Chapter 56: Duchess of Mandalore
In war, truth is the first casualty.
Recap: A diplomatic mission! As dissent threatens to tear apart the peaceful Mandalore system, Duchess Satine struggles to protect her people against the escalating violence. Betrayed by two of her trusted allies, Satine now travels to Coruscant. There she hopes to convince the Senate that a destructive splinter group, Death Watch, does not represent the entire Mandalorian government.
In a part of space, there were tons of Separatist warships. Onboard was none other than the Sith Lord Count Dooku as he was having a meeting with Governor Vizsla about their plan.
"With your Death Watch army in place, now all we need do is to sit and wait," explained the Sith Lord.
"But for how long? My men are anxious to fight," stated Governor Vizsla as he was tired of waiting.
"Considering the plot we've just set in motion, I assure you, the Republic will oblige you the fight you're looking for. First, send a Death Watch assassin to Coruscant. The Duchess of Mandalore must die." said Count Dooku as Governor Vizsla gestured his head to one of his men to accept the mission.
Nearby, there was a New Mandaolorain scout spying on them from the hills. The person was seeing the entire operation below using a pair of electrobinoculars. He could see the conversation that Governor Vizsla was having with the Sith Lord as he got up and hurried back to report his findings.
The scout arrived back at Almec in Sundari as he got out of his ship. He got on board a speeder as he was now heading to the palace.
"Prime minister," said the scout as he bowed.
"You found the Death Watch armies, then?" asked the Prime Minister.
"Yes, sir. They are preparing for battle. But if they attack, it would strengthen the people's resolve not to join the Death Watch movement. The Death Watch will never be strong enough to take over Mandalore without the will of the people." said the scout.
Not if The Republic has a military presence here. Their occupation will turn the Death Watch from terrorists to liberators in the eyes of the people," said the Prime Minister.
"But how can we stop The Republic from coming here?" asked the scout.
"Our fate now lies in the hands of Duchess Satine," said the Prime Minister.
On Coruscant, it was cloudy as a small peak of sunrays were slowly making their way to shine on the planet. After the whole incident above the Coronet, the Jedi reported their details to the Council. Storm was now in his quarters sitting on his bed. For the teen, there was one thing that weighed on his mind, and it had to do with the discovery that one of his close friends who was one of the best Jedi Masters actually had feelings for someone. Granted he knew about Anakin's secret relationship but finding out that someone like Master Kenobi once thought about the idea of leaving. Leaving the Jedi Order, just to be with the person he cared about the most. It blew the teen's mind.
"Jedi don't form attachments," said Storm as he remembered what Obi-wan said.
"But Master Yoda often leaves out the under course of remorse."
"But... Jedi don't form attachments," mumbled the boy.
He now remembered what Cadance said.
"When you took the oath of being a Jedi, they said don't form attachments. And you would agree to that statement cause in your head, you're thinking, that's not gonna happen. But... how hard is that? Especially when you form it anyways. Cause forming an attachment, you don't consciously make the decision. It just happens. It's a process, not a decision. I mean, how can you not have a crazy connection with someone who you're protecting as well as they're a similar age to you. It's bad. You both can't be together. Forbidden love."
"Jedi... don't... form... attachments!!!" said Storm as he put his hands to his head and was trying to drown out the voices in his head.
"How hard is it... when you form it anyways?"
"NO!" struggled Storm as he clutched his head even more.
"I mean, how can you not have a crazy connection with someone who you're protecting as well as they're a similar age to you."
"Stop it!" said the Jedi Knight.
"What do you think of Twilight..."
"Get out of my head!!!" shouted the boy as the whole room shook.
The Force was reacting to the boy's mind as his powers were on display as several things fell off his nightstand and shelves. Soon the rumbling ceased as Storm had fallen out of his bed and hit his head on the ground.
"Ow! Okay, that's... one way," said the boy as he sat up and rubbed his head.
Soon the door opened.
"Storm, is everything okay?"
"Sparky..."
Standing in his doorway was none other than the princess herself. The Jedi Knight could feel her partner's worries as she rushed over to his quarters. She saw him on the floor as both Jedi and Princess stared at one another.
"Are you alright?" asked Twilight as she entered and looked to extend her hand.
"Yeah, I just..." Storm was reaching out for his hand to grab Twilight's when he suddenly stopped himself.
"Jedi don't form attachments."
Storm retracted his hand as he rejected Twilight's offer to help. He got up himself. He stood up and dusted himself as the girl was a bit shocked to see her partner not accept her help. Once more, they just stared at each other. Just as the princess was about to speak...
"Storm?"
Another voice called out as standing there was Luna. The Jedi Master had a stern look on her face as her arms were crossed.
"Yes, Master?" said Storm to his teacher.
"Obi-wan needs your assistance. The Duchess is about to finish her meeting with the Galactic Senate. You are to meet with her and discuss the details." stated Luna.
