Author's Note: -This takes place concurrently with the previous chapter.
The atmosphere was smokey, the drinks watered down, and the clientele as ugly as the spawn of the Sith.
Janson was loving every minute of it. While the lum he was drinking may have been watered to the point of having an alcoholic content of nil, it was worth it for the ambience.
Opposite him sat his best friend and drinking buddy, Derek Klivian, who despite much questioning on the part of Janson had never revealed why his chosen nickname was 'Hobbie'. Hobbie was, like Janson, below average height for a human male, and his slight figure and fixed mournful expression did little to help him to fit into the rough feel of the Tatooine cantina.
Jason drained his mug. "Why is it Wedge always lands us with the worse assignments?"
"He likes us?" suggested Hobbie.
Janson waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "No, he thinks we'd get too famous." He contemplated his empty mug, then put it to one side. "And how come he gets us to use our leave to do this?"
"He's a General," explained Hobbie. "Comes with rank."
Janson sighed. "Remind me the next time Wedge says 'I'd like you to do something for me' to just shoot him before he starts."
"Can't be as bad as the last time we were here," said Hobbie, sounding hopeful. "I mean, what are the chances of that happening again?"
Janson snorted, then noticed Hobbie focusing on something behind him. "What is it?"
"Look behind you Wes."
Janson turned in his chair. "You have got to be kidding."
In the doorway stood two children dressed in strange, bright clothes. The smaller blonde child was hugging some sort of toy and was partly hiding behind the larger and presumably older dark haired boy.
Janson turned back to face Hobbie. "Probably here to fetch their old man home for the evening."
Hobbie eyed the children as they moved through the crowd. "I don't know if they should be here Wes. That older kid seems to have his arm in a brace or splint."
Janson frowned. "I don't like the idea of kids getting hurt either. Let's keep an eye on them while they're here."
"That'll be easy."
Janson was worried. Hobbie wasn't usually that optimistic. "Why?"
Hobbie gestured at what Janson presumed was the two boys. "They're making straight for us."
Sure enough the two boys came and stood between Janson and Hobbie.
"Are you Majors Wes Janson and Derek Klivian?" asked the older boy.
Janson nodded even as he heard the voices in the cantina quieten at the concept of members of the government inside their hallowed halls of disreputableness. "And who are you?"
The taller boy put out a hand. "Tai Kamiya. And this is T.K. Takashi."
Hobbie's dour expression got even worse. "Wedge has done it to us again, hasn't he?" he asked Janson.
Janson shook his head. "You can't be Kamiya and Takashi. They're Jedi!"
The sound of several blaster safeties being snapped off rang out.
Janson noticed Tai move into a more balanced pose, ready for a fight. The pilot stood quickly. "Let's get you boys home to your mother." He quite forcefully took Tai's arm and started to pull the boy from the cantina.
Tai looked around confused. "What's going on? We were told to meet you here, so we're here."
Janson was nearly dragging Tai by this point. "Let's go!"
Tai however stayed firm. "Explain now or I'll Jedi you!" He waved his hands in a manner that might have been threatening if it hadn't seemed such a ridiculous situation.
Up by the bar a Sullustan laughed. "Is the Republic having so many Jedi that they must take children?"
Both Tai and T.K. blushed at that.
"We've not finish training," supplied T.K. helpfully.
Another round of laugher, this time from a large number of the patrons, followed that statement.
"Go back to your mother," slurred the Sullustan. "Maybe she can give you a toy sabre to play with." He gestured at Janson and Hobbie. "Take these spies with you. Before we decide to do something to stop their eavesdropping."
"Oh yeah?" asked Tai. He lunged forwards at the Sullustan, but Janson grabbed the back of his collar.
"Outside. Now." Janson spoke from a cold place deep in his gut. Tai looked suitably cowed, and went outside without a further murmur.
Hobbie put a guiding hand on T.K's shoulder and started to guide the young boy out the door. He then paused for a moment, and put a fifty-credit chit down on the table to clear the tab he and Janson had run up.
Outside Janson exploded. "How the hell did you kids know about our mission? Where are the Jedi?"
