Chapter 13: A future for the Mandos
As the surface of Mandalore was slowly turning into a sea of magma, Iulius decided he had watched long enough and walked away, preferring instead to inspect his new trophy.
"Maybe you should ask Mara for advice." Qathora suggested.
"Maybe, but I've never seen her wield a single blade, so far." the Grand Admiral replied nonchalantly as he kept his direction toward the hangar.
They reached the Rogue Shadow, which was undergoing maintenance by the technicians under Eclipse's supervision, but she interrupted her shouting orders when she saw Iulius approaching.
"Grand Admiral!"
"Is Galen aboard?" he simply asked.
"Yes, sir. He's training with PROXY."
"Very well. Inform me when he concludes." he calmly replied and was about to turn around when Eclipse extended a hand.
"Oh, come now, sir. I'll just call him for you." she said in a confident tone before grabbing the comlink.
Iulius wanted to stop her, knowing better than to irritate a Dark-sider, given his past experiences with them, but before he could do anything, Juno aggressively talked into the device.
"Hey, you moof! The Grand Admiral is looking for you."
The sound of a clashing lightsaber erupted from the comlink, followed by a growling voice. "I told you not to call me that. And I'm busy."
"Hey. You're still a soldier in this fleet, and when your superior officer calls, you answer. Or do I have to come in?"
Marek grunted through the comlink, while Qathora and Iulius looked with confused eyes at the scene unraveling in front of them. Juno had been quite chill around the Sith assassin since they had met her, but when did she become so bossy with him?
"Fine...PROXY!"
"Training session...aborted." the droid could be heard.
Then, Juno smiled widely and put away the comlink. "He's all yours, sir." she said, showing the ramp with an arm to invite him in.
"Uh...thanks, Captain." he replied before walking up the ramp.
"Good luck with the killing machine…" Qathora commented sarcastically as she stopped before the ramp, still retaining her composed posture. Iulius feigned to ignore her. He knew that his servant hated to be around that kind of people ever since she had to fight alongside Vader on Carunoia.
Iulius then entered the ship and headed toward the training room, which was right after the very small living room with the reserved of food for long missions, but Marek was already coming to him, and they met in that room.
"Grand Admiral. How can I help you?" the assassin greeted quite politely.
Iulius reached for his belt and grabbed the Darksaber, showing it to Marek with his right hand.
"I was wondering if you perhaps would be willing to teach me how to wield this. Without amputating my limbs in the process."
The man seemed a bit taken aback. "I thought it was already strange that you came down to Mandalore to get your hands dirty, but now you want to learn how to use a lightsaber?"
"We've already discussed this, haven't we? This saber is a powerful symbol for the mandalorians. It is very likely that they will try to retake it in the future. Besides, what's good is a weapon at your side if you don't know how to wield it?"
Marek hummed with a gaze that seemed doubtful at best and unwilling at worst, though in the end he replied. "If that is what you wish." and showed the way to the officer.
Iulius walked until they reached the training room, where they found PROXY repairing itself after the last duel with Marek. "Greetings, Grand Admiral."
"PROXY, introduce the Grand Admiral to the basics of saber dueling." the assassin ordered.
"Yes, master. Grand Admiral, if you would please take the center."
Iulius complied. Then, after hearing the droid's next instructions, he gripped the hilt with both hands and ignited the blade.
The weapon hissed and then hummed constantly, and Iulius had the chance to admire the uniqueness of the blade. The strange black light, with small wrinkles of energy sparkling inside of it. It was certainly something one didn't see every day. Both ominous and enthralling.
"Very well, Grand Admiral." PROXY interrupted, then his slim body activated its holographic technology and, maybe because of the droid's unique sense of humor, transformed him into a mandalorian warrior armed armed with a weapon somehow sturdy enough to go against the Darksaber. "Ready to start?"
Iulius focused and assumed the only ready stance that he had been taught at the academy, where fencing was not exactly a main topic.
"Let us begin."
April 13.
"The Federation is willing to welcome some of the refugees. If they would like, we have a list of planets in the Milky Way that can be colonized. Or they can settle in the new Sister-Nations in Andromeda." Raya said.
