Chapter Forty-Nine: Beskar

"Kida!" I heard one of my regulars cry from his table. "Welcome back! I haven't seen you in months!"

I cast him a smile as I walked by dressed in my club outfit-black tight pants and a sparkling off-the-shoulder shirt that flowed down my arms to cover my slave brand. My face felt weird covered in makeup, but my friend, Rouva-who most people called 'Madame'- insisted that she be in charge of my look.

Apparently my return to my Corsucanti club, Fury, was a big deal. It was true, I hadn't been there in months. And when I had, it was always discreet since I was under the impression there was a bounty on my head.

"Nice to see you," I greeted nicely, motioning for Merl to get them a round of jokes, much to their glee. They broke out in cheers as Merl brought some ale over to them for free.

"I like the hair," Rouva mentioned as she sauntered towards me, catching glances from all sides. She was a Twi'lek, much like some of the girls I employed, with pale violet skin that practically sparked in the lights of my club. Despite being older, she was still lithe and beautiful. Her long fingers playfully bounced my hair that she had curled nicely. "It looks good on you."

I gave her a smile as she walked away, heading to the back to prepare the next performance the girls would put on. I moved to the bar, leaning against the polished surface and accepting the drink Merl slid to me. Spiced rum. My favorite. I took a long drink, hearing the music shift as some of the girls took the stage for the next set. My club's patrons applauded as they took the stage, dancing in perfect synchronization. They didn't practice every day for nothing.

And then my senses rippled, drawing my attention to the door. I wasn't the only one, since there was quite a ruckus.

"Sir," I heard one of my security guards yelling from the door. "I don't care what business you're on, we don't allow weapons in here!"

I glanced over, seeing a familiar face I wasn't necessarily hoping to see again for some time. I watched as Windu reluctantly gave over his lightsaber, drawing more eyes. There were a couple off-duty clones, all who fidgeted uncomfortably in their corner at the jedi's arrival.

Windu didn't seem bothered by the attention, slowly entering the club and glancing around. I stayed in my place, leaning against the bar, as his dark gaze finally found me. He approached, immediately earning a hard hand on his shoulder.

"Now what's all this then?" a Rodian patron said, stepping between myself and Windu. "What's a jedi doing in here? Causing trouble with our girl?"

Windu's face crinkled in distaste, brushing off the Rodian's hand. I rolled my eyes where I leaned on the bar. "It's alright," I said loud enough for them to hear me. "I'm sure he's not here to cause trouble." My loyal guests backed up, but watched closely as Windu approached me. "Care for a drink?"

He seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding slightly. I was surprised at that, but gestured for Merl to pass a drink down the bar, which he did reluctantly. My friend knew my issues with the jedi and didn't much care for him.

"Pretty bold of you to come here," I commented, taking another casual sip of my drink. "There's a lot of underworld in my club, most of which know your name." He knew I was referring to his slaying of Jango, making him glance away and take a drink. "I assume your visit isn't to enjoy my club."

"No."

He said nothing else as he stared into his drink, making my brow arch. "So…" I prodded, tilting my head at him.

"There's been an incident," he started hesitantly, keeping his voice low to keep it between us. "Is there a more private place we could talk?"

I hummed, glancing over him. "Forgive me for not trusting you, but I feel more comfortable out here where my friends are."

Windu frowned at me, but leaned against the bar in resignation. "You still hate me for what I did to Jango," he surmised.

"Hate you? No," I sighed. "I've decided to let that go. But I also know that you disarmed him before killing him. And I know that isn't really the jedi way."

He was quiet for a moment, staring into his drink. "Maybe it wasn't." I was surprised at him admitting it, making me gawk at him. "But that's in the past. Now, I've been sent here to request your help."

"My help?" I frowned, crossing my arms. "I already turned down Obi-wan's invitation to rejoin the Republic armies."

"I'm aware. But this is a special circumstance." He hesitated to continue, making me sigh. I pushed off from the bar, grabbing my drink and heading to the back of my club where my private lift lay hidden.

