The hand at Jayce's throat was frighteningly strong. It was cutting off his breath and he couldn't pull free. He fell back and attempted to kick his legs into the governor's chest, the same moved that had worked against Holus the shopkeeper. But the other zabrak twisted out of the way, and Jayce fell to the floor with the governor's grip still around his throat. Jayce punched, and connected with the governor's fake cheek. It did nothing at all but bruise his hand. The return punch left Jayce's head ringing.
He jabbed a knee into Zapal's rib and knocked him off balance. It was just enough to finally rip the hand from his throat and take a gasping breath. He tried to punch again, but the stronger zabrak easily caught his hand. With nothing else to do, Jayce flung his head forward. Horns smacked against horns. It was more the surprise than any damage that caused Zapal to pull back. Jayce pushed the governor off him and turned to find his blaster.
"No, you don't," the governor growled, and came for him with his head down and horns bared. Jayce got his hands in the way and grabbed onto his horns. The tips came milimeters away from impaling him in the same spot the kinrath's stinger had gotten him. But Jayce was able to divert the blow and push the governor away.
Jayce and the governor faced off across the room, both breathing heavily. Jayce took the moment to locate his blaster. It lay on the carpet just behind Zapal. The governor either didn't see it or didn't care. He didn't need it. Jayce was far from weak, but Zapal was clearly stronger and the better at hand to hand combat. In a drawn out brawl, it was clear who would come out ahead.
Zapal's lips curled into a snarl. "Do they think it's funny to send one of my own to kill me? You're a weakling, an embarrassment to my species."
"What makes you think I came here to kill you?" Jayce asked.
"That's how the Republic works. They preach nobility, then destroy anyone that gets in their way."
Jayce reached out towards the blaster with the Force. If he could get it in his hands, if he could successfully bring it to him just this once, he could turn this fight around. He needed time to focus.
"And you're so noble," he said. "Claiming to be oppressed while taking over houses and stealing from them."
"I'm freeing this planet. Freeing them from the corruption of the senate and the corporations that control the chancellor."
Jayce felt he almost had it. The blaster wanted to come to him. Just a moment more.
The door opened, and a B2 stepped inside. "You called, master?"
"Kill him!" Zapal shouted.
Jayce saw he wasn't the only one who had been playing for time. The governor had been happy to talk while his bodyguards finally made their way inside. The B2's blaster arm raised towards him. Jayce jumped out of the way, barely avoiding getting shot as the bolt shot past, and ran straight towards Governor Zapal with his head down.
It was Zapal's turn to fight off a charging zabrak. He sidestepped easily, and Jayce toppled headlong past him. Right where he'd been aiming. Right on the blaster pistol. Jayce rolled and fired, and hit the B2 in its eye.
The droid seized up and fell, only to reveal another in the hallway behind it. Jayce scrambled to all fours and flung himself again at Governor Zapal, placing the governor's body between him and the B2, and shoved the blaster under the other zabrak's chin.
"Call it off!" he shouted. The B2, unable to get a clear shot, stood frozen in the doorway.
Zapal's moment of shock passed quickly. He looked coldly at Jayce with his condescending sneer. "Why not just shoot me and get it over with?"
"I'm not here to kill you," Jayce said. "Your fate will be decided in a court of law, not by an assassin. Because THAT'S how the Republic works."
An alarm sounded from within the house. The two didn't take their eyes off each other.
"Republic ships in system!" a robotic voice called. "Three Venator-Class ships are moving in to attack."
"They're here to wipe you off the planet," Jayce said. "Coming with me now really is the best option you have. Unless you want to try your luck against Jedi Master Mace Windu. He's not known for his warm and fuzzy demeanor."
Zapal stared at Jayce for a few seconds. The alarm continued to blare. Then he slowly raised a hand. The B2 lowered its blaster. "All right. Let's see how this plays out."
Jayce smiled and let out his breath. And that's when the governor made his move. He jerked his head to the side at the same moment his raised hand knocked the blaster away. The blaster went off, the bolt flew past the governor and burned a hole into the ceiling.
Zapal dove over the bed and rolled, past the B2 and out the door. The B2 raised its arm. Jayce fired. It took the hit, stumbled back, but straightened once more. The second hit knocked it down for good.
