Chapter Text
Chapter 1: The Child of Destiny
"Mandalore. Home of the legendary Mandalorians. A warrior race equipped with the finest armor and trained in all manner of weaponry. While they have chosen many different paths, they are all bonded by a common creed, language, and code. While they had remained natural during the Old Republic, they had been enemies and occasional allies of the Jedi Order. Before the fall of the Jedi and the rise of the Galactic Empire, in order to return to the ways of old, Pre Vizla made a deal with the former Sith Lord, Maul, who agreed to help take back their world while he built his criminal Empire. The Shadow Collective."
"Using deceptive ways, they succeeded in removing the Duchess Satine from power, you know what they say when you make a pact with the Devil. Maul fought Vizla for the right to the throne of Mandalore. Maul succeeded, killing Vizla, and claiming to hold a weapon all Mandalores respected. The Darksaber. Whoever claimed the weapon in honorable combat has the claim to the throne of Mandalore. Maul's victory put the Mandalorians against each other. One side believes only the stronger shall rule, but the other side, despite the former Sith victory, believes no outsider should ever rule Mandalore. It put the entire planet into a Civil War. Out of desperation, Bo-Katan, the sister of the Duchess, turned to the Republic and the Jedi Order for aid. Working with the former Jedi, Ashoka Tano, and a separate division of the 501st, they were able to hunt down Maul and capture him and most of his followers. While the Darksaber was not found, they believed the threat to be over, as Ashoka and a security team began to return to Coruscant, with Maul in Custody, and the remaining Troopers to help capture and loose ends, many would have believed to be the case... until the dreaded Order 66 came to play, resulting in the fall of the Jedi Order, Republic, and losing the once natural planet to a greater evil... which left another problem..."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?!" The leader of Clan Kryze exclaimed in anger. Less than 24 hours ago, the clones on Mandalore turned cold and seemingly heartless on instinct. They turned on their Mandalorian allies and took the planet for themselves. Bo-Katan tried to turn to Ashoka to see what had happened. She dispatched some of her Mandalorians to track down the ship they had left. Only to hear it never made it to Coruscant, as it crashed, leaving almost no survivors. However, Maul was nowhere to be found.
"We searched the wreckage," Axe Woves reported from the moon, "Maul's body is nowhere to be found, and the majority of the clones have been buried."
"Buried?" Bo-Katan raised an eyebrow, "Never took Maul as the sentimental type to the enemy."
"The bodies of Commander Rex and Ashoka Tano are nowhere near the wreckage either; we could only find one of her lightsabers," Axe reported, as Bo nodded. She had heard reports of clones turning on the Jedi, so maybe she had nothing to do with what came after she had left with Maul. She could only assume that Maul escaped during the chaos, "Should we keep searching..."
"No, just get back here as soon as you can," She ordered, "It doesn't matter if the Darksaber is not with him, we'll never be able to retake Mandalore from the Republic without it. The moment he shows his face, we'll hunt him down, and this time... we kill him."
Axe nodded before the hologram vanished. The leader of the Nite Owls sighed, "How did it come to this?"
"Bo," Koska Reeves ran into the room, "You're going to want to see this..."
The Nite Owls gathered around as the message from the Supreme Chancellor was beamed across the galaxy, "And the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. Our loyal clone troopers contained the insurrection within the Jedi Temple and quelled uprisings on a thousand worlds. The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated!"
"The Jedi? Turning on the Republic?" Bo-Katan raised an eyebrow, "That's a load of Bantha fodder!"
"Even if they did, why turn on Mandalore as well?" Koska wondered.
"The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed. But, I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger!" The hooded leader of the Republic continued with his speech, and what he would say next would change the galaxy forever: "In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire!"
"Galactic Empire?" Another Mandalorian repeated in shock.
"For a safe and secure society." The newly self-proclaimed Emperor finished.
"Turn it off," She closed her eyes. She didn't want to hear any more.
