Chapter 42 – Relationships (Part 1)

Yaga Minor, Outer Rim...999 ARR...

The world of Yaga Minor had always been an remote area without much to its name but recently it had gained a brand new importance in galactic affairs, seeing that they had no major shipyards in that area of the galaxy and with the Imperial Fleet needing new ships and a place to repair damaged ones urgently without having to retreat to the Core or Fondor the Empire had begun investing a lot of resources in building a large shipyard here, one that might rival Fondor or Sluis Van.

The shipyard was growing increasingly close to completion and that was one of the reasons that the Mandalorians had waited till now to attack it, why waste their own resources building the shipyard when they could simply let the Empire spend its own before taking it for themselves.

Mandalorian ships let by the Infinity blasted their way through the Imperial defenders and now was sending troops to secure the shipyards and to the surface to deal with the Imperial garrison and ground facilities, the Yaga species were a simple people that had been largely misled by the Empire so it wouldn't be difficult to get them to swap sides and work for them. Haron was leading this attack personally as it was an important target and would give them a rather useful facility right on the border with the Empire that they can use to repair and replace ships not to mention deny the Empire the facility.

Haron was co-ordinating both the ground campaign and the space battle at the same time from the Infinity which had a custom built command room for such things. He had the best displays and communications to run the campaign and it was going extremely well, the Imperial Fleet had been spread out while trying to find the Death Star and had pulled units that should have been protecting the shipyard so it had been the best opportunity to take it.

Haron was then met with the holograms of Lelia and their niece Cera who was leading her first campaign.

"Status." Haron said sternly, both Lelia and Cera nearly rolled their eyes as he was being blunt again but that was only because he wanted to make sure things were going well for them. He worried they thought with amusement but at the same time it was reassuring as they knew he would always have their back.

"Five Star Systems now secure." Lelia said with a satisfied smirk. They were using the search for the Death Star and the way the Imperial Fleet was spread out to capitalise on a moment of weakness and take some key systems. They weren't worried about the Imperials finding it, they had moved it deeper enough into Wild Space and disabled any transponders so there was virtually no chance of them finding it. Resources from it were already pouring into their factories and allowing them to replace ageing ships with new ones and fortify their new worlds.

"Add another six." Cera said with a sense of accomplishment, she was doing this largely under their supervision but she was getting a chance to do it on her own. Her mothers had been incredibly worried but that was what parents did right? When their children left home to find themselves right? They had a few years before her little sister did too but they weren't going that far. They were merely making their own way in the world.

"Dig in, we have some more operations coming up and it would do us well to see that we are properly secure before pushing on." Haron said with a smile now like them. He had decided it was time to attend to one piece of unfinished business...something from the Clone Wars which was long overdue.

Tarkin Estate, Eriadu...

The Tarkins' were a wealthy family and the position of Grand Moff had only allowed Wilhuff Tarkin the current head of the family to add to that wealth and power. He was enjoying some wine as he would occasionally return here to keep an eye on other members of the family and ensure everything was in order. His own discomfort was considerable over the worrying situation in regards to the Death Star going missing when it played such a large part in his plans to rule the galaxy through fear and not to mention overthrow the Emperor so that he could ensure that old archaic religion was gone into the trash compactor of history where it belonged.

But the fact it had vanished did scare him even if he could never admit it even to himself. More than that recent events had seen much of the Outer Rim fall in chaos and with the loss of so much territory to their enemies he was again now in danger of losing his position of Grand Moff. That grated heavily on him and increased his fury that the Emperor dared question his competence, but with the Death Star now gone and the second nowhere near completion for a number of years he was going to have to grit his teeth and fight to maintain his position until the time came that he could overthrow Palpatine.

Then to his dismay the lights went out, leaving him standing in the middle of the dark room and he sighed in frustration over what fool had been so stupid as to fail at such a simple task of making sure that the estate had sufficient energy and was well maintained. He carefully put his wine down on the table that he had been standing next too when the lights went out and relying on his memory of the room and where he was standing to find his way to the door, the doors were on a separate circuit to the lights so they could escape if some emergency happened. But when he reached the door it refused to open, the power was still there he could tell by the noise of the mechanism made but it would not open.

He was confused and wondered just what was happening when suddenly a red blast of light engulfed his vision and he knew nothing more.

- x -

Reijar, Ordo System...Hours Later...

When Tarkin finally did regain consciousness he found he was in an unfamiliar room and strapped to some kind of frame, standing him upright. It was an interrogation room he realised having seen many in his time with the military but not from this position. He had no way of knowing just how much time had passed or where he was in general but he was sure the Imperial Security Bureau and his own personal guard were looking for him so it would be only a short matter of time before he was rescued due to his importance to the Empire or that he could intimidate his kidnappers into letting him go.

