Private It'll Be Fine

[Arlo Renard]

Kai found himself on Alderaan for the first time since he rescued (or tried to rescue...) Alicio from Percival Io. This time he was with Amani and the newborn Organa twins. The Count was busy elsewhere, but he had asked Kai to accompany his wife and children.

The place where they were staying was remote and up in the mountains. Not only was the view spectacular, it seemed like the ideal getaway for one of Alderaan's most famous families. As far as Kai knew, this was just a leisure trip, although he couldn't say things were exactly leisurely with two newborns around.

When Kai signed on to be a bodyguard, he didn't think his duties would eventually include babysitting. Of course, he had known intellectually that it would likely come down to this as soon as Amani started asking him to make midnight snack runs to satisfy her pregnancy cravings. Running around the cityscape, fighting off shooters in the supermarket to get her a pizza—he was well-suited to that sort of thing. It was easy. Taking care of newborns was out of his league.

Thankfully Amani hadn't foisted both twins on him simultaneously. Mostly her requests had been along the lines of having him watch one baby while she took care of the other. On the other hand, she hadn't exactly specified what he should do if something did happen while she was gone. Probably she just assumed he would come running to her, but that kind of defeated the whole purpose, didn't it?

He stared haplessly at Liana as she awoke from her nap and immediately started to cry. Amani was somewhere else with August, so what was he supposed to do about Liana?

Approaching her carrier, he fumbled around for her pacifier. But she turned her head to the side in refusal, preferring to continue screaming her head off. Sighing, he unstrapped her, scooped her up and held her against his shoulder, gently patting her back the way he had seen Amani do a hundred times. Albeit without knowing why she did that...

Liana promptly spat up all over his shirt. Kai winced, then breathed a sigh. At least she wasn't crying anymore.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Busy did not begin to describe the new Organa schedule. Both Amani and Alicio had rather important jobs, but on top of that they were now first time raising two babies. They were lucky to have a wide support network for those inevitable times in which one or both parents were forced away from the children, as much as it pained them. The Organas had taken well to parenting thus far, in spite of its many challenges.

Today was one such day. With Alicio gone, it was up to Amani to pull double duty with the kids. They were on a small getaway trip to Alderaan as part of a larger goal to acquaint the kids in their father's culture early on. Not that they'd be likely to remember much of it at this age, but the people were certainly happy to have the new royal twins on home soil.

Up here though, it was quiet. Well, save for the sound of wailing babies. Amani had left Liana in Kai's care, while she split off to deal with August, lest his crying upset Liana in the process. Frankly, she felt she had been quite thorough with her instructions. But perhaps it was in fact a problem of being too thorough for Kai to process it all. Either way, Liana decided it was her turn to scream and cry, whether it had been spurred by the distant sobs of August or not. Once Amani got August fed, settled, and tucked into his cradle, she returned just in time to see Kai with a fresh paint job on his clothes, and Liana looking rather content.

"Oh," Amani smiled, somewhere between appreciative, amused, and apologetic all at once, "Well, guess the problems taken care of, at least." She reached out to take Liana back, dabbing the girl's lips with a rag, "Sorry. I'm sure the Organa housekeepers can get that looking as good as new," She nodded towards the mess, "You have something spare in the meantime, right?"

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

"Oh. Well, guess the problems taken care of, at least."

Kai shot Amani a look, but said nothing as he handed Liana over to her mother. "Don't worry about it," he muttered, heading for the nearest refresher. He emerged a couple minutes later, completely clean. You couldn't even tell he'd ever been yartzed upon. Thanks, polyweave.

Not that it wasn't still unpleasant, getting puked on. Kai didn't hate babies—they were a lot less fun than older kids, since all they could really do was eat, shit, sleep and cry—but this whole experience was making him grateful that the manner in which Doppelgangers reproduced was so repellent, no woman in her right mind would ever desire to be the mother of his children. Because he definitely didn't want to deal with any of this crap.

At least August had already been taken care of. While Amani tended to her daughter, Kai headed for the kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed a couple of eggs, which he then cracked raw into his mouth. What? He needed the protein. Grabbing a few more items, he threw together a late night sandwich. Ingredients: meat, meat, more meat, and mayo.

