Three way comm line, aboard the Coronet, near the Null system.
"Kriffing hell!" Anakin swore over the comm line.
"I agree with Anakin," Jake replied.
"How are we supposed to defend against an entire frigate?" Anakin asked.
"We can't. That's why we need to get moving now" Obi Wan said. He then heard a sigh come from Jake's end of the line.
"Well that's not happening anytime soon" Jake replied. "I've just arrived at the engine room. The engines have been completely disabled, and….what the hell?".
"What is it Jake?" Anakin asked.
"These engines have been rigged with explosives," Jake replied.
"Explosives!" Obi Wan exclaimed. This situation just kept getting better and better by the minute.
"Why would the commando droids rig the engines, and why didn't they already detonate them?" Anakin asked.
"I don't know. But this gives me the feeling that the frigate is planning on boarding us" Jake replied.
"So that leaves us where we started, in need of a plan" Obi Wan said. Silence befell the comm line for a few moments.
"Well I've got one. It's very risky, but it could work" Jake said.
"Given our circumstances, risky sounds like the best option right now" Anakin replied.
"I'm afraid I'll have to agree," Obi Wan said hesitantly. "What's the plan?".
"It starts with giving the separatists their explosives back…"
The clones all hugged both walls, blasters pointed at the airlock entrance. And in the middle of the entrance way, calmly stood General Kenobi, lightsaber at the ready in his hand. Three mandalorian guards stood a few paces behind him, with their staffs in battle ready poses. There was an eerie quiet as they all waited for the coming battle, until they could hear the sound of the approaching frigate, as it prepared to dock with the Coronet. Obi Wan motioned to one of the troopers.
"When I say, open the door. There's no sense in us waiting for them to cut through" he said. The clone nodded, and positioned himself at the door's control panel. After a few moments, they could hear the frigate's airlock extension connect.
"Now!" Obi Wan exclaimed, his blue lightsaber surging to life. The trooper punched a button on the panel, and the door opened. And standing on the other side, were innumerable B2 super battle droids. Before the droids even started firing, the clones beat them to it and pelted them with blue laser bolts, even managing to down a few.
But the battle droids quickly returned fire as they slowly marched into the Coronet, downing two clones and one of the mandalorian guards in the process. But Obi Wan stood valiantly in the center, deflecting blaster bolts back at the boarding party, as he fought for every life on the ship. After a few more droids went down, Obi Wan briefly turned his head around.
"Jake, this'll be your best chance, go!" he called over the blaster fire. No sooner had he said that, and Jake was running straight at the battle droids, the pack carrying the separatist explosives strapped securely to his back. He ignited his lightsaber, and swung its green blade at the haphazard blaster bolts in his path. But as he approached the battle droids, he called upon the force, and leaped onto the nearby wall and acrobatically bounced off it to land on top of one of the super droids, and then jumped off past the first wave of droids, and headed into the enemy ship.
"How are you doing on the engines, Anakin?" Jake asked into his wrist comm, as he deactivated his lightsaber while making his way to the engine room.
"Won't be much longer and they'll be good to go" Anakin replied.
"Good. I'm almost to the engine room, Delarus out" Jake replied, as he switched off his comm.
After a few more minutes, and a brief stop to make sure he was going the right way, Jake was nearly at his destination. But just as he was about to reach the engine room doors , he came to a sudden stop, as two magnaguard droids dropped down from the ceiling into his way. They quickly activated their electrostaffs, and assumed their battle stance.
'I knew there'd be some type of resistance, but blast it all if I didn't expect this' Jake thought to himself, as he ignited his lightsaber and advanced on his opponents.
He swung his emerald blade furiously, going back and forth between the two droids to keep them both occupied, striking at each one three times and then doing the same to the other. This worked at first, but the Magnaguards soon turned the tables and put Jake on the defensive. When he had studied all the known droids the Separatists used, he had learned that magnaguards were exceptionally good melee fighters, and that was being proven very true right now. The two droids worked in surprisingly good tandem, striking at a pace only a Jedi could defend. Both sets of opponents soon found themselves in a stalemate.
The plan had worked…so far, but time was beginning to run out. Obi Wan had brought twelve clone troopers and three mandalorian guards to hold off the boarders, but now he was down to two guards and seven clones. And though they fought valiantly, the droids just kept pouring in.
