Chapter 22: Lifeline

Master Xevioso and Koppler looked down at the dead body of the once Jedi High Council member, Kol'Tyuk. When they arrived at Rasch's apartment they were met with security offers who were first to respond to the apartment after a loud commotion was reported. The security then took the two Jedi up to the apartment as they explained what they found at first arrival. When the Jedi and security arrived they found broken glass from a shattered table. Dried blood was stained on many different surfaces. Then after the officers showed them Kol'Tyuk's body, they directed them to the balcony.

Koppler stayed with the body to examine it further while Xevioso went to the balcony alone, without the officers. The glass doors slid open and he walked to the balcony that overlooked a great part of Coruscant. There was a railing made of three bars the ringed across the balcony's ledge. Wedged in between two of those bars was Jedi Knight Rabb'dra's body. He was mangled and shoved into the bars so his body was positioned in an exact position with his left arm hanging over the ledge. Xevioso followed the direction the arm hanged. It was pointing towards the Senate offices. The Council was pointing the Jedi to that exact location. Xevisois reached over and gently placed his finger tips on Rabb'dra's forehead, "Sleep well warrior." He then looked back to the Senate offices and frowned, "Such arrogance."

Koppler sighed as he joined Xevioso on the balcony. As soon as he saw Rabb'dra's body he looked away and sorrowfully spoke, "Dang... Rabby... If Kol'Tyuk is dead and Rabb'dra has been moved that means there was someone else here to move his body. There was at least two of them, maybe more when Rabb'dra arrived. He never had a chance did he?"

"No." Xevioso said somberly, "Not only was he outnumbered but I'm sure they also set a trap for him. But he was able to defeat Kol'Tyuk?"

"Kol'Tyuk bled out." Koppler explained what he saw, "Rabb'dra's lightsaber pierced enough to sever a vital blood vein but the blade was yanked from Kol'Tyuk's chest in such a way that the saber was never able seer and cauterize the wound. So the vein kept bleeding. Ohh... I never thought I'd be in this situation."

Xevioso removed a vocal-transmitter from his robe and punched in a frequency. A moment later Master Wenssis' voice could be heard through the device, "Master Xevioso."

"Be cautious." Xevioso told her, "I believe you are headed for danger. Rabb'dra has fallen as has Kol'Tyuk. They left evidence that the Senate offices are a point of interest. Perhaps you should wait for Master Koppler and I to arrive to give you support."

"They still hold the Senator a hostage." Wenssis pointed out, "We have no time to waste. We should go in now. You two come as quickly as possible. But we must go now."

"Very well." Xevioso agreed, "My hopes are to find you two already victorious when we arrive. May the Force be with you."

"As you." She said before they mutually ended the transmission.

Xevioso and Koppler reentered the apartment from the balcony and Xevioso gave order to the officers, "When the coroners arrive please ask them to take the bodies to the Jedi temple after they are finished with their examination."

"Yes, Master Jedi." They responded.

Xevioso turned to Koppler, "Lets go."

________\-V-/________

Master Wennsis and Annoli stood in silence as a lift took them up to the third level of the Senate office building. Rasch's office was on the third level. Both of them had their lightsabers in hand. They were on high alert after Master Xevioso sent word of warning to them. Annoli couldn't seem to sit still. She bounced around on her toes as she got her blood flowing. Wennsis quietly told her, "Relax, Padawan. Be calm. Soothe your anxiety."

Annoli bit down on her lower lip and halted her bouncing. She looked Wennsis eye to eye, "H-how many members of the Council do you think will be there waiting for us?"

"I do not know. Maybe all of them. Maybe none. Are you worried?"

"No." Annoli told her unconvincingly.

"I can feel it in you. What are you afraid of?" Wennsis proceeded her inquiry of Annoli.

"I..." Annoli broke eye contact with Wennsis and gazed down at the floor, "When we came here... by SkyTran. I looked at the buildings we passed and I just got this nausea. It was the city that made me feel so sick. I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried for the city. Something very very bad is happening." Wennsis' face fell. Annoli could read her facial expression like a book, "You felt something too?"

Wennsis nodded, "Yes. I do not know what causes this foreboding feeling. But we mustn't dwell on that now. Right now in this moment we need to be wary of what is directly ahead of us. Put your outside distractions out of your mind."

