The Trials of Mand'alor

Chapter 4

The Sith

Upon entering the Oyu'baat Cantina, Xerxes was hit with a wave of revelry and carefree spirits. Almost every booth was packed with patrons all drinking or placing bets on the events being shown on the holoscreens. An array of events ranging from Pod Racing to Hutt-ball and gladiator matches on Geonosis could be viewed on the screens. The smell of livestock from outside where the owner of the establishment kept his animals wafted in through the windows. Thankfully the smells of sweet and spicy ales from the bar were there to overpower the musty animal smells. Whatever further doubts about the future Xerxes felt were consumed in the cheerful atmosphere of his people. Xerxes realized in that moment that even without an active Mand'alor, life on Mandalore went on and the people generally governed themselves. If he did become the new Mand'alor, he would really only have to deal with the incredibly important issues and concerns of the day that Mandalore would face.

Xerxes began to scan the cantina in search of his brother. He quickly found the table where L'gann sat, nursing a drink and quite alone. Galbon hadn't beaten him there. Which meant that as soon as he walked in, Galbon was paying for the whole group's drinks. Xerxes smirked to himself and made his way to L'gann, leading the rest of the group towards the clan leader. When they reached the table, L'gann looked up and then immediately sprang to his feet and sauntered over to Tai Zhan with a frown on his face. The sudden change in attitude caught Xerxes off guard and he became worried that L'gann may have been drunk and was going to take a punch at the Jedi Master. L'gann stood there, with his hands in his pockets and his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, regarding the Jedi. Tai stood with equal mystery as he waited for L'gann to say or do something. When nothing happened, Tai held his hand out towards L'gann and said in perfect Mandalorian, "Su cuy'gar, Vod!"

Everyone within earshot of the Jedi was stunned. He had just greeted L'gann in a way that suggested an incredible familiarity between the two. What was more surprising was when L'gann grasped Tai's hand with his own and a huge grin broke out across his face. "It's good to see you too old friend." Then the two men pulled each other in for a brotherly hug, with pats and all. "It's been far too long, Tai!"

"Too long for my liking, indeed." Tai Zhan pulled back so he could get a better look at L'gann. "Still sporting those ridiculous glasses to look cool, I see."

"And look at you! The prodigal knight returned to Manda'yaim1."

"Ha, it's Jedi Master now."

"Oh. Forgive me, Master." L'gann held up his arms in mock surrender as he spoke to the people around him. "Look out, everyone. We got a Jedi Master up in the cantina. Better put on your Sunday best."

The two men continued to laugh and poke fun at one another. All the while, Xerxes, and company were still trying to wrap their minds around the events that were transpiring before them. A Jedi and a Mandalorian were… being friendly? As friends?! Akiza was the first to have the sense to ask what was going on.

"Um, Dad?" Akiza put a hand on her father's arm to gain his attention. "How do you know Master Zhan and why didn't you tell us you had a…friend? In the Jedi Order?"

"Hmm?" L'gann once again was dragged back to his surroundings by his daughter. He stared at her wondering why she would ask such a question until he realized why he had never mentioned it before. L'gann clapped his hands together and turned to Tai. "That's right! I never told them about you!"

L'gann quickly went back to his booth and gestured for everyone else to follow him. "C'mon, take a seat. I'll tell you everything." The teenagers all sat down at the table. Ru-benn seemed the most concerned as if everything he once held dear was about to be brought into question. Xerxes and Vlad leaned in with curiosity and anticipation. Akiza folded her arms and lowered her chin as she had a slight glare directed towards her father. She never did like it when people kept things from her, especially when it was the people she was closest to. It made her feel like they didn't trust her. Xerxes had learned that the hard way.

L'gann's elbows rested on the table with his hands clasped together against his mouth in contemplation. He sighed as he tried to figure out where to begin. Tai put a hand on L'gann's shoulder and spoke softly. "Why don't you start with how we first met?"

"Right. Of course." L'gann removed his sunglasses and put them on the table. Xerxes couldn't remember the last time L'gann had done that. That must have meant it was a story L'gann felt was extremely important.

