Son of Mandalore
Chapter Four: Homecoming
(Takes place during Stealth Strike)
mitchsharwig15:Thanks for the review mitch I'm trying I did say that I'd try and get one out per week lagging a little sorry all :/.
I'm going to put in a rule, those who review over three times can submit a character and I'll try my best to fit them into the story all you have to do is 1) review three times (2) give me a brief character bio, who their loyalty is to (could be rebels, empire, Mandalorians).
"Your family miss you although they wouldn't admit it, if you want to see them come by Ordo. Make sure to say you seek an audience with me though wouldn't want you to get shot down before you make the surface, now we need to move now" he said before they all took off towards their ships, maybe Tarro and Sabine could resolve the family differences…
The rebels made it back to the phantom with Zeb and chopper meeting them on the way who had managed to get the medical supplies they were after, they managed to escape just as the inquisitors ran into the hangar whilst Kandosii made it back to his ship with no one following him, it still didn't stop him from sprinting when he couldn't use his jetpack.
Both spaceships came alongside one another, the ghost crew looking towards the cockpit of the Manda'yaim's Aden, Kandosii and the crew nodded at each other before going their separate ways into hyperspace.
On the Ghost
"Phoenix Home to Ghost we've been pulled out of hyperspace, the empire…."
"The transmission was jammed, but still that doesn't make any sense. You can't pull a ship out of hyperspace because you never know exactly where it is, a tractor beam cannot get a lock" Hera finished confused, all her flight experience and she'd never come across something such as this.
"That's because this isn't a tractor beam it's a gravity well. When I was at the academy, they were developing a new cruiser with gravity well projectors powerful enough to pull a ship out of hyperspace" Sabine exclaimed gesturing with her hands symbolising the importance of this weapon.
"Well it looks like they finished it"
"Well chances are they're still testing the system, if they follow imperial procedure the testing zone for this type of ship wouldn't be large. You'll probably find not far from where we lost contact with commander Sato" Sabine informed the rest of the ghost crew, Kanaan stood up after quickly putting together a plan.
"Alright everybody, gear up… We're going out there"
"Not everybody, you and rex will go to that system. Find that ship and I bet you'll find Ezra and the others"
"Not Rex… I'll take Zeb or Sabine"
"Rex's, military experience will be invaluable and he can also impersonate a Stormtrooper"
"right that's because he is a Stormtrooper"
"No, he was a clone trooper"
"same thing"
"Kanaan I sent Ezra, this is the only way"
"alright we'll get him back, all of them" Kanaan conceded
Kanaan walked out of the room in search of Rex, he for the record was not happy about this. The clones had killed his master and countless other Jedi and their allies. Why was this clone any different, he didn't need some soldier to assist him much less a traitorous one. He approached the cargo hold where he was waiting for him.
"look just so we're clear this wasn't my idea"
"just try to act like a professional"
"What if you get in there and forget which side you're on?" Kanaan questioned angrily
"I would never be on their side or where that junk armour!" Rex exclaimed
"here are your disguises" Zeb interrupted before the argument exploded even further into chaos, dragging two unconscious troopers.
"Ahh perfect" Rex stated sarcastically examining the Stormtroopers helmet.
"This is nothing like clone armour" Rex struggled to move freely unlike in his own armour from the clone wars.
"looks a little tight on you old man" Kanaan taunted
"Well at least I know how to wear it" Rex spat knocking Kanaan's shoulder armour back into position
"Rex, Kanaan contact me when you're finished and I'll come in with phoenix squadron to blast you out"
"How are we getting in anyways" Kanaan questioned when a stolen imperial shuttle landed with Sabine piloting who gave a sheepish thumb up from the cockpit.
"How come the empire keeps letting us steal these?"
"I thought it was the same one we used before" rex finished
Back on the Ghost
Sabine was pacing through the corridors; she couldn't get the thoughts out of her head. She knew thanks to Kandosii where her family were and received an invitation to journey to Ordo under his protection. That confused her, the same man who was tracking her and the crew down to capture them or worse suddenly changed heart and was now gifting her the opportunity to see her family again. She was torn between decisions stuck in the middle ground, go or don't. it might seem like an obvious choice to someone who wasn't Mandalorian, her family would have taken a big hit in their society when she blasted her way out of the academy with Ketsu Onyo, a fellow Mandalorian.
She couldn't even paint to clear her mind manda knows she tried, nothing was working and pacing across the floor of her room and now the entire ship was starting to wear into the floor due to dragging of her feet as she slowly began to tire. She heard someone behind her and guessed it was Hera, you could hear the Lasat coming long before you saw him.
"Hey Sabine, what's troubling you?" the twi'lek pilot was deeply concerned, she basically adopted her and could often tell when she was troubled. She could hear Sabine roaming the ship whilst she was carrying out some tweaks and repairs, if Sabine wasn't in her room it was often a bad sign.
"err nothing Hera… that obvious?" Sabine relented knowing she couldn't pull the wool over Hera's eyes.
