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Guardian of the Republic (Star Wars CYOA)

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Padme needs to be sent to Satine and beat the shit out of her for nearly cost her people everything. Seriously satine is a moron for doing what she did. Still nice job on the POV for multiple different people and the actions of both Ben and others.

I really find it hard to believe Satine would be able to be put back in charge of Mandalore or the Mandalore Sector. I think we will be seeing a council of Planet where each elects from the clans to help run the sector.
 
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14.9 (The Mandalorians) - Chapter Eighty-Two
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    • This week has not been what Vyssa expected it to be. Sure, she had gotten used to her new beskar armour by now, but she had not expected to find out that she was actually a Mandalorian or for her master to become the new Mandalorian king. Which was an accurate way to describe what the Mand'alor was as an outsider.

    Ben's solution to the Death Watch problem was oddly diplomatic for him. A relatively peaceful solution to what could have been a lot of bloodshed. In some ways, it was what a Jedi aspired to, but in other ways, it was very much not.

    It also had the benefit of rallying the Mandalorian Clans away from the Separatist cause and to the aid of the Republic. Whatever her master had originally planned, he is now ushering in a new era for the Mandalorians and the liberation of Mandalore will just cement him as the new Mand'alor.

    Vyssa can already see how the politics will play out. As Mandalore the Guardian, Ben is turning the Death Watch, the Old Mandalorians and the True Mandalorians into the Mandalorian Guardians. The conquest of Mandalore by this Bo-Katan is a death blow to the New Mandalorian movement on the planet and Ben's liberation of the world will likely bring the dispirited New Mandalorians into his faction. Especially since he is being accommodating to their beliefs, something that no other Mand'alor in recent memory has done.

    Duchess Satine Kryze won't have the support to make a bid for reclaiming Mandalore after her failure to prevent her sister from conquering the place. She will also likely lose her status as the head of the Council of Neutral Systems if she is no longer Mandalore's ruler. It might generate some pushback against her master, but the Militarist Coalition will rally around him and the Council of Neutral Systems has few allies in the Galactic Senate.

    Chancellor Palpatine might try to do something since he is a secret Sith Lord, but Vyssa doesn't know enough to tell which way he will go. He might try to use this affair against Ben or he might take advantage of it to weaken the Council of Neutral Systems and gather more power to his office.

    Ben's plan for a referendum on the future of Mandalore is the best option politically speaking even if her master is only doing it out of belief in democracy. There is no chance that the majority of the planet will want to remain New Mandalorian after this and with Ben as the only real alternative, they'll vote to have Mandalore the Guardian as their new ruler.

    Satine will complain, but the referendum will undercut any arguments she makes and since she has about as many enemies in the Senate as Ben and fewer allies. The only angle of danger there that Vyssa can see is Sidious throwing his support behind Satine.

    The High Council might prove a problem. On the one hand, they're done every properly and by the book as you can get under the circumstances. On the other hand, the circumstances are a resurgent Mandalore and Ben becoming a Jedi Lord for all intents and purposes. There is a good chance that they won't take kindly to that though what they can do is limited. Ben is a famous war hero in the first major war since the Ruusan Reformation and he is legitimately the Mand'alor. They can expel him from the Order, but they have no grounds to remove him as Mand'alor and the Mandalorians will take very poorly to any attempt to force the issue by the High Council.

    Running Mandalore might be a problem though less so than for other cultures. Mandalore has a long tradition of being ruled by the strongest and falling in line with their Mand'alor. Ben will have firmly secured his position as Mandalore the Guardian and that will buy him a lot of support, especially if he doesn't disturb the existing lifestyles too much. He'll have to delegate a bunch since he can't run the Mandalore sector whilst also leading his own not so small private military in a galactic war. Fortunately for her master, the Mandalorian Clans have a long tradition of being led by someone who lives on the frontlines of a war.

    This will also give the Sith, the Separatists and all of their other enemies a target to strike. They'll have to protect Mandalore and the rest of the sector, but it should be doable. New Mandalorians aside, the sector has plenty of defenders amongst its populace and the Mandalorians aren't the sort to cower under a foreign invasion. If the Seppies or anyone else invades the Mandalore sector to get at Ben, it should strengthen his support amongst the population not weaken it.

    "Hey, General," calls Major Vora, shaking Vyssa out of her thoughts as the 1st Republic Patriot Legion officer approaches their position as they prepare for the assault on the Sundari Royal Palace, "We've found General Kenobi. He was with a-eh, are the Nite Owls who turn on Bo-Katan renegade or loyalist? Because they are turning on her, but they are also siding with us."

    "It doesn't really matter," replies Ben, "Obi-Wan is with a Nite Owl who defected from Bo-Katan, Oveya?"

    "That's right," confirms Major Vora, "An Ursa Wren who broke him out of his cell a few hours before we began our attack."

