A/N: Sorry for the late upload. I had a little bit of writer's block with this chapter but I think it turned out really well. It's the longest one yet with a word count over 5000. And I still had to split it in half. Just a head's up, there's mild swearing, graphic depictions of violence, death, a cliché trope, and a really bad injury in this one. This is easily the most intense part yet. Let me know how it turned out. Enjoy!

The wind chill had formed small crystals in your hair and eyelashes by the time Clan Wren's headquarters came into view. The speeders raced toward it as you leaned back to get a clear look. The building was constructed next to a frozen lake and it was box-like in appearance, large windows overlooking the ice. It wasn't exactly what you expected. Though it wasn't like you had seen many Mandalorian headquarters before.

The speeders slowed to a stop in front of the building and everyone slid off. The mandalorian man who had spoken before turned to face the woman beside him, a distinct metal chip above her visor.

"Rivick, tell the Countess that the Jedi has arrived." He said. She nodded and started toward the building as he turned his attention to Kenobi. "We'll go inside when we're signaled."

"Of course." Obi Wan responded. You shivered slightly as you walked toward your group, hugging yourself against the strengthening winds.

"What are you supposed to be? You're definitely no warrior." A muffled voice beside you said. You looked up to see a mandalorian, leaned against his speeder, examining you. His arms were crossed over his chest and his helmet tilted slightly as he waited for you to answer.

"I-I'm a medic. A v-volunteer." You answered him nervously. He seemed to look at you for a moment before letting out a scoff and standing up.

"Di'kut." He spat before making his way to the front of the group. You narrowed your eyes at this. You didn't know a word of Mando'a but you gathered by his tone that he had insulted you. No one said a word as they waited for the signal, whatever it was. Only when the woman from before stepped out and held up a hand, curling it into a fist, did the man in front of you speak.

"Alright, we're clear. But one wrong move and we'll be scraping your bodies off the floor, Jedi." He said. Kenobi didn't so much as frown at his tone.

"Lead the way." He replied. You could feel the man glare Kenobi down through his dark visor before he turned and started toward the building. You could hardly breathe through the tension as you nestled yourself between the members of Clone Force 99. You could feel the icy gaze of the mandalorians linger on you. You thought this might happen, being the odd-one-out of the group, but it took everything you had to hide your fear.

The large glass doors slid open and you felt warmth wash over you as you stepped inside. But you still shivered as you walked by the guards and stepped into the center of the large, dim room. In front of you was a throne, small stairs leading up to it. And sitting on it was a woman who didn't look older than twenty-five. Yet her features were cold and stern as her caramel eyes swept slowly over the group. Her intricately painted helmet was tucked at her side and her black hair was done into a neat bun. Kenobi gave her a gentle bow.

"Countess Ursa Wren. It is an honor." He began. "I am Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and I was sent to discuss a diplomatic solution between you and Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore." Ursa waved a hand in the air.

"I know why you're here, Jedi." She said stonily. "As much as I wish otherwise." Kenobi slowly folded his hands into the sleeves of his long brown cloak.

"I assure you, we won't stay any longer than we must, my Lady." He replied.

"Then I will waste no time." Ursa told him. "In the tradition of Clan Wren, you will be provided with a meal at sunset. The first diplomatic session will begin immediately afterwards." She tossed her gaze to the guard beside her.

"Show them to their rooms." She ordered. The guard nodded before stepping forward.

"Follow me." She said and the group fell in step beside her, Kenobi giving the Countess another bow before doing the same. You caste glances at your escorts. One of them was that woman, Rivick, who hadn't torn her glare from Kenobi. The Jedi looked ahead but Cody met her visor and she let out a huff.

"The Countess should never have allowed the likes of you within our walls." She said to Kenobi. "Jedi have no place here."

"I assure you that I'm not your enemy." Obi-Wan replied. "I'm simply here to resolve this conflict peacefully." Rivick ripped her attention away from him.

