Hi everyone, Specter7 here. Haha, guess who actually updated on time? I am determined to update regularly from now until the end of the story. Hopefully every week, maybe every two if I get behind.
A lot of you have Mandalorian questions, of which I'm happy to answer! Just shoot me a message and I can help you. Whenever I started this story, my goal was actually to help diverge readers into some of the Mandalorian lore, so I'm thrilled that you guys are curious. If you have any queries about the manda, mando'a, or any of the clans/houses, just let me know!
May the manda be with you.
The New Mand'alor: Chapter 15: Raiding the Imperial Academy
"I had reasoned this out in my mind; there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty, or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other."
-Harriet Tubman
"How's everything going in the big city?" Arc Wren asked, her arms crossed in the blue hologram.
Sabine tried for a reassuring smile but she was pretty sure she failed. "As well as can be expected."
Ezra and Sabine were side-by-side in a booth, sitting across from Kor and Luc. The holoprojector was in the middle of their table, and Arc's lean figure, tinted blue from the hologram, flickered in and out. It had been the first time since their team had separated that Sabine had held a videoconference with her cousin. She had told Ezra it was for updating purposes, which it was, but Sabine really just wanted to make sure Arc was okay. Two weeks of them being separated and Sabine was sure Arc would be up to no good without Sabine to make sure she didn't get herself killed.
Ezra shifted his weight next to Sabine. He had grown taller than her over the course of their journey. Sabine now had to stand on her tiptoes to be eye-level with him; which wasn't the best quality when they got in an argument.
Ezra yawned. It was still the early morning and Sabine couldn't help smiling as he looked blearily at the hologram. "Bo-Katan sure is a stubborn Mando," he said. He rubbed his eyes. "We got her to agree to a temporary alliance but that's still not saying too much."
"She's hesitant," Kor corrected. "And for good reason, of course. My aunt doesn't want to follow someone blindly."
"What about you?" Sabine interrupted, mildly curious about her cousin's whereabouts. "Having better luck?"
Arc smirked. "Hardly," she said with a snort. "However, we did manage to stir up trouble back on Concordia. The Mandalorians there were quite upset."
Sabine palmed her face. Trust her cousin to "rally others to the Mand'alor's cause."
"I thought you were supposed to convince people to join Sabine," Ezra said. "Not 'stir up trouble'."
"Everything went smoothly," a foreign voice interrupted. Fenn Rau came into view. "Several of the zealots on Concordia were eager to stand against the Empire and began waging their own war on Mandalore's moon. The forces there are standing by until Sabine gives the order."
Sabine perked up. Well when you put it that way...
Ezra piped up again. "When is Sabine 'giving the order'?"
Arc shrugged in the gritty blueness of the hologram. "Whenever she's ready. We're gearing up for all-out war, kid. Once we bring all these forces together in Sundari, the heart of all Mandalore… There will be no stopping it."
Sabine swallowed at the prospect. Once she "gave the order" like Ezra said, everyone would converge to Sundari. House Ordo, House Caladon, the Death Watch, and Bo-Katan's Nite Owls… maybe even more. But they had to act quick—all of them.
"Where are you now?" Luc asked, speaking up for the first time in the conversation.
"The Death Watch camp," Arc answered. "We finished that little campaign to Concordia yesterday and I'm just now relieving Jaxon of leader duty."
Ezra poked his head in front of Sabine's, blocking her view. "Is Jaxon there?"
Sabine knew that after playing Meshgeroya, Ezra and Jaxon had bonded, their competitiveness being a thing they had in common.
"Right here!" a new voice said suddenly. Jaxon's blue-tinted face edged the hologram and he waved.
Ezra and Luc waved back, and Sabine wrinkled her nose. She finally shoved Ezra back to his side of the booth. "Get off," she muttered.
Suddenly, on the hologram's projection, Fenn Rau looked unsettled. He whispered something to Arc, who clenched her hands into fists. Uh-oh, Sabine thought.
"Something wrong?" Kor asked.
"Perimeter breach," Arc said distractedly, her gaze fixed on something off screen. "We might have company."
Jaxon shifted his feet. "I'll get our warriors together."
There was a pounding sound and the hologram flickered. "Too late," Rau growled as he unholstered his blaster. "They're here."
"Who?" Ezra interrupted and leaned against the table.
