Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars
Crucicrux
The stilted city of Daragoon was silent, the night completely lacking in all light. The stars were blocked by dark, stormy clouds, and all of the hardy farmers on the world had retreated to the safety of their fireplaces to get warm. Beneath them, the muggy, thick swamp that led to the city being built on stilts was mostly silent, with only the occasional animal braying loudly from the quagmire.
Farmers made up the vast majority of the world's population. The rest were traders of hunters who liked to hunt the various poisonous and otherwise lethal creatures that lived within the swamps of the world. These animals made farming a constant struggle, as they frequently came into the kelp and algae farms, scenting the humanoids that worked them, trying to score a tasty meal.
The city itself though was made up of traders of all sorts, and also due to the position of Dagary Minor to the embattled Mandalorian front, mercenaries. However, as in war times, there were even more unsavoury types on this quiet world. Small, at the edge of the Inner Rim, this world had avoided being chosen as a staging point by the Republic forces, but not by much. Despite not being a Republic staging point, there was a palpable tension in the air. While the armies of Mandalore did not usually go up against farm worlds, thinking they weren't worth their time, Dagary Minor was a different matter entirely, purely because of the lethal animals living in the swamps, and due to a conclave of mercenaries declaring in the press that they had been hired to defend the world, and boasted that the Mandalorians would not conquer them. While everyone knew that an action like that was asking for trouble, the fact that the Republic had also promised reinforcements certainly helped embolden the mercenaries, the locals and the Mandalorians, who had recently dismantled an entire Republic task force with about two ships and one fighter squadron. Needless to say, the Admiralty had hushed that one up well.
On one of the circular platforms that made Daragoon look like a deformed clover plant, an ugly little ship rested, its lights dimmed. Looking like a box with scaffolding and drills attached, it was idling on the platform, unnoticed by any, except for perhaps its ugliness, with the Quartermaster class supply ship looking sleek, new and beautiful beside it, it looked incredibly woebegone.
However, inside was a different matter. After months of extensive repair and cleaning by the Trandoshan Slyssk, the ship was finally worthy for living in. And the two beings that inhabited it were totally oblivious to the tension going on outside their ship.
In one of the crew quarters, a young man's arm was draped across a beautiful Arkanian woman. Her skin was white, as was her hair, and ornate blue tattoos marked her face, shoulders and arms. Her ears were pointed, pointing to her mysterious heritage as a member of the evil scientist Demagol's attempts to create Jedi for the Mandalorians. Lithe, and beautiful, she was clad in a deep blue gown as she slept, her head resting against her companion's shoulder.
Her companion was just about the same height as she was. He had brown hair, which reached to just above his neck without actually being too long, and it was now straight, having lost its curliness with age, roughly styled slightly to the back, and swept to the side. Formerly thin and reedy, months on the run over the last year had developed some muscle on him, leading to him developing some strong upper body features. Having finally gotten rid of the awkwardness of his teenage years, he was now a fit, strong young man. He muttered a little as his companions hand stroked across his bare chest, and then suddenly his eyes snapped open.
Carefully, so as to not wake his sleeping girlfriend, he slowly reached to the stand beside their bed, and felt the reassuring presence of his lightsaber, cool against his skin. He then saw the door open, and a second later he leapt from the bed, ignoring Jarael's yelp of shock as the momentum knocked her off, his blue lightsaber slicing through the blaster that had entered the room first. The assailant on the other end gave a yelp of surprise as the door opened fully, and Zayne collected the Force, and blew the large hulking assailant back with a Force push. The heavyset assassin slammed to the ground as Zayne leapt into the corridor, and he saw they were facing a Sanyassan, a tall hulking black skinned brute with a skeletal face, glowing red eyes and a very brutal temperament. The intruder roared and charged at Zayne, but he suddenly gave a howl of pain and shock as Jarael slammed her shockstaff into the brute's gut. He stumbled, and Zayne cleaved the vibrodagger he had pulled on them in two. Jarael then kicked the intruder hard in the face, making him stagger, and Zayne darted forward, his lightsaber nicking the tendons in the brute's arms and legs, and with an aggrieved cry he fell to the ground in a heap, and Jarael zapped him again with her staff to shut him up.
"Sorry I woke you." Zayne said tiredly, yawning and working some of the knots out of his hair with his fingers.
Jarael smiled at him lightly, then kissed his cheek.
"Well, as your jump knocked me out of the bed, I didn't really have much choice in the matter." She said tartly, and Zayne grinned a little.
"Yeah, I didn't mean for that to happen. Well, seeing as he's got Crucible tattoos, you reckon we're in the right place?" he asked, bending down to survey their prisoner, and he did indeed have blue tattoos running up and down his body.
The Crucible was a powerful, brutal and vicious slaving group. Jarael had been kidnapped from her school as a child and had been put into the barbaric fighting pits that the Crucible utilised, creating pain and fighting for their own sake. However, they had recently decapitated the evil organisation. Jarael's tormentor, Chantique, the leader of the Sanyassans, Bar'injar and the evil doctor Demagol, had all been killed back where it had all began on Osadia a few months before after their hiding place had been discovered. Since then, Zayne and Jarael had been tracking down every part of the Crucible they could find, and had come to Dagary Minor to find out how much of an operation they had going on here. With the Republic and the Jedi caught up with the Mandalorian Wars, it was up to them to take up the slack and protect the little people.
"I'd say so. How did he find us though, you reckon he followed us, or he spotted us?" she asked softly, as she watched Zayne use the Force to levitate him to a store cupboard so they could interrogate him when he woke up.
"I don't know, but that was close. We'll scout the place tomorrow, see what we can find out. And if it's too dangerous, we back off." He reasoned, and then dumped the assassin on the floor, before using a couple of sets of handcuffs that were used for multiple purposes to tie him to a sewage pipe.
Jarael frowned as he tied the brute up. The ease in which the Crucible had found them was worrying. Very worrying.
"It'll be alright babe, we'll wake him up now and interrogate him to find out how he found us if you want." Zayne said, and she nodded, and Zayne used the Force to bring a robe from their room, covering himself, then he crouched down and nudged the assassin awake.
"How did you find us?" Zayne asked sharply, his eyes boring into the Sanyassans, bringing the Force to bear.
He offered little resistance, but whether due to Zayne's power in the Force or the looming threat of Jarael's shockstaff, he didn't know.
"A bounty on your head. The Crux want you found and dead, you killed the two leaders. Every overseer in the Crucible is looking for you. We don't want you to destroy any more of our organisation." He grumbled, and Zayne looked up at Jarael questioningly.
Correctly guessing his question, she explained.
"The Crux is the leadership of the Crucible. There's five of them, and between them they command the slaves and the raids. Chantique was the overall leader of the Crucible, probably like Vandar's in charge of the Jedi Council. Bar'injar was the second in command, in charge of the security of the group. Another one is in charge of creating the skyreaper drones, another is in charge of locations and the other one is in charge of methods, intelligence and stuff. They're all Magisters like Chantique was, but less powerful. And with her gone, the other three members of the Crux must have taken over the organisation." She explained, and then their captive began a deep, grunting laugh.
"What's so funny?" Zayne demanded, his voice and eyes steely.
The assassin snorted.
"You're a fool to come here if you truly seek the Crucible. Dagary Minor will be your doom." He gloated, and Jarael narrowed her eyes, crouching down to look at him.
"How? Do they know we're here already?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"Not as far as I know. I only saw you when you closed your ship, but I didn't think to alert the base here."
A base? They might be in over their heads. But why else would...oh no.
"One of the Crux is here aren't they?" Zayne asked, and Jarael hissed in fury.
The Sanyassan boomed with laughter, his tone mocking as Zayne and Jarael looked worriedly at one another.
"Yes dolt. The Magister Seeker is here. Delakinn. The Umbaran." He hooted with laughter, and Jarael abruptly stood and left the closet, and Zayne, after sending the brute to sleep, followed her.
