CHAPTER FORTY
--Mandalore--
The Battle of Mandalore was over. The Resistance had won its first victory.
Yet Leia Organa felt anything but victorious.
Moments after the Millennium Falcon had flown out of the Resurgent, the Star Destroyer had gone down in flames, plummeting towards the planet below. According to Admiral Ackbar and other eyewitnesses, the Imperial flagship had been fired upon by a Mandalorian vessel, which give the Resistance the edge they needed.
As far as she knew, Ben had still been on the ship when it went down. For all intents and purposes, he was more than likely dead.
But he wasn't. Leia could feel it. Her son was still out there-- beyond her reach perhaps, but still alive. She would find him, and no matter the cost, she would bring him back to the light.
If her brother had been willing to sacrifice everything to bring their father back, then she would do the same for her son.
Leia sighed as she leaned against her husband's shoulder, staring wistfully at the rising sun. Although the battle had been won, there were still things to be done: rogue Mandalorians to catch, escaped Sith to track down, not to mention explaining all of this to the Alliance and tidying up the messes Taral had made in both the Alliance and Imperial Remnant.
There was a long day ahead for all of them. The sun could take all the time it needed to rise.
Leia did not mind waiting.
--Concord Dawn--
"I think this'll do nicely."
"You sure?" Bedo squinted as he looked towards the horizon, shielding his beady eyes from the rising sun. "I see a lake down there. Wouldn't that be a better...?"
Vessin shook her head, smiling. "No. This is perfect."
Bedo shrugged. "If you say so."
Producing a power-shovel, the Ortolan set to work, digging up a hole in the ground. Once he was finished, he stepped aside as Wiskin came froward carrying a lifeless body covered in white armor. He gently laid it in the hole Bedo had made before helping him covering it up. After they were done, Vessin approached the gravesite and dropped a large stone over it, the name Kadar carved into it.
The three of them all stepped back to admire their handiwork. Bedo then looked at Vessin, rubbing the back of his head. "Think we should say something?"
She shrugged. "You can if you want."
"Well, I mean, he's your dad...."
"I've already paid my tribute to him, Bedo. You can have this one."
Bedo huffed through his nose. "Okay...." He gestured with pudgy blue fingers at the burial. "Here lies Kadar. He was... a Mandalorian. And a bounty hunter. And my friend's dad. He killed some people, but they were bad, so it's okay. He sounded like a pretty cool guy. Wish I knew him. The end."
The Ortolan fell silent as he looked to his two companions. They both stared at him for a moment until Vessin nodded slowly.
"Honestly? That was probably the most apt eulogy you could have given."
Bedo beamed at her. "Thanks."
The three of them then turned and headed back for the Renegade, which was parked several feet away from Kadar's burial. Waiting by the boarding ramp was a man in his late forties, dressed in smuggler attire with a metal band around his midsection. A smirk crossed his scarred face as Vessin and the other two arrived.
"About time you three got back. Kyla was just about ready to leave you three here."
"That's rich," Bedo snorted. "Where else is she going to find a handsome Ortolan chef like me?"
While Bedo and Wiskin headed onto the ship, Vessin stopped before the man. Once her crewmates were out of sight, she threw her arms around the man and hugged him.
"I love you, dad," she said quietly.
"I love you too, Ves," the man said softly, hugging her back. "You sure you don't want to stay here a bit longer? Say your goodbyes to Uncle Tral and the others?"
"Please," Vessin laughed, sniffling slightly. "I love my uncle but his ego is still grating. I've heard he's calling himself Mandalore the Exonerated now."
"Oh, for crying out...." Her father sighed as he shook his head. "Some things never change, I suppose."
"But some things can." Vessin smiled up at him. "Come on. We really shouldn't keep Kyla waiting. Trust me, I know her."
The man once known as Kadar returned the smile before boarding the ship with his daughter. The ramp raised up behind them, sealing them off from an old life as they stepped into a new one.
--The Vanguard--
It was generally considered to be unwise to even consider navigating the region known as the Maw. Filled with black holes in any direction, one would have to be a fool to attempt at flying through the labyrinthine cluster.
Admiral Vin Borgas was no fool. He was simply doing a fool's job.
He had no idea what significance the planet before him had or why its destruction was necessary. But he could not ignore orders that came from high up the ladder and thus had risked neck in making it through the Maw to fulfill his duties.