"Thank you, Your Excellency. I'll make sure to spread the news." Jaral replied before the call finished and she returned into the strategic room of the Constantinople, where she found Jordan, Darvos and Tristan around the holo-table.
"Emissary T'Neri has assured me that the mandalorians who wish so can find refuge even in the Milky Way. Though I suggest your clan heads for Lothal to rejoin with your own colony, Tristan."
"Thank you, Marshall. What is left of Clan Wren is heading to Lianna so we can pick up my father, then we will make our way for Lothal." the young man replied with composure.
Jaral nodded and turned toward her husband. "Darv, how is TF Magellan faring?"
"They are doing their best, but Kalevala and the other planets are completely surrounded and the Empire is not allowing them to surrender. I don't know how many warriors we will be able to rescue."
Jaral grunted under her breath and leaned against the table. "Put our analysts at work. I want a full report on this imperial campaign as soon as possible." she instructed.
"You got it, ma'am." Darvos replied and started tapping on his keyboard.
"A blitzkrieg in space." Jordan commented. "In our galaxy, only the Reapers could hit this fast."
"This only showcases how dangerous our foe actually is." Jaral replied.
"Grand Admiral Tanis." Tristan hissed.
"It's not actually that difficult to read." Darvos said with a bit frustration transpiring from his tone. "Remember when I told you Iulius' favorite tactic for strategy games?"
Jaral thought for a moment, then realization hit her. "Distracting your enemies only to hit them where they don't expect you! He was focusing most of the Imperial Navy on the Perlimian Trade Route…"
"So we didn't expect him to strike at the mandalorians. Yes." Darvos concluded. "But it's still unbelievable how fast he covered so much ground in just a week."
Silence fell. Indeed, this short and decisive Mandalore Campaign was definitely something that future scholars would study and put into manuals of military strategy. Iulius' ability couldn't be the only explanation: his fleet as a whole had showed to be able to deliver a logistical and tactical apparatus like few in the history of the galaxy. Even his stormtroopers had been incredibly efficient than most of their colleagues, taking most key-points of Sundari in but a few hours.
"Nobody could expect something like that, Captain." Tristan commented. "It's useless to cry about it, now."
"Speaking of which...have you heard Sabine?" Jaral cautiously asked.
Tristan slightly shook his head. "She has shut into her cabin on the Ghost and refuses all calls. And quite frankly, I don't know what I should say."
"You're her brother." Jaral replied. "I'm sure you can find a way to help her."
"It's...not that easy. She's not just grieving: she feels responsible for all of this."
The other three people looked at each other dumbfounded before turning back toward the young Wren. "What do you mean?" asked Jordan.
Tristan made silent sigh and explained. "You remember that she handed the Darksaber to Bo-Katan?" the others nodded affirmatively. "According to legend, if someone wields the Darksaber without winning it in an honorable fight, then it means they are not worthy, and woe would befall upon the mandalorian people."
As he finished that sentence, realization struck the three officers. "I see…" mumbled Jaral. "Well, I'm going to talk with her when we cross the Ghost again." she reassured.
"Thank you, Marshall."
"Come on, Tristan, aren't we friends? No need to call me titles."
"I'll...try. Bridger." He said with half-grin forming on his face.
Darvos and Jordan both smiled a bit. Because in that moment, they needed all the positivity they could get.
"Good. And what about you, Tristan?" Jaral continued. "You sure you're okay?"
Tristan shook his head. "No. I'm not 'okay'. But with Sabine wracked with guilt and my mother dead, the time of grief will have to wait. At least until the survivors of Clan Wren will be safe."
"I'm sure your mother would have been proud of hearing that." Jordan encouraged.
Tristan nodded. "Thanks. Speaking of which, I should get back to work."
"We, too." Jaral concluded. "We should reach Lianna in two hours, let's make sure no transport is left behind." she added, referring to the fact that they were escorting the last refugee transports toward Lianna, with the help of a few corvettes from the New Republic.
Like Jaral asked, the Constantinople was the last to reach Lianna, making sure that every transport was accounted for and didn't just break down along the way. They thus reached the capital of the New Republic, a planet well on its way to become an ecumenopolis, and especially since the New Republic had been proclaimed, the planet had seen a small economic boom. Certainly being already one of the major trade hubs of the Outer Rim played a role in that.
