Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, only my OCs
"Vision/flashback"
Oliver's POV:
"Picking you up from the roof would've been a lot more discreet, and safer." Chopper beeps at me as I close the doors to the Phantom.
"Probably, but where's the fun in that?" I replied, sitting in the pilot seat, taking manual control while Chopper rolled up next to me.
"Your recklessness and general lack of self-preservation instincts is going to get you, and me killed." Chopper grumbled. I roll my eyes.
"Sure. Anyway, where did you get the ping for Bane's ship?"
"I alerted you the moment the Ghost picked it up. I'm not sure where he went, but he landed at one of the more obscure ports." I nodded. That means he hasn't left; this could be my chance to start establishing an information ring. If I can convince Bane that I am an asset, not a liability.
"What information did you get from the data spike in the temple?" While it isn't good the temple can be easily hacked and all the information in the temple can be downloaded with a simple data spike. It's useful for me, I'll sort out the cybersecurity later.
"Quite a lot, their files on bounty hunters and criminal groups of interests are quite expensive. Mainly due to the jedi master Quinlan Vos. He is often tasked to go undercover within various criminal organisations and report on them." Interesting, an undercover operative. I park the Phantom on a rooftop and pull up some files from the data spike. Quinlan Vos went on a lot of undercover missions; he must have a lot of underworld contacts. Maybe I should contact him?
"What do you think Chop? Should I approach Vos, or stick with Bane?" I ask while I look through Quinlan's service record.
"I think you should approach Vos. He's not only been undercover many times, but there is also quite a few comments on how extensive his information and spy ring is. He is also a jedi master, meaning he wants to do the right thing. We could play on the legal side for good this time."
"We played on the legal side in our universe too."
"The legal side was the Empire, and they really weren't good. This time we'd be working with the Republic, we'd be doing good things for the right reasons. Not the ones doing bad things for the right reasons." I pondered his words. It would be nice to actually do good things, and not bad things with a bigger picture to justify it with. Not only that, I also wouldn't have to play nice with the rest of the Council, considering intelligence technically falls under the Republic, not the Jedi Council.
"Alright, bring me all the files they have with Vos, I want to know everything I can about this guy, that way I'd have some leverage in case I need it. And give me a list of possible locations of where he could be." I start pulling up various files.
"Rodger." Was all Chopper beeped before pulling up everything the Council had on Vos. Mission reports, personal memos and even billing receipts. I wanted to know this guy better than he does.
Quinlan's POV:
"I have never seen anything like it, most his age are filled with excitement and awe, I couldn't detect anything from him. Even his body language and voice betrayed nothing. Another thing was his gaze, he looked at all of us as if we were prey. The only one he respected was Master Yoda, which makes the entire situation even stranger, Master Yoda didn't even seem fazed by this youngling. His crew said it was a mask he put on to face us, but I'm not too sure." I was in one of the cantina's frequented by Coruscant Security when Obi called me. Obi was clearly shocked by this kid; I don't blame him. I would be if I was there. A kid who can wear a beskar mask like it was a daily occurrence is unusual, and terrifying. What happened to him?
"Do you know why he is so closed off?" I could feel Obi sigh through the comn.
"That's the worst part, he was a bounty hunter. And he killed a jedi." A bounty hunter? Not only that, but he also killed a jedi? While their universe is quite grim, a kid hunting jedi is something that only the deepest of dark would even think of.
"What did his crew say about it?" His crew should know more about this, considering the kid didn't feel like speaking according to Obi.
"They didn't even know about him knowing a sith lord, let alone killing a jedi. They knew he was a bounty hunter, and had quite a few contacts in the underworld, but that's about it. He's like a ghost." A ghost? That's not good, how could a kid be so closed off that even his crew, his own brother doesn't know that much about him.
"He is incredibly different to our Oliver, isn't he?"
"Honestly Quin, he's like a much darker and colder version of the one we know, and that scares me. Either way, I told you this because before he did his dramatic exit, he said he was going to explore the criminal underworld. Can you keep an ear to the ground and try to look out for him?" He wants to explore the underworld?
"Sure Obi, I'll see what I can find."
"Thanks Quin. I've got to go; Luke wants to practice form V again." The comn clicked off as he disconnected the call. This is troubling. A kid who is a former bounty hunter, who kills, exploring the underworld? Especially Coruscants. That only leads to trouble, the kind that leads to a lot of deaths. I pull out my pad to see if I could get a lead anywhere. I didn't even acknowledge someone sitting across from me, figuring it was one of the security officers asking me for something.
