Chandral System; Transport Ship
3rd person POV...
Departing from Chandral was a normal transport ship used by the civilians of the Empire. Another ship passed by it, heading down to the planet's surface. On board, passengers walked through the hallways and milled around in conversation, others heading to their temporary rooms or to get something to eat. Among them was an old woman named Darja, carrying her grandchild in her arms, with a blue blanket wrapped around the baby.
"There there Alora, we're away from trouble now. A new life awaits us," she says soothingly.
All of a sudden, the ship shakes violently as it was stopped dead in its track, the lights shutting off as the power went out. Passengers screamed in terror, and Darja looked around, fear filling her.
"It's the Empire! They're seizing the ship! we need to get out of here!" a man yells in a panic, and people start to run off.
An Imperial Star Destroyer slowly moves over the transport, it's massive size dwarfing it. The transport was caught in their tractor beam, being directed towards the hanger bay. On board, passengers looked around fearfully, while Darja tried to comfort Alora, who was now crying. "There there," she whispered.
The door at the end of the hall then opened, showing two intimidating figures bathed in a haunting red light. One of them was a massive brute, while the other was feminine and smaller, but no less terrifying. They marched on boards, while the transports officer desperately tried to plead with them.
"This is a civilian transport! We were granted clearance for take off!" he pleads fearfully.
Seventh Sister, or Vifi, eyed the man with disgust beneath her mask, drinking in his fear. Almost rolling her eyes, she waved an arm, slamming him against the wall with the Force. One of her probe droids rushed forwards and latched onto him to restrain him.
"I'm afraid its been canceled," she says sternly, stopping briefly beside him. "As fortune would have it, you carry a cargo of great interest to us."
Fifth Brother marches forwards slowly, eyes staring straight ahead at Darja, and Vifi follows after him. Their footsteps clanged against the metal floor loudly, while the passengers backed away in ear, some holding each other close. Fifth Brother's face was set into a determined scowl, pale gray eyes glaring at the woman in front of them. Alora continued to cry loudly in Darja's arms, a sound that made Vifi nearly want to kill the irritating child.
Darja gasped in horrified realization of what they wanted. "No!" she cried out.
She rushed to the end of the hallway where the door was, and pressed a button to open it. Before it could open all the way, Fifth Brother waved his arm, and the door slammed shut. Darja tried again and again, desperately pressing the door controls, but the door continued to switch between partially open and closed. Finally, Fifth Brother roughly swung an arm, slamming the door closed indefinitely. She banged her fist on the door in despair, Alora continuing to cry all the while. Knowing that escape was hopeless, Darja turned around, a terrified, yet fierce look of determination on her face.
"Keep away," she hissed to the Inquisitors.
Vifi smirked at her, not afraid to admit that she admired the frail old woman's determination, as pathetic and useless as it was for her. She pulled back her mask, the smirk still on her face as her eyes glowed yellow from the dark side, and reached a hand out.
"Fear not old one, we wish to make friends!" she purred coldly, stroking Darja's face and grabbing her chin. "But first, we have some business to attend to."
She let go of Darja's chin and looked back at the Fifth Brother with a sickening smirk, eyes glowing even more than they were before. Fifth Brother then reached for his back, pulling out his lightsaber. Turning around, he activated the saberstaff and raised an arm, before swinging it forwards, throwing the lightsaber from his grasp.
Darja watched in horror as the two red blades mercilessly cut and sliced through the passengers in the hallway, even getting those that tried to run before they could ever scream.
Jarik POV...
Ahsoka, Mara and I approached the Ghost, vaguely noticing Ezra tinkering with Chopper off to the side. Normally Mara would go to say hello to him, but not today, as what we learned has been very grim and serious. We had no time to wait, as more and more Force sensitive children are being abducted every week. Kanan walked down the open ramp to greet us, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with a small smile.
"This is unexpected," he says, and Ahsoka smiles back at him, her hands on her hips. "Don't get me wrong, it's always good to see you but, it usually means there's trouble."
"What we have to say is Jedi, business," she says seriously.
"Then I guess I qualify," he replies, gesturing to himself.
Ahsoka scoffs, crossing her arms. "You and Mara qualify more than I do."
"I do?" she asks in confusion.
I nod my head at her. "Technically yes, but as the senior Jedi here, I over-qualify you all," I reply with a grin, and Ahsoka sighs in exasperation, so I get serious again. "However, it is urgent, so we better get moving."
Kanan nods in understanding, noticing our serious attitude and leads us back into the Ghost. We follow him back to his room, and once inside Ahsoka closes the door, and we begin our discussion. With Ezra listening in of course.
"I've been monitoring and intercepting any high value transmissions from the Empire, as well as Mustafar, to learn more about Darth Vader and the Emperor's plans," I started off.
"And?" Kanan asks.
"Information is difficult to come by, even with Jarik working days on it." Ahsoka continues, crossing her arms. "But we have learned more about their Inquisitor's and what they've been up too. They have a secondary mission to make retrievals."
"Well we know they hunt Jedi, so what else are they after?" Kanan asks in concern.
"I'm not so sure we should tell him yet." Ahsoka tells me.
