“We can deal with loud.” Quietly, I say, “Ava knew what this was going in. If she throws a fit, it’s on her.” I signal Jerus to follow me as i walk out of the medical bay. As I go, I call Jakito. “Any luck finding Cosen?”



“Yeah, she was outside. I guess being surrounded on all sides by Mandalorians was making her fee claustrophobic. She’s told Gavin about Salazar, so he should be on his way along with their mother.”



“Good. We’ll probably need Gavin for our little meeting. Come to the penthouse suite if you want to want to join in too.”



I bark a derisive laugh. “Yeah, no thanks. The tension is already thick in the air here. I can only imagine how bad it’ll be when you finally come out and tell Ava she needs to pack up and go. I’ll... wait for you back to our room.”



I roll my eyes. “Get some rest, Leftie. We have work in the morning, and you can’t skip out on it.” I end the call give Jerus a look of dull amusement.





The Redshifter lands at the Hotel Command Center. As the ramp lowers, I step off, followed closely by Luci, Caalin, and. Zar’kun. “Hmm. Fancy place.”



“Been a while since I’ve been on Coruscant.” I look out over the battle warn city. “It’s seen better days. That’s for sure.”

I survey the once pristine skyscrapers, smoke rising from all across the planets surface. "Hence is the price the Republic paid for Darth Trayus' subterfuge. This was inevitable, one way or another I would think." I beckon inside. "Jerus implied we're about to walk into a very tense meeting, so I suggest keeping your blaster safeties off, just in case."

I raise my hands. “Hey, I know enough not to watch my step around Mandos. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m practically an honorary member of Clan Spar, thanks to an old friend of mine.”



“I wouldn’t go announcing that if I were you.” As we leave the ship, we are almost immediately met by Mandalorian guards. Having been told to expect our arrival, they lead us inside.



When Becca and Jerus arrive at the penthouse, they find that the atmosphere is very unlike they expected. Rather than a serious meeting, it looks more like the Mandalorians have thrown a party. Many of them hold drinks, and they gather in small clumps to talk and laugh with friends.

Off to one side, I chat quietly with Zarka Saxon. “Currents change, I’m afraid. We either go with the flow or get washed away.” I lean in. “Though, between you and me, I’ve learned that a properly placed stone can alter the course in dramatic ways.”



“So says the witch.” I give Xan a wary look. “Though I’ll... keep that in mind.” As Becca and Jerus walk to the table, I nod my head towards them in a stiff greeting. “I see you survived the battle.”



“Hello to you too.” The energy of the room is strange. Everywhere else, I could feel the anxiety of the Mandalorians as the realization that this might not be a permanent conquest set in. Yet here, it was like they were all purposely acting blissfully ignorant to the facts; as if by acting like they weren’t leaving, they could somehow make it true.

And oddest of all was that Ava Cadera had yet to arrive.

Spotting Xan and Zarka Saxon, I return the clan leaders nod before fixing the likely-former Senator with a look that told her I didn't trust her as far as I could throw her. Not to mention there was Zarka to consider, as Temari said he had been the most vocal of Ava's contenders, so I lean in to Becca and speak so only she can hear me. "Excuse me while I go see what our frienemy has been up to with Saxon." Approaching the pair, I give a bow to Zarka.

"Clan Chief Zarka, I understand that the Mandalorian Guardians were an invention of your own alongside Clan Wren. Quite impressive."

“They are impressive, aren’t they? Specially trained for urban warfare. When Mand’alor declared her intention to invade the Republic, I knew it was only a matter of time before we brought war to this... osik aloriya. As you can see, they got the job done.”



“It’s fascinating how an entire culture can be built around warfare. My homeworld of Naboo doesn’t even have a military. Our security force is made entirely out of volunteers.” I laugh in an obviously fake way. I was in full politician mode, trying to make myself as charismatic as possible.



Meanwhile, I slip away to scope out the ‘party’, keeping an eye out for Zar’kun and his group to arrive. The more allies we had with us, the better.

