She found the rest of her companions waiting patiently outside the government offices for her. If Bastila had filled them in on the existence of a brother, they showed no outward sign of it.
"What was that all about?" Dustil demanded.
Evidently, she hadn't filled them in.
"We should get moving. He has taken a great risk in informing on members of high society and the government." Bastila murmured. "We must act before his betrayal is discovered."
"I might be the rookie Jedi around here," Dustil broke in, "But I don't like being left out of the loop."
She remembered dumbly repeating the phrase to Carth when he had said the same thing. His son was reminding her of him and she didn't want to be reminded.
"There is no nosiness, Dustil, there is only minding your own business," she replied tersely.
Canderous pushed himself up from where he had been leaning against the building.
"What's the plan?" She had always liked that about the Mandalorian- he didn't waste time and he didn't mince words.
Katrina pulled out the datapad. Phineas had been thorough and efficient. The names were listed with the location of their homes highlighted on a map of Fornia, along with dates of any kinds of notable action against the Sith.
"Looks like Faris and Ruhol are the nearest. Their townhouses are in the heart of the city." She glanced over the record of Faris.
"The owner of a large fleet of his own personal battle droids," Katrina read aloud, "Faris makes his money in finding creative ways to hide Anellian demolitions within normal assault droid features."
"Better not let Coppertop get wind of it," Canderous chucked, more of a low growling noise than normal humor. "He might want a few upgrades."
"Faris at first was the head of a movement to supply the Sith with demolitions when they demanded the use of the planet's resources. When the Committee denied the Sith's request, Faris then privately agreed to supply them with battle droids from his own personal collection. It was reported, however, that when the Sith went to collect the droids, the droids turned on them and attacked."
"Sounds like he had a change of heart," Dustil murmured.
"Was there any reason?" Bastila said, moving next to Katrina as if her eyes could garner something more out of Phineas' report.
The report on Faris ended there, though Katrina could probably fill in the rest.
He/She/It turned on Revan because of the death/maiming/torture/destruction of family/friends/dreams/ambitions/life.
She imagined everyone wronged by Revan could probably sum it up using that sentence and circling the correct words.
"Anything more we'll have to get out of the man himself." That of which can be extracted verbally, at any rate.
She followed the map Phineas had dutifully drawn up for her, though she found that she barely needed to look at it. An innate sense of direction seemed to be guiding her. Scout abilities or having lived here once, she supposed.
The homes of the wealthy in Fornia were set in the middle of the city, down alleyways that ended at the bases of mountains- far enough from the spaceports and the factories to allow all the peace and quiet money could buy. Faris' was easily distinguished from the others by the several assault droids that stood outside its doors.
"Halt! State your name and business."
"Are there no sentient guards on this planet?" Bastila said to no one in particular.
"Droids only betray you if you program them to," Canderous answered, a wistful quality to his voice that said free will and the capacity to deceive were more of a virtue than a vice.
"We're looking for a man by the name of Faris," Katrina said. The droid's blaster was built into its arm, andshe had to fight to keep from instinctively pulling out her lightsaber despite the fact that the motions of its arm were non-threatening.
"Master Faris is the owner of this estate. State your name and business."
"We are Jedi investigating an attack on a Republic officer," Juhani explained calmly. "We believe your master may have some information on the perpetrator."
"Name?" Katrina raised an eyebrow.
"Did your master program you to be this specific?"
"Name?" the droid repeated. She sighed, frustrated.
"Katrina." The droid seemed to process this for a moment.
"Negative. Identification 'Jedi Katrina' does not appear in the master's 'allow entry' lists. Name?"
"What is this thing, a bouncer?" Dustil muttered.
"Why don't you just go tell your master we're here, and let him decide for himself?"
"Negative. The master does not like to be disturbed. Name?"
"The attack was also made on the former Jedi and Sith Lord Revan," Katrina finally said. The droid stared blankly at her.
"I'm Revan," she tried. The droid immediately cast a scanning beam over her. She winced momentarily at the sudden onslaught of harsh red to her eyes.
"Retinal scan confirmed. Identification 'Revan'. New security objective- elimination."
The four assault droids extended their blaster-equipped arms and aimed them directly at Katrina's head. She heard the noises of three lightsabers extending in addition to her own. She inhaled.
Four droids against three Jedi, a Mandalorian, and a Padawan with the combat training of a Sith.
The droids were able to make nearly three attempted shots before they lay in pieces at their feet.
