Chapter 22
“Admiral, five minutes until we exit Hyperspace.” The voice of the young male ensign relayed the message with mild nervousness, due in part to the mystery of where they would arrive and that this was their first time addressing Anhiel directly. The High Admiral inclines her head gently to the young man, her bangs swaying forward with the movement, “Thank you, Ensign. After arrival, the Shadow Redeemer shall move forward to a holding position a thousand kilometers outside of orbit. All remaining ships are to hold position immediately upon exiting Hyperspace. As far as Sekot is concerned, at best we are unannounced guests. At worst, we are invaders.” Her final statements elicit various forms of quizzical expressions from the personnel on the bridge as she turns around to face Rend, Athin and Joash. The plate of her armored robes clank mildly as she folds her arms behind her back and raises an eyebrow, “Where is Commander Veruna? She is not one to be late.” As the sentence finishes, Anhiel flashes the briefest of smirks towards the oldest Jedi who responds with a single muffled “Ha!”. Not noticing the exchange, Rend responds “She said she had to grab something. I imagine she will be here shortly.” A sharp hissing noise from the opening door punctuates the end of his statement as a black figure strides onto the bridge, followed by Mirr in his usual armor. A long, black robe is draped around the moderately sized frame of a young woman. Its deep hood obscures much of the remaining features not already covered by the mail-like mask made of many tiny black metal plates that overlap each other like scales. The torso armor beneath the robe is fashioned in a similar way, except that the metal pieces are nearly twice the size as those on the mask. Surprisingly, the woman’s footsteps are nearly silent due to the detailed fabrication and quality of materials used to create the outfit. All eyes on the bridge turn to observe the new arrival as she approaches the group of Jedi. Various versions of surprise and shock adorn the faces of those that look upon her, including Athin and Joash who were not aware of the Grandmaster’s gift to Padawan Veruna. She stops just over a meter away and bows lowly to Anhiel, “Grandmaster, I apologize for my lateness. I wished to wear these when we disembarked to begin to get used to them.” Anhiel returns the bow slightly, offering a brief smile as she observes the young woman “They suit you, Commander. I daresay your presence is nearly as commanding as my own when you wear that.” Sun returns the smile earnestly underneath her mask but her eyes clearly communicate her joy.
The young Ensign calls out once more, “Sixty seconds until we exit Hyperspace.” As Anhiel turns around once more to face out of the viewport, Athin asks “You said Sekot earlier but I thought the planet’s name was Zonama Sekot?” Glancing back towards the Miraluka, Anhiel responds lightly “Zonama is the name of the celestial body. Sekot is the name of the being or consciousness within. They are the one we must ask for permission to inhabit Zonama.” Each of the Jedi gathered look at each other with confused expressions as does Mirr, although his expression is hidden behind his helmet. The flashing lights of Hyperspace begin to slow until the stars of deep space manifest themselves once more in an instant. In the center of the view appears a multicolored planet, consisting primarily of various greens, blues, grays and white near the poles. Athin winces, wrinkles forming on his face as he looks in the direction of the planet. Around the Shadow Redeemer appears the remainder of the fleet, all of which move into a standard holding formation but do not move closer to the unknown planet. A Specialist calls out as she makes multiple keystrokes on the panel before her, “Moving to fifty percent thrust, arrival at the holding point is estimated at ten minutes.” Authority reigns in the Admiral’s voice as she responds, “Very good, we are not in a rush. I will be in the meditation chamber.” The older Commander stands several meters away and asks hesitantly, “Ma’am, what shall we do upon arrival?” As she walks away, hands still folded behind her back, Anhiel responds “You will know soon enough.”
