Chapter Fourteen
Treason?
The Justice, Outer Rim. Undisclosed location
155 days ABG
The 230th had stayed on Ord Mantell for ten days, until Drake was satisfied that the new troops had integrated properly with the rest of the battalion. From what Alanna had heard and sensed, it had been a somewhat...trying ordeal. She was happy that Drake was confiding in her more often. He'd asked her opinion on several matters, and even started taking more of an interest in Jedi interests and...her. Which was both exciting and terrifying. She saw Drake as little more than a trusted companion, who had her back in the middle of combat. But she could also see the potential for so much more. Which frightened her. She knew what would happen if she got involved with the commander.
She'd be forced to leave the Jedi council. She didn't know what would happen to Drake, but she'd heard stories from Jag and the others about what happened to 'defective' clones on Kamino. He didn't deserve that, especially with what he'd gone through with Neesh Nok. So, for that reason, she remained friendly, but nothing more with the clones.
At the moment, she, Drake, master Adraxis, and admiral Tendrick were on the bridge, somewhere in the outer rim. Only the stars for light, with a few asteroids interspersed. Bridge crew went about their business, manning sensor stations, making sure that the destroyer was working at optimal efficiency.
"Master...why are we here?" She asked, staring out at the void.
"We're meeting someone from Republic Intelligence here. They chose the co-ordinates, though what the reason for secrecy is, I don't know" he replied.
"Republic Intelligence. Hmph. A joke, most of the time. And when it's not, it's usually bad news" the admiral stated, rolling his eyes.
Adraxis smiled "yes, admiral, I agree. But I think we'd best hear them out. We're already here, after all"
the admiral nodded. "I suppose we should"
They didn't have to wait long. "Sir. Consular class cruiser Safeguard dropping out of hyperspace" the sensor officer reported from his station.
"They're requesting permission to land" the comms officer spoke up.
"Granted. General, would you like to meet them at the hangar?" Tendrick said.
"Yes. Alanna, commander, would you care to accompany me?" Her master said.
The three of them headed to the main hangar bay, where the small cruiser was just now setting down. The ramp lowered, and a man in a dark tunic and pants, with the Republic insignia on his chest. He had a narrow face, and dark eyes, that jumped from Drake to Adraxis to Alanna and back. He approached, and bowed slightly to her master, nodded to Drake, then stared at Alanna. The stare, more than anything, made her nervous. The man had eyes that seemed to be made to punch through to someones' core.
"General Adraxis, commander Starsong" he said, his voice carrying the accent of one that had been born and raised on one of the core worlds. "I'm agent Ferran. I believe we should speak somewhere more private. What I'm about to tell you is classified" he cast a meaningful glance at Drake and the rest of the clones. Alanna felt the stirrings of irritation in Drake. The agent was insinuating that the clones that were going about their business and Drake himself, couldn't be trusted. She was about to object, but her master beat her to it.
"I agree we should move this to a more private location, but commander Drake accompanies us. His input could be useful" Jerik said, keeping his voice calm and reasonable.
Agent Ferran shrugged. "As you wish, master Jedi. Shall we go to your quarters?" Adraxis agreed and the four of them crowded into the turbolift. It was rather tense, with Ferran staring at Drake with slightly narrowed eyes, the commander meeting his gaze. It was a staring contest, that Drake, wearing his helmet, couldn't lose. Her master lead them to his quarters, which were spacious enough that as soon as they'd entered, Drake moved to the door, and Ferran the other side of the room. If Jerik noticed the tension between the two men, he didn't mention it.
"We have a mission for you." Ferran said, without preamble. It took her a second to realize he was talking to her.
"Me? Why?" She asked before she could clamp her mouth shut.
Ferran cocked an eyebrow, and lifted his datapad. "Because. You look almost exactly like her" on the 'pad was a holo of a woman with hair the same shade and same eye colour as Alanna. She was perhaps a little shorter, and her hair was a little longer, but those were the only physical differences she noticed.
"Who is she? And what does it matter if I look like her?"
"This is Quell. A separatist assassin, and spy. She was spotted on the planet Altraxis, in the outer rim" Ferran stated. "A week ago, one of our assets caught up with her and neutralized her. We believe she was encouraging the governor to commit treason. Whether Altraxis is considering joining the separatists or not, we're not sure"
"And...what does this have to do with me?" Asked Alanna, but she had a feeling she already knew the answer.
"We believe there's a separatist cell operating on Altraxis, in the capital, in fact. We need you, to infiltrate the ring, and find out if the governor is indeed planning to switch sides. If he is...we need you to neutralize him"
She didn't need to ask what the agent meant by 'neutralize'. "You want me to kill someone for you?"
"Only if he's guilty" the agent said.
