Chapter 34
A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks for all the reviews. I'm happy to see everyone's enjoying the story! Anyways, I'm just the writer, I don't own anything else!
The sound of sirens echoed through the bar from outside. While the sound wasn't unusual to hear around the bars of Coruscant, it was strange to hear right at a Clone bar. Most of the men, even when drunk, at least knew better than to do something stupid enough that'd get them arrested.
While some of the men continued to laugh and chatter as the Coruscant Guard came in, Cody couldn't help but notice how stiff they seemed. And that was saying something considering their planet-bound brothers tended to be less…easygoing than most.
Something was wrong.
"Commander Cody, Captain Rex," a trooper said stepping up to them, "We need you to come with us."
"Why? What's going on?" Rex said his brows furrowing as he set down his glass.
"Something has happened sir," the man replied, his head tilting away. From the way he was shifting nervously, he probably had to be a Shiny. "I'm afraid there's been an…incident."
Cody and Rex shared a glance. They were in the military, they were used to secrets. But still, it wasn't like any of their brothers to keep them from each other, especially in reports to superiors. "If something's happened, why haven't we heard from our generals?"
Beside him, Rex didn't wait for an answer as he tapped commlink on his arm, "General Skywalker? What's going on?"
It was surprising when Rex didn't get a response from his General or Commander. Cody knew both General Skywalker and Commander Tano well; it wasn't like them to not respond to Rex. Tapping his own commlink, Cody lifted it, "General, Commander, is everything alright?"
When all he got was static, dread began to pool in his gut.
"Enough with the vague answers Shiny, what's going on?!" Rex snapped, gaining the attention of their men as well as others as they heard the angered tone of the Captain.
"Sir…I'm sorry to inform you, there was an attack. General Kenobi is dead," the Shiny answered.
Cody could barely hear the shouts of disbelief over the blood roaring in his ears. No, there was no way his General was dead. He was with General Skywalker, Commander Tano, and Commander Navo'x at Dex's. They were on Coruscant, the heart of the Republic, the safest place in the galaxy for a Jedi. There was absolutely no way High General Kenobi was dead.
"What? That's impossible!" Rex exclaimed.
"I'm afraid it's true sir. Sources tell us that it was an assassination by a Bounty Hunter, everyone is looking for the coward. Both Commander Tano and General Skywalker were targeted as well, but they were unharmed."
"The assassin got away!"
"Yes sir. But everyone is looking for him, he won't get far."
Cody scowled, the cowardly skug who ambushed his General had gotten away. He'd personally go out to find the bastard. He and the rest of the 212th would find him, and they would avenge their General.
"Are the Jedi out looking for him too?" Rex inquired.
"I'm not sure sir. I know Commander Tano and General Skywalker have returned to the temple. But there are probably other Jedi looking for him."
Cody couldn't help but notice that the Shiny hadn't said anything about his own Commander. "What about Commander Navo'x?"
The Shiny went silent and Cody felt his stomach drop. It was his job to protect his General and Commander; arguably he'd say protecting the Jedi was more important that any other task that could be assigned to a clone. The Jedi were their Generals, their leaders, who knew how many battles they would have lost without them. For a clone to lose both his General and Commander…
"Commander Navo'x was severely wounded, he's being transported to the Jedi Healing Hall as we speak."
Cody didn't even wait for the man to finish before he and the rest of the 212th followed by the 501st were racing out the door.
A gasp filled the dark room as Cody shot up in his bunk. He could feel sweat running down the back of his neck at the memory. The Hardeen mission had been the worst weeks of his life—save for the nightmarish weeks he'd spent dealing with Tarkin's useless commissioned soldiers after the Order, Order 66 itself, and, of course, right now.
Now, he was being sent to find and capture his Commander. The Commander who was supposed to be dead.
It was strange, one of his worst nightmares had been losing his Jedi back during the war. But now, it was the fact they were alive. He knew the Jedi were traitors, there was no doubt about that, but Cody did doubt his had been involved. They never would have betrayed them and the Republic.
However, orders were orders, and it was his duty as a soldier to follow them to the letter. He just wished that they had died quickly like he planned. They would have died had he gotten the order before handing his General back his blasted lightsaber. Now they were living in an Empire that would kill them on sight, or worse.
Putting on his armor, the Commander strode to the front of the ship, watching as the blurred lights of hyperspace fade away. The planet before him reminded him of Naboo, a green and blue planet teeming with life.
/Incoming vessel, identify yourself/
Stepping up to the controls, Cody tapped the commlink, "This is Commander Cody of the 212th, I am here on direct orders from Lord Vader."
