Chapter 15 - Mandalore

Author's Note: Thoughts, comments, predictions anyone? :)

Also, this fic is half done being posted. ^-^

~ Amina Gila

"The scale of this attack is most troubling," Obi-Wan muses, as Anakin stands in the Council chamber, with Luke hovering at his side. It's... almost uncomfortable being in here, right alongside his son, all the while knowing there's no way the masters can't tell how similar they look. It feels like it's too obvious, even if no one has ever called him out on it.

He can feel the questions sometimes – especially now, he can always feel the twinges in the Force as their emotions shift. Right now, though, their focus isn't on him – it's on the attack of a Republic base by Mandalorians.

"As is that the markings of the armor on this one appear familiar," interjects Luminara. She's on the Council now too, and the hologram in front of them flips to show what they briefly caught of the warriors.

"One of them does resemble Jango Fett," Obi-Wan agrees, "Though he was believed to be a normal bounty hunter, not in league with any Mandalorian warriors."

"Weren't they all supposed to be gone?" Luke asks. Padawans wouldn't normally speak unless asked to in a Council meeting, but... well, Luke isn't a padawan, and he... isn't exactly overly respectful, either.

"They were thought to be. That's why I need you to go there and find answers," Obi-Wan replies; it's still jarring sometimes, to see him in the same seat that was once Yoda's. "Anakin is familiar with the area, as is Reva. You can both go. There may be something more extreme going on here, than we suspect."

Given the scale of the attack, Anakin's inclined to agree. The Force is warning him that something's amiss.

"We will leave immediately," Anakin assures. It would be a good mission for Luke, anyway, something that might involve just diplomacy. Especially after the worm incident, Anakin'd rather have him somewhere off the battlefield for a while. He needs the break and distance, even if he doesn't know it himself.

"I would go myself, but matters here are too pressing," Obi-Wan adds.

Anakin's been with Obi-Wan to Mandalore, on occasion. He's met Satine before, and he knows she and Obi-Wan were close friends once, even if it's weird to think of what he's pretty sure their relationship was actually like. He can't imagine Obi-Wan ever having such feelings, even if he can see now that his master has many more flaws than he once noticed. But he's always tried to be the best Jedi he could be, like he ought to. Like Anakin knows he can't, even if he tries.

Because in the end, he would never give up the time he's spent with the twins for anything.

"I've always wanted to go to Mandalore," Luke comments, eagerly, as they head through the halls.

"We must be cautious. They may not be so friendly to a Republic presence there." He knows tensions have been high for a while, even if the people have mostly accepted the peaceful ways now.

"So," Luke replies, lightly, "The usual."

**w**

The mission turns out to be very much the usual, as they get on a transport in the Mandalorian capital, heading to the palace, alongside Reva. After the latest mission, something between her and Luke seems a little less tense, which is... good.

It makes Anakin wonder, though, what it would have been like to raise Luke and Leia more like he did Ahsoka, instead of during war. Not that he could ever wish they had a life as a Jedi – they never would've fit in, if he was trying to raise them as a parent – instead of the childhood they did have, but he can't help thinking about it.

"I'm aware why you're here," the new Duke of Mandalore – Korkie Kryze – greets them stiffly, when they enter.

"Then have you found anything about the identity of these warriors?" Reva demands.

"That they wear Mandalorian armor does not mean they are from here. One very much resembles a well-known bounty hunter," Korkie retorts, "Mandalore has no interest in starting a conflict with the Republic – or either side."

"We do not question that," Anakin speaks up. Given the tension in the galaxy, his hostility isn't really a surprise. And Anakin can't help thinking that something about Korkie looks way too much like Obi-Wan for his liking, but – nope. Not going there. If it's true, he Does Not Want to know. "But the fact still remains that these warriors were unquestionably of Mandalorian origin." He withdraws a hologram, displaying the details of the attack. There's no way they were able to get that many Mandalorian weapons simply by chance. Even if someone might try to frame Mandalore to cause more problems for the Republic, it still doesn't seem likely. "I have... worked with your aunt in the past. I am well aware of where you stand on matters."

After a moment, Korkie stands. "I remember her mentioning you and your master," he comments, "Perhaps you can accompany me to the gardens beyond the palace."

For some reason, he wants to talk privately.

"We have tried to suppress the warriors," Korkie tells them, as they walk, "But even now, some still cling to those beliefs. They have all been exiled to Concordia."

Something hums in the Force, nudging him forwards. "Then perhaps, that is where we need to go."