Koska complied as she turned off the footage from the Holonet, as one Mandalorian glanced at the leader of the Nite Owls, "So, what does this mean for Mandalore?"
"It means we lost Mandalore again... to this... Empire," Bo groaned as she rubbed her eyes, before sighing, "Satine and I argued about many things, but she was right about one thing... we should have stayed neutral..."
"More Republic- er... I mean... Imperial Forces have exited Hyperspace," Another Mandalorian reported, "They're reinforcing the clones that were still on Mandalore... what should we do?"
"Maybe if we gather the other clans," Koska proposed, "We can retake our home and-"
"That is only possible if I have the Darksaber in my hand," Bo frowned, "And Maul didn't even have it there." She sighed, "Our best chance of taking back Mandalore is to hunt him down and win back the blade in combat... then we can lead the others to take back our home... but I doubt he'll show himself again anytime soon."
"And even if we did find him, I doubt he'd accept any challenge," Axe entered the room with some of the Mandalorians that were tracking Maul, "Ashoka Tano was the best shot, and if she did survive, if she's smart, she'll be in hiding too."
"Then what can we do?" Koska crossed her arms.
"I may have an idea..."
The sudden appearance of a new voice put everyone on alert. They all turned to the source of the voice and aimed their blasters at the newcomer, who was leaning back in the corner. By his body type, he appeared human, but I couldn't say for certain when the hood from his black coat was up. He raised in surrender, "Hey, hey, hey! No need for the hostilities! I come in peace! Geez, is this how you treat all your guests?"
"Who are you?! How'd you get in here without anyone noticing you?!" Axe glared at the man in the black coat.
"Man, I almost forgot how serious you Mandos are," The mysterious man chucked before calmly walking over to the bar nearby and preparing himself a drink, "To answer your questions in order, well, who I am doesn't really matter, as for how I got here without you noticing..." He took a sip of his beverage, "Well, let's just say I've walked this universe for a long time."
"You Jedi?" Bo raised an eyebrow, "Or Sith?"
"Neither," He admitted as he swirled around his beverage, "Not exactly a wielder of the Force here... but that doesn't mean I'm completely powerless either..." He glanced at the Nite Owl, who still kept their blasters trained on him, "Heard about your little problem. Can't say I'm all that surprised. Between Maul and Sidious... your world really is in a pickle."
"Sidious?" Bo-Katan lowered her blaster, "Dooku's master?"
"Sure, Sidious, Palpatine, and I guess Emperor now," The man nodded, "Really pulled a fast one on the galaxy."
"Wait, you say Sidious was the Chancellor?" Koska raised an eyebrow, "...the Sith the Jedi were looking for? Was right under their noses this whole time."
"Sure is," The figure nodded, "Even managed to use his old pupil in order to include Mandalore in his regime... gotta give the old man credit, from one master to another, he really has an eye for strategy."
The Mandalorians glanced at each other before Bo-Katan slowly approached the man in the black coat, "If you knew all of this, why not warn the Jedi before the clones turned on them? Could have saved us a lot of trouble and needless death."
"Yeah, well, that's not what I'm here," He shrugged, "Can't be messing with the flow of time too much, as it could drastically alter my own goals for the universe." He finished his drink, "But I was in the neighborhood with an offer that could save your world, keep it Imperial free... and Mandalorians united against the common enemy. A weapon that can certainly defeat Maul and potentially even the old man himself."
"It doesn't matter what manner of weapon we obtain," Axe stated, "Without the Jedi, none can challenge Maul to get the Darksaber back..."
"Maybe... unless they could wield the Keyblade," The intruder pointed out, causing all the Mandalorians to lower their weapons, "Ah, I see you heard of it."
"Of course, we heard of it. The Keyblade and those who could wield it," Bo-Katan nodded, lowered her blaster, and holstered it, but did not give the order to have the others lower theirs. "As children, we were told many stories about them. Some of our ancestors could even wield them themselves. They saved our world countless times... even today, we owe them a debt we could never repay." She sighed, "It pained all of Mandalore when they went extinct. They deserved far better than that."