Sandwich in one hand, bottle of what appeared to be root beer in the other, he sat down to eat. Soon Liana would be off to bed with her brother, and maybe they could all get a few hours of peace and quiet...

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani cradled Liana in her arms, gently swaying the girl to sleep. She'd already been fed and burped, so it didn't take much for the content little baby to shut her eyes. Amani snuck back into the baby room to lay her down, waiting a long, nervous beat, for Liana to suddenly burst out crying. But nothing came, the twins slept soundly. Gently, their mother shut the door, and sighed, only for her expression to contort at the sight of Kai's sandwich.

"Not much one for eating your vegetables?" Amani commented with a smirk, opening the fridge and making herself a small bowl of palmfruit yogurt. She switched on the holo, where a duo of late night talking heads were parroting hearsay about Alderaanian noble melodrama. The Countess rolled her eyes, and stuffed a spoonful of yogurt into her mouth. "Kinda hard not to pay attention to this stuff sometimes," She mumbled tiredly. Being the 'outsider', she in particular was subjected to more scrutiny by vulturous media attention. At least at the moment, they were focused on one of the other families. Amani didn't recognize the name as well as she was probably supposed to by this point.

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

"Not much one for eating your vegetables?"

Kai was about to take a bite when he paused, his blue-gray eyes flicking toward Amani. "Different species have different dietary needs, doctor," he muttered, watching her make her healthy snack. A far cry from the days of her pregnancy cravings for junk food. Then, realizing he had forgotten to add something, he lowered the uneaten sandwich onto his plate and went back into the kitchen. There he lifted the mayo-smothered slice of bread, slipped a single slice of cheese between it and the meat, put the sandwich back together, and proceeded to take a massive bite.

The food disappeared in a matter of seconds. Putting his plate in the sink afterwards, Kai didn't bother to glance toward the holo. They were probably still talking about Joh Serrus, a nobleman from House Serrus who had died in a failed suicide pact with his mistress, the famous actress Marni Nyx. It had failed because after shooting him, she chickened out and ran away, leaving him to die alone in a hotel room. It was the biggest scandal to hit the Great Houses in decades—and they were still talking about it almost a decade later.

He turned off the water, watching it swirl down the drain. "You should get some sleep while you can, Countess," he said. "I will hold down the fort until morning."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani twisted her lips, "Not much one for conversational quips either," She softly sighed and turned towards the holo. Frankly she could never tell with Kai when she got on his bad side. Or if she did at all, for that matter. But he always seemed a bit closed off with her, certainly when compared to his interactions with her husband.

She ate in silence, watching the screen. They were currently debating the ethics of a non-disclosed parliamentary donation that had since leaked, "I dunno… I might just-" The host then made a rather forced transition from the topic, into wild speculation about the Organas. She rolled her eyes, "On second thought, maybe you're right." Suddenly she didn't care whether or not she was tired enough to actually go to bed. It was better than sticking around for this.

"Goodnight, Kai. See y-" Amani had just turned and moved to leave, when she froze in place. A sixth sense raised her hackles, and rang like a distant bell in her mind. Then it rang harder, almost hurting to listen to. She bolted for the door to the baby room, swinging it open, only to be immediately hit by a stun bolt. Her muscles spasmed, then locked as she fell to the ground. Inside were two deathly silent men, who were waiting for the arrival. The one in front lowered his wrist launcher, and held Liana in his other hand. Until that sudden burst of noise, she and August were both still asleep. Now they were both crying.

The man in front was clad in dull silver beskar, well-forged and battle-tested. Scarred like a warrior's flesh. His helmet was topped with a sagital crest, and a white fur capelet draped his shoulders. Around his waist was a dark green kama, and a sheathed beskad. Behind him, another mandalorian, taller and bulkier. He had a similar head crest, but wore bronze-colored armor, decorated in markings of red war paint. He was holding August.

