Obi-Wan didn't speak very much while they walked up the Governor's Tower. Only telling Kyle to remain quiet and stay behind him. D'Nar wasn't short in security, the tower crawled with battle droids and even he possessed a pistol under his desk in case these precautionary measures failed him.
D'Nar had a flare for showcasing rare animals, displaying them in cages in his office. Two purple, puffy stomached, green winged birds sat in cages not moving in the slightest. Their state concerned Kyle, wanting nothing more than to free them. "Don't concern yourself with them." Kenobi whispers, reminding him they have bigger fish to fry.
"I understand you object to us being here?" D'Nar feigns emotional hurt, grasping his heart.
"You can travel freely. We just wish for the safety of the colonists." Obi-Wan retorts. D'Nar grins, letting his personal bird fly from his lap.
"Ladies and gentleman, the undoubtable wit of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his Padawan."
"I appreciate the kind words, but he isn't my Padawan. I'm afraid you're mistaken." He corrects.
"Ah, well. No matter. Droids, to their knees." He commands. Their backs greeted with the magazine of the droids rifle, sending them to a position of capitulation.
Obi-Wan is perturbed. "Pardon me, weren't we going to discuss surrender?"
"Yes. Yours."
"We obviously have a misunderstanding, my friend." Obi-Wan slyly activates his wrist communicator so the Jedi outside could listen in.
"No! You are wrong, Jedi."
"Are we? You are no doubt aware your droid forces have been destroyed. To put it bluntly, you're surrounded." Kenobi prayed Kyle didn't make an idiotic attempt at humor to jeopardize the picture he's trying to paint for D'Nar. "Do the honorable thing, D'Nar and surrender. We'll give you fair treatment."
"'Fair' is an objective term." He rejects. "Because you've broken through my defenses you think you've won?" Kyle nods, not understanding the question was rhetorical. "You've think you've won?" He asks again. "I planted bombs all over the city. No one will survive. Now, surrender."
Kyle looks at Obi-Wan, hoping the Jedi could use his legendary wit to pry themselves out of this predicament. "If you're not bluffing, then I must concede."
"Dammit, Obi-Wan!" Kyle curses internally.
"First, you release the colonists." He said, saying it is only fair to give his side some considerations. D'Nar kicks up his feet on the marble desk, brandishing a trigger in his hand.
"Here's my counter-offer." A nearby building came undone, bursting into flames and shaking the area violently with the force of an earthquake. "There were no colonists in that structure, but their could have been. Now surrender to me, you Jedi filth!" D'Nar gnashes his teeth. If this threat didn't work, he'd have no choice but to light the city on fire.
Back on the surface level, the blast interrupted the planetary bioscan. Captain Panaka told Skywalker it'll only take a little moment to get the mechanism up and running. "We don't have time for that now. Hook Artoo up, and he'll locate the bombs."
"Right away, sir!"
"Ahsoka let's go."
"Where are we going?" She was busy tending to a fallen solider who sustained internal bleeding. The medics rushed over and said they had the situation under control.
"To disarm the bombs while Obi-Wan negotiates. I hope he can buy us some time."
"Skywalker, you'll have to remain here. In case and keep the soldiers safe. Me and Ahsoka will look for the bombs." Tera knew Skywalker was unpredictable and his personal feelings risked alienating rational thought.
"We can all go." Anakin tries to compromise.
"Look at how vulnerable we already are. They need a Jedi to watch over them." Tera did outrank Skywalker, though he wasn't one to quibble with rule breaking. Tera did make a fair assessment.
"Fine."
"Come on, Ahsoka."
"Very well, D'Nar I surrender." Kenobi concedes. But that wasn't enough for D'Nar. Far from it.
"Long before this war, you Jedi destroyed the great Zygerrian Slave Empire. I would kill you both now, but Dooku prefers you alive." He singles out Kenobi. "You on the other hand, I can kill."
"He is only a Padawan. I understand your frustrations." Kenobi tried to switch the conversation away from Kyle. "It is unfortunate we cannot settle our differences as you do in your tradition."
"With no weapons?" D'Nar contemplates, noticeably intrigued.