"You realize I am a Jedi, right? That goes against everything-" the agent stopped her.
"Jedi are part of the Republic, are they not? This is a time of war. We're not asking you to murder him in cold blood. We're asking you to keep Altraxis on the side of the Republic. Plus, you should be able to sense if the governor has really turned traitor" the agent reasoned, and Alanna sighed.
"Okay. Tell me what you want me to do. And I'll need different clothes. I don't think the separatists will believe I'm this Quell person if I'm wearing my robes"
"I've taken the liberty of having a wardrobe change sent to your quarters, along with some collected information on the separatist cell, and Quells behaviour. I should mention, that you will have no back up on this mission. We've given you an encrypted comlink, that you will receive further instructions from. Our asset that eliminated Quell noticed her going into and out of the government offices unchecked. You should have no problems slipping in to talk with the governor."
Alanna took a moment to process the information. That was Drake stepped forwards. "What do you mean, she'll be on her own? She's not an operative. You don't even have an accurate analysis of the situation" he said, aggravated. She was touched by his concern, but she could handle herself. Probably.
"I'll be fine, commander. Jedi have operated on their own before" she assured him.
She could sense Drake would have very much liked to argue, but he simply nodded. "Whatever you say, ma'am."
Ferran sneered, but didn't speak to the commander. " Once your mission is complete, you'll have to acquire transport off world, and to the rendez-vous point. Good luck" with that, he turned and left Adraxis' quarters.
Her master turned to her, looking worried for the first time. "Alanna, if you can't do this, I'm sure there are other ways..."
Alanna shook her head. 'I have to do this. I have to prove I'm just as capable as Jerik, and Drake' "I can. I know what I have to do, and I'll get it done as soon as possible" master Adraxis looked uncomfortable, and she felt a current of alarm jolt through Drake. He really was worried about her.
"I suppose I'd better go get changed. Will you hold onto my lightsabre until I get back?" Bringing it with her was obviously out of the question. Adraxis nodded and solemnly accepted the weapon.
She turned and smiled at the commander "Drake. Keep everything under control until I get back, will you?"
The clones' helmet tilted. "Will do"
She turned once more, opening the door, and walking down the corridor to her own quarters. A datapad and comlink were on her bunk, besides a powerful looking blaster,with a holster, a pair of vibro blades, a pair of dark grey pants, tunic and a black, leather body suit, that almost shone in the light given off by the lighting panels. At the foot of the bunk were a pair of black, bantha hide boots, that managed to look both stylish and functional. The bodysuit looked...very tight. It had numerous pockets and pouches, and she could guess what an assassin and spy would contain in them.
Alanna felt a slight shudder go down her spine at the thought of impersonating a dead woman. Who had a cell of separatists that were probably as dangerous as she had been. She changed out of her robes, tunic and pants, putting on the darker apparel. She zipped the bodysuit and stepped into the boots, and stared down at herself. The bodysuit was very tight fitting. Not uncomfortable, but it left very little to the imagination. She fastened her belt, and holstered the pistol, the comlink in a pocket. "Well. I'll certainly attract attention" Alanna muttered.
She activated the datapad, noticing that it held information on Altraxis, and Quells appearance. Consulting the 'pad occasionally, she undid her braid, and using an elastic, she tied her hair into a ponytail. Now she looked almost exactly like the former assassin. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and found she didn't recognize herself as a Jedi apprentice at all.
A knock on the door got her attention. "It's open!" She called, and was pleasantly surprised when Drake stepped inside. His helmet was tucked under his arm, with his other arm hanging at his side.
He stared at the bodysuit, his eyes widening in surprise. "So. What do you think, Drake?" She asked, turning towards him, and gesturing to the bodysuit and weapons.
Apparently having overcome his surprise, he glanced over her equipment, nodding to himself. "At least they gave you good kit." He muttered, pointing to her blaster. "You don't look like a Jedi at all"
"I'll take that as a compliment" Alanna said, and the commander grinned. "What can I do for you, Drake?"
He looked conflicted, as if he was pondering how to say what he wanted to."We're about an hour from Altraxis. Intel said they'd left a shuttle at the edge of the system for you. I just wanted to say; be careful. Use your head. I know Intel wants you to bring down a sep spy ring and interrogate the governor, but if you can't handle it, pull out. Let them do their own dirty work for once" he said firmly.
"It sounds like you don't like Intel very much, Drake." She said, and felt a spike of annoyance from him.
"I don't. Like the admiral said, they're about as accurate as a drunk Weequay. Ask the boys from the 501st or any commando about just how bad Intel is when they really work at it" he said. "And agent Faren, I don't know. He just rubs me the wrong way, I guess"
"Yeah. I can tell" she said dryly. "Thanks for dropping by, Drake."
