Ahsoka distanced herself from the throngs of partygoers, the raucous clanging, and insanely deep percussions of the musical offerings, authored by Rex no less, were beginning to take their toll as they banged or thumped through her montral. Boisterous storytelling and general merrymaking mingled with one another, creating an almost otherworldly assault on her hearing. She backpedaled toward the darkness beyond Capital City’s central plaza, Ryder Izadi himself toasting the celebration of life as the music quieted down to allow him a few words. Ahsoka wasn’t listening anymore, catching a nod from Garazeb Orellios, the Lasat himself leaning against a half wall of duracreet with carved buttress, his large arms wrapped about his chest peacefully. She smiled gently into his large yellow eyes, a smile of his own gracing her quiet exit.
With another gentle nod, Zeb turned back to the celebration slowly, Ahsoka finding the moment to slip away unseen. She walked with purpose, unhurried and at ease, toward the borrowed AvA from the port’s motor pool and lifted her wrist to her lips, “I am on my way Huyang.” She said quietly, swinging a leg over the saddle of the bike.
“Very good Lady Tano, we will be ready to depart upon your arrival.” The ancient droid responded politely.
Ahsoka kicked the bike into gear and took off from the makeshift parking area, speeders, and bikes of all makes crammed into nooks and crannies that would have ordinarily been used for night time markets, vendors peddling freshly caught Baho or Eaok grain from the afternoon harvest. Ahsoka couldn’t help the smile that maintained itself, the celebration itself a hallmark to the general mood all within and outside the city conveyed and lived by despite the reason for the gathering in the first place.
Ahsoka, clearing the darkened narrow streets for the common avenue that would lead her to the small space port on the edge of the city, was a mix of emotions that ranged far and wide. Her heart remained heavy with the loss, an oddity of consequence she couldn’t have anticipated sensing or embracing the moment she had made her choice behind a stack of filthy crates on Vyndall. The bond was strong although Ahsoka couldn’t label it, something of an enigma that her mind refused to answer for her. Was Kowani a sister? A daughter? Because she was more than a friend, more than a would-be apprentice. Ahsoka admitting to herself that the final message she had relayed was the absolute truth. She would have died for her.
The main thoroughfare brought with it the reprieve of regular lighting and an unobstructed path toward the space port itself. The proposed destination Huyang had assigned them weighing equally as heavy on her mind, as she worked to avoid thoughts centered around how things could possibly go wrong. Although the mindset seemed to serve her well, she couldn’t help but think of the responsibility she carried through the thoughts alone. Could they, by themselves, create the issues that always fought against her? The question would always ask itself and Ahsoka would refuse to acknowledge it.
“Taking our time, are we?” Huyang chimed over the comm.
“I am almost there, keep your head on…” Ahsoka rebutted with a smile, kicking the accelerator plate down to finish the trip quickly.
In a matter of seconds, the T-6 shuttle loomed before her, waves of nostalgia and memories of days gone by rushing into and out of her thoughts before she could manage them. Seated adjacent the Morai itself, the distinctive vessel looked majestic and gentle, like a bird of prey posing its glory. She knew she was being ridiculous and shook her head through the thought as she guided the bike to a stop at the edge of the port side boarding ramp. Illuminators activated casting rays of light onto the darkness of the tarmac as the ancient droid began descending, Ahsoka overwhelmed by the sight that took precedence over the presence of the ship. She could not help nor hide her elation as the droid neared her, every bolt, rivet, and appendage exactly as she had remembered him, down to the distinctive and unique dome of his head.
“Lady Tano.” Huyang said with a slight bow of his head, his modulated voice even and polite.
“It is good to see you Huyang.” She responded with a tear in her eye.
“I do not wish to hurry this reunion, but the mission is quite time sensitive as you well know.” Huyang said clearly.
“About our destination...is there no one else Huyang? It could present….complications….” Ahsoka said hesitantly.
“Destination? And where are you going?” Sabine called out from the darkness between the two vessels.
“I would ask you the same.” Ahsoka stated, her eyes still focused on Huyang’s photoreceptors, despite hearing the steady footsteps of the Mandalorian approaching.
“You must be Lady Wren, Ahsoka has spoken very highly of you.” Huyang turned his attention toward Sabine.
“And just what has she spoken of?” Sabine was instantly on the defensive, despite the absence of provocation.