The silver Mandalorian studied the incapacitated Jedi. His T-visor tilted eerily, then broke the quiet with a gravelly voice, "If you wanna talk price, come alone. We see any Alderaan security, you won't be seeing these kids again." He looked towards Kai, then turned his back. The window of the room had a large laser hole cut into it, but rather than bother with that, both Mandalorians just covered the babies, and rocketed off, breaking through the remaining glass.

Amani ground her teeth in anger, but was unable to move with the stun bolt still stuck in her arm.

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai said nothing. Half the time he couldn’t tell whether Amani was joking or being serious. Perhaps he was simply too defensive—or maybe she was too judgmental. Or it could be a combination of both…

She took his advice and turned the holo off. But just when she had begun to walk toward her bedroom, she froze.

Kai experienced a similar feeling of wrongness, but it told him nothing about the threat. His other senses were far more informative. Heightened hearing picked up the faint creak of antique floorboards under boots and heavy armor. His nose caught unfamiliar scents, body odor and tibanna gas. Suffice to say, there were intruders in the nursery—and they were armed.

<Amani, don’t!> he warned telepathically. But it was too late. She threw open the door and was immediately hit by a stun bolt, collapsing heavily to the floor.

Kai flattened himself against the wall, peering around the corner. Two male Mandalorians, each holding one of the twins.

"If you wanna talk price, come alone. We see any Alderaan security, you won't be seeing these kids again."

Were it not a hostage situation, Kai would have already struck out. His flesh had hardened and the polyweave clothing he wore had become more akin to armor. He held his lightsaber hilt in his hand, though a more bold and confident part of him felt like he could’ve taken them bare-handed. But the lives of the twins hung in the balance. He was supposed to protect them, not just beat the living chit out of the intruders.

As they rocketed off, Kai darted across the room in a single bound and leaped out the window, determined to give chase. Cold mountain air struck him, the vast valley opening up like a chasm before his eyes. But Kai couldn’t fly. He used his body’s malleability to achieve a kind of flight, but that required him having something solid to grapple onto. He couldn’t swing across the range.

Reaching backwards, he caught himself against the roof of the house and reeled his body back in. The Mandalorians disappeared from view. Cursing under his breath, he swung back through the window.

Amani was still prostrate on the floor. The stun effect would likely wear off in a few minutes. In the meantime he picked her up and laid her on the couch in the living room.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Though Amani couldn't move, the anger and panic was all too clear in her eyes. She fought to regain control of her limbs, and the moment it wore of she practically exploded off the couch and onto her feet, nearly stumbling back to the floor as her muscles still remained stiff, "Where-?!" She spat, too short on breath and composure to form a coherent sentence, "Where did they-?!"

Amani turned clumsily towards her bodyguard, "Kai! We— They-" She covered her mouth, stifling a hitched whine. Her babies had been taken right out from underneath her. With a threat of never seeing them again. She choked on her emotions, and carefully swallowed them down, "We need to go. Now." To hell with a ransom. No one who threatened her family had the mercy of negotiation. That much was reflected in her expression, unlike how Kai had ever seen her before.

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

"They flew out the window," Kai replied. "I couldn't follow them."

He spoke with a calmness that may have seemed out of place or even callous. Inside he was angry and upset—but those feelings were of no use to him, Amani, or the kidnapped babies. In fact, such heightened emotions would only work to their detriment, prompting him to make rash decisions that could spell disaster. He was keeping a level head for their sake.

"Do you have a way to track the twins' whereabouts?" he asked. He hadn't been able to simply grab the two men with the Force because they were protected by a void. Probably ysalamiri backpacks, as was common among Mandalorians who fought Jedi. By that same principle, they couldn't simply sense August and Liana's presences. On the other hand, hadn't the kidnappers told Amani to come to them alone? Did that mean they would send her their location… or did Amani already know where they had gone?

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani steeled herself, slowing her breaths until she could think straight. Reaching out through the Force, she found nothing. The presence of her babies was obscured, as Kai deduced, by some kind of Force negation. So the question remained how could they find them?

