The Trials of Mand'alor

Chapter 7

The New Mand'alor

Xerxes was standing on top of a mountain in the middle of the night. He had been following connections in the Force, which had led him here. On the mountaintop, he had found a very large, wispy, trail of energy flowing up into the night sky. He was curious as to where the energy trail went. Without hesitation, Xerxes placed a hand inside of it.

His body was immediately whisked away in the pull of the Force. Xerxes turned his head back and saw Mandalore fading into the black distance of space. As he continued hurtling through space, Xerxes saw other planets and stars whizzing past him. He was caught in the currents of the Force and there was nothing he could do to escape it. The speed was so intense that he felt that he would lose consciousness at any minute.

Just as he was about to black out, a planet came directly at Xerxes. Before he could even react, everything slowed down right as he floated through the atmosphere. Xerxes looked about. The planet he was on was dark. All across the sky, Xerxes could only see lightning storms and curtains of rain as far as the eye could see. He was wondering where he was when he spotted a large city along the horizon. The Force continued pulling him through the air towards the city. In the center of the city was an extremely tall building. It was easily twice the height of Mandal Motors' tower. The building had other tall spires encircling it. The spires were smaller in comparison, but they still ascended to great heights.

The next thing he knew, Xerxes stood on a landing platform on the building. It wasn't at the very top, but still a great way up. Xerxes tried observing his surroundings as the rain continued to soak him. As he did, Xerxes noticed a man standing with his back to him. Xerxes was caught off guard when he realized the man was wearing full body Mandalorian armor. Xerxes walked towards him to find out who he was.

The man was wearing a helmet, so Xerxes wasn't going to be able to see his face. Xerxes searched for a clan insignia or some pattern of color to aid him in piecing together the man's identity. If it hadn't been so dark Xerxes might've been able to find some clue, but to no avail.

The man then turned his body to the side and the face of his helmet towards Xerxes. The man was taller than he and stood in a very powerful stance. His armor glistened in the night as rain continued pouring down on the both of them. Lightning struck nearby and highlighted the sheen of his drenched armor even further. Not being able to see the man's face made him appear very intimidating. Xerxes felt that he was someone very powerful. He felt that this man was someone very important.

The man turned his body a little more and raised an arm. He was pointing at Xerxes. It made Xerxes feel very small. The man's voice could be heard through the rain and thunder as he spoke. With power and authority in his voice, the man declared, "You! You are a part of this pivotal moment."

Xerxes' eyes snapped open as he woke up in his bed back on Mandalore. He drew deep shaky breaths as he sat up in confusion. It had all been a dream, hadn't it? He looked around his treehouse and tried making sense of what he had seen. He had felt it, all of it. He could even distinctly remember the smell of the rain. With sweat covering his body, Xerxes wondered if, perhaps, he had indeed been in the rain. Then there was that man.

Who was he? Why had he spoken to Xerxes in such a manner? Did he know Xerxes? What moment had he been referring to?

Xerxes looked up at the window of his treehouse. He could see daylight slowly making it way over the mountains. Dawn was approaching. Whatever that dream was, Xerxes felt that it was no ordinary dream. It had been too vivid, too real, to just be something his mind had made up. Perhaps it had been something brought on by the Force. But even then, Xerxes still didn't know if it meant anything. Getting up out of bed, Xerxes decided to push the dream aside for the time being and began getting ready for the day. The final matchup to decide the new Mand'alor was going to begin soon.

By the time the sun had reached the pinnacle of its arch in the sky, Xerxes and Galbon were finally headed towards the final event. Everyone else was waiting patiently at the Coliseum, but L'gann had informed them that they needed to make a quick stop at Mand'alor's Mansion first before they could begin. On the skiff ride there, the two young men didn't speak to each other very much. Galbon had spent the night in Keldabe with the Sith, so they hadn't gotten ready together at their home. They had greeted each other upon meeting and that was about it. They were about to fight each other so, Xerxes felt it was probably just pre-battle jitters. At least he hoped that was what it was.

