Ch.5 Fugitives
The Jedi temple was in a frantic state. Knights, Masters and even padawans were all scrambling to leave the temple and get to their assigned sector of Coruscant. Council Members such as Mace Windu and Agen Kolar were doing their best to organize everyone in a short amount of time. Dozens of shuttles and tranports left simultaniously, leaving the temple with just half the usual amount of Jedi inside.
One of the Jedi remaining was Luminara, who was told to appear before the council. She knew what was happening. Maybe not every detail, but more then enough to understand. With a heavy heart, Luminara stepped into the councils chamber and prepared to hear the worst of news. Half of them were there phyisically, the rest of the chair were occupied the other council members holograms. It didn't suprise Luminara to see Master Urr'ek already standng before the council, he was obviously summoned for the same reason as her.
"I'm sure you both know what's going on." Mace Windu said bluntly. "We have called you hear to let you know what we have been told so far."
"Did they really kill two Jedi?" Urr'ek asked in a way that made it seem like he already knew the answer.
"I'm afraid so." Mace Windu replied. "And more then a dozen guards."
Urr'ek's reaction was a long, mournful sigh. Luminara didn't want to believe it, because if she did it meant all her hopes for seeing Barriss redeemed were nothing more then delusions.
"We understand this is a difficult time for you." Master Kenobi's hologram said. "But we're hoping you can help us track them down."
"May I hear what happened first?" Urr'ek asked.
"You may." Said Mace. "Just over an hour ago we received word about an escape. Two of the escapees were your padawans, the other was the facility's first Jedi prisoner; Sevrik Komen. We believe he is the one who coordinated the escape."
"Clever, Sevrik always was." Grandmaster Yoda said.
"How did they get out?" Luminara asked.
"The sewer lines." Mace replied. "One of the pipes ran along the outer wall, once they cut through we can only assume they managed to jump onto one the civilian hovercrafts flying below them."
"Not long after, a call was made to security forces about three indivisuals breaking into an apartment." Master Shaak Ti's hologram said. "Cloths were stolen, along with some credits. Apparantly the residents were forced to let the suspects...use their shower."
"Jedi are being sent in teams of three to search that apartments quadrent and dozens more surrounding it. With security on high alert it should at least force them to hide for a short periord of time." Mace explained.
"Count on this, we cannot." Grandmaster Yoda said. "Capable, these three are."
"That's true, we can only hope they are found and captured soon." Obi Wan said.
"I fear capture will not be an option." Mace said, his words heavy.
To hear such things being said about Barriss was terrible for Luminara. In the past she knew her padawans death was a possibility and believed if that unfortunate time ever came she would grieve, but would not let such a loss stop her from fufilling her duties. But that was when the padawan could have died fighting by her masters side. The thought of her being hunted down and murdered as an enemy was heartbreaking.
"I'm sorry you have to go through this." Mace said to Luminara and Urr'ek. "But as their masters, we decided you had a right to know."
"But now you will tell us to remain here, isn't that right?" Urr'ek asked with his arms crossed.
"Correct, you are." Yoda answered. "Involved, you cannot be."
"We hope you can understand." Shaak Ti's hologram said sympathetically.
"I do." Luminara said, despite wanting to do everything she could for Barriss.
"As do I." Urr'ek said in a bitter manner. "And I think I've heard enough." He said as he turned to leave.
"Urr'ek." Mace said sternly to make Urr'ek stop. "No matter how much you may worry for Lhod, you must stay in this temple."
"To be honest..." Urr'ek said as he looked over his shoulder. "I'm more worried about the people around him." He said before walking away, Mace Windu was about to speak again, but Yoda told him no by just shaking his head.
"Time, Master Urr'ek needs." Yoda said. "Pain, he holds. For both his padawan and himself."
"Perhaps he just cannot understand why this is happening." Luminara said, but seemed to be reffering to herself more then Urr'ek.
"That may be, but it's far too late for Lhod or Barriss to be forgiven. Even if they are taken in alive, the punishment will likely be execution." Mace said, still being stern. "If that happens, he will have to accept it." He said with emphasis on the word he, making it clear who Mace was really talking about.
The councils thoughts on this matter were split. While some believed this was no time to show empathy towards Luminara and Urr'ek, others wished they could do more for them. They all noticed Luminara get choked up by Mace Windu's words, but some felt no need to console her.
"Please understand Luminara." Obi Wan said. "There is only so much we can..."
"I do." Luminara said in a hushed tone, interrupting Master Kenobi. "I know what must be done, and if Barriss dies I will accept it. All I would ask for is time to mourn." She said, looking from left to right to at everyone she was speaking to.
"You would be given it." Mace Windu said, his tone not so harsh. "I'm glad you understand the situation."
"Go, you may." Yoda said. "Inform you later, we will."
After bowing her head in respect, Luminara walked away from the council. She held no resentment for what was said, even Master Windu's words made sense. Barriss was now a legitimate threat to innocent people and no matter how much Luminara wanted to believe otherwise, it would be foolish to do so at this point. All she could do is go to her chamber, meditate and at the same time pray that her padawan would return alive.
