4: Wanted: Anything but This

"You need to get out more," Satele had said. "You cannot idly sit around waiting for a great epiphany, and your considerable talents are being wasted by Command. I suggest you accompany the Galon twins and their escorts on this mission — they will need a reliable pilot."

And that had been that. He'd learned a long time ago that, while not his direct superior, it was impossible to ignore a "suggestion" from the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. Now he was lagging behind the redheaded twins and one Zabrak on board the Valor-class cruiser Telos as they approached the office assigned to Master Oteg.

Of course the ship was the frakking Telos.

Thaymina checked with the guard stationed outside and motioned them after her. Oteg was a tiny alien of the same species as Vandar — for a moment, Carth wondered if they were related — currently standing in the center circle of a desk. As the door closed behind them, he turned back.

"Ah, good, welcome, Barsen'thor, friends. I appreciate you taking the time speak with me."

"It was no trouble, Master Oteg," Thaymina said graciously as Carth leaned back on the rear wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But you and dear Mariamne are so busy being proper young Jedi." Thaymina's twin, much quieter and with a stockier, shorter build, scuffed the deck with the toe of her boot. "That you would come help an old man is admirable. And Admiral Onasi, Master Shan said you might be joining us."

"Yeah," Carth said, simply.

"To business, then." Oteg scanned them for a moment before clearing his throat. "I ask that you would keep an open mind to what you are about to hear. The source of my information is … unconventional."

"Not a standard operation, then," Mariamne said.

"Hardly." He motioned with his hands. "We will need to open ourselves to the Force." Carth bit his lip and studiously stared towards the ceiling. Frakking Jedi. "Concentrate. Feel the Force around you."

"What, exactly, am I listening for?" Thaymina asked.

The big, tan Zabrak and Thaymina's so-called bodyguard, Gav'riel, was closest to Carth, and muttered something about not being good at this sort of thing. Carth's lips twitched.

"A voice that seeks to be heard. Focus, and you will know."

Nothing happened for a while. Carth frowned deeper and shifted against the wall, leaning his head against it. He'd seen a lot of things, traveling with Revan … but he certainly didn't understand them.

The lights in the room flickered and he instinctively grabbed for the wall, ready for the ship to tilt from power loss. When that didn't happen and the lights instead went out, they were plunged into darkness for the briefest of seconds. As suddenly as the lights had failed, a pale gray glow started in the corner of the room, back by the door. He straightened and watched the Jedi turn as Oteg padded through, stopping as the glow coalesced into a rough, kneeling humanoid form — the vaguest wisps of energy in a soft shape.

That was when the voice started. Like the shadow it had no detail to it, too echoy to define. But the words were unmistakable, and he felt them cut to his spine.

I will not serve, the voice murmured, hardly loud enough to hear. The words sounded old, oft-repeated, like they were the only thing standing between the speaker and insanity. I did my best, I will not serve. Remember the fires, remember the glass. Blood and broken worlds and masks. No cost too great, no price too small, burning worlds remind us all. Jedi rise and Jedi burn, broken, dying, Sith to turn. This your sacrifice to make, someday his tyranny to break.

There is no emotion, there is serenity. There is no weakness, there is strength. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, the Force shall free me. Nothing lasts forever. There is no pain, I will not serve. I did my best, I will not serve. There is no pain …

As suddenly as it was there, it was gone. The lights flickered back, the noise of the ship around them — so constant that he'd forgotten it — swelling back into their ears. The Jedi stared at the spot for a while, before Thaymina shook her head. "That was …"

Carth closed his eyes, drawing several deep, steadying breaths. To think there was something familiar about a vague human form and a voice on the edge of a fraying sanity … he knew the implication. He was just being desperate.

For once, he didn't want to find her at the end of this trail.

"Was that a spirit?" Mariamne asked.

"It was, and it was not," Oteg said, continuing to stare at the empty space where the figure had been. "The Jedi we heard is in a … sensitive position between life and death. I did not recognize it when I first heard them." Oteg padded back to his desk. "After realizing the severity of the situation, I began to investigate. My efforts have direct us to an obscure Imperial prison in the treacherous Maelstrom Nebula … and a way to get there. A Gree computer, hidden at an Imperial fortress. I believe we can agree that a Jedi prisoner powerful enough to send these echoes in the Force is not one that should be left in the Emperor's hands."

