Disclaimer: I own NOTHING.
Chapter 20: Betrayal
The reptilian Trandoshan slinked through the halls of the Exchange building. It was on its way back to Visquis's throne room when its communicator beeped.
"Yes?" it answered. A cold, inhuman voice answered on the other end.
"Are our operations going well?" it asked.
"Yes, Lord Sion! Visquis is making all your preparations ready. You'll be able to leave this planet soon enough."
"Good. Make sure that everything's in order. Oh, and check up to make sure our ' is being thoroughly watched. I don't trust that thing by itself, even in a cell."
"Yes, Lord Sion!" the communicator went silent and he hung up.
"Let me go, you nerf-herder!" Mission screamed at the guard. "Ow! That hurts!"
The guard opened the door to her cell and angrily shoved her in. "If you want to get out of here alive, you'd better learn to keep your mouth shut."
"Yeah, and with breath like that, I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you, too." She made a mad dash to escape from her cell. The guard grabbed her and, after a brief struggle, shoved her back into the cell.
The Twi'lek guard sneered and walked up to her. "That's funny. Trust me, just because you're young doesn't mean we won't dispose of you if you prove to be too much trouble."
Mission merely rolled her eyes. "Fine. Just go away. You smell like you've bathed in bantha sweat, or something."
The guard glared at her and pointed a blaster pistol at her head. "One more time. I dare you to open your mouth one more time. If you're feeling lucky today, go ahead."
Mission said nothing.
"Smart." The guard backed away, keeping the blaster leveled at Mission, and activated the cell's energy door. "If you value your life, I'd keep quiet. And believe me, Visquis nor the others would care less if I 'accidentally' sent a blaster bolt through your skull." He blew a mocking kiss and walked away, laughing.
Mission glared at him angrily as he left. When she was sure he was gone, she laughed to herself. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a keycard. "But I'm sure Visquis would care if you 'accidentally' lost your keycard to the prison cell. Sheesh. That was almost too easy. Something tells me the Exchange doesn't hire you guys for brains."
Even more stupidly, the guard hadn't fully searched her, and so didn't discover the small stealth device she implanted into her belt. She slid the keycard through the panel and the cell's door faded away. She looked around to make sure the coast was clear, stepped outside, and disappeared into thin air.
The Trandoshan opened the door to the containment room. He took a look inside the room and found the creature glaring at him from within its cell, eyes burning red with anger. There were few things that actually scared him, and this creature was one of them. Didn't it ever sleep? He wished someone else had been charged with keeping an eye on it.
"Release me." It hissed.
"All in good time. The sooner the Sith get here the sooner you'll be out of here. Just behave yourself until then, whatever you are." He turned away to exit the room. When the door slid shut, he spoke to the two Sith guards standing next to him. "Keep that thing under close watch at all times. Sion does not want it to escape."
The two nodded in response. The Trandoshan was not actually an Exchange member, but a Sith posing as one. He had been assigned by Sion to keep watch out for 'suspicious activity' that might jeopardize their mission.
Back in its cell, the creature slid back against the wall of its containment prison. Its eyes faded back to blue as it stared blankly at the wall. It hated the place. It had escaped from its first prison only to be put in another one. Worse, if the Sith used him, nothing would be able to stop them from taking over the galaxy. That was the one thing he remembered his father teaching him - that the Sith and the darkside were always in search of power and would stop at nothing to get it.
As it stared a jolt ran through its body. Something in its force-sense spiked. It struggled to reach out with its mind. The cell it was in had some sort of force-restraint field around it, and it had hampered its ability to sense things. But it could feel something. Something close by…
Revan! He was here! A spark of hope ignited within its body. Maybe he would be able to get it out of here and away from the Sith. It focused and tried to contact Revan with its mind, but it was unable. Instead, he sent Revan a quick image - one like the one he had sent on Dantooine - and hoped he would be able to receive it.
In his cell, Revan jumped unexpectedly. He felt a bolt run through his body. His mind flashed with a brief image - one that he had seen before, of two huge, blue eyes. There was no mistaking it now, the creature was here, and it knew Revan was here, too. He crossed his fingers and hoped Mission would come through with her part of the plan.
