Thank you to the 10 people who reviewed the last chapter. You guys are the greatest and here is chapter 3 and yes there are OCs in this story (more because I don't know of who I can use as the captains now that the whole timeline's changed and all that). I hope that you like it.
Chapter 3
Obi-Wan watched as the shuttle drew closer to the dreadnought. He could feel the dark side within the dreadnought and knew that a dark Jedi, whether it was the one who attacked Padmé or the one who attacked Jenica he didn't know, was onboard. It was eerily similar to when the Millennium Falcon first approached the Death Star in the timeline Obi-Wan had changed.
Obi-Wan still remembered that timeline; he couldn't forget it no matter how much he wanted to. However, the current predicament they were in could not be solved the same way it was in the old timeline mainly because of the fact that the shuttle didn't have secret smuggling compartments like the Millennium Falcon and because it was possible the people onboard the dreadnought weren't looking specifically for anything.
However, Obi-Wan still didn't know what the dark Jedi onboard the dreadnought wanted with them and why they didn't destroy the shuttle on sight.
"Dad, what do we do?" asked Kira. "There's a dark Jedi onboard that ship."
"I know, Kira," Obi-Wan said.
"Well, whatever they want with us, I'm not going to let them take me without a fight," Mara said firmly gripping the hilt of her lightsaber.
"There are alternatives to fighting," Obi-Wan murmured.
"What alternatives, Obi-Wan?" Ahsoka said.
Obi-Wan looked at the Togruta. "They obviously wanted us alive. Perhaps we should simply let them take us. It's not like this would be the first time we've had to escape," he said.
Mara sighed. "I don't like just giving myself up," she said as she reluctantly removed her hand from her lightsaber.
"It seems we have little choice. We don't know what we're facing and it wouldn't be a good idea to fight something we don't know the first thing about."
Ahsoka turned her gaze to the viewports as the shuttle was pulled into the hangar bay and Obi-Wan followed her gaze. The hangar bay wasn't empty though and Obi-Wan could see men and women in uniform and armor walking around though some of them weren't entirely human. They each held weapons in their hands though and walked briskly toward the shuttle.
"They're asking us to open the channel, master," Mara said looking at the console. "Should I?"
"I think we should," said Obi-Wan. "They might fire on the shuttle if we don't. Besides, this might be our only chance at figuring out who is behind this entire thing."
Ahsoka nodded in agreement and Mara, taking that as her answer, flicked the comm switch on.
"Jedi," a curt voice sounded on the other side of the comm. "You are completely surrounded. Lower your boarding ramp and be prepared to be taken into custody."
"What right do you have to arrest us?" Ahsoka demanded.
"You are in no position to question us, Jedi," the voice said. "Lower your boarding ramp."
Ahsoka gritted her teeth but Obi-Wan placed a hand on her shoulder and cautiously shook his head. The Togruta nodded slowly. "Very well," she said to the voice. "We will not put up a fight. Lowering our boarding ramp now." She cut the transmission before looking at Obi-Wan.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Obi-Wan," she said softly.
Obi-Wan did too.
The group that entered the ship was composed of humans and the blue-skinned near humans Obi-Wan had seen in the hangar bay. The human at the head of the group was tall with dark hair with a blaster in his hands as he strode forward and his companions ranged out around him.
"Hand over your weapons," the human said though he didn't point his blaster at the group.
"We do not want trouble," Obi-Wan said calmly.
"Oh I don't either," the human said with a shrug. "But Lord Sicarius wants to meet all of you and he does not desire to get attacked by you Jedi."
Sicarius? Obi-Wan looked over at Ahsoka but he could see that she was just as confused as he was. Kira and Mara were in the same boat though Mara was watching the soldiers with narrowed eyes. "And who is Lord Sicarius?" he asked.
"You will know soon enough, Jedi. Now hand over your lightsabers."
Obi-Wan decided that it would be best if he did as he was told. They were outnumbered. While they could defeat the small contingent of soldiers on the shuttle, getting away from the dreadnought without getting fired on by the droid fighters or the dreadnought itself would be even harder than simply escaping when they least expected it.
