Mandalore

[Tresha Ad'Nort]

As Tresha entered the room, she offered Kandor a perfunctory smile, but much weighed heavy on her mind. Now, being shut away from prying eyes, she hoped to finally get some answers beyond the generalities that Mand'alor's words had painted for the assembled clan leaders. Keen eyes saw her own exhaustion mirrored in Mirdala and Kandor's eyes, and for that reason alone she considered stowing her questions until they had all gotten some rest. But that was a false hope: there was too much to be done before Ab'ki's assault.

 

"I'd love to help however I can," she said simply. As her spritely cousin came into view, however, the sight of TeVerd, Rhys, Rahg, Vy'ika, and the Seekers standing alongside Mirdala never left her mind's eye. "Though I had a very interesting conversation with someone called 'Vy'ika' downstairs."

 

Tresha glanced back and forth between Kandor and Mirdala for a few silent seconds before continuing. "How long since you took the Seeker's oath, Mirdala?"

 

More accusation than she had intended crept into her quiet tone. From Mirdala's near-infancy, she had taken her cousin's protection on her shoulders. There was no doubt in her mind that Mirdala had far too much fight in her to be sidelined, but to be kept in the dark about her association with the Seekers rankled. She, better than most, knew what such an oath entailed.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

Mirdala smirked at the mention of her rather...puckish...older brother's name. "Conversations with Vy'ika often are," she admitted acutely aware of the undercurrent of her cousin's emotional state. "To answer your other question...Three months..."

 

"She made a good enough argument for it," TeVerd remarked solemnly in the doorway behind Tresha. "You know how stubborn she can be when she gets an idea in her head."

 

"It's not something that I asked lightly, buir," Mirdala replied. "It's not exactly my fault I keep running into demagolkase that need to be put down. Or that Fieyr has become such a kriffing problem."

 

TeVerd sighed and took a seat in one of the chairs as he responded, "You're right."

 

"Either way, it's done." Mirdala admitted with a shrug as Soresh, Rhys, Vy'ika and Rahg filed into the room taking up various positions and leaning against the walls. "Now what are we going to do about Ab'ki?"

[Moon Knight]

While he had eventually been brought in on most of the aliit's various secrets, Kandor knew firsthand how close to the vest everything was played. He didn't know how much Tresha knew, but it did not surprise him that it seemed to be very little and that she had limited prior experience with the Omicrons. Even Mirdala hadn't known about the clones until she'd encountered them on Coruscant about a year ago.

 

He moved to the middle of the room and used his implant to link his buy'ce's computer with the holoprojector on the table there, then opened his channel to his beskar'ad. "Twenty-two, give me what you've got so far," he said. Some charts, data, and lists of names and pictures started projecting in various organized infographics above the table.

 

Fett turned to Tresha. "Assuming Vy'ika introduced you to everyone, we'll jump right in. This is more or less the team Mirdala and I have been working with for the last few months as we've been trying to piece together the puzzle that eventually pointed us to Ab'ki and this attack."

 

He faced the rest of the team and indicated the hologram. "These are some of the people who have approached me so far," he explained. "Some of them fought under Ordo and Ahzinger during their misguided crusade, but they have practical experience we can tap."

 

Mand'alor indicated one of the faces, and a rough Sector map came up with a number of orange beacons scattered about. "Clan Sintral put up a sensor net we can use to trace incoming and outgoing vessels. If Ab'ki's smart, she'll start moving her people in posing as Mando'ade returning to answer the call, but we'll at least know when the invasion begins by seeing her larger ships coming out of hyperspace."

 

Even the dar'jetii couldn't get away with having proper capital ships with how the Galactic Alliance was regulating them. But the numbers did indicate that she had a few frigate-sized vessels and that there would need to be a space battle as a consequence. "I was also approached by a MandalMotors rep. I'll need to spend some time in their HQ to sort out the details, but they are able to lend a considerable number of ships out to aid in the defense."

 

He gestured and the map drifted off to the side, then he called up a series of city layouts. Dawn, Keldabe, and the capital cities of other worlds such as Ordo were shown. "These are the cities Ab'ki will potentially be targeting according to Viba's data. She may change her invasion plan if she suspects we have this information, but I'll need experts on each of these to help coordinate their defenses. I'm hoping Taen will be aboard in some capacity for Dawn." He glanced at Tresha.

 

Another swipe and the city layouts popped off to the side. 2277 had put together a considerable spread of data. "Thoughts?" He wasn't qualified to run this whole thing himself, not by a longshot.

[Ary the Grey]

Aryian was drunk. More than that, he was in a fight, or so he thought.

 

The tale of how he wound up on Mandalore wasn't that interesting, he had paid a man to find passage off Coruscant, and didn't quite care where he went. Apparently, he was booked on a ship filled to the brim with Mandalorians answering the call Mand'alor had sent out not too long ago. But, of course, Aryian didn't really realize much of this as their armor and weapons were packed in the storage section of the transport vessel, and as Aryian wasn't a Mandalorian, nor really paid much attention to galactic events, he hadn't heard about the call. Still, no matter where he went, as long as it was a civilized planet, they would have alcoholic beverages, and a place that served them.

 

Mandalorians were known for having some of the strongest swill in the galaxy. That is an important point to note.

 

To say the Grey Master had been feeling down as of late would be an understatement. He felt useless. Nobody wanted him, it seemed, those who sought him out quickly abandoned him, if falling into comas counted as abandonment. More than that, he was having memory problems. He could almost remember certain things about his past, but more and more he struggled to remember details, and it was beginning to become a large cause of frustration. But he did know he once served with a Mandalorian with black armor. Never really saw his face except through the Force, but he was one hell of a fighter. And that was all Aryian remembered as he sat at the bar, drinking his drink.

 

He had been trained by...Ben something...Ben'a? Ben'a Single. No...Ben'a Solo. It was amazing he could remember so much about the Force but barely anything about the man who had instructed him. His philosophy was impeccable, but useless in a galaxy he continued to struggle to recognize, and ironically one that struggled to recognize him. With the bounty, Darkfire was no longer a name that people had heard of from holonews reports as a famous Jedi, it now drew looks of confusion as people had never heard it before. He took another drink.

