章 51: Breaking dawn
Part 1
Republic Embassy
Sundari
Mandalore
"Leave us." I ordered the guards, who were non-Clone Republic soldiers.
They saluted and left us with the prisoners, who were stripped off their weapons and armor. The two men wore bland tunics and were cuffed to a metal table in a small room in the basement, which was used for interviews by the RI branch in the embassy. They were sprawled insensate on the table, thanks to the sedatives I ordered administered when I dropped them earlier – I wasn't taking any chances with the assassin somehow escaping or killing themselves.
"Do you want to do the honors?" I asked Bo and offered her the injector I had been given from the medic who sedated the prisoners.
"It will be a pleasure." My companion smiled and grabbed the device.
Merrik, Satine's aide whom I poached earlier had a mighty frown on his face. It deepened when Bo pulled up the head of the first captive and jabbed the injector in his neck.
I could feel apprehension and fear coming from the aide before he managed to get his feelings under control. I was almost sure that he knew these men. Well, well. So we might have another source of information.
This evening might not be too bad, the whole becoming Mandalore fiasco excluded.
One more jab and hiss of hypo spray and the prisoners started stirring.
"Do you really think that they'll talk?" Merrik asked in a calm voice.
I had to give him that – besides the momentary slip, he was keeping a great facade.
"Who said that they have to say anything?" I smirked and walked next to the closest assassin. I grabbed his short hair and pulled his head back then placed my right palm on his forehead. "I'll simply take the information."
I submerged myself in the Force, took a hold of the Dark Side and slammed my will through the barely registering mental defenses of the awaking man. Before he could understand what was happening, I was in his head and delivered a hammer blow to his mind. I felt him reeling and struck again and again. Within moments, he was stunned, his will broken before he could start putting up a fight.
Then I drove into his memories by forcing his mind to call what I needed to see.
=RK=
I let Howell Zen's head go and it hit the metal table with a dull thud.
Goren Kranz – the assassin's leader and my other prisoner growled at me, but didn't react otherwise. I could feel his anger and defiance. There was no fear – he was either exceptionally brave or an idiot.
Merrik on the other hand, was scared. He had to be wondering what I got from Zen's mind before the warrior's brain become a mush under the strain of my assault.
Next to the aide, Bo-Katan was observing me. I could feel a mix of curiosity, grim satisfaction and mild disapproval coming from her. While most Mandalorians were practical people, they were never thrilled by the mind games a Sith could play if he had the skill and power to back it up.
"Merrik, tell me how long have you been a Death Watch sympathizer? How long have you been aiding them and their Separatist friends?" I raised and eyebrow at our guest.
His face featured more than a few times in the memories I tore out of Zen's head.
"What? That's preposterous!" Merrik snapped.
"Your emotions are betraying you, kid." I smiled as his fear spiked.
The aide tried to pull something from under his ornate robes. The moment he started moving I slammed him in the neares wall with a telekinetic strike. An instant later, Merrik was looking at one of Bo-Katan's heavy blasters, which she shoved right under his nose.
"He's been 'assisting' Satine for years." Bo shook her head. "She obviously had no idea." The disappointment towards her sister Bo felt had an almost physical presence.
"At least he should have some useful info. Please make sure that he doesn't do anything dumber." I carefully patted Bo's shoulder and turned my attention to the other prisoner.
"Goren from Clan Kranz." I shook my head at him. My voice was sad and I used the same tone I would if I was scolding a child. "Did you really think that your little attack could harm a Sith?" I asked.
Well, the answer was obvious – unless he was working under a flawed intelligence.
The assassin simply glared at me and refused to speak.
"So brave. So defiant. It would be commendable if you wasn't a common criminal." My lips twitched in disgust. That man was the closest thing I've met to a real Mandalorian warrior beside Bo-Katan and he was content with being a two-bit gangster. The same could be said for his squad – at lest Lok though so.
Kranz snorted, but otherwise remained silent.
I really hoped that the rest of the Mandalorians were head and shoulders above this lot, because otherwise my decision to become Mandalore would be one of my biggest mistakes ever. I shrugged and stalked towards the assassin. It wasn't like I had time to properly interrogate him – so it was going to be a mind rape again.
A few minute later it was all over. Kranz did have some decent mental training and his brain lasted for a much shorter period under the strain of my attack after I shattered his mental defenses. At least I did get some juicy pieces of information – the locations of three Death Watch bases which were built after Bo fell under scrutiny, along with a few weapon caches and the names of two agents within Satine's government.
"Did you get anything useful?" Bo asked after giving an uneasy look at the brain dead prisoners.
"Yep. We have some additional targets. They knew you were on them for weeks."
"Kriff." Bo snarled. "They wanted to see who I was working with, didn't they."
"Yep. Vizsla authorized the hit once that idiot," I pointed at the drooling form of Kranz, "told them who you were meeting at Brox's. They had rented an apartment across the street to watch Brox's."
"I got sloppy." Bo groaned.
"It happens. You got lucky to and are still in one piece – that's what matters in the end."
"I thought that you wizards didn't believe in luck."
"That's the Jedi's thing – they're usually all about the will of the Force and such. I'm a Sith. We kriff what the Force wants if it doesn't suit us and we make our own luck."
"What about this piece of trash?" Bo pressed her blaster in Merrik's face.
"He might be more useful alive – after all, our prince here's royalty."
"No matter who Kalevala will support, they will disavow him until the shooting starts."
"Then it sucks to be him. It's time to get briefed on the Clan heads and catch a bit of shut eye. Tomorrow will be a very long day."
"The traitor?"
"Knock him out." I shrugged.
=RK=
Part 2
MandalMotors HQ
Sundari
Mandalore
Arranging a meeting with MadalMotors' CEO, turned out to be rather easy – a call from the Embassy, right after a few suggestions from the current government, who were on of the corporation's major clients, were enough to open the door. Getting there went without accident too – the Death Watch were apparently laying rather low after yesterday's inccident, while Vizsla and his spin doctors were doing their best to pain the assassins as a rogue group. He might have wanted to sing another song, but his people failed, so not only did they paint their organization as a bunch of murderous lunatics, but what's worse – incompetent ones.
Further, Satine had announced that she would be making a speech concerning every single Mandalorian at noon. Hopefully, she wasn't going to kriff it up, however those were concerns for another time.
I glanced at Bo, who was my designated companion slash adviser for all things mandalorian. She was wearing her Death Watch armor, however it was repainted – there was no sign of that organization's markings on her apparel. Instead she was wearing an urban cammo pattern. We discussed it and decided that until we could clear Satine's reputation and by extension that of their clan, it would be unwise for Bo to wear the Kryze colors, no matter how much she wanted to.