The next day, Quaid was being led around by one of Visquis' personal guards. Quaid had requested a tour of the building and was obliged. Just to be safe, though, Quaid decided to keep his mask on.
"And here it is!" the Rodian guard waved with his hand. "Visquis's fleet! One of the best-kept personal fleets on this side of the galaxy, it is. It's one of the reasons Visquis was able to keep his hold on this planet for so long. It's hard to be beaten when you have control of the skies.
They were in a vast, underground hangar. The floor was lined with various ships ranging from small fighters to large freighters. "I'm impressed," Quaid replied. "Just out of curiosity, how was he able to build up a fleet like this?"
The Rodian snickered. "Oh, let's just say he has a lot of connections, and has formed some very helpful partnerships. Diplomacy is half the key to being a successful gangster, you know."
"Right."
"You've made the right decision in working for Visquis. The Exchange could always use more helpers. And we pay very well. Just don't make the mistake of thinking you can cross us. Many have, and it's been the last thing they've done."
"I'm sure. So, what does this fleet do, exactly?"
"This fleet keeps the Exchange's supremacy secure. We have more than enough freighters to ship our cargo, and enough fighters to keep an edge over the other gangs on this planet. We have a vast radar grid set up, you see. We can keep track over our rivals, and any ship that attempts to leave this planet we can find and shoot down."
"Like Vogga? I've heard he's having trouble getting his shipments off the planet."
The Rodian laughed again. "Indeed! And we'll make sure it stays that way." As he finished talking, a set of huge doors near the front of the hangar opened and a small fighter came in and docked.
"I have another question," Quaid asked the guard. "Where do you keep your prisoners?"
"In the prison bay, of course. As for where that is, well, I'm afraid that's not for you to know. You don't need to know, anyway. And unless you do something the Exchange doesn't like, you probably won't need to know. Okay?"
"Um, okay."
"Good! Follow me."
Mission, invisible, slinked through the halls as quietly as she could. She had to find out where Revan was being held. More importantly, she had to do it soon before Visquis could do whatever horrible fate he had in store for Atton. She was now trailing to Exchange guards - a human in armor and a Twi'lek. Hopefully, one of them would lead her to the security room. She was listening closely to their conversation to see if she could pick up any valuable information.
"There will be a new shipment of recruits leaving today," the armored human spoke.
Recruits? What recruits? Mission remembered all the talk she heard before about the Exchange hiring a lot of mercenaries and recruits for some unknown reason.
"The Sith will also be sending a ship to pick up Sion and his 'artifact'. Visquis wants everything to go smoothly."
Mission held back a gasp to avoid blowing her cover.
"What exactly is this artifact anyway? There's been all this talk about it and I haven't even seen it!" the male Twi'lek asked.
"I don't know, either. But it's supposed to be very important, and nobody except a few is allowed to see it. Sion doesn't want to risk it being hurt or released."
Suddenly the human's communicator beeped, and he picked it up to listen. A few seconds later he cursed and hung up.
"What? What's wrong?" the Twi'lek asked him.
"We have a breakout! One of the prisoners we arrested last night escaped."
"Which one?"
"That annoying young girl Twi'lek. She's now loose somewhere in the building. Visquis wants her found. Quick, you'd better go to the security room and try to spot her with the cameras. Hurry."
"Bingo." Mission whispered to herself.
"Yes!" the Twi'lek complied and ran back in Mission's direction. With expert stealth, she followed him until they came to a small room lined with computers and screens. Mission slipped in right before the door shut behind her. The Twi'lek sat down and scrolled through the cameras. When he saw Mission's cell was empty he cursed and looked through the other cells. While he was searching, Mission caught glimpse of both Atton and Revan in their cells. Mission shifted nervously, trying not to be heard. If he didn't leave soon, she'd have to take him out.
She paused and waited. After a while, she heard the guard make a sound that sounded like a surprised grunt.
