Chapter: 15 Descent into Dissent
"Fear is a lethal motivator."
Conspiracy on Manaan! Sent to investigate the disappearance of two missing Jedi, Anna and Elsa Dellian ventured to the aquatic planet alongside their Master Yelena. After Anna lost her lightsaber in a bet, the Jedi teamed up with local law enforcement to delve into the ocean depths. Firaxan sharks were the least of their worries, as the Padawans discovered the presence of Separatist droids underwater. Now, Anna and Elsa must unravel the secrets behind the droid presence on Manaan and find the missing Jedi.
It was utterly bewildering to Elsa about how quickly a situation could change. Circumstances that were once thought to be so well-planned out could crumble in an instant. New players so easily stepped into the game of chance...or perhaps were present from the start. What began as a mission to recover missing Jedi became a rush to save the environment. Those efforts soon swirled around an ensuing conspiracy, only Elsa never factored that the Separatists were any part of the equation. The pollution, thefts, and disappearances all fell under the clanking presence of malevolent aqua droids. The encounter plunged Elsa deeper than Manaan's seas ever could. She felt herself reliving the same, harsh reality she experienced on Hoth. The war had found her once more, but this time...there weren't any clones to help her.
Elsa was about to peek from their coral hideaway when Anna tugged her back under. "Get down!" her sister whispered sharply.
The whir of an aqua droid's propeller feet reverberated above them. The sleek machine glided overhead and regrouped with the others. "Jedi? Come in." Officer Onum called and made the sisters jump. "Did I hear you correctly about Separatist droids on Manaan?"
"A whole battalion of them," Elsa replied discreetly. "And for all we know, there could be more."
"Can you make it back to base?"
"Not without a fight," Anna deduced. "We're surrounded all over again. Except this time, our adversaries have blasters. These sonic emitters don't do a thing against them either."
In a panic, Elsa unclipped her lightsaber and handed it to Anna. "Please take it," she insisted. "You're better with it than I am and I'd feel safer."
Though they were treading in the darkened depths, Anna could still make out the teal arcetron on Elsa's hilt. She huffed and pushed the weapon back to her big sister. "Trust yourself," Anna reassured her. "Let's see what other options we have. Do I dare look at our oxygen supply?" Anna winced and examined the meter on her vambrace. "Okay, that's not terrible. Not the best...but not terrible. I'd wager you're in a similar spot?" Anna and Elsa compared meters and came to the grim conclusion.
"We need to make the most of our time," Elsa said. "We need to formulate an efficient plan." Her eyes widened as her nostrils flared. "We need to...we need to."
"Sis," Anna said calmly. "We need to...slow our breathing down. No need to expend necessary amounts of air. With the amount of droids and our luck so far, I get the feeling they'll take plenty of our breath away. But we have to stay calm."
"Right," Elsa gulped. "Calm." She rested her head against a nook in the coral and peered up at the sunlit surface. "To think a whole other world is just up there," she lamented. "Our freedom is merely within our grasp. It's kind of cruel, really."
"Elsa," Anna asserted. "Saving air also includes toning down unnecessary, morale-poisoning conversation."
Elsa nodded and glanced over the nook. "Speaking of poisoning, I'm starting to think the droids didn't just come for us." she worried.
Anna grew irritated as she spun to meet Elsa. "What are talking abou-"
While the rest of aqua droids hovered over the reef, a separate squad emerged from the cliffside. Several of the droids carried a massive capsule of some sort while the others provided an escort. The droid nearest Anna and Elsa propelled itself toward the newcomers. "The reef perimeter is secure," it computed. "There is no sign of the Jedi. They must have fled."
Anna and Elsa were thankful for the droids' stupidity until one of the new arrivals spoke. "Excellent," it said. "Prepare this ecobomb for detonation."
"Roger roger."
"Krrriff," Anna cursed.
"So much for unnecessary amounts of air," Elsa jeered.
"Yeah well that was one too," Anna retorted.
"And so was that," Elsa countered.
"And that!"
"Just stop!" Elsa blurted. "Low oxygen or not, we can't let them ignite another bomb. And that droid said prepare this bomb. Force knows how many more they might have."
"I'm sending officers down to assist," Onum called in.
"Cancel that," Anna asserted. "We'll figure this out stealthily. If the droids see someone coming to engage them, they may start the bomb on sight. We're on the clock here, in more ways than one but we got this."
"Do we have this?" Elsa asked.
Anna scoffed. "I don't know. But if we don't, no one does...so there's that. "You've worked with the Jedi Tech Division. Can you disable the bomb?"
"Working on droids and acting as a bomb squad specialist are two separate hobbies," Elsa replied. "But considering what's at stake, how hard can it be?" Anna started hoisting herself over the coral ledge. "Wait, what are you doing?"
"Buying you time to figure it out," Anna said. "I just got chased by a bunch of sharks and beat them. I'm kind of on a high right now."