But Rau and Jaxon both began to open fire, blasting at something offscreen. Arc ran up to the holoprojector as she took out her dual WESTAR blasters. Sabine could hear her heavy breathing as she fumbled with the camera. "Kriff it," she was mumbling. "It's the Empire. Turns out the Death Watch camp isn't safe after all. Bean? I know this is short notice, but we might be coming to Sundari a whole lot sooner than you thought!"
Arc promptly cut the connection and the hologram flickered once, before dying with a moan. Sabine's eyes flicked around the group and saw her grave expression echoed on their faces.
"Should we send reinforcements?" Luc asked quietly.
"There's nothing we can do," Kor said. He looked down at his hands. "Arc has to get out of this mess herself. It was only a matter of time before the Empire found us at the Death Watch camp."
Ezra seemed to hesitate next to Sabine, and she watched him rub his hands together nervously. "What now?" he said.
Everyone looked to Sabine and she fought to maintain a cool composure. We can't lay back now, Sabine reasoned with herself. If Arc is coming to Sundari, then we need to be ready for her and the Death Watch. We have to move forward. We have to continue to recruit others to my cause so we'll be ready for when the final battle comes. We'll fight the Empire head on, Mando to Imp'.
So, we need more recruits. More soldiers. Where in Sundari is the best place to get them?
Sabine breath caught in her throat when she realized the answer to her question. Of course, she thought grimly. Where it all began in the first place.
"…Sabine?" Ezra asked timidly. "You're getting that ingenious plan look."
"We're going back to the Imperial Academy," Sabine said abruptly and forced down the dread that began to worm in her stomach. She glanced to each of her partners. "We need new recruits and that is exactly where we will find them."
Sabine checked her Mandalorian vambraces over, before clamping them onto her forearms. As Sabine reattached her armor pieces to their rightful place, she felt herself relax. The past two weeks while they had been searching for Bo-Katan, Sabine had had to wear "New Mandalorian" clothes, which meant no armor.
And now that she could finally put her graffitied armor back on, Sabine felt at ease. It had become a second skin on her, her only comfort in her bounty-hunting and rebel days alike.
Sliding her helmet on, Sabine peered through the macrobinocular viewplate, pleased to see tactical displays flicker to life. Great, Sabine thought, viewplate works. Check. She slid down the rangefinder on the end of her helmet antenna, also pleased to see it zoom in on anywhere she turned her head. Rangefinder works. Check. Sabine took a quick snapshot using the holo-imager she had programmed into the antenna. Holo-imager works. Check.
There was a pounding on the door that interrupted Sabine's checklist.
"Everyone is gathered in the main entrance," came Bo-Katan's muffled voice. "You best hurry, Mand'alor, if we are to attack the Empire anytime s—"
The automatic door slid open, cutting the lady's sentence off. Bo-Katan was outfitted in her usual blue-and-white armor, helmet under her arm. She was wearing a new headband today, a slate gray one that that held back her shock of red hair.
Sabine's face was emotionless even under her magenta helmet and glassy visor. "I'm glad you came to your senses, Bo-Katan," Sabine said. "Striking an alliance with me."
"Nothing is set in stone." Bo-Katan tilted her head. "However, after this incursion… I will make my choice. Assuming you prove yourself in the heat of battle, Mand'alor."
Sabine walked past the lady and strode down the tunnel, her crimson cloak billowing behind her. "You'll see for yourself," Sabine said calmly. They'll all see.
The Imperial Academy of Mandalore was just as dull as Sabine remembered. Sorrowful, half-dead trees lined the walkway to the front doors and the perimeter of the school. There were four landing pads on all four corners of the courtyard for hurried departures and arrivals, and cadets outfitted in familiar black uniforms roamed the area.
Sabine was perched on a building not too far away, helmet over her head, rangefinder zooming into each of the cadets. They all had clean bios. Kids of some wealthy senators, families rich beyond belief.
Next to Sabine, Bo-Katan shifted her weight. "We can't make the attack with the cadets still out in the open."
Sabine shot her an annoyed look. "I know. They're about to go to class, trust me. I still have the bells memorized."
On cue, an alarm rang out and the cadets began to funnel back through the giant, doublewide doors. Sabine smirked to herself and Bo-Katan huffed. "Don't even say it," the lady growled.
