Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
So, this is gonna be the start of the 3 episode Mandalore arc in Season 2. I'll be doing most of the episodes in the show featuring Death Watch, and these are the first three. Hope you're excited for it.
Let's get to it.
ExS-DrlfTeRr: Yes, the Terran Jedi Order will be independent of the Republic's Jedi Order, and be very different in a number of ways.
Peter Hong Kong: Many Terran troops will still have normal pistols just for dealing with organic enemies, but they're no longer their primary weapons. Also, the assault blaster I was talking about is basically a blaster version of the M-4 carbine. I'll start classifying different Terran made blasters soon. And yes, they can have pretty much the same attachments as an M-4.
WhiteRoseshipper: I will. But, understand there are about a hundred countries contributing troops to help in the Clone Wars. I'm not gonna have time to get to all of them, so you may not see any Canadians for a little while. Or they could show up next. It just depends on when I want to include them.
CT7567Rules: Hall has such highly trained combat reflexes that his first instinct when under fire would be to kill the person firing on him. So, it was more of a trained reflex than a conscious reason to kill Ox.
Chapter 27- The Mandalore Plot
Obi Wan looks down over the landscape of Mandalore as he flies lower towards the capital city. It's been a few weeks since the events on Geonosis. Now, rumors have reached the Senate that Duchess Satine, ruler of Mandalore and leader of the Council of Neutral Systems, is secretly building her own army to fight for the Separatists. Not only that, but a Mandalorian warrior had attacked a Jedi cruiser until he was killed by some British SAS operatives on board the ship.
In order to determine the truth behind the rumors, and find out about the saboteur, Obi Wan had been sent by the Jedi Council to investigate. The Terrans had insisted one of their own be sent as well, not only to help in the investigation but also to make sure Obi Wan wasn't alone. Therefore, Colonel Shaul Peretz, one of the two Israeli members of the ASAT team, had been sent with Obi Wan. Colonel Peretz is following close behind him in a Delta-7 interceptor of his own.
The two come down and land on the landing platform outside the city. After hopping out of their fighters, Obi Wan and Peretz make their way over towards where a guard is waiting on a small speeder.
"The Duchess awaits you and your guest, General Kenobi," the guard says.
"Far be it from me to keep the Duchess waiting," Obi Wan says as he and Peretz climb onto the speeder, which takes off towards the palace.
As they make their way through the city, Peretz looks around, impressed by the technology and architecture he has seen here on Mandalore.
It's not too long before they reach the palace. The guard gets off the speeder and leads Obi Wan and Peretz inside to the throne room.
Obi Wan and Peretz enter the throne room, which is empty save for two guards. After a moment, a man walks in and calls to them, "General Kenobi."
Obi Wan and Peretz walk towards him. "Thank you for meeting with me, Prime Minister Almec," Obi Wan says, shaking hands with Almec.
"Who is your friend?" Almec asks.
"This is Colonel Shaul Peretz. He comes from the world of Terra," Obi Wan says.
Peretz bows his head respectfully, and Almec inclines his head in return. Almec then looks at Obi Wan again and says, "I welcome you as a servant of the people, but I am troubled by the false rumors that brought you here. Mandalore would never turn against the Republic. The Duchess Satine values peace more than her own life."
"Oh, I'm aware of the Duchess' views," Obi Wan says.
Kind of cutting him off, Almec says, "Master Kenobi, Mandalore's violent past is behind us. All of our warriors were exiled to our moon, Concordia. They died out years ago."
"Hmm. Are you certain? I recently encountered a man who wore Mandalorian armor, Jango Fett," Obi Wan says.
Almost a little hotly, Almec says, "Jango Fett was a common bounty hunter. How he acquired that armor is beyond me."
"Calm yourself, Prime Minister. We're not here making any accusations. We're just here to ascertain the truth," Peretz says.
"Well, Master Kenobi." Obi Wan and Peretz turn around as Duchess Satine walks into the room. "My shining Jedi Knight to the rescue once again."