Half of the contingent had gone behind the four Jedi and Obi-Wan could feel the muzzle of the blaster pressed against his back. Judging by the look in Ahsoka's eyes and the feeling of frustration that came off Kira and Mara, he figured the same thing was happening to them.
"I don't like this," Mara said.
"You and me both," Kira said but they handed over their lightsabers as Obi-Wan and Ahsoka did as well. The soldiers took them and the human stepped back before gesturing to a few of the soldiers.
"Stun cuff them," he ordered and, once all four were stun cuffed, he said, "Let's move."
The contingent, with their Jedi prisoners, left the shuttle and headed down the curving corridor of the dreadnought toward the detention center.
Darth Sicarius meditated, immersing himself in the power the dark side of the Force provided. He was currently in his meditation chambers searching through the Force for glimpses of the future; he had been taught that it was possible to see the future if one looked deep enough into the Force. So far, Sicarius wasn't as lucky as Palpatine had been but he did get brief glimpses though not enough to discern what those glimpses were trying to tell him.
He did know that the four Jedi he had sensed enter the system were onboard the Katana. They were being guided toward the detention center; he could feel their Force presences and he could sense that they were powerful and sickeningly light. However, what he didn't like was that they had found the fleet as quickly as they had and he didn't know how.
He was determined to find that out when he interrogated the four Jedi.
The door to the room slid open and Sicarius opened his eyes as he recognized the Force presence of his apprentice. "Master?" his apprentice said kneeling down and lowering her head. "The four Jedi are in the detention center."
"I know," Sicarius said. "What I wish to know is how they found out about the fleet as quickly as they did?"
"The Supreme Commander suggests that the Sephi we found at the edge of the system informed the representative of Thustra and she, in turn, told Senator Skywalker when she arrived."
"Ah yes, Senator Skywalker, the senator Sariss failed to kill."
"She tried her best, Master, but there were two Jedi with her."
"Two Padawans if my sources are correct," Sicarius corrected her. "But then, I should have expected failure. Sariss is barely an apprentice herself and yet I would prefer not to have to worry about Senator Skywalker."
"What's so important about Senator Skywalker, master?" his apprentice asked.
"Simple, she was one of the biggest thorns in Palpatine's side and is the wife of Anakin Skywalker. You know who he is, yes?"
"Everyone knows Anakin Skywalker. He's the one who killed Palpatine."
Sicarius nodded. "Yes and yet he is also the most powerful Jedi in the entire Jedi Order," he said.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of trying to turn him as Palpatine did." His apprentice sounded part-bemused, part-irritated and part-angry as if she feared that Sicarius wanted to replace her with him.
Which he wasn't.
"Don't be ridiculous, Lady Lumiya," Sicarius said standing up and turning around to face his apprentice who lifted her head to gaze at him. "Skywalker may have the power but turning him would be much too difficult. It would be interesting to see if I could succeed whereas Palpatine failed though."
He turned his gaze away from Lumiya as he thought about that possibility but decided to shelve it for later. He had other plans he needed to accomplish. "I have a mission for you, Lady Lumiya."
"What is it, my master?"
"I want to go to Corellia. Your mission is to assassinate Senator Garm Bel Iblis. No matter what, make sure Bel Iblis dies no matter what you have to do to do this," Sicarius ordered.
"Why him, Master?"
"He is very influential and a close friend of the current Chancellor. His death will accomplish what I wish to accomplish; informing the Senate and the Jedi that I am serious. I will leave you to your own devices. Also, before you leave out, I want you to contact Sariss and tell her that she must make the supposed attack on the Senate look authentic."
Lumiya inclined her head. "Yes Master," she said. "I shall leave at once." She bowed her head before standing up, turning around and striding out of the meditation chamber.
Sicarius watched her go before he also left the chamber and headed toward the detention center to interrogate his Jedi prisoners.
Captain Rias saluted as Sicarius joined him. "They have been quiet since they were brought here my lord," he said.
"I figured as much. I can sense they are curious about me. You are dismissed captain. Inform the Supreme Commander that I shall meet with him after I finish speaking to our 'guests'."
