Chapter Text
You'd have to be dead to miss the fall of the Republic.
It was on every holonet site, every sign, every screen; even in a neutral system. As for Satine Kryze, it was written all over her face.
"Jedi uprising." She sneered in internal disbelief, though she was positive her own advisors knew where she stood on that supposed fact, which was cutting through every possible news channel. She found it positively ridiculous how there only seemed to be one narrative on the matter. No debate, no explanation, not even an investigation. The Jedi, who despite their more recent actions as soldiers (per the Republic's demand, might she add), were typically the very last vestiges of peace in the corrupt government. Now, they were bad. Simple as that.
Of course, in an Empire there is no other point of view- just the Emperor's.
She may have not always agreed with the Jedi, but at their core, she knew in her bones that they were fundamentally good. One did not become a successful leader without having fine-tuned instincts.
But she still had to watch their temple burn. The news outlets framed it as a success for the newly anointed Emperor Palpatine, who heroically ridded the galaxy of a treasonous and dangerous cult. It was not reported as the tragedy it was. They did not talk about the young children that lost their home and loved ones at best and their lives at worst. They did not show the Jedi walking along their friends into battle to only have the very same guns turned on them in half an instant. They did not display the cries or the fear or the bloodshed. Instead, they kept reverting back to what Satine could only assumed was doctored footage of Master Mace Windu attempting to assassinate Palpatine. The footage cut out from there, erasing the rest of the scene without a trace.
And whether out of deliberate ignorance or general enthusiasm, people ate it up. It was easier to believe that the strange religion that outsiders did not understand betrayed its people rather than the government. It was easier to see the Jedi as dangers than it was an old man that supposedly navigated them into peace.
The term "peace" was now being thrown around hither and yon, it seemed.
Some folded because they had to and surely developed contingency plans of their own. Bail Organa of Alderaan was certainly no fan of the matter by glance alone. There was Mon Mothma, who was by far the boldest of his adversaries, despite technically walking in line with the Emperor's new ideals. Padmé Amidala had been one of them, of course, but...
Satine shivered at the thought of her friend's unfortunate loss. She hadn't even known Padmé was pregnant. It was another thing she could not fixate on for too long if she wanted to remain on task.
Wanted posters flocked everywhere in search of remaining Jedi stragglers. Despite the pain that it caused her to look upon such young and abandoned faces, she checked every single day for updates. It did not mean these Jedi were necessarily safe or alive, but it was the only form of hope Satine had to go on. Mandalore would surely be confiscated by the Empire. Palpatine's very goal seemed to be acquisition at its finest.
It was only a matter of time as it had been a mere 3 weeks since the destruction of the Jedi Temple. The Empire was to be the way. As a leader of an entire group of people, she had to determine what was best for them. Her whole platform had been built on pacifism and maintaining the peace, but this Empire would not be responding with such kindness.
She did not doubt the fighting capabilities of her people, either, of course. They were Mandalorians, but there was not enough of them to take on the drones of brain-washed soldiers that would arrive at the front door the moment someone set a toe out of line.
"Those that attempt to disrupt the peace and bring chaos to our galaxy will be silenced." Slavery. He was going to enslave those that did not fall firmly into his shriveled grasp.
She never liked that man. Ever.
She looked out her balcony and at the morning sky that washed the city in orange and pink hues. It was beautiful and peaking through the skyscrapers, but her anxiety kept her from appreciating its true decadence. She could not allow herself to slow down and take a moment. There was too much to prepare for and worst of all, there was too much potential loss that was creeping in the corner of her mind. She tightened her grip on the railing to steady herself to Mandalore and to her people. That, in and of itself, was enough of a budding tragedy that did not require thought of a Jedi with soft eyes and sharp wit.
The Empire was coming.
"Satine?" Her sister's voice called from behind her, interrupting her array of thoughts. "Korkie said you wanted to speak with me."
She released a breath before turning to face Bo-Katan, who looked nothing like her, but had aged substantially in the past couple of years- ever since she distanced herself from Death Watch. Dark circles underlined her eyes, indicating she'd been sleeping approximately as much as Satine had lately. Despite their philosophical differences, both wanted what was best for Mandalore and both knew for a fact that this Empire was not that. Bo-Katan had changed her mind significantly ever since they began to work together on improving Mandalore's future. Fighting off Maul and his band of cronies certainly acted as a much needed force for the two of them to get along.
Still, in the amber lighting of the hallway, Satine could not help but see her little sister. Not the one that woke up one day and decided Satine was weak and went and joined a terrorist group, but the one that would come into her room when she was small and troubled with nightmares. The one that would give Satine her olives because she didn't like them and accept Satine's cucumbers for the same reason. The one that wanted Satine to take her to school or to read to her or sing with her.
She knew, of course, that Bo was no longer that little girl and to think of her in such a way was hurtful to the both of them in the long run. They were on the same side again, which would have to do.
"I did. The Empire is coming for Mandalore."
Bo snorted, "We've known that."
