Satine walked side by side with Kenobi, her guards following at a respectful distance, while Matt positioned himself strategically between them from behind, his enhanced senses monitoring their surroundings for any potential threats.
"It's good to see you again, Obi-Wan," Satine said earnestly, her voice carrying years of unspoken history. "Despite all the circumstances that have brought you here, I'm genuinely glad to see that you're well."
"Your peaceful ways have clearly paid dividends," Kenobi said with a small but genuine smile, gesturing toward the bustling city around them. "Mandalore has prospered remarkably since I was last here."
The Jedi's mind briefly flashed with memories of his previous visit—images of a war-torn world with destruction everywhere, people on both sides fighting desperately just to survive another day. The contrast with the thriving dome city before him was stark and encouraging.
"Not everyone on Mandalore sees our commitment to peace as genuine progress," the Duchess said, her tone growing more serious as they walked through the gleaming corridors.
"That's typically the case with major social changes," Matt commented thoughtfully. "Who are the primary opposition groups to your peaceful reforms?"
With a slightly weary expression, Satine answered, "We're aware of two main factions. Some call themselves Death Watch—I suspect these are the extremists you're looking for, given such an ominous name."
"What about the other group?" Kenobi asked, his diplomatic training immediately recognizing the political complexity of the situation.
"They call themselves the Protectors," Satine explained carefully. "They are... not necessarily hostile toward our people, but they represent a different philosophical approach."
"Now, given what you've told us about these groups, our saboteur could theoretically be from either faction," Matt observed, his legal mind working through the possibilities. "Considering their names, one might be initially biased to suspect someone from Death Watch. However, it could just as easily be one of these Protectors operating outside their group's authority. It's possible that their title is misleading, or someone within their ranks is acting independently or irrationally."
Satine shook her head firmly. "Mr. Murdock, that's highly unlikely with the Protectors. We've had direct diplomatic contact with them, and they follow the Supercommando Codex written by the previous Mandalore, Jaster Mereel. They adhere to a strict honor code, maintaining the traditional ways of Mandalore with discipline and structure. We've attempted to negotiate with them and persuade them toward our pacifist approach, but they respectfully declined before withdrawing from our territory."
"Death Watch, on the other hand," she continued, her voice hardening, "glorifies the violence and warrior culture of our darkest past. They would readily make heroes of figures like Mandalore the Indomitable and Mandalore the Ultimate, who waged devastating wars across the galaxy simply to demonstrate Mandalorian military supremacy."
"Is there anything concrete being done to address the Death Watch threat?" Matt pressed, recognizing the political sensitivity of the topic.
"There are several of us—certain government officials—working diligently to root out these criminal elements. It's an ongoing investigation with multiple leads," Satine replied diplomatically.
Obi-Wan assumed a thoughtful pose, stroking his beard as he processed this complex information. "How widespread is the Death Watch movement? Do you have estimates of their numbers or influence?"
"Fortunately, it's... barely a movement at this point. More like a small group of dissidents who've chosen to engage in vandalism and minor acts of rebellion. Nothing we can't handle," Satine said, though Matt detected a slight tension in her voice that suggested she might be downplaying the threat.
"Where exactly are the Protectors based?" Matt asked, his investigative instincts picking up on potential connections.
Satine sighed, her diplomatic composure wavering slightly. "That... might be a more significant concern than I initially realized. From what Prime Minister Almec has reported, they're considerably more organized than Death Watch and follow a leader they call 'Mandalore the Resurrector.'"
"And the Death Watch investigation—do you have a timeline for resolution?"
"We're hopeful we'll have them in custody soon. Our intelligence has tracked them to our moon Concordia, where they appear to have established some kind of base of operations."
"I sincerely hope you're correct, Duchess," Kenobi said quietly, though his tone suggested he harbored some doubts about the simplicity of the situation.
Matt opened his mouth to ask additional probing questions when his enhanced hearing picked up a pattern of footsteps on the walkway beside them. He'd noticed these same footsteps several times now during their tour, always maintaining the same distance, accompanied by a distinctive scent profile that suggested the same individual was following them.
At first, he'd dismissed the person as just another passerby, but the consistency of their movement pattern and their obvious attempts to avoid direct visual contact raised red flags in his mind.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Matt wondered internally as he focused his enhanced senses on tracking the mysterious figure.