"And while we're at it, let us make this interesting. I win, you release the colonists."
"And if I win, I deliver you in a cage to Dooku like the filthy animal you are." D'Nar takes off his vest and gestures for his opponent to get up. Kenobi rises to his feet. "No. Him." He points to Kyle.
"Excuse me?"
"You're Kyle Izzo, correct?" Kyle nods. "Two-years ago, you fought my son and cost him his reputation. I see this arrangement as a way to kill two birds with one stone. I kill a Jedi and avenge my son."
"You'll only have succeeded in killing a Padawan." Obi-Wan tries to downplay the significance of D'Nar's plan to slay him.
"Nonetheless, it'll have to do for now. As I cannot risk fatally injuring my precise cargo."
Kyle talks briefly with Obi-Wan, who was still frazzled by the turn of events. "I can handle this, Master. I can buy us time." He promises. "Trust me." Backed into a corner, Obi-Wan relented.
(Scene break)
"Master Grant! Your droid is transmitting the bomb coordinates." Anakin informs Tera. "Thanks, Skywalker. We're approaching the first bomb right now."
Fortunately, this bomb was placed in the middle of the small plain. Not a battle droid in sight. "Do you hear that?" Ahsoka caught the sound of beeping passing through her montrals. She removes the panel to reveal an assortment of wires. "There must be a wire we should cut or something to stop the countdown."
Tera thought for a moment, all of the possible solutions running through her mind. "Ahsoka, what would Anakin do?" Her question flummoxed Ahsoka. She wasn't sure she heard her right. "Ah, never mind. Stand back." She activates her lightsaber and slices the bomb in half. It stops ticking and is deactivated.
"Huh... how did you know that'll work?" Ahsoka asks. Tera shrugs. "I trusted my instincts."
"You mean Anakin's?" She crosses her arms.
"Turns out we needed a risk taker." The two were satisfied with their respective come backs. "Come on, we still have much work to do." She used her wrist communicator which doubles as a holomap. "Right there, little under a mile from here."
(Scene break)
Obi-Wan's initial plan was to not fight back, in order to divert D'Nar's attention from the bombs. He could take the beating. Kyle couldn't. At least, Obi-Wan believed he couldn't. "What ever you do, stick and move. Do not go toe-to-toe." He advises Kyle. "If you can't handle it, let me know and I'll help." Not much help Kenobi can provide since D'Nar applied stun cuffs.
"Master, I'll be fine. Trust me." Kenobi does not know why Kyle is exuding so much confidence. Kenobi takes one last look at D'Nar, his muscle mass exceeded his own and looked as if he'd bench press him effortlessly.
"In my experiences in hand-to-hand combat, I learned the most opportune area to attack a bigger opponent is around the ribs." He advises. Kyle remarks about how he wishes he had a set of brass knuckles to slip on right about now.
The figurative bell rang, Kyle and D'Nar circled one another before locking up in a test of strength. D'Nar pushes Kyle off effortlessly to the floor. Undeterred, Kyle goes to lock up and is again tossed to the ground, this time with more force. But Kyle persists, bull rushing D'Nar hoping to overwhelm him with offense only to continue being pushed backwards like a rag doll. D'Nar picks Kyle up by the collar and lifts him over his head and throws him down on the marble table. All Kyle could do was roll off the table and insufficiently cradle his back.
"Before the Jedi, the Zygerrian Empire was glorious. We prospered!" D'Nar picked Kyle up and threw up against the wall. Obi-Wan was about to intervene when the battle droids aimed their blasters squarely at him to remind the Jedi he was in no position to overpower them.
"And my son, you cost him everything. Money, power, titles. All so your friend could get what my son deserved!" He grabs Kyle by the cheek and squeeze. "You lack honor and now will face the consequences." Kyle only smiles.
"Oh, that's what I did? I don't remember." D'Nar punches Kyle square in the face, he felt his forehead cave him. "That's the best you got?" He goads the Zygerrian, gesturing with his hands "come on, give me more!" which D'Nar was happy to oblige.
