Chapter 8: Conspiracies on Mandalore

Face to face on the planet of warriors! Duchess Satine finds herself facing trade cuts from Republic worlds who wish to force her hand into joining the war! Seeing the plight of her government and people, the Separatist Parliament sends a diplomatic envoy, led by Separatist Parliament member Mina Bonteri and her young apprentice, Leila Breisgau. In response, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is dispatched to Mandalore to ensure that Mandalore does not shake off the yoke of the decadent and corrupt Republic, all while hostile actors move to carry out their plots.

Line Break

As the day wore on, it shifted to night on the planet of Mandalore. As lights lit up the capital and people retreated to their homes, bars, and clubs, Leila checked herself over to ensure she didn't have anything wrong with her outfit; she couldn't embarrass herself or Mina by appearing unclothed or-

"You've done that 5 times now, you're good," Araki remarked, lying across her bed, already dressed for the coming dinner as were the rest.

“I can’t afford any slips; they already don’t respect me because I’m a child.” Leila rebutted, but Catherine had a counter prepared for such.

"They'll respect you less if you're as stiff as a board. Relax, this is a dinner, not a live fire exercise, though I would enjoy that more." She smirled, looking to the side where their shopping sat, among some clothing and carpets, were the true prizes.

Blasters, so many blasters.

“Seconded.” Nunnally laughed as she looked up at the ceiling, having thrown herself across her bed in a manner unbefitting of a proper lady. Still, she was no longer a Britannian princess, and if you tried to remind her of that, she would be happy to make you eat a spoon.

“Ladies, please.” Inoue sighed, then gave Leila a comforting smile. “But they’re right, Leila. If you’re too on edge, you only come off as a child pretending. Just be yourself, it’s gotten this far.”

Leila wasn’t so sure about this, rubbing at her hand, she nearly messed with her hair again and had to resist the urge. “I’ve never had to impress so many people before.”

Anna walked up to her and took her hands into her own, giving her friend a big smile. "Not impressed, demonstrate. It's your convictions and strength of character that have gotten you where you are. Show them how compassionate you can be, and I'm sure this deal will go through."

“You...you’re right, all of you.” Leila took a breath and tried to loosen up a little. “But how are you all so calm?”

“Because all eyes will be on you.” Araki joked, with Catherine laughing at how thoroughly done with them Leila looked after that comment.

“Because they don’t see me as some kitten to play with. That’s enough for me.” Nunnally grumbled, reaching for hr cheeks, which God knows how many old people pulled on. Was this what Mom had to deal with before she met Charles? It was so utterly exhausting.

Before she could think any more about this, there was a knock on the door. When it opened, they were all up to see Mina waiting for them, the woman smiling as she spotted all of them. “Girls, shall we go?” she asked, and they all agreed, moving to follow her out. Along the way, they found Lelouch waiting for them, his hands held to his back, his chest out like Dooku tended to do.

Nunnally would tease him for that later.

“Just you?” Catherine asked, as she expected to see a certain murderous droid at his side.

“HK isn’t a fan of such events, you know that. I left him with some books on jungle warfare to keep him occupied.” Lelouch replied as he fell in line with the group as they made their way to the duchess’ dining room.

“Isn’t he already well versed in such?” Anna asked.

“It’s a different edition for planets similar to Haruun Kal. He seemed quite excited about it." Lelouch answered.

"Well, as long as he doesn't cause trouble, he can spend the night however he wishes. But remember, children," Mina appeared strict, but loosened up as she smiled at the group. “Don’t go too tied up, these sorts of events are as much fanfare as business.”

"I have no issues with things, though I have a feeling that the prince will try and antagonise us more," Lelouch stated.

"He may be part of the hosts, but that's no excuse for being rude. If you feel uncomfortable, use your words and convey it." Mina reminded him, as while he wasn’t one to lose his temper…well, not violently, it wouldn’t help anyone if things got too heated.

“Anything else we should be aware of?” Nunnally asked as they approached the door to the dining area.

"I spent the afternoon discussing things with the Prime Minister; if he felt like there was something to tell me, he would have," Mina replied, though the man did step out at a time for an urgent matter. Still, he didn't speak of it when he returned.

