A/N: So sorry my lovelies for the delay in new chapters. It's been a rather stressful couple of months IRL. However the chapters ARE still coming and there's no intention to stop :)
Jedi Temple
It was one thing to stand at a distance and observe the Temple. It was one thing to stand at its footsteps looking up at the ancient pillars. But to actually walk the ancient halls again after so long. Valanthe almost felt as if she was trespassing in an ancient sanctum. The fact that she was both invited and ordered to attend was a whole different story.
Riis wished she could take her time to once again walk its entire halls, however that was not to be today. Today she needed to brief the Jedi on a dangerous situation that had arisen, and action that needed to be taken. As she rounded a corner towards a briefing centre, she could feel an ancient, powerful presence. One ever calm and ever mildly amused at the world.
Plo Koon. Valanthe thought with a smile.
The Kel-Dor had been of the median opinion back when her fate in the Jedi Order was 'being decided'. He was far from happy with what she had done, but he was not the judgemental one either, willing to have the young Mirialan prove her devotion to the Light Side of the Force and the Jedi.
"Valanthe Riis, it has been a long time." His deep timbre greeted her.
The Mirialan nodded as she approached, an info-pad in hand. "Indeed it has, Master Plo. How have you been? I've heard of the battle of Abregado-Rae...such a loss must have affected you deeply."
Whether or not he was affected by her words was difficult to tell, his facial expression never gave away anything, and his Force signature remained as calm as always. He merely extended a taloned hand towards her.
"We persevere, regardless of the enemy's attempt. My men have suffered the loss to a greater depth." Plo said, his shoulders sagging a little, "they are a strong, severely underrated people." He said.
Valanthe nodded slowly, smiling, "indeed they are." She said, remembering her own former team, Ren's ARC Troopers and Fives and Echo, whom she now worked with within the Special Operations Division of the GAR.
She dearly missed her old job at RMOI. Though she still regularly conversed with Xander and her other colleagues, working for the military was so very different. And now this...
"You are at a crossroads, young one." Said Plo, looking at her curiously as he motioned for her to follow him.
Riis blinked, pausing for a moment before following the Kel-Dor, "I believe so...so many things have happened and are yet to happen...I am, conflicted as to what to do."
"The Force will guide you, young one. When the time comes, you will know what to do." He said as he lead them towards the briefing room.
Vala chuckled softly, "thank you, Master."
"Your briefing, it also troubles you." Plo nudged softly.
"Indeed, but I cannot reveal it here, we must wait for Kenobi and Skywalker." Riis said as they entered the briefing room.
Plo nodded, "they will join us momentarily. They just returned from operations from the Outer Rim."
Valanthe nodded as they stepped down to the small circular podium. "It is so strange to be here again. Part of me feels like a stanger…"
"Part of you feels at home…" Plo supplied, crossing his arms on his chest.
Slowly, Valanthe nodded, "I did not expect to feel it still, after all this time."
It was true. She had thought she was beyond the old antiquated lifestyle, beyond the isolation of the Temple. It had been eight years since she walked among the Jedi as one of them. Eight years that had shown that her choice had been correct. Yet still...these ancient halls felt both familiar and comfortable and a strange, different place from another lifetime ago.
"It will always be part of you, this Temple, the Jedi, the friends you made here, the trials you went through." Plo said kindly, "they molded you into who you are today, Valanthe Riis. Do not think it wrong, however. Your past helps you make decisions towards your future. Embrace it, do not run from it."
Valanthe nodded, quirking her head a little, sensing familiar presences. The ever contained, wise yet ever concerned, Obi-Wan. The burning ember that sought freedom, Anakin. There was one she had not felt since her team got off of Balmorra. Loyal, reliable and very closed off, Commander Cody. Then there were Echo and Fives. Somehow it made perfect sense for Anakin to want the two ARCs with him on this mission. The two had been on 501st related assignments for a few weeks now, so Valanthe hadn't seen much of the two men since they'd started working together.
"Ah, Valanthe!" Obi-Wan exclaimed as the small group descended the steps, "so good to see you again, old friend."
"Hello again, Vala. How are you?" Anakin jumped in, grinning brightly, not to be outdone.
"It is good to see both again, you as well, Commander Cody." Valanthe bowed slightly to them, "Fives, Echo, welcome back, gentlemen."
Almost as one, the three clones echoed, "thank you, Commander."
There was a mutual sense amusement among the Jedi, before the holo-projector flickered and an image of Captain Rex appeared.
"Hello again, Captain Rex." Valanthe greeted as she turned to face the newcomer.
"Commander, Generals, troopers." Rex greeted professionally and quickly.
"I wish I was here on a happier occasion." Valanthe stepped over to the main console of the holo-projector, "I assume you all know what has happened to Master Piell."