Even more droids were in the hall behind it. Blaster bolts flew past, and Jayce retreated back out onto the balcony. He jumped over the railing as the balcony erupted in blaster fire. He landed, rolled to his feet, and took off across the lawn.
Jayce sprinted around the corner. A pair of B1s stood in the way.
"I found an intruder...aaaahh!" was all the B1 managed before Jayce slammed into him and sent the droid flying. Jayce shot the second B1 behind it in its stupid head, then ran on.
In the night sky overhead, lights twinkled and flashed amongst the stars as the battle in orbit commenced. On the ground, the dark shape of the ship sat on the lawn. Light leaked out of the open ramp. And Zapal, in a long, dark coat and flanked by two super battle droids, strode quickly towards it.
Jayce shot the droid on his right three times in the back before it went down. The other pivoted and got a single wild shot off before it went down as well.
Zapal backed away into the ship, and the ramp started to close. Jayce ran for it. Dirt kicked up around him as blaster bolts whizzed past. For machines, the battle droids had really terrible aim.
Jayce dove through the shrinking gap between the ramp and the ship and rolled inside. Before he could collect himself, a fist connected with the side of his head in a blow that had him seeing hyperspace. Zapal was on top of him once more, face in a snarl.
A blaster bolt whizzed past. They both froze.
"Wow, you two should get a room," Val said. She stood in the middle of the cargo hold, surrounded by crates, statues, bits of armor, and other results of the archeology expedition. A rich haul worthy of a place in the jedi temple. "Now get up. Slowly!" She waved the blaster in her hand.
Zapal stood and raised his hands raised in submission.
"Oof, that's a face you don't see everyday. Can't believe the plan actually worked!"
Jayce stood and shook his ringing head. "Don't sound so surprised. It was easy." He searched the governor over for weapons and found a small holdout blaster, which he took.
"Doesn't look like it was easy," Val said. "That's a pretty busted lip you got there."
"Relatively easy. Now, Governor, unlock the flight computer."
Zapal looked back and forth between them. "Who the hell are you?"
"Don't ask questions," Jayce said, and gave him a poke with the blaster pistol.
He led the governor up to the bridge. It really was a beautiful ship. The amenities were slickly designed, with a true artistry to them. There was a fully functioning kitchen, and lounge, multiple large cabins, all neatly packed to maximize the space on the vessel.
The governor did as he was told and entered the passwords that allowed them to take off. Vall took the controls and they lifted off. The ship cut through the atmosphere with a smoothness that surprised them both.
With the governor safely locked in one of the luxurious cabins, Jayce stepped into the dining area and turned on the long range communicator they'd pulled from Val's downed ship. Soon the holographic image of Master Na-Meh appeared on the table.
"Is there something else you wished to report, Jayce?" she said. "I have word Master Windu's task force arrived and have engaged the Separatists."
"Yeah, they're here," Jayce confirmed. "And yeah, there's more. I managed to capture one of the leaders of the Separatists, the man calling himself Governor Zapal. I took his ship, along with the artifacts he was collecting, and am currently flying over Dantooine. I was thinking I could perhaps dock with one of Master Windu's cruisers and..."
"That is unexpected," Master Na-Meh interrupted. Her ageless face wrinkled in thought. "I would like to speak with him."
Jayce hesitated. "Right now?"
"Yes."
"Okay... I'll go get him." Jayce went back to the bedroom he'd turned into a brig. Zapal sat calmly on the foot of the bed, his hands tied firmly behind his back. "Come on," Jayce said, and waved the blaster in his general direction. "Get up."
Zapal glared furiously at him, then stood and followed. When he saw the holo, he stopped in his tracks.
"Jedi," he snarled. "What do you want?"
Master Na-Meh hid emotion well, but her holographic eyes widened slightly in surprise. "This is Governor Zapal?"
"Yes, Master," Jayce said.
"I pictured someone... older."
"I should have expected it would be a Jedi pulling this dog's leash," Zapal said. "Getting in other people's business, destroying their lives, it's part of your code."
"And what do you call invading a Republic planet? Seizing people's houses? Destroying their land?"
Zapal glared at Master Na-Meh, but gave no other response.