Powerful enough to … Carth rested his head in his hand. He had no idea what power would be required, but he had personally gone through every list of missing Jedi since the Jedi Civil War. None were of significant power and still listed as missing.

None except for her.

Shit, he thought.

"The Emperor has gone to great lengths to conceal this prison — and this Jedi — from us. My suspicion is that they may hold the key to the Emperor's defeat. Therefore, it is imperative that we rescue them."

"Won't this damage our peace with—"

"The peace with the Empire was always tenuous at best. You, of all, must be aware of the fractures, Master Thaymina." The taller woman sighed and nodded, crossing her own arms. "The fortress is on the planet Taral-Five, deep in the Empire. There will be too many enemy warships for my fleet to manage, but we have secured an Imperial shuttle that is waiting for you in the hangar. Our fleet will follow you to the edge of the sector, and provide support should you require it."

"Then we should not waste time." Mariamne and Gav'riel nodded in agreement.

"Go to the shuttle bay. I will remain within range during your mission. If you have any trouble, we will come running. Now hurry. We should not delay."

Carth pulled himself off the wall and followed them, mind still churning. He wanted this to be her about as much as he hoped it wouldn't be. To think of what had put her in that state, or what state she could be in when they reached her … it was not a thing he wanted to consider.

He'd started to get angry at her again, now that he was out of carbonite — how dare she leave him? How dare she not be there when their daughter showed signs of the Force in front of another Jedi, when he'd been trying so hard to hide it? She could have talked them out of taking her, they could have … but now, if that was her they'd heard, if she was actually trapped in this nebula the way Oteg insisted, if the universe or the Force or whatever was aligning just right enough — how could he be?

How could he be if she'd suffered this much while he'd been comfortably asleep?

"Carth?"

He jumped, unaware that he'd followed them into the elevator, or that Thaymina was looking at him expectantly. "Sorry?"

"I asked if you would be comfortable flying us to Taral-Five. If not, my friend Khoshekh has an underworld contact we—"

"No, no." He waved his hand. "I'll do it."

"I contacted my ship," Mariamne said. "Since the Jedi want this kept in-house, I asked Kira and T7 to join us. They'll meet us at the shuttle bay."

"Why do the Jedi want this kept in-house?" Carth asked.

"Well, we're assaulting an Imperial fortress deep in Imperial space in order to attack an Imperial prison holding a prisoner of the Sith," Thaymina said, with a tone that indicated it was another day's business. "Obviously, if the Empire decides to be angry, the Republic could then write it off as a few rogue Jedi rather than a High Command-sanctioned exercise."

"That's … true. Does that happen often?"

"Considering the number of missions like this we've been on?" Gav'riel said with a chuckle. "Apparently."

They found the Imperial shuttle and, waiting for them, another younger, female Jedi and an Astromech. The woman straightened as they approached, brushing ginger hair back behind her ear.

"Another top-secret mission, huh?" she asked. "Where are we headed this time?"

"Taral-Five," Mariamne said. "I'll explain on the way. Admiral, this is my Padawan, Kira. Kira, former Admiral Carth Onasi."

"Hey," she said as they shook hands. "Thought this was an in-house matter."

"Apparently I'm considered 'in-house' now," he replied. "Isn't the first time the Jedi have commandeered me."

"See, that was your mistake. You let them do it once…"

Carth, despite the feelings eating away at his gut, couldn't help but chuckle as he eased behind the ship's controls. "They will never let you go."

The shuttle rumbled to life, and he quickly familiarized himself with the controls. Things thankfully hadn't changed too much since the last time he'd flown. "Navicomputer says we'll be planetside in three hours, so get comfortable." He looked back into the shuttle as his hands rested on the controls. "Aren't you still a little young to have a Padawan? Er. No offense."

"That's what I keep telling everyone," Mariamne protested. Kira snorted. "No one ever listens."

#

Taral V was a muggy, tropical world. Carth landed their purloined shuttle without difficulty but the location of the fortress, a good klick away, meant that he had to accompany the four Jedi and one droid on their assault. It was difficult to get back into the proper mindset for combat — admirals had to remain combat-certified, but he'd only run simulations for some time. But the more patrols they came across, the more his muscles and instincts seemed to remember.

The path through the jungle to the only security point before their target passed quickly, the Imperial patrols unprepared for an assault by any number of skilled Jedi. They found themselves at the security checkpoint within an hour of landing, studying the entrance from behind several downed logs.

