A Young Girl’s War Between the Stars

  75

  Mandalore. 36 BBY/964 GSC.

  Satine felt her stomach flutter with excitement as she stood in the spaceport, waiting. As she caught herself bouncing on the balls of her feet again for the third time, Jaster beside her chuckled.

  Satine turned an annoyed look on him as Jaster smiled. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. “Not a word.”

  “I didn’t say anything.” Leaning against a stack of crates, the old mercenary turned Mandalore hummed. “I wonder what this ‘surprise’ of hers is.’

  The blonde looked away as two ships came flying in—Tanya’s Rusted Silver and a shuttle from the Redoubt. “The captain seemed… different. It was subtle, but there was something there.”

  In the video call Tanya had made not too long ago letting Satine and Jaster know to expect them, Capt. Keen had been standing behind Tanya’s shoulder. Not out of the ordinary for a video call, but the older woman had been much physically closer than was strictly necessary. And there was something in the woman’s face that Satine couldn’t quite place.

  “Suppose we’ll find out,” Jaster nodded towards them, pushing off the crate he was leaning on as the ships finished landing and the hatches opened.

  Tanya and her two Padawans—all wearing Mandalorian armor with their helmets off—along with the blonde mechanic descended from the blastboat. Satine smiled, sending a wave their way, which was answered with a nod from Tanya as she briefly glanced away from the conversation she was having with her mechanic to acknowledge them.

  What Satine wasn’t expecting was for the shuttle to disgorge Capt. Keen and a small troop of marines. Nor was she expecting the familiar red haired form in the middle of them.

  Satine’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of her sister, after so many years apart. Bo spotted her immediately and in spite of the distance that had grown between them and the years they had been apart, Satine could see the regret and silent apology on her little sister’s face.

  Captain Keen led the squad of troops and prisoner up to them and saluted to Satine and Jaster. “Sir, Ma’am. What would you like us to do with the prisoner?”

  Jaster reached up and ran a hand through his thinning hair with a sigh. “We should lock her up and interrogate her about where her Death Watch friends are hiding.” He cast a look at Satine, before turning to Tanya. “You already did that?”

  The young woman nodded. “I did. She was quite forthcoming, after a little time to sit and stew, and a bit of a… realignment of her worldview.” Satine resisted the urge to wince at that. She didn’t want to imagine exactly what her friend had done to her sister—because as much as she liked Tanya, the Zeltron girl was scary. “Unfortunately, she didn’t know much. That was intentional. Whoever is running Death Watch kept their cells compartmentalized specifically for that reason.”

  Jaster nodded. “I suspected as much.”

  Sighing, Satine met her sister’s eyes for a moment before making her decision. “Release—”

  “Negative,” Tanya snapped loudly, cutting her off. Satine blinked at the tone, and the force behind the word. Or maybe Force, as even thinking she shouldn’t allow someone who was ostensibly a subordinate to countermand her in public of all places, she found herself holding her tongue. “She’s still an enemy operative until all of this is settled. We’re not going to risk letting a saboteur or spy running around Sundari and phoning home to whoever pulls her strings. Escort the prisoner to the President’s residence and outfit her with an explosive collar. She’s being put under house arrest for the time being.”

  Jaster perked up at that, his body tensing. Satine caught herself looking at him and found the man’s eyes focused not on the group before them, but dancing around their surroundings. “Agreed. Get it done, captain.”

  “Yes sir,” Capt. Keen agreed, before looking to her troops. “You have your orders, marines.”

  “Captain!”

  “You lying little bitch!” Bo yelled, trying and failing to jerk her way out of the arms of her guard. “You promised—!”

  “Promises to a traitor mean nothing,” Tanya shrugged. “Now, go along peacefully—” She fell silent as Bo spat on her face. The girl’s eye twitched and the marines holding Bo let her go and stood back as she slowly reached up and wiped the spit off. Bo paled, her body trembling.

  “I, I didn’t—ah!” Bo yelped as lightning jumped from the Jedi’s hand and connected with her armor, laying her out on her back. Her body twitched for a moment as she froze up under the current, before Tanya let off.

  “Get that out of my sight,” the younger woman snapped, and the marines quickly lifted Bo and carried her away as a secure speeder landed nearby. Motioning to the captain to fall in, Tanya stalked towards the group of three speeders that Satine and Jaster had brought to meet them. “We need to talk. Cindy, could you take my Padawans to Satine’s home and keep an eye on them for me?”