"Yeah, but sharks don't shoot back." By the time Elsa had finished talking, Anna was already gone. She couldn't make her actions in vain and observed her target. An aqua droid pattered away at a datascreen as scarlet as its eye. Its attention along with the rest of its unit was suddenly drawn upward as Anna loosed her sonic emitter. Though it didn't harm the droids, it would certainly get them on her tail.
"Destroy her," the droid at the bomb ordered.
A plethora of "Roger rogers" followed as the aqua droids darted after Anna. Red lasers zipped across the depths as the operator prepared to ignite the bomb. Before it did so, Elsa Force-pushed it away from the console. The droid spiraled into the coral archway while Elsa ignited her lightsaber. Her ordeal caused two more droids to break off their pursuit on Anna to defend the bomb. Elsa tread in front of the dashboard as all three aqua droids opened fire on her. She deflected their boiling blasts while considering an alternative means to defeating them. She couldn't help but feel as trapped as she had on that rooftop in Coruscant, but she had proven what she was capable of. While she was surrounded by multiple adversaries, Elsa was still able to subdue them without killing. Why couldn't the same be true for droids? she considered. When Elsa faced the super battle droid on Hoth, she was less confident in her abilities. She had no choice but to end its life to save Frost. But it wasn't the droid's fault that it was programmed for destruction. Perhaps it was capable of so much more beyond Separatist evils. While Elsa couldn't control what Anna did to her adversaries, she could still manage to save whomever she encountered...even if they were shooting at her. Artificial or not, life was still life. Elsa could sense the gears and wiring in each of her opponents, which she viewed as being no different from her vital organs.
If I can somehow incapacitate the droids, Elsa thought. Maybe their data can be downloaded and we can figure out what's going on. We can reprogram them along the way and-
The rising intensity of laserfire kept Elsa from planning ahead. She deflected a laser into one of the droids and worried she'd destroyed it. She was honestly relieved when it rose to return fire. While she was occupied with the two attackers, the operator attempted to sneak behind her and access the panel. Elsa Force-pushed it away to buy some time. Come on, Elsa, she willed herself. Think back!
She recalled sitting among some of the most brilliant minds in the Jedi temple, most of which were surprised to see a youngling so interested in droids. Jedi Master Kazdan Paratus placed the head of a B1 battle droid on his desk and projected a holodiagram so the rest of the chamber could see it. Multiple bullet points and paragraphs spewed out from its head as the Jedi around Elsa started taking notes. She jotted down what she could while remaining ever curious about the images overhead.
"Now then," Master Paratus lectured as he dissected the droid's head. "You'll find the droid's vocoder at the base of its nozzle. It's like a snout, if you will." Several students chuckled at the comparison. "This inhibits the droid's ability to speak, but that doesn't make it intelligent. No, those functions get sorted in here." He tapped on a silver cylinder nestled in the center of the droid's head. "This is a code processor. It works like our brain...or brains...but the real treasure is the signal receiver. It's an assembly of piping just behind and below the eyes. It-
That's it! Elsa remembered. The signal receiver will incapacitate those droids without destroying them. Her epiphany was short-lived as she realized the risk behind her further attempts. The diagram she recalled learning about was on a B1 battle droid. Elsa had no idea if aqua droids had signal receivers in the same place, but she had to try. After Force-pushing the operator away once more, she swam towards the nearest aqua droid. She deflected its blasts until she was close enough to dive under its arms and grab its sleek plate of a head. The droid wriggled in her grasp while its partner still opened fire.
"Here...goes...nothing," Elsa grunted and shoved her hand into the droid's tiny neck. She reached beneath its photoreceptor and clasped a hollow, metal casing. Elsa winced when a sharp component cut her forearm, yet she persisted. All Elsa could do was hope the receiver was in there as she willed the Force to pull its contents. She heard a distinct clamor and the droid's red eye flickered off. Its body went limp as Elsa rejoiced. "Thank you, Master Paratus!" she proclaimed and swam towards the other. It was completely indifferent to its comrade's incapacitation and continued to attack. Elsa had started to repeat the process to deactivate it when she noticed she'd been completely neglecting the operator. While she was busy tinkering, it had swam up to the bomb and set a timer.
"No!" Elsa shrieked as she lost her grip on the droid. It flung her off and prepared to gun her down. Elsa blocked its bolts as the operator found a new directive. With its bomb armed, it now readied its cannon to blast Elsa from the back. A muffled laser sounded amidst the fathoms as Elsa froze. The droid behind her sank to the seafloor with a blasted torso. Her remaining attacker met a similar fate as a blue laser blasted straight through its photoreceptor. In her ignorance, she had allowed the bomb to be activated and was unable to save two of the three droids. All she could do was look to whomever had swept in to save her.