Satine makes her way to the throne. Obi Wan smiles, and he says, "After all these years, you're even more beautiful than ever."
"Kind words from a man who accuses me of treachery," Satine says.
"I would never accuse you of personal wrongdoing, Duchess. However, a Separatist saboteur attacked one of our Republic cruisers, a Mandalorian saboteur," Obi Wan says. He holds out a holo-projector, which brings up a hologram of the saboteur in question.
"You must be mistaken. No Mandalorian would engage in such violence. Not anymore. Where is this prisoner now?" Almec says.
"He was killed by some Terran commandos defending the ship. I know that Mandalorian warriors fought in many wars, often against the Jedi," Obi Wan says.
"Every one of my people is as trustworthy as I am," Satine says defensively.
"I know we sound defensive, but-" Senator Merrick starts to say.
Satine cuts him off. "Clearly, your investigation was ordered because the Senate is eager to intervene in our affairs," she says.
"My investigation was ordered by the Jedi Council," Obi Wan says.
"I stand corrected. General Kenobi, perhaps you'd like to accompany me on a walk through the city," Satine says, extending a hand to Obi Wan. The two exchange a look before Obi Wan walks forward, takes her hand to help her off the throne, and the two walk out, leaving Peretz behind.
"Colonel Peretz, perhaps I could offer you something to eat," Almec says.
"That would be greatly appreciated," Peretz says.
Almec motions for Peretz to follow him, and leads the ASAT commando to what appears to be a cafeteria.
"Feel free to help yourself to anything you wish as an honored guest," Almec says.
"Thank you, Prime Minister," Peretz says before heading to the serving lines. He serves himself a meal and goes to sit with a number of other men.
Peretz strikes up a conversation with some of the guards sitting around him. They share some stories, and Peretz tells them about his journey through the Israeli military, excluding those parts he is not allowed to talk about.
A short time later, as Peretz is cleaning up his dishes, Obi Wan walks into the cafeteria. Peretz looks up at him and asks, "What is it, Kenobi?"
"There's been an incident. There was a bombing in the square. It was conducted by a group called Death Watch, which follows the way of the Mandalorian warriors of the past. Satine said she thinks that the saboteur may have been part of the Death Watch. The man who conducted the bombing spoke in the dialect of Concordia, Mandalore's moon. The man killed himself. Satine and I are going to visit Concordia and try and find out more about the Death Watch," Obi Wan summarizes what has just happened.
Peretz is quiet for a moment, then says, "Well, what are we waiting for?"
Obi Wan chuckles a bit at Peretz' eagerness, then says, "Come on."
Peretz follows Obi Wan to a hangar, where a floating coffin, with the body of an older man inside, is being loaded onto a ship. Duchess Satine is waiting for them.
"Does Colonel Peretz need to come?" Satine asks.
"I think it would be better all around if he did," Obi Wan says. Satine just nods and walks onto the ship. Obi Wan and Peretz follow her onto the ship.
The ship soon takes off, heading up out of Mandalore's atmosphere and heading for the moon Concordia. As they approach the moon, Peretz looks out the viewport and sees the surface is a mixture of green and brown.
"Looks like Concordia isn't sure whether it wants to be a desert or a forest," Peretz says.
"I thought Concordia was an agricultural settlement," Obi Wan asks.
"Before the end of our wars, they turned it into a mining base. The sheer number of mining facilities here nearly destroyed our forests. They're finally growing back," Satine says.
"Guess Earth isn't the only place where people prioritize their own gain over the environment," Peretz mutters mainly to himself, but loud enough that Obi Wan and Satine hear it. They don't question him about it, though.
The ship heads down into Concordia's atmosphere. They approach a small city and make their way to a hangar.
The pilot shuts down the ship as Satine, her two guards, Obi Wan, and Peretz make their way off the ship, along with the coffin containing the dead man's body.