(Coruscant, alleyway)
The streets were crowded, hundreds of people from dozens of species were out despite the recent warning of fugitives on the loose. This allowed Barriss and the two men with her to blend into the crowd, but also left them at risk of being seen by the public. Patrols of clones and security droids had already started a search, making the three escapees take shelter in an alley to decide their next move.
Barriss was keeping watch from behind a wall, she had seen two groups of patrols so far. A third group appeared and looked down the alley, but Barriss moved out of sight in time to avoid being caught.
"We can't stay here." Barriss said to Lhod and Sevrik.
Sevrik was standing next to her with his back against the wall. He had become very relaxed after his escape plan succeeded. While Barriss was carefully watching for authorities he was enjoying a piece of fruit that was bought with stolen. Lhod was sitting beside him, but had said little since their escape.
"Don't worry." Sevrik said with a mouth full of fruit. "We'll be moving soon.
"I hope you have some sort of plan." Barriss said.
"Of course." Sevrik replied. "First we help Lhod, then we acquire a ship and leave this planet."
"Just what do you mean by 'help' him?" Barriss asked.
"We made a deal." Lhod said plainly. "I help with escape, he gets me a new leg."
"Exactly." Said Sevrik. "It shouldn't take to long to find someone who can assist us."
"We don't have time for that." Barriss argued, which annoyed Lhod. "And even if we did, the credits you took aren't even enough for a basic prosthetic."
"Do you really think cost is a concern to us?" Serving asked with a devilish grin.
(Coruscant, Nobarr's Quality Repairs and Cybernetics)
The shop had been empty for some time, all the scheduled customers had come and gone. Nobarr, the yelliw skinned rodian owner had just finished polishing the robotic arms and legs in the display cases and was now enjoying a meal in his office. As a middle aged man who had worked for just about all his life, Nobarr made sure to enjoy every chance he had to unwind.
Unfortunately, his quiet time was cut short by the sound of his door opening. Nobarr reluctantly put his food away and walked out of his office to greet a Mirialan, a pantoran and a human male who was leaning against the wall beside the door.
"Welcome to Nobarr's." The owner said with fake enthusiasm. "How can I help you today?"
"Hello, our friend is in need of a new leg." The pantoran said politely while pointing at the humans obvious lack of a limb. "And we're hoping you can do this right away."
"I can set it up today." Nobarr said before looking at the human. "You wanna take a look at the options?"
"I'll take the best leg you have." The human replied.
"Alright, but the model isn't cheap." Nobarr said with his arms crossed. "Show me the credits and then I'll get to work."
"I'm sorry." The pantoran said as he reached into his coat. "But you won't be getting paid for this."
Nobarr had dealt with thugs before and was expecting to see a blaster, but when the pantoran
revealed a lightsaber and turned it he was baffled. After an initial feeling of shock Nobarr realized who was in his shop and feared for his life.
"Y-Your the fugitives..." Nobarr said, his hands and words trembling.
"Correct. Now, about you helping our friend..." Sevrik said.
"O-Of course." Nobarr quickly replied. "I just need to prepare for the..."
As Nobarr spoke, his left hand moved down to his hip very slowly to avoid drawing attention to it. He had a small button on his belt that activated his shops alarm system. Unfortunately for him, Sevrik's keen eye noticed what Nobarr was trying to do and used the force to push the rodian into the wall behind him. Serving continued to push with force to make sure Nobarr was unable to move.
"Please...!" Nobarr said in a state of panic. "Please spare me!"
"I understand why you're afraid." Sevrik said. "But I promise, once you do what we ask we will leave you alone. Does that seem fair to you?"
A mix of emotions were stiring in Nobarr. He was afraid of what would happen if he refused but also angry that he was being forced to work for criminals.
"Fine...I'll do it." Nobarr said like a man defeated.
It wouldn't take long for Nobarr to get things ready. Lhod was laying down on a metal table in the back of the shop with a surgical droid standing beside him. Sevrik followed Nobarr as he was grabbing the prosthetic to make sure the old man wouldn't think about using his alarm again.
Barriss stayed by the door, she claimed it was to keep watch again but it was really to avoid having to watch her cohorts extort an old man.
Nobarr put the robotic leg on a cart and pushed it over to Lhod. It was sleek, bronze coloured prosthetic made with the latest technology. For lost it would cost quite a bit, but Nobarr knew he would be the one paying the price if he made a mistake.
"Alright..." Nobarr said after everything was set. "We just need to put you to sleep."
Nobarr picked up a a device that look like a breathing mask that was used to give patients anesthetic. When Lhod realized what it was he immediately grabbed Nobarr's wrist and squeeze it until he was forced to drop the device.
"No gas, just do it." Lhod said.
"But, the pain will be..." Nobarr tried to say before Lhod grabbed his shirt collar and put them face to face.
"Just do it." Lhod said angrily.
"Alright." Nobarr said while shaking his head and getting the prosthetic in position. "I tried to warn you."
After getting everything ready, Nobarr activated his surgical droid. The droid began to fuse the circuits in the robotics legs to Lhod's bones and nerve endings.
