Chapter 9: Protection
The shooting had progressed from the upper levels of the Vulkar base, through the swoop bike maintenance garage and finally outside the very doors of Brejik's office before the gunfire fell silent and the Sith troopers swarmed into their positions. Brejik sat at his desk, calmly going over the damage estimates his accountant had just provided him. The accountant's hands trembled as he held out another datapad for Brejik to examine. Brejik took it and waved the man off.
"You look terrible, Saijad. Grab some ale from the bar there and take the rest of the day off. You're going to have a lot of work to do, soon, if these are any indication."
The woman sitting across from Brejik's desk stared blankly at the door, almost like a statue. The shouts of the Sith troopers on the other side of the blast door could be heard, angry and fierce. Brejik tapped the woman on the shoulder, a datapad in each of his hands.
"Showtime for you. I don't want to sound picky, but if you could keep most of the bloodshed outside my office, I'd certainly appreciate it. I've got enough to worry about, here."
The woman shook her head.
"You take this so lightly."
"Why shouldn't I? After this, you can finish looking for your Jedi, the Vulkars will become a legend for fighting the Sith invasion and winning, the Hidden Beks will desert, and the Sith will get sent running home with a black eye the size of a proton missile core. Everybody wins."
Light from the arc welders flashed through the office's blast door. The woman stood, her robe a dusty brown. A small, half smile was on her lips.
"And I thought you hid me out of charity."
"I'm a nice guy, Jaia, but I'm not stupid. If Konoc'len's still alive send him down here on your way out."
In the hallway, the Sith technician began setting the remote mines along the blast door that lead into Brejik's office. The door had already been torched open, but blast from one of the lighter demolition packs was needed to move that much steel out of the way. The mine flashed briefly in front of him before letting out a satisfying beep. He reached into his bag and pulled out another mine. One would probably do, but it was better safe than sorry. The rest of the squad stood back, waiting for the breach to open. Celke set the second mine against the broken steel door, feeling to make sure it had taken hold. As he armed it for detonation, there was a scream of metal striking metal as the door was thrown forwards into the hallway wall, Celke barely having time to cry out before he was crushed between them. An instant later, the impact set off the armed explosives set against the door.
Sith troopers fell back along the corridor, training their rifles on the swirling dust. Slowly, grainy and distorted, a blue light became visible in the distance, moving towards them through the dust. The troopers screamed as they were suddenly pulled towards the whirling light. One level above them, Bastila crouched with Carth behind a pile of debris on the far side of the poolroom while Trask stood guard just inside the door, still in full Sith uniform. The upper level was mostly deserted now, the Vulkars dead and most of the Sith fighting down below. The rear guard was collected inside the old swoop gang's barracks and sentries still patrolled the halls. There was little chance of sneaking out unnoticed or of overpowering the soldiers that had stayed behind.
"Mission has volunteered to set a diversion that should pull away most of the soldiers on this level. Once she's done we can hurry out the back way and into the sewers. It won't be pretty but it's the safest way."
"Hold on, who's setting the diversion?"
"A Twi'Lek girl, Mission Vao, but that's hardly important, Carth."
"If you say so. What's our signal to vamoose?"
Bastila lifted her head above the rubble, eyeing Trask and the unlocked security door.
"I… I imagine we'll know it when we see it."
"You didn't plan that little bit out? You're kidding me."
She lowered herself once more behind the protective barricade.
"I had more important things to worry about, Carth. Before you criticize my methods, I'd like to know how was dressing up and hiding in an abandoned poolroom intended to further our escape in any way?"
"Nails out tonight?"
"I just think that-"
She was interrupted by a crackling that came from the Sith helmet beside Carth's feet. There was an emergency situation inside the Vulkar base. A Jedi matching Bastila's description had been located. The Governor was on his way. Trask grabbed at his helmet's speaker and glanced over at Bastila and Carth. They had heard. Outside their door, the sounds of fighting suddenly erupted. Trask pressed himself against the wall, straining to listen. Blaster fire. The crash of a lightsaber. More firing. Screams cut short. Something hitting the ground. Cries inside his helmet. An explosion. Cursing. Another crash. Silence. Bastila was walking towards the opening security door, vibroblade drawn. The other side was a maze of smaller rooms, their doors broken open and littered with corpses, both Sith and Vulkar. Jaia stood alone in the hallway, saber glowing at her side and a Sith corpse at her feet. Her head jerked up towards the sound of the door.
"Bastila!"
"Jaia! I thought we'd lost you! Where's…"
The older Jedi sighed.
"He's dead, Bastila. He died on the Endar Spire."
"Oh… I'm…"
"It wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could have done about the attack. The important thing is that you and…" Her voice trailed as she eyed the chrome man emerging from the shadows behind them.
