Chapter 21
"Obi-Wan, those things don't stop until they die!" shouted Ahsoka as the Bando Gora charged toward them. "Kill them where they stand!"
"Under the circumstances, I would say such an approach is warranted," Obi-Wan agreed. He then grabbed a table with the force and sent it flying toward a column of the creatures, crushing many of them. Ahsoka then sliced through many more of the monsters with her two lightsabers. Obi-Wan beheaded the last of the creatures in the room. "I also find myself regretting my decision to let Anakin go on vacation."
"No one could have predicted this," Ahsoka replied. "In any event, we need to help secure the temple and deal with these monsters elsewhere. Those staffs the captains use are resistant to lightsabers. Just keep that in mind."
"Indeed I will," said the Jedi Master. "If we are to fight this menace effectively, we will need to restore power. We need to get to the basement so I can input my access code into the emergency generator. From there, we will be able to track the movement of those creatures and perhaps isolate them with the security doors."
After ensuring that no Bando Gora remained in the room, the pair continued their way into the temple. The Dark Side mutations made the creatures very hard to sense, so they kept their lightsabers ignited, illuminating the grand hallway. The massive corridor was unusually quiet and empty, with only distant sounds of battle and much debris from blown out conduits and lights scattered about, no doubt destroyed when the power went out. There were also several dead Jedi and at least twenty Bando Gora corpses strewn about the hall. The Jedi had torn throats and broken bones, while the Gora were cut to pieces. Just then, the two Jedi heard a loud, creaking sound coming from above. Five seconds later, the roof above them collapsed as the air vent gave way. Crashing down with it was dozens of Bando Gora. After a moment, the monsters turned and rushed toward Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. Ahsoka was able to cut through several with her lightsaber while Obi-Wan danced around the monsters, slicing through several more. One of the captains swung its staff at Obi-Wan, only to be blocked and swiftly decapitated by Obi-Wan's counterattack. Ahsoka jumped around several of the monsters, cutting through seven of them. Then, a massive statue above them started to crack. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka jumped away to avoid being crushed along with the Bando Gora. After it came crashing down, one green lightsaber and one blue appeared. The two Jedi then cut through ten of the remaining monsters while Ahsoka and Obi-Wan handled the rest. After the creatures were dealt with, the two Jedi approached and revealed themselves to be Luminara and Barriss.
"Master Unduli, I was not expecting to see you again so soon," said Obi-Wan.
"Neither was I, Master Kenobi," replied Luminara. "We were halfway to the med bay when the power went out and were immediately swarmed by those things. I think you described something similar after your mission to Kohlma, Ahsoka."
"Those are indeed the creatures I was talking about, Master Luminara," confirmed Ahsoka. "Narrisa sent them here as part of her newest scheme, no doubt."
"We will have to worry about that later," said Barriss. "Given the size of the Jedi Temple and the number of Bando Gora we have already encountered, I estimate that there are roughly three times as many Gora as there are Jedi present. There are roughly three hundred Masters, Knights, Padawans, and Trainees at the Jedi Temple today, so we are outnumbered and need to deal with them as soon as possible. Master Kenobi, our best chance of neutralizing this invasion is for us to go to the basement and use your security code for activating the system backup. That way, we can coordinate with the others more efficiently and use the building's systems against the Gora."
"Thank you, Barriss, we have already come to that conclusion," replied Obi-Wan. "We shall do so as soon as-"
Before Obi-Wan could finish his sentence, they all felt a cry for help through the Force. Ahsoka sensed it was close by, only a few rooms down. Something about the call for aid seemed familiar to her. Without uttering a word, the four Jedi sprinted to where they felt the distress call coming from. Without stopping, Ahsoka blasted the door off its hinges. The four Jedi saw a massive pack of the Dark Side mutants attacking Tera Sinube and a group of trainees. One of the trainees was already lying down on the ground, peppered with a dozen of those darts the Gora used to attack their enemies from afar. Sinube was doing his best but one of his ankles was already broken and his defense was faltering. The four Jedi rushed to help the elderly Master, cutting through countless Gora as they did. Before they could rescue him, however, he fell and was bludgeoned to death by three Bando Gora captains. Ahsoka threw a table at the three monsters, crushing them and several other Gora. She rushed up to the trainees. They were the group that she had taken to The Gathering on Ilum.
"Ahsoka, you need to help Zatt and Master Sinube!" shouted Katooni. "They are hurt and they need our help! We are alright but they aren't moving!"
"Katooni, listen to me," Ahsoka said calmly. "I cannot save them, they are already gone." The Togruta Knight then let the young Tholothian hug her and cry on her shoulder.
"Why would they do this?" Bryph said in the Ithorian language. "We didn't do anything to them and Master Tera and Zatt never hurt anyone!"
"Because, they are creatures of the Dark Side," said Luminara. "They do not pity or have any empathy and they seek to kill every-"
"Master, you aren't helping," Barriss whispered to Luminara. "They are scared little boys and girls who just watched their teacher and a friend they have known their entire lives get brutally murdered. They need to be reassured, not terrified."
As Barriss explained to her Master the necessity of being reassuring and comforting during a tragedy, Ahsoka looked to Katooni and Petro, the two most skilled members of the group.