"All right." Mariamne was much stockier than her twin, but shared Revan's red hair and steel-gray eyes. She was also soft-spoken and quiet, but had clearly inherited at least some of Revan's strategic finagling. "T7 says that the checkpoint's security terminal should be in that building over there."

"Any idea what security is going to look like?" Kira hissed, glancing over at her master. Mariamne shook her head.

"Whatever it is, they'll get interested in us quickly." She looked back at Gav'riel. "Would you do the honors?"

The big, tanned Zabrak grinned, getting to his feet. "Absolutely."

"Then we wait for Gav's signal, before moving," Mariamne said. As the Zabrak trotted out towards the security checkpoint, Carth frowned.

"What's the signal?"

When Gav'riel was about halfway across the distance one of the guards at the checkpoint straightened with a yell, and the group of buildings burst into a rampage of activity. The Zabrak spread his arms. "Come on, can't we talk about this?"

"That," Mariamne said, and in an instant she was gone, sprinting across the ground before suddenly disappearing from Point A and reappearing at Point B, in the middle of the Imperial guards. Thaymina sighed as Kira vaulted her log and sprinted after her.

"We'll try to clear a path," she said, glancing over at Carth. "And keep them distracted. Can you get T7 to the security terminal? I'd prefer no one get an alert to the fortress."

"I'll see what I can do."

The taller Jedi nodded, ducked out of cover, and crushed one of the large Imperial guard droids rushing to the scene with a several-ton boulder. Carth nudged T7, who responded with a quiet, concerned dwoo. "Come on," he muttered, sliding out of cover and jogging towards the raging skirmish.

With most of the attention focused on Gav'riel and Mariamne, it was easy to slip around the edge of the fight and dodge stray blaster bolts. It looked like most of the security garrison had come out upon realizing they were under attack, and only one or two took offense to the non-Jedi and droid sneaking around the back — and they were easy enough to take care of. Once they'd reached the terminal, T7 plugged in with a chirp as Carth kept an eye on the door. The sound of combat was slowly fading, and he sorely hoped that was a good sign. Instead of the alternative.

Oteg's voice, staticky, came through the terminal. :: —access to the Empire's — mications. Do— read? ::

"Barely," Carth replied.

:: Good — ough. Our — shutting down the Empire's — grid. —in for — surprise. Make your way — the fortress — strike quickly — hard. ::

"I'll pass the word along."

:: Sending — the fortress. —computer is — compact. You'll have no trouble carrying it out. :: T7 chirped triumphantly and spun his head back at Carth as the transmission cleared. :: I'll keep quiet from here on, unless it's an emergency. Oteg out. ::

The feed cut. "You have the coordinates then?" Carth asked. T7 beeped affirmatively. "Good. Let's see how they're doing."

He headed back out into the muggy air of the planet, immediately missing the forced-air inside the checkpoint that kept it cool. The four Jedi were making their way across the security station, the remains of the checkpoint's Imperial forces littered behind them. "—always talk first, lightsabers second," Thaymina said disapprovingly.

"When was the last time that worked?" Mariamne replied. "Never. This is why Gav has to watch you all the time."

"Thay is quite capable of handling herself," Gav interjected. "I'm just a much better battering ram."

"T7 has the coordinates for the fortress," Carth interrupted. His attention had started to return, unwillingly, to whatever awaited them at the end of this mission — the feeling that he hoped was and wasn't right. If they kept moving then he could focus on fighting, not worrying. "Oteg says that they're still in the dark, but I doubt that'll last long."

"We'll keep moving, then," Thaymina said. "T7, lead the way."

The little Astromech beeped happily and rolled towards the other end of the security station. As they headed back into the jungle, Thaymina glanced at him and frowned. "Are you okay, Carth?"

"I'll be fine."

The fortress approach was close to a full-scale assault — a long slog up a massive hill where the only advantage they had was that the Imperials has been blindsided, and were scrambling to respond. By the time the last blast door to the fortress was in front of them, Carth desperately wanted both a shower and a nap.

He was getting too old for this.

T7 sliced through the door in a matter of seconds, opening up a long, dark corridor. Thaymina pointed. "There should be a terminal down there," she said. "We'll need to reach that before we go any further."