Tai jerked, dislodging Janson's grip from his shoulders. He spun to face the pilot. "We are the Jedi doofus!"
Janson laughed. "Oh no way. No way is Wedge landing us with babysitting duty." He moved one hand to the butt of his blaster. "Now tell me where the real Jedi are." His movements made clear what he would do if Tai's answer didn't meet his expectations.
To his surprise a yellow lizard ran in and stood between them. "Stay away from Tai."
Janson's eyebrows raised in surprise. He didn't think that Trandoshan young looked like that. He made a decision and pulled his blaster from his holster and levelled it at Tai's head, determined to stop whatever games these kids were playing.
He found his blaster torn from his grip and flying through the air to the blonde boy's feet. Suddenly the claim that these two boys were Jedi didn't seem so outrageous.
T.K. turned to Hobbie who was standing behind him, watching Janson with some apparent mirth.
"If I give the gun to you are you going to try to shoot Tai?" asked T.K.
Hobbie shook his head, picked the blaster off the ground then moved to join Janson.
"Here." He handed Janson back his weapon. "Nice to know you can still make a spectacle of yourself."
Janson grimaced and jammed the blaster back into his holster. "Thanks for the moral support." He held out a hand to Tai. "Sorry."
Tai examined the hand for a moment as if unsure what to do with it, then took it. "I think we both acted immaturely."
Hobbie stifled a laugh. "That's business as usual for Wes." He pointed to T.K. "Little kid is quite perceptive sometimes."
T.K. joined the two men and Tai. "Are we gonna go find the lightsabre now?"
Tai put his arm around T.K. "Don't worry T.K. We'll get my sabre, then yours, then we'll go rescue your brother."
Janson and Hobbie exchanged glances.
"Okay," said Janson. "Want to run that by us again with the help files enabled? Wedge didn't tell us anything about this assignment except that once we were done here we were going to Tanaab and then Hoth with two Jedi."
Tai sighed. "We're Tai and T.K, two members of the Digidestined. We were taken from out home to this universe to fight against an evil digimon, Myotismon, and some Sith guy called Exar Kun. We got taken to the Jedi Academy, trained as Jedi, and now we're looking for our lightsabres which were hidden on many planets."
Janson nodded. "That explains why we're taking you to several planets, but why three of them if there's only two of you?"
Tai patted T.K's shoulder. "T.K's brother was taken in by Exar Kun. His sabre is in Hoth. We're all going there with our sabres to make sure he doesn't get his at the very least, and hopefully make him see what a jerk he's being and get him to join up with us again."
T.K. smiled. "Tai said he'd be my big brother until Matt gets back." He hugged Tai slightly.
"Riiiight," said Hobbie. "So somewhere on the surface of this planet is something the size of a glow rod. We have to find it in two days, then repeat this success on another planet, then stop some kid with the dark side as his ally getting his?" He looked Janson in the eye. "We're doomed." He noticed Tai and T.K. giggling. "What's so funny?"
The little creature in T.K's arms piped up. "You sound just like one of their friends."
Janson looked at Patamon, then Agumon. "I had you pegged as a toy and a young Tranoshan. That's not right is it?"
"Nah," said the batpig. "We're digimon."
Hobbie nodded. "Like that evil My-whatever."
Janson held his hands up. "Okay, so now we know each other, how are we going to find these lightsabres?"
"Easy," grinned Tai. "We just follow my nose."
Hobbie and Janson exchanged puzzled glances.
"Huh?" asked Janson.
Agumon shrugged. "Tai swears he's been smelling chocolate since we entered orbit."
Tai nodded. "And I'm pretty sure the closer I get to the lightsabre the better I smell it."
"Chocolate?" asked Janson, incredulous. "You intend us to drive around with you trying to find the source of a smell?" He turned to Hobbie. "Forget what I said, let's go find Wedge and shoot him now."
The landspeeder kicked up a cloud of dust as it moved through the Tatooine desert. Onboard the four humans and two digimon tried to ignore the hot suns beating down on them.
Tai took a sip from his canteen. "We're getting closer."
