Tera Sinube hovered in his small shuttle at the edge of the system he had come to investigate. According to the information that had been acquired on Jedha, this was were all the Kyber Crystals were being sent. Surprisingly, there wasn't a great deal of visible activity here. He had been here for 3 days now, and had seen only a single cargo shuttle arrive along with some minor patrolling by a handful of ARC-170s. It certainly didn't give the appearance of a major Imperial station. He had expected quite a bit more activity. Especially for something of the size and presumed importance of the Death Star. Perhaps Master Kenobi was correct that this was nothing but a false flag, he thought to himself. Deciding that nothing more was going to be gained by hovering at the edges of the system, he headed toward Eadu.
Upon his arrival on planet, Master Sinube began to slowly make his way toward the shuttle port that he had seen on his scanners upon entering the system. Using the Force to cloak himself in shadows and quiet his movements, he reached the outskirts of the port. There, mounted among the rocks and hidden by overhangs, he found numerous turbolaser emplacements. So many in fact that they rivaled the firepower of an Acclamator. Maybe there was more to this place than meets the eye, he thought.
He next came upon the Hanger. Yes, there were the ARC-170s he had seen. But more to the point, there were another three squadrons of TIE Fighters in the hangers as well. Why hadn't he seen any of these flying? Resolving to continue digging, he moved on. Slowly and deliberately. Partly because of his age, but mainly because to do other wise would reveal him. From deep within the shadows he spotted what looked to the main entrance to the base.
As he slowly approached it, he saw two Stormtroopers standing guard outside it. But these troopers felt, different, than the Clones he had fought with during the war. Different than the men of the 501st as well. Ever so carefully reaching out with the Force, he very carefully probed their auras and their minds. They were Clones, yes. But somehow, different. They minds weren't as disciplined or regimented as the Clones he was familiar with.The men who had made up the GAR had minds like a durasteel trap. These felt almost fragmented, incomplete. Almost as if they had been programed without any time to build their own character or personality. It was odd. It was something he made a note of and resolved to look into later.
Using a simple Mind Trick on them, he slipped past and into the complex. Shaking his head, the only thing he could think was, that would never have worked on the men of the GAR. Moving deeper into the facility, he gently probed ahead of himself with the Force. He was in one long corridor with almost nowhere to hide if anyone should surprise him. Fortunately, he came across no one. This was good. As his mission here was purely recconasinse. If anyone even suspected that a Jedi was here, then his mission would be a failure. As the Empire would shift every last bit of whatever they were doing here to keep it away from the Jedi.
At last, he reached a bank of lifts. Upon entering, he found that all floors required key card access to move the lift. Sighing to himself, all he could do was shrug. This mission was going entirely too well. He had to hit a snag someplace. Better for it to be a stubborn lift than a squad of Clones gunning for him. Pulling out his slicer's kit, he began to gingerly slice into the control panel for the lift. After what seemed to be hours but was in reality only a handful of minutes, Master Sinube gave a small satisfied nod of his head as the lift agreed to take him to the floor he wanted. As the lift whisked him to his destination, the floor picked after feeling a slight nudge from the Force, he carefully repacked his slicing kit and folded his hands in front of him. As the doors slid open, he gathered the Force to himself and projected it in front of him to mask his presence. Of all his gifts with the Force, this was the one he was most thankful for. While it wouldn't hide him from someone peering intently at him, it did disguise him just enough that anyone glancing in his direction likely wouldn't see him.
Moving through the floor, he found several laboratories. Some appeared to be working on reactor designs, some on power distribution, some on what appeared to be weapon targeting. The main lab, he found at the end of the hall. Upon entering, he found what they were looking for. For there were all the schematics and diagrams for the laser. Along with how they planed to focus it through the Kyber Crystal, using the crystal to greatly augmenting the laser's power. But what really clinched it for him, was the being standing with his back to room, gazing out the window at the storm swept planet, his hands clasped behind his back. Moff Tarkin. He was speaking to a man in the uniform of an Imperial Scientist attached to the Imperial Navy.
"Now that the Emperor has placed me in command of this project, I will tolerate no further delays or attempts at stalling on your part Erso. The consequences would be, unpleasant. Not for you, you're far too important. But your family. Now there's another matter entirely."
Watching the man Tarkin was talking to, Sinube saw him almost physically deflate, as if the life and breath went out of him. His aura in the Force seemed almost to shatter, as if he had been utterly and irretrievably broken. "You win, Tarkin. You win. Just please, leave my family out of this. I'll build you your weapon."
"I knew you'd see reason eventually." Looking to the Stormtroopers at the end of the room, he told them, "Kill the wife, but leave the daughter for now."
"YOU SWORE!" The man roared at Tarkin. He was quickly restrained by several additional Stormtroopers.
Looking almost completely dispassionate, Tarkin told the man, "You're far too trusting. Let this be a simple demonstration for you. Your previous delays and moral quibbles that Krennic allowed you have now cost you your wife. Do it again, and they'll cost you your daughter."