    "I know Ursa Wren," says Gar Saxon from alongside Vyssa's master, "I wasn't surprised to hear she sided with Bo-Katan. And I am also not surprised to hear that what Bo-Katan was doing was too much for her to stomach. Bo-Katan is her vod, but even that wouldn't be enough for any true Mando'ad to overlook how she has been mismanaging Mandalore."

    And isn't that the truth. Bo-Katan might have dethroned Duchess Satine, but she was doing a kriffing poor job of running Mandalore in her place. She lacked sufficient personal followers to maintain her grip on the planet so she had to rely upon her army of mercenaries and battle droids. They had been heavy-handed enough in their presence to point that half of the planet was on the verge of rebelling when her master had shown up to liberate the place.

    Duchess Satine might have surrendered peacefully, but Bo-Katan had come dangerously close to undoing that. As things were, the fledgling rebellions had swiftly turned their support to aiding the Mandalorian Guardians as the locals did their best to bring down the criminals who had conquered their world.

    Not that there had been too much fighting. While the defending fleet had fought firmly and to the last, the garrison had far less zeal when it came to their defence. The B1s had fought until scrapped as per their programing, but it felt like half of the mercenaries were surrendering with no fight or a token one rather than face angry Mandalorian warriors. And Vyssa couldn't blame them since the mercenaries were fighting for credits not a cause.

    Unfortunately, the Sundari Royal Palace won't fall so easily. Bo-Katan is holed up in there with half of her Nite Owls plus a bunch of B1s. On top of all there, there are rumours of several IG-line droids inside the palace and a lightsaber-wielding Force user. The last of which can be confirmed by the Dark Side presence that both Vyssa and her master can sense within the palace.

    "Any chance of getting Obi-Wan over here in a timely manner?" inquires Ben, "We have a Dark Sider in there and a third Jedi would be a welcome addition to dealing with that."

    "Both General Kenobi and Ursa Wren are already aboard a Kom'rk," reports Major Vora, "They were going to the Royal Sundari Prison so General Kenobi could see Duchess Satine, but I'll have them redirected to here."

    "Thank you, Oveya," says Ben, "Gar, are your troops ready to storm the palace?"

    "We are waiting on your word, Mand'alor," reports Gar Saxon proudly.

    "Then we are waiting for Obi-Wan's arrival," says her master and Vyssa goes back to her political scheming.

    The best way to defend Mandalore is pre-emptively. If they can get early warnings of any incoming attacks, they can get forces in position to defend against them or launch a spoiling strike. And planetary deflector shields would be good. With the war going on, they are really in demand right so purchasing them will be trickery. The best way to get them would be to steal them from the Separatists. Not only will it strengthen the Mandalore sector and the Republic, but it will hurt the Separatist war effort in the process.

    It doesn't take long for Master Kenobi to arrive, shaking Vyssa from her thoughts on the best way to acquire a BRT supercomputer to help with running Mandalore. The Jedi Master looks a little worn out, but no worse than usual for an extended mission that has been on the rough side of things.

    "General Shan," says Kenobi as he hops out of a hovering Kom'rk, "I hear you are the new Mand'alor."

    "It was the way things worked out," replies Vyssa's master, "Will of the Force and all that."

    "As you said," replies Kenobi, but Vyssa can tell he is sceptical, "Do you have a plan for what you are going to do after this is all over?"

    "Democractic referendum," answers Ben without hesitation, "I will let the people of Mandalore choose their fate."

    "That isn't much of a choice," says Kenobi, "You have to know that they will choose you over Satine after all this."

    "Then that is what the people will choose and I shall respect that," replies her master, "I believe in democracy and I will respect their desires so long as it doesn't involve trampling on the rights of others. If they no longer wish to be pacifists after being invaded and conquered, I shall respect that decision on your part."

    "And you have no involvement in this invasion?" inquires Kenobi sceptically.

    "Only in the sense that he didn't crush Bo-Katan when she refused to bend knee to him as the new Mand'alor," interrupts Gar Saxon sharply, glaring at General Kenobi, "Had he had her and her supporters purged instead of letting them go peacefully, they wouldn't have been around to go on to do this."

    "It is as I told you, Kenobi," adds a female Mandalorian warrior who is marked as Ursa Wren in Vyssa's HUD, "Dooku is the one behind this. He supported Bo-Katan's plan in exchange for drawing Ben Shan out into a trap."

    "Do you have any proof?" inquires Vyssa, perking up at this new bit of information, "It would be very helpful in turning his back on Dooku and the Separatists."

    "I have a helmet recording of the entire conservation between Bo-Katan and Count Dooku," answers Ursa Wren, "I have the original with me and I have sent a copy to my husband on Krownest. All of these mercenaries and Trade Federation surplus? Paid for and donated by the Separatists and Bo-Katan is framing the Hutts on Dooku's orders. As for the trap, Dooku sent a Dark Acolyte and several new lightsaber droids."