Annoli had heard all of this before from her past Masters Borru and Zade but she still needed to be reminded of this by Wennsis. She was still young and needed to be guided. Annoli opened her mouth to speak but the lift began to slow to a halt. In anticipation of the unknown the two women held their sabers in a ready position. The doors slid open. Wennsis took point and stepped foot out of the lift. The lift opened into a wide open, golden-yellow reception office with a chrome desk in the center. Behind the desk there were three office doors. Annoli looked at the three office doors, "Which office belongs to Rasch?"

Wennsis didn't answer Annoli. She walked over to the desk in the center of the room and looked over the counter top. There was no receptionist to be found. Wennsis did notice a stack of datapads toppled over on the ground as well as a dent in the side of the desk caused by the chair violently being slammed into the desk side. All signs pointed to a recent struggle. Wennsis turned to Annoli, "On guard. Something has happened here and I believe there is still someone here."

"Then they are trapped in one of those three offices right? Well if they have no where to go then we can just wait here until the others arrive and lend us support." Annoli suggested.

"That seems like a logical plan, but too obvious." Wennsis said hesitantly as she eyed the three doors, "They would never lead themselves into such a corner. At least not without a strategy behind it."

"Well-" Annoli began to say before a sudden snapping sound reverberated throughout the office room. Wennsis quickly spun around and as if in slow motion she saw Annoli standing in front of the lift where they had just left. Behind her the lift plummeted down the shaft. Wennsis saw the lift's doors fall followed by the lift's ceiling. Wennsis' face dropped as she watched the ceiling fall past the lift's frame. There perched atop the lift as it fell was Cled Amousous. He had been waiting for them on the top of the lift the whole time. The empty office was just to throw them off and now as Cled passed by the opening left by the lift, he leapt forward with his orange saber ignited. His eyes were lock set on the unsuspecting Annoli.

Wennsis couldn't do anything other than watch in slow motion as Cled's saber inched it's way towards Annoli's back. Wennsis couldn't attack or use the Force on Cled because Annoli was between her and Cled. If she acted in any way she'd only cause further harm to Annoli. Wennsis could only think to Force push Annoli out of harm's way. But Wennsis couldn't act fast enough. But she didn't need to. As Cled was leaping for Annoli's back, Annoli dropped forward to the ground just as Cled's saber singed into the surface of Annoli's back. She was able to roll herself away from Cled's attack. As Cled's momentum carried him forward, Annoli used that to her advantage and as she rolled forward, She kicked her legs back and mule kicked Cled in the chest causing him to fly backwards towards the lift's now open shaft. Cled had to quickly reach out through the Froce and close the shaft's door behind him. So rather than plummeting down the lift shaft he instead slammed his back against the closed doors.

All three of them took the moment to ready themselves. Cled walked away leaned forward from the wall he slammed into. Meanwhile, Annoli had kip-upped into a standing position. She turned to face Cled. Wennsis raced over to Annoli's side as she ignited her white blade and Annoli her two blue blades. They held their solid position as Cled stared at them, "My traps don't seem to be working against you rabble."

((Authors Note: A 'kip-up' is where someone is on their back, pulls their knees up towards their chest, launch their feet into their air, push up with their neck or hands, hook their feet under their bodies, and then push up into a standing position... I figured I should explain that.))

Annoli looked back over her shoulder at the three office doors. There could still be someone hiding in them and at any moment could attack them from behind. Wennsis stared coldly at him, "You should have just plunged the lift into the abyss while we were still aboard. Why didn't you?"

Cled shrugged his shoulders, "Me versus two little girls? This match is already unsportsmanly enough. I don't need cheap gimmicks to defeat you."

"Gimmicks? What do you call tampering with the lift to stab me in the back? Unsuccessfully, I might add." Annoli shot at him.

He snickered, "There is a big difference between dirty tricks and tactical hunting."

"Ohh, look at 'Mr. Big Hunter'." Annoli countered back at him with a snicker of her own, "Well unless you call a little flesh wound on my back a success, you're tactics are folly. I've seen younglings with better battle sense than you."