"Any particular reason why?" I reply, slightly confused.
"The more people that know about these children, and that we are planning to rescue them, the more risky it is that the Empire will find out," she explains. "I'm not saying Kanan or the others would ever give this information away, but you never know what could happen."
"Alright, that is a fair point. They will learn eventually, so they'll have to be prepared," I say, sending my agreement.
The conversation happened within a second, allowing Ahsoka to sigh lightly to cover up the brief lack of response. "At this point I could only guess," she tells Kanan.
Mara glances up at her in surprise, and I get her attention, sending a look at her to keep quiet for now. She's confused, but she understands that we want to keep this secret for now, and we'll tell her later.
"I did decode three sets of coordinates for their next targets," I say. "Ahsoka will head to the first one, while me and Mara go after the second."
"And you want me to check out the third?" he deduces easily. "I'm in."
"You should have Ezra join you," Ahsoka advises, and we follow him back to the door.
Kanan scoffs in amusement. "Heh. He's already brief on the mission," he says, jabbing his fast against the door control.
The door springs open, and Ezra collapses to the floor with a surprised yell, having been leaning against it to listen in. Mara laughs lightly in amusement as he springs back up, attempting to act casual.
"Heeeyy!" he says with a wide, sheepish smile, eyes wide.
"You're an idiot it you really though you could eavesdrop on four advanced Force users." Mara says.
"Well it, seemed like a good idea," he mumbles, rubbing his neck. "Besides, Ahsoka did say this was Jedi business!" he adds quickly.
Ahsoka shakes her head lightly in amusement, while I simply roll my eyes, crossing my arms. "You should bring Zeb along as well. Even with the odds stacked against him, he fought hard against the Fifth Brother last time, despite loosing."
Kanan grins, looking over at Ezra, who has a sheepish smile on his face. "So, where're we going?" he asks.
Jelucan; Outer Rim Territories
The Knight Hawk burst out of hyperspace, and the sight of the rocky and mountainous planet came into view. Surrounding the planet were also two Imperial Star Destroyers, much to my alarm. I know it's an Imperial occupied planet, but being this far out in the Outer Rim would mean a relatively small Imperial presence. That could only mean that the Inquisitor's were here, searching for their next target.
"Well that looks terrific." Mara stated sarcastically.
"No time for chit chat Mara. Turn on the signal scrambler," I told her.
She quickly complied, and flicked a switch in order to hide our signal from the Star Destroyer's scanners. Another problem the Imperials have that I find hilariously moronic is their scanning system; they focus only on scanning, and don't bother to look out the bridge windows with their eyes. There is a reason a bridge viewport was made in the first place, and they never even use it! So, we don't even need a cloaking device to get past them.
Of course, that doesn't mean it's still easy, to fool them you still need an insanely good signal scrambler; which of course I have, with my own modifications as well, so it's foolproof.
We watched the Star Destroyers pass over us, the ship shaking slightly from the rumble of the massive engines, end eventually we were in the clear. I angled us down towards the ground, headed for the capital city of Valentia.
"If the Empire has two Star Destroyers in orbit, then that means the Inquisitors are already here," I warned Mara. "Be cautious, and keep an eye out for either the Inquisitors, or the children."
"I will Dad," she says firmly.
I can sense she's taking this mission a little bit more personally than most missions, which makes some sense. It was an Inquisitor attempting to kidnap her that brought her into the life she has today, and caused her nightmares when growing up. She doesn't want that to happen to anyone else.
R5 rolled into the cockpit as we entered the atmosphere, the city of Valentia coming into view. It was different than most cities I've come across, as it was actually situated on top of a large mountain. Buildings were carved into cliffs of pale white stone, forming spherical shapes and structures. Along with the buildings, the occasional flag could be seen hung up, waving around with the Empire's symbol on it, against a pure black background. I landed the ship in a secure hanger bay, making sure it couldn't be traced as ours beforehand. Turning off the engines, we got up from our seats and headed for the exit, stepping outside.
"Mara, you and R5 head for the housing unit where the child should be," I told her.
"What about you dad?" she asks.
"I'm gonna look around for any sign of the Inquisitors," I replied. "If you find either one, contact me immediately."
She nods in understanding, a determined look on her face. "Ok. Come on R5," she says, waving an arm.
He beeps in compliance, rolling after her. We separate, traveling in different directions, and I throw my hood up to keep my face a little more hidden. This may be a far Outer Rim planet, but Imperial presence, no matter how small, meant they'd know about me.
I could only hope we're not too late for the child here.
Chandral System
Ahsoka POV...
I come of out hyperspace in my borrowed A-wing ship, the blue water planet of Chandral visible in the distance, still fairly far away. Closer to me however was an abandoned, broken down transport. As I passed by it, I could sense a weak, but lingering feeling of the dark side, as well as taking note of how damaged the ship is. Narrowing my eyes at the ship, I angled towards it and connected to the docking clamp.
Opening a door into the transport ship, I was greeted by a dark, destroyed corridor. Moving forwards cautiously into the hallway, the stench of death filled my nose, and my face fell as I took in the side of a couple of bodies lining the sides of the hallway, charred gashes or stab wounds in them. On the walls was a scorch mark, gauged into the wall from a lightsaber. I trailed my fingers lightly alongside it, sensing that this came from a thrown lightsaber. And the minimal darkness that I could sense reminded me of something...
