"Develop technology without wisdom or prudence and your servant shall become your executioner."
―Walex Blissex
Mandalore
Sabine and the others came to the legendary vhetin be rang, the field of ash, which was the site of a massive battle between the Republic and Mandalore thousands of years before. The forests burned to the ground, and over time the ash was bleached white by the sun...
Now all she saw was Ursa, Tristan, and a few warriors of Clan Wren and Kryze laying unconscious on yet another layer of ash. Spread over the ash piles was the armor and helmets of the fallen...
"What the hell happened?" Rex exclaimed, seeing the defeated strewn over the battlefield in such a way...
The survivors were silent... Unable to process the devastating power of the weapon used against them... Friends, cousins, bannermen, allies; all were decimated in a quick and painful death...
"Where are the other survivors of this battle? The wounded... The victors..." Bo Katan examined the piles of charred beskar'gam closely... They looked as if they would fall apart if touched...
"I see... Only the defeated..." Ulrich reached for the ground, and analyzed the ash... Almost certainly the ashes of the dead. There was no possibility for a proper burial, as the ashes began to fly in the direction of the wind.
The sensation of high static electricity was still fresh in the air. Their hair stood up, and their communications were facing increased static.
"What could do such a thing?" Korkie removed his helmet to see the devastation with his own eyes... "The rumors can't be true, can they?"
"A weapon did this..." Ulrich's words burned into their minds... "A weapon created by my daughter..."
"Oh no..." Rex approached a very unique set of armor that stood out from the others, with its bright blue and yellow... Fenn Rau, like the rest of the Protectors, was nothing but a pile of ash in the wake of Clan Saxon's attacks...
Sabine was devastated by the loss of her cousins, bannermen, and Rau. Her watery eyes could only watch Rau's armor disintegrate in her hand... All of this was her fault. She built the weapon that ended Rau's life within the span of a second... She could no nothing but weep...
"There were rumors that the Empire had been working on a weapon that could neutralize Mandalorian armor. That it had even been tested on our people... I didn't believe it..." Bo Katan told Rex... She had been fighting the Empire for years, but she never really received any intel on this subject...
"No, not the Empire... Me! This is all my fault!" Sabine began to stand up... Anyone can see the great anger in her eyes; anger at herself...
Kanan tried to comfort her. "No Sabine, you can't jus-"
"Everything my father said is true, Kanan! I created the weapon that did all of this! And because of me, the Empire is going to turn Mandalore into a graveyard!" She was yelling now, the great fire in her heart burning hotter than that armor did. "Because of me, Mandalorians are going to die! Rau is dead because of me!"
Chopper moved forward and gave a warning signal in his grumbling tone...
"Chopper's picked up something..." Kanan said, translating the droid.
"Survivors?" Bo asked...
"No... Looks like the Empire's sending reinforcements to finish the job..." Rex held his binoculars, zooming on the Gozanti-class cruiser. It carried two AT-ATs, each of which likely carrying dozens of jump troopers...
"We need to get moving before they see us..."
A gauntlet fighter landed to extract them. And they boarded the fighter, taking any survivors of the Duchess's test with them.
The Venator-class Star Destroyer Relentless, near Sundari
"In this recording you will see the first test trial of the weapon used against Clan Wren..." Saxon activated a full hologram demonstration of the Duchess...
An array of holograms watched the footage closely... First, an image of Darth Vader on Mustafar manifested on the projector. Then, the images of Grand Admiral Thrawn and Director Krennic appeared from Lothal. Next to Saxon stood Captain Hark and Ezra...
"I wish to see the effectiveness of this weapon my administration commissioned..." Director Krennic's outfit was absurd to Saxon. His cape was not regulation, though that was not an issue for him, and simply acted as a pathetic way to stand out from others. To Saxon, Krennic's face reeked of an ambition similar to his own.
They all watched the arc generator burst to life, instantly vaporizing Fenn Rau and a dozen Mandalorians. The armor fell to the white ash, now charred and brittle.
There were diverse reactions to the power of the Duchess. Krennic smiled at the sheer effectiveness... But Thrawn was much more disapproving of it. Vader and Ezra secretly held their own grievances...
"As you can seen, the arc generator's energy is attracted to the beskar alloy in the Mandalorian's armor. Superheating it and vaporizing the target... All the while, doing no harm to our Imperial stormtroopers..." Saxon said proudly... Years of work and dedication spent rebuilding it now ready for full deployment.
