The tower was even bigger from this close up than from a distance. As we flew in, we were directed to a landing pad near its summit, and from up there, the world below blurred into streaks of light in the night. I'd been in orbit plenty of times, but this was different, as we were two, maybe three kilometers above the ground, on a landing pad extending slightly out, above the city below. For a moment, I had the silly thought, what if it breaks off? Of course it wouldn't... but still. The mind can sometimes trick you into thinking about weird things.
So, I glanced away, scanning the tower to occupy my mind. The structure itself was a fusion of stone and steel, reinforced with plates that were made out of... something, I couldn't really recognize it. However, it didn't seem decorative, but rather functional. I looked for carvings or lines, but the only things I found were indications that hidden mechanisms were beneath it, allowing the plates to open up and... Oh... I didn't need much to realise what I was seeing... There were hidden compartments under it, possibly either point-defense installations or something similar.
"Let's get out and smell the fresh Mandalorian air," I said, after we turned off the ship's engines.
"I was about to say that." Vila smiled, standing up, turning towards HK, "Go, fetch our... prisoner?"
"Unlucky passenger." I joked while HK left, grunting and grumbling about using him as a glorified escort droid.
While he was prepping Dhar, outside, I stepped to the pad's edge, resisting the strong gust of wind that was governing the air this high up. The mood was cold and sharp here, just as I expected. Standing at the edge, and looking down... it was a view alright... and if not for my current senses, I don't think I would have ever dared to lean over like this. But I never heard of a Jedi who lost his balance...
"Imposing," Vila said, a step behind me, grabbing the hem of my robe and pulling me back, "First time I have seen something like this... and I'll be honest... I don't think I like it."
"Mhm," I hummed in agreement. "Yeah... It... Won't be my favorite either. The view is nice, but it also makes you feel distanced from people. From the planet itself. Instead of being connected to everything..."
"Something like that." She nodded, as her feelings came from the Force too, but weren't as clear as mine, I think.
When HK and Dhar finally emerged, the latter looked… presentable, at least. His injuries had been cleaned and treated, and his tunic had been replaced with something plain. HK had made sure he could walk on his own, but he was having one hand on him all the time. Obviously... but... not in an over-the-top way. Mainly because if he looked like a beaten criminal, dragged along, the Mandalorians might have considered him already judged and just shot him in the head, saying we were already agreeing with their assessment.
As for the man himself, Dhar's eyes were clear again while he glared at me as HK prodded him forward.
"You think parading me around, dragging me here makes you noble?" he spat, literally, letting it land at my feet, "You've only delivered me to butchers. You're nothing but their errand boy... Jedi... bah. You are as bad as the rumors say you are."
[Query: Can I push him off the ledge?] HK's photoreceptors brightened as he asked, and I almost nodded, [Clarification: I will make sure to aim so he lands on one of the lower pads and doesn't hit bystanders at the bottom floor.]
Dhar sneered at his commentary, and I just ignored them both, watching the building instead. The Force told me that there was motion behind the gates, and a moment later, the sound followed my senses. It was the distinct roar of repulsors as the turbolift reached our level and the doors slid open, revealing our welcoming committee.
It was made up of a squadron of Mandalorians. As I looked, they were clearly not initiates as they were all wearing armor from head to toe. But... they were not standard troopers either. Just by the feelings I got from them... Well, to be honest, the lack of clear feelings in this case was because somehow they seemed to be able to block me out. Until I began focusing, that is. However, they had to undergo some harsh training that allowed them to achieve this much, as evidenced by the way they walked. Elites. I wondered how they did it. Well, maybe I'll ask. Moving my eyes, watching their armor, it gleamed in a deep crimson and gunmetal hue, each plate etched with their different clan sigils. Interesting... they weren't from the same clans but served in the same unit... Honor Guards? That was the first feeling that hit me. The second thing I felt and saw was that they held one hand over their blasters and vibroblades... Haaah... Can't we have a friendly meeting every now and then?