The door to the room opened and that was when he first felt a stab of fear as he saw a familiar face among those that had entered the room, one that he had not seen in nearly two decades but he was the sort of person that you didn't forget.

"Good work Li'anne. A perfect first operation." Haron told his daughter who was standing at his side. She had been the one to plan and execute the mission and he was impressed at her level of attention to detail and skill at planning. She was her mother's daughter Haron thought with no jealousy just pride in her and how intelligent she was.

"Thank you father." Li'anne said with a sense of accomplishment as she had kidnapped the terrible and seemingly untouchable Grand Moff Tarkin. The fact she had distinguished herself as her own person and not as just a member of the Ordo Dynasty was a great thrill to her.

"Ordo, this is an affront the Empire will not forget. They will pay no ransom but perhaps I can be persuaded to allow your youngest child to live if you release me now." Tarkin said with great scorn.

You could almost admire his composure Haron thought with amusement at his foolishness. Li'anne looked ready to kill him on the spot but Haron put his hand on her shoulder to stop her and then told Tarkin with a smile you could almost think was friendly.

"Tarkin, you clearly have no idea of the position you are in. And we are no mercenaries that are interested solely in money. No, there is not going to be any reprieve, no mercy. I swore a long time ago that I would ensure your destruction and I have allowed you to live only so long until you built an Imperial military that is riddled with issues. Weakness that myself and others could and have exploited, now however you are of no further use to us and it is time for you to reveal whatever secrets you hold before we execute you in this room with no ceremony before throwing your lifeless corpse into the incinerator. You who understand nothing of the force are about to discover just how wrong your opinions on it are." Haron said before pressing a button on his gauntlet.

At the sides of the frame a solution travelled down tubes before entering Tarkin's veins through an IV that he had not even realised was there.

"A little solution to help the process along, we call in vertiserum and it will not allow you to lie. In the past we forced people to drink it but injecting it as a solution straight into the bloodstream is far more effective. Now, no more pointless chatter its time to get down to business." Haron said with his face suddenly using the force to compel Tarkin to speak. The man struggled visibly but there was no stopping it when Haron started his questions, making him reveal all of his secrets.

Phobus Sector, Expanionist Region...

With the recent defeat of Grand Admiral Thrawn and the sudden and unexpected liberation of Naboo other planets had now begun open rebellion against the Empire. The Phobus Sector was a relative backwater in galactic affairs but had now risen up the ranks as many of the planets were now in open revolt.

Given all that was going on and the ongoing search for the Death Star this was not a situation that the Empire could tolerate for very long so they had dispatched Lord Vader with a fleet of ships to put an end to the local revolts.

Death Squadron as it would become known was made up of several Star Destroyers and the Executor, a Super Star Destroyer led it, accompanied by several of the new Harrower-class Heavy Cruisers. The fleet was terrifying as it approached the first planet, the hangers on the front and side of the new cruisers allowing the fast deployment of its large Tie Fighter complement quickly. The locals were not well equipped in terms of ships and so had only a bunch of old Z-95 Headhunters that looked like relics left over from the Clone Wars and a few light freighters to fight with so the fast deployment of Admiral Pellaeon's cruisers and their fighter wings made it extremely easy to overcome this meagre defence and pave the way for the bombers that followed, razing settlements to nothing.

Vader was impressed at the cruisers and recommended Pellaeon for promotion or commendations for how effectively he used them. Other officers including the supposed overall commander of the fleet Admiral Ozzel hated the new ships as they lacked the overwhelming firepower of a Star Destroyer even if they were hardly lacking in that area.

So Vader quickly executed Ozzel after the man made a foolish mistake that allowed a world's population to raise a defence shield by coming out of hyperspace too close to the system and replacing him with an officer that he knew would be easily controlled by him, Piett while given Major Veers a promotion to Major General and commander of all ground forces in the fleet. Pellaeon was a worry but a good officer and well respected by his men. Vader knew the value of that and would keep him around for now.

But as they bombarded one planet into glass he took notice of one particular new recruit to the fleet that had shown considerable talent...a fighter pilot named Shira Brie. The young woman was force sensitive and a natural spy as he was finding, while he already had an apprentice why not take two? He thought with satisfaction, she would be a particularly useful Shadow Hand for him and so he had called her to his chamber.

The red haired woman knelt before him.

"You summoned me Lord Vader?" She asked, curious while also afraid which Vader liked and so he told her.

"Yes, it has come to my attention that you have proven to be an exceptional pilot and more than that the force itself is working through you. I have need of such skills, but I am also willing to show you the ways of the force in a way that you will gain power unlike anything you have every dreamed. Choose wisely." He warned her, making sure that she understood that if she said no that she would not leave this room alive.