Xerxes looked over at his brother. Galbon had chosen to wear navy-blue armor over his dark grey jumpsuit. Xerxes had chosen to go with forest green for his armor colors. He felt incredibly apprehensive about fighting his brother for the final match. Galbon had always been the one person to push Xerxes to his limits when they would train. He, of course, did the same for Galbon. They'd push and push, making sure the other got better and better each time. Now, the test to see which of them was truly the best had arrived. Xerxes felt that a new divide had formed between them overnight. Galbon looked as if he felt just as distant as Xerxes did. Xerxes remembered what Tai had suggested to him the night before, about the Sith influencing Galbon. If what Tai said was true, then perhaps the Sith were somehow responsible for this new divide.

The skiff slowed to a hover and touched down in front of Mand'alor's Mansion. L'gann leapt off and walked up to the large doors. He began typing in security codes and other protocols to unlock the building. He looked over his shoulder as the two brothers joined him at the door and explained why they were there. "So, the reason we're here is more for ritualistic reasons than anything else. We're here so the two of you can grab one weapon or whatever from Mand'alor's Armory for your duel." The doors opened as the security codes were accepted. "Just one each though. So, choose wisely."

They walked into a wooden atrium with very little adorning the floors or walls. As far as mansions were concerned, Mand'alor's was small compared to mansions on Coruscant or Naboo. It had originally been built as a barracks during the Neo-Crusaders era. The Mandalorians had never been the kind of people to openly display their wealth like the Hutts or politicians, so the structure had been built with function in mind over comfort. There were no paintings, no statues, no rare antiquities. Just trophies, skins, and furs from hunts of the past. Xerxes felt that it looked more like a hunter's lodge than anything else.

L'gann lead them inside towards another door between the two wooden staircases. It most likely led down to the bunker. Xerxes knew that there had been some renovations done to house, such as the large armory that Mand'alor had acquired over the millennia, the most likely place to keep them would be in the underground bunker. L'gann used an old set of keys to unlock the door and they proceeded to descend down the stairs. When they had reached the bottom, Xerxes gasped as he entered a large room. The armory was enormous. Weapons and armor from all generations and several species were out, some on display, others stowed away in crates and chests. Some were so ancient that they appeared that they would crumble into dust at the slightest touch.

Xerxes mind started wandering as he thought of how his father's tomb was somewhere beneath all this history. He quickly shoved those thoughts out of his head, not wanting to get distracted.

"So," Xerxes began, "we just pick any weapon or piece of armor we want and we get to use it?"

"If you're able to carry it and use it, yes," L'gann responded. "Most of the things in here belonged to a previous Mand'alor, so treat them with care. Remember to pick something that'll give you an edge too. Now go."

Xerxes and Galbon exchanged looks. Xerxes wasn't sure if he should try saying something to him. Galbon then shrugged his shoulders and went searching through the armory, leaving Xerxes to feel utterly alone.

Xerxes began heading in a different direction from Galbon. He wasn't quite sure where to begin. There were several large weapons like guns and swords or other projectile weapons. He picked up a very large, archaic machine gun. It appeared to be of Trandoshian origins and was old enough that it still used metal slugs. This thing could tear apart any sort of armor, beskar'gam or not. Xerxes put the weapon back, feeling that it did not fit his style and was a bit too much for this fight. There was also a lot of armor that could come in handy as well, but if Galbon had chosen a weapon and he didn't, he would be in for a tough fight. Best to find a good weapon instead. A large mace? No, Xerxes doubted he could even lift it properly. A jetpack? That wouldn't serve any real fighting purpose without any rockets. A flamethrower? He would need some sort of fuel source first. Xerxes sighed over how much of the armory he wouldn't be able to use. Just as he was browsing through what appeared to be Wookie sized weaponry, Xerxes felt a tug from behind him in the Force.

Xerxes turned around and saw something he wasn't expecting. A pair of worn down, metal, black gauntlets. They didn't appear to be anything special, but the pull he felt from the Force told him otherwise. Xerxes approached them and got a closer look. Upon closer inspection, Xerxes guessed that they were very old. There were no built-in attachments like the ones they made nowadays with flamethrowers, tiny missile launchers, and grappling hooks. In fact, it looked like they had been designed to be worn underneath those types of gauntlets. Xerxes decided to try them on and replace his own gauntlets over top of them. They felt good. They didn't cause any discomfort and weren't restrictive. Xerxes just couldn't figure out what was so special about them. Just as he was wondering this, L'gann came up to him. "What's that you have there, Xerxes?"