"At once, Luna," said Storm as he walked towards the door and left.
Twilight was about to exit when Luna put her hand on the girl's shoulder. The Jedi Knight was now looking directly at the Jedi Master's eyes as there was a slight fear being invoked.
"Do not let me catch you in my student's room again. You are not allowed to be in here with him alone. Let me make that clear, princess. Stop distracting my student from his destiny!" stated Luna sternly to the girl.
Luna released her hold of Twilight's shoulder as she left. The girl put her head down as she started to walk away.
Elsewhere, in the Senate building. A huge meeting was about to wrap up. Duchess Satine was having to plead her case to the Galactic Senate about her homeworld of Mandalore and the terrorist group known as the Death Watch.
"It grieves me to say it, but Death Watch is now a significant, deadly threat." said the Chancellor to the entire Galactic Senate audience.
"Mandalore is making great strides to find the leaders of this terrorist movement. They are not powerful enough to destabilize our government. We will resolve this without conflict. If the Republic gets involved in our affairs, it will only lead to further violence. Thus, I shall reassert our position of neutrality." said Satine as she was making her case for all to hear in the meeting.
"Talk of an idealist," scoffed the Vice-Chair.
"No, those are the words of a pacifist and a people who have chosen nonviolent action," corrected Satine as she assured everyone of her plan to stay out of the war.
"That may be so, Duchess. However, this message was delivered to my staff just this morning. I think you shall find it most illuminating." said the Chancellor as he had his Vice-Chair insert a drive as a recording appeared for all to see and hear.
"The actions by our government have taken us into a period of civil war. To acknowledge it would be to invite panic in the streets," said the recording as it continued to play.
"Duchess? Do you know this man?" asked Padme who was on a nearby repulsorpod that appeared next to Satine.
"Yes. Deputy Minister Jerec. He's a dear friend." said Satine to Padme softly as they continued to listen to the message being played.
It is more than mere possibility, more than eventuality. It is here," stated the recording of Jerec.
"Stop!" shouted Satine as the hologram froze. "Deputy Minister Jerec is an honorable man. He would never commit such lies to the record. The Mandalorian government holds no secrets from its people."
"If only that were true," said Palpatine as he continued the rest of the recording for all to see.
"Death Watch is far stronger than we once thought. If we are to combat them effectively, we must have Republic assistance. Instead, this government acts out of pride and rejects the help of the Jedi." said the hologram of Jerec.
"It's not true. It's not true!" shouted Satine to the entire audience.
"The Duchess Satine will ultimately cause our defeat. Make no mistake. Republic intervention is absolutely necessary." said Jerec as the recording ended.
Up above, near one of the entrances, Obi-wan Kenobi was secretly listening in on the meeting. The whole time the message was being played, he was stroking his beard.
"This isn't right. Something here isn't right. I wish to speak to Jerec immediately." demanded Satine.
"Sadly, Deputy Minister Jerec perished this morning in a Death Watch bombing on Kalevala," stated the Chancellor as Satine was surprised to hear about this info. "Let us ensure that his death was not in vain. Let us commit our military might to defending the Mandalorian people."
"Defending? You mean to occupy our home. You would trample our right to self-determination." shouted Satine as she didn't believe what the Chancellor was trying to sell to the entire Galactic Senate audience.
"We mean to save your people," replied Palpatine.
"You will turn our planet into a military target, which will bring the war to us. Mandalore must remain a neutral system," stated Satine as she refused the idea of the Republic setting foot on her world.
"The vote shall commence in the next session," said the Chancellor as the entire Galactic Senate was dismissed.
Storm had arrived as the teen arrived at the Senate building. He managed to locate Obi-wan as the Jedi Master informed his friend of the details of what went down and skimmed past the boring parts to get right into the main topic of discussion. Now both Jedi were trying to find Satine as they hoped they could discuss to see what she was going to do to get the entire Senate to allow Mandalore to keep its neutrality. It wasn't that hard to find the Duchess as she was exiting the building and heading towards her speeder.
"Duchess! Satine, wait," called out Obi-wan. When he got close to her, he grabbed her hand and made the Duchess look him in the eyes. The guards turned their weapons at the Jedi Master for putting his hands on the Duchess.
"Hey, we're on the same team!" stated Storm putting his hands up.
"I just heard what happened in the Senate," spoke Kenobi as Satine put her hand up and ordered her guards to stand down. They nodded and walked to the speeder.
"You're sweet to be concerned, but I promise, I'll be all right," spoke the Duchess softly to her lover.
"I am concerned. We're friends, are we not?" asked Obi-wan with a gentle look.
"Yes, friends and nothing more," stated the Duchess with a sad look.
Both knew what that statement really meant as despite confessing to each other their love for the other, they had to remain in their current roles given the war. Still... both did have a small sense of longing for the other as they couldn't help but not think of the other. For Storm, the Jedi Knight could see the story being told through both of their eyes as he began to think about what went down earlier in his Jedi quarters about him wrestling with the Jedi rule about attachments.
