I stared out at the spaceport as we came in for a landing. There was an envoy of fifty Mandalorians waiting for me. My helmet identified them as a mixture of the former Death Watch members that had converted to follow me. Most had swapped out the basic blue armor for a variety of colors. A few had not but had added more colors to personalize their appearance. Their weapon selection had increased in variety as well.
The ships around the landing area caught my attention after a scan of my people. Each one broadcast their identification without an issue which helped ease some of the tension. They were registered on planets in the Mandalore system where the Mandalorians whom didn't want to follow Duchess Satine's new regime. It looked like they had arrived to check out the new upstart claiming to be Mand'alor.
"Captain," Carrie spoke inside my helmet. "I'm going to be offline for some time while I finish my current project."
I nodded, "Good luck."
There wasn't any sign that she had disconnected. I had half expected my HUD to vanish along with her. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. I strode over to the landing ramp to wait. My Mandalorians saluted with a fist to the chest once I stepped out of the ship.
"Mand'alor," One of the Mandalorians bowed.
I inclined my head in reply, "Status update?"
"Yes, Mand'alor," The trooper nodded. "The leaders of the surviving clans have gathered to meet you."
I nodded in response, "Thank you, gather the others for the meeting."
The revamped Vizsla compound had an entirely different feel to it. Mandalorians were milling about training, fixing gear, discussing jobs, and some were simply relaxing. The compound had evolved into a small village of its own. In the city proper the number of armored individuals had increased drastically. They had a greater variety, some simply wearing familiar helmets while others had lighter versions of the entire suit. Just like I had told Satine, there were plenty of other jobs fighting.
My route to the assembly room wasn't nearly as long as I wanted. I wasn't as frustrated after spending the time at my improvised shooting range, but I didn't feel like having another argument disguised as negotiations. Of course, I couldn't just win a duel then waltz into Duchess Satine's palace to claim the throne.
I was greeted by an assembly of fifteen leaders waiting for me. Each one had brought security forces. The room felt more like a cook-out rather than a tense standoff. Food, drinks, and laughter were flowing as I entered, most didn't have helmets on. It was easy to identify the guards since they were in full armor. Humans, Twi'lek, Krogan, Asari, Turian, Trandoshan, and a few other species I didn't recognize were among the assembly. There was a broad representation of gender as well due to the numerous methods of reproduction. It was a testament that Mandalorians were not bound with something as simple as biology or planet of origin.
Even though the atmosphere was jovial I could feel an underlying tension with the Force. My throne sat empty on the raised dais. There was a clear passage to it as well as a clear area around it. I felt their eyes on me as I walked over to my throne. The gathered Mandalorians quieted as I approached the dais. A tinge of disappointment flowed through the Force. I unhooked the Darksaber from my belt, placed it on the throne, then unsealed my helmet. The room went silent for a brief moment as I took it off and set it beside the Darksaber.
I turned around to face the crowd, "Can someone tell me where I can get some meat and a cold drink?"
The crowd cheered. It wasn't a complete success, but it was a start.
I quickly learned that my knowledge of the food of the Star Wars universe was greatly lacking. Some of it looked close enough to the usual backyard cookouts of Earth, but then there were things that I couldn't identify. Meat on a stick was popular regardless of the universe. I was then introduced to variations of sandwiches, meatballs, something close to pizza, burritos, pasta, falafel, and shawarma. The fruit and veggies were where things got strange. Familiar shapes didn't jive with the expected flavors. A piece of fruit that looked like an apple was served grilled and tasted like green beans.
My route around the room wasn't entirely motivated by hunger. I made the rounds introducing myself to people, having superficial conversations, and getting a feel of the groups. Every Clan had history that I wanted to learn.
The gathering wound down after a few hours. People started to filter out of the room going on with their lives. Eventually, it was just the leaders, their guards, and me. We were sitting around a table in a faux-relaxed atmosphere.
"You're not half bad," a human male, Arean of Clan Eldar said. "It doesn't make you Mand'alor, but I'd fight beside you."
His armor was a mixture of black, dark green, and hints of orange. The signet on his shoulder was a feline-type head in a tribal style.
"I could track down the Mask of Mand'alor," I chuckled. "If it hasn't been destroyed."
A Krogan in gold armor, Crarsan of Clan Bralor, roared in laughter, "Relics are fine for show. It takes actions to get respect."
"Understandable," I replied. "I'm working on that."
Cessa Mettir of Clan Mettir, a Twi'lek woman added, "your time on Alderaan, Naboo, and Tatooine are promising."
