Chapter Text
Yan Dooku thought himself a fairly reasonable man. He had worked hard to be the person he was, to Master the force and become a being of strength and reliability for other Jedi in the Order.
Did he agree with everything the council decided on? No, most definitely not.
Did he like how closely linked to the senate the order as a whole was? No, but he would do what he could to open the eyes of his fellow Jedi.
Did he enjoy watching one of his friends suffer from debilitating visions? No, but all he could do was support Sifo-Dyas and be there for the other Master.
Was he happy with the distance his old Padawan had created between them? No, he really wanted to meet his Grand-Padawan, but he respected his Padawan's choices and would abide by them.
There were a lot of things he had issues with, but he did his best always to give his frustration to the force, to meditate and move forward with a clear head and heart.
He had meditated a lot on the way to his current mission. His Padawan had not helped his need to do so.
He loved Padawan Vosa of course, as he loved all of his Padawans. But she did her best to try his patience sometimes, and she seemed determined to do so while they flew to the planet Galidraan. The five ships full of Jedi, an entire battalion, was one of the things he had to meditate on often. His Padawans attention and affection towards him was but another. The vision Sifo-Dyas had told him about before he left (of a young voice calling for Dooku, only to be drowned out by the sound of lightsabers and blaster bolts) was another.
So yes, Yan meditated a lot on the way to Galidraan. And yet, he couldn't fully release his doubt and worry to the force, no matter what he tried.
The Kyber in his saber sang when they dropped out of hyperspace and made their way into the atmosphere of the planet. It worried him, but he let it slip to the back of his mind as he readied himself, collecting his secure com (the number for which less than 10 people knew, and all of them knew only to use it in an emergency), his outer robe, and his data-pad with the mission details uploaded.
Komari waited impatiently as the ship parked, bouncing on her heals and pestering one of the Knights who had shared their ship. She was so excitable, but also volatile. He was worried by her wildly differing moods, but despite his and Sifo-Dyas best attempts, he couldn't seem to get her to see a soul-healer. Maybe after this mission he would try to push a bit more, maybe even see one himself, if only so she would talk to someone (and maybe they could stop her fixation on him).
When all five ships had landed in a clearing near the governors mansion, he took a group of four (plus Padawan Vosa) to speak with the Governor of Galidraan, while the three shadows with them went out to investigate themselves, and the others stayed with the ships.
They had been told in the mission briefing from the senate to go straight to the Mandalorians and put a stop to them as soon as they got the the planet, but between his own mistrust, and the odd vision Sifo-Dyas had told him of before his departure, Yan wanted to ensure they left no stone unturned.
The meeting was nothing short of a headache and Yan regretted ever being in the same room as the man. His force presence was sleazy and the man was not subtle in the way he looked over Padawan Vosa and the other female presenting Knight with them, a pink coloured Mikkian named Maz Devl.
'His presence keeps rubbing against me master!' Komari complained through their bond.
Maz didn't complain as such, but the knight radiated displeasure and pointedly turned away from the man, even when addressing him. Her long tendrils made short, aggressive movements, indicating how much she was unhappy with the situation.
Yan and the other knights shielded them both, but for someone who wasn't force-sensitive, the governor had impressive projection skills.
He showed them all the same photos that had been attached to the report, grey and blue armoured Mandalorians slaughtering villages. None of them had been updated since the report was made, indicating that no further attacks had happened, but the Governor ensured them that the group was still on planet. Yan didn't miss the deceit, worried, profit that the man's force presence leaked out during their discussion.
The man was even kind enough to provide them with the location of the Mandalorian camp. A clearing not too far from the one they had landed in, in fact, how convenient.
The Governor made no mention of the Mandalorian who had left the mansion just before the Jedi had arrived. It was only luck that one of the shadows happened to see the warrior hurrying in the direction of their camp, a frantic buzz to their presence, even with all the beskar they were wearing.
The shadow, a red Zabrak with black hair, tattoos, and a crown of horns named Xeke, followed the Mandalorian at a distance.
'If you all leave now you will get to the camp just after this Mandalorian does,' Xeke projected through their connected force bond, a weak one that Yan had made with all of the knights on the mission.
