Jarik POV...

After Mara got back from her mission with the Ghost Crew and reported on what happened, she opted to have some alone time. We gave it to her, and used that time to study the crystal and figure out what to do with it. Keeping it out of the Empire's hands is absolutely critical, because someone like Sidious being in possession of a kyber crystal this size is dangerous. There have been instances throughout history where massive shards of kyber were used to power super-weapons, and cause destruction on an unimaginable level. So obviously, we can't lose this thing to the Sith. Me and Ahsoka were discussing whether or not it was possible to hide it within the crystal caves here on Ahch-To, or to take it into space and destroy it when Mara appeared again.

"Hey Mom, Dad," she greeted.

"Hey kiddo," I replied with a smile. "How you feeling?"

"Better," she answered. "I know I told you guys about the mission, but there was something else bothering me."

Ahsoka frowned. "What is it?" she asked.

"After the mission... it was kinda revealed that you're my adopted father," she replied, gesturing to me with a nervous expression. "In front of Sabine, a Mandalorian."

My eyes widened briefly before I sighed in understanding, sharing a knowingly look with Ahsoka. "Bet she took that well," I muttered, looking back at her. "Anything else you had to tell them?"

She shook her head. "Not really, all I really told them is that you rescued me as a toddler, and you've trained me as a Jedi. I didn't tell them about you though Mom. Or about the whole Fulcrum thing."

"Thank you for that." Ahsoka replies with a small smile.

"Yeah no problem..." she says, thinking hard before looking back at me. "Dad... why do Mandalorian's hate you so much? Or anyone with the name of Shan?"

I develop a nervous expression, hesitant to answer. "Well..."

"Sabine said some... really messed up things about you," she continued, a disgruntled expression on her face. "She said that your family killed a lot of Mandalorians, and humiliated them, having a rather gruesome history. Is that true? Because I'm not sure how I feel about it," she asks nervously.

I share another look with Ahsoka, contemplating what to say. However she just gives me a slow nod, telling me to just tell the truth.

"In a way I suppose it's true, I admitted slowly. "My ancestors have... never been on good terms with Mandalore."

"Why though?" Mara asks. "What could they have possibly done?"

"You know about my ancestor Satele Shan right?" I ask her, and when she nods in confirmation I continue. "Well, around three centuries before her, which is essentially almost four thousand years ago, there was a very powerful and famous Jedi by the name of Revan. He was married to another Jedi by the name of Bastila Shan, and those two are the ones that started the family legacy."

Before I could continue, a long and loud beep from nearby drew our attention to R5, who took the opportunity to tease and make fun of the family that they caused me to exist. I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "Don't you have something better to do R5?" I retort with a raised eyebrow, and he laughs to himself, heading back into the ship.

Shaking my head, I continue telling the story to Mara. She listens intently, mesmerized by the story. Ahsoka listens in as well, regardless of the fact that she already knows the history.

"During Revan's life there was a massive war between Mandalore and the Jedi, spreading across the galaxy. Seeing an opportunity, Revan made his name renown by battling, and slaying Mandalore the Ultimate, who was the current ruler of Mandalore back then, and keeping his helmet from them. He also used a powerful weapon to destroy essentially the entire Mandalorian fleet." I told her.

She widens her eyes. "Woah... he just defeated them all?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, he was successful in ending the war, but it was a foolish move. He not only annihilated Mandalore's fleet, but also destroyed many of his own ships as well with that maneuver."

Mara blinks in surprise and disbelief, and I shake my head at the story. "It was in my opinion the worst way to end the war, because of how much carnage he wrought. He also decimated the entire planet of Malachor V with that weapon, and to this day it is still uninhabitable to an intense degree."

"Why... why would Revan destroy his own ships, and an entire planet?" Mara asks in bewilderment.