We arrived at the corporate HQ shortly before eight in the morning, flying one of the Embassy's speeders and landed in a private docking bay which was near the top of the tall building. MandalMotors' seat in the capital was a large, broad skyscraper, which almost touched the ceiling of the biodome covering the city. The building was in the form of three towers glued next to each other – the eastern was the shortest – about forty floors tall, the western was the middle – about eighty and the last towered above it's siblings and was twice the height of them combined.
When we disembarked, a squad of armored guards met us and escorted us to the CEO's office. When we reached his floor, the head of security was waiting for us with twenty more heavily armored men and women.
"I'll have to request your weapons, General, ma'am." The Mandalorian woman stated.
I glanced down at my armor and the various built in weapons – a few personalized suits made almost up to the standards of my old, Great War era one, finally were completed and shipped to Chimera… just a few days after my part on the ground there was concluded. Talk about great timing.
"Unless, your Boss wants to see me naked, that won't be practical." I nodded at the built in dart launcher in my left arm-guard, the vibroblade under it, its twin on my other hand as well as a few other nice toys.
The head of security stared at me for a moment and pressed a button on her left arm. The light in the ceiling above us flashed, emitting a wave of blue light. The scanner beam passed over us a couple of times, before the light turned red. An unpleasant beeep emanated from the ceiling.
"You were supposed to be here for a talk, General." The woman snapped.
"I am." I waved at myself and Bo. "This is a simple precaution if the Death Watch tries to kill us again in a public place."
"There's no Death Watch here."
"Good to know." Not that I was going to take her word for it even if it was true. "The last time I checked, a warrior meeting a Mandalorian Clan leader unarmed and unarmored would be considered an insult considering the business we're here to discuss."
That stopped the woman short. She and the rest of the security stared at me for a long moment. There were very few ways my words could be interpreted by a Mandalorian knowing their history and culture.
"I see." The head of security muttered. She stood still for a few seconds – probably using her comm with the external speakers cut off, which would ensure we would hear nothing of what she was saying. "You're cleared to meet the CEO." The woman gave us a Mandalorian salute – a fist thumping her armor over her heart. A moment later, the security guards relaxed, took positions along the walls and saluted as well.
That was a very interesting development. While the guards wore only MandalMotors symbol on their gray armors and no clan markings, the way they reacted outright said that they were Clan Yomaget men and women, protecting their leader. That wasn't really a surprise – a man of the CEO's station would be best served if he was kept in one peace by his own Clan's warriors, if he had enough of them willing and able to do so.
I returned the salute and Bo followed suit. I could feel that she was mighty pleased by this development – this show of respect was dedicated for a Clan leader or warriors who had covered themselves with a lot of honor and glory; it wasn't something that one of Satine's supporters would have thought to show to anyone, nor a lot of those aligning themselves with Death Watch and the CIS.
The head of security, who still hadn't introduced herself – and no one had bothered giving me her name during the briefing I got on Horus, waved us to follow. She was scanned at the end of the corridor, which ended in an armored door. The woman removed her right gauntlet and placed her bare hand on a security panel to the right and quietly whispered a series of override codes. Only then the armored doors slid open to reveal a large and tastefully decorated office.
The walls were lined with pictures of various vehicles – from speeders and fighters up to and including massive battleships. I saw a few of the cruisers the Mandalorians used in my time and smiled at the memory.
There were six columns flanking a marble pathway leading towards a large wooden desk – they were almost a meter broad each and made a nice cover. I had no doubt that there would be weapon emplacements inside. Between the columns, I saw statues of Mandalorian warriors clad in different armors – from light recon suits to bulky assault plate that could shrug off heavy blaster fire.
Horus Yomaget stood up to greet us. He was a short man – barely a bit over one seventy. He had a crop of brown hair that was just growing on a previously shaved head. Horus wore a two piece black suit.
"General Delkatar Veil and Bo-Katan Kryze. To what do I own this honor?" Horus asked in a strong and clear voice. His intense pale eyes studied us as we approached.
When we reached the pair of chairs in front of the desk, I stood at attention and gave the man a Mandalorian salute.
"Clan Leader Yomaget, it's a honor to meet you."
"A very old fashioned greeting..." Horus trailed off. "There're few besides my Clansmen who would greet me that way."
"In my time, it would have been unthinkable to greet someone of your station in any other way." I smiled.
"Perhaps. You're here for a reason." Horus stared at us for a moment. "But where are my manners? Please do sit down." He waved at the chairs.
"Thank you, Clan Leader."
Yomaget gave us a speculative look.
=RK=
Part 3
CEO's office
MandalMotors HQ
Sundari
Mandalore
"What does the Republic want with my company and myself?" The CEO asked after a moment of silence.
"That's obvious, Clan Leader." I leaned forward. "Let's not play word games. Neither of us has time for that."
"Is that so? Then speak. Bluntly." A ghost of a smile ran over Yomaget's lips.
"So be it. Mandalore and most Mandalorians by association are going to be kriffed in a way none of you will like. That's something you're aware of. We both have certain problems that can be solved if we work together. That blunt enough?" I hoped I didn't misjudge the CEO. At least being here and speaking plainly was a refreshing change from dealing with the politicians on Coruscant.
"Succinctly put. Not too far of the mark either. Though, who's to say some of us won't like the oncoming storm?"
"Well, going out in a blaze of glory is always an option." I shrugged. "However, it tends to be rather final."
"A lot of warriors would prefer that over what has been happening since the Civil War." The CEO stated without showing how he felt about it. Further, his mind was disciplined, protected. He was in control of his feelings too – all I could sense coming from him was a bit of curiosity. "You're here to make a deal." He added.
"True enough. Our problems might just solve themselves for us if handled right."
"It's us now?" Yomaget raised and eyebrow.
"Preferably. The alternatives are less than acceptable for everyone involved." I said.
"What about your friend? A bodyguard? That doesn't really make sense. A friend? A companion?" Yomaget turned his attention to Bo.
"Well, she was to be my candidate for Mandalore, but events here unfolded faster than anticipated." I shrugged.
"Satine's sister as Mandalore?!" Yomaget actually laughed. "I didn't know you Sith had such a sense of humor."
I saw Bo stiffen next to me. She was royally pissed off at the implication on her character.
"Peace!" The CEO raised a hand in a placating gesture. "I have no problem with you, Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze. However, our esteemed leader has been dragging your Clan name through the mud for more than a decade now. Barring a miracle, no one would support another Kryze in a position of power over us."
"As things stand? True." I smiled. "On the other hand, if Bo-Katan had an opportunity to prove her worth as a leader and warrior in the war, things would be different."
"Ah. So that was your plan." Yomaget studied us for a moment. "It might have even worked, though I have my doubts. Satine has poisoned your Clan Name among certain circles." He nodded at Bo, who did a decent impression of statue made of durasteel.
I had to admire her self control.
"My other candidate has similar problems."
"He's a bloody Jedi." Bo hissed.
Yomaget gave us a strange look.
