The two star fighters emerged from space in a flash in front of the barren looking beige colored planet.
"I never thought I'd see Mandalore from only the cockpit of a fighter" Jake's voice said over the comm in Obi Wan's fighter. Obi Wan pressed the comm button in his fighter.
"How did you originally plan on seeing it?" Obi Wan asked.
"From the bridge of a Republic warship, surrounded by hundreds of the same kind" Jake responded. "It seems so lifeless. Now I may know why the Mandalorians made other worlds look like theirs".
"And what do you think?" Obi Wan asked.
"Because they were jealous that they lived on a barren dust ball, while others got to live on lush and beautiful worlds. Plus they were such butchers that they brought a new definition of the word" Jake replied, bitterness dripping from his voice.
Obi wan shook his head as he thought of that. Duchess Satine was a friend of his, and she had worked hard to show that her people had changed their ways.
"You'll see that they've changed Jake," Obi Wan said. "The Duchess has worked hard to keep her people neutral in the war".
"Neutral Mandalorians. You're right, I will believe it when I see it, and do I ever want to" Jake replied over the comm. "I'll follow you in".
"Very well" Obi Wan replied, as he took control of his fighter and headed for the barren looking planet with Jake following closely behind him.
Their fighters flew through the midday sky, as the domed capital city of Sundari could be seen in the distance. They quickly closed the distance, and landed their fighters on one of the city's landing pads.
As they climbed out of their fighters, they walked over to a Mandalorian guard that was standing on a speeder waiting for them.
"The Duchess is expecting you, General Kenobi" the open helmeted guard said.
"Far be it for me to keep the Duchess waiting" Obi Wan replied as him and Jake stepped onto the speeder. The speeder sped off quickly through the domed city with a cubical style architecture.
They arrived at the large palace, and entered. As they walked into the large, spacious throne room, they passed a very large portrait of a well dressed blonde haired woman. Jake guessed that this must be the Duchess they were about to meet.
"General Kenobi" a well dressed man said as he entered the room.
"Thank you for meeting with me Prime Minister Almac" Obi Wan replied, as the two shook hands.
"And who might this be?" Almac asked.
"This is Jedi Knight Jake Delarus" Obi Wan introduced.
Jake said nothing, only giving a small nod. He didn't like this man, and it wasn't just because he was a Mandalorian. No, there was something off about this man.
"I welcome you both as a servant of the people, but I'm troubled by the false rumors that brought you here" Almac said as they began walking towards the throne. "Mandalore would never turn against the Republic. The Duchess Satine values peace more than her own life".
"Oh I'm aware of the Duchess' views" Obi Wan said.
"Master Kenobi, Mandalore's violent past is behind us. All of our warriors were banished to our moon of Concordia. They died out years ago".
"Violence is in your blood, you ignorant buffoon" Jake said bitterly in his mind. Obi Wan picked it up, but let it go.
"Hmm, are you certain? I recently encountered a man who wore Mandalorian armor, Jango Fett" Obi Wan said.
"Jango Fett was a common bounty hunter. How he acquired that armor is beyond me" Almac replied almost defensively.
"Well, Master Kenobi, my shining Jedi Knight to the rescue once again" The Duchess said as she appeared in the room and proceeded to her throne and sat down.
"After all these years, you're even more beautiful than ever" Obi Wan said charismatically.
"Kind words from a man who accuses me of treachery" Satine said courasely.
"I would never accuse you of any personal wrongdoing, Duchess" Obi Wan said, as he started toward the throne. "However a Separatist saboteur attacked one of our Republic cruisers, a Mandalorian saboteur".
He produced a small holoprojector, and pressed it. The recording sprung to life, and it showed a Mandalorian figure shooting his blaster rifle several times, then combat roll and bend over and shoot a rocket from his jetpack, and then shooting several more times. The recording stopped as the figure had turned, and now it's face looked directly at the Duchess, which made her visibly uncomfortable.