"Well, there's a name that opens a lot of doors," Dustil said, holding out his lightsaber and inspecting it carefully as if to rate its performance.
Katrina noticed that it was still red.
"Apparently this Faris has a standing assassination order on your head," Bastila murmured, stepping over the severed arm of the droid who had spoken to them.
"These droids seem to be manufactured defense only- they carry no memory chips that might help us determine a reason behind their orders." Juhani rose from where she had been crouched beside the remains.
Katrina was focused on the door. Either Faris hardly had break-ins, or his droids were usually effective. Either way, the door was simplistic to break open. It slid aside to reveal a long foyer.
"I didn't know Jedi broke into houses," Dustilwhispered to Juhani. The Cathar allowed herself a small smirk.
"The difference between the Sith and the Jedi, Dustil, is that the Jedi wait until breaking into a house is the very last viable option."
Canderous moved forward first, stepping across the threshold. He glanced behind him.
"We didn't break it open for nothing, did we?" Bastila, Juhani, and Dustil finally moved to follow him.
The foyer was sparsely decorated, like the corridors of the many Republic bases she and the newly promoted Carth had been to in the last few months. Primarily form and function, while any kind of décor seemed oddly out of place. There were no guards, and she glanced around, searching for security cameras or trip mines. The hallway ended at another door, this one unlocked.
"I would advise locating Faris as soon as possible." Bastila's cautionary tone had no effect as Canderous moved to open it.
"Unless his droid storeroom is behind this door, we shouldn't have a problem," Katrina murmured in response.
"Exterior units destroyed. Intruder alert." The collective voices of the many droids who had obviously been waiting for them were shrill and overpowering for a moment, and Katrina winced.
On the other hand...
She moved quickly, dodging blaster shots and slicing through anything she saw that wasn't organic. She loved fighting droids, welcomed it even. There was no shame in joyfully hacking through mechanical objects. There was no lingering guilt when the corpses were made of wires and metal.
Juhani moved next to her, a whir of blue light and red Jedi robes.
"Destroying all his droids will probably not grant us a kind welcome,"the Catharsaid between adrenaline-laced breaths.
"No," Katrina agreed, slicing through a droid's head to shower sparks everywhere. "It probably won't."
Out of the corner of her eye she could see a rapidly moving beam of red, striking mercilessly against any droids that happened to threaten it. Its owner was silent, his breathing the only indication that he was fighting at all.
She resisted the urge to look over at Dustil, at this moment a frightening example of Sith battle technique at work.
Whether the droids were operating on their own inititive or receiving orders from their Master, their tactical operation left something to be desired. The fifteen or so droids that were now little more than piles of junk at their feet had apparently not called for backup. The rooms were empty, aside from looking a little more lived in than the previous hallway. If Faris was any example of Anellian high society, the rich didn't flaunt their affluency.
"The galaxy must not recall your talents in combat, Revan," Canderous said, picking some stray droid parts off his blaster and tossing them on the floor. "If this Faris believes a couple of droids will be able to execute you."
"Twenty is hardly a couple," Bastila answered. She motioned towards the three doors that led off in unknown directions in each corner of the room.
"Do we continue bashing down doors until we find him?" The critical tone inthe Jedi'svoice was irritating. Katrina ignored it.
He may have attacked me. He may be the reason that Carth is hurt, he may be the reason that I'm not with Carth.
The 'may' before each of her thoughts was as critical as Bastila's words and she tried to ignore it too.
A blaster shot came from out of nowhere. She deflected it easily.
Two humans emerged from one of the doors, which only led to a large storage room. The woman cowered behind the equally frightened man, holding out a blaster that seemed much too large and powerful for his weak hands.
The red beam slightly behind her began to charge forward, almost on autopilot. She glanced back, watching as Juhani's arm shot out to block Dustil from continuing forward.
"Learn by watching, Padawan. Listen before acting,"theCatharmurmured quietly.
"Stay back!" the man shouted. "Leave us alone, or I'll shoot!"
"For as much good as it'll do you," Canderous said, a slightly amused look on his face.
"Calm down! We have no argument with you!" Katrina called out, reaching out her hand to placate them and realizing quickly that she was extending the one with the blazing lightsaber in it. She quickly swapped and reached out the other.
"We're only servants, please!" the woman said hysterically.
"We won't hurt you," Bastila added. "We're only looking for your master, Faris."
The man's eyes grew narrow.
