A/N: Hi everyone! Here's the next chapter, and I hope you like it. The Gungan translations are down at the bottom under the Gaelic, just in case you need help understanding Jar Jar. The next chapter is ready to go, it just needs a re-read from me so I know I'm completely happy with it. Don't know when that's going to be uploaded, but hopefully it'll be soon. In the meantime please read, review, and enjoy!
See you next time!
Separatist takeover complete! Another Republic planet has fallen. Onderon has seceded to the Confederacy of Independent Systems under the rule of a new king. However, a small band of rebels have taken refuge deep within the vast and savage wilderness. From an abandoned outpost, they plot to take back the heavily fortified capital city of Iziz and end the Separatist occupation….
With Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan heading for Onderon to do what they could, along with Rex, other Jedi had gone to Naboo. Adi Gallia went along with Master Plo, Aayla Secura, Ki-Adi Mundi, and Mace Windu. Captain Tarkin had insisted on coming along, and there hadn't really been a chance to make him stay behind. Master Piell hadn't needed him, and the captain had been on leave but hadn't wanted to stay on Coruscant. For some reason, he was feeling more paranoid than usual and had decided to use his leave time to help track down Seeker, even if the Jedi hadn't thought it was a good idea.
And so they had gone to Naboo, without Yoda. Despite the fact Seeker had reached out to him directly and wanted him to go to Naboo, he and the rest of the Council had decided it was likely a trap and he should stay behind. Arriving on Naboo, the Jedi were greeted by the queen Neeyutnee and the governor Sio Bibble. The two Nabooians were glad to welcome the Jedi, with the queen saying, "Welcome, Master Jedi, to Naboo. What brings you here?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Mace said, "We believe the half-Nautolan is here, on Naboo. Have you seen any sign of her?"
"I'm afraid not, Master Jedi," Sio Bibble answered instead of the queen, "We've had no sightings of her since she first showed herself in Theed three years ago. As far as we know, she hasn't been back here. But it is possible the Gungans have seen her more recently. From what your reports say, she isn't someone that seems to like cities. She may be keeping to the more out-of-the-way places on Naboo."
Mace nodded before Ki-Adi asked, "Have you seen creatures like this before?" showing a hologram of Plenty Coup. The two Nabooians were amazed at the sight, but then the queen shook her head, "I'm sorry, Master Mundi, I've never seen a creature like that on Naboo," she paused a moment, "Or anywhere else in the galaxy."
"Seeker was riding a similar one on Jakku," Ki-Adi said as he put the hologram away, "Since we have been led here, we were hoping that perhaps they came from here."
The queen shook her head, "I'm afraid not, Master Mundi. You're welcome to run that image by the scientific community here, but I don't think you will have much success."
Ki-Adi nodded, while Master Plo said, "We were wondering if we could take a quick tour of your planet, Your Majesty, and see if Seeker is here. You have our word we won't disturb anything unnecessarily or cause harm to anything or anyone here."
"If you insist, Master Jedi," the governor said, "We have nothing to hide."
The Jedi bowed their heads in thanks before following the governor and queen to a smaller Naboo ship that was more suited to searching Naboo, with a bridge extending up and above the ship's main body. The Jedi and Tarkin quickly flew off, with the queen and governor exchanging a glance before walking away, sighing in quiet relief that the Jedi hadn't fully sensed they weren't telling the truth about Seeker.
Padmé Amidala wasn't the only Nabooian involved in the Conspiracy.
Leaving Theed behind, the Jedi and Tarkin quickly headed south for the southern swamps and the craggy cliffs where ocean met land. They landed the ship and disembarked, heading for the cliffs. The Force had led them here, and they were curious to see what they could find. Reaching the edge of the cliffs, they looked down onto a pristine beach of white sand half a klick below, and were so amazed at what they saw it took them a few minutes to process it all.
Seeker was indeed there, and with her were more horses like what she had ridden on Jakku. Plenty Coup was there, rolling in the sand and clearly enjoying himself as he stood up and shook the sand off. The black mare, Aineislis, was there as well, limping along as best she could to keep up with the others as they headed into the ocean. Her legs were no longer wrapped, and her black coat gleamed in the sun like polished onyx. As the Jedi watched, a small form suddenly appeared, taking a running start and climbing onto Plenty Coup's back, the stallion not minding as the little one used her ankles and knees to guide him into the water, where he immediately started pawing and making her laugh.
Hearing that laugh, so similar to a friend of theirs, the Jedi took out macrobinoculars and were surprised to see Lorelei there, laughing hard as Plenty Coup got her as wet as possible. He headed deeper into the water until he was swimming, and she still held on. He returned to shore seconds later and walked out of the gentle surf, shaking his head as he did so. Lorelei only reached down and hugged him around the neck, making him reach around and nuzzle her bare foot as he kept walking.
"I don't think I've ever seen her laugh like that," Adi said quietly, "Seeker must have brought her here to take her mind off everything happening at Home Base."
"It's working," Luminara said as they watched, "And those other horses certainly are interesting to look at," she paused a moment, "not to mention rather beautiful. They must come in different breeds and color patterns."
Mace nodded when he heard that as he looked over the animals frolicking in the ocean and running across the sand. There were quite a few, at least ten, and they moved gracefully and powerfully over the sand and through the water. Aside from the black mare Aineislis and Plenty Coup, who was by far the most visually stunning of the animals, eight more were as different as night and day compared to each other. One was a gray mare, her legs black and dark gray and her mane and tail silvery-white. Her body was dappled with gray and white spots all over, and she was beautiful. Her movements were fluid and fast as she charged along the shore, kicking out with her back legs from time to time before skidding to a stop and spinning on her back legs to charge back the way she came. She whinnied when she did so, bucking again, and then raced into the surf and splashed through the waves as fast as she could.
Watching her was a pure white stallion. There wasn't any other color to be seen on him, and his eyes were blue. His muzzle was dark gray, but that was all. He held himself proudly, his long mane almost touching the ground, and his tail was lusciously long and thick. He suddenly broke into a trot, tucking his head in as he did before suddenly leaping into the air and bucking with his hind legs, attempting to catch the eye of Aineislis, who ignored him. He tried again, prancing with his head still tucked, and she snorted and pulled her ears back. He turned to her and tried to get close, but she only reached over and calmly nipped his neck, sending him running. Adi smiled slightly when she saw that; apparently Aineislis didn't like him at all and wasn't impressed by his antics.
Watching the white stallion was another stallion. This one was, next to Plenty Coup, just as stunning. He was a beautiful silver, with light gray spots over his haunches that were barely visible from any distance. His head looked a bit smaller than it was supposed to be compared to the others, with a dished forehead and larger eyes. His nostrils were also larger, and he started trotting suddenly, tucking his head as he did so and raising his tail into the air like a flag. Aineislis was just as unimpressed, and the silver stallion turned his attention to the other mares, but the gray wasn't interested either.
There were only three other mares, a ginger-colored one with a white stripe down her face with a white back hoof, who was just standing there and watching it all, and seeing how she was breathing heavily, the Jedi could only guess there was something wrong with her breathing, but the sea air seemed to be helping. The other mare was predominantly brown but with a white mane and tail. The bottom half of her front legs and the bottom quarter of her back legs were white, as were her hooves. Her face was also white except for her cheeks, with blue eyes, and it looked like she had a saddle of white over her back that went almost around her belly. That saddle didn't include her back legs and haunches, and as the Jedi watched, she also nipped the silver stallion to get him to leave her alone.
