Chapter IX: Divisions
When the Viceroy's body hit the ground with a deafening thud, all beings inside the Great Hall immediately went into frenzy. That is, except for four levelheaded Jedi. While the Diplomats were running about to their quarters, the four Jedi went over to the fallen body, to inspect it. All the Jedi suddenly gasped at what they saw. The body, which was supposed to be Viceroy Organa, was not. The clothing remained the same, as did the hair color, but the face looked nothing like that of the ruler of Alderaan. Death and pain, blood trickling down the now third eye-socket in the middle of the man's brow, instead contorted it. But this however, did not cause the Jedi to gasp; it was the fact that, even amidst the death of the face, it still wasn't Bail Organa. It was a decoy! "Silence!" exclaimed Obi-Wan Kenobi as he stood to his feet, understanding what had happened. His voice echoed off the Great Hall walls so that every member inside the Hall heard it, and because of the Force used to enhance his voice, every entity listened. "This is not the Viceroy," started Obi-Wan, his face emotionless and as cold as the stone floor he stood upon. "It is a deco-" continued Obi- Wan, that is before a cloaked figure began applauding as he entered the Hall. "Well concluded Master Obi-Wan," spoke Bail Organa, a smile of mockery on his face as he saw all the open-mouthed expressions of the Hall. "Yes, my fellow Diplomats, it is I, the real Bail Organa. The one who lies on the floor is a trusted member of my cabinet, and his family will be well compensated for its loss. He was a loyal member of my cabinet, and I will miss him dearly. But know this, everything he said is true. I wrote the speech myself. And let us not let his sacrifice be in vein, we will commence with the ceremonies. Now please exit through the west doors," he concluded an extended hand towards the large golden doors at the opposite end of the Hall. Slowly, the other Diplomats and House Representatives exited the Hall, traveling in pairs to talk about the scene that just passed. Each one telling stories of how calm he or she acted, and accusations of who did it and why. However, four beings did not exit the Hall, they instead went to the Viceroy. "Viceroy Organa, it is a pleasure to see you alive," said Anakin, trying his best to have sincere emotion in his voice. "Thank you Master Anakin, but really, it should have been no surprise. Or did Master Kenobi and Master Luminara not tell you?" Both Anakin and Raza gave confused glances towards the other Jedi. "No, I am afraid it must have slipped the Masters minds," stated Raza with a touch of annoyance in his voice for being left out of something important. "May I ask why it should have been no surprise?" "That is easy Raza," started Luminara cooly. "Last night when Obi- Wan and I went to see the Viceroy, we decided a decoy should go instead of himself out of fear this event would happen. And unfortunately we were right, and the decoy was needed." "Oh, nothing important then," said Anakin sarcastically. Before Obi-Wan could interject on reprimanding Anakin for his attitude, Bail intervened. "If I may ask Your Graces, but what do you plan on doing now?" "Good question Viceroy," said Raza. "I have an idea. We will split up in two groups: Anakin and myself will persue the attacker, while Obi-Wan and Luminara remain here to protect you and the other Diplomats. For I am sure that the attacker will learn of his failure and try again. Agreed?" Seeing none were in the mood to argue, the other four beings nodded their head in condolence. "Alright then, it is settled. Anakin, let's go." Without saying good bye or any other farewell, Raza leapt into the air, the Force aiding him in his leap as he landed on the perch of a large door sized window. Anakin immediately followed just managing to get out a respective bow to the Viceroy and other Jedi. "I have a bad feeling about this," said Obi-Wan on his way towards the rest of the Diplomats. "Oh, Obi-Wan, Anakin will be fine. You have trained him well," replied Luminara. "It isn't Anakin I am worried for Luminara," he paused looking back at the window in which the two seemingly younger Jedi exited and continued, "it is Raza that I am worried about."
