Chapter Thirteen: Fever Pitch

Rudral was so thick with people that Obi-Wan found that it was impossible to make his way through the crowd with any kind of haste; silently cursing the approaching festival, he glanced beside him at Stonewall and noted the bubble of space that the Arunai allotted the clone. The two men exchanged looks and the captain nodded, stepping in front of Obi-Wan. Before him, the crowd shrank away as if on instinct which allowed them room enough to move forward with ease.

Though cryptic, Weave's message had been urgent, so the men broke into a jog and hurried through the city streets, making their way towards the rendezvous point. "It's the same place we last met with them," Stonewall said. "An abandoned temple near the market." He indicated the decrepit building as it came into view. "Looks a bit more crowded this time, though."

Weave and Milo were waiting for them at the door, along with an elder man and a younger woman that Stonewall named as their contacts, Kesin and Danu. "What have you found?" Obi-Wan asked as they entered the room; part of his mind noted the looks of incredulity on the Arunai around them at the sight of a Jedi, but he ignored it for now.

Weave glanced at the young woman and frowned. "It's not good," he said as he held up a small holo-transmitter. "It seems that Neerja 's influence has reached farther than we realized." He activated the device and the image of some of Sita's guards and servants appeared, kneeling at the feet of the high priestess as she spoke to them. The language was in Arunai, but Obi-Wan could get the gist of what was happening.

As he watched the vid, Stonewall frowned. "How did you get this?" He looked at the younger woman, Danu, who gave a wry smile.

"I'm certain that this security footage was supposed to be destroyed," she replied. "We also found correspondence linking the high priestess to some of the other 'disasters' that have been occurring. Someone was a bit careless with their garbage."

Kesin, the elder man beside her chuckled. "Like I said...you never know what you'll find if you only take a look."

Danu glanced at another of the Arunai who stepped forward to take the holo-transmitter from her. "My husband, Marut, has a way to spread this footage to the planet's holonet," she said with a smile at the man. "He's quite resourceful." A moment later, the Arunai man had slipped out of the temple.

Stonewall nodded, though his face was serious as he looked back at Obi-Wan. "General: the queen's guards..."

"We need to leave immediately," Obi-Wan said, his hand to his beard. He frowned and glanced towards the door. "But this city is a madhouse...I'm not sure we'll reach our ship in time and it seems as though acquiring a speeder from the palace will take even longer."

Kesin smiled. "There are not many places in this town where a Republic ship would be stored," he said. "I believe that we can help you, Master Jedi."

He turned and spoke in hushed tones to his daughter, who grinned and cleared her throat before she called to the others inside the room. Within several minutes, a group of ragged but determined-looking Arunai had gathered around the young woman, their faces expectant as they watched her. Once they had assembled she raised her brow at Obi-Wan and the clones. "Everyone get ready; we're going on a walk."

The darkness was absolute until Kalinda ignited her saber, taking comfort in the familiar thrum of its hilt in her hand. She couldn't see the woman ahead of her, but she could hear the shuffling steps so she tried to follow the sound and ignore the persistent thudding of her own heart. The chamber they'd been in seemed to shrink down around her until Kali was certain that she would have been able to brush the ceiling with her fingertips had she reached up; her boots echoed in the small space and she found that it was growing harder and harder to ignore the feeling of dread in her belly.

I have to get a grip...even though I don't have the Force, I'm still me. She paused to take a deep breath and push the fear aside, feeling it recede enough for her to press on.

The corridor went on for what felt like ages, though she reckoned that she'd been traveling for less than an hour when she heard the footsteps halt; after that there was the grating sound of metal against rock and her eyes squinted as a shaft of light pierced the darkness around her, illuminating the way ahead. Kali deactivated her saber and clipped it to her belt before hurrying to join the woman, who had opened some kind of door at the end of the passage. With another deep breath, Kali slipped through the entryway and stood within a room that was not nearly so large as the first chamber, though it was bright with what appeared to be hundreds of candles on every surface, their pale wax pooling in nubby mountains on the floor.