  “Sure thing, boss lady,” the blonde woman nodded.

  They broke up into three groups—Satine and Jaster together with their escort, Tanya and Capt. Keen and two more of the security team, and Cindy with Allaya and Asajj and the last two security members. As they took to the air, Satine looked at Jaster and quietly asked, “What’s going on?”

  “Your sister’s a traitor and we need to treat her as such.”

  The words were cold, and they hurt Satine to hear. More than that though, they made her angry. Not because they were wrong, but because she wasn’t being consulted. “You didn’t ask me. We didn’t talk it out.”

  “You’re compromised,” the older man shrugged, watching the airspace around them warily. “Too close to this, emotionally.”

  “We’re supposed to be equal—”

  “And there are explicitly contingencies and circumstances written into the charter where one of us outranks the other. This is a military matter, Satine. That means it falls under the purview of the Mandalore, not the President.” He turned and finally met her gaze, and Satine blinked. “Be grateful that she’s just been put under house arrest.”

  His eyes don’t match his words or tone, Satine realized, and it was at that moment that she began putting things together and a suspicion began to form.

  Huffing in anger, she turned away, crossing her arms and glaring out the passenger window as they neared the government building. Just to test her theory, to poke at the edges of it without potentially giving something away, she hissed, “And Tanya! Who does she think she is?! We’ve let her get away with too much.” She turned her glare back on Jaster. “You let her get away with too much. You could have reprimanded her for speaking out of turn in public like that!”

  Jaster snorted quietly. “Above my pay grade.”

  Satine raised an eyebrow. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means we’re probably about to have another regime change.” Satine stared at him in confusion. “You didn’t notice what was on her belt.”

  “No? What was on her belt?” Satine asked.

  “She went and got her sword back from the Jedi.”

  Satine blinked as she realized what he meant, and the last time they had talked about it. And why he felt Tanya could get away with what she had. “Oh.”

  That… okay. She’s got the Darksaber. Jaster thinks she’s about to succeed him as Mandalore. That explains the captain. Then Bo… she knows. This is the first time we met with the Jedi all over again. Tanya is running another op against Death Watch, or what remains of them. She’s using Bo and herself both as bait. And she and Jaster suspect that someone is listening? Spying? Reporting back to Death Watch, at any rate—even if they don’t know it. Damnit! I thought Xana was supposed to be on top of counter-intelligence and find things like this! I thought we were done with all of this. We don’t need this, this shit while we’re getting ready to declare our secession!

  Satine sat and stewed in her annoyance and uncertainty as the speeder came in for a landing at the government building. She held her tongue as they walked through the halls to the office she shared with Jaster. Only once they were behind closed doors did she open her mouth—only to shut it again as Tanya held up a hand to silence her.

  Making her way over to Jaster’s desk, Tanya sat down behind it and placed a call on his holocom. A familiar, and annoying face answered within a couple of rings. Before Xana could say anything, Tanya cut her off. “Bring a security team to this office to sweep for bugs. I’ll need you to stay for a debrief after.”

  The special agent blinked, before nodding. “Will d—”

  Tanya cut her off, shutting off the holocom and propping her feet up on the desk. “You should sit while we wait.”

  Below the desk, the bag Tanya had brought with her eased open and Satine caught movement in the corner of her eye as a cable of some kind slipped out of the bag and under the desk.

  What in the world?

  Deciding to keep quiet about it for now, Satine remained standing, crossing her arms under her breasts as she glared at the young woman. Jaster and Capt. Keen took a seat, the old man studying Tanya for a moment before asking, “This what I think it is?”

  “Probably,” she allowed. “I want to wait for Xana to get here before we debrief. But to give you something to think on in the meantime, I’m going to be here for a couple of months and we’re going to be cleaning house during that time. I want this place running like a well oiled machine when I have to leave again.”

  “Heh.” Jaster chuckled, leaning back in his seat and nodding. “Alright.”

  “I don’t like being kept in the dark,” Satine grumbled as she finally moved around and sat behind her own desk.

  “It’s worth it, ma’am,” Capt. Keen spoke up, drawing the blonde’s attention.