"You must be mistaken. No Mandalorian would engage in such violence. Not anymore" Almac said. "Where is this prisoner now?".
"He took his own life rather than submit to questioning" Obi Wan Replied, as he turned to the Duchess. "I know these commandos fought in many wars, often against the Jedi".
"Every one of my people is as trustworthy as I am" The Duchess responded fervorously.
"And yet you are not telling us something Duchess. You're trying to hide something" Jake said.
"Excuse me, but who are you to accuse me of such dishonesty? " Satine said defensively. Obi Wan was about to speak, but Jake beat him to it.
"I'm Jedi Knight Jake Delarus, and for your information your highness, I am someone who can usually tell when someone is hiding something". He could tell that the Duchess was on the edge of fuming, as Senator Tal Merrik spoke.
"You'll have to forgive us if we sound defensive, Master Jedi, but...".
"I am not hiding anything, and you have no right to accuse me of such" Satine said, cutting off Senator Merrik. "Clearly your investigation was ordered because the Senate is eager to intervene in our affairs '.
"Our investigation was ordered by the Jedi Council" Obi Wan said. The Duchess was silent for a moment.
"I stand corrected. General Kenobi, perhaps you'd like to join me on a walk through the city" Satine asked, as she held out her hand. Obi Wan looked at her for a moment, and then walked up and took her hand. He helped her up and he offered his arm, which she took. They proceeded towards the entrance, and Obi Wan shot Jake a pointed look. But that only intrigued Jake more.
After a few moments, Jake started to follow them, only to see Obi Wan at the palace entrance waiting for him.
"I sent Satine ahead for a minute" Obi Wan said, as he joined Jake in his strides. "What the hell were you thinking, accusing her of dishonesty like that. Do you even know what"-.
"Did you see how she reacted to that recording" Jake said, interrupting Obi Wan's lecture. "When you stopped it, she was visibly disturbed, barely, but that's where political training comes in".
"What are you getting at Jake?" Obi Wan questioned.
"What I'm saying is, while I don't know exactly everything she knows, I do know she knows who that Mandalorian works for".
"And you're sure of this?" Obi Wan asked. Jake nodded.
"I wouldn't have said something otherwise" he said.
"Well until we know more, do be careful. We're already on thin ice enough as it is" Obi Wan warned. Jake nodded.
"Of course, now you best catch up to the Duchess". Obi Wan nodded and trotted ahead to rejoin the Duchess and her guards. Jake watched for a moment and then picked up his own pace so as not to be too far behind.
It was midday, and the Duchess had chosen for them to go to a nearby park in the heart of the city. The Duchess and Obi Wan walked at the front of the group, with the Duchess's guards close behind them, and Jake at the rear behind them.
"It's so good to see you again, Obi Wan. Despite the circumstances" she said.
"Likewise, Satine" Obi Wan replied. "And I must apologize for my accomplice. He's a little more straightforward than he should be, but he means well". Satine smiled.
"Clearly. But no apology necessary, as he was right" Satine said, her voice was now laced with mild concern as she looked at Obi Wan. "There is a group that calls itself Death Watch. I imagine these are the renegades you are looking for. They idolize violence and the warrior ways of our past. There are those among us, certain officials who are working to root out these criminals. It is an ongoing investigation".
"How widespread is this Death Watch movement?" Obi Wan asked.
"It's hardly a movement" Satine replied. " It's a small group of hooligans who choose to vandalize public places, nothing more".
"And yet they shouldn't exist" they heard Jake say, as he caught up to them and joined their stride. "No matter how much your people may have changed, if these people are who you say they call themselves, then you've got a very bad problem. Forgive me for my bluntness Duchess, but that's what you were hiding isn't it".
"What are you talking about Jake?" Obi Wan asked.
"Would you care to tell Obi Wan the story behind your problem Duchess, or should I?" Jake asked.
"I'm afraid I'll have to leave the explanation to you, because I don't know what your talking about," Satine replied. Jake gave her a confused look.
"You mean you truly don't know?" he asked. Satine shook her head.