"A complete dissociation from reality isn't a good habit, especially when it's from someone who was in deep cover with some of the worst scum in the galaxy. Considering the bounty on your head is still active, I'm surprised you haven't been killed yet." My head snapped up at the unfamiliar voice, both in shock at the fact they knew about my deep cover work, and the fact it sounded quite young. I found a young boy, easily 13-14 years old. He had caramel skin, with very messy dark hair. But what caught my attention was his eyes. They were a very deep blue, too deep, like hyperspace. And like hyperspace, they were cold and calculating, something that belonged on a killer. Not a teenager. I put my pad down and replied.
"Considering I'm not dead yet, the bounty must not be high enough, I should fix that." He grinned, but it was more predatory than anything.
"At least you have a sense of humour, most of the council seem to have forgotten how to give a comeback when they're insulted." My eyes suddenly widened, is the kid Obi was talking about sitting in front of me?
"You're Oliver." I said calmly, keeping the shock out of my voice. He folded his hands and fixed me with a calculated stare.
"Pleasure to meet you." At least he's polite.
"What are you doing here? How'd you find me?" I know I don't have a tracker on me as I do a bug sweep every time I go somewhere, paranoia can be helpful. He simply raised an eyebrow.
"You have a predictable schedule, as well as a select few cantinas you visit by yourself. Finding you was easy. As to why I'm here, I need your help." That's unexpected, considering this kid doesn't want anything to do with jedi, asking a jedi for help is very odd. I shook off the shock.
"What do you need my help with?" I doubt this kid would seek my help out for something trivial. He slid a pad over to me that had coordinates as well as a picture of something called a star destroyer. It looked like a more menacing version of our venator class starships.
"I assume you know about how me and my crew arrived here?" I nodded. Wormhole anomalies and all that.
"Just before we were pulled through the wormhole, our ship registered an imperial star destroyer dropping out of hyperspace at our coordinates."
"You were tracked?" I asked. He shook his head.
"They weren't tracking us, which leaves only one possibility. They knew about the anomaly and are planning to use it." My eyes widened. How can someone accurately predict an anomaly? Unless it's not an anomaly. Oliver saw the realisation on my face.
"I assume you've come to the realisation that there is a very good chance that the anomaly isn't in fact an anomaly, but an artificial tear between universes. A portal if you will." I nodded my head, still trying to wrap my head around it.
"But how is that possible? I have never even heard of technology like that, not even in some the oldest records of the Republic." I asked. Oliver just shrugged.
"No clue, but what I do know is that the star destroyer most likely went through and came to this universe." How is he certain of that?
"Wouldn't we have seen it?"
"No, because it didn't arrive at the same place we did."
"What do you mean?" Oliver sighed and leaned back.
"The force somehow manipulated our path and altered our destination. We arrived on Coruscant while the star destroyer arrived at the intended destination of the portal."
"How do you know it was the force?"
"Before I blacked out, I felt overwhelming warmth, which could only mean the force was working in mysterious ways again." His attenuation to the force must be strong to be able to detect when the force was doing something.
"Alright, so what do you need my help with? I'm no scientist to help you figure this out." He rolled his eyes.
"I know that. I need your help in finding out where this star destroyer and its imperial crew is."
"Why do you want to find them?" Oliver leaned forward.
"Because the Empire doesn't casually explore portals, there is a plan, and I fully intend to find out what it is and stop it." There was a deep conviction in his voice. He then slid forward another pad.
"I understand all information has a price. Therefore, in exchange for helping me, here is the location of Cad Bane. I assume you've been hunting him over the years, if the countless failed missions in finding him are anything to go by." How does he know about our attempts in finding Bane? Not only that, but the fact he knows Bane's location.
"How do you know where Bane is?" Confusion laced my voice.
"I scanned Coruscant for his ship's signature, once I found it, I quickly hacked into local cameras and followed him to his location." He followed Bane? Who is this kid? Not even a day here and he's already managed to find one of the most elusive people in the galaxy.
"How do you know his ships signature?" Oliver merely smiled again.
