Fergus Flamacron now has a Wiki. It's nothing brilliant right now – only one page has any detail on it, but I'm planning to update it daily, adding a new page each time. If you want to go and check it out, then by all means go ahead. There will be everything I can think of there, from details about the characters, the locations and other such things, to spoilers. I got the idea from Jitterydragon, a guy with a YouTube account that makes hilarious videos, as he too has a Wiki.
And that's about the only thing I have to say, so on we go.
Secret of the 327th
Chapter 51:- Spearhead of the Republic
While Coruscant may appear to be a thriving and colourful town from the sky, there are very large elements of it that are riddled with crime and other dangerous people. The Coruscant Underworld was full of brigands, thieves, cutthroats, vermin and pirates that resided among hostels and bars and other such places.
The Underworld extended many stories below the tops of the skyscrapers that could be seen from above the atmosphere. Here, the sun did not rule. In fact it hardly ever reached the ground. The only illumination down here was the numerous artificial lights from the many bars and advertisements hovering in the air. There were a lot of people crammed into this small space, and many of them were not friendly.
Only the toughest survived down here. The weak were picked off rather quickly. Barfights and shoot-ups were almost nightly occurrences in almost every building. Somebody invariably had too much to drink and, as a result, they kicked up a storm about something or other, often something which was previously considered to be put aside, and decided to take action upon it.
It was late at night, and one such bar was still serving its guests, and would do for many hours yet. The inside was crammed with tables where numerous species were sitting, guffawing and quaffing numerous alcoholic beverages to their heart's content. Many sat around the bar, clicking their fingers to summon the bartender and swigging what they were given. There were others that were walking about, swaying drunkenly as they moved. Many others were crowded around a raised podium, on top of which was a dancing Twi'lek. The poor woman was receiving numerous wolf-whistles and catcalls from her onlookers, most of which were very suggestive and rather inappropriate, but still she danced on, swaying hypnotically and doing her best to avoid the grabbing hands of the crowd.
The door opened slowly, revealing a figure in a hooded robe standing in the doorway. Nobody really turned to look at newcomer, but those that did had numerous double-takes. The figure was wearing a long robe, the hood of which masked most of the face. The cloak was silver and black in colour and hung all about the figure, completely disguising what species it was, but showing that it was humanoid.
The figure strode confidently to the bar and sat smoothly on one of the stools. A Quarren sitting on the next chair turned to look a little nervously at the figure. He didn't know who it was, but he knew that figures who went about in cloaks were usually quite dangerous. It meant they had confidence and that they could easily win most fights. The Quarren swigged his drink and hurried to the other side of the bar.
The bartender, a male Rodian with a slight scowl, approached the new arrival. "Welcome to the Nexu's Head," the Rodian said. "May I help you with something?"
"Yes," said the figure, the voice clearly indicating that it was a female, but still that bartender could not make out what species. "I need some information."
"Ah," said the bartender, cleaning a dirty glass with an equally dirty cloth. "One of those kinds of people, are you? Looking for anyone in particular? I must confess I don't know most of the people in here by name, but I'm sure that there will be many people who do."
"I'm looking for a man named Car Affa," said the hooded figure. "You wouldn't happen to know him. I heard tell that he often comes to this particular bar."
"Affa. Affa," the Rodian tapped his protruding mouth thoughtfully. "I think I know that name. He might be somewhere in the crowd. Feel free to find him but please try not to shoot the place up."
"You're cooperation is gratifying," said the figure.
"Would you care for a drink?" the Rodian asked, holding out the filthy glass.
"I shall need my wits about me, thank you," said the figure, in a voice that brooked no argument. The bartender got the message and moved on to such an impatient Ithorian.
The figure turned to survey the room. Most of it was bathed in shadow – the only person properly lit was the Twi'lek dancer, so that the people could see her every move. The gaze of the figure swept over the crowd around the Twi'lek, and over the tables. She had a feeling that the target was somewhere amongst these vile people, but the only problem was, where to find him. She knew Car Affa was a Weequay, but there were many Weequay in this room. Which one was him?
The figure got up from her stool and strode towards another person, a Nikto that was leaning against the bar and watching the dancer without getting involved in the crowd. "Excuse my interruption," the figure said. "But I was wondering if I could trouble you for some information."
The Nikto glanced at her sharply. "What kind of information?"
"The kind that gets you money," said the figure. A hand slipped out from her cloak, and there were many gold credits clutched in the palm.
"Ah," said the Nikto, looking greedily at the handful of gold. "Yes, of course. If I can help then, I will."
"Do you know many of the people that come to this place?" the figure asked quietly.
"Well, yes, I do," said the Nikto. "Not all of them, mind. But most of them. I come in here most nights. Who are you looking for?"
"Car Affa," said the figure. "Is he here?"
"Yes, he is," nodded the Nikto, pleased that he could be of assistance. "He's right over there," the Nikto pointed into the crowd of people pawing at the dancer. The figure saw he was indicating a male Weequay, also wearing a hood, and with two very prominent blasters attached to his waist.
"That's him?" he asked.
"Definitely," said the Nikto. "Why do you want him?"
"That's for me to know," said the figure.
"Ah," said the Nikto. "Yes, of course." He held out his hand, and the figure deposited her handful of gold into the eager fingers. "A pleasure to do business with you."
"And you," nodded the figure. "Now, if you'll excuse me."
"Are you going to start a barfight?" asked the Nikto, a little eagerly.
