8 Chapter 8 – New Enemies

Reijar, the Ordo System…976 ARR…

Haron sat at his desk and sighed as he worked through the insane amount of virtual paperwork running territories as large as his came with, who would have thought a warrior culture would be up to its neck in paperwork Haron thought as he massaged his temples. Revenue was way up and for the most part things had calmed down, the clans sworn to them were behaving themselves and everyone was busy with the rebuilding work.

Meanwhile they were making good progress on recreating the Siantide and Null Cannon technology from Revan's Vault. While similar in many respects to the normal Ion Cannon the Null Cannons were far more effective if slower to charge and harder to aim. Combined with the Siantide technology though it would be a very potent mix. Not to mention they had managed to successful recreate the Cloaking Device from the Ordo's Revenge and though they were keeping this to themselves for now it was an amazing step forward.

He had also learnt of the new modular weapon system being created by Blastech and through his own shares acquired the data on it, now his own weapon-smiths were working to create their own version for their elite commando units; a standard blaster rifle, a sniper module and an anti-armour grenade launcher attachment, not to mention some little upgrades to their armour.

But to what end he thought? Not sure where they were going with this, to unite the Mandalorians as a people once again? To build a new Mandalorian Empire? What was it they were reaching for he wondered.

His primary goal was to protect his family and friends, to ensure their safety and that of their people. To do that not only did they have to be reunited as a nation but also to stand strong too if Luna's vision had been right. The dark future she had seen hung over all of them like a cloud threatening to throw down all its thunder and lightning and destroy all they held dear.

Haron was angry at fate for once again putting him and the people he cared about in the position of having to 'save the day'. He had no idea just what they were going to do and were just winging it as they went and who knew if that was going to be enough. His first instinct was to try and stop this empire from rising but he had no idea just who to go after or what points to press.

Tired he rubbed his eyes and wished briefly he didn't have to deal with all this but he cursed his own 'hero complex' he had heard it called, if someone needed saving or a disaster was about to happen he couldn't just stand by and let it happen.

The door opened suddenly and he looked up to see his wife Ara standing there, she smiled at him before saying as she came across the room.

"Work too much." She said knowing he could handle it but a break wouldn't go amiss either, perching herself on the edge of his desk she saw the appreciation in his eyes at her intervention.

"A little, not to mention the threat hanging over our heads." He told her wishing again they were free of this so they could just enjoy their own lives without this constant pressure in the background.

"We can't help that." She said with a sigh of her own knowing he took this far most seriously than he needed too. "We just have to live each day as it comes."

"You're right." He said getting up from his desk and walking around it so he could be face to face with her, smiling as he wrapped his arms around her and she did the same around his neck. They stayed like that for a moment till a babyish laugh made them aware someone else was in the room.

Turning around they saw Lelia had woken from her nap, the little girl was growing fast and would soon start talking. She missed Deera who was currently off visiting her mother's family holdings and so he had brought her into his office so his presence in the force would sooth her, her force powers even as a toddler was incredible as she sensed them so clearly. She reached out her arms for a cuddle and with a smile Haron let go of Ara and walked over to pick up his little half-sister. She squealed as he picked her up and then to make her laugh Ara came over and started tickling each the little girl which only made her laugh louder as the two adults smiled and enjoyed her pure childish joy, both seeing it with their eyes and feeling it with the force.

Ara didn't even remember what she came in to tell him but when she was dozing later that night she remembered it that she had missed her period.

- x -

A similar scene could be found not far away as Neville knelt on the floor with Hannah and both of them were cooing over their little son Frank. The baby cried with joy as he saw his parent's smiling faces above him and they played with him.

"Do think he will like a sibling someday?" Neville asked and Hannah blinked in surprise for a moment at the sudden and unexpected question before telling him.

"Easy there tiger, we've only just gotten one, let's not rush to get a second yet." She said not eager to go through pregnancy again so soon. Neville himself looked shocked and worried he had upset his wife.

"No...no...I just meant." He objected but she stopped him by pressing her finger against his lips and saying with a slight smile.

"I know but let's just enjoy this time while we have it. It never comes again." She told him, the experience of doing all this the first time she meant. The magic of this moment would never happen a second time as while they would have more children in the future if they had their way it would never be like this again.

He then smiled too and both turned back to their little boy who yawned, tired from playing with his parents and quickly fell asleep. The two of them had tears in their eyes as they watched their sleeping boy, Neville carefully picking his son up like he was made of the most fragile glass and walking over to the sofa nearby where they could sit. Hannah snuggled into him as the three rested there together without a care in the world.

- x -

The forests outside of the compound Luna was sitting lotus style on a rock as she watched her new acolytes begin their training.

Her initial travels around Mandalorian Space once the war was over had been enlightening, most Mandalorians would never allow a child with the force to be taken by the Jedi. Aside from their love and devotion to family it was seen by many to be emotionally abusive; the way the Jedi denied their younglings emotional bonds from the moment they were taken from their family. Endlessly told emotions were evil and had to be avoided not to mention being given no chance to deal with any trauma they might suffer, Luna could only shake her head in disgust at what they did to their recruits and she felt very sorry for those already taken.

It was for this reason why no Jedi Recruiter had been to Mandalorian space in over a century and none had been recruited in even longer. The last time from what she could gather the Recruiter had found a force sensitive child in the Western Reaches and tried to convince the family to give the child up to the Jedi for training.

However the family had refused, intent on keeping their child here to be raised by them safe in their home and in their love. The Jedi however had not given up so easily and tried to use their famous mind trick on the family so they would give up the child, however one of the parents was strong willed enough that they resisted and then for reasons that Luna could not even begin to fathom the Jedi had simply tried to steal the child.

That had been a mistake she thought grimly as the idiotic recruiter hadn't even gotten a mile before the local clan rallied in pursuit, as strong as the Jedi were they could be worn down by pure numbers and the warriors had overpowered the Jedi and recovered the child. Once the baby had been given back to their family the Jedi Recruiter was made an example of and publicly executed before his broken body was sent back to the Jedi Temple as a warning that should they try such a stunt again this is what they could expect.

No Jedi Recruiter had entered their space since.