    "I'm not surprised," says Kenobi, "Who else could it be, but the Separatists? It isn't the Hutts have any motive to spend their credits on an endeavour like this."

    "Actually, they do hate me that much," says Ben.

    "Ben's right," adds Vyssa, "The reason we all believed that Bo-Katan had support from the Hutts is because the sleemos really would spend this many resources to cause trouble for us."

    "Right, I had forgotten about that," admits Kenobi, "I assume we will be walking into this trap? As usual."

    "Of course," answers Ben.

    ***​

    And here is a Vyssa perspective chapter because I wanted someone thinking about the wider galactic politics and how Mandalore will have to be run once the dust is settled.


    Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
     
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    • Bo-Katan's going to have a stroke when she realizes that rather than make Ben look weak for not purging her faction properly, she's made him look clever to the less enthusiastic Death Watch remnants by using Bo-Katan as the bad guy to bring the New Mandalorians into the fold.
     
    More political thoughts and aftermath. Well Ben will have to explain to his Military backers about this turn of events. That poor Mandalorians senator will.not be having a good time very soon. Huh even more political stuff because of Mandalore does have a Senate seat there by making Ben have a controlling interest in Senate politics.
     
    Great chapter! I wonder if those awesome Mando war-droids will make an appearance as part of Bens armies. They're frequently discussed in SW stories but rarely made use of, between stuff like Crushgaunts and Mandolorian Ripperd Ben has the opportunity to greatly strengthen his forces if he can find the blueprints to any of that stuff.
     
    14.10 (The Mandalorians) - Chapter Eighty-Three
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    • If you had told Gar Saxon how much things would change in just a few days, he wouldn't have believed you. Yet here he is, standing on Mandalore not as a member of Death Watch, but as a Mandalorian Guardian and serving under Mandalore the Guardian, a jetii Mand'alor. No, Mandalore the Guardian is a mando'jetii not a mere jetii. Even if he wasn't the new Mand'alor, Gar has seen enough to respect that claim.

    Gar is an old veteran. He was a child when Jaster Mereel became the Mand'alor, forming the True Mandalorians and introducing the Supercommando Codex. He was barely an adult when he signed up with Death Watch when it was first formed by Tor Vizsla when he declared himself Mand'alor in opposition of Jaster Mereel. He remembers when fighting in the Mandalorian Civil War, when the Mand'alors fighting over the Clans were Tor Vizsla and Jaster Mereel.

    He remembers when Jango Fett took up his father's place as Mand'alor of the True Mandalorians. He remembers how the True Mandalorians were shattered and broken by the trickery of the Death Watch and the arrogance of the Jetiise. He remembers how the Mandalorian Civil War gave way to the Great Clan Wars. He remembers how Tor Vizsla was hunted down by Jango Fett and Pre Vizsla ascended to Mand'alor.

    He remembers how they lost the Great Clan Wars, how the New Mandalorians once again returned to prominence under the Anti-Mand'alor Satine Kryze. He remembers how they were exiled to Concordia for refusing to give up their warrior ways. He remembers how they survived in secret and grew in the shadows until they were strong enough to reclaim Mandalore.

    He remembers what Jaster Mereel, Tor Vizsla, Jango Fett and Pre Vizsla promised and offered the Clans. How each one claimed to be Mand'alor yet only ruled over a portion of the Clans, none of them able to count a majority of their people under their command. How they scurried in the shadows, consorting with crime lords, bounty hunters and smugglers as they made do with second-hand and second-rate equipment outside of a few exceptions.

    Mandalore the Guardian is greater than all of them. He is a mando'jetii and a Republic patriot, but he will also do what his predecessors couldn't. He will be the Mand'alor who reunites the Clans once more and restores the Mandalore sector to prominence and greatness. More flock to his banner than what either the True Mandalorians or Kyr'tsad could ever muster. They will be receiving proper warships and state of the art starfighters. Their beskar'gam will be forged from actual beskar rather than be durasteel substitutes.

    And best of all, there won't be another Mandalorian Excision. Gar knows that some of his fellow Mandalorian warriors still resent the Republic and Jetiise for the destruction of their homeworld and the scattering of their people centuries ago, but Gar is more farsighted than that. Yes, they'll be fighting for the Republic, but that means the Republic won't attempt to exterminate them again. And if the Separatists try, then the Mand'alor will stop them and if the Republic does intervene, it will to aid the Clans not crush them.

    So regardless of how unexpected events have been, Gar Saxon doesn't regret them even as he storms the Sundari Royal Palace alongside three jetiise. Mandalore's future is brighter than it has ever been.

    As one of the more experienced Mandalorian warriors alive, Gar Saxon ignores the assortment of B1 Battle Droids to focus on the surviving Death Watch. Bo-Katan's Death Watch was always weak and pathetic, but it has only dwindled since the liberation of Mandalore began. Now only she has a hundred warriors at most with her in the palace and they shall die here alongside her. The Mand'alor gave them one chance to walk away without violence and they squandered it.