Obi Wan deflected several blaster bolts, and cut down any droids that he could. But as the droids kept approaching, Obi Wan watched their attackers get peppered with a slew of new blaster fire, in addition to his troops' shots. He turned to see Anakin and Commander Cody approaching, along with five other clones to join the battle. Anakin and Cody took a position on opposite sides of Obi Wan.
"I got the engines fixed, and Rex is waiting for us to signal him and the bridge crew" Anakin shouted over the blaster fire, deflecting blaster bolts with his lightsaber as he did so.
"Well Jake made it onto the ship, but he should've been back by now" Obi Wan shouted back, as they all continued fighting.
"If this keeps up, we'll be overrun" Cody shouted, as he kept firing his blaster rifle into the masses of droids.
"I hope Jake is having an easier time than us" Anakin said as the battle went on, growing evermore dire by the second.
Back on the frigate, Jake's situation was not much better. He was holding his own against the magnaguards, but they were delaying him. He wished he'd kept Pre Vizslas saber on him to use in this situation, but it was back on the Coronet in his temporary quarters. He knew he'd have to do something, and something fast.
Quickly he deflected several strikes from the magnaguards electrostaffs, and decided to play a better but riskier defense. After deflecting a few more blows, Jake moved to the middle of his two enemies and waited for the right moment. That moment came when one of the droids lunged their staff at him and his saber made contact, but instead of parrying the strike, Jake acrobatically spun and redirected it into the chest of the other magnaguard, stunning it. With the electrostaff and the tip of his lightsaber blade in the droid's chest, Jake brought his blade up in one smooth arc, effectively cutting the droid in half.
And before the other magnaguard could react, Jake spun around and brought his emerald saber down through its neck, and then dropped to a knee and sliced straight through its midsection several times. He stood up and watched as the droid fell into several pieces onto the deck, then extinguished his lightsaber, and stayed only a few seconds more to catch his breath.
Once he had his breath back, Jake ran straight to the engine room, using the force to open the doors as he slipped the pack off of his back. In one move, Jake slid on the deck and threw the pack of explosives into the engine room, watching them fall behind some coolant tubes, and then sprinted off back to the airlock entrance.
As he approached the entrance, he could see the battle droids still pouring into the Coronet. He drew and ignited his lightsaber, and cut down several droids outside of the entrance. Once he was directly behind the boarding droids, he called upon the force and outstretched his free hand, and sent a powerful force push that knocked most of the battle droids into both walls. Jake then quickly made it back onto the Coronet, and helped them finish off any remaining droids. As soon as that was done, Jake went to the console on the wall and hit several buttons, locking the airlock and disengaging the Coronet from the frigate. Anakin flipped his wrist comm on.
"Rex we're clear, get us out of here" Anakin said.
"Right away sir," Rex replied. After a few seconds, the ship sped away from the separatist frigate. The frigate did give chase, and even started to open fire. But after only a few shots, the ship exploded into a fiery wreck, and all that was left of it was scrap.
After the frigate was confirmed destroyed, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Anakin and Obi Wan then walked over to Jake, who was sitting on the floor and hunched up against the wall where the airlock control panel was, catching a few moments of rest.
"Well, it seems your plan worked after all. Though I thought it was supposed to go just a little quicker" Obi Wan said with a half smile.
"Well, I am still new to this galaxy, so I tend to get curious sometimes" Jake replied, unable to hide a half smirk as well. Obi Wan and Anakin both lightly chuckled.
"Well we're just glad you made it back in one piece Jake" Anakin said, offering his prosthetic arm.
"Well I almost didn't" Jake replied, taking Anakin's arm and standing up. "Two magnaguards were waiting for me outside the engine room".
"Magnaguard's? That sounds like excessive security for a standard frigates engines" Anakin noted. Obi Wan crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Yes, almost as if they were expecting an attack there" Obi Wan said. Jake nodded.
"That's what I was thinking. I think the separatists were tipped off to our plan" Jake replied, as the three Jedi started walking down the hallway.
"You think a spy is onboard?" Anakin asked. Jake rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"You have to admit it makes sense. That would explain the Magnaguards, and both the assassin and commando droids" Jake replied.
"Sure, but how could they have smuggled the droids onto the ship?" Anakin asked. Obi Wan rubbed his beard thoughtfully, and suddenly stopped as a thought hit him like a brick wall.
"Master, what's wrong?" Anakin asked, noticing his former master's sudden change in demeanor.