The mandalorian told them to come alone. Amani had no idea where to even start, but after a moment she seemed to come to some realization. She trodded over to the counter, where her datapad was. A message, containing only a set of coordinates, had been sent to her by an unknown contact. Amani scowled, then began walking, "There should be a speeder around here somewhere." More specifically the garage. Inside was a vague shape draped over by a tarp. She threw it off, revealing underneath an old, largely unused machine. But it was good for traversing the Alderaanian geography. "You know how to drive?" She could manage if not, but presumed that if he could, he would be better in the front seat.

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Sure enough, it seemed a set of coordinates had been sent to Amani’s datapad. The Countess immediately went looking for a means of transportation. Kai followed her, his eyebrows rising at the sight of the old speeder uncovered in the garage.

The convertible had been beautiful once, he could tell, though she was in need of some TLC. He ran his fingertips over the faded blue paint, glancing up at Amani’s question. <Yes,> he replied, climbing into the driver’s seat. <No keys?>

He plunged two fingers into the ignition, molding them to the shape of the key. The engine coughed and sputtered to life. Once Amani was inside the vehicle and had punched the coordinates in, they were off, blasting into the cool mountain air.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani hopped into the passenger seat and pulled up the coordinate destination on her datapad. It wasn't too far from here at driving speed. She used the downtime of the ride over to further calm herself, with diminishing returns. What else was she supposed to think about with her babies being potentially in danger? The mirialan sighed, "We're not giving them anything." Her eyes turned to Kai, as if searching for some reaction, "We're getting the kids back. And we're taking them down."

Eventually they crested a large hill, which dipped into a valley clearing. In the clearing sat a ship. It was old, but well-armed and armored for its size. The location of the coordinates matched up. The Mandalorians landed just enough distance away to avoid any suspicious eyes, and sneak the rest of the way over. Amani signaled for Kai to stop and kill the engine, then stood up to get a better view of the setup. "See anything?"

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Amani was muttering to herself like a boxer psyching themselves up before entering the ring. Perhaps that was an apt comparison, given what getting the kids back would likely entail.

They’d have to be extremely careful about how they went about this. There was no room for honor or pride; whatever it took to ensure the twins returned home safe and sound, they would have to do.

The location the coordinates brought them to turned out to be a lone ship sitting in a clearing. Kai parked the speeder some distance away, then peered through the trees. His eyesight was better than Amani’s.

<Four guards,> he reported. <We attack from the outside, they could kill the twins before we reach them. Probably better off playing along for the time being.>

He thought for a minute. <You could enter the ship alone, while I pick off the guards out here and then back you up. Or I could go in pretending to be you, while you stay outside.> There wasn’t too much benefit to the latter option; Amani was emotionally compromised when it came to her kids, and Kai might be able to secure them more easily, but that would largely depend on how many Mandos he would find inside the ship.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani visibly tensed up when Kai uttered the words "kill the twins". She seemed to freeze that way for a few seconds, before releasing her breath, "…I don't think they'll kill them." She spoke confidently, but not comfortably. If there was even a 1% chance that the kids could be harmed or killed in this exchange, then they had to take it seriously. Still, she expanded on her rationale, "They want money. Killing the babies would be kicking their only leverage out from under them. Even if we refused to play along, I doubt that's their Plan A." It was a suicidal risk. They had to have a more lucrative backup. Selling the kids to someone else? Perhaps. Who would want them was a whole line of questioning unto itself. But dwelling on hypotheticals didn't make progress.

"…Alright. I'll go in. While I've got the ringleaders distracted with negotiation, you deal with the guys out here, and work your way to us. Quietly. Carefully." She emphasized the last parts quite sternly. For his safety as much as the kids. "Here, take this. Maybe you can get some use out of it." Amani drew her lightsaber pike from her back, and held it out. It was currently just a metal rod, about half-length of the full pike, "This button extends it. It uses a Syrian crystal, and the blade is Force-activated." Kai had a weapon of his own, but as she then stated, "No way they'll let me in with a weapon anyway. And if they have Force-negating tech in there, I wouldn't even be able to use the blade." Even if he didn't use it himself, then once they met inside, he could bring it back to her. "I doubt they all have it though. I can sense the presences down in the clearing. Probably just the guys at the top with the best security."