A blaster-toting diver rapidly sank to her level. She peered through his helmet and observed a familiar pair of blue eyes. "E-...Erik?" she asked.
"The one and only," he boasted. "You okay?"
"No. No I'm not." Elsa swam towards the bomb and examined the datascreen. "I have to hope I'm not locked out of stopping this."
"Where's your sister?" Erik asked.
"Anna went off to distract the rest of the droids," Elsa panted and grew lightheaded. "She...she-"
Erik grabbed Elsa's wrist and examined the low oxygen levels on her vambrace. "Just sit tight," he said as Elsa realized why he'd sank so quickly. He withdrew an extra oxygen tank from his back and worked to fasten it on Elsa's suit. Her panic lessened as a fresh flow of air came to her and she returned to the datascreen.
"Once you get that taken care of, you go straight up." Erik said. "My ship's on the surface along with your master."
"I'm not leaving without Anna," Elsa countered.
"You've got enough on your shoulders," Erik replied. "Please, let me help." He patched his communicator back to his ship. "Master Jedi, I found your eldest student. She's got her hands full, but she's alright. I'm going after Anna."
"You come right back once you've got her," Yelena intoned.
"I've got an oxygen tank with her name on it," Erik assured. "Just keep the ship running over these coordinates, Grimsby."
"Copy that," Grimsby said from the cockpit. He nudged Yelena and gestured to the waves outside their viewport. "Any other time I'd say hovering over the ocean is a beautiful vista."
"In my experience," Yelena began. "The situations I'm in often ruin such vistas."
A silhouette formed along the surface of the water and Grimsby stood up from his seat. "There!" he exclaimed and pointed toward the viewport. "I think it's your Padawan!" One figure turned into dozens skimming the waves as they simultaneously broke the surface. A battalion of aqua droids slowly closed in as their laser canons extended from the water.
"Case in point," Yelena grumbled. "Another vista ruined by imminent death."
The ship was suddenly overwhelmed with laserfire as Grimsby snagged the controls. "The shields are only going to take so much!" the old man fretted. "We need to retreat and return."
"Not a chance," Yelena said. "Hold the ship steady and divert all power to the shields."
"But if those droids shoot out our engines, we'll sink to the bottom. This may not be the best time for confessions, but I'm a terrible swimmer!"
"Get a hold of yourself!" Yelena shouted and seized him by the sleeves. "I'm an awful swimmer too. That's why you're going to keep this thing hovering so I can go deal with these droids and neither of us has to go for a swim. Got it?"
"By all means then," Grimsby said and swallowed hard.
"By all means indeed," Yelena answered and sparked up her lightsaber. She twirled it, ran towards the back of the craft, and activated the ventral hatch. A ramp extended just as she heard Grimsby reinforcing the shields. The aqua droids noticed Yelena and immediately opened fire. She deflected several blasts until the droids chose to chase her. They propelled themselves out of the water and onto the ramp.
"Is that laserfire, I hear?" Grimsby hollered from the cockpit. "In...the ship?"
"If they're focused on me, they're not shooting out the engines!" Yelena explained and cut a droid down. "Lowering the ramp and inviting them aboard was our best bet." She slashed another droid to pieces as more launched from the water. As Yelena battled them back, she couldn't help but theorize the attack. By the Force, she thought. How could these droids have mobilized over our position so quickly? How did they even know we were here? Convenient for them to attack once Erik was gone. Is he...playing all of us, Grimsby included? Yelena had to shake such accusatory thoughts as the droids surfaced in overwhelming numbers. Her heart raced as she cut them down in droves and left heaps of scrap metal in the cargo hold. Severed, mechanical limbs rolled down the ramp and plummeted back into the sea as fresh droids stepped over the carnage. Yelena's arms tightened while she maintained a steady defense. Whether she realized it or not, the droids were slowly pushing her deeper into the ship.
"Alright, Elsa." the eldest Dellian told herself out loud. "You can do this. Deadly ecobomb? Check. Daunting countdown? You bet. Way too many wires? Per usual. But you're smart and can handle this. Pay no mind to the time. Time is an illusion. An explosive, ocean-killing illusion. Just take your time...but don't."
Elsa examined the ecobomb's capsule and called in to the Selkath HQ. "Officer Onum," she said. "What information have your agents discovered on the bombs?"
"All we've salvaged from the previous shards have been toxic residue. It looks like an offworld toxin was used. As for manifests and ledgers, my agents have discovered-"
"I appreciate that info," Elsa interrupted. "But let's pretend I'm face to face with a bomb that'll explode in five minutes. I don't recognize the language on the datascreen and I'm sending it to you." She held up her vambrace and activated its image scanner.
Onum waited impatiently from HQ. His beady eyes glared at the overhead monitor as it displayed a loading symbol. "Sir," one of his agents from the doorway said and startled him. "A spacer is insisting to speak with you."