Up ahead is a blond man, looking to be in his 40s or so, with several guards around him.
"Duchess Satine, you are most welcome," the man says in a respectful tone.
"Thank you, Governor Vizsla. May I present Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, representing the Jedi council, and Colonel Shaul Peretz, representing the Terran Alliance," she says.
"The Terran Alliance?" Vizsla asks curiously.
"Terra is a world in your neighboring galaxy. The Republic saved us from a Separatist invasion, and we have promised our aid to the Republic in the Clone Wars as thanks. I am part of an elite commando team, and I have been sent to aid Master Kenobi in his investigation," Peretz says.
"Indeed? Then I welcome you to Concordia. I hope to hear more about your world. It sounds fascinating," Vizsla says respectfully.
"Governor Vizsla is one of the officials I spoke of. He's been working to find the members of the Death Watch," Satine says.
Vizsla looks between Obi Wan and Peretz and says, "I take it you've heard the rumors about Satine, about how she's supposedly Mandalore into an alliance with the Separatists." His tone clearly shows how ridiculous he finds the idea.
"My only instructions are to seek the truth," Obi Wan says.
Satine's two guards move the coffin beside the group. Vizsla looks down at it and asks, "This is the man who bombed the memorial shrine?"
"Yes. He was apparently part of Death Watch," Obi Wan says.
"A worrisome prospect. If you'll pardon me, General, we must attend to the body," Vizsla says. Obi Wan, Peretz, and Satine all nod, and Vizsla walks away with his guards.
Satine starts to walk after him, but Obi Wan grabs her arm. "I need a favor. Please keep Governor Vizsla occupied at dinner," he says.
"Where are you going?" Satine asks.
"Just for a look around. I'd like to see one of these mining facilities for myself," Obi Wan replies.
"You mean you want to determine if they're still operational," Satine surmises.
"I hope to determine they're not," Obi Wan says. He then pulls out two earpieces, handing them to Satine and Peretz, and saying, "I want you two to wear these earpieces to that we can stay in contact, in case you run into trouble while I'm gone."
"Or the other way around," Peretz says.
Obi Wan doesn't respond, but runs towards the speeder bikes parked along the edge of the hangar.
"Remember that you are here under my protection. Please try not to cause problems where none yet exist," Satine says.
Obi Wan hops on one of the speeder bikes and says, "Think of me as searching for solutions."
"I have to tell you I'm opposed to all of this," Satine says.
"I'd be disappointed if you weren't," Obi Wan says before flying out of the hangar.
Peretz and Satine just stare after him for a moment before Peretz says, "Come, Duchess. We don't want to keep Governor Vizsla waiting."
The two head out of the hangar and make their way to the banquet hall, where Governor Vizsla is doing something on a pad.
"Forgive me, Duchess and Colonel Peretz. I'm writing a condolence letter to the dead man's family and making arrangements for them to retrieve his body," Vizsla says.
"Of course, Governor. Very proper. General Kenobi will join us shortly. He said he needed to meditate," Satine responds, coming up with the most convincing excuse she can think of. Peretz almost rolls his eyes, but doesn't.
As the sun sets, Governor Vizsla retrieves some glasses and a bottle of liquid. Peretz is secretly hoping it's close enough to wine.
"Someone is feeding misinformation directly to the Republic Senate, saying that the Death Watch is taking over Mandalore. Who stands to gain from these lies?" Satine asks as Vizsla pours the three of them a drink.
"Death Watch, obviously," Peretz says.
"Colonel Peretz is right," Vizsla adds.
"They could not engineer all this. The problem has clearly grown much larger than we thought. And I suspect some external force helped it along," Satine says.
"Hard to believe. It would have to be someone at the highest level of influence among the Separatists," Vizsla says.
"And someone skilled in staying hidden. Any help they've given the Death Watch has gone completely unnoticed," Peretz says. Vizsla nods in agreement.
"But why target me?" Satine asks.
