Chapter 5

The sun's light found them a few short hours later, and Din carefully sat up. He was still injured, but nowhere near as bad as yesterday, and the bacta would probably have him fully healed by the end of the day. Now they needed to get up and find the rest of their team before that creature found them. "Sun's up, you two."

"Seems you're feeling better," M'Raiya said with a smile as she stretched and handed him his vest and chest plate. Once those were on, he attached the jet pack and picked up Grogu, who rubbed his eyes and complained that he wanted to sleep more.

"Good enough to find A'den and Isslan so we can kill that beast." They headed outside to the ledge, quickly scanning the canyon, but it seemed they were alone. "Let's hurry back to the bike and hope it's salvageable." Getting the Jedi down to the ground, they ran back to the speeder, which didn't seem to be too worse for wear. The back end was flattened, but the attack had somehow managed to miss the engine, and it started up with no hesitation.

"Thank the Force. Let's go!"

"Hold on to me so you don't fall off." M'Raiya did so, and Grogu went back into his sling, where he cheered as the bike took off. They hurtled out of the canyon and around the bend towards the village, where M'Raiya detected her friends.

"You two awake?" she asked over the comm.

"Good morning!" A'den greeted, also sounding much better than yesterday.

"Where are you guys?" Isslan asked.

"Coming to you." The teams soon spotted each other, and M'Raiya hopped off the bike, throwing her arms around the other two men when she reached them. "You had me worried sick." She noticed the other Mandalorian held his leg at an odd angle, but his breathing sounded better.

"Knee still hurts a bit, but I can get around okay. Certainly doing better than yesterday."

"It was a little hairy, but we killed this one." Isslan pointed to the remains of a house that was sitting in the middle of what would have been the central area for the village. "It wasn't so tough."

"Says you," A'den shot back. "That thing packed a punch for how small it was."

"Small? Ours was easily ten feet tall," Din brought up.

"No, ours was about half that size," Isslan revealed, now sounding a bit nervous.

"But now the frequency of attacks makes sense," A'den pointed out with a sigh. "Looks like you found the mother, and we killed the offspring."

"An offspring that was being shown how to hunt," M'Raiya added. There was a creeping sense of dread that she knew signaled the Dark Side, and turned to look down the path leading away from the village. "We're going to have company soon."

"We need to take this thing out. I managed to injure one of its arms yesterday, but I don't know how quickly they can heal," Din explained.

"At least we're all together."

"That doesn't make me feel better, A'den," Isslan teased.

"So, how are we doing this?" M'Raiya turned to Din, who realized she was waiting for his plan.

"If A'den and I keep it busy from the air, can you attack from the ground? Just make sure to avoid the claws."

"I can do that."

"What about me?" Din handed Isslan the child, who looked up at the other Jedi.

"You two are pretty good with moving things, so I'll let you get creative."

"Just warn me when to get out of the way," the Miraluka reminded him with a smile. "I can't exactly survive a house falling on me."

"Fair enough. May the Force be with us." Everyone nodded, and it wasn't long before they saw the creature running towards them. Its left arm dragged on the ground behind it, but didn't seem to be slowing it down. "Oh... That is big." Din and A'den said in unison:

"Haatyc or'arue jate'shya ori'sol aru'ike nuhaatyc." Isslan looked at the other two men.

"Could you two just speak Basic?"

"Just learn Mando'a," M'Raiya shot back, light-saber igniting. The two Mandalorians engaged the creature after taking to the air, blasters firing at a rapid pace. The Miraluka dove into the fray, quickly realizing that the Terentatek's hide was also resistant to her weapon. "Damn Sith alchemy..." She parried the uninjured arm and slashed at its face, managing to cut off one of its tusks. The other arm was swung like a club in her direction, but she ducked under it and dodged back a few steps. Meanwhile, Isslan was busy gathering every loose stone, beam, and bit of metal he could find in the village. Grogu was perched on one of the bikes, quietly watching the fight. Explosions were happening now as A'den fired off his micro-rockets, and Din echoed with his Whistling Birds. The beast roared as first one eye was shot, then the other. However, it still seemed to know where the Jedi was at its feet, and kept swinging at her. A'den and Din kept up the rapid fire, until A'den grew frustrated with the lack of significant damage and pulled out his own light-saber. He dove in to get a few hits in, then quickly backed off. However, he saw a black blade ignite out of the corner of his eye, and Din copied his movements on the other side. With M'Raiya still attacking the front, it wasn't long before they'd backed the creature up against the canyon wall.

