Chapter 7: Shopping and Tea

As tensions grow between the corrupt Republic and the Council of Neutral Systems, member worlds of the Republic cut trade with an increasing number of neutral worlds to try to force their hand. However, the Separatists refuse to allow a crisis to arise from this and send a delegation to the leader of the CNS, Mandalore. Word quickly reaches the Senate, who fear the consequences of their actions, fear that Mandalore and other neutral worlds like it may join the righteous Separatist cause. Now, the Jedi Council meets to decide their next course of action against the neutral words.

Far from the war's front lines lay the planet of Coruscant, one of the few ecumenopolises in the known galaxy. However, it was by far the most developed. Its place at the heart of several of the most important hyperlane routes made it an ideal location to host the capital of the Galactic Republic.

It is also the planet that hosted the Jedi Temple, headquarters of the Jedi Order. It was, frankly, a massive building, far larger than any single building one could find on Earth. Its base alone could occupy the space of 8 Great Pyramids of Giza and still have space to spare.

Rising hundreds of meters, its walls leaned inwards, as if the structure was meant to be a massively upsized pyramid, but around halfway through, the design was changed. Shifting to a design best described as a ziggurat, with 5 massive towers placed atop it. 4 of the 5 placed towards the four corners of the ziggurat, and the 5th, the largest and tallest of them, was placed at the centre of the temple. The smaller towers easily added another 300 meters in height. In comparison, the centre one was 500 meters, which, in the end, left you with a temple almost 1,000 meters in height.

It was within this massive tower, where the Jedi High Council met, that the leaders of the Order were currently having an emergency meeting.

"This is a troubling change of events." Mace Windu stated that they had just finished listening to the report. One was delivered by the official Mandalorian government, and another was delivered by those who worked in Republic intelligence. The former was the most direct and concise means. At the same time, the latter also contained details of the party's makeup and additional information on each.

“Unlikely, this was. A place such as Mandalore, to court the Separatists — prudent it is not.” Yoda, like many of the council members, wasn't on the planet and thus spoke via hologram.

“They have been peaceful for some time, haven’t they?” Even Piell, another member of the council, asked.

“Yes, but it's not as if their warrior culture has been forgotten; it's very much within living memory, and we must remember their history of conflicts against the Jedi.” Plo Koon spoke up.

“Do they even have the numbers for such? Mandalore’s situation has only deteriorated over the last several decades.” Saesee Tiin asked, as Mandalore wasn’t what it once had been in the days of the Old Republic, when the Sith numbered in the hundreds if not thousands and organised into massive empires of their own.

"For front-line forces, no. But as for sabotage and special forces operations, they could be used in such." Kit Fisto replied, to which they recalled another issue that made Dooku's move all the more alarming.

“You mean already have done so, we still have the attack on one of our cruisers to consider. This could just be them being more open about the secret agreement to join Dooku against the Republic.” Adi Gallia brought up, as they had nothing to explain it. Only that the attacker was a Mandalorian, even being fitted with Mandalorian armor, a rarity even on the black market.

Obi-Wan, who had been silent as the reports were given and the rest spoke, finally broke the silence. “I’m not convinced." Like others, he wasn't on the planet. He was on deployment with Anakin when word came of the important council meeting, so he had to excuse himself to take the call.

“How so, master Obi-Wan?” Shaak Ti, on a rare trip to Coruscant from her posting supervising the training of clones on Kamino, inquired.

“I agree that Mandalore has a history of conflicts against us, and for many years, they took pride in each Jedi they managed to kill, but their current ruler is adverse to violence of any kind. The Duchess would never sign off on any alliance with the Separatists.” Obi-Wan explained his view on things, as no matter how he sliced it, he could never see Satine siding with Dooku and breaking her neutrality.

“Then how do we interpret recent events?” Coleman Kcaj asked. He was the newest member of the council, having been chosen to fill the seat vacated by the deceased Ki-Adi-Mundi.

“As of now, I believe we lack information to make any judgment calls. Besides, didn't the report claim that this separatist delegation was not a war party but one for trade?” Obi-Wan asked, as even the Republic intelligence didn’t mention any suspicions of droids being marked for the planet or any hostility of the delegation.