 

It was when the bartender asked if he was okay that Aryian began into a long diatribe of how he knew the black armored Mandalorian, Fett something. This gained the attention of some of the others at the bar, who disputed that the frazzled grey haired man had anything to do with who he claimed. Aryian wasn't sure who threw the first punch, it might have been him, but for certain he wasn't the one who threw the last one.

 

He remembered drooling a bit of blood as whatever passed for the local authorities dragged him off to spend a night in a cell, but passed out shortly after.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

As the others came into the room for the briefing, Mirdala noticed TeVerd reach back into one of his pockets and release some of the electronic "screamers" that he favored as Vy'ika moved to the window and activated the blackout shades, insuring that no one would be able to spy on the meeting or listen in.

 

The group listened intently to Kandor, weighing in the additional pieces that had been added to the board, like the sensor system and MandalMotors contributions. Unsurprisingly, Mirdala volunteered to go with Kandor when he made his visit.

 

Vy'ika was the first to speak up when Kandor asked for feedback on his plan. "You sure that we actually have someone trustworthy to put in defense of Ordo? Can't say that I'm all that encouraged by the Ahzingers, especially knowing they've got at least one of their number with a connection to Ab'ki or someone that was intent on bugging today's meeting."

 

"Is that the only area we're worried about who's in command?" Rhys spoke up. "I'm halfway wondering if she might not be up to something on one of the smaller worlds as those have been conspicuously left out of planning."

 

"Or they were left out to make us think just that and shore up our defenses in places they aren't needed," TeVerd countered.

 

Rahg just glared at Mirdala, watching her with an intense scrutiny that she found it hard not to squirm from. “Hey, don’t look at me. I haven’t tried to probe in that direction since I was told that would likely be a bad idea by certain parties,” she shot back at him defensively.

 

“I still think it is,” TeVerd remarked.

 

“What is?” Tresha asked, feeling like the more she heard the less she was beginning to understand.

 

“Me using the Force to figure out where Ab’ki’s headed and what her true target is,” Mirdala remarked flatly.

 

Rahg made a low noise that wasn’t quite a growl. TeVerd shot him a warning look. The elder Ageless knew how that one felt about Force Users in particular. To Rahg, the only good Force User, was a dead one.

 

“It’s still too risky Vod’ika,” Rhys agreed, knowing better than most considering he had his own Force-sensitive children and grandchildren to worry about.

 

Mirdala threw her arms wide. “So what do you propose I do then? Scan the entire army? Because that’s completely subtle and won’t attract any attention whatsoever,” Mirdala rolled her eyes, growing more frustrated with the situation. “At the very least it’s not exactly efficient since I can’t meet with every member…”

 

Rhys looked thoughtful for a moment, “That’s actually not a half-bad idea…” Holding up his hand to silence Mirdala’s open-mouthed protest he elaborated, “But not in the way you’re thinking. You could simply look over the rosters as they’re reported in and see if you get any hits off of the names. Should be safe enough without exposing your gifts.”

[Moon Knight]

"It'd be millions of names for potentially only a few defectors," Kandor said. "We need to make sure they're not in the command structure, but beyond that, we can't catch everyone. The clan leaders already know it's a risk, so hopefully they will use that knowledge well."

 

He crossed his arms. "As for using your abilities more directly, well, I hope it doesn't become necessary, but we can't reject the idea offhand," he said. "Let's just exhaust our less-risky options first. If we can find some of Ab'ki's people here, maybe one of them will be in the know and we can make them talk. Shab, maybe her best people are already in Keldabe.

 

"Until then, we have to assume she could attack any major city and spread our forces around to cover them. There will have to be some reacting once the fighting starts, but the Sector's not that big, so a few hours of scrambling to get everyone in the right place should be acceptable," he continued. "All our focus until then needs to be on getting everything in place, building and organizing the armies. Build a blaster-proof strategy and keep Ab'ki from hearing about it."

 

That was about the long and short of what they could do this early. They didn't even know how large the army of verde they could muster would be. As the details came out over the next several days, they could refine the plan and react to circumstances as needed. Kandor didn't like not being able to plan way ahead, but it was the best they could do for now and he would have his hands full for the duration regardless.

[Tresha Ad'Nort]

For the majority of the conversation, Tresha was content to remain quiet and let the ideas unfold before her. It had not escaped her notice that, now that each one of the Mando'ade present and accounted for had removed their buy'ce, most of them bore nearly identical features. But her curiosity would have to take a backseat to the planning at hand. It mattered little, if Mirdala trusted them, and by virtue of the fact that she had presented her hidden connection to the Force without subterfuge or fanfare, trust seemed implicit.

 

"If Ab'ki is coming after Mirdala, it seems foolish to send Mirdala her way, even just through the Force," said Tresha soberly. "Far better to let her show her hand than reveal ours. If you're right, and she does have key spies in our midst, I would think that Mirdala's abilities would be better suited to detecting them and rooting them out of the command structure rather than agonizing over a list of names a million long.

 

"In the meantime, I will rally the Ad'Norts and talk to Taen," she volunteered flatly. "No one knows Dawn's defenses like he does."

 

The prospect of convincing her stubborn older brother to head up the defenses on Concord Dawn was a daunting one. Once word of the invasion spread through the sector, however, sentiment towards Taen might shift to the point that he would be willing to return home. But, she thought with a smug half-smile, there were better ways of convincing him than frontal assault. Her first call, she decided, would be to Reska.

 

"Is there anything else that I can do here?" she finished, looking back toward Kandor.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

Kandor shook his head and the others took that as the indication to vacate the room and go about their evenings. TeVerd, however, hung back drawing his daughter aside. "I know you're frustrated Dika," he began, resting his hand on her shoulder. "You're doing plenty right now. The others and I will find an out of the way place to resume your training. We still have a long way to go and not a lot of time to get you as ready as you can be to face her when the time comes."

 

Mirdala looked up at him and nodded. There was a lot of work to be done and more than plenty of good she could do outside of worrying about Ab'ki and Fieyr until it was time.