To one side of the room was a statue of a goddess, similar to but not nearly as intricate as any that Kali had seen in the city. Beside it, the blindfolded woman's head followed the Jedi, her posture giving the impression that she missed nothing. Kalinda approached her and studied the statue for a moment; it reminded her of the one outside of the palace gardens – a woman holding several swords with a fierce, grinning visage. Something about the face of the statue was familiar and Kali found her hand reaching forward to touch it.

"Don't." The old woman's voice startled Kali out of the movement. "Sit," she said, nodding to the feet of the statue; automatically, Kalinda sank to her knees and studied the blind priestess.

How did she know what I was doing? "I never did get your name..." She trailed off as the woman reached to her side and removed one of the candles from its place at one of the ledges on the wall, handing it to Kali, who looked down at the flickering flame.

"Relax your mind," the woman said. "Breathe. The answers you seek will come to you in time."

It was not so different from the meditations she'd learned in her youth, though Kali found it difficult to concentrate with the presence of both the priestess and the statue above her. Still, once her eyes closed and she focused on her breathing, she began to slip into a meditative state, allowing her mind to drift.

She was not certain how long she sat, but when her eyes opened again the entire world had changed.

"What I wouldn't give for a nice aerial shot right now," Weave murmured through the clones' comm channel as the group made their way through the crowded streets of Rudral. "I'll bet this is an interesting sight."

Stonewall nodded, though he was only partly listening to his brother; most of his attention was focused on the line of Arunai in front of him, their bodies close to one another as they moved through the mass of festival-goers who parted before the untouchables like a receding tide. Arunai of all ages and classes stared at the group as they passed, eyes wide and mouths agape as they watched the two dozen or so untouchables, three clones and Jedi Master make their way through the formerly-crowded marketplace. After the group had passed by the crowd closed the space behind them and began murmuring amongst themselves in astonishment.

The clone captain caught Danu's eye and they shared a satisfied look. Guess being on the lowest rung has its advantages sometimes. A glance at General Kenobi showed that the Jedi seemed to be thinking much the same thing.

Without the crowds, it was not long until they reached the hangar that held their ship and Stone found that he could breathe easier once he heard the whine of engines being prepped. After Weave and Milo went aboard he and the general turned to speak with Danu, who was standing at the front of the crowd. Behind them, he could make out the curious faces of the "normal" Arunai as they watched the exchange.

The Jedi's robes rippled as he gave a low bow to Danu. "Our deepest thanks to you and your friends. I will make sure Queen Sita knows of your role in her rescue." As if on a whim, he handed her his comlink, then pitched his voice to carry to the assembled audience. "You can rest assured that I will be in touch with you regarding the issue of your representation in Parliament."

Danu nodded. "Thank you, Master Jedi." She looked over at Stonewall and smiled. "And we thank you as well, Captain, and your brothers for trusting us."

"Thank you for all of your help. We couldn't have done any of this without you." With a final nod to the Arunai woman, he slipped through the doors, the Jedi on his heels. As they felt the ship shudder into the air, Stone knelt between his brothers at the helm. "So, either of you know where this temple is located?"

After General Halcyon left, Crest and Traxis exchanged glances once before looking back at the queen, who was watching the departing figure of the Jedi with a mixture of concern and agitation, though she was not trying to show it. "We should probably leave this place, m'am," Crest said in his most gentle tone. "That's what the general ordered, anyway."

Even through his helmet Sita's pale blue eyes made his heart rate increase. "You are Crest, correct?"

He nodded.

She looked one last time after the Jedi. "Very well, Crest. Lead the way."

The trio began to make their way back through the temple; thankfully, it was a short trip. Moments later, he heard Traxis' voice through the private comm channel. "So, you want to try and call the captain, or do you want me to?"

Crest glanced at the queen, who looked back at him with curiosity. "Go for it. Why don't you apologize to him while you're at it?" He grinned to himself as his brother muttered a few choice Mando'a phrases, though he lifted his wrist comm anyway as they stepped out into the open light. However, he paused at the sight that greeted them.

