My face contorts into a look of extreme indecision. “I... I can’t! No matter what I do, I lose! I swore to take this secret to the grave!”



“So you would rather become a vegetarian than betray the trust of the person who already betrayed you? Because they aren’t coming forward to help you. They’ve left you high and dry to take the blame while they hide like a coward.”



“She is not a coward!” I yell before I can catch myself. “I mean... I... uhh.”



I nod. “Now we’re getting somewhere. It’s a she, huh? Senator Naberrie, maybe? Or... maybe someone more personal? A girlfriend or a relative or...” I look at Talion. “Zarka had a daughter, didn’t he? You don’t think she would’ve set up her own father, would she?”



In the office, I shake my head at Ava. “I’m done helping you murderers. I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain. I helped you take Coruscant. Now I want out!”



“No, you aren’t done! I need you to control your people and tell them I’m still in charge. Tell them that as long as they remain loyal, I promise something like what happened today will never happen again.”



“You can’t promise that! You couldn’t even protect my brother! You have no control over your own people, let alone this planet!”



“I have made an example of those who were plotting against me. Now, all that remain are loyal warriors.” I narrow my eyes. “I’m not really asking you. I’m TELLING you; tell your people to stand down, abandon any plans to rebel... or I will be forced to force them into subjugation.” I hold up Cosen’s shock collar. “Temari was too merciful, I think. I won’t make that mistake again.”



I quickly elbow the Mandalorian Commando to my right in the stomach and pull his vibrosword off his belt, then I force blast the Commando on the left into the wall. I raise my hand towards Ava and yank the collar away from her. With a twist of my fingers, I crush it into bits. “Your mistake was expecting me to submit a second time!” As the Commandos rise, I drop into a battle stance. “Even without my lightsaber, I could carve through all of you as easily as cutting a cake!”



I sneer, rising from my chair and grabbing for my blaster pistol.



“STOP!” I rush into the office just before Cosen clashes with the Mandos. “I can’t leave you guys alone together for five minutes without a fight to the death breaking out?”

I don't respond to either of them as I stand and approach the Saxon on the other side of the table. "Last chance."



"It's possible. She's never much liked her father, but I would never have thought she was capable of this..."



I walk in shortly after HJ and point at the two commandos. "Out now." The Commandos don't argue with me and they close the door behind them, leaving just the four of us. "Is this what you want your legacy to become, Manda'lor? From Risen to Enslaver?"

I lower the sword and move to stand with HJ. “Just in time, as usual. Call off your girlfriend please.”



“Save the quips until later. Antagonizing her will only make things worse.” I lean close and whisper. “Between the two of us, where is your mother?”



“Mom’s detained at the space port, along with the bodies of my brother and my father. Ava won’t let them leave either. She’s got nuts.”



I drop my blasters on the desk. “What are you two doing here? I’m in the middle of some very important business!”



“We’re here to make sure you see reason. Like Temari said, if you keep going the way you are, your whole reputation is going to be tarnished. We’re concerned about you.”



“I know what I’m doing, HJ! I don’t need you interfering in Mandalorian affairs!” I look at Temari. “And you... I thought you trusted in my leadership. Don’t tell me you’re starting to question my abilities too.”

"This is no longer leadership. This is the paranoid power abuse of a child who's scared. The Revolution got what they wanted, Jorg Sucal outed and exposed. They were reluctant to even follow the Gressh twins in the first place." I approach Ava slowly, my hands up to show I wasn't going to reach for my weapons. "You need to rest, Manda'lor. You need to step back and take time to recover. The Saxon's attack was suspicious and is being investigated. Let your chiefs and their clans do their job."

I look at Temari for a moment. "There is nothing more to investigate. Saxon betrayed me with the help of the witch Naberrie. I have no further interest in perusing the matter. I killed Zarka Saxon, and if Zar'kun doesn't kill Naberrie, my men will."



"Just like that?" I also start to approach. "Ava, listen-"



"IT'S MAND'ALOR!!!" I thump the desk with my fist. "I am so sick and tired of you undermining me, HJ! At every turn, in front of my men! THIS is why they all talk about me behind my back! THIS is why they all thing I'm incapable of leading!" I hold up a finger. "But I showed them. I did what no other Mand'alor has ever done; I CONQUERED CORUSCANT!"



"Temporarily." I say, ignoring HJ's advise. "That was the deal, wasn't it? This wasn't even your idea. It was HJ's. Send a Mando armada to Coruscant as a distraction while the Sith Hunters worked out a plan to defeat Sucal. And now they have." I shrug. "Did you forget that part? Were you so high off your own fumes by the end that you actually believed your own lies?"



I clench my jaw so hard that it makes my teeth hurt. "Temari Ordo. As your Mand'alor, I order you to kill Cosen Greshh."

I stop where I am and lower my hands. "No. The Manda'lor I served was above this and used her head, not her anger. Snap out of it, Manda'lor." I remain where I am. "You are better than this."

