Chapter 7. Confrontation
The Dusty Star Casino and Cantina
The Dusty Star was partly owned by Groshik and Darth Zannah. It was in memory of Dessel that Groshik decided to help Darth Zannah who told him that Bane had died at the hands of the Jedi. The Neimodian had convinced many miners t remain on the planet and help form the current growing economy and government. Groshik was her eyes and ears on the planet though he had no idea of Zannah's true intentions or power. All he knew was that Zannah was a very wealthy powerful influential woman. In front of others he referred to her as Zanna. In private she was Mistress Zannah.
"Sorry we are closed!" He said when he heard the doors to his club open.
"Even for a couple of Jedi…"
Groshik was doing inventory and when he looked up four Jedi stood before his counter. "What are Jedi doing on Apatros?"
"Looking for a man by the name of Dessel…" A female Rodian said.
"Forgive our manners. I am Jedi Master Xavier Dunass and with me are Master Kotu Ban and Jedi Knights Evhoun and Ike Roxer…"
Gorshik stares at the group before answering, "Sorry I never heard of him."
"Really!" Ban said speaking up, "About 28 years ago my wife came here on a ship for a shipment of Cortosis. Three Republic Officers died by this Dessels hand…"
"Sounds familiar, but I never knew the guy…Before HP Corporation bought out ORO, the people of this world suffered greatly….Once there was a lot of resentment against the Republic as they did nothing to help us…Now things have change…"
"He's lying!" Danuss said.
"Maybe but we have no right to interrogate him…" Jedi Evhoun said as Danuss slowly turned his eyes towards the mountainside offices of Zanna Valt. "Excuse me sir…" Danuss said stopping a man in the street. "Those offices who works up there…"
"Zanna Valt! Operations manager for HP Corporation…"
Cognus' Suite
Darth Cognus was in her suit in meditation when she felt a disturbance in the force. Her mind was flooded with the light of the force. "They are here!" She whispered jumping up from her sitting position. She summoned her twin swords from the wall with her eyes. Then Cognus marched to the turbo-lift and took it up to Zannah's main office. "Master the Jedi are here!" She blurted entering the office.
Zannah was standing at the window facing it, "I know…They are searching for us or at least Darth Bane…"
'But how?"
"Set Harth! I just received word from our agents on Coruscant…about a team of Jedi…They are lead by Harth's former Master. An Ithorian named Obba…"
Just then Ch'Silla burst into the office, "You wished to see me mistress?"
"Yes! Do you remember what I said about the Sith archives?"
"Yes!"
"Get them ready and meet us at the roundevous…Remember the holocrons are the most important save them at all costs…" As Ch'Silla ran off, Zannah walks to the desk and contacts Tavis, "Tavis initiate order 99…" Oder 99 was a general hale to all Sith agents to go into hiding and to destroy the ghost holo-network. "And meet me at the rondevous…"
"Yes mistress…"
Next she contacts General Haten, "General! Scrub the mission something has come up…Hide the fleet and the army on the Unknown World and await for me to contact you…" When the transmission was ended Zannah entered a code that downloaded her network to a safe location then all the computers in the office fried themselves after the count down. Zannah looks at Cognus, "We need to buy some time so that Ch'Silla can escape with the archives…Remember your training…"
"Yes Master I am ready…"
"Don't take any unnecessary risks and most importantly do not underestimate the Jedi…"
Obba and his Jedi walked up the middle of the street towards the mountainside offices of HP. That is when they all stop as they feel the Dark Side rising from the main office a hundred feet up. The side of the building protruding from the mountain explodes open raining debris down to the ground. Then the Jedi watch as two females, one human and the other Ikotchi jump down and land nimbly on their feet.
The two women walk up the street towards all fourteen Jedi as bystanders run for cover. Others watch from safe distances and then there are those who watch from the windows of their homes. "Identify yourselves Jedi!" The Ikotchi female demands.