A few more seconds of nervous silence passed, and then she stood up straight, "Alright. Good luck." Amani walked down the hillside, through the scattering of trees, until she arrived at the clearing. The Mandos out front drew guns, but were calm and collected, obviously expecting the arrival. She held her hands up in surrender, and one of the mercies approached, patting her down for any signs of a weapon. Finding none, he nodded to another.

"Lead her in." The voice crackled through the helmet vocabulator. The responder nodded back, grabbed the Countess' arm, and pushed her up the ramp.

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai gave Amani an expressionless glance as she reasoned that the kidnappers had no reason to kill the twins. He didn’t respond, but in the back of his mind he knew she was forgetting one thing which was always possible: that the Mandalorians were simply incompetent, and might not know how to handle a baby, let alone two.

Reminding her that the galaxy was full of stupid, careless people would only aggravate her, which he didn’t want to do. So he just nodded in agreement with her plan.

Unexpectedly, she handed him her lightsaber pike. It made sense to have him hang on to it rather than let the Mandos confiscate it, but he snorted faintly when she revealed that it wouldn’t even work within range of the ysalamiri. <Nice.> He hid the pike somewhere behind his back.

Finding a good spot to observe from cover, he watched her walk up to the four guards, tensing when they pointed their guns at her. She was right, they weren’t obscured in the Force.

As Amani disappeared inside the ship, Kai closed his eyes and concentrated. He wriggled his way into the mind of one of the guards, looking for information to devour. No connection to the Sith or other notorious groups… It looked like they were independent and just looking to get a ransom. The mercs outside were hired thugs to complement the Mandalorians, who were the brains behind the operation…

Hearing a twig snap, Kai opened his eyes to find one of the guards standing right in front of him, gun drawn. In the blink of an eye he knocked the gun out of the man’s hand, then plunged his fist through the thug’s guts.

Meanwhile, the remaining three guards were growing concerned. Another one broke off to search for their missing comrade. Having climbed up a tree, Kai could hear him communicating with the others via comlink. “There’s the Countess’ vehicle… I don’t see Thaxton...”

Kai got the drop on him, wrapping a fleshy cord around his throat and hanging him until he stopped thrashing. Then he lowered the body soundlessly back to the ground, the makeshift noose reshaping back into the Sithspawn’s hand. The corpse’s comlink was buzzing. Kai plucked it from his ear and inserted it into his own.

“Starwind? Starwind, do you read?”

“Roger,” Kai replied, imitating the dead man’s voice. “I found Thaxton. Looks like some kind of wild animal got to him.” Turning the body face-up, he studied Starwind’s face, his flesh warping as he took on its shape. “Should I bring the body back?”

“No, just get your ass down here. Boss doesn’t want it to be only us two guarding the ship if chit hits the fan.”

“Acknowledged.” He filched the rest of Starwind’s gear, taking anything he couldn’t imitate, and headed toward the ship.

“Finally,” one of the two guards said upon spotting “Starwind” approaching. “What took you so long?”

“Sorry, I got a little sidetracked…”

Their guns were abruptly yanked out of their hands by a telekinetic force as Kai charged at the merc on the left. The man on the right had enough time to pull a knife while the Sithspawn swiftly dispatched his partner. But the fight was short-lived, as Kai deftly evaded his strikes, grabbed his wrist, and plunged his attacker’s blade into his own chest.

With the four guards taken care of, Kai slowly ascended the loading ramp, his footfalls completely silent...

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani trudged carefully, studying the details of the ship as if she might find danger, or her children, around any corner. But there was no trap. At least, not in the corridors. They passed a few other crewmates along the way, all staring at the mirialan as they passed. She slowed down step too much, and got the butt of a gun nudged between her shoulder blades, "Keep movin', your highness." Her guard snipped. Amani glanced back with a flash of vicious intent, but withdrew it immediately. This wasn't about her.

It wasn't much longer before a pair of doors slid open, revealing the bridge of the ship. It was surprisingly spacious, given the size of the rest of the ship, though it seemed the majority of operations went on in this room. Right now, it was only occupied by the two Mandalorians. The one in silver reclined in the captain's chair, which sat in the center on a swiveling dais. Beside it, the bronze Mandalorian stood rigid, his fists clenched as if ready to unleash at any moment.