Raza and Anakin spent the majority of the rest of the day going from building top to building top. Anakin had not used the Force in this way in a long while and it was good exercise for the young Jedi Knight. However, because of him being not use to this type of activity, he would have to stop every few tops to regain strength, which was fine with Raza because it gave him a chance to scope out the grounds behind him. Raza on the other hand, was not tired in the least. And Anakin could still not conclude on whether Raza made the jumps on sheer strength alone, or whether or not he used the Force. There was so much that was hidden with this strange alien Jedi Knight and Anakin was both mildly jealous and strangely intrigued by him. "The sun is setting Anakin," said Raza on one of their stops atop a rather high building. Any building that was too tall to jump right onto, the two used the Force to get them as high as they could go, and literally use the cracks in the marble to crawl to the top. "And our attacker will be easier to find, seeing the night is a darksider's playground." Anakin gave a tired nod. He may be the chosen one, but he was still human, and being constantly driven all day to travel the rather large capital city of Alderaan was still taxing. Of course, Raza showed no signs of weakness. I wonder, what exactly has the Council- Anakin was interrupted by Raza's voice. "Therefore, because the sun is setting, we will stay atop here for a while. This is the tallest building, and with our senses combined and extended at their fullest, we should detect something. Understand?" "Yes," Anakin said sharply, a sigh of happiness escaping him for he could finally sit and rest a while. Plus, it would give him time to learn a little about this Jedi. Ever since that night when Raza held him, Anakin had frequently been thinking about him. And more importantly, about himself. I mean, I have only cried in front of two people: Obi-wan and Padme. Why did I cry in front of this stranger? Whom I have known for little under a week! What did I see in him to be able to trust him like that? He is kinda cute, I'll give him that, in a mysterious type, aristocratic way. But I have thought other guys at the Temple were cute and haven't even spoken to them! Let alone cried in front of them! Oh yes, Anakin certainly did find other boys attractive in his youth. He had told only one person about these feelings, and that person was his former master. Surprisingly, Obi-wan had been understanding and caring on the subject, and told Anakin that it was all right, and that it would take a lot more than him liking the same sex to cause Obi-wan to be truly upset with him. Of course, those feelings vanished once he saw Padme again, when he was just turning into a man. Or so he thought. He hadn't looked at another guy in that way in a few years. The last person he did look at that way was Obi-wan. I was so dumb back then. Anakin laughed to himself, recalling his clumsy teen years where depending on what day it was, his head, or his manhood ruled him. He of course told Obi-wan his feelings towards him, and Obi-wan responded calmly by saying that he too shared similar feelings towards Qui-gon, that he should just forget about it for it would never happen, and that he would eventually get over it. Too bad though, that a part of Anakin, never did get over that "silly" infatuation. Even today, when he looked upon Obi-wan, a part of him still feels childish at Obi-wan's cool demeanor and masculinity. Now, after being considered married for five years, came along a new infatuation. And Anakin was positively confused and frustrated with himself. He still loved Padme. That was a given fact! But this new alien, this Raza Dactari, secret Spy for the Jedi Council, also did something to Anakin. And he was so frustrated with himself, because no matter how much he tried to suppress his feelings, a tiny voice in the back of his head continued to admire Raza's exotic beauty. "Anakin," Raza spoke, bringing Anakin out of his thoughts. "Yes Raza?" asked Anakin quickly. "Do you feel that?" he asked, his eyes focusing in to the left of them, from what Anakin could see, at a smaller building, most likley a bar of some sort. Anakin allowed his mind to open up to the Force, feeling the rapid life forms around him. He quickly followed Raza's suit and used his will to focus in on the area where Raza stared. His mind quickly jumped as he felt a small tingle of Darkness. He had not felt darkness like this since his duel with Dooku years ago. It was no where as strong as Dooku's, but it had his similar Force-scent on it. "It's the attacker Raza! I know it!" Even though he heard Raza's call, Anakin nonetheless leapt off the building top, falling towards a smaller building, one away from his target. The impact of the fall alone would kill any being, whether it is a Jawa or Wookie, it wouldn't matter. But because he was a Jedi, the fall was merely a task to overcome. And he did overcome it; by using the Force to soften his fall, he landed with a thud as he tucked and rolled onto the solid stone. Once he was brought to his feet, he leapt off the building, landing on the solid ground below with little more than a tap, directly to the side of the entrance to the "High- Star Cantina." Like all Cantina's, this one smelled of a mix between alchohol and feces, but because it was Alderaan, it had a noticible spice scent to it to confuse the mind on whether or not there was a pleasant aroma to the atmosphere, or an unpleasant one. Once inside, Anakin felt that dark presence even clearer. Obviously, whoever he was dealing with was a "newbie" to the Dark Arts, for this person was sloppy in his concealment. It was of course difficult to locate the being specifically, but Anakin knew that the attacker was inside somewhere. It would just be a matter of time. Although he was never known for his patience, he did possess some. Therefore, using what little patience he had, he walked to the bar, ordered a drink, and simply waited for his attacker to make himself visible.
