Hyperspace - Aboard the VCX-100 Light Freighter Ghost

Ezra stepped into the lounge and paused. Maris was gazing out into the blue tunnel of hyperspace. "Hey;" he said, "you doing okay?"

She blinked and looked at him, slightly startled. "Yes, I'm fine. I've always loved gazing into hyperspace. It's so beautiful and mysterious, you know?"

Ezra nodded and sat down at the table across from her. "Yeah;" he said, "I remember seeing it for the first time."

They were quiet for a moment before Ezra asked, "How did you wind up on Hutta, Maris - if you don't mind me asking?"

Maris shrugged. "I took an Imperial shuttle from Felucia to Hutt Space, hoping to escape the Empire. I succeeded, in a way, but it seems that the Hutts have some kind of arrangement with the Empire. I traveled from world to world trying to find a way for myself. Nal Hutta was just the last stop before you all found me."

Ezra nodded and smiled. "They found me on Lothal. I was just a punk kid, a pickpockets stealing and doing whatever I could to survive. Looking back, it was funny but at the same time, so obviously the will of the force."

Maris leaned forward in interest. "How so?"

"I ran into Kanan and the others while they were stealing a cargo of blaster rifles from the Empire. After a series of minor adventures, I got captured by an ISB Agent. They came after me. I was a stranger and they came after me. Shortly after that, he revealed that he was a Jedi and I discovered that I was force sensitive. He agreed to train me and we kept fighting the Empire however we could. The rest, as they say, is history."

Maris actually chuckled. "It can't be that simple."

"Oh of course not;" laughed Ezra. "But you haven't told me about yourself too much either."

Her smiled faded. "There isn't much to tell. I was young for a padawan, being trained aboard a Jedi training ship when the Empire initiated their Jedi purge. My master was killed and I wanted revenge so I set out to try and kill him. Jedi Master Shaak Tii found me and took me to Felucia. We were fairly safe for years as she continued my training but before she could finish it, an assassin sent by Darth Vader killed her. I fell to the dark side. Not only did I fall but so did the highly force sensitive natives of the planet. Because of that, the whole planet began to fundamentally change. On top of that, the Empire showed up afterward and started doing what they do - dominating, enslaving and destroying. I figured if I started destroying enough of their equipment and killing enough of their troops, Vader would send his assassin after me too. I turned out to be wrong but it didn't matter. The assassin came, but he spared me. I think, I'm not sure, but I think that he didn't serve Vader anymore."

Ezra's electric blue eyes were wide as he listened. When she finished her story, he asked, "Have you come across him ever again, this powerful force user?"

"No;" she said, "but he saved Senator Organa after we had captured him. Rumor has it, the rebellion began shortly there-after. I doubt it was a coincidence."

Ezra shook his head. "It isn't; they gathered a bunch of other groups and cells already fighting over the planet Dantooine not long ago. That's when things started ramping up. A lot has happened since then."

Just then, Sabine came in and frowned just slightly before saying, "How's it going? Anything to eat in the galley?"

"Dunno;" said Ezra, "haven't checked."

Sabine's eyes widened. "When you wake up at this hour, isn't that the whole reason you come out here?"

Ezra just shrugged. Maris stood and said, "I'm going to try to sleep again. Goodnight, Ezra. Goodnight, Sabine."

"Night;" they both murmured.

Ezra was gazing out the window again and Sabine was about to head to the galley but paused to consider him before asking, "Are you alright, Ezra?"

"Oh sure;" he set, shooting her one of those smiles of his. "Just thinking about what Maris said. Apparently there was this really powerful Dark Jedi or something that she ran into a couple times. Weird thing is, the second time they met, he let her live. It doesn't really sound like something a darksider under Vader or the Emperor would do."

"Maris, huh?" said Sabine, trying not to give away her annoyance.

Why was he even listening to her? Nothing against her but she was a stranger.

Ezra stood up and stretched. "Alright, now I'm hungry. Let's see what we have."

They reverted back to realspace the following morning and immediately, they were hailed. "Ghost, this is Base One. You are cleared to land in section eight of the main hanger. Land quickly and get to the command center. We have some serious news. It concerns our Mandalorian allies."