Yan hummed before drawing himself up (not that he had been slouching before, it was more a drawing of his force presence than his physical body). Komari just stopped herself from launching out of the room, a slight twitch betraying her eagerness. The other knights all sent a pulse of acknowledgement in the force.
"Thank you Governor," Yan said evenly, cutting the man off from another long winded, useless sentence. "I think my knights and I shall take our leave now. We will head to the Mandalorian camp promptly."
The man offered his thanks and well wishes, even as his presence leered at Komari and Maz while they left. Yan couldn't wait to not have to be on this planet.
When his group of Jedi made it back to the ships, meeting with the others who had stayed and the two shadows who weren't following a Mandalorian, they quickly moved on. Most of them were fully ready for whatever they were going to walk into.
While Yan wasn't completely sold on the image the Governor and Senate were trying to paint, he would still be wary. He knew how dangerous Mandalorians could be, and while there were twenty Jedi present (which for anything else he would think was overkill), there were bound to be at least a hundred Mandalorians, if not more.
A few of the knights completed their final preparations, just in case it came to a fight. He could feel as the two shadows slipped into the force, hiding themselves from view and wrapping the force around them. Maz and another knight, a blue Ortolan named Cian, both assembled their lightstaffs, which they normally kept disassembled so as to not draw attention to themselves (more-so than Jedi typically drew anyway) with their unusual weapon type.
"Anade! Kry-tsad olar! Te aruetii kalhav jehaatir, dajunar ti dar'manda!" Yan could hear the warrior call out to their comrades, likely using their external speakers given the sheer volume that it produced (or they weren't as human as their armour suggested).
Xeke sent a questioning probe down their bond, but didn't move on the Mandalorian as they finally reached the camp, staying hidden instead. There was a flurry of movement, as other Mandalorians rushed to the one who had shouted, but none drew their weapons in response to the call. A few looked like they were talking on comms, trying to call others, though most of them stopped when Yan's party was spotted.
The Jedi stayed a respectable distance away, lightsabers reachable, but not in anyone's hands just yet. A line of Mandalorians formed, the one who had ran to them towards the centre front, with a few others stepping up just behind them.
Yan took note of the armour as the two groups observed each other. None of the beings in front of him had their armour painted like that of the photos they had been shown. In fact, every being had such different armour, it was almost grating to witness.
There were a few that were similar to that of the murders pictured, but where the murderers wore a dull grey, these warriors had bright silver or white, with other bright colours, blue and green being a common colour accompanying it. The one that had ran to the others, and now stood in centre front, was indeed dressed in silver and blue, with a large symbol in red on their shoulder. The symbol, Yan noticed, had a place on most if not all of the Mandalorians armour. The skull of a horned animal, as far as he could tell. Definitely not something that was in the photos.
Yan took note that the person in front was signing to those behind them, though he wasn't sure if they were responding or just following orders. He noticed another figure moving slowly through the back of the group, armour mostly grey/black and red, with a red cape attached. The others parted for the being easily, offering steadying hands when they looked slightly off balance. Their pace was slow, but steady, strong, and Yan kept an eye on them even as he stepped forward and addressed the group.
"Mandalorians, I am Master Yan Dooku of the Coruscant Jedi. We have been sent at the demand of the senate to investigate a group of Mandalorians committing atrocities against the villages of this planet, at request of its governor," he paused as a ripple of anger, discontent, righteousness came off the armoured group. "I do not believe you to be apart of this group, but I request you consent to our investigation in order to ensure that none among you are the perpetrators we are hunting."
There was a murmuring of conversation, mostly between the lead Mandalorian and their compatriots. Komari lent forward, and he almost hissed at her to stand still before she opened her mouth, force presence mischievous and eager. His kyber rattled in his saber, unhappy and scared.
She was about to talk, the first syllable forming in her mouth, when a comm sounded loudly in the mostly quiet clearing.
Both groups looked at each other in surprise. The Jedi watched the Mandalorians curiously, and the Mandalorians looked at the Jedi like stunned strill (or at least Yan assumed that was how they looked, under those helmets).
Yan sighed and slowly pulled the loud comm out of his sleeve pocket. Yan felt the full focus of both the Mandalorians and his Jedi Knights on him, disbelief and humour waring in the force (his kyber stopped as soon as the comm was in his hand, though Yan didn't notice the sudden lack of buzzing it caused).
