The following day, 0948 hours

A soft hand grazed Karel's chest through his flight suit as he basked in the warmth of the morning sun. A smile crossed his lips as he slept peacefully, a luxury he rarely enjoyed. His blissful dreams were rudely interrupted by his father, who dropped his armored vest on his chest.

"Get up!" the lieutenant colonel ordered.

Karel woke up with a start and leapt to his feet, hastily putting on his armor as his father glared daggers at him.

"What's going on?!" he asked, panicking as he thought they were under attack.

Hamar put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him to sit on the bed, then he spoke with a calm demeanor, which was the first sign that something was not right. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

Karel looked down as he slowly started remembering what had happened, then he groaned in embarrassment as he hid his face in his hands. Hamar tried to stifle a laugh as he sat on the bed next to Karel, who leaned forward and rested his elbows on his legs, still hiding his face in embarrassment at his actions. He could already picture himself writing every after-action report they'd have to file for the rest of the war.

"I really don't need a lecture right now," Karel said through gritted teeth.

"A lecture is long overdue," Hamar replied sternly, but his attitude quickly softened as he took his helmet off. "Though I would be a hypocrite if I said I wouldn't have done the same."

Karel knew exactly what his father was talking about, as he had grown up hearing the story of how his parents had met. Hamar still remembered the day he finally had the courage to speak to Asha for the first time as if it had happened yesterday. He cherished all his memories of his late wife greatly since they and their son were all he had left of her.

"Wait," said Karel, not believing what he was hearing. "Are you saying you're okay with this?"

"I'm saying you have to figure this out," Hamar corrected. He turned to look at Karel and was met by the eyes of his late wife, a bittersweet feeling he felt every time he looked Karel in the eye. He had taken after his mother when it came to his appearance, brown hair and eyes and light skin, but his personality was nearly identical to his father's when he was his age. "I just spoke with Commander Tamm, the 41st Elite Corps just departed from Anaxes and is on its way here. Once they arrive they'll relieve us of our mission and the Jedi will take over relations with the locals. Then you and I will be out of here and on to whatever mission comes next."

"Gree will love this planet," Karel remarked. His former cadet had always been fascinated with nonhumans in general, so his assignment to the 41st Elite Corps under General Unduli was nothing short of a dream come true. "What's their ETA?"

"Fifteen hours, they should arrive tonight so you don't have a lot of time to think about this," Hamar stood up, his helmet tucked under his arm. As he walked out of the tent he spoke, "She's in the the command post. Go talk to her, and consider that an order."

"Aye, aye, sir!" Karel replied, laughing to himself.

He took a deep breath to prepare himself and considered his options. He knew that avoiding the subject would only make things worse, so he decided to face things head on. Would he have to break things off? She was technically a civilian so they weren't breaking any GAR rules on fraternization. Maintaining a relationship with her would be hard, especially as he had no prior experience in that field. With him stationed on Coruscant and her remaining on Mikkia, spending time together would be a rare occasion, but not something impossible. The hyperspace trip was only a few hours long, so he could visit from time to time using what free time he could get between missions. He'd spend a few days on Mikkia, and maybe she could also visit him in Coruscant.

"That might work," he mumbled to himself as he settled on his next course of action.

He steeled his resolve, hastily standing up. The data stream flooded his view as he put his helmet on and his HUD activated, but he paid no attention to it as he made his way on the command post. His heart raced as his feet carried him towards the ancient stone temple, but he halted in his tracks when he was halfway there. His gaze fixed on Veria as she was walked out of the command post, once again wearing her leather jacket that was missing from last night. Their eyes met and she smiled at him. He smiled back, though he doesn't realize she can't see his face hidden under his helmet, and raises a hand to greet her, his mind going blank simply from looking at her as she walked towards him.

His blood ran cold and time seemed to ground to a halt as he lifted his gaze and spotted four bombers heading straight towards them. A small radar in his HUD alerted him of the enemy contacts but he ignored it, turning back to look at the Mikkian. Panic crossed her face for a split second and she looked back at Karel as the bombers dropped their proton bombs on the temple.

