Keira woke with a start. Her head was pounding and her body ached all over. Yet, she sensed that she was not severely injured. She squinted, but couldn't see anyone in her line of sight. Keira took a breath before she forced herself to stand up, her head aching even more.
"Are you all right?" came Solin's voice from her left. Keira turned and saw Solin stretching his arm. He had a small cut on his head from the landing.
"Master!" Keira exclaimed. "I'm fine. A little sore and I've got a headache, but I'll live."
"Center yourself, Keira," Solin said with an air of concern in his tone. "You might be concussed."
"OK," Keira replied, shutting her eyes for a moment. She focused on simply breathing and letting the Force heal her body and mind. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes again and her surroundings were clearer and her mind was focused. Scattered ship parts lay around the area where she and Solin had awakened. Some of it was up in flames. There was no sign of anyone else.
"What happened to the others?" Keira asked.
Solin shook his head, looking sad. "Nobody else survived the crash. Had we not been Jedi and able to use the Force to soften the blow, we wouldn't be standing here either. It's a wonder we're in such good shape as we are."
"Are you OK, Master?"
"I'll be fine," Solin said. "I cut off the bleeding on this wound and I don't think it's anything serious. I'm pretty sore, too, but I don't think there will be any permanent damage. Now, we must leave and get to the Ord Mantell Royal Palace."
Keira nodded and followed Solin away from the wreckage. They had crashed into a field that wasn't too far from the palace; they could make out the castle a short distance away. As they hurried through the field, Keira couldn't help but be relieved they didn't see the bodies of anyone else who was on the ship.
Once inside the city limits, Solin looked around for some place to get information. He stopped Keira when he spotted a cantina.
"Let's go in there," he said pointing at the cantina. "There's bound to be somebody in there who knows how to get access to the palace."
"Yes, Master," Keira replied, following Solin into the cantina. It was full of several citizens of Ord Mantell. Keira was thankful to see nobody wearing the insignia of Malastare in the cantina.
Together, Solin and Keira approached the bar. As Solin ordered drinks, Keira glanced around, looking for somebody she thought could lead them to the palace. Just to her right, she spotted two Rodians approaching a young woman dressed in a magenta outfit with her hair pulled back into a bun. Keira could see the woman was armed with both a blaster and some sort of staff that was shortened and hanging from her utility belt.
Solin handed Keira a drink and Keira motioned at the young woman, who they heard speak.
"I told you to leave me alone," the woman said irritably to the two Rodians. "So why don't you do us all a favor and just leave me?"
"Little girl needs to learn respect!" said one Rodian in his native language.
"We will teach you a lesson!" added the other.
As the two Rodians approached the young woman, Solin walked up to them, waving his hand. Keira glanced at the bar and saw he had set his drink down on it.
"You will leave this young woman alone," he said, casting a Jedi Mind Trick on the Rodians.
"We will leave this young woman alone," the Rodians repeated.
"You will go home and rethink your lives."
"We will go home and rethink our lives."
With that, the two Rodians walked off, looking as if they were in a trance. Once they had cleared away, Solin turned to the young woman, who was smiling.
"I appreciate your help there, Master Jedi," she said kindly. "I certainly could have taken them on myself, but I don't want to bring the palace a bad name."
"The Palace?" asked Keira, who had also walked up to the woman.
"Yes, the Royal House of Ord Mantell. I am one of the guards assigned to the palace. Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ngema Resor."
"It's a pleasure, Ngema," said Solin. "I am Solin Malice, Jedi Knight, and this is my apprentice, Keira Port.
"We're here on a mission from the Supreme Chancellor," Keira added. "You said you're a guard at the Royal Palace?"
"That's right," said Ngema, nodding. "I take it you two need some help getting into the palace?"
"Are we so transparent?" asked Solin.
Ngema grinned at him. "I just have a feeling you two are here to get into the palace and you're looking for help. It's a good thing we ran into each other here."
"Can you get us inside, Ngema?" Keira asked.
"Yes, of course I can. It's probably best if you're escorted into the palace. The only people they're letting in or out right now are palace officials. The Malastarian Army has dispatched several guards to the palace to make sure nobody unauthorized gets in or out without clearing it with them first. But since you're with me, you'll have a better chance of getting inside."