"Isslan, you ready?" she called out.

"Oh, yeah!" The Mandalorians turned for a moment to glance back, and Din felt his jaw drop. Isslan and Grogu stood with what seemed like a small army's worth of wooden beams, large rocks, and flattened metal. It was suspended in the air above his head, both he and the child ready to throw it. "Might want to get out of the way!" M'Raiya leapt up, light-saber turning off as both the fliers grabbed her under the arms and gained altitude. Isslan and Grogu launched their arms forward, sending the projectiles hurtling at the Terentatek. A massive cloud of debris was kicked up on impact, and everyone held their breaths. M'Raiya looked down, frowning.

"Drop me," she ordered.

"Are you-" Din started to ask.

"Yes, I'm sure. Drop me." They let go, and she plunged into the cloud, saber lighting up once more. After a few moments, a breeze cleared the area, and everyone beheld the sight: The creature was encased in a pile of debris, and M'Raiya was standing on its head, her saber through its skull. A'den and Din landed, and Isslan began cheering.

"Rino, would you mind telling the minister we dealt with his problem?" A'den called over the long-range comm.

"It's about time!" The frustration in the captain's voice barely covered the worry they could also hear. "Where have you guys been?"

"Unexpected complications, but our quarry is dead."

"I'll let him know."

"Actually, can you bring him here in the ship?" M'Raiya brought up. "I have a few questions for him, and we've got some Terentatek bodies to deposit in Iziz."

"Um, sure." Rino signed off, and the group looked at the Miraluka.

"You'll see when he gets here," she responded, feeling the confusion from all of them.

"You think he knew there was more than one?" Isslan asked.

"Possibly, but that isn't my main concern. That was some impressive control, by the way."

"Well, it's a bit more taxing to grab so much at once, but we pulled it off."

"Isslan, you've pulled TIE fighters out of the sky," A'den reminded him.

"Yes, yes, but that's just one thing at a time." Again, Din's jaw dropped.

"You're that powerful?" The Jedi merely shrugged.

"We all have our talents, and this one is mine."

"Speaking of, why did you want to stab that thing, M'Raiya?" A'den wondered.

"I could see that it wasn't dead, but was pretty sure Isslan and Grogu had broken most of its bones. It may be a creature of the Dark Side, but I wasn't going to let it suffer."

"Bor-mas was right: Your group is deadly."

"You weren't bad yourself." Din looked at the Dark Saber hilt he still held, then back at A'den.

"I could be better."

"So train with us," M'Raiya offered. "If you're going to actually use that in combat, you need more finesse than just swinging it around."

"You mean like A'den does?"

"Isslan, you are far from commenting on my style. M'Raiya taught you, remember?"

"Hey, I was good enough to kill that Inquisitor."

"I softened her up for you," his fellow Jedi teased. It wasn't too much longer before they heard a ship approaching, and the Risky Venture touched down in the clearing next to the village. Minister Widom walked out with Rino and Bor-Mas, eyes widening when he saw the Terentatek.

"Finally, the monster is slain."

"Both of them." The old man looked at Din, and confusion was the prime emotion M'Raiya detected. The Mandalorian continued: "Did you know there were two?"

"No, I swear upon my life! The reports all just said one creature."

"Did any of them contradict each other on the size?" A'den wondered. "Because there was a pretty massive difference."