Meanwhile, in the corner of the "High-Star," Aurra Sing sat, confined in her Sith robes, she watched the Jedi sit at the bar. Arrogant little ass, he probably thinks that I am sloppy and that I don't even know he's here. Well, lets see how arrogant he is when I place a blaster bolt in his ear. Although a Sith, she was a bounty hunter first, and therefore, used her prized rifle as a first resort, and lightsaber as a last one. Opening herself to the Dark Side of the Force, she focused in on the Jedi's most vulnerable spot on his body, where, even if his pitiful danger sense could detect it, his body would be to slow to compensate and would be hit. This spot, on this particular Jedi anyway, was his pancreas area. Because of her powers over the dark, any being that took interest in her, immediately went back to whatever it was doing with little more than a thought from Aurra. It was a trick that Dooku taught her, it was the first thing she ever learned, and the first thing she mastered. Of course, because she was so intent and focused in on her aim, that she failed to see another being, who not matter how many times she pushed, could not get him to turn away. This annoyance was raised higher, when the being used his lavender lightsaber to slice the barrel of Aurra's rifle in two, making it virtually useless.
When the Viceroy's body hit the ground with a deafening thud, all beings inside the Great Hall immediately went into frenzy. That is, except for four levelheaded Jedi. While the Diplomats were running about to their quarters, the four Jedi went over to the fallen body, to inspect it. All the Jedi suddenly gasped at what they saw. The body, which was supposed to be Viceroy Organa, was not. The clothing remained the same, as did the hair color, but the face looked nothing like that of the ruler of Alderaan. Death and pain, blood trickling down the now third eye-socket in the middle of the man's brow, instead contorted it. But this however, did not cause the Jedi to gasp; it was the fact that, even amidst the death of the face, it still wasn't Bail Organa. It was a decoy! "Silence!" exclaimed Obi-Wan Kenobi as he stood to his feet, understanding what had happened. His voice echoed off the Great Hall walls so that every member inside the Hall heard it, and because of the Force used to enhance his voice, every entity listened. "This is not the Viceroy," started Obi-Wan, his face emotionless and as cold as the stone floor he stood upon. "It is a deco-" continued Obi- Wan, that is before a cloaked figure began applauding as he entered the Hall. "Well concluded Master Obi-Wan," spoke Bail Organa, a smile of mockery on his face as he saw all the open-mouthed expressions of the Hall. "Yes, my fellow Diplomats, it is I, the real Bail Organa. The one who lies on the floor is a trusted member of my cabinet, and his family will be well compensated for its loss. He was a loyal member of my cabinet, and I will miss him dearly. But know this, everything he said is true. I wrote the speech myself. And let us not let his sacrifice be in vein, we will commence with the ceremonies. Now please exit through the west doors," he concluded an extended hand towards the large golden doors at the opposite end of the Hall. Slowly, the other Diplomats and House Representatives exited the Hall, traveling in pairs to talk about the scene that just passed. Each one telling stories of how calm he or she acted, and accusations of who did it and why. However, four beings did not exit the Hall, they instead went to the Viceroy. "Viceroy Organa, it is a pleasure to see you alive," said Anakin, trying his best to have sincere emotion in his voice. "Thank you Master Anakin, but really, it should have been no surprise. Or did Master Kenobi and Master Luminara not tell you?" Both Anakin and Raza gave confused glances towards the other Jedi. "No, I am afraid it must have slipped the Masters minds," stated Raza with a touch of annoyance in his voice for being left out of something important. "May I ask why it should have been no surprise?" "That is easy Raza," started Luminara cooly. "Last night when Obi- Wan and I went to see the Viceroy, we decided a decoy should go instead of himself out of fear this event would happen. And unfortunately we were right, and the decoy was needed." "Oh, nothing