"Yes my lord." Rias saluted again before he walked away while Sicarius made his way over to the cell where the four Jedi had been placed.
The cell door slide open at his request and he stepped into the dimly lit room, eyes examine the four Jedi. The older of the four was very familiar but then he had been very famous during the Clone Wars and Sicarius heard and saw him multiple times on the Holonet during the course of the war. It was Obi-Wan Kenobi; the Negotiator and the mentor of the very Jedi who killed Palpatine. The other three Sicarius didn't know by name though he did recognize the Togruta from the Holonet as well, Skywalker's apprentice during the wars if he remembered correctly.
Kenobi's eyes fluttered open, he had been meditating when Sicarius walked in, and he looked calmly at the Sith Lord. "You must be Sicarius," he said eyes narrowed.
"I have a few questions for you," Sicarius said not responding to the Jedi's words as he folded his arms across his chest. "And you will answer them."
"You think so, do you?" the Togruta said with a slight curl of her lip. "We're not telling you anything."
The red-head apprentice nodded in agreement.
Sicarius simply gazed at the four of them lips curling into a small smile. "Somehow, I knew you would say that but that just means I can get the answers I want the hard, more satisfying way."
Sariss crouched in the shadows of the atrium within the Senate building eyes scanning the area for the Jedi. She had come to Coruscant hoping to succeed whereas she failed on Thustra but Lady Lumiya had contacted her and told her to alter her plans. She was to let her presence be known so as to make the Jedi believe she was launching an attack on the Senate. During that time, she was supposed to hide her presence and escape the building while the Jedi were distracted with the supposed attack to slip into the Jedi Temple.
Lumiya had told her that failure was not going to be appreciated by Lord Sicarius and Sariss was determined to not fail as she had on Thustra.
She sensed the two Force presences as they neared the Senate and she, sticking to the shadows of the building, made her way toward the entrance. Lumiya had told her that Sicarius wanted her to make the supposed attack on the Senate seem authentic and she had managed to do just that soon after she revealed her Force presence. She wondered at the altered plan though and how it had come so soon after she had revealed her presence at the Senate.
Shaking her head, Sariss waited until she could sense the Jedi had just entered the Senate building before she turned her head toward the other end of the atrium where the explosives were located. The explosion wouldn't be big enough to destroy the building but would be enough to make an attack look authentic. She pulled out the detonator before slipping closer to the entrance to the building as two similar looking Jedi, their Force presence was brilliant and light, walked into the building.
When they stretched out with the Force, Sariss hid her Force presence though she swore when she noticed the younger of the two glance in her direction and she realized she hadn't hid it quickly enough. The younger Jedi nudged his companion who turned to look at him and Sariss recognized him immediately.
Anakin Skywalker.
Sariss thinned her lips. Okay, time to draw their attention away from me, she thought before she activated the explosives. She ducked down as the explosion sent shockwaves through the atrium, columns fell, dust rose up and Senators and aides screamed. Sariss used the distraction to dash out of the Senate building.
She watched as clones dressed in full armor moved toward the Senate building as she drew the hood of her cloak over her head. She dashed toward the speeder she had used to reach the Senate building before she leapt into it, started it and flew away from the building as fast as she could.
She glanced over her shoulder and was thankful to see that she wasn't being chases. Those two Jedi must not have seen her leave and likely thought she was still inside the Senate building. She turned her gaze back to the airlanes in front of her as she swerved around another speeder and continued her journey to the Jedi Temple in the distance.
Reaching the Jedi Temple, Sariss landed the speeder a half mile from the ziggurat before she leapt out of it. Getting into the Temple was going to be the hard part but Sariss had a plan. All she needed to do was get close enough to the Temple without getting caught and put her plan into action.
Luke knelt beside the Rodian aide who had been unfortunate enough to be near the columns that were exploded and was trapped beneath one of the falling blocks of stone. Thankfully, it had only landed on his arm so he wasn't in danger of dying. Using the Force, Luke lifted the block off the Rodian's arm before helping him to his feet.
