Chapter Nine

Taking the Twilight to Mandalore, Obi-Wan had to wonder how Anakin got anything done it, never mind rescue Jabba the Hutt's son with it. When he landed, it sputtered and clanked out parts like hell, forcing Obi-Wan to make a note never to borrow a ship from Anakin again. As if in reply to him, one of the control panels blew up in his face but it didn't damage him. Using his Rako Hardeen disguise, he tried his best to get off the ship but the hatch was stuck and he had to crawl out.

"Need to get your ship looked at?" a Death Watch soldier asked. Oh crap, what do I do? Do I tell him the truth or do I make up something? Obi-Wan asked himself quietly. Then he went with being honest and told the guard it was his friend's ship as he tried to pull down the hatch.

Luckily, his weight pushed it down when he leaned on it and he admitted that Anakin had told him it was just fine. "I'm terribly sorry about that," he added. "Do you have a landing permit?" the soldier asked. "Oh, I think I left it on the ship but come with me and I'll get it," he answered.

Luckily, the soldier complied and when both men were out of sight, Obi-Wan punched him in the face once before hitting him in the gut with his knee and hammering his back. The three blows knocked the soldier out cold and no one seemed to notice even with how loud the sounds of contact were. He stole the Mando's armor and switched his own with it so as to give people the impression that the would-be bounty hunter had tried to assault a Mandalorian warrior and failed rather miserably. And as he put on the helmet, he noticed that no one seemed to care but that was likely because they had never seen these soldiers without their helmets yet.

Whether it was for the better or not though, he was unaware he was being watched by someone who did know him. From the rooftops leading into the shipping docks, Bo-Katan was hiding and waiting. Now that the Jedi had come, perhaps a better exercise of the phrase "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" could come into better play than before. But she would continue to watch and wait for an opportunity of that sort to arise if it ever would arise from Kenobi's inevitable reunion with Maul.

Duchess Satine couldn't believe all that had happened, how Death Watch had been so prepared for an escape attempt from her. Was Almec so intelligent that he could calculate every single move that anyone ever made against him? Or was he just guessing and having an incredibly good streak of luck? What if he was not the intelligence of the operation and was just a mere puppet to the two Zabraks she had seen rescuing him?

That would make more sense as the red one had smiled when she mentioned Almec's corruption. Did they want someone they could control easily and assume Almec was such a man for them? she asked herself. It was a brilliant stroke of genius if that was the case and the usurpation of power from Vizsla had been smooth and without slowness of pace. Plus, it would be logical to reinstate someone who no longer had associations with her if any at all on their part.

Not only was Almec obedient and easy to play ventriloquist with but he was also blinded by his own perspective of good and evil. Admittedly, she had some part in shaping that perspective but for the most part, Almec had brought his troubles upon himself. This was especially true when he tried to get a false confession of corruption out of her to clear his name from the black market sales. But now, the corrupt were in power and the righteous were either imprisoned or killed.

What was there that Satine could do defy such overwhelming power as the Zabrak brothers and Almec had together? Who could defy them if not Obi-Wan, for that matter? The Republic had no jurisdiction here due to Mandalore's neutrality so she couldn't count on the Order. That is, unless Obi-Wan died which would warrant retaliation from the Republic anyway.

Then there were the Separatists: would they see this as an opportunity to take Mandalore for themselves as they had been vying to do since Vizsla and Dooku struck their deal? It was all too confusing and Satine didn't want to think about it all too much. She just wanted to hope that Obi-Wan would come and save the day for her and for all Mandalore as was meant to be. After all, now that Korkie had been executed by Maul's orders, Kenobi and Bo-Katan were all she had left now.

"Master, according to reports that are just coming in now, there was a bounty hunter who landed in a deteriorating ship that attempted to attack one of our men. When the man put in the report, he seemed fine which probably meant that the hunter wasn't much of a fighter," Almec stated. "You were there when he put in this report? And if not, do you have a recording that we can see?" Savage asked.

Hmm, my apprentice surprised me with that question. He's learning more faster than I had expected Maul thought but didn't say. "Yes, bring us the footage if you can otherwise, ask the man taking in the report what happened. I will also want any and all witnesses that were present to come forth as well if footage is unavailable," he said aloud.