"Most impressive..." Vader simply said, returning to his rhythmic breathing.
"Beautiful... And truly effective..." Krennic smiled, "You have brought a device that will bring the renegades to their knees."
"Effective, yes... But you do not realize the true artistry of this weapon... You have created a weapon that turns an armor legendary for its strength into crippling weakness; and it strikes at the very heart of your culture." Thrawn disagreed with superweapons in general, and despised Saxon for turning against his own people. Even as a Grand Admiral of a tyrannical Empire, Thrawn never turned his back on the Chiss.
Vader and Krennic listened to Thrawn's opinion. The Chiss often had thoughts that may prove useful for future efforts.
"Lord Vader and Director Krennic wanted a weapon that can deal with this uprising quickly, and I have delivered it..." Saxon was starting to become uneasy.
"You are different from your brother... How would Gar Saxon feel about you betraying your heritage? How would your allied Clans, or your own men?" Thrawn knew that using such a weapon would simply cause more people to rise up. Fear is not an effective method of restoring order, though it was indeed an effective weapon. The Emperor did not win the support of the Republic during Order 66 through fear. In actuality, they loved him. This is why he did not agree with the Tarkin Doctrine, which inspired both Project Duchess and Project Stardust. Killing armies or whole planets will not win public support...
"My brother no longer feels anything... I have evolved, and Mandalore shall evolve with me." Saxon felt as if he gave an effective answer. And Thrawn acknowledged that, despite the fact that it was all lies.
"The weapon's range is far more limited than what you promised..." Darth Vader added...
"I only had pieces of the prototype. I did everything I could!" Saxon already experienced what it felt to fail under Vader's command... He will do anything to avoid such a shameful death.
"You have failed to complete the weapon because you have not mastered it. You require its creator, Sabine Wren..." The Sith Lord gave a clear command, for the rank of Governor meant nothing to the Emperor's personal enforcer.
"Why not send a renowned reactor scientist to assist me?" Saxon made a fair point. It did not make logical sense for one to capture an enemy and use her to complete the very thing she sought to destroy.
"They're all under my command, Governor. Project Stardust takes the highest priority." Krennic made an effort to say as little about the Death Star as he could.
Thrawn added to Krennic's statement. Restating the absolute secrecy of the Death Star. "Project Stardust is not of your concern, Governor. You must work with what you can receive..."
"The Grand Admiral and I must speak to my agent alone..." Vader's clearly stated that he needed Ezra alone... The Governor respected that, and he and Captain Hark departed immediately... Meanwhile, Director Krennic's image was deleted from the display, as he and his Death Troopers vacated the conference room on Lothal.
Ezra stepped forward and removed his helmet...
"It is a pleasure to finally meet as allies, Ezra Bridger... You would make a valuable commander in my fleet..." Thrawn stared at the boy, mentally noting the eye color change to a deep green... Believing it to be a side effect to Lord Vader's reconditioning methods...
"I can say the same, Grand Admiral... But we have tasks to complete..." Ezra's seeker droid sealed the door and shut off any surveillance cameras... The information being given here is top secret...
"Indeed... I believe Saxon's weapon has more features than he lets on... He was very tense during the demonstration, as if he was hiding a secret..." Thrawn's excellent abilities at reading body language once again proved to be of use...
Following a deep breath, Vader added to the conversation... "I concur... The Saxons have always been known for their treachery. Perhaps he is planning to use the weapon against our garrison... Their plasteel armor can attract the electrical energy used by the arc generator."
"So what should I do?" Ezra swatted his long black hair aside... He never received any time to cut it, nor did he need to.
"Saxon has hired a bounty hunter to capture Sabine Wren. You will assist Boba Fett, and bring her to Saxon as planned." Vader ordered.
Thrawn explained the details of his plan: "It is almost certain that she will sabotage the weapon and use it to destroy Saxon and his ship... Governor Tarkin will appoint a replacement: Rook of Clan Kast. She is well liked by both the Empire and the renegades."
"Very well... I will not fail..." Ezra shut off the transmission. When the droid deactivated the lockdown, he set off to find Boba Fett in Sundari.
-Please leave a review. What do you think of the conspiracy in Sundari?