She flashed him a sad smile as she accepted her fate, and for a brief moment the memory of the last time he saw his grandfather flashed through Karel's mind. He shouted a warning and ran towards her, perhaps trying to save her from suffering the same fate as Toruk, but it was to no avail as he was instead sent flying back by the shock wave of the explosion.

Karel fell hard on his back, his ears ringing as he brought himself to one knee. As he looked up from the ground, the horrible sight in front of him left him aghast, but unable to tear his gaze away as Veria laid motionless in front of the obliterated temple. His heart was pounding out of his chest as he rushed towards her, the sounds of battle around him and his father's calls for him were blocked out as he ignored the throbbing pain across his body. Reaching Veria, Karel knelt next to her and cradled her in his arms, quickly taking his helmet off and dropping it to his side.

She was covered in soot from the explosion and blood was pouring out from wounds all across her body, soaking her torn off clothes. Her gaze met his own and tears formed around his hazel eyes as the light of the burning temple reflected on them. She smiled slightly, using all the energy she had left to raise her left hand and press it against his cheek. He reciprocated the sign, trying to enjoy what few seconds they had left. She relaxed in his arms and her head tendrils waved calmly in the air. She had lived a life that, though short, was full. Regrets, she had a few: She wouldn't be able to see her home free once again, nor would she have the chance to explore the galaxy as she had always dreamed of. Maybe, had things gone just a little bit different, would she have had that chance, and maybe she would even had someone at her side during those moments, someone she could share that happiness with. Perhaps in another lifetime, if there was one, would they have that chance.

As the ringing in his ears stopped the sounds of the battle around them ceased for a moment. And in that moment, Veria whispered her last words in this mortal realm.

"Thank you."

The words echoed through his mind as the Living Force left her. Her cerulean eyes looked away from his and towards the sky of the same color. Her head tendrils grew more and more tired until they simply gave up and hung limply in the air. Karel held her in his arms a few moments longer. He hadn't said a word, not since the shock and grief had left him unable to speak for now, not since he had seen one more person die in front of him. And with her death, something inside him snapped.

As his father called for him to get up and retreat back into the jungle, Karel felt something: rage. A rage so great he had never felt anything like it before in his life. He had not felt it when his family had died, nor his brothers, so why was he feeling it now? Because now he had a chance to do something about it. He couldn't have taken all of Death Watch by himself as a little kid, and he certainly couldn't defeat the entire CIS all by himself. This time, however, he had a target, something which he could unload all that rage on for once in his life. He couldn't win the entire war by himself but maybe, just maybe, he could try to win it here.

And as he rose to his feet, putting his helmet back on, Karel ran into the jungle and headed south, focused on the man he considered responsible for Veria's death. The man who sat high above the rest of Sodra and Mikkia, the man who had so gloriously boasted about his supposed victory over the Republic, the man who had robbed him of a chance at something good in his life. That man had now become his prey.

2422 hours, Sodra, capital of Mikkia

Darkness covered the empty streets of Sodra, the light of the moon and the stars blocked by the clouds. The city was mostly comprised of low-rise buildings made of stone and Karel observed the Governor's Mansion through his rangefinder while perched atop the roof of one of these buildings. The rage that had carried him here had only intensified and he wasn't in the mood to give up. He was going to get even.

Karel moved into position as the rain was pelting down, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until he was facing the west side of the mansion. Looking down he spotted a pair of Fusiliers walking south as they patrolled the perimeter around the mansion. Karel watched them in silence, stalking his targets until they were in the perfect place for him to attack. His hidden blade springing forward is the only warning they receive as Karel pounced on them from above like an ebon hawk hunting a pair of skittermice. A loud crack was heard as their heads hit the ground and Karel quickly dragged the two soldiers behind a dumpster in a dark alley. He turned towards the mansion and rushed towards a small back door built for servants and droids at the mansion and kneeled in front of it. He jabbed his hidden blade between the panel and the wall, exposing the circuitry inside, and he began searching for the right wires to bridge. Soon enough the door opened and he dashed inside and out of sight of any other patrols.