"With all due respect Master, is that really necessary?" Almec asked. Maul snapped at that point, for once agreeing with Savage's sentiment about his questions, and backhanded Almec in the face. "You fool, for all you know, you could've been had by a Jedi Mind Trick and Kenobi has arrived at the Prison already!" he shouted. Almec rubbed his jaw and apologized, saying that he would get the footage immediately.

This was when the horned Death Watch supercommando stepped in and offered something that confirmed Maul's suspicions. "I've already seen the footage, milord. And forgive me if this is a further dent in your mood but I did see that man subtly wave his hand rather oddly. Is that the sign of a Jedi Mind Trick?" he asked.

Son of a bitch, I knew it! Maul shouted in his head. Outwardly, he kept his calm though he would have snapped again under other circumstances. "Did the trooper taking the report repeat whatever the reporting soldier said when he waved his hand?" Maul asked though he knew the answer already. "Why yes, that did come across my eye as a little unique," the commando answered.

"Then the recording trooper has outlived his usefulness and frankly, our Prime Minister is not much better right now," Maul said. "So we kill Almec for his failure?" Savage asked. "Not yet but if this happens again, you will have my approval to gut him yourself," Maul answered to his brother's zeal. "Forgive me lords, it will not happen again," Almec bowed.

"If you value your life, it had better not," Maul warned. Almec went to deliver the news to the trooper and the commando asked what to do next. "Get me and my brother a speeder, we're going to pay a visit to the shipping docks," Maul ordered. Savage almost asked why they were doing that but then he recalled that they would need to cut off Obi-Wan's means of escape and stopped himself.

"Yes sir and if you don't mind me asking, I would like to keep an eye on our Prime Minister. If he falls out of line while you're away, I'll end his pitiful life myself," the commando said. "Good, good, yes keep an eye on Almec while we're away and do that if he does," Maul replied with a nod. Almec gulped as he bowed, thanked Maul for his time, and made his way to continue his business alone.

For a few brief seconds, Obi-Wan couldn't help but gaze at the beautiful form of Satine Kryze. How he could have beared to let her go in his youth, he didn't know as he couldn't think of anything like this happening to her now. But then he put the thoughts aside, deciding to save them for after he had rescued her and escaped Mandalore rather than let them distract him now. He opened the door and she immediately asked if he was here to do "more of his Master's bidding".

"I do my own bidding," he replied after taking off the helmet. Recognizing and acknowledging him, Satine jumped up and lunged at him forcibly enough to nearly knock him off his feet. When she let go of her tight hug, she asked if he was alone to which he admitted that he was. "The Jedi and the Galactic Senate won't be of any help to us here," he added. "I trust you have an escape plan then?" she asked.

"As always, my dear," he answered. And it was just in time for him to both put his helmet back on and be greeted by another Death Watch soldier. Playing the good samaritan ally, Obi-Wan forcibly pushed Satine along though it wasn't something he liked doing. The elevator door closed and they descended toward the entrance of the prison just as Kenobi had planned.

At first, the other trooper paid them no heed but then he stated that there was no record of a prisoner transfer at the facility. "The orders came from upstairs," Obi-Wan said in reply. As the trooper nodded and paused to think for a moment, Obi-Wan was surprised by what he asked next. "What's the authorization code?" he asked.

Obi-Wan hadn't thought of an authorization code nor did he think that Death Watch relied on them. Must be a new development unless our intelligence on Death Watch has been wrong to begin with as it often is with other things Obi-Wan thought inside. On the outside however, he punched the trooper quicker than he could act and hard enough to knock him cold. "Not exactly intuitive or creative but I guess that was effective enough," Satine said before they continued.

Unfortunately, another trooper saw them hurrying away and called for help as he sounded the alarm. So much for getting out of here without a scratch Obi-Wan thought but didn't say. Here we go again Satine thought, unknowing that she and Obi-Wan were on a similar trend of thought. Nonetheless, she ducked whenever bolts came close to her and Kenobi did his best to fight back without using his lightsaber which would give away his identity immediately.

