PART III
THE MASTERS OF THE DARK SIDE
Chapter Ten: Betrayal
The four Jedi used the Force yet again to make their way out of the caves. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to take this shortcut of yours, eh, Master?" Anakin said to Quinlan. Quinlan merely looked at him. "Look, can we please stop talking about Nya?" Obi-Wan yelled. "She's gone! Ok, we have to accept that she's gone." He sighed. "We have to get back to the Port Officials." Koon said. "The Amber Crow should be waiting for us there.
Koon purchased a map from a street merchant with a stand near the bar that housed the gunfight between the police and the drunks. Koon unraveled the map and scanned it. "Ah, damn." He said. "What's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked. "I just hate maps. They're so difficult to read." "Pass it here, then." Koon gave Obi-Wan the map. Obi-Wan looked at it. "I think we're going south." Obi-Wan said. "But there are Port Official offices all over the place. What was the name of the Port Official who gave you permission to land, Koon?" "309, I think." Koon said, frowning. "Then we need to be going east." Obi-Wan said. "This way, everyone." Quinlan, Koon, and Anakin followed Obi-Wan. They walked about a mile until they saw a sign that said: "WELCOME TO KORRIBAN PORT OFFICIAL OFFICES: BUILDING 17." The four of them went into a building and up six floors in an elevator. They reached the office of Port Official 309, Suite FV. Koon knocked. A couple seconds went by, but soon a fat man in a stained white undershirt answered the door. "Yeah, whaddya want?" The man said. "Excuse me, are you Port Official 309?" Quinlan asked. "No, that's my brother." The man replied. "What, you wann' 'im?" "Yes, please." Obi-Wan said politely. "Ah, wait here." The man said gruffly. The fat man disappeared into the suite and called for someone. Soon, a man that looked the exact opposite of the fat man came to the door. This man had neat black hair, combed nicely, was wearing a blue uniform, black socks, and leather black boots. "Yes?" The neater man asked. "Are you Port Official 309?" "Yeah, that's me." "Hello, I'm Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. These are my companions, Plo Koon, Quinlan Vos, and Anakin Skywalker." The Port Official frowned. "Why are you here?" He asked. "Name your purpose." "Five hours ago we docked for bartending services for the Sith." Obi-Wan lied. "It turned out the Sith only needed us for one day for a small celebration they were having. I think a new prospect got admitted into the Academy." Anakin tried to hold back laughs. "Anyway, we would like to return to our ship, the Amber Crow." The Port Official's eyes widened. "You liar!" He snarled. "The Sith aren't on this planet anymore. I will kill you myself!" "Guess he found out." Anakin said. The Port Official drew an extremely deadly disruptor rifle. It appeared to be modified, to maximize devastation. "Goodbye." The Port Official said. He aimed the disruptor rifle at Obi-Wan. The four Jedi ignited their lightsabers. The Port Official dropped his disruptor rifle to the floor and backed off, his hands in the air. "Ok…let's talk about this." He said, his voice trembling. "No need." Obi-Wan replied. Anakin expected Obi-Wan to threaten the Port Official with his lightsaber, but instead he caught a gleam in Obi-Wan's eye. Obi-Wan moved his hands slightly. "You will show us to our ship." The Port Official gave a small smile. "Of course." He said, still smiling. "Anything you ask, Master Jedi." Obi-Wan smiled back. "Very good." He said, putting his lightsaber away. His three companions did the same. "Now, where is our ship?" "Just follow me." The Port Official said. "Your ship is close by, only a five minute walk." The Jedi followed the Port Official out of the building. As they walked across a street, the Port Official jingled a ring of keys he had in the palm of his hand. "So…" He said. "What kind of drinks did the Sith like?" Anakin frowned. He sent a mental thought to Obi-Wan via the Force, saying "Doesn't he now know the Sith aren't on Korriban?" Obi-Wan sent a mental thought back to Anakin, saying "He's still under the influence of my Mind Trick. It's unusual he now thinks the Sith inhabit the world, but not unheard of." Anakin slowly nodded. "Well…" Quinlan said, about