"Right," Sabine said. She keyed her vambrace. "East Wing, check in."
"We're in place, Mand'alor," came Kor's crackling voice from her comlink.
"West wing?"
"All clear, Sabine," Luc's voice replied.
"South wing."
"Ready and awaiting orders," came the gruff, growling reply. It was one of Bo-Katan commanders.
Sabine glanced over to her left, seeing Ezra. He was the only person in the raid that wasn't outfitted in armor. Instead, he was still wearing his New Mandalorian clothes—a dark brown jacket with square paneling down the sleeves and a navy V-neck compression shirt that made his electric blue eyes pop.
Ezra looked fidgety. He glanced at her, fingering with the cylinder comlink he had in his hand. Sabine nodded, giving him permission. "All yours, Ez."
Ezra held the comlink to his mouth. "Remember, all wings," he began, "the layout of the Imperial Academy is programmed into each of your gauntlets. Buzz back to us when you've captured your wing and await further orders."
Ezra looked over at Sabine one last time. "Par kote bal ijaat be Mand'alor," he said without a trace of a Basic accent.
All the commanders from the various wings echoed back the words and Sabine grinned behind her helmet. She almost told Ezra he wasn't totally clueless about her culture after all, when she remember Bo-Katan to her right.
She still thinks Ezra's a Mandalorian. How long are we going to keep that up? Sabine smirked in spite of herself. She felt smug at the idea of keeping a secret from the stubborn Mando. Bo-Katan deserved worse than that, after all.
Sabine rotated her shoulders and her finger lingered on her helmet, not yet giving the order to converge.
"Scared?" Bo-Katan jeered.
"Thinking," Sabine whispered, her mind racing. "Are the Imperial comm towers jammed?"
"A temporary spike was inserted. Imperial communication will be down for an hour."
"So we have one hour to do this."
Sabine was pretty sure Bo-Katan was rolling her eyes from behind her helmet. "Yes, Wren. We already went over this at the mission briefing. You've got the jitters. Just give the OK already."
Sabine didn't respond and stood to her feet, rising above her crouched colleagues. The Darksaber ignited with a sharp snap-hiss at her side. The ancient blade hummed with black energy and Sabine felt that deep tug in her gut, just like every other time she ignited her lightsaber. It was only then that Sabine realized how much she missed wielding it. "All warriors…" Sabine hollered. "Attack!"
"Par kote bal ijaat be Mand'alor!" someone yelled from behind.
"PAR KOTE BAL IJAAT BE MAND'ALOR!" Sabine's warriors echoed in a war cry, leaping over the building and firing up their jetpacks.
Sabine offered out an arm to Ezra and the teen took a flying leap towards her. They both threw themselves off the building, Ezra clinging to Sabine with one hand, his Mandalorian WESTAR blaster in the other.
They rocketed closer and closer to the ground and Sabine glanced at Ezra, hoping to see him look frightened. But he just gave her a lopsided grin and gripped her tighter. At the last second, Sabine fired up her jetpack and they swooped feet away from the duracrete streets of Sundari.
Sabine brought them around in an arc, flying towards the Academy. She could already see smoke wafting up in the distance from the East wing.
"Kor works quick," Ezra muttered near Sabine's helmet.
She didn't answer, but angled deeper and they swooped near the entrance of the Academy. Ezra jumped off her and landed with a roll, and Sabine slowly descended on the steps, feeling a wave of vertigo pull at her.
She looked up at the towering glass doors of the Academy. Heavy. Blastproof. They reminded her more like the doors to a prison cell.
Sabine's legs felt weak at the thought. She could hear shouting and blasterfire around her but it was distant. Muffled. She had thought she could come here and face her past... Thought she could throw herself right back into it. But the ground she was standing on was cursed, as far as Sabine was concerned.
There were a lot of memories right through those walls. Good ones, like Daalor giving her a piggy-back ride while they raced Ketsu to the cafeteria. Or when the three had teamed up during their midterm projects. But there were bad ones too. Like when Sabine had been forced to undergo special ops training. The Imperials purposely drowned her so that she could know what it felt like, to have water pooling in her lungs and air but a distant memory. Or when the Empire had turned on her weapon and killed her friends in front of her. Made her watch.
Sabine had never been the same after that. She had been plagued with panic attacks and a case of PTSD so lucid it would make Rex blush.