By now all the Jedi have drawn their lightsabers as Obba takes two steps forward, "I am Jedi Master Obba…With me are Masters Shybaur, Ella Sen, Hunda Lou, Xavier Danuss, Inice Taucs, Mikael Case, and Kotu Ban...Jedi Knights Leo Gran, Evhoun, Taleen Dale, Niada Pol, Babbin Halt, and Ike Roxer…We seek a man by the name of Darth Bane?"
"Darth Bane is dead by my hand…" Zannah confidently said.
"We can feel the Dark Side all over the two of you…You need not die in your darkness!" Obba said, "Come with us and we shall help you…"
"You address the Lords of the Sith…This is Darth Zannah and I her apprentice Darth Cognus…Bow down Jedi to your superiors…"
"We are servants of the light if you don't throw down your weapons we will be forced to destroy you…" Tan Shybaur said.
"Wait!" Kotu Ban said stepping forward, "I was once like you a servant of the Dark Side…and a member of the Brotherhood…A Jedi took pity on me and helped me see the era of my ways…and we can help you as well…"
Zannah started laughing as Cognus said, "If you turned away from power, then you are the fool…And too weak to understand the true nature of the force…We are the Sith and it is our destiny to rule all…"
"We are 14 and you are only Two…If the Sith couldn't defeat us when they numbered thousands what chance do the two of you have…" Mikael Case asked.
"You would be surprised what the two of us can do…" Zannah said in a dark tone of voice.
"Enough words!" Xavier said, 'If death is their wish I say we grant it!"
Cognus smiles showing her pointed teeth, "I agree!" She says lifting her hands and unleashing a storm of force lighting. All the Jedi had erected force barriers to protect themselves. But their barriers were at different strengths, despite the fact that they were all the powerful masters and knights in the order. Most of the Jedi blocked the attack with their lightsabers, while Master Obba raised his hands. Jedi Knight Ike Roxer was a bit too slow and was struck in the chest by a bolt of lightening. His clothes burned along with his skin as he left his feet and slid across the ground on his back. Lightening ricocheted off lamp posts, Shattering light orbs. It ran up the sides of buildings. Even a few patrons were killed in the deadly storm emanating from Cognus' fingertips.
When Cognus ended her attack Zannah activated her most powerful spell. The one she used to end Darth Bane. "Look out!" Kotu Ban yelled as the black spectral tendrils rose up from the ground. The Jedi scattered by jumping and dodging the strange Sith magic.
Tan Shybaur screamed in pain as his legs were severed at the knees. When he hit the ground Master Obba pointed his hand at his fellow Jedi and pulled him out of danger. "No don't try to block it!" Master Inice Taucs yelled to Jedi Niada Pol, but it was too late.
She sung her green blade into the black tentacle like arm, as another rose up and wrapped itself around her legs, waist, under her right arm, around her left and neck. All that was left was her head, right arm, and lightsaber. "Bastards!" Xavier screamed leaping off the speeder he was on over the field of tendrils. His target was Darth Zannah. As he was coming down he unhooked his left saber for the killing blow.
Cognus grabs him in the force and throws Xavier into the wall of the building on the right side of the street. His force barrier protected him from real harm. Cognus ignites her lightsabers and charge the Jedi Master. She swings her right causing him duck and he retaliates by swinging both his blades for her legs. Cognus blocks with her left and attacks with her right. As Xavier attacks with his left and blocks with his right. Their duel goes up the alley leaving the others alone. A man is peeking his head out of his door as four blades whiz back and forth in a deadly duel. Cognus takes control of the man's mind and forces him to grab the power jack and attack Xavier. Xavier spins around severing the man's legs and blocking both Cognu;s blades at the same time. Cognus unleashes a force wave shoving Xavier across the ground while he is still on his feet. Then she finishes the man off to anger Xavier.
Meanwhile back on the main street the Jedi are still contending with Zannah's strange force attack. Master Obba reaches his hand into one of the tendrils and makes a fist. The black smoke like specter of a tendril becomes white and it expands up the arm causing Zannah to release the tendril. Ban uses the force to alter the gravity around him and runs along the building. He leaps off the side of the building swinging his gold energy blade. Zannah ends her spell drawing her double blade.