"If they are truly taking action again as you say, it will be a risk," he muses.

"One that we should stop before it gets worse, right?" Luke interjects.

"Yes," the Duke agrees, sighing, "The group we know of calls themselves Death Watch. They are determined to retake Mandalore. This... may have a connection."

"We'll look into it," Anakin promises.

Which is how, within a few hours, they find themselves on the way to the moon.

The governor is waiting when they disembark.

"Ursa, it's good to see you again," Korkie greets, smoothly, as they exchange the Mandalorian handshake.

"And you, Duke," she replies. There's something about her... Anakin's gaze flicks past her, to the two teens standing on either side. They must be her children, and there's something about their thoughts, too, which are even more... open. They're guarded, wary, as though they're hiding something.

"It's a pleasure to have you here," Ursa continues, inviting them inside.

"What do you sense?" Anakin asks, pausing next to Luke before they follow.

"There's something about them that's not right," he answers, "I can't place what. Could be stress over the attack, but I don't know."

Anakin nods. "If there's something, we won't find it at the palace. I'm going to look around. You can see if her children will give you any information."

"I'll distract her," Reva volunteers.

Anakin nods, slipping away into the shadows to find a speeder he can borrow. If there's anywhere these people are hiding, it's probably in the abandoned mines that he doubts are as abandoned as they claim to be.

**w**

"So, you're a Jedi?"

Luke looks up to see the two teens approaching – apparently, initiating a conversation with them is going easier than he expected.

"No, but I work closely with them," he replies. And something about them seems to relax just slightly, even if not visibly.

For some reason the girl has aqua hair, and staring at her incredulously is very rude, but he can't help it, okay?

"My sister has a thing for painting, even her hair, no matter how silly it looks," he says, dryly, elbowing her, and she shoves him back, "I'm Tristan." For a moment, it makes Luke painfully miss Leia, seeing the way they're interacting.

"Sabine Wren," the girl replies, cheerfully, "And you?"

"Luke," he says, "Your hair... uhh... looks interesting."

She chuckles. "I have paintings all over the walls, too. Want to see?"

"Sure," Luke replies – he doesn't much care, but he needs to strike up a conversation. Besides, it can tell him something about them, right? And that's what they're doing here – searching for information.

Tristan groans, clearly opting not to follow them as Sabine leads him away. Her eagerness to show off her art seems genuine, at least.

"It's... incredible." He can't help being legitimately impressed as they stop near a very fancy painting by the front entrance. "You did this by yourself?"

"Yeah," she replies, going into a ramble a bit about what it is. He just listens, mostly, trying to get a feel for what she's like in the Force when she's relaxed, as opposed to when she's not.

"What's it like, living out here?" he asks, casually, "I've always lived on Coruscant until the war started. It's boring there."

"I can't say it's any less boring here," Sabine replies, "I'm hoping to get the chance to travel more, someday."

"Anywhere in particular in mind?"

She shrugs. "Not really. What about you?"

"I'm doing what I want to, now," Luke replies, "I wanted to help people, fight in the war."

"Why would you want to fight, when it's not your fight?" Sabine asks. The question is innocent enough, given that Mandalore has very much emphasized their intention to stay neutral, but he thinks there might be something more there.

"I've seen what the Separatists are doing. I can't let them get away with it."

She studies him in silence, for a moment. "Honestly? I haven't seen anything the Separatists are doing that's worse than the Republic. Aren't the clones technically slaves?"

The question catches slightly off-guard, flooding his mind with all the questions he has. "The difference," Luke answers, slowly, "Is that the Separatists are led by the very source of corruption they claim they're fixing. At least with the Republic, there's a chance at making something better. That's what I want to do."

Sabine's not wrong, though. Sometimes, he can't help wondering if... they really do need to take more drastic action to restore the Republic. But how, he doesn't know.

Sabine changes the topic, talking about her paintings again, but it's then that Luke suddenly senses that something else seems wrong.

**w**

Anakin parks the speeder a distance away from the mine, approaching it through the trees on foot, and slipping into the shadows at the entrance of the mine. It's almost too quiet in here, his footsteps echoing almost too loudly on the floor. But he knows instantly that he's not alone. He can feel life, though with so many trees everywhere, it's hard to pinpoint where, specifically, the people are.

Keeping to the shadows, Anakin moves deeper, scanning the surroundings. He doesn't make it far.

