AN: Enjoy Chapter 7!

Vyaloria: Thank you! I hope to make the story a lot better.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or anything from Disney or Lucasfilm.

Now, let's read!

Rafe, Yuki, and Arakan were currently standing in the center of the Council Chambers.

Rafe had an idea of what it was for, but didn't want to jump to conclusions. And he decided it wouldn't be the wisest idea to speak out when he was starting to get on some of the Jedi's good side.

"A mission for the three of you, we have," Yoda informed them, breaking the silence.

The three of them just remained silent. Rafe knew they would be informed of the details, and it seemed that Yuki and Arakan knew as well.

"There has been suspicion about Duchess Satine of Mandalore," Mace Windu spoke up. "She still hasn't agreed to join forces with the Republic. The Senate has heard rumors that she is secretly building her own army to fight for the Separatist cause."

And you would just believe a rumor like that just because it came from the Senate? Rafe dared not open his mouth. He was more than willing to accept a rather simple mission, but was still suspicious as to why they would even need to investigate in the first place.

"How do you know if these claims are true and not just false accusations from the Senate?" Arakan asked.

Mace Windu's eyes narrowed into a cold stare that could freeze anyone like carbonite, but Arakan didn't seem to be fazed. "We don't know if they're true or not. That's why we're sending Master Kenobi along with you guys to get the truth from the Duchess."

Rafe was even more confused. Why would they send Obi-Wan along with us? The task of the mission doesn't sound that complicated. Unless… Are they hiding information from us? He snuck a glance at Arakan. That doesn't matter. Arakan will catch on.

"Will that be all, then?" Arakan asked.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "I will inform you all further once we head out."

The three Jedi nodded, then left the Council Chambers to prepare for the mission.

"So, what's the plan?" Yuki asked from behind Arakan, who was piloting their ship, heading to Mandalore.

"As you all know, I'm going to meet with the Duchess personally," Obi-Wan said. "I will be providing you all with feedback on any news I find."

"So what are we supposed to do while you're busy whooing the Duchess over?" Rafe asked.

"I'm not going to whoo her over!" Obi-Wan said defensively. "My only objective is to find out the truth. You three are merely here to scout. If I need backup, Anakin will provide it."

"What are we scouting for?"

"Enemies. Potential threats to both the Jedi and the Duchess," Arakan explained. He looked back at Rafe. "Just remember, boy, this mission for us is about stealth. Things can go south if we get caught. Our job is to get as much information as possible and relay it back to General Kenobi. So don't make rash decisions."

Rafe grunted his annoyance, but understood what Arakan was saying. He knew stealth was very important for specific missions.

"We're here," Obi-Wan alerted them.

The entire planet was one big city. There were buildings all over the place like they were constructed out of smaller buildings.

They landed on a landing platform.

"I'm going to go in alone," Obi-Wan said. "I'll let you know if I'm skeptical of anything. And make sure the Council gets everything I tell you."

"Understood," Arakan said.

Obi-Wan left the ship, leaving the other three Jedi to wait.

"So is this what you both do on all your missions?" Rafe asked. "Sit and wait for orders."

"We do much more than that, boy," Arakan said seriously. "And you'll find out soon enough. Remember what I told you about restraint."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Rafe couldn't help but feel annoyed. This was his very first mission as a Jedi and he had to sit and wait in a cramped ship.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to this," Yuki reassured Rafe.

"How did the Senate even learn about all of this shit about the Duchess?" Rafe asked.

Arakan's eyes narrowed as he looked off to the side. "That's what I want to know…"

"Then why don't we just go and find out for ourselves?"

"That's General Kenobi's job, not ours."

Rafe growled out his annoyance. He didn't know how much longer he could take waiting around.

"How about instead of complaining to those who are so eager to listen," Arakan said sarcastically, "why don't you use this time to actually take in your surroundings."

"I thought you told me it wasn't wise to sightsee on a mission?"

"I did, but it can be very useful to know your surroundings so in case you need to escape or plan an ambush, you'll know the best areas of the terrain to navigate," Arakan explained.

"And you're already good at this," Yuki told Rafe. "That's how you were able to save me in the Underworld."

How many times is she going to bring that up? Rafe knew how grateful she was to him, but he didn't think he did much. She was acting like she was forever indebted to him, and Rafe didn't like being in someone's debt or having someone feeling indebted to him. He didn't want anything from anyone.

