THALIA
The planet of Akiva could not have mirrored Thalia's mood any more perfectly than it did now. There were almost no stars left surrounding the planet. They'd all died out when the system had gone into decay. Akiva itself was a dull, browny grey and a heavy cloud hovered above the planet's surface. It was eerie. The only signs of life were the steady stream of junk ships that relayed back and forth between the planet's surface and hyperspace. It hardly seemed like a pacifist planet in need of protection.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Thalia said, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"Looks…inviting." Voss agreed, turning his nose up at the murky planet.
If the atmosphere looked doubtful, then the city was a clear sign that this planet was definitely on it's last legs. It looked like Coruscant, with it's tall buildings packed in tight against each other, but the windows in most of the buildings were either boarded up, missing their glass or were covered in graffiti. Everything was grey and lifeless, the only sign of civilisation being the junker ships that chugged past in slow lines, creating the effect of a giant, floating ants' nest.
Waiting on the landing docks was a single man; no guards, no assistants, just Akiva's sole representative. He was tall and lanky with long, grey hair and a scraggly beard, and looked in worse condition than his planet.
"Your highness, welcome to Akiva." He said with a bow as they met him on the landing pad. "I am President Lamar. Thank you for coming on such short notice."
President Lamar eyed the two men behind Thalia, and when his eyes fell on their lightsabres, his face drained of colour. "I'm sorry, but I must take your weapons. I promise you'll have them returned to you before you leave." He said, his voice wobbling slightly. Lamar was clearly nervous, but Thalia had a feeling it wasn't just about their meeting. Voss and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance but after a nod from Thalia, they unhooked their lightsabres from their belts and handed them to the President. Thalia reached into her coat and pulled out the blaster, also handing it over. "Please, come inside." Lamar smiled, clumsily holding the three weapons.
The President lead them into the building joining the landing docks to what must have been a parliamentary building. The corridors were grey and musty, and they passed not a single person.
"We're a small outpost and not very self-sufficient." Lamar was saying. "We produce plenty of ware, but our security is severely lacking."
"Tell me, President Lamar, what exactly is it you do here?" Thalia asked as they passed a small squadron of armed guards in what looked suspiciously like re-sprayed clone trooper armour.
"Akiva was a mining system but after a civil war, which we'd devoted all our funds to, we had nothing to invest into recovery. The majority of the population left but those who stayed behind realised they could sell parts from ships and weapons, and we've made quite the lucrative business."
"And your work stays off the radar of both the Republic and Separatists?" Thalia asked and Lamar looked over his shoulder, past her and eyed the two Jedi before giving her a poignant look.
"It did." He replied bluntly before facing forward again. "We don't fall into the jurisdiction of the Separatists out here and our system's too old for Republic records."
"Yes, we noticed that." Obi-Wan said from behind Thalia.
"So, if Troska can help you, what is it you're looking for?" She asked, before Lamar could get into an argument with Obi-Wan.
"We need a way of securing our products that can't easily be hacked by black market technology." Lamar explained as they turned down yet another grimy, stuffy corridor. At the end of the hall was a single door. The instant Thalia's eyes landed on it, she felt her stomach drop as the balance in the force was knocked off kilter. There was something dark behind that door and she knew the two Jedi felt it too as she saw them share a look in her peripheral vision.
"However, things have developed that'll ensure our security at least from the Separatists." Lamar was saying. "I've just made a deal that will keep them out of here forever."
As they reached the door, the dark side of the force took on a familiar feel. At the same time as Obi-Wan wrapped his hand around Thalia's elbow, Lamar unlocked the door and it slid upwards to reveal a long table. Sitting at the far end was Count Dooku.
Thalia was pulled behind Obi-Wan as Voss used the force to pull his lightsabre back into his hand. He ignited it and aimed it at Lamar while Obi-Wan's also flew to his hand.
"I'm sorry, I had no choice." Lamar said as the tip of Voss' lightsabre hovered barely an inch from his throat. "It's just good business."
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Voss growled.
