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Phase 14

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Part 1

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Bothan Council Building

Bothawui

To the galaxy at large, the Bothans remained staunch allies of the Republic despite the upheavals in the Core or the tremendous gains made by Separatist forces in the past months. They fought multiple major battles since the conflict began – a proof of their loyalty.

The truth was quite different. Despite what most outsiders and many Bothans believed, Bothawui was in fact neutral thanks to the efforts of the Bothan Spy Net. Cover operatives made contact with the Separatists and ensured secret agreement that saw the Bothan home systems safe if covered by a distant CIS blockade. The price wasn't particularly steep – the actual Bothan forces had to stay home, something the Eighteen agreed with and they had to feed intelligence to the Separatists. The only exceptions were a few staged skirmishes meant to convince everyone that it was business as usual or meant to discredit that upstart now in charge of Kothlis.

It was a good deal for the Bothan. They would remain safe and powerful until either the Separatists were about to win the war and then they could switch sides openly or the Confederacy would falter, the Republic would break from the Core and could use an intact ally in the Mid-Rim. It was a win-win situation – let your allies and enemies exhaust each other and be ready to pick up the pieces and profit.

Unfortunately, there was a Sith mucking the waters.

"This is General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Supreme Commander of all Republic Forces. Identification..." The former Jedi's image hung above the table where the Eighteen had gathered for the fifth time in just a handful of days. "All Republic forces at Bothawui are ordered to support General Veil's efforts to liberate Kothlis and after that objective is achieved, break through to Republic space in the galactic east. I repeat..."

"Shut it down. We've all seen it." The Spy Net representative sneered at the recording.

"We've seen the Chancellor's recommendation that we offer all possible assistance to the Sith too." The Council from the Diplomatic Service added.

"Enough bickering." The Council Chief growled making everyone lower their heads due to ancient instincts. "Our neutrality is threatened. I need ideas."

"If the Sith reaches Bothawui, he'll likely force our hands. We'll have to either support the Republic for real or deal with him and thus back the Separatists." Said the Spy Net agent. "Do you believe any of you will be able to lie to his face?"

"What can he do?" The Industrial Councillor asked.

"Unknown. Or records of the ancient Sith are possibly compromised by propaganda. They speak of impossible feats." The agent reluctantly admitted.

"What do you know for sure?"

"He can affect whole fleets – that gives credence to the more disturbing records of his time."

"That maniac burns whole worlds!" The Science Councillor snapped.

"That he does. We all know this. Yet, the Separatist do the same – with no provocation. With such allies, who needs enemies." The spy chuckled darkly.

The Council Chief had to growl again and then he slammed a clawed fist onto the table for a good measure. "Which side has the advantage?" He demanded in a rough voice.

"Couple of weeks ago? I would have said the Separatists. Today? Our efforts are helping the Republic stabilize. Kenobi is preparing counterstrike aimed at the Corellian system as he must and the Confederacy is ready to meet him in battle. Veil fought his way through multiple systems and he's now at our doorstep. The war is balanced on a claw's tip. We can't tell you who will win. The Separatists do hold some advantages, the same is true for the Republic." The Spy raised her paw and offered a fang filled smile. "What I can tell you is that we're in the unique position to give a major advantage to one side or the other. If we betray the Sith and the Republic, if we take out Veil, the Separatists will be in a stronger position. And if we chose the other path..." She trailed off.

No one doubted the Sith's abilities. With him on the helm, the Bothan and Republic forces in the region could shatter the Separatist distant blockade and at the very least, shift the balance of power in this part of the galaxy.

"Thanks to your agents, we know that the Separatists cleaned up their act and removed the worst offenders. That's why we made a deal with them. A deal that if exposed might see us all hang." The Council Chief reminded them all.

"He's a Sith. I doubt he'll be too upset that we seized an opportunity when it presented itself, especially if we support him." The agent shrugged.

"Can't we keep him at arm's length and retain our neutrality?" The Council for agriculture asked.

"Unlikely." The Spy stated. "That would be most dangerous course of action with a lot of drawbacks and little to no gain."

"Choosing a side for real will be no less dangerous!" The Science Councillor countered.