At first, Wennsis was going to tell Annoli to quite herself. But then she noticed how Cled's demeanor suddenly turned from cocky to unraveled. Annoli's comments had gotten under his skin. So she let Annoli continue using her best weapon. Her mouth. In response to Annoli, Cled barked at her, "Younglings couldn't have slain Rabb'dra to the point of a mangled body!"

Cled had focused his attention towards a verbal fight with Annoli and let his focus slip. Wennsis took full advantage and used an advanced Force Leap to propel her body into the air and over Cled's head. She firmly planted her feat on the wall, above Cled's head. He looked up and saw Wennsis as she brought her white blade down at Cled's head. Cled brought his saber up and blocked the attack with ease. He then pushed his own blade upwards and she had to leap off the wall back to the floor. Annoli used her superior speed and agility to run forward and duck under Wennsis' airborne body as she was landing. She then thrust her two blades towards Cled's chest. Cled brought his saber back down on top of Annoli's sabers so hard that Annoli's two blades were knocked to the floor while her hands still grasped them. Cled took his free hand and balled it into a fist. He pummeled his fist across Annoli's face sending Annoli backwards with a bloody forehead.

Annoli was punched a little loopy but Wennsis continued with the attack. Not letting Cled catch a breather. Wennsis made multiple strikes at Cled and he managed to block all of them. When Annoli got her wits about, she joined Wennsis' side. The two kept Cled on constant guard. Always attacking and never allowing him to attack them once. Three fast and agile lightsabers against a single powerful but slow one. Cled struggled to fend them off as he grunted loudly with every block and with every block he was inched backwards towards the wall. Finally his back hit the wall behind him and he was trapped. Annoli brought her two sabers across Cled's hips but he blocked them. He however could not block Wennsis' simultaneous stab at his chest. The white blade pierced through his chest and plunged into his heart. Cled let out a silent gasp as his body fell forward and his saber fell from his hands. In one last ditch effort he grabbed Annoli's hair and yanked it. He took his elbow and smashed a button on the wall causing the lift's doors to open behind him once again. The shaft was still empty and Celd was using everything he had left to pull himself and Annoli back into the void Annoli growled and planted her foot in his chest and pushed him away from her. His body fell backwards down into the darkness of the shaft. Annoli leaned over and looked down the empty shaft. At the bottom she could see the rubble of the fallen lift piled under Cled's lifeless body. She leaned away from shaft and sighed, "Can't say he didn't have that coming to him. Little girls, huh?"

Wennsis extinguished her blade and joined Annoli in a loud exhale. She looked back to the three office doors. She walked over to the desk and hit three buttons that caused the three doors to open. The right and center offices were empty. The one on the left however had a somewhat welcome sight. Rasch was laying unconscious on the floor of the office. He was laying next to an unconscious human female that Wennsis assumed was the receptionist. Annoli gasped, "A-are they dead?"

"No." Wennsis assured her, "Their chests still move and breath."

Annoli let out a deep breath she had been holding in, "Whew..."

They both rushed over to the two unconscious bodies. Wennsis keeled down to Rasch's body and placed her right palm on the top of his forehead. She closed her eyes felt around in his conscious. She then opened her eyes and told Annoli, "He is in a deep sleep. He was probably given tranquilizers."

Annoli leaned over and checked on the receptionist. Annoli could see bruising around the back of her neck. Annoli raised an angered eyebrow, "It looks like Cled wasn't so kind with this one. I think he used his bare hands to knock her out."

Wennsis reached into her robe and removed her vocal-transmitter. She sent out a one way message to both groups of Jedi, "Rasch has been recovered. He is unconscious but he seems to be uninjured. Cled has also been destroyed."

She ended her recorded message and sent it to the other teams. She then sent a live message to Yaulba. He responded almost instantly, "Yaulba here."

Over the vocal-transmitter Wennsis could hear constant chatter in the background. She asked him,"How did you do with the Senate?"

"When Sienn brought that recording to everyone's attention the Senate didn't hesitate in halting the meeting and ordering all authorities to begin a search. Right now Sienn and I are in the Rotunda. Most of the senators are still here talking with each other or contacting their representing planets. It's a confused frenzy right now."

"Well let them know we have found Rasch. He is unconscious be seemingly unharmed." She told him.

Sienn must have grabbed the transmitter from Yaulba and told Wennsis, "That is good news to hear. Do you know who is behind this?"

