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716 FNM (22 BBY)

Month 5

Coruscant, Mandalorian Tower

Tanya Kryze

With a grunt of pain, I carefully sat down on the lounge's sofa, then straightened up again. Despite appearances, there is some general chaos inside the Mandalorian Tower.

Vai is strewn all over on a couch muttering Mando'a expletives while waiting for the painkillers to kick in. Thisish Skota, my Royal Guard and also a certified surgeon, looked over Vai's injured body to make sure she is treated and resting correctly. I assumed Tabi would be inseparable from Vai at a time like this, but it looks like he'd been ordered to stand guard in front of the door. I am certain any intruders would only enter over his dead body.

Morson is over in the corner, cradling her recently dislocated shoulder as Royal Guard Kastel did some routine first aid to make sure it was nothing permanent.

My slicer, Mok, is over in one corner already at his terminal. He has the WESTAR-34 pistol I had recovered off on one side, while he analyzed the blaster.

Ordo is by the kitchen area, making drinks for everybody. The light fare is in sharp contrast to his earlier leap from the Peacemaker, the shuttle repurposed by my Royal Guards and X4 for escort duty. I would have to thank Engiz for the coffee when I get the chance.

Captain Struc is standing next to me, frowning and looking rather annoyed and I could imagine why easily enough. I sought out and participated in a fight with a fellow warrior of Mandalore and got hurt doing it. Even if the whole event was an act of kindness, in the defense of another senator, the incident is still quite serious. If I was seriously injured or had been permanently harmed, I'm sure the consequences would be similarly permanent for his career, once Aunt Satine is informed.

Captain Struc is looking at me with a stoic expression of a superior officer about to reprimand their subordinates on exactly how much they screwed up. I would know, I have done this to my own subordinates before. "Care to explain to me why you didn't wait for backup? As well as why did you refuse to break contact when the primary objective was completed? After all, I must not fail to record every detail of the incident, especially of your decision making. Duchess Satine would not accept anything less from me this time."

As usual, the best way out is always through. "The target was in jeopardy, they were about to be eliminated by another assassin. We interfered with the objective of countering the second assassin from eliminating the first assassin. We continued so as to apprehend the adversary for further questioning. We partially succeeded in identifying the motive. We can rule out the Naboo spice miners or any smaller organizations, given the scale and resources of the operation. So we have a general idea of why someone is trying to kill Senator Amidala now."

He noted that down in a datapad. "Were you successful in protecting the targets?"

I shrugged and was reminded of the bit of pain from some of the bruises I have after that close-quarters fight, "We could not confirm the outcome, but I think so. The Jedi should have more details, if they successfully apprehended her, then the Jedi took her away. Nothing was left behind."

Captain Struc nodded his head in acceptance, "We should try and contact them, though if they're smart they'll probably have her in some sort of witness protection program. Likely hidden somewhere near the Jedi Temple and we will never find out if she survived or not. Give me the details on the Mandalorian assassin you all fought. What did you manage to get out of him?"

Ah, the debrief, this is somewhat nostalgic, but I couldn't let myself get distracted. So I leaned forward, rested my arm on my knees, and focused on recollecting what had happened. "The assassin wore metallic silver armor, as in bare silvery metal with blue highlights, likely beskar. A navy blue Mandalorian super commando style pilot suit, however its primary color is silver."

"Silver is not exactly the most useful identifying detail. Thanks to a certain someone, silver is probably one of the most popular colors in the Mandalorian sector."

"I don't think he's wearing beskar armor." Morson spoke up from where she took a seat so that Kastel could provide first aid to her.

"Oh?" Captain Struc looked over, focusing his attention on her.

"The armor he was wearing, it wasn't beskar. Durasteel, I think." Morson explained.

"How do you know that?" Vai asked from her prone position on the couch.

"A lot of the clans on Gargon can't afford beskar. Um, even my own." She paused for a moment but I made a gesture for her to get on with it. "Beskar mixed with durasteel and other forms of cheaper materials over the years have been a substitute. When I punched him in his helmet it's definitely the high pitched ring of durasteel on durasteel. My arm armor is made of durasteel and Tanya's armor is made of beskar, right? We could test to hear if they sound the same." Morson finished her statement in a rush of words.

"You ID'd the assassin's armor by punching?" Vai asked in disbelief.

"It's a very distinctive sound." Morson said as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy. Which does make a degree of sense as beskar armor has a much more noticeable lower pitched ring that I had grown familiar with from my frequent armor sparring with Vai all those years ago.

"We can verify it later, but I believe you." I inclined my head at Morson, then I turned back to Captain Struc to finish the report. "The assassin must have been wearing durasteel armor." Morson nodded in agreement, she may have been taken out of the fight rather quickly, but she is definitely proving to be useful. That little detail probably would help in figuring out something more about our wayward Mandalorian.

Captain Struc looked down at his datapad again. "That does narrow some things down. Either he's not really a Mandalorian and copied a Mandalorian style, or they don't really have the funding to afford beskar armor. If it's the latter, it means they are likely from one of the many clans on the outer edges of Mandalorian Space. Planets like Zanbar, Gargon, or any number of other places that are not as famous and aren't as well off enough for the general populace to afford beskar."

"I don't think they are from a clan either." Morson spoke up again. "Like I said, my armor is an alloy, but the important bits, like the chest," She emphasized that area on her body by knocking on it with her knuckles and I suppressed a sigh, "have higher amounts of beskar compared to the rest. Everyone in the clans knows the alloyed pieces are weaker and would focus on the periphery like the arms or legs due to weaker armor and that any injury would make the fight easier in the long term. Except, well, our mystery assassin didn't do that. I guess he must have been fooled when his shots hit Tanya's beskar armor and assumed all of us had it. So he can't be from a clan as we would have recognised a difference immediately from our frequent armor sparring."

Captain Struc looked rather dubious at this explanation. Mok stood up and joined the conversation, "I agree with Ms. Morson." He twirled the blaster around his finger which I am sure the safety is on, "This guy could afford a WESTAR-34 and going by the amount of modifications on it, he's got the money. This weapon is practically custom, upgraded to the hilt. He definitely has credits."

"Strange, he has the credits for weapons, but does not have the credits for armor." Captain Struc said, scratching his chin.

"Perhaps it's a personal issue." I said as Ordo appeared at my side with a saucer and a cup of coffee.

"Thank you, Ordo." I said taking it and sipping the coffee. It was good. The bit of caffeine would help keep my senses sharp through this conversation.

"You're welcome, princess."

"Personal issue, what kind of personal issue though?" Morson asked, looking directly at me curiously.

