Chapter Nineteen - The Contractor, The Daimyo, and The Foundling
The rancor's claw missed Jaden by an inch. It collided with the wall instead, breaking large chunks off of it. How do I always get myself into these messes?
With Kyle out, and Jan to assist him, he said he would search for information regarding how Tavion came into possession of the scepter. And now that Jaden was a Jedi Knight, she was given what Kyle called "more challenging missions" and had been sent to search a small spaceport on Tanaab to investigate a cult sighting. When she got there, everything went smoothly, she connected with a pilot who pointed her toward a cargo hanger where he'd seen the cultists.
Everything went downhill from there.
She spotted a cultist and confronted him, but instead of fighting her, he ignored her and ran to a control panel next to a large containment cell usually reserved for storage. This was no normal cargo.
The door opened revealing a large, greenish-gray rancor, with tubes and metal stuck all over it. It was an experiment, she recognized. Something made or mutated in a lab. She'd done the smart thing and ran as soon as the rancor exited its cage, going even faster when the cultist cried out in pain when the creature, apparently having no sense of who was good or bad, snatched him up and swallowed him whole.
She jumped over cargo containers and other large objects, tried closing several doors to the room but had to reevaluate her plan when the rancor broke through the door and surrounding wall with no problem whatsoever. And to make matters worse, this mutant rancor breathed out toxic gas, a horror Jaden witnessed firsthand as the green fog claimed innocent spaceport workers that were trapped in the area and couldn't run fast enough to escape it.
Jaden had even crossed paths with a few members of the cult, but decided that not engaging them was a much better plan as the rancor continued to gain on her.
I have to keep it from leaving the spaceport! But how?
The rancor slowed a few times to reach out and gobbled up some poor worker or even an unfortunate cult member who was unlucky to not get out of its way fast enough.
Jaden ran into a seemingly dead end with a conveyor belt leading towards a blue forcefield. I can't stop it!
She looked left and right, above, for anything, anything at all that could help her. Spotting a crate above her, a light suddenly went off inside her head. Maybe I can trap it between the container and the door!
She ran to the conveyors control room and located the release switch for the box to drop it onto the belt. She spotted the rancor in the distance, it was distracted by a Reborn who tried zapping it with lightning in order to leave him alone, but this only served to make the monster even angrier and it smashed the Reborn underneath its giant hand.
She stepped out of the room, aimed and fired her blaster to get its attention. The creature's black, unfeeling eyes turned their attention to her and it let out a deafening roar and stomped towards her. She rushed back inside to the control panel.
"C'mon c'mon c'mon a little closer, just a little closer," Jaden muttered under her breath, her hand trembling on the switch.
The mutant rancor stepped onto the conveyor belt in front of the box and peered through the glass right at her, raising its paw to strike. Jaden threw the switch and the conveyor started moving. She increased the speed and the rancor couldn't move much as the gigantic crate and the walls on either side kept it trapped, the only way for it to move being towards the forcefield.
Jaden shut her eyes tightly against the sound of the rancor's painful, grating shriek when it was pressed against the laser shield, crushing it until it fell silent. The only sound that came after was that of the rancor's limp body falling forward onto the crate. Only then did Jaden open her eyes again.
"We think these cultists were planning on releasing that mutated rancor into the city and using the ensuing chaos to steal supplies, credits, and whatever else they could get their hands on. Good work putting a stop to it." Kyle and Jaden stood in one of the Academy's war rooms, going over their notes from the past several days they'd been away from each other. He patted Jaden on the back, making her wince.
"Sorry."
"It's okay, I'm just sore, that thing nearly had me at one point and my muscles are still tender," Jaden said as she absentmindedly rubbed her shoulder.
"I've been tracing Tavion's movements over the past couple of months now and discovered that she acquired the scepter from a collector on Commenor. Then she killed him." He added the last detail grimly. "Luke and I have been trying to find out what Tavion could be hoping to do with Ragnos' scepter, but so far no luck. Keep your ears open for any rumors, okay?"
"No problem, keeping my eyes and ears open is all I've been doing besides training," she said dryly, earning a tired grin from Kyle.
"Sometimes that's all we can do. Don't get yourself down kid." Kyle was gentler when he patted her shoulder again and left the war room.
Jaden couldn't be sure she believed Rosh to be sincere. Ever since she'd heard his voice echoing in a dream, pleading with her to forgive him, that he was terribly sorry, she felt divided on whether or not he might be conflicted. He sounded so lonely and miserable.
Please… I can't die here, I can't die alone.
Dreams were something to pay attention to, she knew that much, but were they ever true? She'd read that some Jedi learned the art of connecting through a Force bond which included seeing another person in their dreams and that person experiencing the same thing, but yet it seemed so convoluted, the stuff of fairytales. And yet…
"Jaden, would you join me please?" Jaden startled and stood at attention as Luke approached her. She'd been practicing her drills that Master Dykstra had taught her. She replaced her lightsabers on her belt and bowed lightly.
"How can I be of service Master?"