"You sound like that coward, Satine." She growled. You weren't sure if you imagined it, but you could've sworn you saw anger flash in Kenobi's blue eyes. But it was gone as soon as it had appeared. The mandalorians led you into a hallway lined with rooms.

"The rooms are made for two each. You have an hour to get settled in before dinner." One of them said before he nodded to the others. With that, their escorts left, though you doubted they'd leave the hallway unguarded. Kenobi turned to the group.

"You are free to settle into any room of your choosing. If my information about Clan Wren is accurate, attending the banquet isn't optional so get some rest before dinner." He said. "When you decide your housing, let me know. I'd like to know where everyone is in case things don't go as planned."

"Hmm, there's an odd number of us." Hunter said as he skimmed his eyes over the group. "Perhaps the General will take a room for himself."

"I don't think so. If any of us need to be guarded, it's him. You've seen the way they look at him." Tech replied. "Besides, there's barely enough rooms to accommodate us as is. We'll probably end up with a room of three." You agreed with a small nod.

"Can't say I blame them for being cautious, given their history with the Jedi." Crosshair remarked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm sure there'll be plenty of time to talk about that during the meetings." Hunter sighed "As for our rooms, Crosshair, you're with me. Tech, you're with Wrecker." He said.

"Hey, looks like we're roommates!" Wrecker laughed, giving Tech a smack on the back. He let out a surprised grunt, giving the bigger man a look, before examining his datapad.

"That leaves you." Tech said as he turned to you. "Who do you want to pair up with?" You tensed a bit at this and thought for a second. You decided it would be less awkward to lodge with someone you knew but which one? You knew Wrecker had the tendency to be loud and snore, and Tech was always up late on his datapad, but the other room had Crosshair in it.

"If it's no trouble, I guess I'll go with you two." You said, looking at Tech and Wrecker. Hunter nodded.

"It's decided, then. I'll let the general know."

***

You knew dinner would be tense but the air in the room was threatening to crush you. The Countess sat at one end of the table and Kenobi at the other.

"Thank you for accommodating us, Countess." Kenobi said in an attempt to lighten the mood. She leaned forward and rested her chin on the back of her folded hands.

"Hardly worth thanking me for. It is our tradition to welcome our guests with a meal." She replied.

"Well, it is appreciated, regardless." Kenobi answered. You examined the Jedi. You had never really engaged with him personally but you had already gathered a deep respect for him. However, the air was still tense as you cut into the strange meat on your plate. Did you even have an appetite? With the way the mandalorians and soldiers glared at each other, it seemed no one was too engulfed in their dinner. The only exception was the Countess. She had taken a generous serving compared to the others.

"I'm curious, Master Jedi." She began. "Why has the Order gotten so involved in Mandalore's business? Surely the Duchess hasn't requested it, seeing how she wants to remain neutral." Kenobi took a sip of his wine before answering.

"You're right. The Duchess would rather us not be involved. However, she doesn't let her own biases rule her judgement. Many other neutral systems have called for an outside influence in these matters and the Senate has decided that the Jedi are the best suited to step in." He replied. The Countess raised an eyebrow before sipping her water. You couldn't help but notice that she hadn't so much as poured a drop of alcohol into her wine glass. Perhaps she wanted to go into the meeting as clear-minded as possible. Kenobi didn't seem as concerned as he sipped at his drink.

As you swallowed a mouthful of food, you drew your eyes up to the Countess. She was difficult to read, though you expected as much from a mandalorian. But as she finished her plate, she scrunched her brow and put a hand lightly to her lips. You narrowed your eyes slightly as she paled. She looked like she was ill.

"Is everything alright, Countess?" Kenobi asked. One of her guards rested a hand on her shoulder and she stood.

"Excuse me for a moment." She said before calmly leaving the room. You watched after her for a while as you finished your meal. You managed to catch Kenobi's gaze and you gave each other knowing glances.

***

You were exhausted after the day you'd had as you, Tech, and Wrecker settled into your room. It was small, but nice. It had a bedroom with two beds, a couch, and a refresher. But when you noticed the amount of beds, you furrowed your brow.

