Chapter 27 - Turning Point [Continued 3] (1/2)
Part 5
Krayt Company, Alpha Site, Ryloth
That stung. If it wasn't for my helmet, her armored fist could have easily broken my jaw.
”That gives a brand new meaning to the term 'battle'!” whistled Boil.
I glanced his way and then to where my hand was a moment ago. I cringed. I knew I could claim that placing my palm over her heart made healing her a bit more efficient power wise, which was even true, but no one would believe me. Besides, that never passed through my mind while I was patching up our resident Mandalorian.
I could hear Boil whispering something to his buddy and couple of clones started snickering.
”Waxer!” I snapped.
”It will be a pŀėȧsurė, sir!” said the man, with a bit too much relish for his friend's comfort.
”Waxer! No, wait a minute!” Boil walked backwards in an attempt to get away from his fellow soldiers.
Which led him straight to Captain Cat, who was talking with Numa and ignoring our antics. The glare the officer gave him was obvious despite his helmet. Cat slapped Boil on the back of the head.
The Captain barked, making his displeasure evident to us all:
”Boil! Stop acting like a kriffing joker! You are a soldier of the Republic! Act like it!”
If it wasn't for a warning which came through the Force, Bo-Katan would have blindsided me with her next punch. Instead, I grabbed her armored fist centimeters from my face.
”Our spar is over, Kryze.” I snapped.
She chuckled in answer.
”I would say that the Jedi haven't fallen as much as we believed, but you aren't one of them. Are you?” she asked.
There was a hint of mischief in her tone.
”Me?! A Jedi? That's a good joke.” I smirked. ”Now, I believe that there was a point for your brazen entrance. What do you want?”
She stretched and mȯȧnėd. The newly healed flesh was screaming in protest. It was something with which I was intimately familiar with. Good thing that I could use the Force to dampen any pain in my body.
”Wat Tambor, the local Confederation leader is losing control of the situation. He even gave up control over a significant portion of the droid forces deployed away from the capital to Hutt mercenaries.” she grumbled. ”As a sign that the CIS are willing to 'honor' their deal!” she sneered.
”Is that how you apparently have some authority over this mess?” I asked and pointed to the still smoking remains of the beasts.
Kryze shrugged. ”It felt like a good idea at the time. However, I'm not in overall command of the droids stationed here. There is a tactical droid who does the job. I was sent merely as an adviser.” she grumbled.
My men gave her dirty looks, and a few of them started muttering before a glare of Cat silenced them. Can't blame them. I wasn't thrilled either from the attack of those unwilling kamikazes.
At least my men got out of it unscratched, which in combination with my little spar with the woman, did a lot to make cooperation with her acceptable. Without really hurting the morale. They were trained by mandalorian mercenaries themselves, so each one of my troopers was aware of at least the basics of the Mando culture.
”You still haven't answered my question, Bo-Katan. What do you want?”
”Tambor dead. And preferably to get of this rock in one piece.”
”I can guarantee the first. We may have some issues with the second.”
She stiffened for a brief second. Only my Force enhanced senses allowed me to perceive it. Kryze was ready to attack me if the situation warranted it.
”Your presence here, no matter the ”official” reason, paints you and the Death Watch as accomplices of all the atrocities committed by the CIS on Ryloth. The fact that your organization is little more than a bunch of common terrorists, who now will be seen as slavers to booth, doesn't help you.” I stated.
She bristled hearing my accusation.
”That's a lie! We are True Mandalorians, not a bunch of common criminals! All we want is to return our people to their senses! We are not a bunch of pacifistic cowards!”
”So you want to turn back the Mandalorian people back to their warrior roots. Commendable.” I gave her a respectful nod, which took her off guard.
”That's an unexpected sentiment from a Republic General...” she whispered.
”However, the Death Watch is doing it the wrong way. All that you'll achieve by acting as common terrorists is to antagonize your own people. ”
”Those cowards are not our people! We are warriors through and through!” Bo-Katan snapped at me.
