The blue light of hyperspace shone outside. Silence filled his room and Ken tried to meditate. This time it wasn't just to gather strength, but above all to mentally prepare for the mission.
"The Force is with me, and I am one with the Force," he murmured to himself.
He was fully focused on peering into the future to prepare for what was to come. But no matter how hard he tried, all he saw was the darkness of his closed eyes.
Knowing it wouldn't make any sense, he opened his eyes.
Suddenly a disturbing thought occurred to him. Perhaps he had seen a vision after all? Was the blackness he saw a sign of death? A sign that he will no longer return. Or did it even show him that it is coming true and a war will really break out?
No! He decided. I can't think like that now. Vandar once told him that the future is constantly changing. So if this was a vision, could he have prevented it?
He knew he needed optimism now. So there was only one place for him to go now. He walked through the wide white corridors of the ship and entered the room of his two friends.
"Ah, awake again," Keero called over to him.
Ken smiled: "We can't necessarily talk about "again."
Keero just shrugged. "Whatever. Come over and play with us."
"All right. If you really want to lose," he provoked the Ongree.
"You never learn either," Keero dismissed this remark casually. "You should know by now that I am the Pazaak master of us."
Ken was well aware of that. He had never been much of a card player. However, he had experience in Pazaak. When they were young, the three of them played it again and again, and it was also a popular game in the cantinas.
The aim of the game was to have more points than your opponent without exceeding twenty points. This can be achieved with positive or negative one to six cards. Whoever wins three sets first wins the game.
Ken took a seat.
"What about you?" he asked Vangsha as he moved to the side.
"I'll just watch you two for now," he said. "You can't play it with three people anyway."
The two players each chose a side pile from which they drew another four cards. They were now allowed to use these as trump cards until the end of the game, but only once each. Vangsha then shuffled the main deck for them.
"You start," Keero winked at Ken.
Ken could already tell he was up to something. This proved to be true a few minutes later when Keero won the game. But whatever it was, Ken didn't notice anything.
After two more defeats, Ken decided to play one last game.
"Whatever you want, buddy," said his counterpart confidently.
This time, however, he had a trick. He immersed himself in the Force and focused entirely on Keero. And then the opportunity presented itself. He was distracted. Sure Ken didn't think anything of it. Without him noticing, Ken secretly shuffled his talon with the Force.
As Keero picked up his cards, you could clearly see the surprise on his face. So he manipulated his decks and always deliberately drew the perfect cards.
"Come on. What are you waiting for," Ken urged him.
His trick worked. He won all three sets in a row, and thus the game.
Keero starts to look at the board with his side eyes in disbelief.
"Well? Are you shocked that your little scams didn't work?" Ken mocked him.
"How…?" Keero asked flabbergasted.
"Nothing escapes the quick eyes of a Jedi," Ken said sharply. "Above all, no injustices."
The two briefly fought a duel with their ice-cold looks. However, they couldn't hold back for long and soon all three burst out laughing.
"You remember back then," Keero said after everyone was quiet again. "when we played this every night and were reprimanded when we were caught by our masters?"
"How could I ever forget," Ken answered him.
"What I will never forget is when Master Kreia once saw us doing it and then even let us continue playing," Vangsha interjected.
"Yeah, I remember that," said Ken. "This shows once again how different she was from other masters."
"Seriously, how did you even manage to study properly under her."
It wasn't just Ken who knew Kreia and her methods. She was known for this throughout the order. Behind her back she was often referred to as the "Grey Jedi".
"Oh well. Despite everything, she is still a powerful and wise mentor. However, I soon secretly turned my back on her because I never understood her lessons. I just had the feeling that I was never really making any progress."
"I can imagine that," Vangsha commented.
"However, there was one thing she taught me better than any other master ever could," Ken admitted.
"Well, I'm excited," said Keero. The two looked at Ken expectantly.
"Through their completely abstract views and their very own philosophy of the Force, I realized that the Force is many times more complicated and greater than we are taught here," explained Ken. "That gave me the urge to continue researching and broaden my horizons. She showed me that you never stop learning. At least I'm grateful to her for that."
Vangsha had to smile a little. "It sounds nice the way you say it."
Ken returned his smile and the three of them looked at the ceiling in silence for a moment.
Their nostalgic tranquility was soon interrupted by the mechanical voice of a protocol droid. "Sorry, gentlemen. I should tell you that Master Hysha wants your presence. He's in the meeting room."