"There's not enough beds for all of us." You commented. Tech shrugged.

"I thought as much. They did say these rooms were designed to accommodate two, after all. I'll take the couch." He said. You glanced at the furniture. It didn't look very comfortable to sleep on.

"I don't know, Tech. You might get better rest on a mattress." You told him. He didn't look up from his datapad.

"I've slept on worse."

"Still, you should be as rested as possible, especially on a mission." You added. "I'll take the couch." He shook his head.

"I already know you won't get any rest if-"

"Why don't me and Tech just share a bed?" Wrecker grunted as he set his bag beside one of the bed frames. Tech glanced at him.

"Well, first of all, you take up ninety percent of it. Second, you move in your sleep. Forgive me if I don't want to be kicked in the face again." He responded. Wrecker slipped his helmet off and rolled his eyes.

"Then why don't you two just share a bed?" He said. Your cheeks flushed as you and Tech exchanged an awkward glance.

"Uh, it-it wouldn't really be proper." You stammered. Wrecked raised the eyebrow above his clouded eye.

"But it makes the most sense right? Is it worth one of you sleeping on the couch in the cold? Because I'm sure not takin' it." He spoke. You and Tech exchanged another glance.

"Well, that's true." You said.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, then I-" Tech began, jamming his thumb toward the couch.

"No, it's okay." You said. "If-If it's okay with you." Wrecker rolled his eyes again before going to his own bed and flopping on top of it. You used the refresher first, showering and changing into your sleepwear and Tech went in after you, setting his glasses on the desk beside the bed. Wrecker was already snoring. You had nestled into the covers when Tech walked out, dressed in his blacks and his hair a bit damp from the shower. He grabbed his glasses and settled in beside you. Your cheeks warmed slightly as he drew his datapad out, flipping through it for a while. The garish blue light seared through your eyelids, even when you faced away. You turned toward him and cracked your eyes open.

"Tech." You complained.

"I'll just be a moment." He replied. You sighed and turned away, trying to fall asleep. It was a good thing you were so exhausted because you were out before long.

***

You stirred with a yawn as you woke. You inwardly complained, not quite ready to wake up yet. After yesterday, the blankets and mattress seemed to mold around you and the warmth beside you was more than welcome... Wait a minute. You furrowed your brow and opened your eyes a bit, blinking to clear them. Immediately, you were wide awake as your eyes widened and your cheeks flushed when you found yourself nestled against Tech's side. He was still snoring softly but you could tell by the way his eyelids twitched that he would be awake before long.

Quickly, you pulled yourself away from him, sitting up. The sudden movement drew him out of sleep as he let out a grunt and brought a hand up to one of his eyes. You tried not to show him how fluster you were when he opened them.

"Good morning. How'd you sleep?" You said. He sat up and stretched an arm over his chest.

"I slept alright." He answered sleepily as he grabbed his glasses from the desk and slipped them on. Wrecker was still snoring loudly, flopped on his stomach with an arm hanging from his bedside. Tech got up, walking toward him and shaking him. Wrecker grunted angrily, slapping Tech away.

"You've slept enough." Tech sighed, shaking him again. While he tried to wake Wrecker up, you walked into the refresher to get yourself ready for the day. After that, things went by fairly normally. The next meeting would proceed in the afternoon and you had requested to be present for it. It definitely beats sitting around in your room doing nothing. Kenobi had allowed it and that led to you standing in the throne room, listening to Obi-Wan and the Countess attempt to find a middle ground.

"I may not agree with all that Pre Vizsla does, but I cannot sit by and let our proud heritage be lost either." Ursa said.

"I understand your disagreement with the Duchess, but I urge you to cut ties with Death Watch and open yourself up for diplomatic discussion with Satine. She has made it quite clear that she wants to resolve these issues peacefully." Kenobi responded. Ursa scowled.

"We both know what she truly wants, Master Jedi. She isn't looking for a middle ground. She wants us to give up our warrior ways entirely. There is no room for discussion with the Duchess." She growled. You looked between the two of them from where you stood with Clone Force 99.

