Chapter 10 – The Blue Shadow Virus
Author's Note: In which Theseus has to deal with the Blue Shadow Virus on Naboo. :P
~ Amina Gila
Theseus, Ahsoka, and their masters have been called to Naboo on an urgent mission. A number of Separatist droids were spotted, and there's talk about a deadly virus having resurfaced in the swamps. And there is no doubt some sort of connection between the two. It's not as if biological warfare is beneath the Separatists. It certainly wouldn't be the first time they decided to destroy a planet.
"General Kenobi, Anakin," greets Captain Typho, the head of Senator Amidala's security as the four Jedi get off the gunship, "We're so glad –"
"Where's Senator Amidala?" Anakin demands, cutting him off. Which reminds Theseus of when they were on the Malevolence and how worried Anakin was about her. They're clearly good friends, so no wonder he's worried. At times, he almost wonders if they're something more.
"She went to look for the lab," replies the Captain.
"And you let her go?!" Anakin demands incredulously.
"Senator Padme can be very hard to stop once she has made up her mind," Threepio interjects, moving forwards. Well, Theseus has definitely noticed that.
"Good point," Anakin sighs, "I know what you mean."
"This is Peppi Bow," Captain Typho declares, motioning to the Gungan standing behind him, "She was the last person to see them. Padme sent her here to safety."
"Thesa looking for the sick-maker," informs the Gungan.
"'They?'" repeats Anakin.
"Representative Binks was with her," explains Typho.
Anakin looks to Ahsoka. "Go with the Gungan. See if you can find them."
"You've got it, Master," she chirps.
"You go with her, Theseus," Obi-Wan adds.
"Why didn't you send someone to look for them?" Theseus hears Anakin demands as he follows Ahsoka and Peppi out of the room. Theseus' BD droid rides on his shoulder, and they head off together.
"You know, no offense, but I really prefer speeders," Theseus remarks as the large shaak he, Ahsoka, and Peppi are riding on continues to lumber across the terrain. The sun is nearing the horizon, orange light streaming in between the towering trees of the forest. It's a beautiful sight to behold, especially from so far off the ground, but one of these moments he is going to go flying.
"Hey, at least it's something other than the ordinary," Ahsoka offers brightly.
"When has anything these days been ordinary?" he smirks, another jostle nearly dislodging him. He hastily catches onto Ahsoka to avoid falling.
"Good point," she agrees.
Peppi finally stops the shaak, and the three of them jump to the ground. "These the ship belonging to them," she says.
Theseus looks around the clearing, seeing nothing. "So where are they?" Ahsoka wonders, "Their tracks end here."
"That doesn't make sense," he mutters, frowning. Something isn't right. The Force is tensing around them like something is about to happen.
As if on cue, a droid sensor suddenly sticks up out of the ground right beneath one of Peppi's feet. A red eye sensor turns straight towards him and Ahsoka. They frantically duck around it, out of its line of sight as the Gungan continues to rock precariously in her position on top.
"Peppi, it's a scope," Ahsoka hisses, "Don't let them see you."
The eye continues to move in a circle, and finally the Togruta flips through the air, taking the Gungan with her as they duck behind a large tree trunk nearby. Theseus jumps after, crouching next to them.
"That was close," he breaths as the sensor finally completes its circle and then disappears back into the ground again. "We should contact the others."
Ahsoka nods, quickly dialing Anakin's frequency into her comm. "Master, are you there?" she calls.
"Did you find her?" comes the immediate response.
"Negative. I'm pretty sure she's inside the lab," Ahsoka replies.
"The tracks end right here so there's nowhere else they could have gone," Theseus adds.
"And the whole area is wired with pressure sensors," explains Ahsoka, "There's no way to get in without being detected."
"Though if you want, we can –" Theseus begins.
"Do not attempt to get inside," orders Obi-Wan, stepping over to appear in the hologram, "I need you to detonate a bomb at the south end of the facility. It should cause a nice distraction and seal off the bomb area while we come in through the hatches."
The hologram switches to show a layout of the place. "Shouldn't be a problem, Master," Theseus assures as he studies the map. Aside from the fact that with one mistake they could doom themselves and the entire planet, it doesn't seem much more difficult than some of the other assignments they've gotten. It's not quite like anything they've dealt with, but it's still nothing they can't handle.
"You can count on us," Ahsoka nods.
"Rex and his men will be right behind you, Snips," Anakin assures them, "They'll have your back."