There's a sudden movement behind him, and he spins around to see a Mandalorian warrior attempting to sneak up on him. They fire, instantly, and he dodges the blast, reaching for his lightsaber. The warrior fires again, at Anakin's hand, he deflects the shot aside with the Force as he draws his blade.

And then, it's as though there's a spontaneous... shift, and warriors are running into view on all sides, trying to surround him. He lashes out with the Force, throwing them back or to the ground, making for the exit.

This is their hideout, then. He has to get word back to Korkie, before they decide to move. If they decide to move – they could be planning something else.

He flips across the room when they start shooting at him, landing where they can't sneak up behind him.

Except then, one of them fires an explosive, and he flicks a hand, defecting it aside into the ceiling. The structure trembles from the force of it, and he draws the Force to him again, even as he keeps deflecting the shots. It always feels like he's letting the Force guide his moves, following it's every flow and turn, without feeling anything of his own, as he fights. He lashes out, throwing them all back – knocking the ones flying in the air with their jetpacks back, too.

Spinning, he sprints for the exit.

He can hear and sense several warriors with jetpacks pursuing, though.

As always, he can sense the intention of the warriors before they fire – they're determined to kill him, so he can't reveal their location. He deflects the missiles aside the moment they're fired, and one of them explodes through the pursuing group, taking several of them down.

Scrambling onto the speeder, he fires up the engine, streaking off through the woods again – they don't give chase after that, and that's almost more suspicious, when they already know their hideout will be revealed. He needs to get back to the palace as soon as possible.

**w**

"Is something wrong?" Sabine asks, eyeing Luke.

He shakes his head, hastily blinking himself back to the present – it's impressive that she noticed, though. She's obviously been keeping a closer eye on him than he thought. "No."

But something is wrong, and he can't quite place where. Anakin should have it handled, but that doesn't mean he's not worried about it.

"Well, why don't I show you the painting of – " she begins rambling, except then Tristan steps into the room.

"Come on, Mother's calling us for the banquet."

"Guess I'll hafta to show you later," Sabine says, obviously disappointed, as they go to join the others.

"Where is Master Skywalker?" Ursa is asking Reva, as they step inside. Clearly, whatever Reva and Korkie have been distracting her with isn't lasting any longer.

"He –" She hasn't finished whatever excuse she's fumbling for, when Anakin steps into the room, expression grim.

"I am afraid the warriors may not be as gone as you believed, Governor," Anakin states.

"What do you mean?" Ursa demands. She's tense – understandably.

"I encountered a group of them in one of the abandoned mines. They appear to have a very concealed, but established, presence," he replies.

"You found them?" Luke asks, eyes widening. He thought they would be here – and of course, his father would find them – but it's different actually knowing. And it's not good news, either.

"It is as I feared," Korkie murmurs, gravely.

"We can handle it," Ursa interjects, "I do not see how they could have escaped my notice. The problem may not be as widespread as you believe. We should have sufficient forces to deal with them."

"I have already called in my own," Korkie assures.

"We will accompany them," Anakin adds.

"Extra help couldn't hurt, right?" Luke agrees, lightly, despite the tension. This could go downhill very badly, especially if these warriors really are siding against the Republic. They don't need the problem escalating.

Ursa doesn't seem happy, but she agrees, and so, they wait for Korkie's forces to arrive before heading for the mines.

**w**

The tension in the air is nearly tangible as they head for the mines, along with Korkie's forces. The Duke stayed behind, out of danger, of course. So long as Death Watch doesn't decide to go after him in their absence – this is why Anakin didn't think him coming to the moon in the first place was necessarily wise.

"We are walking into a trap," Anakin warns the others.

"That's normal," Luke chirps.

"These warriors are trained to fight Jedi," Anakin reminds. So much for giving Luke a chance to be away from fighting for a while. It was inevitable, though.

"They shouldn't know the entire force is coming," Reva objects.

"I... believe they might." The Force is telling him as much, and he can't shake the feeling that there's at least one spy at the Governor's mansion. There's no real way they couldn't have heard rumors about Death Watch being around, but still haven't done anything.

The mine is quiet enough to be even more suspicious as they stealthily approach through the trees, looking for any signs of life.

But they don't have to wait more than a second – he hears the sound of jetpacks activating, and all at once, warriors are flying out from in between the trees and the mines, surrounding them on all sides.

Luke and Reva draw their lightsabers instantly, and Anakin draws his own, but motions for the others to wait. He knows Mandalorians, enough to know that this was never what their warrior past was meant to entail. If nothing else, they can at least give them a chance to walk away before things go downhill.

