"This is going from bad to worse," Bail commented, as the news continued to discuss the situation on Mandalore. "Only at the heights of the Children of the Watch & the Death Watch ever manage to gather this much bad publicity... and Duchess Sabine is a pacifist!"
"Is she truly?" Mon inquired, with a thoughtful expression. "Would she demmand dissarment of a warrior culture by threatening with exile or to be dealt with?"
"Still, we can't allow this to continue," Bail sighed. "Otherwise, there will be a rebellion and I rather Mandalore to remain neutral, rather than the future Mand'alor deciding to join the Separatists." He turned to Padme. "Is there a way that Knight Skywalker might help us? He has an uncanny ability to turn the public's opinion." Bail frowned when Padme winced. "Is there something wrong?"
"Ani has chosen sides on this matter... and it's not with the New Mandalorians" Padme informed her friends carefully. "The "being a mandabrian is a religion and the so called Duchess is censoring them and occupying their planet, not to mention, stealing their religious metal that holds the same weight as the kyber crystal to the Jedi"... well, that's an exact copy of Ani's little speech. Luckily, the reporter kept his name out of it, maybe because of some hero worship they have for my husband."
"Had he anything to do with the good publicity the Children of the Watch got?" Mon asked suspiciously.
"Ani never lies to the public," Padme chose her words carefully. "He needed to give the Children of the Watch and True Mandalorians a good cover so the New Mandalorian and the Republic could not touch them, while they restablish themselves without any interference." Padme grimaced. "I don't know if he wanted it to get this bad, or if things got out of hand... but he is surely enjoying the result. He does not have a high opinion of the Duchess."
"So, he won it be of any help," Bail sighed.
"Unless, you want to add more fuel to the fire," Padme replied with a shrug. "We can always contact the Armorer. Her tribe has stablished themselves on Zygerria and she is fair. She could take Paz Vizla and claim the dark saber." Padme offered. "She has claimed my husband an ally to the Children of the Watch and a friend. She accepts the vode as manlalorians, even if they don't follow her version of the creed and treats the healer vode with respect, even if they do not wish to battle. As long as you know how to defend yourself, protect the weak, especially foundlings, and wear some kind of armor you are good in her eyes."
"Not one set of armor is the same," Anakin quoted, as he strutted inside the meeting room. He kissed Padme and sat next to her, after bowing to Bail and Mon. "That is what the Armorer told me. She even considers your dresses as armor, specially with all the hidden weapon pockets." Anakin snickered. "She also told me that Mandalore is a cursed planet and al lof the Children of the Watch think the same. Other than for beskar, they won't return there."
"Great!" Bail huffed, uncharacteristically.
"What brings you here Knight Skywalker?" Mon asked in amusement, she adores Anakin- it is always fun having him around.
"Well, the Republic and Jedi Order are going to Mandalore to discuss the ownership of beskar, as it is a religious metal," Anakin began to explain, playing with Padme's hair, making her giggle. "As Obi has... a past with the Duchess," Anakin grimace. "They had the bright idea to choose me as their representative, as I'm fluent in Mando'a and have a link to the Children of the Watch and True Mandalorians."
"Fuel to the fire," Padme muttered, putting her face in her hands, as Mon laughed out loud and Bail sighed. "Ani, please don't make things harder." Padme paused noticing the frown on Anakin's face. "It's everything ok?"
"I... I don't know," Anakin sighed. "I just feel like I'm missing something big. I don't like it."
Especially, since Anakin's words were 100% true. This time he was not manipulating anyone or leading others to believe something. He felt that something was off and had no idea of what it could be. In times like this Anakin cursed the fact that Mandalore had been mostly dealt with by Obi-Wan in the other timeline. He was going into this mission blind.
"Will the mission go wrong?" Bail asked in concern.
"No, the Force agrees with me that it will be a success," Anakin assured them. "But there's something being kept from us and... we won't like it."
"That sounds confusing," Mon commented.