"Let's see what infrared will get." He pressed a button and the camera screens shifted from normal mode to infrared vision. Mission gasped, knowing that if he happened to look at this room she could be seen.
"Damn!" she thought to herself, realizing what she had just done. She quickly closed her hands over her mouth. The Twi'lek must have heard her gasp, because he stopped and looked behind him.
"What was that? Is anyone there?" He stopped and went back the consol. Mission watched and saw an image of the room they were in come up on screen. The guard gasped when he saw a heat outline of Mission standing close behind him.
He got up, but with lightning reflexes Mission caught hold of him. She wrapped one arm around his neck, and, using a move that Revan had taught her, choked him so tight he passed out. She breathed a quick sigh of relief and dragged his body to a corner in the room and swiped his datapad. With little time to spare, she went to work on slicing into the computer. After searching, she managed to locate both Revan and Atton's cells. After inserting the guard's datapad into the console, she downloaded the locations as well as a map of the entire level.
Mission decided to do some more searching and downloaded the maps of additional levels as well. While she was searching, she noticed that there was an underground level that wasn't named. With suspicion she called up its map and almost gasped again. She saw a map of a vast underground network. For what it was, she didn't know. But she saw things like barracks, weapons storage, and even droid shops. If this had anything to do with the Sith, she wouldn't be surprised. She downloaded that map as well. As a final touch, she disabled all the cameras for that level.
"All in a day's work!" she said to herself with satisfaction. She opened the doors, made sure the coast was clear, and dashed off to Revan's cell.
Coruscant
Master Kavar paced along the halls of the Jedi academy. There was a lot going on that was causing the Jedi Council worry. Their two most talented knights were now gone. Bastila was dying, and they had no idea what Revan was doing. The Sith had now been spotted on more planets along the outer rim and even a couple core worlds. They were getting bolder. Telos was now floundering, being deprived of its primary fuel source. And if that wasn't enough, Master Atris was acting very strangely. She was more reserved than ever, and seemed to be nervous all the time.
Kavar didn't like it. In fact, he had a nagging suspicion that Kreia - the former master they were giving asylum too - had something to do with it. In fact, right now he was going to find Kreia and confront her to see if she knew anything about it. He didn't trust her when she came back, and he didn't trust her now.
He neared Kreia's room, masking his presence in the force as best as he could. An idea occurred to him. He leaned up against the door. It was soundproof, but Kavar knew a way around it. He reached out with the force and focused. He reached through the walls and into the room with his senses. He focused. At first, Kavar heard nothing, which is what he was hoping for. But he quickly heard Kreia's voice speak up. She was talking to someone!
"Yes, I have. Do not worry. Atris has already fallen enough. She'll be of great help to us in no time, whether she knows it or not."
"You don't want to test my patience, Darth Traya," a strange voice answered her.
Kavar's heart leapt. What kind of voice was that? It was unlike anything he had ever heard. It didn't sound remotely human, and it made his stomach twist just hearing it. There was no way the being to which that voice belonged was good. And it had referred to Kreia as Darth Traya. This was quickly becoming worse than he could have believed.
"I sent you on a task because I knew you would not fail me. Do not make me regret that decision."
"I will not fail you, Master," Kreia replied. She spoke the last word with a hint of contempt in her voice.
"Good. When we attack, you must make sure the Republic and the Jedi fight back. Sion will soon be returning the artifact to me. Make sure you fulfill your end of the plan."
"I will."
"Make sure of it. And if you ever think of crossing me, Traya, just remember that there are fates worse than death. Sion learned that. Don't make me do the same to you."
The room then went silent. Kreia glared angrily. She hated him. Oh, how she hated him…if he could still be called that. When she stood up she felt her senses jump. Someone was in the room with her. She spun around and saw Kavar there, pointing his blue lightsaber at her, with a look of pure anger on his face.
"I never thought the truth would be this terrible," he said with a hint of regret in his voice.
"So you know, eh? You Jedi brought this on yourselves. You with all your arrogance and stagnation…"
"What? Kreia, you've aligned yourself with the Sith! You've betrayed us! And now you've placed the entire Republic in jeopardy!"