"Satine, as your friend, I don't think you should make any decisions in this state of mind," said Kenobi.
"This state of mind? And what state of mind would that be, precisely?" asked Satine as she was a bit offended by what her friend was implying.
"What I'm saying is, any person would be hysterical by now, but..."
"Hysterical?" shouted the Duchess.
"Oh, shit," said Storm as he could tell that Obi-wan messed up by saying that to Satine.
"The republic is attempting to force its will upon innocent people," stated Satine as she turned her back to her friend.
"I only meant that..."
"Frankly, I'm surprised you're not hysterical. Perhaps if more citizens got hysterical, they'd be more inclined to speak up when the republic tramples on their rights!" shouted Satine as she turned to look at the Jedi Master and was venting her frustrations at him.
"Rushing in like this, It's... It's foolhardy," said Obi-wan as he was trying his best to get the Duchess to see reason.
"Ironic words from a man who spends his days running hither and yon, wielding his lightsaber with deadly force as if on a crusade. Why should I listen to someone who so frequently relies on violence? In my opinion, you're the foolhardy one!!" yelled Satine as she ran down the Jedi Master, though her comment was also directed to Storm and all of the Jedi as she express how she truly felt about them being warriors instead of peacekeepers.
Obi-wan saw Satine board her speeder as the Duchess had a steamed and angry look. The Jedi Master could only sigh as he watched them fly away.
"Yeesh, chicks are complicated. And you picked a good one," stated Storm as he appeared next to Obi-wan while looking ahead.
Both Jedi then turned as they too began to leave.
The Duchess was now flying towards her current stay to get some rest and prepare for the next session that would determine Mandalore's fate. As they flew over a set of buildings, the Mandalorian assassin, sent by Governor Vizsla was shown standing up. He kept his head low to avoid being seen as they flew overhead. Once they passed, he then raised his hand as he held a small remote. The assassin pressed the button as an explosion occurred on the back of Satine's speeder.
"What's happening?" asked Satine as she and everybody else on board could feel the speeder rocking about and losing altitude.
"It's the navigation system," replied the pilot as he tried to control the ship, but it was going down. "Get her out of here."
The guards all stood up as one of them held the Duchess to avoid her falling out.
"There's a platform ahead. I'll try to get closer," said the pilot.
"No, stop! Aramis!" shouted Satine but it was too late. They were heading straight for a building.
"Jump!" shouted Aramis.
The bodyguards did their job and each grabbed a hold of the Duchess and leaped as they were just passing by the platform. They all rolled, but the guards kept their arms around the Duchess as they used their bodies to cushion her fall. Soon they all rolled to a stop as the last two guards lay next to Satine as she got up. She immediately stood up and saw her pilot crashing into the wall as an explosion occurred. The Duchess let out a gasp as she saw it.
It was now nighttime on Coruscant. Duchess Satine was currently in Chancellor Palpatine's office as she informed the Republic officials
"What do you mean, no charges are to be filed? None at all? Someone tried to kill me!" exclaimed Satine at what she was being told. "The controls on my speeder were compromised."
"Sadly, my dear, there is no proof anyone tampered with anything," stated the Chancellor. "I'm afraid it might've been just an accident."
"An accident? And it just happened to coincide with me defending my homeworld?" said Satine as she wasn't buying what the Chancellor was saying.
"I agree with Satine," said the Vice-Chair.
"Well, finally."
"It proves what I've been saying all along. Death Watch is out of control. The republic must step in and help."
"No, wait. I didn't..." said Satine as she didn't expect the Vice-Chair to say that.
"You can't keep them reined in, obviously. So we will," stated the Vice-Chair.
"This is patently offensive. You can't do this!" declared the Duchess.
"Unfortunately, it's up to the senate now. I'm sure they'll make a reasoned and thoughtful decision," replied the Chancellor.
Obi-wan was standing out of the Chancellor's office. He soon saw the doors open as Satine and her bodyguard exited and walked away.
"Satine, I just heard about your accident," said the Jedi Master as he caught up and walked with the Duchess.
"Those two are... Ugh... This government will... Ugh!" shouted the Duchess as it was clear she was frustrated.
"Satine, tell me what happened," asked Obi-wan as he was concerned for the woman he secretly loved.
"I'm fine. I wasn't hurt. I didn't want to worry you." said the Duchess.
"Well, I'm afraid, on that count, you've failed spectacularly. Look what happened," stated Kenobi.
"Look what happened? This attack proves I've upset someone. I must be on the right track." replied Satine.
"This attack proves your enemies are here even on Coruscant. You're not going to let Republic authorities handle this, are you? You're not backing down." stated Obi-wan as he could see the expression on Satine's face and knew what she was thinking.
"Republic authorities? Certainly not. I'm on my way to the Ministry of Intelligence right now to meet my contact." said the Duchess.
