Dorn: A Star Wars Story

21. Prodigal Son

I knew little about Mandalorians outside of what Kando had told me in the field during long nights on watch. By the time I became cognoscente enough to really understand what the world outside of Corellia was like, the only Mandalorians I knew were the ones being thoroughly trounced by the likes of Moff Gideon and the handful of deserters who joined the Commandos. Now, seeing them in action around a war table, I was trying to figure out how we managed to beat them so thoroughly in the first place. It reminded me of my days with the old Maelstrom Squadron, crowded around our tactical map and deciding what to do.

I missed it, I realized.

I missed the camaraderie I had with Aurek, Besh, and Osk. My new squad were wonders in their own right, but I couldn't be their friend like I could the others. I was a commander. I couldn't afford to be a friend, too. Considering Sevens' position, it wasn't easy to get time to just exist with him like we used to, either. Khomo dragged me into the planning, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I was in a position where I was equals with the people around me. The burden of decisions fell on the shoulders of many, not just me. It made something in me steady again.

"They're dug in at the remains of an old refinery," the Kalevalen, whose name I learned was Fass, leaned over the holomap and rocked back and forth on his heel, rubbing his hand across his chin as he looked up at Khomo, who was staring down at the map beside me with a look on his face that told me that he was cooking something up. "Problem is, it's in a canyon. Meaning there's only one way in on foot."

"Too narrow for ships," Khomo muttered as he leaned forward with a frown. He got that same look that Kando did when he was thinking. The way his brow furrowed and he would set his jaw and flex the muscles as he seemed to chew on the problem. Had it not been for the green, I would have figured that he was a Clone through and through. "Jetpacks?"

"There's elevated positions, but we can get around those with a little finesse. Thoughts, Shiny?" Muninar looked up at me as he spoke.

I looked down at the map and studied the terrain, "We could split into groups. Maelstrom and I can create a distraction from the front while you jetpack in from the sides. That leaves the rear open for Talen to run in, grab the artifacts, and get out to our rendezvous point... here," I pointed to a secluded clearing several clicks away from the refinery. 

"Not bad," Fass nodded, "and exactly what I was thinking. Mun?"

"We can make that plan happen," Muninar nodded and turned to look at Khomo, "so long as the Ordo'alor approves."

Khomo looked it over, and I genuinely appreciated that he wasn't blindly trusting me. He scrutinized every inch of the plan on the map, running over the details for a while before he looked up at me with a nod. "Good plan. I see why you managed to keep your people alive for as long as you have." He gave my shoulder a friendly punch before he stood up straight and turned to look at Talen, who was standing by the door taking in everything that we said. "Any objections?"

Talen shook his head, "No, but I want to stress how important it is that we retrieve that saber. The crystal inside is incredibly important." As the five of us walked out, I was surprised to find Novaran waiting for us as Talen continued, "Whatever Venn plans to do with it, it isn't for the Republic's best benefit. he has no idea what he's getting hismelf into with that saber."

Novaran frowned as he moved to join us, "I can feel it. That saber he has is marked by the Force."

Talen nodded, "It was once wielded by the Barsen'thor of the Old Republic. He was a Force healer, one of the strongest in our history, and it was said that he healed Dark Side corruption among Masters of the Order a long time ago. What records remain state that he was one of the most powerful Force users we ever knew, and the kyber crystal he used was one he healed after defeating a Sith Lord. That crystal - that saber - is the essence of everything he was and stood for. It's as much of a symbol as it is a weapon, and that ancient kyber crystal has the potential to be insanely powerful."