Mr. Insane - If there is anything about this series that readers should know its that things always get worse. I mean if the message got out, you'd think there would be some very interested Jedi that might want to lead a task force *cough* Luminara *cough* Of course, they'd have to have the message delivered to them first!

Speechbubbleme - Yeah Sascha and Nara's relationship is flirtatious without there really being any intent behind it. I think that they respect and admire the other too much to ever really fall for each other. Sorry to hear about family and health problems - those come first, fanfiction comes later! (I just enjoy it, selfishly!)

thejoker122 - It does feel like too obvious to be a trap, doesn't it? I think you are right to say that the Mandos may be the trump card.

A/N - Just watching my beloved Toronto FC book their spot in the MLS Cup. So. Happy.

Anyways, all reviews, follows, and favourites are deeply appreciated as always.

Please enjoy the next chapter.

Chapter 38: Family

"These Mandalorians that Vash has brought in scare me more than any Ubroran or Jedi. At least the Jedi will fight with honor. Frankly, I'm sickened by the quote, unquote 'allies' that are on our side. These Mandalorians who kill without a second thought? I'm ashamed to be on their side. And don't get me started on spineless traitors like Murgo Boikana. The fact that he'd sell out his own people for a hollow title is just…I don't know. Disgrace doesn't even seem to cover it."

-From the Journal of Pravin Ecalt, twenty days in to the Invasion of Ubrora

"He what!" said Nara in a disbelieving tone.

"My father, the mayor of Bontha, wants to meet the head of the resistance in an hour and a half at his house…my old house," replied Lirri patiently.

Sascha Whitestar's mind was trying to catch up to this new revelation. He swore that five minutes ago, he had been trying to meditate with Nara and now his life was filled with Mandalorians and new revelations. Couldn't he get just a few minutes to relax?

"Did you tell him that there is no such thing as the head of the resistance? Do you think he meant the Jedi?" asked Arslan a bit nervously.

"I didn't get to ask him anything," Lirri responded indignantly, "My father just broadcast an interview with that witch, Manor Yoshara, where he said he wanted to meet with the leaders of the 'outlaws' at his house 2030, local time."

"It's a trap," said Nara and Arslan at the same time, causing everyone in the room to break out in a rueful chuckle. "No, but seriously, it's a trap," Nara said insistently.

"And what if it isn't?" asked Lirri, "I'll admit that it sounds like one, but isn't it a bit too...obvious? Anyways, don't Jedi look for diplomatic solutions? What if my father wants to join our side and is looking for a way to do so surreptitiously? What do we have to lose by going to this meeting?"

"Our lives," Nara said bluntly, moving towards Lirri and staring down at her intimidatingly, "The last time we tried something risky, I just about died, I'm not interested in doing that again. Things are desperate enough around here, we don't need to make things worse."

Lirri moved to stand nose to nose with Nara…or as close as she could physically could, given that Nara was taller than furry Ubroran, "I guess you Jedi have lost your nerve. It's a shame, because I'll be going to this meeting even if no one else is."

Nara snorted, not backing down from Lirri in the slightest, "And what day would you like your funeral scheduled for, tomorrow, or the day after?"

Lirri held Nara's gaze for a moment longer before backing down, physically, at least. She paced around the room and continued speaking forcefully, "I don't think my father will harm me…intentionally at the very least. Deep down he is an honorable man, even if he has chosen the wrong side. He's also guaranteed the safety of anyone who meets him tonight."

"We could make it win-win, then," said Arslan, scratching his chin with a clawed finger.

"How's that, Arslan?" he asked, curious as to how that could be possible.

"Well, we record ourselves accepting the invitation and if we get blown up or ambushed, it will make Murgo a liar, he'd be ruined. Plus if we go to the meeting and his demands are outrageous, we ca

n make it a PR win for us too."

"We just have to be crazy enough to step into an obvious trap…again," he said wearily.

Lirri looked down, defeated, and Sascha figured that might be the end of it.

"I'll go with Lirri," said Nara after a brief period of hesitation.

"You will?" blurted three individuals at once.

Nara shrugged, "A Jedi explores all options, a friend of mine is fond of saying," shooting a pointed glance in his direction.

"Okay, I'll have to get a camera for Nara, but I think it makes sense to have a Jedi along," said Arslan.

"Make it two cameras…Nara and I… we're kind of a package deal," he said, giving his friend a smile. Nara nodded slightly in appreciation.

