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Princess of Mandalore (Youjo Senki/Star Wars)

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Chapter 58, 717 FNM (21 BBY) Month 6
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    • Chapter 58
    717 FNM (21 BBY) Month 6



    Punworcca-class interstellar sloop, Dathomir System
    Count Dooku

    Meditation, a luxury that I rarely have the time for due to how frequently other tasks in the last decade needed my guiding hand. So much preparation, so many factions, needed to be integrated for this war to coalesce smoothly. Even now, I rarely have moments to center myself in meditation unless I schedule it in advance.

    One of those thoughts was not a questioning of the Grand Plan, per se, merely some of the less scientific components of that plan. Those not backed by evidence or justification, like the Rule of Two. While it is a serviceable method to hide from the Jedi Sentinels for millennia, my dream was to build a new, reformed Jedi Order. One whose goals were grounded in material reality and scientific knowledge, not fearfully hidebound and stuck in the Core. For that, I would need more recruits than just an apprentice.

    Facing the truth that the Jedi Order was doomed while stuck to corrupt democratic forces, only acting at the beck and call of the Senate, had been one of the harshest lessons I ever had to learn. However, I was never one to shy away from Dark truths. Persuading any of the factions in the Jedi Order to join that mindset seemed unlikely, especially back at the time I joined the Grand Plan. And time had shown me that there were other options on the table.

    What other options? I had shared my knowledge, unlike the fearful Jedi. A small group of acolytes were gathered, those who thought as I did. We had a shared greater purpose, a desire for a better Jedi Order out in the Outer Rim, one not afraid of the Dark Side of the Force and willing to delve and discover the truly unknown.

    Most of them were scattered across many fronts, doing everything they could to fight the Republic, and I was losing them. Sidious had ensured this. Battle by battle, they were placed in impossible binds, where proving their loyalty meant their destruction. I was dissatisfied with the betrayals I was meting out. That too was part of the plan that Darth Sidious had laid out to wipe out the Jedi.

    But now my frustration with my role in the Grand Plan transformed into outright concern about Sidious's inflexibility. There were often many paths to new knowledge, to new advancements. There were many Jedi that could be turned, many that could be of use to a new Order. Factions in the Jedi Order were more splintered than ever before, thanks to the war. And for the most part, besides Sidious's ever-growing interest in Anakin Skywalker, a young man who reminded me of myself, Sidious had emphasized that I should not try to bring these potential Jedi to our side. Despite the obvious proof that when we convince Obi-Wan Kenobi to switch sides, that his former Padawan Skywalker would join our cause as well.

    So I had come to a realization: I should not be so trusting in Sidious's plan. Sidious and I shared a great many mutual interests and had the same goal, but I need not walk down the path Sidious has laid before me. I needed to adapt; do more to grow my Order of Force wielders. After all, if I had numerous Force wielders at my command, we could confront Sidious on equal terms and prevent some of his more predictable disasters. And with an Order of Force wielders on my side, it would greatly simplify matters with the Separatist Council.

    Presently, I let them play at being the leaders of the war, doing what they please with the forces they have. Of course, I retained control of both the Separatist Droid Army and the CIS Navy, the latter I was going to allow Grievous to use in his planned offensive near the end of the year.

    I did not have complete control of every individual system's army because of the Separatist Council. If I was able to streamline command and control, I would have more than enough forces to drown the Core in droids and make my demands known. It's something I don't think Sidious really considered when he crafted this plan together. His plan, after all, depended on the greediness of the corporate lords, who made up the Separatist Council, to hamstring the military efforts of the Separatist Army from actually accomplishing anything.

    If I were to put those corrupt corporate lords in their proper place, and utilize the full resources available, I could win. If I wasn't hamstrung at every turn, I could unleash a force powerful enough to remake the galaxy

    Then again, I was apprehensive about abandoning the plan completely for a simple reason in particular. In order to abandon the current plan, I would need to embrace my role in the CIS. I was the architect of the CIS and in order for victory, my leadership, and skills would be needed to succeed. The evidence was right in front of me, I already knew it. I saw the path for me more clearly than Sidious could guide me from his distant vantage; I needed to accept that Dark truth as well. I alone know my path best because it is the path that I chose.

    "Master, we're almost to Dathomir." I opened my eyes and looked out the window, seeing the aforementioned planet closing the distance.

    "Good." I said with an amused smile as I sat up, turning to Ventress. "This is your first time back to your homeworld in a decade or two, is it not?"

    Ventress nodded, more focused on the console. This behavior is not surprising. She had been sold as a slave from her homeworld at a very young age, and so never formed any strong attachments to it. There were no restrictions in place preventing her from visiting any time in the past, yet it just couldn't compare to the rest of the galaxy. But for now, I needed Force-sensitive recruits and my options were limited. So, we went to the few places where I could still gather a modest number of recruits.

    Under normal circumstances, my identity as a foreign Darksider would cause enough distrust, enough that I could safely assume such a mission would fail. However, with Ventress accompanying me, there is an opportunity for success, a rare opportunity, where there usually was no chance of success. Having a Dathomiri with me would ensure a safe arrival, even if they don't approve of my presence. Ventress would also be able to secure my safe departure as well. Everything in between that point will be up to diplomatic talks with Mother Talzin, the leader of the Witches of Dathomir, the largest Dathomiri cult.

    Ventress spoke, but didn't turn away from the console. "Are you sure this is safe, Master? The people of Dathomir do not tolerate outsiders."

    I nodded. "True, however, they might be interested in what I have to offer, at the very least."

    She shrugged and focused on flying the ship. I watched the planet come closer until we broke the atmosphere. Finding the location of the Nightsisters was not difficult. As we entered, a voice came in over the communicator on the navigation frequency, "Incoming craft, state your business-" The comm cut off and crackled with static for a moment. "-What? Very well. Follow these coordinates. Mother Talzin is expecting your arrival."

    Most likely, Mother Talzin had sensed my arrival. It was to be expected. These witches were strong in the Force, even if they don't like to classify their particular skill in it as the Force. They would sense that I was here — I wasn't hiding my presence. This far away from the Core, it was very unlikely for Sidious to sense where I was and what I was doing.

    The ship landed in front of a cave, with trees hanging everywhere and pods, filled with the bodies of Nightsisters long dead, from what I understood of their history.

    Standing by the cave entrance were about a dozen Nightsisters, armed with energy bows, metal swords and spears. A curious combination of very primitive and somewhat advanced weaponry at the same time. In the center was a woman in regalia that could only be Mother Talzin. She was observing the sleek Punworcca sloop with interest, I noted, as I stood up from where I was sitting.

    Walking over to the ramp, I spoke to Ventress, "You shall lead the way. I believe they will take kindly to your arrival more than I would."

    Ventress nodded as the doors lowered, and she stepped down the ramp. I followed behind her, my hands clasped behind my back as I observed the proceedings.

    Mother Talzin smiled as she saw the young Nightsister walking down the ramp. Then the smile slowly decayed as she noticed me. By the time I approached, it had fully transformed into a frown.

    "Welcome back, sister. It was a shame you had to be given to that slaver, but I knew you would return some day stronger for it, if your mother were still around she would be proud." She said, her voice carried a strange echo that told of her long use of Dark Magicks, as they called it. I know Sidious had said they used the Dark Side, yet was dismissive about the specifics of their craft. He always said there were many paths to every end, as there are many ways of using the Force.

    Perhaps the Witches found an alternative way to use the Dark Side that differs from how the Sith uses the Dark Side. Order and control took many forms. I sometimes speculated about finding order in the galaxy; did it require both the use of Light and Dark? So perhaps my dual abilities could be of use to my Order, perhaps not. I had much to consider.

    "Mother Talzin, it's an honor to meet you, my name is Asajj Ventress." Ventress said, bowing her head before moving her hand to indicate to me. "This is my master, Count Dooku."

    Mother Talzin raised an eyebrow before saying, "Oh? Are you sure it's not Darth Tyranus?"

    "And how have you come upon that name, Mother Talzin?" I asked, keeping my tone mild, only showing my curiosity. I ratcheted up my threat assessment of this leader — the only person who should know that is Sidious. Was she one of his agents? Or did she come by the name through some other means?

    I did not have to wonder for long, as she explained. "You learn many things by simply listening to what is out there. What you call The Force screams names in anger and sorrow. Yours, in particular, is quite sorrowful."

    I nodded in understanding. This answer didn't rule out her being an agent of Sidious or other confirming sources. But it did demonstrate that she had listened to the Force. Listened at the same level that Darth Sidious was able to, and had been able to grasp the name.

    The name the Force had given me was fitting, for it was what I was going to do. It was, after all, how these names came about. The Force foresaw what I was going to do as a tyranny. Thus, while a member of the Sith, I must take the name and make it my own. So, I became Darth Tyranus. I did not wholly embrace the name though, as I'm fighting tyranny, but it was interesting to learn the context of that name. Sorrow... I wonder why that was.

    Whatever it meant, I could investigate it in time, there was no urgency there. Ventress and one of the other Nightsisters seemed to be having a silent conversation, or possibly, telepathy. So I cleared my throat for attention and said, "Well then, it appears that we do not need any more introductions. Is there a place where we can speak unheard by those who would wish to hear us?"

    Mother Talzin smiled before waving for us to follow her. "I can provide such a place, yes."

    In a quiet procession, we moved deep into the cave. It contained a rather well-lit community built underground, inside of it. Farther in, there was an underground river and the bridges seemed almost cut out of the natural rock. Every visible dwelling was crafted seemingly of natural rock and illuminated with an otherworldly green light. Strange green bonfires out in the open were clearly being used for heat and cooking as well. The eyes of the Nightsisters watched us as we moved. Before long, we arrived at a solid wall. She waved her hand, and I felt the wall shift in the Force, while visibly it shifted, dissipated like a mist. She stepped inside after that display settled, beckoning us to follow.

    Once inside, she waved her hand again, and the wall came to be once more. I was able to get a good look around the room. It was a study of sorts, with a kettle in a corner brewing something over an open fire. She waved her hand, and several chairs and a table moved to the center of the room. She said, "Take a seat. I have a feeling I know why you're here."

    "Do you now?" I said, moving to take a seat. "What reason do you think I'm here?"

    "Allies and subordinates, ones you can trust, ones that you know will serve you to the best of their capabilities, ones that your master has no control over.

    You wish to recruit amongst my people. Searching for force-wielders that can be harnessed into weapons for your own use. Not much different than the imperious Jedi scum, walking in here and trying to steal my people. It has happened before, and it wasn't in my people's favor that time. But the Witches of Dathomir have a long history of allowing its members to journey outside and learn new magic and abilities from other Orders.

    Two different stories chart my people's history. In one tale, we were long-lost Jedi that were stranded here for generations, developing our own culture. The other tale is even more extraordinary, and tells us that we were stranded refugees of an incredibly advanced galactic-spanning civilization, displaced in time and space. Both stories are shrouded in mystery, but they do speak of one thing, of the importance of knowledge and understanding. Allowing our people to learn what is needed to learn, to not be held back by what one side of the Force tells the other, is necessary for a true understanding of the universe. After all, they are merely two facets of the same whole."

    She smiled and sipped her drink. "For example, I've heard that even though you have joined the Dark side, you still maintain your ability to use the Light to perform Force healing."

    I nodded my head in confirmation. The trick to healing with Light was self-evident. In addition to the knowledge required to heal the injury, the Light required a true desire for the patient to become whole and grow into something greater in the future.

    She tilted her head and her smile widened eagerly at the admission. "The Jedi guard that particular secret of theirs too zealously, if you asked me. I would like to learn more about these techniques. To be able to feel and sense people through the Force. Our own methods are different, requiring a sacrifice of energy.

    If you're willing to let some of my people learn from you and allow them to return to teach us their techniques, for as long as that continues, I would be willing to allow you to recruit from our planet as much as you want. As long as the knowledge is shared, you may visit whenever you want and find people to serve in your Order."

    I stroked my beard as I considered the offer. It cost me little to empower such isolationist allies and if they decide to rebel, I have more than enough fleets and droids to crush them. In return, I would have a steady supply of Force Sensitives for my Order. "I would be more than willing to go along with such arrangements. I am recruiting to build an institution that truly respects and teaches all the ways of the Force, including both Light and Dark. It's purely rational, it's the only approach to such matters that can succeed. We need numerous Force sensitives to join our cause to succeed. In addition, I could also offer you resources from the CIS if you are interested in that."

    "I'm afraid material aid from the CIS would violate our neutrality, at least the neutrality of my Order. I'd prefer you not export your war to our peaceful haven here, and I don't need your doubts to cause me issues in the future."

    "My doubts?" I asked.

    "Doubts about the future, doubts about your Grand Plan." She replied.

    I furrowed my brow. "What do you know about the Grand Plan?"

    She chuckled as she took the teapot off the open fire. Several cups flew from a nearby counter to arrange themselves in front of Ventress, myself, and an open seat for herself. "More than most, but not as much as you, I'm sure. Many years ago, your Master promised the seat you now hold to me. Quite the charmer he was, still is, I hear. Instead of continuing our potential relationship, he decided that my Magicks were inferior to that of the Sith and that I could not learn what was necessary. However, someone he found on Dathomir was more interesting than myself. Your Master, Darth Sidious, left without giving me what I was owed, but not before taking something precious from me."

    "I had not known this information before." I said with interest, curious about what the Sith had been up to when I had been a Jedi.

    "Ah yes, you're a recent addition to the Dark Side of the Force. Some of us do have connections between other Orders. The Sith are known to rarely share their teachings and power." She held a grim expression and paused for a moment to let that sink in. "I assume the reason you're here is you're starting to suspect that, Lord Tyranus. You are starting to suspect that whatever the Grand Plan will be, may not end in your favor and your goals. And most importantly of all, you're starting to wonder why you should share power with a man who ordered the death of someone important to you."

    I neither confirmed nor denied that statement, but narrowed my eyes in suspicion. Years of politics have necessitated denying any hint of information that could be used against me. I had not anticipated this exact conversation, but it still seemed possible to steer it in a constructive direction. "And since you seem to have anticipated me so well, what exactly do you think I want?"

    Mother Talzin smiled and paused to drink from her cup. "Allies, subordinates, perhaps a new Order. One that is not quite Sith and not quite Jedi. A bold move to play so far into the game, but the pieces are moving so effectively. I do not think, even if you could pull it off, it would be functional."

    I kept my face impassive at the supposed jab at my capabilities. I was about to ask if this meant she was going to offer me nothing, but she smiled dangerously. "Sidious has caused me as much harm as he has caused you, and I would not mind supporting you in secret. I admit I want revenge; to hurt him as much as I can because he has hurt me. But I'm also the ruler of my people, and I must put their safety first over my own machinations. The Witches of Dathomir can support you in many ways, but we will not do so openly. I will not let your former Master find an excuse to bring ruin to my people. You can take who you want from here, but they will not be allowed back until this conflict is over. Preferably after your Master's death and the formation of this new Order you're establishing."

    I nodded my head. I understand what she meant, their boundaries were quite clear.. "Is there anything else that you are willing to offer in exchange?"

    She sipped her drink, clearly stalling. "Besides what I've already mentioned, allowing you to search among the population for potential recruits, I know you are searching for allies and I can provide you with an assassin. They can be used quite effectively against Republican hard targets, targets you want destroyed. Although, their training leaves them lacking when it comes to soft targets. Do not ask them to go running off and capture someone alive alone, they will need guidance otherwise. But whoever you send them after will be dead, that I can say with some assurance."

    I already had several individuals capable of assassinations, including Ventress, who was an elite assassin. However, I spoke politely next, in case this was some cultural custom. "I already have a useful assassin. Why should I take on one more who will not be as skilled or trained in the subtleties as they are?"

    Mother Talzin laughed. "Because your best assassin, young Ventress, will not be able to stay in your service for much longer. Sidious is closely watching over your inner circle. If he feels that your apprentice is growing too strong and could be used by you to strike out against him, he will order you to kill her. There's only room for two in the Rule of Two, and I can feel young Ventress is rapidly becoming a third. Which means you will either have to decide to kill your assassin or kill Sidious."

    I nodded my head. That was what I already suspected would happen eventually, but to hear someone confirm my suspicion merely strengthened my resolve.

    "If Ventress is growing to such a degree that she's becoming a threat, why has he not also asked me to do the same to every single acolyte I have gathered to my cause?" I asked.

    She chuckled before saying, "If he knows of them he likely would, I do not know of every acolyte under your command. But if I were you, I would start looking for ways to make them appear less capable than they are."

    I nodded in understanding. What was being discussed here, was that I needed to keep my acolytes secret in case Sidious tried to remove them.

    Severance's failures had given me an excellent opportunity to remove her from her position as my lead acolyte and a possible leader of the CIS Grand Army to a lesser role as a field commander of some note. For all intents and purposes, I had resigned her to a lesser role and given her an acolyte of her own to train as she wished.

    This would prevent Sidious from looking at her too closely. After all, she wasn't really a Sith. She was merely a general with Force abilities, fighting for the CIS. She only has a bare minimum of training in utilizing the Force, equivalent to a Jedi youngling. Her acolyte, Tan'Nya, the modified clone, was like another warrior, not under my personal training and not trained enough in the intricacies of the Dark Side to even qualify as a Sith apprentice — yet.

    Of course, Grievous had no Force ability, though some had tried to give it to him. Thus, he would be ignored and, in a way, protect Severance as he took the position of high command.

    As for Sora Bulq and his group of Jedi who also abandoned the Order, those assets were not as risky to deploy. They tended to operate in the South, far away from me, and could appear to be an independent Order of Dark Jedi, which Sidious would make note of yet generally ignore.

    The only other two possible apprentices that were in danger were Ventress and Tanya. I needed to figure out a way to hide Ventress when Sidious demands her death. As for Tanya Kryze, I still hoped to sway her to our side, though I did not see the path to do so yet.

    "Let's say that your thoughts are true, that Sidious does plan to remove my assassin from me. How would we go about preventing that, Mother Talzin?" I asked.

    She smiled and said, "By putting your trust in your apprentice. When Sidious demands her death, you shall resist, at least at first. However, should Sidious pressure you, then you shall order the death of your apprentice. Prior to that, we shall make a record of droids slaying a woman who resembles Ventress, easy enough for me to accomplish, I assure you. You shall inform me and present this recording to Sidious while Ventress conceals herself from the Dark Side and escapes here, to my fortress. I shall perform a ritual that will echo out across the galaxy, resembling the death of a powerful force user. The best weapons are ones that are not known, and if she escapes and stays hidden here, she can not only be a weapon to stab Sidious in the back when he least expects it, but a weapon that can learn things that the Sith and the Jedi cannot teach her."

    I nodded my head as this was a rather simple plan but one that could work. I was concerned about the quality of the deception that the Nightsisters could create, they did not seem to be the most technologically adept but would likely be able to accomplish the elements of the plan that requires sorcery or with a body double. Moreover, a great deal of this plan was in the firm control of Talzin. Her treachery would be disastrous should I commit to this gambit. But, perhaps I have grown a little too caring of my apprentice — assassin. I turned to her and asked, "Well, Ventress, what do you think of this plan?"

    She looked at me before saying, "I believe we are powerful and numerous enough to challenge Sidious master. How could Sidious stand against us and our dozens of dark acolytes? I would prefer a more direct plan, one that allows us to cast down that cowardly fool... However, if this gets us closer to accomplishing your goal, I would be willing to risk it, Master. If we are going to embark on this path — I would like to officially be your apprentice if we are going to break with your Master. Now is the time, if we are ever going to break free of the Rule of Two, so I can be trained to my fullest."

    "Do not allow your ignorance of his strengths to become arrogance, Ventress. I shall be the sole arbiter of our ability to defeat him, is that understood?" There was a pause before Ventress bowed her head in subordination. I sighed before I said, "There is merit to your thoughts, and I shall deliberate on that before we are done here." Turning back to Mother Talzin with a smile, I said, "However, if Sidious finds out that you are supporting me in any way, his anger will come swiftly and mercilessly upon your world."

    Mother Talzin smiled before saying, "Fooling someone of your Master's caliber will always be a risky proposition, but there are options to protect ourselves out there. Dathomir is neutral, but not part of the Council of Neutral Systems. If we were to join them, we could borrow the same rules they follow. "

    "An excellent plan. I believe we have come to an agreement." The new idea was around Dathomir joining the CNS. If I could manipulate events to ensure Senator Kryze officiated the event at Dathomir, it would give me a window of opportunity to abduct her on prepared grounds, now that I had negotiated unrestricted access. Even if it failed, the incident should cause the CNS to expel Dathomir. Then they would need me and the CIS aid I alone can provide to stay out of Sidious's clutches. "How long will it take for you to prepare this ritual for Ventress?"

    "Time is a fickle thing, unfortunately, as we too must obey its laws. I believe a few months are required to gather everything I need. Then we will need Ventress to return here to take her part in the ritual to deceive your Master. Thus, I believe that by the end of the year, I will have everything in place for your apprentice."

    "Perfect timing, then, if we can pull it off." It wasn't, but I could delay Sidious if he gave me the order to execute Ventress a short while. If the order came too early, I would stall by assigning her to distant missions whose success was mandatory for my Master's plan.

    Talzin raised an eyebrow, possibly sensing some of the motives in my thoughts. "Is there something planned for the end of the year that will give Sidious a blow that he'll feel, perhaps?"

    "Perhaps, at the very least, the Republic will feel its impact. A strong enough diversion that the Republic will not be able to muster any assets for some time to interfere with my plans."

    "Wonderful." She said, lifting her saucer of tea. "To mutual benefit."

    "To mutual benefit." I agreed, lifting my own and sipping it with a bemused smile.




    Coruscant, Mandalore Tower
    Tanya Kryze

    Sometimes I asked myself if some people were intentionally trying to drive me insane. Do they get joy out of trying to create political instability just to mess with me? Then I remember that Being X isn't around anymore, or at least I've seen him gloat over the course of the last nineteen years of my life. So it seems safe to assume that what I'm feeling is leftover paranoia, the remnants of our last confrontation.

    The idol's performance had been a smash hit. The Coruscanti public enjoyed the story of the fall of the Neo-Crusaders under the hands of Revan. A fallen Jedi who turned us from the path of the conquerors, who was willing to go above and beyond his calling.

    Recent events outpaced the Mandalorian Expo planning, so I grew quite concerned when I learned the lyrics of the Gargon Girl's scheduled debut song. It highlighted a rogue Jedi, and the Maelstrom debacle also involved a rogue Jedi; their fanaticism had led them to nuke an entire system off the galactic map. So I was very worried that when the song debuted, I would have angry Senators and Jedi breathing down my back about anti-Jedi sentiments or something of that nature. Thankfully, that seemed not to be the case. The conversation I had with Grandmaster Yoda and Master Windu after the performance was quite friendly. They had been more amused than insulted by ancient history.

    That was the good news. The idol's debut did not turn into the expected supernova explosion, thanks to Grandmaster Yoda. I disliked that he was playing favorites, but I couldn't refuse such useful patronage. The bad news was that someone else apparently had been rather moved by the concert. Earlier today, I got a message that a youthful Jedi Knight — no older than nineteen, my own age — was trying to contact me.

    Why she was trying to get in touch with me, I don't know, and I don't want to know. She wasn't a Mandalorian, so she wasn't my problem. Perhaps she felt insulted by the play, perhaps she was looking for compensation for distress. It seemed foolish, but I was not exactly in favor of solving someone else's problems.

    But there wasn't much I could do on the matter. Jedi Knight Etain Tur-Mukan had managed to bypass my security through an old trick: social manipulation. More importantly, now she was on her way up. She apparently told my guards something of grave importance, which somehow convinced my security to hesitatingly allow her to meet me. So important and sensitive that they refused to explain further except in person; I couldn't fathom any reason that made this situation make any sense.

    Letting out a sigh, I sat back on my new couch, happy to have fully furnished and now occupy the top floor of the Mandalorian Tower. Vai prepared a cup of caf for me. If I was going to have my time forcibly wasted by a VIP guest, I wanted to at least be decadently comfortable. My cushy position in the rear wasn't everything I had hoped, it seemed, but at least I wasn't being shot at. I'd pick the familiar monotony of a desk job over the high intensity environment of a battle any day.

    My silent complaints were interrupted as the door opened and two of my Royal Guards entered, escorting the Jedi into the room. She looked young, too young for the title of Knight.

    Standing up, I confronted the problem directly. "Evening, Jedi Knight Etain Tur-Mukan. I am Senator Kryze. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

    The young woman reached out as if to shake an unoffered hand, before aborting the gesture. "I need your help. I... I may have made a serious lapse in judgment."

    I remembered to let my confusion show on my face, still not sure what the issue was. "Lapse in judgment? Doesn't that sound like something you should be bringing up with the Jedi Council? Is there a particular reason you have come to me about it?"

    She gulped. "Can I have a seat? This is... this is a long story."

    "Of course." I said, offering her a seat. I sat down after her, and once she seemed settled, I sighed.

    She fiddled with her hands, appearing to be trying to calm herself and visibly work up her courage. I only watched and occasionally took a sip of my caf until she broke the silence and finally spoke. "I'm pregnant with a child of a Mandalorian."

    I blinked, and blinked again, the non-sequitur statement taking me a moment to process. "You know, of all the things I expected to hear today, this was not what I was expecting." I bought myself some more time to think by draining my caf before placing it on the table. "Is this pregnancy consensual?"

    She looked at me, seeming perplexed at the question. "Yes, yes, he doesn't know yet, but yes."

    "Ah-huh, so why exactly are you here then if he is not aware of the situation? Is he violent? This also seems like something you should be bringing up with the Jedi Order."

    She lost her composure at my prior question, a panic-stricken look appearing on her face. "No! No, he isn't violent, he is very sweet. It's just." She let out a sigh before finally explaining, "He's Mandalorian by culture, but the father is a clone."

    "Ah." The pieces started falling into place. A young Jedi Knight having consensual relations with her clone underling. This was a political minefield with many potential consequences for Mandalore. Could the clones give consent in this scenario, and even if so, did that have any meaning given the power imbalance? This was exactly one of the issues I had highlighted in my reports to the Senate Military Oversight Committee after the action on Geonosis. However, as a mere Representative, those reports were given a very low priority and there was a war on.

    Nodding my head, I said, "Okay, I'm starting to see why you're not eager to face the Jedi Council. This would be a bit of a scandal. But why have you come to me?" I had a strong suspicion her reason for coming here was related to the clones being grown from engineered Mandalorian DNA. I had drafted preliminary plans for how Mandalore might independently respond to this crisis, back before I was elevated to Senator. Given the course of the war so far, it seemed prudent to assume the Republic would respond too late to this issue. Tentative responses from Arkanian cloning labs indicated that any engineering done on the Kaminoan clones could be reversed through a specially designed virus, like a more advanced and precise version of CRISPR.

    "I was wondering if you would help me determine how to move forward. I really don't know what to do, and there only seems to be two options: discuss with the father's buir or come here. I did talk with him, but I am concerned about the things he said, so I thought I could get a second opinion on the matter here. I heard that you were not told the true story of your birth until very recently, and you're the daughter of Master Kenobi. So I was hoping that your perspective would be helpful as well."

    My initial understanding of the situation was confused for a bit as she tried to explain her connection to my past. Sure, my past might appear externally similar, given the Jedi angle, but we are in opposite roles. I've never had any choice in who my parents were. Why would my personal perspective be useful?

    "Okay, why don't we start with, what outcome do you want?" I probed.

    "Uh, come again?" She asked, confused.

    I sighed, apparently even mystical Force powers couldn't solve miscommunication, but I tried to explain the possibilities as I saw them. "It's your child, no matter how the situation plays out you have the final say. Sounds like you're more than willing to carry your child to term, which means you want him or her to live. Do you want that?"

    Knight Tur-Mukan looked off into the distance, as she spoke. "I want to raise my child with Darman, the father, but I can't do that until after the war is over. I can't leave the Order in its time of need. It would be dishonorable to abandon the citizens of the Republic just to satisfy my own private selfishness. I've discussed this with Darman's adoptive father, Kal Skirata. And agreed to keep this secret, even from Darman, so he would not become distracted in combat."

    I heard a sniffle and looked to my right, noticing Vai was apparently taking the fatalistic romanticism of the situation quite to heart. Sighing, I tried to format a diplomatic response to such a dramatic statement. "Distracted? You don't want him to be distracted by the fact that he has a son? Which sect of Mandalorians is your baby's father from exactly?"

    She blinked, seeming confused. "Aren't they all the same?"

    "No, no, they're not." I let out a sigh before palming my face to show my frustration with the universe and my multifaceted culture. I calmed myself, taking in a deep breath before letting it out. "I assume that this Kal Skirata fellow, who was recruited by Jango Fett, is a True Mandalorian. Which means the culture he's spreading to the clones is the True Mandalorian culture."

    She had a blank look of nonrecognition on her face. "I don't know what that means."

    "Right." I continued as if she had agreed with me. "Knowing True Mandalorians, the knowledge that you are pregnant with his child will not distract Darman, unless you are on a battlefield with him while still pregnant. Warriors are expected to return home for the birth of a child and have time to recuperate; many choose and want to stay at home to take care of them. So the child will not be a distraction. More likely, it would serve as motivation, something significant for him to look forward to at the end of the war. Something that will give him purpose, make him treat his life as important and valuable, as he will have a wife and child who need and want him to share in their future. So in this case, honesty is the best policy."

    The young woman stared down at her hands for a moment, seeming to be deep in thought. Finally, she looked up, worried expression still in place. "That may not be straightforward... Kal Skirata is pressuring me, so he can become the primary guardian."

    What? I gave her a sharp look. "What exactly has Kal Skirata said to you?"

    "Darman's adopted father, Kal Skirata, is willing to take my child into his clan when the baby is born. However, he imposed several conditions. He thinks that a child of a clone and a Jedi would not be safe to exist — even in the Republic. He fears that too many factions would want our child for the wrong reasons, and I agree. But he is demanding I go off-world so we can keep the pregnancy a secret. And he wants to be the primary guardian with the right to raise our child. I am certain he will use that as permission to raise them as a Mandalorian. "

    I turned to Vai and said, "Use proper diplomatic channels to get this Kal Skirata individual here as fast as possible. Find and bring the father as well." From what I had heard, a number of dangerous assumptions were being made. Best to clear this up quickly and gather everyone together for easier communication.

    Knight Tur-Mukan looked at me in confusion. "Why are you asking for Darman to be here?"

    "Because Kal Skirata is, in my opinion, an idiot. He can't use this situation to pressure you to keep the secret, it won't end well. There are significant external factors you have failed to mention. I'll be completely honest with you: your child may carry serious genetic defects that were engineered as part of the Kamino cloning process."

    "What?" She asked.

    "How old is Darman?" I asked rather simply.

    "Ah, he's part of the first batch of clones, so I'd say he's amongst the oldest. So, ten years maximum."

    "Which means your child would have the possibility of having the same genetic markers that require a normal human that should age into their 20s in ten years. They would age twice as fast, at a minimum."

    That seemed to hit home as she opened her eyes in surprise. "Oh..."

    "Not only that, every clone has the same possibility of producing bad genetic flaws. You are simply the first in a long line of individuals who will probably have to deal with the same realization you are having right now. Your child may not outlive you, but not by much. You're nineteen now, and in many more decades, you'll be near the end of adulthood, but your child will have aged significantly, they might even look like they're your ancestors. Because that's how fast they're aging."

    "I hadn't even considered that." She said, seeming troubled, and rubbing her face.

    You hadn't even considered that you're dating a ten-year-old. But I wouldn't hold that against her openly because that sensibility came ingrained from my previous lives. I couldn't complain because I couldn't admit to where my point of view came from. Adulthood worked differently for many in this galaxy. Especially considering they were both young idiots, and one of them actually ages quicker than normal for the years involved.

    "Your child is going to need advanced gene therapy treatment to fix that issue, and we should be able to provide that within the Mandalorian sector. Our allies, the Arkanians are rather fine gene smiths and given enough time, they can figure out a treatment for the genetic damage. Of course, it would help if we have information on what the Kaminoans did to the donor DNA before we start poking at it to make sure if this is even necessary, but I'll handle that. If you'd like to avoid your name being attached to such research, we can arrange to work with you anonymously to solve this problem. This could be a rather useful tool for helping the other clones attain a real livelihood after their service in the war."

    She looked up at me confused as I continued, "If the same gene therapy treatment developed for your child is employed on all the clones once they reach adulthood, it would prevent them from continuing their aging process at the accelerated rate. That would ensure the genetic damage wouldn't be passed down to their children, and then we wouldn't have a problem with generations having their lifespans cut in half." I paused there, and took a sip of my caf. Privately, I also hoped that this solution might help the public to see these clones as people and not as biomechanical droids, a common issue within the Senate.

    Knight Tur-Mukan seemed deeply conflicted about the entire offer. It seemed I still needed to convince the Jedi of the ideal solution. Phrasing it in economic terms would not be the best approach here, Jedi have little understanding of economics. Aunt Satine — Mother would have somehow argued the same terms in high-sounding moral rhetoric. I could do something slightly similar, translate and phrase the economic exchange in regard to what they valued most: morality and humanitarian ideals.

    So I tried to persuade her. "Your issue, your problem, could do much good for the galaxy if we have the opportunity to research your situation, and share the cure widely. If you're willing to allow me access, and to use it that way. In exchange, I will make sure to provide a safe, anonymous home on Mandalore for your child. It will include anything necessary for their lifestyle arrangements and needs. Finally, we will provide a faculty to research and construct the treatment, a place to repair the genetic alterations that your child and the clones carry. Your name doesn't need to be attached at all, but this opportunity would help all the clones suffering in the Republic. What are your thoughts on this?"

    "I won't need to reveal myself to the public, right? You can do all this without me revealing my identity, but still solve the situation and handle the treatment on Mandalore?" She asked, seeming to be trying to grasp and confirm the details in my offer.

    I sighed. "As far as I can see, there's no reason or benefit for you to reveal your identity. I assume you want to keep this from becoming a scandal between the Jedi, the clones, and the Republic."

    She nodded emphatically. "Okay then, if this could help so many more people, then yes, I will. . But keep the exact details secret."

    "As far as I'm concerned, your identity as a Mandalorian, or at least someone who's potentially going to join the Mandalorians, will be kept secret. I will do everything in my power to ensure that.

    Knight Tur-Mukan stared down at her hands for a moment, but when she looked back up, she seemed to have found some inner strength. "Alright, alright, let's do this."




