Chapter Sixty-Eight: Peace Talks
Despite having been on Mandalore before, I'd never actually been inside the domed capital city of Sundari. Obi-wan had talked of it often, in the many times he'd told stories to the clones on late nights during campaigns. He told epic tales of his time protecting the young Duchess Satine. His men saw them as morale-boosting war stories. But I knew better. I knew the true allure that laid within those memories for Obi-wan. He was telling love stories.
And what a better setting for them? The city was beautiful, reminding me of what Coruscant's lower levels would look like if they were well-maintained.
And cared about art.
Having rejected the old Mandalorian way, the new pacifist government didn't even let me wear my beskar in. I had to leave it, along with all of our weapons, back on the shuttle. Knowing this would happen, I'd asked Padme why she wanted me along.
We'd been sitting in her apartment on Coruscant when she's suggested it. I'd told myself, while guiding my speeder through the air towards her, that I was going there to look for Anakin. He had to be told about what happened...right?
But deep down, I felt that he already knew. And that he was at the Jedi Temple, trying to sort this all out.
And the truth was that I was going to Padme's apartment for her and the comfort she provided to me. I'd exited my speeder and entered her apartment without issue, her security system still recognizing me. I hadn't even bothered to change after leaving the transport that brought me back from Umbara.
When the senator saw me, she only held out her arms to me, her face sad. Anakin must have told her. Or maybe she saw the entire story etched into the lines of my face.
I ran to her, letting the kind woman take me under her wing as she had with her younger sisters when they were young. She listened. Consoled. Forced me to clean up and then fed me.
The Coruscant skyline was bathed in the golden light of the sunset when Padme finally suggested a new mission. She saw it as a leave of absence without actually asking for one. I'd go with her to some rather uncertain attempt at peace talks, as I had once been her personal security, and be able to escape the battlefield for a bit.
She claimed Anakin needed it sometimes, too. It made sense. After all, I'd given it to the clones when Echo died.
I felt overcome with guilt as I stood beside Padme's chair, my hands folded behind my back. Here I was, taking on an easy mission without even thinking about looking after the clones. Of course, I'd tried to see them, but they were all on lock-down, more or less.
Considering all that had happened, there was a lot of briefing to be done. Even Rex, who had snuck away for a moment to comm me on our private channel, told me that he'd likely not be able to see me for a while...until all the protocol and scrutiny was gone.
I had a fair share of my own, of course, considering I raged out on a Jedi. Still, Dogma took the brute of it all, willingly. I wanted to defend him. To leap forward into the Chancellor's office and explain that I was every bit as willing as Dogma to shoot Krell. I'd chopped two of the Jedi's arms off, for Ka'ra's sake.
But in the end, what use would that be? I'd just get more of us tried for treason. And Dogma's mind screamed that. This was his redemption. So I let him.
That didn't mean I'd ever stop feeling the guilt, though.
My attention was dragged back to the room when I felt a spike of frustration ripple from the representatives across from us. Beside me, sitting in a simple chair, was Senator Amidala. Beside her were Senators Organa and Mothma. Behind us were a line of Republic Senatorial Guards.
To my far left, overseeing the meeting, was Duchess Satine. She'd remembered me well. I felt the confused emotions towards me when I'd first entered the room. I'd kept her and Obi-wan's secret. But I'd also murdered a guy. Which was bad to her, even if it was to save an entire ship of people. But whatever.
On the other side of the throne room were Seperatist representatives. There was a Gossam, named Amita Fonti. A Siniteen I knew to be called Bec Lawise. And finally, Voe Atell, who was glaring rather darkly at Padme as she spoke.
I forced myself to tune back in. "The Republic recognized the tragedy of war, but there is nothing we can change that has already occurred." I swallowed thickly past the frown that wanted to climb to my lips. In the end, Padme was right that there was no way to alter the past.
Still, that didn't mean we should ignore it. The past was there to learn from it. And even though she didn't mean it that way, I felt it came across as….dismissive?
Unfortunately, the Separatists didn't know Padme's heart like I did. Nor could they feel her genuine emotions when she spoke.
Thus….
"Say it aloud before this gathering," Voe Atell demanded, "As representative of Chancellor Palpatine, that you declare, without reservation, the Seperatist State legitimate."
I cut my eyes sideways to see Padme frown in the following silence. We both knew she didn't have the authority to do that. Nor would she, under the circumstances that the Separatists are being led by a Sith. Of course, it's not like we could tell them that and they'd believe us.
When I became worried that I'd die from the tense pressure building in the room, a voice finally spoke. "I have something to say about the legitimacy of the Separatists." I leaned my head forward slightly, peering around Padme's chair to see a young man who looked no older than myself. He was handsome, his hair swept to the side and his dress proper.
