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Raena and I both sat down on our knees in the Jedi meditative posture as the droid turned in our direction and started to approach.
"Do not breathe or move," Raena warned in my head.
My heart pounded violently as the droid came within 5 feet of us, gun aimed directly for my head, and it seemingly looked at us.
"You still believe they'll return here?" Adi Gallia spoke up irritably.
"Just following orders," the droid turned around to face the beautiful Jedi Master.
"Well then, if you're through here we need some privacy." Adi Gallia responded. It seemed she was the one that handled their conflicts with the Federation.
"Purpose?" it questioned suspiciously.
"Meditate, we must." Yoda intervened.
"Very well," the droid turned and left the room to continue its sweep.
I let out a breath of air as the members of the Council turned their eyes on Raena and I as if trying to see us. Raena stood up, releasing her illusion, and I noticed their eyes become focused on us. I saw a smile play on Mace Windu's lips.
"Well done young Colonya," Mace Windu complimented her.
"You know I love you right?" I told her in a joking but honest manner.
"Who can't?" Raena laughed.
"How do you two plan on getting out of here?" Ki Adi Mundi pointedly asked us.
"Well, are there any windows near the archives?" Raena asked with a smirk in my direction.
"Damn you and your window transportation," I cursed Raena silently.
"Why don't you like heights?" Raena asked casually as we scaled the wall back to the ground. "A Jedi shouldn't have phobias."
"If this was a phobia, I wouldn't be up here," I told her, deftly dropping down a level next to her. "But it just doesn't appeal to me."
"Well," she said leaping away from the building as we finally reached the ground. "It's a thing of the past now."
"Let's get to the library, Shomari should be there," I said taking the lead.
We silently slipped into the library in an unnoticeable fashion and spotted Deuce's cloaked form sitting at one of the access stations. Raena and I slipped up behind him and looked over his shoulder to see the information he'd pulled up.
"This is a terrible information source," Shomari complained to us. "We know more than these raggedy archives."
"I knew they would be," I told Shomari. "That's why me and Raena are going to the archives inside the Temple."
"What's so special about them?" he waved off my suggestion.
"Because, only a Jedi could change them," Raena explained. "And no matter how many droids are scurrying around there, the Federation can't remove certain information from the archives."
"Then let's go quickly," Shomari said.
It didn't take us long to get back to the Temple in Shomari's small interplanetary space pod. It wasn't hard for Raena to hide our presence, as Shomari provided a big distraction. The droids seemed almost completely focused on him, so all we had to do was trail him slightly, as Raena placed a cloak of Force over the two of us. When Shomari turned towards the doors that lead to the archives room, I realized why the droids were so reluctant to take their sights off of him. He hand the handle of light saber plainly exposed and his hand tightly wrapped around it. I smirked at his brilliance, I myself wouldn't want to turn my back on a Jedi with their hand on their light saber, especially one as dangerous as Shomari. He sat down at an access panel at the rear of the archives and began to search for information on the Serum.
"This is much better," he approved downloading any relevant information to a data pad.
"The Federation probably didn't consider us coming here before we were cleared." I reasoned.
"Let's go," he said swiftly turning and leaving.
I paused, as there was a group of droids standing at the door of the archives room talking to the head of information at her desk. She was shaking her head as if she didn't have the answers they needed.
"Here," Shomari pushed the data pad towards me. "I'll get you two out of here unseen."
"Be careful," I took the data pad unsure of his intentions.
Shomari put his cloak on to obscure his face and exploded forward pushing through the group of droids knocking most of them down. He headed out of the room turning away from the exit to the Temple
"Get him!" the head droid mechanically shouted as the pack of droids regrouped.
They all rushed out of the room heading for my younger brother leaving Raena and my way clear. We took advantage of the lack of security and quickly escaped with Trance's needed information. Raena and I continued to run nonstop until we were back in the cockpit of our space pod. I started up the communications array, and searched for Trance's COM device. His holographic image faded into view after a few seconds and he looked at me disapprovingly.
"You shouldn't have contacted me this way." He greeted.
"Where are you?" I asked ignoring his scolding.
"In my temporary room at the Senate, we're in recess." he told me.
"Perfect, Deuce got us the information we needed." I told him quickly.
"Hang on a second, let me plug in a data pad to download the info." He responded eagerly. "Okay, send it over."
I plugged in the needed data pad and transferred the information. I noticed him looking distractedly behind him.