Her knees gave out. The Darksaber's blade dissipated and Sabine put her forehead to the dirt. The Academy... it was the birthplace of everything Sabine knew was wrong with her. It was the embodiment of her past and her blind arrogance. And here Sabine was, kneeling at its feet.
No, she thought. Her eyes burned with unshed tears and she forced herself to her feet. I am a slave to many things. My fear, my pride. But I will not be a slave to you any longer.
"Sabine," a voice hissed. Ezra came up next to her and shook her shoulder. He shot at something behind her with his free hand. "What are you doing? We have to rush the entrance!"
She watched him and didn't respond. His bronzed face was tight with concentration and sweat pooled at his brow. He was in business mode.
He caught her staring. "What?"
Sabine looked away, suddenly self-conscious. What was wrong with her? "Right," she stammered. Manda, she was stammering now?! "Ezra, post fifteen warriors to guard the entrance and get the rest to round up the stray cadets. Sting blasts only. We need all of them alive."
He ran off to deliver the orders and spared Sabine from further embarrassment. She dug a detonator from one of her pouches and centered herself. For Daalor, she thought. And Ketsu. And for all the other idiots that were stupid enough to fall for the Empire's schemes. Including me.
Sabine pushed the red button on the detonator and there was a magnificent explosion in the distance. It was Sundari's biggest TIE hangar. Bo-Katan's warriors had planted charges on it earlier and linked them to the detonator.
"That should keep the Empire's aircraft out of the sky," Sabine said under her breath.
The Nite Owls whooped in glee around her, raising their fists victoriously as the explosion spewed inky black smoke into the air.
Turning back to the Academy's glass doors, Sabine joined her guards on the steps. They were holding their own and shooting sting blasts at the frantic cadets that were trying to escape. But a red bolt of plasma suddenly thudded into one of the guards' chest plates. He fell, discombobulated but not dead.
Sabine ran to take his place, just in time to see an Imperial Supercommando flying above the heads of the cadets. He had been the one to deliver the shot. If that traitor managed to take out a few of her guards, the cadets would overrun them and escape. They couldn't afford that.
Sabine dodged another shot from the Imperial Mandalorian and was unholstering her dual pistols when a fresh-faced cadet run up to her and struck her with a fist.
Sabine stumbled back, knowing her helmet had hurt him more than he had hurt her. The other cadets began to approach her, getting gutsy.
Sabine ground her teeth and leveled her arm at the crowd. She triggered the Mandalorian vambrace to fire its repulsor and the horde of cadets were blown backwards by the unseen force.
She glanced up to see the Imperial Supercommando swooping towards her. She held her ground unflinchingly as the man fired at her, his blasts landing feet away from her.
Wait, she commanded herself.
He got closer. The bolts were inches away.
Wait…
One grazed her pauldron, and Sabine instantly took the Darksaber off the back of her belt.
Now!
Sabine ignited its glowing black blade with a high-pitched snap-hiss. She took a flying leap for the Imperial Supercommando, just as the man sailed over her head. The Darksaber sliced clean through his weak, plastoid armor and he dipped down mid-air, sailing throught the Academy's open doors. Turning as an explosion erupted from the man's jetpack, Sabine looked at the dazed and disoriented cadets.
She raised the Darksaber high. "I am Mand'alor the Free," she announced, " the rightful ruler our people. All of you are under our custody until further notice."
Sabine was about to leave when a cadet shouted, "You will not intimidate us!" Sabine glanced him over. It was a boy, fifteen or so, wearing a black and red uniform sprinkled with dust and rubble. "The Empire will destroy you, traitor!"
"I have come to liberate you," Sabine said. "All of you. But it's still your choice. If you are cooperative and hear me out, no one will have to get hurt. You can follow me, your sole ruler, or Gar Saxon, the Imperial Viceroy of Mandalore."
Sabine walked out of the Academy's doors and trotted down the steps, her cloak flowing behind her.
"Specter 6," Sabine said into the comm in her helmet. "Where are you?"
"Just found a couple stragglers," Ezra's voice said, full of static. "Where do you want them?"
"Inside the doors with the rest." Sabine's eyes darting around from inside her helmet. "Hurry. There's more supercommandos inbound."
Sabine's finger left the side of her helmet and she waved a few more guards over. "Get five warriors to guard the Academy entrance," she commanded quickly. "While the rest corral the cadets. And send for Bo-Katan along with her personal aides."
