The disruption came a few hours after our breakfast, in the form of a pair of heavy knocks on our door. I was sure it was someone in full armor, because the way it clamored through the walls made it pretty apparent that bare knuckles can't do the same thing. Hearing it, I looked up from the datapad I had been pretending to browse through, half-expecting it, half-wishing for a few more hours of quiet before Mandalorian politics decided to pull me into the storm again, but I could feel it was time. Similarly, Vila stretched on the couch, one of my tunics hanging loose on her shoulders, and gave me a knowing smile, feeling the same thing.
"Told you we wouldn't be left to ourselves for long."
"Yeah," I nodded, standing up. "Let's get to work then!"
HK was by the window, as usual, his optics dimmed, still in the middle of his diagnostics by the looks of it, because he didn't move. Walking past him, I sighed and keyed the door, already aware of the presence at the other side. It was the captain from the landing pad who stood there in full armor once again, his helmet sealed, maybe thinking we didn't know he had fought Vila just a few hours ago. Six of his men stood behind him in silent formation, their discipline still sharp, but I could sense in their posture and aura that the hostility from before was lessened a great deal.
"Jedi," the captain said, his voice flattened through the helmet's modulator, "the Mand'alor is going to summon you to the council of clans. Not now, but later today. We are here to inform you in time so you can prepare."
"Thank you." I nodded, and was glad they did... and I could tell that there was more.
"You will be heard, and you will speak on Christophsis's behalf..." He paused, probably thinking about adding something... Which he did. "Do not waste the opportunity." With that, he reached into his belt pouch, pulled free a datapad, and held it out. I took it carefully, sensing the faint ripple of intent in the gesture... Maybe if not for Vila, they would try to sabotage us and 'forget' to give it to me... But now? They had no issues with 'helping' us out. Interesting. "The Mand'alor sends this," the captain continued, "Read this, and you will know who stands against you. Make sure you understand it, because nothing is black and white out in the big world, Jedi." With that, he stepped back, falling into the formation of his men, "When the summons comes, be ready. I will come to pick you up."
And without another word, he turned and marched off, his squad wheeling perfectly in step behind him. Watching them leave, after they turned at the corridor, I keyed the door as it hissed shut, and the chamber was quiet again.
"Well." Vila arched one brow, pushing to her feet and wandering over to peer at the datapad in my hands. "He was much more friendly than at the first meeting."
"That he was," I muttered, thumbing the screen alive on the datapad, "If they weren't, they wouldn't have given us anything at all. Should I say... Nice job?"
"See?" She giggled, looking over my arms, "Sometimes fighting does work!"
By then, the datapad blinked once, then displayed text and sigils across its surface at a rapid speed, scrolling multiple times before everything loaded in, jumping back to the start. What greeted me was a black crest, sharp-edged and uncompromising. At least that was what I felt looking at a carrion bird in it, its wings spread open, a broken spear clutched in its talons. Beneath it, the words scrolled in Mando'a and Basic both, so that it could make sure we could read it: Clan Farkun.
"Farkun?" Vila repeated, tilting her head. "Never heard of them."
"Me neither."
Well... I had... but only a little. Just enough to recognize the name from archives, but not enough to know more than rumors, so, yeah. Still, the datapad was thorough, watching the page count. With that, I sat down and began reading aloud the introduction, hoping that it would also trigger something in HK.
"Clan Farkun. Creed: What is taken in blood is returned in blood."
"Pft." She chuckled, looking at me, "That explains a lot already."
"There's more," I shrugged, "Survivors above all. Every warrior is trained to endure, to crawl home no matter the wound, to bear witness and carry vengeance in their heart if defeated. Mercy is a form of weakness. A foe who breathes after battle dishonors the fallen... Do not search for a battle, but if invited into one, leave no survivors."
"Ugh..." Vila's lips twisted, "Lovely philosophy."
"Yeah... Not the friendliest bunch. Going by this alone, they are the type that if they get hit, they don't stop hitting back." I nodded while I scrolled further. The datapad shifted under my finger, and I raised my brows, seeing the following information spilling out before us.
"The Hradun Reach Convoy Massacre."
"History?" Vila asked, but I shook my head as my eyes skimmed the words. I didn't need to read all of it to feel the heat of it pressing through the Force. There were... Grief... A significant amount of rage... The latter overcame the former almost instantly and remained fresh, raw, and heavy. Yeah... this was the starting point.
"No, this happened only three months ago," I murmured, "Clan Farkun was bringing in refugees from a colony world that asked the Mandalorians for help after being ravaged by bandits and smugglers. They had twenty freighters carrying food, supplies… and most of all, families." My mouth felt dry as I was reading it, "They were resettling the whole colony in Mandalorian space. Most of them were women, children, and elders."
"Don't tell me..." Vila's smile faded as she leaned closer, eyes narrowing at the text. "And?"
"They were ambushed," I read on, "By paid off pirates at Hradun Reach. The whole convoy was destroyed. They destroyed the escorting Mandalorian warships, shot down any escape pods, killing more than three thousand people. Then, those who survived were taken in and sold into slavery. But the last part is only an assumption on the Mandalorian's part."