"I guess it's settled then," said Arslan. "Send a message to your father that we accept his offer."

Sascha and Nara flanked Lirri as they walked down a sidestreet in Bontha. The city was quiet, even though it was only a few hours after sunset. Bontha had changed since the first time he had set foot in the city. Previously it had been immaculately maintained, a gleaming, beautiful city where the residents carefree and happy. Now it had been scarred by the various running battles that had occurred over the past few weeks. Many buildings now featured blaster burns, and when you saw an Ubroran in the city, they moved quickly and furtively through the city, rarely stopping to have a conversation or do anything that delayed them from returning to their home.

The fact that he had participated in making Bontha a worse place to live made him a little queasy. He was supposed to make the lives of people around him better, not worse. He knew why he was doing it, but it didn't make it any easier to see how the city had deteriorated.

He and Nara walked with their senses on high alert. Sascha could tell that his Togruta friend was happy to be doing something that took them outside the comforts of Lirri's house, even if it was just escorting Lirri to this negotiation. He was wary, because if they stumbled into a droid patrol, neither he nor Nara could summon anything close to their usual fighting prowess. And if Murgo Boikana was luring them into a trap, well, he didn't particularly like his chances of survival.

As the small party of Force sensitives made their way closer to Murgo Boikana's house, Lirri seemed to grow increasingly energetic. Clearly, she was looking forward to the showdown with her father. Sascha hadn't asked about Lirri's relationship with her father, but he suspected that it was a rocky one. If it hadn't been before the invasion, it certainly was now. Dealing with family was always tricky, Sascha knew. He had been with perfectly rational beings who had lost all sense of sanity when it was someone within their family that they were dealing with. With family, emotion, not logic, seemed to rule that day, and that was generally not a very good thing.

The group reached a large, well-appointed home in one of the nicer areas of Bontha, an area where there had obviously been less fighting. Sascha wondered idly if that was a coincidence. As they had agreed on beforehand, Nara rang the chime to the house and the two Jedi stood in front of Lirri, shielding her from whoever would answer the door.

After a short delay, Murgo Boikana answered the door in a rich blue and gold robe that accentuated his deep blue eyes very nicely. He sneered as he saw the Jedi on his doorstep, "Ah, the Jedi are here. Still not through using the Ubroran resistance fighters as your pawns?" Murgo waved his hand, "You can come in, but I believe talks will be short."

Sascha smiled patronizingly at the Mayor, "Actually, we are just here to protect the real leader of the resistance."

The two Jedi stepped apart to reveal Lirri Boikana, who strode forward confidently, "Hello father. I see you've recovered from the last time we met."

If at all possible, Murgo's features hardened even further. "Daughter," he said coldly. Murgo looked at both he and Nara, "And you are okay with letting my daughter order you around?"

Nara shrugged casually, "I'm used to taking orders from my elders."

Murgo appeared to bite back a cutting remark, but gestured towards the interior of the house, "I suppose we might as well get this over with. You are broadcasting this live aren't you?"

"I think it's good for the citizens of Bontha to see their mayor negotiate with the Bonthan resistance," replied Lirri politely.

Murgo grumbled something unintelligible, but led the Jedi and Lirri inside and into a nicely appointed dining room, which had a variety of snacks and glasses of water already laid on it. "Did you get mom to make the table for you?" asked Lirri.

Murgo turned and unleashed a feral smile, "Yes, she was happy to be a part of this family, something you seem to have forgotten to do, daughter."

Nettled by her father's remark, Lirri sat at the large, wooden table, and he and Nara dragged two chairs to sit on either side of her. Lirri took a cautious sip of the water, "Is Mom home at least? I'd like to see her."

"As neither your mother nor your brother's safety could be guaranteed during this meeting, they are not here. They are out of the city and safe."

Lirri shook her head vehemently, "Bontha's civilians are safe from any resistance fighters. What they have to be afraid of are the droids that you have rolled out the welcome mat for."

Murgo half-rose from his chair, "Preposterous! The droids are programmed to fire only on what they identify as enemies. The citizens of Bontha should not be afraid of their new protectors."

Before things could get even more heated between father and daughter, Sascha held his arms out, trying to placate the two Ubrorans, "Why don't we get to why you've invited us here today, Mayor Boikana."

The mayor of the capital city brushed some invisible dust off his collar, "Yes, let's get this finished quickly. I invited you here today because I want you to surrender."

