The Price of War

[Kael Serasai]

The Price of War

"No, I have not attempted to contact the Mandalorians, nor do I have any reason to do so. Their leader went missing at the start of this war, and they made their stance quite clear when my predecessor offered them a place within the Alliance. In these trying times, we have no room for their stubborn ethics. If they're not willing to join hands with the Alliance, then good luck to them. But I won't let their participation be the hinge upon which our survival depends".

- Chief of State Taja Lohden, rebuking HNE reporters on the subject of possible Mandalorian aid in the Iskalloni war

Enceri, Mandalore
Six Months after the disappearance of Coruscant Prime

Always raining. That was the first thought on Tarn Kane's mind as he parked his hijacked speeder outside the enclosed barn at Enceri's western-most boundary, before stepping out and sloshing water-logged mud all over his boots. Of course, it wasn't true; Manda'yaim was prone to all sorts of weather conditions, from rain to snow, unlike many of the unsavoury planets Kane had visited in his tenure as a gun-for-hire. And there were parts of the planet which rarely changed, if at all, such as the desert region surrounding Sundari, where the New Mandalorians holed themselves up and pretended the rest of their charming little world didn't exist.
But whenever he visited Enceri, a tiny, unimportant town which served mainly as a trading post to all the other tiny, unimportant towns and homesteads flung into the far reaches of nowhere, it seemed as if the heavens opened just to spite him.
"Told you it was a waste of time polishing your plates" Tal Vizsla drawled, stepping out of the passenger compartment and dredging his way through the churning mud to stand beside Kane.
"Some of us take pride in our armour" Kane retorted. "We don't all enjoy looking like we're wearing something we dug up on Raxus Prime"
"Shabuir" Vizsla grunted, slapping Kane hard enough across the back to pitch him forward, almost sending him face-first into the sludge. "I like my beskar to look like I've fought and survived wars. It gives you an edge when your enemy see's a lightsaber burn across your chest and you're still alive to tell the tale".
"Kandosii" Kane conceded, making his way gingerly through the mud and rain to stand in the sheltered doorway of the barn. "Just remember..."
"He's not gonna be happy to see me" Vizsla said. "I know. Be surprised if he doesn't try to take my shabla head off".

To his credit, Vizsla didn't instinctively reach for his back-slung carbine as Kane pushed open the barn door, but even so, Kane could tell he was ready for anything. Even if the man's jaw hadn't set in that tell-tale sign of alertness, Kane was used to dealing with fellow Mando'ade behind helmets, and had long ago learned to rely on body language to tell what a man was thinking. Vizsla's body language was something akin to a predator who'd just stepped into another predator's lair and had picked up it's scent; rigid spine, eyes unblinking, fingers flexing at his sides.
He almost punched Dr. Sathol, who appeared to materialise from nowhere, scalpel in hand and blood smeared across the clear plastoid apron he wore over his gold beskar'gam.
"I told you not to loiter" Sathol admonished. The voice issued by his helmet may as well have been coming from an old, worn-out comm unit. The armour was positively ancient, though with obvious upgrades. The Doctor apparently preferred a form-fitting leatheris armourweave undersuit as opposed to the usual flexible suits worn by most Mandalorians beneath their armour, punctuating his every movement with a creaking noise which somehow put Kane's nerves on edge.
Some people didn't have to try to be creepy; Sathol was one of them. Kane couldn't recall having ever seen the man unmasked, and somehow it never seemed appropriate to ask the Doctor if he was even human. Such things didn't matter, of course; what did matter was that Sathol was renowned for his surgical and technological mastery, reputedly the best in the galaxy at what he did. And if there was a proceedure Sathol couldn't perform or a machine he couldn't build, then it didn't take him long to perfect the art. Still, though... creepy.
"Nobody saw us" Kane replied, glancing at Vizsla to make sure he wasn't too rattled by the Doctor. He remembered his first visit to Sathol's disguised laboratory, and knew how easy it was to get edgy around the strange Mandalorian.
"That is irrelevant to my concerns" Sathol snapped, turning away and heading into the bowels of the lab. Kane and Vizsla exchanged glances, then followed. "You have procured the supplies I specified?"
"It's all here" Kane said, patting the small bag hanging from his belt. "Took a bit longer than expected, but it's hard fitting in with those chakaare in Sundari. Evaar'la Mando'ade, my shebs. Nothing but a bunch of di'kute thinking they're better than us for ignoring the glories of their past".
Whether or not Sathol agreed with Kane and also believed the New Mandalorians were idiots for adopting a new outlook, he didn't say. Instead, he simply continued into the lab, keeping his own brisk pace and not even checking to see if his guests were keeping up. The Doctor led Kane and Vizsla down a spiral staircase which led into the laboratory hidden beneath the barn, and it was like stepping into a box of white light. Kane wished he'd worn his helmet; an auto-polarising visor would be very welcome right now.
"So where's the patient?" Vizsla asked, the first thing he'd said since entering Sathol's hide-out.
"You... you... osik'la shabuir!" someone growled, and Kane found himself flung out of the way, barely an afterthought, as Ghev Dralin burst forth as if from nowhere, wearing only a white patient's gown, tackled Tal Vizsla to the ground and wrapped his hands around his throat.

