Rebels

An Old Friend

Chapter 1

Ord Mantell: a former industrial world turned port hub due to its location near multiple hyperspace routes. It received the attention of several crime syndicates, yet the local government, led by elected governor's managed to keep the thugs from taking full control of the world. While being a part of the Republic, Ord Mantell managed to avoid the war until the CIS invaded when parts of the criminal underworld began causing havoc with their leadership. Though after the invasion, the world was again all but forgotten by the war. The planet was inhabited by a variety of different species, with many travellers of many more life forms visiting the port world constantly. These details made the planet the perfect place for people to hide and make a fresh start.

"Sammo Quid?" a pale-skinned alien male, draped in a black hooded cloak said to a blue Twi'lek who'd been sitting with his feet resting up against the counter. The Twi'lek couldn't help but flinch when he heard those words, falling out of his chair as a result. He knew the name that was spoken by the guest in his family's business. He'd spent years forgetting it. Purging all memories of the person it belonged to from his mind. Yet now after nearly fifteen years, someone he'd never seen before said those two words and memories from long ago returned in the blink of an eye. "What? No, you must be mistaken," the Twi'lek said, picking himself off the ground and standing to face the stranger. As he got closer, he saw his face a lot better; angled teeth beneath lips curved downward, with red markings underneath fiery yellow eyes.

"M… my name is Triss Gotan," the Twi'lek stated. "Didn't… didn't you read the sign before walking in," he said pointing out the front entrance and then extending his arm out to show the shelves containing tea boxes and homemade cups surrounding the place. "It says Gotan's Tea Shop. We, my and family I sell teas we either grow in our garden out back or buy from off-world traders. We also sell teacups my wife makes on the side." Walking over to a nearby shelf, he grabbed both a teacup as well as a tea pack before heading back and offering the items to the stranger. "Here. Have a cup and a pack of Cassius tea, on the house. Free of charge."

In response, the stranger chuckled, though it made Triss queasy. His laugh was deep and unpleasant; sounding more like a malfunctioning droid than a living being. When he finished chuckling though, the next thing that came out of his mouth made Triss feel even more nervous than before. "Well you've certainly done well for yourself since the Jedi Purge," the stranger said; again his words caused Triss to nearly lose his balance.

"Je... Je... Jedi Purge? You mean when those mystic Jedi were accused of treason and wiped out?"

"So you know."

"Ev… everyone knows of the Great Jedi Purge," Triss pointed out. "The stories about it are legendary. Guardian peacekeepers of the galaxy who turned against the Supreme Chancellor, then faced execution at the hands of their soldiers just as the Clone Wars ended. That was all anyone would talk about for months after it happened."

"And where were you at the end of the war?" the stranger asked.

The question struck a nerve in the already uncomfortable Twi'lek. "Like I have to answer to you," he rebuked. "I don't who you are or where you're from but here on Ord Mantell only law enforcement has a right to know a person's whereabouts, and they need a warrant when they ask questions like that. So unless you have a badge under that cloak, I suggest you take this free cup and tea then scram."

The stranger did not flinch when he heard this. Nor did he seem offended in response. Instead, he spoke in the same calm tone of voice he used since arriving. "By all means, allow me to show you my identification." Removing the hooded cloak, and letting it fall to the ground, the stranger revealed himself to be a Pau'an with black armour and grey tights. Reaching behind his back he pulled around a dark grey cylinder surrounded by a ring. Activating a button on the cylinder, a crimson blade ignited from one of its ends.

Eyes widened as Triss realized who it was he was dealing with.

"An Inquisitor!" he gasped

"Very good Sammo. More precisely, I am the Grand Inquisitor, leader of the Inquisitorius, and most feared of my kind. I have authority granted to me by Emperor Palpatine himself to investigate any leads on surviving members of the Jedi Order. Members like yourself Sammo Quid," he said angling his blade so that it was pointing right at Triss' face, which was sweating like crazy at this point.

"I... I told you, I'm... I'm not this Sammo Squid or whoever you keep calling me. My name is…"

"Enough!" the Grand Inquisitor raised his voice. "You are Sammo Quid, one of the last of the Jedi, guardians of peace and justice of the Old Republic."

"Me, a Jedi? Ha, ha, ha, ha," Triss laughed, trying and failing to sound amused rather than terrified. "That's rich. I heard you inquisitors were scary from all those tales they tell at the taverns, but they never said anything about members of your kind being jokesters. Seriously though, I've never even been to Coruscant. I was born on my species' homeworld of Ryloth and moved to the Inner Rim after the war reached my home and destroyed my family. I later travelled to Ord Mantell where my future wife and I started both our business and our family. You can check my ID and code cylinder. All my records, including my birth and marriage, should be in your Imperial database. They'll prove I'm not, nor was I ever a Jedi Knight."