Shira proved that she understood that perfectly and she was drawn to the idea of learning to wield the Dark Side of the force so she bowed her head and said the words that he wanted to hear.

"Yes...Master."

Space over Kaitain, Pasdishah Imperium...

On the large orbital shipyard that hung over Kaitain Paul Atreides stood with Irulan and their inner circle as the new capital ship of their fleet was being assembled. The Heighliners were powerful but they were not purpose built warships and were much more useful as carriers or logistical vessels. Not to mention they still relied on outdated technology and were far too slow to be able to get into a fight quickly.

Something new was needed, Paul and Irulan had thought and so the designers had worked hard and come up with two designs; one to act as a battleship that would equal a Star Destroyer or any other capital ship while the second was a missile and drone heavy cruiser to work alongside the smaller carriers to project greater strength.

The battleship was clearly the larger of the two, having a curved angular central hull with large wings that curved up around it. Designed to not only be a highly capable warship that could operate on its own but as part of a fleet and serve in a number of other roles. They had christened it the Leto-class and it had great potential.

The Missile/Drone Heavy Cruiser was called the Freman-class, like the Leto-class it was designed to operate behind enemy lines alone if required and had been coated with sensor resistant armour plate but when called on it would be able to act as a highly efficient missile platform and drone control vessel. Half the size of the larger Leto-class it had a singular and much more aggressive arrow head shaped hull with tendril like structures that extended from behind it.

Both classes were difficult to operate without large crews and so the Space Navigation Guild who had been worried about becoming obsolete in the new era had found a new purpose as they could interact with the ship's systems directly and help in both speed and efficiency. Both ships would have incredible agility because of this and it gave them a huge advantage over their enemies.

Paul had his arm around Irulan's waist as he held her close, it was not proper to show such affection in public but he didn't care and neither to her own surprise did Irulan. They had more crucial issues to worry about than etiquette and what the more traditional members of the court thought, not that they were ignorant of that potential issue and kept a close watch on them but it was not their priority.

They were building a future for the Imperium and those who could not adapt would be left behind.

Lake house, Naboo...

The warm and verdant surroundings of Naboo's lake district were as soothing and relaxing for Anakin now as they had been during his youth, the gentle sound of the water and the pleasant view was refreshing and provided a stable and safe environment to train his students. Padme remained in Theed to spend time liaising with the other Rebel Leaders while he trained Mace, Tash, Zak and Wila. Mace being the oldest was easily the most experienced and was now receiving some advanced instruction from Kagame while Anakin walked Tash and Zak through saber exercises.

Tash was a fluid and acrobatic fighter Anakin thought as he saw her begin to take the first steps into Ataru, he insisted that she also study Shien or Soresu as it would give her a solid defence to fall back on if needed but she had taken to the aggressive and highly mobile form with a natural grace that rivalled Ahsoka in her early years.

Zak was much more grounded, Anakin thought as he seemed to want to learn Soresu but it would be a long time before he was able to call himself a master of it like Obi-Wan had been, Anakin thought with a slight sadness as he had not seen his former master in many years now but he had been told that Obi-Wan was now running a Jedi Safe World where new students could live in peace and safety with their families while learning to channel and use the force. He had even confided that he now had a child of his own and Anakin had almost choked when he had heard that but wished him well. Given all the years of duty Obi-Wan had served it was only right that he finally get some peace and love himself.

That made Anakin turn to his newest student, Wila. The girl was strong in the force and now was beginning her formal training, he was starting gentle to get her to ease more into active feeling the force and having more control when wielding it, but he thought as he saw that she was now deep into meditation and floating a couple of feet off the ground.

Clearly she had a deep connection to the Living Force Anakin thought as he studied her, Wila would be more of a force wielder than a lightsaber duellist but that was fine, Anakin thought with a much more wiser outlook on things than he had when he was younger. She would have a good grounding in lightsaber fighting regardless Anakin thought but that was so she had something to fall back on in any given situation. Soresu would suit her well he thought but then again given her focus on her force abilities Niman might also be a good fit for her but if she learned Niman he would insist she learn another form alongside it to reinforce her defensive abilities Anakin reasoned.

He briefly wondered how he, who had sworn that he would not take a padawan had ended up taking nine! He thought with astonishment as most Jedi Masters never taught that many with the exception of the longer lived ones like Master Yoda who had taught all of the Jedi Order before the fall in some capacity or another. Three were his own children and most of them had been forced on him but at the same time he could never be bitter about any of them, Anakin thought with a smile. In truth he had enjoyed teaching them and seeing them go out there and achieve their own greatness was an incredibly rewarding experience. They had brought immense joy to his life and he would be glad of that for however long he lived.

Still seeing Wila was coming out of her meditations he turned his attention back to her training and making sure that she had a solid grounding in the force before moving on to other more advanced skills.