That meant that any person born with the force was free to have a family and in turn potentially pass those powers down to the next generation, so there was a large number of potential force wielders in their space or so she had discovered. Many were too weak, too young or too old for proper training but she had managed to find twelve recruits that could be trained in the force. Those that were too young yet though and were interested in having their children trained had moved here so they could begin when they were ready.

Her current twelve pupils all sat around her in a half circle meditating as she guided them on connecting the force, she wondered if this new force group they were making should have a code of its own but for now she put that aside to ensure they could at least connect to the force.

"Do not try and make the force come to you, let it flow naturally." She told them. "Let it fill you up and guide your actions."

She felt the force around all them begin to flow through them and smile, some were struggling a little and for some it came easily but she would guide each of them to find their path in the force. The only real issue was since they had yet to find a source of Kyber Crystals that was not monitored by the Jedi they could not complete their training in the magical arts but she would be able to teach them a little bit and prepare them for that day. Basic force powers like telekinesis and body augmentation could be taught though and would make it easier for them to master magic later.

Luna did worry herself with finding the crystals though, but she reassured herself when the time came an opportunity would present itself.

One Week Later…

Haron was sitting at his desk when the message came in from the hyperspace scouts he had employed, he had not been expecting to hear from them so soon given how long it usually took to find new traversable routes, many routes if you found any at all were unusable for one reason or another.

But apparently much to his surprise they had managed to find a couple and they led deep into Wild Space. A number of systems had been discovered and while many were bland and uninteresting they did Haron realise present the opportunities to construct some hidden bases to retreat too if needed along with some potential mineral resources to be exploited.

A few had been singled out though for various reasons; one was lush and verdant making it perfect for an agroworld and two others had vast mineral wealth if he could find the means to exploit it.

But the last two had unique features of their own; the first was an endless swamp covered world broken only by a single ocean in the southern hemisphere. Uninteresting in itself but this planet was inhabited and by humans no less!

It had taken some digging through the databases but with some of the details provided by the scouts about the system and the planet but he had managed to find out the planet was called Zakuul. He remembered its history from his lessons as a boy and read up as much else as he could from the database. The planet had once been the capital of the Eternal Empire and conquered most of the galaxy during the Galactic War over three and a half thousand years ago. Eventually they had been overthrown, returned to seclusion and been cut off from the rest of the galaxy by a nearby supernova ruining the regular route.

Cut off from the rest of the galaxy and still not used to having democracy the planet had apparently fallen into civil war and devastated themselves, reverting to a more simpler existence in small settlements across the planet at a pre-industrial level to say the least with only rudimentary technology or science.

Haron was almost grinning from ear to ear at this development, this was an enormous opportunity. Providing science, medicine and technology to these swamp dwellers would be a good way to entice them into joining their faction or potentially finding one group and helping them conquer the planet. With the basic technology they had it would be almost easy for his warriors to do that and absorb Zakuul and its people into Mandalorian Society.

But the final system of note to be found was useful for another reason all together, massive sphere constructed around a star with a habitable interior surface that was abandoned by people but had vast amounts of advanced technology laying around unused. Further searches of the database identified this sphere as Iokath, abandoned due to the same supernova that had cut off Zakuul from most of the galaxy and an explosion on the interior of the sphere itself which had covered it in high levels of radiation which had finally dropped to a safe background level with medication.

Iokath technology was supposed to be second only to the Rakata in how effective and powerful it was, the Republic had managed to construct one of the most efficient shipyards in history the Meridian Complex with scraps of their technology. Much could be learnt here and much more achieved with exploration of this world.

Haron leant back in his chair ans he considered his incredible good fortune, these planets had the potential to elevate him and his people well above the rest of Mandalorian Society and maybe even fuel the rebirth of the Mandalorians as a force in the galaxy. But he thought with unease did they had the means to exploit these resources to their greatest extent and who knows what else the scouts might discover when they were finished charting this new series of hyperspace lanes they'd found. He would have to speak to the others about this though before he made any decisions, he might be the leader but he was not a dictator.

- x -

When Neville, Hannah, Luna, Ara and Deera had all managed to find time they came to his office and met with him. He showed them the data the scouts had sent and all that it entailed, they listed in awe of this bounty that had fallen right into their lap. When Luna had told them to probe Wild Space none of them had imagined anything like this would happen. But now they had to consider just what they were going to do about it.

"Well, can we build up Zakuul and integrate its people into our own culture?" Ara asked not sure if they could provide the resources needed on their own without bringing others into it which of course defeated the purpose of keeping this as secret as possible. It could take decades for Zakuul to become useful if it ever did. Were they willing to put the effort in to get it up to scratch over such a period of time? Was it even worth it?

"Iokath has large automated factories, they can provide most of the equipment we need." Luna said with her voice light and almost childlike. "We just need to make sure they are operational before we go to Zakuul."

They all looked at her with surprise at how she could know that when they didn't but rereading the report sent by the scouts Haron did see notes about factories. He wondered just how she had seen that small detail but either way they would need to investigate further.

"I'll go and take a team to check it out." Deera said with enthusiasm, the chance to see all the technology of Iokath not to mention studying a structure like it, a hollow sphere built around a star. The sheer complexity of even designing it let alone building it would be awesome and really had her interested.

"Make it a large team, there is no telling just automated defences there might be." Hannah said with concern for her safety. Neville hummed in agreement and Deera looked around the room to see they were all looking at her with the same expectant expressions and sighed.

"Okay, a large team." She said hoping to have kept it lighter rather than have to cater to a larger group.

"And me." Haron said with a stern voice, not wanting to send his sister into that potentially dangerous environment alone. He knew her, she would likely sneak off from the team to examine things herself. She frowned as she realised she had been rumbled but nodded in reluctant agreement.

"So with that settled I want you guys to come up with a plan to integrate the Zakuul into our territory." Haron said knowing that even if they found all the resources they needed a plan to get their foot in the door, it would be essential to getting anything done.

Everyone nodded in agreement while he and Deera started to think about just who they were taking and who could be trusted. Spies were everywhere and Iokath was too valuable a resource to be exposed to everyone.

Iokath, One Week Later…

The surface was in perpetual daylight since it at all times faced the sun and even had clouds given the scale of the environment that had been created. Haron stared at the city so massive it could cover tens of thousands of planets maybe more. In all his travels he had never imagined anything like this.

Deera too was amazed at the incredible structure and what had been built upon it, she could only imagine how long it had taken and what else a culture like this was capable of.