Sascha was stunned by the bluntness of the mayor and Nara clearly was too, her eyes widened like saucers, before narrowing in a disbelieving squint. The only person on their side of the table that wasn't shocked was Lirri. She waited a moment before snorting in derision, "I can't believe you'd waste my time like this, father."

Murgo Boikana offered his daughter a sympathetic look, "It is not a waste of time, Lirri. We are at a tipping point in our history. If you and the resistance lay down your arms and stop destroying the droids, I promise that we will give amnesty to you and anyone who took up arms with you. We'll forget that any of it ever happened. I…know we disagree about the direction of Ubrora, but you are still my daughter, so I'm making this offer so that we can be a family again." The mayor's expression hardened again, "But if you do not accept my offer, I cannot offer you my protection any longer."

Sascha continued to be stunned at the direction this conversation was taking. And this time Lirri appeared to be equally stunned. Lirri turned to Nara questioningly, "Is he telling the truth, or is this some sort of deeper, hidden trap?"

"He's being honest," Nara said slowly as she shook her head, disbelieving.

Murgo took that as an opportunity to continue speechifying, "Lay your arms down, Lirri. I know it will be hard, but you cannot win. If you follow the path I've laid for you, we can be a family and reap the rewards that will surely come to Ubrora. You are a courageous young woman, Lirri. Join with me and we will put those talents to good use. Nothing but ruin can come if you stay this course."

Lirri hesitated, obviously torn by the offer from her father. He and Nara made no sound, offered no encouragement, and kept their expressions neutral. This was Lirri's decision, and they would allow her to make it freely. The young Ubroran leader noticed this as well, "Aren't you going to try to sway me?" she asked the two Jedi.

"This is your decision, your life, your city, your planet," he said calmly.

"Look into your heart," said Nara, "You will know what decision to make."

The Ubroran thought for a long time, and he could sense the turmoil inside Lirri gradually ease. She folded her hands in front of her, "I cannot walk away from what I have started," Lirri said in a strong, clear voice. We may be outmatched, but we aren't afraid to fight. We know that we can rid Bontha of the droid infestation. Ubrora should be for Ubrorans."

Murgo Boikana collected himself, obviously disappointed by his daughter's choice. Nonetheless, he forged ahead, and Sascha could almost see him mentally distancing himself from his daughter, "It is sad to see how much influence the Jedi have on you, daughter. I see you continue to dress like them." Lirri snorted in derision, barely dignifying the remark with a response. Murgo continued, "You may think that you can defeat the droids, and that might be true, but you are no longer fighting just the droids."

"Excuse me?" blurted Lirri.

Murgo turned in his chair and looked deeper into the house, "We have another guest. You can come out now, Coren."

The sound of heavy, booted, feet echoed throughout the room, and Sascha sensed an approaching presence, one that reeked of, if not evil, then barely contained malevolence. He and Nara shared a look and they discreetly grabbed their lightsabers so that they were in hand. He didn't know who or what was coming to join this little party, but he had a couple of very strong hunches.

Hunches that were proven correct a moment later. Stepping through the arch leading from the darkened living room into the kitchen was a tall, armored figure. The figure came into the light of the room, and he got a better look at him. As Sascha had feared, the figure resolved itself as the Mandalorian warrior that they had seen wreaking havoc in Namya.

"Coren Vox!" blurted Nara, "I knew I recognized that colour pattern on your armour."

"I see my reputation precedes me," drawled the slightly muffled voice of the helmeted figure. He and Nara rose out of their chairs and moved protectively to stand close to Lirri. Their lightsabers were unlit, but in hand. Neither he nor Nara wanted to fight, especially not in the dining room of the mayor of the Bontha. But they had to protect Lirri, if things came to a fight.

Murgo Boikana nodded amiably to the Mandalorian, who settled in behind the mayor, folding his hands together. Sascha noted that the holster on Coren's right hip was empty, which indicated that his intentions were probably not hostile. But there was no telling what kind of weaponry that Coren Vox was hiding in his armor, and he had already seen the gauntlet mounted flamethrower.

Murgo gestured towards the tall figure in his impressive armor, "Coren here and has been loaned to us by Admiral Varless to deal with the nuisance that is your resistance fighters. So, I will offer you one last choice. Surrender now, for you are now outmatched. Admiral Varless has assured me that Coren and his compatriots are the equal to any one of you Jedi. Clearly, my daughter, you can see that your valiant attempt to wrest control of Bontha away from me is over."