"I have an important call from my sister, Senator Organa about a matter of great importance and discretion," Skywalker said quietly, then leaned forward a bit to add, "And I would like you to join me in that meeting, I think you would be the perfect fit for the assignment she has in mind."
"Yes, of course, I'll be there sir." Jaden grabbed her jacket from a nearby bench. "Are we going now?"
"Yes, as soon as we can get up to my private conference room."
Jaden was taken aback. This must be extremely important if there's all this secrecy.
"It is of the utmost discretion that I bring this request to you and your student, Luke." Senator Leia Organa, the last Princess of Alderaan, stood before them, the picture of dignity and grace even as her holographic image crackled and popped with static at the occasional change in the call's signal.
Luke tilted his head in respect, Jaden followed suit, awestruck by the sight of the two siblings. She'd always wished to have a brother or a sister of her own. Maybe I have that already in Arta-Mess, or Kalil, or Jacyyn?
"Information has surfaced in our archives from the time of the Rebellion about a large stockpile of old weapons hidden in the wastes of Ord Mantell."
"Ord Mantell?" Jaden interjected. "Isn't that close to what used to be Imperial space?"
"It is," the Princess confirmed. "Though still a part of the Core Worlds, it is on the edge of that map and must be approached with caution. Our records indicate there should be seven caches hidden in the ruined city. Your mission is to destroy the stockpiles so they don't fall into the wrong hands."
Jaden bobbed her head slightly. "Sounds easy enough I guess. Do you happen to know if the cult is involved in this somehow? If they're after the weapons?"
The Princess was silent a moment, seemingly measuring the strength and quality of the young Jedi before her. Jaden felt like she was stuck under a microscope. But finally, Leia spoke.
"We haven't received any new reports about cult activity in the last few days, but I don't think they've decided to go into hiding. My brother here believes they must be close to completing their plan. But for now, we think it's best to take care of this stash of weapons. We haven't any information yet on who any other interested parties might be, but I feel it's better to be safe than sorry, don't you?" Senator Organa's eyebrow raised as she scrutinized Jaden.
Jaden gulped. "Yes Ma'am, er Your Highness, milady."
Luke chuckled beside her. "I think Jaden has all she needs, Leia, I'll call you back with a progress report. Jaden's one of my top students, she can handle this."
"I certainly hope so, may the Force be with you both." She inclined her regal head to the two of them, then her image faded into nothing.
"Don't worry about my sister, she has to be that way, helping to run the New Republic is no easy feat."
"I can imagine," Jaden said. "But don't worry Master Skywalker, I won't fail you."
"I believe in you Jaden, now go, and may the Force be with you."
"And you as well."
"This should be easy. Just plant some charges, watch the fireworks, and come home. What can go wrong?"
"Anything, but thanks for the vote of confidence Kyle, I'm about to land in the ruins," Jaden said as she maneuvered the Far Wanderer over an open, empty space in the middle of an ancient courtyard that once belonged to a grand city hundreds of years ago on Ord Mantell. The place looked like nothing more than a dump, a hollow ghostly shell of its once grand designs and architecture.
"Well then, who am I to keep you from your mission any longer. I'll see you later for the mission debrief. Good luck and-"
"May the Force be with me? I already got it from Luke and his sister. Having a Princess say it to me gave me all the confidence I need."
"You sure about that?" Jaden sensed a note of teasing in Kyle's voice.
"Yes, I am and if you don't mind Master, I just landed."
"Oh, all right, goodbye. And may the Force be with-" Jaden cut the transmission, laughing to herself that Kyle had tried to say it fast, as if he knew she was going to do just that.
Her spirits high, she set to work searching for the weapons caches, a new energy flowing through her veins. She'd get this done in no time. She didn't have to even leave the area she landed in to spot the first cache, hidden in an alcove some yards safely away from her ship.
"Huh, there's some of the weapons right there."
She approached the cache, planting one of the charges from her pack slung over her shoulder, then ran out of the way as fast as she could before it exploded. Stepping out from behind a corner, Jaden brushed off her hands. One down, six more to go. I guess I'd better get going.
Jaden started off towards a doorway directly behind her X-Wing, referring to a vague chart she'd been sent by Leia. It indicated that three of the seven caches hidden in the city were somewhere in that area. She hadn't gone far, the sound of the flames engulfing the first destroyed cache barely audible when another sound, very similar to it could be heard. She thought she was hearing things, but when she turned around, looking this way and that, then, of all places, up, she found her answer. A lone figure wearing a jetpack hovered in the air several yards away and landed on a broken structure. The armor it wore gleamed silvery in the moonlight. The helmet it wore was unmistakable.
"Who are you, Mandalorian?" Jaden asked, hand hovering close to her lead saber which was positioned behind her new holster.
The Mando tilted his head as if to ask, 'Are you serious?' But aloud he answered in a tone so even and cold that it might as well have come from a droid. "This doesn't concern you. Just walk away."
Jaden tried to remember everything she could about Mandalorians, they were an ancient enemy of the Jedi, often employed as bounty hunters. Could this be an interested party Leia was worried about?
