You step out into the hangar alongside Sunset. The both of you are holding onto Discord. Pinkie and Applejack are close behind him, and are both joined by Maud and Big Mac as you pass them.
There was a new ship in the hangar now. It was a small, Mandalorian cargo shuttle. Once you had given the 'all clear' to Thunderlane, he sent word to Rainbow Dash, and she arrived a few minutes later, along with Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and the Wookie, Angel.
Now that Discord was in custody, it was up to them, along with Applejack, Big Mac, and Maud Pie to guarantee a meeting between their Republic, and Mandalore. You would not be joining them. Neither would Sunset, Pinkie, nor Rainbow.
If they double-crossed you and captured you, they would be dooming themselves, along with the rest of the galaxy to the Sith's inevitable reign of terror. Because of this rightful distrust, you would be keeping Discord with you for now.
His surviving crew however, along with most of the things he stole, would be going to the Republic, along with reassurances from Applejack, Maud, Twilight, and Fluttershy that they needed to hear what you had to say. Like you said before, the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.
As you proceed toward your ship, Coco, Tempest, Lyra, and Bon Bon land beside you.
You look at the four of them before turning your full attention to Tempest and Coco. "Take Discord to my ship. Lock him in the cargo hold, then meet back at the shuttle."
"Yes, Anon." Tempest and Coco take Discord from you and Sunset and proceed to your ship.
"Lyra, Bon Bon, you and Thunderlane secure the rest of the prisoners onto the cargo shuttle, then get aboard the gunship again. Tell Mandalore that our mission was a success."
They both nod, but Lyra speaks up. "What happens next?"
You look at her. "We prepare for war. Hopefully, the immediate Sith threat and this group of pirates being dealt with will convince the Republic that we need to meet together and combine our strength. Now get going."
Lyra and Bon Bon both nod again and quickly head back to the gunship. Everything is going smoothly so far.
You lead your group over to the cargo shuttle and activate your comms. "Rainbow Dash, get everyone out here."
"Sure thing, Anon." She replies.
Time for a little test.
"Jii sirbur ibac o'r Mando'a" <"Now say that in Mando'a.">
Rainbow pauses for a moment. "Uh... E...Elek, Anon... Right?"
"Elek. Jate bora, Rainbow." <"Yes. Good job, Rainbow.">
"Thanks!" She says. "Er-wait... I mean, ori'vor'e!"
You grin a little and deactivate your comms.
The back of the cargo shuttle opens and Rainbow Dash steps outside, sporting her own set of dark blue Mandalorian armor, a bit darker than the blue color of her skin. It had a similar design and layout to your armor. She had forged her armor out of durasteel. Unlike yours and Sunset's, which were made out of beskar, which is very rare, and very, very expensive.
When you first met her a couple weeks ago over Ottega, you hated her immensely. Sunset did too. She acted immature and reckless. It nearly cost you your life. However, after she expertly piloted her way through the Kessel Run and saved everyone, you found new respect for her. She's still reckless and obnoxiously full of herself at times, but she's one of the best pilots you've ever seen. Maybe even better than Sunset, but definitely better than you.
Mandalore saw that she had promise, and extended an invitation to learn the ways of the Mandalorians to her. She accepted his offer, and had taken to it immediately. She said that she feels like this is where she belongs. She still has a long way to go, to be sure. It will be a difficult road, but she seems dedicated. You'll work with her and help her where she needs it.
As Rainbow steps outside of the cargo shuttle, she's followed by Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Angel the Wookie.
Twilight smiles when she sees you. "How did it go, Anon?"
You stop in front of her and set your hands on your hips. "Perfectly. His crew, along with lots of the goodies that he's stolen, will go with you to Coruscant, but you tell your brother that he stays with me until he agrees to amicably meet with us."
Maud, Applejack, and Big Mac join Twilight and Fluttershy, while Rainbow Dash joins you, Sunset, and Pinkie.
"Where's the rendezvous point gonna be?" Applejack asks.
You turn to her. "I'm not going to disclose that. No offense, but I don't exactly trust your Republic right now."
Applejack purses her lips somewhat and nods, seemingly understanding your perspective.
