Hi guys! I thought I might start an Author's Note at the start of every chapter now because why not? I feel it's a good way to start as it should be quite friendly and it can give people a head's up if there's any stuff that's quite dark coming up in the specific chapter, anyway, tell me what you feel about it in the review section, remember you can always send feedback, (including constructive criticism, but no hate) if you like, I'll always try to listen and reply to your review. :) (BTW Writer's Block was a pain for this chapter)
Sometimes you've got to accept defeat, sometimes you've got to back down and prevent further harm. That's what I'd done, I'd accepted the loss, my body shut down and reluctantly my mind stopped buzzing, I exhaled gently (without any air coming out) and then remained silent, what I saw next was extraordinary…
My eyes opened and I was standing in the same room, I could see... Myself? There was Ackbar performing CPR on a unconscious or a dead body. It looked remarkably like me, what was he doing, I was fine! I went to go place my hand on his shoulder.
'It's fine, I'm right-' I stopped speaking, when my hand reached Ackbar's shoulder it went straight through, like I was a ghost. That isn't possible? Is it?
Is it?
Soon after it finally clicked, this was an out of body experience, scientists and psychologists conducted a study on this kind of thing in Rodia. i always believed it was nonsense but… now I wasn't so sure…
But wait. This was perfect! If no one could see, hear or feel me, I might get closer to finding out who the traitor was. I didn't have much time with this experience, I couldn't stay dead forever, well, I could actually be dead forever but you know what I mean, right?
I travelled away from the huddle of people exasperatingly trying to get over to me and bring me back. I walked around the room and peered inside people's pockets, looking for a small flask with a strange substance inside or a knife of some sort. I couldn't find anything, nothing at all, I went back over to my body and knelt down, eugh, I obviously hadn't had a shower for ages. I stood back up and looked around the room hopelessly, this out of body thing gave me no advantage at all!
I tried to walk out of the room, but something pulled me back, literally I was getting dragged back into the room, maybe this was a restriction of this out of body experience.
So I found myself back where I started, without clues and no lead, everyone was huddled around me so tightly I could only make out the back of their heads, even Ackbar couldn't be seen anymore.
Suddenly I noticed one of them shuffle backwards. Eventually the man stood up and shuffled out of the room, curiously, I followed him. This figure went into the room opposite, I was surprised no one noticed the man leaving the room, they must've been focused intently on the situation in hand, bringing me back to life. I felt that strange restriction again, so I didn't fight it, and hoped he might stay in view in that opposite room, and better still turn around soI could see his face.
Unfortunately he didn't, so I settled to studying the back of his head and his frame.
He was lean but not too skinny, tall but not a giant, and muscular but not overpowering, the back of his head was covered by a grey beanie that covered all of his hair. This was something to look for, when I'm conscious again, if I'm ever conscious again, nevertheless it was a clue. The man reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a holoprojector, he studied it for a moment then took a deep, slow breath, before turning it on.
The holoprojector projected (duh?) a flickering portrait of a man wearing an apparel similar to that of Bridge Command in Republic cruisers during the Clone Wars. His body was pencil-thin like he hadn't eaten for a year, his complexion was skeletal, his cheek bones clearly visible poking out of his skin like there was hardly any flesh there, he had a small moustache which was so small I wondered why he even bothered with it at all, his hair, which could be seen under his beige cap for his uniform, was a dull grey with white slivers here and there, his eyes were also grey and daunting, shadows surrounding it and he had straight, thin lips and his nose was short and narrow, he had a scar travelling up the right side of his nose and it ended on a curve above his eye, he seemed like a typical person you wouldn't expect to be a magician or a clown, maybe he could've been a clown on some planets (Aleen for example).
'Ah,' his voice sounded prideful and official, he sounded, and looked like he was no-nonsense. 'You've finally called, have the rebels been dealt with?' He asked.
'Not yet.' Said the caller with the beanie. 'They're being dealt with as we speak, I've taken out several already and there running around like headless Nunas while I'm plotting my next attack, I don't think anyone suspects me,' while he was speaking his contact was nodding curiously. 'not even the Jedi, in-fact, the Jedi is laying in the opposite room dying as we speak!' He was almost giddy with this accomplishment.