"The Magister Seeker? I take it he's in charge of finding new locations?" Zayne asked, and she nodded, her face impassive.
"Yes. Another one of the Crux is here. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a brilliant opportunity, but still...Zayne, he'll have loads of security here, and if we mess things up, he'll take it out on the slaves. He was always vengeful, very vengeful, he'd make Haazen look decent. If we aren't careful, we'll have an army of Sanyassans and every other form of brute they have working for them chasing us, either that or murdering the slaves. We can't take that risk." She said worriedly, and Zayne then snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
"Alright, we'll be careful ok? We'll find out everything he knows, and then we'll start scouting on our own. And besides, this is the only major settlement on the planet, so we should be able to find out a lot of other stuff. And if we don't find Delakinn, we'll deal with it later. I agree, we can't risk everything just to try and get one of the big bads. So, we do this carefully. And I'll wipe his mind afterwards, so we don't need to worry about him either." He assured her, kissing her forehead.
Jarael nodded. And this was their seventh Crucible operation they were hitting, they weren't complete amateurs. And hopefully, with the Mandos in the vicinity, the Crucible wouldn't be quite so worried about security as they ought to be.
As such, she followed Zayne into the closet to continue the interrogation.
XX
It seemed as though the Crucible did indeed control a fair slice of Daragoon. The locals had all seen people marked with the flames of the Crucible milling about, but none of them knew quite who they were. All that was known was, they had several private berths in the starport, and large trucks, totally closed up and without windows, were always seen leaving them at strange hours. Zayne and Jarael spent days sounding everything out. They surveyed the starport, and observed the large towering warehouse where the trucks were sent to. They also located many other members of the Crucible, identifying at least twenty, along with a guard of four Sanyassans, backed up by kath hounds, that defended the entrance to the warehouse. The locals had learnt to give the place a wide berth, discouraged from investigating as the story was put out that they were weapons manufacturers and were notoriously trigger happy. It was also clear that many people tended to go missing from the city itself. Children had occasionally disappeared, along with teenagers who were often found face down in the swamp with blaster holes burned through them a few days later. And some of the mercs and traders had also vanished. It was clear that the Crucible was getting as many people as it could out of the city, and were determined to get more and more. As such, every day when Zayne and Jarael returned to the Hot Prospect, they tried to figure out the Crucible's overall aim.
Two weeks after landing on Dagary Minor, they had had no more encounters with Crucible members other than passing them in the street. After exhaustive research, they had found that the port's five berths allocated to the Crucible hadn't long left, making it unlikely there would be another shipment before they acted. Which suited them.
"So, all we need to do is ensure we can get the slaves out, preferably without alerting the Sanyassans or Delakinn. Simple." Zayne said, his confidence false.
Jarael snorted. Their plan was simple. Now that they had thoroughly studied the Crucible's operation, all they had to do was infiltrate the operation. A task which would be much easier if everyone wasn't panicking as the Mandos were only two systems away, and if she and Zayne weren't relatively well known. From their studying, they figured there had to be around three hundred slaves or so within the warehouse, most likely being put through the foul fights she had once overseen. And that meant there were probably at least fifty of the security guards making sure they all behaved and were broken in. And that was just for the operation. Delakinn, as far as they were aware, was still onplanet, apparently preparing a fresh batch of slaves to be moved to the new headquarters of the Crucible so they could continue to meet the demand for slaves across the galaxy. Which made things all the more dangerous, because with a Crux member there, especially one of the nastier ones, they couldn't afford any mistakes or risk losing everything they had come here for.
"Alright, we go tonight. And let's hope nothing goes wrong, or else the slaves, and us, die." Jarael summed up worriedly.
XX
Everything was set. The transports they had summoned, the freighter owned by Zayne's dead friend Oojoh's grandfather who had helped them rescue the slaves from the Crucible at Koornacht, a Jedi transport like the one the apprentices and masters had used on Taris piloted by Kamlin's sister, a couple of Ministry class shuttles piloted by freed slaves from Koornacht, including Qohn, and the Deadweight, which the Rogue Moon Project had bought after Vindication with help from Senator Gorravus, were ready to move at a second's notice, and the Hot Prospect was slaved to a signal in the bracelet Zayne had bought Jarael a few months before, meaning that too could be used to help evacuate everyone. Now all they had to do was get inside the warehouse.
Two slavers hulked towards the door, clad in dark garb, each marked with the flames of the Crucible. The first was a woman, with dark red hair that clashed with her blue skin, her flames marked on in the yellow pigment of her species. She was clad in a long flowing black skirt, and a tight bodice of leather, and in her hand she carried an ornate shock staff. The kath hound sniffed at her as she approached, this strange Pantoran woman, and gave a growl of approval. The one with her was a young man, clad in a sleeveless black jumpsuit. He was fairly muscular, with black leather straps wrapped around his arms, and going around his black trousers. Flames of the Crucible adorned his bulging arm muscles and marked under his piercing eyes, and his blond hair was slicked back from his forehead with product. Eyeing the two of them, the guards nodded at them, and let them pass.
The inside of the warehouse was vast, with rows upon rows of clear cubes having been constructed, each filled with two slaves, both of whom would be brawling with either vigour, fear or desperation. The two exchanged darkly significant looks as they moved through the building, hearing the wounded and disgusted cries of the slaves as they were forced to fight one another, and the grunting laugh of the Sanyassan guards. The two of them were nodded through a new set of doors by two more guards, and looking around, Zayne made sure they were alone, fingering the two blasters at his waist, and hoping that if they searched them they wouldn't find his lightsaber concealed in the top of Jarael's shockstaff.
"There were at least twenty cubes per row, and at least ten rows per side. There's so many more than we thought." Jarael muttered, and he nodded.
"I know. We'll just play it by ear, we should get the vast majority of them out, and if not, we'll think of something, we always do." He said, smoothing back his slick hair.
"Don't fidget with it." She hissed, and he shot her a dirty look.
"I've never had to style my hair before, it feels odd. It's weird, feeling so hard, I like my hair the way it usually is." He grumbled, and she gave him a small smile.
"I like the colour. Style not so much. But I said it at Koornacht, you suit showing off your arms. And the tattoos look quite good on you too." She said teasingly, and he grinned.
"Thanks. You know, I reckon you'd look quite good as a redhead." He commented, and rolled his eyes in amusement as she eyed her reflection in a window they passed.
Outside, the tension was palpable. That very morning a Mandalorian Teroch class gunship had been spotted at the edge of the system, leading to all the hired mercenaries, hunters and every farmer or trader reluctant to allow invaders onto their planet mobilising everything they could, from blaster pistols to swampspeeders. Everyone else was hurrying to and fro, buying supplies and shutting themselves up tight, fearing an invasion was on the way. Ships had been taking off all morning, and those that landed quickly finished their business, refuelled and headed off again. And that meant that the entire Crucible was on edge.
"Zayne..." Jarael breathed in shock, pointing out of the window they were passing, and Zayne bit down on a curse.
Outside were three massive Heraklon class freighters, the sort used to transport food and supplies throughout the Republic. However, the two of them could see members of the Crucible stowing crates of things upon each ship, and it was obvious that those ships would be used to transport the slaves to a new world if the Mandalorians attacked. While the Crucible didn't care about the slaves, they did care about profit and as such wouldn't allow the Mandies to profit in any way from their organisation.
"Well, if it comes to it, we use them." He muttered and nodded towards the door to the office at the end of the corridor, where they could begin.
They entered the office, and saw eight Sanyassan guards, two T'Surr guards, and seated at the desk was an Umbaran, who didn't look up from his datapad. The room was large and well appointed, with carpeting and a wide landscape window that overlooked the swamp. Zayne and Jarael entered, the two T'Surr moving to the door just in case they tried anything. Zayne reached out with the Force, and feeling the slavers anxiety and eagerness to leave, he looked at the Umbaran, Delakinn.