"No," said the figure. "I intend to make this quick." And with that, she strode off and moved towards the wall, where she had a good view of the target, as well as the rest of the crowd around the dancing Twi'lek. There was a slight problem, in that if she waded in to get him, he'd probably notice her heading in his direction and make a run for it.
Fortunately, she had some back-up.
She moved a hand in the direction of an empty glass and focused her mind. The glass rose into the air of seemingly its own accord and, with a swing of her hand, the figure sent it sailing right across the room. Her aim was dead on, striking Car Affa in the back of the head, causing the glass to shatter and the Weequay to yell loudly.
"Yow!" cried the criminal. "Who threw that?"
"That would be me," said the hooded figure, stepping forwards. Affa, quickly drew a blaster and pointed it at the figure, a scowl spread right across his features.
"And who are you?" the Weequay snarled, not caring that many people had taken their eyes off the Twi'lek, who was still dancing, and were eyeing the confrontation wearily.
"None of your business," the figure said. "But you are Car Affa, I believe."
"Yeah, that's right," the Weequay grunted. "Now, tell me who you are before I shoot you."
The figure whipped back her hood. Most of the room gasped at the sight of the figure's face. It was a face that many of them knew well, not because they'd had dealings with her, but because it was all over the news.
"The name's Ahsoka Tano," the Togruta Padawan grinned. "And you're under arrest."
Affa's nerve failed him. Even though Ahsoka was under half his age, he knew that messing with her would be a very bad idea. He turned to flee, but was hindered by the rest of the crowd that he had been associated with.
And then, there came another attack on him from a completely unexpected angle. The Twi'lek dancer pirouetted right off the podium and summoned a blue lightsaber from across the room in mid-air, igniting it and slashing through Affa's blaster. Landing neatly on the ground, the Twi'lek span about, locking an arm around Car Affa's neck and holding the lightsaber warningly against his throat.
"Car Affa, said Aayla Secura. "You are under arrest for selling off Republic weapons to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. You will be taken to the Jedi Temple for questioning. Attempt to resist and we will use force against you."
"Wha-?" Car Affa blustered. "But... what... you... dancer... Jedi. What the hell?" Evidently he couldn't get his head around the fact that the dancer had been a Jedi in disguise. He couldn't be blamed. Aayla had been wearing an extremely tight and very revealing leotard, which she intended to take off as soon as possible. So far as anybody knew, no Jedi had ever posed as a dancer in an attempt to catch a criminal before.
The faces of most of the other people in the bar were equally stunned, as they watched Ahsoka approach the other two, with a pair of binders in one hand. As Aayla pinned the hands of the fugitive behind his back and Ahsoka secured them there, the same thoughts were running through the heads of everyone there.
Did I just see a Jedi dancing? This has got to be my lucky day.
As Aayla and Ahsoka marched the still blustering and confused Weequay towards the door, Aayla momentarily paused and said to the bartender, "Thank you for letting me use the podium. You were very helpful."
"Not at all," said the Rodian. "I did wonder why you turned up all of a sudden and asked for a job tonight, but I never expected you to be a Jedi. Wow, you were an amazing dancer too. I don't suppose you'd consider coming again?"
"I highly doubt it," Aayla replied. "For two reasons really. Firstly, I didn't enjoy the lack of control you had over the crowd, and secondly, that was hardly dancing. You haven't seen me really cut loose. Good night."
The Jedi Knight and the Jedi Padawan frogmarched the criminal out of the bar, where everyone was muttering over what they'd just witnessed.
"You know that the fact you danced your way into apprehending a criminal is going to make the holonet news by morning, don't you?" asked Ahsoka.
"Of course," said Aayla. "But that's fine. Ever since the A-Team was created we've become famous for our unconventional methods. We'll just put this down as one of those."
"It's quite odd, though," Ahsoka giggled. "To use your dance moves to your advantage in a situation like that."
"It's not that unusual," said Aayla. "I have used the fact that I am a female Twi'lek many times when I've been undercover, like this one time where I played the part of a spoilt Twi'lek daughter of the owner of Ryloth Ventures in order to work undercover on a mission to Devaron."
"Speaking of working undercover," said Ahsoka. "How did I do? Were you watching?"
"Even while dancing, I am very observant," smiled Aayla. "Yes, Ahsoka. You did very well. You were subtle, and you didn't give anything away. You successfully discovered which of the crowd was the target and found a way to clearly tell me who it was. Well done."
"I don't think Master Skywalker could teach me that," laughed Ahsoka. "Usually he'd just cut his way in with his lightsaber. Just wait until he hears about this. I wonder what he'll say."
"If he doesn't congratulate you on your success then I shall personally swat him round the head until he does," said Aayla. "That was very well done, Ahsoka. You looked like a proper Bounty Hunter."
"Thanks," said Ahsoka, sheepishly.
"And now, we need to get this slimeball back to the Jedi Temple," said Aayla. "And hopefully I'll be able to change out of this ridiculous leotard. It is getting extremely uncomfortable."
"Jedi..." Car Affa muttered to himself. "Dancing... undercover... agh, my brain."
"Looks like we've got ourselves an intelligent one here," snickered Ahsoka.
"He was intelligent enough to sell off Republic weapons and get away with it for a while," shrugged Aayla. "But it appears a dancing Jedi is too much for him, even if I am a Twi'lek."
"Just imagine what he'd be thinking if you had really shown him your moves," Ahsoka giggled. "His brain would have gone into meltdown."