Wes scowled at Tai. "You've been saying that for the last two hours." He poked Hobbie in the shoulder. "Can't you make this thing go any faster?"
Hobbie sighed. "You've asked me that three times. Each time I gave the same answer. What do you think?"
Tai leaned in closer from his rear seat. "I think this speeder has seen better days."
Janson turned to Tai. "Stay quiet and keep sniffing Hair-boy."
Tai glared at Janson. "No one disses the hair dude."
Janson held his hands up in a mockery of surrender. "Sorry Taichi." He grinned wickedly. "Or should it be Tetchy? Tetchy Kamiya!"
"Humph." Tai sat back in his seat and crossed his arms. "It's not my fault that you can't follow directions." He shut his eyes for a moment. "We need to head more to the left."
Hobbie sighed and twiddled the controls, reorientating the landspeeder on a new heading.
"You're leading us in circles Tetchy!" gloated Janson.
"Shut up."
"You and your funny chocolate smell."
"Shut up!" Tai leant over and whacked Janson round the head. "I'll Jedi you."
Janson started to choke with laughter. "Jedi me? You're no Luke Skywalker."
"No, I'm not possessed by some Sith spirit," spat back Tai.
"What?" Hobbie brought the landspeeder to a halt. "Luke's possessed?"
Tai mimed zipping his mouth shut. "Not telling. Janson here won't listen."
Hobbie rolled his eyes. "I have to say out of you three T.K. seems to be the most grown up of the lot."
"Hey!" protested both Tai and Janson.
"Now spill," continued Janson. "What's up with Luke?"
Tai frowned. "Exar Kun got him and is using his body. I don't know where Luke is."
"You better not be making this up Tetchy…" warned Janson.
"He's not Mr Janson," said T.K. "Exar Kun's a bad man and he's got my brother and Master Skywalker and is making them act funny."
Janson let off a stream of curses. "Luke has been taken over by the Sith and the only thing that can bring him back is seven kids, one of which has joined the bad guys. This is not happening."
Tai wiped his brow. "We've both got friends on the line so let's call it a truce okay Janson? This heat is making me act a bit short tempered." He stuck out his hand at Janson.
Janson shook it. "Deal and my name is Wes. Let's go get our friends back Tetchy."
"Taichi."
"Tetchy."
"Taichi."
Hobbie rolled his eyes and restarted the landspeeder as they continued to argue.
Janson examined the sheer cliff face. He hit it with his fist. "It's a rock wall Tetchy. Nothing is here."
Tai scowled at Janson's continued use of the nickname, but didn't waste his breath complaining. He pointed at the raised parts of the surface. "You see that? It looks like the symbol of Courage, but bits of it have been worn off."
"Sandstorms," commented Hobbie. "They get them here from time to time."
Tai ran his hand over the rock face. "So now what? We obviously found it, but now do we open it?"
The rock face where his hand was I contact started to glow. The glow expanded until it formed the approximate shape of an arch, then faded leaving an entrance into the cave beyond.
"Wow," commented Tai. "These ancient Jedi sure knew how to impress."
Agumon pointed to the top of the archway. "Lookit."
The group retreated a few steps to better view the panel mounted there.
Tai shook his head. "It's in one of your languages, not ours."
Hobbie nodded and proceeded to read aloud.
"If any traveller should find this place and seek to enter these halls,
Beware for only those of Courage may pass between these walls."
Janson snorted. "Some ancient Jedi is daring us." He started to the entrance.
Hobbie held up a placating hand. "I'm sure it's not that simple Wes."
Wes stopped in front of the entrance and turned back towards them and shrugged. "I'm a man of Courage. I've got the commendations to prove it."
He started towards the entrance, when Tai darted forwards. The boy's hand fastened round Janson's collar and yanked him back in time to stop a giant blade from cutting him in two as he passed through the entrance.
Janson watched aghast as the blade completed its swing and moved back into what he presumed was the 'ready' position.
Tai released his hold on Janson's collar and the man settled to the ground with an 'oof'.
Janson looked at the entrance. "That could kill some one."