"I'll send the laboratory plans over to your droid, Theseus," Obi-Wan adds before the connection breaks. BD beeps and a small hologram of the lab appears in front of them. It's many levels and extremely complex. It will take them a while to work their way through it.
The three of them sit together in silence as the sun slowly sinks below the horizon and darkness begins enveloping the woods. And for a moment, it actually feels peaceful here, with the calm life presences from the trees all around him. But only for a moment. Because really, it's hard to enjoy it for more than a moment when you know one mistake could result in the death of all life on an entire planet. Theseus and Ahsoka remain crouched out of sight of the sensors, studying the hologram.
On occasion, the sensors protrude from the ground and look around before disappearing again. "Now," Ahsoka breathes, levitating a bomb with the Force and maneuvering it towards the designed spot in the grass. A sensor pops up out of the ground again, and she quickly moves the bomb out of its sight until it disappears.
"There," Theseus mutters as she finally finishes moving the bomb to the right spot. The same moment, three sensors rise out of the ground as Ahsoka drops the bomb. A deafening explosion rings out as the bomb goes off, lighting up the dark forest almost like daytime. Right on cue, three shuttles fly overhead, one of them stopping above the now gaping hole going into the lab below the surface.
"Meesa come too?" Peppi inquires as Ahsoka and Theseus head for the opening.
"No, you better stay here," Theseus objects. They don't need to take her into harm's way. She's not a Jedi so she'd probably be collateral damage in the fight that's definitely coming.
"And make sure that no one escapes," Ahsoka instructs.
"Okeyday," she replies.
They run over to the opening as clones slide down a cable into the facility. Igniting her lightsaber, Ahsoka leaps over the edge after them, Theseus close behind. Battle droids and super battle droids are already marching towards them, shooting. Theseus spins his blade, deflecting the bolts back at the droids before charging forwards, slicing through the ones in front. The clones start shooting at the droids from behind him.
Ahsoka flips through the air next to him, bisecting a few super battle droids just as several destroyers roll around the corner. Theseus cuts down the last of the battle droids in front before turning his attention to blocking the blasts from the destroyer droids. Theseus winces as he feels and hears a number of the clones behind them being shot down, despite their efforts.
"We need to try something else," calls Theseus.
"Fall back!" Ahsoka calls, beginning to back down the hallway. The clones hastily retreat, continuing to shoot, though none of their blasts can penetrate through the destroyers' shields.
Just then, the ceiling above the droids gives way, crashing down on them. When the dust finally begins to clear, a smirking Obi-Wan is standing atop the debris.
"Need some help?" he quips as several clones land behind him.
"We had it under control," grumbles Theseus.
"So good to see you, Master Kenobi," Ahsoka says.
"Things are going well," Obi-Wan informs, "The lab is secure, and hopefully, Anakin has reached Padme by now. Come on, let's move." He takes off running down the hall, and they follow.
They round another corner, only to come face to face with another group of droids which instantly opens fire. "We can handle this, Master," Theseus calls over his shoulder.
"We'll keep the droids occupied," Ahsoka agrees. Obi-Wan turns, sprinting down the hall in the opposite direction, his own clones following him. They hastily cut through the droids before taking off down the hall again.
Just then, his best friend's comm flares to life. "Ahsoka," Anakin calls, "We've got another situation. Send all the clones to search the facility. We've got a miss-" He cuts off mid-word as they dart around the corner only to come face to face with Anakin.
"Master?" Ahsoka exclaims.
"You were saying...?" inquires Theseus.
"We've got a missing bomb and a trigger-happy mad doctor on the loose," Anakin replies in a rush.
"Missing bomb?" Padme, who's standing behind him along with Jar Jar and several other clones, speaks up, "I saw Dr. Vindi give a little droid a bomb."
"You guys split up," orders Anakin, "Find that droid." He takes off without another word.
"You heard him. Let's move!" Ahsoka commands.
"I'll go this way," announces Theseus, turning to head a different direction. Two of the four clones with Ahsoka run after him. He doesn't have a very good feeling about this, but he doesn't have time to stop and think about it. If even one of those bombs go off, all of them are going to die. So will everyone on Naboo, most likely.
"Theseus, Ahsoka," Padme suddenly calls over his comm, "I found the last bomb."
"Stay there," Ahsoka orders, "I'll get the bomb squad."
"On my way," Theseus replies as the connection breaks. He quickly weaves his way back through the facility, grateful now more than ever that he spent some time studying the layout before they came in here.