"I am so sorry about this," he called evenly. "But as only a handful of people have this number, I feel I must answer it. Don't worry, I shall put it on speaker for your benefit."
Yan swiftly answered the comm without really checking who was calling, voice only, on speaker as he had said he would. Before he could even start on his standard greeting, a voice spoke up. A young voice.
"Grandmaster!" the voice was relieved, Yan could hear that instantly. "I'm sorry for comming, I know we haven't talked since Master Jinn took me on but-"
The young boy (it had to be Padawan Kenobi, who else would call him Grandmaster? Feemor was in the outer-rim as a watchbeing and Xanatos had left them. Rael didn't have a Padawan and neither did Komari. Kenobi was the only other option. Despite them never having met, the boy was calling him) broke off with a hiccuping sob, before continuing on. Yan was sure his face was a sight, but he couldn't seem to prevent his eyebrows from drawing in concern.
"-but Master Jinn left me, and there are children here and I couldn't just go! But h-he took my lightsaber and they ke-keep dying no matter what I do!" The boy sucked in a shaking breath and Yan took the chance to finally speak.
"Grand-Padawan where are you? I will come and get you, and whoever else you are with, this instant." Komari (and majority of the knights probably) looked at him like he had been replaced with a Hutt which. Rude. (Maybe Sifo-Dyas was right that he came off a bit… too uptight, if they were this surprised about him dropping a mission for a Padawan in trouble).
"I-I'm on Melida/Daan Grandmaster. The Young are fighting their parents, and I've been here for weeks now but nothing I do helps, and it took us two nights to get to the one working comm tower and yours was the only comm I could think to call, cause Master Jinn won't come and my friends are too young and I just need help," the boy spoke quicker and quicker until he dissolved into sobs.
Yan made a vague soothing noise, but he had never been great with younglings, especially crying ones, and he felt very out of his depth.
Komari was practically vibrating out of her boots, no longer directing her attention on the Mandalorians but instead on the comm in Yan's hand.
In fact, most of the beings in the clearing, on both sides, were intently focused on the comm. The feeling of the focus and determination in the force was intense. Yan wasn't a seer, or particularly strong in the cosmic force like Sifo-Dyas or the young Knight Windu who saw shatter-points, but he could feel the forces rolling waves, the feeling of important, pay attention, help whispering quietly past him.
Yan was so distracted by the force that he hardly noticed as Xeke slipped through the shadows at his side, their golden horn decorations glinting in the bright sun. The Zabrak touched his force presence and spoke to him.
'Our fastest ship could be there in just over three cycles Master,' golden eyes flicked to the Mandalorains. 'Maybe less if they would lend us theirs.'
Yan looked across briefly before nodding and turning his attention back to the comm.
"Padawan," the crying had lessened and Yan could hear the boy sniffle slightly. "I shall leave the planet I am on and bring all the help I can. We will likely be no more than three cycles, can you and your friends stay safe until then?"
"Yes," the boy sounded so relieved, and Yan swore he felt the force lighten with the word. "We can- we'll hide in the sewers. I-if you reach out in the force when you're on planet I can lead you to us."
"Good, and Padawan Kenobi?" Komari looked at him in slight surprise, as if she hadn't expected him to know the name of his Grand-Padawan.
"Grandmaster?" the boy sounded timid but his sniffles had fully stopped.
"May the force be with you," Yan said, more sincerer than ever.
Kenobi sucked in a sharp breathe before replying, hope and determination coming through his voice in equal measure. "And also with you."
The comm cut off, the silence loud and echoing across the clearing. Yan looked at the Knights gathered around him, at the Mandalorians across from them they had been sent to 'stop', at the comm in his hand.
He felt the force, asking it the way forward, and was rewarded only with the impression of potential, love, hope, light. Well then. At least the force was confident in the his choices, even if he wasn't. Even so he took a step forward.
"I apologise but it seems we have somewhere else to be," Yan heard some of the Knights behind him laugh quietly, and even more of the Mandalorians across from them let out similar startled bursts of laughter themselves. "Perhaps if you could simply confirm for us that you are not the group we are after, I can leave a few of my Jedi to investigate and the rest of us can continue on."