"Well, this isn't going anywhere." Crosshair snickered quietly. And the way things looked, they wouldn't go anywhere any time soon. Both the Countess and Kenobi were standing their ground, completely refusing to concede. And the mandalorians and republic forces were glaring at each other from where they stood across the room. But the thing you found most interesting was how sick the Countess looked when she'd walked in. She had held her head high and walked firmly, but you could see how quickly she seemed to run out of breath and how pale she seemed at times. It was like she was trying to keep herself from throwing up.

While you were focused on this, the doors to the throne room swung open, drawing everyone's attention. The mandalorian woman you recognized as Rivick walked in and turned her visor to the Countess, who stood from her throne abruptly. Her scowl hardened.

"This better be important." She said.

"It is, my Lady." Rivick said before standing to the side. Another mandalorian walked in, a man, with distinct red and white armor. You didn't recognize him, but the other mandalorians did as the air chilled. Ursa's eyes widened.

"Saxon?" She said, "Why are you here?" He looked up at her, his hands balled into fists at his side, before tossing his gaze to Kenobi.

"It's true, then. A Jedi, one the greatest enemies of our people, stands in your throne room." As he spoke, more mandalorians, wearing red and white, filed into the room. Immediately, the warriors of Clan Wren rested their hands on their blasters. The Republic forces did the same. You took a step back as Hunter gripped the hilt of his vibroblade.

"What's going on?" You asked quietly.

"I'm not sure." Hunter answered. Ursa glared at Saxon.

"What business is it of yours who I allow into my halls? The Jedi may have been enemies in the past, but this one means no harm to our kind." She replied. Saxon took a few more steps forward.

"When you allied yourself with Death Watch, you chose the path of the true mandalorians. And no mandalorian who truly respects their heritage would let a Jedi stand before them." He stated, his voice echoing around them. "If this is how lax you are with your ideals, how do I know where your true loyalties lie?" Ursa's eyes blazed.

"I won't have my honor called into question, Gar Saxon!" She snarled.

"And yet you have shared a table with a Jedi." Saxon replied. Ursa's eyes narrowed coldly.

"How is it you know about any of this? Have you been spying on my clan?" She demanded and Saxon shook his head.

"No. It seems there is a fragment of Clan Wren who understands what honor truly is, Countess. They were the ones who told me of your treachery." He said.

"What are you..." Ursa began only for her eyes to fall on Rivick, who still stood by his side. She averted her gaze and Ursa curled her fingers into fists.

"Leave. None of you are welcome here." She said. Saxon rested his hand on his blaster.

"I'm afraid I still have business here, Countess." He began before addressing the entire room. "If there are any more members of Clan Wren who wish to remain loyal to Death Watch, now is your chance to say so. If not, then you will die with your Countess." One of the members of Clan Wren, the man who had first approached you when you arrived here, stepped forward.

"We aren't the traitors you say we are, Saxon! If we die today, it will be by the side of Ursa Wren!" He declared. The room was still for a moment. You saw the other members of Clone Force 99 slowly reach for their blasters. You swallowed nervously.

"So be it." Saxon said coldly. After that, everything happened in a blur of light. Blasters sounded from all around you as Hunter pulled you behind him, firing his own gun. Glass shattered, jet packs roared, and cries of pain filled the room. Your thoughts immediately became a jumbled mess as you tried to make sense out of your surroundings. You noticed Ursa retreating with the help of a couple guards, one of them holding off Saxon as he slammed his fist into their visor. The Bad Batch had formed a semi-circle, making sure to keep you out of the line of fire. Kenobi had ignited his lightsaber and leapt to the defense of Clan Wren with his troops following suit, Cody shouting orders.

You heard a clone let out a cry not far from you and he fell to his knees, a bullet hole smoking from his chest. A group of mandalorians singled out Clone Force 99 and launched a rain of blaster bolts toward them. You flinched as one sung past your ear and struck Crosshair in the arm. He let out a hiss of pain but he didn't let it slow him down as he returned fire.