Sabine gasped and Hera gunned the engines while she replied, "Understood Base One."

As soon as the shop was down and the ramp was lowered, Sabine and Ezra were already pelting towards the command center. Kanan, Maris and Zeb followed as quickly as they could and Hera and Chopper finished closing down the ship.

They burst into the command center and Sabine gasped, "Reporting as ordered. What's the- Tristan!"

A tall young man was there with Jan Dodonnna and the rest of the command staff. He had black hair and wore the armor of the Mandalorian warrior. As she embraced him, Tristan didn't smile. "Good to see you, Sabine. Bridger, always a pleasure to meet a Jedi."

"Tristan what's wrong?" asked Sabine anxiously.

"Chieftain Bo-Katan Kryze is dead."

Sabine staggered back into Ezra as if her brother had just punched her in the gate. "Easy, Sabine;" murmured the young Jedi.

"Dead? What? How?" stammered Sabine.

"The Darksaber is lost as well;" said Tristan grimly. "She was with a task force of three old Rendilli Dreadnoughts but we lost contact with it. Just as we began gathering the clans to us. Clan's Ordo, Cadara, Spar, Raul had all gathered to us and others wanted to. But now our leadership is destroyed. Sabine, there is going to be a power grab. We need you back to claim your rightful place."

"What?" said Sabine. "But Tristan, I'm needed here. The Alliance-"

"We need you;" said Tristan, suddenly snarling. "Your people, your family needs you. It's not just the darksaber either. The clans are demanding a Mandalore rise."

Sabine's eyes widened. "A Mandalore? But no one has held that title in years - not since... I don't even know when."

Ezra lifted a hand and asked, "Um... what is a 'Mandalore'? I thought Mandalore was a place?"

"It is;" said Sabine distractedly. "but it is also the title of the ruler of all the Mandalorian warrior clans. But no one can take that title - not unless they find the ancient mask of the first Mandalore and that was lost eons ago."

"Clan Ordo claims that they know where to find it;" he said firmly.

Sabine looked around at the others around them. "But- I-"

"Ladies, gentlemen;" said Ezra, stepping in and clasping his hands behind his back in a way that really reminded them of Kanan. "If the wrong person becomes Mandalore, we will lose our allies. Isn't that right, Sabine?"

Sabine nodded. "It is."

"Therefore;" said Ezra, lifting a finger, "it is important for us to go and represent the Alliance in this business. I recommend that Sabine and I accompany her brother back to- wherever the clans are set to meet to decide who the Mandalore is."

"This is for Mandalorians only, Bridger;" said Tristan firmly, though not angrily or unkindly. "I cannot allow you to go with us."

Ezra's blue eyes seemed to spark with electricity but Sabine put a hand on his arm before he could retort. "He would be an ambassador and observer only. However, I have to agree. If we lose the Mandalorians, we will lose a massive amount of support."

Just then, the rest of the Specters arrived. "Bring us up to speed."

It was only the work of a few minutes to explain and Hera said, "With all do respect, General Dodonna, they need to go. We cannot lose the Mandalorians as our allies."

Dodonna grimaced and said, "Before you insist on that, let me bring you up to speed on what exactly is going on, General Syndulla. Since you were last here around the battle of Scarif, I believe, the Death Star was used to destroy Alderaan. Shortly there after, we destroyed it but the Empire now knows of our presence here. Surely you noticed the equipment being loaded and non-essential personnel being evacuated. We are going to try and be out of here before the Empire arrives. In case of attack, we should have all hands on deck."

There was silence. A lot was hitting them all at once. The tragedy of Alderaan and the great victory at Yavin, not to mention the anxiety of possibly imminent destruction was causing their minds to reel. Kanan took a deep breath and allowed his mind to clear. "We will stay and assist. Even so, General, we need to allow Sabine and, if the Mandalorian's permit it, Ezra to go. We cannot lose them as allies."

Dodonnna considered and then nodded. "Very well. General Syndulla, I could use your assistance coordinating the evacuation."