    Or perhaps they didn't when he considers how they took that chance to topple the New Mandalorians and conquer Mandalore. A shame that Bo-Katan was incapable of ruling the place after conquering it. Under her leadership, the planet full of weak-minded pacifistic New Mandalorians was halfway to revolt when the Mandalorian Guardians showed up.

    He opens fire on one of Bo-Katan's warriors, pinning her down with his GALAAR-90 Blaster Rifle as she ducks behind one of the palace's pillars. He switches targets for a moment, striking the jetpack of a flying Kyr'tsad warrior and sending them careening with an out of control jetpack. He repositions with his jetpack, supporting his Mand'alor as Mandalore the Guardian and his fellow jetiise push the offensive.

    He guns down one of the opposing Mandalorian warriors and then it is all over. At least the fighting in the main hallway is over as the B1s have been scrapped while the Death Watch forces have either been downed or pushed back further into the palace.

    Despite the momentary lull in the fighting, the attack doesn't stop there as the Mand'alor charges deeper into the palace. The Mandalorian Guardians and the Republic troopers both follow him with equal fervour for both groups hold Mandalore the Guardian as their leader. Resistance is sporadic as the remaining Death Watch defenders attempt to fight a running defence, but the liberating force just keeps overwhelming each point of resistance.

    Within mere minutes, only the throne room remains, where Bo-Katan and the last of Death Watch will make their final stand. The dar'jetii and the lightsaber droids will also be there if their trap is to be sprung as none of them have made an appearance so far.

    "So we're all aware that this is where the trap is," says the Mand'alor's kih'vod.

    Or is she the ad'ika of the Mand'alor? It isn't a clear cut relationship given the closeness of their ages even if Mandalore the Guardian has made it clear that he is raising to be mando'ad. Or mando'jetii in this case.

    "Oh yes," replies the jetii Kenobi, "I take we're still walking into it."

    "Of course," says the Mand'alor, "It isn't much of a trap. The three of us could take it without the not so small army we have at our backs."

    "I'm starting to see why you and Anakin get along so well," says Kenobi and the Mand'alor just gives him an amused look before marching into the throne room.

    "Bo-Katan! Death Watch!" cries Mandalore the Guardian as he confidently strides into the room, "You have one last chance to surrender! Peacefully lay down your arms and you will be spared."

    Apparently the bold offer of surrender is enough to shock the Death Watch into staying their hands from opening fire. There aren't many of them left, perhaps a couple dozen tops and all of them, including Bo-Katan, look in bad shape. In fact, Bo-Katan looks worse than Gar has ever seen the woman. He remembers when the young girl, full of spite and fire, signed up with Death Watch following the death of her father, joining shortly after Pre Vizsla took up the reigns of Mand'alor from his late father.

    A pale woman in black stands next to where Bo-Katan is seated on the trone and Gar narrows his eyes at the lightsaber attached to her belt. It seems that the dar'jetii is here after all, but if that is the case, where are the lightsaber droids?

    "You really think that the True Mandalorian warriors are going to surrender to you, Jedi?" taunts the dar'jetii.

    "We are the Death Watch not the True Mandalorians!" snaps Bo-Katan, "And you do not get to tell me what to do. None of you do! I am the rightful ruler of Mandalore."

    "You never had the backing needed to rule Mandalore in the first place," says the Mand'alor, "You had to rely on hired thugs and in doing so, you manage to drive the New Mandalorians to being on the verge of taking up arms against you."

    "I am a real Mandalorian!" shouts Bo-Katan as she rises to her feet in anger, "My blood was bred true. You are an outsider. A Jedi outsider at that."

    "And yet I have rallied the Clans to my banner," replies the Mand'alor, "Mandalore is embracing me as a liberator from your tyranny, as short-lived as it was."

    "Not all of the Clans support you," sneers Bo-Katan, "Clan Kryze doesn't recognise you as Mand'alor and you'll find that neither my sister or I will ever follow you, jetii."

    "This irrelevant, Mandalorian," says the dar'jetii, sounding annoyed, "Are you going to kill him or not?"

    "Stay out of this!" snaps Bo-Katan as she rounds on her ally, jabbing an accursing hand out, "You-agh!"

    Apparently that was too much for the dar'jetii as she casually draws her lightsaber, igniting it so the red blade cuts off Bo-Katan's outstretched arm at the elbow. Before Bo-Katan can react, the dar'jetii rams the blade into the gut of Gar's former vod.

    "Kill the droids not other Mandalorians!" orders the Mand'alor as he rushes the dar'jetii.

