The Trials of Mand'alor

Chapter 8

A Jedi's Request

Xerxes stood wide-eyed in disbelief. Galbon had just killed Darth Avarus in front of everyone, Xerxes, the Jedi, all of Mandalore. The Sith Lord lay on the ground dead, his eyes still wide in shock, like everyone else's. Xerxes looked up at the remaining Sith Lords. They all stood stock still. Some in shock. Some with blank expressions. Some were staring at Darth Verror in nervous apprehension. Xerxes turned his attention to the ironclad Sith. He was standing with his two sets of arms folded, glaring down at Galbon. Xerxes could now feel the waves of hate and anger rolling off Darth Verror in a torrent of rage. Xerxes' mind finally caught up to him as he remembered the warning Tai had given L'gann just a few days before about not acting against the Sith as long as they were guests. That such an act could be considered a declaration of war. At that same moment, Galbon seemed to realize the implications of his actions as he slowly turned to Darth Verror. The Sith Lord's presence ever growing in the Force, causing Galbon to shrink before the dark lord. Then Darth Verror began briskly walking towards Galbon.

"Wait!" Galbon cried. "I can explain!"

Darth Verror Force pulled the lightsaber from Galbon's grasp, never once breaking his stride. He grabbed Galbon by the shoulders turned him around and forced him to the ground in front of Xerxes.

"Darth Avarus was there!" Galbon yelled. "He was part of the people who killed my father, Mand'alor the Father! He said so himself! He laughed about it. All I did was do what justice demands, I…"

Darth Verror lifted one of his free hands and dominated Galbon into silence with the Force. Galbon's eyes were wide with terror as he held his head. "Do you really think I care why you murdered him? The fact of the matter is that you did. And since we were here on a diplomatic mission this is considered an act of war! One that must be dealt with accordingly." Verror activated the lightsaber in his hand.

"NO!" Xerxes yelled and ran to his brother.

"Unless your brother, Mand'alore, has something to say about all of this. After all, it is a crime committed on his planet, under his brand-new watch, by his own little brother." Darth Verror fixed his gaze on Xerxes. "What say you Mand'alor? What should the punishment be for your brother's crime? I suggest execution."

Galbon snapped his attention to Xerxes, his eyes imploring mercy. "Xerxes, please. It had to be done. He was involved in killing our Father! Please, you have to see that!"

"In order to avoid war with the Empire, consequences must be affixed to his actions. Were he a student of the Sith, he would be severely punished and would know his place in the Empire. I will not have my Master be mocked in such a manner. Either you have him killed, Mand'alor, or I will."

"Xerxes, we can take them. Together. You and me. Like always.

Xerxes stood for what felt like an eternity. The Empire was strong. Even if he could keep Darth Verror from killing Galbon right here, the Empire would strike back with unbridled devastation. But Galbon was the only family Xerxes had left. He couldn't abandon him. He couldn't kill him. He couldn't let him die. Xerxes didn't know what to do. Darth Verror held all the cards. One false move and Galbon was gone. All eyes were on them. The entire Coliseum, no, the entire planet held its breath, waiting for Xerxes to make a decision. His word was now law and in his hands, was Galbon's life. Then a thought entered his mind. What if Galbon was a citizen of the Empire like Verror suggested? Would the punishment be the same or would they do something different? It was a long shot, but it might be Galbon's only chance.

Xerxes cleared his throat, "If… if Galbon were a student of the Empire as you said, what would the Empire do in response to these actions?"

Darth Verror tilted his head ever so slightly. Xerxes felt like he had been caught in a trap and that Darth Verror was smiling, though he couldn't see his mouth beneath the cloth he wore. "Interesting." Darth Verror deactivated the lightsaber and gave Xerxes his full attention. "What a very interesting question. Well, if he were my student, he would, of course, receive severe consequences. He would be retaught the order of the Sith, to control his emotions rather than let them control him. Other students would be his tormentors, dealing death as they see fit. His strength and power being his only means of survival. He could survive, but only if he is powerful enough. Most importantly, if he did, he'd know to never repeat those actions again."

