I know, I know. I'm a day late. Explanation's in the note at the bottom. Please forgive me. 八(＾□＾*)
New developments (Clone Force 99 pt9)
Goals, morals, and feelings change. It's how you respond to them that matters
It didn't take long after contacting the Chancellor of the datachip's retrieval and the thieves' capture that he sent the appropriate forces to Plo and Aliyah's location. Appropriate forces being mostly consisting of Senate Guards.
They immediately took over custody of the Separatist Senators and everyone involved with them—including their kidnapped chief engineer, just as Plo promised. Then began sitting down to interrogate the two Jedi, the clone officers of each division, and the entirety of Clone Force 99. One by one.
"Do you really, solemnly, on your life, swear that you have absolutely no knowledge, or even the slightest implication, of what lies inside the datachip?" A Senate Guard asked Hunter.
"Yes." Hunter plainly replied.
The guard checked the results of the truth-analysis device he had Hunter strapped up to. He was in the honest threshold.
"You're clear. Next!"
Hunter was removed from the vital sign readers that ran up his arm and the headset that took data from his eye movements. He immediately rejoined the rest of his companions, who were sitting the still gearless Steele.
"How did it go?" Wrecker asked.
"Not too bad. Since I've got literally nothing to hide, unfortunately."
"'Unfortunately?'" Steele repeated. "They practically grilled me alive in there."
"Yeah well. That's because you were in close proximity to the renegades. Especially the mastermind." Hunter reasoned. "But still, it wasn't like you've got anything to hide either. Otherwise those Senate Guards would've immediately locked you up and flew you back to Coruscant."
Steele had an uncomfortable look on his face. "Well, actually…I only barely made the honest threshold back there."
He handed over a datapad to Hunter, who took it with confusion. "What's this?"
"Just some stuff Kushi and the others told me during my 'hospitable' stay under their roof. Make a copy of it as soon as you can and keep it just within you guys."
"Tech!"
"I got it." Tech took the datapad from Hunter's hand and immediately proceeded to do the copying process.
Hunter looked back at Steele in amused gratitude. "Y'know, when I implied that I wanted to know what was inside the datachip. I didn't expect you to actually believe it."
"Rather share what I know with the ones who might be able to do something about it. Than the ones who'll only try to hide and deny it," Steele explained.
"Thank you," Hunter meant it.
"No problem."
A brief moment of silence passed where Steele debated whether or not to ask this question. "Have any of you guys ever heard of 'contingency orders?' Most likely during your training years?"
"Contingency orders…contingency orders…" Hunter turned to his two free subordinates. "Guys?"
"No. Do I look like I know?" Wrecker and Crosshair respectively said.
"Sorry, not really ringing a bell," Hunter concluded. "But maybe it'll come clear, after a little digging around."
"Well then. I wish you all the best of luck."
"You should really be wishing us luck in writing our report of this entire event before leaving for good," Hunter said.
~ O O O ~
The Senate Guards continued to interrogate as the cleanup of the base camp and Separatist hideout was taking place. The remains of Senator Kerch Kushi were taken out of the destroyed bunker. And Steele's gear was still being searched for.
All the while, Plo was amidst a slight argument with the Head Senate Guard who stood outside their communication tent.
"I'm sorry, general. I cannot let you answer this call."
But Plo was insistent. "This is my camp. That is my transceiver. I will decide whether to answer or not."
"The Chancellor—"
"—should be pleased with the safe retrieval of the stolen Republic information."
"Has given me direct orders to—"
"—your direct orders, which are now being given to you by me. Is to allow me to answer that impending urgent call inside."
Grunting in frustration at the fact the Chancellor is not currently here, the Head Guard let Plo into the tent. Plo walked up to the holo-transceiver and answered the call.
The hologram of Master Yoda appeared before him.
"At last, have reached you, Master Plo Koon." The elder Jedi Master had a foreboding tone in his voice.
"Master Yoda, what is going on?"
"Forgive me, you must. Complications there were, surrounding communication with you as of late."
"Why is that?"
"On Coruscant, a dire event has happened. Request the presence of the entire Council, we need. However, insisted on the completion of your mission first, the Chancellor demanded."
