In the Northeastern sector of the galaxy, within the Outer Rim Territories, lay Mandalore, where Sundari, the capital of the New Mandalorian regime, stood.
A shadow slipped into Sundari Royal Palace under cover of night. The dull-eyed guards outside, holding ceremonial weapons, were nothing more than decoration, but truly elite Death Watch warriors lay hidden in secret locations.
Hermit crouched in the shadows, closed his eyes, and spread out his Force. Through the Force's perception, the positions of every Death Watch warrior clad in black Mandalorian Crusader armor and vigilantly watching their surroundings became clear to him.
He carefully moved along the palace's outer wall, slipped in through a ventilation shaft, and avoided every surveillance device and guard along the way. Following his memories, he made his way toward Duke Satine's chambers.
He was very familiar with this palace. During the Mandalorian Civil War twenty-four years ago, he had fought side by side with Duchess Satine Kryze here. Feelings that a Jedi Knight should never have had had even blossomed between them.
At that thought, Hermit's gaze darkened slightly. But it soon hardened again, and he continued concealing himself along the outer wall, inching closer.
However, there was no one inside the chambers. Judging from the arrangement, it did not seem as though anyone had lived there recently.
Hermit frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. He quietly activated his communicator and said to Jango Fett, who had likewise disguised himself as a Death Watch warrior and infiltrated the palace, "I can't find Satine. There are too many hidden sentries and surveillance devices inside the palace. Can you deal with them?"
"I can toss a bomb into the surveillance room for you," Jango Fett said.
"This operation needs to stay as covert as possible, so before the bomb