"Do you know the old communications room at the end of the hall?" she asked the young Jedi.
"Yes," sniffed Katooni, trying to hold back the tears of losing a friend and a caring teacher.
"Go in there and lock yourselves inside," she said. "Barriss will come with you to keep you safe."
Barriss was a little surprised at the assignment but she knew that it was necessary. It would also let Luminara relax about her wellbeing, since she hadn't undergone a medical checkup yet.
"Are you sure about that, Master Ahsoka?" asked Gungi rather nervously.
"Barriss is our friend," reassured Ahsoka. "You did not see Barriss fighting Master Skywalker, you saw an impersonator. You can trust her, guys."
The Clan of trainees seemed reassured by this, and accepted Ahsoka's judgement. They then turned to Barriss, who looked back at them.
"Okay, everyone stay behind me as we move down to the communications room," she said.
Barriss led the group out of the room and to their next destination. After making sure there weren't any monsters coming from the opposite direction, the other three Jedi continued on their journey to the generator room. As they progressed, they continued to come across signs of battle. Numerous dismembered corpses littered the ground, with several Jedi lying between them. The Jedi here had tried their best but they had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of monsters that swarmed them from all sides. It was likely other Jedi would in the temple would face similar odds. Just another reason why they needed to reactivate the generator. The trio walked to the end of the hall and came to a massive stairwell. After making sure there weren't any creatures inside, they started walking down toward the generator room. Eventually, they reached the bottom. After going inside the room, Obi-Wan walked up to the control panel and input the access code he had received after becoming a councilmember. After a minute of humming, the generator turned back on, lighting up the room and the rest of the temple.
"Luminara, the security monitors are right over there," Obi-Wan said. "I will activate the circuits for the remote override function, Ahsoka will help you operate the systems." The cameras throughout halls were a new addition to the Jedi Temple. Before the war, most of the cameras in the building were used for recording messages and holocalls. After Cad Bane had infiltrated the Jedi Temple so successfully, however, the security cameras were installed throughout the temple. They were also capable of seeing through holographic disguises, such as the one Cato Parasitti had used to impersonate the murdered Ord Enisence, as well as scan for any unauthorized droids in the building. Some of the Jedi Councilmembers were a little skeptical at the idea but, as Anakin pointed out, some things were harder to sense with the Force. After Obi-Wan went to the circuit breaker, Ahsoka looked at Luminara.
"Master Luminara, sit down in the chair," instructed Ahsoka. "That monitor will allow you to see everything in the selected camera's field of vision. You will also be able to activate the announcement system to speak to any Jedi present. As for operating it-"Before Ahsoka could continue, her comlink started beeping.
"Ahsoka, this is Barriss," the voice on the other end identified itself. "Thank you for restoring power but I'm afraid I have bad news."
"What is it Barriss?" Ahsoka asked.
"I can see out of the window now that the lights are back on," Barriss answered. "It looks like that we aren't the only people on Coruscant to lose power. The only light out there is the occasional speeder and a few fires. It looks like about two thousand others have been turned into those creatures and are headed up the walkway. Recommend you activate those security doors."
"Obi-Wan, we have company headed our way!" she shouted. "We need that override now!"
"Done. Activate the security doors to keep more of them out and then isolate the rest of those creatures," Obi-Wan calmly said, Ahsoka immediately complying with the order. "I am also sending a distress signal describing the situation to anyone who can respond. Luminara, go with Ahsoka to help secure the temple, I will stay here and operate the systems."
Ahsoka and Luminara nodded at the councilmember and walked out of the room, closing the door on their way out. Halfway to the top of the stairwell, Ahsoka activated her wristcom.
"Barriss, the doors are closed, but that will only slow them down," said Ahsoka. "Are Katooni and her friends secure?"
"The vents to this chamber are too small for the Gora to crawl through, and the door will lock when I leave, so yes," answered Barriss. "Where should I meet up with the three of you?"
"Obi-Wan is operating the systems, so it is just me and your master," clarified Ahsoka. "We are in the stairwell right now but the library is the closest place we can meet."
"I will see you there in three minutes," said Barriss. "May the Force be with us."
"Indeed," said Ahsoka as the comlink ended. As they approached the library, she couldn't help but wonder what Narrisa was up to.
Elsewhere…
Far from the Jedi Temple, Narrisa Dansitius was very pleased with herself. She had managed to turn hordes of Republic citizens into Bando Gora using a fast-acting, airborne strain of the Bando Gora toxin, and send them against various targets across the planet. Large swaths of the Underlevels were now swarming with the creatures. Thanks to her sabotage of the Jedi Temple, the ancient structure would soon be overrun with the monsters. All of that was simply a distraction from her real goal, however. Here she was, in a rundown asylum filled with suicidal individuals and other weaklings who couldn't handle their basic insecurities and whom she thought were better off dead. Unknown even to the staff she had killed, one of the supposed patients wasn't ill at all. She opened the door to one of the rooms. Inside was a human woman in her late thirties to early forties, with gold and red striped hair.
"Who are you?" asked the supposed patient.
"I am your rescuer, Doctor Uthan," answered Narrisa, grinning as she did so. "It is time for you to continue your work."
That's right, Palpatine is planning on using his insurance policy against the clones. As always, read and review.