The star lines receded back into their normal positions as his ship was exiting hyperspace. Sedyn Merrick kicked on the sublight drives to take over for the hyperdrive. He kept his ship at steady heading and speed.
All was clear on his scanners. There was the typical traffic of cargo ships, staying within the defined safe vectors for civilian starships. Even five years after the New Sith Wars ended it was still so strange to see ships without escort corvettes and frigates. In years past he would have expected to have to wait at the edges of the system with those escort ships before Odessen Space Traffic Controller could clear him to move into the system. Now it was just smoothe flying. He didn't have to fly in the safe vector corridor as the mines had been disabled, disarmed, or completely removed from the system per the Republic's disarmament reforms. The only strange things were that one of the Bastion class system defense platforms was gone, along with most of the capital ships. Stupid aruetii, just because there was no major war doesn't mean they should have disarmed. He thought oh well, it probably will end up meaning that some of the larger and more powerful clans will be up to their necks with security contracts soon. Perhaps they'll even contract the whole of the Mandalorian fleet for the job.
It was a good business but he had been out of the mercenary job since the war ended, switching to armstech and bit of freelance bounty hunting, mainly for Mandal Hyperworks when they had some particular brave or stupid pirates or gangsters started raiding their shipments or warehouses.
He hadn't been back to Odessen since the war ended when he went to pay his respects to Amos and Josiah after their grandfather died at the end of the war. They were good people despite being jettise. Amos in particular was someone he was proud to call his friend and a brother in arms.
It had been quite a few months though since he had heard from him, so when Amos called him suddenly and said he needed him at Odessen and that it was important, Sedyn knew he had to fly out there.
His console's comms began beeping. The Oddesen Traffic controller finally woke up it seemed.
This Odessen Traffic Control said, "hailing ship, Errant Hunter, requesting clearance code for non civilian vector".
Sedyn switched on his transmitter and replied, "This is Sedyn Merrick, I am transmitting clearance code".
There was a brief pause, before a different voice said, "We have received your clearance code, I apologize for the confusion sir. You are to land at Royal Landing field 2. His excellency is awaiting you".
Sedyn chuckled, Amos hated being referred to by the royal titles that the people of Odessen and the other systems that fell beneath his family's banner gave him. It brought fond memories of their childhoods when they would sneak out of the citadel to explore the capital city. Many Jedi didn't like Mando'ade but the Jedi of Odessen were different. They had always welcomed any clan or individual Mandalorian that opposed the Sith. During the war it wasn't uncommon to see ships or warriors belonging to Clan Lok, Ordo, or Cadera in the orbital docks or planetside of Odessen.
It wasn't long before he touched down onto the Landing field. As he exited his ship he saw his old friend Amos waiting for him.
Amos said, "Su cuy'gar, burc'ya"?
Sedyn replied as he clasped Amos' arm in a firm Mandalorian hand shake, "Su cuy'gar, yourself. How are you and your brother"?
Amos said with a resigned look, "That is what I wanted to talk to you about my friend. Come we'll speak more after some ne'tra gal and tiinglar".
Sedyn said "Alright, then let's move as I get the feeling something serious has happened".
Amos replied, "You're certainly not wrong".
They ate and drank until they were full.
Sedyn said, "So what is so important and sensitive that I had to fly all the way out here. What happened to your little brother"?
Amos said, "My brother and his master have gone missing. They were on a mission to hunt down a pirate gang who had acquired a number of Sith artifacts and military equipment after the war. They haven't been heard from in almost months. Which means something went wrong. We know they must have at least partially succeeded as the pirate group hasn't been heard from since. I figure their long range communications transmitter and primary hyperdrive must have been knocked out. Their ship was a Defender V class Corvette. With emergency power they should have enough power to keep life support for another month. Hopefully they managed to find a habitable world and landed there so they divert power to any remaining transmitter".
Sedyn said, "I assume those Jedi senses tell you he is alive, right"?
Amos replied, "Correct".
