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While Orn Free Taa went back to the Consular-class Republic yacht to place an interstellar long-distance call, Aayla Secura and Max Vizsla leaned against the balcony railing and chatted idly.
"Lord Vizslaβ¦ the weapon at your waistβcould that be the legendary Darksaber?"
"This?" Max unhooked his sword and handed it to Aayla Secura. "It's not the Darksaber. It's just an ordinary lightsaber."
Aayla Secura accepted it with both hands. She tested a few basic formsβthrust, horizontal sweep, vertical chop, diagonal cutβthen looked up at Max and said:
"No wonder it's the blade of the Mandalorian Demon Saber. Comfortable in the hand, perfectly balancedβ¦ a rare good weapon. For me, it's basically a two-handed sword. You're so tallβdo you use it one-handed?"
("What's with the flatteryβare Jedi trying to run a honey trap too?") // "Not really. It's more of a hand-and-a-half."
"May I ignite it?" Aayla Secura asked.
Max gestured politely. "Be my guest."
"XIUβwhoa." Aayla Secura gasped. "Bright yellow. That's a rare color. It's a bit like the hue of the Jedi Temple Guard's lightspear, but not quite the same. Have you ever seen the Darksaber? I've heard its blade is black. I can't even picture what a black beam of light would look like."
"The Darksaber is a Vizsla clan heirloom. I saw it when I was a kid. Its blade is black, but not pure blackβsometimes it flashes white."
"Then what happened? Where did it go?" Aayla Secura sounded genuinely curious.
"After that?" Max looked at her and smiled. "After that, thanks to the Jedi Temple and the Galactic Republic, the Mandalorians fell into civil war. Clan Vizsla fractured into pieces, and the Darksaber vanished."
"XIUβuhβ¦" Aayla Secura extinguished the blade, visibly shocked. "Mandalorian civil warβ¦ the Jedi Temple and the Republic had a hand in that too?"
"New Mandaloriansβpacifists, or rather extreme pacifistsβdefeated all the martial factions and exiled them from Mandalore, winning the civil war outright." Max's tone stayed mild, but the question was sharp. "Does that sound reasonable to you?"
"Hm." Aayla pursed her lips. "So this is just your conjecture."
"It is." Max nodded. "But it's a reasonable conjecture, isn't it?"
Aayla Secura didn't answer directly. She tilted her head up, meeting Max's eyes. "Do Mandalorians all hate Jedi?"
"Yes," Max said, then curled his mouth in a small, reluctant shrug. "And no."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't speak for the New Mandalorians or Death Watch. But hereβmy brothers and sisters, the people around meβthey do hate the Jedi Order as an institution, that's true. But they won't hate a friendly Jedi for no reason."
"That makes sense." Aayla Secura nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder I felt intense hostilityβ¦ but it didn't seem aimed at me personally. By the way, Lord Vizslaβare you Force-sensitive too?"
"How is it you don't already have a definite answer to that?"
"I think you are, but I'm not certain," Aayla Secura admitted. "On the groundcar, when you got angry, I could faintly sense you were closely connected to the Forceβbut it was only for an instant. So I can't be sure."
"I am." Max extended a hand and drew his lightsaber back to him through the air. "So⦠can I join the Jedi Order?"
"On the path of the warrior, you're already a grandmaster of your own school," Aayla Secura said with a half-smile. "The Jedi Order only takes children."
"So that's how it is." Max re-hung the lightsaber at his waist.
"Why would I lie to you? That's exactly how it is."
Joining the Jedi Order had only been a joke. But once the joke passed, an idea struck Max, and he asked Aayla Secura in a serious tone:
"If I can't join the Jedi Order⦠could I hire a Jedi as my mentor or advisor?"
"Seems like⦠that's not allowed either." Aayla Secura shook her head.
Max sighed and, putting on a look of regret, challenged her: "Not allowed to do this, not allowed to do thatβaren't you and the Jedi Temple worried that a 'wild' Force-sensitive like me might go astrayβ¦ and fall to the dark side?"
"Ah!" The young Jedi woman covered her mouth in alarm. "That's a very good pointβI overlooked it! I'm sorry, Lord Vizsla. I'll report to the Jedi Temple at once."
"Are you heading back to Brightpoint Ten as well?"
"Yes." Aayla nodded, then waved her hands quickly. "It's not that I don't trust youβthis is standard operational protocol."
"Then I'll see you off." Max gestured. "This is Max Vizsla. Send a groundcar over."
"Much appreciated." // "Yes, Chief. The groundcar will arrive in three minutes."
β¦
Inside the groundcar, Max smiled and asked, "Ms. Securaβif this is possible, can I designate who I want as a mentor?"
"I can't be sure," Aayla said with a smile. "But I can convey your request to the Jedi Temple. Which Master would you want?"
"Master Yoda," Max paused, "or you."
"Ahβ" Aayla's lekku lifted in surprise. "You're joking. How could I be mentioned in the same breath as the great Master Yoda?"
"Everyone's equal. What's wrong with putting you side by side?"
"Standing alongside Master Yoda⦠I wouldn't even dare imagine it."
"Coward. I dare."
Aayla Secura adjusted her lekku and pouted. "In my view, you just don't know any Jedi Masters besides Master Yoda."
"Then can you introduce me?"
"Of course. In the Jedi Order, the one universally acknowledged as the best swordsman is Master Mace Windu. Heβ¦"181
β¦
They reached the port district. Aayla Secura and Max stepped down from the groundcar.
"I still want to pick Master Yodaβor you."
"Ah? Why?"
"The reason for choosing Master Yoda doesn't need me to explain much, does it?" Max said. "And the reason for choosing you is simpleβyou feel approachable. One look and you just seem like a good person."
β¦
PS: In new canon, Pre Vizsla got the Darksaber around 21 BBY, early in the Clone Wars. In this story, that timeline is moved earlier.
PPS: New canon does not specify Aayla Secura's age.
In Legends continuity, Aayla Secura was born in 48 BBY (the same birth year as this story's protagonist, Max Vizsla), and she was promoted to Jedi Knight in 28 BBY (three years after the events of this chapter).
This story keeps the "born in 48 BBY" setup, but moves her promotion to Jedi Knight earlier, to 32 BBY (one year before the events of this chapter).
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