- x -

Royal Palace, Theed, Naboo...

Padme was in the middle of preparing for the biggest negotiations she had been apart of since the Clone Wars and she was quite nervous. C-3PO had thankfully proven that he was still as good at helping to prepare for these things as he had been years ago, not to mention the Queen had been gracious enough to let them use the Royal Palace to host the meeting.

Padme stood in the secure landing zone near the palace accompanied by Alliance soldiers and Royal Naboo Security Forces in full parade to greet their guests. An elegant ship that looking like it was designed after an swift and streamlined fish landed, the ramp lowered and a parade of guards in white combat armour descended, they had no hair but had skin that was a mix between blue and purple. They had many human features including five digits on each hand but they were clearly alien.

"Greetings Ambassador." Padme said with a respectful bow, the ambassador bowed back and said.

"I return the greeting, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Padme Amidala." Ambassador Sha'ira said, her light blue skin almost simmering in the sun as she smiled.

Padme was hoping to make a good impression, the Asari were a reclusive race that was legendary for being very artistic, capable traders and truly excellent diplomats, they rarely got involved in galactic affairs but she was trying to gain their political insights on designing a new galactic government. While rebuilding the Republic had been her original plan it had been made quite clear to her by several of her advisors that the Republic had failed. A thousand years of relative peace had made them decadent and corrupt, truly rotten to the core she thought with dismay at how bad things had gotten and while the Sith had done their best to make it worse it had not been them alone that had been responsible for the situation.

They all had been she thought with a sense of guilt, everyone that had been there and failed to take action. From senators to their staff and everyone else even the Jedi...they had all turned a blind eye to the corruption in the senate and now the Republic had been twisted into a Sith Empire and they were neck deep in a galactic civil war.

As she walked the ambassador into the Palace she just hoped that they would be willing to help her create a blueprint for a new and better government that would replace the Empire after it fell.

Palaven System, Unknown Regions...

Luke braced himself against the wall of the Imperial Fuel Dump that he and the rest of Rogue Squadron infiltrated to aid the Turians in their battle against the Empire. A newly discovered race they were a powerful and disciplined race with a strong military that the Empire had been trying to conquer.

But he and Rogue Squadron were not going to allow that to happen, Luke thought with a smirk. They were here to blow up the fuel dump to deprive Imperial units of their much needed fuel supplies. The twelve of them had infiltrated the facility on one of the planetoids in the system and now were in the middle of a firefight while they sabotaged the fuel pumps and dumped dummy explosives to cover their real plan.

"Wedge, on the right. Biggs on the catwalk." Luke called out as he drew his lightsaber and used it to block the shots being fired by the Stormtroopers while his people did their work over provided fire support.

"Got it." Wedge and Biggs told him as they shot the approaching enemy, he had become fast friends with both men and the rest of the unit as they went on their various missions.

"Luke, we got three of the bombs rigged." Tycho told him with a satisfied smirk which was cover for saying that three of the pumps were sabotaged. Samoc Farr, Grizz Frix, Barlon Hightower and Kirst were doing the same, either planting their fake bombs and sabotaging the values. Vigrat Pomoner, Dak Ralter, Zev Senesca and Cinda Tarheel where busy covering the other entrances.

"Keep going, we are overstaying our welcome." Luke called out, they all were professionals who knew what they were doing but a reminder was sometimes a good thing.

"We know!" They all called out but it was with smiles on their faces, calm in the face of danger and knew what they were doing but knew their commander was just making sure they were all on task.

Luke smirked himself as he used the force to throw debris at the Imperials, sending them flying as Zev called out.

"Bombs planted, time to leave." Zev told them which was the signal that the sabotage was complete and the fake bombs planted. So they all got up and made their way towards the natural tunnel they'd used to infiltrate the place, running down while blowing the charges they'd placed to cover their escape and collapse the tunnel behind them. They didn't stop running until they reached the small cave where their X-Wings were parked, Luke ran towards his own and called out to R2 who was docked inside it.

"R2, start her up...we're leaving." Luke said as he pretty much leapt into the cockpit, his friends and squad mates quickly climbed into their own ships, starting them up before blasting their way out of the cave and into space. The Imperials meanwhile having been focused on the bombs failed to check the pumps which suddenly shot up in pressure, alarms blaring before a massive leak of fuel ignited and flowed back down the pipes into the massive storage tanks. Rogue Squadron just got clear before the explosion ripped the facility and the small planetoid apart.

Grell, Mid Rim...

The Ghost was on a scouting mission for the alliance, hoping to see how extensive the monitoring facilities on Grell were in preparation for operations in the sector. Different members of the crew were on their own parts of the mission while Sabine was on the cliffs near the primary reception dish. The massive structure was quite powerful and Sabine knew that if the Alliance was going to launch any kind of operation here then they would need to render this facility blind or perhaps even destroy it. She shut down her sights and was so caught up in thinking of ways to disable the facility that she didn't realise until too late that someone was watching her.