"I found these gauntlets," he replied. "They are alright I guess. I just don't see why anyone would think these are special."

L'gann whistled as he eyed Xerxes new gauntlets. "Those are a pretty sweet pick!" Xerxes blinked in confusion. They were? "Those gauntlets you're wearing belonged to Mand'alor the Hunter. Take a look at the underside, notice anything unusual?"

Xerxes lifted his forearm and examined the gauntlet for anything unusual. Upon finding nothing, Xerxes back looked at L'gann and shook his head.

"Well, that's because you're not supposed to," L'gann said as he grabbed Xerxes arm. "The thing that made him such a great hunter was that even though he appeared unarmed, he always had a weapon up his sleeve." L'gann positioned Xerxes hand into a fist and tilted that fist away from Xerxes. As he did a long iron blade sprang out of a hidden compartment at the wrist then snapped to a halt. It was a sharp, skinny blade about a foot in length. Some part of the built-in leather glove must have activated the triggering mechanism. Xerxes looked at the other gauntlet and made the same motion with his left hand. Sure enough, another hidden blade sprang out just as before. He proceeded to get a feel for what these weapons were capable of. A couple of slices and slashes through the air and a pretend stab. Xerxes released his fists and the blades retracted into the gauntlets. This felt more his style. He ran a hand over his new gauntlets and said, "I think these will do nicely."

Xerxes noticed Galbon walking towards them out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw that Galbon was hefting a large shield on his left arm. The shield was a large V-shape with a smaller V adorning the top of it. That part must have been added as some sort of face guard. Xerxes wondered why Galbon would've picked a shield as his weapon.

"Hmm." L'gann mused. "That's an interesting pick, Galbon. That shield belonged to Mand'alor the Tower. It doesn't do anything special or have some kind of secret, but it is the only shield made entirely out of beskar. So, you couldn't ask for a better shield."

Galbon smiled as he stored the shield onto his back. "I can work with that."

"Alright, then. Let's get the two of you to the Coliseum. This is going to be the fight of the century."

They arrived at the Coliseum where everyone was waiting, the Sith from the Empire, the Jedi from the Republic, the clan leaders from all across Mandalore. It was a large oval stadium that normally allowed for 45,000 spectators to be seated comfortably. But so many people had come in attendance to view the final proceedings of the great Mand'alor Competition, additional seating and even temporary sections had to be added on, making the current capacity of the Coliseum almost 95,000. Even then there still wasn't enough room for all the Mandalorians in attendance. Some would have to make do with watching the event from holoscreens in the local cantinas.

The Coliseum was alive with energy. Underneath it, where Xerxes and Galbon were waiting for L'gann to announce them, the energy felt stale and depressing. Xerxes didn't know what he should be feeling. His mind raced with the possible outcomes that he had been thinking of over the week. Everything in his life had somehow led up to this point and it now felt that everything he had ever planned on doing depended on the outcome of this duel. Heck, the whole galaxy was watching, literally.

As Xerxes continued having an existential crisis, his brother turned and raised his voice. "Would you stop freaking out already?! You're having a panic attack big enough for the both of us."

Xerxes looked at Galbon in surprise at his sudden outburst.

"Look, I don't know what you're freaking out about, but I can feel it through the Force and even without training for it, it feels like you're screaming out loud."

"I'm sorry, Galbon. I didn't realize you could feel that."

"Well, stop! Worrying isn't going to change anything." Galbon sighed when he saw Xerxes slump his shoulders. "That might've been harsh, but if all you do is worry about everything that happens to you, you're not going to be a good leader, let alone a stable human being."

Xerxes knew Galbon was right. He tried pushing his worries aside to calm himself, but his nerves still felt like a coil of vipers.

Galbon, still sensing his brother's despair, placed his hands on his hips and looked Xerxes in the eye. "At least promise me this," he asked sternly. "You come at me with everything you've got. You don't hesitate. You don't pull any punches. You don't give me a chance. We want the new Mand'alor to be the best, yes? Well, he is going to have to overcome the best and prove it. Otherwise, we get a second-rate leader and let me tell you, I'm going to throw everything I have at you. So, I expect the same, got it?"