"General Kenobi. His girlfriend is Mandalorian and he's likely to concede becoming a part of the culture." I added.
"The Negotiator? Well, he's a warrior of some esteem and he has covered himself with a lot of honor and glory." Yomaget nodded. "However, he's a kriffing Jedi. Even if he becomes one of us, it would be a long time before he's accepted. There's simply too much bad blood between the Jedi, the Republic and us." Yomaget narrowed his eyes. "You aren't throwing the names of currently unsuitable candidates just for fun."
"As things stand, Vizsla is most likely to become Mandalore after Satine's government is overthrown." I stated and stared into Yomaget's eyes. I drew on the Dark Side and let it flood me. I could feel its cool embrace and I had no doubt that my eyes had turned yellow. "That would be unacceptable."
We looked at each other for a few moments.
"What's new? The Republic would support Satine and there would be another civil war." Yomaget sighed. "The outcome would be decided by how much troops you or the Confederacy could pour, though Vizsla will have an advantage – he's the one our people support."
"Incorrect." I smiled coldly. "We won't be supporting the New Mandalorian government. They're useless to us. There are two outcomes acceptable for the Republic – either Mandalore becomes a firm ally with someone acceptable in charge or I will eliminate it as a threat."
Yomaget stiffened. Finally I could sense his feelings – only an incredible level of self-control allowed him to remain still and appear to ponder the situation. In fact, the man was furious.
"I should have seen that." His lips twisted in something that resembled a smile. If you squinted real hard that is. "I just said that there's a lot of bad blood between us, didn't I?"
"The last few months changed the Republic." I shrugged. "It's no longer business as usual."
"I can see it in your eyes. You would glass my world and love every second of it, won't you?" Yomaget sounded detached.
"I am a Sith. It comes with the territory."
I narrowed my eyes. He was probably considering his chances to take me out. I was sure that there were built in weapons around the room and his guards were moments away.
They weren't going to be enough if things got ugly. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. After all, I didn't come here to fight, but to deal.
"You didn't come here to gloat. I'm sure you won't suggest making me Mandalore either. While I've been running a rather profitable business and I'm a respected Clan Leader, I haven't proven myself as a warrior in a long time. My name isn't covered with honor and glory. The only one who could fill the bill is Vizsla..." Yomaget trailed off. "What do you want from us? We would fight against anyone who would try to break us, but that doesn't mean much – both you and the Confederacy have more than enough troops and ships to simply bury us."
"What I need is a Mandalore I can be sure won't back-stab the Republic at the worst possible moment." I sighed. "My best candidates would take months of leading soldiers in battle and distinguishing themselves before anyone would accept them as possible leaders of the Mandalorian people."
"We already covered that." Yomaget muttered.
"Indeed. That was a problem. I don't want to destroy your people, Clan Leader, even if I would enjoy the challenge. Fortunately, Bo-Katan here had a brainstorm last night." I nodded at my companion, who was still pissed off.
The CEO looked at her. "This is going to be good, I just know it." His eyes turned on me. "Really? That's the grand idea, that supposed to solve all our problems?"
"All 'reasonable' candidates either don't have the clout for the position, are my enemies or likely to become such. My enemies don't live long." Well, that was a lie. There were a few Sith Lords that took years of scheming, planning and undermining of their power-bases to take down, though the Mandalorians of today really didn't measure by that standard. Hells, no one really did.
"How do you expect to pull off such a stunt?" There was a genuine curiosity in Yomaget's voice, though I could still sense his anger.
"With a lot of help."
"Why would I support such a crazy scheme? Why would I chose a Mandalore who would destroy my people if they're an obstacle?" The Clan Leader asked.
I smiled.
=RK=
Part 4
CEO's office
MandalMotors HQ
Sundari
Mandalore
"Well, you want to speak frankly. There are two kinds of reasons why I want to be Mandalore – it's the same about why you might want to support my bid."
"I'm all ears." Yomaget snarked.
"The strategic ones – I would rather prefer to have your people as my allies. I know exactly how dangerous the Mandalorians are once you get going. While you're small in number compared to the armies that are fighting right now, you're much better trained than what the Republic could get on the field in the next few years besides the Clones and certain formations from various member worlds."
"That's a rather charitable view of our capabilities." The CEO frowned.
"It takes months to properly train a soldier and they would still be green. Further, that time can't be really cut – many Republic worlds and systems are sensitive to casualties – sending new units just to be chewed on the front would backfire spectacularly. That's not an issue for the Mandalorians – you have a core of trained and a lot of experienced warriors. Enough for at least a couple of small armies and a significant number of special operations groups." I stated.
"That's true. I'm well aware how certain of our friends within the Republic would react to high military casualties amongst units drawn from their people. However, no matter how good we are, we Mandalorians aren't expendable either. Why should we die for the Republic or for the Confederacy for that matter?"
"Good questions. The simple answer is one you know. As a people, you won't be given a choice."
Yomaget sighed and I chuckled.
"I see. There are Clan Leaders banking on the Republic being the good guys to avoid the war or at lest try it until you were ready to make a choice. Am I right?"
"Correct. We aren't ready for war. Not at this scale anyway. In a year? Perhaps eighteen months? That would be different."
"Well, time's up. Both sides want you and none of us will be taking a no for an answer."
"Why should we chose you over the Confederacy then? You appear to be the two sides of the same coin."
"There's one major difference. I had a lot of good friends who happened to be Mandalorians. I would loathe to see their people destroyed by my hands. Yet… I'm a Sith Warrior. I would love the challenge." I smiled sadly. "Why should you support me? I can give your people a future. I can give them a cause to rally behind. What's the alternative? You can support a two bit thug like Vizsla and his gangsters – that's true. Where's the honor in that?"
"That's rich. A Sith speaking about honor." Yomaget glared at me.
"I do have honor, Clan Leader. True, it's form is different than yours, but that makes it no less real." I stood up.
"Do you? You came into my office and gave me what amounts to an ultimatum." The CEO snapped.
"I merely stated the facts and they aren't pretty." I shot back. "I didn't create this situation, Clan Leader. Yet, instead of choosing the simple, the easy way – I'm here seeking a way to keep the Mandalorian people whole. A way to raise them into the exemplar warriors I was honored to call comrades." I took a deep breath.
"Don't mistake me, Clan Leader Yomaget! The best course of action for me personally would be to burn Mandalore down to the ground, to scatter your people and ensure that they would never become a threat. Instead, I'm trying to help you all and by doing that I'm risking everything that I've achieved since I found myself in this kriffed up beyond belief future. I'm doing it because of Stephen Ordo, Mandalore the Dauntless a friend that has been dead for four millennia! I do it because of every single Mandalorian who fought beside me in the Great War!"
"Good." Yomaget smiled. "You have the fire that a true Mandalore needs. Still, you haven't told me why I should support you. As you keep pointing out, we aren't your people. You aren't a Mandalorian. If we're to be ground to space dust in this war, why should we chose to do it beside you?"