The Rodian thanked him before being guided away by the medic who had come into the atrium with the contingent of clones. Luke stood up before scanning the rubble looking for anyone else but he couldn't see anyone. He glanced toward where he had sensed the dark Jedi right before he hid his Force presence but he couldn't see anyone. He figured the dark Jedi left in the middle of the chaos after the explosion.
"Any idea where he could have gone?" his father asked walking to his side and following his gaze.
"No idea," Luke said. "He probably left right after the explosion."
"Why leave though?" Anakin said with a frown. "What was the point of this? The explosion didn't injure anyone besides that Rodian and I think he was only injured because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time." His lips pressed together and his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Could it have been a distraction?" Luke asked.
"Possible, great I'm starting to sound like Obi-Wan, but a distraction for what?"
Luke shrugged. He didn't know. "We should probably contact the Temple and tell them."
Anakin pulled out his comlink and, after a moment, Master Windu's voice drifted over it. "Windu," Windu said.
"Master Windu," Anakin said.
"Skywalker, we heard the explosion. What happened?"
"Not sure exactly. We sensed the dark Jedi was here and Luke pinpointed his location just before the explosion went off."
"The dark Jedi hid his presence right before that happened too," said Luke.
"And Luke suggested that it might have been a distraction though we don't know why especially since that was the only attack."
Windu was silent for a long moment. "Was anyone injured?"
"Only a Rodian aide," Luke said.
"Very well. If the dark Jedi has hidden his Force presence then finding him now will not be easy especially since we don't know what he's going to do next. Stay at the Senate for now just in case the dark Jedi comes back," Windu ordered.
"Yes Master Windu." Anakin disconnected the transmission and put the comlink away before looking at Luke. "Let's go find Leia."
Luke nodded and Anakin walked over to join one of the clones. "Rex, do you have everything taken care of here?" he asked.
The clone glanced at Anakin and saluted before nodding. "I do, General," he said.
Anakin nodded though Luke glanced at him curiously. "Why does he still call you General?" he asked as they walked toward the turbolift.
Anakin shrugged. "I think it's ingrained in him," he said. "He, like all of his brothers, was bred to call the Jedi by title. I've been trying to get him to stop since the war ended but it hasn't worked.
Luke chuckled.
The two of them stepped into the turbolift before riding it to the top floor where the Chancellor's office was located. They walked down the corridor watching the clones who stood guard in front of the door leading into the office. They straightened when they spotted the two Jedi before saluting and stepping aside to allow the two Jedi inside.
Chancellor Mon Mothma lifted her head to look at Luke and Anakin. At her side with a datapad in her hands was Leia who put the datapad down and walked over to join them. "What happened?" she asked.
Anakin gave her a brief description of what the dark Jedi did finishing with, "but he left before we could find him most likely during the chaos the supposed attack created."
"So this attack wasn't aimed at the Senate?" Mon Mothma asked with a frown.
"I don't think so. Luke thinks it was a distraction but for what, we don't know."
"What could this dark Jedi possibly gain by staging an attack on the Senate?" Leia wondered aloud.
"I don't know."
"It doesn't make any sense," Leia murmured.
Mon Mothma narrowed her eyes. "If it was a distraction then it's possible that it was to draw the Jedi to the Senate building. You did say that the dark Jedi left during the chaos yes?"
Luke nodded.
Leia looked thoughtful. "If the Jedi are focused on an attack on the Senate then that means they won't be paying attention entirely to other matters or other places."
"Where else would a dark Jedi target other than the Senate?" Mon Mothma asked.
"Could he be targeting the Temple, Dad?" Luke asked suddenly realizing that was one thing that they hadn't thought of. If the dark Jedi was trying to draw the Jedi's attention to the Senate Building then that meant they wouldn't be paying attention to the Temple entirely. It was far-fetched but it was possible.
"It's possible," said Anakin, "but just because the Jedi are focused on the Senate right now doesn't mean they're going to stop paying attention to affairs in and around the Temple. But I remember a time when a bounty hunter by the name of Cad Bane initiated a distraction inside the Temple itself to draw attention away from the fact that he was attempting to steal a holocron."