 

-------

 

Mirdala felt like she'd just managed to get her mind to quiet down enough to fall asleep, when her comm, then Kandor's went off. Suddenly jolted back to alert, she answered, "Ad'Goran."

 

Sorry to disturb you so late, Constable, but there was a suspected Force User that was making trouble at one of the local cantinas. Witnesses report him claiming to know Mand'alor. Figured you might want to know. It was the station captain Mirdala had met earlier that evening.

 

She looked over her shoulder to Kandor and knew he was already patched into the conversation. "What's his status? And what makes you think he was a Force User?"

 

One of the few things on him was a set of lightsabers. We have him sedated and in a cell now.

 

"Make sure you also get him hydrated so we can actually talk with him and account for the fact he might metabolize the sedatives differently. Monitor him closely. Can you give me a visual?" Grabbing a nearby datapad, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to calmness as she also reached out cautiously toward the station using the Force.

 

Stand by.

 

There was something vaguely familiar about the signature, though she couldn't quite place it. Her danger sense wasn't exactly going off and a few seconds later the visual showed a grey-haired man in robes hooked up to a medical cot and surrounded by Protectors. Her own brow knotted as she tried to recall why this figure looked so familiar, but it seemed to be one of those mental blind spots that hadn't rewired itself back into being yet. She handed the datapad to Kandor, deferring the situation to him.

[Ary the Grey]

Everything spun. It was like riding a carousel, except less enjoyable. In fact, it more or less was a carousel. Everything was blurry, but for the most part he could tell he was riding round and round on a fake vornskr with a comically large saddle, slowly bobbing up and down. For the most part, it was nauseating. Everything outside of the carousel was so bright, Aryian was already squinting hard trying to see anything. After a bit, though, his eyes adjusted. Or his subconscious did. One or the other.

 

Hoth. He was on Hoth, at the base he found himself at when first waking up again, all those years ago. He had served his time in purgatory, and was given a second chance to do good, to learn the ways of the Jedi, to make a difference in the galaxy. How naive he was then. Right? He was unsure. So unsure of himself lately. The galaxy had proven to be a terrible place, and it had worn on his soul in more ways than one. Feeling a sharp pain in the dull vision, he looked down, his arm was bleeding.

 

Aryian opened his eyes, a trooper standing over him, the muzzle of a heavy blaster maybe a foot off his face. As he was, Aryian was still too groggy to really do much, but he understood. He wasn't exactly a liked person. But that's also when he noticed the other person wearing medical scrubs, adjusting a needle she'd just administered to his arm. Slowly, the Grey Master groaned a protest.

 

"Wait-..."

 

The trooper hefted the blaster, and Aryian sort of froze as the drugs kicked in, sending him back into a dull sleep. For now, he was helpless. At least the drugs kept him comfortable and warm, wrapped in the sweet blanket of unconsciousness.

[Moon Knight]

Kandor rolled onto his back. The interruption was irritating, but it came with the territory. The nature of the comm, however, was unexpected. A suspected Force user with jetii'kade here on Manda'yaim, claiming to know him? He wondered if it had to do with Ab'ki or her people, but then Mirdala handed him the datapad with the feed to where the aruetii was being held and frowned at it.

 

"Looks like osik, but that's Darkfire," he said to his wife. Despite Aryian's condition, Kandor was a little concerned that Mirdala didn't recognize him, even though he knew her experiences on Tatooine had left gaps in her memory. They'd been close allies during the late days of the war -- granted, Fett had been much closer to the Jedi Master and had worked with him on later occasions as well. Their last encounter had been the fateful battle with Faust on Kuat during which Fett had been exposed to trace amounts of RAGE.

 

He had no idea whatsoever what would bring the jetii to Keldabe, but it could wait. He replied to the comm he'd received. "I know this man. Hold onto him for the night but treat him well, I'll come see him in the morning."

 

For now he rolled over and hoped he could at least get a few hours of uninterrupted rest.

 

----------------------------

 

Early the next morning Fett rose and got a quick sanisteam. By the time he was out, his comm was blinking and it showed a recorded message from Ahzinger. It was long. He got about five sentences in and realized Vihk was abandoning his responsibilities with his clan out of shame for the previous day's spectacle, then shut it off. The rest of it didn't really matter, he had the information he needed.

 

Piggybacked onto the message though was an encrypted attachment. He had 2277 open it for him and it was an offer from Ahzinger to send arms and armor from his shop to help the war effort. That seemed a much better use of the man's talents than leadership. He told 2277 to note the information so that they could send orders as needed over the coming days.

 

By this time he'd finished putting on his beskar'gam and Mirdala indicated that she was ready as well, so they took the short walk down to where they'd been told Aryian was being kept.

 

Entering the holding area, Fett found the man disheveled but conscious. "I see you're still alive, Darkfire," he said as he looked the grizzled Jedi over. He spoke Basic for the first time in a few days. "Picking fights with Mandalorians in bars your new hobby, or were you actually looking for me?"

[Ary the Grey]

The next morning was rough. Aryian woke, but was still sluggish, and still had a decent headache, hydrated or not. He wasn't entirely sure if it was because he'd caught a blow to the head in the ensuing brawl from the night before or it was the speeder fuel the Mandos called alcohol, but at the least his captors had tried to hydrate him, a needle buried in his arm delivered much needed saline to his wracked system.

 

For a while, he simply lied there, unsure of what he should do. He could attempt to break free, but the lack of a guard seemed to indicate they were less worried about him. This meant that either they were confident in their abilities to confine him despite inadequate measures to subdue a Force user and escape was highly risky, or they didn't consider him nearly as much of a threat as they did the night before. Considering that his senses weren't brow beating him to get the hell out of dodge, it was likely the latter scenario, but to be honest he didn't care much.

 

And then an armored Mandalorian entered, addressing Aryian by name. A Mandalorian whose armor was dark as night. Fett? Fett. That was his name. Something about an oracle. No...Augury. Aryian knew him. Relaxing a bit, the Grey Master responded.

 

"I was looking for the bottom of a bottle. I think I found it."

 

A moment of silence, clearly not the answer Fett expected. For a moment, Aryian contemplated if he'd changed, realizing he wasn't entirely sure.