"Not that I recall, no. Please, I shall pay you double. It's only right after what you went through." M'Raiya approached him and laid a gentle hand on his arm, and he looked at her.

"Your family was attacked, wasn't it?" She tried to keep the accusation out of her voice. "That's why you've been so nervous."

"I... I..." He nodded and hung his head. "My oldest son came out here once the village was built to live a quiet life. It wasn't but a few days later that the first attack happened. I begged my son to move his family back to Iziz, but he refused. He told me that he wasn't going to run from this, the way I had."

"You encountered the Terentatek?" Isslan asked.

"No young man, but I did run from something." Now he looked at M'Raiya. "I believe the young lady has pieced some of it together."

"You were a Jedi?" The minister laughed, but it was a bitter sound.

"I failed my Trials, but the Order saw fit to place me in the MedCorps. I was sent to Onderon to assist towards the end of the Clone Wars. We were lucky there were no clone troopers stationed here, else we all would've been killed with the rest. But then, we just kept hiding."

"The Empire would've killed you," Isslan reminded him.

"Sometimes I wonder if that would have been better. I was never that good with a light-saber, and my healing skills were paltry at best." M'Raiya frowned at him.

"But you serve the people of Onderon. You are a Minister, and that is no small feat."

"They protected us and made us feel welcome, my dear. I could do no less to honor their trust. But I lied to you, and brought you here under false pretenses."

"Minister, you brought us here to kill a threat to the people," Din pointed out. "You didn't lie about that."

"And if you wish to remain unknown, we will not tell our Grandmaster," M'Raiya promised. The old man sighed heavily, but set his jaw and shook his head.

"No. I know of your Grandmaster. I know of his bloodline. I did not know Anakin Skywalker personally, but he was a good man. His padawan even fought to liberate this planet from the Separatists. I would've liked to tell young Ahsoka that the people still revere her as a hero."

"Ahsoka Tano?" Din asked, wondering how many other Jedi Ahsokas there could be.

"Why yes. Did you also meet her? You would've been a little younger than her, but she did go to Mandalore and aid the people there as well."

"Minister, we shall pass on your message to Lady Tano. She might even stop by if she has time." He turned to the Miraluka, and so many emotions crowded at the front of his mind.

"She.. She lives?"

"She does," Isslan affirmed. "She's not technically on the Council, but she's an ally of ours."

"Why, that is wonderful news! Please, extend an invitation to her. And come, let's get you all back to the city so we can tell the people of your triumph."

"I really don't want that stinking up my cargo hold," Rino interjected, pointing at the Terentatek.

"It won't be on long," A'den promised.

"Fine, but you're cleaning up any mess it leaves behind." The group was soon on the way back to Iziz, two Terentatek corpses and two speeder bikes heavier.

The group was sitting in the cargo area while A'den and Din went over their armor to make sure there were no issues they'd missed in the field. The older Mandalorian finally spoke: "My apologies that the mission didn't go as planned."

"Maybe next time you'll believe me?" A'den asked, though he was slightly teasing. There was a chuckle and nod from the other helmet.

"I think I can do that."

"At least we made it out in one piece," Isslan pointed out. "And we made some extra credits."

"I'd still much prefer to never face a Terentatek again," M'Raiya revealed.

"If we'd managed to do yesterday what happened today, it wouldn't have been too bad."

"Except for the offspring," A'den reminded Din. "One of us would've needed to deal with it."

"True, but I'm fairly certain M'Raiya could've handled it while the rest of us dealt with the adult." The young woman blushed a bit at his confidence in her. "I've only ever seen one other person use a light-saber, and that was Luke. And you just dove right into its face with no hesitation."

"I lack Isslan's talent with the Force, so I make up for it in other ways. And trust me, there was some hesitation yesterday. But I wasn't going to stand by and let that thing hurt any of you again."

"Are your family warriors as well?" The three Knights began laughing, and A'den was the first to answer.