The initial pain was excruciating, but Lhod was still able to hold still as the operation continued.
After a few minutes, Sevrik got tired of hearing Lhod's agonized groans and left the room. He joined Barriss at the front of the store and noticed her displeasure.
"Is all of this bothering you?" Sevrik asked.
"No." Barriss said, trying to mask her feelings. "I'm just hoping we won't have to be here for to long."
"I see." Sevrik said, not buying it. "Don't be too concerned. Once Lhod is finished here we'll focus on finding a way off of coruscant."
"Then what?" Barriss asked. "Do we just go from planet to planet while the republic hunts us down?"
"We could, but I'd rather not." Sevrik replied. "I was planning on taking us to the one man who could appreciate our current predicament."
"And just who would that be?" Barriss asked, somewhat worried about the answer.
"Dooku." Sevrik said.
Barriss scoffed and turned away, just the thought of running to someone like Count Dooku for help was enough to make her sick.
"I know, you probably think he's just a power hungry tyrant." Sevrik said. "But I think you have more in common with him then you think."
"Like what?"Barriss asked rudely, still not looking st Sevrik.
"You both want the same thing, change. Did you ever consider Dooku's campaign was just one mans desire to make the galaxy a better place?" Sevrik asked, using his natural charisma to try and win her over.
"You can't fool me, Dooku is just..." Barriss said.
"A former Jedi who saw something wrong with, so he decided to take matters into his own hands." Sevrik said, putting his hand on Barriss's shoulder to make her turn and face him. "Doesn't that sound familiar?"
She didn't want to admit it, but Barriss could see the logic in Sevrik's argument. The Republic had always painted Count Dooku as a traitor and dictator. Perhaps that was just another lie to make their part in the war feel justified. It wouldn't surprise her, Barriss believed the republic was corrupt and a corrupt government would do whatever it takes to destroy someone's attempt at an uprising.
"Take your time, give it some thought." Debris said before walking away to check on Lhod.
Now alone again, Barriss had plenty to think about. Not just the possibility of meeting Count Dooku, but also whether or not everything happening right now was necessary.
(Jedi Temple, Luminara's chambers)
There was no further news on Barriss's whereabouts. Luminara wasn't sure if that was for the best or a cause to be even more concerned. Meditation only did so much to calm her nerves and every attempt to clear her mind left her with a perfect mental image of the padawn she knew before all of this madness started. She was lost in thought about the situation until she heard the door to her chambers open behind her.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you." Master Urr'ek said as he stood in the doorway.
"It's fine." Luminara replied. "Please, come in."
Urr'ek entered the room but nothing was said at first. Perhaps it was because they could relate to each other enough to have no need to talk about it.
"Did you have something to say?" Luminara asked to break the silence.
"Yes, I do." Urr'ek said as he walked past Luminara to look out her window. "No matter how much I try to do otherwise, I just keep looking out into the city and wondering where Lhod could be."
"I understand." Luminara said as she stood next to Urr'ek. "I've struggled to think about anything else."
"That won't change." Urr'ek said, still looking at the window. "Ever since that day, I've wondered what I could have done to help him. The council warned me such things could happen, and now more then ever I wonder if I should have listened."
"What kind of warnings?" Luminara asked.
"Lhod was past the allowed age for training." Urr'ek said after a long sigh. "But I saw potential and convinced the council to let me raise the boy. He enjoyed our time in the outer rim worlds, but I knew Lhod still missed his home. When the war began he pleaded with me to let him leave the order to protect his family, but I told him it was our duty to defend the entire galaxy." Urr'ek said, his words heavy with regret. "But then his world was attacked, and his family killed."
"And that is when he lost his way?" Luminara asked.
"His way, and himself." Urr'ek answered. "Everything Lhod used to be was replaced by anger and hate. He used that hate to kill Master Var Nul, and will likely take more lives if something is not done."
Luminara noticed Urr'ek's mood shift, his guilt changed to what seem to be determination. Seeing this made her realize that Urr'ek was not planning to stand by while Lhod was free.
"What exactly did you have in mind?" Luminara asked with raises brow.
"Whoever finds Sevrik and our padawans will likely have to fight before they can be captured, but maybe Lhod and Barriss would listen to reason if they were approached by the right person." Urr'ek explained.
"So you plan to go after them." Luminara concluded.
"I do, and I would like you to accompany me." Urr'ek said.
The offer didn't surprise Luminara, but she was not sure what to think of it.
"I see." Luminara said. "So you're going to ignore the councils order?"
"If they are not found by someone else, I will pursue them. If doing so leads to me losing my place in the order, I will accept it." Urr'ek replied.
"I admire your commitment." Luminara said honestly.
"Whether we like it or not, Lhod and Barriss have always been our responsibility. We cannot just stand by while they cause harm to innocent people as well as themselves." Urr'ek said before turning towards the door. "I hope you agree, Master Unduli."
There was no response, so Urr'ek chose to leave and let Luminara decide for herself. Her opinion was split, wondering if doing as she was told was best or if she should listen to Urr'ek and take matters into her own hands. She would be thinking about this for some time and while Luminara pondered what to do next, Barriss would still being doing the same.