"Yes. The former Jedi Council was in fact behind this."

"I see." Sienn paused a moment before saying, "I'll inform the Senate of Rasch's rescuing. For now I believe it best we leave the former council out of this. At least for the moment. If we tell them now in the middle of this panic, some of the more vocal yet easily frightened senators may confuse the situation and think that all the Jedi are to blame. We should wait to tell them until after things calm a bit."

"Yes. I understand." Wennsis told her, "I must go now. Once we leave the offices we will take Rasch to the nearest medical facility. I'll contact you again once we arrive."

"Thank you Master Jedi." Sienn said before she ended the transmission.

Wennsis sighed as she sat down on the floor. Annoli asked her, "Now what? Our only exit is a bottomless pit."

Wennsis looked over to a window in the office room, "I'll contact the building's security and see if they can send up a shuttle to retrieve us."

Annoli looked down at Rasch, "Well now that we have Rasch we don't have to worry about him being held hostage. I hope Master Zade and Sarval-Styr are alright..."

________\-V-/________

When Zade and Sarval were traveling to the Jedi temple via shuttle ship, they had no idea what to expect. They never guessed they would find what they did when they arrived. The shuttle dropped them off at the middle platform of the grand stairway, part of the Processional Way, that led up to the Jedi Temple. The large platform at the middle of the stairs was decorated with ornate, brass statues of past Jedi Masters. On a regular day the Processional Way was an inspiring sight of grace and elegance. Now though, Zade and Sarval came across an assemblage of Jedi who had flocked down to this center platform. Most of them were younglings accompanied by older Jedi or padawan. As soon as they landed, Zade and Sarval ran from the shuttle towards the female, Ishi Tib, Master Hub-Hud. She was helping three younglings run down the grand stairway towards the platform. Once the younglings safely arrived at the platform she met them. Zade hastily asked her, "What is going on?"

Hub-Hud struggled with the Basic language but she manged to make out, "Adian."

A female Theelin, a human subspecies, Jedi Knight rushed over to them. Zade recognized her from her violet hair slicked back into a flat Mohawk. Jedi Knight Pice Rassium. Pice filled them in on the information that Hub-Hud could not, "Masters. Adian Klypso and a great number of the former Council has bared themselves inside the temple. A few Jedi have even joined them. I can't believe they would side with the Council after all of this! They say they have a large explosive inside with them but that may be a bluff. Anyways, some of us made removing the younglings from the temple our top priority. If they claim they have an explosive, real or not, we had to take precautions. The rest of the Jedi are still inside. Some I believe went to secure the hangar so the Council couldn't leave with our starships. The others went to engage the Council."

Zade looked up the stairs to the temple and frowned, "You were right to evacuate the younglings."

Sarval removed his lightsaber handle from his robe and looked to Zade, "We must join those who fight in the temple."

Zade removed his dual lightsabers and nodded in response, "Yes." A slight grin fell across his face as he looked up the long stairs, "I forgot how large these stairs were."

Hub-Hud and Pice removed their own lightsabers as Pice told them, "We'll join you."

Zade shouted over to another Jedi and ordered him to let the younglings rest a few moments before taking them further down the stairway for added protection. With that the four Jedi rushed up the stairs. They had to dig into the Force to allow their bodies to run up the stairway with little fatigue. When they reached the top of the stairs they barged into the main entrance. Its was completely empty due to the evacuation. They halted as Zade asked Pice, "Where are they?"

Pice pointed the tip of her handle toward the Reconciliation quarter, "Last I heard they barred themselves in the Reconciliation quarter."

Zade became worried. The Reconciliation quarter was a section of the temple where many non-Force-users worked. Few Jedi stayed there which was probably why the Council was able to occupy it so easily. Zade was worried that the council may have slain the innocent non-Force-users when they invaded. Zade asked Pice, "Were the workers inside the quarter evacuated?"

"I don't know. I was helping the younglings." She told him.

"In that case we'll have to be cautious. They may have living shields." Zade warned.

Before Zade could begin planning on how they should enter the quarter, a voice called out to Zade. A familiar voice that made Zade's skin crawl, "Master Rad'Hyth..."