My expression fell, and I closed my eyes sadly as I realized that Vifi must have been here, along with someone else.
"Help!" an old woman's voice cried out, snapping me from my moment of loss. I reopened my eyes, looking around. "I'm here!"
Spotting a hand lifting weakly into the air, I rushed forwards to see an old woman in a yellow jacket lying on the ground, her skin pale. I kneeled before her, offering a hand out. "It's okay, you're safe now," I told her.
"Help... my grandchild!" she gasps out, taking my hand.
"Your grandchild," I reply, widening my eyes briefly.
"They took her, the red blades!" she replies weakly, her voice filled with fear. "They knew, that she has it... Find her, she... has it..."
Her grandchild must be the Force sensitive child Vifi and the Inquisitors were after. I gently held her up, shushing her, laying a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "Rest. You need to rest, I will find her," I promised.
"Please... keep her safe, from the red blades!" she pleaded with me... one last time.
After those words, the woman's grip went slack, and her body became limp as she took in one last breath, her eyes closing. I shut my own sadly, small tears threatening to break as I sensed the woman pass on into the Force. The idea that Vifi could do such a thing... it was terrible. But she's gone now, lost just like this poor woman.
I slowly reopened my eyes and laid the woman's body down gently, wiping away the small amount of tears I had. My expression became more determined, and I stood up back to my feet, giving the woman one last look.
"I will find your grandchild, I promise you," I told her quietly.
Valentia; Jelucan System
3rd person POV...
Mara and R5 continues through the city streets, the former with her tan colored cape, with her hair in a ponytail in order to appear less recognizable, if only slightly. So far everything seemed to be going normally, with average citizens milling around the city streets. She continued to glance around her at the differently styled buildings, fascinated by how lots of them were just massive spheres with windows inserted into the rock.
"You know, if we ever defeat the Empire in the future, I might consider living here," she says. "This place looks awesome!"
R5 beeped back at her, and she rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Not your ideal living place? Well, what is your 'ideal' living place then?" she replies.
He beeps again, swinging his dome to look at her briefly, and she snorts in response. "Well, go figure. You seem like too much of a gloomy droid to really care."
R5 let out a few angry beeps, causing her to chuckle slightly. They then reached the building where the child and its parents were supposedly living in, and Mara steeled her face, a determined expression coming across.
"This is the place?" she ask him, and he beeped back in confirmation. "Well, lets get to it then."
Glancing to either side of her, she then dashed into the building quickly, R5 rolling along after her. The two headed for the room that the child was supposed to be, going up a few floors. Once they reached the correct floor and found the room, Mara stretched out with the Force to sense for any signs of danger. However she couldn't find any, and even more worrying, there was no sign of anyone inside the apartment. She knocked on the door a few times.
"Hello?" she called out, but there was no answer.
After repeating the process a couple more times, she sighed in frustration and turned to R5. "Could you open the door please? I'd rather not have to cut it down."
R5 beeped in confirmation and rolled up towards the astromech port, bringing out his arm and inserting it into the lock. A few moments later he easily opened the door, and Mara moved inside quickly, but with caution as well. She quietly sneaked through the apartment with R5 rolling behind her, tensed up, with a hand hovering over her lightsaber in case she needed to. However, after a fast scan of the entire apartment, they had found nobody in there.
"Great. Now what?" she groaned in frustration.
R5 beeped at her, and she raised her arm, turning on her comlink to Jarik, who swiftly answered. "Mara, what have you found?" he asks.
"Nothing," she replies with a frown. "There wasn't anybody in the apartment. Are you sure you had the right housing unit?"
"Yes, unit 32B. That's the room you're in right?" he questions.
"Yeah, well nobody's here," she replies, before becoming worried. "Do you think... they already got them?"
"No. If they did, then they would've left by now, and we would know about it," he answers firmly. "If they aren't in the building, they must have gone out for something. Check the surrounding area as fast as you can."
"Got it Dad," she replies, closing the transmission. She out a tired sigh, but her fierce determination was anything but lessened. "Come on R5, we've got more ground to cover if we want to find that child before the Inquisitors do."
R5 groaned in reluctance, but followed after her out the door.
Jarik traveled through the city, hood up to better hide his identity. It may make him look like a suspicious person, but better people think that, than know who he really is. So far everything seemed to be progressing relatively normal, but being in the city now allowed him to sense a lingering presence of the dark side, which let him know that the Inquisitors were still here. However, what Mara told him was very troubling. If the Force sensitive child and their parents were out and about, then that would make them much easier targets for the Inquisitors, and they'd have nowhere to hide out in the open. He could only hope that the parents knew the danger they were in, and the reason why.
While walking along a more private section of the city, where buildings and services were more for the high-class people to use, he came to a stop before a large set of doors to a hanger bay. Frowning, he reached out with the Force, sensing something beyond the doors. Glancing around at the street, he noted the possible security cameras and other devices meant to catch 'crime,' or at least the Empire's version of it. Luckily the streets were very busy at all, due to the time of day, and also because this was for the more wealthy people.