Xerxes deliberated in his mind. This was his opportunity. It would mean having to force Galbon off-world, but he'd still be alive and given a fighting chance. Galbon was anything if not a survivor. Eventually, Xerxes' fear of losing his brother overpowered him. "Then as Mand'alor, I order Galbon to serve his punishment under the laws of the Sith Academy."

"WHAT?!"

Xerxes couldn't bear to look his brother in the eyes. Why did this have to be his first act as Mand'alor? "You are hereby banished from the planet of Mandalore in response to the murder of Darth Avarus." He looked up at Darth Verror, "Is that acceptable, to you?"

Xerxes still felt like the Sith was smirking at him as he spoke, "It will be enough. Take heart young Mand'alor, you have just spared your people from a devastating war. You will make a fine leader. But consider any chance for an alliance with us off the table, we will not be returning." Verror gestured for the Sith and Galbon to follow him, "We're leaving. Keep him in the brig until we reach Dromund Kaas."

Galbon ran up to Xerxes and grabbed him, fear still evident in his eyes. "Xerxes, please! Don't do this. We can take them together. Vode an jurir.1 Like always. Please."

Xerxes grabbed Galbon's elbows as he implored of his brother, "I'm sorry, brother, but please do this for me, Galbon. I don't want to see you die. I can't go through losing family again. This way you'll still be alive. Kriffing heck, you just killed a Sith Lord, some lousy students will be no problem after that."

Galbon suddenly frowned, "Alright, I see how it is." Xerxes' brow furrowed in confusion as Galbon removed the shield from his arm and threw it at his feet. "You don't have the guts to stand against the Sith, but when it comes to kicking your own brother off world you've got absolutely no problem."

"Galbon, that's not what's…"

"NO! No, I don't even wanna hear it! Cause now it's too late. They have power over me now, all thanks to our great new Mand'alor. Some leader you're gonna be. But you know what, I'll go. I'll go with them if only to find our father's killers and make them pay for what they've done. I'll kill them all. Besides, I always said I'd side with the Empire anyway. I'll set up shop there and show them what true Mando'ade2 can do. Real men, like me. They'll know not to mess with us."

The expression on Xerxes' face was one of utter bewilderment and shame. He didn't want to see his brother go, but he knew it had to be done. But with all the things that Galbon was saying to him, he felt that maybe he had made the wrong choice. Especially since it seemed to have just alienated his brother from him. Galbon continued before Xerxes could respond, "I'll be back for that shield once I make a name for myself in the Empire. You'll see. The name of Fett will be big among the Sith." Galbon turned around and stormed away as he sarcastically added, "You just focus on being Mand'alor, alright? K'oyaci3, vod."

As Galbon stomped away, Xerxes lifted his shield from the ground and quietly replied, "K'oyaci, vod."

The entire Coliseum watched in hushed silence, but for Xerxes, it felt like he was the only one there as he watched his brother leave. Standing with the shield in his arms, Xerxes couldn't help but feel that this was going to be the last time he'd see his brother.

Later that day, Xerxes was standing in one of the many workshops of Mandal Motors, being outfitted with the newest and best Mandalorian armor available. Xerxes had left the shield Galbon had used on one of the workbenches. The man setting him up was the owner of Mandal Motors, Taggart Ghes. He was an older man well into his late fifties, but still very fit. The only thing giving away his age was his balding head. He would talk about this and that while he was working, mostly about him and his now deceased wife of over a decade, his thick accent 4 coming through. Xerxes didn't pay much attention to what the man said, he was too busy recounting the events of the day. Wishing things had gone differently. Missing his brother. Hoping that he was still alive.

"Xerxes!"

He snapped back to reality as Akiza called out his name. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Taggart asked you a question."

"Sorry, it's been a long day." He turned his attention to the old man, "What is it you were asking me?"