"At that time Revan was... unorthodox I guess you could say. He went against the Jedi Code more times than I can recall, and was a brutal, yet efficient tactician. I don't know whether his use of the weapon like that was deliberate or if he didn't think his own fleet would be caught in its wake," I answered.

"Woah... so because Revan basically destroyed and ruined Mandalore in that war, they've hated him ever since?" she deduced.

I nodded my head in confirmation. "Yup. After the Battle of Malachor V, as it was called, Revan personally disarmed and disbanded many of the surviving Mandalorians clans, leaving them devoid of leadership and honor. Mandalore has always prided itself on its fierce warrior culture and their skills to take on even Jedi, but Revan destroyed that, humiliating many of them." I sighed quietly in exasperation. "Mandalorian's have since hated Revan and his descendants ever since."

"No wonder Sabine seemed so mad then," Mara said with a grimace.

"Every time Jarik would be in their presence you could have trouble cutting the tension with even a lightsaber." Ahsoka said in amusement for some humor. I threw her an exasperated look.

"Huh... well I kinda got that from he way Sabine acted." Mara said. "Anyways, thanks for uh, for telling me."

"Anytime Mara," I replied, a small, sad smile on my face as she walked away to get ready for our next week on Berk coming up soon. It's been about a month since we left Hiccup and Toothless to their own devices. I wonder how they've been doing? Or Stoick and his raiding party...


Isle of Berk, Ahch-To

3rd person POV...

A lone, battered ship is pulled into a slip, overloaded with equally battered-looking men. The wood is broken and charred in many places, the ship barely staying afloat, listing to one side. The sails are completely tattered, ripped to shreds by claws and blasted with fire. Pulling up to the dock, the ship stops with a bump against the wood, and the Vikings begin to disembark. A crowd of onlookers watch with heavy eyes, saddened to see the state of the returning Vikings... and to see some faces aren't there at all. One Viking helps pull several of them off the ship and onto the docks, where the greet the men and women who stayed. He grabs Stoick's forearm and helps to hoist him up, the chief giving him a pat on the back as he passes by.

"Where are the other ships?" someone asks.

"You don't want to know." Spitelout replies glumly.

Stoick lumbers past Gobber with his load, glowering defeatedly at the ground, his pride broken. Gobber looks at the ship with troubled eyes, offering Stoick a hopeful expression.

"Well, I trust you found the nest at least?" he says optimistically.

"Not even close." Stoick replies angrily, not missing a stride.

"Ah. Excellent." Gobber remarks knowingly, hobbling along after the Viking chief. They move up the ramp along the docks and Gobber snags his duffle bag with his hook appendage, sharing the burden.

"I hope you had a little more success than me." Stoick sighs.

Gobber shrugs with a grin. "Well, if by success, you mean that your parenting troubles are over with, then... yes."

Stoick stops, looking at Gobber with confusion and worry. Just then, a group of merry villagers rush past the two.

"Congratulations Stoick! Everyone is so relieved!" one woman cries.

"Out with the old and in with the new, right?!" another comments with a thumbs up.

"No one will miss that old nuisance!" the next cheers.

"The village is throwing a party to celebrate!" the last one exclaims joyfully.

Stoick raises a hand to ask what they mean, but the four Vikings are too far away by that point. Surprised, and worried for Hiccup, he turns to Gobber with a concerned and slightly fearful expression. He may be annoyed and exasperated with how Hiccup was, but he was still his son.

"He's gone?" he whispers with a hint of panic.

Gobber nods his head slowly with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah... most afternoons, sometimes with Mara before they left. But who can blame him? I mean the life of a celebrity is very rough. He can barely walk through the village without being swarmed by his new fans."

A mixture of shock and confusion pass over Stoick's face as he follows after Gobber, listening to him talk. He rushes forward and grabs his friends shoulder, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Hiccup?!" he exclaims in surprise.

"Who would've thought, eh?" Gobber beams. "I think its even more impressive than Ahsoka and Jarik's power over dragons! That's how wonderful it is! he has this... way with the beasts!"

