Chapter Seventeen
"Tell me again why we're trusting that rancor dung!"
Bo Katan's words were laced with venomous acrimony as she stared into the leaping flames that licked away at the hastily constructed funeral pyres of her fallen comrades. Her feelings were conflicted. She had been following Pre Vizsla since her early twenties, and while he had sometimes made decisions that baffled her, she had learned to trust his judgment and wisdom. She appreciated the reverence he held for ancient Mandalorian tradition and the tenacity he had shown when it came to upholding to those sacred traditions.
Vizsla wasn't at all like her older sister, who had been all too ready to toss away the Mandalorian heritage with both hands for the stake of ushering in a new era of "non-violence" and harmony. Satine had always been far too idealistic for Bo's taste. And while that had been tolerable when they were younger and Satine had mostly kept those notions to herself, it had eventually caused a strain on their relationship after Satine assumed the Mandalorian throne. She had then begun spreading her radical, pacifist ideas to the Mandalorian people and in doing so she had compromised their well-being.
Satine hadn't recognized the incredibly vulnerable position she had placed their people in, but Vizsla had seen. He had acted to empower the citizens of Mandalore, to remind them of their great heritage, and preserve their history. But Satine had turned the people against him, had forced him to become a fugitive within his own nation. She had branded Pre Vizsla and all those who chose to stand with him as terrorists and traitors to the Mandalorian government, including her own sister.
But Bo Katan had accepted her banishment proudly. For her, it had been an honor to stand at Vizsla's side as his second in command. Even with the rift that her choice ultimately caused between her and her sister, Bo had never doubted for a moment that she had made the right move in following him…until now. His decision to stand with that animal Maul had shaken her to her thoroughly.
The resounding shock that had followed Maul's unprovoked attack on their camp earlier that evening had not persisted for very long. Within seconds their forces had recovered and taken to the air, with a barrage of blaster fire that had sent Maul and his hulking brother scrambling for cover. Over the course of nearly an hour they had battled, illuminating the darkening night with the flickering haze of blaster fire and the sweeping arcs of crimson blades that flashed in the heavy fog. By the time it was over, two more of their brothers had fallen, several more had been seriously injured and Maul and Savage had been left without a scratch. Vizsla chose to call a ceasefire then.
It was the first Bo could ever remember him calling one. They were called Death Watch because they fought to the death. That is what set them apart from every other group. While some were motivated by self-preservation, Death Watch was willing to die for their cause. Bo had certainly been prepared to die that night if it had meant destroying Maul, but Vizsla had other ideas.
While he and Death Watch had crouched for cover on one side of their camp, Maul and his brother had remained hidden among large, man-sized boulders and sparse clusters of trees on the other side. "What do you want, Maul?" Vizsla had called out to him following the ceasefire, "State your business and go!"
"I do believe I was clear before all of this began, Pre Vizsla! You need the Pykes, and I need an army!"
"An army? What army?"
"Death Watch will be my army!"
"Death Watch is mine, Maul!"
"No, Vizsla! Don't you see? Death Watch is mine now." Bo had watched Vizsla's expression carefully after Maul made that declaration and had been shocked to glimpse the momentary doubt that flickered in his eyes. "You needn't worry about your place as leader," Maul had added soon after, his words tinged with amused laughter, "I'm a benevolent soul! You may serve as my general."
"Why Death Watch?" Vizsla had ground out, "What use could you possibly have for an army?"
"Retribution and order. You have but one choice, Pre Vizsla! Join me or die here. Which shall it be?"
Bo had held her breath at the question. She had been sure that Vizsla would order them to go charging forth, to fight valiantly until the last man fell if necessary. But she had never, never expected that he would stand, toss aside the sacred weapon that had been passed down in his family for generations and capitulate to the animal who had slain their brothers without restraint…yet that was exactly what he did.
He had stood before them all, eyes resolutely fixed head and replied to Maul, "Then we will join you."
Later, once Maul and Savage had finally vacated their camp to return to their ship and they were free to gather the remains of their dead and tend to the wounded, Vizsla had explained himself. He claimed that he was only "surrendering" as a ruse to lull the brothers into a false sense of security so that they would fail to view him as a threat. They were obviously very powerful Force wielders, Sith if he had to hazard a guess, and dealing with them effectively would require finesse. They needed to play along, Vizsla had told them, until they could discover the complete scope of Maul's agenda and his weakness.
In theory, his argument made sense. She had never seen a killer quite as calculated and decisive as Maul. The speed and agility with which he moved was something unparalleled. Watching him in action had both disgusted and fascinated her.
Still, Bo bristled over Vizsla's submission. In her estimation, his actions had cheapened the lives of the friends they had lost that day. He had dishonored their memory by forming an alliance with their killer. She told him as much as they stood and watched the remains of their dead comrades burn.