Droids apparently maintained the sphere's interior and so their team had set up in the ruined abandoned Republic compound which was in a relative safe area with fewer droids or at least ones that did not attack them as long as they were left alone.

While most of the Republic equipment was out of date and now rusted to uselessness the objects they had been studying were still in very good condition. One of which caught their eyes immediately, a type of black cloth strangely. It was strange in the texture felt denser than normal and while it bent easily like cotton it was far harder to cut.

The team had managed to set up a yard of it stretched out on a frame and one of them drew their blaster and fired straight into it. Haron and Deera were expecting to see a smoking hole in the fabric but instead the fabric seemed to be unfazed by the blaster bolt with only a slight burn mark showing it had even been hit.

"Perfect for a body suit to go under our armour sir." The scientist they had brought with them said proudly. "Virtually tear-resistant and can shrug off most energy discharges, also very useful for lab work or in a factory or shipyard." The Duro said excitedly and Haron nodded.

"This is a great find Professor, see if we can replicate this. Combined with beskar plates it would make our warriors near invincible in battle." Haron told him with great interest, if beskar plates were good quality then the obvious weakness in their armour was the gaps which revealed the bodysuit underneath. With this material that weakness would be far less vulnerable and he suspected this was only the tip of the iceberg as to what was here.

"Continue with your explorations while myself and my sister access one of the factories and the data terminals." He said and with their bow Haron and Deera took off with their jet-packs. Seeing the surface from the air only made it seem to go on forever and honestly Haron wondered how big a team you would need and how long it would take to fully explore. More than their lifetime he was sure.

As they landed at the factory its main terminal was unguarded and as such Deera was able to start work uninterrupted while he kept watch to make sure it stayed that way. As her fingers moved with lightning speed over the flat-panel display Haron could feel her irritation with his presence and frustration, feeling like he was treating her like a child. She had yet to fully master her shields and he would have to make sure she fixed that before going out into the wider galaxy should any Sith or Jedi find her.

"Say what you need to say." Haron said with slow calmness, knowing she needed to let these feelings out rather than bottling them up. She stopped typing and was still for a moment before she turned to face him with her face twisted by anger.

"You are treating me like a child." Deera said sharply, her eyes blazing with anger and he nodded slightly.

"Yes and no." He replied which honestly took her off guard as she had not expected that answer. "Regardless of you being a grown woman now you are still my sister and I will always be a little protective, its my nature especially given how much we have gone through in recent times and what might yet be. But I know how capable you are and I respect that, Deera never believe I look down on you because I don't. You are without a doubt the smartest woman I have ever met, none of us can do the things that you can do and your powers in the force have come a lot way since you began training with us. Never ever think that I don't think of you as an equal." He told her with complete honesty letting down his own shields so she could sense he was telling her the truth.

She looked overwhelmed for a moment as she knew with the force that he was saying exactly what he thought. It surprised her with his honesty and while she did still resent the fact that he was going to be the 'protective big brother' it was reassuring to known he did think so highly of her. Not sure of what else to say she told him what she had found.

"These factories are limited in what they can create but colonial supplies and spare parts, small things at least we can make. They have some kind of energy to matter conversion process which is fed by solar energy they collect. Maybe there are other factories that can produce bigger equipment but if so we haven't found them yet."

Haron nodded, it sounded similar to how the Star Forge had worked gathering energy from a sun and using it to build massive fleets and armies in record time.

"Then we should be able to use the factories to make some of the equipment we are going to need to not only build up Zakuul but our other worlds later. But if we show up with massive amounts of equipment sooner or later people are going to ask where its coming from so we'll build up Zakuul and create a surplus of parts and equipment for later on." Haron said eager to keep this facility a secret for as long as possible, but at least they could start on Zakuul.

Zakuul…A Few Weeks Later...

The swampy world of Zakuul had once had large and vast impressive cities and a highly advanced if decadent culture. Now however its incredible cities lay in shattered ruins from wars long ago and its people maintaining only the basic necessities of life. A fall from grace unlike nearly any other in the galaxy.

So when one of the larger villages that was scattered around the planet equator saw strange lights in the sky they had no idea just what to make of it, none of them had ever seen anything like it in their entire lives and the whole village came out of their thatched cottages to see just what was going on. Then a shape, no a lot of shapes emerged from the gloomy clouds above like giant birds made of metal. Some of the more learned and wise had heard about such things in the ancient legends that remained of their former glory and exploits in the larger galaxy although few had given such things much thought in the daily struggle for survival.

They watched amazed as the ships lowered a rack of some kind underneath them and then people seemed to descend with flames coming from their backpacks, the people were wearing strange armour unlike anything they had ever seen before. It covered them from head to toe and seemed to be made of a body suit with armoured plates attached and a helmet that completely covered their head with a dark T-shaped visor that showed nothing. The plates and helmet were painted an emerald green colour while the large pack on their back and the vambraces on their wrists were a dark grey and the suit under the armour plates was black in colour. They all wore the same colours suggesting to the people of the village that they were part of a larger force.

They landed gracefully, showing they were experienced with such movements, they were also the locals noticed heavily armed as although they only had ballistic projectile weapons they recognised weaponry when they saw it.

"Who is the leader of this village?" One of the tall ones said and this one they noticed had gold patterns on his helmet and guessed this one must be the leader. The voice was masculine but it was strangely altered, not sounding entirely natural.

Everyone looked around each other, not sure what to say or if these people were a threat or not and whether they should be reaching for their own weapons, however a younger man with darker skin and black hair cut short stepped forward.

"My name is Arron Vortena, I lead this settlement. If you are here to conquer us then be prepared to destroy us because we will not bend." He warned them.

The leading warrior seemed to regard him for a moment before removing his helmet, surprising all of them as a human man appeared and younger than they would have expected. None of them had expected them to be human or led by one so young even if their own leader was only around the same age. That being down to having inherited his position from his own father after a swamp creature got him.

"I come not to conquer Zakuul but to extend an invitation." The warrior said in an intelligent and calm voice, looking Arron straight in the eyes as he spoke. "My people recently discovered this world while exploring uncharted space and I can offer you the chance to not only unify your people but to elevate them to a far better standard of living."

"Such deals always come with a price." Arron said aware of deals their village had made in the past with other settlements. The other man nodded and said.