 

"Can I ask why I was treated so harshly? I get there's a bounty out on Force Users, but that was a little uncharacteristic for local muscle, even Mandos. And I don't mean the bar fight, I mean after I was brought...well...wherever this is."

 

Aryian scratched his face, realizing he was fairly grizzled, having not shaved in a few days. Probably not showered either. He felt bad for Dahar, cooped up with him in that shuttle...that may have been why the guy went comatose.

[Moon Knight]

"Force users are unpopular among Mandalorians in the best of times," Fett answered, glancing at Mirdala. Darkfire had identified her Force sensitivity during their time in the Augury and had started to give her basic instruction, but she'd carefully concealed her powers for most of her upbringing, and even now that she had some real training from Kirlocca they were far from public knowledge.

 

"But right now especially so. A mercenary and dark side cultist army put together by a Sith with a grudge is moving against the Mandalore Sector, and the clans are rallying to repel them when they arrive," he explained. "I know you're not associated with them, though, so I'll have you released. I recommend not sticking around. The Sector's not a good place for a Jedi to be."

 

He approached his old associate, shut off his IV drip and began unfastening his restraints. Thankfully Aryian hadn't used the Force to escape on his own or this would have gotten a lot messier. Keldabe was too tense with everything that was happening to have a fugitive jetii on the loose, and things could easily have gotten lethal.

 

Mirdala's silence told Fett that she was still a bit puzzled by the encounter and by Darkfire. Aryian himself was a mess as well, but he'd obviously had a few pints of ne'tral gal. This was not the friendly reunion they'd had with Kirlocca on Corellia.

[Mellanie Devanus Vevut]

The next morning dawned clear, the rain of the previous day having moved on. Mellanie woke with a sense of purpose. She would train hard and push herself farther than she had ever gone before, because this was a battle worth fighting. It was, in a way, a fight for her future. Hers and Araac's.

 

She dressed and made her way downstairs. Once there, she ate a bowl of porridge while making friends with Araac's little sister. Once Kalyani joined her, however, she turned her attention on her sister. "We'd better call Mom and Aunt Brina. I'll let you break the news--Mom will take it better coming from you. Although she's bound to freak a bit anyway."

[Dizzy]

It was good to wake up with the warmth of the sun shining on her face. For someone who had spent the majority of her life living on space stations this was a welcome change. Kalyani rose and dressed before heading downstairs for breakfast. She smiled as she greeted everyone and had her porridge.

 

"We'd better call Mom and Aunt Brina. I'll let you break the news--Mom will take it better coming from you. Although she's bound to freak a bit anyway."

 

“Yes we better, though I’m not looking forward to it.” Kaly sighed. She really didn’t want to upset Mum and Aunt Brina but that was inevitable. She was sure that they would be able to hear them all the way from Naboo without the aid of the comm system. She rose from the table and helped clean up the dishes before she turned to Mellanie, “I guess we better get this over with.”

 

The two headed to the Crazy Mynock and made their way to the cockpit. Kaly warmed up the comm station while thinking about how she was going to break the news. She was half inclined to send it text only message but that was the easy way out. Taking a deep breath Kaly keyed in their mother’s frequency and opened the comm. to record the video message. “Hi Mum, Aunt Brina. Mel and I are good. Araac’s family are really nice and we’re getting along with everyone well. Don’t be mad at us but we’re going to stay and do our bit alongside Araac’s family in the upcoming war. A Sith has waged war on them and we’re going to help defend their home.” Kaly looked at Mel wondering if she was going to add anything to the message.

[Mellanie Devanus Vevut]

Mellanie stopped the message when Kalyani paused it. "Oh come on, Kaly. We can't chicken out. Mum and Aunt Brina deserve a real holocall, not just a vid-message." She deleted the message and then punched in the number again, this time toggling the switch for a live call.

 

The girls didn't have to wait long before the connection was made. "This is Brina Tha--Oh! Hello girls!" Aunt Brina's red hair was mussy and there was a streak of grease on her cheek, but her face was radiant as she saw her nieces. "How's Mandalore?"

 

Mellanie laughed. "What ship are you working on, Aunt Brina? The Mynock is here with us!"

 

"Your mom's," Brina replied. "And I've got to have a word with Roxi, 'cause she's been keeping this ship in a shabby state."

 

"You think everyone's work is shabby compared to yours," Mel replied, teasing. "Mandalore is great. Really great. Everyone's been so welcoming, and it's been amazing to meet Araac's family."

 

"I'm so glad to hear it! Had any good food?"

 

"Araac's mom is a great cook. The food is super spicy. I love it!" Mellanie paused. "Hey Aunt Brina, can you get Mom? Kaly and I want to talk to both of you."

 

"Sure thing, sweetheart. Give me a sec."

 

As they waited, the two girls exchanged glances. After a moment, Zara's face appeared on the vid screen next to Brina's. "Hey Mom," Mellanie began. "So...we have some news." She looked expectantly at her sister.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

Mirdala watched the exchange silently from Kandor's side, her mind working furiously to knit together the loose strands of memory that flashed through her mind's eye as the two men spoke. She met Kandor's eyes briefly when he glanced her way, and she subtly reached out with her dual senses not quite ready to trust Aryian Darkfire just yet.

 

Scattered memories of their meeting on Talis, his handing over the datapads with the beginning steps to controlling the Force to her, their time on Enigma, Mechis, and several others tumbled drunkenly through her mind, settling on the rumors of his fall to the Darkside just before she parted ways with Kandor nearly a year before. Beside her, Vi'ika crept forward, sniffing slightly at the air around the Jedi Master before returning back to Mirdala whining.

 

"Surely we can see to it that he gets a chance at a hot meal and sanisteam before we send him on his way," Mirdala finally said, her eyes still studying the other man before her and just barely remembering to keep Kandor's name, or any terms of endearment unspoken. "He came all this way out to the Outer Rim where there's no real reason to visit other than meeting with you. Is this a social call or are you bringing news of trouble elsewhere in the galaxy?"

[Ary the Grey]

Aryian narrowed his eyes. It was like he didn't belong, and he never liked that feeling.