Even if he's certain things are going to go downhill, regardless.

Words have never, by any means, been his strength. Obi-Wan is the one who's always been good at that, not Anakin. But still, he has to try, because some people are bound to end up dead. And they're not here to start another war.

"Wait," Anakin calls to them, stepping forwards. He's not afraid for himself, only for Luke, and for going back to Coruscant to tell Obi-Wan that Anakin got his second padawan killed. "You're Mandalorians. We're not here to fight. You live by a code of honor. I know your people have been at odds with the Jedi for years, but we've still lived in relative peace for centuries."

"The Jedi helped exile us from our home," one of them throws back – Ursa Wren herself. Somehow, Anakin doesn't even find himself surprised by that. He'd felt something off about her from the start. All it does is make him wonder exactly how deep this goes. "They helped destroy our people, our way of life."

She has armor on now, so he wouldn't have recognized her otherwise. Two other step forwards from behind the group to stand next to her – and it's more than obvious who they are, given the ridiculous paint scribbles all over one of them.

"Sabine?" Luke breathes, eyes widening.

The worst part is that Ursa isn't entirely wrong. Anakin can't even deny that – with Satine's rule, which was established by the Jedi, many Mandalorians who stood true to their warrior ways were exiled from their home planet.

"It wasn't right," Anakin agrees, "But that doesn't mean all of us are to blame for this. People will die. Innocents will die. The Jedi are trying to help the galaxy, even if we have made mistakes. I won't deny that. We came because some of your warriors are attacking the Republic. All we ask is for this to stop. No one else has to die."

There's a moment of hesitation, and Anakin can feel the uncertainty. Most of them won't listen anyway, but there are a few that he senses hesitating. Including the girl – Sabine. She's uncertain. That just gives him courage to continue.

"This isn't what you stand for," Anakin continues, "Once, Mandalorians cared for helping people as much as the Jedi do, even if we have drastically different lives."

"Enough," one of them snarls, stepping forwards. Jango Fett.

Anakin's stomach plummets immediately – but that makes so much sense. Of course, Jango is still out there, slowly losing himself to his lust for vengeance, uncaring how many others he gets killed along the way. Anakin would be the same, too, if something happened to either of his children. And he, for certain, is not going to stand down. Anakin can't blame him, either.

"The Jedi killed my son, and his murderer stands here now." The Darksaber hisses to life in his hands, as he stalks forwards.

Reva's eyes narrow, and she steps forwards, instantly. "You chose to attack the Jedi on Geonosis. His death is on you."

The flare of grief and rage from Jango is expected, and he fires at her several times with his blaster, before charging. Their blades clash together in a blinding blur of black and purple, and everyone hastily steps out of the way to give them room to fight.

None of the Mandalorians will intervene in that duel, but they'll still have to deal with them. "You can still choose to walk away from this," Anakin starts to say, except then, Ursa fires at him.

So much for that.

Everything explodes literally into chaos, then. Death Watch is trying to kill all of them, and they're far better trained than Korkie's warriors. Coming here with such a small number was foolish – they're being taken down much too quickly.

They should have waited until they were more prepared, but Anakin knows why the Duke didn't want to. Waiting would mean the Republic would move in, and Death Watch would definitely use that to their advantage. He could lose his entire planet to the war, and –

That's not something Anakin's willing to let happen, either, but this isn't a fight they'll be able to win. Luke is doing fairly well amidst the chaos, but that won't necessarily last long. They need to fall back.

Jango and Reva are still fighting furiously – how did Jango end up with the Darksaber, anyway? It means he's the leader of Death Watch and that answers everything about what their goal is. Of course, he wants revenge on the Jedi – with no end in sight. He might not have the Force, but he's still starting to gain the upper hand against her.

He was going to intervene – if he challenged Jango to a duel and won, wouldn't that mean he's the leader of Death Watch and could order them to stand down? Though when Jango's already fighting Reva, that's likely not something that would work – but he doesn't move fast enough. Jango finds an opening in Reva's defenses, the Darksaber cutting down sharply and stabbing straight through her.

Anakin lashes out with the Force, shoving him back before he can make it fatal, as Reva stumbles back, going down on her knees with a strangled cry.

He just stabbed her, and – in truth, Anakin can't even blame him for his anger, but that's beside the point – she could die, if she's not treated immediately. And this... He can't let that happen. (He can't go back to Obi-Wan, to tell him his second padawan is dead. Can't imagine how he would feel if it were Ahsoka who was injured here.)