"Trask Ulgo, I'm with the Republic."
"Yes… yes, of course. Where…" Her attention focused again on Bastila. "Where is… he?"
"We were… separated, in the crash."
Jaia's heart sank, despair replacing her all too brief hope.
"He is free, then."
"No, he… may have been captured… after…"
She shook her head. "Bastila…" It was a condemnation, a reprimand and a question all in one. Around the corner, a young Twi'Lek appeared, beckoning the group, and stopping when she saw the bodies.
"Whoa…"
Trask turned his head towards Jaia, rifle slung under his arm.
"We'd better get going before the governor shows up."
"The… governor is here?" Jaia sounded almost alarmed.
"That's what we've been lead to believe, anyway."
Jaia glanced back at the base's main entrance.
"Bastila, you go on with the others. I'm going to stay behind."
"Don't be ridiculous, you're coming with us."
The governor is going to sense your power, Bastila, he may already sense it now. Your survival is nearly as critical to the Republic as… his recapture… and the only way you will be able to escape here without the governor's notice is if he is already occupied with me." The forward blast door of the Vulkar base began to screech open. "GO!"
The governor adjusted his collar as the crimson armor of the Sith commandos rushed past him into the wasteland of bodies covering the main entrance of the base.
"Sector one, clear!"
"Sector three, clear!"
The governor bent down and lifted a severed, chrome arm from the ground, examining the already cauterized edge.
"Sector seven, cl- Hostile! Hostile!"
Commandos backed quickly into the main entrance, rifles trained on the northern doorway. The governor looked up at the Jedi walking calmly into the room. He smiled as he tossed the arm aside.
"Hold your fire."
The rifles remained trained on the young woman, the men shuffling back to give her room. As she approached, the governor's smile faded.
"All this effort, and I thought it was Bastilla." He said, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Akon."
"You're only a minor disappointment, Jaia. The Jedi are still treating you well, I hope?"
"Extremely well. It's a shame you aren't there anymore, to be honest."
"The absence would explain why you're loosing." All these years with the Sith and he hadn't lost his sense of humor. Jaia was almost amazed.
"I don't believe you, Akon. Still making quips?"
"What can change the nature of a man?"
"I've always thought 'the Sith' would have been the answer to that."
Akon chuckled. "Oh, Jaia, I have missed you. I don't suppose it would be any good to try and twist you into the dark side, would it?" Jaia shook her head.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Akon."
The governor smiled again, suddenly cold and hard.
"It's only a minor disappointment, Jaia." The vibroblade slashed towards her, missing her dodge by centimeters. Her saber flashed, crashing against the cortosis weave of Akon's double bladed sword. He shoved her back, thrusting his hand towards her chest. Her lungs erupted with pain, sending her staggering backwards, a coughing fit welled up in her throat. His sword blurred. She steadied herself and reflected his blows, but her parries were slow, almost clumsy. There was too much pain. He was backing her into a corner, now. Jaia fought through the pain, her training taking over, moving her body automatically. She stopped falling back and began matching Akon blow for blow, battling him to a standstill in the middle of a concrete tomb. There was a pause in the fighting. The governor smiled at her, an old fire in his eyes. He launched himself into an offense, his blows coming faster and faster, too swift, too coordinated. Jaia was thrown back, nearly against the wall. In an instant there was a gash on her arm, then another, then one on her shoulder, one on her leg. He was toying with her. A sudden, powerful slash of steel. Jaia landed against the wall, feeling the blood swell down her neck, seeping into her robe. Her knees gave out and she collapsed to the ground. A lightsaber hilt rolled across the concrete floor. She could sense the man near her as the world faded into grays.
Oh, Akon.
The vibroblade came down on the base of her skull.
Brejik sat at his desk, examining the last of the estimates, this one taking into account the surplus that would be given from salvage of the Sith equipment. Saijad was sitting on the couch, an empty bottle of Tarisian Ale still clutched in his hands. The footsteps that had been coming down the hall were through the doorway, now.
"Oh, good. Konoc'len, I'm glad you made it down. Listen, I'm going to need to get a line straight to Davik, he's sure to want first dibs on some of this stuff and we're going to need to sell it quick, if-"
Blood had begun to drip over his expense reports. He glanced up at the head of Jaia Oeland bleeding on his desk. The governor stood over him, flanked on either side by crimson suits of armor.
"Hello, Brejik."
Brejik's eyes widened.
"No need to get up. I was wondering if you could help me? You see, I'm looking for someone named Bastila Shan. It's rather important that I find her."
"I… I don't… I don't know anything-"
"I know, Brejik. I also know that this is still going to hurt very, very much."