With a heavy sigh, he looked out the ship, examining the layout of the city. The streets were fairly spaced out, providing more than enough room to run away if needed. And the buildings that jutted out of the walls of bigger buildings could be used to escape or hide.

Where's Obi-Wan even at? That would be useful to know.

"You're not going to be able to see the Sundari Royal Palace from here," Arakan said. "Now just sit tight and meditate."

"In a ship like this?" Rafe asked doubtfully.

"Just shut up."

"Master Arakan! Come in, Arakan!" It was Obi-Wan's voice on the comlinks they were on their wrists.

"What is it, General?" Arakan asked.

"I have news. There was a bombing. Satine and I chased a citizen who fled the scene through the streets for questioning, but they took their own life. They were a part of a faction known as the Death Watch who reside on Mandalore's moon Concordia."

"Very well. We're on our way."

"Don't be hasty, Master," Obi-Wan said, stopping Arakan from starting up the ship. "I'm on my way with the Duchess now to negotiate with Concordia's governor. Death Watch left behind a symbol at the sight of the bombing, so they're trying to send a message to the Duchess. They might know we're coming, so be careful."

"We will." Arakan looked at Rafe. "Was that so bad?"

"Shut up," Rafe said irritably.

Arakan started up the ship and took off to Concordia.

Concordia was nothing like Mandalore. There were no cities at all. No buildings or ships or even species. It was like the moon was completely uninhabited. The only signs of life were the mining facilities where they landed.

"So this is Concordia," Yuki said, looking around before stepping out of the ship.

"Doesn't look like much," Rafe said. "Considering what Obi-Wan told us about Death Watch, I assumed there would be some sort of secret military base."

"You don't need a massive secret base of operations to overthrow a government," Arakan said. "Sometimes, all it takes is one person who can perfectly and patiently execute their plan."

Rafe eyed him cautiously. There was something about what he just said that had him on edge. He shook his head furiously. No. I can't overthink like this. I need to stay focused on the mission.

"Both of you stay behind me," Arakan said, then led them to the mining facilities.

"There's nothing here," Yuki said.

"There are speeder bikes," Rafe pointed out. "So we're not alone on this moon."

"Look. Two of them seemed to have been taken," Arakan indicated.

"Do you think General Kenobi and the Duchess took them? Or was it Death Watch?" Yuki asked.

Arakan narrowed his eyes and got on a speeder bike. "Only one way to find out."

Rafe and Yuki looked at each other, then got on a speeder bike of their own and took off with Arakan.

They traveled through the rough terrain, eventually stopping when they spotted what looked like a main mining facility. And since it looked like it was still functioning, that meant it was definitely inhabited.

"Arakan, do you copy?" Obi-Wan asked on their comlinks.

"What is it?" Arakan asked.

"Death Watch is indeed here. I was ambushed and nearly crushed to bits, but managed to get out with the Duchess. Anakin just picked us up and we're on our way back to Coruscant."

"All right. We'll keep investigating here."

"Master, why would we continue to investigate if Master Kenobi already got all of the information?" Yuki asked.

"Proof."

Arakan nodded, seeming to agree with Rafe. "What General Kenobi and the Duchess know are just mere speculations. Without legitimate proof, all of this is meaningless, and Mandalore will eventually be overruled by either the Republic or the Separatists. There a neutral system that shouldn't even be a part of this war."

"So are you saying someone from either the Republic or the Separatists spread a false rumor to overthrow the Duchess?" Yuki asked.

"No. If what General Kenobi said is true, then this is all the work of Death Watch, and their primary goal is to kill Duchess Satine," Arakan speculated. His eyes suddenly widened as he whirled his head around. "We need to get back to the ship! The Duchess is in danger!"

Without questioning their Master, they ran back to their speeders, but a sudden series of blaster shots stopped them. From above were three people clad in dark blue armor, their jetpacks allowing them to stay in the air. One more person stepped out of the mining facility and walked toward them.

"I am Pre Vizsla of clan Vizsla, governer of Concordia and ruler of Death Watch. State your purpose here, Jedi."

"It was you, wasn't it?" Arakan asked calmly, his lack of elaboration seemed to confuse Pre Vizsla.

"What are you talking about?" Pre Vizsla asked. He grabbed a metal hilt and activated it, revealing a black blade. "All I do is kill my enemies. Prepare to be next."