"No. I sincerely have no idea what you are talking about" she replied.
"Perhaps you Mandalorians really have changed" Jake said.
"Would you please tell us what you're talking about Jake?" Obi Wan demanded.
"These people are no simple hooligans. Their highly trained warriors, and Mandalore's special forces " Jake said grimly. Obi Wan put his hand on his chin in thought, as the Duchess grew more concerned and feared what she was about to hear.
The Mandalorian Commander watched as the ship landed at their base. The boarding ramp lowered and a single soldier emerged from the ship. The soldier walked to the commander, saluted him, and handed him a datapad. The Commander took it, read it, and suppressed a growl. He turned and headed inside the currently empty command center. He locked the door and pulled out his portable holoprojector. He pressed a button and waited, until finally the hologram appeared.
"What is it ?" the hologram of Count Dooku asked impatiently.
"One of my spies just informed me that two Jedi have arrived on Mandalore" the Commander said through the speaker of his helmet.
"Do you have an image of these Jedi?" Dooku asked.
"Yes. I've sent them to you now" the Commander nodded. Dooku looked at the image, and his brow furrowed but he remained silent.
"What do you want us to do?" the commander asked. Dooku thought for a moment.
"Proceed with your operations, but do it cautiously. You can't afford to have the Jedi disrupt your group" Dooku replied.
"I don't see why the arrival of these Jedi don't upset you. You promised to support us with enough forces to overthrow the Duchess Satine and her weak peace loving government" the Commander said.
"And I intend to keep my promise" Dooku replied. "I ask that you simply have patience".
"But how? If the Republic brings forces, Death Watch won't be able to take over" the Commander said.
"Consider: once the Senate has ordered peacekeeping troops to Mandalore, the people will be surrounded by a military presence. Most distasteful. They will rebel".
"And rally to Death Watch. Our insurgency will grow stronger" the Commander finished.
"Yes, and Duchess Satine will fall" Dooku said.
"Very well. One of my agents is already going to make a move against the Duchess as we speak" the Commander said.
"Good. And if you get the chance, eliminate those two Jedi" Dooku said.
"They will be no match for us" the Commander replied.
"Do not underestimate them," Dooku warned. "They are not ordinary Jedi. One is a very powerful Jedi Master, and the other nearly bested our top agent. If you are not careful, then it will cost you your life".
"You see several Millennia ago, the Mandalorian leader at the time created the Death Watch to be his personal killers. Hand picked from his most elite warriors, they swore an oath to serve him and protect his ideals at all costs. And in turn, they were turned into the most deadly warriors the galaxy had seen at the time. Whatever he ordered, they did it without question, no matter how brutal or evil" Jake said.
"You said they shouldn't exist. Why?" Satine asked.
"During the war, they were causing all sorts of terror all across the galaxy to divert Republic attention. A task force was assembled to hunt them down. They succeeded, and wiped them out" Jake replied.
"So what are the odds that these Death Watch are like the ones you spoke of?" Obi Wan asked.
"That's where things get a little more favorable for us" Jake replied. "If they only surfaced during the Duchess's rule, that makes me believe they've only resurged within the last few years, rather than staying in the shadows since their demise. And that means they won't be nearly trained as well".
"Or as well numbered" Satine added. Jake nodded.
"Exactly. However, they will probably use different tactics to fix that".
"What do you mean?" Satine asked.
"They'll work like a rebellion, doing things to get people to join them and. We'll have to be…" Jake was cut short, as the large statue in front of them exploded. The blast had injured many civilians nearby, and momentarily stunned the rest of them nearby. A small chunk of debris had managed to hit Jake in the forehead, which left him in a slight daze while the others were unharmed.
"Are you alright?" Obi Wan asked Satine.
"I'm fine," she replied as she rushed to a nearby civilian on the ground .
"Jake, are you okay?" Obi Wan asked, noticing him holding his forehead gingerly .
