Shadows of Tomorrow

Chapter 63 - Return to Onderon

Marr stands shakily and re-enters the hold, images from his vision still swimming through his mind. It shakes him to the core, more than words could ever say, to see the destruction of his home planet in such a manner, and he knows what he needs to do, even if it will hurt.

"Well?" Bo asks, looking up at him.

"I need to get into contact with the rest of the Rebellion. Mandalore cannot go up against the Empire alone. It will only lead to its destruction," Marr replies.

"... Mandalore could never be destroyed," Anastasia scoffs.

"I saw it," Marr answers, voice level.

"What did you see?" Bo asks, warily. She certainly has more faith in his Force abilities than his sister does, or maybe it's just that his sister still prefers being antagonistic about everything.

"The planet... in flames," he replies, quietly, "And they sent in droids to destroy what was left."

Vizma looks at him with wide eyes, and he really wishes she didn't have to be dealing with all this right now. She's far too young, but he can't shield her from it anymore. That's exactly what he was afraid of. Vizma wasn't supposed to be like him. She was supposed to be raised as a warrior, not dragged into the fight he was supposed to be fighting until she was old and skilled enough to handle it. None of this should have happened, would have happened if he'd been more careful.

"What are you saying we do, then?" Korkie asks, "I'm not leaving."

"You can go back," Marr replies, "I can do this on my own. It'll put you in needless danger if I'm there." And speaking of which...

"But Daddy, you can't leave again!" Vizma protests.

He crosses the room, sitting down next to her again. "I don't have a choice, little one. But..." he looks to Bo, "I don't know if it's safe for Vizma to stay on Mandalore, either."

Bo frowns. "What are you saying?"

"It would be safer there than anywhere else. She'd be with us," Anastasia objects.

Marr shakes his head. "Her training is a complete secret among us, but if the Inquisitors know I'm a Jedi now, they'll at least want to check and see if she's Force-sensitive. They know she's there, so it will be riskier. If she comes with me..."

"I can go with you?!" Vizma asks, brightening a little.

"Maybe," he concedes.

Bo frowns. "Where you're going will be dangerous," she replies bluntly.

"I won't take her with me into battle or anything," Marr says, ignoring Vizma's pout, "For now, I'll be working in the shadows. I think she'll be safer with me, and I can keep training her. I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"If you think this is best, then do it. Good luck," Bo decides finally, though her unhappiness is obvious. He knows what he's asking of her. She just lost her sister, and now she'll be apart from both him and her own daughter. It will hurt her, it'll hurt all of them, but it's what needs to be done.

He can't believe this, that he's about to be separated from them. And something tells him that this time it isn't going to be as short as it was when he left for Dathomir. Still, this is the only course of action he knows how to take.

"Will you... be alright?" Marr asks, looking between them, what's left of his family. He doesn't know when he'll see them again.

"When am I not? You're the trouble magnet," Anastasia retaliates.

"I should be asking you that," Bo replies.

"I'll be fine," he promises, "Make sure you are, too."