"All right," said Ken. "We shouldn't keep him waiting."
The three walked through the corridors until they arrived at the named room.
As they walked in, Hysha, Shesprer, and Conderb were sitting around a round table.
"Sit down," Hysha told the three of them. "We received a message."
Ken wondered what was so special about calling them here. "And from whom?"
"That's the problem," the master replied. "We don't know for sure."
"How do we not know?" Keero asked.
"The sender kept his identity anonymous," said Conderb. "However, he claimed to be a surviving Belkadan researcher. He said we should meet him on Sernpidal so that he can give us important information. Last but not least, he sent us the corresponding coordinates."
Vangsha and Keero immediately became suspicious. Ken could definitely understand that. An anonymous message from an alleged survivor on a planet just a few parsecs from Belkadan sounded anything but trustworthy.
"How credible do you think this news is?" he asked the captain.
"It was broadcast on a secret republican channel. "So it means that it has to be at least someone who works for the government, since only they are entrusted with these codes," reported Conderb.
At least that was some information he could do something with. But he still wasn't completely sure.
"What do you think of this, Master," he asked Hysha.
"I can't do more than weigh up the risks," he said. "If this is the truth, we could get a crucial clue without putting ourselves in further danger. If it is wrong, we will fall into a trap that could result in the failure of the mission and, in an emergency, cost us our lives."
Ken hesitated. An eyewitness account would be the best they could get right now. However, here too there will be a lack of evidence as to why the senate would not be prepared to take immediate action. So it wouldn't do much good. On the other hand, he hopes to use the person's information to find out more about the Mandalorians' motives and perhaps find a peaceful solution after all. In any case, he knew that as long as this chance existed, he would not give up.
"Just think about it," Vangsha encouraged him. "If it is true, there is still no guarantee of success. If it's a trap we are doomed."
Ken could only sigh in despair.
"What I'm trying to tell you is that the risk is too high and we shouldn't do it."
"Yeah, that's right," Ken sighed. "But… I still want to try," he then decided.
He actually couldn't believe it himself. After all, Vangsha was right to be concerned. But it was clear to him that they should still try.
"Now think rationally!" Keero shouted at him.
"As long as there is a prospect of peace, I will not let it go to waste. No matter how high the risk may be," Ken said back.
"And what if you fail? "What happens then?" Keero asked him back.
"Then at least I acted like a Jedi," Ken said.
Is a Jedi who strictly follows the rules without exception still a Jedi? Kreia's words suddenly echoed in his head. But he quickly dismissed it with a shake of his head. He couldn't worry about something like that now.
"Come on," Keero said to Hysha. "Can't you speak up?"
"I regret to tell you that I unfortunately cannot," grumbled the Togruta. He turned to Ken. "No matter what happens, no matter what decision you make, it can never be wrong. Nobody can know in advance what will happen because the future is constantly moving. The only thing we can do is trust the Force to show us the right path. So if you're sure we should address this, then so be it. But still be aware of the consequences."
This gave Ken more determination again. Keero obviously noticed this too, as he grabbed his head.
"Captain, we are heading for Sernpidal," Ken ordered.
"To your order," he replied and passed the order on to the bridge.
Then everyone started to leave the room.
"If things go wrong, remember my words and never lose heart," Hysha whispered to him as he walked away.
His two friends walked past him with disgruntled looks.
"I hope you're really sure about this," Keero said.
But they both knew that wasn't the case.
…
Ornan pressed the button on his large holoprojector and reluctantly knelt in front of it.
After a few seconds, the image of Mandalore the Ultimate appeared with a flicker.
Ornan had to try hard to hide his disgust. The fact that he was kneeling was humiliating enough.
"What is it?" came the slightly rustling voice.
"As you have probably already noticed, a republic team, including some Jedi, has been sent to Belkadan to investigate the attack in more detail," Ornan reported calmly.
"I noticed that, in deed. Their curiosity is disturbing, but not a big deal. Once we attack them, they'll be over anyway. It doesn't matter if it happens a little earlier than planned," said the Mandalore.
Ornan refrained from commenting. "What I actually wanted to inform you about, I gave the order for an ambush an hour ago. Forgive me for not informing you, but we have to hurry if we want to stop them."
"No need to apologize," Mandalore reassured him. "Warriors who act independently and are able to improvise are exactly what we need. After all, you're a general for a reason."