"Look, I can't do that…" Jaden began, but the Mandalorian fired off a warning shot, she knew that that's what it was because they were notorious marksmen. He fired again, closer, Jaden ducked to the side behind a pillar.
"Can't we talk about this?! There is literally no need to fight!"
"If you leave now we won't have too," Mando said. "Like I warned you, this is no concern of yours."
"No," Jaden said firmly, grasping one of her sabers. "This is no concern of yours, Mandalorian. I have a mission, and I intend to complete it."
"So do I, I guess that means we will have to fight over it."
"Fine," Jaden said. "You've made your choice, I didn't want it to come to this." She slipped her second saber from her belt, keeping them hidden in the shadows, she wanted the element of surprise when he started firing.
The Mandalorian gave a humorless chuckle. "Funny, I was gonna say the same thing."
The glow of Jaden's lightsabers illuminated her face as they ignited and she leapt out from behind the pillar just as the Mandalorians' first blaster bolts reached her. She deflected them easily, but as quickly as their fight started, the Mandalorian suddenly stopped shooting and called out, "Wait! Stop!"
Jaden stopped, still keeping her lightsabers up in defense in case the Mandalorian was tricking her, but he had stopped shooting, had used his jetpack to safely hover to the ground and laid down his weapon. It could still be a trick, Mandos have lots of weapons hidden at their disposal.
But he seemed rather sincere, putting his hands up, even reaching behind him to remove his jetpack.
Jaden finally relented, she put away her sabers, but kept a close eye on him and had a variety of Force tricks ready and waiting. She'd been betrayed before.
"What's your mission here Mando?"
"I could ask the same of you, you're a Jedi right?"
"I'll ask the questions. And yes, I'm a Jedi."
"Then you too, work for the New Republic?"
"Correction, I serve the New Republic as it needs but my first allegiance is to the Force and the New Jedi Order. If you must know, I'm one of Luke Skywalker's students at his Academy." If the Mando's helmet had been off Jaden was sure she would have seen his eyes go wide.
"I'm here for the New Republic too, off the table, that is."
"That's impossible, Senat- my contact with the New Republic assured me that no one knew about this place or the weapons here. I was sent to destroy them."
The Mandalorian was silent for a moment, then, "Sense I know you Jedi tend to find out everything, I might as well tell you the whole truth. I'm an independent contractor. No one besides my contact with the New Republic knows I'm here. Like I said, it's strictly off the table."
"And who's your contact?" Jaden suspected it was probably someone dirty if it was off the table. Another interested party no doubt disguised as the New Republic. The Mandalorian didn't seem dirty though, there was something about him, a presence that surrounded him that intrigued her.
"That information, I'll take to my grave. But I assure you, it's not of malicious intent. I'm here to collect some of the weapons and bring them in, they'll go to a good cause and help a portion of the Republic's army. Maybe we can work out a deal. You can destroy those three caches near here and I'll take the other three. None of us need tell our contacts about each other."
Jaden thought a moment, she didn't like this, not one bit. How could the New Republic be so divided if one party wanted them gone and the other wanted them for use? None of it made sense. She decided to risk something big.
"My contact is very high up in the New Republic, how about yours?"
Mando shook his head. "I believe you, Jedi, and no, my contact is not so high up." He released a frustrated breath. "I suppose my contact thought that the Republic would like to have these weapons and not want them destroyed."
"Well," Jaden shrugged, "things are a lot more dangerous out there at the moment, we didn't want them to fall into the wrong hands."
"I can understand that." He waited a beat before continuing. "Well, then, if you permit me, I can help you with your mission. Where are the next caches you need to blow up?"
Jaden raised an eyebrow. "Ah no, if you're gonna help me, then you're coming with me. I don't want you out of my sight, Mandalorian."
He nodded. "I figured as much." He turned and bent to pick up his jetpack, then reached for his blaster, Jaden pulled it towards herself. Mando quickly stood up to face her again.
"Let's get one thing straight," Jaden said. "You betray me, I'll kill you and tell my high up contact all about you and then whoever your contact is, we will find them and make sure they are put behind bars. Forever. Get the picture?" Jaden surprised even herself with her threat, but the anger that bubbled near the surface was very real, the anticipation of betrayal already there though it came unbidden and unwelcome. The Mandalorian seemed to be looking her up and down.
"Understood," he simply said, then bravely decided to add, "I didn't know Jedi were one's to threaten, I thought it was the other way around."
"Well…" she stammered. "When you've faced betrayal enough times, you learn to be more careful."
Mando's helmet tilted to the side. "On that, we can agree."
"So, I guess we should introduce ourselves? Or do you think that's a bad idea?"
Mando shrugged. "I'm fine with it. My name is Din Djarin, I am the head of Clan Mudhorn and follow the Way of the Mandalore."
"I'm Jaden Korr, and I follow the Path of the Jedi," she said, adding that last bit so that it didn't seem so dull compared to his.
Mando bowed his head slightly in respect and said, "Then what are we waiting for?"
"Let's go." Jaden bobbed her head in response and they set out towards an area where she was sure a cache had been hidden. It was in their sights and Jaden was ready to hand Mando a charge when suddenly a voice came out of the shadows behind them.