"Welcome to our world," Anakin and Padme echoed, turning to each other and laughing, some of the tension relieved.
--------------------------------
The tension did not return until the Ekkreth was reaching Mandalore.
"Skyguy, I've been brushing upon my history as you asked," Ahsoka approached her master. "But I do not understand why they are having issues with giving up the besker, especially with the New Mandalorians wishing to separate from their past."
"Most are afraid of exile and those that agree still come from centuries of True Mandalorian culture and history," Anakin explained. "We will just have to show them the religious importance of beskar through their history. How important it is to the True Mandalorians and the Children of the Watch. They do not want armor anymore, so holding into it is just petty." Anakin smirked sardonically at Ahsoka.
"Why would the Republic get involve now? When they supported the Duchess before?" Ahsoka asked, her master had an interesting way of looking at this situation like this.
"Because they wanted to detain, the feared and independ mandalorian," Anakin huffed. "But now that they are heroes, that adopt orphans and free slaves, the opinion of the public is much different. Especially, after they were educated on how a rightful ruler of Mandalore comes to power. The Senate are seen as these monsters that aided the occupation of a neutral planet and the cultural genocide of a religion." Anakin snickered. "With so much bad rep they've been gathering with this war they had to take action. The public does not trust them, so let's send the poster Jedi to deal with this mess. Maybe with his connections we'll get Mandalore to join the Republic or some beskar in return."
"But you are planning on demanding them to give up every piece of beskar they own, even accessories and sigils," Ahsoka replied confused. "Going as far as to say that the Republic will return those ingots of beskar the Duchess had gifted them for their aid when she took Mandalore."
"Not to mention, she'll have to pay for every piece she sold, with the Republic backing it," Anakin laughed, having such a good time. "She will be so hated by the time I'm done with her. Not only had she forced them to give up their armor, but now their sigils and heirlooms."
"Master..." Ahsoka hesitantly called him out. "Why do you hate the Duchess so much?"
"I only hate two things in life Snips... well, three things," Anakin corrected himself. "Slavers, sand, and hypocrites. Kryze is a hypocrite. She curses violence with a breath and asks for our help to keep her throne with the other." Anakin scoffed in disgust. "I hate that kind of people. Now her economy will crumble without the beskar, and the support she is hoping to get with this sacrifice... it won't return. I'll make sure of that."
Ahsoka looked at her master warily. She had never noticed this darker and calculative side of his... or maybe she has. But when it is focused on slavers and corrupt senators, who cared? Now that it's being aimed to dethrone a ruler.
But is she are true ruler? A little voice in Ahsoka's mind whispered. She does not hold the dark saber and is not the Mand'alor.
"We are here," Rex announced. "Welcome to Mandalore."
"Let's get this over with," Anakin smirked viciously.
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One day later, Anakin was humming, smiling as Satine Kryze signed the treaty with a stiff polite smile.
Oh, I love it when things go my way, Anakin thought delightedly.
"Why all of this?" Satine asked, as Anakin took the treaty.
"What do you mean?" Anakin made sure to ask in the most respectful tone.
"Don't play coy!" Satine snapped, her pacifist Duchess mask breaking, showing her anger, jealousy, and envy through the Force. Ahsoka stepped back, when she felt the crushing weight of the Duchess' pride. "We both know that as soon as you step out that door at least half of my people will follow you out of my planet. They won't give up heirlooms that have been passed down for generations." Satine seethed. "What kind of monster forces people to give up their families?!"
Rex tensed, putting a hand on his blaster, while Ahsoka followed his lead, placing a hand on her lightsaber. Anakin, on his part, raised an eyebrow at the Duchess, staring at her in disbelief, before glaring. He no longer cared about maintaing his polite facade.