"Do you think your actions are justified?"
Silence.
"Very well, you can answer in a trial." She turned to Jayce. "Bring this pretend governor back to Coruscant directly. Don't bother Master Windu, I'm sure his task force has enough to deal with already. I'll send them a message to make sure they let you pass. And... well done."
The hologram winked out. Jayce felt a smile of pride tug at the corners of his mouth. Zapal looked at him and shook his head.
"You disgust me, working for the Jedi. You should know, whatever they promised you, it's a lie."
"And I'm really going to believe you," Jayce said, "over the galaxy's best peacekeepers."
"They're not peacekeepers, they're a cult!" Zapal spat. "They steal children from their families to perpetuate their own existence! Brainwash them to believe it's all for the good of the galaxy. But since they help the senate stay in control, they get to do whatever they want."
Jayce sighed and rolled his eyes. "You know, our pilot said something similar. Though she also says the same thing about the Separatists."
He felt the ship land, and a moment later Val came through heading for the cargo bay.
"Don't mind me," she said. "Keep doing whatever it was you two were doing. Just loading up Sylvia, then we'll be off."
Of course. She had stopped to pick up her swoop bike before leaving.
"Oh, and since you kept our deal." Val fished in her jacket pocket and pulled out the kyber crystal. She had wrapped a bit of wire around it and threaded it onto a leather cord. "Thought it might make a nice accessory, but I guess it belongs to you."
Jayce caught the tossed crystal. Perhaps more than everything else that had happened, it felt good to have it back in his hand.
"Thank you."
"A deal's a deal," she said, and left the room.
Jayce turned back to Zapal. The governor had a strange look on his face. Curiosity, suspicion, uncertainty.
"That's a kyber crystal," he said.
"Oh, are these what you were looking for with your excavation of the Jedi Enclave?" Jayce let the crystal dangle from its new cord and swing back and forth slightly. "Turns out you were digging in the wrong place."
Zapal wet his lips. "Are you a Jedi?"
"No," Jayce said quickly. "I'm not a Jedi, I just work for one." He draped the kyber necklace over his neck.
"What's your name?" Zapal asked with a strange intensity.
Jayce hesitated. "Daro," he said, giving the fake name Odda had given him. "Why?"
"Nothing."
Jayce gestured with the blaster. "Go on. Back in your room."
When Zapal was securely stowed, Jayce went back up to the cockpit and sat down in the copilot's chair next to Val. They took off again and rose quickly into the air. By the time they were in the upper atmosphere, the battle in orbit was well underway. Three republic cruisers against two Separatist frigates. It was a lopsided affair, and the frigates were already retreating towards the planet.
"This is going to be tricky to get past," Val said.
"Don't worry about it, just stay out of their way and they won't bother us."
Val looked at him questioningly, but throttled up the engines. The ship accelerated incredibly quickly, but also without the clanking and banging of their previous ride. The inertial dampeners compensated nearly perfectly for every movement of the ship.
Neither side looked their way as they shot past the battle. They left the planet and the battle shrinking into the black behind them, and jumped into hyperspace the moment they were beyond the gravity well.
Val eased the chair back from the controls, then turned to Jayce. "Feels almost too smooth. I like being able to feel what the ship is doing. Perhaps I'll tweak the dampeners when I've got a chance. But I gotta admit, you pulled it off, Horns."
"I really wish you'd stop calling me that," Jayce said.
"You're right. Now that there are two of you on board I guess I should call you Little Horns and him Big Horns. Cause wow, that's an impressive set he's got."
"Hey!" Jayce growled. "Size doesn't matter!"
"Take it from a lady," she said with a smile, "it matters."
Jayce glared at her. Zapal's horns weren't even that much bigger.
"I'm just teasing you, Jayce," she said. "Anyway, where we going? I imagine you want to dump his royalness somewhere that will get us a nice bounty. Got a race on Onderon I need to make, but there's time to drop him off at a Republic stronghold." She looked at him ascance. "Assuming you won't get arrested on sight, or something."
Jayce took a deep breath. "I... lied about that."
Her eyebrows rose. "Again?"
Jayce nodded.
"So you're not a refuge, or a thief? Well, I guess we are both thieves, now. But you're not wanted by the Republic?"