Onum groaned and tugged at his cephalic lobe. "Redirect him to all the other spacer complaints addressed to me. I'll deal with it later."
The lowlier Selkath seemed incredibly unsure. "B-but sir. He's...very...um...insistent. Please come talk to him. I beg you."
Onum scoffed without even looking at his agent. "You beg me? Agent Lopo, grow a backbone. This matter is far more important to me and I'll deal with this whiner later." The image finally loaded onto his monitor and he examined it. "Let's see here," Onum muttered as he leaned in. "Very peculiar."
"Is it Selkatha?" Elsa asked over comms. "If so, can you translate so I can work to disarm this thing? Quickly please.
Onum somberly shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not the language of my people, young Jedi. It does seem to originate from a water world as well though."
"Sir," Agent Lopo pleaded.
"Not now," Onum asserted and kept observing. "I'd deduce it's Mon Calamarian. I can translate that-"
"It's Quarrenese, actually." a guttural voice said. Onum slowly turned to see a hand teeming with suction-cupped digits pressed against Agent Lopo's shoulder. Ruger's tentacles pattered against the Selkath's shoulders as he slowly stepped into the room.
"Onum?" Elsa called. "Are you still there?" The officer was frozen at the sight. "Onum! We're on a time crunch here, please respond!"
"So our manifest records were true then," Onum said with hopes of his words being recorded. "You were the one smuggling Separatist droids into Sino City through unmarked shipments. But why?"
Ruger completely ignored the question after realizing what Onum was up to. "The real question is why would they do this?" he asked.
"I don't follow," Onum admitted.
"Why would the Jedi massacre a bunch of Selkath officials?" Ruger taunted as his hostage begged for mercy. In that instant, a blue blade shot through his back as he gasped for air.
"Open fire!" Onum ordered his agents as he drew his own blaster. Wielding Anna's lightsaber, Ruger charged at the Selkath. There was no need for him to block laserfire because he was perfectly dodging it. One of the Selkath rushed for an alarm during the ongoing conflict. Before it even seemed conceivable that the Selkath would want to hit an alarm, Ruger impaled him and pressed onward.
As if the stress of disarming a bomb wasn't enough, all Elsa could do was listen to lasers and a saber swinging on her comms. Her heart sank as the sounds of battle ended. "Onum?" she called. "Please answer. Officer!"
Onum crawled across the floor of his ravaged department. The sizzling corpses of his fellow Selkath still smoked from where the lightsaber had struck them. Ruger dipped the blue blade towards Onum's face to keep him from moving. "That's...hers...isn't it?" Onum choked.
Ruger snarled and cut him down. As the room turned eerily silent, he deactivated and holstered the weapon. "Not anymore," he answered under his breath before departing. Once he exited through the doors, he faked a panic and threw himself on the floor.
"What's wrong?" a Selkath official asked.
"A Jedi," Ruger feigned grief. "A Jedi just went insane and attacked those officials!"
"Wait here," the Selkath said and beckoned other officers to investigate. As soon as they went inside, Ruger trudged to a darkened alleyway and activated a holocom. In a few moments, a hooded figure projected to answer him.
"Count Dooku," Ruger said. "Sino City is descending into chaos. The Selkath and their clients are at each other's throats. More Jedi were unexpected so soon, but I'm working with it. I always do."
"Impressive," the count replied. "Perhaps you are as lucky as your reputation decrees. But luck so often runs out." Dooku's faintly admirable tone vanished.
Ruger's eyes widened and his tentacles twitched wildly. "No! I assure you, count...I'm always holding all the cards. Always a step ahead."
"Then proceed with the plan before more Republic drones. My droids can only take you so far, Ruger. My master wants Manaan's true riches while the rest of its populace remains distracted. Finish harvesting, and then contact me immediately."
"It will be done, my lord." Ruger said and ended the call. He twirled his new lightsaber and cackled. "And now I can deal with those Jedi pests along the way."