"The only way those droids could've gotten put on the ship would've been if they had…senatorial security clearance" Obi Wan said, as a wave of fear suddenly swept over him, causing him to suddenly sprint off down the hallway. Anakin and Jake shared a quick glance, and then took off after their friend.
A few moments later, they arrived back at the dining room. As soon as they entered, they immediately took in the scene; The Duchess was nowhere to be found, her entourage were all shaken up, and the two mandalorian guards left behind to protect her were dead.
"Master Jedi, thank goodness you're back" a green Rodian cried, as he came up to the three Jedi.
"Senator Farr, what happened here, and where's the Duchess?" Obi Wan asked.
"As soon as we were told the battle was over, Senator Merrik pulled a blaster and shot the guards, and then took the Duchess hostage" Senator Farr replied, clearly shaken by the whole event.
Obi Wan knew that the only way off the ship now was the escape pods, so he turned and bolted off towards there before they lost the Duchess for good. Jake turned to Anakin.
"Anakin, have all our spare troops lockdown the ship, and you stay here with the senators" he said, and then started off where Obi Wan had just went.
"Well where are you going?" Anakin called. Jake stopped briefly and turned to Anakin.
"Something tells me they'll need a little extra help" Jake called back, and then quickly headed for the escape pods.
"It all happened so fast, there wasn't anything we could do" Senator Farr pleaded. Anakin sighed.
"Don't worry Senator. Right now, I'd be very worried if I was Senator Merrik" Anakin replied, as he turned on his wrist comm.
"Cody here" Commander Cody said through the comm.
"Cody, take all available clones and secure the bridge and any exits off the upper deck. Duchess Satine has been taken hostage" Anakin ordered.
"Right away sir, I'll notify Rex on the bridge at once" Cody replied, and then ended the transmission. Anakin turned to the group of shaken Senators, and hoped his companions would be successful in rescuing the Duchess.
This was not how this was supposed to happen, not at all. He had been assured that any protection of the duchess, Jedi or not, would have been taken care of. Yet somehow, the Jedi had managed not only to defeat the assassin and commando droids he was able to smuggle on board, no, they were also able to single handedly destroy the separatists frigate, even after he had secretly informed the frigate of their plan. And now he had to resort to his last plan, though it was not easy.
As Senator Merrik brought the Duchess to the escape pods as quickly as he could, it was not easy, for she would give him resistance whenever she could. But even with that, they soon reached the escape pods.
"Now Duchess, we'll be going to have a little talk with the Separatists now" Merrik sneered.
"You won't get away with this, you traitorous slime" Satine retorted bitterly.
"Oh Duchess, I already have," Merrik said with a smirk.
"Oh I don't think so" said a voice, that was quickly followed by a snap hiss of a lightsaber. Merrik whipped around to see Obi Wan Kenobi glaring at him, his blue lightsaber glowing and humming in his hand at his side.
"General Kenobi, you're just in time to see us off," Merrik said, as he held the blaster in his hand to Satine's head.
"The only way you're leaving here Merrik, is in a pair of cuffs. Now release the Duchess" Obi Wan replied fiercely.
"I don't think you realize what's at stake, General" Merrik replied smugly. "Though you and your companions may have removed the explosives from the engines, I bet none of you knew about the bomb down in the cargo hold, did you?"
Obi Wan's face remained stoic, as Merrik pulled out a small detonator from his pocket. "I press this button, and everyone on this ship will die".
"Obi, if you have any respect for me, you will not take such risks with so many peoples lives at stake" Satine pleaded. Obi Wan's gaze softened for a moment.
"Satine…" Obi Wan said softly, even taking a step towards her.
"Don't try it Jedi" Merrik spat, pressing his blaster under Satine's chin. "Say farewell, Duchess".
"Obi Wan, it looks like I may never see you again," Satine said. "I don't quite know how to say this, but I've loved you from the moment you came to my aid all those years ago".
"I don't believe this," Merrik said in disgust.
"Satine, this is hardly the time or place for…" Obi Wan began to protest, but as he looked into the eyes of the woman he too had loved for so long, he relented.
"All right. Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi order" Obi Wan replied. Satine smiled softly.
"That is touching, truly it is. But it's making me sick, and we really must be going" Merrik spat in disgust. Satine finally had enough.
"You have the romantic soul of a slug, Merrik!" Satine growled, and with that, elbowed him in the stomach and pulled away from him, taking the blaster pistol from him as well, and then aimed it at him.