The line was silent for a moment as they received the clearance code. /Welcome Commander Cody. You and your men are cleared to board the Conspirator/
-.-
"You!" Trezac snarled as he shoved the holocron into his pocket and pulled out his sabers, raising the silver and dark orange blades up as green eyes met gold.
"Surprised to see me?"
"Well, last time I saw you it was in Mandalorian chains, Maul," Trezac hissed.
A hollow chuckle echoed around the room. "Yes, I suppose it wouldn't be hard to think that, especially after everything that happened. I must admit myself, I'm surprised as well. I thought the clones had killed you and Kenobi."
Trezac froze at that reminder. He and Obi-Wan had almost died at the hands of their own men; men they had previously trusted with their lives. The attack had been unprompted and completely unexpected for the Padawan and his Master. They had only survived on sheer luck and the fact that they'd been in far too many similar situations beforehand.
Maul…he had been with Rex and Ahsoka. Darth Maul had been alone with Ahsoka when the order to slaughter the Jedi had come in. Ahsoka had been alone, surrounded on all sides by unexpected enemies when the order came. If she wanted to survive…Maul was her only option.
"Where is she?"
This seemed to catch the Sith Lord off guard as his sneer faded away and his brows furrowed in confusion. "Who are you…" Maul trailed off before he started to chuckle, "Oh, I see, Lady Tano."
Baring his teeth, Trezac settled into a fighting stance, "I said: Where is she?"
"I didn't kill her if that's what you're thinking," Maul scoffed as he took a step forwards. "In fact, she was the one who let me out when all the clones lost their minds."
"I figured as much, it's not like she had much of a choice," Trezac growled, stepping forwards. "I will ask you one last time: Where is Ahsoka?"
Across from him, Maul scoffed, "Last time I saw Lady Tano, she was trying to keep me from escaping with the ship I used to get here as clones closed in on her. As you can see, I escaped…I doubt she was as lucky."
The young padawan's blood ran cold. He knew it was a possibility. He knew that ever since the Order when he and Master Obi-Wan and Master Yoda made it to the Jedi Security Archives to see what Ana—Vader had done. He knew it wasn't likely that Ahsoka, or any of his friends or creche mates had survived the ambush; like him, they had all trusted clones with their lives.
But seeing him, seeing Maul, he had seen a small glimmer of hope that his sister in everything but blood had survived. He had hoped he wasn't alone anymore. That hope was shattered as he realized Maul had left her.
Darth Maul had left Ahsoka, whom had freed him from certain death, to die.
Ahsoka, his sister, had been alone with maybe one clone if Maul was to be believed when she was murdered by the people she had trusted with her life. The people who had painted their helmets in honor of her return to the front, had murdered Ahsoka in cold blood.
Ahsoka would've been alive if Maul hadn't abandoned her. However, instead of being here with him, she was dead. Floating somewhere in space or crashed on some desolate planet or moon, denied the funeral rites of a true Jedi.
Maul was just as culpable for her death as the rest of the Empire.
The Force rippled around him, its power churning like the powerful currents of a rapid frozen under ice, waiting for the slightest crack to unleash its full wrath. Around the chamber, the intricate runes began to glow a bright scarlet painting over the blue glow of the magma to create a violet aura around them as the flames in the pits shifted from their red-orange to a vibrant blue-violet.
"Traitor."
"Coward."
"Murderer."
"He knew this was going to happen and did nothing to stop your shared enemy."
"He let it happen."
"He let her die."
"He let them all die."
"He doesn't deserve to live."
"Kill him."
"Do it!"
-.-
"What do you mean we're going to war?" A'den frowned, crossing his arms as he shared a wary glance with Xena. They had brought their people here to the edges of the Outer Rim just far enough into the Unknown Regions to escape the Sith and their Empire. His people had lost so much already, their homes, their Clans, their friends, their families, and many had lost their lives. He led them away from the bloodshed to bring his people peace.
The Clan Leader sighed, crossing his arms. Mandalorians may've been warriors, but even they were tired of fighting, of endless wars. He'd lost his parents to the Mandalorian Civil War, had grown up training as a warrior, fought in the Clone Wars, and now they had fought against the Empire as they mercilessly slaughtered the Clans and murdered his people. He was tired, his people were tired. War was the last thing any of them wanted.
General Amaya began signing, "My nephew has been usurped, he's ok and Corvis is going to get him out. But Viren and his new ally have taken over. They are summoning all the armies of all the other Kingdoms to wage war on Xadia."
"The elf kingdom?" Xena mused, pursing her lips in thought. Her lavender-colored eyes glanced away as she tapped her cheek. "I understand the concern for your nephew, but aren't the elves your enemy?"