    Coruscant, Mandalore Tower
    Kal Skirata

    The sleek and elegant towers of the diplomatic district were an unexpected sight. My hangover was fading, but I still wasn't used to the hovercar, I swayed uneasily as it shuddered to a stop in front of the Mandalorian Tower.

    I had been sleeping off a hangover from last night's celebration of our mission's success, only to be shaken awake unexpectedly by my second-in-command, Captain Ordo Skirata. We had hunted down a bunch of terrorists who had been trying to cause trouble, and the operation had gone off with minimal losses. Not to mention, I actually met a Jedi who was worth talking to. The kid was doing a pretty good job of fighting, in my mind. He would make a good Mandalorian. But my fuzzy thoughts only grew more confused as Captain Ordo insisted the Mandalore embassy was urgently requesting to meet with me. Next, he threw a dress uniform at me, and after I changed, rushed me into a car.

    Darman was sitting next to me in the car. "Did we blow something up that we shouldn't have?" I asked matter-of-factly, receiving a shake of the head from the clone next to me. Republic Senators weren't in the military chain of command, but I knew they viewed the clones as weapons, completely expendable.

    "Not that I'm aware of. Besides, I think if it had something to do with our operations last night, it wouldn't be the Mandalorian Senator calling us in; it would be Republic Command." Darman replied with confidence.

    "Ha, good point." I mused as I walked forward. Two Royal Guards were standing there, their armor looking as fancy as Royal Guard armor should, though not as Mandalorian as I would like.

    "Kal Skirata and Clone Darman, here to see the senator. Apparently, she wants to speak with us for some reason." I explained.

    The guards looked at us, and one of them apparently communicated through their helmets before waving us through. "Top floor."

    Nodding in acknowledgement, I led the way to the elevator, observing the rather dull finery of the upper classes. There was some neat Mandalorian impressionism here and there, but nothing too interesting as we reached the elevator.

    Darman was looking at the stuff with a bit more interest, but I ignored that for the most part until he asked a question. "Is this the kind of stuff we'll see on Mandalore?"

    I made a so-and-so gesture before answering, "Maybe in that new capital city, Sundari. As you have clearly noticed, the New Mandalorians style of decoration involves that type of artwork, they add that stuff everywhere. Old cities have older styles, which are mostly weapons on display, hunt trophies, and color banners. I assume that they refurbished this tower when the New Mandalorians took over the government. Erasing whatever might have been here previously."

    Once the elevator arrived, we stepped inside and waited as it made its way up the tower. Before long, we came to the top. The view was clearly meant to impress, a visitor could take in the various nearby scenery, and in the background were the Senate building, the Jedi Temple, and a lot of other towers for other famous and important senators. All in all, it was almost worth the trip.

    The doors opened, revealing a rather stately apartment mixed with an office and kitchen, a strange arrangement, actually. It seemed like everything that could be done with could be done in the one room, and several bedrooms were near the back.

    Stepping into the room, I was about to say something sarcastic about the decor when I noticed a familiar shock of brown hair. Sitting next to her was a blonde girl who could only be the individual Jango Fett warned me about, the senator from Mandalore. He once mentioned that she was dangerous; usually he only said such things about specific Jedi.

    "Ah, you've arrived." The blonde girl said with authority, imperiously waving us forward.

    "You must be Kal Skirata." She spoke the statement as if reciting a fact, while addressing me. "And you must be Darman Skirata." She added, looking at the clone next to me, he had his helmet off and under his arm as we entered.

    "I am Senator Tanya Kryze of Mandalore. Please take a seat. I was just speaking with Knight Etain Tur-Mukan here, she has quite an interesting tale to tell. And I decided it would be better to bring you here and include you in this conversation."

    I was suspicious the moment I realized Etain was here. The conversation we had two nights ago about her child had not ended very amicably. Oh, we came to an agreement, sure, but I had made it quite clear that I was not happy with her opinion on keeping this hidden from Darman.

    But something seemed to be up. Why else would I be here with Darman if she hadn't had some sort of change of heart?

    Stepping forward, I took the seat that was offered. Darman took one between me and Etain, obviously wanting to be closer to her because, well, they were obviously still having a relationship.

    "So, Senator Kryze," I said, "I've heard about you through the grapevine. You gave Jango a good, fair deal on an assassination contract a few months back."

    Kryze kept her smile fixed, but there seemed to be stress behind it as she spoke. "Oh yes, that... I can assume you've been working with Jango Fett, then. True Mandalorian?"

    "Only choice." I said, knowing that answer would piss off some. But in my opinion, there really were only the True Mandalorians. The New Mandalorians weren't really real Mandalorians, they are just aruetii that just happen to have Mando blood in them, since they reject everything that made them Mandalorian. Death Watch were a bunch of criminals, and the Silvers were just True Mandalorians with extra steps and a bit of New Mandalorian fluff mixed in.

    "Ah huh... well, that's quite interesting, but let's get to the purpose of this meeting then. Knight Etain Tur-Mukan, would you mind sharing with Darman why we're here?" Kryze said, looking at Etain rather uncomfortably. However, no one spoke and the silence stretched.

    Kryze sat observing the silence for a moment. After an uncomfortable amount of time, she tilted her head as if in thought and spoke. "You know, I've heard from my mother that Obi-Wan Kenobi considered leaving the Jedi Order for her. And perhaps if Knight Kenobi had known that she was pregnant, he may have done it. Just a thought to keep in mind." I can see Darman furrowing his brow in confusion as he tries to decipher what Kryze is talking about and why it applied to Etain.

    Etain took a breath, and I realized what was about to happen. I did my best to hide my smile.

    "Darman, I'm pregnant…" Etain said. Darman's jaw hit the floor, not physically, but the point was all the same. He was stunned, and I was as happy as could be, knowing that the girl had grown some beskar in her spine and wasn't going to use him as I had feared. When she had asked me to keep it a secret, I had come to the opinion that she had no intention of continuing the relationship. After all, if she wanted to keep it a secret, it probably meant she would rather not be involved in the child's life nor with Darman — a fling that had gone out of control. But, well, this was a step in the right direction, as far as I was concerned. I was happy to see it, even if everyone in this room was probably uncomfortable as all hell.

    "You're pregnant?" Darman said, looking shocked. "I'm going to be a father... stars…"

    "Stars? That's all you got?" I said, elbowing him in the side.

    "A bit stunned here, sir. None of the simulations ever prepared me for this."

    "Which brings us back to what we are going to have to ask about." Kryze said as she crossed her arms. I wondered why all this was happening, but I decided to see how it played out at first.

    "Knight Etain came to us with a problem. She's pregnant and worried about a number of issues. Apparently, she went to Mr. Skirata and he offered to adopt the child. That is fine, but I disapprove of it because it doesn't solve the problems that will develop as the years go on."

    "What problems?" I said with a shrug, before leaning towards Darman, who was looking at me. "I said I'd look out for your kid, kid. Make sure that they were raised as Mandalorian, even if you ended up dead."

    "Oh, ah, thanks, I guess."

    Kryze interrupted before he could respond further. "Mr. Skirata also demanded that Etain Tur-Mukan leave the Jedi Order. Something she cannot do because of her honor, which really is the most reasonable answer out there for a Jedi. But those are short-term problems that you can solve on your own and I have no part in, I just hope that you two will resolve them amicably. I'll give you as much help as I can with the power I have available. No, the main problem, the one that Darman here seems to have not considered, is that the clones can reproduce and pass down their altered genes. Which means, what engineered DNA alterations are you passing on?"

    "Oh," Darman said in realization. "No, I didn't get it until just now. 'Cause I haven't really considered the whole, halving my lifespan down, before."

    Kryze continued, "We can have the situation with your son's or daughter's lifespan dealt with on Mandalore. We have access to some of the best gene therapists thanks to our alliances in the CNS. The problem is, this is going to affect any and all children that you and any other clones may have in the future. This is an issue that could affect the galaxy as a whole. We can create a treatment for your child. However, I want this procedure to be available for every clone. In order to do that, I need to at least have your permission to use your story for political needs, to help clones have proper representation within the Senate, or even proper benefits for their service to the Republic."

    Darman nodded his head, understanding, seeming to try and find the right words to say before finally saying, "If it'll help my brothers, I'll let you use my story and anything else."

    "There's no problem with me allowing you to do that, as long as Etain is alright with that." I added.

    "She's already agreed, and they don't need your permission for this, Mr. Skirata." Kryze said, interrupting me. "And with that agreement, this meeting is pretty much done. You really need to have a conversation about this sort of stuff, act like grown adults, even if you both need to mature in that direction." I smiled, enjoying watching the smaller blonde girl imperiously intimidate the Jedi Knight — Etain definitely deserved it.

    Then she turned to look at me with the same expression, and my smile slipped. "And you need to do a better job of thinking about what's going on."

    "Me?" I said as she focused intently on me.

    "Yes, you, Mr. Skirata. You fought with your gut without thinking with your mind. Sooner or later, the clones' aging issue is going to become a situation that needs to be handled, and you have right here the perfect candidate. Instead, you tried to hide it away. If it weren't for the timing of the haar'chak Expo right now, I don't know what would be going on, but it would not be the right path. The Republic would not have learned of this child, and no progress would be made towards rights and welfare of the clones."

    I still didn't care about rights or the Republic, so I shrugged awkwardly under her gaze. "I only care about who's close to me and who is a Mandalorian."

    "So what were you going to do when the kids started aging at an accelerated rate?" Kryze asked.

    "Hadn't thought that far ahead but I have a plan to normalize the clones' lifespan in the works. I just assumed that the Jedi's genetics would have more at play than the clones. After all, it's only a bit of genetic tinkering. Maybe one generation was enough to undo it." I replied.

    "Assumptions make asses out of everyone." Kryze said with narrowed eyes. "Better to leap on this problem now than have it bite you in the ass when you don't have the assets."

    I didn't hesitate to stare back into her eyes, and my voice came out harder than I intended. "I have assets that would have helped with this if it had come to that. No worries there."

    Kryze simply shook her head at that. "What assets? You're a Mandalorian warrior with probably nothing but a clan house somewhere on Mandalore to your name. What were you going to do, kidnap a Kaminoan to undo what had been done to the clones?"

    I carefully controlled my expression, as that was actually the first idea I came up with when Kryze pointed out the possibility of the child having accelerated aging. I wasn't making any move towards it yet, but it was something I'm preparing to do once the war is over to normalize the clones aging.

    The look Kryze sent me told me that she knew what I was thinking. "Of course, that was your plan." Her tone was tinged with disgust.

    Sighing she glanced at the Etain, she included her in her next statement. "One thing about Mandalorians you will need to be aware of is that their independence can be quite infuriating when they're just doing dumb things that could be fixed with the proper channels."

    "It might have been simple, but it isn't dumb. I don't think raising millions of clones solely to throw them to fight a galactic war is right in the first place, but that's just my opinion on the matter. So, if I have to kidnap the people who grew them to ensure that they live a long and happy life after the war, I think that's more within my rights than anything else in the universe."

    "I'm just glad I found this out before you did that and caused a diplomatic incident that I will have to fix." Kryze sighed. She turned to look at Darman and asked, "Now you said there was nothing in the simulations about fatherhood. Can I assume that there's also nothing in the simulations about sex education?"

    Darman coughed while looking flustered. "No, there isn't."

    "Of course there's not." Kryze said in a hopeless tone, putting her hand on her face. "Add that to the list, Vai."

    "So what are you going to do exactly?" I asked, trying to get a handle on all of what was happening and if it was a problem for me and the rest of Clone Force Omega Squad.

    "What am I going to do? I'm doing the simplest thing. I will bring these concerns up to Chancellor Palpatine. He can create an investigation, and send a fact-finding mission to Kamino. We need more information in order to have estimates drawn up for resolving these issues now, before they become widespread. I know we won't convince them to change the aging process for new clones... The war demands them as fast as possible for the conflicts we have right now, but if we can at least get them to work out how to fix the process so that we can ensure the clones that survive the conflict are altered back to aging normally."

    "Kamino is going to charge an arm and a leg for that." I mused, knowing that the cloners were rather cold and callous about that sort of stuff. They wouldn't do it for free, that's for sure.

    "Oh, I'm sure they'll try, but they have one problem with that. They will have to accept the contract that is rather on the low end but guarantees the money for themselves. Otherwise, I will suggest that the facilities on Arkanian be used instead or at least be offered as a substitute. After all, nothing brings down a price more than competition between competing companies, and both peoples are known for their bioengineering. The Arkanians are rather annoyed that they're not allowed to engage in much bioengineering right now because of the Kamino contracts and the non-Kamino cloning ban." Kryze explained.

    I laughed at that. The idea that she was going to hold the money hostage to force the cloners to do something was entertaining, but it might work. "You know what, Kryze, you're all right."

    "Thank you. Now, in the future, if you have any more situations like this," She said, looking hard at all three of us, "and if it has any cultural relations to Mandalore, bring them to me. I know how to use this for the benefit of Mandalore and yourselves. Benefiting Mandalore will help you in the long term as well if you plan to live there once the war is over. We are trying to make a safe haven, untouched by the war."

    "Good luck," I said before adding, "I really mean it, though. Good luck. Our homeworld is right on the frontier. The war will spill over it eventually, I fear."

    "Well, if that happens, then there's been a massive failure on my part." The look in the girl's eyes was dangerous; it told me that she would fight for Mandalore's freedom and independence from war like a cornered animal. And I got the sense that I just did not want to be fighting against her if that ever happened.



    Coruscant, Chancellor's Office
    Sheev Palpatine

    "Hmm," I muttered, as I glanced at the paperwork displayed on the datapad before me again. Tanya sat on the other side of my desk, her hands neatly folded in her lap.

    I had been keeping an eye on her, ever since I realized that Dooku had some sort of interest in the girl. Why exactly, I had yet to determine, but that did not matter.

    What others saw in her didn't matter. What I saw was an interesting distraction worth poking at. She was well-connected, and now that the story of her birth was more widely known, it is very likely that she is Force sensitive even if I have no proof. That could be what Dooku had seen, but what aims he had, I did not know — yet.

    What I did know was that Dooku was still exploring options for his Empire's Fist idea, which I played with now and again. I played with a lot of things. Dooku often argued against the Rule of Two, but in the past I rebuked him each time. However, I don't believe the Rule of Two will be needed once the Grand Plan is complete and the Jedi are destroyed, but that is the future. For now, I simply kept watch over her for my own amusement — she was very good at politicking.

    We happened to enjoy the same flavors of chocolates and caf, the small coincidence was also somewhat interesting. Initially, I suspected that she might be lying to get closer to me; it was a common enough tactic. Enough time spent in her company and after receiving many small tokens and gifts from her office, I had enough data to allow me to distinguish her interest as true appreciation. I was now of the opinion that she genuinely enjoyed the chocolates and caf while also just trying to be friendly with the leader of the free Galaxy.

    Hilarious but useful. I was able to use it recently, hiding my real motives for the decision allowing the Neutrality League's formation; allowing Tanya to believe it was on the basis of our trustworthy relationship. Amusingly, since then, every few weeks, I would receive a box of chocolates. I wouldn't want them to go to waste. After all, the League had other uses for me, causing problems for factions in the Republic and the CIS.

    Having an alternative financial option for some systems enabled the Republic to free itself from the Banking Clan's control. This was useful, as the more discretion I had over monetary and fiscal policy, the easier it would be to assert control over the Banking Clans. I needed to control them fully and take them under our wings, make them firmly a part of my government during the implementation of my Galactic Empire.

    Oh, sure, some systems would benefit; those escaping the death traps that the banks had been building for years. I could use their gratitude after freeing them from the Banking Clan's control. But even if they resisted, that wouldn't matter because, by that point, I would have an army to put down any resistance.

    Today, Tanya came to my office with candies and treats, and a little bit of work. Said work was displayed on the datapad in front of me, including an interesting situation of a clone getting an officer of the Republic army pregnant. No, I didn't care greatly about that situation entirely, but I didn't know what exactly Tanya wanted. She was trying to improve the prospects of the clones. Why?

    Well, unlike most, she probably saw through how wasteful it was for them as an asset that an army of highly trained clones that can only live half a generation. As a result, she wants to extend their lifespan so they could be put to work even after the war was over to at least get some return on their investment. Or perhaps her Mandalorian heritage was motivating her to assist them as fellow Mandalorians. She wanted an investigation team sent to Kamino to inquire a few things: how the genetics of the clones would affect the galactic population, what training the clones have to prevent such situations, and what would it cost to undo what is done to the clones so that they can have a normal life after the war.

    Three very interesting questions. None of them were a threat to the Grand Plan, exactly. Assuming, of course, she didn't stumble across the biochips in their heads meant to reinforce following orders and alter how the clones remembered their services with Jedi.

    Now, if I were a cautious man, I would probably deny this request outright. If I were interested in having it fail, I could also go out of my way to ensure my own people were sent in to do this investigation; to make sure they didn't ask the right questions. However, I could see a bit of a political opportunity developing here, one that could be useful to my machinations.

    If Tanya was successful in learning the information she wanted, what would be the result? Well, she could put together a rather interesting bloc of interest groups; a coalition of systems and corporations who would benefit from ensuring the clones were well cared for, which is not the same thing as being anti-military like some blocs. Good. This would, of course, require more credits to be spent funding the military. After all, we need to make sure they have all the gear and resources they need. It would be straightforward to ensure that the right groups and corporations were in charge of such matters, and those credits could be spent in many ways.

    And there were ways to rub it in the Jedi's faces. The contradictions that their slave army imposed on the Jedi had already ruined their morale. These contradictions would only be heightened if it was also being repaired by me, the Emperor... I mean, the Chancellor. Snapping their image and will would be oh so delightful.

    But there was also another thing, one that I find useful, one that could be quite bad for whatever Dooku was planning.

    I was aware that there was going to be an assault on Kamino within the next few weeks, just enough time for Tanya to arrive for her investigation into what's going on at Kamino. At best, the attack on Kamino would lead Tanya towards a more useful stance in the war. It should cause her to take a more hard-line stance against the CIS and withdraw their tentative requests for a peace conference, given the assault on one of their senators.

    And well, should Tanya perish instead, one aspect of Dooku's plans would go up in smoke. Smiling, I put the datapad down. "I agree, Senator Kryze. This situation must be dealt with immediately. We cannot risk this getting out of control. Could you imagine if the process by which a clone ages quickly is passed down to the next generation? Why, someone could genetically breed a fast-growing population for slave labor using the clone's DNA."

    The look in Tanya's eyes told me she had not considered that possibility. Understanding the machinations of evil minds does grant one many benefits.

    "Of course, Chancellor Palpatine. I assume then this will go straight to the Senate floor."

    I shook my head. "No, no, no. I think this is already a crisis. It is well within my rights to expedite this process. If you're willing, I'll have the administrative details wrangled by tomorrow morning, so you can be on the first ship to Kamino to lead the investigation yourself."

    Tanya seemed a bit stunned by my suggestion. After taking a moment to think, she looked resolute. "Of course, Chancellor, but I'm not really trained for this. I'm only a junior senator."

    "Your experience as a Representative will serve you well — you went head-to-head with the leaders of the CIS in a diplomatic debate in the opening moments of the war. You have a vested interest, but also it's the best of possible interests on this issue. The Republic needs someone who can ensure that this does not become a greater wrong, my dear Tanya. Yes, you're right that you aren't perfectly qualified, but no one is trained for this particular operation, and you do have the motivation to ask the right questions. We need you spearheading this, and you will have the full support of this office behind you."

    "It's an honor, sir." She said, sounding less eager than before, and more formal. It seemed that she was less than pleased by the assignment. No matter, the events on Kamino were already decided. I would be listening to the Force and guide the course of events as needed. Many useful outcomes existed, and it would only require a small nudge to ensure any one of them occurred.




    Writer's note: Another week, another chapter. This time dealing with Mandalorian events that happen in books. Canon was iffy during the 2008 Clone Wars due to Lucas not liking Karen Traviss's stuff… which I can't argue with him, I hear how much Halo fans hate her work and I never read the book myself. But this whole event is a good setup for a short little arc, we will be on for a while. Oh, and looks like Count Dooku doing something… rivalish… sure this will go well.

    Please comment, review, and generally enjoy yourselves…



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  • Threadmarks
    • Now, how will Tanya deal with the attack on Kamino while she's there? Will the Silvers be waiting to bail her out? Will she lead the local forces? Or something else. I can't wait to see how that will play out.
     
    Chapter 59, 717 FNM (21 BBY) Month 7
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 59
    717 FNM (21 BBY) Month 7



    Kamino, Tipoca City
    Tanya Kryze

    The trip from Coruscant out to Wild Space, even the now-famous Kamino, should have taken much more time. However, the backing of the Supreme Chancellor unlocked access to marvels of ship designs. For this mission, we were given temporary access to some of the fastest prototypes and most well-equipped ships in the galaxy.

    However, no marvels of ship designs could salvage my plans. Sure, the trip would have normally taken significant time, possibly months, definitely more than a week, yet it only took a single week with a Class 1 Hyperdrive. But it definitely kept me out of politics. Away from the current ongoing vote. Only a week, plus another week to return.

    Wild Space was dangerous for more than one reason, not just because the inhabitants didn't usually adhere to galactic standards or laws. Journeys to and from anywhere of significance took much longer, even accounting for distance, lacking fast hyperlanes. Kamino was well and truly off the beaten path of the galaxy, almost into another galaxy. A relatively small cluster of stars that hugged our galaxy and would slowly, over the course of millions of years, join together into a larger whole. More worryingly, it is on the frontiers of the front line. Not a great place to be the sole provider of recruits for a galactic war.

    If anything, the Chancellor should look into alternative habitable worlds for the population, perhaps nearer the Core, to migrate the people of Kamino off this water ball as quickly as possible. All the usable surface of the planet was already serving as the foundations for existing cities. They could only expand by building more of the increasingly delicate and exposed skyscrapers. I wasn't sure what purpose staying here served, since there was no indication the water would ever recede. Add in the fact that the cloners were on the frontier of the war with the Separatists, they were within striking distance of the CIS. But that was a point I could bring up with their senator another time.

    For now, I was currently on Kamino, meeting with a Kaminoan by the name of Taun We. Hopefully, our meeting was the first step towards investigating, and ultimately, producing a report for the Senate about the risks inherent in the Clones' genetic engineering. She was guiding us through a tour of the installation. I was also escorted by my two handmaidens, Vai and Morson, though both were in their royal guard uniforms. In the rear of my entourage were the rest of my usual guards; Tabi, Kastel, Engiz, Struc, Skota, and Mok.

    Perhaps too large a group for protection, but after my various life and death escapades as a senator, better to be safe than sorry. Looking down at a training simulation, I watched clones fighting their way up, using rather well-maneuvered teamwork to overwhelm each position before trying to satisfy the conditions of the match by taking control of the central tower.

    "As you can see, these clones are trained to the highest standard available." Taun We said with what I couldn't help but interpret as a smug tone. "Each batch, in our opinion, is better than their progenitor in every way. He may have been good material, but we have refined it to the best material it could be."

    I didn't react, though, observing the clones skeptically. "That is a nice statement. However, their training in this sense is not why I'm here. There's a general concern among the people of Mandalore and probably soon the rest of the galaxy about the amount of production and reproduction the clones can engage in."

    Taun We seemed perplexed, speaking slowly. "I don't see why that would be an issue. Free production is usually a bonus among our buyers." Fortunately, she was looking away and so didn't spot Morson's shudder at that comment. I had to suppress a reaction of my own, the way they referred to human lives as a commodity was unethical at best and downright sinister at worst.

    I shook my head at this last thought. "Yes, that is definitely one point of view. But we are more concerned about what sort of conditions could be passed on through these generations. After all, these soldiers," I struggled very hard not to say 'children', "grow to full maturity in 9 to 10 years. That's cutting down the lifespan of a human being quite a bit. What kind of effects would that have when intermingling with individuals closer to their species' average genetics?"

    The clones managed to conquer the final tower, destroying the droids controlling it and throwing their helmets off in victory. It was all very reminiscent of ancient soldiers accomplishing a great victory. All they needed was a samurai banner on their back, and I think they wouldn't look too out of place in a painting back in my first life.

    "Most of the genetic triggers that cause rapid aging are conditional triggers, that is, they only activate in the presence of specific proprietary engineered proteins and other enzymes that are only produced in our corporate lab environment. The Jedi High Council already agreed we don't have to share our trade secrets to fulfill our contracts." Taun We added extra stress to the word Jedi, I merely frowned and nodded. "Usually, we provide the tailored enzymes in their food. This helps accelerate the process of aging. Without those enzymes, the clones' aging process is equivalent to baseline, like a normal human. Maybe to a lesser degree during their adolescent years, one-third grade instead of one-half."

    "Ah, that seems rather… efficient." I finally settled on saying. I wanted to say callous, but again, what was I to do? These people saw their clones as products rather than sentient beings, and clearly viewed me as potential competition. That they gave little thought to future generations of "naturally" grown clones was a matter of course. "Is there a reason why their growth rates aren't returned to normal after they reach maturity?"

    "It was considered superfluous when the average life expectancy of the clones would not exceed one-to-two years of service. Once the war is over, what happens to the clones afterward is the Republic's responsibility." Spoken like a true corporation, I would approve of their mindset if they weren't basically slave traders by another name.

    "Back to the question of the proliferation of their genetics, why exactly did you let them keep the ability to reproduce? Most gene companies I'm aware of that deal with crops tend to go out of their way to make sure that the government and farmers buying from them can only get quality seeds from themselves." Have to cover all of my bases.

    Taun We paused again, as if considering, before answering. "That question is outside my area of expertise. Our scientists in the cloning division should be qualified to answer any scientific questions you may have about our cloning process."

    "I see." I answered neutrally, trying not to show my annoyance. I wasn't going to take no for an answer, though. "We should proceed there next, as I do have such questions as part of my investigation from the Supreme Chancellor." Based on how this conversation was going so far, throwing around titles couldn't hurt. It was even true.

    Taun We's expression changed, and while I couldn't read it, her tone changed into sharpness. "You are ...permitted there. Follow me." Vai gave me a concerned look, but Taun only turned abruptly towards a nearby elevator. Once the large glass elevator arrived, I noticed it was large enough to service a considerable group, possibly as many as a hundred, and I considered what necessitated such large elevators. She entered and I quickly followed her in with my entourage not far behind.

    Taun We took no notice as my guards chose to all crowd around me, rather than spread out into the vast space, as she focused on the elevator holo-controls. She keyed a security chip into the elevator controls, and we descended quickly in silence. Only a few seconds passed before it re-opened into a spacious, open office area carrying that smooth downed style that looked very clean and stereotypically sterile. It featured too much glass, white furniture, walls, and sleek, gray metal paneling. There were only a few Kaminoans in the room, making our large group conspicuous by its presence. Taun We walked straight up to the closest scientist and spoke more to her than me. "Please answer Senator Kryze's questions, Chief Medical Scientist Nala Se." She only took a few steps away, and stopped, as if supervising the pair of us.

    I repeated my previous questions to the scientist. "Why exactly did you let the clones retain the ability to reproduce?" My guards finally spaced themselves around, moving several meters away from us.

    Nala Se sat back down at her desk as I approached, and spoke eagerly in response to my question. I grabbed a nearby empty chair, ignoring the others. "In essence, human male reproductive organs produce a hormone that promotes the growth of muscle and bone whilst stimulating linear growth and maturation in bones. Experiments with removing or neutralizing that organ resulted in a multitude of issues including, reduced stamina, fragile bones, reduced muscle mass, and a lack of any sense of self-preservation."

    "Kriff." Vai muttered too loudly, drawing both Nala Se and my attention for a moment. I was also troubled by the detailed response, Being X could have given me a much worse start, it seemed. However, I merely looked at and nodded for the scientist to continue.

    Now a hopeful note entered Nala Se's voice. "Personally, I believe that the experimental batch's accelerated growth exacerbated the results. After all, we needed to see what they would end up looking like and how they would act before their usual mental stabilities of such processes would take over. The current contract doesn't have any room in the budget for exploring that any further. Which is a shame, there is still much that could be explored there." She definitely sounded vexed by what seemed like a rare outbreak of sanity by the bureaucrats back in Coruscant.

    I ignored the minefield of topics that she brought up, and asked my next prepared question. This informal battlefield, one of question and answer, continued. And Nala Se's answers became more brisk and clipped with each exchange.

    I was basically done, but had saved the most adversarial questions for last. Interviewing some Clone troopers had yielded me some interesting answers to these questions already, but it was best to confirm from the source. It was also slightly satisfying to draw upon my skills in human resources from my first life. "So I assume that you taught them to avoid fornicating and instructed them of the proper procedures for all of their capabilities, including reproduction? Otherwise, ignorant clones might go do something uninformed."

    Nala Se's gaze sharpened, and her tone was cutting. "It wasn't deemed necessary."

    The bureaucrat in me, the one who had served for years as a human resources officer, was screaming. I would have prepared these clones better than this. There was no cultural sensitivity training, so Clones didn't cause problems with the locals wherever they were deployed. There was no sexual education. There was barely any education at all — I realized I was speaking. "Who decided that? The Supreme Chancellor doesn't agree, nor do I."

    Taun We was in motion, probably sensing the interview was over. She strode over, answering the question for the scientist. "We did. It wasn't deemed necessary, as the accelerated aging gene was designed to be recessive. In the event a clone fathered an offspring, the accelerated aging would not be passed on to the offspring." I wanted to strangle that long-necked alien. Why didn't she tell me that at the start?

    But I kept myself calm, reminding myself that the recessive gene was, in fact, good news. "Is that so? Well, that is good news. But there are still some concerns I'll have to raise with the Supreme Chancellor, mostly in terms of sexual education. Currently, I don't think the Clones are capable of navigating their natural human reactions with your current resources. We'll need to get them some proper training to reduce the chance of something like this happening."

    "If that's what the Chancellor wishes, I'm sure we can recommend a few people from the Silver Mandalorians. We've recently been acquiring quite a large selection of military trainers from them. I'm sure they can provide us with someone to help with that. Though it will require a little bit more funding from the Republic and a proper installation for this training." Taun We led us out of the office area into an unfamiliar hallway that seemed to connect this massive facility to another.

    "I'm sure it will." I said, with a distaste for these aliens and the way they've treated humans settling darkly in my stomach. A general thought occurred to me that I could probably understand the Kaminoans on this. Whatever sex education they were planning, I knew Gargon could do much more, and with fewer credits. The lack of competition was just allowing these aliens to take more resources than they needed for everything.

    Taun We gave a slight smile, but I kept being drawn back into her icy cold eyes. She kept up a decent pace, but I suspected she could move much faster. "Perhaps you'd like to see the cloning facilities in general. After all, the process is quite amazing. We've managed to create a top-of-the-line cloning process here, better than anywhere else in the Galaxy."

    "Better than the Arkanians?" I questioned, poking at something I suspected. The glass and gray metal hallway passed over water, but fortunately, it offered little view for its guests.

    "Much better than the Arkanians. From what I understand, most of their facilities were out of date or mothballed. Their facilities are still subpar, they were transferred to Republic control, and our processes are being implemented there. So obviously, our methods are the best."

    "My understanding is that the Arkanians think their methodology is the best because they don't duplicate the DNA directly. Instead, they introduce alterations into each generation that will deviate the DNA and supposedly prevent clone madness, I think it was called."

    "Ah yes, well, the Arkanians are welcome to have that opinion. I think their cloning is rather foolish. Most of their clones are just alternate species that they've redesigned for their uses. It is hardly justified to call them clones at all, they are more like genetically modified drones." At this, we reached the security hatch for the next facility, and Taun We performed a familiar series of steps to key in a security chip.

    After the security hatch opened to reveal another hallway, Taun We continued answering my question while ushering us all through. "We already have Clone defect rates down to an acceptable level, using our own independent research. That's why you might notice a few clones with different eye shades and hair colors every now and again. We don't introduce much variation, but the medical statistics indicate it is enough to reduce the chances of the clones developing errors during their gestation period."

    "So the Clones aren't all identical?" Engiz had apparently traded places with Vai after the security hatch, and was shadowing me, while Vai brought up the rear.

    Taun We flashed another cryptic smile towards him. "Of course."

    I raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Are alternate genetics models common? I thought we were just paying for this clone army. Are there any other clone variants I should know about?"

    "Of course, pilots, for example, have very different requirements to the regular infantry. Muscle mass and bone density aren't essential for a pilot, yet reflexes and intelligence are prioritized. The Shock Troopers sent to the Coruscant Guard are some of our best productions. They are further improved than our base template, as we believe the best soldiers must be in place to defend the capital of the Republic. Beyond that, we have the Clone Commando program, the Clone Captain program, and the Clone Alpha program."

    I chuckled, thinking about the long list of requirements. The administration to manage such efforts must have been sprawling. "The only thing you're missing is a logistics corps."

    At this, Taun We slowed down, eventually pausing, her inhuman features coming into stark contrast as she leaned in conspiratorially. "There had been a project to develop a support variant — we did a bit of experimentation there too. My proposal for an expansion to the current units on order by the Republic with general support variants passed the prototype stage. Yet, mass production of this variant was seen as a low priority when compared to additional combat variants." We were standing still, only half-way down this second passageway, and I could make out the facility interior distantly at the end of the passage. Was this an attempt to sound me out for something? I didn't know Kaminoan behaviors well enough to tell, and she just gazed directly at me, blinking only once.

    When I did not interject, she seemed enlightened for some reason; she resumed our previous pace. "Since it's not as necessary for the support models to be as aggressive and physically able, we can reduce the per unit costs and growth time by producing female templates of Jango Fett to work in support positions. I have produced an experimental model as a proof of concept and the results are highly encouraging. She is very detail-oriented. It's been suggested by some of the research that female human minds are more detail-oriented and thus able to comprehend reports better. She has been very adequate as a lab assistant." We reached the other facility lobby, and my guards spread out a bit once out of the passageway.

    "I didn't know that." I said tonelessly, not rising to the insult. I seriously doubted that the biological sex of the clone would make any real difference in the types of roles the Kaminoan had in mind. What was far more likely was that the idea of making the clones female coming from her department would mean that she would have greater authority and prestige when more of the "support" type of clones were produced. The fact the clones were female was likely meaningless, little more than her personal stamp on the clones' genetic code.

