CHAPTER 13

Although she knew full well that Narta was still in total control of her troops, Carletta couldn't help but feel the weight of leadership upon her shoulders as she quietly ran in front, lightsaber ready for attack. There was also an anxious feeling towards facing her next lot of opponents. It went without saying she'd be facing far deadlier Sith than the previous few, as they were ones sent to kill (or even capture, she thought for a wild moment) a man as powerful as Jadus.

The long corridor began to bend to the left, but no one appeared before them. Not even dead bodies could be found, indicating little action had been seen here which brought Carletta's guard down a little bit, but the others remained as tense and as quiet as ever. She couldn't blame them, they were only soldiers, people that could only dream of having the Force as an ally. If they lowered their guard, then they would lose their most precious weapon against the Sith, and that was surprise. Without that, fighting would prove futile.

'Can't we move any faster than this?' she asked, frustrated by the slow pace.

'And risk notifying the enemy of our location? No chance.' said Narta. 'As much as I can respect and appreciate the powers you bring to the table, this is still my operation to keep under control. We move slowly. Matturn will simply have to wait for us.'

'All right, fine, we'll do it your – what was that?' The ceiling began making sounds of muffled clunking and faint blasterfire.

'Looks like your Master's found the infestation.' said Narta.

'We need to help them.' said Carletta earnestly.

'No, wait...'

The noises continued to drone on, but started to lessen. When one last blaster shot fired, it seemed to be the end of it.

'I think they encountered a smaller group. Either they were dealt with or scurried away. For now we go the way we planned, but I suppose a brisker pace is a needed risk. Move out.'

Carletta kept point and went into a small jog with everyone following suit, through the long corridors, cold and grey. It felt endless and only served to irritate Carletta on the time it was taking to reach engineering. It would've sounded childish, but she wasn't opposed to asking Narta how much longer it would be. Thankfully she didn't have to, as they found themselves in a larger area where a pair of elevators were.

'This is it, we should be meeting them here soon.' said Narta when they stopped to a halt.

'You're sure this is the only place to get to Jadus?' Carletta asked sceptically.

'Positive. There's no other option.'

'What if they already got through before we got here?'

'Because we'd have seen the elevators forced open, or hacked. I'm guessing you're new to all this?'

'Well... yes. First time, as a matter of fact.'

'Thank you for your honesty, because with this in mind, I'm taking point from now on, agreed?'

'Very well, but do you really think I'd be that easy to kill?'

'Absolutely.'

'Wait, what's that?' a trooper called out. More clunking from above began to sound, making everyone get their weapons at the ready, aiming straight for the vent. It kept getting louder, more unnerving and then it stopped...

'Steady, keep quiet ...' Narta whispered. Carletta gripped her lightsaber firmer, not expecting what kind of fight she'd signed up to. Her eyes vigilantly looked up, never venturing to even blink which only paid off when she spotted something small fall through the vent's gaps and land on the floor with a clink. Before it even hit the ground, she already dived away, hearing a trooper's loud cry of 'Grenade!', then a massive bang that shook the place and threw Carletta into a wall.

She was sluggish to get up, but her instincts urged her to be quick. Through the thick smoke, she saw crimson blades flash about, while blaster shots furiously darted in every direction. Carletta kept low, still clutching her lightsaber for attack and used the smoke as a cover before it dissipated. She boldly moved closely to the nearest Sith, igniting her weapon and slashed. It was the only stroke of luck she'd nab before alerting everyone to her appearance. There were five of them, each one wearing a different intimidating mask. The troops had fallen back down a corridor, firing wildly at them, but had little effect. Two Sith Lords broke away from attacking the soldiers and swung their lightsabers with vicious force. Carletta put up a hasty defence, trying not to step backwards, perhaps find an opening to apply some pressure on them instead, but their movements were so fast and calculated she dared not attempt anything bold.

One of them now circled around her, they were boxing her in, restricting Carletta from using any agility. Thankfully, it allowed an idea to light up in her head.

As they she locked her saber with theirs, she aimed a hand to the ground, reaching out to the Force to throw them back. Despite making a quick recovery, it was enough for Carletta to switch to the offensive. She slashed furiously one opponent's legs, while the other did the same from behind, only more for her head. After blocking the flashing death blows, Carletta began to feel more confident in victory, or at least get out of this alive. That was until she heard something bang against a nearby wall, then suddenly her ears popped from another loud bang.

Carletta was flown back, but managed to land on her feet, relatively unscathed. Her opponents however hadn't fared better. Both of them picked themselves up, rubbing their heads. Carletta saw the chance to strike and motioned to go forwards, but halted when the two Sith were struck by a pair of blaster shots. Wheeling round, she saw Narta, blaster in hand.

'They were mine to fight!' said Carletta indignantly.

'Then you shouldn't have taken your sweet time killing them, then.' said Narta coldly. 'I work on the ground of efficiency and speed, things you clearly haven't learned yet when fighting. Now if we may push on?'

Carletta scanned the area, realising that all the attackers were dead, though not without a few casualties on their side as well.

'Fine, lead on.'

Narta approached the elevator and knelt at the control pad, signalling for a trooper's assistance. One of them swiftly approached her and handed a small device to her. She pulled out two wires from it and attached them to the control pad's interface. After pressing several buttons on the device (while making impatient sounds as she did), a positive sounding beep was made and the doors opened.

'There, our chariot awaits.' said Narta casually. Carletta followed them all inside what was a surprisingly small elevator that made them bunch up together. It wasn't at all to their liking, but at least the elevator felt fast.

There was a soft bong before the doors opened, revealing a darkened room that had a wide window displaying the stars.

'Lord Jadus' private chamber.' Narta whispered. 'Normally, we'd never dare enter without contacting him first, but considering the circumstances, I'm sure he'll understand our intrusion.'

Carletta cautiously walked across the room, passing a small chair and a pair of display cases. Likely containing artefacts of the Sith, she guessed.

'Are you certain he's even here to understand?' she asked as she gazed out the window, sensing little presence. That was until she felt a wave of pain run across her body, enough to almost wince at.

'If you bothered to reach out, then you'd know the answer yourself.' said a cold, mechanical voice. Carletta wheeled round, lightsaber in hand, and met a tall, white masked figure, the same one from the hologram.

'Matturn's newest student, I presume?' Jadus continued.