“The report also claimed that among them were the two commanders responsible for the Geonosis failure. This could be a power move from Dooku.” Eeth Koth countered, he too was on Coruscant, but in his case it was to fully recover from his wounds after he had been captured and tortured by Grievous not too long ago.

“Maybe, but we should try and gain further insight, preferably before the Senate does anything rash.” Obi-Wan could trust senators like Padme and Organa to speak with level heads. Still, such was becoming a rare commodity within the halls of the Senate.

“Agreed, on that. Obi-Wan, to Mandalore, you’ll go. Seek the truth, you shall.” Yoda ordered, to which Obi-Wan nodded.

“Understood.”

Line Break

Back on Mandalore, the day was turning towards afternoon, and in the capital, not much had changed. Despite news being announced of their arrival, the average citizen continued to go through their day without much worry or concern.

Most, not all, as could be demonstrated by those whom Nunnally spotted watching them as they walked through the city. With them were four of the Duchess's security. Nunnally wondered if it was because officials like them wouldn't typically walk around with the 'poors' or maybe it was the fact that they were from the CIS, and to many of them, that meant an assault of some kind.

'Probably the latter, but at least they aren't running in terror or pulling blasters.' She concluded that, despite being neutral, Mandalore, like many other words, favoured the Republic, and that also meant news coverage of the way. What annoyed her more was the fact that it couldn't have all been propaganda when they had people like Grievous commanding their forces, and greedy monsters like Wat Tambo, but hey, old Wa got what was coming to him, so she’s not gonna complain.

“You know, the airspeeder traffic here is crazy.” Catherine, not dressed in her favoured battle armour but more, as Mina put it, 'respectable clothing for a young lady,' mused as she looked up at the airspeeders above them. The rest looked up as well and spotted the floating, invisible roads above.

“It doesn’t seem all that hectic.” Inoue, the only member of their little outing party not originally from Earth, pointed out, as she had seen air lanes choked and moving at a snail's pace.

Catherine blew a bubble with the chewing gum she was chewing. Only when it popped and she pulled it back in did she respond. "I mean, just about every Separatist world we've been to, the capital included, doesn't have them flying so damn high that they look like planes." She pointed out. “And yet, this place only has that.”

“Maybe it’s a space issue. You don’t need to build roads when everything is in the sky, just mind buildings." Anna pointed out that, unlike those other planets, the city didn't have the option of expansion outwards, and even its vital expansion was curtailed.

“The entire city is built into a supersized dome, so I would bet they would be real savvy with space.” Araki nodded, as this wasn't her flavour of engineering. Still, she could see the challenge posed the same way it would be for starfighter design. Speaking of which, she was hoping they would be able to purchase some.

"Ma'am, please don't stray from us.” Nunnally groaned as one of the guards called out to them.

“You’re acting like we're criminals, super not cool." The young teen whined, as she had thought they would be able to just head out and enjoy the city before dinner and all the important talking stuff. Still, nooo, the Prime Minister had insisted they have an escort.

'For their protection' was what he said, arguing that without her lightsaber and their weapons, they'll need it. She was half tempted to bend him over her knee and spank him just to prove she didn't need 4 faceless goons to protect herself, but Mina agreed for her.

Catherine looked towards one of the guards. “I would have thought diplomatic missions should be treated better.”

“Sorry, mam, but things have been quite tense. We just wish to ensure that nothing…problematic arises.” The security guard replied, but none of them bought it.

“I would be hurt, but I guess this is what happens when you have slime balls as your diplomats. If I could get my hands on Gunray…” Nunnally muttered, murder in her eyes as Inoue tried to remind her to keep her cool.

"Nunnally, please," Inoue told her, to which Catherine did the opposite.

“Nunnally, please continue. Come on, girl, let it all out.” Did she care how nervous the guards were getting? Not really. Did she think Nunnally throwing a fit would be fun to see? Yes.

“If we’re getting in trouble, it’s because of you, Cathy-not me.” Sadly for her fun, Nunnally would fall for it…again.

Catherine gasped, a hand on her heart as if Nunnally had just given her a grave offense. “What? I would never!” She denied. "I was picked for this because, unlike an arson-loving redhead, I can behave just fine."

“I don’t recall it being so pleasant," Araki whispered to Anna, the former nodding as it wasn't some easy thing. Not all of them could attend. Kallen had been interested in partaking in the trip. Still, someone had to remain with Alice, overseeing their newly delivered forces. Lelouch had a new assault in mind, and they needed to be prepared.

