Chapter 96 - Operation Cinder

Author's Note: Sidious never dies easily. ;)

~ Amina Gila

Marr knows nothing of the faceless Mandalorian, beyond his name. It's probably all he will ever know, seeing that he's one of those who believes they have to always keep their helmets on. It's not a belief he'd criticize, even if he definitely doesn't understand it. He can't say the same for Bo and Anastasia, but they've become... more tolerant of differences over the years.

"As the Mand'alor, what do you intend to do?" Marr asks.

He can feel Din's uncertainty. "I'm expected to rule Mandalore?" he queries.

"You are," Marr replies, "If you chose to do so." He had never led Mandalore in the normal way, but he still led it to victory against those trying to oppress it and destroy its culture, so that's something.

"You can have it back," Din offers, unclipping the Darksaber and holding it out to him.

Marr tries to suppress his amusement. "No, that is not how it works."

"Why not?"

"I lost it. I do not deserve it anymore. You earned it fairly."

"The person I won it from did not win it fairly."

"Maybe not, but it's still no longer mine. I can't just take it, and it's in your possession. I have no intention of fighting you for it." Regardless of what Anastasia keeps advising him. "In truth, it is the story that makes people support the Mand'alor. If they just found it, there is nothing inspirational about it."

Din feels decidedly unhappy and confused, but he doesn't object.

"This isn't something you need to do anything about now," Marr says, "I did not for a long time either."

They pretty much leave it at that. Din obviously has no idea what he's going to do now, and Marr can sympathize. It's not something he can really offer advice on, though. The choice is up to Din, and right now, Marr more than has his hands full with the aftermath of everything.

Ruling an Empire is not something Anakin has experience with, even if he's doing a really good job. Marr thinks the only reason it's working so well, actually, is because there's no Senate right now to object to any of the things he's doing – or to object to his rule at all. They're trying to reinstate Senators from everywhere as quickly as they can, but it's hard when so many were killed. It's also hard to make sure they can get rid of the corruption while they're trying to do so.

"Saying this is a disaster is an understatement," Marr grumbles.

"I see no way to remove corruption without keeping an Empire for a time," Anakin says, something he's stated repeatedly.

"At this point, I don't believe there is any other way," he replies, "I can see why the Republic fell now."

"Palpatine held it together," Anakin admits, "There is unrest everywhere now. Some Imperials are demanding that I take action against the Rebellion, regardless of if they want peace. Some want me to take action against you personally."

Marr winces. "I knew many people would be upset about it, but it was the only way I saw." He knows a lot of the footage from the battle was mysteriously leaked to the public, to make the Rebellion look bad, and in many ways, it worked. Even people who don't support the Empire are not necessarily happy with the things the Rebellion did. Marr himself isn't, but sometimes, he knows that fighting like that is the only way.

"He would have destroyed the galaxy in time."

"Yeah," Marr mutters, "But right now, I could almost wish he was still alive, so we could force him to clean up this mess. Now I see why Bo usually takes flame-throwers to everything that annoys her." Because right now, he's highly tempted to do the same thing to the newly constructed Senate.

"She does?"

"I may be exaggerating a little."

"Maybe you're just having problems thinking of unique solutions," Anastasia calls, breezing into the room.

"What kind of 'unique solutions' are you proposing?" Marr inquires, raising an eyebrow.

She smirks in a way that very much makes him wish he hadn't asked. "Well, who's causing the most problems?" she asks, cheerfully.

"I think everyone is causing their own share of problems."

"Many Imperials will not cooperate with the Rebellion. There are areas of Rebel resistance who will not cease fighting, and many others are trying to claim all that they can in the chaos," Anakin replies.

"And crime organizations are still flourishing," Marr adds.

"It was your idea to make a deal with them," Anastasia teases.

"I didn't make a deal to help them," he defends.

"It has made it easier to locate them," Anakin interjects.

"Well, if the biggest problem is stubborn Imperials and Rebels, then maybe you need to get married to one of the top rebel leaders."

There's a moment of absolute silence, except for the respirator.

"What?" they both demand, simultaneously.

