35
Carth and Anna walked out of the Academy, heading back towards Dreshdae. "Thank the Force that's over," she said, letting wind from the desert tickle her face as she poured water over her hair, rinsing out the last of the color and letting her brilliant red shine back through. "I'm so tired of this damn planet."
"So am I," Carth said. Anna reached over and wrapped her hand around his, as dingy yellow water cascaded down the back of her dark robes.
"Well," she said as they walked into the spaceport. "It's certainly left us with loose ends."
He sighed and nodded. "It has. I wonder if the ship's back yet?"
"We'll find out, I suppose." She shrugged. "I—"
"Stop!" Anna and Carth jerked to a halt as a Sith and several Sith officers stepped out from the landing pad that belonged to the Hawk, weapons in hand. "Anna Kyjjl and Carth Onasi, you are ordered to stand down."
"By whose authority?"
"The Sith Empire."
Carth's blasters were already at the ready, and Anna's lightsabers sprung to her hands. "I'm sorry," Anna said. "But we don't follow the orders of the Sith. Now stand aside."
"I apologize," the Sith said. "I did not intend to insinuate that I was asking. Weapons down, and –"
"Query: Master?"
Anna glanced at HK then Carth, nodded, and they broke.
As the few civilians in the spaceport ran for the hallway to the cantina, Carth dove behind the sales counter and opened fire on the Sith soldiers. Anna hurried forward, ducking under the Sith's blade as he swung it towards her. HK opened fire, partially from behind a pillar, his blaster rifle's precise shots taking out several soldiers very quickly. Anna parried the Sith's lightsaber, using her own to try and strike across his torso. He stepped back and she followed through, stabbing him through his chest.
Running feet sounded from both sides of the room, and Anna dove behind the counter with Carth just in time to see at least five other full Sith adepts sprint into the room, lightsabers at the ready. She collapsed against the counter, panting, eyes closed. Damn.
"I hate it when other people have back up plans as well," she murmured.
"How many?" Carth asked, reading the problem on her face and by how she was gripping her weapons.
"At least five. Maybe more." She paused. "Probably more."
"We aren't getting out of this." It was a matter-of-fact statement, a sincere recognition that they were either about to die or be hauled in front of Malak in chains. Behind it somewhere there was a sad recognition that they wouldn't get to discuss what they desperately needed to discuss.
"No, but I think they want us alive," Anna said. Someone yelled another charge to surrender. "I can set HK on a timer. He'll be able to blast his way out and find us when we get wherever they're taking us."
"He's all the way over there," Carth replied.
"I can do it from over here," she said. "But Carth, we're not . . ."
"Be careful?" he asked. She nodded, then leaned in and kissed him desperately. He responded, one hand gripping her still-damp hair, desperate to never let go. She drew back long before she wanted, resting her hand on Carth's cheek for the smallest second.
"Off we go," she said, with a strong smile coated in tension that belied her concerns. He nodded, and opened fire.
Anna stretched her hand past him towards HK, closing her eyes as she focused on the mechanism that would set him on his six-hour timer. The droid suddenly slumped, gun falling as his eyes turned dark. Anna grit her teeth and vaulted the counter, lightsabers igniting mid-jump as she slammed full-force into the closest Sith.
She knew it would only be a matter of minutes before she was overwhelmed, parrying off at least three Sith at once as they rushed her. Carth took down one, her hair whipping as the shots flew past her head.
In less than a minute two of the Sith had stunned her, forcing her to her knees. She was tired, she'd been fighting all day, she hadn't slept well in a month, she was exhausted from the energy and the fighting and the— two of them ripped her lightsabers away from her, throwing binders around her wrists. A few of the others pulled Carth out from his cover with the Force and slammed him into the ground, winding him long enough to bind his own hands.
"It would have been better for you to surrender," the leader said, as two Sith grunts fetched HK.
"Go to hell," Carth replied sharply, glancing at Anna as he was pushed to his knees next to her. She was stubbornly silent, a glare coloring her eyes.
"Mm. It won't be us going there." He nodded at the two grunts, who began hauling HK to the landing pad. "Put them under and bring them after us." He turned and swept after them.