Observing that Obi-Wan and Satine had become completely engrossed in their conversation—which was gradually shifting from political matters to more personal reminiscences about their shared past—Matt decided to discretely investigate this potential surveillance.
He slipped away quietly, undetected by the main group, waiting for the guards following them to become distracted while ensuring at least one of them was aware of his temporary departure. Matt offered a vague excuse about needing to rest and catch up with them later, waiting until they were completely out of sight and beyond normal hearing range.
Setting down his travel bag in a secure location, Matt began to quickly and silently scale a nearby building using his enhanced agility and years of parkour training, positioning himself to intercept the person who had been shadowing them.
Moving with practiced stealth, he could now clearly track his target. Yes, this person was definitely female—he was much closer now and could distinguish more details. Obi-Wan and the Duchess continued their conversation on the opposite side of the walkway, completely unaware of the surveillance. The woman was dressed in clothing similar to other city civilians, but with a hood strategically covering her face and what appeared to be a large pack on her back that seemed inconsistent with casual sightseeing.
Approaching carefully, Matt employed all his covert training to remain as undetected as possible while closing the distance.
After several minutes of careful maneuvering, he positioned himself directly beside the mysterious woman on the elevated walkway.
"So..." Matt began conversationally, causing the woman to startle visibly and nearly lose her balance. "This may seem abrupt, but may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"
She turned to face him with wide, shocked eyes, clearly recognizing him as someone who had been with the Duchess's entourage. She glanced back briefly toward Satine and Kenobi, then returned her gaze to him with obvious confusion and alarm. Wasn't he supposed to be with the official party following the Duchess?
How in the galaxy had he suddenly appeared beside her without warning?
"It's alright—I'm not here to cause you any harm," Matt said calmly, continuing to walk casually beside her with his white cane in hand. "I'm simply curious about why you've been following our group for the past hour."
"Excuse me?" she responded, her voice carefully controlled but with an underlying tension.
"Oh, am I being too direct?" Matt said with feigned innocence, maintaining his friendly demeanor. "I apologize if I seem suspicious. This is a new world I've never visited before, and I'm still learning the local customs while trying to meet the residents."
"Who exactly are you?" the woman demanded, a sharp edge creeping into her tone as her hand moved almost imperceptibly toward something concealed beneath her cloak.
"Matt Murdock. Attorney and neutral party representative, here in the interests of maintaining galactic peace and resolving diplomatic tensions," Matt replied honestly. "And you are?"
She found herself at a complete loss for words, clearly weighing her options, when suddenly a massive explosion erupted somewhere in the distance, immediately capturing the attention of everyone in the surrounding area.
In an instant, Matt's protective instincts kicked in and he sprinted toward the source of the commotion, leaving her standing alone on the walkway. She had a clear opportunity to slip away unnoticed, but her eyes remained fixed on the billowing smoke rising from where the explosion had just occurred.
Her heart and mind were filled with conflicting emotions as part of her desperately wanted to rush toward the danger and confirm that certain people were still alive and unharmed...
But Bo-Katan Kryze knew exactly what she had committed herself to when she chose to reject the New Mandalorian pacifist philosophy. She had made her choice, and she understood the consequences. Now, she needed to disappear before anyone else could identify her.
In the moments leading up to the explosion...
"A true guardian must be prepared to face conflict head-on when necessary. Otherwise, they cannot effectively fulfill their protective duties," Obi-Wan said as he continued his leisurely walk with Satine, glancing back and noting that Matt had disappeared, though he assumed it was for legitimate reasons.
"The job of a peacekeeper is to ensure that violent conflict never becomes necessary in the first place," Satine countered with conviction.
"A noble and admirable goal, though perhaps not entirely realistic in practice," Kenobi replied diplomatically.
"Is harsh reality the reason why Jedi Knights sometimes abandon their highest ideals? Or do such compromises simply serve political convenience?" Satine asked with a challenging tone that carried years of philosophical disagreement.
Kenobi was formulating his response when a thunderous explosion erupted not far from their location, shaking the entire walkway and causing many nearby citizens to cry out in terror and confusion.
"Are you injured?" Obi-Wan asked urgently, placing a protective hand on Satine's shoulder as debris rained down around them.
"I'm fine," she replied, though her voice carried the strain of someone trying to maintain composure in the face of sudden violence.