Chapter Twenty-Seven
32 BBY
~ Kya Ranor ~
I knelt down, examining the dark spots marking the floor. Blood. And I knew exactly whose it was, too.
The thought that Sidious had done this to get revenge on me only made my blood boil all the more. Anakin was just a child; there was no reason for Sidious to harm him. True, Anakin would be the deciding factor in the wars to come, but to attack him when he was just a child?
"You've sunk to new lows, Sidious," I muttered, rising. I turned to see that Master Gallia had joined Masters Windu, Billaba, and Jinn in a low conversation. Obi-Wan was leaning against a wall, his expression troubled. I could tell that he was burning to ask me something, but he didn't say anything.
I was glad of it. Obi-Wan and I had not spoken directly since our . . . encounter outside. Nor had we communicated via our bond, choosing instead to close down our respective ends. As a result, our bond – once strong and vibrant – was now fading. If we left it neglected long enough, it would fade.
I took a step and then frowned. More blood? I could still see the spots of blood marking a small trail that moved haphazardly over the corridor. But these spots were smaller and more spread out than the first few, as though they had fallen from a greater height. Maybe he levitated Anakin? Sidious was certainly strong enough to do that. And he wouldn't want to dirty his hands, even though he had already taken on this rather lowly task.
I glanced behind me. The Masters were still arguing, and Obi-Wan had joined the conversation. I could tell by the disapproving gleam in Master Windu's eyes that Obi-Wan had just sided with Master Jinn, whatever the last had said, and that neither Master Windu nor Master Billaba approved of whatever it was.
Rolling my eyes at them, I turned back around. They wouldn't notice me doing a little exploring. And I liked the idea of doing it alone the first time. The more hunters you bring, the faster the prey hears. It was, after all, an old piece of advice my first Master had taught me when I learned how to operate during stealth missions, where the most important thing was not getting the job done, but doing everything with the least amount of people – and noise.
Carefully and slowly, I raised the special shields my first Master had taught me – the ones that covered any changes in my mind and emotions so that others would sense the same thing and not be alarmed. I had used the shields often during interrogations, to conceal my inner feelings of pain and present a calm, defiant facade to frustrate my captors. Such shields would help the Masters not sense my plans or my leaving.
Calling on the Force to aid my eyes, I followed the trail. It wove back and forth across the corridor, as though the person was either really drunk or just wanted to walk back and forth tons of times. Well, I don't think Sidious was drunk when he did this. Or he could be. It might've been what gave him the courage to strike at a Jedi Initiate in the heart of the Jedi High Council. But then again, Sidious doesn't exactly fear the Council, I thought, scowling.
My eyes followed the trail for a few more minutes before . . . a dead end. I blinked, completely surprised. What the – Reaching up, I pressed one of my hands against the wall. It was solid. Have I been tricked or something? Even Sidious doesn't have the power to walk through walls!
Standing up, I tried to collect my calm before I alerted the Masters that something was wrong. I ran my hands over the wall, closing my eyes to be able to feel the wall better without visual distractions.
Someone placed their hand . . . here, I thought, feeling the faded warmth on the wall through my heightened senses. I placed my hand there, in exactly the same place, but nothing happened. Hmm . . . Maybe not here exactly. . . Let's see. . .
I moved my hand gently upward, trying to see if there were any cracks or pads or something I could find. For a good half a minute I let my hand trace the path until –
Got it! My fingers slid into the crevice, and I sensed a pad there. It had three indentions obviously meant for three fingers. With the Force's aid, I carefully placed them there.
All of the Jedi behind me jumped as the wall slid open. I removed my fingers with a satisfied smile. Sidious did have escape tunnels. . . No wonder it was so hard for us to track him. . .
"How did you find that?" Master Billaba asked, astonished. "I didn't sense anything unusual about that wall."
"You wouldn't have sensed a difference," I said absently. I had a sneaking suspicion about this wall. I ignited my lightsaber and jabbed at the wall, ignoring the shocked inhales of the Jedi. Sure enough, my lightsaber sputtered out within seconds of contact.
"And here they told us it was a new thing," I muttered. I raised my voice so they could hear me. "Cortosis ore. It has the ability to shut down lightsabers and it's also pretty resistant to blaster fire."
"I've never heard of such a thing," Master Windu murmured.
"You won't until the Clone Wars, about . . . ten years from now," I said. "That's when a group of Jedi ran into some people who had cortosis fibers woven into their armor. That was quite a shock, seeing our lightsabers connect and then just sputter out."
"Does it have any weaknesses?" Master Jinn asked, his eyes fixed on the part of wall we could still see.
"Yeah." I punched it, calling on the Force to strength my blow, and it cracked easily. "It's very brittle. And if you slice it enough with your lightsaber, eventually you'll get through." I caught Master Windu's eye. "If you use the shatterpoint, it'll give way."