Looking past Ordo to Morson, I said, "From my study of the Silver Codices, there is no cultural reason that would require someone to abstain from beskar armor. If anything, the opposite is true, the Silver Codices encourage wearing beskar armor over other practical uses of the material if they could afford it. The assassin is wealthy enough to afford beskar armor so they had no reason to avoid it. It's his deliberate choice to use durasteel armor instead. Perhaps we are looking at this backwards. The durasteel armor the assassin used must have some greater value we still don't understand then, even if it's something as simple as sentimental value."

"So our mystery assassin is also mysterious?" Vai joked.

"That leaves us with very little to work with then." Captain Struc stated. X4 entered the room carrying several soft cold packs for everyone who had been involved in the fight.

"We do have this though." Vai's words were a bit muffled by the couch pillows, as she didn't bother to lift her head far, just enough to scoop up her helmet and execute a slow underhand throw. Supposing she was aiming for Mok, her aim was a bit off then.

I snapped my arms out and grabbed the helmet before it could smack me in the head. "What is it, exactly?" More slowly, I extended an arm and handed Ordo the helmet which he delivered to Mok.

"Visual and audio recorder inside the helmet. I turned it on before the fight started." Vai called out in a muffled voice, face first in the couch pillows again.

"Heh~ nice." Mok said, immediately turning the helmet on its side and looking for a port to connect the audio.

"How is it you girls are smart enough to keep track of how you're having your asses handed to you but not smart enough to not get your asses beat." Captain Struc asked, shaking his head at the three of us.

"Learning from our mistakes obviously." It got a laugh from the other two, though Vai coughing put a damper on it.

I turned to our medic, Thisish, "How is she doing?"

"She'll be fine.'' Thisish said, smacking Vai's armor that was lying on the ground strewn next to the couch. "She just needs to take it easy for a few days and avoid any more strenuous activity, no permanent damage otherwise."

I let out a sigh of relief and nodded my head in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Thisish." Mok made a noise of excitement and I glanced over.

"Here we go." Mok pressed a button and the familiar voice of the man who had just fought all three of us without breaking a sweat joined the room.

"Ladies, is there a problem here?"

"That depends..." My voice called out, on the speaker. Last life I had gotten used to hearing recordings of it after action briefings. Back then my voice was always harsh from the demands of constant command, but here it sounded young. Everyone listened, caught up in the whole conversation and the fight from where they were sitting. On the viewscreen of the computer, I could just barely make out Vai's perspective of the fight. I had to admire that she'd managed to pull herself back up after the beatdown the assassin had thrown our way. It's obvious from the video and our own experience that the man is well trained and a combat veteran. If I had to guess, he probably had a preference for gunslinging judging by the setup of the pistols on his hips, but he was no slouch in a fisticuff fight either.

The video ended and I said, "And there is your clear footage of our assassin problem."

"Good," Captain Struc commented, "I'll have to see about getting this sent to the Senate Guard. At the very least we could probably do something to prevent him from trying again. Which means our purpose in this whole affair is done." He said, looking directly at me. I sensed he wanted confirmation that I am not going to do anything else on this matter.

"Perhaps so." I hedged. "Unless something else draws my interest into the situation, I don't think we have any other reason to interfere in this matter. Thus I can leave this to the local authorities." I relaxed into the chair, fully intending to follow through on that statement. I closed my eyes to demonstrate my resolve, even though I didn't need to rest yet.

After a few moments passed, Kastel fake coughed. "I know who he is and he's not an assassin by trade. However, he might actually be a problem for the sector."

Still resting, I asked, "How would he be a problem for the Mandalorian sector?"

I heard Kastel stand up and move away, towards where the viewscreen was. "X4 could you bring up any information on Jango Fett?"

"Of course, Royal Guardsman Kastel." X4 said. I heard sounds of X4 moving and accessing a computer port. Curious, I opened an eye and looked. A moment later a picture of a familiar armored Mandalorian appeared on screen, alongside his bounty hunting license.

"This is Jango Fett, the last Mand'alor of the True Mandalorians…" Kastel trailed off.

I was on my feet in an instant. "What?!"

"The last True Mand'alor was killed along with his men." Captain Struc said with furrowed brows as he posed the question I would have asked.

"No, he survived, as you can see. Jango Fett survived the fight and then he hunted down the leadership of Death Watch. The rest is history, from there he went on to become a bounty hunter, which is why he doesn't wear beskar armor. Supposably he still has a set of beskar armor from serving as the Mand'alor for the True Mandalorians, but he doesn't wear it because he has given up on Mandalore. The man is a legend." Kastel seemed to be in awe of our adversary.

He continued, "Jango Fett has made a name for himself as a bounty hunter across the galaxy for the last twenty years or so. A lot of survivors of the True Mandalorians ended up on Vorpa'ya, my homeworld, after the civil war. A lot of us have an interest in keeping up with his career."

Sitting back down slowly, I said, "And that immediately becomes a problem to Mandalore, one we may need to deal with."

Captain Struc turned to me. "Hold it, you are a representative, not an assassin. We are not going to go track down a bounty hunter to prevent him from assassinating a member of the Senate."

"Of course," I said with a smile, "it would be foolish for me to attempt to assassinate an assassin, but as we've already made clear they are a bounty hunter, a mercenary, and a True Mandalorian. All these things have one thing in common: money speaks to them. We need to find some way to pay them off so they don't get involved in this situation any further."

"Why do we need to do that?" Morson asked from her chair, sounding confused.

I continued my thought, "That is quite simple, if a Mandalorian is involved in a murder of a senator this will look bad for the sector. It already looks bad when it is merely attempted murder, just imagine the consequences if Fett succeeds? Even worse, Fett is the former Mand'alor of the True Mandalorians, he has political clout within the Mandalorian sector.

If I was an enterprising adversary who wanted to bring as many factions under my control as possible against a coming conflict with the Republic, I would certainly not fail to recruit the battle maniacs, the Mandalorians. What better way to secure the Mandalorians to my side than to help put their former Mand'alor back on his throne?"

Captain Struc nodded his head in agreement at that, "Candidate Mand'alors don't usually survive long. I can see what you're saying here, when the war between the Republic and Separatists begins, what better way to make sure that Mandalore takes part in the war than to have a conflict spring forth within the sector."

"The question then becomes how do we prevent Jango Fett from taking part in the conflict? An option is that we pay him off perhaps." I speculated aloud.

"Unlikely to work," Kastel shook his head in disagreement. "Jango Fett has built up a reputation of being reliable and won't break a job unless it is beyond his ability to complete. We would need something big to get him to break his personal code of honor."

"X4," I looked over at the droid, "perform a search on anything related to Fett. I need to have more information on our potential adversary and this situation."