The guards nodded and ran off to deliver her orders. Sabine turned and watched as at least ten Imperial Supercommandos flew across Sundari's sky, their white armor glistening in the fabricated sunlight.
"Karabast," Sabine muttered as she spotted a red painted one amongst the white. She began to run towards the Academy, keying her helmet.
"Kor," she said, "give me some good news."
"We're picking up the last of the cadets from the classrooms. Everyone's gathering in the courtyard, just like you ordered."
"Even the instructors and administration?"
"Yes, Mand'alor."
"And you've searched them for weapons?"
"You worry too much. Yes, of course."
Sabine's finger left her helmet and she skidded to a stop in front of the Academy's steps. Bo-Katan was at the top, about to enter through the doors.
"This way!" Sabine called. She waved her over. "You and your aides!"
The lady jogged to her with her two guards. "What?"
"Tell you on the way," Sabine said and began to run in the opposite direction. "Saxon and a few of his goons are headed this way. You up for it?"
Sabine could imagine Bo-Katan was smiling underneath her helmet. "Always up for sticking it to the Empire." She matched Sabine's pace until they were sprinting.
The guards were tailing the two as Sabine fired up her jetpack and shot into the sky, aimed right for the Imperial Supercommandos. Sabine steeled her nerves, feeling furious anger swell up inside her. Saxon would pay for enslaving her world. Him and the entire Empire. They would all learn just what the consequences were when Mandalorians—True Mandalorians—were pushed around.
Brandishing the Darksaber, Sabine and her warriors slammed into Saxon's, full-speed, mid-air. Sabine coiled her legs and met an Imperial Mandalorian feet first. The Darksaber's blade went straight through his chest plate. She jumped off the man just as quick and flipped in the air, landing on another Mando's back. She sliced his jetpack and jumped away before the man's flailing arms could try to grab her as he spiraled down.
Sabine turned as she bobbed in the air just as someone rammed into her. Sabine sheathed the Darksaber to prevent her from accidentally stabbing herself as she wrestled for control against the Imperial Supercommando. He was strong—far stronger than her—and he attempted to overpower her.
Sabine bashed the man's white-armored helmet with the Darksaber's hilt. But then the Imperial promptly head-butted her in the visor in a classic but violent Keldabe kiss.
Stars flitted across Sabine's open eyes and she dizzily wrestled for control. Sabine kicked the man hard on his plastoid chest plate, her heel forcing the man's breath from his lungs.
The Imperial wheezed. They were descending rapidly, the wind whipping Sabine's cloak around her neck. The Imperial Supercommando suddenly reached up a wild arm and grabbed the bottom of her helmet, yanking her down. Sabine's back was now facing the ground. In a last-ditch attempt to gain the upper hand, Sabine grabbed the bottom of the man's helmet as well and they yanked each other's masks off at the same time.
Sabine froze and her heart stopped as a familiar face met her eyes. What… the… kriff… "Tristan?!" Sabine exclaimed and they hovering to a slow stop.
"Sabine?" Tristan said curiously, tilting his head as if he were confused. "What… What are you doing here?"
It was her brother. Her little brother. Except he wasn't so little anymore. He had the same sun-darkened skin and chestnut hair like she remembered, but his shoulders had grown broader and his face more slender. His dark brows were heavy over slanted eyes, casting dark shadows under his eyelids. He looked awful.
"What am I doing here?" Sabine sputtered. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at home?" He looked like he needed a solid ten hour nap.
Tristan stared at her. "I work for Saxon now, Sabine. He agreed to restore our clan's honor if I serve the Empire."
Sabine was stunned into silence. "Saxon?" she pressed, wondering if they were talking about the same person. Because "honor" and "Gar Saxon" didn't go hand in hand.
Tristan nodded.
"I...I'm here to overthrow him."
It was his turn to be shocked. "What?!"
Sabine looked up at the aerial skirmish between Bo-Katan, her aides, and the rest of the Imperial Supercommandos. "They need my help. We can talk about this later."
She went to leave but Tristan grabbed her wrist. "No," he growled. "You got us into this mess—I'm not gonna let you ruin this chance for me. Clan Wren finally has a shot to restore our honor after what you did—"
"You've been listening to Mom, haven't you? If you think this is honorable, then you're a fool. The Empire has enslaved our worlds. There's no honor in willingly serving your oppressor."
