The TV screen continues to display the odd sight of trucks chasing after a large ball, intending to hit it before Matt groans.
"You just missed him!" Sabine snaps at him.
"I'm trying!"
"Try blocking—him!" Sabine pops back before crashing her purple truck with multi-colored flames on the side into a different truck, controlled by the opposing team.
Meanwhile on the floor beside the couch and the ottoman, JJ watches the laptop that is stationed off to the side displaying a TV channel.
Monitoring Iowa.
"Has Sabine told you about the plan for Spring Break?" Jaicey turns to me, stationed on the other end of the couch.
"No." I shake my head at Jaicey.
I'm busy for Spring Break anyway.
Jaicey gives Sabine a look behind her back, then turns back to me. "The plan is to go down to Cancun for the week. Party most of the time, then during our down time maybe go look at an old ruin or two."
"Chichén Itzá looks spectacular." Sabine comments before she and JJ combine to retake possession of the ball.
Such an odd game…
"The old Mayan ruin?" I play dumb.
I know what Chichén Itzá is. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There's a Jedi down there to ensure its protection for future generations.
Jaicey nods. "It's supposed to be spectacular. The pictures alone are breathtaking."
"I don't think it can actually be that big." Matt comments before Sabine yelps.
"MATT!"
Their opponent heads the other way with the ball before Jaicey glances back at me. "You really should buy your ticket soon before the prices skyrocket. I'll text you the link."
"I'm sorry, I can't go."
Sabine turns back to look at me just before Jaicey does. "What?"
"Why not?" Sabine asks.
"I'm already supposed to be elsewhere."
"Since when?" JJ asks, getting me to turn.
I shrug at the three of them. "Just since work told me."
"Work." JJ repeats after me.
Yeah.
Sabine's Force Signature dims slightly before she looks dejected. "Can you ask out of it?"
No.
"I can ask." I acknowledge the idea. "The answer probably won't change, but I can ask."
"They should let you go on Spring Break." Jaicey declares. "You need a week off, to yourself in a foreign country—"
Oh.
Then I definitely can't go.
There's extradition treaties. I'll be detained.
My life'll be over in an instant.
And they won't know what's happened or how to help me.
Even if they wanted to, they couldn't.
"—drunk on the beach. It can be a little bit of a free for all, boys and boys and girls and girls. But that's not necessarily a bad thing."
"As long as you're smart about it." JJ amends Jaicey's statement, just before the two look at each other and smile.
JJ and Jaicey stop their eye-sex and he props himself up off an elbow and turns to look at me. "By the way, I want to show you something. I found it online, on one of my sites. Thought you might want to see it."
Oh great, now he thinks he can help me.
"What is it?" I placate JJ just before he stands up and moves to sit in between Jaicey and I.
JJ doesn't immediately reply while on the TV screen, Sabine presses her advantage, leaving multiple trucks in her dust before lobbing the ball up—
"YES!" Sabine leaps up and pumps her fist in triumph. "Great job being there!"
The scoreboard on the screen updates, showing a 4-1 advantage for their team with time winding down.
"Think we'll be okay now." Matt comments as JJ taps on his phone screen.
"Have you read anything about what's going on in India?"
I shift in my seat. "You mean the border dispute. How do you know about it?"
It's not really India. It's all contested.
"I didn't until last night. I'm scrolling and find…this." JJ explains, then extends his phone to me with a video.
"Watch out. That's…bad." Jaicey warns me.
"Bad?"
Bad?
Jaicey nods. "It's awful. I don't care whatever it is that you do. That video's…awful."
"What's the video?" Matt innocently asks.
"I don't really know, that's why I want to show Ezra." JJ explains as I tap on the screen.
The video starts with a darkened, grey palette just before figures begin running past the camera, saying something in a language I don't recognize.
Alright, what is—
Red lights fly past the camera, narrowly missing a few of the fleeing civilians before I start hearing a robotic clanking noise.
No.
—
This can't be.
The clanking continues, followed by screams as JJ and Sabine are talking about something.
They don't matter right now.
How…
More shots fly past the camera before it moves shakily, indicating that its operator is also running for their—
The shot suddenly goes static and still, then falls to the ground heavily. The lens falls in such a manner that the camera is pointing in the direction that everyone is fleeing from—
—
Oh.
Five or six massive, humanoid shaped robots march in unison towards the camera before raising their arms and firing off another round at the poor, fleeing citizens.
That…is what I was afraid it was.
"What are those?" I hear Sabine ask quietly, then glance up and see that Sabine has crept over and is inches away from my face, watching the video.
Robots.
"I don't know…" I admit honestly as the video continues.