Huyang folded his hands behind his back as he leaned toward the Mandalorian slightly, “in point of fact Lady Wren, the conversation was quite lengthy, but in summary, she does not know of anyone else to match your courage and bravery. That your heart is solid and true, your mind is clear of obstruction if not for the internal struggle to move beyond self-imposed limitations regarding your heritage and complete stubbornness, but that she has dedicated herself to working with you, to guiding you toward the truth Miss Ani had spoken of. I believe she finished in saying that she would willingly give her life for yours in the pursuit of your own destiny, although I am only paraphrasing….”
A quiet pervaded the space between all three of them, interrupted only by the chirping of nearby insects as they fluttered through the warm night air, Ahsoka taking the moment to turn toward Sabine. The face she saw was not one she had expected, the look of anguish that pulled tears from Sabine’s eyes, ones rarely shared with anyone, seemed to reflect a confusion of sorts, an inner turmoil that fought itself between the merits of genuine respect and those of self-loathing.
“Sabine….” Ahsoka began, cut off quickly by the embrace the Mandalorian employed, both arms wrapped around her and squeezing tight.
“I’ll give you two a moment…” Huyang said quickly, turning on the spot and walking back up into the ship.
Ahsoka knew there more words she would say but let them flutter away with the night borne insects as she felt the wracking sobs course through Sabine’s body, each one letting go of the anger she had been clinging to. The only response Ahsoka could muster reflected the gesture, wrapping her own arms around Sabine as tightly as she could.
The moment Sabine pulled back somewhat, Ahsoka saw the smile on her face, one which, like her tears, she didn’t wear often. “Nothing he said was not true Sabine.”
“I know...I know…” Sabine stuttered briefly, both of them turning to see approaching lights on the far end of the space port. Neither of them said anything, both turning to watch a hover truck pull up to the Morai’s extended aft cargo bay door, Zeb getting out of the vehicle without a word and walking up the ramp. A moment later, an anti-grav sled with Kowani’s tightly wrapped body emerged from behind the conveyance, Chopper guiding it up and into the cargo bay the same moment Zeb led the Thebaskens blue pod downward. Both Rex and Hera emerged from the rear of the hover truck and approached the pair silently. Without a word spoken, Hera guided them all toward a communal embrace, clutching hands and shoulders alike, held it there for a moment, then released. The Twi’lek glanced toward Rex, giving the clone a gentle nod before turning back toward Ahsoka and Sabine to convey the same gestures. Rex took a moment to reach into his pocket and with a wink, placed a small device in Sabine's hand. With a smile, Hera and Rex turned the way they had come and climbed back into the truck. With a simple wave, Zeb bid them farewell and guided the vehicle back the way they had come.
“We all knew Sabine.” Ahsoka said lightly, “take your time, I’ll be waiting for you when you get back…”
Sabine was awash in emotion that felt foreign, warming gentle tugs on the heart Ahsoka had claimed to know, ‘perhaps she does, more than I am willing to admit.’ She thought to herself, the smile conveying the sentiment as words continued to fail her. ‘Thank you’ seemed appropriate but it was so much deeper. The tears that had been shed out of sorrow and grief became different, changing into ones cast through gratitude and the warmth of kinship. She felt anything but Mandalorian as the Togruta continued smiling at her, she felt accepted, wanted and important to the family she had come to love on Lothal.
“Destination….where are you going?” Sabine quickly remembered her question hadn’t been answered.
“Hoth. The blackout cut off the communication before they were able to receive all the data involved.” Ahsoka answered quickly, still trying to find a way out of it.
“Echo?….oh, by the way….” Sabine asked but interrupted herself before running into the Morai’s cargo hold. A moment later she returned carrying three small crates. “I was going to lay them to rest with Ani, but I think you’ll have uses for them.”
Ahsoka stared at the crates as she took them from Sabine, remembering them well from their time in the Liberator’s smugglers hold. “I suppose I will..”
“Well then, hurry back.” Sabine responded and turned a final time for the Morai’s ramp.
“Sabine.” Ahsoka said causing the Mandalorian to turn over her shoulder, “may the Force be with you.”
“You too Ahsoka, you too.” She responded walking up the ramp completely, activating its seal as she did.
“That went well.” Huyang said as Ahsoka finished her own ascent, placing the crates on a central table within the T-6’s communal area.
“Better than I thought to be honest.” She responded, looking around with a fondness as she breathed in the recycled air. She closed her eyes and padded lightly on her feet through the circular hub, tracing finger tips over bulkhead, cabinet, and recess alike. The ship was exactly as she remembered them.
“Apologies Lady Tano, I had only just started the cyclers. The air may be stale for a little while….what are these if you don’t mind me asking?” Huyang asked politely, his photoreceptors fixated on the crates she had delivered.