"There's no cover in here!" Wrecker shouted as he dodged a shot to the shoulder. Hunter ducked under the blaster fire and charged forward, drawing his knife and meeting one of the mandalorians in close-combat. Your ears began to ring as your breathing grew unsteady. Everywhere you looked, there was chaos. Wrecker managed to shoot a mandalorian out of the sky as Kenobi drove his blade through the chest of another. A clone fired at Saxon only for his neck to be snapped from behind. Hunter managed to drive his knife into the throat of the man he was fighting, blood spilling onto the ground as he collapsed. You didn't even notice Crosshair calling to you until you felt someone shaking you.

"You need to get out of here! We'll cover you!" The sniper said when your eyes snapped on him.

"I've studied the floor plan of this building. At least, where we were allowed to go. I think I know the best route to get you to safety." You heard Tech say, laying a hand on your shoulder. You could barely process what they were saying but you mustered a nod. He pulled you down as a glass window shattered above you. You let out a shout as he began to drag you away.

"Just follow me!" He called above the noise. He led you along the wall toward a back door. He stopped firing his blaster to avoid drawing attention to you but before you could reach the door, a blaster bolt struck Tech's side. He let out a shout and stumbled back as a woman landed in front of you.

"Where do you two think you're going?" She said, twin blaster in her hands. Tech held a hand in front of you, keeping himself between you and the mandalorian.

"Let her go. She's a volunteer." He said. The woman tilted her head.

"She chose to stand by the Jedi. That makes her an enemy." She growled before aiming the blasters at Tech. He raised his weapon as well but before either of them could fire, an explosion rocked the building. You all stumbled and Tech saw his chance. He fired, the shot landing on one of her wrists and making her drop the blaster with a scream. He then charged her before she could raise her gun, slamming against her and driving his elbow into her side.

She was quick, headbutting him and shoving him off of her before striking him with a flurry of blows. He regained himself, grabbing her by the arm and arching her over his shoulder. She slammed into the ground with a gasp and you thought that was the end of it. But as Tech raised his blaster up to finish her off, she swept her leg under his feet and knocked him off balance. Before he could get up, she drew a knife and leapt for him.

"Tech!" You screamed, unable to hold yourself back. You ran toward them, but she had already plunged the knife into his stomach. She reeled her arm back as he curled against the pain with a guttural cry, exposing his throat. The bloody steel glinted as she aimed for the weak spot. You didn't feel your feet hit the ground as you charged her. You didn't have a plan. All you knew was that you couldn't stand by and watch. Before she could bring the knife back down on him, you collided with her and knocked her to the ground. The knife clattered out of her hand and you quickly tried to pin her down. But you couldn't match her combat experience. She drove her foot into your stomach and flung you off effortlessly.

"Some people are in a rush to die." She snarled as she shakily got to her feet, raising the knife. You shook, trying to push yourself away as she approached.

"Fall back!" Saxon's voice called but she didn't listen. She seemed determined to kill you as she knelt down and snagged you by the collar of your jacket. But before she could finish you off, a sniper bolt sank into her helmet. Your eyes widened as she tensed before slowly falling on top of you, limp. You let out a shaky breath as you stared for a moment, your mind still racing, before you shoved her body off and scrambled away.

"Tech!" You heard Wrecker call and you jerked your attention to where Tech lay. Your eyes widened at the small pool of blood that had already begun forming at his side. Wrecker knelt beside him as you got to your feet and ran toward them. When you reached Tech's side, your breath caught in your throat. You could see the way his eyes were squeezed shut in pain behind his helmet as he let out another cry. He dug his nails against the wound and clawed at the floor, shifting and coughing. But the worst part was the wound itself. It was deep, blood pouring up from it and spilling over his right side. You heard Hunter and Crosshair's footsteps approach as you slipped your medical bag from your shoulders.

