The Mandalorian Jedi

Part Two: Chapter Two

It took a stupidly long time before the console beeped and I pulled us out of hyperspace. Kriffing outer rim. I would have grumbled to myself for a good while longer if I hadn't focused in on the planet in front of me. Coruscant. The lights from the towering buildings visible even from this distance. I hadn't realised how much I had missed it until I was sitting there staring down at the enormous array of lights covering the planet's surface. As much as I wished that's where I was going the sub levels were my safest bet. Despite their not so charming atmosphere it still felt like home.

I landed as far away from the Jedi Temple as possible without making it impossible to reach where my mother's armour was stored... hopefully. I told myself it was a safety precaution but in reality I had no wish to see the crumbling ruins of a building that had once been the centre of my universe. I didn't need a reminder of how badly my life turned out. I found myself in a dingy hanger and Naakla snarled in disgust as she clambered out behind me. I decided it was best not to leave my bag in the ship and threw a few credits at the guy sitting by the door,
"Do me a favour and don't pull it apart." He grumbled but pocketed the money and waved me on.

The second we got outside, or as outside as you can be several dozen layers deep into a planet sized city, I picked Naakla up strapped her to my chest with some loose fabric. She didn't complain, instead she ducked her head behind the fabric and stayed like that, with one ear just visible. Apparently she had forgotten the chaos of the city too.

I had little idea of where to start. My mother's armour had been stored in a secure unit owned by the Hutt's the last time I had checked and with no way of knowing if it had been removed I was just going to have to test my luck. By, you know, breaking into a highly secure with no weapons apart from the things that could get me killed and no idea where it was being kept within said facility. Easy. Oh and the fact that this was one of the most heavily patrolled planets in the galaxy with the main purpose of any trooper being to capture, torture and subsequently murder any Jedi they may or may not come across... I probably should have put more thought into the whole expedition. I'd focus on that when it went wrong. For now, the Hutt's facility.

You would think a crime families heavily guarded facility would be easy to find. Apparently not. I hadn't bothered to memorise the location of said facility however many years ago and accessing the archives where the information was stored was pretty much impossible. I found myself pointlessly wandering through the streets, descending lower and lower into the damp skunk hole of the lower layers of the planet. The only useful thing I got out of it was improving my 'leave my alone or I swear by the gods I'm going to stab the living daylights out of you' look given the number of times I had to lose some tail searching for a bit of money.

After several wasted hours I found myself in a quiet bar on some tiny side street drinking the only thing they had on offer and trying not to think about what might be inside it that was making me feel off. It took me a glass and a half to realise it wasn't the drink making me feel off. I glanced up to look through the window and onto the street. It didn't matter that I was met with the underwhelming site of some stacked crates and walls in desperate need of a repaint I still reached into my bag and unlatched the box holding my sabers. They were the best weapon I had. I set my drink down on the table and Naakla clambered her way out of the sling and onto the floor. Slipping a few credits onto the table I stood up and walked out, subtly pulling the sabers from their case and clipping them to my belt.

I didn't bother to wait and see what was waiting for me in the shadows. The least force sensitive person in the galaxy would have been able to tell they were being watched by the time I reached the end of the street. There was a shuffle and then a thud on the ground behind me and I spun around, instinctively drawing one saber and pulling myself up into a defensive position. It took me a moment to realise that this was the first time I had heard the gentle hum of a lightsabers blade in four years. It would have been comforting if it weren't for the sight in front of me.

"General."