"No. In truth, I work for them. My job was to gather intel in preparation of that party we just left."
Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. For a moment, she was speechless. "Damn," she said at last. "I really should have asked for more credits. Wait, couldn't you have just told those clone pilot assholes to leave us alone instead of getting us shot up?"
"Things are never that simple. I'm not, like, a military commander that can just order troops around. I don't even have an official job or title."
"Okay, I get it," she said. "But what does that mean?"
"It means I need to go back to Coruscant," he said. "I need to bring Zapal and everything in the hold to the jedi."
She glared at him. "You're not taking the ship," she said with cold certainty.
"No, it's yours, like I promised. Just take me and Zapal to Coruscant, and you can fly off to your race with the ship. Minus all the artifacts in the hold, I need those."
Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not liking my end of this deal."
"Hey, you get an absolutely gorgeous ship out of it!"
"And do you know how much upkeep is on a ship like this? I need that stuff in the hold just to keep it flying for a standard year!"
"Then sell the ship and get one that's cheaper to maintain."
"No!" she said. "It's too beautiful!"
Their argument was cut short when they unexpectedly dropped out of hyperspace. The stars reappeared. No planets broke the even starfield of deep space. The two of them looked at the starfield, then to each other.
"Did you...?"
"No. Did you?"
"No."
Val flicked a switch. "The navicomputer is dead. I can't get it back online. What the hell did his highness do to it? I'm locked out!"
Jayce looked at Val in desperation. "You mean..."
"Subroutine in the navicomputer," she said. "He didn't unlock it, he just sent it to a preprogrammed location and set us adrift."
"Can you unlock it?"
She shook her head. "Not unless we can get the real codes out of his highness back there."
Jayce had a sinking feeling in his gut. He opened his senses to the navicomputer in an attempt to tease it back online, and instantly became aware of six new presences on board the ship. Not lifeforms. Droids that had been hidden and turned off, and only just now activated.
"That's... gonna be a problem," he said.
The not-quite-organic voice of Governor Zapal came over the ship's internal speakers. "Thank you for helping me get off that backwater planet. I have no doubt the Republic would have made it much more difficult for me. But this is my ship. And now you are mine as well. Come out with hands raised, and you will live."
Val shook her head. "Ya know, I think I hate you." She stood and walked reluctantly to the door of the cockpit.
"Wait!" Jayce said. "Maybe I can get it back online!" He turned to the navigation computer. It was completely unresponsive. He pried open a panel and dug into the tangle of wires.
"It's not gonna work without the codes," she said sorrowfully.
She was right. There was only one thing to do. They needed to be rescued. And they needed to be here to be rescued. He chose a couple wires that were definitely not supposed to go together and pulled them out. Sparks flew as he touched them together. Then he closed the pannel and flipped on the emergency distress beacon.
Val opened the cockpit door. Zapal stood in the lounge at the other end of the hallway, hands free and holding a blaster rifle, flanked by six B1 battle droids. The large horn on his left temple, directly above the scarred eye, was missing.
"I just want you to know," Val said as she walked forward with her arms raised, "I'm not with him. I'm just a hired pilot."
Zapal signaled to the nearest B1. It grabbed Val's wrists and bound them behind her back. When she was out of the way, the two zabrak stared at each other once again.
"What's it going to be?" Zapal said. "Honestly, I don't want to kill one of my own. But I will if I have to."
There was nothing Jayce could do, not against six droids and Zapal all at once. He slowly got to his feet.
"What are you going to do? You can't go back to Dantooine, your forces are being overwhelmed. And I doubt the rest of your Separatist buddies won't be happy with you for losing the planet."
The organic half of Zapal's mouth curled into a smile. "It wasn't my job to defend the planet, I'm not a general. I was just supposed to find Jedi relics, and the hold is full of them. You've lost, now put down your weapon and surrender, and you will live."
Jayce drew his blaster. Zapal tensed, suspecting a trick. But Jayce dropped the blaster on the deck and kicked it down the hall.
Zapal never took his eyes off Jayce as he bent over and picked it up. "Smart move," he said. There was a flash of white as Zapal fired the stun gun, and Jayce fell unconscious.