"They might want to block us when they see we're Jedi," Solin pointed out.
"Good point," said Ngema, nodding. "Well at any rate, I can get you there faster than on your own. Shall we go now?"
"Yes, it is a matter of some urgency," said Solin.
"All right then. Follow me, Master Jedi."
Solin and Keira followed Ngema out of the cantina and back onto the streets of Ord Mantell. She led them quickly through the streets, pulling her staff from her belt, but not yet opening it to its full length. Within moments, they were approaching the gates to the palace. Several guards stood outside the palace, most of them carrying blasters. Solin and Keira noticed there were also men dressed in black cloaks and guessed they were likely Dark Jedi.
Ngema led them to the guard standing in the center of the gate. When they reached him, the guard help up a hand.
"Halt!" he commanded.
"I am a guard in the Royal Palace and I request entry into the Palace," Ngema said in a bored voice.
"We can let you in, young one, but who are your friends here?"
"I'm an ambassador to the Supreme Chancellor and I request entry into the palace as well," said Solin in a commanding voice.
"The Supreme Chancellor?" asked the guard, sounding amused. "The Chancellor has no authority here."
"Actually, he does," Solin retorted, but in a pleasant tone. "Despite the legality of Ord Mantell's blockade, the planet is still bound by the laws of the Republic."
Before the guard could answer, one of the cloaked men approached them. Solin could sense the power of the Dark Side in this man and noticed he had a lightsaber hanging on his belt.
"Let me handle this, Sergeant," said the man. "Tosan Inte and Lord Nacluv were most disappointed that you were able to escape General Nute's flagship alive. They have promised a great reward to any Sith who is able to kill you."
As the Sith Lord made to attack Solin, Solin ignited his lightsaber and blocked the attack while Keira made to counterattack. Ngema also opened her staff and managed to land a hit on the Sith. Suddenly, they were surrounded by a group of half a dozen armed Dark Jedi. The three of them split up and began taking on two Sith at a time. The guards nearby began to open fire.
Solin managed to handle the two Sith on his own with ease. Within moments, he had managed to strike them down and turned to assist Ngema, seeing Keira had already moved on to the shooting guards. To his surprise, Ngema had also moved on to the shooting guards, the other two Sith lying on the ground, motionless. In seconds, the three of the them had dispatched every guard in the area and had managed to avoid getting hit. Solin and Keira deactivated their lightsabers, but kept them held.
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Keira asked, impressed with Ngema's abilities.
"All palace guards received specialized training before being admitted for duty," Ngema explained. "I had also trained in self-defense for years before I joined the guard. I modified my staff to have cortosis protection. That's why it's able to block lightsaber attacks and blaster bolts. I also use my blaster, but only if I'm handling adversaries from a distance."
"That's very impressive, Ngema," Solin said, giving her a warm smile. "You certainly live up to your potential. Now then, can we expect any more resistance in the palace?"
Ngema shook her head. "So far, no. The guards have only been stationed outside the palace. We should be all right until we reach the throne room."
"Then lead the way, if you please. We have no time to spare."
Ngema nodded and motioned for Solin and Keira to follow her. They entered the palace with ease, not noticing a hooded figure watching them from a distance.
"The invasion is on schedule, My Lord," said General Nute, happy to report good news for once.
"General Surik has the Senate bogged down in procedures," Lord Nacluv replied. "They will have no choice but to accept your control of Ord Mantell."
"My Lord, what of King Mobbs? It will be difficult to convince him to sign any treaty to legitimize our occupation."
Nacluv smiled slightly. "It is good to see you using your head for a change, General. However, you need not worry. King Mobbs is young and naive. You will find controlling him will not be difficult."
"And My Lord, about the Jedi…"
"I will handle the Jedi, General," Nacluv said shortly. "I have arrived at the Ord Mantell Palace and I will confront the Jedi before they are able to escape the planet. I shall keep you informed."
"Yes, my Lord," said Nute, bowing slightly as the hologram of Nacluv faded.