Aayla laughed.
It had been several months since the mission to Felucia, tracking down the escaped Hutt, Ziro, and the Bounty Hunters that had freed him, led by Cad Bane the Duros. To be exact, it had been about four and a half months since that adventurous journey across the jungle planet, befriending Bounty Hunter and Acklay alike and stopping pirates and Separatists from carrying out their schemes.
And a lot had happened during that four-and-a-half months.
To start off, the combined forces of the 501st and the 327th, led by the A-Team, a name which the general public had managed to pick up on and were now referring to the three of them as, were steadily growing a bigger and bigger reputation as they advanced their way across the galaxy, foiling the plots of the Separatists wherever they went. Ever since being commissioned to working together several months ago, Anakin, Aayla and Ahsoka had not lost a single skirmish against the Separatists.
They were building up such a reputation amongst the enemy forces, that some would just turn around and flee when they learnt that the A-Team had arrived on the scene.
Even when they had been working separately, both Anakin and Aayla had rarely lost battles. Both the Jedi Generals were exceptional strategists, and both had usually come out on top – although Anakin definitely had more of a flare for the unorthodox. But now, they weren't losing at all. They had become the Spearhead of the Republic, the main driving force into the Outer Rim territories that were driving back the enemy. This was a cause of celebration for the majority of the Republic populace.
Of course, few knew one of the main reasons that the A-Team were so successful. The Secret of the 327th was still very much a secret, hidden from everybody in the Senate still, as it had been since the beginning. There were now many planets where the Digimon had now set foot. Orto Plutonia had seen Taomon in action, decimating a Separatist fleet and army alongside Jedi Master Shaak Ti and the local Talz. Antylamon has seen more action on Makem Te, breaking into a Separatist fortress alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi and apprehending another leading figure of the Techno Union. Rapidmon had excelled on the temperate world of Tammuz-an, forming a strained alliance with Mace Windu. After this incident, the two seemed to be getting along rather better than they had before.
The Digimon and the Jedi were forming a perfect team, each one working in faultless synchrony with the others to produce a practically unbeatable combination, with the skill of the Jedi, the versatility of the Digimon and the power of both all rolling into one.
But there was one thing that the Jedi had yet to witness. In a bizarre twist, all of them were looking forward to seeing the day where things got so bad that the Mega stages of the three were needed. The Digimon had held back the information on what they looked like in their final stages, wanting it to be a surprise that, in Terriermon's words would, "Knock your socks off... if you have them, that is."
All three Jedi were slightly self-conscious of the fact that, while they were getting displayed on holoposters throughout the city, the Digimon, one of the main influences on their success, were being left out of the limelight. But, as Henry pointed out, it was actually quite nice to let someone else take the credit for a change, since back on their planet, they were always on the news anyway. Perhaps they still were, as there might be frequent news articles updating people on the fact that they were still missing.
And the Jedi and Digimon alliance wasn't the only example of the two universes merging together. The Chrome-Digizoid Shield that had been sent to Kamino had finally been melted down, all though it had taken much, much more energy and heat than any of the Kaminoans had anticipated in order to do so. Nevertheless, they were able, to a degree, to synthesise it. However, the structure of the metal was so complex and strong, that it had been practically impossible to produce it in large amounts.
But, enough had been produced so far to allow a large portion of the vehicles that the A-Team and their forces possessed to be coated with a layer of the stuff in critical places, such as the joints and front of an AT-TE walker, and the wings and nose of an LAAT gunship. This had saved the lives of numerous clones to date, and left the Seppies stunned at the complete lack of damage their weapons had on the enemy vehicles.
Sadly, it didn't render them completely invincible – the duraglass of the cockpits were still vulnerable, as they could not be coated or the pilots wouldn't be able to see. But, for the most part, it didn't matter. Not only that, but many of the clone starfighters, as well as the starfighters of the Jedi, had also been coated in it. This had prevented a great many deaths, as the clones had had an extreme advantage in space battles now.
The cruisers had had to be left as they usually were, but with the advancements made to the starfighters, this hadn't been a problem.
And the starfighters of the Jedi, the Delta-7B Aethersprite-class light interceptors, had not only the Chrome-Digizoid as upgrades. A special starfighter had been given to the A-Team, sent from Kamino with the designs that Anakin had sent their way. It looked and felt almost exactly the same as Terriermon's favourite controller for his favourite games console back home – the Xbox 360.
It too was coated in Chrome-Digizoid, and the first time Terriermon had flown it had been rather entertaining.
The members of the combined forces had been standing on the bridge of the Resolute at the time, and had been watching as a small, triangular starship span round and round in circles at ridiculous speeds outside, like a dog chasing its own tail.
"He looks like he's having a bit of trouble with the steering," Yularen had said, pushing the communicator button to contact the vessel. "Terriermon, come in. This is Admiral Yularen. Are you having any trouble with your starship?"
His reply had been three words long:-
"THIS... IS... AWESOOOOOMMMMMMEEEEE!" Terriermon had yelled, before flipping his ship around with a twitch of the right thumbstick and pressing the B button to send his ship into a barrel-roll.
R4-G9 whistled shrilly from his socket in excitement.
Terriermon had even used the modified starship in battle once. Putting on his game-face, he had flown straight into the thick of the action, pulling the right trigger to fire his laser cannons and using the right thumbstick to aim. Occasionally he would pull on the left trigger and send a pair of large missiles streaking from the underside of his starfighter. His astromech had taken care of the targeting with those, so it was almost like having a game set on auto-lock.