The Constantinople headed to the military spaceport on the surface and Jaral could thus make a quick visit to the Ghost before heading to Command.
"Hey." Zeb greeted.
"Zeb. Is Sabine still in her cabin?"
"As far as I know. Poor kid." the Lasat said in a compassionate tone. Even Chopper warbled in a sad way.
Jaral thanked and reached the cabins. Hera was actually there, unsure if she wanted to knock on Sabine's door or not. When she saw the young woman, however, she made a step back and let her knock.
"Sabine?" Jaral asked, but received no answer. She thus exchanged a quick glance with Hera, who nodded positively, authorizing her to have Jinx remove the seals and make the door slid open.
The room was completely in the dark. Were it not for the light coming from the hallway it would have been difficult to see anything. But it was enough for Jaral to spot her sister-in-law, sitting on the floor with her back to the wall, her head hidden behind her hugged knees. She was wearing only her undersuit, as her armor pieces were scattered all around the floor with no care at all.
Jaral could clearly feel the mood of the mandalorian through the Force without any effort: anger, sadness, pain and every possible negative emotion was in there. Including the self-loathing Tristan had predicted. In order to get some privacy, she shut the door again and turned on the lights of the room, though Sabine didn't move. And even at that distance, the Jedi could see tears rolling down the cheeks of her friend.
"You're wasting your time." Sabine grumbled quite aggressively, not moving from her position.
"Perhaps I want to waste it this way." Jaral calmly replied, going to sit with her legs crossed in front of Sabine.
The mandalorian scoffed lightly. "What can you do? You have no idea."
"All I know is that you're pushing faults on yourself that don't belong."
Sabine's head jolted up, revealing a furious expression, even if her eyes were still full of water. "No fault?! Are you seriously trying to sell me that!?"
Jaral didn't budge. "I'm simply stating the facts."
"The fact is, that I just handed the Darksaber to someone else and it all went to hell just as it was expected to. I doomed my own world!" Sabine screamed in desperation before her head fell back and she felt tired. "How many mandalorians have died because of me?"
"No one." Jaral immediately replied sternly and with such a confidence that Sabine was probably partially convinced about that, because she raised her head again and looked at Jaral in the eye.
"You know that's not true…"
"Sabine, you've freed your people once already. You have no reason to feel guilty about this. Besides, the prophecy stated that it would almost wipe out your people, but millions of mandalorians have escaped and now they need a leader to guide them. Need I remind you that you're expected to be the new Countess of Wren?"
Those words seemed to stoke Sabine's fire back a bit, so Jaral waited a few seconds and went in with the final encouragement.
"We have lost Mandalore. But the idea still lives within its people. If you insist that you caused this, then the least you could do is to help your people rebuild instead of cloistering yourself."
Sabine's eyebrows slowly arched downward as Jaral could feel the flame of resolution coming from her. Finally, Sabine pushed herself up on her feet, so the Grand Marshall did as well, letting the young mandalorian to pick up the pieces of her armor and quickly putting them back on.
"I'll go meet up with Tristan and my father. Our colony on Lothal needs to know that we're arriving." she declared.
"Good to see you back in action." Jaral quipped with a smile that Sabine returned.
Then the mandalorian girl walked toward her sister-in-law and hugged her. Jaral was a bit surprised, but returned the gesture fondly.
"You truly are the best big sister in the galaxy." Sabine fondly said.
Jaral chuckled. "I've had the chance to do a lot of experience." she simply replied.
They then separated and Sabine quickly wiped her eyes with a hand. "I'm going to need some time to rebound completely. But thank you, Jari." she said before finally walking out.
And with that settled, the Grand Marshall and Hera could head over to Command.
"You never cease to amaze me, Jari." Hera said along the way, putting a hand on her shoulder.
The Jedi returned the smile, then noticed that Hera's face was now looking down, as if she was trying to bring up with something that really concerned her. Eventually, she managed to find the words and spoke up.