Taggart smiled a toothy grin as he restated his question. "Just wantin to know which colours you'd like for yer armour, Mand'alor."

"Oh, umm…" Xerxes hadn't really thought about it much. Mandalorian armor colors always had a meaning attached to them. It made it easy to understand the things that motivated a person. The colors he picked would define him to other Mandalorians. Right now, there were only a few things that mattered to him. Galbon, his Father and being a good leader. "Let's go with my normal green and throw some gold in there as well. Oh, and make the gauntlets black."

"Ah. Duty, vengeance, an justice. I like it. Not a combination ya see very often these days." Taggart quickly wrote down some notes as he continued speaking, "Alright, I'm gonna go and grab a jetpack that should fit yer new armour. Be back in a parsec."

Once Taggart had left the room, Xerxes and Akiza were left alone in the workshop. Xerxes couldn't bring himself to look at her. While he had won and become Mand'alor, he certainly didn't feel like a winner in that moment. He'd lost his brother to the Sith. Nothing could make up for that. What was worse, was that now Galbon resented him for it. Xerxes wanted to talk, but he didn't know what to say. Instead, he just stood there awkwardly, not wanting to make eye contact. His fists kept curling and uncurling as he sighed deeply, keeping everything he felt inside to himself, not allowing the pain he felt to show through. While Xerxes was doing this, Akiza had come up to him and gently cupped her hands around his face, forcing him to look at her. The expression on her face was one of worry and concern. Her amber eyes were moving back and forth between his as if she were looking for something. She must have known he was feeling down, she knew him well enough to be able to interpret his body language. Xerxes honestly wasn't surprised by this, but he didn't want to cause her anymore worry, so, he cast his gaze elsewhere. That response seemed to only give her more concern.

The next thing Xerxes knew, the only thing he could see was Akiza's face very close to his, and he could feel the now familiar sensation of her lips against his. Xerxes stared in surprise at her actions. The kiss didn't feel passionate, it was more comforting than anything else. Her eyes were closed, and Xerxes felt that she was putting her all into it. Before he could even process what was going on, Akiza pulled back and looked at Xerxes with upturned eyes, holding his face in her hands. She still looked very concerned and Xerxes just stood there staring in bafflement. Xerxes' tongue unconsciously darted out to moisten his mouth, not realizing how dry his lips had been a moment before. "What- what was that for?" he asked.

A small smile graced her lips as she answered, "You looked like you needed it." Akiza continued holding his gaze while Xerxes' was still trying to decide how to respond. "I'm so sorry about what happened today, Xerxes. It was completely unfair what those Sith did to you and you shouldn't have had to do that to Galbon. I mean, I'm just as shocked as you are that Galbon killed Darth Avarus in the first place, but how they reacted to it just doesn't feel right to me. I can't even imagine how you must be feeling about it all. I'm so sorry you've had to go through this. I just…"

Xerxes had placed a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze, causing her to pause and look directly at him. Akiza's eyes widened in surprise and anticipation, waiting for Xerxes to say something. His mind had finally decided how he was going to respond. Using his finger, he drew her back in for another kiss while his other arm snaked around her waist. He closed his eyes, focusing only on the softness of her lips. Unlike the first kiss the night before, Akiza didn't squeak in surprise or pull away. Quite the opposite. It took a moment, but she eventually released his face and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss further. Xerxes had always been grateful to have Akiza in his life, but in this moment, after everything that had happened to him in the past week, he felt that she was all he had left and that he never wanted to let her go. Wanting her to understand how he felt, Xerxes dared to allow more passion into his kiss and pulled her body flush against his. She responded with a hum of pleasure that vibrated through his lips, causing something instinctual to rise inside him. Xerxes felt a sudden desire for more. For more passion. For more of her and nothing was going to stop him.

"Ahem."