Ornan couldn't hold back a slight smile. If only he knew how independently he already acted.
"You will now also ensure that everything stays as it is," Mandalore ordered him. "I give you full responsibility for this operation, Mereel. You may act as you see fit as long as you remain successful."
"Thank you," Ornan said, rising from his stance. "If you allow me, I will now turn my attention to this again."
"Wait a moment," Mandalore stopped him as he was about to turn off the projector.
"You mentioned Jedi, right?"
"Yes, I did."
"They have to stay alive. Capture them and then bring them to you on Tel IV."
Ornan couldn't believe his ears. It was impossible to defeat Jedi at all. How is he supposed to capture them and keep them with him?
"With respect, but that is impossible. Even if we manage to catch them, they will be able to escape again with ease."
"Then make sure it doesn't happen," Mandalore ordered. "With our new dungeon cruisers, that shouldn't be a problem."
Dungeon cruisers were new prison ships that even allowed Force users to be held prisoner in their cells without them having a chance to escape. But even with these ships, Ornan saw it as an impossibility.
"And what exactly is that supposed to bring us?" questioned Ornan.
"In war they will be our greatest adversaries," Mandalore argued.
You don't say Ornan thought.
"We need test subjects to create possible weapons against them. We can't miss this opportunity."
"If you wish," Ornan then gave in.
"As soon as you have them, I will send Demagol to you so that he can carry out his experiments on them."
That was not good. Demagol was a notorious scientist who was known for dissecting living creatures and conducting cruel experiments on them. He was also one of Mandalore's closest confidants, so having him here could be dangerous for Ornan's plan.
"I understand," Ornan then said.
"Then go and do your duty, warrior."
Ornan replied with a curt bow. Then he turned off the projector and stalked out of the room angrily.
…
"Who is supposed to come?" Cald asked desperately. Ornan had quickly gone to him to tell him the news. Apparently the Gektl was not pleased with Mandalore's instructions.
"That can't be true!" he was still screaming. "We can't possibly keep our plan secret from Demagol all this time. He'll find out at some point. And then they will execute us!"
Ornan was getting on his friend's panicked hissing. "Now calm down!" he shouted at him. "Whining won't help us now!"
"And then what, please?"
Ornan smiled. "Well, my plan."
This statement was so blunt that it took Cald a moment to realize it. Ornan didn't have to think long about what to do. He had already thought of it on the way to Cald's room.
"And why don't you say that now. Then I could have saved myself all this."
Ornan looked at him sullenly. "You doubt me, don't you?"
"It depends on the plan. Now tell me," Cald snapped.
"There's an old facility just about an hour's flight from here," he began. "I ordered my people to set it up like a laboratory. So we can accommodate Demagol there in peace and quiet and he won't notice anything."
Cald stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That could definitely work. But he will definitely bring some soldiers with him who could cause trouble," he suspected.
"It won't matter," Ornan said confidently. "If he really brings some with him, he'll need them himself." He put on a devilish grin. "The bonus of all this is that we might be able to get him off our backs."
Cald became suspicious.
"Ornan. What are you gonna do?"
"Me?" he said. "I won't do anything. We let someone else do the dirty work."
He walked closer to his friend. "My scouts have made an interesting discovery. In the last month they were able to identify some warriors there who turned out to be members of the Blan Flos."
Ornan was not the first to oppose Mandalore. A few years ago, a resistance group was formed under the banner of a few deserters. They named themselves after the Blan Flos, a plant native to Mandalore, as a sign of their traditional way of thinking. However, Ornan did not think much of them, even though they had the same goal. In his opinion, it was impossible to face Mandalore in open combat. You have to act covertly and take him by surprise before he even notices. That was also the reason why he didn't join them. A few months ago they attacked his base here to get rid of him. However, with their sparse attack speeders, they were no match for the massive defenses of his base, which is why he quickly routed them. And now here they were, on this godforsaken planet, isolated from their few outside allies.
"It could be that they will eventually carry out an attack on him."
Cald looked at him incredulously. "And how are they supposed to know he's there? Do you want to go and tell them?"
Ornan shrugged. "It could also be that I deliberately gave the order and the capture of the Jedi on an open channel so that it would be easier to intercept." He shrugged his shoulders. "And it is also possible that I mentioned Demagol's imminent arrival here."
The two grinned at each other. "Do you still doubt me?" growled Ornan.
Cald lowered his head. "I apologize for my misconduct."