Chapter 22 – The Citadel Part 1
D145/10 ABY
Onboard the Mandalorian light cruiser, within the med-bay Tarre Vizsla was resting. The one who rescued him from the Balrog – Rayleigh 'God of Destruction', was sparring with Koska Reeves in the training room. Reeves thought the old man to be insulting, so she challenged him to single combat despite Bo Katan's protests. To Reeves this was a fight to the death, but to Rayleigh it was just another spar. He held back tremendously, repeatedly outsmarting Reeves with his vast experience. Rayleigh wanted her to become a more proficient fighter, not relying on her tricks and tools (vambraces), so he promptly disabled her weapons.
To say the least Rayleigh was not impressed, but Reeves was out of breath within 10 minutes of the spar. "This is no battle child, do not waste my time again.", Rayleigh spoke as he walked out of the chamber. Reeves was to spent to even mutter a curse.
Rayleigh made his way back to the med-bay to find Bo Katan outside speaking to Din Djarin. "When he wakes up, you must seek his wisdom. He once ruled Mandalore, and according to records it was an era of peace that rivaled my sisters' rule."
"What makes you I want to rule?", Djarin asked back.
"You won the darksabre from Gideon. It is your responsibility.", Bo Katan calmly said.
"From what Koska told me, you were given the darksabre by another mandalorian. I don't understand why we can't do the same here.", Djarin retorted.
"That situation was completely different. Mandalorians then accepted my ownership and rule, but it will not be accepted now. Din you must take up the mantle.", Bo Katan said and then she saw Rayleigh walking up to them.
"How is Koska?", she asked.
"Catching her breath. She is rash, reckless. Her fighting style leaves much to be desired.", Rayleigh said. He then entered the med-bay.
"You can stop pretending now.", he said to Tarre.
"I was just enjoying this moment of peace.", Tarre replied.
"You did well in your fight with the Balrog. You might have even won, had I not intervened.", Rayleigh said.
"Probably, but I might be dead for all we know. I have a feeling that this was the weakest Balrog in existence.", Tarre said.
"Correct. The mightiest Balrog could go toe to toe with me on my best day. Best not think about such things. You survived where others may have fallen.", Rayleigh advised.
"What ship is this?", Tarre asked.
"An Imperial Light Cruiser.", Bo answered.
"How did you come by this?", Tarre asked.
"We found Gideon thanks to the new Manda'lor.", Bo answered and gently pushed Din forward.
"I hope you'll not keep me in suspense. As you can see, I am rather blind.", Tarre commented.
"You are blind, but you were fighting that dark creature?", Din asked intrigued.
"I use the force to compensate my blindness.", Tarre answered.
"Like a Jedi?", Din asked glancing at Bo.
"I used to be one, many years ago.", Tarre answered.
"I am Din Djarin.", Din said after being prodded by Bo in the back.
"He won the darksabre from Gideon in single combat.", Bo said.
"You sent me to Ahsoka Tano, when you knew a Mandalorian Jedi.", Din said turning towards Bo.
"So, you are Grogu's guardian. Ahsoka told me about you.", Tarre said, "Don't be harsh on her. Bo Katan knew where Ahsoka was but not where I was."
"What is your relation to Ahsoka Tano?", Din asked.
"We are married.", Tarre answered.
Rayleigh sat in a corner keenly listening to this conversation. After an uncomfortable silence he asked, "How did the Balrog come to life?"
"I can only speculate. But it would seem 'The Enchantress' was involved. When I first faced it, the Balrog was using Ezra and Ava to rebuild itself. You've told me that they are with Gabriel?", Tarre finished with a question.
"Aye they are. Now tell me of your condition Tarre. You've been out cold for nearly five days.", Rayleigh commanded.
"My connection to the force is hampered and I can't feel my legs.", Tarre said.
"Understandable. Your spine is broken in multiple places.", Rayleigh said.
"We can get an exoskeleton to help you stand.", Bo spoke.
"Thank you. What do I owe you?", Tarre asked frankly.
"Just some wisdom for the new Manda'lor.", Bo said and started to leave the room. Before she could, Koska entered still breathing a little hard. She shot Rayleigh a disgruntled look, and whispered something to Bo Katan, after which she left.