"He's a means to an end, Bo," he reassured her, "Maul will help us achieve our goals. Only if we fail to take back Mandalore will these men have died in vain. We honor them by completing our mission."
"That's a very pretty speech, Vizsla," Bo replied, her voice tight, "but it doesn't erase what was done here today. Maul has his own agenda. What makes you think he has any interest in helping us take back Mandalore?"
"He doesn't."
She gaped at him, caught off guard that he would acknowledge that fact so freely rather than launch into an immediate justification. Her surprise lasted only a moment, however, before it was replaced with anger. "If you know that already, then why are we doing this?" she ground out in frustration.
"It's simple. Maul will kill Lom Pyke, thereby eliminating the last bit of resistance we have for executing our plan."
"We could do that ourselves! We don't need Maul!"
"Yes, but if Maul is the one to do it, he'll make himself an enemy to the Pykes in the process. So, I say let him do the dirty work. The Pykes will be much more inclined to side with us against him when the time comes."
"Sort of like uniting against a common foe?"
"Exactly."
"And Maul? What happens to him after he's served his purpose?"
"He will pay for what happened here today," Vizsla vowed, "I promise you. I will see to that personally."
"Have you formed an alliance with the Pykes, my children?"
Maul knelt before Mother Talzin in a brazen show of contrived humility and respect. Beside him, Savage knelt as well, but like Maul he wasn't being entirely sincere in his outward devotion either. It was not Mother Talzin who commanded Savage's attention right then. It was Maul, and Maul was intensely aware of that fact. He could feel his brother's probing eyes watching him the entire time. Savage was curious to see how Maul would answer Mother Talzin, just as Maul was curious to see how Savage would react to that answer.
"Yes, Mother," Maul replied after a beat of silence, "All is proceeding as you have foreseen it."
He waited with bated breath, anticipating the moment when Savage might contradict him. If his brother had any inclination to betray him, this would be the moment. In essence, it would prove to be Savage's greatest test yet, the greatest proof of his loyalty.
Earlier, when they had been in Death Watch's camp, Maul had demonstrated his adept use of the dark side for two reasons, though his motive had been the same in both cases. It had been a display of his power, not just for Pre Vizsla's sake, but for Savage's as well. Both needed to recognize him as master, as the supreme arbiter of their fates. Vizsla had learned that lesson. Maul was curious to know if Savage had learned it as well.
A pregnant pause of silence followed his blatant lie as Maul waited calmly for Savage to refute it. He did not. Instead, Savage kept his head bowed, his eyes carefully shielded from Mother Talzin's astute stare, said nothing. Maul almost cackled aloud in delight. Wisely, however, he kept his features neutral, his thoughts and feelings unknowable as Mother Talzin commended both him and Savage for their accomplishments.
"Now, my children, you will travel to Malastare and Abafar," she told them, "You will form alliances with their leaders, and you will take full command of these planets."
"Why these planets in particular, Mother?"
"They are fuel sources," she said, "He who controls the fuel, controls the whole galaxy. You must do this quietly, Maul. Once you have made the alliances, you will begin construction on your military bases."
"So…there is war coming," Maul murmured. The words were a statement of fact, filled with delighted wonder rather than posed as a question.
"Yes. First, we will sow chaos, and then we will bring order. The time is critical. You must not become careless, my son."
"I am never careless."
"Is that so?" Mother Talzin asked, her tone knowing, "What of Orundia then? Do you imagine your secrets are hidden from me, Maul?"
"Never, Mother…"
Though he could feel her watchful eyes boring into the top of his head, Maul was careful to maintain his mental shields. She might be aware of the small bit of mayhem he and Savage had indulged prior to arriving on Kamino, but she would never know the true depth of the hatred he harbored for her. While Mother Talzin's connection to the Force was based purely in the dark arts, his was a natural, organic connection. He had been born with it. The energy coursed through his body like life-sustaining blood and fueled his power in a way she would never fully grasp. And for that reason, she would never best him…she simply didn't know it yet.
He almost smiled when she inclined her head in a nod of approval and said, "Very good. We will speak again soon. I will make known to you when the time comes for you to reveal yourselves."
"It will be as you have commanded, Mother."
Once the spell was broken and both Maul and Savage had shaken off the bleary haze that followed their bewitching, Maul turned to his brother and remarked somewhat thoughtfully, "You said nothing."
"Was that not what you expected of me, my master?"
"Indeed. But you have been so earnest in your devotion to our dear Mother Talzin. What changed, I wonder…"
"You were right. There are many things Mother Talzin has kept from us," Savage considered, "But you have always spoken the truth to me."
"And I will always speak it." Savage's countenance became shuttered with a flutter of uncertainty. "You doubt me, apprentice?"