"Countess. It's an honor to have you aboard." The apparent ringleader spoke. He turned around to face her fully, revealing an ysalamiri draped over his shoulder. "We were wondering how long it would take you to arrive. Seems you wasted no time." There was a knowing satisfaction in his voice. She wouldn't dare leave her children. And surely she would do anything to get them back.

"Just tell me what you want," She snapped back, her voice wavering with barely-contained emotion.

"Now, now, settle down. Relax. We're gracious hosts," The Mandalorian stood up, and slowly plodded towards her. The other one didn't move an inch. The ysalamiri's bubble became stronger with each step, until Amani could no longer feel her own presence in the Force. She tensed up as he came closer, stopping right in front of her, "We can take our time. Talk things out like civilized people. Right?" He reached down and tilted her chin up, his self-satisfied grin invisible behind the mask yet still all too clear. He was enjoying this too much.

"Where are my kids?"

"They're safe. Provided of course, you play along." Finally he stepped back, and began to idly meander the room, "This has been a long time in the making, you know. The least you could do is humor me."

Amani scoffed venomously, "You won't hurt them."

The Mandalorian ran his hand along the back of a chair, and froze, before turning back around, "Won't I?"

"They're your only ticket out of here."

He tilted his head, "Oh. Oh hoh. I see. You are not in a position to be making threats, Your Excellency. After all, the only reason this works in the first place is because you put value on their lives." He came closer once more, leaning down to be eye level with her, "I'm Dar'manda, Mrs. Organa. Violence is my way of life. So if your hope relies on my supposed mercy, or lack of conviction, then it is woefully misplaced."

Then once more, he stepped back, "Their lives are worth far more to you than my death. So you'll hear me out." The Mandalorian tapped his chin thoughtfully, "And if not, then perhaps we'll just have to take you in for ransom as well. Surely we could get a better price for all three of you, no? The Count wouldn't dare to risk his beloved wife and children altogether. He'll see the writing on the wall. You Jedi are too stubborn. To set in your ways to know when you've lost."

Something about his tone indicated he was already considering that plan. Perhaps it was his ultimate plan the whole time. Amani gritted her teeth, waiting for something from Kai. For a Mandalorian, this guy was rather wordy. But it played out in their favor, "You talk too much."

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

As Kai reached the top of the ramp, a crew member turned toward him. “What are you doing?” he demanded. “We’re paying you to stand guard, not—”

He was silenced by a slash to the throat. Kai caught him before his body could fall, dragging it out of the way, then proceeded into the rest of the ship. A mate in storage, another in the mess—the Sithspawn picked them all off, one by one, before they could so much as utter a cry, let alone shoot at him.

"...then perhaps we'll just have to take you in for ransom as well. Surely we could get a better price for all three of you, no?..."

Kai could faintly hear Amani and the leader of the kidnappers talking on the other side of the door. He crept forward slowly, picking his way over the bodies of the crew. It was harder to gauge how many people were on the bridge with the ysalamiri blocking his senses, but he imagined there weren’t too many people in there.

He had taken on a new form, that of an engineer he had killed. When he opened the door, he put on a show.

“Sorry to interrupt, sir. We’re having technical difficulties,” he said, buying himself a few seconds to assess. Only two Mandalorians? Well then.

Suddenly seizing the other, silent Mando, he plunged a lengthened and sharpened finger into the soft part of their armor. The wound (probably) wasn’t fatal, but it would hurt. Doubly so as seconds began to tick by, and the painful puncture would begin to burn.

“I just poisoned your burc'ya,” he announced calmly and matter-of-factly, holding up a blood-stained claw. “I made the poison myself, and only I can make the antidote. If you don’t hand over the twins, your friend dies a slow and painful death. And I’ll kill you, just like I killed the rest of your crew.”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

The Mandalorian cocked his head, and was about to retort, when Kai stepped inside and interrupted. He stood up, clearly taking the intrusion as a red flag, but nobody reacted quick enough to stop him from plugging a bladed finger into the other Mando. The burly one made his first noise, grunting in pain as the poison quickly worked its way into his body. But in stereotypical Mandalorian fashion, he seemed more interested in retaliation than negotiation. He reached out to try and clamp a crushgauntlet around Kai's neck, and lift him up.