The couple abruptly ended the kiss and turned in surprise to see Tai Zhan and Taggart both standing just in the doorway observing the scene before them. Xerxes' face immediately flushed red and he felt his temperature rise, but he kept his hand at the small of Akiza's back, still not wanting to let her go. Xerxes stole a quick glance at her and found that her face was equally as red as his. She did, however, seem to be attempting to hide a smile behind her hand. Xerxes decided to take that as a good sign.

The Jedi Master was the first to speak, "I do apologize for interrupting."

"Aw. Young love," Taggart said with a big smirk on his face. "Reminds me of how me wife and I were when we were first courtin'. Ha-ha, she couldn't stand me. But I wore her down in the end. Persistence and all that. Us Mando men tend to make snap decisions like that when it comes to who we want to end up with." Taggart pulled himself out of reminiscing upon realizing that he was rambling. He quickly held up the jetpack in his arms. "Ah, anyway. I got yer jetpack right here and Tai here said he wanted to discuss something with you, Mand'alor. Just pretend I'm not here while you two talk and I'll get this fitted to yer armour. 'Scuse me, miss." Akiza moved out of his way so that Taggart could get to Xerxes' back.

Xerxes turned, focusing his attention on the Jedi, "Right, what's up, Tai?"

"First of all, I'd like to congratulate you on becoming the new Mand'alor, Xerxes. Your father would be proud very of you." Xerxes smiled, hoping that his father truly would be. "Secondly, my apologies for what happened with the Sith and your brother. It is something I should have seen coming and could have possibly prevented."

Xerxes' tone became more serious at the mention of the Sith, "Do you think they may have manipulated the situation or me for that matter?"

"It is possible," Tai folded his arms in thought. "Darth Verror seemed a little too pleased with himself when you banished Galbon. However, that doesn't truly prove anything one way or another. For now, what's done is done and worrying about it will solve nothing."

But Xerxes did worry about, "Do you think I did the right thing, Tai?"

"Hmm. That is a difficult question to answer, one to which I'm not sure I can answer. I do feel that it was the best decision that you could have made given the circumstances."

Taggart's voice came from behind Xerxes as Tai finished his thought, "What's right an what's wrong depends on a lotta things. Like who's askin, who's being asked, if you mean morally right or more like the correct decision. Sometimes there is no clear answer."

Tai nodded in agreement. "Very true. It may be that this is a learning opportunity for Galbon and that he will become the stronger for it, but we shall have to wait and see. Now then, onto the main reason for why I am here." The Kel Dor Jedi clasped his hands behind his back while looking Xerxes in the eye. "I'll get right to the point. Xerxes, in the short time I have known you and taught you what little I could about the Force, I have felt that there is a bond that has developed between us in the Force. Not much unlike the bond you and Miss Gev here share."

Xerxes looked at Akiza and realized that he could indeed feel a Force bond between them. Focusing through the Force, Xerxes felt for the bond between him and Tai and found that it was similar, as Tai had said. "Yes, I'd have to agree."

"I had hoped so," Tai said in relief. "It is for that reason, that Force bond, that I've come to ask you to accompany me to Tython to become my apprentice and learn the ways of the Force."

Now that, Xerxes had not been expecting. Xerxes' expression stayed neutral as he blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Ow!" Taggart seemed to have been distracted from his work for some reason and hurt himself by not paying attention. "Piece of osik5!"

"You want to train me as your apprentice? Why?"

Tai shrugged his shoulders, "I've already told you why. Because our Force bond is similar to the kinds of Force bonds that form between a master and apprentice. Because I feel that it is the right decision." Tai folded his arms and smiled, "Also, if I'm honest, I rather like the idea of training the first Mandalorian Jedi ever."

Taggart reappeared from behind Xerxes with what appeared to be a small blood blister forming on his thumb. "Alright, got the blasted thing on fer ya. Mand'alor." Putting his tools on the nearby workbench, Taggart grabbed some first aid and added his opinion. "Mandalorian Jedi, huh? Now that's somethin ya don't hear every day. Would they even allow for a 'warmongering' race like us to be trained as Jedi?"

