Star Wars: A New Dawn

"Because the Mandalore betrayed her too I guess, I think he had no idea the Sith were arriving. I think they surprised him as much as her and he got caught in the middle." Ford said dodging a strike. "The guy is going to answer for the war he started and for working with the Sith, but we do not let people torture people on our watch."

-----

Maeror looked down at both of them. "Do not fail me again or you will never become a Darth." He said to Darren then he looked at Désir. "And you won't be a Darth much longer should you fail again." He said before turning to leave. "Bring me that holocron, Nix is a secondary objective as is that Jedi Knight." He said walking back into the Senate Building.

As he dodges the double strike of her saber and sheathe, Jaxie uses the momentum to launch into a back kick and knock Ford away a bit before landing and sheathing her saber again. "No, we sure don't. For stopping that part, you deserve a reward. But..." Jaxie circles Ford, taking a more defensive position while thinking.

Darren stood up and rubbed his throat a bit before speaking. "So, 'senior' of mine", he said and turned to Désir. "Shall we begin?"

Tamil spoke up from the corner of the training room where he had been sitting on the floor; given the clutter around him and their mutual lack of Force senses at the moment, nobody had noticed him. "The reason I reprimanded you wasn't what you did, but how you went about it, Ford." He rolled his shoulder, wincing as the movement pulled on strained muscles and cracked ribs. "You reacted with physical violence against a potential ally. More than that, you used your personal dislike of her choices and ethics to justify it. Stopping Nix was a good idea. The way you tried to do it was not."

The Zabrak master let out another sigh, leaning his head back against the bulkhead. "I do owe you an apology for how I went about reprimanding you, though. I wasn't thinking so much about you and what you needed, as much as trying to do damage control between you and Nix without setting both of you off." He smiled weakly. "As you pointed out, none of us are at our best. And as much as you've probably had the shittiest day out of the lot of us, I've probably had the second-worst. I am sorry for expecting you to be the model Jedi that you usually are, under such circumstances."

"We get that holocron." Désir said heading back towards their shuttle.

-----

Ford nodded. "Of course Master, I was wrong as well. I am just...not myself." Ford said. "How are your injuries?"

"Bad, but I've fought with worse during the Clone Wars," he grunted, levering himself up using the wall. "Ugh. I'm more worried about Ena, really. Everything she heard from Turpidus combined with the battles she fought had to be hard on her." He shrugged, smirking slightly. "I suppose that's the curse of having trouble-magnets for Padawans, as I'm sure you can attest."

Darren nodded in agreement and followed her back to the shuttle.

Ford glanced to Jaxie and smiled. "She more than pulls her weight when the trouble does hit though."

-----

Désir turned to face Darren as he stepped aboard. "Intelligence reports the Republic fleets retreated to Dac. We should begin out search there."

Jaxie stares dimly at her two seniors as they carry on with their niceties until the dialogue shifts to her as the subject. "Hello? Still in the room," she says. "I mean, really. He's more of a trouble magnet than me."

"Well that's debatable." Ford smiled.

"I could've sworn lying was against the Jedi code or something," Jaxie says, eyebrow arched.

Darren nodded. "It is possible that the holocron isn't in the Jedi's possession or it's been moved. If we find the ship we should search that first, however."

Ford looked at her and arched his own eyebrow. "So stop lying." He joked.

-----

Désir nodded. "It may be on Ossus then."

"We have already made our presence known so it wouldn't be as much of a risk to go there now.", Darren said. "What do you think?"

"Ossus." Désir said as the shuttle took off for her ship, Ziost.

----

The Inflictor dropped out of Hyperspace over Dac, the Republic Fleet was in orbit with many of the ships docking at the Mon Calamari Drive Yards for repairs.

Jarik stood on the bridge and pushed a button making an announcement.

We have arrived at Dac, prepare to depart.

Jaxie approaches the ramp, where Nix stands, waiting to disembark for wherever she may go, next. Tsuni, meanwhile, maintains her post, guarding Chancellor Mothma.

The Inflictor flew in low to the capital city, escorted by Republic X-Wings on the way. It docked on a large landing pad and the ramp lowered.

Chancellor Mothma walked down the ramp, Grandmaster Luke followed closely to her along with Tsuni, Jaxie, Ford, and Saltatha.

Jarik and several Storm Commandos brought Baltan Varad out in restraints.

Nix follows the lot of them out, arms crossed.

"What's our next move gonna be?" Jaxie asks.

"Likely the peace summit between the Republic and Empire leaders, followed by the trial of the prisoner," Tsuni says.

Ena was awakened by a hand on her armored shoulder, a familiar presence standing nearby. "Cruiz?" she muttered, digging her face into her folded arms as she curled tighter into a ball to try and fight off the reality that she had to get up. "Whyyyy?" she groaned.

"Uh..." The Petty Officer just kind of stared and blinked at the deadly Jedi who had saved their lives before acting like a child. "...we just got a call from a ship that came in; sounds like your Jedi Master is looking for you?" He phrased it as a question. "I thought you already were a Jedi Master."

"Mmrph," she grunted, uncurling from her balled-up position on the bench. "No, just a Padawan," she muttered absently, making Cruiz choke in surprise. She yawned, showing off a set of impressively sharp fangs, then rubbed her eyes with her tattered robe. "Which landing bay?"

"Bay seventeen."

"Thanks... I'll get on that." She walked off, yawning again. "Still not a morning person..."

***

Tamil brightened up immediately as he saw Ena moving through the crowd of flight crew towards them. He walked away from the group, though slightly clutching his ribs. Seeing her whole and hale, with the light in her eyes still shining bright, was more than he could have hoped for.

