Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the OC.
Jayden followed the Jedi and their forces while cloaked, going deep into the caves of Lola Sayu. Jayden kept his distance, but was close enough to pick up any conversation. The Jedi would not sense him as he had kept his Force signature hidden so they couldn't feel his presence through the Force. He could not be any further, he had to find the other half of the coordinates.
"We'll need to hold out until the Council sends a ship." Kenobi was saying.
"Not a problem. We've beat them once, we'll beat them again." Piell replied, keeping his hopes up.
"This landscape is almost impossible to cross. How are we going to get to the rendezvous point?" A Clone wondered.
"That is the trap of the Citadel. It's designed so that it'd be almost impossible for fugitives to get off the surface. Even if they escape the tower." Obi-Wan thoughtfully replied, now fully understanding the reason why this place had been constructed on Lola Sayu.
"Luckily we're not just any fugitives." Anakin remarked with a grin.
"I hope you're right." Piell mused. The Republic made to leave the caves, now convinced they were safe and away from the Separatists prying gaze.
They couldn't be further from the truth.
From his distant, cloaked position, Jayden had heard everything and quickly pieced together the information. With a report ready, he reached for his comms. It was time to put in a call to the Warden.
"Warden Sobeck, inform the orbital fleet of the Republic's impending arrival. We just need enough time to retrieve the coordinates from them." Wraith suggested, knowing there was limited opportunity for them to work and that they needed all the breathing room they could afford.
"Yes... it shall be done! I am dispatching our forces now and am sending a pack of Anoobas ahead. They will be perfect for locating the Republic, no one can hide from them!" Sobeck added. "I will join this battle myself to ensure that we succeed."
"Send a detachment of battle droids to me. I will need them for an ambush." Jayden added, a plan in mind.
"Yes, my Lord." Sobeck replied through the comms. "I'll throw in some commando droids as well."
"Good. Make sure they're all equipped with shackles for when we inevitably capture the Republic." Jayden added before terminating the call. Now that Sobeck had a lock on him and the Republic's location, all he had to do was wait until the droids were ready to attack.
The Republic continued to move deeper into the cave system, yellow rivers of lava lighting their way as they carefully stepped between paths of rock. The heat was bearable, surprisingly so considering all the lava about. All the while Jayden tailed them, stalking them from the shadows like an invisible predator. Up ahead, Rex and a 501st Clone scanned the path ahead, finding it empty and devoid of droids.
"We;re clear!" Rex called to ther others, pistols aiming around in case there was any surprises, unaware of the one hunting them from the shadows. Taking the chance to recover, the Jedi met to discuss their next course of action.
"What's our next move?" Ahsoka wondered.
"We're gonna have to fight our way off this rock." Anakin replied.
"Contact the Council, see when they plan to rescue us." Obi-Wan suggested. They needed to establish some key details first before they could go on the move again.
"I'll handle it." Piell volunteered. He walked over to R2-D2 and activated a holoprojection of Mace Windu.
"Master Piell. It's good to see you alive, my friend." The Jedi Master greeted.
"Likewise, Master Windu." Piell responded with a slight smile. "Our escape route has been compromised and there are several squads of droids closing in on us." He informed him.
"When can we expect your arrival?" Anakin inquired as he walked over.
"Master Plo is already en route." Windu told him.
"Gunships will arrive to evacuate you and your men. But do not delay. Only a small window of opportunity, shall we have." Master Yoda chimed in. The projection changed to a holomap of Lola Sayu's volcanic landscape, a series of arrows pointing to an island in the midst of a lava lake. "Your rendezvous point will be this island." Yoda told them.
Piell nodded. "understood."
"May the Force be with you." Mace signed off as the communication came to an end. The Jedi made to discuss their next move some more, while Jayden was stifling a pleased chuckle.
He quietly informed Sobeck of the rendezvous point and ordered the Warden to unleash his moments, as if to answer him, a small squad of commando droids entered the caves and started firing on the Republic. The Clones immediately counterattacked, using the pillars of rock around the cave as cover. One droid was shot down and fell into a river of lava, melting on contact. The others were promptly blown up by a thermal detonator thrown by an ARC trooper, causing a minor cave-in in the process. All in all, the droids were dealt with fairly quickly, but had caused enough of a presence to keep the Republic busy with no time to rest for long.