"Interesting turnabout. But even if I do not deliver the duchess alive to the Separatists, I still win. The second I'm away, I'll hit the remote and blow the Coronet to bits" Merrik said confidently.
"I will not allow that," Satine replied fiercely.
"What will you do? If you shoot me, you prove yourself a hypocrite to every pacifist ideal you hold dear" Merrik taunted, and then turned to Obi Wan.
"And you, Kenobi. You are no stranger to violence. You'd be hailed as a hero by everyone on this ship" Merrik said smugly, as he turned back to Satine.
"Well, almost everyone" Merrik remarked, and slowly moved to a position where he could eye both his enemies.
"Come on, then. Who will strike first and brand themselves a cold blooded killer" Merrik said confidently. But suddenly he let out a quick cry, as his body tensed and he froze, a look of sudden shock on his face.
"No one else will die by your hand this day, Merrik" Jake's voice growled. Obi Wan and Satine turned to see Jake standing by the entrance, his right hand outstretched and his body itself even seemed tensed up.
"Get that detonator from him, now!" Jake said. Satine moved to Merrik and carefully tried to take the detonator from his hand, but couldn't pray it away.
"I can't get it" Satine replied. Her and Obi Wan watched, as Jake closed his eyes, and after a moment were drawn back to Merrik, as he cried out in agonizing pain.
They looked to the source of his pain, and quickly wished they hadn't, as they saw the very bones of Merriks thumb and first two fingers, start snapping inside his hand, and saw said fingers start to bend backwards. Satine quickly grabbed the detonator before it could hit the floor, and backed away over to Obi Wan.
As soon as Satine took the detonator, the two watched in amazement, as Merriks fingers were quickly put back together, almost as if they hadn't just been broken. And then, Jake raised his left hand and Merriks' cries silenced. And with that, Jake then lowered his hands and let out a weary breath as Merrik slumped to the floor.
"Is he alive?" Satine asked, as Obi Wan went over and knelt down beside Merrik.
"Yes, I didn't kill him. I merely put him to sleep for a bit," Jake replied as he joined the duo.
"Well it certainly sounded like you were killing him" Obi Wan remarked, as he briefly examined Merriks hand, fascinated that it appeared perfectly normal aside from some slight reddening around his repaired fingers.
"Which makes me wonder, how did you do that without tapping into the dark side? Obi Wan asked as he stood up. Jake slightly shrugged.
"My knowledge in telekinesis is greater than most. And though I was angry at Merrik for all the deaths he caused, I did not let my temper fuel my decision, but rather my drive to stop him" Jake replied as he walked over to Merriks unconscious body. Obi Wan's brow furrowed.
"No true Jedi would ever purposely inflict such pain on another living being like you did" Obi Wan said crossly, as Jake lifted Merriks body onto his shoulders.
"And no true Jedi would consciously let someone murder innocents when they could do something about it" Jake replied, in a surprisingly calm tone.
"It was either let him get away and kill us all, let one of you two kill him before he could, or inflict a little pain on him and see that nobody died. 'To punish someone rather than make them perish, is in most cases the best form of Justice', as my master once told me," and with that, Jake walked out to take Merrik to a holding cell.
Obi Wan was definitely surprised by Jake's response, both in what he said and how he said it. When he had accused Jake of not being a true Jedi, he had done it as somewhat of a spur of the moment test, not as an insult or a statement of what he himself actually believed, and he had expected Jake to become angry. But yet he let it roll off him like waves on a beach, and gave a surprising response, one that Obi Wan himself couldn't help but agree with. Though he had come to know Jake decently well over the last few weeks since they'd discovered him near Tanaab, and even had trust starting to build with him, this man was still much of a mystery to him.
But he did know one thing, Jake passed the test; and with flying colors at that. Obi Wan was pulled from his thoughts as Satine spoke.
"I'm starting to think I misjudged your friend, Obi Wan. He does not seem like such the large, merciless brute one might think when first seeing him" Satine said, as she started to leave the room. Obi Wan gently grabbed her arm.
"Satine…"
"I meant what I said Obi Wan. And if you are still as I remember you, so did you. Which makes me feel better about this" Satine replied, and gave Obi Wan a loving kiss on his cheek. Though his beard held it well, Satine could still see some red flush in Obi Wan's face. And as Obi Wan tried to find his words, which he couldn't at the moment, Satine gave him a lovely smile and walked back to her fellow politicians, leaving a very confused Jedi master speechless…but certainly not unhappy.