    Gar was in the midst of living up a shot on one of the Death Watch warriors when Mandalore the Guardian gives his command and he hastens to obey. He looks for the droids in question only to barely avoid being cut in two by one as it drops down from the ceiling, a crimson-red lightsaber in each hand. His blaster rifle isn't so lucky and it is sliced in two by the red blade.

    Gar backs up, scowling beneath his helmet. He has beskar'gam that is made of actual beskar and he isn't afraid of any droid, but he knows better than to try and fight someone with a lightsaber in hand to hand combat. The droid swings and slashes at him, but each time, Gar blocks it with his vambraces, the beskar standing up to each momentary touch of a lightsaber blade.

    Dodging the latest strike, Gar activates his crushgaunts and grabs the wrist of the lightsaber droid and squeezes. Metal squeaks and cracks as the wrist is destroyed by Gar, causing the lightsaber droid to drop one of its lightsabers.

    "That will not save you, Mandalorian," warbles the droid in a deep masculine voice and Gar headbutts it in response as he yanks the arm in his grip out of its socket.

    It doesn't really do much except leave both Gar and his opponent stumbling backwards. Gar prepares for another bout of melee combat only for the lightsaber droid to be shot in the back by blaster fire. It attempts to deflect the blaster bolts with its remaining lightsaber, but there is just too much blaster fire coming from too many directions to keep up.

    Gar refrains from getting involved because you don't get into hand-to-hand combat with an enemy that is being shot to pieces. Instead, the veteran Mandalorian warrior assesses the situation. The dar'jetii is down and the last of the lightsaber droids are being finished off by the combined forces of the Mandalorian Guardians, the Republic troopers and the Death Watch. The Mand'alor himself is tending to Bo-Katan, who is apparently still alive.

    After all, a single dar'jetii can't stand up to two mando'jetiise and a regular jetii and a few fancy battle droids won't last long against dozens of Mandalorian warriors. This trap was never going to succeed though Gar can see why Dooku thought it might. He just didn't count on Bo-Katan being so incapable compare to the Mand'alor. The same way that he didn't count on Ben Shan becoming Mandalore the Guardian when the dar'jetii hired Death Watch to kill him.

    But honestly? Gar Saxon can't find it in himself to care as the situation begins to fully sink in for him. He is on Mandalore, a Mandalore that he just liberated and is ruled by the Mand'alor. A Mand'alor who has united the Clans and toppled the New Mandalorians. A Mand'alor who is going to restore the Mando'ade to greatness and glory.

    By the Manda, this is everything that Gar had ever dreamt of or fought for.

    ***​

    The Mandalorian arc is finally coming to an end. The next update will basically be covering the immediate aftermath of this arc, which has taken far longer than I originally expected by the way. After that, I'm probably going to do a bunch of interludes to check up on some other plot lines I've got going before moving onto the next main arc.

    Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
     
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    • Hehe nice ending to the Mandalorians arc while also keeping things interesting with the mindsets of different people and factions. Thanks for the update.
     
    Great chapter, Im still hoping Ben finds some Basilisk droids so he can reproduce them for his forces. I wonder how competent the Dark Acolyte was, was she fodder or was she talented like Darth Maul or Ventress
     
    She was probably not as talented as Maul or Ventress. The reason why is Paply doesn't want dooku to have any strong pupils to content control away from Paply' plans. It one reason why Tann, Ventress were killed they were getting too powerful for Paply to control. Paply doesn't want any contenders to help dooku with fighting Anakin Skywalker or possible kill Skywalker.
     
    14.11 (The Mandalorians) - Chapter Eighty-Four
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    • "You became the Mand'alor and you conquered Mandalore!" exclaims Nelaria Telis, Jedi Knight and the General of the 2nd Republic Patriot Legion and the 333rd Sky Legion, feels a headache as she receives the latest report from Ben.

    For all his flaws, Nelaria does find herself liking her fellow Jedi Knight and long-time partner. The only problem is Ben Shan is…unconventional to say the least. As for what he has been up to in the Mandalore sector over the last few days, she isn't sure if it is perfectly in line with his past behaviour or an escalation of it.

    There is no emotion, there is peace.

    "I liberated Mandalore," replies Ben defensively, "I only went there because Death Watch conquered the place."

    "You just told me that you took over Death Watch," Nelaria points out accusingly.

    "I took over most of Death Watch and turned them into Mandalorian Guardians," says Ben, "Those who didn't join me decided to keep calling themselves Death Watch and went on to conquer Mandalore with support from Count Dooku."

    "Is that the truth or just the official story?" demands Nelaria.

    "The truth, Aria," answers Ben without hesitation and so Nelaria accepts his answer, "The official story is that old Death Watch died out in the Great Clan Wars and this new Death Watch is just a bunch of hooligans who wanted a return to the warrior ways of the past. That's what Duchess Satine and her New Mandalorian government had been claiming. Only these hooligans who turned out to be terrorists who invaded and conquered Mandalore with covert aid from Count Dooku."