"We will start anew! Renounce to our past and move toward into a future of peace! Let us wash our sins away and the blood from our hands!" Anakin exclaimed theatrically, putting out a performance in a mocking tone. The room was silent, staring at him surprised. "These were your words, weren't they? The same words you proudly proclaimed when you occupied that throne, after begging the Republic and the Jedi Order for help like the coward you are..." Satine's face was red in rage, ready to shout at him. But Anakin was not finished. "You claim to be a pacifist, insulting us, the Jedi, for "claiming" to be peacekeepers and using force at the same time. Yet when you need that force, you miracously forget about all that and demmand our help."
Ahsoka was breathless, staring at her master. She had always admired his poweress and strategy on the battlefield. But watching him go all out was awe-inspiring, as he had an experience politician speechless.
"While at the same time breaking families apart, making them decide between their armor or planet!" Rex had never seen his General so angry, body tense and eyes literally blazing in anger. "You cannot forsake part of your past selectively like that. Saying that all of the Mandalore's past is bloody and bad, while keeping beskar and heirlooms of that bloody past you want to wash away!"
Satine could only stare at this youngster as he tore her apart, not finding ways to deffend herself... because all he was saying was true.
"Where are the foundlins? Or is that another practice that is frown upon now?! Where's the species living in harmony with each other?!" The room shook with the anger Anakin was feeling. "Look around you! I only see humans! Mandalore invented adoption! They took anyone needing a home, despite their species and made them family! In a way only slaves ever did!" Satine was finding it hard to breath, as the Force pressure fell upon her, holding her there, almost crushing her. Not, but almost, and that was enough to bring her to her knees. "You took all of that and spat into your ancestor's hard work! Do not tell me I am dividing families when all I've ever done is try and reunite them! I especially don't want to hear it from someone's whose only remaining family joined a terrorist organization to bring you down!" Anakin sneered.
"Master..." Ahsoka called him out in concern. "Calm down, your Force is starting to affect Rex."
In one second Anakin had his Force tucked in, it was as if it has never leaked out to begin with. Satine gasped, taking deep breaths of air.
"Sorry Rex," Anakin apologized, pointedly not apologizing to Satine, who glared at him with deep hatred. "You sure are pathetic," Anakin scoffed in disgust. "It enters from one ear and leaves through the other." He turned to his Commander and padawan. "Let's leave, there's nothing left for us to do."
"Are you ok Master?" Ahsoka asked him worriedly, as they marched down the hallway towards their ship.
"I am," Anakin smiled tenderly at his padawan, going back to his usual self. "I'm sorry for scaring you."
"You didn't!" Ahsoka was quick to assure him. "I was in awe, honestly. You were incredible! I can't wait to learn how to do that!"
"It will take a lot of practice before you can do that and not seriously hurt anyone," Anakin warned her. "You saw how I lost control I almost hurt Rex." Anakin turned to Rex with an apologetic smile, who simple waved it away.
"I will practice hard!" Ahsoka promised him. When Anakin suddenly stopped, walking, making Ahsoka crash against his back. "Hey! Be more careful!" Ahsoka grumbled, rubbing her nose. "Did you hear me?!" She stopped, after having noticed his strange behaviour. "Master? Are you ok?"
"Snips," Anakin called her one slowly, staring at a young boy in the palace's gardens. "Can you sense the life force of that boy?"
Ahsoka raised an eyebrow at her master, but did as commanded. The boy was young, but around her age, maybe a couple of years older, around 16. He was a redhead, which surprised Ahsoka. Redheads were hard to come by, harder than blonds. He was smiling at the flowers and was clearly null force sensitive. But that smile and the similarities found in his life force had Ahsoka freezing.
"Master!" Ahsoka gasped, eyes widening in shock.
"Shit! I was right!" Anakin cursed. "That kriffing bitch! This will destroy Obi!"
"What are we going to do?" Rex asked. He might not have force, but he did have eyes.
"I will show Mandalore why I earned the Huttt and Zygarrian Slayer titles, and the Breaker of Chains monkier," Anakin's expression was dark.
However, it did not scare Ahsoka or Rex, it gave them determination. They will show Satine Kryze not to mess up with their family!