That was the mood of the group: relaxed as they enjoyed the sights, and the rest managed their affairs. But for as pretty as the place was, it wasn't just sightseeing they came out for, and they were growing impatient with the lack of results.

“Are you sure it’s down this route?” Anna asked one of the guards, as they had been prepped on where the group wished to go.

“It’s what the maps say.”

Catherine groaned, her shoulders slumping so much that if she had shorter legs, she might be able to drag them across the clean street. “Oh, come on, aren’t you from around here? Surely you know a better way to get there.”

“I have my orders.”

“Or maybe he doesn’t know,” Nunnally teased, catching the slightest flinch from the man. Oh, she could use that, maybe see how far she could push their buttons, but she didn't have time for that. "Well, no matter, we can ask around! Fan out, ladies, we have intelligence to gather and a target to reach before we need to pull back." She ordered, pinning the guard's little slip as the rest saluted and spread out to speak with locals; Nunnally quickly joined in as she found an old man walking by to speak with.

They didn't stop with the few; the five young women moved through the masses, gathering as much information as they could before moving on, at least at first, as it soon became something of a tourist's typical move: trying to be friendly with them. Anna, Catherine, and Araki have the most luck.

Nunnally, as well, but the guards could tell how much she hated it; once people stopped fearing her as a separatist soldier or diplomat, they saw her as the adorable little girl and treated her like a Merqal. It was mildly entertaining watching her try and largely fail to get them to stop, as it only made people swoon and laugh more.

“Should we…?” One of the guards, as an older couple approached Nunnally, having been steered there by Catherine, who smiled as Nunnally glared right back at her fellow Separatist.

“As long as we can see them, it should be fine. Besides, I don’t trust that she’s not dangerous.” Another replied, the Captain of their small guard detail.

“Wait, you mean, Nunnally? She’s tiny.” One pointed out that even the Araki girl was slightly taller than Nunnally.

The Captain snorted. “Doesn’t mean I don’t see her being able to pull something, you know how Jedi are like.” His family still told stories about them, how the Jedi fought them so many centuries ago. Even their Padawans could pose a threat, and his gut told him that out of this group of teens, Nunnally was by far the most dangerous when pushed.

Sadly, he was alone in that assessment as the others didn’t see it. “I don’t know, besides, she's the only one like that. Aren't the rest just normal girls? 2 of them don't even look like they know how to use a blaster, never mind fight.” How could they, as Nunnally was picked up by one such person, like she was a Tooka Cat, to which she reacted like one, utterly adorable and nearly harmless.

The Captain sighed. “Just keep your eyes on them. I don’t want us to be part of why the Separatists or the Republic decide to invade.”

Line Break

Eventually, the locals got their fill of them, much to Nunnally's relief, as she was not a fan of being treated like the damn mascot. What? Did she need to brandish a weapon for people to see that?

But she couldn't act out. Mina made it clear she wouldn't be happy if Nunnally caused a scene, but as soon as she could, she was going to request to head out into the wastes and break so many things. That would come later, as she had to address the regathered group right now.

“Well?” She asked.

“According to 11 different locals, the target location isn't that far from here," Anna stated, the rest confirming as much and pointing out the direction.

"Then let's proceed. We're on a time crunch.” Nunnally ordered as they raced down the road, utterly uncaring for how their bodyguards were calling for them to slow down as they chased after them. Nunnally needed a release, and it seemed she wasn't the only one, as the rest couldn't help but laugh as they raced each other, dancing as they went downstairs and through alleys, before at last, they arrived.

“There it is...we found it.” Inoue gasped, looking close to tears as she looked at the building.

"Never thought I'd see one for myself." Catherine looked as though she was incredibly hungry, her eyes fixed on whatever was inside. And what was this building? A genuine Mandalorian weapons shop. A rarity these days due to the Duchess's policies, but one couldn't simply erase or suppress centuries, let alone thousands of years, of warrior culture. And Mandalore, atop of its armour, was known for its quality gear and weapons, which aided them through so many of their wars, and this shop…this was their ticket in.