"Yeah, just a bump" he responded, and then groaned. "I've been hit harder by worse before". Obi Wan nodded to him and made his way over to the Duchess.
"Hooligans couldn't have arranged an attack of this scale" Obi Wan said, as he checked their surroundings.
"Then this must be the work of an offworlder" Satine said, as she checked the very dazed civilian. "The Death Watch has never attempted anything like this".
"Until now" Jake said, as he pointed to the floating holographic symbol at what was once the base of the statue.
"The sign of the Death Watch" Satine said. Obi Wan frowned.
"This goes far beyond vandalism" he said. "This is a political statement against your government, and against you. You're not safe here, I'm taking you back to the palace".
Satine nodded, as Obi Wan guided her away from the scene and turned to the nearby guard. "I want to interview everyone here. Nobody leaves this scene".
That obviously didn't sit well with the bomber, because as soon as he heard that, he started shoving people aside and making a break for it.
"You there!" Obi Wan called as he watched the normal looking man break free of the small crowd and run. "Stay here" he said to the Duchess and Jake, and then quickly took off after him.
Jake turned to the guard. "Lockdown this area and get several more guards down here" he ordered. The guard nodded and took off to get more help. Jake watched the guard for a moment and then turned back, only to see that the Duchess had run off after Obi Wan. "Blasted Mandalorian" he said irritably as he started after her.
The man ran as fast as he could and took several quick turns, but he couldn't shake his pursuer, no matter how hard he tried. The pursuit only lasted a minute, as the bomber found himself cornered against an overlook. He looked around frantically as he tried to catch his breath, but found nowhere to go, and his Jedi pursuer blocked the one way out.
"I only want to talk" Obi Wan exclaimed, trying to reason with the man.
The man only responded by pulling a blaster pistol on the Jedi. He fired several shots, but Obi Wan was able to acrobatically dodge them. When he got to his feet, he drew his lightsaber and its sapphire blade sprung to life, and diverted several more shots harmlessly away. He managed to deflect one of the shots into the man's blaster, causing it to be knocked out of his hand.
The man then tried to lunge at him, but as Obi Wan deactivated his lightsaber, he ducked and kicked the man in the gut and sent him flying over him to the ground hard.
"I don't want to hurt you" Obi Wan warned. At this point, the Duchess had caught up to them, which Obi Wan noticed. "Stay back" he said, as he held his arm up to her.
The man also noticed the Duchess, and with the Jedi distracted he got up and bolted over to the balcony and climbed up on the railing. He turned to the Duchess and Obi Wan, said some words in Mandalorian, and then leaned back off the railing to fall to his death.
But as Obi Wan and the Duchess went to the railing and looked over, they found the man suspended in mid air. They also noticed Jake down there at the bottom with his arm extended up towards the man, as the crowd of people around him marveled at the sight. Quickly, the Duchess and Obi Wan made their way back down the way they had come up, just in time to see Jake lower the man down to the ground, and the man got immediately captured by several guards.
"Good work Jake" Obi Wan said. Jake nodded gratefully, as they turned their attention to the man as he was being led away by the guards. The man was putting up a resistance and saying several things in Mandalorian, but he was easily silenced and led away.
"What was he saying?" Obi Wan asked, turning to the Duchess.
"Nothing pleasant, that's for sure" Jake noted.
"He was also speaking in the dialect they speak on our moon, Concordia" the Duchess replied.
"I would very much like to visit this moon of yours " Obi Wan said, folding his arms thoughtfully. "Perhaps me and Jake could accompany the fugitive back there".
"The Concordian moon is a province with its own governor. You'll need me to escort you" the Duchess responded.
"That won't be necessary" Obi Wan protested.
"Actually it will" the Duchess replied. "You won't make much progress without me there".
"She does have a point" Jake chimed in, which earned him a pointed look from Obi Wan.
"Thank you Knight Delarus" the Duchess replied.
"We'll leave for Concordia in a few hours" the Duchess added.
Obi Wan began to protest but remained silent, as the Duchess turned and left to go back to the palace.