Tai Zhan sighed, "To be honest, I'm not sure. There are several among the Jedi Order who have no love for the Mandalorians, but I know a few who would not be opposed to the idea. As it stands, I haven't exactly told the Jedi Council about any of this yet. I think for now I'll leave out the part about asking you to be my apprentice until you've made a decision."

"You mean you don't need an answer from me right now?"

"Xerxes," Tai began, "You have just become the ruler of an entire planet, lost your brother, discovered you are Force-sensitive and possibly found a prospective spouse all in a matter of a day. Not even an entire day." Xerxes' face turned red again at the mention of Akiza. "I would not expect anyone to suddenly jump at that kind of offer after that kind of day. Also, I would hope that it is not a decision you would ever take lightly. I will be around the Mandalore sector for about a standard month, visiting friends and old charges. You should use that time to attend to your duties as Mand'alor and think about my offer. I'd encourage you to meditate on it." Tai made his way towards the door. "If you have any questions for me in the meantime, feel free to call me via holo and ask. K'oyaci, vod." He then made his way out of the building.

Taggart, Xerxes, and Akiza all stared at the door Tai had left through. No one was quite sure what to make of his words. Taggart was the first to break the silence, "Well, that's certainly an intriguing idea at least. What do you think, Mand'alor?"

Xerxes didn't know what to think. It was just another one of many things he needed to sort through that had suddenly piled up on him. Somehow the galaxy had dumped all its possibilities on him all at once. Like a child being presented with several sweets and being told he could only choose one, Xerxes was at a loss for what to do with his life. He felt Akiza's hand slip into his and give him a firm squeeze, letting him know that she would be there for him. Xerxes smiled at her and gave the old ironworker his answer, "I don't know, Taggart. It's a lot to take in all at once."

"Fair enough. I suppose then you'll be taking his offer into consideration then?"

"Something tells me I should. But for now, Mand'alor needs to get to know his planet and his new helmet needs to be calibrated."

Taggart instantly lit up with delight at the mention of armor, "Right, yer helmet. Got it right here." He picked up a helmet from the fabricator that he used to paint armor and held it up for Xerxes to see. Xerxes took it and observed the helmet. It was a standard design, painted with Xerxes' deep forest green and the t-shaped visor was painted gold. A gold triangle made its way from the top of the T to the top of the dome in a point. Xerxes held his helmet in his hands admiring the old man's work and then slipped it on over his head.

"Alright, Taggart hook me up," Xerxes ordered from inside his dark helmet.

"Just one sec. Come on baby, work fer daddy."

The next instant the helmet's HUD sprang to life, temporarily blinding Xerxes and giving him a full visual of the workshop before him. Taggart stepped into his view. "Okay, Mand'alore, it should be hooking up to all of yer armaments and tools in just a bit. There'll be a list of things that you can access through a blink-and-select function inside the helmet for quick access. You'll need to get used to the full 360-degree view option before using it in a fight or anything. Don't want you hurtin' yourself or gettin' sick. Now then, let's do a systems check. Let me know if anythin's missing."

A list of all Xerxes' tools and armor functions appeared on the HUD. Flamethrower, check. Grappling hook and tethers, check. Jetpack and rockets, check. Really the only thing that wouldn't need to be hooked up would be the hidden blades in his gauntlets that he got to keep from the competition. As Xerxes continued scrolling through his armor's features he noticed Akiza walk into his field of view behind Taggart. She began blushing as she smiled bashfully at Xerxes and waved. Although no one could see it, Xerxes had the biggest grin on his face as he realized how lucky he was.

"No, Taggart. Looks like everything is in its proper place."

1 Brothers in arms.

2 Children of Mand'alor

3 Hang in there or come back safely. Lit. Stay alive.

4 Taggart has an Australian accent, for those who wish to know.

5 Dung, sometimes used more vulgarly.