Chapter 2
The he transport ship swayed a little as it neared the ground, and Victor snored peacefully. He woke up to Grace shaking him roughly.
"HELLO!" She shouted, "It's time for us to go. You and I are going to drop down, walk about half a mile, and sneak in through the air ducts."
"Yeah yeah, I know." Victor rubbed his eyes. "Why do we have to be the ones to cut off the power and let everyone in again?"
Grace sighed. "We are the only ones small enough. We've been over this. I'm short and you're skinny, no one else here would fit into the ducts. You do the hacking, make sure the lights stay on and but door locks are turned off. I keep watch for guards. We are in and out as soon as possible. We will circle back around to join Beta team and the main fighting once the doors are open."
"Ok, ok." Victor sighed. He was not looking forward to the nitty-gritty portion of this mission. Especially since a job he had in Naboo went sour after and electrical discharge shutdown transformers for a whole district, because he fell on top of the. If it wasn't for his insulated mandalorian armor, he would be dead.
Ethan leaned over the edge with his hand raised, ready to give the signal for the drop. Grace and Victor stood ready, Victor activating his jet pack.
"NOW!" Ethan swung his hand down and the duo leaped from the metal craft. They were maybe eighty meters in the air, Grace could easily use the force to stabilize her landing, but Victor had to time his jet pack just right. Fifty, forty, thirty, meters. His helmet gave him real time feedback on the situation. Told him his distance from the closest surface he could see, his heart rate (eighty beats per minute), and the state of his armor. It even had a day planner, mostly because if he didn't have one he wouldn't get anything done. Grace just glided down and before she hit the ground, she appeared to slow down as she straightened herself out to softly land. Twenty, fifteen meters. Almost to the ground, Victor activated his jetpack to slow him down just enough to stick the super hero landing.
"Seriously?" Grace asked Victor sarcastically.
"Yes. It is how you must always land in my opinion. It can cause FEAR! And it looks AWESOME! Duh!" Victor had replied, excited he didn't fall over this time. He usually did, especially if there were any females present.
"Let's just get on with the mission." Grace commanded as she turned and began jogging toward the base.
When the pair arrived, they stealthily crept along the edge of the wall. They had chosen an out-of the-way supply building that would not be heavily guarded but was still connected to the main ventilation system. Gesturing to a vent on the side of the structure, Victor took out some tools from the storage pouches on his jetpack and unscrewed the cover.
"Ladies first," he whispered, pointing to the dark tunnel.
"Gee, thanks." Grace rolled her eyes, but crawled in, holding a flashlight in her mouth and using her hands and feet to scoot along on her chest and stomach. "I better not get stuck," she grumbled, squirming in the uncomfortably tight space. "Come on Victor, you're lucky right now that you're not a girl!"
Victor followed, chuckling a little under his breath. He fit fine, his wiry frame seeming to blend into the straight, rectangular vent system.
Inside, it was hard to hear one another above the hum of machinery. Victor hoped they didn't get lost. The two had planned a route beforehand using the stolen plans, but Victor wasn't sure if they had been reading the map exactly right. At least they knew the general direction, and could always try to follow the sound if they needed to.
Grace inched forward in the darkness for what seemed like an hour. The darkness and noise made everything seem dreamlike. As she mechanically continued forward, she started to think of everything that had led up to this moment. One of the fateful events that had brought them to this place was a terrible vision Ethan had one day while he, Colton, Tyler, and Grace had one of their regular group meditation times….
Ethan walked across a long platform in the rain. He was tired, Ethan could feel the rain and the exhaustion that had begun to set in. He could also feel his friends with him. Whenever they meditated together they had a kind of mental link. But nothing quite like this had ever happened before.
On the other side of the platform, a hooded figure in black Sith robes stood with his back turned. As Ethan approached, the Sith Lord turned and activated his lightsaber, a cruel, curved hilt held the red blade that had already killed one of their group. As he brought up, it illuminated his features, revealing that his mouth and entire left side of his face was covered with armored plating as if it he had been in a horrible accident. The right side of his face on the other hand, was disfigured with scars. His yellow eye glared at Ethan.
Ethan didn't know how this was happening. He could sense that his friends were watching, but they were not really there. It was HIS vision, and only he could affect it. Afraid of what might be going on, yet drawn as if by an inborn force, Ethan met the gaze of the sith.
In a raspy voice through a rebreather, the Sith Lord spoke to him.
"At last, Brother."