Several speeders with the Arunai royal seal had gathered around their transport; a group of perhaps twenty guards stood between the clones and their vehicle. The general said something about those guards being suspicious and these fellows certainly look like they want to make some trouble. This isn't good. The nearest guard raised his blaster and fired towards Sita. Without thinking, Crest leaped in front of the young woman and winced as he felt the searing bolt connect with his armor, causing him to stumble to the ground. However, Trax was before him in less than a second, both blasters raised as he returned fire; Crest managed to get to his feet, wincing at the pain in his side.

"Get back inside," he called to the young queen while he reached for one of his trusty grenades. "We'll handle this." Her face paled, but she nodded and slipped back inside the temple as he turned back to the rogue guards and tossed the small device beyond them, grinning to himself as they began to chuckle and remark to one another, most likely about his stupidity and poor aim. Suddenly, the rock behind them shuddered in an explosion, raining chunks of debris on several of the Arunai who were all but buried beneath it. For all of their pride, they're not great warriors.

The rest of the battle was short and free of further injury – for the clones anyway. The guards weren't so lucky. When all of them had been brought down, either killed or knocked unconscious, Traxis tried to contact the others once more.

"Kriffing comms still aren't working," he growled. "Remind me why we even bother?"

"For the love of the job, brother," Crest replied as he secured an Arunai guard who was lucky enough to have escaped the fray with little more than a few bruises.

"Nice work with the grenade, by the way. You okay?"

"Thanks," Crest replied, looking down at his side. Aside from some carbon scouring and a bruise that was likely developing beneath his body-glove, there was no damage to his person. "I'm in one piece." He glanced back at the temple. "Let's take care of the rest of these jokers before they cause any more trouble."

When her eyes opened again, Kalinda was in a barren field of rolling hills; there were no trees or plants of any kind, no sign of life and the sky was thick and dark with heavy clouds. In the distance she could see smoke drifting above what appeared to be the ruins of a blackened and charred forest. It was silent save for her own heartbeat thudding in her ears. She was sitting cross-legged amidst the ashy remains of a tree, though it crumbled to dust as she got to her feet. Another look around confirmed that she was alone, so she stood for several minutes trying to get her bearings while also attempting to comprehend what had happened.

This doesn't look like anywhere on Aruna...where in the blazes am I? There was a hill before her that rose a bit higher than the rest of the landscape, so she made her way towards it with the intention of getting a better look at the surrounding area.

As Kali reached the zenith of the hill, she heard an otherworldly shrieking along with the familiar hum of a lightsaber. Who's fighting? Is there a battle going on? On instinct her hand shot to her sides but both her saber and blaster were absent, which only tightened the knot of fear that had grown in her stomach. For a moment she was stricken with terror but she managed to shake it off. If someone is in trouble, I have to help. A quick glance around indicated the direction that the sounds were coming from, so she began to hurry towards the fight.

As she ran towards the sound of the lightsaber, the air grew increasingly hot and thick with smoke that was rising from a ring of fire that she could see in the distance. Kali took a breath and pushed herself to move faster, anxious to find out what was happening. Even at her quickened pace it took longer than she'd anticipated to reach the battleground and when she did, she was stunned at the sight that met her eyes.

Another dream with him? Only a part of Kali's brain registered the impossible image of her old Master – her father, Jonas – as he raised a familiar yellow-bladed lightsaber against the backdrop of a dark and roiling sky, his face a mask of determination; the larger portion of her attention was taken up with what he was fighting and again she sorely missed the presence of both her lightsaber and the Force that had still abandoned her.

He was battling a being that Kali had no name for, but she thought that the word "demon" would have sufficed. Though it appeared to be based on the female Human form there was nothing recognizable about the creature. Taller than the man it fought against, the demon's skin was the color of dried blood and matted locks of hair straggled to its waist. Like the statues back in Rudral it had multiple arms, each one holding a wicked-looking curved blade; the weapons appeared to be able to withstand the brush of Jonas' lightsaber when they clashed.