Obi-wan then grabbed Satine's arms as he got her to look at him while both of his hands were on her shoulders.
"Don't you see? You need your friends with you, not held at arm's length. In your quest to be self-reliant, have you decided to cut your friends out of your life?" asked Kenobi.
"I... I don't know," said Satine as she was unsure while looking at Obi-wan eyes.
"Senator, what is it?" said Obi-wan as he saw Padme standing there out of the corner of his eye.
"The senate completed its vote. They've decided in favor of occupation," replied Padme.
"When did this happen? The vote was supposed to be tomorrow!" stated Satine as she was unaware of this happening.
"It was during your meeting with the Chancellor. Your accident accelerated the Senate's decision. Republic forces are set to leave for Mandalore at sunrise tomorrow." stated Padme.
"You see? I was right before. Counting on the republic is a mistake." said the Duchess as she walked away and left Padme and Obi-wan to look at one another with concern.
In a section of the Coruscant Underworld, there was a hooded red cloak figure. The face of the person was revealed as it was none other than Satine. The Duchess was currently waiting for her contact to arrive as it didn't take long. A Mandalorian man was approaching her as she turned in their direction.
"I don't have much time. They're following me," said the Mandalorian man as he began to lead them away.
True to his word, above the upper pavilions, the assassin from earlier was shown. He had a sniper rifle out and was trying to get a clear shot at taking out the Duchess before he moved to get a better angle.
"You've put yourself in great danger. I will never forget it," said Satine as they came to an alley.
"I had to come. This is worth it," said the man as he presented the Duchess with a disc.
"Where did you get this?" asked Satine as she looked at it.
"Buried deep in the evidence facility at the ministry. It was not easy to find, believe me," said the man as the assassin had gotten into position and aimed his sniper.
"You were right. Someone faked the evidence. The recording presented to the Senate was not the full recording, but this disc is. You must show the Senate." said the man to the Duchess.
The assassin had his target in range as he pulled the trigger. The shot from his sniper hit the man in the chest as he fell.
"Davu! No," said Satine as she saw her friend be killed in front of her.
Satine looked around and pulled out her deactivator. The sniper looked through his scope once more and had a clear shot at taking out the Duchess. Before he could pull the trigger, a police probe came into view as the alarm on it went off.
"We have a shooting in sector GL-5. Subject identified as Duchess Satine Kryze," said the police probe as he saw the deactivator in her hands and assumed that she killed the man.
"Hands where we can see them. You are coming with us," said some police droids as they began to approach the Duchess.
"I didn't kill him," said Satine as she had no choice but to run.
"Subject identified as Duchess Satine Kryze," said another police probe to two Coruscant Guard clones. They all spread out to find their suspect.
The assassin got up and began to also search for his target. Satine was running down the alleys as she looked to escape. As the Duchess was running, above her was the assassin as he was keeping up with the woman to which Satine looked over her shoulder and could see him out of the corner of her eye. The assassin stopped and fired some shots in front of the Duchess as Satine stopped just in time to avoid them. She looked back up and saw him before he fired more shots and she kept on running.
A police probe was now on her tail as the Duchess picked up the pace. The assassin was looking to go for another shot as Satine passed under a bridge as he couldn't see her. Satine was still running as some clones were now running behind the droids. The Duchess had no choice as she pulled out her deactivator and fired a shot at the police probe to short-circuit it. It fell and landed as both the droids and clones all tripped over and fell on top of each other. The clones got up but saw that the Duchess was nowhere to be seen as she disappeared among the passing crowd in front of them.
Satine ran as she passed by an alley. She saw someone get inside of a speeder as she ran towards them with her deactivator.
"We spotted her. She's heading into the alley," said one of the clones as they saw the Duchess turn the corner. Soon a speeder emerged from the corner and flew away. "Oops, cancel that. She's escaping in a speeder, heading for section 1-G-44."
Police droids zoomed by on speeders as they were going after the Duchess. They zipped past the alley that Satine entered. A few moments later, Satine peaked her head out as she scanned the area. Seeing that she was able to fake out the authorities, she now ran to hopefully get some help.
At the Death Watch hideout on Concordia, Governor Vizsla was currently being contacted by his informant on Coruscant.
"Duchess Satine escaped again, but I took out an informant. Not sure if he successfully delivered something to her, but it looked like a handoff," said the assassin.
"Find her. Whatever she's carrying may compromise our plan," demanded Governor Vizsla as the assassin nodded.
Meanwhile, aboard his Separatist ship, Dooku was down on one knee as the transmission came up and Darth Sidious was present.
"My lord, everything is going as you instructed," said Dooku.
"Death Watch is prepared to fight?" asked the Sith Lord.
"Yes. The people have been worked into such a frenzy that when the Republic does arrive, the Death Watch will be considered heroes," assured Dooku to his master.
"Excellent. The Republic occupation force is loading their ships and will arrive on time if the Duchess Satine does not get in the way," stated Sidious.