Hobbie tried to hide a smirk. "I think that was the point Wes."
Janson got unsteadily to his feet. "Thanks for the save," he told Tai. "How did you know what would happen?"
Tai shook his head. "I didn't exactly, but Izzy told me before we left that the sabres were quite probably booby trapped so that only we could get to them. It seemed like the warning was there to make sure no one who found this place by accident would go in and get killed."
Janson readjusted his collar. "So how are you going to get through all that?"
Tai shrugged. "I've got what Master Skywalker referred to as a 'danger sense'. I can tell when something is about to try to kill me." He gestured at the door. "I guess I go in and dodge whatever they throw at me."
T.K. clamped himself around Tai's waist. "Don't go Tai. There'll be all sorts of pointy stuff in there that could kill you."
Agumon nodded. "I'm supposed to protect you. Let me go first."
Tai shook his head. "Sorry bud, but this stuff will just slice and dice you." He gently pried T.K. off of him, and then knelt to be at eye level with the smaller boy. "Don't worry T.K. I'll be fine."
T.K. started to sob. "I don't wanna lose another big brother."
"Hey." Tai rubbed T.K's shoulder in a way he'd seen Sora use to calm T.K. "Don't worry, you won't loose me or Matt."
T.K. sniffed and wiped at his eyes and nose with his sleeve. "Do you promise Tai?"
"Sure." Tai patted T.K. once more, then stood up. He glanced at Janson and Hobbie, his eyes asking them to look after T.K. if anything happened.
Janson slowly nodded. "Go get 'em Tetchy."
"Taichi." Tai walked toward the doorway, his danger sense sending signals that he should stay away. As he walked through the arch it flared, and Tai dived forwards into a roll. As he came to his feet he got another warning tingle and he leapt, grasping onto a ledge of rock above him. Below where he had once stood a blaster bolt scorched the ground.
Tai let out a silent breath. So far, so good. He moved along the ledge until he felt another warning. He dropped as a buzz saw spun out of the wall at the level of where his elbows had been. That would've hurt. He turned and looked behind him.
Janson smiled and waved. "You're doing great kid."
Ten lousy feet??!! Tai sighed and started forwards again. He got five feet before his sense went off again and he flattened himself to the ground. A blaster bolt flew over his head. He crawled clear, then stood up and walked round the curve of the passageway.
He again felt something, jumped forwards, felt again and moved into a forwards roll then a somersault. Behind him five sets of blades crashed though a sequence meant to dice anyone who had come that far. Tai shut his eyes and tried to get a sense of what was next. If I'm only reacting instead of acting I'll get killed. Ahead he could sense a five-foot clear stretch followed by a seven-foot stretch his Force sense identified as 'dangerous'. Tai sized up the distances, then sprinted forwards, launching himself into a dive and roll. He felt a blade of some description pass by his back and another one whistle past his ear, then he was clear and standing on the far side. These are starting to get way too close. He squinted in the low light levels at something up ahead.
About twenty metres in front of him was a raised plinth with some complicated electrical equipment on it. His danger sense identified most of the surrounding area as 'not good' with a few spaces, barely more than a foot square that were safe. Tai looked around and found several small lose rocks in the 'safe' zone he was standing in. He picked them up and threw them one at a time to see what would happen.
The first rock caused the floor it landed on to collapse, revealing a pit of spikes. The second was sliced cleanly in two in mid-flight by a flying blade. The third tripped what had to be some sort of landmine and the fourth simply disappeared without a trace. Tai examined the floor where the traps had fired, but could see nothing to distinguish those patches of floor from the rest. Clearly I need to touch the floor as little as possible, except for the safe parts. And that means leaps with a running start.
Tai backed up as far as he could, then set off at a sprint. He used the Force to increase his jumps height, but found that he had to twist and tumble in mid air to avoid the blades flying past him. He hit the ground inverted and used a hand spring to launch himself up again as a blaster bolt hit where his hands had hit. He arched his back to allow a blade to pass beneath him and continued to let his body tumble to its upright position and land. He jumped without somersaulting, but twisted laterally to let a blade swing millimetres from his skin as he turned sideways. He hit the ground and backfliped, tucking his knees into his chest as blades flew both in front and behind him simultaneously.