The brown and white mare then turned to the stallion next to her, a light tan animal with a black mane and tail and black on his legs and muzzle. He also had a black stripe running down his back to his tail, and he watched the other stallions carefully to make sure they didn't come close to his mare. Nearby was another mare that was pale gold, with a white mane and tail and white down her face. She seemed to be the oldest of the group since she stayed near the copper mare and kept the stallions from bothering her. At the same time, the tan stallion also kept the others away.
The last stallion was as black as Aineislis, but the only difference was the white mark on his forehead in the shape of a perfect triangle and one white hoof on his back leg. He also stayed near the copper mare, and it was clear they were protecting her from the antics of the others that may be a bit too rough.
Movement from Seeker caught their eye, and they turned their macrobinoculars to watch as she walked along the cliff side, looking up and down for something. Her keen eyes explored every inch of the cliff face, and after a few minutes, she stopped and looked directly up at something at least five meters off the ground. Seeing how she was staring, the Jedi focused on that spot but saw nothing that would have her attention so completely. All that was there were air plants that didn't need much water and were securely fastened to the cliffside. But something there had her interest, which became clear when she looked over her shoulder at the horses playing in the waves. Seeing that Lorelei was still on Plenty Coup and having a lot of fun as the stallion took her swimming again, Seeker turned back to the cliff and looked up again. Whether or not she saw the Jedi or even cared they were there was impossible to say, but finally, she shook her head and looked over her shoulder again and whistled.
It was a short, sharp whistle that all the horses ignored, except for one the Jedi hadn't noticed yet. How that was possible was hard to say, because he was massive. Easily twice the size of Aineislis, who they thought was the tallest one there, this horse was more heavily built and was huge. A heavy, powerful head and strong, powerful legs flowed into a large body, and his hooves left massive impressions where he walked. His legs were white, and there was a blaze of white down his face. His body, mane, and tail were black, with long, white hair flowing down his legs and thick hair under his chin that looked a bit like a beard.
He walked over to Seeker calmly, shaking his head when he got there and just standing quietly as she turned to him. She reached up, because he was much taller than her, and pet his forehead before reaching under and grabbing the hair under his chin. He let himself be led that way, and once he was parallel to the cliff, he just stood there, not moving. Seeker pet his head again before walking to his left side and stroking his shoulder. After a few seconds, she grabbed his mane and hauled herself onto his back, which was no easy feat because of how tall he was. It took several moments of straining and near-climbing on her part, but finally she was sitting on his back and breathing heavily from the effort of climbing up there.
The horse just stood there, not moving, as Seeker caught her breath. Once she had, she looked up at the cliff, then reached forward and held on tightly as she carefully stood on the animal's back, taking a few careful steps back to his haunches and standing there. It made sense to the Jedi because that was easily the widest part of the animal, and they watched as she reached up and started climbing up the cliff. Once he no longer felt her weight on him, the horse turned to look but stayed where he was. Seeker didn't notice; she was too focused on climbing the cliff. After a few minutes, she reached what she was looking for, an air plant firmly attached to the wall. She didn't pull it out, as they thought she was going to do, and instead her hand disappeared into the cliff itself. She put it in all the way to her shoulder, feeling around for whatever she was looking for, eyes half-shut in concentration.
"What is she doing?" Tarkin asked suddenly, breaking the silence, but before anyone could answer, Seeker was moving again, pulling her arm out with a look of triumph on her face since she had apparently found what she was looking for. After a few seconds of staring at some strange moss in her hand, she started climbing back down, again using the horse to get down. The horse only stood there as she climbed down from his back, letting her hang from his mane for a few seconds as she oriented herself and let go.
She hit the ground with a gentle thump and was then petting his head in thanks. He only shook his head again before following her to where Aineislis was standing. The black mare looked at her before looking at the ocean again, wanting to get out there. She took a limping step forward but stopped when the sand became uneven. Seeker only shook her head and gently grasped the mare's chin, and with some quiet encouragement, she led the mare into the water, not minding her boots getting wet. The mare went hesitantly, but once in the water it was clear it felt good on her legs as she started pawing the water with her wounded left leg, getting them both wet. Seeker only stood there and waited it out and a few minutes later, led Aineislis out of the water.
The mare was moving a bit more comfortably now, and then Seeker bent down and started working on the moss between two rocks. Aineislis bent her head down to watch, and after a few minutes, the moss was ready and she was offering it to the mare. Aineislis ate it willingly, and apparently it didn't taste that bad because she swallowed it easily enough.
But seconds later she was recoiling in pain, and the Jedi were shocked to see a ball of light moving down her neck and to her shoulders. From there it went to her wounded leg, where it stayed. Aineislis snorted before letting out a whinny so sharp it was like a whistle, shaking her leg to try and get the pain to go away. She refused to put weight on it as she licked it, hopping on three legs into the water to try and numb the pain that way. Apparently that didn't work either, because she let out a hoarse whinny, almost like a bellow, but then it was over. From one second to the next the pain went away, and she looked down at her leg in surprise as she walked out of the water.
Walked, not limped, out of the water.
Her leg stayed strong and supported her weight, and as she moved there was no trace of a limp to be found. She pawed the sand carefully before walking forward a few steps, and once that proved it didn't hurt, she tried trotting. She tried a few strides before stopping, reaching down and nosing her bad leg. But nothing bad happened, and seconds later she was taking off running down the beach as Seeker stood up and smiled at the sight. Aineislis didn't notice, whinnying in sheer joy and happiness as she ran fast and free, before suddenly wheeling around and racing back the way she came. Her stride was long and her movements graceful, her nose up in the air and proud. She headed straight for Seeker, and just before she would have run the half-Nautolan over, she skidded to a stop and reared onto her back legs, whinnying in joy again. She came down and shook her head before pushing it into Seeker, clearly thanking her in her own way. Seeker only smiled and hugged the mare's neck, but Aineislis didn't stay still long enough for that. She yanked herself free and took off into the water, heading out into deep water to swim before coming back to shore.
The other horses had been watching as well, and once she came back to shore they crowded around, nuzzling and nickering, clearly talking to each other. Plenty Coup came close and shouldered his way through the crowd, Aineislis pushing her head under his as he sighed in relief. After a few minutes, he rested his head on her back, where it stayed for a few moments as Lorelei pet the mare's head. Aineislis was clearly enjoying the attention because she nuzzled the girl, letting her know she was okay. As this was happening, the ginger mare and black stallion stayed back, and Seeker turned to them. She still had some moss, which she approached the ginger with. The mare looked at her before suddenly wheezing and letting out what must have been a cough, and Seeker's face became sympathetic.
The half-Nautolan held out the moss, and after a few moments of hesitation, the mare took it and ate it. As with Aineislis, there were a few moments of pain, and the light appeared again, but it stayed in her neck and chest. After those moments, the pain and light faded, and the mare's breathing was markedly better. She took in a deep breath, seemingly for the first time in a long while, and then let it out, and her eyes became wide when it became clear she was actually breathing better than she had in the past. She shook her head and let out a whinny, clearly excited about what this could mean. She suddenly took off running, racing down the beach with the black stallion on her heels, and the other horses looked up and watched as she ran as hard and as fast as she could. She slowed for a few strides to turn around and then was racing back, the sun catching her coat and giving it a beautiful sheen. The mare let out a buck and a whinny, and Lorelei smiled and laughed at the sight of the ginger animal finally running fast.
Up on the cliffs, the Jedi and captain were surprised to see such a thing, with Mace asking quietly, "Did you feel how strong the Force was just then? That moss was completely made of the Force and healed them."