Tristan sneered at her. "You would know, wouldn't you?"
Sabine jerked her hand from his grip. "I said we can argue about this later, Tristan."
He grabbed her shoulder as she tried to leave again and pulled her back. "I told you—I won't let you fight Saxon and ruin—"
Sabine clocked him in the jaw.
Tristan's eyes rolled back for a split second and Sabine fired up her jetpack. But he came to and grabbed her ankle, dragging them both down.
"Let go!" Sabine yelled as the wind whipped around them. They tumbled through the air, grappling for control.
Tristan unholstered his WESTAR blaster from his hip and Sabine swatted his hand away. The wind whistled in her ears as they plunged. They would be pancakes on a skyscraper if he didn't let go pretty soon...
Sabine shoved her twin blasters into his gut and pulled the trigger, the blast set on stun. It took four shots to pierce his armor and imbed in his nervous system. The jetpack slowed his descent and he rolled to a stop atop a skyscraper and Sabine hovered in the air.
"Sorry," she muttered to her brother. She fired up her jetpack and shot back into the sky. She joined the fray, dual blasters hot, and pushed Tristan to the very back of her mind.
"Nice of you to join the party," Bo-Katan quipped as Sabine found herself back-to-back with the woman.
"Didn't want you to have all the fun," Sabine replied.
Sabine suddenly pushed off of Bo-Katan's jetpack, holstering her blasters, and yanked out the Darksaber. She ignited the blade at the last second and ran one of the Imps' through.
"Wren!" someone called.
Sabine turned to see a red-armored Gar Saxon, his blaster trained on her. "You're mine."
Sabine deflected the first shot with the shield emitter equipped on her vambrace. And the second, and the third, when she finally rushed Saxon. She spit fire from the flamethrower on her vambrace and Saxon shielded his face.
While he was blinded, Sabine darted around to his back. She clamped her arms underneath Saxon and pinned him.
Bo-Katan seized the moment and shot him with a WESTAR blaster bolt. It struck Saxon in the side and Sabine shoved the man away, firing another shot at his jetpack.
The remaining Imperial Supercommandos darted to their leader and ushered him down. They fired warning shots in Sabine's direction, preventing her from finishing the job.
Sabine turned and rocketed back to the Academy, Bo-Katan hot on her tail. They had to get back to Ezra anyway.
Sabine alighted in the Academy's courtyard. There was already a large crowd of cadets and instructors. They cast her wary looks but Sabine saw the panic in their eyes. They were afraid.
Sabine slid off her helmet and shook out her hair, dislodging her sweat-soaked bangs from her forehead. Bo-Katan took off her helmet as well but, of course, her hair was in perfect condition. Not a single red hair out of place. "Good work out there," Bo-Katan commended. She sounded breathless. "Nice form."
"Thanks."
Ezra came to stand next to Sabine, shouldering his Mandalorian pistol. "All the cadets are here," he said.
Sabine patted his shoulder and took her place on a makeshift stage in the center of the courtyard. She spun her helmet in her hands before cradling it under her arm "Everyone!" Sabine called, holding up her free arm. "Pay close attention." She waited as several Nite Owl warriors shoved a couple more cadets into the mob. That was everyone. Every single cadet, instructor, janitor, and principle was gathered before her. Most looked skittish, shooting shifty-eyed glances at their captors. Others looked angry and defiant, jutting their chins out boldly at Sabine.
They think we're going to kill them, Sabine realized and compassion tugged at her heart. They think they either have to either choose between joining us, or dying.
"First off," Sabine said immediately, "I want to say that all of you have the right to choose whether or not you want to join us. I swear to not take the lives of any cadets today," Sabine paused. "I am here to liberate you, not intimidate you. Gar Saxon has been ruling our world with an iron fist, making our people slave away in the mines without pay. This is not peace, or security or justice… Mandalorians, this is enslavement! How long will all of you stand for this?"
Sabine's eyes raked the crowd. She hoped they were listening. They have to know what the Empire is capable of, Sabine thought, biting her lip. They can't be like I once was… naïve and gullible. If they follow their orders blindly, they'll end up in the same nightmare I was in.