The commander nodded. "No problem, Alanna. I'll, uh. I'll be around. Good luck" and with that, he left her quarters.
An hour and a half later, Alanna was off of the Justice and on an old shuttle that looked like it had been stuck together with hope and curses. She'd been practising her 'Quell' look for the entirety of the hour, and hoped she was convincing. No. She would convince the separatists. She had to. She remembered what Drake had said, but she felt obligated. She'd never been a quitter and she wasn't going to start now.
The destroyer had jumped to hyperspace as soon as she'd been aboard the shuttle and out of the hangar. Doubtless, admiral Tendrick didn't want the separatists noticing a Republic ship in orbit. She blew out a breath as the white and grey orb of Altraxis grew in the view screen. The planet was all ice as far as she could tell from the information she'd looked over on the datapad she'd left aboard the destroyer.
There was only a few ships in the airspace around the planet. Like many worlds in the outer rim, there wasn't much non-military traffic. Not that she saw any separatist vessels in orbit. No obvious ones, anyways. She'd headed towards the planets capital, Ithil, and the shuttles comm systems came online. "Unidentified shuttle, this is Altraxis ATF. Please explain your reason for entering our airspace" She hesitated. It was a safe bet that the air traffic controller was a government worker of some sort. If she revealed that she was a Jedi, and the planets governor really was a traitor, she'd be a hunted woman as soon as she put foot on the planet.
"Tourism" she replied. "I hear the capital is quite nice"
"You're right, it is. Okay, you're cleared for bay twenty one. Enjoy your stay"
She guided the shuttle to it's approved bay, and shutting down the engines, and gliding to the permacrete floor on repulsors. Once landed, she turned off the ship, and stood, heading to the boarding ramp. The ramp lowered, and a blast of cold air carrying the smell of lubricants, smoke, and coolant to her nostrils. Despite the wind, her body remained comfortably warm, even though she was wearing only the bodysuit with her dark grey tunic and pants underneath. 'Must have some kind of temperature regulation system. Neat.' And fortunate. If she was supposed to play spy, catching a cold right off the bat wouldn't be a good start.
Once she emerged from the starport, the city of Ithil was quite scrapers stretched to the sky, looking like frosted, rectangular the beauty of the city, most of its' inhabitants seemed to radiate misery. She didn't need to be Force sensitive to figure out why. She'd done her homework on the planet. For years, Altraxis had been one of the most wealthy worlds in the sector due to its' artisans' creation of fine crystal sculptures and other fine artistic works. Unfortunately, the Republic had banned distribution, apparently for some flaw in the crystal that when left in sunlight for too long, would shatter.
Purchasers of the crystal sculptures had accused the artisans of selling faulty work, and the whole thing had gone downhill from their.
According to the documents, the Altraxians had attempted to defend themselves, claiming they didn't know about the crystals weakness. Obviously, their defence had failed to convince anybody. Now, the planet was just another outer rim world, with few resources, and a governor that would be more than willing to join the separatists if they helped his worlds economy recover.
What she didn't understand was the resentment many of them felt towards the governor, and Republic in general. 'A good thing I didn't bring my lightsabre' the Republic had banned distribution almost five years ago, well before the beginning of the war. And it seemed unlikely that so many could hold a grudge. But, as she was sensing, not impossible.
She sensed eyes on her, and turned slightly, to see a speeder parked on the side of the street, a symbol on the side of it that she recognized from the datapad as Ithil city police. Their interest passed quickly, and they returned to surveying the crowds of pedestrians milling around the streets returning home from their jobs, probably. Now that Alanna knew what to look for, she quickly spotted another speeder, and three pairs of officers, wearing the grey, knee length coat that most of Ithils' citizens donned. 'It's like the governor has them watching for dissent. But that doesn't make any sense. If he's joining the separatists, why not declare it openly, and relieve some of the pressure?'
Unless the intel was wrong. Or the governor was waiting for the separatists to send some ships and troops to back up his change of allegiance. Despite the fact Altraxis was hardly number one on the list of strategically important worlds, she doubted the chancellor would take kindly to another planet seceding. And with the new clone army, it was likely he'd send a fleet and some round troops to teach the governor a lesson. She'd never met chancellor Palpatine in person, but he gave the impression he'd do whatever was necessary to win the war.
She kept moving, keeping an eye out for anyone that looked out of place. She was, supposedly, known to the separatists, so the real Quell would have recognized one of her allies. Unfortunately, Alanna had no idea who she was supposed to be meeting. And it wasn't on the datapad. She'd checked. Twice. 'Don't panic. It's not like they're going to suspect you for being a little late, are they? I mean-' she cut off her train of thought mid sentence. She'd sensed someone watching her, and not with the passing interest the police had.