Terriermon had demonstrated to the droids that he was a true master of the games console.
After this, his starfighter had been painted numerous colours, which clashed horribly but really made it stand out in battle, almost more than Anakin's bright yellow one. Terriermon's starfighter had a large, yellow stripe painted right up the middle and in the centre was the purple symbol that could be found on Renamon's legs. The area on one side of the stripe was painted white with green flecks, and the other side was brown with pink flecks. It wasn't difficult for anyone who knew the Digimon to figure out what that symbolised.
Ahsoka and Anakin's prank war had been growing ever grander in scale as well. Although Anakin did constantly seem to fall for many variations of the "Kick me" sign on the back, the other pranks had constantly been escalating. Ahsoka had woken up one morning and gone for a walk in the Jedi Temple, not realising that the white stripes on her headtails were now pink and the black ones were now purple. When she did find out, she had responded by sneaking into her master's chambers while he was in the shower, stealing all his clothes and taking them to her room. Anakin hadn't come out for the rest of the day.
Anakin had responded to that putting his cooking skills to the test and slipping a little medicine into Ahsoka's rations that upset her bowels and caused her to start farting uncontrollably. Unfortunately, he'd picked a bad time to do it, and Ahsoka had been struggling to hold it in as she stood before the Council. Yoda had noticed and asked if there was a problem. Ahsoka had responded with a demonstration.
Ahsoka had been so ashamed by this prank that her response had been to steal Anakin's actual starfighter and hide it in the engine room. She had gotten both Terriermon and Renamon in on this one and they had somehow managed to pull it off. Anakin had freaked out, tearing the ship apart in search of his starfighter, but Ahsoka got the last laugh and eventually, she told him. She was heavily scolded, but she felt that it was worth it.
Another thing that had taken place during the last few months got equal amounts of sadness and excitement from one particular member of the group. Nine-year-old Suzie stopped being nine years old when she hit double-digits. Henry had been keeping track of the number of days they had been in this new world and away from their own, and so he had remembered the day whereas Suzie, who had long since lost track of time, didn't.
Despite being in another world, maybe because they were in a new world, Henry had been determined to give his little sister the best birthday that he could get her. Birthdays were one of the things from their own world that they still had and Henry wanted to make sure Suzie had the best day possible. Terriermon, Renamon, Rika and Lopmon had all agreed to this idea, and had conspired together to give Suzie a surprise party.
Of course, the Jedi had been clued into this, but some of the things that they were told seemed rather obscure for them. Most Jedi birthdays were celebrated rather formally – there were never large parties being thrown, not even for younglings. The A-Team had never had real birthday celebrations that they remembered. Ahsoka had been about four when she'd been brought to the Temple, and couldn't remember any previous birthdays. Anakin and Aayla had had family problems that prevented birthday parties when they were younger – Anakin's mother, Schmi, was a nice person but, being a slave to Watto, she had no money to spare. Aayla's uncle and guardian, Pol Secura, had been the exact opposite, wealthy but unpleasant.
Still, the Jedi took to the idea with a will and, while Lopmon and Terriermon had distracted Suzie with a game of tag, the others had transformed Aayla's chambers into a party setting. Henry and Rika had hung up the HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY SUZIE banner up across one wall. Ahsoka used the Force to wrap the presents they had gone out to buy for her in bright cloths as a replacement for wrapping paper. Renamon commandeered the kitchens and put the baking skills she had picked up from Rika's grandmother to construct a massive cake, made up of Suzie's favourite things from this dimensions and using nutripaste for icing. Aayla and Anakin prepared everything else, such as helium balloons and streamers.
Needless to say, Suzie was flabbergasted and thrilled when she walked through the door and into Aayla's chambers to a loud cheer of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUZIE!" from everyone present.
The party was an instant success. Henry had described many of Suzie's favourite party games to Anakin and Aayla, and the two had gone away and come back with good substitutes. Suzie loved the concept of Pin the Tail on the Eopie. There was also a piñata that resembled a shaak, and the Jedi cheered when Suzie smashed it open. But the Jedi were most amused when Suzie suggested Duck, Duck Goose. The concept of the game bemused them, but they played it anyway. Whenever Ahsoka walked around, she'd invariably bop Anakin on the head harder than necessary, and vice versa.
Many other Jedi walked in at certain points during the next few hours. All of them blinked in surprise at the decorations to the room and the general lack of dignity from all three members of the A-Team. Mace Windu walked in to find Renamon pursuing a giggling Ahsoka around the circle of people, while Anakin and Aayla rolled on the floor with laughter, along with all the others. Yoda and Plo Koon appeared just as Anakin pinned the eopie's tail in the middle of its front knee (force powers were prohibited). Shaak Ti, appropriately, entered the room just as Suzie smacked her animal namesake from the ceiling and sweets poured out of it. Kit Fisto, Luminara Unduli and Obi-Wan Kenobi also popped in at certain points in the day.
Each time a new Jedi entered, Suzie insisted that they didn't leave until they had both taken a piece of her enormous birthday cake and taken a lungful of helium from a balloon – with the exception of Plo Koon, who couldn't due to his facemask. The Jedi accepted the first without comment, but there were several degrees of reluctance about the second. However, they all did it anyway.
