"This. Is. Disgusting."
Shaak Ti exhaled slowly, setting her orange hands on her slender hips as she took in the scene around her. They were at the entryway to The Works, a section of Coruscant that consisted of old, abandoned factories and other building that had long since been forgotten. Some Coruscanti believed that flesh-eating monsters inhabited the underground location-others believed it was a highway for illegal immigrants. Shaak Ti could honestly take either rumor and run with it pretty far. She turned to the commander of the small clone troops she was working with today; what was his name, Cody?
"Commander," she started, "when was the last use of this building? This one, that we're about to walk into…"
The commando flipped open a projector and began flipping through statistics on a touch-screen. "This one shows recent use of power," he said. "And so do a few others." He motioned to the columns of permasteel that were the chimneys. "They're still regurgitating smoke, so their power has been used quite recently."
Shaak Ti nodded, and stepped through the rusted, grimy doors of the first building, turning her head every which way to take a good look around. Probe droids raced around her head and past her body, seeking out any evidence they could use in their search for Sidious. Shaak Ti took long, slow steps forward, trying to catch something in her tall, curving montrals. But, for the most part, the building was silent. Except for the occasionally buzz of the probe droids, their own footsteps, and the click of weapons and equipment, the building was silent. And it was bugging Shaak Ti.
"I feel like something about to pop out from behind a corner and eat me."
The half-frightened, half-kidding voice of Ahsoka broke through Shaak Ti's thoughts. She gave Ahsoka a small smile and patted the top of her head, between her tiny horns. "If it eats you, I'll make sure to burn a bit of your favorite incense. Will you bequeath to me all your food?"
Ahsoka knocked Shaak Ti's hand off her head with a look of disgusted annoyance. "Shuddup," she muttered. "Just for that, I might refuse to die!"
Shaak Ti laughed and beckoned Ahsoka after her down a hallway. Several commandos, and a few other Padawans followed the Togruta Jedi Master's lead, and the rest followed Mace and his team. Mace had been strangely quiet the entire time, but Shaak Ti hadn't said anything. She figured that he was simply anticipating the finds they were going to make. But now, Shaak Ti wasn't so sure. He looked absent, and seemed startled when one of the clones spoke to him. Shaak Ti picked up the pace, refusing the look back. Mace could handle himself. She was just being paranoid. With this thought firmly in mind, Shaak Ti resumed her duty as a Jedi Master.
"Master Ti!"
One of the Padawans had stopped to point out a probe droid hovering over a seemingly-random space of the wall. "What?" Shaak Ti asked, brow furrowing. "It looks like the rest of the wall…what's so special about it?"
The Padawan, a boy of about sixteen, smiled at her and took the droid into hand. "Read it and weep," he said smugly, smirk never vanishing. Shaak Ti took the droid into her own hand, looking over the data read-out. One of the orange spots above her eyes rose in confusion; she looked thoroughly confused.
"Hidden door?" she repeated, handing the droid back to the Padawan. A dip of her head sent the rest of the people scurrying back behind her, and Shaak Ti's lightsaber leapt into her hand. "Only one way to find this out, then," she said. A blue blade flew free of the hilt, released by the touch of a switch. Shaak Ti gripped her lightsaber with both hands, drawing back the blade almost over her shoulder. She took a step back, and suddenly flung her body forward again. The laser beam was plunged straight into the wall, and Shaak Ti began melting away the durasteel and permacrete of the wall itself. Globs of molten steel began to fall to the floor, still smoking and smoldering. Shaak Ti threw all of her weight in one direction, twisting the lightsaber she held in her hands until the blue blade cut just a little deeper, just a little faster-! Shaak Ti worked at the wall for several minutes before she had cut a rough circle in the wall. She then switched off her lightsaber, clipped it to her belt, and stepped back again. She gathered her skirts and her robes in her hands, pulling them up to free her legs. She then took a running start, kicking out straight sideways at the last second. Her tall boots succeeded in meeting the wall, and the circle Shaak Ti had cut out fell-
Forward.
Shaak Ti's eyes widened, and she cautiously dropped her skirts, smoothing them out and brushing off dust from the permacrete. She pulled her comlink out of the pouch on her belt, linking to Mace's frequency immediately. "Mace," she started, "get over here. Fast."
OOOOOOOOOO
Mace heard the link from Shaak Ti almost immediately. He switched on his comlink and waited for Shaak Ti to come through. But the message was slightly odd and didn't give Mace much to go on. 'Get over here now?' What could she mean? "Come on," Mace said, motioning the commandos back after him. "Shaak Ti found something." The clones all followed without question, and Mace glanced at his comlink, searching for Shaak Ti's coordinates. Ah, good: she was close. Mace turned a corner and saw her, standing in front of a smoking hole in the wall, large enough for a good-sized adult human to get through doubled over. Mace stopped, and the clones stopped behind him. The Padawans in his group looked confused.