Xerxes' stomach began to settle as he felt the challenge in Galbon's words. He was his rival and as his rival, Galbon wanted to face the best Xerxes had to offer. If Xerxes truly wanted to be Mand'alor he would have to face his inner demons and overcome other external forces as Mand'alor. Xerxes smiled confidently as he grasped Galbon's hand, nodding in agreement.

"I promise."

A shaft of light appeared around them as the ceiling spiraled open. Galbon nodded in return as the circular platform they were standing on started rising. Both he and Galbon flipped their clear plasteel visors over their faces. As the platform reached the ground level of the fighting arena L'gann's voice could be heard over the cheering of the crowd, "And here they are, dueling for the title of Mand'alor, it's the brothers Fett!"

The crowd cheered with excitement. The air was electrified in the shouts of Mandalore. Xerxes could see the Jedi and Sith standing near the clan leaders. Each group appeared very intimidating with their careful, neutral gazes. Off to the right of the Jedi, Xerxes saw his friends from clan Beskad screaming both his and Galbon's names as loudly as possible, cheering for both to do their best.

Xerxes and Galbon took a few steps away from each other and took up their starting positions. The space that was available to fight in was enormous. There was no way they would end up using all of it. Xerxes kicked at the ground beneath him. It was all dirt, very fine, but not loose like sand. It was much like the kind of dirt field that children would play ball games in. Good, that meant Xerxes would have a sure footing.

"Alright, men! You can go whenever you're ready!"

Wanting to catch Galbon off guard, Xerxes made the first move and kicked off against the ground, a small cloud of dust trailing behind him. Running at Galbon, Xerxes unsheathed his hidden blades and swung his arm in a horizontal arch, aiming to slash at Galbon's chest armor. Galbon blocked the attack with ease by raising his shield. Xerxes quickly aimed his other blade at Galbon's right arm and swung with all his might.

Galbon was prepared as he caught Xerxes by the wrist. Catching him by surprise, Galbon then threw his forehead at Xerxes, bashing him in the skull. Xerxes staggered back in pain. Hoping to get some distance as he knew that Galbon was just getting started, Xerxes shook the stars from his vision. Galbon began throwing punches at Xerxes with his right arm. Xerxes would lift his gauntlets up in defense and retaliate by attempting to land a few hits of his own. However, the bulkier of the Fett brothers would simply block all of Xerxes' attacks with the shield on his left arm and then strike again with his right.

Every now and then Galbon would land a heavy body shot on Xerxes, causing him to cry out in pain. This wasn't good. Xerxes was feeling the aches of those punches building. If he didn't figure out a way to get past Galbon's shield, this fight wasn't going to last much longer. Galbon threw a few more punches that Xerxes was able to block, but Galbon suddenly launched his shield arm out and smacked Xerxes in the face with it. While Xerxes was still dazed from the shield bash, Galbon thrust his right leg into Xerxes' chest knocking him to the ground. The crowd cheered and groaned in response to the attack.

While the dust settled, Xerxes laid on the ground trying to catch the wind that had been knocked out of him as Galbon strode towards his copper-haired brother. Raising his left leg up, Galbon aimed his next attack at Xerxes' face. Just as his leg was coming down, Xerxes found his wind, raised his hands and caught Galbon's foot. They wrestled in that position for a bit, Xerxes trying his hardest to keep Galbon from curb stomping him. He finally managed to throw Galbon off balance and off of him. Galbon spun around preparing for another attack when he noticed something in Xerxes' hands. A navy-blue shin guard. Galbon looked down and sure enough, the shin guard on his left leg was missing. Shocked, Galbon looked back up and saw Xerxes holding up the hidden blade in his right gauntlet and smirking. He had used the blade to cut the straps holding the shin guard in place. Xerxes tossed the piece of armor aside and held out both blades in a strong stance. Galbon rolled his shoulders back, a look of determination on his face, as he prepared himself for another strike.

This time, however, Xerxes knew what to do. He began aiming for the straps on Galbon's armor, knowing that Galbon would have to switch to a defensive strategy to protect his exposed body parts. Without realizing it, Xerxes started using the Force to speed up his reaction time as he raised his blades and cleanly cut through strap after strap. An arm guard, a thigh piece, a strap holding the chest armor over the shoulder. Each strap dropped off, leaving Galbon more and more exposed. This new strategy was throwing Galbon off his game. He had been able to continue protecting himself with his shield, but Xerxes attacks weren't allowing him to get back on the offensive. Galbon blocked an attack from the left as Xerxes brought his blade down in an attempt to cut the other shoulder strap. Galbon smirked.