”Perhaps. Yet you need them if you want to amount to anything but a single rogue clan. You need to win their hearts and minds, something that won't happen thanks to acts of petty terrorism.” I smiled under my helmet. ”You need to give a cause to the average New Mandalorian. A reason to put away his pacifism and embrace
their true nature.”
Kryze stared at me thinking furiously.
”You have a plan, I take it?” she asked.
”Many in fact.” I nodded in the direction of the CIS artillery. ”Tambor and his ilk, with their actions of Ryloth gave us unbeatable propaganda victory. In days, the entire galaxy will know what to expect if the CIS win. What happens on this world can, if presented properly, turn your peace loving New Mandalorians into bloodthirsty warriors of legend, ready to tear the Confederacy apart.”
She shook her head in denial.
”Its unlikely. My sister and her ŀȧpdog abhor violence and war.”
”Then persuade them otherwise.” I challenged her. ”Once it is clear that Death Watch members were on Ryloth, aiding the CIS, they'll have no chance of swaying the masses on Mandalore. And that is if you are lucky.” It was left unsaid that if they supported the kriffing Confed bastards, there would be hell to pay.
Once the true extent of the CIS depravities on Ryloth became known across the galaxy, the war was going to become really ugly.
Bo-Katan glared at me. I could sense her mood. At the moment her emotions were shifting like an interceptor trying to evade multiple enemy fighters.
Kryze and the Death Watch were now in a trap unwittingly made by whoever sent them here, and I was pretty sure that was done by their leader. Even a rumor of her organization's involvement with the events here would deal a deadly blow the their credibility. Even worse, from her point of view, was that she was that proof.
I could feel how the realization was dawning on her. After nearly a minute of silence she shook her head sadly.
”Even if we manage to pull off a Coup d'etat, it will be for naught. Unless we do it with full support of the CIS.” she grumbled.
”In such a case, there will be a hell to pay.” I added.
My smile turned into a grin. I had the best weapon to use against a mandalorian. I had a just scored a great victory in space, despite the severe mauling my forces had taken in the process. Even better, I had challenged her in single combat and won.
”You'll have a choice to make, Bo-Katan Kryze.” I declared. ”You can help your misguided people open their eyes and become what they were meant to be – True Mandalorians! Honorable warriors, who could be the envy of the galaxy.” I lowered my voice. ”Or will you try to turn them into a bunch of barbarians like the most of the Death Watch.”
”What do you know about what it means to be a True Mandalorian?!” she scoffed.
”You'd be surprised.” I muttered quietly. ”You have some time to make your decision.” I said aloud.
”Aren't you the generous one?!”
”When I can afford to be.” I ignored her sarcasm. ”You are pretending to be a common mercenary. Its time to act as one,” I waved at her. ”Congratulations! You are hired to ȧssist us in liberating Ryloth.”
Bo-Katan shook her head in exasperation. That man was trying his best to push all her buŧŧons! And almost succeeding!
Even worse, he actually beat her in single combat! Her, Bo-Katan, the second in command of the Death Watch! His gall at outright saying that her organization was nothing more than a bunch of common criminals didn't sting her pride that much! She was defeated by a non-mandalorian!
She glared at him.
And it was getting worse. Of course it did.
There was a small, treacherous part of her mind that agreed with his logic. That was even worse.
Bo-Katan glowered at the man, wondering what she was going to do.
=RK
CIS Positions, Alpha Site, Ryloth
Cat was not thrilled with his General's newest harebrained scheme. The only thing preventing him from complaining was the fact that Veil's ideas tended to work. So far.
Cat waited until the countdown, displayed on his helmet's visor, hit zero and nodded at Boil, who was armed with his missile launcher. The rest of the clones toting such weapons were further back, out of sight from their enemies, and took their lead from him and readied their own weapons.