"No! They're librarians." When Din's confusion was evident, M'Raiya added:

"I am this way because I want to be. Because I trained to be. My family would defend the Temple if asked, but they aren't Jedi, and that's okay. Perhaps my younger brothers one day might be, but for now they have me."

"Train your sons to be strong but your daughters to be stronger," A'den intoned, switching to Basic for Isslan's benefit. "You'd make a decent Mandalorian if you swore the Creed, M'Raiya."

"I could never wear all that armor."

"You get used to it," Din assured.

"Speaking of armor, when are you going to switch over to being all shiny, A'den?"

"When I earn the right, Isslan. Beskar isn't just handed out; it's either passed down in ancestral suits, or fashioned from recovered pieces."

"Like the ones you gave back to Clan Vizsla?" Din looked up at the other Mandalorian, not entirely sure he'd heard correctly.

"You killed a member-"

"Sithspit, no!" A'den interrupted. "I killed a dar'manda wearing one of their suits, and returned it to its rightful place. They were... Kind enough to give me the jet-pack as compensation."

"They just left it on the ground and took the rest onto their ship," M'Raiya countered.

"And as my Armorer said, they were showing gratitude. At least as much as they can."

"I see all members of that Clan are stubborn," Din brought up.

"Yes, you did mention having one in your group."

"Paz Vizsla... We will be enemies when we meet again." The other three were silent for a few moments, and Din sighed. "I've bested him twice in a fight; one of them over the Dark Saber."

"Then the matter should be done."

"No A'den, it isn't. I... I broke our Creed."

"Which part?"

"When Luke came for Grogu, the kid was nervous, and so I removed my helmet so he could see that I respected his choice. And I think Luke saw that I was nervous about letting go, so that's maybe why he invited both of us. But now I am dar'manda according to my covert."

"Then they're a bunch of di'kuts," M'Raiya stated as A'den chuckled.

"She's got a point," the other Mandalorian pointed out. "If I thought you were a traitor, I'd have tried to kill you by now."

"That still leaves me with a broken Creed, and that is no way for a Mandalorian to be."

"Then come swear allegiance to Clan Ordo. We could always use good people."

"You're sure they would have me?" A'den tilted his head, then pulled his helmet off. Din saw a man in his early thirties with olive skin, black hair, and dark-green eyes.

"They will have you so long as you are honorable and will fight for us. I don't think that will be a problem. Besides, maybe one day we can say the next Mand'alor is one of ours."

"That seems inevitable." All of them now turned to the Miraluka. "You should tell them."

"Tell us what? Were you visited by the ghost of the last Mand'alor?" Isslan teased.

"I don't know. But I was having a fever dream brought on by the Terentatek's poison last night. I saw my former Armorer... Change into the figure of a man. He looked Mandalorian, but not quite. The armor was different, and his helmet was open to show his face. I had been saying that I would help our people rebuild Mandalore, and that I was still going to teach my Foundling our ways. That a warrior is more than his armor. That's when the... Vision changed to that man. And all he said was "This is The Way", and then I woke up." A'den had crossed his arms over his chest, and was looking at M'Raiya.

"I saw it too," she added softly. "In trying to wake him up, I entered the dream."

"So who do you think it is?"

"I told Din that I have my suspicions, but I don't have the Archives as a reference to confirm them. If we're going to Ordo though, you'll have what I need."

"Are we going?" Now A'den looked back at Din, clearly waiting for an answer to multiple questions. The older Mandalorian looked at Grogu, who had been listening quietly to everything. While being a Clan of two was fine for most things, having more allies certainly couldn't hurt.

"What do you think, ad'ika?"

'Friends.' Din nodded, and then reached up to his helmet and pulled it off. Isslan was clearly surprised, as his eyes went wide, and A'den just nodded. M'Raiya was smiling at him, and he hesitantly returned it.

"Let's get to Ordo. There's a lot to discuss with your Clan, A'den."