"What happened?"
Mace was sure he spoke for everyone when he asked Shaak Ti what had transpired, but Shaak Ti didn't answer immediately. Instead, she gestured him closer, stepping aside so mace could stare at the hole. His eyes widened in shock when he saw it: there was a corridor behind it! "The hell…?" he muttered. He shook his head once, and then Mace climbed through the wall. "Let's go," he said. "It's gotta be hidden for a reason."
Shaak Ti nodded, and motioned everyone else through. She decided to go in last, to make sure everyone got through. As Shaak Ti climbed through the wall, she could see clearly that the hallway had been recently used: its walls, floor, and ceiling were free of dust, and the illumination was perfectly well-kept. It was still in working condition, and the lighting in the ceiling was even free of cobwebs. Shaak Ti could pick up no sound at all, even in her ultra-sound-sensitive montrals. There wasn't a soul in the building-at the time.
"Check this out!"
Shaak Ti snapped back into that hallway, and hurried over to the commandos, Mace, and the Padawans that were gathered around something just around the corner. Shaak Ti took one last stride to meet them-
Only to meet a dead end.
One brow rose in confusion. "Care to explain?" Shaak Ti asked slowly, folding her arms across her chest. Mace gave her a smile that clearly said that he knew something she didn't, and was quite proud of that.
Another door opened with a wave of the Force.
Shaak Ti sighed. "Surprise," she said flatly. "Another hidden doorway."
"Another hidden doorway closer?" Ahsoka suggested. Shaak Ti sighed.
"Well, you get points for trying," she said, calling her lightsaber into hand. She kept it deactivated, but she felt much safer with the weapon in her hand. The two Togrutas proceeded after the rest of the group, and Ahsoka felt the need to pull up her hood. Shaak Ti also noticed that she had swiped a small blaster from…somewhere, stars knew where, and was jumping back and forth between walls, and leaping around corners with the blaster pointed straight out. Shaak Ti recognized it as a move from some ancient classic-what was it, some museum piece…oh, right! James Bond!
"Alright, double-o seven, take it easy."
Ahsoka seemed miffed at the reprimand, but stopped goofing off. Shaak Ti was quite grateful for that, but she could feel her nerves humming with anticipation. She had no idea what she would find the longer she kept going, and wasn't even sure she wanted to know. It was making her quite nervous to contemplate what she might be walking into.
The hallway opened up.
Shaak Ti found that her mouth went slightly slack with shock at the sight before her. The group of Jedi and clone troopers were suddenly standing on an open landing platform, with Coruscant's filtered sunlight spraying beams of light across most of the room. The landing platform itself was spotless, gleaming with polish. The droids were having a fit, picking up footprints, fibers, and other such pieces of evidence. But what shocked the team most was the ship sitting in the middle of the landing platform: a ship Shaak Ti knew all too well, as she watched it streak away from Geonosis's rocky surface, carrying the cause of the entire war…
"Dooku."
Mace spoke with a low, gravelly rumble, and Shaak Ti recognized the hidden anger there. So, he wasn't happy, either. Well, on the bright side, the ship might contain some evidence in regards to Sidious…
"Welcome, Jedi, to my den."
Shaak Ti's lightsaber was already humming in her hand. She had heard the footsteps and analyzed them, and knew who it was. There was only one person it could be. The Togruta turned to face Dooku, fully prepared to fight. She could the sound of another
lightsaber activating; Mace. "Let me take him," she said smoothly, stepping in front of the group. "You can step in if I can't deal with him."
"We take him together."
Shaak Ti glanced back to see who had walked up to her. Ahsoka had stridden up to her, stopping at Shaak Ti's flank. "We make a great team," she said. "And I took Lyshaa with you." Ahsoka reached up and pulled down her hood, dropping her outer robe. She shook it down to the floor with a whip of her head, and stood next to Shaak Ti, glaring nastily at Dooku. "I don't believe we've met," she said coldly, giving Dooku a level, flat stare. "But I am Ahsoka Tano, Padawan of the Council member and jedi Master, the Togruta Shaak Ti. We hail of the same species, but not of the same clan. She has taught me well, and I am here to aid her in killing you."
"Fine words," Dooku commented, a bar of crimson light springing to life from a curved handle, "And your master has given you manners, as well. But has she taught you well in the art of the lightsaber?"
"We shall see," Ahsoka replied evenly, and her own blue blade broke free. Shaak Ti took a sideways glance at her Padawan.
"We go in one at a time. I'll go first. You go in on the right, and I'll take the left. He's a very accomplished fencer, perhaps even better than myself. Don't rush into this; keep your head; don't be hasty."
