I quickly answer my comm before its pinging wakes baby Val. I hear what Zar'kun says, but I don't reply. I just stare at the hologram of Xan in Korré hand.



"Is there something wrong, mi'lady?"



"No time to explain. There has been an... incident. I'm coming to get you. Lock the doors and don't let anyone inside."



While Jakito goes to lock the doors, I look at Korre. "Ask her where she is."



"Uhh... Where are you, mi'lady? Are you far? Is it going to take you long to get here?"



"Not far. I'm on my way now. Just need to take care of a few things first." I look as intense as I can through the tiny hologram. "Don't trust anyone. Everything is falling apart. Until further notice, everyone is a potential enemy." Without further explanation, the hologram cuts out.

"I'm on my way to the entrance now. Do me a favor and don't let Korre catch on to what's about to happen. Clan Saxon turned on the Revolution and the other Clans. Gavin is dead and I think she had something to do with it." I sigh. "There can't be mercy this time, Becca."

My heart sinks. How could Jakito and I not have sensed this? Unless... I look down at the baby in my arms. His power in the Force was almost overwhelming. Being so close to such a powerful source may have somehow blinded our senses to the Saxon betrayal. "Understood." I put the commlink down and look to Korré. "Don't worry. We'll keep you both safe." I walk over and place Val back into her arms. "Just relax. We'll wait here for Xan to arrive."



"Who were you just talking to?"



"Zar'kun Je'and. He was just updating me on the situation. Nothing to be worried about. I promise."



I call Dad and Grandpa over the holo. "Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know I'm okay. Nobody tried to kill me or nothing. Guess they figured it would be too risky or... maybe they thought I'd be at the rally." I look at Ava, who is with me in my room. "What happened? Is everyone alright? Ava told me Gavin was injured."

I had managed to calm Cosen down enough that she'd turned off her lightsaber, but she still wasn't too keen on letting anyone too near as she mourned her brother. "Gavin isn't injured, HJ, he's gone. Gida Saxon blasted him in the back after bashing Cosen over the head. Then another Saxon tried to gun down Lord Organa. He was foiled as well, though it cost one of the guard's their life." I sigh as I look over the empty courtyard. "To be frank, it's a me-Did anyone check on Salazar?" The thought hadn't even crossed my mind during the initial fighting and then with talking Cosen down.

"The people won't support the Mandalorians being here much longer after this. The Saxons even tried to gun down a group of Cathar that spoke out asking questions."



"Then catching Xanthippe Naberrie is all the more important. I think she had a hand in what's happened today. I'm going to cut her off at the entrance to the makeshift HQ."

All the color drains from my face when I hear that Gavin has been killed. “What? N...no. That can’t be right. He wasn’t...” I stand up and back away, unable to hide the panic. “How could this happen? He’s a Sith! He should have been able to stop it!”



“Easy, now. Even the best of us can be taken by surprise. Especially if we are betrayed by those we consider allies.”



“But if he’s gone... the Revolution will turn on me! They’ll think that....” I try to look determined. “I have to show them I killed Saxon. I need to make an example of that entire Clan to prove I wasn’t behind this...”

"Easy, Manda'lor. It wasn't the entire clan. It was the youth. I think dad's theory that Naberrie had something to do with this is sound. She would know the older warriors wouldn't fall for her tricks."

I nod. “Then she should be found and punished. The Revolution needs to have justice for their fallen leader.” I look at HJ. “In the meantime, I need you do to something very important for me; I need you to convince Cosen to stay loyal to me. Without Gavin, she is the one the Revolution will listen to.”



“Me? Heh. She and I aren’t exactly friends. We aren’t enemies either, but... well, she might still be secretly upset that I left her for you. Besides, I thought you hated her.”



“I do, and she hates me. Damn, if only Temari hadn’t removed that collar...” I mutter that last bit more to myself. “She’ll surely try to rally her peers against me now. She needs to be kept in line or else everything will fall apart.” I back back to the communicator. “Where is she now, Jerus?”

"Her and her mother are on their way off world as we speak, with a member of Clan Wren taking her father to meet them. She's done with this war, it's already cost her her father and brother. To ask her to keep fighting is wrong."

“What!? No, she can’t leave! I put the planet into quarantine until we can round up all the renegade Saxons. Her ship won’t make it past the blockade.”



“Ava, come on. If she doesn’t want to be a part of this anymore...”



“She’s NOT leaving! Not until I say she can! I’ve already fought one battle here against the Republic! I won’t fight another against the Revolution! She will call them off, and ensure this alliance stands!” I stomp out of the room, growing more and more stressed by the minute.



I stare after her. “And here I thought winning the battle would make things easier on her.”

