyes with Satine. The look of confusion and betrayal in the Duchess' eyes was almost too much for the Jedi to take, but she maintained her composure. "I am here by my choice. And... for whatever it's worth, I'm sorry it had to happen this way."
Satine blink in further confusion but took a deep breath and forced herself to be composed, despite the flurry of emotions and questions swirling in her mind.
"The fact remains, Duchess," Revan spoke up again, "despite your best efforts to eradicate your people's warrior past, we both know a significant portion of your citizens believe in the old traditions. If you were to oppose the new and legitimate Mand'alor, there would be chaos and bloodshed the likes of which you have not seen since coming to this planet. The people would erupt into a civil war, torn between their loyalty to you, and to their past heritage. Regardless of who would win, your mission of pacifism and peace would be destroyed, and thousands if not millions of your people would suffer and die, and the galaxy would once again see your people as ruthless beasts that need to be quelled or subdued. Is that truly the legacy you wish to leave behind?"
Satine held her gaze with Revan's mask as long as she could, but eventually her eyes fell to the floor as his words heavily sank into her mind. She wanted to believe otherwise, she wanted to have faith in her people, but recent riots and protest against her rule had proven otherwise. While the majority of the people did still support her, she knew Revan was right. One major event like this would be all it would take to set the metaphorical time bomb off. Things were too tense, and her people were too desperate. Revan and Death Watch had struck at the perfect time and circumstances.
"Well, Duchess? What say you?" Vizsla demanded a response as he raised his saber towards her, causing his own men to take aim, and her guards to visibly tense, ready to leap into action.
Before anyone could make the first strike, Satine spoke, "Enough!" Everyone in the room visibly stopped. "...I will abdicate." Her protectors visibly turned and looked at her with genuine confusion. She looked at them and offered a weak smile of reassurance, "Lower your weapons." The guards took several moments to obey, but eventually set their staffs on the floor. The Duchess then looked sternly at Vizsla. "I want your word: All my protectors and other guards in the city that do not wish to join you are not harmed in any way. You must also promise not to kill or harm any protesters." Vizsla was about to give an answer, but the Duchess raised a hand and glared at him with even more intensity, "On the honor of your clan, Vizsla! Or I will not go silently."
Vizsla glared slightly in return at being given demands, but he slowly composed himself and gave a traditional Mandalorian salute with his fist on his chest, "You have my word, as head of clan Vizsla, and on the honor of my ancestors, your demands will be satisfied."
Satine held their visual stand-off a few moments longer before finally nodded and looking down again.
Ahsoka turned away upon seeing the mighty leader look so defeated.
Revan noticed a similar shift in Bo-Katan's body language but drew no attention to it.
Vizsla smiled cruelly as he gave another hand signal, causing some of his men to land and begin placing stuncuffs on the guards and Duchess.
The group of four were slowly lead away from the throne room, Satine only giving a passing glance at Bo-Katan who intentionally did not look at her sister.
Vizsla slowly walked towards the throne, laughing slightly as he did so. "At last... the true leaders of Mandalore will once again-"
"Not so fast, Vizsla." The Death Watch leader slowly turned with visible anger to the source of the interruption. Revan simply matched his gaze and slowly held up the Helm in one hand. "I believe you are forgetting an important piece before you take that throne."
Vizsla's eyes narrowed, and he slowly reached out his empty hand, "I have run out of patience for you, outsider. Give me the Helm, now." His demand was accented by his remaining commandos simultaneously turning their weapons towards Revan and Ahsoka.
Revan shook his head and audibly sighed, "Are you so quick to switch between your heritage and your current desires? The Helm is not given, it is won, in combat. And I would certainly never willing give you the Helm."
Vizsla's blood began to boil, and his voice raised, "I knew it! This was your plan all along! You would use us to remove the Duchess, then you would claim the title of Mand'alor for yourself! How dare you think you have the right to challenge me for the Helm!"
Before the Death Watch leader could rant further, Revan put up a hand and used Force Stasis to freeze Vizsla in place.
The rest of Death Watch, and even Bo-Katan readied themselves to attack Revan, but his masked gaze seemed to carry a force behind it, and they hesitated.
He then turned back to the still frozen Vizsla and spoke, "I have no desire to claim this Helm. But you are not deserving of it until you have met a proper challenger." He then released Vizsla from the stasis.
Vizsla looked like he was about to leap at Revan, but he also hesitated. Finally, he asked, "And who would dare challenge my rightful claim to the Helm? The one passed down to me through the blood of my ancestors!"