After Merriks capture, the return trip to Coruscant was peaceful and uneventful. After several days and a few more escapades that also involved Obi Wan coming to her rescue, Duchess Satine had proven Mandalore's neutrality to the Senate and was returning home. But after bidding farewell to her Jedi love interest, she still had one more person who wished to say goodbye as well.
Duchess Satine watched as Obi Wan walked off to go back to his Jedi duties, and she turned and boarded the Coronet. But as she entered the now repaired ship, she found a familiar person waiting for her at the entrance.
"Master Delarus, this is a pleasant surprise" Satine greeted. Jake bowed slightly in return.
"I promise I won't keep you long Duchess, I just also came to see you off. And to make sure that your ship had been triple checked for your safety" Jake replied. The Duchess chuckled softly.
"Well that is very kind of you. And I'm glad you're here, because I wanted to properly thank you for everything you did for me and my people" Satine replied. Jake smiled softly.
"Well, your thanks isn't necessary Duchess, but very appreciated nonetheless. And that actually brings up another reason I came to see you, so I could give you this" Jake said, as he pulled a very nice wooden box from behind his back, and presented it to the Duchess. The Duchess seemed clearly surprised at the nice gesture.
"You gave me a gift?" she asked, as he handed her the box. Jake nodded.
"Yes, but it also serves as a peace offering of sorts," Jake replied. The Duchess opened the box, and was surprised to see a familiar dagger like hilt inside. Satine looked back at Jake in confusion.
"Allow me to explain" Jake began. "I took this weapon from Pre Vizsla, who boasted that it had been stolen from the Jedi temple long ago. At first, I was going to return it, and have it put into the Jedi Archives. But then I did some research, and found out that this darksaber belonged to Pre's ancestor Tar Vizsla, the first ever Mandalorian to ever become a Jedi. When I found this out, I spoke to Master Yoda about it and he agreed with me, that its place was back home on Mandalore as a symbol of its ruler".
"But…I don't understand. I have turned my people away from our warrior ways" Satine replied, still confused at what Jake was getting at.
"And that is a good thing, Duchess," Jake said with a nod. "You see, you've been told that the Jedi are keepers of the peace, and while that is true, we are not the only peacekeepers in the galaxy. Tar Vizsla was a peacekeeper, and now so are you. Let this saber be a reminder to you and your people that anyone, no matter their cultural history, can become a peacekeeper".
"You are quite the intellectual, Master Delarus" Satine said with a smile, impressed with Jake's passionate speech. "This weapon shall be put in my palace, and viewed as the first tool used to build Mandalore's road to peace. Thank you Master Delarus, I am very honored by your gift".
"And you have my thanks Duchess" Jake bowed respectfully. "For to seek peace over war for the good of one's people, is a person that has honor few can match".
"I do have one more question for you" Satine said, as Jake was beginning to leave the ship. Jake stopped and turned back to her.
"You said this also served as a peace offering, but what are you making peace with?" Satine asked. Jake smiled.
"Let's just say between you and me Duchess, I saw what the Mandalorians were like at their worst, and I was expecting them to have not changed at first. But you proved me wrong, and I am glad for that. And now that you know of Tar Vizsla, I give you his saber, that it may forever be a sign and reminder to all of forever friendship with the Jedi Order" Jake replied. The Duchess was speechless, unable to find words to say to that.
"Safe travels Duchess, and I hope our paths cross again someday" Jake said, and then walked out of the ship and into the docking bay.
He had meant every word he'd told the Duchess. And he truly believed that she would eventually lead Mandalore to a greater form of glory than whatever their old ways could have even tried to bring them. The discovery of Tar Vizsla's history had put out any spots of malice towards Mandalorians that remained in Jake's heart. Even though he would still sometimes have nightmares about the things he had seen them do, it brought him a little extra peace of mind knowing that those beasts were long gone. And if any who wished to bring those ways back still remained, Jake would have no problem at all helping the Duchess stamp them out for good.
After watching the Coronet leave the docking bay and head off into space, Jake made his way to some nearby transportation. He had a feeling that after these last couple days of rest and studying for him, the council would have another assignment for him. And as he headed for the temple, he thought about how he'd like to go see somewhere else, maybe someplace he'd never been before.
Little did he know, his next assignment wouldn't just bring him to a new place, but to much more as well…