#death watch under pre were a bunch of dudes who'd have roman statue avis on X the Everything App

[stellanslashgeode]

Allow me to add an excerpt from Sundari Lament:

  The fact that Death Watch had tussled with Ahsoka suddenly made them seem a more pressing threat to Barriss. She had battled a Mandalorian warrior a few weeks ago but her affiliation was not confirmed. Ahsoka had battled Pre Vizsla himself! They were real to her now and beyond threatening the Duchess they were messing with others she cared for. It lit a fire under her. She pestered Thrace for access to intelligence reports which she poured over with her exacting scholastic thoroughness.

  During her next fencing practice with Satine she proposed a mission to find their current whereabouts. She was rebuffed. Once they had showered and changed and had settled down for some iced tea to rehydrate, she asked again.

  “No.”

  “Why not? Aren’t you concerned? Now that Mandalore is in a stronger position to resist the influence of the war isn’t Death Watch the most pressing threat against you?”

  “Yes. And I do have intelligence assets keeping track of their movements. It is not much of a challenge. They leave such a mess wherever they go.”

  The Padawan leaned forward, her face earnest. “I could do more than track their movements. I could find them! We could confront them!”

  Satine waved her off.

  “I do not need to know where they are, or even where they have been. I know where they are going. There’s only one place Vizsla can go to achieve his goal.”

  “And where is that?” Barriss leaned back and sipped her tea.

  Satine indicated the door with a slight jerk of her head. “Out there. He’ll confront me before my throne. He’ll declare me a heretic and have me arrested.”

  “Arrested? Not killed?”

  Satine sniffed. “Not right away. He’ll need me alive for a while.”

  “Why?”

  “Because as he solidifies his power things will go wrong. He will gut my administration and put his own people in charge, only to find they might be fine warriors but will fumble a bit at statecraft. He’ll find himself isolated. Death Watch has been trying hard not to confront either the Republic or his former Confederate allies. That means they have been galivanting all over Unaligned Worlds wreaking havoc, pillaging, and stealing. Do you really think our allies will want him as chairperson in my place? He will find that the Mandalore System will become an island standing by itself once more. All the trade agreements we have made will fray apart. And that’s why he will need me alive. He’ll trot me out before the people do denounce me and blame me for all ills. He’ll say I corrupted the youth. He’ll say I encouraged decadence and amorality. I made young Mandalorian men into soft diplomats instead of proud warriors. I encouraged young women to be more interested in social causes than becoming mothers to the next generation or dissuaded them from being proud shield maidens or some such nonsense. Any who don’t fit into his ideals for masculinity and femininity will be forcefully corrected or shuffled out of public life. He will need to assert his authority over the populace, and he will face resistance as often as he gains new converts.”

  Barriss shivered. “What then?”

  “Then, to make ends meet, he will resurrect the tradition of raiding. He may succeed for a time. Once there is a victor in the war attentions will turn towards Vizsla’s rampages. Sundari will burn once more.”

  Barriss put down her glass. “You know his plans and what he will do if he wins. Why cannot you see you are making my argument for me? I should go after them.”

  “No. The strategy has not changed. He seeks to win by being a strongman. I will win by building a strong community. And I need you here to assist me.”

Don't mind me. I'm just making sure the Americans know who they're supposed to root for because I don't think it was clear enough.