The fortress itself was eerily silent, almost as if they'd exhausted its supply of forces. As he trailed after the Jedi, Carth shook his head and eyed the walls suspiciously. He had a very bad feeling about this. T7 plugged into the terminal, located at an intersection where another hallway crossed theirs, and almost immediately a holocomm interface opened. A dark-haired man in Imperial uniform, wearing the insignia of a Grand Moff, stared at them with a vaguely amused stare. Carth glanced at his companions, then back.

:: You two, :: the man said, almost warmly. :: Appearing on my doorstep. Fortune has always favored me. ::

"Moff Kilran," Thaymina replied, echoing his tone. "We must stop meeting like this. People will talk."

The vaguest hint of an amused smile toyed over the man's face, stretching at a network of scars covering the side of his head, as he studied the group ahead of him. Carth met his eyes stonily, surprised when there was another vague hint of recognition. :: That will always be the case, will it not? Sadly, your victory will end here. My fleet is preparing to bombard your position from orbit. ::

"Of course it is," Gav'riel muttered.

:: It was a pleasure catching up, :: Kilran continued. :: But I'm afraid it will be the last time. ::

The feed suddenly cut out, and the Moff was replaced by Oteg. :: We monitored that transmission, and my fleet is moving to intercept. :: The base rocked with a sudden explosion, and the base's blast doors slammed shut behind them. :: We will do what we can, but you must hurry. Find that computer, and get out of there! ::

T7 chirped and rocked on his feet, and Mariamne nodded. "T7 says it's this way. Come on."

Another blast rocked the base as they headed deeper inside, and Carth steadied himself on the wall. "Why is it always an orbital bombardment?" he muttered.

#

The computer was in a laboratory — a small, extremely alien looking, half-holographic pyramid wired into a regular console. The techs working had scattered, ducking behind consoles or chairs, as they approached — the last bit of Imperial guards had been outside their door, so Carth was certain they'd heard the fighting, and being subjected to a sudden bombardment was an experience he sadly remembered well. One man, likely in charge, stood between them and the computer. He bristled angrily, but his hand shook as he held it out.

"Butchers," he spat. "You invaded a sovereign Imperial world, slaughtered dozens to, what, steal our research? You are interfering with a mission of peace. We're charting the Maelstrom Nebula for the good of all.

Thaymina held out a hand to them and stepped forward. "We are simply here for the Gree computer," she said, her voice adopting that vaguely-sympathetic Jedi tone Carth recognized too well. "The deaths are regrettable, but we must complete our mission."

He scoffed. "When the rest of the galaxy hears about this, the Republic's evil will be exposed." He waved his hand. "You will all become synonymous with your government's campaign of extermination against us."

"Wonder what the Sacking would say about that," Mariamne muttered.

Thaymina looked back over her shoulder with a narrow-eyed glare before returning to the man ahead of her. "If we could have negotiated for the computer, we would have opted for that," she said. "It is the only thing we want. We have no quarrel with you or your researchers."

The man's tone started to change, only slightly. "There are hundreds of civilian vessels exploring the Maelstrom Nebula. The electromagnetic radiation alters safe navigation routes every minute. If we give you the —" The base rocked with another blast, and he winced. "Without the computer's prices coordinates, thousands of good scientists will be trapped there."

"Then transmit fresh coordinates to your vessels, allowing them to leave the nebula. After that, the computer is ours."

"But all our research! It will mean nothing without a complete —" He skimmed them and sighed heavily, removing his datapad. "Transmitting coordinates now. The computer is yours. I hope it breaks the first time you use it."

The facility rocked with another blast, and Thaymina looked up. "Get you and your people out," she said. "I would hurry."

The doctor huffed and began waving to his researchers as Gav'riel stepped forward, investigated the console, and carefully removed the computer.

"It's a lot smaller than I expected," Kira said.

The Gree know how to build 'em compact," he answered, as the facility shook again.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Carth said. "Are we done?"

Thaymina nodded and turned away. "They left through a door down there. It's probably a back exit. We should —" She looked up and threw out her hand, blocking a chunk of ceiling from falling onto them, and tossed it aside with a huff. "—head that way. Quickly."

A/N: Had a rough week so I didn't publish yesterday - but I got hit by the winter storm apocalypse on the East Coast, so I didn't have to work today! Starting Tuesday we'll resume the Tuesday/Friday posting order, so consider this chapter Friday's, just a little late.

T-2 chapters to everyone's favorite Sinnamon Roll. :)