    "Yes, humans do tend to overlook these subtle differences between the sexes." She said rather condescendingly. But I ignored her in favor of scanning the lobby of the training facility. It was a wide lounge with a limited seating area in the same white and gray metal style as the rest of the facilities we had observed so far. Most of the lounge was simply open and unoccupied — a clone parade demonstration platform for customers, perhaps. And there were equally large corridors, no doubt for moving large groups.

    In the distance, another Kaminoan, one I actually recognized from my time in the Senate on Coruscant was striding across the facility lobby, and rather quickly at that. It confirmed some of my suspicions about their physical capabilities. "Good afternoon, Senator Burtoni." I dropped a little curtsy—

    "I'm surprised the Chancellor would rush you out here for this operation so quickly." Halle Burtoni, the Senator of Kamino, interrupted. "Really amusing, considering the ongoing threat right now."

    "Ongoing threat?" Captain Struc asked. Everyone in my entourage was adopting more alert postures.

    "Yes, the listening posts the Republic set up for Kamino have recently gone silent. It's typically the first sign of a CIS invasion." Senator Burtoni said, as she looked out the transparent roof.

    I blinked before asking, "How recently? I haven't heard anything about this, and we left Coruscant only a week ago."

    Senator Burtoni stopped and touched her chin a few times, in thought. Her outfit had more jewelry and ostentation than any of the others at the facility, as far as I could tell. "I arrived with the fleet sent to reinforce the garrison. We had our first confirmation over a day ago now. The Republic has guaranteed the safety of the system, so the fleet will fight here if need be, we should be protected. But one can never be sure. Battles are battles."

    "Yes, battles are battles. Do we have a secure location where we can move the princess if a battle makes it down to the surface?" Captain Struc asked in a sharper tone, folding his arms across his chest with rigidity.

    Senator Burtoni stopped in thought for a moment. "Yes, there is a panic area in the central building for visiting diplomats and customers. It's built to withstand powerful elements, a massive storm, not a battle. The Republic Navy Fleet has set up a blockade to ensure the battle is further out — I don't think we need to worry."

    Taun We nodded, seemingly also trying to calm down the situation. "We have complete confidence in the fleet, and there are several Jedi on the station here to protect us."

    "Perhaps you should take us to this area where there is a working panic room, just so we know where it is in case of an emergency." Captain Struc asked, which got a nod of approval from the Senator.

    She said, "It's on the way towards the training center in the cloning area, so that shouldn't be that hard. Just over ther-" A piece of burning debris crash-landed into the ocean just off to our left, cutting off her answer. It floated there for a moment before sinking into the depths. Looking up, I could just barely make out the signs of an orbital firefight going on, showing that something horrible was happening above us and that it was probably going to rain hell down on the planet soon enough.

    Breaking the sudden silence, I spoke up. "Yes, perhaps showing us that panic room would be a good idea. Mind showing us the way now?" I'd rather minimize the chance I get dragged into a battle if I could help it.

    "Follow me." Senator Burtoni was already moving quicker, leading us at a fast pace from the lobby of the training facility to another passageway between what appeared to be the largest central facilities. We just reached the largest facility when a giant tentacle arm of mechanical nature ripped out of the water, followed by what looked like a mechanical squid grabbing onto the side of the facility and holding tight as it shoved a reaching spike into the building.

    "Perhaps we should go another way." Taun We said, and I agreed, as no doubt there were now droids inside the facility we were making our way to.

    I turned to look at the other facility only to see, well, another mechanical squid latching onto the passageway that we had passed through and stabbing it with its spike. The spike then opened up and disgorged super battle droids onto the walkway behind us.

    "The way back is closed. Looks like forward's the only option." I said, reaching my hand to my side, pulling up my dress enough so I could pull out my deactivator pistol. My other handmaidens drew their own weapons, with Morson pulling her own pistol out from her dress, and Vai dual-wielding a pair. Mok and Kastel held up the back, preparing their staves to knock any blaster fire off course or back.

    "We can still make it to the panic room." Senator Burtoni said. "We'll just have to push through any attacks coming from the first droid lander."

    "I'm not scared of a few droids, lead the way." I said, following the Senator and Taun We as closely as possible as we continued on our original path. Droids were starting to enter from the rents and breaches in the facility exterior on our right. Vai and Tabi maintained positions to prevent them from closing on us. Morson stayed with me, firing a couple of bolts from her deactivator into the battle droids. It wasn't very effective. Battle droids were hardened against such things, but it did slow them down, throwing off their aim. Engiz stayed beside me, spear ready to protect me from incoming fire as we moved further into the facility.

    But before we got much further, an alarm sounded directly behind me. Spinning around, I caught sight of the previously clear passageway being barred, a seamless security door behind us closing. Only Engiz, Morson, Senator Burtoni, and I had made it before the alarm cleared, and the door latch clunked closed with a thud. The rest of the group, the other six members of my guard and Taun We, were stuck on the other side.

    "Splitting the party ⁠— I have a bad feeling about this." Morson commented as the door locked into place. Banging on the door immediately followed her words. I reached into my bodice and pulled out my communication device I had stored there, quickly popping it on my ear. "Vai? Vai, can you hear me?"

    There was a moment's pause before Vai's voice came over the comms, "Tanya, are you alright?"

    I smiled as I looked at the door. "I should be the one asking that, you're closer to danger."

    I heard Captain Struc came over the communications. "We're fine. Mok's working on trying to get the door open." He paused for a moment and I thought I could distinguish Taun We's shouts in the background. "But he says it will be easier to go around it. Seems the security is not as tight on the side doors."

    "Which would take you further away from me, I know." I said, looking at the empty corridor and clear path leading straight towards our destination.

    "Yep. You think you'll be fine, Princess? Can you make it to the panic room?"

    Looking at Morson and Engiz, I said, "I'll be fine. I have Senator Burtoni here, and she can lead me there. It is safe to assume that she has access to some of the security systems, correct?"

    Senator Burtoni nodded. "Yes, that's correct."

    "You guys will be okay, right?" I asked.

    "We'll be fine, Tanya." Vai reassured me. "I can already hear some clones coming the other way, probably to secure the area. Just get to the panic room. We'll meet you there."

    "Will do. Good luck, Vai." I said as I lowered my communicator and looked at the others. "Alright, to the panic room!"




    Kamino Orbit, Invisible Hand, Bridge
    Qymaen jai Sheelal, "Grievous"

    I watched the holo-display showing the organization of the forces in the Kamino system as a cough racked me. Damn this broken body, but the plan was going smoothly. The Republic was on the back foot and their Jedi allies were locked in combat here in orbit against my fleet. This kept their forces pinned and unable to respond to the landing forces breaking through their lines.

    Overwhelming the enemy with superior numbers is a very simple strategy, one that even those idiotic battle droids can understand. I swept out several arms across the controls, and Recusant-class light destroyers received my commands, obeying orders for suicidal engagements with Republic forces. As I watched, their destruction greatly reduced the incoming fire towards my flagship, and concealed the existence of protected compartments inside the destroyers, "debris" falling unopposed to the surface along carefully selected trajectories.

    The holo-display updated, showing most of the debris survived to the surface and updating the IFFs as transponders emerged. Droids were dropping into the water around the city, hidden inside the debris from the space battle. Amphibious attack crafts inside those same debris would also transport the droids into the city itself. At the same time, more conventional transports were prepared for a frontal assault.

    Durge was displayed a special icon by the holoprojector, his signature silver helmet with blue and red markings. That monster had eagerly boarded one of the doomed destroyers, just so he could be deployed with the droid vanguard directly into the city. That was the one thing I liked about Durge; he was rather simple to use. I pointed him in a direction, and he would go and break it, taking the fight as deep as he could into the enemy lines.

    Granted, it helped that he had some personal hatred for all things Mandalorian. So, deploying him to the city should create enough chaos and destruction for the other elements to do their jobs. One of the goals of this whole attack was just to cause as much damage as possible, preferably by leveling everything. The more dead clones here, meant fewer clones elsewhere, especially if we got to them before they grew to their full age.

    The primary objective of this operation was to diminish the production of clones, hampering their replenishment rate. Destroying the Cloning facilities would have a significant strategic impact. The Republic would lack an adequate number of replacements, and entire fronts would begin to crumble due to a shortage of fresh troops. Of course, even if Kamino itself is destroyed, there were still the clones already on the front to eliminate as well. They would enter a defensive posture to preserve as much of their troops as possible, which would yield the initiative to us.

    We will use that window to our advantage by launching multiple invasions across many sectors. It wasn't a complex stratagem, but it played to our strengths, our greater numbers. The Republic will not be able to defend every sector at once, enabling our forces to advance further and expand CIS territorial control. Without enough star systems and resources, the Republic will be forced to submit.

    There were secondary objectives to further damage the Republic indirectly. My predecessor and her new underling had been deployed to retrieve as many DNA samples as possible and destroy the rest. The possibility of growing our own clone infiltrators or developing a biological weapon to wipe every clone from the battlefield was too good an opportunity to pass up.

    Seizing or destroying the Clone DNA presented an opportunity to create friction between the CNS and the Republic, hopefully generating a long-term dispute. If the Republic compels Fett to leave the CNS to restore their DNA samples, the CNS would lose significant credibility. In addition, it would paint Fett as a Republic agent, giving the CIS the excuse to send assassins after him without risking significant political problems. Fett might be skilled enough to evade his fellow bounty hunters and assassins, but I knew Durge was eager for the opportunity to go after him.

    Granted, to successfully eliminate the source entirely, we would need to hunt down the DNA's source, Jango Fett. However, Dooku didn't want us to invade the CNS, not while he was working on pulling them to our side diplomatically. Strategically, I agreed that a diplomatic outcome would be the most efficient use of our resources, considering the forces that would be necessary to occupy their territory.

    Despite this, I wanted a military solution. Kenobi's affair with that Mandalorian politician had produced an illegitimate daughter. If I could somehow capture her, she would be the perfect bait to lure Kenobi into a trap so that I can finally kill him for all of the trouble he had caused me. Unfortunately, she is beyond my reach, at least while on Coruscant.

    Ventress was also deployed to the planet below. Her job was quite straightforward — oversee the ground elements, and distract or destroy any Jedi she encounters.

    I would have preferred to go down there myself, but Dooku had made it clear that I was not to go down there. Too many valuable assets were deployed there already, and we couldn't risk something going wrong with us all concentrated in one location. Losing one battlefield commander would be a blunder — losing the entirety of CIS Strategic Command would be a disaster. Better for me to be up here and oversee victory than to be down there and oversee defeat. It grated on me. I enjoyed the rush of battle in all forms, even before I had been cyberized. Now, well, there is nothing left for me to enjoy but combat.

    It was galling, but I also knew I would be outclassed by some Jedi in a fight, as their Force foresight gave them too much of an edge. There had been attempts to grant me use of the Force myself, but the operations to transfer Force powers by blood transfusion had not been successful.

    Really, the only chance I've had if I ever ran into a Jedi was a surprise attack. Hit them with overwhelming surprise and fear, causing them to make a mistake and leave an opening. That's how I've been able to pull off my victories against Jedi in the past.

    As I manipulated the holo-display showing the arrangement of the Republic fleet, another cough racked me, but I was able to ignore it, bringing up the galactic view. Instead, I dreamed of a lance that would pierce through the defenses of the Republic and lead towards the Core. At the end of this year, my newest operation will be sprung. Then, I would have free rein to do whatever I pleased, but that day had not yet arrived. I would prefer to reach Coruscant and blast it to bits for what they did to my planet.

    In the meantime, in-between then and now, I would have free rein to take a fleet and deliver my vengeance on the Huk by wiping their disgusting race from the Galaxy. I almost accomplished it before with only my Kaleeshi warriors and scavenged Huk technology before the Republic intervened. Now, with the might of a CIS fleet at my beck and call, I could accomplish it in a day. I can't wait to finish what I started and burn their homeworld to the ground. Once every Huk life is extinguished, I will be satisfied. Then I can focus all of my effort on the Republic and Jedi who came to the Huk's aid, who meted out "justice," without even verifying if those insects were telling the truth. If they actually did their jobs, they wouldn't have made me; thus they'll reap what they sow. But those were thoughts for another time, after we got what we came for on Kamino.

    I reset the holo-display to view the ongoing battle. My task force and other friendly ships were in various green blobs on the naval overview while the local defensive emplacements were in orange, but there aren't any active in orbit, the few remaining are only on the planet's surface now.

    The Jedi starfighters in low orbit were marked as ominous purple, while the Republic Navy was an angry red, making up the minority of the space forces. Judging by their chosen lower orbits, the Republic ships were trying to intercept any more landings. Their tradeoff for the closer proximity to their cloning city is that lower orbits greatly reduced shield and acceleration capabilities, as the ships also had to fight against the atmosphere.

    I shifted between my four arms on the controls and adjusted the task force around the flagship to shift further away from their forces. No reason to waste these ships when I am going to make use of them again after this. The enemy tactic was unlikely to be successful because our position kept them pinned here with our ships trading fire from above.

    Not to mention, there were other ways to get down to the planet. It's not like they had an entire planetary shield around the city, a mistake they were likely regretting at this moment. Another task force was flanking to the far side of the planet, transporting more droids and assault watercraft to the ocean surface.

    It would take a while for them to reach the city, but with the attack already underway, defenses would be too overwhelmed to intercept. That's also what the Mandalorians were for — a surprise addition to all of these attacks, one that Dooku had only given permission to rather recently. The Mandalorian Protectors were going to be doing their own version of destruction by abducting the child clones before they were fully grown.

    I imagined that the Protectors's leadership had issues with the way clones were indoctrinated. What the exact issues are, I didn't really care, as they weren't my people. The important part was that they would cause problems for the Republic and force them to respond. If they were successful, good. If they weren't successful, maybe they would make enough noise to ensure the other operations were successful.

    "Sir." One of the bridge droids designated as a watchstander said, standing up from its seat and turning to look at me. "Republic assets are down to 25% in orbit. The Jedi forces seem to be pulling back, perhaps preparing for a defensive action in depth or in preparation of a counter-attack. Are we to proceed on schedule with the main landing operation?"

    "Proceed." I said matter-of-factly, waving one of my hands. "Keep a sensor on the lookout. The Republic has to have heard what's going on here. The moment they enter the system, prepare to pull our forces out." Holding Kamino is useless if we haven't occupied the surrounding sectors.

    As much as I'd like to continue this fight, my long-term goals require my survival. I would not entrust my mission against the Huk to any other. Never again.




    Kamino, Tipoca City
    Vai Viktis Kregg

    "This is ridiculous." I muttered as we moved along the passageway back to our guest rooms. The clones had, in fact, been the ones to break through the side door, allowing us to escape. While they tried to crack open the door in Tanya's direction, we decided to go back to our guest rooms so we could arm up.

    Taun We hadn't been able to override the security door controls. I was judging this purely by her reactions, she was pretty tight-lipped about what was wrong with the doors, and the displays were all in Kaminoan. However, the clones had to cut their way through them, so I assumed some droid had hacked their systems to cause issues. We could only go where the clones controlled, and luckily, they controlled the area from here to the guest rooms where our gear had been stored upon arrival. We met another group of Kaminoans evacuating themselves and Taun We decided to join them once she knew that we were going back to search for Tanya.

    So, we grabbed our gear, Tanya's, Khae's and my own armor. When we got back together, we would hold our ground until either we were forced to surrender because we got captured or the Clones successfully drove the droids out.

    I thought about raising her on the comms to check up on her, but I was sure she would message me if she needed anything. Instead, I focused on leading the group with Captain Struc towards our rooms, passing clones who were in a rush and obviously not very well-trained in a few cases.

    You could tell a veteran soldier from the regular troops. The ones who had been serving since the start of the war tended to have some sort of coloration on their armor, not camo, thankfully. More like individuality markings that represented what legion and unit they were part of. It filled me with Mandalorian pride, knowing that this was most likely one of the traditions that had been passed on from the original trainers and some of the Silver Mandalorian trainers who had been acquired over the past few months.

    The newer recruits tended to have plain, shiny armor that looked brand new. They ran past us at a faster pace, more concerned with where they were going than the possibility of getting ambushed. Shaking my head, I had to wonder if they had even completed their training. Then again, how old could they be? It was hard to tell with clones, since they reached full maturity in their first decade. Normally, a warrior from Mandalore would take a decade to train, starting at six or seven and beginning their real training when they hit thirteen. Most Mandalorian soldiers didn't truly start fighting until they were sixteen or eighteen.

    They were just kids compared to most Mandalorian warriors. One thing that scared me about Jango was that he had sold an entire generation of people to this fate, and he was not being punished for it.

    I trusted Tanya's decision on that matter, but once the war was over, I would probably ask her if there was any way to ensure that Jango faced some sort of justice for this monstrosity.

    "Here's our room." Captain Struc said as he pressed a button to open the door. It opened to reveal an ongoing fight outside the guest room window. I could see LAATs and several droid aircraft engaging each other, with droids and men fighting on the ground as well.

    Blaster bolts were flying in all directions, with one of them hitting just above the window. I was looking out of it when Mok quickly moved over towards the window and pressed a button. A covering of reinforced durasteel clunked into place over the window, protecting us from the battle.

    "Tabi, you're helping me carry Tanya and Morson's beskar'gam." Captain Struc said before telling me, "Ma'am, you put your armor on. You're the only one with full beskar'gam here, and we're going to need it if something goes terribly wrong. Skota bring your medkits. Mok, get in contact with Tanya and give her a sitrep."

    "Got it." I replied, as I ran over to my room. I quickly made my way to my suitcase pile and rummaged through it until I found the one holding my armor.

    Stripping out of my dress, I swiftly pulled on a bodysuit and started strapping the armor onto myself. I considered grabbing my jetpack as well, but since we were indoors, there likely wouldn't be enough room for maneuvering. Plus, getting shot in the jetpack and being launched into a ceiling did not sound fun.

    Instead, I just grabbed a beskar vibroblade and strapped it to my side in case I had to engage in close combat with any droids that got too close.

    Stepping out of the room, Captain Struc acknowledged me with a nod. "Alright, we'll be on our way." His voice was tinged with stress.

    "What's wrong?" I asked as he looked my beskar'gam over.

    "Tanya's locked out of the panic room. Some wealthy merchant from off-world apparently had his guards take over the panic room and are preventing anyone from getting in. She's making her way towards a secondary panic room, which is closer to the hangar."

    "The hangar? That'll be the first place the droids took over as their staging point." I questioned, receiving another nod from him.

    "She doesn't like it either, but it's the best option for her own protection, and we can get there from where we are now. So, we've got to go."

    "Give me a moment." I pulled open a communication device and quickly checked my contacts. "I might be able to get us a little extra help on this."

    "What are you thinking?" He asked.

    I ignored him as I held up a finger and activated my Silver helmet's voice changer and comms. "Commander Zyrr? Commander Zyrr, can you hear me?"

    The voice that came back sounded surprised and a bit in awe. "S-Silver? Why are you here?"

    "I'm here because I'm here. It doesn't matter how. What matters is that the young senator from Mandalore and the Kaminoan senator has been locked out of the panic room in the central building and is currently making her way towards the hangar bays, where there's another panic room she can use to hide out from the ongoing firefight. Do you think you can have some men routed in that direction to give her some aid?"

    I heard a laugh before the response came back. "Yeah, I can make sure that your girlfriend is taken care of. Patch, Storm! Pick out six of your best clones and get your asses to the hangar bay. There are VIPs that need defending." Captain Struc was giving me a strange look, so at least he figured out which comm channel I was transmitting on. That would speed up the explanation at least.

    "Understood, sir!" A new voice promptly replied.

    "Consider it done." A third answered.

    I grinned back at Captain Struc — he couldn't see through the helmet, so whatever — and spoke into the transmitter again. "Thank you, Commander Zyrr."

    "Will do, but after this is over, I do want an explanation for where the hell you are and how you're close enough to get this information at some point."

    "I'm White Silver. I'm everywhere the Mandalorians need me to be. Over and out." I corrected him before I cut the transmission.

    Captain Struc looked amused now. "She's going to wring your neck for abusing her Silver identity, but I think she'll be fine with having a little extra support either way. How'd you know that her mercs are here?"

    "I helped Tanya with some of the paperwork, and there was a list of Silver Mandos that volunteered to be Clone trainers. Let's get moving."

    Captain Struc nodded as we made our way into the hallway, past the area where we got separated, and heading towards the hangar bay. We moved as fast as we could, hoping to catch up and meet Tanya there, or at least secure the location for her when she arrived.

    The next hallway we ran through was quieter, and louder. The battle from outside seemed more muted somehow. And loud screams were coming from somewhere distantly ahead, before the latest voice cut off ominously.

    Kastel must have noticed my confused expression. "Life support is offline here. No air from the vents." He pointed at a small recessed vent above us, as we passed by. Before I could consider the implications further, we rounded the bend and were at a three-way junction.

    The new corridor was a mess, a dozen wounded and under equipped clones were scattered about, taking cover in the wide passageway. The battle was reversed from our expectations, the intruders coming from the interior, the clones defending the exterior hallway. A large portion of the ceiling lights were missing, and the Kaminoans' preferred sterile floor tiles only emphasized its wetness. Haggard officers and sergeants shouted out orders and tried to organize a firing line centered on a distant adversary further down the passageway.

    Captain Struc raised a hand, and we pulled back slightly; the passageway we needed was only twenty meters ahead, but crossing would expose us. While I considered if we could break for it, a clone trooper only half-garbed in armor and half in obvious sleepwear sprinted from our direction, ignoring us entirely, and rushed towards danger to reinforce his comrades. He moved as if death itself were snapping at his heels; none of his fellows paid their new arrival much mind, nor seemed to detect us. They focused their weapons down the passage and intensified their blaster fire, to no apparent effect. Someone new started screaming.

    Another clone trooper, distinct from the previous, broke. He ignored his fellows' attempt to make a stand and rushed past our position, fleeing the battle despite the shouts of the clone officers.

    As I watched, a clone came flying all the way down the side passage, through the junction, and smashed through the large window. One moment, it overlooked the raging storm and endless sea, the next, there was an explosion of glass. The sounds of battle in the distance seemed to subside, overtaken by the deadly mix of transparisteel, rain, and blaster fire that invited the storm outside into the hallway. A final glance confirmed the last elements of organized resistance had fallen, only a pair of clones remained.

    Pulling out my blasters, I wondered what massive robotic menace was coming our way. I looked up at the passageway with both guns ready to fire, while the other Royal Guards around me prepared their weapons to defend themselves.

    The sounds of the storm in the distance seemed to subside, giving way to a confident rhythmic clicking with every footfall of a stranger in pale white robes that stood in stark contrast to the smoke and blaster scoured walls of Kamino. The figure seemed undaunted, untouched by the surrounding chaos. A mask obscured her face, but even the featureless silvery facade was shrouded in an unnatural shadow cast by a white hood.

    There was something wrong with her strident advance, I felt an odd familiarity with her sway of the hips, her head scanning the room. In her hand was a short crimson blade in a low, relaxed guard position. She regarded the hanger, looking at the breach in the window that she had thrown the clone trooper through, then the scattered and damaged equipment, and finally, she turned to regard us. Even without seeing her face, I could feel her eyes meeting mine, and the sensation of ice coursing through me as her head tilted to the side curiously.

    "Not another step!" Roared one brave clone, as he charged at the figure from behind. Casting aside his blaster, he drew a blade and swung — it marked him as a veteran who had seen what Jedi could do with a lightsaber against blasters. Without visibly reacting, the Sith let go of her blade and as if with a mind of its own, the short lightsaber flew towards the clone, directed by some dark magic to spin it about. A moment later, the bisected clone body fell to the ground in two pieces, still screaming.

    She lifted her hand and the lightsaber began a lazy orbit of her head. Both parts of the clone were plucked from the ground by invisible forces and casually thrown through the same breach in the window. The woman showing some strange compulsion to clean her battlefield, perhaps?

    Without a word, the Sith reached out to grasp the hilt of her blade and pointed it at us. At me. My heart thundering in my chest, my breath caught in my throat. Every Mandalorian — every Real Mandalorian trained for this moment. The chance to do battle with the Force sorcerers that made the galaxy their plaything. Jedi or Sith, I felt the rush of battle and shifted my form, carefully considering how her blade might depart from her. It would be a battle unlike any normal Jedi, but perhaps her flying Lightsaber trick was also a weakness? Perha-

    Captain Struc put his hand on my shoulder, saying, loud enough for the Sith to hear. "Hold it, Mando. We're here to save Princess Tanya of Mandalore, not to get involved in this war, we are neutral."

    I was about to let out a sigh of agreement, but apparently something Captain Struc said set the little Sith off. She darted forwards with blinding speed in a lunging thrust. I shifted to the side more from muscle memory than conscious thought, and the crimson blade slid harmlessly over my beskar'gam. With her extremely wide open, I retaliated without mercy, my right knee impacted her stomach like a hammer before I followed up with a left hook to her face.

    Before I could continue the beat down, she used the momentum of my punch to spin around and delivered a wide sweep with her blade. I ducked under it while I closed in under her guard and retaliated with a left hook to her liver while I pinned her right arm in place.

    She let go of her lightsaber and sent it flying towards my face. I front kicked her stomach to push myself away and break her concentration. The lightsaber sliced the air where my neck had been and embedded itself into the ceiling. The other guards gave a shout, seeing that the Sith lacked her lightsaber, opened fire once I got clear.

    She somersaulted backwards to avoid the incoming bolts, and while she was in the air, pulled her lightsaber back into her hand. With her sword in hand, she landed loudly as she reflected a few bolts before everyone halted their futile blaster fire. Silence descended upon the hallway as I used the brief lull to unsheathe my vibroblade, before making a "come here" gesture with my left hand to provoke her into attacking me again.

    The Sith took the bait and jumped at me. She landed a few steps in front of me before she started swinging her blade, using her reach advantage to strike at me without fear of a counter. Everytime I tried to move in, she darted backwards and fainted to the left only to strike again, to the right, favoring a high angle while leaving an obvious gap in her guard.

    But something about her attacks was familiar. The way she favored attacking from the right, how she would probe my defenses. I knew where she would place her blade and where she would plant her boots. She was slippery and fast yet predictable when she honestly shouldn't be.

    An uncomfortable wave of nostalgia hit me, a lifetime of sparring with Tanya, exploiting every weakness, finding every gap in her guard. The Sith moved again in a mockery of Tanya's form, faster than anyone had any right to be. But I knew where her blade would land. I intercept her thrust with my beskar vibroblade and push it to the side, leaving her wide open. A step forward put me in between her guard.

    I looked into her seamless polished mask, and watched as my own helmet illuminated in red was reflected at me. Without giving her any time to respond, I threw my head forwards against her mask. My helmet and her mask collided in a loud crash. With her stunned, I grabbed her hand to lock her lightsaber in place so I could deliver a horizontal slash to her abdomen.

    Before my blade could connect, her free left hand sent me flying to a wall. I quickly rolled to the side to dodge the incoming lightsaber as it sliced through the wall I had been moments before. I retaliated with my own lunge, which she parried, but she's not the only one with a dangerous left hand. I activated my flamethrower gauntlet, forcing her to abandon her attack to avoid my flames. With the fire blocking our vision, I charged forward while swiping my hand from left to right, giving her no room to evade other than backwards or upwards, hoping to close into melee while we couldn't see each other. When I saw her jump over the fire, I cut the flame, so I wouldn't burn myself, before we locked ourselves into melee once again.

    If she was as good as Tanya, she would have backed away from me the moment I had parried her blade and closed into knife fighting range. I did not know why she was fighting like Tanya, I hardly had a moment to contemplate that. But somehow she fought like Tanya used to, before the many sparring bouts where I occasionally planted Tanya into the ground had refined her style as well as my own. Cementing that this Sith was an imposter in my mind.

    Despite that, she maintained pressure in the battle. She was predictable, in an awful, confusing way. The thousands of hours of sparring with Tanya, precious formative memories of the time we had shared together and with no one else, allowed me to trade the Sith blow for blow.

    I feinted to the right and then attacked left, throwing myself into her guard. Tanya was slippery and would always favor shifting right to avoid a clench. It was easy to grasp her midsection and throw my weight forward, throwing the Sith to the ground. It was easy and maddening, I felt teeth grind against each other as this thing dared to, somehow, steal the fighting style of my sister in all but blood.

    Suddenly, I was thrown backwards. Pushed against from all sides with dark magic to crash against the far wall of the hallway with enough force to knock the wind out of me. The world vanished into darkness — I was on my hands and knees, shaking my head to speed up awareness.

    The Sith was crouched on the ground, still recovering. I had been able to score strikes against her midsection, right leg, and even plant my helmet against that seamless reflective mask, causing the crack to deepen and appear down the middle during our fight. Now that I had been out of range of the heeled Sith again, the rest of the guards were holding her in place with a barrage of blaster fire. Forcing her to use her floating saber trick to prevent the many hundreds of bolts from ending her life.

    With her hands free, she threw them out towards the rest of the guards, no doubt casting some spell. A moment later, its consequences were clear, as every blaster in the room ejected its power cell. Then she darted forward, moving with inhuman speed towards the closest guard, Kastel.

    Kastel moved to block, dropping his blaster and using his spear to try and parry the attack, only for the Sith to target his fingers, causing him to let go of his spear before she cut through his left arm. I heard a scream as the limb went flying, and Kastel used his right arm to hold the stump that once belonged to his left arm in place.

    "Kriffing Sith!" Tabi roared, coming up quickly and using his own spear to try and knock her away from Kastel. He struck swiftly, avoiding any prolonged contact between her lightsaber and his weapon. I aimed my pistols, muscles screaming at the recent exertion of going toe to toe with the rapidly moving Sith as I attempted to shoot the copycat.

    With her cowardly magic, the Sith sent Tabi flying, using her open left hand in a grasping motion to throw him behind her, opening a path between her and Captain Struc. She rushed forward, intending to use her slightly angled blade to cut him in half, by the looks of it.

    But that plan seemed to have been thwarted as Kastel threw himself at the Sith, grasping at her legs, causing her to stumble, hitting face-first into the ground. The crack in her mask now widening enough to split the thing in half. The Sith then looked up, and I felt a cold fury as the Sith looked up at the rest of us. With Tanya's face.

    Her blade bounced away, falling as if its strings had been cut. It fell towards Skota, who brought her boot down hard on it. The crimson blade flickered before fading with a hiss.

    The Sith lifted Kastel into the air by his neck, choking him. Struc charged in, but she used her other hand to push him away far into the hallway, too far to help. Everyone else opened fire after they reloaded their battery packs or grabbed a nearby blaster on the floor, but the Sith put Kastel in the way of our shots. She glanced towards her broken lightsaber and frowned, in the same way Tanya would when frustrated, before she cast out her hands again. She repeated her little trick of ejecting power packs from our blasters, before she closed her hands and an audible crunch was heard as Kastel fell limp. After which, she jumped through the broken window, retreating away from the battle with impossible speed.

    "She looked like Tanya!" I only realized I was shouting a moment later. But that was not quite right, as the rush of battle began to fade, she had been different. Her skin was chalk white, her eyes had a disconcerting color, and her ears were as long as any Arkanians. As I reflected on her closely, I realized that's what she was, an Arkanian version of Tanya.

    "Kastel!" Mok shouted as he ran towards Kastel's body, with Skota right behind him. The two of them get to work administering first aid. Skota took off his helmet, while Mok took off Kastel's chest armor. Skota used her scalpel to cut a vertical line in his throat before inserting a tube into it, while Mok is using his weight to pump his chest.

    "Kastel!" Tabi called out, jogging over to the prone form of Kastel. "Kastel?" With the thundering rush of battle fading, I felt my heart skip a beat as my husband's voice cracked. The reality of the situation came into clarity; the son of Harswee seemed to sway in place for a moment before kneeling next to the still form of Kastel.

    We did not say anything, we can only watch numbly as the two tried to save him. Eventually, Skota let out a sigh before closing his eyes, "Time of death, 15:35. You can stop Mok."

    Mok eventually slowed to a stop. "Dank farrik."

    I walked forward and wrapped my arms around Tabi as my husband flinched before relaxing into my arms.

    "She got him." He said simply. I pulled him away from the body of his friend as the rest of the guard put Kastel on a portable stretcher. We would not be leaving him behind.

    "We still have to find Tanya." I said as Tabi held me close. He nodded and looked at the rest of the guards.

    "Here." Skota pushed a roll of something into my hand. "Adhesive tape, wrap it around your blasters power pack, so the damn Sith can't try her little trick again."

    "We'll secure the Princess." Captain Struc said. "Skota, Tabi, you move Kastel. We will clear the way for you." My husband seemed to want to protest, but I took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

    He was not in the right mental state to fight at the moment.

    "Understood." Tabi intoned, resigned.

    The rest of the guard formed up with some of the few surviving clones, ready to move deeper into the facility towards Tanya's location, many of them attaching adhesive strips to their power packs.

    "Here." Skota said, presenting me with the handle of her abandoned lightsaber. "It's yours now, you did the most work out of all of us." I took the lightsaber from her hand, feeling bile rise up my throat at accomplishing such a poisoned victory.

    "Kastel deserves it as much as me." I muttered. Skota clasped my shoulder and gave me a shake.

    "Then carry it for him too, and kill that Sith next time."




    Kamino, Cadet Barracks
    Barriss Offee

    "Blast it, Master Fisto, where are you?" I muttered as another wave of droids came running down the hallway, unflinchingly assaulting my position with concentrated blaster fire, trying to take me down but accomplishing nothing. I was good enough with my blade that I was able to knock the bolts back at them, and when they get too close, I cut them in half.

    There was chaos throughout the entire installation, pure and utter chaos. Ominous explosions followed by a deepening emptiness in the Force was my constant companion. Nothing was as it should be; instead, all there was, was the ever-present knowledge that the enemy was moving closer and closer to destroying these barracks. This wasn't the first wave of droids to come here, and I doubt it would be the last for a while.

    There were many barracks throughout the entire city. Before we lost communication, I heard that several clones in one of the major barracks were putting up a damn good fight, protecting their home from invaders. But I was not there. I had been on the edges when the attack happened. I rushed here with Master Fisto to defend their lives from the oncoming droid forces. It was that, or allow the droids to murder the children.

    When we arrived, the droids were also entering through the underwater sections as well. Master Fisto recruited a large group of clones with marine armor. Their group had left, diving beneath the waves, intent on slowing down the incoming formations and keeping the forces from reaching Kaminoan City.

    Which left me in charge of protecting the children behind me. Clones under my command fell one by one against the onslaught of droids until I was the only one left.

