Disclaimer:
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.
See the difference? 'Nuff said.
AN: I added TWO MORE chapters since I haven't updated for so long! You people are so lucky!
*****
CHAPTER TWELVE
Elias awakened Del-Mon early the next morning. He looked very grim, but Del- Mon could still sense determination about him.
They left the building quietly, careful not to wake Wid, who would undoubtedly demand that he accompany Elias.
The streets were still dark and empty, so they walked in the open, still on the lookout for anyone that could turn them in to the authorities.
Occasionally a small group of soldiers who all looked drunk would come bumbling down the street, and they would duck into an alley or an abandoned building until they passed.
As they progressed, people began to come out and fill the streets, and they stayed closer to the alleys, always alert. Del-Mon made sure he could get to his lightsaber quickly if he needed to. Elias had a blaster in a holster strapped around his waist that was concealed by his jacket.
As they made the long trip, they eventually stopped and Del-Mon bought some fruit and water for them to have.
They walked along as they ate, trying to blend in with the crowd. While they ate, Del-Mon quietly asked Elias, "Why can't we just take the sewers?"
"Too risky. There are probably still troops down there, looking for anyone who didn't get out or decided to go back," Elias said.
"How do you intend to get inside the palace?" asked Del-Mon.
"To be perfectly honest I have no idea. When we got in to spring our friends a while ago we just followed the sewers. I have a pretty crazy idea for this time, but I think it might work," Elias said. As he spoke he made hand gestures that had nothing to do with the topic. Del-Mon quickly figured out that he was trying to make it look like they were having an everyday conversation so they would not draw attention to themselves.
Del-Mon nodded and did not say anything more.
As his feet began to ache, Del-Mon noticed a small group of guards out of the corner of his eyes.
"Are you aware that we're being followed?" Del-Mon said in a low tone.
Elias glanced over his shoulder. "I am now," he replied.
A voice from behind them suddenly called, "Hey, you two! Stop there!"
Del-Mon instantly knew whoever it was, they were calling to himself and Elias.
"Bastards," muttered the Atheist.
"Just keep walking. Act like you don't know who they're talking to," Del- Mon said under his breath.
Elias did not reply, but Del-Mon was sure he'd heard.
"Hey! Crixxin police! Stop!" behind them, Del-Mon could hear someone drawing a blaster.
"Run, and whatever you do, don't draw your weapon," Del-Mon instructed Elias.
With those words, he bolted into the morning crowd, running as fast as he could but with grace and agility that was surprising for a man of his size. As he drifted through the crowd, the only disturbance he caused was perhaps the slight shifting of a cloak or stirred a few hairs.
Del-Mon sensed Elias following behind him, not lacking the flexibility Del- Mon had displayed.
After they had run a few blocks, Del-Mon stopped, and a panting Elias came to a halt next to him.
"Well, that was fun," he dryly said.
Del-Mon glanced over his shoulder. "I'm afraid it's not over yet," he said, spotting two or three guards roughly making their way towards them.
"Dammit. Of all times. Do they ever quit?" Elias angrily muttered.
"This way," Del-Mon said. He ducked into an alleyway, and Elias obediently followed.
"Do you know where you're going, Del-Mon?" Elias asked.
"Vaguely. I think I went through here when those guards were chasing me. When I met you," he said.
Elias said nothing more as he followed the Jedi. They walked quickly, knowing it wouldn't be long before the guards spotted them.
"We better go back on the street around here. We should be almost to the palace," Elias said.
"All right," Del-Mon nodded. They went to the edge of the alley and cautiously looked out onto the streets.
"It's clear. Let's go," said Elias.
They casually stepped out of the alley into a large group of passing people. They followed them along until Elias told Del-Mon they were close to the palace.
As they stood on a street corner, Elias trying to quickly find out where they were, Del-Mon spotted more guards on patrol.
Without saying a word he grabbed Elias's sleeve and started to pull him away. Elias did not object, trusting the Jedi's judgement. Del-Mon had no idea where they were going, but he kept walking.
Suddenly, he spotted a transport parked near a shop. People were busily unloading it and bringing the stacks of crates into the shop. To his relief, Del-Mon saw the workers wore no uniforms.
He let go of Elias's sleeve and murmured to him, "Grab a crate from that transport and take it into the building. Act like you work here. Look busy and no one will notice you."
Without a question Elias jumped into the crowd of workers. He lifted a crate labeled juju fruit onto his shoulder and brought it into the building, following the other workers. Del-Mon followed suit.