The sleek, shiny, robots continue marching just before a new noise becomes audibly and several…things fly past the lens and—
Blue shields pop up as the...new things unfurl themselves and begin firing their own weapons.
What in the hell is this?!
"Oh my god." Matt murmurs quietly as the new, spider looking things just keep firing.
Catching everything in their onslaught. The buildings, huts, people, any structure…
Everything.
"I told you it's awful." Jaicey declares before starting back towards the kitchen with her cup.
Those blue bubbles are shield technology.
I…vaguely recall him talking about something similar to this. Something '–eka.'
The robots continue marching just before the spider robots raise their shields and advance, rolling quite quickly to press their advantage. Behind them, a single robot seems to notice the fallen camera and—
Picks it up.
"What the hell." Sabine blurts out as the camera seems to focus on the metallic, silver robot as it seems to eye the camera and—
The footage suddenly cuts out, and the player hits 0:00.
…
I need to show this to the Council.
Without asking, I quickly navigate down the browser on JJ's phone and send the video to myself via AirDrop.
"What the hell is that?" Sabine asks me.
"I don't know." I partially lie as I send the link to Cayle, along with a text.
'Hey, I don't know what exactly this is. But my friend just showed me this. Think it's important.'
The Trade Federation has…robots? As well as some sort of shield tech that used to be in development from Sith engineers and scientists?!
"I can hear your brain whirring." JJ tells me, just before I hand him his phone back.
"Congratulations."
I can't say anything.
I haven't heard anything from the Council or Cayle or anyone since Valentine's Day about all this.
Granted, all I did was lounge around in bed with Sabine all weekend. But nobody looped me in on any of Master Jinn and Kenobi's—
Cayle – 1 New Message
"Stay where you are. Keep everybody who is there, where they are. Be there soon."
Sabine shifts slightly beside me, clearly having read the text from Cayle. "He's coming here?"
"Who is coming here?" JJ responds.
(A/N: Long time readers of mine know that in rare instances I recommend a musical track to accompany a chapter or portion of a chapter. In this case, you may want to cue up the music from the Mandalorian season finale, at the very end when Luke arrives.)
(25 Minutes Later)
"Jaice, baby sit down." JJ asks her once again before I hear more clanking in the kitchen.
"No! If we've got a freaking Jedi coming over, this house is in no shape to—"
JJ cuts her off. "It's my house. If they find anything out of place, it'll lay on my head. Not yours."
"It's my house too!"
"No it's not!" JJ counters.
"I'm here all the time!" Jaicey counters hysterically before her voice pitches up. "Hey—let me go!"
"No, c'mon…" JJ's voice strains with effort before I hear footsteps—
"Let me go dammit!"
JJ reappears beyond the curtain, pulling Jaicey along behind him. "It's going to be fine. I've already met this guy, so has Matt. And Sabine too. Please sit down."
"We've all seen him for an instant!" Jaicey counters as she is still being drug into the room. "You just had to go and show him that stupid video—"
I need to say something.
"Jaicey, it's going to be fine. He'll probably have just a couple of quick questions, I bet about where you found the video then be on his way." I tell her calmly.
I bet Ahsoka's sent him here just to be cautious. This is another time that his intel is just a little too good.
Jaicey turns to me, out of breath. "There's no reason to come here except get us into trouble."
"You're not going to be in any trouble." I counter. "But you've got to breathe. Okay?"
All of them do.
Feeling everybody's eyes on me, I continue. "Okay, everybody just take a deep breath in…"
Matt, Sabine, and JJ all comply with me as I make a imperceptible motion (to them) and move to absorb all of the stress in the room.
Which is way more than there should be. They're going to be fine.
"…out. Jaicey." I smile patiently.
JJ picks up my drift. "You didn't breathe."
"I don't need some stupid breathing exercises." Jaicey scoffs at me.
I shake my head visibly for her. "I disagree. You'll feel better. I promise. Now…deep breath in."
Good.
This time Jaicey cooperates with my request and takes in a breath. JJ, Matt and Sabine all help me out and do it again as well.
"…and out."
That should help. And I took as much tension of hers as I can take.
Jaicey's shoulders loosen up just a bit before JJ coaxes her into sitting down. "Relax…"
"We'll be fine. If anything I'll draw his fire." Sabine volunteers. "He's an asshole but he's a asshole I'm familiar with so—"
I turn to look at Sabine. "You're not helping,"
"What? It's the truth. And the others have told me the same thing. They made light that he can be tough to—"
"Oh." JJ blurts out, looking at his phone.
Which just lit up.
"What is—" Jaicey asks, then lets out a loud squeak.
"What?" Matt asks, looking alarmed.
I lean over along with Sabine and—
"Hey, it's okay, I locked it." JJ reassures Jaicey.