"The Duchess Satine will not be in the way much longer. One of the Death Watch assassins is taking care of her," said Dooku as his master smiled most evilly.
Back on Coruscant, the authorities were still looking for Satine.
"Uh, excuse me, sir. If you see this woman, report her to the local authorities," said a clone to a nearby civilian as he showed his pad with the picture of the Duchess.
The civilian made an alien sound as he spoke to the clones.
"Uh, you know, I don't think he understands us. Let's try someone else," said the other clone as they left but watched the civilian as he stared them down upon leaving.
Nearby, Satine was in an alley as she saw the clones leave. She then pulled out a communicator as she was sending a direct message to someone. The one person she could always count on to save her, the one person who was her shining Jedi.
"Obi-Wan, come in."
The Jedi Master was in his quarters as he was looking out of his window with his hands behind his back. The comlink in his room went off as he turned and saw the hologram of the Duchess.
"Obi-Wan, are you there?"
"Satine, where are you? Mas Amedda has demanded you turn yourself in," said the Jedi Master as he knew about what occurred with his friend.
"I know. Listen to me. Obi-Wan, I need your help."
The scene changed to show a part of Coruscant. On top of that section of the city was the assassin. He was still trying to find the Duchess as he scanned the area with his binoculars.
"Have you seen this woman?" asked some nearby police droids to some civilians.
In the background, there was a hooded figure walking to the center of the plaza. The person turned around as it was none other than Obi-wan. After the Duchess relayed the info to the Jedi Master, they were now meeting up in secrecy. The Jedi was now standing in front of the fountain in the center as he waited for his informant to arrive. He scanned the area and he soon saw who he was looking for. A few meters away was Satine as she was keeping her head down to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
"Nice disguise," spoke Obi-wan softly to himself upon seeing the Duchess.
Satine saw some police droids about to pass by her as she turned at the last second as they didn't see her face. Obi-wan waited for them to pass before making his move. He then approached the stool Satine was on and sat behind her as the Duchess could tell it was the Jedi Master without looking.
"Seeing you all right is... Well, it's a relief. You should turn yourself in. We've both sworn a loyalty to The Republic." said Obi-wan to Satine while making sure to not look at each other too much.
"Believe me, neither one of us is breaking our oath. And this will prove it," said Satine as she pulled out the disc and put it on the stool. She gently slid it over for Obi-wan to grab as their hands graced each other when the Jedi Master grabbed it.
"I need to get it into the proper hands."
But the Republic guards are hunting you, which means..." stated Obi-wan as he could see in the distance some clones talking to a droid.
"Whoever doctored this recording is likely in the government itself," said Satine.
"If you set foot inside the Senate, they'll take you," replied Kenobi.
"And the disc will be destroyed before anyone can see it, which is why you must take the disc to Padme," responded Satine.
The clones finished their questioning of the droid as they walked. Satine and Obi-wan saw them heading their way as they got up and walked side by side slowly to avoid suspicion. Above, the assassin was still looking as he then directed his gaze in the direction of the two hooded figures. Through his binoculars, he saw Satine turn her head back for a sec as the ID facial scanner was able to confirm it was the Duchess. With his target in sight, the assassin pulled out his sniper and looked to finish the job.
He was about to pull the trigger as both Satine and Obi-wan walked past a rock that blocked his view.
"Blast it," said the assassin as he got up for a better position.
The pair had exited the plaza as they were now walking in an alleyway.
"Where will you be while I'm in the Senate? What if they find you?" asked Kenobi.
"They won't. I'm going to surrender to them," answered Satine.
"What?" said the Jedi Master as he quickly turned to look at the Duchess.
"You'll need a distraction to enter the Senate freely. I can't risk them searching you just because you and I are associates."
"I'm a Jedi. They wouldn't dare," answered Kenobi.
"Things are changing, my dear," spoke Satine softly as she looked at the Jedi Master and walked.
In the alleyway, the assassin managed to track them down. He tossed a thermal detonator in his hands before turning it on. It beeped as he threw it below. The bomb landed as it was beeping faster and landed by the feet of the Duchess and Jedi Master. Obi-wan saw it as he quickly used the Force to push Satine out of the way while he dolphin dived in the opposite direction as the explosion went off. Smoke appeared as the assassin jumped down with his sniper in hand and began to walk towards the Duchess.
Satine saw this as she got up and ran. Obi-wan got up and took off his robe as he turned on his lightsaber. He ran towards the assassin as he saw the Jedi coming. The Jedi managed to slice a part of the rifle before he was hit with the brunt of the weapon in the chest and had his lightsaber knocked out of his hand.
The two now began to fistfight as both Jedi and assassin got in some good shots. When Obi-wan tried to pin the Mandalorian to the wall, the assassin back him up into the wall as he spun and pointed his side-pistol at him. The Jedi Master quickly tackled him as they tumbled and rolled out of the alleyway. Obi-wan hit the railing with the back of his head. Satine had gotten a hold of the lightsaber as she made her way towards the fight.