“They have it, they really have it-oh yes, I need to see more!” Catherine squealed, hugging an equally overexcited Inoue as the two weapons fanatics rushed inside, ready to spend a fair bit of their allowance on the best and most unique they could find.

Line break

As his sister and the rest enjoyed some time out in the city, Lelouch was left with their assassin droid, which none of their hosts believed could be trusted to be left alone.

A fair fear, as the droid was an old model, practically ancient, and yet, it was in some ways, more effective than modern commando droids. It was just the 2 of them, as the girls would all be sharing one room, Mina got another, and as the sole boy of the envoy party, he was granted a smaller room for himself and HK-47. It wasn't as much an insult as one would expect, and the room itself was still quite spacious and befitting what any visiting dignitary would require.

'Unless they're Britannian, then this room would be enough to harp on and cry out for war.' Lelouch dismissed his former people. They sought any reasons for violence and expansion they could get; his father sought endless wars and didn't care who or what had to be sacrificed to achieve it. But at the same time, he didn't care about anyone, as if he did, he would have certainly…

'No, don't think about such things now, you'll upset yourself.' Lelouch shook his head, returning to the present as he sat on his balcony, a space set up to allow one to comfortably sit with two others, share refreshments, and take in the sights of the city that Mandalore called its capital.

HK, of course, wasn't the typical kind of polite company. "Observation: The local populace appears both wary and nimble. Translation: They can turn on us, and there are many convenient places for the meat bags to hide."

"Yes, this city is very much a maze of sorts. Part of me wonders if it's a smaller-scale version of Coruscant, though I've only seen pictures. Or maybe it's designed to confuse and spread out an attacking force, giving the defenders every little advantage they can get." Lelouch took a sip of his drink, seemingly unconcerned about things.

HK turned to him. "Query: Why are we doing all these political moves when we could force our way through? Suggestion: I have several suggestions that we could obtain our objectives."

“Because that is not our objective, Hk." Lelouch smiled, closing his eyes as he took in the afternoon rays. "We're not trying to draw Mandalore into our cause; our purpose here is opening up trade between us, and then, through that goodwill, with the other members of the CNS."

HK kept his gaze on him. "Scepticism: My records indicate that such an approach is historically unlikely to succeed. Comment: I have personally done away with several Mandalorian warriors in the past, and their culture is one that only respects strength and blood, nothing else."

Lelouch hummed, swirling his drink around, non-alcoholic both because of his age and his avoidance of such depressants. "Perhaps that was the case in the past," Lelouch acknowledged. "However, wouldn't you consider the planet vastly different from the world you knew in your prime?

HK shook his head. "Anger: Your words imply my prime has long passed, but unlike your frail meat bags, I can last centuries with only minimal maintenance, while you all start falling apart by 60 in some cases." But then the droid paused, Lelouch suspecting he was searching his memory banks, at least the parts which hadn't been posted to time long before he found and salvaged the assassin droid.

"Begrudged Admission: Your words are also accurate. Mandalore, 3000 years ago, was much greener and more suitable for the inhabitants. Joke: There was plenty of wild game to be hunted, some of which shot back. Quite the exciting time."

He then asked. “Clarification requested: Does Your Excellency prefer persuasion, coercion, or the more... permanent persuasion? I find the final option most satisfying." Before Lelouch could respond, there was a knock at the door, and it opened up, allowing Leila to walk into his chambers.

"Ah, you've managed to handle things with our hosts?" Lelouch asked, unfazed by her just walking it. They had, after all, shared sleeping quarters for years.

"Somehow, though, as the Duchess said earlier. We'll discuss more about this at dinner in a couple of hours." Leila replied as she slowly took a seat, ensuring her dress didn’t bunch up on her bottom as Lelouch poured her a drink. “What have you been discussing?”

Handing it to her, he gestured towards the droid. “HK here seems convinced that we could perhaps trick or force their hands in the coming talks. That or we try and murder the lot of them and probably install a puppet.”

Leila nearly dropped the offered glass as she turned to the droid. “HK-47!”

"Confusion: Such methods have historically worked, and could prove the most expedient considering our time limitations. Eagerness: I long to return to the battlefield, as I was robbed of a chance to participate during our last campaign." HK-47 replied, leading Leila to groan into her hand, counting to 10 to keep calm. This…this was fine, they couldn't handle it. It wouldn't mean much even if the Mandalorians had plants in the room; talk meant little when they could disprove it.