to respond to the Port Official's question. "We made a LOT of margaritas." "Salt on the edges?" "Yep." "Cool. What else?" "Pina coladas." "Mmm. I love coconut." "And even martinis." "With the olive?" "Yes." "A toothpick stuck inside the olive?" "Listen, mister, where's our ship?" The Port Official was surprised. The Port Official then got a disgruntled look on his face. "Very well." He said. "Walk straight until you reach some hanger bays. Tell the crew there your number is 8D0MN2 and that you're here to pick up your ship. They'll give it to you." "Thank you, kind sir." Koon said. "My pleasure." The Port Official replied. He smiled, then walked off. The Jedi continued walking. Soon enough, they reached the docking bays. A person stopped them. "Halt!" The person yelled. "Authorized personnel only beyond this point." "I'm here to pick up my ship." Koon explained calmly. "My number is 8D0MN2." The man was silent for a moment. "Follow me." He barked. The man led them to a giant room. Sure enough, the Amber Crow was standing peacefully in the hanger, steam occasionally shooting out of its giant engines. A short green figure walked towards the Jedi. At first, they thought it was Yoda. But it was just one of Yoda's species. "Welcome." The alien said. "My name is Frinj. You are here to pick up the Amber Crow?" "That's why we're here, yes." Quinlan answered. "Very good." Frinj said. "I am the credit collector. I collect the fees of people landing here at this bay. Unfortunately, the Port Official you talked to when you landed did not alert me of your arrival, so I must say you owe me 600 republic credits. And since you are back so soon, you are not permitted to pick up your ship until tomorrow." "What!" The Jedi exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, Master Jedi, but those are the rules." Frinj said. "However, you may take your ship home today by paying an extra 1000 credits. The choice is yours." "We have some credits." Koon whispered to Obi-Wan. "Let's pay now and get to Cavilma." "We will pay you the necessary fee for docking." Obi-Wan said to Frinj. "Good." Frinj replied. "I take it you will be back in the morning to pick up your ship?" "No, we will be taking our ship today. We will pay you the extra one thousand credits." "Excellent." Frinj said, beaming. "Now, may I take your 1600 credits?" Obi-Wan dug around in his Jedi robes and pulled out a 1,000 credit bill. He handed it to Frinj. Frinj frowned. "You have paid the early arrival fee, but I don't have the docking fee yet." Frinj said. Obi-Wan pulled out a 500 bill and a 100 bill. He handed those to Frinj, also. Frinj smiled again. "Excellent!" He said. "You are now set to leave. Goodbye, Master Jedi. I do hope you enjoyed your stay on Korriban."
"All systems go?" "Hyperdrive is perfect. We're all set." "Excellent." The four Jedi were preparing their ship for launch. "How far away is Dorin?" Anakin asked Koon. Koon frowned and thought for a second. "We definitely have to go into hyperspace, I know that." Koon replied. "I think its to the north east." "Ok." Koon looked out the ship's cockpit window and nodded to a worker at the docking bay. The worker nodded back and pulled a lever, opening the giant dome above the ship that was the hangar bay's ceiling. Koon pressed some buttons and fired up the engine. Giant flames burst out of the engines in the back. Smoke started to appear as the Amber Crow slowly lifted off the ground, tilted upwards, and blasted off into the sky. As the ship left the atmosphere and entered dark space, Koon slowed the ship. He leveled it out and slowly pulled a lever. Bright white lines appeared in front of the craft, and before they knew it they were in hyperspace.
The journey to Dorin turned out to be even longer than the one to Korriban. It took five straight weeks. One morning, Anakin woke up and saw Koon flying the ship in the middle of the night. Yawning, Anakin made his way to the cockpit. "Master Koon?" He asked. "What are you doing up?" "We reached Dorin, my homeplanet." Koon said with a touch of happiness. "Great." Anakin said. "Now we need to get to Cavilma." "Yup." Dorin was a semi-beautiful planet. It was dark and dusty with black clouds. The surface was a mysterious purplish color. Plo Koon grabbed a lever, pulled it, and they were in hyperspace again.