"Come on, Master Jedi," I called over my shoulder. "We can speak in my office." Eyes followed us as we exited the main floor, Rouva hustling to get another number going to try and distract the crowd.

"So this is where you conduct your business," Windu commented as we entered my study, the one way windows looking out over the club floor. He looked over my patrons and workers. "Do they know?"

"Some of them," I shrugged, glancing over the beskar armor on display in the corner. "But I prefer to keep my work lives separate. Though," I commented, giving the man a look. "Jedi constantly clogging up my doorway certainly isn't helping with the discretion."

Windu hummed, but jumped right to it. "Do you know the name Even Piell?" I shook my head. "He's a talented Jedi Master. He was sent on a mission some time ago to the Outer Rim in search of information about the Nexus Route."

"The Nexus Route?" I repeated in shock, leaning against my desk. "I thought that was a myth." I knew what he was talking about. It was a fabled route that provided a covert route between Separatist and Republic homeworlds. It was constantly sought after by smugglers and bounty hunters alike, but I'd never seen it used, nonetheless heard of anyone actually knowing it.

"I assure you, it's not a myth. He has the information."

"But?"

"He and his men were captured by the Separatists."

I frowned, taking another drink of spiced rum. "Jedi get captured all the time," I shrugged. "Why is this any different? Send someone after him and get him back."

"This time is different. Early on in the war, the Federation took control of the planet Lola Soyu." I'd seen the planet on maps. It was in the Outer Rim. "This planet held something that was built over 500 years ago-a prison meant to hold Jedi."

I quirked a brow. "A prison for Jedi? So even the Republic doesn't trust you."

"It was built by Jedi," he clarified with a scowl. "For the unthinkable problem of a jedi turning against the Republic."

"Didn't Dooku defect? Why wasn't he locked up?"

"He left the Order," Windu sighed, steering the conversation back on track. "This fortress, called the Citadel, is supposed to be inescapable and impregnable."

I crossed my arms. "So what is it that you want me to do? Smuggle you in?"

He mimicked my stance, finally looking straight at me. "If you have any ideas, we're open to hearing them."

"So this is a consultation deal?"

"I thought that is all we would need, but Kenobi and Skywalker requested your assistance in the execution of the plan as well."

I frowned. "Is it insurance that I don't screw you over on purpose?"

"Is that something we need to be worried about?"

"Of course not," I shook my head. "Besides, I've been looking for another job. Will this one pay?"

Windu sighed, looking tired. "Handsomely."

"An impenetrable fortress that even the Jedi can't get into without tempting fate?" I spoke aloud, smirking. "I always enjoy a challenge. When do we leave?"

"Immediately."

My fingers slid gently over the ingot of beskar I'd kept stashed in my ship for years. It was one of the few Jango gave me before helping me forge my armor.

"Beskar in the hands of a Mandalorian, adi'ka," he would explain while working the hot furnace. "Is art."

He'd left me the last piece to create my helmet, when the time came. He said the helmet was an honor, and a burden. That it was something I would one day forge on my own, should I decide to follow that path.

"What is it you need forged?" the blacksmith before me asked. She was a Mandalorian, as all beskar forgers should be, clad in her helmet.

"First," I said softly, despite being alone in her shop. "I need to discuss discretion." Her helmet tilted, but she offered her first, in which I placed a significant number of unmarked credits.

"What is it you need forged?" she asked again, her silence now bought and paid for. I placed the ingot down before presenting the plans I had drafted up. She examined them for a moment before looking at me again. "I will not create this."

"I already bought your services, Armorer," I said sternly, putting on my tough expression I used while bounty hunting. "And your discretion."

"It is bad enough you wear our armor," she retorted from her seat. "But I will not taint Mandalorian steel by forging a lightsaber."

"It's just the sleeve," I argued. "And it's been done before."

"That blade was forged by Tarre Vizsla. A Mandalorian. And then the Jedi betrayed us."

I drew my pistol, aiming it at her, but she didn't move. "I am not a Jedi," I growled. "And you will forge the steel my father gave me."