- x -

"Indeed it does, joining our society means you must obey our laws but none of them are what you would call difficult to follow. However in return not only would we help you unify your people once again but give you the means to live far better than this." Haron said wondering if Luna, who was standing in full armour nearby was right to choose this village rather than any of the others. But her instincts were sharper than any of them and she was far more in tune with the force so he listened.

"Perhaps we should discuss this inside?" Arron said with suspicion in his eyes, Haron sighed he really wished they didn't have to thread on egg shells like this but no new worlds had joined the Mandalorians or been integrated into their culture in hundreds of years meaning it was almost a lost art. Diplomacy however would mean he would not have to go to the trouble of conquering this mud ball in space and then occupy and build it up despite resistance. While it didn't seem like much and would take years to get it and its people up to a useful level it was strangely balanced in the force. Most worlds that they had been too with strong force auras were either aligned with the light or dark side of the force exclusively like Yavin 4 for example which had a strong dark side aura in places.

Zakuul on the other had was almost perfectly in balance, half-way between the two and it was far more comfortable for him and Luna than most other places because of this. The light or the dark were not constantly pressing down on them, perhaps because their own group used both light and dark sides of the force if it was even fair to call them that.

As he followed Arron with Luna and a number of locals into the stone wooden panelled building with a thatched roof, it had primitive but reasonable furniture inside and they waited for Arron to speak. He turned them and stared with anger.

"We are not some beast of burden you can buy at market or are impressed by boasts of luxury." He told them and Haron had to stop himself from shaking his head, the man was tempted by what they were offering they could feel that but he was too suspicious to accept it. The daily struggles were hard here and what they were offering could lift his people out of the dirt but he could not just accept it for fear of what strings came with it.

"Nor did I claim you were." Haron said calmly. "My intention is to see this planet as a productive world in Mandalorian Space and its people living the standard of life we strive to give all our citizens. The costs of this are that if one of us is threatened we are all threatened and so we stand together as one, the house you follow will protect you and those in your care if you provide that same loyalty in return. If you won't take it...someone else will." Haron said leaving that to hang in the air, it was true eventually one of the village leaders would take the deal they were offering. Either through greed or through desperation or any other number of reasons but someone else would take their offer eventually and they would be in control of this planet.

He and Luna could nearly see the wheels turning in Arron Vortena's head as he processed their words, the opportunity was incredible and unlikely to ever come again not to mention the chance to make their lives better was something he could not ignore given their hard struggles. After thousands of years of sliding backwards technologically his people would at last be turning around and regaining something they had lost. Not to mention from the sounds of it he and his family would be the ones to benefit the most as the leaders of the most advanced settlement on the planet.

How could he refuse?

"Tell me more about...being Mandalorian?" Arron asked wanting to know just what he was signing himself and his people up for. Haron smiled as did Luna under her helmet, they didn't think he would have a problem with most Mandalorian Laws or beliefs given how big they were on family and community not to mention pushing yourself to be the best.

After a few hours of explaining all their laws and customs both men stood and Haron offered Arron his hand, the wait was so tense it seemed to last a long time but soon Arron accepted it and shook his hand.

"Good, now as a token of our gratitude for your joining us, a gift." Haron said and send the signal via the comm system. A team of his warriors came in with a pair of large devices, Arron had never seen anything like them in his life and so looked at them with confusion so Haron explained. "A water purification system and a power unit to keep it going till we can establish a grid of some kind. This will provide fresh, clean and safe water every time the tank on the side is filled." Haron said and his warriors demonstrated with some dirty and probably dangerous water from the swamp and poured it into the tank.

Arron and the villagers that witnessed it were astonished as before their very eyes the water was filtered and separated from the dangerous muck from the river. They boiled most of their water but even then they sometimes did get sick if it wasn't done right, one of the Ordo Warriors took a sip of the clear water to prove it was safe before handing it to one of the older village women who cautiously did the same. The moment the liquid touched her lips her eyes widened as for the first time she had clean fresh water to drink that didn't come from rain.

Soon all the people of the village were milling around to get a good look at the machines and get a drink of clean water, Haron would leave a group of his people to maintain it and get things ready for the rest of the equipment to come not to mention start teaching the natives all the skills they would require.

It would take a long time but it would they hoped be worth the effort in the end.

Some Months Later…

Haron watched as the team broke ground on the new city they were building on Zakuul, it was a big step but when all the amenities were in place people from all over would be flocking to join it.

The newly minted Clan Vortena who stood there in their durasteel versions of Mandalorian armour was slowly gathering people to their side and hence why a new settlement was needed. Safety from the swamp creatures, buildings with heat, lighting, air conditioning with sturdy paths and roads not to mention schools and hospitals. It took a large investment of resources from Iokath but slowly their plans for Zakuul were coming together.

Also while they were excavating a nearby ruined city for useful land they had discovered a single surviving Iokath data-core left over from the war. Inside were the designs for the Eternal Empire's infamous footsoldiers, the Skytroopers. The design was a little degraded but was by large intact and it was impressive Haron admitted; inbuilt jet boasters so they could fly, they carried a blaster rifle but could be fitted with mounted weapons of different kinds. Reasonable resilient yet cheap enough to deploy in large numbers providing you had a factory and the resources to produce them.

Haron pondered for a moment, the Skytroopers had been instrumental in the Eternal Empire's Conquest of the known galaxy thousands of years ago and with a few upgrades would easily be brought back to match and even surpass their new rivals in this day and age. While Mandalorians were excellent warriors and easily worth at least ten or more trained soldiers on a bad day they were far fewer in number than their potential enemies which was often their key weakness and had brought them down time after time.

The Skytroopers could fly and keep pace with them, it would be an insult to their warrior egos but they were the potential grunts of their new army...vastly increasing the size of their fighting force.

It would be a hard sell he knew that, but it was an advantage too big to pass up.

However for that even if it was going to be tried a new factory would need to be build to create them, so far they hadn't found such factories on Iokath even if they were sure they existed given the large number of droids there. Even when they did Haron wasn't comfortable by basing all their operations in one place, that was just asking for trouble he thought. One accident or a natural disaster and it was done for so they would need to build a new one elsewhere.