For a moment, Kane wondered if the Doctor was simply going to allow Ghev to throttle the mercenary. It certainly wasn't custom to get between two men having a disagreement here on Mandalore; but Tal Vizsla was Death Watch, the only real group of people for whom a Mandalorian would go to war without a contract. Decades ago, Death Watch had formed as a splinter group looking to restore Mandalorian culture to it's conquering ways, leading to a civil war which had all but wiped the Mandalorians off the galactic map. Eventually Death Watch was defeated, but everyone knew they were simply in hiding, waiting to make their return. Ba'slan shev'la - the art of strategic disappearance. They'd reportedly surfaced again during the Galactic Civil War, partnered with Black Sun and operating from a hidden bunker on Endor. The bunker had eventually been located, strewn with dead Death Watch and Black Sun mercs, along with ruined battle droids and the equipment they'd used to produce durasteel knock-offs of Mandalorian Armour. Still, the Mandalorians maintained that the Death Watch was still around somewhere, and sure enough they'd made their presence known eventually when the turncoat Tracyn Nardral had attempted to murder Ghev Dralin and split the Mandalorian's in two. The plan, obviously, had been a complete failure, and Tracyn had been sent packing along with his followers. It wasn't until later that Ghev had discovered Tracyn to be a Death Watch infiltrator.
Tal Vizsla, though... he was born into Death Watch and had known no other life until he'd grown up and decided to desert. He'd taken the life of a bounty hunter, and had become quite prolific, though he still bore the sigils of his former clan. The man really ignited something in Ghev; perhaps it was because he traded on the Mandalorian reputation to feed his own, parading around in their armour without being one of them. Of course, having been kept sedated for the better part of six months, Ghev wouldn't know how helpful Tal had become, and how he'd come to be adopted by Kane's clan, learning the ways of his brothers. Until now, though, Vizsla had avoided coming to visit Ghev in Doctor Sathol's unorthodox laboratory. It was becoming clear why.