He sneaked through the richly decorated corridors of the ground level of the mansion, which also had a basement, first floor, and a second floor. Antiquities and other relics from across the galaxy covered the walls in an ostentatious display of the Governor's wealth and power as Karel headed towards the top of the mansion, where he was sure to find his prey. He had no real plan, no strategy for how he was going to get his revenge, but so far improvisation had worked for him. He nevertheless remained aware of his surroundings, listening intently for any sounds of someone approaching. As he looked around a corner, Karel spied on two battle droids that were guarding the door to the elevator. He reached into his belt, then rolled an EMP grenade he had towards them and the two droids looked down at the metallic sphere as it beeped faster and faster.

"Hey, what is that?" one of them wondered.

Then the device activated, releasing an EMP that fried their circuits and dropped them to the floor. Karel approached, making sure that they were deactivated for sure, then he placed a hand on the control panel of the elevator. The data stream flooded his view again as he sliced into the building's systems and once he was inside the system he sealed all the exits from the building. He dragged the two droids inside the elevator quickly and pressed the button for the first floor, since the only elevator that did reach the second floor was the one located on the other side of the first floor.

As the doors of the elevator opened, Karel came face to face with another two Fusiliers. After a quick exchange of surprised and confused looks Karel attacked first, fueled by the rage that had brought him here in the first place. He drew his blasters a fraction of a second faster than the Fusiliers and the last thing both of them saw was the barrel of a WESTAR-35 followed by a bright flash of green light. What Karel did not know was that Quontera had the entire first floor of the mansion dedicated to host his personal bodyguard. The squad of twelve Fusiliers had turned the rooms lining the hallway between the two elevators into their barracks and were the last line of defense between Quontera and any attackers. Two thirds of the squad were off duty and now six of those soldiers were the only thing standing between Karel and his target.

Stealth was now out of the question and as the Fusiliers poured out of their rooms and towards the hallway Karel began fighting like a man possessed by the spirit of a long-dead Sith Lord. The cramped hallway where they were fighting forced the Fusiliers to leave their rifles and engage him in hand-to-hand combat, giving Karel an edge and neutralizing their numerical advantage. They rushed him but he held his ground, activating his flamethrower and setting one more unfortunate soldier on fire. Five soldiers now remained and Karel charged them, reminiscent of a starved reek thanks to the fangs of his helmet. One of them, the youngest if the fear in his face was any indication, was still paralyzed in shock at the massive jet of fire when Karel charged him, impaling him with his gauntlet blade in the chest. He gasped as the air left his lungs and both of them fell to the ground but Karel used the momentum he had and rolled forward. He kneeled on the ground as the four remaining Fusiliers charged to engage him in a melee, but he had anticipated this move. The repulsor of his right gauntlet fired at them and Karel recoiled from the force of the weapon, but the four remaining soldiers crashed against the closed doors of the turbolift behind them.

Karel rose from the ground as one of the men on the ground moaned in pain, having broken two ribs and his cranial horn when he crashed against the door. Karel approached him, his blaster in hand, and put the soldier out of his misery with a single shot to the head. He felt nothing as the green flash reflected on his visor, then he turned back and fired another salvo at the doors of the elevator to the ground floor as it came to a halt. The doors opened, revealing four more battle droids as they fell to the floor with a thud. Karel took the elevator to the second floor, leaving behind a trail of carnage and blood. As the elevator reached the top floor the radar in Karel's armor alerted him to two more organic contacts ahead of him, then the doors opened and he caught sight of the two remaining Fusiliers guarding the door to the governor's office room and taking aim at him. He dashed for cover behind the controls of the elevator and as the soldiers fired at the wall, Karel tossed another grenade at the enemy. The lobby was quickly filled with smoke and the Koorivar soldiers held their fire.

"Where is it?!" one of them shouted in panic.

Their lack of thermal-vision equipment proved to be their doom and a loud crack came from near the middle of the hallway as Karel sneaked behind one of the guards and snapped his neck.