"Yes, but I've received word that my other nephew and his friends are on their way to deliver the Dragon Prince to the Queen," she replied quickly. "This could end the war."
That got his attention. The war was about to be over and several people were not keen on that happening. So much so they overthrew their rightful ruler—a child no less—and were amassing an army to wage a massive war.
A war that would head right for them.
This base was located at the border, and from the maps he'd seen, it was—or had been—the only direct path into entering the other realm. Word of it's destruction hadn't been sent yet, this false king wouldn't know; he and his armies would straight for this base.
And straight for his people.
It had taken seeing that many of his own men were human to convince the Katolis soldiers that they weren't their enemies. Even now there were still wary glances thrown at their nonhuman comrades. A racist ruler hellbent on war…he and his allies would attack him and his people without question.
"I take it you will not answer this pretender's call?" he spoke.
The General shook her head. "No, I have tolerated Viren's power plays in the past, but he's crossed a line now. My men will not stand for a false king, and if they do, I'll take them out myself. I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect my nephews."
A'den nodded. He could see it, the anger in her eyes. General Amaya meant every word of what she said. That was enough for him. Grabbing his helmet, A'den tucked it under his arm as he stomped out of the security room and into the brig. "Janai is it?"
A golden-tattooed eye opened and the elf wore a tired scowl as she lifted her head from the wall to look up at him from the corner of her cell. "Finally done with sending your 'elves' to interrogate me? I don't answer to traitors."
"They are not traitors, nor are they elves, they are Zabraks," he growled, clenching his fist. "But, fortunately for you, I've just been told that the missing princes are fine, and that they have found the…Dragon Prince, I believe it was called."
This caught the elf's attention. "That's impossible! You humans destroyed the egg!"
"Apparently that was exaggerated," A'den deadpanned. "And, that this egg—or hatchling—is on its way back to the Queen."
The prisoner began to eye him warily, "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because this is a chance for peace between all of us," Amaya chimed in. "However, certain people are wanting to make sure that this doesn't happen and are amassing a massive army to wage war on Xadia. We are asking for you to prove that peace is possible."
"Prove peace is possible? I have nothing to prove to you."
"That may be, but the fact remains that war is coming. We are asking you to help us," Amaya continued causing the elf to blink in surprise. "If the Dragon Prince or the Dragon Queen is killed, this war will never end. But, if we work together, humans, elves, and Mandalorians we can drive these dark mages away and bring peace."
Janai scoffed, "And how exactly do you expect that to happen?"
"Take us to your kingdom," Xena spoke up from where she leaned against the wall. "We can show your people that our people," she motioned to the Houk brothers standing on either side of her cell, "human, zabrak, and everything in between can work together. I think it's past time we stop repeating the cycle of bloodshed started by our ancestors. Or do you want your children and grandchildren to die in senseless violence for grievances done thousands of years ago?"
A'den raised his hand to stop the accusations of his Second in Command. "We've given you much to think about, we will give you a few hours to consider our offer. But, please, do not dismiss our offer immediately, this is a chance for peace. We all are on the same side here, despite what you believe."
-.-
Sol Regem's tail twitched as he lied in the black sands outside the temple. He could feel the light power of the moon moving across the sky and he lifted his head in its direction. While he couldn't see, he could still tell that it was getting close to the time they needed to leave.
He doubted the youngster could search the entire temple in this short time, but they had to make due with what they had. As long as he managed to destroy, hide, or even take the more dangerous artifacts would make the trip worth it.
The chilled air of the desert night was quiet save for the hiss of a soulfang emerging from the sands, drawn by his life force, before realizing Sol Regem was far too big to take on. However, the Dragon bristled as he felt an icy wind blast over the sands coming from the temple itself.
Darkness seemed to bleed from the pyramid, causing the archdragon to rising to his feet, baring his fangs.
Flaring out his wings, Sol Regem gave a roar as he let loose a wave of his own power. It slammed into the wall of darkness, creating cracks in it, allowing him to reach through. The Dark Magic felt sick and twisted as it slithered around his own light and he searched the temple for the young Jedi. Sol Regem growled as he felt the immense power bleeding from the walls and the deeper he forced his power the darker it got.
The Darkness began to curl around him, growing bolder as it clung to his light, trying to smother it. It reached out, snapping and snarling at him as he reached a barrier as he sensed lifeforms up ahead before a wave of darkness rammed into him.
Sol Regem almost stumbled from the sheer force of the impact against his magic.
He had underestimated the darkness of the temple, and now his best weapon against Dark Magic was trapped inside due to his own foolishness. Trezac was trapped in that defiled place alone with a monstrous force.
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