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.
‘We need to act quickly,’ said Void, ‘before Awgro senses Fane as he heals or finds him before we do.’ He took a step forward. ‘I promise you, Mandalore, I will ensure that Talyc returns to his clan leader duties here on Mandalore as soon as Fane has been found. They will be here, ready to report in. Let that be a testament to my commitment to forming a friendship with you and your people.’
Mandalore pondered for a moment, then nodded. ‘Very well. Void, make sure we do get a fair amount of kolto. Talyc, get your man. I’ll see you both, and Fane, when you return.’
‘Thank you!’ Talyc said, feeling relieved. ‘Thank you so much!’
‘I’ve become an old sap,’ said Mandalore, ‘and I’m a sucker for happy endings. We need more of those around here. I saw you and Fane at the wedding; I want to see you as happy as you were then. Besides, I won’t lie, if it were my wife… But don’t tell her that, she’d hate me for choosing her over my duties as Mandalore, in a hypothetical scenario.’
‘Maybe, but she’d adore you for choosing her if it happened for real,’ said Talyc.
‘She’ll never admit it!’ Mandalore winked.
Talyc smiled and hurried out of the bunker.
* * *
The Mandalorian transport and many of its passengers descended onto the Crypt’s floor. They were met with the group of Jedi, to whom Talyc explained his whole plan in more detail. Clad in more casual gear, and carrying their usual armour in travel bags, the Jedi and Void would blend in with the crowd as he and Nriwe would rent a stand to sell custom forged beskar.
‘This is a rather elaborate plan,’ said Emerick.
‘We need discretion,’ said Lord Void, ‘and we can’t arouse suspicion.’
‘But the Krayt Dragon is our best bet to leaving safely once we find Fane,’ Brenum argued.
‘But then Awgro will know we’re there,’ said Talyc. ‘If Awgro has spies, this transport won’t make it look like it’s us going to Manaan. We leave the Krayt Dragon here and leave with the Mandalorian transport. Then we drop off all our Mandalorian friends on Nar Shaddaa, pick up a bunch of people there who wish to travel to Manaan and head there. The transport will return to Nar Shadaa and then back to Mandalore.’
‘And the Protectors of the Force will remain on Nar Shaddaa, keeping up appearances,’ said Lord Void.
‘And then how do we leave Manaan?’ asked Knarf.
‘The Sphere.’ Talyc looked at his chrono. ‘Our window is closing. We need to go soon.’ He looked at Mildred.
‘The transport’s prepped to go. It’s not the most elegant ship I’ve flown, she’s a bit clunky, but clunky has its perks.’ He winked.
‘Are we still talking about ships, Mildred?’ asked Knarf chuckling.
Mildred raised his brows. ‘What are you talking about?’ He shrugged, suppressing a laugh.
Nriwe approached. ‘I’ve got everything I need,’ she announced. ‘You’re lucky I remember how to melt and shape beskar.’
Thera ran up calling her mother’s name and giving her a great hug. Then the girl hugged Talyc.
‘Give Fane a tight squeeze for me!’
‘I will, Thera. I think Fane’s going to receive a lot of squeezes from a lot of people.’
‘Thera, you’re too fast for me, stop using the Force to run!’ Renvir called out.
Lord Void looked up, seeing the boy for the first time. He drew in a sharp breath and swallowed hard. The boy looked up at him. Void crouched, as the boy slowly walked closer to him.
‘Do you know who I am?’ Void asked gently.
The boy nodded. ‘You’re my grandpapa.’ There was a silence. ‘In his holos, papa said that you used Sith alchemy to create him, but Jedi Master Lian says that you didn’t know you would make him sick by doing that.’
Void shook his head. ‘If I could turn back time–’
‘Then the Force would not have me,’ said the boy. ‘For us to understand how the Force needed protecting, papa needed to be ill.’
‘You understand much of the Force, for such a young boy. Perhaps even more than me.’
‘The Force speaks to me,’ Renvir said, his eyes gleaming the same red-magenta as Relsor’s had been. ‘It teaches me. I listen. I learn. Papa was right about a lot of things, but he was also wrong and didn’t understand what I understand. He didn’t hear the Force speaking as I do.’
‘Then I suppose the Force required for me to be here instead of with the Empire,’ said Void.
The Chiss boy smiled. Then tugged at Thera. The two children ran back to where they had come from.
‘My grandson,’ whispered Void. ‘He’s so much…like me.’ He smiled wistfully. ‘I had wished Relsor would be just like that.’
‘You have another chance,’ said Shadie. ‘And when we return, you can get to know him a bit better. Give him time, take it slow, but I think you and him will form a healthy relationship.’ She smiled.