"Don't need the force to see it honey, you want to talk about it?" Hera offered rather than pry, gaining Sabine's trust initially was something of a challenge and took several months before she began opening towards her and Kanaan. Sabine gave out a heavy sigh slumping into the comfortable seat around the dejarik board.
"It's about the offer that Kandosii gave me on that medical station… I can't get it out of my head, part of me wishes to go but another is warning me whether it's a trap or a real opportunity to see my father and mother after all this time, again but what happens if they hate me and disown me… I don't think I could take that…"
"Sabine listen to me, you sound like you are trying to come up with excuses not to go, you should go but if you want me to go with you I'm more than happy to" Hera offered and put a comforting arm around the young Mandalorians shoulders before pulling her into a gently sideways hug.
"Thanks Hera, but I feel like I need to do this alone"
"You can take the phantom, if you run into trouble it'd be best to avoid a fight" Hera explained softly, walking with Sabine towards the phantom.
"No matter what happens Sabine, we are all here for you"
"I know Hera thank you, really" Sabine gave a quick hug before diving into the pilots' chair, disengaging the phantom from its position atop the ghost before flying into space.
"Well here goes nothing" Sabine murmured to herself before plotting the course to Ordo the phantom disappearing as it hurtled towards the home world of Kandosii's clan.
Upon coming out of hyperspace Sabine glanced at the main planet in the Ordo system, like most Mandalorian worlds it was clear that the planet's surface had been subject to numerous wars and battles, it came naturally to their culture though this world fared better than most. Along the equator of the planet was a lush surface which seemed untouched by the conflicts towards the north and south of the planet was a different story. Deserts which looked unhospitable most likely caused by great war machines used in the past, if she had to guess maybe 60-70% of the land was liveable not including the oceans of the world.
She was drawn out of her reflection by an incoming transmission from the fleet of Mandalorian warships protecting the system, she immediately put it through her people weren't known for their patience.
"Attention unidentified vessel you are trespassing in Mandalorian space, identify yourself or prepare to be destroyed" a voice sounded bouncing off the walls of the ship.
"I'm Sabine of house Wren and I seek an audience with Kandosii Ordo" she finished decisively, after waiting for a few of the heart stopping moments she heard com feedback from the command ship orbiting the planet.
"You have permission to land, follow this flightpath down to the surface, you will be checked for weapons upon arrival. I suggest you comply" the operator threatened before terminating the connection
"Well that went better than expected" Sabine huffed before following the flight plan sent by the leading ship she assumed. When approaching, she was surprised by the number of tents and buildings setup, Clan Ordo had obviously been busy with recruiting new soldiers. They must have numbered in the thousands with different areas setup to train certain aspects of combat. To a Mandalorian this was the closest one could get to heaven without dying especially when Sabine saw the demolitions area, Sabine almost crashed she was that distracted. She reached the landing zone and quickly walked out of the ship to be met by ten soldiers all wearing Mandalorian armour with ARC trooper neck and shoulder guards all bearing clan Ordo's banner. The 'Clan Guard' she assumed.
Guess I'm more important than I anticipated she inwardly spoke
"Your weapons Wren" a gruff voiced guardsman in front of her gestured with his hands out expectantly. Not seeing much of an alternative she handed over her blasters, the guard formed up around her and began moving through the camp towards the training area specifically the melee arena.
She received harsh glares from some passer-by's which unnerved her slightly but she remained resolute, don't show weakness act above them. The people eventually stopped and by this time she had noticed they were at the arena. Glancing inwards she noticed that Kandosii was in the middle fighting eight warriors at once, he looked up feeling several people coming closer. He hadn't expected her to come after a few weeks had passed but he was glad she had now, he began taking the fight seriously eager to talk to the girl. He dispatched two almost instantaneously, parried another's training saber into an opponent behind him blocking the strike intended for his upper back before somersaulting behind him striking him down also. With less people, around him he began moving freely between all his opponents striking them in places he had analysed throughout the practice swiftly, he was down to the final warrior who had wisely stopped being the aggressor and was playing defensively. He struck high before feinting low and hitting the last one under the armpit who had lowered his guard too much falling for the feint.
"That was impressive" he heard Sabine say as he walked towards the Wren girl and his elite guard.
"We brought you Tarro's daughter sir, though we are to stay with you by order of your father"
"Thank you Vox, but I hardly think Sabine will cause any trouble, tell the old man thanks for his concern but it is not needed. You may leave all of you" Kandosii spoke up looking at all of the guard, they quickly bowed before leaving, Vox about to speak only to be silenced by a heated glare from the heir of clan Ordo before wandering back towards the centre of the camp.
"I was beginning to think you weren't coming" Kandosii spoke trying to break the ice
"I was beginning to think you didn't have a face under that helmet, had a lot of work running about with the crew and truthfully been debating about coming or not"
"You're very bold, what made you? If you don't mind me asking" Kandosii laughed before beginning to pry hoping to get a bit more insight towards the girl in front of him.