There's two hooded figures on the front porch being shown on JJ's screen.
"It's fine. It's okay. They're friends. They're friendly." I tell them.
It's okay. Everybody just stay calm.
One of the figures, dressed in all white robes waves their hand to unlock the door just before JJ gets a notification—
"Hah, yeah that ain't working." JJ blurts out.
Sabine whips around to face me. "What the hell—"
"We're fine." I repeat myself. "Okay. Everybody just take a deep breath and—"
This time it's Matt who cuts me off. "Uhh."
They're in.
She just waved her hands again, held it and strode right on—
Soft footsteps echo down the hall before I feel a Signature through the Force reach out and reassure me.
Without thinking I pop to my feet and take a half step towards the curtain before it ripples and the figure in all white appears beyond the curtain, features completely obscured by the hood of the robe, which is draped over their face. Right behind them is a second guest, also obscured by their own hood over their face.
Oh.
The unknown visitor in white stills for just a moment, the room collectively holding it's breath before reaching up and lowering the hood to reveal the familiar face of—
Ahsoka Tano.
Ahsoka gazes at Jaicey, JJ, Matt and Sabine for an instant before turning to me. "Young Bridger."
"Master." I bow my head reverently.
Behind her, Cayle reaches up and lowers his hood to show his face as well as a stoic expression.
Business trip.
"I apologize for frightening you all. My name is Master Ahsoka Tano." Ahsoka begins before her warm smile appears on her face. "This is my Apprentice, Cayle, who I believe you all are familiar with." Ahsoka gestures to Cayle.
Cayle nods to Sabine in particular before Ahsoka turns to him. "Can you make something to calm the girl's nerves?"
"Yes Master." Cayle bows his head before stepping out of the room.
I feel Sabine's surprise through the Force before Ahsoka moves to set her hands in front of her to signal to everyone her peaceful intentions.
She has her lightsabers set on her belt in their normal position though. Quite visible for all to see.
"Cayle said that there was a video." Ahsoka turns to me, stating it not as a question but as fact.
"Yes Master." I confirm.
JJ chooses the moment to speak up. "I found it ma'am. It's here on my phone but I can display it on the TV for you."
"No need." Ahsoka replies to him before flicking her wrist once.
And the video in question replaces the paused video game on the screen.
Ahsoka flexes her fingers one more time and the video begins. A few seconds in JJ moves to speak before Ahsoka raises her hand and silences him.
Seconds later, Cayle reappears with Jaicey's drink and hands it to me.
Yeah, she probably won't drink it if he gives it to her.
I pass it over to JJ who hands it to Jaicey while the video JJ found plays on the screen. Cayle sidles up beside me and copies Ahsoka's movements with his hands visible out in from of his waist.
Lightsaber too.
The video continues to play as the room is collectively too nervous to speak. At some point I hear Jaicey sip the drink Cayle made for her before, in time, the video concludes.
…
Ahsoka's face is stern, not showing much of anything before Cayle's eyes flicker over to me.
Yeah. It's that bad.
"Before I begin, I feel it necessary to apologize again. Everything is going to be fine Jaicey." Ahsoka smiles gently at her. "We mean you no harm."
Jaicey is still for a moment before nodding in understand and sipping her drink.
"Now…" Ahsoka begins heavily. "You said you found this video. May I call you JJ?"
"Yes ma'am. I'm honored to truly meet you." JJ blabbers.
Cayle smirks beside me before Ahsoka smiles at JJ. "The honor is all mine. Thank you for having us."
He messed up the order of what he meant to say.
"I'm aware that you frequent quite a number of dark web internet sites, including Truths of the ." Ahsoka begins once again. "You found this on one of those sites?"
"Yes ma'am." JJ nods raptly.
"Was it difficult to find?" She asks, simultaneously probing through the Force.
"Not for me ma'am." JJ answers. "I've been on the site for years and know where to look for something like this."
"Something like this." Cayle repeats his words back to him.
JJ turns to Cayle. "Yes. There is…usually ways to find old videos of Jedi duels with Sith. I've even seen the renowned duel between Lord Vader and Lord Tyranus."
WHAT?!
THAT IS ONLINE?!
"Sith?" Matt asks.
Ahsoka peers over at him, but to his credit Matt does not cower. "The Sith are the ancient enemy of the Jedi." She then turns back to JJ. "And you discovered this on Truths of the Holonet?"
She probes as JJ responds. "Yes."
"Hmm…" Is the entirety of Ahsoka's response.
…
"I've been told that you currently play basketball here at USC. But have you ever considered a career in the intelligence gathering field?"
Whoa.
The whole room reverberates with shock and looks to JJ, who is the picture of surprise. "Uhm…no ma'am."