  “I take it you and your crew are already aware of whatever it is?” Satine asked, and the captain nodded.

  “Some of us. The command staff.”

  The president of Mandalore let out an annoyed sigh and shifted in her seat, waiting impatiently. Every minute felt like it dragged on forever. Until, eventually, someone knocked at the door and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “Enter,” Tanya called, sitting up and taking her feet off the desk.

  A moment later, Xana and a team of six people entered, carrying various scanners. They quickly got to work and, as they did, Satine saw something move beneath Tanya’s desk—a portable computer slipping out of her bag and onto her lap. She kept her hands on top of the desk, resting her chin in them with her eyes closed, as the keys began to quietly and rapidly press on the keyboard and things Satine didn’t recognize popped up and went away on the screen.

  Over the next twenty minutes, the team of six scanned the room thoroughly, making a pile of electronic detritus pulled from the walls, furniture, under the carpet, in the potted plants—even one of the light fixtures. They boxed it all up and carted it off, closing the door behind them.

  “Alright, that’s it. The office is clean,” Xana reported.

  A moment later, the computer on top of Tanya’s lap flashed, resolving into a view from the holocom unit on Jaster’s desk and, with a tap of keys, the other side of the feed where a very ordinary woman sat in a small office. The holocom’s holographic unit wasn’t active, nor were any of the status indicator lights on its surface that would show it was transmitting lit.

  Someone bugged our office and tapped our comms, Satine realized. She forced herself to keep her face neutral as she waited for the next move.

  Tanya glanced briefly at the screen before meeting Xana’s eyes and nodding slowly, deliberately. “Good job. That takes care of everything. Sit down and give me a minute to secure the room from the outside.”

  Satine felt her skin tingle as something washed over it. Nothing on the computer screen changed, so she assumed that whatever Tanya had done hadn’t cut the feed from the holocom. A feed she very clearly knew about, so Satine kept in mind that whatever was said next was done so for the benefit of their audience.

  “We’re good,” the Zeltron girl reported after a few moments. Taking a breath, she let it out in a sigh. “Apologies for the deception.”

  “Will you kindly explain what the hell is going on?” Satine demanded. She felt she showed admirable restraint in not raising her voice.

  Tanya nodded, putting the computer on the floor and reaching into her bag to retrieve something. Satine raised an eyebrow as the girl stood and laid a mask out on the desk. Then, she pulled a lightsaber hilt off of her belt and put it down beside the mask. “In my travels I chanced upon some information that put me onto the trail of Canderous Ordo, and a pilgrimage he took to secret away the Mask of Mandalore that had previously been claimed by Revan before being given to him. I stopped by the Temple and collected the Darksaber from their care, then went to retrieve the mask.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Chuckling, Jaster shook his head. “Good job, kiddo. Looks like I can retire—”

  “Oh no you don’t,” Tanya fixed him with an amused look. “I may be Mandalore now, but I can’t be here full time. I need to delegate. Which means I need someone to delegate to. People I trust to get the job done, do it right, and not screw me over.” She met Satine’s eyes, “And that’s the two of you.”

  Tanya turned her attention back to Jaster. “But I know you want to get out from behind this desk, and I don’t blame you. So, find and train a replacement and you can retire. I’ll find you a nice, cozy place near the front lines of the coming war and you can have fun raiding the Trade Federation or anyone stupid enough to cross into our territory. Sound good?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Jaster agreed.

  Crossing her arms, Satine had to remind herself that this was likely just being said for their observer. Still, she couldn’t help but point out, “You sound like you’re taking over.”

  Tanya raised an eyebrow, before reaching out and tapping the mask twice. “That’s because I am. I’m the Mand’alor now, by right.”

  “We’re not doing that anymore,” Satine protested, shaking her head. “We have elections now—!”

  “And you’ll get to keep your position,” the white haired woman nodded, before a smirk pulled her lips upwards. “Under me~. [Edit: Definitely not in a lewd way though until I turn eighteen, as that would break Royal Road's Terms of Service.]”

  Satine [edit], growing flustered as she glared at the red woman. A frustrated sound escaped her throat and she wanted to tell the girl [edit], but embarrassment wouldn’t let her get the words out.