Everything else faded into the background as you pressed a cloth into the wound to stem the bleeding. Wrecker removed Tech's helmet so he could breathe easier but his chest still heaved as he curled in pain.

"Hold him still, Wrecker." You said as you shoved the cloth deeper into the wound. It was already soaked in blood. You looked at Tech's face. His skin was pale and his eyes were beginning to glaze. Blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Tech, focus on me, alright?" You said. He weakly drew his attention to you but you could see how delirious he was.

"Do you have a medical facility in this damn building?!" Hunter snarled at one of the mandalorians.

"Yes. It's not far from here. She'll be able to tend to him better there." He replied. The bleeding had finally begun to slow when Wrecker began to pick Tech up.

"Be careful." You said to him before looking at Tech. He'd stopped writhing in pain, which wasn't good. He was slipping into unconsciousness. You grabbed his hand and placed it over the cloth.

"Keep your eyes on me." You told him desperately. You weren't sure he heard you. He barely reacted to your touch as you made your way to the medical facility. It felt like hours before he was laid on a hospital bed. A medical droid pushed the others out before assisting you, beginning to undo his armor and hook him up to a machine. You barely paid attention. All your focus was on Tech.

The bleeding had slowed when you finally retracted the cloth. You didn't even have time to properly disinfect it. You settled for a quick shot of bacta spray and stitching the wound closed. The stitches were rushed but they would hold. Tech had passed out, his breathing no longer heavy. Instead, it was frighteningly weak as you finished the stitches. You chewed your lip as you placed a bacta patch over the stitches before pulling out some gauze and binding it as tightly as you could. The medical droid set up blood for a transfer but it was painfully slow. 

When you had finished, you turned to his blaster wound. You quickly disinfected it and placed a patch over it before looking at the blood on his mouth. You let out a relieved huff when you noticed it wasn't caused by internal bleeding. At some point in the fight, most likely in combat with that woman, he'd bitten his tongue. Finally, you stepped back and looked at his vitals. You let out a sigh of relief when you saw that he had stabilized. But he was still on the brink.

"I can take over from here. My scans show that you are in a slight state of shock and are in dire need of rest." The medical droid said. You looked at Tech through heavy eyelids. You didn't want to leave his side but you had done everything you could for him. Shakily, you made your way to the door and it slid open. The other members of the Batch were waiting and they stood quickly.

"H-how is he?" Wrecker asked.

"He's stabilized but he's still in critical condition. The slightest change could..." You trailed off, unable to finish your sentence but the others knew. You felt tears prick the corner of your eyes.

"Can we see him?" Hunter asked, his voice quiet. You shook your head.

"Not yet. The medical droid is still working on setting up his life support." Crosshair let out a growl as he chewed his toothpick before taking a step toward the door.

"I'll be damned if I let some droid-" He began only for Hunter to step in his way, bracing his hand on the sniper's chest.

"Let the droid do its job, Crosshair. That's the best thing we can do for Tech at the moment." He said. Crosshair glared at him. You thought for a moment that he would ignore his Sergeant. Instead, he shoved him away and stormed off. You watched after him for a second before a hand on your shoulder drew your attention to Hunter.

"He just needs rest. We all do." He said.

"I can rest after I look at everyone else's injuries." You stated but Hunter shook his head.

"I can't let you do that. You were in there for hours and you're worn out." He said. Your eyes widened at this. Has it really been that long? "There are other medics here who can help us. Get some sleep." He added. You gave him a small nod and he patted your shoulder lightly before making his way out of the medical wing, motioning for Wrecker to follow him. You could barely think straight as you made your way to your room, the door sliding open. You grabbed a change of clothes and stepped into the refresher, washing Tech's blood from your hands and showering. You let the hot water calm you and draw you back to your senses before stepping out, getting dressed, and making your way to your bedside. You laid down and, as soon as you did, the tears flowed from your eyes.

You weren't sure how long you were crying as the scenes from the battle echoed in your mind. And a few halls away, Tech was barely clinging to his life. But eventually, exhaustion overwhelmed you and you slipped into a restless sleep.