But then Xerxes swung his right leg at Galbon's left shin and a sickening crack reached both their ears. Galbon shrieked in pain and doubled over, clutching his leg. So, they hadn't been able to heal Galbon's leg all the way then. Made sense, they were still new to the whole Force thing. Xerxes retracted his blades and took a breath, thinking he had beat Galbon. He wouldn't be able to fight using a busted leg. The crowd too thought Xerxes had won as the cheers grew louder. But Galbon looked up at Xerxes and shouted, "I'm not done yet, brother!" Galbon placed both of his hands on his leg and began pouring the Force into it. A soft glow was emanating from his leg as he repaired the fractured bone. Xerxes stared in shock as he saw his brother openly displaying his powers in front of everyone in the Coliseum. Galbon stood back up and shook his leg as he retook his battle stance. "I'm not done by a long shot."

Xerxes could only stare, his mouth hanging slightly agape. Was Galbon really that serious about being Mand'alor? Fine, Xerxes thought as he flicked his wrists and unsheathed his blades. He wants my best, he's got it. Just as he prepared himself to strike, Galbon ran off in a completely different direction. He reached the wall of the fighting arena and jumped up it like a wild animal. When he vaulted past the lip of the wall where the audience was seated, Galbon reached out a hand towards the Sith in front of him. Xerxes was perplexed by Galbon's actions until he saw the hilt of one of the Sith's lightsaber fly into Galbon's grasp. He spun around to face Xerxes as he fell back to the ground, his face twisting in pain as he landed. His leg must have still been slightly damaged. Galbon pushed through it as he ignited the crimson blade, the pain, and anger clearly written on his face.

"I told you I was going to throw everything I had at you, Xerxes!" Galbon shouted over the crowd who had begun an uproar over Galbon's actions. "You'd better be ready, cause here I come!"

Galbon was barreling down on Xerxes as he swung the lightsaber with all his might. Xerxes barley dodged the blade. This was getting out of hand. Was Galbon really willing to kill him over this? They weren't wearing besgam armor, so any hit from a lightsaber would cut right through. It would probably be fatal. While he was caught off guard, Galbon kicked him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground once again. Galbon raised the lightsaber into the air for a final strike, but not before Xerxes was able to roll back and handspring away from Galbon as the crimson blade came slashing down. As he hung there in the air for that brief moment, Xerxes did the only thing he could think to do to protect himself. Closing his eyes, Xerxes reached out with the Force to the galaxy around him. The Galaxy responded.

When he landed with one hand on the ground, swinging his other hand back as a counterbalance. Xerxes could feel the cold steel of metal in his hand and heard the familiar snap-hiss of the energy weapon he held behind him. As he opened his eyes, the faint green glow of a lightsaber cast shadows at his feet. The silence of the crowd was deafening as Xerxes gazed up into the eyes of his brother. Nothing else in the galaxy mattered at that moment except for him and Galbon. Staring each other down, sheer determination filling their souls, two brothers, locked in conflict. Each one trying to surpass the other.

Galbon's face contorted in rage as he yelled a battle cry. He began running at Xerxes. Xerxes immediately dashed forward from his kneeling stance, the green lightsaber following behind. As the Fett brothers closed in, they raised their lightsabers at each other. When the blades clashed, the crackling-hiss of lightsabers striking each other could be heard echoing throughout the Coliseum.

Xerxes took a quick look at the lightsaber he was holding. It wasn't like a normal lightsaber. The blade was wider at the bottom and went up into a point at the top. It was shaped more like a broadsword rather than a fencing blade. Good. The wider blade meant he would be able to block attacks more deftly. The brothers pushed off against each other's blades. They swung and hacked at one another with no form or grace. Neither one of them had held a lightsaber before. It was easy to forget where the actual blade was in space since the blades themselves carried no weight. If Xerxes wasn't careful, he was liable to cut off his own limbs and Galbon wouldn't have to worry. The other problem was Galbon's shield. Always the shield. Since it was made of beskar it was lightsaber proof. Galbon could defend with one hand and attack with the other. Bringing lightsabers into the fight hadn't changed much. It only made this a life or death situation. Xerxes still needed to find a way past that shield.

