"You ready for this, sugar?" Crysta said. She seemed a little nervous. "You're hunting Jedi Master Kellian Jarro, the 'Mandalorian Killer' himself." They'd been waiting in her office for an hour while the Huntmaster explained the target to the handlers.

"I've heard of him," Mako said. "He's tough."

"This fella's no slouch, that's for sure," Crysta said. "At the Battle of Coruscant, Jarro single-handedly gave over a hundred Mandalorian soldiers the 'Big Push.' He's on board the Republic cruiser Aurora." Crysta paused, longer than she should have. "You gotta take out Jarro and the Aurora to finish this hunt."

Ter'viro said, "That doesn't make any sense. The Jedi I understand. What did the crew do?"

Crysta said, "That's the order from the Huntmaster."

"That doesn't explain it," Ter'viro said.

"Sorry, hon, this one's a package deal," Crysta told him. "Once you're aboard the Aurora, you'll need to blast her hyperdrive regulator in the engine room. That gizmo protects-"

"I know what it does," Ter'viro said. "I didn't ask how; I asked why. Mako, how often does this happen?"

"Never," she said. "Transports have been destroyed during the Hunt, but most of them were private. They've never ordered the destruction of an entire capital ship and its crew."

Gault said, "I'm with Mako on this. I'm not friendly with the Republic, but acts of war are outside of my comfort zone."

"Crysta," Ter'viro said. "What's going on?"

"I wish I knew," she replied. "I raised similar concerns with the Huntmaster, but he didn't have answers. The other handler didn't say a damn thing."

Ter'viro said, "This isn't right."

"They're trying to push you out," Mako said. "Someone wants Tarro Blood to win. The same people that killed Hedarr Soongh. I'd bet you anything. They want you to refuse."

"It's got to be more than that," Ter'viro said. "They wouldn't risk war with the Republic just to get rid of me."

"He's right," Crysta said. "Targets were selected long before the Hunt started, even this target."

"Great," Gault said. "What now?"

Ter'viro said, "The orders are for the ship, not the crew. We give them time to leave."

"They might not give us that time," Gault said.

"Only plan we've got," Ter'viro replied.

"Here are the Aurora's coordinates," Crysta said. "Best of luck."

"They just happened to know the Aurora's coordinates?" Mako said.

"Apparently," Crysta replied.

"Making the final approach on the Aurora's coordinates," Mako said. "ETA two minutes."

Ter'viro said, "Mako, man the sensors."

They dropped out of hyperspace, and Mako said, "There she is, the Aurora. Pretty impressive. Don't think they've detected us yet. Let's see what I can pick up on their comms. Oh boy... the ship's on alert. They captured an intruder. They're calling it an Imperial assassination attempt on the Jedi Master."

"Figures," Ter'viro said.

"Plan, boss?" Gault said.

"Set weapons to stun," Ter'viro told him.

"They won't do the same," Gault pointed out.

"Don't care," Ter'viro said.

Mako said, "They're probably conducting full scanner sweeps. We'd best-" The Scree shook suddenly. "We've been caught in a tractor beam!"

Over the comm, they heard, "Attention unidentified vessel, this is the Republic cruiser Aurora. You are in a restricted zone. Prepare to be brought aboard for a full inspection. If you offer any resistance, we will open fire."

Mako switched off the comm. "Well... what now?"

Ter'viro said, "We do as they say."

Gault said, "And we don't even have to park. They're really making it easy for us."

"I noticed," Ter'viro said.

"Still want the weapons on stun?" Gault asked. Ter'viro nodded.

In the landing bay, droids surrounded the ship, but no troops.

"You are under arrest," one of the droids said. "Lay down your weapons."

"Live?" Gault said.

"Live," Ter'viro replied. He wasn't sure what to expect, but the droids were serious. Only the Eidolon had been a tougher fight.

"Easy or hard," Gault said after the droids were down. "Make up your mind."

"Test," Ter'viro said.

"Proof you're Champion material?" Gault said. "Fair enough."

Ter'viro said, "Mako, where's the crew?"

She connected to the nearest console and started searching. "Busy. The Aurora's to be decommissioned in a few weeks. They've only got a skeleton crew."

