ADAS KALLIG

„So, I want to make sure I understood everything correctly" I said, desperately trying to comprehend what I just heard. Seeing my confusion about the "darksaber", Bo-Katan decided to explain the whole story of the blade and the implications of being its rightful owner. I tried to understand, but it was so absurd that I just had to double check. "You are saying that this lightsaber signifies being a ruler of house Vizsla and the Death Watch? Because in the past it belonged to a Vizsla member who became a jedi? Did I get this right?" Bo-Katan nodded.

"Yes, It was passed down from generation to generation in the Vizsla family and now it also represents the right to rule over Death Watch" She replied with a serious voice. I knew she was trying to make it sound like something important, but I wasn't really able to take any of it seriously.

Because what the fuck? Why was a lightsaber, a jedi one at that, a prized heirloom and a symbol of power over mandalorians? Did I accidentally ally myself with some secret Jedi lovers? I hoped not, as it would have been awkward. Man, Shae would flip out if she were to hear about that. Okay, maybe I was wrong, maybe there was some other reason. I had to find out if that was the case.

"So it's important, because what? It represents the possibility of peace between the Jedi and mandalorians?" Wow, even saying it was absurd. I really couldn't wrap my head around the mere concept of lightsabers representing anything positive in Mandalorian culture. It just didn't make any sense, you know?

"No! Of course not! It's a symbol of power, as it belonged to one of the greatest mandalorians, Tarre Vizsla!" Exclaimed Bo-Katan with heat in her voice, apparently offended by the mere idea. For a second she even looked at me with anger, though she quickly schooled herself, hiding it. Well, at least my biggest worry turned out to be unfounded, but it was still weird that they chose a Jedi's weapon. I mean, couldn't they just use that guy's helmet instead? It would make more sense considering Mandalorian culture. Hell, even ignoring the cultural implications, it was really impractical for the non-force sensitives to use lightsabers. They were actually quite difficult to fight with, you know? I bet that at least one of darksaber's previous wielders lost a limb trying to swing that thing.

"Fine, fine, I understand" I said with my hands raised in a conciliatory manner, deciding to drop the subject. After all, if they wanted to use the lightsaber like that, it wasn't my business. They could do whatever they wanted. I wasn't their leader or anything. But I didn't understand why we were talking about it at all. "So, what's the problem? You are Death Watch's leader and you have the blade, so there shouldn't be anything to talk about." I asked. Bo-Katan wouldn't start the conversation without a reason, so there were probably some complications with that though. She shook her head after hearing my words.

"I'm afraid it's not so easy" Bo-Katan said. She sounded tense and her face was grave, which didn't bode well. "The darksaber can only be obtained in one way. By defeating its previous owner in combat" I didn't see why it was my…

Ah, It belonged to Pre Vizsla, didn't it? Fuck, why things could never be simple when it came to mandalorians? What was I thinking, of course it had to be won in combat, as they were mandalorians. They couldn't just act like normal people and earn positions through political games and constant backstabbings, they had to make things as hard as possible.

I sighed deeply, feeling exhausted by the unexpected development. For some reason Bo-Katan trembled slightly after seeing my reaction, but I decided to ignore it. I had to think about how to resolve this. It was so stupid, why was it always me who had to be a responsible adult?

Okay, I knew what to do in this situation.

"Bo-Katan" I said, looking her in the eye and using my certified Sith voice. I acted like that because I had to sound convincing for my idea to work. I probably looked intimidating enough, as Bo-Katan's body went stiff after hearing my voice, she was also looking at me with obvious fear. It was good for a plan, but it was also a little troubling. I was quite concerned that she was always acting so scared in my presence. I had a feeling that Satine was always the braver sister in their family. Well, it certainly made sense as it was her who became a Mandalore all by herself, not Bo-Katan. However Bo-Katan was supposed to be the new leader of Mandalore, a sector allied to me, so it would be bad for her to be considered as weak by her subordinates. Fortunately I knew exactly what to do to boost her confidence.

"Y-yes?" She replied with a quiet voice, looking at me hesitantly. Honestly, I really had no idea why she was acting like that. She was so confident on Nar Shaddaa, so something must have changed since then. I didn't know what though.

"The solution to your problem is actually quite easy" I said, looking straight at Bo-Katan. She looked at me in askance, apparently not seeing where I was going with this "You just have to defeat me"

There was silence for a moment. No one said anything as the Kryze sisters were looking at me in shock after hearing my plan, apparently not expecting to hear such a simple and elegant solution. Well, I was quite brilliant, so it probably shouldn't surprise me. Satine was the first one to come to her senses, as for some reason she stood in front of her sister, as if trying to protect her with her body. Did she misunderstand something? Even if it was the case, it was still quite rude, as she should have more trust in me by now. She looked like she was about to make an objection, but before she was able to say anything, Bo-Katan put a hand on her shoulder stopping her in her tracks.

"...I understand, I will fight you," said Bo-Katan with resolution in her voice. She gave a small smile to Satine, who was looking at her pleadingly, before looking me in the eye. It proved that my plan was already working, as she was looking much more confident than before. Admittedly there was also a little bit of defeated acceptance in her eyes, as if she made peace with something, but the important thing was that she was acting more confident. I clapped my hands.

"All right! Let's start the duel!" I said, raising my fists and taking a fighting stance. Sisters probably didn't expect the fight to take place immediately, as they looked at me in shock. I mean, I could organize the fight in some arena, but it would be a waste of time and effort. After all, I knew that this fight would end instantly. "Come on, don't stall! I will even allow you to have a first strike!" I exclaimed, waiting for Bo-Katan to start. It took a few seconds, but eventually Satine moved to the side and Bo-Katan took a battle stance herself.

She didn't attack for a while though, just looking at me, unsure what to do next, probably because we were standing so close to each other that close combat was the only option at the moment. After a few seconds of indecisiveness she gathered her strength and attacked me with her right fist. It was a slow attack, as she probably already expected it would be stopped and countered.

Contrary to her expectations her fist reached me, landing on my mask-covered face. It was quite a good strike, though not strong enough to send me flying. That was why I used the force to throw myself back, rising into the air and landing on one of the tables, breaking it upon impact. The commotion made everyone at the party look at me, completely shocked by this unexpected development. As everyone started muttering, watching the scene, I was just lying on the ground, surrounded by table's broken fragments, trying to look convincingly defeated by Bo-Katan's blow. Now it was time for the last step.

"Oh, no!" I shouted, my voice loud enough for everyone to hear it. Everyone was looking at me, trying to understand what just happened. I would happily oblige."I foolishly challenged Bo-Katan to the honourable duel for the right of wielding the darksaber. I was, however, instantly defeated! She truly deserves to be the leader of the mandalorians and the wielder of the darksaber!" I exclaimed, hoping that everyone would believe it. I looked around. Most of the people were confused or had grim faces (mostly mandalorians), but some of them were smiling, like Tarkin and Talzin. Lana was grinning too, but I honestly didn't know why, as she normally disliked mandalorians. I would ask her later.

I slowly stood up, acting like It took some effort to do that. I looked at Bo-Katan, who was staring at me in silence, her eyes wide and mouth agape. I could only hope she wouldn't become too cocky after that. Confidence was good, but only in the right amount. But no one questioned Bo-Katan's right to wield the darksaber, so my job was done at the moment. I approached a still silent Mandalorian woman.

"You don't have to thank me" I said, patting her shoulder reassuringly. She didn't say anything, but I was sure she was quite grateful.