After a collective round of nods, she connected her info-pad to the projector and initiated several commands, bringing up an image of an ancient looking building.
"We have learned that Master Piell and what is left of his crew is being held at The Citadel. As you all know, The Cidatel was designed as an impenetrable prison, one designed to hold rogue Jedi on the planet Lola Sayu." Valanthe began the briefing. "Nowadays it is in the hands of the CIS, with one Osi Sobeck as its warden. To this date, noone has has escaped."
Anakin spoke up, confidence and challenge in his voice, "there's a first time for everything."
In sync with his former apprentice and now practically brother, Obi-Wan added, "indeed there is."
"We need to be cautious none the less." Plo advised.
Valanthe nodded, "indeed you must. With almost no reconnaissance available due to their security measures, we have managed to construct a crude map based on known information and old archival data from the Temple, kindly provided by Master Sinube and Master Plo." The Mirialan nodded to the Kel-Dor.
"The data is difficult to rely on at the best of times," Plo said, gesturing to the tunnel schematic which now appeared, "due to our information being extremely old."
"The facility was built roughly 530 years ago…" Valanthe supplied.
"So, we are essentially going in blind," Anakin spoke up again.
Holo-Rex interjected before more could be said, "with respect, Generals, how do we know Master Piel is still alive?"
"The Separatists need him alive," Plo said, crossing his clawed hands behind his back, "so long as he has the information, he is useful to them."
"The information being a secret set of coordinates known as the Nexus Route. It travels into the heart of Republic and Separatist space." Valanthe supplied. "This is what Master Peel was in possession of when he was captured."
She could see Echo and Fives behind Cody, their Force signatures clearly displaying wonder as to how such a leak could have happened. How did the Separatists learn the Republic had this information?
It was what Valanthe wondered herself. But this was within the RMOI purview, something she no longer had full access to. Now, she was GAR Spec Ops Intel Liaison, which meant she was on limited access to intel pertaining to the GAR and their operations. She would have to ask Night later if he knew anything about how the Separatists got wind of this crucial find.
"These coordinates could prove vital to maneuvring our forces into remote separatist sectors." Obi-Wan began.
"Or the enemy could use them to slip through our defenses and attack Coruscant." Anakin added.
"These hyper-lanes are of immense interest to both our sides," Plo nodded, "and could tip the scale of the war to whoever is in the possession of them."
"So you all understand the necessity of finding a way into the Citadel to rescue Master Piel. Make no mistake about this, gentlemen, this is a mission of utmost secrecy. Noone beyond this room and Masters Yoda and Windu may know about this." Valanthe urged.
"Based on the archive schematics, we have narrowed it down to three possible locations they could be holding Master Piell." Plo said.
"My greatest concern is penetrating their outer security," Obi-Wan said, his expression one of utmost seriousness. "The life form scanners will not be easy to fool."
Anakin was already thinking uncoventionally ahead as was his usual way, "I've got a thought about that."
"Oh?" Valanthe raised an eyebrow.
"What masks lifesigns yet is common to not raise suspicion if discovered?" Anakin looked over at Valanthe with a grin.
"Oh that's very clever. Carbonite freezing." Valanthe chuckled.
"That's right!"
"Very clever indeed," Obi-Wan agreed.
"If there are any other questions, pose them now because time is of the essence. Master Piell is strong, but even the strongest can break if pressured for long enough." Valanthe cautioned.
She could feel a sense of pride and approval projected towards her from Plo and Obi-Wan, while Fives and Echo projected admiration.
"Everyone clear on what your objective is? Rescue Master Piell and his crew and attain the Nexus Route coordinates?" Valanthe asked again.
After another collective round of nods, the Mirialan dismissed the Jedi and the Clones.
As they exited the briefing room, Valanthe felt Fives and Echo hesitate momentarily. Making her good byes to the Jedi, Valanthe turned to them once she realized they were still there, waiting.
"You're not coming with us…" Fives stated, his Force signature dimming as she nodded slowly.
"I've got a different assignment I need to take care of." Valanthe sighed. She didn't, not really, but it beat saying that she was pretty much barred from Jedi related missions, even if she would be going in a GAR capacity. She didn't have the heart to tell them just on how many levels she was still shunned from the Jedi society.
Echo nodded, "we'll get them out, Commander."
"I know," Vala smiled, doing her best to hide her concern from them. The Citadel was not a place for anyone. "I have faith in you."
Their Force signatures brightened. The two men seemed to stand taller too, taller than their usual, military stance.
"Come back in one piece, okay?" Valanthe placed a hand on each of their shoulders, nodding solemnly to them.