"Find the engine room, Tarro Blood, and Kellian Jarro," Ter'viro told her.

"Got him, the slimy mudball," Mako said. "I can find a way to the engine room and the brig that avoids most of the crew, but more droids."

"We'll manage," Ter'viro said.

More droids attacked them on the way to the engine room. The engine room itself was empty. Ter'viro handed out detonation packs. They attached them to the hyperdrive thermal regulator, power regulator, and output regulator, and detonated them as soon as they were clear. Mako stopped and looked around.

"What?" Ter'viro asked.

"They switched off the internal sensors," she said. "I can't read anything."

Gault said, "Upset about you poking around?"

Ter'viro shook his head. "They need the sensors as much as we do."

"He's right," Mako said. "This hurts them a lot more than it does us."

"Brig," Ter'viro said.

They fought three more groups of droids between there and the brig, each one tougher than the last.

"I get the feeling they don't like you," Gault said.

Mako said, "Do they really want to know if you deserve the title?"

"They want me to know," Ter'viro told her.

The brig was empty of guards and droids. Mako saw Tarro Blood in one of the cells and screamed, "You fucking worthless asshole piece of shit! You are dead! You are so fucking dead!"

Blood ignored her. "So you're still alive?" he said to Ter'viro. "You might be worth killing after all. Hurry up and let me out of here, so we can settle this once and for all. Unless facing me as an equal frightens you."

Ter'viro said, "I should shoot you where you stand, like you did to Braden."

"These cell doors are ray shielded," Blood said. "If you want to kill me, you'll have to let me out. Open the door and face me like a warrior. My equipment's right over there, in that lockbox. I suit up, then we end this, something I should've done long ago."

"No weapons," Ter'viro said. "Mako, open the door."

"No weapons?!" Blood said. "What do you expect me to do?" The shield dropped.

Ter'viro said, "Lose." Blood tried to block the incoming fist without effect. Or the next fist. Or the next.

"So," Blood coughed. "You are a coward... after all..."

"Same chance you gave Braden," Ter'viro said. With the next punch, he didn't hold back as much. Tarro Blood hit the floor hard. Ter'viro left the cell and said, "Mako, what do you want to do with him?"

Mako stared at Tarro Blood, on the verge of tears. "He doesn't deserve a warrior's death, scumbag. Leave him. Let him die when the ship is ripped to pieces." Ter'viro reactivated the shield.

Once they were out of the brig, Mako grabbed Ter'viro and sobbed. He held her until the sobbing ended.

Gault said, "Do you two need to be alone for this?"

Mako looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Seriously," Gault said. "How do you do that?"

Mako said, "Geez, you sound like Vette."

Two more groups of droids stood between them and the bridge. The second group was twice the size of any of the other groups, and was probably all of the droids left on the ship. By the time they were done, the fight bruised three of Ter'viro's ribs and broke Gault's left arm in two places.

At the bridge doors, the three of them stood out of the line of fire while Mako sliced the security. They expected blaster fire when the doors opened, but nothing happened.

Someone yelled, "You will not be attacked."

Kellian Jarro and his Padawan stood at the far end of the bridge next to the Aurora's captain. The bridge crew stood at their stations without their weapons drawn. They approached the Jedi cautiously.

"That's close enough," Kellian Jarro said when they were about three meters from him. "Your name is Ter'viro Onoka, correct?" Ter'viro nodded. "Have you ever heard of Jedi Master N'drosal Onoka?"

"My uncle," Ter'viro said.

"He told me he was from one of those families," Jarro said. He turned to his Padawan. "Thendys, take a shuttle, and go to Tython."

"But, master," she said. "He means to kill you."

"I don't want you to share my fate," Jarro said. "Leave. Now. Tell the Council what happened."

"Master," she said. "I don't know what happened."

"You know enough," Jarro told her. "Now go." She walked past Ter'viro as if she expected an attack, but none came. Once the Padawan was off of the bridge, Jarro said, "Captain Ofaree, wait until Thendys is in hyperspace."

"Yes, sir," the captain said.

Jarro said to Ter'viro, "How well did you know N'drosal?"

"Only met him once," Ter'viro said.

"He took the job very seriously," Jarro said.

"Sounds like Agenord," Ter'viro said.

