Fact Finding Mission Pt. 3

A/N: Hey guys, just a heads up, this story will be going on a temporary public hiatus for the next six weeks. Effectively, Chapter 53 will not be released from my P atreon until March 28th. I'll explain in more detail at the end of the chapter, for now just enjoy!

-x-X-x-

There's a beat of silence as Shaak Ti and Aayla both mull over everything Maris has told them. In the end, the Zabrak Padawan's Master shakes her head with a slightly muted sigh.

"You should not have disobeyed my orders, Padawan. While it worked out well this time, it could have just as easily resulted in you getting lost in the Prime Minister's files long enough for us to be discovered."

Maris flushes at the fairly gentle admonishment, ducking her head in apology.

"Yes Master…"

Seeing that her Padawan looks reasonably contrite, Shaak Ti waits another moment before nodding.

"That said, the information you uncovered about this rogue Clone Template is curious indeed. Rook Kast slipping her Kaminoan Handlers might in fact mean that the woman has more information than she lets on. Alternatively, it could mean nothing at all. It is the possibility of more information… whereas the financials give us a direct trail to follow."

Glancing to Aayla and then Tylo, the Togruta Jedi Master comes to a decision… but then, it's a decision Tylo had already heard her make in the privacy of her own mind.

"We must follow up on the Banking Clan first and foremost. If we can hunt down where the credits came from, then we might be able to discover the identity of the Sith Master at long last."

It's a fair thought. As a newly minted Jedi Knight, Tylo wasn't technically supposed to know it, but due to spending much of his time with a member of the High Council as well as his own Master, he was quite aware of some information that was held in secrecy by the upper echelons of the Jedi Order. Namely, that Count Dooku was not the Sith Master, but rather the Apprentice.

Most beings who knew of the Sith would have assumed his age and status as a former Jedi Master made such a thing an impossibility, but the Jedi High Council were quite sure of this information.

Regardless, Tylo sees his opportunity to step in, clearing his throat.

"I believe my connections make me best suited to follow up on this Death Watch lead while you three focus on the Banking Clan, Masters."

All eyes are suddenly on him, as are their thoughts. Maris' are self-disparaging, of course, the young Zabrak still feeling the sting of her Master's admonishment.

Tylo is just trying to make me feel better about how I disobeyed orders, isn't he?

It's not true at all, but of course he can't tell her that. Meanwhile, Shaak Ti frowns, a bit of realization entering her eyes.

Hm, he is a Jedi Knight now, so technically he can choose his own missions… and he doesn't require Aayla's supervision anymore. That's going to take some getting used to.

It certainly was. While technically Tylo's relationship with both Shaak Ti and Aayla had been quite… twisted for years now, that was only in the bedroom. Outside of sex, he had strived to always listen to his Masters, to learn from them and grow as a Jedi. But he wasn't a Padawan anymore. He was a fully-fledged Jedi Knight now.

Aayla's thoughts are both the simplest and the most direct as she catches his eye.

Padawan. Are you sure about going it alone?

Tylo knows that he could convince Aayla to step in and say she was going with him if he wanted to, but that won't be necessary. Shaak Ti is right, after all. The financial route is their best bet of actually getting answers. The Rook Kast route is ultimately just a gamble that may or may not pay off. Besides, he won't actually be alone. Giving Aayla the smallest fraction of a nod, Tylo straightens up and squares his shoulders.

"With Bo-Katan Kryze at my side, I believe I shall be able to interface with the Mandalorian government directly, allowing me to make rapid in-roads in hunting down Rook Kast and Death Watch. From there, I'll see what answers I can get from our missing Clone Template."

There, see? He wouldn't be alone. There's another moment of silence, in which all three female Jedi's thoughts are tinged with varying degrees of not wanting to let him go… mostly for selfish reasons though. And in the end, those selfish reasons are precisely why Shaak Ti and Aayla both prove willing to let him do this. As they release their selfish desires to keep him with them into the Force, the tension in their shoulders relaxes.

"… Very well, Knight Vondin. Keep us appraised of your movements and go with our blessing."

Tylo smiles and bows at the waist… before finally getting his clothes back on. Then, it's off to go and contact Bo-Katan.

She would surely be pleased with the chance to visit her home system once more, right? Not to mention, wasn't her sister the ruler of Mandalore? Should be one big family reunion…

-x-X-x-

"Ugh, I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

Seriously. Bouncing up and down on Tylo Vondin's cock, Bo-Katan wonders exactly what she thinks she's doing. Sure, the Padawan-turned-Knight was a fine lay, and so far he and his Order had paid to keep her on retainer over the past few months.

