A/N: Ronhar Kim is a Jedi Knight from the old Dark Horse comics. Brownie points if you can remember which comic he was in, or the book!
Disclaimer: Really? You have to ask?
Luminara took a deep breath, inhaling the freshly cold air. Even now, a full day after the most recent rainfall, between the cold and the water the smells of the plant life of the gardens remained kept at bay. Exhaling, she again examined the sight before her. She had traced this to here, beginning from the mansion's rear exit. This cluster of plant life was big enough of a barrier to hide the act of kidnapping, and the music and noise of the guests would have covered any noise made out here. It didn't shed any light as to who did the actual kidnapping, however, but she was hearing a timely, noisy arrival of a certain person who would be able to help her answer that question. She turned to see his arrival.
"Master Luminara?" He covered his surprise well, moving quickly inwards where the cover was undoubtedly better suited for his height. If they could see the mansion from the gaps between the tall shrubs, even staggered as they were, then someone there could probably see them.
"Senator Organa." She nodded in acknowledgement. "It is good to see you again."
"Likewise, Master Jedi, but if I may be so bold, why are you here?"
"This is about my padawan, Senator. She has been kidnapped."
"Your padawan? I haven't seen her, Master Jedi."
"Did you see Marana Kiln's daughter?" She raised an eyebrow at him, causing him to pause in reflection. "Ah…" he trailed off.
"Yes. My padawan was masquerading as Madam Kiln's stepdaughter."
"I see." He breathed out, obviously having questions. She waited to let him collect his thoughts. He drew in another breath before continuing.
"Madam Kiln said that the girl hadn't been feeling well, and had been driven home early." She noted that this released breath was longer, more contemplative. "I see she has downplayed this like she has so many other issues."
"My padawan disappeared from here. I was hoping to find the traces of the fight, although the rain probably washed away all traces."
"Is… is she from this planet?"
"Yes. We came here originally for another purpose, when the request was made. The ball my padawan attended was part of the request."
"I see." He turned around to fully face her. His face was always serious-looking, and no less so now. "And you just arrived here?"
"A couple days ago," Luminara responded with an affirming nod.
"Then who's the other girl? The other girl, the one who looks exactly like her?" He stared at her, looking to be in disbelief of what he was actually saying. "You know how slim it is to find someone who looks exactly like another person, even in this large galaxy of ours?"
"I understand. Unfortunately, I don't know." As she relayed those words, she could feel something glimmer on the edge of her conscious mind. It was shining through the muted end of the bond she shared with her padawan, and that shimmer gradually became brighter. She focused in on it with all her might, trusting Bail Organa to understand what she was doing. Within that brightened shine came words, and the words were heaved with a strength borne from a pain and desperation so familiar that Luminara, for once, regretted going along with Master Yoda on this decision. How she had hoped that her padawan wouldn't be forced to endure the same amount of pain and agony again.
/Master! I'm here! It's an underground lab, and – / Abruptly the link was severed.
"No!" she groaned, before her propriety quickly kicked back in.
"Master Luminara?" The Senator inquired, an alarmed look on his face.
Ani knew she'd never complain about any bed she slept on ever again, even her quarters on the ship. Time had no meaning in this dank place. It never returned to the darkness that she had awoke in, instead remaining in some sort of twilight state. That is, the lights above her remained on, not fully bright white but more of a pulsing yellow, with a humming that still accompanied it, joined by an occasional buzzing chorus. If that wasn't bad enough, she was only released from her restraints twice a day (by her reckoning), each time by the bounty hunter, each time with an injection. The injections were all the same; the nausea and dizziness were disorienting enough without the tantalizing rush of the Force, cut off a mere second later and thus making her more susceptible to the dizziness and the nausea. Her lightsabers were still somewhere, the location she did not know. There were a lot of things she didn't know and it was ticking her off more and more every time she was jolted from a restless sleep to go through the procedure. She tried to remain calm, between the breathing exercises and the note taking she'd been taught, but without the Force she felt adrift, untethered from her safety net and link to her master. Because of that she felt more and more aggressive, more so than usual.
Now, though, she had someone to talk to. It was one of the last people she'd care to talk to, but she didn't have a choice. The Mandalorian apparently knew the right questions to ask, or maybe Kiln had given her a brief backstory? Regardless, the helmet was more effective than a straight, non-blinking stare. The realization hit the padawan right in the middle of telling the bounty hunter what she remembered. She paused only for a moment, though, before continuing. The bounty hunter probably knew the effect her helmet had, and refused to let her realize just how effective. The bounty hunter had sounded curious, willing even to listen to her ramble, and if she continued the ramble maybe she'd find out why. Once she finished, her body tensed in the silence that followed, with every second that ticked by.