"Reva," Luke calls, sprinting towards her, as Jango raises the Darksaber.

He's planning to finish it, of course.

By Mandalorian code, he has the right to. Likely, he'd never agree to a duel now that Anakin intervened, anyway.

He shoves him back again, darting to Reva's side and lifting her into arms. "We need to fall back," he calls to the others, and they're more than willing to oblige, backing away into the trees.

Death Watch doesn't hesitate to give pursuit.

They barely manage to make it back to their ships and fire up the engines before Jango flies into view, firing several missiles at them. One is heading straight for the ship Anakin and Reva are on, and he reaches out with the Force, shoving it aside. It explodes in the trees, as Luke scrambles into the pilot's seat, firing up the ship.

"Call the Duke," Anakin orders Luke, taking control of the ship himself, "Tell him to get out immediately."

His son scrambles to send out the call, immediately. Korkie answers surprisingly fast. "We are leaving the surface already," he assures, grimly.

Good.

It's... over. For the moment.

If Jango is driven by vengeance like this, he won't give up.

"What's gonna happen now?" Luke asks, as they head back to check on Reva.

"I do not know," Anakin replies, "The Republic will likely want to intervene, but I believe the Duke will be able to handle it."

"Wouldn't that spread the war here?"

"Yes," he agrees, "If the Senate votes for it. I imagine that's what Death Watch is going for, because the people will not want it."

"They won't vote to go there, will they?" he asks, frowning.

Anakin sighs. "That will depend on if the Senators can be convinced."

"That's stupid. Everybody should know it's stupid."

"This is why I have questioned the effectiveness of the Republic in the past," Anakin admits. Half the time, they're only making it worse, and that's why he doesn't have a problem with Palpatine having more power. He knows it could easily be abused, but Palpatine has never done that. The Republic has been falling worse and worse, since he left office before.

Luke has already seen the same, on his own.

"Reva," Anakin says, crouching next to her, checking the injury. It's bad, but it missed all vital organs. He doesn't know how long the cauterization will last before it starts bleeding, though.

She lets out a muffled groan.

"You'll be alright," he promises her, "We'll have you treated soon."

**w**

The questions this mission left in Luke's mind only seem to be growing, though right now, he's mostly focused on the fact that Reva nearly died. He's frankly hardly sure how she's alive – it's nearly impossible to survive stab wounds like that.

There's been a certain comradeship between them since Geonosis, and he doesn't want anything to happen to her.

He and Anakin are dropping her off in the Halls of Healing when Obi-Wan shows up.

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asks, expression tight.

"Jango stabbed her," Luke replies.

"I believe she will be fine, but it was serious," Anakin answers, solemnly, "I apologize that I was not able to protect her."

What? Why is he apologizing for that? It's not his fault!

"You said you were overwhelmed," Obi-Wan replies, dismissively, "Are you both alright?"

"We are fine," Anakin assures.

Obi-Wan slips past them, into the room Reva was taken in, and after a moment, Anakin follows. He seems upset, mostly that Obi-Wan is, and Luke reaches up, squeezing his father's hand.

"Master," Reva greets – it's surprising she's even coherent enough to talk right now.

"How are you feeling?" Obi-Wan asks. His worry is obvious, but not quite as much as Luke would've expected. Unless he's just good at hiding it, being the Grandmaster and all.

"Been better," she replies, wincing slightly.

Obi-Wan doesn't move to touch her, or – or anything, like Anakin would be if Luke was in this position. "Yes," he agrees, "I would imagine so."

"They say it's not that bad," she says – whatever painkillers they gave her must be taking effect, for her to even be talking right now, "I'll be up and moving soon."

"Rest as long as you need it. We do not need you running away from the healer's wing, like Anakin did."

Anakin gives him a look, which he only seems momentarily smug about returning.

Reva makes a noise that Luke can't tell if it's intended as a snort or a scoff – but it ends in a cough, either way.

"I will be back later," Obi-Wan tells her, "We should not disturb you right now. You... need to rest."

"Is that normal?" Luke can't help asking, trailing after Anakin as they leave.

"What?"

"He seems so... cold. Distant, at least." Maybe that's not fair to say, but really.

"It is the way most Jedi are," Anakin replies, hand falling to his shoulder, "They are trained not to be attached."

"That's how he was with you?" Luke demands, looking up.

"Sometimes. But there were moments I could always tell that he... cared."

He makes a noise of understanding, even if he doesn't like hearing that. It just seems so lonely. How do any of the Jedi stand it?

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