"Well, it all began at the Battle of Cathar, thirteen years ago. Back when we had an alliance with the Cathar and right when the Empire decided they didn't like that. You remember how afterwards Abram and I had adopted you, kids?" Xerxes, Akiza, and Vlad all nodded as they remembered being told the story several times growing up. "Well…" L'gann continued, "We never did tell you how we managed to escape Cathar. You see, the Empire had caught us totally by surprise and most of the Mandalorian colonies we had established there had already been razed by the time we were able to scramble the Bes'uliiks2. Well, Abram and I had managed to grab a group of toddlers, now orphaned thanks to the Empire. You guys were the toddlers by the way. Anyway, we had the toddlers and we were making our way to our ships when Imperial bombers made another run and blew up the hanger. Our ships laid smoldering as smoke poured out of the destroyed hanger. Our only hope of escape cut off. The starfighters were making their way back around and had us in their sights. We had nowhere left to run and no way were we going to abandon a bunch of children to save our own skins. So, Abram and I stood our ground. Brothers in arms, and brothers in death."

By now the entire group had leaned in, entranced by L'gann's storytelling. Akiza had even forgotten how upset she had been at her father. L'gann always did have a special way of weaving a story that caused people to become ensnared by his tales. Even the patrons who were closest to them had gone silent as they listened to L'gann recount the events of Cathar.

"Just as we had accepted our fates, the Imperial starfighters exploded as a small Republic dropship unloaded a volley of gunfire on them. This ship came out of nowhere and was doing tricks meant for small starfighters! It was amazing! Whoever was piloting that thing must've been a legend!" L'gann had begun throwing his arms around in excitement. "The entire squad of Imperial bombers. Gone in just mere seconds! All thanks to one dropship. The odds were astronomical! Then the ship lands in front of the hanger. Out of the ship walks the strangest looking alien I've ever seen, wearing these stupid looking, drab robes. He walks up to us and says," L'gann cupped a hand over his mouth and did the best impression of his friend that he could, "My name is Jedi Knight Tai Zhan and I'm here to help." Everyone looked to Tai in disbelief, unsure if L'gann may have been stretching the truth or not. Tai merely nodded with a smile under his mask and waited for L'gann to continue.

"So, we all load up into Tai's ship, which he had commandeered, by the way. Apparently, he wasn't supposed to be there in the first place, but he had defied orders and went to save anyone he could. We all escaped, I adopted Akiza and Vlad and Abram adopted Xerxes and Galbon. The last children he would ever adopt." L'gann ended by folding his arms leaning his chair back and smirking at Tai.

Vlad turned to Tai. "So, the Jedi didn't want you to come and save a bunch of warmongers like us, but you did anyway?"

Tai leaned forward as he added his part of the story, "Yes. There were and are several members of the Jedi Order who do not have the kindest feelings towards the Mandalorians. I had just recently been made a Jedi Knight at the time when we received a distress signal from Cathar and of course, the Council would hear none of it from a young, reckless knight, such as I was. But I felt that not helping was against the Jedi teachings and against my own moral code, so I borrowed a ship and did what I felt was the right thing. Of course, the Council chastised me for my utter disregard afterward. Then to add insult to injury, I requested to be made the Jedi Watchmen of the Mandalore sector. I think they only granted my request from fear that I would corrupt the younger minds of the Academy if I was allowed to return to Tython."

The small group laughed at Tai's remarks about the council. Ru-benn however, appeared to be very uncomfortable as he listened to the Jedi Master slander the Jedi council. It was probably his first-time hearing about how Tai had openly defied the council and saved what most Jedi would consider a deadly enemy. Although Tai Zhan had not been the Jedi Master to train him, Ru-benn had still held him in high regard.

"So why did you do it?" Akiza asked Tai. "Decide to stay in the Mandalore sector, I mean?"

Tai folded his arms and considered Akiza's question. "Well, during the trip from Cathar to Mandalore, I got to know Abram and L'gann. And after seeing them risk their lives for you and the type of men they were, I wanted to know more. It wasn't long after that, that I fell in love with the planet, its culture and its people. I considered Mandalore to be a second home and while most of the Clan leaders didn't like having a Jedi live here, they allowed me to stay nearby Keldabe for many years. If only because I had become best friends with Abram and L'gann. We had several adventures together, the three of us."

L'gann began to recall other stories he could tell. "Oh, like that time we saved that stuck up Senator from a bar fight by pretending to be his bodyguards?"