"The man's crazy! Going against the Sith, the government, holing himself up in this house with all those damn droids..."
"Do you know anything about the Sith's prior visit?" Dustil demanded. The man eyed his red lightsaber. Katrina turned, giving him a withering stare.
He was probably used to interrogations that resulted in torture, not trying to win people over with coaxing and reassuring lies.
"Only that they killed the servants guarding outside," the woman said meekly.
"Are you Sith?" the man asked warily, still staring at Dustil.
"No, we're Jedi," Bastila answered.
Though this may not be us at our best, Katrina thought.
"Look, just tell us where your master is," she said, exasperated.
"Maybe we shouldn't," the woman began, clinging even closer to the man. "Master Faris will-"
"To hell with Faris." the man replied tersely. "I've had enough of being the only servant I know to carry a blaster. We're getting out of here. You'll find him in his study, which is down the hallway through the door to your right." The two crept out past them, the man still eying Dustil as though he were the only one among the five with a weapon extended.
Katrina was already headed towards the door. It too, was unlocked. The droids seemed to have free range of the house, and it seemed they were only bumping into groups of them by coincidence; there were none in the hallway. The study was unlocked. She supposed it was to give access to the servants who had just betrayed their master and fled.
"I told you dolts I wasn't to be disturb-" From behind an enormous black chair, a man half the size of it peered out, silenced when he saw that it wasn't his servants.
Faris stood, a few inches shorter than Katrina herself, with a stringy black comb-over and glassy eyes to match. His study was devoted to his collection of droids: the heads of particularly notable ones were on shelves. This didn't seem to alarm the four that stood on guard in each corner, waiting for their master to give the word.
"I had been watching my cameras to chart your progress into ransacking my home. Tell me, did you enjoy destroying my prized droids, my valuable property?" he sneered.
"In case it didn't show up on those cameras of yours, your droids attacked me," Katrina snapped. The four droids within the room, crackling with the energy of their shields, turned towards her like she had insulted them.
"Of course they did. They are programmed to only attack thieves or someone I very much doubt that you are."
"Might that person be the former Sith Lord Revan?" He chuckled.
"No, you are not him." His voice was nasally and derisive.
"Your droids don't malfunction half as much as you then," Canderous replied icily, stepping forwards. "This is Revan, the woman you tried and failed miserably to kill."
Faris's face turned a sickly gray.
"But...you are dead. The reports...they..."
She felt her grip tighten on the hilt of her lightsaber.
"As much as you might have liked it to be otherwise, I'm very much alive. And very, very angry."
Simply saying the word 'angry' seemed to make the emotion real, and she could feel it flare up, tangible and all-consuming, within her. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to bash this quivering little man's head into the ground.
"You Sith...you destroy everything, don't you? Not enough that you've stolen what was precious to me, not enough that you're trying to twist Anelli to your purposes, and now you would destroy me in your vengeance for him as well."
"We are not Sith!" Bastila said desperately, stepping forward and glancing at both Katrina and the Mandalorian as if imploring them for their support.
"We are Jedi, and whatever wrongs the Sith committed against you are not our wrongs. Revan has returned to the side of the light. She no longer poses a threat to you." Juhani's voice was steady, and she too slowly stepped forward. Faris backed up, his eyes wild, as if they were all getting ready to jump him.
"More lies! Look, there," he said, pointing a wildly shaking arm towards Dustil. The younger Onasi's eyes narrowed, as if already knew where Faris' words were heading. His face took on an impassive stony glaze, like he could shield himself against it. "Another young man who might have had a future, whom you've twisted to your own miserable purposes. He's got the irreversible taint of the Sith all over him."
Katrina heard his angry breathing hissing through his nostrils, unable to escape through his clenched mouth. But he said nothing. She wondered if he too was barely hanging on to the shreds of common sense that were somehow keeping her from rushing forward and attacking.
"I won't let you have control of me. You may have consumed everything else in your path, but I won't be a part of it." Faris said, stepping back into the center of the room. He reached into his clothing.
She tensed, ready if he should produce a bomb or some other type of weapon.
Instead Faris pulled out a small control device. Looking at Katrina again, with a triumphant look in his glossy black eyes, he pressed a button.
All four of his droids now turned their attention from the intruders to their owner. With a resonating click, all of their blasters rose simultaneously, settling into attack positions.
Katrina turned her head as they all shot a storm of bright red blaster fire directly at Faris.