Ethan jolted out of his meditation to a Grace shaking him. Immediately the heat from the planet Tatooine hit him in the face.
"What's going on?"
"Are you ok?"
"What were you thinking?"
His friends crowded around him, all looking very concerned.
Shaken, but not wanting to worry anyone, Ethan tried to brush it off. "We'll talk about it later guys, but we have to get going. This was just supposed to be a quick meditation to get our composure before the mission!" He jumped up, eager to begin.
This was their first mission as Knights. They had been sent to investigate a separatist factory and take it out if necessary.
As Ethan entered the makeshift command post, which was put into the side of a mountain, he began assessing all of the information they had gathered while they waited for Tyler. Tyler had adapted to using the force to enhance his natural stealth. Since he was used to running long distances and jumping to almost unnatural heights, he used the force to increase his abilities, making him the best scout out of the group. Tyler soon appeared in the doorway and approached the table.
"I scoped the place out. Absolutely nothing." He shrugged.
"You're kidding?" Malakia asked him while putting his lightsaber together.
"Nope. I didn't see anything outside, and scanners showed nothing. Hell, I even knocked on the door." He slumped into a chair.
"Do you think they gave us a filler mission? One that wasn't an actual mission?" Cameron asked. They were all hoping that this would be their chance to show they were no longer kids. But William wasn't gonna let them give up.
"Come on guys! Let's go check it out anyways, maybe we can get the location of another base. Then we won't go back empty handed." He smiled, trying to lift everyone's spirits. The young jedi looked at each other, nodding in agreement.
"Then let's blow it up!" John exclaimed as he tossed Tyler some explosives.
"Come on guys let's go!" Colton shouted as a sprang out the door.
They traveled up to the base, and sure enough, no one else was there. The door slid right open for them. As they walked into the manufacturing building filled with conveyor belts and rusted droids, there were no signs of life, nor running machinery. Every step they took, they could feel the crunch of old technology and tarnished metal. The place smelled old. As if they were visiting their grandparents. But that didn't make them comfortable. The deactivated droids glared at them from their broken down perches. They almost seemed to whisper to them-
"Leave"
"Jedi scum."
" Die."
"You will never know your fathers."
This made them feel very uneasy, almost like a presence was here. Watching them.
A presence.
Ethan jumped. That's what he was feeling. Someone was trying to get into their heads and find out their secrets. And this person was powerful.
"Stop guys, someone is here. We need to leave." Ethan told them as he started backing up. The others were confused, bombarding him with questions: "What's wrong?" "Are you ok?"
"Wait. I feel it to. Get into formation!" Malakia moved to Ethan's back. Seeing his brother turn on his curved lightsaber made Ethan flinch slightly. But nonetheless he was thankful for his company.
"I don't see or hear any one. Are you two ok?" Victor asked, while still joining their battle formation. The group formed a defensive circle, each taking a stance that would, if necessary, deflect blaster fire and/or saber attacks.
It was eerily quiet for a moment. Then suddenly, a loud voice boomed within their skulls.
"Fools. To think they could send new blood here again!" A deep voice resonated in their bones. They all scanned the area for the mysterious person. It was as if they were having a mass hallucination. Victor and William put their sabers away and picked up old blaster rifles.
"Maybe we will get some distance on whoever it is." William explained.
"Show yourself coward!" Cameron yelled out. Everyone was uneasy.
"You don't want that. But if you insist." Then a masked hooded figure dropped from the ceiling. He started his lightsaber up and held it far from his side, as if he was waiting to cut someone's hand off.
"You will amount to nothing, and all of you will die here. You think the order cares for you? They sent you to your doom." He hissed at them.
Cameron, John, and Malakia all looked hurt by this. Like they were contemplating his words.
"Don't listen to him, he is trying to get under your skin. Block him out!" Grace tried to snap them out of their despair.
Then Malakia charged him so fast he looked like a blur. He would have severed the Sith Lord at the neck in the blink of an eye. As he swung to decapitate the masked figure, the enemy brought up his saber at the last second and locked it with Malakia's. Then the Sith Lord pushed him off and begun to hold him in air with the force, choking him. He slammed him on a nearby wall and threw him at the group. John caught him, and Colton began to heal him.
"We need to leave now!" Tyler yelled to the group while spastically running at them. In the confusion, he had set the explosives, and the group now had less than three minutes to get out.