"Well, that's not entirely true," The man in the black coat stated.
Bo-Katan turned to the newcomer, "What?"
Everyone in the room was stunned as the man in black set down the glass, "Well, it's true, there are no Keyblade Masters currently in this galaxy... I'll give you that. But a small handful of 'em still remain." With that, all the Mandalorians lowered their blasters, stunned by this realization, "And I know how to reach one of 'em..."
Bo-Katan couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Keyblade Masters? Alive? She wanted it to be true, but... She stepped forward with a slight glare, "How do you know you're not lying? Not just making it up so that we'll spare your life?"
"You don't," He admitted with a small shrug, "But what little choice you've got. And this is a limited time off, even as I speak, dark forces would see this wielder's light extinguished." The Mandalorians turned to each other in concern, "Which is why I turned to you. You debit to the Keyblade Wielders of old has not been forgotten. Which is why this is a win-win scenario for both them and all of Mandalore..."
Bo-Katan thought about it before glancing to the others, "Thoughts?"
"If what he says is true, and there truly is at least one Wielder of the Keyblade out there," Koska spoke up, "According to legend, they are very capable warriors, even participating the Great Sith War... one would be more than a match for Maul."
"All clans respect the weilders of the Key," Axe slowly nodded, "If we get one on our side, others would surely rally to our cause... but if this one wielder is in trouble..."
"We swore by creed to come to their aid should they need it," Bo-Katan nodded to her fellow Mandalorians, before glancing to him, "I see what we'd get about it... But what about you... Why tell us all this? What do you have to gain?"
"Well, in order for my plans to move forward," The mystery man nodded, "The Keyblade Wielder must flourish again! Of course, to be completely honest with you... You guys weren't exactly my first choice. I was going to go to the Jedi... but it slipped my mind that..." He then mimicked the voice of the new Emperor, "'Execute Order 66...' was happening this day." He then whipped his head, "Whoa! Was that ever a close call... the poor sap would end up dead or forced to work for a great evil..."
"Your point," The sole survivor of Clan Kryze asked, wanting a straight answer.
"There's a war coming... one greater than any war before... and the detizens of light... are in short supply," The man continued, "If this guy dies before the war comes... then the darkness will already have won. And I don't trust some retired Master to see this through." He then gestured to them, "That's where you come in... if you were to rescue him and ensure that his kind will survive... he and others like him will help you reclaim your home world."
"And what of this supposed war?" The redhead raised an eyebrow, "I suppose you want us to fight that one too..."
"Eh, maybe... the Wielder definitely needs to be a part of it, but... You don't need to be there if you don't want to fight," He shrugged before sighing, "Look, you want to get this guy or not... we've got about say... a half an hour before the enemy makes a move upon him..."
Bo-Katan raised an eyebrow before approaching the others, "So, thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Trap?" Kaska assumed.
"Has to be," Axe admitted, "Look, I want to believe they're still some left out there, but... all of this sounds way too good to be true."
"The last time we trusted someone blindly, we lost our world to Maul," Bo-Katan stated, "And started a Civil War between our people... leading all to this!" She then stated, "But then again, with the Republic and the Jedi gone, this might be our only chance if we're ever going to reclaim the Darksaber and Mandalore... besides... even if it is a trap... we owe the Keyblade Masters of old to at least try to save their kind from the brink of extinction."
After a moment, Koska nodded, and Axe sighed, "Agreed."
The other Mandalorians in the room agreed as well. They all then turned to the man in the black coat, as the leader of the Night Owls stepped forward, "Say we believe you... And time is of the essence... where do we find the Keyblade Wielder?"
"Well, as I stated, the guy you're looking forward to is not in your galaxy, if he were, I'm certain he would have been discovered long ago," The hooded figure stated, "Still, there are countless worlds outside this small galaxy... You can see them in the night sky shining down upon this galaxy. Still, unless you know how, they are almost impossible to reach, as invisible barriers around this galaxy prevent anyone from reaching them."