    Of course, he has a perfectly reasonable explanation that will hold up in the Senate. Despite the act he portrays as a military-minded brute of an idealist who can't play politics, Ben can very much play politics. He just pretends to be bad at it so he can get away with not playing the game.

    Nelaria doesn't know if Ben knowing better and choosing to do it anyway is preferable to him doing it because he doesn't know better. Given he is now effectively the ruler of an entire sector, she supposes that it is preferable since it means Ben won't inadvertently cause trouble for the people of the Mandalore sector simply because he doesn't know what he is doing.

    No, he'll cause trouble for them on purpose. And given the temperament of the Mandalorians, they'll probably praise him for it.

    Wait, a moment, Mandalore is supposed to be under the rule of Duchess Satine and the New Mandalorians. How is Ben going to spin that?

    "Which brings me to my next point," says Nelaria in a stern voice, "You are aware that Duchess Satine and the New Mandalorians are the rightfully rulers of Mandalore?"

    "Duchess Satine surrendered to Death Watch peacefully and without a fight," answers Ben and Nelaria refrains from scowling like she wants to, merely taking on a look of displeasure, "In any case, I'll be holding a referendum on Mandalore's future. I will be giving them a range of options though I do acknowledge that the primary choices will be between myself and Satine."

    There is no emotion, there is peace.

    "You have become a Jedi Lord, you know that right?" says Nelaria, hoping that Ben isn't really that ignorant, "That's what you are now in practice even if you officially deny the title."

    "I did what was necessary," Ben justifies himself, "I didn't have much of a choice and I didn't choose for Death Watch to outright invade and conquer Mandalore. It isn't like I can just hand off the title to someone else. The Clans would fall apart and the Mandalore sector would be ravaged by yet another civil war. Countless innocents die and even more would suffer. I can't make them suffer like that. That is not the Jedi way."

    The most absolutely annoying thing about Ben is his tendency to be right, even when he is defying the High Council and the Jedi Code. Especially when he is defying the High Council and the Jedi Code. Nelaria herself can't think of a good way for Ben to give up the title of Mand'alor or an alternative that is better than Ben's current path.

    "How are you going to explain this to the High Council?" Nelaria asks instead, changing the subject rather than admit that Ben has a point once again.

    "They already know?" says Ben with a shrug.

    "How?" demands Nelaria, "Did you call them before contacting me?"

    That would be highly out of character and to her shame, Nelaria feels disgruntled at the idea. She knows it should be acceptable or even desirable for Ben to contact the High Council and report back to them, but the Jedi Knight has grown used to Ben coming to her first. Telling her what happened and then letting her come up with what gets told to the High Council. There shouldn't be anything wrong with Ben cutting her out of the loop and yet…

    "Master Kenobi was visiting when Death Watch was invaded and he fought alongside me during the liberation," explains Ben, "He is on the High Council so technically the High Council knows. I'm not particularly worried. They can't remove me as Mand'alor and the worst they can do is expel me. Something I haven't feared since the start of the war."

    "Because they won't expel the great Republic war hero?" inquires Nelaria sardonically.

    "Because I am a Jedi and I know my path, even if it means parting ways with the Order," corrects Ben serenely and Nelaria wants to yell at him.

    He can't be serene about talking about abandoning the Jedi Order. The Order is their life and the idea of just walking away from it…it should be unthinkable. And Ben just casually talks about it as if it meant nothing and perhaps worst of all is that it really doesn't mean much to Ben.

    No, that isn't true. The worst part is that Nelaria finds agreeing with Ben at times against her will, reluctantly finding herself acknowledging he has a point and doubting the wisdom of the High Council. She tries to ignore such things, but ever since the war started, things have been bad and growing steadily worse.

    She has always trusted in the wisdom of the High Council, trusted that the greatest masters in the Jedi Order knew better than her. She would follow the Jedi Code and be a good Jedi who is serene and knowledgeable and doesn't let her emotions show or get in the way.

    And she did it too. That was why she was partnered with Ben, so she could even out his unorthodox ways and keep him from falling to the Dark Side as a result of him being so unconventional. Especially since her Battle Meditation made her too useful for him to ignore and her diplomatic manner made her an excellent counterpart to his warlike demeanour.

    It worked. Ben stayed on the path of the Light and he truly did good work with his private paramilitary. Countless slaves were freed and many more innocents were saved as a result of all the pirates, slavers and other criminals that they stopped. Yes, Ben didn't get better, but he didn't get worse and Nelaria considers that a victory.

    No, it is the actions of the High Council that are driving Nelaria to doubt herself. What does it say that Ben becoming the new Mand'alor and rallying the Mandalorian Clans to side as an effective Jedi Lord doesn't trouble her nearly as much as the High Council's blind acceptance of the clone army or dogged obedience to the commands of the Chancellor and the Senate.