Suddenly she felt herself being pulled backwards and cried out in shock and then saw a bolt of red light flying at her before she was knocked out.

It was not a strong stunning charm because she came round less than an hour later with her head pounding, she got up and realised that her helmet wasn't on, she then noticed the lack of any armour, she wore it all of the time so she honestly noticed its absence straight away. She looked all over and saw that she was missing every single part of her armour and her weapons too much to her shock. She looked up and saw three faces that she hadn't seen in years looking down at her all with great disapproval on their faces.

"Markus,, Siri, Tyus. What...what's going on?" She asked confused as to why her cousins were here before Siri and Tyus told her with an annoyed look on their faces, speaking in tandem as they did sometimes.

"You stop acting like a Mandalorian, and leave your family again. And ask what's happening." They said almost like they couldn't believe she was this dense.

"Leave it out you two. We're here to recover the armour and return it to Clan Wren, Sabine we take no pleasure in this. You nearly destroyed our parents' marriage when my father bent the rules to get you out of trouble. But you're first action on being forgiven was to leave with your rebel friends. Do you have any idea how much that hurt us? Hurt your father? Your mother? Your brother? You proved that your heart is not Mandalorian any more. So therefore you can't wear our armour. You made your choice...now live the consequences." Markus said before he and his siblings disappeared, apparating themselves away.

Sabine had been about to desperately try to reason with them, plead even if she had to do it on her knees to get her armour back but they didn't give her the chance. She felt the cold on her skin although they had provided her with suitable clothing for the planet but none of it was as good as her armour. She hugged herself tightly before slowly getting to her feet and walking the long way back to the Ghost...not even saying anything to her crew-mates as she arrived and they immediately noticed her lack of armour. She just walked past them and went to her room, locking the door behind her and laying on her bunk before letting the tears fall. A major part of her identity had taken from her and she didn't know how to manage without it. Even when she had been wandering the galaxy after running away the first time she had still had that piece of home, it was like a second skin to her and now it was gone.

Orbit over Atzerri, Inner Rim...

On the bridge of the MC80a Cruiser Clarity, Anakin was reluctantly leaving the training of his students on Naboo except for Mace who had accompanied him to meet with an Imperial defector who was promising to bring useful Intel to the Rebellion and in his words 'a significant advantage' with him. Anakin was still half convinced that this was a trap and hence why he not only had a small fleet with him but Meera Surik who was standing on the deck of the ship with an impassive look on her face.

"He's late." Anakin said with annoyance and she just turned to him with a slight tilt of her head and told him.

"Impatience is an enemy to all, besides if he can provide the information he is promising its worth a few minutes. Besides even if it is a trap then we know he can't be trusted in future." Meetra said with a calm resolve, she was never rattled by anything and always planning in advance. Probably what made her such a good commander Anakin thought with a slight wish he could be more like that himself.

Any more conversation was brought to a extremely sudden halt by the arrival of a Star Destroyer! The large ship appearing right before them and then the general alarm began to blare through the ship as the crew went immediately to battle stations. Anakin was infuriated as he was proven right and that this was a trap but then a transmission arrived that changed the entire situation.

"Attention to Alliance Fleet, this is Moff Kalast aboard the Star Destroyer Avenger and I am declaring my intention to defect." A hologram of a man in Imperial Moff uniform said as it appeared on the bridge.

There was a stunned silence as they realised just what the 'significant advantage' was that he had been bringing, but it honestly was a complete shock to realise that the man had brought an entire Star Destroyer with him!

Meetra proving that legendary calm of hers again answered his transmission.

"This is the Clarity, your intention to defect is acknowledged. We will meet on the surface of the planet to discuss your potential induction into the Alliance." Meetra said and then turned to the flight control officer. "Prepare a shuttle to take a party to the surface."

"I will forward to meeting you there." Moff Kalast said with a smile on his face, clearly eager to get to safety rather than remain in the open.

"Something doesn't feel right." Mace said with a sense of nervousness and Anakin was keen to reassure his son but could not shake his own worries about the situation.

"We'll take every precaution." Anakin told him before leaving the bridge to go down to the landing bay and the waiting shuttle, followed by his son while Meetra stayed on the bridge, wanting to keep an eye on things. Still she could not help but worry herself.

- x -

Rocky Plateau, Atzerri...A Short Time Later...

The Imperial shuttle was waiting for them when they got there but it didn't make Anakin and Mace feel any more secure about the situation. Landing their own shuttle they then with their sabers ready disembarked and walked towards the waiting Moff who was smiling at them before suddenly and without warning a massive rock was flung straight at him, none of them had a chance stop it before it crushed the Moff and smashed into the shuttle behind him.