"If we can't reach these other worlds," Bo-Katan crossed her arms, "How do you expect us to reach him before his enemies do?"
"Well, you're in luck," The man in the black coat perked up as he pulled out something out of his coat, a blue jewel in the shape of a star, "This little magical doohickey here..." He then handed it to the head of the group, "It's called a Star Shard. This was one of the methods Keybladers used to traverse the unreachable worlds."
Bo-Katan took the shard and examined it from every angle, as the man went on, "Of course, it's an older method and can be a bit of a bumpy journey, but I made a few tweaks; it should get you from here to where the Keyblade Wielder and back in one piece."
The jewel, or Star Shard, was interesting to say the very least. It didn't seem like a standard jewel, and it didn't feel hollow, so no hidden explosives as far as she could tell. She glanced at him, "So, how does it work?"
"Very simple," The hooded man instructed, "Just simply think of the destination or goal you wish to accomplish and the shard will take you where you need to go. It should take a total of four of you. I recommend you send three to find the Wielder, and that way, you have enough room for a spare passenger. Just don't think about going after Maul... not yet at least... could put the plan itself at risk."
After another moment of staring at the intruder, she asked him, "Who are you really? Some kind of fortune-teller?"
"Well, I could lie to you and tell you that's what I am, when I'm actually a brilliant artist, or even a scholar," The man stated as he turned away, "I could tell you I dream of world peace, when I'm actually planning its destruction. The truth is what you see with your eyes, not what you hear."
After a moment of silence, she simply asked, "So, your name?"
The man in the black coat turned to her, completely dumbfounded, "What did I just...?!" He then sighed and shook his head, "Never mind, I guess there's no harm. My name is..."
But just then, his name was blurred out to the Mandalorians, much to their shock. Bo-Katan gasped, "Huh?!"
"Did you hear that?" Koska glanced at Axe, who shook his head in response, stunned.
After a moment of silence, the master simply shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a Lost Master."
Bo-Katan blinked at that, "A Lost Master?"
"Best of luck," The hooded man simply turned away, walking out of the room, before telling the Night Owls, "May your heart be your guiding key."
As the mystery man left the room, she glanced to a female Mandalorian in the room, "Follow him... I want to know where he came from."
The female warrior nodded as she ran after the room, as Bo-Katan turned to the the shard. She then instructed, "Woves, Reeves, you're with me. We're finding and rescuing that Keyblade Wielder!"
The two placed on their helmets, as she gave out orders to the others, "The rest of you... I want you to dive into the history of Mandalore... I want to know anything we can about the history of the Keyblade Masters... and be sure to look up the keywords: 'Lost Master.'" The Mandalorians sprang right into action, before she stopped one, "Not you, I need you to prep any medical supplies, just in case..."
"Yes, ma'am," He nodded as he ran off to do so.
"We'll possibly be entering a war zone, so our Keyblade Wielder could be badly injured," She turned to the two she ordered to accompany her.
"You really think our archives will contain any information about that man?" Axe wondered.
"Maybe, I don't know how, but somehow we couldn't hear that man's name when he said it," The last of the House of Kryze shrugged, "Maybe our history of what we have of the Weilders can provide us an answer."
"Fair enough," He nodded as Bo placed on her helmet, before holding up the shard, "Take us to him. The Keyblade Wielder."
With that, the star began to shine, blinding the three Mandalorians, and before they knew it, they were launched from Mandalore's moon to the farthest reaches of space... and as much as they didn't want to admit it... screamed the whole journey there...
"I remember very little of my life on my home world, but I do remember the story my grandmother once told me. 'Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. But small fragments of light survived... in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return. So listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away.'"
"I always loved that story, but I would never realize its relevance until I met the Mandalorians... and that might not have even happened had Bo-Katan not accepted the mysterious man's offer to find their Keyblade Master..."