"Sergeant!" the last one shouted. "Sergeant, where are y-"

His panicked calls for his sergeant ceased as Karel stabbed him between the eyes with his gauntlet blade, giving him the small mercy of a quick death. The dead body of the Fusilier was left hanging in the air as Karel pulled the blade back, dropping the body to the floor as the door to the governor's office hissed open in front of him. It was then that he saw his prey, the puppet ruler of Mikkia, looking back at him. Horror crossed Quontera's face as the Mandalorian locked his eyes on him. Quontera backed away from Karel, hiding behind his protocol droid who did not understand the seriousness of the situation.

"Excuse me, you are not allo-"

The droid's protests were interrupted as Karel launched the grappling hook on his right gauntlet, which embedded itself at the base of the droid's neck. He pulled it back and kicked the droid on its abdomen with his cybernetic foot and it shattered the droid's metallic frame, crushing most of its internal components and scattering bits and pieces of the droid throughout the room. Karel himself may very well have been a droid focused solely on completing his mission. So far he had not said a word during his rampage, nor had he done anything else to show there was a man under that armor. At that moment there wasn't a man, only an enraged warrior.

"P-Please! I'll give you anything!" the Governor begged as he backed away from Karel, but his pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears as the Mandalorian closed in on him, the blood of the last guard dripping from the blade in his right gauntlet. Karel continued walking in silence towards the governor, who trembled in fear as he bargained for his life. "Y-You want money, d-don't you? I'll give you double what they're paying you! Triple!"

The governor tripped on a piece of TC-23's frame and stumbled backwards, falling on his back. He dragged himself through the floor as he backed away from Karel and implored to be left alive. Karel stopped in front of the governor who had unknowingly backed himself against a wall, and the Koorivar averted his gaze, desperately hoping the Mandalorian would feel pity for him. For a brief moment he believed he would not die today as the blade retracted back into his gauntlet, but Karel had no intention of letting him live.

He grabbed the Koorivar by his cranial horn and dragged him towards the balcony overlooking Sodra, ignoring Quontera's cries for mercy. Karel then hauled him up by his neck as he dangled him over the handrail. He squeezed tighter and tighter, enough to bring Quontera to the brink of death without killing him yet. His arms flailed in the air as he clawed at the Mandalorian's hands.

"Let him go," a voice ordered Karel from behind.

As he looked behind he saw his father standing in the middle of the room. After making sure the surviving rebels were safe, Hamar followed Karel to the capital using the tracking device in his helmet. He didn't like the idea of Karel going rogue to exact revenge but he understood how he felt, even if Karel didn't know it. He had spent many nights blaming himself for the death of his wife and, had it been up to him, he would have hunted down every single Death Watch warrior that had shed the blood of his family. But he couldn't, not when his priority was raising his son, not when he still had something to lose.

The younger Mandalorian finally spoke for the first time in hours, still holding the Koorivar over the handrail but barely releasing his grasp enough for him not to pass out from lack of oxygen.

"Why should he live?" he asked bitterly, returning his gaze to Quontera as he balanced him between the balcony and a three-story fall.

"Because killing him won't bring her back," Hamar answered firmly. No matter what Karel chose, Hamar didn't plan to intervene. Killing Quontera was the easy way to end things, but he couldn't let Karel do this while blinded by his rage. He had to know that whatever choice he made, he'd have to live with it for the rest of his life. "How do you know this is what she would have wanted?"

There was silence between them, only the raindrops falling from the sky and Quontera's gasps for air were heard as Karel reflected on what he was doing.

"I don't," he confessed. "But that doesn't matter, she's gone."

He then released his grip, and watched as Quontera fell face-first to the ground below. His blood poured from his open skull and out onto the ferrocrete street. Karel gazed at the dead governor for a few seconds as his father approached him and stood next to him on the balcony.

Karel looked up, his gaze fixed forward as he watched the Tranquility cut through the gray clouds and descended upon the city, carrying with it the invasion force led by General Unduli. The Star Destroyer launched gunships from its ventral hangars and Karel turned back inside, speaking as he walked past his father.

"Let's get out of here."