She glanced over my armor, taking in the red design and kyr'bes on the shoulder pauldron. "Your father," she mused. "You honor him with your armor. Did he forge it for you?"

"Yes."

"And this, was this meant to be your helmet?"

I sighed, putting my pistol away again. "Yes." I knew it was a bit of a betrayal. The beskar meant to complete my armor would be used to forge a weapon used by Force-Wielders...something Mandalorians hated.

"What would your father think of your choice to use it like this?"

I breathed slowly. What would he think? I couldn't ask him… "He would trust me," I said finally. "And he would trust the honor of a fellow Mandalorian to care for the one he called daughter."

She was quiet for a moment, flipping the beskar ingot in her hands. "And do you have the rest of this weapon?" I hesitated, but produced the lightsaber hilt. The kyber crystal, however, was on my ship. I didn't want her igniting the blade to find it red. She turned it in her hands, along with the beskar. "What is wrong with this as it is?"

"It's not my creation. It must be my own. Must...reflect me. Like my armor."

A hum hissed through her helmet's modulator. "And what will you wield this weapon for?"

I thought over that. What would I use it for? Peace certainly wouldn't be an answer she'd like. "To fight for what I believe in. For my family. For myself."

"You are not a Mandalorian," she allowed. "But you were certainly raised by one. Swear to wield this weapon with the honor of a Mandalorian, and I will grant your wish."

"I swear."

She stood, leaving me to watch as she worked, melting down the ingot and creating a mold for the hilt I designed. It was a basic design that fit my hand nicely, but nothing too fancy. I figured I might add some color to match my armor at some point, if I ever got to wield it comfortably.

But still, as time dragged on, I began to wonder what the Armorer could possibly be doing. The design was pretty simple, so why was she adding an extra plate near the emitter that folded around it? Realistically, I liked the look a lot, so I said nothing.

After some time of working closely over the finished hilt, she turned and presented the sleeve to me. I took it, not at all expecting what I got. She had etched into the hilt, creating beautiful patterns. There were two creatures swirling on the metal-one that looked like a dragon, the other a bird.

"A mythosaur and a Jai'galaar," she explained, seeing my questioning look. "I've heard stories of you, young daughter of Fett. I know of the marks he bestowed upon you." The Jai'galaar. The Shriek-Hawk-a terrible creature of Mandalore. And where the Jaig eyes symbol stemmed from.

"And what does this say?" I asked, glancing over the writing I recognized, but couldn't read. It was in Mando'a, but also using the old Mandalorian alphabet-something I never learned.

"Aliit ori'shya tal'din," she translated for me, returning to her seat. Family is more than blood. I stood slowly, a lump of emotion forming in my throat.

"Thank you, Armorer," I said sincerely. "This is a great honor."

She tilted her helmet at me. "Beskar, in the hands of a Mandalorian, is art." Her words stunned me for only a moment before she rose, cueing my time to leave. "Use this weapon wisely, young Fett. And it did not come from me."

"Of course," I bowed my head, stashing away the beskar sleeve and my ancestor's lightsaber. I turned, knowing that so long as I kept her involvement in the creation of the sleeve a secret, she would return the favor.

"Fett," I heard, drawing my from my thoughts as the shuttle landed. I turned to see Windu stepping off the ship. "Let's go."

I followed, stopping short when I realized what landing pad we were on. "The Jedi Temple?" I questioned, looking up at the towering structure. "I thought you didn't allow outsiders in here."

"We do. On restricted access."

I hummed, rolling my eyes before following him inside. It was just as beautiful inside as it was outside, if not more. The whole temple was filled with gorgeous windows, courtyards, and pillars. It was like a palace.

We walked through, catching a few glances when the roaming younglings saw my beskar armor that I'd donned before leaving my club. We entered that looked eerily familiar. It was the place I'd seen in my vision all that time ago, when they were debating my future.

"Go ahead," Windu said at the door, letting me walk in alone. The door closed behind him as I took in the room. Kenobi and Skywalker were both there, along with Cody, Fives, Echo, and Plo Koon. Rex's stature shimmered as a hologram from wherever he was. Likely at a command center or aboard their ship.