 

"Neither. Like I said, I left Coruscant looking for a bottle to find myself at the bottom of. I didn't care where I found passage to, and didn't even realize this was Mandalore until you just told me. But now that I'm here, you tell me you have a problem with a Sith, and don't want my help? I'm hurt, Fett."

 

His voice was coy, but it belied his irritation at being swept away, brushed off like a useless nothing. He might be old, but he was still useful for something. Maybe.

 

"No...no I think I'll stick around. Remind those young pups how a real Jedi fights. I can still hold my own, and I can damn sure fly. At the least, it'll just be another body on the battlefield at the end of the day, right?"

 

Again, Aryian scratched at his face. He needed a shave.

 

"Now where's my stuff? I'm not too keen on the prospect of my lightsabers becoming trophies for one of your boys."

[Moon Knight]

ShadowFett stared silently at Aryian through his mask for a moment. It took a certain breed of crazy to get involved in someone else's war just for sport or out of boredom. Darkfire would be putting his life on the line with very little to gain, especially considering the Mando'ade hadn't asked for the help of a jetii. What's more, Darkfire was even worse for the wear than he had been when Fett had last fought beside him, and that did not bode well for him... but even at his lowest point Darkfire could fight with the best. It would be foolish not to accept the war veteran's offer in some capacity.

 

Finally he nodded. "Very well," he answered, opening the cell again and heading out into the rustic hallway. "If you're set on it, I'll not turn you away. We can find a place for you in one of the clans defending Keldabe."

 

He found one of the guards lingering nearby. "I know this man. Return his effects to him," he said, continuing to use Basic.

 

"Aye, Mand'alor." The other Mando'ad nodded and opened a nearby footlocker, withdrawing the jetii'kade and other objects taken from Darkfire's person and handing them to the Jedi.

 

Fett eyed Darkfire. "If you dress like that and try to wave lightsabers around on the battlefield when all this starts, you're likely to get shot by your own team," he said. He gestured at his black plates with his thumb. "I don't suppose I could convince you to wear a beskar'gam?" They would either need to find an extra set or requisition one from Ahzinger or one of the other armorsmiths. He didn't think it would be an issue, as long as Darkfire took the time to get used to it before the invasion started.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

Mirdala glanced at her husband, her buy'ce tucked under her arm as she considered what the old Jedi said. "First things first, vod," Mirdala stepped in front of the two men, both of which stood at least a foot over her. "You need a shower and a hot meal and I'll see to it you don't run afoul of Rahg." Her eyes flitted to Kandor at the last remark.

 

Besides, having him around might come in handy in preparations to take on Ab'ki, her hand twitched slightly as she suppressed the reflex to reach out for Kandor's shoulder as she passed between the two men, her sandhound close at her heels as she left toward a building in the warehouse district of the city that was near the station where Aryian had been held.

 

She didn't make it very far when she was joined by TeVerd and Rhys as they came from the shadows and took up her escort. Don't worry Kandor, Rhys remarked via the team's private channel, We'll return her to you in one piece...more or less.

[Dizzy]

"Oh come on, Kaly. We can't chicken out. Mum and Aunt Brina deserve a real holocall, not just a vid-message." Kaly sighed, "Yes you're right... I guess we should get some earplugs..." her lame idea of a joke was to cover her nerves. When Aunt Brina answered the call she couldn't help but grin at their Aunt's visage... covered in grease as always. Their Aunt loved nothing better than to tinker on their space crafts and she always seemed to know how to make them run smoother and more efficiently. When she complained on how Roxi was not keeping the Black Pantha up to scratch Kaly laughed along with Mel. When their Mother's face appeared next to their Aunt's her smile widened. "Hey Mum" ... the girls chorused as one before Mel said, "So...we have some news."

 

"You and Araac haven't gotten married without us have you?" Zara's face took on a stern look as she gazed at her youngest daughter. Having researched it, she knew the Mandalorian's had a different way of marrying and that they did so without a ceremony. She hoped though that her daughter would have a ceremony to celebrate their union. "Or... have you set a date?" Now her expression turned hopeful as her eyes wandered over both girls. Kaly laughed and gave Mel a playful shove, "I told you Mum would say that." The young woman shifted her gaze back to their Mother and Aunt. "What Mel was talking about is probably not what you want to hear..." Kaly's expression changed to concern. "What is it? Are you in danger?" Zara asked. The sisters exchanged another look before Kaly spoke again. "Kind of... don't be mad at us... okay?" she rushed the words then took a deep breath... "The Mandalorian's are preparing for an attack by a Sith that wants vengeance... When we got here, Mandalore had called in all the Clan Leaders... that included Araac's Uncle. He told us that they will be preparing for war in this sector. Araac knows someone who can help train us and you know how often I've gone into the simulators after what happened with Dad... We're going to help defend Araac's home." As her eldest daughter spoke, Zara's expression turned resigned. She knew how stubborn both girls could be... after all they were her daughters. She had tried to keep her daughters protected and safe as she possibly could but the galaxy could be a dangerous place... and they did come from a line of Dathomiri warrior women. She exchanged a look with Brina before turning back to her girls, "Please stay safe..."

[Ary the Grey]

"Uhhm..."

 

Aryian was unsure about the offer. He knew the word, one of the hand full he'd recognized, it meant the armor the Mandalorians wore. The armor might prevent some range of motion, and inhibit his speed. Then again, even getting to wear a spare suit was an honor for most non-Mandalorians, or at the least highly expensive, and Aryian certainly didn't like the prospect of being shot at by those he was fighting alongside.

 

"...Sure. I'll wear it, I suppose. You don't think they'd still shoot at me if I used my sabers, though...? Ah, doesn't matter anyways."

 

Maybe after this war Fett could help him. Maybe. The holes in his memory weren't getting any better. He didn't think the technology of the Mandalorians would help him with that, but at least he'd be around someone who knew him and would likely treat him well. He hoped. Looking up, he began to shoo Fett off.

 

"You've got a war to lead, I can take care of myself. I...uh....appreciate you bailing me out here, though. For a while there, I was doubting my own stories."

 

Aryian intentionally left out that is was because he couldn't remember more than fragments of his stories anymore. But it wasn't important.

