Death Watch, despite its reputation and status as a de facto terrorist organization, commanded a significant number of sympathizers even among Mandalore's "peaceful" population. This explained why Death Watch operatives could operate covertly even in territories that seemed completely under the control of the pacifist government.
Cache sites for ammunition and gear, secure safe houses, and transports ready for immediate launch could be found in practically every settlement of any size across the planet.
Bo-Katan utilized one such safe house after leaving the "hospitable" confines of the Dawn's Eagle.
She had much to re-evaluate since that cursed day when the insane monster disguised as a droid had captured her with a facility that was, to her, a humiliating ease.
She had prepared herself for torture, but instead, she received quite comfortable detention conditions. No pain, no coercion… This was not what Bo-Katan Kryze expected when that strange mercenary entered her confinement. By his bearing and behavior, he was clearly a Mandalorian, but his armor bore no clan symbols. With him was also that young woman whom the Nomad clan had taken in. Kryze had made the logical assumption, from her perspective, that the mercenary served the Nomad clan. However, his subsequent visits and the conversations they had over several weeks of the young woman's brief captivity had forced Bo-Katan to doubt her initial conclusions.
Everything turned out to be far more complicated than it seemed at first glance.
This was precisely why Kryze was currently frozen before a holo-communicator, gathering her courage before entering the subscriber ID.
And she had reason to fear. If the information she had received was accurate, the one she was about to contact was extremely dangerous, possessed extensive connections, and could even influence the Republic Senate.
But the choice had been made back on the Dawn's Eagle.
Gathering her resolve, Bo-Katan activated the communicator.
The connection was unusually slow to establish, indicating a complex encryption algorithm and multiple channel relays, which precluded the possibility of tracing the subscriber or intercepting the signal.
Finally, a hologram of her interlocutor materialized above the communicator. However, Kryze could not make him out, no matter how hard she tried. He was as if concealed by shadow; the light itself seemed not to fall upon his figure, hidden beneath a deep, hooded robe, allowing only his silhouette to be seen.
The stranger said nothing, evidently waiting for the young woman to speak first.
"I am Bo-Katan Kryze…" the Mandalorian began, but she was interrupted by a deep, resonant male voice, steeped in a bone-chilling cold.
"I know who you are. Otherwise, this conversation would not be happening at all. Do not waste my time. Tell me what Death Watch needs from me, since you have even managed to find a way to contact me?" the stranger slowly intoned.
His words carried no explicit threat, yet Bo-Katan felt uneasy. Whoever was concealed beneath the cowl evoked an almost unaccountable fear. But the young woman maintained her composure. She could not afford to show weakness now.
Taking a deep breath, the Mandalorian stated in a firm voice a phrase that, only a few weeks ago, she would have been certain she would never utter.
"The Duchess of Mandalore, Satine Kryze… must die."
The young woman almost flinched at her own words but managed to hold herself steady.
The hologram of her interlocutor subtly leaned forward.
"Very interesting," the hooded stranger drew out.
This was only the beginning. Bo-Katan had a very difficult conversation ahead of her.
****
Meanwhile, representatives of the Mandalorian clans who disagreed with the incumbent government's policies had once again gathered in the "Basilisk's Nest."
This was the second time since his arrival on Mandalore that Revan had attended a meeting of this magnitude. Again, he saw representatives of all the clans forming the opposition to the pacifist government. And they, in turn, were not particularly happy to see him.
And there were reasons for that. Revan could name at least two right away.
First, everyone had already been informed of the meeting's purpose, which meant they had been told about the idea of keeping the Duchess as the head of the government.
Second, far more information about the enigmatic Vaner Shan must have been uncovered since the first meeting. This meant that, besides his connections to the Hutts, his ties to the Jedi Order had likely surfaced. His recent meeting with Qui-Gon Jinn would have further confirmed the latter. Although the Nomad clan maintained secrecy, this did not prevent him from leaking information to allies and compatriots.
Revan chose not to dwell on the small detail of Vaner's indirect involvement in the "terrorist attack" on Concordia, after which the bill on cooperation with the Justice Corps rapidly gained momentum. That incident, too, did not speak in his favor.
All his suspicions were confirmed immediately after a brief exchange of greetings.
"We should have guessed that nothing good would come from a deal with an outsider. Especially one so closely associated with the Hutts and the Jetii," the representative of the Rau clan stated.
"I am more concerned about the plan our 'guest' is trying to foist upon us," added a Mandalorian from the Eldar clan.
"Judging by the results of your 'activities,' you are aiding our opponents rather than following through on your word," the elder of the Rook clan commented acidly, clearly alluding to the events on Concordia.
Judging by the mood of the other attendees, all clans, with the exception of Nomad, held roughly the same opinion.