They had the hidden planets and moons to do it and one planet had been highlighted as being ideal with a mix of hydroelectric, fusion and wind power plants. They even had a good design for a factory that could produce the droids and even starships based on what limited data they had on the famous Meridian Complex, potentially creating much needed capital ships for their fleet but also labour to mine the resources and built it were however a big problem.

Haron on the ship back to Reijar pondered just how they were supposed to overcome this issue, his uncles had often told him that if life didn't provide such an opportunity...make one. But how he thought with a headache coming on, so much was on going at the moment it was a struggle to balance it all with the already difficult task of managing Ordo's extensive territory.

At least he could console himself that the new fabric from Iokath was arriving on different Ordo worlds and warriors after being shown its effectiveness were replacing their old bodysuits with the tougher material as he and his warriors already had done, the cover they were using for now was that it was being manufactured by someone House Ordo had privately contracted and were keeping it that way to ensure their enemies didn't get it. Not that they could recreate it as the technology needed was on Iokath Haron thought with some satisfaction.

Just then however as he was hoping to get some much needed sleep the comm system started blaring with a call marked as extremely high priority from House Farr, sighing with irritation he massaged his temples and accepted the call.

It was to his annoyance a holo conference not a single caller, all the allied house leaders sat around him a circle.

"Good, now we're all assembled I have concerning news. Our colony on Mizzal was destroyed five hours ago." Duchess Ceta Farr told them all bluntly.

That was concerning Haron thought, while the clan that ruled that world had been part of the New Mandalorians and therefore pacifistic an attack on their space was something that could not be ignored.

"Do we know who is responsible?" Yal Takan asked with anger on his face, he had economic dealings with that colony and it had been in talks to come over to his house before it was destroyed. If this was an internal issue then that could mean another civil war which was the last thing they all wanted.

"Yes, my warriors were able to capture one of the people directing the attack from a frigate in orbit. A Geonosian named Gizor Dellso." Ceta told them and that sent a chill through all of them. If a Geonosian was leading the attack then this meant it was an invasion of their space from the out side and despite not being officially announced everyone knew that the planet Geonosis was apart of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. If they were responsible...Haron wondered if they had even half the time they would need to ready their people for war especially when they weren't unified yet.

"What did he say?" Mors Lok asked many of the same concerns in all their heads, especially since the 'Mandalore' was unlikely to do anything about it.

"That they were testing the droid army on our colonies for future war with the Republic." Ceta told them and Harlan said with grave worry.

"So they will be back, targeting colonies who can't defend themselves."

That was quite a few Haron considered, while many on the border were not pacifistic most had only a small force to defend themselves with and without proper warning with a large droid army against them...he was unsure if they were prepared for that kind of fight yet.

Then something occurred to him, if the Separatists were bringing their droid army then a fleet would be needed. Sensing an opportunity he decided to propose something.

"Then we will need to establish some kind of patrol force to protect the colonies since of course our stupid and pathetic leader won't, hopefully this should get us some potential new allies among the other houses and clans. But this might also be the chance to gain some capital ships for our fleet." Haron said with a calculating look in his eye.

That surprised all of them into silence, it was bold to say the least and Lila Kast spoke after a considerable pause.

"I admire your ambition and boldness Duke Ordo but I am not sure we have the warriors or the weaponry for that." Her point was very valid but she did not know all the things he did.

"Separatist ships all have a high degree of automation so not much is required in the way of crew either droid or organic so they can be deployed in large numbers not to mention my people have an experiment Ion Cannon that will knock out all equipment with a single shot." He said deciding to let them think the Null Cannons were mere Ion cannons for now. The prototype was ready and had been successfully fired so it should be exactly what they needed, it was currently mounted to one of the frigates and should be ready to go.

The rest of the house leaders looked very surprised but intrigued by what he was saying, it would be an amazing boon to their limited forces if they could capture some Separatists ships then it would give their fleet some much needed teeth and get them a big head start in building up their forces. No Mandalorian Capital ships had been built for centuries as money for such projects had always been tight and then when it wasn't the pacifists didn't want to spend money on defence instead of their own artistic or civilian projects.

This was the best chance they would ever get and a very important shortcut. One they could not afford to ignore.

The House Leaders all turned to each other and exchanged looks and after a long time turned to him. Ceta Farr told him.

"Your idea about a patrol force is agreed and we will assemble boarding parties but this weapon had best be everything you say." She warned him and he nodded with a confident smile.

"Don't worry it will be." He said, ending the call and sighing as he sat back in his chair. He would assemble a force of warriors and ships for the operation but first he called up a holomap of the border colonies closest to Separatist Space. He took a deep breath and let the force flow through him, letting it guide him to the next place to be attacked.

The energy of the force was a warm and comforting one to him, letting him relax for awhile until he felt the push he was looking for. Opening his eyes they landed on the colony of Aq Vetina, a small colony on the edge of their territory. Split between Old Way and New it was a small outpost that few bothered with but it was unallied to any house that would likely rush to its aid and remote enough that even if help was sent it would never arrive in time.

Perfect target.

He swallowed his anger at the CIS and all its rotten business leaders and despite the worlds that had sided with Dooku, it was the huge corporations that had joined it who were the ones that really ran the show and even then Dooku had them dancing to his tune.

Well Haron thought darkly, it was time to make them see just why they don't pick a fight with his people.

Aq Vetina, Two Weeks Later…

Haron was almost second guessing himself as he and the taskforce hid on the other side of the planet's moon waiting for the enemy force to come, time had passed and while there had been no more raids in the time since the last he was starting to wonder if he had guessed wrong. Maybe Aq Vetina hadn't been the target after all and another colony was being destroyed while the force meant to protect it languished here.

The other house leaders were getting frustrated too but were left with little recourse but to wait for the attack to come before deciding whether to void his membership in this alliance or not yet. It would be a bad decision but they would do it to punish him. Haron personally would only care about this if people died as a result of them being in the wrong place even if it was a step backwards in unifying their people.

He then received a message from the automated relay they had hidden on the other side of the moon to make sure if an enemy fleet arrived they were aware of it. His mouth twisted into a smile, one Separatist Fleet.

Haron however wasted no time and gave the order.

"All ships, action stations...move us into position alpha and fire the Null Cannon when in range." Haron ordered the helmsmen. The man handling the position and the weapons officer in charge of the cannon both nodded and their ships quickly moved into position.