"Your adaptation to your new cybernetic arm is remarkably fast, Mand'alor" Sathol observed. Kane half expected the Doctor to start scribbling notes on his forearm pad, but instead he placed a hand on Ghev's shoulder and he relaxed, releasing Vizsla and rising unsteadily to his feet. "Udesii... calm down, Ghev'ika. I'd rather not have to sedate you again, it impedes progress and wastes my resources". Tarn frowned at the gauntlets the Doctor wore; even his fingers were sheathed in segmented beskar, and looked to be concealing a variety of darts and needles. He shuddered.
"Your concern is touching" Ghev grumbled. "Where's that filthy beast of yours? Haran!"
Something clattered in the room beyond the main lab area, and a strill came skittering across the floor, its claws scrambling for purchase. Six-legged, with a maw full of fangs and folds of skin which flapped around it's body as it responded frantically to Ghev's call, Haran wasn't the prettiest creature in the galaxy; nor was it meant to be. Intelligent, lethal hunters, strills were a rare species but unerringly loyal to those that gained their trust. The beast skidded to a stop infront of Ghev and Sathol, slobbering all over the polished floor, looking up to Ghev as if he were it's master. Of course, the beast belonged to Sathol; Ghev had never been one for attachment to anything but his people.
"Nice pet" Vizsla muttered, still rubbing his throat but not yet rising to his feet. Kane decided it was a good idea; Ghev was obviously in a volatile mood.
"Haran, guard this shabuir. If he so much as twitches, use his head as a chew toy" Ghev snarled, falling backwards into a chair, which Sathol had had the foresight to retrieve the moment Ghev had started looking shaky.
Haran turned on Vizsla and started stalking back and forth, occasionally shaking it's head and splattering drool in it's vicinity. Kane wrinkled his nose; he'd forgotten how pungent the strill could smell, especially when it was kicking off pheremones as if warding off a threat.
"Ghev'buir, Tal is one of us now" Kane tried to explain. "He's learned the resol'nare and my clan adopted him".
"Actions speak louder than words, ner vod" Ghev said, accepting a mug from Sathol. He took a mouthful, then spat it back out. "What the shab is in this? It tastes like engine de-greaser..."
"Please, continue to waste my medicinal concoctions. Nothing gives me greater joy" the Doctor replied, deadpan, pushing the mug back under Ghev's mouth. "It will help restore those things your body has lost during the transition. Iskalloni nano-virals take a larger toll on the body than you might believe".
"Do you think you've removed all traces then, Doc?" Kane asked, moving away from Vizsla and the strill to examine the preserved samples Sathol had taken from Ghev after he'd been discovered. The most disturbing was the blaster-studded metal limb which Ghev had apparently fashioned himself, then proceeded to attach to his own shoulder after removing his own arm. Around it were the various implants and enhancements, some scavenged from the Iskalloni that hadn't survived the crash-landing of the Imperial Star Destroyer 'Progenitor', others fashioned crudely from whatever machinery had been in the vicinity. That Ghev resembled his former self as much as he now did was something of a miracle. No... not a miracle, a testament to Sathol's skills.
"Not all traces, no. But what remains is inactive. His brain contains the latticework neccessary to establish an upling to the Iskalloni consciousness, his cells are still in some form of mutation..."
"In Basic, please" Ghev muttered, slowly sipping his way through whatever was in the mug Sathol had given him.
"I cannot simplify it any more than that" Sathol replied, unclipping his bloodstained apron. Kane wondered what other pet projects beside Ghev the Doctor was currently working on; obviously, Ghev had been lucid for a few days now, so the blood didn't belong to him. "In short, you may find your skin is slightly resistant to traditional blasters, your dreams will be plagued with residual effects of the Iskalloni hive-mind, and you'll be prone to bouts of sickness as your immune system returns to the normal human standard".
"You do realise the Galactic Alliance would pay handsomely for your methods?" Vizsla ventured, shifting a little, causing Haran to snarl at him. Still, the strill looked to Sathol for permission before using Vizsla's head as a chew toy, and seemed dismayed when the Doctor shook his head.
"Don't be so aruetyc" Ghev said, after draining the rest of his mug and wincing at the flavour. "It's high time we stop catering for others when it suits them. Fine, we're the scum of the shabla galaxy when there's no war on, but as soon as trouble shows it's head and they can't handle it..."
"I get the point" Vizsla said, though he sounded more chastised than placated.
"Okay, cut the osik!" Kane suddenly yelled. Even Haran jumped at the sudden outburst. "If the aruetiise discover we have a viable means of curing the Iskalloni condition, do you really think they'll let us keep it from them?"
"They'd be premature if they acted" Sathol pointed out. "I have cured one being, and it may yet be temporary. I have samples of the Iskalloni nano-tech for further study, however, and it may be possible..."
"Destroy them" Ghev said, not even looking at Sathol.
"I made it clear to Tar'ika and his vode that my price for saving you would be the opportunity to study this nano-tech. It is a rare thing, to be able to..."
"I don't care!" Ghev roared, rising to his feet. He didn't stand quite as high as Sathol's shoulder, but right then, he cut the most imposing figure in the room. "If those samples get out, do you have any idea how long it would be before we lost Mandalore? Do you have any idea what it would do to our people?"
"Of course. More intimately than anyone in this room, Mand'alor. Even you" Sathol replied, and for a second it sounded almost like a threat. "Very well. I will negotiate alternate payment for my services" the Doctor sighed. "Haran, leave the poor child alone. Mand'alor, if you insist on being ori'buyce, kih'kovid, then allow me to recommend you at least take measures not to alienate your new people".

Sathol turned and followed the strill out of the room into the antechamber behind the main laboratory, leaving Ghev, Kane and Vizsla alone.
"I'd like to gut him" Ghev said, not caring whether the Doctor was out of earshot or not.
"He saved your life" Kane pointed out, but Ghev gave him a whithering look which told him it wasn't wise to argue right now.
"Technically, Ghev's life was never in danger" Vizsla decided to mention. "If anything, his physical condition was superior to ours. The only problem is..."
"I was hard-wired into their consciousness" Ghev finished for him. "Had a lot of encounters with the Iskalloni?"
"More than my share. The worst was delivering a Kaminoan back to her homeworld and finding it over-run. Almost didn't get out of there in one piece".
"I'm impressed that you did" Ghev said, and Kane decided there was hope for reconciliation afterall. "Kamino is over-run, you say? Shab, what about the rest of the galaxy? I'm out of it a little while and everything goes to osik..."
"There's been strikes all over the galaxy with no pattern" Kane informed him. "And by strikes, I mean complete invasion or annihilation. The G.A can't hold them back or predict where they'll be next. Ryloth was the latest victim".
"Kamino was different though..."
"How so, Tal'ika?" Ghev asked.
"They weren't there to take over. If anything, they seemed to be co-existing with the Kaminiise. And... they were building" Vizsla recalled. "Some sort of ground-to-space weapon by the looks of things. A bit hard to tell with a bunch of Iskalloni fighters up my shebs".