It was amazing to see that they actually did make it back to the shipping docks in one piece and Obi-Wan amazed himself by scoring a deadeye shot against one of his enemies with a blaster. When they arrived boarded the Twilight, Satine immediately suggested contacting her sister. "She'll send us reinforcements!" she added. "Who's your sister?" Obi-Wan asked after forcing the ship's turrets to activate.

Then they attempted to take off and getting off the launchpad was the only part of it that went smooth. Three jetpack missiles from Death Watch destroyed the main engine of the ship and Obi-Wan knew it was better not to stick around. By this time though, getting outside meant risking the possibility of missing the launchpad and plummeting miles to one's death. Obi-Wan had the jetpack to his advantage but Satine, having not also been outfitted with armor, didn't have that advantage.

So when she tried to escape with him only to be nearly jettisoned out of the ship, he grabbed her arm as quickly as he could. Then he timed their landing carefully so that they could get on the launchpad despite the ship exploding. When he knew he couldn't miss, he let go of the railing and landed safely just as the ship exploded behind him. Unfortunately, this also knocked Satine unconscious and dazed Kenobi beyond quick cognitive reaction.

Though his vision was blurred and there was a veil of smoke rising in front of and above his sight, he could see at least four or five Death Watch soldiers perfectly. What had him most confused was when they parted way for someone else and at first, he thought it was another soldier. But a harder look immediately told him that he was looking at Darth Maul and Savage, the former dressed in robes. He was also given new legs which restored him to the height Obi-Wan remembered him being on Naboo when they first dueled.

And though he knew Maul had survived from Anakin's Pyke-mission report, he couldn't believe he would be on Mandalore of all places. He even voiced as much as he withdrew and ignited his lightsaber to face down his old foe. But Maul, unafraid and unfazed by the crash, simply grasped Kenobi in Force Choke and pulled him into his hands with Telekinesis. "We meet again Kenobi, welcome to my world," Maul mocked as he forced Obi-Wan's lightsaber out of his hand.

Before falling into a temporary trance, Obi-Wan saw Savage pick up Satine and lump her over his shoulder like a cold bag of meat. Then Maul threw the Jedi right into the arms of two soldiers and ordered that Kenobi and Satine be taken back to the Palace. The tone that Maul used to speak these orders was one filled with excitement and Obi-Wan knew that whatever he had planned was not good. Nothing about Maul's plans had ever been good since his return from exile in Lotho Minor and his feat on Raydonia.

Sensing a disturbance in the Force through the Dark Side was like an ache in the chest after a training session that never quite went away for Lord Sidious. Even the solace of meditation was not enough to comfort him from these familiar pains or purify him of them for that matter. And though he went to great lengths to make sure it didn't show in his present mannerisms... It was still difficult to believe that this was happening because of his fallen apprentice, Darth Maul of all people.

It was bad enough to hear the news of Maul's survival from Kenobi. Now it was even worse for Lord Sidious to hear that his fallen servant had rallied his own faction to use in the Clone Wars. Worse still, this faction he built threatened to undermine his plans for the entire galaxy with their existence. He knew his current servant Dooku would be no match for the brothers but he hated the idea of going to Mandalore himself.

If Maul had revealed his dual life, he would've jeopardized his own plans by leaving. This was something he couldn't afford when he was so close to his goal. In the end, Sidious confessed that his hand had been forced and his plan depended on him alone for success. Lord Plagueis had taught him long ago that a true Sith Lord should avoid getting his own hands dirty when possible. "Murderous as we are, it is better to murder with aim than to randomly and wantonly cause destruction," he had stated.

To think that I would still rely on some of my old Master's advice when I killed him would have been an impossibility. Interesting to look back on that day and realize that it was on that same day that I had thought Maul dead as well he thought. As his alter ego of Chancellor Palpatine, Sidious had summoned his right-hand man Mas Amedda to his office at his earliest convenience. He knew it would be a little bit before Mas could show up so he debated what to do further.