He landed on his feet heavily, and overbalanced backwards due to his momentum. He ended up in a rather undignified heap at the base of the plinth.
"Made it." Tai took a couple of deep breaths to ensure he was still alive after all of that. He checked himself over and was surprised to find no cuts anywhere. He grabbed the edge of the plinth and used it to help drag himself upright. He then examined the electrical equipment.
Something that was clearly the hilt of a lightsabre was wired to a large blockish item. Next to it lay something that resembled the lid of a jar, but with a thicker lip. Tai picked up this odd item and examined it. Unable to fathom its use, he put it down again and reached for the sabre. A warning tickled in the back of his skull. Tai moved his hand away. Obviously he was not meant to pick it up.
Tai walked around the plinth and found on the opposite side an inscription. He carefully read it, acknowledging the instructions.
First I have to charge the sabre, then face a final test. Tai thought about this for a moment. That's why I didn't want to pick the sabre up; it must be rigged so that when the connection is broken the final trap is sprung. He laid one hand on the sabres hilt and tried to get the Force to flow through him and into the hilt. This is Izzy gig. Why isn't he trying to do this? Tai felt nothing, then tried to shift his view to something he could relate more easily to. This isn't a sabre, he told himself. It's a sleeping tiger. It can't hurt anyone now, but when it wakes it's deadly. He smiled as he slowly connected his Force-sense to the collection of metal that represented in his mind a tiger. When he felt the connection was strong enough he reached to the blocky power supply with his free hand and toggled the activation switch.
He felt the power move into the internal battery of the sabre. It started as a slow trickle, then sped up as he helped it along. More and more he could feel the sabre as a part of him, brash and confident, willing to do what ever it took to win. His smile turned into a broad grin. Maybe I should ask Izzy what it's like when he joins with mechanical stuff. The power kept flowing in a torrent until Tai could sense the battery nearing its full capacity. The flow dwindled, then stopped and the power supply switched off with a click, dragging Tai's mind back to his body.
He let go of the hilt and rubbed his eyes, trying to get his brain focusing on the physical, rather than the metaphysical realm. I've got to be all here for what comes next. I wouldn't be given a charged lightsabre if I didn't need it. He examined the area where the wires connected to the sabre. He found a screw thread on the outer surface, like on the inside of the jam jar lid. So that's what that odd object was for. It's a screw cap to protect the contact points. Tai made a careful examination of the rest of the room and noticed a door half hidden in the gloom. That must be where the whatever comes from.
He took the sabre in one hand and the cap in the other. "Let's rock!"
He pulled the hilt free of its contacts then hurriedly screwed on the cap. As he did so the door slowly creaked and rose into a recess above the doorframe. Tai stepped forwards and ignited the lightsabres orange blade with as snap-hiss. He assumed the basic stance that Corran had taught him barely two weeks ago.
Out of the doorway stalked some sort of droid with six appendages. Two of the appendages served as legs for the droid with the remaining arms free to move. It reminded Tai of a giant robotic insect. Of the two 'arms' the higher mounted and longer pair ended in wicked looking curved blades. The shorter middle appendages contained what Tai was beginning to recognise as blaster muzzles. The droid fired at the boy, and Tai knocked the bolts away with his lightsabre, as he had been taught they could do. The droid started to advance, firing as it went. Tai started to back up, trying to keep a fixed distance between him and the droid.
While Tai allowed the Force to move his arms to bring the lightsabre around to block he used the analytical portion of his mind. If I keep retreating I'm going to get skewered by all those traps I passed to get into this room. I can't get to close either. That droid will have an easy time hitting me it I get too close and even if I block the shots it will still have those blades.
So I'll just have to stop that thing from walking. Tai felt his back connect with the stone plinth on which his sabre had rested. It's now or never. He hauled his arm back and threw his sabre in a low arc, the orange blade twirling round and round. It bit into the left leg of the droid, severing it.