"You should consider it." Ahsoka smiles warmly at him. "You happen to have an in who could potentially start you down that path."
Me.
JJ quickly nods three or four times. "Yes, uhm, I'll, uhm…can I think about it?"
"Of course." Ahsoka answers, a laugh in her voice.
Trying to loosen everyone up.
…
"I am afraid that possibility dies here in this room if you are not completely honest with me." Ahsoka's tone changes on a time as she turns and takes a single step towards JJ.
"Now tell me. Where did you find this video? How did you acquire it?"
He lied?! To Ahsoka?!
In a flash I snap turn and put JJ in my sights before probing and feel his terror.
You're my friend! I've vouched for you! You lying to a Jedi Master and a member of the High Council makes me look bad!
REALLY BAD!
"I—" JJ's voice shakes before Ahsoka cuts him off.
"And I suggest you keep to the truth. Otherwise we'll move this conversation to a location that is much less friendly for you." Ahsoka informs him sternly.
She won't think twice about taking him into the Temple and throwing him into a interrogation room.
She wouldn't be the worst thing he'd see there either.
"An acquaintance of mine passed that along to me." JJ admits.
"Acquaintance." Cayle again repeats his choice of words.
Ahsoka snaps her wrist and JJ's phone flies into her hand before she tosses it to Cayle, who catches it and pockets it. "Their name?"
"…Daisy Johnson ma'am."
"Who is she affiliated with?" Ahsoka asks.
JJ hesitates before I probe and he answers. "She works for the Rising Tide, a—"
"The Rising Tide?!" I blurt out.
The hacktivist group. Aubrey worked for them, at least once to my knowledge. Way back at the start of the fall semester when I saw her.
"You know them—?" Sabine asks me before Ahsoka raises her hand and silences everyone.
"No more questions until we're done here." Cayle says, motioning with his head towards JJ.
I…
I cannot believe this. He knows somebody with the Rising Tide?!
Ahsoka then begins to pace in front of the television. "How long have you known this…individual?" Ahsoka asks before adding to Jaicey "Don't worry, I'll let you kill him later. Just take a breath for me."
I glance at Jaicey to see that she's pale white but also looks livid before complying with Ahsoka's request.
Oh. It's a girl. That's right…
"I've known her since I was fifteen. Around five years ago." JJ answers the question.
That's the truth.
"FIVE—" Jaicey yelps before Ahsoka motions for her to be silent.
"So this isn't some fly by night acquaintance." Ahsoka observes.
…
"No ma'am." JJ confirms.
I should…beat the ever living shit out of you.
"And she sent this video to you?"
JJ nods once before I probe again.
The truth.
Ahsoka asks. "Has she ever sent any more videos to you?"
"Occasionally. I, uhm, I usually don't talk with her all that much. I met her when I was a kid. 15. Just chatting on a message board. It took me forever to work past that. I'm not—" JJ attempts to explain himself before Ahsoka silences him.
"I'm afraid I'm not interested in your version of events. Whatever they are, we will get to the bottom of the matter. And if necessary, hand down punishment." Ahsoka informs him sternly.
"Need you be reminded that you are aware of somebody who works with the Jedi Order and—" Cayle begins before Ahsoka cuts him off.
"That's enough, my very young Apprentice." Ahsoka says in a tone I've rarely heard before.
Not…mad. Just focused on the issue at hand.
Down to business.
"Did you two communicate about the events at UCLA?" Ahsoka questions him.
"No, I—"
Cayle immediately steps forward. "That's a lie."
It is a lie.
"She reached out to me." JJ raises his hands defensively. "Asking me if I knew anything. And if I was okay. She knows that I go to school here, play basketball."
"And?" Ahsoka motions for him to continue.
You Sithspit.
"I lied to her ma'am." JJ tells her before swallowing a lump in his throat.
That's…the truth.
"I told her that I was at lunch with some friends when I got the SIP order. I followed it, then practiced and went home."
Matt's hand flies into the air before Cayle answers his question.
"SIP means shelter in place."
Ahsoka releases a breath she's been holding while pacing back and forth in front of the television. "Very well then. We shall see if your words hold up to my scrutiny." She then turns to Jaicey, Matt and Sabine. "My apologies for intruding on your night."
Ahsoka motions for Cayle to follow her. "Young Bridger, if you'll follow me."
Sure. Just a sec.
I seize the opportunity and close the gap in between JJ and I, putting us nose to nose before allowing myself a breath through my nose while I flex my arms. "I should beat the shit out of you…"
"Hey." Cayle puts his arm in between us. "C'mon. Let's go."
Fine…
JJ attempts to say something feebly before I exhale thru my nose forcibly, then allow Cayle to lead me back out through the curtain and back into the front of the house.