Reaching under his cloak, he pulled out a small device and then casually and discreetly tossed it into the middle of the street. Moments later, an EMP burst blew across the whole area, disabling any electrical devices capable of detecting or recording him. He then dashed towards the console from the hanger and, using his mechanical arm to rip off the covering, he crossed some wires and opened the doors. Inside the private hanger were two Imperial TIE Fighters, of the Inquisitorius model. Jarik allowed himself a small grin before heading into the hanger, making sure to sense for any danger within the Force.
He couldn't sense anything nearby, although the dark side still lingered, just faintly. Approaching the two TIE Fighters, he looked inside both of them to see if there were any children stashed inside. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, he wasn't sure, there were no children. So that means he could go ahead and send them a small message...
"No, I can do better than that," he muttered to himself.
Walking around the city wasn't going to help him find the location of the Inquisitors or the family in danger any faster, so he opted to try an alternative method. Reaching out with his right hand, he pressed it against one of the ships and closed his eyes, feeling for its Force signature. He frowned when sensing the lingering presence of someone who he was a little familiar with: the Second Sister. Using her lingering presence of the dark side on the ship, he then stretched out with the Force across the city, hoping to uncover where she may currently be, using the energy that lingered on the TIE as a compass.
After some effort and several seconds, he pulled his hand away, having sensed the Second Sister's general location within the city, as well as that of Mara's nearby. Sparing the two ships one last look, he then turned around and ran out of the hanger, headed for their direction as fast as he could.
It's been almost fifteen minutes for Mara and R5 since they left the housing units, perusing through the streets trying to find the child and its family, only to continuously grow more frustrated as time went by. R5 was constantly grumbling to himself, muttering about how he had better things to do, until Mara finally had enough.
"Will you just shut up already? Geez!" she snapped at him in annoyance.
If he had the proper eyes, R5 would've just rolled them in dismissal, but Mara ignored his reaction. However, as they were passing by a long building heading into the nearby cliff with shops lined along either side, Mara stopped upon hearing a few terrified screams. Moments later, a several people rushed out of the building as fast as possible, obviously terrified, and she could sense the dark side spiking from inside.
"This is it!" she exclaimed quickly, pulling out her lightsaber hilt and dashing inside, not yet igniting it.
R5 beeped at her loudly in surprise and protest, before rolling quickly after her. Mara rushed through the hallway, and could now make out the sounds of a confrontation happening, with a fearful voice shouting. Noticing a side corridor, she hears the confrontation occurring from down there, and skids to a stop before the edge of the wall, peeking in with narrowed eyes.
From there, she noticed the Third Brother, and another person who made her blood boil with anger, the Second Sister, slowly approaching a twi'lek man, who was protectively keeping a twi'lek woman behind him, who had a child held in her arms. It didn't take a genius to know they were all terrified.
"Please, just let us go, we've done nothing wrong!" the man pleaded.
"We don't care for what you have or haven't done," Third Brother says, voice more of a growl. "Now hand over the child."
"She's our only daughter, you can't do this!" he exclaimed pleadingly.
"The girl." Second Sister hissed, her lightsaber snapping to life with a hiss, illuminating the area in blood red. "Now!"
"M-monsters!" the woman cried, her baby also wailing in fear.
Mara growled quietly to herself, memories from years ago flooding her mind. Where the Second Sister killed her father, her mother, and then took her...
"Stay back!" the man shouted.
"Since we obviously couldn't come to an agreement, the price will be your lives!" Second Sister snarled, storming towards them furiously, Third Brother following. The woman screamed in fear, her baby wailing at a high volume, while the man tried desperately to cover them both. Mara couldn't take it any more.
"Hey!" she screamed, popping out from cover. She whipped her lightsaber to life, the violet blade illuminating her figure, shining her hair and showing her scowling face. "Leave them alone you sleemos!"
Second Sister and Third Brother stopped their approach, and turned around to look at Mara, faces hidden behind the mask. R5 watched Mara reveal herself, muttering a few quiet beeps before rolling away slowly, activating his own com. Underneath her mask, the Second Sister's eyes glowed a cold, furious yellow.
"Mara Jade!" she hissed loudly. "Come to watch a demonstration of what happened to you?"
"You so much as touch them, and you'll wish you had been tortured by Darth Sidious!" Mara snarled in response.
Second Sister chuckled sinisterly in response. "Oh my poor child, I already know exactly what that feels like, and I'd be eager to show you as well!"
The terrified family looked between the Inquisitors and Mara with wide eyes. Mara readied her lightsaber, body tense as she was prepared to charge.
"Take care of the child." Second Sister instructed the Third Brother. "Mara Jade is mine!"
"Very well." Third Brother replied, sounding a little irritated.
With a yell, Mara charged forwards at the Inquisitors, intent on stopping them here once and for all.
Takobo City; Takobo
Vifi POV...
These rebels were proving to give us quite the interesting chase, but now they were starting to become bothersome. I have to admit though it was a little bit satisfying to return that thermal detonator they attempted to throw at us. A shame I couldn't sense anyone getting hurt from such a blast.