The other Jedi nodded, while Tarkin said, "We should get down there and bring them into custody. They've had their fun, and there is no way for them to escape," since the beach was surrounded on all sides by cliff and there was no way the horses could get away.
"She got them there somehow," Master Mundi said, "She must have a way to get them out."
"Let's not find out," Tarkin urged, looking around for a trail or something that could get them down to the beach. But there wasn't one, not that they could see, but there was another whistle below them just then. Turning back to Seeker, Lorelei, and the horses, they saw that Aineislis was now wearing a bridle and Seeker was mounting the animal. Aineislis stood still long enough for the half-Nautolan to mount but then took off running for a few strides before Seeker could bring her under some semblance of control, although she kept prancing and refused to stay still. Seeker then looked around, making sure she had all her animals. Lorelei was still on Plenty Coup, and after seeing her nod, Seeker led them into the water, the horses now staying close to each other. They were close to the far side of the cliff wall, and those cliffs went straight into the water. But that wasn't a problem for Seeker or the horses, and apparently the water wasn't that deep because they walked around the side of the cliff and disappeared from sight. Once they were gone, Mace turned to the others and said, "We'll have to get some speeder bikes if we want to follow them now. Those animals are built for speed more than anything else. They won't be easy to capture."
"Especially since we don't know where they will appear next," Adi said, but Aayla suddenly said, "They're grazers, right?" at the nods from everyone else, she asked, "Maybe they'll head out onto the grasslands near here for grazing? The animals will be able to run a bit more there too."
The others seemed to think that was the best idea so far, "It's likely our best shot of finding them," Mace said, "Let's head to the town we passed on our way here and see if we can borrow some bikes. Hopefully, you are right, Master Secura, and they are heading out to graze the animals. That may make it a bit easier."
They all nodded and returned to the ship, taking off and circling for a few moments, but the horses, Seeker and Lorelei, seemed to have disappeared from the area. Finally, they gave up and headed for that town, wondering what they would find when they came back.
A few hours later, Seeker was actually enjoying herself. It had been quite a while since she had had the chance to truly relax and enjoy herself, and she was glad she had brought Lorelei with her. The horses knew something was wrong and were using everything they knew about playing to cheer her up. Plenty Coup was being incredibly tolerant of her and letting her have her way, more so than usual. Seeing this, Seeker couldn't help but feel a bit sad.
Lorelei should be doing this with her father, not her.
But there was no denying she was having fun, and that was the important part, Seeker knew, as she kept an eye out for anything out of place. They were completely exposed out here, and the horses were such a strange sight and had never been seen before she was worried about someone seeing them and reporting them to the Jedi. She knew they were there and were looking for her, but hopefully they would be careful when they realized Lorelei was with her.
Despite her opinions regarding the Jedi, she knew they wouldn't hurt Kit's daughter.
That was tested when the Force suddenly surged in warning, and she whipped her head around to the north. At first, there was nothing, but suddenly her keen eyes picked out small dots heading toward her and the horses at breakneck speed. Realizing it could only mean one thing, she called out, "Plenty Coup!"
The stallion's head shot up from where he had been grazing, ears forward, and immediately saw what she saw. He whinnied suddenly before rearing, and the Jedi were just able to see Lorelei's tiny form holding tight to the stallion, and for a second they feared she would fall. But she held on tight as the stallion spun around and ran around the animals, herding them into a tight group before pushing them forward since they had been peacefully grazing on the long grass only moments before. The horses immediately took off running, Plenty Coup nipping at their heels and pushing them on to greater speeds. Seeing this, Mace called over the wind, "Keep clear of Lorelei and her horse! I don't want her getting hurt!"
The others could agree with that easily enough and kept after the horses as Seeker and Aineislis ran apart from the herd. Plenty Coup stayed near the back, and as Ki-Adi approached him, Lorelei looked down and behind at him. She stared at him for a few moments before looking back up, holding on tightly to Plenty Coup's mane and with her knees. Plenty Coup saw the speeder and suddenly let out a buck, not breaking stride, and forced Ki-Adi to fall back if he didn't want to crash. The stallion pinned his ears then and whinnied, catching Seeker's attention. The half-Nautolan looked up from where she and Aineislis were dealing with Tarkin, her eyes widening at what she saw.
"Lorelei!" she called, and the girl looked over at her, "Faigh soilleir! Rach gu Phantom!" knowing that Plenty Coup, as lead stallion, would stay in the back to protect their flank and Lorelei could get hurt or captured if the Jedi got too close.
Lorelei didn't like it but nodded. She gave Plenty Coup a kick in the sides and the stallion went a bit faster, catching up with the brown and white mare in the back. As soon as they were side-by-side, Lorelei reached out, and that was when Adi called, "Don't do it! It's too dangerous!"
Whether or not Lorelei heard her was a moot point because the girl grabbed the mare's mane and pulled herself onto her back while they were still running. Once free of Lorelei, Plenty Coup dropped back and drove the herd forward with his calls and snorts. At the same time, Aineislis and Seeker kept Tarkin from getting too close to the herd, Aineislis lashing out with teeth and hooves whenever he tried. Lorelei only encouraged the mare forward, asking for more and more speed, until finally they were close to the massive horse in the front. Despite his size, he was as fast as Aineislis, and the sound of just his hooves hitting the ground was like an earthquake. With all of them running at once, the ground was literally shaking, and they weren't interested in slowing.
Lorelei knew this and looked up at the horse's back, calculating what she would need to do to get on the massive stallion. The stallion kept running, and was so large that the brown and white mare could barely reach the start of his neck. She was tiny compared to him, leaving Lorelei with the difficult task of climbing onto his back when she couldn't reach it. But she could reach his mane, and the Jedi could only watch as she reached up and grabbed his mane with both hands, pulling herself up to his back. As soon as she was away from the mare, the mare dropped back, clearly unable to maintain that speed, leaving Lorelei hanging from the stallion's mane at such a speed she would be killed if she lost her grip.
Seeing this, Aayla decided to take a risk and get as close as she could to the herd, but suddenly the white stallion lashed out at her with teeth bared as he galloped, and she swerved away. At the same time, the silver stallion gave her speeder a kick, not enough to make her lose control, but enough that she had to pull away and regroup.
Lorelei didn't notice, and as they watched she started pulling herself onto the stallion's back, but it wasn't enough. She was too small and couldn't get her footing on the animal's side to climb on. Adi tried to get in close, but just then something amazing happened.
The massive horse, while still running, turned his head back and put his nose under Lorelei's feet. He pushed her up with his nose, giving her the support she needed to get on his back. Seconds later, she was on and holding on tightly to his mane, and he was facing forward again and racing on. Now that she was settled, Lorelei relaxed for a few moments while she caught her breath, leaving Seeker to call out, "Lorelei! Rach don t-soitheach! Abair riutha falbh agus faighinn chun àite coinneimh!"
Lorelei looked over at her and stared for a few minutes before nodding, and seconds later, the herd was heading for the forest to the west of them. The animals charged forward, but there was no trail. That didn't stop them, though; they leaped over fallen branches and trees and disappeared into the forest.
All except one.
Reaching the cargo ship that had brought the horses to Naboo and was carefully hidden in a mountain's valley near the plains where the horses had been grazing, the horses were quick to get on board. The ship immediately took off and headed for the atmosphere, quickly flying through it and entering space before jumping into hyperspace.
