“If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, he might be in a very vulnerable position. Are you sure we should barge in?”



While the Twins are going with Jerus, I take Luci’s hand. “Come on. This Sith undead stuff gives me the creeps. Let’s go see if the Mandos have anything good to drink.”



Down the hall, I look at Zar’kun, Caalin and my mother. “Alright. Let us explain: after Gendry and his friends turned on our father, they basically dumped all of us into a cell together. Guess they figured it would be funny to lock us in a room with his corpse.”



“But they underestimated how clever we can be when we’re together. We put our heads together and worked out a plan to escape. We managed to pick the locks, snuck our way to Father’s quarters, stole his armor and his personal shuttle and were gone before anyone noticed.”



“The armor, as you guessed, was the key. It was embedded with Sith Alchemy by our grandfather, Darth Tepes. He wore it until his eventually capture by Sevard Salcar. Afterwards, it spend a few years at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant until the sacking, when it was stolen back by the servants of Darth Arctis. It spent a decade being passed around from Sith to Sith, hoping in vain to unlock its secrets.”



“Buts that’s the thing. No ordinary Sith can wear the armor. I mentioned to Jerus when I first saw Stoneheart that the Armor of Tepes can only be warn by a member of the Greshh bloodline. Every other Sith who wears it will die, and their force essence...” I stop, turning to Gavin with a sick look.



“The suit sucks the life out of those it believes unworthy to wear it, or from those the wearer kills. If the armor finds its wearer worthy, it channels that stolen energy into him. That way, even if the wearer is an inch from death, the suit will sustain them indefinitely. So... when we recovered our father’s body, and we sensed the last ember of life still flickering inside him, we thought the armor would help.”



“We took him to the Tomb of Freedon Nadd, the nearest place of Dark Side energy. We hoped to charge the armor with the concentrated power of the tomb and, hopefully, bring our father back from the abyss. But... we misjudged the amount of power the suit demanded.”



“It nearly killed us; draining the life out of both of us. I got the worst of it, but we were both significantly weakened from the ritual. When we woke up, we were in Mandalorian custody, and none of them had any idea what we were talking about when we mentioned the armor. We had assumed that meant we’d failed, and that both the armor and Father’s body were disintegrated. But now we see we were mistaken. The ritual indeed brought him back, but if what you are saying is true, it did not come without a price.”



“It warped him, didn’t it? Turned him into the Stoneheart Killer.” I think for a moment. “After Hayden and I escaped Boz Pity, you messaged her asking her to meet you on Dxun. You wanted her to add her power to the ritual, didn’t you?”



Shrugs. “She loves our father just as much as we did. She’d have given her life for him if you’d not stopped her.... So, I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m glad you stopped her.”

"Well that explains a lot. But," I hesitate, unsure if I should give them a false glimmer of hope after all I'd already said, but I ultimately decide that letting them know wouldn't hurt, "you should know Satele Shan saved him when that explosion on the Balcony happened. Becca thinks that she did it because there's still some piece of your father in there. But...I'm not convinced of that myself."



"If my grandson is half as intelligent as he claims, he and Ava won't be...engaged like that just yet."

I wrinkle my nose. "Ah, speaking of which." I take my comm out. "Jakito, go to bed. Business calls."



"Aww! But I just figured out how to get the hot tub working!"



"Next time, dear. Next time." I click off and look at Zar'kun. "Alright. I've already ruined one Twilight man's night. Might as well go two for two."



I frown, looking over at Gavin. "He DID attack me. When Mand'alor sent us to capture Stoneheart, I recognized the armor and knew right away it was him. But when I called out to him and tried to approach, it's like he didn't recognize me." I pause only a moment before I snap my fingers. "NO! That isn't entirely true. I think he recognized me at first, for only a few seconds. He didn't attack right away. It was like something set him off and caused him to lash out at me."



I consider what she has said. "I want to see him regardless. Satele healed me when I nearly killed myself bringing him back. If she also went out of her way to protect our father, there must have been a reason."

Nodding, I get directions to where Manda'lor should be from one of the other Mandalorians with the aid of a mind trick and then lead the way there. "She knew that this was something she needed to be at. I'm almost glad Lord Organa hasn't arrived yet, that situation might not have been so readily contained."



The elevator stops and the doors open. "Well, you're about to get your wish, medical wing is over this way." I lead them to the doors and stop outside, beckoning them onwards. "I'll be out here if you need me, feel you deserve some privacy."

I nod my thanks, then pass through the doors with Cosen and Vette. As I walk into the room and see the armor clad body on the table, my heart skips a beat and I freeze. I don't know what I was expecting, but I thought I'd be prepared to see my father again. Apparently not.



Eyes wide, I walk past the kids and begin to approach Salazar. "Oh, wow. That's... really him." That's about the best I can muster without completely breaking down. I've always had a thing about showing too much vulnerability, even after all these years. It's hard though as I look down at his sunken face. He really didn't look like he should be alive.



I gently pull Gavin along as we move to the table. "So here we are. We did it. He's alive." I frown. "So... now what?"



"I... I don't know. If what Jerus said was true, his mind might be lost, or at the very least fractured. If we can't find some way to restore it, then he's as good as dead anyways." I kneel down so that I am face level with my father. "There has to be something we can do to fix that."



I walk with Zar'kun to find Ava's room. "I feel like this isn't the first time we've had to do this to HJ. First Cosen, now Ava. Poor boy can't catch a break."

"The difference is that Cozen wasn't the leader of an entire people who he's done nothing but disrespect. We're lucky that he wasn't gunned down when he asked Manda'lor to call off her fleet." Her door comes into view and I don't hesitate, approaching it and knocking on it three times. "Manda'lor, a word if you will."