"So the dark Jedi could have done that too," Leia said. "But instead of a distraction inside the Temple, he used the Senate. But why? Why didn't he just do what Cad Bane did?"
"Possibly because he knows of what happened then and knew that we might be expecting that," Anakin suggested. "Either way, we can't know for sure they are targeting the Temple. I'll contact Master Windu and let him know of your suspicions Luke." He pulled out his comlink and walked away to talk with Windu.
Luke looked over at Leia. "So looking forward to taking a break when Chancellor Mothma leaves office?" he asked.
Leia smiled. "I'm probably not going to take that long of a break," she said. "The Senate has already decided to ask Mom to run for the Chancellorship and I want to take over as Senator for Naboo."
Luke smiled. His sister has always wanted to be a Senator despite her age but, considering her love of politics and who their mother was and what their mother taught her, he was sure she would be a wonderful Senator.
Sariss pulled the comlink to her lips as she gazed up at the shielded transparisteel viewports near the holocron vault. After hearing of how Cad Bane had managed to infiltrate the Temple using this method, she decided to try it more because she couldn't come up with another way that wasn't likely to get her caught by the Jedi. It was risky pulling the same thing Bane pulled and there was a chance she wouldn't succeed but she had to try. Perhaps Lady Lumiya and Lord Sicarius will be willing to pardon her for her failure on Thustra if she succeeds here.
"Deactivation of the shield is commencing now," the voice at the other end of the comlink said. "Be quick though, Master. The shield will only be down for thirty five point three five seconds."
"Understood," Sariss said rolling her eyes at the exact calculations but what else could she expect from a droid?
Sneaking a droid into the Jedi Temple had been a lot easier than Sariss had thought though she supposed it helped that Force sensitives couldn't sense droids. However, the droid was only supposed to deactivate the shield, allow Sariss to get inside and then detonate. It was even more risky pulling a distraction within the Temple just as Cad Bane had done since that was another thing the Jedi might be expecting but Sariss was hoping that the distraction within the Temple coupled with the distraction at the Senate Building would take them by surprise.
She watched as the shield shimmered before fading and then she pulled herself onto the ledge. She ignited her lightsaber and sank it into the transparisteel before cutting a circle big enough for her to get inside. She then slipped through the hole and replaced the transparisteel before looking around as the shield came back up followed by a disturbance that Sariss figured was the droid detonating.
She found herself in a ventilation shaft and she activated the holographic map of the ventilation system of the Jedi Temple that the droid had sent her when it first arrived in the Temple. Quickly determining the quickest route to the holocron vault, Sariss took off.
Her destination wasn't the holocron vault per say. She was under orders to retrieve a holocron, yes, but not one in the regular holocron vault. She was ordered to retrieve one of the Sith holocrons that the Jedi have acquired over the years. That was going to prove a challenge because the schematics showed that the Sith holocrons were located in a vault beneath the regular holocron vault.
Sariss pressed her lips together as she shut off the map and continued making her way through the maze that was the Jedi Temple's ventilation system. Getting into the vault is probably going to be as hard as getting out of the Temple all together, she thought.
Briefly, she wondered if she would run into that Jedi Padawan she fought on Thustra but decided that it was unlikely. Her presence was hidden and she doubted that the Jedi knew she was there. They knew someone was inside the Temple but Sariss was sure that they didn't know it was her.
Do not assume unless you are positive, Lumiya's words echoed in Sariss's mind. She knew the Sith was right but she also knew that she couldn't delay her mission.
She would not fail her masters again.
It was the explosion that drew Jinn out of his quarters. He had been meditating in the quarters he shared with his mother keeping in contact with Kira and trying hard not to think about what she was being put through. He could feel that she was in pain and yet she stubbornly refused to answer any of the questions that were being directed at her.
It hurt him to know his sister and his father were in pain and yet he could do nothing about it. He also knew that his mother was having a hard time not thinking about it either since she could feel it through her bond with his father. She looked afraid and angry at the same time when it first began but she managed to gain control of it, just as Jinn had though it still hurt.