"True, I'm not a Mandalorian. Yet." I looked at Bo, who smirked.
"He owes me a sparing match before that." Her own smile was a vicious thing. It made my blood race.
"Answer me." The Clan Leader spoke quietly. All trace of amusement or any other emotion was suddenly absent from his tone.
"I have a vision for Mandalore and its people. I can give you a honorable cause. I can help you be great once again and not like a bunch of marauding thugs, but as honorable warriors who would be example for everyone in the galaxy. I can offer you glory and a part in the greatest war in a thousand years. I can offer you allies and technology. All I ask in return is that you fight beside me. That you make me and my old friend proud."
"Nice little speech. I want to hear facts." Yomaget stated.
I gave him a genuine smile and pulled a data-chip from a compartment in my left arm-guard, then floated it until it was hovering in front of the CEO.
"A good will gesture – schematics for personal shields – both standard energy and the famous Mandalorian Melee variant. I'm offering the Grand army of the Republic as an ally as well as my own resources." My smile widened. "I have had my people canvasing old Imperial caches as well as a few I built just in case. They recovered some very interesting pieces of forgotten technology. There's a summary on that chip as well."
Yomaget frowned and put the chip in a reader built into his desk. A moment later, a holo-emitter came to life and it started projecting various 3-D schematics. For a few minutes the CEO studied the shields and then he browsed further until he reached the real bait.
"Do you have it?"
"Operational? Not yet. While my people did recover the critical components, it takes time to build in secrecy."
"How long?"
"Two to three months for the prototype. Afterward – a modified cruiser every three months if they keep working in secrecy. If MandalMotors joins the project, well that would cut the timetable significantly."
Yomaget reached the last file, opened it and stared.
"How the kriff did you get this? Is it real?" The Clan Leader snapped.
"Yes. Mandalore the Dauntless was a close friend of mine. Some of my assets helped modify his flagship with the Silencer – that' show I got the schematics. The second part of the file is the same ship, modified with modern tech in the areas where it's prudent to do so."
"Even without the super weapon, this ship can handle the most powerful dreadnoughts and cruisers deployed by anyone today. Provided that those schematics are genuine."
"They are. However, building such a ship would take a lot of time. It won't help us in the short term."
"No. It wont." Yomaget sighed. "A nice little bribe, which comes hand in hand with blackmail. Can you guarantee that the GAR will support us?"
"I can. Even if I'm fired after becoming Mandalore, I have a very good working relationship with the officers who run the Army and Navy with me. They would support Mandalore as allies should no matter what the Senate wants as far as you don't betray the Republic."
"Does that include access to the new weapons and armor?"
"Samples as well as schematics. They would have to be build locally, besides a small number provided for special operations groups."
"That's fine. Good enough in fact. What would you do as Mandalore? Where would you lead us if we chose you?"
I almost had him, even if it was mostly because he and his people were in a tight spot without a good way out.
"To victory. To honorable and glorious future. I'll do my best to rebuild Mandalore itself and it's whole sector into the jewel of the galaxy, one that's protected by the most advanced and powerful fleet in the known universe. I'll help the Mandalorian Warriors regain what they had lost."
"With what resources?"
"What we can get from the CIS when we don't have to bomb them back to the stone age along with as much aid from the Republic as possible. Uniting this whole sector behind Mandalore as close allies would be a good first step after the obvious – dealing with the Death Watch and their Separatist backers."
"It might even work." Yomaget mussed. "You." He stood up as well and pointed at Bo. "Why do you follow this stranger? Why do you want to fight beside him?"
Bo-Katan looked him straight in the eyes. "Because he made me see the true faces of my former comrades. Because he offered me a better way, a brighter future for myself and our people… Because, he might be able to give us all what we've been longing for ever since the Civil War."
"Nice words." The Clan Leader sighed. "It's a sad day, then we might need a Sith to come save us from ourselves."
"I've always believed that the Mandalorians don't need someone to tell them what to do. However, sometimes they do need someone who will lead the way and hope that they will walk beside them on that path."
"That's the first thing you spoke as a Mandalorian, instead of a Sith."
"Very soon I'm going to be both, if you'll have me."
"You might actually do."
Part 5
Vizsla's office
Death Watch Main base of operations
Concordia
Pre Vizsla sat down in his chair and opened a bottle of Corellian Brandy he had taken from the bar when he got in. He needed a stiff drink after doing damage control the whole afternoon and most of the evening.
Satine had to do something competent for once, didn't she?
Vizsla pressed a few buttons and a holo-recording of her press-conference started playing. This was the first time since the Civil War he saw her clad in armor in the Satine Clan's colors. Pre had thought that Satine had disposed of all suits, or at least those, which Bo-Katan wasn't able to liberate from their family compound. Considering what had happened the previous day, the armor might very well be one of his former subordinate's… and wasn't that a waste? He still couldn't figure out what the Republic was able to offer Bo-Katan so the woman would switch sides. While she did find some of the shadier activities in which the Death Watch indulged, that shouldn't have been an issue for a warrior woman like her! After all, this was what the Mandalorian warriors were meant to be – fighters and mercenaries who did everything they could for glory, honor and profit – war didn't pay for itself and it was their trade when all was said and done. Why did it matter how they financed it?
"My fellow Mandalorians!" Satine started speaking. Her voice was loud and clear, more importantly it was confident. There was no hint of hesitation or indecision. "We've all been in a precarious situation ever since the Civil War ended. Our war industries were wrecked, our homes - devastated. The best of us died or were left as shadows of their former selves." She paused. "We literally tore ourselves apart."
It was a nice start. Direct and blunt enough to make people who would have usually dismissed anything she had to tell listen for once. It also meant a heap of trouble for the Death Watch in general and him in particular, even if it ultimately gave him a magnificent opportunity.
"When I took the burden of leadership in the aftermath of the war, I and the New Mandalorians who supported me, wished to give us all time to heal. Time to recover. To rebuild. We were in no state for another conflict. Engaging in such would have spelled our doom, no matter how valiantly the remaining Mandalorian warriors would have fought." Satine paused to take a breath. Vizsla could practically hear her conviction as she spoke.
It had to be the Republic delegates – no one else was there to make her change her tune at this late date. It was too bad that his team failed to kill that general – doing so might have avoided this spell of trouble.
Perhaps not – Bo-Katan didn't meet with Kenobi, who was a known associate of the Duchess and the most likely one to blame for her change.
"Further, we were divided. To a large extent, we still are. My people, this has to end. We are at the cusp of a new age. We've finally rebuilt! We've recovered. Yet, there are forces out there, who want nothing more than to either use us as pawns or see us destroyed once and for all! Both the Republic and the Confederacy sent agents here to demand our support!" Satine's fury was clear for all to see.