"Kid, you realize that there are a lot of blanks in your story, right?"
"Well, I was young," Ani's response was loaded with snark. "I'm intelligent, but I'm not a frakking computer terminal. I don't have every second of every minute of every hour of every day coded into my memory banks." She also had tried and somewhat succeeded in blocking certain memories from entering her conscious mind, which wasn't entirely surprising. Besides, all Jedi-in-training were dissuaded from learning about where they had come from and dwelling on their respective pasts upon arriving at the Temple. However, despite the training, her subconscious couldn't forget everything. What she tried hardest to forget turned into shadows hovering at the edge of her mind, expressed solely through nightmares. Becoming an apprentice had given her hope that her new master would be able to help her erase away her memories completely, leaving no more room for nightmares. That… never happened, first due to the war, and then… her breakdown.
"True." The bounty hunter cocked her head, again keeping the visor fully facing the padawan. "Do you realize the importance of what you forgot?"
"Maybe," Ani said, suppressing the hurt she felt at hearing that question. "It shouldn't be surprising to you, but we Jedi-in-training were dissuaded from learning about where they had come from. Besides, don't you think I immediately tried to forget all of it upon arriving at the Temple? This is painful stuff!" she finished fiercely. Part of her regretted her quick temper, easily hurt and snappy in response. However, another part of her was fine with it. Maybe if she kept dawdling…
"I know you'd try to forget it." The Mandalorian sniffed derisively. "The Jedi do their best to drill that into you. I never thought they'd succeed with you, however. You were extremely spirited."
"Things happen," Ani said, swallowing hard. "Besides, maybe it's better it happened this way. I never wanted to come back, regardless of what I was taught." Kiln must have briefed this bounty hunter. She appeared to have too much knowledge already of what had happened, or perhaps this was her form of an interrogation technique. The bounty hunter was skilled, to give credit where due. She was gleaning information from the captive.
However, it was not without it's own set of drawbacks. Ani was sensing the Force coming back to her, and quicker than she had imagined. The more she stalled for time, the likelihood that she could send a full message across increased. Better yet, if she could startle the bounty hunter long enough to escape her prison here and remain free long enough, which would help her get out of here on top of being in contact again with her master.
But what would she say? "Master, I've been captured. I'm stuck in a lab that I don't know the location, and my crazy stepmother is going back and forth by some way that I know not of. Please, rescue me." Yeah, she didn't like how that sounded. No location, and no clue as to how her stepmother moved about. And what if her master wasn't at the estate? No, she had to word it differently. Maybe she could send it out, similar to a sonar signal? Yes, maybe she should do it like that. Would it work? It wasn't an exact science, but then again nothing with the Force was. At the very least, she would be keeping her master's search going.
Now that it was time again, the bounty hunter bringing her down for another injection, her plan of action went into fruition. She went limp, startling the bounty hunter into completely loosing the grip on her wrists. She caught herself headfirst, stabilizing enough for a kick towards the Hunter's head. The bounty hunter flinched back, just barely missing the kick. Dizzy with the rush of blood to her head, as well as the lack of nutrition caused black spots to wink in and out of her vision, and Ani dropped the rest of the way to the floor. Her feet rolled into position automatically and she stood, stumbling toward the entrance.
"Oh no you don't." A shoulder yanked on her shoulder just before the knee slammed into her gut. Breathing was ten times more difficult, as if she didn't have enough difficulties already. However, the timing worked out, as the Force began flowing through her. She ducked her head and rolled her shoulders forward, getting her out of the grip but almost tripping over the legs. She again let her whole body drop, spin around to face her assailant, and one hand out sent a Force push. Her vision wasn't in focus yet, but she could hear a satisfying slam of something - in this case, someone - hitting a wall. Too tired to relish the small victory, she turned to exit the room – and ran into someone else. Sithspit. A needle entered her arm before she could react, and again the Force receded.
/NO! Master!/She reached out then frantically and forcefully, slightly angry that she hadn't thought to do that in the first place. She sensed her master's signature glimmer in response before the equivalent of a duracrete wall slammed down, cutting her off. Despair returned in full force, and this time it took all she had to keep it at bay. If only she had been paying full attention to her surroundings, she would have made it out.
"Well, I must admit I never expected you to be up and about like this." As Ani was lifted from behind by the bounty hunter, she glared at the woman in front of her.
"Just because you injected me with that nausea-inducing drug doesn't mean you have stopped my will to escape, Kiln," she hissed.