"Jari, I know it's quite sudden...but after we're done here, I would like your permission to make a visit to Lothal…"
Jaral immediately jumped at it. "You don't even have to ask. Permission granted. And when you'll be there, say hello to my mother for me."
Hera was surprised at first, but then chuckled. "Yes, ma'am." she replied.
April 16.
Ezra eagerly reached the communication room and took up the call from his sister.
"Sis. I'm so happy to see you." he said with relief.
"Me too, lil bro." Jaral replied with a smile, though her tone was still a bit saddened. "I only wish it wasn't for another disaster."
"We heard about Mandalore on the HoloNet." Ezra said with an understanding tone. "How's Sabine?"
"She...had a rough time. Ursa was among the casualties."
The news struck a cord into Ezra. He knew remembered what it felt like to lose a parent. "I see…" he mumbled. "And...how's the overall situation?"
"Bad. With Mandalore gone, we lost an important ally and an entire sector of our space is exposed. I'm reorganizing the fleet to cover the new ground, but I already have a target in mind."
"Which is…?"
"Korriban."
Ezra stumbled there for a moment. "T-The Sith homeworld?"
"Pretty much. I've already contacted Nimbus and Ahsoka. Plus, I've asked the help of the Geth. They are machines, so the Dark Side can't corrupt them." Jaral explained quite confidently.
"I guess it would help us understanding the Sith more. But, seriously, Jari. Shouldn't we take this together?"
"You have your mission, Ezra. You have to train Luke and Leia. Besides, if things go south on Korriban, it's important there is at least one Jedi still around."
"Don't say it like that. You're not going in there if you're not 100% certain to come out of it, you get me?" the man said in a reprimanding tone.
Jaral chuckled. "Relax, dummy. I don't have any wish to die, yet." she reassured. "But Nimbus has confirmed that the old Sith worlds are a source of power for the Emperor. If we take them away from him, he might just snap from rage."
"I'm not sure I follow. How does that help us?"
"If your enemy is temperate, seek to irritate him." she replied, quoting the Art of War. "Palpatine is still in charge of the Empire. If we manage to irritate him, he might make a bad move that we can exploit to even the odds after we lost Mandalore."
Ezra hummed in thought. "Well, you're the boss. I trust you know what you ought to do."
"Your faith is always touching, Ez." she quipped, making both of them giggle.
"Okay. We'll give you a hand by turning up our operations here." he eventually declared.
"Have you found a new base?"
"Not yet. We have helped many rebel cells to settle on the hidden worlds we found, but I'm thinking that the Trailing Sectors are not enough of a good place to set our main base."
"So, where are you headed?"
"The Western Reaches. Right at the border with the Unknown Regions. With the war in progress, the Empire has left those territories in semi-autonomy. And with less Star Destroyers around there, it should be easier to hide, as soon as we find a good spot."
"I see."
"But first, we're heading on Ryloth. Our sources there say that the Twi'lek are preparing a major uprising. We're moving to support them."
"Goodness. I better hide this from Hera before she rushes back." Jaral quipped.
Ezra huffed in amusement. "Has she finally gone back to Jacen?"
"Indeed. I ordered the Ghost to go back to Lothal, so Sabine can help with the resettlement of her clan, and Hera can spend some time with Jacen."
"Good. I didn't like the idea of keeping them separated anyway."
"Me neither, honestly. And I had to fight to convince Hera not to follow me on Korriban."
Ezra finally sighed. The reminder of what his sister was about to do didn't encourage him in the slightest. "Is Korriban presided by the Empire, anyway?"
"Worse. Sith cultists who answer to Palpatine. The only upside is that they have old warships. With the Geth's technology, they shouldn't pose much of a hindrance. The worst will be venturing into the ancient tombs and whichever sorcery lie in there."
"Then I hope you didn't skip on your daily training, because you're gonna need it."
"Don't worry. Actually, since we have the New Republic to take care of many military affairs, I have much more time to dedicate to Jedi training."
"Good to hear. That said, I should get back to work. Hug Mum and Dad for me and...tell Sabine that I wish I was there for her."
Jaral smiled in a comprehensive way. "It will be my number one priority. Be careful out there, Ezra."