  Tanya continued before she could, regardless. “You and whoever Jaster picks as a replacement will report directly to me. You’ll keep all of your current responsibilities and authority, and your position will still be elected by vote. However, you derive your authority from me. Ultimately, I am the authority you and your counterpart will answer to. And in matters pertaining to the Confederacy, I will answer to Master, that is Lord Dooku—or whatever title we settle on for his position. All that’s changed is you’ve gained a new boss. I trust you to keep running things as you have, as that’s generally the way I want them run. I’ll spend some time reviewing policy and the like and let you know if anything needs to change.”

  Satine stood, slamming her palms on her desk. “Tanya, you can’t just—!”

  “Sit.”

  The word hit her with the force of a flying speeder. Satine sat. Her mouth worked for a moment or two before falling silent.

  “I can and I am.” The words came with a weight of authority behind them that had nothing to do with the Force. “I won the Darksaber by defeating its last wielder in single combat. I claimed the Mask of Mandalore from its place, hidden behind a multitude of trials set up by the man who wore it last. Either one of those alone are symbols of the Mandalorian people that have united us in the past. Together? Satine, this shouldn’t even be up for debate.”

  Quietly, Satine murmured, “We’ve moved past that.”

  “Some of our people have, yes. That’s why I’m keeping you around, as a voice for those people. But ultimately, this business of dividing the power between two thrones has to end, or it’s going to see us killed in the coming war. You know that,” Tanya pressed. She fell silent for a moment, eyeing Satine. Waiting. After a few moments, Satine jerkily nodded. “Good. I’m glad you understand. But if you really want to fight for the title, or fight to abolish it altogether, I’m going to give you a chance.”

  Satine raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  Tanya smiled—one of those smiles that still sent a shiver down Satine’s spine. Reaching out, she tapped at the keyboard on Jaster’s desk and brought up a map of Sundari and the surrounding area.

  “Simply put, I want to consolidate power and secure my position as quickly as possible. To that end,” she highlighted a section of area outside the city. It was a square mile of land, a few miles from Sundari, in the rocky wasteland. “We’re going to construct an arena here. A stadium, with seating and all the amenities we’ll need for a crowd of this size. It won’t even be a waste of money, since we can reuse it for other sporting events and eventually, it’ll pay for itself. Then, once it’s finished, I’m going to take all challengers who want to try for the title. Anyone who beats me earns the Mask and the Darksaber both. No holds barred. All tactics and weapons welcome, save for indiscriminate weapons like gas, using a ship from orbit, or trying something stupid like attempting to take my Padawans or others hostage. They’re welcome to try alone or in groups, I don’t care. As long as they acknowledge that they’re putting their lives on the line and may be killed. Then, once it’s done, it’s over. No more challengers. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with, permanently.”

  Jaster, who had been nodding along, asked, “What sort of timeframe are you looking at?”

  “You’ve got six months to get it done. Time enough to build a stadium, spread the news of the new Mandalore and the challenge date, and to recall all of the Mandalorian clans home. All of them. It’s time Mandalore came together as a united front. We don’t have the luxury of anything else, with the war coming.” Tanya turned to Xana. “I’m leaving it to you to find them, and as many of the various, scattered clanless Mandos as you can, and see to it that they get the message.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Xana agreed with a nod.

  Turning to Capt. Keen, Tanya continued. “Captain Keen, you and the Redoubt will continue your assignment as my personal escort. Get the ship in for maintenance and whatever else it needs and tell the men they’re welcome to take shore leave. We won’t be leaving for a while.”

  “Understood, Mandalore,” the captain agreed.

  “I’m going to spend the next several months here training my Padawans, while we wait on the construction to finish and the clans and the clanless diaspora to arrive.” She turned and met Satine’s gaze. “Satine, I’ll be staying with you again, if you don’t mind.”

  “And if I did mind?” Satine asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “I’ll do it anyway,” Tanya rolled her eyes. “I should be there to help keep an eye on your sister and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”

  Frowning, the blonde asked, “Anything that will make her head explode, you mean?”

  “Precisely,” Tanya agreed. Standing, she stretched and yawned. “If there’s nothing else, I’m going to go collect my Padawans for a little live fire training. Then, I’m going to go inspect my factory.” She looked around, taking in the shakes of heads. Bending down under the desk, she quickly collected her computer, typing something into the computer that resulted in something in Xana’s pocket buzzing. Shoving it into the bag, she stood and put away the Mask and Darksaber as the others likewise began preparing to leave the room and get to work.