[Moon Knight]

Rahg probably would be a problem without someone keeping an eye on him, Fett reflected. The Omicron had a strict shoot-first policy when it came for Force users of any kind, and seemed to be disgruntled at best even allowing Mirdala to continue breathing. But he would just have to k'atini and deal with it in this case. They had enough backstabbing to worry about from Ab'ki's agents to have more going on between those who actually shared a cause.

 

"No problem," he told Aryian lightly. "The Augury may be years past, but it'd be a disservice to forget it." The bonds he had built with Mirdala and Kirlocca during those days had led to significant connections since then, and one or all of them would have been dead by now without them. Fett's relationship with Aryian had never been as strong, and at times the man was a riddle to him, but he wasn't ready to discard it. Even during his lone wolf days, contacts had been everything, and those days were past.

 

He flipped over to the team channel with a look-and-blink command inside his buy'ce. "See that you do. We'll meet up later, Mirdala."

 

--------------------

 

Over the next few hours Fett returned to the Oyu'baat and resumed his work building his command staff and starting to organize Sector defense. Some of the better-organized clans were already starting to report in with troop numbers, and a battle-ready force was beginning to take shape. But before he and the others could finalize assignments, he needed to have the right strategists in place. As a result he actually needed to do some recruiting based on tips he'd been given by others. Clan Buurenaar from Shogun hadn't made the meeting but was home to the tactician that had organized the Mandalorian action on Coruscant at the end of the war, for instance. Fett placed a call and the woman dutifully agreed to serve, and he moved on to the next contact on his list.

 

Not every call was successful. Some Mando'ade had responsibilities at home or out in the galaxy that would force them to sit the battle out. This was expected -- the defense of the Sector would affect everyone, but it would be self-defeating if building the army came at the expense of clan welfare. The land and city utilities would need to be maintained, the children and infirm would need to be watched over, and other critical roles would need to be filled; sometimes that would take even talented verde off the battlefield. But Fett had to trust that whoever he could get would be sufficient for the defense.

 

It didn't take long for him to start going stir-crazy, at any rate. Intent on changing things up, he asked 2277 to keep an eye on incoming calls while he toggled his comm over to the private channel he shared with his riduur. "Itching to get my blood moving," he said. "Want to meet up? I could use a spar."

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

"Again," Mirdala demanded as she shook her head to clear it, following one of Rahg's ghosting attacks. "I nearly had it that time." She didn't have to see behind her fellow Seeker's buy'ce to know that his face had twisted into a self-satisfied sneer. He loved nothing more than to impress upon her any inadequacies she exhibited when drilling what skills she'd learned in the Seeker arsenal. The morning's agenda had been running her through the various mind-shielding and disruption techniques with Rahg while TeVerd oversaw the training and the rest of the assembled evaluated and ran their empathic static to shield the two combatants from any outward detection.

 

Rahg paced menacingly around where she was sitting, gently probing her through the empathic stream as though testing for weaknesses. Mirdala knew he wouldn't give any outward sign when he began the attack, so she remained as ready as she possibly could and did her best to hold her own will and not act in anticipation of Rahg's attack. The emphasis for today was defense, not offense. And to test her patience...or so Vy'ika had teased her.

 

No warning of the attack would come to her through the Force, as Rahg's presence slide aside like mercury when she tried to lock on to him in order to defend against him. That had been a mistake she'd only made once since he'd been able to somehow work back along the probe to press into her mind. So it was her own instincts she trusted in, the base-level primal knowledge rather than any of her other senses.

 

She felt something shift suddenly, and instinctively blocked meeting Rahg head on then sliding along his attack to push back with one of her own. Along with the ping of her comm, came a wall of mental energy and force that seemingly pressed the air from her lungs. Kandor's voice filled her mind as she pushed back against the wave with her own beskar will, her instincts to shield him kicking in and making her own attack that much stronger.

 

A grunt from Rahg as he stumbled back brought Mirdala to her own feet as she allowed her protectiveness of Kandor to fuel her defense against Rahg's threat as the other tried to draw out some of her own recent memories regarding Kandor. She pressed him back, allowing the anger at the intrusion to lash back across the empathic bond as she beat the other man back.

 

"Enough!" TeVerd called out, deciding that the bout had gone on long enough. Neither had really been in danger of hurting the other, but he'd rather Mirdala take the lesson for the moment without pushing it to its brink. "That's good for today, Dika."

 

Mirdala opened her eyes and looked around at the assembled Seekers as she replayed Kandor's message. TeVerd nodded, "Go, spend some time with your riduur. He needs your help as much as we do."

 

Rhys handed her a water bottle and she grabbed her helmet and nodded. "I could use some skraan first," she transmitted via their implant channel, "but that sounds good to me."

[Moon Knight]

"I'm always up for skraan," Kandor answered. Already in his weathered but well equipped command center in the third floor of the Oyu'baat, all he had to do was head downstairs to get to the dining area. The several-millennia-old building reflected in many ways of the character of its inhabitants: its rooms were well-worn, designed for practicality over form, and nearly indestructible, but beneath its simple appearance there was a reliable and functional tech infrastructure that made Fett's job over the coming weeks easier.

 

For the most part, anyway. The turbolift had broken down earlier and so Fett took the stairs down.

 

He was only in the dining area a minute before Mirdala arrived to join him. He removed his buy'ce and put it on the table, which had a durasteel surface so worn it was uneven in places. Though Fett could remember one set of thousands of warriors who had worn white and born the Moon Knight title, there was another set of just as many who had sat in this hall, discussing all manner of things relevant to the future of the Mandalorian culture. The enduring traditions of both sets of ancestors were very near in Fett's mind as he took careful steps to make sure that they would each survive the coming weeks.

 

But for now he was glad to turn his attention off of them and onto his wife. "Doing alright?" he asked. "Hope your Seeker training didn't take too much out of you -- I'm spoiling for a workout."

[saberforce]

A comm came in for Fett. It was encrypted, but not marked as urgent. It was a holoprojected recording.

 

 

"Mand'alor, Shogun is ready, all clans have been rallied up and defenses are in place. we await our orders."