"Hera did and the fact I haven't seen my family in years" Sabine spoke plainly not giving too much away but giving enough to interest him, he cocked his eyebrow before slowly walking away from the fighting pit. He turned back when he noticed Sabine not following him.
"come on then, follow me" he gestured before beginning walking this time knowing that Sabine was a few paces behind him trying to keep up both to avoid the attention of the Ordo clansmen and women. She figured that he would eat up all the attention, after all he was their future leader.
"Where exactly are we going?" Sabine asked unsure, she knew he wouldn't kill her. Well she suspected he wouldn't kill her without a weapon.
"To reintroduce you to your family" Sabine frowned at this, why was he doing this? she thought, there was no reason for him to do anything for her.
"actually, there is" Kandosii interrupted which startled her, how could he? Suddenly she became quite angry he was reading her mind.
"I'm not trying to; your thoughts are basically screaming out around this area its quite hard to ignore them. We are getting close" Kandosii tried to explain and then swiftly change the subject which didn't go unnoticed by Sabine who simply frowned in retaliation
"What reasoning do you have then?" Sabine stopped Kandosii from walking by grabbing his shoulders so he would face her before eyeing him up intimidatingly. Kandosii gave out a sigh before rubbing his forehead.
"I owe your clan an oyay entye" he paused before continuing walking but much slower this time, intrigued by this development an 'oyay entye' a life debt. Much like that of a Wookie life debt except not offering servitude till the debts repaid but rather aiding the person or their clan if they belong to one
"We were attacking one of Gar Saxon's outposts towards our system, the self-righteous puppet believes he has power over the rest of the clans because he deals with the empire… we attacked the outpost in the Phindar system, they were waiting for us. Resistance was stronger than expected, they included several walkers with shielding. I led a charge into their ranks, however I failed to see the coward Saxon hiding with a sniper rifle… he shot at me, probably would have hit too but your father took the hit. Narrowly missing his arteries around his heart, he's been in critical condition for months but he's slowly recovering even said that an oyay entye was unneeded. Doing his duty to his new clan he called it… I owe him far more than bringing his only daughter back to him but it's a step in the right direction I suppose even if he won't accept it" he spoke with barely contained anger and ended jokingly but still managing to get across the seriousness in his story.
Sabine stared at him in revelation it all made sense now, though she was angry about the fact her father almost died before she could see him and it was his fault. She took deep breaths trying to maintain her composure still following Kandosii, they rounded a building and she could see the Clan Wren area. This was the moment she was most nervous about after landing on the surface, how would she be received in fact she was shaking slightly.
"Don't worry it'll be fine" Kandosii encouraged gently pushing Sabine slowly towards the entrance to the Wren section of the camp which several spectators behind them started laughing gaining the attention of the camp guards who immediately recognised her armour. The first guard bowed before Sabine but none of the others did.
"She's not welcome here my lord" the chief guard spoke.
"You know who 'she' is, the only daughter of Tarro your leader. You will let her through whenever she comes back here or face the wrath of Ordo do I make myself clear!" he commanded
"Yes sorry my lord, we will notify the other guards immediately" the leader squirmed before leaving with the rest of the guard.
"Thank you"
"Don't mention it, father won't be impressed about this but there's little the old man can do to me. I repay my debts and honour my word, no one will stop us now let's go see your family" he gestured to the building draped with the symbols of Wren and Ordo, both now heading towards the durasteel doors. Upon entering, Kandosii immediately went up the staircase knowing exactly where to find his most trusted advisor, Sabine not far behind him.
He made it up to the veranda and could see his trusted general Tarro looking out towards the fighting pits where his warriors trained, Kandosii could tell without seeing Tarro that he was wishing he could be out there which made him feel all the guiltier.
"General" Kandosii announced trying to gain his attention to surprise him
"My lord I have come up with a…" Tarro spoke enthusiastically before stopping as he saw her, he couldn't believe his eyes and couldn't thank the stars enough it feels like a lifetime ago since he had seen his daughter and only child.
"Sabine? Is that really you?" Sabine and the galaxy held its breath waiting for the response that would make or break the young Mandalorian.
Chapter finished
oyay entye= Life Debt
Once again I would like to thank everyone whose followed, favourited and reviewed. It's a real day brightener seeing that people enjoy the story and the responses I have received have been positive (wasn't expecting it :D).
Getting something outta you guys though is a little hard it would seem. Feel free to PM me or leave a review if you have any questions and I'll try and answer. Here are some questions for all of you guys please please answer them
Would you rather serve under the empire as a Stormtrooper (with their bad armour and shooting abilities) or be a battle droid in the Separatist Alliance and why?
Would you rather be a Jedi or a Sith and why?
Fight for the Rebellion or Galactic Empire and why?
What type of Lightsaber(s) would you use: ie doubled bladed, single blade, inquisitor saber. As well as what colour :P
See you next time.