Xerxes dodged and parried as quickly as he could, careful not to let the crimson blade get close to him. Xerxes could feel he and his brother both use the Force to heighten their senses and quicken their movements. They clashed and grit their teeth attempting to overpower the other. "You're getting pretty good at this, bro." Galbon taunted. "You would think that someone taught you."

Xerxes knew what he was insinuating and he didn't like it. "That's funny, Galbon," Xerxes replied. "I was just about to say the same thing about you."

Knowing he needed to end this quickly, Xerxes seized his opportunity. Xerxes spun their still clashing blades in a clockwise motion and in a surprise maneuver, he not only managed to get the lightsaber out of Galbon's grip, but he threw his own blade off to the left along with Galbon's weapon. Galbon had always been slow to respond to surprise strategies. Taking the opportunity, Xerxes grabbed Galbon's shield and pushed it aside, completely exposing his brother. As Galbon's eyes shifted towards him in surprise, Xerxes clenched his left fist. He swung his fist in a powerful uppercut right into Galbon's jaw. The force of the punch caused Galbon to spin around, landing him face first into the dirt, a cloud of dust rising up as he fell.

Not wasting any time Xerxes flicked his wrist, unsheathing the blade on his right arm and leapt onto his brother's back. He held the blade against Galbon's head, showing that he held power over him. "Stay down, Galbon. It's over."

He heard Galbon breath heavily. Once. Twice. Then Galbon lowered his head to the ground submissively, a clear sign of surrender.

The Coliseum erupted with shouts and cheers. Xerxes had almost forgotten where he was. He got up off of Galbon and absorbed the scene. Akiza and Vlad could be seen jumping up and down excitedly at his victory. Former competitors either clapped in appreciation or nodded approvingly. Others, however, appeared very displeased. Xerxes could see the clan leaders, L'gann, the Jedi and the Sith all arguing vehemently with each other. Xerxes was certain it had to do with their display of Force power and whether or not it was acceptable or if the Force users had interfered in some way.

Xerxes looked behind him and used the Force to call the lightsaber he had fought with back into his grasp. Galbon saw this while getting up and did the same. The two of them looked at each other. Whatever warmth had been in Galbon's eyes earlier was gone now. The distance Xerxes felt earlier seeming that much wider than before. They both stared the other down, trying to figure out how the other had become so proficient in the Force, even if they were just novices.

The clan leaders turned toward the Fett brothers and called for the audience's attention. The eldest clan leader spoke loudly.

"After much consideration, and finding that the brothers Fett were able to do what they did of their own power and had no outside influence from the Jedi or Sith, we have found the winner of the Mand'alor competition to be clear."

Xerxes held his breath.

"The winner and your new Mand'alor is…." he paused, raising his arms up in dramatic effect, "Xerxes Fett!"

The Coliseum again burst into cheers and praises. The chant of, "Mand'alor, Mand'alor, Mand'alor," could be heard all around him. Xerxes felt a flood of relief and euphoria wash over him as he realized they were calling for him. He was now Mand'alor, probably the youngest in history. The clan leaders, L'gann and Tai Zhan could be seen heading towards him while the Sith stalked over to Galbon, clearly displeased and wanting the lightsaber back. While Xerxes couldn't hear what Darth Avarus was saying, he was clearly reprimanding Galbon. Xerxes turned away and smiled in anticipation of his friends' congratulations. The crowd around him suddenly went silent as he heard the snap-hiss of a lightsaber entering someone's body.

Xerxes spun around, and his gaze fell on Galbon who had thrust the lightsaber he had stolen into Darth Avarus' chest. The look on Avarus' face was one of shock and disbelief as his own lightsaber penetrated him. Xerxes could just barely hear Galbon as he spoke to Avarus. With all the hate he could muster, Galbon said, "Well then. It's a good thing I'm not your apprentice. Isn't it?"

Galbon swung the blade the rest of the way through the Sith Pureblood's chest. Darth Avarus fell to the ground. Dead. From that day forward, Xerxes would always remember the feeling he sensed that was in Galbon's heart. The power he felt roiling off of his brother. The intense presence he would recall whenever a Sith was nearby. He would remember, darkness.