 

[Tresha Ad'Nort]

The advent of the next morning saw Tresha's mind by weaving a thousand different directions the day's requisite conversations could go. Halting her myriad jakrab-trails of thought so as to conserve mental energy, she rousted herself for the morning run that took her through the streets of Keldabe and through the outlying forested areas. After the following sanisteam, she accoutered herself in her beskar'gam, sans buy'ce, and holed up in her room in the Oyu'baat to make the comm call she had been slightly dreading since conversing with Kandor and Mirdala the day prior.

 

Reska's now-healed face appeared in the communications display, and Tresha felt an inward flicker of relief. "Tresha," the older woman began. "Me'bana?"

 

She smiled thinly. "Naas, I'm fine, Reska. But I have news that everyone will need to hear."

 

“I'll gather the rest of those here,” she quipped, disappearing for a few moments before being joined by Laesha, Taen, Vannae, Tannae, and Styl.

 

“What is it, ad'ika?” Laesha asked. “Nothing's happened to Kandor or Mird’ika, has it?”

 

Tresha shook her head. “They're safe for now. But if Ab’ki gets what she's after, they won't stay that way. She’s launching a full-scale assault on the whole sector, a million strong. Mand’alor is calling for an army.”

 

There were any number of details she could share, but Tresha left it at that. No use giving orders when everyone present would know what was being asked of them.

 

“Taen and I will be there,” Reska insisted with no hesitation, behind her Vannae nodded as well.

 

“Arms and armoring will be needed, so I'll be coming as well,” Tresha's eldest sister volunteered. “Give us about a day to get packed and we’ll be there.”

 

“Jate. Send word to Aluir, Trita, and Valyin, also,” Tresha advised. “Find out where they are and if they’re close enough to the sector to get here in advance of Ab’ki’s forces.”

 

Taen’s green eyes glinted in the afternoon Chandrilan sun, and hesitantly, she glanced at him, Kandor’s request heavy on her mind. “Ori’vod, Mand’alor has asked that you take charge of organizing the defensive perimeter on Concord Dawn,” she began quietly, careful to keep her phrasing offertory and not demanding.

 

“The clans on Dawn don’t take orders from me, Tresh,” the Ageless hybrid’s voice came back flatly. The sting of his rejection was obviously still a factor in Taen’s mind. “He’s better off asking someone else.”

 

Stubbornly, she set her jaw as she regarded him. “Kandor believes you’re best suited for it and I agree. Once word of the invasion spreads through the sector, no one will have any reason to doubt your capacity as their leader. You said yourself that Dawn’s aliite would readily hunker down and defend their families. You’re more than capable of inspiring them to defend the sector.”

 

Taen grunted unhappily but made no retort. To Tresha, that was as good as an affirmative from her oldest brother. For Udesla, the quiet one, to stand her ground like this meant that her feelings on the issue were stronger than she would let on in conversation with nearly the entire aliit.

 

A mewling cry echoed over the comm, interrupting the brief silence, and her brow furrowed. As hard as it would be to keep Tannae out of the fight, a mother with such a young son would not be needlessly brought into the tumultuous sector under her watch. “Tannae, stay with Jorad and the twins on Chandrila. I’ll see the rest of you in Keldabe in a few days. Ret’urcye mhi.”

 

She signed off before any questions or words of protest could be uttered. She did not want to broadcast any additional information across systems: the aliit would have their questions answered upon arrival on Manda’yaim. If Taen decided to push back against his assignment, he could take it up with Mand’alor. She had done her part in relaying the message. Replacing her buy’ce, Tresha made her way back down into the center of the Oyu’baat to assist the analytical team in organizing troop placements across the sector.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

A ghost of a smile played across her lips as she regarded him for a moment before answering. "Luckily for you, it was more mental than physical training. I should be good enough after food and a bit of a rest though."

 

Once again she found herself mentally distancing herself from Kandor as much as she did physically when they were out in the open like this. It was hard, but she understood the operational sense behind it. Vihk had already picked up on their closeness and she'd felt more than a few eyes watching the two of them any time they were together. Playing the part of simply being his hunt-partner was hard after everything the two of them had shared together. "Rahg shouldn't be an issue, as long as Darkfire doesn't do something stupid," she shrugged forcing her thoughts to shift away from dwelling on something she couldn't change.

 

If she were being honest, she was looking for a chance to spar with Kandor again, if only to have an excuse to be closer to him for a little while. Her mind felt as though it had been put through the ringer that morning and she longed for the steady comfort of his presence and embrace.

[Mellanie Devanus Vevut]

"Hey," Mellanie replied a little gruffly, "don't worry about us, Mom. We'll be fine. Thanks for understanding. And I can't wait until you can meet everyone here. I'll call you after...after everything settles down."

 

The family talked for a few more minutes, then the girls signed off, but not before Araac had poked his head into the room and asked what was keeping them. Mellanie laughed and waved goodbye to the Link CEOs before turning to face him. "Did we have plans this vaar'tur that you didn't tell me about?"

 

He grinned. "Training. Ready to tal'onidir?"

 

Mellanie pouted. "But I'll get all sweaty!" she moaned in a mocking Coruscanti accent. "And I just got my nails done!"

 

He slapped her playfully on the head. "C'mon sharal dala. And you too, Kalyani."

 

***

 

As Araac had promised, they spent the day under his brutal training regimen. But Mellanie loved every minute. The Mandalorian fighting mindset was harsh, raw, and uncontrolled--and yet it took a lot of self-control to turn it on and off. It was an almost-berserker type rage, where one saw the enemy as a problem to be overcome at any cost. Mel knew it was going to take her some time to really master it, and even more, to feel comfortable in it, but it was a challenge, and she never backed down from a challenge.

 

"Not all Mandalorians fight this way," he told her as they were working on some hand to hand combat. "Some are more calculating. I've heard that's how Mand'alor fights. But it takes many, many years of training and honing one's skills to get there. This method will serve you best against Force-users, too. Force-users always expect people to attack in a certain way, and they have training that teaches them how to predict how an opponent will come at them. But when we get into this mindset, it throws off that sense, and gives us the advantage of unpredictability." He threw a punch at her head, which she blocked on her forearm.