Without any answer from the surface, Elsa had no choice but to continue on her own. We act like Galactic Basic is the only important language, she ranted to herself. If I survive this, I'm gonna learn as many languages as I can. Realizing the panel was gibberish to her, she was at least grateful that numbers were universal. With two minutes on the clock, Elsa opted to swim under the capsule. She found a spherical plate and delicately removed it with the Force. I believe it's the red wire that's supposed to be cut. Elsa's eyes widened at the sight of a forest of only red wires. Of course. She swam up to the top and peered at the clock. 1:40
Her heart raced as she delicately brushed her hands through the wiring. Tell me there's a power cortex in here, she willed the Force. Please. 1:10
Elsa gasped as her fingers grazed a heavily-armored cube. "Aha!" she exclaimed. 0:59
Given the stinging sensation on her fingertips, she quickly deduced that the cortex was guarded by a low-grade energy shield. Elsa dug her knees into the sand for balance and used the Force to push back the wiring. 0:30
With the way clear, Elsa cautiously brought her lightsaber into the bomb. She felt like a surgeon being terrified about nicking any vital nerves. If her lightsaber so much as grazed one of the hundreds of red wires, the ecobomb would detonate. She held her breath as it came closer. 0:15
Elsa's weapon arm strained while her other fought to keep the wires back. 0:12
Nervous about swaying the blade, Elsa instead prodded it with hopes of stabbing the cortex. 0:7
Realizing she was focusing too much on her weapon, Elsa considered her knees. She was so concerned about stability that she'd almost completely buried them in the sand. She simply raised them, giving her the extra inch she needed to pierce the power cortex. 0:3
Elsa finally breathed again as the ecobomb powered down. She deactivated her weapon and backed away so blood flow could return to her arm. "Officer Onum," she dared to try calling. "The bomb is disabled. Feel free to send reinforcements." She sighed when he didn't respond and looked around the reef. Thinking on which direction Erik swam off in, Elsa ventured to find him and Anna. While he wanted her to go back to the ship, there was no way she could leave him in charge of helping Anna. Plus, Elsa deduced Yelena and Grimsby were perfectly fine.
Meanwhile, Anna spiraled through the reef to evade waves of laserfire. An aqua droid cut her off and Anna used the Force to impulsively crush its eye. The blind machine flailed wildly and was doomed to wander the seas until it ran out of power. Anna would've continued fleeing, but an idea hatched within. She noticed the blinded bot firing indiscriminately and swam behind it. After grabbing onto its shoulders, she yanked her target towards incoming droids. Her plan allowed her damaged friend to take out several droids before the others shot him to bits.
"Well it was fun while it lasted," Anna admitted and dipped towards a ravaged basin. The decaying kelp and coral showed her that she was back at the first bombing site. Her worst fear was realized as lightedheadness took over. She checked her suit for tears and feared the mysterious toxins had entered her body. While she seemed unscathed, her tightening chest pain and said otherwise. "What...the," she muttered through slurred speech. Her body sank to the seafloor as she struggled to catch her breath. "I-...ugh."
Blurry, blue lasers zipped overhead and blasted against the aqua droids. Their decimated pieces sank to the sands beside Anna as her heart pounded painfully. Pressure continued to build up in her head until it felt like an agonizing stabbing. Anna's closing, bloodshot eyes glanced at her vambrace. One look at the dangerously low oxygen level and all she could utter was, "Oh."
"Anna!" Erik called while battling the droids above. "Where are you?" He weaved through a spray of lasers and narrowly avoided losing his spare oxygen tank. He peered from cover and noticed her limp body sprawled across the seafloor. "Oh no," he whispered. "Anna!" His shouts were useless as he wondered if she was alive.
"Your highness!" Grimsby called in over the sounds of lasers and saber swings. "You must get back to the ship. We're being overrun!"
Between the elders being trapped and Elsa occupied elsewhere, Erik had to accept that he was on his own. Whether Anna was alive or not, Erik was willing to risk saving her. With a heavy huff, Erik kicked upward. He fired his blaster rifle into the droids' necks and midsections for maximum effect. As more closed in, he quickly swam down to the basin. "Just hold on, Anna." Erik said. He was almost to her when a laser skimmed his shoulder. His skin sizzled beside the bubbling waters as Erik was sent spiraling out of control. He crashed atop the basin, but cradled the spare tank as if it were a child. Aqua droid reinforcements had arrived and were keeping him pinned at the cliffside. As he clasped the tank and clenched his wound, Erik acted out of desperation. Please be conscious, he said to himself. Please be conscious.
"Hey!" he exclaimed and emerged from cover. "Come and get me, you damn droids!" He swam away from the basin, but pushed the spare tank down with his fins. While he battled the droids, the oxygen tank plummeted to the sands beside Anna.
She weakly stared at it through blurred vision. She could read the labels, but her confused state kept her tilting. She tried reaching for the tubes, but it felt as though all the strength had left her body. Any attempt to pull it closer with the Force only resulted in an excruciating headache. Determination was fading into something Anna had rarely experienced: fear.
Master Yoda and countless other masters had always warned that fear was one of too many paths to the Dark Side. But in these dwindling moments beneath the waves and amidst darkness, Anna had only one answer to that. Oh shut up, she called out to those who had told her not to fear. Not to feel and experience what her heart was telling her to. Where did it lead her as she lay dying? She thought about Elsa and how much they fought. For what it was worth, she didn't regret a single fight if it meant she got to speak her mind. Anna considered Mattias, and how he'd tried so hard to be better for her mistakes. If only he had been with them. Perhaps had he not been injured, Anna may never have gone to Manaan in the first place. I'm sorry, master, Anna spoke within. I tried. I'm not like you. Not like...anyone. Contrary to such words, there was one person she felt relatable to. She glimpsed him in her dwindling moments like a glistening beacon of freedom. He was a light leading her from the rules and condescension of it all.