"She's got determination, that's for sure" Jake said, as he joined Obi Wan at his side, as they followed the Duchess back to her palace.
"Oh you have no idea" Obi Wan sighed, for he knew all too well how determined the Duchess Satine could be.
Thankfully, their trip to Concordia had been uneventful, and now they were landing in the main city. As their shuttle was landing, they noticed a normal dressed man with a guard on each side of him, waiting for them.
Once they landed, the three of them made their way towards the man, with the prisoner not far behind them with his two guards assigned to him.
"Duchess Satine, you are most welcome" he greeted cheerfully.
"Thank you Governor Vizsla" Satine replied. "May I present Master Obi Wan Kenobi and Knight Jake Delarus, representing the Jedi Council".
The two of them both bowed slightly in respect, as Satine continued. "Governor Vizsla is one of the officials I spoke of. He has been working hard to find the members of the Death Watch".
"I take it you've heard of the rumors about Satine, about how she's supposedly leading Mandalore into an alliance with the Separatists" Vizsla said.
"Our only instructions are to seek the truth" Obi Wan replied, as Governor Vizsla's attention was shifted to the prisoner that was being escorted by them.
"This is the man who bombed the memorial shrine?" he asked.
"Yes" Obi Wan replied. "He's apparently a member of the Death Watch. And thanks to Knight Delarus, he's here alive. Had it not been for him, this man would have taken his own life".
"I see" Vizsla said. "Well, thank you knight Delarus. Because of you, we may now have a good lead on the whereabouts of the Death Watch".
"Just doing my job" Jake replied with a grateful nod.
"Yes, well. If you'll pardon me gentleman, we must tend to the prisoners processing" Vizsla said, as he and his guard followed the prisoner and his escort to the holding cells.
As Satine began to follow, she felt her arm be grabbed, and turned to see Obi Wan holding it. Before she could say anything, Obi Wan spoke. "I need a favor from you. Please keep the Governor occupied at dinner".
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Just for a look around. I'd like to see if one of those mining facilities that you spoke of on our here, for myself" he replied.
"You mean you want to determine if their still operational" Satine concluded.
"I hope to determine they're not" he replied.
"I want you to wear this earpiece so that we can stay in contact, in case you run into trouble while we're gone" he said as he reached onto his belt and grabbed a comlink and earpiece, and held his hand towards her.
Satine reached into his hand and took them. She placed the comlink on her left wrist, and attached the small earpiece to her right ear. "Remember that you both are here under my protection. Please try not to cause problems where none yet exist".
"Think of us as searching for solutions" Obi Wan replied, as he powered up his speeder.
"I have to tell you I'm opposed to all of this" Satine called to Obi Wan..
"I'd be disappointed if you weren't" Obi Wan replied, as he took control of his speeder and flew it out of the hangar with Jake following him on his own speeder. Satine could only allow herself a small smile as she shook her head. As soon as the two Jedi were out of sight, she turned and exited the hangar and headed for the Governor's residence. In only a moment, she walked into the dining room and saw the governor in the far corner on a datapad.
"Forgive me Duchess" Vizsla said apologetically over his shoulder. "I was just writing a letter to the prisoners family to explain his situation".
"Of course Governor, very proper" Satine responded formally. "General Kenobi and Knight Delarus will join us shortly. They said they needed to meditate".
It only took them a few minutes of riding through the mostly barren, rocky terrain until they found something of interest. It was an abandoned mine from the looks of it, placed in one of the hills not too far from the main settlement. They came to a stop at the entrance, and examined their surroundings for a moment.
"This looks like a place of some interest" Obi Wan said, as they dismounted their speeders. "I'll investigate here".
"Alright" Jake replied. "I'll search a little more up from here and meet you back here".
"Very well. Comm me if you need any help" Obi Wan replied.
"You do the same" Jake said, as he started up toward a nearby ridgeline.