You reach into your belt and pull out a small holodisc. It has been pre-programmed to contact you directly, but heavily encrypted to prevent anyone from learning of your location.
After looking at it for a second, you hand it to Twilight. "Give this to your brother as soon as you can. Just have him push the button to call me. It's heavily modified to prevent anyone from tampering with it. If I don't hear from him in 72 hours, or if anyone tries to crack it open to find me, it will short-circuit and disable itself."
Twilight takes the holodisc and looks at it for a moment in her hand.
Sunset steps forward as well. "If that happens, then there's a good chance that we'll never see each other again. As allies, at least."
Applejack and Big Mac both set their hands on their weapons and glare at you.
You turn to them. "Wipe those looks off your faces, Apples. You do what you're supposed to, and we can all stay friends."
Maud steps forward between you, likely sensing the rising tension. "Applejack, Macintosh, do not worry. We will deliver this message to Captain Shining Armor with Anon's explicit instructions. I will see that this meeting happens peacefully."
Thank you, Master Jedi.
They both look at Maud and exhale after a moment. "Yes, Master Maud."
Behind them, you see Lyra and Bon Bon leading some of Discord's crew into the cargo shuttle. Thunderlane is right behind them with two more pirates in tow. His armor is dark grey and silver in color, with a yellow accent.
"How's it coming over there?" You call out.
Thunderlane pushes the pirates he's leading into the cargo shuttle. "All the prisoners are aboard the shuttle, Anon. Along with their stash of valuables."
"Good." You reply. "Once they're physically secure, sedate them for good measure. Then head back to the gunship. I want that shuttle ready to leave in two minutes."
Thunderlane nods. "Yes, Anon."
He heads into the shuttle to help Lyra and Bon Bon secure the prisoners.
You look across the hangar to your ship to see Tempest and Coco stepping down the exit ramp. Discord is not with them.
Tempest contacts you on your comms. "The precious cargo is aboard, Anon."
"Excellent work, you two. Get back to the gunship."
They both jog a few paces forward before taking flight once again. Their jetpacks' roars echoing through the hangar.
You turn back to your group. Maud and Pinkie are standing close together.
"Pinkie, say your goodbyes." You say. "It's too risky for you to go with Maud right now."
She pauses for a moment, not smiling, and turns to her sister.
Maud looks back at her. "Don't worry, Pinkie. Everything will be alright."
Pinkie smiles and embraces her sister in a tight hug. "I know."
Maud, for the second time since you've met her, smiles softly and returns the hug. That's the most emotion you've ever seen come from her. Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy all smile as well.
Pinkie takes a shaky breath. "I'm sure there's still good in her, Maud... There has to be."
Limestone.
You can only imagine the emotional toll it's taken on them after learning that their sister is now a Sith Apprentice.
If she can be brought back to the light and be saved, she had better do it before you see her again. You can't promise anyone that you won't kill her next time you see her.
The Pie sisters release each other and Pinkie smiles wide. "May the Force be with you, Maud!"
Maud smiles again and bows. "Goodbye, Pinkie. May the Force be with you."
At that, they step away from each other and Twilight's group turns to look at the shuttle. You look too. Lyra, Bon Bon, and Thunderlane are all stepping out of the shuttle.
"Prisoners are secure, Anon!" Bon Bon says.
"Excellent. Get back to Mandalore and tell him I'll be there soon."
The three of them nod before jogging back to their gunship.
You turn to Twilight again. "Alright. Time to go."
Twilight nods and smiles. "I'll get this to Shining Armor as soon as I can, Anon. Don't worry."
"Thank you, Twilight."
She extends her hand forward and you shake it in reply. Fluttershy smiles at you before ushering Angel along with her, who gives her a few small roars as they head to the back of the shuttle.
Applejack and Big Mac step toward you next. "We'll get it done, Anon."
You look at her. "See that you do, Applejack."
She stares at you for a second before nodding and turning back to the shuttle with Big Mac, without saying another word.
Maud Pie gives you a small, respectful bow as well. "May the Force be with you, Anonymous."
You simply nod at her. "May the Force be with you as well. Thanks for the assistance."
She follows her group into the shuttle and the door closes behind them. Thunderlane's gunship roars to life and ascends off the hangar floor before moving forward and eventually heading outside.
