HK dimmed the cockpit again, but not completely this time. Mostly because the image would be a wider feed, allowing them to see Vila, and if we want, bringing the still-confused Dhar into the view... as HK would drag him in.
[Status: Link integrity secured. Observation: The Mandalorian fleet remains in a holding pattern. Drift: six degrees starboard to maintain a kill vector. Reassurance: They are waiting for us to get in touch with them. It seems Mandalorian honor still means something.]
"Perfect," I murmured, initiating a tight beam going straight to the lead ship that jumped in when the battle was at its height, "Patch me through."
[Encouraging Statement: Go make friends, Master Jedi. Or enemies. Either way, I will archive it for future playback.]
I exhaled once, ignoring his chatter, then leaned back, waiting for the connection to be established. The comm screen flickered with static at first, before resolving into a low-resolution image feed. Even with distortion, the T-visor was unmistakable, and it seemed they were also running on with lights this time around, making it possible to see a bit more behind them and make out the Mandalorian's figure in its entirety.
"Jedi," the captain said, his voice just as flat and modulated as it was the first time around. "The hour is slowly up... I assume you have results for me... So... Speak."
"I do." I nodded and let the silence stretch for a beat, just looking at him, wanting to show I wasn't in a hurry, nor was I afraid. They had to see this wasn't a move out of desperation. "Your quarrel is with the Dhrune family of Christophsis, and not with the planet itself," I said, my voice matching the steadiness of his.
"Our issue is with the ones responsible for the spilled blood."
"Exactly what I'm saying." I repeated myself, "But your demands go too far. We have the key man in custody, the one who made the decisions and gave the orders. We have your... general, so to speak. You will not get his father, his cousins, his wife, his children, or anyone else simply because they share a bloodline. That is not justice, that is butchery."
One of the initiates scoffed audibly in the background, while another muttered something about dishonor... or weaklings. I couldn't tell, but the captain didn't rebuke them, and his visor didn't move at all, probably allowing me to hear the sentiment amongst his people.
"Christophsis' nobles funded pirates who murdered Mandalorians," he said evenly when the chatter finally died down around him, "That blood debt is not erased by one man alone."
"I'm not here to erase it." I spoke, raising my voice just a bit to show I wasn't going to back down, "I'm here to see that the guilty will face justice. However, I won't let you drag an entire family line to the airlock. Innocents do not pay for the sins of the corrupt..." I leaned a fraction closer to the feed. "And as a Jedi, I will not permit it."
"There are no innocents in war." He said, making Vila scoff this time around, as she joined the discussion.
"Are you saying that if we capture one of your generals, we should also put his men on trial?" She asked, smiling but not really, "Or that, if the leader makes a decision that results in a loss, it is his troops' fault and not the commanding officer's? I don't get it, please, come, enlighten this poor Jedi about the proper way to look at Mandalorian politics."
That last sentence landed as I felt it ripple across them all, including their leader. There were a multitude of emotions flowing through them, including surprise, resentment, and even a hint of admiration towards Vila. And maybe towards me, too. I don't think they took us as someone who would dare insult them in this manner. Sensing the silence and probably the change too, Vila glanced sideways at me, her lips curling into a slight grin that was equal parts provocation and pride.
"I am waiting." I spoke up before their captain could, "I am interested in the answer, too... As a Jedi... every opportunity to learn is one I am ready to grab." That alone made Vila's grin widen as she leaned back in her chair, greatly satisfied.
"..." A second later, the captain shifted finally, tilting his visor, slowly inclining her head, taking up our challenge. "You stand between us and our vengeance... Jedi. That is unwise."
"No, it is necessary," I countered. "Like it or not, we are now involved in this mess and we won't walk away from it." I let my powers reach out more, touching the people on the ship... They didn't fear me. Which was apparent, but I didn't want them to do so either; what I wanted was recognition.
"This does not bode well for you then, Jedi..."
"You came here for blood," I pressed, not biting on his threats because they felt... empty. And he knew it. "You've already taken it. Many of the Golans were wrecked, killing the crew on them.... The main station is also crippled, and Christophsis now knows the cost of crossing Mandalore for a lifetime. Your point was made loud and clear, warrior. But if you go further, if you slaughter an entire home, you stop being the righteous avengers, and you'll be the kind of scum that we, Jedi... hunt. And believe it or not... we are just as good a hunter as you are."
"Hmph..." One of the initiates scoffed again, and I swear I could hear them murmur, "Let them see... Fear is respect."
"..." Another growled, and although I wasn't sure if Vila was also picking it up, I sure did... "The Jedi mistake us for politicians."
"You speak great words," The captain raised one gauntleted hand, and everything felt like it stilled for a moment. His voice became, just for a moment, filled with emotions that returned to be as flat as the beskar on his breastplate the next moment. "I have to say, you also have spirit, Jedi. But spirit does not absolve the debt that is owed to us. Our code is clear: sur'haar sur'haar. Blood for blood. Why do I need to repeat myself?"