Carth watched helplessly with the smallest struggle as one of the Sith pressed his hand to Anna's forehead, cutting off her hard glare when her eyes slid closed and she collapsed against her captors. He didn't have long to feel helpless, though, as another pressed his own palm against Carth's head and darkness began to overwhelm the edges of his vision.
#
Jolee stretched in the pilot's seat, glancing over at Canderous. The Mandalorian was cleaning his gun, humming to himself in the copilot's seat.
"Gods damn it," he murmured under his breath. "There isn't going to be anything to shoot on Manaan."
"Manaan might surprise you," Jolee replied.
"Damn Selkath like their peace too much," Canderous replied, frowning.
"Well, I'm—"
Jolee slammed into the front panel as the ship jerked suddenly, alarms blaring as they literally fell out of hyperspace.
"We got pulled out of lightspeed," Jolee said, skimming the panels. "We'll have to try to overclo–oooh." The ship listing dangerously as the cockpit suddenly went pitch black, whirring as emergency power kicked in and the dim emergency lights kicked back on.
"What?!" Canderous craned his neck, catching sight of a Sith interdictor bow crossing their window. "Oh . . ."
"What is going on?!" Bastila yelled, sprinting into the cockpit. She caught sight of the ship and paled. "Oh, no."
"You recognize it?" Jolee asked, starting to stand.
"It's the Sith fleet's flagship," she said. "Can we pull out? Fight the tractor beam?"
Jolee shook his head. "The lights flickering? They hit us with an ion canon. Everything except emergency power is dead. And if we did? They'd blast us into dust in a second."
Bastila swallowed, her mouth dry. "How long do we have?"
"Minutes. Maybe," Canderous said, checking a screen.
"Then it sounds as if we need a plan." Bastila turned and strode back into the main hold, Jolee and Canderous jogging after her. She had to stay calm. She had to.
"What is going on?" Juhani asked, glancing at the trio. Everyone had gathered in the hold, eyes wide and weapons ready.
"It's the Leviathan," Bastila said quietly. "The Sith flagship. We're caught in its tractor beam. It must have been waiting for us to return to Korriban. I'm afraid that Carth and Anna are likely already on board, or being ambushed on the planet's surface."
"We can't get out of it?" Mission asked, already having turned very pale. "Put the engine into overdrive or –"
"No," Jolee said. "Not out of an Interdictor's tractor beam."
"Well then we need a plan," Juhani said. "We cannot allow our mission to be halted by . . . this."
Canderous nodded. "I've been in an Interdictor." Bastila looked at him suspiciously. "Long story, princess, don't ask. It's gonna be best to break out of as many places as possible."
::Droid timer,:: T3 suggested. ::Six hours, usually. I can come after you.::
"There's one," Jolee said. "Bastila?"
"No, I suspect I will be . . . unavailable." She looked away. "As will Anna and Carth."
"She's right," Juhani said. "They will separate out those three. Especially Bastila, and I suspect that Malak will have special plans for the who helped her escape from Taris. And there will likely be repurcussions for Carth's rank." She cleared her throat. "I am able to camouflage myself in the Force. I will be invisible to all, unless Malak shows himself. I will attempt to hold the hangar deck, and then will find you when our escape begins."
"Mission, I'll try to keep you with me," Jolee said with a nod. "I doubt that they will think an old man and a Twi'lek girl are important. Nor will they, after I convince them otherwise." She nodded, still gripping Zaalbar's fur tightly in one hand and his bowcaster in the other.
"I will keep my head down," Zaalbar said. "And I will join you when the alarms go off as well."
"Canderous, you have not proposed a solution yet," Bastila noted. Canderous nodded.
"I'll be fine." He started towards the medical bay and engine room. "Hey, princess? You could always try showing a little leg. Might let us go for it." He mock-saluted and disappeared.
Bastila glared after him. "We should split up as well. We should not make it easy on them. We will begin in six hours."
They split up, Jolee pulling Mission into the medical bay with his arm around her shoulders, just as the top of the docking bay scraped the ship and they were pulled into the Leviathan.
#
"The crew of the freighter has been secured, sir." One of the Sith soldiers saluted, the Ebon Hawk silently resting in the hanger behind him.