"You lead the Council of Neutral Systems. Thus, you threaten the Separatist goals. Take it as a compliment. Someone very powerful is working towards your downfall," Vizsla says.
"Not quite sure how much of a compliment that is, but I see your point," Peretz says. He takes a sip of his drink, then grins. "This is good."
"I'm glad you like it. But, I am rather curious to know about your homeworld. Perhaps you could tell me a bit about it?" Vizsla responds to Peretz.
Peretz nods, then begins describing what Earth is like. He tries to be detailed and go a little slow, hoping that his discussion with Vizsla will distract him from the fact that Obi Wan is still missing.
As he describes the environment of Earth, Vizsla asks, "So, there is almost every biome you could imagine on your planet?"
"Yes. My country, Israel, is partially farmland and partially desert, and a bit in between," Peretz says.
"Fascinating. I know of some planets that have several biomes, but not the number and scale that your world does," Vizsla says.
Suddenly Satine and Peretz hear Obi Wan through their earpieces, "Duchess, Colonel, please acknowledge."
"So, you say you come from an elite commando unit?" Vizsla says.
"Yes. I've been a part of several commando units throughout my career," Peretz says. As he does, Satine whispers, just loud enough for Obi Wan to hear, "I hear you."
"Really? Tell me a bit about your career," Vizsla asks.
Over their earpieces, Satine and Peretz hear, "I'm in a bit of an awkward spot. I'm being held by the Death Watch. There's a tracking function on your commlink. Follow it due east to my location."
Satine then slowly stands and says, "I am not feeling very well, Governor. Perhaps some fresh air will do me good."
"Would you like me to escort you outside?" Vizsla asks.
"I'll find my way. Never fear," Satine says, and makes her way outside.
Vizsla then sits down and says, "I apologize, Colonel. Please continue."
Peretz begins to tell Vizsla about his entry into the Israeli Army, and then being picked to join the Sayeret Matkal.
As he begins to tell very vague descriptions about the kind of missions he undertook as a member of the Sayeret Matkal, a guard walks in and whispers something in Vizsla's ear. Vizsla stands up and says, "I'm sorry, Colonel, but something has come up that requires my immediate attention. Please feel free to remain here and wait for my return. Inform the Duchess I will be back before long."
"Of course, Governor," Peretz says.
Peretz watches Vizsla as he walks out of the room. Once the door starts to close, he hurries up to the door. He glances out, and sees Vizsla moving rather quickly down the hallway.
Feeling that something is up, Peretz leaves the banquet hall and races towards the hangar. Once he gets there, he sees no sign of Satine, and assumes that she has already left. He runs and hops on one of the speeder bikes. He immediately takes off and heads for east, following the locational data from his commlink.
It's not too long before he arrives at a mining facility. As he hops off the speeder bike, he sees two Mandalorian warriors rushing up to the entrance.
"Hello, friends. I'm here looking for General Kenobi. Have you seen him?" he asks innocently.
One of the Mandalorians rushes Peretz. "So, that's how we're gonna do this, huh? Fine," Peretz says as he dodges aside. He then lunges at the Mandalorian, grabs him by the wrist, and throws him over his shoulder, slamming him against a boulder and knocking him out.
Peretz then turns to meet the second Mandalorian. The man tries to punch Peretz, but Peretz, with a few quick moves, blocks his punch, spins the Mandalorian around, and puts him in a headlock.
"You know, if you knew who I was, you'd have never tried to mess with me," Peretz says as he slowly chokes the Mandalorian into unconsciousness. He then drops the Mandalorian and races into the facility.
As he gets into the main room, he sees Obi Wan suspended in some kind of energy field, moving towards some kind of grinder. However, Satine kicks a large barrel into the grinder before the energy field releases Obi Wan, allowing Obi Wan to spring off of the barrel and land beside the grinder.
Peretz hurries up to them. "You two alright?" he asks.