"He had the same ship signature back in our universe but changed it when he realised it was compromised and he was being hunted. I assumed his ship wasn't compromised in this universe, and I used the old signature to track him." That's quite smart, even if playing on a hunch. Either way, I'll take the information on Bane.
"Alright, thank you for Bane's location. I'll see what I can find about these imperials and get back to you." He nodded and slid another pad. I raised my eyebrows.
"This has information on the Empire, what their troops look like, their symbol, all the basic markings of an Imperial operation. Along with data on the top echelon of the Empire. This should help to identify the Empire." This would help a lot, now that we know what to look for. He moved to leave. He's quite different to what I was expecting. I was expecting an arrogant or emotionless killer, not a kid who never had a chance to grow up. I called out to him before he left the booth we were in.
"Why did you kill him?" He stopped. I had to know why he killed Master Uvell in his universe. What happened to make a kid have to take a life, especially one of a jedi master. And I know he knew I was referring to Master Uvell. He slightly turned his head to me.
"There are fates far worse than death." He said in a familiar voice. The same voice I use when I try to justify the things I did while undercover. He then left the cantina, leaving me alone. There's a lot more to this kid than the council know, he's seen things. I pick up the first pad, with information about Cad Bane and I'm thrown into a small vision.
"This kid is more of a liability than an asset, I should just put a bolt in his head and be done with it. The thought of him being able to kill the target is laughable. A figure in green Mandalorian armour spoke."
This is accompanied with an image of a kid being surrounded by shadows. He didn't choose this life, and he was constantly in danger because he was thrown into it. I pick up his pad with the information of the Empire, and I'm immediately thrown into another small vision.
"This is your target; you'll be paid accordingly once you bring me back his head." A protocol droid said, translating for Jabba the Hutt.
And another image, this time a ball of light surrounded by an immense darkness, slowly swallowing it. This reinforced my suspicions, Oliver hasn't completely thrown away his morality, there is good in him. However, he's on a knife's edge, and at any moment can fall. First things first, I send a few squads to Bane's location, as well as a jedi knight to make sure they capture him. I contact a few of my informants to see if they've seen anything unusual in the outer rim, near the coordinates Oliver had said they encountered the portal. I get out my comm and call Obi. He picks up almost immediately.
"Hey Obi, I need your help."
"Of course Quin, what do you need?" Hopefully I can help the kid and stop him from falling into darkness.
Oliver's POV
"So, how was the meeting?" Chopper's question breaks me out of my thoughts.
"It went fine, he said he would look into the situation and see if he can pass on any info." I piloted the Phantom into the temple's hanger and park it on the Ghost. We get out and start heading towards place the rest of the crew are staying.
"That's good, at least he wants to help." I nod. It was easier than trying to convince Bane, but I know no one does anything for free. Even with the info on Bane, it's possible Vos has ulterior motives.
"You ready to face the crew? They won't be happy after our little disappearing act." That's another thing I'm really not looking forward to.
"Not really, but I know they'll be somewhat understanding of why we disappeared." We both reach the quarter halls. I drop back and let Chopper lead since he actually knows where to go. This allows me to survey the jedi here, as well as search for possible entry and exit routes. Everyone here seems happy, content and calm, marking a stark contrast to the Empire. Even in the highest echelons of the Empire, there was a quiet tension and uncertainty. Who knew if you were ging to die that day by Vader going on a little force choking spree? Maybe you will be stabbed in the back politically by your friends, those you trusted immeasurably. The Empire ruled with fear, and everyone learned that one way or another. Here though, fear was almost non-existent, only surviving in the form of the small fears people have on a day-to-day basis. These people didn't know how bad the universe could be. I bumped into Chopper who stopped, I steadied myself as he whirled one, pointing to the door.
"Watch it! This is our quarters." I turned at the door and prepared to open it. I looked at Chopper who looked back.
"You ready?"
"Ready." I opened the door.
Ezra's POV:
We were discussing the council meeting before we heard a chime and the door slid open, revealing Ollie and Chopper. Oliver just cracked his signature troublemaker smile.
"Miss me?" Kanan immediately stood, angry at Oliver's nonchalance.
"Miss you? You jumped out of a window in front of the entire council and disappeared for a few hours! Me and Ezra had to explain your actions to the council, and not all of them were happy, especially considering your blatant disrespect to them. Your insults didn't help smooth things over either." Oliver just raised an eyebrow.