The sound of the door behind him opening distracted Borgas from the bombardment and he was mildly surprised to see the Sith Rion Scorpius storming onto the bridge, followed by five others.
"Lord Scorpius," Borgas greeted the infuriated Sith. "This is an unexpected visit. I thought you were at Mandalore with--"
Scorpius silenced him with a raise of the hand, seizing the admiral's throat with the Force. "What is going on here?" the Sith snarled. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Just... following... orders," Borgas choked out.
"Whose orders? That's Abeloth's planet! She is vital to our plans!"
"Wasn't... told. Supreme... Leader... wanted--"
Scorpius' eyes went wide as he released Borgas. "The Supreme Leader? He ordered this?"
Unable to speak as he coughed, the admiral simply nodded.
The Sith looked amongst themselves in shock. "But... why?"
"Because of you, Scorpius."
All six Sith turned to see a masked man standing in the doorway. Scorpius' eyes narrowed instantly.
"Kylo Ren," he growled. "I hope you have enough evidence to back your accusations."
"Darth Taral has failed," the Knight of Ren replied. "How's that for evidence?"
Karis stared at him in shock. "What do you mean he's failed?"
"Thanks to your betrayal, Taral essentially gave up on everything he had built and fled from his flagship, letting everything fall to pieces. As such, the Supreme Leader wishes to be rid of any loose threads."
"But... Abeloth's power is great!" Scorpius said. "The Supreme Leader could use someone like her!"
"Yes, but with Taral out of the picture, she is no longer indebted to him for freeing her," Kylo said. "She now feels free to do as she pleases. And that is something the Supreme Leader simply cannot have. Besides...."
Kylo made a sharp motion with his and a rolled up scroll came flying out of Scorpius' cloak and into the Knight of Ren's hand.
"This, I think, will make for a sufficient replacement."
"You don't even know what's on there," Scorpius murmured.
"I do, actually. Your friend isn't very good at keeping secrets."
Before Scorpius could inquire Ren, he got his answer in the form of a lightsaber impaling him from the back. As he gasped in pain, he craned his head and met cold gold eyes.
"Karis?" he croaked. "Why?"
"Because I knew what fate would await us if we went straight to Snoke," Karis said grimly. "Unlike you and Taral, I have a remarkable sense of foresight."
Scorpius gritted his teeth as he started to cough up blood. "How is this... better than what you saw?"
"Because the Knights of Ren are mere mortals. Snoke is so much more and would have offered us a fate far worse than death."
With that, she pulled the blade out of Scorpius' back and allowed him to crumple lifelessly to the deck. Before the other Sith could attack her for her treachery, black-clad beings armed with blasters, staffs, and other weapons emerged from the pits of the bridge, striking down the caught-off-guard Sith.
In mere moments, all of the Sith lay dead on the bridge... save for Karis. Surprised that she had been spared, the S'kytri stared at Kylo Ren, who slowly approached her.
"If it were anyone but me standing here, you would be dead as well," Kylo said. "But I sense great potential in you, Karis. You are clever and wise-- traits worthy of a Knight of Ren." He extended a hand to her. "Come with us. We can teach you things the Sith never could-- things the Sith only wish they knew. Join us, Karis, and we can make you a true master of the dark side."
Karis regarded the proffered hand for a moment before lowering herself to her knees, bowing her head.
"I am yours to teach... Master."
--Kursid--
"Natia Dorn, you have been blessed by His Darkness Valtheran and been marked his disciple."
Zarin Kal watched in despair as the old Iktotchi Sith dropped a pair of arthropods onto Natia, who let the bugs etch out black markings all across her skin. He winced as she screamed in pain.
"Fear is our fuel," chanted the gathered Sith, an assortment of Marked Ones and those of the Lost Tribe. "Anger is our conduit."
The screams slowly came to a stop as Natia seemed to embrace the pain. Zarin looked away, unable to look at what his fellow Jedi had become.
"Hate is our weapon."
Finished with their journey, the bugs returned to the Iktotchi's hand while Xiana came forward with a black robe, which Natia clothed herself with.
"And through suffering...."
Behind him, Zarin felt Lokai push him forward while another Sith moved the former Lord Kallus forth.
"We are one."
Zarin swallowed the bile building up in his throat as he was brought before the Iktotchi, who grinned widely as he held up the two arthropods.
"We are the Marked."
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