"H-Hans," she spoke aloud though her trembling lips. She didn't understand what this warm sensation was that pulled her to him. She felt hints of it with Erik, but never as strong as with Hans. Perhaps the Force had brought them together and this was her sign. If only she could speak to him one last time, she could ask what he thought it meant. She could defy years of indoctrination to convey emotion, as Jedi shouldn't. But all of her wishes and regrets would swirl amidst her pains. They would consume her thoughts as she took them to her watery grave.
Her body convulsed as she desperately gasped for the last ounces of air. As if asphyxiation wasn't bad enough, a dark figure glided over the sands. Then again, everything was dark through Anna's blurred vision. What was left of her senses was thrown into a panic as she made out the scarlet eye of an aqua droid. This observation was proven false as a second red eye came into view. Anna was at the red-eyed being's mercy as it leaned over in a mess of blurry colors. Disoriented and dazed, Anna felt objects press against her. She barely felt her limbs roll across the sand and started to see shapes again. Anna had lost track of time, but the sensation of fresh air entering her lungs was overwhelming. Her rescuer held her steady as she stared into its huge, red eyes beneath diving gear just like hers. Anna focused on the alien as her eyesight returned, and noticed just how blue its skin was. Its lipless mouth gasped as Anna stabilized.
"You're alright," the distorted voice spoke. "Take your time. Do you know where you are? Who you are?"
"Stop. Get off of me!" Anna uttered before weakly breaking free of the diver's grasp. "The real...question is," she panted. "Who...are you?"
The Duros diver shook her head and looked as though she was about to have a breakdown. "I'm lost," she said. "But abandonment doesn't equal hopelessness. It doesn't mean I can't try to help people in need. I'm a Jedi, miss. I serve the people."
"Jedi?" Anna inquired.
"Yes," she answered. "We are the guardians of peace and justi-"
"Please don't," Anna blurted. "Trust me, I know. I'm a Jedi too. We were-" Anna came to a distinct realization. "Holy kriff." She tried to remember the names from the council briefing.
"What's going on?" the Duros asked.
"Wait wait wait," Anna snapped. "Tamon Chaki? Is that you?"
Her red eyes narrowed with dread. "He's...my master." she answered. "I'm his Padawan, Nelani Trell."
"Yes!" Anna screeched, but fell over from still being lightheaded. "I found one and didn't even need a lightsaber!" When she noticed how confused Nelani was, she hastily recollected herself. "Ah, yes. You've been missing long enough that the council sent us to come look for you. I'm Anna, by the way. So what the heck happened? Where's your master? Have you been underwater this whole time? How have you not run out of air?"
"Please," Nelani whimpered and sat back against the sands for a moment. "It's still a lot for even me to process. My master and I came here to investigate the missing supplies. It soon turned into an environmental crisis, which led us into the reef. That was when the bombs went off." Though Nelani's eyes were pure orbs of red, Anna could still feel the sadness within them. "They ravaged the reef so quickly as toxins climbed to the surface. My master and I had no choice but to flee deeper. I feared for him because he wasn't wearing gear. If he breathed any of that in, he could be-" Nelani shook off such dreadful thoughts. "But the depths provided no communication and little salvation. That's when the droids ambushed us. I still don't know how they knew our whereabouts. We found an abandoned, undersea facility to seek shelter in. Still the droids kept us surrounded. Eventually, my master swam out to get help. Being a Selkath, he felt it would be best for me to stay behind and save my oxygen tank." Nelani clenched her helmet as if it were her anxious face. "So I stayed and he never returned. I willed the Force to show me a sign for days until I saw lasers from one of the base's viewports. I risked it all thinking it was Master Chaki, but it was you."
Anna scoffed. "Sorry to disappoint."
"No no," Nelani reassured. "Any Jedi is good news. Though I can't help but ask, where's your lightsaber?"
Anna cringed at the memory of her fault. "That's a long story," she laughed nervously. "Let's see if we can regroup with the others, then we'll find your master."
"Who else is here?" Nelani asked.
"Two more Jedi, a grandpa, and a rather handsome prince." Anna's last comment went unnoticed. "You'll see what I mean when you see him."
"Is he Duros?" Nelani inquired.
"No."
"Then I won't."
"Oookay then."
"Honestly, Master Jedi!" Grimsby croaked from the cockpit. "What can I possibly do to help you in this situation? Make the enemy tea?"
Yelena kicked off the wall and impaled the nearest aqua droid. She caught her breath and observed the horde of deathly machinery marching down the corridor. Seawater dripped off their sleek metal plates while kelp swayed from their cannons. "Honestly, Mr. Grimsby." Yelena retorted with equal sarcasm. "Do anything! Try spinning!"