Lorelei headed straight for the bridge after climbing down from the massive horse, saying, "Tapadh leibh, a Phantom," before heading for the bridge where Koryo was engaging the autopilot. Behind her, others were taking care of the horses and cooling them down after such a hard run, and the animals were enjoying the attention immensely. Once Koryo was done, he turned to her and she climbed into his lap, catching her breath.
She looked up at him then, and he smiled and said, "Na gabh dragh mu dheidhinn Seeker, Lorelei. Tha fios againn le chèile gu bheil slighe aice far Naboo nach fhaic an Jedi a' tighinn. Bidh i dhachaigh mus bi fios agad air."
Lorelei nodded and looked out the viewports, hoping he was right and that Seeker would be okay.
Jedi form rebel alliance! Led by Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi have trained a band of rebels to fight the Separatists on the planet Onderon. With the help of the Jedi, the rebels escaped capture and infiltrated the heavily fortified city of Iziz. Now our heroes have launched an armed campaign to subvert the Separatist occupation of the planet. The Jedi Council continue to observe and advise as the rebels strive to gain momentum against the Separatist forces. Despite the absence of civilian casualties, public fear has ensued as reports of the rebels' daring strikes circulate throughout the city….
Aineislis hadn't followed the herd and was still heading south, and the Jedi were left with no option but to follow her since their bikes weren't capable of going into the forest. Seeker rode her well, the animal seeming to fly over the ground. Now that she wasn't restricted by the confines of the beach and cliffs or the beating hot sun of the desert, she was sprinting fast over the ground. Looking down at the readings on her bike Aayla was surprised to see she was reaching speeds close to 90 kilometers. Looking over at the others, they were also surprised to see her running that fast, with no signs of tiring or slowing.
Whatever that moss had done to her leg, it must have also helped her breathing because she was clearly not getting tired. She sprinted with her nose up in the air, Seeker riding her well, as they came close to the southern swamps of Naboo. Jar Jar had suddenly joined them on his speeder, asked there by the queen, but so far, his usual clumsiness hadn't gotten in the way. But once he saw where they were going, he called out suddenly, "Wesa shouldn't goen dis way! It'sa bad news!"
Hearing that didn't stop the Jedi or Tarkin, but apparently, it stopped Seeker because she suddenly pulled back on the reins and Aineislis skidded to a stop, rearing onto her back legs as she did so. The Jedi flew past her, unprepared for such an unexpected stop, and kept going before they also skidded to a stop. They stayed where they were, making a line between the southern swamps and Seeker. Seeker coaxed Aineislis back onto the ground and a few seconds later turned and ran back the way they came for a few strides before suddenly the horse cut to the left and started running parallel to a small ravine between her and the swamp. The Jedi exchanged glances before following her, and minutes later, she was heading Aineislis straight for the ravine. The horse didn't stop or slow, seeing the ravine and pinning her ears back even more, and that was when Mace called, "Don't do it!"
Seeker ignored him completely, and the Jedi were amazed to see Aineislis gather herself and leap into the air. She jumped clear over the ravine, which was easily five meters, and kept going. They disappeared into the forest beyond, leaving those they left behind surprised before Mace said, "I wasn't expecting that."
"Those legs are clearly meant for running and jumping," Ki-Adi said as he got off his bike, along with the others. Jar Jar came over then, accidentally tripping over his own feet before getting sorted, and that was when Mace turned to the Gungan and asked, "What did you mean when we shouldn't go this way? That didn't stop Seeker."
"Heh heh," Jar Jar said somewhat bashfully before saying, "Shesa doesn't know da tale-o abouten dat stickgooshy. It'sa haunted."
"Haunted?" Luminara asked, trying to hold in a laugh. That was the last thing she would have expected from the Gungan.
"Oh, yesa, tis," Jar Jar said seriously, nodding his head at the line of dark trees that marked the start of the swamp, "Weird sounds un strange sights. Mesa cousin saw sumptin strange in dare. Hesa got a bit of video, boot it'sa strange. See per yousa-self," taking out a holoprojector and activating it.
The holovideo that was shown showed nothing but trees at first, but then laughter was heard. It was the laughter of a young girl, and as they watched, the back of her suddenly appeared. She didn't turn around and was too far away to make out her features all that well, and that was when a Gungan voice called, "Wait! Combackie hair!"
The girl didn't listen and took off running, but suddenly she was gone. From one second to the next, she was just gone, and that was when the recording ended and Jar Jar said, "Wesa do notsa comen hair now. Dat stickgooshy is strange. Mui mui strange."
The Jedi weren't all that believing in a place being haunted. However, after what they had seen on Glee Anselm, it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. But Mace still had to say, "That's impossible, Representative Binks. How can a swamp be haunted? And more importantly, where did Seeker go?"
"Mesa notsa goen in dare ta find out," Jar Jar said emphatically, "Yousa can goen by yousa-self," clearly not feeling that brave.
The Jedi exchanged amused glances before turning back to the swamp, but suddenly Aayla asked, "Is there a way to mark the coordinates where that girl disappeared, Jar Jar? Perhaps finding that place will help us find Seeker," turning to the Gungan, who nodded and did so. They were heading into the swamp a few minutes later, without Jar Jar. Because the ravine was too large for the bikes to successfully cross over, they had to leave them behind and jump over, Tarkin staying behind as well. The Jedi went into the swamp then and followed the map straight to the coordinates keeping an eye out for Seeker as they did so, but she had disappeared entirely.
Adi was watching everything closely, and sudden movement had her looking more carefully at something to the west. Turning back to the others, she saw they were focused entirely on the map. Deciding it would only take a few minutes, she slipped away from the group, following the movement she had seen to see where it led to and what might be there. The others didn't notice she had gone, mostly because she had been trailing them the entire time and still hadn't noticed a few hours later when they finally reached the spot where the girl had disappeared. Looking around the small clearing, they didn't find anything at first. But suddenly, Aayla tripped on a root but quickly regained her footing. When she did so, a rock skittered forward a few paces before hitting something that sounded metallic, which caught everyone's attention.
They came over and saw that the rock had hit a metal cover buried in the mud. Clearing the mud away, they were able to open the cover and shine a flashlight down into a dark tunnel. Mace hopped down into the tunnel, lightsaber ready, but there was no danger. He looked around before looking up and saying, "It's a tunnel. There's no way to tell where it's going or coming from. Toss down the mapper."
Aayla did so, but after a few minutes, Mace shook his head and said, "This tunnel is made of the same metal as Home Base; the kind that blocks radio frequencies and mapping. It won't let the mapper show where it goes or comes from," he climbed out of the tunnel then and said, "At least this explains where that girl disappeared to. She must have known the tunnel was there and decided to have some fun at the Gungan's expense."
"We should get back and put Jar Jar's mind at ease," Aayla said with a smile, "He'll be relieved to know the swamp isn't haunted."
"I wonder where that tunnel goes?" Luminara said as they started heading back north to get back to Tarkin, Jar Jar, and the bikes, "It must go and come from somewhere."
"I don't think we're going to find out that answer today," Master Plo said as they walked, "We still haven't figured out where Seeker went in this swamp. She and that horse just disappeared. There isn't even a trail to follow," as the mud and dirt of the swamp had covered up any trace of them as they ran.
The others nodded, and the rest of the journey was made in silence. Once out of the swamp about an hour later, Aayla said to Jar Jar, "Never fear, Jar Jar, the swamp isn't haunted. That girl your cousin saw found a tunnel and used it to disappear."
"Oie Boie!" Jar Jar said, "Dast a relief. Mesa cousin will besa glad ta know hesa wasn't goen loconut."
