Chapter Four.
Janos continued to watch the village from his hide. A steady flow of airborne insects were using him as a fly by dinner. He hoped they all had a nice day. To make matters worse, a colony of small ant like insects had now discovered their location, and were in the process of searching out any thing edible. The rations and water they had was fully sealed, to prevent animals being drawn to the smell and exposing the hide to the enemy. Kaliyo found his latest encounter with the indigenous insect world highly amusing. They all seemed to give the Rattataki a very wide berth. Hmm, signs of high intelligence, or a very good sense of self preservation.
Activity in and around the village remained as it had been, tending the small patches of root crop, general house chores and raising the younglings. The former Jedi, Ashara Zavros, spent the entire time meditating, while Andronikos Revel spent his time cleaning his weapons, eating and carrying out small patrols of the village centre.
At about the usual time the working males began to march in to the village. All of them were covered in a thick layer of dirt soaked in sweat. A group of ten made their way to the centre of the village. Janos thought "show time", he gave a two tap signal to Kaliyo, something happening be alert. Nine of the Evocii formed a line in front of the strangers, while the tenth entered the main hut, in a moment he came out with the old male beside him. They then walked up to Ashara and Andronikos, who had taken up a position just behind her. The two lead men then made a formal bow to the visitors, bending at the waist, a second behind the leaders the nine other males also bowed. Ashara placed her left hand over the balled fist of her right, extended the coupled hands towards the Evocii and then bowed her head forward so her chin touched her chest, behind her Andronikos gave his head the slightest nod. They then sat and began to talk.
Janos could not make out what was being spoken, but he could see that what ever was being said by Ashara was not being accepted by the Evocii. They showed no sign of aggression but would often raise a hand palm outward and shake their head. Janos did not need to be in the Imperial Communications translation section to work that out. Ashara would just continue to talk in what looked to be a calm and reasoned manner. Andronikos looked like he wanted to shoot every single one of the Evocii.
Janos touched the comlink in his ear.
"My Lord, the peace delegation have arrived and made contact. Negotiations are in progress. No other activity of note to report."
He removed his finger from the comlink and placed it back onto the stock of his sniper rifle.
"Did you not understand when I said a full and live commentary ?"
The voice barely more than a hissed whisper had not come from his comlink, it had come from his left just outside of the hide. He felt Kaliyo tense up. Only his training kept Janos from being physically startled. The Sith had found and approached the hide with neither of them suspecting a thing. Could a Jedi do the same ?
"Your feeble attempts at concealment will not hide you from the Force, keep that in mind Sniper, if I want to find you I will. Now return to your vigil."
Janos remembered to breath again, a cold sweat made the short hair at the back of his neck stand
"Yes my Lord." He whispered. He had worked with and for both Sith Warriors and Sith Inquisitors before, but this one made him uneasy. He looked at others the way Janos looked at the bugs that had made a habit of feasting on his blood. He placed his eye back on the sight of the rifle, he noticed that Kaliyo had not moved from her alert position, was he making her nervous too. That would be a first.
As the light began to fade the negotiations continued in the village clearing, bowls of the vegetable stew had been brought out with cups of water. A small camp fire had been lit between the Imperials and the Evocii, and torches lit and placed in a large circle around clearing. Janos zoomed out and adjusted the focus and low light filter. He then did a slow visual search around the area. Everything seemed quiet, most of the villagers had seated them selves on the edge of the central clearing to watch the negotiations take place. As Janos was sweeping the area to his left, at the nine o'clock position to the village he saw movement, at the same time as double tapping Kaliyo with his foot he said in barely a whisper,
"My Lord, movement nine o'clock middle left."
"As expected, my guests have arrived." Was whispered back. As Janos watched from the jungle came a cloaked humanoid, male judging by height and build, behind came a Republic Astromech Droid, that marked the humanoid as a possible Jedi. Following behind came a patrol group of eight Republic soldiers, each dressed in jungle camouflaged armour and carrying a blaster rifle.
"When I signal, you will destroy the droid, kill any that try to escape, the Jedi and the rest will be dealt with. Understand ?"
"Yes my Lord."
Janos placed his eye back on to the sight and zoomed in tight on the droid, he thumbed the target lock, now as long as the target was in the sight picture it would be highlighted, and when in the crosshairs the highlight would pulse. From his elevated position a straight through shot would enter top outer edge of the head assembly and exit about half way down the body, into the ground. No collateral damage to personal or equipment, a nice clean shot. Janos set the power setting to maximum, this would increase to time between shots but would also decrease any chance of deflection from the outer heavy droid armour or any internal structure.