The last day had been a whirlwind of meetings and excitement for the group of four, as the Ordo compound had been welcoming of new blood and new tales. After hearing about his upbringing and fight for the Dark Saber, Din (and by extension Grogu) of Clan Mudhorn had been officially recognized as part of House Ordo. Some of the Clan had challenged him to many a good-natured spar to gauge his abilities, which had turned into a compound-wide competition. He'd been a bit surprised when M'Raiya was invited to join in, but she'd explained that she'd sparred with some of the Clan before, and enjoyed testing her abilities against a range of styles. Now, as a new day dawned, she'd asked to see him in what could be described as either a museum or relic-room. Din had never seen so much history in one place, and felt a little in awe of how much Ordo knew of the Mandalorians' past. "Fascinating, isn't it?" the Jedi asked as she came over.

"It's... I didn't know all of this had survived." There were tapestries from millennia ago, recordings of battle-songs, and tales that were represented both by written word and in art. And in one corner of the room was a life-size statue of a figure in what must have been ancient armor. A floor-length cape draped over the armor, but it was similar in style to what they wore now. But the helmet was open at the front to show the face, and what Din saw made him remove his own helmet and stare.

"Din?"

"M'Raiya, it's him. The man from the vision."

"As I expected." He turned a bit to see her bow towards the statue. "Din Djarin, this is Jedi Master Tarre Vizsla, forger of the Dark Saber."

"But... How did he speak to me?"

"Through the Force. You hold his light-saber, which is a very powerful object to a Jedi. We put a piece of ourselves into them using the Force when they are crafted. This is the only saber to ever produce a black blade, and was most likely seen as special by the Jedi Order. They held on to it before it was... Reclaimed when the Temple was attacked by Mandalorians."

"My people attacked yours just for a weapon?"

"Of course not," A'den spoke up as he walked in. "There were many reasons that the Temple was sacked; and reclaiming the Dark Saber was a bit of a bonus."

"So we have been enemies with the Jedi."

"At many points in history," the other Mandalorian admitted. "Sometimes because we were working with the Sith, and sometimes because we just wanted to conquer the galaxy ourselves."

"But we have also been allies," M'Raiya explained. "A member of Clan Ordo worked with a Jedi Master to stop a powerful Sith artifact from being used four millennia ago, and during the Clone Wars a few of our Order fought against Death Watch."

"That ancient Jedi Master also fought against the Mandalorians and slew the reigning Mand'alor," A'den reminded her.

"Yes, but then the Ordo that worked with him took up the role." Din was staring wide-eyed as the two continued to discuss this "Revan" and "Canderous" for a few moments. M'Raiya felt his confusion and shock, and smiled at him. "Sorry, I can get carried away with history, and A'den enjoys reminding me he knows more than just how to shoot a blaster."

"History is important," the other man shot back. "Both the good and bad."

"This still doesn't explain why I saw Tarre Vizsla," Din told them.

"Doesn't it?" the Miraluka asked. "Din, you said yourself that you were raised in the "Way of the Mand'alor". You possess the Dark Saber, which you won by right of combat. Everything I have seen of you speaks of a noble warrior who wants to see his people prosper. As I said in your vision: If that doesn't scream Mand'alor, I don't know what does."

"The other Clans won't see me as their leader," he argued.

"Not yet," A'den agreed. "But if you keep making a name for yourself, they will. You've already got friends and allies who would fight at your side. Now you just need to show the other Clans that it's better to stand with you than against you."

"How do I do that?"

"I'd say taking down more Moffs is a good start. Or any Imperial."

"We can help with that," M'Raiya quickly added. "If you wanted the help, that is."

"I can think of a few others who might want to get in on that as well," Din agreed. He glanced down at the Dark Saber and shrugged. "I think maybe I'll just take those lessons and keep doing what I've been doing." He replaced his helmet as A'den and M'Raiya nodded.

"Good, then let's get your first lesson under way." The Jedi headed towards the sparring room, and A'den chuckled a bit.

"She won't go easy on you," he warned. Din couldn't help but smile as he replied:

"This is the Way."