"Welcome, Kida," Obi-wan greeted with a small smile, his fingers tapping his chin. "You're right on time." I nodded to those present, receiving them in return, before standing beside Skywalker.

Plo Koon brought up an image of what I assumed was the citadel, the tower turning where it was projected on the holotable. "As you are aware, the Citadel is their most isolated and impenetrable detention facility," he explained to the room. "No one has ever escaped." Well...I did have a way of getting myself into impossible situations, didn't I?

"There's a first time for everything," Anakin shrugged beside me.

Obi-wan agreed. "Indeed there is."

"Their security has prevented our probes from retaining recent reconnaissance," Plo Koon interjected. "So we've been forced to construct a crude map based upon data from the archives."

"And since the data is extremely old, the map will be difficult to rely on," Obi-wan expressed.

"500 years is a bit more than extremely old," I muttered, crossing my arms. "We're practically going in blind."

"Beg your pardon, General," Rex finally spoke, but avoided my gaze from behind his helmet. "But how do we know Master Piell is still alive?"

Kenobi smirked. "The Separatists won't dare kill Master Piell until they have what they need."

I jumped in casually. "He supposedly has the coordinates for the Nexus Route; a hyperspace lane that connects both Republic and Separatist homeworlds."

The room seemed shocked at my knowledge, but Kenobi continued anyways. "They could provide vital for moving our forces deep into remote Separatist sectors."

"Or," Anakin countered. "The enemy could use them to slip through our defenses and attack Coruscant."

"These hyperspace lanes are of immense interest to both our sides and could tip the scale of the war to whomever is in possession of them." Plo Koon glanced around at us before ending the briefing. "That is all."

The clones departed immediately, Rex's connection cutting out. I wasn't sure who to follow until Skywalker bumped my shoulder. "Come on, bounty hunter," he teased, leading me after the other Jedi.

"Based on the archive schematics," Plo Koon explained to us. "We've narrowed it down to three possible locations they could be holding him at."

"My greatest concern is infiltrating their outer security," Kenobi countered. "The life-form scanners will not be easy to fool."

I let out a small chuckle, making them look at me. "Sorry," I apologized. "I just had a really crazy idea but…"

"Please, let us hear it," Kenobi grinned.

I cleared my throat. "Have you considered carbon freezing?" They all paused, looking at me with shock. I shrugged at them. "Hey, do you know how hard it is to bring in a bounty when you have more than one target? My brig is only so big."

Anakin hummed. "It would hide us from the life-form scanners."

"It could kill us," Kenobi countered.

But I only chuckled, waving my hand. "I mean, it isn't pleasant but none of my bounties have died yet. And they've been carbon frozen way longer than we would have to be."

"Master!" We all turned at Ahsoka's voice, watching her race to catch up with us. "I'm sorry I'm late." She gave me a nod in greeting before continuing. "I just heard about the briefing. We're going to rescue Master Piell, right?"

Koon and Kenobi exchanged awkward glances. "You two have much to discuss," the former said, leading Obi-wan and I away from them.

"What was that about?" I asked when we were far enough away.

"Ahsoka isn't coming on this mission," Obi-wan explained.

That was a surprise. "And why not? The more help we have, the better, right?"

"Anakin isn't comfortable bringing his padawan along," he tried to reason as he led our way to the hangar. "It's terribly dangerous."

"Well it's good to know you don't mind me coming," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "But then again, Ahsoka seems perfectly capable. And isn't she old enough to decide when something is too dangerous for her?"

"As her master and teacher, it is Anakin's decision, whether or not anyone else agrees," he dismissed before gesturing for me to enter the hangar. I obliged, leaving him to wait for Anakin.

"And you said you wouldn't be coming back," Fives teased as I approached the two ARC troopers.

I shrugged, easily donning a smile. "An impossible mission that's probably going to get us all killed was just too enticing to pass up. I'm glad I'll have you guys to watch my back."

"Same here, kid," Echo chuckled at me.