(Scene break)
Tera and Ahsoka found the last two bombs stationed right beside each other. Ahsoka opens the panel to one, Tera the other, learning the bombs are synchronized and they'll need to slice them both simultaneously before they reach zero. "If we disarm one, it'll trigger the other." Ahsoka summarizes. "You get that one, I'll get this one."
Tera was about to do just that when two sniper droids, like of the Droideka variety, began firing at them, pinning the Jedi down behind separate platforms in the square. They managed to redirect their shots back to them, only to find their shields are strong. "I'm pinned down!" Ahsoka tells Tera. "I can't refuse them from here."
Tera thinks to herself, observing the droid from the cover. A smirk develops. "Ahsoka, do you have an angle on the droids weak side?" She looks over and sees she does.
"I got a good look."
"Okay. On three, we deflect their blaster shots to their weak side and diffuse the bombs." The plan sounded good to Ahsoka. "One... two... three!" Ahsoka held her lightsaber extra tight, and Tera made sure to wipe the sweat from her hands on to her tunic to avoid any missteps.
The droids fell, the bombs were diffused and the day was saved. "Whew!" Tera exhales. "Let's hope Kenobi shares our luck."
(Scene break)
In some ways, Obi-Wan was lucky in being sparred the beating of a lifetime courtesy of D'Nar. "Tera needs to work on your defense." He comments. Kyle gives him a cold glare as a response. "D'Nar keeps his left down. Hit him with a haymaker and get right back into this."
"Give up, boy?" D'Nar mocks. Kyle smirks to himself, having hatched a scheme. His blood begins to boil, he charges right for D'Nar like his hair was on fire. D'Nar takes a wild swing and misses, Kyle slides through his opponents legs. The sound of the floor squeaking is all that is heard. Befuddled, D'Nar turns around and is greeted with a hard right, and another, and another. Getting cocky, Kyle goes for a kick to the face and is swiftly blocked and is thrown across the room.
"Sir, you have an urgent transmission." A droid meekly informs D'Nar
"I'm in the middle of something." He hisses. The droid plays the holoprojector anyway.
"Sir, we're sorry to interrupt, but the Jedi have diffused the bombs."
"What?!" D'Nar couldn't believe his ears. He asks for the detonator and presses it over and over to see nothing transpire. Kyle gets up and whistles.
"Hey!" D'Nar turns around and eats a stiff boot to the face to add to his recent failure. "Now, how about we talk about the terms of YOUR surrender?" Kyle labors through his words, adrenaline only supporting him.
Kyle is able to activate his weapon and deflects the droids blaster fire back, easily dispatching them before freeing Obi-Wan. "You did very well, Padawan. Now let me handle this."
"Great because I feel like I'm about to collapse." He confesses, unable to stand upright, the room wouldn't stop spinning.
(Scene break)
Captain Panaka returned with a report on the bioscan for Skywalker, the Jedi could not believe the report. "Gone? All of them? That's impossible!" The Jedi Council were equally perturbed.
"These are my people." Ahsoka says. "They couldn't just leave."
Master Yoda reflects on the recent turn of events. "Troubling is return of the Zygerrians."
"It is likely they mean to use Dooku to rebuild their slave empire." Obi-Wan explains. "We cannot allow that to happen."
"Agree I do, but first find the colonists you must." Yoda reminds them. "In great danger, they are." The transmission ends, leaving the Jedi to contemplate their next move. Anakin was beside himself, his head throbbing.
"Master, what's wrong?" Ahsoka notices.
"I'm fine, Ahsoka." He tells her before walking off. She looks at Tera and then to Obi-Wan.
"His emotions aren't in check." Tera tells Obi-Wan. "I wish you ironed out the kinks."
"Excuse me?" Kenobi was offended, but Tera walked off before another word could be said.
"What did she mean by that?" Ahsoka asks Obi-Wan.
"Anakin is very powerful, his emotions are a great source of it. But he's reckless, which is a gateway to the dark side. He forms attachments far too easy."
"I can't blame him." Ahsoka defends Anakin. Obi-Wan smiles, glad to see Anakin's Padawan in his corner even if they disagree. "Come, we have much work to do if we're to find the colonists."