The Jedi smiled when they heard that, but seconds later, Tarkin asked, "Where's General Gallia? Didn't she go with you?"
The Jedi looked around before Mace activated his comlink, "Master Gallia, come in!" nothing but static greeted his words, and he tried again, "Master Gallia, do you read me?"
Again there was nothing but static, and then Jar Jar asked, "Yousa still surr da swampers isn't haunted?" once again sounding scared.
The Jedi looked at each other before Aayla said, "Seeker had Master Fisto's lightsaber with her today. Maybe we should see what it saw a few hours ago?"
Mace nodded and activated the holoprojector he carried, setting the timing back to a few hours before. The bug in Kit's lightsaber was going strong, showing Seeker and Aineislis in a cargo hold. Seeker was removing Aineislis' bridle and replacing it with a rope halter before washing down the mare, cooling her down after such an exhausting run. After a few minutes, she said, "You did well today, Aineislis, and your leg is good as new," rubbing a hand down the leg in question, "I'll still wrap them today after I wash you off, but I don't think you'll ever have any problems with it again."
Aineislis bobbed her head and nickered, pushing Seeker's arm and demanding attention. Seeker gave it willingly, but then her head cocked ever-so-slightly. Seeing that, Aayla said, "She knows something."
Seconds later, Adi Gallia suddenly appeared on the walkway above Seeker and Aineislis, jumping down with her lightsaber ignited and ready, aiming for Seeker's back. But Seeker knew she was there and spun around faster than lightning. Seconds later, it was done and Adi was lying unconscious on the ground, her lightsaber falling from her limp hand as she was held up by Seeker. The half-Nautolan was staring at her with a bemused expression, then said, "Ten points for creativity. Minus ten points for stealth, Master Jedi," before reaching out with her hand and resting it on Adi's forehead, sending the Tholothian into a deeper sleep. Her hand then trailed gently down Adi's face to her lightsaber, which Seeker put back on her belt.
Aineislis was watching all this with curiosity, turning her head and sniffing Adi's head for a few moments before nudging her head. That was all she did before snorting slightly and looking up as Seeker called, "Ventress!"
Ventress appeared quickly and upon seeing Adi said, "What is she doing here?"
Seeker picked Adi up easily enough and said, "We have ourselves a stowaway."
"Want me to jettison her into space?" Ventress asked, leaving those watching to exchange glances while Mace narrowed his eyes. Seeker also narrowed her eyes, and Ventress quickly backed off and said, "I was kidding."
"Your sense of humor leaves something to be desired, Ventress," was all Seeker said on the subject before walking over to the ladder that led up out of the cargo hold and to where Ventress was standing. Ventress reached down the ladder and quickly pulled Adi up to her, with Seeker saying, "If you could put her in my quarters, for now, that would be great. She won't wake up for a few hours, and we have places to be."
Ventress picked Adi up and then asked, "We aren't taking her to Home Base, are we?"
"That might be what she was planning on happening," Seeker said with a touch of sarcasm, "But we won't do that. We're heading to some friends that can get her back to the Temple. She won't be taking a trip to Home Base today."
Ventress nodded and left the cargo area, still carrying Adi, and the door shut behind them. Once they were gone, Seeker shook her head and turned her attention back to Aineislis, taking some water and washing her down so she would cool off. After that, she dried the mare as quickly as possible and set up a fan near the mare to help her cool down more before wrapping her legs. Seeing that, Ventress, who had come back by then, asked, "Why put a fan on?"
"She's cooling off now," Seeker said, "Which means she still has to drop her body temperature back to normal. The fan will help with that and help her relax. It will tell her body that she's done and can relax. We do have to wait about an hour to feed her. She can have as much water as she wants now, though," taking up a bucket and letting the mare drink until she was done before taking it away, "If she eats too much too soon, she'll colic. When that happens, it can be fatal."
Finally finished with Aineislis, Seeker turned to Ventress, who said, "I put the Jedi in your quarters. Spitz is working on the hyperdrive, and then we can get out of here. He knows where you want to go?"
"Yep," Seeker said, "He usually does. What's wrong with the hyperdrive?" as they left Aineislis to relax and headed up the ladder.
Ventress shrugged, "Don't know. Ask Chopper. Spitz was grumbling under his breath about how Chopper never does anything right."
Seeker snorted when she heard that, "That droid is the definition of lazy, and we all regret it when he decides the half-assed job he does is 'good enough.' I think I'll leave Spitz alone for now. We'll get going soon enough."
Ventress shrugged and left her, saying, "I'm going to find something to eat," as she walked away, while Seeker shook her head and headed for the bridge, passing through the common room where they had worked on Kit when they had retrieved him from the cruiser those months ago. Seeing it brought back unpleasant memories for the Jedi; thankfully, Seeker didn't stop. She kept moving and headed for the bridge. But just before she got there, she suddenly turned left into a room that was clearly her quarters. There were two bunks against the far wall, and her med packs were stacked neatly against another wall. Against the wall opposite them was a desk with quite a few data cards and other bits and pieces on it.
Lying on the bed was Adi Gallia, half on her side and half on her back, and it was clear Ventress hadn't made much effort to make her comfortable. Seeing this, Seeker shook her head with a slight smile before walking over and gently grabbing Adi's arm. Her left hand went under Adi's head, and a few seconds later, she was moving the Jedi Master farther up onto the bed where a pillow was. She settled Adi then, the Tholothian's head on the pillow, then reached for a blanket folded against the far wall. That went over Adi's body, and the Jedi Master shifted suddenly and started to wake up.
Seeing this, Seeker immediately reached out and rested her hand on Adi's forehead, sending her conscience as deeply under as she could. Adi's eyes shut as her body relaxed as she was sent much more deeply than a Jedi could ever send her. Seeker's hand stayed where it was a few moments longer before she finally removed it. Her hand then went to the side of Adi's head, where it rested for a few seconds before Seeker straightened. Her left hand slid out from under Adi's head, then she was looking down on the unconscious Jedi. She stared at Adi for several minutes before finally shaking her head and turning to leave, and then suddenly, the feed went dead.
Mace scrambled with the frequencies for a few minutes before shaking his head and saying, "They're out of range of us. R6 must not be with them. We'll have to wait until they're back in range of a relay station or a cruiser."
"Hopefully, they don't hurt General Gallia in that time," Tarkin said, but surprisingly it was Jar Jar that said, "Dat half-Nautolan likes shesa. Yousa could tell. Shesa isn't ganna ouch-ed shesa, or let da witch ouch-ed shesa either."
The Jedi looked at Jar Jar before Luminara said, "Representative Binks is right. Seeker has never done anything to hurt Master Gallia in the past, not intentionally," all of them remembering the incident on Grievous' juggernaut, "I think it's safe to assume that she has a way to get Master Gallia back to us that won't hurt her. We just need to wait."
"I hope you're right, General," Tarkin said, "Otherwise, the Chancellor will be very displeased about this. Seeker may save General Gallia, but that doesn't excuse everything else she has done."
"We still don't know why she is doing the things she is doing," Master Plo said as they started getting on their bikes, programming Master Gallia's to follow theirs as he said this, "All we know for sure is that she has decided to protect Master Gallia, which means she should be safe with Seeker for now. Let's get back to the Temple. Perhaps by then, they'll be back in range of a relay station, and we can better understand what Seeker's plan is."