I stare at Temari for a few seconds. "You're right... I am better." I snatch up one of my pistols. "I true Mand'alor does it herself!!" I fire at Cosen.



"NO!" I jump in front of Cosen and throw my hands up, catching the blaster bolts in my palms. Most of the energy I absorb through tutaminis, but it still burns a bit and knocks me on my butt. "Ouch!!"



I freeze for a moment, shocked by HJ's actions. Then, with a roar of anger, I throw my blaster aside. "Damn it! Why can't you just die like you were supposed to?!"



I am helping HJ to his feet when I hear Ava's words. "What did you say?"



I step around the desk. In a very slow and menacing way, I speak. "I said... why couldn't you have died today... like you were supposed to."

I narrow my eyes. "Manda'lor, you're treading on dangerous ground. What did you do?"

I keep my mouth shut tight, looking at Zar'kun with wide, fearful eyes. I try to stay strong to the end and keep my oath, but as the old Jetii comes towards me with his hand extended, and the thought of becoming a brain dead husk becomes more of a reality, I finally break. "Mand'alor!! It was Mand'alor! Please, don't! I give up! Please!"



With a flash of anger, I grab the young Saxon by his collar. "Come again?! I'm not a violent person, but I've had enough of you disrespecting our Sole Ruler! First you betray her, then you mock her..."



"She gave the order! Mand'alor herself ordered us to kill the Greshh Twins, and a few of their supporters too for good measure. She didn't explain why; she didn't have to. When the Mand'alor gives an order, you follow it." I lower my head in shame. "We had no idea it was going to play out this way."



I look at Temari. "Why did you take off her collar? It would have been so much easier if you'd just left it on!"



"You never planned to let me go, did you? The collar wasn't supposed to keep me in line... It was to ensure that I died no matter what."



I shake my head. "If the Republic troops didn't kill you, and Stoneheart didn't kill you, then I'd just flip the switch and zap you out of my misery. I wasn't expecting Temari to develop a soft spot and let you off the hook. So... I ordered a few of my men to take you out for me. But, like everything else, they managed to batch that up too."

"He isn't lying. And I...Kamari, I sent Xanthippe away with a group of commandos. Keep this one alive and get a recording of what he said, I need to find Naberrie." Turning away, I head out the door and down the hall. The cuffs would make her harder to sense, but not impossible.



"For your sake, Duny, I hope you aren't lying." There's shock on the young man's face at being recognized. "When Zarka and I were choosing Guardians, you were a prospective candidate for it, I memorized your face for after their test run here on Coruscant. If we can redeem your clan, I'll do what I can to still get you into them."



I step between Cosen and HJ, my hands resting on my blasters. "Scheming like a coward? This is not our way, Ava! This is not how a Manda'lor should act!"

I hold my hands up to Temari. “I know, mentor. It was underhanded, but it needed to be done. The Sith would have turned on us in the end. Allowing them to live would have been too dangerous... though I would have preferred Gavin have survived. He, at least, was cooperative, and could have served as a continued ally after I’d avenged his sister for him.”



“Saxon.” I say quietly. “All this was... what? Just a ploy to kill Cosen and get Zarka Saxon out of the picture!?” I am dumbstruck. “Av... Mand’alor, how could you do this? Turn on your own people?”



“Saxon has already turned on me! He was sowing the seeds of doubt among the other Clan Chiefs. It was only a matter of time before he really did form a coup to oust me as Mand’alor. All I did was preform an preemptive strike.” I look back at Temari. “But now the Allit’alor have fallen back into line. Nobody will dare question me now. I have no need for dishonorable schemes now that my rule is absolute.”

I do not move, my eyes narrowing behind my visor. "You cannot speak as if you know the Twins. Your only concern for them since we found them on Dxun has been to see them dead." I adjust me stance slightly, but remain where I am. "You've have shamed the title of Manda'lor with this, do you not realize that? And the shame you would throw on your own father just because Zarka was mouthy? By accusing your Alit'alor of listening to his envious prattle? Have you no more sense girl?"

“My father...” I turn away, walking towards the window. “He was the one who warned me Zarka would turn on me. He hated the man too. He won’t miss him...”



“But he wouldn’t have wanted you to have dishonored yourself by killing him like this! Without a fair fight! I thought you knew better.”



“I do know better! But I... I couldn’t fight Zarka. He’s a war veteran and I’m... “ I sigh. “I killed the old Mand’alor by sheer chance. I didn’t even do it fair; I blasted him with my flame thrower! If we fought as equals, he’d have wipes the floor with me!” I slump into my chair. “They all knew it too. They follow me because I hold the title, but I didn’t earn it. And my backstabbing proves that fact even more... but it’s too late now. If I step down, they’ll all know I wasn’t worthy, and I’ll become a joke! ‘Mandalore the Pretender’ will be my legacy.”



“It’s better than ‘Mandalore the Schemer’ or ‘Mandalore the Kinslayer’.”