A senator, I assumed, but not one I recognized on sight. And then it made a bit more sense.
"It's Lux Bonteri," Bec Lawise whispered, seeming alarmed.
"Why is Lux Bonteri here?" Voe asked at the same time, her gaze casting worriedly across the Republic Senators.
"What could he possibly have to say?" Lawise spoke again, this time louder and intending to mock the young man. Still, Bonteri didn't seem bothered as he walked between the opposing groups to approach the Mandalorian throne.
My brow arched, my arms crossing before my chest to try and smother my amusement. I'd had the absolute pleasure of interacting with his mother once. Since then, I found it good fun to watch her absolutely decimate people with her ability to argue. She was a damned good politician, and she cared for her people. It was a shame her people lost her so early.
It seemed her son inherited her tendency to piss people off. I smirked when I heard Voe hiss, "He was not invited." As if this was a fancy dinner party. Please. If I could get an invitation to this stupid thing, I wasn't surprised the son of a senator got in.
I leaned down to Padme's side as Bonteri passed, his gaze passing over us. For a moment, I saw a flash of disappointment. Huh. I'd investigate that later. But for now….
"Was this planned in any way? Cause if so, I'd like to be filled in next time," I whispered in Padme's ear.
She glanced at me, shaking her head. Usually she at least had a glimmer in her eye when I joked. But this time, there was only worry. I sobered immediately, looking back as Lux bowed to the duchess.
"I don't know what he's doing," she whispered back. Her tension was distracting. Damn my emotional connections to people.
With a small sigh, I touched Padme's shoulder gently, resting my hand there. She eased slightly, letting me smooth over some of her anxieties with the Force. Bonteri turned back to us, having received permission to speak from Satine.
"I stand before you," he began steadily, "Son of Mina Bonteri, loyal Separatist, a patriot, a friend." He cast his eyes towards Padme briefly, that spark of disappointment igniting in him again when he saw me beside her. I tilted my head, curious.
There was a wide range of emotions I was used to feeling when people laid eyes on me. Disappointment, weirdly...wasn't one of them. Fear was usually more likely.
"It has come to my attention that my mother was murdered by Count Dooku in cold blood!"
My jaw dropped open as the boy spoke, my hand tightening on Padme's shoulder when she tensed in fear. Bec Lawise leapt from his chair immediately. "That is a lie! Remove this traitor immediately."
On pure instinct, I moved to step forward as two commandos grabbed Bonteri. Padme's hand quickly grabbed mine, keeping me glued to her shoulder. I tugged at her for a second, but a firm look stilled my movements.
"I will not be silenced!" Bonteri cried as he was dragged away from the throne.
Duchess Satine rose angrily. "Stop this!"
Voe Atell got up from her seat as well, her voice terribly respectful. My nose crinkled at her. "We would ask you to respect that we deal with this matter ourselves."
"No," Lux cried, his hands bound as he was led from the room. "Dooku is deceiving you! You will all be betrayed, just like my mother!" My jaw set as the doors snapped closed behind him and his captors. What if that were true? Did Dooku murder Mina?
If so….
"I apologize for such a rude interruption," Lawise announced to the room. "Please let us continue."
The representatives all settled back into their chairs, the room filling with a low mumble as they reorganized themselves. I took the opportunity to lean down again, my hand still held against Padme's shoulder.
"Senator, we can't just let them take him. He could be killed for what he said. And if it's true…"
Padme looked at me over her shoulder, nodding slightly, her brows furrowed. "Do what you can. But be discreet."
I smirked. "If I'm not, you can just blame the bounty hunter."
"Not funny."
Still, despite the words that left her mouth, the slight glimmer of humor was back as I turned and slipped from the room before the discussions could continue. I guess that meant she trusted me to save Mina's son.
I only hoped she was placing that trust correctly.
A quick shuttle back to the landing platforms revealed Bonteri to me again. The Separatist platform was crawling with commandos-and these ones were armed, since they were outside the city.
Osik.
Ducking between crates, I made my way to the right edge of the platform, watching Bonteri be led up the ramp past two guards. Apart from those two, I counted another patrolling the walkway and a fourth at the front of the ship.
Chewing the inside of my cheek, I slipped along the side of the walkway, staying out of sight. I stopped, pressing myself to the metal wall, listening to the droid walking on the platform above. My eyes closed, my hand opening at my side, palm facing the sky. The Force moved at my gentle nudging, closing around the commando walking its patrol route.
