Shadow's Odyssey 2: The Chaos Continues
Ganodi landed on Lothal. She would gotten back sooner, but she had to make a few stops first. Petro had told her not to check on their other friends, but Ganodi felt like she had to. And she was glad she did.
She had found Gungi infected with poison and multiple stab wounds in his chest. He was lying on the ground, unconscious. Lying next to him was Bossk with a snapped neck. He certainly would have died from the poison if she hadn't found him.
Ganodi had found Katooni in somewhat better shape, but that wasn't saying much. Katooni had taken a huge stab wound to the stomach. But she had apparently used her lightsaber to cauterize the wound so she wouldn't bleed out. It had saved her life but left her in excruciating pain.
Zatt, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. His wounds were simply too severe.
She couldn't find Byph at all.
Master Yoda was obviously disappointed to hear the news but was glad to see not all of his students had perished. They put the two Ganodi had saved in their beds and let them recover. There wasn't much else for them to do except wait for the others to return.
But then they received a transmission. It was a distress call from Baron Papanoida.
"Master Yoda, I need your help. My planet has been attacked by General Grievous."
"Still there, is he?"
"No, he was driven off when the Mandalorians showed up. The Mandalorians told me they will offer protection in exchange for providing resources to their cause. I told them I wanted no part in whatever war they were involved in. They told me that if I didn't accept their help, Grievous would likely return. And I have a feeling they were responsibly for Grievous's attack in the first place."
"Behind the attack, they are. Attack again, Grievous will."
"That is why I need your help. His first attack destroyed almost all of my defenses. We have almost nothing left."
"Send all the help I can, I will."
A ship landed on Pantora and three people disembarked. The Chairman was waiting for them.
Looking anxiously over the small group he asked, "Where are the others?"
"There are no others, it's just us." Ganodi answered.
"But Master Yoda said he was sending everyone he could!"
Rex nodded. "Yeah, that's us."
"This… this can't be all that's left of the Jedi Order!"
"The others are… busy." Ganodi explained.
"Don't worry. If Grievous shows up again, we can take care of him." Ezra said confidently.
"Are you sure three Jedi will be enough?" Baron asked.
"I'm not a Jedi." Rex corrected.
The chairman sighed under his breath.
Later in the dining hall, they discussed the Jedi's situation.
"The Jedi just aren't what they used to be." Baron said in disappointment. "I guess the whole galaxy isn't quite what it used to be either. Ever since this whole 'every planet for themselves' system was set up, no one helps each other anymore. The Jedi kept things in line, we didn't have to worry about any foreign invaders, and everything was stable. You know, Padme Amidala was trying to reunite the galaxy but after her last meeting, she vanished."
"I saw her after that meeting. She was heading back to Naboo to lay low for a while." Rex supplied.
"That's a relief to know."
"The galaxy changed in a lot of ways that weren't positive, but change was needed." Ganodi pointed out. "People helped each other, but only when they could get something back for it. The government's stability came at the expense of its people. And the Jedi blindly protected that government instead trying to fix any of its problems. I'm not a fan of every planet isolating themselves from the rest of the galaxy either, but I don't think anybody's ready for another galactic government system."
A guard ran in. "Chairman, multiple ships have entered the system."
The Chairman stood up. "He's back."
Bombs fell on the city. Ezra, Rex, and Ganodi each got into starfighters and joined the aerial battle. Rex was not trained as a pilot, but his time under General Skywalker told him he needed to be prepared for anything. He had read starfighter manuals in his spare time and had seen General Skywalker fly in actual combat. So Rex felt like he had a decent idea of what he was doing.
But when his ship started taking fire from laser cannons, Rex realized just how unprepared for this he really was. He frantically swerved his ship around, trying not to get hit.
"How did General Skywalker make this look so easy?"
Luckily, Ganodi was there to make up for his mediocre piloting skills, blasting apart ships with ease.
Grievous observed the battle from the command ship. The Pantoran defenses were holding up much better than last time. Fortunately, he was prepared for such a situation.
"Initiate protocol 19."
The command ship fired a missile.
"Incoming missile in sector five!" Ganodi shouted.
"Where?" Rex shouted back.
"On your left!"
Rex looked and saw the missile fly past his ship.
"I got it!" Ezra called and shot at it. The missile exploded into a large, blue cloud. "Huh, I've never seen an explosion like that before."
Rex looked at the blue cloud and felt a shiver a horror. "Guys, I've seen that before! That missile contained the Blue Shadow Virus and we just released it into Pantora's atmosphere!"
"Uh… how bad is that?" Ezra asked.
"If we can't get our hands on a cure, everyone on that planet is going to die."
Their mission completed, the enemy fighters pulled back and left the system.
"Okay, where do we get a cure?" Ezra asked.
"It's a special root that's found only on one planet. Iego."
Iego was blockaded by a fleet of Mandalorian ships.
"This is a restricted area. State your business."
"We just came here looking for Reeksa Root." Ganodi replied.
"Reeksa Root, you say. Well, I'm afraid there is none available for you to take. You see, General Grievous has been using a virus to attack planets, and Reeksa Root is essential for making a cure. So, I'm afraid we can't spare any. Unless… you are willing to join our cause."
"…Kriff." Ganodi muttered to herself. The Mandalorians have taken over all access to the cure, making them the only ones people can turn to when Grievous attacks them. The entire galaxy would be forced to join them, weather they want to or not. Even if we expose them as the ones behind the attacks in the first place, it still wouldn't change the fact they're people's only hope for survival.
"Ganodi, what do we do?" Ezra asked.
Ganodi looked at the blockade and sighed. "We're leaving." She contacted the Chairman.
"Were you able to get it?"
"The Mandalorians are hording it and offering it to those who join them. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do for you now. For the moment, I strongly recommend that you take their offer. The price will only get higher the longer you wait."
"So, that's it? We just surrender everything to the Mandalorians?"
"We're going to stop them, I promise. But we need time, and right now, time is something you don't have." Ganodi ended the transmission. She laid back in her seat, letting the weight of the situation sink in. "What are we gonna do?"