    She might not have Ben's deep dislike and distrust of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and certainly doesn't agree with his borderline paranoia towards the man, but even Nelaria can see how the man can be…improper by Jedi standards. His more disagreeable actions go beyond even beyond what is required for galactic politics. She would keep him at an arm's length and take his information and missions with a touch of scepticism, but the High Council just does whatever he wants.

    "So how is Mon Cala faring?" inquires Ben and Nelaria realises that she went too long with speaking.

    "Things have been going well in the sector," answers Nelaria, pushing all of her internal doubts and discontent to one side, "I am increasingly looking at targets of opportunity in the neighbouring sectors. I will be limiting myself as I can't help, but feel this is the calm before the storm."

    "Trust your instincts," says Ben, "I wouldn't be surprised if the Separatists had a go at Mon Cala. They already showed themselves willing to strike at my allies when they devastated Bothawui. Between its shipyards and isolated position in the Outer Rim, I'm more surprised that Mon Cala hasn't been attacked already than the idea of a future attack happening."

    "You have kept my forces stationed here," points out Nelaria, "Mon Cala is far from an easy target."

    "Then that just means they'll attack in force," says Ben grimly, "Be careful when pushing the neighbouring sectors. Your position is awfully close to Raxus Prime and I don't see anything good coming from spooking the Separatist Parliament bringing the war too close to home for them."

    "I can do politics, Ben," says Nelaria as she gives him a pointed look,

    "Yes, I know, I just worry," says Ben as he begins to look something up, "Hang on, Iego is close to your position, isn't it."

    "Yes, I believe that is a system in the Ash Worlds," answers Nelaria as she racks her memories, having reviewed the information on the surrounding sectors many times recently, "Uncharted, but it appeared a few times in intercepted CIS data."

    "Make that a priority, Aria," orders Ben in a firm, commanding voice that makes Nelaria-no, there is no emotion, there is peace, "I can't say what off the top of my head, but something there feels…significant."

    "Trust your instincts," Nelaria repeats Ben's words back to him, "I'll look into sending a scouting force once we are done here."

    "Thank you," replies Ben, "I'll be staying here on Mandalore for a bit. I need to sort out the referendum and even if Mandalore does decide to keep Duchess Satine and their neutrality, I still need to organise the rest of the sector. Leaving this many Mandalorians without instruction is a very bad idea. I've got them following my lead for now, but I want something in place for when the honeymoon period wears off."

    Uh! Why is he bringing up honeymoons of all things? Sithspit, stay focused. There is no emotion, there is peace.

    "Just don't spend too long on Mandalore," says Nelaria as she makes sure to stay focused on the matter and not anything else, "We still have a war to fight and you are one of the best generals that the Republic has."

    "I'm fairly average as far as tacticians and strategists go," replies Ben and Nelaria fixes with him with a look.

    "Your records speaks otherwise," Nelaria points out.

    "I'm good at delegating and trusting in the Force," answers Ben and Nelaria shakes her head at him.

    She can't tell if Ben is just being excessively humble or if he genuinely believes that he isn't one of the greatest military minds alive. Honestly, the man is borderline perfect. He is noble and heroic and always willing to do what's right, no matter the cost to himself. He manages to stay in the Light despite bordering on the edge of heresy and often rejecting the wisdom of the High Council.

    There are far worse individuals for the galaxy to depend upon and few who are better.

    ***​

    And now we finally reach the end of the Mandalorian arc, which was something of a relief for me because I've spent close to half of NaNoWriMo writing it. Hopefully the next arcs will go a bit quicker. Sorry about how long it took to post this update. I spent the last week down with a bad cold.

    Anyway, this is just wrapping up what's going on with Mandalore as I move onto the next arc and hinting at what is to come in the future.

    Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Poor poor nelaria driven up the wall by her husband to be. Yeah I said it this latest chapter proves she is interested in him. Blast the GR Jedi code for not allowing these two to get married.

    Any way we see the mentality of Nelaria start to break because of the Jedi council and be but in a good way. Well Mon cal system and probably some surrounding systems will be safe for a while.
     
    Thanks for the chapter! I hope to see Ben's soldiers gaining arm mounted flamethrowers and grappling hooks for additional BA factor.
     
    easy test to give all jedis
    if the council tells you to do something or be kicked out of the order and the Force tells you not to do it, what would you do?
     
    Interlude - Yavin Academy
  • Threadmarks
    • "Life on Yavin IV is very different compared to what life on Ryloth is like," says Boc as Cara listens in to the first of Master Ikrit's students despite one of the youngest of their group, "Not only are the moist and wet jungles of Yavin a significant change to the arid deserts and mesas that I grew up around on my homeworld. I do prefer it here. I miss seeing my family, but I still get to contact them and I am fulfilling my dream of being a Jedi."

    Cara can understand the sentiment. She misses her family and old life, but unlike Boc, she doesn't have a home to return to. The slavers that took her also took the rest of her family at the same time. Even if the buildings of her homestead remain, Cara would be the only one there.