Jarro laughed. "Very much so. I've trained with your cousin. The two of them would have gotten along well. I'm sorry about the long wait. Thendys can't know anything. She'd be a target otherwise."

After a few minutes, one of the bridge crew said, "She's off the ship."

Jarro said, "Get your people into place, Captain."

"Yes, sir," Ofaree said. He activated the ship's comm. "This is the captain. All hands, we are abandoning the Aurora. Prioritize shuttles over escape pods. Do not depart until I give the order. Ofaree out." The bridge crew immediately left their stations. Captain Ofaree turned to Kellian Jarro, saluted, and followed his crew out.

"My team was ordered to protect a residential block," Kellian Jarro said. "Two hundred and fifty thousand people. We fought hard just getting there. The Mandalorians separated me from my team and surrounded me. A thousand of them, led by Dror Bralor. They made me an offer. They would pull out, the residential block would be safe, if I claimed I had killed a hundred of them. They had dead clones prepared with lightsaber wounds."

Ter'viro and Mako looked at Gault.

"I never said I invented it," Gault said.

"It's an old trick," Jarro told them. "I knew the deal would come back and bite me. I didn't know when or how. Then Dror Bralor showed up with proof of everything I did. Or didn't do. All I had to do was die." He laughed. "He expected me to throw away everything for that piece of shit in the brig. They need him as Champion. A Mandalorian Champion is given his own vote with the clans. That means a lot. And Tarro Blood would be a puppet vote. But, I don't give a shit about my reputation. I made the deal to protect lives. I'm refusing this deal for the same reason." He sighed. "Die for Tarro Blood? No. Die to help the nephew of N'drosal Onoka? That I can do. I watched you the entire Hunt. You only killed when you had to. He would have been proud of you. I can't give you much. I couldn't tell you every clan that was there. I definitely couldn't tell you every clan that wasn't, but I know absolutely no one from clans Vizla or Cadera was there. That's all I've got. But, I doubt every Mandalorian is part of this."

"Hedarr Soongh came to us," Mako said.

Jarro laughed again. "That son of a bitch. I met him once. I could tell he suspected. He would never be a part of this."

Gault said, "What is 'this' exactly?"

"Power, probably," Jarro said. "That's what it usually is. You'll be stealing it from them, and they won't be happy."

"Now what?" Ter'viro said.

Jarro said, "Thendys needs to sense my death. I'll be dying to save lives. It puts me in good company. Master Agenord could tell I didn't deserve my reputation. He'll know to ask questions."

"He's like that," Ter'viro said.

"Sorry about the droids," Jarro said. "If you couldn't survive them, you'd never survive what's coming."

Gault said, "Now that makes sense."

"The crew is away," Jarro said. "Get to your ship. Once you're away, I'll take the Aurora into hyperspace. And that piece of shit with me."

Ter'viro nodded.

Mako said, "Sorry we wanted to kill you."

Jarro laughed hard at that. "Thank you. That's just what I needed. Now, time for you to go."

They got to the Silver Scree as fast as they could and launched. Ter'viro stopped a safe distance from the Aurora and waited.

"Do we salute... or something?" Mako asked.

Ter'viro shook his head.

The comm activated, and Tarro Blood screamed, "No! You can't let me die like this!"

Gault said, "I guess he got out."

"I'm Tarro Blood, you worthless piece of filth! I'm the future of the Mandalorians!"

Mako said, "So long, slimeball."

"Every shuttle! Every escape pod! They're gone! You can't do this to me! I'm Tarro Blood! Tarro-!"

The Aurora jumped to hyperspace. And detonated. The debris scattered across half a lightyear.

"For Braden," Mako said.

"He'd be proud of you," Ter'viro said.

She wiped her eyes. "Yeah, he would. You too. Champion of the Great Hunt."

"I guess so," Ter'viro said.

"Now what?" Gault asked.

"We tell Mau'te," Ter'viro said. "They could try to kill him, but..."

"Great," Gault said. "I thought Sith Lord cousin was the most dangerous part of this job."

Mako said, "You're sticking around?"

"Don't have a choice," Gault said. "They'll be hunting me too. Where to, boss?"

"Dromund Kaas," Ter'viro said. "We've got a party to get to."