"An arranged marriage," she sing-songs, "Never heard of it?"

"What century were you born in?" Marr asks flatly, "Are you certain we're twins?"

"You have to admit, it's a novel solution."

Anakin's emotions suddenly feel strangely subdued – shifting towards depression again, and Marr frowns. "Are you... alright?"

"Padme was best suited for this... role," Anakin replies – it would have come out quietly, if not for his vocoder.

"Perhaps," Marr agrees, solemnly. But she's gone, and there's little either can say about them. He doesn't even know how she died, but he doesn't know that now is a good time to ask for details. No time probably is.

He remembers years ago, when they were talking about how much they wanted a family, and Anakin wanted to settle down with Padme. They may be back together again, but that will never happen, and Anakin's children are already almost adults. He'll never get to raise them. Nothing can make up for how unfair that is. Even if he... did, could, eventually remarry and have children – Marr doesn't know if it's physically possible, and he doesn't want to know – it wouldn't make up for what he lost with Luke and Leia.

"But we can figure it out," Marr finishes finally.

"Yes, of course," Anakin replies, firmly. Because he will never back down from a challenge. That's something Marr has always noticed, but it seems especially true now. It's... He thinks it's partly a result of his slave mentality. That, too, seems far worse.

The same is true for how he seems to be constantly expecting instructions from the only person who can give him much now. Marr. And that's... he doesn't really know how to feel or what to do about it. How do you even begin addressing this mental state? It's like Anakin has no idea how to operate on his own whatsoever. He always expects orders, to the point that he seems totally lost on what to do if he isn't. He takes the leadership role only if he has a fight to win – which is true in a manner of sorts for the Empire.

It's something probably only time will begin to heal. Maybe. Marr has no experience with this whatsoever, and it's not like anyone around him has any better of an idea. So, for now, all he can do is help Anakin in every way he does know and focus on trying to keep the galaxy from shattering completely. He wants to go back to Mandalore eventually, but right now, that isn't an option. His help is needed here, and besides, he wants to be with everyone in his family – new and old – right now.

**w**

Crises pop up almost constantly when they're trying to run a shattering Empire – now Marr really understand why Anakin didn't want to just kill Sidious like that – but he wasn't expecting this. There are reports coming in from all over the place about extremely destructive storms that are raging across the planets' surfaces. Even on planets like Naboo.

Normally, it wouldn't have been worth giving reports like that to the Emperor, but there's also strange reports of excessive Imperial activity in the region – none of which Anakin has sanctioned.

The Force hums with a disturbing sense of warning, and Marr does not like the feel of this. From how tense Anakin seems right now, he can tell that he suspects something similar. Somehow, this is connected to Sidious, and Marr doesn't know how. It doesn't make any sense. Sidious is dead – he shouldn't be able to continue haunting the galaxy.

But they don't have to wait much longer for an answer. Many Imperial troopers are loyal to the Empire and getting ahold of a certain, circulating recording isn't that difficult.

"Operation Cinder is to begin at once," the hologram of Sidious rasps. The sight of him instantly has Marr on edge, even if he's dead. He is, right?! Anakin is radiating a mix of anger and fear into the Force. "Resistance. Rebellion. Defiance. These are concepts that cannot be allowed to persist. You are but one of many tools by which these ideas shall be burned away. Power is the only path to peace, and the galaxy will be cleansed as a reminder of who is truly in control."

"Operation Cinder," Marr repeats, swallowing past his growing horror. What is this, some twisted kind of revenge? An attempt at destroying the galaxy because he's no longer alive?

"Sidious had contingencies for everything," Anakin warns ominously. The vocoder is always mostly toneless, but he can still hear the fear there.

And it fills him with a steadily growing fury, because not only did Sidious destroy the galaxy and enslave his brother for almost twenty years – not to mention grooming him beforehand – but he literally has plans to bring everything to ruin in case he died. What's wrong with this maniac?! But ranting about it will do no good. They need to take action immediately.