They went over to a set of consoles. Sabine turned to Tristan. "We need him along;" she said firmly. "He will be a reminder that the Mandalorians have friends who will remember them and whom they need to remember. He will not interfere and he will not participate. He will only observe."

Tristan looked skeptically at Ezra. Striding up to the tall Mandalorian warrior, Ezra pulled both his blaster and his lightsaber, handing them to Tristan. After a moment of studying them both, the warrior shook his head. "You may keep them for the moment, Ezra. When we reach the rendezvous point, you can give them to Sabine. Let's go. I have a Kom'rk Fighter waiting for us."

They began to leave but the other Specters gathered around. Hera embraced each of them and wished them luck, as did Zeb. "May the force be with you both;" said Kanan gravely.

Chopper whistled and beeped. "Thank you;" said Sabine to them all.

Without looking back, she and Ezra turned and followed Tristan.

Hera stood next to Kanan and watched as the fighter took off. "They'll be alright;" she said.

Kanan smiled and kissed her between her green lekku. "Of course they will, love. We both taught them everything we could."

For another few moments, they watched until the Mandalorian fighter disappeared. Finally, Kanan pulled her away. "Come on. We have work to do. The Empire could be here at any moment."

To their surprise, the flight to the Mandalorian rendezvous point wasn't far from Yavin. In fact, it was only just inside of the inner rim on an old Providence-Class Dreadnought, not far from the planet of Onderon and its moon of Dxun. When they landed, there were other shuttles and ships of different kinds, all with different colors and insignia emblazoned on their hauls. "Wow..." murmured Sabine, "there must be over twelve clans here just now."

"Yes there are;" said Tristan, his voice tense. "There are twenty to be exact. Many who swore fidelity to the Empire even came, heeding the call. Clan Saxon is even here. When we are done, we will answer only to the new Mandalore."

"But what of the darksaber?"

Tristan shook his head. "I don't know."

As they traveled through the ship, they saw warriors in armor of various colors everywhere. They tended to stick to their own but many seemed to know one another and to even be friendly. Very evident were those who wore stark-white armor - the armor of those aligned with the Empire. They were almost completely left alone. In a large room, most likely a briefing room of some kind, why an old droid ship would need one, Sabine couldn't say, all of the Clan Leaders and their closest aides were seated - the chieftains taking up the first rows. Her mother Ursa Wren sat down there next to numerous others. Silently, Sabine, Ezra and Tristan found a seat. A tall man wearing Imperial Supercommando armor was announcing, "It is time for us to decide how Mandalore with continue in the galaxy. Will we be the barbaric outsiders we were before the fall of the Republic? Will we become pacifists as the weak 'True Mandalorians' claim to be, or will we adapt to reality and join with the Empire?"

Three others, also in Imperial Supercommando armor, nodded and shouted in agreement. Ursa Wren and another, a grizzled Mandalorian, leaped to their feet. "I will serve the Mandalore and the Mandalore alone. Whoever gains the darksaber will rule House Vizsla but whoever wears the helmet of Mandalore will become Mandalore. Only they can call upon the clans to make such changes;" stormed Ursa, her fists clenched.

"On the moon of Dxun, the helmet of Mandalore is hidden. Along with it is the darksaber of Vizsla;" said the grizzled Mandalorian.

"What?" snapped Ursa.

"I had one of my scouts fly it there."

"You traitorous son of a-" Ursa stammered, one hand resting on a blaster. "You had not right to so, Gaverous Ordo!"

"I certainly did;" Gaverous replied calmly. "I found it and claimed it. Now, Mandalore will be guaranteed that two clans will be loyal to them - Ordo and Vizsla."

Another warrior stood, a woman with short, red hair. "Clan Cadera will, of course, follow Mandalore!"

"As will Clan Spar!"

"And Eldar!"

"And Kryze!"

"And Rook!"

Many of the others stood and declared the same. All but three clans swore to stand with whomever the Mandalore was. They were the clans of Saxon, Awaud and Beroya. All of them were Imperial supercommandos. Their leaders stood. "We will not be a part of this;" said their spokesman. "The old ways are dead and should remain so. As one final courtesy, we will not inform the Empire that you are here for seventy-two hours. You have until then to leave or else, we will return with a fleet of Star Destroyers."