Later, as the three Mandalorians went beyond anywhere they had gone before, outside their very own galaxy, before crashing on the sandy beach. Koska groaned, "...okay... next time... we're sticking with the ships."
"Agreed," Axe nodded as the three stumbled to their feet.
Bo-Katan was the first to notice the shores that crashed on, the water rolling up on the shores, as she glanced around to observe a bridge to a small island, with a tree with star-shaped fruit. The other Mandalorians glanced around as Axe blinked, "This is where one of the last Keyblade Wielders lives? I was kinda expecting him to live on the world of his predecessors..."
"Right, like the stories we were told when we were kids," Koska nodded, "Scala ad Calam."
"A lot has changed over the years... perhaps he was forced into hiding here," Bo-Katan suggested, "Or he could be investigating this world due to another crisis." She then turned to the two Mandalorians among her, "Either way, this is our only lead." She then gave out orders, "I'll check out things here. I want you two to find the local village and ask around. The people might know where to look."
"Understood/right away," The two nodded respectively before using their jetpacks to fly over to the main island. Bo-Katan was about to begin her own search when she stepped on something. She glanced down to see a wooden sword lying on the ground. Picking up the weapon, she observed it more closely. While primitive, it looked like it was primarily used for training and was far too small for an adult. It must have belonged to a child. Perhaps the Keyblade Master was training someone on the islands, someone who could one day inherit a Keyblade of their own.
While just a theory, it was a plausible one, like Mandalorians, while Keyblade Weilders could have children of their own and bequeath a blade of their own when they came of age, others could find suitable candidates on other worlds, like home, the Mandalorians of old would often find Foundlings and take them in, raise them as their own. While she knew the cultists, the Children of the Watch, followed those old ways, it just hadn't been done as of late. Mostly, she and Pre Vizla were trying to keep the warrior culture alive while her sister was on the throne. While she didn't always agree with Vizla's views, he did respect the old ways, and while she didn't always see eye to eye with her own sister, she was the better ruler than she or Vizla were... perhaps if they never met Maul, found another way... maybe they'd both still be...
She then snapped out of her thoughts, the point being that whether this kid was a candidate or not, it was very likely he could have seen the Keyblade Wielder. She went to her coms, "Heads up: I found a training weapon here. Our Key Bearer might have been training a child here. Keep an eye out..."
"Acknowledged," Kosha replied, "We'll keep an eye out."
"Can you imagine if we found both the Master and Apprentice..." Axe stated, "To find one alone would be a miracle, but two...!"
"We'll find out for sure once we find the Master or the child," Bo stated, "Just stay on guard, if this Lost Master knew they were here, there's no telling who else might know..."
"Hello?" A small voice spoke up.
She blinked behind that statement as she turned to see a boy no older than four years old. He had spikey brown hair, big blue eyes, was wearing a white shirt and red shorts, and brown sandals. Startled by her presence, the boy fell on his back, before Bo-Katan raised her arms in a calming gesture, "Hey, easy... I'm not here to hurt you..." She removed her helmet before offering him the wooden sword, "Is this yours?"
The boy nodded nervously as she returned the weapon to him, and he took it. She knelt to him and gave him a sweet smile, "You have a name?"
"Sora," the spikey-haired boy answered.
"It's nice to meet you, Sora. I am Bo-Katan from Clan Kreyze. I'm actually looking for someone," She told him before using a finger to draw on the ground, "I'm looking for someone with a blade that... kinda looks like this..." The boy looked at the drawing, as it was in the shape of a key, "Have you seen anyone with one of these lately?"
"Yeah... Riku actually spoke with him," Sora answered.
Bo-Katan's eyes slightly widened. There was one here, still not wanting to scare the child off, she asked, "Riku?"
"My best friend was talking for a bit before he allowed him to hold it," The boy answered. Her eyes widened in understanding. The Keyblade Master passed on the blade to Sora's friend; he must have had what it took to be a Keyblade Wielder.