You turn to Sunset, Rainbow, and Pinkie, ushering them to follow you. "Come on."
You lead them all to your ship. Behind you, Twilight's cargo shuttle starts to take off. Pinkie waves happily at Maud before it launches forward and flies out of the hangar and back into space.
Rainbow clears her throat. "So Anon, what's the plan now?"
You glance at the new Mandalorian for a moment before looking forward again. "Now, we head back to Mandalore. I'll contact Rarity on the way and have her send us all the evidence against Hoity Toity we found on Dantooine, along with everything else we found on the death sticks, Adagio, and the Sith. Once we start talking and plead our case to the Republic, we'll leave it to Mandalore."
Sunset speaks up. "Hopefully, this debate doesn't last long."
You chuckle softly. "Hopefully, the Republic is smart enough to see the bigger picture, for once."
Pinkie smiles. "Don't worry, Anon! Maud and Twilight will make sure everything goes great!"
Hopefully she's right. You aren't exactly optimistic, but then again, these are desperate times for the Republic.
You all step aboard your ship and head into the main hold. "Sunset, Pinkie, see if Discord is behaving himself. Rainbow, get us in the air."
"You got it, Anon!" Rainbow heads to the cockpit.
Sunset watches as she leaves before turning back to you. "I do hope she doesn't replace me completely, Anon. Flying was always my job."
You just laugh and turn back to face her. "Oh, no one could ever replace you, Sunset. Don't worry."
She chuckles and heads back to the cargo hold with Pinkie. The ship thrums beneath your boots as Rainbow starts the ship up.
You turn to the main computer and contact Rarity. "Rarity, Discord's been taken care of, and we're ready to meet with the Republic. Send me all the info we've collected on Hoity Toity, the Sith, the death sticks, everything."
She doesn't respond or appear on the screen in front of you.
That's odd.
"Rarity?"
Still silence.
You furrow your brows together. That's not like her. She usually picks up right away. Are your communications working?
You check and see that everything is indeed still working properly.
"Rarity, do you copy?"
Your comms buzz and static appears on the holographic screen. Finally, you see a face.
It's not Rarity's face though...
"Sorry, Anon. But your little fashionista friend is currently unavailable..."
Your eyes widen in horror as you look at the other Mandalorian. Those battle scars, the color of her armor, and the reddish tint of her visor.
Gilda.
"...Where is she?!" You nearly roar at her as you clench your fist.
Gilda chuckles as she picks up the camera. You can see that she's in Rarity's office. Parts of it have been destroyed. Her fancy sofa as been overturned, and there are a few blaster scorch marks on the walls.
"Oh, don't you worry. She's still alive. For now, at least..."
She turns the camera over to Rarity. A wave of relief and rage overcomes you as you see that she is indeed still alive. She's on the ground, bruised and bleeding in a few places.
She turns to look at the camera. "Anonymous, d-don't come back! It's a trap! She's here wi-"
Gilda swings her boot over and kicks Rarity in the stomach. She wheezes and sobs as she holds her waist and Gilda pans the camera back over to her.
"You better hurry, Anon!" Gilda grins. "She's a delicate little thing. Won't last much longer."
You clench your fists before pointing a finger at her. "You just signed your death warrant, Gilda."
"Come show it to me then, daaaarling!~"
She said the word "darling" the same way Rarity does. You're so enraged right now that you can't even speak.
Gilda starts laughing as you punch your fist into the control console, shattering it. Her face flickers out on the screen and you run into the cockpit.
"Rainbow! Cato Neimoidia! Now!" You scream.
As you enter the cockpit, Rainbow stands up and turns to face you. "What?"
You shove her out of the way and take her seat in the pilot's chair. She yells as she falls to the ground.
"Cato Neimoidia!" You frantically take control of the ship and accelerate forward as fast as your sublight engines can go.
Sunset contacts you from the cargo hold. "Anon, what's going on?!"
"Rarity's in trouble!" You frantically reply.
Once you're in the open, you quickly lock in the coordinates to Cato Neimoidia and get the ship oriented. As soon as you're in position, you gun the hyperdrive and jump to lightspeed.
"Hang on, Rarity. We're coming..."