"I propose we still give Vaner a chance to explain his plan and dispel our doubts," Sevras Nomad interjected.
Though without much enthusiasm, the clan leaders agreed to the proposal of the Nomad clan head and gave Revan the floor.
"Well, we await clarification. A month has passed since our last meeting, and all you have managed to devise is to do nothing? To leave Mandalore in Kryze's hands?" the Rau clan representative spoke again.
Revan smiled beneath his mask. Mandalorians had a very weak grasp of galactic politics, but at the moment, they most reminded him of a gathering of Senators arguing over new tariffs on agricultural products.
Nevertheless, the reaction of the Clan Council was entirely expected. The former Jedi was prepared for the discussion.
"Esteemed members of the Council, as you correctly noted, I plan to leave Mandalore in the hands of Duchess Satine. However…" Revan had to wait for the murmurs of disapproval to subside. "However, this does not mean that the pacifists will remain in power."
"Explain," the Eldar clan representative urged, preventing a new argument from starting.
"According to my plan, the pacifist representatives will step down from power and lose popular support. The opposition will take their place. A civil war will not have time to ignite, because Death Watch will be liquidated as quickly and efficiently as possible," Revan said subtly, subconsciously drawing upon the Force for support.
"What about Kryze? She is a staunch supporter of the pacifists, and we find it hard to believe she can change her views," the Mandalorian from the Rook clan interjected.
"In that case, you do not know your Duchess well," Revan replied calmly.
Angry shouts in Mando'a erupted from all sides. Some were more restrained and merely shook their heads in disapproval.
Sevras Nomad reacted more calmly than the others, saying only one word with a smirk: "Impudent."
"Mandalorians are accustomed to viewing their opponents in terms of physical strength and military potential, completely forgetting about psychology," Revan said loudly enough to be heard even by those who had not yet settled down.
'A Sith would have attacked the psyche first and foremost,' the former Dark Lord chuckled to himself.
"Satine Kryze is tied to her clan, and primarily to her younger sister," Revan continued.
"There has been no information about Bo-Katan Kryze for several years," someone from the assembly shouted.
"That is not entirely true," the Eldar clan representative countered. "Just yesterday, I received a report that a woman matching the description of the Duchess's younger sister was seen near the spaceport in Keldabe."
"And we are only learning about this now?" the Mandalorian from the Rook clan was indignant.
"The information needed to be verified."
"This changes a lot," the representative of the Buro clan, who had been silent until now, commented.
Revan fleetingly noted that this clan had previously been represented by a young woman quite negatively disposed toward Tira. Apparently, something had changed in the clan since that previous meeting. Or was it standard practice to occasionally change representatives?
The former Jedi looked closely at the assembly and noticed that, indeed, some clans had sent different people this time. This was not immediately discernible under the armor, but their movements and how they were felt through the Force were different.
Moreover, in addition to representatives of the major clans, Revan managed to identify some unaligned individuals this time. They were either clanless or the sole representatives of their lineage. There were few of them, only three. They sat separately from the clan members and did not participate in the discussion. For some reason, Tira had not warned him about this feature of the assembly. Revan decided he should clarify why later.
"But why Kryze?" the Rau clan representative asked. "Wouldn't it be more rational to support the true Mand'alor instead of the tradition-trampling Duchess?"
"Are you referring to Jango, brother?" Eldar inquired.
"Yes. After Jaster's death, Jango Fett was chosen as the new Mand'alor. And I believe we should support him."
"Does Jango himself want this?" Sevras Nomad countered.
"Yes, Nomad is right. There has been no word from Fett for over a year," the representative of the Buro clan supported Tira's mentor.
"And he didn't respond to our call when our families were taken hostage," added Klam, one of the clanless, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.
"He was not obliged to, Klam," the Rook elder scoffed in response.
"A Mand'alor who doesn't care about the fate of his people…" Nomad shook his head.
"Were he here, he would be held accountable," the Eldar clan elder diplomatically replied to the unspoken accusations. "However, he is not here, and I remind you that he was elected according to tradition. We cannot simply ignore that fact."
"Traditions are not enshrined in the statutory documents of Mandalore as a state within Republic space. The Senate will simply not take them into account," Revan reminded, cutting off the argument.
"How dare you…" someone from the attendees hissed.
"I dare," Revan continued confidently. "At the moment, your people are not in a position to place tradition above common sense. The Senate and the Jedi Order have already once swept through your worlds with fire. If you do not want a repeat, you must play by their rules. That is why I was called here. To find a way to achieve your goals without provoking the Republic. And I am offering the quickest and safest option for a change of power."
Despite the general dissatisfaction, the attendees listened to Revan's words, and so he continued.