Within the circular mediation room, Anhiel moves to the center and drops to her knees gracefully, placing her hands gently on her armored thighs and closing her eyes. She spends the remaining minutes of their approach slowly slipping deeper into her connection to the force and expanding her presence. Everyone assembled on the bridge shared the same feeling of apprehension and confusion as they drew closer to the holding point. Several tense minutes pass with relative silence, save for the occasional beeps from the various equipment in the area. Each minute brings more anguish to Athin’s face as he looks in the direction of the planet. To his sight, the being within shines as bright as a white star, overwhelming him with its intensity. Having all he could stand, he turns away, causing Joash to turn as well with a look of rare concern. Before he could address the Miraluka a deep voice envelops the minds of all those aboard the ship. The Jedi were the first to notice the new presence, followed quickly by the non-force users whose faces showed the significant shock they were experiencing as a deep voice echoed within their minds. “State your business, invaders. No one has arrived here without an invitation before.” A familiar, icy voice tinged with a mild joking tone responds in the minds of those present, “Is that how you greet an old friend, Sekot?” Everyone gathered on the bridge sits in silence, listening to the contemplative noise reverberating in their consciousness. “Now this is a surprise. Anhiel Dulcinae, the Silver Butcher, I sense you have not healed much more than when you were last here.” The snarl and growl exhibited in response by the Grandmaster is felt and heard by all, “And your lack of discretion has worsened since then.” A humorous noise permeates the space as Sekot responds, “My apologies. What brings you back here, Anhiel?” Calmly, the woman responds, “An invasion of unparalleled scale is beginning to assault both the Sith and the Republic. I wish to request asylum on Zonama so that we may establish a base to both survive and assist against this new threat.” A minute or so passes before a response is received from Sekot, “I know you would not be here unless necessary. You may do as you wish, madam Dulcinae.” Coordinates appear in the minds of all and the young ensign quickly keys them into their console, pulling up a region on the planet that has a large, flat plateau nearby to a flowing river. Anhiel responds with appreciation in her voice that radiates through everyone's thoughts, “Thank you, Sekot. You have saved my life again, and the lives of my soldiers. I am in your debt.” The admission raises the eyes of the Jedi gathered. To no one's surprise, Sun voices a question “Did the Grandmaster admit she was in someone’s debt?” Both Athin and Joash nod slowly, but the older Jedi speaks “A rare occurrence indeed. She may be cold, but that woman values the life of every soldier under her command. Rest assured, each death weighs heavily on her despite her outward appearance.” As Joash’s sentence finishes, the deep voice of Sekot booms once more, “I look forward to hearing of your time away. I await your arrival on the surface.” With that, the large presence receded and Anhiel opened her eyes, exhaling longly.
A couple minutes later, the door to the bridge hisses open and the Admiral re-enters. The personnel assembled stand at attention as she strides deeper into the room. She stops near the command console where the older Commander stands. “Commander, begin preparations for construction of the outpost. I shall take a small contingent of Commandos to scout the area in more detail. General Vega, Commander Veruna, Athin, Joash, and Mirr will also go to the planet on Mirr’s vessel. Contact me once initial preparations are ready.” The Commander salutes swiftly, “As you command, Admiral. I shall contact Captain Jov’aine immediately.” After inclining her head slightly, Anhiel turns around to face her companions, taking note that Athin appeared to be in distress as he faced in the opposite direction. “Mirr, I trust you are not opposed to my instructions?” The Mandalorian straightens before bringing his right fist to his left chest swiftly, sending a dull noise through the area. He holds the position for several moments as he responds, “Your wish is my command, Admiral. I shall prepare my ship immediately.” The desire to rush to Athin’s side rises within the Admiral but she pushes it to the side for now with much difficulty. Before she departs the bridge she turns her head slightly to Joash, flashing her eyes to Athin quickly. The older Jedi understands what was communicated and nods, indicating he would assist the man in her absence. Anhiel inclines her head in thanks before heading in the direction of the hangar bay, leaving the small group behind. Mirr is the first to move, clearing his throat gently before turning and striding from the bridge.
Mirr, in his full set of Mandalorian armor, strides towards his battle-stressed X-70B followed closely by the pair of younger Jedi. He presses a button on his left gauntlet that activates the entrance ramp. The hiss of the ramp cuts through the ramblings of the other crew members boarding the nearby shuttle. Rend and Sun follow Mirr aboard the ship and head towards the cockpit. Once there, the pair sees Mirr, leaning over the main control panel where he powers on the console. With a few keystrokes, he starts to run preflight diagnostics and begins to power up the engines, sending a low hum through the ship. The Mandalorian removes his helmet and places it in the pilot's chair before straightening up and addressing the young Jedi. “Young Master Jedi, you and your trainee may have a seat in the main cabin. It will take a few moments to complete the diagnostics, follow me and I will get you settled.” Mirr leads them towards the back of the ship, just past the game table to the main cabin entrance and keys the door open. After it slides open, he steps inside holding his arm out in a presenting fashion. The Mandalorian addresses them in a hospitable tone, “Here we are, take a seat, the others should be arriving shortly.” Rend takes a look around as he enters and nods towards Mirr, a tad bit perplexed by his friendly and formal demeanor.