Would he immediately kill off the brothers or would he take Maul hostage for his own design and get rid of Dooku's failed apprentice? He had heard that the Nightsister Mother Talzin was the one who brought Savage to Dooku and the one who originally programmed him. If that was the case, then perhaps Savage would be useful in tracking down his old nemesis and killing her. He knew Dooku and Grievous had not succeeded in destroying Mother Talzin, even he couldn't have killed her.

Besides that, she was too smart and too old for anything short of a miracle in the will of the Force to stop her. But having a man grafted from her magics could be useful in luring her to him so that he can fight and kill her on his own terms rather than let her dictate the rules like before. Had that been Thrawn's trend of thought when he contacted Sidious about the Zabrak brothers? And if so, had he already seen to that when he contacted him again after so many years without anything?

Thrawn is a crafty little man which probably compensates for his absence of a connection in the Force. I wonder how things might have been if he were the Sith Lord of the two of us instead of me. He probably would have been able to take the galaxy and the Unknown Regions in half the time it's taking me to take just the Known Space he thought to himself. Amongst the many administrators he knew in any government, Thrawn had to be the most intelligent.

But something that made the good Admiral even more deadly even when compared to his own people was that he was also more humble about his gifts than just about any other government officers. It boosted his cunning all the more for him to be able to understate his abilities, fool anyone watching into thinking that was the extent of it, then surprise them by doing at least twice as good. But virtues can be flaws if inappropriately used such as the Jedi have demonstrated recently he observed. Nonetheless, this didn't stop his decision from being made on the matter and when Mas Amedda came in, he knew what he would do: he would kill both the brothers as Thrawn might've wanted.

After all, the Chiss would not have gone to the trouble of delivering the brothers into Sidious' hands just for one of them to live while the other died. It wouldn't have made sense especially if they jeopardized some of his more secretive plans for the galaxy with their existence. This revealed another thing about Thrawn that most might not have noticed: he never overestimated his abilities. He might underestimate them publicly but Sidious doubt he did that either, making him proud to know Thrawn.

"You summoned me, Chancellor?" Amedda asked. This was, of course, merely a formality to say that he acknowledged Sidious' call. However, Sidious himself hardly had a use for these sorts of things and went straight to the point immediately. "There is a disturbance in the Force, prepare my ship," he answered.

Mas bowed and went to obey his orders but not before he asked one question Sidious never guessed would be asked. "Where will the shuttle be going, sir?" was the question. "Have it predestined for Mandalore and set on an autopilot course. Also take care to have it plot a course back here once I am ready to depart Mandalore as well," Sidious answered.

Amedda didn't question Sidious' reasoning on this, he already knew why the disguised Dark Lord wanted it this way. When both Amedda and the guards present in the office left, the latter two because of dismissal, Sidious went to a draw on his desk. Pressing a red button that recognized only his thumbprint, he opened it to see his two lightsabers within. Before anyone could see, he concealed them in his sleeves and just in time since Amedda came back and told him Captain Kagi had readied the ship.

"Excellent, if all goes well for my mission, I shall be back before the Jedi even notice my absence," he said as Chancellor Palpatine. "They have not even noticed your Dark Side presence, all this time. If they can't do that, how can they ever hope to associate one of your trips with Darth Sidious?" Amedda asked. He laughed slightly at that remark but followed with warning that Amedda should be a little more aware of the surroundings in which he mentioned that other side.

"Sorry master, I will be more careful next time," the politician said, assuring Sidious. The Sith Lord smiled because he knew that Amedda was telling the truth and left it at that. Once he was aboard the shuttle, he immediately began changing into the robe he would use during the fight. It wasn't the greatest disguise in the universe but the hood did the trick more than anything else about it did.

Besides that, he had been last seen in the grey robes of the Chancellor and no one would be looking for him if had something else. Especially if that something else was a dark purple underneath with a red sleeved and hooded cloak, with a dark purple chest and back pad made of the same cloth as the rest. Taking his lightsabers out of his grey robes beforehand, he placed them in the same spot on his Sith attire and all this took enough time for the ship to leave Coruscant and begin the lightspeed trip. Now, all he had to do was sit back and wait for it to arrive at Mandalore, take them out of hyperspace, and lower the hatch for his access to the planet.