Blasted Sith, Kira's voice hissed in Jinn's mind as he made his way down the corridor following the flood of Jedi as they hurried toward the source of the explosion. There had been a disturbance during the explosion and since Jinn and the Jedi in the quarters around Jinn were close to the explosion and so were heading toward it to see if they could help.
What's happening? Jinn asked.
What's happening over there? I just sensed your urgency and your concern, Kira said.
Jinn told her about the explosion and the disturbance. I don't know if it's dealing with the disturbance or not though, he thought.
Could it have something to deal with the dark Jedi that attacked the Senate? Jinn had told Kira about that the instant he learned about it. He had only learned about it because it had spread throughout the holonet almost as soon as the reporters arrived on the scene, which wasn't that long after the clones and Anakin and Luke. Plus, he had sensed the disturbance and where it was localized. Still, he hadn't thought that the attack on the Senate would be connected with this.
Why do you say that?
Remember what we learned about the time Cad Bane infiltrated the Temple and stole that holocron? Kira asked.
Jinn remembered that. It was a story that he and Kira were told when they learned about the vault and had thought it was impossible to steal from. What does that got to do with this? He thought.
Don't be so dense, baby brother. Surely you can at least hazard some sort of guess of what could possibly be happening, Kira said.
Jinn thought about it and stopped walking with a frown. Do you think whoever caused this is trying to steal from the holocron vault again? He thought.
Possibly, Kira said before, sounding irritated, she added, Wonderful, Sicarius is back and most likely going to attempt to get us to answer his questions even though he has already failed.
Jinn winced knowing full well what was going to happen. Be careful, Kira, he thought.
You too, baby brother.
Jinn wondered if he was right. Just as Kira said, it was possible that whoever caused the explosion was going after the holocron vault. Why, he didn't know but it was possible. He decided that he would go to the Temple archives and tell Madame Nu about his suspicions.
When he reached the archives, he looked around for Nu. He didn't see her though he did see the dark-haired form of Galen Marek, Mace's apprentice, sitting at one of the terminals. He walked over to join the other Padawan, as Galen was the only one in the archives that he could see.
Galen looked up having sensed is presence. "Hello Jinn," he greeted him.
"Galen, do you know where Madame Nu is?" Jinn asked.
Galen shook his head as he turned his gaze away from the screen. "I last saw her heading toward the holocron vault. Why?"
Jinn told him about the explosion. "It just seems odd that an explosion would occur here so soon after what happened at the Senate building and there was a dark Jedi at the Senate building."
"You think the dark Jedi's after a holocron?"
"It's possible. Cad Bane pulled something similar to this."
"The dark Jedi isn't likely to pull something like that especially if he knows about what Bane did. Still, it's possible. Let's go find Madame Nu and let her know." Galen shut down the terminal before he made his way toward the holocron vault and Jinn fell into step beside him.
"Weren't you doing something though?" he asked.
Galen shook his head. "Master Windu left me with an assignment while he was in a council meeting and I already finished it so I wasn't doing anything important," he said.
Jinn nodded. He didn't mind the company. He walked toward the entrance to the holocron vault with Galen at his side wincing when he felt Kira's pain and wished that he was there and could help her in some way.
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: Galen's character is going to be hard to keep in character but he is going to be a main character 'cause all of my favorite characters end up being main characters in my stories
Darth: yup and poor Kira and them. And you actually brought in Lumiya?
Blaze: yup, she's another character that I'm going to have a hard time keeping in character so forgive me if she and Galen both seem OOC.
Luke: what's going to happen in the next chapter?
Blaze: a confrontation, an escape, well actually two escapes, another vision and an offer
Galen: that's not very informative
Anakin: we're talking about Blaze here. We're lucky we got that
Galen: good point
Blaze: so yeah that was chapter 3 and I hope that you liked it. Oh and the first chapter of Album is in the works right now and will be posted the instant it is finished. (I'll do my best to finish it by this weekend.) Reviews, as always, are much appreciated and if I can get ten reviews or more then I will be beyond happy! So please review 'cause reviews make authors happy! :)