"Of course, mistress." The droid said as it began doing its research.

"Okay then," I said leaning back in the chair. "Anything else we need to know about while we let X4 explore the Coruscant holonet?"

Whatever I was expecting, it wasn't Tabi knocking against the door, before stepping inside. "Princess Tanya, Senator Tal Merrik is here to see you."

My eyebrow rose in confusion. Senator Merrik usually never came down from his office, but I nodded and said, "Let him come in." Tabi nodded and walked out of the room. A few minutes later he came back with the senator. Senator Merrik took one glance around and showed surprise at seeing our state of half-dressed armor, half-treated physical injuries, and clearly recent medical waste littering the floor.

"Representative Kryze," he said, "what exactly did you get up to tonight? Am I going to have to tell your aunt that you were involved in another bar fight?"

I chuckled at that image. "I was not involved in a bar fight. We were simply providing a little extra security for Senator Amidala when we ran afoul of an assassin."

Senator Merrik looked rather stunned at that pronouncement. "Well, considering you're still here, I assume that the assassin has been turned over to the police."

I shook my head. "Unfortunately no, he escaped. But we are working on the situation and trying to figure out what to do about it."

"Do about it? Why do you need to do anything about it? If some assassin is trying to kill another senator you should keep yourself far away from the trouble and not get involved!"

"A fair point." I granted, as I sat back smiling at just how much of a New Mandalorian Prince Merrik was. Always good to have someone to pull back on your reins when you are about to run off into a firefight. Though I would prefer not to end up in a firefight at all.

Vai spoke up, "The assassin is Jango Fett, a Mandalorian. A former Mand'alor to be exact, the True Mandalorians' Mand'alor. We were just discussing what to do about him considering the possibility that he might be in the employ of the Separatists. Jango Fett might be used as a pretext to start a civil war in the sector."

Senator Merrik stood, taking in the scene and seemingly calculating everything he had just heard for several long moments.

"How many people know that you are involved in this attempt to prevent an assassination?"

I looked around and said "Everyone in this room and a couple Jedi. Why?"

"Was there any video footage?"

Mok spoke up, "I scanned the holonet, no one appears to have uploaded footage of the fight. So we are clear on that front."

Senator Merrik nodded at that, "Well then, I greatly appreciated our dinner date discussing politics tonight. I'm sure I will recall our conversations for some time, what about you Ms. Kryze?"

This subterfuge was unexpected but I sat up in response, raising an eyebrow. Was he telling me to cover this up, to prevent a repeat of the last time my fight got spread around the holonet? I am frankly intrigued. "Yes. Good dinner, the date was a little rough, but the food was fine."

"Exactly and as far as I'm concerned you were not involved in any other incidents tonight. Also I wanted to let you know I am approving your request for time-off. Enjoy the rest of the month off, forget the troubles here for a bit. Maybe visit your friend Amidala?"

"Oh, that is a good suggestion." I smiled at this, realizing that not only had Senator Merrik understood the threat, but went down the list of things to do and decided he trusted me enough to handle it. Now why would Senator Merrik trust me, a young and inexperienced representative, is a bit up in the air. It was no secret that I had trained with Bo-Katan. The fact I was still alive is proof enough that I could hold my own against the True Mandalorian. This is an impressive level of trust and I am not going to throw it away.

"Of course senator." I said, bowing my head. "I was looking into starting on vacation in a couple days, thank you for clearing that request."

In understanding we both shared a smile. "Do your best out there, Tanya, for Mandalore."

"Always will." I said. Senator Merrik turned and left the room leaving me with the Royal Guards, my handmaidens, and X4.

"It would appear that this operation has been sanctioned by the senator without being sanctioned." X4 said, stating the obvious for those still looking confused. Morson and Tabi both were looking perplexed. I'm sure some others probably were not getting the full picture but were keeping it to themselves.

"Senator Merrik might not report this, but I will." Captain Struc said, matter of factly.

"Oh, Senator Merrik is going to report it." I clarified, "However, he is going to wait a few days, give me a head start on trying to get this situation under control. Aunt Satine would not approve of me running off for this. I will have to send her a message as well to explain myself, so she doesn't think I'm being too aggressive."

Captain Struc took a deep breath whilst pinching the bridge of his nose, it seemed he was not amused by my creative interpretations. However, he didn't go as far as to speak up and contradict me, either. Instead he turned to all three of us, "In any case, all of your performances show room for improvement, even if you were against the most dangerous Mando in the galaxy. When we have time, you all are going to be undergoing additional training until I feel you are up to snuff. Got it?"

"Aye sir." Morson said, giving a lazy salute with her uninjured arm. I nodded while Vai merely made a noise.

Then Captain Struc turned back to me. "So the plan is to find some way to make contact with this Jango Fett. Tell him 'Don't take a side in the coming civil war, here's some money.' and that's it?"

I nodded, "Ideally we could find something that would change his mind. I suspect Jango Fett's reputation for honor is a reflection of the True Mandalorian's creeds, as described by a foreigner. If he's already been bought off by the Separatists, it might be impossible to pay him off to stay uninvolved. So if Jango Fett is as entangled as I suspect he is, then we cut a deal to not involve the Mandalorian sector. Maybe he will recruit a few Mandalorians and export some mercenaries from our sector, but that can be swept under the rug easily enough."

"How would that be swept under the rug?" Morson asked, as Ordo walked next to her and handed her a cup of coffee, he had been moving about the room doing that for the last five minutes or so.

Ordo answered, "If you supply mercenaries to one side you're an accessory to their side's crimes. If you supply mercenaries to both sides, then you are neutral. All we need to do is run through the legislation that's already on the table for allowing mercenary work to be allowed outside the sector. After that, we use our neutrality to deny responsibility for anyone who is involved in mercenary work outside the sector."

"Exactly. I'm sure there will be plenty of mercenaries on both sides of this conflict from Mandalore, which will not be good for the opinion of our sector. But as long as we can keep our sector out of the war, that's a step in the right direction."

X4 made a beep before turning away from the screen, saying, "I may have found a way to prevent Jango Fett from taking part in this conflict, though it is very tenuous."

"Tenuous?" I asked as I sat up, sipping my coffee.

"Very," X4 said as he pulled up the screen and selected a report picture of a blonde woman, highlighting the accompanying information. The name at the top of it was of most interest: Arla Fett.

Prisoner 327, Arla Fett, name given through interrogation. Former member of Death Watch, attempted assassination of a senator on Coruscant twenty years ago. Held in a Coruscant maximum security prison on a life sentence.

I blinked and then blinked again. "Could the name be a coincidence?".