Well, it was no doubt an issue of governance and not something he would freely share, so she let that fall to the back of her mind as they were let into the dining room. One which was as vast and open as the throne room. Along the walls were murals of previous rulers of Mandalore, with the Duchess's portrait being the most recent.

To the other side was a vast series of windows that gave one an exceptional view of the city and its hundreds of lights, a beautiful sight. Mina also noted they seemed to be the last to arrive, as all those she had seen earlier during their reception were present, with the Duchess seated at the head of the table as was expected. To her right sat the Prime Minister, and to her left, Prince Merrik. Around the room stood around a dozen guards and just as many servers, though the table was already filled with a feast fit for a king.

“Good evening, Duchess. We thank you for inviting us to this dinner.” Mina greeted them, and the rest bowed in respect to the ruler, who nodded in turn.

"Welcome, I hope that we can both gain something from this; however, we will be having another guest," Satine informed them, which made Leila frown. Both because this wasn't normal and also because Satine didn't sound happy about this either. That…couldn't be good.

“Might I ask whom? Would it be Mr. Bukang?” Leila inquired, though she wondered why his presence would displease the ruler.

"Unfortunately, he could not make it; however, our guest is from the Jedi Council," Satine glanced to one of her guards, who silently nodded and opened a second door, allowing a tall, bearded, and very family man to enter.

To the shock of the separatist envoy, Obi-Wan walked in, confident and strong as he introduced himself. “Obi-Wan Kenobi, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Mina was the first to recover from the shock of seeing him and approached the Jedi, shaking his hand. “Representative Mina Bonteri. I have heard of you, master Jedi.”

“I imagine it wasn’t so flattering.” Obi-Wan mused, his eyes going to the vi Britannia siblings. The older watched with calculating eyes, which reminded him a bit too much of a certain Sith he slew on Naboo. At the same time, the younger had eyes that were much wilder and eager to see him in the same way a beast would when it spots its prey. Her hand wanted to go to her side, but she clenched at nothing.

"Things rarely are when it comes to adversaries in war, but I was referring to the issue during the Naboo crisis. I was acquainted with master Qui-Gon Jinn. He was a good man.” Mina corrected him, which was a slight surprise to Obi-Wan, but not impossible, as his master was someone who often spoke with senators.

"He was, and I'm grateful for all he did to train me; it's just a shame that things have gotten so bad." Obi-Wan sighed as he grieved his master, almost as one would grieve a father. But he couldn't do much more for him than follow his teachings and final wish.

Now, if only Anakin didn’t give him as many headaches for it.

Mina's smile shrank, just a bite as she stepped back. "Yes, well that's just the short of it, isn't it? Even then, there were cracks in the system, and the Senate has proven itself incapable of change."

"Obi-Wan," Nunnally whispered, about to take a step forward, her eyes locked on the Jedi Master, on the target she was robbed of, of the fight she wanted to do desperately-

Leila grabbed her shoulder, trying to keep it subtle, though she felt the eyes of the Duchess on them as well as on Obi-Wan. “Down girl.”

“But,” Nunnally tried to argue.

“If you wish to challenge him so, ask for a friendly game of cards. We didn’t come here for a fight.” Lelouch reminded her, which seemed to draw further attention.

Obi-Wan, who had already spotted Nunnally's naked desire to kill him like Grievous would, commented on it. “Quite the energetic one, isn’t she?”

Mina was quick to cover for it, gesturing for the children and Inoue to take their seats. Lelouch ensured that his sister just pouted at being denied her fight. "I imagine a Jedi wouldn't know much about it, but children can be…well, children, even when they prove themselves far more capable than you would think.”

“I have some experience with that, especially when they’re gifted in the force.” Obi-Wan, deciding against an argument on the issue, agreed with her.

"Well, you must admit, this is quite strange. First, you clash on Geonosis, and now you have dinner?" The prince spoke up, drawing attention to something the others had been avoiding.

"You'll find that things are never so simple, though, for the record, I would prefer settings like this to the battlefield," Obi-Wan replied, taking a quick drink after he did so.

"As would I, and I'm sure our hosts would appreciate it if we move away from such topics, this trip was built on opening trade after all," Lelouch spoke, his gaze shifting off the Jedi Master and towards the true goal of this trip, the Duchess.