Ahead of them was the small Separatist Fleet, only five ships but all larger than their own, two Recusant-class Light Destroyers, two Munificent-class Star Frigates and at the centre of the formation an extremely large Lucrehulk-class Battleship. Their own fleet in comparison was three times bigger in number if smaller in size, also carrying significantly less weaponry and weaker shields.

It all hung on their Null Cannon, a fact that made Haron extremely nervous.

"We're in range sir." The Weapons Officer said which actually took Haron a moment to register that he had spoke. Haron then repeated his command.

"Fire."

- x -

The Separatists thought this was going to be an easy victory for their larger and better armed ships when the small Mandalorian Fleet appeared, this was going to be too easy.

However then the lead frigate, one of the few reasonably large ships in the formation charged up a large cannon shaped weapon on its front. After a couple of seconds it discharged a blast of purple energy, the shot flew through space quickly and passed straight through the Lucrehulk's shields, upon hitting the hull rather than tearing into its armoured skin it spanned out in an arc of purplish lightning all over the ship.

Instantly all the lights on the ship went out and its engines spluttered before shutting down, the weapon took only a moment to recharge before firing again. This time the frigates were the targets and as each shot hit them the same thing happened, they lost all power and began to drift.

Finally the destroyers were hit by the cannon and were likewise shut down.

- x -

Haron smirked as the Null Cannon proved its worth, it had taken a complete refit of the frigate and drained so much power that it couldn't provide energy to any other weapons and maintained only minimal shields but it had been a big success although if this was going to be a regular event he would need to find a better ship to mount the cannon too.

But he still had a job to do either way so he put his helmet on and gave his orders.

"Send the boarding parties immediately and tell the other ships to do the same." Haron ordered before leaving the bridge and heading the small docking bay were the boarding pods were waiting, he entered one just as it sealed its hatch and detached. Rushing quickly over the large listing Lucrehulk Haron then received a simple, short message from Ceta Farr who was commanding her own boarding party for one of the frigates.

I was wrong, you were right.

He smiled under his helmet, knowing this was all she was likely to give but it was accepted. However he became serious once again as the pod slammed hard into the Lucrehulk's hull and pierced through as close to the bridge as it could. While they did possess good armour the main protection of a Lucrehulk lay in its shields so once they were down there was little to stop the boarding pods. The sound of grinding metal was torture on the ears but it soon gave way as the hatch opened and Haron led his warriors out into the dark gloomy corridors of the disabled ship.

Immobilised droids lay everywhere and the lights and artificial gravity were out so they had to use the night-vision mode on their Heads Up Display to see. Plans for the ship purchased from the black market showed them exactly where the command centre was and thanks to the power being out the limited crew could not close the heavy blast doors.

So activating their jet-packs to help the move in zero gravity they zoomed along the corridor until they came to the bridge, it was an almost comical scene when they got there, Neimoidian crew members floating helplessly through grasping desperately at the walls, at consoles anything to try and steady themselves. Haron's warriors flew straight in and started hitting them with stun blasts, like fish in a barrel it was far too easy and all of them were out cold in seconds. But then again what did you expect from such a decadent and greedy culture which used droids to fight for them?

"Secure the area and begin a hard reset of all systems." Haron ordered and the technicians among them went to work. To reactivate the ship's systems it was necessary to completely shut down all systems and then with an external power source restart them. As his people managed to get the lights and main computer back online one of them plugged in a small portable computer that would use the central droid control net to transmit a virus to shut down all droids aboard and prevent them retaking the ship.

Feeling the gravity turning back on he was glad to have his feet back on the deck.

"Dispatch warriors to find and secure any other crewmembers, I doubt they will be of much use but perhaps we might drag some useful information out of them." He ordered and the warriors all chorused.

"Yes sir." Before racing off to search the excessively large ship.

Haron looked at the throne like command chair and thought the builders of this ship were a bloody arrogance and vain lot, he shook his head with disdain and then checked in with the frigate.

"Ship's bridge secure, send additional reinforcements."

"Understood sir. Reports from the surface though indicate two landing craft disembarked before capital ship was shut down. The colony is under attack." The communication officer reported and Haron frowned before mentally hitting himself. He should have been faster in disabling the ships and now they had a colony to save due to him not being fast enough. However he knew better than to waste time beating himself up and rushed down the hanger deck.

When he managed to reach it he was amazed at the sheer scale of it, it was so large they had managed to park more than twelve Crusader-class Corvettes next to each which were disembarking soldiers easily and when he reached one that had just landed and was about to disembark its troops he said.

"Change of plans, take off and head down to the surface. We have a colony to save." He ordered and like good soldiers they nodded and all prepared for battle as the ship took off and went down to the surface.

- x -

The Crusader was a perfect anti-starship vessel, its sharp shooting laser cannons could easily pick off missiles or small craft when they came within its range.

So when the HMP Droid Gunships came in to strafe the colony the Crusader's well trained gunners were able to pick them off with ease, outside the town two large landing craft stood having disembarked their cargo and Haron surveying the scene from the small command bridge was immediately furious at the callousness and disregard for life that these Separatists had. He could see men, women and children being gunned down without any mercy or compassion by the droids which was not surprising given they were just doing what they were programmed to do.

The ones that really disgusted him were the ones that ordered them to do it.

His anger seething he told the warriors.

"Disembark and take down those droids, once that's done secure those transports." He said sharply and with such authority none of them even bothered to say anything as they leapt out of the corvette and engaged their jet-packs. Haron followed them and landed in the centre of a war zone, the sights and sounds of blaster fire and explosions hardly registering as discipline and experience took over. Seeing a pair of B2 Battle droids closing on a group of unarmed civilians Haron let rip with his blasters, their yellow bolts cutting deep into the hardened droids which turned and aimed for him, judging him to be the biggest threat.

Rather than just stand there and let himself get shot even though his armour would protect him Haron dived for a pile of debris while continuing to shoot, ducking and rolling to a more protected position Haron continued to shoot, the droids protective plating pierced easily by his blasters. Mandalorians took such pride in their weapons, making sure that not only were they well maintained but also packing a little extra punch.

Separatist blasters however were mass produced rubbish that were only just...good enough to be effective while being cheap.

His warriors were easily taking down the droids, their armour and small energy shields providing perfect protection while being far more mobile and unpredictable than the droids.