A loud clanking sound reached Thalia's ears and she looked over her shoulder to see a squadron of battle droids marching down the corridor towards them. Amidst the droids were Akiva guards in their repurposed clone trooper armour.
"Dispose of the Jedi and the President. The Queen stays here." Dooku said to his droids as they were surrounded by forty blasters.
"But…my Lord?!" Lamar spluttered as droids surrounded him too. "We had a deal."
"Indeed. We had a deal. Not anymore." Dooku replied tiresomely. Thalia almost felt sorry for the President. Almost.
Lamar's bottom lip quivered, but the look in his eyes told her it was more from rage than misery. Clumsily, he reached for Thalia's deactivator and fired an awkward shot at the nearest battle droid. Blue tendrils of electricity shuddered around the droid before it collapsed to the ground in a heap.
As if batting away a fly, Dooku waved his hand and a moment later, another droid returned fire. Lamar crumpled to the ground at the base of the wall, a smoking, black blast in the centre of his chest.
"What do you want, Dooku?" Thalia asked calmly.
"Other than wanting her dead." Voss specified beside her and both she and Obi-Wan turned to him with unimpressed looks. "Sorry." He muttered.
"Well, one thing I'd very much like to know is why two Jedi are all the way out here on Akiva. Particularly why they're working with a system that is supposedly neutral." Dooku said coyly.
"Well, it's hard to find good help these days." Thalia replied calmly and the corner of Dooku's lip curled up into a shrewd smile.
"Take the Jedi." He said to the droids and Obi-Wan and Voss immediately raised their lightsabres. "You might be interested to know that, while this planet is a piece of filth, there are more than a million inhabitants. If you do not do as I ask, it will not just be you who suffers."
Voss' stance faltered slightly and Obi-Wan slowly looked over his shoulder at Thalia. He wanted her to make the call. He was willing to doom an entire planet if it gave her a chance at escape, but he knew better than anyone that she wouldn't allow that to happen.
"Stand down." She said. "I'll find you."
"What a charming sentiment." Dooku scoffed.
The two Jedi lowered their lightsabres and handed them to one of Akiva's guards, whose loyalties seemed to have shifted from their President, to Dooku. Two pairs of handcuffs were clapped around their wrists, and they were marched back, down the corridor. As they disappeared round the corner, Obi-Wan's eyes met Thalia's just for a brief second before he was gone.
"Please, your highness, sit." Dooku offered, gesturing to the seat beside him at the long table.
After a push from one of the droids, Thalia sat in the chair furthest away from the Count.
"Now, I'm sorry about all that horrible business with Class Five. Believe me when I say it's nothing personal." He smiled but Thalia just raised an eyebrow. "In fact, I must confess I am surprised you have found such sanctuary on Coruscant, what with the corruption in the Senate. You should know that they are not as noble as they would have you believe."
"Is that the reason for this charade? To warn me about the danger of powerful people. You of all people have never been concerned with my safety in the past." Thalia said carefully.
"What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of the dark lord of the Sith?" Dooku asked and Thalia couldn't stop the dumbfounded look that fell across her face.
"The Jedi as well?" She asked before she could stop herself. But whether he was telling the truth or not, Thalia had to hear Dooku's answer.
"You should be careful of who you place your trust in, your highness." Dooku simply said and Thalia was disappointed in herself as her thoughts immediately turned to Obi-Wan. He would never turn to the Dark Side.
"You do realise I won't trust anything you tell me." Thalia said.
"Yes, but I do know you're smart enough not to disregard what I tell you. You will think on it and, eventually, you will act." He replied as the door to the dining room slid open. "You're free to go any time, but if you do, I cannot stop Akiva's guards from killing you. However, if you join me and help to overthrow this corrupt Republic, Troska and every neutral system will have the protection of both the Separatists and the Sith."
"And here I thought we were getting somewhere." Thalia sighed dramatically, getting to her feet.
"Well, I cannot say I'm not disappointed." Dooku shook his head. "But take your chance. I hope we will meet again."
Thalia turned towards the door, knowing full well that once she left the room, Obi-Wan and Voss would be killed. She had to get to them before the orders went through.