"What is this dire event?" Plo demanded.
"Bombed the Jedi Temple, someone has."
For the first time since this war began, Plo could honestly say he was horrified.
~ O O O ~
Steele was examining the contents of a crate a few troopers brought to him. It was his gear. They finally found it.
"Where'd you find it?" He asked.
"Bottom of the disposal chute. You don't wanna know the details," one of the troopers said morbidly.
Steele got the gist of it. "I'm sure I don't. Thanks. Really."
"It's not exactly in top shape right now, but I'm sure it'll be fixed once we return to HQ."
"Well, I guess it's still gearless for me then," he sighed. "At least the fighting's over. Put it on the ship for now."
"Yes, sir."
The group who brought the crate put the lid back on and picked it up to carry to their ship. Steele leaned back against the table behind him, relieved that his gear has been found and is somewhat intact.
"Steele." Aliyah suddenly walked up to him. To Steele's relief, Wolffe was next to her. The conversation won't be one-on-one. He nodded at them in acknowledgement.
"General. Wolffe."
"Your interrogation's over right?" Aliyah asked.
"Yeah."
"So what kinda questions did they ask you?" Wolffe inquired.
"Mainly about my capture. They wanted to know if I was told anything that was even remotely related to the contents of the datachip," Steele explained.
"You didn't, right?"
"…Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Either way, they let me go in the end."
Aliyah nodded and smiled. "Well, at least this will soon be over and we can finally get a break. A well-deserved one if I must say."
Before Steele could agree, Plo suddenly came up from behind. An urgent tone echoed in the way he walked up to them.
"Wolffe, gather the men immediately, we need to return to Coruscant," Plo ordered.
"Some of them are still in the middle of interrogations," Wolffe said. "I'm not sure if the Senate Guards will let them leave."
"What's going on?" Aliyah asked.
Plo turned to her. "Master Yoda just called. Apparently, there's been a bombing at the Jedi Temple."
Aliyah's face went through a phase of expressions. From shock, to denial, to being downright disturbed.
"Have they found the culprit?" She managed to ask.
"Not yet. The Council, including myself, has decided to assign Anakin Skywalker and Padawan Ahsoka Tano to investigate."
"Why?"
"They weren't present during the bombing. Master Yoda believes they can be trusted."
"You weren't present either."
"Jedi weren't the only casualty in the bombing. A few clones and civilian workers were killed as well, making this an external issue," Plo explained. "Apparently there's been rumours flying about that a Jedi was behind this heinous act, so having a member of the Council lead the investigation will look biased in the public's eye."
Aliyah understood but was no less disturbed. "I see."
"Uh, is this a bad time to hand in our report?" Hunter suddenly appeared before the two Jedi. The rest of the batch stood a few feet behind. They weren't oblivious to the distressful mood surrounding this space.
"Not at all. Thank you," Aliyah took the report from him before turning back to Plo. "You head back to Coruscant immediately, I'll take care of the rest of the cleanup."
"You're leaving for Coruscant so soon, sir?" Hunter asked Plo.
"State of emergency. You'll hear about it soon enough." Plo looked to the entire lot. "It was an interesting experience working with all of you, I'm sure we'll meet again in the future. Wolffe, let's go."
"Yes, sir. Steele, take care of yourself. General Korentayer, it was nice working with you again. And for you…" Wolffe paused at the batch. Hunter latter gave him an expectant look. "…you live up to your success rate, I can give you that. If only numbers could tell me everything."
"Wow. That was actually nice," Hunter remarked.
"That was sincere," Wolffe said before leaving with Plo. They had a lot of rounding up to do.
Hunter turned to Aliyah and Steele. "Unless you have anything else required of us, we'll be taking our leave as well."
"You all completed your interrogations, right?" Aliyah made sure.
"Yes, we did."
"Then there's nothing else." She gave them all a grateful look. "Thank you. Thank you."
"No problem, general." He turned to Steele behind her. They shared a mutual nod.
"Be careful with your next steps," Steele said. Knowing that Hunter would understand what he meant.
"Will do. Thanks again. And good luck to you as well." Hunter hoped Steele knew what he meant.
