Author's Note: Phew, sorry about the wait. Writer's block is a real kriffer. At any rate, hope y'all enjoy!


-Chapter 111: Triple Threat-

Location: Korda Six

"Family can either bring out the best in us or the worst in us."

In the aftermath of the Sedawan mission, the Jedi were greatly concerned by the Separatist's theft of kyber crystals. Suspecting some sort of malicious ploy, the Jedi Council tasked Aayla and Kit with searching for more information and evidence as to what the CIS was up to, in collaboration with Saesee's report...


Analyze. Predict. Outwit. React. A simple formula, yet it proved very effective against even the most skillful of combatants.

And Banshee was up against one of the most seasoned combatants she had the pleasure of knowing.

Within the combat ring in the training room, The Wraith, clad in only a pair of shorts and some wrappings around his fists, stood opposite her in the stance of a slow and patient fighter. Sweat matted his hair and clung to every edge of his muscled body, evidence of some hard fought practice as he sparred with her. The Umbaran, in a rare moment, was out of armor, taking advantage of the twelve hours she could survive without the biochemical mixture that kept her body at super-soldier capacity. Having never seen her outside of her armor before, Wraith had taken a moment to examine her. Her skin was pale, almost white, and matched her short bob-cut white hair. Her steely blue eyes were keen and searching, her equally sweaty body toned and fit with muscles in just the right places. She was built lean and precise, definitely shorter than him, but also seemingly more agile and faster. But Wraith's size belied lightning fast responses, as Banshee was swiftly learning. The two were closely watched by Reaper, who had already gone a few rounds with Wraith. His enhanced skeletal system and nanite-infused skin made him very resistant to pain and injury, able to tank blows as well as dish out his own style of bone-breaking punishment. He was now watching to see how Banshee was performing, in light of her recent successes in combat.

A trio of rapid-fire jabs struck the palms of Wraith's quick-moving hands, Banshee's hand-eye coordination proving impressive as Wraith worked to block her incoming blows. She had been taught several Umbaran martial arts, and while Wraith was a master of ten different arts himself, none of them were Umbaran. Her onslaught continued, fuelled by a fervent desire to push herself to be the better than before, whatever form that took. "Good... Good." Wraith praised. "Remember to keep your arms tight and your legs limber." Banshee took his advice and followed up an attempted elbow strike with a hook kick. But Wraith caught her leg and promptly put her on her back with a leg sweep, securing his advantage with a crescent heel-kick that connected with her abdomen.

"Ugh... I yield." She groaned, recovering from the impact. "It seems you beat me again."

"It wasn't an easy victory. You're getting good." Wraith praised as he offered her a hand, which she accepted. "Try to roll next time. Put some distance between you and your opponent, that way you have time to think about the next attack."

"Yes, agreed." Banshee concurred, straightening her grey sweat-stained sports bra and tights. "Even after all my training, it seems there is much I have yet to learn." She mused, disappointed in her failure to avoid being taken down. Her voice was soft but definitely carried a heavy Umbaran accent.

"You're unique, you'll always be different from me." Wraith encouraged. "Use what you can do to your benefit. That's what makes us better than Clones; we're one of a kind sentients."

"He's right about that." Reaper agreed, casually sipping a protein drink. "You've got what it takes, Banshee, you've just gotta figure out what works for you." The Umbaran nodded, grateful for their easy-going tutelage.

"I will be sure to work on it." She promised, brushing some snow-white hair away from her forehead. "Though perhaps I could do something related to my designation."

"Just don't scream all the time. That's enough to soil a Clone's armor let alone scare the sithspit out of us!" Wraith joked, finally bringing a smile to Banshee's otherwise solid face. Reaper joined in just in time for Pomel Scipio to enter.

"I certainly hope I won't be interrupting anything," he began with a cleared throat, "but I must borrow Wraith for an assignment." Wraith shrugged in agreement.

"Banshee and I just finished a round. Reaper? Ya want in?" He wondered.

"Sure. Don't be gone too long." His partner replied as they traded places in the ring. Wraith toweled off as Scipio approached him.

"What's up, Doc?" He queried.

"I have nearly finished the design of your new armor, however it is missing a single component: the material it is to be forged from." Scipio explained. "And given your report concerning Death Watch the other day, it gave me an idea." Wraith eyed him warily, wondering if the Pau'an might have some sort of scheme in mind concerning the Mando terrorists.