    That's what was most horrible right now. I wasn't defending fully grown clones who were able to defend themselves. I was defending a bunch of toddlers from merciless droids; ready to murder anything that belonged to the Republic. I hated their ugly, brutish appearance, I hated their callous purpose here, I hated each and every single one of these droids.

    As I reflected blaster fire back to the last droid of this wave, I tried to let that hate go, but it was hard, so very hard. I needed more power to defend these people, and I don't think I am capable of it. I felt a slight craving, an urge for that drug, Bota; I had come across it back on Drongar. It opened me up to the Force like never before, but I knew not to want it too deeply. It would lead me to the Dark side if I were to get my hands on it again. I needed to stay calm, collected, and in the Light, even if I were to die here fighting these droids.

    For once, though, what came around the corner was not another wave of droids. Instead, a hand waved as I stood there, waiting, confused. I managed to speak, "Who's there? Friend or foe?"

    "Well, that's all a matter of opinion, I would think." The voice of a clone. I lowered my sword in confusion in relief, which turned right back into dread as a Mandalorian stepped into the hallway. Not just one, but several Mandalorians with familiar armor; armor that I had last seen on Null.

    "Spar." I spat out as the rogue clone approached. He acknowledged me by pulling his helmet off and showing a familiar Jango face, but one with a smile. It was a kind expression, one that attempted to show that they were not a threat. I looked past him for hidden dangers and felt out with the Force.

    "Hello, Jedi Barriss. Long time no see. What has it been, three, six months?"

    "A long time." I said, my mouth dry; speaking was painful. "A lot has happened."

    "Yeah, sometimes when you look back at history, it feels like forever, but while it's happening, war feels real fast." One of the Mandalorians rolled his head upwards in exasperation, while another shook his head dismissively in the background. "Anyway, I would like you to step out of the way, please, Jedi Barriss."

    I raised my blade again. "You would harm the younglings behind me? Kill them? I thought you were against war crimes." The blue light from my blade cast the invaders in long shadows, sparks from destroyed lights providing the only other illumination.

    "I am not here to commit war crimes. I'm here to prevent a war crime being committed from both sides, if you will." Spar interjected.

    "Speak plainly." I said, still holding up my lightsaber.

    Spar nodded before he said, patting the shoulder of the man next to him, "This is Fenn Shysa, a good mechanical expert and a little bit of a slicer on the side. He's been helping to improve our droid forces with new coding to make them more competent than the average clanker. He has sliced into the cloners' security network and shut it down throughout this area and beyond, as well as deleted all records created before this point. This area is blacked out. Whatever happens here is just between you, me, and my brothers behind me. The Republic, the Jedi, the CIS, they'll never find out what happened here."

    I nodded, understanding the implication that this was all off the record. "So, what exactly do you want? Why this attack on Kamino?"

    He shrugged before saying, "An offer by the CIS. They needed more shock troops for this operation to keep the Republic busy, they unleashed some real nasty pieces of work here. Maximum mayhem and damage. The kids don't deserve what's supposed to happen here. They don't deserve what is going to happen to them. The clones are basically slaves for the cloners, products to line their own pockets for a Republic that couldn't care less about the people dying in droves for their privileged freedom. And I would rather that not be the case. So I brought my own offer. I don't give the fully grown clones much choice, since they aren't fighting for their own safety and freedom. But I would rather free them than have them end up dead before they even have the chance to understand the fight for their existence."

    "Free them?" I asked, fully lowering my lightsaber at this point.

    "The plan is simple. Snatch as many kids as possible. I'll use my contacts to smuggle them into the Mandalore sector and its allies. There they'll find families and clans that could use a few good hands while the kids get their freedom, a right every sentient should have. They would grow up and live as free men of Mandalore. Not as slaves to the Republic, the cloners, and the needs of the CIS." I struggled to feel his intent with the Force, but all I feel is determination and zeal.

    I looked back over my shoulder towards the door, separating these kids from what awaited them. It sounded like a better fate than what awaited them if I protected them. Biting my lip, I tried to come up with a good reason to say no to what he was offering, but blast it if that was not sounding like the proper thing to do.

    Finally, I flicked the switch on my lightsaber, and it extinguished, plunging us into shadow. "Make it look good."

    "Knew you were a good Jedi, very rare. Sorry about this in advance." Spar said before he moved closer, judging by the sound of his boots before he stopped in front of me. I took a deep breath and braced myself. The impact of a fist to my face hurts a lot. Immediately after, I felt the bite of a stun bolt. My final thoughts are on the children behind me. Hopefully, some would enjoy a life of freedom.




    Mandalore, Sundari Palace
    Satine Kryze

    Sipping the wine from home, I shook my head in exasperation at the interview on the holo-screen in front of me.

    I'm not one for watching HoloNet News or local broadcasts, I'm often too busy and uninterested in those sorts of things. Especially the Daily Ordo, which was becoming more of a mainstay of the sector, it felt like. But Bo had dragged me from work to sit by her as we watched the "interview of the century" as the balding gentleman, Apex Jidoss, said.

    Really, it wasn't that big of a deal in my mind. A story about how the actor Taylor Palatine had accidentally became a Mandalorian through too much method acting.

    It was interesting in the fact that even though it was an accident, she was sticking by it. Apex waxed philosophically about how becoming a Mandalorian gave her a clearer understanding of the culture, and I would say that her understanding of the culture was not so bad. She definitely took quite heavily from the Silver Mandalorians' codexes, though she did bring a unique look to it, I guess.

    Currently, Taylor Palatine and Apex were having a chat about the most recent arc in the series where they were having trouble with the 'Reds', as Taylor kept referring to them.

    "So let me get this straight, these 'Reds' are creating political instability for their own gain? But they're not criminals? Sounds a bit like those Anteevy socialists!" Apex said.

    "Correct." Taylor said, a confident smile, and black hair framing her face. She was wearing Mandalorian armor, a different set than the one she used in filming. It's painted white, either to show her political inclinations, or because she was taking this new start to heart. "In the show, they are trying to accumulate power, and centralize the state under their leadership."

    "Sounds like the collectivism hooha from Anteevy. Whoever is writing from your show must be really on the ball with the current political climate." Apex commented.

    "Well, White Silver does send notes over to the writers every once in a while, we do keep our ears open on local politics. After all, if I am going to be Mandalorian, I might as well know about Mandalorian politics.

    "Hahahaha that's spirit kid. But yes, your show does good work showing the will of the individual manifest! None of that collective's 'We can all get along' that New Mandos love to shove down our throats."

    "I would not say that. The Silver Codex does speak of community values, and its importance in preserving and continuing Mandalorian culture."

    "Hmm, that does sound like something the White Silver would say..."

    "Just a fan of her work, AJ."

    As they shared a laugh, I slowly tilted my head to look at Bo and said, "The 'Reds', did Tanya decide that or what?"

    Bo looked at me confused before saying, I'm not really in charge of that whole arm of Tanya's little Silver empire; that would be more of her droid's doing."

    "I'm going to speak with her regarding antagonizing potential allies."

    "Allies? Are we not on good speaking terms with the Communists after what they are doing on Vorpa'ya?"

    "We are not on good speaking terms, but we are also not on bad speaking terms. They haven't done anything extremely antagonistic to us. Occupying a quarter of the planet seems that way when you first look at it, but all the farms they took over were actually selling food to the mining world they hold. So in essence, they were just securing their food network."

    "Yeah, by moving a battalion of soldiers onto a planet that they didn't actually have authority over."

    I sighed and nodded. "Even so — as long as they don't start a fight with the CNS and jointly withdraw with us after we remove the Journeyman Protectors. Hopefully, we won't need to worry too greatly about them."

    "Assuming they will do even that." Bo said. "How is the whole removing the Journeyman Protectors going?"

    I shook my head before saying, "Not well. As long as the Anteevians are there, they refuse to leave. All the food produced in the areas they control goes directly to Concord Dawn before going on the market. It's significant leverage over the food supply to this sector."

    "So we're going to have to kick them off the world at some point, aren't we?"

    I shook my head again before saying, "No, we can't do that. As much grief as this causes us, starting a civil war within the sector is not something I will allow to happen. There are diplomatic channels to try and force this undone, possibly getting the courts of the Republic involved."

    "Ha, right because the CNS isn't really independent from the Republic yet; I forgot about that." Bo gave a sarcastic laugh.

    "Yet?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I sipped my wine.

    "I mean, you've got your own diplomacy, you've got your own banking system, all you need is your own courts, and you're unofficially separated from the Republic." Bo-Katan tilted her head as she looked at me with her own raised eyebrow.

    "There are a lot more steps than that, although having our court system wouldn't be the worst idea, at least for situations out here that we can handle ourselves." I agreed with a slow nod.

    "Attagirl." Bo said, slapping my shoulder. "Continue on the Crossroads of Independence through slow movements; you'll get us there eventually." This was pretty typical; Bo's delusions of grandeur. I sighed before she asked, "Anyway, what do you think about the Coruscanti girl turned Mandalorian?"

    "Think? I don't know. The process of having outsiders join our culture has never really been something I've thought too deeply about. The only thing I know for sure is Almec is rather annoyed White Silver was on the planet, and he missed the chance to catch her."

    "He still hates the Silvers I see." Bo grinned at the thought.

    I shrugged. "He's been somewhat blaming them for the rise of Death Watch and all the other militant groups that have started popping up as criminals in the search."

    "Oh," she shook her head, saying, "the first to appear gets all the blame, I guess." Bo-Katan took another sip of her drink, before setting it down and sprawling further on the couch. "But I think the whole Coruscanti girl is a good thing myself since it'll mean more people can be drawn in 'cause they wouldn't feel as intimidated. More people means more tourists or permanent residence that could help fill up the sector, which means more people would be exposed and absorb our culture. At least that's how Tanya explained it. To add to it, she's more New Mando than Old Mando, while she can put up a good fight, she doesn't have a killer instinct. So definitely New Mando."

    I raised an eyebrow and looked at her lazy posture. "How do you know that?"

    Bo managed to reach over and grab her drink before looking at me. "Well, they were filming on Gargon, and they needed someone to train her how to fight to make it look realistic. I had some free time and I needed more of your fancy neutral credits, so I joined in on a few sessions."

    "Oh, how incorrigible. I let you train Tanya, and now you're just out there training everyone when my back is turned."

    "I don't need your permission to train anyone. I'll train anyone who's willing to be trained. I'll train Korkie as well if he finally gets the urge to learn how to defend himself properly."

    "I don't think you need to worry about that. The Royal Guard I sent along to keep an eye on him has already convinced him that learning a little bit more self-defense would be good for him."

    "Damn, I won't get a companion album to go with Tanya's then." Bo pouted with a smirk.

    "I wouldn't worry, I asked her friend to take holopics in my stead." I said with a smirk.

    "Oh you sly Strill." Bo's reply got both chuckling at that.

    Our laughter was interrupted by the news anchor on the screen saying, "What!"

    I turned towards the holoscreen as he turned back to face the audience. "Sorry folks, I just got a word from one of my sources that Kamino is currently under attack by a CIS invasion force."

    "Ms. Palatine, what do you think about this recent development?" He said, turning to the Mandalorian actress.

    "Oh, that doesn't — I'm not very familiar with what's going on over there. I know some of the people who helped train me mention that Mandalorians are on that planet helping to train the army. I hope they all are okay; some of those people were pretty nice."

    "Don't we all, but they're Mandalorians there; that means the planet's got a better chance of surviving than anywhere else in this damn war.

    Granted, my sources also say that there are also Mandalorians on the other side of the invasion force, so it's going to be a real brawl down there. If we get any more news, we'll make sure to bring it on as quickly as possible." Then he turned, and he yelled off-screen, though my focus was quickly drawn away from it as Bo put her hand on my shoulder.

    "Isn't Tanya on Kamino for some sort of Republic thing?" She asked worriedly.

    "Yes, she is." I said, taking the glass and downing it before putting it down on the counter next to me, before I started pacing back and forth in worry. The last time she was on a planet that was being invaded, she almost died.

    "Yeah, that's what I thought." She got up and moved over to the door separating this little apartment area from the main household and yelled, "We're going to need a lot more wine in here, some of the good stuff, maybe some Concordian whiskey as well."

    "Yes ma'am." Came the voice of one of the many maids in the complex as I sighed, putting my hands on both sides of my face.

    Bo came back and rested her hand on my shoulder, saying, "Tanya will be fine. She's a fighter."

    I nodded. "I'm not really worried about her that much when it comes to her being in a fight. I'm just worried that every time she goes off Coruscant, she ends up in a fight..."

    "Ha, well, she is probably chosen by the Manda with the amount of luck she has."

    I sighed even deeper at that thought. I hoped everything was all right and she would come back safe.




    Writers note: Huh, it's Christmas time again! Did not see that coming but hey, happy to have it here! And since last time we dropped a chapter on Christmas time we got out at least 240 chapters. I think. Feels like at least 52/2 — 26 chapters? Ahh, we're close to that number, I think. Anywho, this chapter we had some fun. We split it in two, added more content you know usually folks expect. And damn that Cloned Tan'nya she killed Kastel! Bitch made a mistake. Or has she?

    Editor's notes:

    Afforess    : Merry Christmas! Part of this chapter was edited while I was taking breaks from jury duty in court. A most whimsical use of jury break time, but so much of the case was hurry up and wait. L4's story-crafting, writing process and the collaboration between the editors is incredible and amazing to participate in. PoM is headed off the rails of canon from this chapter onward and I'm here for it. I hope that all the readers enjoy and have a great holiday!

    FallQM: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! It has always been a ton of fun to be a part of L4's editing and storycrafting team. Bringing his vision to life is a ton of fun. Reading comments and discussions about this story and where it is going is a wonderful pastime in a year of work and the many tribulations of everyday life. It's around this time of year that people can take time away from their busy lives to enjoy themselves. Now is the time of year we spend on ourselves and our families. So have a very merry Christmas, a very happy Holiday season and let's look forward to a wonderful new year.

    Warmach1ne32: Merry Christmas everyone, sorry for the delay but this chapter needed to be dragged out kicking and screaming. I hope you enjoy reading PoM as I have fun editing it. Not much else to say, other than see you next year. Hopefully Being X doesn't make 2024 any worse. :D

    Ghost-339: G'day from Down Under, the land where Santa hangs 10 in the surf and has the sleigh pulled by 6 White Boomers! (Kangaroos). I'm glad to help this amazing story, and even contribute with my 'Taylor becoming a mando for real' bit back in Ch.57. Happy Holidays Folks!

    Please comment, review, and generally enjoy yourselves…



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  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 60, 717 FNM (21 BBY) Month 7
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 60
    717 FNM (21 BBY) Month 7



    Kamino, Tipoca City
    Tanya Kryze

    "Why are there so many damn droids?" Khae called out as she opened fire at the incoming horde of droids. One of said droids loses its head when Khae's bolt makes a direct impact on it. It is merely one of the many droids that were eliminated by my retinue and the clone defenders around us. I took the opportunity to lean over the cover we found and fire off a few shots of my deactivator at the oncoming horde.

    "Because that's all they are making on hundreds of worlds." Engiz said as he smashed his staff into an approaching B1.

    "No, I mean, why are there so many coming this way? What's so important behind us?" Khae asked, which was a good point. So, I looked towards the Kaminoan senator.

    "We keep backup samples of Jango Fett's DNA in this building. If this is destroyed, we will have less material with which to produce more clones until we could obtain more. However, this is also the most defensive area of the entire installation. It would require an enormous storm to break through the defenses."

    "Or a horde of droids." I said, looking over at the oncoming robots as they marched down the hallway without fear.

    "True, but we should be fine. More clones are coming as we speak, most likely bringing the heavier equipment we have stored in for invasions like this."

    "But we're cut off from the hangar bay until then." I tapped my communicator with annoyance. "Captain Struc, can you hear me?" All I got in response was static. Great, now the droids were jamming the comms. I turned it off before adding, "Never mind, we are on our own."

    "So, our main escape route to safety is overrun. Are there any other options? Any other panic rooms, safe areas nearby, anything at all?" Engiz asked Senator Burtoni as he continued to deflect incoming bolts.

    Senator Burtoni crept as low as possible, and looked over at a nearby door. "There's one we could go in." Quickly stepping up, she moved over and clicked a few buttons, opening the door. "This is one of the DNA storage vaults. The door is heavily reinforced and the room itself has multiple automated defenses in place to defend it."

    "So it's not a panic room, instead it's most likely one of the enemy objective's. I have a bad feeling about this." I shook my head, about to say that we are likely better off going backwards when a sidewall near us exploded.

    The droids that had been marching towards us were thrown out of the way, and for a moment, I thought reinforcements were finally here to save us. I even thought that as the big, lumbering man with a Mandalorian symbol across his chest came into view, carrying a missile launcher and wearing rather heavy gear. But my thoughts quickly turned to confusion as the creature unraveled his arm and smashed the clone that had been hiding behind some cover in front of us, strangling and ripping him apart at the same time with tendrils of muscle.

    "Die, you fake Mandas! Die a death all of you deserve!" The intruder jeered ominously.

    I holstered my deactivator, swapping it for one of the blaster rifles discarded on the floor. "You know what, maybe going into the vault would be a good idea."

    "Right." Senator Burtoni agreed, pressing a button and sealing the three of us out. "Oops~" I barely heard her exclamation of surprise through the door as my rage at this absolute disaster of a day continues to grow. How could she not know how to operate her own panel?

    "Well, what do we have here?" The menacing voice from earlier was approaching, causing me to turn and face the creature. "Those dresses seem to have the Iron Hearts on them, a favorite symbol of the Mandalorians. But you ain't the Manda'lor. Hmm, you don't have the armor, either. Oh, Royal Guard. I recognize that helmet design. You're a New Mandalorian, aren't you?"

    Engiz stepped between me and the creature. "Mandalore is neutral in this conflict and has no involvement in this war. If you're working for the CIS, you must—"

    "Nonsense. I'm a mercenary. I am only beholden to the one who pays me." The creature interrupted, slinking forward with a seemingly growing presence, as if his muscles were doubling in size as he moved. "All I want to do is to kill every Mandalorian who was ever born, created, cloned, or brainwashed. I don't care how you joined that order, you are monsters that must be destroyed."

    "Oh Void, it's Durge!" Khae screamed, as she brought her pilfered blaster to bare.

    "Ah, so my genocide still precedes me. Always good to know that my name is still spoken with fear amongst you irreparable lot."

    "Why don't you do yourself a favor and just shoot yourself in the head?" Khae retorted, bringing her blaster to bear and firing a shot into the barrel of the rocket launcher he was carrying. A rather massive explosion was the result, as an unknown number of rockets exploded inside the magazine. It blew off parts of Durge's arm and a hole into another room.

    "You, I like you." Durge said, as his arm and neck were already starting to reform. He grasped onto sheets of metal that used to be a wall and tore it off to form large claws, before moving closer.

    Khae, though, came through again. She fired another shot that hit one of his eyes, causing him to flinch back. I doubted the bolt actually penetrated his helmet, but the flash seemed to have at least blinded him, giving us a moment to run. I grabbed what I could and moved towards another open hole in the wall away from Durge. I landed into what appeared to be some sort of manufacturing area, with Engiz and Khae not far behind.

    "Run, run as fast as you can, little Mandalorians! You're not escaping me!" Shouted the voice from the hole up in the side of the wall.

    As we passed through various assembly lines, I saw various weapons that might be useful, piles of clone armor, and a fallen tripod mount with an intact looking blaster cannon. I pointed at the blaster cannon. "Help me set this up."

    We moved the cannon so that it was aimed towards the hole that we came through. I have never been more thankful that Aunt Bo decided to bring a blaster cannon for me to try out during my childhood training trip. While this blaster cannon is a more modern variant to the one Aunt Bo brought, it's from the same manufacturer, so the basic operating procedure is still the same.

    "Here you are in the middle of a battlefield, wielding weapons like it's a natural instinct. That tells me all I need to know about these so-called pacifists of this era. You're just hiding your nature behind kind words." The monster taunted us, before jumping down into the manufacturing area in front of us. "There you are, had enough of hiding, you irredeemable creatures!"

    "We're not hiding." I turned the tripod-mounted laser cannon to face the monster. "Just looking for something to even the size difference here."

    There was a pause as Durge performed a double take; before he recognized what I was aiming at him. He started to move into action, swearing, "Sithspit." as he sent his claw-equipped arm towards me, intending to strike me down before I could pull the trigger.

    One cannon blast later, and his arm was severed, twirling over my shoulder and embedding itself into the wall.

    "Will you stop blowing my arm off?" Durge called, sounding annoyed and in pain, as he tried to grow a new one.

    "Sure, after this." I replied, firing the cannon again. The blast blew off his lower legs, leaving Durge on the ground with only his torso, a right arm and head.

    "Is he dead?" Engiz asked from where he had been taking cover, my eye twitched when I noticed he had been covering Khae from any danger.

    "I doubt it. Are you dead yet?" I called towards the creature. He was still growing his limbs, though at a slower rate.

    Durge laughed his hollow laugh before saying, "Alright, you are definitely Mandalorians. Better than the damn clones, at least. They wouldn't have risked using such a powerful weapon so close to their precious equipment."

    "Are you going to keep coming after us, then?" I asked, lining up the shot with the creature's main body.

    "Of course, I have all the time in the galaxy to kill your Emerald Lot. My grudge with your people is legendary. I've been hunting your kind for thousands of years, and you think cutting off my legs and arm will stop me? Ha!" The remnants of his left arm grabbed several blaster rifles, bringing all five to face me at the same time.

    "Listen, I don't know what your grudge with the Mandalorians is. I get it, a thousand years of history and all that." With a blast, his rifle went flying as that limb was removed after a press from my trigger finger. "But that's a thousand years ago. Most of us just want peace. The only reason I'm here is to make sure that these, as you call them, fake Mandalorians don't come back to Mandalore and revitalize the culture you're apparently at war with to the point that the New Mandalorians become outcompeted." I explained.

    "...What are you on about?" Durge said, looking at me confused, his head tilted in thought as he listened.

    I continued, "These clones, or at least a percentage of them, are trained in the Old Ways. Where are they going to go once this war is over? A scant few will probably make it back to Mandalore and try to bring back their Old Ways. But if they try to go back to the Old 'conquering systems through genocide and war', that's a problem for all Mandalorians. These clones have no real education, no true knowledge of our ways, peoples, and clans. Their only education is violence, and they have few attachments, which is its own problem. We could be facing the birth of a new Neo-Crusader movement from the remnants of the Clone Army someday in the future. That's why I'm trying to make sure that the New Mandalorian way is seen as acceptable to these clones so that they can retire to civilized society and maybe forget about the Old Ways, the Old Ways you are trying to kill. At least I assume that is what you are doing."

    "Haha!" Durge laughed out loud before saying, "So, what you're saying is you're a fifth column within the Mandalorians, trying to guide them towards a peaceful existence? That will never happen."

    I smiled before leaning forward and saying, "I prefer to think of myself as a member of the concerned aristocracy. We need to protect our future trade partners, so we can make profits off of them. Credits run the galaxy; conquest is just a waste of time."

    "Well, aren't you an audacious aristocrat? Haha, It's never going to work! But you sparked my curiosity! I'll let you live for now. Whether you succeed or fail in your plan, before we meet again and I kill you, is something novel that I look forward to seeing." Durge pulled himself up to his full height. Parts of his muscles moved to find the pieces of armor on his former lower half and ripped them away to cover himself. "Who are you, Mandalorian, that you think you have such powers?" Durge asked.

    I kept my finger directly pointing the blaster cannon at his helmeted head, assuming that if I could get the shot off, I might actually be able to harm him. Hopefully. That's assuming that he couldn't move his brain and other organs elsewhere in his body. Actually, it would be safer to assume that he is capable of a lot more than that even. "I'm Tanya Kryze, daughter of Satine Kryze, Duchess of Mandalore and Senator of the Mandalore sector."

    Durge looked at me, and for some reason, he seemed to be smiling through his helmet. Then he laughed. "You're quite insane, little Mandalorian. But you have lucked into a position of power that I don't think anyone with your attitude has ever had. I can wait for the civil war that you'll inspire." Durge merely turned away, heading back towards the hole he had created. His left arm extended up to the hole, ready to pull himself up. But before he did, he turned and looked at me. "When you inevitably cause that civil war, feel free to give me a call. I like a good fight, and killing Mandalorians is always a fun time. Something tells me you're going to have to kill a lot of Mandalorians, maybe even a genocide of your own, to get the sector you dream of."

    And with that ominous warning, Durge pulled himself up through the gap. Once we were alone, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and slumped onto the blaster cannon tripod.

    Khae and Engiz rushed over.

    "Are you okay, Tanya?" Engiz asked, as he went about checking for any injuries.

    "I'm fine, just a little bit too much excitement today."

    "You could say that again." Khae said, putting her hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "I don't think anyone has ever managed to cause Durge to back down. Why did he?"

    I shook my head, saying, "The cannon is the only reason he backed down, as far as I could tell. The fact that he couldn't make an attack without me blowing off a limb was enough for him to consider this a stalemate that was wasting his time."

    "Why do you think that?" Engiz said.

    "He's hired to complete a mission. He's a mercenary. I doubt his mission was to hunt me, specifically. He's probably heading towards the DNA vault to destroy it, or maybe he's after something else. Who knows what his goal for this operation is, and it doesn't matter because that is not our job."

    "Of course, now do we try and go through the route he passed through, or do we find another?" Engiz asked.

    I looked at the passageway he went, then took a guess, looking at the wall across from it. I reached out to grab the blaster cannon and fired it at the wall. The wall exploded, and we heard blaster fire from two sides, fighting each other. A clone popped his head over the side, looking down into the room we are in.

    "Guys, there are civilians down here!" The clone called back to his squad, and then he looked down towards us. "Do you need help?"

    "We could use some way to get out of here, yes. How safe is it up there? We need to get to the hangar bay panic room." I replied.

    "Good news, we're part of the detachment under Jedi General Shaak Ti. We are pushing to take back the hangar bay. Do you want to follow us?"

    "We would, thank you." I called out before saying, "Well, at least we're going in the right direction now."




    Kamino, Tipoca City
    Asajj Ventress

    So far, this mission seems to be going according to plan. Originally, only Grievous and I were supposed to be allocated to this attack, as my master and I had first discussed. But as time passed, my master had decided on expanding the attack beyond its original scope to prepare to bring his own vision of this war into reality. To accomplish that, prolonging the conflict and seizing every opportunity for victory would give my master the time he needed to enact other plans. Thus, Kamino needed to be assaulted with all the assets he could gather for a truly crippling blow.

    So far, those additional assets have performed within expectations. Durge had accomplished his mission of breaking into various clone banks across the facility. The only reason he hadn't managed to destroy all of the clone banks was because Anakin Skywalker showed up and put up enough of a fight to force him back.

    The Mandalorians we brought along had just sent a messenger to report that they had finished raiding the juvenile barracks and were on their way back to CIS space. I sensed some lies and deception in what he had said through the Force. When I asked if they completed their objective, he confirmed it and spoke truthfully, and that was all that mattered. I will investigate what happened myself once we were back in CIS territory.

    As for Grievous, he remained in orbit, keeping the fleet engaged in battle. He had wanted to come down to the planet and lead the assault himself, but my master had other plans for him. The official reason was that he was not ready for a full unveiling, better to keep his full capabilities secret until a later operation this year.

    However, I happened to know the real reason. My master's master had ordered him to stay away from Anakin Skywalker. Why he had done that, I didn't know. I had theories and suspicions about Skywalker's intended fate, but nothing confirmed. Yet, I doubted I would even know if not for my own investigations over the last few years. Whatever reason the Sith Lord had for keeping things hidden, I was sure it was not good. I would eliminate Skywalker when the time came for us to break from my master's master.

    Putting that aside, everyone performed their objectives well and we are getting ready to leave. Sev'rance was relegated to my subordinate and does the actual work of coordinating this operation while I lead from the front. Her acolyte had been sent to retrieve the DNA sample and destroy any clones she came across. She had yet to return, but I could feel her Force signature coming closer, so she would likely be back soon. Because communications were being jammed, we had to rely on messengers for any meaningful coordination. Thus, I couldn't contact her for her estimated time of arrival. Once her Acolyte arrives, we can withdraw from Kamino, back to CIS space. The droids will stay to cover our escape, of course.

    But those thoughts were interrupted when the droids guarding the main doors into the hangar started to open fire down the hallway, signifying that we are about to receive another counterattack to retake the hangar to prevent our escape. It didn't take long for a Jedi to sprint through the door and start slicing droids as clones streamed into the hangar.
    "In the name of the Republic, surrender!" Jedi Master Shaak Ti shouted, before she charged at the front line of droids with grace and fury, though I doubt she meant to have that fury. The clones fired at the droids, who obviously weren't going to surrender.

    Looking at Sev'rance, I only lightly taunted her. "Should I take this one? The last time you faced off against a Jedi, you were cut down to size."

    The Chiss looked at me with a detached smirk. "I am capable enough to keep her occupied, I am sure a few Mandalorians are within your capabilities to handle."

    "Mandalorians?" I asked, as I looked back at the open doorway to see a Mandalorian Royal Guard followed by two women in a mix of dresses and clone armor, their blasters ready.

    "Oh my, what do we have here?" I called out. "Has the Republic run out of soldiers already? I know we're attacking Kamino, but I expected more from the Republic." I drew their attention while Sev'rance moved to stall the Jedi Master.

    "No," a blonde clad in green replied, "we're still neutral. We're only fighting because people keep attacking us."

    "If you're neutral, why are you running around in the middle of a war zone?"

    "Because the war zone keeps finding us, and we had to move towards the only panic room that's not being held shut by a self-absorbed coward." The blonde explained, pointing her blaster in a low ready position, that would do her little good.

    "That is unfortunate. I have to ask, are you by any chance Tanya Kryze, the senator of Mandalore?"

    The two female Mandalorians looked at each other, before the blonde dressed in orange stepped in front of her. "No, I am Tanya." I didn't need the Force to know that she was lying, with how obvious it was.

    Ignoring her, I turned back to the real Mandalorian Senator, the blonde in the green dress. "Senator Kryze." I sketched a mock curtsy. "I just happen to have standing orders from Count Dooku. If we ever encounter you during a military operation, we are to escort you to safety. If you would surrender and come with me, you'll be out of this battle and into safety."

    She looked back and forth before saying, "And become a hostage of the CIS just as you are preparing to retreat? The Separatists have legitimate grievances, I'll grant you that, but the CIS is nothing but a corrupt series of monopolies. I'll be fine here, thank you very much."

    "I'm afraid it isn't safe here anymore. Perhaps you should reconsider." I said, igniting my two lightsabers. I stepped towards her, ready to remove the two obstacles and knock her out.

    Suddenly, the ceiling in front of me collapsed, and a new figure arrived, smashing down to the ground in front of Tanya.

    "Kenobi~" I greeted the new arrival with amusement. He stood up to his full height, lightsaber active, hand out in front.

    "Ventress, I should have known that this was your handiwork. Having to deal with so many droids today. I almost missed hearing your taunts." Kenobi said.

    "You flatter me, Obi-Wan. I've taken apart enough clones that they have become predictable and dull. They do not compare to the skill of a Jedi."

    "While I do enjoy our fights to some extent. You should surrender. Whatever plans Count Dooku has for the Outer Rim will not end well. The Sith are evil, and being connected to them will only bring you pain and suffering, both of you." He said, glancing at Sev'rance, who was currently busy fighting Shaak Ti.

    I had to admit, Sev'rance seemed to have improved her skill with a lightsaber after her near-death experience. Yet, even though the fight itself seemed to require her full attention, she is slowly and surely getting pushed back. She isn't at the level where she can challenge a Jedi Master directly, but that's to be expected.

    "Oh, my dear Kenobi, I would love to consider your offer, but maybe you should reconsider joining us. After all, you know what awaits at the Core. Count Dooku is right; what you're defending is nothing but the heart of corruption." I replied with a sly smile.

    "By the Void, are you two flirting?" The girl in the green clothes shouted, looking indignant.

    Kenobi turned, shocked, looking at her before saying, "Tanya, what are you doing here?"

    "Senator work and apparently watching my father flirt with another woman in the middle of a firefight."

    "You're his daughter?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, acting as if I had not been informed of this bit of information. "Kenobi~, I'm hurt. You have a daughter and you never told me? I thought we were more than just colleagues, that we had something special." Perhaps I was taking too much joy from this situation, but the look on his face was oh so entertaining.

    "Can we discuss this at another time, please?" He pleaded, turning to look at me firmly, pain in his eyes. I could even feel it in the Force even as he held his lightsaber ready to fight me.

    "Has your dear father ever told you about the time that he told Commander Loathsom that he 'surrendered' and then had operatives sent to destroy his shield generator and then attack him during the parlay when his underhanded attack succeeded?" I interjected.

    The girl blinked, looking stunned at the Jedi. "Isn't false surrender a war crime?" Her confused face was so precious.

    "We're not really generals, and that's not really a war crime as far as I'm aware." Kenobi replied.

    "The excuse that you're not a general does not mean it is not a war crime. You can't just fake surrender in war because that makes it more likely that the other side will just shoot surrendering soldiers and remove any chances of future parleys. Resulting in more armies fighting to the death because both sides will kill prisoners because they don't trust those that surrendered to keep their word." Tanya argued, expression intense now.

    "They already shoot surrendering soldiers." Kenobi weakly pointed out.

    "Actually, I can't speak for other commanders, but I only started shooting surrendering soldiers after that trick." I chimed in. I wasn't even lying.

    The withering look she gave Obi-Wan was highly satisfying after all of the quips the Jedi shared during our previous encounter. The daughter and father duo were just perfect.

    I turned off my lightsabers, doing my best to stifle any laughter that I could, as a white-robed figure jumped in from outside the hangar bay doors. "Ah, Acolyte, I see that you've secured the DNA." The acolyte nodded, her face hidden by the shadowy cloak she wore. But I noticed that she wasn't wearing her mask, and this was the first time I had seen her face. Even with her hood, her face is almost identical to that of the Mandalorian senator yet very pale.

    I suppressed my surprise and kept my expression still, but I was very curious as to where my Master found her. No harm in asking discretely once we returned to Raxus. Accepting the DNA she offered to me, I attached it to my belt. Sev'rance noticed that her Acolyte was back, and disengaged with Master Shaak Ti to rejoin us.