"Possible. However, Fett is a rare clan with few members. According to my records, the only known living members of the Fetts are Arla Fett and Jango Fett. There is a possibility that they are unrelated, but there seems to be a greater possibility they are related."

Captain Struc spoke up then. "If they're related, don't you think Jango Fett would have broken his sister out?"

"Arla Fett was a member of Death Watch." Kastel pointed out. "Maybe there was no love lost between Jango Fett of the True Mandalorians and Arla Fett of the Death Watch. You don't rescue your enemies."

"That's just speculation for now." Ordo said, refilling my cup with the last of the coffee. "What other facts do we know, X4?"

"Arla Fett is considered by all who knew her to be dead. Her record and her name are censored. I obtained access through your position as a Senatorial Representative. I won't speculate on Arla Fett's state of mind or ideological allegiances before her confinement, but I can state her medical records that indicate a history of severe trauma. Enough so it would have to have begun in her youth, and there were signs of drug use, physical abuse, amongst other issues. Additionally, Arla Fett's medical records are flagged by the doctors in the Valorum center; she has no treatment plan. She's a prisoner there."

"Interesting. There's a possibility that Arla Fett is a member of clan Fett. But assuming something will get us nothing, can you arrange a meeting between me and Arla Fett?"

X4 turned its head for a moment to look at the screen before turning back. "The only people who are marked as able to visit Arla Fett are Senators and Representatives of the Mandalore Tower, so yes."

"Rather specific." Captain Struc noted.

X4 centered it's head and gave a nod, "At the request of the attempted assassination victim, the last senator of Mandalore. Before Senator Merrik took control, he requested Arla Fett to be put in the deepest hole possible, to be denied visitors, and for her to be marked as dead as far as the public would be concerned. The judge granted his request."

"Obliteration," I sighed, "the ancient practice of basically sealing someone up in their own room, feeding them until they died. A terrible thing to do." I was not very familiar with the predecessor of Prince Tal Merrik but my opinions of them had gone down greatly.

On the off chance she really is a relative of his, she could be useful for us. After all, nothing like springing a relative out of a hell hole to get someone on your side and abandon your status as reliable for one thing.

With that last thought, I was hopeful, but truly exhausted. "I think this meeting is over.", I announced, getting up and downing the last of the coffee. "We'll leave Arla Fett's situation for the morning, as well as finding out what's going on with the Jedi and Senator Padme Amidala, everyone else agree?"

There was a collection of nods, though Captain Struc raised his hand saying, "What about the fact that Arla Fett was involved with an attempted assassination of a senator? I don't think the Republic is going to take kindly to us creating future problems."

I nodded looking back at the screen. "Perhaps you can help us with that. I can convince Duchess Satine to assert royal privilege and pardon Jango and Arla of any past crimes. If they stay and settle in Mandalore, they won't be extradited. Additionally, Senator Amidala would not have any reason to pursue Jango if he cooperated and revealed his contract's source, and without Amidala's cooperation, the Jedi have no ability to extract or punish Jango Fett any further. Of course, all of this depends on whether we can convince Jango Fett to switch sides and turn over his sources."

"So sector arrest? Jango Fett can't leave the sector and he can't take part in any bounty hunting, if he turns over evidence on who hired him for the bounty? Not a bad plan, though, I guess we'll have to wait and see if he actually is willing to take it." Captain Struc said.

"Yes, Jango Fett only really matters if he's willing to take the deal."

Coruscant, Mandalorian Tower

Obi-Wan Kenobi

"Please wait here Master Jedi. I need to alert Representative Kryze." said one of the Mandalorian Royal Guards as she tapped her helmet, obviously sending a message to the rest of the Tower.

"Alright." I said, standing back, as I glanced over at the morning skyline. Last night I spent several frustrating hours in our archives, chasing down leads that went nowhere. So far, the information we had on the situation with the assassin at the moment was absolutely nothing. The mysterious assassin had been effectively silenced, the one witness who could have talked. Well almost nothing, we do have a dart and I would be visiting an old friend who might have some information on it. But before I chased down unlikely contacts, the Mandalorian assassin who silenced our Clawdite assassin, was engaged in combat with three other Mandalorians. While the Mandalorian assassin escaped via their jetpack, I had a few ideas on who he might have been escaping from. I hoped the only known Mandalorians on Coruscant could share some information on his identity.

My thoughts were interrupted when the next guard finally announced our entrance, "Representative Kryze will see you now." The Royal Guard stepped out of the way to allow me to step into the main seating area of the apartment.

Inside, the young Ms. Kryze is already seated and expecting me, as well as Vai, and a third girl I am unfamiliar with. All three seemed injured and tired, although Ms. Kryze looked less so. Vai isn't moving much at all, using stillness to hide the extent of her injury and keep up appearances. Ms. Kryze is wearing a green dress like I'd seen her wear on many occasions with her hair done in it's normal fashion, despite the obvious hidden injuries and generally exhausted state of the rest of the apartment's occupants.

Smiling, Ms. Kryze stood up and said, "Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, to what do I owe the honor for your visit?"

"Oh nothing much, Ms. Kryze. I was informed last night that you were taking part in a rather interesting chase. Were you attempting to help your friend from a distance, as it were?"

Ms. Kryze nodded and said, "Friends are hard to find, it would be a shame to not to do the utmost to help them."

The Council was putting pressure on the investigation. So much for the slim mandate we had begun with. Instead of training, I had to chase down every lead along the way. Although, I was pretty sure I could skip the paperwork with Ms. Kryze if I negotiated aggressively enough.

"Of course, of course. However, I think I saw you even engaging in a little bit of combat across the way, any details you are able to share about last night's events? The Jedi Council is investigating the matter of the bounty on Senator Amidala. It is a violation of the Bounty Hunters' Guild charter; bounties on government officials are a serious breach. The Council will be putting together a full diplomatic request for information through to Mandalore about your involvement last night, but perhaps we don't need to do all that paperwork."

Ms. Kryze nodded before saying, "I have some good news for you as we do have a name. The Mandalorian assassin is Jango Fett, a former True Mandalorian warlord turned bounty hunter."

"Really now, how did you come by this information?" I asked, taken aback by this development. Ms. Kryze simply shrugged. Her droid stepped over, offering a tray of drinks.

"This might take a while to explain, but I am certain I can recall more details right now than a diplomatic dispatch would provide. So help yourselves to a drink and a seat with me, Master Jedi."

I considered her offer for a moment, I had asked for more information after all. I suppose this was better than paperwork, "A little bit of caf won't hurt." I agreed, taking the drink and moving over to an offered seat.