I slipped into the tunnel, and felt the other Jedi exchange glances behind me. "You coming or staying?" I asked, not even bothering to turn around.
~ Obi-Wan Kenobi ~
I eyed the tunnel with consternation. Go into a creepy, dark, probably infested and baited tunnel? No thank you. But it wasn't like I really had a choice.
Kya had already starting moving without waiting for us. Clearly, she was going to investigate no matter what.
I sighed. I hadn't seen a Padawan with such a single-minded determination since Siri. Siri. . . The memories that arose at the thought of Siri Tachi were quickly pushed away, though, as I followed my Master into the tunnel.
It seemed like we traveled a long time in the tunnel. Pretty soon it got so dark that I was forced to rely on the Force and my bond with my Master to guide me. I wondered how Kya was able to find her way, but brushed it off when I stepped into a large puddle.
Gross! I thought, disgusted.
I heard a mental laugh. Oops. Sorry, Padawan, I should have warned you about that.
Yes, you should have. I paused for a moment. How is Kya finding her way down here? I'm barely coping even with both the Force and the bond.
I felt my Master stiffen slightly. She is a lot stronger in the Force than you. . . She's already stopped me from hitting my head on the tunnel three times.
I felt a pang of something in my chest. She had spoken to Qui-Gon, but not to me?
My Master must have sensed my stress. Do not worry about her, Padawan. She probably assumed that I would pass on her warnings to you. . . The less amount of Force she uses, the easier it is to remain undetected.
I barely repressed a scoff. If anyone glanced down here with the Force aiding their eyes, our live forces would shine like glowsticks anyway, I pointed out. Using the Force to help see probably'll just make us a little bit brighter, that's all.
I heard my Master's familiar mental laugh at the same time a brilliant flash of light made us all jump. I heard a hiss from Kya as she leapt back and automatically landed in a defensive crouch. I started and half-drew my lightsaber, although I did not ignite it – the way it was, I had a greater chance of hurting another Jedi then an enemy.
The light faded then, and there was silence again.
I felt a powerful mind brush against my own, broadcasting Kya's words. I marveled at the sheer power she could bring to bear, and the control she must have, to project her words yet prevent her strength from overwhelming us. Her mind was like a dark yet clear lake that promised deeper and stronger depths the farther you swam.
This is a special gate that is triggered by use of the Force, she said. If anyone using the Force touches it, it flashes up.
I have never heard of that before, I heard Master Windu object.
Kya gave a mental snort. Of course you haven't. It isn't supposed to be invented until for another three years, at least. It was incorporated into the Jedi commando units as a defense against some of D – I mean, Tyranus's more dangerous Dark Acolytes, but only after it was used against a Jedi team first.
How do you get past it? I inquired. I wished I could use our bond to sense how she was feeling right now, but dared not to with two Jedi Masters behind me.
Kya hesitated. You have to just not use the Force at all. And you can't touch the wall or the ground either – as a Jedi, your latent talent will set it off anyway. If you're caught when the gate flares, you'll be in serious trouble.
No doubt, my Master said dryly. Well, apprentice, can you demonstrate how to get through?
Yes. But you'll have to turn on a light or something; Force-enhanced senses will trigger the gate, and you can't see me without the Force. I don't want to get fried just so you can see me jump through, you know.
There was silence again as Kya's mind withdrew and I heard one of the Masters rummaging around for a light. I exhaled sharply as Kya withdrew, missing the contact of her mind, then berated myself – her presence should not be so . . . addictive . . . yes, I should not yearn for it and miss it when I lost it . . . I was Jedi. . .
But I love her, I argued silently.
She is not meant for you, came the gentle reproof from my consciousness. Kya Ranor is part of a world you can't even begin to understand.
But I love her.
Jedi aren't supposed to love in the first place. The voice was firm, but sad; after all, my consciousness was part of me – when I suffered, so would it. Kya . . . especially . . . Kya would be the one person . . . no . . . Kya Ranor is the one person that cannot reciprocate your feelings. She has her duty, both to herself and to her Master.
I had completely forgotten about Kya's mysterious Master. Kya acted so single-mindedly, so certainly, so quickly that it seemed she was Knight already. But of course she still had a Master – she still had a Padawan braid. And most Padawans and Masters shared a parent-child relationship . . . one that not many would be willing to break for something like love. . .
Then I will wait, I decided. I would not push her. But . . . But if the off chance comes . . . then, then maybe.
My consciousness scoffed. The possibility of that is lesser than the possibility of a being that does not exist in the Force, it pointed out sourly. This is no time to lose yourself or your heart.
Just shut up.
Remember my warning.
Shush, will you?
I am you.
Yeah, and you're blasted annoying.
Sorry for the long wait. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I'm afraid that I am suffering from writer's block, so the next chapter may take a while. My apologies again.