"There is no doubt, but I am…confused," Savage confessed with some hesitance, "We have the clones. We will have the Pykes and the fuel. Why do we need this Death Watch, Master?"
"Death Watch is the army of our choosing. When the time is right, we will use the clones to destroy our enemies, but Death Watch will be the tool we use to maintain control of those who remain."
"I understand now."
"And what do you understand?"
"That my true destiny lies with you. It always has."
Maul laughed softly. "You have pleased me, apprentice, and you shall be rewarded," he said, "The time has come to further your training. You shall make a formidable Sith. You will be strong."
"As strong as you, my master?" Savage ventured boldly.
"That is the nature of the Sith, is it not?" Maul replied, "Darth Bane deemed it the 'Rule of Two,' and it has defined the way of the Sith for centuries. One shall embody the power and the other will crave it."
"Will I one day embody the power, Master?"
Maul laughed again, but this time the sound was tempered with ominous warning. "If you learn well, my young apprentice, you will try."
Satine Kryze stifled a low scream of fright when Obi-Wan Kenobi quietly emerged from the shadows cast by the cluster of trees and thick foliage that edged the lake encircling her palace grounds. She glared at him with a disgruntled scowl, her hand pressed against her breastbone as if she meant to keep her rapidly drumming heart from beating out of her chest. Obi-Wan held up both his hands in a chagrined gesture of surrender.
"It wasn't my intention to frighten you," he said softly.
"You're skulking around here in the dead of night! What did you think would happen?" she snapped, collapsing onto a nearby rock so that she could catch her breath. She glowered at him again. "What are you doing here? I made it very clear that you were to leave Mandalore immediately!"
"I have a better question," Obi-Wan countered, "Why are you wandering about out here alone? Where is your protective guard?"
Satine nodded coolly towards a row of lantern lights situated on the other side of lake and towards the thickly forested area just ahead of them. It was then that Obi-Wan belatedly recognized the presence that he had sensed upon his approach. He squinted out into the distance, barely able to make out the glint reflected off the helmets of the men hidden among the forest of trees surrounding them. When he glanced back at Satine, she bestowed him a superior smile.
"I am never alone, Ben," she told him, drawing herself up haughtily, "Had I given the signal, you would have been taken into custody already."
"Why didn't you?"
"I have a better question," she said, deliberately turning his own words back on him, "What are you still doing here?"
"I didn't like how we left things."
The explanation while uttered with the purest sincerity struck Satine as so infinitely ridiculous that she couldn't help but trill a mordant laugh. Obi-Wan winced at the sound. Her cynicism was a tangible thing, and it was a trait he didn't recall her having before. He deeply regretted that he might have been the cause of that. He told her as much. Satine scoffed and regarded him indifferently, thoroughly unmoved by his expressed remorse.
"What does it matter?" she asked him wearily, "You give yourself far too much credit. It's taken far more than a broken heart to jade me. Besides that, it has always been our way to leave things between us unfinished and unspoken. Wouldn't you agree? That characterizes the entirety of our relationship. Why should we change that dynamic now?"
Rather than responding to her obvious attempt to dismiss him, Obi-Wan inclined a nod towards the empty spot next to her. "May I?"
"Why ask at all?" she scoffed, "Do what as you wish! You've made it quite evident that what I want means precious little to you!"
He sat down next to her with a despondent sigh. "That's not true, Satine."
"Your continued presence here belies that statement, Master Jedi!"
Obi-Wan couldn't argue with her. She was right, of course. His refusal to leave Mandalore despite her express command to do so was an act of outright defiance against her rightful authority as sovereign. He could understand why she would view his actions as disrespectful and arrogant. Truthfully, the Jedi Council might accuse him of the same thing. He was displaying a rather Anakin-like obstinance that he usually found objectionable. But while Obi-Wan had no desire to worsen the already tenuous relationship between them or to make himself a nuisance, he also knew that he couldn't submit to her wishes, at least not until he had warned her of the coming danger first. He candidly told her so.
"Oh yes, this argument again," Satine muttered despairingly, "Poor foolish, misguided Satine. Too stupid to recognize when she's being manipulated! You sound exactly like my sister!"
"Your sister?"
"She believes me to be a gullible, blind fool just as you do!"
"I never said—,"
"—You don't have to!" Satine interrupted coldly, "Being a pacifist does not make me an imbecile! I am perfectly aware that there are those within my circle of advisors who wish me harm, Ben! You're not telling me anything I don't already know."
"So, you're aware that Almec and Merrik are…"
"…conspiring with Death Watch against me?" she finished with an embittered laugh, "Yes. I've known for some time now."
"Then why do you allow them to serve with you when you know of their treachery?"
"Have you never heard the phrase 'keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?'" she asked, "Keeping Almec and Merrik within my trusted circle makes it easier to monitor their actions and anticipate the movements of my enemies. My protective guard feels this is the best option until Death Watch has been permanently neutralized. So, you may tell Director Skywalker that I have no need for his elite agents."