Ezra made a nod, then closed the transmission before heading back into the command room to discuss the situation with the other key members of the crew.
"She really wants to just dive into one of the most dark places in the universe?" Luke asked dismayed at the end of the recap.
"Hey, she survived Malachor when she was barely a Padawan. I trust her to do what she promised. We only need to focus on our mission here."
"I concur." Belisarius said. "With the loss of the mandalorian fleet, our forces will be stretched thin. We need to create a threat that the Empire won't be able to ignore and split its forces."
"That objective might be more attainable than we anticipated, Colonel." Kherat said, raising a finger with his right hand while the left kept tapping on his keyboard around the holo-table.
"Intelligence has just confirmed that, around a month ago, the Empire has sent a new fleet into the Trailing Sectors. A fleet from the Core."
"And now we notice it?" Han asked sarcastically.
"Of course not." Kherat replied with a calm tone. "We had noticed an increase in activity almost immediately, but we didn't know if it was a new fleet or if the Empire was just moving its forces around to make us think they had more forces than expected."
Ezra hummed. "A new fleet sent in right after we entered the region? That cannot be a coincidence."
"Maybe we should investigate." Leia suggested. "But if it's true that they're pulling fleets from the Core, than it means that the Empire might not be so healthy as we feared."
Those words caught the interest of Ezra and the other officers: so far, the Coalition had been deciding their strategy by factoring in that the Empire could deploy bigger fleets to fight on the frontline, not including those that were needed to guard key infrastructures all along the galaxy. However, if this turned out not to be the case, Jaral and the Coalition Command could really use this intel.
"Any idea where we should start?" he eventually asked.
The group thought for a while until Han raised a hand and spoke. "I might have a lead. A merchant who owes me a favor supplies the imperial navy in the Trailing Sectors. He can be found on Rintonne."
"Very well. Take Leia and Luke and go find this guy." the Jedi decided, making Luke turn around in confusion.
"You're not coming with us?" he asked.
Ezra slightly shook his head. "I will take a squad and head directly on Ryloth to scout the area. We'll help the insurrection to get rid of the biggest obstacles. Once you're done with your task, get back to the Amerigo."
Luke nodded. "I won't fail you."
Ezra made a lopsided grin. "I wouldn't send you if I didn't think you're ready." he reassured, then made a nod with his head to signal the three of them that they could go, which they did.
He then turned toward Belisarius. "Colonel, have the N7 and the Ranger squads report at the hangar. We'll go in with the Silver Bullet."
The turian made the salute. "Yes, General. Good luck."
Ezra nodded and walked out.
April 18.
"Make sure the doses of vaccines are all in stock."
"Yes, Doctor Bridger." the Twi'lek nurse said before returning to her duties.
Just at that time, another shuttle landed at the platform of the Wren colony, coming straight from Capitol City with another batch of mandalorian refugees. Unfortunately, it seemed like some of them had contracted a rare virus during their brief stay on Lianna against which they weren't immunized and there was the risk of an outbreak on Lothal, so the first thing to do was to have them all screened and made sure to quarantine the colony. Mira put on her CBRN suit and led her squad outside at the entrance of the landing zone, preparing her omni-tool for scanning.
The Kodiak opened her doors and the refugees started pouring out. They were mostly young adults and late teenagers. Only a few of them wore an armor.
"Your attention, please." Mira announced loudly. "Come one at a time for scanning."
The small mass of people complied. One at a time, the mandalorians lined up and walked in front of Mira, who activated her omni-tool and scanned the first young man. She had a program installed that would highlight the presence of the virus into a person's body. After passing the ray from head to toe and return, she let the first person pass.
"Clear. Head on the right for the vaccine." she instructed him, pointing at his colleagues behind her.
Then a teenage girl showed up, and she was uncontaminated as well.
The third patient, though, was not. "Infected. Please head to the left for treatment." she instructed, and the process went on and on, until all the 35 passengers that were packed inside the shuttle were all sorted out. Mira could finally removed the mask on her face and ordered the decontamination team to clear the cargo hold of the shuttle.
"Good job, everyone. That was the last one." she said to her staff. "I need a full report on the infected once the triage is over."
"You'll have it, Doc." one of the nurses reassured.