The atmosphere grew thick with swirling, confusing emotions. It was Fives and Echo who broke it by putting on their helmets and saluting her.
In as best a military posture as she could muster, Valanthe snapped to attention and saluted the two ARC Troopers. "Force be with you, gentlemen."
"And you, Commander." Fives replied thickly as the trio relaxed their stances. "We better join the others."
Valanthe nodded, giving her silent permission for them to leave. The two began to walk away. The Mirialan slowly turned, watching the two blue and white figures among the sea of brown and beige. There was a heavy feeling about the place, something indescribably wrong. She couldn't tell what it was. It was almost as if she was saying farewell, though she couldn't pinpoint why, or to whom.
Shaking her head out of her reverie, Valanthe decided to focus on what she could do, what she could influence. For that she needed information. She needed to talk to Xander. He was working an angle, and he would periodically send her data to one of the several dead drops she had set up. Vala needed to see if he'd learned anything more.
The heavy feeling started washing away as she departed the Temple, walking down the promenade. Valanthe felt slightly guilty, turning her thoughts away from the mission and her men going into one of the most dangerous places in the Galaxy. How easily she was able to turn her thoughts away and disconnect from the emotion attached to it.
How Jedi of me. Turning from those in need for the sake of putting out another fire elsewhere without regard for the consequences of leaving too soon? Vala thought to herself as she descended the steps, pulling her coat around her tighter, as the artificial air around her seemingly grew cold. Or was it just her imagination?
Gallifrey Lane, Sector 2-12, sometime later
Gallifrey Lane was a study in opposites, when it came to who lived on it. While most of the apartments were designed by Benits Stinex, an architect famous throughout the Republic, frequently known as 'the Old Man', it was the rest of the buildings that kept the Lane from being high end, keeping it only at partly affluent level. The rest of the buildings were quite clearly built by 'new money' families, many of which fell into disrepair once the families moved on to more elite neighborhoods.
One such was number 22, an apartment building in which Xander Night lived. It was unremarkable in its look and upkeep, which was pretty much perfect for who he was and what he did.
Which made it all the more confusing when Valanthe sensed a great number of clones and others near number 22 as she approached the complex. Among the emergency responders, there was also a forensics vehicle, as well as several vehicles she recognized as belonging to RMOI.
What is going on? Valanthe wondered as she came to a stop about a hundred meters from the building. She could see the colours and markings of the Coruscant Guard on the clone armour. RMOI doesn't get this much fanfare, ever.
"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to step away,." a clone's voice broke through her thoughts.
The green skinned woman blinked, "what's going on, Trooper?"
"There has been an incident, ma'am. Please, step away,." the trooper replied, his gauntleted hand tightening around his rifle.
Valanthe rolled her eyes visibly, the sense of urgency and dread, filling her. So much so in fact, she completely ignored the fact that this poor man was just doing his job and did not deserve her ire.
"Yes, I can see there's been an incident! I am asking what's happened!" Valanthe growled, not stopping her approach.
"Ma'am, remain where you are!" He raised his weapon deftly, pointing it at her, "this is CT-8976-92, I need…"
Valanthe's arm shot out, "you need nothing. It was just an animal. False alarm,." sShe said in a calm, even tone, lilac eyes focused on his head, where the man's eyes would be.
"Trooper! CT-8976-92, what's going on?" Came over his wristcom.
"Nothing, sir. It was just an animal. False alarm. Sector is clear,." said the Trooper almost mechanically.
The communication was cut. The Mirialan's hand raised again, "you will forget you saw me."
"I will forget I saw you." The Trooper nodded stiffly, slowly turning and returning to his post.
Valanthe nodded, stepping backwards, assessing the situation through her training as well as opening herself to the Force. She was trying to isolate a specific Force signature, one very familiar, almost comforting in the confidence that she always associated to it.
I can't find you! Panic and dread swiftly returned.
Valanthe ducked behind the nearest corner and leaned against the wall. Her heart was beating fast, almost thundering in her ears. Calm down! Focus! Breathe! Taking a long, deep breath she tried to expel the negative emotions through breathing out. Slowly, slower than she would have liked, the feelings abated and calm returned.
She needed to get into that building and see for herself what was going on. Should she just waltz back in there and reveal who she is and thus her connection to Night? Didn't he get her reassigned just for that reason? To distance them in the face of the public so that they both could perform their investigations without too much interference. Could she use her skills on everyone she passed to implant suggestions and thereby pass by under false pretense?
She shook her head at herself. It was likely that she would come across a strong mind or two on whom her skills would not have an effect and then she would be in trouble. Hurting people today was not on her list.
So that left her with one option. Taking another deep breath, Valanthe pulled the Force about her, slowly shimmering out of sight.