"What can we do?" Marr asks, hating how helpless the situation is making him feel. This isn't something he planned for. Anakin was right, in the end. Sidious was way ahead of them. "We don't even know what's causing these storms! Assuming they're even related to Operation Cinder." They must be somehow, but he doesn't know what.

"There are reports of Imperial satellites launched in the systems," Anakin responds, "There may be a connection."

"Then we need to stop them immediately."

"I will send out an order to have them all destroyed immediately."

"Hopefully, they'll be fast enough," Marr murmurs. They can hope so. He wants to go do something personally, but he's needed here, and there's little one person could do against hundreds of satellites scattered across the galaxy. The military will have to deal with it.

The fight isn't over yet after all, and... Entire planets could fall to this. Mandalore – Is Mandalore okay?! He hasn't heard any reports from there, thankfully, but still. The planet is damaged enough already. There's been so much destruction. The galaxy and people can't afford to have even more.

All he can do is hope the Imperials will move fast enough to deal with it.

"We could expose it to the public," Marr offers, trying to stay calm and think past the tension clawing at him. "Then they'll know what Palpatine was truly like, and at least they'll be able to help with destroying the satellites."

"Yes," Anakin agrees, "That... may assist us. There is another matter to which we... may need to attend," Anakin adds, once he's dealt with the emergency orders to destroy the satellites. Tension is hanging almost tangibly in the air, and Marr barely resists the urge to pace back and forth.

"What?"

His emotions are a strange mixture of pain, anger, and fear as he keeps speaking. Something about it feels... significant. "I am aware of one of Sidious' contingencies. He has massive resources concealed on Exegol. He did not allow anyone to know of it, so I do not know how extensive these plans are."

"Then we need to deal with it immediately," Marr declares. They've been so busy since everything happened, it's hardly a surprise he hasn't even had time to mention it.

"Yes," Anakin agrees, "We may need to go there in person."

"His resources were that vast?"

"Yes. There was... much there he still did not reveal to me. He was building... weapons there. Far deadlier than we now know of. Not even I have seen the full powers he will have in store for us." And here he was thinking Operation Cinder couldn't get much worse than it already is. He really does not want to know what 'deadlier weapons' could involve. But if his resources continue building up there, it will be... bad. He doesn't want to think about it. They need to stop it before it gets any further.

"How many of his plans did you know about?" Marr asks.

Anakin stills. "Few, unless it suited him."

"How do you know about Exegol?" He can't help being curious, especially because of how something about it feels so... significant. And the way Anakin's talking about it doesn't imply Sidious just told him for some reason. There's more to the story.

"Sidious... directed me there on a quest to prove myself worthy of being his apprentice."

That's no worse than the many things Marr has heard Sidious did, but it doesn't stop him from feeling sick. No one deserves to live through that, least of all Anakin. "After... Mustafar?" he asks, hesitantly. "You don't need to talk about this if you don't want to."

"No," Anakin answers, "It was... after I attempted to locate Obi-Wan. Sidious was unimpressed with my efforts. He knew what I intended."

Marr swallows past his horror. Everything he hears about Sidious always leaves him feeling like this. There's definitely more there than just that – if the Sith demanded that Vader prove himself worthy of being a Sith. He doesn't want to know what that would have entailed. Sith learn through pain, and likely, that was it, through whatever form Sidious decided he wanted to inflict at the moment.

He doesn't want to know. The lightning scars say more than enough already. And apparently, his fear of Sidious was enough that...

'Death is a mercy'. He's never forgotten that moment, wondering for so long what would make Vader go to such a point. That he would be willing to kill him. He doesn't want the answers.

"Do we need to go there?" Marr asks, "Or do you think someone else could handle it?" He thinks it would be best if one of them did, but he doesn't know that Anakin needs to. It can't be easy for him to be constantly facing trauma like that from his past – and it's not as if Anakin would ever back down from it either, so he can only give him a way out to see if he takes it.

"We must go," Anakin replies, "There may be more than others can handle. We cannot take that risk."

Marr nods. He's probably right anyway, even if Marr doesn't like it. "Alright. Then we should go there as soon as possible." As soon as they're relatively certain the galaxy itself isn't going to be on fire by the time they get back.