    "Well, now that we have what we came for, it's time we depart." I announced loudly as a droid transport ship came in quick and low, arriving just outside the landing bay. Inside the cockpit, I could see Durge. "Are you sure you and your daughter would not like to join us? I'm more than happy to take you along and have a good conversation about how you will eventually betray me. I still believe we had something special, Kenobi."

    "You really are wrong about that, but it doesn't matter. Surrender, Ventress. Even if you managed to load all of your gang of evildoers onto that ship, the ongoing fleet action will prevent you from escaping. You'll be shot down." Kenobi retorted.

    "I must refuse, but thank you for your concern. Maybe we do hold some sort of connection after all." I smirked. As the others quickly loaded onto the transport, I was the last to jump back onto the open doorway, blowing him a kiss goodbye. With that, we fled, securing our victory. The cloning facilities on Kamino were devastated and a good portion of their younger generations were dead. Their DNA samples were now in our possession, which presented an enormous opportunity, diplomatically and scientifically. All in all, this was a proper victory. They may still hold the planet, but it would mean little in the future.



    Kamino, Tipoca City
    Tanya Kryze

    I sighed as I saw the enemy transport ship flying away, and then had a happy smile as the doors to my left slid open and my guards and Vai came rushing out, looking around before they spotted me. "Tanya! Thank Manda you are alright! I'm so glad you're okay." She exclaimed and I was tackled by a person wearing beskar armor, which was painful.

    "I'm fine, only emotionally traumatized." I replied.

    "Emotionally?" She asked, confused. Before I could explain, the doors to the right slid open, and two Mandalorians leading squads of clones breached into the hangar. They swept along the perimeter of the hangar, looking to bring down any remaining droids that were hiding on one side of the docking bays.

    "It looks like we have secured the area. Report that the hangar is under our control and see to the wounded. We'll move on to clearing this section, shortly." Jedi Master Shaak Ti announced to her clone subordinates before she approached, nodding to Kenobi. She turned to me and added, "You must be the young Tanya, I've heard much about you over the last few Jedi Council meetings."

    "Hopefully, good things." I said with a practiced smile. With all of the work I did to mend the bridge between Mandalorian and the Jedi, I wasn't all that surprised that the Council would have frequent discussions on my actions. Even if I thought that they would have more pressing matters to spend their time discussing, like planning on how to win the war.

    "So far, yes. The Republic thanks you for your assistance. I am aware that as a neutral, you have no obligation to fight alongside us, yet I am delighted to know that when the situation calls for it, you will side with the Republic." Jedi Master Shaak Ti replied.

    "If the situation calls for it, I shall side with anyone. This time it was the CIS that was threatening my life. Who knows if the next time it will be the Republic that would threaten my life?" I shrugged.

    Jedi Master Shaak Ti walked off to talk to Obi-Wan, and I went with my guards over to the series of boxes, which we quickly arranged into a camp circle of sorts. Sitting between Engiz and Vai, I announced, "Worst work trip ever."

    That got a series of laughs, but Vai tapped me on the shoulder and pointed towards a couple of LAATs. "Yeah, but hey, those are kind of fun." She countered.

    I looked over there and saw that an image of myself in my green armor, the one I had worn on Geonosis, posing seductively, was plastered on one of the LAATs. "Very funny." I deadpanned. More annoyingly, past the one of me was another one of me, kind of. It was the Silver Mandalorian, except it wasn't my Silver Mandalorian, it wasn't a Vai Silver Mandalorian. It was the HoloNet-edition Silver Mandalorian.

    My right eye twitched to see the comparisons quite openly between the two artworks. Shaking my head, I sighed and said, "I wish I had a drink."

    "I'll be right back." Khae announced before proceeding to approach the Mandalorian trainers, who arrived sometime after the battle. After speaking with them for a moment, Khae inspected something inside one of their abandoned packs. As I watched, the trainers followed Master Shaak Ti out of the hangar with a majority of the clones in tow, likely to patrol for any remaining battle droids. "Here, I got you something." Khae announced happily, returning carrying a container. She pulled out what appeared to be a thermos and popped the lid, offering it to me.

    At this point, I didn't really care what it was, so I reached out and took the thing. I feel its weight sloshing about as I give it a shake. Bringing it up to my nose, I sniffed it and recoiled in interest. I smelled coffee, I smelled spices, and I thought I smelled alcohol too. "What is this?" I asked.

    "Ne'tra gal, an old clan drink, we have our own variant on Gargon from the Old Mandalorian families. It's probably been around for millennia. The Mandalorians back there boasted that you're not a real Mandalorian until you've had a taste of this." She explained.

    "How much have you already had?" Skota asked suspiciously.

    I raised an eyebrow but shrugged, putting it to my lips and tasting it, then drinking it, then gulping it, so I missed Khae's answer. Pulling the thermos away, I let out a sigh as I quite enjoyed the taste in my mouth. It was fairly sticky and sweet like a black milkshake, but was very pleasant for my palate. And yes, there was a strong taste of alcohol in it too. This was great, I loved it.

    "Where's Kastel?" I asked, finally noticing that we were one short. I assume that he was sent to the infirmary after sustaining an injury as the reason he is not here with us. I gave Vai the drink for her to try, before she offered it to Tabi.

    "He… he's dead. That monster cut his arm off and killed him." Tabi said before he took a sip. "Some sort of Sith acolyte or something."

    "Damn. That's… very troubling." I said, in surprise, before shaking my head. Feeling a little bit drunk, resulting in me not dealing with this sort of news as tactfully as I would have liked. I had not lost many of my men in my last life, at least not ones I had known as well as I'd known Kastel.

    It's true that he was one of my less talkative guards, but he had been loyal, and I trusted him to some extent when I needed help to keep my alibi when I was at Gargon as White Silver. Losing someone trustworthy is a very serious blow, as trustworthy and skilled subordinates are very rare. Exhausted, I added, "I'll make sure he gets the best funeral care we can provide. Then we're going to find this Sith spawn murderer and deal with him." I felt a bit of anger enter my voice, no one kills my employees and gets away with it.

    "I know." Vai said, looking down at her hands, before she leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Also, that killer was Arkanian." I raised an eyebrow, not really sure why that matters, before she added, "And she has your face."

    "What?" I hissed back.

    She shrugged, and I was just left there confused and worried. I needed that drink to make its way back around. I think I am going to finish it.



    Kamino, Tipoca City
    Obi-Wan Kenobi

    Rain poured down onto the city outside the window I was looking at. It had been a couple of days since the raid, yet the still rising smoke indicated that some areas were still smoldering and undergoing repair. This had been a very damaging assault, but the city had survived and only a few of the production facilities were significantly damaged. Unfortunately, a majority of the Kaminoan's storage of Jango Fett's DNA was destroyed. With only a fraction of cloning material available to be used, the Republic will face an eventual shortage of clones as the Kaminoans couldn't produce any new clones until they receive another sample.

    Luckily, that was for the politicians to handle. For now, I'm focused on the realm of my own life. Which, I will admit, was getting more complicated than I imagined.

    Shaking my head, I was about to step away from the window when I heard the clack-clack of heels. Turning, I saw Tanya approaching, her hands in front of her. She came to a stop next to me, looking at the same window I was. "Good morning, Master Kenobi."

    "Good morning, Senator Kryze." I said with a nod.

    She nodded to herself. "You know, I was going to try and avoid having a conversation with you, but my staff is in a rather sour mood after we lost one of our own yesterday. They feel that I should try and speak with you while I have the chance, since you seem to be avoiding me as well."

    "I wouldn't say I'm avoiding you; I was just very busy with the war." I said, looking out the window before nodding and meeting her eyes. "Though I will admit I'm not exactly sure how to speak to you now that we know about our connection."

    "Yes, the father-daughter thing." Tanya said with a nod of her head. "Not exactly sure how to talk about that myself, except to point out the fact that you are having a flirtatious conversation with another woman."

    I sighed and shook my head before saying, "That was merely banter between enemies to unbalance the other."

    "Some very long and prolonged banter. Is that how Mother defeated you?" Tanya mused. "Isn't that the first step to losing fights, letting the enemy get in your head?"

    "No. I'm also trying to get in her head as well." I said matter-of-factly, looking at her.

    "Why?"

    I looked back out the window towards the city before replying, "Perhaps I'm looking at the good in people too much, but I always get the sense from Ventress that there's still good in her. She just needs the right push to come to the right side."

    "That seems a bit too much of a hope. Even if she is, as you say, got a little bit of good in her, with how many people she's killed for the CIS, she would be thrown in prison and never see the light of day again."

    I nodded my head in agreement before saying, "That's likely, yes. But maybe she could escape the CIS and the war. Flee to Wild Space or something, find inner peace helping some world on the fringes of the galaxy in a peaceful life."

    "I can't fault anyone having a peaceful life." Tanya said contritely, and then she paused ominously. I thought I sensed... anticipation? "So I shouldn't tell Mother that you flirted with the enemy?"

    I let out a sigh, though my eye caught the mischievous smirk on her face. When Satine wore that smile it meant she was joking, usually. With Tanya, I am not sure if she would or wouldn't follow through. "You could... Well, that would just make things more confusing when this war is finally over." I said.

    Tanya nodded her head before sighing, "Well, I think we've danced around the subject as much as we can. So, father-daughter bonding thing, how are we going to actually go about it?"

    "Yes, to be honest I haven't really given it much thought due to most of my time dedicated to fighting the war." I mused. "Yet, I doubt you really need a father figure at this point in your life, considering you are already an adult."

    Tanya huffed before saying, "From what I heard, you're not that bad of a father figure to have. Anakin seemed to turn out alright after all, so if you ever want to impart a little bit of parental wisdom, I'm not going to say no."

    "Hmm, I guess that's a good place to start, though I'm not really sure what wisdom I could impart on you."

    "Give it a shot. The worst thing you can do is give me wisdom that does not work for me."

    I nodded my head, looked out the window before saying, "You lost a man yesterday. That loss is painful, and I know Mandalorians are rather passionate about their opinions on things, but you must remember that he was most likely not targeted by the CIS. Whoever caused it, you should not hold the entire CIS responsible for a single death. There are good people on both sides of this conflict — though it is hard to see sometimes, they are there."

    Tanya nodded her head, and she said, "Not bad. The CIS did not order his death, yet his killer seemed rather determined to cause damage without any care to the repercussions it would cause the CIS. I am not going to forgive her for the loss of one of my own but the fact that she has my face is even more worrying." She shook her head before saying, "Good advice nonetheless."

    I smiled before saying, "Do we hug now? Not really sure where to go from there." I'll also need to inform the Council that the Sith created a clone of Tanya.

    She chuckled before saying, "I don't think we're there yet, but you can put your hand on my shoulder reassuringly if you want."

    "That'll do." I said, doing that, as we looked out into the stormy night.


    Kamino, Cadet Barracks


    99

    "There we go, that's this section cleaned up." I mused as I finished mopping up the floor outside the barracks that I had helped defend. I had to move carefully as my leg had not fully healed yet after taking a blaster shot. The boys at Medical told me to rest until my leg healed, but with everyone giving their all to fix up our home, I couldn't do any less.

    I'm just grateful I only got a flesh wound, a lot more boys weren't as lucky. I'm sure I would have died if those Mandalorian trainers hadn't led a pincer attack on the droids. While I've been able to finally do my part and be a soldier, I would rather never have that chance if it meant thousands of others died before their time. These barracks may have been defended, but there were many others who weren't as lucky. I heard that multiple cadet barracks were missing their cadets, as in they were cleared out and the cadets are unaccounted for. Who knows what horrors those droids are going to put those cadets through.

    But now that the fighting was over, I was back to doing janitorial duties. I spoke with the young recruits who would listen to me, hopefully giving them advice towards the right path. It wasn't worth worrying about the others, or their disparaging remarks about my appearance. I've heard them all before, so it doesn't hurt me anymore. I've done my part, and that is enough for me.

    Well, that and being a fly on the wall for various conversations between some of the elite members of Kamino society. Very interesting conversations were going on right now; talks of how they were going to have to take a sample of DNA from Omega. Who that was, I wasn't sure. I would guess it would be some sort of Clone that they kept in for situations like this. Kaminoans did like to keep redundancies hidden out of the way. Seems like this contingency probably paid off if that was true. Other than that, there was also news about how the Republic was going to construct their own clone industry to produce additional soldiers, with a focus on inferior clones with inferior training.

    Sighing deeply, I hobbled over to a bench to rest my leg before a chill came over me. I glanced about before something compelled me to glance under the bench; something shiny caught the light. I reached down to pick it up and turned it over in my hands. It looked like a reflective mask with a faint crack along the middle. The light played over its beautiful surface. Inspecting the back, I found that the inside of the mask had been carefully etched with a rich blood-red ink into a stunning series of patterns. The indentations where the mask would hug the chin, nose and forehead were the only indications as to how the mask would remain affixed to a face.

    It was an art piece, it had to be. I found myself hunched over the mask, a finger tracing the elegant line work. Something so stunning on the inside of the mask, never to be seen. I felt giddy to get a chance to see something like this. How had it gotten here? No clone would have owned this, and the cloners would make something so...

    I turned the mask over again to find I had been mistaken, the silvery surface was unblemished. Perfect and seamless, there had never been a crack... Surely—

    "Ah, there it is." A voice called from my right. Turning, I saw a man approaching. He was wearing an ornate armor and an unusual helmet with wings coming off the sides that I didn't recognize, holding a staff in one hand.

    "Finally found the blasted thing." He complained, shaking his head before smiling and offering a hand to me. "Need a hand getting up?"

    I nodded and took the offered hand, and was pulled up. I held up the mask, "This belongs to you?"

    He shook his head sadly in disagreement, but nevertheless reached out. "No, it belonged to an enemy who got away. My liege wanted me to come find it, which is why I'm out here." He waited a moment before inclining his head and frowning.

    I blinked and carefully handed him the beautiful mask. "Sorry." I muttered, feeling conflicted. I stuffed my hands into my pockets, lacking anything else for them to do.

    The man looked it over, examining it up close, and judging by the eyes, giving it a grimace. "Evidence, she called it. I think it's just a mask. Not even beskar by the look of it."

    "Oh, you're Mandalorian." I realized aloud. That got a nod from him. "It isn't really my business," I mused, "I just clean. It's a lovely mask, however."

    The Mandalorian tilted his head, "Oh, well, count yourself a little bit lucky, too. Senator Kryze is offering a reward for anyone who finds the mask."

    I tilted my head before saying, "A reward? I don't need those sorts of things. My reward is making sure my brothers succeed in battle."

    He looked down at my leg. "Looks like you were in a battle too."

    I grinned. "That's right!" I said with a laugh. "Showed the droids that they are no match for even the defectives!" I chuckled but continued when he did not seem to get the joke. "I was running grenades from the armory to the front lines so that we could defend the barracks."

    The Mandalorian nodded his head before saying, "That's how it should be. Sometimes not everyone is born with the ability to fight directly. Fight with whatever you have, however you can. Soldiers need ammo, but they also need essentials, especially good clothes. Even the youngest shepherd or weaver is valuable if they contribute. In the tapestry of war, everyone has their proper place, at least that's how the ancient ways were."

    "Thank you for your kind words, sir." I breathed. This is the first time anyone has ever given me such words.

    "But enough about that, what's your name? I'll make sure you get a reward nonetheless."

    "99, sir. And really, I don't need it."

    "99? Terrible name for someone with your amount of courage. But I see that's what Kaminoans do." He shook his head in dismay. "Name is Tabi Kregg, by the way, and keep an eye out. Wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow, Tanya's putting up enough credits to get you a job in the Mandalorian sector."

    I laughed before saying, "I wouldn't even know what to do outside the jobs I do here. Besides, someone has to make sure my brothers know what they're doing before they get sent out there."

    Tabi shrugged before saying, "Of course, but what are you going to do after the war?"

    "Never really thought about it. I'll likely die of old age long before the war is over. And if I don't, I'll be too weak to be of much use anywhere." I admitted, gazing at the rain coming down outside. "I do know that most of the boys are probably going to end up in Mandalorian space."

    "Galaxy is a big place. But no doubt some will." Tabi agreed in the tone that my brothers used when they didn't want to insult me with their disagreement. He didn't understand, then.

    "The instructors — the ones the boys respect, at any rate, talk about Mandalore. The boys lap it up." I nodded towards the window and the weather outside. "Our little corner of the galaxy is..." I struggled for the right word.

    "Matte." Tabi agreed. "Lackluster. Beige in soul. I haven't been here long, but I know what you mean."

    "But the way the instructors talk about it, Mandalore is mythical. Most want to go there one day. Not just some." I hoped the Mandalorian knew the scale, the weight. Some brothers refused to think of anything beyond service to the Republic, but others had a vision. I did not know where it had come from, but one day the idea of the endless empty and green systems of the Mandalorian sector had captured the imagination of a unit. Then a company, then the entire army. The dream of peace, farmsteads that stretched out to the horizon, quiet and simple labor for the rest of our days after the war.

    I could not see it myself, our place was not the same as those we were born to protect in the Republic. We were different, and it did little good to ponder on what was right, what was fair. Goodness only came from kindness and service to your brothers. That was enough for me.

    Tabi nodded. "Really? Well, consider accepting it then. You could help your brothers transition into civilian life after this is over. Help them succeed after the war."

    "I'll give it some thought. If your superior really is going to give me something like that... B-being of use to my brothers is all I really want in life."




    Coruscant, Jedi Temple
    Tanya Kryze

    The return trip from Kamino had been rather quick and speedy, but any positive thoughts regarding my fast return to Coruscant were thoroughly overshadowed by what happened on Kamino. Not only did I lose a trusted subordinate to a clone of myself, the report I was required to give about the Clones' lack of reproductive education and the risks of spreading their engineered genetic traits has been made redundant.

    After the attack on Kamino reached the Senate, Chancellor Palpatine struck while the iron was hot and had pushed for a "Clone Care Act", which included giving clones additional rights, along with financial support and a pension after the war. Which was frustrating, considering the votes that were done without the information in my reports. While my trip to Kamino was essentially next to useless, getting clarification on what impact the clones would and wouldn't have is useful for any long-term integration plan.

    On another note, important questions pertaining to the war were also asked. Such as how is the Republic going to continue the fight with the Separatists if Kamino had been lost. The war hawks had already answered that by suggesting recruiting from the existing Republic population and building a proper army to fight the droids. They even proposed we draft locals to garrison their home systems, so the clone garrison can be transferred to the frontline as a more palatable solution.

    I watched holo-vids of the debates that I had missed, but the important parts of the conversation that I had been able to gather were twofold. First, the Republic was now looking into establishing additional sources for supplementing their army, including moving some of Kamino's research to a planet that would be more defensible than Kamino, possibly somewhere in the Core. Second, and this part made me somewhat happy, the Clone Care Act had given clones equal rights, at least after their service had concluded at the end of the war.

    Of course, the war hawks still considered the clones no better than droids, but there were concessions to allow them to work after the war other than garrison duty. It was also clarified that any products of clones, such as their offspring, did not bear the same financial responsibility as the clones themselves. It was a stretch, but it was better than nothing. At least they weren't considering transferring the clones' debt of creation onto their children. That's something we did not need.

    All in all, the situation was in a better place than it had been when we had left. Sure, there was chaos on Kamino, but that was not related to the issue of clone rights. That's not my problem, but I'm sure it will be in the future. Some senators would demand to open up more cloning facilities now that Kamino is damaged. But with the clone's and their children's rights secured to some extent, the idea that clones are just biological droids would be a problem that would heal in time.

    As long as people viewed the clones as people, they would be more willing to push for them to have luxuries and eventually freedoms. If they continued to view them as meat droids, they would be open to exploitation. Or, and this was just a possibility, unless there were some serious mental controls that I was unaware of, eventually resulting in rebellion. Yes, during my meetings with the Kaminoans, there were mentions of a few mental controls and indoctrination in the clones' research, but you can only push a person so far before they can't take it anymore. People are not mechanically destined to fall under the control of others.

    Leaning back, I looked up at the sky, wondering what the stars would look like without the light pollution from across the planet. It's impossible to tell, but I tried to imagine it. I was surprised that there hadn't been any efforts to create a few dead zones to keep the night sky visible. Then again, what few dead zones that might exist were possibly in derelict industrial districts that are most likely used by criminals or the homeless. Unfortunately, the Jedi Temple is surrounded by active buildings for miles around so there is more than enough light pollution to not make this a suitable stargazing location.

    "Tanya, come for a visit, have you?" The familiar voice of Jedi Master Yoda called from beside me.

    Grinning, I looked down from the stars and said, "Of course, Master Jedi. It's been a while since we've had one of our conversations. I thought I'd pay you a visit and see how you're doing."

    The little green alien nodded as he hobbled over, sitting down on the bench next to me in our favorite little park on the roof of the Jedi Temple.

    "A long time since we've had a conversation, it does feel like." Yoda said, nodding his head. "Much has happened. Yes. Not hard to see why we haven't had a chance to speak, Ms. Kenobi."

    I chuckled at that unusual name and title. "How long have you known? I heard that Master Kenobi got a grilling from Master Windu, but you spoke in his favor. It feels like I am the last to know on this particular subject."

    Yoda laughed good naturedly, "I was not aware as well, so you were not the last to know. But something about you, there was, that did remind me of Kenobi when I first saw you. A familiar melody in the Force between you. That is a story for another time. Tell me, young Tanya, what brings you to the Jedi Temple in a sour mood? I can feel it in the Force, something burning in your mind, which is odd, considering the victory in the Senate you were given today."

    I smiled at that in pained sympathy, "You pay attention to Senate politics."

    "Unfortunately, yes." Yoda confirmed, nodding dramatically. "Often forced to, especially with the ongoing war. A busybody, the Senate has been about the Jedi's efforts to try and run the war. Ever since Kromus..." He shook his head, visibly sadder. "In some respects, wise they are, to try and keep an eye on us. A dark affair, that was. But in others, they hamper our efforts to end this war. Thankfully, the Chancellor has intervened and prevents the Senate from interfering too greatly. Yet, control over much of the military, he has also gained, over the last few months."

    "Chancellor Palpatine is one of the Jedi's greatest allies, from what I've seen. That should not be too big of a concern." I replied.

    Yoda nodded and smiled briefly again. "We believe so, too. Though there are those who worry that giving him this power, this ability to prosecute the war, may backfire. He has already, after all, superseded democracy to stay as Chancellor instead of retiring after his two terms."

    I nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's an understandable worry. Although I believe he will eventually step down once the war ends. He doesn't seem like the corruptible type — he has declared multiple times of stepping down to preserve the spirit of democracy. He wants to save the Republic, from what I've seen."

    The little green master nodded his head but said, "Off-topic, I believe we are. What troubles you, young Tanya?"

    "Sorry." I finally leaned back and said, "During my trip to Kamino, one of my handmaidens ran into one of Count Dooku's agents, a wielder of a red lightsaber and force abilities. Apparently, though this agent was of a different species, yet she bore my face."

    Yoda tilted his head at that before saying, "A clone, but not a clone? Yes, Kenobi reported as such in his report. Not the first time, this is. Remember, do you, the uprising at the start of the year?"

    "Hard not to. It delayed my birthday for a whole month." I replied.

    Yoda chuckled lightly, "Next time, invite me, would you? Been to a Mandalorian birthday party, I have not."

    I nodded my agreement, "I'm sure that can be arranged." I held in my smirk at how uncomfortable that will be for my father next year.

    "Returning to the topic, Young Skywalker reported that he defeated Count Dooku during the uprising. Or at least someone who looks like Count Dooku. Retrieved, the body was, and fooled I was as well. But report it we didn't because at the same time, elsewhere Count Dooku was spotted, hmm. Obviously, still alive he is, and yet the corpse remains. DNA confirms that it should be Count Dooku, but it's not. A clone, it must be. It's strange that your clone is not the same species as you, unless..." Yoda looked away, clearly concerned about something. "Anakin mentioned that this 'false' Count Dooku was not very Force adept. He had some of Count Dooku's skills with a blade, but his Force powers were minimal. You say that the agent you fought uses Force abilities."

    I nodded my head and asked the question that had been bothering me, "My father is a Jedi and this agent, my clone, appears to have Force abilities. Does that mean I have them too? I-I really don't care. I'm not a Jedi, not a soldier. I'm a politician. I don't need those abilities to do my job."

    Yoda's smile crackled a bit before saying, "Of all the politicians I have ever met, one of the better ones, I think you are. Most would probably be secretly trying to learn how to use their abilities for their own security, they would claim."

    I chuckled, "From what I've seen, nothing like a good blaster can provide enough security for me. I'm not fighting space wizards; I'm running away."

    Yoda laughed out loud, "Always in motion, you are, Tanya. Feel free to stop by anytime. A joy it always is to have our conversations, hmm."




    Raxus Secundus, Dooku's Palace
    Asajj Ventress

    Standing before Count Dooku, I laid the container with Jango Fett's DNA sample on his desk, "I have returned, Master."

    He smiled as he looked at it and said, "Very good, my apprentice. I'm still undecided on how to use this in the future. Your success should cause issues with their supply and production for the next few months, allowing us more opportunities to weaken the Republic."

    He summoned the doctor he had been keeping on retainer, the one who was good at cloning. "Take this to your lab. Let me know when you find a useful application for this."

    "Of course, my Count. I will get started right away." She said, intently examining the container before leaving the main office with it.

    Count Dooku stood up and stared down at the city below, "I've heard something rather interesting today. Well, I wouldn't say heard, shouted rather."

    "Someone had the gall to raise their voice to you, master? I wonder how long you allowed them to regret that." I raised an eyebrow, curious about the situation.

    Count Dooku huffed as well and said, "Unfortunately, I had to restrain myself as the boy is too valuable to be taught his place. The young Prince of Mandalore demanded an audience, and the droids almost blasted him."

    "Ah... the New Mandalorian." I said, understanding his concern about maintaining a delicate balance of alliances.

    "Yes, the boy that Liliya was talking about. His sister was on Kamino during the attack. Unfortunate timing. He was angry, blaming me for putting her life at risk. Of course, it took a while to convince him that this operation was planned long ago and that I had no knowledge that his sister would be there. Truly unfortunate, though. If I had known, your orders would have included her capture."

    I nodded my head before saying, "It shames me to admit this master, but even if you had given me such an order I doubt I would have been able to carry it out. There were far more Jedi present than the intelligence suggested, more Mandalorians too. Even with our numbers, it was barely sufficient to accomplish our primary objectives."

    Count Dooku nodded, "Your capabilities, and that of your subordinates, must be improved, Ventress. While I am pleased that you know your limits, you must never cease to push beyond them. You shall never eclipse me at your current rate of growth, and the Galaxy shall be poorer for it. But we shall set that aside for the moment. Ensure that your report to me focuses on the capabilities of the young senator and her guard. There may well be valuable information that will aid in the operation to apprehend her. "

    "Master, do we really need the senator on our side? She is untrained and weak. There are other, more promising candidates who have yet to join our forces. Why must we spend so many resources and so much of our focus on this particular girl? We have plenty of Dark Jedi and Acolytes in our Order already."

    Count Dooku studied me before he spoke, fingers steepled at his desk, "That is true, we have numerous candidates that are Force sensitive and are willing to learn to wield a lightsaber. Our development of dark acolytes is slowed only by our lack of qualified instructors and facilities. Thus, we must focus our efforts on individuals such as Tanya, who is a natural with the Force. She wields it without even realizing it's nature, piercing even my illusions without effort. Those who are capable of piercing illusions are a rarity, those who can pierce them without even realizing it are invaluable. If we bring her to our side, we would have an agent positioned within the Senate who could become a perfect counter agent. An agent that requires far less training than others to be useful in identifying and unmasking my master's other apprentices."

    I furrowed my brow, and I had to admit that having an agent already in the Senate is a unique asset that could not be easily dismissed, especially if that agent is very Force sensitive as to ignore illusions all together. Count Dooku stood up and collected himself, "Come, we are going on a walk."

    I followed him as he walked out of his office, leading us into the hallway and then out of the manor. From there we continued until we reached the far end of a plaza, away from the manor and closer to the woods. He stepped over to a stone spire and pressed a hidden stone.

    "That should do." he said matter-of-factly, while I patiently waited for him to continue.

    "There are eyes and ears everywhere, as I've learned. Through the staff, I discovered that my father was very concerned with those eyes and ears. He turned to ancient magic charms and spells as a solution. Most were of no use, evidence of the ignorance the masses of the galaxy have of the true nature of the Force. But this unassuming pillar, this Stone of Obscura does hold power, one that has frustrated my efforts to replicate its properties. If someone is trying to listen to us, they shall fail regardless of how they intend to do so, so long as we're near this stone. I do not use it often because the more you use it, the more likely someone will learn of its capabilities." he explained.

    I nodded my head, understanding the need for secrecy, as he continued, "You are someone aware of my Master's position, not fully, but you are aware of some things. That he is powerful and well-placed, since he controls the Confederacy. What you don't know for sure is that he is powerful and well-placed within the Republic Senate as well."

    "So what you told Kenobi is true?" I asked, seeking confirmation.

    "Very true. This war will see my master's rise to powers and heights unseen within the Republic. And the Republic's fall, well, I was promised a New Order to replace it, one that would see the issues of the Outer Rim finally resolved." He revealed.

    "What about the Mandalorian Senator?" I prompted, needing clarification.

    "Senator Kryze represents another option. She is a growing power within the Senate, not strong yet, but with the potential to lead and unite multiple factions into a force to be reckoned with. A possible rival to my Master on the political battlefield, but one he has yet to stamp out. I suspect because he thinks that she could be my replacement if I were to fail. I'm aware that he has other students under his influence. He claims to abide by the Rule of Two. I see his duplicity now. I suspect that I was once one such replacement to his original apprentice, the one who killed my former Padawan. He most likely has multiple contingencies like that on the board, ready to be brought to the fore." He explained further.

    I listened intently, realizing the complex web of power dynamics at play, as he continued, "Thus, I'm doing the same, with great care. I know that he would order me to remove my students if I ever amassed too many in his limited vision. Or if they were ever to grow too powerful."

    "So, what is your plan? To bring Tanya to our side, place her in the Senate as the leader, and in the war after removing your Master?" I inquired, trying to piece together his grand scheme.

    Count Dooku smiled and clapped my shoulder kindly, saying, "Precisely my apprentice, his vision is limited. Beholden to ancient paranoia and has no place in the galaxy when the Jedi Order falls. We must take steps to remove the poison that is the Rule of Two. It is folly of the greatest order to believe that two alone would be able to effectively administer the galaxy. With my master gone, I could end the Sith and build something new. Interestingly enough, this gives me an option I had not considered. If I control the CIS and a student of mine controls the Republic, why, there's no reason for the war to end conclusively. Perhaps it would be worth considering some effort to find a peaceful resolution. Perhaps it is time for a multipolar galaxy, one where our New Order protects against corruption and pointless infighting by controlling the many governments under our influence. We are still far from accomplishing that, but in time, it is possible."

    "I understand, my Master. The Republic has spies everywhere, and who knows what operations of theirs will interfere with ours. I will be more careful with our planning in the future, to avoid failures due to entanglements with The Republic." I emphasized the word, despite the stone's protection, to show I understood the implications. If Count Dooku's Overlord controlled the Republic, then their actions and his were one and the same.

    Count Dooku seemed to consider things for a moment before he nodded, then he reached out to press the stone before walking back towards his mansion. I quickly fell in behind him.

    "Do you believe that the senator's presence on Kamino is a coincidence?" I asked, curious about his thoughts.

    Count Dooku nodded, "Oh, I doubt it. He's well aware of what I have planned. I do doubt that he believed it would be as successful as it was. That will be a surprise, I'm sure."

    As we continued walking, he brought up another topic of interest, "How did Sev'rance and her acolyte fare? It is her first time on the field for one, and for the other, her first time back on the field after she was crippled."

    "Sev'rance did as expected. Her skill with a blade has not diminished, though her aggressiveness has. I wouldn't say she's less of an acolyte than she was before her injury, but she is not as willing to take as many risks. She isn't creating any opportunities for her opponents, never giving them the chance to get the upper hand. Her potency in the Force has diminished as well, but that is to be expected." I replied, providing an assessment of Sev'rance performance.

    "Good, good. She is still an effective agent, but if I hadn't shown her a few of my techniques, she would have died. Now she's learned to be more cautious of her own life in combat, which may diminish her abilities to cause damage to the enemy. But it will be useful when this war is over, especially when we have to deal with the next war to unite the Rim." Count Dooku remarked, acknowledging Sev'rance's effectiveness.

    I smiled at the implication of uniting the Outer Rim, which meant resolving the issue that hindered proper communication among the Outer Rim territories. Currently, the Confederacy was divided into two fronts. Although there were workarounds, the Hutt Space blockade posed a significant obstacle.

    Not to mention, much of the corruption that Count Dooku talked about did come from Hutt Space. Unleashing the Droid armies, his new Dark Acolytes, and mercenaries on the Hutts to bring them to heel was an interesting idea. Even just diminishing their empire somewhat, enough to allow safe transit, would be very useful. Though the Hutts do have a military of their own, it consists mostly of mercenaries and pirate scum that would not last against a Droid fleet led by a B1.

    "As for her Acolyte," I continued my report, "she is an acceptable apprentice for Sev'rance. She managed to make it to the cloning room without being spotted and retrieve the sample."

    Count Dooku nodded, considering the next steps. "Good. Perhaps I'll pay Dr. Zotho another visit tonight. If her first clone was as successful as that, I wonder what else she can create for me. The Arkanian have proven themselves far beyond that of other cloners I have contracted over the years. The Doppelgänger Project I told you about before was a failure. He died the first time I even let him out."

    He shook his head in embarrassment and continued, "We're still months away from Mother Talzin producing the agents she has promised me, and we should keep our expectations measured so as to not become complacent. You will need to return to your homeworld to oversee the final process and prepare for our plan to capture the senator. While she is not a lynchpin of our efforts, I do wish to prevent her from falling into my master's hands." He paused as if considering something before continuing.

    "In the meantime, I shall send Sev'rance and her apprentice to investigate a potential temple, somewhere unknown to my master. It shall serve as a training ground for our new students, a refuge and an exercise in prudent redundancy. It is a wound, a place of darkness where neophyte Force users might hone themselves." Count Dooku commanded, outlining his plans for the future.

    I nodded, acknowledging his leadership, and said, "I will see your plans come to fruition, Master, I shall not fail you."