Del-Mon walked quickly with the crates, trying to position them on his shoulders so they hid his face from the crowd and the guards he knew were about searching for himself and Elias.
Finally, as he came out of the cellar the crates were being stored in, he looked around and saw no more guards. He waited at the doorway, and stopped Elias as he came out.
Wordlessly, they walked away from the transport and down the street.
"Come on. In here," Elias said. He directed Del-Mon into an old building. It was about five stories, and made of red brick. It was crumbling and abandoned. As Del-Mon looked around the interior, he saw it contained nothing, and assumed it had been looted long before he and Elias had got there.
"This way." Elias opened a door and climbed up some stairs. They arrived on a floor covered with old, short walls that had divided office space at one time. Elias began to walk across the room, and Del-Mon followed. He went in and out of the various rooms as Elias did, and they arrived at another flight of stairs.
As they climbed up them, Del-Mon said to Elias, "You know this building well."
"I should."
Del-Mon curiously looked at him.
Elias stopped and turned around to face the Jedi. "It is the building my father ran while he was alive. I came here all the time when I was a boy," he said.
Del-Mon nodded.
"Let's keep going. We need to hurry," Elias said.
They arrived on the rooftop after a few more minutes of walking. Del-Mon looked, and finally saw the outside of the palace for the first time. It was a very large structure, made of a red stone similar to the kind that Elias's father's building was constructed with. There were several windows along the sides. At each of the four corners was a tall tower that gradually narrowed into a point.
"Do you have a cable launcher?" Elias asked Del-Mon.
"Yes," Del-Mon replied, removing it from his belt.
"Good. You're going to need it. Aim for that tree there," Elias said, pointing. He grasped his cable launcher and fired it. The cable went out until it hit a very large, very thick tree within the palace grounds. Del- Mon did the same.
"You'll want a thick piece of metal or cloth to do this," Elias said, removing a short length of thick rope from his pocket.
Del-Mon firmly gripped the sleeve of his tunic and tore a short length of it off.
"Fasten your cable over here and let's go," said Elias. He hooked up the end of the cable he held to the door that led to the roof. Then he turned, looped the rope around his cable, and jumped off the roof.
He slid down the cable easily. Before he saw him land, Del-Mon turned to hook his cable to the door next to Elias's. He made sure he had a tight grasp on the piece of his tunic, and leaped over the edge of the building.
He slid down towards the tree, the wind blowing in his face and pushing his shoulder-length hair out behind him. He felt so free as he shot down the cable. If the current situation weren't so tense, he'd probably be enjoying himself.
Finally, as he neared the tree, Del-Mon put his legs out in front of him, bent them, and prepared for impact with the trunk.
It came surprisingly soft. He released the cable and dropped to the ground, landing effortlessly on his feet.
"Over here!" Elias's voice called to him.
Del-Mon spotted the one-eyed man pressed against a wall, concealing himself behind a square pillar that stuck out from the side of the palace.
"That was a very impressive way of entering," Del-Mon whispered to him as he joined him against the wall.
"It's an Atheist thing," Elias said with a grin.
Del-Mon rolled his eyes.
"Do you want to try and get in at the front gate?" Elias asked him.
"Yes, that would probably work," said Del-Mon.
"Follow me." Elias walked to the edge of the wall by the circular tower and leaned around it.
Instantly he was back at Del-Mon's side. "Damn, there's a guard over there. He's heading this way!"
"Don't worry. I'll handle him," Del-Mon said, striding around the corner. He grabbed Elias's sleeve and pulled him along.
"What the- What are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed?" Elias hissed.
"Trust me," Del-Mon muttered.
"Halt!" the guard said the instant he saw Del-Mon, who put his hands up in surrender.
"Who are you?" asked the guard as he approached the Jedi, his blaster rifle out.
"We are here on official business. We must meet with the king and queen. You will take us to them," Del-Mon said with a quick wave of his hand as he tapped into the guard's mind with the Force.
"I will take you to them," the guard expressionlessly said.
"Good. Thank you very much," Del-Mon pleasantly said.
As the guard led them into the palace, Elias sharply whispered to him, "How in the universe did you do that?"
"It's a Jedi thing," Del-Mon replied with a quick grin of his own.
A few minutes later, they were outside the huge door to the throne room.
The guard entered a few codes at the door, and then it slid open.
"Here we go," Elias muttered.
Taking a deep breath, he followed Del-Mon into the throne room.