"Obi!" shouted the Duchess as she tossed the Jedi his weapon.
Kenobi grabbed it and turned it on just in time to block some blaster shots by the assassin. He counted the shots and thrust his hand out when he saw a window as the assassin was pinned against the wall. He struggled to move as Obi-wan then threw him as he was sent sailing into a nearby signpost to which he started to fall. The Mandalorian then had his jetpack activate as it saved him from falling. The Duchess and Jedi Master looked over the railing to see the assassin as he was flying away.
With the assassin retreating, the pair continued with the plan as time was running out. Thankfully, before Obi-wan was going to enter the Senate to deliver the message, he had made a call to someone. A speeder was shown flying towards the Senate building. Standing out front of the building were Senate commandos as they soon saw something.
"Excuse me. I believe you are looking for me," said Satine as she approached them with her hands up.
The commandos raced forward to arrest her as the distraction allowed Obi-wan to sneak past them as he entered inside.
"Glad to see you made it," said Storm as he was waiting inside for his friend. "So?"
Obi-wan presented the disc in his hand.
"Good. And just so you know, the other part of the plan should be happening... right... about... now," said the Jedi Knight.
The commandos were about to put Satine in handcuffs when...
"Hold on!" shouted a voice. Coming towards them was none other than Rarity. "Tsk, tsk. Don't you men know, that you can't arrest that woman?"
"I beg your pardon, ma'am?" asked one of the commandos.
"Look at her. The way she's dressed. Obviously, I'm not defending a culprit. But... if she's to go to jail, she can't go looking like that." said Rarity as she pushed both guards aside and approached the Duchess.
The fashionista pulled out her sewing glasses as she began to circle Satine.
"I take it you're the association," said Satine as Obi-wan didn't quite fill her in on the details of his plan.
"Oh, yes. Friend of General Storm. When he told me he needed my help, I didn't hesitate at a moment's notice. I can only imagine what he'll say when he sees me helping to save you." said the girl as she was letting herself daydream a bit.
Satine saw the look on Rarity's face as she could tell the fashionista had a crush on the Jedi Knight. And she should know, given she had one too for another Jedi. She soon had to clear her throat to snap Rarity out of her trance as the expression on her face reminded the teen that they still need to execute their plan.
"Sorry," said Rarity before getting back into acting.
"Clearly not only has she violated a crime. But a crime... in fashion!" said Rarity in her drama queen voice while putting her hand to her forehead. "This cannot be tolerated."
"Excuse me, ma'am. But who are you?" asked one of the commandos to the girl.
"That does not matter. What matters is being able to put the lovely Duchess in an outfit befitting her for when she arrives before the court to plead her case. Now then..." Rarity did one more scan using her detailed eye as she then pulled out a notebook. "Let's see, what basic designs can I modify?"
"Yeah, that's not happening. We're gonna have..."
"Do not interrupt a lady when she's speaking!" stated Rarity with a stern tone.
"Hey, wait a minute," said one of the commandos putting his hand on her shoulder.
"I said: Do not interrupt a lady when she's speaking!!!!" shouted Rarity as her voice boomed for all to hear as the nearby civilians covered their ears.
The shouting from the marshmallow girl caused the guards to lean back before coming back to their rightful position. They now looked at the fashionista as she was foaming at the mouth like a rabid animal about to pounce on the guards if they dare try to mess with her. They took that sign and stood down to avoid getting hurt by a girl. Rarity then recomposed herself as she made sure to straighten out her hair to get rid of any strands and return it to its lovely, natural curls.
"Forgive that outburst, Duchess. Sometimes a lady needs to vent," said Rarity straightening out her posture.
"Quite alright. And it's Satine," said the Duchess as she was giving Rarity permission to call her by her name.
"Very well, then. Ah! This will do." said Rarity showing the Duchess her notepad.
The girl was showing Satine a modified design of an outfit she was thinking about.
"This design absolutely speaks to you. Though, I'll have to make some trimmings to account for your figure. The color coordination you're wearing clashes horribly. Why can't you hear them, they're dying. They're begging to be put out of their misery. And I haven't gotten to hair designs!" shouted Rarity.
While this was happening outside, inside the Senate building, an assembly was being held as the Chancellor was speaking to all.
The occupation of Mandalore will usher in a new level of security for the Republic and its fight against corruption. If there are no objections..."
"Supreme Chancellor, there has been a development in the case for Mandalore's neutrality," said Padme as she was shown on one of the repulsorpods as seated inside were Obi-wan, Storm, and 3P0.
"The chair recognizes the Senator from Naboo," said the Chancellor as he allowed Padme to speak.
"I think this should cast a new light on the so-called evidence we saw earlier," said Padme as she showed the disc before putting it into the hold. Everyone, including the Chancellor, were all surprised by what they heard.