No doubt there's more on the way." Obi-Wan gravely surmised as the Republic made to leave. Jayden made to follow them but was slowed when he received an incoming communication. Opening the feed, he expected it to be the Warden.
Instead, it was Count Dooku.
"Apprentice, Commander Sobeck tells me that the prisoners have not yet been captured." The Sith bluntly stated. "Don't tell me you mean to fail me as well..."
"No, Master. I already have one half of the coordinates." Jayden said and this surprised and pleased Dooku. "I took it out via mind probe but did not inform the Warden in case of...problems. But fear not, Master, I will get the other half. I need time to do so."
"I trust your word Lord Khan, moreso than Sobeck's. Right now, his honesty is the only thing keeping him alive." Dooku said, revealing just how disappointed he was. "If not him, then I expect you to deliver."
"I will not fail, Master." Jayden replied as he signed off and continued to follow his enemies...and form a Plan B.
"Lord Khan!" Sobeck's commanding voice crackled in his comms. Before he could say anything more, Jayden spoke up.
"The Republic's extraction point is an island in the midst of a lava lake." He revealed. Sobeck fell quiet, thoughtfully digesting the available information.
"Yes... I know the one." He mused.
"I suggest you split our forces and trap the Republic in a pincer move. Cut off their access to the island and then strike them from behind." Jayden added, his mind already in a state of tactical overdrive.
"Agreed. I am on my way as we speak... and the Anoobas are on the prowl." Sobeck replied.
"Good. Send more droid squads to pursue them. We'll keep hounding them, wear them down. And then, when the time is right, we'll strike and take 'em down for good." Jayden responded before he continued to follow the Republic.
Jayden continued to follow the Jedi and their forces, watching them fend off another droid attack. They were following the shore of the lake now and Jayden kept his distance a bit but was still close enough to pick up every word they said.
And at the moment, Tarkin was whining and complaining, going on about this plan being doomed to fail. if Jayden could he'd drive a Lightsaber through him to shut him up but then he'd give away his location.
Why did Master Piell have to share half the intel with that guy? It's like he's not even grateful we rescued him." Ahsoka asked her Master.
"Captain Tarkin feels the Jedi should be... relieved from the burden of leading the war effort." Anakin replied.
"That's ridiculous." Ahsoka said with a scoff, astounded at the idea.
"Maybe. But we aren't soldiers, we're peacekeepers. The Jedi Code often prevents us from going far enough to achieve victory." Anakin replied, causing Obi-Wan to look at him.
"A rather simple point of view." He said.
"Either way, he is a good captain." Anakin relented. The party continued on as Jayden digested what Anakin had to say. A sudden howling stirred him from his thoughts as he realized the Anoobas had arrived.
He decided to give Sobeck a status update and reached for his comms. "Warden, your pets have arrived." He informed him.
"Good. I have news for you as well, Lord Khan," Sobeck replied, "additional reinforcements have arrived to bolster our orbital fleet. K-Two-B-Four has gone to participate in leading the defense."
Jayden said nothing as he returned his focus back to the Republic as they split up and entered a cave system, the Anoobas hot on their tail and a small squad of STAP speeders zipping by overhead. Jayden quickly found himself a better vantage point, choosing to tail Ahsoka and Piell's group instead of Obi-Wan and Anakin. Crab droids suddenly crawled up from beneath them, cutting down a member of Piell's bridge crew before the Lannik Jedi Master destroyed it.
"Keep going! Ahsoka and I will deal with the droids." Piell commanded the others. The Clones and officers took off as Ahsoka drew her own Lightsabers and stood with Piell. The two of them were kept busy by encircling droids as the STAP's strafed Obi-Wan and Anakin.
Now this was a firefight.
The Clones quickly rejoined Anakin and Obi-Wan and made quick work of the STAP's while Ahsoka and Piell held their own and dismantled the crab droids one by one. Suddenly a stray Anooba managed to get the jump on Even, mauling him with his claws and teeth.
"Master Piell!" Ahsoka fearfully cried as the Anooba whipped the Lannik Jedi around in its jaws.
Jayden silently cursed as he realized that if they lost Piell, then there went half of the Nexus Route. Ahsoka promptly jumped to aid him and threw the Anooba off a cliff with a strong Force push.
But her efforts seemed to be too late.