“We’re not doing any of that.” She shut that down, not knowing if Lelouch hadn't already, but just to be sure, she was double-shutting it down. No, she didn't care if that didn't make sense.

“She’s right, besides,” Lelouch chuckled as he took a sip of his drink, his gaze moving out towards the city, more specifically, a taller building than the rest. It had a pretty good-looking rooftop garden. “Coercion is noisy and becomes a problem for optics. We need allies inside the council, not martyrs. The Republic and other neutral worlds can look to and denounce us."

Leila’s brow twitched, but she wouldn’t fall for his bait. "I swear, you've been spending too much time reading those political theory books; they'll make you as heartless as HK-47."

"Pride: I am quite happy with the lack of such an obvious weak point, one which has millions of documented cases of issues pertaining to factory production or are you call it, conception, pregancy and birth, and age, which you meat bags can't resolve, whereas I, as a droid myself, only need to request new parts or have someone produce them should such stores prove unhelpful." Hk-47’s retort was quick and without pause.

Leila often wondered just how far ahead the galaxy's medical sector was compared to their home planet. Back home, they struggled to make strikes in cloning. Yet, here they were, fighting a literal army of genetically altered clones.

“Anyway,” She pushed past that. "Mina thinks that the Parliament will be pleased with our progress, little as it's shown to be, as we haven't been outright rejected. But she also thinks there is something weird with their movements, such as forcing the talks to be moved to dinner."

“She didn’t predict this?” Lelouch asked, to which Leila shook her head.

“Report accepted. I will be unpredictable only when authorized. That said, unpredictability increases the probability of delightful chaos." HK-47 stated.

“Oh, we know you enjoy the chaos of battle, but I prefer when things move as they should, for even carnage has a habit.” Lelouch mused. “Still, keep your delights for now. I have a feeling that the Duchess was buying time. She couldn’t have expected this, even if we announced our attentions when we made the request."

"It could also be the fact that you were so willing to hand over your weapon, you and Nunnally look naked without them," Leila noted, gazing at his hip where his lightsaber would typically be hanging, but it was gone.

Lelouch shivered. “I feel naked without it; it's unsettling to say the least. But if it keeps them on their toes and gives us an opening, then it’s a move I will not backtrack.” He grumbled, Leila smiling at his mood, but not pushing him on it.

"And the Republic? Surely they've heard about this by now. You think they'll make any moves against us?" She asked, as that was a major reason why it was so difficult to obtain approval for this.

Before Lelouch answered, his gaze returned to the tall building in the distance, one with a wonderful rooftop garden that would be great to explore. "Any violent ones? No. We're in a neutral system, and if they made a move…well, we could always drag the fighting back towards the planet's surface."

It went unsaid, but if that were to happen, then the locals would surely be caught in the crossfire. However, while it would not win them any favour with the Duchess and her ministers, the people would focus more on the Republic's assault on their world and rally to their cause. Forcing Satine to side with them, if only to oust the Republic.

Leila was not a fan of the idea. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

"Let’s hope. As for other moves, I can imagine the Senate is up in arms that Mandalore would even accept this meeting, given that they refuse to recognise us as anything more than a rebel force opposing their authority." Lelouch joked as he found it quite funny how quick the Senate had been to pretend like they weren't a legitimate force speaking for hundreds of member worlds.

Quite honestly, it reminded him of home, of the Areas Britannia created. For Leila, it only deepened her resentment of the EU and it’s failures that cost her parents their lives when her father tried to make it live up to the ideals it professed.

"Mina and I believe that when they make a move, it would be to try and disrupt the deal, but they could just as easily use it as an excuse to further isolate Mandalore to try and scare other neutral worlds into compliance." She stated, as she wouldn’t put it past the Republic to forsake entire systems to starve if it meant they could prove a point and demonstrate some foolish sense of dominance.

Lelouch glanced away from the other building to focus on Leila. "Which is why these talks need to bear fruit. If we can demonstrate how both sides can benefit, more planets and systems would be willing to open similar talks with us. It would be a major boon for our cause if we could gain access to new markets, preferably ones not controlled by the Trade Federation."