This right there was someone acting like a Mandalorian Clan Leader should. If she had been always like that, if she had always possessed this fire… Pre shook his head. It didn't matter. It was too late for such thoughts.
"Both promised us reward if we did their bidding like lapdogs! Both threatened grave, final consequences if we didn't support them, if we didn't take a side in a war that isn't our own." Satine sighed. "I know your hearts. No matter the role I had to play since the Civil War ended, I know. This war calls to me too! It makes my heart beat faster, my blood boil!" The Duchess smiled sadly.
Personally, Vizsla was pretty sure that this was a lie by omission, but it was good enough for those who didn't personally know the woman. He took a sip of his brandy. Here came the good part.
"The opportunities for honor and glory, the call of combat at unprecedented scale in a thousand years! Some lucky few of our people already fight in the war and were a part of it before it even began. There are those who were contracted to train the Grand Army of the Republic – all of them are Mandalorians who are coming back home as we speak. There are the mercenaries fighting for either sides. Yet, there's one big difference between those warriors and the rest of us." Satine glared at the camera. There was nothing faked about the fury she displayed. "They chose, which side to fight beside. We aren't allowed to do so. We weren't contracted as mercenaries or approached as allies. Our allegiance was demanded."
That was true as far as the CIS went. Vizsla had talked with their representatives and suggested it himself. It was meant to expose how weak and ineffective Satine was so once he got power he could officially negotiate the terms he had already agreed on with the Confederacy. However, the Republic representatives making similar demands, well that was a surprise. The Jedi wasn't the one behind that, though he could see Kenobi's hand in boosting Satine's confidence and making her show to everyone that she actually had spine. It was ironic – if she had always been like this, Mandalore would have been a different place. Hells, he might have been on her side even.
Unfortunately, he knew the woman. He knew that a lot of the details in her speech were warped at best. This was a plot with a certain aim. The other Republic general, Veil, meeting with Clan Leaders all morning was a dead giveaway.
"This, my people, is something I know you won't let stand. Yet, we're still in a very dangerous position. While we've finally rebuilt, we still aren't ready for a war of the scale. A war into which we will be dragged one way, or another. If we are to not only survive the oncoming storm, but use it to prosper and cover ourselves with honor, we need to be united. One people. It's time that we leave our petty divisions behind." Satine smiled wryly. "I know, it's easy to say and much harder to put into practice. We don't need someone to tell us what to do, to tell us who to follow. Yet, we need someone to unite us so we can face our fate together. That is why, in one week's time I'm calling for a meeting of all Clan Leaders, here in our capital. The purpose is simple – we need a leader to guide and advice us in this dangerous times. We need a new, worthy Mandalore to lead us in the coming war."
That last part threw out most of Vizsla's plans. Launching a coup while the Clan Leaders were gathering – that would be a suicide. A lot of the new people simply wouldn't stand for it and he doubted that even with CIS support he would come on top in such a case. Not with the Republic having a battle-group in system and who knew what nearby as support. He knew what the Confederacy had in the nearby sectors, what they could spare and it was going to be a close run thing at best… one that was likely to leave Mandalore a ruin unless the Death Watch had more support.
Vizsla smiled. Unwittingly, Satine gave him what he needed – an opportunity to run for Mandalore much earlier than he ever believed possible. That's why he had been busy speaking with Clan Leaders and making deals ever since her conference.
Pre frowned. Unfortunately, he had been rebuffed by two of the people Veil had talked with – a big problem considering that one of the mas MandalMotors CEO.
The question was who the Republic and Satine were trying to place as a figurehead Mandalore. Once he found that out, Vizsla would be able to attack their credibility and expose them for the pawn they had to be. He didn't believe for a moment that all of this was the Duchess' idea. The Republic had bought her somehow and they were maneuvering to get in their man or woman as Mandalore. Perhaps those Mandalorians who supposedly trained the GAR and were coming home? The Republic candidate might be among them, though with no one having heard about who they were or what they did since the Civil War ended he doubted that one of them could be elected.
=RK=
Part 6
Clan Ordo Compound
Mandalore
"Mira, inside. Now." A man in his late forties ordered a tall, solidly build young girl – she couldn't be more than twelve. The child was hovering next to him, while he was busy repairing a speeder. There were instruments and parts lying on a tarp next to the pair.
"I'm going." The blonde kid nodded and sprinted into the nearby two story stone dwelling.
The man gave me an unfriendly look and his hand fell over a blaster he has in a holster on his right hip. His blue eyes tracked every movement I made, though every few moments they glanced at the shuttle behind me.
"What does the Republic wants with me of all people?" The Mandalorian rumbled in a deep voice. He straightened up and moved a step back, so if something happened he could have a better chance to use the speeder for cover.
"Kole Ordo?" I asked. The directions I got from Satine's people brought me here, so hopefully I wasn't going to embarrass myself. He looked like the man I was looking for, though that didn't meant he was the one I needed. According to the records back in the capital, Kole hadn't officially confirmed his status as a Clan Leader.
"Who's asking?"
"General Delkatar Veil. Are you Kole, Clan Leader of Clan Ordo?" I asked again.
"I'm Kole. I'll repeat my question, what do you want with me?" Ordo grumbled.
Not a social person this one.
"To talk."
"The last people who wanted to talk threatened my daughter." Kole glared pure murder at me.
"I see Death Watch was here before me. Maneuvering to make Vizsla the next Mandalore, aren't they?" It was inevitable after Satine's speech yesterday. Still, trying to blackmail one of my friends descendants, no matter how far removed. That shouldn't really matter, not after that long, yet… It hasn't been four thousand years for me. An year ago, I was carousing with Stephen, shortly before I headed to joint the fleet at Korriban and ending in the future.
I closed my eyes and I could almost hear Stephen and Mako laughing.
"You're to blame for that I gather. It's no coincidence that they visited me this morning and you arrive just a few hours later, isn't it?" Kole asked.
"While my actions might have led them to search support for Vizsla as Mandalore, the way they went with it, well it shows their true colors, doesn't it?" I smiled. "Are you going to support him?"
"Hell no. We're leaving in a few days." The man's glare intensified and his hand closed over his blaster.
"I see. Can I persuade you not to? For Mandalore and sticking it to the bastards?"
Kole's eyes flickered to the house and his face settled in a deep scowl.
"Why should I care? Besides what's to you?"
"I still owe more than one to a friend of mine, a Mandalorian of your Clan. Considering that he's in no position to receive a my assistance if he needs it..." I shrugged.
"Dead?"
"Even a Mandalore doesn't live for thousands of years."
"You're that man who claims to be a Sith, from the past no less." Kole's eyes narrowed even further, becoming slits. "Darth Vael no less."
"Oh, so you've heard of me." I grinned. That was the wrong thing to say – the hostility I was feeling from the man suddenly skyrocketed.