She knelt by Piell and realized he was in a very bad way. "I have to get help!" She determined, rising to leave.
"No... Don't leave." Piell rasped from the ground. "Listen to me carefully, child. The information... I need you to deliver it, but only to the Council." He instructed her. Jayden's hearing pricked up at the words and began to move closer as Ahsoka felt otherwise about Piell's words.
"I should find Anakin or Obi-Wan. They need to hear this." She replied, believing them to be better qualified.
"No. You must listen..." Piell repeated.
"But I wasn't assigned to the team. I lied just so I could be a part of the mission." Ahsoka protested, revealing her true reason for being here. Wraith carefully drew closer, still unseen and hanging on to every word.
"Whether you were meant to be on this mission or not... you are now the most important part of it." Piell told her. "Remember this... and see to it that the information I'm about to give you is revealed... to no one... but the Jedi Council." He rasped, struggling to breathe. He beckoned her closer and Ahsoka listened carefully as Piell whispered the coordinates to her...
And, by extension, Jayden.
Jayden smirked. He now had Piell's portion of the Nexus Route coordinates.
"Thank you, Ahsoka." He whispered. If it hadn't been for Ahsoka being the only one here, he doubted he would've ever managed to get the info out of Piell.
Stepping back into the shadows, Jayden watched as Ahsoka carried Piell's body over to the others, taking a second to replace the power cell in his cloaking device. Once renewed, he crept back over to the Republic party and bore witness as they consigned Piell's body to the lava, watching it burn in typical Jedi fashion before going over the nearby falls.
Jayden continued to follow. He may have the two halves of coordinates now...but he wanted to deal with the Republic's forces right now. The party now in a significantly more somber mood after the death of Piell. Sure enough, they followed the route Jayden had anticipated they would take, following the shoreline as it dropped until they were a mere few miles from their extraction point.
From where he stood, Jayden watched the Republic walk right in the trap. Jayden had no care for if they got out of the trap or not, he continued to tail them and watch as Ahsoka saved Tarkin's life from nearly dying...yet Sobeck died in the process which made Jayden shake his head. Sobeck was a fool, an insane fool that Jayden was probably going to kill when all of this was finished.
Now it was time for Darth Khan to act.
Dusting themselves off, the Republic were more than ready to leave this Force-forsaken place.
"Come on, let's get to that island. The rescue ship should be here-" Obi-Wan was saying when Anakin stopped him.
"Hold on..." He quietly said, focusing on the Force. His senses had picked up something in their immediate area. "You feel that?" He asked, looking around.
"Like we're being watched?" Obi-Wan replied, now sensing it too. Anakin turned around to face the seemingly empty land before them... but his enhances senses told him otherwise.
"We're not alone." He quietly said, reaching for his Lightsaber. All of a sudden, Jayden decloaked in front of a surprised Anakin before he was Force pushed into Kenobi and the Clones. With Force speed, Jayden grabbed Tarkin and had his Lightsaber activated.
"Nobody move!" He ordered and everyone froze in place in fear he will kill Tarkin. "Skywalker, Kenobi, nice to see you again."
"Khan!" Anakin growled as he glared at Jayden.
"Indeed. I'm surprised this pathetic waste of space didn't tell you. Jayden said, gesturing to Tarkin. "If any of you make a move...I'll put this through Tarkin's head and you lose his half of the coordinates." Even though Jayden already had them, but he wanted to fuck around basically and maybe...torment Skywalker.
Unable to do anything, the Republic surrendered their weapons.
The Republic affiliates soon had their weapons removed, hands cuffed behind their heads, lined up against the nearby ridge wall and forced to their knees. The droids surrounded them, blasters armed and ready. R2 was under considerable watch in the form of two commando droids, Wraith knowing the little astromech could tend to be trouble if not handled carefully. Most people underestimated R2, which often led to him being the reason for their downfall.
"I must admit...I am most impressed with this mission you did." Jayden said as he looked at Anakin and Obi-Wan. "Now...you know what I want. Give me the Nexus Route coordinates or I will kill each and every one of you in the most extreme and painful ways you can only see in your nightmares."
"Even if we wanted to give them to you, we couldn't. Master Piell is dead." Anakin retorted.
