Chapter 21

Location: The Our Lord Mandalore's Eternal Vengeance space station

In orbit above the planet Mandalore.

The Mandalore System was not just another System. Then again, Lando Calrissian wasn't just another Visitor. It was the worst kept secret that Mandos didn't view anyone as their equal. But that wasn't from blind arrogance like that of most darkside followers. Mandos earned their reputation every day. From their daily training, to their proprietary line of armour and weaponry, they relentlessly sought to widen the gulf between themselves and their clients and their enemies.

These were master craftsman in the art of warfare. That being said, Lando could not be dismissed as some self congratulating business man that had some Astrel toys. The truth was Lando was a gambler who never gambled. If he came to the card table or negotiating table, it was because he knew he could win. The Mandelorians therefore gave him the highest honour a race obsessed with self superiority could: Like apex predators comming face to face in the forest they moved slowly and carefully around each other, lest an attacked be unintentionally and unnecessarily provoked.

"Mandalorian Station! This is Lando Calrissian. I'm comming aboard!" That was his one an only hail.

He closed the channel right after he sent his message. He wasn't interested in their opinion. He needed to show force and intent, that was the only way to be heard by Mandalorians, and he needed to be heard, at least by one specific Mandalorian.

On the station, a select group of Mandos waited on the other side of the air lock. In the middle of the group was Boba and Mirta. Unlike most Mandalorians, Mirta lacked a sense of humour in tense situations. Mirta was just angry. She had been angry for the past 5 years, more than that. She had been angry since she could speak, taught by a mother who had likewise been angry since childhood. Anger directed at one man: Boba Fett. That was until a 50 year old misunderstanding had been clarified.

Since then Mirta had just been angry at everyone and no one. She wished nothing more to live with her husband on Mandalore, to make babies with him, and teach those babies the warrior ways that were their birthright. But she and her grandfather, were exiled to this retched station. Not for political reasons; they where beloved by their people. No, lingering in the atmosphere of the planet was a nanovirus that had been introduced at the end of the last civil war. The engineered virus targeted the Fett genetic code. The virus was harmless to all Mandalorians except for their Leader, and by extension, his granddaughter. Her anger would be kept in high gear until a cure or antidote was developed.

Right now though, she was showing another kind of emotion: Fear. All the Mandos in the room felt the knife's blade on their neck. But of course they wouldn't show it. That's what helmets were for. But A Mandalorian Helmet, didn't just hide fear it channeled it, it redirected it back into their opponents faces.

All of the sudden, the automatic functions of the airlock sprung to life. After half a minute, the doors parted to reveal... Lando Calrissian, followed by 8 of his Company's battle droids. The visitors came walking through the doors as if they owned the place, stoping several meters from the group of Mandalorians.

Fett broke the silence first:"Just make yourself at home, why don't yah."

Lando just stared at Mirta with disgust and hatred for a moment and then looked at Fett and said: "And what a pathetic home it is! How does it feel to be trapped on this scrap heap the rest of your miserable lives?"

Mirta's response was predictable: "You got some kinda death wish old man?"

She intended to raise her weapon and point it at his slick face, but a hand with a grip of Iron clamped on to the top of her rifle and kept it down.

"Easy kid! I've got a hunch that those Clankers behind him can't take a joke"

Boba said.

Lando cracked his first grin and said: "Listen to Gramps, Mirta; he obviously has the brains of the family."

Boba just let out a mechanically synthesized sigh. "Let's cut the poodoo Calrissian! I know why your here. But your fresh outa luck: The girl's gone. We figured out what kinda "extracurricular activities"she's been up to and sent her packin."

Calrissian's expression turned as cold and menacing as the grave. "Is that what you call it: Extracurricular activities? And you never thought to let me know?"

Fett just stood their implacable as always. "You know how it works Calrissian, It just business."

Lando put on a predatory grin and replied: "Fine!Let's do business. I got something you need and you got something I need."

Mirta had just about reached her limit and snapped: "What? your stupid droids? We got..."

she was cut off by Lando. "Like your home!