"I reckon they'll be here any day now." She twisted her hands nervously at what she was about to ask of her sister. Her sister, who was no longer a child, but still much younger than anyone that should take on such responsibility. She'd decided that for herself, in a sense, when she wanted to uproot everything Satine had built. She'd apologized since then in her own way and while Satine had mostly forgiven her, there was one final piece to that puzzle of redemption. She hadn't seen it until she awoke this morning and realized what needed to happen for Mandalore.
"You're afraid." She commented, "We all are."
"I need you to take my crown away from me." Somehow, she managed to look Bo-Katan square in the eyes when she said it. Despite all the practice of decorum and the schmoozing of politics, she could not fool her sister. If she did not make immediate eye contact, it would not resonate as an official decree.
"Excuse me?"
Now that it was said, it became easier to explain, for some reason. The first words were often the hardest to say, because from there, the frame of conversation was dictated.
"I'm a threat to our people, Bo. I've been nothing but a thorn in the Emperor's side during the Clone Wars. Had it not been for me, we would have been another system he would already possess. On top of all of that, I have considerably strong associations with a wanted Jedi Master of the High Council. I'm sure they'll see that as a reason to call me treasonous."
"And I'm your sister."
"Who has never publicly supported me." She didn't mean for it to sound like a slight, but it certainly came out that way. She didn't miss the way her sister's eyes fell just a smidge, but she continued on. "Which I never would have believed that to be a strength until now. Nobody of the public knows you are on my side."
"Because you didn't want to be associated with me."
"That's not-" She clenched her fist and took in a calming breath. "I didn't want the rest of our people to be under the assumption that I'm in the business of being in peace with terrorists. Even if I know, in my heart, that that is not you. Your narrative in this is as someone who Palpatine likely believes he can manipulate."
Because you've been manipulated in the past.
"But you aren't." Satine said with a hardened edge to her voice.
"I'm no leader either." She squawked, "Politics and... And diplomatic solutions... And boring legislature... That's your ballpark, not mine."
"You do not see what I see when I look at you." She took her sister's hands in her own. "When I look at you, I see someone strong, adaptable, smart, and caring. All of which, might I add, are exceptional qualities to have as a leader. Also, when you're not trying to be a brooding troglodyte, people like you quite a bit."
A fond smile quirked at her lips as she rolled her eyes. She did not release Satine's hands. "And you think all of your loyal advisors and precious followers will listen to me if I snatch that crown from off your head?"
"Since when do you need to be well-liked?"
She shrugged, "You've got me there. And remind me again why you can't just pawn it off to me in an announcement?"
"Because then the Empire will know we are at least on speaking terms."
Bo nodded and seemed to weigh the heaviness of the conversation just then. She didn't want to be Duchess of Mandalore, but truthfully, when Satine was 18 years old and forced into the role after her Father's murder, she hadn't wanted it very much either. But she had a duty to uphold.
She waited for more protest, hoping and praying she had the words of encouragement to persuade her sister as well as herself.
"I know this is hard for you." Bo said. "I don't deserve this."
"Then earn it." Satine said.
The redhead released a breathy laugh and looked nervous for the first time in her life. It was a valid title to be nervous over. Satine remembered the night before her commencement. Satine hadn't been the world's favorable candidate either at the time. There she was, a young girl who seemed like an outsider that spent most of her days on Coruscant rather than her home world of Kalevala. Many viewed Satine as someone that wanted to crush Mandalorian tradition in favor of 'fluff' that had filled her head. She was labeled an idealist and a fool, but she fought (in her own way) tooth and nail to get where she needed to be.
And the hurt the hurt that settled over Satine as she thought about leaving Mandalore was immeasurable. It cracked her heart in ways she did not know were possible. She'd given up everything for her people. Everything. Now, it seemed she had to give them up if she wanted them to survive. It was a cruel and unfair joke, but she'd analyzed it from every angle. The Empire was coming and she knew they would not see her as someone they could work with. She was unsure if she could play into their game.
Better for Bo-Katan to play the part of the obedient Imperial leader and to do everything to protect the citizens of Mandalore than for some stranger to come in and enslave everyone.
"What will come of you?"
That was a very good question.
"I can advise you- off the books, of course, because so long as I live and breathe, you will never be alone in this."
"Do you think..." She trailed off like she wasn't sure if what weighed on her should be said.
While Satine was always a huge proponent of strategizing conversations, there was no room for tactics here. "What is it?"
"Do you think Kenobi made it?"
That was a question that Satine had not been prepared to ask herself. While she'd never been the type of woman to lose herself in anything, much less a man, she could not deny that a piece of herself would die alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi. She could not seem to fathom it and to question his resilience felt like betrayal, but it had been weeks since the fall of the temple and the hunt for remaining Jedi began. Obi-Wan's name had been popular on the list of the 'Unfound' as they were calling it, but this did not guarantee his safety. It was a big galaxy, but the Empire's reach was far.
"I've not heard anything." She said quietly.
Bo-Katan nodded, "Sometimes, no news is good news, yeah?"
"Yeah." Satine swallowed what felt like her whole heart.
Actual good news would be better though.