He was tall, he could tell, taller than Zayne and Jarael. His shoulders were strong, and he was clad in a golden armoured body suit, tinged with black at the edges. At his waist were two disintegrator blasters, along with a long, thin sword. His head was completely bald, the flames etched in black onto his skull and on his face, contrasting harshly against his nearly pure white skin. And when he finally looked up, his eyes were nearly pure white, with only a little spot of black in each of them.
"And who might you be?" he asked, his voice deep and angry, searching the two of them with his eyes as he put down his pad.
"We're here to help you shift some of the merchandise. Command thought you would need a hand. I'm Essara, that's my bodyguard Hulis." Jarael said, gesturing with her head towards Zayne.
"We could use their help sir, we need to evacuate, the Mandos are coming!" the leader of the Sanyassans grumbled, but the Umbaran shook his hand, shutting the guard up.
"Really? Command is me. And the other two know I have the situation well in hand. And what's more, I don't recognise you." Delakinn sneered, and Zayne tensed a little.
"Well maybe the other two are trying to force you out. And we had only just been taken on before Ossadia." Jarael answered seamlessly, and abruptly, the Umbaran smiled.
"Come now my dear Edessa, do you think I don't recognise one of our own? Little Snowhair? And that must be your Jedi boyfriend, Zayne Carrick!" he hissed, and abruptly, he whipped a chain around in the air, cracking it at Jarael and the collar at its end slammed shut on her neck in an instant, and he dragged her towards him, pulling her to the floor, her staff coming from her hand, Jarael falling with a shriek of surprise.
Zayne was about to move when one of the T'Surr smacked him in the back of the head. He felt his head shake, his eyes roll, he gave a small noise of pain and fell face forward to the floor, dead to the world, hearing Jarael screaming his name as he fell.
XX
"Wakey wakey!" Delakinn called in a sing song voice, and Zayne slowly opened his eyes, to see the mess they had gotten themselves into.
He was on his knees, his hands bound by shackles, his head pounding where the T'Surr had hit it, his body curved in a painfully unnatural way, and he was looking up at the strange eyes of Delakinn, who was smiling gloatingly. To the side, Jarael, a collar around her neck which was attacked by a chain to one of the T'Surr's wrists, was looking at Delakinn desperately, pleadingly.
"Tell me, did you think you could enter my operation and I would not be aware? Though I assume you've been here for a while...tell me, did you actually think you could get away with this?" he spat in rage, and slammed his fist into Zayne's face, knocking him off his knees and to the floor.
Zayne fought down a grunt of pain, the bump on the back of his head now matching the bruise on his cheek.
Delakinn spat on Zayne as he paced in front of him, his eyes full of contempt. He then strolled over to Jarael, dragging her up by the hair.
"You two have caused quite enough damage recently. Killing Chantique and Bar'injar, you've caused quite a lot of hassle for ones so young. Did you think the Crucible would not be aware? That I would be unaware that you had dismantled rings on other worlds, belonging to us! Yes, I know all about your little exploits. You see my dear Snowhair, I knew who you were as soon as you entered the room. The Force can be a right bitch, it leaves specific markers you see, that let me know who you were. My species is highly adept at being able to read others you see, and I knew who you were in an instant. Imagine my delight, to have you two interlopers here at my mercy." He said with a sadistic smile.
"Leave...her...alone." Zayne hissed, and Delakinn gave a bark of laughter, then slammed his knee into Zayne's chin, sending him sprawling.
"Now now, I'm talking here. You two have caused quite a lot of damage, and killing the two leaders has certainly destabilised the Crucible. And that means we can't send out as many slaves. Which sadly, means we cannot make as much money. Which puts me and the others in a very bad mood!" he snarled, kicking Zayne in the chest, ignoring Jarael's cries to leave him alone.
"Jarael, leave it..." Zayne grunted, and the slavers all laughed, as Delakinn knelt down beside him, grinning sinisterly.
"Aww, look at the ickle boyfriend! I wonder who is the true instigator here, Snowhair or the Jedi? Hmm...either way, you could have stopped after Ossadia, but you didn't, and you have continued to cause havoc, losing me millions!" he snapped, and abruptly, a whip was in his hand which he lanced across Zayne's back, making him cry out in pain.
"Leave him alone! This is my fight!" Jarael shrieked, and Delakinn laughed, turning to her as she struggled to move away from the T'Surr holding her.
"And he is involved my dear little Edessa, whether by his will or yours. You have taken money from me and the rest of the Crux, it is only fitting that I take something dear to you." He said suggestively, lashing Zayne again, the whip cutting through the bodysuit and making Zayne scream in pain.
The lashes continued, five more times, Zayne screaming louder each time while Jarael cursed the slaver, until a large basin of water was brought before them, and Zayne, shaking on the floor, unable to move, looked at it in trepidation.
"You see, you two present a threat to the Crucible. You've already killed Chantique and Bar'injar, who knows what else you could do, especially as you keep stealing slaves from us. So, I am going to find out what you know. And if you don't tell me sweet Jarael, your boyfriend will drown." Delakinn sneered, grabbing Zayne's head, and ignoring Jarael's protests, shoved his face into the water.
Icy water assaulted Zayne's face as he struggled under the water, thrashing his head to no avail. He could feel the dye and product running from his hair as the water assaulted it, the sour taste going into his mouth and making him want to gag. His head continued to bob up and down in the icy water, the liquid breaking into his nostrils and his mouth, and he started to cough underwater, he could feel darkness rising for him...
And then abruptly, his head was pulled out of the water, leaving him coughing and spluttering, loosing water from his mouth and nose as he did so, sucking in air desperately, dimly hearing the laughs of the guards and the Umbaran, and Jarael's bitter cursing.
"I swear, we don't know where else you have operations, we just follow rumours mostly, leave Zayne alone Delakinn! Or I will kill you!" she snarled dangerously, and Delakinn chuckled.
"I think not my dear, I think a return to the pits for you, then before us, where we can all kill you. Your pet Jedi though, he can drown here, that will balance the account, so to speak. This will be an object lesson for you Jarael. The Crucible is not to be toyed with!" Delakinn spat, and once more, Zayne, who had just got his breath back, was dunked into the water.
He closed his eyes, his mind focused despite his peril. He had to save Jarael. Concentrating, he reached out with the Force, but unless Delakinn brought him back to the surface, it would be a wasted effort. And then suddenly, Delakinn let go, and Zayne jerked his head out of the water, and the next thing the guards knew, Jarael's staff had wrenched itself free of the guard holding it, slamming him in the mouth. A slot opened and his lightsaber leapt out, its blue blade freeing Jarael from the T'Surr and then freeing her hands, and she leapt to her feet, crashing her foot into the chest of her captor, catching her staff as she did so and knocking him off his feet. Zayne's saber cut through his manacles, and he flipped to his feet, shaking the water from his eyes and readying his saber.
And he became aware of a loud, blaring klaxon, which had clearly distracted Delakinn, as he was looking out of the window in terror.
Mandalorians were invading the planet. And he and Jarael were caught in the way. Again.
Zayne leapt, Delakinn sneering angrily, withdrawing a vibroblade from his waist, while Jarael slammed her shockstaff into her T'Surr guard. She then used her staff as a pivot, kicking two Sanyassans away, while Zayne Force pushed another one into the wall, while swinging his blue saber to block Delakinn's swing, and he cursed when his saber didn't pass through the blade.
The Umbaran laughed.
"You see, ever since Ossadia, all our hand to hand weapons have been refined with cortosis, just in case any of your friends came calling. Handy seeing as how many Jedi are now sneaking around the front lines!" he roared and leapt towards Zayne, his blade flashing.