"Last chance to lay down your weapons, little Jedi," said Coren in a tone of voice that suggested that he would enjoy goading the Jedi into attacking him.

"Mayor Boikana," interrupted Nara, "I don't think you know who you are dealing with." Nara pointed a finger at the Mandalorian, "That is Coren Vox, he's wanted on several worlds in the Republic for assault, murder and just about everything in between. The only reason he's on Ubrora is because his Mandalorian buddies busted him out of the maximum-security prison he was being held in."

"And how do you know all this, little Jedi?" asked Murgo.

Nara jutted her chin out defiantly, "I know this because my Master was the Jedi that captured him. I know that he is missing his left pinky finger, a little gift from my Master's lightsaber."

The Mandalorian grunted and removed the glove on his left hand. It looked like a normal, slightly tanned hand to him. "Lost my pinky to a Jedi lightsaber on Voss. Found a doc that was willing to give me a prosthetic, though." The Mandalorian ambled slowly towards Nara, "So which one of the Rishati twins is your Master, little Togruta? The red-skinned devil, or the green-skinned witch?"

Nara grinned, "Her name is Jedi Knight Tiplee. And she'll be flattered to know that you think of her as the devil."

Coren heaved a brief laugh, "She'll be less flattered when I drop your bloody, broken, body at her feet."

Nara took a quick step towards the encroaching Mandalorian, pulling away from his attempt to hold her back.

"Enough," said Mayor Boikana, "both of you."

"Nara. This isn't the time or place," said Lirri, putting a note of command in her voice. His Togruta friend snarled at Coren, but turned her back and walked to stand behind Lirri again.

Coren slowly retreated as well, but continued the verbal barbs, "Heh, another Jedi youngling that's all talk. Do you want to tell me how your lightsaber works now or later? I don't want any surprises when I take it from your corpse." Though Nara didn't react physically to the comment, Sascha could feel how strongly Nara just wanted to launch herself across the table and throttle Coren Vox into submission. Quietly, he sent her some calming emotions through the Force. Though he was almost entirely sure that she had enough control not to be goaded into attacking, he didn't want to take any chances. Nara glanced in his direction and offered him a brief nod indicating that she was in control.

Meanwhile, Mayor Boikana was trying to rein in his new partner. The smaller Ubroran was talking quietly to Coren while the larger man knelt awkwardly beside him. It would have been an amusing picture, Sascha decided, had the surrounding circumstances been different. "I apologize for my comments," said Coren, shrugging fractionally, "I just like to play with my prey before I put it out of its misery."

"What charming new friends you've made, father," said Lirri sarcastically.

Murgo eyed his new compatriot warily, "we all must make sacrifices to create, a new, stronger Ubrora."

"Funny, I don't see you making any sacrifices, father."

Murgo folded his hands together, "Then truly you are blind, my daughter." Murgo turned to Coren, "If at all possible, try to return my daughter to me unharmed. A wayward soul she may have become, but without the influence of the Jedi, I believe that she could still be made to see the light."

The tall Mandalorian nodded amiably, "All I want is the lightsabers of those two Jedi whelps. I've been meaning to add a lightsaber to my collection of keepsakes."

"And I'll be happy to finish what my Master started," retorted Nara.

"Any last words, any offer of reconciliation, Lirri?"

Lirri rose from her seat and stood proudly in front of her father. "Father, I wish you would see sense. I wish you could see what you've become. Employing war criminals? And now threatening the populace of Bontha? Father, you accuse me of being manipulated by the Jedi," she shook her head, "You've lost your way, and it is my obligation to stop you. We will dismantle the droids and capture the goons that you've hired. Then, when all this is over, you can go on trial for what you've done."

Murgo sneered, "Go then. You've made your choice. I only hope you realize the mistake you've made before it is too late."

Lirri started walking towards the door, but paused at the doorway and looked back towards her father with compassion in her eyes, "I'll always keep a door open for you, father." With those final words hanging in the air, Lirri walked out the door and out into the night, and away from her father. Sascha looked back at a seemingly stoic but clearly heartbroken parent, and his imposing ally, a Mandalorian who couldn't wait to get his hands on the two Jedi Padawans. He and Nara tossed Coren Vox a tiny salute before making their exit as well.