‘Thank you,’ said Void.
‘All right, time to be off,’ Mildred announced, sounding like a real ship captain. ‘This transport is leaving for Nar Shaddaa. They’ve got details about our estimated arrival and travellers are waiting to be shuttled off to Manaan with appointments for which they can’t be late.’
‘Really?’ said Talyc.
‘I don’t know, but it sounds like I’ve been doing this a lot longer when say it.’
‘Well considering you once left Mandalore to be your own ship captain for a time,’ said Emerick.
‘Smuggler,’ Talyc corrected.
‘I brought home an entire clan when I returned, didn’t I?’
The Mandalorians chuckled. Void stared at the empty hall where his grandson had disappeared. Talyc nudged him and prompted him to follow.
The Jedi and Void followed the Mandalorians into the transport.
* * *
Storimbu clocked Maranna arriving on Nar Shaddaa, exiting the Mandalorian transport, as many Mandalorians dressed either in armour or as civilians filed out. Many folks from Nar Shaddaa stood waiting to get onto the transport.
The Miraluka also noticed the presence of a few Sith on Nar Shaddaa, probably some stragglers from Awgro’s crew. He sent a quick message to Shadie on her datapad, letting her know Awgro did indeed have spies.
What Awgro and Shadie didn’t know was that Storimbu also had his spies that neither had ever met. Dressed as civilians, lightsabers tucked away in their pouches, pockets, or jetpacks, a small group of Protectors boarded the Mandalorian transport. Shadie wouldn’t know they were there, she wouldn’t recognise them, but if trouble came to her, they would reveal themselves. Storimbu was not going to let his new alliance come to any harm. He had long awaited a time to feel a purpose in the Force.
He carefully gave a short nod to his fellow Protectors, former Followers of Kromus. In case Awgro’s Sith would see him nod, others whom Storimbu knew Awgro knew nodded in return and walked up to Storimbu’s table.
Storimbu smiled, satisfied. The deception was necessary, and one his enemies would pay greatly for at the moment when his allies would benefit. If he had learnt anything from Kromus, it was the importance of being discrete. The True Sith had failed at being as discrete as the Followers of Kromus. The Tue Sith were also bent on the dark side solely. While Kromus had understood the light side as a Force ghost and at the hour of his second death, as Shadie had reported it. Storimbu had also heard the stories told and retold by True Sith about Kromus’s apparition to help Shadie onboard Relsor’s flagship. It told him everything he needed to know about his former master.
‘When will we leave Nar Shaddaa?’ asked Kafter, his yellow lekku twitching.
‘We’ll make sure Maranna is settled in, then if we are needed, we’ll head out.’
* * *
Shadie looked about at all the people boarding the transport. Mildred gave his final announcement before the departure. She settled in, feeling a little awkward, dressed as she was, wearing the bonnet she was, but if she let her hair loose, then she might be too recognisable, given the unique colours she liked to put in her hair.
A petite Rattataki woman approached them and sat nearby. She smiled at Shadie in a friendly manner. She eyed Talyc, Knarf and Brenum and cocked a brow as she smiled at them. Shadie cleared her throat and took Knarf’s hand. Trylia ignored the woman.
‘Aw, that’s so sweet,’ the woman said. She leaned and put a hand on Shadie’s and Knarf’s. She placed a business card on top. ‘You two love birds need anything, you just swing by my shop.’ She winked.
The woman got up and walked to a pair of Duros and began talking about flowers and offering discounts. Shadie looked at the card. There was a very small emblem at the back of it with a small symbol she seemed to recognise, but she wasn’t sure where she’d seen it. There was a comlink number to call. “For special orders and emergencies,” it read. Shadie tucked the card into her pocket. She’d be staying on Manaan for a while, maybe she’d have time to visit some shops and purchase some memorabilia.
Shadie leaned her head on Knarf’s shoulder and closed her eyes to rest for the remainder of the trip.
“Connections in the Force” is written by Celinka Serre (2023).
Disclaimer: The Characters in this Fan-Fiction are new and have original names. The story is an original written work. The story is derivative and consistent of Fan-Fiction since it borrows the franchise world of Star Wars. Certain jargon and places, or concepts mentioned, along with the SW Old Republic universe belong to Lucasfilm Ltd. and Disney. No characters or story lines from the films are used. No story lines or characters from the games or books are used. A handful of characters from the games may be referenced, but are not the main focus in this fanfic story. This fan-fiction story falls under Fair Use.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
You might also enjoy other SWTOR fanfics, Dragon Age Fan-Fiction short stories, Mass Effect Fan-Fiction, or Stardust Destinies the High Fantasy Fiction series.
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