Zayne flipped away from the attack, kicking another Sanyassan in the neck, dropping him to the floor. Jarael used her staff to knock out two more of the guards, and the Sanyassans turned and ran, leaving only one T'Surr, who charged at Zayne, his large axe swinging down at the young Jedi. Zayne did the splits, rolling away from the attack, making the brute stick his axe in the floor, and twirling away from Delakinn's slash, he sliced the T'Surr's weapon in two, and with a furious roar, the T'Surr hoisted up two prone Sanyassans and ran from the office.
Leaving the Crux member alone.
"Jarael, free the slaves!" Zayne yelled, while his saber blocked yet another hack from Delakinn.
Jarael gave him a concerned look, then nodded, rushing from the office, staff at the ready. Zayne blocked a high ended slash from the Umbaran, the slaver moving against Zayne, and the young Jedi was hard pressed to fend him off. Unlike Toki Tollivar, Delakinn was a full sized being, and while he might not be quite so proficient with his saber as Lucien had been, he was still more than adept, forcing Zayne to adapt to his attacks. Zayne was pushed to the window, and then he turned, shattering the window with his blade, and lunged at Delakinn. The Crux member blocked the attack, and Zayne grinned slightly as he began to push the slaver back. Zayne attacked both high and low, and it was clear that while Delakinn was good, he wasn't a Jedi, even a washout like Zayne. Delakinn was grunting in anger, the flames on his face being thrown into relief as explosions went off outside, and blaster bolts filled the air. The alarm klaxons continued to blare, and then Zayne twirled, blocking Delakinn's blade and kicking the Umbaran in the chest, sending his vibrosword from his hand and plummeting out of sight, and with a small grin, he levelled the saber at the slaver's throat.
"You've lost. By now Jarael will have freed the slaves." He said confidently, and as if to punctuate his comment, dozens of thin, weary looking slaves were suddenly tumbling into the room.
"How many?" Zayne asked, as Jarael joined him with the defeated Delakinn, her staff ready to whack him.
"Four hundred and a bit. You ok?" she asked worriedly.
"More immediate worries Jarael. You called the ships?"
"They're on their way. But there's a problem." She said, and Zayne raised an eyebrow at her, making Delakinn roll his eyes, unable to do much else while blaster bolts, Basilisk war droids and smoke filled the air outside.
"The Republic's arrived with a task force, but they're outnumbered. They're still fighting the Mandies though, its like they're giving the locals the time to get away." She said.
The slaves were all looking at them curiously, as Daragoon went up in flames, with speeders shooting away from the city, while the ships they had organised headed towards the warehouse.
"It's over Delakinn. Where's the Crucible located?" Zayne asked, hiding a wince as his back twinged, and the Umbaran laughed, looking at him mockingly.
"I know what you want boy. You want the Crucible destroyed so your beloved can live in peace. Well I am not a sell out. It's bad enough that fool Demagol led you to Ossadia, I won't give you anything. I won't be adopted into the Mandalorians. And I won't become a Republic prisoner. You have no hold over me boy." Delakinn sneered, and to Zayne's great surprise, he leapt from the shattered window, and before Zayne could do anything, his body had splattered at the foot of the warehouse's stilt.
"Damn him." Jarael said, as the entire warehouse rocked.
"Alright people, we're getting you out of here. Those ships that are coming along side and landing outside are going to get you out of here!" Zayne shouted, as the freighters, transports and the mining ship all came to the side of the warehouse.
"But there's an invasion going on! We're better off in our pens, wait for the Republic to free us!" a Cerean called in dismay, and Zayne had to work hard to suppress his temper.
"The Republic can't hold this planet. And believe me, you aren't better off in your pens, if you're lucky the Mandalorians would adopt you, and that's a surefire way to get yourself killed. Now get down to the landing fields, move it!" Zayne yelled, and the slaves began bustling towards the landing pad where their ships were waiting.
Jarael frowned at Zayne as he winced with moving again.
"Zayne.." she began, but he shook his head.
"We don't have time Darth Sunshine. We need to get out of here. Then I'll fix myself, promise. But now, we need to check those freighters." He explained, and her eyes lit up.
"We can use their navicomputer and find out where they came from, give us another Crucible base. Right behind you." She said, and they ran towards the landing pad.
Hundreds of slaves were on the landing pad, crouching low as Basilisk war droids zoomed overhead, firing at Republic swoops that shot past. Higher above, Aurek and Chela fighters were being forced back towards space by more and more Mandalorian fighters.
"We're going to get killed! You've doomed us, why didn't you get here sooner?" the Cerean wailed, and Jarael shot Zayne a look of indignation.
"No pleasing some people is there, bloody cheek. We just risked our lives, you got tortured to free their sorry hides..."
The Deadweight and the Jedi transport were both fully loaded, and Qohn gave a nod to let them know the two shuttles were also full. Only Oojoh's grandfather's freighter, and the Hot Prospect were left to fill, and they would be away. Problem was, nearly thirty or so slaves wouldn't be freed, they would be stuck here for the Mandos to pick up.
"Get as many as you can onto the ship. If it comes to it, we hijack one of the freighters." Zayne said, dashing for the most ornate looking one, obviously Delakinn's.
They needed a way to get the remaining slaves off the planet, and the freighters couldn't fly with so few crewers, especially if they weren't trained. The city outside was in flames, the Mandalorians taking everything they could find and the Republic falling back to the transports they had arrived on. He doubted they could lend them a shuttle to get the slaves out, but maybe...maybe they could help get the slaves off the planet.
"Zayne!"
A Teroch class gunship suddenly plummeted to a stop beside the landing pad, and to Jarael and Zayne's great amazement, it opened its hatch, though it didn't spill out troops. Some slaves shrugged at each other and they dashed for the gunship.
"An anti-slave Mandalorian. How nice of him." Zayne said, confident they would at least get off the planet, as he dashed through the ship to the bridge.
Once in there, he could see the dire straits the Republic forces were in. The Mandalorians considerably outnumbered them, and forced to fight city to city, the Republic were dictated to avoid causing as much damage as possible. The Mandos had no such qualms, and buildings were being blasted apart, showering the Republic forces with debris and killing many more troops. Fire was coursing over the stilted city, the Mandalorians pushing the forces back, and then Zayne's eye was drawn to the distance, where there were numerous flashes of cyan light. A Jedi. All he had to do now was hope that it was a friendly one.
Activating the comm and the navcomputer, he accessed the last known and programmed destinations, downloading the files onto an info disc. He then tapped into the Republic channel, finally getting through to one of the ships in orbit, picking up comm chatter.
"Outnumbered, situation untenable..."
"He's on my tail!"
"The Mandalorians have broken through our last barricade, retreat to the shuttles!"
"Flitswitch is several damaged, Radiant, move to defend!"
"Full retreat! Surik to Citadel, prepare the fleet for full retreat!"
Zayne frowned. It sounded like the Republic forces were being slaughtered. Time for them all to be gone. With a ping his download finished and he pocketed the disc, then turned his attention to the comm.
"This is Zayne Carrick to the commanding officer!" he barked into the comm system.
A hologram of an older woman with grey hair came up before him, looking harassed.
"Aren't you the Jedi sports star? What the hell are you doing here, there's a war going on. One we're losing I might add." She said disdainfully as wounded soldiers rushed past her towards the shuttles, the Republic forces in full retreat, dashing past her urgently, piling onto the ships behind her.
"Can you put me through to the general in charge?" he asked desperately, wincing as the stilt city rocked from the force of the battle.
The holo shook as a fighter slammed into the stilt she was standing on, making her curse.
"Fine, this had better be good, and I'm only doing it so I can get my people onto the shuttles in peace!" she snapped, her holo flickering out.
To be replaced by a woman using a cyan coloured lightsaber, her brown hair tied into a small brown ponytail, her beautiful face marred with grime, leading a fighting retreat against their superior foe.