"Which is...?" He slowly wondered.

"Death Watch is a rogue Mandalorian faction, operating under their own means. However, they still use traditional Mandalorian armor, which is made from Beskar." Wraith nodded.

"I think I see where you're going..."

"We discovered an abandoned hideout near our base on Endor and I've used the data provided from that raid to pinpoint another possible location: the sixth planet in the Korda system." Scipio revealed. Wraith knew of it.

"Mid-Rim..." He trailed off.

"I believe, if you go there, you may find it abandoned as well... but there could be some pieces of armor left behind or possibly even raw ores to be worked with." Scipio added. Wraith understood what was asked of him now: he was to raid the old Death Watch camp to see if there were any salvageable materials available for him to exploit for the sake of his new armor.

"Got it." He affirmed, now in need of a shower before he departed for Korda Six. "Well... this should be entertaining, provided there aren't any hiccups along the way."

"Oh, I highly doubt that, my boy." Scipio promised with a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You reported Death Watch on Carlac. Surely they've left that Korda Six location alone and I don't see what could possibly go wrong if no one's there."


Death Watch had indeed left Korda Six alone for several months. But someone else hadn't, someone who could ensure Wraith's mission went wrong.

That someone being quite a few someones: The Titan Conglomerate.

Corsair and his crew had been on an intel hunt for some time, working on scrounging up information related to Wraith's new ally as well as his recent activities beyond the battlefield. Corsair had learned much and now, thanks to an informant Theris knew, he and his band of mercenaries were in orbit on the far side of Korda Six.

"An' yor positive 'e's comin' here?"

"We know he handled Death Watch on Carlac. He may be wanting to raid one of their other camps, given Death Watch cut ties with Dooku and is now looking to kill him. This was their most recent one before setting up on Carlac." Theris replied. Although her intel was good, she'd been fidgety and on edge ever since the notion of the Mandalorian terrorist organization came up. The signs were subtle enough that most of the Titans didn't notice. Although some of the sharper ones did, Corsair included, but said nothing.

"Then we gotta get boots on tha ground, get tha lay a' tha land an' figure out how ta handle 'im when 'e shows up." The Titan leader stated. "Best ta leave tha Houks outta this. You an' me'll do a preliminary." He decided, leaving his chair while crushing the butt of his cigarra. Theris nodded, prompt to follow orders.

"On it." She held back, though, her enthusiasm lacking in comparison to Corsair's. She had some concerns about what could possibly happen, especially if Death Watch decided to make an unexpected house call. "Boss..." Theris called after him. Corsair slowed and turned. Theris took a breath, "if Death Watch does show up, you have to let me handle it. Alone." Corsair cocked his head.

"Alone? Why?"

"Because I just... I just have to." Theris excused. "It's personal, okay?" Corsair knew better than to mess with the personal affairs of his crew but held some reservations about letting Theris do anything alone. He'd tangled with Mandalorians before, they were no slouches when it came to battle and combat.

"Yeah. Sure. But I don't wanna lose ya, Theris. I need ya to keep these ingrates in ordah." He agreed. Theris nodded in response and they moved off again. "Tell Seraj ta stay put while we check it out. An' have Jammah run a deep scan, I wanna know everythin' 'bout this place."

"If it's Death Watch, it should be simple." Theris mused.

"Ya seem ta know plenty about 'em." Corsair remarked.

"Not by choice." Theris muttered.


Later...

Wraith's Aka'jor emerged from hyperspace and made a beeline for the green world of Korda Six. It was terrestrial but barely inhabited, full of verdant forests and wildlife. Something about it seemed like the perfect hiding place for an operation like Death Watch and the super-soldier hoped they thought the same... enough so that they'd stash some Beskar here somewhere.

If this didn't pan out, he might have to go back to Carlac to collect some... and the very mention of the world conjured up plenty of bad memories he had no interest in reliving.

Hopeful but also wary, Wraith descended towards the nearest man-made object his scanners pinpointed. As he broke atmosphere, he could see a grey shape breaking up the greenery of the woods. It was broad and geometrical, definitely a building.