We both sat down across from each other, a small table separating us. "We were acting as a secondary security force to keep an eye on the situation." Ms. Kryze began. "After the chase, a Mandalorian assassin appeared and targeted the assassin while we attempted to detain him. I managed to hold a brief conversation, and based on analysis of the recording we believe the Mandalorian is the bounty hunter, Jango Fett. However, we lack his current whereabouts or a means to contact him."

"Why are you interested in getting in contact with him?" I leaned forward a bit.

She smiled, "Politically, it would be better if Mandalore is in no way involved in these assassination attempts. So convincing him to drop the contract and maybe give us a hint on who is behind the bounty would be the ideal outcome for the sector." Likely so, there is some sound logic to it.

"Perhaps you can get in contact with him through the Bounty Hunters' Guild?" I offered.

Ms. Kryze shrugged, "It is possible and I might try that as well. However, I have another lead I will be pursuing first."

"Anything that will help us out in our own investigation into the matter?" I received another smile, although it didn't reach her eyes this time.

"I am afraid not, your investigation is solely about who is behind the bounty and assassination attempt, mine is slightly different. I will give you any information we manage to get out of Jango Fett. However, when it comes to helping in finding him, I am afraid you are on your own, just as we are."

I nodded my head as this was a reasonable boundary. This was, after all, a political matter by the sounds of it. "If you do have another conversation with Jango Fett, tell him the Jedi wish to speak to him as well."

Ms. Kryze chuckled at my suggestion, "I highly doubt he will agree, but I will ask anyway."

I nodded, unfortunately it was understandable to not want a Jedi involved in a Mandalorian affair. Even with the many steps taken over the last few years to improve relations with Mandalorians.

I finally said, "No harm in asking. If you do find any information on the one who posted the bounty, please contact me at any time." I reached into a pocket and pulled out an information chip, handing it to the droid as it walked over. "That is my contact information, it will route you directly to my communicator."

Ms. Kryze nodded, "X4 please give him our own contact information. Perhaps you will find some information that will help us in our own objectives." She restated the question as a comment.

"Perhaps." I agreed, nodding as I took the offered chip before stashing it in my pocket.

"So then Ms. Kryze, I imagine that Duchess Satine is not going to be pleased with your personal involvement in this situation, don't you think?"

Ms. Kryze nodded stiffly, "I agree she will be displeased, but it was for the right cause. Preserving peace is always something that you can bend the rules for a bit, I believe."

"Of course, of course," I agreed easily, "but becoming involved yourself in this matter is a bit of a stretch, no? After all, according to Duchess Satine, I'm one of the experts on New Mandalorian doctrine and pacifism. The old New Mandalorian pacifism, I would think. Last time Satine and I had a conversation on these matters, we failed to settle our debate around whether violence is justified in self-protection, not just self-defense. I am concerned such violent solutions could contribute to a cycle of violence."

"Really now?" Ms. Kryze asked, failing to hide her interest in the topic. "Well that makes some sense, Aunt Satine did use to be a bit more evangelical about the matters of pacifism and the evils of the military-industrial complex. Now, I believe she sees the necessities of such things, the last few years of instability with the Republic has put matters in perspective for both of us."

"Is that so?" I said, scratching inside my beard, to give myself a moment to consider. "We did have several conversations about the matters of protection of society and we always found agreement in the past. I think if we had continued to discuss matters, we might have come to some sort of mutual understanding."

Ms. Kryze held my gaze, "I'm sure if you two stayed together long enough, you two would have had your own discussions on the topic, both of you seem able to understand the other's perspective intuitively. I have always been impressed with Satine's command of rhetoric and as a Jedi, I am sure you are just as skilled. What with the both of you having been seasoned by years of experience by this point."

"Is that a diplomatic way of calling us old?" I joked, which got the appropriate response I was looking for.

Ms. Kryze giggled a bit. "No Master Jedi, I'm not calling the two of you old, but experience does come with age. From my own brief experience I believe that in our youth we tend to be stupid and do stupid things, age put matters in perspective. When things are in perspective, you have a better chance of meeting your goals."

I chuckled at that before saying, "How very wise of you, Ms. Kryze. However, should you not take your own advice? Should you not put this whole current situation in perspective? After all, you are just a young Representative."

She chuckled at that before saying, "While it may seem like I am not putting things in perspective, from my point of view, with details you're unaware of, everything is quite in its perspective."

"Interesting, would you share those details I am not aware of?" I said whilst poking at her defenses.

"I will share what needs to be known when it needs to be known." Ms. Kryze said matter of factly. "And not a moment sooner. Make no mistake, I will tell you and the Jedi Council, but only if it pertains to the safety of the Republic. On matters of the Mandalore Sector, I will see to the sector first and once that is safe I will worry about its repercussions for the Republic."

It's moments like these that reminds me that Tanya is related to Satine. The subtle stubbornness that both of them share, a quiet command of what would be best for their sector, is on full display.

Of course, Tanya might be covering up her lack of knowledge or she could even be fishing for more information from me. I wasn't exactly thrilled about the political stakes of this conversation. Mandalorian politics were a quagmire at the best of times, and it sounded like they had their hands full. There were few Mandalorian situations improved by the addition of the Jedi; the council preferred we stay out if at all possible. However, perhaps I could press and get some more information from Ms. Kryze for our investigation right now, rather than through the slow diplomatic channels.

Sipping my caf, I thought for a moment before deciding; nothing ventured, nothing gained. Reaching into my coat pocket, I pulled out the dart inside a small container and said, "I have another meeting later today to ask around about this, but might as well confirm what I think. I already know this weapon was used to silence the assassin who attempted to murder Senator Amidala last night. It is not Mandalorian, correct?" Ms. Kryze reached out onto the table and picked it up carefully and gingerly looking at it before nodding her head.

"It is not Mandalorian." Ms. Kryze confirmed. "The design philosophy is not blocky enough to be modern Mandalorian or ancient Mandalorian, these smooth curves are foreign. Though that would track with our own investigation into this matter. Jango Fett left the Mandalorian Sector many years ago. Most likely he has already found some new home and if he is as honorable a True Mandalorian as he says he is, he is probably adopting weapons and equipment from his new home."

I nodded before saying, "So my current hypothesis, that if I track down this dart to its origin, I might find where this Jango Fett's current home is located, is correct?"

"You are half correct," Ms. Kryze stated before continuing, "there is always the possibility that this person simply is nomadic and is always on the move. He may not have a fixed home, but will still have regular places where they get supplies from. At the very least it should put you on the right trail."

I nodded my head at that as Ms. Kryze set the dart back down carefully. I picked it up, stashing it back in my pocket.

