OBI-WAN
As uncomfortable as Obi-Wan was on the back of a horse, it couldn't detract from his marvelling at the moon's scenery. Helwater was covered in large green expanses of grass with streams and rivers flowing between the plots of land. The grass was bright, and the birch trees were the only type of vegetation, which meant he could see through the forest for miles. The horses trekked through the smaller streams and then over neat, wooden archways for the larger rivers.
It wasn't long before a large structure appeared from between the trees. It was a long, grey stone building with a round front door, which backed into the side of a hill. Ahead of them, Kaz dismounted from her horse and Obi-Wan did the same before offering a hand to Thalia.
She took it and slid off the horse, much more gracefully than Obi-Wan had done.
Kaz plugged the code into a panel that sat in the middle of the solid door. Obi-Wan looked closely at the panel mechanism. The system looked familiar, but he couldn't place it. The screen flashed , and the door spun open, revealing a long tunnel with lamps hanging from either side.
Obi-Wan smelt the damp, musty air as the group made their way down the tunnel and into the side of the mountain. The soil floor gave off an earthy smell but it only lasted for a few paces before his boots hit solid rock. The stone walls dripped with water and the air went from musty to fresh in the space of a few meters as they left behind the earth passageway.
At the end of the tunnel was another door, but this one required no code and it slid downwards for the small party. Beyond it was a large open room. An armoury. Soldiers in decorated Troskan armour milled about, casting cautious glances in Thalia's direction, clearly nervous about her being there.
However, Kaz lead them off to the side and into a large meeting room. Down the centre of the long room was a low, wooden table, so low that they would have to sit on the ground to be at the right height.
"Please." Kaz said, gesturing to long kneelers that ran along the ground on either side of the table.
Thalia sat cross legged near the corner of the table and Obi-Wan took a similar position beside her.
"I take it you've heard the rumours about Thalia, about how she's supposedly leading Troska into an alliance with the Seperatists." Kaz said to Obi-Wan, taking a seat opposite them.
"Indeed, however I am simply here to seek the truth." He replied, wanting to ensure Kaz that he wasn't a threat, as long as she had nothing to hide.
"Yes, but having individuals in Troskan armour attack a Republic outpost doesn't help the matter." Thalia said.
"I understand Kyber weapons weren't used." Kaz said carefully.
"Correct." Thalia nodded, then sighed. "I apologise for my bluntness, Kaz, but I have to know who these people were. I understand Class Five's views, but I it seems to be getting out of control. Were they your soldiers?"
"Thalia, you know I respect you too much to oppose you." Kaz said earnestly, but Obi-Wan very much doubted that. "They were not my soldiers."
"I believe you." Thalia said. But Obi-Wan sensed that that was a lie.
"Kaz, I must ask a favour of you. Our ship's fuel-line is broken, and I have my droid working on it, though I fear it may not be finished before nightfall." Thalia began and Kaz instantly waved a hand in dismissal.
"Of course, you're welcome here. Stay as long as you must." Kaz smiled.
Obi-Wan inclined his head in thanks. To be able to discover the truth, they needed to conduct their investigation in secrecy. The longer they spent on Helwater, the better.
A little while later, Obi-Wan and Thalia found themselves alone in the simple guest quarters. The walls were stone as was the floor, a few lamps hung from the dripping walls and two wide sofas sat in the centre of the room. There were two doors in the far wall, each leading off to a simple bedroom.
"I'd like to have a good look around the facility. There seems to be far too many soldiers here for such a 'small operation'. What is it they do out here?" Obi-Wan asked as Thalia paced about the room.
"I believe they act as mercenaries of sorts." Thalia began, but seeing his expression quickly continued. "Not that kind of mercenary. They seek out injustices across the galaxy and do their best to right it. Rebels, I suppose."
"That might be the case, but where's the justice in attacking a Republic outpost unless there's another agenda." Obi-Wan thought, raising his hand to his chin and running his fingers over his beard.
"What are you thinking?" He looked up when Thalia spoke, seeing her watching him closely.
"I couldn't place it earlier, but I've only ever seen that type of panel system on the front door on Separatist ships. I know it doesn't sound like much…" Obi-Wan began.
"No, I trust you." Thalia interrupted with a wave of her hand, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"In that case, I want to see what else I can find." Obi-Wan concluded. "Keep Kaz distracted at dinner while I look around."
He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small earpiece and communicator, holding them both out to Thalia.
"Wear this so I can stay in contact with you if you should get into any trouble." He said.
"I thought getting into trouble was your area of expertise." Thalia smiled coyly, attaching the communicator to her wrist and Obi-Wan folded his arms over his chest in disdain. "And if you do find anything, try not to cause any trouble where nothing yet exists."
"I wouldn't dream of it." He bowed his head slightly and looked up at the Queen from under his eyelashes. She smiled softly as he turned and headed for the door.
"Oh, and Obi-Wan." She called after him. "The Speeders are round the side."
Obi-Wan smiled gratefully. The thought of getting back on a horse made him feel slightly ill.