She wondered, "Do you recall what they were talking about?"
"I couldn't hear, and Riku wouldn't tell me," the four-year-old islander admitted, "He said he had to keep it a secret... after that, the man left..."
"Did he come back?" She wondered, hoping they weren't too late.
"No... but this nice lady with blue hair came not long after," Sora smiled sadly, before he frowned, "She took Riku away, said he was special..." Bo-Katan's eyes widened. Another one? The boy smiled again, "...but she said I might be special too. She said she might come back for me."
"Ah, I see," The Mandalorian nodded in realization, so a Keyblade Master came and passed on the next generation to Sora's friend Riku. He left, but another Keyblade Master went to pick the boy up so he could be trained, but saw that this boy might have the capability, too. Two Keyblade Masters, two potential apprentices... However, only one of the former was living on this planet now... Not exactly, how she hoped things would play out. Fortunately, the other Keyblade Master said she would return for Sora as well. A good chance if they stay for a few rotations... they likely meet at least one of the Keyblade Masters. They could inform them of their plea then. She then glanced at the main islands and saw the setting sun as well, before going back to the boy, "So, whatcha doing over here all by yourself?"
"Waiting," Sora admitted, "It's where we met them both... so maybe if I stay here..."
"They'll come for you too," She assumed, "And you'll see your friend again?" The boy nodded. She offered, "Well, it's getting late... I'll tell you what. My friends and I... we're actually wanting to speak with these people... why don't you go back home, and we can stay here waiting for them? Then we can let you know when they come back."
"Promise?" The boy smiled.
"I promise, Sora," She reassured the boy with a smile, which finally made the boy smile back. She then wondered, "Do you need a lift home or...?"
"It's okay... my dad will be back any minute to pick me up," The spikey-haired boy reassured her, "I'm not allowed to row a boat here until I'm older..."
The Mandalorian nodded. She was about to radio in to let the others know what she discovered when, suddenly, a dark portal opened up. The boy gasped in horror as Bo's eyes narrowed. She glanced at the child, "Get behind me..."
The boy nodded as he did what he was told. Bo placed on her helmet and drew out her blasters, aiming them toward the Dark Corridor. Then, from the darkness, emerged a tall woman with green skin in black and purple robes, with black horns on the top of her head; she held a golden staff in her hand. Bo wasn't sure who or what this newcomer was, but she could tell one thing. This woman was not a Keyblade Master. As she opened her yellow eyes, she grinned, "Well, well, well... what do we have here?"
"Who are you?" Bo-Katan demanded as she calmly turned her communication device on so the others could hear, "What do you want?"
Paying the Mandalorian no mind, she turned to the boy behind her, "So it's true... a boy with the spark of a Keyblade Weilder really is here..."
Meanwhile, back on the main islands, the two Mandalorians looked around for anyone, but to their surprise, they couldn't find a single living being on the island. Not even so much as a bird. They were about to report on this strange phenomenon when the communications turned on, and another woman's voice spoke through it, "So it's true... a boy with the spark of a Keyblade Weilder really is here..."
Kosha and Axe turned to each other in concern, as the mystery woman, "I have seen its power first hand... and its power must be MINE to command..."
"Trouble," Kosha gasped.
"Back to the smaller island," Axe nodded, "We have to protect the child!"
Nodding to him, the two blasted off back to Bo's location, weapons in hand...
"I asked you a question," Bo-Katan glared through her helmet.
"I am Maleficent," The newcomer introduced herself, "I have received word that a child with the spark still remains on the islands... my dark powers allowed me to track down... wiping out all who opposed me... but we don't have to share these people's fate, simply hand me the child, Mandalorian, and you can be spared..."
Sora gasped in horror at that statement, while Bo's eyes narrowed further. This woman, Maleficent, whoever she was... wanted the child and the Keyblade. She didn't care who she hurt to get them. While she didn't know if this woman was a Sith or Nightsister... one thing was clear. She stated in response, "I am Bo-Katan Kryze of Mandalore... this child is under our protection. Turn away now... or we'll put you down..."