The droid keeled over and lay on its side, still firing at Tai. Tai vaulted over the plinth and crouched behind it. Step one complete. Now I'm just stuck with that thing shooting at me with no weapon. He closed his eyes and sent his Force sense out into the room. His sabre was easy to spot, it was almost as if a part of himself rested on the far side of the room. Tai put his hand out just past the plinth and the sabre flew into it, pulled by Tai's telekinesis. Tai stood and started to bat away the blasts again. He advanced on the droid until he lay just outside of the longer arms reaches. Step two, remove long-range weapons. Tai took a step forwards and as he predicted the arms swung out. He brought his sabre round and took off one of the arms. The other snaked around his guard and caved a long shallow cut across his right forearm.
"Damn!" Tai retreated back a step, then lunged and severed the other knife from the droid. The droid increased its rate of fire but Tai danced in and cut both the blasters from their arms. He stepped back, sabre at the ready in case the droid had any other tricks to deploy.
The droid wheezed, then seemed to power down. A panel on its 'head' opened, revealing a holoprojector. Tai watched as a centuries old recording began to play.
"If you are indeed the child of Courage that was foretold," said the projected Jedi. "Then take this lightsabre with our blessings. Know that you can stop the darkness, but only together with your friends." The human Jedi smiled at him through the ages. "Love is the cure to hate, Hope the cure to darkness, and Courage and Knowledge will be their guides." The figure gestured behind him. "The passage the droid came from will lead you back to the dessert. You need only cut your way out. May the Force be with you." The message winked out and the droid's internal light died.
Tai smiled and extinguished his lightsabre. More prophetic warnings. I should write them down and pass them on to Izzy when we meet again. He started towards the passage.
"You're bluffing," said Janson confidently, shoving forward another credit chit.
Hobbie laid down his cards. "Read 'em and weep."
Janson looked at the two of sabres, the three of flasks and the idiot card. "Damn. I could've sworn you were bluffing."
Hobbie smirked and pulled the pot towards him. "So what did you have?"
"Twenty two." Janson turned his cards over to show Hobbie the six of staves, the five of flasks and the eleven of coins. He then looked over at where T.K. was sitting with the two digimon watching the tunnel entrance. "Hey T.K. You sure we can't teach you how to play?"
T.K. shook his head, not taking his eyes off the entrance. "No thank you Mr Janson. I'm waiting for Tai to come back."
Janson sighed and moved to sit next to T.K. "Kid, you need to sit in the shade for a while. All the heat will make you sick."
T.K. shook his head again. "I'm going to wait for Tai. I didn't stay put and wait for Matt once and he never came back. I don't want that to happen again."
Patamon stirred in T.K's shadow. "But T.K, Wes isn't Demidevimon. Tai will come back even if you do move."
"Damn right I'll come back," came Tai's voice from behind them.
"Tai!" T.K. squealed. The small boy got up and run to hug him.
Tai hugged T.K. back. "Told you I'd be okay."
"I didn't doubt ya for a second Tai." He looked at Tai's belt. "Hey, you found it!"
Tai grinned and fingered the hilt of the lightsabre where it hung at his belt. "Sure did."
Hobbie glanced at the suns positions. "We should get going. We can't afford to be out in the dessert in the dark. The Sandpeople will be out in force." He got into the landspeeder and started up the engine. "You coming?"
"Uh-huh!" nodded T.K. He hopped into the seat next to Hobbie and Patamon flew over and settled in T.K's lap.
Tai started to join up with Agumon when Janson caught his arm. "Ahh!"
Janson nodded. "That's what I thought. Some blade got a little close huh?"
Tai nodded. "Yeah." He rolled his sleeve to show Janson a rag held in place with the brace he usually wore on his other arm. Tai traced out a path with a finger, showing Janson where the cut was underneath.
Janson winced. "That's nasty. You okay?"
"Yeah. It's not deep. Good job my tunic is about the same colour otherwise T.K. would've seen." Tai rubbed his eyes. "Can you keep off my back on the return trip? I'd like to run through the healing trance and try to get my brace back on the right arm."
Janson patted Tai amiably on the back. "Sure thing Tetchy."