The broken man collapsed to his knees sobbing, his face buried in his hands. Knowing that trying to do the right thing had killed his wife. That it would surely kill his only child if he persisted in doing it as well. He had no other options. Do what the Empire wanted, or be forced to watch as his beloved daughter, Jyn, was killed in front of him.
As Tarkin turned away from the man,he told the Stormtroopers, "See that Galen and his daughter are transferred to Geonosis immediately. We'll be able to keep a closer eye on his activities there. In fact, prepare to move all research there immediately. Krennic was a fool putting the designers so far away from the construction site. More proof of his inefficiency." With that, Tarkin strode quickly out of the room and to his personal shuttle to prepare for a return to his flagship, the Executrix.
Letting out the breath that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, Master Sinube was simply shocked. The levels of brutality that the Empire, and specifically Tarkin, were willing to sink too was simply astounding. Six months ago, and Tarkin would be up before a Court Martial for casually ordering the execution of an innocent like that. But now, he wasn't even questioned over it.
As he watched the man he now knew was Galen Erso be led away by the Stormtroopers, Master Sinube was already planning the message he would have to send to the Council about this. The weapon was certainly confirmed and luckily he now knew where it was being built. Perhaps they could stage an attack on it now, cripple the project before it could even really get going. He decided to send the message from the base instead of his shuttle, but using the special code that rerouted the message multiple times before depositing it in a dead drop on the Outer Rim where a member of the ExplorCorps would retrieve it. This way, maybe it would spark an internal mole hunt and convince Imperial Intelligence that they had a traitor in their midst. Either way, it would certainly deflect suspicion away from the Jedi, at least for the time being.
Slipping into one of the unused labs, he quickly sliced into the communications system and prepared the message he would send. Entering the coding information, he took comfort in the fact that, even if the Empire saw the message on the system, the code would render the destination nothing but nonsensical gibberish. He had been assured before he left that the code was functionally unbreakable. As he finished typing out his message, he heard the sound of a lightsaber igniting behind him.
Darth Aella had watched on the security holocams as the Jedi had moved about the facility. He was good, she admitted it. Almost as good as she was at hiding her presence, something she was actively doing now. And had been doing for the last several days. Ever since long range sensor scans and fighter patrols had detected the shuttle. Fortunately her Master had ordered all sensors operated in passive only mode ever since the attack on Jedha. It was only upon her arrival at the station however that other, more concrete measures were put in place. Such as her restricting the patrols by the fighter wing. Using only the old ARC-170s instead of the TIEs, ensuring that if the Clones did see the shuttle, they would take no action other than to report it's presence once they returned to base. She wanted to lure the Jedi in. Oh, she could have easily called in the fleet her Master had given her and blown the shuttle to pieces. But then the Jedi would never find out what her Master wanted them to find out. The depth of her Master's plans and plotting was truly astounding. Something she would need to keep in mind when the time came to overthrow him and take her place as the true Dark Lord of the Sith and Galactic Empress.
Angrily shaking her head at allowing herself to get distracted by dreaming of a future years if not decades away, she refocused herself on the task at hand. As she saw the Jedi approach the lifts after entering the base, she very carefully began to weave her Sith Sorcery on the unsuspecting Jedi below. Remembering the last time she had tried to use one of her spells on a Jedi, she wove this one with infinitely greater care. She didn't need to crush her target's mind so much as she needed to gently influence him in his actions. Diluting his sense of time would help a bit as well. Make him feel as if the minutes were stretching out into hours. Nothing that would really give her an edge in battle, but it would play with the Jedi's head just a little bit. From the research she had done after the encounter with the Jedi in the Temple back on Imperial Center, she had learned that often times, weaving a smaller, less intrusive spell worked best to open up the Jedi's mind to further manipulation later. That would be the track she would take here.
Now, as she stood behind the Jedi, she felt a thrill of predatory anticipation. Despite the spell she had cast earlier, the Jedi had proved impervious to her further attempts to influence him. This was no mere Knight. This was a Jedi Master. A powerful one. Casting aside the shadows she had cloaked herself in as she ignited the red blade of her lightsaber, she gathered the Dark Side to her and prepared to kill the Jedi before her.
Turning slowly to face the threat behind him, Jedi Master and High Council member Tera Sinube looked upon evil itself. The human woman that stood before him reeked of the Dark Side. This was no mere Dark Jedi. This was a Sith. Drawing himself up to his full height, he unlatched his lightsaber from his sabercane and ignited his light blue blade. Few within the Order had a blade this particular shade. Using the Niman form, he held his lightsaber in one hand and the staff of his cane in the other. The Sith lunged in, making full use of the aggressiveness of Ataru, bounding and leaping about the room. Master Sinube fought a desperate action to hold the Sith off, using his lightsaber and the staff of his cane. The only thing that had saved him so far was the Sith was still raw, not fully trained in the use of the blade. Against a swordsman like Dooku had been he would have been cut down long ago.