Without another word, Pre Vizsla jumped in the air and swung the black blade down from over his head, but Arakan just stepped to the side, avoiding the attack with little effort. Pre Vizsla looked outraged that his attack was dodged so effortlessly, but continued to hack away at Arakan, who just dodged every attack that was thrown at him, looking bored.

Pre Vizsla used his jetpack to fly in the air. He took out two blaster pistols from holsters on his sides and shot consecutive shots at Arakan, who just swung his hand lazily to both his sides, using the Force to direct the shots away from him. He then redirected the last two shots back onto Pre Vizsla's pistols, knocking them out of the Mandalorian's hands.

"Finish them!" Pre Vizsla commanded, retreating behind the Mandalorians that charged for them.

Before they could do anything, Arakan used the Force to hold the Mandalorians in the air, unable to move.

"Who hired you?" Arakan asked calmly, slowly approaching the Mandalorian.

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

"You amateurs aren't warriors. You're terrorists who only seek glory and power." Arakan lowered his voice into a menacing growl as he glared at them. "Now, tell me who, it was who hired you pieces of bantha shit."

"It… It was—"

Before the Mandalorian could finish what he was about to say, Pre Vizsla shot him in the nape of his neck, killing him instantly, as well as the other two Mandalorians, then flew off.

Arakan looked down at the dead Mandalorian with narrowed eyes.

Rafe couldn't tell if he was disappointed in their deaths or if he wasn't able to get any information out of them. He was only disappointed in the latter. He didn't care if cowards like them died. They got what they deserved in his eyes.

"Come on," Arakan said. "We're going after him."

They followed Pre Vizsla to what looked like a hidden base, staying hidden behind the rocks that provided them cover up on the cliff.

"Looks like they do have a secret base, although it looks like shit," Rafe commented.

"They're reckless and impatient," Arakan said. "If they were smart, they would at least try to cover up their tracks. But they awarely sent a message to Duchess Satine."

"So what's their goal?" Yuki asked. "It's obvious that the Duchess is in danger, but what do the Death Watch want with her?"

Arakan looked back to the Death Watch base. "That's what we're here to find out."

"So do we ambush them?" Rafe asked, then immediately took back what he said. "No, we don't know how many of them are down there. We need to maintain the element of surprise while we still have it."

"While you're correct on that note, they know about us and will be expecting us," Arakan pointed out. "While they're no doubt looking for a fight, they have information that they don't want anyone to know about. All we can do is sit and wait until the opportunity arises to ambush them."

"Which will be when they're less in numbers," Rafe added.

"Correct. Now sit tight."

Rafe didn't know how long they'd been sitting out. It was still dark outside and so far he hadn't seen any of the Death Watch leave their base. Then again, since they now know about us they probably suspect that we're watching them and left in a direction that we won't be able to see. They'll most likely ambush us again… Not that that's a problem. Fucking cowards.

He narrowed his eyes into a dark glare as he remembered how Pre Vizsla callously killed three of his supposed comrades. He understood that it was to prevent them from leaking information, but Pre Vizsla could've easily just attacked them. But it was clear to Rafe that he had no honor or morals. He just wanted war.

"They're moving," Yuki alerted them.

Rafe looked over the cliff's edge to see a group of the Death Watch gathering around outside of the tents they had set up. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"Let's go see for ourselves," Arakan said.

They stealthily snuck into the Death Watch's camp, avoiding stepping into any source of light that hit the ground. They blended into the shadows, their cloaks offering them more concealment.

Arakan flicked two of his fingers forward, signaling them to check in the tent next to the one he was walking into.

There was barely anything inside. Just a small pot of stew cooking.

"How much longer until we actually get to fight?"

Rafe and Yuki both let out shocked gasps as they heard the voice of the Mandalorian. Rafe grabbed Yuki and hid in the back of the tent. She was shaking in his arms, so he held her tighter, trying to keep his breathing as calm as possible. He was used to situations like this, but he was sure Yuki wasn't.

"Hell if I knew. I'm getting sick of camping around like this. It's so boring."

"Well, Vizsla said that the Duchess would die, but we don't know if Mandalore will truly be ours if we manage to pull it off."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see. That assassin better not mess this up."

What assassin? Then it hit Rafe. They fucking sent someone to assassinate the Duchess?! Fucking cowards!