The rest of the batch said their farewells and they all left. One mission done. A lot of questions unanswered. Contingency orders. That was a start at least.
~ O O O ~
Over at the area where individual Separatist Senators were being examined—or rather scrutinied—several of them were expressing mourn over the death of Kushi.
Steele took notice of that in the distance. He couldn't but feel some pity towards them. And guilty towards himself. "I tried to get him to come with us."
"Was that why you and 99's didn't immediately regroup with us?" Aliyah asked. She sent a copy of her summary report thus far to the Republic's military database backlog.
He turned around and nodded. "Grievous would've killed him and escaped with the datachip by the time you and General Plo showed up. And then we'd be never hearing the end of it once we return to Coruscant and all's solved over the Temple bombing."
"Fair enough." Aliyah turned off the table computer so she can give more focused attention. "So. Since we've both already been questioned by the Senate Guards, I think it's safe for you to tell me what exactly happened during your capture."
"What would you like to know first?"
"Did Kushi harm you?"
"No. He never laid a hand on—"
"—I mean mentally," Aliyah corrected.
That caused Steele to nearly lose all his words. The first night of interrogation with Kushi came back, clear as a picture to him. He pushed it away.
"No. No. He didn't." Steele paused for a brief moment. "He was actually…a rather respectable politician if I'm being honest. Compared to the majority of the ones I've met thus far from our own government."
"Yeah, he was one of the supporters of the Confederate-Republic peace initiative."
"He wanted a peaceful resolution…" Steele couldn't believe it. "I guess Count Dooku really drove him up a wall."
Aliyah could see that despite everything, Steele didn't bear animosity towards Kushi. "War drives everyone up a wall. Everything's always so complicated. Loyalties and moralities are constantly being put on the questioning block, nothing is clear. And we're not allowed to ask for clarification."
She leaned forward on the tabletop to let everything digest. Then looked back at Steele. Her expression lightened. "I'm really glad you're back."
Once again, the first night of interrogation attempted to come back. But this time, Steele didn't push it away. He agreed with her.
"It's good to be back. It really is."
Kushi's allies may believe it. The people who'll read this mission's report may believe it. And Steele will make sure they believe it: that Kushi broke him during the first night of interrogation.
But unfortunately, the chief engineer was right. He called himself an idiot for other reasons.
I love you. It's never my intention to cause worry for you. I'm not delusional, I know it'll be nothing but trouble if I choose the honest route. And I sure as hell ain't gonna give Krell the chance to rise up from his Umbaran grave just to tell me, 'I told you. I told you she'd be nothing but trouble.'
Aliyah was suddenly called over by two Senate Guards. She walked out of the tent and up to them to answer whatever questions they had. Steele stayed right where he was.
But still…if I can keep you alive 'til the very end, that's good enough for me. I'll be happy with just that.
"Commander! There's been an issue concerning a tent, a game of 'who can dismantle it faster,' and a nearby Senate Guard," Kal announced.
Steele immediately followed him to resolve this issue that he already has a good idea of who's the culprit. Just as he began walking away, Aliyah glanced at him while the two guards were busy conversing with themselves.
Her thoughts and feelings didn't deceive her.
I have over 99 problems since this war began, and you might be the biggest one of them all. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing…I guess…I guess I'll just have to wait and see. But either way, I'm not going to lose you again. Krell, Kushi…they're all close calls. I can't let third time be the charm. I won't be able to handle it.
~ O O O ~
A little while later…
Palpatine was sitting in his office when he was finally delivered the retrieved datachip by his Head Senate Guard. The box containing it was gently put on his desk before him.
"The datachip that contains an illegitimate copy of classified Republic knowledge, Your Excellency."
"Thank you." Palpatine sat forward a bit more. "And all of the participating soldiers? Have they been thoroughly questioned?"
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Including the commander who was briefly detained by the renegades of the Confederacy?"
"He was interrogated most scrupulously. And bore no…purely dishonest results."
"I see." Palpatine sat back. "Thank you again."
The guard bowed his head in respect. Then walked out of the office. Palpatine took the box and put it away in his desk. He would have the datachip properly examined and then erased later.
For now, he needed to make sure there weren't any potential leaks of knowledge.