"More of a complex than a camp." He mused as he circled the encampment from the air. A series of interconnected buildings, laid over with tarps and coverings, created a miniature network that would've been perfect for a terrorist base. Landing his ship in an open space, Wraith jogged out as he let his sensors sweep across the compound. He could detect no biometric readings, indicating that either the place really was abandoned or that the walls of the buildings were thick enough to block his sensors. Regardless of which, his hands reached for his holstered pistols and cocked the hammers of both slugthrowers before he toggled the weapon charge on both blasters.

The first door he encountered was unpowered and he had to shove it open, another indicator this place had been left alone for some time. He adjusted his optics to compensate for the lack of light before he moved on, finding the halls dark and dusty from disuse. He pinged his scanners once more and watched as the waves bounced back and forth along the halls, crafting a near-perfect map for him. This scan integrated into his HUD as his others sensors finished their sweep. Radioactivity was nil, thermals were low... and biometrics picked up two signatures somewhere within the complex. His theory about the shielded outer walls proven and suspecting Death Watch to some degree, Wraith adjusted his priorities and made for his two new targets.

Having already been alerted to Wraith's arrival by Seraj Liner, Corsair and Theris were busy prepared for his arrival. Theris had brought along her twin blaster pistols and Corsair's scattergun was pumped and ready. They'd fixed a series of explosives to one of the doors accessing the central room they decided to use for a standoff with the super-soldier. There were three ways in and, since they'd already entered through one, they ruled out the second and rigged the other. Liner was busy above, rallying the rest of the Titans aboard their shuttle so they could come down and join the offensive. For the moment, it would be Theris and Corsair alone against The Wraith.

"Well, the odds coulda been worse." Corsair remarked as he and Theris crouched behind an overturned table.

"Like that one time on Gerrard Five?" Theris responded.

"I was thinkin' tha Jade Moon." Corsair answered.

"Oh yeah... that was a real mess." Theris agreed. "Seemed like nothing went our way that time."

"That's what ya get fo' a misundahstandin' with a crime boss." Corsair mused. "Still can't bahlieve he thought we was gonna steal 'is Coaxium."

"We weren't even there for Coaxium in the first place. How do you confused that with Spice?"

"Beats me, Theris." Corsair shrugged. "Good thing ya pegged 'im befor' he dropped me. Ya got a real eye behind an iron sight." He complimented.

"Spread the praise around later, boss, I think our mark just showed up." Theris quickly stated, hearing the creaking noise of the floor on the other side of the door before them. Both Titans quickly popped up from behind their cover and trained their weapons on the door, waiting expectantly. The creaking grew louder until it suddenly stopped and the door started to slide open. The instant it did, their explosives detonated and filled the entry with copious smoke and flashes of flame. Theris quickly pulled the triggers as Corsair also fired, both of them emptying several rounds into the cloud before Corsair had them pause. The smoke cleared quite suddenly to reveal a shocking surprise.

"What tha bloody..." Corsair partially exclaimed as he realized their mistake. "There's nobody there!" Theris had plenty of questions herself only to suddenly have the answers as a blaster round struck the table between them. The Titans whirled around to see Wraith standing behind them, who had taken the long way around.

"Just figured that out, did you?" He rumbled as he opened fire. Corsair and Theris rolled aside as more blaster rounds peppered the table. "A little remote activation really does the trick sometimes." He remarked, spreading out his arms and firing on them both as Theris and Corsair dived for cover. With his targets now split apart, and covering enough distance to outflank him, Wraith remained where he was and chose to bide his time. "You gonna come out? I could just detonate some more explosives, you know." He taunted.

"I call sithspit on that!" Theris remarked as she loaded fresh energy cells into her weapons. "Boss! I think we need the others now." She added.

"Right ya are, Theris." Corsair agreed, queuing his comms, "Linah-"

"Boss, we got incoming. Two more ships just exited hyperspace." Their pilot suddenly announced, the communication loud enough for all three of them to hear.

"What kind?"

"Two Gauntlet starfighters." That caused everyone to freeze. They weren't expecting anyone else but the model of starfighter heavily indicated who was one their way here and everyone had a feeling they knew why.

"Death Watch. Has to be." Wraith growled.

"They're here." Theris breathed, fretting this possibility since they'd arrived.

"Linah, change a' plans; everyone stays on tha ship." Corsair quickly ordered. The Titan leader then made to call out to Wraith, "Look 'ere, boyo. Normally I'd be jus fine with us goin' ham on each othah. But seein' as we got unexpected company, I'd be willin' ta let ya go without a scratch jus' this once." He offered. "Whaddya say? We can take this elsewhere, find a bettah world were we all won't be intahrrupted."