The demon's face was wide, its mouth was agape in a feral grin that revealed jagged rows of fangs and its eyes were pitiless, filled with fury. It moved with a fluidity that seemed incongruous with such a savage image and Kalinda could see that Jonas was hard-pressed to fight the creature back, especially when it let loose a shriek that reverberated through the field and stunned him to the ground; he laid still for several moments before his head lifted and he began to struggle to his feet even as the demon danced around him, seeming to beckon him forward.

Something snapped within Kali and she leaped forward to assist her father, all the while trying to wrap her mind around what was happening. Her feet sank into the ground as she ran; looking down, she saw that she was stepping through some kind of black mire that seemed to suck at her legs, holding her back. Kali's jaw tightened and she shook her head as she tried to keep moving. The fire at the perimeter crept closer still.

This isn't real. The thought offered Kali little comfort as she watched the blond man who had died when she was sixteen, his yellow lightsaber bright against the darkening sky as he swept towards his foe. This can't be real. On a whim she called to him; when he turned to look at her, his blue eyes widened with shock.

"Kali?"

The demon snarled and leaped forward, causing the Jedi to turn back to it and just barely duck out of the way as the sickle-shaped blades swept towards him. "Kali," he called to her as the creature leveled its weapons at his neck. "You need to get away!"

"Dad!" she cried, struggling through the mud to reach him. Her knee was starting to ache but she ignored it in her desperation to reach her father. "I'll help you...just hang on!"

"Run, Kali," he called as he raised his blade again. "Please-" He didn't finish the sentence as the demon whirled in one graceful arc and angled the blades at his heart.

I can't lose him again. For several moments everything slowed as Kali tried to help him, tried to do something – anything – but she was kept back by the mire. She stumbled and fell to her knees and when she looked up again, Jonas was on the ground, his body still.

This is a dream, she told herself again, trying once more to get to her feet. It's not real. Another familiar shout sounded to her right and she felt dread clutch at her heart as she turned to see Obi-Wan moving across the barren ground, his steps unhindered by the mud as the demon approached him. Its eyes glowed as if backlit by the flames that were still encroaching upon the battleground.

"Kali, leave now," he cried. "You can get away..." He gave a grunt as the one of the demon's blades swept to his torso, but evaded the blow. "You must go," he called again. "Please."

"No!" she shouted, turning to reach her former lover. Blast this kriffing mud... "I can help you, just-" She shrieked when Obi-Wan gave a last cry as his body was thrown to the ground. "Ben!" The demon turned to her, a smile on its ragged face; its eyes were the color of the sun and just as blank. Fear and anger coursed through Kali and she again tried to struggle towards the creature. I must do something, anything. Even if it's just a nightmare...I have to end this.

But the demon was not watching Kali any longer. Instead, its gaze had fixed on a point to Kalinda's left. To Stonewall.

No.

Kalinda wanted to shout but her voice choked in her throat. Around her the fire edged closer and the air grew thicker as the smoke rose.

His helmet was gone and his face was raised to the creature; there was only a trace of fear in his almost-golden eyes as he lifted his blaster and began firing at his opponent.

"Stone," Kali called, ignoring the stabbing pain in her knee as she all but crawled towards him. "Stonewall...don't be a hero! Get out of here!"

Her captain looked back at her for a split second. "You have to save yourself, Kali. But I want you to know that I love you."

Then the blades bit through his armor and Kalinda watched in horror as he fell to his knees and lay still among the mire. "No..." she whispered as the demon turned to her with eyes wreathed in flame. "No!"

She was surrounded by fire now and the earth seemed to shake as the demon stepped towards her, grinning and lifting blades that were edged with blood. Kali's jaw clenched and she somehow managed to find her feet; though she knew that she was going to be defeated she found that she was too angry and frightened to care any longer.