"Yes, barely," Obi Wan says.
"Good. I took care of the two warriors at the entrance. Let's get out of here," Peretz says.
They make their way over to an elevator and board it.
"For a man sworn to peace, you take an unseemly amount of pleasure in the injuries of others," Satine says to Obi Wan as the doors close.
"For a woman sworn to nonviolence, you don't seem troubled that I could have been killed back there," Obi Wan says.
"But you weren't. And I still haven't heard any thanks," Satine says.
"Geez. You two fight more than me and my brother did as kids, and that's saying something," Peretz says in exasperation.
The doors open, revealing a Mandalorian right on the other side. Peretz knocks him out in a flash, while Obi Wan says, "This is not the way we came in."
They quickly realize they've emerged into what looks like a crater, with a lot of Mandalorians in the bottom of the crater. Obi Wan tries to activate the elevator again, but the buttons don't work.
The Mandalorians start firing their blasters at the three, who take shelter behind a boulder. A second later, blaster bolts cause the elevator to fall back down the shaft.
"We'll have to stand and fight. Or, in your case, just stand," Obi Wan says to Satine, who looks offended.
Obi Wan reaches for his lightsaber, then realizes it's no longer on his hip.
"Here, take mine," Peretz says, removing his lightsaber from his belt and handing it to Obi Wan. Obi Wan says a quick "Thanks" and activates it, the green blade shining brightly. He begins blocking blaster bolts while Peretz pulls out his Jericho 941 pistol and starts firing. He's one of only three members of the ASAT team that still carries a normal pistol around. He also grabs the unconscious Mandalorian's blaster, using that in addition to his pistol.
Three Mandalorians take off using their jet packs and fly right towards Obi Wan and Peretz, firing their blasters. Obi Wan blocks the blaster bolts with Peretz' lightsaber, and Peretz shoots down one of them. Getting an idea, Peretz then holsters his Jericho pistol, grabs the unconscious Mandalorian's jetpack, then throws it in their direction before firing his stolen blaster, blowing up the jetpack.
Peretz is starting to think it worked when one of the Mandalorians jumps through the smoke, tackling Obi Wan and making him drop the lightsaber. He stands up, ready to blast Obi Wan, when Peretz blasts him in the side of the head, killing him.
Down in the crater, the rest of the Mandalorians suddenly start running towards their ships and boarding them, with the ships taking off once they're full.
However, Peretz quickly spots four Mandalorians approaching. One of them has a cape on, and his helmet is painted with the symbol of the Death Watch. Peretz immediately surmises this is the leader. He also notices Obi Wan's lightsaber on his belt. As the four Mandalorians walk up to the warrior Peretz shot down, the leader pulls out a blaster, says, "Failure," and blasts the warrior in the face.
Peretz bends down and picks up his own lightsaber, igniting it and twirling it once in his hand. Obi Wan steps up beside him. As he does, the four Mandalorians stop, and the leader takes off his helmet, revealing the face of Pre Vizsla.
"Governor?" Satine asks in shock.
"For generations, my ancestors fought proudly as warriors against the Jedi. Now, that woman tarnishes the very name Mandalorian. Defend her if you will," Vizsla says as he pulls Obi Wan's lightsaber off his belt and throws it to Obi Wan.
Obi Wan catches it, but Peretz says, "Don't worry, General. I'll handle this SOB." Peretz then takes a step forward, twirling his lightsaber in hand again.
Vizsla reaches onto his back, pulling something off of his jetpack. "This lightsaber was stolen from your Jedi Temple by my ancestors during the fall of the Old Republic," he says, pressing a button and igniting the lightsaber, revealing a black blade with a white outline. Not only that, but the the blade is shaped differently, and looks more like the blade of a samurai sword than anything.
"Since then, many Jedi have died upon its blade. Prepare yourselves to join them," Vizsla says as he levels the saber at Peretz. He then leaps towards Peretz, bringing the saber down on him.