"I say your partner has suddenly left." Wraith stated. Corsair jerked his head up and watched the second door slide shut as Theris abandoned the room.

"Theris! Bloody hell..." He muttered.

"She's a Mando too, isn't she? What's going on between her and Death Watch?" Wraith asked, suspecting a potential double-cross.

"Yeah, I don't bloody know." Corsair grumbled. "Said somethin' personal's goin' on 'tween 'er an' them." Wraith simply grunted and started to leave, ignoring the Titan. "An' where d'ya think yor goin'?" Corsair demanded.

"My business is not with Death Watch. I have other priorities." Wraith curtly replied, ready to walk out the same door he entered through. Corsair rose and realized that Death Watch could be handled properly... just under different circumstances. He could keep his crew safe if he put someone else on the frontlines instead of them... and he knew just who to ask. Though he'd probably reject his offer flat out, Corsair always knew when to play the ace up his sleeve to sweeten the pot.

"Look 'ere, mate, I know ya tangled wit' those crusadah knockoffs on Carlac... an' had one helluva argument with yor girlfriend." He remarked, causing Wraith to freeze before whirling around. Though Corsair couldn't see his face, he could only envision the wide eyes and dropped jaw beneath. That brought a smirk to him as Wraith stammered out a response.

"How do you-?"

"I have my ways, mate. But that's not important. What is, is that I get Theris back in one piece an' we both know Death Watch ain't too kind ta intahlopahs who get in their way." Wraith knew that to be true from experience, but that was far from his primary concern. Somehow Corsair was in the know about the events of Carlac, but also of his secret relationship with Ahsoka. This was bad, very bad. Corsair was as unscrupulous as they came, he could sell such a secret to anyone for the right price! It seemed more imperative now that he do away with him, if only to protect her way of life from total disruption. "So I'll cut ya a different deal: ya help me lay waste ta these fools, an' I'll see if I can talk some sense inta 'Soka... an' I won't tell the othah Jedi 'bout tha two a' ya. Deal?" Corsair offered. Wraith shook his head in bewilderment, incredulous to what he'd just heard.

"You... would speak with her? On my behalf? Why the hell would you do that? You're trying to kill me!" He exclaimed. Corsair simply smirked.

"Because, right now, I want yor cooperation mor' than I want ya in a body bag." He stated. He pumped his scattergun, loading a fresh shell. "So... do we 'ave a deal?" He wondered. Wraith didn't like anything about this. Corsair could blackmail him into doing whatever he wanted. Despite how he and Ahsoka were currently on the outs, he still cared about her and was determined to ensure nothing bad would ever happen to her. And right now, all of that was contained within the actions of Corsair.

What choice did he have?

Drawing his slugthrower and cocking it, he growled a single response, "Deal."


She knew it wasn't smart of her to confront them all by herself. She needed backup, especially given Death Watch's intentions towards her. But she needed to deal with this herself. She had to... for her family.

Having scoped out the compound in advance, Theris knew where to intercept the arriving Death Watch. The only other exterior access feasible for a pair of Gauntlet starfighters was a storeroom to the north. She could intercept them and confront the murderers on her own terms... though she was starting to wish she'd brought along more than just her twin WESTAR-35 blasters. Her Titan armor stored a few other weapons, including a knuckle blade and a CDEF pistol holstered behind her, but Theris was certain none of that would be enough to handle a crew of heavily-armored, well-equipped Mandalorians. Something she knew from past experiences. Part of her wished to have her old armor on hand... while the rest of her knew she couldn't touch it until Pre Viszla was dead.

The door before her slid open and Theris entered the storeroom, stepping down towards a line of crates that seemed to neatly divide the room in two. Hearing footsteps behind the opposite door, Theris drew her twin weapons and aimed them at the entrance just as the door slid open. Two blaster rounds struck the frame with a shower of sparks as Theris relaxed on the triggers.

"Not another step." She called out, knowing the directive would be ignored. Sure enough, a blue-plated Mandalorian stepped through and Theris instantly recognized the markings with a frown. This was him, the man who'd taken everything from her.

"Do we know you?" Pre Viszla asked.

"After what you did, I thought you'd remember me, Pre." Theris retorted. Viszla huffed as he pulled of his helmet, revealing his scarred appearance. Theris smirked at that, pleased to know someone had given him what-for.