"True you weren't a knight," the Grand Inquisitor admitted before adding, "But you were a Jedi in training once. A youngling to be precise. Recruited during the order's final decades. The documents of Triss Gotan are all fake. Forged by a con artist and hacker who I met personally on Taanab. He claims you were born on… Coruscant. The world you said you say you've never been to. Don't believe me, ask Sako Spling, the Rodian con artist/hacker who identified you to me after he got in a bad jam with the authorities. Next time, no matter how desperate you are, don't trust rats like Spling to help you when you're on the Empire's most-wanted list. They'll turn on you within a flash."

Sako Spling. No, Triss shook his head, barely avoiding the crimson blade as it nearly cut/burnt his skin. But the brief memory resurfaced in his mind of the rodian who promised he'd be safe as long as he kept a low profile and swore off the Jedi path. Triss knew back then, deep down that trusting this guy was a bad idea. He'd known it was a mistake revealing himself as a Jedi to that con artist, yet had let a girl he'd only known for a few short weeks talk into trusting him. Now the jig was up.

"What do you want from me?" Triss asked, indirectly admitting that the Inquisitor was right; who, in turn, smiled as he responded.

"You trained under Master Yoda alongside fellow younglings Tai Uzuma and Caleb Dume. The former who you know was killed during Order 66 and the latter who has resurfaced following the Purge. Now he leads a band of rebel miscreants alongside his new padawan. They have become a thorn in the Empire's thigh; stealing imperial cargo, destroying government property and disrupting our trade in the Outer Rim."

Reaching into his cloak the Inquisitor pulled out a holo-disk, flinging it onto the ground where an image appeared of four individuals, a Mandalorian in red armour, a purple-skinned alien with a large electro staff, a young human boy with blue hair, and an older human male with tan skin, brown hair, and a blue lightsaber. He was much older and looked so different, yet somehow through the Force, which he hadn't felt in years, Triss knew who this was.

"Caleb…" Triss gasped before slapping a hand over his mouth.

"Ah I knew you'd recognize him," the Grand Inquisitor grinned.

If Triss hadn't already figured he was in a tight bind, he certainly did now. His old friend from long ago was causing trouble, again, and as back in the old days, it was interfering with the Twi'lek's life.

"Look yes I knew him back when I was a Jedi. Many years ago. But I was just a youngling back then. I didn't know what was going on with the Order. I had no idea they were plotting to commit treason. I was trained to believe that the council was loyal to the chancellor and the senate who elected him. I never got involved in the war. Didn't even get the chance to build my lightsaber. When… when the Purge began I gave up my life as a Jedi. Abandoned the Force. Never once helped anyone I suspected was a Jedi. I especially haven't seen Caleb Dume since before the Order. Didn't even know he was alive until just now. If I knew anything I'd tell you right now. But, alas, I don't know anything recent about Caleb. I'm certainly not involved in any sort of rebellion. I'm just a simple businessman, husband, and father."

"Hon…?"

Turning to look around back both Triss and the Inquisitor found a red female Twi'lek cradling a very young purple-skinned Twi'lek in her arms. Both looked scared at the sight of the menacing stranger pointing a sword at Triss.

"Dadda," the toddler said.

"Genna, take Biff for a walk. Now!"

"Oh, that won't be necessary," the Grand Inquisitor said. "I wish to continue our discussion in a more... secure place. And I'd like your family to accompany us. Consider it like an all-expenses-paid vacation. Courtesy of the Empire."

Both husband and wife flinched, with the latter slowly attempting to walk out of the store, "Th... thanks but I don't think we can simply-" she said before feeling something wrap around her throat.

"Oh but I insist," the Grand Inquisitor interrupted, extending an arm out with his fist appearing to be grabbing hold of thin air. The wife was stopped in her tracks, still holding a now terrified boy.

"Mama…?" Biff whimpered.

"GENNA!" Before he could do anything else the Grand Inquisitor slashed his lightsaber across Triss' face, creating a large gash in his left cheek and causing the Twi'lek to collapse on the ground in pain.

"TRISS!"

"Augh…" Triss groaned as he got onto his knees. "Look I don't know where Caleb is. I swear on my life if I knew anything-"

"Oh I think you know more than you suspect," the Grand Inquisitor chuckled.


FYI Sammo Quid was a youngling shown in a couple of comics from the series Kanan. Anyway, stay tuned, leave any reviews you have on this story and remember to favourite and follow if you like it.