We all turned as we heard C-3PO griping after R2, who was leading three battle droids painted in 501st blue. "Don't you go thumbing your gears at me just because you have a bunch of dim-witted droids following you about. Oh! Really," the translator turned away to shuffle from the hangar, obviously annoyed by R2 having his own little assault group.

"We're trusting those droids to get us into the Citadel?" Fives asked in a hushed tone, glancing at Cody.

"It's the only way," the commander stated. "We're flying right into the heart of Separatist territory. Droids won't be detected."

"And how won't we be detected?" Echo asked.

I cringed slightly, remembering my suggestion. "It won't be very fun, but we won't die," I tried to reason, earning looks from the clones around me.

"What did you do?" Fives sighed.

"I made a suggestion. A good suggestion, by the way."

"Which is?" Cody asked, glancing at me.

"Carbon freezing." I was met with groans and worried glances, making me chew my lip in an attempt not to laugh at them.

"R2," Anakin called as he entered the hangar with Obi-wan. I suppose his talk with Ahsoka had concluded. I doubted the padawan took it well. "Make sure they don't stray from the flight plan."

"It's all under control, sir," one of the reprogrammed battle droids responded over R2's beeping.

"I was talking to R2," Anakin scowled before walking past them.

I stayed where I was as everyone prepared to leave. It's not like I had anything to do. I was in my gear and fully armed. So instead, I watched them, eyeing Ahsoka as she left Plo Koon's side to join me.

"If it makes you feel any better," I greeted as she approached with a contemplative look. "They apparently don't value me enough to want to keep me from danger."

"Or they value you enough to know you can handle yourself," she responded grumpily, leaning against the speeder I stood beside.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Why doesn't he want you to come?"

"He thinks it's too dangerous. But shouldn't it be my choice when and how I put myself in danger?"

She certainly had a point. I sighed. "One would think so."

"So you agree with me that I should be on this mission?"

I looked into her big cerulean eyes. "I'd love for you to come on this mission. I think we need all the help that we can get. And I think your master is being a bit over protective."

"That's what I said!" she claimed, exasperated.

"Wait," I cut her off, giving her a look. "But I also don't think he's going to budge on this subject." She scowled, but quieted as Obi-wan walked by, flanked by the rest of the crew going on the mission.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded at him, stepping away from Ahsoka as everyone else made their way to the carbon freezer. "So you're saying I should stay here?" the padawan called after me.

"I said he wouldn't change his mind," I said over my shoulder with a smirk. "I never said you should stay, though." I gave a meaningful glance to the carbon freezer, earning a slow smile from her as she understood.

Did I want her getting in trouble? Of course not. But if having her along meant we were less likely to die? Hell, I'd take the punishment for her.

I followed the others up onto the mechanism, finding my own circle to stand on after telling the clones to remove their helmets. The last thing they wanted to do was suffocate under those things if anything went wrong.

"Nice to have you along," Rex said quietly as he moved past me, casting me a small smile. Still, he seemed apprehensive in the Force. Like he knew how dangerous this was and didn't want me getting hurt. Or him getting distracted.

"Are, uh, we sure this thing is safe?" Fives asked as he examined the machine. "I don't want to end up a wall decoration." I chuckled darkly, knowing that he didn't get the full extent of his joke. I'd seen that happen before. Jabba found it hilarious.

"Try to relax," Obi-wan assured from the platform next to mine. "We'll be unfrozen as soon as we arrive."

I did my best to do as he said, despite my own apprehensions. I knew it wouldn't kill me, but the people I threw in a carbon freezer never seemed to enjoy it, either. I folded my hands, closing my eyes as the alarms began to blare, the machine whirring. The platform beneath me descended, lowering me into the tube.

I took a deep breath, knowing what was coming, trying to balance myself. I would be falling asleep in the temple, only to wake up in a war zone. I let myself be assured by my own abilities, my armor, my companions, and the beskar hilted saber I had stashed in my belt pouch. And then the jets engaged, filling the tube with impossibly cold air. It was like being thrown into an icy river...and then falling asleep.

I wondered briefly if this is what death felt like before losing consciousness.