  “I’ll come with you. I want to see my sister,” Satine said, and Tanya nodded.

  The group broke up and Satine walked beside Tanya as they made their way not to the public speeder access, but to the government motor pool. They collected a speeder there and Tanya got them airborne a moment later. Another feeling of what Satine suspected was the Force washed over her skin before Tanya sagged in her seat, just a bit.

  The red woman kept her eyes on the sky around them as she began speaking quietly. “I would have warned you, but you’ve got a mole.”

  “I saw the computer,” Satine nodded. “I thought Xana was supposed to catch those?”

  “They can only vet people they interrogate, and it’s actually surprisingly easy to hack into a holo projector. Someone inside the building must have gotten physical access to them.”

  “The same people who planted the other bugs?”

  Tanya shrugged. “Possibly. I’ll let Xana sniff around and investigate. If it’s the Republic or some third party, we’ll remove them. If it’s Death Watch, and I hope it is, then we’ll leave them for now.”

  “Mm.” Crossing her arms, she eyed the girl beside her. “How much of that back there was real?”

  “Well, I really found the mask and collected my sword,” Tanya began, and Satine nodded. “And I’m really taking over for Jaster as Mandalore, and getting him to find a replacement so I don’t have to deal with it and can delegate. As for the rest… I wanted to establish a certain image. That of a tyrant settling in and preparing to clean house. It’s why Bo and I had that little scene at the spaceport.”

  Satine raised an eyebrow. “She was in on all of that?”

  Tanya nodded. “Yes. She’s the one who suggested we needed to make it look good for anyone watching—and make no mistake, there were people watching. I felt them. Security is already investigating. That little blast of lightning I hit her with didn’t do much more than warm her armor up, and I trust Aylin—Capt. Keen—to supply a convincing fake for a bomb collar.”

  She took a moment to glance Satine’s way. “I was being mostly truthful about what happened on the ship. I found her, she asked for my help, I killed the rest of her Death Watch cell, and she turned herself in voluntarily. Then I went on a quest for the Saber and the Mask. Once she saw me with those…” Tanya paused for a moment, thinking, before shrugging. “It was like a switch flipped in her head. I don’t believe we have anything to worry about from her anymore.”

  “Then the plan is to…?”

  “Let her make contact with the other Death Watch, lure them in, and either convert them or eliminate them once and for all,” Tanya answered, and Satine hummed.

  “I doubt we’ll get many converts.”

  Tanya shrugged. “And if not, that’s fine. As long as they’re dealt with.” Frowning, she added, “I’ll need to take some alive for interrogation, to make sure we get them all. I doubt they would bring all of their forces to the event, or spend them all in the months leading up to it trying to get at me. I’m just hoping the Mask and the Saber in one place, held by one person, prove too tempting a target for them to ignore. I won’t be on planet all the time, though. A time when I’m publicly known to be on planet and not likely to leave any time soon is too good an opportunity to pass up. It gives me an opportunity to slip away and take care of some business.”

  “Mm,” Satine murmured, nodding. “And what happens after?”

  Tanya sent her a curious look as she brought the speeder in for a landing. “What do you mean?”

  “Six months from now, when you’ve announced that you are the new Mandalore. After you’ve dealt with all the challengers. What then?” Satine clarified.

  “Then? I’m going to enroll in the Republic Naval Academy at Anaxes. You and Jaster go back to business as usual. As for my position, for now, I’ll be the distant figurehead giving you credibility and authority.” Frowning, she added, “I was somewhat serious about reviewing some things though. We can find ways to optimize…”

  The blonde frowned as Tanya trailed off in thought. That alleviated many of her fears, if she was being honest. Which left only the ones about the girl’s own safety. “That will be after the secession. Even if you’re a Knight now, you’re still known as Dooku’s former Padawan. There won’t be any way to hide or deny your connection to Mandalore and the Confederacy, or your new position.”

  Tanya sent her an amused look as the speeder touched down in Satine’s private garage. “There won’t be a need. Xana already knows who to talk to, after all. A change here and there is all it will take.” She slipped out of the speeder, adding, “That, and a bit of persuasion using the Force. Now, let’s go see your sister. I’m sure you two have some catching up to do.”