"Disgust: It was a mistake to allow such a powerful faction to form, more so when it was run by Neimoidians," HK-47 spoke, toneless and yet carrying heat to his words. “Dismissal: Such species are hardly worth the fine cloth they wrap themselves in and can’t be trusted for anything more than cowardice and greed."

Line Break

She had a perfect shot. And she remained unseen, as she had predicted. The kid thought he was smart to look up towards the taller building, which offered plenty of cover and was an obvious spot for a sniper like her. Or maybe he was just interested in it. Either way, he wouldn't live-

Before she could pull the trigger, something impossible happened.

Lelouch, pausing his talk with the other Separatist brat, turned his gaze towards her. Over 600 meters away, and he was staring right at her. "What the…no way, I'm just, imagine things. He couldn't be-" She couldn't even shake her head and clear away the thoughts when Lelouch smiled towards her and mouthed 'Try it.' Followed by 'You'll be fun to hunt.'

His smile only grew, and even from this distance, she could tell there was something seriously wrong with him. His eyes seemed to shine with a level of constrained malice that sought to be unleashed, and if she didn't think, that would be her.

Safe to say, Bo-Katan Kryze chose not to risk her life for nothing and did not take the shot. She'll happily explain the why to her bosses, then fight…whatever the hell that kid was by herself.

Line Break

Lelouch hid his disappointment in the lack of excitement before their dinner with the Duchess as he stood. "Well, it seems we have some interlopers, possibly the republic."

HK-47 followed his example. "Question: What do you mean by interlopers? Is this another one of those moments where the force is required to understand?"

“Already?” Leila asked, as she looked in the direction Lelouch had gazed up with a concerning level of anticipation. Still, she couldn't see anything out of the norm.

Lelouch led them inside, closing the door behind him. he was confident the would-be shooter wouldn't try anything, but it was getting chilly. "I don't know. But we planned for such. Nunnally and the rest should be back soon, but just to be safe, we should inform them, along with Mina, about this. We don't want any surprises compromising our plan."

“You think the Mandalorians can handle this?” Leila questioned, though she wasn’t sure herself.

“Doubtful, however,” Lelouch shared in that sentiment, but his smile only stretched wider. His eyes were glowing in a way she rarely saw, which didn't end with someone dead and possibly humiliated beforehand. "It might just make this trip a fun one; it's been a while since I've stretched my legs."

Line Break

And we're back with the second part of the first Mandalorian arc, as I'm planning on this being just the 3 chapters, as I need to keep the word count in mind and prepare for future arcs, as I really do want to have more lightsaber action. Still, Lelouch is sadly not the type who seeks out such close fighting. He strongly believes in victories achieved through strategy, not tactics.

Speaking of, I won’t lie, I had some fun writing the banter for the cast, especially when a certain someone arrives. In fact, rewatching the first Mandalore arc to get a revision on Satine as a character made me wish that the Obi-Wan series was set during that extended mission when he was still a Padawan under Qui-Gon Jinn.

That mission lasted a year, one worth of content to be mined, which could have been incredibly funny considering how those two acted in Clone Wars, and being younger means they would be much more aggressive and open with the comments, retorts, and comebacks, all while poor Qui-Gon has to be the adult in the room.

It could also cover some serious moments which helped shaped them, as it civil war which killed most of her people and turned her into a pacifist, maybe she had a scene similar to Kenobi seeing the dead at the Jedi temple and knowing it was fellow Mandalorians who committed it, maybe she knew the killers and believed in that aspect of society till it hit so close to home. And afterwards…well, she would perhaps spend plenty of time speaking with her 2 Jedi on the merits of peace, cooperation, and negotiation over violence.

It would help explain her later disappointment in Obi-Wan being a Jedi GENERAL in the Republic's army, as if anyone could understand the meaninglessness of civil wars, she would have thought it would be him. Obi-Wan, being a Padawan, can also be written to not be nearly as skilled as he was in Phantom Menace, so the stakes and villains don't need to be so strong.

I'm getting away from things. I hope you all like this chapter.

Line Break

Yeah, someone pointed out I forgot how HK talks, as he's an older model who can't emote like I implied in his prior appearances. So, I made sure to correct that here. I could have gone back and changed the chapters as well, but that felt…dishonest in a way. It's my mistake, it's not spelling or grammar, I just forgot that detail…somehow, so I’m just gonna own it.