"How many men did you lose?"
"Um . . . Twelve. Mostly from Shan and the Wookiee."
The lieutenant nodded and looked down at his datapad. "The men on Korriban brought in Kyjjl and Onasi already. Who was on board the freighter?"
"Shan was in one of the dormitories and gave us a spot of trouble. We've already taken her up to the high security cells as requested by the Admiral. One of the dark Jedi took her out for us. The Wookiee was hit with several stun blocks. We've taken it to solitary."
A stretcher rolled by, a human form on it covered by a bloodstained sheet. "What's that?"
"Found a Mandalorian in the back. Looks like he was trying to rig the engines to break out of the tractor beam, and got hit with an explosion."
"Dead?"
"Looks like it."
"Take him to the morgue. It's probably for the best — what his kind deserves, after all. Who else?"
"Found a Twi'lek girl and an old man in the medical bay — he said they were escaped slaves that Kyjjl was taking back to Dantooine. Some of the men thought they should be kept separately. I-I spoke to him, and I believe that it is a good idea."
"All right. Keep them in solitary until the Admiral can question them."
"Yes, sir." He radioed the orders over his comm.
"And there was no one else on board?"
"No, sir."
The lieutenant clucked. "There were rumors of Kyjjl and Shan traveling with a Cathar Jedi. You checked the ship for her? These smuggling freighters always have a few loose panels and hideaways."
"She would need to be invisible to still be there, sir."
"Must be a rumor, then. I will report to the Admiral and inform him that the prisoners are secure. Return to your post."
"Yes, sir." He saluted and scurried back to the ramp leading to the ship's interior. The lieutenant headed for the elevator to make his report to Karath with a sigh. Good thing it had been a relatively simple capture. He would have hated to ask for more troops.
#
Anna and Carth were awake by the time the shuttle made it back to the Leviathan, separated on either side of the shuttle with guards around him and dark Jedi around her. Once docked they were marched to the elevator, Carth watching as the button for the detention level was hit. Anna stared blankly at the back of the door, likely trying to gauge their ability to escape or — and perhaps both — memorizing the path back to the hangars.
They were walked through the detention bay, past the main cells — Carth thought that boded poorly for them. He was kept in front, Anna still surrounded by a sizable number of dark Jedi behind him, two gripping her arms tightly. He tried to twist around and check on her once, only to receive a blow from one of the guards' rifles as encouragement to not do so a second time.
True to his suspicions they were taken to the high security cells — a collection of three rooms, each with three cages within. As soon as they were in the room apparently dubbed "theirs" Carth was prodded to the first one, Anna being held back by the door. His hands were unbound and he flexed them, half tempted to rip one of his guards apart.
"Strip," one of them ordered. He winced. Right, prisoners in the high security cells were kept in their undergarments. Security measures. He paused, hands hovering over the toggles on his jacket. Should he just cooperate? Or should he actually put up a fuss, try to—
Anna suddenly yelped and his head jerked up as she was pushed to her knees, one of her guards' fingers danging with lightning. She struggled against their hands as they held her in place.
"Do it," his guard re-ordered. He grimaced and hurriedly stripped to his underwear, stepping back onto the platform with his hands raised. A tech at the boards closed the cage, a shimmering field springing up around him.
They pulled Anna to her feet, pushing her forward. He tried to step towards her. "Go easy on her," he demanded. They pushed her back onto the platform.
"Stand still."
"I—" Anna started, glancing back at Carth. "If you need me to — I need my hands —"
The Sith in charge of her guards ignored her, pulling at the ties on her robe. She took a step back, into another guard.
"I'm perfectly capable of —"
The guard she'd backed into wrapped his arm around her neck, a vibroblade pressing into her neck. "I recommend that you stay still and do as you're told."
"Anna, just —" Carth pleaded.
"I don't have much of a choice now," she replied, closing her eyes as they stripped her to her own underwear, robe and shirt hanging off her bound wrists. Her guard changed his grip, moving to hold onto her shoulders and using one hand to crane her head back as another Sith stepped forward, a syringe in his hands.