The others nodded and headed back to the town they had gotten the speeder bikes from, waving goodbye to Jar Jar as he veered away to head home. Once they were back in the town they retrieved the ship and returned to Theed, quickly explaining everything to the queen and governor before leaving for Coruscant. The queen and governor were disturbed by the news and wished them luck finding Adi, and then they were on their way. Reaching Coruscant quickly, they went straight to the communication center where Yoda and Saessee Tiin were waiting. Seeing them, Yoda asked, "Learn anything you did?" before looking more closely and asking, "Return with you, Master Gallia did not?"
"No, Master," Mace said, "She found Seeker's ship and stowed away. And Seeker knew she was there the entire time. We were about to check the feed and see if they're back in range of a relay station or cruiser so that we can know what is going on and what to expect."
Yoda nodded slowly while Master Tiin immediately started checking the feeds. A few moments later, he smiled slightly and said, "They're in range of a relay station again. Let's see what's happening."
They gathered around the holotable as an image of Ventress, Seeker, and Spitz appeared. Seeker was sitting in the copilot's seat with Ventress in the seat behind her, Spitz piloting the ship down for a landing. As he did this, he said, "I don't like this. Are you sure you want me to stay here?"
"It'll be fine, Spitz," Seeker said, "We need to get Adi Gallia back to the Temple, and this is the best way I could think of. We can't just leave her at the Temple's front door and expect to get away clean."
"They could hurt her," Spitz said as he activated the landing gear, but Seeker wasn't convinced and said, "No, they won't. She'll be fine."
Hearing Spitz's concern didn't make the Jedi watching feel any better, especially Anakin and Obi-Wan as they joined those watching, but there was nothing they could do as the clone finished landing the ship. Once he had shut everything down, Spitz turned to Seeker and nodded, and that was when Seeker said, "Don't come out, no matter what happens. This shouldn't take long."
The two with her only nodded as she stood up and left the bridge, arriving outside the ship a few minutes later as a familiar figure approached, leaving Anakin and Obi-Wan to look at each other and say, "Hondo," as the Weequay pirate appeared. He was followed by a few others and said as soon as they were close enough, "Hello, hello, and welcome to Florrum," extending his arms in greeting.
Seeker raised an eyebrow and said, "And what's left of your base. It looks like a tornado hit it, Hondo. You decide to do a bit of redecorating?"
"Of course not," Hondo said, sounding offended, "It's always looked like this."
"Hmmm," was all Seeker said on the subject before saying, "I got a job for you, and I'm willing to pay you a lot for it."
"I know," Hondo said, "The down payment you sent convinced me to come out and hear you out. And your jobs are usually good, and the transactions never bounce. So what do you need me to do?"
Seeker cocked her head and said, "I need you to deliver something for me. Do it, and you get more than I've already given you."
The Jedi exchanged glances when they heard that, but Hondo was intrigued enough to ask, "What am I delivering that is worth that much? And where am I delivering it to?"
Seeker didn't say anything for a few moments before saying, "Wait here," and heading back into the ship. Ventress was waiting just inside the cargo hold, carrying Master Gallia, and passed her over quickly enough. Seeker was a bit more gentle than Ventress, shifting her grip so she was carrying the Tholothian comfortably, and then headed back down the ramp to Hondo. Seeing Adi, Hondo asked, "She's a Jedi, right?"
Seeker nodded, "The same one that fought the two Sith here about a year ago. I need you to get her to the Temple on Coruscant," Hondo looked up when he heard that, but before he could protest, she added, "You know the Jedi won't shoot you down or stop you from leaving after you deliver her. Do this, and you get another ten from me. Bring her to the Temple alive and unspoiled, you get another five. And we both know I'm good for it."
Hondo nodded thoughtfully before asking, "Is there a deadline for this?"
"As soon as possible," Seeker said. Hondo stared at Adi for a few moments before nodding, "Alright, I've always wanted to see Coruscant from the Jedi Temple. Should be an interesting view," reaching out and taking Adi from Seeker, being much more gentle than the Jedi thought he would be.
Once Adi was settled in his arms, Seeker reached out and rested a hand on Adi's forehead, saying, "She won't wake up on the journey," she looked up then and stared at Hondo, "If something happens to her, you don't get your money, and I will know if something happens. Understand?"
Hondo nodded, but suddenly the image started to cut in and out, and the feed went dead. Anakin immediately started trying to get it back with the help of Master Tiin, but minutes later they looked up and Anakin said, "The relay station near Florrum was either destroyed or is experiencing technical issues. We've lost the feed."
"And now we don't know what is happening," Mace said quietly as he turned to Yoda. The diminutive Jedi shut his eyes as he thought before opening them and asking, "Journey between Coruscant and Florrum, how long is it?"
Anakin glanced at Obi-Wan before saying, "96 hours, Master. About four days. This was recorded two days ago."
"Get there in time to help Master Gallia; we will not," Yoda said softly, "In the hands of Seeker and the pirates, her fate is."
"We have to do something!" Anakin exclaimed, "We can't just leave her at the mercy of those pirates!"
"Seeker has made it clear many times in the past that she protects Master Gallia," Luminara said calmly, "I think we can safely assume that she trusts Hondo and his pirates to get her here safely."
"We must be patient, Master Skywalker," Ki-Adi said softly, "And trust in Master Gallia."
"We'll know in a few days if Hondo keeps his word," Obi-Wan said, "Hopefully, his greed will be enough that he will do as he promised. As far as pirates go, he is one of the more honorable ones. I think he'll do what he promised and get Master Gallia here safely."
Anakin shook his head, but there was nothing else he or anyone else could do but hope that Hondo would keep his word and Seeker hadn't made a mistake in trusting him.
Two days later, Hondo's ship, the Acushnet, suddenly appeared in Coruscant space. The spherical ship had a much smaller transport ship of the same design, but it was easier to land. So while the Acushnet stayed in space, the transport ship headed down to the planet's surface. Having already made contact with the Temple and been given permission to land, the ship soon touched down on the Temple's launch platform. Rig Nema, Mace, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Master Plo, and Yoda were waiting to meet it. There were also a few medical droids and a stretcher waiting.
They watched as it came in for a landing, and once it was settled, the boarding ramp was dropped and the blast doors opened. Hondo was there, and he signaled his men to wait on the ship as he went down to the Jedi. He was carrying something, and as he came into the light, the Jedi could see it was Master Gallia. Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance at the sight of her still unconscious, but there was no time to do anything else as Hondo came closer. Once he was in front of them, he said, "I was asked to deliver her to you, unharmed, and here she is."
"Our thanks, Hondo," Obi-Wan said as Rig Nema came forward with the stretcher and Hondo lay Adi on it. Rig quickly checked the Tholothian over, lifting her eyelids for a moment to see that her eyes were almost rolled back into her head, showing she was deeply unconscious. Seeing this Rig shook her head, and that was when Hondo said, "I was also told to tell you she will have a massive headache for a few days and should be kept in a room with low light and no sounds."
Hearing that, Rig looked up before nodding and guiding the stretcher away to bring Adi to the med center. After they were gone, Mace turned to Hondo, staring at the pirate for a few moments and making him uncomfortable before he said, "Look, I don't know how to find that half-Nautolan, if that's what you want to know. She comes to me for odd courier jobs, like this one, and pays me good money not to ask too many questions."
"How much were you paid for this one?" Anakin asked, and Hondo grinned, "Easiest 20 million I ever made, Skywalker."
The Jedi were shocked to hear that, with Mace asking, "You were paid 20 million credits to deliver Master Gallia here?"