My fingers clenched quickly, my fist dragging backwards. With the movement, I pulled the droid with the Force, sending it hurtling past me and towards the desolate surface of the planet far below.
Of course, this drew the attention of the other droids. But not enough for them to call for help. I leapt from the ledge, knowing three commandos would be looking over it any moment. Thankfully, while the Mandalorians had taken my weapons, they didn't take my grapple.
I aimed it up, the tether securing against the underside of the platform and swinging me to the opposite side. A little help from the Force and a whole lot of practice…. And I was up on the left side of the platform, the droids all searching frantically off the other side.
I couldn't help but smirk as my grapple detached and I raced aboard after the Bonteri boy. The Force moved darkly, and while I knew he wasn't aboard, I knew someone was conversing with Dooku. It was freaky, how powerful his presence could be, even when he wasn't fully there.
The Force whispered as I hurried after Lux's signature; He was in trouble. I stopped at a door, a familiar pompous voice speaking, "I think it is time we reacquaint the young senator with his mother. Kill him."
Nope.
The door hissed open under my touch, revealing a kneeling Bonteri before a hologram of Dooku. Two commandos stood on either side of the young man. With a confident smirk to Dooku, I thrust out my hands, the first droid rocketing backwards and into the hologram projector. The count's image disappeared as I vaulted off the wall, slamming my feet into the faceplate of the second commando. They fell together in a sizzling heep, their mechanics whirring.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Do you care?," I replied, waving his curiosity away. We'd have time for that after we were gone. "I'm not currently trying to murder you, so I'd say that I'm a step up." I gestured to the fallen droids, my hand on my hip.
Admittedly, I probably didn't look like much. The only tough-looking thing about me was the scars that marred my face. I didn't even have my beskar to make me look intimidating. I was in more civilian-typical clothes-gray pants with a black leather jacket. It's not like I looked like a bounty hunter. Or someone who could Force-push a droid into a wall.
Thankfully, Lux shrugged in agreement, following me into the elevator. As we descended, I tapped my comms, wishing the Mandalorians had let me keep my advanced communications system. And by that, I mean that I wished I could call to Apex for help.
Still, R2 wasn't a poor substitute by any means. "R2," I said into my comms, waiting for the door to hiss open again. "Prep the shuttle. We've gotta go." The astromech beeped back dutifully, but with a touch of snark.
I smirked, thankful Anakin had loaned R2 to Padme. He did that a lot, actually, which made me even more sure that they were the worst kept secret of the Jedi Order. I mean….her protocol droid was literally Anakin's creation.
I shook that thought away, focusing on now. Leading Lux from the elevator when the doors snapped open. The commandos that had been searching for me earlier had returned to their posts beside the ramp. I raced down the gangway, leaping onto the back of the first commando. Locking my legs around its hips, I swung my weight sideways, pulling us both to look at the other droid.
The other guard was aiming at us, but not firing since the commando was in my way. I wrestled with my captive quickly, firing off two shots from the commando's weapon to take out the other. I finally wrenched my arms sideways, ripping off my captor's faceplate.
Landing deftly on my feet, I glanced at Lux, who just seemed shocked. "Come on," I growled, leading us away as the final guard at the ship chased after the sound of blaster fire. We hurried across the landing pads, more commandos converging on our position and opening fire without hesitation.
I still didn't have my weapons, so there wasn't much I could do but run faster and hope the young senator had kept his cardio up. I ducked into the gorgeously decorated halls that threaded through the landing pads. I was surprised to see the senator right on my heels as we rounded a corner.
"You were with Senator Amidala," he panted as we ran, ducking blaster fire. "Listen, I appreciate the help but-"
I grabbed his collar, dragging him around a corner as four shots rocketed past where he had just been standing. Glass shattered to the floor around us when the shots decimated the glass walls. He breathed slowly, moving to thank me, but I ran off. "Run now, talk later," I called.
Thankfully, he seemed to agree, following me through the winding paths I'd memorized on the flight here. Padme had been busy with the other senators attempting to develop a plan for their peace negotiations. So, being who I was, I planned for the worst and memorized the layout of the landing pads….especially the areas occupied by the Republic and Separatist forces.
I rounded the corner onto the platform manned by the Republic. The ship we'd arrived on-a Senatorial shuttle called 'Phoenix'- was well-guarded by Senatorial Guards. "Captain Taggart," I called to the leader I recognized, having met him many times when I worked for Padme, "I've made some friends."
He dropped his gun from his shoulder as I stopped beside him, Lux racing out of the hallway after me. The sound of the droids approaching echoed towards us. "Friends?" the captain repeated, slowly turning his weapon towards the hall entrance.