Even the clones, Commander Bly and Captain Rex turned up about halfway through the party, under the invite of Ahsoka and Terriermon. They had never seen a proper birthday either – as clones they had been given growth jars to make them into adults twice as fast as they would normally. But, the two of them did stay for a while and did join in the games, reluctantly at first, but they soon got more into it when they settled into the relaxed atmosphere.
The only sad part about all this came when Suzie realised that her mother would probably be very upset at the moment. Every loving mother wants to be there on their child's tenth birthday and it was very likely that Mrs. Wong was crying her eyes out right now. This made Suzie burst into tears and hug Aayla. The Twi'lek kindly returned it and made soothing noises. The bond between Aayla and all the others had grown exponentially strong over the last few months, and it definitely showed.
However, not all of the things that had taken place during the last few months were good news. For instance, Obi-Wan had made several quiet forays into the Senate to discover anything about the mysterious Darth Sidious that Dooku had mentioned and Terriermon and Ahsoka had confirmed. But his searches had been rather limited in that, in order to make any real enquiries, he would have to explain to the senators he was talking to about where he had gotten the information. And while the suggestion of Ahsoka overhearing it from Ventress or Grievous was plausible, it was unlikely to be believed – Separatist leaders were rarely that sloppy.
Obi-Wan had uncovered no further evidence of a Sith Lord controlling hundreds of Senators than there had been before. Nevertheless, they knew that there definitely was a Darth Sidious out there now, so Obi-Wan had alerted Aayla's old master, Quinlan Vos, who was working deep undercover in the shadows to uncover secrets about the Confederacy and pass them onto the Republic. His work had come in handy at times, as he had been able to warn the other Jedi of impending attacks on Republic-aligned systems. If Darth Sidious could be found, Quinlan would be the one to find him.
And that wasn't the only bad news. Half a month ago, the punishment that Asajj Ventress had received from Dooku, involving her being kept by General Grievous, tied up and gagged like a trophy or a slave for four months, had finally come to an end. Many of the Jedi had been wondering what Ventress had been doing for four months, but now she was back with a vengeance.
Ventress was more determined than ever to please Count Dooku, more determined than ever to try and shame General Grievous, and far, far more determined than ever to find an kill Ahsoka Tano. Since she still didn't know about Terriermon, the only explanation for her defeat she could think of was that the collar that suppressed the Force in Ahsoka had temporarily malfunctioned, allowing the Togruta to knock her out with an attack from behind. And so, Ventress believed that Ahsoka had escaped from her grasp again, but this time that she had done it without any help at all.
And she was furious.
Once they reached the Jedi Temple once again, Aayla left Ahsoka in charge on their prisoner and instructed her to take him down to the detention level and put him in a cell. Ahsoka nodded, grinning, and did just that. Car Affa still didn't seem to have a functioning brain after the incident in the bar. Ahsoka privately wondered if it ever would work again.
Aayla headed back towards her chambers, determined to change out of the leotard as quickly as possible. She had no idea what she'd do with the thing – possibly keep it for any other assignments where going undercover as a dancer might help. But she doubted she'd be making it a regular occurrence.
"I see that everything that we've been teaching you is paying off," said a voice from right next to Aayla.
Aayla didn't flinch. She just said, "Enjoy the show, Renamon?"
Renamon faded into existence right next to her Twi'lek friend. "Oh yes," she said. "The look on that Weequay's face when he discovered how he'd been apprehended was most amusing. And your dancing skills are extremely good. I did spot a couple of other Twi'lek women in that bar, looking at you rather enviously."
Aayla flushed. "I'm sure that was nothing to do with my skill as a dancer. Perhaps they were a little put out that I'd taken their place – dancing is the only living they have."
"Your modesty once again shines through," Renamon chuckled. "You should take credit when it comes your way."
"I take a lot of credit that comes my way, even when it doesn't belong to me," pointed out Aayla. "All this skirting around the fact that I fight beside you guys during this war means I get so much credit where it isn't due that I don't know where to put it all."
"True," said Renamon. "There is that."
The Twi'lek and the fox walked down the corridor side by side in silence for a while. When they reached Aayla's chambers, Aayla opened the sliding doors and was met with the sight of three human children, playing a variation of Top Trumps using their Digimon Cards in the corner of the room. They looked up when they saw her enter.
"Hey, Aayla," said Rika. Her hair had grown back after Henry had cut it off on Felucia, but it still wasn't usually seen in its ponytail anymore. Usually, Rika kept it down, so it fell about her shoulders now. Henry had said that he liked it down, as it was a change and she looked pretty, so Rika only generally put it back in its ponytail now when they were on missions. "How'd it go?"
"Surely you know the answer to that question," Aayla replied, glancing up at a certain white bunny sitting on top of a shelf that stuck out from the wall. Terriermon grinned down at her.
"Well, we've learnt that things with Terriermon often tend to be rather biased," Henry chuckled.
"Hey!"
"Come on, Terriermon. You know I'm joking. Maybe. Anyway, we wanted to hear your version of the event."
"Did the guy you were looking for really have a nervous breakdown?" asked Suzie.
"Not exactly," Aayla replied. "Mostly he just blustered as if unable to believe what he was seeing."
"You know what would have made him have a nervous breakdown?" asked Terriermon, cheerfully. "If you'd been singing as well as dancing before you apprehended him. You're an excellent singer, Aayla."
"Thank you," said Aayla. "But no song you've taught me would really match the tune that they were playing in there. And the catcalls weren't all that pleasant either. Fortunately, I am rather hardened to it by now."