Ms. Kryze seemed to think for a moment before saying, "A member of the Fett clan is here on Coruscant in prison for crimes committed several decades ago. No guarantee that it will lead anywhere, but that is the current lead I am investigating. After that I will try to contact him through the Bounty Hunters' Guild, see if we can persuade him to talk through money instead of violence."

"That seems unlikely, bounty hunters usually have a code and they do not usually break that code."

"Usually," Ms. Kryze commented, "But we have to try, worse comes to worse, I find nothing. If I do find something, I will contact you and let you know."

"Excellent", playing with the nearly finished caf cup I said, "to hopefully figuring out who is behind this and solving this assassination plot peacefully."

Ms. Kryze mimicked me and did the same, holding up around and saying, "Yes let's hope for a peaceful resolution of this whole situation so that we can get back to arguing about the military and the current Seperatist issue."

I finished the last of my caf, it was a fairly pleasant blend and it is a vast improvement from when I first tried brewing it myself. "Oh I hope not. I frankly would prefer that the Senate did not implement the military." I said matter of factly and she raised an eyebrow at my comment.

"Really now? I've actually not heard the opinion of the Jedi Council on the whole situation. You seem to be keeping out of it as an organization."

"I believe the current opinion of the Council is that it is outside the Jedi's mandate. It's not a matter for the Jedi whether the Republic has a military or not. There are some concerns about the Separatists but when there is a political disagreement between two factions, the Jedi usually decide to fulfill our role as mediators and mediate between the two factions."

Ms. Kryze nodded her head saying, "A reasonable move, the Jedi are meant to be elements to keep peace and order. Taking a side in this conflict will make the Jedi seem less like an independent faction promoting peace and order and more of a weapon of the Republic to keep those who disagree in line."

"What makes you so certain there will be conflict? The Jedi Council is preparing to mediate between the Separatists Parliament and Senate." I shook my head before saying, "Hopefully the Senate will come to its senses and get this situation resolved in a more sensible way. It is not like there is a Sith Lord controlling the Separatists."

"That is an interesting qualifier." Ms. Kryze said, "What if there is one? Would that change the Jedi's opinion on the matter."

"Oh very much so." I acknowledged, "The Sith are an enemy to peace and everything good in the galaxy. If they were to return, we would be forced to take action and if necessary fight for the Republic."

"Hmmm, I remembered some details about a conversation yesterday with Senator Amidala. She mentioned how Count Dooku was mentioned by Vice-Chair Amedda as possibly being the one behind the assassination attempt. I also remember that Count Dooku is a former Jedi. So I have a question that seems a little bit odd, but I want your honest answer. Who declares a person a Sith Lord?"

"That is an interesting question but the answer is rather simple, as I said, a Sith Lord always declares themselves as such usually as a source of pride. The Sith were more numerous thousands of years ago, they rarely make an appearance today. There have been fallen Jedi in the last thousand years. But nothing as major as the last great Sith Lord."

"What if the Republic declares Count Dooku as a Sith? Based on the fact that he is a former Jedi and leading a fight against the Republic? What would be the stance of the Jedi council then?"

"That, hmm…" I sat back in my seat a bit perplexed at that scenario as it's not something I'd ever considered happening. After a moment of thought I finally said, "Well there's two possibilities, the Council will investigate this claim and determine if it's true. If it is, we will most likely join the Republic in its war against the Separatists. However, if it's not, I'm not sure. It would harm relations between the Council and the Senate. Though if the Council declared every rogue Jedi that was not part of the Coruscant Temple a Sith that would also be a major crisis. The Green Jedi of Corellia, which are not technically part of our Temple, do talk with us and share many of their teachings. There are other smaller and more diverse Orders throughout the galaxy that could easily look at that situation with a loss of trust."

"Good, it sounds like there are checks and balances amongst the various Orders. That will definitely be helpful in the future when we're forced to negotiate with them."

"Forced to negotiate with them?" I asked, concerned at the implication.

"In my opinion it is not a matter of if the Separatists will initiate the crisis, it is when. The upcoming crisis is a certainty, how we will deal with the situation is still up in the air. I'm of the opinion that beyond expanding the local garrisons, increasing the power of local naval fleets to watch on the border is necessary to increase preparedness. We should attempt some sort of negotiated trade agreements as time goes on to ease tensions as well as preserve the galactic economy. After all, the majority of the reasons the Separatists are interested in leaving are because they feel like they are getting little for the taxes they pay the Republic. If they can invest the money themselves, they would prefer to invest to help secure the safety of their people from pirates, raiders, and slaving operations. Even a war can not fully distract from the fact that the Core needs the raw materials the Outer Rim worlds have, and the Outer Rim will want to spend their wealth on refined goods from the Mid and Core worlds, as they did before this crisis."

"Ah, so you're already preparing for a future where the Republic and the Separatists are two separate political entities."

Ms. Kryze nodded before saying, "I'm preparing for a future where the Mandalorian sector is in between two separate political entities that hate each other, it's not going to be a safe position for our sector. Despite an initial peace, there will be war down the line; history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes. And usually, it will always be the Republic that stands in the end."

"A bleak prophecy." I noted.

Ms. Kryze shrugged and said, "Prepare for the worst, yet hope for the best. It's better to be prepared than to be left out in the middle of an interstellar war with nothing."

Shaking my head, "Here's hoping that remains just a bleak prophecy that does not come to pass." Putting the empty cup down I stood up.

Time to wrap this up, I had already been here longer than expected. "Thank you for your time, Representative Kryze. Unfortunately, I must go meet my contact. It has been a pleasant conversation Ms. Kryze."

"Good luck, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I hope you find some information that will lead to this situation being resolved without more bloodshed."

I smiled at that. "Same to you Ms. Kryze. Be careful with your own efforts to stop this assassination, if they give up with Senator Amidala, they might target her supporters and allies next."

"Perhaps I should pay her a visit then and make sure that Padme is aware she still has friends by her side."

"A lovely thought Ms. Kryze. Unfortunately Senator Amidala has gone into protective custody and can not receive any visitors for the foreseeable future."

Ms. Kryze nodded in approval, before pausing. A moment later, she frowned in thought, "I take it that is where your Padawan is?"

"Yes, it is. Anakin is capable of protecting Senator Amidala, I think."

There was a flash of annoyance across Ms. Kryze's face. "Yes, I think he'll do a fine job of protecting her. I'm just a little jealous, I wish I could wish them luck but time is of the essence. My own meeting is going to be taking place soon as well, thank you for your visit Master Kenobi."

I gave a small bow before sweeping past the two royal guards at the door, heading towards the elevator moving on to my next meeting with Dexter Jettster, an old friend who I hoped might have some more information on this dart.