"If all you're doing is destroying perfectly good weapons, then you might as well hand them over to someone who'll put them to good use."
Jaden froze, Din Djarin turned around, saying, "I know that voice. Come out and we will discuss things like civilized people."
When Jaden turned in the same direction the Mandalorian had, she saw… yet another Mandalorian?! But his armor was more colorful, dented and scuffed up, painted in greens, yellows and reds that sometimes chipped away to gray. He was tall and broad shouldered, and behind him, she realized, stood a tall, lithe figure all in black with the occasional bits of red trimming its outfit. They both removed their helmets: The other Mandalorian was a man, about mid to late forties, with tan skin and a shiny bald head and prominent eyebrows under which an intense, piercing gaze shot forth. The other was a woman with long black hair tied into various braids. Her face reminded Jaden of Jan, except its features spoke of a harder life and rougher lifestyle filled with pain and sealing herself off from much feeling. Not to say it wasn't a pretty face, but it lacked the softness and gentleness that Jan's had. Not to mention the warmth.
Jaden looked closely at the new Mando's armor and almost gasped. She'd read the stories, she'd seen the archives.
"Boba Fett?!"
"In the flesh young Jedi, but I'm not here to fight. I just want those weapons."
Jaden sighed, Not this again.
"Look, Din Djarin and I have come to an agreement, the New Republic wants these caches destroyed. It's what's best for everyone."
"Exactly why they'll be safe in my hands."
"No offense but I don't exactly trust you, you're a bounty hunter! At least, you used to be, and didn't you fall into a Sarlacc pit? That's what Master Skywalker told me."
"And I hold no ill will towards your master, what's past, is past," Boba said. "But I was able to free myself from the pit and start a new life. I have forsaken my old ways and started new by righting old wrongs. I am now cementing my place as the head Daimyo of Mos Espa, Jabba the Hutt's former throne and I need weapons with which to arm my growing militia. We are changing that city, for the better, and I'd heard from some reliable sources that there was a secret cache of weapons here, untouched and forgotten by the New Republic, or, not so forgotten as I had hoped. I swear I would not misuse them."
Jaden's lightsabers came out, she was done trying to negotiate, especially with someone who'd taken the place of a notorious crime lord like Jabba the Hutt.
"You know, if you wanted me to trust you, telling me that you took Jabba's place did not help your cause."
"I said I took his throne, not his place and you'd be wise, girl, to believe me and not act so hot headed."
Who is this guy, my father? The woman next to Boba had drawn her blaster but Boba put a hand on her arm and she lowered it again.
"Please," Boba said, looking at Mando. "For old time's sake, to honor old alliances, let us negotiate and not shed blood."
Mando was still, unsure. "I don't want violence either but we are in a bit of a stalemate," he said. "We're," he gestured to Jaden who still hadn't put her sabers away, "here because we were both petitioned by the New Republic by different contacts to come here. Her's is higher up than mine, who wanted me to collect the weapons and return them to the Republic. But because of the seniority of her contact, I made a compromise and seeded her the mission."
Silence reigned for several moments, tension hanging in the air so thick Jaden could've cut it with her lightsabers. Finally, Boba started to speak.
"Perhaps some arrangement, half of the weapons in exchange for silence on all ends-?"
"No," Jaden said and they all looked at her, giving her a feeling of prey caught in a trap, but she didn't give ground. "My masters," she explained, "will know if I lie, I can't go back and tell them a different story, I'd have to tell the truth and I don't plan on telling them anything else."
Boba's intense eyes bored into hers. Mando stepped between them.
"Boba, I know you'd use these weapons for a good cause, but think of the relationship you're trying to have with the New Republic, last I heard you were in negotiations to open up previously closed space lanes to them. Do you really want to hurt that partnership if they find out you took these weapons?"
"They needn't know," answered the Daimyo.
"I don't trust you period." Jaden said behind Mando, who turned to look her in the face, which was hard sense she couldn't see his. Why doesn't he take his mask off? Is he scared I'll reveal his identity?
"I can vouch for Boba Fett, Jaden. I was there when he took Mos Espa as his own, he's doing a good work there, better than any of the Hutt's have done for eons."
Jaden lowered her lightsabers slightly, conflicted. "That still doesn't get us anywhere. What about the weapons? I don't want to have to tell a lie or half truth." Aren't you already doing that though? Whenever you say that you're fine or don't need to talk about what's really going on on the inside? You're worse than Rosh.
"Shut up!" She whispered harshly, closing her eyes.
"Excuse me?" The woman said from Boba's side.
"Nothing, I'm trying to think," Jaden said. She wished she could call Kyle or Luke, but they hadn't wanted any contact until the mission was finished or unless it was an emergency. Did this qualify as an emergency? And besides, none of the people present would want her calling anyone.