Twenty four hours later they reached Cavilma. Quinlan, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Koon were standing in the cockpit. "Wow." Obi-Wan said. "It looks just like Kashyyyk." Cavilma was a very small planet, no bigger than Peragus or Kessel. The surface was covered with dense forests and trees. "Let's get this ship down there." Quinlan said. "Good idea." Koon replied. "The sooner we talk to Pako and Zianla the better." Koon maneuvered the ship around the perimeter of Cavilma. Finally, he found a bare spot with no trees, and landed there. "Where do you think this Pako guy is?" Anakin asked. "Pako told me in his letter he'd contact us once they see us on their scopes." Obi-Wan replied. "We'll be speaking with them in no time." They lowered the docking ramp and stepped out. Exotic birds chirped and the wind rustled the trees. Cavilma was an extremely moist and wet planet. The soil was so moist when you walked on it, it felt like you were walking on sponges. Suddenly, Obi-Wan's intercom crackled. A male Twi'Lek voice spoke from it, not speaking Galactic Basic. "Master Jedi? Master Jedi, have you come?" The voice said. Obi-Wan unhooked his intercom from his belt and raised it to his mouth. "Pako? Is that you?" He asked. "No, this is Zianla." The voice said. "Pako's brother." "I remember." Obi-Wan said. "Where is our meeting place?" "Right near you, as a matter of fact." Zianla answered. "It's about a forty minute walk from where you are. Do you have a compass with you?" "No…" Obi-Wan said slowly. "But maybe one of my companions do." Quinlan nodded and pulled a compass out of his Jedi robes. "Yes, my friend has one." Obi-Wan said to Zianla. "Head north from here. You'll eventually reach a white building. And please hurry. We have a lot to go over." Then the intercom went dead. "We go north." Obi-Wan reported. "A forty minute walk." And so they began.
Every five minutes or so, Quinlan had to get out his lightsaber and slash the strong branches that were in the Jedi's way. Finally, they reached the white building Zianla had told Obi-Wan about. The building was made up of many small circular dome-shaped rooms and looked very modern. It didn't look like the kind of building you would imagine to see on a planet such as Cavilma. Two guards in green uniforms guarded the massive door. They Jedi approached the guards. "Halt!" One yelled. "Name your business and your purpose!" The other screamed. "Relax, my friends." Obi-Wan said. "We come in peace. We have come for a business meeting with two Twi'Leks named Pako and Zianla." "Are you the Jedi our masters were speaking of?" A guard asked. "That's us." Quinlan said. "Very good." The guard replied. "Pako has been expecting you." The guards opened the door and stepped out of the Jedi's way. "Thank you." Obi-Wan said, and they passed through.
A protocol droid was assigned by the indoor receptionist to show the Jedi to the conference room. The droid led them up a long hallway, and down to a big door. "Pako and Zianla are in here." The protocol droid said. "If you should require any more of my services, please, do not hesitate to call upon me." "We won't forget. And thank you." Koon said. The droid wandered off, and Obi-Wan pushed the door open. They were wide-eyed with surprise at what they saw.
Two orange-skinned Twi'Leks were standing in black uniforms, holding deadly blaster carbines. A yellow armor-clad warrior stood in between them. The warrior had five weapon holsters on his belt. He was carrying two modified vibroswords, two modified blaster pistols, and one disruptor rifle. "Welcome, Master Jedi. We've been expecting you." "What is this?" Koon demanded. The warrior laughed. "Obviously, you do not know who I am." He said. "I am Bilbat Sumaug."
"NO!" Obi-Wan screamed. The Twi'Leks smiled evilly. "It was all a trick!" Anakin yelled. "I am Pako." One of the Twi'Leks said. "Everything you said was a lie!" Obi-Wan yelled. "No, not everything." Pako replied. "Darth Dragus does exist, and is making the people of Xagobah suffer. And yes, in case you are wondering, Jedi clones are being created." All the Jedi lit their lightsabers. Bilbat Sumaug withdrew his disruptor rifle and Pako and Zianla pointed their blaster carbines at them. The mechanical sound of panning was heard as twenty overhead turrets pointed at the Jedi. "Put your weapons away." Sumaug said. "These turrets have very advanced weaponry. They'll fire major blasts extremely fast at you. One hit in a vital area and the floor would be stained with your blood." Reluctantly, the Jedi put their lightsabers away. Sumaug smiled. "Excellent." He said. "Take them away, boys."