"This is a very dangerous game you're playing, Satine."
"Oh? Is it? Are you suddenly concerned for my well-being, Ben?"
"I have always been concerned," he insisted quietly.
Her sudden burst of contemptuous laughter echoed across the shimmering surface of the lake before dissipating up through the treetops. "Is that so, Master Jedi? 22 years of silence is a very peculiar way of demonstrating your concern!"
"I…I thought it would be better if I kept my distance from you."
"I'm aware. 'Attachment is forbidden.' I haven't forgotten, Ben."
"I had to stay away, Satine! I couldn't trust myself to be your friend," he countered vehemently, "Only your friend." He let that profound admission hang between them before he added softly, "I received your correspondence regarding Master Qui Gon. It was beautiful. Thank you for your kind words."
"I knew that his death likely devastated you. You loved Qui Gon, even if you never allowed yourself to say the words out loud."
"It was a difficult time for me after he was killed," Obi-Wan acknowledged, "I was very lost. Soon after, I began training Anakin and that was a learning experience in itself…taking responsibility for a child. I'm not sure I was ready for any of it."
"That explains it then," Satine murmured.
"Explains what?"
"The obvious affection you have for him," she said, "I heard it in your voice earlier when you defended him to me. I know how you sound when you care for someone."
Obi-Wan stared down at his hands, suspecting that she was referring to more than his feelings for Anakin. But when he answered, he pretended not to be aware of that. "Anakin is my brother…and, in many ways, he's like a son to me as well."
"Those are dangerous feelings, are they not? Do you no longer fear breaking your precious code?"
"There is no longer any code to break," he told her softly.
Satine glanced at him sharply, a tiny crack in her guarded exterior becoming visible for the first time since their conversation began. "You haven't left the Order, have you?"
"No…I haven't," he replied, but before she could deflate completely with disappointment, he added, "But the code has changed. The Council's feelings on attachment are…evolving."
"And what does that mean, Ben?" she asked him, her voice trembling.
He knew what she wanted him to say. She wanted to hear that he was finally ready to set aside the obstacles that had kept them apart these last two decades and commit to her at last. She wanted to hear him say the words that he hadn't dared to admit anywhere except in the deepest recesses of his secret heart…that he loved her. Obi-Wan wanted those things too, but his duty, his purpose for being on Mandalore was always before him and that had to take precedence above everything else.
Obi-Wan looked away from her then, unable to bear maintaining her gaze when he dashed the hope that was currently blooming behind her eyes. "I told you before, I didn't come to Mandalore for personal reasons, Satine."
She stiffened and clenched her fists reflexively in her lap in a bid for self-control, schooling her perfectly carved features against the emotion rolling rampant inside of her. "I see."
"You must allow Anakin to secure this planet," he urged her, "Your life could depend on it."
"No."
He dropped his head forward with a tired grunt. "Satine, listen to me. There is a very great threat coming, an evil that you cannot possibly imagine! You must do this! Please! I am trying to protect you!"
"I am perfectly capable of protecting myself," she intoned stiffly, "I do not require your assistance."
"You're only being stubborn because I wounded your pride!"
While the words might have held some ring of truth, given the circumstances, he should have never uttered them aloud. Obi-Wan knew that as soon as they left his mouth. By then, however, it was much too late to call them back. The damage had already been done.
Satine drew herself up in righteous outrage, surging to her feet. "Why you arrogant, pompous, conceited, insufferable son of a gundark!" she spat, "You have an erroneously high opinion of yourself if you believe for one solitary second that you have wounded my pride!"
"Your volatile reaction says otherwise!"
That offhand bit of patronization was the final straw for Satine, and her temper boiled over completely. "That is it!" she growled at him in an infuriated underbreath, "I believe I've had quite enough of listening to you, Master Jedi!" Her eyes flashed dangerously before she barked, "Guards!" Within seconds, her protective guard emerged from the shadows with their weapons drawn. "Arrest this man immediately! He is trespassing!"
Obi-Wan bounced a disbelieving glance between her and her heavily armed detail. He forced a wry laugh. "Satine…" he cajoled, flashing her with what he hoped was a beguiling smile, "…be reasonable. You…you don't really want to have me arrested."
Her fierce expression didn't waffle one iota. "Take him into custody now."
He took a reflexive step back as the guards advanced. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh, wouldn't I?" Satine took supreme delight in Obi-Wan's dubious sputtering as her guards roughly took hold of him and placed him in restraints. She favored him with one last, victorious look before she turned to address the captain of her guard. "I believe you will find Director Skywalker and Master Kenobi's padawan still on the planet as well," she added as a protesting Obi-Wan was dragged away, "Make sure you arrest them too."