Satine, for her part, was pleased they didn't start to bicker, but she wasn't pleased that Obi-Wan had just arrived so suddenly, like he had. "Quite, which has me wondering, master Jedi. If they're here for a possible trade with Mandalore, why is it that the Senate dispatched you? Is it because they believe we’ll join the separatists and wish to handle us before it comes to that?”

Her accusation was direct and sharp, leaving no room for confusion. “Duchess, I believe you’ve been misinformed. I was sent to your planet on business by the Jedi Council." Obi-Wan corrected, which made the ruler frown while her Prime Minister looked all the more concerned. Still, Lelocuh noted that the prince looked…almost angered by that.

He’ll have to keep an eye on him.

"Oh, how strange. What business do the Jedi have with Mandalore? The system isn't suffering from any ills, nor is it currently a battlefield, not one started by us." Mina posed another question, keeping things as civil as they could.

Obi-Wan nodded toward her. “Well, you can understand that the council was...uneasy when we learned of your arrival on the planet. Dooku has not shied away from many atrocities."

Mina’s smile didn’t shift, but her eyes grew dangerous, the same for the rest of her entourage. “Careful, master Jedi, those are fighting words. It wouldn’t be kind or proper if I were to start launching baseless wartime accusations about your Grandmaster."

"Mina, let's not get so heated." Leila, as angry as Mina, didn't let that cloud her judgment. She wouldn't let the Jedi goad them into acting out. "Besides, I don't need the force to sense that wasn't your complete answer, was it, master Obi-Wan?"

“It wasn’t, as while the council was uneasy, it wasn’t that which pushed things. But instead, there is a fear of a growing trend that perhaps Mandalore may push for violence against the Republic.” Obi-Wan finished, which only displeased Satine more.

“As representative Bonderi said, Master Kenobi, those are fighting words, for you to request such a quick meeting only to accuse me of treachery.” Satine leaned in.

“I would never accuse you personally, Duchess, or even your government. However, the fact remains that a separatist saboteur attacked one of our Republic cruisers, a Mandalorian saboteur.” Obi-Wan pulled out a holo projector and let a recording play, and it wasn’t one you say everything.

It was a security recording that clearly showed a man in Mandalorian armor fighting against unseen clones and other Republic troops. Not just the armor, but he also used two blasters, had a rocket pack, and even fired the warhead towards whoever was chasing him. Obi-Wan paused it as the man turned, allowing the Duchess and her people to clearly see the man's full profile.

“You must be mistaken, no Mandalorian would engage in such violence, not anymore.” The Prime Minister spoke up, as this just didn’t make sense.

“I agree, where is this prisoner now?” Leila asked, to which Obi-Wan turned off he projector and returned it to his belt.

"Dead, when he was cornered, he took his own life rather than be captured and interrogated." He informed them, as Satine had been ready to yell till he explained how the assailant died. “And this is not the first time the Jedi have had run-ins with such; I recently encountered a man who wore Mandalorian armour—Jango Fett.”

“Jango Fett was nothing but a common bounty hunter. How he acquired that armour is beyond me, but I know it involved some sort of theft." The Prime Minister was quick to decline that. Lelouch needed to think for a moment before he recalled that Dooku mentioned the man once, though not with details.

“Still, Mandalorian commandos have fought in countless wars, often against the Jedi-” Satine cut off Obi-Wan before he could try and make his point.

"Everyone one of my people is as trustworthy as I am, and I have made no moves to order such pointless slaughter." She tapped her finger on the table as she spoke, as Jedi council or not, they were still acting as generals in the Republic's war machine; they could be serving their interests to drag her people and system into war despite her wishes, using some unconfirmed man with armour he could have gotten from anywhere as justification.

"Why debate this when we have representatives of the Separatists here? We can always ask them." Once more, the Prince turned attention back onto the CIS envoys. “So, have you hired such agents, or maybe you’re convincing our citizens to privately join your army in some hope to bolster your ranks?”

Mina brought her hands together, placing them on the table. “I can’t speak of such matters.”

Tal scoffed at the answer and continued to press. “And why is that? Are you not a separatist leader? Do you have no knowledge of the happenings of your own army?”

Leila frowned and was about to speak, but a glance from Mina stayed her tongue as she allowed her mentor to handle this. Handle she did, as she didn't shake or pause, and answered confidently. “That’s hardly fair to claim, Prince Merrik. While I have a leader within the Separatists, I am only a member of the Separatist parliament. As such, I am not kept informed of anything more than the larger operations.”