Ahsoka nodded and brought her lightsaber up to guard. Dooku drew a rapid X in the air-a Makashi flourish, and then a salute. Shaak Ti gracefully returned the salute, and then lifted her lightsaber above her head. She then spun around in several graceful circles, each carrying her closer and closer to Dooku. Finally, when she reached him, she swept her lightsaber down and across to meet Dooku's in a brilliant showering of light. Recognizing her chance, Ahsoka dove in with a swift overhand chop. Dooku swung free of Shaak Ti, bringing his lightsaber up in a graceful ark to bend Ahsoka's off to the side. He slid back, both hands outstretched and a smile on his face.
"Master Ti, I know of your reputation in the Order as a superior swordswoman. Please, do your best to show me your skills!"
"And Ahsoka, too," Shaak Ti said smoothly. "She'll b taking my place someday. She had potential, wouldn't you agree?"
"Oh, yes," Dooku said lightly. It sounded as if the two were having a friendly chat, walking down the hallways of the Temple. "She moves like you, and she has natural grace and talent with a blade. I would not be surprised if she made it to the Council."
Shaak Ti began circling around Dooku like a viper, lightsaber up in one hand and menacing the Count with the long blue blade straight out, like an extension of Shaak Ti's arm. Abruptly, her motion blurred, and the Force flared around her. A mighty burst of the Force itself flew outwards from Shaak Ti, blowing the Count backwards and sending him stumbling. He recovered quickly, but by then, Shaak Ti was all over him. Both red and blue flew back and forth in fans of light, spread by the crystals of a saber. The battle's speed was incredible: it was almost impossible to track each movement with the bare naked eye. Ahsoka found herself hanging back; her master looked like she was fine in the battle, and also that she was giving Dooku a good run for his money.
"Ahsoka, you're welcome to jump in if you feel like it," Shaak Ti inserted into a pause between blows. "Wherever you see an opportunity, please, feel free to exploit it."
Ahsoka nodded. Her eyes were still wide with shock. She had never seen a lightsaber battle that intense! Shaak Ti looked like a killer out there! The older Togruta stepped back from Dooku for a moment, allowing both herself and the Count to regroup. She dropped her outer robe from her shoulders; it pooled around her booted feet in a puddle of chocolate fabric with a soft whoosh as it met the polished steel of the landing platform's floor. Shaak Ti then stepped forward again, but this time, it was she who saluted the Count. "En guarde, Count Dooku," she purred, extending her lightsaber again. "And be prepared to die."
"You forget, master Jedi, that I have my ways of exiting this fair battle," Dooku countered, beginning another slow rotation. Shaak Ti and Dooku began circling each other now, but neither seemed ready to back down. Dooku jerked his head in the direction of the sloop, saying, "My ship awaits."
Shaak Ti gave a him a soft grin. "My apologies, Count, but if any of us get a hold of that ship, it's toast."
"I like toast!" Ahsoka chirped, coming up beside Shaak Ti again. "And I also like pudding…"
Shaak Ti looked confused for a moment. "And I like apples and shrimp," she said, spreading her arms. "What are you getting at here?"
Ahsoka shrugged. "Nuthin', just like pudding."
"Of course," Shaak Ti mumbled. "The skill of myself, but the attention span of an ADD squirrel."
"Best work on that, master Jedi," Dooku commented from the side. "Getting distracted during a fight can mean your life."
"Speaking of such…"
Shaak Ti dove into the fight again, blue blade locking with Dooku's, only to break free again and meet it once more. Shaak Ti seemed to be perfectly matched with Dooku-it was like they were two halves of the same warrior. Back and forth, for what seemed like an eternity to everyone watching the fight, Shaak Ti and Dooku wove back and forth over the landing platform. Ahsoka found her breath picking up; Shaak Ti needed an advantage of some sort. But how? What could she use? Shaak Ti was skilled in armed and unarmed combat, but she couldn't do that well if her opponent was armed and she wasn't. Shaak Ti was also highly skilled with a double-ended weapon, and using two lightsabers at once…that was it!
"Master Ti!" Ahsoka called. Her master spared her a glance, using the Force to keep up with Dooku. "Catch!" Ahsoka flung her deactivated lightsaber at Shaak Ti, praying the weapon would make it. Shaak Ti caught it effortlessly, and activated the saber, all in one fluid motion. She brought it to cross Dooku's blade, and then uncrossed them, sliding the lightsabers across each other. As Dooku parried one blow, he was forced to dodge another. It was perfect! Shaak Ti was becoming the definite aggressor in the battle. Ahsoka knew her master had the advantage-but could she win it?
A/N: Mwahahaha!! I leave you with cliffy!! : ) I know, I know: rip off ending. But, hey, if you review, you can see the rest of it!!