"You shouldn't have to be," said Lopmon from where she was standing on Aayla's bed. "It's despicable, the number of lowlifes that can be found around here. Most people who catcall are frowned upon by many people back home."
"And yet that doesn't stop them from doing it, late at night," said Rika, shaking her head. "I remember when I was walking one night and some guy recognised me as the Digimon Queen, he started comparing me to Kari from the Digimon TV show."
"Does that make Henry TK?" asked Suzie.
Terriermon laughed. "Yeah, I suppose it does. Now all we need is a Davis to fawn over Rika's every move. I'd like to see that. Kari is too nice to do anything, but Rika would just punch him in the face."
"Damn right I would," said Rika. "I'm not having a weirdo like that following me around."
"As interesting as this conversation is," said Aayla. "I hope you won't mind if I excuse myself. I need to change." She moved into the private washroom she had and shut the door.
"She didn't really get a word of that, did she?" asked Lopmon.
"I don't think so, no," replied Henry.
"Maybe we should try sticking to conversations that all of us can follow," said Renamon. "It's unfair otherwise."
"Okay," said Terriermon. "I can do that. So, new topic. When do you think we'll get to go on another mission? It's been a couple of days since anything really interesting happened."
"He's right," said Suzie. "It's a bit weird to just sit here."
"Well, now that you've successfully jinxed the brief break for us," said Henry. "I'd guess that we'll have something later on today. And it'll probably be something big."
"We like big," said Terriermon. "It's more fun to wreck it when it's big."
"For you, perhaps," nodded Henry.
"I wonder how some of the others are doing," said Suzie, putting her chin in her hand to imitate her older brother. "I was thinking the other day about my friend Numa."
"You mean the Twi'lek girl you befriended back on Ryloth?" asked Lopmon.
"Yeah," said Suzie. "I was thinking that, I'm ten now, but I don't know how old she is, or when her birthday is. And now, I can't find out because we're always so busy blowing up all the clankers."
"I can just imagine the scene," Rika grinned. "Little Numa coming home to find the friends she made months ago have returned for no reason other to celebrate her birthday. Could you imagine what she'd say?"
"Not really," said Terriermon. "She only speaks Twi'leki."
"Suul teefar rango lik moch snooger ber," said Henry, grinning up at his partner.
"Stop showing off and tell me what you just said," Terriermon scowled.
"I said, 'You should really be less lazy then,'" Henry smirked. "You could always do what I do and try and learn the languages of others." Yes, Henry was trying to learn two new languages. Ahsoka and Aayla had started to teach him the basics of Twi'lek and Togruta languages about three months ago. Henry, being the exceptionally fast learner that he was, had been picking it up extremely quickly. Henry had been determined to learn as much as he could about this dimension.
Aayla opened the door. She was back in her usual attire and had the leotard folded under her arm. "Well done, Henry," she said, placing the leotard in the corner and deciding what to do with it later. "I do not know how you do it, but you are learning my language much quicker than I learnt Basic."
"Henry is a super genius," said Lopmon.
"Cue the blushing," said Terriermon, as Henry did just that.
"Terriermon."
"Momentai."
The door opened and Ahsoka walked in. "Car Affa is in custody, Master Secura," she said. "The Jedi Council should have finished questioning him soon."
"Good work, Ahsoka," said Aayla. "But next time we go undercover like that, you'll be the one dancing."
Ahsoka blanched and Aayla chuckled. "Relax," the Twi'lek said. "I wouldn't be that cruel."
"Oh. Well... good." Ahsoka blinked a couple of times before shaking her head and saying, "By the way, have any of you seen Master Skywalker?"
"Yes," said Henry. "He left last night after you did. Apparently, the Jedi Council commissioned him to act as a Jedi bodyguard for Senator Amidala, as she takes a spy mission to the planet Cato Nemoidia."
"Cato Nemoidia?" Ahsoka asked, surprised. "But that's dangerous territory. That's the founding world of the Trade Federation, and everyone knows they're part of the Separatists, even if they claim that they are neutral and just do business with them."
"I believe that they believe the Trade Federation and the Banking Clan might be up to something big," said Henry. "So they sent the Senator to investigate, and Anakin went with her."
"All this political crap is doing my head in," moaned Terriermon. "It's so much easier to just blast things than reason with them."
"That may be," said Aayla. "But we can't exactly go about everything with your approach, Terriermon," said Aayla. "The galaxy would be a bloodbath."
"Such pleasant imagery," said Rika, dryly.
"Speaking of Senator Amidala," said Renamon. "Has anybody besides me noticed that she and Anakin seem to be rather... close?"
"They have been friends since Anakin was a young boy," said Aayla. "In fact, they've been excellent friends since before Anakin met me and came to the Jedi Temple for the first time. They met when Senator Amidala went by the title of Queen instead."
"Queen?" Lopmon asked. "She used to be a queen."
"Yes," said Aayla. "And she was an excellent Queen. But kings and queens of Naboo can only rule for two terms, which is why she had to eventually step down. Anakin told me that the people of Naboo tried to get her re-elected, but it wasn't possible, so the next queen gave her the position of Senator instead, so that she'd still be helping her system."
"Anakin hardly ever talks about his past," said Ahsoka. "I know he used to be a slave on Tatooine, but from what I know he had an extremely unpleasant experience there. You should have seen his face when we arrived on planet to deliver Jabba's son back to him. He looked angry. Really angry."