Oh well, the child will soon be ours eventually, but with Fifth Brother continuously attempting to take command due to his higher status than me was extremely irritating. Me being Seventh in the Inquisitorious ranks and him being Fifth means absolutely nothing, as that brute could compare to the skills I possess. The only reason he could achieve such a rank is because he has better Force prowess, but other than that he's as useless as the Sixth Brother, who apparently blew himself up from what was reported.
At least Third Brother understood how to properly hunt Jedi, something I sooo wished to shove in Fifth Brother's face.
"They are here," his deep voice says slowly, and he turned down a corridor.
"Are you certain?" I ask doubtfully.
"You would question me, Seventh Sister?" he demands with a growl, glaring at me briefly before continuing on.
I let loose a sigh of mock exasperation, before following after him casually. "Only when you're wrong, Fifth Brother."
He stops before a doorway and opens it, and we both step inside. The sound of the tiny baby wailing in my ears was grating, and I grit my teeth. However, the sound only came from a comlink laying on the floor, turned on. Fifth Brother widened his eyes in disbelief and outrage, picking it up from the floor incredulously.
I suppose there are some positives to gain from his stupidity.
I chuckle in amusement as he closes his fist around the comlink, crushing it to bits in several sparks, before throwing it away.
"And it seems you were wrong!" I say with a cheerful purr.
He snarls, whipping around the glare at me, using his size as an intimidation factor, but he doesn't scare me. "Silence Sister!" he snarls furiously.
I shrug at him, unconcerned by his response, turning around and waving my hand at him dismissively.
"Seeing as how you're so eager to find these pests, I suggest we keep moving before we loose them," I tell him, smirking under my mask.
He lets out an outraged growl before storming past me, moving further up the stairs at a fast pace. I chuckle to myself again before following after him. For the next couple minutes we looked through the building for our prey, and I was a little impressed at how illusive they were being, especially considering that on of them is a large, smelly beast known as a Lasat.
Eventually we turned down another corridor, where Fifth Brother was looking around with narrowed eyes.
"They are close," he says.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Don't waste our time again," I reply irritably.
He stands in the middle of the hallway for a few moments, eyes closed. Then I can start to sense fear, and hear the echo of a babies cries, bringing a small smirk to my face. I guess they are close to us this time.
Fifth Brother then opens his eyes with a fierce glare and whips around, pulling out his lightsaber. With a growl, he jabs it into the ceiling, stalking forwards. I watch him as he continues to jab the lightsaber into the ceiling, and the sense of fear increases dramatically. To me it feels like the young apprentice is up there as well. Maybe I'd get the chance to... play with him a little more?
Fifth Brother stops stabbing for a few moments, glaring at the ceiling.
"Hey!" someone yells.
We both turn around to see two figures standing at the end of the hallway. The beast Lasat, who pulls out a rifle and aims at us, and also a new person that activates a blue lightsaber, a stern glare on his face. I grin fiercely, determining who this is instantly.
"Ahhh... Kanan Jarrus," I say with a purr. "You've come out of hiding, at last!"
I activate my own lightsaber in challenge.
Valentia; Jelucan System
3rd person POV...
Purple clashed against red as Mara and the Second Sister battled it out in the basically empty shopping center. Mara slashed with her lightsaber upwards, and Sister backpedaled, but she followed it up with a spinning kick, knocking her away. Growling, Sister charged back at her with her saberstaff, swinging for her head. Mara ducked underneath the attack, and raised her lightsaber to block or parry the next quick flurry of Sister's strikes, which were forcing her back against the wall, where they entered a saber lock.
"Shan isn't here to save you this time!" Second sister exclaimed gleefully.
Mara grunted, keeping the lightsabers at bay and glared at the Second Sister. "Who says I need saving anymore?" she retorts.
Pressing her heels against the wall, Mara suddenly springs herself forwards, sliding underneath Sister's red blade and jumping to her feet behind her, leaping at the Sister. She swung her lightsaber hard in the air, which Sister blocked, retaliating with another slash for her torso. When Mara landed on the ground again, she quickly spun around to block the next strike, batting it away and rolling off to the side, popping back to her feet again.
While the two began their battle, the man took the opportunity with the Inquisitors distraction to usher his wife down the corridor as fast as possible in the hopes of escaping. Unfortunately, the Third Brother had noticed their attempted escape and dashed after them with a scowl, pulling out his lightsaber.
"You aren't getting away that easily you fools!" he yells.
The family quickly takes another turn, continuing to run as fast as they could down the hallways, practically trying as they noticed how Third Brother was easily starting to catch up to them.
Mara had noticed the Third Brother and the family disappear down the hallway, and attempted to slip past Second Sister to give chase, but she was thrown back with a Force push, slamming her against a nearby bench.
"You aren't going anywhere you little rat! You're mine now," she hissed.
"No... no no no!" Mara yelled, leaping back to her feet and charging for the Second Sister. She twirled in the air and slammed her lightsaber down against the Sister, slashing and swiping as she tried to force her away. However, Second Sister parried or deflected the strikes against her, eventually forcing Mara's lightsaber to the ground and jumping over her, lashing out with her own lightsaber. Mara ducked in order to avoid the strike, and turned around to face her again, raising her blade just in time to block Sister's strike against her.
