Ezra glanced around as he snuck through the halls of the palace. It was larger than it looked from the outside. There was a main throne room, a kitchen, servant's quarters, guards rooms, guest rooms, several empty rooms, a dining room, a council room, Evelyn's aunt's room, and Evelyn's room.

It was currently night. Switch was sleeping in the room he shared with Ezra. Evelyn had gone to bed, giving Ezra strict instructions not to cause trouble. After making sure Switch was asleep, Ezra had decided to do a quick search of the area. He wouldn't be causing trouble, not as long as he didn't get caught.

Jared and Ezra hadn't exchanged any further words, although Jared had always been nearby. He didn't seem like a bad guy. He only took his job a little too seriously.

Ezra peeked around the corner. It was the small hallway where Evelyn's room was. He wanted to make sure nothing strange was going on before moving on to the rest of the palace. Two guards were standing in front of her bedroom door. Jared was nowhere to be seen. It seemed like when it came to sensitive matters, Evelyn trusted her personal guards over Jared. Ezra smiled as he back away and began exploring the palace.

It was empty in the darkness of night. There weren't very many guards around, but Ezra supposed that made sense. After all, Mandalor was a peaceful planet. There was no war there during the days of the Republic. Why would there be war there now?

"That was a stupid move you made," a voice said. Ezra paused. It sounded like Jared. The voice was coming from up ahead. Unable to resist the urge to eavesdrop, Ezra inched closer and listened.

"I'm sorry, I won't let it happen again," responded a frightened voice. Was Jared threatening someone? Ezra listened more intently.

"Is our gift for Evelyn ready?" Jared asked.

"Not yet," the voice said nervously.

"Hurry. We don't have much time. How is the Duchess?" Jared asked anxiously.

"She's getting worse," the voice said.

"But she's not dead yet. She's strong," Jared muttered, mostly to himself.

"What about the newcomer?" the voice asked hopefully.

"He might be able to help us," Jared said.

"Is he an undercover assassin?" the voice asked.

"No you idiot," Jared snapped. "Evelyn would never trust an assassin. He could help us with her. She seems to listen to him. I think she hired him as an extra bodyguard to replace me."

"She still trusts you, doesn't she?" the voice asked.

"What does it matter if I get replaced?" Jared muttered. "Just make sure that it's ready."

"It will be," the voice promised.

Ezra stared at the floor in disappointment. Maybe Jared wasn't up to anything suspicious. It sounded like he was just trying to get Evelyn's present ready before her birthday in two weeks time. And that wasn't very interesting at all. Although it was interesting that Jared thought he was being replaced. Maybe Ezra could use that. He turned and headed back to his own room. It was getting late.

Chancellor Anarth and Ezra hated each other from first time their eyes met.

"Who is this ruffian?" Anarth declared.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Ezra asked Evelyn out of the corner of his mouth. Evelyn ignored the comment.

"He's helping me," she told the chancellor. "His name is Ezra Cloudbreak."

"This is a dangerous time! You can't bring outsiders!" Anarth protested.

"He's already here, so he's staying. We're going for a tour of the city. Watch the palace while I'm away," Evelyn said.

"I'm coming as well," Jared declared. Evelyn looked less than pleased at his words.

"If you don't interrupt or make any disturbances, I suppose you can come," she finally told him.

"What about Switch?" Ezra asked.

"The maids will take care of him. He'll still be here when we get back," Evelyn promised. She led the way out of the palace and to a waiting shuttle. Jared and Ezra followed not far behind.

The city was pleasant. Everyone smiled and waved to Evelyn, who smiled in return. After the short tour, the trio ended up in a park. Evelyn and Ezra walked side by side, while Jared followed a short distance behind.

"It's really a pretty city," Ezra said.

"They've done their best," Evelyn replied.

"When your aunt gets better, are you going to come back?" Ezra asked in a lowered voice. Evelyn glanced at the ground.

"I don't know if she's going to get better," she admitted. "If she dies, I'll have to stay. I can't leave Mandalor in the hands of the chancellor and council."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Unless you're some master healer, I don't think there is. My aunt and I were never close. She was a member of Death Watch, a terrorist group, for a very long time. It made it hard for her to relate to me sometimes, and to love me like a mother would. But that was part of the reason she let me leave and become what I wanted to become. I suppose I should be grateful-"

Ezra sensed something was wrong. He couldn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary, but he knew that they were in danger. Glancing around, he finally spotted it. Someone crouched in the bushes, pistol pointing in their direction.

"Look out!" Ezra shouted, grabbing Evelyn and pulling her to the side. The pistol fired, triggering an explosion. The park dissolved into chaos, smoke, and fire.

Perhaps Mandalor wasn't a peaceful place after all.