Writer's notes: UPDATED 11/19/06. I wanted to base the Mandalorians on some familiar, warrior culture, so I used the Ancient Greeks as a model...Spartan/Athenian. Sort of a come back with your shield or come back borne upon it sort of mentality. I also wanted to depict a sort of blindness within the culture and an oracle, who sees through it in a prophetic way. As with the 'Paradox of the Cave', the guy, who actually sees the truth is persecuted and the lies are held dearly by the masses. I also wanted to throw in the other Mandalorians, who were named and tie them to Canderous. As we will see, even the tightest relationships change and evolve...for better or worse.

The title of the section and the pithy blurb to follow in the next part are about blindness...here, as I mentioned, we will see the blindness of the Mandalorians.

The Forest for the Trees – Part I

Malachor V – Years in the Past

In a squat, clan lodge on the mountainous planet of Malachor V, a tall, gangly, adolescent stood before his clan elders, nervously awaiting their attention. Today, he would receive his rite of manhood, the test that would elevate him into the ranks of the clan warriors or leave him dead with his memory scorned as a weakling. The youth was wiry, covered in lean muscle. His brown hair was closely cropped, stubbly over his tanned skin. Standing there, his nervousness was obvious, despite his best efforts to appear calm.

"Canderous of the Clan Ordo!" shouted an elder, "Approach and receive your trial."

Young Canderous took five precise steps forward as prescribed by tradition. Plasma torches lined the gloomy walkway, casting deep shadows throughout the clan lodge. Warriors stood to the side with their chests puffed out, their features locked in haughty expressions. Behind them, the clan youths bowed their heads in respect, anxiously dreaming of their time when they would taste the blood of the enemy.

Canderous looked at the adolescent men of his clan and nodded proudly. Two young teens smiled back reassuringly, holding their thick vibrodaggers over their hearts, points down.

Jagi, Ergeron, I will make us all proud…I will not fail.

The two youths were Canderous' lifelong comrades and constant companions. Today, however, young Canderous would face his destiny alone.

The young Mandalorian's heart raced as the elders stood and spoke in a slow, steady voice, "As Sons of Mandalore, it is our tradition that our warriors survive a trial. Victory in battle is our way of life. Young Canderous, an outlaw has forsaken our ways and turned from the Code of Mandalore. You will find him and destroy him. This is the way of Mandalore."

Canderous nodded formally and pressed his razor-sharp vibrodagger flat against his chest, point down.

One wizened elder, missing an eye, flung a data pad at the youth's feet. "Go to the Valley of Shadows, there the blasphemer has taken refuge. Use your skills to track him. You will return with his vibrosword…or you will not return at all."

Canderous slapped his vibrodagger against his chest with a grunt as prescribed by tradition. Then, with a deft move, he sliced the palm of his hand, letting his blood drip onto the ground. The youth then turned smartly and strode out of the lodge with long, even steps.

As he gathered his equipment for the task, Jagi, Ergeron, and Canderous' younger brother, Cantaris, came and sat around him.

"Are you afraid?" asked Cantaris, who was still a boy.

Canderous grunted. "Of course not. What kind of question is that? Mandalorians are not afraid."

Jagi and Ergeron laughed at the boy's foolishness. "Canderous is right," said Jagi. "Did you hear how Kelborn breezed through his trial?"

"He is the bravest of the brave," said Canderous with a solemn nod. "He will be a mighty warrior…maybe even the Mandalore one day."

Jagi picked up Canderous' vibrosword. "Here, let me check the power for you," he said as he opened the grip to look upon the internal mechanisms. Then, he ran a finger along the blade. "Your weapons are always the sharpest, Canderous. We will follow in your footsteps."

Ergeron thumped his chest with a closed fist. "And when we are all warriors, we will have a glory for the clans that the galaxy will never forget…and Canderous will lead the way."

Canderous took back the sword and looked down the length of the blade. He then flourished it in front of his friends and put it back in its sheath. "You have been my finest friends. I swear that we will always fight together and may we be covered in glory."

At that, young Cantaris leapt about, trying to get everyone's attention. "Me too. I will fight with you, Canderous. I will make you proud."

Canderous tousled his brother's hair. "I know you will. The galaxy will quiver at the sound of our names. Now, it is time for me to go. We will talk more upon my return." He picked up his pack and slung it over his shoulder and strode off to make his name. As his figure grew smaller in the distance, the other young men gazed at his back longingly, wishing it were them who would do the killing.

The journey to the valley was arduous and the blasphemer had hidden his tracks well. However, Canderous had learned much under the tutelage of his elders and picked up the trail in the rocky soil.

At a cave near a rocky cliff, he cornered his quarry.

"Traitor, I am here for you!" Canderous shouted in a high-pitched, adolescent voice.

A bearded man emerged, dirty and disheveled, holding a vibrosword. "Boy, it is Mandalore, who is the traitor. We Mandalorians should fight for glory, not for power and credits. Mandalore's lust for empire will bring ruin upon our clans."

Canderous seethed at the insult to his hero. "Stop your filthy lies! It is time for you to die. I am Canderous of the Clan Ordo and you will feel the bite of my weapons."

The lanky youth drew his thick vibrosword and sunlight flickered off of the metal blade. He twirled the sharp weapon, brandishing its tapered point at his opponent.

The man drew his weapon and they crossed blades in the heavy-handed Mandalorian style, sending ringing sounds throughout the desolate clearing. The two combatants circled warily, locked in eye contact. The traitor growled. "You're as foolish as you are blind, boy. Mandalore seeks to conquer the galaxy by uniting the clans. We will eventually meet someone more powerful than we and there will be day when this world will be laid waste."

Canderous ignored the comment, steadfast in his youthful devotion to Mandalore. He swung his blade in an overhead strike and his opponent parried it away, following with an uppercut. Canderous dodged under the heavy slash and came up under the traitor's guard. Drawing his dagger, the young Mandalorian lunged forward, but the man's reflexes were quick. His opponent's vibrosword quickly reversed direction and slashed across Canderous' cheek. The youth spun from the force of the blow, landing face down in the dirt with blood flowing into his eyes.

His head rang as he wiped the sticky fluid from his sight and he looked up to see his dagger protruding from the chest of his adversary. The man staggered backward and collapsed into the dirt. His breathing came in wheezing gasps through a punctured lung.

Canderous fought to contain his nausea as he struggled to his feet. Killing would soon become a way of life for him, but today, he was still a boy, one who had now stolen the soul of a warrior. The youth quickly gathered his wits and moved to the dying man.

As prescribed by tradition, he dipped two of his fingers into the man's blood and smeared it down his unmarred cheek; the blood of his first kill. The man weakly grasped Canderous' breastplate. "You are now a warrior, young one, but mark my words…we have lost our way. Our appetite for blood and conquest will destroy us. I leave you now to your glory."

Shaking, Canderous backed away. With unsteady hands he took the dead warrior's vibrosword and cleaned it with a red cloth. Tucking the weapon into his belt, he steeled his expression.

Jagi, Ergeron, I have triumphed. I am now a warrior of Mandalore as you, too, will be soon. Together, we will shake the pillars of the Galaxy and the blood of our enemies will flow. Our loyalty to one another will make us invincible.

Canderous Ordo of the Clan Ordo then set off for his lodge to claim his rightful place among the warriors, unaware of the vast forces of destiny that were in motion around him.