Chapter 11

"Coram! Are you listening to me?" Arriette's sharp remark brought Coram out of his momentary daydream.

"What?"

"I said, with Master Tiana gone to lure the Jedi, his apprentice Annika Lia, will be staying with us."

Coram nodded. "That's fine."

"Good. Senator Ballastiodes wants an update on the progress of the mission. Find Annika and tell her to report back here for the transmission."

"Yes, Master Arriette."

These pathetic Jedi are weak, thought Coram as he searched for Annika. They have no idea what power lies in the Dark Side.

He found Annika in a training room. She was battling against four assassin droids. She saw him standing in the doorway and stopped.

"That's pretty advanced work you are doing," said Coram. Annika shrugged. "It never hurts to push yourself. Is there something you want?"

"Master Arriette called for us. The Senator requests an update on our Mission. The transmission should be arriving from Coruscant at any time."

"All right. I will be there in a minute."

Annika ignited her lightsaber and sliced through the droids in one graceful move.

"Okay, I'm done." She said.

"I take it I should be impressed," said Coram.

Annika shrugged again. "I always finish what I start."

"This mission is getting better and better, wouldn't you agree?"

"The Jedi are so foolish that they cannot even sense that they're walking right into our trap. This mission is ridiculously easy. I don't understand why two teams were even needed."

Coram's comlink sounded. He picked it up. "Yes, Master?"

"Where are you?" asked Arriette. "The transmission is arriving!"

"I am with Annika. We are on our way."

"Good."

Annika and Coram entered the dark receiving chamber and knelt with Arriette as the holographic forms of Bondori governor Willis Schualberke, Senator Garith Ballastiodes, and his Senatorial aide, Mai Lyn materialized in front of them.

"Report!" Ballastiodes barked.

Arriette stood. "The Jedi have landed, Senator. There are three teams on the planet."

Governor Schualberke stepped forward. "Arriette, what is the situation with Emory Tiana? Is he with the Jedi?"

"Yes. The Jedi will 'view' our alleged disfigurement later today. Emory and I, along with our apprentices, will be waiting for them."

Ballastiodes spoke again. "I want to make it clear that your mission here is to probe the Jedi to gain as much information about their Order as you can. Leave the Jedi intact, unless absolutely necessary. Need I remind you that the last group of Jedi's unnecessary execution caused great disarray for me?"

Arriette looked down. "No, Senator."

"Continually update Mai Lyn with the results of the mission. I will check in with her. I will put bounties on the Jedi's heads when I find them."

"Bounties, Senator?" asked Arriette.

"Money for Jedi is killing two birds with one stone. I dispose of the Jedi-and eventually receive profit from doing so."

The transmission ended abruptly. Annika asked, "I thought the employer was supposed to pay the bounty hunters. How will Senator Ballastiodes profit from them?"

Arriette answered, "Because the bounty hunters are from Bondori, they must pay a tax for every bounty they collect on. Naturally, that portion goes directly back to the Senator."

The room was silent until Coram asked, "So what do we do now?"

Arriette sighed. "We will leave for the Underground Fortress. Emory will meet us there once he has the Jedi in custody. I have heard that there is an excellent torture system there. If the Jedi do not willingly talk, we will just make them."

"How does it work?

"There is a device that can sense a person's fears. Then we will exploit that fear. It can sense an average person's fears in less than a minute. I expect it will take longer with a Jedi, but still, that should be no problem."

Coram grinned. "Splendid."