"Is that right?" asked Renamon. "Aayla, have you got any explanations?"
"I'm afraid not," said Aayla. "He keeps his past experiences on that planet close to his chest. Obi-Wan might know, but I have no idea."
"But he did meet Senator Amidala there," said Renamon. "And now the two of them have a very, very strong friendship, wouldn't you say?"
"They have been through a lot together," said Ahsoka. "It's only natural, really. And somehow the Senator often finds herself in trouble where only Anakin can help."
"That is true," chuckled Aayla. "She does make a habit of it."
"What's the betting he'll have to save her life somehow on this mission they're on now?" Rika grinned.
"High," said Ahsoka.
Renamon said nothing more on the subject, but she, Terriermon and Lopmon all glanced at each other. All three knew that Renamon was an extremely observant Digimon – she was used to keeping an eye out for danger, and despite the relaxation of her personality since she mated with Terriermon, that part had not changed.
Renamon had noticed several incidents when the two of them had been together, while she was invisible to Padmé, that indicated a much deeper bond between the Jedi and the Senator than most people seemed to notice. There were definite moments where they would take sidelong glances at the other when they thought no-one else was looking. Renamon had noticed this, and several other signs that hinted at something else between them.
Terriermon and Lopmon, having an instant access link to Renamon's brain, had noticed these too.
Let's just keep these suspicions to ourselves for now, said Lopmon. We need to find out more and confirm it before we tell anyone else.
Loppy is right, said Terriermon. We can't go painting a target on Anakin's back if we have no proof. Hey, that's not a bad idea.
Alright, but all the same, Renamon nodded, Let's keep an eye on the two of them.
Okay.
Gotcha.
"Terriermon," Suzie looked up at the bunny on the shelf.
"Yeah?" he looked down into Suzie's face, his usual big grin pasted across his features.
"Can you do a little song for us?" asked Suzie, hopefully. "Just a nice, calm one please? I'm getting a bit bored."
"There's a surprise," said Lopmon.
"A song, you say?" Terriermon tapped his chin. "A nice, calm one? You know I don't usually do nice and calm, Suzie. I like to bounce all over the place in my own songs."
"Aww, go on Terriermon," Rika smiled. "What's the harm. Give the ten-year-old what she wants."
"Yeah," nodded Suzie, enthusiastically. "Pretty please."
"Alright," Terriermon shook his head. "Momentai. Just hold on a moment." He clicked his tongue a few times, running through the list of songs, separating the ones he was allowed to sing in front of Suzie to the ones he wasn't and then separating them into a list of calm and not calm.
Eventually, he picked one and he began, strumming an air guitar as he did so:-
"An old man by a seashore
At the end of day
Gazes the horizon
With seawinds in his face
Tempest-tossed island
Seasons all the same
Anchorage unpainted
And a ship without a name.
Lopmon joined in the singing at this point. Terriermon grinned at his sister and the bunny sibling went on with the song:-
"Sea without a shore for the banished one unheard
He lightens the beacon, light at the end of world
Showing the way, lighting hope in their hearts
The ones on their travels homeward from afar.
"This is for long-forgotten
Light at the end of the world
Horizon crying
The tears he left behind long ago.
"The albatross is flying
Making him daydream
The time before he became
One of the world's unseen."
Even though it was the middle of the verse, Aayla and Ahsoka both abruptly joined the song, demonstrating their new singing skills for all to hear:-
"Princess in the tower
Children in the fields
Life gave him it all:
An island of the universe.
"Oh, Now his love's a memory
A ghost in the fog
He sets the sails one last time
Saying farewell to the world
Anchor to the water
Seabed far below
Grass still in his feet
And a smile beneath his brow
"This is for long-forgotten
Light at the end of the world
Horizon crying
The tears he left behind long ago.
"So long ago.
So long ago."
For the final chorus, Renamon, Rika, Henry and Suzie all joined in.
"This is for long-forgotten
Light at the end of the world
Horizon crying
The tears he left behind so long ago.
"So long ago."
"Great choice, Terriermon," said Henry. "I really like that song. I'm not sure why, I just do."
"Perhaps it's because it's by Nightwish," shrugged Terriermon. "I don't think it's possible for that band to have a bad song. Their music is so epic. It's too bad we haven't got that part with us and we can only do the singing."
"And we didn't forget the words," Ahsoka grinned. "We're catching on quite fast, aren't we, Aayla?"
"Indeed we are," the Twi'lek grinned. "Shall we test it out with another one?"
"Which one this time?" sighed Terriermon, pretending that he was exasperated by all this requests for singing, but really he was amused and very happy to do this. It was one of his favourite ways of passing the time, after all.
"Another Nightwish song, I think," Ahsoka grinned. "I think those ones are my favourites."
"They're amongst mine too," Terriermon nodded. "Which one? We've just done 'The Islander,' so now which one?"
"Well, we want another reasonably calm one," said Ahsoka. "So, how about we start with 'Amaranth?' That's a good one."
"Yeah, it is," nodded Terriermon. "Alright, would you like to do the honours?"
"Gladly," Ahsoka said, and she launched into song again:-
"Baptized with a perfect name
The doubting one by heart
Alone without himself."
Aayla took over the song for the next verse. Ahsoka subsided – they had rehearsed this.
"War between him and the day
Need someone to blame
In the end, little he can do alone."
Then they both sang for the chorus:-
"You believe but what you see
You receive but what you give
"Caress the one, this Never-Fading
Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow
Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
In a land of the daybreak."
