Two starships streaked across the sky, evading the patrols of other factions' vessels to escape Sundari and return to their base.
Kort, overusing the Force, leaned against the starship's wall, slowly descending. Omen rushed to support him and lead him to the rest area. Seeing their leader in such a state, the others followed close behind.
"Omen, you go settle everyone else first. I'll rest for a bit. Everyone else, go about your business," Kort said, pushing Omen away so he could attend to the others, urging the rest to quickly get back to their tasks.
"Alright, boss. Call us if you need anything."
Just as Kort was resting, a Republic Consular-class cruiser arrived in war-torn Sundari and landed in the New Mandalorian sector.
Meanwhile, in Sundari's crumbling provisional council hall, Duchess Satine Kryze wearily rubbed her temples. Outside, the sounds of Death Watch's bombardment continued unabated.
"Your Grace, the Jedi Masters have arrived," a guard announced.
Satine looked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Two figures entered. The tall, leading figure exuded a calm yet powerful aura, his gaze gentle yet seemingly able to see through everything. It was Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Behind him, the younger man, Obi-Wan Kenobi, cautiously observed his surroundings, his hand resting seemingly casually on his lightsaber hilt.
"Master Qui-Gon Jinn, thank you for coming," Satine said, rising to bow, her voice urgent. "Mandalore needs the Jedi's..."
Qui-Gon Jinn subtly raised a hand, signaling her not to bother with formalities. His gaze seemed to pass over Satine, falling on the southern part of the city, an area where fierce fighting had just ceased and was now being gradually covered by wind and sand. He frowned almost imperceptibly, sensing the lingering Force vibrations there.
"Your Grace," Qui-Gon Jinn's voice was steady, "Please tell us everything that has happened here, especially... in the southern district. Has anything unusual occurred recently?"
Satine paused, then remembered the mysterious aerial support and ground assault. "The south? There... a few hours ago, a Death Watch squad was clearing out a Clan Wren stronghold when they were attacked by... an unknown force, suffering heavy losses. Some women and children from Clan Wren were rescued. We suspect it's another resistance group, but no organization or clan has claimed responsibility. Their starships... were very peculiar." Based on these characteristics, a person suddenly flashed through Satine's mind. It seemed like Kort!
"Peculiar?" Obi-Wan couldn't help but press.
Satine recalled the scattered reports. "Yes, witnesses said there was a... large, transforming fighter jet with very fierce firepower, instantly destroying several Death Watch fighters. The ground attack seemed to be carried out by a small, elite unit, working in perfect coordination, but their equipment looked... very mixed." But she couldn't be sure yet.
Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan exchanged glances. A large, transforming flying object? Powerful firepower? This was certainly not the equipment of any known Mandalorian faction or mercenary group. Coupled with the unusual Force residue... an unknown Force-sensitive individual? Or... a more complex situation?
"We understand," Qui-Gon Jinn nodded, already having a direction in mind. "Your Grace, we will do our best to ensure your safety and investigate, but first, we need to go to the southern site to take a look. That unknown force might be the key to resolving Mandalore's predicament."
Kort lay in the makeshift rest area for an entire day. The noisy sounds of the base—the children's cries, the groans of the wounded, Omen's shouts directing everyone to settle the Wren clan members—all became nerve-wracking noise.
"Boss, have some water," a timid voice said. It was Lina, who was in charge of looking after the younger children. She held a cup of cloudy filtered water. Kort struggled to sit up, took the water, and drank it all. The cool liquid slightly suppressed the burning sensation in his throat, as he had never used the Force with such intensity before.
"Thank you, Lina. How are things... outside?" His voice was hoarse.
"Brother Omen is assigning living quarters. Food... is running low," Lina whispered. "Some of the adults from Clan Wren are helping to care for the wounded. She said they brought out some emergency medical kits, and... that fighter jet, everyone is gathered around it, but no one dares to touch it."
Kort nodded. The exhaustion from the Force made him feel like he was drowning. "Tell Omen to gather everyone who can hold a gun, gather everyone. Meet at the shipyard entrance after dinner. I have some things to announce." During his rest, he had realized that to grow strong, he must first end the Mandalorian civil war. Thus, he needed to help the New Mandalorians and his cousin.
Just then, a roughly modified encrypted communicator, brought down from the Hyperion and attached to his waist, vibrated faintly and rhythmically. It was the adjutant! Kort's spirits lifted. He motioned for Lina to leave, then struggled to a relatively quiet corner and activated the communication.
"Commander Kort, energy signal weak, make it brief," the electronic adjutant's voice had a hint of static interference. "Vardir preliminary scan complete. Surface is relatively barren, but deep scan shows... an anomaly."
"An anomaly? Minerals?" Kort's heart tightened.
"Confirmed presence of large quantities of usable metallic mineral deposits, as expected. MULEs have been deployed to the ore veins. We even found quite a bit of an extremely hard mineral called Beskar steel. The anomaly is an artificial space deep underground, possibly a former Mandalorian ruin. Currently, the entrance to the ruin is blocked from scanning, requiring more resources to unlock deep probes or physical entry."
A ruin! Kort's pupils contracted. Mandalore's history was far older and more complex than outsiders knew. This could be a crisis, or it could be a turning point!
"Prioritize resource extraction! The ruin... mark the coordinates, await my command, maintain silence!" Kort cut off the communication, his mind in turmoil. An ancient Mandalorian ruin? What could be inside? Lost technology? Dangerous creations? Or... secrets of the Force?
He rubbed his aching temples and walked towards the hangar. The Viking fighter stood there like a silent steel behemoth, surrounded by a group of awe-struck teenagers. Omen was nearby, telling the children about Kort's great display of power. Seeing Kort approach, he immediately straightened up.
"Boss! Everyone's here! Where are we fighting next?" The boys' eyes burned with the excitement of their recent victory and a longing for the future.
Kort's gaze swept over their young yet resolute faces, then looked out at the wind-swept sky beyond the hangar. He knew that Death Watch's retaliation could come at any moment. He took a deep breath.
"It's not about where we fight," Kort's voice was low, yet clear to everyone. "It's about survival. We've attacked Death Watch, and they won't give up. And now we need food, water, weapon parts, medicine, and... more power to protect this place. So we must stop the civil war, and let ourselves choose our own future, with this."
He patted the Viking's cold armor. "So I will contact my cousin, Duchess Satine, to help the pacifists win the civil war. Mandalorians have been at war for too long; it's time to end it!"
Kort's words caused a stir, but everyone was still willing to support his actions. After all, every single person here had been personally rescued by Kort, and they had long since regarded him as their true leader.
After it ended, he found Omen. "Isn't Clan Wren a vassal of Clan Vizsla? Why were they attacked?"
"It's a long story. It's because the Clan Wren chieftain in the ancestral land of Krownest agreed to go to war against the New Mandalorians, but some of those living in Sundari didn't want to fight, so it turned out like this," Omen explained.
"That's right, Brother Kort, that's how it is. But the adults have all been captured by Clan Vizsla, which is why I asked Cousin Omen for help," Ursa Wren appeared at this moment and explained why she sought help from Clan Wren.
"I see."