She turned slowly, and spotted a man, wearing the same coat as nearly everyone else, and a scowl that was clearly directed at her. Trying to look purposeful, she strode towards him, trying to make her features stern and cold. That was what Quell looked like in all the holopics, anyways. Nothing about the mans' Force aura told her he'd caught on to the fact she wasn't the assassin.
"There you are!" The man exclaimed when he was in range. She sensed he was more irritated than anything. He grabbed her arm, and attempted to drag her along behind him. Alanna stopped dead, and put on her coldest glare. The man grunted and turned around, looking even more irritated than he had two seconds ago. "Are you fekking insane?" He snarled.
Alanna almost apologized. Almost. Then she remembered she wasn't the polite, curious Jedi apprentice. She was supposed to be a cold, calculating assassin. She gave stared at the man raising one eyebrow, and smirking a little, as if she thought he was a particularly stupid Weequay. The mans' snarl drained away, and he let go of her arm, clearing his throat. "The boss wants to talk to you. We should get goin'." Alanna nodded as if she approved of his sudden change in attitude.
The man made his way through the crowd, and Alanna almost had to struggle to keep up. It was clear that the man didn't see his boss as a very reasonable being, and wanted to deliver 'Quell' to him or her as soon as possible. A beat up speeder waited on the side of the street, and the man waited for her to get into the front passenger seat, before stepping into the drivers seat. "We were startin' to think you'd never show up. That Dooku'd thought up another job for you"
She was startled by the mans' casual use of the separatist leaders name, but at the same time, glad. Now she knew it was Dooku who'd sent Quell to Altraxis. She sensed no deceit in the man, which meant he was most likely telling the truth. The man drove out of the elegant part of the city, well into the slums, making plenty of turns, no doubt so she'd be unable to memorize the route.
Finally, he stopped outside a building that looked like it had once been a manor of some sort, but was now just a busted up, broken down building, ringed by a rusty iron fence. "Here we are" the man said, getting out, and motioning for her to do the same. She stepped outside, aware that multiple people were watching her from the house. It wasn't as abandoned as it looked. "Let's go. Can't keep the boss waitin'."
She followed him inside, and was surprised to learn that the place still had power. She was less surprised when two heavily armed men stepped forwards. "We're going to need your blaster, and any other weapons you're carrying" the one on the left, a tall, scarred human male said bluntly, holding his hand out.
"Why?" Alanna asked, making it clear she wasn't going to relinquish her weapons easily. The being on the right, a Rodian, let out of bark of laughter.
"You might be one of Dookus' pets, assassin, but 'round here, we make the rules. Weapons. Now"
Sighing, she drew her pistol, noticing that the hands of all three men went to their own weapons. "Relax, boys" she drawled, handing the pistol over. She handed over the vibroblades as well. "I'm co-operating, see?" The Rodian took her weapons, and went away to stash them somewhere. The man who'd approached her in the street motioned that she should follow.
There were a few glowrods mounted up on the walls for illumination, but besides that, the former mansion was dark and gloomy, but not cold. The separatists, she guessed, had set up heating units, but left the power off so as to not draw attention. The man lead her down some stairs, to a closed door, where another guard stood. 'They sure take security seriously' she thought to herself, as the guard jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Go on. They're expecting you"
The door, an old fashioned one, with hinges, creaked open, revealing three more beings inside. "Ah. There you are." One of them, a human man said, getting out of a chair. Alanna could sense that he was the leader of the group. He had a sense of authority about him. The other two, Alanna identified as a male Trandoshan, and a female Wroonian. Both stared at her with a mix of curiosity and awe. Obviously, Quell had quite a reputation among the group.
"Count Dooku told us to expect you a week ago. Why the delay?"
"I was delayed. By what, is none of your business" she replied. It was a risk, she knew. They might simply decide she was an impostor, and have her killed. "I figured if you wanted the job done right, you'd be willing to wait a little while longer"
The Trandoshan snarled something, but the man smiled. "Welcome to Altraxis, Quell. Have you been briefed?"
Alanna shrugged. "I have, but give me summary"
The man shrugged. "We got here approximately three weeks and two days ago. Made contact with governor Hall a week after establishing this base, which was provided by the local resistance. We've been waiting for his answer ever since. Now that you're here, I guess that's not necessary, huh?"
"Resistance? What resistance?" Alanna asked. No one had told her there were separatist resistance units on the planet.
The man frowned. "Dooku didn't tell you? A lot of people on Altraxis are unhappy with Hall. And most of them are in the capital right now. They're too scared to act on their own, but once the governor is dead...that'll change. Welcome to the team, Quell"