"Who was that?", Tarre asked.
"That was Koska Reeves, another mandalorian.", Din said.
"We have a new problem and need your help Tarre.", Bo said.
"You would ask a blind cripple for help?", Tarre asked deadpan.
"Yes. Another mandalorian – Axe Woves has made contact. I sent him to find Fenn Rau. He found him imprisoned in the Citadel. There are some remnant Imperial forces who are now running the place. It is too much of an effort for the New Republic, so they've given it up. Rau is a good man, and the Citadel was designed for Jedi.", she said.
"I've heard of this place.", Rayleigh said.
"Before my battle with the Balrog, I could easily have freed Rau. But right now, I'm afraid that I'm not much use. Contact Ahsoka, she has infiltrated that prison and escaped once.", Tarre said.
"We don't have time. They are going to execute Rau in two days. We can reach the prison in one. Waiting for Ahsoka and the others may take time… which we don't have.", Bo said.
"Nevertheless, contact her. She will want to know my situation as well.", Tarre said.
"Alright. We will set a course for Lola Sayu and contact Ahsoka Tano.", Din said. With that he and Bo left the room.
"Thor wanted to have a word.", Rayleigh said with which he initiated a force communication used by Aesir, to form a channel between Thor, Tarre and himself.
"Allfather.", Tarre said.
"How are you?", Thor asked.
"A few days short of a full recovery.", Tarre said.
"There is much I want to say, but can't in case we are being spied on. But I do have one task for you. Right now, the children are safe on Asgard. Satine brought them with her as she came to Asgard. Fenrir has been rescued and is recuperating on Asgard.", Thor said.
"What about Skoll and Hati?", Tarre asked.
"Missing.", Thor replied, "Tarre, when you regain your strength, I want you to forge a new armour of Uru for Fenrir. You will have all that you need for the task."
"The Dwarves won't be happy.", Tarre commented.
"Their happiness is not my concern.", Thor said.
Ahsoka had just been contacted by Bo Katan. Apparently Tarre was with her, and Rayleigh was with him. She didn't say anything about his condition, despite Ahsoka asking her. She told them about their destination – The Citadel.
"Hang on, they are going to the Citadel!?", Kanan exclaimed.
"Wait what is the Citadel?", Sabine asked.
"A prison designed for rouge Jedi. During the Clone Wars I, Anakin and Obi wan infiltrated the place to rescue a Jedi master. Rex was with us, along with a small team. We barely made it out.", Ahsoka said.
"Ok, we should go now.", Hera said. She then looked at Sabine and said, "Stay here with Ezra and Ava. The rest of us will go."
"I don't like this. I… I should go as well.", Sabine said.
"Rayleigh is with them.", Gabriel said while sitting in a corner keeping tabs on Ezra and Ava. "I am here with these two."
"We'll understand if you want to stay here Sabine.", Hera said.
"No, I'm coming. Ezra and Ava will be fine here.", Sabine said determined.
Hera nodded and quickly the group departed leaving the unconscious Aesir with the second oldest Aesir.
Onboard the Ghost, the group was discussing a plan to infiltrate the Citadel. Ahsoka had asked them to stop by their home first to pick up some necessary supplies. Once they landed a few hours later, she, Sabine and Zeb quickly entered the homestead.
"What exactly are we looking for?", Sabine asked checking her supply of explosives.
"His armour.", came the answer.
While they were doing this, Hera and Kanan were contacting Satine on Asgard to inquire about the children and Fenrir. The two were greeted by Fenrir who still looked like an old man, who said that Satine had just fallen asleep.
"The kids are safe, I just put them all to sleep. Thor was here a few hours ago, checking in on them. He did not look happy. The higher ups are keeping it all secret, but the Balrog is not the worst thing that happened recently.", Fenrir said.
"Okay, we can talk about that later. Are you alright? You don't look…", Kanan began but was silenced when Hera swatted his arm.
"I still have my fabulous looks. Besides, I think Satine likes this old man look.", Fenrir said with a glint in his eyes.
"Well, your sense of humor is still so-so.", Hera said.
"How are Ezra and Ava?", Fenrir asked.
