"He's also abducted and executed three different people." Vos added. "And he did it personally, with a black lightsaber."
Obi-Wan turned to look at Quinlan, eyebrow raised. "Really?"
"Yes. Really."
...
That wasn't good. Obi-Wan had never been an expert on Mandalorian history, but he knew of the legendary Mandalorian turned jedi, who united the clans under his rule, and whose lightsaber still represented customary rule to a lot of Mandalorian traditionalists.
Obi-Wan frowned. "Are you sure? Does your psychometry work even though he was shielding his mind? I wasn't able to get a good read on him."
"Ah, you know how it is, Obi. For just about any Force technique, someone can develop a counter, but psychometry is such a rare ability that almost no-one is going to take the time to find a way to fight it, let alone practice it."
Obi-Wan was forced to accept the point. "Well, at any rate it seems we've confirmed the Vizla clan's involvement. Things shouldn't be too difficult from here. If Satine gives the order, we can draw on local law enforcement, have the whole lot of them arrested, and be out of here within the week."
"A week?" Vos looked at him. "You said it yourself, Obi, we don't have time. We've got four Jedi here, and we can move on Vizla's commando camp without any of them knowing a thing. I say we go in, get our evidence, and get out before anyone's the wiser. Then we let Satine sort it out herself."
Obi-Wan considered his suggestion, before sighing. Unfortunately, Vos was right. A clean sting would see everyone involved arrested by local law enforcement while they were all separated and unable to help each other. Simultaneous, targeted raids all across the planet and its moons, sweeping all perpetrators up in one swoop. The problem with that was a much bigger war was on the verge of breaking out right now, and even worse the Prime Minister was involved. There was every chance local enforcement could be in league with him, and even if they weren't, just the sheer amount of time it would take to prepare the operation made it unfeasible when every hour counted.
"Alright." Obi-Wan sighed. "When you're right, you're right. I'll call Anakin and Prialla. We're all going to Concordia."
...
It wasn't difficult to arrange a trip to Concordia outside official channels, all they'd had to do was rent a small scrap hauler with cash, and they were away. Quinlan was the pilot as he followed the approximate flight path he'd glimpsed in Pre Vizla's past. It didn't take long to locate the base that Death Watch had set up on the dark side of the moon, hidden from observation from Mandalore. With that done, they landed their ship far enough away that it would be hidden by the curvature of the moon, and traveled the rest of the way on foot.
Anakin knew right away that the place meant serious business, because all the guards had been trained in mental protection and had their mental shields up, only the few sleeping in the barracks had left their dreams exposed. There was another section of the compound, separate from the barracks where another mind was sleeping. Was that a kid in there?
Anakin didn't have time to find out. At Obi-Wan's wordless guidance, the four Jedi moved together, crossing down the rugged hillside to the enemy camp in just a few seconds, and leaping over the walls into the camp one after the other without alerting anyone.
They shared their thoughts and intentions with each other in the Force, deliberately. They didn't need to talk or make hand signals, when as one they weaved from shadow to shadow, perfectly evading the enemy as they did. No alert went up, no alarm was tripped. They passed the wide open courtyard and vehicle pool, slipping inside the barracks with no one the wiser.
They passed soundlessly through the bunks of sleeping commandos, which they knew would be no trouble because the Mandalorians weren't protecting their thoughts in their dreams. They stepped through a mess, and then down a long, tubing corridor, following directions from Obi-Wan. He was able to read the Mandalorian alphabet, and led them into an office before pulling the door shut behind him.
Anakin honestly thought the whole run had been thrilling. "What now?" He asked in a low hush, excited.
"Quin." Obi-Wan directed, pointing towards a computer in the middle of the room.
Quinlan Vos stepped over to it, then rested his hands on the keyboard. He frowned after a moment, then shook his head. "Nothing useful. It's not Pre Vizla's computer. The commander of the base is the one who uses it." Then he squinted. "They arrested her for some reason. At gun point."
There was a beeping sound, and an alert flashed up on the computer screen. Quin jerked his hands away, but Anakin knew it was already too late
"What's that?" Obi-Wan asked, confused.
"A biometric lock, it's scanned Quin's hand prints." Anakin answered.
"But no one can know we were here!" Obi-Wan groaned, horrified.
"It's too late for that." Anakin said. "We need to leave now before someone checks the room. If we're lucky, they'll just write it off as someone brushing their hands against the pad by accident." He turned and hurried for the door.
Obi-Wan hesitated, then followed after him, along with Vos and Prialla.
Across the open yard there was a single building standing by itself, with what looked like ray shields set up over its windows and the main door. Inside, there was a single mind, furious and despairing at the same time. If he'd been betrayed and imprisoned by his friends, Anakin imagined he might feel the same way as well. "I think I feel her up ahead."
A ship flew overhead suddenly, spinning in mid-flight as it did and its floodlights washing over the Jedi, blinding in their intensity. Anakin barely registered that it was a gunship, before the Force warned him to move and he threw himself to the side, rolling as he did. A flash of yellow gold lanced into the ground where he'd been standing just a second ago and there was a rush of heat and light that propelled Anakin off his feet. He shielded himself from it with the Force even as he was launched at the wall of the camp. He was going too fast, he was going to hit the wall and scatter like a plate of his mother's slow roasted black melon bantha shoulder. The Force couldn't slow him in time, so he pushed down and just barely cleared the wall to be launched beyond the camp perimeter. After that he was able to slow his fall, and landed in the grass on his feet, staggering a few steps to bleed his momentum.
It had all happened in less than a second. Anakin blinked in shock, patting himself down and finding no cuts or blood from fragmentation. In his mind, he quickly replayed the fraction of a moment that had passed, and realised that gunship had shot at him with a rocket. There hadn't been time to block against it or defend himself, just-
Another warning in the Force ran through his mind, and Anakin spun, drawing his lightsaber as he did. The blaster bolt bounced off his blade and right back into the throat of the Mandalorian who fired it, passing perfectly between his armour plates and killing him instantly. Their jetpack cut as their fingers came off the controls, and they plummeted to the ground with a wet crunch, blaster falling from their hand.
More of them launched over the wall and shot at Anakin, as he ducked and weaved, deflecting the shots back that he could, while staying just barely ahead of them. The Force wasn't sending him sudden warnings, it was fully attuned with him. In the heat of the battle, the Mandalorians had dropped their mental shields, and between their clear intentions and the Force's guidance, Anakin was able to stay ahead of their attacks. One of them raised their wrist, and Anakin saw the fire coming from it even before she pressed the button to spray him with burning gelatin. All it took was a pinch of focus from the Force, and the liquid fire was blocked from its ejection port. The gelatin dribbled out over the woman's hand, and she screamed, flicking her hand out as if to shake the fluid off, before she fell to the ground to try to peel off her armoured glove.
One of the Mandalorians fired a rocket from his wrist directly at Anakin, but he spun out of its path and seized it with his mind. He turned, directing the missile in an arc before whipping it back around into the Mandalorian who fired it. The explosion blasted the man from the sky, his mind winking out in the force.
...
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