"Not my problem that they can't handle a bit of disrespect. And I had a good reason for disappearing." Hera now raised her eyebrow.
"A good reason?" Oliver nods and looks over to Chopper who warbled and pulled up a star chart.
"Before we went through the anomaly, our scanners picked up a hyperspace jump materialising on top on us. It was an Imperial Star Destroyer."
The reaction around the room was immediate. Stunned silence. Ezra was the first to recover, his eyes filled with fear.
"Were we tracked?" Oliver shook his head, while Chopper turned off the map and went in the corner to recharge.
"No, and that's worrying." The rest relaxed a bit but were confused. Zeb voicing the question they all had.
"Why is that worrying"
"Because that means they knew where the anomaly was. Which begs the question, how did they predict an anomaly in space?" Realization lit up in Sabine's eyes.
"Unless they didn't." Oliver nods.
"What we went through was an artificial tear through time-space. A portal to be exact. And the Empire knew exactly what and where it was. Us being there was simply a coincidence." Kanan looked up.
"How did the Empire know about the portal, and where are they?" Oliver looked at him.
"You didn't feel it? When we went through the portal? The overwhelming feeling of warmth? The tell-tale signs of the Force?" Both Kanan and Ezra looked at each other, they didn't feel anything like that, just being knocked out.
"No, but that's because your attenuation to the force is much higher than either of ours is." Oliver shrugged.
"It doesn't matter, what does matter is that the Force pulled us and made us land on Coruscant, while the Empire must've landed at the chosen coordinates. How they knew of the portal, I don't know, clearly, it's not any recent technology, which can only point to ancient technology." Everyone fell silent at this. Hera broke the silence
"So, this is why you disappeared?" Oliver nodded.
"I went to see if I can get any information or start getting any information about the Empire in this universe."
"And did you?" Oliver nodded again.
"I contacted Quinlan Vos, and he has agreed to help me find the Empire, hopefully I should be hearing from him soon." The rest of the crew looked at each other. Kanan spoke up.
"While we are not happy with how you disappeared without a word, you had a good reason to, we are just happy you didn't cause any incidents." The rest of crew smiled at Oliver. Ezra got up and hugged Oliver, who froze, clearly unsure what to do.
"I'm happy you are back." Oliver hugged him back after a few moments of hesitation, which was noticed but not voiced by everyone. It only lasted a few seconds before Oliver broke the hug and re-adjusted his coat.
"Alright, enough with the mushy stuff, you'll crinkle my coat." He had a smile on his face though, as he rolled his shoulders.
"What now?" Zeb's question made everyone look at him. Kanan pondered for a few moments.
"We could go explore the temple, I need to show Ezra some things, especially since there are proper jedi training facilities here. The rest of you can look around and admire the sights around Coruscant. We can then meet up at Dex's diner, if it's still open, for dinner."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea dear." Hera stood up. "We could all use the break, especially after what the last few days have put us through." Both Sabine and Ezra grinned, while Zeb looked happy to go sight-seeing. Oliver had different ideas, however.
"You all can go explore, I'm going to go and fix the Ghost. She's in a sorry state after our little jump, and with the spare parts here, I can upgrade her." Everyone looked at Oliver with sadness, but also understanding.
"You sure?" Sabine's voice laced with concern. Oliver just rolled his eyes.
"Of course, we aren't going anywhere for some time, and plus you all deserve to go enjoy, me and Chop will be fine fixing the Ghost, she also deserves some TLC." The crew looked at each other again, they wanted to celebrate Oliver's birthday.
"Alright, but at least meet us for dinner?" Ezra was still determined to give Oliver something for his birthday. Oliver just shrugged.
"Sure, just comn me when you guys are going, and I'll meet all of you there." The crew nodded happily. Oliver tapped Chopper on his dome.
"Come on Chop, we've got a ship to repair." Chopper just beeped.
"Because who better than us?" More beeps in response.
"Exactly." Oliver then left with Chopper in tow to the hangers, leaving the crew behind.
A/N: So, I exist. Yeah, not a big revelation. Also, I'm sorry for not updating this a lot earlier. I've had this chapter in my folders for a long time, mostly unwritten. But a lot of stuff has happened, and this is the first time in months I've had a chance to breath. I don't know when I'll update again but knowing my track record, probably won't be before New Year. So, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you thought of it. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you around.
Star Wars Assassin.