"Actually I was referring to the lack of security in handling one sedated yet obviously still spirited Jedi," Marana Kiln said, glaring beyond the girl. Ani felt absurdly happy that she had ticked off both her captors, before the realization that pain would be more happily inflicted on her quenched that happiness. Her life still sucked right now. "I thought you told me you had handled Jedi before. I thought you could handle one tiny drugged youngling."
"Hey! I'm a padawan," Ani protested quickly. She then bit the inside of her cheek as the familiar feeling of nausea returned, a bit later than expected. Her knees felt wobbly, and she began to sway. Hands grabbing at her from behind were almost welcome, even though she had three guesses (two didn't count) as to who was now dragging her back towards her prison. This was feeling so humiliating.
Bail Organa, to his credit, was a patient Senator. More importantly, he was a good friend of the Jedi. Being such meant he had greater insight into their workings than did a great many other beings. He listened intently to Luminara's side of the story, nodding and speaking only occasionally to let her know he was following her so far. Once she had finished, he looked to be deep in thought, and she let him be. He needed some time to digest the information she had given him so far.
"The only thing I don't get as of yet, Master Jedi, is why have a puppet? Blood rules everything here on Alderaan, even now. To misstep in that area is cause enough for public humiliation, let alone legal action. Why have a puppet of her heir for so long if all she wanted was the actual heir, your padawan, back?"
"I know," she responded, knowing she looked as puzzled as he did. "It's not uncommon for others to petition the Jedi to have their children back due to certain circumstances. Jedi Knight Ronhar Kim found that out, even struggled with that for a couple years." May the Force rest his memory, she silently added. He had been a most valued Jedi Knight, and his padawan too. The friendship with Palpatine had been an extremely valuable asset.
Luminara Unduli rolled the idea around in her head some more. If Marana Kiln was after political points, and validation of her rule, having the puppet made some sense. If the family had never made it known that they had given their little girl to the Jedi, that was one less loose end to worry about cutting off. Since wealthy families tended to educate their children privately, too, that would cut back on the necessary appearances the puppet would have to make as well. The appearances she'd have to make would be the only times she'd be found out, barring the doctor's check-ups for her health. In either case though, if the puppet looked like the girl she was meant to be (and, in the doctor's case, had the appropriate blood type), nothing would seem out of place. Nothing would be questioned. Everything seemed to be normal because that was how it had been these past several years. Their arrival may have shaken up things, but was that an unintended consequence or was that due to Marana Kiln's scheming? If so, she must have known that she'd need Ani's person for something, something that the puppet didn't have. That… that would be…
"Senator," she began, "is there anything unusual about the Kiln family line?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," he replied. Then his brow furrowed, and his gaze deepened in thought. "Well, nothing normally out of the ordinary. Few people know this, and for good reason too," he added, "but the Kiln line has a little royal blood running through their veins. Lady Kiln doesn't have it because she married into the line. Way back in time, after the Sith Wars, a royal ended up relinquishing rights to the crown to another royal. He married someone from the Kiln line – quietly, mind you – and they together kept the Kiln legacy strong. By doing so, all rights to the crown were relinquished, minus the obligatory ones."
"Wait." She blinked. "What are the obligatory ones?"
"Well, barring anything should actually happen," he coughed delicately. "It is written in our laws that only blood can ascend the throne of Alderaan. Given that it is Queen Breha who has control of the throne, and I as her consort, if something happened to either of us, our offspring would inherit the throne. Now, since we don't have any offspring, whoever held the next, most amount of royal blood would take over the throne." Luminara's breath caught in her throat. It took all of her willpower to get the next sentence across.
"Would the Kiln line be eligible?" she asked. He seemed taken aback, but answered her question.
"Well, yes, they would…" he trailed off, his intelligent mind quickly grasping what she meant. "You mean… No. No! Why would Lady Kiln think of such a thing?"
"The timing is too coincidental," she stated matter-of-factly.
"But, to my knowledge and security's, there is no threat of an attack on either me or my wife."
"Answer me this, Senator: have you been attacked at all during this war?"
"Yes, I have." It took answering that question for it to dawn on him. "And it doesn't necessarily require a genius to see that one confrontation gone wrong would leave the queen vulnerable."
"Correct," she said. "Now, I understand you need proof of all of this. Unfortunately," here she gestured at the scorch marks on the grass, "I don't have any at the moment. I will continue to try, though."
"Understood," he nodded. "I offer my assistance in whatever you need, Master Luminara."
"Just with this one lead: in her brief message to me, my padawan told me that she was in a lab of some kind, and that she was underground. Do either of those things mean anything to you?" Bail's breathing was slow and measured, a deep inhale, followed by a deeper exhale. Luminara sensed that this would add to her frustration, but wisely kept silent. She needed to know.