Kerch Kushi was dead, according to Count Dooku. The rest of his allies won't last long once their trials begin. Though Palpatine would've liked it a lot more had the two Jedi leading the mission just killed them on sight.
"Jedi and their morals…" he muttered to himself.
He was somewhat grateful for the fact the Temple was recently bombed. At least that took everyone's attention away from this datachip heist.
Let the Jedi be distracted by this controversial act of terrorism and let the people give them a hard time during it.
Anything that'll keep them away from finding out about the 150 Contingency Orders. More specifically Contingency Order number 66.
End of Clone Force 99 arc. The Clone's Hero will be back for Investigating Fives's Death arc.
Review responses~
lionkingfactsguy3 (chapter 35): No problem. How's it going for you now? :)
KarajeJinsta: No he would. He just knows that some secrets should be kept and some should be let out. :)
lionkingfactsguy3 (chapter 36): Lol. That's cute and hilarious. But yeah, that's kind of what I expected when I posted that chapter. XD
lionkingfactsguy3 (chapter 37): Chips aren't discovered yet. But they're definitely suspecting something weird.
Femke-the-lotus: No, they're not allowed to see what's on the datachip. It's a big no-no. Their job was strictly VERY STRICTLY to find the thieves, get the datachip, and return it to the Republic. Yeah, school is messy. I'm entering third-year of university. This is my first week and I'm already stressing out!
lionkingfactsguy3 (chapter 38): They got the datachip back. That's what's important. :)
Starpottergeek: Here it is! Sorry it was late though.
Lau-SR: The new developments mean more things happening, hints of Order 66, and yeah, more hints of those two's relationship. Next arc is where all those hints become reality. :)
CotyT232: They're a bit delirious. They just faced f****** Grievous. XD
Akira-Hayama: Well, yes and no. Things aren't exactly sorted between them. Steele knows the consequences and doesn't want to put her in a precarious spot. You could say, he's a realist with some hope. As for Aliyah, she's more or less the same. But with more baggage. She just heard the Temple got bombed, she's being carefully watched by guards who are dead-loyal to the Senate, and she's unable to receive any closure from this mission. Other than the fact it's done and Steele's safely back. I'd say she's been trying to keep the equilibrium of her loyalties to her government, her Order, and her legion. But Steele is definitely threatening that (and he doesn't know it...yet). He's admitted his feelings, but to himself only. And next arc...well, next arc will have a confirmation. ;)
Guest: I know, I know! There was supposed to be an update yesterday. See A/N for details.
Liam: Yes, you're right. Life did indeed happen yesterday. See A/N for details. (It's kind of a stupid story...)
A/N. So yesterday, I decided to clean out my Google Drive by deleting any files and folders I no longer needed. By accident, I put this chapter's doc file in the trash as well. And being the sleep-deprived idiot I was yesterday, I didn't bother double-checking the trash before deleting everything in there forever.
What happened next: I went into my Clone Force 99 arc folder and retrieve the chapter 9 doc to post it. But it wasn't there. I typed it in the search bar, it didn't show up. Then I pieced the puzzle together and realized I must've deleted it. Forever. *Insert facepalm.
What happened after that: I immediately opened up a new doc and spent all day yesterday, most of last night, and most of this morning, and partially this afternoon, retyping THE ENTIRE F****** CHAPTER before my memory completely left me. And this is the result. (I may revise it once I remember more of how the original chapter went)
And that's happened. Sorry guys. (Also, I know it's a bit of a stretch putting the events of this right before the Temple bombing, but I simply felt it'd be appropriate since Palpatine may receiving a lot of inquiries about how conservative he was regarding the datachip.)
And we have reached the end of yet another arc. Thank you everyone who made it thus far with me! I'm eternally grateful to you and your support!
Now that a new school year has started for many of us, I must also return to my studies and put aside writing for awhile. I will come back with the next arc once winter break rolls around. So please, wait patiently for me in the meantime. And don't forget to favourite, follow, or review (especially if you have questions or haven't reviewed before). I will do my best to post my replies to all future reviewers at the bottom of this chapter.
*Virtual hugs to everyone!
See you all next time! :)
- MiraLake