"Care to say hi?" I asked sarcastically, grabbing Lux's shoulder when he was close enough, only to throw him behind me and towards the shuttle.
"We'll cover you, sir," Taggart yelled dutifully as his men opened fire on the incoming droids. I turned and ran after Lux, following him up the gangway and into the shuttle.
I tapped my wrist comm swiftly. "Go, R2," I called, hearing the engines engage. The droid dutifully navigated us away from the platforms outside Sundari before we even made it to the cockpit. The moment we did, he beeped happily, notifying me of an incoming message.
I sat in the seat closest to the console, patting the astromech's head as he rolled past and out of the room. "Kida," Anakin's voice greeted through the hologram as he shimmered into existence, "Padme just contacted me." I flinched slightly at his informal reference to the senator. He didn't know Lux was with me. "She told me the peace negotiations have all but collapsed." That was unfortunate. As much as I never expected them to succeed, I still held some small hope that my pessimism wouldn't be right for once. "Where are you?" the Jedi finally asked.
"Senator Amidala," I said with a blatant clear of my throat to tell Anakin I wasn't alone, "Sent me after Lux Bonteri after the Separatists threatened his life. We're on our way to Coruscant now." I didn't worry about whether Padme could get back. She was more than safe on Mandalore until an alternative transport could be found.
"Master Jedi," Bonteri interrupted over my shoulder, earning a raised brow from me, "I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble."
"It's fine," I dismissed, sensing Anakin's interested expression. "The Republic can keep you safe from Dooku." Strangely, I felt some disappointment from the boy. What was I missing? I wanted to root into his mind a bit more, but I had to be careful. He was a clever one, and I wouldn't go unnoticed if I didn't take my time. And right now, Skywalker was talking again.
"Alright," he conceded, "Bring Bonteri to Coruscant immediately and we'll discuss giving him amnesty."
"Got it." I tapped the projector, cutting off the connection with Anakin. When I rose to calculate our jump, though, a darkness moved in the cockpit. I turned around abruptly, seeing Lux aim a pistol at me. "What the shab are you doing?" I growled, my muscles coiling in apprehension.
"I can't go with you," he said, holding me at gunpoint. "I don't even know who you are. You work for the Republic and wield the Force, but you're not Jedi."
I popped my hip, my arms crossing grumpily. "A thank you, would be nice," I mocked him, acting unbothered by the weapon in my face. "And no, I'm not a Jedi. But clearly I work for them." In a flash, I reached out and ripped the gun from his inexperienced grip, turning it back on him.
Lux raised his hands to his side, his eyes wide with shock. "Don't."
"Relax, pretty boy," I chuckled, taking the aim off him and examining the weapon. "Where did you even get one of these? You're a senator's kid, not a fighter."
The boy frowned at me. "My mother was." I glanced away as he continued, the gun dropping to be held at my side. "And I'm no longer a Seperatist, either. I won't join the Republic."
I crossed my arms. "I never said you had to. But if you want protection, the Republic is your best bet. Especially since you're running around accusing Dooku of murder."
"There is a different way." The way he said that scared me. His voice deepened, the energy around him darkening ominously.
"Oh? Enlighten me."
His anger flared slightly as he sighed at me. "I've already made contact with a group on Carlac who are noble and are allied with my cause."
"Your cause?" My brow lifted suspiciously. Anytime anyone said they were aligning with a group that shared their goal….oftentimes led to me finding out that someone was associating with a very dangerous group. "And what might that be?"
The Force darkened around the young Bonteri boy. "To kill Dooku."
I couldn't help the snort of laughter that burst from my nose. I crossed my arms again over my leather jacket, giving the kid a smirk. "I've tried that. Trust me, the only one you'll succeed in killing is yourself." I cast him a sideways glance as I approached the console again, beginning to type in the coordinates for Coruscant. "Besides, your plan doesn't seem to be well thought out, Bonteri. If it weren't for me, how would you even be alive right now?"
I felt him move before her did, making me pivot in my stance beside the pilot's chair. "Like this!" the young senator grunted as he lunged forward with a taser. I grabbed his wrist, but was surprised by his strength. Both of his hands slammed down over mine, shoving the taser down and into my chest.
"You-" I would have cussed him out in every language I knew, but my blood felt like it was boiling in my veins from the electricity. I blacked out, my legs buckling.
The boy was kind enough to catch me as I fell, cradling me against him. "I'm sorry," I heard him whisper. It sounded genuine.
Of course, that didn't mean I wasn't going to punch his lights out the second I woke up.
MANDO'A
Ka'ra- stars; ruling council of fallen kings
Shab- fuck