"Yet if successful, the rewards could be substantial. The Sith has a relatively small force. By itself its not enough to break the blockade of Kothlis. The Republic navy in this system is preparing to assist him – together they will likely be successful, though they will suffer substantial casualties. If we help them and back the Republic, we'll be able to defeat the Separatist blockade in detail. And if we do nothing, left our allies and enemies fight each other and then betray the Sith when he comes to us..." The Spy smiled.

In that case the Bothans would enjoy an overwhelming material superiority and they would have the Confederate blockading forces as a backup.

"We need to decide what would be in our best, long term interest. A Separatist or Republic victory. Do keep in mind that when the dust settles, the Republic even if victorious would be a very different beast, potentially much weaker than the one we are familiar with. The Separatists are unlikely to be able to keep the whole galaxy under control if they achieve victory. Either outcome would offer us opportunities to grow our power and influence."

"I want to hear what every single one of you recommends and why. Let's begin with you – what does the Spy Net says?" The Council Chief demanded.

"We take out the Sith. He is a wild card and represent an unacceptable risk. In the long run we can deal with either a victorious Republic or Confederacy. A Republic or Empire controlled by a Sith from behind the scenes? That's a different beast and one we might very well face in the future if Veil isn't stopped now."

"One vote for backing the Separatists then. Industry, what say you?"

"We can live with the Republic. The same is not necessary true for the Separatists. Further, while right now the Confederacy does have some long term advantages because of the vast territory they currently control, it is highly unlikely that the war will last long enough for them to make good use of those resources. Must I remind you of the industrial might of Kuat and the vast fleet they have built? A fleet that is largely intact and likely to be unleashed soon? I vote for the Republic."

"One for one." The Council Chief nodded. "Science? What say you?"

"We know what the Separatists did when influenced by the Sith. We saw what the Republic does under the same influence. That man needs to go. I vote for the Confederacy."

"Dully noted. Defence? What say you?"

Twenty minutes later, all votes were cast and the Eighteen charted a new course for their species.

Three hours after the vote, the bulk of the Republic fleet stationed at Bothawui left for Kothlis and not a single Bothan ship accompanied them.

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Part 2

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Officer quarters

Republic cruiser Shining light

Dark Space

People often say that the Force often works in mysterious ways. After six decades as a Sith, her messages were less cryptic that they used to be.

There are different kinds of Force visions. Many are self-fulfilling prophecies; merely viewing others ensures that they would never happen. However, sometimes you get to see alternatives. Sometimes, you get to chose the lesser of two evils.

Mere hours before leading my fleet into yet another battle, I was in my quarters, sleeping. Dreaming. Seeing.

I saw the galaxy set on fire. Mandalore drowning under a never ending tide of droids. I saw Bo throwing herself in battle after battle in a desperate attempt to regain her honour and avenge our people until she fell.

I saw myself, standing alone on the helm of an Empire built upon a ruin.

Yet, I saw another future, too. I saw the Mandalorians, my people, inspired to new heights. I saw my wife leading them into the future, in my name. I saw them fighting against impossible odds and prevailing.

I pushed deeper within the disjointed visions until I saw what made it all possible.

I saw deceit, deception. I saw betrayal and death.

My death.

I pushed further, I needed to see – the past, the present and the future. I had to know, how did I get there.

And the Dark Side obliged me.

I saw indeed.

"Actions, they do have consequences. Mine, yours."

My eyes snapped open and I looked at the shimmering form of Shaak Ti, who sat cross-legged at the far end of my bed.

"None of this was meant to be, was it?" She asked.

"The future is always in motion. It is a constantly shifting river. However, there are moments, points, where all possibilities converge and collapse until there are precious few paths forwards." I waved a hand. "Oh, the details would be different, but the ultimate outcome? Destiny does have momentum, Shaak Ti. Let it get up to speed and sometimes all you can do is hang up for the ride."

We Sith were supposed to forge our own destiny, our own fate. There were times we could do it, no matter the odds, no matter what the Force herself desired.

"I saw it too, you know. How our choices brought us here. Old conflicts, lies, deceptions, desires..." Ti smiled wishfully. "Mistrust."