Obi Wan watched him until he was out of sight, and then entered the mine. As soon as the automatic doors opened, he crept up against the wall and peered around the corner of the dug in tunnel. Once he saw it was clear, he followed a very long conveyor belt through the tunnel. It didn't take him long until he saw some light and larger machinery at the mouth of the tunnel. He went towards them and soon found himself in the main room of the mine.
"Doesn't look very abandoned to me" he said, as he noticed the mine seemed very much active. He looked around and saw no one, but did see some equipment nearby and walked over to examine them. He walked along the line of jetpacks and helmets, and picked up one of the said helmets. He turned it in his hands, recognizing the simple style and color of it all too well, as it very much reminded him of the same helmet Jang Fett wore.
Somehow, Obi Wan had failed to sense the presence in the room with him until the very last second, and just barely dodged the shots that came towards his head. He looked to see the Death Watch warrior charge at him and tackle him to the ground, and then acrobatically roll off of him.
By the time Obi Wan got to his feet and ignited his lightsaber, the warrior disappeared. He slowly searched the dark areas that the warrior disappeared into, his saber held forward in a ready position.
"I am here on a diplomatic mission under the protection of Duchess Satine" he said to the room.
"We do not recognize her rule" a voice behind him said.
Obi Wan turned to see the warrior leap onto the conveyor belt near him, with a blaster in hand, and charge him. He fired at the Jedi before him, but Obi Wan blocked them easily and even kicked the warriors hand in an attempt to disarm him. As he prepared to strike him, he felt his saber get knocked out of his hands by a blaster bolt that was fired by a second warrior.
With his opponent's main weapon gone, the first warrior charged him. But Obi Wan was well trained in hand to hand combat, and managed to land some good hits on the warrior. But as good as he was, he was no match for both trained warriors together. They overpowered him and threw him to the ground, and the last thing he saw before it all went dark was the bottom of the boot of one of the warriors making impact with his face.
"Someone is feeding misinformation directly to the Republic Senate, saying that the Death Watch is taking over Mandalore" Satine said, as Governor Vizsla poured her a drink. "Who stands to gain from these lies?".
"Death Watch, of course" Vizsla responded.
"They could not have engineered this" Satine replied. "The problem has clearly grown much larger than we thought. And I suspect some external force helped it along".
"Hard to believe. It would have to be someone at the highest level of influence among the Separatists" Vizsla said, as he sat back down at the table by the Duchess.
"But why target me?" Satine asked, worry evident in her voice.
"You lead the Council of neutral systems. Thus, you threaten the Separatists' goals" Vizsla replied, as he raised his glass in a toast-like manner. "Take it as a compliment. Someone very powerful is working towards your downfall".
Satine could only look on in worry, as she knew the Governor was probably right. After a few moments, the Governor was beckoned over by one of his guards. "Excuse me Duchess" he said politely, as he made his way over to the guard.
"Two of the men found one of the Jedi in the mine near the base" the guard said, barely above a whisper, so only the Governor could hear. "They said, it was Kenobi. They still haven't found the other one yet".
"Good. Have them do a sweep and find Delarus. We'll eliminate both of them soon enough" Vizsla said, equally quiet. "And have a speeder prepped as soon as possible, the drug should be taking effect anytime now".
The guard nodded, and then left while the Governor returned to his seat. "Now where were we Duchess" he asked politely.
"I…I can't quite remember Governor" she replied, somewhat drearlily.
"Are you okay Duchess" Vizsla asked, faking worry.
"I...I probably...just need some air" she replied, as she tried to stand up but couldn't. Vizsla nodded to the two guards nearby, and they hurried over to stabilize her.
"Duchess, allow my men to take you to the med ward" Vizsla insisted.
"No...it's quite...alright" she protested. She was about to say more, but couldn't as she then passed out, leaving the two guards to keep her from falling. Vizsla smiled deviously.
"Load her into a speeder" he ordered. The guards nodded and carried her unconscious form out of the room towards the hangar, with Vizsla behind them. "It's time for the Duchess to pay for what she's done".
To be continued...