"Look, I don't want it to come to having to hurt either of you," Boba began. "I think the best way to avoid a fight is to negotiate. There are four of us, so it'd only be fair we split the caches in half. I saw that one has been destroyed, which means there are six more out here in these ruins somewhere. If you, Din Djarin, are still set on helping the Jedi, then by all means, work together to destroy three of them, and let Fennec and I take the remaining three." He fixed his eyes on Jaden and said, "And you Jedi, so that your honor is not tainted, you have my permission to tell your master's about me and I will deal with the New Republic accordingly and accept whatever consequences my actions may incur."
Jaden could see his reasoning, she recognized she would be outnumbered by very skilled adversaries (Would Din really fight against his friend with me? Probably not) if this came to a fight even though she was at that moment thinking up some Force tricks to use. But most importantly she did not want it to have to come to a fight, and almost above that her wounded ego dictated that she tell Boba Fett exactly where he could shove his so-called 'permission' to her.
But she never had the chance to tell him anything, because Mando's comlink beeped suddenly, a string of binary beeps and sounds from some kind of Astromech droid.
"R5, I'm a little busy, what's so-?"
"BEEEEEEEEPPPPP, WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The droid said so loudly it hurt Jaden's ears and Din had to turn the sound down.
"R5, slow down, what's happening?"
The droid continued to give off commands and various noises, Jaden thought she heard other sounds in the background, like a strange cooing and whining, but R5 was so loud she wondered if it was just her imagination. Between the four of them, they all got the message.
"Imperials," Jaden said grimly. "At the outskirts of the city." She looked Boba dead in the eye with a glare that matched his intensity. "Daimyo Fett, please, now do you see the need to destroy these weapons? If we keep bickering the Imperial Remnant will catch us divided and kill us. Now, I don't like this idea I'm about to give but it's the only option where we come out on top and hopefully alive."
"We work together to fight the Imperials and destroy the weapons?" Boba said. "Agreed. We will leave you to finish your mission, young Jedi, you'll be much more swift. Din Djarin, Fennec and I will hold them off unless or until they breach the walls of the city, then, we'll need your lightsabers."
Jaden looked at Mando who nodded his agreement, then at the woman beside Boba, Fennec he'd said so she assumed that was her name and they both nodded at each other.
Jaden looked at Boba again. "It's Jaden by the way, and, may the Force be with you all." Then she turned and started setting her charge.
Two explosions later and Jaden was setting the fourth charge. Just three more to go. She hoped she'd be able to find them as easily as she'd found these. She jumped clear of the next explosion behind a pillar and set to running as fast as she could back towards her ship, taking another way that led out from beyond the tip of the X-Wing and into more ruins.
"Hi!"
What?! Jaden skidded to a stop, panting, looking around. It was a strange, slightly high pitched type of voice, almost like a child's.
"Hello?" She called quietly. No answer. She had a mission to complete, she could figure this out later. She picked up the pace and kept going, even after the voice tried again and again in that same tone, it was almost annoying, "Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!" and then, "What's your name?"
"I don't have time for this," Jaden loudly whispered. "Please be quiet! I don't know who you are or what you want so please, leave me alone!" She hadn't meant to sound harsh, but the stress was getting to her.
The voice stopped, then sadly said, "Okay… bye."
"How many did you say there were?!" Called Boba to his right hand, Fennec Shand.
"I said it was about fifty, probably a whole platoon plus a little extra!" She adjusted the grip on her rifle and proceeded to shoot five stormtroopers in a row before adding, "If we stay out of range and hidden as much as possible, we have a definite chance of winning this thing."
On and on they continued to gun down the enemy, making much use of the ruined city's architecture and moving occasionally so as to throw off the enemy and keep them second guessing where the next round of shots would come from.
Mando had gone to check on his ship, which he'd landed in a different part of the city, making certain it was secure and firmly telling its occupants to stay put until it was all over.
"I see about twenty left!" Boba called out.
"Good, this'll take no time at all." Fennec lined up another shot, but didn't fire. Something else had caught her eye.
"Last one! Finally!" Jaden almost slid into the last cache she had been practically flying through the ruined city. She fumbled with the last charge, almost too excited, but at last it was set and she ran for cover, but the charge didn't blow.
"Sithspit!"
"Jaden, come in." It was Din Djarin. "We've got a situation."
"I'm a little busy here! The last charge won't blow up!"
"Well, we've got a slightly bigger problem." His voice urged.
Jaden looked back at the cache, irritated. "What is it?"
"He's like a Jedi, but not. He came with the Imperials."
"He? Oh no!" Jaden's adrenaline shot into overtime. A Jedi but not. There was no real way of knowing if it could be Rosh or not, but either way, even if it was just a regular cultist, they would need her help. It's just one more cache of weapons, I can deal with them after the battle.
And she took off running again.
But the Dark Jedi was not Rosh, nor was he any old cultist either. The scene Jaden came upon was this:
Both Mandalorians flying or hovering as far out of reach as they could on their jetpacks, taking shots when they were able but always having to dodge or let their armor take the blow of the deflected bolt. They were also avoiding heavy streams of Force lightning at all costs and Fennec, well, she'd stayed hidden, taking as many shots as she risked taking, always moving stealthily to a new spot after each one. But none of that mattered in the face of the adversary they were trying to fight.