Maleficent laughed wickedly in response, "Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Maul was right! You Mandalorians are a stubborn lot..." Bo's eyes widened when she mentioned Maul's name! She worked for him! The witch grinned, "Very well... then you shall meet your doom! Arise, my Heartless!"
Just then, shadows rose from the ground surrounding the two of them, with beady yellow eyes stared hungrily at her and the child. Stunned by their appearance, she snapped out of it when the creatures leapt at them. She shot them down quickly, raised a personal combat shield, and knocked more of the dark creatures from the boy, "Keep your head down!"
The boy nodded as she reached for her wrist flamethrower and started burning the attacking creatures. She continued to fight, keeping the boy safe, but there were too many of them. Thankfully, that's when Axe and Kosha returned and started blasting the minions of Maleficent. They landed beside her and protected the child from all sides. Kosha wondered, "What are these things?!"
"Don't know! Demons, maybe!" The leader of the Nite Owls answered, "They're after the child! Was there..."
"The island has been completely abandoned," Axe reported, "We're the only living beings on the planet now!"
"Dank farrik!" Bo cursed silently, but continued to defend the boy. Nothing was going according to plan. She glanced at the boy, who whimpered nervously, before turning to the witch, who grinned wickedly. This was all going to what Maul's plan, he sent this witch to dispatch anyone standing between him and the child. He likely foresaw two potential candidates of the Keyblade and how a Master, one of the few left in existence, would take the children for training. Something must have gone wrong because only one master picked only one of them up. She must have had to make two trips to get them both. Maul must have struck while she was moving Riku to safety to begin his training, while this boy was defenseless. She glanced at her crew, "Protect the boy... the future of the Keyblade Legacy must be protected at all costs!"
"What about the Keyblade Master?!" Axe exclaimed.
"We'll have to find them later, protecting the next generation is of higher importance," Kosha stated, blasting a few of the Heartless before kicking another one away, "Get us out of here!"
"Cover me!" Bo-Katan told the other two, placing one of her blasters in her holster, she knelt to the child, "It's okay... We'll protect you. We're going to take you somewhere she can't find you until we find your friend and his Guardian."
The boy leapt into her arms, wrapping them around her. Stunned, she returned to hug him as she whispered to him, "It'll be okay."
"Fools," Maleficent spoke up, getting their attention, "You do not have the power to leave this world! None of you shall leave here alive!"
"Wanna bet?!" Bo retorted as she pulled out the star shard, "Everyone! Hold on!"
With that, the Bo-Katan held out the star as light shined brightly, blinding the witch, and before she knew it, the three Maleficent open her eyes to see that they were no longer in her sight. Her eyes widened as she looked around for the four, before glancing upward and seeing a shooting star launching to the other worlds... far beyond her reach. The evil fairy snarled in anger as she turned to her minions, "Tear this world apart! Find its Keyhole! Consume it!"
With that, she turned to leave through the Dark Corridor, as the Heartless began to carry out the base impulses...
Eventually, she reached the hidden underground of her partner's headquarters on Janix, where her new lackey came to greet her. He had removed the mask of his 'Captain Dark' persona, as he asked her, "So, did ya get the brat?"
"Does it look like I have him?!" She snapped at Pete, causing him to flinch. She then glanced away, "There were complications..."
"What kind of complications?"
She turned to see some more Mandalorians approach her. Rook stood at attention with her narrowed eyes. Maleficent turned to her, "I wish to speak about this to your master personally..."
"Then speak it." Everyone turned as the Mandalorians stood aside as they bowed to the former Sith's presence, as his spybot flew beside him. His arms were behind his back in a posed manner, raising an eyebrow with interest, "When you came to me... with powers of that to rival with the Nightsisters... and your proposition... I was intrigued. Especially since you found a way to reach worlds beyond the Empire's grasp and a prize that shall allow me to have my revenge on my former Master. And I fulfilled my side of the bargain, to foresee the perfect moment to allow you to bring me, my new pupil, to me... and you're telling me you lost a child due to complications..."