A couple of minutes after Jerus and Becca arrive, myself and the others do. However, I frown at the physical lack of Manda'lor and wonder what could be keeping her. Still, as I walk in, I decide she did have to make preparations for this and that might take longer than I thought. "Remember, safeties off." I spot Becca and approach her. "Seems more like a party than a meeting."



"They were one of the most effective things I'd ever seen." Xan's laugh was so forced it almost caused me physical pain, but that was her life as she'd chosen after the Empire. Which only added reasons not to trust the back stabbing witch. "Clan Chief, if I might have a word in private."

"If you feel strongly about it." I nod to Xan. "Look after yourself, witch. If your queen accepts you back, perhaps you can persuade her to improve your planet's defenses. Crushing painters and scholars is hardly worthy challenge."



"Oh, I'm afraid Naboo would be no match for any invasion force, and of no strategic value. Unless your Mand'alor is looking for a new vacation home." I look at Jerus for a moment before sauntering away, giving him and the Saxon Chief the privacy they need.



At Zar'kun's words to me, I give the room another look over. "I was expecting a quiet meeting between us and Mand'alor. Not... this. Either they aren't fully aware of what's going on here or this is intentional. I'm leaning towards the latter." As Koraline and Luci approach, I break from my seriousness for a moment to give them both a quick, welcoming embrace. I also give Caalin a pat on the arm. "Glad your all safe, by the way."

"And I'm glad to hear your husband only lost part of his arm as opposed to his head." I smile ruefully. "I'm glad you're all alive as well. As for this...even if they're pretending, they've earned this. How many weeks local time have they been here while we've galavanted trying to foil Darth Trayus?"



Once I was sure Xan was far enough away, I face Zarka. "I see you've met the resident witch. Your thoughts?"

“Just over five standard weeks. A grueling month of fighting... and for what? Sucal escaped and Hayden’s gone missing again. He’s lost control of the Republic, which is a big step, but I feel like, in some ways, we have made thing worse.”



“Hayden’s disappeared again?” I frown. “I’m sorry. I lost track of her on Kessel. If I’d stuck with her, perhaps I could have helped.”



“You did your best, Caalin. You aren’t her keeper, and I doubt she would let you be if you tried. You fulfilled your oath to Jakito and I by rescuing her from Boz Pity.” I give him a reassuring smile, but I can tell he isn’t fully convinced. To Zar’kun, I ask, “How did things go on your end?”



I study Jerus for a moment. “My opinion of her is the same as my opinion of all you Non-Mando’ade. I don’t trust her, but I do not fear her either.” I look at Jerus’ armor. “You at least are an honorary member of Clan Ordo, and you have proven you are worthy to wear the beskar’gam. Your friends I tolerate because Mand’alor commands it.”

"A fair assessment, and nothing less than I'd expect from you, Clan Chief. But a word of warning about anything she has said to you. Xanthippe Naberrie will stab you in the back if it will benefit her as quickly as a starving Rancor will eat a herd of deer and have no regrets. She's rabid, intelligent, but rabid."



I frown slightly. "We secured the item in question, and left it with guards where you met your late hairy friend. But I fear that Trayus and Traya won't need it anymore if Hayden was doing what I was told she was when they vanished."

“I haven’t gotten this far by turning my back to people I don’t trust to defend it. The witch makes fine promises, but I am not easily enticed.”



I shake my head. “Hayden will never allow Trayus to use her powers. She’s resisted before, and she will again.”



“She might not have a choice. Darth Traya was a master manipulator. She knows Hayden’s weaknesses, and if we can’t where they went and stop them soon...”



“We will find them. But we need leads first. Right now, we have too little to go on.”

"She won't always need you to turn your back, Clan Chief. Just the right window of opportunity." I bow. "I think I've said all that I can on the matter, I'll cease taking up your time. Fight with honor, Clan Chief Zarka."



"And more importantly, we need rest. Even if Traya can break her, Hayden is strong enough to resist for long enough for us to find her. The girl inherited the combined stubbornness of both her mother and father and I pity the man who eventually tries to date her." I chuckle. "I only hope Manda'lor doesn't take much longer, the sooner this is done, the better."