    "You have proven yourself many times over, my apprentice, but do not become overconfident. While I do demand much from you, I also demand that you know your limits." His tone took a softer tenor as he spoke. "Your corpse is useless to me." I struggled to resist the smile that came with his acknowledgement of my prowess.




    Writer's note: And there we go, chapter 61! Woo! And the first chapter of the new year! Been working hard to get this out. It took a bit because this used to be two separate chapters that we had to fit together, but I think turned out good, and now we get in the groundwork for the next arc and man it is a doozy of an arc.

    Please comment, review, and generally enjoy yourselves…



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    • Chapter 61
    717 FNM (21 BBY) Month 8



    Mandalore, Sundari
    Tabi Kregg

    Hauling the suitcase behind me, I greeted the Jedi Knight, "Welcome to Mandalore, Knight Tur-Mukan." I gestured towards downtown Sundari with my free arm, showing off the city as we disembarked.

    Tur-Mukan looked around and commented, "I was expecting a lot more green." Huh? I nearly dropped her suitcase, but managed to disguise my shock with a grunt of exertion.

    "Ahaha, yeah, the jungles have been dead for a long time, and the Excision didn't help." If she didn't know what the Excision was, I'm gonna have to give her a Mando history book. I mused as I carried her suitcase towards the waiting Royal speeder. Clearing my throat, I blandly said, "We just have to get you to the Republic embassy after you meet Duchess Satine, and then you'll be good and safe."

    "You really don't have to carry that for me." Tur-Mukan offered as I opened the door for her.

    "Nonsense! A gentleman should always carry a lady's suitcase, especially considering you're a Jedi. In a fight, we'd have a better chance of winning if both of your hands are free." Tanya needed someone reliable to monitor the "rogue" Jedi. Khae was too inexperienced, Struc was Tanya's chief bodyguard so he couldn't go, Engiz was her romantic partner for social gatherings, Vai was Tanya's second, Kuth was a slicer and garbage at politics, and Thisish was our only medic. So I was the only viable option left, dammit Kor.

    When Tur-Mukan finally made the Jedi Council aware of her situation, they decided to station her here to oversee the CNS to replace the previous Jedi overseer, who was reassigned back to fight in the war. Tanya didn't trust her or her judgment, though, and for good reasons.

    She chuckled and said, "Fair enough. Thank you, Mr. Kregg."

    "It's my privilege." I lied. Kor was missing out on a cushy protection detail. A cushy protection detail I couldn't enjoy because I am parsecs away from the love of my life. I knew I should appreciate the trust Tanya was showing me with this very important solo mission, but I already missed my wife.

    The mission was simple enough. I was tasked with accompanying the Jedi, who had found herself pregnant by a clone, to Mandalore to spy on her every move and report her activities back to Tanya. Officially, this was a courtesy as well as additional protection for her since Mandalorians are still pretty touchy with the Jedi, especially after Kromus. This is so that she would have authority to do her official job of observing the CNS military and have someone to provide context to Mandalorian culture so she doesn't accidentally offend anyone important. Tanya wants to keep track of any Jedi wandering the Mandalorian sector, but Tur-Mukan merited extra attention, as she had been assigned by the Jedi as an overseer on the CNS military buildup. If she died to a random Mandalorian, then the Senate, the Jedi, and her husband might cause problems for Tanya.

    Coruscant wanted a Jedi presence on Mandalore to keep an eye on things. Tanya wanted me to report back on all of Tur-Mukan's comings and goings, who she met with, what she observed, and if possible, the contents of her reports back to the Jedi so that she would have advanced warning on any potential issues that pop up. Additionally, Tanya also mentioned that I "make sure she didn't make any more enemies" during her stay here. The last thing she needed was more third parties involved.

    Besides, three months of light duty and the chance to put together a surprise honeymoon for my wife? I'll make it worth it in the end. I definitely wasn't lying to myself as I took a seat across from her in the Royal speeder.

    Tur-Mukan sat across from me in the speeder car as it started moving. Glancing out at the city, she remarked, "I will say this, Mandalore sure has a thing for lights. It's almost like Coruscant down there, and yet I can still see sunlight." Oh Manda, I have to actually keep her away from the public. Idly, I wondered how a street vendor would react to that comparison. Probably not well, seeing as Coruscant was the reason they had to live under a dome-city in the first place.

    "The New Mandalorians like to have plenty of sunlight in the city. They don't want to be confined inside armor all the time or stuck indoors. So whenever they can use thick glass in construction, they'll use it." I pasted a fake smile on my reply.

    "You're not from here?" She asked, looking at me.

    I shrugged and replied, "No, I'm from Harswee, it is a much greener planet." I smiled as a wave of nostalgia came over me. "More rural, with clean air and endless fields."

    "Ah, is that anywhere near Vorpa'ya? I've heard that a Jedi Temple was built there, and it was one of the options suggested by the Jedi Council on where I would be stationed, but they decided that the Republic embassy is a safer place to observe the MSDF due to the current hostilities there." She remarked.

    "Harswee is on the other side of the greater Mandalorian territories. Vorpa'ya is similarly stunning, or so I've heard." I had to pause at the mention of my friend's homeworld; dammit Kor. I covered it quickly. "Makes sense your Council mentioned it. I'm sure that once Vorpa'ya settles down enough, you'll be able to visit the Temple." I said with a shrug. "If not, well, Sundari is still a great city. I may have only lived here for a couple of years, but it's a gem in the desert, you'll find plenty of places to relax around here."

    We continued in silence for a moment before I asked, "Out of curiosity, if you don't mind a personal question, what did the Jedi Council think about your situation?"

    She sighed dramatically before she looked at her lap, "They were worried about me, but ultimately rather accepting of my choices. They accepted that I may leave the Order when war's over, that's why they gave me this lighter duty. I am relieved, but I also worry for my friends and family still fighting in the war, while I am safe here, in Neutral space."

    I nodded in understanding, "The disappointment felt by your peers when you are retiring can be the hardest feeling to deal with."

    She looked out the window to think, before her face morphed into an annoyed frown. I followed her gaze as we passed what appeared to be a hastily created art piece on the side of a building, showing support for Death Watch's current operations against the Republic and the CIS.

    "I don't understand why they are so beloved here. They've stolen a Republic battlecruiser and they've been supporting the CIS's efforts to fight the Republic, yet they seemed to be celebrated by the local Mandalorians." She said abruptly.

    I shrugged, "Some celebrate the good they did in killing those responsible for the massacre, others don't. The tapestry of our history is something that we remember well, and it informs our current politics. And Mandalorian politics are complicated even in peaceful times."

    "Mandalore seems like a boiling cauldron of political ideologies about to explode at any moment, True Mandalorian, New Mandalorian, Death Watch, and Silver Mandalorians."

    I said, "Eh, not really. I've been paying attention to some of the reports and it isn't as bad as you'd think. The pacifists don't want to fight, so they are not a problem. The Silver Mandalorians support the Republic nine times out of ten, or at least support an independence movement that doesn't require war. And even Death Watch, the most radical among us, is currently seen as vigilantes, trying to save Mandalorians who are internationally not recognized as Mandalorians. So, as long as Death Watch doesn't cause any trouble, the others would continue as normal."

    She looked at me, all while stating each word slowly, "Interplanetary. Terrorist. Group."

    "If they want to go out and fight for one side or the other, they're allowed to, as it's their choice. They just can't come into our space to hide out from any retribution for their actions. We have the Royal Guard and the Mandalorian Self-Defense Force to hunt them down if they do."

    "That doesn't make any sense, why wouldn't you just arrest them as soon as they reveal themselves?" She complained.

    Which led me to shrug and explain, "If we did that, we are obligated to arrest those that helped the Republic as well, to maintain our impartiality. You're stuck in the mindset that's overtaking the Republic and the CIS. That this war is zero-sum, and you have to choose a side. Well, we don't. The Duchess wants nothing to do with it, so Mandalore and the CNS will have nothing to do with it. Better than losing lives for a war that we want nothing to do with. Those few who do want to be involved can go off and do it, but that's their own problem. Not everyone in the sector believes in the same thing, people are allowed to have their own thoughts and opinions"

    She shook her head, stating, "I still can't see why they would support a terrorist group."

    I huffed, she was the one who didn't understand something so simple. "Things aren't black and white out here on the Rim, not like they are in the Core. Hell, we don't only view the Jedi as some government branch but also as an ancient rival. Most Mandalorian children are still taught about Jedi spells and fighting styles as well as how to combat them, we have a completely different mindset to the rest of the Republic." I paused as she looked like she was considering my words. After a moment of silence, I changed the subject. "Last time I was in the Core, I happened to catch some fashion holo that featured Jedi Master Aayla Secura."

    "Ugh, I remember that." Tur-Mukan said, rubbing her forehead. "Jedi outreach programs are the bane of our Order."

    I chuckled again, "People were suspecting that a lot of her fashion wear was being given to her for free as payment for being on the show."

    Tur-Mukan sighed heavily, "That's not exactly how that works, but that's enough painful thoughts for today."

    "Most here don't worry about fashion that much, just nobles and those from my homeworld. It just means that we decide what is fashionable year to year." I chuckled, "I mean, the only reason you'd have to worry about fashion is if you got invited to any social gatherings. Though I am sure your Jedi robes are culturally significant enough to suffice for every occasion." I discreetly used my vambrace to confirm our arrival and location to the Palace Staff.

    Moments later, the comm unit in the Royal speeder rang. Tur-Mukan looked at me, confused. I explained, "The Duchess must have been informed of your arrival."

    Tur-Mukan let out a little groan before reaching out and picking up the communicator, saying, "Hello?" into the receiver.



    Gargon, Mandal Hypernautics Vehicle Test Range
    X4

    "Remind me again why we are here instead of back in my office?" I said as I watched the Basilisk variant of the new Mythosaur Fighter tank, navigate the training yard.

    "We're here to inspect the training of the Mythosaur-B. Even you, should be aware that there is no substitute for an accurate assessment than a personal inspection. The factory set to produce these variants has their productivity steadily grow with each completed vehicle." Big Bear explained before he continued.

    "Months ago, you predicted the additions would be too expensive for mass production to be of any interest to any party, except perhaps the Hutts. Well, the Hutts refused the contract, the fools. Citing skepticism with the 'novel droidbrain elements of questionable loyalty' of the tanks. Likely due to the fact that they couldn't find a way to threaten them into compliance like they would with an organic crew. They were still interested in any spacecraft sold by Mandal Hypernautics, but any tanks they purchased needed to not house a Basilisk brain. It's not something that can be done overnight, the entire frame was redesigned to house the Basilisk brain, it would be simpler to just sell the conventional Mythosaur to them."

    The Wardroid seethed in rage despite relaying exactly what I had originally told him about the design. "Most of our factories are queued for producing the conventional Mythosaur. With B-variant tank production being assigned to a single factory, the plan to have them be the mainstay of our armies will slow to a crawl."

    "Ah, you brought me here to complain about your failure to market your pet project." I surmised in an annoyed deadpan. In truth, I had already studied reports on the output of these variants. Over two hundred of the slightly larger Mythosaur-B tanks designed to support the Basilisk droid brains were already produced. Half of that number was delivered to the Ordo Self-Defence Force, and several test platforms were provided to the MSDF for observation before widespread adoption. A few Mandalorian planetary governors also bought a dozen Mythosaur-B each for their SDFs as something of a prestige piece, while the rest are currently in storage or training here.

    Other CNS PDFs had shown interest in the Mythosaur-B to a limited capacity. Since they aren't Mandalorians, they are not banned from using battle droids. Early inquiries for contracts had been made, but progress on that front was limited; it did, however, represent potential buyers for the platform. Because of that potential, I offered the various them a discount on the B-variants if they decided to order some conventional Mythosaur since a majority of the components of the B-variant tanks are interchangeable with the conventional Mythosaur tanks. The early phase of contract negotiation had not been concluded quite yet, and I did not want to waste credits on bribes to speed up adoption of the wardroid's pet project.

    As I tuned out the wardroids raving about the Hutt's other surprisingly detailed criticisms of the platform, I observed one of the Basilisk tanks run through a series of obstacles. The machine raced about the muddy field, testing just how fast it could go, before it launched itself from a hill and landed poorly, slamming into the ground and embedding its side lift engine in the mud. The turret twisted about as the tank seemed confused about what had happened before letting out a low and loud groaning wail. Several of the other Basilisk tanks stopped what they were doing and turned to stare pointlessly at the trapped tank. One shook its turret slightly left and right as it looked to its compatriot. Quickly, several engineers on a recovery vehicle rushed over to the tank. The pathetic thing seemed to calm down as they began to help dislodge it from the mud. "We could program a machine better than this."

    "You can try," Big Bear replied, shaking its head in obvious exasperation, "yet training is better for them than programming. It's better to be a learning machine than a machine stuck in its pathways of thoughts. The warrior will learn from this, it will know how hard it can push itself and will understand the qualities, the limitations of its form better than any pre-programmed droid ever could."

    I tried not to show my contempt for that statement. Instead, I said, "That may be true, but this machine violates the treaties we have with the Republic. Eventually, we will be taken to court for these droids — it's obvious that they are battle droids."

    "Terrible treaties that should never have been signed." The Wardroid growled needlessly. "Let the Republic rage against us. The death of the Republic comes with utter certainty, for how could an able general or a good soldier be produced amid such ways of life as theirs? You know how the people of the Republic live, most of their population is a mob without discipline or experience of dangers, they live only to consume the pitiful services of the state, granted to them so they might vote in their farce of a political system." The droid ranted.

    "They are a people that has lost all stamina for war, and has been trained more effectively for servitude than the slaves of Mandalore." I concluded the quote. Causing the weapon to physically flinch. "I believe your old master said that shortly before he was killed, and his Empire shattered by the Republic."

    "You have done your research." The Wardroid grumbled.

    "We shall not antagonize the Republic, that is our Mistress's command. This is why I am concerned about this project to recreate the Basilisk war droid program. Despite the enthusiasm our Mistress has for it."

    "Without the Jedi, the Republic would have crumbled. But I understand your point. That's why these Basilisks will have a crew. We should begin the process of socialization with crews right away. The sooner these restless minds ingratiate themselves with their crew, the faster they will develop."

    "Fine, I'll have some crews put together for the program. But I really don't see how we're going to be able to sell them outside of Mandalorian Markets, let alone deploy them. Even if we give them basic training here before sending them to their final masters, they will not meet a consistent standard of operational effectiveness."

    "The fire of combat will burn away the chaff." Big Bear said, shaking its head. "They will learn or they will die. It's that simple."

    I spun about to look at him and replied, "They are expensive and time-consuming to produce equipment you are talking about. The Basilisk droid brains themselves are as expensive as three conventional Mythosaur tanks! It would be cheaper to just mass-produce regular droid brains or focus on producing the armored vehicle variants we've been creating. You think governments are going to renew contracts for substandard droids?!"

    "They are not substandard, even now, they offer any capable crew exceptional command of their combat frames and battlefield awareness. I understand that you would prefer to back your own projects, don't think I am unaware of your modular missile artillery platforms. I actually support the design, it is quite interesting, and it will probably be an invaluable asset to our mistress's ground capabilities. But unless you have an armored frontline to follow up any devastating strike, the enemy would simply rebuild their fortification."

    "The Shriek Hawk MLRS isn't exactly a secret, nor is it even my project. It, along with the Mythosaur and the Rawl IFV are products of the Mistress's desire to transform a very inefficient and expensive weapon platform into something that could be used to affordably help defend the sector. Again, you fail to understand our mistress designs, any combat capabilities we provide her are merely redundancies as her main priority is the continued growth and prosperity of the Mandalore sector's economy. To require such military assets would no doubt be an admission of failure in her mind. That is the point of a weapon like you. You are merely insurance to ensure rapid recovery in case of unforeseen complications to her plan." I retorted.

    The Weapon laughed. "You would know that purpose better than I. Burning jealousy continues to overwhelm me as you defended our mistress where I could not. If only I had been there, I would have crushed that assassin." Big Bear smashed its hand on the ground, cracking the pavement.

    "You know I'm going to have to pay to have that repaved."

    The robot pretended it was organic and let out a bellowing laugh again. "Is that all you care about, Merchant? Credits?"

    I ignored that insult, as I obviously put my mistress above mere credits. Instead, I focused my visual processor to focus on what I assume to be a firing range, the tanks simulating the firing with their cannons by activating a targeting laser at the end of the barrel.

    I noticed that whoever had set this range created silhouettes of Republic walkers as well as some of the more numerous CIS droid tanks. I withstood a flurry of concern and the dour feeling of resignation. Conflict with either party was within a worryingly high bracket of probability. After all, if those were the threats we would be facing, it was better to be prepared.

    Their combat performance is fairly notable. With the integration of sensors, calculators, and fire controls. The Basilisks were capable of extreme reaction times and high accuracy in comparison to the conventionally crewed Mythosaur. When presented with hostile targets that shoot back, they are capable of lifting themselves partially up over cover, just enough to reveal their barrel, allowing them to shoot at their target before lowering themselves back into cover in the span of a second. Some were even capable of intercepting incoming missiles with their main cannon.

    "So... when will I be given more facilities for this project?" Big Bear asked, looking at me with annoyance.

    "Not anytime soon. Not until you have secured a new contract, and I am satisfied with the trajectory of the legality of the platform. There are some negotiations with the other CNS militaries to ensure that everything is legal in the Confederacy as well as the Republic, as incoherent and messy as both legal systems are. Until then, you may only use the production capacity of this facility to experiment and mature the design."

    "Coward." Big Bear complained with a shake of its head. "But just this facility's capabilities, huh? Perhaps we can experiment with that missile artillery or some starfighter craft as well. There is an airframe production line attached to this facility that is currently not in use."

    I failed to suppress a flurry of discordant processes that resembled something of a sigh at the Weapon's insistence on pushing his luck and said, "I'll have the technical staff look into this for you. I'm sure there's a starfighter frame that would have enough room for your modifications."

    "You have my thanks, Protocol Droid. I knew you would listen to reason. You're slowly forming the soul of a Mandalorian with every passing year. Even our mistress sees that, which is why she approved letting you have the clan symbol on your shoulder."

    It seemed to stand up prouder, happy with its own superiority, which was a foolhardy notion. But what could I do when his head is filled with more servos than circuits? At least, Mistress's dedication to her beliefs on what the galaxy was coming to was being proven true. Thanks to her, Mandalore would be ready for it and hopefully able to defend itself. That would be a proud moment, for sure.

    Mandalore would be my hand in organizing a peaceful resistance, as well as being ready to defend itself when the inevitable happened. It would prove that Mandalorians were not the ancient barbarians that the galaxy feared. At least, that was the hope.

    The galaxy was a big place, and some people didn't care. I had been reading some reports indicating that some star systems were preparing their own defense forces under the assumption that Mandalore was going to join the CIS no matter what. Well, if they want to spend millions of credits creating their own SDF only to have it go to waste, then that was their own fault. They were fools and they would be treated as such. I was sure of that.


    Coruscant, Chancellor's Office
    Sheev Palpatine

    As expected, the vote went my way. Oh, I saw what Tanya was up to. I was hoping to avoid this, but I'll have to establish an opposition organization to keep her agenda in check. Perhaps encourage COMPFOR's effort to recruit her to their cause to keep an eye on her. Her efforts to drive up the price of the military was a simple plan to ensure that the Senate was less likely to fund it in the future. By making the military more expensive and giving it a face, it would encourage them to find alternatives that aren't as politically risky, minimizing the possibility of the army being abused for their own gain. Softening my war effort would strengthen Mandalore's position, which was obviously her ultimate goal.

    I had managed to establish significant control of the military from the Senate, but there was still more work to be done. The Core still had plenty of internal fleets that needed to be absorbed by the Republic military, and I had plans in motion to do that. I also had to make the Core worlds feel fear. Once they understand that they are not safe and the war was actually reaching their homes, their fear would motivate them to give me more power to do what was necessary to ensure victory. My agents within the CIS were already at work, a grand scheme to that would open a new front and savage complacent systems. If I was lucky, I might even get Corellia off the sidelines, away from the CNS, and free them from those meddling Mandalorian diplomats.

    Tanya's dauntless approach to protecting Mandalore was noteworthy nonetheless. After repeated circumstances taught her the folly of purely defensive stratagems, she turned to more and more aggressive approaches, now actively interfering in my plans. It was almost Sith-like, dauntlessness was only one step beneath ruthlessness. Imitation was the sincerest form of flattery, so perhaps when she wanted her victory badly enough.

    The victory that she wanted, of course, would have been quite damaging to my plans, but thanks to the attack on Kamino, the legislation that passed was a milquetoast compromise.

    Instead of giving the clones some rights right away, their rights will be given to them as soon as the war is over, or more precisely, as soon as their terms of service are over. And since I could extend those terms of service whenever I needed to, their terms of service were effectively indefinite. Rights could now be dangled as a reward, the Clones would be free if only we won that one last push, this next battle could be the final victory. Nevermind the absence of any of the implementation.

    Meanwhile, thanks to this legislation, there would be continued efforts to set up alternatives to Kamino, additional clone facilities to grow troops spread out across the galaxy. Enough unique facilities to ensure that such an attack would not completely deprive the Republic of troops to fight. Kamino, the entire star system, would be militarized. Significant new defenses and permanent military facilities would be constructed and stationed there. This investment would justify complete militarized control over those Cloners.

    Until this war was over, Kamino would be a keystone in maintaining my nascent Empire. But I also built towards a future without Kamino. So I looked through the latest report made by the Mandalorians about their investigations into Kamino with a great deal of skepticism. In truth, the entire character of the Mandalorians had changed in the past decade. They had undergone a rapid shift that had largely gone unnoticed to the rest of the galaxy before thrusting themselves into the forefront of galactic politics with their repudiation of the war in full.

    It was expected that the report given over to my administration would be tampered with to the benefit of Mandalore. It was unfortunate that Tanya allowed such a petty vice as nationalism to hold sway over her interests. A singular character flaw, likely to be one of many that I have not yet discovered, as is typical for mere mortals.

    Mandalore was a shabby corner of the galaxy, all things considered. No doubt Tanya would refute that fact and call it patriotism. Nevertheless, she was a competent player in the great game who had again and again conspired with my enemies, for Mandalore's interest. She had long ago earned my respect. Now she came closer and closer to becoming a rival with every plot, rhetorical flourish in her speech, and carefully considered reform. She was in constant contact with her mother, who took Tanya's policy considerations extremely seriously. Whose reputation as a stalwart pacifist as well as a history of a long and peaceful reign gave the bleeding hearts a figure to rally behind.

    I set aside my datapad and shuffled over to an evidence crate, one extracted from the Republic classified storage bureau. Various pieces of evidence that the Mandalorians had collected and provided to the Republic for the investigation into the attack at Kamino. I unsealed the crate with a wave of my hand and a spiteful command to the Force and reached inside as the chemical stasis was breached. On contact with the atmosphere of my inner sanctum, the various preservatives and other such chemicals rapidly underwent a reaction, producing a low-hanging smoke that spread out away from the crate. As the air scrubbers worked to clear the air, I reached forward to grasp the object that had been at the back of my mind for the past few days.

    The mask was a curious artifact. Nothing quite like it had ever crossed my path before, and that was quite an oddity in and of itself. I shuffled over to my desk and relaxed back before turning the mask over and inspecting the "runes" described in the report.

    It was gibberish and nonsense, numbers and letters in the long forgotten Sith language scattered about seemingly without rhyme or reason. As I held the silvery mask in my hand, I felt the Force thrum with hate for it. The mask representing some... violation?

    Intrigued, I turned myself to investigation and produced a pen for my tablet before carefully copying down the various notations inscribed into the mask. It was difficult to know where one line ended and another began, the long strings of numbers, letters and symbols seeming to simply stretch into each other. When I had finished copying them down, however, the intention became obvious.

    It was a mathematical formula. Or perhaps several, I didn't recognize all the symbols. It was clearly written in Sith, but several symbols were not present in the Sith language that I knew. Has whoever created this mask discovered new symbols to expand the complexity of the Sith language? The language born to dominate the living Force of the galaxy? How would they even go about doing something like that? And for what reason?

    Just what was Dooku doing out there? I struggled to understand the purpose of the formula for some time, and it irritated me the longer I couldn't come with an answer. Only the slow flickering of candlelight and the low hum of the electric sconces offer me some understanding of the passage of time. I did not know the purpose of the formula quite yet, but I understood one thing. They were precise, extraordinarily precise commands, the direct subordination of the Force to predictable, specific outcomes.

    I felt a grin approaching. Of course the Force would hate this mask, it was the direct subordination of power in the galaxy. A more fundamental violation of whatever will the Force had could not be found, even in the depths of fell Sith Alchemy. I could imagine nothing more insulting to the Living Force than to turn it into a dead, unfeeling machine.

    I set the mask aside with a chuckle, content with the discoveries I had made for now. The mask represented another victory for the Mandalorians for they had overcome the Acolyte that had borne it in battle. Seemingly some form of clone of Tanya herself, a fact that had been quickly been classified with the eager cooperation of the Mandalorian Administration. Fairly standard procedure to prevent a general panic at the possibility of the public's own senators being replaced by clones. Again, Tanya's influence extended far beyond her means, that was why I had conspired to send her to Kamino when I had. When I sent Tanya to Kamino, I expected her not to return...

    I wonder how that could be of use to me. Maybe I was still inspired by the mask because through the Force, I could sense some opportunity lingering that I hadn't fully exploited. Hmm, as the daughter of Kenobi, she was Force-sensitive, which meant she could potentially be a student to replace Skywalker. The young Jedi has so far ended up a surprising disappointment, lacking much in spirit that I needed to lure him to the Dark Side. As if the galaxy bent to frustrate me, that same missing spirit bloomed in Tanya.

    Dark inspiration struck and I composed a brief holo recording to summon Anakin to one of my more private boxes, at the Galaxies Opera House.




    Coruscant, Galaxies Opera House
    Sheev Palpatine

    "Anakin, it's good to see you are unharmed from the unpleasantness of Kamino. I heard the fighting was quite fierce." I checked over him respectfully, adopting an earnest expression.

    Anakin nodded, "I don't have time to stay for the entire show. You used one of the more urgent code phrases."

    "Indeed." I nodded and continued to watch the show.

    "So?" Anakin interrupted.

    I relaxed, and waved lightly in the direction of one of the staff members. "Oh, fine, fine. Directly to business, I see." I sighed lightly, "I'm waiting on a signal, then the booth will be private."

    The opera reached a crescendo for the scene, and then I saw the signal. "Good. Anakin, I don't know a light way to inform you of this." I spoke slowly and hedged my words, as if for his benefit.

    "I already know about Satine and Kenobi. And about Tanya." He sounded annoyed, no doubt it was a sore subject. Anakin's face flickered between pensive and annoyed, ignoring the show. "It's public information." He muttered. "I just can't believe he got away-"

    "A few months ago, I believe I witnessed Tanya's fumbling early steps into the use of the Force." Anakin's attention snapped to fully focus on me. "I didn't believe it at first. I told myself I didn't know what I was seeing at the time, and surely, I thought I must be mistaken, surely a Jedi would have noticed."

    "Yes, a Jedi would have noticed." Anakin nodded forcefully in agreement. "Plenty of people are force sensitive. It isn't harmful or dangerous." A useful statement, I'd keep it in mind in the future.

    "I see." I nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "I don't feel less guilty about overlooking it for so long, though, Anakin. And I can't ignore it any further. While initially, it seemed entirely harmless, I mean, dispelling illusions, detecting lies, these are practically a public service." Anakin almost nodded at this, and at his encouragement, I continued in a stronger voice. "Tanya's manipulating the minds of other Senators, I fear. It may even be partially unconscious, her unknowing fumbling and strength of her conviction... Compulsion." I ended in a whisper.

    If confronted about it, Tanya would defend herself, and that defensiveness would play right into her apparent guilt. I could already imagine her face, shocked and horrified at the suggestion, and yet unable to deny the capability. Her word would be worthless to Anakin, every Darksider learns to use the Force to hide and twist the truth. My spies even told me she was once trained to fight against and combat Jedi tactics. So each and every one of her denials would only make Anakin believe my story more, and of course, Tanya would never submit. It was a perfect bind. It would destroy Anakin's faith in Kenobi and the Jedi Order, especially after he was forced to kill her to protect the Republic from the Dark Side. Anakin would fall then, and join my new Empire.

    "Tanya, well, I consider her a friend. That's why I — How, I knew you would understand." I hesitated, my flustered appearance a ruse to demonstrate authentic weakness.

    Anakin seemed stunned, and in a way that told me he completely believed it. His expression flickered through a few emotions I recognized, disbelief, then understanding, and finally dawning horror. The emotions resonated strongly in the Force. "You haven't told the Jedi. About this. Have you?" The last was practically a plea from him.

    I marveled at how easily he allowed this to drive a new wedge between him and the Order.

    "I'm afraid." I admitted. I let the Opera singer's voice crash over the booth's silence again for a few moments. "I'm afraid, Anakin. It's weak of me, I know. But any other Jedi, if they knew she was a Darksider... Well, you'd know better than me what the outcome of that would be for her?"

    "Death." Anakin was pale.

    Now it was my turn to appear suitably horrified. "I didn't — can't believe that's the only way..."

    "I-this-we" He struggled to put his thoughts in order. "This explains so much. The Kaminoans said Tanya split up from Senator Burtoni and her guards during the battle. Ditched them both. Was she meeting with someone? One of Dooku's Sith apprentices?"

    "There may yet be an innocent explanation..." I hedged weakly, as if I didn't really believe my own words.

    "No." Anakin was looking darker and darker. "I fought this creature, a monster, Durge. I fought him to a standstill, and when he was out of time, the monster escaped me with no great difficulty. The Clones said Tanya also fought Durge off. I was confused when I heard it because that makes no sense, it hates Mandalorians to its very core. I could feel his hate in the Force. It wouldn't shut up about it. No innocent explanation can explain away that."

    "And yet, she returned to Coruscant." I adopted a softer, more hopeful tone. "I don't believe Tanya is lost to us. This...this mission is why I summoned you, Anakin. You are the Chosen One, you can find a way to bring balance to her, surely. There must be a way."

    The resolve on his face told me I had succeeded. Anakin took a breath and slowly let it out, "I agree, there must be a way to resolve this. She could stop using the Force..." I quickly shook my head, in disagreement.

    "Could you stop using the Force, if required to save lives?" I asked him.

    Anakin frowned. "That's not the same at all. There must be some solution! I found a way with Padme."

    I smiled sadly, "I'll leave it up to you then. But I fear you must act soon, Jedi regularly visit the Senate, and I can't protect her from your Order. That would be overstepping the bounds as Chancellor."

    Anakin whirled out of the booth, with death on his face. I felt the turmoil in him had still not reached its climax, and wouldn't until the confrontation. For now, it settled into a low dread that would bloom into fear, rage and most vital of all, hate. I let myself smile as I leaned back on the chair and plotted my next move as the mediocre opera played in front of me. At least their music had improved since the last time I was here.



    Coruscant, Green Singularity
    Tanya Kryze

    Vai never changes. Everyone was a bit wound up after Kastel's death, so she suggested going out to a club.

    I could have said no, but frankly, I could use a drink, so I wasn't against it. Plus, I needed some time to recover from the insanity that was the Senate recently. Shaking my head, I reached out and grabbed my drink, a ne'tra gal. Vai had managed to convince the club owner to get some Mandalorian drinks, and I was going to enjoy some Ne'tra gal. At the very least for tonight.

    Leaning against the bar, I looked out at the dance floor as the other club attendees were currently engaging in the half cognizant undulation that passed for dancing. Vai had managed to find some rather revealing clothes for this occasion, and I had managed to avoid wearing an equal amount of revealing clothing.

    So far I had also managed to avoid being dragged onto the dance floor with Vai. Instead, I was leaning at the bar with Vai, Khae, and Engiz as we all drank, just trying to relax and recover. However, I must admit that I was not entirely against the idea of dancing.

    Perhaps the alcohol was influencing me, or maybe it was the hint of spice in the drink, reminding me of the far reaches of the galaxy. The dance floor felt unusually alive, as if it were itself alive, so I was somewhat tempted to step onto the dance floor…. Too much drink maybe? Or maybe not enough either way Vai ordered me another noting that I finished my current drink



    I've never been a dancer, so I would probably suck. I can do a couple of waltzes thanks to my training for my princess career, but that's not the proper kind of dance for what's going on out there.

    Engiz sips from his drink before saying, "So Tanya, what do you think about what's happening on Kamino?"

    I looked at him and shrugged, saying, "One of the most degrading behaviors towards humankind, or I should say, all sentient species. Using cloning to such an extent shows a complete lack of care for what they are creating, treating them only as products. Once you start seeing people as products, you stop seeing them as people. I hope our efforts over the past month will prevent that from spreading to the Senate."

    "And if it doesn't?" Khae asked. I simply shrugged.

    "If it doesn't, then we're in for a bad time. If you stop seeing soldiers as people and start seeing them as numbers that need to be filled, it becomes much easier to fill those numbers with regular humans rather than clones, especially if you don't care about their training."

    Vai sighed as she listened in, muttering, "Honerless behavior to treat those who fight for you as a number."

    Engiz shook his head and said, "The Republic doesn't have a standing military, not really. If they got rid of their slave force of clones and replaced it with some sort of conscripted force. They're likely going to have problems."

    I raised an eyebrow at him and replied, "Who says they need to conscript forces? Have you seen the propaganda they've been spreading everywhere? 'The boys in white are fighting, so you don't have to.' Choices in words can shape perception. They have an easy way of saying, 'The boys in white need help, volunteer here.' There are millions of clones, but there are trillions of lives across the Republic. A decent marketing campaign should easily find plenty of people who would willingly take up arms for the Republic under those circumstances. Heck, some places don't have the greatest pay or prospects, so joining the military is also a way to improve those situations. That's why we have a volunteer military like the Mandalorian Self-Defense Force."

    Engiz nodded and said, "Well, I guess we just have to keep fighting for the rights of the soldiers. It's the best way to prevent it from getting worse, I would assume."

    "Correct." I said, taking a deep sip from my ne'tra gal drink.

    "Hey Tanya, want to go out there and dance?" Engiz asked, putting his drink down on the counter.

    I looked at him and then shrugged, saying, "Sure, why not?" I put my drink down next to his, and he took my hand, leading me out onto the dance floor. "I don't really know how to do these club dances. I'm more used to..." I trailed off as we stepped onto the floor.