I drew on the Force just in time.
Ordo drew his blaster almost faster than normal eyes could follow and opened fire. I moved an instant before he did and raised a hand coated with Force energy and slapped the blaster bolts aside, before pulling the gun from the man's grip. Kole tried to roll away, but before he could finish diving I froze him in place with my power.
"Was that really necessary? I'm here to talk, damn it!"
The Force warned me a moment before the house's door opened and the kid came out – complete with a heavy blaster she was clutching with both hands.
"LEAVE MY DAD ALONE!" She shouted and opened fire. Accurate too – if I didn't deflect her shots, she would have nailed me in the chest with enough firepower to burn through most personal armor available.
Another pull and freeze trick later, I had both Ordos on display.
"Are you two willing to listen? If I was going to be killing or threatening either of you, I wouldn't have bothered coming here in the middle of the day for all to see." I shook my head.
This wasn't the day and age when a Sith could just murder people for fun and not expect retaliation from the local authorities if found out. At least outside the CIS and that was a good thing.
"Do I have your attention?" I smirked. "Good. Sweetie," looked at the girl, "When you want to shoot someone, especially using the element of surprise, you shoot first, second and third, then perhaps throw a grenade or two at them. Only then you can shout at the kriffing remains to your heart's content." I grinned. "You do get points for accuracy."
The stasis on Kole ran out and he stumbled on the grass. I froze him again just in case and walked next to him. "Can we talk like civilized people and a pissed off Mandalorian girl or do you want further demonstration that I'm a kriffing Sith?" I asked and raised a hand in front of Ordo's face so he could see the torrents of purple energy dancing between my clawed fingers. "It's getting irritating that people refuse to accept that I'm Delkatar kriffing Veil, Darth Vael, the Dark Lord of the bloody Sith!"
"The Black Knight!" The girl exclaimed once her stasis ran out a moment later.
"Telling stories, are we?" I smirked at Kole. "Blame that the Force only knows how many greats grandfather of yours, Stephen. He's to blame for that moniker. Can we talk now?" I asked Kole who fell on his ass as the stasis ended.
He gave me a dirty look but nodded.
=RK=
A few minutes later we were sitting around a small wooden table in the kitchen with a steaming cups of tea in front of us.
"Are you really him?" Mira excitedly asked.
"So I've been relegated to children's stories nowadays." I shook my head with wry amusement. It wasn't the worst way to be remembered outside scholars and historians.
"In a manner of speaking." Kole muttered. "How?"
"I'm not sure myself. One moment I was in a fight above Korriban, during the Republic's last ditch offensive before we were about to hit them with everything we had. Then one fool activated an experimental super-weapon when his flagship was about to be overwhelmed by an enemy cruiser squadron. I blacked out and the next thing I knew I was in a different star system in what turned out to be the future." I shrugged.
My presence being the "Will of the Force" would have to do.
"Huh. It's a strange galaxy out there." Ordo shrugged. "Why do you want me to support for Mandalore? Mind you, I'm not agreeing to anything. The Death Watch flunkies told me that the Republic is trying to place a figurehead as our leader."
"Good." I grinned. Hopefully that would bite them in the ass. "Let them keep their delusions for however long they last. I'm no one's figurehead."
"YOU?! You aren't even a Mandalorian!" Kole exclaimed.
"Not yet is the operative word. There's this woman, who insist on a vigorous sparing match tonight. Her grandmother was an Echani you see." I smiled. It was going to be an interesting evening. "Depending how it ends, there may be a wedding in a few days."
"A Mandalorian woman, eh? Mako's diaries and the few of Stephen's personal accounts that survive indicate that they tried to hook you up with one of ours in the past."
"I wasn't really interested then. I already had a long term paramour shortly after her death I met the woman who became my late wife."
"I read about that. Nasty business." Kole stiffened and gave me a searching look. "It's no secret that the Black Knight's wife, Ashara was murdered by the Jedi. Yet, you work with them?"
"True." I frowned. "Everyone who had anything with her death is dead, most by my hand, though a few got lucky by me ending in this time. Today's Jedi Order and Republic… they're both different beasts. The organizations I had a vendetta against are long gone."
"Whose the woman who have set her sights on you?" Mira grinned.
"Bo-Katan Kryze."
"The Duchess sister?" Kole raised an eyebrow at that.
"Former Death Watch member too, until her former friends tried to have us assassinated two days ago.
"I heard about that bit of excitement in the capital. Hard not to. As you know, blowing bars with the patrons inside is frowned on here."
"Incompetence too and the Death Watch are guilty of both and more."
"I'm pissed off at Vizsla and his thugs, but..." Kole trailed off and glanced at his daughter, then looked me in the eyes. "It's a lot you ask, not just personally. What would you do if you somehow become Mandalore? Why do you want the title anyway? From what I gather, you're practically in command of the Republic's armed forces nowadays. Becoming Mandalore is likely to remove you from that position or at least significantly decrease your authority and actual power."
"True. If I was a typical Sith, it would be a no-brainier." I smiled sadly. "There were few people who did more to keep me sane-ish and reasonably stable in hell that was being a newly minted apprentice in the Sith Academy on Korriban. Once my first Master pulled me out of that hell-hole and started using me as an errand boy and hunter to Sith shock troopers who had lost it thanks to the sub-standard training at the academy, one of my first assignments led me to Nal Hutta, where I met him and Mako. That was shortly after their team for the Great Hunt was assassinated. Long story short, I owe them both more than I can ever repay. They and a friend I picked up years latter are the reason I regained some of my humanity and didn't end as a typical Sith."
"Mako wrote something like that. I don't think that there are many people who know about it after all these years."
"What the Jedi have on me doesn't mention it either." I chuckled. "Ironically, they're the only people who know and believe the truth."
"It's rather implausible. What was the first idea? A Dark Jedi with delusions of grandeur?" Kole looked at his daughter.
"Yep." She grinned. "The holonet is aflame with speculations about you. The latest 'consensus' is that you're your own clone!" Mira laughed.
"Well, it makes more sense than the truth." I smirked. "Let them flounder for as long as they would. Being underestimated gives me an advantage. To answer your question, I owed a lot to Mandalore and I would hate to see his people destroyed."
"That bad?"
"Satine didn't lie yesterday. The Senate wants the Mandalorian problem solved and many would prefer that this world burns instead of gaining the Mandalorians as allies. There apparently is much more bad blood than I remember."
"True. We kept finding ourselves and the Republic on different sides of various conflicts for a long, long time." Kole nodded. "That still doesn't explain why should Clan Ordo support you. While today it's just the two of us," He nodded at Mira, "Our name still carries a lot of influence. Unfortunately so does Vizsla's and he does have an army of goons."
"Today some acquaintances arrive – the Mandalorians who trained the GAR. They will be bringing at least a few commando squads. I'm reasonably sure that we'll be able to keep Mira out of Death Watch's reach."