"Dismantling Deathwatch and teaching the members what it means to be a real Mandalorian doesn't count?" I chuckled.
Cessa drummed her fingers on the table, "What does it mean to be a 'real' Mandalorian? Tell me how you lead your clan."
I scanned the assembled group. Their forced casual postures tense, ever so slightly. I took a deep breath and launched my speech. It was similar to the one I had given Satine. I started by addressing the Duchess and her stance of Pacifism. Respect of her vow but disappointed in her methods. I made sure they knew that my issue was with her erasing history and banishing the Old Mandalorians. From there I covered the ways those who agreed with the Duchess could be reintegrated into our people through non-combat roles. I briefly covered my duel with Vizsla as well as what my victory and acquiring the Darksaber meant by tradition. In-depth attention was given to Deathwatch along with the attached issues. This naturally led to the Resol'nare, the Canons of Honor, and my personal belief of their meaning. When pressed on my views on mercenary work, bounty hunting, and fighting in general my focus was on a worthy battle, how that didn't mean dominating the weak or violence for the sake of it. I made sure to circle back to the Resol'nare: speak the language, wear the armor, better your clan and the people, defend yourself and family, live by the Creed, and answer the call of Mand'alor. The final part of it brought on plenty of questions as to what it meant. I answered each one to the best of my ability about what I expected as answering the Call of Mand'alor.
Once that portion of the conversation was thoroughly explored I moved on to my personal deeds. Past, present, and plans for the future. I covered my personal clan and broad strokes of my people. Officially, I was now the Leader of Clan Ryett since I hadn't given it a name yet. My crew were counted among my allies with the option to join if they desired. I expanded on our efforts on Tatooine, our campaign against the Hutts, and dismantling the slave trade. The final focus of the conversation was my meeting with Duchess Satine and how I planned to handle her.
Would I storm Keldabe and take the throne by force? Assassinate the Duchess? Lead an army to retake the planet? Would I write Mandalore off as lost? My efforts on Tatooine could be seen as preparing a replacement planet which would most likely be admitting defeat. I didn't hide the fact that she frustrated me. My current plan was to focus on proving myself to the people to gain their loyalty. I needed to show her that I was more than fancy words, which was a valid concern when dealing with politicians. Uh… damn, I was a politician now.
We split shortly after that. I stretched, chuckling at the multiple cracks.
BBQ in a Galaxy Far Away+100 FP[Roll – Bank – Shop]
ROLL.
[Cost: 200 FP][ITEM: Imperial Cape][This stylish cape gives off a suitably regal aura when worn and makes its wearer a tab more 'persuasive' than they otherwise would be. It never gets stuck or caught on anything and flows in non-existent wind in a way that always looks aesthetically pleasing.][Purchase – Dismiss]
I paused as I thought it over. It could be possibly add a boost to my presence. Or it could make me look silly and cause people to focus on it rather than me.
DISMISS.
[Balance: 600 Forge Points]
~
I stepped into my Warehouse then out to Tatooine. The throne where Jabba once rested had been replaced by a half-circle of chairs. Bo lounged in one while Beth was busy with a tablet of some sort. The commandos I had dispatched to work with them were in the other seats. They all adjusted to appear a little more professional once they noticed me.
"Busy?" I asked, my helmet hiding my smile.
Bo nodded, "I'm exhausted."
"Who knew taking over a criminal enterprise would be so time consuming?" Beth grumbled. "It's so much easier to just cause some chaos and split like when I was with my dad."
I nodded, then turned my attention to the commandos, "Status?"
"All is well, sir," Besh answered. "We've been talking about it."
I cocked my head to the side, "We?"
"Our squad," Besh replied. "We want to become Mandalorians."
"Are you certain?" I asked.
"We want to stick together," Besh replied.
I nodded, "Welcome to Clan Ryett."
"Just like that?" Beth asked.
I shrugged, "Do you want me to have them mud wrestle a Gamorrean? They want to join, they can. It's how you live that is the important part."
"Damn," Bo chuckled. "Did you practice that?"
I leaned against the back of her chair, "I've been working on my diplomacy recently."
"You met with my sister?" Bo's face went blank. "How is she?"
I drummed an idle tune on her pauldron, "She was perfectly pleasant. We had a civil conversation about our conflicting political agendas and life choices."
"She was a complete pain in the shab," Bo stated.