The figure was dressed like the twins she'd fought on Vjun, but his face was different. Jaden sensed he was higher up than the Reborns even, perhaps one of Tavion's top lieutenants or something.
"Finally!" He shouted. "A worthy adversary!" He looked her up and down, a gaze that in any normal situation would've made her uncomfortable. "Or not."
He then lifted his face to the sky, as if he'd just caught a whiff of some amazing smell and was savoring it till the end.
"Ahhhhh, you're not the only one here, are you, Jedi?"
"Of course I'm not you Di'kut, look around, you're the one harassing my friends here!"
"Don't you feel it?" The strange Reborn said, looking at her so earnestly she almost wondered if he'd call off the fight to stop and figure out exactly what it was that he'd sensed. But she had her walls up, this had to be a trick.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no…" The small child's voice came again. Then it clicked. There was another Force sensitive here somewhere, why they were here was anyone's guess, but Jaden knew that now, whatever or whomever it was, she had to protect them. She felt it then and it was not another dark presence, it was pure and light.
Above and behind her, the Mandalorians landed on a broken balcony. The Reborn hardly noticed, he was too busy looking about, as if he would spot what he was looking for in the cracks of the stones around him.
"Don't you sense it too?" He asked. "It's a young one, I can feel it. Forget about the weapons, they're yours. What I want now is….." He took another deep, inhaling breath, and let it out. "The child."
"Dank farrik," Din Djarin muttered, then the Reborn finally seemed to notice him.
"Oh, is the child yours Mandalorian? Heh, his talents are wasted with you. I shall gladly take him off your hands."
"Over my dead body." Mando and Boba's blasters were aimed at him now, somewhere off to the side, hidden very well by bounty hunter's standards was Fennec Shand who took her chance and fired a round at the Reborn. He sidestepped them as if they were nothing and shot blood red lightning at the place she was concealed in. Fennec cried out in pain and Boba ran to her. Din stayed put, blaster still trained on his enemy.
"Din, help Boba get Fennec out of here and check on your son," Jaden said firmly. "I will handle this. Now go!" None of them argued, when they were gone it was just her and the Sith.
"Fun," he said. "I get to kill you and bring another promising young student before Tavion."
This statement snapped something inside Jaden. "I suppose then you helped her capture Rosh didn't you?" She spat.
"Oh, he was your friend? That's rich. I hope the two of you weren't close because it's only a matter of time before Tavion tires of him or makes him face you, then you'd be forced to kill each other, so I'll spare you that bit of heartbreak."
Jaden gripped her sabers tighter, he was getting a rise out of her, she had to stay cool and level. "Then give my regards to Rosh you piece of Sith filth!"
"Oh I don't think-"
Jaden was on him faster than even he'd expected and he was thrown off his rhythm, but only for a millisecond.
Yellow, orange, and red, the colors of sunset in a beautiful sky battled and fought against each other for the victory of complete opposites: Light and darkness, day and night. Her adversary was much larger and broader, which should have made him slower than her normally, but Jaden sensed he was using some Force speed to be lighter on his feet. Everything she learned from Kyle and Corran about lightsaber duels, fighting with two sabers, with a bigger opponent, flooded to the front of her mind and was the only thing keeping her alive. She kept mostly to the defensive, only risking a Force trick if she knew it wouldn't cost her much. But something had to give, they would both tire and only then, would it be known who was the better opponent.
Mando and Boba Fett held Fennec between them, she was unconscious, but alive and very weak from the shock she'd received from the Sith's lightning. They carried her to Din's starfighter and set her down gently. Din opened the cockpit expectantly.
"Dank farrik! I told you to stay put!" He turned to Boba, "He's gone, I need to look for him!"
"Go!" Boba said, "We will be fine here!"
Din Djarin nodded and took off running back towards the fight he knew he couldn't win.
Jaden was struggling, of that much she knew. If she couldn't find an advantage, then it was only a matter of time before this Reborn bested her, which by now she'd decided he was some kind of master.
Blaster bolts came out of nowhere and she looked back briefly to see Din Djarin running in, guns literally blazing.
"So you've returned to help the Jedi win? That's very ironic considering." The Reborn Master laughed at the Mandalorian. "Or, you're here for another reason? Let me guess…" He blocked an attack from Jaden. "Your ward is missing." And another. "And you think he's around here?" And another. "This will be the death of you both!" He struck at Jaden so hard she was sent backwards, backpedaling to try and retain her balance. Mando took to the skies with his jetpack and started firing several rounds at once to cover Jaden, which saved her life long enough for her to get her feet planted again. But now the Reborn Master was deflecting all of Mando's blasts back at him. He began readying a bout of Force lightning when he was thrown off balance so violently and suddenly, that Jaden took the risk and jumped in, stabbing both sabers into his chest while exposed with his saber hand thrown back to try and catch his balance. The next second it was all over.
Hearing a cooing sound behind her, Jaden turned to see a tiny green alien, dressed in a dirty tan covering that looked more like a sack, standing just outside the shadows of the ruins. He looked exactly like the holographic images of Master Yoda from the Academy's archives. Funny, I didn't know there were more of his species.