"This is General Meetra Surik. I hear you're Zayne Carrick, what can I do for you? And if it doesn't involve retreating, I don't want to hear it!" she snapped, her saber cutting through an enemy soldier.
"General Surik, we've just freed about four hundred slaves from the slaver organisation known as the Crucible. We have a way to get them off planet, but I'd rather the Mandalorians didn't shoot any of us down, can you help?" he asked desperately, seeing the shuttles begin to take off and knowing he didn't have long before they would need to risk everything on their own.
"Four hundred slaves? What the hell are they doing here? Alright fine, can you hold two minutes, we're nearly to the transports, and we'll be leaving too. The Mandalorians have got Dagary Minor, no way around it, we may as well try to salvage something from all this." She hissed, deflecting another bolt.
"Thanks!" Zayne said brightly, and dashed from the ship, to see the rest of the ships beginning to take off.
Leaping to the boarding ramp of the Hot Prospect, he shoved through the assembled slaves, skidding to a stop in the cockpit with Jarael.
"We're getting an escort, let's get out of here!" he ordered, and with a grim smile, she gunned the ships engines and the task force, followed by the Mandalorian gunship, shot into the air, and within seconds were joined by dozens of red and white landing craft and numerous shuttles, all bound for space. A second later and two squadrons of Aurek fighters broke off from their engagements, flanking the shuttles as they headed away from the burning city of Daragoon, through the smoke filled clouds, and leaving the atmosphere of Dagary Minor.
And Zayne swore as they entered the planet's airspace. Three Kandosii class dreadnaughts, two Kyramud class cruisers and four Jehavey'ir assault ships were pounding at Surik's fleet, consisting of three Hammerheads and four blockade runners, one of which's stern was aflame.
"Commander Aken, defend the freighters with us, non-coms are aboard, and once they are within the fleet, get to your homeships. All landing craft, get on board your home cruisers. Captain Arryan, prepare the fleet for an immediate lightspeed jump, full retreat!" came her voice over the comm, and all around them, the landing craft put on bursts of speed, few docking in the Foray class ships, the rest all docking in the Hammerheads, all of them either dancing around the enemy turbolasers or deflecting them with shields. All around them, Chela fighters and other Aurek fighters zoomed into the hangar bays mounted in the engine bays, leaving only the freighters and their escorts, as turbolaser fire from the Mandalorian forces erupted from everywhere and Mandalorian fighters zoomed in firing away, and Zayne noted that the gunship that had helped them had long since vanished. The slave rescue force was then within the protective circle of the fleet, a Foray at each point, and the three Hammerheads forming a triangle of defence around them.
"Hot Prospect, this is Captain Arryan of the starcruiser Citadel. General Surik would like you to come aboard, she wishes to speak with you, but hurry!" a young, harassed sounding female voice said, and Jarael did so, edging the ship into the bottom hangar of the lead Hammerhead.
"All ships, jump!"
There was a lurch, and the task force leapt away, the Mandalorian guns firing, and the burning world of Dagary Minor being Mandalore's newest conquest.
XX
"Ow!" Zayne yelped as Jarael rubbed a kolto patch onto one of the welts Delakinn had left on his back.
"Sorry Zayne. This is all my fault, I gave us away mentioning Osadia..." Jarael mumbled, soothing his scars, but Zayne shook his head, mercifully returned to brown.
"No you didn't, he knew before we'd said anything. If it was anyone's fault it was mine, I should have known the Umbarans had mind powers, I got us into this." He said, but she shook her head, also returned to normal.
"Delakinn was evil, twisted, he always was. And look what he did to you! And the barve tried to drown you, if he wasn't dead I'd kill him myself." She said angrily, and Zayne stretched, grinding his teeth against the pain, then pulled his jumpsuit back on, turning to her and kissing her gently on the mouth, stopping her mid rant.
"No you wouldn't. You're not like that. Anyway, he's dead, neither of us killed him, and we're a step closer to bringing down the Crucible once and for all. And despite getting caught up in yet another Mandalorian invasion, we actually managed to get out of this one relatively free, me being tortured aside. But let's not do that again okay?" he asked, and she smiled a little, kissing his cheek and had just moved on to his mouth, his hands twining in her hair, when someone knocked on the ramp into the ship.
"Well, let's go and see and thank our Jedi host." Jarael said cheerfully, and Zayne smiled, following her to the ramp.
That was one of the reasons he loved her. While she had been initially reluctant to confront her past, with his roundabout help, he had saved her from Chantique, ended Demagol and reunited her with her parents. After they had become a couple, she had asked him to help her continue to dismantle the Crucible, and nothing gave her more satisfaction (well almost nothing) than further thwarting her old overlords. And despite their close shave, he hoped that with Delakinn dead, albeit taking a little of Zayne's back with him, that they were nearly done with the Crucible.
They came down the ramp to find a man in his late twenties, a fuzzy red beard covering his face and kind blue eyes, wrapped in the red, black and yellow armour of a Republic soldier.
"General Sutrik is ready for you. If you'd like to follow me." He asked politely, leading them away from the ship and towards the lift at the end of the corridor.
"How bad was it down there?" Zayne asked, noticing a few soldiers limping or holding their arms looking grim.
Their companion frowned and shook his head.
"Bad. Nasty even. We should never have gone in in the first place, but apparently Admiral Karath was insistent." The man said with disdain, and Zayne and Jarael both exchanged darkly significant looks.
Saul Karath had become an Admiral after the Battle of Vanquo. However, much of the legend that had developed around him had in fact been down to Zayne and his actions rather than anything the man himself had done. Zayne had warned Karath about the attack on Serecco before it had happened, but the man was too obsessed with having caught the alleged 'Jedi killer' to listen, and as such the planet had been levelled by Mandalorian nukes. He had been the one who had allegedly saved the crew of the Courageous, his first command, when it was actually Zayne. He had also received the credit for the Battle of Omonoth, and had been the one responsible for the firing on Coruscant during Operation Vindication after Haazen had taken over, though was still credited with thwarting the hijack when it was really Zayne once more. He was arrogant and obsessive, and much of his reputation was a lie. And whenever he appeared, it generally meant bad news for Zayne.
"Why was he insistent?" Jarael asked curiously as they entered the lift, and sent it heading for the bridge level.
"Some Senator has the Chancellor's ear, and the Chancellor has taken an interest in Karath, so he had to justify the faith he has in him. Something isn't right about that Karath." The man muttered under his breath, obviously not thinking they would hear, and Zayne grinned.
"Trust me, we know that all too well."
The man smiled and turned to them.
"I'm Xaart by the way." He said, offering his hand, which Zayne and Jarael both shook.
"Nice to meet you. So Karath sent you down there with only a small fleet just to appease the Chancellor?" Jarael asked sceptically, and Xaart gave her a grim nod as the lift came to a stop, allowing them to enter the brightly light and spacious command corridor.
"Yeah. Now, General Sutrik's a good woman, a good commander who cares about victory yeah, but she also wants her people home as much as possible. She protested it, but was overruled, despite the fact that the nearest reinforcements are General Nisotsa, and she's about three days away. We had no choice but to go down there, Karath was threatening Arryan with charges of insubordination when she refused. And when we got down there, we were outnumbered five to one, and the Mandies have a new toy." He said grimly, and they looked at him in surprise.
Seeing their looks, he frowned in distaste.
"Yeah. Frag missiles. So of course, they only need to hit one person in a squad and the rest are ripped apart. We took very heavy casualties. And with them blowing apart the buildings willy nilly, things were just made worse." He summed up grimly, stopping outside two staterooms.
"Great, more deaths, just what we need. Thanks Xaart. May the Force be with you." Zayne said, and he smiled.
"And you two as well." He said, nodding curtly and headed for the lift, leaving them alone in the corridor.
Well alone aside from a Zabrak in a tech uniform.