Renamon and Lopmon both took the next verse together:-
"Apart from the wandering pack
In this brief flight of time we reach
For the ones, whoever dare
"You believe but what you see
You receive but what you give
"Caress the one, this Never-Fading
Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow
Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
In a land of the daybreak.
As the chorus repeated itself, Aayla and Ahsoka joined in again, leaving all four singing it:-
"Caress the one, this Never-Fading
Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow
Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
In a land of the daybreak.
"Reaching, searching for something untouched
Hearing voices of the Never-Fading calling.
"Calling. Calling."
It was at the point where they were about to sing the chorus for the final time, that the doors open to reveal Anakin standing there. He blinked, as everyone who hadn't been singing before suddenly joined in, belting out the chorus for the last time:-
"Caress the one, this Never-Fading
Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow
Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
In a land of the daybreak! Day break!"
With that done, the others subsided and turned to face the confused looking Anakin in the doorway. "Morning, Anakin," said Aayla, waving cheerfully. "We were just practicing. Are you alright? You look a little stunned."
"Put yourself in my boots, Aayla," said the Chosen One. "I just opened the door to find my Padawan, one of my best Jedi friends, three Digimon and three human children singing a song I don't recognise at a very loud volume. Wouldn't you be a little stunned?"
"Probably," said Aayla.
"So, Master," Ahsoka asked. "How was the mission to Cato Nemoidia? Did you have to save Senator Amidala's life again?"
"Yes," said Anakin, a little grudgingly, as if he didn't want to admit that the Senator was as prone to being a damsel in distress as she was.
"Knew it," Terriermon giggled. "What was it this time?"
"If you must know, it was poison," said Anakin. "An assassination attempt by someone in the Trade Federation, I believe."
"Poison?" Henry looked sick. "Didn't expect that."
"Look," said Anakin. "I'm getting a little sidetracked here. The point is, I have news. The spy mission that the Senator undertook was a success, but what she discovered was extremely startling. I'm here to collect you guys and bring you to the conference room so that you can be debriefed for our new mission."
"What do you know? You were right, Henry," Lopmon said. "Terriermon did it indeed jinx it, and we have a new mission before the morning even ended."
"Wonderful," Henry said, getting to his feet. "Well, I suppose we better get going."
The Tamers got to their feet, and Terriermon and Lopmon hopped down from the shelf and the bed respectively. Anakin turned around and went out of the door, with everyone else right behind him.
"By the way, Anakin," said Renamon. "You should know that your Padawan pulled off a spectacular undercover mission earlier today. She and Aayla worked together to apprehend a dangerous criminal in the Coruscant Underworld."
"Is that right?" Anakin asked. "Which one?"
"Car Affa, Master," said Ahsoka.
"The one selling Republic weapons to the Separatists one the Black Market?" asked Anakin.
"Yes, that one," said Aayla. "Ahsoka played the part of a criminal herself spectacularly. She was able to identify our quarry with no trouble at all and alert me to his presence so I could capture him."
"Well, in that case, congratulations are in order," Anakin grinned at his Padawan. "Well done, Ahsoka. You're a Padawan beyond your years."
"Thank you, Master," Ahsoka beamed. "But I feel my performance was shoddy compared to Aayla's."
"Why? Where was she?"
Terriermon answered:- "She was up on the podium dancing to the whole bar."
Anakin stopped so suddenly that everyone else almost walked into him. He turned and looked at Aayla incredulously. "You disguised yourself as a Twi'lek dancer?"
"I don't know why you're so surprised," Aayla said. "You're the one who usually goes at doing things from an unusual angle. Besides, it worked."
"Wish I could have seen the surprise on Affa's face," Anakin chuckled.
"It was a sight to see," offered Renamon.
"Who'd have thought all these dance lessons the two of you have been taking would come in useful in official Jedi business?" Anakin said, as he started off down the corridor again.
"So, Master," said Ahsoka. "What are we in for this time? Are the Seppies planning a massive invasion on another Republic-aligned planet, or is this something else."
"You'll get the proper debriefing in a few minutes, Snips," said Anakin. "But I will tell you this, no, the Separatists are not planning a massive invasion. At least, not yet. No, it's actually the exact opposite. We're planning a massive invasion on a Separatist-aligned planet."
"The excitement is building," Terriermon chuckled. "Are you going to spill the beans and tell us which one."
"You'll find out soon enough," said Anakin.
"Aw, go on, Anakin," Suzie said. "Tell us. Pleeeeaaasseeee."
"Oh, fine. I'll give you a hint. Aayla," Anakin called over his shoulder. "Why was Obi-Wan so freaked out when he spotted you riding on an Acklay back on Felucia?"
Aayla's eyes widened in surprise. "You can't possibly mean..."
"Yep," said Anakin, his face going grim. "That's right. We're heading back to Geonosis."
"Oh dear," said Aayla. "The day suddenly took a turn for the worse."
Everyone else looked grim now too. They all knew what had happened the last time the Jedi had been to Geonosis, and how they had lost almost two-hundred Jedi to the forces of the droids. Nobody was joking around now. That planet was not one to be trifled with if you wanted to get off it alive.
Not much to say here. Please review – I really appreciate your input.
Next time...
The group discover their new mission and prepare for an assault. A couple of other Jedi will be coming along, and the Digimon will be introduced to two new friends – Clone Captain Deviss and Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee.
Coming up:- Chapter 52 : Geonosis