Sun enters last, thanking Mr. Styn when she gasps at the fallen droid in the opposite corner of the room. Excitedly, Sun addresses her host, “Mr. Styn, is that an HK unit?” Mirr nods and replies “That is my loyal comrade, HK-40.” Sun stumbles for words but manages to ask as she moves closer to it, “What happened to him?” The Mandalorain walks around to the lifeless droid and points out the single blaster bolt hole in his head and says, “He was taken out during the war while defending my flank when a long range sniper shot him. I barely escaped that battlefield with my own life. I had to wait weeks until the conflict was over before I could go back and retrieve him. I don’t know how to fix him and parts are getting harder to obtain for his model. So there he lies.” Rend senses the sensitivity of the subject and offers up a deal, “Mr. Styn, what would you say if I told you that I know someone who could repair HK-40?” The Mandalorian’s eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion at the young Jedi for a moment before he responded, “Do not jest with me, young one. I would do almost anything to see HK-40 stand up again.” Rend swings his arm and places it around his Padawan’s shoulders and replies, “Sun will repair your droid in exchange for some sparring sessions.” Sun, snapping her stare towards her master, her eyes clearly displaying her surprise despite the mask she wore. She then quickly returns her gaze to the Mandalorian waiting for his reply. His voice is even as he responds, “I accept. But out of respect for the High Admiral, I will spar with your trainee even before she repairs the droid. Training one of her flock is an honor. I have no doubt she can do as you say.” The two men step towards one another and grasp each other's forearms to solidify the deal. Sun makes her way towards the HK unit and begins inspecting its wound. She turns towards her Master, smiles beneath the mask and speaks plainly, “I am going to need my tools and data pad for this guy.” Rend nods and sends her off to her quarters to retrieve the necessary items as Joash and Athin had not yet arrived. Athin continued to have trouble when gazing in the direction of Sekot. His senses are overwhelmed by the massive presence, saturating his vision with light resulting in a splitting pain through his head. Joash supported the Miraluka as they slowly made their way to the hangar without his usual joking, to the surprise of both parties.
Mirr signals for Rend to follow him back to the cockpit so he may finish flight preparations. He asks now that Sun was not present, not wishing to voice his doubts in front of her, “Can she really fix him?” Rend smirks a bit and replies, “Sun has a high aptitude for these types of things. She excels at troubleshooting technology. If anyone can fix HK-40, it's Sun.” The Mandalorian gives a slight smile and addresses Rend, “Why do you want me to spar with her when you appear to be capable of training her yourself?” The two men find themselves in the cockpit where Mirr picks his helmet up and sits down awaiting an answer. “I sense a small drop of fear in her when you are in your full suit. I suspect the trauma she experienced at the hands of the other Mandalorians hinders her ability to trust in the Force and herself. She is still very early in her training despite how quickly she progresses. Also, it's never a bad idea to train against different opponents in a controlled environment.” Mirr acknowledges Rend and replies, “You are wise beyond your years, young Master Jedi.” Mirr turns in his seat to examine the report on the planet and the pair sits quietly for several minutes until Sun leaps into the ship, hauling her full traveling satchel. Rend catches up to Sun in the seating area where she has already unpacked some items. She holds her luminary over the wound and examines the damaged circuitry while mumbling to herself. Rend, now seated, looks at his Padawan with pride as she works feverishly on the HK unit.
Outside the vessel, Athin and Joash approached. Joash no longer supported the man as Athin was beginning to slowly adjust the massive presence. However, the Miraluka’s steps gradually slow as they near the ship, eventually bringing him to a halt a couple meters from the ramp. Joash turns back, appraising the other Jedi with a raised brow “Is there an issue, Athin?” A mild paleness blankets his face as he moves to respond, “Um, is this ship safe?” The older Jedi chuckles loudly, stepping to the other man and grabbing a fistfull of his tan robes before starting to drag him up the ramp. “You can muster up the courage to be with that woman but the thought of boarding someone else’s ship terrifies you?” Joash’s chuckles continue as they enter the ship, making their way to the main cabin and finding seats near Rend. A few moments pass after they are settled before Mirr enters and addresses the room, “Everyone here and accounted for?” Rend looks around swiftly and replies, “Present and accounted for. Take us to the surface, Mr Styn.” The Mandalorian returns a swift chest salute to the young General before departing for the cockpit.