"That's what I said," I chuckled. "There were a few Clans waiting for me when I got back to Concordia. They brought drinks, food, and some good company. No one died, though a couple will wish they may have with the hangovers that are on the way." I sighed. "It led to another discussion of my intent to lead Mandalore and my goals."
Bo nodded, "Sounds like you've been busy."
I nodded, "How is the fight against the Hutts progressing?"
"Security has been neutralized and is now under our control," Besh spoke up. "We're just waiting for everyone to show up. There are a couple of Hutts that arrived early, but it's not anything that will cause an issue."
The other commandos deferred to Besh. It made keeping track of them a lot easier.
"Great job," I said. "I look forward to further updates."
"We're dismantling their holdings on planet and tracking down the system-wide enterprises," Bo answered. "Other syndicates are trying to push in. The local mercs have been happy taking them down and getting a paid in the process. This is the first downtime we've had in a while."
"Enjoy it. I'm going to check on the others," I said as I strolled back through the door to the Warehouse.
A quick step to the side and I was orbiting Alderaan. I kept quiet out of the way. Explaining how I suddenly appeared on the other side of the galaxy was a conversation I didn't want to have. My helmet chirped as the comms connected.
"Kiskin?" Anakin said the moment it was open. "Where are you? Is everything ok?"
I chuckled, " I'm fine, just wanted to check in."
"We're great!" Anakin said with a smile in his voice. "Padme is showing mom and me how to swim. We're on the Queen's ship. She has a pool. Do you know what a pool is? I've never seen one before. It's like a big water trough."
"That's awesome," I smiled broadly under my helmet. "Is everything else going well?"
"Yeah," Anakin replied. "Everyone's having fun. Are you having fun? What about the Hutts? Did you get rid of them yet?"
"Not yet," I replied. "We're working on it. They found underground roads on Tatooine."
Anakin gasped, "They're real?"
"You know about them?" I asked.
Anakin scoffed, "Everyone on Tatooine knows about them. Old Qab told stories about roads under the sand that are all over the planet." He gasped. "Wait, does that mean the oceans are real too?"
"Oceans?"
Anakin sounded even more animated, "Old Qab said they're deep under the sand."
"Tell everyone that I checked in," I said. "I'll check back in after a while."
"I will. Tell me if you find the ocean," Anakin chimed in. "Bye."
I shook my head as I stepped back into my Warehouse. That kid was too good for this place. I would make sure that he was able to grow up without the overbearing influence of the Jedi or the corruption from Palpatine. There was very little chance that I stopped the Clone Wars. At best, I had slowed its approach. There were still a few years before things started in the original timeline. It should have made me relax, but it didn't. The droids would help. They could be something impressive with access to all of the tech I have now.
"Carrie," I called.
No answer. Damn, she must still be working on her project. I found my way to the droid production area. The control console activated once I was in range.
[Basilisk Droid Complete]
I giggled like a little kid as I hurried over to the display window. A Basilisk Droid rested in the hangar. The vast space made the droid look smaller than it was. It dwarfed the nearby squad of battle droids. The Basilisk looked like the love child of a lion and a monitor lizard with armor reminiscent of a beetle. Multiple weapons were visible along its flanks. This one was the classic design meaning the 'pilot' would ride its back rather than in a cockpit. A squad of Mandalorians dropping onto a planet riding Basilisk droids was the stuff of legends. The could also be adjusted to fit other functions. Adding a cockpit would turn it into a nimble fighter that could smoothly move in and out of atmosphere.
There was only one thing to do.
[Basilisk Droid Production – 30 – 3 Days]
I had to resist the urge to knock my head against the wall. Three days. It took the same amount of time to create thirty as it did for a single unit. Of course it did.
Moving on. I swapped over to the research tab.
[Cyberdyne Schematics Defragmentation – 2 Days][Basilisk Droid Production – 30 – 3 Days][Research Slot Open]
[Stark Tech Schematics – Evaluation – 1 Day][Activate?]
I set everything to get started. We would be able to make some amazing stuff once all of the tech was integrated. All I needed were the schematics to make Synths and I'd be able to make my own people. Though that path did come with the added ethical dilemma if they were fully sentient beings.
My stance? Yes, they were alive. The Railroad were idiots but were well-intended idiots. Synths should be treated like people. Why the hell would you condemn a person to suffer in the Wasteland when they could work on improving the Institute? The story to Fallout 4 was a mess when you thought about it. Some of the tech would be interesting though. Studying the FEV would no doubt be worth it when examined with the knowledge at my disposal.
That reminded me, I had a Deathclaw egg incubating. I should check on that.