important then," said Anakin sarcastically. Before Obi-Wan could interject on reprimanding Anakin for his attitude, Bail intervened. "If I may ask Your Graces, but what do you plan on doing now?" "Good question Viceroy," said Raza. "I have an idea. We will split up in two groups: Anakin and myself will persue the attacker, while Obi-Wan and Luminara remain here to protect you and the other Diplomats. For I am sure that the attacker will learn of his failure and try again. Agreed?" Seeing none were in the mood to argue, the other four beings nodded their head in condolence. "Alright then, it is settled. Anakin, let's go." Without saying good bye or any other farewell, Raza leapt into the air, the Force aiding him in his leap as he landed on the perch of a large door sized window. Anakin immediately followed just managing to get out a respective bow to the Viceroy and other Jedi. "I have a bad feeling about this," said Obi-Wan on his way towards the rest of the Diplomats. "Oh, Obi-Wan, Anakin will be fine. You have trained him well," replied Luminara. "It isn't Anakin I am worried for Luminara," he paused looking back at the window in which the two seemingly younger Jedi exited and continued, "it is Raza that I am worried about."
Raza and Anakin spent the majority of the rest of the day going from building top to building top. Anakin had not used the Force in this way in a long while and it was good exercise for the young Jedi Knight. However, because of him being not use to this type of activity, he would have to stop every few tops to regain strength, which was fine with Raza because it gave him a chance to scope out the grounds behind him. Raza on the other hand, was not tired in the least. And Anakin could still not conclude on whether Raza made the jumps on sheer strength alone, or whether or not he used the Force. There was so much that was hidden with this strange alien Jedi Knight and Anakin was both mildly jealous and strangely intrigued by him. "The sun is setting Anakin," said Raza on one of their stops atop a rather high building. Any building that was too tall to jump right onto, the two used the Force to get them as high as they could go, and literally use the cracks in the marble to crawl to the top. "And our attacker will be easier to find, seeing the night is a darksider's playground." Anakin gave a tired nod. He may be the chosen one, but he was still human, and being constantly driven all day to travel the rather large capital city of Alderaan was still taxing. Of course, Raza showed no signs of weakness. I wonder, what exactly has the Council- Anakin was interrupted by Raza's voice. "Therefore, because the sun is setting, we will stay atop here for a while. This is the tallest building, and with our senses combined and extended at their fullest, we should detect something. Understand?" "Yes," Anakin said sharply, a sigh of happiness escaping him for he could finally sit and rest a while. Plus, it would give him time to learn a little about this Jedi. Ever since that night when Raza held him, Anakin had frequently been thinking about him. And more importantly, about himself. I mean, I have only cried in front of two people: Obi-wan and Padme. Why did I cry in front of this stranger? Whom I have known for little under a week! What did I see in him to be able to trust him like that? He is kinda cute, I'll give him that, in a mysterious type, aristocratic way. But I have thought other guys at the Temple were cute and haven't even spoken to them! Let alone cried in front of them! Oh yes, Anakin certainly did find other boys attractive in his youth. He had told only one person about these feelings, and that person was his former master. Surprisingly, Obi-wan had been understanding and caring on the subject, and told Anakin that it was all right, and that it would take a lot more than him liking the same sex to cause Obi-wan to be truly upset with him. Of course, those feelings vanished once he saw Padme again, when he was just turning into a man. Or so he thought. He hadn't looked at another guy in that way in a few years. The last person he did look at that way was Obi-wan. I was so dumb back then. Anakin laughed to himself, recalling his clumsy teen years where depending on what day it was, his head, or his manhood ruled him. He of course told