"What are you doing?" Carth demanded, attempting to take a step forward. He stopped when the torture field flared the smallest bit brighter.
Primarily because they weren't concerned about him, and possibly a little because no one cared to answer, the Sith ignored him. He pricked the needle into Anna's neck, a small gasp leaving her lips at the prick. In a swift movement they unbound her hands, pulled off her shirt and robe, and stepped out as the tech ignited her own field.
"I get the feeling they've done this before," she said, as some sort of alarm blared through the ship and the Sith hurried off.
"Are you all right?" She looked over, dimly able to make out Carth's worried expression through the forcefields.
"Yeah. Fine." She scrubbed her hands on her thighs.
"What happened?" Carth took an involuntary step towards her as she fell to her knees, catching herself on her hands.
"Drugs. It's supposed to sedate me, keep me from trying to draw on the Force." Her voice sounded slightly slurred and the slightest bit distant. "Probably make me more easy to interrogate too. I . . ." She shook her head like she was trying to clear it. "I think I'm just going to stay down here for a while."
"Oh." There went that plan. "So . . . six hours?'
She nodded. "Tell me what you know. I assume this is Karath's vessel?"
"Yeah." He paced the tiny surface of the cage, averaging one or two steps before having to turn. "I don't know what he's like now, but he destroyed the entirety of Telos and Taris. That should tell you enough."
"He knows you?"
"Yes. Very well." Carth sighed. "Better than I would have hoped."
Anna sighed. "We can always hope that they didn't find the ship. Maybe they landed, and someone in the spaceport mentioned the fi—"
The door slid back open, and they jerked to look. Anna's Sith guards came back in, and she shook her head when she caught sight of the woman slung over one of their shoulders. "So much for that," Carth said quietly. She nodded.
They watched as Bastila was stripped down herself, injected with likely the same drugs as Anna, then drug back into the last cage.
"She all right?" Carth asked, after the men had left.
"She should be. It looks as if she's just unconscious. Similar to what happened with us." Anna squinted. Her head felt foggy, heavy, like trying to touch the Force was harder than wrapping her mind around the things she was studying for the Jedi. Pain welled up behind her eyes, her neck started to throb— "I can't tell, Carth. I can't . . . It . . ." She rubbed her palms into her forehead, cursing her quickly developing headache. She collapsed back on her heels, resting her head in her hands.
"Stop," he said, holding his hand out towards her. "If it's just going to hurt you, stop."
Either way it was irrelevant, as Bastila stirred in the central cage and a low moan parted her lips. She pushed herself to her hands, shaking her head. "Hey," Anna said cheerfully, watching the other woman with concern that belied her tone. "You all right?"
She shook her head again. "Can't clear my head—"
"We're drugged," Anna explained. "I'm having the same problem."
Bastila nodded. "Right. I . . . Oh . . ." She looked up. "We'd feared that they'd found you."
"We were afraid they'd gotten you," Carth replied. "I see we were right."
She nodded again, pushing herself to her feet. She staggered slightly, reaching to stabilize herself on the field before she realized what it was and caught herself. "Oh, this is wonderful. Are you two all right?"
"Fine," Anna said.
"We may have a back up plan," Carth murmured, with a glance at the tech manning the boards. Anna nodded, confirming his statement.
"We may, as well," Bastila said. "And I assure you, we did not go easily."
"We didn't go as easily as they likely wanted," Anna said, forcing herself to her own feet. "I am slightly embarrassed at the ease, though."
"You are exhausted," Bastila replied, shaking her head. "I am not surprised. I just regret that they located us so quickly."
"Malak knew we were on Korriban." Carth examined the field again, feeling remarkably helpless. "He sent Bandon, and I have little doubt he was waiting for the Hawk to head off-world as a backup plan. It isn't your fault, Bastila."
"No, I-I know. I just wish that —"
The door slid open, cutting off whatever Bastila had wished. Their heads snapped over as a man stepped through, wearing the dark gray and black ensemble of a Sith officer, his step belying a career in the military — the same ease she watched in Carth's step.
"Well. Carth Onasi. It has been too long since we last spoke."
Anna swallowed, eying his insignia, then looked over at Bastila. Admiral. That could only mean —
This was not good.