*****
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews!
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.
See the difference? 'Nuff said.
AN: I added TWO MORE chapters since I haven't updated for so long! You people are so lucky!
*****
CHAPTER TWELVE
Elias awakened Del-Mon early the next morning. He looked very grim, but Del- Mon could still sense determination about him.
They left the building quietly, careful not to wake Wid, who would undoubtedly demand that he accompany Elias.
The streets were still dark and empty, so they walked in the open, still on the lookout for anyone that could turn them in to the authorities.
Occasionally a small group of soldiers who all looked drunk would come bumbling down the street, and they would duck into an alley or an abandoned building until they passed.
As they progressed, people began to come out and fill the streets, and they stayed closer to the alleys, always alert. Del-Mon made sure he could get to his lightsaber quickly if he needed to. Elias had a blaster in a holster strapped around his waist that was concealed by his jacket.
As they made the long trip, they eventually stopped and Del-Mon bought some fruit and water for them to have.
They walked along as they ate, trying to blend in with the crowd. While they ate, Del-Mon quietly asked Elias, "Why can't we just take the sewers?"
"Too risky. There are probably still troops down there, looking for anyone who didn't get out or decided to go back," Elias said.
"How do you intend to get inside the palace?" asked Del-Mon.
"To be perfectly honest I have no idea. When we got in to spring our friends a while ago we just followed the sewers. I have a pretty crazy idea for this time, but I think it might work," Elias said. As he spoke he made hand gestures that had nothing to do with the topic. Del-Mon quickly figured out that he was trying to make it look like they were having an everyday conversation so they would not draw attention to themselves.
Del-Mon nodded and did not say anything more.
As his feet began to ache, Del-Mon noticed a small group of guards out of the corner of his eyes.
"Are you aware that we're being followed?" Del-Mon said in a low tone.
Elias glanced over his shoulder. "I am now," he replied.
A voice from behind them suddenly called, "Hey, you two! Stop there!"
Del-Mon instantly knew whoever it was, they were calling to himself and Elias.
"Bastards," muttered the Atheist.
"Just keep walking. Act like you don't know who they're talking to," Del- Mon said under his breath.
Elias did not reply, but Del-Mon was sure he'd heard.
"Hey! Crixxin police! Stop!" behind them, Del-Mon could hear someone drawing a blaster.
"Run, and whatever you do, don't draw your weapon," Del-Mon instructed Elias.
With those words, he bolted into the morning crowd, running as fast as he could but with grace and agility that was surprising for a man of his size. As he drifted through the crowd, the only disturbance he caused was perhaps the slight shifting of a cloak or stirred a few hairs.
Del-Mon sensed Elias following behind him, not lacking the flexibility Del- Mon had displayed.
After they had run a few blocks, Del-Mon stopped, and a panting Elias came to a halt next to him.
"Well, that was fun," he dryly said.
Del-Mon glanced over his shoulder. "I'm afraid it's not over yet," he said, spotting two or three guards roughly making their way towards them.
"Dammit. Of all times. Do they ever quit?" Elias angrily muttered.
"This way," Del-Mon said. He ducked into an alleyway, and Elias obediently followed.
"Do you know where you're going, Del-Mon?" Elias asked.
"Vaguely. I think I went through here when those guards were chasing me. When I met you," he said.
Elias said nothing more as he followed the Jedi. They walked quickly, knowing it wouldn't be long before the guards spotted them.
"We better go back on the street around here. We should be almost to the palace," Elias said.
"All right," Del-Mon nodded. They went to the edge of the alley and cautiously looked out onto the streets.
"It's clear. Let's go," said Elias.
They casually stepped out of the alley into a large group of passing people. They followed them along until Elias told Del-Mon they were close to the palace.
As they stood on a street corner, Elias trying to quickly find out where they were, Del-Mon spotted more guards on patrol.
Without saying a word he grabbed Elias's sleeve and started to pull him away. Elias did not object, trusting the Jedi's judgement. Del-Mon had no idea where they were going, but he kept walking.
Suddenly, he spotted a transport parked near a shop. People were busily unloading it and bringing the stacks of crates into the shop. To his relief, Del-Mon saw the workers wore no uniforms.
He let go of Elias's sleeve and murmured to him, "Grab a crate from that transport and take it into the building. Act like you work here. Look busy and no one will notice you."
Without a question Elias jumped into the crowd of workers. He lifted a crate labeled juju fruit onto his shoulder and brought it into the building, following the other workers. Del-Mon followed suit.