Tai began to recount their adventures as well. "Or the time we each took a Basilisk War Droid to a contested war zone on Kashyyk and almost single-handedly won the battle!"

"Or that time we went to Korriban and we…" L'gann's voice began to falter, "We…"

Xerxes and Akiza side glanced at each other. They had both picked up on L'gann and Tai's sudden mood change. It was rare, but when something bothered L'gann it was unmistakable and Tai was uncharacteristically quiet. Korriban must have been a memory L'gann and Tai didn't like to relive. Which for Xerxes, meant one thing. It had to do with his father.

"What happened on Korriban?" Xerxes asked softly. L'gann reached for his sunglasses with his left hand and quickly put them on, but not before Xerxes saw the pain in L'gann's eyes. Xerxes raised his voice and asked again more forcefully, "What happened on Korriban?"

"Dad?" Akiza was concerned. It was just like when Xerxes had closed himself off when his father had died. L'gann sighed and chewed the inside of his cheek, not wanting to relive this one story.

Tai spoke softly to L'gann, "They deserve to know the truth." L'gann turned his head towards Tai, then back to Xerxes, then down at the table. He sighed and got up out of his chair. It had become so quiet that the squeak of the chair echoed around them. "Fine," L'gann said putting his hands in his pockets. "But if we're going to tell this story, I'm gonna need a drink first." He then quietly made his way to the bar.

Tai's gaze followed L'gann as he left before turning his attention back to the rest of the group. "You'll have to forgive him. It has been a long time since either of us openly discussed the events of our last adventure and it's not a pleasant memory for us." The look Xerxes gave him was piercing. The longing and desire for information in his eyes beat against Tai's will until he knew that he could no longer deprive the boy of a story he so desperately needed to hear.

"I suppose this story really starts with me." Tai clasped his hands together in front of him on the table before beginning his tale. "You see, the three of us had come to not only think ourselves invincible, but we had also taken to treasure hunting and one day I heard some curious rumors about the planet Korriban. Korriban is an ancient Sith world. It is hot, dry, barren, and has a harsh law of survival. It also happens to be the burial grounds of several ancient Sith Lords, all in grand tombs buried with their weapons, artifacts, and treasures. Among them had been rumored to be an ancient Sith text or holocron of sorts concerning ancient Sith magic and rituals. Not only would this be knowledge the Jedi Council would wish to keep out of Sith hands, but it was also an opportunity to raid their weapons and resources. We figured that we would go unnoticed since it was a burial world and we had gone prepared for any booby traps and ancient Sith spirits that still haunted the planet's tombs."

"Except we weren't." L'gann had returned to the table with a rather large tankard in his hand. He slumped down into his chair and took a hearty swig before continuing where Tai had left off. "Those tombs had some nasty traps. There were a few times we came close to joining the dead in those caverns. I'm not sure what Tai could sense in there, but even I could feel some dark presence following us in there. Made my skin crawl and I even swore I thought I heard someone whispering in my ears along the way. Even though we managed to get some sweet loot we never did find those Sith texts."

L'gann took another swig of his drink and considered his tankard as he forced memories of the past into the light. "What we found in the valley of the Sith Lords was a far more pressing matter. An ambush. Turns out the planet isn't as lifeless as we thought. We found a Sith academy with students and acolytes training there. What's more, was that not only did they venture into the tombs often as part of their training, but our ship had also been seen landing on the cliffs and they had been waiting for us." L'gann's gaze continued to stay transfixed on his drink, refusing to make eye contact with anyone around him.

Xerxes could understand why. It was the story that L'gann had refused to tell him all those years ago, the night his father died and he was likely feeling extremely guilty for it. L'gann took a deep breath and continued, "We fought back as best we could and even used the tomb's traps to get away from the Sith Assassins, but they had the home-field advantage and kept on us pretty hard. I'll bet there may have even been a master or two with them. We knew it was a losing battle and our only hope was to escape back through the tombs and reach our ship. It was there in the last stretch of the tomb that Abram realized we weren't going to make it. So, he stopped, turned around and told us to keep going and that he would hold them off while we made it to the ship. We begged him to come with us. We told him that we could all get out, but he insisted and promised that he would be right behind us. *sigh* He wasn't. While we were taking off we could still hear him over our hunting commlinks, fighting those bastards. He was doing fine, but I guess they overwhelmed him. They had demanded to know who we were and promised his life in exchange for ours. I'll never forget what he said to them. He declared, 'I am Mand'alor the Father and I would rather die than sell out my friends to you filthy shebs3.' Then we heard the dar'jetti4 grant his wish before the signal cut out." L'gann looked emotionally exhausted and very grim. He took one final long swig of his drink to numb the pain.