"Hi," The tiny voice in her head said shyly. Guilt and remorse filled Jaden and she turned off her sabers as she approached the small creature.
"Hi there, my name's Jaden. I'm so so sorry I snapped at you earlier." She kneeled in front of him and extended her hand. Their fingers lightly touched and she felt his strong Force ability tingling and humming all around her. "So, you were the presence we felt earlier. What's your name?"
"His name is Grogu," Mando said, having landed softly behind her.
Jaden turned her head to smile at him. "You know about his gift then? He could be trained further if you allowed it."
"He was. Briefly. Skywalker, I believe his name was, came and took him with him some years ago. But Grogu chose to come back to me. He chose to walk the Way of the Mandalore under my teaching as my son and apprentice."
Jaden nodded. What a story this'll be to tell Master Luke then. She gently picked up the child and handed him back to his father, wondering what Din Djarin was behind that helmet. It was strange to her that Boba would remove his.
"Are you afraid of your identity being revealed?" She asked. "You know, your helmet."
"No. The Way that I follow dictates that I not remove my helmet in the presence of any living thing."
"Boba Fett, I'm guessing he's not a true Mandalorian then?"
"His father was Mandalorian. Not all Mandalorians follow the Path that Grogu and I do. Ours is a small group called Children of the Watch."
"Does that mean that Grogu will someday have to wear a helmet all the time, never taking it off, never letting another person see his face?" Jaden asked worriedly.
"This is the Way," Din Djarin replied.
Jaden held her tongue. None of what the Mandalorian had told her made any normal sense and didn't seem like it was in the best interest of his adoptive son. She thought about how lonely and isolating it must be, to wear a mask and never take it off in front of people, even if you still got to spend time with them. How lonely that must feel.
"Is everything alright?" Boba's voice carried from the shadows, echoing through the ruins.
"Yes," Jaden called back, facing him as he approached, Fennec weakly holding onto his arm.
"She is very weak, I don't know what that sorcerer did to her but if we don't get her help soon…"
"I'm… fine. So come off it already," Fennec said weakly. Jaden had to smile, she and Jan had one thing in common.
"Here, set her down," Jaden said, helping lower Fennec to the rocky ground, Boba practically cradling her to keep her somewhat comfortable.
"Can you help her?" Baba asked, eyes pleading, the most soft he'd looked all evening. He cared deeply about his friend and Jaden couldn't just stand by.
"I think so." She reached out a hand to Fennec's arm and let her hand hover over it. Seeking through the Force, she looked for external injuries, eventually going inward. Her heart was weak, and something in her brain was making it run strangely. Whatever that Sith had trained in, he'd learned to harass a very deadly type of Force lightning. She thought she could at least heal her some, but it wouldn't be strong enough.
"Grogu, I need your help. Mandalorian… Din, please, let your son use his gift, he can help me heal Fennec." She reached out her arm and Din, without hesitation handed her his son.
Cradling him in the crook of her arm, she extended her free hand again. "Just follow my lead Grogu. Focus on putting everything to rights inside Fennec's brain and heart. What that bad man did to her messed up some things and made them go slower or glitch."
Together, the Mandalorian Foundling and the Jedi focused and a pale purple light pulsed all around them, engulfing them, even Boba who later found some of his minor scratches and injuries were mysteriously gone.
Pulling back, they waited. Fennec seemed to have fallen asleep but Jaden could tell she was better.
"Take her back to your ship and let her rest," she said to Boba. "And, you might wanna consider giving her a pay raise."
The Daimyo smiled, picked up his partner and began carrying her back through the ruins. Jaden and Mando followed, with Grogu trotting alongside them. When Boba had returned from his ship, they gathered near the last cache of weapons.
"So, it didn't go off hmm?" Boba said, scratching his chin.
"That's right, I think that last charge was faulty or something." Jaden crossed her arms, glaring at the bomb as if she could will it to do its job.
"Then I suppose we're back where we started?" Mando asked.
"No," Jaden interjected. "We're not. Boba can have them. He earned 'em. Besides, we can just tell our contacts that it looked like 'someone' got to one of them but we were able to blow up the other six before they could return to finish the job. Sound okay to you?" She looked at Boba whose mouth split into a huge grin.
"Now you're talking like a diplomat, Jedi. Good job. But what about your-" The cache exploded, sending tons of debris and shrapnel their way. They were so close they could feel the intense heat of the flames as they lapped at them. But none of them were burned.
Boba and Din looked with utter shock and relief at Jaden and Grogu, hands outstretched, creating a shield of protection around them, invisible to the eye, but much welcome.
"I suppose then, you won't have to lie to your superiors," Boba said.
"You know what," Jaden looked at Mando. "We don't have to tell them everything that happened do we?"
"The caches blew up no problem, no outside interference. That's all the New Republic needs to know," he said simply. "I can come up with something to tell my contact."
"Yep, sounds good!" Jaden dropped her arms and brushed her hands together. The flames had subsided and they prepared to leave.