"She will." Revan simply turned and looked at Bo-Katan.
The rest of Death Watch slowly turned from Revan and stared at their second-in-command. While none of their faces were viable, their confusion was obvious. Bo-Katan even glanced around before looking at Revan. Under her helmet a flurry of emotions and questions crossed her features.
After several moments of silence, Pre Vizsla finally shook off his confused expression and burst out with laughter. "Bo-Katan? She would never betray me! She is loyal and knows her place. You truly are a fool Revan if you think my second would challenge my right to-"
"It is not your right." Once again, all eyes were on Bo-Katan. Her voice somewhat quite but very forceful.
Pre Vizsla looked more confused than ever, but a new sensation of anger was beginning to rise in him. "What did you say?"
"It is not your right." Bo-Katan said louder and more forcibly. She took off her helmet and locked eyes with Vizsla, a fire burned in them that caused the Death Watch leader to recoil just slightly. "This outsider, as you call him, acts more like a true Mandalorian than you have as of late. Ever since that Helm appeared you have forgotten yourself Pre Vizsla. Your bloodline and your ancestors hold no sway over our people. Any Mandalorian as the right to be called Mand'alor, and the title is won in combat. You have forgotten yourself, and you have forgotten our way of life."
The other Death Watch members slowly lowered their weapons, looked between the two leaders, and slowly retreated to the edges of the room.
Vizsla snarled at the visible support Bo-Katan had just received for a duel. "Very well, if this is your declaration of a challenge for the Helm, then we will settle this as our creed demands!"
Ahsoka watched the room carefully, she was impressed that Revan's predictions about this conflict had come true.
Revan slowly stepped forward between the two Death Watch leaders. He looked at Bo-Katan and asked, "Have you ever used a lightsaber before?"
She looked at him curiously but nodded. He then produced his personal silver lightsaber and offered it to her. She slowly reached out and accepted it, nodding appreciatively to him as she did so.
He nodded back before looking around the room and speaking, "A blood duel shall now be held before all witnesses present. The winner shall receive the Helm and the title of a new Mand'alor. The defeated, shall die. Are any opposed?" The commandos and Ahsoka said nothing. "Very well." Revan stepped back over to the Padawan. "Begin."
Vizsla let out a savage roar before activating his jetpack and flying directly at Bo-Katan. She took a defensive stance before activating the lightsaber, which produced a purple blade. The two met in a brutal clash of black and purple plasma. Immediate Bo-Katan was put on the back-foot, as Vizsla took a far more aggressive style. The two traded deadly and expertly timed blows, showing their clear proficiency in combat. Very rarely, sparks would fly as one saber could connect just briefly with a piece of Beskar armor, causing the metal to glow red hot for several seconds afterwards. The two soon took to the sky and began to shoot at each other with their wrist gauntlets. The fighting took them all over the room, and at several points some of the watch commandos had to duck or dive out of the way to avoid getting hit by a stay bolt, or a wild passing swing.
Eventually, Vizsla's aggressiveness overwhelmed Bo-Katan's defenses, and he was able to cut through her jetpack, causing her to crash heavily on the throne steps, her lightsaber being flung from her hand and clattering across the floor.
Vizsla let out a confident laugh and plunged downward for a killing blow.
Bo-Katan cursed in Mando'a, but in a flash, executed a brilliant move. At the last second, she rolled out of the way, causing Vizsla to plunge the saber straight into the marble floor. This gave her a brief moment to swing herself up, and the half second of extra resistance that the floor caused Vizsla as he tried to free the Darksaber, was just enough for her to sweep his legs from under him with a powerful kick. She promptly followed this move by grabbing his hair, slamming his face into the ground, cracking several teeth and stunning him. She then grabbed the still stuck Darksaber, freed it, and wiped around to point the tip of the blade at Vizsla's throat, as he had only just managed to get back to his feet.
The space seemed to freeze as the two stared at each other. Vizsla looked at the blade and then into Bo-Katan's eyes. He slowly lowered himself to his knees, raising his hands to either side. "The strongest will rule Mandalore. Do it. End me."
Bo-Katan's face flashed with a wide range of emotions before she finally looked away, lowering the saber as she did so. "I spare you, Pre Vizsla. You will serve our people faithfully, as you have always done." She began to walk away without looking at her former leader.