Xerxes, however, wasn't convinced. "But that doesn't mean he died." Xerxes reasoned. "You could've just gone beyond the range of the communicators or something and he could still be out there. He.."

"I felt him die, Xerxes." Tai's voice had not been harsh, but the sting of the words cut through Xerxes nevertheless. Just as they had when he was eight years old when he was told the first time. "As sure as the feeling of new life entering the galaxy, I felt the unmistakable pull of death and the void it left behind as Abram's presence in the Force simply ended." L'gann pinched the bridge of his nose and forced his eyes closed. Tai put a hand on his shoulder and finished the story since L'gann was no longer emotionally stable enough for it. "What's more, is that after I felt it was safe enough to return, we went back and retrieved his body. They had left him on the steps of the tomb entrance where he had fought to protect his friends. A sacrifice I will never forget, but will always regret. It is also for that reason that I had to leave Mandalore and return to the Jedi Temple. Not only was I no longer welcome among the clan leaders, but the Council felt that my actions had endangered the people and requested my immediate departure. So, after burying Abram in his own tomb under Mand'alor's mansion, I did just that and did not return."

Xerxes processed everything he had been told. He had known his Father had been killed, but not brutally murdered by the Sith. As much as he wanted to blame Tai and L'gann, he knew he couldn't. His father had made the choice to go to Korriban, he had made the choice to stay behind and he had made the choice to do the honorable thing and protect his friends. If anything, Xerxes was proud of his father for dying in such a noble manner, but the pain of that loss was still great. At the very least he now knew and he could grow from that knowledge. Before he could say anything, however, the doors to the cantina burst open and in strode several figures draped in black robes, led by Galbon.

So, the Empire's emissaries had finally arrived. No doubt hoping to sway Mandalore into an alliance, seeing as they had been unaligned for several generations. Xerxes waved to Galbon to get his attention. As the Imperials made their way towards the group Xerxes heard L'gann whispering.

"Hey, Tai. You see that red-skin over there?"

"You mean the Sith Pureblood with the dark hair?"

"Yeah, that one. I think I've seen him before. I think he was there on Korriban."

Xerxes didn't turn his head knowing it would give away his eavesdropping. Instead, he leaned back in his chair ever so slightly in order to hear the two men converse better.

"Are you sure, L'gann? That was some time ago."

"No. I recognize that stupid facial jewelry. It was tacky then, it's tacky now. Besides, you should be able to recognize him with the Force, right?

There was a pause in the conversation for what Xerxes could only assume was Tai reaching out with the Force towards the Sith in question.

"His presence does feel familiar. In fact, a few of them do. L'gann, I do believe you are correct. Some of these men are the very Sith who chased us and killed Abram."

Xerxes felt his blood boil immediately. His Father had been the most important person in his life apart from Galbon. He felt something rise within him. A desire to see these Sith suffer. A desire to end their lives. A desire for revenge.

"Well, what are we waiting for? I say we end them!" L'gann's chair squeaked as he stood up.

"No! As long as they are here, they are guests and have diplomatic protection. Any action against them would be considered an act of war. A war that Mandalore is not currently equipped to deal with. For now, we must act as if nothing is amiss and treat them with as much politeness as possible. The Force is telling me they shall not prevail before their visit here is done."

"Fine. I guess we'd better greet our 'guests'."

Xerxes got up first and made his way over towards his brother, doing his best to keep his cool as he tried to figure out how to tell Galbon the things he had just learned and how to warn him. "Well, Galbon. Looks like I beat you again. You know what that means."

"Yeah, yeah.", Galbon began to back towards the bar. "Drinks are on me. I'll be back after I ring up the tab."