She turned her gaze and the attention of the rest of the table towards the Vi Britannia and Catherine. “That said, my young entourage does have people who are members of our military and can shed more light on this issue.”

With focus on him, Lelouch sat straighter as he addressed not Obi-Wan, but Satine with respect and grace. “We’ve had no moves or plans for Mandalore or its people. I haven’t even heard about us hiring Mandalorians for anything and certainly not attacks on the Republic.”

"Besides, we wouldn't use them so sloppily," Nunnally added, which had Leila sighing as she slapped her hand to her face.

“Nunnally,” She pleaded, as that was way too informal!

Nunnally hardly saw anything wrong with it and seemed a little offended that Leila did. "What? Obi-Wan has already said it: Mandalorians have a long history of fighting Jedi. Why would we recruit such fine warriors and use them for something like this? Why not go after Jedi and larger, more important targets?"

As…unorthodox as that was, Almec couldn’t say Nunnally was wrong with her assessment of this. “It could be because we don’t have any warriors left. They were exiled to our moon, Concordia. They died out years ago.”

"How long ago was this? It can't have been that long, as the Duchess is far too young to have started her reign no more than 20 years ago.” Lelouch asked, though he put in a quick compliment to the Duchess, who merely raised an eyebrow, a flash of a smirk on her face more at how Obi-Wan's own lips pressed, but it passed far too fast for most to notice.

"You believe that there could still be remnants of them? Don't bother, as their own failings led to their downfall, as they're obsession with fighting and seeking dominance led to those warrior clans fighting to extinction, even within clans, they couldn't control themselves." She explained that, as she wished it could have been different, having taken no joy in the news of it, because it meant thousands were killed, but those people had refused to surrender, to see reason, or put down their weapons and try living a more peaceful life.

To them, tradition was everything, and their traditions were so steeped in conflict, destruction, and death that they might have enjoyed their ends.

Lelouch hummed about that, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his seat, though he didn’t rock it. “A failing of the Sith.”

“Pardon?” Almec asked, as that word made no sense to him, same as most of the room, but Obi-Wan was not among that number, as he leaned forward, just a bit.

“The infighting, that obsession with power and dominance, it’s a failing of the Sith, they’re the counterparts to Jedi, who are meant to be peacekeepers and servants of the people.” Lelouch pointed out, but he didn't linger on his backhanded compliment. “According to the stories I’ve heard and records I could access, they, like the Mandalorian warriors you speak of, once numbered in the hundreds, maybe thousands. They also frequently battled the Republic and Jedi.”

“But the dark side corrupts, and along with their defeats at the hands of the Old Republic and Jedi, they could never work together long and thus died out.” Obi-Wan finished the thought, but then he thought about Maul and his suspicions about Dooku. ‘Or at least, they should have.’

Lelouch shook his head. "We're getting removed from the point. I wish to reiterate that we at the CIS had no involvement in these attacks, nor have we made any moves to recruit Mandalorians. This diplomatic meeting is the first of any moves from us towards Mandalore or other neutral worlds."

Line Break

As dinner was served, the conversation continued, though it shifted to lighter points. They discussed a possible trade deal, and Obi-Wan offered potential responses from the Senate on such, but claimed he and the Jedi wouldn't impede it, provided the deal wasn't of a military nature.

Along with that, at several points during the meal, Obi-Wan and Duchess Satine got into quite the heated debates. One would assume they were staunch opponents in a particularly divided debate. Still, when they cooled, they could just as easily converse as friends would. However, Lelouch glanced towards Mina, who smirked, the woman lost in fond memories.

That was enough for him and the rest to conclude that it wasn’t just…friendly between Obi-Wan and Satine, though there was definitely a story there.

As the table was cleared and they waited for dessert, the talks continued.

"Quite the contradiction, wouldn't you say, representative. To call the Jedi killers, we're peacekeepers, and in times of war, our place is on the battlefield." Obi-Wan responded to something Mina had brought up.

"The role of a peacekeeper should be preventing battles from beginning." Satine pointed out, to which Mina built on.