Mira went, disinfected the suit and herself, and when she went out of the medical post, she found unexpected guests waiting for her: Sabine, Tristan and Alrich Wren.
"Hi, Mira." Sabine said, trying to muster a smile.
Miss Bridger, however, could read right through her, and instead went to put hands on her shoulders. "Sabine...Gentlemen...I'm so sorry for what happened to the Countess."
The three of them diverted their gazes briefly. "She died like a mandalorian. We can only accept it and honor her legacy by ensuring our clan survives." Tristan said with acceptance.
"And it looks like we owe you gratitude for taking care of our sicks." Alrich added with gratitude.
"Thanks the administration of the planet." Mira replied with humility. "I simply asked to be part of the team."
Sabine replied with a smirk and patting her mother-in-law's arm. "Which is still a great thing. I know our people is in good hands with you, Mira."
They took a moment to admire the colony standing a few hundred meters from the quarantine zone. The newly arrived were being welcomed by one of the clerks and directed to the local administrative office for registration, though some of them were reuniting with friends and families who had arrived during the previous hours of the day. New house modules had been brought in and the mandalorians were working tirelessly to set them up to put everyone under a roof. Loth-cats were also waltzing in from time to time, something that the younger people seemed to appreciate particularly.
"So. Which one of you is going to take charge?" she eventually asked to all three of them.
"Good question." Alrich quipped.
"How's that a question?" Tristan asked. "Clearly it's Sabine who should…"
"Nice try, brother. But no." the young woman spoke up, having her brother turn and look in disbelief.
"But...mother clearly wanted for you to be the next head of the clan."
"Only because I'm the older child and I am already married, but I always thought this was quite a short-sighted way to see things." she replied, and turned her whole body to face Tristan. "You are clearly much more qualified to become Count."
"Sabine, I…"
"No, let me finish. I've been away from Krownest for years, meaning I barely know who is what in the clan anymore. You, on the other hand, have been preparing all this time to become a chief. Every clansman knows and respects you, and you've already proven to be a good leader. You're strong and you clearly care for our people. I can't imagine a better Count than you."
Those words left Tristan staggered. Mostly because he had never heard Sabine complimenting him so wholeheartedly, but it was clear to everyone that she meant every single word she had just pronounced.
"I...don't know what to say."
"Oh, I think you know very well. Just say it." Sabine said with a smirk, shaking his arm playfully to stimulate an answer.
Tristan had to turn his head and look at their father, who smiled at him and made a small nod to ensure that he was going to support him in every way possible. So the young man strengthened his resolve and faced his sister again.
"All right. I'll take care of things here." he proclaimed.
Sabine smiled and, to everyone's surprise, suddenly hugged him. "Thank you, lil bro."
Mira and Alrich couldn't help but smile as Tristan returned the hug, but also quipped. "You've been spending too much time with the Bridgers."
Sabine detached from him, smirking. "Is that a bad thing?" she said, lightly punching him on the armor.
Tristan shook his head. "I think I can live with it. What are you going to do, then?"
"I'm rejoining the Ghost, officially. I can't just sit back when they need me."
"Never doubted that for a second." Tristan commented ironically.
That said, the new Count Wren turned to get a look at the colony, then he took another look a the prairie that surrounded it. The village actually set next to a small mountain made of volcanic remnants that made the soil fertile, but there were many square miles of space that could be used for settling.
"What are you thinking?" Alrich asked with curiosity.
"There is a lot of space here. I know that Eldar and Wolffe Clans are looking for a place to resettle, I'll see if we can arrange them to move here." and started to walk around
Sabine walked next to him. "You want to create a House?" she quipped.
"Now more than ever, we need to stick together." he replied seriously.
"Clan Eldar...didn't you eye one of the Count's daughters?" the woman asked with a teasing tone.
"Meaning?" Tristan replied as their voices became even more muffled for the distance.
"I better go and see what I can do for the colony." Alrich concluded and made another bow to Mira. "I thank you again for your care of our people, Doctor Bridger."
Mira waived a hand. "No big. I'm just doing my job. See you around, Lord Wren." and Alrich walked away, letting Mira return to her duties.