The cold aura of the dark side radiated across the area and both of them ignited their sabers as they looked in the direction that the rock had come from. They saw the tall hulking figure of a Vader appear with his red saber ignited.

Anakin leapt into action, his saber meeting Vader's and they began to exchange blows with each other.

"He should have suffered longer for betraying the Empire. But killing you will more than make up for that." Vader said with great anger and Anakin grimaced as he could tell that clearly Palpatine had made some upgrades since he had last faced a Vader.

"Not going to happen." Anakin told him and they kept swinging their lightsabers and Mace then joined the fight, forcing Vader to divide his attention.

In space above them the Rebel Fleet found itself under attack by a pair of Star Destroyers, Meetra on the bridge ordered the bombers and other fighters to harass one while the Clarity and the Avenger attacked the other.

Back on the planet though the duel between Anakin, Mace and Vader was not going well.

Anakin was staggered, this Vader was somehow much more capable than the other one that he had faced. It moved with far more precision and he seemed to have no flaw in his defence that he could exploit. The only real advantage that Anakin had was that he had Mace with him and Vader then used that to his advantage as he wasn't able to his great fury able to break through Anakin's defence and knew that he would need to prepare for the next time they met so he momentarily diverted his attention from Anakin and forced Mace's lightsaber aside before slicing his arm off at the elbow.

Mace cried out in pain and Vader was about to kill him when Anakin in a fit of rage blasted Vader back, going to kill him but Vader started pulling down rocks from a cliff above them that were about crush Mace. Anakin had no choice but to stop his pursuit of Vader to save Mace, Vader made his escape while Anakin called on the force to try and ease Mace's pain after throwing the rocks away from his son.

Anakin was horrified at what Vader had done to Mace and was ready to gut him and Palpatine like fish for it but he just told his son.

"It's alright Mace. We'll get you to the Clarity." Anakin said to his son, picking up Mace's lightsaber and his arm in the vain hope that maybe they could reattach it. Mace was grimacing with pain and his eyes were full of tears as he held his father who was helping him to the shuttle and back to the rebel fleet who had just seen off the two star destroyers. Whatever information Moff Kalast had been about to share with them was regretfully lost but the Avenger would be a useful addition to the Alliance Fleet. But Anakin didn't care for any of that, he was just worried for his son and administered a shot of painkillers to dull his pain while taking off straight for the Clarity.

Soon Mace was in the sick bay being treated and fitted with an artificial arm like his own although it was a little more advanced than his was. Meetra came down and was comforting him, boosting his confidence with tales of Bao-Dur and the great feats he had achieved with his arm. Anakin was glad of that, her words seemed to help him while Anakin stood there at his side, doing his best to be there for him.

Seeing his son with a fake arm honestly was bringing back some rather bad memories of when he had lost his own to Count Dooku on Geonosis, he would need to be there for Mace like Padme and even Haron had been for him he thought and make sure that Mace did not think less of himself for losing an arm. Strangely it was even the same arm as the one he had lost Anakin realised with surprised irony. Please don't let this be a family trait he hoped.

Reijar, Ordo System...

Nila stood in the sparring circle, now aged thirteen she had begun puberty and was thanks to the training she had been given she was very fit for her age. Her hand to hand skills were improving every day as was proven when she moved with a growing effortless grace, parrying and defeating her opponents. Being smaller she relied on speed and accuracy for her combat style and it suited her well.

Haron and Ara both watched their adopted daughter with pride, she had been older than Din when she had come but after her parents had abandoned her so horribly she had overcome her pain and made a life here. She had learned their values and customs as well as anyone born amongst them, even to speak their language fluently and applied herself to her lessons with all her heart and unbreakable spirit. She had become Mandalorian in every way that counted.

Haron clapped as she swept the feet out from under her last opponent while Ara smiled broadly, attracting her attention and she flushed with self awareness at them having seen her fighting which she was still sure was only passable.

They walked down to her as the trainers left, both walking over to her and Ara put her hands on each of Nila's shoulders and proudly told her.

"You are marvellous. Well done." Ara told her which honestly was all Nila really wanted. She had been taken in by this family when her biological one had abandoned her and they treated her as a daughter. They fed and clothed her, educated and trained her and made her part of their family.

"Indeed, you have come a long way Nila. Your determination to succeed and achieve something is remarkable." Haron told her with complete honesty. The second foundling of House Ordo had proven herself to be a capable and brave young woman although she had a few years yet before she was ready to be considered an adult. He was sad that she like Din had been forced to grow up too fast and just hoped to give her a life that she could enjoy, which sadly was being made more difficult by a unique circumstance that had now come to light.