"And if I simply decide to leave as planned?"
"Then I'll help you disappear, no strings attached. I owe your Clan that much." Kole sighed.
"I'll think about it. Is there any way to contact you?"
I nodded and retrieved a comm unit from my belt.
"It's on a frequency that only Bo and me have. It's secure too."
=RK=
Part 7
Training area
Royal Palace
Sundari
Mandalore
"Are you sure about this?" Obi-Wan asked.
I put on my helmet and it sealed with a quiet hiss, hiding my smile. I stood still for a few seconds until the armor's systems came fully online – environment controls, shields, targeting assist, built in weapons...
"More than anything." I muttered and started running a check on my weapons. A pair of heavy blasters, my dart launcher, grenades, two vibro-knives in my boots and of course my lightsabers.
"There's going to be a hell to pay. You know that, right?" The Jedi sighed.
"There always is. At least this time the prize is a worthy one."
"What about Master Ti and you? Or did you just pull my chain?" Kenobi tried again.
"Nope. We did sleep together and the sex was great. Still, that was all – just sex at a moment we both needed to vent. Under different circumstances..." I shrugged. "Every time I think about Ti… I can't help but compare her with Ashara. As if I'm replacing my dead wife with someone, who no matter their worth in the end won't be able to compare."
"That's messed up." Obi-Wan shook his head.
"If someone told you that the whole emotion thing is simple and without complications, you need to kick their ass."
"Then why have you been nagging me not to clamp on mine?"
"Because no matter the pain and heartache emotions can bring, they're worth it in the end, Obi-Wan. Look me in the eyes and tell me that you regret that you slept with Satine. That you don't want her again."
"That's not the point!" Kenobi spluttered. "We're, it's not..."
"Man, you've got it bad." I smirked. "When we're done here, go drag your Duchess to the bedroom and make sure that she won't be thinking about any one else ever again."
"VEIL! That's totally un-appropriate!" Obi-Wan glared at me.
"Getting laid is a very appropriate thing to do."
I tuned out his spluttering and looked over the training room. It was two hundred meters long, a hundred wide and twenty five tall. There were various metal panels that could pop up to provide cover as well as holo-emmiters to help simulate most environments too. The training ground was configured like a labyrinth with a lot of cover and a decently large open space in the center.
"Enough with the distractions! What in the name of the Force made you chose that symbol for your Clan?!" Kenobi growled.
Heh, it was too easy to get under his skin. I chuckled and glanced down at my chest-plate. It was painted black, with a white emblem of the Sith Empire above my heart.
"I'm sticking it to a certain Sith. Now go in the observation lounge. I promise, the show will be worth it."
"That's what I'm afraid of. Do try not to kill each other." Obi-Wan sighed. "It's a terrible idea..." He trailed off and shook his head.
"It's all a matter of perspective. When all is said and done I'm the last remaining official of the Sith Empire. It was never officially dissolved. If anyone has a right over this emblem, that's me. I've fought and bled for it for decades, Obi-Wan." With those parting words I stepped into the makeshift arena and an armored door closed behind me.
I took a deep breath, reveling in the cool air provided by my armor and drew in the Force. A pleasant chill ran over my skin as I submerged myself in the Dark Side. My senses expanded and I could feel Bo on the other side of the training ground. She took a step forward and her presence all but vanished, leaving me with only a vague idea where she was. If we were actually on a crowded battlefield, she would be practically invisible to my Force senses.
I laughed. It's been years since I faced as Mandalorian whose armor was concealed by alchemy. So she did have a relic from the good old days.
This was going to be fun!
I enhanced myself with the Force and ran forward. I leaped over the nearest obstacle and landed on a five meters tall metal pillar. That gave me a good view – only the far end was mostly obscured by a jagged line of platforms.
Two micro-missiles popped up behind a column to my left, then streaked straight at me. My left hand snapped up and I blasted them out of the air with a lighting strike. In the same moment, I drew my lightsaber.
Four more missiles vaulted over the column, followed by Bo, who flew on a jet of fire. I threw away the ordinance with a wide telekinetic push, which caught the Mandalorian just as she halted her ascent. She left the Force wave push her back and opened fire with her blasters, before leveling her flight and darting straight at me. I activated my saber and started deflecting the shots, then sent a lighting bolt at her. To my surprise, Bo kept on coming – my attack harmlessly slid over her armor, which now had a corona of Dark Side energy dancing all over it.
I whistled with appreciation – that was a damn nice kit, that resembled my old armor in capabilities.
Instead of facing Bo head on, I let myself fall behind the column I was standing on. While I was descending, I slashed it through the middle and used the Force to tear it in two. As I landed, I sent the piece of durasteel hurling at Bo, who dodged in the last moment and retaliated with the heavy missile mounted on the top of her jet-pack.
I caught the weapon with my mind and threw it at the oncoming warrior, who banked to the right. I crushed the missile just as she was dodging it. The warhead blew up and threw Bo off course. While she managed to correct her flight and avoided slamming into a two meter tall pillar, she missed me by a large margin. Her shoulder brushed the column and that let her armor discharge the Sith lighting that had been dancing all over her for the last few seconds.
Using the Force, I called one of my blasters in my waiting free hand and opened fire on Bo. She flew up and returned the favor, before diving towards me. I hit her twice only for my shots to deflect from a shield. At the same time, I intercepted her fire with my blade, sending it to pock-mark the nearby pillars.
Bo suddenly twisted her body, so her legs pointed at me and used her jet-pack. to slow down her approach just as I jumped forward and let my blaster go. She laughed and activated a flame-thrower built around her left arm, hosing the rapidly shrinking distance between us with liquid fire. My own laughter boomed in response and I drove right through the flames, which covered my armor and started burning through the upper ablative layer. When I emerged from the fire, I found myself starring at a grenade flying my way. Acting on instinct, I shoved the explosive away with the Force.
Unfortunately, it chose that moment to blow up and threw me back into a nearby pillar. Bo received a similar treatment and slammed into a tall column, before rolling over it.
I fell to the ground and used the Force to tear the burning substance from my armor, which left it covered with moderately deep rends. A moment later, I threw two frag grenades behind the pillar where Bo disappeared. She rolled around its corner an instant before they blew up and sprinted my way. I jumped to my feet and sent a pair of stun darts at her.
Perhaps she sensed my attack, perhaps she planned it all along, but just as I shot at her, Bo jumped forward and flew at me with her jet-pack. One dart missed and the other simply glanced off her shoulder to no effect. I tried to push her away with the Force, using a decidedly non-lethal telekinetic push.
That only staggered her and a moment later, Bo shoulder-tackled me, driving the air out of my lungs. We crashed in the ground with deafening clanging of armor on durasteel and the force of the impact threw us off each other. It also made me drop my lightsaber.