"Jango Fett may be the elected Mand'alor three times over, but how much support will he get from the common people? Who, besides the clans that supported Jaster, knows of his election? How many people has he helped since receiving the title?" the former Jedi began to ask. "Satine Kryze, on the contrary, has become the face of the New Mandalore, was elected by the people, and receives Senate support. On the galactic political arena, she is the legitimate head of Mandalore's government. Her overthrow will be viewed as a coup d'état and will invariably attract the attention of the Senate and the Jedi."
"However, a change in the political course by the Duchess herself would be regarded as ordinary reforms, correct?" the Eldar clan head realized.
"Correct," Revan nodded.
"And what about Death Watch? It is unlikely they will simply allow us to pull off such a move," someone from the assembly asked.
"And what about our fellow clan members! What about the hostages? Didn't you promise to free them? Where are the results?" the Mandalorian from the Rook clan joined the apprehension.
Revan had anticipated this question. He had paid close attention to the search for the hostages while preparing to execute the plan for Mandalore's reformation. Unfortunately, Bo-Katan knew nothing about Vizsla's darker dealings. The leader of Death Watch knew perfectly well that his lieutenant would not approve of such things. Not that he feared her… No, Revan was sure Vizsla could perfectly well manage without the younger Kryze. And eliminate her if necessary. However, the young woman, by her own account, was supported by many Death Watch members and their secret sympathizers. Her loss could weaken the organization, which would distance Pre Vizsla from achieving his plan to seize power.
That was why, as Maul had managed to ascertain, after Bo-Katan's capture, Death Watch, instead of lying low, began to show too much activity. Its agents leveraged all their contacts in an attempt to find the missing Kryze. This only made the Zabrak's work easier. It was much simpler to track a nervous Death Watch whose agents were becoming careless.
HK's blunder had one more unexpected and useful consequence.
Returning to the question of the hostages, information on the first group had already been found. A timely intercepted transmission from one of Maul's discovered secret Death Watch shelters and a little "decryption magic" from R2 placed the coordinates of an old asteroid base, where several missing families were held, in Revan's hands.
The problem was that not just one group needed to be freed, but all of them at once, so Death Watch would not have time to react. Therefore, Revan was waiting for his new agent to find information on the remaining hostages.
"Within the next few days, I will have the coordinates, and I will need assistance to free everyone simultaneously," the former Jedi announced.
Naturally, the assembly immediately demanded details. New questions arose one after another. Sevras Nomad began to worry that Revan would not last long. However, the process of negotiating with the clan heads seemed not to burden him at all. The former Jedi used his rich diplomatic experience to skillfully navigate tricky points, only reveal partial truths, and present facts, and sometimes outright conjecture, only in a favorable light.
The arguments among the Clan Council members did not subside for three full hours, but Revan managed to convince them to follow the prepared plan, only part of which he had revealed to the Mandalorians, and to be ready for the unexpected.
The clans did not need to know everything. That would only generate unnecessary questions and problems. As the sages of antiquity said: much knowledge brings much sorrow.
"I haven't felt this much tension at a meeting since the conflict between Jaster and Vizsla," Sevras shared his thoughts as he and Revan left the Basilisk's Nest and headed in an airspeed car toward one of Keldabe's parks, where the former Jedi had another, equally important meeting planned.
"Compared to the meetings of the Jedi Council, things went pretty well," Revan shrugged.
"I'll take your word for it. So, what now?"
"Now? We wait for Death Watch's move. They will attempt to eliminate the Duchess shortly, but with her current security, they won't succeed. However, it will show Satine how precarious her position truly is."
"All because of a single assassination attempt?" Nomad clarified.
"Oh, no. It will merely be the first stone that triggers a genuine rockslide. Mandalore will be plunged into chaos for several weeks, and the task of the allied clans will be to protect the common citizens."
"Is that necessary? After all, this will essentially be a full-blown civil war…"
"In miniature," Revan conceded. "But this way, we can avoid a full-scale war. I will show Kryze the reality beyond the peaceful world of her pacifist ideals and force her to accept the truth."
"What if she refuses to accept the truth? Or abandon her convictions?"
"There is always a chance of failure, but we have a couple of marked cards on our side," Revan smirked.
"And what might those be?"
"Blood and love," the former Jedi answered curtly.
"What?"
"You will see."
"Do you always conceal your plans, even from allies?"
'Especially from them,' Revan thought, but he said something else aloud: "Excessive trust, unfortunately, always leads to tragic consequences. I have learned this personally. There is a very narrow circle of those I can trust completely. Everyone else will have to accept that there are some things they should not know."
"I do not like being misled." Nomad was clearly displeased with that answer.
"Nobody does, but sometimes it is necessary."
They flew the rest of the way to the destination in silence.
Revan understood that by dealing with allies in this manner, he was walking a fine line, but there was no other way. Any other option offered no guarantee of success or was so protracted in time that the result would no longer matter to anyone. He had to take risks… especially when his opponent was a Sith… or perhaps more than one.