As they departed, Ezra whispered, "Can we trust them?"

"Yes;" said Tristan. "They will keep there word but we must move fast."

Ursa lifted her hands and said, "So then, this will be done in the ways of old. Any among the people of Mandalore can attempt to claim the mask and the darksaber. Let us gather all who came with us and find any who would brave the perils of Dxun and test themselves against one another."

As they all stood, Ursa looked up and saw Sabine. Ursa Wren was a severe woman, one who did not smile often. This time, a tiny smile managed to raise the corners of her mouth. "Let's go;" said Tristan. "We need to get to the main hanger. They'll make the official announcement there."

"I will be our champion;" said Sabine evenly.

Ezra knew that tone. It would take no argument from anyone. Tristan, however, did not seem in the mood to argue. "So you shall. Hurry up."

Over a hundred Mandalorians were clustered in their clans as the seventeen clan chieftains stood atop a landed ship. "Warriors, the time has come. At long last, Mandalore will rise from the past and lead us once more;" declared Fenn Rau of Clan Rau. "No more will the Mandalorian clans be scattered, serving different masters. But to do so, we need champions to brave the terrors of Dxun and find the mask of Mandalore. It is hidden deep within the old fortresses of Mandalore the Ultimate - a place that has few nearby suitable landing points. It is up to each champion to decide how they will proceed. Now stand, champions of Mandalore and go to your ship."

Ezra grabbed Sabine's arm and said, "Sabine, be careful. I know you can do this but, by the force, be careful down there."

Sabine smirked and said, "I'm hurt that you think a few mangy animals will stop me."

As her smirk disappeared beneath her helmet, she jumped into one of the fighters and Ezra stepped back as she took off and headed to the planet below. He knew how skilled she was and how resourceful she was but, blast it, he was already worried about her and she wasn't even landed on the planet yet.

"She'll be alright;" said Tristan from behind him.

Ezra turned and saw him and Ursa watching as Sabine disappeared, lost against the glow of the moon. "She earned the right to hold the darksaber once. She'll do it again."

"Ah, Bridger;" Fenn Rau came over and clapped him on the back. "Always good to see you again. Representing the Alliance I take it."

"That's right;" said Ezra distractedly. "Hoping to be a good reminder that the Alliance is a better choice than either the Empire or just staying out of it."

Rau looked at Ursa, sharing a meaningful glance. Wren stepped up beside him and said, "You are very fond of my daughter."

It wasn't a question in the form of a statement. It was an observation, plain and simple. "I am;" he said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "We've fought side by side for several years now."

"Hmmm;" was her only reply. After a long silence, she turned to face him and said, "Be very careful, Bridger."

Without another word, she turned and walked away.

Dxun - the Moon of Onderon

Sabine's twin blaster pistols were held at the ready. Before her feet had even touched the ground, one of the locals, a Boma, had already come charging out of the woods. A blaster bolt to the eye ended the conflict before it began, but she could hear other beasts in the woods around. The creatures of Dxun were legendary among the Mandalorian Clans.

She had landed less than a kilometer from the ruined fortress. The jungle had grown thickly around it and she was forced to use a Beskad, a saber made of Mandalorian iron, to hack her way through. There had been one in her fighter and she knew that it would likely come in handy both in the jungle and when she ran into her competitors. Suddenly, a blaster bolt slammed into the tree next to her head and she ducked and rolled instinctively. Seeing the burning tree, and a ridge in the distance, barely visible through the jungle, she knew that her opponent was well out of her engagement range. The best thing she could do was carry on and vacate the area quickly.

Keeping low and cursing herself for painting her armor so brightly, she got low and hustled away, still making for the fortress. When she came to a long, narrow gorge, Sabine grinned. From her pack, she pulled proximity bombs and tucked them into gouges in the rock so that anyone who got too close would be hit in the face, full force, by a concussion grenade. Wearing Mandalorian armor, it probably would kill them but it would be terribly disorienting.