"Perhaps," Boba said to Jaden. "The ships that the Imperials came in on, I don't think they'll be needing any of those supplies they brought with them."
Jaden shrugged. "What supplies?" And he laughed.
"Good girl, talking like a bounty hunter now."
"Please don't call me that. But good luck anyways, and may the Force be with you." She walked with Din Djarin back to his starfighter with little Grogu.
"Listen, I know you won't give up your son to the training of the Jedi, but I have to warn you, if you don't know already. There's a Sith cult out there. That man that I fought tonight, he's one of them and there's a bunch. Please, for his sake, keep him as far from this fight as you can, and keep an ear out for news or rumors about the Disciples of Ragnos." She dug around in her pocket and pulled out her comlink. "I could get in trouble for this, but here, I want to send you my private frequency. Send me anything you hear. Will you do that?"
Din Djarin slowly nodded. "Yes, anything to keep Grogu safe."
"Good, believe me, these people are not to be trifled with. I've experienced them firsthand and they… they took my friend from me." She dropped her face and concentrated on exchanging frequencies, feeling the Mandalorian's gaze the whole time.
"I'm sorry they did that," Din said and Jaden felt something touch her leg. Looking down she saw Grogu and bent down to shake his tiny little hand.
"May the Force be with you young one," she said, tears rimming her eyes but expertly kept them in check. She still didn't think that staying with the Mandalorian was the best for Grogu, but his attachment to him was so strong, it didn't make sense to part them. She shook her head as she stood up. "And now I can say that I've seen it all. A young Jedi that's also a Mandalorian, that walks both paths no less."
Back at her ship, Jaden jumped in, muscles sore and achy, tired to the bone. As she flew away, the ruins of the city fading in the distance, her thoughts turned again to the Mandalorian's dedication to wearing his helmet, and started to wonder if perhaps, there was something to it.
Perhaps hiding from everyone's faces, all those prying eyes is the ideal escape. Perhaps not having to be vulnerable, to be fully known by anyone around you is why the Watch started the practice in the first place. Maybe Rosh would've made a better Mandalorian than a Jedi.
The thought was silly, but it had some merit. Somehow, she could picture her friend in all that armor, flying around with a jetpack strapped to his back, blaster in hand, he was a pretty good marksman after all. But would he have been better off? All that hiding?
Somehow, no matter all the mental shuffling or logical thinking, the answer would always be no.
"So, that's it? You blew up the weapons no problem?"
"Yep, though the last charge had a delayed reaction, it eventually blew up too."
"And that's it? No other hiccups?" Kyle crossed his arms and eyed her suspiciously.
Jaden cracked. She hung her head and let her shoulders droop. "No, I mean… Yes. There were… some, hiccups."
"Such as?" Kyle spread his arms, gesturing to Luke who stood quietly next to him. "Anything else you'd like to share with the class?" Jaden was silent, mulling over the entire story in her head, weighing exactly how much she should tell and what to leave out. Kyle sensed it immediately.
"You've already split most of the blue milk here, Jaden, so you might as well spill all of it." Kyle's arms were crossed again, even Luke did the same, but the look on his face was unreadable, whereas Kyle's was as plain as if he'd shouted the words written there.
Jaden spilled everything, from the Mandalorian, to Boba Fett and Fennec Shand, the Imperial's, the Reborn Master and even little Grogu himself. Her masters stood silent, their faces hardly giving any of what they were feeling away, though Jaden was sure she'd noticed their eyes widened at certain points in her story. At the end of it, there was silence as everything sunk in for them. Kyle and Luke looked at each other, a silent exchange, then they looked back to Jaden.
"So, you met Boba Fett. I'm impressed!" Kyle finally said, sheer shock and amazement coating his voice. "I ran into him once myself back in the Imperial days, not someone you want as an enemy, but, well... I guess it's good to hear he's turned over a new leaf."
"I'm glad to hear about Grogu," Luke said, a slight smile teasing the corner of his mouth. "As for your mission, I think it's best for my sister not to know all the details, though I think it would be wise to put in a good word about Boba Fett's leadership to the New Republic and open up talks of negotiation with him about his hyperspace lanes."
"And Mando? What about his contact hiring him for independent contracts?" Jaden asked.
"Hmm, it doesn't seem to be doing any harm necessarily, but…" He put a hand to his chin and thought for a moment. "The Mandalorian has a good heart and pure intentions, he too, like Boba, is turning over a new leaf for the good of his adoptive son. Let's leave them be, but please, let us know if you receive any transmissions from him regarding the Disciples of Ragnos."
"I will, Master." Jaden bowed her head and like that, the debriefing was over.
Five days later Jaden's faith in the Mandalorian came through.
"Kyle, I've just received word from Din Djarin, he says that he's been getting secret reports of Imperial ships moving through Republic space. He thinks they may be mobilizing to assist the Disciples of Ragnos."
"That's great work Jaden! Be sure to tell him thank you, that may be the information that we need. Keep yourself available, Luke's real close to a breakthrough about what Tavion and the cult might be doing with all that Force energy. Something big is going to happen… soon."