'Well done, Agent Kallus, a great first mission! However,' his tone changed in an instant. 'don't get complacent or clingy, if you carelessly reveal yourself the whole operation is a bust! Are you sure there's no-one listening?' The contact commanded.
Agent Kallus looked over his shoulder and no-one was there. 'No sir. Although I do have the feeling I'm being watched.' He said cautiously.
I wonder why.
'Do you have any word on my brother?' Kallus asked.
'Your brother has just been dispatched to help the ISB on a mission to Nar Shaddaa, I'm sure he'll come out of it in one piece.' He assured Kallus with an unconvincing smile.
'Ok, I'm going to return to the rebels now and I'll call if anything… annoying comes up.' Kallus concluded, ended the call and putting a lot of emphasis on stuffing the holoprojector back in his inside jacket pocket.
Kallus gave a small cough before turning round, and just before I could see his face-
'He's alive!'
I woke up from my out-of-body-experience and saw Ackbar's slimy Mon Cala face peering at me intently. Behind him were a bunch of rebels who were following Ackbar's facial movements.
'Are you ok?' He asked with a worried tone.
I hesitated, before sitting up hastily, startling Ackbar and the onlookers. I looked around for the grey beanie, I tried to get up but however I was pulled back down to the ground as my leg gave out.
'Careful, what's the rush?' Ackbar said, his pupils growing with concern.
'Kallus…' I breathed. 'Someone… called… Kallus…'
'Kallus?' Said the rebel leader. 'We don't know anyone called Kallus…' She bowed her head, deep in thought.
A mumble of "No." and "Don't know him." spread out throughout the group.
'Look for a… look for hat! A grey… beanie!' I said breathlessly.
'Master Windu, you're making no sense!' Ackbar said.
'Erm…' I wondered. 'Er… Do a rollcall!' I suggested.
'Ok, I'll get the roster!' The rebel leader ran out of the room and returned moments later with a folder in her hands. 'Erm… Grentford? You're here. Pelo? Oh no, he's dead. Sullak?' There was a pause. 'Sullak?' No one spoke. 'He's not here.'
'Are you sure he's not dead?' I asked.
'No, I made a list of all casualties, he wasn't one of them.' The rebel leader replied.
I tried to get up, and this time I was successful, I leaned against Ackbar's shoulder and pursued the answer.
'Sullak? Sulk…' I pondered over the name for a moment or too. 'How is it spelt?'
'S, U, L, L, A, K. Why?' She informed me.
'S, U, L, L, A, K? Hm…' I spoke underneath my breath. 'K, A, L, L, U, S. Sullak, Kallus.'
'Master Windu?' Ackbar enquired.
'The names!' I thought out loud. 'Sullak is Kallus backwards! They're the same person! Where was he last seen?' I asked.
'In the huddle surrounding you when you were unconscious.' The rebel leader told me.
'Then he's still in the building, he's-' I was halted by a boisterous clapping sound.
'Oh well done.' We looked to the door, in it's frame stood a man clapping his hands together, his voice matching that of the suspect's, his build did too.
His face was pointy and sharp, his skin stuck to his bone but not as much as his contact's did. He had golden curling locks, his eyes were large and brown and a small smile curled across his thin lips.
'Quite the crime solver, aren't you, Jedi? It turns out now the tables have turned. Now I'm the enforcer, and you… are the criminal.' He put a lot of emphasis on "criminal". 'One thing I must ask, how did you find out about my name; Kallus? Hm?'
'Lucky guess.' I snarled.
'Well, it doesn't matter, because none of you will be able to tell the tale.' He reached into his pocket and took out a thermal detonator.' Because you'll all be turned to ash.'
He pressed the ignition button on the detonator and dropped it on the floor, he then proceeded to run out of the room while the detonator began making a beeping sound, the beeping slowly got faster, until it got so fast it was seconds until it-
'Brace yourselves!' I warned, as a crash was heard and flames spewed out of the grenade, and we were all in it's radius…