I glare up at HJ. “You say that like they’re ever going to find out about this. They all think it was Zarka who betrayed me, and they’re going to remain that way!”

"I am honor-bound as a member of the Mando'ade to tell them the truth! And the only way you are going to silence me, Manda'lor, is if you kill me." I release the clasps on my blaster. "And we both know how a bout between us will end."

“And what do you think will happen when you tell them? They will kill me, Temari! Your ‘honor’ would see you condemn your own protege to death?”



“It’s no more than you deserve! You killed my brother in cold blood! He was an ally and you killed him! You tried to kill me for mistakes I made over a year ago! You deserve no mercy!”



“No,” I say, stepping forward. “Mand’alor is right. We can’t tell anyone about this.”



“WHAT!?!” I look at HJ flabbergasted. “Are you seriously siding with her!?”



“Of course not! But... the Allit’alor WILL kill her if we let them. Not to mention it will fracture the Mandalorians way more than they already are.” I turn to Temari. “Whose to say they’ll all believe you? You know how devoutly loyal your people are. Some might accuse you of being in league with Saxon. Those ones will point fingers at the one that believe you and want Mand’alor’s head. Guns will be pulled and more bodies will be added to the pile we already have here. There needs to be a valet yer way!”

"And this was the choice she made when she used the Saxon youths in a foolish plan of assassination!" I roar in return. Ava Cadera had become like a daughter to me. After my husband had died in a vain glorious pursuit of revenge, I had sworn from taking another, though many of the members of Clan Ordo also had no intention of facing the Valkyrie of Clan Ordo just to gain her affection. After a moment of stunned silence and calming breathing from myself, I sigh. "There is one other way, though the terms of the bout would differ from that of your fight with the previous Manda'lor. But is this a path you can accept?"

“What are you proposing? A trial by combat?” I look cautious. “Are you... challenging me for my title?”



“Mand’alor, come on! Don’t you see it has to be this way? After what you’ve done, whether you believe it was necessary or not, is unforgivable to Mandalorian standards! You knew this once, but somehow, somewhere, you lost sight of yourself. Maybe it was the dark corruption of this planet, or maybe it was just the exhaustion of this war that made you unable to think clearly, but you’ve made mistakes. You killed loyal men and women - YOUNG men and women - who only wanted to serve you. They willingly kept your plan a secret from their Clan Chief because you told them to, and now most of them are dead or on the run. I hate to say it but... letting you walk away at all is far more than you deserve.”



I stay silent for a few seconds before I lower my head in shame. “You’re right. This was all a horrible mistake. I didn’t think so many lives would be affected. I let my hatred and paranoia get the better of me. I just... I didn’t want to prove I could lead. I wanted to be the one that conquered Coruscant, and bring about a new Golden Age for the Mando’ade. But... no matter how much I try to deny it, that was never my destiny. I’ve only fractured out people more, and continued dishonor the legacy of my family. My father worked hard to erase the treason of my grandfather... and here I’ve gone and undid all of that.”



“You can still fix this to an extent. Accept Temari’s terms, and you can walk away. You’ll have lost fairly, and you can preserve at least a smidge of honor, but disappear from the limelight. Go home, and just be Ava Cadera again. Please.”



I look between the three of them. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing! That’s all that she gets? A slap on the wrist and the loss of her titles? My brother is DEAD because of her schemes! You expect me to stand down at let her walk free?”

The sound of a blaster rifle powering up behind Cosen can be heard. "Required Warning: You have a gross misunderstanding of Mandalorian Culture. What is about to happen to Ava Cadera is more than just a loss of titles and a 'slap on the wrists. But if you continue, I will subdue you."



"She has committed crimes against more than just you, Cosen Gressh. She has committed crimes against her own people. They will not need to know what has truly expired. And you should not set yourself so firmly on revenge. You still have a long life ahead of you, and your father can still be saved from what I've heard. Devote yourself to your family that you do not have to join them in death."

I rgive Cosen a sympathetic look. “Come on, Cosen. Hasn’t there been enough killing?” I reach out to put my hand on her shoulder.



I slap his hand away. “Don’t touch me! You’ve made your position clear.” I take one last look towards Ava. “In failing to kill me, you have done something far worse; you have hurt me. By killing my twin, you have torn my soul in half... and that is something I can never forgive.” I speak calmly, but my hatred burns in the Force. “I’ll leave, and you will not see me again for many years at least. I advise you to enjoy those years, because when our paths cross again, I will turn whatever joy you have in your life to ash. That is a promise.” I turn and walk to the exit.



Uncharacteristically, I don’t stop her. “Let her try.” To Temari, I say, “What’s the plan?”

I step aside and allow Cosen Gressh to leave while turning to listen to the new conversation beginning.



"Unarmed combat and the first to yield looses. No death required, no exposing the secrets you've created through your actions required. You were born of Torian and Mako Cadera, but you are a daughter to me as well. Killing you was never my wish."