"We will meet again!" The Sith Lord left the group, jumping from platform to platform, escaping full view with a malicious laugh. Malakia began to limp in his direction.
"Are you mad!? We need to leave now!" Ethan said as he grabbed his brother by the collar. His brother turned while swinging his saber, Ethan barely had the time to block it. With a gasp, Ethan met his brother's gaze and saw that his eyes were glowing bright yellow.
"I will end him! He will die! And YOU will not stop me! I will have revenge!" Malakia was now fighting his brother. The others had all made it to the exit except for Grace and Cameron. Both were trying to call for the twins to come and help them.
"Why are you doing this? We will die! Come to your senses!" Ethan yelled, trying to reason with him. Then, as if on cue, Cameron came around and smacked Malakia on the head, rendering him unconscious.
"We have less than a minute now, come on." Cameron said, picking up the limp body of Malakia. They sprinted to the exit, and as the passed the doors, the building began to erupt in flames. The blast sent them flying from the site, a solid thirty feet. Colton quickly began to heal the survivors.
At the command post, Victor and William met up together. They had an issue to discus.
"You ever feel like we weren't meant for this?" Victor had asked Will. They both were having doubts about being Jedi. They were clumsy with sabers, and didn't really have any aptitude for the force.
"My mom always told be I was very good with our hunting blaster. That seems to be what I'm good with. I am so afraid of cutting my hand off with this thing." William exclaimed as he patted his saber.
"Thing is, I'm afraid of going to the counsel alone. Would they understand?" Victor asked as leaned against the railing overlooking the canyon ridge the were close to. Looking over Tatooine, it looked peaceful. You could forget about the gangsters, slavers, and psychos for just a moment. The nighttime always seems to calm everything.
"We will find out together, once we are back at the temple. I promise." William had said, clasping Victor on the shoulder. Victor had never told anyone of his Mandalorian descent before, mostly because he didn't think anyone would approve. They got a bad rep for being notoriously barbaric, and have a past fighting Jedi. But maybe he wasn't made for this. Maybe he could….
No, Victor thought. The idea of becoming a bounty hunter might be silly. But then, maybe it could be a good choice, working on his own terms, bringing in bad guys, making money. It was an interesting thought.
"Will…" Victor hesitated, "will you… come with me and be a bounty hunter? I think that job would suit us better, and I want to still have a friend who will have my back out there…"
William thought for a moment, and then nodded. "That's a good idea actually. I think we are supposed to."
"Alright,I think I'll go to sleep. Thanks Will." Victor told him. The duo left to go back to the camp, ready to start on a new path in the morning.
"What is your problem? You could have died!" Ethan yelled at his brother. Malakia was now walking through the training area, packing up to find the Sith Lord. The thing that scared Ethan the most had been his brother's yellow eyes.
"Oh, SHUT UP! I will end him. He said he knew our father. I will get answers!" Malakia shouted at him, furiously trying to gather his supplies.
"You'll be killed!
"Stop pretending you care! You're just afraid of me!"
Ethan took a step back. Malakia was starting to glare at Ethan.
"Don't look surprised! He told me the truth. YOU'RE ALL AFRAID OF ME!" He began to get into his fighter.
"Malakia, wait! He is lying to you! He is manipulating you!" Ethan said, pulling Malakia out of the fighter. Malakia swung with his saber and Ethan narrowly dodged it. Malakia began taking swing after swing, trying to hit him. Ethan activated half of his saber and began blocking him. He wouldn't be able to get help for a bit. Their friends were on the other side of the room. The twins parried and swiped at each other, but Ethan only acted on pure defense. He didn't want to hurt his brother. Then, a malicious laugh came from behind the fighter. The Sith Lord appeared from the shadows. He walked right behind Malakia.
"See? He fears you. He won't ever respect you. You must cut him down. Become the legacy you were meant to be." The Sith Lord whispered in his ear.
"I'm sorry brother." Malakia pushed his twin back and started to come down on Ethan's neck with the saber. Ethan closed his eyes, waiting for the end. Suddenly, a loud boom sounded as a gas canister exploded near them, sending flames and shrapnel everywhere. Ethan, who was kneeling on the ground, avoided most of the debris, but Malakia wasn't so lucky. When Ethan looked up, half of Malakia's face was ablaze. He was screaming in pain, cursing the flames. Ethan turned to see Victor, John, and Cameron coming to his aid. Malakia flailed at the flames, which also had enveloped his arms, and finally succeeded in putting them out. He turned his disfigured, melting face and glared at the group.