Amani used the distraction to wrestle the blaster away from the thug who had lead her in, blasting him through the stomach and leaning the body against her as as shield, incase the others tried to fire back. But the silver clad Mando remained in place, assessing the new situation. "Just as I said. You Jedi don't know when to quit." Despite his defiance, it seemed evident he was just stalling, rather than leading into a real contingency plan. He drew his beskad, and flourished it, "Come on then. Let us settle this like the wars of old. Or give me a good reason not to get rid of those kids here and n-"

He was cut off by the sound of a blaster bolt. He flinched, and saw Amani aiming the blaster in his direction, but hardly felt the impact on his armor. He looked down, and saw the smoldering remains of his Ysalamiri on his shoulder. Normally, Amani would be much more conflicted about killing an innocent animal, but here, it was an easy decision for the safety of her kids. The Force rushed back into her body, and immediately, the interior of the ship shook and rattled. Metal panels ripped off, consoles bursted, and then the entire bridge exploded outward, deconstructing down to its base parts.

The once still air kicked up in an angry wind, and the Mandalorian was lifted off his feet and pulled towards Amani. She stared at him coldly, her hair and clothes whipping around her, "Tell me where they are. Or I'll crush you inside that tin can. And then I'll find them anyway." The Mandalorian began to shake under the pressure, which seemed to close in around him. Despite his struggles, there was nothing to be done.

"O-okay! Okay! Put me down, dammit!" The sudden grip relinquished. He fell to the floor, and the swirling debris all clattered down around him.

Amani crouched down face-to-face, and tilted her head, "Five seconds."

"T-There! The panel!" He pointed to a space on the floor, just behind the captain's chair in fact. A secret compartment all for him. She ripped off the panel, revealing a pair of crying babies inside, the sound previously dampened from inside.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Amani said dryly, reaching down to pick up her children. After all his talk, the Mandalorian was unable to compete against her raw power in the Force. Rarely something used to its fullest extent. But it was also rare that anyone did something to bring her to that point. "I'm signaling the Alderaanian guard. And you're going to prison. And you're gonna be my warning. To anyone else who tries to hurt my family. Next time, I'll do what I have to. No hesitation."

The Mandalorian, defeatedly, nodded in understanding. Amani sighed, and turned around, "Kai?" Admittedly, her focus hadn't quite been on him and the other Mandalorian during the chaos.

Arlo Renard​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai was standing over the body of the other Mandalorian. After evading the crush gauntlet’s grip, he had fought the big quiet one as the ysalamiri was killed and the bridge fell apart around them. It wasn't clear whether he'd succumbed to the toxin or Amani's pike, which the Sithspawn held in his hand.

<Nice weapon,> he said, and would’ve given it back to her if her hands weren’t full with the twins.

While Amani had spared the ringleader’s life, they were surrounded by the bodies of the dead crew which Kai had killed. The Sithspawn moved toward the lone survivor, looking him up and down coldly, checking for weapons. Then he gave the Mando a telekinetic jab between the shoulder blades. "Move."

The ship had to have some sort of hold. He'd stay there until the authorities arrived.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani just gave Kai a firm nod. The babies began to ease their cries now that they were comforted by their mother. She held them closer as if to shield them from the carnage around them. Trusting that Kai would keep the Mandalorian moving, she headed back the way they came. Their captive trudged along in silent, solemn defeat. If he looked at the bodies of his fallen crew, there was hardly a turn of his head; Whether out of pride, shame, or discipline, was difficult to say.

They found a hold soon after and locked him inside, then stepped out to call the authorities. It didn't take long for royal guards to swarm the scene. Amani gave them the rundown of what happened, but refused any help with the babies. They were fine, physically, and os was she. They just needed comfort with one another. She hardly loosened her hold on August and Liana since getting them back.

After a long bout of time dedicated to just her kids, Amani approached her bodyguard, "Thank you, Kai. I don't think I could've saved them without you."

Arlo Renard​