Xerxes' gaze followed his brother to the bar before he turned his attention towards the Sith. Xerxes jumped back as a figure had suddenly appeared silently before him. Xerxes looked up and beheld the monster in front of him. He was tall. Taller than anyone Xerxes had ever met. Unlike the other Sith, he did not wear a robe. Instead, he was clad in iron black armor and had a blood red cape that went down to the floor. Xerxes immediately took note of the extra set of arms he had. Four arms meant he could hold more weapons. Not someone to be trifled with. The Sith also wore the skull of some creature over his head. The horns of the skull flowed towards the back of his head, the fangs were large and reached down to the bottom of his chin. A chin covered in black cloth to hide his mouth. The red markings under the eye sockets clearly indicated that the wearing of a skull was a cultural thing for this Sith's race. Whatever that race was.

The most striking feature about this Sith that caused Xerxes discomfort was his eyes. They were black. Black as darkness itself and pupils of pure white. No iris. It was an image that would haunt Xerxes in his sleep as those eyes stared at him from the depths of the skull he wore. After what felt like an eternity to Xerxes, the Sith finally spoke. As he did, Xerxes felt his insides chill, as the voice he heard spoke with an ethereal presence. Not harsh or quiet, but there was a gravity and mystery to it that held no compassion within it. If death had a voice, Xerxes was certain this was what it sounded like. "Do not be too quick to judge your brother. He remained hidden until we reached Keldabe. None of us knew he was even there. An impressive skill if you ask me."

Xerxes wasn't sure how to respond. The sudden terror that gripped his feet into place as the Sith's eyes bored into him, made his boots feel as if they weighed a hundred pounds each. Thankfully Xerxes didn't have to respond. L'gann had finally walked up behind Xerxes and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Well, that's just how we train them here on Mandalore. We don't want our enemies to know when we're following them, do we?"

Xerxes guessed the hidden meaning in L'gann's words. He was giving the Sith a warning. Whether the Sith felt threatened or not, he did not betray any emotion. "A wise tactic that all should be aware of.", the Sith replied, folding his arms. He stared at L'gann and regarded him before turning his attention towards Tai, who had just walked up to them. "Ah." the Sith began. "Jedi Master Tai Zhan. I should have realized the Council would send its best emissary to Mandalore. I trust your return has been a welcome one?"

So, the Sith were aware that Tai had good relations with the Mandalorians. However, they didn't seem to realize L'gann and Tai's connection to the events of Korriban or, at least if they did, they made no mention of it.

Tai spoke to the Sith in an incredibly polite manner. "Yes. The return to Mandalore has been one I needed. I thank you for your concern, Darth Verror." Finally, a name for the creature before them. "I wasn't aware the Emperor would be sending his right-hand man to oversee the Mand'alor Competition."

Right-hand? As in second in command of the entire Empire?! The more Darth Verror was around him, the less confident Xerxes felt. Xerxes doubted that this Sith was at Korriban. He would've recognized L'gann and Tai immediately. Which meant, for the time being, Xerxes had no quarrel with the Sith Lord. Which suited him just fine. Xerxes didn't think his chances of fighting the second most powerful Sith in the whole galaxy would be that good anyway.

"Come now, Master Zhan. Let's not stand on pretense." Verror's upper arms remained folded as his lower arms spread out in a public speaking fashion. "The coming of a new Mand'alor is far too important of an event for anyone of importance to not be in attendance."

Tai quietly regarded Darth Verror's words. "So, it would seem."

"Is this really where we will be staying my Lord?" The red-skinned Sith that L'gann had pointed out had joined in on the conversation. His skin was blood red and he did indeed have some tacky facial jewelry. Not rings, but more like plates? It looked odd to Xerxes. "I mean this place is filthy! Just on the way in I saw that the owner keeps a herd of Roba out behind his building. It's disgusting!"

"Well, if you don't like it here...", L'gann had stepped towards the Sith pureblood with his chest puffed out and an attitude to match. "Then you don't have to stay here, but the Oyu'baat is the best on Mandalore. You won't find any better." L'gann was clearly drunk and wasn't doing very well at keeping his hatred for the Sith or for people who thought themselves above the Mandalorian's rustic lifestyle under control. Then again, this man had been there to take part in murdering Abram. Xerxes was surprised L'gann hadn't started throwing punches at the Sith.

"If I wanted your opinion, Mando, I would've asked for it.", The Sith Pureblood hissed at L'gann.

Galbon quickly jumped in between the two men with a tankard of spirits in each of his hands. "Hey, now. No offense was meant on either side, right? So, you don't like this cantina? That's fine. Er, what sort of place would be more to your liking Lord Avarus?"