"What's going on?" Raena noticed the same thing.
"They're bringing in a prisoner," he started. "And from what I can sense, it's Shomari."
"He must have done something stupid," I rolled my eyes. "Find out where his case is being held and contact me."
"Will do," Trance nodded. "And may the Force be with you."
"And you my good friend," I told him.
"May the Force be with you," Raena told him as I cut off the connection.
"Now what?" she asked.
"We wait." I leaned back in the chair folding my hands behind my head in a relaxed position.
The waiting was anxious, I tried meditating but I found it hard to focus in the space pod, and my mind continually wandered to my brother. What had he done? Or had the Federation made up another charge, so as to get rid of another ally of mine. I had hoped that he was smarter than to destroy any of the droids, but maybe he had done what I knew he longed to. Raena suggested that I go outside into the forest and try meditating there, but I declined not wanting to miss the call; despite her assurances that she would come get me. I knew she would, but something in my mind wouldn't let me leave. After an agonizing 30 minutes Trance's hologram reappeared with a solemn look on his face.
"He's on trial on the 12th floor here in this building," he informed me initially. "But, they won't let him represent himself."
"Why not?" I sounded confused. I knew he would argue for himself, but if he were not going to be allowed to, then they would surely assign him representation. "That means…they're going to choose his representation."
"Exactly, and he'll definitely be on their payroll," Trance agreed.
"Well, why can't he? It's against their own laws." Raena urged.
"Ah, they cited some rule about the nature of his crime. You see he's being brought up on a charge under the 'intent' category." Trance said. "And because his case is based on intent, they won't let it be his word against theirs."
"Because, who would know his intent better than him," Raena sounded hopeless.
"Me," I said simply.
"What?" Trance said.
"His case is on intent." I explained. "I'm the only one who would know his intent better than him."
"Déshawn you're not going to-" Raena started.
"Tell me everything you know about the case," I asked Trance.
"I'm not going to let you just show yourself, a wanted assassin, to the very people that want you." Trance waved me off. "Besides, your credibility right now is less than none."
"Trance," my voice was laced with determination. "You can either tell me, so I can represent him fully. Or, just let me go in blind."
"You Jacksons, I swear." Trance grumbled. "Fine."
It seems that because Shomari ran out of the archives after researching such a controversial current issue the droids stopped him "on his way to the Council's room." Trance told me that it was a sure fact that he was about to head towards the Council chambers when he was arrested. I guessed in my mind that he allowed them to arrest him because he didn't wish to shed any negative light on the Jedi Council. At the same time, I also hoped the Council denied any knowledge of his purpose for coming to them. But the problem is, he "refused to reveal his intentions" so he was arrested until he told them why he was heading to the Council's chambers.
"How can they arrest someone based solely on what they 'might' have done," Raena sounded scandalized.
"That would be our fault," I hung my head.
"What?" Raena was shocked.
"When you two left," Trance picked up. "They declared a widespread APB. Which basically means that they give the Federation almost emergency powers."
"Wouldn't that go to the Chancellor?" Raena pushed.
"But the Federation put the price on our heads. So they're letting them take us down by any means necessary." I told him. "That's the only way they managed to get droids in the Jedi Temple."
"Which is exactly why you DON'T need to go represent Shomari." Trance said.
"They can't arrest me till the end of the session," I informed him. "The Federation can't touch me until then."
"But you'll still be arrested," Raena said slowly.
"As long as my brother gets off," I told her in a resigned voice.
"Not this again!" she sounded exasperated. "You don't have to protect him and get him out of every situation he ends up in. He gave us that cover so we could escape and you're about to undo his what his very efforts were for."
"No," I said softly. "He distracted them so we could get the information out to Trance. We've done that now I'm going to go get him out."
"Déshawn, do you remember what Yoda said?" Raena took another angle of dissuasion.
"Yes, that we were to important to be captured," I told her with my head bowed. "And I'm about to violate his very sentiments, I know."
"Now you're wrong." She lifted my chin softly. "I remember him addressing YOU with the exact words 'too important you are, to be captured'. That tells me that the Council wants YOU to be free."
"What about what I want?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you have this insatiable to not let your brother face the consequences of his actions?" she came back.
"Because, I promised my mother," I said. "The very last words I told her was that I would 'protect Shomari no matter what it took'. And I intend to do just that."
"He'll be fine," she assured me.
"I know he will be," I threw on my black cloak. "Because I'm going to make sure of that."