Obi-wan his feelings towards him, and Obi-wan responded calmly by saying that he too shared similar feelings towards Qui-gon, that he should just forget about it for it would never happen, and that he would eventually get over it. Too bad though, that a part of Anakin, never did get over that "silly" infatuation. Even today, when he looked upon Obi-wan, a part of him still feels childish at Obi-wan's cool demeanor and masculinity. Now, after being considered married for five years, came along a new infatuation. And Anakin was positively confused and frustrated with himself. He still loved Padme. That was a given fact! But this new alien, this Raza Dactari, secret Spy for the Jedi Council, also did something to Anakin. And he was so frustrated with himself, because no matter how much he tried to suppress his feelings, a tiny voice in the back of his head continued to admire Raza's exotic beauty. "Anakin," Raza spoke, bringing Anakin out of his thoughts. "Yes Raza?" asked Anakin quickly. "Do you feel that?" he asked, his eyes focusing in to the left of them, from what Anakin could see, at a smaller building, most likley a bar of some sort. Anakin allowed his mind to open up to the Force, feeling the rapid life forms around him. He quickly followed Raza's suit and used his will to focus in on the area where Raza stared. His mind quickly jumped as he felt a small tingle of Darkness. He had not felt darkness like this since his duel with Dooku years ago. It was no where as strong as Dooku's, but it had his similar Force-scent on it. "It's the attacker Raza! I know it!" Even though he heard Raza's call, Anakin nonetheless leapt off the building top, falling towards a smaller building, one away from his target. The impact of the fall alone would kill any being, whether it is a Jawa or Wookie, it wouldn't matter. But because he was a Jedi, the fall was merely a task to overcome. And he did overcome it; by using the Force to soften his fall, he landed with a thud as he tucked and rolled onto the solid stone. Once he was brought to his feet, he leapt off the building, landing on the solid ground below with little more than a tap, directly to the side of the entrance to the "High- Star Cantina." Like all Cantina's, this one smelled of a mix between alchohol and feces, but because it was Alderaan, it had a noticible spice scent to it to confuse the mind on whether or not there was a pleasant aroma to the atmosphere, or an unpleasant one. Once inside, Anakin felt that dark presence even clearer. Obviously, whoever he was dealing with was a "newbie" to the Dark Arts, for this person was sloppy in his concealment. It was of course difficult to locate the being specifically, but Anakin knew that the attacker was inside somewhere. It would just be a matter of time. Although he was never known for his patience, he did possess some. Therefore, using what little patience he had, he walked to the bar, ordered a drink, and simply waited for his attacker to make himself visible.
Meanwhile, in the corner of the "High-Star," Aurra Sing sat, confined in her Sith robes, she watched the Jedi sit at the bar. Arrogant little ass, he probably thinks that I am sloppy and that I don't even know he's here. Well, lets see how arrogant he is when I place a blaster bolt in his ear. Although a Sith, she was a bounty hunter first, and therefore, used her prized rifle as a first resort, and lightsaber as a last one. Opening herself to the Dark Side of the Force, she focused in on the Jedi's most vulnerable spot on his body, where, even if his pitiful danger sense could detect it, his body would be to slow to compensate and would be hit. This spot, on this particular Jedi anyway, was his pancreas area. Because of her powers over the dark, any being that took interest in her, immediately went back to whatever it was doing with little more than a thought from Aurra. It was a trick that Dooku taught her, it was the first thing she ever learned, and the first thing she mastered. Of course, because she was so intent and focused in on her aim, that she failed to see another being, who not matter how many times she pushed, could not get him to turn away. This annoyance was raised higher, when the being used his lavender lightsaber to slice the barrel of Aurra's rifle in two, making it virtually useless.