Mentally she was cursing herself for forgetting to tell Jarik about where she was, and now that family was probably going to pay for it!
The man continued to lead his wife down the hallway, turning around another corner, where just ahead they could see an exit to the shopping center, filling them with some hope. The baby twi'lek girl continued to wail and cry in her mothers arm, but they were close to the exit, making the parents start crying lightly in relief.
However, Third Brother was still sprinting behind them, noticing the exit to the shopping center. With a fierce growl, he waves his arm, using the Force to throw a large bench in their path. Unprepared, the two fall over the bench and onto the ground with pained and terrified cries, coming to a complete stop. The mother loses her grip on her baby, which skids across the ground, wailing even more, and she cries out in terror.
"No!" she screams.
Before they could do anything, the Third Brother comes to a stop right on top of them, igniting his blood red lightsaber.
"You two should be glad I'm more of a merciful type," he snarls. He marches towards the man and kicks him on the head, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Stop!" his wife pleads desperately.
"Prepare to experience death you lowlife," he sneers down at the man, raising his lightsaber. The man stares back at him with wide, terrified eyes, a bloody bruise on the side of his head from where he was kicked. The Third Brother then stabs his lightsaber down with a yell...
Before he lightsaber could connect with the man and kill him, he was suddenly thrown violently several feet away by an unseen Force, slamming him against the wall. He stumbles to his feet with a groan, snarling in a rage, and looks up to see none other than Jarik Shan charging straight for him, although there was no lightsaber held in his hands.
He moves to the side to avoid Jarik, and lashes out with his lightsaber, but Jarik easily sidesteps the strike and grabs hold of his wrist. He uses the Third Brother's dazed state from the Force push to his advantage and yanks him forwards, before lashing out with his metal fist, slamming it into the Third Brother's mask. He's sent flying back into the wall, dropping his lightsaber before collapsing to the ground, groaning as he was knocked out.
Back with Mara and the Second Sister, the former was slowly starting to tire out, her anger at Second Sister and the kidnapping of Force sensitive children having exhausted itself. She remembered all of Ahsoka and Jarik's lessons on how to properly continue a duel with an opponent, but she was still young, and had allowed some of the anger she felt at the Empire and the Inquisitors to get the better of her slightly. She backpedaled, and Second Sister followed, a fierce grin on her face underneath the mask. She rained blow after blow after blow onto Mara, continuously battering her with heavy strikes in the hopes of overpowering her and then forcing her down.
Eventually, it had some affected, as Mara stumbled back slightly after blocking a particularly strong and fast horizontal strike from the Second Sister. She was then sent crashing to the ground as Sister kicked her in the abdomen, and lay their, gasping in pain. the Force screamed at her in warning, and she rolled to the side as a red blade sliced the ground where she was before. She continued rolling and dodging back and forth along the ground as Sister continued to slice at her, leaving scorching gashes in the floor. She then lashed out with her foot, kicking the Second Sister in the leg and causing her to stumble back, giving her enough time to roll backwards and leap to her feet, raising her lightsaber again.
Second Sister chuckled, sensing her exhaustion despite the strong appearance the girl kept up. "You're growing weak little rat," she taunted with a sneer. "You can't keep this up forever, and you'll get what's coming to you."
"You keep telling yourself that." Mara retorted with a glare.
"You were a fool to come here," she replies, laughing at her mockingly. "What did you expect to accomplish by coming here alone? You can't save that child like Shan saved you. You're weak, and all alone!"
Mara tightened her grip on her lightsaber, glaring at the Second Sister.
"The only one who's alone here, is you," a voice suddenly rang out.
Both combatants stopped, eyes wide before Second Sister whipped around with a yell. "No! Impossible!" she shrieks.
Before she could react however, she was sent flying by a heavy Force push, slamming into the far wall with enough force to crack it, and slumped to the ground, dazed and groaning. Her lightsaber clattered to the floor beside her, the blade shutting off.
"Dad!" Mara exclaims in relief.
Jarik walked forwards with a smirk, and Mara rushed up at him, turning off her lightsaber and hugging him tightly, startling him a little bit. However he was quick to return it, a smile on both of their faces before they separated.
"Are you okay Mara?" he asks in concern.
She nods her head. "I am, but we have to go! The Third Brother is here too and-"
"Mara, it's okay, I already got him," he interrupts quickly in reassurance.
She blinked at him. "Wait, what?" she asks in surprise.
"Yeah. The family is safe, waiting for us with R5 back at the ship, which is hovering just outside of the building," he explained. "He told me that you were here."
Mara looked down apologetically, a hint of shame coming over her. "Yeah, sorry I forgot to tell you I was here. I just, I didn't want them to hurt that family!"
Jarik looks down at her sadly. "I know. I'm still disappointed that you didn't call and attempted to take on two Inquisitors by yourself. Things could have ended a lot worse for you and that family if I didn't get here in time," he says sternly in disapproval, and she winces slightly.
"But," he adds, and she looks up at him. "In the end, I'm just glad you're okay."
"Thanks Dad," she replies gratefully.