As it was, he could tell his opponent was not familiar with fighting against a being wielding two weapons. Now, if only he could maneuver her into an area where she wouldn't be able to use Ataru to it's full effect. Spying a small hall leading off the main one they were battling down, Master Sinube gathered the Force to himself and unleashed a fury of blows upon the Sith, driving her back toward the hall. He wouldn't be able to keep this pace up for long. His body just wasn't capable of sustaining this speed anymore, even with the Force augmenting it. But if he could gain a tactical advantage, he might still prevail.
For the first time since the duel started, for the first time that she could remember, Darth Aella felt fear. Real fear. And it sickened her. Her fight had been going reasonably well, the Jedi was good, very skilled. Technically, he was better than she was. But she was faster, stronger, younger. Better able to sustain her strength, speed and abilities. She had seen several times when, if the Jedi had been quicker, he might have ended their duel, either by disarming her or outright killing her. But she was that split second faster that allowed her to close those holes in her defenses before he could take advantage of them. And each and every one taught her what not to do next time. Assuming there was a next time. Moments ago, the Jedi had suddenly launched into a flurry of strikes against her, his speed and power doubling in an instant. She was hard pressed to keep his attacks at bay and was forced to give ground to him. Thank the Force she was facing him now and not when he was in his prime. Or she would likely have been killed within minutes of the start of the duel.
As Darth Aella was pushed back more and more, she belatedly realized what the Jedi was doing. He was driving her into a narrow, low ceilinged hall where her use of Ataru would be constrained. She would be unable to use the acrobatics that gave her an edge. Thinking quickly, she once again began to call Force Lightning into her palm and let it coil up her blade. But the old Jedi was smart. As the Lightning began to lick out him as their blades met, he used the Force to seemingly effortlessly absorb the shocks and release the energy back into the Force. Feeling her fear once again begin to take hold as her Sith Lightning attack failed and she was driven into the hallway, she was disgusted with herself. She was Darth Aella, Dark Lord of the Sith. No Jedi could defeat her. Ruthlessly, she crushed her fear, turning it into anger, turning her anger into hate, her hate into power. Her yellow eyes glowed ever brighter with the power of the Dark Side rushing through her veins. She would not fall here. The Jedi would fall. By her hand. And soon after, the Order would be crushed.
Switching from Ataru, her preferred form to Soresu, Darth Aella steadily gave way to the Jedi before her. The third form was not her strong suit, too passive, too weak. But she was practical enough to make use of it's benefits. Particularly while fighting in an enclosed space. By using the defense she gained with Soresu, she would be able to wear the older Jedi down. And when she did, she would strike.
Master Sinube looked on as the Sith shifted to Form III. His gambit had failed. The Sith had realized what he was attempting and had changed styles to compensate. Already he could feel his strikes beginning to slow again. He knew it would be only a matter of time. The young girl before him was extremely strong in the Force, one of the strongest he had ever felt. With time and training, she would be nearly unstoppable. With that realization, Master Sinube resolved to redouble his efforts. The Sith must not be allowed to escape. Continuing his assault on the Sith, he drove her further and further. His blade flashing faster than it had in years. It wasn't enough. Ahead, the passage they were in widened out and opened into a chamber.
Darth Aella gloated. Behind her, she could feel the walls opening up, the ceiling raising. Switching back to Ataru, she attacked the Jedi with a rage and fury she hadn't shown before. Above her, the Force swirled in a storm, filling the chamber with the sound of lighting cracking and thunder rumbling. The air in the chamber got colder every second. A fierce wind began to blow, whipping her hair about her head. Darth Aella released her Force Storm upon the Jedi, battering him from every angle while she kept up her relentless assault on him with her lightsaber. At last, the strain of their duel took it's toll on the aged Jedi. His parry was too late as Darth Aella buried her lightsaber in the chest of the Jedi as she stood toe to toe with him. She stared into his eyes and watched as the light went out of them, as his fingers became nerveless and his lightsaber clattered to the floor. As she pulled her blade from his chest, the Jedi collapsed to the floor along with his lightsaber. She felt the moment his life left his body. With a rush, the Dark Side exploded out of Darth Aella, as she released it's massive power back into the Force, to wait for her to call on it again. Reaching down, she picked up the Jedi's lightsaber and examined it. It was a clever design. She would add it to the one from the Jedi she had killed in the Temple.
Making her way back to the communications room she had found the Jedi in, she pulled up the message he had been composing. She had interrupted him just before he could send it. At least something her father and his band of fanatics had taught her came in useful. Her precognition was highly developed. Editing the message slightly, she sent it on it's way. She had no idea where it was actually going, but that didn't matter. Not yet, anyway. This was just phase one in Darth Sidious' plan.