"Then hear me clearly, so you don't have to," I pressed on, knowing that he was slowly coming around, realising he can't push us into submission, and we were reaching a stalemate. "You are not getting every member of the Dhrune family. That alone could cause a massive planetary collapse, civil war, or who knows what. We are not stooping that low... But, you are getting Dhar Dhrune. As I said, we have the 'general' of your enemy."
"That's just one man–" He began, but I cut in, raising my chin a bit, showing that I wasn't finished and I didn't appreciate the interruption.
"And you will not execute him here, in orbit, before the eyes of everybody. You will take him to Mandalore... To your Mand'alor. Let him decide the end of this conflict. As a Jedi, I will go with the prisoners, handle him, and hand him over to your leader after a decision is made. It will not be you or me who says the final verdict. Not Christophsis, either... It will be a decision between the two leaders: The defeated general of Christopsis and your Mand'alor. As a soldier... You no longer have the authority to decide."
Which I was sure to be true. I read enough in the archives, and after becoming Ben's Padawan, I did look up the history of his teacher and what happened throughout the Second Galactic Civil War. One such thing was the situation with Mandalore and their territory. I knew that Jaina Solo was specially trained by them and Boba Fett to prepare her to face her brother, whom she knew very well... and vice versa.
I also know that Mandalore was united around and after the civil war, by, as far as the records went, Boba Fett's son, who took up the title: Mandalore the Unifier. From everything that the library back home collected, it showed that he was bringing back ancient traditions, stomping out the issues that kept his people divided and spread across the Galaxy. I also knew he had enemies still, issues with people who couldn't or wouldn't see him as the new, true leader of the Mandalorians.
But that didn't matter now. He was in charge, and he indeed unified multiple segments of their clans and people, even recruiting other systems and accepting them into his reformed empire. With me evoking his name and rank... I escalated the situation way above my opponent's head. He has no choice in the matter anymore...
"..." The captain tilted his head again after almost a minute of silence, "You presume much, Jedi. To so brazenly evoke our leader's position in this matter..."
"No," I said evenly. "I don't presume. I decide." I added flatly, "This is about war, and I didn't know, as a captain of a ship or a fleet, you can issue a declaration of war against the Jedi Order... Are you... Mandalore the Unifier to wield such authority in the name of your people?"
"..."
"Thought so. Listen... If you want him, you'll have him on Mandalore. Not here, not now... If your code is justice, then let your Mand'alor give it weight against our words." Then, I leaned closer, "If your creed is only slaughter, then try and kill us now and prove me right... But if it is indeed honor that commands your decisions... then accept what I offer. Dhar Dhrune lives until I spoke with your leader and handed him over..."
The initiates stirred again. This time, most of them felt anger and unease. But also… something else... I could feel a very slight tinge of respect, a grudging and reluctant version of it, but still, genuine respect in the back of some of their minds. Next to me, Vila let out a low whistle and leaned back, her lekku twitching with amusement. You're enjoying this, her look said as she glanced at me and honestly... She wasn't wrong. I indeed did.
"..." The captain was still as stone once again, but then his fingers slowly unfurled at last, and he said, "You gamble with your life, Jedi. You bind yourself to this man's fate... You do realize that, don't you? The moment we leave, all the clues and evidence will be muddied by unclean hands... We are not newborns to not see it, Jedi. But... Let it be... However! If he dies before Mandalore judges him, your blood pays his debt."
"So be it." I didn't flinch at all, "I accept that term as nobody would be able to kill him, as long as I am the one protecting his sorry life."
"Make sure that is true," He said before another pause... Then the captain's hand tightened around the rail of his chair, metal groaning under his grip as he stood up, "Very well. We will not kill him here... We will escort you to Mandalore. But know this: if you falter, if you try to hide him, if you play games, trying to escape or play Jedi tricks on us, you will answer to our laser fire first."
"I am a Jedi," I said evenly, "We don't play games."
"I don't believe that." He answered, but then the comm was cut short and the image dissolved into static.
"Heh!" Vila broke the silent aftermath first. She leaned back in her chair, her boots already up on the console, and let out a laugh so sudden and bright that it startled me. "For the Force, Kael," she said, grinning from ear to ear, "I think I like you even more when you are being bossy. Keep talking like that and I'll never argue again with you, ahahahaha!"
"Heh!" I snorted, rubbing my face to hide the smile tugging at my mouth and the redness I was feeling creeping up on my neck, "That'll be the day..."
"Heeey!"
[Disappointed Statement: The meatbag did not execute you for insolence. He is a pushover. Addendum: I had prepared three new epitaphs for your tomb, but I did it for nothing. Mandalorians had changed.]
"Well, HK," I rolled my eyes, "Thanks for the vote of confidence. You do realize that if they shoot us down, you go down too? We are on the same ship."
[Statement: I can exist in the vacuum of space. Complimentary Assessment: Still... you were surprisingly efficient for a Jedi. Almost droid-like. Almost.]
"Don't ruin the moment," Vila shot back, a look at him, still smiling, her lekku flicking with amusement.
"Haaah... Let's prepare... After all, we are going to Mandalore. And whatever waits for us there..."