    She feels a surge of anger at the thought, but Cara pushes it down before it can rise too far. The anger is normal, especially given her circumstances, but the Jedi-in-training can't afford to let it get the better of her. Allowing her anger to control her and dictate her actions is the path to the Dark Side.

    She might be able to save her family as a Jedi, but she can't do that if she falls to the Dark Side. Not just because Master Ikrit won't teach her anymore, but she'll be too busy trying to get power to save her family from the slavers. She remembers the story of Yuthura Ban and has taken it to heart, especially since Cara's own situation is similar to that of the ancient Jedi Master.

    The former slave escaped from her captors, she joined the Jedi Order. She never rose beyond the rank of padawan as she struggled with the Jedi ways, believing that the Order was holding her back from stopping the slavers of the galaxy. Yuthura Ban believed her anger and hatred to be justified and so she embraced them, falling to the Dark Side and leaving the Jedi Order to join the Sith.

    From there, she fell further to the Dark Side as she became cruel and heartless as she sought more power so she could be strong enough to defeat the slavers. In the end, she was going to sacrifice her compassion to gain more power until a Jedi friend of hers asked her why she would still care about the slaves if she gave up her compassion.

    Ultimately, Yuthura Ban tries to kill the Jedi for reminding her of who she used to be. The Jedi won their fight and spared her before offering Yuthura Ban a chance at redemption. He helped her realise that she hadn't righted any of the wrongs she raged against, that she had forsaken the things she cared about in the name of getting more power.

    Cara isn't going to end up like that. She is going to stay in the Light and be like Master Rahm and Master Shan. She is going to be a Jedi who goes around freeing slaves just like how she was saved.

    "I have never been to Ryloth," says one of the other Twi'leks in their class, "I don't think anyone in my family has."

    "Perhaps you can be the first?" suggests Cara.

    "Yeah!" agrees Boc, "My parents have been telling me that things are a lot safer these days. The militia has proper training and equipment. It even has warships and starfighters too. Master Shan paid for Ryloth to receive some Hammerhead cruisers so any pirates are going to have a real bad time if they attack."

    And that is another reason why Cara wants to be like Master Shan. He goes around helping people and if the other Jedi don't like that, then they can go and stuff it. It rankles on Cara that the Jedi Order wouldn't allow their training group to exist, but she understands why things are the way they are.

    "I wonder if we'll get any warships to protect us," says Mikks, the Rodian always being a downer.

    "As Master Ikrit likes to tell us, secrecy is our primary defence," says Boc, "But we do have some other stuff. That big machine at the top of the temple is a shield generator, rated to withstand orbital bombardments! And you might not have noticed, but there are a bunch of automated defence turrets about, both here in the temple and about the perimeter!"

    "There is also an assortment of deactivated battle droids ready for use," says Master Ikrit as their teacher strides into the room, "I am assured that they are all high quality ones unlike the ones that are used by the Confederacy. We may not have warships over our heads, but we do have plenty of protection beyond mere secrecy. Even if secrecy is our primary defence.

    "Master Ikrit, what is today's lesson?" asks one Cara' fellow Jedi trainees eagerly.

    After all, Master Ikrit being here means they are going to get a Jedi lesson today. While their main teacher is Master Ikrit, the Jedi Master is far from their only teacher. The temple has two members of staff beyond Master Ikrit while they have their primary duties, the small and isolated nature of the temple means that they take on other roles.

    Corporal Ulana is responsible for logistics by ensuring that they don't run out of supplies, but she also cooks most of their meals and gives classes on practical skills such as cooking or handling finances. Trooper Hakon as the engineer responsible for keeping all of the machines in the temple running and on top of that, he teaches Cara and the others how to do his job in addition to running the starfighter sims.

    The other lessons they are expected to learn like galactic history and galactic languages are taught by droid teachers. Personally, Cara likes her lessons. Some of the others might complain about having to learn mundane and boring stuff, but for Cara, it is an opportunity she has never had before.

    Life wasn't bad on her family's homestead, but Cara never had a life beyond it. There weren't any schools for her to learn at and what she was taught came from her family. Being able to learn like a Coreworlder kid, it isn't worth what happened to her, but Cara is going to make the most of it.

    She is going to be a Jedi and even better, she is going to be a well-educated Jedi.


    ***​

    Okay, this Interlude was originally meant to be the start of a new arc showing the secret Jedi academy that Ben and Ikrit have set up on Yavin 4, but I couldn't make it flow. Coming up with compelling characters and a plotline just wasn't working out for me at the time and what I did write turned out to be too exposition in my tastes.

    So I decided to cut this arc and turn what I had written so far into an interlude.

    Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • It works a nice prelude IMO.

    Shows how everyone is doing and gives an introduction to the jedi temple and it's goings on.
     
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