"Here we are," Ngema said, pressing a button outside a large set of doors, which opened quickly. Solin had a look around the palace as they hurried inside and was barely able to appreciate its beauty. It was a luxurious room with wide open space. In the center of the room, King Mobbs sat in his chair, surrounded by an entourage that included guards and planet leaders. Mobbs was dressed in elegant red robes and looked rather annoyed. Ngema led Solin and Keira into the room and stood aside as Solin and Keira bowed in front of Mobbs.
"Your majesty, my name is Solin Malice and I'm the ambassador to the Supreme Chancellor," Solin said. "This is my apprentice, Keira Port."
King Mobbs' face softened slightly at Solin's introduction.
"Please tell me your negotiations were successful, Master Jedi," he pleaded.
"I'm afraid the negotiations never took place," Solin replied. "Malastare had no intention of negotiating the terms of the blockade. But that doesn't matter. We must evacuate you off the planet, King Mobbs. Malastare intends to start an invasion of this planet if they haven't already."
"And where will you be taking us, Jedi?" demanded one of the guards who had a scar across his face from a slash. The guard sounded irritated.
"My primary bodyguard, Captain Menousek, Master Jedi," King Mobbs said as an introduction.
"We will travel to the Capital planet, Coruscant, Captain," replied Solin. "From there, King Mobbs can testify in the Senate to what has happened here and the Senate can take further action. But we must hurry if we are to get off the planet before this city is invaded."
"And what of my people?" Mobbs demanded. "Am I too leave the planet and leave them to suffer?"
Before Solin could respond, Keira spoke up in a kind tone.
"I understand your concern, Your Majesty, and I admire your dedication to your people, but consider the alternative. If you are left on this planet and taken hostage by the Army of Malastare, you could be killed or otherwise stripped from power, and then Ord Mantell would be in the hands of Malastare, who could instill whomever they like into your role, thus effectively enslaving the people of this planet. But if you go with us and testify in the Senate, this can be resolved with diplomacy."
King Mobbs considered Keira for several seconds before he nodded.
"You are well spoken, young woman," he said. "I can hear the truth in your words. I, along with Captain Menousek, Ngema and my closest aides will go with you to Coruscant. I will leave control of the planet in the hands of the governors in my absence." At that, he stood up, as did his entire entourage. Mobbs walked behind his chair as he spoke. "I will need all governors to remain on the planet protecting our people to the best of your abilities. I shall return to the planet as quickly as I can."
The governors bowed to King Mobbs before they sat back down as King Mobbs emerged from behind his throne room chair, holstering his blaster that he had retrieved from behind the chair.
"Do you have a transport, Your Majesty?" Solin asked.
"I do. Captain Menousek and Ngema can you lead you to the main hanger."
"Follow me, master Jedi," said Captain Menousek, who sounded much more pleasant now that he had his blaster in his hand.
Captain Menousek and Ngema led Solin, Keira, King Mobbs and the entourage toward the throne room doors. Just before they reached it, however, the doors opened. They stopped walking as they saw a hooded figure standing on the other side of the door. The figure looked up and lowered his hood. Solin's eyes widened in shock as he saw a face he hadn't seen in more than a decade.
"Vulcan?" Solin gasped, staring at his old friend. Vulcan had dyed a part of his hair red and Solin could see a lightsaber hanging from his belt. He could also sense something different about his friend, but couldn't quite place what it was.
"Hello, old friend," Vulcan said with a dark smile. "How nice to see you again. But I ask that you don't call me 'Vulcan' anymore."
"What are you talking about?" Solin demanded.
Vulcan laughed, but it wasn't the laugh Solin remembered. It was cold, devoid of any emotion.
"I am no longer Vulcan Gunner, Solin. I am Lord Nacluv, the Dark Lord of the Sith."
Solin's eyes widened even more at this new revelation. Vulcan laughed callously.
"You mean you've fallen to the Dark Side?"
"I did not 'fall,' Solin, I merely embraced the potential of the Dark Side and I've unlocked new secrets about the great mystery of the Force!"
"So you threw away everything you once stood for!"