Avarus glanced down at the drinks in Galbon's hands and smirked. "You seem to be a man of taste Galbon. I like that. Tell me, do you know of any places where a man can receive his fill of, uh, 'Recreational Scolding'? If you catch my meaning?"

It took a moment for Galbon to process what Avarus was getting at, but his face lit up when comprehension dawned on him. "Oh! I gotcha." Galbon had a wide grin on his face. "Well, the best place for that would be our illustrious red-light sector. It's a bit out of the way, but I can guarantee that it is certainly worth it."

Xerxes quickly grabbed his brother by the shoulders and began to steer him away from the Sith. "Ha ha ha ha! Could you excuse us while I talk to my brother?" Once Xerxes felt they were well out of earshot he dropped the embarrassed grin and gave his brother a very stern look. "What the heck do you think you're doing, Galbon?"
"What? I'm just being a good host and showing them around."

"By taking them to the red-light sector?! Yeah, real classy place. And how do you know whether or not it is worth it to go there in the first place?" Xerxes mind immediately came up with an answer for him and he quickly regretted it. "You know what? On second thought, I don't want to know." Holding his face in his hands, Xerxes continued, "Anyways that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Xerxes quickly recounted the things he had learned about their Father's death to Galbon who was keeping his face as neutral as possible. Galbon's gaze slowly moved over the Sith as he asked, "Are you sure? That was years ago."

"L'gann seemed pretty sure of himself and Tai confirmed his suspicions using the Force."

"Okay, without turning around, do you know which ones were actually there or who it was who did the deed?"
"No idea who actually performed the execution, and the only one I know was there for sure is that Avarus guy you were talking to."

Galbon's gaze held steadily on the Sith. He clearly wanted to act out and strangle the Sith as much as Xerxes or L'gann, but Galbon had better control over his emotions than they did. Galbon looked back to Xerxes. "You want me to do some secret recon and find out who was there at Korriban and who actually did it?"

Xerxes bit his lip in contemplation. If they were going to avenge their Father at all, it would be wise to get some actual hard evidence before doing anything else. On the other hand, Xerxes wasn't thrilled with the idea of sending his brother alone against an entire entourage of Sith lords. But Galbon did seem to already be on the Sith's good side and if Xerxes didn't allow Galbon to find out what he could, they'd never learn anything.

"Alright," Xerxes said looking Galbon in the eye. "You go as undercover as you can. Don't let them know what your real intentions are and bro?" Xerxes placed a hand on Galbon's shoulder. "Come back alive, okay?"

Galbon put down the drinks, mirrored Xerxes and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll find out what we need." Galbon let his arm slide off his brother's shoulder and began to walk over to the Sith. Galbon then turned around and gestured towards Xerxes, saying, "If anything, you should be worried about the Jedi hitting on your girl." He then led the Imperials out of the cantina and into the evening dusk.

Xerxes watched him leave, his brow furrowed in confusion. Jedi doing what to who? He then turned towards the table they had all been sitting at and saw what Galbon had meant. The Jedi Knight, Ru-benn, was closely involved in a conversation with Akiza. A little too closely to her for Xerxes' liking. This particular Jedi was getting on his last nerve. Xerxes' fists balled up in frustration as he watched Akiza smiling and allowing this outsider to flirt with her. Xerxes knew she wasn't his girlfriend or betrothed or anything like that, just his best friend. But he couldn't help but feel jealous. Besides, he knew if Akiza didn't like the attention, she was not afraid to speak her mind and tell someone off.

Xerxes sighed, unclenched his fists and chose to do nothing about it. Instead, he grabbed the two tankards of spirits that Galbon had left and walked over to join them. He walked as calmly as possible, careful not to spill his drinks or his emotions. As he did he overheard a little of what Ru-benn had been talking to her about.

"I mean if anything, I'd think that Galbon guy has a better chance of being the next Mand'alor than Xerxes does. Heck, a gundark has a better chance. That guy is such a string bean compared to everyone else." Xerxes had been more than aware of his own physical stature for several years and how he differed from his peers, but hearing it from an outsider made him feel more aware of it. Xerxes didn't like how this Jedi was making him feel about himself.