**w**

The first thing that hits Marr is the intensity of the Dark Side when they fly into the atmosphere of the planet. It's suffocatingly strong here, the same way it was on Korriban when he was there all those years ago.

"This is an ancient Sith world, isn't it?" Marr asks, staring out the viewport of the ship as they fly. He doubts Sidious could manage this level of darkness on his own. From up here, he can tell the entire planet is desolate.

Lightning crackles around the ship, thanks to the strong electric charges in the atmosphere. It looks as though it's pretty much always cloudy and dark here, even during the day. There's just rocks and desert flats in every direction – except for the very obvious signs of recent movement down below. People have definitely been here, and they're building things.

"It is," Anakin replies, "It was once prosperous before the arrival of the Sith. Now, it has been reduced to... this."

"Just like Korriban," Marr murmurs.

"Yes."

"Don't tell me you've been to Korriban before," Obi-Wan interjects. He decided to come along with them, and it's... There's a strange feeling of familiarity to this, all of them working together. Marr hasn't felt it in so many years.

"I have," he answers lightly, suppressing his amusement at Obi-Wan's obvious unhappiness. "Do you know of any other ancient Sith worlds that Sidious might have a stronghold on? I imagine he'll be most likely to keep his resources there."

"Ziost and Asag are other lesser known Sith worlds," Anakin replies, "I do not know of any resources he may have there, but we should head there next."

"We should check them out," Marr agrees, "Immediately. If Sidious has strongholds there, he will continue haunting us beyond his grave."

"He will, anyway," Obi-Wan points out.

"Yeah," Marr concurs, "He will." But some things are better left unsaid.

He can't help the unease he feels when they land, but it's not as though it could be worse than everything they've faced before, and now, they're... older. Being with them again hurts – it's so much like how it was after Ahsoka left. The same closeness and conflicts, none of which have ever truly been solved.

He's glad to be with them, though, only he wishes so many years hadn't been lost. And he can only hope they can work through their conflicts without things falling apart again. He doubts that would ever happen, but a morbid part of him is still scared sometimes. Anakin and Obi-Wan both hurt each other, and... Frankly, he can only marvel at how Anakin seems to have forgiven him for it.

Then again, that was true about... Hardeen, as well. Anakin let go of it far faster than Marr thinks he should have. Maybe if he hadn't, they wouldn't have fallen this far. If Anakin had ever taken a stand to protest anything, it... But that wasn't his fault. His own family made him this way. That's what hurts the most.

Once they're here with plenty of reinforcements, it's easy enough to find where Sidious is keeping all his projects. He's building hundreds of super equipped Star Destroyers, with weapons that have yet to be fully developed, but Marr is pretty sure that they're intended to be somewhat similar to the Death Star in capability. He doesn't even want to know, but no such weapon should ever exist.

Those who are here are caught off-guard with them showing up so suddenly, and it gives them an advantage when they start blowing everything up.

Nothing here needs to be left behind, so they level everything, and Marr can't deny the vicious satisfaction he feels as he watches it all burn. These are likely not the last of Sidious' contingencies, but it's still satisfying to see his dreams for the future of destroying the galaxy going up in flames.

No, he doesn't care if that's a very Dark Side line of thought – even if Obi-Wan is grumpy about it. And for the record, Marr can tell that Obi-Wan is feeling no less smug about it.

"Are there are any... contingencies we may need to be concerned about on Nur?" Obi-Wan asks.

The Inquisitors castle.

Marr stills, and he feels the same from Anakin.

The place where – where he'd nearly killed him. Where –

He looks over at him to see the helmeted head meeting his gaze for a brief moment, before they both, just as quickly, look away. It was something he never likes thinking about, no matter how much he knows it wasn't Vader's fault. It was still – his brother was about to kill him.

"No," Anakin replies, an odd note of something Marr can't place in his tone, "I know everything there. Sidious command it's construction and design, but I... am aware of it. I led the Inquisitors."

A silence settles over them, but it's tense, awkward. Marr wants to break it, but he doesn't know how. What is he supposed to say? He doesn't like thinking about Anastasia's capture for a reason.

