Disclaimer: Joss, WB, UPN et al. own Buffy. LucasArts, LucasFilm, and George Lucas own Star Wars. Michael A Stackpole owns the intellectual rights to 'I, Jedi'. I do not own those things, but I do own the concept of the Arii'Marr, and Aruno Baas.
Title: Sunnydale Jedi: Chapter 10 Interlude…
Author: Paradigm Shifter
Feedback: It's what makes this story continue. You like, tell me. You don't like; tell me. But be gentle. I have a fragile ego.
Rating: PG-13.
Notes: The 'Interludes' are a look into how the story is going back with Obi-Wan and the others in the Star Wars Universe. Things are moving quickly, and Ta'ania is learning…
*
Ta'ania knelt at the foot of Sidious' throne. "Your wish, my master?" she asked.
"Ah… our latest Jedi convert… such a pool of power and knowledge of the Jedi ways… tell me… will you follow the path set before you, or try to maintain the morals…" he sneered the word, "of the Jedi?"
"Tell me what you wish, master, and I will do it."
A commotion was heard behind her, but she refused to look around, as it would displease her master.
Sidious smiled evilly, and gestured behind her, to where the noises had come from. "Prove your choice…"
Ta'ania looked around, and her dark grey robes swished as she moved. In her mind, she screamed. Oh Force! They have captured a Jedi! And they wish me to kill him!
Two Sith held the Jedi by each arm, and a third looked to be working hard to create a barrier to the Jedi's Force assaults on his captors.
Ta'ania looked hard at him. A boy of medium height, she vaguely remembered him a one of the other problem Jedi, like she had been before Adi had taken her under her wing. The thought of Adi Gallia brought a momentary tear to her eye, but she blinked it away quickly. Weakness could not be displayed as a Sith.
"Stop struggling, boy." Her voice was harsh, no sorrow or compassion showing. "Your death will be quick if you face it like a man."
Sidious looked to be about to say something, but Ta'ania held up her hand, asking for silence. Instead, she felt a probing of her mind, an invasion that was completely alien and incredibly nauseating. Then the tendril pulled back and she felt a wave of amusement wash over her from Sidious.
Excellent…Showing fine control, Ta'ania sent a single bolt of Force lightning at the captured Jedi.
He convulsed violently as the electricity hit his body and arced through him to the metal floor. The two Sith holding him seemed to ignore the electricity, and gripped him tighter to stop him from escaping their grasp as he shook.
Ta'ania could not help but feel slightly sorry for him. But better that he die now than face torture at the hands of Sidious. That would be never-ending.
Gathering her Force power, Ta'ania aimed a Force fist at the Jedi's chest, and let it fly. She was using the trick that Xander had displayed so well when angered by the Sith assassin.
The Jedi was flung out of the grasp of the two Sith by the blow, and as they rushed to pick him up, one turned away to vomit while the other turned a deathly white.
The Jedi had a six-inch hole in his chest.
Sidious stalked over and patted Ta'ania on the shoulder. "Excellent, my dear… you have passed the test. But you," he waived at the two Sith that had been holding the Jedi, "have failed. Die." Fingers contorted, he shot his own Force lightning at the two, and they fell twitching to the floor. Turning away from the two failures, Sidious motioned for them to be taken away. They were not dead, but they would soon wish they were.
Ta'ania followed her new master, and hoped that this would soon be over.
She would hope in vain…
*
Obi-Wan had reached the rendezvous point for contact with 'Freedom's Sons'. He wasn't still quite sure of what would happen if they chose not to help, after all, mercenaries were mercenaries, and they normally went where the money was.
Well, every mercenary he had ever met followed that rule, and he didn't think Freedom's Sons would be any different.
He flicked a switch to activate his IFF transponder, and chose the primary IFF code. The Republic wouldn't be overly pleased if they discovered Jedi ships had multiple IFF codes built in as standard, but then, if they didn't find out…?
Realising there was nothing he could do but wait, Obi-Wan settled back in his seat and thought of the wild ride he had had out of the Jedi temple. That had been some rush, and while it was kind of enjoyable, he would rather not do that again in a hurry.
*
The Sith were seconds away from breaking through the sealed Great Doors of the Archive. Mace looked at the assembled Jedi, all ready and willing to fight, and maybe die, for what they believed in.
Who would have believed that the Sith had so many?
Old tales of the Sith told of merely two; a master, and an apprentice. It seemed that with the changing times, the Sith had changed as well. Mace shook his head. He ignited his light-saber, and as the first of the Sith broke through the door, summoned the Force to him and somersaulted into the fray…
*
Adi was in her own world as the Great Doors were breached. What has happened to my Padawan? She wondered in fear. I can only hope that she has not been killed… but if she hasn't… then it can only mean that she has fallen, or is under torture. Both are equally…
Her thoughts broke off as the red light-saber's of the first Sith charged into the room.
Shifting her shoulders, and spinning her already lit blade round her fingers in a challenge, she followed Mace's example, and landed in the middle of the fight, bringing her light-saber down upon a Sith that was just unfortunate enough to be standing where she was going to land.
Standing with legs spread either side of the fallen Sith, she parried an attack from the Red bladed figure now in front of her, then cut savagely into his neck.
"No quarter!" she cried, echoes of the call running around the Jedi fighting with her. "And may the Force be with us!"
*
Completely unaware of the slaughter begun back on Coruscant, Obi-Wan was meditating in the cockpit of his fighter. The R3 unit beeped at him as it detected a fluctuation in the space nearby, and Obi-Wan sat bolt upright as a large cruiser popped out of hyperspace and drifted toward him.
Obi-Wan shook himself out of the surprise, and asked his R3, "distance?"
The R3 tweeted, and warbled a string of tones at him, and Obi-Wan smiled. "OK, there 2,000 clicks away, and closing. How long before they're in firing range?"
The R3 warbled again, and then shrieked as a shockwave rolled over the ship.
Obi-Wan rubbed his head from where it had hit the Plexiglas view-screen, and calmly demanded, "What was that?"
The R3 again, tweeted, and then made a ticking noise, as if counting. After a few seconds of that, it warbled once more and fell silent.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "You don't know? And… they've already got us in firing solution? How? No craft I know of has a range of over ten clicks on a fighter!"
Just then, a voice crackled on the comms unit. "This is… hiss… Son's, hailing the unknown fighter… hiss…y are you using a Jedi IFF?"
Obi-Wan hit the 'send' key, and nearly shouted back, "This is Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi! What the hell was that?"
The comms unit crackled again, and the voice spoke again, clearer this time. "Sorry about that, Jedi Kenobi… were testing out some new equipment, and some of it doesn't like hyperspace travel."
"Why don't you leave it behind then?"
The voice was indignant. "Are you freakin' insane? You have any idea how much this stuff COSTS?"
"Um… no? No… no I don't."
"Let me tell you…" the angry voice cut off. Another came back on. "Sorry about that, Obi-Wan. If you just swing about and head into our main bay… we'll have someone there to greet you."
"OK… thanks… and how do you know my name?"
The voice laughed. "You'll see when you get in, Obi-Wan." A chuckle was evident. "… in a few, Obi-Wan."
"Right," said Obi-Wan, swinging his fighter about and pushing forward on the throttle. "In a few…"
His mind was working overtime while his ship was headed for the cruiser. Who would know me in a mercenary corps?
The only answer he could come up with did not fill him full of joy.
"Oh no…" moaned Obi-Wan. "Not him… please… not him!"
*