Hondo nodded, and Obi-Wan asked, "Where did that money come from?"
"Untraceable accounts belonging to dead-end banks and nonexistent corporations," Hondo said, "Whoever she is, she's got resources and plenty of 'em and knows how to hide her money so that no one can take it or steal it. Or find out where it's coming from. As for me, I didn't bother to write down the names of any of those corporations, so don't ask. All I care about is that the money's good and the jobs are easy. I got no idea where she comes from or where she goes, but as long as that money keeps flowing when she's got easy jobs, that works for me. Those are the right kind of paydays."
Hearing that didn't exactly bolster the Jedi's confidence about finding where Seeker was coming from or where she had the financial means for such transactions, but then Anakin decided to ask, "Ever heard of the Fisto brothers, Hondo? They must come around your corner of the galaxy every once and a while."
Hondo glanced at him before saying, "I've heard of 'em, Skywalker, and I prefer to keep it that way. I don't bother them as long as they don't bother me. I keep to the Sertar sector unless money coaxes me away; they keep to the rest of the Outer Rim. Rumor is that they're much worse than people think they are. One of them is a pirate, but he prefers to work alone," he looked at Obi-Wan, "Why are you asking about them? The Jedi have never had anything to do with the brothers before. Those brothers did an excellent job of staying below your radar. What makes you want to find them now?"
"We recently learned that Kit Fisto, one of our own, is one of the brothers," Mace said, "He's missing after being injured on his cruiser and Seeker coming to get him, and we thought you might know how to find him or his brothers."
"Sorry, Master Jedi," Hondo said as he shook his head, "Can't help you. No one knows where they come from or where they go either. But if you can find a Dark tavern, you might have some luck tracking one of them down. Just be careful when you do go to one of them; the worst of the worst hang out there, and they make Jabba the Hutt look like a harmless garden slug."
"Any ideas where one of those might be?" Anakin asked.
Hondo shrugged, "I know there's one on Lothal and another on Pasher. Other than that, good luck. I got no interest or business going there, and prefer the clientele I have."
Anakin nodded, and then Hondo looked over his shoulder and said, "I got to go before my crew gets anxious. They don't believe me when I said you'd let me go."
"We wouldn't want to turn you into a liar, Hondo," Obi-Wan said, the sarcasm barely hidden in his voice, "Go ahead and get out of here. And thank you for bringing Master Gallia here. We are grateful."
"Eh," Hondo said with a shrug, "She tried to keep those two maniacs from killing all of us a year ago. Least I could do was give her a ride. See you later, Master Kenobi."
With that, Hondo nodded and returned to his ship, which took off a few minutes later and disappeared into the atmosphere. Once it was gone, Obi-Wan turned to the others and said, "As far as pirates go, he isn't the worst out there," as they turned back into the Temple.
"Yeah," Anakin said in agreement, "The worst are probably hidden in the Dark, and we have no idea where they are, how to find them, or who they are. All we know is that Master Fisto's brother Kiveki is one, and apparently a lone pirate at that. Makes you wonder what kind of jobs he pulls off if he's by himself. And how good he is at it if he can pull them off alone."
"Many questions there always are, when Master Fisto's brothers are involved," Yoda said as they walked through the hangar and headed for the med center, "Closer to answers, we are not."
"And we won't be until we track one of them down and get him to talk," Anakin said, "Maybe we should find one of those taverns and see if one of them is there."
"Taylora made it clear these places were no place for Jedi, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, "We'll have to have a defined plan if we want to go in there. And we have to make sure it is someone they won't recognize. Kit told them about the Council and who was on it; there's no telling who else he told them about."
Anakin shook his head, but they had arrived at the med center by then. They entered and found Master Nema sitting at her desk next to the door that led to the inner room where the more badly wounded were treated. Sensing them and looking up, she stood up and walked over to them, "Masters," she said by way of greeting.
"How is Master Gallia?" Obi-Wan asked, and Rig smiled slightly, "She woke up a few minutes after arriving but, like Seeker said, has a terrible headache. We have her in a dark room with a wet cloth over her eyes and as little stimuli as possible until it goes away. Even the sound of water dripping was too loud for her. I'm afraid I must ask you to come back later."
"She didn't say anything that could help us?" Anakin asked, and Rig smiled slightly, "She did whisper something about frequency zero, but that was all. We were worried about her headache increasing, so we are leaving her be for now. I will check on her in a few hours and see how she is doing."
"Thank you, Master Nema," Mace said, "Please let us know if there is any change or if we can visit."
"I will, Master Windu," Rig said before adding, "I don't know the relevance of this, but this headache seems to be immune to painkillers. Nothing we have done or given her has reduced the pain, which is strange to me. I've never encountered anything like it before."
Mace thought for a moment before saying, "Seeker forced her mind as deeply as she could into unconsciousness. The headache may be the result of that."
Rig nodded thoughtfully before saying, "That may be true. I will look into that immediately. Perhaps I can alleviate the headache with the Force."
"Let us know how it goes," Obi-Wan said, and Rig nodded as they left. Once they were out of the med center, Mace turned to the others and said, "Frequency zero is a frequency that is no longer in use. If Seeker is using transmission frequencies to keep in touch with anyone, that would be the perfect one to use."
"And it is one we aren't monitoring," Anakin said as they walked away from the med center, "I think Captain Thrawn is monitoring frequencies right now to try and find them. I'll tell him to focus on frequency zero and see what he can find out."
The others nodded as he left, and then Mace turned to Yoda and said, "Perhaps we should hear what Master Gallia has to say before jumping to conclusions about why she was on Seeker's ship alone. There must be a reason."
Yoda nodded, knowing Master Gallia wouldn't have taken such a risk unless she thought there had been a good reason.
Back in the med center, Adi lay in complete darkness, not moving and trying to breathe as quietly as possible. It hurt to think, hurt to open her eyes, hurt to hear anything, hurt to do anything. The pain was similar to the pain she had suffered through when Opress had wounded her, but that time she had had painkillers. Now there was no relief, and she could only hope things would improve soon.
This was almost more than she could take.
Thankfully Master Nema could sense how much pain she was in and had made everyone leave except for a medical droid. That droid was under orders to not move or say anything and to monitor her condition. He was doing just that, and Adi was grateful she was apparently stable enough to not need him hovering too close.
She wasn't sure what she would have done if things were different.
Exhaustion crept on her then, and after a few seconds, she surrendered to it gladly, hoping that when she woke up, the pain would be much less than it was now.
A few days later, things settled down a bit as Adi was released from the med center. Her headache was gone and she felt much better. Having received a message from Master Windu to meet him and Master Yoda in the communication center as soon as possible while she was getting dressed, she had finished dressing as quickly as possible and was now heading there, somewhat dreading what would happen when she got there.
She had done the exact thing she always cautioned younger Jedi against and rushed into a situation without truly thinking it through, and it was only the apparent fondness for her that Seeker had that kept her safe.
Finally reaching the communication center, she entered quietly and was surprised to see that Captain Thrawn was also there. She hadn't seen much of him since it was discovered he had been bugged by Seeker, but here he was, apparently monitoring transmission frequencies. He didn't look up as she approached, but Mace did and asked, "How do you feel, Master Gallia?"
"Much better, Master Windu, thank you," Adi said quietly.
Mace nodded while Master Plo asked, "Why did you go after Seeker alone, Master Gallia?"