"Hello. Bao-Dur." He said in greeting, extending a muscular hand, which they both shook.
"I'm Jarael, and this is my boyfriend Zayne." Jarael said in greeting.
He was about to say something when the door on the right opened, allowing a small red T3 unit to trundle out, beeping happily.
"And report back to me!" came a kind, soft voice from within, and then Bao-Dur gave them a smile and entered the room.
"Oh, come in as well you two, I'll only be a second!" the voice called again.
The two of them entered, to see a harassed looking Meetra quickly scanning the report Bao-Dur handed her.
"Not so bad then. As soon as we drop out of hyperspace, I want you over to the Flitswitch to help with the repairs." She said and he nodded, saluted, and left the room, allowing Meetra to close her eyes tiredly.
She stood like that for a couple of minutes, then gestured for them to sit down, pouring them each a glass of water, which Zayne shot a look of distaste at, making Jarael grin.
"Sorry about the wait, Captain Arryan was wounded by shrapnel on the way out, so I'm in overall command, and the bummer about surviving when you've lost is you've got a mound of work to do you wouldn't have if you'd had the decency to get killed or captured." She commented, downing her water in one gulp and pouring herself another glass.
"We heard about the Mandies new toy." Jarael ventured, and Meetra scowled.
"Frag missiles, as if we don't have enough problems. Anyway, I'm interested in your part. The Crucible slaves, freeing four hundred of them is no mean feat. What's the deal?"
For the next fifteen minutes, Zayne and Jarael explained about the Crucible, though neglecting to mention Jarael was once a member, and how they had been dismantling rings across the galaxy, and now they were even closer to dismantling the organisation seeing as there were only two Crux members left. They told the story of Osadia and Daragoon, Meetra silent all the way through.
"Wow. You've pissed off some very powerful people." She commented, pouring herself another glass of water. "Made all the more powerful because that until recently the Jedi didn't know anything about them. However, what you've done is amazing. You're dismantling this organisation piece by piece, saving as many people as you can. I sent a message to my old Master, Tooka, and she said she would meet the refugees and take them to the refugee centre on Shili. So what's your next move?" Meetra asked, casting an appreciative eye over Zayne.
While he remained oblivious to it, Jarael didn't and her eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Well I downloaded the navcomp data, so I figured we should take a looksie and see where else the Crucible have been visiting." Zayne said, and Meetra smiled.
"Brilliant. Just because I'm up to my neck in Mandalorians doesn't mean I don't appreciate the chance to further infuriate slavers. What have you got?" she asked, activating the holo display in the table.
Zayne entered the datachip, and Jarael moved closer to Zayne, her hand resting on his while she sent a dirty look at Meetra, who remained oblivious.
The holo came to life, showing about a dozen worlds marked as recent destinations of the deceased Crux member. Which meant, they had a clue as to where to go next.
"What's that world out there, on the far side?" Zayne asked curiously, pointing to it.
It was a small world in the Outer Rim, though it was listed as the last port of call before Delakinn had headed to Dagary Minor.
Meetra entered the coordinates, her face pensive as she did so, and Jarael gazed up at the planet.
"You remember anything?" Zayne muttered, but she shook her head.
"No, I can't think what they would be doing all the way out there, I mean why bother. But look at all the other worlds highlighted Zayne, there's loads, and probably more besides! We could be doing this in our sixties." She moaned, just now seeing just how extensive the Crucible truly was.
She was right about that. Several Core Worlds were highlighted, a few inner and mid rim worlds, and a various assortment of worlds in the outskirts of the galaxy. And a fair few were worthy of concern, if not alarm.
"The planet is called Dersonn III. It's a small colony world, about ten thousand people on it all told. Why, you getting a feeling?" Meetra asked in interest, and Zayne shrugged.
"I don't know, maybe." He admitted half heartedly, and she patted him reassuringly on the wrist, making Jarael's blood boil.
"Well go with it. Follow the living Force. Which a few of the Council could do with remembering. You at least seem marginally more decent than them." She said sniffily, and Zayne smiled, blushing slightly.
Meetra looked at some of the worlds, her brow furrowed.
"Considering the Jedi only recently heard of them, they have influence on more worlds than I'm happy with. Especially the fact that Coruscant, Corellia and Manaan all have Crucible influence." She said warily, as the task force dropped out of lightspeed, and the slave filled ships broke off, heading for their next hyperspace jump which would take them to Shili and safety.
Jarael looked at the map, frowning deeply.
"They can't all be slaving operations. Like Manaan for example. The Selkath are rigid with immigration and being a water world, its not as if you can just walk into a city. So it stands to reason that a fair few of these worlds could just be financial operations, skimming money off the top so they can keep the Crucible going. They don't exactly look after the slaves, but they do need ships and taps into intelligence channels, so that must be how they do it." She reasoned, and Meetra looked impressed.
"Seems fair to me. Either way, it still warrants investigation. I reckon we should contact the Council. Even though they are all dead set against the movement, that doesn't mean we can't compare notes. If there's a large scale slaving operation going on, especially one that has a presence on so many worlds, we need to sort it out." She said, and Zayne looked at Jarael.
"What do you reckon?" he asked quietly.
Her face was clouded. The idea of Jedi help was appealing, if only to help narrow down the possibilities for the Crucible headquarters so they could finish them, but there was still the overt risk of the slaves. If the Jedi were seen making any overt moves, it could endanger everyone they sought to protect.
"They could just do it quietly, scout the places out, see what they can find out. But not actually go in." She said slowly, and Meetra nodded.
"Seems fair to me. You seem to be protecting the little people, which is a good thing to be doing in these times while everyone else is focused on the Mandies. Alright, I'll get on to the Council, ask them to have a little looksie. The slaves are en route to Shili, and Master Tooka will look after them. So what's your next move?" she asked, scanning the map with concern.
Jarael pointed to Dersonn III.
"If Zayne's right, that place could be important. I reckon we should go there and check it out." She said, and Zayne nodded.
Meetra gave the world a look, and seemed to zone out a little.
"You alright?" Zayne asked, touching her shoulder, earning him a glare from Jarael.
"Yeah it's just, I don't know, I feel the Force swirling around that world. If you're going out there, be careful. The Crucible might not want visitors." She warned them, her eyes betraying concern.
"It could be another world like Volgax. We'll be careful, don't worry." Jarael said, stepping in front of Zayne and grudgingly offering her hand, which Meetra shook.
"You know, there's always a place for you with the Revanchists. We could use people of both of your talents." She said, and Zayne smiled at her, leaving a sour taste in Jarael's mouth.
"No thanks, I've seen enough war. Thanks for helping us General." He said, shaking her hand, and she waved her other dismissively.
"Oh call me Meetra. Good luck, and may the Force be with you." She said, and with that the two of them left the office, her eyes narrowed in concern.
XX
The Hot Prospect dropped out of the hangar of the Citadel, arcing away from Meetra's task force. Jarael piloted the ship, while Zayne reported to Shel what they had done and were they were going next to see what info she could find for them. Jarael had calmed down slightly. She supposed that Meetra was merely being friendly, if a little overly friendly. Still, Zayne should have made it clear that he wasn't interested, that he was with her. Grumbling slightly, she heard him end the call in the comm room next door, and she gunned the engine, sending the ship jumping away for Dersonn III. It had been the place Delakinn had visited last before going to Dagary Minor. So what was so special about it? Why were Zayne and Meetra both sensing something about the world? Frowning in thought, she stood up and went aft to check on Zayne's whip scars.
XX
Meetra's task force was hanging in space, while repairs to the Flitswitch were carried out. While they did so, Meetra called her old master. While she had been trained by many Jedi in her time, the one who had actually taken her as a Padawan and completed her training was Master Tooka, a small, overprotective Chadra-Fan with a good heart.
"Master." She said, smiling and inclining her head.