"Gar Saxon," Sabine continued, "is a murderer and a traitor, without a shred of honor in his body. He wiped out the Protectors of Concord Dawn mercilessly and cowardly. He attempted to take power over this planet, but failed because of his lack of honor. So he went through other means. He struck a deal with the Empire."
The cadets glanced at each other, and a few shuffled their feet uncomfortably.
"Our brothers and sisters toil day and night in the mines to hunt for beskar. And do we see any of it? Any of the invincible metal that makes our Mandalorian armor? It goes straight to the Emperor to fund his Star Destroyers and his TIE Defenders. Saxon enslaves our people, he provides the Empire with our metal, and then he raises us Mando'ade as soldiers in the Empire's ranks!"
Sabine sighed. The rest of her practice speech rolled off her tongue. "I am Mand'alor the Free," she said firmly, "and I am offering all of you a chance to be free. We Mandalorians were never meant to be ruled by an outside force. If our ancestors could see us now, what would they say? How would they react to our enslavement?"
Sabine began to pace the stage, something strong and furious swelling up inside her. "Gar Saxon has tainted what it means to be a True Mandalorian," she growled. "He promises peace, but we are Mandalorians! We were never meant to be a meek, peaceful race!
"Saxon promises security, but are Mandalorians safe? Do we need to feel protected when we have the strength to protect ourselves?
"Saxon promises justice," she continued, her upper lip curled in a snarl. "But does the cowardly execution of the Protectors sound like justice to you? What about our brothers and sisters sitting in Mandalorian jail cells? Is expressing your stance on Imperial tyranny worthy of enslavement? Tell me, all of you, how long will you stand for this?"
Sabine stopped at the edge of the stage and looked down at the crowd of Mandalorians below her. She heaved a heavy sigh and hesitantly took the Darksaber off the back of her belt.
Igniting it's glowing black blade, Sabine raised it high and stared down at her people. "I won the Darksaber in combat," she proclaimed. "I have every right to it. My ancestors before me ruled all of Mandalore with this blade, and I intend to continue the tradition. But," Sabine added, "all of you must make your own choice. You are all Mandalorians, so you live by the Resol'nare. Rally to my cause, or follow Saxon. Choose."
For a heart-stopping moment, no one moved. Then, a familiar voice broke in. "…I will join you," Bo-Katan announced and kneeled in front of the stage.
Sabine could hear whispers from all around the courtyard.
"…Bo-Katan?" one breathed.
"…leader of the Nite Owls…" another whispered.
"…Clone Wars, she fought against that traitor, Maul…"
Sabine lifted her chin as Bo-Katan said the ancient words. "I swear," she began, "my life, my clan, and my warriors to you, Mand'alor the Free. Let the manda look down upon my oath and honor it." The redhead looked up as she breathed the last words. "Par kote bal ijaat be Mand'alor."
Sabine took a shaky breath and looked out among the cadets. Suddenly, one broke out from the crowd, his hand raised. "I will join you, Mand'alor!" the cadet proclaimed.
"I will as well," another said, coming to stand by the boy.
"Me too!" another shouted.
The courtyard erupted in yells and raised hands, countless cadets coming before the stage. Sabine was taken aback as the crowd surged forward. But still, there were many cadets and Imperial instructors alike that hung back, glaring daggers at Sabine.
She cleared her throat and held up a hand. The courtyard immediately fell silent. "If you do not wish to join me," she began, "you are free to leave. If you are not with me, then you are against me and have taken the side of the Empire. Go now."
Slowly, hesitantly, about half the cadets and nearly all the instructors parted from the group and went back into the Imperial Academy, no doubt to send a distress signal to the Star Destroyers circling Mandalore's atmosphere.
Sabine looked out at her people, pride swelling up inside her. I'm really doing it, she realized. I am leading my people. There might be no turning back… but I'm just getting started.
Bo-Katan stood at the bottom of the stage and raked the crowd with a piercing glare. "True Mandalorians!" she shouted. "Bow before your rightful leader!"
Sabine raised the Darksaber victoriously and her people instantly fell to their knees.
"An olaromijaat," Bo-Katan shouted in Mando'a, "Mand'alor te Mav!"
"AN OLAROMIJAAT," the cadets echoed, their heads bowed, "MAND'ALOR TE MAV!"
ALL HAIL, they had said, MAND'ALOR THE FREE.