"Jedi," Their supposed captain stepped forward, visor locked on Dhar, not even looking at me while speaking, "We will take the prisoner now."
HK gave Dhar a shove, but instead of towards the Mandalorians, it was towards the ship, and I also stepped between them.
"No," I said, while Vila began stepping towards the side, her lightsabers already resting in her palms, unignited... but she was taking up a flanking position.
"..." Finally, the captain's head tilted slightly, turning towards me, "No?"
"Dhar stands trial before your Mand'alor," I said, not backing down, feeling that he wasn't entirely sold on the idea of fighting us... He was simply establishing his authority over us. "This man is not here to stand before you. Especially not here and not now, because he is still under Jedi protection."
The air tightened the moment I refused him. I could feel it as much as hear it, the symphony of a dozen gauntleted hands balling up, making the leather groan as their grip tightened on their weapons' handles. Dhar stiffened behind me as the bravado in his words from just a minute ago was gone... Maybe because hearing how merciful the Jedi were, he feared the Mandalorians more than he feared Vila and I... Despite cursing at me. What a weird idiot.
"Careful," the captain's voice was level, but ironclad when he spoke again, "Jedi. It is one thing to posture before us but another to block our path here... in our home."
"Then test me." I lifted my chin, meeting his visor without flinching. "Your honor demands it, so let us pass... or if you are honorless, strike at us now. What are you hesitating for? But also know this... You will not take him, but I may take your arm..." I added, as my lightsaber found its way into my hand and I was visibly fingering the activation button.
Silence... Both literally and in the Force. Watching them, the Mandalorians didn't twitch as their discipline was so absolute it was almost mechanical. The rest were only waiting for their leader's decision, honed in on his intent, following him into whatever outcome there may be... Finally, he raised one gauntleted hand, and the others' hands loosened around their weapons.
"There will be time to see if Jedi reflexes are what the stories claim," he said at last, gazing at me through his helmet, "But not now."
"Tsk..." Beside me, Vila clicked her tongue, her grin turning wider, "Oh, I'd love to help with that test... Name the place, name the time—"
"Vila," I muttered under my breath.
"What?" Her grin only grew, "I'm curious, too. They have the mouth, the question is, do they have the arms and legs to back it up?"
The tension might have broken up, ready to reform in that moment, but another sound cut through it not long after, making it sure that there would be no conflict on the landing pad. This sound... of boots... It was heavier and slower than theirs as it walked out of the turbolift, heading straight towards us... And he had an undeniable presence.
He was flanked by personal guards... So... the people before me weren't the best of the best? Interesting... The newcomers' armor was immaculate, but it was the man at their center who drew every gaze onto himself, including ours. I didn't need to ask who he was, as it was easy to tell by how the others split apart before him.
Mandalore the Unifier.
His armor was blue and silver, and although it was polished and made to shine just as much as the others present, it also bore more marks of previous battles and possible triumphs. Similarly... the warriors around him looked the same. I mean, their armors were shiny, but they had battlemarks if you looked close enough. As he neared us, every Mandalorian straightened to attention. The captain who had confronted me only moments ago stepped back, bowing his head with no hesitation.
The Unifier stopped before us, saying nothing at first, his honor guard halting in unison a step behind him. He looked first to Vila, then to me, ignoring our lightsabers... Then, finally, his visor lowered to Dhar. I was expecting him to say something, but then his head tilted, just a bit, gazing at HK.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
I was about to break the silence when his helmeted head moved again and turned towards me.
"Let's head inside, Jedi Kael Varo. We have a lot to talk about..."
"That we do." I nodded, gesturing to HK to allow the Mand'alore's honor guard to escort Dhar away. And I also ignored the fact that he called me by my full name... That was a question for a different time... "I hope he won't be executed immediately?"
"Not without a trial." The Unifier said, and I dropped the topic immediately.