Rafe felt Yuki's hand snaking to his and he suddenly felt his anger calming. He looked at her, and she was already looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Please, Rafe, stay calm," she telepathically pleaded. "If we get caught now, this will all be for nothing."

Rafe internally sighed, then nodded. He knew she had a good point. They've come too close to screw things up now. It was vital for them to get what little information they acquired back to Obi-Wan.

He slowly snaked his hand underneath the cloth of the tent and lifted it up, gently guiding Yuki out, and he followed after her.

"Hey, did you see that?"

Rafe froze in place when he heard the Mandalorian's question from inside the tent. He could sense them coming around to the back of the tent, and his hand instinctively went to his knife. He may have a lightsaber, but he felt more comfortable using a knife in combat. He slowly whipped around alongside Yuki, preparing to defend himself.

When he saw the Mandalorians, they we suspended in the air, hands clutching their necks as they gasped for breath. They then collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Arakan suddenly appeared from behind them. "Run."

The Death Watch were easily able to tail after them with their jetpacks, reigning blaster fire on them.

"We can't let them follow us!" Rafe yelled over the blaster fire. "This is all pointless if they gun down our ship!"

They ran into a canyon, which seemed to make it much more difficult for the Death Watch to use their jetpacks. The Death Watch continued to reign fire on them, sending chunks of rubble down on them as their shots hit the walls of the canyon.

"Where the hell are we going?!"

Arakan ignored Rafe and kept running.

"Master, we can't run forever!" Yuki yelled, looking back at the flying Death Watch. "And our ship's in the opposite direction!"

Arakan suddenly whirled around and jumped at the Death Watch, flipping over one of them and stomping his boot into his jetpack, sending him crashing into the ground. Arakan then used the Force to pull the other three Death Watch into the ground, then pushed them away. He threw a thermal detonating grenade he must've taken from the Mandalorian he kicked to the ground at the canyon above.

The Death Watch looked up as the grenade flashed a red light multiple times, increasing in speed, until it finally detonated, collapsing the canyon above and separating them from the Jedi.

"Well, we got them off our asses," Rafe deadpanned. "Now what?"

"Now we get out of here."

Rafe didn't know how long they'd been running for. He knew the other Death Watch would be scouting for them, assuming they heard the explosion from the grenade. It wasn't that far away from their base.

He was quite surprised that the other members of Death Watch hadn't caught up to them by now. They had jetpacks and could travel much farther in a shorter amount of time. But he was relieved that he didn't have to worry about such a threat at the moment. What he was worried about was why they were just running through the canyon. It made more sense to just scale it to the top and backtrack unseen to their ship. What the hell is Arakan doing?

"Master, where exactly are we going?" Yuki asked, seeming to have the same thought on her mind.

"Forget it, softy," Rafe told her. "He's not going to tell us anything."

"How come the Death Watch aren't following us? I can't sense them at all."

Rafe looked up at the cliff's edge. Despite not seeing anyone up there, he was still skeptical. There's no way anyone would wave off an explosion like that. They're definitely on our asses. He suddenly dashed forward at a greater speed, then jumped at the cliff to his left, kicking himself off of each cliff until he reached the top.

Before he could reach the top, he was suddenly pulled down to the ground. He looked up at Arakan. "What the hell was that for?"

"Keep your mouth shut, brat," Arakan spat. "The Death Watch are on our tail still, yes, which is why you can't just go and recklessly check out any possible locations where they could be following us."

"So you just want us to run forever?" Rafe knew Arakan had a point, but they weren't going to get anywhere if they just kept running. They had to face the Death Watch sooner or later.

"I don't think you understand the purpose of our mission. Getting into confrontations is the last thing we want to happen. Our only goal is to acquire information and get it back to the Council." Arakan Force pushed Rafe into the canyon cliff. "Do you understand?"

Rafe just glared at him.

"Master, I don't think now is the time to teach Rafe a lesson," Yuki advised, but there was also a plea in her voice, as if she just didn't want Arakan to hurt Rafe. "We need to stay focused on the mission."

Arakan sighed and released his hold on Rafe. "You're right. We can't keep getting sidetracked."

"So what do we do now?" Rafe asked. If they weren't going to be facing the Death Watch, he at least wanted to know what their plan was so that he could make a contingency plan.

"We keep running," Arakan said.

"Are you fucking serious?"