“Yet, you’ve chosen a side, have you not? Is it not proper for peacekeepers, as you claim to be, to be neutral in such affairs?" The Separatist posed.

“Not when one side is clearly in the wrong.” Obi-Wan countered, as the mother only smiled at the comment.

“Such is implied to be us, because we refuse to bend to the whims of the Senate.” She questioned.

"Because you were building a droid army with plans to wage war." Obi-Wan countered.

“An army which was built as a precautionary measure, a means to ensure that the Senate would take us seriously. And did the Republic not also build a secret army of Clones?” Like a tennis match, Mina was quick on the return.

"That is…a god question, master Obi-Wan. Was the Republic aware of the Separatist crisis years in advance?” Almec asked, as that had been something of a concern for him and others within the neutral block. How fast the Republic just…gained a fighting armour, ready for the way no one saw coming. Droids were one thing, but those could be built within days or weeks if the factory wasn't fast or large enough.

But clones? Even the fastest methods to produce them took a year, maybe 2.

Obi-Wan frowned, as the one who discovered the clones, he still had questions about them, and the truth of their origin, but he couldn’t just say that the Republic didn’t know.

Mina pounced on that. “It's such moves that only justify our choice to secede from the Republic. Instead of addressing our plights, it chose to build an army to destroy us."

"She's right, it moves like that, which is why Mandalore and many others have chosen neutrality in this war. Nothing is worth all this bloodshed, and certainly not when you both seem quite eager for it when you built up armies." Satine spoke, but not in support of either of them.

"My lady, our droid armours are barely 2 years old. Count Dooku and the progenitor to our parliament only placed the order several months before the first battle of Geonosis." Leila spoke up.

Satine wouldn't let them off so easily and continued with the questions. “Yet you had a force-built advance, did you believe that you wouldn't need to use it?"

"I admit, I had hoped we wouldn't. We were operating under the assumption that the Republic, lacking its own army in times of peace, would capitulate and allow our member worlds to do the same. Those like it, to peacefully secede. I had never imagined that the Clones would make their appearance, and well, it has led to this dreadful situation." Mina admitted, even if saying that now seemed naïve.

"If you truly sought the peaceful route, why build this army at all. Why wage war, as I've seen plenty of the results of Separatist battle droids." Obi-Wan for back into things.

“I-!” Time seemed to slow as Mina moved to speak. Lelouch's eyes widened, and his heart started to beat harder as he spotted something in the corner of his gaze. One of the servants who had attended to them had gotten closer, her eyes maniac as she pulled out a knife and rushed Mina.

“Death to the Separatist!” Mina turned with a gasp, the guards already in motion, the same as Obi-Wan, but none would make it in time.

Lucky for them, they wouldn't need to, as the knife was stopped inches from Mina's chest, held in place by the Force, much the same as the would-be assailant who struggled to move, but she was locked in her own body.

“Mina, are you all right?” Inoue and Leila were already at Mina’s side, helping her to her feet from where she had fallen over trying to escape her early death.

“Wha...what is happening?” The prince asked as he pointed to be assailant, though Obi-Wan quickly figured it out. Lelouch was glaring at her, his eyes glowing as he held the woman down as if he had a hand securing each of her limbs.

"It seems that the unwelcome party has finally made its move," Lelouch grunted, with Obi-Wan being the one to notice something else. Out on one of the windows, he saw a glint of a scope.

“Sniper!” He yelled as he pulled his lightsaber out and quickly deflected the bolt before it could strike at the surprised Araki, the young girl nearly tripping if not for Nunnally, her own gaze lighting up as she growled.

Lelouch was far from amused and was about to snap the would-be assassin's neck for daring to bring harm to his mo-to Mina, when Satine called out.

“Wait-don’t kill her!” He glanced her way, but the Duchess wouldn’t be swayed as she glared right back at him as her guards moved to surround her and the Prime Minister.

“Planet of neutrality…” Lelouch muttered, but ceased his hold on the world and instead kicked her down, where she was quickly detained by 2 of the guards as Lelouch turned his attention to the window, where he could make out the sniper fleeing. “Nunnally, Catherine, you protect Mina and Obi-Wan’s lover, Jedi-you’re with me, we have a sniper to hunt down!”