"We can't escape our natures, nor our past. We can fight against them, we can keep them at bay, however they are always with us. They define us, they shaped us." I sighed.

There was no single defining moment that brought us here. Countless of small choices, hundreds of important decisions.

"Will you run or will you fight?" Ti asked.

"The Bothans made that choice for us all." I saw the flow of the future. If I ran, the Bothan's betrayal would shatter the Republic. Mandalore would burn. My wife would die before I could get back to the Core... and I would ensure the whole galaxy would burn to soothe my grief.

As a Sith I knew what my choice should be. Letting myself die for love of all things... Love that I wasn't sure that it was real or a self delusion born from a need to fill the bleeding hole in my heart left by Ashara's murder...

"Choices. There are always choices. It's just that, sometimes none of them are acceptable." I chuckled mirthlessly.

"Will you do it? Will you die for people who aren't yours? For a woman you might not really love? For a lie?" Ti wondered aloud.

It was a good question and it had a simple answer. If I could get back in time, I would have gladly died to save Ashara. Would I do it for the first people in this galaxy who accepted me and their descendants? For my wife?

I glared at Shaak Ti. "The Mandalorians are my people, because I chose to be one of them, just as they chose me as their leader! I will fight for them, I will bleed for them, and today I die for them. For my wife and my people, because they're worth it! Perhaps the only worthy people left in this wretched, weak galaxy!"

"Is it that simple?"

"It is." It really was.

I was a Sith. If my destiny led me to Bothawui, so be it. I would go there. I would fight fate itself and I will win or I would die. Either way, Bo would live.

The Dark Side trembled in anticipation at my decision. She knew that very soon I would be unleashing her and demonstrating her full might for the whole galaxy to see.

"It was last night, wasn't it? Your brief reunion with your wife?" Ti sighed. "It changed something within you. I felt it even if I didn't recognize it."

"There are times we don't know how much we value something until we believe it lost."

"I should celebrate, you know. You're the last of the old Sith. Your death will be a precious gift for the Jedi in their darkest hour."

Their?

"I don't intent to die, Ti. I would fight to my last breath, screaming against the inevitable."

"We both saw what would happen then, didn't we?"

A shattered Republic fleet. The few survivors that made it to Mandalore wouldn't be enough to change the tide there.

Possibly the worst outcome.

There were choices. Alternatives. Each less acceptable than the previous one.

Shaak Ti chuckled bitterly. "Now that I should rejoice at the imminent death of a Sith, I find myself torn. I'm a mere ghost now, yet I don't want to die. You broke me Delkatar, corrupted me as I once feared." Ti moved from her position and crawled over the bed towards me. "I want to feel. I need to experience all the emotions I forbid myself from enjoying." Her ghostly lips hovered above mine. "I want to live." She whispered.

"We just need to do the impossible then."

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CIC

Republic cruiser Shining Light

Kothlis

The future has never been so clear before... and for the first time in ages I was truly serene. At peace even. It wasn't because of a mask or a lie that I told myself to keep insanity at bay.

We dropped from hyperspace behind one of the Separatist Task Forces. A large part of the from Bothawui did the same with a second, with a smaller flotilla jumping at the third. The fourth enemy force was in a position to go after our reinforcements, however they would soon be attacked by the local SDF. All it took was knowing where the enemy would be in advance and a few burst transmissions towards the governor, who took care of the rest.

Everything was happening like in my visions – at least in those when I decided to fight today instead of running. The enemy was where I saw they would be. We caught them out of position and details shifted, altering the present. Would the future follow suit?

It wasn't so simple. The Bothans still had their fleet at Bothawui. The Separatists would come to seal the trap after we arrived there. This battle we fought right now? Unless we lost or achieved a Pyrrhic victory, it would be of no consequence... and we were going to win. The Separatists here wouldn't be able to consolidate their forces. They already lost dozens of ships within minutes unable to bring to bear the bulk of their fire-power upon us. When they jumped away to regroup, we followed suit, switching targets.

It was just I foresaw. We were going to win and this victory was going to seal my fate.

Bothawui called to me and my destiny awaited me there.