Coruscant, Valorum Center

Tanya Kryze

Of all these stupid idiotic things I would have expected, putting Anakin in charge of Padme's protection detail was up there on the list of things that went a little too far. Yes, he's a Jedi. Yes, I'm sure he would be doing a perfectly fine job, but he has definitely shown some sort of emotional weakness around her. How that would play out, I don't know, but it could be rather disastrous if Anakin didn't play his cards exactly right.

I half expected the next time I heard about him it would be in the context of a disciplinary action by the Jedi Order. No doubt for breaking the Rules of Attachment because it was obvious that he had an attachment to the Senator from Naboo.

But Anakin is not my problem. My problem is deep within one of the lower levels of a Coruscant prison 's prison system is not exactly top notch. No, it has more in common with the worst aspects of some of the worst prison systems of all time. Well almost the worst, the fact that there were countries that had systems that allowed prisoners to leave their prison, to commit more crimes before returning back to sleep in the same prison. A complete lack of enforcement of law and order said everything; you could be a bit too nice to your criminals.

That being said, this particular prison is for the criminally insane so perhaps it was a bit better at keeping its prisoners from causing more mayhem. The fact that they had basically put someone to obliteration said a lot about the mental health institutions of Coruscant and the Republic.

My thoughts on this subject were stopped as the prison doors opened in front of me and the two security guards stepped out, while keeping an eye on the doors. They walked forward a bit before motioning me and Morson forward. The lead guard said, "Keep your hands to yourself and watch your possessions. Some prisoners are a little bit… unstable, so we try to keep them sedated but there's only so much drugs can do."

"Sedated?" I asked, getting a rather bad feeling about that.

"Yeah, can't trust most of these prisoners not to do something stupid. Policy is to just keep them on a safe long term sedative as much as possible. Keeps them compliant and calm. Some prisoners are okay with this, some aren't."

"And what about Arla Fett? Is she complying with this?" I asked as they led the way further into the facility.

"Well, she's one of those special cases. There's concern she might harm herself since she was held captive by Death Watch for long enough that the Mando Slave Syndrome went into effect. She apparently cared for them even though they were responsible for the death of her family. Now that she's had time to get her head clear, she… well, let's just say we keep her drugged up so she doesn't harm herself."

The guards were rather informative. So Arla is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Wonderful, well it could be worse. Hopefully it would not hamper my efforts to get information out of her. Although it is a bit concerning that apparently Stockholm Syndrome is called Mando Slave Syndrome. It didn't sound very scientific; I have a feeling that term might date back to the Mandalorian Wars, when slaves were allowed to move their way up the ranks. More than a few Republic prisoners of war ended up donning Mandalorion arms and armor and fighting against the Republic during the conflict. I'll have to do a bit of research to confirm the origin later, I didn't have the time at the moment.

However, this did raise an interesting question, so I poked at it, "How did you come to know this information? I was under the impression that she did not speak Galactic Basic from the files I was given."

The first guard shrugged before saying, "The last chief of the guards talked to the last Mandalorian Senator and that's where he got that information from. I think it was passed on to the doctors and they marked it down somewhere. I don't know if it was ever really marked down in the security personnel records, and no one reads those anyway. At the time, the senator didn't want her to ever recover and no one else really gave a damn."

"That's rather callous of him." I mentioned, hoping to get some more details.

It got the response I was hoping for from the guard, "Guy was a twisted bastard from what I heard. You didn't hear this from me but the assassination attempt may have been warranted as there's a reason that the guy is no longer a senator. A few years after the attempted assassination, it came out that he was involved in an arms smuggling operation. Was gun running for several companies in the Mandalore sector, helping move weapons out of the sector into the hands of mercenaries. Big scandal at the time from what I remember, as he was profiteering off war, while you guys were going pacifist. Rumor has it that some of those weapons were rather defective and made their way into the hands of the Death Watch or their remnants, which is likely why Arla was dispatched to assassinate him."

That is a short and concise explanation of how this all came together. Shaking my head, I said, "Well whatever the proclivities of the last senator, I guess it is up to me to figure out what to do with this wayward child of Mandalore."

The guard chuckled before saying, "If you can figure out how to get her onto a ship and take her back to Mandalore, go right ahead. As far as the legal system is concerned she's paid for her crime and she's only being held here at the request of the last senator who is not in office anymore, we sent a note to the current senator about this and he just washed his hands of it. Convicted Death Watch can rot in prison as far as he is concerned."

A bit of New Mandalorian showing in Senator Merrik. In the early days of the new Mandalorian government, much effort was put into purifying Mandalore of its militaristic past and former self. It was the time period that saw the deportation of anyone with Death Watch or Old Mandalorian connections to Concordia. Unsurprising then, that an unjust sentence for a convicted member of the Death Watch would receive no attention. I couldn't hold it against him but had to wonder what would have happened if he had taken a more proactive stance on the matter. Oh well, no telling who she would have to deal with to resolve Arla's situation.

Most likely, I would have to see about having her moved to Mandalore even if it turned out she was not related to Jango Fett. After all, being left to rot in this prison is not healthy for a person's state of mind. It's not hard to see why someone might wish to commit suicide in here, such that would need to be put on drugs. This was no better than solitary confinement and that had a way on people's minds that led to some insanity.

I looked up as the guards came to a stop in front of a door saying, "And here she is. We'll be right here in case she gets a little violent. It doesn't happen often, she's more angry at herself and we have her restrained enough that she won't do anything too serious." The guard said, before taking out his keys.

The other guard muttered, "She's chanting again."

I picked up the sound of someone speaking Mando'a though it was not standard Mando'a. There is a definite accent to it, but it is an unfamiliar accent, unlike either the Concordian or Gargon Mando'a speech I was familiar with. It is closer to Kastel's accent, so I had to assume this is Concord Dawn's accent.

The door opened to reveal a woman in her mid forties, sitting in a corner of a padded cell. Her arms are in a straight jacket as she mutters a tune that sounded awfully familiar. It took me a while to realize that it is one of the old war songs that Aunt Bo had taught me all those years ago when she first started training Vai and me.

The woman's eyes were glazed over. She seemed to look at something in the distance as she muttered her tune, which is not a good sign. She's not very lucid so I had to assume this conversation may not go anywhere. Sighing, I stepped in the room with Morson following behind me before the door closed behind us leaving us in a padded cell with a crazy woman. Well not the worst place I've been in one of my lives.

"Good morning, Ms. Fett." I said first in Galactic Basic but that got no response. Either proving she couldn't speak it or wouldn't respond to it so I tried the greeting again, this time in Mando'a.