Del-Mon walked quickly with the crates, trying to position them on his shoulders so they hid his face from the crowd and the guards he knew were about searching for himself and Elias.
Finally, as he came out of the cellar the crates were being stored in, he looked around and saw no more guards. He waited at the doorway, and stopped Elias as he came out.
Wordlessly, they walked away from the transport and down the street.
"Come on. In here," Elias said. He directed Del-Mon into an old building. It was about five stories, and made of red brick. It was crumbling and abandoned. As Del-Mon looked around the interior, he saw it contained nothing, and assumed it had been looted long before he and Elias had got there.
"This way." Elias opened a door and climbed up some stairs. They arrived on a floor covered with old, short walls that had divided office space at one time. Elias began to walk across the room, and Del-Mon followed. He went in and out of the various rooms as Elias did, and they arrived at another flight of stairs.
As they climbed up them, Del-Mon said to Elias, "You know this building well."
"I should."
Del-Mon curiously looked at him.
Elias stopped and turned around to face the Jedi. "It is the building my father ran while he was alive. I came here all the time when I was a boy," he said.
Del-Mon nodded.
"Let's keep going. We need to hurry," Elias said.
They arrived on the rooftop after a few more minutes of walking. Del-Mon looked, and finally saw the outside of the palace for the first time. It was a very large structure, made of a red stone similar to the kind that Elias's father's building was constructed with. There were several windows along the sides. At each of the four corners was a tall tower that gradually narrowed into a point.
"Do you have a cable launcher?" Elias asked Del-Mon.
"Yes," Del-Mon replied, removing it from his belt.
"Good. You're going to need it. Aim for that tree there," Elias said, pointing. He grasped his cable launcher and fired it. The cable went out until it hit a very large, very thick tree within the palace grounds. Del- Mon did the same.
"You'll want a thick piece of metal or cloth to do this," Elias said, removing a short length of thick rope from his pocket.
Del-Mon firmly gripped the sleeve of his tunic and tore a short length of it off.
"Fasten your cable over here and let's go," said Elias. He hooked up the end of the cable he held to the door that led to the roof. Then he turned, looped the rope around his cable, and jumped off the roof.
He slid down the cable easily. Before he saw him land, Del-Mon turned to hook his cable to the door next to Elias's. He made sure he had a tight grasp on the piece of his tunic, and leaped over the edge of the building.
He slid down towards the tree, the wind blowing in his face and pushing his shoulder-length hair out behind him. He felt so free as he shot down the cable. If the current situation weren't so tense, he'd probably be enjoying himself.
Finally, as he neared the tree, Del-Mon put his legs out in front of him, bent them, and prepared for impact with the trunk.
It came surprisingly soft. He released the cable and dropped to the ground, landing effortlessly on his feet.
"Over here!" Elias's voice called to him.
Del-Mon spotted the one-eyed man pressed against a wall, concealing himself behind a square pillar that stuck out from the side of the palace.
"That was a very impressive way of entering," Del-Mon whispered to him as he joined him against the wall.
"It's an Atheist thing," Elias said with a grin.
Del-Mon rolled his eyes.
"Do you want to try and get in at the front gate?" Elias asked him.
"Yes, that would probably work," said Del-Mon.
"Follow me." Elias walked to the edge of the wall by the circular tower and leaned around it.
Instantly he was back at Del-Mon's side. "Damn, there's a guard over there. He's heading this way!"
"Don't worry. I'll handle him," Del-Mon said, striding around the corner. He grabbed Elias's sleeve and pulled him along.
"What the- What are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed?" Elias hissed.
"Trust me," Del-Mon muttered.
"Halt!" the guard said the instant he saw Del-Mon, who put his hands up in surrender.
"Who are you?" asked the guard as he approached the Jedi, his blaster rifle out.
"We are here on official business. We must meet with the king and queen. You will take us to them," Del-Mon said with a quick wave of his hand as he tapped into the guard's mind with the Force.
"I will take you to them," the guard expressionlessly said.
"Good. Thank you very much," Del-Mon pleasantly said.
As the guard led them into the palace, Elias sharply whispered to him, "How in the universe did you do that?"
"It's a Jedi thing," Del-Mon replied with a quick grin of his own.
A few minutes later, they were outside the huge door to the throne room.
The guard entered a few codes at the door, and then it slid open.
"Here we go," Elias muttered.
Taking a deep breath, he followed Del-Mon into the throne room.
*****
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews!