Author's Note: Alright, last one for a week or so! Hopefully I'll get a more consistent schedule. Hope you guys enjoy catching up with the new material!
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, just Jana.
Jana checked through her sub ship and made sure everything was ready. She trusted the Kaminoans to an extent, but she had to be sure just for herself.
After she gave to go she was released into the oceans. Immediately she had to turn on the lights to see past two feet of her shield it was so dark, but she blamed that on the eternal storm.
"Everything proceeding normally, Jana?" Master Plo Koon asked over the coms. He was just taking off in a smaller Koaminoan ship that was built to withstand the torrential rains.
"Yes, Master. How long do we have?" She asked in reference to the storms. The moment the tempests got too heavy for them to continue their search, they would have mere seconds before it overwhelmed them. Jana would have more time than Plo Koon, but different creatures were attracted to the surface when the rain grew heavier. Creatures that were hungry.
"A few hours. Let me know if you see anything abnormal. I will be within range of you should everything go as planned." He instructed.
"And when does everything go as planned, Master?" She asked him with a slightly nervous chuckle.
"Fair enough." He answered with a chuckle of his own.
Jana struggled to peer around, but eventually she got into the swing of things. The aquatic life gave her the occasional scare, but overall she was doing well. This continued for an hour, and she still found nothing.
"Master Plo? I'm not seeing anything. Are you?" She asked over the coms.
"Nothing up here either. There's a pop up storm about to hit us hard, Jana. Look for a while more, but don't take too much time. You could get stuck down there for days." Plo reminded her. Galaxies, this mission could take us a whole month if we don't find anything today.
"Understood, Master." She breathed in frustration. She continued what felt like a hundred parsecs before she found a ship- one of the Republic's. Upon closer inspection, she saw lights, though dim, whirring inside of it. Bubbles continuously emerged from the Oxygen filter. Someone is living here.
"Jana, the storm is closing in. We've done what we can, we have to turn back." Plo Koon's voice came over the com once more. Of course, just my luck.
"Master I've found something, I can't turn back now. It's a Republic ship, operational. They could move farther out and we could lose them if I don't engage now." She reported.
"If you don't return now you'll get stuck-" The coms began to cut out, most likely due to the gradually worsening weather. Jana inhaled deeply to clear her mind. Do I pull a Golden Boy and get my ass chewed out when I return, or do I let this mission go on longer and possibly endanger lives? She searched her feelings before groaning aloud in frustration. Despite her good record, she decided to do what Anakin would. She was going in. She was saying no.
She turned her ship around and settled on the outskirts of where she assumed possible scanners on the ship wouldn't be able to reach. Jana mentally said an apology to Master Plo Koon while transmitting her current coordinates and strapped on her mask. She hit the button for the cock pit hatch to open.
The water struck her rapidly, and she couldn't help but shiver. It was incredibly cold, probably since no sun ever saw the light of day on Kamino. Cautiously she looked around before pushing off of her ship to propel herself. As she got closer she could see a figure in the window: a bounty hunter. That most likely means they're extracting information from the Clones they took if they're still down here and holding them hostage... what could they possibly know that someone would hire a bounty hunter to get?
Jana swam just enough to keep her in her place. If the hunter found her now, all would be lost. So if they're still here they're wanting more Clones, unless their ship took damage upon landing. Or they're altering the clones somehow and plan to send them back with bad intentions. Once the figure disappeared back into the main part of the ship she began to swim closer again. Next issue to tackle: how in the neebarays to get in that ship. If I go through the hatch the hunter will be alerted. I'll have to bait them out of there. Jana felt adrenaline begin to pump through her veins as she concocted a plan.
Taking a detonator from her belt, she clung to the ladder leading to the hatch on the side of the ship. She flattened herself against it and began to force push the weapon away on the other side of the ship. Once she found it a good distance from both herself as well as her own ship, she detonated it. The explosion shook the bounty hunter's ship slightly, shock waves pushing them back. Jana held on as tightly as she could.
Meanwhile, she saw the hatch pop open shortly after the explosion, and the bounty hunter appeared with their back to Jana, bubbles leaving the mask just like the ship. Jana stayed put until the Hunter moved forward. Swiftly, she pushed herself into the ship as the hatch began to close. Just in time, she made it inside. Automatically the room cleared itself of water, and the door leading to the main parts of the ship opened. Jana checked her belt to ensure all her tools were still attached to her, which they all were, just dripping wet. Her curls had lost most of their bounce, looking more like a mop after Jana squeezed the water out of her hair. Alright, that worked, but I'm on a time crunch. Gotta get moving.
Stealthily, Jana stepped out of the door. If there was an assistant droid, she would have to duck around still. However, bounty hunters usually worked alone, so she didn't expect one to be around. While listening for any movement she observed the ship: there were three ways to go. One she assumed lead to the cock pit, another a ladder that lead up to the turret she had noted while outside the ship, and a way on the right that expanded out to a main area of the ship she couldn't quite see. She slowed her breathing so she could hear over her loud heartbeat.
"Come on! We can get out of here!" A Clone voice suddenly whispered.
"You don't have to whisper, that blasted hunter's gone. But say we even did escape, we couldn't swim far enough to get back home." The same voice, presumably from a different Clone, argued.
"Can you two stop your blasted arguing? We're not getting out of here. No one's going to find us, and the real Shinies have already been killed." Jana felt a pang in her heart. "We don't have much time left, so let's just live in what peace we can." Jana knew she had to move positions at some point. Most likely the hunter would do rounds after the explosion, so she couldn't just leave and go back outside the ship. She'd get spotted. But she also couldn't stay in front of the hatch entrance either. Then she'd be caught. Jana settled on following the voices into the right wing, careful to be quiet so they weren't alerted of her presence. She didn't know if they could keep a secret yet. Jana's breath hitched at what she saw.
The sight was not a pretty one to behold. The Clones were obviously being tortured: the three live Clones were strapped to disgusting metal tables, bloody and bruised. The first one was even burned across his cheek bone. In the corner, two bodies lay on top of each other, dead, to Jana's horror. The Shinies. Torture tools of all kind laid out on trays and hung from the disgusting, dingy walls. Even the molding ceiling had chains hanging from them. This is awful... what could the hunter want from these clones?
Jana decided that they could see her- her senses felt fear and hopelessness, and she wanted them to have hope, to not give up yet. She just hoped it wouldn't bite her in the ass later. She stepped inside the nauseating area, and the clones looked at her with fear and then puzzlement across their faces. Upon spying the sabers dangling on her belt, they looked even more confused.
"Are... are you a Sith?" Asked one. Jana nearly laughed at the comment. Space buns and only 17? Sith? Galaxies help this soldier.
"On the contrary, a Jedi. I'm Commander Jana Kinall, Padawan to Jedi Master Plo Koon." She announced while taking the opportunity to further inspect their situation. It looked gruesome. Gore was splattered all over the floors, even on the walls behind their heads. The boys were in their black under suits, most of them cut with deep flesh wounds or slashed or burned. Dried blood flaked around their injuries, infection beginning to set in to some of them. It looked like damage had been done to their fingers and ears as well. The scent of death tormented Jana's nose from the rotting bodies to her right. Jana wanted to gag and run back out the hatch, but she knew she couldn't. She wouldn't. She forced a calm outward appearance.
"And why should we trust you?" Asked another. Jana sighed. These boys have been put through Mustafar and back. They're right not to trust anyone. They've been here for weeks. Jana took out both her blades and ignited them to reveal the green and blue. She looked at them with a cocked eyebrow.
"The way I see it, even if you don't believe me now, you don't have much of a choice." She coughed slightly, the cold irritating her throat. "Unfortunately we're on borrowed time. I'm afraid I can't release and aid you just yet." She sighed.
"What?! Why not?! Some Jedi you are." The third one spat. Jana sensed much anger from this one. He had been the hopeless voice from before and looked the worst out of all of them.
"Because I need that bounty hunter back here. I need to know who she works for and why she's taken you all. It doesn't add up to me. What has she been asking you?" Jana inquired while investigating the area for a hiding space. There weren't any cabinets or anything, so she was starting to get nervous.
"She's been asking about the Jedi, what we know about cadet troops. How to get onto the Republic ships, their times of arrival and departure on Kamino. Of course, we can't tell her much. The Shinies couldn't tell her anything. So she gets... angry." The second one explained. What good does that do somebody? The cadet troops? What in the blazes?
"Interesting. Is this ship operational? Why is she still down here if she isn't going to give you guys back?" Well, give them back to us alive, at least.
"Ship took critical damage to the hyperdrive, I'm assuming when she took impact diving into the ocean. She wouldn't be able to fly very far out of the system without being caught." The first one elaborated. So if I capture her, then the ship can be flown back to the Kamino factory... once the storm lets up.
"Tell me your names, please." Jana asked. She could sense life nearing the ship, most likely the hunter. "Quickly, she's coming." Jana felt more frantic about finding a hiding space than ever. The only thing she could find to hide up in would be the loft, but she'd have to go back toward the hatch. She could hide... no. Not there. Anywhere but there.
"I'm Jam."
"Double."
"Feedback." They went down the line. Jana made a mental note of this before she heard the alert for the hatch draining go off. Kriff! I'm going to have to do this. She felt her stomach twist at the thought but turned to the boys and held her finger to her lips. They nodded in understanding and watched in slight horror as she ducked underneath the bodies of the Shinies. Jana thought quickly and used the Force to gather the water that revealed her tracks, levitating it into a rusted bucket in the corner. I bloody hate this. Her eyes watered at the stench wafting from the Shinies that hid her. Luckily she was able to peek out between them.
Stomping could be heard once the sound of draining water halted, and in came the bounty hunter. She wore a red and white Mandolorian styled suit, her helmet scratched with hundreds of tallies. Water flung everywhere as she put her hand to her hip and gazed at her three prisoners. Jana felt herself freeze up.
"Alright, boys. Someone is bombing us, and seeing as you three still haven't given me the information that my employer needs, you'll be coming with me for more of our little games." The three grimaced. "Now, I'm going to work on the hyperdrive since I've finally figured out what's wrong with it. Stay here and keep being good boys like we've talked about." The Hunter headed back to the hatch with a shrieking, hideous laugh before Jana could do anything. The blonde was close to throwing up from where she hid, the stench and idea of being under corpses making her ill.
Jana started to weigh out her options. She needed to get these Clones out of their predicament and on the mend from their injuries. But she needed the hunter to be caught off guard and captured. She couldn't kill her, but she needed her nonetheless. Bantha Fodder, if I hadn't frozen I'd be already out of this mess. She mentally cursed herself.
"Hey, Jedi, why didn't you do anything?" The third one called Feedback hissed to her.
"I'm a Padawan, not a knight! I froze up, okay?" She hissed back defensively, having to force herself to keep down a cough. Feedback just huffed in annoyance. Alright, fine. Sorry, Feedback. But I need her to come over here again. Using the Force, Jana pulled one of the trays of tools off a counter, making it clatter to the ground. Faces of fear passed onto all of the Clones as boots could be heard stamping down the ship's corridor once more.
"Who did that?!" The hunter screamed, scaring the life force out of Jana. The boys all flinched, and upon seeing the tray next to Feedback's table, she crept over to him. "Trying to get away? To escape me? Awww, poor lil Feedback. Just couldn't get enough of me." She teased him with a forceful slap to his jaw, making Jana want to scream in rage more than ever. "Well, you know the drill. You disobey and make a racket, I get to play my games." She began to select a tool off the wall when Jana felt a sense of protectiveness flash through her.
In moments she held her blue blade to the hunter's neck and the shoto to her abdomen, trapping the hunter in her arms.
"You won't be playing any games with these men, Filth." Jana felt herself say. Her head was dizzy with adrenaline. "Tell me, who do you work for?" She held the blade nearer to the hunter to make her point.
The hunter just laughed, almost psychotically. Jana refused to let it take her off guard and pressed the heel of her boot into the hunter's toe, bringing the crazy lady to reality with a yelp.
"You think I'll tell? Stupid Jedi!" She kept laughing and laughing. It honestly was irritating Jana at this point. Blazes, can I just kill her?
"Answer me! Now! I'm a lot nicer than the Jedi Council will be. Than the Republic will be." She hissed through her teeth.