"Fine!" he snapped. "But it's your funeral!" Grimsby clutched the controls and banked right.
The ship swayed wildly as the droids and Yelena lost their balance. Their bodies clang together while Yelana leapt for the nearest doorframe. She held on to the grip and her stomach as the ship spun like a tornado. Droids careened into the water while others crashed into and shot one another. Once the droids were clear, Yelena screamed to the cockpit. "You can stop! Any time now!" When he couldn't hear her over the ship's engines, Yelena used the Force to haul him off of the chair. The warning lights dimmed as the controls returned to their normal settings. Dizzied beyond comprehension, Yelena crawled her way to a very dazed Grimsby.
He looked to her with twitching eyes and a stupid smirk to say, "I...claim...this land...in the name of her majesty, Princess Victoria of the golden hearts."
"What...are you...on about?" Yelena mumbled as the world spun around her. "You've lost your mind...you old fool." The elders collapsed beside each other and caught their breaths while their heads throbbed.
Erik couldn't keep up with the amount of droids closing in on him. Flashes of blue overwhelmed those from his blaster as Elsa sank in front of him. While she blocked incoming lasers, he used the diversion to blast the remaining droids. The seas calmed as he recovered. "Too close," he panted. "I'm actually glad you didn't head for the ship."
"I never intended to," Elsa quipped. She reignited her saber and pointed it towards a pair of silhouettes. Her guard lowered as Anna emerged first with her arms raised.
"You got to the tank!" Erik rejoiced and hugged Anna on impulse.
Their gear clinked against each other and Anna winced. "The hug's probably more acceptable on land," she said. "But yes, I got the tank thanks to my new friend." The Duros behind her nodded in response. "Meet Nelani, our missing Padawan."
"An honor," Elsa said. "Well, that's one down." She noticed how frightened Nelani appeared and offered a hand. "You're among friends," she assured. "It's okay." Nelani choked up and bit back several sentences. She swallowed hard and nodded some more instead.
Erik took the time to call above. "Grimsby," he said. "Please respond."
"Oh we're fine, lad." the old man cackled. "The Master Jedi and I are just a little winded is all. Pardon any scrap metal that sinks down on her behalf."
"Well the Jedi have found one of their missing friends," Erik explained. "We're gonna head up and-"
The group was suddenly rushed by a squad of Selkath officials. Despite being so deep underwater, the silver streaks on their uniforms still shined. "Hold it right there!" one of them ordered with a pistol aimed. The other agents followed suit as their superior continued. "By order of the Manaan Government, you Jedi and your conspirators are under arrest."
"On what charges?" Anna asked.
"Where is Officer Onum?" Elsa inquired. "Surely he can straighten this out."
The Selkath exchanged puzzled looks for a moment before their unwavering leader spoke up. "Officer Onum is dead, along with most of the Department of Special Operations. Eyewitnesses reported a murderous Jedi bearing a blue blade. Manaan always had its sorts of trouble, but it only got worse when you Jedi showed up."
"None of us are responsible for this!" Elsa snapped.
"We'll let the courts decide that," the superior retorted. "Now if you have any ethics to adhere to, please come quietly."
"Oh no," Anna muttered as only Elsa heard her.
"What is it?" Elsa asked.
"The blue blade," Anna worried. "What if it's mine?" Anger built up within as a Selkath approached with binders. She considered the possibility that her weapon was used to kill innocents because of her ignorant mistake. "This isn't over," she said.
"Anna?" Elsa asked unsurely.
Her little sister couldn't let herself get falsely arrested again. "It's not over!" Anna screamed and Force-pushed the Selkath away. She used her sporadic ability to her advantage and sent the officials swirling in multiple directions. "Swim back down!"
"Are you out of your mind?" Erik exclaimed while swimming after Anna. As Elsa sped after them, Nelani cautiously tailed from behind. Blue-ringed stun blasts zipped through the depths as the group skimmed across the seafloor.
Anna eyed the abandoned facility Nelani spoke of and banked towards it. "How do we get in?" she asked.
"The wall panel on your right still barely has juice in it," Nelani said. As Anna darted for the panel, Elsa used the Force to disperse sand from the infected seafloor. She sent it upwards to form massive clouds for screening their movements.
"We're...in?" Anna announced as the door slightly opened. The group squeezed in, sealed the entry, and remained still as the Selkath police passed by.
Nelani used the time to depressurize the chamber and the group was relieved to feel air once more. She was the first to remove her helmet and rub her bald head. For Elsa, to take off her helmet was to finally scratch her nose again. She scrubbed the sweat she'd felt building up across her face. Erik took his fins off and kicked his feet up on the nearest crate. Having been underwater incredibly longer, Anna mimicked his relaxing posture. The chilly metals were refreshing on their bare, tender feet. Red streaks ran across their soles and ankles from where the fins had pinched them.