As she made it to the end of the gorge, the jungle suddenly cleared and the fortress ruins were before her. The fortress had been cut from living stone rather than dura or permecrete. Chunks and sheets of durasteel lay rusting on the ground. The main building, beyond looked dark and imposing as she hurried towards it, her blasters raised and ready. Suddenly, two warriors attacked her from the sides. Reflexively, she used the repulser on one of her gauntlets to send one of them sprawling before catching the slash from the other's Beskad on the armor plated part of her gauntlet and kicking him hard in the stomach. It gave her just enough time to draw her own weapon and catch her other opponent. A quick examination showed that the warriors were both from Clan Spar. Spar was a Mandalorian clan that favored the use of close combat weaponry far more than blaster weapons. Their armor was dark gray, almost black, with orange-yellow markings on them.

Sabine remembered what Kanan had taught her and fell into it. One of them was using a double-bladed weapon of some kind. Using the ripcord on one of her gauntlets, she wrapped up one arm and then stunned him or her with her blaster before sweeping the feet from beneath her other opponent and stunning them too.

Knowing that the sound of combat would alert other competitors, Sabine hurried into the ruins. The darksaber and the helmet of Mandalore were hidden somewhere in the ruins. She silently cursed Clan Ordo and their chieftain's eccentric method of determining the new Mandalore.

Suddenly, a large man pelted out of the shadows armed with a pole arm of some kind. One of its ends emitted what looked to be an energy beam while the other sparked with electricity. He was fast and strong but luckily, Sabine was measurably faster and avoided his attacks. This one was smarter than the other two had been. For one thing, he wasn't overconfident. For another, he seemed to know and respect Sabine's reputation.

It was a vicious fight. He tried to use his size and physical strength to overpower her but Sabine was much more agile. What's more, she was combat hardened and had much more combat experience than her opponent. With a few, neat, fluid movements, she was behind her opponent and kicked a spot on his jetpack, sending him sailing upwards and smacking hard into the ceiling. His helmet and armor would save him from any real damage but he would be out of the fight at least for a moment.

As Sabine crept further into the maze, she was surprised at the absolute silence. It was helpful in that if anyone attempted to sneak up on her, they wouldn't be able to but at the same time, it was eerie. Thousands of years ago, Mandalorians had fought and died on this planet against the Old Republic and also against the Sith. While she didn't believe in ghosts, the knowledge added a level of spookiness to it all.

Suddenly, she stopped and backed into an alcove. There were voices ahead - several of them. Quickly as could be, she crept forward and came to an archway into a medium sized chamber. Inside were six warriors of various clans, standing in a circle. "Listen carefully;" said one of them. "Just because we are competing for the title doesn't mean we can't be intelligent about it. We'll find it and gather back here and fight for it. Last Mando standing is Mandalore."

Sabine shook her head in disgust. Pulling a concussion grenade from her belt pack, she activated it, cooked it for a few moments and then lobbed it right into the center of them. None of them even had the chance to scream. A Mandalorian blast helmet had the ability to dampen concussion blasts like that, at least preventing damage to the head. Even so, it was very disorienting and Sabine went through and stunned each of them.

Once they were all out of play, she hurried on, knowing that the noise could potentially bring others down on the area. Sabine ran down another corridor, found herself at a dead end. Backtracking, she took the only other direction that didn't lead her back to where the group of warriors she had just incapacitated were and found herself face to face with what she sought. Coming from the other direction, directly across from her, was a tall man several years her senior in durasteel-gray and black armor. "Darious Ordo;" said Sabine with a polite inclination of her head.

"Sabine Wren;" replied the man with the same motion of respect.

She looked around, checking for any sign of ambush, though she knew it wasn't really Ordo's style. "Am I to take it that we're the last ones standing?" she asked.

Ordo shrugged as he began to circle. "Probably. You've certainly earned my respect for a second time, Sabine. I have to say, I've come to greatly admire you, even before I knew you personally or witnessed you in action first hand."

"Your reputation precedes you as well, Darious;" she said. "It's an honor to get to fight you for the title of Mandalore."