 

Mel countered the punch with one of her own, then kicked him, attempting to sweep his legs out from underneath him. "Do Jedi teach that, or Sith?"

 

"Both," he replied, leaping over her leg and rolling. She spun to meet his renewed assault. "It serives them well against most opponents."

 

She nodded. It sounded like a trick she might like to learn. Maybe after this, she could call her father and see if he'd teach it to her.

 

They traded blows for a while longer, until Araac tried the leg-sweep attack. Mel leapt over it, but landed poorly and ended up tumbling to the ground. Never one to give up, though, she scissored her legs through his as she fell, causing him to fall and land heavily on top of her. "Oof!" she exclaimed. But she was laughing too hard to really complain. "Get off me, you big lug!"

 

He ignored her words, instead quickly pinning down. "Make me," he said, his voice lowering.

 

She met his eyes and grinned at the ferocious glint in them. Then quickly, she rocked her hips to the side and freed her leg. Wrapping it around his waist, she employed all her strength and tossed him to the side, freeing herself and sending him face first into the dirt. She rose lightly to her feet. "How's that?" she asked, her tone innocent.

 

He rose and brushed some of the dirt from his mouth. "Good," he said. "Where did you hibirar that?"

 

Mel grinned. "You don't know all of my secrets," she tossed back. "Actually, Kane taught me that. Something he picked up from a Trandoshan he met once."

 

"What was your brother doing wrestling a 'Doshan? Never mind, I don't want to know. Come on, let's get some skraan."

 

***

 

It was late afternoon when Mellanie received her biggest surprise. Kalyani had gone for a long conditioning run while she and Araac were working with vibroblades. After a while, Mellanie noticed that they had an audience. Araac's uncle, the clan chief, was watching them. After a while, he spoke up. "You're decent," he called out, "but you lack experience."

 

"Nothing I can really do about that," she replied, a little out of breath.

 

"No," Rhar agreed. "But I can give you an edge. Shekemir."

 

She traded glances with Araac, but he shook his head, clearly not knowing what his uncle was referring to. The two of them followed Rhar out of the barn where they had been practicing and over to Rhar's workshop. Once there, the brawny Mando pulled out a large crate. "I was saving this for after the wedding, but I suppose you're as good as family now anyway," he said. He removed the lid.

 

Mellanie gasped. She couldn't help it. Inside the crate was a full set of unpainted Mandalorian beskar'gam. She sank to her knees and caressed the plates. "I...I had hoped that one day...but I never thought it'd be now."

 

"Makes sense," he shrugged. "That stuff could may well save your life."

 

She looked up, a smile lighting her face, then rose and threw her arms around his neck. "Ori'vor'e ba'vodu! Ori'vor'e!" This was more than just practical protective gear; it was a sign that she truly was accepted now, that she was part of the family--and that she was Mandalorian.

 

Araac clasped his uncle's forearm. "Yes, thank you, Uncle. This means a lot." He turned to his fiancee. "I guess we can start you getting used to wearing it and fighting in it."

 

She smiled. "And I guess I need to decide on a paint job."

[Moon Knight]

As the two ate, Kandor didn't fail to notice that Mirdala seemed a little distant, maybe a bit uncertain. They made light conversation but it was primarily operational. For now he shelved his concerns. He couldn't blame her for being a bit preoccupied with everything that was going on and with the sense of danger and urgency that Ab'ki's potentially-ubiquitous agents could impart onto even routine activities. Still, he had seen her handle herself confidently in stressful and dangerous situations in the past. He decided he would ask her about it if she didn't come around.

 

A little while later they headed out into Keldabe to find a place to spar. With the impending threat of war, it wasn't difficult. The city had quickly become littered with makeshift training yards, shooting ranges, and outdoor meeting places for clans. Those aliite which were prepared enough to get organized by now were eager to spend time building group cohesion and form tighter squads that would help their chances of making a difference on the battlefield.

 

Fett found a mixed-clan area and disarmed most of his weapons. "How about fists and no buy'cese today?" he suggested.

 

His arrival hadn't gone undetected, he noticed. He was new to the whole PR deal, but people were curious about Mand'alor and his partner, and keeping their buckets off would help keep him human to them. Most of the courtyard continued to train, but a few paused to rest for a moment and watch. Although Fett was unused to the public spotlight, he supposed they were entitled to their curiosity. It wouldn't affect how he fought, so the attention was harmless.

 

Soon they had both fallen into their fighting stances, and Kandor gestured to Mirdala, inviting her to attack. Ever since their mission on Hapes, he had been drilling his Teras Kasi pretty strongly. The martial art seemed to be the single most effective discipline in his arsenal when taken as a whole, but by this time he was starting to cherry-pick elements from Mandalorian and Echani styles and work them into it, creating his own unique blend of unarmed combat skills as only a Moon Knight could do. Reconciling the memories of thousands of hours of practice that had taken place in bodies with different dimensions than his own was still a work in progress, but he was better than he had ever been before.

 

Presently he carefully blocked and twisted around Mirdala's initial flurry, then with a practiced motion cut close and delivered a kidney-level jab that met beskar. The exchange continued for a minute or two, and it probably looked fine to the onlookers, but to Kandor it didn't seem like they were quite falling into the rhythm he had come to expect when he sparred with his riduur.

 

He spoke to her subvocally over their implants even as he devised and executed another attack sequence. "You seem a bit distracted," he observed. "You're better than this. Don't tell me our little audience has you second-guessing your moves?"

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

Her eyes met his as she deflected his onslaught twisting away from him and disengaging as she rolled her shoulder back to lessen the impact of one of his strikes as she kicked him back to give herself a bit of space to figure out a way to articulate what was on her mind. His assessment hadn’t wholly been off the mark, though not for the reasons he implied.

 

“A bit. I feel like I’m hiding,” she responded via the same subvocal channel as she resumed a defensive stance and readied to re-engage him. “No...that’s not quite right…” She did her best to dodge the next flurry of attacks he launched only to end up pinned to his chest for a second before he released her.

 

“We’re hiding. I can’t act like your wife and I’m having issues reconciling the fact that I have to maintain a professional distance from you for the sake of operational security,” She finally finished before turning to engage him with another flurry of attacks. "I hate it."