"A pleasure doing business."
Max Vizsla rose to his feet with a smile and extended his right hand.
"A pleasure doing business."
"A pleasure doing business."
Ky Narec and Asajj Ventress stood as well and, one after the other, shook Max's hand in agreement.
"To celebrate our partnership, I've prepared a small gift for each of you. I hope you'll like them."
"Lord Vizsla, you are too generous."
"This," Max said, pulling a cube from his gear and guiding it through the air toward Ky Narec with the Force, "is for you."
"A Jedi holocron?!" Narec was stunned and delighted in equal measure. "This... where did you get this?"
"Do not worry." Max waved a hand. "I didn't loot any Jedi Temple. I picked it up on your apprentice's homeworld."
"My homeworld?" Asajj Ventress blinked.
"Isn't it Rattatak?" Ky Narec was equally taken aback.
"It's Dathomir," Max said, waving the matter aside again. "That can wait until later. Master Narec, you must keep this holocron safe. Its value is far greater than you think."
"I understand. I will—"
"No, you don't." Max cut him off. "The fall of the Jedi Order is not something I merely inferred or guessed. I saw it through the Force. This Jedi holocron may help you rebuild the Order one day."
"This..."
"Only through the sacrifice of many Jedi can the Order wash away its sins against the people of the galaxy. The danger of the past is not past, but sleeps in an egg. When the egg cracks, it will threaten the galaxy entire. When the Force itself sickens, past and future must split and combine. A Chosen One shall come, born of no father. And through him, ultimate balance in the Force will be restored." Max looked straight at Ky Narec. "Did Master Qui-Gon Jinn never speak that prophecy to you?"
"He did, but..."
"But you are a pragmatist, and never put much faith in mystical prophecy. Isn't that right?"
"Yes." Ky Narec pressed his lips together and nodded.
"But the Chosen One has already come. Anakin Skywalker—the prodigy whose midi-chlorian count exceeds even Master Yoda's. I investigated his origins myself. His mother, Shmi Skywalker, conceived him without a father. He is the Chosen One of the prophecy."
"And as for the Force itself growing sick—you can feel that already, can't you? Your visions of the future... they've grown more and more indistinct, haven't they?"
As he spoke, Max drew out a colorless, transparent kyber crystal and floated it toward Ky Narec with the Force.
"This was the gift I intended for Asajj—a kyber crystal for forging her lightsaber. Have you noticed what's unusual about it?"
Narec took the crystal and examined it carefully. After a long moment, he frowned.
"I can sense that something is off about it, but I can't say exactly what."
"This is not a kyber crystal in its original, untouched state before resonating with a Force-sensitive. Three months ago, it was red."
"Red?" Ky Narec's expression turned grave. "A Sith crystal?"
"Yes." Max nodded. "This crystal once sat in the lightsaber of the Sith Lord Darth Maul. I purified it and healed it through the Force."
"Darth Maul? I've never heard that title. From what era was he a Sith Lord?"
"Three years ago, Darth Maul used a lightsaber built around this very crystal to kill Master Qui-Gon Jinn."
"What?!" Ky Narec shot to his feet, pale with shock.
"The danger of the past is not past, but sleeps in an egg. When the egg cracks, it will threaten the galaxy entire. The return of the Sith fits that line of the prophecy perfectly, doesn't it?"
"This..." Narec's lips moved, but no words came.
"The prophecy is already unfolding," Max continued. "What comes next is the fall of the Jedi Order. Only through the sacrifice of many Jedi can the Order wash away its sins against the common people."
Ky Narec fell silent.
It was a long silence. The air in the room seemed to congeal around them. Before the stillness could become unbearable, Asajj Ventress could no longer hold back. She raised a hand and spoke.
"If we already know the Jedi Order is going to fall, then why don't we do something to stop it?"
"Someone is already doing that work." Max turned to look at her. "Two more people won't change much, and two fewer won't either."
"Can they succeed?"
"I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"Because this is the will of the Force."
"Asajj." After forcing his emotions back under control, Ky Narec took the kyber crystal and pressed it into his apprentice's hand. "Go to my room. There's an alloy case under the bed with spare lightsaber components inside. Go assemble your own lightsaber."
"Master Narec, the configuration of your lightsaber may not suit Asajj," Max said. "Asajj, come forge it aboard my flagship instead. I have a far wider selection of components there. Go build the lightsaber that truly fits you."
Asajj Ventress turned to Ky Narec.
"Master..."
"Go on. Go on."
"Chris, go with Miss Ventress."
"Yes, Chief."
Once Asajj Ventress and Christopher Wren had left, Ky Narec turned back to Max with grave seriousness.
"Lord Vizsla, what role do you play in the fall of the Jedi Order?"
"Me?" Max smiled faintly. "I'm only an observer."
"And why do you not intervene to stop it?"
"Stop the fall of the Jedi Order?" Max said, almost amused. "Surely you're joking." As he spoke, he ran a hand over the thorn-blossom insignia on his helmet. "As a Mandalorian, the fact that I do not exploit the moment and strike while the Order is falling apart is already restraint enough."
"Then why don't you do exactly that?"
"Because there's no need. The Jedi Order's enemies are powerful enough already. They have no need of my help. For me, the restoration of Mandalore matters more. I have no interest in wasting time trampling a corpse."
"And if you help me rebuild the Jedi Order, is it because you hope to bring a new Jedi Order under your command?"
(I hope the new Jedi Order will draw Emperor Palpatine and the Galactic Empire's attention and firepower away from me.)
"Master Narec, I already told you: once the ten years of service are over, you and your apprentice may do as you please. I will not stop you." Max paused, then continued, "Of course, if the new Jedi Order wishes to establish a cooperative relationship with Mandalore similar to the one the current Jedi Order has with the Galactic Republic, I would welcome that."
"Only through the sacrifice of many Jedi can the Order wash away its sins against the common people. Then let the Jedi Order wash away the sins it committed against the Mandalorians through its fall."
...
"Lord Vizsla, would you mind showing me your lightsaber?"
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🛡️🔥 STAR WARS: THE RISE OF MANDALORE 🔥🛡️
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