The Shadow exited lightspeed near Dantooine. Mona had sent the rest of the fleet to rendezvous with Mace Windus' fleet and join in the search for the Separatists battle station. She decided against joining them after finding an old set of coordinates in the Shadows' navigation system with a custom waypoint labeled "Father". She knew that her brother had been busy in his self induced exile, but she never would have guessed that he had been searching for their family, especially with how closely he seemed to adhere to the Jedi Code, despite his Rogue status. She gazed out of the front view port at the planet before them, wondering how she should approach this opportunity.
As she considered her options, a Republic frigate came out of lightspeed nearby and and slowed to a halt next to the Shadow. She was shaken from her thoughts by the buzzing of the communications console.
"Sir," the clone stationed at the console called, "the frigate is trying to make contact."
Mona looked at the frigate next to them, considering it for a moment before giving her response.
"Patch them through," she ordered.
Shortly after, a hologram materialized in front of her. It depicted a male Togruta in Jedi robes. He had several lines on his face, which showed the toll the war had on him, rather than his age. From what Mona had heard, he was still a rather young man, being in his thirties.
"Master Varun," Mona greeted the man, "I didn't expect to see another Jedi here."
"Nor did I," the hologram replied, "may I ask what you're doing here?"
"Investigating a trail my brother uncovered. And you?"
"Simply a history lesson for my apprentice."
"Another one?" Mona asked. She had been told that Master Varun had a habit of taking on multiple apprentices, "If you keep at the pace you're going, you'll be making this trip annually."
"Yes, well, I suppose that just shows my efficiency in training Padawans." Varun paused, a thought entering his mind, "Perhaps we should travel together? I am more familiar with the dangers present on this world."
"You mean Kinraths and Kath Hounds?" Jenoria asked, "I'm sure we can handle them."
"Don't be so certain," Varun advised, "those very creatures were able to pose a threat to even the greatest Force Users in the Old Republic."
"Define great," Mona called his bluff.
"Do the names Bastila Shan and Meetra Surik mean anything to you? If not them, what about Revan?"
Though she didn't show it, Mona was a little intimidated when she heard those names. Her master, being a Goddess, was older than anyone in the order, even Master Yoda, but no one knew just how old she was, except Mona. Meva Brun, in her youth, had gone through many teachers, but the only one she ever mentioned by name was Satele Shan. Satele had told her the stories of her ancestor, Bastila, and the other Jedi of that age. Stories that Meva would eventually regale to Mona.
Throughout her training, the Jedi of old had been and inspiration to Mona, most notably Meetra Surik. As such, hearing that the dangers of Dantooine were able to give her idol trouble shook Mona to her core. She had to take a moment to regain the composure she refused to show she had lost.
"P-" she cleared her throat as her words got caught, "Perhaps I should take you up on your offer then."
"Excellent, we shall see you on the surface."
The transmission was about to cut out when the radar let out a loud ping.
"Sir," the trooper manning the console called to her, "System Scan showing Mandalorian activity on a nearby moon."
"And?"
"Their signal predates their Age of Pacifism."
"Understood," she turned her attention back to the transmission, "you may want to hide your frigate."
"Yes. I was just notified as well. You should probably go ahead of us, in case there are anymore on the surface."
The transmission cut out and the Shadow began its descent.
...
Once they reached the surface of the planet, Mona and a small scouting team exited the Shadow from it's hanger, which sealed shut behind them. The team consisted of two Shinies, a lieutenant, and two ARC Troopers.
"Trickshot," Mona spoke into her com, "I'm sending you an encrypted passcode. Don't open the hanger until you receive it again."
"Copy," Trickshot replied. After a few moments, the com beeped again. "Passcode received." Trickshot confirmed.
"Expecting trouble sir?" One of the Shinies in her scouting party inquired.
"My brother may have made enemies in his exile," Mona explained, "And the Shadow belonged to him before it was mine."
"So it's a precautionary measure," one of the ARC Troopers caught on, "in case one of those enemies are here and recognize it."
"That's correct." Mona confirmed.
Just as she said that, a republic landing shuttle descended towards the platform. It landed just a few feet away from the Shadow. Mona's group approached as the shuttles passengers walked off the landing ramp. Jedi Master Tahl Varun had a heavily scarred visage, fitting for a man who only ever left the front to pick up a new Padawan and bring them to Dantooine. With him were several members of the 809th Attack Battalion, the Clone's he lead. It was rare to see a Shiny in their ranks, so their armor always appeared scuffed and dirty, it was difficult to believe it had ever been white in the first place. The purple accents on their armor were faded, but more noticeable than the armors original colour.
His Padawan was a more typical age for apprentices, compared to Skywalkers and Minaras, around sixteen years old. His eyes were a stark green and his hair was a brilliant white, yet it was unkempt and it was clear that his Padawan braid had been severed on the battlefield, likely from a close encounter with a Sith. He hadn't adopted the same jaded expression as his compatriots, still having a glimmer of optimism present in his eyes, though given where his master was stationed, it was almost certainly a matter of time. He wore the same armor as the clones, either as a display of solidarity or because his robes were damaged beyond repair.
"Padawan Minara," Master Varun gave Mona a brief bow, which she returned, "I'd like you to meet my new Padawan, Gram Kiro." He gestured to his Padawan, who gave a bow of his own, which Mona returned, "Gram, this is Mona Minara."
"It's an honour to meet you," Gram held his hand out, and Mona took it, examining him as she did.
"The honour's all mine," Mona reciprocated. She then noticed something peculiar, "No lightsaber?"