"Ah hello Meetra my dear! Don't worry, I'm already on Shili, awaiting these slaves you have for me. Nasty business." She said distastefully, her small nose wrinkled in dislike, her squeaky voice sounding pained.
"Good, thanks for doing this master. It was lucky I was there, or else Zayne would never have gotten them off the planet." She said, and Tooka looked at her curiously.
"Zayne? Ah, Zayne Carrick, yes I remember him. Back from before he was accused of murdering his fellow Padawans, a lad at the enclave on Dantooine, a few years younger than you. So he got them off the planet did he? But why were you there? Surely fleet command didn't send you there?" she asked worriedly, and Meetra nodded grimly.
"Yep. Karath's doing." She sneered, and Tooka glowered.
"Ugh. Between him and Vrook, you join Revan's group to get away from Vrook, and then you get stuck with him. What's troubling you young one?" she asked, her kind mouse like eyes bright in the holo.
Meetra frowned, then sent Tooka the data they had on Dersonn III.
"It's Zayne and his girlfriend. They're looking for that slaver group that caused such a stir, the Crucible, and they're going to this world here, Dersonn III. It's in the middle of the Outer Rim, and the Crucible leader that got killed on Dagary Minor was there before he arrived there. It's a tiny colony world, ten thousand populace all told, one small city, the rest tall mountain ranges and plains. So why do I have such a bad feeling about this?" she asked, and Tooka frowned.
"Hmm. A bad feeling you say? I tell you what I'll do. I'll get on to my contacts in the underworld, see what I can't find out about this Dersonn III. I agree, its too far out of the way to be insignificant. Perhaps another one of their slave pens?" she suggested, and Meetra shrugged.
"I don't know. Let me know what you find out master." She said, and Tooka nodded.
"I will. Slavery is foul. If I can do anything to help those young ones end the Crucible, then I will. May the Force be with you child. Toodleloo!"
Her holo flickered out, and once she had gone, Meetra contacted her old friend Kavar. A member of the Jedi Council, he had taught her a few tricks when Tooka had been away on an extended mission, and they were good friends. A few minutes later, the holo flickered to life, not just showing him, but the small, elf like Master Vandar and also the moustached and bald Zez-Kai Ell. While the Council were opposed to the Revanchist faction, ostensibly to make sure the young ones who had gone to war did not lose their way, the Council had made it known they could contact them at any time if they sought help or guidance, or preferably to them, a way home. However, if you got a group like this, or with Lonna Vash or Qual on it, that was all well and good. But if you got a group with Atris or Vrook on it, you could forget getting anything other than a lecture, and hearing them thinking themselves wise and that they alone knew what was the right thing to do. Meetra had always argued with Atris growing up during their training, as Atris was supremely assured of herself to the point of arrogance, and tolerated no deviation from a course other than her own. Vrook, who in some ways was Tooka's nemesis considering how many times they had crossed swords over the years, was a grumpy, unappeasable being, who was incensed that anyone dare defy the Council and, like Atris, did not like anyone acting against the conditioned path, which to him meant what he felt should have been done and what he said.
"Ah young Meetra, it is good to see you. What news of the war?" Vandar asked, from his position in the middle of the three Jedi, and she assumed they were in Kavar's quarters as he always sat to the side, so he could see anyone coming into hus room.
"We lost Dagary Minor. However, Zayne Carrick did jailbreak around four hundred Crucible slaves from the planet before it fell, so it isn't all bad." She said brightly.
The three Jedi Masters, sitting in their triangle, looked at each other in shock. She knew they disapproved of the Revanchists, though Kavar, Zez-Kai and Vandar were some of the more sympathetic members, as opposed to Vrook and Atris, but Zayne was a bit of a wild card to them. While Vandar trusted him, and that was good enough for the vast majority of the Council, Vrook was opposed to letting someone with Jedi training go around without being answerable to the Jedi Order. Unlike most Jedi, and most of the galaxy, Meetra knew exactly what had happened during Vindication, as Tooka, ever nosey and wanting to exasperate Vrook at any opportunity, had ferreted around until Lonna Vash had finally cracked, bordering on exasperated hysteria as Tooka wouldn't leave her old friend alone, and told her everything, which she had then repeated to Meetra. So far as she knew, only the Council, Tooka, Meetra, Revan, one of his old masters and maybe Malak knew what had truly happened.
"This slaver group is more dangerous than we thought, especially considering they tried to use the saber of Exar Kun. How many rings have they dismantled now?" Zez-Kai asked, quite eager for a report on young Zayne's progress, having become quite fond of the boy and interested in what he got up to.
"As far as I understand it, they've dismantled at least seven rings, along with taking down the top ranking members on Osadia like he told us. Since then though, actually on Dagary Minor, they took on another member of the leadership, and he's dead now too. But, while they were on Dagary Minor, Zayne copied the Crucible's nav data, and lets just say he found some things worth investigating." She said.
Kavar, his jaw set and determined, his brow furrowed, looked at her cautiously.
"What did he find?" he asked, and she checked the channel was secure before proceeding.
"The Crucible has some form of influence in the Core, a fair few worlds. But some in particular raised my eyebrows." She explained, and Vandar held his chin in thought.
"Indeed? And why do they concern you young one?" he asked.
"Well there were signs of the Crucible having operations on Coruscant, Corellia, and worse than that, Manaan and Dantooine." She said, not having drawn the other two's attention to the fact that Dantooine was also highlighted in the map.
Zez-Kai frowned, stroking his moustache.
"Master Dorak has his apprentice Deesra looking into disappearances in the locals outside of the Enclave. He may have stumbled onto the Crucible which certainly complicates matters. If the Crucible has set up an operation on Dantooine, they could very well be looking for a confrontation." He reasoned, and Meetra had to admit, it was a possibility.
However, she doubted the Crucible were seeking a confrontation with the Order. More likely they had figured they could abduct a few people from Dantooine and go about their business, not knowing about the enclave there.
"Manaan is troubling." Vandar said, his brow furrowed.
"I agree Master. Ferroh is near there, he could check it out." Meetra offered, but Kavar shook his head.
"I don't think so, that could be seen as controversial. Master Bolook is idle at the moment, we could send him. And as to Coruscant, I'll attend to that myself." Kavar said, and Meetra smiled.
"You need to give those old bones a workout sometime eh old friend?" she asked, and Kavar chuckled.
"Quite so. Don't worry Meetra, we will investigate this for you, see what we can't find out. Whatever the Crucible is up to, we need to stop it. We'll keep in touch. Thank you for bringing this to our attention." Kavar said, giving her a small smile.
"May the Force be with you young one." Vandar said, and the holo flickered out.
Meetra stood contemplating for a moment. Zayne and Jarael could handle themselves, their actions on Dagary Minor had more than illustrated that point. But still, the Crucible was bad news and as Jarael had said was a lot bigger than they had expected. And she had a horrible feeling that they could indeed be up to something, perhaps to do with the Mandalorians. Something about this just wasn't right and it was making her uneasy.
While she was deep in thought, worrying about Tooka, Zayne, the war and the Crucible, the comm beeped.
"General Sutrik, Captain Arryan is all patched up, and are picking up a communication from the Indefatigable. Shall I put it through?" the bridge officer asked.
The Indefatigable was the Inexpugnable class command ship that served as Revan's flagship. The Inexie class was a massive warship, three times the size of her own Hammerhead Cruiser. Capable of holding twelve fighter squadrons, it could easily match a Kandosii Dreadnaught and was a very powerful ship. Problem was there were very few left, and they were relatively impracticable despite their size.
However, its commander was anything but that. Revan was the reason all of them were there. Formerly, a handsome young man with long, tidy brushed back hair to just above his shoulders, he had lately donned the mask of a deceased Mandalorian, vowing not to take it off until the Mandalorians who had murdered the people of Cathar were defeated. Young, handsome and charismatic, he had gathered many Jedi to his cause, all of whom now followed a Jedi mercy corps that allowed them to fight on the front line. His holo shimmered to life, clad in a hooded robe, and his face obscured by the mask. Beside him was the tall, burly, bald figure of Malak, Revan's best friend and right hand man.