"That long story you were talking about," Nelani said to Anna. "It have anything to do with those murders?"
The question made Anna fear the worst as she bit her lip. "I'm not sure," she answered.
"I'm sure that explaining innocence to the Selkath will be incredibly difficult," Elsa said before stumbling. Her eyes fluttered and she twitched for a moment.
"You okay?" Erik asked.
Elsa searched her feelings, but all her senses could relate to was the ailing fish from the reef. "No," she uttered. "I don't think so." Elsa's eyes widened as she came to an ominous realization. She thought back to when she was trying to deactivate the droid and how a piece of it had slashed her forearm. She then remembered using the Force to lift infected sand as a distraction and immediately checked her exposed wound. Dark, grimy green granules shifted within her cut. Elsa grimaced and showed her arm to the others. "By the Force," she worried.
"She's infected," Erik grieved.
"Elsa..." Anna spoke somberly. "No. There has to be something we can do. Anything. We'll get you to the surface!"
"There's not enough time," Nelani stuttered.
"We saw an infected fish that looked alive for quite some time!" Anna barked back.
"If you did, it was brain dead!" Nelani snapped as the chamber went silent. None of them had ever seen a Duros cry before. Nelani fought off a full breakdown as she grabbed at her forehead. "The toxin spreads across the body. It infects the brain! I've been here long enough to see it before."
As Elsa processed her situation, Anna approached Nelani. "Have you been hear long enough to know how to fix it?"
"Kolto," Nelani replied.
"Who's he?" Anna asked.
"Not who. What." Nelani beckoned the group down a hall she'd traversed too many times. "Before the rebuilding of Manaan, it once prospered with a single, primary export. Kolto was...is a powerful healing substance that some say rivals bacta."
The name became familiar to Erik. "I thought it went out of style because of bacta's superiority," he stated.
Nelani shook her head and pried open a broken set of doors. "People stopped using kolto because the Sith Empire tried to steal it all for themselves. When they couldn't have it, they ravaged Manaan and stations like this Republic harvesting facility were abandoned. At least, that's what I've gathered from datapads and discarded records."
"How long were you calling this place home?" Anna wondered.
"Too long," Nelani said as she opened a storage room. While several shelves were emptied, plasteel cylinders remained partially full. Nelani recovered a teal vial with a packet attached to it. "Elsa, please sit down." The eldest sister cautiously obliged as Nelani ripped open the packet. "If you're not a fan of needles, I'd suggest looking the other way." Elsa grimaced and shut her eyes as she felt a sharp pinch in her arm. She let out a gasp as a freezing fluid pulsed through her veins. She'd only ever received minor supplements of bacta in the past, but they were always warm and welcoming. Elsa quivered and sat back with a huff. "All done," Nelani assured. "The kolto will deplete whatever toxins are in your bloodstream. That's the icy feeling you've got beneath your skin."
"Maybe it'll give you ice powers," Anna joked and caused Elsa to make a face.
A raucous clamor caused Anna's laughter to end. Nelani gasped and panicked before the others. She furiously smacked at her head and muttered off to herself. "No no!" she said. "I focused! I was only trying to save-"
"To save...who?" a familiar, guttural voice asked. The group turned to see Ruger flanked by a squad of aqua droids. Fury claimed Anna as she spotted her lightsaber swaying on his belt. She felt the pull calling her to strangle the life out of him and answered it. Before she could blindly charge at Ruger, Nelani activated her blue lightsaber and held it to Anna's neck.
"I was only trying to save...you the trouble of capturing these dissidents, Ruger." Nelani stuttered. Her lightsaber trembled in her sweaty palm.
"Spare me the act," the Quarren mocked. "In your moment of weakness, I've already peeked inside that blue noggin of yours. It appears your usefulness has ended. As has the life of my leverage. Eliminate them." Ruger left his droids to fight while he strutted down the corridor.
Elsa felt her strength returning as she deflected incoming lasers. Erik blasted the small amount of droids and Nelani helped cut them down, all while Anna remained still. Anna sneered and clenched her fists, building up rage as the minimal threat was dealt with.
Once the final droid fell, Nelani returned to Anna. "Those droids were just a distraction," she said. "I'm sorry about-" Anna delivered a mighty right hook across the Duros' face. While Nelani was dazed, Anna angrily kicked away her lightsaber and loomed over her.
With a perpetual scowl and sinister glare, Anna finally spoke. "Don't you ever raise a weapon to me again. Because next time, I'll end you."
"Anna," Elsa intoned.
"Don't Anna me," her little sister snapped. "Nelani knows something. She's in on something with that lightsaber thief. That murderer. And she's gonna talk if she knows what's good for her."
"Please," Nelani begged. "We don't have much time!"
Anna grabbed her by the collar and forced her up. "Then for your sake, you'd better get explaining."