Sedyn asked, "I am more than willing to help look for him, but why do you need me when you have dozens of warships to conduct the search"?
Amos said, "You may have noticed the missing orbital defense platform and capital ships?
Sedyn said, "Yeah, but I chalked it up to them being on an exercise deployment or searching for your brother after what you told me".
Amos said, "They would be searching for them if I still had them".
Sedyn asked, "What do you mean"?
Amos answered, "In order to maintain the autonomy of my sector and the systems that swear allegiance to me I had to agree to a major disarmament program. Pretty much every ship larger than a Light Cruiser was to be decommissioned, sold, or confined to the sector and have attached observers. After the final Battle of Ruusan we had a dozen Vortena class Heavy Cruisers, half again as many Hammerhead class, Four Valorous Class Fleet Carriers, a Vanguard class Battlecruiser, and two Sovereign Class Battleships. Now we have six Vortena class Heavy Cruisers, no Hammerhead class cruisers, and no flagships. The Valorous Class Fleet Carriers, the battlecruiser, and battleships have been sold for scrap metal. The only reason why my number of escort ships and support ships has remained untouched is because we are so far out on the Galactic edge that pirates can easily find chokepoints and refueling waypoints to trap trade convoys".
Sedyn asked, "Firefek, that's pretty much your entire fleet. What about the planetary assault ships"?
Amos replied, "Half of them have been stripped of their weapon systems and turned into disaster relief ships for the Senate's Emergency Response Agency, a quarter of them were sold to other sectors, and what remains is currently searching for Josiah and Master Hulis".
Sedyn said, "I see, well it's a good thing my new ship was designed for long range patrols and scouting so I have a fairly large range and supply of consumables. We can take off as soon as I refuel my ship if you want".
Amos said, "I would gladly join you, but the final part of my agreement was that I and any Jedi Knight or Master sworn to my family would not leave the sector. Those lickspittles in the Council were afraid that we would send the wrong image of the galaxy and spread our ideals to other Jedi. They have observers even on Odessen".
Sedyn said, "You should never have agreed to those terms".
Amos said, "Hindsight is 20/20. The wars against the Sith drained our coffers, worlds like Zakkul are still having outbreaks of Candorian plague that Sith unleashed on one of their last offensives before Ruusan. We're unable to maintain a lot of the old systems that controlled the massive Spires on Zakkul. Iokath is getting even more dangerous. Out of half a dozen expeditions to recover lost technology or reclaim factory districts, none returned alive. The latest report shows that we recently lost one of the primary factory zones that produced the RT series of repulsor tanks. I needed to get aid from the larger galaxy. We needed medical supplies, medical personnel, engineers, construction crews, and et cetera".
Sedyn said, "I didn't know it was that bad".
Amos chuckled, "You must think I am dikkut for wanting to maintain the status quo of my sector and people"?
Sedyn answered, "I gave up second guessing your crazy plans after Balmorra. You always got some plan or reason for what you do".
Amos laughed at that, "Thank you my friend for that. I forgot about Balmorra and how we wrangled the colicoids to lead a counter charge against the Sith. My grandfather thought I was mad when he saw us riding atop a pair of colicoids riding down the mountain slope into the Sith lines", he paused before continuing, "but you are right. Before my brother and I journeyed to Coruscant to speak with the High Council, I initiated a referendum to allow the people of the sector to decide their fate. They overwhelmingly chose to maintain their autonomy from Coruscant and the Jedi High Council. Living on the Galactic Frontier and having to rely on oneself for safety made them pretty distrustful of centralized authority. Especially when that central authority was telling them to disarm. Not just in the standing professional military but the private militias and citizens as well".
Sedyn said, "Under those circumstances I would have told Coruscant to kiss my shebs too".
Amos smiled and replied, "Aye, my friend. I will drink to that".
Sedyn clasped Amos' forearm and said, "I will find Josiah. You have my word on that".
Amos said, "You always come through for me, burc'ya".