He flashes her a small grin. "Your welcome. Now come on, we've gotta leave. Don't wait the Empire to come firing down on us, or for her to wake up and chase us," he says, gesturing towards the groaning form of the Second Sister.
She nods with a grin, and rushes after her father outside of the shopping center, where the Knight Hawk is waiting.
Takobo City; Takobo
Ahsoka POV...
I could sense the signature's of Kanan, Ezra and Zeb nearby, as well as two other Force sensitives bathed in the dark side, which I knew to be the Inquisitor's. One of them was unfamiliar to me, but the other... I could still recognize it as Vifi. I shut my eyes tightly, recalling all the time years ago in the Temple when I was still a youngling. It was nice, and we all were very good friends, far more sociable than most other clans that's for sure. The only other clan I've seen as warm and open since ours was Katooni's clan, and sadly... she's the only one left alive.
Too many lives have been hurt because of the Sith and the dark side, but also the Jedi in a way. If it wasn't for the strict codes put in place, and the arrogance of the Council. If they were more open to the Force like me and Jarik are now, then the Sith probably wouldn't have been able to rise so successfully. But, that was the past, and now all we have to do is fight for what's right for the galaxy... even if I have to face a former friend to do so.
I glanced back at Chopper, who was beeping at me, as well as Oora, the mother of another child that Kanan and the others found here. The grandchild of the old woman who I made a promise too was held in Chopper's small arms. And now I'm here.
"Get to the Phantom and ready the ship for take off," I told them, turning to face the hanger doors. "I'll handle this."
He beeped in confirmation, turning around and rolling away with the child in tow, and Oora followed after him. I steadied myself, taking a deep breath and letting the warmth of the Force flow through me. I guess positive of having Morai's life Force transfered to me means I feel the pure light side of the Force, not what the Jedi viewed as the Light.
I opened my eyes and waved a hand, hitting the door controls for the hanger. As the doors slowly opened with a hiss, I calmly walked through, preparing myself to face the Inquisitors. Behind the doors I could see Ezra laying on the ground, another baby in his arms, looking at me in surprise, as well as Kanan and Zeb nearby, unconscious. Staring forwards with a fierce and determined gaze, I caught sight of my two opponents, the smaller of which opened a mask to reveal the grown up face of Vifi, who glared back at me with angry, yellow eyes.
I stopped before them, back straight as I stared them down calmly. I then held out my arms and pulled my lightsabers off their clips with the Force, whipping them on with a smirk, and settled into my familiar Jar'Kai stance.
"Unexpected, but not unwelcome, old friend." Vifi states with a sinister smirk, she and the other Inquisitor, Fifth Brother, readying their own weapons.
"I wish I could say the same, old friend," I replied calmly, my expression still fierce. It hurt to see her this way, but no more children could be allowed to fall into he Emperor's hands. "Ezra, get the youngling to the ship."
He nodded at me with a confident smile, and I winked back at him before returning my gaze to the Inquisitors. Dashing forwards, I leaped high into the air, soaring towards the two. They brought up their own lightsabers, Vifi's in the saberstaff mode, and I clashed against theirs with a yell.
I flipped off their two lightsabers and behind them, whipping around. Vifi came at me quickly, slashing and swiping her lightsaber at me in furious, yet familiar strikes. She still hasn't lost her fighting style that's for sure. Fifth Brother just marched slowly behind her, letting her do the work while he waited for an opening. I vaguely heard Ezra telling the others to get up and move, and Vifi struck again.
Blocking her strike, I shoved her back harshly and then thrust my other hand out. Fifth Brother tried charging forwards when I shoved Vifi, but all he got was a heavy blast of the Force, which threw him back several feet, and he fell unconscious. He's a brute, but that's all he is, with no true saber skills or sense of balance.
Vifi charged at me again, and I swiped my lightsaber at her, forcing her to backpedal. We went into a fast paced duel, a sense of nostalgia coming through me as memories of training at the Temple came up. I shoved those memories away as Vifi swung her lightsaber. I jumped over it and then backpedaled, parrying her follow up strike and retaliating with a horizontal slash. We broke apart briefly, and she activated her sabers spinning feature in an attempt of intimidation.
"I know why you want the children Vifi," I stated.
"Oh, I'm just following in your footsteps Ahsoka!" she replies in sickening delight. "After all, who doesn't want to be, a mother?!"
She lashed out again, and I twirled around her blade, striking out with my own. She blocked it, and I followed up with a downwards blow, and then swung both my sabers horizontally at her head. She raised her saber staff to block both, but I pushed off of her lightsaber and flipped over her. She quickly turns around to react, and our blades cross, locking against each other.
We glared at each other with narrowed eyes before she suddenly smirked, and I glanced to the side with a scowl, spitting the Fifth Brother charging forwards with his blade high above his head. Thinking fast, I shoved Vifi away with a Force push and then jumped out of the way with a backflip, landing back on my feet. Fifth Brother pulled his saber out of the ground to face me, a snarl on his face while Vifi held her lightsaber in front of her.