The Jedi were given injections with sleeping drugs in them. In a matter for five minutes they were all asleep. Pako and Zianla were talking with Bilbat Sumaug in the conference room. "Where are we to take the Jedi, Bilbat?" Zianla asked. "Darth Dragus was counting on you to capture these Jedi." Sumaug answered. "Take them to Xagobah and bring them before Darth Dragus. She will decide how to…take care of them." There was silence. "Pako." Sumaug suddenly said curtly. "Yes, Bilbat?" Pako said. "When you were on Tatooine, and you put the note in that Jedi's robes, you hid Darth Dragus's gender, right?" "Yes, of course." Pako answered. "I told him that Dragus was male." "Darth Dragus, if you don't mind." Bilbat said firmly. "Anyway, that is good. Darth Dragus did not want these Jedi to know she is female." "Pardon me, Bilbat, but what was the purpose of that?" Bilbat smiled mildly. "Darth Dragus was the only female Sith Lord to abandon the Jedi Order in two centuries. If the Jedi knew Dragus was female, they'd instantly known who planned their masters' deaths."
Anakin awoke to a thud. Slowly and groggily, he opened his eyes. He tried to get up, but discovered he was tied to the floor. He wriggled and tried to get out, but the rope holding him was way too strong. He looked to his right, and saw Koon asleep. He too was tied up. THUD! Anakin's body shook. Then he realized he was on top of a wooden transportation device, and there was no roof above his head. He looked to his left, and saw Obi-Wan. He was tied up also, but he was awake. "Master?" Anakin asked. "What happened?" "Apparently Sumaug had us tied up on some sort of car." Obi-Wan answered. "We're on Xagobah." "Xagobah?" Koon said. Obi-Wan and Anakin looked and saw Koon wide awake. "What happened?" "I asked the same question." Anakin said with a frown. "Where's Zianla and Pako?" Obi-Wan pointed to the people driving the vehicle up in the cabin. A man in a gray uniform was driving. Pako and Zianla were sitting on both sides of him. "I see." Koon said. "Where are they taking us?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan. "I have no idea." Obi-Wan answered, the wind rippling his hair. "We'll just have to wait and see." "Hey…" Anakin said suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. "Where's Quinlan?" "Huh?" Obi-Wan asked. He looked around, then got a serious look on his face. "Well, he's not here." Koon said in conclusion. "Darth Dragus must have him."
In fifty minutes, the driver stopped the car. "Go to sleep!" Obi-Wan whispered curtly. Immediately, the three Jedi pretended to be asleep. "Take them to Bilbat Sumaug." Anakin heard Zianla instruct. "Yes, sir." The driver answered. Anakin felt rough hands touch his back as the ropes were untied. Obi-Wan saw Anakin slowly reach for his lightsaber. He immediately sent a mental Force note to Anakin's mind telling him NOT to do that. Anakin understood and returned his hand to his side. Anakin and Koon were hauled onto Pako's back and Obi-Wan was hauled onto the driver's.
It seemed like hours before their carriers stopped. "Arggh!" The driver yelled. He threw Obi-Wan to the ground. "Ugh!" Obi-Wan yelled. He whirled around, only to see Pako throwing Koon and Anakin to the ground. "Not exactly first class, eh?" Koon mumbled. They were in some sort of throne room. Dark, thick purple curtains covered the walls. A blue throne chair marked with the Sign of the Sith was about one hundred feet away from the Jedi. A shadowy dark figure was sitting in the chair. Suddenly, the Jedi felt weapons pressed against the back of their heads. Pako had gotten out two blaster pistols and was threatening Koon and Anakin, while Obi-Wan had a Flechete Rifle being pointed at him. Obi-Wan immediately turned around and tried to Force Push the driver, but his Force power had been depleted. The next thing he felt was hot lead being pressed into all corners of his body. The driver had fired the Flechete Rifle. Obi-Wan screamed and dropped to the floor, blood oozing from his Jedi robes. Pako laughed. "You evil monster!" Anakin yelled. Pako smiled and pulled the trigger on one of his guns.
But that was after Anakin had ripped the gun from Pako's hand, making it clatter to the floor. Koon grabbed the other one, completely disarming Pako. Pako dove for the weapon, and Anakin beat him to it. Anakin pointed the gun at Pako. Koon pointed his at Pako also. "Oh, boys, play nicely." A female voice said. Pako and the driver immediately fell to their knees and bowed, showing complete respect. Koon and Anakin turned around. The figure had rose from her throne chair, and now was standing right in front of Anakin and Koon. She had a dark black afghan covering her face. "Who are you?" Koon asked. "I am the one you call…Darth Dragus." The figure said. "Reveal yourself!" Koon yelled. He reached up and ripped Dragus's afghan to the floor. Then, Dragus spoke words that ran chills down Koon's spine—"Are you having a problem, Master Koon?"