Stoick's expression slowly changes from shock and disbelief to a look of pride, a large beaming smile crossing over his face. His son was finally getting past his weaknesses and proving himself capable against the dragons! Perhaps he was wrong about him after all.


Jarik POV...

We pulled up into Berk later that afternoon, the sun beginning to turn more orange in color as it grew closer to night. Ahsoka parked the speeder in our usual secluded part of the docks, and I tied the speeder to them with a simple locked cable so the current wouldn't take it away while powered down. Also so the twins couldn't steal it or do anything stupid. Force knows how many times they've tried that already.

"Wonder how far Hiccup's come along with his... training," Mara commented, carrying her bag.

"If that Zippleback lesson was any indication, I wouldn't put it past him to be soaring through it," I replied literally. Of course any Viking that might overhear us would just think of it as a figure of speech because of how I worded it. Genius.

"Well, you can ask him when we say hello." Ahsoka said.

We walked up the docks towards the village, a little confused upon seeing that it was rather empty. I looked around with a raised eyebrow. It was plainly obvious that people had been here less than an hour ago, yet it was mostly empty wherever we looked.

"Where in the blazes is everyone?" I questioned out loud.

Ahsoka and Mara shrugged, when the latter noticed Astrid walking through the streets back to her house. "Hey, Astrid!" Mara greeted, jogging up to her. She looked up in surprise before giving a quick wave back.

"Oh, hi guys. Didn't know you got back," she replied.

"We just arrived. So where is everybody?" Mara questions.

A frown flickers across her face briefly before she develops a neutral expression. I raise an eyebrow at the emotions flashing through her head. "Oh. Most of the village is attending a party in the Great Hall."

"For what?" Ahsoka asks.

"...for Hiccup," she replies swiftly.

"Hiccup?" We all say, glancing at each other in surprise. As far as we were aware the village rarely ever cared to be friendly with Hiccup, much less throw him some sort of money. I'd be willing to bet a lot of credits that Hiccup isn't even at the party.

"Yeah, I wouldn't believe it either, but it happened," Astrid says, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "For the past month after you guys left he's been doing... really, well in dragon training. It's, it's weird."

Ahsoka smiles lightly. "Well good for him!"

Mara grins as well. "Guess the village is happy that he's making some progress. Maybe that brain of his is starting to truly be a match for your axe am I right?" she jokes, giving the girl a light punch in the shoulder.

"Yeah..." Astrid replies slowly, apparently upset by that comment. Mara picks up on it and frowns.

"Uh huh..." she says slowly with a confused expression. "So if there's a party wouldn't you be attending too? You and the others usually go to stuff like that," she points out.

Astrid shakes her head. "No, I uh, I've got some things to do tonight. I'll see you later," she answers swiftly, giving a quick wave before rushing off to her house. We all watch her go with frowns on our faces.

"She's jealous," I say, sensing the emotion that had been flickering through Astrid's head, as well as the brief spike of rage when Mara made the joke.

"Definitely. I don't think that's a good thing either. It's a different kind of jealousy." Ahsoka says in agreement.

"I hope she doesn't take it out on Hiccup," Mara says in concern. "She's never bothered to bully Hiccup, but she doesn't help him either. She just... ignores him," she observes.

"No wonder she's feeling this way then. In her eyes a nobody is robbing her of a her honor and a chance to redeem her family's name," I add in.


Little bit of a short chapter, but I didn't want to bring in the flight scene with Hiccup and Toothless for it, since that would clash with the main tone/theme/whatever for this part. But yeah they are now back on Berk!

Jarik giving some history about the Mandalorian's deep hatred for the Shan's! What do you guys think went on through Revan's mind when he unleashed the Mass Shadow Generator? I read that Meetra gave the order to use it, but was horrified by the outcome, not expecting it. Did Revan know what would happen or was he just as surprised at it?

*shrugs*