“Wha-tha-I beg your pardon!” Satine's face burst out in red, but if it was embarrassment or anger, Lelouch didn't have time to figure it out as he used the Force to shatter the window and leapt out, jumping higher than any human should be capable of; he managed to land on a nearby roof.

Obi-Wan was quick to follow as he and Lelouch gave the sniper chase. “She’s not going to forget this, not the wisest move.”

“Spare me, I don’t need the force to pick up the glances you two were having, even the Prime Minister caught it and seemed mightily embarrassed.” Lelouch quipped back, the night air cool but the city filled with bright lights, which made it easy to spot the sniper through the crowds, especially as they were the only ones wearing armour.

“Then I'm afraid both of you if you were seeing things. The Duchess and I have merely been friends, distant ones at that, as both our duties don't leave time for calls or meetings." Obi-Wan corrected.

Jumping over a ledge towards another building, the two took several more jumps, increasing their elevation to better track their target. "You mean lovers' moments and dates? Hey, far be it from me to say you can't have a woman like that. But let's focus on helping to prevent any crisis in her world first."

Obi-Wan didn't bother with it anymore, as Lelouch was starting to remind him of Anakin for all the wrong reasons. Still, their attention shifted more to the sniper who snapped back, crouched, and fired on them, forcing them to dodge. The blaster fire alerted the people, those still out who ran for cover, or worse, stood and watched them.

Peeking out a little, Obi-Wan managed to get a good view of the sniper. “That armour,” He called, Lelouch doing the same and nearly getting his head blown off. When he poked out again, he saw the armour as well, and how it was eerily similar to that of Obi-Wan's suspected saboteur.

“Well, considering they tried to kill us, you can remove us from the suspect pool.” Lelouch commented as the sniper stopped firing and took off again, the two Force sensitives following suit.

“For now,” Obi-Wan relented, but now he had another question. “Don’t you have a weapon?”

"Not all of us have close ties to the Duchess? We surrendered them to her during our first audience this morning. Don't worry, though, I'm far from defenceless." Lelouch quipped, leading to Obi-Wan rolling his eyes

"Running won't end well for you. Stop, and your life will not be threatened!" Obi-Wan called out as they closed in on the sniper.

The man ran under an arch. “You should worry about yourselves more,” the man said, pulling out a detonator and pressing it.

As they approached it, Lelouch heard several bombs arm, moments away from going off as he caught sight of one. Immediately, he guessed the sniper's places, as he used the Force to send Obi-Wan flying. “Move!” That left him in the middle of the blast, one which didn’t just drop the arch on him, but destroyed the top floor of 2 buildings.

Coughing, Obi-Wan got up and saw the destruction, before the last few seconds caught up with him, and he looked around, not seeing the dark-haired teen anywhere, only for his eyes to go to the centre of the blaze and debris.

“Lelouch!” He called out.

“I’m fine-annoyed, but fine,” Lelouch replied, Obi-Wan spotting movement through the smoke as he spotted Lelouch. Unharmed by the blast, as around him, he had created a force bubble. One which had negated the worst of the explosion and the several tons of building falling on his head. Pushing it off himself, he moved out of the danger and looked around. “This is…”

Obi-Wan agreed, as they could already hear the cries of pain and confusion, calls for loved ones who were caught in the blast. "But why? If they want you dead, then…" But out on the other building, in the debris, there was an orange hologram.

“No, I don’t recognise the symbol either, but 5000 credits says it’s related to our would-be assassin turned terrorist," Lelouch answered the question before Obi-Wan could respond, both tuning to chase down the killer before he could escape.

“Obi-Wan, what was that?” Satine came over Obi-Wan's comn, and neither he nor Lelouch made a comment about how she could contact him so fast, or when they shared frequencies.

"The assassin had planted bombs in the city; you need to send medics and firefighters now," Obi-Wan replied as the two spotted the man yet again.

“Already on their way. Have you captured them?”

“We’re closing in on them, we’ll contact you when we do.” Obi-Wan cut the line as they continued the chase, their sniper moving for a speeder bike. Still, when it didn't stop, he cursed and abandoned it, having lost precious seconds in the attempt.

“We?” Lelouch questioned, as he didn’t think he would be getting chummy with a Jedi.

“Would you rather I cut you down?” Obi-Wan asked, to which Lelouch laughed, though his heart wasn’t in it.