However, Akiza's smile slowly faded from her face and the glare she had earlier when they had first met Ru-benn had returned to her eyes. "For your information," she began, "that string bean happens to be my best friend and Xerxes is more than capable of holding his own against his brother and a gundark at the same time." Akiza had leaned back in her seat and folded her arms a crossed her chest. Apparently, the smile had been for show and she had just lost her patience with the young Jedi. Ru-benn picked up on this and attempted to reconcile the situation.

"Alright. I'm sorry, miss. I didn't mean to offend you. Maybe we got off on the wrong foot." Ru-benn's arm had casually dropped behind Akiza's chair. She glanced down at his arm and firmly moved out of his reach.

She had had enough. "No, I think we got off on the correct foot. Xerxes Fett is one of the strongest men I've ever met and I admire him for his strength of character. In fact, I think he will be the one to become the new Mand'alor." Xerxes' eyebrows flew up in surprise at Akiza's bold declaration of him. She had never spoken of him like that before, or at least not that he was aware of. "What's more, you should be ashamed of yourself, 'Master Jedi'." Ru-benn clearly hadn't been expecting that as his body recoiled from her as if she had physically slapped him. "I thought the Jedi believed in non-attachment and forbade love of any kind. Yet here you are, newly knighted from what I've heard, flirting and breaking the Jedi code. If your Master could see you now, I'm sure he'd be appalled. Furthermore, I prefer men who are honorable and bound to their duty." Akiza scanned Ru-benn from head to toe before finishing. "Which is apparently something you're not."

Xerxes decided he'd better step in again before a fight broke out. "Ahem." Both Ru-benn and Akiza looked up at him as he stood before their table and held up the drinks in his hands. "I'm sorry Ru-benn, but I can only carry two drinks." Xerxes shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "Skinny arms and all."

Ru-benn's mouth pressed in on itself in frustration to the point where it almost disappeared. He drummed his fingers on the table for a moment before deciding he was done for the day. "That's okay," Ru-benn said placing his hands on the table and getting up. "I don't drink anyway."

Xerxes kept his eye on Ru-benn as he walked away and up the stairs to the inn above the cantina. Xerxes then turned his attention to the woman before him. Her eyes were cast down at the table and her cheeks were flushed, either in frustration or embarrassment. Xerxes couldn't help but smile. He slid into the now available chair and slid a drink in front of Akiza. "So" Xerxes began, taking a sip of his beverage. "I'll hold him and you punch, right?"

Akiza snorted and smiled at Xerxes' attempt to ease her mood. "Thanks," she said. "But I'll be okay." Akiza pulled the drink towards her and stared down into its depths. "So how much of that did you hear, Xerxes?" Her face still pointed towards her mug as her eyes watched him through her lashes.

"Oh, just the part where he was making fun of me." Xerxes took another sip of his drink before adding, "And the part where you stood up for me. Thanks, by the way."

Akiza's cheeks flushed again and she fixed her gaze determinedly on her drink, never once drinking it. "Well, he was being rude and I couldn't stand to let him mock my best friend." She looked up at Xerxes once again.

"I could tell." Xerxes took another sip of his drink. The tension between them was still moderately thick. He didn't like it. Xerxes decided he'd have a little fun at her expense. With his elbow on the table, he rested his chin on his hand and put on his best seductive face. "So, you admire my strength of character?"

Akiza blushed all the harder as a smile broke out on her face. She knew he was having a go at her and did her best not to laugh at his attempts to be seductive. "I did say that, didn't I?" She sighed, "Yes, I suppose I do. But don't let it go to your head, alright?" She finally took a swig of her drink.

"Sure. We wouldn't want me to suddenly develop a sense of self-worth, now would we?"

"I meant what I said earlier, Xerxes. I know you can hold your own and I really do believe you will be a good Mand'alor." She gave him a soft reassuring smile. "Now you just need to believe you can."

Xerxes let his crooked smile play across his face. He did nothing to hide the affection he felt for her. "Yeah. I'm just glad to know someone like you believes in me."

"Always."

Xerxes held up his mug. "For Mandalore?" Akiza clinked her mug against his and agreed. "For Mandalore."

1 Lit. Home of Mandalore

2 Basilisk War Droid

3 Butt or more vulgar terms

4 Dark jedi or sith, generally used as an insult