… Alright so fine, she COULD have made way more credits selling her services as a mercenary to others if she'd decoupled from Tylo and his Order. She hadn't because she was partial to Tylo himself, and that was just how it was. Still, this did stretch the limits of her affections towards the young man.

"I do apologize. I hadn't realized your relationship with your sister was so… strained."

Bo-Katan snorts derisively at that. Reaching down, she runs her hands along Tylo's naked chest, her eyes flashing as her insides clench down around his cock. She holds back a wanton moan, letting only a grunt slip out of her lips instead so he doesn't get an idea of just how good he's currently making her feel. Not that that seems to ever help. He always knows, regardless of how she tries to hide her reactions. Jedi bullshit, to be sure.

Indeed, even as she holds back her moan, Tylo grabs her by her hips and thrusts up into her in just the right motion to make Bo-Katan's eyes damn near roll back in her head. The Mandalorian woman shudders as she experiences an explosive orgasm upon his cock right then and there. Of course, that alone isn't enough to stop her from tearing him a new one.

"You should have. You seem to know everything else about me. Perhaps finding out why I haven't been back to Mandalore since my father's death should have made the list."

Despite the caustic quality of her words, truth be told, Bo-Katan's tone has barely any heat in it. She's not really mad at Tylo by this point. If she'd truly been enraged, she wouldn't have agreed to this mission. As things stood, they were on board her ship right now, which was currently in hyper speed on the way to Mandalore. They would arrive in another hour, at which point she suspected she would be confronted with her younger sister.

It wasn't something Bo-Katan was looking forward to. Satine and she had rarely seen eye to eye even when they were still on speaking terms. Their father's funeral was the last time they'd spoken, in fact… and frankly, Bo-Katan had tried not to let that get to her. She'd forged a new life for her away from the Mandalore Sector and her sister's 'New Mandalorians'.

Of course, Janga had always hated how weak the New Mandalorians had become. Almost as much as she'd hated Death Watch. But the Fett had never blamed Bo-Katan for her sister's pacifistic ways. Bo-Katan didn't know if Janga had any plans for one day returning to Mandalore and fixing all of that shit, but if the other female Mandalorian did, they didn't matter now.

Except maybe they did. Sure, Janga was dead and gone, but Bo-Katan was still here. And perhaps that was partially why she was even entertaining this idea. The thought that Rook Kast had gone and joined up with Death Watch right after Janga Fett's death… it didn't sit well with Bo-Katan. So yes, even if it meant interacting with her sister, the fiery red head was going to get to the bottom of things. One way or the other.

"You're right. I should have. I suppose I'll just have to make it up to you."

Pulled out of her musings by Tylo's words, Bo-Katan looks down to see the young Jedi Knight grinning up at her knowingly. Scowling, she clenches down along his cock, already well on her way to her next orgasm.

"Hmph, this makes for a good start, I suppose. Yet… aren't you supposed to be a Knight now? Doesn't that come with more backbone or something?"

Tylo raises an eyebrow at that, even as Bo-Katan's scowl turns into a smirk, her riding slowing down to a gyrating of hips. His grip on said hips tightens up as he lets out a grunt.

"Padawan… Knight… I'm still me, Bo-Katan. And I've always had PLENTY of backbone."

With that, Tylo surges up. Bo-Katan tries to hold him down of course, more as a matter of principle than because she wants to pin him in place. But it doesn't matter, since the cheating bastard is using the Force to get his way and her physical strength will only take her so far against such a thing.

In an instant, it's Bo-Katan who's on the bottom and Tylo who's on top. She gasps, the air driven out of her lungs, even as he pulls out of her and promptly spins her over onto her front. She barely recovers in time enough to push up onto her hands and knees before he's inside of her again and fucking her from behind. His hand goes to her hair, gripping down hard on her fiery red locks. He yanks her head back, causing Bo-Katan to gasp as her spine is forced to arch.

It was what she wanted, in the end. For him to take charge. For him to fuck her properly. For him to make her forget about where they were headed and what they would soon be doing. Bo-Katan wasn't ready to see her little sister again, but truth be told, she probably never would have been ready. If the issue wasn't forced, she might not have ever gone home.

For now, Bo-Katan focuses on the matter at hand. Namely, his massive cock punching deep into her tightening, clenching quim again and again. She can't hold back her cries anymore. The time for close-lipped grunts is over as Tylo fucks her from behind without holding anything back. Just the way she liked it.

-x-X-x-

"So long as your intentions are peaceful, Master Jedi… you are welcome in the Mandalore System."

Though I doubt your intentions are truly peaceful, especially when you come before me with an armored Mandalorian mercenary at your side.