Vizsla's face slowly began to fill with rage once again. All his frustrations, all his defeats and failures slowly filled his mind as his face became red with a rush of blood. He slowly stood up, his hands visibly shaking as a vibro knife slowly descended from one of his gauntlets. He was about to yell out and move, when the sound of a lightsaber ignited.
Bo-Katan turned on instinct, the Darksaber raised ready to fight, but her face went cold as she saw what was before her.
Vizsla face slowly shifted to confusion as he looked down. Protruding from his neck was the crimson blade of a red lightsaber. Standing directly behind him, holding the handle of the saber against the back of his neck was Revan. "Traitors deserve no mercy." He said before deactivating his saber and letting Vizsla's body fall to the floor.
Bo-Katan was about to yell out in anger but stooped herself as she saw the vibro blade sticking out of Vizsla's right gauntlet. The rest of Death Watch went to move against Revan but were stopped as she slowly lifted a hand to signal them not to. She slowly lowered and deactivated the Darksaber as she stared at her former leader in disbelief that he would try and kill her after the duel was concluded. She was snapped out of her grief as Revan slowly approached her. Anger, confusion, sadness, and guilt weighed on her, and part of her wanted to blame it all on Revan. Had he influenced her in some way? Had he tricked her into doing all this? Could she even trust him? But as she gazed into the void of his mask, she found no answers. Her gaze in slight surprise as Revan knelt down and slowly raised up the Helm to her. She looked at the ancient mask for several moments, before finally reaching for it with shaking hands. After what felt like a lifetime, she finally placed it over her face.
At that moment, several other Death Watch members from team Delta arrived with former Prime Minister Almec. There was visible confusion present on all of them as they saw the body of Pre Vizsla and the obvious signs of fighting. Almec's face looked pale as he saw Ahsoka standing to the side, who only gave him a passing glare.
Revan stood up, exchanging a look of understanding with Mand'alor before he stepped to the side and shouted to the room. "A new Mand'alor is born! All hail Mand'alor the Resurrector!"
"Hail!" The commandos responded back as they raised a fist into the air.
Bo-Katan looked at Revan with slight curiosity, "Resurrector?... Seems fitting. I like it."
"I thought you might." Revan said back. "Ah, Prime Minister, why don't you come address your new lord?"
Almec was shoved forward by a few commands and forced to his knees at the steps of the throne. He did his best to put on a convincing smile, but was clearly nervous, "Ah, so good to see that Death Watch has finally secured it's proper place in ruling. I must say, I was always opposed to Satine's rule and I-"
Mand'alor raised a fist to stop the minister from babbling on any further, "Stop groveling. Do you know why you're here?"
"I assume you require my services? That or you wish to kill me yourself I suppose."
"A tempting prospect." Bo-Katan said with a slight smirk under her mask. "But your first guest is correct. Your position as Prime Minister is to be restored, and you will assist me in rebuilding a new government. But understood this," she moved forward until she was towering over the man, "if I ever catch a hint that you are planning to betray me, I will not hesitate to have you executed in the most painful way I can imagine. Do I make myself clear?"
Almec bowed deeply to hide his fearful expression, "Most assuredly, your eminence."
Bo-Katan watched Almec for a moment longer before stepping back and waving to her men. "Find our Prime Minister some quarters and give him the briefing about his next tasks." Two commandos quickly moved into action and escorted Almec away. She then stopped and looked at the body of Vizsla again. "...Take Pre Vizsla's body and prepare it for a funeral. He shall have a warrior's memorial to honor his legacy to Death Watch, and his people." A few commands respectfully carried the body away.
One commando came flying into the room from the hallway leading into the throne room. "Mand'alor, there's a large crowd gathered outside."
"Rioters? Already?" She asked confused.
The commando shook his head, "It seems like they're waiting for some kind of announcement.
Bo-Katan slowly turned and looked at Revan with suspicion.
He looked back at her and said, "I may have taken the liberty of sending a communication to every home that there was an announcement coming from the Palace concerning the future of this planet, and that attendance was recommended. On the topic of that future, I have a suggestion for a small, but symbolic change you may want to consider."
Bo-Katan's body language shifted as she looked at Revan in curiosity. He leaned in closely and whispered something quietly to her. Once he moved away the two stared at each other for a moment before she nodded in agreement.
"Your people are waiting, Mand'alor." Revan said with a small bow as he gestured to the Palace's main balcony.
Bo-Katan took a deep breath and walked onto the balcony. Before her was a sea of Mandalorians waiting expectantly for some kind of announcement.