"Why don't you refresh my memory and tell me who you are." Viszla mused, relaxed and calm in such a sinister fashion. Theris fixed him with her dark brown eyes and her fingers trembled against the triggers, wanting to put him down right now but knowing she would die before she could even pull the triggers.

"I am Rahne. Clan Saxon. House Viszla." She declared instead. Pre Viszla cocked his head in mild intrigue as the Mandos behind him murmured amongst each other.

"Rahne?" He repeated, slowly examining her. "You're right. I do remember you. I just didn't recognize you without your armor."

"I refuse to associate with the likes of you, Viszla. Not after you had Gar kill my family!" Theris retorted.

"They were weak links! They did not agree with my vision." Viszla casually remarked.

"Weak?! You're the one who's weak, Viszla! Using idle threats and scare tactics to try and force others to your ways! You're no true Mandalorian!" Theris spat, fury flaming in her eyes as painful memories were dredged to the surface, stifled by never truly forgotten.

"And I suppose you are?" Pre retorted, drawing the Darksaber and igniting its black blade. "The Darksaber was my father's and he passed it to me. You know our traditions, you know this makes me Mandalore!" He stated. "Therefore it is my duty to unit our people under a common banner; the banner of our ancestors in ways that made the galaxy fear us!"

"You claim a title that belongs to greater men than you, Pre." Theris growled. Pre cut his tirade short and offered the pale brunette a cold, deadly gaze.

"Mind your tongue, Rahne, or I'll cut it out!" He threatened, signalling to some Mandos. "Take her!" Four of Death Watch advanced on Theris while more filed into the room, wrist blasters and handheld weapons primed and charged. Theris was definitely outgunned. "You were unwise to face us alone." Viszla mocked. Theris spread her sights wide, training her blasters on the closest of the Mandalorians. She had a feeling this would end all too soon when her earpiece suddenly crackled to life.

"Got a feelin' ya needed backup." It was Corsair. Sizing up those confronting her, her own people, Theris felt no remorse for what was to come and returned her gaze to Viszla.

"Your thugs are big and all," she remarked. Just then, the door behind her blew open with a shower of sparks and clouds of smoke to reveal Corsair and Wraith standing tall with weapons at the ready, "but mine are bigger." Seeing The Wraith, Death Watch took a wary step back, remembering just how unstoppable he was and how many of their own fell to him on Carlac.

"Oy! Viszla! Been a while since I levelled yor hindquartahs. Lookin' fo' a rematch ya cheap crusadah knockoff?" Corsair announced in his typical devil-may-care fashion.

"You do you, I'll handle everyone else." Wraith growled, charging his carbine.

"Then let's get some!" Corsair grinned as he took aim at the closest Mando and fired off his scattergun. They took the hit straight to the helmet and teetered back, allowing Theris to blast them point-blank in the visor. That prompted the rest to spring into action, Bo-Katan using her jetpack to cross the room and engage Theris as Corsair started laying into the Mandos closest to him. Wraith took up position behind a crate and laid down cover fire to keep the other Mandos at bay, suppressing any attempt to go on the offensive.

Theris and Bo grappled, the two women peak examples of Mandalorian prowess. Both were friends at one time, now turned enemies as political ideologies divided them. What Theris lacked in armor she made up for with tenacity and skill, something that made her and Bo evenly matched. Despite Bo's ability to fly, Theris managed to tackle her and the two women rolled across the ground, the Titan blocking an incoming blade and batting side Bo's arm before a burst of fire hit her in the head.

"Why him, Bo?" Theris demanded, kicking the Death Watch Mando off of her. "Why follow a murder like Viszla?"

"Because, in the end, he's right! We've grown soft, we need to reclaim our true heritage!" Bo retorted as she used her pack to right herself. Theris got off a quick shot that struck her in the shoulder.

"And I suppose you'd kill your own sister if you got the chance," she retorted with a scoff, "typical of one of Viszla's lackeys!" Bo responded with a blast from her wrist that Theris ducked and dodged, returning fire as the two were caught in a stalemate.

Corsair, on the other hand, had brought the fight to the Mandos and happily started busting heads however he possibly could. Trapping a Mando under his arm, Corsair kicked another away before he snapped his neck. Grabbing his scatterblaster from the ground, Corsair aimed just under a Mando's chin and pulled the trigger, blood filling the helmet and splashing against the visor as he died instantly.