A sudden tremor in the force though made Haron turn to see a B2 battle droid pulling open a hatch to some sort of underground storage bunker and aimed its wrist mounted blaster at something. He raised his twin blaster pistols and started firing without thinking. The droid's plating tore like paper and it staggered briefly before falling to the ground as useless scrap.

Making his way over Haron stepped over the droid to see just what had grabbed the droid's attention. He blinked under his helmet as he saw a small boy in red robes cowering inside the little bunker. The boy couldn't be more than eight years old and was looking at him with awe and fear in his eyes.

Haron holstered his blasters and extended his hand to the boy who after hesitating for a moment took it, Haron easily hoisted the boy out of the little bunker and set him down on the ground. The boy looked around in awe as Haron and his men easily took the droids apart, Haron smiled slightly at the look on the child's face sensing how amazed he was at the sight.

Haron seeing that the courtyard they were standing was secure now knelt down before the boy and asked him.

"What is your name kid?"

The boy seemed to be too overwhelmed to speak at first but eventually managed to say after Haron took his helmet off.

"Din...Din Djarin."

Haron nodded, smiling to reassure the boy and said.

"Let us find your parents Din Djarin." Haron told the boy, putting his helmet back on and holding the boy's hand he guided him around the town, looking for the boy's parents. There were many frightened village people around who were now thanking his warriors almost on their knees but also dead bodies lay all over the place.

Haron scowled at the cowardice of the Separatists for attacking a defenceless colony like this and at himself for not making sure he had some warriors on the surface just in case some did manage to get through. A mistake that had cost the people here dearly he thought as they passed a small family riddled with blaster bolts. His anger was close to boiling point right now but he kept himself from showing it outwardly to save face although he was glad of his helmet as it covered up the scowl on his face.

It didn't take time for them to find the boy's parents, it was only a small village but the sight that greeted them was not a good one.

"MOTHER! FATHER! GRANDFATHER!" Din yelled as he saw three people laying there in a heap covered with blaster marks. He tried to run over to them but Haron held his hand firmly, already knowing that they were all dead.

Haron kept a firm hold on Din and knelt again forcing him to look him in the visor.

"Is there anyone else?" He asked the boy.

Din could only manage as tears fell from his eyes to shake his head, Haron sighed he had hoped the boy might have an aunt or uncle or someone to take him in. It was an unforgiving and cruel galaxy out there and no place for a young boy alone. Din with tears still flowing from his eyes had started clinging to him and Haron was a little surprised and uncomfortable with this but he knew the boy needed it and patted the boy on the back as he let his tears out.

They stayed like that for a moment before one of his men came up to him and with the boy still in his arms Haron asked him.

"Report." His voice cold and full of authority. If the warrior found it odd that his leader was holding a small crying boy the warrior did not show it.

"Colony is secure, casualties are heavy since they had no means of protection. Droid attackers destroyed and landing ships secure. Teams in orbit report they have secured the ships and there is no sign of additional droids." The Warrior reported and Haron nodded before saying.

"See to the locals and their injured, then see if they wish to be evacuated to a safer location."

"Yes sir." The Warrior said and went off to follow his orders before Haron turned back to Din.

"I want to be strong...like you." The boy said with the look of awe returning to his eyes, it reminded Haron briefly of Colin Creevey back on Earth but far more intense. Haron wondered what he should say to that, especially as the boy was still in shock from the deaths of his family and not the right mind or mature enough to be making such decisions about his own future. But Haron also remembered just how it felt to be alone, till the age of eleven he had been alone at the Dursleys...with family but people who hated him or those that either believed their lies or simply did not care to know him. Those nights he had cried himself to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs haunted him even now and seeing tears on Din's face knowing he was alone in the galaxy broke his heart.

Knowing the boy had no one left and feeling a push from the force which was hardly necessary Haron made his decision and spoke to the young boy with a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"There are many types of strength kid. As you grow older you will come to learn that but until you decide what path you want your life to take you will come and live with my family. If you want to be a warrior then I will help you become the strongest warrior you can be. But only if you want it, understood?" Haron asked him and the boy nodded with somewhat scared look on his face. Haron decided if he was going to take in a foundling then the boy should begin to know his new family and get his first lesson.

He took off his helmet and spoke plainly to Din with a smile on his face.

"However good you are, under this armour there is a person. That will be your first lesson, never get carried away with first impressions." Haron told him before saying. "Come."

He rose to his standing height and extended his hand once again to Din, who took it without hesitation. He then caught sight of his family's bodies again and asked.

"What about my parents? We can't just..." He said but could not manage to finish. Haron nodded before reassuring him.

"We will see that they receive proper burial." He told Din who nodded in acceptance before saying.

"If I am to be a warrior, then I must get my grandfather's armour." He said trying to be brave but his bottom lip was trembling a little. Haron nodded and allowed the young boy to lead him into the dwelling, it was wrecked with half the roof having fallen through but still enough remained that it was safe to enter. Din collected some holopads left on the widow, staring at them forlornly before going to a large trunk at the foot of a single small bed. Din knelt down and opened it, revealing a beautiful set of naked pure beskar armour inside along with other keepsakes of his family presumably.

"Pure Beskar." Haron remarked, impressed. "How did your grandfather get that?"

Din didn't even look up from the armour as he answered, gently running his fingers over the smooth surface of the metal plates looking forlorn.

"It was handed down to him by his father, my great-grandfather. He defended the Mandalore against a coup by the Dar'Manda over a hundred years ago. He was given the armour as a reward."

Haron nodded, now understanding how this had come about. The Dar'Manda as a group had been founded thousands of years ago from some smaller clans who had a reputation of being rebellious. They made their credits by smuggling, mercenary work and gunrunning to anyone who would pay and it had made them wealthy but the dregs of Mandalorian Society till just over a century ago they had mounted a coup against House Kryze in hopes of taking all of Mandalore under their heel. However the coup had failed and all the clans of the Dar'Manda had been exiled, they still operated but now were a roving group of the very worse people working for whoever would pay.

"Then when you are ready we will forge this armour into the right shape for you...together." Haron said and put his hand on the boy's back. "Take what you wish, these are yours and yours alone."