The original Mandalorian seemed to turn and talk to their compatriots, including the caped figure Yan had noticed earlier, before calling back.
"We are not the dar'manda you seek. We are here on contract from the Governor of this planet. I had just received word that Kry'tsad, Death Watch, a terrorist group known for these sorts of attacks, are here before you arrived. They are likely the ones who have been attacking the villages and blaming it on us."
They were younger than Yan had thought, sounding close in age to Komari and the younger of the Knights with them.
The caped Mandalorian stepped forward and beckoned to them.
"Come," an older, rich voice called from the helmets speakers. "Send some to bring your ships here, so that we may plan our rescue of the ad'ika together."
"Buir!" the original Mandalorian looked at the caped one sharply, as did a few others. "Jetii?"
The caped Mandalorian ignored the others and turned to walk back into their camp slowly, not even waiting to see if Yan would consent to his suggestion. There was a moment where neither group really moved, aside from the one slow moving armoured being.
"Well, I suppose we should retrieve the ships," Yan said as he started forward. "Shadows and Komari with me, everyone else go where you feel best."
Half of their number went back towards their ships, the rest following him timidly. Aside from the shadows (anyone who went into that line of study was just a little loose in the head, in Yan's professional opinion) and Komari, who looked excited both physically and in the force. Her grin was bright and sharp, but not directed at any of the Mandalorians they were coming up on, so Yan didn't address it.
They were led to a large tent with a low table in the centre. Already, there were Mandalorians sitting at one side, some more sprawled than others. Yan kneeled smoothly and some of the knights joined him, while others stood nearby in seemingly relaxed positions. Komari sat, barely, vibrating next to him.
There was a moment of awkward silence, before the caped Mandalorian sighed and raised their hands to their helmet, smoothly unsealing and removing it even as the other around them panicked slightly. An older man with rough features smiled crookedly at Yan as he set the helmet on the table in front of him.
"Master Jetii," his voice was smoother without the helmets interference. "I am Jaster Mereel, he/him, House Mereel, Clan Mereel, of the Haate Mandoade. My ad, Jango Fett, and I would appreciate the allowance to help you rescue the Jet'ika and other ad with them, if you would be amenable."
The silver and blue painted Mandalorian huffed but pulled off their helmet as Jaster spoke, revealing a young man who looked long suffering at his parents whims. Some of the other Mandalorians also removed their helmets, revealing beings of various ages, genders and species as they did. Most felt amused, excited, interested in the force as the beskar muffling armour was lifted.
"Ser Mereel, Ser Fett," Yan nodded to both of them politely. "I am sure we would both benefit the opportunity to work together, after such a close call with disaster. Knight Supres indicated that he saw faster ships among your fleet than we have in our own. If you would be willing to help us to the planet my Grand-Padawan has found himself on, some of us would happily stay here if you wish for help dealing with those who tried to pit us against each other."
"How did you know we have faster ships?" Jango asked, leaning forward slightly.
"I followed you from the city," Xeke answered from where he stood somewhere behind Yan, likely in a shadow. "Had some time to look around while everything was happening."
A lot of the Mandalorians straightened at that, looking and feeling startled and unsettled.
"Knight Supres is a Jedi Shadow, trained to hide and investigate the Dark. He and two others were investigating while myself and some of our consular Knights spoke to the Governor, when he spotted and decided to tail Ser Jango instead," Yan explained.
"Hmm… useful," Jaster said, contemplatively. Jango shot him a betrayed look and Komari stifled a giggle. "We should leave some here to take care of verd here to deal with the kyr'tsad, maybe some of the prudii jetii could stay and help."
"I am sure some of our number can stay and help your people," Yan agreed easily. "One Jedi is worth a great deal in a battle, even against armour as formidable as a Mandalorians. The rest of us should go to Melida/Daan, soon if possible."
The warriors nodded seriously and Jango turned to a man who looked to be of Pantoran descent. "Myles, put the word out that a half will stay to hunt kry'tsad while the rest of us go after the Jet'ika."
"Already done alor'ad."
"Alright everyone," Jaster clapped his arm guards together, a loud clear strike ringing out, the sound echoing in the force. "Let's go hunting, oya!"
"Oya!" "Oya Manda!" "Oya!"
Yan nodded serenely, this was going to go well.