"You punks aren't so tough! Come on! I can do this all day!" The Titan cackled as he started pumping slug rounds into anyone near him.

The fight had been brought to Wraith and the super-soldier quickly met it with equal force, his knife cutting clean through the bodysuits of the Mandos as he stabbed, hacked and gutted them one by one. He had every intention of keeping their armor intact and bringing it back for Scipio to melt down and forge into whatever design he had in mind, though there were a few times where his knife cut a wedge into one piece of plating or straight up sheered it off as his blade split the skin beneath and carved up the Mando. Blood hit the ground and the screams of the dying rang loudly above the cacophony of combat. His work was quick yet gruesome, Wraith, so far, bearing the highest number of bodies around him in comparison to Theris and Corsair. The Titan leader was catching up quick, powerful body-blows cracking bones and providing Corsair with weak points to stick his scattergun into. Most of his Mandos were still alive, just bleeding to death from the merciless wounds he inflicted.

Theris, however, struggled alone against Bo-Katan and was making little progress. Though this fight was far more personal to her, she cared little about progress and only about avenging her family. She'd managed to remove Bo's helmet and landed a few good blows as the two women slugged it out. But Bo's full Mandalorian armor offered her several advantages over Theris, especially when she used her jetpack to tackle the Titan into a crate and slam her into it, stunning her for a moment. Pre approached as Bo stood and massaged her sore cheeks.

"Well done," he mused, aiming the Darksaber towards Theris, "I suppose this is goodbye, Rahne. Now you can join your failure of a family as a testament to what happens when I am opposed!" As he raised his weapon, ready to bring it down and split her in two, Corsair caught sight of her predicament as he struggled against several Mandos.

"Boyo! Stop 'im!" He shouted to Wraith, who pulled his knife from a throat just in time to catch the warning. He spied Theris and Pre looming over her and pulled a hilt from his duster.

"Theris! Catch!" He called, hitting the trigger as he threw his katana hilt through the air. The blade extended and formed just in time for Theris to catch it and use the weapon to block the Darksaber before Pre could kill her. Surprised, Viszla would not be deterred as he hacked into her defence a few more times. Warding him off, Theris rolled away and climbed to her feet, grasping her blade with both hands as she sized up Viszla and Bo-Katan.

"You seem to have made friends in low places." Viszla commented, advancing with a swagger in his step as he deemed his weapon superior to hers. "It will get you nowhere."

"I don't care!" Theris cried, rushing ahead to strike him. But another Death Watch saw the confrontation and blasted Theris in the side with her wrist blaster, downing the woman with a cry of pain. Still clutching the katana in one hand, Theris clutched her wounded side as her armor and bodysuit sizzled from the heat of the scorch mark. Viszla scoffed at her weakened state and turned to the Mando responsible.

"End her." He commanded. She nodded and moved to obey, but it was then that Wraith vaulted down from above, Tyth lit and in his hand. The Mando looked up and crossed her arms in a vain effort to protect herself. But the very heat of Tyth allowed the blade to pass through her arms and even her Beskar armor as it cleaved down through her body, Wraith cleanly bisecting her as he landed. The halves of her body fell to pieces as the remains crumbled, both Viszla and Bo-Katan watching stunned as Wraith reared himself to full height before them. "You again." Viszla muttered.

"How's the arm?" Wraith rumbled, twirling Tyth around. Viszla was quick to engage him, their blades crossing as Bo-Katan took up a crossfire position. But Theris was a lot tougher than one would think and recovered just in time to pounce on Bo to prevent her from shooting Wraith. The two women grappled on the ground again as Wraith shoved Viszla back, his superior strength and toughness more than enough to handle the Mandalorian. Viszla would not be deterred, however, and stood his ground.

"By crossing us, you invoke the wrath of Death Watch upon the Separatists!" He threatened.

"Like I should be concerned about some crusader-wannabes playing dress-up." Wraith mocked in retort as Tyth struck the Darksaber in a hard parry.

"What interest do you even have in this? What is your business here?" Viszla demanded as he swung again.