"Nila, I have some news for you. Your maternal grandfather has died, that has created a situation we cannot allow the Empire to exploit. To make sure that doesn't happen...we need your help." Ara said gently, not liking the idea of using her like this but the situation was delicate and she was the only way that they might be able to stop the Empire from getting a dangerous advantage.

"What do you need me for?" Nila asked with confusion, she knew extremely little about her maternal grandfather beyond that he was rich and had sent her expensive presents on her birthday.

"He was the Grand Duke of Phripalmur, its a world half way between the Mid Rim and the Expansionist Region. Very sunny and temperate with nice oceans and a single large continent. The planet was settled by people from the Republic a very long time ago but was forgotten and pirates took over given its proximity to the shipping lanes. They restored the planet to prosperity and became its new nobility while making alliances with other criminal organisations to use their planet. A safe haven but also a fence and banking world for the Underworld, more than that since no one asks questions the corporations and other bodies started doing business there. Even opened a few resorts for the mega rich and well connected where they can get whatever they want when they want it. A lot of the biggest companies in the galaxy have offices there to store their secrets and even now some of the Imperials hide their own wealth and secrets there. Your grandfather was the ruler of the planet and the major shareholder in most of the planet's businesses, your mother intends to press a claim to gain his wealth while your father intends to use the secrets held there to advance his own position in the Empire. If he does that then a lot of people will try to take the planet to protect their own secrets and worse the Underworld Alliance might be compromised since they do business there a lot." Ara explained to Nila before Haron took over.

"Under the rules of the planet you can also press a claim for your grandfather's position, we can help run the planet if that is what you want but to keep the Empire from getting hold of Phripalmur we need you to stake a claim. The Mandalorians and the Underworld Alliance are willing to back you along with other members of the Rift Alliance. We don't expect you to run the planet yourself yet, we can help with that. I know its a lot to ask of you, but will you do it?" Haron asked her. Both hated having to subject a thirteen year old to this kind of choice and responsibility but it was the only way.

Nila was torn, she had never met the man who was her grandfather but he had paid for her education among giving her rather fine presents, not to mention the idea that her father might use Phripalmur to undermine the forces fighting against the Empire was repellent to her. She was disgusted at their selfishness and rotten ambition, so the chance to stop him was enticing.

Too enticing to pass up.

"When do we leave?" She asked while they smiled at her with sadness, knowing she too was growing up.

- x -

Space Port, Phripalmur...

The massive skyscrapers that dominated the poor slums beneath it were a harsh contrast in how some of the real estate on the planet were the most expensive anywhere in the galaxy while others were the poorest.

The Mandalorians given their business here landed in the richer part of town and also considering the danger to their charge they were taking no chances and went straight to the Continental Hotel under heavy guard, externally a luxury hotel but also a key player in the Underworld Alliance.

Haron, Ara and Nila led their escort through the doors and approached the front desk, placing a special bunch of golden coins before the dark skinned human male on duty who smiled before saying.

"Ah yes the Ordo party. I have you for one week." He said to confirm the length of their stay. Haron nodded but did add.

"We may need to stay longer in case our business here is troubled." Haron said, knowing that for awhile at least they should be safe here, the Continental had strict rules and so no killing could take place on its grounds or the offender would die. This would he hoped keep anyone that might try to interfere from pushing their luck but they were ready in case that happened.

"Indeed sir. Now Rooms 57 through 64 are yours. Do enjoy your stay." The Desk Man said and Haron gave the keys to the others before pressing a good tip to the him before leaving.

They settled into their rooms when a knock came at Haron and Ara's door, their weapons in hand in case someone had decided to break the neutrality rule they opened it and an older human male stood there, their contact for this mission.

"You must be Winston, this may be strange for me to say since you run the Continental but please come in." Haron said and Winston nodded with a smile before coming in.

"Indeed but your manners are a nice touch." Winston said with quiet confidence as he walked into the room and smiled as he stood opposite Haron and Ara. "Now, the good news is that the nobles will want things to stay the same here, to get them on side all we need to do is convince them that young Miss Nila will do just that. I have met a couple already and they are onboard." Winston told them. Haron and Ara nodded, grateful for his foresight.

"I see the Underworld Alliance was right to ask for your assistance. You do not disappoint." Ara said, impressed at his efficiency.

"I aim to please, it comes from running the best hotels in the galaxy." Winston said and they all knew that the Continental was much more than a mere hotel.

"Regardless we have you to thank for having such a good start. I won't state the obvious but I am keen to make this go as smoothly as possible." Haron said knowing they could not let Vist get control of this planet.

"Please, any more praise and I will have to start blushing." Winston said with a smile. Haron poured each of them a glass of an alcoholic drink that was similar to scotch and they all had a drink while talking about the situation.

Nila eventually came in and met Winston for the first time, he smiled as he looked at her before saying.