"What a horrible way to repay you for saving your life." His smile faded, replaced by a snarl as he locked onto the target. He wanted to teach that bastard a lesson for his little explosion stunt. "Besides, let's not add more blood to either of our hands and stop our terrorists from doing the same."

“Agreed.”

As they closed once more, the sniper reached for another detonator. “Oh no, fool me once, shame on you-” Lelouch reached out with the Force, grasping onto it and ripping it out of the man's hands, pulling it towards him.

That surprised the man long enough for Obi-Wan to tackle the man, sending them down a couple of floors to the street, where they both had a hard landing. With armour that included padding, the sniper was faster to get up and began fighting Obi-Wan. Lelouch jumped in to help, but the Mandalorian proved why his people were seen as the Galaxy's finest as he easily handled fighting the 2 of them.

"You're not very good with your hands," Obi-Wan commented as Lelouch took a kick to the stomach, followed by a punch to the head, which sent him rolling back.

“Which one of us has their lightsaber?” Lelouch grunted. Getting up, Lelouch spat out some blood before he got back on his feet, and with a little teamwork, they began to improve, pushing the man out into a more open area.

“My ancestors fought proudly against the Jedi, and we’ll reclaim our honour, we’ll reclaim our warrior past!” The sniper finally spoke as he blocked a hit from Obi-Wan, but got his legs kicked out from under him by Lelouch.

“Funny, I thought Mandalore was under a more peaceful government.” Lelouch quipped as he went in for a finisher to knock the man out, only for him to roll out of the way, but not out of danger, as Obi-Wan landed a kick to the man's side, weakening him. Still, he quickly recovered, dodged Obi-Wan's follow-up, and tossed him over his shoulder, the Jedi landing with a groan but blocking an attempt to stomp on his head.

"The Death Watch does not recognise the Duchess or her weak, peace-loving government. Mandalore is a world of warriors, of strength!” The declared, only to feel himself being raised into the air, and his weapons ripped from his person.

Covered with bruises, dirty, and annoyed about getting his butt kicked in hand-to-hand, something he knew Kallen would not let him forget anytime soon, Lelouch just decided to use the Force. “A world of scars and ruin? Your days of warfare are gone, assassin.” Lelouch told him as Obi-Wan got up. "And so are your chances of escape. Just surrender."

The assassin, despite being helpless and at their mercy, chuckled, his perverse joy unnerving as it set off alarms for both Lelouch and Obi-Wan. "That's your mistake."

“And what’s that?” Obi-Wan asked.

“The idea that I hold my life higher than my ideals,” He had no weapons…except one

“Wait-don’t!” Lelouch called, but neither he nor Obi-Wan could stop him as he pressed a button hidden on his side, which didn't fire off his jetpack's rocket, but instead detonated it while it was still attached. Combined with his jetpack's fuel, he stood no chance as he was near incinerated.

“He…” Lelouch had seen much; he had done much. It came with the territory of war. But…he never imagined he would be in this situation, as he had never ceased his hold on the man, who was now a charred, headless corpse.

“I know...let’s handle things here, for all we know, there are more bombs we need to find and disarm." Obi-Wan sighed, for this was trouble; he just knew it. But first, they should gently return the man's remains to earth and inform the authorities to be on the lookout for the rest of him.

Line Break

And like clockwork, after several days of cool weather and rain, we’re back to partly cloudy and hot as Tatooine, only I don’t get cool force powers and a lightsaber…on second thought, probably a good thing as I really don’t want to be born a slave, lose a limb, or have to deal with a Palpatine grooming me, Vader hunting me, or Disney fucking up my character.

As for the chapter, I aimed for this to be something of the cut-off point for the Mandalore arc, at least at this time, as this planet has a big presence in the Clone Wars, but we must move on to other matters as the fighting rages on, even in the background. That said, I did enjoy writing the Obi-Wan/Satine parts; my only regret was that Anakin couldn't also be present to enjoy it, but having teens around might just be funnier.

Also, going back to earlier chapters of Gwrthryfel, there are some strange errors; swapping he and she is something I expect. Still, in one line, Lelouch calls Suzaku his son instead of friend, and for the life of me, I don't know how the fuck that happened, as what word for friend is close enough to son for the auto correct or Grammarly to think son was the correct one?