"Meetra, where are you? What happened at Dagary Minor?" Revan asked.
"Well we lost the battle, command should never have sent us there in the first place. But we did evacuate a load of Crucible slaves that Zayne and his girlfriend freed." She said brightly, and she saw the shock express itself across Malak's face.
She knew full well that Malak had left the fleet, seeking the young Zayne and Jarael in order to try to convince the girl that he had fallen for to go with him, and that it was a source of contention that the young Zayne had managed to win Jarael rather than go with him. Personally, she couldn't fault Jarael's choices. For a start, Zayne was cuter, he had hair which she considered a plus, and wasn't a pompous ass like Malak was.
"That boy again, he gets around doesn't he?" Revan mused, and Meetra smiled at the look on Malak's face.
"He certainly does. He's away to Dersonn III to investigate a new lead on the Crucible, and I asked the Council to have a look into other places they might have a presence. I think they might be up to something." She said grimly, and Revan nodded.
"You might be right. And with the Mandies pressing towards the Inner Rim we cant afford to be running around shutting down the Crucible, its about time the Council did something helpful. So what you waiting for?" he asked.
"Just for the repairs on the Flitswitch to be finished then I'll be on the move again. Command wants me to head over to Bothawui, the Mandies have been scouting the system." She explained, and Revan nodded.
"Good. I'm on my way to Christophsis, the Mandies encountered their patrols the other day so I'm heading there now." He explained.
Malak frowned.
"You really think the Crucible presents a danger?" he asked, his face clouded, and Meetra thought she knew what was coming.
"Well don't you think we should investigate too? I mean I like Zayne, but he's a kid! He must be in over his head." He said dismissively, and Meetra narrowed her eyes in annoyance.
"He didn't seem over his head to me. Aside from their last trip going a little south, they seemed fine, and more than competent. And remember, Zayne eluded five powerful Jedi Masters, took down a former Sith and dealt with the leader of the Crucible and Demagol. He may not be a Jedi in the normal sense, but he seems perfectly competent." She said peevishly, her eyes narrowed at Malak.
"Yeah but he is still just a kid, and Jarael is too good a fighter..."
"To be with a washout?" Revan asked sharply, and Meetra had to hide a smile. She loved it when Revan told Malak off.
"That's not..."
"Yes it is. You're letting your emotions cloud your judgement. Zayne, as Meetra says, sounds perfectly competent on his own, as does this Jarael. You only want to get us involved because you want to see the girl again." Revan said in annoyance, and Malak glowered at him.
"I still think someone should go along. If not me, then someone else from our group, see what we can find out. Because if your feelings are right and the Crucible are gearing for something big, we need to head it off before it stabs us in the back. Don't you think?"
She hated to admit it, but he did have a point. Revan obviously thought so too, as he raised his hand to the bottom of his mask, as if to stroke his chin.
"You do have a point. Alright, go to Dersonn III. But if you're going there, keep your task force doing something useful, send your task force to the base at Ord Pardon, have Captain Telletoh go on an inspection, we don't want that flank collapsing." Revan said, and Malak gave a satisfied, slightly smug smile.
"Alright. Speak to you later Meetra, may the Forcbe with you." Revan said, and the holo flickered out, leaving her frowning in concern.
The bad feeling she had about Dersonn III had just gotten worse. It was like it was a flashpoint or something, and it was making her uneasy.
Sighing in exasperation, she headed to the bridge to find out how the repairs were going.
XX
The remaining Crux members had had quite enough. Chantique, Bar'injar and now Delakinn were all dead. And while that did suit the remaining two members of the Crux, it did not bode well for the Crucible itself, and there was already subversive talk in the ranks about splitting off from the sinking ship, and that could not be allowed. Not when they were about to launch their plan, not when they were so close.
As such, the Poacher class cruiser, the Entrapment, the new flagship of the Crucible following the loss of its sister ship, the Gladiator near Ithor, had welcomed seven hunters on board.
The first two were large, hulking Ithorians. Having established their reputations cashing in the bounty on the Jedi fugitive Zayne Carrick, the red scarf wearing Del and the blue scarf wearing Dob Moomo had been summoned to see if they could repeat their feat by the leaders of the Crucible.
The next two were two scantily clad Twi'leks, dressed in black bodysuits, slave tattoos emblazoned all over their bodies. They were Teer'aa and Seer'aa, two former slaves who had killed their master and had established themselves as deadly, seductive hunters, giving themselves the name Twin Suns.
The next was a Nikto, his right eye white and milky due to the long scar that ran down it, and beneath if were two other deep gouges into his face. His name was Vrak, a Nikto predator who hunted sentients and animals alike, the scar a relic from a particularly vicious albino Kath hound on Dantooine.
Beside him was the tall, reptilian Anoo-Dat Besakhar. An excellent tracker, he obsessively stalked prey until he had them dead and buried, and was the most formidable hunter in the room bar one.
And the last, and greatest of the hunters was a dark furred Wookiee by the name of Hanharr. Having escaped from Czerka slavers, it was as if he hated the galaxy and wished to make everyone else suffer and was willing to do anything else he could to achieve that.
The holograms of the two remaining Crux members appeared before them hunters. The first holo was emitting from a hover chair, a small, squat obese Gossam female by the name of Qui La, red flames marked over her pale blue face. Stuffed into her chair, she was the Magister Manufacturer, in charge of the Crucible droid factories that produced the skyreaper drones and the Poacher class Cruisers, along with any fighters or anything else they could possibly need. Twisted and cruel, she had a habit of running people down in her hover chair, laughing at the defeated masses beneath her feet.
However the truly dangerous Crux member remaining was a long, lithe, tattooed Ryn. The Magister Observer, Vuquoa, marked in black flames, was sneaky and cunning, but also brutal, more than capable of holding his own against both Chantique and Bar'injar when they were alive. Now the true force behind the Crucible, he was the driving force behind the plan of the Crucible and was more determined than anyone to bring Zayne to his doom. He and Jarael had caused quite enough trouble for one lifetime.
"We want them found. Found and brought to us alive. But if you do have to kill them, we will understand." Vuquoa sneered, his holo shimmering with his anger.
"We will do what you ask. I will do what you ask." Hanharr howled, and Qui La glowered.
"Be sure that you do. We don't know if Delakinn told them anything before his death. If they make it here to headquarters, we will be most displeased." She growled.
"There are only two of them though. What risk do the pretty offshoot and the handsome trickster pose to you?" Teer'aa asked curiously in Huttese.
"We didn't think they posed any threat. Until they killed Chantique and Bar'injar and continue to dismantle our operations across the galaxy. So see to it that they are stopped. Kill them if you must. But they cannot be allowed to meddle with anymore Crucible affairs!" Vuquoa snarled, and the holos shimmered out.
"We'll find them, we know them." Del boasted proudly.
"Does it bother you Ithorian, hunting someone you know?" Besakhar asked softly.
"It shouldn't. We have a job to do. We shall hunt the Jeedai and the huntress." Hanharr snarled, and with that, he left.
"No Wookiee. We shall find the handsome trickster and break him." Seer'aa vowed, and with that the dangerous hunters left the room, heading for their ships. And unlike the Moomos, Hanharr, Besakhar and Vrag already had an idea of where to look.
Hello there!
What with Knights of the Old Republic War coming out today, I figured a Zayne/Jarael story was in order, so here we are hunting down the last of the Crucible. This will be a three shot, packed with cameos, so what will happen next?
And apologies for the last little bit, I've had the cold and a cough not feeling that good so it might not be as good as I want it to be.
However, hope you like, enjoy! And please review!