The bomb is rapidly ticking down as Theseus runs into the room to see Ahsoka and her clones are already there, working on trying to get it deactivated. And they only have a few more seconds left before it detonates. The counting down red lights flash to indicate there's only one second left before stopping. "Deactivated," the trooper announces, looking up.
Theseus lets out a sigh of relief. That was close.
"Ahsoka, are you there?" Anakin calls over her comm.
"I'm here Master. The bomb has been deactivated," she reports.
"Did you catch Vindi?" Theseus asks, moving to stand next to her.
"Deactivated as well. Have you seen Padme?" That question reminds Theseus again of how much Anakin cares about the Senator.
"She's right next to me." Ahsoka smirks slightly. "I'm okay too, thanks for asking."
"We'd better go make sure that everything is under control," Theseus decides, glancing around the room. There's nothing more for them to do in here. Ahsoka nods her agreement. The two of them and several clones head back out into the halls, looking around to make sure that everything is secure.
And it seems like it might be until an alarm promptly starts blaring. A light on one of the walls starts flashing yellow. "That's not good," Ahsoka mutters.
"A droid must be on the loose with one of the bombs again," Theseus states grimly. A sudden explosion shakes the ground, nearly throwing both of them off balance. The flashing lights on the wall promptly turn red. Oh, no, no, no... Someone tell him this doesn't mean what he thinks it does.
"What was that?" Ahsoka asks worriedly as Rex runs up around the corner.
"Virus leak," he replies, "Get to the safe room."
The Force is humming of danger and anticipation as a bluish gas spread down the hall, approaching them. "Come on!" Theseus calls, bolting down the opposite direction.
The doors lining the halls slam behind them as they run, but every time at least some of the virus is able to get passed. "There's the safe room!" Rex calls as they run around another corner, this time no more doors to close behind them and the virus cloud is still rapidly approaching.
The opening in front of them begins to close as they run for it. "Hurry!" urges Rex, "The doors are closing!"
They're never going to get there in time, Theseus realizes grimly. It's already over half closed and they still have a distance to go. Ahsoka seems to realize the same thing, skidding to a stop in the middle of the hall. "Don't worry." She raises her hands, holding the doors apart with the Force.
Theseus is frankly impressed by her thinking and skills. No one of that age should have learned how to do that, except her. Anakin is training her well. He raises his hands, trying desperately to push his panic from mind and help hold the door open while the rest of the clones jump through. He tries hard not to think about the gas cloud a few feet behind them. The clones turn back to help hold the door open. "Hurry!" Rex calls.
Even as the two dart for the door, the blue cloud envelopes them. Ahsoka dives through the opening and Theseus swings himself through before the clones release the door, allowing it to slam shut. He grimly eyes the small blue cloud hovering right near the entrance to the door. There's some contamination in here already, despite their attempt to stop it. He can only hope it's not anything serious.
"Ahsoka, what's going on down there?" Anakin demands over her comm.
"The droids released the virus, but we managed to seal the lab," his padawan answers.
"And Padme?"
"Haven't heard from her since the bomb."
The computer monitor suddenly beeps and the clone in front of it slams a hand down on the table. "Oh, no, no, no!" he shouts in a panic, "Some of the virus got in here. We didn't close the door fast enough." No. Theseus's blood runs cold. If the virus actually did get in here, then that means... it means they're all going to die. This isn't a battle. It's not fighting. It's just dying because they weren't fast enough. And as if it isn't bad enough to know he's going to die, he knows Ahsoka will die here, also.
"We may be dead men, but we can still stop those droids," Rex says determinedly.
"Don't worry," Ahsoka tries to reassure them, "My master will find a cure for this virus. We're not dead yet."
"We need to focus on finishing this mission. Those droids cannot be allowed to escape," Theseus states, trying his best not to think about the direness of the situation. He can only hope Anakin and Obi-Wan will be able to find some sort of cure to this, assuming one exists.
"Is anyone out there?" Padme suddenly calls over the communication system, "Can anyone hear –"
"Senator Amidala," Ahsoka answers immediately, moving over to it, "We're trapped in the safe room at the end of complex 'B'."
"We'll be right there. Are you contaminated?"
Two of the clones near the door start coughing. "I'm afraid so," Ahsoka says quietly. Theseus knows that he and Ahsoka will be able to last longer because they're Jedi, but he can't say the same for the clones. And the virus kills extremely fast. What if Anakin and Obi-Wan aren't able to find an antidote in time? And what if – what if Ahsoka – No, no. He can't let himself think like that. She's not going to die, and neither is he. They'll find the antidote for it. They will. They're both way too young to die now, especially from something like this. It seems so unfair, for them to have survived so much and fought through so much together only to die from no less than a virus.