"The Republic is weak, Kavar. The Jedi are weak. They would have died off in time. You know that."
"No! The Jedi have been around for many millennia. It will take more than your betrayal to end us."
She laughed. "Trust me, there is more at work here than my betrayal."
"You've corrupted Atris, haven't you?"
"Atris made the choice herself. She is only doing what she wanted to do."
"Enough! This ends. Surrender now, Kreia, and you'll live. Don't make any more blood be spilt."
She laughed again. "Ha ha ha! You fool." Like lightning she drew her lightsaber. Its crimson beam shot out and she leapt at Kavar, who blocked it just in time. Kreia/Traya struck at him furiously, but Kavar managed to parry every blow.
The two of them dueled in place, Kreia remaining on the offensive. She aimed a slash at his throat which Kavar dodged and struck back. Kavar soon got the upper hand, and went on the offensive. He now struck at Kreia and she started backing up as she defended herself.
Kreia fought back ferociously, but it was hopeless. Kavar was the best lightsaber duelist in the council, and had the upper hand. Finally, she was almost backed up to the wall. Kavar brought his lightsaber down, and in a few quick blows, knocked her red lightsaber out of her hand and kicked her against the wall. Kreia/Traya fell down to the floor and stared up at him with hatred.
Kavar pointed his lightsaber at her. As he did, Atris burst into the room with her own lightsaber ignited. She looked at the scene with bewilderment.
"Atris! You must help me! He's trying to kill me!" Kreia pleaded.
"Don't listen to her! She's a Sith!" Kavar shot back.
"Kavar, let her go!" Atris said as she approached him.
"No! She's betrayed our order!
"He's insane, Atris! Help me! He tried to kill me while I was helpless!"
"You lie! Don't listen to her, Atris. It's over, Kreia. You're finished."
Kreia cackled. "No, no, no! It's you who are finished!" She sent a strong bolt of force-lightning at Kavar, who managed to block it just in time. He struggled with all his might, trying to keep the lightning away.
"Don't listen to her, Atris!" he pleaded while he tried to keep the lightning away. "She's been using you!"
Atris paused. She looked from Kavar then to Kreia. Kreia tried to get her lightning through, but it proved too much, and she collapsed on the ground by exhaustion.
"It's finished Kreia."
"NO!" Atris screamed. In a blind panic she lashed out with her lightsaber, and doing so, cut off Kavar's lightsaber arm. The Jedi Master screamed in pain. Kreia, seizing the opportunity, sent another wave of lightning at Kavar. The bolt sent him crashing through the window and falling to the streets below.
Atris gasped and dropped her lightsaber. "What have I done…"
Kreia stood up and pulled her hood over her head. "You did the right thing. He was in a blind rage. He might have killed you, too if you hadn't interfered."
"What will we tell the others?"
"Why, the truth. He was attacking us and you unfortunately had to kill him to defend me. That is the truth, isn't it?"
Atris paused. She couldn't believe what she had just done. She had killed a fellow master with her own hands…
"Come now, Atris. You must get some rest. I'll tell the others what happened."
Atris still couldn't believe herself. What if Kavar was telling the truth? She hadn't even thought about it. Now, he was dead. There was no undoing that mistake.
"Why did he attack you?" Atris asked Kreia.
"He was in a rage. He thought I was working with the Sith, and tried to kill me while I was meditating."
Atris couldn't detect a lie in Kreia's voice. She wasn't sure of anything anymore, though. "I must rest." She left the room to go to her quarters.
"Please, do that. Do not worry," Kreia said from behind. "I'll tell them what happened. I'll take care of everything." She smiled wickedly as Atris left.
"Everything."
Hope that chapter was good! BTW, just to explain something, the Trandoshan that put Revan in his cell was a Sith, but wasn't with Sion on Dantooine, which is why he didn't recognize Revan when he saw him. Hope that eliminates some confusion. The next chapter will be up soon. I hope to get this finished, if not mostly finished, by the end of the summer. BTW, it feels great to be out of school. Of course now I have college to look forward to… Oh well! Drop in a review, as usual. Later.