The hologram recording of Deputy Minister Jerec from before was shown as he spoke.
"The actions by our government have taken us into a period of civil war. To acknowledge it would be to invite panic in the streets. Death Watch is far stronger than we once thought. But we have been training for this. We can stop them. But if we are to combat them effectively, We must have the temerity to stand strong in the name of peace. And if we are to do so, we must reject any Republic assistance. Instead, this government will act. It acts not out of pride but for safety. Intervention by The Republic will inflame the opposition. And this is why our government rejects the help of the Jedi. We must listen to The Duchess Satine. If we do not, we will ultimately cause our defeat."
The message was heard as all around the Senators from across the entire galaxy all smiled. Even Padme and her friends smiled as it seemed they had managed to stop the Republic from getting into affairs with Satine's people. Storm then excused himself as he exited the assembly and began to contact the Duchess.
"Satine? Everything alright."
"General Storm, I'm alright. How did it go?" asked the Duchess.
"We won," was all the Jedi Knight said as he could tell she had a smile on her face. He soon heard some shouting.
Turns out Rarity was now kicking and screaming as the Senate commandos were trying to get rid of the girl as the fashionista wasn't done talking about her 35-minute presentation about the outfit she was going to make for Satine. They tried to drag the teen away but turns out she was stronger than she looked as she planted her feet while waving her arms about and yelling.
"Though, you may want to get down here before Rarity starts brawling," said Satine to the Jedi as she could tell the fashionista looked about ready to fight.
"I'm on my way," replied the boy.
"Good. Also, tell inform her that I'd like to conduct business with her," said Satine as she was looking to invest in Rarity's fashion designer career and was willing to buy some stuff from the girl's collection at her shop.
At the Death Watch base, tons of Mandalorians were shown running about as Governor Vizsla was marching to a tent as he was angry.
"All troops will stand down. All troops will stand down," said the announcer over the P.A. system.
"Unacceptable! You promised us we would reclaim Mandalore from these weak-willed cowards. I will order my men to attack." said Governor Vizsla to the hologram of Dooku.
"And if you do, you'll hold the planet for perhaps a day. Without the backing of my forces or your people, Your revolution will be over before it begins. A neophyte such as you wouldn't know these things, But I do." said Dooku to the leader of Death Watch. "I have other ways to accomplish our goals." Governor Vizsla continued to stare down the Sith Lord angrily through the hologram.
Back in the Chancellor's office, a small gathering was going on. Present was Obi-wan, Anakin, Storm, Rarity, and Padme as the Chancellor approached them
Thankfully, With the revelation of this new information, the occupation of Mandalore is no longer necessary," said Palpatine as he offered his thanks to the Senator from Naboo.
"The person to thank is Duchess Satine. She found the proof," stated Padme.
"I require no thanks," spoke the Duchess as she was shown entering the room.
"Satine. The Senate held an emergency session, and Republic forces have been ordered to stand down," said Padme to the Duchess.
"Allow me to offer a most sincere apology on behalf of the entire Republic. You are a most loyal servant, and we are all grateful," said the Chancellor to the Duchess.
"Yes, grateful," said the Vice-Chair as well to the Duchess.
"Chancellor, if you and Mas Amedda would join me for a moment, we have some logistics to discuss in order to ratify the senate's decision," stated Padme.
They all began to exit the office and when Obi-wan passed Satine, she stopped him as she wanted to speak with him. Storm caught the tail end of it as he smiled and let the two have a private moment.
"But for you, this wouldn't have happened," said Satine with a smile to Kenobi.
"No, it was your unshakable faith in your people and your determination that brought about this result," said Obi-wan to the Duchess.
"I appreciate that. But still, who is behind all of this? Who tampered with that recording? Who tried to convict me of murder and throw me in jail?" asked Satine as they still had some questions unanswered.
"I'm not sure. But as you said yourself, things are changing. And sometimes the line between friend and foe is blurred, Now more than ever." said Obi-wan with a serious look as both he and Satine turned to look out of the window.
It was now midday as Storm was currently in someplace new. After leaving the Chancellor's office, he accompanied Rarity to the boutique she talked about. True to the fashionista's word, it was a decent-sized place. The girl had closed the store down for the day to deal with the situation involving the Duchess. Speaking of Satine, once they managed to get the guards to release the Duchess and clear her innocence. The Jedi Knight informed the fashionista about her offer. Safe to say, she fainted as a fainting couch appeared just as she was about to hit the floor.
The fashionista got to work immediately on designing an outfit to give the Duchess as she wanted to make the most out of this opportunity.
"I need scissors. Measuring tape, where's my ice cream?!!!" shouted the girl as she was running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
"Calm down, Rares," said Storm as he was leaning against the counter. He could see how the girl was acting given the assignment she thrust upon herself.