I bow back. “Fight with honor, Jerus of Clan Ordo.” I knew that wasn’t his preferred name, but it was the name I knew him by. Temari adopted him into her clan. I respect Temari, and so I respect her ‘son’.

It was Jerus’ own son I don’t like. His total disregard for our ways, and his desire to utterly turn Mand’alor against her own people was infuriating. He was a danger to the entire Mando’ade, and I wasn’t going to stand for it much longer.



The doors open up and I rush in, looking somewhat nervous. I don’t make eye contact with anyone as I make my way to the front of the gathering. Raising my hands and projecting my voice, I say, “Attention everybody! Listen up!” I wait for the party to quiet down before continuing. “Our glorious Mand’alor the Risen would like me to inform you that she will not be able to make it tonight. Some very important business has come up that requires her attention.”

I had already moved away from Zarka to get a drink myself when Kamari came in and I frowned. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen HJ come in and I frowned. Oh yeah, business definitely came up, but it isn't that important. I was going to kill that boy.



"Oh, that's not going to go over with her Clan Chiefs..."

“What type of business? What’s more important than a meeting with the Allit’alor?”



“As I’m sure you can imagine, Chief Fett, there is a lot to do following a battle of this scale. The logistics of holding an entire planet, not to mention a capital world, are extremely complicated.”



“You think these fancy words mean anything? You’ve been speaking like a droid ever since that Sith nearly scrambled your brain!”



I roll my eyes at Khomo. He was a few blasters short of an armory himself, I didn’t expect him to understand word with too many syllables. “And what about our street rat friends? Will they be joining us or do they plan to scramble back into their dens?”



I walk in as he speaks, accompanied by my sister and mother. “We are here, Saxon. We have always been here and we always will be here. This is, after all, our planet.”

I join my Dad, Becca, Luci and Koraline and watch events unfold. "This could get messy quickly."



"Indeed, but there's no guarantees. Let's see how this goes first, then diffuse it if it gets worse."

I look at the Greshh family. “It appears you’ve come all this way for nothing. Mand’alor is not here.”



“We did as she asked. We rallied the people to her cause and won her the planet. The least she could do is thank us.”



“No matter. Let Mand’alor take as long as she wants.” I look at Clan Chiefs. “We aren’t going anywhere.”



I can tell the tension is building between the two factions, so I intervene. “Mand’alor the Risen will be more than willing to meet with you all tomorrow afternoon. Until then, continue with your celebration. We’ve won the day and the planet belongs to us! For Mand’alor!” I pump my fist in the air. The Clan Chiefs echo me, though less enthusiastically.



I shake my head as the partying begins anew. To Cosen, I mutter. “I’m addressing the Revolution tomorrow morning regardless. We didn’t free ourselves from the oppression of the Republic just to fall under the yoke of Mandos.”

Cosen, Vette, and I make our way across the room towards where Jerus and the others stand. “Take us to my father, please. If there are to be no discussions, I won’t be lingering here.”

"Certainly, but before we go, you deserve to know that his mind isn't...he didn't even know who I was, Gavin. What does that armor run on?"



I raise an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that Salazar Gressh was dead. You're telling me he isn't?"

“Long story. Short answer... he was Stoneheart the whole time. Somehow he survived the assassination, or at least his will survived. His body looks a bit worse for ware.”



“How is that possible? You two told me what happened on Boz Pity. He died, and you two barely escaped with your own lives. Now your saying he’s alive?”



“I didn’t know for sure if he was or not. Cosen and I will explain everything to all of you. Just not here. I don’t want Mandos overhearing.”

"Right..." Beckoning them to follow me, I lead the way back out while my Dad and Becca continue to watch the party. Once we were on our way up to the medical level, I face the twins. "No more games, no more dodging around others. What is the deal with that armor?"



"And while they do that, I think we should go speak with my grandson. I think I know why Mandalore isn't here."