"Someone managed to reach the child first, and escaped with him," The evil fairy revealed, "Mandalorians..."
"Impossible," Rook scoffed, "If we knew about these other worlds beyond our galaxy, and had the means to traverse them... we wouldn't have bothered to waste our time with the likes of you!"
Maul raised a hand, making his most loyal Mandalorian stand down, before closing his eyes, as he reached out to the Force, "These... Mandaloirans... they were... Nite Owls?"
"Yes, they were led by a woman named Bo-Katan Kryze," Maleficent revealed, causing the other Mandalorians to gasp in disbelief. "She had some sort of jewel that brought her and her allies to the Destiny Islands, grabbed the child, and left."
"Ah, of course," The former Sith nodded in understanding, "She plans to use the child against me... to retake Mandalore from the Empire..."
"My Lord," Rook turned to him, "How could she have found out about the child, let alone how to reach him?"
Closing his eyes, he closed his eyes, "I sense they had help... someone ancient... and quite powerful..."
"I can track them down, wherever they hide," The evil fairy stated, before wondering, "I can take us there now..."
"Dealing with Kryze and her followers shouldn't be an issue," Rook nodded before turning to Shadow Lord, "Should we pursue..."
Maul thought for a moment before grinning, "No... let the Nite Owls have their victory..."
This stunned everyone in the room as Pete gasped, "What?! After all that work and planning?!"
"Work?" One of Maul's loyalists glanced at the overweight cat, "You didn't so much as raise a finger..."
"But he has a point," Rook nodded, as she turned to the zabrak, "You two both agreed, whatever this Kingdom Hearts is, obtaining the power and knowledge it contains would require we have a Keyblade Master under our control... and if trained, we can use both him and the power to overthrow the Emperor..."
"Yes, which is why Bo-Katan and the rest of those traitors will train the boy as one of their own," Maul nodded with a wicked grin, "And in time, the boy will experience all the evils and horrors of the galaxy and beyond first hand... and in time he will sucum to his own anger and darkness which we all so placed before him and then..."
Everyone's eyes widened in realization, as Maleficent grinned, "And he'll come to us..."
"Exactly," Maul grinned, "I have waited this long to have my revenge..." He then glanced to the stars above, "I can wait a bit more... and soon the entire universe will be under our control..."
The Spybot snickered wickedly as he turned away, "Now then... let us check on our other guest..."
With that, everyone bowed and followed the Shadow Lord, where a young man with silver hair was sitting on the side of the wall, as he knelt to him, "It would seem we will not be training the boy with the spark as originally planned... in the meantime... You will tell me everything you know... Terra, was it?"
Everyone stared at the young man as he opened his eyes, "My... my name... is Xehanort..."
"While Maul and his allies had their own plans for the future of the other worlds, the Mandalorians who followed Kyrze awaited her return... hope of restoring the Keybladers to our universe... and the chance to unite their people to retake their home from the Empire..."
As the remaining Nite Owls awaited the leader's return, one with the information on the history of the Keyblade Wielders had it with them as requested. They tried to contact the away team, but they were unable to reach them, either proving that they really were outside their respective galaxy or the mystery man in a black coat was lying, and the Star Shard got them all killed. They were beginning to lose hope when they spotted the shooting star return. One of them shouted out, "THERE!"
Suddenly, the star crashed down in the middle of the room, as the light died down, a female member ran up to her, "My lady, are you alright?! Did you find the Keyblade Master?!"
"Not exactly," Bo sighed as she stood back up with a sobbing child in her arms, stunning the Mandalorians in the room. She removed her helmet as she comforted the child the best she could...
"While not the warrior they hoped for, that boy... would forever change our universe forever... and would be our best hope for our galaxy as well..."