Grumbling a farewell and promising to stay in touch, Nomad dropped Revan off at the agreed-upon location and departed.
The former Jedi then headed into the park, where he was expected.
"Qui-Gon," he greeted Jinn, who was sheltering in the shade of a sprawling tree.
"Revan," the Jedi nodded in return.
In addition to the Order's representative, his apprentice must have been nearby, which was distinctly felt in the Force. Obi-Wan was still poor at concealing his presence. And, of course, their object of protection: Duchess Satine, with whom Revan had arranged a meeting in Vaner's name.
"How good is your apprentice at foresight?" the former Jedi inquired of Jinn, who had not expected such a question.
"Quite good," Qui-Gon drawled suspiciously. "Are you suggesting…"
"An attack will be carried out on the Duchess soon," Revan said, not letting his interlocutor finish.
"Is that why you wanted to meet her? To warn her?"
"Partially," the former Jedi nodded, offering a half-truth.
"For what other reason?"
"To pass on a message from her sister."
"Bo-Katan? Is she still on Mandalore?"
"Yes, and she has important information…"
The conversation was interrupted by the sound of a lightsaber activating nearby. Revan distinctly felt anxiety echoing through the Force. And then a flash of pain…
The source of these phantom sensations was Kenobi. Something had happened that alarmed him… and wounded him.
Jinn and Revan simultaneously rushed toward the source of the noise, where they found Obi-Wan covering Duchess Satine from focused blaster fire. The shooter was highly skilled, having somehow managed to graze the Jedi, evidenced by a scorch wound on the Padawan's leg. To his credit, however, the rest of the shots were skillfully deflected by his lightsaber.
Before Jinn could reach his apprentice, new assailants appeared from several directions. All were in standardized armor characteristic of Mandalorians, wielding blaster weapons.
"Qui-Gon, be careful!" Revan warned, covering his ally from a surprise attack.
A blaster bolt deftly reflected by his silvery blade struck the shooter himself.
"Die, Jedi scum!" came from beneath one opponent's helmet.
Jinn caught a thrown grenade with the Force in mid-air and returned it to the sender, eliminating three attackers at once.
Revan, with lightning speed, dealt with the quartet that had approached from the opposite side.
The last opponent fell to Kenobi, who, even with his injured leg, managed to protect the Duchess and dispatch a very skilled adversary who chose to use a bladed weapon instead of blasters.
However, it was too early to relax. Whoever had initiated the attack with a long-range shot still posed a threat, a fact he hastened to reinforce with a new shot that narrowly missed Kryze's head. Thankfully, Kenobi's foresight was indeed quite good.
"By the spirits of the ancestors, it's Death Watch!" Satine cried out in shock, pointing to the symbols on the blue armor of the attackers.
"Get the Duchess out of here!" Revan commanded. "I will deal with the remaining threat."
"Are you sure?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Yes. Go."
"Very well. But what about the meeting?"
"We will move it to a safer location. I will contact you," Revan threw over his shoulder as he headed toward the shooter, who, sensing danger, had ceased fire and was hastily fleeing.
The Jedi led Kryze out of the park, while Revan continued the pursuit… only to find a wrecked airspeed car with a charred corpse in Mandalorian armor inside. A long-range blaster rifle lay nearby.
Sheathing his lightsaber, Revan hastened to leave the scene before the arrival of law enforcement.
That evening, a small gathering was held aboard the Eagle to review the results of the little performance.
"HK, did I not ask you to merely impersonate a shooter?" Revan inquired with a hint of displeasure in his voice.
"Affirmation," the assassin droid replied.
"A simple shooter. An organic. Not a highly skilled assassin!"
"Insulted Clarification: Master, I acted according to instructions, limiting my efficiency to ten percent," the droid began to justify himself.
"So limited that a ricochet blasted a hole in the Padawan's knee?"
"Embarrassed Clarification: The protocol for countering Force-sensitives engaged, Master… I overestimated the Jedi meatbag, and the first burst of fire hit the target."
Revan rubbed his temples wearily.
"At least it wasn't the head."
"Insulted: I was not aiming for the head, Master."
"Thank the Force!"
"Looks like you're having fun here," a voice came from the entrance to the mess hall.
Revan and HK turned around. A Mandalorian woman in dark gray armor without clan symbols entered the room. The former Jedi had sensed her approach long ago. And to the young woman's credit, she moved almost silently. Nearly as well as Tira.
"Bo-Katan," Revan greeted the Mandalorian with a nod. "How did it go?"
"Difficult."
"Did he believe you?"
"Apparently so," the young woman nodded, taking a seat in one of the empty chairs.
"Then we still have much to do," Revan said with a smirk.
Everything was going according to plan.
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