"How can I be calm?!!! The Duchess of Mandalore is asking me to design her an outfit. And if she likes it, then she's willing to do business with me. That means I could a boutique on Mandalore. And that's one step closer to getting my dream of a fashion empire across the galaxy!" stated the marshmallow girl to the Jedi Knight.
"Okay, first of all, she didn't ask you to make her an outfit. You're doing that out of the generosity in your heart. All I said was that she was willing to invest in you. She's already seen that you're passionate about what you do, that she's offering you a spot to set up a location on her homeworld so that you can spread your creativity." stated Storm.
"You're... right..." said the teen as she let out a sigh.
She made a tub of ice cream plop down in front of her as she began to eat some.
"I just... I just don't want to throw away this chance," said the girl taking a spoonful of ice cream.
"And you won't. I believe in you," said Storm as he dipped a finger into the ice cream and then put it in his mouth as he tasted the sweet treat. "All you have to do is trust your instincts, and you can't go wrong."
"That's nice of you to say that," smiled Rarity as she put her hand on top of the Jedi while staring into his eyes. "Storm... I... I just... I want you to know..."
The girl was now starting to lean forward as she was looking to kiss her Jedi crush as Storm saw it. She was about to express how she felt to the boy. Just then, the door opened.
"Storm?" called out Twilight as the girl stood in the doorway.
"Sparky, great timing!" said the boy as he yanked his hand from under Rarity's.
"Sorry it took me a while, but I had to find the address to this place," said the Jedi Knight. "Hey, Rarity."
"Wait, you know her?" said Storm as he was shocked to see that both girls knew each other.
"Oh, yeah. I met her when I had to pick up Nute Gunray after Padme captured him," stated the princess to the boy.
"And you didn't bother to tell me, nerd?"
"Don't call me that!"
Both Jedi Knights now began to argue as Rarity was seeing this play out in front of her. For the girl, she could tell that both Jedi were close. She saw the chemistry between them. Soon the teen let out a gasp.
"Right... I... I get it now," was all Rarity said as it showed her putting her head down while clutched her hands as inside, there was the sound of something cracking.
"Hey, Rarity. Are you okay?" asked Twilight as she noticed the fashionista was silent while she was arguing with her partner.
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine," smiled Rarity before she leaned into Twilight's ear so that only she could hear what she was going to say. "He's not such a bad guy. Make sure you don't screw this up, Twilight. He's a keeper."
"What are you talking about?!" said Twilight as her face turned red a bit.
"Sorry. I need to get some things from the back. I won't be long," said Rarity with a fake smile as she quickly went through the door. Storm had watched the girl step through the door as he couldn't help but think there was something off about the fashionista.
Rarity was shown sitting against a nearby crate as she buried her head into her hands. The sounds of tears and crying could be heard as the pour was letting her heart out. The girl was sniffing as she wiped her eyes and the mascara running down her cheeks.
"Rarity?" said Storm as his shadow was shown over her.
The girl looked up and saw the boy standing in the doorway.
"Is everything okay?" asked the Jedi Knight as he was concerned for his friend. He didn't know what was really going on with the girl as she just stood.
She wiped her face clean as she was now looking at the boy. Soon a sad smile appeared on her face.
"A couple more minutes and I would have gone back to my cheerful self."
"What?" said Storm as he was confused.
"Sorry if I worried you. I'm fine now. Honest." said Rarity looking at the Jedi. "Just do me a favor. And make sure that Twilight is happy."
"Huh?" said the boy.
"The getting over part... that's gonna take a while. Until I do, promise me. Promise me that you'll end this war. Till then, I'll keep doing what I do best." said Rarity looking directly at the boy's eyes.
Storm was still trying to figure out what the girl was saying behind these riddles. But one thing was clear, that he wanted this war to end just as she did. Just like everybody did. To rid the galaxy of the bad guys, of the Dark Side of the Force, and to end all the bloodshed. For the Jedi, that was a promise he would gladly see through to the end.
"I promise. I swear, I'll end this war." stated Storm with a firm look.
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There is wisdom to that.
Wow, the Force combined with emotions can be dangerous.
For crying out loud Luna, what did Celestia just say?!
You know what, maybe Storm shouldn't be the only one who shouldn't form attachments. Right, mama Luna?
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Keep in mind, teenagers alone in a room isn’t a good idea cause it could result in… something. If you know what I mean.
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Oh I do.
But there's also such a thing as jumping to conclusions and accusations.
As a wise man once said "Many things in life are driven by facts, emotion must never come into play."
Wow, I really like Rarity right now.
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may the force be with you
Ooh, looks like Rarity made another friend. Nice.
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May the Force be with you as well.
Now that's determination.
Nice chapter, And i did not expect Rarity to be there. It was quite unexpected.
And Luna needs to take a chill pill, she'll get wrinkles.
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Glad you enjoyed it. Not to mention what Rarity was going through at the end. She finally came to a realization.
I like the part was storm the voices in his head it was somewhat like Starkiller Force Unleashed 2 trailer