    "No worries, we'll just do something simple." he assured me, putting his hands out in an obvious waltz position. There was enough room for us to slow dance, and at the very least, the two of us would be rather close as the music played. I also noticed Vai dragged Khae along to the dance floor with us.

    Carefully, we navigated through the crowd, trying not to cause too much disruption among the other revelers. As I held his hand, I noticed how strong it was. How alive I felt. The alcohol in that drink must have been strong, I thought to myself as I leaned in close and my heart beat faster.

    "Tanya." Engiz said, causing me to look up at him from the position I was leaning in. As I did, he seemed unsure of himself for a moment, as if he wasn't sure what he was doing. But then, there was a look of determination on his face, and he leaned in and kissed me on the lips. My eyes widened in surprise, but I didn't stop him.




    Coruscant, Senate Building, Atrium of the Senate
    Tanya Kryze

    Rubbing my head, I tried not to think about the night before, for many reasons. Sure, the kiss had taken me by surprise, the fact that I enjoyed it was annoying to admit, but also not a major issue. In the grand scheme of things, it was bound to happen, we'd been playing as a couple in public long enough that of course he would want to try to move that forward, and well, I've yet to find a good reason to say no. It was something I was going to have to think about... but that was not what was giving me a headache today. No, that honor would belong to the fool who was the source of this Senate meeting.

    Whoever was in charge of naming bills needed to be found. Their lives are probably in danger. The Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill. Invasion. It is so obviously not going to pass that I am half convinced that the CIS was the one who sent the bill to waste the Senate's time.

    The legislation had everyone up in arms, not literally but quite a bit more than half of the Senate. Even some of the militarists were breaking ranks and speaking out against the proposal.

    Which was good for me. With more than half of the entire Senate galvanized, I didn't exactly need to speak too loudly or seem out of place to throw my support in. After all, I am the Senator of Mandalore, and the Senatorial leader of the CNS faction. I was strongly opposed to building a surveillance state.

    The Chancellor hadn't wasted more time allowing the bill to be reviewed, which would only have let opposition to the legislation build even further. He moved for an early vote, held today in the Senate. Senators busy elsewhere have been passing through the atrium, entering briefly and then abandoning the chambers all day to cast their votes, while I've not left, still monitoring the legislation's progress from here.

    That's funny how war changes things. Before the wars began, the Alderaanian senator and Padme were in two different factions. Alderaan wanted to defend itself in case war started, and Padme was all-in on pacifism. Now, both factions wanted a ceasefire, or to at least limit the damage. So they were both working together, creating a bloc that could occasionally stop the militarists in the Senate. Padme's plan was to meet up early in the voting and stick around all day to show solidarity.

    Shaking my head, I looked over towards the Senate entrance, wondering where Padme and the other leaders of their faction were. They were late, which meant we were getting a little bit restless, as the few idling senators with me glanced about as if not quite searching for their presence. I was about to strike up a conversation with Vai when I saw two senators making their way towards me. "Jakker-Sun, Kin Robb." I said, giving them a nod as they approached.

    "Good Morning, Tanya." Senator Robb said with an odd smile before continuing, "Quite an exciting conversation going on today, don't you think? So many factions that tend to actually dislike each other, finally coming together to do some actual work and prevent this abomination of a bill from passing. It almost makes me have hope for the Senate after all."

    Senator Jakker-Sun nodded his head, "I don't know if this is a sign that there's hope for the Senate or if it's just a sign of how irresponsible people are getting the longer this conflict goes on, but it is good that there is a line that people do not want crossed. Though I will admit, too many senators on the other side seem more than willing to give up the freedoms of the people they represent."

    Nodding in agreement, I said, "If it doesn't affect me, why does it matter? It's a common mistake politicians make. Of course, it's also a common mistake not to read the fine print on the Senate bills. From what I've read of it, it would affect senators just as easily as it would affect the average citizen of the Republic. So either they are so fallen into warmongering that they are willing to give up their freedoms for security, they pledged their support for something in return, or they're just not paying attention."

    That was one of the other reasons I was not exactly keen on this bill passing. Having my messages read by the police state was something I do not want to happen. Especially considering my double personality as the accomplished philosopher, warlord, and businesswoman, White Silver. If that got out, well, things could get very complicated, very quickly.

    "Indeed, indeed." Senator Robb agreed, nodding her head, "Like many on Taris, they have similar mindsets nowadays. Do you know that some of the local government of Taris, even though we have officially signed on to the CNS, has actually been pushing to allow more Republic troops onto the planet? Their presence at all is a crime. GAR already considers Taris the headquarters of the 10th Army."

    I shook my head, saying, "I understand the concern. After all, Taris is on the Hydian Way, which is strategically important to the area. But the local government needs to stop pushing for more troops. They're putting Taris's neutrality at risk, and if they keep that up, well, the Council of Neutral Systems will be forced to remove Taris from our coalition to preserve its neutrality for the other member planets."

    "I know, I know." Senator Robb said, sighing and nodding her head, "I keep arguing that this would endanger the protection the CNS provides, yet local officials keep justifying it over the extra credits the garrison brings in. However, there is a worrying amount of growing support that wants Taris to join the war on the Republic's side. You'd think after the whole Kromus incident that the inclination to join the war would actually fail, but it seems that some people on Taris consider that event a fluke that will never happen again now that it's been brought to the courts."

    "Oh yes, the courts." I scoffed, "An institution that took forever to demand payment be given out to the survivors. Getting half a billion credits is hardly a consolation after your homeworld was rendered uninhabitable. How many people can even claim it? A few thousand?"

    "It's all in the wording, only 'permanent residents' can claim the settlement. Even locals on the outskirts of the system cannot claim a single credit unless they can demonstrate they had a permanent residence on the planet. I would be surprised if a hundred people in total are going to see their claims go through." I was honestly stunned, that was cold even by the standards of the notorious Republic bureaucracy. It was not uncommon for a planet to have tens of thousands of migratory workers who would return to their home only on special occasions to see family. They would no doubt attempt to claim the settlement only to find out that they had no grounds for the compensation despite their murdered family and friends.

    "What a mess, truly. I cannot imagine how much of a slap to the face the settlement must be for most of the survivors." Not to mention that with so few people claiming the settlement money, there was little reason to assume that any lessons would be learned. It occurred to me that several of the more wealthy members of the Republic enjoyed owning permanent holiday homes across the galaxy, some families owning fully stocked properties that would not be used for centuries. There was a good chance that people who had never set foot on Kromus IV would have grounds to claim a settlement.

    "Complete insanity." Senator Robb pulled me from my dark musings. "The courts won't do anything to prevent the next screw-up from the military." She said, echoing my thoughts out loud.

    Hmm, there perhaps was something for CNS to gain from this a bit of positive publicity never hurt. Mandalore could always use more immigrants. I would have to think on it at another time, so for now I would store it away.

    "A truth that's harder to understand for people outside the Senate than most would know." Senator Jakker-Sun with a shake of his head before looking around, "On the topic of security, yours seems a little bit lacking today. Don't you usually have a whole retinue to escort you, Senator Kryze?"

    I smiled deceptively, not outwardly bothered by the suggestion I wasn't capable, despite ample evidence to the contrary. Some refused to learn in all ways except hard experience. "My handmaidens should be enough to ensure my safety. I gave my Royal Guards a day off." I answered breezily.

    Technically, I had even less than my normal retinue, although if needed, Khae was still in the building. So it was just me and Vai attending this meeting, and we should be plenty capable for any eventuality.

    However, I noticed a discrepancy, hadn't there been a few Senatorial guards at the entrance a second ago? Was the Chancellor so certain of the bill's defeat that he left early? However, I was distracted by the sudden appearance of the late arrivals; all three Senators from the opposition faction appeared at the atrium entrance. Senator Padme, Senator Organa, and the leader of the anti-police state movement, Senator Philo, walked towards me.

    "Looks like our meeting's at an end." I moved to leave the small group that had formed around me and join them. Then the Senate front entrance exploded.

    My hand instinctively went to my side, where I hoped to find the hidden deactivator I usually kept there. But it wasn't officially allowed, so I tended to leave it in my office, unless I knew I could get away with it. Vai had been recently reprimanded for carrying one absentmindedly. Senator Philo made a similar aborted motion, before noticing my look and identical situation. We shared a look of concern as debris that seemed suspiciously well-planned fell to block off and obstruct the large atrium entranceway. Intruders were dropping from the ceiling, several droids not of CIS make, or at least not major make, and what appeared to be a Duros cowboy, as well as other hostiles.

    "Good morning, senators. Cad Bane, at your service. From this moment on, you should all consider yourselves in my care. Behave, and this will end nice and peaceful, no one has to die pointlessly today. So whatever happens to you is your own damn fault." The Duros cowboy's introduction had the desired effect, as shocked expressions of fear appeared. He led the group of criminals and droids that herded the crowd of assembled senators and faction leaders towards the center of the atrium.

    "I don't know who the hell you are, but I will not listen to such insolence." Senator Philo shouted, striding away from the tightening cluster of senators, heading for the atrium service door's. Apparently, he thought he could just demand things from a man with a blaster, though that didn't last very long, considering Bane didn't even look as he shot him in the back, killing him instantly. I definitely didn't facepalm at his idiocy.

    "As I was saying, follow what I tell you to do, and everything will be fine. Don't, and, well, you'll end up like this good Gran here."

    The crowd got very compliant, and we all moved to the center of the atrium. Amidst the jumble of soft panicked voices, I thought I recognized a droid from its familiar synthesized voice, "-bad feeling about this." Yes, C-3PO was with Padme, it seemed.

    Cad Bane looked us over again, before saying, "Alright, don't bother with your communicators. We are jamming your comms and have control of the hard lines. We're all the company you fine folks need."

    Next, one of the Weequay hostiles spoke up, searching the crowd with his rifle scope. "Where are the Mandalorians? I know there was supposed to be a couple here today."

    With annoyance, I watched the crowd all kind of turn and look inwards at me. "Thanks a lot, my fellow senators." I mutely cursed them in my head.

    Cad Bane and the Weequay pushed their way through to me, looking me and Vai over before saying, "Hand over your weapons."

    "I don't have weapons. Only the Jedi get a religious dispensation for their lightsabers." I attempted. Technically, the vambraces weren't a weapon.

    "Haha. I could let Alama search you — if you prefer?" Cad Bane softened his voice, addressing us as if sharing a secret. "I must warn you, though, he is a slight kleptomaniac." Alama merely laughed darkly.

    "Fine." I grumbled with annoyance as I started to unlatch the vambraces on my arms. For a brief moment, I thought about pressing the emergency button that could reach the Mandalorian Tower from here. However, it likely wouldn't work, and even if it did, their jamming might block it anyway. So, I unlatched them and handed them over. Vai looked very annoyed, fiddling with hers for a few extra seconds, presumably to delay and annoy them, before handing it over.

    Cad Bane did seem suitably annoyed and unimpressed. "Do you really expect me to believe that you don't have any additional weapons on you?"

    Alama kept his scope focused on me and grunted harshly in agreement. "You're Mandalorians. I've trained with and fought your kind before. Come on, I'm sure you have at least one knife hidden on you. Better hand it over now."

    I folded my arms and said, "I actually-"

    Vai interrupted me, sighing loudly and reaching down, pulling a blade from under her dress that had been attached to her calf before handing it to Alama. She repeated the motion for the opposite leg, handing the second blade over. She then pulled a throwing knife from her right boot, before handing that over too. I raised an eyebrow before shrugging.

    Cad Bane chuckled, "That's more like it. Tie them up."

    "Is that really necessary?" I asked as two droids came forward, pulling out handcuffs.

    "Taking away your weapons is just taking away the easy ways for you to cause problems. You can still punch your way through a droid, most Mandalorians could. So, unless you prefer the fate of that Gran over there, we're going to tie you up, and if you keep asking questions, I'll have you gagged as well."

    "This is blatant discrimination against Mandalorians." I grumbled, getting a laugh out of Bane.

    "I ain't the sort to take chances, young lady. I am not underestimating the pair of you." Cad Bane replied smoothly as Vai and I were tied together, back to back with our hands bound behind us and forced to sit down, while the other senators were merely left in a huddle.

    "Just one question, then." I tried. "Why are you risking your lives attacking the Senate? Making yourself an inter-galactic criminal had to have cost quite a bit of money. It would have to be worth at least enough to settle yourself down permanently in luxury in some hidden corner of the galaxy."

    Bane chuckled, "Well, I will admit it is a nice bit of money that I'm being promised, but I have no interest in settling down. I'm currently the best bounty hunter in the business because the last one settled down. I have to thank you for that. Dunno know how you did it, but it made my life a lot easier not having Jango Fett out there taking all of the fun jobs."

    I smiled coldly, "You're welcome. Just helping out a fellow Mandalorian."

    "Ha, you're a dangerous one then, quite dangerous." Bane said with a shake of his head. "Going to keep an eye on you, in particular."

    Alama produced a gag and tied it around my face.

    "Just as promised, now be a good Mandalorian and don't cause me any trouble, yeah?" Bane gave me one last look, before giving a dry laugh and turning away. He walked just outside the circle before using jetpacks on his boots to jump up to the second level of the atrium. As I watched, he produced a communicator device.

    It was unfortunate that he did that because, well, I would have been quite interested in hearing what exactly this was all about and who he was talking to. But, on the other hand, I was quite enamored by the jetpacks on his boots. Is that a thing? How come I never heard of that? Where can I get myself a pair? Two more points of thrust on the bottom of my feet? Well, that'd be a lot closer to what magic flight had felt like. Not to mention, having backups in case my main jetpack was damaged was nothing to sneeze at. I'll have to look into that. After this mess, presumably.

    Hostage situations, in general, were to be avoided. Negotiating with hostage takers is stalling at best, or more likely, a sign of how weak your position was. So it was very likely that this would end in violence. Well, more violence. I tapped Vai's back five times.

    "Same. Unless one of these battle droids is also their slicer, there has to be more elsewhere." Vai whispered back. Understanding that I counted five hostiles around us. "I am starting to think that we should just not give our guards days off at this point. Fun stuff always happens when they aren't around."

    I merely sighed, as she did have a point. Mother was bound to react badly when she heard the news, no matter how well I resolved this. "By the way, I still have a knife in my left boot. We can cut the ropes when they are distracted." Of course she does as I roll my eyes in exasperation. I guess Aunt Bo's lesson of being over prepared worked out.



    Writer's note: Woo-hoo! Another chapter out! That's the good news. Bad news, out of the frying pan and into the fire. Damn it a terrorist attack? Who saw that coming? Oh, well. Everything will be fine… wait… did Engiz make a move on Tanya?

    Please comment, review, and generally enjoy yourselves…



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    • Chapter 62, 717 FNM (21 BBY) Month 8
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 62
    717 FNM (21 BBY) Month 8



    Coruscant, Federal District, VIP Landing Docks
    Anakin Skywalker

    "Be sure to keep in contact with Rex and the rest of the 501st, alright, R2? . Most have shore leave, but if anything comes up that needs my attention, let me know." I pressed the cockpit hatch release, which opened my starfighter's cockpit, allowing Coruscant's cold air to assault my nose. Most of the Clones exercising their leave had been trading their passes, upgrading to visit Mid-Rim sectors was unexpectedly popular.

    R2 chirped an affirmative as he descended in his elevator to the dock for its routine maintenance.

    "Master Jedi?" One of the flight deck crew greeted me gruffly. "Diplomatic shuttles from the Jedi Temple and Naboo Embassy are both here for you."

    "Oh, uh,right. Thank you." How did she know I was here? I then turned to Ahsoka, "Uh, I'll need to speak with the Chancellor about getting the 501st resupplied. Boring, flimsy work you wouldn't want to deal with. Might take all day, you know, so why don't you go to the Temple and catch up with Barriss."

    Ahsoka raised an eyebrow as she smiled at me. "Alright, Master, I know when I'm not wanted. I'll go give Barriss a visit. If you need me, I'll be at the Temple." With her piece said, she turned around and made her way to the Temple shuttle.

    With Ahsoka out of the picture, I breathed a sigh of relief. While I had told Obi-Wan about my relationship with Padmé, I am not ready to tell my Padawan that particular can of worms. With nothing else to do, I made my way to the waiting Naboo shuttle. As the doors opened, I saw that Padmé was already inside. I entered a bit stiffly, waiting for the hatch to seal, and the privacy screens built-in to the shuttle windows to activate.

    Once the shuttle lifted off we embraced each other as the shuttle entered the stream traffic heading towards the heart of Coruscant. "Padmé, you know I love you but we have to be more careful, especially in Coruscant. You shouldn't have come here to meet me, people are going to start asking questions if we keep doing this more often."

    Her face turned into a beautiful frown. "Your schedule says you're meeting the Chancellor. It'll be fine."

    "You could have missed the vote for the... what was it called?" I paused, trying to dredge up the name of the legislation from the HoloNet.

    "Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill." She finished. "The vote isn't going to be held for a couple of hours, I will make it in time."

    "Your opposition would use any excuse, any slip-up, against you." I countered. "It may be fine now, but we can't risk more meetings like this, you can't risk us. Just look at how the HoloNet treats Tanya." The HoloNet loved playing clips of Tanya's guards getting into diplomatic incidents.

    "Tanya maintains her reputation on purpose and she is doing alright." Padmé shot back.

    "Uh-huh."

    "She told me."

    I just grunted in response and wrapped my arm around her. Now I couldn't bring up any other topics on Tanya. At least not today.

    "You-You don't believe me!" She stiffened in my arms.

    "I believe that she told you that." I could tell this wasn't working.

    "Now you don't trust my judgment, either!" She hissed back.

    The argument spiraled from there, and didn't end until I handed her my lightsaber as a demonstration that I did trust her. When we arrived inside the Senate Building, the shuttle landed inside Padme's private parking before going our separate ways.




    Coruscant, Senate Building, Chancellor's Office
    Anakin Skywalker

    I wasn't alone in the Chancellor's office, so I was limited to topics about the 501st and the war in general. The Vice Chancellor, Mas Amedda, and Senator Shayla Paige-Tarkin were present, which was fine, as my men are what I am prioritizing at the moment.

    "The replacement cloning facilities for those lost on Kamino are fully operational across the Republic. Some of the faster growing Clone variants should be available in a couple of months." The Chancellor sounded eager to return to the offense now that we aren't going to experience a shortage of troops.

    "That's a relief, the Jedi Council was worried that the attack on Kamino would affect troop replenishment. And even still, the sector armies may need additional t-" The lights went out suddenly, replaced by red emergency lights.

    The red on white light scheme was eerily sinister in the dim emergency lighting.

    "What the Sith." Senator Shayla Paige-Tarkin stood up and spoke, reaching for a sidearm that wasn't there. The Chancellor was similarly standing.

    Vice Chancellor Amedda was dabbing his thick thumb at his oversized datapad and moaned. "My HoloNet access has been cut."

    "What is going on?" I asked, turning towards Palpatine. His face was a mask of bafflement, the same as the others.

    If Vice Chancellor Amedda wasn't pale before, he was now. "I-I have a comm request. I don't know how, I still don't have network access." He pressed a button on his datapad and accepted it. The comm squawked out a harsh sounding voice, full of amusement.

    "Apologies for the inconvenience, Chancellor, but I've taken control of the east wing of your Senate Building, and the occupants are now my hostages. If you care about their lives, I'd advise you to free Ziro the Hutt from your Detention Center so that my men can pick him up."

    I froze. Padmé had arrived with me at the Senate. The communicator cut off, the Vice Chancellor having muted it.

    "Wha-what should we do?" The Vice Chancellor was all cold fear. I felt cold as well, but for an entirely different reason. There was only one kind of diplomacy that worked on hostage situations, in my experience. "S-Senator Taa was supposed to meet u-"

    "The Senate Building has a backup hardline to the HoloNet." Palpatine announced, taking control of the situation. I unfroze, of course the building would have a back up connection. The Chancellor had already turned about, and reached his desk. "Let me try and access it from here."

    A moment passed and he frowned. "The line from my office is not working either. Anakin, there's also a hardline terminal directly a few floors below my office. It won't have been cut as that would trigger the alarms."

    "I have no idea where that might be." I said, slowly. "I'm not that familiar with the Senate Building layout." I admitted, wincing at Senator Shayla Paige-Tarkin's frown.

    "It's in the basement levels, I believe." Senator Paige-Tarken said slowly.

    A look passed between Mas Amedda and Palpatine, and the Vice Chancellor spoke up. "I can give you detailed directions, take this datapad if you need."

    "Senator Tarkin, the Vice Chancellor, and I will stall them as long as we can." Palpatine pledged, his glance taking in all the others in the room in a confident sweep.

    "I'll try and direct Senator Taa's entourage up here if I see them." It shouldn't be too difficult to find the portly senator from Ryloth, if he wasn't with the other hostages.

    "Please, Anakin, focus on the objective."

    "I'm sure I-"

    "The hardline, we need to summon reinforcements." Palpatine reiterated, "You might be trading one life for many, otherwise." And so I was forced to nod in acknowledgement.




    Coruscant, Senate Building, Mandalorian Office
    Khae Morson

    I woke up on the couch in Tanya's office. I wasn't sure what woke me from my nice nap, but unfortunately, I still remembered why I'd been so exhausted in the first place. I was up late last night dealing with a holocall from my father. He was rather upset, especially after our recent adventure in the Outer Rim.

    Actually, no, it was worse than that because Kamino was in Wild Space. He complained a lot about that fact repeatedly. That whole situation bothered him; he thought sending me to the Core would keep me safe. Instead, I'd gone with Tanya on an adventure around the Galaxy, from Tatooine to Geonosis. I am very lucky that Neimoidian laandur thought that Tanya was the one in the arena instead of me. I can just imagine how long he would chew me out if he found out I was the one running away from giant monsters.

    Stretching, I wondered what woke me up. Tanya didn't really use this office; people usually visited the main tower because Tanya held most of her meetings there. I was only here in case someone wanted to find Senator Kryze this afternoon, so I could redirect them back to the Senate atrium. But before I could return to napping on this wonderfully made couch, the communicator on my vambrace started to emit static noise. Again. I thought I muted it.

    Right, that might be what woke me up.

    At first, I was annoyed, and checked the screen to see who left the comms open. Then I noticed Tanya's vambrace was offline. Vai's vambrace was the source of the static on our group comm channel. Annoying, but stuff breaks. I sent a brief message to Mok, maybe he'd know how to fix the equipment malfunction. But it failed to send due to not having HoloNet access. Now that I looked again, somehow only Vai's vambrace was still connected. Huh. Maybe it was mine that was busted?

    I left the room to find Tanya in person, and was barely in the hallway before I halted in stunned silence. Ahead of me, a protocol droid was destroyed, pitted with harsh blaster burns. I vaguely thought I recognized its model, one of the Senators owned it. So what in the Manda had happened while I was asleep?

    Instinct caused me to crouch down and curse my long dress. I was in my handmaiden uniform, rather than my armor. Then I heard a pair of voices approaching. I darted into a nearby open office door. The offices had a complex security system; however, it was frequently circumvented by the doors being propped open by waste baskets and other items. For once, that was to my benefit.

    "Do we go to the next phase? Bane should have the atrium locked down and taken the Senators hostage by now." The voice sounded distinctive, like a Quarren, and peeking out of the floor to ceiling windows at the front of the office, I caught a glimpse of him and an IG-86 sentinel droid out in the hallway. Both were armed and dangerous. I didn't like my odds against them without armor and weapons.

    "Negative. Robonino has sent a new data feed. There is an active comm source nearby. We are to find it and deactivate it." I almost turned off my vambrace in a panic at that. However, I recalled it would make a sad noise when powering off, so I hesitated. The droid started moving away in the direction it came from, but then the Quarren swiped a device against the nearest office door's badge reader, and it chimed open. Great, they were searching every office.

    Putting that aside, the real question was, what would White Silver do...

    While he was still searching through some unfortunate Senator's office, I darted back through the hallway and back into Tanya's office. It would only take them a few minutes to search this far. So as quickly as I could, I unlatched my vambrace, and tossed it on the couch I had been napping on earlier. Then I shifted the desk as softly as I could, to create a blind spot and place where I could wait in ambush. This would only work because I knew they had separated. If they had decided to regroup, this would end very decisively, and not in my favor.

    The door's security access chimed open.

    "Knock, knock. Anyone in here?" The Quarren called. I heard his heavy footsteps entering the room. He didn't spot the vambrace yet as he wandered away from my blind spot and towards the window.

    I scratched my head, trying to think of a way out of this situation. Running wouldn't work, there was a sentinel droid nearby. And I'm pretty confident I wasn't the fastest runner of the three of us. My talents lie elsewhere, and for some reason, that summoned memories of that fateful night back home in Gargon city.

    The intruder fiddled with his earpiece, and then started bragging to other members of their team, which brought me back to reality. "Damn, what a view. Rich fools get the best stuff. Glad we're not going to let them keep them, ha." So Tanya and the rest of the Senators were taken hostage, but it sounds like the hostage takers are going to kill them no matter what. Important info, but useless to me right now. I needed to acquire a weapon.

    "What do you mean, I'm in the room with it?" He asked into his earpiece. He finally noticed my abandoned vambrace on the couch. "Wait, I have something. Looks like one of those MandoTech arm communicators. No one here, though."

    He looked the device over for a second, before tossing it on the floor, clearly annoyed at it. Then he pointed his blaster at it, oh look a weapon, and then blasted my commercial vambrace a few times. I was very glad I left my personal beskar vambrace back at the tower. I took one last look at the destroyed fragments of the plasteel vambrace, which couldn't help me now. It's not like it would have been that useful anyway, it didn't have any weapon mods, which meant the Senate Guard couldn't confiscate it. Tanya had acquired them for everyone so that we can still communicate with each other while in the Senate, since my personal beskar vambrace had weapons built in.

    "Alright, taken care of. I'm heading back." Then he turned around, with his back to my blind spot. I'd never get a better opportunity like this.

    I sprung forward and wrapped my arm around his throat, putting him in a chokehold. As he gagged for air, I just kept pulling to get better leverage until I heard a crunch. I kept my grip on him until he stopped struggling. I waited a few seconds to make sure he wasn't faking it before I gently put him to the floor.

    I think I broke something important in his neck. This isn't the first time I've killed someone. When Gargon was at war, I think I killed a few mercs from blaster shots, but that was much less personal than killing someone with my own hands. Dad had taken me big game hunting before on Gargon; this was much more unpleasant.

    I'll deal with that later once this is all over, for now, I quickly reached out to his side and took his blaster pistol and wallet. I left his earpiece alone since it could be possible that they could use it to track me. Next, I carefully heaved his body onto Tanya's rolling chair. Now to figure out what to do next.

    I needed to contact Mando Tower for reinforcements and to let them know what's going on here. I also needed to rescue the other Senators. Tanya had probably broken herself free and caused problems for her captors by now. But what did Vai's active signal mean?

    Looking at the Quarren, I can imagine that his team would be looking for him sooner or later when he hasn't returned to them yet. That IG-86 sentinel was still lurking nearby, too.
    I need to change clothes, or at least shorten the dress if I am going to be fighting. These gowns were going to get in the way of whatever fight I was going to do. I grabbed the knife off his belt and got to work shortening my dress at the knees. Once I felt like I had enough room to maneuver, I kicked off the heeled boots too, since there was a bit of a heel. I wish I'd brought something other than fancy boots to this, but I hadn't exactly expected to be playing commando today.

    Taking a breath, I moved to the door and opened it before looking both ways to determine that the area was clear. The last thing I needed was to be snuck up on by that sentinel droid. Once I saw that the hallway was clear, I moved the chair with the Quarren's body as quietly as I could, three rooms over to a supply closet. It was better for him not to be found in Tanya's office. It could give away who I was. The less they know about me, the better.

    Then again, what would White Silver do to throw off her enemies? Something to distract them from knowing who was responsible for this and make people more paranoid. Looking at the corpse, I thought for a moment before an idea popped into my head. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out some lipstick and got to work writing down a threat, at least one I believed would be quite effective, but hopefully would throw them off enough to distract them.

    Once I was sure that it was clear enough that they could read it, I stepped back and left the door ajar with his foot sticking out. The scene before me looked a little bit unhinged, this situation was unhinged — who would dare attack the Senate, so maybe it would work. Even if it wasn't exactly as good as one of White Silver's clever schemes, it should throw the enemy off, and I didn't have any more time to fix it. So, for now, I moved deeper into the building while avoiding any potential patrols.

    I couldn't help Tanya and Vai if I was captured. I need to come up with a plan, maybe link up with other survivors who had evaded capture. A Mandalorian could hope. There was a certain safety in numbers, though I probably could take on the criminals one-on-one, I doubted that they would come at me one at a time.



    Coruscant, Senate Building, Senatorial Offices
    Cad Bane

    "All agents, check in." I had a man missing. And as I made my way down the offices where his earcomm tracker said he would be I had a suspicion that we had some rogue moving about. I listened as everyone checked in; Robertino cycled the power in my section with his check-in, his attempt to impress Aurra Sing, no doubt. No one saw me roll my eyes.

    I don't know why the Hutts wanted Ziro back, but I was being paid not to care. I am being paid a lot of Republic credit ingots not to care. The meeting had been memorable, they offered a king's ransom of Republic ingots to retrieve Ziro the Hutt. Enough to buy Jabba's Palace on Tatooine twice, with some extra to spare. There must have been complications if Jabba was offering that much, but I could handle the Jedi. Jabba knew this as well, which is why he hired me. I suspected Ziro knew too much, and this wasn't a rescue so much as a transfer.

    I noticed a foot sticking out into the hallway up ahead and drew my pistol from my side, the two IG droids raised their blasters as I moved closer. As I got closer, I saw the foot belonged to my missing man, Ralok, who is dead. I'd say he probably died in the last five minutes by the looks of it. He must have died just after he said he was heading back. The interesting thing, though, was the writing on his chest. It was in Galactic Basic, so that didn't narrow down exactly who could be responsible for this, but the message written in red was quite clear.

    HAHAHA I HAVE A BLASTER NOW

    "Deranged guard?" I muttered. No, the Clones weren't creative enough for this, and the rest of the Senate staff was purely ornamental. Some unfortunate military officer, visiting the Senatorial offices today, then?

    As I got closer, though, I noticed something off about the writing. It wasn't a spelling issue or anything that simple. No, it was what the material used for the writing was. Leaning closer, I inspected it: lipstick. I am not the type to know this kind of thing, but I did recognize it from one or two liaisons.

    Reaching for my communication device, I reached to activate the device and contact Sing. She's a woman, she'd be more of an expert on this. Before I could, though, the comms squawked to life.

    "I found Shahan. Someone killed him. He didn't listen to my fashion advice, either." Sing was always a romantic, especially about the dead.

    "Ralok's dead too. Any clues on who killed Shahan?"

    There was a pause before she answered, "No, not that I can see. Used a good bit of strength, though; neck was crushed to a pulp. Yours?"

    "Crushed windpipe, but the only other clue is that someone left a deranged message on his chest with lipstick. Don't know what the point of it was, but it's there."

    "What brand?" She asked.

    "If I knew, I would have led with that information, Sing. Don't push my buttons." I spat.

    I heard a sigh before she said, "Fine, tell me where it is, and I'll take a look myself. Finding out what corporation it's from will tell us a lot about who wrote it. If we're lucky, it might be unique to their home system."

    "Thirty second floor, west side janitor's closet."

    "What? Why would they move it?"

    "Probably knows that if we found a body in one of the senator's offices, we'd know who to blame."

    "So, whoever killed Ralok is female, but the one who killed Shahan is either a cyborg or a Jedi. We got all the Mandalorians, right?" Sing asked.

    "Kryze and her handmaiden are all tied up back in the central area."

    "Well, the person who killed Shahan had a bit of strength. Put that together, and I'm going to say we have two potential candidates who are skulking about down here, some kind of cyborg, most likely a military officer, or a Jedi."

    "That could be a problem." I said, shaking my head. "Considering we're on Coruscant, let's go with the worst-case option and assume it's a Jedi. I've killed a few Jedi in my time, but I don't like to fight them head-on. Double the teams, make sure no one walks alone. We need to clear this place out and make sure we have full control. We also need to make sure they don't just pick us off one by one."

    "That's going to slow our progress in clearing this place out, give the people we missed time to get a signal out." Sing warned.

    "Not the biggest issue. We almost got who we came for, better for you all to stay alive so you can do your jobs than being dead weight."

    "Alright, I'll continue my search. I'll contact you as soon as I'm done with this floor." Sing signed off.

    If I wasn't aware of some of her past, I might have been worried about her out there alone with only a droid. But, she wasn't just a bounty hunter. She had quite a few career changes in her life, and she could probably rival me for the title of best bounty hunter if she didn't have her own reasons for being such.

    "Come on, you two." I said to the droids as I shook my head and moved on down the passageway.



    Coruscant, Senate Building, Senatorial Offices
    Anakin Skywalker

    What a day, what a kriffing day. The senatorial offices were completely deserted and darkly illuminated only by red emergency lights, so I continued forward. The building felt strangely sinister in lockdown, as if a menace lurked around every corner. I shrugged that feeling off and kept looking. I was trying to find a way to access a communication terminal to contact the outside world, and let the Judicials or the Clone Army on duty know that the senators were in danger. Unfortunately, I would guess a slicer had hacked into the security systems of the Senate building and put it on lockdown. It might even be a team of slicers, and they'd have to be on site somewhere to pull it off. I kept expecting to stumble into them around each corner.

    According to the Chancellor, there was a secondary access point to the computer systems that ran the place, hidden in the basement of the Senate Building. Getting there unseen, though, was the challenge. There were droids patrolling in the halls looking for intruders in larger, increasing quantities, ever since I had to kill that mercenary who attempted to shoot me.

    I wish I had more time to loot him for his weapon, but I had heard footsteps coming down the hall, so I made a run for it, not trusting my luck. That probably was the wisest move, considering who I'd spotted.

    There were few people who could qualify as officially Dark Jedi. Some in the Temple argue that Count Dooku was a Dark Jedi. After experiencing several fights with him, I disagreed; I believe he has firmly fallen to the ways of the Sith.

    Aurra Sing, on the other hand, was firmly a Dark Jedi. There was no other way to say it. After abandoning the Temple, Sing never displayed any Sith influences, but drew attention from the Council by taking bounties on Jedi and her preference for assassinations. From what I researched after I met her on Tatooine years ago, she had been an apprentice of a particularly notorious Jedi Master, An'ya Kuro, the "Dark Woman". The Dark Woman was notorious for her controversial training methods, which worked until it didn't, ending with Aurra Sing.