“Kyber of course.” Ahsoka answered, opening her eyes as she began walking down the short central corridor that led to the ship’s cockpit, resting her hands upon the upper bulkhead as she leaned in toward the controls. The nostalgia taking her by surprise as it washed through her, each knob, button and switch exactly as they should be.
“Of course…” Huyang finally replied, walking up behind her, “that is a most fortunate find Lady Tano, where may I ask did you…”
“I didn’t, that was Kowani Y’mmat...and well before I even knew her.” Ahsoka responded, sliding herself into the pilot’s seat.
“I am beginning to understand much about the Mirialan.” Huyang responded, placing himself in the co-pilot’s seat. He turned his head toward Ahsoka, “the cyclers have been working long enough for sustained flight….if you are ready?”
Ahsoka smiled through the canopy, the beacon atop the old comms tower flashing a rhythmic red. In her peripheral she could see the Morai lifting off and beginning its ascent through a lazy port side angle upward. “I am.” She said, firing up the ships Ion drives as she lifted the shuttle from the ground. She lifted the boarding ramp and locked it with the flip of a switch as she rotated the ship on its repulsors, engaged the forward jets and slowly lifted the ship completely from the tarmac.
As the ship fired its sub lights to carry it to a high orbital position, Ahsoka leaned over toward Huyang, “and just how is that Master Huyang, came to find himself on this remote planet looking for me?”
“The story is wildly fascinating, a compelling tale of painstaking patience and waiting, and a very long one at that….” Huyang responded with the sarcasm Ahsoka had always known him for, laughing boisterously through his response.
“Hoth is on the other side of the galaxy….we will have the time.” Ahsoka said in earnest as she guided the shuttle through the upper atmosphere and angled toward the systems hyper lane.
✦
“Praxius system is a difficult egress Miss Wren, but not impossible.” Chams voiced through the comms.
“This will help, and just Sabine...please, Miss Wren sounds like my mother….” The admission reminded her of the commitment she had made as she inserted the device Rex had given her into a small access terminal set within the comms console. She shrugged off the memory and fastened the remainder of the buckles on her harness.
“It will help immensely, there is a vast trove of data here. That astromech was quite intuitive.” Chams replied.
“He was, yes, but that intuition more than likely came from your own…. ‘mother?’ Sabine wasn’t quite sure how the AI considered N’dali.
“Yes, Sabine. Mother seems most appropriate. I need to finalize my calculations then we will be off, hold please.”
‘Yup, mother is most appropriate…’ Sabine thought with a smile, “single drive is fine Chams, I have work to do before we get there so there is no rush.”
“Understood Sabine.” Chams reconfigured the necessary data then activated the ships primary hyperdrive unit, launching the ship into hyperspace with a dull thud.
The moment the vortex displayed itself outside the canopy, she unbuckled the harness and shot from the pilot’s seat. Exiting the cockpit, she grabbed the small duffel she had brought with her and covered the distance to the steps leading to the cargo bay in eight bounding steps. She caught a glimpse of the body as she entered the hold, ready for the grief to take her once more, but pleasantly surprised that she only felt at peace, a calm that was all but foreign to her. She began humming the melody to Wrechyr’s ‘Teaselily,’ one of Kowani’s favorites, the cadence of upward tones unknowingly lifting her spirits as she put more effort into it. Sabine placed a hand on Kowani’s head briefly before heading toward the neat stack of inherited armor against the far hull. She pulled a stool from beneath the med center alcove and sat down in front of the armor, grabbing for the left cetar’bur and a small cloth from the duffel simultaneously, she began to work the oils from the cloth into the metatarsal guard finely. Every centimeter of Beskar would be gently oiled in a cleaning bath, from surface to the fine crevasses between plating and fold needed to free of any carbon residue and scoring.
Sabine worked through the various pieces, from tadun’bur to char’tas, each piece meticulously worked to a high luster, every crease polished with deliberate care. When she had finally gotten to Kowani’s own buy’ce, she took extra care to work the oils into the dome of the helm. When completed, she pulled yet another cloth from the bag and began again, cleaning the oils themselves from every surface, the tunes she had been humming to beginning to play for themselves in her mind. Each piece of armor she worked in her hands brought with it memories of the woman she had come to call sister, moments of shared bonding, mutual tutelage or just having fun. The bes’marbur in particular brought with it one of the proudest moments she could remember, and the endless hours she had worked with Kowani reciting creeds and teaching Mando’a. She stopped as she held the pauldrons, conveying her own acapella rendition of ‘Telhomme,’ a song she had never heard of before the Mirialan, but one she will never forget. The moment she cleaned the last streak of oils from the helmet’s top, she tossed the cloth back into the bag and grabbed one of her EZ3’s, dialing the settings for a prolific coat of near white primer. She set each piece of armor on the decking of the cargo bay and reversed course with the airbrush, each piece of Beskar now ready for its first coat of color.