You know... If you leave that husband of yours on the planet in a cold empty bed for too long, he's just gonna fill it with another soft... warm...body."

On that note Boba stepped in front of Mirta (who was about to explode) and said "You really do wanna kill us all don't you?"

Lando's grin broke into a laugh as he said: "You know, my friend... I could go either way these days"

After a few tense moments he began again: "I'm serious about going home. I can get rid of that pesky little nano killer for you."

Boba gave a little defiant upward tilt of his helmet and said: "Don't even start Calrissian!everyone and his Bantha has promised us a cure. And guess what: It ends up being a bunch of hot exhaust."

Lando responded with a exasperated expression: " Oh I know. All the Qrephs had to do was dangle that in front of you, and you become good little Mandos and danced to the tune they play for you. After the grief your bucket heads caused me last year, I got to work on cutting your puppet strings. Turns out we already had a cure... we'll sort of."

Boba asked the obvious question, with deadly seriousness: "You Sleemo! You had a cure and never told us?"

To which Lando threw his own words back in his face " You know how it works Fett, it's just business!"

Lando savoured the moment while the Mandalorians where left bested by his repartee.

"I'm serious...I can have you back on Mandalore tonight".

With that he lifted up a hand held holoprojecter. And the 3D image of a missile appeared above the projector.

"During the Vong war, our weapons research lab made this bad boy: The ACR Missile. As in Atmospheric Chain Reaction. It's similar to the Nano-virus in that you can program it to be as broad or specific as you want. But this targets chemical properties not DNA. We never used it though. By the time we perfected it the Vong war was over. And a weapon this powerful would have gotten a lot of push back from the GA and Jedi, so we just kept the prototypes in storage at our secret research facility.

You can program it to wipe out anything with a unique Vong molecular structure. Or you can program it to wipe out any carbon base life forms; that's everything. You launch, it strikes the surface and creates an atmospheric chain reaction that spreads planet wide. The target just looses all molecular cohesion and just blows away into nothingness."

Boba's only response was: "Well that's one way to solve all our Problems. Isn't it?"

Lando answered with "Your precious world would be fine. My people have it programmed to target only the nano killer. After the shockwave sweeps through the atmosphere, the Virus will be toast."

"And Im just supposed to trust you not disintegrate every Mando on the planet?"

Lando answered plainly: "No trust needed. If I kill off Mandalore, then you kill me, and I die without avenging my family. Plus I need you to help me find Savara (the only name, the Mando's knew her by)."

Mirta, grabbed her Ba'buir's arm at the elbow, and squeezed. He took this as meaning "This is it, this is what we've been waiting for."

Fett asked Lando: "What makes you think we know where she went?"

He said: "Oh, you got to have some idea... I know she left Base Prime with your girl here, and I've heard she's been seen working with Mando's this past year. I know you Fett! You wouldn't leave someone that powerful at your back. I know You got eyes on her."

This was It. Boba Fett had to make a choice. He didn't have the force, but he had instinct and experience. Both of these told him Lando hadn't completely lost his mind, not yet anyways. He was probably saving that meltdown for Savara, and wouldn't waste it on wiping out Mandalorians. Nothing was certain. But judging by Lando's downward spiral over the last week or so, this opportunity wouldn't last long.

So he said "Fine. We got a deal."

Lando finally let a little bit of his ice melt and said: "Take me to your command centre."

With that the group made their way to station's central hub. Once inside, Fett ordered his crew to monitor the planet down below and the battle Cruiser docked to the station. Lando looked at Fett for the go ahead, and Fett replied with a nod. He took out his comlink and said: "Launch!"

Boba Fett just stood their as confident as a mountain, but underneath his helmet his jaw was clenched so hard, he thought his teeth might shatter.