"I..." Gram hesitated for a moment, shame evident in his eyes, "couldn't find a crystal on Illum."
"Yet they still allowed your promotion to Padawan?"
"I," Master Varun jumped in, "put in a good word with the council."
Mona looked at Master Varun with a curious expression, then returned her attention to Gram, "Did you at least try again on Yavin?"
"I believe he'll find his crystal here," Master Varun responded on his Padawan's behalf.
"But the crystal deposits on Dantooine are Kinrath nests," Mona began to argue before a thought occurred that she couldn't keep to herself, "Have you been sending unarmed Padawans into Kinrath nests this entire time?"
"It's excellent training. If Padawans are set to face grueling trials, then they may as well face the same one as the Padawans of old."
"That doesn't justify sending an unarmed teenager with limited Force and battle experience into a cave full of creatures that gave even the best of the Old Republic a challenge!"
"I would appreciate it if you didn't question my teaching methods Padawan. I wouldn't send him in there if I wasn't fully confident that he'll survive."
"Maybe so. But you requested to join me on my task. If yours just so happens to overlap with mine, we'll do it my way. do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal," Varun turned away before continuing under his breath, "Just like him."
"Just like who?" Mona questioned, showing that she had heard that last bit.
"Has anyone ever told you that you have an acute sense of hearing?"
"Not to my face, But I always catch them." She turned to one of her ARC Troopers and reached out her hand, "If you wouldn't mind?" The trooper pulled out one of their weapons and tossed it to her, which she immediately passed to Padawan Kiro before returning her attention to his master, "Shall we?"
"After you."
With that, the group made their way into the nearby settlement. Mona tried to approach some locals to ask for directions, but every single one of them turned tail and ran the other way, not that she could blame them, given her present company. After six attempts, she became aggravated enough to finally give in and signal for the group to hold position so she could make an attempt on her own. She looked around for someone who hadn't already locked themselves inside and found only one, a shopkeeper who had been eyeing them curiously. Without much choice, Mona approached the shopkeeper.
"Good afternoon," the shopkeeper greeted as if she were just another customer.
"Hello," Mona reciprocated, "If you don't mind, I'm looking for a man named "Minara". Is he around here?"
"That depends, is he in any sort of trouble?" He asked, glancing at the squadron further back.
"No, not at all," Mona also spared a glance back, "actually, between you and me." She gesture for him to come closer as she leaned over the counter. She continued in a hushed tone, "It's a pretty dangerous time to a Jedi."
"I see."
"And one more thing." She leaned in until she up to his ear and dropped from a hushed voice to a whisper, "I have good reason to believe that Mr. Minara might be my father."
The shopkeeper gave her an incredulous look, before adopting a contemplative one.
"He does mention a daughter whenever he's here." The shopkeeper looks her over, "and you would be about her age." He thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "If you really are his daughter, you should have no issue reaching his farm."
"Farm? Do you do trade with him?"
"More like he does trade with us. His farm is to the north," he pointed in the general direction, "on the other side of a Kinrath hive."
"A HIVE!?" Mona jumped back in shock, "That's a thousand times worse than a nest! Why would he put his farm there?"
"He said it was a security measure against the competition. But if you ask me, I think he's testing people."
"What do you mean?"
"You mean you don't know?" He looked at the rest of the group, "If you really are his daughter, I'm sure he would've mentioned it." the shopkeeper pointed to someone in particular and Mona turned around and immediately singled out Master Varun, who in turn averted his gaze, "He's been there."
Now a little peeved that potentially vital information was being kept from her, she returned her attention to the shopkeeper, who was now intimidated by her aggressive gaze, "What. Don't. I. Know?"
"Well, uh. J-just that Eidros Minara is the leader of the Mandalorian clan that resides in this system."
Mona's eyes widened at that revelation. She always knew that her family was different from other Jedi, even the Skywalkers, but this? This was the last explanation she would have expected for it. She turned to leave, only barely letting out a "thank you" to the shopkeeper, and gave Master Varun a hard glare. She then walked past the waiting group, doing nothing but motioning for them to follow. The more experienced Troopers knew to just shut up and follow orders when she was in one of these moods, but the Shinies were not privy to that information yet.
"Sir?" One of the Shinies called, "Are we going through one of the nests?"
"Worse." She made no attempt to hide her aggravation, "We're going through a hive."
Most of the group stopped as they attempted to process that news, while Mona continued forward, determined to get answers to the questions that now plagued her mind. And if the Jedi weren't going to give them to her, then there was only one person who could.
...
Unbeknownst to Mona, her group was being monitored by two separate parties. One rested on the crest of a nearby hill and consisted of two cloaked girls, one of whom was wearing a Mandalorian mask. The girl in the mask kept her gaze squarely on Mona, while the other girl busied herself with grappling with a Horned Kath Hound that had thought of them as easy prey. The masked girl looked back to her companion.
"Well, at least I don't have to worry about you getting bored."
Meanwhile, on a nearby cliff overlooking the entire settlement, an armored figure kept his gaze firmly on the Shadow, not caring in the slightest for the group outside.
"It's not like him to be cautious." the man spoke to himself, "but if you insist on having others do your work for you, then I'll be happy to make you regret it. Either way, you're going to pay for rejecting the New Order, Minara."
...
Much like with Revan, I'm keeping generic clones ambiguous as squadrons are now a mix of male and female clones. Distribution will be left to reader interpretation.
As for the Minaras having Mandalorian heritage, that idea spawned around the same time as "Dalkos knows Revan". So as far as I'm concerned, it is now heavily ingrained in the lore, so no, you don't get to complain about it, since I know some of you would.