Retaining the settings but switching to a gunmetal gray she went through the same process, coating the entire assembly in the gray Kowani herself had chosen. As the coat of gray dried, Sabine turned to look upon the wrappings of Kowani, remembering fondly the first time they had dueled, the look of shock on the Mirialan’s face when she had executed perfect stance through all positions of Shii-cho and the laughter that had ensued when Sabine informed her she had learned with a stick. She laughed with fondness through the memories as she turned her attention back to the Baobab, switching the settings to project a finer mist in a dull muted black. She worked the interesting patterns of mottling throughout the gray, nodding to herself when completed that perhaps the Mirialan did have some sense of style.
Allowing the black to dry she remembered the difficulties Kowani had with the targeting array in her helmet, or more importantly, trusting the interactions between registered firearms and the sanctity of the bond they had with the armor itself. Sabine would always have to remind herself that Kowani had not grown up Mandalorian, that what she took for granted, the trust between herself and her Beskar, would need to be learned at its core. Until the day the Mirialan took out every target Sabine had erected in a twenty-meter circle in the span of seven seconds, something even she had trouble repeating. “You learned quickly, that’s for sure.” Sabine said, dialing EX3 to an ultra-fine narrow pattern and setting the color scheme to a blood red. The work became more meticulous as she lined each piece of armor with the trim Kowani had chosen, casting a certain measure of overspray into the black and gray mottling purposefully. The process took much longer to complete but she was certain it was well worth it, and she truly was in no hurry whatsoever. Setting the helm down on the steel decking, Sabine stepped back to inspect the completed job, nodding with satisfaction and an upturned lip. She let the assembly dry for a moment longer simply remembering Kowani’s smile and the look in her black eyes when she broke into levity, laughing with the best of them in loud efforts to outdo everyone else.
Sabine sat herself on the stool once again, picking up the left bes’marbur. She turned the pauldron over in her hands several times before deciding on the proper placement. What would come next was Sabine’s embellishment, her own signature which would have added whether Kowani wanted it or not. She dialed the airbrush in a final time to its finest setting and chose the brightest pink she could. With two quick movements of her hand, Sabine blew out her breath over the bright number seven she had just finished, and held it up, proud of the contrast Spectre Cell had earned. She set the completed piece back down and grabbed the other pauldron, orienting it as she had with the first, before she settled on the marks final position with a smile. She retained the settings but changed the color to a bright neon orange, and with a flourish of wrist movements held the piece before her to inspect the Phoenix so boldly displayed. With another gust of drying breath, she set the brush for a final time to its finest settings and dialed in a purple. With one quick burst, her job was complete. She stood from the stool and backed up, noting the position of the purple heart she had placed within the Phoenix itself.
“Chams, play Ghann Tui...I don’t care what song.” Sabine said with conviction as she put the stool away. The instant percussion felt like it was vibrating through the entirety of the ship, the framework itself adding some form of harmony to the electronic synthwave. She began unwinding the outer wrappings as she bobbed her head to the beat, the anti-grav assisting with the bodies suspension to make short work of the task. The outer wrappings removal was all that were necessary, but Sabine continued with the inner wrappings on Kowani’s head alone, ‘For the eyes must see to the afterlife…’ She whispered gently the moment she exposed them, the flesh preserved perfectly beneath the final layers. Kowani’s dark lips closed, the configuration of squares and triangles of her people denoting strength and perseverance outlining the woman’s jaw line exactly as they should be.
As the music continued, Sabine stood back pulling both airbrushes from the duffel once more. With a delicate hand she sprayed a fine coat of black mist over the entirety of the remaining wrappings, providing a proper undercoat for the armor. Sabine had no idea how many tracks Chams had played for her but didn’t care if it had been everything Ghann Tui had to offer, what mattered to her was an adherence to custom for a Mandalorian with no successive lineage. A custom that was hers to perform. Sabine dived into the duffel, emerging with Kowani’s boots, putting them on and lacing them tight over the metallic left foot. She moved upward then from ankle to chest, attaching each piece of Beskar that was only slightly oversize. With yanks on the tanned hide strapping, she was able to present Kowani in the full set of re-purposed ceremonial Beskar she had been bestowed. Sabine went to the duffel a final time to remove Kowani’s saber hilts, fondly remembering the awe the Mirialan had always held when she ignited the inherited golden hilt. Sabine ignited it there, on the spot, letting its final ignition burn away any residual fumes within the hold, its edges snapping at the moisture with promised lethality and a warbling hum to fill the air cast bright by its purple blade. Sabine waved it twice over Kowani, letting the static hum chase the melodies from her own thoughts, each pass a cleansing in its own right for the journey ahead. She positioned Kowani’s left hand across her chest and placed the sabers hilt within her grasp, patting it gently when she returned it to its resting place over the woman’s still heart.