  Satine nodded, following as they made their way inside. As she went, her mind turned towards what she would have to keep straight in order for this little ruse to work.

  I’m a bit jealous at how quickly Jaster caught on. Did she call him ahead of time?

  Two steps later, she blinked as another thought penetrated.

  Or did he really just back her to the hilt on a soft coup?!

  Satine considered it for a moment before shaking her head. No, there was no way. Right?

  Ugh. Six months is going to be miserable, knowing that someone may be listening to every conversation we have. I wish we could just deal with them now, even if I understand why they want to leave them in place for the moment.

  Then, they made their way into the apartment and Satine boxed all of those thoughts up for the moment and put them on a mental shelf as she found her sister in her living room, out of her armor, walking Allaya and Asajj through what looked like a physical demonstration of some kind. Bo looked up, meeting Satine’s eyes, and the blonde felt herself smiling.

  I’m glad she’s home. I’ll have to arrange a way to thank Tanya for bringing her back.

  I ducked under a swipe of a green lightsaber from Asajj and parried a swing of her yellow saber, forcing her away and into a stumble as she landed. I capitalized immediately, kicking her in the hip and sending her sprawling to the ground in a clatter of armor, rock, and sand. “Always be mindful of your footing.”

  Turning, I stepped to the side and evaded a jab from a red lightsaber on the end of a telescoping staff as Allaya tried to take advantage. I swung at her staff and the length of songsteel retracted as she pulled it together sharply with the Force, only to fire it back out at me again like it had been launched from a cannon. I twisted my body, flipping over the strike, but she wasn’t done—jabbing forward with a series of quick thrusts and little movements on her end that translated into much larger swishes of her lightsaber on the business end, forcing me to dodge, duck, and weave through them as she bought Asajj a moment to get back to her feet and make another attack.

  There was a warning in the Force and I turned, already swinging as Asajj fired. My lightsaber caught a green blaster bolt and flicked it back at her. The girl yelped and fumbled to smack the bolt away from her face, sending it out into the desert.

  In my moment of distraction, Allaya struck, her lightsaber coming in from behind me. I turned and slammed my own blade into hers, locking them up at the crossguards. She had the leverage advantage, but I had the mass and strength. I used our connection to swing her around and throw her at Asajj, the blonde girl jumping away just in time to avoid getting slammed back into the ground.

  “Good teamwork,” I praised them with a nod.

  A flick of my own lightsaber sent it extending forward as Allaya’s did and a quick back and forth tapped both girls in the head, earning a pair of groans. I shut off my saber, retracted my own staff, and slipped it back onto my belt. “That’s enough for today. Let’s head back.”

  The girls nodded and we took off across the rocky, mountainous wasteland the few miles towards the ship, running the whole way. The mountains became our obstacle course as we navigated the terrain using the Force.

  When we reached the ship and settled into the cockpit. I let Asajj take off and fly us back to Sundari, while Allaya played copilot, watching the sensors—there was the danger of someone seeing too good an opportunity to pass up with us all alone out here in the Mandalorian wastelands and trying to attack, so I had warned them to stay sharp. As they flew, I felt my pocket buzz and heard the chime of my holocom. Raising an eyebrow, I pulled it out and saw a name I didn’t particularly want to see.

  “Get us back in one piece, girls. I have to take this privately. If something comes up, come get me.”

  With that, I made my way back and routed the call to the Rusted Silver’s main holocom terminal, after closing the hatch leading to the cockpit. A familiar form appeared sitting at a desk, wearing an obsequious smile. I gave the man a nod. “Sheev. It’s been some time since we last spoke. It’s good to see you’re doing well.”

  “You as well. I hear congratulations are in order on your Knighting, Tanya?” he asked, that smile creeping up a few inches.

  Nodding, I frowned. “Yes. Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment.”

  The old human raised an eyebrow. “Oh dear. Is something the matter?”

  I looked away. “A disagreement leading to an… altercation with Master Mundi. It’s an internal Jedi matter. Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Senator,” I waved his feigned concern off, before turning back to him. “But I’m sure you didn’t call just to check up on me.”

  “Too true, unfortunately. Things have been entirely too busy here in the senate to dedicate time to social calls. However, I heard something interesting from one of my sources and it reminded me of the conversation we had.”