Zade rolled his eyes upward and sighed deeply as he turned around to see a holo-image of Adian Klypso standing with her arms hanging loosely at her sides and her hair disheveled as her image floated above the entrance's floor. Her robes were cut and scarred from laser fire. Zade shook his head in disgust, "I don't know what to say to you anymore. You and your council of apostates have tried to destroy everything you once defended."

She took her hand and pushed her hair away from her face, "We... we were betrayed by those we defended. You and your kind. I... I don't know anymore."

Zade raised an eyebrow as he walked closer to the image, "Do I detect a tone of resentment for your actions in your voice?"

Sarval walked forward and joined Zade. He pleaded with her, "You and I spent a long time on the Council together, Adian. Our moments of unison were rare but we were comrades. I never sensed this kind of darkness inside of you. You can end this."

She didn't directly respond to his statement. Instead she changed the subject, "Do you plan to join the other Jedi in the Reconciliation quarter, Master Rad'Hyth?" She didn't let him answer before interrupting, "Because you won't find me there."

Zade could feel his impatience with Adian become more and more stressed with each word spoken from her lips. He had to take a moment of meditation to calm his nerves before he continued, "Then where are you?"

Adian looked past Zade and Sarval toward the two Jedi standing behind him. Pice scowled at her. Hub-Hud looked at her with pity. She then looked back to Zade, "I alone wait in the Hall of Knighthood. Master Rad'Hyth, please come alone to face me."

"It's a trap." Pice said, "You can't trust her anymore."

"I promise with what is left of my association to the Jedi, that this is no trap." Adian said before ending the transmission.

Pice shook her head, "No way. You don't plan on listening to her? You can't go alone."

Zade looked over his shoulder to Pice, "I will. I think I know what she wants."

Sarval nodded his approval to Zade, "Yes. She is suffering. She wants an end but is unable to face it."

Pice was about to protest but Hub-Hud placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop Pice. Pice backed down and shrugged her shoulders, "Then what about us?"

"We'll aid the Jedi who defend the temple." Sarval told Hub-Hud and Pice.

Zade bowed to them, "I think... the Force will need to be with all of us today..."

-- -- -- -- -- --

For Adian to occupy the Hall of Knighthood was either an act to insult the Jedi or perhaps she wanted to end it where it begins. The Hall of Knighthood was where a padawan was ritually raised to the level of Jedi Knight. It was where every padawan strives to reach. It was also where the Jedi Master rank was confirmed. Zade had been here when he became both Knight and Matser. So had Adian. The circular room resembled the Jedi Council chamber only without the chairs the High Council sat at. It was a special place to most Jedi who entered it.

When Zade entered into the chamber he saw Adian sitting on her knees in the direct center of the room with her lightsaber handle laying in front of her. As he slowly walked into the room, she looked up and stared into his eyes, "Master... Zade... Welcome."

"Zade, eh?" He chuckled pitifully, "It's about time."

She forced a smile on her dejected face, "I always knew how much you hated it when I called you Master Rad'Hyth."

"Yes... I know."

"I was never kind to you during your time on the Council... or afterwards." She admitted to him but mostly to herself, "I hated when you threatened my power. When I was on the Council I was in control... of so much. I had so much power. I felt like the most important individual in the galaxy."

Her voice sounded as if she were in agony. Maybe she was. Zade folded his arms over his chest and nodded, "Yeah, I know."

She continued expressing herself to Zade, "I thrive for power. Since my early days on the Council it's been a silent obsession to me. I knew it was wrong. I knew that I was no better than the Sith but I continued with it anyways. I made deals with the Chancellor to remain in power. I surrounded myself with other Jedi that I knew were just as weak minded as I. I knew how wrong I was for doing this to the Jedi, to the Republic, to the galaxy. I knew but I did it anyways. Then I killed Errdict, I invaded the Temple. I invaded the temple?! I turned on them! But they threaten my power... I could not help myself."

Zade gently smiled to her, "You are aware of your sins. Turn back. You can always turn back. Please end this."

"I want this to end!" She spat at him, "I just want everything to end but I can't allow it. I can not allow my power to leave me. Zade you, you were the last one. The last of the pure Council members. I want you to stop me. My mind fails me. My heart fails me. The Force pollutes me."