"The Revolution has what it wanted, Jorg Sucal gone. Cosen's not interested in leading and most of the men and women who fought alongside the Mandalorians aren't eager for another taste of real war." I walk across the courtyard, checking the wounds on those that were receiving medical aid. "She's paranoid and Xan's manipulation of the Saxons hasn't helped that."



"Considering Zarka Saxon is now one with the Force..."

“What’s on your mind, Grandpa? We need to get to the bottom of all this before it spirals completely out of control. Sucal is still out there somewhere, and if we start fighting each other, it’ll give him the chance to rest and come back stronger than before.”

"Ava needs to get away, to step down. She did the admirable thing stopping her people from becoming pawns in Trayus's game, but at what cost to herself? She needs to rest. Every time something goes wrong, she gets worse. HJ, she already gunned down a potentially innocent Clan Chief today, what do you think will happen when, not if, Cosen tells her to go fuck herself?"

"You don't think... I mean, she won't just..." I remember back to when I first learned that Cosen was alive. The Mandos had captured her and her brother, but rather than treating their wounds, Ava had them put in cages and, later on, fitted with collars set to kill them if they disobeyed her orders. "Oh no... Maybe you're right. But what am I supposed to do? Tell her to give up the highest honor her people could achieve? She'd never go for that, even if she knew it was the best thing for her health."

"You'll have to figure something out. I can feel Xanthippe's presence growing closer and I have a feeling that this confrontation won't be as reasonable as I'd like to imagine. Perhaps Jerus' Mandalorian teacher can help you. Temari, I think."



"That's...not a bad idea, HJ. If she isn't instructing the youth, one of the warriors can direct you to her."

I nod. "I'll try to find Temari. You guys just try to find Xan and stop her from turning my girlfriend into a tyrant!" I am about to end the call but then quickly add, "Oh, and uhh... stay safe. Love you. Bye." Quickly ends the call, then jumps up to go find an Clan Ordo youth who can give me Temari's contact info.



Having sensed all that has happened, I shake my head in despair. Without a word, I begin to gather my things and prepare to leave.

The call having ended, I blend into a corner near the entrance where Xanthippe won't immediately see me and use Force Camouflage, an older technique that still proved effective, to disappear from sight and sense for sure. She would not slip away.

Meanwhile, I am being escorted to safety by my one remaining bodyguard. We have called in a transport from the Organa fleet overhead, and we are on our way to meet up with it.



I stumble out of an alley, looking for frazzled then ever. When I see Organa, I flag him down. “Wait, Armond! Help!”



I call my man to a stop. “Senator Naberrie? What’s happened? Did the Mandalorians turn on you as well?”



“I’m afraid so. They have my handmaiden back at there base. I need to find her and rescue her before it’s too late.”



“Calm yourself. We’ll sort this all out yet. Once we get to safety, I’ll get into contact with the Sith Hunters and find out the full story. I’m sure they won’t let anything happen to your handmaiden or her child.”



“I don’t want to take that risk. Please, get me to the command center straight away.”



I hesitate for a moment. “Alright. I don’t deny you help, but I get the feeling there is something you aren’t telling me.”



I sigh. “Armond, how many times do I have to tell you...” I flick his forehead, and a small purple rune briefly appears in that spot before disappearing. “There are always secrets we’d rather not tell. If you were a good politician, you’d understand that.”



I look dazed for a moment before blinking myself back into reality. “What the...” I shake my head. “Uhhh... well, come along now, Senator. We shouldn’t linger here too long.” I lead her towards where the shuttle is. Together, we board it and head to the command center.

As I wait, I realize that there was a good chance she wouldn't be allowed in the front and would need a ride in. Who she'd be arriving with...I couldn't take chances, and so I picked up the pace.

My shuttle flies up to one of the landing pads, and is almost immediately swarmed by Mando security. As the hatch opens, I step out with my hands raised. "Now now, my friends. I mean you no harm. I am an ally to your Mand'alor. I have all my identification to prove it." I begin reaching into my robes to produce ID. "We're just here to pick someone up and then we'll be on our way."



I walk out after him. I keep a wary eye on the Mandalorians, unsure how they will react. Just in case they decide to turn on us as well, I grab the lightsaber hidden up my sleeve and prepare to cast some Sith Magick. Under my breath, I say, "Come on... Let us pass..."

I come out to the pads just in time to see them pair and I raise my hands, clapping them and using the Force to augment their sound. All the Mandalorians and the two who'd just exited the shuttle face me and I lower my arms. "Xanthippe Naberrie," I exclaim, also augmenting my voice, "it would seem our last conversation failed to leave a lasting impression." The Mandalorians step away, though one pulls Armond away from the Sith Witch as I walk forwards. "You've got a lot of blood on your hands, witch."