"It wasn't my intention, Master Plo," Adi said as she turned to him, "I was following you and the others as we searched the swamp, but then I saw some movement to the west. I thought I would just be a few minutes as I looked into what it was, but somehow I got turned around and couldn't find my way back. I thought I was heading east, but then it turned out I was still heading west," she shook her head, "It felt like my internal compass was completely turned around, and I couldn't find my way again."
"But you found Seeker's ship," Thrawn said as he looked up for a few moments, and Adi nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, I did. Unintentionally and by accident. About an hour after I got so turned around, I saw her riding through the swamp. I thought if I followed her, I could find her ship and orient myself that way. I did find my way to her ship, and I think you know the rest. The strange thing was that once I found her ship, my confusion about directions went away. I didn't notice until the ship had taken off and cloaked itself."
"She must have a way to use the Force to confuse people," Mace said as he turned to Yoda before turning back to Adi, "That explains why you couldn't find us again. You got too close, and she decided to have you go to her ship. What she wanted with you, we don't know, though. It seems she didn't do anything other than getting you to Hondo Ohnaka and having him return you here."
"Her actions don't make any sense to me," Adi said, "I've tried to figure them out, but can't. I don't know what she wants from me or how I connect with her. It's too strange."
Mace shook his head, knowing that the lost feeling Adi was feeling was hard for them to understand or make sense of, but then Yoda said, "Think I do, that punishment you have had enough, Master Gallia. Felt your pain outside the med center, we did. A terrible headache it was," smiling gently, and was rewarded with a weak smile from Adi when she saw his attempt at humor.
Adi said, "I saw that the cargo hold transmitter was set to frequency zero. I wasn't able to get to the bridge before Seeker, so I don't know what that was set to. It wasn't sending a signal, but I thought it must be important."
"I'm monitoring it right now, General Gallia," Thrawn said quietly, "There is nothing at the moment. Before, I was able to pick up a few transmissions between the Fisto brothers, so this must be the frequency they are using, but they were heavily encrypted and coded. I wasn't able to break the encryptions before the transmissions ended," he paused before saying, "These people have resources, quite a few resources."
"I'll say," Anakin said, "Hondo was paid a fortune to return Master Gallia here, and Seeker knew he wouldn't keep track of where that money was coming from. Whoever Seeker is backed by, they have a lot of money to throw around whenever they want. The brothers might even be her backers; they've got to be wealthy enough to help her financially. It still doesn't explain why it's suddenly quiet on frequency zero right now."
Adi turned to him, "If Seeker is working more independently and not having to communicate with people like Master Fisto and Master Vos right now, then she may not be using the frequency at all right now. But she may use it for emergencies or to coordinate with others."
Anakin nodded slowly, but the conversation turned to other things for a few minutes, especially how things were going on Onderon. After about half an hour, it became clear things were under control there, and Ahsoka was doing a good job helping the rebels. Just as the meeting was wrapping up, a burst of static came through the frequency monitor Thrawn was using, accompanied by the words, "….read….help….copy…."
It was silent in the communication center as another, familiar voice came through, "This is Home Base; we have your transmission," and a hologram of Seeker appeared with quite a bit of static and cut outs as the signal dropped in and out. Seeing this, Thrawn said, "We're just monitoring the frequency; the bad connection is between Home Base and whoever is contacting them. We cannot do anything about it."
"Clear up the signal," Seeker told someone they couldn't see before anyone could reply. A few moments later, the transmission became clearer, and Seeker turned back to the transmission and asked, "Do you read? Over."
"Better now," a voice said, and an image of a Mandalorian warrior appeared. Seeing him, the Jedi were instantly alert, and the reason for that became clear when Seeker asked, "What's wrong, Mando?"
"They took him," the Mandalorian said, "They took the kid. I've been able to track him down, but I need help getting him back," causing the Jedi to glance at each other when they realized they were closer to finding Grogu than before. All other attempts had failed, and his trail had gone cold the second the Mandalorian had left the Tatoo system with him. They hadn't been able to find the trail after Tatooine, and it was concerning that now that they had, he was in danger.
Seeker was silent for a few moments before saying, "Alright. I won't ask who 'they' are; I already know," she looked down at the holotable she was leaning against and said, "We have a frequency monitor on this frequency. It lets us know if anyone is listening in, and the Jedi are. Switch to backup frequencies after this, and don't bother sending the coordinates. I know where they are. I'll meet you there."
With that, the transmission ended, leaving the Jedi to exchange glances before Anakin said, "Explains why we were never able to find the frequencies before. Every time we were monitoring frequencies, they were using different ones and making sure we couldn't listen in. The Mandalorian probably didn't know he had to use the others, or Seeker must have let us listen in just now. Why? And how does she know where to go?"
"Wanted me on Naboo she did," Yoda said suddenly, "Still wants me to come, she does. On Naboo, Grogu is. So go to Naboo, I will," looking up at those gathered around and seeing their surprise.
"You can't go alone, Master," Mace said, "Seeker is too dangerous, and there's no telling what is happening there. She led us away from something on Naboo, I could see that, and it wasn't just Lorelei and the horses."
"I agree," Yoda said, "So send the full Council we will. And you, young Skywalker," turning to Anakin, "Proceed we will. Find out what Seeker wants; we will."
Anakin nodded as Mace shook his head, not liking the idea but knowing there was nothing else they could do but prepare for whatever Seeker had planned and hope they were ready for whatever came next. As for Yoda, he was also wondering how this would go and what would happen when he finally met Seeker face-to-face for the first time.
How could any of them know how this was going to end?
Translations:
Faigh soilleir! Rach gu Phantom! – Get clear! Go to Phantom!
Lorelei! Rach don t-soitheach! Abair riutha falbh agus faighinn chun àite coinneimh! – Lorelei! Get to the ship! Tell them to take off and get to the rendezvous!
Tapadh leibh, a Phantom – Thank you, Phantom
Na gabh dragh mu dheidhinn Seeker, Lorelei. Tha fios againn le chèile gu bheil slighe aice far Naboo nach fhaic an Jedi a' tighinn. Bidh i dhachaigh mus bi fios agad air. – Don't worry about Seeker, Lorelei. We both know she has a way off Naboo the Jedi won't see coming. She'll be home before you know it.
Wesa shouldn't goen dis way! It'sa bad news! – We shouldn't go this way! It's bad news!
Shesa doesn't know da tale-o abouten dat stickgooshy. It'sa haunted. – She doesn't know the story about that swamp. It's haunted.
Oh, yesa, tis. – Oh yes, it is.
Weird sounds un strange sights. Mesa cousin saw sumptin strange in dare. Hesa got a bit of video, boot it'sa strange. See per yousa-self. – Weird sounds and strange sights. My cousin saw something strange in there. He got a bit of video, but it's strange. See for yourself.
Wait! Combackie hair! – Wait! Come back here!
Wesa do notsa comen hair now. Dat stickgooshy is strange. Mui mui strange. – We don't come here now. That swamp is strange. Very strange.
Mesa notsa goen in dare ta find out. – I'm not going in there to find out.
Yousa can goen by yousa-self.– You can go by yourself,
Oie Boie! – Oh boy!
Dast a relief. Mesa cousin will besa glad ta know hesa wasn't goen loconut. – That's a relief. My cousin will be glad to know he wasn't going crazy.
Yousa still surr da swampers isn't haunted? – Are you still sure the swamp isn't haunted?
Dat half-Nautolan likes shesa. Yousa could tell. Shesa isn't ganna ouch-ed shesa, or let da witch ouch-ed shesa either. – That half-Nautolan likes her. You could tell. She isn't going to hurt her, or let the witch hurt her either.