Talyc sat with Lord Void, Emerick, Lashika and a few others. The others were sharing a bottle of ale, while he was staring at it, contemplating it, knowing it would be best for him to not even consider it.
‘Are you all right?’ asked Void.
‘I’m fine!’ Talyc snapped a little too abruptly for even his own liking. ‘Sorry, I’m tempted to drink.’
‘Remember your discipline,’ said Void. ‘Only you can decide and choose what is best for you. Do you drink, get drunk, let yourself escape your woes, or do you face what you are feeling, let yourself feel it, and allow the pain to exist?’
The others looked at Talyc. ‘Whatever you decide, my friend, we won’t judge,’ said Emerick.
‘If you need us to put it away…’ Lashika began.
Void put a hand up. ‘Temptation exists as an opportunity, for either ill or benefit. While it would be easier if none of us were drinking before you, Talyc, you would not have the opportunities and lessons presented to you otherwise. The choice, however, has to be yours, and its reasons, have to support your choice.’
Talyc took the bottle and brought it to his nose. The smell reminded him of all his failures, all his mistakes, and it was enough to change his mind.
‘The pain is better than to fail and make a mistake I may regret forever,’ said Talyc. He gently pushed the bottle back towards the others.
Lord Void nodded approvingly. ‘Very good. I know Sith who can’t discipline themselves even for a second.’ He looked at the other Mandalorians. ‘You Mandalorians are proving to be knowledgeable in disciplines that qualify you as worthy opponents. Worthy warriors.’
‘I don’t need your approval,’ said Talyc, feeling discouraged. ‘I just need…’ He trailed off.
‘Fane.’ Lashika put a hand on Talyc’s.
At that moment Talyc’s comlink chimed. He took it and the small holo image of Shadie appeared. She looked anxious.
‘Talyc! We found him!’
‘What?’ Talyc stood from his seat and walked a few steps away to have a bit of privacy. Lord Void followed. ‘Where?’
‘It was Thera and Ren who found him while meditating. We’ll explain when you two get here, but you need to come right away.’
‘You’re going to have to give me more than that if I’m to convince Mandalore to let me go back so soon,’ said Talyc. His heart was racing with anticipation.
‘Manaan. They’re on Manaan, deep down on the bottom of the ocean floor,’ said Shadie. Talyc didn’t know if he felt relief or apprehension. He stared at Shadie’s holo image, his heart pounding out of his chest, or so it felt that way.
‘Manaan is a neutral world,’ said Void. ‘They won’t take kindly to a group of Jedi coming to say they need to extract something from the bed of their ocean. They will protect their kolto and everything near it, basically everything in the ocean. And if we make too much of a fuss, then it will draw unwanted attention. If word spreads of your presence on Manaan, then Awgro will get whiff.’
There was a slight pause. ‘I have an idea.’ Talyc felt his eyes light up as a new purpose ignited within him. He gave the holotransceiver to Void and walked to the table. He heard Shadie telling Void about his grandson.
‘He says we didn’t kill Relsor, we saved the Force so that he can exist in it,’ said Shadie. ‘Says it was a shame Relsor was the vehicle of illness, but that protecting the Force will allow it to be safe from other beings like Relsor from spreading an illness.’
‘Wise kid,’ Talyc said over his shoulder. He looked at Emerick. ‘You still have your forging machine?’
‘Yeah, why?’
‘I might need to borrow it. Remind me again how it works?’
Emerick went through the process; Talyc took a few notes down on his datapad. He walked back to where Void stood.
‘I have an idea, but I’m going to need help convincing Mandalore.’ Talyc looked at Void. ‘You good at persuading without the use of the Force?’ Void nodded. ‘Then follow me.’
* * *
Mandalore stared at Talyc as though he had just told him he was going to dress up as a Twi’lek dancer.
‘Let me get this straight, you want me to give you a significant amount of beskar to bring to Manaan so you can forage it onto submersibles so that you can extract your husband from the bottom of the ocean?’
‘What Talyc has omitted to mention,’ said Void, ‘is that a covert operation would allow the Jedi and me to disguise ourselves, thus we would not draw attention to ourselves. Safer from Awgro that way. But also, such an exchange on Manaan would allow Mandalore to gain a significant amount of Kolto in the process. Such warriors who weather many battles and hunt many bounties need kolto to survive.’
‘You’ve only just arrived,’ insisted Mandalore.
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