"Well young lady, you will certainly cause a stir. Your parents have been saying loud and clear that you are dead, largely so they can claim your grandfather's estate unchallenged. Rules cannot be broken and your parents have broken a number already. The High Table is not pleased especially as your father has put a lot of faith on selling secrets held here to the Empire to maintain his own position now that he has lost his main backer. Do you understand what we are asking of you?" He asked her, even looking her in the eye before she nodded.

"Rules must be enforced and obeyed regardless of how high you stand. Otherwise there would be anarchy and please stop referring to them as my parents. They abandoned me to die a long time ago." Nila said with nothing but disgust for the two miserable excuse for people and calling on the lessons her adopted parents had been drilling into her head since she had been rescued by them to calm herself and be reasoning. Be it Mandalorians or in the Underworld, rules had to exist along with punishment to make sure people obeyed them otherwise the whole system would break down.

Winston smiled as he heard her say that, happy she understood.

"You remind me of another young person that I had the great fortune to meet and mentor a long time ago. Your adopted parents have taught you well." He said with a glimmer in his eyes before getting back to business. "The meeting is tomorrow."

"We'll be ready." Haron said with certainty, putting a hand on Nila's shoulder which she took comfort from as tomorrow it was time to claim her inheritance and face her former family.

- x -

In the large estate of the Grand Duke the next day the guests began to gather, nobles from across the planet and then the entourage of the late Grand Duke's daughter arrived.

"I have been waiting so long for this." Karmelia Vist said with a greedy smile on her face at the incredible estate which had the height of luxury and incredible wealth on display. She had been eagerly waiting for him to die for years so she could claim her rightful inheritance. Her husband Bili at her side was interested in the wealth but more so the secrets that this would allow him to access, secrets that could secure his future as with the disappearance of Grand Moff Tarkin and no real accolades or other useful connections to his name, he was in a difficult position. Their stormtroopers were nervous at being on such a dangerous planet but as they made their way to the throne room and pushed open the doors, a nasty surprise awaited them.

There was already someone sitting on the throne and the sight of a thirteen year old girl with long dark hair and a piercing look in her eyes made both of them freeze with shock.

"Greetings...mother." Nila said with a disgusted voice as she looked at her biological parents who had long said to everyone she was dead.

"My daughter!" Karmelia proclaimed after a moment to realise that the child she had been so eager to get rid of years ago had not been killed as she had hoped. She quickly put on a smile and acted as though this were the best news in the universe but Nila's Mandalorian guards stepped between them and at the side of the throne was Haron, Ara, Winston, nobles from all over the planet and representatives of the different Rift Alliance powers.

"Save the performance Karmelia." Nila said with a cold and disgusted voice that she shared blood with this woman. "You wanted me dead! We have the proof that you abandoned me to die and then when the Mandalorians tried to return me you said that I should be killed!"

"Daughter!" Bili said with a sudden panic as he realised that if the Mandalorians had spared his daughter that they must have intended to use her.

"Don't call me daughter!" Nila said with a cold calm as she looked down at them. "Do you even remember my name? You have never called me by my name. You came here to trade the secrets on this planet to advance yourself in the Empire now you can't ride on Tarkin's coattails any more. Your wife only desires money to satisfy her materialistic desires. Neither of you can be trusted with the rulership of this planet. The nobles have chosen me." She said before telling the guards with a cold smirk. "Put them back on the shuttle that they came on."

The guards in the room immediately shot the Stormtroopers down before seizing the two who were dragged kicking and screaming out of the room. Winston smirked himself and said.

"The air certainly seems better with them gone. There are still some details to be worked out but I think we can make a good deal here." Winston said with a hopeful smile and Haron shook his hand.

"You are as good as your word and I cannot think of a better man to represent Nila here until she is old enough to lead." Haron said, knowing he was putting a lot of trust in Winston but the man was legendary for his adherence to the rules and they had made a mutual promise to help his Continental with a new branch on Mandalore.

"I will look forward to that." Winston said with a smile, knowing this young lady was going to be really something when she was ready.

Sometime later that night, Winston made a call to a special friend of his. The hologram of a tall middle aged man with a beard appeared.

"Winston." The man said and Winston smiled.

"Jonathan, it is good to see you." Winston said warmly to the man that was like a son to him. "Now if it isn't too much trouble, I was hoping you might take time out of your busy schedule to do a little job."

"If it were anyone else asking I probably wouldn't." Jonathan said with some resignation as he owed Winston way too much to not help him. Winston smiled before telling him.

"There are two people, Admiral Bili Vist and his wife Kamelia. We need them dead." Winston said and Jonathan nodded.

"Consider it done."

"I would expect nothing less from the legendary John Wick." Winston said before he sent the details and closed the transmission. Better to be safe than sorry he thought before going back to business.