"Only that it could be a bunker, a remnant from our civil war. Every house had at least one, for shelter and protection, as the houses had divided into two factions: for the Queen, or for the Sith. As for lab, I know some bunkers were used as medical stations. I'm sure the Kilns were no exception, but as to where it is located, that's something that you'd either have to find on your own, or ask the Head of the House about it." He didn't need to explain that piece. She doubted that Marana would willingly share that piece of information with her. Good thing Skee had amazing hacking capabilities.
"There isn't some sort of database that you have collected of these bunkers?" she asked, somewhat too hopefully.
"Unfortunately, no. After the war, and the re-dividing up of land and property between the winning and losing houses, most would rather such an obvious tie-in to the devastating conflict was never addressed. It was thousands of years later when some historians and archeologists wanted to look into it. It's still an ongoing project, and not yet published. Like I said, the best place to start would be at the Kiln residence. They probably acquired some amount of property given they sided with royalty."
"I see. I thank you for the help, Senator." She graced him with a little bow. "I shall continue my search then."
"Thank you for alerting me to your search, Master Jedi." He did a little bow back. "Rest assured I shall do what little I can to look into this on my end. Anything else, you know how to reach me."
"Rest assured, Senator, I shall keep you in the loop as I investigate." She nodded, signifying that this would be the end of their conversation, and withdrew first. Gliding through the foliage towards her transport, careful to not disturb as to draw attention to her position, she thought about what Bail had said. Bunkers, the exact number of which no one knew except for a few academics and field scholars, and maybe even they didn't know. Hidden rooms, agendas never were found until accidentally stumbled over. She was willing to bet that Lady Kiln was not the kind of person to give up that information, so any exact location would have to be found through some degree of arduous searching. Well, between Commander Tracker and Captain Hacker (Ani's shorthand, both humorous and painful now), that would help narrow down the search by quite a few klicks, at least on the Kiln estate. She wouldn't draw on the academics at all unless necessary – she still wanted to keep their presence concealed on the planet as much as possible. If this was indeed a plot, there was no sense in drawing even more attention to her and her crew.
She was now over halfway to her transport, when she sensed a shift. It centered around the bond she had formed with her padawan, and it was building in energy. Almost as if awakening from a long slumber, the end slowly sparked back to existence, thrumming with anxiety and desperation, same as before. She stopped in her tracks, her own body tense with anticipation and building focus to absorb as much as she could in that moment. She couldn't track her padawan by any means (Force bonds unfortunately weren't tagged with trackers), but she could extrapolate information about her padawan from the impressions left in the Force. She concentrated hard, using the Force to hone in her focus.
/NO! Master!/ she received on her end. She drew up a little energy to send a response – a comforting one – before she sensed the link close up again. Her padawan sounded frustrated and desperate, a combination which she never wanted to hear again. Angered, she continued her walk. Her strides even sounded determined as she made her way to her transport, "acquired" from the estate.
She needed to look into these "bunkers" right away, starting with the Kiln property. If the Kiln family had acquired any property, that needed to be looked into immediately as well. She climbed into the transport, lifting the comm to her mouth as she got settled.
"Commander Gree, do you read me?"
Skee nodded to Gree as the clone commander responded, speaking over the comm to the Jedi General. He too absorbed the information the general was giving both of them. He had just noted (and begun working on) her requests for information when they heard a crash in the room next door. The room next door – which was formerly the padawan's room. Both clones froze, and the general's voice was momentarily silenced.
What the hell?
They both headed out the door to immediately investigate.
There. The diversion had been done. Wincing at the commotion she just caused, the bounty hunter prepared to leave. That was the trouble with promises made long ago, to beings now deceased. You ended up in inevitably more trouble than you began. A problem that she could have avoided, or even backed out on if she had been smart. That was half her problem, however, and so it was too late now.
To her knowledge, the puppet and her contractor were still in the underground bunker with the Jedi. They would remain that way as the woman prepped the machine, the one that would break the Jedi. If the idiots followed the clues she left them, that would only remain a wish. Did she regret what she was about to do? No. Contracts could be broken; promises were much harder to break, even for an exile.
She ducked out of the room quickly through the air ventilation shaft. The closet had everything that she had been looking for. That late husband had been good for something after all, even in his grief. She couldn't completely blame him, however, having been immobilized by grief once herself. She was lucky all it resulted in was in her being exiled from her clan. He was dead. Hopefully either the clones or the Jedi would have eyes enough to notice the closet, and the items contained within. That was not her problem now, however. Now, she had somewhere to be, a system on which to wreak havoc.