The second saber held an immutable amount of meaning for Sabine. Being present for its own re-purposing by invitation not long after the two had met. Kowani had been adamant that the color chosen could not be hers, although the hilt itself seemed drawn to her for reasons she couldn’t explain. Sabine remembered with fondness the laughs they had shared when Kowani recalled the first lesson Ahsoka had tasked her with and the embarrassment that had ensued. With greatest fondness she remembered the night in the comms tower when Kowani had replaced its crystal after a long search through the small crates, the pink hue that had bathed the circular room still a mystery to Sabine, but the reconstruction had worked beyond either of their expectations as she ignited the first time, still the oddest sound she had ever heard. Sabine ignited it for its own final time, satisfied that the whoosh and snap it made was the same as it had been that night. The pink glow in the hold that receded only slightly with each warble and crackle, brought tears to her eyes yet again. Tears of joy and of peace. With a smile she deactivated it and placed Kowani’s other hand in the same manner as the other, providing a constant vigilance for her body’s passage and the promise of lethal consequence if obstructed. In the final stage of custom, Sabine opened her hands wide to open Kowani’s eyes fully before she fit the helmet on her head, taking a moment to kiss the Mirialans forehead lightly before finishing the task, the ping of the helmets seal resounding its punctuation on the actions Sabine had taken pride in performing.
Absently humming to the last track played, Sabine was aware that the music had stopped, “Chams what happened to Ghann Tui?”
“You listened to everything Sabine.” Chams replied right away.
The man was over one hundred and thirty, making music for at least eighty of those years, “there’s no way I listened to everything!”
“You’ve been at it for hours Sabine, I don’t think you realize…...Decant position Sabine, you may want to strap in.” Chams changed subjects faster than Sabine could think.
“On my way.” Sabine fired off, deactivating the suspension feature on the anti-grav sled, and launching herself up the steps, quickly across the main cabin, into the cockpit and directly into the pilot’s seat. She had the last buckle in place on her harness when the thud of hyperspace egress sounded through the ship. Her eyes fired open immediately as the view across the whole of the canopy filled with a large asteroid. Chams responded with deft rolls and spins, avoiding the rocky object with little room to spare, “as stated, this system can be...tricky.”
“To say the least.” Sabine responded with a deep exhale.
“Sabine, that asteroid has an odd composition. I am not entirely sure it is an asteroid to be honest.” Chams said through the comms, following a brief scan of the object as they avoided it. The Morai came to a forward position in line with the massive chunk of space rock, longer than it was wide.
“...Chams….” Sabine wavered seeing the remnants of debris that had been in the system the last time she was here.
“I see it Sabine. We will take evasive action once I plot trajectory for this...asteroid.” Chams replied.
The moment Sabine thought they should have angled away, the front of the ‘asteroid’ began to lift to the point that the debris seen beyond was obscured completely. She was certain the asteroid should have crashed right into it but the front of the rock that had lifted slammed down with a burst of speed that should have been impossible.
“This isn’t rock at all Sabine, it is a carbon-based exoskeleton that will not allow me to scan its interior.”
“Then don’t attempt it!” Sabine panted, realizing the rock in conjunction with Chams relay explained the complete disappearance of the debris, “it just ate that wreckage!”
“A wise suggestion. We will be heading for Conum Arnia now.” Chams spoke faster than usual.
“Yes...please.” Sabine replied, only blowing out her breath the moment Chams angled the Morai away from the entity.
“Sabine, I cannot find any mention of such creatures...and my cache is quite large. There are other oddities within the system as well, specifically Ceti Lotaria. The astromechs memory core recorded planetary devastation, yet the body seems to exist intact according to my readings. It would behoove us to take some readings.” Chams sounded excited if Sabine had to describe the voice to anyone, its higher pitch and tone sounding almost cheerful.
“I can’t say I’m not interested, but can we at least agree to do so after we reach Conum Arnia?” Sabine felt the sudden interest to explore quite compelling herself.
“That is agreeable Sabine.” Chams responded, the voice unchanging as the sub light array engaged with a satisfying whirr.