Peretz easily blocks Vizsla's blow. Vizsla slashes repeatedly at Peretz, but finds the Israeli is able to easily keep up with his attacks.
"My turn," Peretz says as they cross blades, and suddenly, Peretz is on the offense, slashing away at Vizsla. Vizsla tries to block the blows, but finds he's barely able to keep up. He tries throwing in a few punches, but Peretz easily deflects them.
It's not long before Vizsla realizes he may not be a match for Peretz. Despite the fact that Peretz is not a Jedi, it is clear that his training as a Sayeret Matkal and then as an ASAT commando may be better than Vizsla's training.
After a minute, Peretz manages to get under Vizsla's guard, grab his wrist, and twist the saber out of his hand. Vizsla tries to attack hand to hand, but Peretz easily blocks his blows and knocks him back with a roundhouse kick.
Vizsla lands next to the saber, which he picks up. However, it's clear to him that contuing this fight may be to his disadvantage. Therefore, he stands up and orders, "Warriors, finish them!"
The three Mandalorians step forward, press buttons on their wrist, then bend over low. A moment later, the rockets on their jetpacks fire. Peretz is able to dodge them, but the rockets circle around and come in again.
"Let's get the h*** out of here!" Peretz says loudly. Obi Wan grabs Satine, and he and Peretz run up to and jump down the elevator shaft. The rockets hit the shaft a moment later, exploding and sending debris down the shaft. The three are just able to get out of the shaft before they get hit by debris.
"Come on. We gotta move!" Peretz says, helping them both to their feet. The three then hurry top escape the facility.
As they get out of the facility, Satine says, "I suppose we're even now."
"How so?" Obi Wan asks.
"I saved your life. You saved mine," Satine responds.
"Yes, well, mine was the more daring of the two rescues," Obi Wan says.
Satine clicks her tongue before turning around and climbing on her speeder bike. Peretz claps Obi Wan on the shoulder and says, "Smooth," before climbing on his own speeder bike. Obi Wan just rolls his eyes.
(The next day)
Obi Wan and Peretz, along with Senator Merrick and Almec, follow Satine as she makes her way across the landing platform to her ship, the Coronet. They're discussing what Obi Wan, Peretz, and Satine had discovered on Concordia.
"But if Pre Vizsla fled, we have no way of knowing how widespread Death Watch really is," Merrick says.
"I've already spoken to my commanders. As of now, my home country's intelligence agency, the Mossad, is creating a task force with the intention of tracking down Death Watch," Peretz says.
"And I think it's obvious the Separatists are supporting the Death Watch," Obi Wan says.
"I disagree. I told you I wanted to stay out of this conflict," Satine responds a little hotly.
"Given the current situation, I'm afraid that may no longer be possible," Obi Wan says.
"I thought you of all people would understand my position on this matter. I will never be a part of this war," Satine says before turning away and boarding the Coronet with Merrick, and some Senators of other members of the Council of Neutral Systems.
As she does, Anakin walks up, followed by Cody, Rex, 6 clones, and 4 of Peretz' old comrades from his Sayeret Matkal unit.
"Reporting for escort duty, General," Anakin says.
"Oh, Anakin. Am I glad to see you," Obi Wan says.
"Hmm. You sound tired," Anakin says.
"The peaceful ways of the local wore me out a bit," Obi Wan says humorously. He and Peretz then bard the ship, followed by Anakin, the clones, and the Sayeret Matkal. Once they're all aboard, the ship's boarding ramp is raised, and the ship takes off, beginning its trip to Coruscant.
And, I'll end there. Hope you liked this chapter.
Since the last four chapters have focused on Hall as the main ASAT character of the chapters, I decided to pull in a new member of the team, and chose Peretz. I hope to give every member of the ASAT team a chance to shine in this story.
Next chapter will be up soon, and it'll be a good one. It'll cover one of my favorite episodes of the show. Until it is up, please leave a review, and stay tuned!