She blocks with the right side and spins around Ban stabbing him in the back. The Jedi attack at the same time unleashing a force wave made up of their combined strength. The wave has to be directed in a single line or they will kill innocent bystanders. Zannah leaps over the force blast and lands on a trash compactor. The Jedi converge on Zannah at the same time from different angles as some are on the sides of buildings. Others are on roof tops and speeders. Mikael Case is the first to close the distance. He makes a side swing aiming for her back but Zannah blocks backwards and twists her left blade aiming for his head. Mikael ducks and when he does Zannah knees him in the face breaking his nose. She twists her blade again blocking an attack from Hunda Lou and severs Mikael's left arm. Before she can finish him off Leo Gran appears on her left blocking the killing blow. Zannah leaps up and onto the speeder car, then she kicks Master Yaucs in the face. Zannah is surrounded on all sides, but she is able to use the speeder as a center and high ground to keep the Jedi at bay.
"Master!" Cognus cries sensing that Darth Zannah is in danger.
Cognus leaps over Xavier landing on her hands and mule kicks Xavier in the back. As he flies forward she leaps like a rabbit back toward the main street. When Cognus lands on all fours she gets up and grabs the two buildings in the force that make up the alley and bring them down on Xavier. Then Cognus looks toward her master. She is tempted to allow the Jedi to overwhelm her, but she resists and focuses on all the Jedi around the speeder. Then Cognus uses her gift of force suppression. Without the force to help them Zannah injures Jedi Babbin Halt and kills Master Hunda Lou.
"MASTER…JUMP!" Cognus yells conjuring force lightening and directing it at the speeder and the Jedi. As it explodes Zannah lands near Cognus. "Come Master we can finish them…"
"No this confrontation was to buy Ch'Silla time to get away with the archives. Come it is time to leave…" The remaining Jedi had survived the explosion by combining their power and overcoming the force suppression technique. Then they wrapped the speeder in a cocoon of force energy.
Master Xavier walked across the rubble of the buildings. The lights of the buildings flickered on and off from the surge of lightening from Darth Cognus. He survived by holding up rubble with the force. He joined Obba who had his eyes closed in meditation. "How many of our brothers were lost?"
"Jedi Pol, Halt, and Roxer, Masters Lou and Ban…" Ella Sen says joining them, "Master Shybaur is badly injured…but he will live."
Xavier looks toward Master Ban, "Those filthy Sith will pay!" He says as his anger rises.
"Master Danuss! There is no emotion…"
Danuss looks at Master Obba as part of him wants to say take the code and shove it, "There is only peace…" He replied finishing the code.
Five Days Later
Obba and his Jedi would have left the planet but Sith agents blew up their ships. When they contacted the High Council they were instructed to remain on the planet until team replacements arrived. The injured have been healed and Master Shybaur's legs and Leo Gran's arm are restored with cybernetics. Masters Obba, Ella Sen, Inice Taucs, and Shybaur, along with Jedi Babbin Halt, Evhoun, Taleen Dale, and Leo Gran stand on a platform while a Jedi Shuttle lands. Masters Yoda, Adda Bilaba, Ivo Rel Duse, walk down the ramp along with Jedi Knights Khorra, Kyma Unt (Female Torguta), and Iro Misk.
"Master Yoda!" Obba said in shock.
"Of help I could be thought the Grandmaster!"
"Where is Master Xavier?" Adda Bilaba asks.
Master Obba sighs, "There is a reason they call him the Rebel Loner…Master Xavier has left Apatros without us…"
"Have you uncovered anything else while waiting for us?" Iro asked.
"No Master all the files and computers in the office were destroyed…All the droids were memory wiped…"
"Find the Sith we must…"
Obba looks at Yoda, "Am I still in charge Master Yoda or have you come to replace me?"
"No! In charge still you are…Follow your leadership we will…"
Obba and his Jedi spent the next few days on Apatros looking for clues to where the Sith may have gone. They questioned public officials and the Groshik. Then after a week they left the planet to search those planets that had once been a part of the old Sith Empire.