It got a bit of a response, but she only looked at me for a moment before continuing the tune. I went for the next best thing based on what I was seeing. I joined her in singing the next verse of the song in Mando'a, seeing if that would break through the wall she seems to have built from reality.

As ruthless as Death itself,

The pitiless face of The Jedi's wrath,

Let us look down on all who are before us.

Brothers all, one heart of justice.

Glory.

I stopped to wait to see what happened and she definitely stopped this time blinking once or twice before saying, "Nice voice, terrible pronunciation."

"Thank you, I'll work on it." I said while taking a knee across from her as Morson waited by the door. "Are you willing to talk to me now, Ms. Fett?"

"You can speak. I'll decide if you get a reply."

I nodded as that is as good of an indication as any that I was at least moving in the right direction. "Well then Ms. Fett, I've recently come across your case and was rather horrified at the story I've seen there. To be obliterated and left in a hole, that is no way for a Mandalorian to live."

"It's no way for a Mandalorian to die," Ms. Fett responded before saying, "but that would be preferable then living like this."

"While I can see the logic in that, I did note that during my investigation I found that it is possible to have you transferred to a facility in Mandalore. One that's more adept at dealing with your kind of situations, if you're willing to give up all connections with Death Watch of course.

She looked up at me and said, "I've been in this room for, I don't know how long, if Death Watch cared about me they would have gotten me out already. I was nothing but a tool for them, so I might be willing to give up that connection easily enough. But I would like to know what you, whoever you are, are going to use me for next? What tool are you going to turn me into? Why have you come down into this hell to pull me out of it?"

I smiled and said, "You're a lot sharper than I was led to believe." which got a smile in return from her.

"They pumped me full of drugs in the evening, I'm rather lucid in the afternoons. Those are the worst times as that's when I get to think about what I've done and what has been done to me, what's been taken from me."

I nodded my head before getting to the meat of this meeting, "I'm looking for a bounty hunter by the name of Jango Fett. He has been involved in a rather, well the same thing you were involved in, an attempted assassination of a senator. I am trying to salvage the political situation for Mandalore, and it would be best that he doesn't end up in a jail cell like you. However, to do that I need to find a way to get in contact with him. I was hoping that as a member of the same clan, even if extended, you might have some sort of knowledge on that matter."

Ms. Fett paused in surprise, "Jango's still alive? Gods I should have tracked him down back when I had the chance." She shook her head before continuing. "Near the midpoint of the Civil War, I was a child living on a farmstead in Concord Dawn. Just me, my mother, my father, and my brother. True Mandalorians had gotten their asses kicked by Death Watch more than usual and sought shelter on my father's farm. My father was a sucker for the True Mando cause and it cost us everything. Death Watch managed to track them to his farm and killed him, my brother ran into the cornfields while my mother opened fire. They killed her while I hid and hoped I could escape, but they eventually found me. That is the beginning of my career as an assassin for Death Watch. They tattooed their symbol on my back and forcibly trained me to fight for them. After a while I thought they were right, that my family was weak, that the True Mandalorians were weak, all of the Mandalorians were weak, and that Death Watch would fix everything wrong with Mandalore. What a joke."

She shook her head before saying, "My brother on the other hand, he found his way to the True Mandalorians. They took him in, I don't know what they did to him but considering he became their leader eventually I think he probably had an easier time of it."

Leaning forward I said, "Are you saying that Jango Fett is your brother?"

She smiled before saying, "Yes I am, I found out near the end of the Civil War that he was still alive and I thought he was weak. I was actually happy when I heard he might have been killed by the Jedi…"

There is a look of disgust on her face that said everything that I needed to know. She is wrestling with the training that screws with her head, quite a bit by the looks of it, with the realization that she had wanted her own flesh and blood to die because of that indoctrination.

She sighed before saying, "As I said, I haven't talked to my brother in decades, even before getting locked up in here, so I don't have any way to contact him for you."

"Oh, I am not so sure about that." I said, already coming up with a plan in my mind as I asked, "Does your brother know that you are alive?"

She shook her head, "Doubtful, I don't think he'd be so cruel as to leave me in here."

"Then I think I have a way of getting in contact with him through the Bounty Hunters' Guild." Getting up I said, "But none of what has been said here will affect my efforts to get you back to Mandalore. This is not healthy for your mind and I will do everything in my power to get you out."

Ms. Fett chuckled before saying, "Good luck with that. I wouldn't mind seeing the sky again."

Giving her a bow I said, "Luck isn't necessary, I have the ear of the Duchess of Mandalore to call upon; it will happen."

Ms. Fett laughed before saying, "Wait, the New Mandalorians are still in control? I thought you guys would have been kicked out by Death Watch by now."

I smiled as I said, "Death Watch, as far as I'm aware, have been destroyed or have had their power so greatly reduced it might as well be a new organization pretending to be the last one. Which, in my opinion, is a good thing, don't you think?"

Ms. Fett smiled before saying, "Yeah, hope the bastards rot. Good luck Miss?"

"Kryze. Tanya Kryze." I said before turning to Morson and nodding. She tapped on the door, signaling to the guards waiting outside that we were done. A moment later we are escorted out of the room by the guards.

As we walked back out Morson asked, "Are you really going to try and have her transferred to Mandalore?"

"Of course. As far as I can tell Ms. Fett is stable; stable enough to be moved. Look at this place, looking around at the metal walls and how little care they have for the design. This is not a healthy place for someone's mind. The fact that she returned, undid Death Watch's brainwashing through years of self reflection and was somewhat sane is a testament to her willpower."

Morson nodded, "One more question. So, you sing pretty well, did you ever consider making a career out of it?"

"No, why?" I lied as naturally as I breathed.

Morson coughed and said, "Well I was just kind of reminded about this whole idol thing that was taking off on Gargon. There's some sort of contest going on every six months that is kind of like a battle between the idols. There'll be another one in two months and I had this hilarious idea of the three of us entering, doing a bit of cross-planetary cultural exchange."

I blinked and said, "I will consider that." There was something there, but I would need to not be dealing with the current situation at the moment. Participating as the Princess of Mandalore to take part in a battle of idols would be a general way to spread the culture from Gargon to Mandalore, which would increase profit revenues quite a bit.

The event would also improve people's idea of what Gargon is, not an insignificant boon towards encouraging more legal commerce on the planet. Once the concept of interstellar idol tours really takes off, idol contests would inevitably one day take place here on Coruscant too. However, all of this would require a significant amount of my limited personal time investment since I would be personally involved. So I could worry about these long-term dreams only after the danger of the inevitable civil war had passed and Mandalore was safe.