"I'm aware of this, Skywalker. I have been watching from the shadows, you just never noticed." Jayden said, causing the Jedi to share looks at this reveal. Jayden turned his head to Tarkin. "Tarkin, Tarkin, Tarkin...you ungrateful piece of shit. You should be lucky Ahsoka even bothered to save you from dying."
"Perhaps I would be a little more thankful if the Jedi were competent in their ways and did not place a mere child in a position of leadership." Tarkin bit back in response, maintaining his air of a haughty, privileged Republic officer. Ahsoka turned to glare at him, while Jayden knew exactly who he was talking about... and it caused his anger to burn.
"Oh? A 'child' being in command baffles you?" Jayden asked with some amusement.
"Hardly. I am more perturbed by the fact they would prefer to trust in a petulant brat than in classical military structure." Tarkin replied in a calm, defiant voice. By now, Ahsoka was done with being picked on like this.
"Hey!" She snapped but Jayden grabbed Tarkin by the neck and lifted him up.
"Choose your next words very carefully." Jayden warned. "That girl is no mere child, and I have seen how capable of a fighter she is. Do not underestimate her."
"What does a monster like yourself care for how I view a Jedi child?" Tarkin rasped, struggling to breathe. Jayden paused for a moment, letting the Captain dangle in his grip a moment longer.
"I'm still a man." Jayden replied before he shoved Tarkin back into his place. Jayden then looked at Ahsoka and walked over before he crouched down to look her in the eyes, reached up to pull his hood back before he took off his mask. His hair was long and messy, which hid most of his face as he put his hood back up, shrouding his face in shadow except his nose and mouth. "Miss me, Ahsoka? What do you say we torture your Master in the best way possible?"
Ahsoka frowned. "What do you-"
She was cut off because Jayden leaned forward and kissed her.
All sorts of eyes widened at the act, Ahsoka's mostly but Anakin, Obi-Wan, the Clones and the other Republic affiliates couldn't help but stare agape at the bold move.
Kissing Ahsoka...was the best feeling ever to Jayden. He couldn't get enough as he slightly bit her lip, causing her to gasp and allow his tongue to plung her mouth and battle her own. Jayden knew he was pushing his luck...but he just really wanted to do that on Mortis and couldn't get the chance. Eventually Jayden pulled away and smirked at the shocked, panting Ahsoka. "You have no idea how long I wanted to do that."
Jayden stood and put his mask back on and threw his hood up. He then turned to leave but a Clone spoke up. "Hey! You didn't get what you wanted!"
"Actually...I already have." Jayden said with a smirk underneath his mask and saw the confused looks the Republic had. "Tarkin's mind was so easy to look into after I probed it and found his half of the coordinates... and then I caught onto the other half." he looked at the droids. "Kill them."
With that, Jayden walked away to get to his ship. He knew the Republic will escape, Skywalker always seems to have some kind of plan of escape.
Jayden sat in his quarters on the Rogue Shadow, having told his Master about the Nexus Route coordinates and his plan to secure both halves which impressed Dooku who congratulated him on his efforts. Now he was ready to rest as his ship was on auto-pilot to his next destination.
Then he felt the familiar sensation of another presence here in his quarters. Turning around, Jayden saw Ahsoka again, alone in her quarters.
"Why is the Force connecting us?" Jayden asked. Ahsoka looked up in surprise, before releasing a breath as she realized it was just Jayden.
"I wish i knew and I really wish I had some kind of warning when this happens." Ahsoka said as she stood. "I could've been in a shower."
"Be the best thing to happen." Jayden said with a smirk. Ahsoka blushed at his words. "So... Lola Sayu... quite the experience, wasn't it?"
"I guess it was. Had me wondering a few times if we were gonna make it out." She replied. "Oh, hey, Anakin's decided to quit picking my missions for me and is letting me go with him again." She announced, quite happy by that fact.
Jayden hummed. "So...did you like the kiss?" Ahsoka maintained her composure, but couldn't help turning a shade darker as she recalled the kiss he'd stolen.
It did feel kinda nice...
"It was...nice." Ahsoka said, clearing her throat. "I'd like you to ask next time."
"Oh, so there will be a next time?" Jayden asked with a grin and Ahsoka realized what she said and blushed darker. "Much as I'd love to continue this, I have to go. We will talk again..."
With that, he walked away and faded from view...
And that's it for the Citadel arc.