I rolled and surged to my knees, activating the vibro-blades built in my arm-guards. A moment later, I had gathered the Force around me as a shield and charged Bo, who was just finding her footing.
She managed to deflect my right arm with her hand and my blade merely grazed her helmet. Bo activated her own built in vibro-blade and tried to gut me, but I blocked her hand with my forearm. She twisted in an incredible way, demonstrating an almost impossible flexibility and slammed a foot in my chest, pushing me back. Then she tried to open the distance even more with her jet-pack., but just as the Mandalorian started to fly away, I caught her pack with the Force.
Bo cursed and hit the release and landed on her feet. I crushed the jet-pack. and threw it away, while Bo opened fire with wrist-mounted blasters. My shields absorbed the first salvo and popped, but that gave me enough time to summon my saber and activate it. Two shots burned craters in my armor, though it held before I could catch the rest on my blade.
I raised a hand and caught Bo in a telekinetic grip, then I pulled her towards me. She cursed and continued to futilely shoot at me for a moment, before her hands dropped to her belt and she pulled a pair of grenades with a blue stripe in the middle.
I chuckled as she thew them at me. A dismissive gesture later, the grenades flew to the left, but that was enough to break my hold on her.
The Mandalorian drew a vibrosword from behind her back and charged me.
"The old fashioned way, eh?" I grinned and met her with my saber.
Our blades met and her sword didn't held it's own. It was either beskin or cortosis plated at the very least.
Bo attacked with desperate ferocity, attempting to overwhelm me with a flurry of well aimed powerful blows. I parried, deflected or dodged her attacks for a few seconds, then went on the offensive.
It didn't take long to figure out, that while she was rather good, Bo simply lacked the experience with a blade to last against me for more than a minute or two. It was going to take that long only because I didn't want to accidentally maim her.
She apparently got to the same conclusion. Bo suddenly let her sword go, activated her built in vibroblade and tackled me. Acting on instinct, I slammed my lightsaber in her chest as she surprised me. Her armor started glowing from the energy it was deflecting and absorbing but held as Bo slammed into me and raised a hand to for a lethal strike. I let my saber fall and grabbed her wrist a moment before she slammed her blade in my helmet.
Bo tried to slam her other hand in my head and laughed when I caught it too. She opened her fingers to reveal a live grenade.
"Insane woman!" I laughed back and released an uncontrolled telekinetic wave to shove her and the explosive off me.
Bo landed hard a few meters away and the grenade went off behind a low metal panel, which absorbed most of the blast wave. That didn't deter her. She was on her feet a heartbeat later and charged me again. Bo started firing with a wrist-blaster and that damn flamethrower again.
I drew deeply from the Dark Side formed a shield from the Force that absorbed the Mandalorian's attacks. I grinned under my helmet and my heart raced faster and faster. I hadn't had such fun in a long damn time!
It was time to get close and personal. I called my lightsaber, activated it mid-flight and used it to carefully cut through Bo's wrist-blaster. She jumped back as the blade ghosted over her hand and left her with one less weapon. Before she could steady her footing, I used the Force to tear out her flame thrower and threw it away with enough strength to shatter it on the ceiling.
Dashing forward, I was upon her a moment later. Bo intercepted my fist with her arm-guard and retaliated with a jab at my throat. I just lowered my head, catching it with the lower part of my helmet – something that I immediately regretted as my head started ringing.
She went on the offensive bombarding me with short, strong punches and the occasional kick aimed at my knees. I went on the defensive for a few moments, taking the hits on my arm-guards, or occasionally on my chest plate, before deflecting her next strike and tackling her with a Force-assisted jump.
We struck the ground hard, though it was worse for Bo, who had to absorb the impact of my armored bulk. We found ourselves helmet to helmet and she immediately head-butted me. I grunted and saw stars for an instant, before slamming a fist in her helmet, then I placed my vibro-blade a centimeter above her visor.
"Do you yield?" I asked.
A blue flash engulfed us and we were stuck to each other by a blue, pulsing jelly like substance.
"An adhesive grenade? I haven't seen those since coming here." I muttered, then I gently tapped her visor with the blade – my right hand was mostly free.
"Draw." Bo chuckled and carefully nodded to where our chests were touching. I could feel her hand crushed between us.
"You have another live grenade, don't you?" I chuckled.
"Thermal detonator actually." I knew she was grinning under her helmet.
"Well played."
"Not really." Bo sighed. "You weren't trying to kill me."
"And you did." I couldn't keep the amusement out of my voice.
"Yes. I did."
The adhesive gel started slowly fading around us. I used the Force to tear it apart and carefully stood up. Bo deactivated the detonator and accepted the hand I offered her, helping her to her feet. She pocketed the explosive and removed her helmet, revealing a sweaty hair and a smiling face.
"We need to do this again some time." Bo chuckled.
"Any time you want." I smiled and removed my helmet, letting the smell of burning metal and spice hit my face.
Her smile widened.
"Come with me. We aren't done yet." She walked towards the closest door.
"Is that so?" I followed.
"We fought with weapons and armor for a second time. Now we'll do it one last time – the Echani way." Bo purred.
"Hand to hand, no weapons and armor?" I asked to make sure.
"No Force tricks. I'm not a full Echani. I couldn't properly read you under all that metal, though I like what I saw."
"So you can read emotions and feelings through combat?"
"Not as well as my grandmother or mother could." She paused and looked over her shoulder, "But I can indeed."
=RK=
Guest suites
Royal Palace
Sundari
Mandalore
Without armor to slow her down, Bo was incredibly fast. Her toned body moved like quicksilver. For every hit I could land, she delivered two or three. She danced around me, weaving in and out of range only to strike and fade away.
The closest I came to ending the fight was when I almost grappled her a minute ago, though she slipped away thanks to sheet of sweat covering our bodies and I got a nasty bruise for my efforts.
It was awesome! I hadn't felt more alive in years!
Bo laughed and dashed in for another strike, which I let slip through my guard so I could close the distance. Our bodies slammed into each other with I used my greater bulk to push her back into a nearby column. Bo nearly slipped away after she planted her elbow under my breast bone and drove my air out. I doubled over and used the position to slam my shoulder in her gut, before she was able to knee me in the face. She grabbed my neck in a hold and squeezed. I slammed a fist in her side, leaving her breathless and freeing myself.
That didn't stop her from kicking me in the knee and sending me stumbling to the ground. While I was falling my hand shot up and grabbed Bo, pulling her down with me. We fell in a tangled web of limbs and stood there breathless for a few moments. Bo squirmed over me, trying to stand up, but I had none of that and we ended up wrestling – where my greater strength gave me a bit of advantage, that was all but lost by how sweaty we were.
Then we somehow ended with BO straddling me and I was holding her fist just above my nose.
"I quite like this position." I smirked.
"I can feel that." Bo's voice was a throaty purr. She lowered her head and our lips met.
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