. . .
Obi-Wan decided he would never again take a Speeder for granted as he sped over the grassy islands and streams. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but there seemed to be a rather large structure taking up a significant portion of land on the Speeder's navigation panel.
The screen beeped excitedly as he closed in on the building.
Obi-Wan pulled the brakes and frowned at the map. He should be right on top of the structure but there were only islands and trees in every direction. He tapped the screen a few times in case it had gotten itself lost, but it was no use. It still told him he was right where it should be. With an exasperated sigh, Obi-Wan reached for the controls, but accidently brushed against the screen. The map suddenly leapt into the air to become a hologram, floating just above the nav system.
What had previously been an orange square indicating the structure, had grown to show a three-dimensional layout of the building, which seemed to be completely underground.
That was a step in the right direction. Now he just needed to find away in.
The sound of engines suddenly cut through the silence. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a set of headlights in the distance. He threw his hand onto the accelerator and sped behind a thick group of trees.
Obi-Wan watched as two speeder bikes stopped at the place he'd been only moments ago. One of the riders, wearing the Class Five Troskan armour, dismounted and carefully stepped down into the nearest river. From where he was hiding Obi-Wan couldn't see much, but the soldier reached downwards and suddenly the water in the river stopped flowing. There was a loud, metal grinding sound and a large section of the river suddenly began to move.
The two soldiers drove their speeders down, into the river and they slowly disappeared from view as the riverbed descended into the ground. After a few minutes, the grinding noise came again, and the water began to flow once more.
Obi-Wan crept out from his hiding place and tentatively made his way over to the river. He stepped down into the running water and looked about the rocks to see how the soldier had opened the building's entrance. He waved his hand over the glistening rocks, using the force to search for anything that shouldn't be there. After a second sweep he reached for a small rock and pulled it away from the ground, revealing a silver lever.
He checked to make sure no one was around before pulling it, and the familiar grinding noise echoed throughout the islands. The water ran away from his boots, and he was soon standing in the empty riverbed. The damp ground jolted beneath him and began to descend. It was a lift.
It was a slow descent and Obi-Wan braced himself in case he had to make a quick getaway but as the islands left his sight and he was left facing solid, dark rock he became more fascinated than apprehensive. Suddenly, the rock gave way to a large cave, and Obi-Wan was lowered from the roof, down into the centre of the cavernous space. The rocks dripped with water and glistened with some sort of precious gemstone.
Once the lift was close enough to the ground, Obi-Wan leapt from the platform and landed quietly in the centre of the dark, empty cave. It was completely silent, except for the lift that groaned as it re-joined the cave's ceiling.
There was only one tunnel leading out of the cave, so Obi-Wan silently made his way down it. He knew he should hurry, not knowing how long the tunnel was or for how long his presence would remain undetected, but he didn't want to barrel head first into an army of Class Five soldiers. The passage twisted and turned, but eventually Obi-Wan saw light ahead and slowed his pace as he neared the tunnel's mouth.
It opened out into another large cave, except this one had bright floodlights propped up against the walls and in the centre were metal crates labelled in a series of codes. A few of the boxes were open, so Obi-Wan took his chance and stepped out, onto the floor. Bracing his hands on the edges of the crate, he peered inside and what he saw made him feel ill, for Thalia's sake. The crate was full of neatly stacked blasters, but not just any blasters. Separatist designed blasters. The second crate was the same, the third filled with explosives and other high-tech equipment that an operation such as Class Five would never be able to get their hands on.
The Separatists were trying to create their own splinter group. They know it'd be too risky using a group aligned with the Republic so a neutral system would be their safest option. Obi-Wan thought to himself. He now understood why they attacked a Republic outpost. Under the guise of peace, but secretly working for the Separatists.
Obi-Wan had seen enough. He pushed away from the crates when he suddenly felt a presence behind him. He spun around just in time to see a fist, and then everything was black.
. . .
A low thrumming sound was the first thing Obi-Wan noticed as he floated back to consciousness. As he came too, he heard voices and saw two shapes moving beside him, but they were strangely out of focus in his peripheral vision. As his head cleared, he realised he was hanging by his wrists against the cave wall. The heavy, thick metal restraints bound his hands so tightly together, that he couldn't use the force to break them. The chain connected to the manacles was hooked into the roof of the cave, at least one hundred meters above him.
"Boss wants us to check the compound for any more Jedi." One of the soldiers said to the other. "This one's harmless enough without his lightsabre." The soldier tossed the weapon in Obi-Wan's face before the pair laughed and moved off down the tunnel.
Once they were out of sight, Obi-Wan looked up at his restraints and tried in vain to stretch his fingers to the communicator on his wrist, but it was no use. He managed to find a foothold on a small, stray boulder and spun around, knocking his arm into the cave wall. After a few tries, the blinking yellow light sputtered to life.
"Your Majesty, please acknowledge." Obi-Wan said, trying to contact the Queen. "Thalia? Thalia?"