This was it. THIS WAS IT. The image on the large overhead Data displays was very anti-dramatic. It just showed a small blinking object headed toward a large circle that represented Mandalore. In space the whole thing was quite the spectacle. The missile was launched from the light Cruiser in a flash of blue light. After that the actual missile rapidly grew invisible the further into the distance it flew. Soon all that could be seen was the faintest bluish/white efflux from the missiles propellant. And then the looming planet seemed to swallow it up as it entered the atmosphere. For about 30 second there was nothing... then...A blinding flash of light:

Impact!

That you could see from the stations viewports. Out of the centre of the bright impact, came a circular blue energy wave. It Kept growing in size and getting wider until it was clear that the wave would travel over the entire surface of the planet. The sight was such a perversion of physics, that it paralyzed the lungs and liquified one's resolve. Inside the station's command centre, all was quiet except for the odd light tapping of armoured fingers or toes on deckplates and desk consoles.

The silence seemed to be suddenly blasted to oblivion when Fett quietly ordered : "Open a channel to Goran Beviin on the surface."

Which was followed by: "At once my Mandalore!

... (after a few seconds)..."Channel open sir!"

At that, Boba spoke: "Beviin...(no response)...Beviin!... (still nothing)..."

Panic was poised to strike Boba when he said a third time: "Bevi..." his words were cut off by the ever loud and ever cheerful voice he had come to depend on.

"Mandalore! What kinda toys you playin with up there?"

Boba was overcome with such strong emotions: He was thankful he hadn't betrayed his people. He was overjoyed that his friend was still alive. He was in disbelief that he could... return home... He could watch his future great grandchildren learn the warrior craft on ancient warrior soil... Thankfully he could always count on the trusty beskar fordged sidekick that rested above his shoulders to keep his emotional lapses, their little secret.

"Beviin! I'll tell you all about it tonight...at your house. Gotta go..."

Goran started to say: "Wait Mand..." but he was cut off.

Fett then turned to one of the techs and asked: "Well?" To which the tech answered. "Our bio scans are not detecting the virus anywhere!"

Boba then said to the tech : "The Dagger Tracker... give me the card."

The technician reached over to a large console that had over 50 small data cards plugged into corresponding slots. He ran his finger down a line of them, then pulled one out. He handed it to Fett who in turn tossed it to Lando.

"We gave her a dagger. It has an embedded tracker on it. That card will link up to the tracker."

Lando eyed the card, then Boba and smiled while saying: "Kriffing Mandalorians."

The tracker worked brilliantly. Within minutes of returning from the station they began to track her. Vestara had spent no time leaving the core. She was in the outer rim now. Taking the Ramma Trade Route, she had just flown past Sullust,...

"Where in space is she going?" He thought as he just stared at the tracking map.

Then a days old memory came clearly into focus. The recording of Vestara and VoxHayly.

He said something... "What did that creep say... agh!"

He thought he said this in his head, but judging by the looks of his staff, it must have slipped out. Then Lando remembered.

The Senator had told Vestara: "After this, you can tell your fellow Sith the deal... is on."

That's where she was headed to now!

The Sith! KESH! If that was true then she was as good as home free. No way he had enough droids to fight a whole planet of Sith... Unless...

He didn't have to. He had the answer. Vestara was a mass murderer heading to a whole planet of mass murderers. He was about to do something the other Lando could never. But that Sleemo had a beautiful loving wife, and the galaxy's most adored little boy. That Lando had no idea what he had been through. He was going to do this. He needed to do this! It wasn't just about vengeance. He was going to throw the galaxy a freebie this time.

"Trent" he called out.

To which he heard back: "Sir?"

Lando hesitated, he couldn't afford to hesitate. Hesitating meant thinking and thinking would sabotage his confidence.

He had to just hold his breath and dive. "I need you to get a team to pack a Mark1ACR aboard one our Silent Survs (Stealth Surveillance Drones)... I want it ready to launch in 2 hours."

Trent hesitatingly asked: " Launch where, if I may asked sir?"

Lando pointed at the blinking, slow moving tracker marker on the map.

"Lock on to the tracker, and send it after her."

Vestara was flying right into the heart of darkness and Lando had no choice but to follow her.

Although in his case, the darkness was his own.