She holstered her blaster pistols and pulled her beskad. The older warrior followed her example and said, "The honor it mine - but let us decide this in the ways of the battle circle."

Sabine hesitated but nodded. "Very well; you decide the rules of the match, Ordo."

"No weapons;" he said, "hand to hand combat only."

Sabine knew that it placed her at a disadvantage. He was much larger than her but she hoped that the tricks she had learned at the Imperial Academy would see her through. She replaced her beskad and dropped her weapons belt to the ground. They removed their helmets and then began to circle. Trying to end the fight quickly, Ordo charge, leading with a series of skillful blows and kicks. Sabine, being quicker and more agile, managed to avoid each of them, redirection and evading rather than trying to block the man's greater strength with her own. When he over extended with one of his strikes, Sabine took full advantage, striking at his armpit, elbow and face. Her goal had been to deaden and break the arm and delivery a disorienting blow. She was only partially successful. The blow to the armpit seemed to numb his arm but the blow to his elbow only further deadened his limb. The blow to his face did nothing to disorient him. Darious pressed the attack, only marginally slowed by his numbed arm.

Force to change tactics, Sabine slipped beneath another of his attack combinations and kicked him behind his knee. It had the desired effect and the larger warrior stumbled to one knee with a grunt. Sabine wrapped one wiry arm around his neck and locked in, hoping to render him unconscious by placing pressure on his artery. But Ordo was too experience for that. He stood straight, backed up to a pillar and slammed Sabine into it. The younger warrior saw stars with the impact and quickly decided that her strategy needed to change. As Ordo tried to slam her into the pillar again, she let go and spun to the side. Ironically, it worked to her advantage and Darious slammed hard into the pillar without Sabine to cushion the impact. As he staggered forward in dazed surprise, he met a solid kick to the gut and, when it bent him over, another kick to the back of the head which slammed him on his face. When he tried to rise, Sabine stepped on the back of his shoulders and leaned down. "Yield, Ordo."

He tried to rise and she stamped down hard on his kidneys, rendering him virtually immobile. "Yield."

Knowing that he was beat, the older warrior used his hands to slap the ground three times, a sign of yeidling. Sabine went to the helmet and the dark saber and took them. The helmet, which was a size too large for her head, was an ancient thing that had obviously been recently retrofitted with modern technology. When she placed it on her head, she was surprised when the inside padding formed to her face to fit snugly. Then, lifting the dark saber, she ignited it. Darious, who had managed to stagger to his feet, activated his commlink and said, "Send a pick up for the survivors. Mandalore the Deliverer has risen."

Every Mandalorian who had come to the meeting stood in the hanger bay as Sabine stood as tall as she could, still proudly wearing the steel gray mask that didn't at all match her armor, and holding the ignited dark saber aloft. The warriors around cheered, all gathered to their clans and Ezra, standing near Fenn Rau and his Mandalorians, beamed at her with pride. After many long minutes, Sabine lifted her hands and the warriors fell silent. "For years, the title of Mandalore has been considered antiquated, used only by clan leaders or mad warlords with delusions of grandeur, not leaders of all the peoples and clans of Mandalore. But now, Mandalore has returned and will deliver us from the iron grip of the Empire so that one day, we may be a free system again, able to fight or ally with whomever we choose."

Out of the corner of her eye, Sabine saw Ezra frown and knew that she would have some explaining to do later. "But, my brothers and sisters, my clan chieftains, we cannot hope to defeat the Empire alone and return to the ways of true Mandalorians without assistance."

She allowed her words to sink in for almost a minute before declaring, "Before we are finished here, I would speak with the chieftains of our clans. In the mean time, celebrate, my warriors, for Mandalore has returned."

A mighty roar went up as Sabine leaped from the top of the fighter she had been standing upon and headed towards the exit from the hanger. The seventeen clan leaders that were present followed her out of the hanger.

Ezra watched them go uneasily. He was an outsider among them and was a Jedi, what's more. Silently, he slipped into the shadows of one of the landed starfighters.

Sabine had removed the helmet and set it on the table in front of her. The dark saber was clipped conspicuously on her weapons belt, strapped to the back of one of her blaster holsters. "Have a seat;" she said as the filed in.