Din nodded and gently put the armour plates down before going around to look for anything else he wanted to take while Haron waited for him, worried for the boy but he would do what he could to help him.

- x -

As night fell the bodies of the dead including Din's family where placed carefully on pyres and wrapped in the ceremonial white cloth and around them Ordo Warriors and the surviving villagers stood.

Haron took the flaming torch from one of his warriors and walked forward and lit the pyre. Covered with accelerant it didn't take much to catch fire, Haron stepped back and stood next to Din who watched as the bodies of his parents caught fire and burned before his eyes. Turning back to the sight himself Haron swore an oath to the departed pair.

I will watch over your son, I swear he will be safe. Haron thought to himself and he felt the force seeming to be pleased, maybe his parents from the beyond showing they were glad of that who could say Haron thought but he would stick to his pledge.

The crowd, warriors and civilians all began to sing the death chant in their native tongue Mando'a. Nearly everyone spoke Basic but for this formal ceremony they used their own language.

The pyre was soon burning fiercely as they all chanted, letting their dead ancestors and warriors of the past know new people would be coming to meet them in the afterlife. Even though those that died were not warriors they marked their passage from this life for regardless of what they had been in their lives...they were Mandalorian.

It was just as well they had the enormous Lucrehulk as the entire colony for their own safety was being relocated deeper in Mandalorian Space. It was the only ship that could carry the few hundred people left not to mention their supplies and whatever else they had managed to salvage from their ruined homes and they had to use the Separatist Landing Ships to move them all too.

Most of them like Din had never been on a ship before and marvelled at the experience, Haron's people had found them a smaller cargo hold where bunks had been set up for them all and as they settled in one of his men told him.

"We did a count sir, the Separatists did not deploy their whole force. They had a force large enough to occupy a whole star system, over a hundred and fifty thousand battle droids stored ready for use. What do we do with them my lord?" The Warrior asked.

Haron while dumbfounded at the sheer number of droids aboard and was glad the Null Cannon had made activating them impossible till they had control of the ship. Even with their skills that force was far too large to take on and win he thought with gratitude to Revan for putting the cannon design in the vault.

But the number of droids suddenly available to him he quickly realised was a blessing in disguise, once reprogrammed they would be the perfect labour force. He had the means now to not only mine for the materials they needed but also build the factories and shipyards in Wild Space, a workforce that was loyal and would not reveal their plans but could work for long periods without getting tired.

"I have a use for them else where." Haron told his subordinate. "As for the Separatists, interrogate them. Any information about their future raids on our colonies or intentions on our space will be vital as I doubt this aborted raid will put them off trying again. Break them any way you have too." Haron said coldly, knowing the bastards were unlikely to survive his people having a go at them but given they had attacked a defenceless colony his own sense of mercy had taken a much needed holiday.

The warriors around him nodded and he could feel their excited anticipation of taking out their anger on the prisoners, he would let them do as they wished. After all they had all worked hard for this victory and it would be right to reward them somehow.

Reijar, Ordo System...A Week Later…

The droids had been reprogrammed and dropped off to begin their work under one of his cousin's direction minus a few to help with maintenance of the Lucrehulk while Haron had dropped off the refugees on the new garden world they had discovered in Wild Space. It was safe and would allow them to start a new life there in peace, sadly they were unlikely to be the last as the prisoners had revealed very quickly under questioning that further raids could be expected. So their patrol force was likely to be very busy in the future. The other houses had questioned him about the Null Cannon but he had just said it was an Ion Cannon he had stolen and nothing more. They wanted the design but he had told them no, the more people that had it then the greater chance of it falling into the wrong hands. They had grumbled but didn't want to risk losing access to it, not with the danger of future raids and the chance of capturing more ships for their fleet.

The only people on the ship now were Haron, the crew he had assigned to the ship and of course Din. From the Bridge Haron sat on the stupidly large throne like command chair as the ship settled into orbit, he had to admit though it was a powerful vessel with very powerful shields, lots of space for support craft and warriors not to mention its nearly ridiculously large number of turbolasers and laser cannons both big and small. Some of his own engineers had ideas for improving on some systems and upgrades which would see their new and pretty much only battleship in very good stead.

Din who was sitting next to him stared with interest at Reijar on the viewscreen ahead, Haron smiled and told the crew.

"Maintain orbit, ready a shuttle to the surface. I'll have some ale sent up." He then added with a smile and a quiet cheer that went through the room which made his grin widen as he left the bridge with Din to make the considerable journey to the hanger bay.

"Should they drink while on duty?" Din asked him as they took the turbolift which cut down the time a good deal. Haron smiled, understanding why Din was asking but knew the situation better than he did.

"People need to relax, a break from action or duty otherwise they will eventually break from the stress. The people on the ship are professionals, they know not to be drunk on duty or the consequences would be severe if caught. But rewarding them for hard work is just as important as discipline, if you want to keep their loyalty you must make sure they know you appreciate their hard work and their devotion." Haron said turning it into a lesson for Din who had much to learn before he was ready to be called a warrior, but he would learn.

After a fair few minutes they finally arrived on hanger deck where a ship was waiting to take them to the surface. Aboard were Din's things already and as they boarded and it took off Haron saw the young boy was scared and unsure suddenly as he was faced with his new home. So Haron smiled at him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder which seemed to ease his nerves a little.

The ride was short and the compound soon came into view, on the landing pad waiting for him and Din were Ara and the rest of his friends, except Deera of course who was still on Iokath. Smiling as they set down and the hatch opened Haron left with a worried Din at his side to greet them.

Ara, Neville, Hannah and Luna all stepped forward to meet him and instantly took note of the scared boy at his side.

"You know, most men when they go to war and feel the need to bring back keepsakes would be happy with a blaster. You on the other hand feel the need to come back with one of the biggest ships in known space and a foundling." Ara said mockingly which only made him smile if made Din feel a little more uncomfortable. However Ara then turned to Din and smiled.

"Welcome young man, I am Ara and you are most welcome here." She told him trying to make him feel more at ease, her wide and beautiful smile stunned Din immediately while Neville and Hannah smiled with the kind of smile that only parents could manage when dealing with children. Luna just stared at the boy, seeing something that they presumably could not, maybe his future who could say.

Ara meanwhile had yet to tell him her own news, it had come as a surprise to her but she had managed to confirm that she and Haron would soon have children of their own.