Chapter 11
The cooks were frantically scurrying about to finish the meal on time. The dinner party for the unveiling was close at hand, and the menu items asked for did not last long but took a lot of time to make, so everything was last minute.
"Get me some parsley!"
"Turn off that oven! It's gonna burn!"
"Fire!" That drew all of the cooks' attention, yet it was seen to immediately. It was a very busy day in the kitchens of Kahama.
It was also a very busy day in the servant's quarters. Kahama's personal entourage was preparing themselves in their finest attire, while the other servants were bustling about the dining room and lobby, cleaning to the spotless perfection. Tonight was the night Kahama was going to secure his position as lord and ruler of the land, and anyone who put one toe out of line was up for execution. Of course, death was not a new threat to some of the servants.
"Where is Geoco? Did he have to run some sort of errand or something the prince requested for?"
"Probably. You know Kahama."
"More than I'd like to."
It just so happened that Geoco was on an errand, but not for the prince. He was at that moment heading for Deltina's quarters. Poking his head out of the secret passage and checking the hallway quickly, he stepped out and knocked on Deltina's door.
Movement was heard inside. The doorknob began to turn.
"Geoco! We've been looking for you!" He turned around and saw another member of the elite servants just as the door opened.
"Yes?" asked Deltina. "What do you want?" Geoco turned his head to face her, panic starting to show before he smoothed it over.
"Miss Deltina, Master Kahama has requested your presence." He turned back to face the servant. "I'll be along in a minute, as soon as I escort our esteemed guest to Kahama's chambers." The servant nodded and walked away, but not without looking back once or twice.
Deltina sighed in relief after he turned the corner. "Whew! That could've been bad."
Geoco turned all the way around to face her. "That was bad! The longest it takes to get to Kahama's chambers from here is only about a minute. I have to brief you as we walk there."
"Why are we walking there?"
"Because that was my excuse, so there will be people watching for us, if not waiting there. Now," he grabbed her wrist and pulled her in right direction, "this is what you'll need to do. The plans are being stored down in the basement. In exactly ten minutes, two guards are going to come down there, take the plans, and then walk three floors to the copy machine and make five temporary copies for our guests. What you need to do is make a sixth copy, a permanent one, before the guards return the plans to the hold. They are the only two who can open that safe, and only during that twenty-two minute window. Your best bet it to wait for me to show up to the copy room on this floor. Hopefully, I can escape to do all of this myself. If not, what you'll need to do is somehow get them to make a permanent copy. You're a Jedi, you've got powers, use them. To get the copy room, from Kahama's chambers, you'll want to look for the first painting on the left, closest to the door leading in. Behind there is a secret passage. Follow that to the T, turn right, then take the second left, and then-" his voice cut abruptly short as a servant turned around the corner, a look of relief on his face.
"Geoco! The prince has been seeking you! Quickly! He's down in the reception hall."
"Of course." Geoco turned to Deltina. "Down the hall, on the left." He then bowed and left on his hurried and urgent errand, leaving Deltina to her own devices.
What could be the worst thing possible besides this?
Why does it always get worse?
It had been close to eighteen minutes since Geoco left her. She had easily made her way to Kahama's chambers, and found the secret path without difficulty. She had taken the first right, and then the second left. But from there, she had no directions. She had first tried to listen for any sounds, yet the corridors were small and sound echoed down the walls. After a few minutes of aimless wandering, she decided she would mark where she had been by slashing into each passage. But without any entrance to be marked, her idea soon proved rather ineffective. So, she did the next thing any normal person, Jedi or no, would do.
"I HATE YOU ALL!" she screamed, the echoes bouncing down the halls. She started beating her fists against the wall, and soon noticed a strange movement in the corner of her eye. To her left, a brick was sticking out slightly from the rest of the work. Curious, she hit the wall again and saw it jiggle very slightly. She casually examined the brick, and decided with instant appeal that it was better than being lost forever. She pushed the brick in the wall, and sure enough, the wall segment she had been beating opened to reveal a metal tunnel leading downwards.
Excited, Deltina ran down the tunnel, her feet echoing loudly off the metal. She slowed her pace when she heard two voices talking. She stopped and listened intently at the mention of 'plans'.
"…these plans sure are interesting."
"Yeah, but we gotta hurry. The safe shuts in three, and if they aren't in there, we're dead."
Yes! Deltina felt a sudden uplifting of spirits at this sudden arrival. She had found the guards, yet had very little time to do what she intended. She sat in the tunnel, which she discovered was a ventilation shaft for the lower areas, and started to try and formulate a plan before she realized the voices had died away.
Desperate, she kicked and beat at the tunnel, then pulled out a lightsaber and cut herself out to land on the ground. The guards had come running at the sound of the beating, and had weapons drawn and firing by the time Deltina fell. She wasted no time, swiftly running straight at the bigger guard and backhanding him in the face with her lightsaber. She turned and tripped the next man and slammed him to the ground in the same fashion.
"Two minutes, probably," she muttered as she bent down and grabbed at the plans the second man held. She hurriedly turned and ran towards the direction the guards were heading in and followed the only path directly to the safe, where she put back all the copies and shut the safe, where it locked and beeped reassuringly. She then turned and ran full tilt the other way towards the stairs. She had stolen the original plans, and she had to leave. Now.
"Bloody – where is that girl!"
Geoco was walking back from the copy room. He had been able to get away from the pesky servant and come to the guards. He gave them the new order that he be given a permanent copy, and they did so without question. He was now heading down into the first cellar looking for some fruits the cooks had asked for. But he was really hoping to catch a glimpse of –
"Geoco!" Deltina barreled straight into him with a gripping hug.
"There you are! Where have you been? I've got the copy; we need to-" He stopped when he saw her shocked expression. "What?"
She held up the original. "I got lost in the passages, so I was lucky to be able to find them. But they were coming back, and I thought you hadn't made it, so I just slammed into them and took the original. We need to leave!"
Geoco's face went pale when he heard original. "…You took the original!"
"Yes!"
"Let's go!"
Deltina grabbed Geoco's hand as she raced for the stairs up.
"Wait!" he shouted. He ran back into the cellar and emerged holding a small laser pistol. "The guards are supposed to be back right about now. We'll meet some resistance on the way."
Deltina drew her two lightsabers and grinned. "Finally! Time to kill some slimy bastards!" They ran up. And the sound of blasters ahead only made her smile more.
"So, they're gone."
"Yes, sir." The guard stood, with knees slightly wobbly in the face of Kahama's anger.
"And they took a copy and the original."
"Well, no, not…really, sir." The guard held up the copy.
"Burn it," he growled.
"There's a message."
Kahama snatched the paper away and scanned the document's first page.
HAHA! That's what you get for being a butt who tries to rape a girl. I'll see you in hell, after I send you there.
Deltina & Geoco
Kahama stood stunned for a few second before flinging the papers in the guard's face. "Find them, or I'll have ALL your heads!" And he stormed out, uttering a silent prayer that the Sith would never know his failure.