"Mandalorians! I come to you today with important news. The Duchess has abdicated her position, for the Helm of Mand'alor has been found! Today marks a new chapter in our people's history. No longer will we passively live under the constraints of those who wish to control and exploit us, but we shall defend our right to be a free and sovereign people! To commemorate this day, this planet shall be renamed to New Malachor, for Mandalore is not a place, a planet, or a physical location, but it is the unbreakable spirit of our people. Wherever we Mandalorians are gathered, whether in peace or at war, there is Mandalore!" The crowd slowly began to cheer as promises were made regarding food, security, and a freedom form the taxes and debts owed to outside powers like the Republic. While many were still confused, angry, or skeptical, Bo-Katan's powerful words slowly swayed the crowd into a fervor of hope and anticipation.
Revan watched the beginning moments of Mand'alor's speech with a small smile of pride on his face.
Ahsoka slowly made her way over to him and stood by his side. The pair stood in silence for a few seconds before she spoke, "Well... we did it. I hope it was the right decision."
"Time will tell." Revan replied back, "But now, the real work begins."
Ahsoka looked at Revan with a slightly raised brow in an unsaid question.
"Excuse me, I have my own speech to make." He did not elaborate further as he walked out of the throne room.
(This scene will be shifting through multiple different perspectives)
*Padmé was pulled out of her deep studies as she suddenly noticed the absence of noise around her. She suddenly felt like something was very wrong and slowly got up from the table and began to walk around in search of what had changed around her. Eventually, she heard the faint sound of someone talking. She slowly made her way towards the source of the sound and stopped as she rounded a corner. Rhal, a few other academics she had briefly been introduced to, and several construction workers were all standing with shocked expressions as they watched a large screen on a wall. The screen was displaying the live speech of Bo-Katan to the Mandalorian people. Padmé slowly approached the group and was also stunned by the things she was hearing. Where was the Duchess? What was happening to the planet? The group watched on in silence, unable to tear themselves away. The speech finally ended, and the screen went dark.
However, before anyone could speak the screen suddenly crackled back to life. Padmé's breath tensed up as she saw the familiar demonic mask stare back at her.*
"Greetings, citizens of the galaxy."
*Dooku stood on the bridge of a Separatist Cruiser, his eyes widened in surprise as a hologram of Revan suddenly appeared on the ship's main display.*
"I apologize for whatever interruption this broadcast may have caused you, but I promise will be concise and to the point."
*Palatine and his fellow politicians silently watched the hologram that had forcibly appeared on his room's large projector. The Chancellor's hands slowly clenched the sides of his chair in rage, just out of view from the rest of the room.*
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Revan. While many of you will not recognize that name, simply know that I am an individual not to be easily dismissed or trifled with. As for why I am speaking to you all today, that answer will take a little more explanation."
*Adi Gallia and Aayla Secura stood in the main security room of the Jedi temple, watching the broadcast before them. "Why are we receiving this?" Master Secura asked. One of the clone technicians quickly typed away at a console before slowly turning and looking at the two Jedi,
"Everywhere, generals. It's a massive unsecure broadcast being forced onto every public communication network.*
"The galaxy will soon discover that Duchess Satine has recently abdicated her throne. The now named, New Malachor, is currently under the legitimate rule of Mand'alor the Resurrector. New Malachor, and her neutral system allies are from this day forward, totally sovereign and free from all control or influence from outside forces, including the Republic and its affiliates."
*Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Wullf watched in frustration and horror as they watched the broadcast. "Where is this coming from?" Anakin finally asked.
Anakin looked over at his former master whose face was slowly draining of color. Rex ran into the room with a look of concern, before handing the Jedi Knight a datapad. Anakin took the device with slight confusion, but his face quickly turned to concern and anger. Rex had tried to send a message to Padmé's apartment, but her aids had informed him that she had left for a trip to-
"Mandalore, sir." One of the technicians finally replied.*
"Let me be very clear: The neutral systems are not at war with any faction. Nor are any existing treaties with the Republic broken by this change in leadership. And for those who doubt our intentions, the Duchess is alive and well, and the people of Mandalore will be provided for without the assistance of the Republic. So, what are our demands? That is very simple: To be left out of your war. To have our liberties respected, and our neutrality maintained. We shall make no move to expand or take any territories that we do not currently have a claim to. But for those who would seek conflict with us, I give you this warning."
*All spectators watched in anticipation for the next set of words.*
"Prepare yourselves for a new kind of war."
A/N: Hope it was worth the wait! I promise I am trying to get better at publishing these things in a timely manner, lol.