Rowena saw him coming and bowed abruptly as he came close. "Master, I-"

He cut her off by wrapping one arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a light, semi-awkward hug. "Thank Ashla you made it out intact, Ena," he murmured.

"M-master, I..." she trailed off, confused at her normally distant and uncomfortable Master being so directly affectionate. A clap on the shoulder or a hand up when falling was about as far as he usually went. "Am I still half asleep?"

Tamil huffed out a small chuckled, though the movement hurt his ribs. "Judging from the bags under your eyes, possibly," he pointed out as he let go, making her scowl. He sighed heavily. "There's much to discuss. But first and foremost, I'm proud of you, Ena."

She shrugged, glancing down at her feet as they fell into step with the others. "Thank you, Master," she said quietly, but it was a tainted thanks. She was holding back, and Tamil didn't like it. But he let it go. There would be time for questions once everything had been spoken of.

The fallen Mandalore was brought into a room where Grand Admiral Thrawn, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy, stood waiting. Chancellor Mothma walked over to him and the leaders of the Empire and Republic shook hands.

"So this is Baltan Varad, the Mandalore who has caused such chaos." Thrawn spoke.

Baltan chuckled as he was sat down in a chair before the two leaders. "I am."

"What do you know of these Sith?" Mothma asked.

"I know you can't defeat them." Baltan smiled. "Their leader, I don't know his name he never told me was just using me and my people as a distraction. Told me we'd be given the chance at glory like our ancestors in the Mandalorian Wars, given an large chunk of the galaxy to rule and make my people prosperous."

"You believed him?" Thrawn asked.

"He hasn't lied to me yet. My warriors have bathed in glory during our Crudsade and we control a rather large portion of the galaxy. A portion you people will never get back." Baltan said.

"You'll never rule it." Mothma said. "You're people will know of this treachery."

"So what? I'll go down in the histories as Mandalore the Deceiver but I'll be remembered and the Mandalorians will be go on to be a great empire again, no longer will we just be simple bounty hunters or mercenaries."

"Tell us what you know." Thrawn demanded.

"Nothing." Baltan said honestly. "Just that they come from the Unknown Regions and from the look of things, they have a bigger fleet, more soldiers, and more Force wielding asshats than the Empire or the Republic combined. Good luck." Baltan smiled.

"You think the Sith will spare your people?"

"Either way we'll go down fighting, like Mandalorians and that's the best we could ask for. Now either execute me or send me home to die."

The door to the room opened and in walked Mandalorian wearing Red and White armor.

"Heh, should have known you'd be their next choice." Baltan said. "So Jaster, what's it going to be?"

"You're going to die Varad, in the arena on Mandalore." Jaster Fett spoke. "You united our people so we will give you a noble death for that."

-----

Ford looked around seeing several Mandalorians near a shuttle on another pad. "Guess they're here for their Mandalore."

"Here to take him home to die." Han Solo said walking up. "Good to see ya kid, but where's Luke?"

"Right here." Luke said walking up. "I know about Leia, we'll get her back Han."

"Damn right we will." Han said.

Jil, having followed Han with Zora and Siha, narrows her eyes at the sight of Mandalorian ships. "Let's just get off this rock before they decide to try blowing it up and kidnapping all the women and children," she sneers.

Zora bows upon seeing Luke before them. "G-Grand Master Luke," she says as she takes a knee. "I... forgive me. I was unable to save Davi- Battlemaster Tay'lon." She holds a fist over her heart in salute before Siha places a hand on her back in comfort. "I am aware the fault is not mine. It is the Sith's. But I foresaw it. Had I been faster, I..."

"Zor..." Jil says.

---

Tsuni sees the Fett's entrance and sees Baltan out with him. "

Luke nodded. "Had you been faster you'd be with him. Davik died fighting, protecting my sister. He died the hero he was. Do not blame yourself. Instead we'll remember him and his deeds. We'll defeat these Sith and-"

"And get my wife back." Han said. "I'm killing that bastard myself."

Chewbacca shook his head and growled in disagreement.

"Whaddya mean I can't?" Han said.

Chewie crossed his arms and growled again.

"So what about Bespin?!" Han snapped.

------

Jaster threw Baltan down before the other Mandalorians. "Put him on the ship, his armor is to be given to the armory. Maybe someone with honor will wear it in the future."

Baltan was dragged onto the ship violently by the Mandalorian warriors.

------

Ford watched the former Mandalore be taken away. "Well there's justice if I ever saw it."

Saltatha nodded then growled.

"I know buddy, we've still got a lot to do." Ford said.

"I better get a vid of that bastard getting torn limb from limb," Nix sneers as Baltan is dragged off.

"Has anyone ever complimented your sunny disposition?" Tsuni asks.

Nix scoffs and leans back against a wall.

---

"With his final breath, Davik told me to protect Minister Organa. I will see that mission through," Zora says, picking herself up.

"Still. We would have to find her, first," Jil adds.

Case had followed Angalacon for awhile down the corridor before pressing the unanswered question, "so... Was my father bad? And my mother?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"They knew exactly what they were wanting," Neri said approaching like and Han, "if they didn't, this young Jedi wouldn't had been kept alive."
"I'm sorry I failed you all," cindal apologised.

Angalacon entered a room where a meal was set out for Case. "Eat first then we will speak of that. Meet me in the observation deck." He said leaving her to eat.

-----

Han sighed. "It's not your fault, it's that Sith Lord's and he's going to pay for it."