"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" He screeched as he rushed forward to attack. But before he struck a blow, the Sith Lord grabbed his arm.
"Not now. Come, apprentice, we have work to do." Then, in a flash, the pair were teleported from the scene of the accident.
Ethan began to sob. The rest of the group had heard the commotion and were now standing around, trying to console him. Grace wrapped her arms around him as everyone else tried to figure out what had happened. It seemed that a stray blaster ray from the practice range had skinned a gas canister, but they were not sure who exactly had hit it. They left quickly after, eager to leave the place and collect their thoughts.
"Don't worry, we will save him. I know it." Grace told Ethan as he layed there in his room. They had just gotten back, and Grace slipped into his room before he could lock it.
"He is gone. I've never not been with him. What do I even do? Ethan said in despair.
"Train. Get better. Help the order. That's all we can do. But I promise you, we will get him back." She said, holding his shoulder.
"We can try I guess. Thank you for coming, but I just need to be alone for a little while" Ethan told her.
Grace nodded in understanding and walked away, leaving Ethan to meditate. His friends all waited outside his room as Grace gave them the rundown of the whole situation. They began to worry.
"What are we gonna do? Malakia has gone dark side." John said. They were all in disbelief at the entire situation.
"Victor and William are gone, Malakia is a Sith, and Ethan is in seclusion. We are needed around the order now more than ever. We just need to try to find Malakia." Cameron said.
They decided not to give up. As they went their separate ways, Grace and Colton walked to the training grounds together.
"Ethan is not well. I sensed it. Him and his brother both have something wrong inside them. I don't know what. It bothers me." Colton said, as they strode next to each other.
"We will just need to be there for him. And his brother, when the time comes." Grace told him, trying to sound hopeful. The last thing they needed was Ethan going dark side too.
"I know. It's gonna be one long ride" Colton sighed.
"This is the place. Pass me the tools so I can get the thing open."
Grace told Victor. They were now over the air vent leading to the mass transformer. They had to disable it to shut down doors and security. She spotted four droids in here, and one commander. As she unscrewed the vent, Victor began priming and EMP grenade. She turned to give the signal.
"Ready? On my mark. Three. Two. One. Mark!" She counted in a hushed whisper. As she punched open the vent, Victor threw the grenade, deactivating all the droids. Then, Grace dropped down, rolled forward towards the commander, and held her sabers in a V around his neck.
"I wouldn't move if I were you. She is a tad jumpy." Victor grinned. He began ripping out some wires from the droids to make sure they stayed down.
"What do you want?" The commander stuttered. He was shaking slightly, weather from rage or fear was unclear.
"Codes to the terminal to switch off the power. Now." She demanded. They were starting to run out of time.
"Seven, nine, eight, Oscar, Bravo, five, dash, Theta, Gamma, Alpha. That's the unlock code. Please just leave me be." It was fear.
Grace showed no emotion, but wanted to chuckle slightly at how pathetic he was.
"You're no longer useful." Victor decided, as he shot the commander with an electric bolt from his wrist. The man slumped over, but was still breathing.
"Next time, warn me if you're doing that." Grace grumbled, brushing at her arm where she could feel that the tingle of the electricity had just grazed her.
As Victor began to turn off the power, Grace kept watch in the hallway. The man began to slightly wake up, but Grace kicked him in the face with enough force to knock him out.
"We are done here. Let's go." Victor tuned on his communicator to talk to Ethan.
"Power will be off in a few seconds" As if on cue, the lock mechanism power shut down and all doors opened.
"Good work. Meet up with beta team and get ready for the main assault." Ethan commanded. The communicator turned off.
"I will never be used to him in charge." Victor sighed.
"This mission is personal. He is the only one who can truly lead it." Grace said in a melancholy tone. She new someone would likely not be making it back today. Too much was riding on this mission for there not to be casualties.
"Beta team, wait for my signal!" Ethan shouted amongst the clones and Jedi formed in ranks. They were stationed across a large plateau, empty and devoid of cover. Droids began assembling at the front, preparing. They needed to go now. Grace ran up next to him and Victor arrived as well, his jet pack throwing pebbles as he landed. They went to where the flank was weakest, ready to fight. Ethan took one last look at his friends. If this plan didn't work, this was the last time he would see any of them.
"CHARGE!" Ethan's cry resonated through the area. And with one large yell in response, the mob of blue and white washed over the plateau like a tidal wave.