"My business is my own. As for my interest, I have none," Wraith responded, exerting a little more force as he pushed back against Viszla's block, "I'm just the diversion." Pre heard his words and understood, but had no time to comprehend the potential threat as Theris promptly skewered his leg with her katana. Pre cried out and faltered, his leg buckling. But Wraith did not press the advantage and instead stood back to let Corsair have a go. The Titan leader barreled into Viszla and knocked him on his back, quickly rounding a few hard blows right to Viszla's face.

"Not so tough now, are ya?" Corsair mused with a gleeful grin. "I do love knockin' yor kind down a few pegs!" His satisfaction was short lived as Bo-Katan forcibly threw him off of Viszla and helped her leader to his feet, Wraith busy fending off other Mandos with wide, fiery swings of his saber.

"This is not worth our time." Viszla muttered. "Death Watch! Outside, now!" He ordered, ripping the katana from his leg. The Mandalorians quickly obeyed and made for the exit, leaving their dead behind as Bo used her jetpack to move Viszla to safety. Corsair offered a few parting shots as the last of Death Watch vanished through the exit, only to lower his weapon as soon as they were gone. He had no intention of pursuing them. Shouldering his weapon, he made for Theris as Wraith tucked his weapons away.

"You alright?" He wondered, helping Theris to her feet. His fellow Titan coughed as she gingerly felt out the scorch mark in her side.

"You know me... I've had worse." She responded. "Like that one time on Kijimi." Corsair chuckled.

"Now that was a pile a' sithspit." Limping due to the pain in her side, Theris threw one arm over Corsair's shoulders as Wraith strode over.

"Get her out of here. I doubt Death Watch will be gone for long." He flatly stated.

"What makes ya say that?" Corsair wondered.

"I doubt they want to leave their dead behind." Wraith responded, sizing up the bodies on the floor. Corsair nodded in agreement and made to leave, slowly helping Theris hobble to the exit. "You know, I don't trust you to honor the deal you made." The super-soldier remarked. Corsair looked over his shoulder.

"Smaht man." He answered with a smirk. "But I will... this time." With nothing more to say, the two Titans left Wraith alone with the bodies of Death Watch. He sized up their armor, most of it in very prime and good condition.

There would definitely be enough Beskar for Scipio to work with.


Slowly winding their way through the corridors, Theris and Corsair traveled in relative silence. Corsair had picked up only a few bits and pieces during their fight with Death Watch, but still was in the dark about Theris' issues with them. He decided to see if Theris would be willing to open up now, after having fought her past side by side with him.

"Ya prefer 'Rahne'? Or is Theris fine?" He wondered. Theris did not immediately reply, but whatever spark thats had lingered in her eyes dimmed quite suddenly as though the simple mention of her name had evoked memories she did not want to relive.

"I'm Theris now." She quietly responded. Corsair nodded, one question dealt with.

"Ya wanna talk 'bout it?" He pried. Theris sighed.

"Not particularly, no." Corsair nodded again, understanding. The buisness of his crew were not his unless they wanted him involved. He could respect that, considering his own past was never talked about.

"Well, if ya evah want ta, ya know where ta find me Theris." He offered, showing a surprising amount of care and compassion for a man of his station. Theris noted it and appreciated the gesture.

"Thanks, boss." She simply responded. The rest of the trip was spent in total silence, Corsair having nothing more to say and Theris having many memories come surging to the forefront...

When Viszla formed the Death Watch, he rallied every house and clan who shared his ideals. But some members of some clans did not share in his beliefs and refused to participate. Among them were Rahne's family. Her father publically denounced the actions of Viszla and because of his outspokenness, Viszla tasked another Saxon, Gar, with eliminating the whole family. Rahne's father, mother, fiancé, brother and his family were all killed days later. A devastated Rahne could not even bury the bodies for fear of being hunted down and killed by Pre's terrorists. She fled and left her heritage and family behind, taking the name 'Theris' as she blended in with the galactic underworld. But she never forgot the atrocity and swore to one day do right by her family and restore Mandalore to what it could be, not what others believed it should be. She cursed Pre Viszla and Gar Saxon, swearing to never don her Mandalorian armor again until both had been brought to justice. Her family had never had a chance to wear their armor to face them, so she wouldn't either.

Rahne would never forget those she lost, especially her fiancé, whose golden eyes would stick with her always... eyes not unlike The Wraith's.


Author's Note: You'll pardon me if I make you wait again. My work situation is shifting and my new post my not afford me time to write like this one does, but we'll see. See y'all in the future!