Standing there in the throne room of Duchess Satine Kryze, ruler of the New Mandalorians and indeed the planet Mandalore, Tylo considers how best to approach this situation. He understood why Bo-Katan had chosen to wear her helmet now. Despite the red head's armor being quite stylized, it's obvious from the very start that Satine doesn't recognize her sister.

He's half-tempted to 'accidentally' reveal Bo-Katan's presence in some way, but no… that would not be conducive to keeping things amicable in this moment. He has no intentions of pissing off Bo-Katan OR Satine… if he can help it. So long as he's allowed to hunt for Rook Kast and Death Watch, all will be well.

Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, Tylo sketches out a bow to the Duchess of Mandalore before straightening up and gracing her with a smile.

"Greetings Duchess. I must confess, I am no Master… my name is Tylo Vondin, and my rank is Jedi Knight. As for my intentions… it is the hope of every Jedi in my Order that we can return to peaceful times as soon as possible."

Handsome and good-natured. Just like Obi-Wan. Hmph, Jedi men are truly dangerous, aren't they? Or maybe it's just my… interests that are dangerous here.

To her credit, none of Satine's inner thoughts show on her face. She's not even blushing as she peers at Tylo from her throne, lips pressing tightly together.

"And yet your Order leads the Republic's army of Mandalorian Clones into battle. I must confess, I have always held the Jedi Order in high esteem… and yet, in recent times I find that all but impossible now."

It's a fair point, and so Tylo bows his head, conceding to Satine's words. Beside him, he can feel Bo-Katan bristling and can hear from her thoughts that she's irate over her sister's unchanging attitude towards war and violence. But for now at least, Bo-Katan holds herself back.

"I can assure you, Duchess, I am not here to bring the war to your doorstep. In point of fact, I fear that it has already arrived… in the form of Death Watch."

Satine's eyes narrow at that.

Death Watch. Of course he would be here for them. Or are they just his excuse to have the Republic intervene in Mandalorian affairs?

"Death Watch is a terrorist organization being dealt with by our security forces, Knight Vondin. They have as little to do with your war as the rest of us here on Mandalore."

Sensing that he needs to tread carefully if he wants to avoid turning Satine against him, Tylo considers his next response for a moment.

"… I am not sure how true that is, but as I already said, it is not my intention to bring the war to your people, Duchess. I come here by myself, with only my… bodyguard by my side. We seek a single individual who is said to have joined up with Death Watch in recent months. Her name is Rook Kast and she holds knowledge that might see the war brought to your doorstep no matter what you and I might want… if I don't get to her before that happens."

Rook Kast… I do not recognize the name. And yet, he seems to be telling the truth. Either that or my proclivity for handsome Jedi men makes me want to believe him. Tch, and yet…

Satine's eyes flicker over to Bo-Katan, Tylo's proclaimed 'bodyguard'.

"I see. You would claim this Mandalorian as your bodyguard, then? Can you ensure she will not make trouble of any sort during the course of your investigation?"

Tylo doesn't even hesitate, despite feeling Bo-Katan bristle at his side.

"I can. She will follow my orders."

The red head doesn't like that, but also continues to remain silent. Satine, for her part, thinks for a moment more, her mind whirling with all the worst possibilities of what his presence could mean for her people and her cause. In the end however, she lets out a sigh.

"You may search for this Rook Kast so long as you obey the laws of our territory. Be careful, Knight Vondin. Death Watch is notoriously dangerous. Do not provoke them to the detriment of my people, am I understood?"

This is as much as I can offer him, regardless of how handsome and good-natured he might be. Any more and I risk provoking greater reprisal than we've already seen.

Tylo hesitates. It was more than he expected, but less than he wished. And yet… part of him wanted to go for broke. Part of him wanted to aim for more.

-x-X-x-

A/N: Okay, explanation time. Essentially, I have decided to bring the backlog for this story over on my P atreon up from two advance chapters to four advance chapters. This will bring it in line with all of my newer P atreon Story Polls, and when all is said and done, I will have 10 different Story Polls that are all four chapters ahead over on my P atreon. This effort will be finished on April 5th.

That said, starting April 7th, I will be retiring my old lowest tier price of $2 and replacing it with a new lowest tier price of $3. HOWEVER, anyone who is already pledged to my P atreon at the $2 monthly price point when I make this change will get to remain at the $2 price for as long as they stay pledged to my P atreon.

As such, you can consider these next 6-7 weeks to be your last chance to pledge to my P atreon at the old price and then get to keep that price going forward even with all of the additional content that my will be providing from this point on.

Basically, if you were ever on the fence about joining my P atreon and needed a solid reason to do so, now is the time. Not only will you get the lower price point, but you will also get the next two chapters of this fic immediately and uninterrupted reading as it updates over on my P atreon on its normal schedule over the next few weeks.