Her inner demons were destroying her conscious. She couldn't think clearly anymore. Tears ran down her face and Zade felt for her. She was being tortured by her own desire for power. The Dark Side was enveloping her. Zade walked closer to her. Instinctively, Adian grabbed her lightsaber and switched it on. Zade stopped approaching her and moved his hands for his own lightsabers but did not take them in hand just yet. Instead he told her, "I don't have to stop you. You can do it yourself. If you couldn't, we wouldn't be talking like this. You wouldn't have this regret. I can help you."

Adian scoffed, "You are still doing this? The Jedi act. Stop trying to save me."

Zade lowered his gaze. His ability to help her may have passed. Or it may have never existed. He looked back at her with an emotionless face, "You know you have to beat this-"

"You won't end this unless I attack you. Will you?" She said as she stood up.

Zade quickly removed his lightsaber handles and held them in his hands. He ignited the yellow blades and he crossed the two sabers in front of him. He told her, "If you have really given up, if you insist on attacking the innocent, then I will end this."

She smiled as her tears stopped falling, "Then... Thank you."

Adian made a near effortless strike at Zade as he easily parried the so-called-attack and slashed his left blade forward at her neck and struck her down as quickly and as painlessly as possible. Adian's body fell forward and dropped near the center of the room. He switched his sabers off and dropped forward onto his hands and knees. Adian, the head of the rogue Council was defeated but... this wasn't what he prepared for. He was prepared for a power hungry, bloodthirsty, monster who killed needlessly. He was not ready for a wavering Jedi who pleaded for him to kill her. He felt empty.

He sat down on his butt as he reached into his robe for his vocal transmitter. He played back the message from Wennsis which made him smile even though he had to struggle to do so. Adian's desperate and demented plan of kidnapping Rasch was unsuccessful. A few moments later Sarval contacted Zade and told him of what they found in the Reconciliation quarter. They found death. The allied Jedi had already arrived at the Reconciliation quarter and had secured it. They freed every hostage. The Jedi never had to fight a single Council member or ally. That was because when the Jedi arrived, the rogues were already dead. Someone had killed them. Someone had trapped the rogue Jedi Council in a room and filled it with poisonous gas. They all died and all without a hostage killed. Sarval told Zade that Pice and Hub-Hud were still scouting the Reconciliation quarter for an explosive but neither of them expected to find one. Sarval was aiding in freeing the hostages. Some were locked in rooms or other cut off areas. Zade asked Sarval to contact Sienn and tell them that this threat was over.

When their conversation ended, Zade dropped his transmitter to the floor and looked over to Adian. His face actually broke into a smile and this time he didn't struggle to smile. There was no doubt in his mind that the one who had slain the Council and kept the hostages safe, was Adian. When she spoke to him, she was full of regret and misery over her actions. She was a proud Jedi Master drowning in a whirlpool of darkness with only a single strand of light acting as her lifeline. But she had sunk so deep into despair that she thought she couldn't get out of it. So she continued to the point of assassinating the Chancellor and invading the Jedi Temple. That must have been her breaking point though. She could no longer accept what she had become. So she killed her own doleful followers and in doing so may have saved her own hostages. Then she led him here. To the place where it all began for her. Where she once stood as a proud Jedi Knight and not a tarnished dictator. Adian wanted her last act to be one of mercy and not the genocide of innocents. In the end, what Adian had done in her lifetime was seemingly unforgivable. However, Zade felt a wave of relief that in her final moments she had reached out and clutched her final strand of that lifeline and pulled herself from the whirlpool of darkness. Even if it killed her to do so. He knew there would be many who would never be able to forgive Adian for her sins. There are two things a sinner needs. Salvation and forgiveness. Zade gave her both. He forgave her. He gave her a silent promise to give her a funeral worthy of a true Jedi. Zade knew this would be a moment he'd always remember and learn from. There is always a hope for redemption to those who have fallen to the dark.

((Author's note: The next few months may be busy ones for me. I'll soon be helping my sister and borhter-in-law move, I'm looking for a house for myself to move into which is taking up allot of my time, and I will also be starting a new job soon but that won't be taking up too much of my writing time since it's mainly around the weekends and I rarely write on the weekends anyways. So new chapters will come when they come. I try to do a new chapter every two weeks but it may be more like three weeks now. I'm not sure. It may not change at all. We'll see.))