"I can see it's useless trying to convince you what's really happened since we last parted, old friend. You're bound by the Jedi Code, of course, a foolish and outdated code. But enough chatter now, Solin, and to business! As I'm sure you've deduced by now, I am behind the events of the blockade and the pending invasion by Malastare. I have my own goals for doing this, but I don't need to bother you with the details. Here's what I need from you, Solin: I need you to let me take the King and his entourage so I can complete my goals."
"You ought to know me well enough to know that's not happening, Vulcan," Solin snarled, reaching for his lightsaber. He could see Keira doing the same out of the corner of his eye.
"How unfortunate, Solin. I have no desire to hurt you, but if you refuse my request, I will have no choice. I'll give you one more chance to surrender the King to me."
Solin said nothing and instead waited, centering himself in the Force.
"Very well then, old friend. I'm afraid I'll have to take care of you and your apprentice," Nacluv said as he drew his lightsaber and ignited it. Solin had a quick glance of the hilt and saw it was his original training lightsaber he had given Vulcan as a gift when he parted. Solin lit his lightsaber and quickly blocked Nacluv's attack and Keira made to counterattack, which Nacluv was able to block before Solin and he locked blades and Solin pushed Nacluv back. Meanwhile, King Mobbs and his entourage hurried away from the duel as it started to grow in intensity.
For several minutes, the three of them dueled with ferocity. If Solin thought the confrontation with Tosan had been difficult, it was nothing compared to this one. Though he still knew most of Nacluv's favorite moves by heart, Solin found it difficult to gain an upper hand in the battle, even with Keira's help. Nacluv relied heavily on the Dark Side of the Force in order to maintain his stamina and seemed incapable of wearing down, just as Tosan had; it was clear he had been preparing for this moment for a long time.
As they dueled, Solin attempted to reach out with the Force, a difficult task considering the duel required most of his he was able to tap into Nacluv's mind, he sensed little of his old friend. Rather, he had been replaced by this dark figured dueling him and Keira. Solin shook off his shock, trying to gain an advantage in the fight.
Before Solin could react, Nacluv managed to push him away following a particularly nasty block. Keira then hurried forward and began to unleash an attack of her own against Nacluv as Solin recovered. Keira was completely lost in the battle, her mind focused solely on her next move and Nacluv's. Her lightsaber seemed to move in sync with her mind, able to sense Nacluv's attacks and counterattack attempts. Nacluv suddenly seemed to be taken aback by the fury of Keira's dueling abilities and started to back away as she advanced.
Solin rejoined the duel and started to attack Nacluv again, his goal in the duel unclear even to him. With Nacluv distracted by Solin's new attacks, Keira was able to kick the lightsaber out of his hand and Force push Nacluv away from them. Nacluv took a second to recover before he started laughing.
"You've trained your apprentice well, Solin," he said. "And you've certainly proved yourself a worthy opponent of the Dark Lord of the Sith. But, I'm afraid we're out of time, old friend."
"You're not going anywhere, Vulcan!" Solin yelled, starting to advance on Nacluv.
"Not to worry, Solin, we'll meet again soon!" Nacluv shouted before he raised his hand and sent a powerful Force wave through the room. It was powerful enough to send Solin and Keira to their feet and stunning them, and knocking King Mobbs and his entourage to the floor. It took Solin and Keira a few moments to recover, but when they did, there was no sign of Nacluv. The Jedi deactivated their lightsabers.
"Vulcan!" Solin exclaimed, his face white with shock. "How could he betray everything he stood for as a Jedi and turn to the Dark Side?"
"I don't know, Master," Keira said soothingly. "I can't believe it myself. I heard stories about Vulcan during my youngling days, and the masters always warned us we were as vulnerable as him to to the Dark Side, but I never thought he'd have fallen so far." She shook her head. "But we can't just dwell on this. What do we do, master?"
Solin ignored her for a moment, staring at the spot he had last seen Nacluv, thinking hard to himself. He seemed lost in his thoughts.
"Master?" prompted Keira.
"Huh?" said Solin, coming out of his trance. "I'm sorry, Keira. I just can't believe it. But you're right, we must move on. We've got to get off this planet as quickly as possible."
"Then follow us, Master Jedi," said Ngema, who had approached them along with the rest of King Mobbs' entourage unnoticed. "We'll get you safely to the hanger and off the planet."