  “Oh?” I raised an eyebrow, sending him a curious look.

  “Oh yes,” the senator nodded, smiling again. “I have friends who keep an eye out for certain rare artifacts, as you know,” he led, and I nodded. “They keep an ear to the ground for upcoming events outside of the normal channels and in less lawful areas of space. This particular friend informed me of an auction set to take place soon, hosted on Nar Shaddaa. I can’t make it myself, otherwise I would go, but as a fellow collector, I thought you might appreciate the tip.”

  I perked up in affected interest. “I do, thank you. Do you happen to know what’s going to be on auction?”

  “That friend sent me a list of a few things I might be interested in, but I think only a few truly stand out. Give me a moment to send them over…” He fiddled with the holocom on his end, then a new image popped up in the feed on mine.

  “Firstly, a sword believed to have come from the Force War.”

  I hummed, considering it. “I’d love to get my hands on one, just to see how they were constructed. I may go just for that.”

  Senator Palpatine chuckled. “I thought you would enjoy that. Next, a partially intact set of armor, found with the sword,” he said, switching to a new image of what looked like robes.

  Those actually interested me more than the sword. If I could get some good scans, I could work with Revan to reverse engineer whatever alchemy was used to protect them and then use that to enhance our own armor. I had a multitude of ways of killing people, but very few ways of staying alive, and not every situation would allow me to use my armor.

  “I see it’s piqued your interest,” the old man commented with a knowing smile.

  “I’d very much like to keep my insides inside and pointy things on the outside,” I nodded.

  “A sensible approach,” he nodded. “Finally, I’ve saved the best for last.” He changed the image to display a three sided metal pyramid covered in inscriptions that looked very much like circuitry. On the bottom was an inscription in Aurebesh, written upside down—which may very well mean that the pyramid itself was upside down and was meant to be inverted. The inscription read, In umbris potestas est.

  I frowned, blinking as I realized that I recognized the language. Not as something local. No.

  That’s Latin. ‘In shadow power is,’ if I’m remembering correctly.

  Not that I actually wanted to remember that particular chuuni stage of my first life…

  But that’s the literal translation. In a modern translation, it’d be more like, ‘In shadow, there is power.’ The question is, what’s that language doing here? And it is Latin, one for one, using Aurebesh. Does that mean that Earth is out there somewhere? If not here, then in another galaxy? Or perhaps it was some echo in the Force that drove whoever put it there to do so?

  I shook my head, dismissing those questions for later. It was an interesting mystery, but not one I’d be getting an answer to any time soon. Though maybe, if I were lucky, the pyramid might hold the answers. Leaning forward, I studied it intently. “Is that what I think it is?”

  “It looks very much like a holocron to my eyes, but I could be mistaken. Surely you’ve seen more than I have, in the Jedi Temple. This one appears to be almost entirely metal, which would be out of the ordinary, would it not?”

  “It is,” I confirmed. “They’re usually made of kyber crystal. It could be that the inside is kyber.” Frowning, I added, “Or it could be a fake.”

  “True, true,” Senator Palpatine nodded, before grinning. “But who better to tell a fake from the real thing than a Jedi. And if it’s something that shouldn’t be out in the hands of the general public, why, you are practically obligated to take it in for… safekeeping.”

  I allowed my lips to pull up into a small grin. “Safekeeping, yes. Wouldn’t want something dangerous getting into the wrong hands. Can you send me the details on when this auction will take place? I should go poke my nose in and see what there is to find.”

  “Of course. I’ll send them over.”

  “Thank you. If I see something you might like, I’ll see about acquiring it.”

  The old man chuckled, waving my offer off. “You don’t have to, but I certainly wouldn’t say no to such a gift. If that is a holocron, perhaps you’ll let me examine it some time?”

  “I’ll do that,” I agreed.

  After that, we said our goodbyes and disconnected. I sighed, leaning against the holocom terminal.

  Looks like I’m taking a trip.

  RR's system is algorithm based and all of those things impact the ranking.

  Thanks for your support.

  I believe a system that encourages a culture of potentially blindly advertising stories you may not have read yourself in order to gain advertising using someone else's audience is disingenuous, so I refuse to engage with it.

  It also annoys a bunch of people to see a story do this well without resorting to it, which just warms my heart.