There is the sound of muffled voices from the other side of the door. Then the little computer screen underneath the door controls flashes red, displaying text that reads ‘DO NOT DISTURB’. I cover my face and try to suppress a laugh.

Sighing, I use the Force to manipulate the mechanisms of the door and it slides open. However, I wait until I'm sure the pair are decent before walking in. "Manda'lor the Risen they call you. The first Manda'lor to stand up to the Sith and their manipulation of her people, who, despite her age and relative inexperience, just lead the most successful attack on the Heart of the Republic that the galaxy has ever seen. And rather than being where her duty requires and where she is most needed, she is here, with an outsider, with a boy with no respect for her people or her customs." I come around the corner and I lock eyes with the pair. "I had expected more, from both of you."

Thankfully, nothing had really happened yet when Grandpa and Becca burst in. I had only lost my shirt, and Ava was in a tank top and shorts. When the two walk in, I am grabbing my shirt from where it fell. One side of my face has a red handprint, and my chest has several fist sized bruises and a couple small cuts. None of them are from the battle.



I glare at Zar’kun. “My people need me? My people party in the streets! This whole ‘post battle meeting’ was you people’s idea! Mandalorians don’t sit down and talk after a battle, they celebrate! They laugh, they drink, they...” I glance at HJ. “Enjoy themselves. So let’s not pretend this is about MY people. I know exactly why you’re here.”

"Do you? You think yourself that clairvoyant? Then go ahead, tell me why I'm here, Ava Cadera."

I pale at hearing my name spoken. For a moment, I am caught between my instinct and rational thought. I take a deep breath, and in a very forced calm voice, I say, “I just won a major battle on your behalf. I lost hundreds of men for a battle YOU asked me to fight. I am running completely on raw emotion. All I want to do is take some time to enjoy my victory with the person I care about, but you can’t even wait until morning to give me the eviction notice!?” I ball my fists. “Because that’s what this is, isn’t it? Now that my people have served their purpose, you want us gone! Can’t even give us a day to mourn our dead and celebrate those who survived. It’s ‘So long! Get lost! Thanks for everything!’.” My voice begins to quiver with emotion, and it is obvious I am on the verge of some sort of breakdown.

Picking up on the emotion in her voice, I hold up a hand. "No, that is not why I'm here. You have deprived Darth Trayus of his most powerful asset, yes. But we did not catch the serpent's head and remove it. He escaped, and we believe he took Hayden, who serves as some important part of Darth Traya's plan, the plan he is now carrying out. Your people are celebrating a victory that could turn hollow far too quickly. That is why we pushed for a debrief tonight." I look Ava in the eyes. "Your people fought and died on our behalf, I would never ask you to leave right after. I simply ask that you not all abandon your senses. The Republic may no longer be Trayus', but we do not know what other tools he has at his disposal."

I jump up from my seat at the edge of the bed. “Hayden was taken?! I didn’t know that! Why does nobody tell me these things?”



I hold up a hand to calm him. “Easy, HJ. It’s alright. We’ll find her and finish this once and for all. But we need to keep our heads.”



“Hayden?” I take a moment to let the emotion drain away as I realize I’m not being forced to leave. “I like that girl... but how do we stop Sucal now? What’s his plan?”

"She has the ability to absorb a person's essence with in the Force. When she used it on both Jaesa Wilsaam and our late friend Marek Folee, they were cut off and she gained abilities that they had themselves, such as Marek's Miraluka Force Sight. We think he intends to use her as a way to destroy the Force, and, by extension, all live in the Galaxy. His plan is mass extinction."

“So he definitely needs to be tracked down and stopped. And without his army, he is vulnerable... or at least more vulnerable then he was. What did you have in mind? You want me to send some units to scout the Galaxy for signs of him?” Even as I ask this, it is obvious that I am at wits end. Whatever energy I was hoping to use for HJ has gone into screaming at Zar’kun, and now I’m about ready to collapse onto the bed and fall asleep.

"No, it wouldn't do any good as we don't have any real idea where they would have fled to. I suggest you all rest and in the morning, the subterfuge and games come to an end between all of us. We have entered the end game of whatever Traya planned and is using Trayus to enact, I can feel that much." I offer a bow. "And I suggest you wait just a bit longer to do too much with my grandson. Twilight men are incredibly fortunate to have children early."

I laugh wearily. “I should probably get some rest anyways. This battle has taken a lot out of me and... I need to be fresh what what is to come tomorrow. Any free hotel room is up for grabs to any of you who need a place to sleep.”



As Becca and Grandpa motion me to follow them out, I hastily try to come up with something to say to Ava. “Wait... hang on... we can just...” The door closes behind me and I shake my fists at the sky. “Damn it!”

"Just be glad it was your aunt and I that found you and not your father or mother. Especially your mother." I turn to face him. "And no one had told you about Hayden because no one could find you after the battle. You and Manda'lor wasted no time disappearing."

“It was all her idea! The battle had barely ended when she came and found me, demanding I come with her. I locked Huntress up in the ship and followed her here, then... well, I don’t know exactly what happened next.”



“I think it’s pretty obvious what happened, HJ. It’s okay.”



“No, I mean... well, I could tell she was ticked off at me for the way I spoke to her in front of her men. I didn’t know if she wanted to beat me up or make out with me. In the end... she kinda did both.” I point to the hand shaped welt on my cheek, and I lift my shirt to show the bruises and bloody scratches. “At the same time.”

"Well, she didn't break any bones, so I think you'll survive. For now though, I think we've all earned some rest. We'll reconvene in the morning at some point, agreed?"