Ghev was quiet for a moment, but Kane could already see the connections being made in Ghev's mind, the chain of thoughts which would inevitably lead him to...
"We need to mobilise" he said. "Whether we want it or not, this war is gonna find us again. Maybe it's time to reconsider the former Chief of State's offer". Earlier in the year, when Chief of State Maarko Dorton had offered Ghev and his Mandalorians a place in the Galactic Alliance ShadowNet, Ghev had abruptly abandoned them to their fate. Their involvement at the Marcol Void had been for personal interest, not as a means of reconciling with their occasional allies.
"You want to join ShadowNet?" Kane asked.
"What's ShadowNet?" Vizsla piped up, glancing between the others.
"The Galactic Alliance's answer to replacing the Jedi, last I remember" Ghev replied, looking ready to leave the lab, even if he had to do it without Sathol's approval.
"That hasn't quite panned out, yet" Kane said. "Chief of State Lohden seems to be doing a good job of making it look like she doesn't want them gone, while coaxing the Senate into voting in that general direction".
"Never trust a politician, especially not a female one" Ghev chuckled to himself. "C'mon, we're leaving. I want to be in the Oyu'baat before nightfall, let people know I'm back and we're taking action". The Oyu'baat was the name of a well-frequented tapcaf in Keldabe, Mandalore's capital. Most, if not all, of the clan chieftain's or their representatives would be in there, awaiting news of Ghev's recuperation.
"I'll go warm up the speeder" Vizsla said, as if looking for an excuse to leave as quickly as possible. Kane didn't know whether it was discomfort at being in Ghev's presence, eagerness to please him, or simply wanting to get out of Sathol's territory before he became the subject of some unknown experiment.
"Be right with you. I forgot to give the Doctor his supplies" Kane said, unhooking the bag from his belt. As Ghev followed Vizsla as quickly as he could manage in his condition, Kane disappeared through the door that Sathol had exited through with his strill.
"Doctor? Hey, Doc..." he called. The room was in darkness, save for the glow of active monitors. Frowning, Kane moved to one of the monitors and read the on-screen text;

Data Purge in Progress- 27% Complete

"Sathol?" Kane called out, but there was nothing. Calmly, Kane unclipped his helmet from his belt-hook and sealed it in place, switching his HUD to night-vision. The room had been practically cleaned out. Cabinets which would have held instruments and samples were hanging open, flimsi was scattered and forgotten on the floor.
"Shab... the Iskalloni tech..." he cursed, and bolted for the far end of the room, where his night vision was picking out a thin strip of light; a concealed door. He all but crashed through it, instinctively shielding his eyes as he emerged in a brightly-lit underground hangar, cycling his HUD to normal vision. Before him, Sathol was removing a fuel line from the underside of his personal Predator-class warship, with Haran keeping vigil. The strill whined, pacing between Kane and it's master.
"Hold it, Doc!" Kane snarled, unholstering his twin blasters, aiming one at the strill, the other at Sathol. "I think you're forgetting something. That Iskalloni tech isn't leaving this planet".
"Your clan father promised me this technological sample in exchange for Ghev's restoration. I've delivered my end of the bargain" Sathol said, in that same dead-pan tone he always used, pointing accusingly at Kane. "If you're here to renege on our deal, then I think it is you who has forgotten something".
"Yeah?" Kane asked. "Well, enlighten me".
He felt the dart his his jugular before he even heard it come whistling from Sathol's gauntlet, and his body instantly went numb, dropping him to the floor like a sack of fruit.
"I know a thousand ways to kill, ad'ike, and a thousand more ways to keep you alive". He motioned the strill forward, and it began tugging Kane toward the warship by his ankle. "I'll take you as insurance against any further incursions against our arrangement".
Kane couldn't speak, for his jaw had gone slack and his tongue hung uselessly in his mouth. His blasters had fallen from his hands, and his eyes refused to open, but whatever he'd been poisoned with, it was keeping him conscious. Suddenly, he was very afraid of what the Doctor could - and, in all likeliness, would - do with him once they'd left Mandalore.