Even HK turned his head at that, his optics flaring briefly as he spoke up.
[Approving Observation: In Hutt space, they're worth a lot, especially the young.]
"Not the time," I grunted, though I wasn't sure if my frustration was more at him or at the reality of the datapad. "But yes, I'm well aware." Taking a deep breath, I kept reading. "The pirates were captured afterward by a Mandalorian response team. Well... some of the pirates. Then, they were interrogated, and they confessed that they were funded by a third party. They couldn't tell who, but the Mandalorians followed the clues and arrived at Christopsis. I bet you, we can link them up from our side... I can see it already, how Dhar was paying them to harass Mandalorian lanes, make them look weak, bleed their trade, and just incite chaos so their shipping can avoid going through the stricter channels the Mandalorians were enacting at this side of the Galaxy."
"And pirates don't care what plunder they get... even if the cargo is people," Vila murmured, and I could see she wasn't keen on defending Christopsis... but she would say nothing more.
"Yeah," I stopped there, staring at the words until they blurred before my eyes. I can't lie... The Mandalorians have a compelling case on their end.
"So...? How are you going to play this?"
"Good question." I hummed, flipping the remaining pages, just to see what else was in there, "There are some notes in here on what to expect, probably by the Unifier."
"Such as?"
"Dhar Dhrune and his kin executed. Publicly, of course." I began reading, "A blood tithe for each child slain."
"Brutal." She whistled, and I just continued reading.
"Christophisian moon ceded as territory to Clan Farkun to keep a contingent there and monitor Christopsis's future dealings and step in if necessary."
"Yeah, they would for sure bully them, even if they get everything in here." Vila nodded her head over and over again, "They want to grind Christophsis into dust."
[Amused Query: And why not? The number of corpses and disappeared meatbags demands compensation. Such requests seem cheap in contrast. I would ask for total annihilation for the humiliation they caused.]
"It's not cheap," I said flatly, shutting the datapad, "It's conquest disguised as justice, and if they get what they want, it won't end there. Their creed says so. It's just an interim solution before they continue raining down on Christopsis for any reason they can find. I understand their rage, but things will stop here. They can get Dhar, do whatever they want with him, but I will not allow them to continue this senseless vendetta. Even if I understand why they believe in it."
"Hm," Vila studied me, arms folded, her lekku twitching, "You do sound like a fine Jedi right now, ehehehe."
"I do?" I asked, sitting back and letting the datapad rest in my lap, playing with it.
"Yup!" She giggled, "That's why it will be you who will do the talking! Phew, lucky me! I'm just coming along, and when you make your report, I will nod and get my 'promotion' through you~! Isn't that nice?"
"Please!" I rolled my eyes, my mood easing a little, as I continued thinking, "They lost children... And they will use the fact to hammer it home... The fact that whole bloodlines were wiped out, people they swore to protect... That kind of grief… it doesn't fade. They would say they are acting in place of those who can't do it themselves. I don't blame them for wanting blood, even if what they lost in actuality were their soldiers, as the refugees were not theirs... But... From what I have seen here, those civilians were as good as Mandalorians by their view."
"So... you won't let them have it. I mean, revenge. That we established. Then?"
"This is going to be a headache," I said as I looked out the window at the sprawl of the Mandalorian capital city below us. The sun was still climbing higher, towards its zenith, and I probably had time until it began dipping down at the other end, "My plan, for starters, is to remind them of what they already know but don't want to admit."
[Curious Query: And what is that?]
"That Dhar is guilty," I said.
"Wait..." Vila raised a hand, "Why wouldn't they want to admit it?"
"They will do it with a caveat. Because a full admission would mean they have their true culprit." I continued, "And would concede the point that they have no more claims against Christophsis and their civilians. Mandalore's strength has been proven beyond a doubt... If I can make that happen, I could attack their points through those lenses..." I muttered and kept flipping the datapad, my fingers drumming lightly against it. "The Unifier knows it, too. He wouldn't have given this to us otherwise."
"You sure?" Vila leaned back, exhaling, "Sounds like you've got your speech ready."
"Not a speech yet," I corrected her, biting my lip, "But I'll try to make one and prepare for whatever they will try to bring up..."
[Approving Statement: Oratory skills are essential for someone in a leading position. Revan had the same gift, and he used it well to bolster the ranks of his men with loyal followers and use words as a weapon, sometimes even more effectively than his lightsaber. Without it, he could not have rallied so many to the cause to stop the Mandalorians' conquest.]
"I am no Revan," I shrugged, making Vila ask a question again.
"Who's that?"
[Shocked Query: You actually don't know? Were your studies interrupted, or are you simply stupid?]
"Hoy! Rustbucket! Want to get sliced into metal shavings?!"
[Recognition: I got my answers.]
While the two were beginning to bicker, I kept looking out of the window... This won't be easy... But... Which Jedi trial is?