He then charged forwards with a yell, delivering a powerful downwards strike. However I simply catch his blade with mine and twirl around, easily using his momentum to make him stumble away, where he slammed his head into a column with a grunt, falling unconscious again. Vifi dashes forwards, but I bat her lightsaber away and retaliate with a horizontal strike, which she blocks by raising the other end of her saberstaff.
"You choice of partners is poor," I remarked with an amused grin.
She scowled at me furiously, eyes glowing. "As if I wanted to be partnered with that brute!" she exclaimed.
"Oh right, you chose a life to be slave to the Emperor," I retorted with a smirk.
She lashed out at me with a yell, my comments getting to her like I had hoped. She attacked viciously, but also wildly, loosing some of the control she previously had on her fighting. Using that, I went onto the offensive, delivering quick and powerful strikes that forced her backwards, desperately trying to defend. Jumping up with a twirl, I then kicked her in the torso, sending her skidding back towards a column on her knees.
She looked up at me, panting and furious, and I stood back to my full height, shutting off my lightsabers. I then closed my eyes and calmly knelt on the ground, hands outstretched, a look of peace forming on my face.
I listened and felt with the Force as she activated her sabers spinning feature, leaping forwards with a twirl. Predicting her moment of attack with the Force, I quickly clipped my sabers back to my belt and then raised my arms, catching the hilt of her lightsaber when she struck. We pressed against each other in a contest of physical strength, and I then used the Force to shut off her lightsaber, opening my eyes and looking at her. She gapes at me in shock, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes.
"You forget who of our clan was strongest in the Force," I reminded her firmly.
I then stood up, ripping the lightsaber from her grasp and throwing it away, where it clattered to the ground. She backed away nervously as I looked down at her, me being a couple inches taller. I then reached back and thrust my arms out, blasting her into the column with the Force, which cracks on impact, and she collapsed to the ground, dazed.
I walk up to her and pull out my lightsaber, pointing the white blade at her throat in warning.
"You are beaten. Yield!" I declared, before my expression shifted to one of sorrow and regret. "Please Vifi, I don't want to do this. We miss you," I say softly.
She fixes her helmet and looks at the white lightsaber, glaring up at me. After a few moments, she then begins to laugh mockingly in amusement.
"I always remembered you to be a naive girl. There is no hope for me," she sneers.
I frown sadly at her, but look up as the sound of Imperial transports gets my attention. A large platoon of Stormtroopers surround the area, pointing blasters and spotlights in my direction, and Vifi chuckles again.
"It looks like you are the one that is beaten," she says smugly, raising an arm.
I glance back when the Force sends warnings to me, seeing her saberstaff spinning for me. I jump away from it, landing in a crouch as she catches her saber and stands back up, the Fifth Brother also waking up and doing the same.
"Mmm, your capture will please Lord Vader, and myself for that matter." Vifi purrs.
I stand back up, holding my lightsabers in front of me with a scowl, not doubting her words. But I would not be captured today, and I most certainly won't be coming face to face with him... at least not yet, not until I'm ready. I look up, spotting the Phantom rising into the air and allow myself my own smirk.
"Tell your master he'll have to wait," I reply.
Fifth Brother throws his lightsaber at me, but I jump over it easily, turning my sabers off in the process. I dash straight for them, and Vifi tries to swipe at me, but I jump high into the air before she could realize it. Landing on the column, I then jump for the Phantom, arms outstretched for the door that was open for me and grab on. Once I was holding onto the door, the Phantom blasted off, away from the city.
I flipped myself inside the ship as Stormtroopers opened fire, and the door closed behind me. Once inside, we blasted off into orbit, Kanan in the pilot's seat. I walked up to him while the rest watched Chopper playing with the two younglings. I allowed myself a small smile at the sight.
"That was crazy, but worth it." Ezra comments.
I turn to Kanan, my expression serious. "They're Force sensitive. I've seen this before. The Emperor attempted the same thing back during the Clone Wars, but the Jedi Order stopped him."
"And now there's no Jedi Order to protect them," he replies grimly.
I nodded my head sadly in agreement. "Unfortunately, several younglings have already been kidnapped by the Inquisitors. Jarik's been working hard trying to find them first, but the Emperor is just to powerful, and he can sense them from several systems away before we know about it."
Kanan looks at me in surprise and worry, letting out a tired sigh. "I knew the Emperor was powerful, but I never knew he was that strong. How are we supposed to face someone like that?"
"Only time will tell I'm afraid," I reply. "Now that we've shown we know about the kidnappings, I'm unsure if they'll continue to do so, but there's always a possibility," I advise him.
He nods his head in understanding, and we turn around to look at the rest of the group. Chopper was spinning around with the two children, who laughed happily in delight.
"Okay, I guess that job falls to us now." Kanan says with a small smile.
"Jarik will be able to find somewhere for them to grow up safely," I add in reassurance.
Wow, that was a long chapter to like, but it was fun, and I liked writing it! I hope you guys enjoyed the little additions like Ahsoka's thoughts during her battle with Vifi, or Vifi's own thoughts during the episode! :D
However, a lot of really intense things are going to happen soon after this, before we enter a more calm period for several chapters. Also there may be some more of Elita-One being shown soon. Not reactivated yet, that's still a little ways away, but there's going to be more discussion about her from our main characters!
Be prepared! :O