"Then let us walk." I smiled to the best of my abilities, hanging up my lightsaber on my belt.
We followed him inside.
The heavy doors shut behind us with a hiss of hydraulics, and we were in a spacious turbolift, designed to be able to cart in a good amount of cargo. Or maybe even battle droids... We didn't go far with it, perhaps only a few levels before the lift stopped and the opposing end opened up, letting us into the belly of the tower.
I had expected a fortress of bare walls and gun turrets to welcome us; instead, the interior was… different. The walls were lined with reliefs, murals etched directly into the stone, plates of metal hammered into shape and set like mosaics across both walls of the corridor. There were scenes of warriors in flight and fight, blades clashing, starships descending in fire, and the planet burning. It was easy to tell that it was depicting the long history of the Mandalorians...
Some images were familiar from the archives, as they depicted the famous, ancient Crusades, the Wars with the Jedi, and even scenes from the Imperial times, when their world was raided for beskar. Others were even more recent, battles I'd never seen referenced in Republic or Imperial records... their current unification efforts.
"Kael," Vila trailed a step closer to me, her eyes flicking across the carvings as she leaned even nearer, "You feel it too, don't you?" she whispered.
"Yes," I murmured back, "The walls are alive, not in the Force per se, but they are very heavy with intent. They're here to remind every warrior who steps in these halls that they belong to something bigger than themselves..."
[Statement: Typical meatbag nostalgia. If I etched every kill into a wall, I'd need a planet.]
"You are on it..." Vila looked back at him, "There... see?"
[Statement: Nonsense.]
But Vila was right... There was a section where one droid's depiction was eerily like his...
[Correcting Statement: Coincidence.]
Before we could get into it, a fork appeared in the hall, and the Unifier paused and spoke sharply in his own tongue, the warrior-like syllables of Mando'a. I didn't know what he was saying, but his personal guards stiffened after hearing him. I felt that there was a significant amount of disapproval in them... They were given an order that they didn't want to follow... They didn't want to leave. But after a tense beat, they still obeyed, turning on their heels and marching back the way we'd come, flanking the now much more panicked-looking Dhar.
I frowned, glancing at Vila, and she raised her brows, equally surprised, but we kept trusting our host... There was nothing much we could do...
Then, with the Unifier beckoning to us, we continued alone, unhurried, until the corridor opened into a vast chamber. The air smelled faintly of oil and... well... stone? Maybe because in the center stood a massive round table, carved from a single slab of obsidian, so dark it looked almost like a black hole. Its surface was polished smooth, and upon it, inlaid with different colors were dozens of emblems... Clan sigils. All of them...
I recognized some from archives, the mythosaur, the shrike... a basilisk... Others I had never seen, strange symbols of wings, blades, animals I couldn't name. Dozens of them, all arranged around the circle. The table wasn't just a piece of furniture; it was a symbol of the Unifier's name, I think.
"This is where they meet," I whispered.
"I guessed that much," Vila gave a low whistle, "Every clan, every leader... Sitting at the same table."
[Observation: Efficient. One surface to argue over. It is easy to clean after the inevitable bloodshed.]
"I don't feel there was any blood spilled in here, ever." I stepped closer, running my hand a hair's breadth above the stone without actually touching it.
I was using the Force to get a feel of this place, and while I was doing that, the Unifier walked to one of the seats, taller than the rest, marked with the symbol of the mythosaur, and stood behind it, waiting. He did not motion for us to sit or for me to stop whatever I was doing because he only watched, remaining patient.
Then, slowly, he did something that made me stiffen and look at him in surprise. He reached up, unlatched the seals of his helmet, and lifted it free, placing it on the table with a dull thunk, then lowered himself into his chair. His eyes, blue on a middle-aged, rugged human face, were still fixed on me. This time, though, he did gesture for me to sit.
"Now," he began, "We speak as people. Please, Jedi... Sit... and let us talk as equals."