"Rafe. Don't," Yuki said sharply. "We can't keep fighting over what the best plan is."

"What do you suggest we do, then?" Rafe asked, getting more annoyed. If he didn't have these two weighing him down he would already be in his ship on his way back to Coruscant.

"We need to listen to Master Arakan and keep running."

Rafe scrunched his eyebrows into a disbelieving scowl. "So you don't actually have a plan." He suddenly felt all of the oxygen escape his lungs as he was lifted into the air.

"If I hear one more complaint out of you, I'll throw you back to the Death Watch and you can take care of them all by yourself," Arakan threatened. "Does that work for you?"

"N-No…" Rafe gasped out, clutching his throat as he fought for air.

"Good. Then shut up and listen from now on." Arakan released his hold on Rafe and walked deeper into the canyon.

Rafe collapsed on the ground, coughing his lungs out.

"Rafe, please just listen to Master Arakan," Yuki said softly, kneeling down to help Rafe to his feet. "I understand that this is your first mission and you don't quite understand what's going on, but the information we bring back is vital to both the Jedi and the Republic. We don't really see a lot of action."

Rafe was glaring at the ground, still gasping for breath. He wanted to tell Yuki off; that she didn't know what she was talking about. He's scouted for people before, but he was so used to getting caught in confrontations he didn't really think running away was an option. He always fought his way out of situations like the one they were in now.

"Stop chit-chatting and move your asses!" Arakan called over his shoulder.

The apprentices got to their feet and followed Arakan.

They finally made it out of the canyon and were met with what looked like a dead end.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," was all Rafe could say. They've been running for what seemed like hours and just ended up getting trapped in a dead end. If the Death Watch were really following them, they would surely trap them. It was going to end in a fight no matter what we did. It always ends like this…

"So, we're really going to have to fight Death Watch?" Yuki asked. It was like she'd never been in a situation like this before.

"Some things are inevitable." Rafe knew he was doing a shit job at consoling her, but she needed to face the truth of the galaxy sooner or later. He looked at Arakan. "Arakan, we need to find cover before Death Watch ambushes us."

Arakan turned around slowly, facing Rafe. "You say that like you expect a fight to start before it even escalates to that point. You shouldn't resort to using your fists as a primary plan. There are always other alternatives."

Like you're one to talk.

Arakan started looking around the canyon, most likely seeing if there was anyone in the vicinity. He then walked to the dead end of the canyon. His eyebrows twitched, as if he was surprised by something.

In front of them was a small hole in the cliff, which was most likely an entrance.

"Guys…" Yuki said, cautiously looking at the ground.

Rafe followed her gaze and narrowed his eyes. In front of them was a silver Mandalorian helmet that was completely damaged. There were cracks, dents, and blood all over it.

"Who could've done something like this?"

Rafe was about to answer Yuki, but was stopped when he heard the sound of jetpacks behind him. He turned around along with Yuki and Arakan and saw six Death Watch members land on the cliffs, their blasters pointed at them.

"I told you it would end in a fight," he said.

"Well, I guess we have no choice, then," Arakan sighed.

Rafe looked back at the damaged helmet. Did the Death Watch do this? Are there other Mandalorians here with us? He ignored the thought and looked back up at the Death Watch. Even through their helmets, they looked eager to kill them.

"For Mandalore!" the Death Watch chanted, then charged at the Jedi.

To be continued

AN: I know this chapter is shorter than the other ones and not much happened, but I hope you all still enjoy it. Don't worry, it gets better. This is just setting the remainder of this arc up.

So Rafe has officially started his first mission and isn't agreeing with anything Arakan is doing. I know he was complaining throughout the entire chapter, but I think that's what someone as rebellious as him would do.

I also wanted to display how powerful Arakan is by having him toy with Pre Vizsla to the point where he didn't even touch his lightsaber. It always got on my nerves how the Jedi always got their asses kicked by non-Force-sensitive creatures when they could easily use the Force to incapacitate them. But I guess that would make for a boring plot.

And it seems like they're not alone on Concordia. Who else could be with them?

And this chapter takes place during the Death Watch arc. I know I could've just easily written out each of the episodes while adding Rafe, Yuki, and Arakan, but not only would that be lazy on my part, but it would also be very unenjoyable to write and for you all to read. I want this to be my own original story, not a copy and paste of the Clone Wars series.

Again, thank you for reading! See you all in the next chapter!