"Marr," Anakin speaks up at last. "I... apologize. I did not... what I was doing."

"I know," Marr replies. "I never thought about what I was doing either. Dropping the ocean on you seemed easier than getting my head cut off." Saying it lightly doesn't make it hurt any less.

"I am grateful you escaped," Anakin says, "I..."

"I know. You thought it was best at the time."

"I was afraid Sidious would find you. I knew what he could do to you. And I feared facing his wrath again."

His stomach flips. Did Sidious hear about Malachor? Did he hurt Anakin for that? He doesn't want to think about it. It feels too much like it was Marr's fault for... distracting him, though it was what they needed to do.

"How frequently did he punish you?" Obi-Wan inquires quietly. He's too blunt about these things. Marr wants to know, too, but he would never dare to ask.

"As frequently as he needed to remind me of my place." His hand drifts to lay across his stomach, likely remembering something... something else. Another one of the countless horrors he lived through.

"I don't blame you," Marr says, feeling the need to lay this to rest. "I knew, even at the time, that you were not in your right mind, but it still... hurts. I still remember it sometimes. You came so close."

They go into the cabins after making the hyperspace jump.

Marr isn't surprised when Anakin follows them, even if he's never actually seen Anakin sleeping, but that doesn't mean he doesn't. Marr honestly doesn't really know how they all ended up snuggling on the floor together, but no one says anything.

Anakin is between them, and Marr scoots closer so they're touching. Anakin's left hand reaches down, taking his hand, their fingers interlinking. The room is dark, beyond the lights on Anakin's armor, and something about that makes it even more... comfortable, in here.

"Is that even comfortable?" Marr asks in a low voice, eyeing the odd angle Anakin has his helmet turned at.

"It is... acceptable."

"We came in here to sleep not talk," Obi-Wan grumbles, though Marr is pretty sure it's only to complain about something – because he always seemed to do that in the past, and maybe partly to change the topic.

He can feel Anakin's faint amusement as they fall silent again, beyond the sound of the respirator, and he can't ignore the affection that flares through him. He can feel a reflection of it from both of them. They're finally back together again – both with the person they saw as a father figure, and it's with that thought that he finally lets himself drift off to sleep.

None of them move from their mostly asleep state until the alarm beeps, indicating they're exiting hyperspace.

**w**

"How are things with Operation Cinder?" Bo asks. It's nighttime now, pretty much the only time they have a chance to have casual chats – when they aren't too tired to do so. Somehow it seems talking about their work is the only kind of 'love language' they know, not that that's a bad thing.

"I think we have it mostly under control now," Marr replies, shifting so he can slip an arm around her. They're learning what it's like to live together again, and he didn't realize how much he missed it until now. "But the damage is very extensive."

Bo nods. "So I've heard. At least there was nothing on Mandalore."

"I think they planned to have the whole planet destroyed already by then," Marr replies, past his surge of anger.

"Then they should have known they would fail."

"Yes," he agrees, leaning closer to kiss her, "They should have." That doesn't change how much it destroyed the galaxy first, though. So many lives were lost, senselessly.

He can see Bo eyeing him with that assessing look when they pull apart.

"What?"

"For all that's going on, I haven't seen you this happy before."

"I suppose that is true," he replies, giving her a small smile, "I never thought I would see everyone together again like this."

"I never thought it possible either," she admits, "But I know how much they mean to you, and I'm glad you found them."

Marr nods. "I was hoping to go back to Mandalore soon, but I'm needed here right now." He wants to go home – seeing the Temple all the time hurts, because it will never be his home again, even if he's had to get used to being here – but right now, his family is here, and here is where he needs to be.

"We've been away from Mandalore long enough," she agrees, "For now, you're needed here, but as soon as you're not, I would like to go home."

Marr nods. "Me too. And perhaps... some of the others may want to be with me." He doesn't want to leave Anakin, and in truth, his brother doesn't even have anywhere to go. He'll probably want to stay with his children – but his children don't even live in the same place either. It's something that they'll have to work on in time, but he'll concern himself with it when the galaxy is a little more stable.

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