"They're getting better. Gabriel is with them.", Hera answered.
"Fenrir, we need you here.", Kanan said. Then he explained the new mission.
"Guys… I'm not cleared for duty. Most of my power has been drained away. One punch and I'll be down.", Fenrir said. "I'll ask if Bruce could come instead."
"What exactly happened to you?", Hera asked. Both she and Kanan were worried.
"A powerful beast god alpha drained away much of my life-force in order to free himself."
"I'm sorry to ask like this.", Kanan sighed.
"Its alright. I would have done the same thing.", Fenrir said.
"Rayleigh is with them. But I believe he wouldn't interfere.", Hera said.
"He will if things look dire. In case of an emergency, he will pull you all out of trouble. He is dependable that way.", Fenrir said, "Besides he always had a soft spot for Tarre."
"Got it.", Hera said.
"Why can't the New Republic help?", Fenrir asked.
"It's too much of an effort. They have other priorities.", Hera said grimacing.
"Ok, I'll ask Heimdall to monitor the situation.", Fenrir said and took the commlink to Jacen's room, giving the parents a good look at their sleeping kid. He then proceeded to show the rest of the sleeping kids as well before wishing them good luck on their mission and disconnecting. By then Ahsoka, Sabine and Zeb had returned with the supplies they needed for the mission.
D146/10 ABY
Onboard the light cruiser, the group was discussing the best strategy to infiltrate 'The Citadel'. The Ghost Crew had joined up by then. Ahsoka was leading the discussion, informing the group all she knew about the place. How even if they escaped the facility, the planet itself was hard to cross, even impossible for some (she glanced at Tarre at this).
"We can worry about that later. First let's decide on how to enter the place.", Tarre said. He was currently in a wheelchair, that Rayleigh bought from someone.
"A prisoner transfer seems ideal.", Kanan said.
"Ok, how?", Bo Katan asked.
"The Mandalorians can disguise themselves as stormtroopers. Hera, Ahsoka and Zeb can be the prisoners. I can be in Tarre's other armour, as a bounty hunter.", Kanan said. The vast majority agreed. Chopper would obviously go with them disguised as an imperial droid. Only Koska disagreed, she didn't like being away from Beskar if the situation turned into a firefight. But her protests were mostly going unheard.
Rayleigh would obviously stay back and keep an eye on things, he would also help accelerate Tarre's healing. They would reach Lola Sayu in a few hours. So, the group split up, Hera and Kanan going over to talk to Rayleigh, Ahsoka wheeling Tarre back to the med-bay. Sabine started to paint Chopper in the Ghost, where Bo Katan found her.
"Where is Bridger?", she asked.
"He's recuperating. Our previous mission went completely wrong and he almost died." Sabine said without looking at Bo Katan.
In the med-bay after making certain that they were both alone, Ahsoka tightly hugged Tarre, who was still in the wheelchair. He returned the hug and whispered, "I'm alright.", gently stroking her back.
She pulled back and said, "Every time you get away from me, you always end up in a disaster.", she said with a slight smile.
"What can I say? You are lucky for me.", Tarre returned the smile.
"How are Gabe and Skyla?", Tarre asked.
"They're okay. They're on Asgard under Fenrir and Satine care.", Ahsoka said.
"What about Ezra and Ava?", Tarre asked.
"Getting better. Under Gabriel's care.", Ahsoka answered. "What about you? Rayleigh mentioned that your connection is broken?"
"It's healing. It will be a while before I can get back to mission ready state. Could you help me up?", Tarre asked. Ahsoka then gently helped Tarre stand on his feet. She supported him while he tried to take a step towards the table in the med-bay where Mjolnir lay. He nearly collapsed after two steps. Ahsoka encouraged him slightly, saying that two steps were still better than one.
"Oh… I am full of miracles.", Tarre said.
"I didn't say it was a miracle.", Ahsoka smiled.
Tarre then stretched out his arm calling Mjolnir, but it refused to budge. He then spent a few hours trying to call Mjolnir to him, but the hammer remained motionless.
"Tarre its okay.", Ahsoka said but she felt no frustration from him, only calm determination. The two then heard over the intercoms that they had almost reached Lola Sayu.