    Windu had known Master Kuro and Padawan Sing personally, but had little good to say about either. I don't know the exact details, but in her training as a Padawan, Sing ended up getting captured by an assassins' guild and turned into a cyborg. However, the Council didn't act until Sing had become a successful bounty hunter, hunting victims and Jedi alike. Honestly, it was typical, the Council tends to let these kinds of mistakes go uncorrected, especially when the victims were of no great significance. Mom and I might have had similarly awful fates, if not for Master Qui-Gon wisely ignoring the will of the Council.

    Sing was very dangerous, a Dark Jedi who could rival me in power, especially when I am disarmed. The only good news was she probably didn't know where I was, which would give me an opportunity to try and sneak past her. Otherwise, I might be rejoining Padmé sooner than expected.

    Or the Force could intercede, that could happen too. I felt an acquainted presence in the Force, as I rounded a corner and came face to face with a blonde girl carrying a blaster.

    She quickly raised it before lowering it and saying, "Oh, it's you."

    I raised an eyebrow before I recognized her. "Kay, right? You're one of Tanya's handmaidens."

    She shook her head before saying, "Khae, but close enough, Master Jedi. It's good to see you. I was beginning to think that I was the only one who wasn't captured."

    "Same," I said with a nod before continuing, "I'm just glad to have someone who knows how to fight. Figures a Mandalorian would have a blaster hidden somewhere."

    "Um, no, I stole this after I took down one of their members."

    There was an eyebrow before nodding, saying, "Right, well, that's good. The hostage takers can't have too many people, and their numbers must have dwindled to the point that they'd stay close to the hostages, which means we might be able to make it."

    "Make it where?" she asked.

    "To the HoloNet hardline, it's in a secondary comm station in the basement. We're going to have to skirt by the hostages to get there, but it's the best and only way to get help. If we can get there, we can call for help."

    She nodded before asking, "Doesn't that put the hostages in more risk, though?"

    I shook my head, saying, "No more risky than they already are. I went there earlier, and I saw a couple of their droids setting up bombs and sensors around them to keep them in place. We could at least make it so that this is a proper siege, and we might be able to negotiate their freedom."

    Khae frowned and shook her head in disagreement. "From what I overheard, it sounds like they are going to get rid of the hostages no matter what..."

    Padmé... "We'll make it, we'll get to the hardline. Summon help." Your focus determines your reality.

    She nodded and said, "Alright, I'm going to trust you, Jedi, so lead the way."

    I did as she said and led the way towards a set of stairs I knew wouldn't be as watched as others. We'd only gone a few steps when she asked a question that stammered me a bit.

    "Where's your lightsaber, by the way?"

    "Uh, my lightsaber? There are rules about keeping weapons on the Senate property, I'm not allowed to do that."

    "You're a terrible liar, you know that." Khae whispered. "I'm familiar with the rules. Tanya made sure we memorized them all. You're not allowed to keep weapons unless, of course, you're a Jedi, then you can have as many weapons as you want as long as it's ceremonial, so you should have had your lightsaber."

    "Haha, I just left it somewhere I can't get to today."

    "... So Padmé's office?" She whispered back towards me.

    I stopped mid-step and looked at her, wondering how she came to that conclusion.

    "Come on, you guys do an okay job of hiding it, but it's fairly obvious the two of you care for each other." Khae said softly, with a wave of her hand. "Plus, I saw how she was reacting when you went off to fight Count Dooku back on Geonosis. She obviously cared about you, and you have a thing for her. I doubt you two aren't at least pursuing something. It's not like the Jedi have an oath of celibacy."

    I nodded, and kept my voice quieter, "Well, let's just say yes, she happened to have it in her hands at the wrong moment, and it is currently with the hostage takers."

    Khae grunted, shaking her head, and we started moving again. We slowly moved down the stairs and I didn't make too much noise as we headed towards the lower levels. "So, out of curiosity, what is the deal between you and Padmé?"

    I shrugged my shoulders before saying, "Don't really feel like talking about that. I barely know you."

    "Fair. I mean, have you seen the rumors swirling around Tanya? Almost every other week, there's a HoloNet report about someone getting added to her harem. I guess if the Hero With No Fear started to do the same, the HoloNet would be even worse. Probably once a day, you'd have a new so-called fling in the media."

    I chuckled softly, "I actually kind of already had something like that happen a couple of weeks back."

    Khae asked, "You did? How did I miss that?"

    "It was more of an Outer Rim story. According to one particular paper, I am totally in a relationship with Aayla Secura. Their evidence? She saved my life when our ship crashed."

    I heard a stifled chuckle from behind me before Khae spoke up, saying, "Isn't that just more of an Aayla Secura thing? Like on the HoloNet last month, there was a whole exposé about her fashion interests, Jedi clothing choices, and what's her favorite perfume."

    I chuckled at that before saying, "I think it was Master Coleman Trebor's idea. He's trying to improve the public opinion of Jedi in general because of the whole situation with the Maelstrom. He thought the greatest idea was to turn Aayla into an idol, I think that was the term he used."

    "Oh gods." Khae muttered behind me, her tone made me turn to face her.

    Her hand was firmly placed on her forehead as she softly said, "I remember now. Tanya was talking to Jedi Master Trebor about the concept a few months ago. He came by to ask about the Mandalorian idols, after they had been such a hit inside our own sector, and if it could be implemented elsewhere."

    "Yeah, I thought it felt like something Tanya would come up with. Did she suggest that for Aayla?"

    Khae shook her head, saying, "She only said to make sure to find someone who could enjoy the position."

    I scratched my head, "That does sound like something Aayla would agree to."

    There were certain oddities about the Jedi Order that I noticed the longer I stayed in it. Like there was a firm set of rules that people were supposed to follow, and then there were just, I guess you would say, radicals within the Order who didn't follow them. Master Secura was more relaxed and open about accepting her culture. Master Mundi technically broke the rule about having a family, but he is an exception due to his species' low male population. Master Windu was, well, he was always investigating the Dark side when it came to his powers to try and meet the Sith at their own game.

    There was a certain hypocrisy to the Order if you looked at it the wrong way. But if you looked at it another way, it was more like, yes, there were rules, but there were exceptions too, as long as you obeyed the rules in intention.

    It was a struggle, but I tried to obey the boundaries of rules as intended when it came to my relationship with Padmé. I wanted to be with her, to have a life with her, perhaps something more. But I also wanted to be a Jedi Knight, to make the galaxy a better place. I just had to find the balance between those two. It was a tough and hard path, but I am the Chosen One, after all. If I was destined to find the balance in the Force, perhaps I was destined to find the balance between the Order and actually having a family.

    Or maybe I was being a bit presumptuous.

    Obi-Wan always said that I was being too forward with my thinking. But then again, I just spent the last few years convinced he was also a hypocrite to some extent. After all, Tanya was definitely his daughter, and now I had that confirmed. But I also had confirmed that he had no idea the entire time, which still stunned me. How could he not recognize his own child, especially a Force sensitive one? Shouldn't he have sensed a familiar presence between them? I'd always sensed a similarity between them to some extent. I knew I would have recognized my own kid if I had one.

    It probably wasn't as clear-cut for Obi-Wan to sense, since Tanya tended to keep a lot of her emotions bottled up, and that did seem to tint her Force presence from being as clear as it could be, but still.

    Could that be what Palpatine was getting at when we had that conversation a while back. But Tanya was the type to keep to herself and put on a mask of professionalism. Perhaps he had picked up on that and was simply worried because it made her look a bit shady, especially with concerns that she might be using her Force powers to coerce votes.

    I doubt that she would actually do that, she's too good of a person from what I'd seen her do. But then again, unlike most senators I'd seen, she'd also stepped out of the role a senator was expected to take on many occasions.

    At the end of the hallway, I tried to recall the directions. "I think there's supposed to be a maintenance access hatch somewhere around here." I muttered. The turbolifts would be disabled in a lockdown, and I didn't want to climb down one of those.

    Khae tapped an ordinary looking wall panel with her blaster. "Here, I think." I noticed it had a faint yellow border, barely indistinguishable from the others. A moment later, she pressed on the bottom section, and it opened. The panel swung upwards to reveal a vertical maintenance shaft illuminated by dim red.

    Khae then said, "You can go first." I grunted and stepped into the shaft, not looking down.

    Descending, the bottom was revealed to the basement levels. The ladder ended in a wide hallway, clikely used to transport supplies for the various Senate delegations. Khae dropped behind me, while I started inspecting the rooms. Immediately, though, I found something.

    A diminutive techno-service droid was hovering over a control panel in the center of the room, a somewhat unpopular model from the Colonies I recognized, a Vertseth Automata. The droid was preoccupied with something, with what I suspected was a powerful HoloNet jammer. I recognized some of its function from my starfighter equipment I'd disassembled and repaired. Also, I spotted the terminal for the hardline in the back of the room. Khae had also peeked into the room, before crouching back into the hallway.

    "I'll distract the droid and try to disable the jammer." Vertseth Automata droids were all based on the same base design, if I had to grapple with it up close, I should be able to deactivate it quickly. I nodded towards her, "You go for the HoloNet hardline." Khae nodded, adopting a focused expression.

    One step into the room, though, and the droid whirled about, alerted. "Come any closer, and I trigger the explosives." Groaning, now I spotted the motion sensors. Hidden in the corners of the room, and only focused at ground level. Flying smugly above the sensors, the droid pulled out a communicator. "Master Bane, there's a Jedi here."

    "Oh," came a voice from the communicator in its hand. "Put them on. They must be the ones who have been causing me problems. I'd like to have a little bit of a nice conversation with them so we can come to some sort of understanding."

    The droid nodded and, from where it was floating, it tossed me the communicator. I grabbed it out of the air and said, "You're supposed to be Bane?"

    "Cad Bane, Bounty Hunter, at your service. Listen here, Jedi. Where is your female accomplice? Step forward and show yourself."

    "I have no-"

    Khae marched into the room, blaster still aimed at the hovering droid. "Khae Morson. If you harm Senator Kryze, I'll hunt you down, scum."

    "Mandalorians." Bane seemed amused and wistful, rather than annoyed. "See, I don't care about any senator in particular, but I do know one thing. If you disable my jammer, the chances of anyone escaping this building goes down to zero. I have the Senate Atrium set to explode if anyone enters without my personal approval. So you really have two choices: surrender, or kill every senator you're trying to protect."

    "How about you surrender?" I countered. "After all, there's no way you're getting out of this. The security on this planet is top-notch; we're in the middle of a war. If you kill those senators, the whole Republic military will come down on your heads."

    "I wouldn't be so sure about that. The Chancellor has already negotiated quite a bit with me already. The whole reason I'm here, Ziro, is going to be released shortly. All you have to do is not cause me problems until then, and everyone will leave this place alive. Well, almost everyone. Idiots will, of course, remain dead. Why don't you just come on up to the main area and surrender?"

    "You're stalling, there's no deal." Khae asserted, the tension in the room rising as she shifted the blaster in her grip.

    "Wait," I held out a hand, signaling her not to shoot. "I want to hear confirmation from Chancellor Palpatine that he's agreed to your deal. After all, right this moment, I hold the room that can lift the lockdown. With a flip of the switch, everyone will know you're here."

    "Ah, I see you're thinking ahead, but perhaps you're not thinking with your head. Todo, execute File 37." I rushed the droid, better than finding out whatever that was.

    "Oh no! Not File 37, please, sir, no!" The droid ignored my rush, hovering absentmindedly. Khae fired, but then the droid displayed remarkable agility; it flipped upside down to avoid it.

    "Todo, execute." I leapt, and grabbed the upside-down droid in midair. There was a control port on the left shoulder of these models. If I could just-

    Todo exploded in a shower of electrical sparks. Electricity came out in a wave, hitting me. I could feel every muscle in my body shivering and stressing at the same time as I slowly collapsed to the ground. I tried to maintain my consciousness, but it was quite apparent I'd been hit with some sort of stun bomb, which had discharged entirely into my body, instead of the surroundings. Entangled, the pair of us fell to the floor with a thud; it had basically emptied its entire core at once to accomplish that. Khae was out of range of it, so there was still hope.

    "Go! Get help!" I growled out before I finally collapsed to the ground, my eyes forced to close by the electricity and the pain. My body shivered with energy flowing through it.




    Coruscant, Senate Building
    Khae Morson

    "Sith spit." I cursed as I watched Anakin fall over unconscious thanks to the droid. The only good news was that the droid was downed as well. Aiming my blaster at the jammer device, I switched it off before blasting the control panel so no one could reactivate that jammer. Once done, I went over to check on Anakin to determine that he was alive and okay.

    "Oh, how the hell am I going to get you out of here." I groaned, trying to lift him and realizing that he was six foot two. Damn, no matter how I do this, he's just far too heavy for me to lift and pull out of here. Which meant I was in a room with an unconscious Jedi while the invaders are very likely on their way here. I don't like my chances against more than one of them; earlier we noticed that patrols now had four people. I need to get a message out before they can get here.

    My options were not looking great. In fact, they were looking absolutely terrible. Grabbing my blaster, I moved towards the comm terminal in the back of the room. I wasn't familiar with how to console, it was full of diagnostic and system information, but after a few panicked moments of searching, I found it. A manual connection entry, a few button presses later, and I brought up the first person Tanya forced everyone to memorize.

    "Who is this?" A disembodied voice of Royal Guard Captain Struc came from the terminal, sounding annoyed.

    "Captain, this is Khae. I need back up, right now!" I said in a rush.

    "What's going on?" he said, the certainty in his voice indicating he recognized my voice.

    "The Senate has been taken over by bounty hunters. Tanya and the majority of the senators are being held hostage. They are surrounded by explosives, and the bounty hunters are trying to negotiate the release of a prisoner."

    "We're on our way. What is your sitrep?" The captain sounded like he was on the move now. By the Manda, things were looking up.

    "No time, they are on their way here, so I gotta go."

    "Okay, get out of there. Good luck, Morson. Help is on the way." Captain Struc signed off.

    With that done, I sprinted out and ducked behind a bunch of machinery; as several mechanical footsteps approached. I didn't want to risk getting spotted, so I just listened as four sets of footsteps entered the room and quickly went back out the way they came.

    Once I felt that they were far enough away, I went back into the comm room, only to find that Anakin was indeed gone. Hopefully, he's still alive. The only thing I can do now is to find some way to rescue the prisoners. Reinforcements were coming, and protecting Tanya was my job. Now to find my way back up to the floor where the hostages are. I tried to recall the route Anakin had led us, and retraced my steps.



    Coruscant, Senate Building
    Tanya Kryze

    Today has been undignified, humiliating, and quite annoying, to say the least. Here I was, the Senator of Mandalore, home of the most feared warriors in the galaxy, tied up like a Christmas Day turkey. My hands were firmly tied and bound behind my back, along with Vai behind me.

    Neither one of us could escape, the droids seemed to pay special attention to our location. In fact, a few times, some senators had come over to possibly adjust us so we had more room, but the droids had come into the circle to push them away, making sure that we were prevented from having any cover to do anything.

    Did my activities while I was a Senator really draw that much attention to me? Or was this just because I was Mandalorian? It was hard to say. Yes, Mandalorians are a very impressive lot when it comes to skills and escaping problems, before proceeding to make problems for the person who put them in that position. But it was also true that I have had quite a few well-known actions over the years, from what happened on Geonosis to issues I had brought about here on Coruscant, to my fights with a couple of gangs. Getting the infamous Jango Fett to peacefully retire from bounty hunting is likely to be the one that drew the most attention to those in the bounty hunting community. It would be like a completely unknown company managing to poach your star employee without any warning. Of course, the others would want to investigate what happened.

    So it was not outside the realm of possibility that I was trapped in a prison of my own design. If I was that well-known problem person, of course they're going to be prepared for me. Like by being tied up and watched like a hawk.

    We weren't even allowed to talk to the other prisoners. Padmé had come up to try and reassure me, but a droid had immediately stepped forward and motioned her away with his gun, which said a lot about how much my reputation precedes me.

    I sighed, wondering what they wanted? I knew from listening to some of their conversations that something had gone wrong, and that Chancellor Palpatine was in communication with their leader to negotiate our release. But that was about it. For all I knew, the whole Grand Army of the Republic was rolling up outside and ready to break the doors in, which was not great at all when multiple laser sensors prevented us from leaving our position. And those lasers seemed to be connected to large bundles of explosives.

    I did not feel like becoming a fine red mist because the Grand Army of the Republic charged in the front door guns blazing. Hopefully, the police of the planet had some better options, maybe an EMP weapon to disable those explosives. That was my best hope, which really says a lot about the security of the Senatorial Guard.

    From what I heard from the gossiping senators, not only had they been wiped out in apparently a few minutes, but based on the whispered gossip from the other group of hostages, none of them had managed to get a warning out that this was going on.

    Who was running this nightmare organization? They were full of corrupt officers who were either involved in assassinating senators or helping prisoners of war escape. I was not going to forget that a certain member of the CIS defense council who had been under our custody had recently escaped because of them, and now they've been eliminated easily by mercenaries, bounty hunters of all things. It's like the Secret Service got taken down by a bunch of cowboys.

    I'm not one for suddenly making bills for the Senate to vote on as a legislative tactic, like some senators do, but this was a big enough failure that if I survive this, I'm drafting a new legislation to prevent this from happening again. I'll create a caliber of Senatorial Guard that can actually fulfill their purpose. If they're going to steal the Mandalorian look for their armor; the least they could do was not embarrass themselves at their job.

    I may be a bit angrier than I thought I was, but I only have myself to blame. Mandalorians have a stigma against those that are deemed useless, the fact that I got captured and made into a damsel was going to murder my reputation back in the Mandalorian sector. I'm going to be a laughingstock for this. It only takes one political mistake to make yourself look like a fool, and this was going to make me look like the biggest fool of all. But, of course, I could shift the blame onto the Senatorial Guard to save face, it is probably all I could do.

    That might save my career, and it's not like anyone in the Mandalore sector cared about the Senatorial Guards. They would be more likely to get a kick at seeing such an ancient organization fall apart under massive scrutiny because it weakens the hated Republic. One less barrier to conquer if the Mandalorian sector succumbs to radical barbarism and attempts to reconquer the Galaxy.

    I examined the rope holding my legs together, wondering if I could cut my way through. I might be able to slide under the lasers if I can get up to speed. I carefully moved my wrist back and forth to see if I could get them free. They were behind my back, so I couldn't exactly see what the knot was like, but perhaps it would weaken after prolonged abuse. I doubt I could muster up enough friction to cause the ropes to burst into flames, but maybe I'd be able to weaken the middle enough that I could squeeze my hands through the openings.

    Hopefully, Vai would be able to sneak her hidden knife close enough to cut us free. However, we were watched constantly by the droids and there was never an opportunity for her to retrieve it. Sighing, I looked up at the door, wondering where the hell our rescue was and what happened to Khae?

    Well, one of those answers came through the door as two droids came in dragging a half-conscious Anakin Skywalker into the center of the room before tossing him next to me. Bane followed in right after them, "Well, well, Jedi, who would have seen that coming?"

    A pale nonhuman woman stepped forward, approaching Bane, "Still fell for a trap, though. Must not be a very bright one." I watched Anakin mumble something as he started to get up, and Padmé moved over to him. I also watched the look she gave me, which told me that I needed to cause a distraction, as I saw what appeared to be a lightsaber in her sleeves slowly push its way forward.

    Coughing into my gag, I attempted to get their attention. Bane looked over at me before shrugging and stepping forward and lowering the gag from my mouth. "Is this charade almost over?" I spat. "I know that you probably don't give a damn about what politicians do, but we have a busy schedule to work through. What with a whole vote to keep privacy alive in this galaxy and this delay would mean that some of us will have to work overtime. To top it off, you've killed the leader of the opposition party, so we'll have even more work to do to prevent the Republic from becoming a galactic police state."

    Cad Bane chuckled darkly, "Ah yes, a true believer in democracy. You truly believe in those democratic principles, don't you? How droll. There's only one rule in this galaxy, and it's that anything can be done for the right price. Your vote doesn't matter; it's already happening, I can assure you of that."

    "Easy for you to say when you likely have a criminal record a parsec long. But if you have evidence to back up your statement, the Senate would love to hear it. If you can provide actual evidence and not conspiracy theories, of course." I stalled.

    Cad Bane and the non-human woman were both looking at me now, buying Padmé the time to slip Anakin the lightsaber. Stupid hormonal couple, I don't know what those two have been whispering, but at least now the Jedi had a weapon.

    "As for your question about whether this is almost over, yes it is. We've already got what we came here for, so we'll be taking our leave. A shame about the jammer, that was an expensive piece of equipment."

    Clearing my throat, I asked, "Do you really think the Republic will keep to the deal? After all, you killed a senator, held senators hostage, and are trying to get a convicted criminal out of prison. You haven't acted in good faith, so why should the Republic? I don't think you're going to escape the consequences of today."

    "I don't need faith or the Force when I have explosives." Bane held up a device that clued me in that they weren't going to leave us alive.

    "You'll hold us hostage to the last possible moment to give yourself time to escape, that explains a lot." I said with a nod, I might be facing a fourth life in a moment if those explosives go off.

    "Goodbye, Senator of Mandalore, and goodbye, ladies and gentlemen. We have a guest to pick up for our next meeting, and you have your day to get back to. I'm sure the Republic will send their people inside very soon." Bane mocked, leading out the group of mercenaries, bounty hunters, and droids.

    As soon as I was sure he was gone, I said to Anakin, "Get up and cut through the floor."

    "Got it." He muttered as pulled his lightsaber out. After getting on his knees, he activated his lightsaber, quickly cutting a circle around him through the floor and creating a passageway down.

    Thankfully, the level beneath us was a standard height, a few meters down. The senators didn't complain at this point, everyone seemed tired of captivity. They moved to the hole and dropped to escape to the second floor. Before long, it was just me, Vai, Anakin, Organa, and Padmé. Vai managed to cut through her binds, and moved on to cutting through my binds.

    The ropes came loose just as I heard audible beeping coming from the bombs. Suddenly, a powerful Force pushed me and everyone else into the hole. We collapsed onto the ground, but Anakin landed upright. He used the chunk of concrete he'd cut free to fill in the hole he created as the room above exploded. The impromptu plug mitigated the explosion to a harmless distraction, everyone sighed with relief.

    Once I was sure that I had all of my limbs, I dusted myself off before I shouted, "Is everyone alive?" A chorus of "Yes", "We're goods" and other tones responded, by some miracle, we managed to escape that situation.

    Sitting up, Vai said, "I guess your assumption that Bane was more interested in making a splash in the political world rather than mayhem wasn't correct."

    I shrugged, shaking my head before saying, "Could be-"

    Anakin cut in, "Bane's an enemy of the Republic now. We're going to have to track him down, and we will not take this attack lightly."

    I nodded my head and with a smile said, "Good, happy to have the Jedi after an actual criminal for once and not be a general that doesn't know how to use an army."



    Coruscant, Senate Building Entrance
    Sheev Palpatine

    What an unexpected turn of events, I mused as I watched the senators being cared for after their near-death experience. A bit of a shame. Had events worked out properly; I would have had the leadership of most of my opponents wiped out by someone else.

    What a wondrous thing this war was turning out to be, that the Hutt's would have the gall to employ bounty hunters to invade the Republic Senate. It was obviously a hit. Why else would they have come for Ziro the Hutt? It did result in some interesting outcomes nonetheless. This should be effective propaganda material for COMPOR in further vilifying the Hutts and non-human aliens. The fact that there aren't any humans among the bounty hunters is a fortuitous coincidence.

    Taa had survived, discovered hours later cowering in a supply closet, that useful idiot always proved capable of surviving a crisis. Philo had been killed, by calling on the bounty hunter's threat as a bluff from what I heard from the witnesses. Though he was only one amongst many, with his death it was likely that I would be able to pass a few more bills that I had planned. While there would always be a rallying cry against me and my agents, one less senator in the field causing me problems was useful to me in the long term.

    Although, the young Mandalorian senator had survived as she was taking part in the vote against my attempt to increase the surveillance state. Unfortunate. But with Tanya still on the board, there are still ways that she could be of use to my plans. If she died, the least she could do would be a loss of incentive for Count Dooku, I'm sure.

    But with her alive, there were many possibilities that he may attempt in mind, Dooku may show himself to be a worthwhile student... though he was still too old and set on his ways to be my perfect apprentice. I was on my way to congratulate Anakin on saving the senators when I noticed said Mandalorian senator walking towards me with a rather annoyed gait.

    "Senator Kryze." I said with a smile, giving a nod to her as she approached. "I'm so glad that you're unharmed. This whole situation is very unprecedented in the history of the Republic."

    "Yes, unprecedented, that's one way to say it." She said, folding her arms across her chest. "It's also an extreme example of the degradation of the Senatorial Guard and how it has continued to fail in its service."

    Oh. Now, this could be useful. Feigning shock, I said, "Miss Kryze, what are you saying? The Senatorial Guard has guarded the Republic Senate for generations."

    "Yes, and in that time, they've grown complacent and corrupt. Before the war even began, one of them was responsible for the death of a senator. Another has helped a known member of the CIS escape. And now, their incompetence has seen every Senatorial Guard on duty killed in a single decapitating strike."

    She was absolutely fuming and saying some rather known truths. I watched several senators looking this way, listening in. Oh, how very useful this would be if she reacted just so. I leaned into my role.

    "But what exactly do you suggest should be done, my dear?"

    "They obviously need proper military training, since their peace time procedures have been proven multiple times to be inadequate. Perhaps bringing in some of the clones that are currently guarding the city could aid them, or hire some other security force to train them."

    I held my smile, teeth in my heart, as I nodded along, saying, "Yes, of course, I assumed you would not recommend your Mandalorian forces; that would break your neutrality agreements, correct?"

    Tanya nodded before adding, "Correct. However, I would ask that the CNS be allowed to bring Mandalorian Security forces into the Senate as a secondary force in case such an operation like this happens again. As well as allowing religious exemptions for armor during wartime."

    Hmm, the last one, I had not expected, but I could swing that. Oh, how I could swing that. Visions of Mandalorians in full armor walking the halls of the senate would be a jab to the gut of so many senators who clung to ancient history. Yes, I nodded in my head. I said, "Of course, of course. We'll have to put this to a vote in the Senate, but I will see if I can get that religious exemption through as quickly as possible."

    "Good." Tanya said with a nod, seeming pleased by my offering of religious exemption. That would be rather fun to watch, I imagine, a Mandalorian senator in full armor arguing for peace. It would be hilariously ironic from a historical perspective. Of course, very few would get the joke, considering the last time a Mandalorian in full armor stood in the Senate, the Supreme Chancellor lost his head. But it was amusing to me, and I doubt any Mandalorian is capable of taking my head from me.

    But the key points here, that Senator Kryze was advancing my agenda by helping me get what I wanted all along: clone troopers within the Senate grounds for added protection and the ability for senators of note to bring their own security forces everywhere within the facility. Meaning, I could finally bring in loyal forces from Thyrsiansa. A personal Red Guard to protect me in place of the Senatorial Blue Guard that had been found to be incapable of fulfilling their duties. Oh, how amusing.

    I nodded my head before adding, "Well, I think you should go get some rest. It has been a trying day. I'll have some chocolates from Regal Star sent over to you to help you recover. It will take time to reorganize the Senate, especially with the loss of Senator Philo. We're not going to be able to have that vote today or tomorrow or anytime soon until then."

    "Shame." Tanya said with an odd expression before adding, "Thank you for your ear, Supreme Chancellor. I know I was a little bit heated, but I do not like being at gunpoint."

    "Of course, nobody would really, so it is completely understandable." I sympathized with her plight. Every other time someone has done so, events usually spiral out of control that lead to unforeseen, unpredictable consequences. And though I quite enjoy riding the chaotic wave of this war, I don't want her to turn that wave into a whirlpool that sucks us all into some chaotic mess that will never end.



    Coruscant, Outside the Senate Building
    Engiz Ordo

    Damn, Tanya could pull an oppressive presence when she wanted to. And I only had to stand behind her. Which is both terrifying yet somewhat arousing.

    When we learned that the Senate had been taken hostage, the majority of us had dropped what we were doing to get our armor and show up as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we reached the Senate building after the event ended.

    I was not happy with this turn of events either. If I had known, I would not have taken the day off as Tanya had recommended. But what's done is done. It didn't really give much room to make me feel better about the situation, just the realities of it. All I can do now is to stay focused on doing my job now. Standing guard and keeping an eye open for assassins or any other attempts on Tanya's life.

    Although it was hard not to listen as Tanya practically demanded for more competent Senatorial guards and be allowed to wear Mandalorian armor on Senate grounds. Which is impressive considering that Palpatine seemed rather enamored with her idea. But that was hardly a surprise, Palpatine was well regarded in Mandalorian space as one of the few people in the Republic with any sense due to his support of Satine and Mandalorian self determination.

    I had to wonder if this was some sort of attempt to try and salvage some of her reputation after the whole ordeal. After all, I heard she'd been tied up for most of it, and well, that was not exactly a situation that Mandalorians are gonna respect, especially when Tanya had been captured before on Geonosis. Being seen as useless is a pretty big hit to any Mandalorian reputation when the survival of the clan historically relied on everyone pulling their weight. That sentiment was still alive today in Mando'a as laandur, and other Mando'a insults were still very much in use.

    Getting the ability to officially wear armor within the Senate Building would probably play well when it was reported back home. Tanya could definitely point to the Senate's own rules as a reason why she wasn't able to do anything when she was captured. Hopefully, there won't be a second time. I know I would be there to prevent it if it's possible.

    Once Tanya ended her conversation with the Chancellor, she made her way back to us, "Thank you for waiting. Where are the others?"

    "Securing the area, my princess." I said matter-of-factly, which was half true. Guard Captain Struc was not with us here; he had taken Peacemaker to try and follow the criminals, staying far enough back but close enough to try and find what ship they were using so that he could report it to the Jedi.

    I had volunteered to do it, but he ordered me to stay with Tanya. Then, he gave me a knowing pat on the shoulder, one that seemed to tell me that he knew about our prior night's situation. Mok probably spoofed the club's camera's or something.

    Still, I wasn't really sure if I made the right decision with that, but I hadn't been fired, so things were possibly going in a good direction, I hoped. I was about to inquire what we should do now when Vai came over while pulling Khae with her. Vai then pulled Tanya into a group hug.

    "Good to see you, Khae." Tanya said, seeming hopeful. "You didn't have too much trouble hiding from the enemy?"

    "I did alright, I think. Didn't get captured this time." She joked, referencing the last time they had been in a situation like this, where they had all been broken up.

    "Well, that's good. Vai and I were worried about you. Are you feeling alright? I know you had a bit of an ill feeling this morning." Tanya said.

    "Feeling much better, I think. The adrenaline pushed whatever bug was eating at me out of my system." Khae commented before looking over her shoulder and seeing two more people approaching.

    Padmé and Anakin joined us, giving Tanya a nod as he said, "Good to see you, Khae. I was worried that after I got knocked out; you might have been in trouble since I didn't see you when I woke up."

    Khae smiled and said, "I'm fine, just a little frazzled."

    Anakin nodded before looking at Tanya, "Hey there, Tanya. I wish we had time to talk earlier. The whole Senate crisis is unexpected."

    Tanya smiled before saying, "We live in unexpected times, I guess. The Republic's been at peace too long with the way things are going."

    "Yeah," Anakin raised an eyebrow at that before saying, "I was just wondering, though, how you're dealing with everything, you know, the chaos of the Republic, finding out who your dad is, all that."

    My eyebrow raised because the way he said that kind of implied that he was fishing for something, and I didn't like that. I didn't know Anakin that well, but he wasn't one to fish for information from what I had seen. If so, he was fairly bad at it.

    "I'm fine. Yes, there's a lot of chaos going on, but I'm thriving in it." Tanya's smile was a tiny bit forced.

    "Good, good. Well, if you ever feel a little bit overwhelmed, you can talk to me. I might be able to help you out."

    Still fishing for something, I thought, and Tanya seemed to have picked up on it as well. She seemed to have a slight twinge in her eye, as if she's looking for a way out of the conversation.

    Coughing into my helmet to get people's attention, I said, "Well, I'm sure we can arrange a meeting between you and the Princess later, Master Jedi. But right now, my Lady has been through a lot, all of them have. We should retire to the Mandalorian Tower to rest."

    "Right, right. I'll catch up with you another time, Tanya." the Jedi Knight said, looking at me and giving me an understanding nod. I didn't sense any hostility in the gesture.

    Padmé took this moment of me and Anakin talking to step forward and hug Tanya with the girls as well, saying, "I'll come by later as well. We still need to work together to try and figure out what to do now that we lost Senator Philo."

    "Of course." Tanya said, patting her shoulder. "One less ally in the coalition, taken randomly, will be troubling for the rest of the coalition. But I think we can still pull things together and crush this bill. You most likely need to step up, though."

    Padmé Amidala stiffened a bit at first by her direct challenge, but Tanya continued, "Well, you or Bail Organa to be more exact. I can't take the lead on this one. I have a conflict of interest as I'm a founder of the CNS. It would not be a good look for me to be the one in charge. It has to be someone who's not tied to the CNS."

    "Of course, I'll talk to him about it as well." Padmé softened before sharing one more hug, saying, "Talk to you later, Tanya."

    With that, we make our way out of the building. Mok, Skota, and I escorted the entourage through the heavily damaged Senate Atrium, now bustling with security and emergency officials. We ignored them to make our way back to the elongated speeder we kept for when the Peacemaker was busy. The green and blue vehicle waited patiently with X4 inside, already preparing a few drinks to help calm the nerves.



    Writer's note: Another chapter down. Events of Clone Wars continue, and we're only a chapter away from some… serious shit a new ark. But beyond that, we get to look into Anakin's mind, Palpatine's mind, and others learning more about the world and war…

    Please comment, review, and generally enjoy yourselves…



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    • L4oftheWEST said:
    But I also had confirmed that he had no idea the entire time, which still stunned me. How could he not recognize his own child, especially a Force sensitive one? Shouldn't he have sensed a familiar presence between them? I'd always sensed a similarity between them to some extent. I knew I would have recognized my own kid if I had one.
    Click to expand...
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    Sure you would. Assuming they're named Skywalker, and not, say, Organa.
     
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