Each of them removed their helmets and placed them on the table in front of them. Ursa Wren looked highly uneasy but remained silent. Sabine took her seat at the head of the table. "As I said," she began, "we cannot throw off the Empire without allies. Therefore, as Mandalore, I will be bringing a delegation before the Rebel Alliance to offer s tithe of our assistance as a show of our intention to ally with them."

There was a brittle silence when she had finished before Gaverous Ordo stated, "Speaking for Clan Ordo, I believe this to be the best course of action. The Rebel Alliance is gaining support by the people within the Empire and they've already one several major victories. They destroyed the cloning facility on Kamino and they destroyed the Death Star super weapon. It is high time we took an interest in the war at hand."

It was clearly not a very popular opinion. Another of them, Barto Notimo of Clan Notimo, looked around with disgust. "Are we not warriors? Why should we fear war?"

"Because;" said Ursa Wren in her grave, calm voice, "the Empire has super weapons such as the Death Star. Have you not heard of Darth Vader's new command ship? It is larger than any the galaxy has ever seen before. Never in our history has there been a ship like it. There are rumors throughout the galaxy of other weapons as well, every bit as dangerous as the Death Star. Would you risk inviting them home to the Mandalore System?"

A tall, bulky women in gray and gold armor slapped her gloved hand on the table. "The Mandalore System is already under threat of enslavement. Our worlds and moons are going to be strip-mined if we don't stand up. I, for one, will die before I let that happen."

Others began to murmur in agreement. Sabine's confidence was beginning to grow. "I am not asking all of you to work directly with the Alliance. Some of you will be starting your own resistance groups in our home systems and sector. Others, I want to do nothing but keep a watch on the clans that are serving the Empire. I ask you all, once and for all, you will follow Mandalore?"

They all stood, some more hesitantly than others, and gave their affirmation. "Who will be doing what then?" asked Ursa Wren.

"Clans Wren, Cadera, Notimo and Rook will be establishing resistance bases and lines of supply in our systems and sectors since you all seem the most hesitant to join with the rebellion. Clans Rau, Ordo, Kryze, Spar and Eldar will be following myself and Ezra Bridger back to the Alliance. The rest of you will be extensions of the Alliance, answering directly to me. I will be your representative to Rebel Alliance High Command."

She looked around, gauging their mostly stony expressions. "Any concerns or issues, speak now. If not, go and fulfill your part."

All began to file out until Ursa remained alone with her daughter. "Once again, you have made me very proud, Sabine;" said Ursa, "but I must wonder at the wisdom of your choices. Are you thinking in the best interest of your rebellion and or your people?"

"I firmly believe that I am working in the best interest of both, Mother;" said Sabine, picking up her helmet and tucking under her arm. "As long as the Empire rules, those who would fight it cannot be divided, all fighting their own little wars."

Ursa didn't look convinced until Sabine sighed and asked, "What would you have me do, Mother?"

"You are Mandalore, Sabine. You must make the decisions."

"True;" said Sabine, "and I have. But only a fool would make such decisions without asking those with more experience."

Ursa gave a small, tight smile. "Indeed. I suppose that your decisions are shrewd and tactically sound. However, I do not trust the Rebel Alliance. When they succeed, what assurances do we have that they will let us be? Will they leave us independent or force us to join them?"

Sabine frowned. "I honestly do not know but I promise in the name of our people that I will raise the issue when that time is near, mother. In the mean time, I wish to send a message to those of our people who have thrown their lot in with the Empire."

Wherever they were, the leaders of the Mandalorian Clans that served the Empire as super commandos received holo-messages from the new Mandalore. The message was the same for all three of them. "Chieftains of Clan's Saxon, Sherruk and Kray - hear the words of Mandalore the Deliverer: I call you to return to Mandalore and fight for our people as the warriors of old did. Your people need you and the Empire is enslaving and usurping them. If you refuse, you will become exiles and outcasts among the Mando'ade and if they see you, they will hunt you down, strip you of your armor and your weapons and they will kill you. These are the words of Mandalore."