"Taichi."
"Tetchy."
"Forget it." Tai sighed and got in the landspeeder.
Exar Kun reclined in the throne he had ordered brought from his palace. Beside him sat Myotismon, reclining in his own throne.
Myotismon laughed. "You have the most deliciously evil ideas my ally. Blinding that child with his own inadequacies was quite a success."
Exar Kun nodded and sipped at the wine that had been found amongst the stores. "With all your insight and evil Myotismon, it is a shame that you are blind to the Force. The torment that Matt is in is quite pleasurable."
Myotismon smiled. "But I can smell the fear and desperation that clings to him like a second skin. It is a smell I choose to savour." He reached out and took his own glass of wine from the tray. "And keeping him with lack of sleep, lack of time to think, is a master stroke."
Exar Kun waved his hand in a modest fashion. "Oh come now, it is one of the most basic approaches to reprogramming. Surely you have availed yourself of its worth at some point."
"That is true," conceded Myotismon, "However I find that some individuals wither and die under such pressures."
Exar Kun snorted. "Humans can be most stubborn. Give them impossible odds and they will often work to overcome them." He rose and moved to a pedestal in the corner of the room. "Tionne brought this to me today. It is the Holocron that the Emperor once held."
"Holocron?" asked Myotismon.
"A repository of Jedi knowledge," explained Exar Kun. "With it I will learn the secrets of those children and control their downward slide to my control." He moved his hand to the surface of the Holocron.
The light it cast flickered, and then the Gatekeeper in the form of Bodo Baas appeared.
"Tell me," asked Exar Kun, "What are the powers that the Digidestined wield?"
The simulacrum's multifaceted eyes swung to focus on Exar Kun. "You will learn nothing of the eight children from me Exar Kun."
"Exar Kun?" Exar Kun faked surprise. "But I am Luke Skywalker."
Bodo Baas chuckled. "Your form may be of Skywalker, but your soul is as black as pitch and unmistakeable to my eyes. I will guard the secrets of the Eight with my very existence." The hologram fizzled out.
Exar Kun snarled and sent a bolt of energy into the nearby wall, blowing a hole in it. "Curse those meddling fools on the Council! Even though they are dead they still interfere in my work!"
Myotismon however was in thought. "He will protect the Eight? But there are only seven children."
His thoughts were interrupted by a cough. "What is it Gatomon?"
Gatomon bowed. "The Imperials have arrived."
"Good." Myotismon smiled. "Send Gesomon and MegaSeadramon to Mon Calamari, and Pumpkinmon, Gotsumon and Snimon to Endor. Hopefully we can delay those children until our puppet can retrieve his lightsabre."
He turned to Exar Kun. "Is the child ready?"
Exar Kun nodded. "Matt will continue the exercises out of fear." He tapped the side of his head. "My link with him will ensure that he will practise until exhaustion claims him, then as soon as he wakes he begins again." He snorted. "Let the others get to Hoth first. It will do them no good."
Author's notes:-OOOooooo. This is getting good. You'd think because I'm the author I'd know what they are going to do next wouldn't you? Well I don't. I know in the general sense, but it's the little things about how they do it that constantly surprise me. I never planed about the fighting between Tai and Wes. When I thought about it I realised that they were probably close enough in personality to really annoy each other. The whole thing with Wes calling Tai 'Tetchy' (Taichi) will become important later on *Knowing wink* but I ain't spilling.
The game Wes and Hobbie were playing is called 'Sabacc'. The object is to get twenty-three, and it works similar to blackjack. Hobbie won because he had what's called an 'Idiot's Array', a 2,3 and 0 (23 geddit?)
I have rather obviously OD'ed on Tomb Raider before writing this. All I can say is that this was always the way this was going to go down.
I have a favour to ask. Can you PLEASE review? I'm getting paranoid that no one's reading this apart from two or three people. Please put my nerves to rest. Pretty please??
Check out http://www.geocities.com/hiyali/ and follow the links to side7.com. These are pictures done by a friend of mine of the Jedi Destined. She's working on them. How do I know? I sketched out all the costumes for her to start with.