"Where are Senator Amidala and Representative Binks anyway?" Theseus says, talking to avoid letting himself think.
"They should be here soon, hopefully," Ahsoka frowns, pushing a button on her comm, "Senator Amidala, where are you?"
"We're right outside your safety room. Can you get the door open?" she asks.
"Just go ahead and open it," Theseus responds.
It slides open moments later, Padme and Jar Jar hurrying in, closing it behind them, but not before a large cloud of the virus leaks in. A bluish haze slowly spreads over the room, and Theseus does his best not to start panicking all over again. There's an even greater concentration of the virus in here now than before, not that it even matters.
"I'm sorry," Padme says quietly, walking over to them.
"Don't worry about us, Senator. We still have a job to do," Ahsoka counters.
"We're already contaminated anyway. A little extra in here won't make much of a difference." Though Theseus doubts that's true, but they need to focus on not letting this spread across the entire planet.
"There aren't very many droids left," Padme declares, getting down to business, "We saw some heading towards the south entrance."
"As long as we're able, we'll help you destroy those droids before they breach the compound," Ahsoka asserts.
Rex steps forwards, handing a blaster over to Padme. "You take the north corridor, and we'll take the south," she says.
"We should split up," Ahsoka suggests, looking over at Theseus. Yes, they should. He pushes down the surge of protectiveness in him, the part of him that wants to stay with her to make sure she'll be alright. The fate of the planet is at stake right now, and besides, she can handle herself fine.
"I'll go with Senator Amidala," Theseus decides.
"May the Force be with you," calls Ahsoka, heading for the door. It slides open and the groups step out into the blue clouds that are now so thick it's hard to see to the end of the hall.
"And with you," he replies before they split up, heading opposite directions. Theseus rounds a corner in time to see a group of battle droids, none of whom seem to notice them.
"Fire!" shouts Theseus, igniting his lightsaber. Padme and the two clones immediately start shooting. The droids spin towards them, firing off a few shots which he quickly deflects. Three of the ones closest to a ladder that leads up to a hatch instantly start scrambling up it.
Padme shoots down one of them as they run up to the base of the ladder. Theseus spins his lightsaber, cutting the next one in half. The last of them is almost up to the hatch already. The same moment, Ahsoka, Rex, and the other clone with them run around the corner, skidding to a stop below the hatch.
"Stop!" Padme calls at the droid, "Don't open that hatch."
"Too late!" squawks the droid defiantly, before starting to cut through the hatch. It ducks out of the way when the clones fire up at it several times. One of Rex's shots finally takes it down.
"We have droids incoming," Ahsoka suddenly warns, tensing, moments before Theseus hears them too. She almost always notices them first, thanks to her enhanced hearing.
Two destroyers roll around the corner, shifting into position and open firing. Theseus immediately positions himself in front of the others, deflecting away the blasts, but Ahsoka seems to have other ideas. She takes off running straight towards them, jumping along the wall before flipping over and landing behind the droids.
She stabs her lightsaber through the top of one of them and it falls to the floor, sparking. One more to go. "Thisa help!" Jar Jar exclaims, seeming to have other ideas. He raises his blaster, preparing to fire. Apparently oblivious to the fact that blaster shots won't get through the shields.
"Jar Jar, no," Padme warns, pushing him out of the way. Theseus quickly spins his lightsaber to block the blasts that would have otherwise hit both of them. Ahsoka stabs her lightsaber through the other destroyer before running back over to them.
"We need to finish up down here," Theseus urges, trying to ignore the sudden exhaustion he's feeling. He can feel the virus running through his body, slowly draining out his energy. He needs to rest to make it draw out longer, hopefully long enough for their masters to return and save them, but they have to wait until the battle is won.
They take off again, passing through several halls before reaching the next hatch. Sure enough, a number of droids are right on the ladder. "How are you doing up there?" one of them asks.
"I'm almost through!" calls a voice from up above.
"There they are!" Ahsoka yells, charging forwards. Theseus slashes through the droid at the bottom while Ahsoka Force yanks down the one cutting through the hatch, bisecting it as it hits the floor.
The Togruta suddenly stumbles forwards, catching onto the ladder to avoid face-planting. "Ahsoka?" Theseus asks urgently, stepping up to her.
"I'm alright," she insists, pushing herself upright. Even though her skin is slowly darkening as the virus progresses.
And then, he's also hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion and moves to lean against the ladder for support. "Everything is sealed. We should get out of here and contact our masters."
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