The Republic soldiers led by the Jedi and his droid entered the clearing. Ashara and Andronikos immediately leaped to their feet, the Evocii leaders looked scared, very scared. The other villagers ran to their homes. Both the Jedi and Ashara now had their lightsaber's in their hands, but un ignited, they looked to be in a heated discussion. Andronikos had a blaster in each hand and was aiming at the soldiers, two of them aimed back at Andronikos, the rest faced away from the stand off in a defensive formation. Janos, while still with the crosshairs on the droid zoomed out to get the complete scene in his sight picture. Suddenly all eyes in the clearing moved to the darkness between two huts, slowly walking into the light came Dark Lord of the Sith Dondinas. In his right hand a ball of blue lightning cracked and hissed, sending small arcs into the air, in his left hand was a double bladed lightsaber, which he now ignited. Twin shafts of red energy leaped out. The Jedi now looked from Dondinas to Ashara, as he lit his own lightsaber he force pushed Ashara, she flew like a rag doll hitting the side of one of the huts. The ball of lightning now struck the Jedi, encasing him in a web of blue lightning, his body went ridged and jerked from the painful shocks his body was receiving.
May be a bit subtle but I think that may be the signal, was Janos's thought as he squeezed the trigger, the recoil dampness absorbed most of the recoil but the weapon still bucked slightly and kicked into Janos's shoulder. Still looking at the target he saw the bolt of energy lance straight through the droid, as he slowly released the trigger this target, already emitting small flames and smoke, keeled over and lay still.
Andronikos took advantage of the moments surprise, by placing a bolt from each of his pistols in to the head of the two soldiers facing him. As they dropped to the floor neither of their faces even changed expression.
As Dondinas slowly advanced on the Jedi, he extended his right hand and arcs of lighting stuck the Jedi again, this time lifting him into the air.
The moment of surprise now gone meant the six remaining soldiers now started to turn toward the action behind them. Ashara was slowly and unsteadily getting back to her feet. As Janos sighted on a Republic soldier and fired, he saw another fall to the floor with two blaster holes in his chest armour. He felt and heard Kaliyo fire her blaster, at this range she knew her fire would do no damage, but it did distract the last four. As they looked around to see where this wild volley of blaster fire had come from, Andronikos and Janos finished the last of the Republic soldiers off.
The Jedi now lay unconscious on the ground. As Dondinas looked down on him Ashara came up to stand behind him. Andronikos moved from soldier to soldier, putting two blaster bolts into the head of each.
Dondinas looked straight at Janos's position. He the pointed his index finger, and curled it twice to indicate that Janos and Kaliyo were to join him in the village.
"It would seem we have been summoned."
"I do love a man who knows how to take charge." Kaliyo said in a seductive purr.
"Well he is all yours."
She looked at Janos, squeezing his arm she smiled that smile and said,
"Think I'll pass, I like my men with a bit more meat. C'mon, let's not keep him waiting too long."
Leaving the hide they made there way down to the village.
As they made there way into the centre the village leaders were all in a line on their knees. The now conscious Jedi was also on his knees hands locked in binders behind his back, behind him stood Andronikos aiming both his blaster at the Jedi's head. Ashara was to the side looking down at the Jedi, was that a look of regret or sadness she had on her face.
Lord Dondinas paced up and down in front of the line of Evocii, both his and the Jedi's weapon were clipped to his belt.
"The sentence for insurrection against the Emperor is death. The sentence for conspiring with the enemy is death. Harbouring enemy's of the Emperor is death. What do you have to say for yourself before I pass judgement on your crimes against the Emperor ?"
"My Lord, please," said the old leader, " they came to us with the promise that if we did as they said they would protect us, the Republic would shelter us and feed us, we would not be slaves but free. We only did what we thought was best for our people, please my Lord, show mercy for the younglings. They have no blame."
"The judgement of the Emperor does not differentiate when it comes to age. But let us look at the promise the Republic offered, freedom, to do what, starve ? Do you think they would have given you food, shelter and protection for nothing ? No, you would have to pay, with your toil in the mines, the same mines you work in now. So you would swap one form of slavery for another. They would have you make slaves of yourselves. That is the price of the freedom the Republic offers. The Emperor is open and honest, is he not like a father to you ? The clothes you wear, the crops you grow and eat, the very air you breath is there because he wills it."
He walked over to stand by the kneeling Jedi.
"Look at the Republic now, how could they protect you, ten of them, if you count the machine, could not protect themselves against five of us. While you bask in the Emperor's love you also shelter under his hand. So I ask you, will you repent your sins against the Emperor ? Will you redouble your efforts to regain his love and protection ?"
"Yes my Lord, oh yes my Lord, please, in the name of the Emperor, please accept our apologies, place forgive us, and take us back. We will triple our efforts if it gains good favour with him."
"There must be a price." He lit his lightsaber. "A price to be paid in blood. Let this be both a lesson and a monument to the strength of the Emperor and his Empire. There can be no compromise, his will must be done."
With a single slash the Jedi's head left his neck and fell to the floor. The body did not move, but remained in a kneeling position.
"You will leave this here as a reminder of the price of defying the Emperor's will." He then turned his back to them, addressing Janos and the others he said
"Ashara and myself will take the speeders back to the garrison. You will make your own way. Zoeller, report to me in the morning. Apprentice, come."
With that the two of them walked to and mounted the speeders and without even a backwards glacé rode off.
"We'll that's just great." Said Andronikos. Janos took from his pocket the signalling device that would summon an Imperial armoured transport. Pressing the small button he said.
"Taxi for three ?"