"You'll never even have the chance to take me there, foolish Jedi." The Hunter cackled again before pushing her body forward and into the blades, making Jana scream a little. The head of the hunter rolled at her feet. Moments passed as Jana stared blankly at the fried, dismembered body, her blades unengaged at her side.
"Commander? That wasn't your fault, Commander. She was a crazy Hutt-spawn." Jam shakily said. He recognized that look in a soldier's eye that they always talked about on Kamino. The realization of what war truly was.
"A little help now?" Feedback demanded.
"R-right." Using the Force, Jana released the Clones' shackles and briskly walked to the cock pit to get away from the awful stench. She had to get that vision out of her mind. She hastily raked her eyes over all of the diagnostics of the ship, relieved to see it fully operational aside from the hyperdrive, just as they had said. Watching a radar she saw they were about to be in the lightest spot of the pop up storm. If they managed to take off in time and travel at the right speed, they should make it to the factory in a few hours' time. Jana set the autopilot for the time and direction, doing quick math to calculate the speed and mentally noting it.
"Aye, Commander. You alright?" A voice said out of the darkness she had her back to, and Jana jumped in fright.
"Sorry! Didn't mean to spook ya. Just thought I could help." The clone's eyes were bruised, and a nasty cut tore diagonally across his entire face. Flakes of dried blood peeled up when he talked, fresh blood pricking the skin. Jana didn't even want to look at the rest of him.
"Yes, please. Sit here. Are the others fairing okay?" She asked while letting the clone sit in the pilot's seat- Double, she thought- and grabbing a first aid kit from the loft.
"They're helping one another patch up and making fun of the head, if that's what you're asking." He said in a flat tone. Jana's stomach clenched again.
"Oh." Was all she could get out before sitting down and facing Double. "Here." She began to clean his cut, making him grimace in pain. His head was completely shaved. He looked like he wanted to argue but didn't since it seemed to calm the young Jedi down. Jana knew it would be easier to treat all of his wounds at once if she used the force, but quite frankly she couldn't focus near enough to do that properly.
Half an hour later and Double was mostly treated. He'd of course need to visit the medical bay when they arrived back, but for now this would have to do.
"Thank you, Commander." He mumbled before turning to face out the shield and stare blankly into the dark water. Poor guy is probably stunned at his past weeks.
"We'll be departing in a few moments. We just have to wait until this lighter spot of the storm reaches us." She coughed and trembled slightly. She knew she was entering early hypothermia and probably hadn't noticed it before due to the heat of the moment. Double noticed her blue lips.
"Do you need anything, Commander?"
"Please, call me Jana for now. And n-no. I'll be fixed up when we get there. I-I'm more concerned for Feedback." They stayed silent, laughter being heard from the delusional Clones in the right wing. Finally, the computer went off, alerting them that it was time to travel with the light spot. Jana began to try the transmissions while Double manned the ship. Surprisingly it worked the first try.
"Young one, where are you? I told you to turn back." Master Plo's image immediately belittled. Double gave Jana a weird look at that line. It surprised him she had come against orders to rescue Clones.
"I'm w-with the m-missing Clones, sir. I-I know you did. I'm s-sorry." Her breathing began to become ragged. Plo Koon immediately knew something had gone wrong and sense a wide range of emotions off his Padawan.
"Jana, I really must insist that we get you warmed up. You're going to go into shock." Double tried to get the girl up, but she refused.
"M-Master, we're on the way back. We'll b-be there soon." She nodded and punched the buttons to transmit the coordinates. She assumed her other attempt to do so in her own ship had failed due to the storm's interference.
"Please, Jana. Listen to the Clone there. We will talk of what has happened today when you arrive back here." Master Plo felt concern for his Padawan but still let the transmission go.
Hours later a Republic ship that months earlier had been stolen arrived at the Kamino factory's landing pads. Three Clones and Jana carried three bodies back indoors, the clones sloppily patched up and two with slings and splints. Jana was enveloped by a large, grimy blanket to help postpone the hypothermia.
Master Plo rushed his frazzled Padawan to the medical bay with the others. While she was treated he went back to the ship and inspected it, sensing the horrors that had occurred. The smell of it called forward memories he had tucked away many moons ago. He was sure his Padawan had a lot to say. He just hoped she would keep saying them.